-Zl^ri^ C^i /(4^> .
HISTORY
OF
MARSHALL COUNTY
KANSAS
ITS PEOPLE, INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS
By
EMMA E.-FORTER
U>
With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and
Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families
ILLUSTRATED
1917
B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Inc.
Indianapolis, Indiana
DEDICATION,
This work is respectfully dedicated to
THE PIONEERS,
long since departed. .May the memory of those who laid down their burdens
by the wayside ever he fragrant as the breath of summer
flowers, for their toils and sacrifices have made
Marshall County a garden of sun-
shine and delights.
PUBLISHERS' PREFACE
All life anil achievement is evolution; present wisdom comes from past
experience, and present commercial prosperity has come only from past exer-
tion and sacrifice. The deeds and motives of the men who have gone hefore
have been instrumental in shaping the destinies of later communities and
states. The development of a new country was at once a task and a privi-
lege. It required great courage, sacrifice and privation. Compare the pres-
ent conditions of the people of Marshall county, Kansas, with what they were
sixty years ago. From a trackless wilderness and virgin land, the county has
come to be a center of prosperity and civilization, with millions of wealth,
systems of railways, educational and religious institutions, varied industries
and immense agricultural and dairv interests. Can any thinking person be
insensible to the fascination of the study which discloses the aspirations and
efforts of the early pioneers who so strongly laid the foundation upon which
has been reared the magnificent prosperity of later days? To perpetuate the
storv of these people and to trace and record the social, religious, educational,
political and industrial progress of the community from its first inception, is
the function of the local historian. A sincere purpose to preserve facts and
personal memoirs that are deserving of perpetuation, and which unite the
present to the past, is the motive for the present publication. The publishers
desire to extend their thanks to those who have so faithfully labored to this
end. Thanks are also due to the citizens of Marshall county, for the uniform
kindness with which they have regarded this undertaking, and for their man)
services rendered in the gaining of necessary information.
In placing the "History of Marshall County, Kansas." before the citizens,
the publishers can conscientiously claim that the}- have carried out the plan
as outlined in the prospectus. Every biographical sketch in the work has
been submitted to the part}- interested, for correction, and therefore any
error of fact, if there be any. is solely due to the person for whom the sketch
was prepared. Confident that our effort to please will fully meet the appro-
bation of the public, we are.
Respectfully.
THE PUBLISHERS.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I— GEOLOGY, ORNITHOLOGY AND FLORA 35
Natural Resources — Altitude — Drainage — Limestone and Gypsum Deposits —
Precious Stones — Forestry — Oil Prospects — Farming — Prehistoric Evidences
— Passing of the Wild Fowl — Exit of the Eagle — Cry of the Whippoorwill
No Longer Heard — Native Flowers — The Pre-eminent Sunflower — The First
Dandelion — Wild Flowers Rapidly Disappearing — Goldenrod and the Sweet
Wild Rose Regarded as Favorite Flowers.
CHAPTER II— EARLY EXPLORATIONS 42
Myths of the Spanish Explorers — "The Seven Cities" — Stories of the Land
of Cibola — Nuno de Guzman's Expedition After Gold — Expedition of De-
Narvaez — Francisco Vasquex de Coronado and His Quest into Quivera —
Line Between Kansas "and Nebraska — Pawnee Indians — A Link witli the
Past — Origin of "Kansas" — The Kansa or Kaw Tribe of Indians — Kansas
Sold to the United States — Spaniards Attempt Invasion — The Grand Village
des Canzes — Lewis and Clark Expedition — Aboriginals Moved to Reservation
— The Old Kaw Trail and the Indian Agency.
CHAPTER III— INDIANS IN MARSHALL COUNTY 49
In the Days of Coronado — Pawnees and Wichitas — Limitless Hunting
Grounds — Evidences of Aboriginal Battles — Old War Weapons Found —
Indian Trail Crossed the Vermillion — Longest Trail in North America —
Later the Mormon Trail — Route of the Gold Seekers — Immigrant Trains
Cross the Plains — The Otoe Indians — Depredations of Redskins — Indians
Abduct Girl — Massacre of the Cassel Party — Panic Among Early Settlers —
Militia Mustered — Six Victims of Murderous Redskins — Effective Defense
Made — Aboriginals Driven West.
CHAPTER IV— SETTLEMENT OF MARSHALL COUNTY 56
The Pioneer — "Westward Ho!" — A Generation of Heroic Mold — Old Set-
tlers' Reunion Association — Mrs. Travelute's Recollections — First Missionary
Among the Indians — New England Aid Company — Virtue of the Kansas
Pioneer Homes — Privations and Sacrifices — Loneliness of the Women — Pio-
neer Farmer's Wife — Homesickness and Regret — Pleasures Offset Privations
— House-Warmings and Other Social Activities — "Joy-Riding" in Ox-
Wagons — Reminiscences of Frank J. Marshall — Territorial Government —
Indians Become Impatient — Some Facts Not Recorded in History — Some of
the Earliest Settlers — Pioneers on the Vermillion — J. M. Watson's Remin-
iscences— Eli Punteney's Recollections — The Walker Family — The Hutchin-
sons — Cyclone Visits Pioneers — Pony Express and Overland Stage — Descrip-
tion of a Pioneer "Ball" — Settlers Share Hardships and Privations — Palmetto
Town Company — Brief Mention of Early Settlers — Early Opposition to
Slavery — Some First Events.
CONTENTS.
I HAPTER \ COUNTY AND TOWN ORGANIZATION... 98
I i rritorial Organization — Annexation of Texas — The Slavery Question —
Northern Discontent Increased— Prelude to civil War — Missions Kstab-
li shed — Location of Marshall County— Kansas-Nebraska Act — The Many-
Sided Frank J. Marshall — Dimensions of Marshall County — Marysville Made
a Postoffice — Gradual Increase in Population— Marysville Created the County
Seal -Rivals Make Charges of Fraud — County Seat Fight Reopened — Court
House — Old Stone Jail — County Infirmary — Officials of County — Organiza-
tion of Townships — General Tax Levy ami Valuation Statistics— Township
Officials.
CHAPTER VI CITY OF MARYSVILLE 115
Big Blue I rossing in 1850 — Marshall's Kerry — Marysville Town Company-
Incorporation of City in 1861 — First Saw Mill — Bridge Erected in 1863 —
"Rough ami Even Desperate Men" Open Saloons Were Numerous Noto-
rious Stopping Place on Great Overland Trail — Industries — Excelsior Mills
and (apt. Perrj Hutchinson — Prominent Business Firms — The Community
House — Marysville Turnverein — Some Prominent Visitors — Old-Time Theat-
ricals— Bands Cemeterj Volunteer F'ire Department — Business Life of
Marysville — Present Business Concerns -Maennerchor — Commercial Club —
Women's Clubs- Railroad hems.
I HAPTER VII— CITY OF BLUE RAPIDS 139
Origin and Development — The < ienesee Colony — Blue Rapids Town Com-
pany— Land Taken Rapidly — "Colonial Hall" First Business House — Indus-
tries— Waterworks Early Established — Waterpower Gives Impetus to New
Town — Directory of 1870 — Further Development— Blue Rapids in 1872 —
Ladies' Library Association — Business Interests in 1880 — Incorporation —
Grasshopper Invasion — Some F'irst Events — Postoffice Established in 1859 —
Jolm McPherson's Recollections Jason Yurann — Fairmount Cemetery —
Present Business Interests — The Oldest Settler.
CHAPTER \ 111 CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES 155
Axtell The St. Joseph ["own Company- "Shoestring" Dickinson — Colony
from Iowa — Pro^' ommunity- Current Business Interests -Barrett —
Th( own Con panj \ ' .. Barrett's Mill in 1857 — Coming of the
Railroad Beattie — Named for Mayor of St. Joseph — Some First Events —
Current Business Interests Bigelow Named tor General Bigelow — Lime-
stone Quarries Opened in 1881— Bremen — Laid Out by Henry Brennecke
in 1886— Destroyed by Fire in 1908 Founded on the Carden Farm
— Four Families in Village— City of Frankfort — Organized in 1867 — First
Lily Election in 1875 — Old Nottingham Postoffice Frankfort's Commercial
and Industrial Interests — Herkimer — Destroyed by Fire in 1902 ami Rebuilt
Village of Hull— One General Store Irviny Organized by lowans in i
— Incorporated in 1871 — Cyclone of 18/9 —Business Interests in 1917— Lillis —
Marietta M ina — Oketo — Governed by Women — Palmetto Town Company —
ummerfield— Vermillion— Mutual Improvement Club— Girl Band
— Farm and Home Institute — Vliets — Waterville — Incorporated in 1870 —
Winifred — County Seat in 1858. Under Name of "Sylvan" — Flag Stations —
-i and Abandoned Towns.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IX— FOREIGN ELEMENTS IN MARSHALL COUNTY 209
Bohemians — John Pecenka — First Homestead Entry — Caravan of Prairie
Schooners — Danes — John Nelson — Germans — G. H. Hollenberg — Prominent
in Business Life — Swiss — The Thomans — The Helvetia Society — Samuel
Forter — Swedes — Peter Froom — Two Swedish Settlements — The Irish —
"There's a Bower of Roses by Bendemeer's Stream" — St. Bridget's — Irish
Creek — First Homesteader — Daniel Donahy — Some Names on the Honor
Roll.
CHAPTER X— RAILWAYS OF MARSHALL COUNTY 234
St. Joseph & Grand Island Railroad — First Rails Laid in 1860 — Railroad
Improvements — Union Pacific System — St. Joseph & Western Railroad —
Marysville, Palmetto & Roseport Railroad — Northern Kansas Railroad
Company — St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad — Central Branch Union
Pacific Railroad — Atchison & Pike's Peak Railroad Company — Marysville &
Blue Valley Railroad — Topeka, Onaga & Marysville Branch — Topeka "Cut-
off"— Public Roads — Ocean-to-Ocean Highway — "The White Way" — Blue
Valley Interstate Highway — Good-Roads Campaign.
CHAPTER XI— AGRICULTURE AND STOCK RAISING 243
"The Plowman Slowly Moves Along the Furrow's Mellow Wake" — Cattle —
Breeding of Live Stock — Tribute to the Cow — Herd Law — First Herefords —
Some Early Breeders and Graziers — Shorthorns — Importers of Holsteins —
Consistent Champion of Angus Cattle — Creameries — Blue Valley Creamery
Company — Breeds for Dairy Purposes — The Horse — Introduction of High-
Grade Normans — Percheron — Clydesdale — English Coach — Effect of Drought
of 1894 — Horses Given Away — Auto vs. Horse — Sheep Being Introduced —
Hogs — Cholera Eradication Station — Poultry — Marshall County Farm Bu-
reau— 1916 Corn Contest — Farmers' Educational and Co-operative Union —
Farm Produce Contest — Stock Show and Fair Association — Horse Racing a
Thing of the Past — Women's Work at County Fair.
CHAPTER XII— MILITARY HISTORY 261
"Little Green Tents" — War of the Rebellion — Letter from a Soldier Boy —
Seventh Kansas Cavalry — First Soldier Killed — Tribute to Loyalty — Coun-
ty's Contribution to Union Cause — Raising the Union Flag — County Armed
Against Indians — Marysville Recruiting Station — Many Minor Skirmishes in
County — Thirteenth Kansas Infantry — Second Kansas Cavalry — Civil War
Veterans — War With Spain — Veterans of Spanish-American War — War of
1917 — Marshall County No "Slacker" — "The Flag Goes By."
CHAPTER XIII— POLITICAL HISTORY : 274
Reminiscences — Edwin C. Manning — State Officials' from Marshall County —
Marshall County Men in Federal Service — Early Elections — First Election
in Spring of 1855 — Liberal Construction on Law — Only Two Free-State Men
in County — Voters Come in Droves — Vote on the Lecompton Constitution —
Endless String of "Repeaters" — Voted St. Louis City Directory — "Free Bal-
lot and a Fair Count" Meaningless Phrase — Ballot Box Stuffing Extraordi-
nary— Political Parties — A Populistic Blunder — Marshall County a Judicial
"No Man's Land" — Kansas Territorial Council — Members of Legislature
from This County — State Senators from This District.
CONTJ \"TS.
CHAPTER XIV m HOOLS OF MARSHALL COUNTY 282
High Educational Standard— First School House in 1859— School District
No. 1. Barret) No Pupils for First School -Private, or "Select" Scl Is —
Efforts Toward Higher Education — Wetmore Institute — Deer Creek School
Standard Rural School— Some Early Teachers Early Parochial Schools —
First School iii Cottage Hill — Marysville Public Schools Blue Rapids
Schools First School Conducted in Dwelling House Irving School \.
— Other Town Schools — The Old Log School House Superintendents of
Public Instruction School Teachers of the Current Year Count] Board of
.miners Officers ol Count] Teachers' Association School Boards Asso-
ciation -School Statistics Gold Medal Awards Honor Students and the
Honor Roll John McDonald and His "Western School Journal."
CHAPTER \\ CHURCHES IX MARSHA I.I. COUNTY
-i Religious Service Held in Saloon Methodist Episcopal t Imrch — Or-
ons in Various Towns in County Presbyterian Churches — Chris-
tian Churches (Church of Christ)— Baptist Churches Colored Baptists —
Episcopal Churches — Lutheran and Evangelical Churches — United Presby-
terians i 'ongregationalists — Free Methodist Church— Universalists — Chris-
tian Scientists Pentecost Church Catholic Churches of the County.
CHAPTER XVI FRATERNAL ORDERS, SO< tETIES \\l> I 1. 1 BS 348
Independent Ordei ol Odd Fellows— Knights of Pythias Ancient Order of
United Workmen- Modern Woodmen of Ameri I iyal Neighbors of
America Knights .md Ladies ol Security— Knights of Honor — I).
Honor Knights of Columbus— Fraternal Aid Union— Triple ! efil
Association Catholic Mutual Benefit Association— Grand Army of the Re-
public— Woman's Relief Corps — Ladies of the G. A. R. Sons of Veterans —
Young Men's Christian Association — Woman's Christian Temperance Union
— Ancient Free and Accepted Masons Royal Arch Masons — Knights Tem-
pi.n -Order of the Eastern Star
CHAPTER XVII THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
Fragments of Records. Memories and Traditions Preventive Medicine of
the Aboriginal Health from the Waters— The Indian Medicine Man — Pa-
trons of Nature's Dispensatory — System of Counter-Irritation -Curing the
Sick -Alcove Springs a Health Resorl Imputation Under Difficulties —
Grandmother's Remedies -Neighbor Helped Neighbor The First Babies —
Mulls and Fever First Doctor in County— Aii "Egyptian's" Remedies,
"Lopopahirum" and "Hipopalorum" Quacks of the Other Days — Tribute to
the Faithful Family Doctor — Penalty for "Fee-Splitting" Advance of Med-
ical Science -County Medical Society Macbeth on Medicine— Physicians of
Marshall County — Retrospective — "Everj Cradle Asks Us Whence and
Every Coffin Whither."
CHAPTER Will BENCH VND BAR ...398
Judicial Districts Defined in 1855 Marshall County in Third District —
First ["erritorial Legislature at Pawnee— Third District Bar i ed —
First Court in Marysville First Sheriff Shot b) Desperado County Placed
in Second Judicial District in 1860— A I i ' Case— Attorneys ol Rec-
CONTENTS.
ord — Twelfth Judicial District Created in 1871 — Strong Bar in Those Days
— Twenty-first Judicial District Created in 1888 — Attorneys of the Present
Day — Marshall County Bar Association — Story of First Suit in County —
Challenged to a Duel — A "Bar" Story — Jolly Disciples of Blackstone.
CHAPTER XIX— BANKS AND BANKING 408
Substantial Assets of County — Twenty-eight Banks — Record of But Three
Failures — County Ranks Second in State — Early Banking in County — List
of Present Banks and Officiary of Same — Banker Saves Currency Burned
to a Crisp.
CHAPTER XX— MARSHALL COUNTY PRESS 416
First Kansas Banner Was a Newspaper — True Pioneer Instinct Displayed —
First Paper in Marshall County — "The Palmetto Kansan" — Early Newspaper
Plant Scattered by a Cyclone — Loyalists Destroy Pro-Slavery Paper — News-
papers That Have Come and Gone — List of Present Newspapers in the
County — Interesting Sidelights on Old-Time Editors.
CHAPTER XVI— MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS OF INTEREST 423
Sidelights on Various Matters of Historic Interests — Young Men's Christian
Association — Independence Crossing — Alcove Springs — Postoffices in Coun-
ty— Nomenclature of Towns — Great Prairie Fire — Terrific Cyclone of 1879 —
Cottage Hill Cemetery — Marshall County and the World's Fair — Grasshop-
pers—First Homestead Patent Granted — "Tremble" — Tragedies — Dark
Deeds of Frontier Life — Summary Retribution — Loyal Man Murdered by
Traitor — Murdered for His Gold — Horse Thief Hanged — The Pennington
Murder — Murder of Under-Sheriff — Paroled Murderer Holding State Job.
CHAPTER XXII— SIDELIGHTS ON MARSHALL COUNTY HISTORY 439
Fremont's Expedition — Mormon Meanderings — The Overland Stage — Some
Notable Travelers — The Oketo Cut-off — Bad Feeling Between Oketo and
Marysville — Mail Service Discontinued — Price of Obstinancy — The Pony
Express — Early Day Advertising — White Stump Swimming Hole — Story of
Grandma Keyes — The Old Musician — "Tell Me the Tales That Were So
Dear" — Disaster Follows Night of Pleasure — An Improvised Concert — A
Matter of Life and Death — Obe French — George Guittard — William Alex-
ander Calderhead — G. H. Hollenberg — L'Envoi — "Tarry a Little; There is
Something More."
HISTORICAL INDEX
Abandoned Highway to Wealth 260
Advertising in Early Days 444
Afton 208
Agricultural and Stock Raising 243
Alcove Springs 385, 462
Alfalfa Introduced in 1872 248
Altitude of Marshall County 35
Ambitious School Plan Failed 174
Amputation Under Difficulties 386
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons- 362
Ancient Order of United Workmen. 352
Angus Cattle Breeders^ 246
A Prideful Institution 121
Arkaketah, Otoe Indian Chief 179
Armed Against Indians 53, 266
Armour 208
Arrow Heads and Spear Heads 49
Ash Point 208
Atchison & Pike's Peak Railroad— 239
Attorneys of Marshall County__400, 403
Automobile Fire Apparatus 131
Automobiles Encourage Better
Roads 241
Automobile^ in Marshall County 242
Automobiles Ruin Village 186
Auto vs. Horse 251
Ayersville 205
Axtell Citizens Bank 408
Axtell. City of —
Admirable Location 157
Business Interests 157
Cemetery 158
Chautauqua 156
Churches 305. 310
Fire Department 156
First School 156
Laid Out in 1872 155
Miscellaneous 158
Origin and Development 155
Axtell, City of — Continued.
Park 156
Postoffice 155
Some First Events 155
The Deep River Colony 155
B
Babies Mixed at Dance 84
"Bad Men" Shooting Up the Town- 118
Balderson Township 112
Ballot-Box Stuffing Extraordinary. 278
Bands at the County Seat 125
Bank Burglars Frustrated 410
Bank Destroyed by Fire 409
Bank Notes Saved from Fire 164
Bank of Frankfort. The 410
Banks and Banking 408
Barrett, A. G. 159
Barrett, Village of 159
Baptist Churches —
At Marysville 314
At Blue Rapids 314
At Frankfort 315
At Waterv-ille 316
At Winifred 316
Beattie, Village of —
Business Interests 161
Churches 307
Named for A. Beattie 160
Postoffice 161
Some First Events 160
Stone Quarries "__ 160
Townsite Platted in 1870..: 160
Bench and Bar 398
Bennett's Station 206
Big Blue City 206
Big Blue Crossing 115
Big Blue River 35
Bigelow Quarries Exhausted 163
Bigelow State Bank 410
HISTORICAL INDEX.
Bigelow Township 112
li '\\ . Village of —
163
Churches 163
First Resident 163
School 162
Founded in 1881 162
Stone Quarries 162
Birds of Marshall County 40
chville .-- 206
Blizzard Claims Victim — 198
Blue Rapids, City i
Business Development 143
Bush ectory 151
Cemetery 150
Churches
< olonial Hall
too ol 1880 - 145
First Business House 140
Postmaster 14(1
Gti i olony, The 139
Grasshoppers 147
Incorporation 14(>
Industries 141
Library Association 144
Oldest Settler 154
Origin and Development 139
Postoffice 148
dents in 1870 142
Schools 2X7
Situation in 1872 143
Some First Events 147
Town Company 139
Waterpower Site 141
Blue Rapids Citj Township 112
Blue Rapids I ompany 139
Blue Rap nship 112
Blue Valley Creamery Company 259
Blue Valley Interstate Highway 242
i - I h rough Into I tagout 213
"Bob White" Becomi Raritj 40
Bohi erj 21S
Bohemians in Marshall County 209
kin. Dr. \Y. F. 88
ding of Live Stock 243
Bank .
Bremi n, Village of —
Bank Notes Redeemed ld4
- Interests .. 164
Destroyed by Fire 1(>4
Bremen, Village of -Continued.
163
I >ut in 1886 163
Population of 163
Successful Insurance Company 165
Brenneke, Henry
Bridge at Schroyer
Brown, C. .1. 154
iwn, J. B. .. .. .... 153
Brown, Walter P. 154
"Bryan" Was Rejected 170
Bucket Brigade Not Effectual
do Driven to Death 50
Buffalo Had His Day 40
Burglars Break from Jail 108
Business Firms ol" Marysville 12o
Business Interests at Axtell 157
Business interests of Carden 165
Business interests of Frankfort 169
iness Interests of I.illis 177
Business Interests of Marietta 178
Business Life of Marysville 131
Bygones are Now Bygones 107
C
Calderhead, William Alexander 454
Carden. Village of 165
Cashier Siezed Robber's Gun 410
I athi ilic Churches —
St. Joseph'- at Lillis .^^i
Holy Family at Summerfield 330
St. Michael's, Axtell 331
St. Monica's. Waterville 352
St, Elizabeth's, Irving 555
St. Malachy's, Beattie .. 534
St. Bri rish 335
Annunciation Parish. Frankfort.. 338
St. Gregory's, Marysville 5411
St. Wencesclaus 346
Catholic Mutual Benefit Issociatioi
I ats, the Price of 71
le in Marshall County 245
ir Falls 206
Celebrated Legal Case 4on
Cent ill \i tivm , 121
(enter Township 115
i en ch (U. P.) Railroad, 2.V>
lenged to Fight Duel.. 404
Charges of Fraudulent Voting Made 104
HISTORICAL INDEX.
Charred Bank Notes Redeemed 164
Chills, A "Cure" for 390
Cholera Eradication Station 252
Christian Churches —
At Bigelow 512
Balderson 512
Beattie 312
Irving 312
Vermillion 313
Waterville 313
Churches of Marshall County 300
Church of Christ (Scientist) 327
Church Twice Destroyed 339
Cities. Towns and Villages 155
Citizens State Bank of Blue Rapids 409
Citizens Bank of Frankfort 411
Citizens State Bank of Home City. 411
Citizens State Bank. Marysville — 413
Citizens State Bank. Waterville — 415
City and Town Property Valuation 110
City Hopes Soon Abandoned 173
City of Axtell 155
City of Blue Rapids 139
City of Frankfort , 166
City of Marysville 115
City of Oketo 179
City of Summerfield 187
City of Waterville 196
Civil War Period 261
Civil War Veterans in County 268
Clothing of the Pioneers 61
Clear Fork Township 113
Cleveland Township 113
Coal Beds in Marshall County 36
"Colonel Sellers's" Prototype 149
"Colonial Hall" 139
Commercial Club at Frankfort 168
Commercial Club at Marysville 134
Coming of the Railroad 74
Community House at Marysville 121
Congregational Church 326
Contribution to Union Cause 265
Coon, John V. 153
"Copperhead" Society, the 389
Corn Contest of 1916 254
Coronado's Coming to Kansas 45
Cottage Hill 307
Cottage Hill Cemetery 431
Cottage Hill School District 285
Cottage Hill Township 113
Cottonwood Trees former "Mon-
archs" 36
County and Township Organization 98
County Bar Association 403
County Board of Examiners 296
County Fairs 258
County Infirmary 109
County Jail 108
County Medical Society 394
County Named for Marshall 101
County Officials 109
County Seat Fight Reopened 106
County's First Court House 103
County Seat Election 103
County Seat's Business Life 131
County's Foreign Elements 209
County Superintendents of Schools 292
County Teachers' Association 296
Court. First Session of 403
Court House Destroyed by Fire--- 108
Crane. Robert 85
Creameries of Marshall County-247, 259
Cream Separators 248
Crowds at Old Marysville Ferry— 119
Customs of the Pioneers 61
Cyclone Creates Havoc 175
Cyclone of May 30. 1879 429
Cyclone Scatters Newspaper Plant. 417
D
Dairy Interests of County 247
Dandelion's First Appearance 41
Danes of Marshall County 216
Daughters of Rebekah 349
Deceptive Railroad Survey 197
Deer Creek School 283
Defended the Flag 211
Degree of Honor 356
Desecration of a Church 107
Destructive Blaze at Summerfield-- 188
Dickinson. "Shoestring" I??
Bidn't Want Postoffice 170
Disloyal Newspaper "Gutted" 264
Distributing Point for Seed 2nd
Donahy. Daniel 231. 454
Drilling for Coal and Gas 36
Drougth of 1894 249
Duel, Challenge to 404
HISTORICAL INDEX.
E
Eagles Now a Rarity 4o
Earliest Settlers Driven Out 52
hool Building 291
Early Catholic Missioners 231
Earljr Elections 276
Early Explorations 42
Early Foes of Liquor 140
Early Mill at Barrett 15''
Earl} Missions Established 99
Early Residents <>t' Blue Rapids — 142
Early Scarcity of Food 97
Early Schools Lacked Pupils 282
Early School Teachers 284
Early Settlers, Mention of 88
Early Stock Breeders 245
Educational 282
Educational and Co-operative Union 255
iiiu Fire Fighting Force lis
Eggs and Poultry 253
Elections in Early Days 27o
Elizabeth 206
i. 20
Elm Creek Township 115
rlish Sparrow's First Coming — 41)
its For \\ ai with < iermany 271
I in-- i ipal Churches —
At Marysville 316
At Irving 517
At Blue Rapids 318
Evergreen Cemetery Association 201
Evidences of Prehistoric Life 39
Ewing
Exchange Bank at Marysville 412
Explorations of Spaniards 42
F
I .mland 206
Fairmont ery 150
Family Altar in Humble Homes 60
Farm and I Ionic Institute
Farm Bureau's Good Work 254
Farmers Band for Mutual Help 255
Build Blai ksmith Shop— 178
Farmers Build Bridge 173
Ear; I operative Movements _ 254
Farmers' Fire Insurance Company. 165
Farmers' First "Side Line" 2^2
Farmers Give Horses Away 250
Farmers Help Railroad 171
Farmers' State Bank, Waterville... 415
Farming, County's Chief Pursuit--. 57
Farming in Marshall County 245
Farm-Product ' I 2?t>
Farm Property Valuation 110
Farmers' Union Prospering 196
Ferry Toll Came lli.L;h 119
Piddle Earned Pioneer a Home 91
Fire Completes I yclone's Work 174
hue Destroyed Village of Herki-
mer 171
First Automobile Owner in County 251
First Baby in Marshall County 387
First Birth at Blue Rapids 147
First Bridge Across Blue River 117
First Cemetery at Marysville 128
First County Seat
First Court House 107
First Doctor in County
First Election in ( ' 276
First hire Department 128
hirst Homesteader 231, 454
"First Kansas Banner" 41o
First Man at Marysville 117
First Marshall ( ounty Soldier Slain 264
First Mill in i H 159
First Murder on Kansas Soil 45
First National Bank of Beattie 40"
First National Bank of Marysville. 412
' National Bank. Summerfield— 414
1 1 Settlers Meeting 57
First Papei in Marysville 41<>
First ce in Kansas 101
First Preaching Services 76
; Railroad in Kansas 234
First i Eiousi in 97
First School in County 2*1
Fit -' of Court 403
First Standard Rural Scl I 283
First Steam Saw-Mill 96
i Train to Marysville 254
i White Men ill Kansas 45
Bravely Defended • 211
Flag Stations in County 205
Flames Ravages at Summerfield 188
Flora nt Marshall County 35, 41
Foreign Element in County 209
Forestry 36
HISTORICAL INDEX.
Forter, Samuel 226
Fortunes from Sale of Liquor 118
Frankfort. City of —
Business Interests 168
Busy Shipping Point 169
Churches 303
Commercial Club 168
Electric Light Plant 168
Excellent Buildings ,167
Library and Clubs 170
Origin and Development 166
Postoffice 166
Schools 167
Third City in County 166
Town Company Organized 166
Franklin Township 113
Franks-Fort 206
Fraternal Aid Union 358
Fraternal Orders 348
Fraudulent Voting Alleged 104
Free Methodist Church 326
Free-Range Period. The 244
Free-Staters Overridden 276
Fremont's Expedition 95, 439
French Explorers Early on Scene-- 47
French, Obe 451
Fresh-water Pearls in County 36
Froom, Peter 228
Frozen to Death in Blizzard 198
Four Lonely Loyalists 265
Forty Miles to a Dance 74
Founder of Bigelow 162
Fourth of July. 1862 ._ 118
Fourth Postoffice in County 200
G
Gambling, Shooting and Fighting — 118
Game of "Horse-Shoe" Popular 185
Gave Up City Charter 173
General Marshall's Reminiscences-- 64
General Tax Levy 110
"Generation of Heroic Mold" 56
Genesee Colony, The 139
Geology, Ornithology and Flora 35
Germans of Marshall County 221
Gertrude 206
Girl Band at Vermillion 193
Girl Burned at Stake 52
Goldenrod, Favorite Flower 41
Gold Medals in Schools 298
Good Roads Campaign 242
Gothamborg Settlement 229
Government by Women 184
Grain Sacks for Trousers 61
Grand Army of the Republic 359
Grandmother's Remedies 386
Grand Village des Canzes 47
Granite Falls 206
Grasshoppers 60, 147, 155, 219, 432
Greenwood Cemetery 175
Guittard, George 452
Guittard Station 206
Guittard Township 113
Gypsum Deposits in County 35, 37.
145, 153
H
"Hard Times" for Pioneers 97
Harnessing the Vermillion 96
Hawkins, Dr. Robert 362, 383
Heasleyville 206
"Help Yourself to Horses" 250
Helvetia Society, The 225
Herd Law. The 244
Hereford Breeders' Association 246
"Herefordshire of Kansas," The 244
Herkimer Township 113
Herkimer, Village of —
Business Interests 171
Destroyed by Fire 171
Farmers Help Railroad 171
First Name Rejected 170
Laid Out in 1878 170
Population of 170
Rises from Ashes 171
"Raemer Creek" Postoffice 170
Schools 171
Some First Events 171
High Rates of Interest 74
High Schools of Marshall County 294
Highways of Marshall County 241
Historians Contention Refuted 180
Hog Cholera's Ravages 252
Hogs in Marshall County 252
Hollenberg, G. H. 221, 455
Holstein Breeders in Marshall 246
Homestead, Patent No. 1 231, 434
Honor Students in County 298
Horse-Livery Business Vanishes 251
HISTORICAL INDEX.
Horse Racing in the Old Days 258
Horses in Marshall County 249
Horse Thief Hanged 436
Hospitality of Pioneers 86
Hot Winds of 1894 249
Hull, Village of 172
Hutchinson. Jennette Barber 7'>
I
Incidents of Early Bar 40S
Incidents of the Old Trail 179
Incident in "The- Virginian" 84
Incorporation of Blue Rapids 146
Increase in Population B>2
Independence Crossing 206, 426
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 348
Indian Agency Building 48
Indians Abduct and Scourge Girl — 52
Indians Become Impatient 66
Indian Burying Grounds Vanish 51
Indian Depredations 51
Indian Massacre of 1862 75
Indian Medicine Men 384
Indian Removal in 1847 48
Indian Village Xear Winifred 49
Indian War Weapons 4"
Indians Driven Farther West 55
Indians in Marshall County 4n
Indians Massacre Small Party 54
Indians Pursued by Militia 53
Industries of Blue Rapids 141
Industries of Marysville 119
Influx of Settlers 213
In Honor of Washington Irving 173
Impetus Given to Axtell 155
Inman, Jacob 162
Irish Creek Settlement 231
Irish in Marshall County 230
Irishman First Homesteader 231
Iowans Plan Irving Townsite 173
Irving. Village of —
Interests 176
Cemetery 175
Churches 106
Hopes Abandoned 174
Dreadful Work of i yclone 175
Early Settlers Discouraged 174
: ( hurch in County 174
Incorporated in 1860 173
Irving, Village of -Continued.
Named for Washington Irving 17.i
Organized by Iowans 173
Population 175
Postofnce 174
Railroad's Spite Ineffectual 174
Schools
Telephone Service 175
Wetmore Institute 174
J
Jerome, W. W. 173
Jetts Town 208
Johnson. II. M., Reminiscences of 217
"Joy Riding" in Lumber Wagons 62
Judicial District 4H1
Jury Turns "Jack" for Verdict 108
K
Kansas Indians Early Settlers 47
"Kansas" and Its Meaning 4t>
Kansas-Nebraska Bill 67. 99
Kantanyan 208
Keen Business Sense 179
Keyes. Grandma, Story of 44<>
Killed While Blasting Rock 200
Killing Out Hoy Cholera 2?2
Knights and Ladies of Security 355
Knights of Columbus 357
Knights of Honor 356
Knights of Pythias 3S0
Knights Templar 378
L
LaBelle House, The 141
Ladies of the G. A. R. 362
Lagrange 206
Lanesburg, oi Lanes Crossing 206
Law Liberally Construed 276
Lawyers of Another Day 108
Lawyers of Marshall County 398
L'Envoi 456
Letter from a .'soldier Boy 2o2
Lewis and Clark Expedition 4S
"Liberal Construction" of Law 276
Liberty Meant License Then 118
Library Association. Blue Rapids — 144
HISTORICAL INDEX.
Life Lost in Prairie Fire 429
Lillis, Village of 177
Limestone Quarries 35
Lincoln Township 113
Liquor Freely Sold 118
Liquor Had Early Foes 140
"Little Green Tents," a Poem 261
Local Men in Federal Service 276
Location of Marshall County 100
Logan Township 113
Longest Indian Trail in Country — 49
Lone-Grave Cemetery 186
Long Time Between Drinks 180
Lost and Abandoned Towns 205
Loyalists Destroy Newspaper Plant
264. 369
Loyal Man Murdered 435
Lutheran and Evangelical Churches —
Cottage Hill and Waterville 319
Walnut Township 320
Marysville 320
Herkimer 322
Stolzenbach 322
Walnut Township i23
Hermansburg 324
M
Maennerchor at Marysville 134
Major Long's Expedition 48
Manning, Edwin C. 274
Manning's Home Guards 78
Many-Sided Marshall ' 101
Marietta, Village of 177
"Marble Falls," a Blasted Hope. 197, 206
Marietta State Bank 413
Marshall County Created 101
Marshall County Farm Bureau 253
Marshall County in War Time 261
Marshall County No "Slacker" 272
Marshall County Press 416
Marshall County's Settlement 56
Marshall's Claim Discredited 98
Marshall's Ferry 115
Marshall, Gen. Frank J. 63, 101
Marshall, Mrs. Mary 69
Marysville & Blue Valley Railroad- 240
Marysville, County Seat 103
Marysville. First Postoffice 102
Marysville Named for Mrs. Mar-
shall 70, 101
Marysville Overshadowed Palmetto 185
Marysville Public Schools 285
Marysville Township 113
Marysville's Greatest "Boom" 116
Marysville, The County Seat —
Bands 125
Business Directory 132
Cemetery 127
Churches 301
Commercial Club 134
Community House 121
Fire Department 128
First Bridge 117
First Saw-Mill 116
Incidents of Old Days 118
Incorporation 115
Industries 119
Old Business Firms 120
Old-Time Theatricals 125
Railroad Business 137
Schools 285
Tiirnverein 122
Women's Clubs 134
Masonic Organizations 362
Massacre of Small Party 54
Mastadon Bones Unearthed 39
Medical Profession, The 383
Medicine Men Among Indians 384
Merchants' State Bank, Waterville.- 415
Merrimac 206
Methodist Episcopal Churches —
At Marysville 301
At Blue Rapids 302
At Frankfort 303
At Axtell , 304
At Waterville 305
At Summerfield . 305
At Irving 306
At Vliets 306
At Cottage Hill 307
At Beattie 307
At Vermillion 307
Military History of Marshall County 261
Militia Pursue Indians 53
Miller, Dr. J. P. 117, 388
Mina, Village of 178
HISTORICAL INDEX.
Miscellaneous Items 423
Miscellaneous Railroad Items 237
Missionary slain by Indians 58
Missions, Early in Kansas 58
lern Wooi \ tnerica 353
Moore, Z. II. 182
Moi G. I'. -47
More Soldiers Than Voters 2<>5
Mormon * ["hi 93
Mormon Meanderings 440
Morrall, Dr. Albert 86
"Mori ragi I titers" -'5-'
Movement For Better Roads 242
Murdered tor Gold 436
Murder, First on Kansas Soil 45
Murder of Under-Sheriff 43X
Murrav Township 113
Mussey, Rev. C. F. 139
Mutual Improvement Club 192
Me
McClosky, James 87
McCoy, Thomas . 445
McDonald, John 299
McPherson, John, Recollections oi
1 IS, 1S2
N
Named for English ( itj 172
Native Flowers 41
Nebraska Town Company 203
Neighborliness of Pioneers 75
Nelson, Join, 216
New Court Mouse in 1891 108
New Dayton 207
New England Vid C impany 59
New Jail Not Burglai Proof lux
Newspapers 41<>
New Way to Pay Old Debts 7i
Ninth Kansas Cavalry 266
Noble Township 113
Nolan 205
menclature of Towns 428
Northern Discontent Grows 98
Nottingham Postoffice 166, 207
O
.hi Highway 241
O'Fallon, Major John 4X
Officials of Marysville 114
Officials of Townships 112
Officers of Farmers' Unions 257
Ohio City 207
Oil .Seeker^ at Work 3<>
Oketo, City of—
Business Interests 183
Busy Pioneer Crossing 179
Contrast with the Present 1X1
Earl) Business Concerns 183
G 1 Citizenship the Rule 184
Incorporation in 1890 1X4
Memories of Old Town 17V
Moores First in Business 182
Population 1X4
Prominent families 183
Women I ontrol Government 1X4
Oketo State Bank 413
Oketo [Township 113
Old Band at Waterville in.'
Old County Seat. "Sylvan" 203
Old Ferrj at Hull 172
"Old Glory" Kept Flying 2t<?
Old Settlers Reunion Association 5''
I (Id I ime Business firms 120
Old-Time Dames
Old-Time Theatricals 125
Old Town oi oketo 179
Old Townsite of Wyoming 177
Old Trails Hints 50
old \ ermillion ( itj _'«»7
Once Important Railroad Point
( >ne ( Ifficial to Four Offices 589, 404
t Inlj I >ne Free-State Vote in 1X57__ 277
Open Saloons in Plenty 11X
Opposition to Slavery
Order of the Eastern Star 379
Organization of Townships ID'
Origin of Blue Rapids City 1 19
Origin of "Kansas" 4'.
Origin of Place Names 428
Ornithology oi Marshall County.35, 4i>
Otoe 2D7
Otoe Indian Reservation 50
HISTORICAL INDEX.
Otoe Indians Join Union Troops.- 267
Overland Emigration 52
Overland Stage, The 75, 440
Palmetto Colony, The — 184
Panic Among Early Settlers 53
Parker, Dr. Charles 174
Parmelee, Solomon H. 139
Passing of First Court House 108
Past and Present Contrasted 102
Pawnee Indians, the "Quivera" 45
Pecenka, John 209, 447
Pennington Murder, The 437
Pentecost Church 328
Physicians of Marshall County 394
Pike's Peak Trail, The 75
Pioneer Court Scene 404
Pioneer Doctors Face Difficulties.- 391
Pioneer Farmer's Wife, The 60
Pioneer "Free State" Settlement... 159
Pioneer Girls of the Prairies 74
Pioneer "House Warming" 61
Pioneer Pastimes 185
Pioneer "Pooh-Bah," A 389, 404
Pioneer Privations 97
Pioneer Swedish Preachers 229
Pioneers Held in Remembrance — 57
Tioneers on the Vermillion 73, 93
Plaster Manufacture 37
Pleasant Hill 208
Pleasures of the Pioneers hi
Plot for Novelist 84
Political History of County 274
Pony Express, The • 443
Population Rapidly Grew 102
Populist Politics 279
Postoffice at Barrett in 1857 159
Postoffice at Beattie 161
Postoffice at Blue Rapids 148
Postoffice of Short Life 17(1
Postoffices in Marshall County 427
Potato-bug Bird Arrives 41
Poultry in Marshall County 253
Prairie Chicken Plentiful 219
Prairie Fire's Ravages 428
Prehistoric Evidences 39
Prelude to Civil War 99
Presbyterian Churches —
At Marysville 308
At Blue Rapids 309
At Frankfort 310
At Axtell 310
At Irving 311
At Vermillion 311
Press of Marshall County 416
Promising School Destroyed 174
Prophetic Words - 274
Public Highways in Marshall Coun-
ty ___-__-— 241
Public Officials 274
Punteney, Eli (Recollections of)__ 75
Purebred Cattle Introduced 244
Q
Quack Doctors 392
"Quivera," Now Kansas 45
R
"Raemer Creek" Postoffice 170, 207
Railroad Company's "Spite Work". 174
Railroad Improvements 235
Railroad Item of Current Interest — 137
Railroad Survey Deceived Boomers 197
Railways of Marshall County 234
Railway Station Twice Destroyed-- 174
Relic of Coronado's Visit 46
Red Polled Cattle 247
Reedsville 207
Religious Services in Saloon 300
Religious Services in Saw-Mill — 159
Relocation of County Seat 103
Richland Township 114
Riverside Cemetery Association 202
Robidoux 208
Rock Township 114
Rose Hill Cemetery 158
Rough and Desperate Men 118
Routine of Pioneer Living 60
Rowland, Ed S. 54
Royal Arch Masons 378
Royal Neighbors of America 353
S
Sale of the Kaw Country 47
School Boards Association 296
School District No. 1 159
HISTORICAL INDEX.
ts and Teachers 292
Soli. ...I Roli of Honor
Schools ,,i Beattie
Schools of Marshall County 282
Schools of Summerville .
Schools of Waterville
School Statistics 297
School Superintendents of County. _"'_'
Schroyer, Philip 186
Schroyer, Village of —
Automobiles Kill Business 186
Bridge Built in 1900 186
Farmers' Union Elevator 186
First Events 186
Laid <>ut on Schroyer Farm 186
Only Merchant in Town 186
m. Rev. Thomas 301
Shakespeare and Doctors 395
Shocking Fate of Young Girl 52
Shorthorns Have Checkered Career 24(>
Second Kansas Cavalry 2<>7
Semi-Precious Stones in County 35
Settle. 1 Dispute with (inn 181
Settlement of Marshall County 56
Settlers Become Discouraged 174
Seven i ities, The Island of 42
Seventh Kansas Cavalry 262
Sheep Being (liven a Try-out 251
shot by Desperado 399
Shibley, R. V. 1*5
Shibley & Quarles Mill 117
in Marshall County 248
its on County History 439
Singing- and Spelling-Schools 61
Slavery Bitterly Opposed 93
th, "Jim." War Recollei I 262
Social i enter at Marysville 121
Societies and Clubs 348
So>i Houses and Dugouts 59
Soldiers Outnumber Voters 265
First Kvents '"■
rominent Visitors 124
\ eterans 362
Spanish-American War Times 269
"Spite Work" Was Ineffectual 174
pie Products of the Farm 37
St. ! tlement 231
St. Bridget Township 114
Joseph & Denver City Railroad
St. Joseph & Grand Island Railroad
St. Josej.li & Western Railroad 236
State Bank of Axtell .. 4ns
State Hank of Beattie 408
Stale Bank of Blue Rapids 40V
State Hank of Frankfort 410
Mate Hank of Herkimer 411
State Hank of Home City 411
State Bank of Irving 411
State Hank of Lillis 411
State Hank of Vermillion 414
State Bank of VlietS 415
Mate Bank of Winifred 415
Statistics of Schools
State Representatives 280
State Officials from This County..
State Senators 280
Stock Raising in Marshall County.. 243
Stock Show and Fair Association.. 258
Stolzenbach 207
Stone Quarries at Beattie 160
St..ne Quarries at Bigelow 162
Stone Quarries at Oketo 182
Story of County-Seat Flection 105
Spaniards Attempt Invasion 48
Successful Local Insurance Com-
pany 165
Suicide of Disappointed Settler 199
Sullivan 2<\S
Cummerfield, City of —
Churches 305
Early Business Firms 189
First Events 187
Great Fire of 1894 188
Incorporated in 1890 187
Named for Railroad Man 187
Organized in 1888 187
Present Conditions 190
Town Quickly Rebuilt 188
Summertield. Flias 187
Summerfield State Bank - 414
Summit 205
Swede Creek _'n7
Swedes in Marshall County 227
Swedish Settlements 228
Swiss in Marshall County 224
"Sylvan." First Count] Seat 203, 2^7
HISTORICAL INDEX.
T
Taos 208
Tax Levy of Marshall County 110
Teachers in County's Schools 292
Territorial Council 279
Territorial Government 66
Territory of Kansas 100
"Th.e Blue River," a Poem 115
"The Flag Goes By," a Poem 273
"The Plowman," a Poem 243
Thiele, Ernest W. 94
Thirteenth Kansas Infantry 267
Thoman. Joseph and Frank 224
Thorne. Mrs. George W. 71
Tibbitts, Charles E. 419
Tide of Immigration Sets In 102
Toll for Ferriage Fixed 119
Took Girl's Refusal to Heart 199
Town Named for Bishop Lillis 177
Town of Palmetto Short Lived 185
Town Plan Carefully Laid 173
Town Valuations 111
Township Officials 112
Township Organization 110
Township Valuations 111
Towns That Lost Out 205
Traded Seed Wheat for Whisky... 200
Trading Posts Along Trail 100
Tragedies of Marshall County 43-1
Travelute, Mrs. Elizabeth 57, 284
Tree Culture B^ing Promoted 37
Tribute to German Settlers 222
Tribute to Irish Settlers 232
Tribute to the Bohemians 214
Tribute to Mrs. Forter t>2
Topeka "Cut-off" Railroad 240
Turnverein at Marysville 122
U
Union Commercial Company 195
Unique Juryman 404
United Presbyterian Church 325
Universalist Church 327
Upland 205
V
Valuation of Towns 111
Valuation of Townships 111
Value of City and Town Property- 110
Value of Farm Property 110
Vanished Lane of Yesterday 76
Verdict Hinges on Turn of Card 108
Vermillion River 35
Vermillion Township 114
Veterans of Spanish-American War 270
Vermillion, Village of —
Business Interests 194
Cemetery Association 193
Churches 307
Electric Lights 191
Farm and Home Institute 193
Girl Band 193
Laid Out in 1869 190
Mutual Improvement Club 192
Population of 190
Public Hall and Library 192
Some First Events 191
Three Days' Carnival 192
Veterans of the Civil War 268
Vicissitudes of Pioneers 74
Village Destroyed by Cyclone 175
Village Destroyed by Fire 164
Village of Barrett 159
Village of Beattie 160
Village of Bigelow 162
Village of Bremen 163
Village of Carden 165
Village of Herkimer 170
Village of Hull 172
Village of Irving 173
Village of Lillis 177
Village of Marietta 177
Village of Mina 178
Village of Schroyer 185
Village of Vermillion 190
Village of Vliets 195
Village of Winifred 203
Visitors of Prominence 124
Vliets, Village of —
Churches 306
Farmers' Union 196
Grain Shipments 195
Population 195
Schools 195
Volunteer Fire Department 129
Volunteers for War With Germany 272
HISTORICAL INDEX.
W
Walker. Isaac 77
Walkersburg 204
Walnut ["ownship "4
Walter-. Prof. John D. -
War of tlu- Rebellion 261
War of 1917, The 271
\\ ashington In ing 1 1 onored — 173
Water at Five Cents a Pail 198
Waterpower at Blue Rapids 141
Waterpower, liest in State 3/
Waterville Township IN
Waterville i itj of—
Business Interests 202
i ries 201
I hurches 305
Early Settler Kills Himself 199
First Railway Suryej Deceives— 197
Hard P or Water 198
Incorporated in 1870 200
Named for < >hl Maine Town 197
( in Banks of Little Blue 196
Once Leading Railway Point 200
' > Falls"— - 197
Postoffici -'on
Some Early Events 198
Village' - dj 198
Waterworks at Marysville 130
Watson, John M. —70, 73
Wells 207
Wells Township 114
Westella
Wetmore Institute, The 174. 283
"What Is Noble?" 397
When Kansas Went Populisl 279
When Marysville Was Notorious— 118
-Where the We-t Begins" 33
WInpi rwill No Longer Heard— 4u
Whisky as a Commodity 118
White.' J. II. 180
White's Quarry 207
White Stump Swimming Hole . 445
White Way Highway 242
Wild Fowl Now Fly High 40
Williams. Emma 70
Windbreaks of Cottonwoods 36
Winifred, Village of —
Nebraska Town Company 203
Old Site of "Sylvan" 203
Original County Seat Site 203
Population
Schools and Business -'"-l
Winters. John M. -'45
Woman's Relief Corps 360
Woman's Christian Temperance
I Inion
Wi nil' n Govern Citj ol < >.keto 184
Women's ( lubs at Marysville 134
Women's Work at County Fairs 259
Woodson 208
Woolen-Mill at Blue R 143
"Wyoming," an Earl] Townsite 177
Y. M. C. A. Corn-Growing Contest 25-*
Your christian Association
2 423
Vnrann, Jason 14*'
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
A
Alspach. Cornelius W. 589
Anderson, Herman J. 873
Armstrong, Lyman H. 985
B
Balderson. Charles A. 768
Ballard, Corwin 957
Bancroft, George 639
Bauman, George B. 925
Beaty, Samuel J. 940
Belknap, Carl M. 97(1
Bennett, Lloyd 942
Berens, Henry A. 615
Bergen, Fred G. 457
Bergmann, Christian 948
Beveridge, Jacob A., D. D. S 972
Bommer, Harry 570
Bommer, William ^ 682
Bottger, Henry 1026
Boyd, William S. (,42
Bradley. Rev. Clarence 484
Brandenburg, Charles W., D. D. S._ 501
Brodrick, Harry M. 600
Brodrick, Lynn R. 921
Brolyer. Edwin D. 977
Brooks. William H. 714
Brychta. Jerome M. 684
Buck. William T. 1(117
Burnett, Peter S. 662
C
Cain, Patrick W. 81))
Cain, Peter S. 736
Carlson, August J. 656
Carney, Eli G. 907
Carney. John H. 784
Chaddock, Joseph 911
Champagne, Peter 606
Claeys, Constand 702
Clark, Rezin 552
Clifton. John, M. D. 904
Craft. Rufus S.. M. D. 504
Crane. Robert 584
Crorae, Fred 664
Cummings, C. E. 597
Curtis, Samuel ! 901
D
Davis, John L. 539
Dean. Aubrey R. 650
DeLair, David 544
DeLair, Peter H. 576
Denlinger, John W. 837
Denton, James W. 624
Detweiler, Henry F. 983
Dever, Thomas 626
Dexter. Thomas B. 770
Dexter, William H. ._ 919
Dickey. Joseph C. 621
Dilley. James M. 927
Dolen, John C. 764
Drumm. William M. 1002
Duigenan, Michael J. 555
Dwerlkotte, Joseph
E
Ellenbecker, John C 512
Embleau, Rev. Edward R. 551
Erickson, Charles 937
F
Farrar, Henry H. 853
Farrar, Thomas J. 90S
Farwell, John D. 895
Fenwick, George L. 495
Fisher. Herman R. 616
Flanagan, James L. 952
BIOCKAl'IIICAL INDEX.
Pocks, Michael F. 891
Follett, Henrj I 604
Mrs. Emma E. 912
ter, Samuel 912
Fulton. Edgar R. 511
Fulwider, William II. 687
G
Gallup, I
Garrison, A. B. . 672
■ L. 599
E. A., 1). 1). S
Gaylord, Frank M. -. .
I i< i mer, Fred .. . (.40
Gibson, Vbel W.
sin, William T. - 810
ham, Byron C. 744
Graham, John (1. 36]
Green, Joseph
Greiveldinger, Henry (,75
H
Hamilton, John L. , 824
Harper, John F. 1005
Harry, Charles A. . 748
v. Thomas s;_'
Haslett, Mrs. Melissa 485
Hawkins, Richard II. 794
Hedge, Alvah 777
Heiserman, George (>?\
Heiserman, Frederick J. 733
Helvering, William I. 572
Hamler, James A. 491
Henry, Ira E. 696
Hermann, Henry 655
Hermann, Herman 655
Benjamin W.
Hessel, Clement T. . 554
Hirt. Andrew
Hohn, Karl
Holtham, William J.
Howell, Lewis R. 74.;
(,14
Howes rhomas
Hunt. John II, 1013
■ William B. 960
Hunter. William. M. D.
Hut' Frank W. 4'.^
Hut' ' apt. IVrry 4<>4
Hutchinson, Wallace W. 472
Hutchison, Andre\ D
Huxtable, William C. 543
I
Irvin. I-:. I
J
Peter I7.
Johnson, Andrew
Herman 1000
Hutchinson 1012
Johnson, Nels E. 996
Johnson, William
Johnston, Erskine W. . 1004
Jones, Albert I..
Jones. Arthur T. 741
Jones. Charles I'..
ph. Fred R. 612
Judd, J. L. 974
K
Kabriel, Venzel 791
Kapitan, Rudolph A. "7,;
Keck. Sterling 700
Keefover, James E. 1035
Keller. Gottfried 847
Kerschen, Nicholas S. 471
Kinsley. W. J. 821
Kirlin. Linden 720
Kjellberg, Andrew 938
Koeneke, Ernst 718
Koeneke, Henry W. 1019
■ harles W. 783
Nicholas 753
Krasny, Joseph
Krug, John H.
[Cruse, < 7
Kruse, William I
Kuor.i, Mathia
L
Lackland, II. W. . . !
Lackland, W. T.
Lamb Family, The !
Larkin, Frank 1
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.'
Larson, Hans P. 846
Layton, George B. 738
Lewis, John L. 535
Lewis. Jonathan C. 839
Lewis. Robert J. 644
Lewis, Thomas H. 1009
Lillibridge. Hiram 885
Lindeen, Alfred 986
Lindquist, John A. 874
Link. John - 619
Lofdahl, John 970
Lofinck, Capt. William 526
Ludwick, D. W. 557
Lynch, Patrick 787
Mc
McAtee, William H. 922
McKee, Edward J. 524
McKee, John F. 774
McKee, William L. 909
M
Maitland, Henry 610
Malicky, Vencel 677
Malone, Thomas 981
Manly. Oliver R. 991
Manly. Ross 1015
Manning, Joseph 871
Marksman, Francis J. 1038
Meybrunn, Jacob 646
Miller, George 863
Moden. J. M. 807
Moeller, Henry W. 829
Mohrbacher, George T. 533
Moore. Ziba H. 632
Morse, Arthur D. 932
Moser, Fred 669
Myers. Bernard 767
N
Nelson. Franz E. 813
Nelson, Godfrey H. 994
Nelson. John G. 799
Nelson, Oscar 788
Nichols, Clarence E. 876
Nyquist, Rev. Gustaf 959
O
Obermeyer, Fred 603
Olson, George L. 590
Olson. Lars P. 943
O'Neil, Timothy P. 731
P
Pape, Gnstav C. 724
Parthemer, Jonathan C. 842
Paul. Samuel F. 498
Pauley, Roley S. 816
Pecenka, Anthony C. 865
Pecenka. John 568
Peterson, George 623
Pishny, Ignatz 878
Poteet, James L. 831
Potter, William W. 459
Pralle, Fred H. 566
Pulleine, Percy R. 693
R
Rabe, William 630
Reb, Henry 1010
Reed, Asher F. 528
Rice, Guy L. 493
Rice. Milo M. 979
Riekenberg, William 680
Ringen, Ed. W. 832
Robinson, Morley P. 1022
Robinson. Neil 753
Rodkey, Clayton 740
Rueger, John 870
Runkle, H. 881
Russell, Oscar T. 666
Rutti, Jacob 695
S
Saathoff, A. B. 678
Scanlan, Frank A. 653
Schlax. Benjamin E. 776
Schmidler, J. G. 562
Schmidt. Mathias M. 578
Schulte, Henry 939
Schumacher, Peter J. 509
Schwindaman. William 716
Scott. James M. 584
Sedivy. Frank 's''""
Sedlacek, Joseph A. 834
IAPHK \l. INDEX.
,itt<T. John
Shaughnessy, James 848
Sheldon, Frank D. -
Sheldon, Julius J., M. I) 574
Shroyer, Peter
Shumate, Joseph M. 520
Skalla, Thomas H. 992
Smith, John 735
Smith, John V. 850
Smith. Robert W. - - 531
Smith, Thomas B. 840
Smith. William E.
Spratt, Charles A. 1034
Stedman, Samuel \Y. 7J1-
John 71-'
lens, Dr. L. H. . 592
Stevenson, Lewis M. 954
Steward, Catherine L. 4'".
Stewart, (lark M. 477
Stewart. .lame- \Y. 887
Stewart. William J., M. D.
Strayer, William. M. I). 628
■ i nor. John W. 792
Str'.n-. lames <). ''44
lolm W. 710
Thomas J. 7ii_'
Sullivan. James
Swan- m, Oscar V — . 819
T
I - II i
on, Rev. Francis H.
Thacher I . M. I). 474
722
mann, Frank ^ 536
V
. Frank 808
634
Tilley. Samuel W. 934
Times. The Blue Rapids 634
Toedter, John P. 594
Train. F. V _ 1040
Travelute, Andrew J.
Traxler, Henry _
V
Vanamburg, John I).
Van Vliel 997
W
Wagner, John F. 704
Wagner, Louis .1. 1032
Warnica, Calvin 987
Warnica, William D 546
Waters. Henry <.'. 618
Weaver. Henry --- 77''
Weber, Carl 752
Wells, James 587
Wells. Oliver <■'. 54''
Werner, ("rank A.
Westburg, (Casper 999
Wilcox, lame-. R. 688
Willey, Charles L. 7J7
Winquist, John A. I
Winter. Burton M. 1024
Witt. Gustav V 772
Wittmuss, Albert ''71
Wohler, Frank T.
Wohler, Ortwin F. 889
W I. Orlin P., M. D. 564
Wui
Wullschleger, Jacob
Wullschleger, Roberl 844
Y
--I, Frank 522
^ an 'pi' 951
Z
Zan i I'h 708
Zimi si W.
?.immerling, « '-car W. 11. 1037
WHERE THE WEST BEGINS.
Out where the West begins,
Out where the hand clasps a little stronger,
Out where the smile dwells a little longer.
That's where the West begins.
Out where the sun is a little brighter,
Out where the snow falls a trifle whiter,
Where the bonds of home are a wee bit tighter,
That's where the West begins.
Out where the skies are a trifle bluer,
Out where friendship's a little truer,
That's where the West begins.
Out where a fresher breeze is blowing,
Where there's laughter in every streamlet flowing.
Where there's more of reaping and less of sowing.
That's where the West begins.
Out where the world is in the making.
Where fewer hearts with despair are aching,
That's where the West begins.
Where there's more of sineing and less of sisrhine.
Where there's more of giving and less of buying,
Where a man makes friends without half trying,
That's where the West begins.
— Arthur Chapman.
(3)
HISTORICAL
CHAPTER T.
Geology, Ornithology and Flora.
The geologist has drawn an irregular line diagonally across the county
from northeast to southwest, from near Summerfield, where the altitude is
one thousand four hundred and fifty feet above sea level, to a point near
where the Big Blue river leaves the county and where the altitude is about
one thousand one hundred feet above sea level. He tells us that east of that
line the territory is of the Carboniferous and west of the line, is composed
of the Permian age, an equal division, which has been satisfactory so far to
all concerned.
The Big Blue, which carries more water in dry weather than any other
stream in Kansas, enters the county on the north, eleven miles east of the
west line and leaves it on the south, twelve miles east of the west line, flow-
ing through a bottom from one-half to one and one-half miles wide, of the
richest farming land known.
The Vermillion river receives the water from the eastern and south-
eastern part of the county and pours it into the Big Blue, about a mile north
of the southern line of the county.
Along the rivers and creeks is found a plentiful supply of limestone for
building purposes, the quarries at Oketo and Florena on the Big Blue and at
Beattie on the Vermillion, having shipped stone for many years in thousands
of carload lots to Nebraska and Missouri.
An apparently inexhaustible supply of gypsum is found near Blue
Rapids, where hundreds of thousands of dollars are invested in its manu-
facture.
PRECIOUS STONES.
Semi-precious stones, such as agates of all kinds, opals, white sapphire,
topaz, turquois. quartz crystals and jasper of various kinds, are found in the
T,G MARSHAL!. COUNTY. KANSAS.
sandbars of the Big Blue and its tributaries, on the high hills and the glacial
drift, in almost every part of the county, in small quantities.
Many of these have been ground and make beautiful jewelry. There
is, however, not enough of any one kind to market profitably. Quite a num-
ber of fresh water pearl-' have been found in the mussels taken from tin-
Rig Blue river.
A poor grade of coal has been found near Vxtell, but not in quantity to
assure profitable mining.
The first attempt at drilling for coal or gas was made at Marysville in
[884, but when <alt water was struck at about four hundred feet, operation-
were discontinued. In [887 a well was sunk near Hutchinson's mill to a
depth of one thousand one hundred and fifty feet, and abandoned in salt
water. In [Q06 the Schmidt brother- sunk a well one thousand one hundred
and fifty feet near the river bridge at Marvsville and abandoned it in salt
water. Another well was sunk between Axtell and Vermillion to one thou-
sand three hundred feet, with similar results.
During the year [916 thousand- of acre- of Mar-hall county land were
leased by various oil companies for the ostensible purpose of drilling for oil.
In February, 1017. a home organization, strictly mutual, by landowners
only, was perfected with a view tip testing the territory to a depth of three
thousand feet. The officer- of this company are. C. A. Hammett, president:
Alexander Schmidt, secretary; M. \Y. Schmidt, treasurer, with director- in
both Marshall and Washington counties.
I ORESTRY.
The Cottonwood was the native monarch tree of Kansas for many year-.
It grew plentifully along the risers, and as the pioneer built hi- cabin near
streams, the Cottonwood furnished shade and shelter for himself and the
-mall herds lie possessed. The Cottonwood, being full of sap withstood the
drought and prairie tire-, and because it made rapid growth, settler- were
urged to plant the trees for wind-break for orchards and stock.
Every farm had it- "row" and grove of cottonwoods. Sometimes a
furrow was plowed and twigs -tuck in the ground, which would soon show
sturdy growth. The rapid growth of the Cottonwood was it- redeeming
feature. It lost its foliage early and did not make prime lumber. The Cot-
tonwood tree i- gratefully remembered for the protection it gave to the
pioneer, but it i- rapidly being eliminated and replaced by the catalpa, ash,
mulberry, walnut, box elder and maple. The box elder, maple and willow
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 37
were close friends of the Cottonwood, for the reason that they, too, resisted
the drought and fire. Native cedar grew in the canyons and draws and
along the bluffs.
The catalpa, a deciduous tree, makes a fine shade and produces clusters
of large, fragrant, white blossoms, which are beautiful and make the tree
popular.
A great deal of attention is given to tree culture and in most towns
there are too many trees. The straggling, ill-formed trees are being culled
and replaced by straight, symmetrical trees of many different varieties.
FARMING.
Farming has been and is the great pursuit of the people of the county.
Of the twenty-three thousand inhabitants, only seven thousand reside in the
towns. The 1916 reports show that three hundred fifty-three thousand two
hundred and eight}- acres are under cultivation; two hundred eighteen thou-
sand three hundred and forty acres in pasture or not under cultivation, and
eleven thousand three hundred and eighty-five acres in wild timber. Most
of the hardwood grows along the creeks and small streams, while the soft
timber prefers the river bottoms, and the wild cedar inhabits the almost inac-
cessible bluffs at any point.
The great staple products of the farm have ever been corn, wheat, oats
and, for a good many years, alfalfa has been a great factor as food for beasl
and fowl. There is scarcely a product of the soil raised anywhere, which
cannot be raised profitably in this county.
THE GYPSUM INDUSTRY.
Kansas has unlimited quantities of gypsum in a great variety of forms,
and it is fast becoming one of the greatest resources within the domain of
the state. There are three gypsum districts and the northern area or dis-
trict is in Marshall county.
The Big Blue and Little Blue rivers unite near the town of Blue Rapids
and furnish at that place the best water power in the state, estimated at one
thousand five hundred horse-power at low water.
The plaster manufacture is the prominent industry of Blue Rapids, a
town of one thousand seven hundred inhabitants, where there are three gyp-
sum mills and a fourth one in prospect.
in 1 87 1 T- V. Coon of Elyria, Ohio, came to Blue Rapids, burned some
38 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
of the gypsum and carried il back to Cleveland, where it was pronounced t"
be of good quality and two carloads were ordered at a good price. He
returned to Blue Rapids and he and his son, Emir J. Coon, in 1872 built
a frame shed on the east hank of the river, below the town. In an iron
kettle, which held about five barrels and which was heated by a stove, they
commenced the manufacture of plaster of Paris. In 1875 they built a stone
mill on the west side of the river and the water power of the river was used
for grinding. This mill was operated for twelve years, when the firm dis-
continued business.
Hiram and Frank Fowler followed Coon & Son in the plaster husiness,
building a single kettle, frame mill at the west end of the bridge over the
dam.
In [892 A. E. Winters formed a company and built the Blue Valley
mill, constructing a dam across the Little Blue, about one-half mile above its
junction with the Big Blue. This is the point referred to by early -iMtlcr-
"marble falls," because of the rapids of the river there and the gypsum
deposit in the wot hank of the river, which they thought resembled marble.
This mill was purchased by the United States Gypsum Company and
was operated until loid. when they abandoned and tore down the mill after
building a new modern steel and concrete mill, just south of town at a cost
of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. This mill stands on the I. D.
Varick ranch where Mr. Varick had previously opened up a gypsum mine.
GYPSUM INDUSTRY DEVELOPED.
hollowing this. Dr. William Hunter. H. H. Russell, Frank Paul and
less,- Axtell, of ISlue Rapids, and Dr. W. E. Ham and X. T. Waters, .if
Beattie, built a mill, which was purchased by -Mr. Henley, of Lawrence, for
the American Cement Plaster Company. This mill has been greatly enlarj
and is still in operation.
hi [902 after the sale of the Great Western Plaster Company's mill to
Henlev. Hunter, Russell. Ham and Waters purchased the gypsum deposits
north of town and built a two-kettle mill which they operated by electric
power, naming their corporation the Electric Plaster Company, and install-
ing an electric-light plant in Blue Rapids. This mill was operated until
1912, when Mr. Henlev of the American Cement Plaster Company bought a
controlling interest in it and dismantled it.
In February, 1906, the Blue Rapids Company, a corporation of Marys-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 39
ville men, began operating a new mill on the north side of the river, with
F. W. Hutchinson as manager. It was sold to Henley in December of the
same year and is now operated as the American cement plaster mill No. 2.
This mill has been much enlarged by the installation of a plaster-board plant,
the output of which is a great success as a substitute for laths and plaster in
buildings.
Experts declare the Blue Rapids gypsum to be the purest as well as the
whitest found west of Nova Scotia. The United States Gypsum Company
and the American Cement Plaster Company purchased mills at Blue Rapids
in order to get the best possible quality of gypsum from which to make plaster
of Paris, dental and molding plaster. Most of the plaster for the staff work
at the Worlds Fair at Chicago and St. Louis was made in Blue Rapids. It
has been shipped to almost every country in the world, one shipment being
made to Japan in the fall of 1916. The annual shipment of the product
of the gypsum mills at Blue Rapids is about two thousand five hundred cars.
The average car carries forty tons of stucco, which never sells at less than
eight dollars per ton.
PREHISTORIC.
In a sand pit on the east bank of the Big Blue river, half a mile south
of Marysville, and about twelve feet below the surface, laborers found a
number of large bones which soon crumbled in the air, and several very large
teeth which are petrified.
The largest of these teeth measures eight inches by three and one-half
inches on the face, the others being a little smaller. Whether these were
teeth of a mastodon or some other long extinct creature, has not been
determined, and to what age it belonged, is likewise an enigma.
Imbedded in our limestone are found almost every species of what had
been animal, plant and Crustacean life. Walnut and cedarwood have been
found while digging wells at various points, from twenty to forty feet below
the surface. While digging a well near Eighth and Alston streets in Marys-
ville, charcoal and crude pottery were found at a depth of twenty-seven feet.
Stone axes, hammers and similar crude tools have been and still are being
found many feet below, as well as on the surface at almost any point in the
county.
These stone tools probably contribute the evidence of the connecting link
between the age which produced the enormous bones and teeth and the age
which produced the Indian. At least the gap between the large teeth and
-JO MARSHAL XTY. KANSAS.
the stone ax is not covered by any other visible evidence, unless it be the
so-called gjacial drift which covers various part- of the county to various
depths.
BIRJ
Ornithologists tell us that there are over three hundred distinct varieties
of birds in Kansas, not counting those of the domestic breeds. The earliest
settlers tell US that when they came here there were many wild turkevs in the
timber along the streams, but they did iii it last long after the rifle and shot-
gun came. Grouse and prairie chickens fairly covered the country fur many
years, and older settlers u> ' a - >n <>f lonesome feeling in the spring mornii
for the reason that no longer i> heard the familiar cackling of the prairie hen
and the drumming of her mate, which was familiar on all sides from thou-
sands of happy throat- in former day-. Ala-, the avarice of the hunter has
reduced the number of thi- "native," until now there are not a hundred left
in the county, in spite of the strict game laws.
The quail, which roamed our field- and wood- in thousands, the special
friend of the farmer, and everybody's pet wild bird, ha- become so scarce that
the call of "Bob White" ha- become a novelty. The innocent quail has fallen
a prey to the highly civilized white man. as has the magnificent deer, antelope
and the buffalo.
KXIT OF THE EAGLE.
The threat American eagle, which was once a daily visitor, ha- becomi
rare, that now the newspapers print his appearance as an item of news. He
was not hunted, but he must have noticed what happened to the chicken and
the quail, and he moved on. We still have hawks, crows and owl-. The
winged ■ jer — the buzzard — always was scarce here, but much more so
of late year-. Wild s^eese and ducks in their flight north or south, formerly
visited us by the thousand. They come in dozen lot- now, and these lot- are
far between, and the migratory crane i- -ecu only a mile high.
The snipe and curlew, formerly plentiful, have become a- scarce as the
prairie chicken. There are still a few plover, but they seem to have been
more a bird of the sod than of the field. The cry of the whipoorwill ha- not
been heard in thi- county since 1880, but there are many more song birds
than formerly, mockingbirds, thrushes, redbirds, robin-, oriole-, gr — beaks
and others; blackbirds, marten-, -wallow-, kingbirds, linnet- and larks, wrens
and humming-birds, all favorites. The blue-jay i- not a favorite, nor i- the
English sparrow, which made his first appearance here in the summer of 187N.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 4 1
and was first discovered by that genial Irishman, Tom McCoy, who was every-
body's friend and who made harness, and by Sam Forter, who worked across
the street from McCoy in a blacksmith shop. They were watched very closely
for a long time ; there were only two of them when first seen, and they had a
nest on McCoy's shop, and had things their own way for a while. Their mul-
titudinous offspring have become veritable pests.
During the summer of 191 6 a heretofore unknown bird in this locality
made its appearance. It looks much like a grossbeak and will become a favor-
ite above all for the reason that it eats potato-bugs in great number, and it
is the only bird known that has such an appetite.
NATIVE FLOWERS.
Pre-eminent among the wild flowers of the state is the sunflower, which
is generally accepted as the "state flower." It is a very hardy plant, grows
rampant and thrives wonderfully in the least favorable weather as well as in
propitious seasons. In times gone by it covered every spot of uncultivated
land, with rank growth, along roads and byways and its yellow face greeted
one everywhere from early summer till frost. In the early days quite a little
fuel was obtained from the stalk of this wild flower. For some unknown
reason the sunflower has been much less plentiful in the last five years than
at any time before.
The first dandelion made its appearance in this county about the year
1888. It was quite a favorite while it was in its years of modesty; it is no
longer a favorite, the horticulturist and the storebox philosopher, the scien-
tists of the agricultural departments of the various states and the nation and
the ordinary man with a hoe have exhausted all their wisdom in its suppres-
sion.
The native wild flowers are rapidly disappearing. The wild rose, the
field lily, wild daisy and violet are about the only remaining wild flowers of
the prairies that are familiar to the boys and girls of today. The old-time
wild primrose, the yellow poppy, white and purple larkspur, wild parsnip,
sageflower and asters are very rare. Here and there are to be found a wild
yucca or soapweed and a cactus, which recall the days when this was supposed
to be a part of the great American desert. A favorite and familiar native
flower is the goldenrod, also the sweet wild rose, which is most delicate in
coloring and fragrance.
CHAPTER II.
Early Explorations.
SPANISH.
One of the myths in the minds of early Spanish explorers was that of
"The Seven Cities."
In 1532 Francisco Pizarro had conquered Peru from the Incas and had
extorted from the governor an enormous sum of money. Stories of fabul-
ous wealth, gold and precious Stones had SO inflamed the Spanish minds, that
the people accepted as true, various myths regarding the New World.
Even so experienced an explorer as I 'once De Leon, who had been the
companion of Columbus on his voyages, became infatuated with the myth
of the Fountain of Youth and believed that if he could find the fountain and
lave in its magic waters, old age would "fall from him like a garment," and
lie would walk again in the strength and vigor of youth.
The name Cibola and the Seven Cities was given in [536-1540 to sup-
posed large and powerful cities in the present New Mexico, by Friar Marcos
de Niza, who had made some excursions from Old Mexico into the North
country. The good Friar may have heard the word ' Cibobe" from the
native Tehua Indians. According to their traditions it was a place in south-
ern Colorado, whence their ancestors issued from the interior of the earth.
Cibobe was the mythical cradle of the trihe. Or he may have heard the
word from the Zuni Indians, ("ilia is the Indian name for rocks and the
Zuni Indians held a range of mountains in what is now New Mexico.
MVstic NUMBERS.
The Island of Seven Cities was a fabled island which, in the fourteenth
and fifteenth centuries, was supposed to exist in the Atlantic, west of Europe.
It was said to have been peopled by seven bishops who, with many followers,
had been driven out of Spain by the Moors. The number seven has l>een
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 43
regarded as a mystic number for centuries by disciples of the occult. Seven
is a result of combining the number three or the triad, with the number four
or the tetrad. The triad ( three ) was held sacred as the source of energy
and intelligence. The tetrad (four) was venerated by the heathen minds.
It represents a square and exhibits by summation all the digits as far as
ten — ( 1-L-2-L.3-L-4). Tt marks the seasons, the elements, the four ages of
man. United with- the triad the number seven resulted. Seven marked the
series of lunar phases. It was the number of the known great planets. We
have the Seven wonders of the world ; seven days in the week ; the city on
Seven hills. More than likely, Spanish students of the mystical originated
the idea of the Seven Cities of Cibola. The slave Tejo and the "Turk", no
doubt, heard the tale in idle hours from the Spaniards and sensing the greed
for gold and plunder in the Spanish mind, enlarged on the "great cities to
the North where the streets were paved with gold and the door-posts studded
with precious gems."
The stories which were told of the land of Cibola and the seven cities,
are always attributed by historians to Indian slaves or half-breed negroes
who acted as guides. By some occult means these guides were always able
to converse with any and all tribes of Indians, encountered during the
marches in search for the cities. It is evidence of the abnormal state of
mind created by the desire for gold, when men like Guzman and Mendoza
were induced to accept as true the word of a menial, in a matter which
involved danger, hardship and a great outlay of money.
EXPEDITION ABANDONED.
In 1530 Ntino de Guzman was the ruler of New Spain. He had an
Indian slave, Tejo, whose father bad been a trader and bad gone into the
"back country." to trade with the inhabitants. Tejo told Guzman that he
had sometimes gone with his father and that there were some towns there as
large as the City of Mexico. In seven of those towns there were streets
given over to shops and workers in precious metals. Tejo said it would
require forty days travel to reach these cities. Guzman decided to go after
the wealth. He enlisted four hundred Spaniards and twenty thousand
Indians. His plans were not carried out and this expedition was abandoned.
This was in 1530.
Ten years prior to this in 1520, De Narvaez had attempted to subju-
gate Cortez, the governor, and had suffered defeat. Soon after this he was
empowered by Charles V of Spain, to govern Florida. On the 15th of
44 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
April. 1527, De Narvaez landed at Tampa Bay with two hundred and sixty
soldiers and forty horsemen, rle - 1 began his travels in search of gold.
Volumes have been written about this expedition which ended in dis-
aster, only four escaping death by the Indians, by storms and starvation.
These four were Cabaza de Vaca, the leader of the hand; Maldonado, Dor-
antes, and a negro slave, Estevan. The four had wandered in the wilds "I
as and the deserts and mountains of New Mexico tor seven years. They
were rescued on the coast of the Gulf of California in April 15, 1537.
Mendoza was now viceroy of Mexico and he bought Estevan from Dorantes,
the sla\ e's master.
The four men related mam -tones of their wanderings and of the
northern countries. These -tunes recalled, revived and confirmed the stories
el' the trader's -on. the Indian Tejo.
The L;reed for gold awoke in Mendoza and he decided to send an expe-
dition North, and Eriar Marcus de Niza was chosen to head it. a- lie had
made short expeditions North and had been with Pizarro in his plundering
expedition into I 'cm. The negro, Estevan, was the guide. The result
of this expedition was that the Friar reported that he had been told that
there were cities t< > the North, where the people wore cotton clothes and had
much gold. It appears from the reo rds, which are meager, that the Friar
was somewhat guarded in his report, hut when he mentioned gold — that
was sufficient. The wilde-t rumors were passed from mouth to mouth. It
was .aii! the < 1 < >« >r-posts were studded with precious gems. Royal permission
was soughl tn explore the country of Cibola. This privilege finally went t<>
Mendoza, he selected the post of Compostella on the Pacific Ocean, as the
point of assembly and appoint" nado to act as commander of the
expediti 'it.
'NADO.
The foregoing historical review hut serves to lead our attention to the
one man — of that group of Indians, half-breed negroes and Spaniards, who
1- of interest to the people of Kansas and of Marshall county — Francisco
Vasquez de < 'oronadi 1.
Coronado was a Spanish soldier, who came to Mexico, probably with
Mendoza. He was about forty years old and was governor of Xeuva
'.alicia. when Mendoza selected him to command an expedition North in
search of the land of Cibola and the seven cities.
1 in Monday, February _>.}. 151". Coronado with two hundred and sixty
horsemen, seventy footmen and several hundred Indians started from Coin-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 45
postella and marched due north into the country we know as Arizona.
There he fought a hattle with the Indians and defeated them, and the
Spaniards took possession of the Zuni villages on July 7, 1540. These
villages consisted of mud and stone dwellings, rude, filthy and dark. These
were the fabled "Seven Cities" of Cibola.
OUIVERA.
Coronado wintered on the Rio Grande and during that winter another
Indian appeared with stories of a land still farther away, called Ouivera.
This Indian was nicknamed the "Turk" and may have been a captive Arkan-
sas or Ouapaw Indian. His stories of a far-distant and wealthy land was
sufficient to cause Coronado to again resume his search for wealth, and after
thirty-five days of travel they came to the country of the Teyas and these
Indians told them that "Turk" was deceiving them and that Ouivera lay to
the north. Coronado selected thirty of his bravest and boldest men and
half a dozen foot soldiers, and sending the remainder of the armv back to
Tiguex, on the Rio Grande, he pushed due northward and according to most
authorities arrived at the place, which is now Dodge City, on the Arkansas
river. The first act of Coronado on reaching the Arkansas riv.er was to
execute "Turk", who had deceived him. This was the first murder on
Kansas soil of which we have any record.
LOCATION OF QUIVERA.
Coronado had at last reached Ouivera. It is to be regretted that his
first act in killing the "Turk" was cruel, but that was the spirit of the times.
On one point all authors practically agree. Ouivera was in what is now
Kansas. That it lay in the Northeast, which was the land of the Canza
( Kansas ) Indians and which embraced Marshall county, is the opinion of
Bandalier, who is an accepted authority.
Coronado spent several weeks in the exploration of Ouivera. He savs
in his notes that he reached the fortieth parallel, which is the line between
Kansas and Nebraska. There is no reason to question this statement. The
general opinion is that he traveled eastward from Wichita, then took the
old Indian trail north and followed up the Big Blue river. If so. he traveled
through where Marshall county is now laid out.
The Pawnee Indians were of the Ouivera tribe. Thev had villages all
along the Big Blue. One of their oldest villages was on the site of Blue
4'' MARSHALL COUNTY, Kansas.
Springs, Nebraska. In Coronado's time they ranged almost to the Missouri
river, ami we may believe they roamed to the western limits of the- buffalo
plains.
A LINK Willi THE I'AST.
Late in the year [908 a rapier was found by Carl Johnson, youngest
son of Julius Johnson, on the hill on North Ninth street, which is the highest
point in the city of Marysville. This rapier was buried in the ground, hilt
downward, with only three inches of the poinl exposed. The exposed por-
tion was very much corroded, the maker's name was obliterated and the
hilt is missing. The blade is thirty-three and three-quarters inches long,
and the unexposed portion is in a good state of preservation.
The suresl and perhaps the only sign of the presence of Coronado in
this County is this weapon. It may have been used as a marker for a cache,
or it may have marked a grave.
The rapier is a fancy sword carried by so-called gentlemen. Among
those restless Spaniards, pushing ever onward in the search of gold, per-
haps one met that enemy against whom his -word proved no protection.
It may he that his companions bore his body to this eminence overlooking
the Valley of the Blue, and buried him with military honors; Coronado and
the rapier are alike silent. Some daw when practical men level and grade
the street, the grave may tell its secret.
ORIGIN OF "KANSAS."
There has been much discussion as to the origin and meaning of the
name Kansas, It was variously written by early explorers and we find it:
Kantha, Kanza, Can.-a. Causes. Kau. Kaw and many other forms. Lieu-
tenant Pike wrote it Kau-. It lias been said to mean "swift" and "smoky."
Mr. W. E. Connelly, secretary of the State Historical Society, Topeka, gives
the meaning of Kansas as "Wind People," or "People of the South Wind."
Undoubtedly it has some reference to wind. Exactly what this reference
is, there is little hope of finding out with absolute certainty: hut it is estab-
lished beyond question that the name means. "Wind People," or "People
of the South Wind."
"Superstition i> die child of ignorai The ignorance of the Indian like
that of all primitive race- created superstition. His religion was one of fear
and his worship thai of propitiation, lie offered sacrifices to some unknown
power, of which he lived in awe. He Worshipped a god called W'aKanda.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 47
and this symbol was anything which the Indian did not understand. The
forces of nature were all evil and unnatural to him. The wind was unnatural,
and so it was evil. It was WaKanda and had to be propitiated by sacri-
fices. The Kansa Indians drew out the hearts of their slain enemies and
offered them as sacrifices to the wind. In time they were called the "people
who sacrifice to the wind" or "wind people."
The Kansa or Kaw tribe of Indians lived on Kansas soil for more than
three hundred years. They called this territory theirs and ranged its plains.
They built lodges along the Blue river and contested for the hunting ground
with their enemies, the Pawnees.
KANSAS SOLD TO UNITED STATES.
In 1846 they sold to the United States government all the north part
of Kansas and south half of Nebraska. They did not own this land except
in an hereditary sense, through having lived on it. From this tribe of
Indians- the state derives its name, Kansas.
Air. G. P. Morehouse, who is the historian of the Kansas Indians, states
that the Independent Creek town which is referred to by early French writers
as the "Grand Village des Canzes," seems to have been a Jesuit missionary
station, located near where the town of Doniphan now stands, as early as
1727. This fact he bases on French-Canadian records of the Province of
Ontario, which state that the name of Canzes, or Kansas, was a well-known
geographical term to designate a spot on the Missouri river within Kansas,
where the French government and its official church, nearly two hundred
years ago. had an important missionary center. "In this document," Mr.
Morehouse says, "this mission away out in the heart of the continent was
classed with other important Indian missions such as the Iroquois, Abenaquis
and Tadousac, and that the same amount per missionary was expended." It
was "Kansas," a mission charge on the rolls of the Jesuit Fathers, for which
annual appropriation of money was made as early as 1727.
This simple line tells us that devout pioneers of that church spent lonely
hours, far from civilization, on a wild plain in order to instill into the minds
and hearts of savages that faith in which they themselves so ardently believed.
No more to bow in silence as the angelus intoned upon the air ; no more at
eve to hear the convent bell or join with clasped hands the reverent black-
robed procession. In place of the companionship of the scholar, the brutal
face of the brave and his stolid squaw confronted the missionary. The
sword alone is not the symbol of heroism.
_|N MARSHALL CO! \tv. KANSAS.
SPANIARDS Vi'TKMl'T INVASION.
Early in the eighteenth century the Spanish attempted to invade and
mize the Missouri valley. The French became alarmed and sent men
t< explore the valley and treat with the Indians.
M. de Bourgmont had been commissioned military commander of the
Missouri valley in 1.720 and made an expedition into the land of the Kansas
in 1724. He visited the Grand Village des Gauzes, and held a celebration
which lasted two weeks, consisting of powwows, councils, trading horses or
merchandise and making presents to the Indians. No doubt, many other
adventurous traders and hunters spent time with the Kansas Indians, but no
rec< ird is made of them.
In the summer of [804 the famous "Lewis and ('lark expedition" passed
up the Missouri river and traded with the Kansas Indians. In 1818-19
Major Stephen A. Long's -exploring expedition visited them. In 1819 Major
John O'Fallon was appointed sutler of the post and Indian agent fur the
upper Missouri, and on July 4. 1819. the nation's birthday was celebrated
and the Kansas Indians learned their firsl lesson in patriotism. In 1847
the Kansas Indians lived in the Kaw Valley, east of Manhattan and that
same year were moved to a reservation in the Neosho valley, adjoining
Council Grove. And from then on they moved south and west along what
became known as the "Old Kaw trail," hunting buffalo. Those hunting
trills were usually made in the tall. The old Indian agency building still
stands about tour miles from Council Grove.
OTOE INDIAN COUNCIL. AGENT AND PAYMASTER.
From left to right: Jesse \V. Greist. agent; Arkaketah. chief: Howdy-Howdy:
Pawnee Cuchee; White-horse; Wahanyi; Joe-John: Tochee; Baptiste DeRoin, inter-
preter, and Captain Pearman, I'nited State Army paymaster. Chief Arkaketah is the
man for whom the town of Oketo was named. The picture was taken shortly before
the removal of the tribe from their reservation in the northern part of Marshall county
to Oklahoma.
CHAPTER III.
Indians in Marshall County.
In the days of Coronado, the Kansas Indians occupied a strip of terri-
tory on each side of the Missouri river, from the vicinity of the mouth of
the Kansas river to Independence creek. That and adjacent land continued
to be the habitat and hunting ground of the tribe for more than two
centuries.
They hunted west for buffalo going as far west as the Republican river.
In those days the Pawnees and Wichitas were the strong tribes in the terri-
tory reaching from the Missouri river to the Rocky Mountains and stretch-
ing as far north as the Platte. The Pawnees claimed the land as far
east as the Missouri river and regarded the Kansas Indians as intruders and
made war on them. Evidences of battles have been found in Marshall
county.
Arrow heads and spear heads have been found in large numbers on
section 7 in Rock township, the former home of Mrs. S. S. Martin. Mrs.
Martin can recall the Indian village near Winifred, and that Indians from
all sections of the country gathered there in large numbers to trade and hold
councils. She remembers one tierce Indian battle near there.
WAR WEAPONS.
Mr. Otto Wullschleger has a large collection of arrow- and spear-heads
of many different varieties, which he found on sections 12 and 13, Center
township. These arrow-heads indicate that a battle was once fought on
that ground. He has also a number of stone axes found near the old lodge,
which was located on the Walker farm.
The Indian trail crossed the Vermillion, near Winifred, and traversed
Marshall count}" in a northwesterly direction, crossing the Big Blue, at the
point where Frank Marshall afterwards established a ferry at Independence
crossing. This trail is said to have been the longest Indian trail in North
America, reaching from the Missouri river to the Pacific coast.
(4)
50 .MARSHAL! COUNTY, KANSAS.
Mr. George Eddy says thai an Indian village, or lodge, was located on
section 20 in Walnut township. Many arrow-heads have been found there,
all of small size, evidently used in hunting small game.
Oh section [9, Elm Creek township, there is a very steep cliff, and it
was the practice of the Indians to stampede the buffalo over that cliff, then
kill all the cattle that were injured by the fall and unable to get away. Mr.
Eddy found at the foot of this cliff a stone "killing hammer," and some Mint
knives.
The old Indian trail used by the many different tribes of Indians, and
by Fremont, became the .Mormon trail and the gold seekers' trail to Cali-
fornia. In place of the single trail of the Indian, the Mormons and other
immigrants traveled along three parallel roads, covering a width of seventy-
five to one hundred yards. The wagons, whenever possible, were kept nearly
abreast, so that in case of an attack by the Indians, they could be quickly
parked, the women and children placed in the center and the defense made.
In a long-drawn out train on one road this could not have been accomplished
so readily, so :he three-parallel-road method was adopted. Three parallel
roads are discernible today in such stretches of the trail as have not been
plowed.
Stone axes, hammers and different utensils of Indian make have been
found in all parts of the county.
OTOE INDIANS.
The Otoe Indians did not own any of the country in Marshall county
until after it was ceded by the {Caws. The Otoe Reservation was assigned
by treaty and it was only accidental that but two miles of it came into
Kansas. The Otoe and Missouri Indian Reservation was twenty-live miles
long and ten miles wide. It began at a point on an island near what is now
Oketo, Marshall county, Kansas, extending about four miles east, ten miles
north, twenty-live miles west and ten miles south and hack to place of begin-
ning.
On account of the locators not knowing where the Kansas-Nebraska line
was, a part of the reservation was in Kansas, through mistake. This reserva-
tion contained one hundred and sixty thousand acres and by a treaty with the
government about two-thirds of the west part was sold in 1878. This land
was appraised by F. M. Barnes, of Otoe agency, William La Gorgue. of
Gage county, Nebraska, and Captain Baker, of Salina, Kansas. The remain-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 5 1
ing one-third was appraised and sold in 1883, the Indians having gone to
the Indian Territory in 1881.
A day school for the Otoe Indians was established in the early seventies
and was discontinued in 1877, when the boarding school was established. This
school was in full operation until June, 188 1, and was not reconvened in the
fall owing to the Indians having left. The Otoes and Missouris were affili-
ated tribes for many years and were supposed to be closely related to the
[owas, Sacs and Foxes, and the Osages, as their languages were practically
the same. All traces of the burying grounds, of which there were several,
have disappeared, having been plowed up by the farmers who bought the
land on which those grounds were located.
INDIAN DEPREDATIONS.
Among the oldest settlers in the Vermillion valley were the Puntneys,
John D. Wells, Fred H. Brockmeyer, Daniel M. Leavitt, Elizabeth Witham
and G. H. Hollenberg. Hollenberg was a German, the founder of Washing-
ton county, Kansas, and for whom the town of Hollenberg was named. He
later died while crossing the Atlantic, on his way to visit his old home in
Germany, and was buried at sea.
On coming in the year 1855 to the valley of the Vermillion they found
there Louis Tremble, a Frenchman, who had married a Sioux squaw, and
who had been driven from the Rocky Mountains by an order of General
Harnev, expelling everyone of that nationality. Louis Tremble built a
puncheon toll-bridge across the Vermillion at the old Mormon or Hollenberg
crossing.
Tremble had a neighbor, another Frenchman named Changreau, whose
wife was also a Sioux. Airs. Changreau had a sister, a girl about fifteen, who
lived with them. They bad a family of several small children.
Roving bands of both Kaws and Sioux traveled up and down the Blue
river in search of prey. They were enemies and at war with each other.
The two Frenchmen felt that they were in danger, but both were prospering,
Tremble from his toll-bridge and Changreau from a little farm of about
twenty acres, which he cultivated with care. This furnished him a living
and he sold plenty to travelers.
INDIANS ABDUCT GIRL.
One day Changreau's house was surrounded by mounted Sioux Indians.
They soon discovered that Changreau was absent, entered the house and
5_' MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
pillaged it. The chief seized the young girl, all mounted their ponies and
reck- rapidly away. Changreau's wife ran to the field where he was at work
and told what had happened. He well knew the fate awaiting the young girl
and appealed to hi- neighbors to go with him to her rescue. Some of the
neighbors joined him and followed the trail until they feared an ambush, when
thev decided they had best return to the defense of their own families.
Changreau followed the hand with their helpless prisoner. When night
fell the lodges were pitched and a brilliant campfire lighted. After a f<
the ]i • girl was led out and bound to a tree, lie rode away in the dark-
ness and from a distant hilltop watched the lire and saw the cruel dance, t"
far away t" hear the prisoner's cry of anguish or the hideous yells of the
torturing fiends.
In the gray dawn he crept stealthily near enough to know that the young
girl, bound and helpless, had been scourged to death amidst revels of the war
dance and orgies of the night. Sick at heart he hastened home and removed
lii s family to a place of safety. Tremble also moved from that locality. These
two men were the earliest settlers on the Vermillion.
Some historians state that this murder took place near Council Grove,
but neighbors of the Changreau's, who are -till living, state positively that
the murder of this young Indian maiden took place near where Irving now
stands.
FURTHER MURD] RS.
During the \car [857 the overland emigration to California was
immense. During May and June in that year the trail- leading westward
across Kansas were crowded with the trains of emigrants and their herd-.
A party of twenty-five men. women and children were crossing the prairie
taking a short cm to Ft. Kearney. At a point near where Republic City now
-tands, they were surprised by a hand of Pawnees and robbed, and half the
men in the party were killed, including the captain.
The Indian- took everything thev could carry away and ripped open
-.ick- of flour, spilling the contents on the ground, in order to carry away the
sack-. The poor people were far from any settlement and were in danger
of starvation. Two men of the party started east and procured assistance
in Marshall comity.
In May. [862, occurred the ma— acre of the ( 'a— el party in (loud county.
Thi- was SOOn followed by the White Rock massacre, and these were fol-
lowed by the Indian raid- in the Solomon Valley.
As time went on, roving bands of Indian- attacked and robbed emigrants
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 53
and ranchmen and murdered settlers, until panic reigned. On the 10th of
August, 1864, the citizens of Marysville were thrown into great excitement.
Refugees poured into the town with stories of an Indian massacre on the
Little Blue. Teams with wagons filled with settlers, ranchmen and then-
families arrived, bringing stories of the outrageous torturing of men. women
and children and asking help in recovering friends who had been captured
by Indians.
MILITIA MUSTERED.
Militia companies were immediately mustered and, after making hasty
preparations, went in pursuit of the Indians. One company under the com-
mand of Capt. Frank Schmidt and one in charge of Lieutenant McClosky,
left Marysville on August i ith. They were joined by a company from Yermil-
Iii n under Capt. lames Kelly and one from Irving under Capt. T. S. \ aile.
The .Marshall county troops were under the command of Col. E.-C. Manning.
Companies were also formed in Nemaha, Riley and Washington counties,
under command of General Sherry, of Seneca.
These troops marched over Marshall count) to the west and while they
saw plenty of evidence of Indian warfare and depredation-, they met with
no Indians. However, the presence of armed troops had a wholesome effect
on the Indians and a cessation. of the worst depredations ensued. It was
several years before the Indians came to believe that they were not the
owners of the land and that murder and pillage were not justifiable.
Many of the refugees from the Overland road and from counties west
remained in Marshall county for week- before returning home.
IXDIAN ATTACKS RENEWED.
About the iotb of May. [869, Reuben Winklepleck and son, Alonzo,
Edward Winklepleck, a nephew, Philip liurke, J. L. McChesney, a Mr. Cole
and son, from Michigan, left Waterville with two wagons, to go west, look
at the country and hunt buffalo. They followed the Republican river to
beyond the mouth of White Rock creek, in the northwest corner of Republic
county. They obtained a supply of buffalo meat and were on their wax-
home on May 25, when overtaken by Indians, whom they drove away by
firing at them at long range. McChesney, who was guide for this party,
advised crossing the river and making for Scandia, where there was a colony
house ami where the settlers had made some preparations for defense from
Indian attack. McChesney feared the Indians would return for a night attack.
54 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
The remainder of the part) did not take the matter so seriously and they
camped on the wesl side of the Republican river. Early on the morning of
May _'("), while they were preparing to break camp, they were attacked by
Indians and all killed except McChesney, who jumped into the river and
by secreting himself in the overhanging brush escaped and reached Scandia
that day.
six VICTIMS.
Ed S. Rowland, now a resident of Marvsvillc. Kansas, makes the fol-
lowing statement :
"On May 10, 1869. I left Xew York City as a member of the Walker
colony from that city, which located on land about twenty miles west of
Scandia. There were sixty people in this colony, some of whom had left
Xew York about a month earlier than I did. Concerning this Indian mas-a-
cre. I had been out at the colony about a week engaged in putting up shack-
on homesteads and had helped bury four men. buffalo hunters who had l>een
killed by the Indians. A man named Robert Watson and myself drove into
Scandia. I put up at the colony house and on Friday afternoon about three
o'clock, a man who seemed 'all out of sorts' and who afterwards turned out
to be John McChesney, sat down beside me and asked for something to eat.
I ordered a meal for him and while waiting. McChesney told me that his six
companions had been killed by the Indians that morning up the river, and
asked that a party be raised to go and find out what had happened, and to
bury or recover the bodies of his companions.
"I reported the above at once to others and by Saturday we had a suffi-
cient posse to venture forth. We had to have the Fisher boys, who were early
settlers in that country and who knew Indians and their ways, to act as
guides. These boys lived about ten miles northwest of Scandia. We went
there first and got them and on Sunday morning we started east to where
the attack was made. When near the spot we divided into two parties.
There were twelve or fourteen in the party. We found the two wagons on
the west side of the Republican river, horses gone, harness cut in pieces, not
more than a foot long, the barrels of the guns bent elbow shape between the
spokes of the wheels. The wagons and buffalo meat were unmolested. We
found all the bodies on the east side of the river, opposite the wagons. The
bodies were huddled together. Two men had been scalped, one scalp taken.
the other left beside the dead man. The clothing had all been stripped from
them and carried away. A pair of shoes only left on the feet of the boy, all
hi- other clothing taken. We buried the bodies on the spot where we found
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 55
them, only a few yards from the river, on that Sunday. I am under the
impression that this place of burial is nearly opposite the mouth of ^'hite
Rock creek. It looked to us that the hunters had left the teams and wagons
to search for a good place to cross the river and when they were separated
from their teams, wagons and guns, the Indians came from ambush and
massacred them. After the burial we all returned to Scandia."
Lieut. I. N. Savage, historian of Republic county, in which the Winkle-
pleck massacre took place, is authority for the statement that the victims
were buried on section 15, township 1, range 5, Republic county.
As far as the writer has been able to ascertain, this covers the only
serious depredations by Indians in Marshall county, or affecting its people.
The late increased immigration and the effective defense made, finally drove
the Indians farther west.
CH \!'TI".k [V.
OF M VRSHALL ( X1UNTY.
TI1K PIONEER.
"( )ur little systems have their day.
They have their day and cease to be."
"Westward ho!" has been the cry of men for ages. The golden west
has hired men of all n 1 climes. The story of Caesar and Columbus is
itory of Wi n, of Lewis and Clarke, of John C. Fremont and of
Kansas. The Indian and Spaniard came and passed away. The French-
man lingered. The German, Irish. Swede. Dane and Swiss came and con-
quered. The adventurer from the South who came to usurp became a citizen,
lie saw the American pioneer, with his gun and ax and plow, transform the
desert into fertile fields. Rev. Patrick O'Sullivan says: "It was a grand
generation of heroic mold, who, amidst hardships, privations and dangers,
broke the prairiesj built homes and brought religion and civilization to Mar-
shall county."
I >f those who yel remain, the snow of age has touched the hair and Time
has slowed the footstep and enfeebled the frame. When we meet them we
reminded that thee made possible the conditions existing today. Lives of
men and women went into the making and are a part of the warp and v
of the beautiful fabric which is the Marshall county of today.
"The pasl will always win a glory from its being far."
OLD SETTLERS REUNION ASSOCIATION.
The Marshall County Old Settlers and Pioneers Association was organ-
ized in 1879. The objeel was t" bring togethei the '-id settlers of tin- and
adjoining counties and to hold annual reunions, al which old friends might
meet and by public addresses and die telling of early-day trials, teach the
younger people what it cosl to build a state. A meeting was held in Blue
MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS. 57
Rapids on June 12, 1871), when William Paul. C. E. Tibbetts and T. W.
Waterson were appointed a committee to prepare a program for the first Old
Settlers Reunion to be held in Marshall county, September 11-12, 1879.
At that first reunion the following officers were elected: A. G. Barrett,
president; D. C. Aidd and William Thompson, vice-presidents; Frederick
Hamilton, treasurer, and J. S. Magill, secretary. Executive committee, Wil-
liam Paul, Blue Rapids, chairman: Thomas McCoy. Marysville; W. T.
Dwinnell, Frankfort; Robert Smith. Irving; J. L. McChessey. Waterville,
and Judge Madden, of Guittard. On January 1st, 1917, but one of the first
officers of this association was yet fixing — Robert Smith, of Frankfort.
Since that first meeting at Blue Rapids the association has never failed
to meet. The last meeting being held in Marysville on September 20 to 23,
1916.
This Old Settlers Reunion organization has grown to be the "biggest
thing." in the way of an annual gathering, held in the county. Although it has
grown away from the original idea of a gathering of pioneers and has be-
come the forum of the politician, yet it is an event that gathers a crowd and
there are still some of the pioneers who are present and are actively inter-
ested in tiie welfare of the organization.
The officers for 1917 are: J. M. Watson, president; Howard Reed,
secretary.
The following address delivered by Mrs. Andrew J. Travelute at the
annual Old Settlers' Reunion at Marysville in September, 1916, was greatly
enjoyed by the many pioneers who were present.
Mrs. Travelute was formerly Elizabeth Mohrbacher, daughter of Jacob
Mohrbacher, and one of the first teachers in Marshall county. During this
address a number of pioneer ladies sat on the platform knitting, spinning
and sewing as in olden times. Among them were Mrs. H. P. Benson. Mrs.
E. A. Scott. Mrs. Sarah McKee, Mrs. M. Roseberry, Mrs. Washburn, Mrs.
Lief-. Mrs. Bunton and Mrs. Heister.
Mrs. Travelute's address follows:
The time has arrived when it becomes the duty of the people of Marshall
county to perpetuate- the names of their early pioneers.
Those men and women, who in their prime of life, entered the wilds
of Kansas and tilled the virgin soil have nearly all passed to their graves:
the number remaining who can relate the incidents is becoming small. The
frontier is gone and those who removed it are gone; and those who assisted
in removing it are going one by one.
Therefore, my friends, oik- and all, we who are gathered here, let us
58 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
dedicate the thirty-eighth annual Early Settlers' Reunion of Marshall county
to the sacred memory of those dear ones who braved life's battles here
on Kansas soil when all was a wilderness. They came with the inspiration
of hi pe ami love for their dear ones who are enjoying the fruit- of their
hard labor, because what those noble pioneers had to suffer, only God and
the recording angel can disclose.
During those years, when the white men were traveling through Kan-
sas, they were not making settlements here. The country remained in the
undisputed possession of the Indians; the white men did not want it as yet.
They 1. M.ked upon these vast prairies not as a resource, hut as so much Land
to he crossed in reaching places further west
But changing conditions in the state- east of the Mississippi river made
people begin to look upon Kansas in a different light. The country there
was becoming thickly settled and people wanted the lands of the Indians.
As the Indians had all been removed to these western plains, the white man
could not settle on these reservation- without the consent of the Indians.
According to the treaties, the Indian- were promised their land so long as
grass should grow or water run. But it soon developed that the white man
wanted Kansas land. Also, in the year 1854, we find the tribes being trans-
ferred to the Indian territory, now Oklahoma, where the remnants of various
tribes -till remain.
Although Kansas was not used during those early years to make homes
for the white-, a few hundred people came here. They were of three differ-
ent classes: missionaries, soldiers and fur traders.
FIRST MISSIONARY AMONG INDIAN'S.
The attempt to civilize the Indians began in the days of the "early
explorer-, hut it wa- on Kansas soil that the fir-t missionary lost his life.
This man was Father Padillo, a Jesuit, who came with Coronado on his
journey, father Padillo became much interested in the Indians, hut his
noble work was of short duration, for he wa- -0011 killed by some of the
tribes.
Later, when Kansas became a part of the United States, a number of
mission-- were established by Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians and Cath-
olic churches. Kansas remained in the possession of the tribe- until the year
[854, when it was organized into a territory.
About this time the Xew England Aid Company was organized. It
gathered and published information concerning the new country, and under
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 59
the government of these companies, newspapers were filled with descriptions
of the loveliness, the fertility and the future greatness of the territory, and
people were urged to come to Kansas at once, both to secure the advantages
of the country and to help in saving it from slavery. They lived in si id
houses, log cabins and dugouts.
Arriving with my parents in the small hamlet of Marysville, in the
spring of i860, about eight months previous to the time when Kansas was
admitted to the Union as a state, the people had almost as few comforts of
life as when they first came to the territory. A few of them had come with
little ideas of hardships of frontier life, and others had believed such condi-
tions would last but a short time. Many returned to their Eastern homes
and to wife's folks, because they lacked the energy to rough it through. But
the greater body of Kansas pioneers had come with a two-fold purpose : of
making homes and making a free state.
PIONEERS SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN.
The pioneers who followed a trackless west should never be lost sight
of. They were good, representative men where they came from, and were
not to be discouraged.
In looking back fifty-six years, 1 feel proud of my early associates.
Most of them are gone; only a few are left to confirm the story we have to
tell. Frontier life is always hard, but it was rendered many times harder
here in Kansas by years of strife and warfare.
In these days of the railways, the good roads and the Ford automobiles;
of the telegraph and telephone and the rural mail routes, it is difficult to
realize what life on the Kansas prairies meant in the sixties. The virtue
1 if the Kansas pioneer homes has never furnished theme for song
or story, because it is not so easy to grow sentimental over sod houses or
log cabins or dugouts, or to romance over slab shacks that were window-
less lest the prowling savages seek their vantages ; and floorless for want of
means.
The privations and sacrifices and the loneliness of pioneer life fell most
heavily on the women. Business and necessity brought the men together
occasionally, but the woman in the isolation of her prairie home often saw
no friendly face for a month. It was in the home of the pioneer woman
that the lessons of self-abnegation and self-denial, deprivation and courage
in the face of hourly danger were learned. The log cabin of Kansas had
never about it the elements that render its photograph in the least picturesque.
60 M \KSll.\l.l. COUN I v. K VNS VS.
But my clear friends, I can say in truth that the family altar was as cherished
a^ though in marble walls.
! HE PIONF l R FARMER'S WIFE.
While there comes tq my mind so vividly a true picture of the pioneer
farmer's wife. ' shall attempl to outline i' to you for the benefit of the young
women on the farms of dear, glorious Kansas of ("day. My memory places
re me a toil-worn womau, standing in front of the dugout) with the sun-
flowers growing qn its sodded roof. She is gazing over the vast expanse
of prairie that stretches out before her. She is gazing eastward; her vision
is dimmed, because countless millions of grasshoppers have eclipsed the sun-
light.
Her heart is filled with homesickness and regret- She is sadly think-
ing of Iht deai- father and mother, whose tender embrace her poor, lone-
some heart is longing for, and of thai dear old home and it- sweet comforts,
and while the hot winds from the south are scorching her hands and face.
and while baby is asleep in the homemade cradle and there happens to he no
Indians in sight — she hurriedly takes the water pail and goes down to the
ugh, which i~ mere than a quarter of a mile distant, to bring the water
ewith to prepare the meal for her tired husband.
The sweetness in performing her household duties, and the hope for
the new he has come to help to build, softens every regret. It is that
divine virtue called hope which is now depicted in her dear face. Hope and
courage, th( "1 will," is what helped to make Kansas glorious.
Speaking of the grasshopper— it happened a farmer wanted to borrow
his neighbor's wagon, and the box had been taken off; so he asked the
nan of the house where he could find it. She told him she did not know
where it could be found — like as not the grasshoppers had swallowed it.
This was in Baldersi in •< >v nship.
Although the pioneers of Kansas were deprived of the various good
things which we have to eat, they were more rugged and enjoyed better
health, with the exception of malarial fever in some localities. They lived
efly "ii corn bread; buffalo meat or bacon, sorghum molasses, barley coffee,
1 fruits and on very rare occasions a pumpkin pie, providing the grass-
eat the vines or the hot winds did not cook them before the
pumpkins were lit for use.
While making mention of the com bread. 1 recall the time when some
. f tin pioneers had no other means of grinding the corn wherewith to make
MARSHALL COUNTY, KAXSAS. 6l
tin's bread than an old tin milk pan that leaked too bad for any other use.
They would use a hammer and nail and punch it full of holes and that left
the bottom of the pan rough enough that you could take an ear of corn and
grate it down to the cob. Then the trouble with some people was they did
not have grease enough in the house to grease the pan to bake it in, to pre-
vent it sticking to the bottom of the pan. They would have to go to the
neighbors to borrow their greaser. And. remember, the neighbors did not
live close enough together so you could have a talk across the fence, and
there was no telephone to go to and say, "May I come over and borrow your
greaser?"
PLEASURES THAT OFFSET PRIVATIONS.
Although there was privation and hard work, there was also some
pleasure. There were the literary societies, the singing schools, the spelling
schools held in the little log school house. And country dances and the corn
husking bees. I recall a husking bee when John Shroyer invited the young
men and bovs of the neighborhood to come and husk corn during the day
time and at night they were to bring their best girl or grown sister along
and enjoy some fun. Now, .Mrs. Shroyer had baked some pumpkin pies
for our refreshment. The house, being a log cabin with one room and a
fire place, and when company came in pioneer days the furniture bad to be-
set out of doors in order to provide room. This was the case here. This
was the month of November and the weather was very cold, and the mis-
tress of the house, not knowing what to do with her pies until she wanted
to serve them, took them to the rail corn crib and placed them on the newly
husked corn. A few hours afterwards, when she wanted to serve them they
were frozen so hard it was impossible for her to make use of the knife.
Only for the forethought of our friend, R Y. Shihley, who is still in our
midst, who was one of those young men who make all kinds of promises to
the voting ladies. He called for a long-handled shovel, and he placed those
frosted pies in groups of three or four on it and very patiently held them
over the fire in the fireplace to thaw them out. then, without removing them
from the shovel, passed them to the boys and girls.
The girls wore calico dresses and some of the young men were dressed
in their homespun and some in their jeans, while the young swells wore
"Palm Beach" trousers made of new grain sacks and down on the outside
seams you could see these words, stamped in black capital letters: "Amos-
keag seamless. Patent applied for."
There comes to my mind the time when my father having built a new
6.2 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
house of considerable size, on his farm south of town, the young people of
Marysville came to surprise us and give us what they called a house warm-
ing. 1 think there were aboul eight couples of them. I recall the names of
some that were present, namely: Mr. and Mrs. Perry Hutchinson, John
Hornbeck, Henry Devoe, John Webber, Ed Lovell, Snowden Transue, R. Y.
Shibley and 1. 1!. Davis of this city. Among the young ladies I recall the
names of Kate Webber, Emma Webber, Maggie Smith. Edith Lovell, Belle
Waterson and Annie Bendel. .My father being a musician, they prevailed
upon him to bring forth his clarionel and play while they danced. Then at
tiie hour nf midnight, my father excused himself and retired fin- the night,
when our friend. I. i'.. Davis, who was endowed with a talent for music.
made g 1 use of the instrument, playing all kinds of air- while the dance
went "11.
SPELLING S( ll i ii U.S.
My dear friends, while it i- impossible for me t<> describe to you in
words the sweet charms of those tunes which Mr. Davis produced on my
father'- clarionet, because more than half a century has passed since the above
mentioned event took place, 1 will venture to say to yon that I am greatly
surprised to note the automobile- have been so constructed, after so great
a lapse of time that at lea-t some of them are able to resound the echo
there >f.
While making mention of die spelling schools in pioneer days; they
were will patronized by young and old. T recall a time when the teacher
gave out word- of two syllables. There was a young man present from the
-tate of Illinois — you all know Illinois claims she ha- no illiterates — and
when it came this young man's turn to -pell the word "austere." be spelled
"offsteer." lie had been in Kansas long enough to learn to drive oxen.
In the life of every man and woman who walked on Kansas -oil. i- a
lesson that should not be lost on those who follow. Coming generation-
will appreciate the volume which is at the present time being compiled by
Mr-. E. 1*".. Forter of this city. It will be cherished by everyone a- a -acred
treasure. Although Marysville was but a small hamlet, with a few small
Stores, it was the only trading point within a distance of twenty-five mile-
ami I recall the days when the women came here riding in lumber wagons,
drawn by oxen, and no spring -eat- to -it on. While they were joy-riding
they would knit a pair <•! socks for their husbands — busy .all the while
Industry and economy was the motto in pioneer day-.
My dear friends, you may reasonablly feel that you have been no unim-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 63
portant factor in the elevation of Marshall county to its present position.
I well remember the historic inscriptions on some of the prairie schooners
Which used to pass through Marysville in the pioneer days. Some read,
"Pike's Peak or Bust," while others read, "Bound for Kansas, the light-
house of the world."
You have aided in no small degree in the making of Kansas one of the
brightest stars in the great constellation of American states, in her greatness,
her power and her wealth, and while we are enjoying these great blessings,
let us ever hold sacred the memory of those noble men and women who
removed the frontier from the wilds of Kansas. And let us never forget to
thank Him who doeth all things well that we are permitted to call Marshall
countv our home.
FRANK J. MARSHALL.
Frank J. Marshall, whose name the county bears, was born in Lee
county, Virginia, April 3, 1816. He was educated in the common schools
and in William and Mary's College. In early manhood he went West and
located in Ray county, Missouri, later moving to Weston, Platte county,
from which place he joined the forty-niners to go to the California gold
fields. Upon reaching the Big Blue river, he at once saw the necessity of
a ferry which he built and operated near the Independence Crossing for
several years. After Captain Standberry laid out the Ft. Leavenworth and
Ft. Kearney military road, Marshall followed the new road and established
a ferry about two hundred yards up stream from where the steel bridge at
Marysville now stands.
In 1858-59 gold was discovered in the Pikes Peak and Clear creek
regions in Colorado and soon after the gold fever affected Marshall. He
left the county and the town which he had named and again became a pioneer
in the mining districts of Clear creek and Gilpin counties, Colorado. F. J.
Marshall built the first house in Marysville and he built the first brick busi-
ness house in Denver, Colorado. He died on November 25, 1895, after a
most eventful life, leaving a wife, four sons and a daughter. Mrs. Marshall
is still living with her daughter in Xew York City.
CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR.
In 1857 Gen. F. J. Afarshall was the pro-slavery candidate for governor
and George W- Smith was the candidate of the Free State party.
(>4 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Smith's majority over Marshall was [30. Smith received 6,875 am'
Marshall. ''.745. In Alar-hall county, Marshall received j 2 votes and Smith.
17 \ ■ ites : total 1 19.
The vote "ii the other territorial officers was exactly alike in each case.
Governor, secretary, auditor, treasurer, congressman, each received 7-' votes
a- pro-slavery candidates and 47 votes were recorded for the Free State men.
At tins same election a vote was taken on the adoption of the Lecomp-
ton constitution, "with slavery", or "without slavery", and 232 votes were
cast and counted For "with slavery", against 41 votes cast for "without
slavery." This was in Marshall county, where Marshall himself was a
candidate for governor and where the vote on territorial officers in no case
exceeded l I < >.
Marshall never served in any military organization and the title of
"i leneral" was purely nominal.
lie was well known by many of the pioneer settlers and was a man of
strong personality, devoted to his family and scrupulous in his religious
duties. Mrs. M. A. B. Martin, who knew the family well, says: "Mr. Mar-
shall and family always observed the Sabbath. They would read from the
Bible and then all join in singing hymns."
Mr. Marshall built a g 1 residence 011 the spot where Dr. Jennie
Eddy's office now stands. Mrs. Dan Griswold made her home with them
for awhile, when a little girl, and remembers Mrs. Marshall as a woman of
great kindness.
Marshall's reminiscenci s.
The following is k. |. Marshall's personal letter written to and read
by J. S. Magill at the ( 'Id Settlers Reunion held at Irving in August. 1895.
It is given in full in order that the readers of the history may have personal
knowledge of the views of the man for whom the county is named and for
the further reason that it tells the story of early days of Marysville.
To lames S. Magill, Esq., Secretary of the < )ld Settlers 1'ioncer Association:
My I tear Sir — 1 have read with pleasure the very kind invitation of
your committee to be with you on the occasion of the meeting of the Old Set-
tlers' Pioneer Association of Marshall count). Kansas. Nothing would
afford me more pleasure than to avail myself of your kind imitation and to
meet the people of Marshall county, as well as those from other parts of the
state, and I had made all arrangements to be with them at their coming
reunion, hut a1 the last moment m\ failing health forbids me making the
GEN. FRANK MARSHALL.
MRS. MARY MARSHALL
PETER FROOM.
CON SMITH.
An Old-Time Stage Driver.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 65
long trip and herewith I enclose a short history of my recollections of the
olden times of Kansas pioneer life.
In the early settlement of Kansas, it is to be remembered, I established a
trading post at the government crossing of the Big Bine river on the road
leading to the great West, over which went all the travel starting from Ft.
Leavenworth and all other points below old Ft. Kearney on the Missouri
river to new Ft. Kearney, Ft. Larimer and all the Indian country, Utah,
Oregon, Washington and the great emigration to California, which meant
at least five thousand to ten thousand people a day from April to July. Over
this route went the great pony express enterprise to California, which the
country now knows partially led to the building of the Union Pacific rail-
road. Most of the time the river could be forded, but often even for six
weeks at a time it could not be crossed except by means of the ferry. This
was one of the greatest overland thoroughfares which the country has ever
known.
SEEKS TO ESTABLISH FERRY.
I applied to the Indian agent for the privilege of establishing a ferry
and trading post at the point where Marysville now stands. It was in the
Indian country, and there was no particular agent having jurisdiction over
this part of the Indian lands. He informed me that it was the battle-ground
of the different tribes when at war with each other, hence a dangerous place
for the establishment of a trading post, as I proposed.
I then applied to Major Ogden. the quartermaster at Ft. Leavenworth,
for a contract with the government to put in boats, build ware- and store-
houses and to supply troops returning from the western forts in the winter
time, and he protested that on account of its dangerous proximity to the
ground described such an establishment might not last long without military
protection. I expressed myself, however, as willing to arrange for my own
protection, to which he afterward gave his consent. On securing his per-
mission, I proceeded at once, bought a piece of artillery, mounted it, loaded
my own wagons and was on the way to the Big Blue crossing at the point
referred to within twenty-four hours after my contract with the government.
This arrangement was universally concurred in by the officers at Ft. Leaven-
worth. Colonel Sumner, who then commanded the Second dragoons and
who afterwards commanded a division in the late war, and Lieutenant Stuart,
who was his quartermaster on expeditions into the Indian country in the
spring and summer and afterwards known as the rebel, General Stuart, of
(5)
66 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
the Black Horse cavalry, on returning late in the fall crossed at this point,
always required supplies for his soldiers and horses, knew of the facts in
connection with my enterprise, and T had their hearty co-operation.
TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED.
This undertaking was commenced as early as the year 1852, and led
two years later to the establishment of a territorial government for Kansas
and Nebraska, a brief statement of which may not be uninteresting at this
time.
In 185 1 the Big Blue river rose to the top of its banks, and perhaps this
fact had something to do with the facility with which I secured permission
from the government officers to carry out my plans for establishing a ferry,
etc.
Suffice to say that 1 succeeded in every way. nor did I have the serious
trouble with the Indians that had been apprehended, they regarding me as
occupying die same position relatively to them as did the military forces at
Ft Kearney.
All the lands west of the Missouri river at that time, not within the
boundaries of California, had no name except in a general way as the "Indian
country," the "Great American desert." or "Nebraska," but there were sparse
settlements in the mining country now known as the state of Nevada, and in
the Mormon settlements of what is now known as Utah.
The next move I made was to bring about the organization of a terri-
torial government of the "Great American desert." so-called, and it was
brought about, I might say. somewhat in an accidental way.
The Pottawatomie Indian agent. Major Whitfield, had started up the
Missouri river from St. Louis to pay the Indians at the Pottawatomie post
their annuity, hut his boat was detained by running on a sandbar and he
was delayed several days beyond the pay day.
A large body of the Pottawatomie Indians were educated Indians, hav-
ing been educated at St. Mary's Mission on the reservation, and were known
as Mission Indians, to distinguish them from the prairie Indians.
INDIANS BECOME IMPATIENT.
The prairie Indians became impatient by reason of the non-appearance
of the agent, and in the absence of railway and telegraphic communication
the authorities could get no information as to the cause, except by means of
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 6j
the slow mails. A portion of the educated Indians and traders came to me
and asked what would be the better course to pursue in order to keep the
prairie Indians quiet until the agent should arrive. It occurred to me that
it would be interesting, instructive and amusing to call a pow-wow or con-
vention of the traders and Indians. There were at that time a thousand or
more curiosity seekers, etc., in the vicinity. I requested Bill Lorton, a half-
breed educated Indian, always a reliable friend on my travels through the
Indian country, to notify everyone. He mounted his wild bucking broncho,
with a cowbell in hand, and spread the news with a great hurrah. Several
thousand Indians and nearly as many whites came pouring in from all direc-
tions. I had requested one of the agents from the Indian department to
explain the object of the convention. He wanted to know what he should
say. I told him to discuss the question of organizing a territorial govern-
ment for Nebraska, the prosperous condition of the Indians or anything else
he could imagine that would give him something to talk about, intending to
amuse the crowd.
The fact is that up to that time I did not know what was going to be
said or done, except that, as before stated, I thought we would get a good
deal of amusement out of it and allay the restless spirit of the Indians. The
agent announced that I knew all about the matters to be discussed and called
upon me to explain the object of the convention. I responded, beginning
more in fun than in earnest, referring to the then condition of affairs, but
soon I became serious, and the importance of accomplishing a territorial
government dawned upon my mind and the more feasible appeared the object,
and soon the convention became enthusiastic and in earnest.
The proceedings of that convention resulted in the adoption of a
memorial to Congress to organize a territorial government for Nebraska
or the Great American desert. The news of the memorial to Congress was
communicated to the St. Louis Republican by General Mitchell and the other
papers of the United States took up the subject, and its discussion resulted
in the development of great interest, and the Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, of
the state of Illinois, who was then a member of the United States Senate,
took up the subject and introduced the Kansas-Nebraska bill. It was soon
apparent from the discussions which took place in Congress that the Southern
states would not vote for his bill because it prohibited Southerners from mov-
ing into the territories with their property, unless the Missouri compromise
was first repealed, because that law denied the right to carry slaves into the
territories. This law was repealed as a part of the Kansas-Nebraska bill,
and the southern members of Congress voted for the measure. It then
68 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
became popular, and was carried by an overwhelming majority, and was
regarded as a most just law under the doctrine of what was known as "squat-
ter so> ereignty."
SOUTHERN STATES FAVOR DOUGLAS.
This put the Southern states in favor of Mr. Douglas for the Presidency,
but it aroused the opposition of the northern Democracy, and Mr. Douglas
found it convenient to drop the southern Democracy and swing oft with the
northern wing, making war on the Democratic administration which endorsed
the Democratic doctrine of equality hetween the states. This led to a divi-
sion of the national Democracy ami gave birth to the Republican party, and
finally resulted in the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency.
Mr. Douglas had argued that Kansas would come in as a free state.
which it would have done under the LecomptOH constitution, but for the
policy of Horace Greeley and his confreres, who prevented it coming in a- a
free stale and thus downed Mr. Douglas and the Democratic party. The
policy of the free state party managers was to withhold a large per cent. < i
the Free State voters and allow the pro-slavery ticket to be elected and the
slavery clause to be retained; for if they had voted their full strength they
would have elected a Free State member of Congress, and excluded slavery
from Kansas, and it would have come into the union under that constitution
as a free state, with free state officers; the agitation would have ceased;
there would have been no Republican party, no additional slave states, no
war. and no such great blessing as our national debt of millions.
So you will see that the conduct of myself, with the co-operation of
Bill Lorton, the half-breed educated Indian from St. Mary's Mission, back-
in those early days really resulted in the development of a territorial govern-
ment organizing Kansas and Nebraska, which has been followed by a con-
tinual formation of states west of the Missouri river, containing today mil-
lions of people. This vast region of country being rapidly settled and cap-
able of supporting many millions of people more than now inhabit it; rich in
agricultural resources and mineral wealth it will eventually have the power
to control the affairs of the nation. It already holds the balance of power,
and only needs the co-operation of the middle and southern Mates to wrest
from the hands of England and other foreign countries the power to control
the financial policy of this country, as they do at the present time. This can
be done, in my opinion, by the remonetization of silver and a change of the
policy of our financial system.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 69
SOME FACTS NOT RECORDED IN HISTORY.
I do not desire to bring political questions into discussion on this occa-
sion, but I beg leave to say that the history of the country now under con-
sideration necessarily calls for some facts not recorded in history, which
Democrats and Republicans alike, as well as the country at large, are inter-
ested in.
The present generation is not aware how the Republicans came to be a
political party, nor do the Democrats all know the causes which led to their
surrendering the government to a new party, which has since been known as
the Republican party. Only a day or two ago I met a man forty-five years
of age who said that his great-grandfather was a Republican and he was
going to stick to that party — silver or no silver. I then informed him that
I was personally present at the birth of the Republican party, and that my
great-grandfather was a Democrat, but that I would not vote for that party
or any other unless it declared for the remonetization of silver at the ratio
of 16 to 1.
The gold standard advocates nominated both Harrison and Cleveland,
and it did not matter to them which was elected. The same game may be
looked for in the next national conventions of the two old parties.
It is often asked by men of great intelligence, "What is the cause of the
present deplorable condition of the country?" when a schoolboy can answer
the question. It is simply this : That the Bank of England forced Wall
street and Wall street forced every national bank in this countrv to shut
down on the people, and lock up the money of the nation, and they have it
locked up yet. And they can perform this operation again and again so long
as the gold standard men control our finances.
Very respectfully yours,
F. J. Marshall.
Denver, Colorado, July 22, 1895.
MRS. MARY MARSHALL.
Airs. J. M. Watson of Frankfort received a telegram on April 25, 1917,
notifying her of the death of her sister, Mrs. Mary Marshall, at Largemont,
New York, Tuesday, April 24. Interment was made at New Rochelle, New
York, the following evening.
Mary R. Williams was born at Richmond, Missouri, December 4, 1831,
and at the time of her death was aged eighty-five years, four months and
70 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
twenty days. Reaching womanhood, she was married to the late Gen. Frank
I Marshall, of Weston, Missouri. They came to Marshall county among the
first white settlers of this county. Mr. Marshall established a ferry at Inde-
pendence Crossing, about eight miles south of Marysville, on the Blue river,
in 1849. Two years later he moved his ferry to Marysville. He was elected
to the first territorial Legislature and in the organization of the county had
the county named Marshall and the town named Mary, in honor of his wife.
Mr. and Mrs. Marshall lived in Marysville until the breaking out of the war,
when they moved, to Colorado. The Marshalls were ardent pro-slavery people.
but when the southern states seceded from the Union. Mr. Marshall did not
feel that he could conscientiously fight either against slavery or against the
Union, and he and his family left Kansas and located in the mountains of
Colorado.
Mrs. Marshall, for whom Marysville was named, was an excellent woman,
of high intelligence and courage and took an active part in the early incidents
of Marshall county. She was highly respected by all the early settlers and
l>v main newer settlers who have met her on her frequent visits to Marys-
ville. After the death of her husband she has been living with her children
in Colorado and New York. For the past few years her home has been with
her daughter. Mrs. Mary McCall. at Largemont, Xew York, where she was
when death called her.
KM. MA WILLIAMS.
Emma Williams, a younger sister of Mrs. Marshall, came to Marysville
to make her home with her sister in 1854. She was married to J. H.
McDougal. During the war. McDougal served as first lieutenant of Com-
pany E, Thirteenth Kansas Infantry, under Perry Hutchinson, captain. On
July 17. [863, Captain Hutchinson resigned and on December 4. [863,
McDougal was promoted captain. McDougal died in Marysville and after
the close of the war. Mr-. McDougal became the wife of John M. Watson.
Mrs. Watson is one of the oldest pioneer settlers now living.
J. M. Watson was a native Pennsylvanian, born in 1X40. He served in
the Army of the Potomac, from 1SO1 to Petersburg, Virginia, in [865. He
came West in 1SO5. walking from the Missouri river to Marshall county.
Then there was not a mile of railroad in Kansas. He took a homestead,
farmed and freighted on the plains. Pater, he served as register of deeds
of tlie county. He engaged in the retail lumber business in Frankfort for
eighteen years and served as postmaster of Frankfort for thirteen years. Mr.
Watson regards the days -pent at the battle of Gettysburg as the incident in
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. Jl
his life most worthy to be recorded in history. Mr. and Mrs. Watson reside
in Frankfort.
LETTER FROM MRS. GEORGE W. THORNE.
Beattie, Kansas,
February 14, 19 17.
Dear Mrs. Forter :
Replying to your request to tell you something of old times : I came
here from Maryville, Missouri, where I had three months schooling, before
coming to Kansas with my father, Joseph Totten. There were six children
in our family. There were no schools to go to here and there were more
Indians than white people.
Mrs. Emma Jones, formerly Totten, taught the first school in our dis-
trict. We had' to have three months school taught before we could draw
any state money. My brother, John Totten, and Frank Lannan went to
Blue Rapids and paid tuition for three months school.
Soon after the neighbors got together and organized a district named
Guittard, and then they had three months more school. But three months
school was all I ever had.
Yes, I plowed five acres of ground with an ox team. The boys helped
plant the corn. We then had to harvest with an ox team.
In i860 I was married to George W. Thorne and we went on a farm
where we lived five years. There was only one house between here and
Marysville and that was a ranch kept for the traveler.
THE PRICE OF CATS.
I remember one night I started after my father who had gone on foot
to Marysville after* the doctor and I met him about halfway. My father used
to go to St. Jo for provisions and once he brought out two cats, for which he
paid a dollar apiece in St. Jo.
If we had a calico dress, it was good enough for church or dances. And
if I wanted a new dress I would go and drop corn for fifteen cents a day
and earn the money for the dress.
To obtain the first feather bed I had, I husked corn for fifty cents a day
for my father and paid him one dollar apiece for the geese to get feathers to
make the bed.
When I was married I had a home-made table, three stools and a Cot-
tonwood bedstead that Mr. Thorne made and I cooked over a fire-place. I
/-
MARSHALL C01 NTY, KANSAS.
dropped ten acres of corn in one day and had three COWS to milk. I have
husked more corn than half of the farmers raised last year.
After we got to raising com to sell, my husband used to haul it to Ft.
Kearney, where he sold it for one dollar a bushel and we could only get ten
or eleven cents a bushel in Marysville.
We knew nothing of corn shellers and once shelled forty bushels by
hand. My husband used to go to St. Jo with an ox team for groceries and
meat. That was our nearest meat market.
The first wheat we raised was three acres and there came a prairie fire
and burned it up. When we raised wheat my husband cut it with a cradle
and 1 bound it with straw and we threshed it with a flail. We had to take
it to Table Rock. Nebraska, to mill, which took four or five days and I had
to stay at home and do the chores.
There were plenty of Indians around, too. with whiskey to drink. If
I wanted to go and visit a neighbor I would walk four or five miles and stay
all night and come home the next day.
When we wanted to write to a friend, we had to go to the hen house,
gel a quill to make a pen and make ink out of maple bark.
My family consisted of ten jnrls and one son, George W. Thorne, of
Beattie. Ten of our children graduated from the Beattie schools. I am
now seventy-one years old.
Witli best wishes.
Elizabeth Thorne.
I \ui.v settler's death.
Mrs. Elizabeth Thorne died on Tuesday, April 17. 1917, and was buried
Thursdav afternoon. April i<). She was seventy-one years, -ix months and
nine days old. She had been a resident of Marshall county since [858. She
was a daughter of Joseph Totten, one of the pioneers of Marshall county.
Her husband. George W. Thorne. deceased, was another of the pioneers of
Marshall county. Mrs. Thorne was a splendid woman, kind, generous, faith-
ful and true. Her influence in the community was always for the good and
for the advancement of tin- thin-- which went for community betterment.
Mrs. Thorne was present at the pioneers' reunion at Marysville last fall
and registered on tin- roll of old settlers. Only a very few enrolled who
antedated her in residence in Marshall county. The last writing Mrs. Thorne
did was the foregoing sketch for this History of Marshall County.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 73
PIONEERS ON THE VERMILLION.
By J. M. Watson.
Daniel M. Leavitt and Henry, his brother, came here "from the jumping-
off place," Portland, Maine. Airs. Leavitt was a school teacher in Iowa.
Mr. Leavitt met her there, they were married and coming overland by
ox team located on the Vermillion in the fifties. Their first log cabin is
standing and at the present time is nsed for a hen house. Yes ; she was a
mother to all us boys. 1 remember the winter of 1865-66 when she was
cooking our dinner; likewise her face, over the old fashioned fire-place, when
\V. H. Smith, James Smith, myself and others, appreciating her kindness,
'"chipped in," and sent to Leavenworth and bought her a cook stove. Say;
she smiled all over when that stove was set up. The neighbors came miles
to see the new stove.
Before we had railroads in Marshall county the farmers hauled their
corn and oats by ox team to Ft. Riley, where they sold their products to the
government for use of the troops stationed there. The wheat was hauled
to Wamego, forty miles distant and the wagons came back loaded with
groceries and lumber.
NEW WAY TO PAY OLD DEBTS.
Money matters in early days. — Well, we had none. I was indebted to
W. H. Smith, one hundred dollars balance on land purchase : Frank Love
was owing me one hundred dollars for corn he bought to feed to his sheep;
A. G. Barrett was owing Love one hundred dollars balance on saw-mill; John
D. Wells owed Barrett one hundred dollars for sawing lumber, and W. H.
Smith was indebted to John D. Wells in the same sum, balance on land deal.
Thus we paid five hundred dollars of debts and never saw a dollar of the
money.
Prairie Fires. — Yes, I had some experience. Lost one horse, cow, hay
and fencing and was caught m\self. I lay down and the fire passed over me,
burning the clothes off my back. They rolled me in a sack of flour to take
out the burns, while they sent twenty miles for a doctor and he was not at
home. I was laid up for three months.
The early settlers between 1850 and i860 were truly the "Pioneers of
the Prairies," and the first home-makers. Household utensils were very
few; split bottom chairs, corded bedsteads (if any), homemade table, iron
74 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
pot, hake pan and skillet. The skillet or frying pan was called by the Yankee
a "spider."
Vicissitudes. — Changes, lots of them; winds changed ends forty times a
day. Some years it rained and some years it did not rain. One settler from
Illinois came and said he was going to "raise broom corn here or raise h — 1" :
he died.
The young folks thought nothing of going forty miles to Manhattan, in
a lumber wagon drawn by four mules and Jim Vaugn as driver; dance all
night, "go home by broad daylight in the morning." Marysville. Sheehies, on
Spring creek in Pottawatomie county, Barretts mills were also dancing points.
The Greens, "Fes" and "Nick", on the Vermillion, played the fiddle for the
dances. The I. inn boys, Frank and Dave made the music for Marysville.
The Manhattan orchestra (two violins and a clarionet), piped and sawed
for the Blue Valley. Happy days. Our wives, the mothers of our children,
were the "1'ioneer girls of the Prairies." Note the change. "We are grow-
ing old."
In the fall of [868 the Central Branch railroad, then known as the Atch-
ison & Pike's Peak railroad, was completed to Frankfort. Capt. Perry
Hutchinson freighted from Marysville and shipped the first car of flour.
J. 1). Wells shipped the first car of cattle. John Watson shipped the first car
of wheat. Our market then was Chicago, Illinois, and train loads of fat
cattle were soon shipped East by William Kennedy. Clem Hessel. J. D. Wells,
Charles Butler, Perry Hutchinson and others, from Frankfort.
Prairie sod was broken up by oxen. two. three ami four vokes of oxen
hitched to a twenty-four-inch breaking plow, and it cost four dollars an acre
to break the sod, which was about twice as much as the original cost of the
land.
High rates of interest. — No limit in early days. 1 remember in 1875,
"grasshopper year," Hon. James Smith was then our county treasurer. He
-aid there was not money enough in the count}' to pay the taxes. Robert
< >sborn, Abby and Jacob Mohrbacher paid all county bills in county scrip or
warrants. "No tax penalty for one year," was the slogan.
The Shanty. — Yes, the log cabin on the edge of the creek: well do I
remember it. Dirt floor, door mi short that you made a bow to the occupants
before entering. Genuine hospitality within. "Come in and have a chair":
share our cabin and our meals. You could track the first one up in the morn-
ing from his bed or cot to the tire place: if in winter his footmark was in
the snow: if in summer it was in the dust.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 75
f
, COMBINING BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE.
Religious duties. — At Barrett's school house Reverend Burr (do not know
what creed or denomination, the question was not asked in early days) gave
out one Sunday evening that "on next Saturday afternoon a business meet-
ing will be held, and on Sunday, church at the usual hour." Someone
whispered to him that a horse race was booked for Saturday, on which he
announced: "Business meeting on Friday evening, horse race on Saturday
afternoon and church as usual on Sunday."
Care of the sick. — We all used quinine in pioneer days. The only sick-
ness was fever and ague. Some "shook", every day; others every other day,
and some every third day. The disease lasted from three months to one
year. That is what makes so many "standpatters" now.
When there was a death in the settlement everyone turned out to help.
A detail was made to dig the grave, a carpenter made the coffin, which was
taken in a wagon covered with a sheet or blanket and followed to the grave
by the neighbors, all on horseback. Note the change which fifty years has
made. Xow it is a casket, an automobile hearse, and mourners going and
coming in automobiles.
ELI PUNTENEY S RECOLLECTIONS.
The first school house in Marshall county was built in 1858, by four
bachelors. It was not very large, fourteen by twenty-four. It was then
and remains today district No. 1.
The Indians worked great hardships to the settlers in the early years.
In 1862 the Indians had an understanding with each other and they "struck"
what was called "The Pike's Peak Trail," for one hundred and fifty miles
and murdered every man, woman and child that they could find. Tin's was
a pre-concerted movement and they started about eleven o'clock in the morn-
ing. The east end of this savage attack was about twenty miles west of
Marysville, on the Little Blue river. Every house was burned and the occu-
pants murdered with savage brutality.
The Overland stage had a house every fifteen miles. The Indians burned
these houses together with the hay and provisions, and, in fact everything
that would burn. Troops were raised and went in pursuit and after that
we had not so much trouble with the red rascals.
7<i MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
( >ur first preaching was in 1S57 at Barretts mills. The service- were
held in the -aw -mill. The seats and pulpit were made of sawn logs. The
preacher'- name wa- Miles and he usually had about twenty in attendance.
( >nce when the offering wa- being taken one of our hest men wanted to
give something, but his smallest change was a five dollar gold piece. Pres-
ently a man went up I" lay hi- offering mi the board and the man with the
five dollar gold piece whispered to him as he came hack: "Lend me a dime,
I have nothing -mailer than five dollars." "Oh," said the man, "you can
change it at the board, 1 -aw some gold and silver there." So the good man
walked tip and laid down In- five dollars' in gold, hut he could only get two
dollars and fifty cent- out of what was on the hoard. Well, the preacher was
well satisfied with the collection.
Permit me to take a stroll down the vanished lane of yesterday and
imagine I am with comrade- of [855 to [860. The faces 1 would see would
be those of the Barretts, the Leavitts, Dan and Henry; the Aulds, John D.
Well- and hi- family; ( i. II. Hollenberg and his handsome young bride; the
Brockmeyers, Roland. W. S. Blackburn, who afterwards became county
superintendent of schools, as also did Wells; the Greggs, the McF.lroys and
James Malone, a fine scholar, who became a missionary, and mam- others of
the splendid men and women who came to make Kansas a free state. To
mention all would prolong this .-ketch loo much, hut if it he true. "To live in
heart- we leave behind, is not to die." then the Kansas pioneer still lives.
It has been a Ions; time since Kansas was settled. Yet we look back over
those years and thank God we had the courage to endure the privations of
those early days.
The people of today, rich as the result of those year- of toil, clanger and
isolation from the comforts of civilization, look hack with admiration and
wonder at the will power and endurance of the pioneer men and women.
The sties- of the times brought out all the better qualities of heart and mind
and developed the true -pint of sympathy and kindness.
In the northern portion of the county some men tried to make an
entrance for the -lave party. lint they were nut successful. Many returned
to Missouri and Carolina. Some remained and while we differed politically.
we never sought redress in violence. But the spirit of freedom was in the
pure Kansas air and has ever remained. "Ad astra per Aspera" was true
of those brave pioneers of Marshall county. Many have gone to their
eternal home, where we shall join them. What a reunion that will be.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. -7
THE WALKER FAMILY.
In 1856 Isaac Walker and family, members of the Ohio colony, settled
on the land near where Winifred now stands and the old Walker homestead
called "West Fork," is still maintained by the family.
The town Winifred was named for Mrs. Isaac Walker and this noble
pioneer woman deserves a permanent place in Marshall county history, because
of the great courage and fortitude with which she endured the hardships of
pioneer life.
When Winifred Barrett married Isaac Walker her father gave her as
a wedding gift a walnut bureau which he himself made for her, and which
she prized very dearly. When Isaac Walker and his wife decided to come
to Kansas with the Ohio colony, they first came as far as Iowa where Mrs.
Walker had an uncle, and as they found it impractical to bring all their
household goods with them, they stored them with their uncle in Iowa.
Among other things the bureau was left. But this little woman was not to
be separated from her household god so easily. In 1858 Mrs. Walker made
the trip from the west fork of the Vermillion to Birmingham, Iowa, with an
ox team and wagon to get her treasured bureau, and bring it to her new home
in Marshall county. It took her three months to make the trip. She started
for Iowa about June 1st and returned early in September. The oxen and
their driver were weary-eyed and worn, but her father's precious gift was
once more in her home. Her son, David B. Walker, still numbers the old
walnut bureau among his valued possessions.
SOLDIER SON DIES.
In the winter of 1861, Isaac Walker and his eldest son enlisted in Com-
pany D, Eighth Kansas Infantry and were stationed at Iowa Point on the
Kansas-Missouri border. While there the son contracted measles and died,
and the father decided to bring his body home for burial. A kind man
loaned him a team of ponies and wagon and he started on the long journey,
over the bleak, barren prairie to bring to that brave mother the lifeless form
of her eldest born, who had been to him not only a son, but a soldier and
comrade.
When Isaac Walker reached the site where Vermillion now stands the
team, broken down from the long travel and insufficient food, was unable
to go farther and the weary father stopped, feeling to himself that he could
~o MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
not proceed farther on his sorrowful journey. A settler living near saw the
distressed group and came to inquire the cause and to give help. Word was
sent to the family at West Fork and the younger son. David B., came with
an ox team and together, father and sun brought the body of the soldier boy
to Frankfort, where burial was made.
MOTHER WORKS OX LAND.
Isaac Walker returned to his regiment and the following winter was
crippled with a wound in his leg and became an invalid for two years. Dur-
ing this time the younger son. David, enlisted in Company Ninth Kansas and
went away to the front. .Mrs. Walker was left not only with the care of her
husband hut the responsibility of making the living. Undaunted, she plowed
the land with her ox team and raised what crops she could. Those who
recall that frail, delicate woman with gentle face and softly-glowing dark
eyes are tilled with admiration at the great power of endurance and the fer-
vent patriotism she displayed. Once in reminiscent mood she told the writer,
"Davy was always a good hoy to his mother. When he was at the front he
always sent me his wages. It was not a great sum. but it seemed a great
deal in those days, when money was so scarce and hardship so plenty."
Before going into the volunteer service. David Walker had been one of
E. C. Manning's "home guards," and had gone on several expeditions after
marauding Indians. On one of these trips the party had taken refuge at a
place called Hewitt's ranch on the Big Sandy. They found there an entire
family had been massacred by Indians the previous night. An old Indian
trail, which can he traced at the present time, ran near the Walker homestead.
This was a foot trail, and led to the old Indian village near there and farther
on to the west. Thousands of Indians traveled over this trail, for the Indian
village was a trading post for many tribes, hut principally the Pottowatomie
and Delaware Indians.
David Walker became very familiar with the different tribes and could
distinguish them readily by their garb and tribal emblems. An afternoon
spent with him when he is in a talking mood, is like reading the pages of
Fenimore ("ooper. He inherited much of the intrepid spirit of his mother
.ind is a respected pioneer of .Marshall county.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 79
JENNETTE BARBER HUTCHINSON.
In the history of a county there are certain names that stand out prom-
inently and around which a deep interest centers. Such a name is that of
Jennette Barber, who was married at the age of eighteen and one-half years
to Perry Hutchinson.
Mrs. Hutchinson's parents, Chemplin and Malancy Barber, were pion-
eers in Herkimer county, New York. They resided near Fredonia, Her
mother was a very capable woman, a fine housekeeper and with great frugal-
ity and forethought. They lived on a farm and her father was one of the
substantial men of the community. Mrs. Barber was a member of the Pres-
byterian church and her family was brought up in that church.
After her betrothal to Perry Hutchinson, the young man desired to pre-
sent her to his parents and together they made.the trip in a buggy. The day
turned stormy and rained and she she was somewhat tired on their arrival,
Mr. Hutchinson's mother was a large woman, weighing about two hundred
pounds. His prospective bride was rather slight and timid. Miss Barber
naturally wished to know the opinion the young man's parents had of the
future daughter-in-law and finally Perry confided to her that they thought
her "rather small."
After their marriage the young people moved to Iowa, where they
resided for four years, part of the time on a farm, and part of that time Mr.
Hutchinson engaged in milling. His partner, not proving satisfactory, he
returned to the farm. In 1859 they had in sixty acres of corn. On July 3,
a hard frost destroyed the corn. They had planted ten acres . of cucumbers
for the purpose of raising the seed for a seed house in Fredonia, New York.
These escaped with little injury; but the opportunity of obtaining govern-
ment land interested them and Mr. Hutchinson decided to come west and
locate a claim and later return for the wife, little son, Frank, and baby
daughter.
The young wife took this under advisement. If she remained, it would
mean hiring help to gather the cucumber seed and boarding them while they
worked. Her children were small and after some thought she decided to
accompany her husband in search of a home. When she told him of her
decision he answered. "You can't stand the hardship," She answered, "I can
stand whatever you can." With that thrift and clever management which
have been livelong characteristics of Mrs. Hutchinson, she prepared for the
journey. The neighbors came in and provision was prepared to last for the
noonday meals during the entire journey. Chickens were roasted and pre-
80 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
serves made and bread baked. No preparation was made for camping out.
They stopped at any home that could and would shelter them for the night.
At noon they had their dinner by the way while the horses were being fed.
HUTCHINSON FAMILY ARRIVE AT MARSHALL COUNTY.
Mr. Hutchinson was always fond of good horses and knew how to take
care of them. Having heard of the good land in Marshall county they
pushed along and they slept in their wagon for the tirst and only time on the
trip within the borders of Marshall county. After reaching Marysville they
heard of a man named John Hyatt, who was in search of a man and wife to
assist him on his claim.
Hyatt asked Brumbaugh what he thought of the "Yankee," and Brum-
baugh gave him a favorable answer, so the young pioneers drove hack over
the trail of the previous day until they came to a log cabin which was to be
their first dwelling place in the county.
The cabin bad a puncheon floor and plenty of fresh air. The cracks
were "big enough to throw a cat through." and there was a wide fireplace
so low that one could look out of doors by glancing up the chimney. One
stormy day, Mrs. Hutchinson hung a blanket across in front of the fire place
to -hut out the bitter wind and seated within, near the tire with her two
children, she made for her eldest son. Frank, his first pair of pants.
While they lived in the Hyatt cabin. Mr. Hutchinson joined a party of
buffalo hunters and went west in search of meat. Mrs. Hutchinson stayed
alone in the cabin on the prairie, with her children. A neighbor coming that
way invited her to go along and visit another neighbor. On returning
towards evening they saw that her cabin door was open. This made her
timid and the neighbor persuaded her to spend the night with her. which she
did. After a sleepless night she preferred to brave the Indians and
returned to her own cabin. This was the only time in all those early years
of loneliness and privation that she ever left her own rooftree by reason of
being left alone.
file buffalo hunters did not find game as near as they expected and
many returned, but Perry went far enough west to obtain a -odd supply of
die meat. Much of this Mrs. Hutchinson cured and the remainder Perry
sold along the trail, realizing enough to lay in a supply of groceries from
St. Joe. It also gave him an opportunity to see the land and he soon selected
a. claim seven miles east of Marysville; as there was good timber on the land,
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 8l
he built a substantial log cabin with one room below and a chamber over-
head.
Into this first real home Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson moved on February
2, i860. That spring a party of men becoming dissatisfied with their
driver, made Perry a good proposition to drive them to Denver. There
were eight in the party. Having found someone to stay with his wife, Mr.
Hutchinson made the trip, leaving in May, returning in August. While
there he joined with some miners and after a month or so of mining he real-
ized five hundred dollars, a munificent sum in those days. He immediately
invested in another mine, which proved a failure. Meanwhile Mrs. Hutchin-
son had "looked after" matters at home. She sold hay at four cents a
pound and corn at two dollars a bushel and when her husband returned she
had more money than he had, lacking a few cents of having fifty dollars.
The night after his return from Denver, a horse died and she gave him the
fifty dollars, with which he bought a pony and later traded for another
horse.
Mrs. Hutchinson was a good manager and never was without some
provision. In all those years she really never found her cupboard bare, and
never turned a weary wayfarer from her cabin door hungry. They had
a splendid well on their place and this attracted travelers, as good well
water was scarce.
CYCLONE VISITS THE PIONEERS.
One day just as Mrs. Hutchinson had taken her wash from the line
and laid it on some chairs a cyclone struck the cabin tearing off the roof and
scattering the shingles far and wide.
The man and wife who were keeping her company during her hus-
band's absence, were so badly frightened that they sprang into the bed and
covered up with the feather tick. Mrs. Hutchinson put little Frank under the
covers and, outside behind the house, bending over her baby sheltered her
from the driving hail and rain. The man in the bed fainted, the woman
screamed and cried, but Mrs. Hutchinson revived the man with camphor
and quieted the others and directed the re-roofing of her cabin. She was
bruised and lamed by the storm, but her children were unhurt, so she made
light of it.
They lived one year on the farm and then the Barrett Hotel being with-
out a landlord, friends suggested that they take charge of it. Mr. Hutchin-
son applied to Barrett for a lease and was refused, because he had not money
(6)
82 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
for the rent. Somewhat downcast he was met by F. J. Marshall, who, on
learning the facts, guaranteed the rent and the young people took charge of
the hotel.
While they yet lived in their log cabin the pony express passed by their
door and many of the messengers had cause to remember Mrs. Hutchinson.
She always had a kind word for them and something special, a slice of ginger-
bread or some of her good doughnuts. She remembers them as fine boys,
many being from the Easl and college bred. Billy Bolton was a favorite with
Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson and oftimes he would stop a few minutes and sing
for her. He had a sweet tenor voice and sang with great feeling some old
favorites. "Annie Laurie," "Sweet Evalina," and the "Old Log Cabin in the
Lane." This latter song was a great favorite with General Sherman;
Clara Louise Kellogg once sang it for him, wlyen encored in a St. Louis
opera house.
The pony express and Overland stage stepped at the Barrett house. Mrs.
Hutchinson was a good housekeeper and cook and it soon became a popular
hostelry. Mrs. Hutchinson managed every detail of the hotel and did much
of the work herself. In that hotel she entertained many men who afterwards
became widely known. Albert D. Richardson, Schuyler Colfax, members of
Congress. Mormon celebrities, Mark Twain and scores of others were guests
under that roof. The lawyers who practised at the Marshall county bar made
the Barrett hotel headquarters. John James Ingalls, Albert H. Horton, Nathan
Trice. Bailey Wagener and others always stopped there.
The parlor of the hotel was the only floor large enough that could be
used for dances and many a night the people, young and old, gathered there
for a social evening. Mrs. Hutchinson gave the fir^t socials ever given in the
county.
While she was in the hotel it became necessary for a legal residence to
be established on the claim. Business kept Perry in Marysville and it fell
to her lot to "live" on the claim. She cooked up food and with her children
took up her legal residence on the claim, living in a wagon and shed until the
required time was fulfilled. The cabin was rented to a settler,
Under the hard work Mrs. Hutchinson's health gave way and the war
coming on, Mr. Hutchinson was commissioned captain and they gave up
the hotel, which was taken over by J. H. Cottrell and wife.
THE RAISING.
The following item appeared in the Blue I 'alley Union in the issue of
October 15, 1865:
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 83
Last Wednesday about forty men, who have willing hearts and helping
hands assembled at Hutchinson's mill site to raise his flour mill. With a
hearty good will did they shake that two-story frame together, completing the
job just as dark came upon them. A good dinner was prepared by the lady
of the house to which they all did justice.
Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson lived near the mill and they kept open house
for many years. It was not the life of ease for the wife and mother, but she
bore her own burdens and helped others bear theirs. She turned none away
empty handed and many a pioneer had cause to remember her with gratitude.
She cared for her family, husbanded her resources and helped every good
work of the town. It was through her efforts that the Memorial Presby-
terian church in Marysville was built. Mrs. Hutchinson had a good bay team,
was a fearless driver and many times took her team and drove the venerable
blind preacher, Rev. Charles Parker, to different points in the neighborhood
where he held religious services.
Church and Sunday school were held in the old stone school house and
she taught a Sunday school class and led the singing, assisted by Attorney
A. Parks and Mrs. Fisher.
One of the chief amusements of those days was dancing. On one occasion
Reverend Parker came to Marysville during the week and, as was his custom,
night found him at the house near the mill. Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson were
preparing to attend a dance and the good man volunteered to keep the children.
While they were absent some belated travelers came along and the min-
ister took them in and made them comfortable. Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson
returned in "the wee sma' hours" and the gentle, white-haired man arose and
opened the gate for them to drive in.
In 1867 the three-story stone mill was built on the west side of the
Blue and before the machinery was installed they decided to have a "mill
warming". Notice of the night was sent far and wide and scores came,
bringing well-filled baskets for the midnight refreshments. John Pecenka's
orchestra furnished the music and to this day that night is recalled by "the
oldest 'un".
There had been a double wedding at Frank Marshall's residence the day
before the dance. Two sisters, Rose and Emma Weber, were the brides.
Rose married Sam Raines and Emma married John Crump. This bridal
party attended the big dance. Captain Frank Kister was the head miller and
master of ceremonies. Such gay young fellows as Ike Davis, Bob Shibley,
the Barretts, John Watson, the Vaughns, Trospers, Aulds, Dave Walker
and Cale Osborne were among the guests.
84 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
THE BABIES MIXED.
An amusing incident occurred that night which has been perpetuated
by a popular novelist. A corner had been reserved for babies too young to
be left at home. Some hay was thrown on the floor and covered with heavy
blankets and on this bed the babies were put to sleep while the mothers
danced.
Dave Walker. Cale Osborne and Andy Travelute decided to have some
fun ; so unobserved they changed the wrappings of the babies and also their
places on the bed. The dance being over, mothers took their infants and
some drove away before the joke was discovered. Such crying of babies
and screaming of mothers and hustling off wraps until each mother had her
own again. One young mother of a fine boy, found herself with a tiny girl.
Finally, as the morning broke, all were adjusted and merrily rolled home-
ward. Owen Wister in "The Virginian," has told the tale.
Shortly after the new mill was built the big house on the hill was
erected, which for so many years was the hospitable home of the Hutchin-
sons.
Here, as while in modest homes. Mrs. Hutchinson gave personal atten-
tion to her household duties. She entertained the leading people of the state
during a period of nearly half a century. Among them were Governors
Martin. Humphrey, Morrill and Hoch; Noble Prentiss, the well-known news-
paper writer, and (lower, superintendent of the Grand Island railway.
Favorites with the Hutchinsons were James Smith. Case Broderick and
especially Senator Preston B, Plumb, who never failed to visit them when
in this part of the stale.
With all these duties Mrs. Hutchinson yet found time to visit the sick;
to arrange benefit balls for yellow fever sufferers; t<> prepare the dead for
burial and to comfort the living. She was always prepared for emergencies
and rose to them with great courage. In times of business hurry she was
ready and helpful. She once cooked dinner for forty men on an hour's
notice.
Wuv knowledge of the men employed about the mill gave her a good
insight to their fitness and she often spoke a kind word in someone's behalf,
that to this day is gratefully remembered.
Mrs. Hutchinson devoted her life to her husband's interests. She never
wearied in well doing. In the early years she boarded the mill people,
cooked the meals and kept the house. After the big house on the hill was
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 85
built, she continued to work and do all she was able, and many times beyond
the limit of her strength, in order to "help the business." Her family
increased with time and social duties grew as the years passed. Her husband
once said of her, "She made me what I am. She never knew when she was
'licked.' "
In all those early years of struggle she was the far-sighted partner of
the firm. Mr. Hutchinson's parents on visiting them, found her plenty big
enough for the job. She numbers her friends in every home in Marshall
county and the members of her own household "arise up and call her blessed."
She lived up to the full measure of duty each day and now as she makes her
home in the city she helped to build, all doors open with pleasure to greet her.
She will celebrate her eightieth birthday in May, 191 7.
THE CRANE FAMILY.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Crane came from Illinois to Kansas reaching the
Vermillion on October 22, 1869.
After leaving Illinois, on their way to the West, Mr. and Mrs. Crane
went to Iowa to visit Mrs. Crane's sister, Mrs. Samuel Parks. The Parks
family became imbued with the Western spirit and sold out in Iowa and
came to Kansas with the Cranes.
There were three children in the Parks family and six in the Crane
family, Mrs. Gertude Scott, of Marysville, being then a babe six weeks old.
On the way from Iowa the party was joined by the Frost brothers, Tom
and Simpson. Tom Frost had a wife and two children; Simpson Frost was
a single man.
Robert Crane, the Parks and Frosts had wagons drawn by horses.
Other emigrants joined them until there were thirteen teams in the party,
some being ox teams, among these were Enoch Manning and family. The
"movers" camped at night and slept in their wagons.
On the day following their arrival on the Vermillion, the women all
went to the creek to put out the family washings. The day was fine and the
clothes were nearly all dried and taken in by night. The next morning a
Kansas blizzard had arrived. Snow, mingled with sand, driven by a fierce
wind, dealt cruelly with the newly-arrived settlers. The men in the party
found a log cabin which had been used for a sheep "bye," but which they
cleaned out and soon had a roaring fire in the big, friendly fire place.
Here the women and children were gathered while the men took the best care
they could of their horses and cattle. The women heated their irons in front
86 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
of the "forelog" and ironed the wash and thawed out the clothing that had not
dried the previous day. As night came on, the blizzard increased in violence
and the anxiety about shelter was great.
It was exactly at this point that "the West began." The neighbors on
the Vermillion had heard of the new arrivals and finally located them in
the old log cabin.
John Life took two families home with him. True, "home" was but a
ten by twelve-foot cabin, but it would shelter from the storm.
The Mitchells and Butlers took some. Millet had an unoccupied cabin ;
the Frosts were housed in it.
A family across the Vermillion sheltered the Mannings.
William B. Lewis had six children, but be did not hesitate to take in
Mr. and Mrs. Crane and their six.
Elijah Bentley had a house twelve feet square. He took Mr. and Mrs.
Sam Parks and their three children home with him. So before night fell
all were safely housed from the storm.
Those were the days of true hospitality, when every man was a brother,
when hospitality was open and kindness ruled.
The prairies were wide and bare of habitation, and so the settlers drew
close together and shared the hardships and privations of pioneer life. They
forgot the toil and anxiety, when the greeting was friendly and the handclasp
warm.
DR. ALBERT MORRALL.
Dr. Albert Morrall of Wamego died at University hospital in Kansas
City, Sunday, March 4, TQI7, and was buried at Wamego, Wednesday, March
7. He was eighty-seven years, three months and ten days old. He is sur-
vived by one daughter, Mrs. Fred Darling, of Wamego. Doctor Morrall
was one of the pioneers of Marysville. He arrived here July 8, 1856, along
with R. Y. Shibley, James S. Magill and others, who had formed a company
to organize a town company. They organized the "Palmetto Town Com-
pany." and laid out a half section of land in town lots. That half section is
now the north half of the city of Marysville. Doctor Morrall was the first
president of the town company. Doctor Morrall was also one of the incor-
porators of Ballard & Morrall's addition to Palmetto, which is now the south-
east one-fourth of the city of Marysville. Of the original Palmetto Town
Company, R. Y. Shibley of this city is the only survivor. Doctor Morrall
and Mr. Shibley were both South Carolinians and left there in the spring of
1856 to go buffalo hunting. They got as far as Atchison, when they fell
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 87
in with the party coming to Marysville and joined the party. Shibley is still
here. Morrall left here in 1866 and moved to Wamego. He held property
interests here for many years and frequently visited here.
JAMES M'CLOSKY.
Many men of different nationalities and avocations had traversed the
land which is now Marshall county prior to 1849, but in that year Francis
J. Marshall became the first permanent settler.
Following Marshall, came James Nelson, a Dane, G. H. Hollenberg, a
German, and James McClosky, a Scotchman. So that from its pioneer days
until the present this county has been the abiding place of mixed nationalities.
Of this trio James Nelson and G. H. Hollenberg came from the West,
both having been sailors and, landing on the California coast, had crossed
the great desert towards the East.
McClosky had become familiar with the country from traversing the
trail, carrying on trade with the Indians. He had worked out from St.
Louis and was attracted by the fertility and beauty of the Valley of the Blue
and in 1854 he returned to make a permanent home, bringing with him a
party of mountaineers.
It was the intention of the party to settle near the Alcove Springs and
Independence Crossing, where McClosky had camped on former trips, but
Marshall having moved his ferry to the upper crossing, McClosky settled
near it. At that time the small settlements on the Vermillion and Marshall's
on the Big Blue, were the only permanent settlements in the county.
SCOT WEDS SQUAW.
McClosky had a Sioux Indian girl for his wife and in 1857 J- S. Magill,
a regularly elected justice of the peace, united in marriage James McClosky
and the Indian maid, Monlawaka. This was the first marriage in Marys-
ville.
Mr. and Mrs. McClosky sent their sons to the Iowa Indian Mission
school in Doniphan county and their daughters to the Highland University,
giving all their children educational advantages. The eldest son, James,
was an interpreter for the government at Ft. Laramie, where he was killed
by a man named William Boyer, who was hanged for the crime.
Henry, the second son, was interpreter at Ft. Halleck. He was killed
near Hanover, at Cottonwood Station. Charles, the younger, was acci-
88, MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
dentally shot by the discharge of a gun while he was attending school in
Doniphan county. Edna died while at school at Highland, at the age of
fourteen. Julia married and moved to Nehraska. Monlawaka (Medicine
Eagle) did not long survive and is buried in the old Marysville cemetery.
McCloskv was well known to the older citizens of Marysville and served
as captain of a company to defend the community from Indian depredations.
He was devoted to his wife and family and never ceased to mourn the loss
of the gentle Monlawaka.
W. F. BOYAKIN.
The name of Doctor Boyakin was for so many years a household word
in Marshall county, that a few lines must be written in his memory. He
was born in North Carolina, May 30, 1807, graduated fn>m Mary College,
Tennessee, in 1826, and studied law with James K. Polk, the thirteenth
President of the United States.
Bpyakin came, to Marshall county in 1868 and resided here until his
death. On the anniversary of his one hundredth birthday he delivered the
Decoration Day address in the Turner Hall at Marysville.
He helped to build the first Methodist church in St. Joseph, Missouri,
lie was a graduate in law and medicine and a licensed minister. When he
was burn. Thomas Jefferson was President of the United States and Aaron
Burr was being tried for treason. Boyakin lived through the administrations
of seventeen Presidents and saw many stars added to our flag. He was
twenty years old when Queen Victoria ascended the throne of England. He
was a widely-read and greatly-traveled man and possessed a remarkable
memory. He served the county in many positions, but chiefly as an edu-
cator. He died on June 5, 1908. at bis modest home on Elm creek, where
be bad always lived and where bis family still resides. \Y. A. Calderhead,
then a member of Congress, delivered the final eulogy.
BRIEF MENTION ok EARLY SETTLERS.
Samuel Smith settled in Noble township in [855.
Ambrose, East, Martin and James Shipp, four brothers, settled south of
tlu Big Blue river, a short distance from Irving, in 1 N 5 7 .
Smith Martin built the first log cabin and settled in Center township in
March, 1X^7.
Among the families who have helped largely to make Marshall county
DR. W. F. BOYAKIN.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 8'}
a desirable place in which to live, the McKee family deserves especial men-
tion. The parents of John, Robert, William G., Frank and Harry McKee
came to Marshall county from Canada. They were people of culture and
were members of the Baptist church. They took a deep interest in promot-
ing education and religious influence and were prominent in all movements
for good in the life of the county. Their sons and daughters are still resi-
dents of the county and fulfill the highest hopes of their parents in character
and upright living. E. J. McKee, a leading hardware merchant of Marys-
ville, his brother, Robert, and Frank, sons of Robert McKee, are men of the
highest type of Christian influence.
Another family of the same name, known as the Frankfort McKees,
were L. V. McKee, a banker of that town ; A. J. McKee, a philanthropist and
business man, and Samuel McKee, a lawyer, were men of prominence in the
political and business history of Marshall county. While there was nothing
of the spectacular in the character of the McKee family, their silent but firm
stand for all that meant progress along educational and moral lines, was
always a powerful influence. Robert McKee, of Center, L. V., A. 1". and S.
J. McKee, of Frankfort, are deceased.
A pioneer of Marshall county, who saw many sides of frontier life, is
C. \V. Blodgett, of Frankfort. The Blodgetts came to Kansas in 1859 and
settled on the Blue. Their log cabin was built near the Otoe Indian trail.
Blodgett "teamed" four years on the plains in the employ of the government
and served as quartermaster at Ft. Laramie and at Ft. Kearney. He helped
build the Oketo dam. He went to Frankfort when the town started and
opened a harness-making simp and -later went in to the hotel business which
he still manages. He has been for the past twelve years a rural mail carrier
and is the oldest man in the county in the service.
John Brockmeyer, of near Bigelow, broke the first five acres of ground
in the county. He turned the ground over with a spade.
When the first survey of Marshall county was made, there were just five
pieces of land in cultivation. John Lane, of Blue Rapids, George Guittard,
of Guittard, John D. Wells and D. C. Auld, of Vermillion, and John Brock-
meyer, of Elizabeth, were in occupation.
Among the many men who were identified with Kansas history in pioneer
days and achieved national reputation was Powell Clavton, who was one of
the incorporators of the town of Woodson in Marshall county. Clayton
afterwards was sent as minister to Mexico and also was governor of Arkansas.
Albert D. Richardson, the author of "Beyond the Mississippi," pre-
empted a claim in Marshall county and was an early settler. Richardson
90 MARSHALL C'OLNTY, KANSAS.
was shot in New York City and when \Y. A. Calderhead was county attorney
he settled the Richardson estate in the probate court.
Junius Brutus Brown, a noted newspaper correspondent, also entered
a claim in Marshall county.
OLD-TIME DANCES.
The modern reformer, who devotes time and energy to rehabilitating
the people of today -in moral garments of his own style and make,' would
have been very lonesome in the pioneer days of Marysville.
The mild excitement following a soft drink at the marble soda water
fountain, or an evening at the movies, is in marked contrast to early-day
drinks and amusements.
The building of the bridge across the Blue river brought the town and
country settlers more closely together and Marysville enjoyed good business
activity. With better business conditions social life became more prominent.
Those were the days of the old-fashioned dances. Everybody danced
but the preachers and they did not remain long enough to become inoculated
with the germ.
When the dance was given in a private house the cook stove and any
other furniture were set out of doors. In the country there were several
pioneers who were disciples of Xero. At Independence Crossing Theo.
Ilammett and his brothers, Frank and Neil, and George and John Arm-
strong were the musicians. Undoubtedly Billy and Dave Linn were the first
fiddlers in the county and lived in Marysville. Dan Clements at Oketo and
Phil Simmons on Horseshoe and Mose Bennett on Coon creek furnished the
music.
MUSIC II Alt! CHARMS.
The early colonists on Coon creek were very congenial and in a little
"star chamber"' proceeding decided that they would select their own neigh-
bors and when a prospective settler came along unless he suited them, he
was to be told the land was all taken up.
One day at a barn raising a man drove up and inquired if there was any
vacant land. He did not look good to the crowd ami was answered in the
negative. As he turned his team to drive away the cover on the rear end
of the wagon being up, a violin case was seen swinging from the wagon bows.
Interest was aroused and the mover was called back. "Do you play the
fiddle", was asked. Mose acknowledged that he was master of the art.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 91
whereupon he was requested to stop and take a claim. Mose furnished music
for all the neighborhood dances and in later years the name of Hon. Moses
T. Bennett appears on the list of county superintendents of public instruction.
The first real orchestra consisted of Theo. Hammett and his brothers,
Frank and Neil, Sebastian Joerg and A. H. McLaughlin. The Hammett
brothers played violin and 'cello, Joerg played cornet and McLaughlin had
an accordion with three registers, which was considered a fine instrument in
those days. Sebastian Joerg was a brother of John Joerg. This orchestra
was widely known and was in. demand far and wide. Later,- it was engaged
for balls in Hanover and Fairbury.
The Pecenka orchestra played music of a better sort and was composed
of two violins, cornet, accordion and 'cello. These musicians were really the
aristocrats of music. Later, blind Henry Lofinck came and organized an orch-
estra. Lofinck played the violin, Ernest Lange, second, and Martin Piel,
'cello. Later, Sam Forter took the 'cello.
TANGO THEN UNKNOWN.
Early balls we're given in Waterson's Hall, and in the late seventies
Lofinck's orchestra and the Pecenka orchestra furnished the music. The
popular dances were the firemen's dance, Virginia reel, waltz, polka and
schottische. The quadrille was the favorite form and our pioneers became
most proficient in the graceful bow, following the prompter's "salute your
partner." Then, "circle left, promenade back." Then the dance went on
with vigor: "First four, right and left; side four, right and left; right and
left, all." Then, the grand climax, "right and left and swing partners to
place," and "all promenade."
A few moments were given for breathing and then the second change
was called; for, by some social law, three separate quadrilles were prompted
or "called," before the dancers "had their money's worth." After the build-
ing of the Turner Hall, dances became more formal.
Barks' orchestra, composed of C. F. Barks and his two sons, Herman
and William, and later by his grandson, William, Sam Forter, Nic Grauer,
Auldice Hale and Roll .Allen, and others whose names are not recalled,
furnished music of the best class to be obtained. The "Devil's Dream" and
kindred waltz music was replaced by the "Blue Danube Waltz" and under
the spell of better music and surroundings the dances became more formal.
Never, even in the very earlv davs, did Marvsville have anv semblance of the
92 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
so-called dance hall with its attendant vice. However informal the dances
of the pioneer days, they were not unwholesome.
Many staid grandmothers of today, who look with some misgiving on
the free comradeship of the modern hoy and girl, in those good old davs went
through the graceful figures of the Virginia reel or whirled around the hall
with a handsome dare-devil, who may have worn a revolver strapped to his
side and did not hesitate to leave the hall-room for the bar. But with it all
there was a certain unwritten law that the game must he square or punish-
ment would he sure.
OLD TIMES HAVE CHANGED.
Who shall arise at this day ami offer criticism? Who shall say that
the men and women of frontier days, who faced the scorching heat of summer
and the fierce blasts of winter, blazing the way to the fulfillment of hopes, to
tin' wealth and comfort and culture of the Marysville of today, were lacking
in those qualities of mind and soul that are so essential to a strong, virile
manhood and to a sweet and tender womanhood?
Many times at the dance the coat was threadbare, or missing altogether
and the dress was of calico. The lantern ami the moon furnished illumina-
tion, hut hearts heat true to the measures of the music and, as in Brussels
on that historic night before Waterloo,
"Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spake again.
And all went merry as a marriage hell."
The dance over, they faced the e\ 'cry-day toil and privations with good
courage, and they shared the common joys and sorrows of those around
them. The feet that tripped so lightly to ".Money Musk." went quickly and
willingly to the help of a sick babe. The strong arm that swung her to the
"Aurora Waltz." was still stronger at helping some newcomer put up his
cabin.
Times have changed. The girl, whose grandmother walked miles to a
"dance," has her flowers and fan and dancing frock and is carefully carried
to a well-lighted and comfortable hall in an automobile. The two-step. Castle
walk and one-step have superseded the quadrille. Her program is filled for
a dozen numbers and then the ball is over. The old days and the old fiddler
are no more.
The footsteps of today walk in sm. Hither paths and along more con-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 93
ventional lines, but the hearts are the same, and youth and love and happiness
are unchanging as the generations come and go. "All things serve their
time."
PIONEERS OF THE VERMILLION VALLEY.
James McClosky, a Scotchman, who was agent for a St. Louis firm of
fur traders, having passed back and forth through this county since 1839,
on his trading expeditions, finally came here to settle in 1854, bringing with
him some other settlers among whom were three Frenchmen — Laroche,
Changreau and Louis Tremble. These four men had Sioux Indian wives.
Tremble, Laroche, and Changreau settled on the Vermillion, where
Tremble built a puncheon toll bridge. At that time the travel west was over
the Fremont and Mormon trail and Tremble earned a living by charging toll.
G. H. Hollenberg came soon after and built a small store near the bridge,
and sold supplies to travelers.
In 1846-48 the Mormons, under the command of Brigham Young, had
crossed the Vermillion at this point and it came to be called the "Mormon
crossing" and the "Hollenberg crossing," and as such has ever since been
known. During the year 1854 John D. Wells came with his family from
Kentucky and located on the Vermillion near this crossing. Changreau,
Laroche and Tremble were driven away by Indians, and Hollenberg after a
few years removed to Washington county, so that it is generally conceded
that John D. Wells was the first permanent settler on the Vermillion. His
neighbors were Eli Puntney, D. M. Leavitt and Joseph Langdon came in
1855 or 1856 and settled near him.
In 1855 Horace Greeley, S. M. Wood and others, who were ardent
unionists, made many public speeches it) Eastern cities on the subject of
Kansas and conditions in the territory following the enactment of the infam-
ous Kansas-Nebraska bill.
The Herald of Freedom, published at Lawrence by G. W. Brown, and
the Kansas Free State, published by Josiah Miller and R. G. Elliott, were
telling the country of the beauties of Kansas scenery, the fertile soil and the
marvelous future in store for her, if the territorv were kept free from the
blight of slavery.
OPPOSED TO SLAVERY.
Josiah Miller, a Caroliriian by birth, writing editorials in a room of
which he said, "It has neither floor, ceiling or window," uncompromisingly
opposed the introduction of slavery' into Kansas, as tending to impoverish
94 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
the soil, to stifle all energy, to paralyze the hand of industry and to weaken
intellectual effort.
Horace Greeley imbued with the same spirit speaking in Apollion Hall,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, repeated the story of the men who came as pioneers
tn make Kansas a place where civil and religious liberty should reign, and
urged men to "go West." S. B. Todd was at the meeting and he with fifteen
others enlisted that very night in the movement to Kansas. Under the
auspices of the Massachusetts Free State Emigrant Society, they arrived at
Kansas City on April [9, [856, came West and located in the Valley of the
Vermillion.
Smne of those who came were, James Wilson and his son, W. H. Wil-
son: John Harris and family; Lawrence Kelley and family: James P. Malone
and family: James Goldsberry and family: Mr. Musgrave and family, and
others. Mrs. Henry Brockmeyer with her three sons, Frederick, Henry and
Finest, her son-in-law, Ernest W. Thiele. and her daughters, Mrs. Ernest
Thiele and Sophia Brockmeyer, who the following year became the wife of
G. H. Hollenberg, came to Kansas from New England.
George H. Thiele, a son of Ernest W. Thiele. writes as follows :
"My grandfather (bed in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1854. In the early
part of [855 Grandmother Brockmeyer with her sons and daughters and her
son-in-law, Ernest W. Thiele (my father), came West, and as Kansas was
much talked about at that time in the East, concluded to come to that terri-
tory, and arrived at Weston, Missouri, by steamboat from St. Louis, early
in [855. They found a great deal of excitement on account of the slavery
agitation, near the Missouri river, so concluded to go farther west and finally
located mi the Black Vermillion, near where Bigelow is now located. They
pre-empted a piece of land which all helped to improve and raised what crops
they could.
"My father was the only married man. so they concluded that he should
have the claim, and turned it over to him.
"I understand that the town of Elizabeth is located on this claim. I
was born on this claim on September 14. 1S55. and have always understood
that I was the first white child born in Marshall county.
"Like all early settlers they built their log cabins near the banks of the
creek, and all suffered a great deal from chills and ague. This, with the
hardships incident to their isolated location and distance from the river towns,
caused them frequently to become discouraged and willing to give up the
contest of trying to make a home in the wilderness.
"In 1856 or 1S57 my father sold his claim for one hundred dollars cash
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 95
and a liam. He had to go some ten or fifteen miles to get the ham, and
came near being killed by coyotes on the way back.
"My father moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he made his home and
raised his family, consisting of three boys and four girls, of whom my sister,
Sophia, Mrs. Hugo Rohde, of Herkimer, my brother, Ernest W. Thiele, of
Hanover, and myself are now living.
"In 1856 my mother's sister, Sophia Brockmeyer, married G. H. Hollen-
berg, who was then conducting a small store at what was known as 'Hollen-
berg's crossing' on the Vermillion, and the next year they moved to Wash-
ington county. Some eight or ten years later they were followed by my
uncles, Henry, Ernest and Ered. H. Brockmeyer, all of whom settled near
Hanover.
"I returned to Kansas in 1877 and have resided at Washington ever
since. The remainder of our family came to Hanover in 1879."
A DISTINGUISHED VISITOR.
John C. Fremont crossed the Big Vermillion, June 20, 1842, on his
way to the mountains, at some point near where Barrett now stands and
made the following comment in his note-book: "We crossed at ten a. m.,
the Big Vermillion, which has a rich bottom of about one mile in breadth,
one-third of which is occupied by timber."
In the spring of 1855 a colony of sixty members was organized at Cadiz,
Ohio, with the intention of settling on the Vermillion in a body. They
selected a tract of land five miles square and as the government surveyors had
not extended their surveys that far at the time they laid out the tract them-
selves.
A. G. Barrett, D. C. Auld, John Roland, J. G. Radcliffe, W. S. Black-
burn and some others settled on the tract in the spring of 1855. They also
platted Ohio City, on the northwest quarter of section 31, township 4, range
9, now owned by A. A. Jones.
In 1856 the colony was strengthened by the arrival of W. H. Auld, W.
P. Gregg. Benjamin McElroy and j. B. Auld, and in 1857 came Leonard
Cutler, W. T. Drinnell, C. W. Laudenberger, William Morrison, R. S.
Xewell and others. In April, 1858, the Burrell family came out and in 1859
Peter Trosper and family arrived.
In 1857 a postoffice was established at Barrett and H. W. Swift was the
first postmaster. Prior to this settlers got mail at St. Mary's mission and at
Ft. Riley and at Marysville.
■ I'. MARSHALL COtNTY. KANSAS.
SOME FIRST EVENTS.
Enoch Pugh was the first blacksmith. He died in 1857.
D. C. Auld was the first justice of the peace and in 1K56 he united in
marriage Timothy Clark and Judith North at the ln>me of James Smith. In
1857 Squire Auld united in marriage M. V. Hall and Ann J. Trosper, also,
Solen Jason and a Miss Wright.
Each member of the colony paid into a general fund twenty-five dollars
for every quarter section he wished to secure and agreed that the money
might be used to purchase a steam saw-mill. A. (1. Barrett acted as the pur-
chasing agent and brought the mill out in the fall of 1 S 5 7 . Later, the mill
became the property of A. G. Barrett. Several houses were built on the
Vermillion by Barrett, John Roland and Joseph Langdon. Later. Mr. Bar-
rett lived in one of those houses. S. B. Todd also huih and lived in a log
house on the west fork of the Vermillion, and is usually considered to have
been the first settler there. His son, William II. Todd, horn on August [3,
1857, i- one of the early native Kansans. Walter Cockerill now lives on
the Todd place. The farm with the log house owned by John Roland was
bought by A. J. McKee. The locating of the mill ami postoffice brought the
little settlemenl into prominence and Barrett's mill became widely known by
pioneers and emigrants all through the West
In [857 Joseph Langdon constructed a dam across the Vermillion, jus!
below the month of Corndodger creek, and built a saw- and corn-mill, which
lie operated for some years. In 1861 high water cut around the dam and
left the mill on an island without power to run. But not discouraged, Lang-
don buill a seawall across the new channel and reharnessed the Vermillion.
This mill was used by the settler- on the lower Vermillion for religious
services and all kinds of meetings, political and otherwise.
Langdon also sold groceries, "hickory" shirts and calico. He kept a
kind of postoffice for the accommodation of the neighbors, letter- were
broughl there for distribution ami for dispatch, the carrying service being
conducted by volunteer- who went to the nearest postoffices. lie sold the
mill to Tom Short, an Indiana man. who worked it for some years, hut in
1 No- when the railroad came it went down and is now only a memory.
The mill was located on section [6, Bigelow township, and the land on
which it -t 1 i- now owned by have Barrett. This is about six miles down
stream from Barrett's mill.
m#&
LOG CABIN IN WHICH FIRST MASS WAS CELEBRATED IN
CLEVELAND TOWNSHIP.
A MARSHALL COUNTY HOME FIFTY YEARS AGO.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 97
PIONEER PRIVATIONS.
Those pioneers of the Valley of the Vermillion experienced very hard
times in 1857-58-59. Some became discouraged and left, but the majority
remained.
There was great scarcity of food ; it was a long distance to St. Joe and
Atchison, and traveling was slow by ox team and there was but little money
with which to make purchases. The atmosphere was charged with uncer-
tainty. The rebellion was imminent and the lines between North and South
were being drawn. The north half of the county was a hotbed of pro-slavery.
Marshall being the spokesman for that element. There was great discour-
agement among the loyal men who had come to help make Kansas a free
state.
In 1859 the first school house in the county was built at Barrett's mill
and it soon became a community center and the settlers often gathered there
and in the warm, social, friendly meetings, strength was gathered to bear
the burdens and privations of the frontier life.
(?)
CHAPTER V.
County and Township Organization:
TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION.
It will be noted in Mr. .Marshall's letter to Judge Magill, he states that
the pow-wow was called for the purpose of keeping the Indians orderly until
the paymaster arrived.
It seems incredible that a man of Mr. Marshall's ability should have
believed that a pow-wow of traders and Indians, a motley crowd on the
hanks of the Big Blue river, addressed by himself "more in fun than in
earnest", was the first step which resulted in the organization into territories
of what was then known as the great American desert.
In the light of recorded history prior to 1854 his claim is not borne out.
Abraham Lincoln sounded the keynote for this territorial organization in a
great speech in 1834.
For more than twenty years the question of the extension of the
"peculiar domestic institution of slavery" into newly-organized territories of
the United States, had aroused the people of the North to the danger attend-
ing this result and had concentrated the efforts of the leaders of the South
to greater activity in furtherance of the doctrine.
NORTHERN DISCONTENT INCREASED.
The annexation of Texas broughl the embers of Northern discontent
to a white heat. The hill was approved March 2, 1845. and contained the
provision that the "said territory shall he admitted to the Union with or
without slavery a- the people of each state asking admission may desire."
So, for the first time, was embodied into law the doctrine of "squatter
reignty." The Wilmot proviso followed and the question of territorial
organization became the paramount question of the day.
The compromise of 1N50 only served to widen the chasm between the
North and South. The greatest talent of the country — Webster, Clay. Cal-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 99
houn, Benton, Cass, Chase, Hamlin. Hale, Davis, Mason and Stephen A.
Douglas had debated with great forensic ability the merits and demerits of
the measure. Finally the measure was enacted into law September 9, 1850.
It is impossible to express or describe the feeling of alarm this created
in the North, for it opened a clear way to that idea of popular sovereignty,
which first, avowed in the Texas bill and made an issue in the compromise
measure in 1854, became the vital question of the Kansas-Nebraska bill.
In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska bill was presented and for four months
the provisions of the bill were subjects of debate in Congress and aroused
the open hostility of the anti-slavery men of the North and the ardent sup-
port of the then secretly-forming adherents of the Southern confederacy.
The contest ended May 2j, 1854, and the bill was signed by President
Pierce on May 30, 1854.
PRELUDE TO CIVIL WAR.
The provisions concerning slavery were fraught with deep meaning.
The bill foreshadowed the last victory and final destruction of the slave
power. It meant civil strife, murder and rapine as the price of freedom in
Kansas. It meant two million men in arms and half a million sleeping in
soldiers' graves.
In the final analysis it gave this country the great Republican party as
one of its enduring institutions. It made Abraham Lincoln President of
the United States and it gave to history a story of the greatest conflict ever
fought in the interests of human freedom, and a list of generals whose fame
reached the uttermost parts of the earth.
And on each recurring 30th of May, thousands of loyal citizens of our
common country dedicate with flowers, flags and tears, the graves of those
who fell as a result of the infamous measure signed on that fateful 30th of
May, 1854.
MISSIONS ESTABLISHED.
Prior to and at the time of its organization as a territory, Kansas was
not devoid of inhabitants. Devout Christian people of different denomina-
tions had established missions for the education of the Indians and such white
children as were here.
Among others were, Shawnee, of the Methodist Episcopal church, south;
Shawnee mission maintained by the Baptist church : the Friends school ; the
American Baptist Mission. St. Mary's Mission was the nearest to Marys-
IOO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
villi- and both Mrs. and her sister, Mrs. Watson, attended the school
at St. .Mary's. There were also the Baptist Mission and Labor school; a
Catholic Osage Mission at Neosho, and the Iowa Mission in Doniphan
inty. These schools wire all supplied with resident teachers and ministers.
A number of trading posts were stationed along the trail. The Chouteau
Post about six miles west of Kansas City; two further along the trail, and
Uniontown in Shawnee county were the largest. There were fifty houses
in Uniontown and Indian annuities were paid from there.
There were two hundred and eighty soldiers stationed at Ft. Leaven-
wi rth, an equal number at Ft. Riley and about one hundred and fifty at
Walnut creek, and army supply wagons; emigrant trains, buffalo hunters.
adventurers, and some nun following the star of empire westward, hoping
in a new and unbroken land to find a permanent abiding place.
The lure of new fields is always enticing to the restless mind, and so
the great American desert was peopled with a throne;, each filled with hope
and pressing onward through difficulties to the golden West.
LOCATION OK MARSHALL COUNTY.
Marshall county is hounded on the north b) Gage and Pawnee counties,
Nebraska, on the south by Pottawatomie and Riley, on the east by Nemaha
and the west by Washington counties. Kansas. It is the fourth county west
of the Missouri river in the northern tier. It retains the original dimension,
thirty miles square, divided into twenty-five congressional and political town-
ships.
The Kansas-Nel raska act passed by Congress in 1N54 created the terri-
tories of Kansas and Nebraska out of territory taken from the Utah or Indian
territory. Andrew II. Reeder was appointed first governor of the territorj
of Kansas, and he ordered an election of delegates to form a territorial Legis-
lature, and designated 'Taw nee." which was a new town built in 1854 by
cers (mostly Free State men) at Ft. Riley, as the seat of government and
place of meeting, just east of the Ft. Riley military reservation. Congress
hail appropriated twenty-five thousand, dollars for a territorial building in
Kansas, and Governor Rieder had erected at Pawnee the two-story stone
building, the walls of which are still standing on the south side of the Union
Pacific railroad tracks. When Jvii Davis, then secretary of war. found that
the citi/ens of Pawnee were Free State men. he promptly enlarged the mili-
tary reservation s, , .,- to "take in" Pawnee.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IOI
MANY-SIDED MARSHALL.
Frank J. Marshall, a merchant, ferryman and postmaster at Marysville
on the Big Blue river, was elected a member of the council of this first terri-
torial Legislature, which met pursuant to call on July 2, 1855, at Pawnee.
On July 6, this Legislature adjourned to Shawnee Mission on the extreme
eastern boundary of the territory, where it had located the seat of govern-
ment.
This Legislature passed three acts relative to the establishment of
counties.
The first act created and established the boundaries and names of thirty-
three counties, some of which have since been renamed and relocated. Mar-
shall county was one of the original thirty-three, being named for Frank J.
Marshall, who also had his home town, Marysville. designated as the county
seat, and himself created a brigadier-general.
At this time Marshall was the most western county on the northern tier
of what is now the state of Kansas, but the territory of Kansas extended
west as far as the summit of the Rocky mountains, and that part of the terri-
tory which lies between the present western boundary of Kansas and the
summit of the Rocky mountains, was named Arapahoe county, Kansas terri-
tory.
This Legislature attached all of the territory lying west of Marshall
county and east of Arapahoe county to Marshall count}-, and by another act
attached Arapahoe county to Marshall county, for civil and military purposes.
DIMENSIONS OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
This gave Marshall county jurisdiction over a strip of territory thirty
miles wide, clear to the western boundary of the present Kansas, and all of
that part of the present state of Colorado which lies between the state of
Kansas and the summit of the Rocky mountains.
Beyond the Rocky mountains was Utah territory ; Colorado was not
known until Kansas was admitted as a state.
This enormous Marshall county lasted only until the next Legislature
made other decrees and confined us to our present lines.
In this first Legislature Frank J. Marshall had this county named for
himself, he had Marysville (which he had named for his wife, Mary Will-
iams), designated as the county seat and had himself created a brigadier-
general, showing that he must have been a man of strong influence.
I i i_- MARSH \l.l < "I N i"Y, KANSAS.
On November 11, [854, Marysville had been made a postoffice with
Frank J. Marshal] as postmaster. And here lie it understood, and the state-
ment admits of np contradiction, that Marysville was the first postoffice estab-
lished in Kansas.
Vol. 7. Kansas Historical Collections, page 442 (footnote) reads as
follows: "William 11. Smith, president. Kansas State Historical Society,
emphasizes the fact that Marysville was the first postoffice established in Kan-
sas, the cantonments, Leavenworth and Fort Scott, having been established
before lines were known and accredited to Platte and Bates counties, Mis-
souri. Mr. Smith served as postmaster at Marysville from 1868 to 1885."
In the sprint;' of [854 there was a general movement towards the new
territory of Kansas. The laws of "squatter sovereignty", and "pre-emption",
attracted men who desired to find homes for their growing families in an
agricultural region. Horace Greeley's New York Tribune and the New
England and Ohio papers were filled with glowing accounts of the fertility
of the soil and wonderful climate of the new territory.
GRADUAL INCREASE IN POPULATION.
Soon a tide of emigration set in and the people who came to Kansas in
1S54 and after that date had two Strong and steadfast purposes in view —
the prevention of the extension of slavery and the building up of permanent
homes. Some came alone, others came with the different colonies, but as
soon as the population became steadfast the state began to improve both
materially and morally.
.Marshall county received its share of the strong men and women who
came with a fixed purpose, and very soon their influence was felt. The
growth, development and prosperity of the county are due solely to the
thrift, industry and honesty of the pioneer men and women who endured
every hardship, even death itself, to build up a law-abffling community. In
less than ten years the sentiment of the county had changed from the reck-
less, happy go luck) frontier manner to that of earnest effort in building up
a strong and forceful community. The county has grown in wealth and
prospered until it now ranks sixth in the state. But its greatest growth has
been along educational, moral and, religious lines, and its greatest wealth
today is its splendid citizenship.
It is a far cry from the row of log cabins near the ferry, the had man
shooting in the street, the Indian brave with his greasy squaw and filthy
papoose, to the columns of line, manly young hoys, sons of Marshall count}.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IO3
marching on March 4, 1917, under the leadership of Hervey Smith, over
the old Overland trail to the Community House and Y. M. C. A. rooms,
there to plan for a still brighter future for our county.
MARYSVILLE SELECTED AS COUNTY SEAT.
During the summer of 1871 a movement was started in the south half
of the county to re-locate the county seat. On October 2, 1871, the county
commissioners, ordered a special election for that purpose. On October
9th the following notice was given :
"It is hereby given that on the 14th day of October, 1871, a special elec-
tion will be held at the several voting precincts in Marshall county, Kansas,
for the re-location of the county seat of said county, in accordance with the
provisions of the foregoing order and general election law.
"Frank Geraty,
"Sheriff, Marshall County, Kansas."
HISTORY OF THE MOVEMENT.
From the Wdterville Telegraph, November 17, 1871 :
"On the 2nd day of October last a petition was presented to the board
of county commissioners asking for an order for the re-location of the
county seat. The petition was signed by more than three-fifths of the voters.
"Some dissatisfaction had often been expressed that the city of Marys-
ville had no public buildings ; the court room was inadequate and the citi-
zens of Marysville were said to oppose appropriations for public buildings.
"Meetings were held at Blue Rapids and Irving at which were present
representative men from all the townships on the Central Branch railroad.
At these meetings the movement was agreed upon with unanimity, it being
clearly the sentiment of all that the balance of population and taxable prop-
erty of the county being in the southern half, the county seat ought to be
located at some business point of the Central Branch road. At these meet-
ings pledges were made by the delegates from every township to go in earn-
estly for placing the county seat in the south half."
THE RESULT OF ELECTION.
The vote on October 14th stood as follows: Waterville, 371; Blue
Rapids, 485; Center, 72; Frankfort, 576; Marysville, 802.
The two places receiving the highest number of votes were Frankfort
104 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and Marysville, and according to the law these towns became the candidates
at an election which would he held on October 28.
The proper notice was given and the result of the election on October
28 was as follows: Marysville. 1631 ; Frankfort, 1078.
The Waterville Telegraph of December 1, 1871, has thi> to say of the
election :
"The astounding fraud committed by Marysville is plain and apparent.
Not a man in the county but knows that four hundred fraudulent votes were
polled at Marysville last Tuesday. How much they repeated, we do not
know. That special trains were run on the St. Jo. & Denver road to bring
voters from other counties, and from St. Joseph and Nebraska, is asserted
by persons who were at Marysville that day. At any rate a systematic
scheme was made and carried out to defraud the will of the people of Mar-
shall county in the location of the county seat. Will the people of the
county submit to such a wholesale plunder of their rights? Will they sub-
mit to the expenditure of their money in the erection of county buildings
in a town whose very atmosphere smells of the rottenness of fraud and
corruption? What say those honest voters of Waterville township and of
Irving township, who voted for Marysville — their sympathies aroused for
Marysville. under the impression that she was honest and deserving, and
their prejudices fanned against Frankfort under false and specious pleas!"
. We do not believe that the honest voters of Marshall county will
submit to the permanent location of the county seat under circumstances
of so much fraud.
COUNTY SKAT.
The county commissioners issued the following proclamation:
"Office of County Clerk.
".Marysville, Dec. 2, 1S71.
"The Board of Commissioners having completed the canvass of the
votes cast at the election Nov, 28, 1871, made the following certificate and
proclamation :
"We do hereby certify that at said election Marysville received One
Thousand Six Hundred anil Thirty-one votes for County Seat, and Frank-
fort received One Thousand and Seventy-eight votes, for County Scat
"And Marysville is hereby proclaimed the County Seat of Marshall
County, having received a majority of all the vote- cast at said election.
[Signed] "J \« or. MOHRBACHER, Chairman.
"ROBERT OSBORN, Commissioner.
"Attest: James Smith, County Clerk."
MAP OF MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KAXSAS. 105
MARYSVILLE CHARGED WITH FRAUD.
The editor of the Watermlle Telegraph, Hon. F. G. Adams, no doubt
felt justified in calling attention to the methods employed to retain the county
seat at Marysville. It was evident that the fight between Marysville and
Frankfort would be hot and more a battle of wit than of actual honest
voting.
After the election, Marysville was charged with fraud, and perhaps
justly so, but the following, story is vouched for by Hon. W. H. Smith of
Marysville, who was one of the strong Marysville men.
It was firmly fixed in the minds of the contestants that the opposition
would bear watching and for that reason each of the contestants had com-
mittees at each voting place in the county to watch and report irregularities.
J. S. Magill, \Y. H. Smith and Frank Linn were the committee from Marys-
ville sent to watch at Frankfort, where they arrived the day before the elec-
tion in a light wagon with a good team of horses.
ELECTION BOARD STARTS WORK AT THREE A. M.
At the suggestion of Magill, all three arose at three o'clock a. m., on
the morning of election day, to make sure that they should not be caught
napping. After a short search they discovered a light in a small building
in the rear of a lumberyard, where they found the election board already at
work. The clerks were registering names on the poll books, which names
were read from a prepared list by Frank Love. Noticing that no ballots were
being deposited, the Marysville committee concluded that the ballots had been
previously placed in the box and promptly insisted that no more names be
registered unless a ballot was furnished by an actual voter. After this the
Marysville committee kept at least one man at these polls during the whole
time of voting to see that there was no fraud.
When the counting of votes drew to a close, Linn was ordered to get
the team and wagon ready for a run to Marysville on short notice. Magill
and Smith were in the room where the votes were being counted. After the
list of names on the poll books had been exhausted there remained a great
number of ballots for which there were no names on the poll books. One
of the judges, Jacob Weisbach, asked the board what should be done with
the ballots for which there were no names. W. H. Smith instantly picked
up the ballots saying "I will take care of them," hurried from the room and
with Magill and Linn got into their wagon and made a quick run to Marys-
IOO MARSHALL C01 MV. KANSAS.
ville. arriving there in time for breakfast with a posse from Frankfort in
pursuit. Magill was a lawyer and on the way home had planned what to do
with the ballots. They were taken to C. F. Koester, notary public; affidavits
were made as to the manner in which the hall' its were obtained, then bal-
lots and alfidav its were sealed and deposited in the safety vault of the Exchange
Hank.
After Marysville had been declared the elected county seat by the county
commissioners. Frankfort attempted to get redress in court, but being unable
to enter court with "clean hands." her suit was not accepted and Marysville
has remained the county seat since.
After the election of 1871. court was held in the VVaterson hall until
1 S74. when in February of that year a contract was let to George F. Hamil-
ton by the township of Marysville. for the erection of a new court house.
The building was a two-story brick, fifty by sixty-five feet, and cost fifteen
thousand dollars. I in the first door were a large corridor and six offices occu-
pied by county officials. The upper floor was occupied by the court room, four
offices and jury room. This court house served the county until the night of
December 31, 1 Son, when it was totally destroyed by what has always been
believed to have been an incendiary lire.
COUNTY SEAT FIGHT REOPENED.
This fanned the embers of the old county-seat fight and plans were
made, before the smoke had cleared, at Frankfort and Blue Rapids to unseat
Marysville.
A plan was formed by Blue Rapids to redistrict the county, taking the
entire northwestern tier of townships and adding them to Washington county.
Blue Rapids would have been more centrally located and Marysville would
have been pushed t<> the extreme western boundary. It was said that the
ever fertile and resourceful mind of Jason Yurann devised the scheme, but
however that may be. the plan met with no encouragement in the Legislature
and died in infancy.
It is certain there was enough activity in the south half to arouse the
people of Marysville and the city agreed to build the court house. Fifteen
thousand dollars was raised by subscription and bonds to the amount of
twenty-five thousand dollars were voted and the splendid court house which
now stands on the site of the building destroyed by lire was erected in [891
and donated bv the city of Marysville to the county of Marshall.
1 Mi lulv 23, [891, the cottier stone was laid with imposing ceremonies.
Marshall county's Rrst court house, as ii appeared just before it was torn down in
1911. At the right of the picture stands K v. Shibley, who sawed and furnished thi
lumber for this building in 1860, and who Is the lust living member of the original Pal-
metto town company. Mr. Shiblej still resides on the exact site where Frank Marshall
built bis first l"s; cabins in is.":;, which constituted the town of Marysvllle. Men In the
■ 1 from right to left are Guy Rice, owner of the building, Earl Scott and Frank Schu-
macher, carpenters who tore It down. In front of large window from right to left are
August Leifheit and Frank Wagner, who once kept saloon In the building.
Old Barrett Hotel, Harysville. built in lvv.i by A. (5. Barrett and for many years the
finest and iip.st noted hotel on the Overland stage route. Site now occupied by White
Brothers' brick block, corner of Eighth and Broadway.
MARSHALL COUNTY COURT HOUSE, MARYSVILLE.
MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS. IC>7
Hon. Lew Hanback delivered the address. The Masons of Marysville served
a three-course luncheon to all visitors in Turner hall garden on that day, of
which more than five hundred people partook.
All the feuds and animosities created by the county-seat fight belong to
a past generation. It is doubtful if the location of the county seat brought
as much prestige to Marysville as its partisans hoped, or that the loss of it
worked any material hardship to the south half. Certainly, one good gyp-
sum mill at Blue Rapids repaid the loss and the splendid business city of
Frankfort has long since forgotten that the "pot used to call the kettle black."
COUNTY COURT HOUSE.
Marshall county had no court house prior to August, 1862. County
officers either carried on the business of their respective offices in their own
private offices or at some other available place in Marysville.
In i860 the Southern Methodists built a church on the corner of Fifth
and Laramie streets on lots 7 and 8, block 43, donated by the Palmetto Town
Company, R. Y. Shibley furnishing all of the building material from his saw-
mill. Services were held in this church a number of times by itinerant preach-
ers and for a time a Sunday school was conducted. When the war broke out
the congregation scattered, leaving no one in charge of the church and no one
to pay Mr. Shibley for his lumber.
During the winter of 1861-62 some parties desecrated this church by
using it for a horse stable. This was too much for Mr. Shibley and he fore-
closed a lien on the building, hitched a few yoke of cattle to it and hauled
it to what is now 810 Broadway.
BRICK BUILDING ERECTED.
In the summer of 1862 Mr. Shibley sold the building to Marshall county
for its first real court house. It was used as such until 1874, when Marys-
ville township presented the county with the new two-story brick building
located on lots donated by T. W. Waterson on north half of block 13, Bal-
lard and Morrall's addition to Marysville.
Fven before this time the little frame building proved too small for the
purpose and court was held in YVaterson's new hall after it was built in 1870,
and some county offices were located at various places in town.
The little church passed into other hands and was used for a saloon,
dwelling, butcher shop, shoe shop, barber shop, bakerv, Chinese laundry.
[08 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
millinery store, restaurant, music store, cleaning and dyeing shop, gunshop —
everything imaginable, but for the purpose for which it was built.
In the summer of i <> i i the little "old court house," was torn down to
make room for C. W. Rice's three-story brick furniture store. Thus passed,
without ceremony of farewell, one of the first and without question the best
known of the original buildings in Marysville. Within its walls were heard
the voices of men who later became prominent in the affairs of state and
natii 11.
Among lawyers who argued cases in that court room were John J.
[ngalls, Nathan Price, W. W. Guthrie, Albert II. Horton, Alfred G. Otis
and many others. What mighty arguments were made and legal precedents
established, "deponent sayeth not," but certain it is that whenever mention
is made of the courts held in that building to an old settler, he will smile
and shake bis head. One important civil suit was decided by the jury by the
turning of a "jack." in the game of seven up. All this is now of the past
and is as "a tale that is told."
During the night of December 31. 1890. the second court house was
destroyed by incendiary lire and this time the city of .Marysville donated to
the county commissioners forty thousand dollars, with which to build the
modern lire-proof structure which stands today.
THE OLD STONE JAIL.
The old stone jail located on block 28, Ballard & Morrall's addition, was
built in iSjr- at a cost of five thousand dollars. Following the completion
of the new court house in iSc)i. a new jail was built in the same block, within
a few steps of the court lioiisc. It i> built of brick, of the most approved
modern type and was supposed t' be escape proof, but on the night of Octo-
ber ,1, UH 1, Xeil Mulcahy and Dan Carney, who were confined in the jail
awaiting lite > rder ^i court to be taken to the Kansas penitentiary to serve
sentences for burglarizing the banks of Waterville and Beattie, sawed their
way to liberty. The criminals selected an auspicious night for their escape.
\ storm broke over the city on Saturday evening and there was a heavy rain
until after midnight, continuing at intervals throughout the night. Sheriff
Sullivan made a tour of the jail at two-thirty o'clock Sunday morning and
found the prisoners in bed. In the morning the "birds had flown." Saws
bad been provided, with which they cut the rods of the cell. Deputy Sheriff
Nestor was out of town and an extra guard was on. but the prisoners worked
silently, and noise being covered by the storm and the guard knew nothing of
what was going on.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IOQ
Mr. Sullivan was succeeded in office by his under-sheriff. Michael Xestor,
who grew to manhood in this city. He was re-elected to a second term and
was a most capable and high minded official.
The present sheriff, H. C. Lathrap, is a citizen of Blue Rapids, where he
served the public as postmaster for a number of years. The sheriff resides
in the jail.
MARSHALL COUNTY INFIRMARY.
On April 12, 1895, the county commissioners, J. M. Bradshaw, I. D.
Yarick and P. Finnegan, let a contract for a county infirmary to Matt Treinen,
of Marysville, at seven thousand four hundred and seventy-five dollars. John
Y. Benifer, of Seneca, Kansas, was the architect. The building contains three
stories, with eleven large rooms, two wide corridors, the full length of the
building and two spacious rooms in the basement. There are at present six-
teen inmates.
F. E. Benson, superintendent, and Mrs. Benson, matron, have charge of
the institution. Mr. Benson has fine executive ability, combined with a genial
temperament, and Mrs. Benson is a very efficient woman.
STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND COUNTY OFFICIALS.
The following is the list of representatives and county officials of Mar
shall county, beginning January 1, 1917 :
State senator, F. G. Bergen.
Representative, thirty-ninth district. S. F. Paul.
Representative, fortieth district. A. A. Xork.
County clerk, A. J. Harvey.
County treasurer, L. N. Cole.
Register of deeds, Adamantha Newton.
County attorney, James G. Strong.
Probate judge, W. W. Potter.
Sheriff, H. C. Lathrap.
Coroner, R. C. Guthrie.
County superintendent, W. H. Seaman.
County surveyor, R. F. Gallup.
Clerk district court, A. B. Campbell.
Commissioner, first district, T. P. O'Neill.
Commissioner, second district, George B. Layton.
Commissioner, third district, James Kennedy.
I IO
MARSHALL COUNTY, KA\
[
2
3
A
5
6
7
8
9
IO
1 1
ASSESSED VALUE OF FARM PROPERTY, [916.
Farms, aggregate ami mm assessed $28,866,040
Land not included in No. 1 [62,780
Horses and mules 1,701,780
Tattle I.293>33]
Hogs 288,637
Sheep 7,217
I 'i >ultry -'.37''
Grain, all kinds 1,104.277
Hay and forage crops 57-'v;4.:!
Machinery and utensils SS^-rJ.^
Automobiles 302,570
VALUE OF CITV AND TOWN PROPERTY, I916.
Real estate $ 4,202,000
Personal property, including merchandise in stock 3,823.750
Autos, [,866; motorcycles, 71 ; total [i937
GENERAL TAX LEVY.
Per centum of taxes levied in Marshall county for state, county, city,
village, school and other purposes:
Marysville City [9.48
Blue Rapid- City 20.00
Frankfort City 18.65
\\tell 15.50
Beattie i5-5°
Waterville 16.25
Summertield (Richland) 17.16
Summerfield ( St. Bridget ) . . . . 19.00
< Mketo 17.30
Vermillion i3-°°
Bigelow 6.69
Home 6. i'i
Vliets 1 Noble) 5.94
Vliets (Vermillion) 7.19
Bremen 1
1 [erkimer 5.94
Irving 12.10
Marietta 5.69
Mina 7. i<»
Hull 5.94
ORGANIZATION OF TtiWXSlI IPS.
At a meeting of the county commissioners at Palmetto, Kansas Terri-
tory, June [856, it was decided "that the county of Marshall, fur the con-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. Ill
venience of transacting county business, and the execution of legal processes,
be divided into two principal townships, by a line beginning at the mouth of
Elm creek, where it empties into the Big Blue river, and running thence
north to the base or meridian line. The section of the county east of said
line in Marshall county will henceforth be known as Vermillion township
and that portion of the county lying west of the line in Marshall county to
be known as Marysville township.
On November 6, 1858, the county commissioners divided the county
into four townships, namely : Marysville, Guittard, Blue Rapids and Ver-
million. What is now known as Washington county was at that time under
the jurisdiction of Marshall county officials and was termed Washington
township. From 1869 up to the year 1883, the county was subdivided into
municipal townships as follows : Waterville, Center, Elm Creek, Rock,
Franklin, Blue Rapids City, Blue Rapids, Wells, Clear Fork, Logan and
Noble.
Later, a redisricting was made and the following now constitute the
townships of the county with assessed valuation for the year 1916:
VALUATION OF TOWNS OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
Axtell $ 778,360
Beattie 321,220
Blue Rapids 975-3°°
Frankfort 1,212.330
Irving 281,860
Marysville 2,335,270
Oketo 181,220
Summerfield 445,120
Vermillion 272,840
Waterville 1,025,230
Total $7,828,750
VALUATION OF TOWNSHIPS.
Balderson $ 1.991,820
Bigelow 1,380,930
Blue Rapids 1,187,910
Blue Rapids City 1,321,580
I 12
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Center
Clear Fork .
Cleveland . .
I lottage Hill
Elm Creek .
Franklin . . .
( iuittard . . .
Herkimer . .
Lincoln . . . .
Logan
Marysville .
Murray
Noble
Oketo
Richland . . .
Rock
St. Bridget .
Vermillion .
Walnut
Waterville . .
Wells
.536,53°
,I76.540
.255»390
,575,200
,33Li6o
,096,630
•4<s7-°50
,949,57°
,309,690
,991,680
,955,420
,503.010
,483,020
.917.430
.935.930
,386,720
.I43.940
.439-300
,618,720
.-•51.650
.380,130
Total $38,5*6,950
Total valuation of the county $51,602,990
TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS.
Bahlersmi township — Trustee. William Smith; treasurer. Carl Linden-
berg; clerk, C. L. VVilley; justices of the peace. C. T. Guise. C. A. Anderson;
Ci nstables, G. i'-. Andrews. Ed DeLair.
Bigelow township — Trustee, Corwin Ballard; treasurer. W. X. Mills;
clerk. Henry Brockmeyer; justices of the peace, S. M. Rucker, James W.
Seldon; constables, I.. A. Griffis, Emery Colton.
Blue Rapids township — Trustee. G. L. Austin: treasurer. |. F. Wells;
clerk. Then m Van Scoter: justices of the peace. W. W. Dedrick, John Smith;
ci instable-. ( >. R. l'urlies. W. S. Webb.
Blue Rapids City township — Trustee, Neil Robinson; treasurer, F. W.
Preston; clerk. R. S. Dickey: justices of the peace. Mrs. Charles Burket, E.
!■'. Dewey; constables, John Searcy. John Scott.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. II3
Center township — Trustee, I. G. Capps; treasurer, Gottfried Keller;
clerk, Bert Oakley ; justices of the peace, Charles Keller, Harry Smith ; con-
stables, J. C. Blackney, W. W. Monteith.
Clear Fork township — Trustee, T. H. McConchie ; treasurer, Peter
Morrissey; clerk, William H. Ford; justice of the peace, A. D. Smith.
Cleveland township — Trustee, J. C. Nolan ; treasurer, Paul Junod ; clerk,
Matt Kennedy ; justices of the peace, Frank Stapleton. W. M. Barker ; con-
stables, O. Alexander. A. J. Lally.
Cottage Hill township — Trustee, Ed Nelson ; treasurer, Henry Webber ;
clerk, Sanders Larson ; justices of the peace, Ben Pugh, J. W. Turtle, con-
stables, Charles Arganbright, Carl Larson.
Elm Creek township — Trustee. Charles Cook ; treasurer, William
L'ngerer; clerk, Arnold Dwerlkotte; justice of the peace, Joseph Barta; con-
stables, Ben Rockwell, John Schilling.
Franklin township — Trustee. Henry Schimmels : treasurer, Charles
Noller; clerk. J. C. Lewis; justices of the peace, Robert T. Lewis, R. F.
Allgeier ; constables. Robert Keller, R. W. Lewis.
Guittard township — Trustee, Harry Jones : treasurer, M. W. McReynolds ;
clerk, Charles Graham ; justices of the peace, L. Helvern, A. I). Stosz ; con-
stables, W. H. Hadder. G. A. Newton.
Herkimer township — Trustee. F. H. Westerman; treasurer, Fred Fried-
richs ; clerk. Albert Sohl; justices of the peace, Herman Rippe, William
Duensing; constables. H. Bartels, Herman Wollenberg.
Lincoln township — Trustee, Andrew Kjellberg; treasurer, Albert Back-
man; clerk. R. W. Temple : justices of the peace, Charles Kjellberg. W. G.
Swanson : constables, John Stine, Albert Johnson.
Logan township — Trustee. J. M. Brychta; treasurer. Hugo Rohde;
clerk, George Kruse : justices of the peace, F. Germer, Theodore Lemke ;
constables, William Crome, F. Prell, Sr.
Marysville township — Trustee, W. J. Kinsley ; treasurer, H. Bornhorst ;
clerk, H. Koppes ; justices of the peace, George Koppes, John Schmidt.
Murray township — Trustee. J. H. Carney; treasurer, John H. Allender;
clerk, H. F. Detweiler ; justices of the peace, C. H. Baker, D. G. Davis; con-
stables, S. M. Huntsinger. Charles Welborn.
Noble township — Trustee, J. L. Rodgers; treasurer, Andrew Johnson;
clerk. L. W. Davis; justices of the peace. W. H. DeWalt. William F. Wil-
son ; constables, L. A. Waxier. C. S. Shafer.
Oketo township — Trustee. John Howes ; treasurer, Herman Ubben ;
(81
!I4 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
clerk, Ed Dolen; justices of tlie peace. R. A. Dickinson, Frank Root; con-
stables, T. J. Suggett. Ted White.
Richland township — Trustee, J. G. Graham: treasurer. Gus ( )ehm ;
clerk. John !■'. Wagner; justices of the peace. J. W. Wiririey, S. C. Dugan ;
constables, Thomas Wendel, Art Voile.
Rock township — Trustee, C. 11. Stowell; treasurer. August Larson;
clerk. Ray S. Pauley; justices of the peace, George Scholz, O. C. Goin; con-
stables, Bill Goin. Joe Kooser.
St. Bridget township — Trustee. James F. Menehan; treasurer. J. W.
Coughlin; clerk. B. L. Detweiler; justice of the peace. Henry Maitland; con-
stable, John Easter.
Vermillion township — Trustee. Howard Reed; treasurer. \Y. H. Snod-
grass ; clerk. D. A. Brodbeck ; justices of the peace, C. A. Blackney, M. J.
Welsh: constables, J. M. Bishop, G. 1). Osborn.
Walnut township — Trustee, Leonard Berger; treasurer, George Hamil-
ton; clerk, If. P. Hanson; justices of the peace, Martin Holle, E. A. Rowe;
constables, James Armstrong, John Hanke.
Waterville township — Trustee, D. O. Parker; treasurer. John Seat on ;
clerk. C. G. Thomas; justices of the peace. E. A. Adams, R. Smith; con-
stables, A. C. Whiteside, George Casey.
Wells township — Trustee, W. C. Netz; treasurer. L. S. Bennett: clerk.
1. 1.. McConchie; justices of the peace, G. W. Walls. George Miller: con-
stables. Grant Ewing, Owen Flin.
("itv of Marysville — Justices of the peace, Louis It. Eddy, D. P. Arm-
strong; constables, M. C. Peters, John Brandenburger.
CHAPTER VI.
City of Marysville.
THE BLUE RIVER.
By John G. Ellenbecker.
You talk about New Hampshire hills, or dark Wisconsin pines.
Or Massachusetts^ busy mills, or Colorado's mines,
But 1 will sins' of Kansas, the land that's always true.
For there abides my dear old home upon the bonny Blue.
Our winter times are just as gay, our springs are just as sweet;
Our summers truly fine I say, our autumns can't be beat;
So I will sing of Kansas, — I've roamed a little, too —
Contented with the charming scenes upon the bonny Blue.
You talk about your cotton yields, then I'll sing of our corn,
Those treasure-laden forest fields of blue October morn.
I hear the buskers' bong-bong, through the semi-frost and dew,
And thus there's music all day long around the bonny Blue.
You talk of California's wine, I'll sing of our wheat.
The manna of our genial clime, for all the world to eat.
There is no use in trying, you ne'er can us outdo,
In sunny northern Kansas upon the bonny Blue.
INCORPORATION'.
In 1850 the United States government made a survey of the military
road from Ft. Leavenworth to the Northwest and established a crossing
about one hundred yards north of where the bridge now spans the river, which
was known as the Big Blue Crossing.
Il6 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
!•'. J. .Marshall established a ferry at that point and for a time the place
was known as Mar-hall's Ferry. Business thrived and Marshall brought his
wife, Mary Williams Marshall, to live here and named the place Marysville
in her honor. It will he recalled that in his letter to Judge Magill, Marshal!
says: "There were five to ten thousand people .at this point daily." A
careful research shows that about seventy-five thousand people traversed this
Ci unty and crossed the Blue river either at die lower crossing or at the cross-
ing here, from [846 to [856. So that it is safe to say Marysville lias never
had an equal number of inhabitants since that time.
The Marysville Town Company originated in western Missouri. John
ami lames Doniphan and F. I. Marshall being the leading men interested.
The stale records show that the Marysville Town Company was incorporated
by the territorial Legislature on August 2j, 1S55. The incorporators were
A. G. Woodward. David Galispie, fohn Doniphan, R. T. Gillespie, I". J.
Marshall. James Doniphan, Robert C. Bishop and M. C. Shrewsbury.
(Statutes. Kan. Terr.. [855, p. £03.)
Marysville City was incorporated by the territorial Legislature of [86l.
"The incorporation of the same lands as were formerly known as towns of
Marysville, Palmetto, Ballard and Morrall is hereby erected into a city by
the name of Marysville City." The act was passed by a two-thirds vote after
being returned by the governor with his objections thereto, and became a
law on February 2, iSn. A. E. Lovell, Jacob Weisbach and Thomas W.
Watei'son were appointed inspectors of the first election to he held on the
first Monday of April, t86l. I Private Laws. Kan. Terr., p. 52.)
In [855 F. J. Marshall and Albert G. Woodward were gi\en exclusive
privilege t" establish a ferry across Big Blue river at the crossing of the mili-
tary road from Leavenworth to Forts Kearney and Laramie, also the cross-
ing of the Independence and California road across the Big Blue. I Statutes.
Kan. Terr.. 1N55, p. 777. )
1 [RST SAW-MILL l'.KIi 'I ED.
The following notice was published in the Squatter Sovereign, Atchison,
March --5. [856:
"Grand Speculation.
"Marysville. Kansas Territory.
"I hold in my hand an obligation upon the Marysville Town Company
igating the company to donate to the first person that will put up a steam
\ I
';.
BROADWAY, MARYSVILLE, IN 1S62.
BROADWAY, MARYSVILLE, LOOKING EAST, 1917.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. WJ
saw-mill in said town, seven shares in the town, which are worth in value
each, S200. The putting up of the saw-mill will make them worth $250
each, making the donations $1,750, which will very nearly pay for the mill.
Marysville is the best location in Kansas for a steam saw-mill from the
fact that it is located immediately on Big Blue river, where the timber can
be rafted to the mill, and the lumber rafted below to supply the great Kansas
river valley. So you bring cm your mill, set it running, and I will give you
the stock.
"Signed. F. T. Marshall."
The above liberal inducement was accepted by Messrs. Shibley and
Ouarles, who erected a steam saw-mill in the spring of 1857 and operated it
until 1861, when it was destroyed.
There is no doubt that the first man who lived on the townsite of
Palmetto was Dr. J. P. Miller. He also had the distinction of being the
first physician in the city and it is said became very proficient in dressing gun-
shot wounds. He died here in 1862.
F. J. Marshall kept the first store in Marysville. It was located near
the ferry and he sold supplies to the travelers, among other commodities,
whiskey at eighteen cents a gallon.
The first hotel was built by A. G. Barrett in 1859. It was called the
Barrett House. Afterwards the name was changed to the American, then to
Tremont House. It was the stopping place for a number of years for the
members of the bar and other celebrities who visited Marysville. Later it
was dismantled to make room for the brick building of White Brothers,
erected in 1896.
In 1859 Ballard & Morrall opened a drug store in a small building on
the present site of Waterson's block and in 1870 moved to the site of the
building now occupied by C. Langlitz.
BRIDGE ERECTED.
On November 30, 1S63, a meeting was held at the court house by the
citizens of Marysville and vicinity for the purpose of organizing a company
to build a bridge across the Blue river.
A month later stock subscriptions were taken at twenty-five dollars each
for three hundred and twenty-five shares. In April, 1864, the following
officers were elected: J. Samuels, president; A. E. Lovell, treasurer; J. D.
Brumbaugh, secretary; directors, T. W. Waterson, J. S. Magill; architect.
[l8 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
A. G. Jones. This bridge was completed in November, [864, and served
until [882, when it was replaced by an iron structure by Marysville town-
ship.
RTH OF JULY, l8< >-'.
The first celebration of the Fourth of July was held at Marysville, July
4. [862.
Ah. mi five hundred people gathered in the town and a procession was
formed and marched to Spring ("reck, preceded by a hand.
J. II. Mri ougal read the Declaration of Independence and Rev. Charles
E. Parker delivered a stirring address. A tine picnic dinner was served, at
which R. S. Newell acted as toastmaster and prominent citizens who were
present responded. The toast, "The Union Forever," was responded to
w ith n Htsing cheers.
Tlie festivities of the day closed with a hall in the evening.
NOT "BONE DRY."
In 1S57 and [858 many rough and even desperate men harbored in the
towns of Marysville and Palmetto. Liberty to them meant license and
revolvers were handy and brought into action at the least provocation. There
was in 1 "lone-dry" law in those days and whiskey was sold as a commodity
in all the stores, besides being retailed from saloons. Liquor in those days
was as much an article of merchandise as flour or meat. Practically all of
the men engaged in business in Marysville sold liquor along with other sup-
plier Advertisements in the Blue Valley Union of [864 contain. "Foreign
and Domestic Liquors for sale."
( (pen saloons were plenty and it may he truly said that a number of
the fortunes which were later achieved by residents of the city had their
beginning in the profits from sales of liquor. Then it was not an uncommon
sight to see a would-be "bad man" riding wildly through the streets shooting
in all directions bin the righl one. and yelling furiously and defiantly at the
onlooker^. Indian squaws rode astride their scrawny ponies, their little
bead) eyes glancing furtively about, the pa] ses swaying on their backs.
from one -ide to the other, all dirty and repulsive. When it is recalled that
hundreds of people passed through daily, and that sensational scenes of
gambling, shooting and fighting were constantly occurring, it is not difficult
to believe that Marysville was a "noted." even "notorious" stopping place on
the ureal < Iverland trail.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IIQ
Andreas' history of icS83 says: "When Marshall estahlished a ferry
at Marysville he did not abandon the ferry at Independence Crossing, but
continued it for several years, the travel being divided between the two
points. At the ferry at Marysville teams would gather by the hundreds
waiting their turn to cross. Some impatient ones would ford the stream at
considerable risk. The capacity of Marshall's ferry was only three wagons
at a trip for which he charged five dollars per wagon. In June, 1856, the
county commissioners fixed the rate of ferriage as follows : For crossing a
loaded wagon, three dollars ; an empty wagon, one dollar and fifty cents ;
man and horse, fifty cents : footman, twenty-five cents, and all stock, twenty-
five cents per head. The board again decreased the rates of ferriage to one
dollar for crossing a six-horse wagon, and other vehicles in like proportion."
The Marysville ferry was in operation until the bridge was built in
1864. This was a wooden truss toll-bridge, costing eight thousand dollars,
located where the present steel bridge now spans the river. After the bridge
was built the ferry was dismantled and discarded.
INDUSTRIES.
Marysville has always been to some extent a manufacturing city. Before
the days of prohibition, P. H. Kalenborn owned a brewery on the site now
occupied by the residence of Mrs. John Tracy. The storage cellar for the
brewery was under the bank south of where Mrs. Elliott now resides.
At the foot of the hill west of Mrs. Elliott's home, John McChesney
manufactured coarse pottery, crocks, jugs and jars.
In close proximity Thomas Cooper had a brick yard. The clay not
proving of good quality, the pottery plant was abandoned and Cooper moved
his brick yard near where O. W. French lives. Later he moved it to the
western part of town near R. Y. Shibley's, in the bottom land. In time he
sold out and the Clayes Brothers operated the plant.
The Wakefields owned and operated a brick yard in the north part
of town for awhile. The brick never proved of first-class quality. At pres-
ent Marysville is without this industry.
EXCELSIOR MILLS.
One of the largest manufacturing industries of Marysville was estab-
lished in 1864 and known far and wide as the Excelsior Mills. No man in
northern Kansas was better or more favorably known than genial, whole-
souled Capt. Perry Flutchinson.
I_?0 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
He was a keen, careful business man and his mill was patronized by
farmers within a radius of seventy-five miles. Probably no industry added
more to the rapid growth and prosperity of the county than the Excelsior
Mills.
Captain Hutchinson's death was deeply deplored. His widow and their
two Mins. Frank and Wallace, are citizens of the city he helped to build up.
Wallace and Frank Hutchinson have lived all their lives in this community.
Wallace succeeded to his father's business, but owing to ill health was obliged
to retire from business. Frank conducts a general grocery and supply store
at the corner of Ninth and Broadway.
PROMINENT BUSINESS FIRMS.
Emil G. Draheim arrived in Marysville October l8, 1874. and was in
the employ of T. W. Waterson for one year, when he took a position with
George C. Dargatz. In 1S70 he entered into partnership with a Herman
Dargatz, the firm of Draheim & Dargatz having purchased the store of the
senior Dargatz. This firm sold out to Arand & Ziegler in 1877, and the
same year .Mr. Draheim bought out Mr. Rommel of the firm of Hohn &
Rommel. The firm was then Hohn & Draheim and so remained until March
21, 189O.
On the 10th of November, [890, Mr. Draheim opened the present busi-
ness house under the name Emil G. Draheim and in February, 191 2, Mr.
Draheim associated his two sons, Walter F. and Arthur G., as partners and
the firm name is now F. G. Draheim & Sons.
The firm conducts a general store and employs four lady clerks in the
dry goods and three men in the grocery department. Mr. Draheim is one
ot the popular merchants of Marysville and has always stood for the best
things in the life 1 if the city.
The drug >tore of David von Riesen was established on October 15,
1897, and has. by the time that this history will get into the hands of the
subscribers, a career of twenty years. Mr. von Riesen has been a resident
of the State since 1876, when he landed with his parents from Germany at
Halstead in Harvey county. From his report the outlook after opening his
-tore was everything hut glorious on account of unclean competition. The
family of Mr. von Riesen i-> composed of his wife and five children, the eldest
i -on, Waldemar. has been in constant connection with the store ever since
he was eighl years old, and has now for a long time taken care of the active
part of the business, commercially as well a- scientifically. Waldemar was
BROADWAY, MARYSVILLE.
EXCELSIOR MILLS. MARYSVILLE.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 121
at the time he passed the state hoard of pharmacy examiners less than eighteen
years old, and was the youngest American licentiate. Besides conducting the
pharmacy, Mr. von Riesen has been a consistent and patriot citizen, has served
the city as councilman, and in other capacities. In 1908 the Kansas Pharma-
ceutical Association honored him for valuable service rendered, with the
presidency, and for the last six years he has been the active secretary of that
association.
THE COMMUNITY HOUSE.
Marysville has solved the community house problem in a practical man-
ner. The building, which was first erected under the auspices of the Christian
church as an athletic hall, soon grew in favor beyond denominational limits
and owing to the kindness of Alex. Schmidt, the women of Marysville took
the initiative in making it a community center. At a public meeting called
for the purpose of putting the project under proper business management. Mrs.
E. E. Forter presided as chairman and appointed a committee, the members
of which, George T. Alohrbacher, Erskine Davis and W. D. Holloway,
formulated a set of rules which have been the basis of management since that
time.
The following item appeared in the Neil' York Independent, October
20, 1916:
"The town of Marysville, Kansas, has tried out this plan in a practical
manner, and the Marysville idea deserves careful study. It is especially
instructive because in this case the experiment was first launched under the
auspices of a church, a wealthy banker furnishing nineteen thousand dollars
for the erection of the building. Fully equipped and admirably managed, it
failed as a social center because it was looked upon as a religious enterprise —
though not at all so intended. After two years of experiment it was turned
over to the citizens of the town, who established a community house associa-
tion, non-sectarian, non-partisan, with a managing board of eleven men and
eleven women, with membership dues ranging from ten dollars a year for
men and boys to two dollars and fifty cents a year for girls, with trifling fees
for the pool and skates. Its success was immediate and it has become the
center of social activity for all ages and all classes. This typical community
house is located in the central part of town, which is the place where such
a building" should be located.
"It contains a large reception room, with piano, reading tables and easy
chairs. Off this is a dormitory where farmers' wives may leave their babies
while shopping, a boys' room, a library, a county V. M. C. A. secretary's
[22 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
room, toilet rooms, and a room for the women's clubs. In the basement is a
white tiled swimming pool, twenty by fifty feet, with filtered water; shower
baths are provided, and in the rear there is a large gymnasium whose floor is
used also for a skating rink.
"After eighteen months of 'rial it has been found that the running
expenses of such a building averaged one hundred seventy-four dollars and
twelve cents a month. A hostess and janitor are included in this expense."
The present officers are: C. M. Chandler, president: W. VV. Hutchin-
son, vice-president: J, H. Cavanaugh, treasurer: L. R. Broderick, secretary.
MARVSVILLE TURNVEREIN.
This branch of the American Gymnastic Union was organized on August
29, 1S74. witli the following original membership: I'. A. Kalenborn, presi-
dent; Romeo R. Werner, vice-president; August Hohn, secretary: Xickolas
Kalenborn, assistant secretary: Fritz Baeuerle, treasurer; .Martin Piel, turn-
wait: Jacob Kuoni, assistant turnwart; Robert Boehme, custodian, and
Mathias Bendel, Franz Weber, John Bohner, John Kempt" and Carl Rohde.
Of these only two are now living, August Holm. Marysville. and P. A. Kalen-
born, Tacoma, Washington.
In the "Annals of Kansas." published by Hon. D. W. Wilder, this state-
ment appears:
"To Leavenworth City, the future giant city of the West, after the terri-
tory of Kansas was organized, flocked a large German immigration. The
dark and troublesome border-ruffian days ,,f [855-56 drove them from their
homes, hut they returned with increased numbers during the year of [856,
and endured all the difficulties throughout that year.
"In the spring of 1X57 a few young Germans met and organized the
Leavenworth Turnverein. As yet it was dangerous in those days to express
even Free-State sentiments. But the nucleus was formed, around which the
freedom-loving Germans of Leavenworth could gather.
"The Americans were not long in feeling the work of this association.
They are a unit and always ready to defend the right and their cause.
"We cannot here enumerate the acts of the Leavenworth Turnverein:
i("e it to say that no action, political or otherwise, was had in Leavenworth
county without their power being felt.
"The time had passed when Free-State men could he driven from the
polls; there was always one company ready to protect the ballol box. Kansas
now ranks the most loyal of all the states, and with pride can the Turners
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. I23
of Leavenworth point to their acts in that struggle which made Kansas what
it is today.
"The memorahle 'Kickapoo', the cannon which was used to destroy the
Eldridge House in Lawrence, is a trophy of the Leavenworth Turners and
is yet in their possession." This cannon is new in the museum of the State
Historical Society at Topeka.
GROWTH 01" THE GYMNASTIC UNION.
The American Gymnastic Union lias, since its first appearance, in the
United States in 1842, been pledged to the advocacy of liberty for all regard-
less of creed or color. Only citizens of the United States, or those who have
declared their intention to become such, can become members of the organ-
ization.
A leading object of the Union is the teaching of rational physical cul-
ture in the public schools along with, and parallel to, culture of the mind,
an object which has been accomplished to a great extent.
With this object in view the Marysville branch of this organization
immediately set to work and in 1875 it established its first turning school in
the building, 1004 Broadway, then an empty store building, now the resi-
dence of L. H. Whan, but at that time owned by Doctor McCall.
By 1880 this society had grown to thirty-seven members, who proceeded
to build the brick "Turner Hall", forty-two by eighty feet, at a cost of ten
thousand dollars, at the corner of Eighth and Carolina streets. This then
stately new building was dedicated with considerable ceremony on April
26, 27, 1881.
A trades display pageant was held on one day, in which even- business
house in town was represented by handsome floats, preceded by a full-rigged
ship of state, the work of Henry F. Dryer, who in his younger days had
"sailed before the mast," on all the seas of the globe.
The evening of this memorable day closed with a very creditable rendi-
tion of "Queen Esther," under the direction of William Becker, later editor
of the Marysville Post (German") and of the Democrat (English), and post-
master of the city.
From the time of the finishing of this building to the present day, the
Turnverein has always furnished a well-equipped gymnasium and competent
teachers free of charge to children and adults.
In 18,89 a new brick gymnasium, thirty-six by sixty feet, was erected
and fully equipped, an addition to the original building, at an expense of
124 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
twelve thousand dollars, and this gymnasium has never been without a com-
petent director, nor has it ever been closed for any time other than summer
vacation.
The society has spent thousands of dollars for teachers' salaries, but
has never charged tuition for the privilege it extended in its school. It lias
sent it^ classes to all of the district and to many of the national Turnfests or
field days, where they have always taken high rank in athletics.
PRESENT OFFICERS.
At its best this society had a membership of mure than two hundred
and fifty. On January 1st. n>i~, it had one hundred and twenty-five mem-
bers with officers as follow: President. Charles I-". Woellner; vice-president,
August Hohn; secretary. A. W. Kersten ; assistant secretary. Carl Hanni;
treasurer, George T. Mohrbacher; Anton Kienlen, financial secretary; Walde-
mar von Riesen, first turnwart; Charles W'iedemeyer, second turnwart : John
Luther, Jr.. custodian, and Hugo A. Hohn, II. Ackerrhann and August
Leifheit, trustees.
The Turners were the pioneers in the held of physical education in the
United States and have to a great extent accomplished their purposes in
the firm establishment of physical culture in our public schools and the
Marvsville Turnverein was no small factor in fostering the same in its
sphere of usefulness.
Hugo Rohde, now a farmer near Herkimer, was the first instructor
for the Turners at Marysville. Twice a week for several years, he came seven
miles from his father's homestead to donate his services.
Paul Witte, now of Home City, a graduate of the Hanover, Germany,
College of Physical Culture, had charge of the school for two years.
Samuel Forter, of Marysville, was the instructor for fourteen years.
At one time during his tutelage a class of thirty ladies attended the school.
Mr. Carl Hanni, of Marysville, was for several years the instructor.
Kmil Heuler is in charge of the s(-h.iol at present. August Hohn has served
as president of the Marysville Turnverein for a period of twenty-five years
and has at all times given freely of his time and energy to the upbuilding of
the s< iciety.
PROMINENT PERSONS WHO HAVE VISITED MARYSVILLE.
The citizens of Marysville have for many years had the opportunity of
hearing the best speakers of all political parties who have visited Kansas.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 125
All the governors for the past forty years have included Marysville in their
campaign itineraries.
Hon. \V. J. Bryan and Theodore Roosevelt have addressed our citizens
here, and state candidates never fail to give Marysville a call.
The citizens support an eight-day Chautauqua course.
In the year 1S92 Marysville was visited by a detachment of Coxev's
Army en route to Washington, D. C. Among the "unwashed throng"" was
a youth with deep-set. inquiring eyes, who afterwards became known to the
people of two continents. His name was Jack London. He died in October,
1916.
OLD-TIME THEATRICALS.
Prior to the erection of Turner Hall, traveling troupes were obliged to
produce their dramas in the Waterson Hall.
In the fall of 1873 a number of people came out from Boston. The
men were going farther West hunting buffalo and the ladies came to see the
Western country. They put up in Marysville at the Tremont House and
during the week gave the citizens their first real taste of fine dramatic talent.
With that company was "Cy" Robinson, a son of Yankee Robinson, the
great circus man. and McDermott. who starred as "Marks." in "Uncle Tom's
Cabin."
The plays given were standard and the hall was crowded at everv per-
formance. Kendalls from Boston also "made Marysville." After the Tur-
ner Hall was erected many leading actors looked in on us. John Dillon
played "The Road to Selzerville," and Louie Lord appeared in "Leah, the
Forsaken," in that hall.
Since the erection of the Theater Grand the people of the city have had
presented many of the leading dramas and traveling artists express- surprise
at finding this bijou theater in a town of this size. Mr. Frank Yaussi, the
owner and proprietor, is one of the big, public-spirited men of the citv, and
the theater is always under excellent management.
MARYSVILLE BANDS.
One of the first men in the city to plan for the systematic study of music
was Capt. William Lofinck, who is still a resident of Marysville.
In the summer of 1872 Marysville began putting on metropolitan airs.
Captain Lofinck at that time owned and operated a saloon in the building
now occupied by the farm bureau agent.
126 MARSHA 1.1. COUNTY, KANSAS.
The sunken garden on the east afforded a cool, retired place for practice
and also was near the saloon. Captain Lofinck agitated the formation of a
band and the ubiquitous Pete Peters, editor of the Locomotive, pushed the
idea and soon the band was an institution.
William Becker, thru of Sabetha, was the leader and made semi-
monthly visits tn Marysville as band instructor.
In January, 1873, |bhn I). Walters, who for the past forty years lias
been actively associated with the greal Kansas State Agricultural College at
Manhattan and who is at present dean of architecture and drawing in the
college, became the leader of the hand. The members were: P. II. Peter-.
William Lofinck, Smiley Waterson, M. VV. Samuel-, Billy Linn, Billy Cott-
rell, II. S. (lark. Sam Ryser, M. j. Duigenan, Henry kau/man and "Buck"
Swearengen. The hand, which gave open-air concerts in Lofinck's garden,
was very popular and lived several years. Finally, Walter- went to the col-
lege; Ryser, Samuels and others left and the hand ceased to meet.
LYON POST BAND.
In the winter of i S'~< » f.yon Post hand was organized and Captain
Lofinck was responsible for t:h- hand. Eugene Scherer was the leader, hut
proved a failure.
M VRYSVILLE CORNET B \XI).
In January, (880, Sam Fortef hunted up the members of the first hand.
found some new talent and II. Trice was the leader.
In the spring of (88] C. F. Barks and his son, Herman, came to .Marvs-
ville. Both were professional musicians of g 1 class. The Marysville
Cornet and Lyons Pos1 hands were consolidated, with Herman Barks as
leader, under the name of Lyon Post hand. Lynn Post, Grand Army of the
Republic, having furnished some of the instruments. Herman Barks was
a strict taskmaster and the hand made rapid progress. In [882 William
Barks, brother of Herman, arrived in Marysville and accepted the leadership
and from that time the hand became known as the Barks Military hand.
The Harks Military hand had a long and successful career and its mem-
bership reached thirty-six in number and its reputation extended beyond local
limit-. It was by far the biggesl and best hand at the Grand Army of the
Republic encampmenl at Grand Island. Nebraska, and played in many of the
larger towns in northern Kansas and southern Nebraska. For three suc-
cessive years this hand was called tn Enid, Oklahoma, to play fur the "strip
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1 2J
opening celebrations." The membership of this band consisted of William
Barks, leader ; Herman Barks, second leader ; C. F. Barks and William
Barks, Jr., Sam Forter, president; Arthur Ffohn, secretary ; N. S. Kerschen,
treasurer ; William Becker, B. Price, H. W. Hagar, J. R. Allen, Auldice Hale,
William Binding, Nick Graner, Walter Draheim, E. J. Fehrenkamp, John
and Frank Moser, Charles Shaw, L. E. and Charles Davis, Henry Wolff,
Henry Bodenner, Frank Knipp, IF Selz, Scholl Brothers, Thromm Brothers,
G. Brauchi, Herbolsheimer Brothers, Theo. Hammett and H. E. Clark.
Ernst Fange was drum-major.
In 1900 William and Herman Barks moved to Tacoma, Washington,
and since then the band has been known as the Marysville cornet band. It
has had many different leaders and an ever-changing membership.
MARYSVILLE CEMETERY.
"The clock beats out the lives of men."
The Marysville cemetery was incorporated with a capital stock of two
thousand dollars in September, 1878, by Perry Hutchinson, F. Finn, G. F.
Hamilton, T. Hughes, J. A. Griffes, W. H. Smith, J. S. Magill, F. W. Libby,
D. P. Clark and C. T. Mann. The officers were : President, Perry Hutchin-
son ; secretary, C. T. Mann ; treasurer. W. H. Smith.
In October of that vear a tract of forty acres adjacent to the city was
purchased and platted. About fifteen hundred dollars were spent on improve-
ments, the ground was fenced and some trees planted.
Since that time the grounds have been beautified, wells have been sunk
and avenues laid out, the principal ones running from the Soldiers monu-
ment, winch stands in the center of the grounds. In 1887 this monument
was erected to the memory of the soldiers who fell in the Union ranks. On
May 30, hundreds of people gathered from all parts of the county; Fyon
Post No. 9 led the procession from Broadway. Hon. W. A. Calderhead
delivered the address and Edna Calderhead unveiled the monument and placed
a wreath on the statue, which is a life-size soldier in uniform.
In 191 2 a committee from the Woman's Relief Corps of Marvsville
solicited money from the general public and raised six hundred dollars with
which a cement walk was built from the cemetery gate to the city limits.
Mrs. E. E. Forter was chairman of the committee and managed the work.
Plans are now under way for erecting a chapel and receiving vault near the
west gate of the main entrance.
It is a beautiful spot and while hearts have broken at its portals and
I-'N MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
hopes have flown as loved ones have been laid to rest, yet there is consolation
m the thought —
"That nothing walks with aimless feet,
That not one life shall be destroyed.
Or east as rubbish to the void,
When God hath made the pile complete."
The first cemetery in Marysville was located on blocks 39 and 40,
Palmetto, and was used by the city for a burial place until 1879, when the
new forty-acre grounds were ready for occupancy.
The city authorities then ordered the disinterment of the old cemetery
and for some years the work was carried on until at the present time there
are but a few graves remaining within the old grounds. The city has
extended and built up around the old cemetery grounds and this necessitated
it- removal.
M UtYSVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Since the organization of the first tire department in Marysville. the
town ha- been exceptionally fortunate in having a full corps of willing.
efficient and unselfish men with capable officers, who have at all times and in
all circumstances responded promptly to every call. It is no exaggeration of
facts to state that, for thirty years the Marysville volunteer fire department
has stood at the head of all such organizations in the state as a fire-fighting
force.
A feeble attempt at organizing a bucket brigade was made in 1876, but
tailed, after a -1 :ries of incendiary fires which cleaned out several business
blocks in the town. The first actual steps taken toward protection against
tire came on July 9, (883, when the mayor appointed a committee to confer
with the county commissioners relative to the purchase by the city of two
Babcock extinguishers, for which the county had no use in its court house.
The extinguishers subsequently became the property of the city.
After that date, about once a month, some member of the city council,
generally John I!. Logan, brought up the matter of tire apparatus, finally,
a committee of citizen-, not members of the council, was appointed to con-
fer with the chief of the tire department of St. Joseph, Missouri, relative to
tlie kind of apparatus which would be the most suitable for Marysville.
The city record- show next that on February 4. 1884, the city clerk was
ordered to pay live hundred and forty dollars for the ho. .k-and-ladder truck
and rubber buckets just received.
MARSHALL CUL'NTY, KANSAS.
129
FIRST FIRE COMPANY.
On March 17, 1884, Mavor John A. Broughten made the following
appointments : Paul Witte, tire engineer ; Samuel Forter, foreman, hook-
and-ladder company, and Lapier Williams, Ben Linley, D. N. Kelley, Lewis
Scott, Walter Scott, Rollin Allen, A. B. Avers, Christ Moser, Frank Shaffer,
William Sipple, Hiram Hagar, Fred. Saup, Oliver Wheatley, N. B. Carden,
J. \Y. Potter, Auldice Hale, Sam. A. Harhurg, Robert Hohn. O. D. South-
worth and Martin Kessler, as firemen. The appointments were confirmed by
the council.
The city now had a hook-and-ladder truck, two dozen rubber buckets,
two Babcock extinguishers and twenty-two able-bodied men, who immediately
went into training by scaling buildings and passing buckets.
To Sam. A. Harburg, now of Denver, Colorado, then foreman of Gen-
eral Becker's printing plant, belongs the honor of getting up this first fire
department of Marysville. This organization held for about two years,
when dissatisfaction with some of the members of the city council, broke it
up.
On August 6, 1888, the city council requested Samuel Forter to present
a list of names of good men who would volunteer to organize a fire com-
pany, at the next meeting. On August 13, 1888, Forter presented the fol-
lowing :
"Marysville, Kansas, August 13, 1888.
"To the Hon. Mayor and City Council, of the City of Marysville:
"We. the undersigned, hereby voluntarily offer our services to the city
as a fire company, subject to such rules and orders as you may see fit to make.
"Signed — Sam. Forter, Paul Smith, Will Ecks, Stanis Van Meensel, T.
D. Grimes, Fr. Schriefer, J. C. Moser, D. N. Kelley. Oliver Ellis, F. P.
Gatchell, Alf Von Wald, Nick Grauer. W. R. Cottrell, Tom E. McCoy, John
Luther, R. M. Lehnhardt, Frank Auhl, W. M. Life, H. C. Cottrell. O. H.
Morse, Beny Campbell, A. J. Mohrbacher, Owsley Lonergan. C. B. Batterson,
Lee Gilbert."
The council rejected the names of Will Ecks, Oliver Ellis and W. M.
Life, for the reason that twenty men and two officers were a sufficient num-
ber. Mayor Andrew Fluhrer then appointed all of the others as members
of the fire company, placing at their head Samuel Forter as chief of the
fire department and Stanis Van Meensel, foreman of the hook-and-ladder
companv, all of which was duly confirmed bv the council on August 13, li
(9)
130 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
( In August 13, [889, ordinance No. 95 was passed, granting the Marys-
ville Water Company a franchise for the construction and operation of a
system of waterworks. < )n February 14, [890, the plant was completed and
the "water was turned on" for the first time in the presence of thousands
of people, and the city council accepted the waterworks as satisfactory.
FIRE COMPANY INCREASED.
Prior to tlii— the lire department had been enlarged to forty members
divided into one hook-and-ladder company and two hose companies Of twelve
men and a foreman for each, who, with the chief, made forty men. Stanis
Van Meensel remained foreman of the hook-and-ladder company and P. J.
Hindmarsh and C. H. Cottrell were selected as foreman of the hose com-
panies
Some time before the opening of the waterworks, the city had purchased
two hand hose carts with five hundred feet of hose for each.
Thus fully equipped for business, the Marysville fire department has
never let a fire get away from them from that day to this and our fire losses
have been by far the lowest of any city in Kansas, as shown by the statistics
in the office Of the state tire marshal.
For more than twenty years the fire department has taken active part
in the state firemen's tournaments, many times winning championship troph-
ies and also establishing records which have not been broken. It is little
wonder then, that some of its members should be honored by the State Fire-
men's Association with high office. Sam. Forter was twice elected president
of the State association and served as chairman of the legislative committee
for the National Firemen's Association during the fifty-sixth Congress.
George T. Mohrbaeher. for the last ten years, chief of this department.
served as secretary of the state association for five years; he was then elected
treasurer, which office be has held for three years and is still holding. He
has been chairman of the legislative committee for the last four years and as
such has succeeded in getting much beneficial legislation for lire protection
for the State. lli> name i- familiar t>> all the prominent insurance men and
firemen in the United State-, because of his activity in the matter of tire
protection.
REST Ml".
Paul Witte was tire engineer from March 17. [884, t" the summer of
[885. There was no organization from that time to August 13, 1888. Sam.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
MI
Forter was chief of the Mafysville volunteer fire department from August 13,
1888, to November 1, 1899. Charles Shaw, chief, from March 29, 1900,
to June, 1901. Stanis Van Meensel, assistant chief, acting chief, June, 1901,
to March 31, 1902. J. C. Moser, chief, from March 31, 1902, to March 26,
1006, when he refused re-election. George T. Mohrbacher elected chief on
March 26, 1906. still serving in same capacity on April 1, 19 17.
Of the members of the original Marysville volunteer fire department of
1884, J. C. Moser and Sam Forter are still residing in Marysville, and still
running with "the machine" when the alarm sounds.
On April 1. 1917, this fire department consisted of one hook-and-ladder
and two hose companies. The hook-and-ladder truck and one hose cart are
kept for ready service at headquarters in the city building, and the other hose
cart at station "A", corner of Tenth and Alston streets.
The officers of the department on April 1, 1917, are George T. Mohr-
bacher, chief and president; Albert Kersten, assistant chief and foreman,
hook-and-ladder truck ; Pete Smith, foreman, hose companv Xo. 1 ; Tack
Parks, foreman, hose company No. 2; Frank Olson, secretary and Alex.
Campbell, treasurer.
As this history is being written, the city is arranging to fully equip its
fire department with modern automobile apparatus.
BUSINESS LIFE OF MARYSVILLE.
It may be truly said of Marysville that it has never had a boom. Its
progress along business lines has been a steady healthy growth. In the
history of the business life of the town changes have taken place, but ihere
have been few failures.
In many instances the business established by the father is now carried
on by the sons. This is true of Holm & Sons, Draheim & Sons, the Exchange
Bank and a number of others. The Kansas Store is the old Tracv & Com-
pany, now carried on by Mr. Tracy's brother-in-law and nephew. In this
respect Marvsville has the marked characteristic of the New England towns.
Among the succeessful business men of the town are : E. D. Brolver,
who conducts a plumbing business ; G. L. Rice, owner of a furniture store ;
H. R. Fisher, considered the finest florist in this section of the state ; N. S.
Kerschen, manager of the Farmers Union Elevator, has always been promin-
ent in public affairs and has represented the county in the Legislature.
Dr. J. A. Beveridge, a leading dentist, is a Marshall county product,
and his father, Jacob Beveridge, of Home City, is one of the best known men
I32 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
in the Northern tier. He is a half-brother of former Senator Beveridge,
■ 'i Indiana, and like his relative, has a taste for political life. He served dur-
ing the war and is an active business man today. Doctor Beveridge, 1 i i ~-
son, \\ hi has latelj come to Marysville, is of the same sterling type and is
winning a place in the life of the city.
Mr. and Mrs C. M. Stewart arc pioneers of the county and their daugh-
ter is the wife of Clarence Rice, superintendent of the schools of Kansas
City, Kansas.
Marysville has it- quota of women in business and one who has made a
success of her work is Miss Ora Lamb. This very energetic woman has by
her own e v rts as stenograj her, solicitor and law clerk acquired a competence.
IUr familiar figure on the streets of Marysville, quietly pursuing her busi-
ness, is proof that a woman may succeed even under difficulties.
Henry Schulte is one of the best known men in and around Marysville.
A loyal citizen and generous friend and kind neighbor he is esteemed for his
sterling qualities.
In a brief history it is impossible to mention all the names deserving
si me token of regard at the hands of the historian. Many men and women
have helped to make the county and it^- cities the fine business centers and
pleasant homes of today. Among others are the Farrar and ('one families.
the old time family of Tarvins, the Mosers, Kuonis and Obermeyers, the
Russells and the Vanamburgs, Jacob Rutti, the Travelutes and Bensons, the
Mohrbachers, Hohns, Dargatz, the Hutchinsons and the Hawkinses and
scores of others whe have always been an inspiration to the growth and
upbuilding of the county. As long as Marshall county remains these and
oilier names will have a foremost place in the memory of its people.
PRESENT BUSINESS CONCERNS.
The largest garage in the city is that of C. F. Travelute and Son. which
i- an up-to-date structure with a capacity for parking seventy-five cars. This
garage has twenty-one thousand feel of floor space.
(i. L. Fenwick owns the second largest garage and is well equipped for
handling cars.
|ohn Cooper and Roy Robinett each have garages and attract a fair
share of business, as do Thompson Brothers.
Several repair shops are operated in the city: notably. (ieorge Hoffman,
C. W. Baker and Kersten & Sons do repairing in connection with a wagon-
making shop. Roy Robinett and F. W. Heinke also repair cars.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. I33
W. D. Godsey, Peterson ami Xork, and Leon Ruggles are decorators
and painters.
J. M. Goodnight, superintendent telephone system.
Frank Graham, restaurant.
R. C. Guthrie, undertaker.
Hartwich Lumber Company.
James Henry, Hotel Lorraine.
Campbell House Hotel.
L. D. Leroy, Pacific Hotel.
F. W. Hutchinson, grocery.
Seth Barrett, artificial ice plant.
Mrs. Agnes Joerg, boarding house.
A. C. King, livery.
R. N. King & Son, harness shop.
C. Langlitz, tailoring establishment.
Laundry, H. A. Thompson.
Millinery, Matilda Lorke.
General store, George Love & Co.
E. O. Weber, lumber yard.
Thompson Brothers, Coal, Produce and Poultry Company.
E. J. McKee, hardware.
Moore Brothers, meat market.
Broihier & Moser, meat market.
O. J. Morse & Company, real estate.
Marshall County News, George T. Smith.
Advocate-Democrat. H. M. & L. R. Broderick.
F. N. Newton, plumbing and heating.
Otoe Club, an exclusive men's club.
J. \Y. T. & Clyde Potter, barber shop.
B. Price, hardware.
Anton Smith, shoe repair shop.
W. S. Staley. standard oil agent.
Temple & Son, city bakery.
Cafe, John Grauer.
White Brothers, groceries.
H. F. Whitten, planing mill.
Con Welton, jewelry store.
Luedders & Company, men's clothing.
A. L. Goodman, candv kitchen.
1^4 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS
THE MARYSV1LLE M AENNERC IIOR.
For many years Marysville was a musical center. When railroad trans-
portation was so limited that good musica] companies did not book the city.
the music-loving people gave home-talenl concerts and operas very success-
fully.
The original members of the Maennerchor were August Hohn, G.
Pfitzenmeyer, Martin I'iel, Jacob Kuoni, Emil and Sam Forter, Jacob Ryser
and some others whose names are not recalled. William Becker was the
conductor.
Two permanent musical societies have always existed in the city. The
Maennerchor. which was organized in [876 and the Helvetia (horns, organ-
ized in [883. Although the members do not meet as regularly a- of old.
these organizations are still active.
Many of the original members have answered the final summons and
others have taken their places. August Hohn, Sam and Emil Forter are
still living.
Many instructors have come and gone in Marysville during those year-,
hut the music-loving Germans and Swiss have kept alive the desire for good
music and now the curriculum of the public school carries musical instruction.
MARYSVILLE COMMERCIAL CLUB.
The membership of this club includes every business man of the city and
the club motto is. "I will do my part." \V. W. Redmond is president and
Hugo \. Hohn is the secretary.
Since die first of January. 1017. the club has raised fifteen thousand
dollars with which to purchase a new depot site and this building will be
erected in the course of the coming year.
The good roads committee of the Club is active in promoting this work
in the county and the Civic Improvement Committee takes care that the streets
and alleys are kepi in perfeel order and also that undesirable citizens are
prevented from having a permanent abode except in the county jail.
women's clubs.
In the spring of [900 the Round Table Reading Circle of Marysville
was organized by Mrs. E. E. Forter, at her residence. There were ten mem-
bers. The first officers of the club were: Mrs. I-".. K. Forter, president;
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
135
Miss Ida Bates, secretary. Members, Mrs. Emily A. Scott, Mrs. Teresa
Sampson, Mrs. Carolyn Elliott, Mrs. Stella R. Miller, Miss Ella Kahoa, Mrs.
Allie Boyd Rogers and Mrs. Eusebia Thompson.
The club is for literary study and during the seventeen years of its
existence has numbered about two hundred members. A year book with
program of study is published each year and meetings are held fortnightly.
The club owns a fine library of seven hundred volumes, which is kept in the
Community House. The membership is limited to thirty-five. Mrs. Forter
is the acting president and a member of the library board.
THE GRANDMOTHERS CLUB.
The name of this club indicates its membership. The club originated
with Mrs. Adam Mohr, many years ago, and is composed of German ladies.
Meetings are held everv two weeks on Thursday afternoon and quite con-
trary to what might be supposed, they are very entertaining and up-to-date,
serving refreshments and discussing current events as well as the latest thing
in fancy work in which these ladies excel.
NEEDLE CRAFT CLUB.
A club in which fine needle work is done and taught. Mrs. Ora Smith
is the president.
THE MARY JANES CLUB.
The membership of this club is composed entirely of young ladies. The
meetings are spent in doing needle work, and partaking of light refreshments
served by the hostess. Mrs. William Temple is president.
THE IDLERS.
A purely social club, of which Mrs. C. F. Pusch is the president. Meet-
ings are held semi-monthly and a three-course luncheon is served. The
membership is limited to ten.
THE PRISCILLA CLUB.
This is a needle work and fancy work club among the young matrons
of the city. Fine needlework is done, books are discussed and also the work
of the parent, teachers' association and current events. Membership is lim-
ited to twenty. Matilda Kraemer is president.
[36 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
ERIKA CLUB.
This club is an organization confined to the young ladies of the German
church. Church work is discussed and lighl refreshments served. Miss
lunula Kersten is the president.
TIIF MANUFACTURE OF CIGARS.
Henry Wiedemeyer came to Marysville in [878 and. deciding to locate
lure permanently, established a business in [882. He was successful from
the first and in a few years opened a second factory. Mr. Wiedemeyer
employed a number of people and has amassed a competence. His son,
Joseph, is the traveling representative of the house and the son, (diaries.
is the business manager.
Ernest Wiedrich came to Marysville in June. [884, and for three years
was in the employ of Mr. Pusch. lie then became a manufacturer, and in
1892 established the factory which he conducted successfully until 1916. when
lie sold out to Speeht & Ranksch. Mr. Wiedrich after a short interval has
again opened a factory and may continue to make Marysville his home.
I Ithers who are manufacturers of cigars are Fred Kahlke, Charley
Woeflner, (diaries Bohner, William Ranksch and Joseph Kysela.
ddiere arc at present writing seven cigar factories in the city.
pusch's CIGAR FACTORY.
Charles F. Pusch was born in Marienburg, West Prussia, October 16,
[851. In that city his father was the owner of a large cigar and tobacco
factory. Mr. Pusch came to America on October 20, [868, and lived in
New York City until June 1. 1872, when he came to Marysville and estab-
lished his business. He first started the manufacture of cigars in the build-
ing now occupied by J. Alien, which stood on the corner of Eighth street and
Broadway, where M. Barlow's store is located.
Tn 1876 he erected a new frame cigar store and factory on the present
site of Temple's bakery. This building was destroyed by tire in 1885 and
Mr. Pusch built a new shop on the corner of Tenth street and Broadway.
This building was moved one lot east to make room for the three-story brick
building erected in 1892, which, for many years was the largest cigar factory
in Kansas Mr. Pusch has carried as many as one hundred and five employees
on his pay-roll at one time.
/
'
,y
i
INTERIOR MASONIC HALL, MARYSVILLE.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. I37
The maximum number of cigars made in one year was four and one-
half millions. The average number is three million per year. The aggregate
amount paid for labor in round figures is one million one hundred and ninety
thousand dollars. At times as high as thirty-seven thousand dollars has been
paid in a single year.
The Pusch factory has for a number of years been the largest industry
in the city of Marysville and has furnished employment to hundreds of people
and contributed to the maintenance of thousands. It has always been an
"open shop" and its doors have never been closed since it opened for business.
The present number of employees is thirty-five.
Pusch & Sons have recently opened a branch factory in Kansas City,
Missouri, directly opposite the Savoy Hotel.
Charles F. Pusch has been honored by the citizens of Marysville, having
been elected four consecutive terms as mayor of the city. As a director on
the St. Joseph & Grand Island railroad, he has been able to further the inter-
ests of the city and to bring about the splendid business prospects that are at
this date opening up for the coming years in the establishment of freight and
passenger divisions at this point by the Union Pacific railroad system.
During his years of service as mayor, Mr. Pusch has brought Marys-
ville to the front rank as the prettiest county seat in Kansas. Broadwav is
a wide, well-macadamized street, with a white way of eighteen lights to a
block, for a distance of nine blocks. An electric light is placed on each
street corner of the city. The city has a complete sewage system, both storm
and sanitary.
Streets have been graded, cement walks laid, unsightly trees removed,
many "crooked paths made straight," and the city given a neat, up-to-date
appearance.
During Mayor Pusch's administration the splendid new high school
building was completed and the city park purchased and improved. Mr.
Pusch gave to the city the same efficient management which proved success-
ful in his own business, and the result of his attention is manifest along all
lines of civic improvement.
RAILROAD ITEM.
During the fiscal year 1015-16, 504 cars of freight were shipped from
Marysville on the St. Joseph & Grand Island railroad and 441 cars were
shipped into the city. The tonnage carried was 35,381,993 pounds. Dur-
ing the same period 19,123 passengers left Marysville and 19,506 arrived
here. The sum of $40,517.68 was paid for tickets.
138 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
The Union Pacific roads carry a very similar amount of freight and
an equal number of passengers, so that Marysville is a railroad center of
m 1 small proportions.
Marysville has ten passenger trains daily and eight freight trains, which
also carry passengers. Sixteen freight trains carry no passengers. Twelve
men are required to handle the business at the depot.
DANC1 PROGRAM USED IX MARYSVILLE IN [863.
"Cotillion Party. — The pleasure of yourself 6c lady are respectfully so-
licited to attend a cotillion party to he given at the Court House in the Town
of Marysville on Friday eve the i_> inst commencing at 8 o clock P. M.
"Managers. — J. S. Magill. John Hughes, Isaac Davis. William Linn.
L. M. Parmeter, J. I). Brumbaugh, Perry Hutchinson, Charles F. ECoester,
Robert Shibley and A. ( i. Edwards.
"Floor managers. — 1'eter Peters & A. K. Parks,"
Of those who gave this party fifty-four years ago, only two are living —
Isaac B. Davis and R. Y. Shibley.
CHAPTER VII.
City of But. Rapids.
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT.
As a result of correspondence between \Y. W. Jerome, of Irving, Kan-
sas, and Rev. C. F. JMussey. then pastor of the largest Presbyterian church
of Batavia, New York, and Solomon H. Parmelee, of Leroy, New York, the
idea of a Genesee colony was first suggested by Mr. Jerome. A meeting to
consider a plan for the colony was held in Star Hall, Leroy, New York, in
the spring of 1869. attended by about twenty -five people. An agreement to
go to Kansas together, was signed by four men, Rev. Charles F. Mussey,
Solomon H. Parmelee, C. J. Brown and Taylor Holbrook. Charles F.
Mussey was chosen president: S. H. Parmelee, treasurer, and C. J. Brown,
secretary.
These gentlemen held the offices of the Genesee colony until the location
in Kansas was made, and the organization became the Blue Rapids Town
Company. Many meetings were held during the summer of 1869 until the
number of signers reached fifty.
S. H. Parmelee was sent to Kansas to select a site. After three weeks
he returned with the report that the selection was too important to be left to
one person. A commission of three was sent, consisting of C. F. Mussey,
John B. Brown and H. J. Bovee. This commission made choice of the
present site of the city of Blue Rapids. The location was made on January
1, 1870.
LAND TAKEN RAPIDLY.
In less than sixty days many thousand acres of land had been purchased,
the titles gathered, the Blue Rapids Town Company organized and a town-
site surveyed. Members of the colony began to arrive by March 1, 1870.
"Colonial Hall" was built as a temporary home for the colonists and
was so used for nearly a year. The dining room was used for a church,
school and general meeting place. The hall was located west of where
Coulter's drug store and Brown Brother's hardware store now stand. It
I4O MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
was used for school purposes for district No. ,} for two years and later was
moved to the river and was there used in turn by the woolen-mill store of
1 k & Chandler, the Buell Manufacturing Company, and later by the Swan-
son Brothers as an implement factory.
During the days of its use as a colony home, Taylor Holbrook was the
manager. John McPherson succeeded him as manager. The first death
in the hall was Nellie E. McPherson, the manager's only daughter, on Sep-
tember 21, [870. \i'ier forty-two years of service the old building was dis-
mantled, and lives only in the memory of those who were sheltered beneath
its roof.
The Genesee colony embodied in its charter and in every transfer of
property, a clause prohibiting the sale of spirituous liquors as a beverage.
In ease of a violation of this clause, the property would revert to the school
district. The supreme court of Kansas, in an action, sustained the clause.
No open saloon has ever existed in Blue Rapids.
Blue Rapids was platted after the fashion of many eastern cities, with
a public square or park in the center of the business portion, the principal
business houses being buill on the four side-. The park is four hundred
feet square, and has a large number of shade trees. During the summer
many cultivated plant-; add to its attractiveness.
FIRST BUSINESS H01
The first business house erected on the public square was a general store
by S. H. Parmelee, and the second by Yates Douglass on the south
side, and followed by Guy R. Brown and McBride on the north side.
The first residence was built by J. B. Waynant ; the second by Rev.
Charles Mussey. In the erection of this home every available man in town
took a hand, as the family of Reverend Mussey were at Atchison, awaiting
a home. S. 11. Parmelee was the first postmaster and John McPherson
made the first section of letter boxes which were used, until Thomas Matey
was appointed postmaster: he put in an entire new set of fixtures.
Among the farmers who settled in the vicinity of Blue Rapid- before
the town was incorporated, were Andy Scott and family: Judge William
Thompson and family; 1'eter Stout and family; Frederick Hamilton and
family 1 said to he descendants ..f Alexander Hamilton 1 : Jackson Taylor,
the town oracle. Near Irving were W. W. Jerome. S. II. Warren. St. Clair
Guthrie ami M. Conley. Conley was at one time associated with Thomas A.
Edison.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. I4I
Blue Rapids grew and improved rapidly. The present State Bank was
erected by D. Fairbanks, completed in the fall of 1870, opened as a private
bank in 1871 by Olmstead, Freeland & Company, and later purchased by
G. B. Stocks & Son. The Town Company offered five lots to any party
who would erect a hotel. John R. McPherson, C. Y. Reed and H. S. Hal-
Lurt accepted the offer and built a hotel, three stories, containing twenty-
one rooms, and named it "The LaBelle House," after a lake in Wisconsin.
At the opening of the hotel a large number of invited guests were present,
among others C. F. Koester, Frank Schmidt and James Smith, of Marysville.
INDUSTRIES.
One reason for selecting the location of Blue Rapids, was the fact of
there being a power site in the Dig Blue river at that point, on which C. E.
Olmstead constructed a dam which was to furnish one thousand five hundred
horse power, and which cost thirty thousand dollars. After the completion
of the dam, a stone flour-mill, fifty-four by ninety-five feet, three stories
high, with a capacity of three hundred barrels daily, was erected at a cost
of thirty-five thousand dollars, by C. E. Olmstead. Later, the mill was sold
to I'pham & Sons and remodeled into a roller process, at an expense of
fifty thousand dollars. The Olmstead mill was completed and ground the
first grist for a customer from Clay Center. Kansas, October 26, 1871.
G. and J. Green, of Bentonport, Iowa, put in operation a paper mill in
1874. Print and wrapping paper were manufactured. The mill was closed
on account of financial difficulties on February 20, 1877, and John McPher-
son was appointed assignee to adjust the estate of G. and J. Green.
In 1 87 1 Samuel Craft operated a steam saw-mill near Blue River, manu-
facturing hardwood and cottonwood lumber.
The foundry and machine shops of Price Brothers were built west of
•the river in 1877.
The season of 1870 was very dry. No vegetables were raised and water
was hauled from springs, daily. A well was sunk on the west side of the
square to a depth of two hundred and twenty-five feet without finding water.
This discouraged the colonists at the time, but later water was found at
from thirty to seventy feet below the surface. Because of the failure to find
water, C. E. Olmstead put in the Holly system of waterworks from the river
to the public square, for fire protection and general purposes. Four-inch
mains were laid and a Holly pump installed in the flour-mill, attached to a
special wheel.
' I-
M VRSH \i I C01 vi'Y, KANSAS.
In the early spring of [872 the citizens subscribed for a cut-stone basin
in the park, in which C. E. Olmstead furnished, and put in place, a fine
fountain, which is still in use.
RESIDENTS IN BLUE RAPIDS, 1 8/0.
Rev. C. F. Mussey and family.
J. II. Brow n and family.
C. J. Brown.
U.S. Halburt and family.
S. II. I'annelee and family.
Howard Parmelee and family.
'I aylor I [< dbn iok,
Flagler Passage.
I Jr. R. S. Craft and family.
Samuel Craft and family.
Yates I )ouglass.
Augustus I'xirck.
X. Zell.
Joseph Grimm.
A. W. Steven-.
( apt. A. 1). Gaston.
C. B. Mathews.
II. V. Mathews.
E. D. Wheeler.
Fred J. Jacob.
I. B. W'aynant and family.
Charles E. TibbettS and family.
X. I lalsted and family.
L. W. I )arling and family.
('. E. Olmsted
J. I.. Freeland and family.
1 iuy R. Brown and family.
II. W. Jackson and family.
I. T. Smith and family.
William Ekins and family.
William Brown.
< )n I >ec< mber 3 1 . 1870, there were
in Blue Rapids.
Samuel Hill and family.
J. II. Fowler and family.
Jackson Taylor and family.
A. W'. Kimball and family.
John McPherson and family.
C. Y. Reed and family.
J. S. Fisher and family.
1). Fairbanks and family.
A. J. Bovee and family.
Charles True and family.
Thomas ( )akley.
James Allcrdice.
W. I). McPherson.
J. C. Uarland.
I ». B; Taylor and family.
1 1. Van Dusen and family.
1). Minium and family.
('. B. Stone.
J. W. I 'avis and family.
1 1. Armstrong and family.
W. E. Brown and family.
George S. Smythe and family.
Dr. R. A. Wells and family.
J. S. Stanley.
J. I.. I [errick.
William Burr.
Doctor Ream.
< if irge Kempt" m and family.
I. E. Ball and family.
James Hunt and family.
J. C. FrisSell and family.
boul two hundred and fifty people
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. ja-i
FURTHER DEVELOPMENT.
On September 21, 1871, Judge John V. Coon arrived from Elyria, Ohio,
with recruits for the colony.
In April, 1872, Taylor Holbrook built a twenty-foot raceway for power
purposes of manufacture, especially of gypsum cement.
J. V. Coon & Son began the erection of a three-story stone building, at
a cost of twelve thousand dollars.
These gentlemen were the pioneer manufacturers of gypsum into cement
and land plaster at Blue Rapids. Their mill, on the west side of Blue river,
was run night and day to fill orders.
The Baptist church and school house at Blue Rapids were the first build-
ings finished with the plaster made by Coon & Son.
The mill was run with a capacity of eighty barrels of plaster of Paris
a day, until 1S87, "hen the interior was destroyed by fire. The mill was
rebuilt and put in operation again.
In May, 1887, work began on Fowler Brothers gypsum mill, twenty-
four by sixty feet. The business was known as the Blue Rapids Plaster
Company. On August 20, that year, the first kettle of plaster was taken
oft and on the 21st plaster was shipped from the mill. The business was
prosperous and grew steadily, but litigation over a patent finally caused the
sale of the mill to the United States Gypsum Company of Chicago.
In March, 1892, the Blue Valley Plaster Company was organized and
built a mill on the Stocks farm. A. E. Winter was president and Arthur
English, secretary, of the new company.
This mill is still in operation under other ownership and is named the
United States Gypsum Companv.
BLUE RAPIDS, 1 872.
On January 2j, 1872, \V. D. Cook and I. S. Chandler, of the Wathena
woolen mills, agreed with the Blue Rapids town Company to bring their
machinery to Blue Rapids. The woolen mill was completed in October and
work begun in all departments. In the fall of 1877 the mill was purchased
by the Buell Manufacturing Company of St. Joseph, Missouri. In 1879 it
was totally destroyed by fire. It was immediately rebuilt and remodeled
and filled with the latest improvements.
On March 28, 1882, Willard N. Buell committed suicide at Plattsmouth,
144 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Nebraska. This was a great blow to the mill at Blue Rapids. The business
was diverted to the mill at St. Joseph and in the same year the woolen mill
was dosed.
LADIES LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.
Fortunate, indeed, is the city that has for one of its first institutions a
public library. The women of the colony coming to Blue Rapids from the
East decided to have a library as one of the needs of the new city land from
that day to this, for more than forty years) the women have maintained the
library, and have kept it up to the same high standard with which it began
many years ago.
They are proud of their organization for many reasons herein given.
The association has a life membership in the state temperance union and a
portrait of Frances Willard adorns the walls of the building: also a portrait
of Andrew Carnegie and many other friends of the library. The building
is named Olmstead Hall, in memory of Carlos E. Olmstead, one of its first
benefactors. It is a substantial two-story stone structure, completed in 1877.
The ladies of Blue Rapids who were interested in the establishment of
a library met in the parlors of the LaBelle House on April 30, 1874. The
association formed then, met again on May 27, and a permanent organiza-
tion was created, and on June 27, the library was opened to the public, in
the store of D. \Y. Ilinman. The officers were: President. .Mrs. K. C.
Ball; vice-president, Mrs. S. Wright: recording secretary, Mrs. P. J. Sweet-
land; corresponding secretary. Mrs. M. K. Recti: treasurer. Mr-. C. F. Roedel ;
directors. Mesdames H. Armstrong. J. S. Dawes, T. D. Davis. C. B. Hall.
\V. II. (ioodwin. C. !■'. Mussey, John McPherson, G. B. Stocks and A. W.
Stephens.
In the following December the Town Company presented to the library
association one of the few remaining three hundred dollar 1"N on the public
square On February 4, 1875. C. E. Olmstead offered to give two hundred
and fifty dollars toward the erection of a library building, if the ladies would
raise a like amount. The result was that work was begun on the building
on the [8th day of that month and in 1S77 the ladies were holding meetings
on the ground floor room of their own building, while the second floor was
rented to St. Mark's church for church purposes.
GYPSUM MANUFACTORY, BLUE RAPIDS.
RIVER BRIDGE AT BLUE RAPIDS.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. I45
LIBRARY CHARTER OBTAINED.
C. J. Brown and C. E. Tibbetts procured a charter, and many books
were contributed by Eastern friends. So through the years these faithful
women have kept their library open to the public.
In June, 1899, their hearts were gladdened by the news that through
the solicitation of Mr. Jno. McPherson, Andrew Carnegie had donated five
hundred dollars to the association for the purchase of books. Later, Mr.
Carnegie presented his portrait to them, which is framed and hangs upon
the library wall.
Some of the valued members are now at rest in the cemetery on the
hillside, some are in distant lands, some are still faithful members of the
board of managers, to whom the younger generation look with gratitude.
Their records have been faithfully kept, the library has been maintained as
an honored institution. These ladies made a good fight and they have their
reward in the gratitude and admiration of their townspeople.
The present officers are : President, Mrs. L. S. D. Smith ; vice-presi-
dent, Mrs. C. E. Tibbetts: recording secretary, Mrs. R. S. Fillmore, corre-
sponding secretary, Mrs. C. K. Stephens; treasurer, Mrs. J. X. Wanamaker:
librarian, Mrs. E. Heathman, and a board of managers of fifteen, includ-
ing the above-named officers.
BUSINESS INTERESTS, l880.
h
At the close of the year 1880, the following represented the business of
Blue Rapids: J. L. Freeman, banker; Buell Manufacturing Company, woolen
mill; J. S. Wright & Company, flour mill; J. W. Bliss & Company, paper
mill ; J. V. Coon & Son, plaster mill ; J. B. Waynant, foundation for mill ;
Price Brothers, foundry and machine shop; Loben & Sweetland, general
merchandise ; C. W. Farrington, general merchandise ; J. L. & C. A. Free-
land, general merchandise : Buell & Company, mill store ; Hill & Alorton,
hardware; R. S. Craft, druggist; G. B Stocks, lumber and grain; M. C.
Holman, furniture; William Coulter, druggist; J. C. McArthur & Com-
pany, harness ; I. D. Yarrick, meat market ; Festus Cooley, dry goods ; Mrs.
A. M. Cole, milliner and dressmaker; Mesdames McAllister & Chandler,
milliners ; H. W. Chapman, bakery ; George Beester, restaurant ; William
Elkins, tailor; Spencer & Doten, livery; Sharp Brothers, liverv; John S.
Fisher, boots and shoes; Eli H. Wilson, boots and shoes; James Shaft', art
(10)
14*' MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
gallery; II. D. Calkins, ice company and nursery; I. S. Dawes, market
gardener; McPherson & Reed, I.aBelle house; Fairchild's south side hotel;
VV. II. II. Freeman, lawyer; 14 \V. Chapman, lawyer; E. W. Waynant, law-
yer; J. V. & E. I. Coon, lawyers; R. S. Craft & J. G. Crawford, physicians;
I.. ( i. Canfield, dentist; T. F. Hall, insurance; J. L. Freeland & John Md'her-
son, loan and insurance: A. J. Loomis, postmaster; S. II. Holbro >k. railroad
-tation agent; George I.. Nichols, jeweller; J. \Y. Murrell, billiard hall; T. J.
Hall, justice of the peace; H. W. Chapman, justice of the peace; James Aller-
dice, D. Minium, G. Fitzgerald, < . J. Stanley, M. T. Specs. A. Seager, Adolph
Johnson, carpenters and buildiers; Anderson Brothers, X. F. Axelson, stone
masons; S. M. Swan. George Peckard, painters; William Burr, blacksmith;
Charles Minium, trucking; Thomas Bothwell, S. W. Rickey, plasterers: M.
Patterson, J. < i. Reynolds, loan agent-; T. J. Hall, barber; S. S. Fitzgerald.
Howard Edinborough, wagonmakers; M. Nickelson, city milk depot; I*'.. S.
Pearsoll, cooper shop.
INCORPORATED.
On February 8, 1872, Blue Rapids was incorporated as a city of the
third class. The first city officials were: Mayor, C. E. Olmstead; police
judge, A. E. Sweetland; councilmen, J. E. Ball, A. W. Stevens. John McPher-
son, II. Vrmstrong, I). Minium; assessor, J. It. Waynant; justice of the peace,
A. Armstrong.
Hiram Woodard broughl from Elyria, Ohio, the first thoroughbred
whitefaced cattle to stuck his t'arm northeast of Blue Rapids. Among suc-
cessful breeders in Blue Rapids were Isaac D. Yarick, A. Borck, Charles Dren-
nan, W. B. Hunt, Judge W. H. Goodwin, Miss Lou Goodwin, Clayton Rod-
key, John I.. Rodkey, I'". W. Preston & Son. Walter Morgan, E. R. Morgan
and J. M. Winter.
Blue Rapid- had in operation the first telephone in Marshall county.
Professor Stewart gave an entertainment in March, 1878. in Fitzgerald's
hall. Wire was stretched from Fitzgerald's ball to the office of ( ;. I',. Stock-,
on Main street. Music, singing and talking were distinctly heard by the
audience in the ball.
The Blue Rapids Town Company, on account of the large outlay for
public improvements, which was immediately followed by business depres-
sion, became involved in debt and in the winter of 1879-80 sold the whole
of it- property to Randall Stetson, of Elyria, Ohio, who was then repre-
sented by J. V. Coon, and then followed the process of adjusting the com-
pany'- debt-.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 147
GRASSHOPPERS' HAVOC.
Blue Rapids and the colony enterprise, like every other town in Kansas,
was crippled by the disasters of grasshoppers and drought. Because of the
dry, hot summer and failures of crops, business was retarded and enterprise
delayed. Resources were running low and the people were becoming dis-
heartened. But soon their courage returned and as time passed, new build-
ings were erected and some business changes took place.
A. E. Benedict built a residence; John Lawson and W'estein built homes
on Union street; a Methodist church was built on Genesee street; C. E. Bige-
low put in a stock of fancy groceries; A. E. Benedict, J. Sawdye & Com-
pany opened a hardware store; William Burr succeeded Burr & AlcConnell;
J. H. Fowler and Air. St. John opened meat markets; Misses Plolman
opened a dressmaking shop; J. A. Williams and Mr. Witt were the village
blacksmiths.
In June, 1874, the Blue Valley hotel was destroyed by fire.
SOME FIRST EVENTS.
R. A. Wells was the first doctor in Blue Rapids.
Miss Lottie Holt and Rev. J. Williams were the first couple married,
the ceremony being performed in Vermillion by Rev. E. H. Chapin. The
first death was that of Alary, the wife of H. S. Halburt, during the summer of
1870. The first birth was that of a child to Air. Van Dusen. a member of
the town company.
The first school in the vicinity of Blue Rapids, taught by Lucv A.
Palmer, began in November, 1861, with twenty-five pupils. It was kept in
a private dwelling, one-half mile west of the present town site.
Alisses Knowlton and Stewart opened the first millinery store in Blue
Rapids, December 18, 1871.
The population of the city at the close of 1871 was four hundred and
eighty. Twenty-seven business firms were established.
On May 13. 1872, J. A. Loban and A. E. Sweetland entered into a part-
nership as dealers in general merchandise under the firm name of Loban &
Sweetland. Their business relations extended over fifteen vears, until Air.
Loban's death. Air. Sweetland continued the business another fifteen vears.
Judge W. H. Goodwin, of Nashville, Tennessee, erected a building in
1 87 1, the front room of which he used for a law office. The second story was
I |N MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
finished as a hall and for some time the Congregational church held services
in it.
In 1871 G. Fitzgerald, J. A. Loban and Xoble and Perkins erected a
building with a seventy-five foot from by sixty feet deep, two stories, for a
general store.
T. 11. Morris was engaged in the lumber and general merchandise
business.
T. (!. Morris and 1. H. Ball were music and furniture dealers.
The Arlington House was opened in the winter of [882 by W. Coulter,
Jr., who was its manager. The building, a two-story brick, was erected in
1873 by W. Coulter. Sr., at a cost of seven thousand dollars. In 1S81 it
was fitted up and used as a hotel under the name of the Fairchild House,
managed by C. R. Fairchild, former proprietor of the Tremont House. Marys-
ville.
BLUE RAPIDS POSTOFFICE.
A postoffice was established a short distance from what is now Blue
Rapids, in 1851). with William Thompson as the first postmaster. Mr.
Thompson remained in office three years and was succeeded in 1862 by D.
Palmer. In 1865 Emma Lee received the appointment She held the office
six months, when she resigned in favor of S. Craft, who after a short period
turned the office over to John Weber.
During Weber's term the office was discontinued in 1 869. When the
( ienesee colony came out and located a townsite and commenced improve-
ments, the postoffice was re-established in the spring of 1870, with H. S
I 'armalee as postmaster.
Mr. 1'armalee was succeeded in 1875 by C. F. Tibbetts, then editor of
the Blue Rafnds 'Finns. In December, 1876, A. J. Loomis was appointed
and remained until [883. In July, 187-', the office was made a money -
order office and W. II. G Iwin sent money order No. 1.
The following have served as postmaster since 1883: Judge William
Thompson, Thomas Marcy. C. Coulter. John Mcl'herson, H. C. Lathrop,
and Clarence Coulter, the present incumbent.
WHEN BLUE RAPIDS WAS IX MAKING.
John McPherson. former historian of I'.lue Rapids, writing in [890, said:
"During the twenty years of the colony settlement a large sum of money has
been expended in the way of pioneer manufacturing, resulting largely in dis-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. I49
aster and failure. In these years Blue Rapids has had in successful operation
two flour mills, one woolen mill, one paper mill, two plaster mills, foundry and
machine shop and the Cook Anchor & Cable Company, all located and Operated
by water power on the Blue river. All of these and, later, Swanson's Flying-
Swede Factory and the cereal mill, either failed, sold out, or were washed
out by floods and the river cutting a new channel in May, 1903, below the
old dam, which is still intact. The power has in a measure been restored
by a fill across the new channel. The walls of the Olmstead Brothers mill
is the only building now standing, and in it is located the electric lighting
plant operated by water power. The Anderson flour mill on the west side,
was dismantled and rebuilt by P. Anderson & Company, at the Central Branch
railroad tracks, and the plaster mills are established at the gypsum quarries.
In fact every interest at one time in a flourishing condition at the river has
disappeared. Only the Olmstead mill wall, the bridge and the original dam
remain."
JASON YURANN.
Among the men who came to Blue Rapids to make it a city, Jason
Yurann was one who believed it the most promising site in the state for a
city with great industrial possibilities. His dreams did not come true, and
many of his schemes failed. He has become as fully known to the people
of the state and county as "Colonel Sellers" is known to lovers of Mark
Twain.
Yurann has always in season and out of season, through evil or good
report, been a loyal worker for Blue Rapids. A man of excellent education,
and wide knowledge of affairs, be perhaps, in his prime, knew more prominent
men of affairs than any man in the county. He is a member of the bar, and
while many of his plans have failed and he has suffered the disappointment
of his fondest hopes, yet it can truthfully be said of him that he has always
ardently believed in Blue Rapids and her future and has spent a fortune in
trying to build up the town. He is now old, feeble and limited in this
world's goods, but the history of Blue Rapids would not be complete with-
out recognition of what he has done in her interests.
The plans of the founders of Blue Rapids, to make it the leading city
in this part of the state, have not as yet been realized, but its industries have
developed beyond that of any other town in the county. There are four
gypsum mills in active operation and its water power furnishes electric
power for several towns, among them being Marysville. It has splendid
150 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
churches, chautauqua, schools and citizenship, and i9 one of the prettiest resi-
dence towns in northern Kansas.
The census enumerator for 1916 reports the population as on€ thousand
six hundred and seventy-three.
FAIRM0N1 I RY.
On the 26th day of June. [879, the Blue Rapids Cemetery .Association
was organized with the following officers: I 'resident. Festus Cooley; vice-
president, W. A. Barrett; secretary, M. (". Holman; treasurer. Dr. C. A.
Freeland. The capita] stock was secured by the sale of one thousand shares
at ten dollars each.
Block Xo. 4, of ten acres, in the northeast part of the city, was purchased
and a charter was obtained from the state on August [3, iXjt). Thus was
secured to the city of Blue Rapids a most beautiful spot for use as a ceme-
tery. Sloping gradually in every direction, it commands a charming view of
the valley of the Blue river, for a distance of several mile-, with Irving in
the distance. The wlnle plat is surrounded with a hedge, which is kept
trimmed, and selected elm and maple tret- shade the avenues. Two iron
gates — one for vehicles and 1 ne for pedestrians — afford entrance to the silent
city,
"Where the beautiful grasses, low and sweet.
Grow in the middle of every street."
Common report accords this cemetery the reputation of being one of the
most beautiful and well-kept cemeteries in Marshall county. Nearly thirty
si Idicr- of the Civil War. members of Robert Hale Post X''. 328, including
their devoted commander, ('apt. Martin Morton, who died on January 7.
loio. are buried here.
NAME CHANGED.
In the year 1907 the name of the cemetery was changed to Fairmont, by
the expressed wish of (apt. John McPherson.
The board of directors, December 20, [916, consisted of A. E. Sweetland,
Dr. R. S. Fillmore, [ohn McPherson. I ivy 1'.. Tibbetts and A. A. Marvin.
The officers of the association, chosen from the hoard of director-, are: A. E.
Sweetland, president and manager; John McPherson, vice-president; Dr. R.
S Fillmore, treasurer; Livj 1'.. Tibbetts, secretary, and George Flower, super
intendent.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. I5I
Two names stand out prominently in connection with the organizatit in :
John McPherson and Festus Cooley. Mr. McPherson, as prime mover, and
earnestly and actively engaged in every step of its early history; Festus Cooley,
its first president, to whose generous support in no little degree is the present
splendid condition due. Mr. Cooley was the first of that first board of direc-
tors to be laid to rest in the spot he so earnestly helped to make beautiful,
September 2, 1891, his wife having preceded him on January 25, 1890.
James D. Field followed him on January 2, 1903. Dr. C. A. Freeland
died and was buried at Kansas City, Kansas, some thirty years ago. W. A.
Barrett removed to his former home in Ohio, many years since. M. C.
Holman has been living in Topeka, Kansas, for over thirty years.
Of the original paid-up subscribers to stock, five are living here; five
living elsewhere ; twenty-three are buried here ; ten are buried elsewhere.
The board of directors and officers of the association receive no com-
pensation.
BUSINESS INTERESTS, L9I7.
Flack & Barraclough, general merchandise.
C. W. Granger, general merchandise.
Moore Brothers, groceries and meats.
Allerdice & Ouinn, groceries and meats.
Airs. A. Barraclough, variety store.
Frank Marvin, variety store.
Brown & Company, hardware.
Union Hardware Company, John Skalla, proprietor.
Coulter Drug Company.
Reder Drug Company.
L. G. Trombla, jeweler and optometrist.
A. A. Marvin, jeweler and optometrist.
Miss Irene Stuart, millinery.
Miss May Faulkner, millinery.
James Ryan, furniture and undertaking.
Commercial Hotel, James Searcy, proprietor.
Albion Hotel. Walter E. Hill, proprietor.
Moser Brothers, gents furnishings.
J. E. Rodkey, garage.
G. Van Valkenberg, garage and auto dealer.
Mrs. H. Scott, restaurant.
152 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Midway Cafe.
A J. Brice, pool hall.
Mrs. Hamilton, restaurant.
S. J. Olds, blacksmith.
('. \V. Tetnpero. livery barn.
Train Lumber Company.
Burgner-Bowman Lumber Company.
C. 1 >. Smith, lawyer.
\V. W. Kwd. physician.
C. McFarland, physician.
R. S. Fillmore, physician.
S. W. Gilson, dentist.
J. R. Scott, barber.
W. H. Pheiffer, barber.
O. Hellman, picture show bouse.
Marshall Power and Light Company.
Blue Rapids Telephone Company.
JOHN m'pHERSON.
A history of Blue Rapids and of Marshall county would be incomplete
without mention of a man who has served bis country as a gallant soldier,
bis state as a trusted official, and bis county as a patriotic and lOyal citizen,
for half a century.
Capt. John McPherson left home a private and served four years as a
Union soldier. He was promoted captain for gallant and meritorious ser-
vice "ii the field of battle. He was in many a hard-fought battle of the
great war and marched with Sherman to the sea.
Age has come upon him. but has not diminished bis love for his adopted
country (be was born in Scotland), nor bis faith in her glorious future.
His cheerful smile and cordial hand-clasp make him always a welcome guest
at any gathering, public or private; while bis ripened judgment and noble-
ness of heart and mind endear him to a host of friends.
Captain McPherson bas two children, J. E. McPherson, of Kansas City,
and Mrs. Claude Guthrie, of Marysville. He spends bis summers with bis
children and his winters in California. Mrs. McPherson died several years
ago.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1 53
JOHN V. COON.
John V. Coon was born in Phelps. New York, March 30, 1822. He
was of German descent and was a loyal friend to people of his lineage. He
was educated at Hobarts College, New York. In 1842 he was married to
Charlotte M. Miller. Their marriage was a very happy one. His aged
widow still survives him. Judge and Mrs. Coon were the parents of one
son, Emir J. Coon, who died many years ago.
In 1844 J. V. Coon and his young bride moved to Elyria, Ohio, where
in his chosen profession, the law, he gained prominence and wealth. The
panic of 1873 swept much of the wealth away and he again turned his foot-
steps westward, locating in Blue Rapids. He discovered the presence of
gypsum among the ledges, near there, and he and his son, Emir, built the
first mill west of the Mississippi river for the manufacture of plaster of Paris
from gypsum. To John V. Coon and Emir J. Coon, Marshall county owes
the origin of the largest single manufacturing industry within its borders
today. Those two men exemplified the highest types of manhood. They
were able, cultured, broadminded and generous, ever looking forward to
the growth and development of the county and the state, along educational,
political and religious lines. On November 6, 1894, Judge Coon was elected
county attorney of Marshal! county. On January 4, 1895. he was buried.
The sympathies of a very large circle of friends were extended to the sur-
viving members of his family. Mrs. John V. Coon, his widow, aged ninety-
six years, and the widow of her son. Emir J. Coon, reside with Hon. James
G. Strong, county attorney, and his wife, Fanny, who is a daughter of Emir
J. Coon.
J. B. BROWN.
J. B. Brown was one of the three commissioners sent to Kansas to
select the location for the colony. He was one of the strong, forceful men
of the colony and his counsel was sought during many troublous times. He
was always hopeful and optimistic during the darkest hours. He believed
ardently in the future of Blue Rapids and was an honored and respected
citizen of the town and of Marshall county. He died on March 11, 188^,
and his death was felt as a personal loss to all those who knew him. His
good name stands as a monument to his kindred and friends.
154 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
I II E Hi. 1.1- I SE I I'LER.
C. J. Brown is the oldest settler now residing in Blue Rapid-. Mr.
Brown was a member of the original town company and an active supporter
of it- enterprises. In April. [872, he assumed charge of the real-estate busi-
ness of Olmstead, Freeland & Company. In [874 he was elected to the
State Legislature, and in 1876, to the state Senate. He was later elected
clerk of the supreme court, which position he filled for many year-, lie was
married on September to, 1SN1. to Mrs. Julia Greer, of Topeka,
Mr. Brown has been one Of the foremost citizens of Marshall county,
since he became a resident and ha- heen prominently identified with every
forward movement along political, social and religious lines. His long
service with the supreme court gave him a wide circle of friends over the
State and his advice on public matters is sought by the most prominent people
of the state. He is genial and courteous, resolute and courageous in all
matters and is universally respected.
WALTER P. BROWN.
The story of Marshall county hoys who have made good, would make
a very long and interesting chapter, and that chapter would certainly include
tlie name of Hon. Walter 1'. Brown, of Blue Rapids. Born in Genesee
county. New York, in 1862, he was nine years old when he came to Marshall
county with his parents in [871. He was educated in public schools of Blue
Rapids and had business training in the wholesale hardware store of l!li-h.
Mize & Silliman. in Atchison.
In [889, after eight years of work for the Atchison linn, in almost every
department of that greai establishment, Walter Brown started the Brown
lb-others hardware firm in Blue Rapids and. now at the close of twenty-
seven years, he is still at the head of the business project, which he has suc-
- fully conducted from the start.
In [Q08, Mr. Brown was elected to the state Senate and served the four-
year term with great credit to his district and to himself. In his own com-
munity and in the county, he is a recognized leader for the things that are
worth while.
CHAPTER VIII.
Cities, Towns and Villages.
AXTELL.
Axtell is situated in the eastern part of Marshall county, in Murray
township, one mile from the Nemaha county line. It is located on the
St. Joseph & Grand Island and Wyandotte & Northwestern railroads. It is
eighty-nine miles west of St. Joseph, Missouri, and twenty-four miles east
of Marysville.
The townsite of Axtell was surveyed in January, 1872, by the St.
Joseph Town Company. The first building was erected by "Shoe-string"
W. H. Dickinson, early in 1872, and used by him as a store for one year,
when he was succeeded by R. F. White.
During the same year the railroad company built a depot and side track ;
the Axtell postoffice was established and R. F. White was appointed post-
master. On August 2, 1880, this was made a money-order office and Thomas
Hynes sent the first money order.
The first birth was that of a son to W. H. Dickinson, early in 1872.
and the first death in town was George W. Earl, Axtell's first blacksmith,
who died in 1874 and was buried at Seneca, Kansas.
No marriage is recorded prior to 1879.
The Wyandotte & Northwestern railroad was built into Axtell in 1889.
In 1847 the county was visited by drought and grasshoppers and new-
towns did not prosper. In 1879 there were but four families in Axtell.
During the fall of 1879 and winter of 1880 a colony of twenty fami-
lies came from Deep River, Iowa. Among these colonies were Reuben.
Joseph, Harry, John and Lewis Wasser, J. H. Seaman, J. and A. E. Axtell,
J. Johnson and others. The addition of these people gave Axtell a forward
impetus and it is now one of the thriving business towns of the county.
[56 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
THE FIRST SCHOOL.
School district No. 56 was organized in 1872. The school was kept in a
house owned by A. Watkins and the first school taught by John Watkins.
I'he school was then located one mile east of the present town.
In [872-73 a frame school house, twenty by thirty feet, was built in
the town at a cost of seven hundred and fifty dollars. Miss Jennie Xewlands
taught this school for three terms. In 1880 the Catholic church bought the
school house, for church purposes, and a new school house was built at a
cost of two thousand dollars. A. M. Billingsley was the first teacher. In
1912 the old building was enlarged by the addition of two rooms, and in
1914 a two-story brick addition was made to the school. It is now one of
the Barnes high schools of the county, with a course of study which includes
manual training, domestic science and normal training. Lecture courses have
been given since 1908. C. I. Smith, the superintendent of the city schools,
manages the lecture course.
In 1910 Stephen Stout presented the city of Axtell with a beautiful
park, which is used for all public out-door entertainments. The park has a
fine baseball diamond and a good home team.
The chautauqua courses are held in the park annually, and Axtell has
one of the best chautauqua programs in the county.
In 1908 the Axtell granite and marble works were established 1>\
William Werner, who learned bis trade as a marble cutter in Germany.
One of the potent factors in the growth of Axtell was the establish-
ment of Gaylord's department store. This is an up-to-date general merchan-
dise store, employing ten clerks and handling an immense stock of goods.
Axtell has a well-organized and fully-equipped fire department, with
E. S. Alexander as fire chief.
In 1909 A. J. Ingram started the Axtell Produce Company, a large
concern, doing a wholesale egg, butter, poultry and feed business. Labbe
Brothers conduct an up-to-date moving picture >bow. Two modern garages
are under construction by I. \Y. Kerr and Joseph Scverin.
AXTELL PROGRESSIVE.
Ill the forty-five years of it-- existence Axtell has reached fourth place
in the county in population and business importance, having passed a mini-
licr of the older town-.
>-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1 57
Axtell has seven hundred and eighteen inhabitants. It stands one thou-
sand four hundred feet above sea level, affording a beautiful view of the
surrounding county for many miles, in all directions. Summerfield is the
only town in the county which has a higher altitude.
Axtell has an abundance of shade trees, well-kept streets and cement
walks to all parts of town.
All branches of business are well represented by proprietors who are
abreast of the times; stores and shops that would do credit to a town much
larger.
One of the leading industries is the Axtell telephone exchange, of which
A \Y. Rundle is president and D. O'Xeil, manager. This company operates
two hundred and twenty-one city phones and twenty-seven rural lines.
BUSINESS INTERESTS, I9I7.
Hardware — Thomas Keegan, John Lichty.
General merchandise — Gaylord's Department Store.
Cash Mercantile Company — O'Neil & Ager, managers.
Merchandise — Waymire Brothers.
Restaurant and bakery — Jacob Roth f elder.
Restaurant — Pierson and Barnes.
Gent's furnishings — "William Johnson.
Billiards and pool — George Branson.
Photographer — F. B. Strathman.
Axtell Produce Company — J. A. Ingram.
Farmers Union Produce Company — Ed Bergman, manager.
Elevators — D. C. O'Neil. Harold Connett, Farmers Union.
Implements — Farmers Union.
Implements — D. C. O'Neil.
Lumber, lime and coal — Robe & Brawner.
Boyd Lumber Company — Jos. Medlack, manager.
Garages — T. W. Kerr.
Garages — Labile Brothers.
Hotel — Commercial House, Charles Ross, proprietor.
Drugs— J. R. Sidwell.
Jewelry — L. \V. Sterling.
Blacksmiths — Ernest Mack, Jeff Davis.
Auto repair shop — D. Pierce.
Furniture — T. M. Keegan, R. W. Motes.
[58 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Harness, shoes and repairing' — John Fisher.
Undertaking— D. C. O'Neil, R. \V. Motes.
Barbers — Eyeret Alexander, Frank Wright.
Planing mill — O. A. Ivers.
Electric theater — Labbe Brothers.
Clothes cleaners — Ilerl)ert Scott. W. M. Johnson.
Newspaper — Axtell Standard. Frank A. Werner.
.Marble yard — William Werner.
Dentist — Audley Gaston.
Physicians — 1). Piper, C. M. Newman.
Veterinary surgeons — Doctor Piper and Dr. P. J. Cavanaugh.
Axtell Telephone Exchange — A. W. Rundle, president; 1). C. O'Neil,
manager.
CEMETERY.
Rose Hill cemetery. Axtell, is located one-half mile west of the town.
This cemetery is well cared for and beautifully kept by the Axtell Cemetery
Association, of which Mrs. X. H. Corie is president. The ladies have paid
for having a cement walk laid to the grounds, by giving dinners, bazaars
and other entertainments.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Ed E. rlanna is the present postmaster of Axtell, and there are three
rural mail routes from the postoffice.
The best residences in the town are those of A. L. Simpson, Charles
Phillips, Mrs. Martha Farrar and Mrs. Euphemia Strayer.
The best business blocks are those of D. C. O'Neil, Daniel Meara, S. S.
Simpson. I. W. Kerr. Joseph Severin, and Gaylord's department store.
Many men and women of Atxell are worthj of special mention in the
history of the town and it would be a pleasure to record something of their
worth to the town and the county.
Among others who have helped make Axtell the splendid little city of
today. Dr. William Strayer, George Delaney, the (one-. Michael Murray, the
II. K. Sharpe family, the Farrars, the Thomases, the Sitlers, Frank Gaylord
and the Axtell- may be mentioned. Many of them are gone from the town,
some sleep in Rose Hill cemetery, but they are not forgotten by their town-
people.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1 59
BARRETT.
One of the earliest settlements made in the county was that at Barrett,
or as it was then known, Barrett's Mill.
A. G. Barrett, in 1857, carrying out an agreement with the Ohio Town
Company, set up and operated a saw-mill, and the same year he put in a
grist-mill. This mill was brought from Leavenworth to Barrett by ox
team. The grist-mill was the only one in the county and deserved to be
called the leading industry.
A postoffice was established in 1857 and H. W. Swift was appointed
postmaster.
School district No. 1 was organized in 1858 and a small school house,
fourteen by twenty-four, was built. The material and work were donated.
Religious services were first held in the saw-mill, which was lighted by
lanterns. After the school house was built, services were held in it by
"circuit riders."
A small store furnished some necessary supplies to the settlers. With
a school house, saw- and grist-mill, and a postoffice, Barrett's Mill became an
important place. It was a little settlement of kindly, hospitable pioneers,
and a gathering point for people from all parts of the county.
In 1869 A. G. Barrett deeded one-half of the townsite — forty acres — ■
to the Central Branch Union Pacific Railroad Company, the company agree-
ing to erect a depot and build a side track. One thousand two hundred dol-
lars was donated by neighboring farmers to have Barrett named as a sta-
tion. That same fall a new school house, costing three thousand dollars, was
built. It was the largest one-teacher school house in the county. Some new
buildings were erected, but the town never grew greatly in importance.
Many of the early-day settlers have long since gone to their reward and the
advent of the railroads diverted trade to the larger towns of the county.
The one store in the town is now kept by William Montgomery. The
old mill has been partially dismantled, only the frame work remaining. Mrs.
Phoebe Van Vleit, a daughter of A. G. Barrett, lives there on the old place,
and Mrs. Cy. Barrett, a daughter-in-law, is also a resident. A few years
ago a Fourth of July celebration was held at Barrett and many old settlers
visited the place which, during the years from 1856 to the breaking out
of the war, was the most prominent "free state" settlement west of the
border counties. The names of Barrett, Leavitt, Auld, Osborne, Wells and
Smith will always be historic names in Marshall county.
160 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
BEATTIE.
Beattie is located on the St. Joseph & Grand Island railroad one hun-
dred miles west of St. Joseph. The townsite was platted in June, 1870, by
the Northern Kansas Land Company of St. Joseph, Missouri, on land
owned by James Fitzpatrick and J. T. Watkins. The townsite comprised
one hundred and sixty acres and the name Beattie was given in honor of A.
Beattie, then mayor of St. Joseph. .Missouri.
H. M. Newton, James McElroy, R. Shields and J. J. Sheldon were the
first to settle in the town.
One reason for locating the town was the stone quarries. The stone
from the quarries was for many years the finest in Kansas or Nebraska
for building purposes. They are now partially ahandoned.
Prior to 1865 Hugh Hamilton, H. C. Smith, Eli Goldsberry, E. Cain.
J. Totten, G. Thorne. James Fitzgerald, P. Jones and some others settled
near what is now Beattie. Joseph Totten came to Marshall county in 1858
and settled on a farm three miles north of Beattie. His daughter. Elizabeth
Totten, was married to George Thorne in i860.
George W. Thorne had the distinction of being the only man who voted
for Abraham Lincoln in i860 in Guittard township, Mrs. Thorne is still
living and attended the old settlers reunion in Marysville. Septeml>er, 1916.
SOME FIRST EVENTS.
John Watkins erected the first building in Beattie.
In the spring of 1871 a depot was moved to Beattie from Elwood, Doni-
phan county, and that same summer J. J. Sheldon moved a house on the
townsite and lived in it.
In the spring of [872 A. J. and L. Brunswick opened the first store.
The first hotel was built by a man named l'utcamp in the year 1873, and
named the Sherman House.
The first marriage was that of S. M. and Charles Keiper. who married
daughters of Carl Scholtz. J. J. Sheldon performed the ceremony.
The first birth was that of Beattie, a son of 11. M. Newton, named in
honor of the town.
A child of Mrs. Mahoney died in 1873, which was the first death in the
town.
In 1873 Brunswig & Baer put np a steam elevator, twenty-four by
sixtv by thirty feet, at a cost of two thousand dollars. In t88o-8l the elevator
OPERA HOUSE AT BEATTIE.
STANDARD SCHOOL, DEER CREEK.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. l6l
was remodeled at an expense of four thousand dollars, to give a capacity of
fifteen thousand bushels. This elevator had a corn-sheller attachment with a
capacity of five thousand bushels per day. A. J. Brunswig is still owner of
the elevator, and P. A. Willis, is manager.
The Farmers Co-operative Association also own an elevator in Beattie,
of which Patrick Reilly is the manager.
During the summer of 1881 the Beattie cornet band with ten pieces,
was organized, W. F. Beckett, leader. He was succeeded by F. Smith. Beat-
tie has not had a brass band for some years.
POSTOFFICE.
The postoffice at Beattie was established in 1881 and J. J. Sheldon was
the first postmaster. He was succeded by A. J. Patterson, A. J. Brunswig,
H. C. Smith, F. W. Hutchinson, J. C. Reed, T. C. Menehan, John O'Neil,
Elizabeth O'Neil, S. L. Wilson, Mrs. Mary Wilson, Roy Wilson, M. A.
Tucker and W. E. Ham.
The present postmistress, Miss Alma Helvering, is a sister of Hon. G.
T. Helvering the present member of Congress from the fifth congressional
district of Kansas.
BUSINESS INTERESTS IN BEATTIE, JANUARY, I9I7.
Drugs— W. B. & M. Hawk.
Pharmacy — M. W. McReynolds, proprietor.
Banks — First National, Beattie State.
Hardware — E. C. Potter.
Hardware and implements — W. E. Bachoritch.
Grain, coal and implements — D. C. O'Neil.
General Merchandise — Olson Mercantile Company, George and Robert
Olson, owners.
Beattie Mercantile Company — James T. McMahon, manager.
Lumber and coal yard — Peter McMahon.
Implements — D. C. O'Neil, W. E. Bachoritch, L. E. Helvern.
Grocery and meat market — Burnside and Falk.
Shoe repair shop — A. D. Stoz.
Restaurant and bakery — O. Krotzinger.
Bakerv — George Giles.
(II)
l62 M VRSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Hotel — Mrs. M. B. Waters.
Dentist— Dr. J. I".. Eden.
Garage — C. F. Eafhart.
Printing office — The Beattie Eagle; Fred Reed, publisher and owner.
Physicians— Dr. W. E. Ham. C. I'". McFarland and E. II. Gist.
Produce market and feed store — M. McMahon.
Photo studio — Charles Lenington.
Gents' furnishings — George Schneider.
Blacksmith simps — M. C. Giles, F. \V. Weis, Bishop Barber.
Beattie Electric Light Company, David Hockman, owner, furnishes
Beattie and Home City with light and power.
The Farmers Mutual Telephone Company operate one hundred and five
telephones in town and has fourteen country lines.
BIGELOW.
Bigelow is a small village in Bigelow township, on the central branch
of the Missouri Pacific railroad, between Barrett and Irving, named for Gen-
eral l'.ii;c!o\v. an official of the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
In 1881 Jacoh Inman opened work in the fine limestone quarries. A
few houses were built and in order to provide homes for those who operated
the quarries, Inman platted forty acres of his farm into town lots and sold
the lots at a nominal price, on condition that the purchaser of one lot, on
putting up a house, should receive free of charge an adjoining lot. This
was known as Inman's Addition. Corner lots were reserved by the owner.
Many men took advantage of the offer and secured homes. Some of the
original settlers live on the property thus acquired. In 1SS3 a school house
containing two rooms was built from the native limestone. The first teacher
was 111.. mas Colliers and only one room was used. The next year E.
Carrico taught the grammar grade and a Miss Tweedy, the primary. Since
that time two teachers have been regularly employed. The present teachers
are Robert Shope and Eva Johnson: enrollment, forty.
In [884 Christ church was built. Jacoh Inman and DeW'itt < Iriffes
were the men who were foremost in the effort and they contributed largely
to the cost of the building. In memory of their faithful work and gifts,
the doors of this church are never closed on the Lord's day and services
are held at all times possible.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
163
In 1894 Mrs. T. W. Mead agitated the question of building the First
Methodist church, and it was largely through her efforts that the fine build-
ing, of limestone taken from the quarries, now is enjoyed by members of
that faith as a church home. The church is thirty by forty feet in dimen-
sions, and is a building of which the citizens of the town are justly proud.
H. A. Carpenter built and lived in the first house in Bigelow. John
Watters was the first blacksmith.
The quarries have been exhausted and many of the old settlers have
gone to their rest, but Bigelow has grown and at present has the following
business houses: J. W. Seldon, general store; J. P. Canaday, general store;
J. E. Chitty, president, State Bank; C. O. Musser, lumber and coal dealer;
Griffee Chitty, grain and stock buyer; A. J. Turley, blacksmith; Mrs. James
Milgate & Son, hotel.
A. J. Harvey, a prominent young man of Bigelow, was elected county
clerk of Marshall county, November 7, 1916.
TOWN OF BREMEN.
Bremen is located on the St. Joseph & Grand Island railroad, nine miles
northwest of Marysville and one mile from the Washington county line, in
the center of as rich a farming community as there is in the county. The
latest census gives it a population of one hundred. In 1886 Henry Brenneke
laid out the town and built the first house on the southeast corner of his farm,
adjoining the railroad. He named the new town after a seaport in Ger-
many, near which he was born. The same year he erected a store building
in which he carried on a general mercantile business and was appointed post-
master. For a time, Otto Peicker was his partner in the store, but Mr.
Brenneke carried on an extensive live stock and grain business on his own
account.
Carl Schultz built a blacksmith shop in 1888, which he has been con-
ducting continuously ever since. In 1890 Joseph Sedlacek built a hardware
store with a spacious hall in the second story. Charles Fischer started a
restaurant and lodging house soon after, and Louis Pralle built a store for
general merchandise. William Raemer, from Herkimer, opened a lumber
yard, which he later sold to the Dursee brothers, and which was still later
owned and conducted by Gus. Dursee until his death.
In August, 1907, the State Bank of Bremen was organized and did a
164 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
flourishing business in the building formerly occupied by Mr. Fischer, who
had died.
During the night of March 17. 1908, the little town was entirely wiped
out by fire causing a loss of mi re than twenty thousand dollars, lint undis-
mayed by this calamity, the goorl people proceeded at once to rebuild in a
more substantial manner and soon a much better town was erected.
LARGE SUM IN BANK NOTES DESTROYED.
The following incident growing out of this tire is well worth recording
in this history. < >n the close of business the day before the tire, the banker
1 laced all of the paper currency, several thousand dollars, in the little wooden
h \ where it was always kept, and placed it in the safe which was burglar
proof, but did not prove to be tire proof. When the safe was opened it was
found that the wooden box containing the paper money had burned to ashes,
bul that the currency, though burned to charcoal, was still intact and not
even broken.
William 11. Smith, of Marysville, who was a stockholder in the bank,
carefully packed this charci al in cotton and in a leather satchel, which never
left his hand until he placed it on a table at the treasury department in Wash-
ington, I). C, where the chief of the redemption division turned it over to
Mrs. Brown for identification. After working on this little pile of charcoal
f r four days. Mrs. Brown reported that every bill could be redeemed except-
ing one five-dollar lank note, on which neither the number nor the name of
the lank was discernible. Needless to say that when Mr. Smith left Wash-
ington with the lot of brand new treasury notes, which were given him for
the charcoal, which he carried all the way to Washington so gingerly, lest it
might go i" piece-, he was a very happy man.
RUSINESS INTERESTS.
The following are the business interests represented in Bremen in [917:
Postottice. fourth class, money order office with two rural routes, John
Sedlacek, postmaster.
Sedlacek & Son. hardware, furniture and auto supplies
Rengstorf Brothers, hardware, implements and autos.
Prell Merchandise Company, general merchandise.
Bremen State Bank, F. II. 1'ralle. cashier.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 165
Elevator, Fred. Crome.
Blacksmith, Carl Schultz.
Lumber yard, Mrs. Dursee & Son.
Hotel, Fred. 1'rell, proprietor.
Telephone exchange, Hanover and Odell, Nebraska connection.
Bremen Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, William Rabe, president;
F. H. Fralle, secretary, and F. W. Stohs, treasurer.
The latter company was organized on March 26, 1888, at which time
a few German farmers associated themselves for mutual protection against
fire losses. From this very humble beginning the organization has grown
to be one of the biggest and most reliable mutual insurance concerns in the
state, with agents in thirteen counties, insuring farm property against lire,
lightning and tornado accidents. On December 31, 1916, the company had
one thousand five hundred and forty-one members and carried three million
two hundred sixty-eight thousand eight hundred and fifty-two dollars in
risks.
TOWN OF CARDEN.
Garden is a busy little town, located on the Union Pacific & Grand
Island railway, four miles east of Marysville. It was founded about fifteen
years ago on the farm of Airs. Ottilia Garden, now Mrs. Peter Dugdale.
The town was named Carden in her honor.
The first building in town was the elevator erected by J. E. Andrews.
Ed. Crevier next built a store and a blacksmith shop. A few years later
Andrews took possession of the store and a Mr. Thomas, the blacksmith
shop. Later. J. E. Andrews sold the store to T. J. Menzel, who conducted
it up to three years ago, when C. A. Taylor bought it and is still the owner.
The postoffice has been established fourteen years and fifteen families
are served with mail. The office does about seven hundred dollars worth
of business a year.
Carden has twentv-five daily trains and ships from two to three hun-
dred cars of grain and stock each year.
There are four families living in the town. There is no church, but
a fine school, with Mabel Tavs, of Marysville, in charge.
l66 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
CITY OF FRANKFORT.
Frankfort is the third city in size in Marshall county and is located
eighty seven miles wesl of Atchison and twenty-three miles south of Marys-
ville.
In [867 the Frankfort Town Company was organized in Marysville
with the following members: F. Schmidt, C. F. Koester, J. S. Magill, John
McCoy, I'. H. Peters,' John Bollinger, Perry Hutchinson, R. S. Newell and
James E. Smith. In August, the same year, the company purchased section
Mi, township 4, range 9, and laid out a townsite, which they named Frank-
fort. In consideration of receiving a depot and a side track, the town com-
pany gave the Central Branch Railroad Company one-half the townsite.
The railroad reached Frankfort in [867 and that fall a depot was built. The
first houses in Frankfort wen- built by Frank Schmidt, J. S. Magill and K.
S. Newell. 0. C. Horr built and operated the first store in [867. In [868
seven dwellings were built and two business houses were erected, which were
owned by Jacob Weisbach and (). C. Horr. In [869 fifty-four substantial
buildings wire erected and one of the best hotels in the country was huilt
and opened to the public. The town made rapid progress and from that day
to this has been a splendid business center. The residence portion of the city
was for many years far in advance of any town in the county and the sub-
stantial farmers of the Valley of the Vermillion gave the town strong
patronage.
ORGANIZATION.
(■'rank fmi was organized as a city of the third class on July 24, 1875.
The firsl city election was held on August 10, [875. I\. S. Newell was
1 In ted mayor. The first city officials were: R. S. Newell, mayor; F. Brady,
I 1 '.. Legere, J. Marksman, VV. Schmicker and F. B. Taylor, Sr., councilmen;
I. Gano, pi'liec. judge; S. B. Todd, city clerk; S. I). McKee, treasurer; < '•. I).
< tsborne, marshal.
A DOStoffice had been established two miles southeast of the present
townsite (if Frankfort, and was called Nottingham. I). C. Auld was the
first postmaster; he was succeeded by 0. C. HotT. The pOStoffice was moved
to town and the name changed to Frankfort.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1 67
SCHOOLS.
School district No. 35 was organized in March, 1869, at the home of
O. C. Horr. At the first election held, W. Trosper was elected director;
J. Weisbach, treasurer, and R. S. Newell, clerk.
In the spring of 1870 bonds to the amount of one thousand six hundred
dollars were issued and a frame school building, twenty-four by forty feet,
was erected. This building was used until 1880, when it was sold and used
for a private residence. During this same year a new edifice built of lime-
stone was completed at a cost of four thousand dollars. In 1884 an addi-
tion was made to the main building and it was used for primary purposes.
Since then many improvements have been made and Frankfort now has a
well-equipped school, with a full high school course and a splendid corps
of teachers. R. S. Hazard is the present superintendent, with seven high
school teachers and six grade teachers.
The high school includes college preparatory, general and commercial
course, domestic science and art, and a course in agriculture.
The present board of education is: Dr. M. A. Brawley, director; J. M.
Rhodes, treasurer ; George B. Heleker, clerk. G. B. Heleker, the clerk of
the board, is a practical educator, having served as superintendent of the
Marysville and Hanover schools for several years. He is at present engaged
in the mercantile business in Frankfort and always takes a deep interest in
the schools.
BUILDINGS.
One of the finest buildings in Frankfort is the garage recently built by
James Kennedy, present county commissioner. 'Sir. Kennedy is a son of
William Kennedy, one of the early settlers on Irish creek. The garage was
opened in December, 1915, and is one of the best in the state. It is open
day and night ; trained mechanics are employed and an extensive business is
done. In connection with the garage, which is modern in every particular,
is a well-furnished rest room, with Catherine Ryan in charge. Miss Ryan
is a daughter of J. H. Ryan, one of the early settlers.
An art studio is conducted by C. E. Koentz, who is a son of Dr. J. P.
Koentz, a pioneer Kansan.
The Crevier elevator is owned by William Crevier and managed by
George Gano. An extensive business is done.
C. J. Flaskett owns and operates the elevator built in 1901 by William
Perkins. It ships four hundred thousand bushels of grain annually.
[68 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
ELECTRIC LIGHT PLAN I'.
Frank Dwindell owns and manages the light plant which is one of the
best industries of the town.
J. C. Mason, who is a brother of the poet, Walt Mason, of Emporia, is
a i\^iilcnt of Frankfort and a big property owner. Mr. .Mason travels for
I lawk Brothers, of Goshen, Indiana. Inn maintains business interests in
Frankfort and has been a resident of that city since 1882.
William Raemer, a former resident of Herkimer and a member of the
state Legislature some years ago, is now a resident of Frankfort. He is
engaged in conducting a modern garage and automobile business.
I). C". Brodbeck is one of the influential citizens of Frankfort and lias
been a member of the city council for years and is .always interested in public
affairs.
Dr. William M. Green is one of the practising physicians of the city and.
with Dr. 1. I.. Brady, has a large practice. Doctor Brady has served as
vice-president oi the .Marshall County Medical Society and served as coroner
in 1 916.
C. \V. Brandenburg is one of the leading Democrats of both county and
state. He is a dentist by profession. I lis wife is the present postmistress
of Frankfort.
COM MERC] M. CLUB.
Frankfort has a live commercial club of one hundred members. The
meetings are held in a large room in the Mason block. This room is also
used by the Frankfort band for a practice room. Another room of the same
block is used for the ladies library.
HOTELS.
The Savoy Hotel, which was built by Doctor Bailey in 1869-70, is now
managed by Mrs. A. J. Lewis and continues to be a favorite stopping place
for the older residents of the county and surrounding territory.
The Blodgett House is owned tn I harles \V. Blodgett, and is the family
hotel of Frankfort. The host is a genial and kindly pioneer.
BUSINESS FIRMS OF FRANKFORT, IQIJ.
Robert 0. Nichols, jeweler and optometrist.
David VV. Shearer, furniture ami undertaker.
CITY PARK, FRANKFORT.
BUSINESS SECTION, FRANKFORT.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 169
Dalton, Dalton & Adams, bakery and groceries.
Radcliffe, harness maker.
L. V. B. Taylor, drugs.
Scholz, general store.
C. H. Curtis, hardware.
W. J. Gregg, attorney-at-law.
H. W. Freed, men's furnishings.
P. E. Boniface, bakery.
Howard Reed, county agent for Studebaker autos.
F. \Y. Sylvester, lunch room.
Etta W. Chamberlin, millinery.
J. R. Wasser, manager, Farmers Union Produce Company.
\Y. F. McKeon, Kansas cash store.
W. H. Hardman, tailor.
L. E. Luckens, jeweler and optometrist.
T. B. Bolton, variety store.
\V. C. Brown, clothing store.
R. S. McGhie & Company, hardware.
Gregory & Stevens, dry goods.
Brawley & Son, physicians.
J. J. Drummond, physician.
W. H. Barrett, meat market.
Anderson & Smith, laundries.
Candy kitchen, W. H. Scott.
Pantatorium, R. H. Stever.
G. W. Fundis, implements.
F. V. Rankin, drugs.
P. M. Rathbun, Central Lumber Company.
George H. Coons, Searle & Chapin Lumber Companv.
The building of the Topeka-AJarysville branch of the Union Pacific rail-
road gave Franfort a new railroad. It also opened easy communication with
the county seat and with the north generally. The new depot is a neat,
modern structure.
The number of cars shipped from the Union Pacific station for the year
ending ist of January, 191 7, is as follows:
Hogs, 86 cars; cattle, 62 cars; horses and mules, 8 cars; sheep, 12 cars;
wheat, 12 cars; corn, 21 cars; emigrants, 10 cars; hay, 12 cars.
170 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
THE STUDY CLUB.
The Ladies Literary Study Club of Frankfort was organized twenty-
five years ago, its first president being Mrs. McGillivary, wife of the Pres-
byterian minister, who was the resident pastor of that church. The mem-
bers donated five dollars each for the purchase of books for the library and
secured many books from friends. The library has grown and is well patron-
ized. The city council donates the use of a room and shelves for the books.
The membership of the club is thirty and the present officers are:
I 'resident, Mrs. A. P. Hampton; secretary-treasurer. Mrs. L. V. McKee.
The meetings are held every two weeks.
Other clubs in the vicinity of Frankfort are: West Fork Mutual
Improvement Club. Country Club, Sunshine Club, Jayhawkers Club. Mothers
Club.
TOWN OF HERKIMER.
Herkimer is a town of one hundred and thirty inhabitants, located on
the St. Joseph & Grand Island railroad on Raemer creek. Bye miles north-
west of Marysville. The first white men to select claims for homes near
where Herkimer is located, were the Friederichs brothers and H. Lenker.
who settled on Horshoe creek in [858; Henry Heppermann and George
Goelitz came in 1859 and settled on what became Raemer creek. They were
followed in i860 by Fred Philip and William Raemer: I. and X. Holloway.
James Bartlow, Thomas Koeneke and others. When the war broke out in
[86i, George Goelitz went back to St. Louis, Missouri, to "fight mit Siegel,"
returning to Marysville after the war.
In 1878. Adam Keller, who owned land adjoining the railroad, laid out
a town and named it "Bryan" in honor of Billy Bryan, a very popular pas-
senger conductor on the railroad. The postoffice department refused a
postoffice by that name and so Mr. Keller named the office and the new-
town "Herkimer," after his old home town in the state of Xew York. As
early as 1874, a Mr. Funk was sworn in postmaster of "Raemer Creek" at
the home of Fred Raemer, at which time a few letters were mailed and the
stamps canceled by writing the name of the office and the date across them,
just for the novelty of the thing, and that was all that this office ever did.
Funk was a shoemaker and he was promised the postoffice provided he
would build and operate a shoeshop and start a town; but when he learned
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IJl
what the duties of a postmaster involved, he disappeared, leaving the locality
minus a shoeshop, a postoffice and postmaster.
The first postmaster at Herkimer was Adam Keller, succeeded by V. \Y.
Emmert, Dr. R. L. Tayes, Christ. Huber, R. L. Tayes, Henry Dursee and
Albert Stengelmeier, the present incumbent.
In 1879 the neighboring farmers contributed a lot of work for a side-
track, doing the scraping and leveling, and in 1880 a depot was built, with
Charley Tobias as agent.
SOME FIRST EVENTS.
The first residence on the townsite was built by Adam Keller ; the first
business house — a general store — by Wesley Ulsh in 1880; H. Amelunxen
built a double one-story frame store on the east side, soon after. John
Huber built a hardware store and tinshop, and Aug. Fisher a blacksmith
shop on the west side. In 1881 V. W. Emmert started a lumber yard, and
erected a warehouse for handling grain. Dr. R. L. Tayes built a drug store
and office in 1883; Herman Engel was the first harness maker in town, he
came in 1884. About that time Charles and Anton Huber erected a two-
story double frame store, the second story being used for theatre and public
gatherings. A steam-grain elevator was moved from Hanover to Herkimer
in 1889 by \V. H. Koeneke, Hon. William Raemer joining him in the grain
business in 1892. The German Evangelical church was built in 1890 at a
cost of two thousand five hundred dollars. The German Lutheran church
was built in 1892, costing (including parsonage and parochial school house)
about five thousand dollars.
On April 26, 1902, a fire destroyed every business building- in town
except the elevator and Doctor Tayes' drug store, causing a loss exceeding
forty thousand dollars, and to this day the town has not fully recovered.
Business firms represented in Herkimer on January 1, 191 7, are Herki-
mer State Bank, G. J. Hoerath, president; H. W. Koeneke, cashier; general
merchandise, George J. Hoerath ; hardware and postoffice. Albert Stengel-
meier; garage and automobile, J. H. Krug; barber shop, Fred Woellner;
shoe shop, George Burger; implements, Nick Miller : blacksmith, Christ
Peterson; meat market, Henry Schierkolk; restaurant, Mrs. John Prell;
drug store, R. L. Tayes ; lumber yard, Ernest Koeneke ; electric light plant
and pool hall, John Krug; grain elevator, Farmers Union.
Herkimer has always maintained an excellent school. From a one-
I--' MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
her school with intermediate grades, it has grown to a two-teacher school,
carrying pupils through the preparatory high school work. The comfortable
building is thoroughly equipped and trained teacher- employed.
VILLAGE OF HULL.
This little village, located on the Union Pacific railway, six mile- north
mi Marysville, is named for a great manufacturing city in England.
It was laid out on section 3. township _'. range 7. by John Nfisbitt, on
the above-described land, which originally was the Paddy Donovan home-
stead. Donovan came here in [860 and was a well-known character in the
north half of the county, lie -old hi- land to John Nesbitt, who induced
the railway company to put in a switch in [884. Nesbitt sold the land to
Terry Hutchinson, who later sold it to II. P. Benson. S. (". McCarter built
the first residence in Hull and John King erected the first store. R. ( '•. Will-
iams built the second store in [886 and II. P. Benson having been appointed
po tmaster and R. fi. Williams, deputy, the postoffice was kept in William's
-tore. Benson served as postmaster until 1895, when II. C. Small was
appointed. The railway station was built in 1898. William Schwindamann
is the present station agent.
In [867 a log sclmol house was built on the original Paddy Donovan
farm. Ruth Iiigham was the first teacher. There were ten pupils in attend-
ance. Once a week William Burroughs walked from Marysville and taught
singing by the old do, re, mi method. Literary societies were held and once
in awhile, a spelling hee.
There were five resident families. There was no bridge and a terry
was used for crossing the Blue river.
The first elevator was built in iS<»t by David Daikers and operated by
him until [894, when he sold out to the Nebraska Elevator Company, which
built a much larger elevator, which they own now. The foreman i- John
Wassenberg.
C. 1!. Travelute :iu<\ wife were among the first settlers of .Mar-hall
county. They lived in Hull from [889 until their death in [899.
Among other early settler- were Charles Emery, who lived in a lo<j-
cabin for many years, tie was badly injured by the falling of a platform
in Prank Schmidt- grove, while attending a centennial celebration on July
4, [876, and later died from injuries received then. Peter Blodgett, Frank
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1 73
Butterfiekl, William Helms. Finlay McDonald, were other earlv settlers,
who homesteaded near the present site of Hull.
In 1 89 1 Hull having become a logical shipping point for the surround-
ing country, the commissioners were petitioned to build a bridge over the
Blue river, which they refused to do. The farmers were obliged to ferry
their grain across the river from the farms on the west. So three energetic
men united their efforts, donated liberally, and secured donations from others,
for a bridge fund. These three men were Andrew J. Travelute, H. P. Ben-
son and Grant Williams. A. J. Travelute collected the money; H. P. Ben-
son donated all the stone; Grant Williams gave tools, nails, spikes and like
necessary material. One stone mason was hired, all other labor being-
donated by farmers. The east approach to the bridge was finished during
the fall of 1891. Through the efforts of Hamilton Auld, a county commis-
sioner, the west approach was built and bridge completed the following year.
Frederick Heitcamp operated a general store at that time.
The town is well situated, has always been a good marketing point for
grain and stock. John Wassenberg owns the only general store at present
in Hull.
TOWN OF IRVING.
In August, 1859, ten citizens of Lyon city, Iowa, agreed to organize
a town on government land in the West. Of this number, three were law-
yers, two merchants, two doctors, one teacher, one preacher, one hotel keeper.
The plan of the new town was carefully drawn and after several ballot-
ings the name Irving, in honor of Washington Irving, was agreed upon.
W. W. Jerome was elected agent to go west and locate, on land, the city
of Irving, which city, located on paper, he carefully carried with him.
Gen. S. C. Pomeroy, afterwards United States senator from Kansas, who
was then a land agent, personally conducted Mr. Jerome, in his own con-
veyance, drawn by a team of mules, over the valleys of Blue and Kansas
rivers. Jerome finally decided to recommend the present site of Irving, and
in December, 1859. ten of the founders left Lyons and proceeded by rail to
St. Joseph, Missouri, and thence by team to Irving.
The first house was built of hewn logs, nineteen by twenty-four feet,
and was used as a hotel. A frame building was next completed, the lumber
having been hauled from Atchison.
In February, i860, by act of the Territorial Legislature, W. W. Jerome,
IJ4 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
C. I'.. Gaylord, J. 11. Flint, J. T. Wilson, L. A. Ellis, M. D. Abbott, VV. S.
Robinson, C. Raymond, Joel Parker, C. M. Giffbrd, f. II. Baker, 15. W.
Powers and S. II. Warren were created a corporate body for the village
of Irving.
The summer of t86o was very dry and hot, and many settlers became
discouraged. In July of that year a severe storm did great damage to the
town, blowing down houses, unroofing other-, and some of the colonists
returned to Iowa. Others moved to different locations, hut the majority
remained and pushed bravely forward in the work of building homes.
It was through the influence of Doctor Parker that the Wetmore Insti-
tute was built in (86l. It was a normal training school for young ladies.
It was named in honor of A. R. Wetmore. of Xew York, who lent financial
assistance to the building. Dr. Charles Parker had charge of the school.
Rev. J. L. Chapman, Professor Creegan and the Misses Blakely were some
of the instructors, all highly educated and accomplished teachers. The
school was as well patronized as could be in a district so scant in population.
The principal drawback to its success seems to have been the absence of
young i^irls to receive instruction. The cyclone of 1S70 destroyed a por-
tion of the building, and in [880 it was entirely destroyed by fire. It lias
never been rebuilt, but to the people of Irving belongs the credit of having
the fust permanent church and the first institution for higher education in
Marshall county.
I.XCORPORATED AS A CITY.
Irving was incorporated as a city of the third class in 1871, George
C. Crowther being elected as the first mayor. The first city election is all
that was ever carried out by Irving as a city. The dfficers elected did not
qualify, the charter was surrendered and Irving remained a village.
In the fall of 1S07 the railroad, under the name of the Central Branch
of the Union Pacific was completed to Irving. The railroad company refused
to build a depot in IrviiiL'. Unless a deed to half the town was made to it.
This was refused and the company located the depot one and one-half miles
southeast of the city. Senator Pomeroy exerted his influence and had the
d< ■ t moved to Irving. It soon burned and a new one was built. Lightning
struck it and it also burned. Irving now has its third depot.
In [886 the Lincoln and Manhattan branch of the Union Pacific rail-
road was completed, giving Irving a north and south railroad.
The postofnce at Irving was established in [860, with \Y. I). Abbott.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1 75
postmaster. His successors were as follow: S. H. Warren, H. E. Smith,
S. H. Warren, John Thompson, Thomas Gaylord, E. \V. Stephens, Florence
McMillan. Herbert Haylor, Hugh Thomson and F. R. Koutz. Irving
became a money order office in 1872. and the first order was sent by Levi
Chase. August 5, that year.
The census enumerator for 1916 reported the population as three hun-
dred and fifty-nine.
W. W. Jerome, who selected the site of Irving, afterwards attended
the organization, at LeRoy, New York, of the Genesee town colonv and
became one of its members and a director, never dreaming that this colony
would locate within five miles of Irving and become the present Blue Rapids
city. The close proximity of Blue Rapids, and its first years of prosperity,
drew settlers from Trving and was in a measure responsible for the slow
growth of the latter town. Jerome was later elected county attorney of
Marshall county.
GREENWOOD CEMETERY.
On June 28, 1876, at a formal meeting of citizens, J. S. Warden reported
that Enoch S. Hunt had offered the present cemetery grounds for three hun-
dred dollars. The offer was accepted. On July 8, a charter was granted
by the state and the following officers were elected : President, Charles
Preston ; vice-president, Thaddeus Day ; secretary, C. E. Gaylord ; treasurer,
James S. Warden ; superintendent, J. S. Williams. The foregoing officers
with Levi Chase and Collins Smith constituted a board of directors. The
cemetery is under careful supervision and is beautified and kept sacred as the
last earthly resting place of those who are called away.
CYCLONE.
On May 30, 1879, Irving was visited by one of the worst cyclones ever
recorded. The storm aproached the town from the west and when it had
passed beyond the limits of Irving, that pleasant and thriving village was
left a mass of ruin, death and desolation. The town was in time partially
rebuilt, but never fully recovered from the diaster.
TELEPHONE SERVICE.
The Irving Telephone Company was organized on February 28, 1904.
The officers of the company were J. F. Hoyt, president; Joseph Miksovsky.
17" MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
secretary; R. Kapitan. treasurer. This company absorbed the Czech Com-
pany, whose lines operated west of Irving and the llawkinson Brothers
Telephone Company, with lines east of Blue river, and a switch in Irving,
managed by -Mrs. Xettie Huffmier.
At the present time the Irving Telephone Company owns the system
at Irving and Cleburn and connects with Blue Rapids, Frankfort, Bigelow and
Fostoria. The present officers of the company are J. F. Hoyt, president; J.
Pishney, Jr., vice-president: M. T. Sheaffer, secretary, and M. Filley, treas-
urer. The capital stock is twenty thousand dollars, and is all owned by
the members of the company, who are farmers.
BUSINESS LIST, I9I/.
The following is the list of business houses of Irving in January, 1917:
General merchandise — Peterson & Son. Frank Thompson. R. A. Hol-
lenberg.
Furniture store and grocery — Hugh Thomson.
Farmers elevator — J. C. Shepard, manager.
Undertaker and harness shop — F. F. Blazier.
Livery stable — Piper ec Webb.
F« tundry — Frank Oswalt.
Meat market — O. S. Boyd.
Restaurant — Mrs. D. Walker.
General produce, cream and poultry business — Mrs. C. J. Murphy. Fred
Prebble.
I 'riming office — P. W. Forbes, proprietor.
Physicians — Robert Leith, John C. Phillebourn.
Decorator — Maynard Sabin.
Hotels- .Mrs. .M. E. Lees, Mrs. Belle Blaney.
Barber shop — Arthur Alleman & G. Duffy.
Hardware — W. T. Blaney.
( >arage — E. W. Dexter.
Insurance — Irving State Bank, W. W. Dedrick.
Shoe "hop — E. ( ). Paxton, L. S. Ward.
Lumber — Irving Lumber Company. Price Durham, manager.
I arpenter shop — George Edwards.
Carpenters — G. Edwards, S. B. Strader, J. X. Smith.
Photograph gallery — Fllen Stiles.
Electric theater — Fred J. Piper, manager.
CITY HALL, IRVING. GIFT OF MRS. C. N. PALMER.
KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS HALL AT IRVING.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1 77
VILLAGE OF LILLIS.
The pretty little village of Lillis on the Topeka-Marysville "cut off",
was chartered on October 29, 1906.
The tow n was named in honor of Rt. Rev. Bishop T. F. Lillis, of Kan-
sas City.
The townsite was platted on the land of Ed. Walsh, on the former site
of Wyoming. The first house was erected by Patrick Brannan and the first
store building by the Lillis Townsite Company and managed by E. C.
McKeon.
Lillis has a fine two-teacher school, fully equipped and furnished. Rosa
Haynes, who teaches the primary room, has thirty-three pupils. Leo. J.
Mackey has the grades, with an enrollment of twenty-four pupils. A lively
interest is taken in the school by the patrons and residents of the town.
The large elevator is owned and operated by Barrett & Walker.
The two leading stores are owned, respectively, by C. W. Granger and
T. J. Smith.
Searle & Chapin, of Lincoln, Nebraska, own the lumber yard, which is
managed by W. T. Hartman.
The bank is located in a fine brick building erected in 1910.
H. Thomas is the village blacksmith.
Vida Alexander is the very efficient and obliging postmistress.
MARIETTA.
This thriving little village, which was named for Mrs. Marietta Mann.
is located on the Lincoln & Manhattan branch of the Union Pacific railway,
nine miles north of Marysville.
In 1888 the Union Pacific railway being unable to buy land for side
tracks at Oketo, located the tracks one and one-half miles south of Oketo.
Angus McLeod, T. J. Mann and Jacob Lawson platted forty acres of land
for town lots. Side tracks were laid and a depot built. McLeod Brothers
put up an elevator and for several years did a big business buying and ship-
ping grain. Stockyards were built and James Buchanan carried on an exten-
sive business in shipping cattle.
In 1 88 1 a postoffice was established, with C. T. Mann as postmaster.
(12)
I~S MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
The postoffice was conducted in the depot and later was moved to the store
of Charles Pritchard. The first general store was started in [892 by Charles
Pritchard, who was succeeded by \V. G. Hunter, who was followed by U.
S. Kieard. Ricard 'being succeeded by the Hull Brothers.
In [889 the Peavy Elevator Company buill a grain elevator, wliich was
purchased by the Farmers Elevator Company in iqio. the same company
having bought the McLeod Brothers elevator in 1 S«j<>. The bridge acn ss
the Blue river was built in [892.
In 1909 the Marietta State Bank was organized with B. R. Bull as
president and \\ . S. Kirby a-- cashier. The United Evangelical church was
built in [901, with Rev. Charles Taylor as pastor. There is no school in
the town.
Cottrell Brothers put in a lumber yard in 11)14.
The business firms at present are: General store. S. W. Hull: hard-
ware. V. A. Bull; lumber yard. Cottrell Brothers; meat market, barber shop,
elevator company.
TOWN OF MIX A.
The little town of Mina i> a trading point between Axtell and Summer-
field, <>n the Kansas City & Northwestern railroad. It was laid out for a
town in [889 by VV. G. Wooley and Newman Erb. It was named for
"Mina," wife of J. R. Sittler, who bought grain and had a warehouse at
"Sittler's siding" in the fall of [888, and who built the grain elevator in
[889, and. which still stands. This elevator is now owned by the \V. R.
1 '. itmell estate.
A railroad depot wa^ built in [889 with L. D. Rouse, who had charge
of the grain elevator, as agent. In [890 A. C. Axtell erected a store build-
ing and Mr. Rouse quit the railroad and started in the general merchandise
business in the new building. Miss Maggie Ibert was next made telegraph
operator for one year. After the expiration of the year the railroad com-
pany had no agent at Mina until December 19. [916, when James E. Stirrat
was appointed.
I.. 1 >. Rouse erected the first residence in Mina just north of the store.
This house is now owned by 1 >. G. 1 >avis. of Axtell. Kansas.
The firsl inhabitants of Mina were three in number. I.. D. Rouse, his
wife and --on. In January. 1017. the inhabitants of Mina numbered thirteen.
A blacksmith shop was built by farmers in [894 with Albert Craig in
charge as blacksmith.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1 79
CHURCH ERECTED.
Through the efforts of Miss Emma Detweiler a church fund was started
in 1894, which resulted in the erection of a building, which was dedicated
and paid for on June i6, 1895, with a membership of sixty-eight. The last
seven hundred dollars was raised on dedication day. This is the only church
in Mina, and is of the Christian denomination. Evangelist O. F. Cook was
its first pastor and he was followed by Reverend Beach. In January, 191 7,
this church had a thriving Sunday school with forty pupils; Peter Godbout
is superintendent.
The school house was built in 189,8; May Stevenson (now Mrs. J. Man-
ford Hall), -of Hoxie, Kansas, taught the first two terms. The present
teacher is Miss Velma Winney.
The postorfice. of the fourth class, was established in 1889; L. D. Rouse
was first postmaster, followed by Miss Maggie Ihert, Wilmot,
Peter Olston, Gustave Siegenhagen, D. G. Davis, A. R. Walker, William
H. McAtee. and the present postmistress, Miss Mable McKibben.
Mina excels many a much larger town in its shipping of grain and stock.
It has only one store of general merchandise, and it is operated by the Farm-
ers union, with B. C. Graham as overseer; James Stirrat, manager, and Miss
Ruth Graham, clerk.
THE OLD TOWN OF OKETO.
Oketo is one of the oldest points to claim settlement in the county. Dur-
ing the Mormon exodus and early rush for Western gold-fields, many travel-
ers took a short cut from a point which afterwards became Robidoux Station,
and which was a mile north of what became Guittard Station, to this crossing.
There were hunters, trappers and Indians along the Blue river in those
days and this crossing was favorably located for winter quarters, having the
advantage of being on a trail where the hunters could sell game and hides.
In 1857 J- H- White settled on what became section 13, Oketo town-
ship. By this time other "squatters" had come in and William Bond, Val
Poor and others had taken land and some attempts at permanent settlement
made. This Oketo was located about a mile south of the present Oketo and
was named after an Otoe Indian chief, Arkaketah.
In the early sixties I. H. Whitehead came to the ford, built a store,
barn and residence, if the very humble place may be given so dignified a term.
l8o M VRSH \l.I. COUNTY, KANSAS.
These buildings were on the east side of the Blue. The nearest postoffice
on tlie easl was Guittard Station and on the south, Marysville. In 1862 Ben
Holladay decided to construct the < Jketo "cut-off" on the Overland stage line
and employed George Guittard to do the work. The road being opened,
Whitehead was put in charge of the station and also managed the ferry which
Holladay had built. With Whitehead was associated Henry Bivins.
Two saloons were in operation, one on the east side and one on the west
side of the Blue. Keen business sense was evidenced in this arrangemenl as
the same parties owned both. On the east side twenty cents was charged for
a drink of whiskey and on the west twenty-five cents was the toll. Going
east, passengers could soon obtain refreshment, hut westward the stations
were farther apart and there was a consequent lapse of time between drinks.
The little settlement with its big barn, blacksmith shop and store, was
attractive and scores of Indians congregated there to barter, quench their
thirst with "tarantula juice." and watch for the Overland stage.
historians' contention refuted.
Although some historians claim that the Oketo cut-off, which became
quite noted, was discontinued by Holladay after four month-. Mrs. Lee
Holladay, who was Mrs. Whitehead until his death, declare- positively thai
Holladay did not discontinue the use of this cut-off until the Overland stage
was finally discontinued by reason of the building of the Union Pacific rail-
road in r866. This statement is borne out by Mr. Frank Thomann, of Sum-
merfield, and by oilier old settlers along the stage route.
In the fall of [864 Whitehead -old OUl to Asa Simpson and in the sum-
mer of [865 the barn was burned. The store and dwelling had also been
set on fire, hut were saved by the stage boys.
There being no barn on the east side Holladay moved the station to the
west side of the river to the farm of William 'Bond, which is now owned by
Peter Champagne.
With the passing of the stage, the big barn, the store and the ferry, the
original Oketo declined a- a business point and is now so much of the past.
that all which recall- it in memory is the reminiscent tale of an old settler.
Mrs. Whitehead, who later became the wife of T. L. Holladay, recalls
the foregoing and the historian i- indebted to her for the facts.
The only other resident of old Oketo is J, H. White, who came to Mar-
shall county in [859, located on what became section 13, Oketo township,
built a little shanty on the \cr\ spot where he now has a comfortable frame
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 161
dwelling. White is a Canadian by birth and rumor says he was well able to
defend his rights among the somewhat turbulent population of those days.
Once, while in Lon Cottrell's drug store in Marysville. William Bond
attacked him and White whipped out his gun and shot him. The wound did
not prove fatal but in a later fray with another man, the bullet is said to
have hit the mark.
White was for many years the mail carrier between Oketo and Marys-
ville, and while enough undersized to prevent his enlistment in the army, White
made his daily trips along the Blue unmolested.
White has parted with his original homestead of one hundred and sixty
acres with the exception of forty acres on which he resides. He will reach
his eighty-first birthday on July 7, 1917. He is totally blind and is cared
for by a devoted granddaughter.
OKETO OF TODAY.
The present Oketo is located ten miles north of Marysville on the Blue
Vallev branch of the Union Pacific railroad and is in sharp contrast with the
old settlement on the river bank.
This fine little city is located on the hill and has well-kept streets, clean,
up-to-date business houses, a substantial bank, three grain elevators, flour-
mill, lumber yard, implement stores, harness shop, blacksmith shop, barber
shop, drug store, hotel and a wideawake newspaper. Better than these,
Oketo owns a fine electric light plant, with arc lights on all business corners
and has a well-graded school and competent teachers, a well-attended Meth-
odist church, a high-class citizenship and a full city government of women.
The clean little town with substantial, even pretentious homes and well-
kept lawns, situated on a hill commanding a wide view of the surrounding
country, challenges the admiration of the visitor.
In 1 866 Irving Chapman built a dam across the Blue and put up a flour-
mill. The discontinuance of the old Oketo postoftice left the entire stretch
of country between Liberty, Nebraska, and Marysville without mail and with-
out any general store.
Z. H. Moore was then a resident of Barneston, and as soon as possible
after the building of the Chapman mill he came to Oketo and established a
store. He later built a house and brought his family there permanently. At
that time Chapman kept the postoftice in the mill.
[g2 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
SETTLEMENT INCREASED.
The firm of Moore & Esterbrook opened the fine stone quarries and this
industry soon diverted settlement to that point. This industry was a valu-
able one to the growing town. The quality of the stone was unsurpassed
and found a ready market in Lincoln, Beatrice, Grand Island and other towns
of Kansas and Nebraska A large number of men were employed in the
quarries.
Like n am other deposits of building stone in the county, while it was
of fine quality, there was not a large quantity and the quarries are not now in
i iperatii in.
A number of the best business houses of Oketo and also some dwellings
are built of the native stone. The hank building, postorfice and city hall are
built of this stone and retain the original fineness of quality and add much
to the attractiveness of the town.
The M>. oris were the first business men who located in Oketo. They
were engaged in the mercantile business, opened up the stone quarries, were
active in the affairs of the town and soon became prominent in the county.
I\. B. Moore served as county commissioner and represented the county in
the Legislature. He served his country in a Pennsylvania regiment during
the Civil War.
It may he truly said that X. ]!. Moore ntimhered the majority of the
citizens of the county among his friends throughout a long and useful life.
and his death was deeply deplored. A man of upright character, gentle man-
ners and of dee]) religious conviction, he attracted the better class of people
and he and his wife held an enviable place in the estimation of the county.
\irs. .Mo,, it is die type of woman who inspires the esteem of all who know
her. She has been lovingly called the "Mother of Oketo," because of her
great kindness and gracious hospitality. The citizens of the town testified
to their appreciation .if her worth by electing her mayor of the city in April.
■ 017. The Moores are Quakers in religious faith. Two sons, Edgar and
Howard, are young, promising business men of Oketo. R. B. Moore is at
1 resent a resident of I , ,peka.
EARLY BUSINESS MEN.
Among the older business men of Oketo will he recalled: Wilson and
Kuhlman, who operated one of the quarries: Joseph Guittard, who built the
large stone house to the left of the road as ( Iketo is entered from the south.
STORE AND RESIDENCE OF Z. H. MOORE, ERECTED 1876, FIRST BUILDINGS ON
PRESENT SITE OF OKETO.
MARSHALL COlTNTY, KANSAS. 1 83
Guittard was associated with the Chapmans in the mill. Irving Chapman
was one of the original men of the town and operated the mill, which after-
wards became the property of his brother, Chauncy Chapman, who moved
to Oketo from Hanover. Chauncy Chapman was a familiar figure in public
affairs in the county until his death.
The mill is now the property of the Oketo Milling Company, which
also owns one of the elevators. E. H. Moore is the manager of both these
concerns, of which the Moores are the owners.
Of the two other elevators, W. \V. White is manager of the Farmers
Union Elevator and F. L. Root, of the Nebraska Elevator.
Among other day business men of Oketo will be recalled : Allen and
Farrant, groceries ; Norman and Will Brooks, meat market ; Hedge and
Eychaner, lumber ; E. H. Bach, harness and saddlery ; Bartlett and Hedge,
general merchandise ; E. D. Woodman & Son, general merchandise ; John W.
Kelley. furniture ; Brown Brothers, druggists ; Gearhart Steinbach, shoe-
maker; E. E. Brooks, barber; Stowell and Benson, livery; Dunnick & Dun-
nick, farm implements ; J. W. Chambers, physician ; Henry Thomas, black-
smith; Anderson" & Company, millers. This firm was Peter Anderson and
Chauncy Chapman.
Of these former business men, Frank Allen now lives in Topeka ; Hedge
is still in Oketo ; E. E. Woodman is a prominent farmer in the south half,
while the father is dead. Francis Benson is now superintendent of the county
infirmary; Henry Thomas lives in Lillis and the Browns are in California;
good old Doctor Chambers is no more, and with him rests John Kelley.
PROMINENT FAMILIES.
Prominent and well-known families of Oketo are the DeLairs. The
DeLair families are residents of the town who have done much to build up
and foster the welfare of its citizens.
J. P. DeLair owns the large general merchandise store opposite the
bank and employs two clerks to assist in the business. The stock invoices
between six and ten thousand dollars annually.
William DeLair was for many years the well-known and popular miller
at the Excelsior mills.
The Farmers Co-operative Mercantile Association carries on a general
store, which is run on a cash basis. O. E. Hardesty is the manager, assisted
by Ted White, George Blackman, Ellen Schafer and Cynthia Brubaker.
Miss Olive Waters is the very efficient postmistress. George Williams
184 M \KSII ALL (Ol'NTY, KANSAS.
runs the blacksmith shop. Morgan Hedge & Son are engaged in the lumber
and coal trade. Clement DeLair, a son of Susan Del.air, conducts a furniture
store. Ray Kiev handles hardware and implements and sells automobiles.
Cecil Shandony runs a restaurant. Carl Xaaf has a garage, and Fred
Schafer, a butcher shop. Will Farrant is engaged in the harness business,
and Clarence Long has a neat barber shop. Kdgar Hardenbrook is the
druggist. He was formerly the police judge and was succeeded by his wife
in the April election. R. E. .Montgomery is editor and proprietor of the
Oketo Eagle. Rev. Frank Jackson is the resident pastor of the Methodist
Episcopal church. The presenl population of Oketo is two hundred and
sixty-nine. The present resident physician is O. P. Wood. M. D.
Among those who, living in and around the city, have contributed largely
to its prosperity are: Peter Champagn, William E. Smith, Thomas and John
Howes, Araminta Dolan, J. G. Schmidler, Vancel Malecky, Joseph Zara-
borickey, T. J. and J. Suggett and Thomas Devers. .
It may be added that when the old Oketo was abandoned, the postofrice
was removed to the present town.
Old Oketo was somewhat a rendevouz for the flotsam and jetsam of the
age. The present city of Oketo is ample evidence of the fact that good farm-
ers and legitimate business industries will soon be followed by schools and
churches and wholesome moral influence.
Oketo of today is the result of conscientious effort on the part of good
men and women, to build homes and create a pleasant community center in
which to live.
GOVERNMENT BY WOMEN.
The election of April, IQ17, resulted in the following city ticket being
elected: Mayor, Mrs. '/.. H. Moore; clerk, Mrs. O. P. Wood; police judge,
Mrs. Hardenbrook; city council. Mrs. F. L. Root, Mrs. E. 11. Moore, Mrs.
W. W. White, Mrs. O. E. Hardesty and Mrs. W. W. Ely.
The present city of Qketo was incorporated in 1890 with three hundred
and six inhabitants. The first officers were: F. P>. Tatman, mayor; E.
Burke, police judge; council. M. C. Brainard, W. J. Dunnuck, J. H. Moore,
Ray Kiev. !•'. M. Schafer. C. M. Del.air a, id E. Hedge.
THE PALMETTO COLONY.
In the Spring of [856 the Palmetto Town Company was organized in
Atchison with eighty-four members, nearly all Southerners. They were
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1 85
mostly young men who had come into the territory in the interests of the
South. Thirty-five members came out from Atchison and arrived at
Palmetto on July 8, 1856, among whom may be mentioned, J. S. Magill, J.
P. Miller. O. D. Prentis, Albert Morall, W. B. Jenkins, J. R. Alston, John
Vanderhorst, A. S. Vaught and R. Y. Shibley. Of this colony only one,
R. Y. Shibley, now resides in Marysville and nearly all are dead.
The colony filed upon and laid out a townsite, for which Shibley, who
was then a boy. paid. Shibley had left his home in South Carolina in search
of adventure and the stirring scenes of the territory appealed to him. He
had a monthly allowance from relatives. This was known to the others in
the party, who induced him to pay for the pre-emption and it was entered in
the land office on September 25, as the town of Palmetto.
The progress of the new town was slow. Finances were at a low ebb
and Shiblev's allowance soon disappeared, when levied on by the thirsty mem-
bers of the Palmetto Company.
PIONEER PASTIMES.
In 1856 Doctor Miller built a log cabin on the claim, this being the only
improvement made during the year. Wagons furnished shelter for all, and
the time was spent in bartering with the Indians, talking with emigrants and
assuaging a constant and ever-increasing thirst. The game of quoits, or as
it was then called, "pitching horse-shoe," furnished amusement for the many
idle hours with which these pioneers were amply endowed.
About this time F. J. Marshall, John and James Doniphan, who had
formed a company and were incorporated on August 27, 1855, bought up
one hundred shares of the Palmetto Company's stock, which gave them a
controlling interest.
The Marshall-Doniphan Company then had an addition of three hun-
dred and twenty acres laid off, on the north half of section 33, township 2,
range 7. The northwest one-quarter was Marysville addition to the town
of Palmetto, and the northeast one-quarter was Ballard & Morrall's addition
to the city of Marysville. ( Morrall was one of the Palmetto Company.)
This scheme and the then powerful influence of Marshall soon made Marys-
ville the leading portion of this tract.
SCHROYER.
The village of Schrover, on the Lincoln and Manhattan branch of the
Union Pacific railroad, is located near the Big Blue river, six miles south of
[86 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Marysville. It was laid out by Philip Schroyer on his farm in 1896, the
same year the railroad was built.
Edward Dargatz erected the first general merchandise store and resi-
lience and was then appointed postmaster.
A Mr. LaRue followed with a blacksmith shop and G. B. Stocks, of Blue
Rapids, built a shed and cribs and bought grain.
Mr. Dargatz succeeded Stocks. He sold to rlammett Brothers, who
built and operated an elevator, and bought and shipped grain and live stock
for many years. They sold out to the Farmers Union, which is conducting
the elevator at present.
Krause Brothers succeeded Dargatz in the mercantile business and they
were succeeded by Gottlieb Ziegler. who sold to A. Ham.
Joseph Barta built a store on the bottom near the depot in 1889 and he
is now the only merchant in the town, lie has a stock of general merchan-
dise, hardware and farm implements and has been the postmaster for four-
teen years.
BRIDGE BUILT.
In iqoo a steel bridge costing three thousand dollars was built across
the river, the county paying two thousand dollars toward it and the balance
was donated by the neighboring farmers and the business men of the town.
Peter Schroyer was the financial surety to the county for the amount neces-
sary above what the county furnished.
With the bridge came new business. Stores, butcher shop, barber shop,
implement store and a new blacksmith shop, pool hall and restaurant were
opened up, and later a Methodist church and school house were built, and for
a number of years Schroyer remained quite an important trading point.
Then the automobile came and with it disaster to the small town. At one
time Schroyer had a population of one hundred and twenty-live. At present
there are foe Maria's store and postoffice, Farmers Union elevator. Methodist
church and school house and the depot, while the population has diminished
to a total of forty-one souls.
Schroyer is still a good grain market, handling about one hundred cars
annually. The town was named Schroyer in honor of the well-known pio-
neer family of that name, and many of the family still live near it.
LONE GRAVE CEMETERY.
This ground, on the highest point in the surrounding country, was laid
out, a stone wall built, and cedars and other shrubbery planted to beautify
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 187
it, by Philip Schroyer, who intended it as a family burying ground for the
Schroyer family.
There is but one grave within the walls, that of an infant. The de-
ceased members of the Schroyer family have been interred in the Marysville
cemetery. Mr. Schroyer is still living', making his home in Oklahoma. This
is indeed a lone grave cemetery.
SUMMER FIELD CITY.
Summerfield is located in the northeast part of Marshall county, partly
in St. Bridget and Richland townships. The Missouri Pacific railroad runs
through the city ; this branch is commonly known as the Kansas City &:
Northwestern. The Kansas-Nebraska state line bounds the city limits on
the north.
The town was named in honor of Elias Summerfield, who was at that
time superintendent of the railroad, which was completed to Virginia, Neb-
raska, its present terminal. The date on which the first train came into the
town was near the first of the year 1889.
In the year 188S the Summerfield Townsite Company was formed and
purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, located in St. Bridget town-
ship, from John Smiley and eighty acres from Capt. C. F. McCulloch. On
this land the original town was laid out. Two additions have been made
to the original plat. One known as Smiley's Addition and the other as
Joseph's Addition, and this land, comprising about sixty-seven acres, was
purchased from \Y. H. Joseph in Richland township, which joins St. Bridget
township on the west.
INCORPORATED.
Jn the spring of 1890 the town was incorporated and the following
officers were elected: Mayor, R. G. Cunningham; clerk, J. M. Kendall; city
council, I. Jay Nichols, H. E. Adams, C. J. O'Neil, D. Swartout and E. M.
Miller. E. H. Rundle was appointed marshal. The population of the town
at the time of incorporation was about one hundred persons.
The first firm of grain buyers were Davis & Gilchrist, from Seneca ;
George Hibbard was their manager.
The first elevator for grain was built for O'Xcil Brothers, who also
owned and operated a hardware and implement store. The second ele-
[88 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
vator was built in [893, for the Brunswig Elevator Company, Frank Tho-
inann, manager. \ third elevator was built in [893, known as the Farm-
ers Elevator. After some time the latter organization disbanded.
Among those who early located in Summerfield were Dr. J. II. Mur-
phy and Dr. William Johnston.
The first carpenters were David Wilson, George Van Allen, lames
Monroe and Webster Brothers.
The first draymen were Charles Travelute, George Curtis and a col-
ored man named John Nelson.
The first postmaster was Capt. James Hemphill.
The first child horn in the town was a son to Mr. and Mrs. Frank
Heard. The baby was named Summerfield in honor of the town.
first NEWSPAPER.
The first newspaper was published by Edward and Harry Felt, sons of
Hon. A. J. Felt, of Seneca, former lieutenant-governor of Kansas. The
office was in the second story of the I. Jay Nichols building, and the pro-
prietors shared the floor with a hardware and implement dealer. The name
of the paper was the Summerfield Sun, and it was a bright, newsy sheet.
The first story of the building was used as a livery ham and \i:cd stable. It
was totally destroyed by fire in [892. The paper is now published by C. E.
Jones.
A. A. Gearhart built a livery barn on the same site and a few years
later it was binned and Mr. Gearhart lost a number of horses in the tire.
Later, the present livery barn was built on the same site.
A great lire occurred on June 29, 1894, when almost the entire busi-
ness portion of the city was reduced lo ashes. The fire started in the store
building owned by II. II. Lowrey, which was situated on the corner now
occupied by the Berens store, and destroyed every store building north to
the J. II. Moon stone structure, then in process of building, now occupied
by R. W. Nelson.
The following is a list of the -tores burned: II. II. Lowrey, general
merchandise; R. W. Hemphill, variety and hook store: Wuester & Tho-
mann, drugs; Frank Thomann, hardware: I. II. Moore & Sons, general
merchandise. The loss was near one hundred thousand dollars.
The ruins had hardly quit smoking when preparations were begun for
larger and more substantial buildings.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 189
EARLY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES.
Many buildings were in course of construction before train service
began. Tbe building material was hauled from Beattie and Axtell, as
were groceries and provisions.
The first store building was erected by Heard & McGinty. E. J.
Smiley and J. J. McClennan ran a grocery store in the basement of the old
Smiley house now owned by A. B. Garrison.
An auction sale of town lots was held in February, 1889; William
Speak, of Axtell, was the auctioneer.
Among early business firms were the following:
Cunningham & Mohrbacher, general mercantile business and harvest-
ing machinery.
Smiley & Lock conducted a large mercantile establishment.
H. H. Lourey & Company, dry goods, groceries and furnishing goods.
J. H. Moore & Son, general merchandise.
Swartout, Smith & Son, general merchandise.
Summerfieid Sun, weekly; editor, Ed Felt.
Wuester & Thomann, pharmacists.
J. H. Murphy, druggist.
F. Baringer, groceries.
Welsh & Brady, general merchandise.
C. J. & J. C. O'Neil, department stores.
Fleming & Adams, lumber ; successors to Russell & Schutt.
E. M. Miller, lumber.
Misses Moriarty & Creevan. millinery and dressmaking.
Mrs. Annie E. Sidwell, milliner.
Mohrbacher Brothers, photographers.
G. C. Moore, restaurant.
W. A. Huston, restaurant.
August Eisenbacb. bakery and dining-room.
Weston & Shadle, hardware.
Myers & Miller, meat market.
J. J. Nichols, hardware and livery.
Charles Usher, livery barn.
C. W. Washington, John Martin, barbers.
W. H. Smith, variety store.
T. Hutton, blacksmith.
190 M tRSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Henry Maitland, real estate, justice of peace and notary public.
William Johnson, physician.
Jacob Hoffman, billiard parlor.
Burnett House, liotel.
M. \\ . Terry, lawyer.
William Kennemur, paperhanger.
PRESENT-DAY CONDITIONS.
The amount of business transacted in Summerfield is a surprise to
those not familiar with the town. In 1916 the elevators handled about two
hundred thousand bushels of grain. The deposits in the State Hank of
Summerfield during [916 amounted to two hundred and fifty thousand dol-
lars. This makes it the third in line of deposits among the twenty-seven
banks of Marshall county.
While nol a dairy center, fifteen thousand dollars worth of cream was
Si Id during the past year. There are forty business house- in the town and
all arc prosperous.
Summerfield has five miles of sidewalk, well-graded streets, a splendid
park, many fine residences and three churches, with good congregations.
Fifty automobiles are owned in the town. This pretty little city more than
justifies its reputation as being one of the most prosperous and active busi-
- centers of northern Kansas. The people of Marshall county on No-
vember 7. i')i('. elected one of its leading citizens, Hon. F. G. Bergen, to
represent them in the Legislature, as state senator.
TOW X OF VERMILLION.
Vermillion is a pleasant little town of about four hundred inhabitants,
situated in the southeastern part of .Marshall count)' on the Central Branch
railroad, li is one hundred and seventeen miles from Kansas City, ninety
miles from St. Joseph .and seventy miles west of Atchison.
The town was laid out in the fa.!! of [869 by ( T R. Kelley. Theo. Collier
and the railroad company. The original townsite, consisting of two hun-
dred and forty acres. was owned as follows: Railroad company, forty acres:
G. R. Kellev, one hundred and sixty acres; Theo. (.'oilier, fortv acres. Col-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. I9I
Her and Kelley gave one-half of their interests to the railroad company,
which laid out the town, built a depot and side track.
The first building erected on the townsite was built by W. H. Dickinson
in the spring of 1870 and used as a store. Soon after a large building was
erected by Robert Shields for a store. In 1872 this building was used as a
hotel and managed by a Mr. Bryon until 1875.
The first birth was that of Frank, a son of Theo. Collier in August,
1870. The first marriage ceremony took place in 1S75. the contracting
parties being Anderson Duffy and Eva Burt, who are still living in Ver-
million. The first death was that of George Collier in the spring of 1870.
The first postotfice was established in 1870, with Theo. Collier as postmaster.
J. L. Rogers is postmaster, January, 1917.
EARLY SETTLERS AND EARLY EVENTS.
Among the settlers who located in the vicinity of Vermillion prior to
18G0 were J. Knapp, E. Lewis, W. Warren, Major Beattie, I. Blades, J.
Kenworthv, S. Osgood and Samuel Smith.
In the summer of 1874, G. W. Duffy built an elevator with a capacity o'f
three thousand bushels, and operated it until 1878. At present this elevator
is operated by Watson brothers.
In 1895 Ed Horth built an elevator. After changing owners a number
of times, it is now owned by T. j. Smith.
The depot was built in the fall of 1869. Theo. Collier was the first
agent, followed by S. Arnold.
Samuel C. Calderhead, a brother of the historian, was the first tele-
grapher; also the first agent who kept a double-entry system of books. The
present operator is I. N. Moore.
The telephone system was organized by P. H. Hvbskmann and H. D.
Williams. The first connection was made in 1901. The plant was sold to
J. O. Puntney in 1907.
In 1895 three acetylene lights were placed on posts in different parts
of the business section of town. A year later two gasoline lamps were added,
to be followed by lanterns placed near dangerous crossings and bridges.
In the spring of 1914 Forrest Warren, editor of the Vermillion Times,
began agitating the subject of electric lights for the town. As a result of
the untiring efforts of Warren, Mayor Hvbskmann and the city council, bonds
to the amount of seven thousand dollars were voted to build a transmission
line from Frankfort to Vermillion. The completion of this line was cele-
IUJ MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
brated on August 13 and 14, 1914. by a three-days carnival, at which Hon.
\Y. A. Calderhead, of Marysville; Hon. Sheffield Ingalls, of Atchison; Ed
Howe, the well-known editor, also of Atchison, and many other prominent
speakers made addresses. The largest crowd ever gathered in this part of
the county was in attendance.
The city erected a public hall for its use. a room in which was set apart
and donated to the .Mutual Improvement Club for a library room.
SCHOOLS.
School district No. 12 was organized in [864, with only three families
in the district. The school house was built by the United Brethren and used
by them for religious services. Martha Lewis. R. Middleton, W. Spear and
Mrs. J. X. Acker were among the first teachers.
During this time the district was divided and this school building was
moved to one mile west of town.
In 1N72 a new frame building, twenty-four by forty- four feet, was
erected at a cost of two thousand dollars. The first teacher in the new build-
ing was L. B. Holmes. Additions were made to this building until 1903-4.
when the original building was moved onto an adjacent lot and a fine brick
building, modern in every way, was erected and at the present time is under
the Barnes high school law. Prof. C. Kraemer is principal. Fifty-eight
pupils are enrolled in the high school.
THE MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT CLUB.
The Mutual Improvement Club, of Vermillion, is one of the most useful
societies of the town. It was organized in [903 at the home of Mrs. Carrie-
Arnold, with eight members. The objects of the club are the betterment
of local social conditions and mutual mental improvement.
\ public library was soon opened and is maintained by a fee of .me
dollar, paid by each member, by public entertainments and by donations of
bonks and cash by the general public.
The members have been very diligent in keeping up the number and
quality of the books and now have one thousand four hundred volumes,
which have been carefully selected. The library is safely boused in a fire-
proof re Mini in the city hall, which is furnished free of rent by the city. The
club has thirty members. A neat year book is issued annually and the club
and library are considered strong educational factors in the community. The
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. I93
names of the past presidents follow : Ella Acker. Viva McWilliams, Rose
Cook, Carrie Arnold, Anna Dewalt, Lena Granger, Lena McLeod, Lucy May
Curtis, Rose Clifton, Mary Buckles. Margaret Warren. Allie B. Rogers.
Mrs. Rogers is the present president of the club.
CEMETERY ASSOCIATION.
The Vermillion Cemetery Association was organized on March 31, 18S7.
The cemetery is about one mile west of town, is beautifully located and kept
in perfect order. The present officials are : W. H. Dewalt, president : C. S.
Schafer, secretary ; William Acker, treasurer, and G. W. Duffy, C. L. Shafer,
trustees.
THE VERMILLION "GIRL BAND."
This band was organized on April 11, 1914, with nineteen members.
The first officers were : President, Mrs. Carrie Davis ; vice-president, Ethel
Leonard ; secretary. Merle Schafer ; treasurer, Lenora Granger.
Instrumentation. — Grace Buckles, Ethel Tompkins. Merle Schafer, Nina
Warren, Laura Duffy, cornet players: Mabel Warren, Beatrice Clifton, Fern
Hvbskmann, Louise Schuyler, Mrs. Lee Davis, altos; Mildred Mesmer, Lois
Meredith, tenors; Lenora Granger, baritone: Mrs. Arthur Cooke, Edna
Buckles, Stella Curtis, trombones : Mabel Schrair, bass drum ; Hazel Havens,
snare drum.
This band played at the Farm and Home Institute meetings, at a Fourth
of July picnic at Lillis, and accompanied Mr. Henry J. Allen in his campaign
for governor through Marshall county. The band receives many compli-
ments on its membership and musical ability.
FARM AND HOME INSTITUTE.
An organization of more than local importance is the Farm and Home
Institute, which is held annually in Vermillion. The first organization was
formed in 1912, with W. F. Robinson, president and William Acker, secre-
tary.
The first Institute was held in January, 19 13. and was a one-day meet-
ing. The second Institute was held on November 24 and 25, 191 3. The
attendance was larger and a woman's department, as well as grain, vege-
table, fruit and educational departments, was added. At this meeting
Samuel Stewart was elected president and H. C. Schafer, secretary.
(13)
IQ4 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
In 10.14 the Institute was held December 2 and 3 and in 1915 on Octo-
ber jo-ji. By this time the organization was well on its feet. Splendid
programs were arranged, the display of products attractive and about four
thi msand people attended.
The 1916 Institute attracted the attention of the state papers. The
meeting was held on October 24-25-26, and in spite of the dry season a fine
display of farm products was made. The agricultural exhibits were corn,
wheat, oats and rye : and some fine fruit was also shown. The exhibit of
live stock was very fine and the poultry exhibit better than that of the county
fair, in variety and number. The domestic department was well represented
and very creditable. The fine display of needlework received much praise.
A corps of instructors and judges were present from the State Agricul-
tural College and many fine features were added. Lectures on farm, school
and home subjects were given by experts and great credit is due the little
city of Vermillion and her people for their progressive efforts along home
improvement lines.
The following are the officers for 1917: President. E. E. Woodman;
secretary-treasurer, II. S. Bishop; vice-presidents, Andrew Kjellberg, C. R.
Wallace. L. VV. Davis, Everett Nelson, Sam Stewart and E. Schubert.
PRESENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF VERMILLION.
Hardware and farm implements, T. F. Smith.
General merchandise. Granger & Son.
.Meat market and grocery store, [james & Twidwell.
.Meat market and groceries. Nash &: Sons.
Harness shop and men's shoe store, (lien Grable.
Restaurant and hotel. Fount Tate.
Restaurant and hotel. George Duffy.
Furniture and undertaking. .Mis. Richards.
Drug store. Walter Sams.
Garage, Anton Lobbe.
Thoroughbred poultry. J. L; Rogers.
1 .umber. Andrew Johns, ,11.
Wagon-making and repairing. F. M. Andrews.
Garage, Robert Perlett.
Barber, W. B. Malcolm.
Millinery store. Cooke & Ellis.
('ream station, Milo Tate, manager.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1 95
Elevator, Watson Brothers.
Elevator, T. F. Smith.
Hardware store, Charles Schafer.
Postmaster, Everett Nelson.
Acker garage, William Acker, proprietor.
VLIF.TS.
Vliets, Xoble township, is one of the busy little villages of Marshall
county. It is located on the Central Branch railroad between Vermillion
and Erankfort, and has a population of about one hundred fifty. It was
founded in i8Sq and platted and laid out on the Van Vleit farm and named
for that family.
The East elevator, now owned and operated by W. T. Buck, was built
and operated in 1889 by the I nion Commercial Company, an organization
of Swedes from the Swedish settlement, who sold the business in 1893 to
L'evan Brothers, of Leavenworth, who after four years sold the business to
W. T. Buck. Mr. Buck owns and operates another elevator in Vliets known
as the Buck elevator. This elevator was built and operated by McEuon &
Root for twelve years, when it was sold to the Baker, Crowell Grain Com-
panv, of Atchison, and by that company was sold to H. A. Schoenecker.
who sold it to \\ . T. Buck in 19 10. The annual shipments average one hun-
dred fifty thousand bushels of grain.
SCHOOL.
The school was organized and built in 1899 through the efforts of Major
Beatty, T. A. Buck and others at a cost of two thousand six hundred dollars.
The first principal was C. M. Belknap. The building contains two rooms,
in which four grades are taught and one year high school. The present
principal is Ross Griffiths; assistant, Maude Arnold. Professor Griffiths
has taught the school for four years.
The postmistress is Mrs. Anna M. Brophy, wife of Ed Brophy, the
assistant. Mrs. Brophy has served since 19 14.
The local telephone system is owned by the State Bank of Vliets and
is managed by Mrs. A. G. Miller, who has been a resident of Vliets for
twenty-five years.
Kid MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
The large general merchandise store of J. M. Owen, Opened for busi-
ness June, [914. Mr. Owen has lived near there for thirty-five years. Ik-
was formerly engaged in farming.
The Farmers Union Co-operative Business Association was organized
in April, mi;, ami opened business on September 15. 0)15. with a capital
--imk of tin thousand dollars, and a paid-up capital of three thousand eight
hundred twenty dollars. A plant was built at a cost of five thousand dollars:
which included an elevator, coal house, corn crib, office and full equipment
of machinery with which to operate. II. I!. Johnson, the manager, is a - >n
of J. B. Johnson, who came to Kansas in 1^70. and in 1NN0 settled on a
farm in the Swedish settlement section of Murray township, now Lincoln
i: wnship. M. F. Bullock is the assistant manager.
The membership is one hundred eighteen with the following officers:
1. \. John-nil. president: II. A. Haskins, secretary and treasurer: directors,
S. R. Wallace. William Johnson, Alva Reust, C. 11. St. .11. W. R. Glasgow.
The company handles grain, flour, cream, eggs, poultry and salt.
Dating from September 15. 1015. to September 15. [916, the business
done was (me hundred thirty thousand dollars: from September 15. 1916,
to January 1, i<M7- the business was fifty-seven thousand dollars. The first
year the shipment of grain was one hundred twenty thousand bushels. From
April, [916, to January. 11)17. sixteen thousand pounds of butter-fat. two
thousand three hundred seventy dollars worth of eggs, and three thousand
two hundred dollars worth of poultry, were shipped.
The first si,, re opened in Vlcits is owned and managed by William
fierda, who has been a resident of Marshall county for thirty years and
formerly engaged in farming. Tin- stock is general merchandise.
The Pelican restaurant is owned and managed by F. I.. Rochefort, since
( (ctober <). [914. Mr. Rochefort is a registered optician. A barber shop is
conducted in the same building.
WATERVILLE.
Waterville, in the township of the same name, is located in the s, uth-
western part of .Marshall county, on the Missouri Pacific railway, one hun-
dred miles west of Atchison and fifteen miles southwest of Marysville. The
city is built on a low plateau, sloping gently northward (•• the Little Blue
river.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. iy7
The original charter for the railroad, west from Atchison, was ob-
tained under the name of the Atchison & Pikes Peak Railroad, which
name was changed by an act of the Legislature in 1867, to the Central
Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad. In the spring of 1867 the company
commenced building the road with O. B. Gunn as civil engineer.
Judge Lewis, the father of Mrs. E. A. Berry of Waterville, expecting
that the railroad would follow the Little Blue river to Ft. Kearney, the
then objective point of the Central Branch laid out a town on the Little
Blue river, one and one-half miles east of what is now Waterville, on his
own land, and named the town "Marble Falls." Judge William Thompson
and R. S. Newell each put up store buildings there, and when the railroad
failed to touch Marble Falls, Mr. Xewell moved his Cottonwood grocen
store to Waterville, where it now stands serving as the central office for the
telephone company.
WATERVILLE PLATTED.
The plan of the railroad company was to locate a town just one hun-
dred miles west of Atchison, and after reaching Irving. Engineer Gunn ran
his survey directly west from Irving up Game Fork creek to a point on
sections 18 and 19 in Cottage Hill township, where he located a town and
named it Merrimac. While this deceptive survey was being made, G. H.
Hollenberg, of Hanover, Kansas, purchased of Mrs. Hennea King the land
on which the city of Waterville is located. The purchase was made on
August 29, 1867. This accomplished, Mr. Gunn started from Irving and
located the railroad to this point and laid out and platted the town of
Waterville in February, 1868.
Mr. R. Osborne, superintendent of the railroad, named this town Wat-
erville after his home town in Maine. Mr. Osborne had previously pur-
chased the land from G. H. Hollenberg and recorded the deed on March
4, 1868. The town was incorporated as a village on July 30, 1870, with
August Frahm as its first president. Later, it became a citv of the third
class, which it is at the present date.
The only settlers of the year 1868 now living in Waterville. are Mrs.
August Frahm and Hon. Edward A. Berry. Mr. Berry, after working on
a farm for three years returned to Maine, his old home state, took a course
of law, returned to Waterville, where he has been in the practice of law ever
since.
198 MARSHALL COUNTY, K \N-.\S.
FIRST SETTLERS.
The first settlers on the Little i'.lue river and on Coon creek, near
where Waterville is located, were: Stearnes Ostrarider, early in the spring
of 1857. He was followed during the same year by Ralph Ostrander, II.
Brown. R. Brown, T. Palmer and I'. Hollar. In the spring of [858 the
little colony was strengthened by the arrival of Mrs. A. Davis, If. Bramer,
\Y. Dickinson, John Hughes, William Hawkinsmith, William Pearson and
M. T. Burnett. They settled on Coon creek. During the same year Ste-
phen Moore settled on the Little Blue river.
In the year [859, J. L. McChesney, P. Cassey and others arrived and
took up claims. In [859 William Pearson built a combination saw and
grist-mill on the Little I'.lue river, at a place called Cedar Falls, which is
about two miles above Waterville. northwest.
The first tragedy which visited the little colony was the death of Ste-
phen Moore. A number of men had been at Marysville, the day being
bitterly cold, by night turning into a blizzard. On their return the party
became separated and Moore did nol reach home. The next morning a
search was made and he was found sitting upright against a tree mar the
mouth of Fawn creek, frozen to death.
FIRST HOTEL.
Mr. and Mr.-. August Frahm arrived at Waterville at the completion of
the railroad and erected the first building in town, a -tone hotel, called the
\ Slate House," in the early spring of [868. Mr. Frahhi shipped the
iir-t carload of lumber to Waterville and the freight on it was eighty-five
dollars.
Henry Agle built the "Eagle Moid" in the fall of [868. Other build-
ings erected in. or moved to. the town in [868 were: A frame -tore build-
ing, erected l>\ R. S. McCubbin, of Atchison. Kansas; R. S. Newell moved
hi- -tore from Marble Falls and Joseph Samuel- moved a -tore building
from Marysville. I. C. Peters built a -tore and dwelling combined. George
lluti erected 3 small building, now standing on the corner by the town
pump. Mr. Vowers, a homesteader, two miles west, supplied the people of
Waterville with good water from his spring on Coon creek at five cent- a
pail, until the town well was bored in 1870. Mike Niggley built a one-story
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. I99
saloon, eighteen by twenty feet, in which he started operations with one keg
of beer and one gallon of whiskey. Roy Sholes opened a hardware store
and tinner's shop, where Ed Adam's barber shop now stands. He sold out
in 1869 to J. Miord, who enlarged the building and stock.
In 1869 J. D. Flannery built and operated a general merchandise store.
Heineke & Cowgill built a furniture store. Frank Glasser erected general
merchandise store, building it himself. John Mullender and J. C. Dickey
each built and operated a blacksmith shop. W. C. Johnson and William
Haskel opened a lumber office. A. M. Pickett built a photograph gallery
and A. Simie, a drug store; J. D. Farwell and J. Miexell, each, a hardware
store; \Y. W. Smith and W. P. Mudgett, a law office; A. D. Willson and
Mr. McKinnon, a real-estate office; John Wilson, a livery.
The first birth, October 6, 1869, was that of a son born to Mr. and
Mrs. J. C. Peters.
In 1868 John Dunbar and a Miss Hurd were married by C. F. Thorn-
dyke, justice of the peace.
Those who came in 1869 and still reside in Waterville are: I. D.
Farwell and wife; Horace Jones and wife; J. B. Livers and wife; Mrs. J.
C. Dickey, Major Scott and J. D. Flannery.
A LOVE TRAGEDY.
The second tragic death in the community was that of a German, who
homesteaded an eighty-acre tract, one mile south of town. He bought tools
to work it and in the latter part of March, 1869, he got a letter from Ger-
many from his fiancee, who refused to come to America. He took his
scythe out to his homestead, mowed and bound several bundles of tall grass,
made a bed, laid some bundles lengthwise at his side, then covered himself
with the hay and shot himself in the head. When found, the pistol still iu
his hand and the letter in his pocket, was all that was known of him. Wat-
erville not having any cemetery, this German was brought to town and
buried on the prairie, until an association was formed and incorporated in
March 1870, when the association purchased a forty-acre tract one and
one-half miles north of town, and the German's body was removed to the
cemetery.
The first natural death in the town was that of Mrs. lames Hurd. in
August, 1869.
20O MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
[■RIBUTION OF WHEAT SEED.
Iii [869, Waterville, being the most western railroad station in north-
ern Kansas, became the distributing point for government aid, which con-
sisted of wheat and corn for seed. Clothing and food-stuffs were furnished
by private contributions. Settlers came from as far west as Norton and
Rooks counties to receive this aid. The railroads hauled this free of charge.
A dav was sel for the distribution and the people arrived on time. Some
boxes and parcels were addressed to private parties directly, and these were
delivered 1m them. Others came, received their allotment of wheat and
corn, given expressly for seeding purposes, took it to the Cedar Falls mills
and had it ground. Some traded their seed for whiskey, so that some re-
turned with a wagon full of wheat, and others were "full." hut their wagons
were empty. The allotment to each homesteader was ten hushels of wheat
and two hushels of corn. .Marshall county received none of this aid, being
able to take care of herself.
Waterville being the terminal of the Central Branch railroad from
1868 to [876, was the mosl important railroad point in northern Kansas.
All immigrants and freight destined for western counties left the cars at
Waterville and were transported by wagons and otherwise, to points ■<{
destination.
INCORPORATED.
Waterville was incorporated a- a village in 1S70. The first president
1 E the village board was August Frahm. In April, 1871, Waterville became
a city of the third class.
The following is the official roster of the city: Mayor, 1871 to 1875,
James I'. Burtis; 1870. F. Mills; 1877. S. S. Altschul; 1878, N. II. Thomp-
son; 1870. J. 1'. Burtis; 1879-1882, J. W. Sharrard.
The presenl city officers of Waterville are as follow: J. II. Nelson,
mayor: II. C. Strohm, clerk: L. A. Palmer, treasurer: ("lay Whiteside, Frank
Fitzgerald. Will Flook, George R. Hall. Philip Thomas, councilmen; II. C.
Strohm, police judge; I. A. Larson, policeman.
POSTOFFICE.
'['he Waterville postofnee was established in [868, with George Ilutt as
postmaster, making four in the county. In [869 11. C. Phillips was ap-
pointed and there were several up to 1880. when J. C. Dickey received the
HIGH SCHOOL, SUMMERFIELD.
HIGH SCHOOL, WATERVILLE.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 201
appointment and served until 1884, when George Titcomb was appointed
and served until 1888; M. Delaney, 1888 until 1893; J- D- Flannery, 1893
to 1897. Then M. Delaney was re-appointed and served from 1897 to 1913,
giving entire satisfaction. In all he served the people twenty years. In
1913 C. C. Holbrook was appointed and is making a good postmaster. In
1878 it became a presidential office.
In 1868 the Bay State Hotel, built by August Frahm, was leased to
W. W. Smith and later to F. G. Adams, for one year. This hotel was soon
purchased by Mills & Hinman and named the Lick House. Mrs. Brown
having purchased the Hinman interest, the ownership became Mills & Brown
for two years, when Mills bought out Mrs. Brown and ran the house until
1878 when at Mrs. Mills' death it was leased to W. H. Truesdale, who
managed it until 1880. when W. W. Smith again leased it. The Bay State
or Lick House stood idle for a number of years, when the city of Water-
ville bought it and erected a fine city hall, fifty by one hundred feet, on the
ground, with a banquet room, council room, police- judge, office, and a theater
accommodation.
MANUFACTURES.
In 1873 P. M. Howard built the Riverside mills located on the Little
Blue river, one half mile from town. It was a stone building, four stories,
with five run of burrs. Moore & Greenman purchased an interest, and in
1875 Howard sold his interest to E. F. Durant. In 1876 the mill owners
becoming financially embarrassed, the mill was shut down. In 1880 Mr.
Moore again bought it and ran it about two years, when it burned down.
Moore moved on a farm and was killed while blasting rock in a well he
was digging.
EVERGREEN CEMETERY.
The Evergreen Cemetery Association of_ Waterville was incorporated
in March, 1870, and purchased forty acres of land, one and one-half miles
north of the city, from \Y. C. McCurdy, for four hundred dollars. The
officers of the temporary organization were : President, W. C. McCurdy ;
secretary, M. McKinnon ; treasurer, W. L. Johnson ; trustees, J. D. Far-
well, G. W. Hutt, W. L. Johnson, David Ward and O. D. Wilson. A
charter was obtained in 1870 and a permanent organization formed on June
2^,, 1870. The first officers were: President, G. W. Hutt; secretary, A. J.
Simis; treasurer, G. D. Bowlney. The northeast ten acres of the forty was
laid out into lots. In 1894 the thirty acres was sold to M. E. Moore and
in 191 1 the remaining unsold lots were sold to W. E. Fitzgerald.
202 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
RIVERSIDE CEMETERY.
In April. iSS.|. the Riverside Cemetery Association was organized and
purchased of George liancroft die land south of the Little Blue river, close
to the city, the present site of our cemetery, with five hundred dollars cap-
ital stock. The first officers were: President, W. W. Smith: secretary.
Dr. I). \Y. Humfreville; vice-president, J. C. Dickey: treasurer. James A.
Thompson. Tlie present officers are: President, J. R. Edwards; vice-
president, Dr. Harry Humfreville; secretary. H. E. Wilson: treasurer, M.
Delaney; executive committee. 1-'. 1'. Thorne, H. Jones. Ed Copeland.
This association has adopted a plan to obtain an endowment fund,
which will enable every lot owner by depositing with the secretary a sum
not less than twenty-five dollars to receive a certificate guaranteeing that the
deposit will he kept permanently at interest, and the interest only shall he
used for the upkeep of die depositor's lot. The association now has one
thousand dollars in the endowment fund.
BAND.
Waterville cornet band was organized in 1872 by Prof. John D. Walter-,
with eleven members. It was disbanded in 1876. and re-organized in 1879 by
C. F. Stanley, who was succeeded as leader in [882, by J. F. Kohler. This
once leading band in the county is now disbanded.
BUSINESS INTERESTS.
Blacksmith shops — John Rozine and Kiefer Brothers.
Telephone system — A. F. Geyer.
Drug store — Runimel Drug Company.
.Moving picture show — I. L. Miller.
Shoe repairing — George Pendleton and Charles Ross.
1 Intel — L. E. Weaver.
Waterville Library — Owned by Shakespearian Club.
Livery and auto — John .Moody.
Warehouse and elevator — II. C. and A. C. Whiteside, Farmers Elevator;
Lumber dealers — Waterville Lumber and Coal Company, S. I'. Soli
Lumber < lompany.
Hanks — Merchants State liank. Farmers State Rank. Citizens State Bank.
Barber shops — John Ernie) and Gordon Brothers.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 203
Jewelry and repair — J. Turner.
Plumber and tinshop — Aug. Norquist.
Physicians — Dr. Harry Humfreville. Dr. G. I. Thacher.
Garage — Verne Henderson.
Farm machinery — Will Flook, William M. Thompson.
Produce house — W. F. Fulton.
General merchandise — H. Hohnsteadt & Son, William McKelvy &
Company.
Groceries — John Parson. A. M. Baker, G. W. Jones, J. Schofield.
Feed store — J. Schofield.
Hardware and furniture — Scott & Thomas, Adams & Parker.
Meat market — R. Sommers & Son.
Restaurant and bakery — F. B. Fdgerton, Joe Pischnez.
Notion store and repair shop — Eli Peterson.
The census enumerator for 19T6 reports the population of Waterville
as six hundred eleven.
WINIFRED.
The town of Winifred located on the southwest quarter of section 24
and the northwest quarter of section 25, township 3, south, range 8, east,
was founded in 1907 and platted and laid out by Gottfried Keller, on his
farm. It is on the Topeka and Marysville branch of the Union Pacific rail-
way, eleven miles southwest of Marysville.
The present site of Winifred was made the county seat of Marshall
county in 1858 by the Territorial Legislature, and was named Sylvan. A
body of men representing the Nebraska Town Company came to Sylvan
at that time with twenty-four oxen and wagons loaded with lumber to build
the town; they also brought some mercantile goods which they sold in a
tent. No buildings were erected, however, as the county seat was changed
to Marysville through the direct influence of F. J. Marshall and the crowd
of men who followed his bidding.
After Sylvan was abandoned as the county seat, the Nebraska Town
Company left their lumber on the ground and departed. The lumber was
at once confiscated. No direct charge is made as to who took it. but as a
certain self-styled county seat was badly in need of lumber, that useful
building material may have found its way there. Among those who settled
on the Vermillion in 1856 were Isaac Walker and family, who settled on
204 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
land adjoining where Winifred now stands and the old homestead called
"West Fork" is still maintained by the family. The town is named W'alk-
ersburg, after Isaac Walker and the postoffice is named Winifred after Mrs.
Isaac Walker. Mr. and Mrs. David IS. Walker reside in Winifred, being
among the first residents and helped to lay out the townsite.
The present town of Winifred has a population of about seventy-five
people, and has a large farming community surrounding it.
SCHOOL OPENED.
The school house was built and opened 1111911 at a cost of twenty-five
hundred dollars. It has two rooms, the first graded from the primary de-
partment to fifth grade, and the second graded from sixth grade to second-
year high school course. The first teachers were Mrs. Trosper and Miss
Waymire. The present teachers are Miss Waymire, principal, and Miss
Rose Seematter, assistant. The enrollment is thirty-two.
BUSINESS INTERESTS.
Mr. S. C. M. Smith, the present postmaster, erected the first store in
Winifred with a capital of three hundred dollars, and the business has s< 1
increased that his capital invested is three thousand dollars. The stuck con-
sists of general merchandise and the business is thriving.
The Winifred State Bank is a sound institution and well patronized.
A hardware store is owned by F. EC. Barrett, with stock valued at four
thousand dollars and an average business of eighteen thousand dollars
annually.
Two elevators carry on an extensive business. One, owned l>v Isaac
Walker and F. EC. Barrett, called the Winifred Grain Company, shipped in
thi year [916 one hundred thousand bushels of corn and one hundred and
fifty thousand bushels of wheat to Kansas City and to various points in Iowa.
The Farmers Union Elevator, managed by J. Tilley, does practically
tin same amount of business.
\ garage, also owned by F. EC. Barrett, carries the Oakland car and
old in 1916, eleven cars, at from eight hundred and forty dollars to one
thousand five hundred dollars, each.
The general merchandise store owned by V F. Yaussi is managed by
Arthur Stauff, who is also a stockholder. This store opened in April. 1916,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 205
with a capital of seven thousand dollars, and by January i, 1917, had
increased to eight thousand dollars.
B. W. Solt has a neat barber shop and opened business in 191 1. His
business averages one thousand dollars yearly.
A restaurant owned by the Farmers Union, managed by A. and R.
Crevier, opened business on July 15. 19 16. To January 1, 191 7, the busi-
ness netted six hundred dollars.
The Foster Lumber Company, of Kansas City, began business in 1909
with a capital of ten thousand dollars. The average yearly business amounts
to fifteen thousand dollars. R. F. Grutzmacher is manager.
M. R. Dickinson is the station agent, and Jias been in charge of the
station since it was established. He reports the following business for 191 5:
Corn, 47 carloads: wheat, 25 carloads; oats, 1 carload; live stock, 30 car-
loads; walnut logs, 2 carloads; emigrants, 2 carloads. 1916: Corn, 74
carloads: wheat, 36 carloads; live stock, 19 carloads.
FLAG STATIONS IN COUNTY.
Nolan. — Topeka branch, Union Pacific railroad, located on southeast
quarter, section 34, Cleveland township.
Sullivan. — Topeka branch, Union Pacific railroad, located on northeast
quarter, section 36, Vermillion township.
Summit. — St. Joseph & Grand Island railroad, located on northwest
quarter, section 7, Murray township.
Upland. — Junction St. Joseph & Grand Island and Topeka branch Union
Pacific railroad, located on the northeast quarter, section 6, Center township.
LOST AND ABANDONED TOWNS OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
Horace Greeley said : "It takes three log houses to make a city in Kan-
sas, but they begin calling it a city as soon as they have staked out the lots."
But "three log houses" were enough in those days to make much history.
This list of names of towns now lost or abandoned, tells a story of plans
that came to naught and hopes that were unfulfilled. Most of the towns
now live only in the archives of the State Historical Society, while the pro-
mpters, like the towns, are buried and in many instances forgotten. The list
follows :
Ayersville, a village or feed station in 1855. twenty miles south of the
Nebraska line on the Little Blue, probably Cedar Falls.
MARSHALL on my, k.wsas.
Bennetts Station, a postoffice in 1859, probably at the home of Muses
Bennett On Coon creek, where he kept a feed and supply station.
Blanchville, postoffice named for Horatio Blanchard, postmaster and
early settler, <>n northeast corner section _'_'. Walnut township.
Big Blue City, chartered in 1S5S; can find no trace of it.
Cetlar Falls, two and one-half miles northwest of W'aterville on Little
Ulue. In [858, William I'earsoll built a combination grist- and saw-mill
at Cedar Falls, later acquired by Rufus R. Edwards, of Marysville. There
is nothing left of this mill.
Elm ('reek, a postoffice located on south Elm creek at the home of John
Means, postmaster, an early settler.
Elizabeth, one mile northeast of Bigelow, feed and supply station near
Inmans quarries.
Fairland; unable to locate it.
Franks-Fort, is now Frankfort, named for Frank Schmidt, of Marys-
ville, one of the founders of the town.
Gertrude, founded |anuary 2, r86i, vacated, [864, was located one mile
northwest of Marysville on the hilltop, west of the mill; it consisted of a
small frame house; its owner -old ' "necessaries" to the emigrants.
Granite Falls, established on Little Blue near mouth of Fawn creek on
section 24, W'aterville township: later also known as Marble Fails.
Guittard Station, a postoffice established in [861 and taken up in 11)01
by a rural route. Xavier Guittard was its postmaster for forty consecutive
years. This was the most noted stage station on the Ben Holladay Overland
stage line between the Missouri river and Denver, Colorado.
Heasleyville, a stage station in Center township, named for Jerry Heas-
ley, a sta; e driver and early-day "character."
Independence Crdssing, a trading post six miles south of Marysville in
1848, located at the point where General Fremont folded the Big Blue in
[842, and where the Mormon- crossed in later year-. Still known as the
"Independence crossing," though no longer a ford.
La; fran e, a postoffice located on section 21, Clearfork township.
Lanesburg, or Lane- crossing, was on the Big Line between If ving and
Blue Rapids.
Marble Falls, established in 1867 by Judge Lewis, father of Mrs. E. A.
Berry, of W'aterville. When the railroad located Waterville, the buildings
were moved from Marble Falls to Waterville.
Mern'n cated southeast of Irving in 1858 and abandoned in 1864;
at the present location of the Merrimac school house.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 2C»7
Merrimac, platted in 18(17, ten miles west of Irving.
Nottingham, second postoffice established in county, located on the
homestead of D. C. Auld, section 23, Vermillion township, in 1857; moved
to Frankfort in 1S6S.
Xew Dayton, located northeast of Barrett ; it never lived.
Ohio Citv was located in 1855 on tne quarter section joining Barrett on
the southwest.
Otoe, a stage station on the Oketo cutoff in the Otoe Indian reserve.
Palmetto is the north half of Marysville. Incorporated in 1857.
Raemer Creek, a very short-lived postoffice, now Herkimer ; it was
named for the Raemer Brothers, the early permanent settlers.
Reedsville, a postoffice in Center township named for Allen Reed, post-
master, keeper of a store and prominent settler.
Stolzenbach, a postoffice located on section 1. Balderson township, at
the home of Peter Merklinghaus.
Sylvan, located in 1858, abandoned in i860. Andreas' history states:
"As early as 1859 efforts were marie to move the county seat from Marys-
ville to Sylvan a new town located on section 25, township 3, range 8 (now
Center township. ) The prime mover in this affair was T. S. Vaile, a mem-
ber of the Free State Territorial Legislature from Marshall county. Marys-
ville at that time was reputed a pro-slavery town, and Vaile had an act passed
removing the county seat to Sylvan. The only official business transacted
at the new county seat was the canvassing of the vote of 1859. There being
no house at Sylvan, the county commissioners, J. D. Brumbaugh, George- G.
Pierce and S. Ostrander held their session in the house of George D. Swear-
ingen, a mile distant. In 1851). Marysville was again made the county seat
by a vote of the 'people'." For fifty years the name of Sylvan was but a
memory until iqoq. when the Union Pacific railroad was extended from
Topeka to Marysville, and on the site selected for Sylvan now stands the
thriving little town of Winifred.
Swede Creek was located one mile north of Cottage Hill in Cottagehill
township.
Vermillion City, located in 1859 near where the Vermillion creek empties
into the Big Blue river, abandoned in 1859.
Wells, named for John D. Wells, the earliest permanent settler in the
county. It was a postoffice in Wells township, and John D. Wells was the
postmaster.
White's Quarry was located on a branch of Spring creek ; it was a stone
2o8 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
quarry used by the railroad in the early seventies; it had a few tents and a
shack, located southwest of Home City.
\^h Point, a stage station on the Overland trail between Seneca and
Guittard station, a few miles north of where Axtell now stands.
Afton — Ten miles southwest of Marvsville.
Armour — Xear Summerfield.
Ewing — Three miles west of Vermillion; named for Ewing family.
Jett's Town — Xear Guittard.
Kantanyan — Probably where California trail left Marshall county.
Pleasant Mill — Same as Swede creek.
Westella — Seven miles north of Beattie.
Woodson— Same as Jett's town.
Taos, where Salem church now stands. W. F. Robinson was postmas-
ter.
Robidoux, old station, section i<i. range 9, township 2.
MR. AND MRS. JOHN PECENKA, SR.
First Bohemian Settlers in
Marshall County.
BOHEMIAN CEMETERY.
CHAPTER IX.
Foreign Element in Marshall County.
BOHEMIANS.
Far across the Atlantic ocean where the kingdoms, empires and republics
of Europe are now at war. John Pecenka was born, June 14, 1825. in the
village Ridky, near Litomysl, district of Chrudim. in the southeastern part
of Bohemia.
Pecenka was of rural parentage, but of a cultured family. His brother.
Josef, was educated for the Catholic priesthood and another brother, Vaclav,
held a degree as Professor of Sciences and Doctor of Law. John Pecenka
was a miller by trade and a musician by nature. Every moment not occupied
by business, was devoted to the study of music, which was his greatest
delight. He operated a small grist-mill, propelled by overshot water power
and ground the golden grain for his neighbors. After the day's toil he
dexterously wielded his bow in church, hall and opera. He had three sisters,
who. after some years of schooling, married neighboring peasants.
Jan, as written in the Cesky tongue, married at eighteen years, Katrina
Kasper. To this union was born on April 21, 1847, John, and two years
later, Anna, who died in infancy.
Shortlv after this the mother and wife died and Tan married a second
time, choosing for his bride, Anna Flidbborn, born on October 31, 1830, in
the village of Osyk, in Chrudim, near Litomysl. This lady was of Swobodnik
parentage. The Swobodniks enjoyed peculiar privileges, being exempt from
taxation on real estate and were full citizens. To this union were born in
Bohemia, Joseph, Francis A., Anna, Vaclav and Katherina. The young
parents felt the responsibilty of their growing family and knowing their sons
would be claimed for military duty, they decided to come to America.
Thev with some other families left Bohemia in the month of August,
1 86 1. leaving from Janovicek, via Prague. Dresden and Leipsic to Bremen,
where thev took passage to America. In Bremen a sad event occurred.
(14)
2lO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
tCatherina nine months old, sickened and died and as the --hip was about to
sail they were compelled to leave the body with the undertaking authorities
for burial.
With sad and heavy hearts they embarked and after eight weeks of
rough sailing the little colony arrived in New York City late in October
and proceeded by rail via Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to Chicago, Illinois,
arriving there on November i. 1861. Mere they spent a few weeks and Jan
Pecenka visited his sister, Anna Dosedel, and her husband, Vaclav Dosedel,
who had preceded him six months, bringing with them his son, John. At
the time of their arrival the War of the Rebellion was raging. Funds were
low and the men of the party looked for work. Jan Pecenka was tendered
the leadership of a military hand, but declined. Bohemian friends in Chicago
advised the colonists that eastern Iowa was opening for settlement and the
next move was to the counties of Linn and Johnson, near Shueyville, Iowa.
They found no government land, but some bought, and others rented,
laud on shares. Winter was spent working at odd jobs. Jan. being a
musician, found employment teaching vocal and instrumental music and made
a living for his wife and family of four children. On one occasion having
played for a hall at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he carried a sack of flour on his
shoulders for eight miles, holding his violin case carefully and plowing
through snow three feet deep, while the storm raged with fury. But the
little ones had to be fed and lie braved the storm.
\t that time wages were very meager and the country undeveloped.
Two weekly papers, Slovati Ameriky a Cesky Casopis, published in Iowa
City, and Slavie, published in Racine. Wisconsin, gave the news that
Bohemian colony clubs were being formed to promote the interests of
Bohemians ami that a convention would be held in Chicago, Illinois, soon.
|ohn Pecenka and a Mr. Bures were sent to this convention as delegates to
acquire definite information relative to settling on government land. Very
little good resulted from this convention. The colony remained in Iowa for
eight vears :\w\ established a permanent colony there. But the desire to
own their homes prevailing, and the homestead law having been enacted,
those settlers paid heed to the ad\ ice of I lorace Greeley. "Go West, and grow
up with the country."
John Pecenka took out naturalization papers on February 23, [869, at
Marion, Linn county, fowa; rigged up two prairie schooners each drawn
by a team of horses and a yoke of oxen and, in company with Matthias Mozis.
who bad a like equipment, led a caravan across the prairie-, plains and
swamps of |o\\a into the eastern part of Kansas
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 211
FLAG INCIDENT IN i860.
On this journey while passing through Oregon City, Missouri, on the
Fourth of July, an incident occurred worth relating.
In honor of the day the wagons were decorated with the national colors;
citizens of the town objected to this and demanded of the leader, Pecenka,
that the American flag be hauled down. The leader refused to remove the
dags from the wagons, leaped into his prairie schooner, took down his double-
barreled shotgun and laid it across his knees and commanded "Buck" and
"Bright" to proceed. They did; other teams followed, and the performance
was over. Our "show me" friends on the eastern border were not success-
ful in their attempt on Uncle Sam's colors and the flag was defended by the
Bohemians. The next day the party crossed the Missouri at White Cloud
and landed on Kansas soil on July 5, 1869.
Bleeding Kansas bad been pictured to these people in the most horrible
manner, as the home of the grasshopper, chinch bug, perpetual and hot winds,
drought and the like, so that these homeseekers were almost persuaded to
believe these fallacious stories. But they were hopeful, persevering and
trusted in Providence that the "promised land" would be realized to them in
a different way, and would bestow on them happiness, prosperity and con-
tentment.
On scanning the beautiful landscape, the undulating prairies, bedecked
with tall blue stem, and luxuriant verdure waving with the gentle swell of
the breeze, every nodding flower beckoning to these pioneers and whispering,
"Welcome, thou weary travelers, abide with us and make a home on this,,
God's footstool."
FUTURE GOVERNOR WELCOMES BOHEMIANS.
That evening brought the party to the small town of Morrill, on the
Grand Island railroad and rilled with happiness even unto tears, this little
band manifested their joy with merry-making, music and dancing, as there
were fourteen in the party.
The landlord of the farm paid a visit to these strangers and invited them
to his house to play for his wife. A few choice selections were rendered and
the visitors were royally treated. After taking the party through the new
residence in construction, he invited them to locate in that vicinity. Many
inducements and favorable propositions were offered these prospective set-
tlers, as he had large tracts of land and would have sold to them on the best
212 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
possible terms. But the party were unable to buy and they were seeking free
government land homesteads "homeseds," in the native tongue.
The offer of the kind and generous man was not accepted. After
twenty-five years of toil, developing the plains of Marshall county, there
came to the city of Marysville a candidate campaigning the state for the
pi sition of state executive. After the speech, with a hearty handshake, the
men who camped at his dooryard met the future governor of Kansas, lion.
E. N. Morrill.
BOHEMIANS ARRIVE IX MARSHALL COUNTY.
The caravan reached the little city of Irving in time to help friends who
had preceded them to harvest and the party had their first experience in the
harvest fields of Marshall county on the Black Vermillion. After receiving
reliable information that Congress had given all odd numbered sections to
the Central Branch, Missouri Pacific railroad, and after building a log cabin
for the editor of an Irving paper, the party moved north, coming to Marys-
ville, where, while there was no railroad, there was a good grist-mill on the
west hank of the Blue river. In Marysville. Samuels kept a grocery, Frank
Schmidt, a dry-g Is store and Charles Koester clerked for him; Brum-
baugh and Magill were lawyers, and David Wolf kept a saloon. They
traveled west over the California trail into now Logan township and located
on the preesnt site.
FIRST HOMESTEAD ENTRY.
The first homestead entry of government land ever made from this part
of Marshal] county, in the Junction City land office, by a Bohemian-Amer-
ican, was made 1>\ |bhn IVecnka on August [3, [869, on the southeast quarter
of section 30, township -', range <> east, containing one hundred and sixty
acres. His son, John, made entry on the southwest quarter of section 30,
township ,j. south of range <> east, containing one hundred and sixty acres.
This land bordered on Washington county on the west.
"We started in a strange land among strangers, hut hope kept our cour-
age up and we went right on building a new home in the wilderness." Mr.
enka, with the help of the family, made a dugOUl in the side of a hill,
about fourteen by sixteen feet, and set native uprights or crotches fur beams
or pole support, upon which were laid split rails for rafters, covered with
slough grass, this in turn being covered with a layer of virgin sod, making a
warm and comfortable shelter. This was their first habitation on the hillside.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 2I3
AN UNREHEARSED SCENE.
It had a door and two small windows on the south side and one side of
the roof was level with the surrounding ground, making it easily accessible
from that side. What might have been expected, happened. In most cases
the first settlers made the tracks, both foot and wagon road, and one of these
paths led right in front of the door across Walnut creek. One night a friend
and neighbor, Mike Casey, a benighted traveler, going home from Marys-
ville, got off the track and drove on to the roof of the dugout. The horses
began to fall through the roof, the children screamed, some lamented, others
cursed, some thought the devil was trying to crawl through the roof. After
the catastrophe, with some apologies, the wrong was righted and Casey pro-
ceeded on the right trail and all sat and felt that while not injured, they were
badly scared.
John Pecenka procured a breaking plow and broke about six acres of
prairie for sowing clown to spring wheat. The colony was strengthened from
time to time by the addition of other settlers. Albret Kaprel, a veteran
soldier of Bohemia, and Frantisek Kerhat came from Irving and, later, Jan
Yavruska came direct from Bohemia. On March u, 1871, the first child of
Bohemian parents was born in this part of the county, Anna Vavruska, now
living in Nebraska.
There are two distinct Bohemian settlements in Marshall county. One
is located west of Marysville and south of Bremen, in Logan and Walnut
townships, and the other south of Waterville and Blue Rapids and southwest
of Irving, chiefly on the Game Fork creek.
Although Bohemians are found in almost every township, they are most
numerous in the above mentioned localities.
FURTHER INFLUX OF SETTLERS.
On June 5, 1S70. a large caravan of prairie schooners arrived from
Cedar Rapids. .Among the settlers were Jiri Zabokstsky and a large family.
He bought a relinquishment from Asa Parks, of Marysville. With him came
Josef Houder and a family of eighteen children. Vaclav Dosedel and wife
came from Racine, Wisconsin. Dosedel and John Pecenka were brothers-in-
law. John Brychta came from Cedar Rapids. Josef Stehlik came direct
from Bohemia : he was a tailor and pursued his trade until his death. Josef
Cejp bought out the claim of McChesney. Vaclav Kutis came from St.
Louis. In 1869 a colony of sixty-five homesteaded near Hanover.
.214 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
In June, [874, Vaclav Cejp and family came direct from Bohemia. He
boughl "lit the claim of 1 >an Stuckey. John Brychta and Cejp were brothers-
in-law. < )n November 7. 1874, Josef Swoboda came from the sable pineries
of Racine, Wisconsin. He boughl out the claim of Michael Quigley. Later
on, came Josef Sedlacek from the village of Sedliste, Bohemia, primarily f< >r
the purpose of scrutinizing the country. lie came, he saw and was conquered,
went hack with a favorable report and returned with a large family, bringing
many other families with him.
Late in the autumn of [873 came Jan Alexa and a large family from
Minden, Michigan, and with him came Mr. and Mrs. Tuka, his wife's par-
ents. In autumn came Marie Pacha (also written I'ejsa), a widow with a
large family of marriageable sons and daughter-, from Minden, Michigan.
They settled in Logan township.
Frank Sedlacek. the eldesl -on 1 t Josef Sedlacek. married and settled in
Marysville township, buying out the farm of George Bachoritch. In 1876
and 1S77 Josef Bruna and Josef A. Sedlacek came direct from Bohemia and
settled in Walnut township. With them came Frank Holota, wife and chil-
dren, locating in Logan township, and Maty Hlous settled in Walnut.
POSSESS QUALITIES MAKING FOB SUCCESS.
The history of the Bohemians in Marshall county resembles in many
respects that of other first settlers. They came for the purpose of acquiring
homo of their own. While not wealthy, they possessed hope, endurance,
perseverance and industry in unlimited quantities. All of these qualities
were essential for the success of the first settlers and have brought them
wealth, happiness and contentment. Some of the pioneers came from the
respective states of their mother country and settled a short time in the East
before moving West, while others came to Kansas direct from Bohemia or
Moravia.
One of the first act- of an .alien Bohemian is to take out his naturaliza-
tion paper-. The Bohemians speak with pride of their newly-adopted
country. Naturally, they think well of the mother country — and who does
not of hi- native land? — hut they realize the great advantages and beneficent
laws of the United Mate- and -peak of it as '"our new. beloved country."
The Bohemian people are industrious, upright and frugal, possessing the
UtniOSl integrity of character and are scrupulous in all their dealings. They
take greal pride in enjoying their religious and political freedom. They
make good, loyal, law-abiding American citizen- and have contributed largely
to the political and social development i>\ the county. Bohemians, like all
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 215
other nationalities, like to congregate together and speak their sentiments in
their native language. But they are not clannish ; on the contrary they are
pretty good mixers. There are various societies, lodges, corporations and
clubs in Marshall county and Bohemians may be found in all. Religiously,
they are largely Catholic, although not exclusively so.
FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION.
The organization known as the Bohemian Roman Catholic First Central
Union of the United States had its origin in St. Louis, Missouri, in August,
1877. It is a fraternal order securing to its members sick benefits as well
as life insurance. The object of this order is to foster the practice of religious
duties and to promote Catholic interests, also to unite Bohemian Catholic
societies in works of charity and benevolence. Also, to cultivate and perpetu-
ate the mother tongue and many other good objects of social, moral and
spiritual life.
There are three hundred and one local unions in the United States with
a membership of seven thousand. The local lodge located in Hanover, Kan-
sas, is called Spolek Sv. Vaclava cis 23. This union had at one time thirty
members. At present there are eleven male and three female members. The
president is John Pecenka, of Bremen; secretary, Frank Jedlicka, Washing-
ton ; treasurer, A. Pejsa, Hanover.
THE BOHEMIAN CEMETERY.
Following the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway, west from Marys-
ville, to where it joins the county line of Washington county, the traveler
comes upon this cpiiet little cemetery by the side of the road.
There are not many graves within the enclosure, but an inspection shows
that many of those sleeping there came from Bohemia, far away in the heart
of Europe, leaving the rule of monarchy, to become citizens of this republic
and pioneers of Marshall count)-.
They made homes in what was then the Great American Desert, far
removed from the estates of their ancestors and scenes of their childhood
days and shared the hardships of their adopted country with her native-born
children. No grave is neglected or forgotten in this quiet little cemetery,
with its velvet grass and whispering pines. The inscription over the arch-
way causes the thoughtful passer by to pause and reflect :
"Byli Jsme Co Vy Ste; Co My Jsme Vy Budete."
"'We were what you are; what we are you will be."
2l6 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Two pioneers of Marshall county who rest here are John Pecenka, born
June 14, 1825; died on November 17, 1902, and Anna Pecenka, his wife,
born on October 31, 1830; died on January 5, 1897.
Here also sleep Wesley and Anna Dosedel, Mathias Swoboda and wife,
and Jan Machal, w-ho saw ninety summers and winters.
Jan Alexa served eight years in the Austrian army and took part in the
revolution of Mayence in 1848. On Christmas Day last he met the Conqueror
and was laid to rest beside his loved ones. And here sleeps Joseph Koles,
born on October 26, 1848. He fought with the boys in blue in 1862, for
liberty and the flag.
DANES OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
Undoubtedly, the first Dane who settled in Marshall county was a Cali-
fornia gold-miner — a "forty-niner" — John Nelson. He was probably the
< inly pioneer in the county who came from the West. He settled on Upper
Spring creek in 1855. Two years later he went to Denmark and on his
return brought his mother, a brother, Soren Johnson, and a widowed sister,
Elnora Johnson, and her two children, James and Dorothea. The party
traveled from St. Joseph in a wagon: Mr. Nelson's aged mother died on
the way and was buried near Seneca, Kansas.
Mr. Nelson again lived on his farm until 1874 when he left for Plaeer-
ville, California, and remained there. In 1912 he fell ill and the niece whom
he had brought from Denmark, now Mrs. Dr. E. L. Wilson. Sr., went to
California cared for him and at his death brought the remains here and made
interment in the Marysville cemetery. His nephew, James Johnson, farmed
Nelson's land for many years until he. too, left for the West and settled in
Arizona.
No other Danes settled around them, but a small settlement sprang up
in Walnut township, centering around five pioneers who came in i86q. Tliev
were J. P. Lund, H. M. Johnson, N. H. White, Chr. Johnson and N. P.
Christiansen, all well-known citizens of the county. Christiansen is the only
one of the five now living.
Enough settlers soon came to that section to org'anize and build a church,
which for some years was served by Danish-speaking ministers, but when
the influx from the older country slackened and the ranks of the old settlers
were thinned by death, the congregation discarded the mother tongue and
adopted the English language. These Danes and their descendants are
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 21J
recognized as industrious, frugal and loyal citizens. They have won places
of dignity in the public affairs of the county and are always law-abiding
and upright citizens.
REMINISCENCES.
The following reminiscences of H. M. Johnson, as told in the history
of "Danske i Amerika." form an interesting narrative. He writes:
The reason why J. P. Lund and T came to Kansas was a rumor about
a Dane named Hanson, who had selected a site for a colony somewhere near
Irving. This plan was never realized. I had previously enrolled in the
Scandinavian colony, organized in Chicago, which had in that spring (1869)
platted the town of Scandia in Republic county. I lost my membership fee
of twenty dollars, which I paid into that fund. We came then to Irving by
rail ; the St. Joe and Denver railroad had not then entered the county. I
was not married, but Lund had a family and we rented a small shanty. We
needed fuel and through this need received an invitation to pioneer life by
a literal baptism — an immersion in the Blue river. Friendly neighbors told
us we could take all the wood we wanted at the river, free, and we bought
a yoke of oxen and a wagon (which we had to have any way). Neither
of us had any experience with this kind of "horses." hut we managed to
get them hitched up and headed for the river. It was a hot day in June
and we both rode in the wagon. — who should walk when they had a wagon
of their own — but when the oxen came in sight of the water, they struck
out in a wild run and would not mind the least what we said (perhaps thev
did not understand Danish). We could not get off the wagon, they went
so fast. The oxen plumped right down into the river and then we got out.
The water lifted the wagon bed off and we capsized. With great exertion
we got the hind wheels to the land. The oxen brought the front gear, but
the box went with the current, and a new box cost us fifteen dollars.
two "real" horses.
We had several undesirable baths that summer, but thev were happily
not so- costly as this one, but more disagreeable.
Soon after our wood expedition we, with two Swedes, went on a twenty-
five-mile trip to look at land. We had to cross a creek that was swollen by
rain and were taken across in some kind of boat by a man who lived some-
where in the neighborhood. By the time we returned, he had got tired of
waiting and we did not know where to look for him. The boat was there,
2l8 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
hut we did not know any more about a l><>at than we did about oxen, and
the consequence was uc got across alive but soaking wet, and had to ramp
over night, without anything to eat, in a little old, abandoned mill, where we
had left the team when we went across. We were traveling in style this
time— had a hired rig, consisting of an old spring wagon and two real horses.
One of tin- horses would not pull loads, so we had to get off and walk up
hill; but down hill nothing but an upset could have stopped us.
When we tinall\- got back to [rving one of these horse-beasts was the
cause of my not, literally speaking, talcing land. It kicked me when we
unhitched, on one leg, so I was not able to walk for several days, and I had
ti leave it to others, who went on the expedition to selecl land on Upper
Walnut creek, to pick the quarter for me that became my homestead for so
many years.
I filed on the southeast quarter of section 4, township 3, range 6, east,
and Lund filed on the adjoining wesl quarter, and we became quite busy
about making a temporary shelter. This was only an excavation into a
ravine lank, with a thatched roof of slough grass, but it was "home." and
when we got ready to move into it. we went to Irving, loaded our worldly
movables — they were not many — to lake them to the claim and get straight-
ened up some, before Lund's housekeeper came with his children 1 Mrs. Lund
dud at Irving, leaving a babe). The girl, who had accompanied them from
the old country, volunteered to remain and care for the little baby and keep
House for us while we were getting things in some kind of shape.
There had been heavy ram- and the river was high and there were no
wagon bridges over the rivers, except at Marysville, where there was a gov-
ernment bridge, but to get to it. we had first to cross the river, [rving being
on the west side. We were ready to postpone the trip until a friend of ours.
I '. S. Lundgren, gol ;: bright idea.
PRIMITn 1: 1 0C0M0TI0N.
lie was a shoemaker and had put up his shingle as such in [rving. lie
proposed thai we should buy four planks, which we had good use for anv-
il* w, and drive to the railroad bridge; then by laying the plank- on the ties
and by carrying them forward, two could push the wagon over and one
< uld guide the oxen from the bridge with ropes and let them swim over.
\n,l. to show his good will, lie would go along and help us across. The
plan was 1 capital one and ii worked hut it must have been by the "angels
rding die innocents." None of us knew we had no right to do this.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KAXSAS. 2IO.
or knew at what hours trains were expected, but it gave us a shock when
a train thundered by just as we got the wagon safely across and down the
embankment.
Lundgren went hack to town and we set out for our claims. Our travel-
ing on the railroad had not. in this case, hurried matters any, and darkness
overtook us in conjunction with a thunder shower, so we could not see our
guide post — a long pole with a rag on it, set up at the southeast corner of
my claim. The shower was heavy and we had to unhitch the oxen and seek
shelter under the wagon, hut we got wet through. After the shower was
over we soon discovered we had lost the faint wagon trail and became more
and more bewildered, so we concluded it best to unhitch again and await
daylight.
We were chilled in our wet clothes, so we took them off and wrung
them as dry as we could and did the same to a woollen blanket, we luckily
had along-, and. after dividing a pint of whiskey, we rolled up in the blanket
as tight as we could. I shall always believe here was a case where whiskey
wa^ a blessing. I think it saved me from a congestive chill or pneumonia.
We had bought it to counteract "snake bites" and for a handy house medi-
cine, as we were not well enough off to indulge a taste for liquor.
When morning broke 1 went to look for the oxen which had strayed
during the night and on topping a raise of ground made the discovery that
we were within a scant mile of our dugout.
AN ERRATIC MUSKET.
All settlers of the same vintage as ours, remember the lean years that
followed — drought and grasshoppers — but we lived through it. The larger
game had gone further west beyond the Republican river, where parties
sometimes would go to get buffalo meat and hides, provided their own were
not left out there. Of a party of seven who went out from Waterville, only
one returned, six having been killed by Indians.
The country swarmed with prairie chickens and Lund shot several from
the house door, and could have shot many more if we had owned a reliable
gun. We had bought an old musket in order to show we were armed and
not ft the mercy of marauders, but we could never be sure the hammer
would wait for us to pull the trigger and when it did, that it would hit the
percussion cap with sufficient force.
Turd's two little boys proved to be better gamesters than their father.
as they learned to set traps, and T have known them to catch as mam- as
2JO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
six at one setting. We had prairie chickens fried, boiled and stewed and
lost our appetite for them
We then took the breasts and salted and smoked them, and in that way
secured a splendid meat for our cold lunches. Such would now be a
"delicatessen," but is nol the only thing that is missed from pioneer life.
Trust and contentment abode with us then more than ever since.
PREFERRED EXILE TO ARMS.
We undoubtedly had more trials than the majority of new settlers
because we were pioneers in a two-fold sense, in short, "greenhorns," as all
emigrants were then called. Lund and I both came from the Duchy of
Schleswig, which the Prussians and Austrians wrested from Denmark in
[864. I had the choice in [866 of joining the Prussian colors or going into
exile. I chose the latter and went over into Denmark and worked there "ii
well-regulated farms until 1 N< 8, when 1 came to Chicago, where Lund joined
me the year after, when we then went to Kansas to start an agrarian life
from the grass roots, with a very meager stock of knowledge to draw on.
I had picked up some English and we could both speak some German,
-o we L'oi along fairly well in regard to language.
Several Germans came out later from Illinois and all were neighbors in
;e days. We had reason to think we had found the choicest spot "ii
h. The ,;;ras-. (blue stem) grew thick and tall and there were any num-
ber of ponds of crystal clear water, which we supposed to he from springs,
but afterwards learned were only buffalo wallows that would go dry. which
they did the following year. Then in order to get a little hay we had to
hunt for spots of grass long enough t" mow.
We came t<", late in the season to raise any kind of crop and I went
up to the Otoe reservation and bought a load of potatoes and cabbage. On
the way back I got l"-l again, of course, when it Ik came dark and had to
p and unhitch and then my trouble commenced in earnest. The Indians
had burned the grass and my oxen were hungry and smelled the cabb;
I gave them the smallest heads and that only made them more insistent, and
I hi d to walk guard around my wagon all night to save my cabbage. Never
fifee tasted so delicious as it did that morning when I reached home
tin.
G. H. HOLLENBKRG.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 221
THE GERMANS OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
In the early fifties, when Kansas was in a stage of formation, Germans
in the Eastern states took a great interest in the contest as to whether Kansas
and Nehraska should be slave or free.
Democracy in 1848 led many Germans from the Fatherland to America
and their attention turned to Kansas as the battle-ground where freedom
must prevail.
Some German newspapers were established very early in Kansas. The
Kansas Zeitung, issued in Atchison in 1857, bore boldly on the front page
the title: "An organ for free speech, free soil and free men."
During the past fifty years more than sixty German newspapers have
been published in Kansas. The Kansas Staats Zeitung was published in
Marysville in 1879 to 1881.
The federal census discloses that there has not been a count}- in the state
since 1880 but contains German citizens. The first German citizen to locate
in Marshall county was G. H. Hollenberg-. He was followed by the Koppes,
Raemer, Friedrichs and other families; Frank Schmidt and C. F. Koester
also were among the pioneers. Settlements were made in Herkimer and in
Herkimer township; on Horse Shoe creek and on Mission and Spring creeks.
Also along the Blue rivers from Marietta to "Walnut creek and a number set-
tled in Marysville township.
In many families there was a fierce struggle for the very necessities of
life and the older children had small chance for schooling. But even in the
most strenuous times the Germans never lost their taste for music and art
and appreciated keenly the need of education for their children. They were
strangers in a strange land and had to exert every effort to maintain a
standard of equality with the native-born and the English-speaking people of
America.
The necessity of proper religious training for the young children soon
led to the erection of churches and maintaining the schools in connection with
them. With a family to provide for and the expense of carrying on the
farm, they yet gave of the scant store to keep alive their mother tongue and
to train their children in the faith of their fathers. As the years have passed
the enrollment of children of German descent in all the schools has grown
the number of graduates has increased and the ranks of our teachers have
been augmented and strengthened by the addition of those of German-speak-
ing parents. Many children of parents who came directly to Marshall county
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
i r< -in Germany, have been prominent among our educators. The generation
of today is, of course, American.
PROMINENT 7X BUSINESS LIFE.
Germans have been prominent in the- business life of the county. They
have engaged in mercantile pursuits and banking and are to be found in all
busin ipations.
Tlu- Germans who came to Marshall county were actuated by a desire
to obtain land and to make homes. The well-watered, well-timbered county
with its fine soil offered them the opportunity. The desire to own his own
home is strong in the German. The farmer toiled early and late to acquire
his own land, and if he borrowed money it was to buy more land. The build-
ings he erected were substantial and more for endurance than for show. As
times view easier more comfort, and even elegance, was added to the home
and surroundings. Their long residence on the farms has demonstrated their
SUCC< SS as farmers.
i'he political status in Kansas sailed the Germans. Here they were
free to select that political party which most nearly represented their views,
and. while they have not clamored for political recognition, Marshall county
has been ably represented by Germans in both branches of the Legislature.
J. Weisbach, Frank Schmidt, G. 1!. Hollenberg, William Raemer, F. II.
Pralle and John Knoni have been members ,.f that body and Hon. F. G.
Bergen is tlu- present state senator from the county.
When the new country was in the making, the Germans who came to
Marshall county helped very materially in laying the foundations for the
splendid county of today.
The German farmer possessed attributes that made him peculiarly
adapted to pioneer life. Honesty, industry, patience, love of children and
respect fi r bis elders, were virtues characteristic of the German.
The pioneer German shared fully in the labor and struggle which was
■ ssary in building up the various interests of the county and it i< not too
much to say that much of the advancement in all lines of progress -educa-
tional and religious as well as in material prosperity — has been due to the
steadfast character of the Germans who constitute a large part of its citizen-
ship.
There was never any spirit of revolution or anarchy anion- the Germans
of Marshall county. They are peaceable, law-abiding and, in the main.
religii "is
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 221,
During the War oE the Rebellion they demonstrated beyond a doubt
their unswerving" loyalty to the United States. Some Germans from the
county served in the War with Spain and some are at present in the regular
army.
It is a truth well worth considering that a man who is disloyal to his
native land will lack in loyalty to the land of his adoption. The lines of
lineage of many of our citizens reach far across the sea, but the flag which
has protected them for many years and which casts its folds over their homes
and firesides, will receive their allegiance whenever endangered.
PROMINENT GERMAN AND SWISS FAMILIES.
Rudolph and Frank Yaussi, brothers, prominent farmers and business
men of the county, take an active interest in furthering all efforts for better
community life. They are earnest advocates of education and are Lutheran
in religious faith. Rudolph still lives on the farm, but Frank long ago became
a resident of Marysville. He erected the fine theatre corner of Sixth and
Broadway, with store rooms beneath, and conducts a general clothing and
men's furnishing establishment. He is also a stock owner in the Citizen's
Bank of Marysville and the Winifred State Bank, of which latter bank his
son, Albert, is cashier, ami his daughter, Florence, is clerk. Air. and Airs.
Rudolph and Frank Yaussi are musical and hospitable and the homes of each
are centers of attraction for young and old.
Nicholas Koppes is a native-born resident of the county. His father
served his country during the War of the Rebellion. He was a pioneer of
the county and "Nick," as he is called by his friends, followed the plow when
he was so small that the father had to place extra handles on the plow to
make them low enough so the brave little plowman could reach them. He
has broad acres of land today and is numbered among the substantial men
of the county.
William Schwindaman numbers a large circle of friends and was for
years the trustee of Marysville township. He manages the elevator at Hull
and he and his wife are well known and greatly liked.
J. Dwerlkotte was one of the prosperous farmers who came direct from
the farm to take charge of the Citizens State Bank. He is a man of fine
presence and keen business acumen and is one of the representative men of
the city. His brother, F. A. Dwerlkotte, manages one of the best farms in
the vicinity of Alarysville and is one of the men who progresses with the
times.
224 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. .
AUG. HOHN & SONS.
hi March, 1876, Aug. Hohn, in partnership with Nicholas Kalenborn,
began his business career in Marysville in a small frame building located on
the lut where Herman Ackerman's jewelry store now stands, the firm name
at tli.it time being Hohn & Kalenborn.
In the fall of the same year Kalenborn's interest was purchased by a
Mr. Rommel and the firm continued the business under the name of Holm
ec Rommel, until Rommel's interest was acquired by E. G. Draheim in 1877,
changing the title of the firm to Hohn & Draheim. The new firm later pur-
chased the lot where the First National Bank now stands and built what was
then termed a modern store building. In [89] Mr. Draheim's interest was
bought by Mr. Holm, who conducted the business under the name of Aug.
Holm until May. 1895, when Arthur Holm, a sou, was made a member of
the firm and the style of the firm was changed to Aug. Holm & Son. The
firm continued the business under this name until January. 1900. when George
T. Mohrbacher was made a member of the firm and the name changed to
Aug. Holm & Sous 1 Mr. Mohrbacher being a son-in-law of Mr. Aug. Hohn.)
In [901 the firm secured their present location in which they have continued
their business up to the present time.
The business career of Mr. Aug. Hohn, the senior member of the firm,
with forty-one years of active business to his credit is worthy of notice and
is a splendid example of what thrift, honesty and square dealing will accom-
plish.
I ill. sWISS IX MARSHALL COUNTY.
Song and story have told of the love of the Swiss for his mountain
home, yet many have left their mother country to find more remunerative
returns for their labors in other places. Having been trained in industry and
frugality, he has not looked for easy or favored positions and for that reason
most of those who came to the United States to make homes have succeeded.
The first native- of Switzerland, the Alpine republic, to take up their
abode in Marshall county were Joseph and Frank Thoman and their sister,
Mrs. George Guittard, who settled on the Vermillion north of the present
Beattie in 1856. While they came here from Alsace in France, the Thomans
came from the canton of Basel in Switzerland, which borders on Alsace, and
where Thoman is an old and well-known name. After the War of the
Rebellion others came. II. Frauhiger settled on Mountain creek in [866,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 22$
a few came to Waterville in 1868 with the new railroad. The Kuonis,
Waelle, Bohner, Ruffner and Ryser came in 1870-71. During this decade
many others followed to make homes near Marysville.
THE HELVETIA SOCIETY.
On December 29, 1883, the Helvetia Society of Marysville, was called
into life by Samuel Forter. Following is a list of the first officers and mem-
bers of this organization : President. David Waelle, from Graubuenden ;
secretary, Emil Forter, from St. Gallen ; treasurer, Jacob Begert. from Bern ;
director of singing, Samuel Forter, of St. Gallen. Members — Caspar
Stauffacher, Jacob Kuoni, John Bohner, Christ Ruffner, John D. Walters,
Rudolph and Gottlieb Blaser. Jacob and John Seematter, Adolph and Gott-
fried Braeuchi, Jacob and Robert Wullschleger, Jacob and Gottlieb Ruetti,
Fritz Zybach, John Bangerter, Fritz Moeri.
Of the first officers, Emil Forter is now living in Denver, Colorado,
and Samuel Forter in Marysville. David Waelle has been called to rest after
a long and useful life, and Jacob Begert, one of nature's noblemen met witli
a fatal accident years ago and the community lost a real man.
For a few years this society had as many as sixty-five members ; it had
a male chorus of sixteen, which took part in many of the state saengerfests,
always ranking high and winning man}- prizes. By January, 191 7, its mem-
bership had decreased to thirty, but the male chorus is still working. During
its existence this society has paid over two thousand dollars in sick benefits to
its members.
Prof. John D. Walters, M. Sc, is without doubt the most widely known
member of this society. He was the first leader of the first brass band in
Marshall county. For forty consecutive years he has been a member of
the faculty of the Kansas State Agricultural College, where he is now the
dean of the department of architecture and drawing. He has been the
senior member of the faculty since 1897. For years he has taken much
interest in the American Educational Association. His lectures on agri-
cultural college work have been heard all over Kansas and in many other
states. His text books on free hand and industrial drawing have been
adopted by a great many schools and colleges in the West. He has been an
active educator for more consecutive years than any other man in Kansas,
and thousands of graduates of the Kansas State Agricultural College laud
the conscientious work of Professor Walters.
(15)
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
THE FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY.
muel Forter, the founder of the society followed the business of
blacksmithing from 1877 to i<;oo. During these years he donated much
time and energy in other directions. He organized the first real fire
department in Marysville and served as its chief until 1900; was president
of the Kansas State Firemens Association in [898 at Chicago; was president
of the- band for eighteen years, directed the singing for the Turner and
Swiss societies, taught physical culture for the Turner society f'>r fourteen
years and took an active part in a great many theatricals and concerts and
lodge functions. In the fall of [899 Congressman Calderhead took him out
of his blacksmith shop and made him his private secretary, which place he
filled satisfactorily for four years, during which he served as assistant clerk
fi r the postoffice and postroads committee; also for the committee on bank-
ing and currency in the House of Representatives. In iqo4 Eugene F. Ware,
United State- commissioner of pensions, appointed him a "special examiner
in the field," and for seven years he was engaged in pension work in the states
of Nebraska, fowa, South Dakota, Colorado and part- of Missouri and Kan-
sas. From April 1, [911, to March 15, [915, he served as postmaster at
Marysville. when he was succeeded by a Democrat.
John II. Kuoni, s<>n of Mathias Kuoni, has served the county as a mem-
ber <>f the Legislature, township trustee and in other capacities always with
credit. t<> himself and benefit to his constituents.
Charles Keller ha- been trustee and trea-urer of Franklin township,
where he ha- extensive farming interests for many years. His brother,
Gottfried Keller, laid out the town of VValkersburg, now Winifred, on a part
of his half section farm.
Jacob and John Seematter are both successful farmers, owning enough
land to give each of their numerous sons a good farm.
Jacob and Robert Wullschleger followed the business of carpenter- and
builders for many years; then they took to the farm, where they have been
amply rewarded for their industry and good management.
Rudolph and Frank Yaussi have been prominent members of the Hel-
vetia society. Their -ketch will he found elsewhere in this hook.
Carl Haenni was teacher of physical culture for the Turner society for
eleven years and for fifteen years he has directed the Swiss singers and the
Maennerchor.
John Thierstein ha- been president of the Helvetia verein for a long
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 227
period. His steady hand has guided its welfare as successfully as it has
guided the work on his big farm near Marysville.
The treasury has been in charge of Gottfried Braeuchi for twenty years,
it could not be in better hands. Plenty of work and absolute integrity have
made him a general favorite, along with President Thierstein. If this Swiss
society ever ceases singing it will lie because the clarion tenor of Thierstein
and the "aelpler jodel" of Braeuchi, have been stilled. Jacob Ruetti is like-
wise an old and honored member. Many years of hard work on his farm
have made it possible for him to come to town in the back seat of his auto.
In years gone this society made a practice of observing the Swiss
national independence, or holiday, in appropriate manner, the wives of mem-
bers outdoing each other in the preparation of the banquet of Swiss dishes.
And to this day the guests at the^e tables recall those old "gruetlifests" as
'he most pleasant times of their life. It was the Swiss women who made
those gatherings the success they were, and to their industry and frugality
belongs a great deal of the credit for the success on the farm or in the busi-
ness undertakings of their husbands.
The present officers of the society are : John Thierstein, president ; lacob
Wullschleger. vice-president; Carl Haenni, secretary; Gottfried Braeuchi.
treasurer; Frank Vaussi, trustee.
SWEDES.
The story of the Swedes in Marshall county is very much like the story
of other pioneers in Kansas. They came to America prompted by the desire
of getting homes of their own. Some came directly from Sweden ; others
stayed a short time in the East before coming to Kansas. Their material
resources were rather limited. They did not possess much money or property
of any kind ; but the real assets and values they commanded were ambition,
industry and perseverance. These qualities have brought to the Swedes
both wealth and happiness. Religiously, the Swedes adhere to the Lutheran
faith. There are two Swedish Lutheran churches in the county and one
Swedish Mission church, which in doctrine and polity differs a little from the
Lutheran church.
The Swedes believe in giving their children religious training as well
as secular education. Religious instruction is systematically given in the
parish summer school and in the confirmation classes. While they patronize
public schools and state institutions of learning, the church also maintains
educational institutions.
228 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
SWEDES LOYAL CITIZENS.
Although the Swedes haw deemed it necessary to use- the Swedish
language during the transition period in their religious work, and although
they may have a desire to maintain their distinct national and religious ideal-.
they are not really clannish and they do not want to isolate themselves from
others. On the contrary, the Swedes are loyal Americans.
One of the very first things a Swede think- of, after arriving in this
country, is to take out his first papers, and as soon as the law permits, he
becomes a naturalized citizen. They speak with pride and enthusiasm of
America as "onr country."
The Swedes have contributed a number of school teachers ami public
officials to the county. .Many of them have filled offices and positions of
trust, both in the county and in the various townships and cities, and at the
present time one of their sons, Hon. A. A. Nork, represents the county in
the state Legislature. The Swedes of Marshall comity are industrious, frugal
and law-abiding citizens, possessing the utmost integrity of character and. by
reason of these facts, have contributed largely to the prosperity and develop-
ment of the county and their influence for good will be felt more and more
in times to come.
SWEDISH SETTLEMENTS OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
There are two Swedish settlements in Marshall county. One between
Axtell and frank fort in Lincoln. Rock and Noble townships, and another
-i nth of Waterville in Cottage Hill township.
The first Swedish settler in Marshall county was Peter broom. He
was born in Ockelbo, Sweden. [825, and came to America in 1855. "*■'
lived a few years in Knox county. Illinois, and arrived in Marshall county
in 1858. He settled on a homestead on the west fork. Rock township. He
was married [875 to Xetta S. Anderson; he died in 1894.
John Bloomberg and his sun, Gustaf Bloomberg, came from Hinsdale.
Illinois, and ettlerl mi a farm nine mile- northeast of Frankfort, February,
1N70. In the beginning of the same year a meeting was held in Chicago t"
consider the founding of a Swedish colony in Kansas. It was decided to send
a delegation of three to Marshall county to select the location and make
ations. Th< delegation arrived here in April. [870, and selected land
in the southern part of Murray township. They also selected a site for a
town, which should be called Gothamborg.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 22g
About twenty-four Swedes and a few Norwegians bought land; but
the plans regarding the "Gothamborg settlement" never materialized. Only
two of the original parties arrived here, namely, Klaus A. Johnson and
Christian Iverson. Klaus A. Johnson came to Frankfort, September n,
1870.
About the same time a company of Swedes at Keokuk, Iowa, planned
to come to Kansas. Three men were sent to make investigations regarding
homesteads in Kansas; one of the three was J. Hurtie. As a result of their
report the following decided to make Kansas their home : Fred Johnson,
John Poison, S. P. Ericson, J. Hurtie and family ; J. Bjork and family. This
party of ten homeseekers arrived in Frankfort, Marshall county. May 17.
1870. They riled on claims and made homes on the prairie in section 4,
Lincoln township, (then part of Murray township).
Other Swedes who came in 1870 are John Johnson, August Latin,
John Soderquist, Klaus Anderson, J. A. Nork, Peter Johnson, Andrew
Person, and Gustaf Bromberg. The Swedish population of Marshall count)',
both foreign and native-born, numbered nearly one thousand on January 1,
1917.
One of the greatest events of Marshall county is the Swedish picnic,
which is held annually in Lincoln township and given under the auspices of
the Salem Lutheran church. On several occasions the picnic has been attended
by as many as three thousand people.
In July, 19 1 6, Governor Arthur Capper attended the picnic, and delivered
a patriotic address.
SALEM CHURCH.
The first religious services held in the new colony, were conducted by
Rev. S. P. A. Lindahl, who was the synod missionary stationed at Mariadahl,
Pottawattamie county. The first meeting was held in the Nork home in 1871.
The first Christmas service was held at the home of J. Hurtie, in 1872.
Mr. Hurtie officiating as pastor.
N. G Bergenskold came to the colony in August, 1873. He held meet-
ings in the Farrar school house, served communion and baptized children.
He became resident pastor, each family agreeing to pay him ten dollars per
year, which aggregated the princely sum of one hundred dollars. He
remained one year and was succeeded by Reverend Seleen, who organized
the Salem congregation with the following charter members : N. Peter-
son, Klaus Anderson, EC A. Johnson, J. A. Nork, J. A. Bjork, J- Blom-
berg, C. Blomberp. Nils Winquist, S. P. Erickson, John Poison, Fred Johnson,
Olaf Backman, Erick Englund, P. M. Nelson, Christian Iverson, John Soder-
230 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
quist. Severin Winquist. Some of these men had families, so the congrega-
tion was organized with forty-two charter members.
The Augustan synod's constitution for church government was adopted
and following officers were elected : Deacons, J. A. Nork, ('. tverson and Klaus
Anderson; trustees, John Soderquist, Nils Peterson and G. Blomberg. Rev-
erend Seleen was installed as pastor of the congregation at a salary of one
hundred dollars per year, in consideration of which he was to give them
six services a year and more, if possible.
In [876 Reverend Seleen resigned and in 1N77 was succeeded by Rev.
Hakan Olson, who ministered to the congregation once each month. In the
course of time Reverend Olson recommended a young minister. Rev. P. J.
Sanden, who came six months for two hundred dollars. Under his faithful
pastorate the church prospered and he became resident pastor and served until
[887. At that time there were one hundred and fifteen communicants and
the total Swede population was two hundred and forty. The church was
built in 1883.
Rev. F. A. Hollander became pastor on July 15. iSSS and served until
November 3, 1001 Rev. A. S. Segenhammer of Galveston, Texas, became
pastor on July 5, 1902, and served until September. 1912. The present pastor.
Rev. Gustaf Nyquist, commenced his work as assistant to Reverend Segen-
hammer and succeeded him on February 1. i<)i-'. The property held by
the congregation is worth about fifteen thousand dollars.
During forty years existence, up to the year 1014. the Salem congregation
had received three hundred and forty-six members; confirmed three hundred
and eighty-two, baptized five hundred and fifty-five children. During the
same period three hundred and fifty-nine persons have been dismissed or
died. The church, at the beginning of 1017. had three hundred and eighty-
three communicant members, and a total membership, counting children, of
five hundred and thirty-live.
1 IRISH IN M VRSHALL COUNTY.
There's a bower ol roses by Bendemeer's stream,
And the nightingale sings round it all the day long;
In the time of mv childhood 'twas like a sweet dream.
To sit by tin tnd hear the bird's song.
That lower and its music 1 never forget,
But oft when alone in the bloom of the year.
1 think- is the nightingale singing there yet?
Are the roses still bright by the calm Bendemeer?
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 23 I
No; the roses soon withered that hung o'er the wave,
But some blossoms were gathered, while freshly they shone,
And a dew was distilled from the flowers, that gave
All the fragrance of summer, when summer was gone.
Thus memory draws from delight, ere it dies,
An essence that breathes of it many a year;
Thus bright to my soul, as 'twas then to my eyes,
Is that bower on the banks of the calm Bendemeer.
In the early history of Marshall county two distinct localities were set-
tled by the Irish people, St. Bridget, in the northeast and Irish creek, in the
southeast.
The settlements in each case were made along the streams where the
timber was good and easily obtainable for the cabins. The first settlers in
St. Bridget were Phillip Coffey, Owen Reilly, Elizabeth Hoffman and Eli
Tripp in 1857. The following year came John Coughlin, Michael Shaugh-
nessy, Peter Lynch, John Smith, Michael Murray, Patrick Hughes, Thomas
Loob and Michael Maddigan.
From that date until 186 1 the little colony was increased by the families
of Patrick McGrath, James Carroll, John Gossin, Sylvester Creevan, John
Clark and Bernard Gallagher.
IRISHMAN FIRST HOMESTEADER.
On Irish creek the first settler was Daniel Donahy, who took up the first
homestead under the United States laws and received patent No. 1 from the
government. From 1857 to 1861 the following families settled on the creek.
David, Jerry and Dennis Donahy, John Doud, William, Thomas, John and
Daniel Nolan, Thomas and Edward McNieve, Patrick, Ned, Mike and
Hubert Burke, the Greggs. Kennedys, Harringtons, Grimes and Hendeshans.
The families were all of a sturdy type of pioneers and while the hard-
ships they endured were almost more than flesh and blood could stand, yet
they had the indomitable spirit of the race and a faith which never failed
them even in the darkest hours.
Soon the cheering visits of the ever welcome priests helped the dark
days to pass and inspired them with hope for better times. Very soon the
faithful adherents of the Catholic church gave of their scant stores to build
humble church homes, where they might meet and worship the God of their
forefathers.
232 MARSHALL lOL'XTY, KANSAS.
Those weekly meetings were the occasions of great happiness to a people
who, by nature, are full of brotherly love and human sympathy. There they
eagerly inquired after the health and welfare of neighbors and sent the kind
wishes of warm heart- to absent ones.
News from that loved little isle — the emerald gem set in the silver sea —
was exchanged and mutual messages scut. No story is so full of human
interest as that of the pioneer. The palace is a tribute to the architect and
the builder; bul the log cabin appeals to the heart, for that rude dwelling
sheltered men and women who had the courage to endure and the strength
to overcome, it would he difficult to describe the hard-hips of those early
years. Of actual suffering and want there was some; hut, perhaps, the
greatest suffering was never known.
VISIONS OK THE Oil) COUNTRY HAUNT THE MEMORY.
To those early Irish people the thought of separation from the home and
scenes 1 >f childhood, was fraught with such depths of anguish as only the
loving, tender Irish heart can know.
How many times the brave parents sat beside the cabin door, while the
little ones slept within, and felt within their hearts the utter loneliness of life.
Memories of the happy childhood home, the dear old parents far away,
would fill their hearts.
(hit the true hearts kept them brave and they lived to see cattle fatten-
ing upon the green pastures and golden grain waving in the fields. Wealth
and comfort have come to those who toiled, and loved, and hoped. Many,
man}- have long since crossed the river and are resting on the other shore.
Perhaps no people who came to Marshall county were better fitted for
the life of the pioneer. Living as their forefathers had, on an island, battling
ever with the wild forces of nature, the sea and the storm were to them a
force tn he overcome.
So those descendants of a courageous race gave royal battle to the
blizzard, the drought and the pestilence, and wrested from the virgin prairie
its hidden wealth.
In the history of our county few years have passed that Irishmen have
not served in -'.me official capacity. They have been especially prominent
■ in the board of county commissioners and have guided the .affairs of the
county with intelligence, care and integrity.
The names of I iossin, Murray, Shaughnessy. Manly, O'Neill and Sullivan
adorn the roll of splendid pioneers and citizens of the county.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
'-33
It is difficult for one in whose veins flows the blood of a noble Irish
ancestry to write in guarded tones of a race which unites the ardent, emo-
tional, affectionate temperament, quick to resent an injustice, ever ready with
forgiveness, with the highly religious qualities of soul, and the forceful, pro-
gressive character.
It may lie truly said that to the Irish in Marshall county we owe much
of our material development and fine intellectual attainments.
CHAPTER X.
Railways of Marshall County.
ST. JOSEPH AND GRAND ISLAND RAILROAD.
On .March _•<>. iNoo. an item appeared in the Kansas paper thai was of
great importance to the people of Marshall county:
"Iron arrives in Kansas, and track laying begins on the Elwood and
Marysville railroad. This is the first railroad iron laid down on Kansas soil."
On April 28, i860, the following appeared in the Elwood Free Press:
"On Monday last, April 23, the directors of the Elwood & Marysville
Railroad placed on their track the locomotive 'Albany,' an engine which
has been used from Boston to the Missouri, as railroads have successively
stretched their length toward the setting sun.
"On Tuesday several cars were brought across the river and a large
concourse of people gathered to celebrate the actual opening of the first
section of the great Pacific road. Col. M. \v\\. Thompson, president of the
Elwood & Marysville road; W'illard P. Hall, president of the St. Joseph &
Topeka road; Gov. Robert M. Stewart, of Missouri, and others addressed the
croud on the great topic of the day."
On July i'). of the same year, a great celebration was again held at
Elwood on the completion of the road to Wathena — the first railroad in the
territory of Kansas.
On January 20. [871, the first train on the Grand Island railroad reached
Marysville. This line of railway extends through Murray. Guittard, Frank-
lin, Center. Elm (.'reek. Marysville and Logan townships, and the stations
are \\lell. I'.eattie. 1 lome. < 'arden. Marysville. 1 lerkimer and Bremen. Thirty-
seven miles of this road traverse the county.
For many years the St. Joseph & Grand Island railroad was the main
highway from Marysville to the river and wesl to Grand Island, Nebraska,
where connection was made with main lines East and West.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 235
All shipping was carried on over this road until the Lincoln-Manhattan
branch of the Union Pacific road was built, giving Marysville a north and
south road, and later the Marysville and Menoken "cut-off" to Topeka was
built, thus putting Marysville on a trans-continental line.
MARYSVILLE MAYOR FOR PROGRESS.
Perhaps the most important item of news to the citizens of Marysville
that has appeared for many years was the notice that Charles F. Pusch.
mayor of Marysville, had been elected a director in the St. Joseph & Grand
Island railroad. Since that day Air. Pusch has worked diligently for better
railroad conditions in Marysville and owing to his efforts the hope of Marys-
ville people that their city might be made a division point, has at last been
fulfilled.
The Grand Island road is now under the management of the Union
Pacific system, that system holding ninety per cent of the stock.
The Union Pacific Company will buy practically all the land from the
city limits north to the river, a tract of sixty-eight acres ; all town lots
between Seventh street and the railroad, to be used for freight and passenger
division terminals. Icing plants and feed yards will also be built.
The appropriation to be expended on these improvements in 191 7 is
two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and a like amount in 1918. It is
anticipated that the Grand Island machine shops now located in St. Joseph,
Missouri, will be brought to- Marysville. The following interesting clipping
is from the Marshall County News of .March 23. 1917:
THE RAILROAD IMPROVEMENTS.
After the nomination of Mayor Pusch he thanked the delegates for this
unanimous nomination to a fourth term as mayor. In speaking of the
railroad improvements, he told how he had worked long years for the loca-
tion of division terminal facilities, new depot, etc., and thanked the people
for their confidence and support during all this time. He was glad to be
able to report now that the contracts with the railroad company had been
practically completed and that the work would proceed this year. He read
a letter just received from E. E. Calvin, president of the Union Pacific
Railroad Company, which reads as follows :
JV> MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
"Union Pacific System.
Omaha, March _•<». [917.
".Mr. Charles F. Pusch, mayor, City of Marysville,
"Marysville, Kansas.
"I tear Sir :
"This will acknowledge and thank you for your favor of March [9th
concerning matters at Marysville.
"I have directed that the options running to the Union Pacific Railroad
Compan) be exercised at once and will advise you when this is done so that
the ordinances may then be promptly passed.
"Further consideration has been given the special provision to be included
in the deed covering land to be conveyed to us for passenger station and
I submit herewith a clause which 1 believe will he satisfactory to you and
aff< rd such protection to the railroad company as it is felt we ^h< uil< 1 hive
and which I am certain you want ns to have:
"'It is understood that as a part of this consideration for this convey-
ance, the grantee herein. Union Pacific Railroad Company, agrees t" erect
upon the premises herein granted, a passenger depot and appurtenant facili-
ties ; the grantee, the Union Pacific Railroad Company, will also erect in the
vicinity of Marysville, Kansas, as soon as the land is available, a round house
anil such other terminal facilities as may he necessary for the handling of the
business of the railroad company at that point.'
"If the above provision is acceptable to you. will you kindly have deeds
ared in accordance therewith and submit them to us.
"You understand, of course, that we will undertake the construction of
the round house and appurtenant facilities this year, and as quickly as prac-
tical.le after we obtain possession of the necessary land under the proposed
condemnation proceedings, with which you are familiar.
"Yours very truly.
"E. E. Calvin."
The mayor -aid the clause to he inserted in the deeds had been accepted
and that the (k\-<\^ were being prepared by E. R. Fulton and would he imme-
diately signed tip and returned to the company.
ST. JOSEPH AND WESTERN RAILROAD COMPANY.
This road was incorporated by special act of the Territorial Legislature
of 1857, a- the Marysville. 1'almetto & Roseport Railroad Company. Under
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 237
the law of 1862, the name was changed to St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad
Company. The western division was built under the charter of the Northern
Kansas Railroad Company, and the general railroad law of Nebraska: incor-
porated January 17. 1868.
^,By an act of the Legislature of 1866, the Northern Kansas Railroad
Company was granted a portion of the five hundred thousand acres of land
granted to the state by the act of Congress of 1841. By an act of Congress
of July 23, 1 8* 6, the St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad Company received
a grant of lands to aid in its construction.
On September 18, 1867, articles of consolidation were filed with the
secretary of state, consolidating the Northern Kansas Railroad Company and
the St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad Company, under the name of the latter
company.
On April 1. 1877, articles of consolidation were filed, consolidating the
St. Joseph & Pacific Railroad Company, incorporated August 1, 1876, (a com-
pany organized by the purchasers upon foreclosure of the St. Joseph & Den-
ver City Railroad Company for the purpose of constructing or purchasing
and operating that portion of the St. Joseph & Denver City railroad between
Elwood and Marysville ) and the Kansas & Nebraska Railroad Company,
incorporated August 1, 1876, (a company organized by the purchasers upon
foreclosure of the St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad Company for the pur-
pose of constructing or purchasing and operating that portion of the St.
Joseph & Denver City Railroad Company west of Marysville), the company
thus formed to be known as the St. Joseph & Western Railroad Company.
In 1879 the road came under the control of the Union Pacific Railway Com-
pany, which owns $1,536,200 of the stock of the company; $1,274,569, St.
Joseph & Pacific Railroad bonds; $1,076,361.40, Kansas & Nebraska Rail-
road bonds, and $113,000, receiver's certificates; operated as the St. Joseph
& Western Division of the Union Pacific Railway, but all accounts are kept
separately. The road extends from St. Joseph, Missouri, to state line of
Nebraska, a distance of one hundred thirty-eight miles ; thence to Grand
Island. Nebraska.
MISCELLANEOUS RAILROAD ITEMS.
January 7, 1870 — Another short survey of the St. Joseph & Denver
City railroad is being made.
April 22, 1870 (Friday morning) — A Marysville item says: "The
surveying party of the St. Joseph & Denver City railroad returned from
238 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Kearney last Tuesday (19), having completed the survey of that mad.
They are to commence the work of locating eastward from this point.
May. 1870 — Contract let for building the St. Joseph & Denver City rail-
road to Marysville. The work to be completed ready for laying the iron
by November 1. The road is now completed some five or si\ miles west of
Hiawatha, in Brown county.
June 17. 1870 — The St. Joseph & Denver City railroad is now running
as far as Hamlin, ten miles west of Hiawatha. It i- to lie finished as far
as the Big Blue — one hundred and twenty-live miles west of St. Joe — by
November 1. 1N70.
December 9, 1870 — A general interest is felt by the people of the
eounty respecting the St. Joe & Denver City railroad bonds. The county
commissioners have nol as yet decided whether to issue them or not. The
bonds were voted years ago, the object being to secure a leading line of
railroad through the county. Since that time another railroad has been
built without the aid of the county, proving that the county need not have
offered any bounty in order to secure a road. It is a question whether lapse
of time or an act of the railroad company itself, lias not worked a forfeiture.
January I,}. 1871 — The Marysville Locomotive, the official organ of
Marshall county, Mates Mr. Jacob Mohrbacher, was elected chairman of the
comity board for the ensuing year at it- fifsl meeting; and in relation to
the bond question gives the following fact-: On Tuesday the board issued
to the St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad Company fifty thousand dollars
worth of bonds and turned them over to Dudley M. Steele, the president of
tbc company; and fifty thousand dollars more of bonds will be turned over
to them in a few days. Fifty thousand dollars in stock in -aid road has been
turned over to the cOunf) treasurer, and the other fifty thousand will be
turned over upon the delivery of the remainder of the bonds to the president
of the railroad company.
January 13. 1871 — From the Locomotive we learn that the St. Joseph &
iver City Railroad have located their depot in Marysville on what is known
a- the Ballard and Morrall's addition, about one-quarter of a mile from die
business center of the town. The material for the building is already framed.
and tbe work on the switch is now rapidly going forward.
March 31, [871- The St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad Company ha;
a grant ( land 1 which attache- to a two-mile Strip along the west line of the
nty.
September 5. [873 — The St. Joseph & Denver City railroad officer
resign and a committee is appointed to make an investigation into the affairs
1 if tbe company.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 239
The Central Branch (now Missouri Pacific) enters Marshall county
from the east and extends through Noble, Vermillion, Bigelow, Blue Rapids,
Blue Rapids City and Waterville townships. Stations on the road are Ver-
million, Vliets, Frankfort, Barrett, Bigelow, Irving, Blue Rapids and Water-
ville. There are thirty-five miles of this road in the county now under the
management of the Missouri Pacific system.
From the first annual report of the Kansas board of railroad commis-
sioners, giving the report of the Central Branch Union Pacific railroad for
the year ending June 30, 1883, the following statement is taken:
The Atchison & Pike's Peak Railroad Company was incorporated by
special act of the Legislature of 1859. (Laws of 1859, page 62.) The act
of incorporation conferred upon the Atchison & Pike's Peak railway the
powers and condition of the act incorporating the Atchison & Fort Riley
Railroad Company, incorporated in 1857. (Laws of 1857, page 198.) This
road received a grant of land by act of Congress, of 187,608 acres, and also
bonds to the amount of $16,000 per mile for 100 miles, by the terms of which
five per cent of the net earnings of this part of the road is paid to the gov-
ernment. Construction of the road was commenced in 1864, and opened
from Atchison to Waterville on January 20, 1868. Its name was changed
to Central Branch Union Pacific Railway on November 20, 1866.
July 12, 1867 — Road completed nearly to Black Vermillion.
November 14, 1867— The seventy-ninth mile of track completed today.
The passenger cars will probably run to the new town of Frankfort on
Tuesday, November 30, the present terminus, seventy-eight and one-half miles
west of Atchison.
December 2-/, 1867 — Correspondence in the Atchison Weekly Free Press
says: "Railroad projects are getting as common as pretty babies.
There is a company to build up the Big Blue to — nobody knows where.
One to build down the Blue to Manhattan, and one to build a road which is
to cover both the others. . . . Track laying is proceeding rapidly and
should the weather hold good for five days the iron will be down. Too
much credit cannot be accorded Mr. Broder for the energy he has displayed
in pushing the work. A less competent man under the same circumstances,
would have been far behind. He is a man in a thousand."
January 17, 1868 — A special train under charge of J. S. Pierce, con-
ductor, conveyed the government railroad commissioners, Gen. N. B. Buford,
Gen. Frank P. Blair and Dr. William N. White to Waterville, the terminus of
the one hundred miles. An engine house, depot and turn-table are being
constructed. Col. William Osborn, superintendent of the road, and a small
240 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
party of Atchison citizens accompanied the party. The ride was a pleasant
one and was made at good speed. A heavy snow storm set in during tin-
progress of the inspection, and the return trip to Atchison was through the
Storm all the way. On reaching Atchison the party stopped at the Massasoil
house and enjoyed its hospitalities.
November 23, 1863 — The first rail laid on the Atchison & Pike's Peak,
or Central Branch railroad.
February 15. 1867 — The Atchison & Pike's Peak railroad, or Central
Branch, forty miles, receives six hundred and forty thousand dollars in gov-
ernment bonds.
December 29, 1867 — The last rail laid on the one hundred miles of road.
January 20, 1868 — The Atchison & Pike's Teak railroad reaches Water-
\ille. It receives sixteen thousands dollars per mile in bonds, and one hun-
dred eighty-seven thousand six hundred eight acres of land from the gov-
ernment.
Waterville remained the terminal of the Central Branch railroad until
1876. when it was extended to Downs.
In [879 the Marysville and Blue Valley railroad was built along- the
Big Blue river from .Marysville to Beatrice, Nebraska. The towns on this
road in .Marshall county were Marysville, Hull, .Marietta and Oketo.
In 1886 the Manhattan and Blue Valley railroad was built, following
the Blue river from Marysville to Manhattan. Kansas. The towns along
this line in Marshall county are Marysville, Schroyer, Blue Rapids and Irv-
ing, with a siding for the stone quarries at Florena. These two branches
later became the Lincoln & Manhattan Branch of the Union Pacific railroad,
connecting the Union Pacific main lines of Kansas and Nebraska at Man-
hattan, Kansas and Valley, Nebraska.
The Topeka, Onaga & Marysville Branch of the Union Pacific railroad,
known as the Topeka "cut-off", eighty-two miles long, running as indicated,
from Topeka to Marysville. was opened for traffic in 1910. It was built
for the purpose of shortening the Union Pacific line between Cheyenne,
Wyoming and Kansas City, Missouri, for trans-continental freight and
passenger service. The track is well ballasted and laid with the heaviesl
steel rails.
This road now practically runs from Kansas City, Missouri, to the west
coast, using the Union Pacific main line tracks in Kansas from Kansas City
i" Topeka, then the "cut-off" to Marysville. then the Si. Jo ami Grand Island
to Hastings, Nebraska, from Hastings over the Hastings-Gibbon "cut-off",
t" Gibbon, Nebraska, where it connects with the Union Pacific main line in
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 2.LI
Nebraska, thus making it the shortest route from Kansas City to the West
and Northwest coast, by a great many miles. The towns on this road in
Marshall county are Marysville. Winifred, Frankfort and Lillis.
MARSHALL COUNTY PUBLIC ROADS.
The roads in Marshall county have always been fairly good. The
natural drainage of the county conduces to this condition, and in the days
prior to establishment of section lines, the settlers made cross-country roads,
selecting the best trail possible leading to creek crossings. Little attention
was paid to the upkeep of these prairie lanes of travel. When townships
were organized and officers elected, roads were regularly worked and repaired.
The coming of the automobile inaugurated a great improvement in
public roads. Rough places and hills were blasted and worked down, ap-
proaches to bridges built and culverts repaired.
The county commissioners lend every aid possible under the law. The
county has three hundred miles of improved county roads which are regu-
larly dragged and kept in excellent condition. Every spring before the
ground becomes too hard, the roads are thoroughly gone over with a grader,
ditches are cleaned out, ruts and holes filled, shoulders on the side of the
road are planed off, grades are improved and, in fact, everything done to
make an ideal road. Bridges and culverts are marked with side shields,
solidly built to a height of three feet, so that there is no possibility of driv-
ing off, and these shields are painted white and are plainly discernible at
all times.
OCEAN TO OCEAN HIGHWAY.
•
In 1913 the Rock Island highway was laid out in the county. This
was the first inter-state highway in the county. The name has been changed
and it is now called the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway, extending
from New York to San Francisco.
This road enters Marshall county at Axtell and leaves at the Bohemian
cemetery, on the west line of the county. There are thirty-four miles of
this road in the county and it is plainly marked and kept in splendid condi-
tion. It touches the cities of Axtell, Beattie, Home and Marysville.
The Ocean to Ocean Highway Association met in St. Joseph, Missouri,
early in 191 7, to make plans for further improvement and extension of the
road. Delegates from Marysville who attended were C. F. Pusch and S.
C. Schmidt.
(16)
J\J MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
The White \\'a\ is an inter-state highway, running through the south-
ern part of the county. This road extends from Atchison to Beloit, about
thirty-five miles being in Marshall county. It touches Vermillion, Frank-
fort, Blue Rapids and VVaterville. This road joins the Golden Belt road
and runs into I >enver.
The Blue Valley inter-state highway is a continuation of the Sioux City,
Omaha and Lincoln route. It enters Marshall county eleven miles north of
Marysville and follows the river to Blue Rapids, where it crosses the river
and touches frying; crosses the river to the east side again and runs t'>
Manhattan. There are thirty-seven miles of this road in the county.
Marshall county has steel markers at all important corners of county
roads, indicating the direction and number of miles to points near and far.
Two thousand two hundred automobiles are now owned in Marshall
county, and the travel over the different roads and highways can scarcely
b< estimated. Almost every make of ear i- represented.
Pawnee county, Nebraska, and Marshall county have joined interests
and big plans are under way for the big two-day Good Roads campaign.
Ten miles of road, leading into the city from the east, on the state line, are
to 'h- "made over" and put in passable condition. This will he the biggesl
piece of good roads improvement nulled off in northeastern Kansas and
southeastern Nebraska.
Dr. 1.. R. Stevens, mayor of Summerfield, is president of the ('• 1
Roads Association.
CHAPTER XI.
Agriculture and Stock Raising.
THE PLOWMAN.
By John G. Ellenbecker.
The plowman slowly moves along the furrow's mellow wake,
Made by that glistening shield his good steeds sway.
He well has learned the gait the feet of toil must take.
So as to last with strength and song throughout the day.
Round hv round his plow glides through the sod.
Till lo, the mat of grass and weeds is turned to blackened mold.
This is the mete reward for every faithful clod;
This is the rest so well deserved for yield so manifold.
But many, as they pass him by in stately motor car.
Rejoice that they're not in his place, but never dream.
That his path leads through roses and just as lucky star;
That he is granted heavenly might that they have never seen.
And who can sound this subtle cult of his magic, master hand,
Who sirhply plows and sows and reaps and learns nature's arts;
And who in turn has made of her a servant, faithful, grand,
For all mankind and filled with wealth the world's busy marts.
He is in truth the alchemist the ancients sought in vain ;
'Tis he who makes the desert yield a harvest manifold;
'Tis he who loads with flower and fruit the boundless plain;
'Tis he wlio turns the brownest earth into the yellowest gold.
CATTLE.
The breeding of live stock, next to general farming, is the greatest
industry in Marshall county, and these two lines of business are so closely
_'44 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
allied thai it is almosl impossible t<> draw a definite line- between the two. The
first settlers brought their eattle and other stork with them and Erom then
up to the present time the breeding of stock has played a very important part in
the' development of the county.
Col. F. M. Wood pays this tribute t « > the cow :
"It was the cow that made it possible for man to change the greal Ameri-
can desert into a land of prosperous homes. When she came, the buffalo
disappeared, the Indian tepee gave way to the church, school house and
home, and where once wild wolves howled, today children prattle. t;r;i^
grows, flowers bloom and birds sing."
The development of the live-Stock industry in Marshall count}' may
he divided into three eras. First, the free range; second, the free range,
with a herder, and third, the era of fences. When the first settler-, came to
this count)' the) settled along the streams, where there was a good supply
of water ami timber, which furnished them with fuel and offered some
protection from the cold winter winds that swept across the then unbroken
1 rairies. The small hands of cattle that each owned were then branded and
allowed to roam at will to iwd and multiply unrestricted. Each fall they
were gathered together and each man picked out the stock that he owned.
marked his season's increase and drove away to market all that were fit.
II !K HERD LAW.
With the coming id' the homesteader, a rapid change began to take
place and. as more and more fields were broken out and planted, these
semi- wild cattle became a nuisance and many a hitter feud sprang up
between the cattle men and the homesteader. This resulted in the passing
of the herd law. which required each man to keep a herder with his cattle
and that the cattle should be confined at night This condition prevailed
until the advent of the barbed wire, which marked one of the most radical
changes in the history of the cattle industry. As fa-t as men could work.
their lands were fenced ami the cattle no longer allowed to roam at will.
It was at this time that purebred cattle were introduced into the count}
and systematic effort- were made to improve the quality as well as to incr<
the numbers.
Mi si of the leading breeds of live stock are found in the count}, hut the
breed that ha- been most important and has undergone the most development,
ha- been the Hereford. .Marshall count} has often been termed the Here-
ford-hire of Kansas. There is hardly a herd of cattle in the count}, except
.MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
-'45
the pure-bred? of the other breeds, that does not show the indelible stamp
of the Hereford strain. Marshall county at one time had more pure-bred
Hereford cattle than any other county in Kansas and probably than any other
like area in the world.
THE FIRST HEREFORDS.
Marshall county was the home of the late Walter M. Morgan, who was
the first man to develop a Hereford herd in the state, although one of his
neighbors, Hiram Woodard, had been handling a few head before this time
and was the first man to bring Herefords to Marshall county. Walter M.
Morgan was born and reared in Herefordshire. England, and it is not surpris-
ing that he should have been an ardent advocate of the breed. When a young
man he came to Ohio, where he embarked in the Hereford cattle trade. His
father-in-law, Thomas Aston, made the third importation of Hereford cattle
to America in the year 1852. Mr. Morgan came to Marshall county in 1872,
bringing with him some of the descendants of the Aston importation as the
foundation stock of one of the greatest industries that has ever been carried
on in this county. He maintained his herd until 1901, when he retired,
selling his herd to his son-in-law, F. W. Preston, who continued in Morgan's
footsteps. The county is largely indebted to the latter for the permanent
establishment and development of Hereford cattle. He brought such bulls
as "Duke of Edinburg," "Blue Rapids," "Imp. Belmont," "Edmond." "Fancy
Lad," "Conductor," "Sir Robert," the great "Silver Lord" and many others.
He aho imported the cow "Curley," which \va3 one of the most consistent
prize winners of her time.
.Among the early breeders was John M. Winters, who started in the busi-
ness in 1876, getting his foundation stock from Hiram Woodard. This herd
is still being maintained and is the property of his son, B. M. Winters.
Another of the early champions of the breed was Charles Scholz, who several
years ago sold his herd to C. A. Stannard. The Brennan Brothers' herd was
another that was established in the late seventies from the old Woodard
stock.
Judge W. H. Goodwin established a herd about 1887 and maintained a
high standard of excellence. After his death in 1897 his daughter. Miss
Lou Goodwin, bought a large number of the best producers in the herd and
continued to breed high-class cattle. The foundation stock for a number
of later herds came from Miss Goodwin's stock. Other breeders, who have
been prominent in the Hereford history, are L. W. Libby, G. W. Parrish,
246 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
E. M. McAtee, William T. Paul, T. A. Greenman, F. A. Stocks, William
Bommer, William Acker. Cottrell Brothers, A. B. Bird, Luther Whiting,
G. S. Emmcrt. Charles Strange, W. A. Gilson, S. W. Tilley, J. M. Williams,
Woodman & Son, Ira A. Whiting, C. II. Stylo & Company, 1. I). Varick,
W. Morgan, !•'.. W. Ringen, J. L. Rodkey, C. Rodkey, W. B Hunt. A. Borck,
James Hunt, J. F. Sedlacek, James Shaughnessy, J. Pecenka and mam-
others. At the present time some of these herds have been dispersed, hut
Others are being improved and extended.
The Marshall County Hereford Breeders Association was organized
about sixteen years ago and held their first sale in 1902 at Blue Rapids. At
1 n< time there were fifty members in the association and their holdings aggre-
gated two thousand five hundred head. In recent years no sales have been
held and the association has almost been lost sight of; but with the increased
demand for high grade cattle, it will probably be reorganized. The splendid
showing of pure-bred cattle at the Marshall County Fair in October, [916,
showed, by the number of exhibitors of Herefords, that interest was being
renewed.
SHORTHORNS.
The Shorthorn has had a more checkered career in Marshall county,
and at the present time there are very few herds of pure-bred cattle of this
breed, although there are some small herds starting Up. As near as can be
ascertained the first pure-bred Shorthorns were brought to the county by a
Mr. Harbaugh, of Waterville. This was in [871-72. About the same date
Thompson Smith, of Oketo, and a Mr. Tennison, of Frankfort, also had
herds of Shorthorns.
Tin' most prominent importers of thoroughbred llolsteiiis in the county
are the lackland Brothers, of Axtell.
The most consistent champion of Angus cattle in the county is Charles
Butler, who lias been breeding ami feeding the Angus breed for a number of
years. E. A. Berry, of Waterville, and George Hall were also breeders of
^.ngus cattle. George Stephenson, of Waterville, brought the Angus to its
highest state of development in the county. He raised fancy cattle on his
farm near Waterville and maintained a show herd that won many premiums.
Tin. re are comparatively few of the Angus cattle here at the present time.
The Galloway is another breed that has not been popular here. The
only herds ,,f which there is any knowledge, are owned by Dr. E. I.. Willson,
Sr., and John Stauffacher.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 247
The Auld Brothers, of Frankfort, are making a specialty of the Red
Polled cattle and are developing a tine herd. They are placing quite a num-
ber of sires in other herds throughout the county.
CREAMERIES.
Until 1884 every farmer's wife kept her own creamery and dairy.
Butter was sold in Marysville at ten cents a pound and less, with a slight
raise in price during the holiday season.
In the spring of 1884 Arand & Ziegler, of Marysville, built the first
creamery in Marshall county. They invested about three thousand dollar^
in grounds, building and equipment, located about a quarter of a mile west
of the Blue river bridge, at the foot of the hill. A well was drilled for
artesian water, but at a depth of three hundred and twenty-five feet salt
water was found and the "artesian" well abandoned. This was before
the day of the cream separator, and the firm kept five men with teams,
gathering cream from the farmers.
William Maldoon, now a farmer near Marysville, was the butter-maker.
For two years this creamery turned out an excellent grade of butter, but
the fact that there was no market for the produce nearer than New York,
made the business unprofitable and it was discontinued in 1886. The build-
ings and grounds are now owned by Jacob Grauer.
The creamery business then slept until May 5, 1894, when the Blue
Valley Creamery Company was organized at Marysville by Walker Broth-
ers, of Wichita, Kansas. A special building was erected, the best up-to-
date equipment installed and the business prospered from the begin-
ning. The first year of the operation of the creamery, the company bought
1,909,483 pounds of milk, for which it paid $11,458.57. By 1895 creamery
butter became a factor in the markets of the country and set the price for
farm butter. The price of all butter has been consistently maintained and
increased from that date to the present.
Notwithstanding that Marshall county is pre-eminently an agricultural
county, with practically no other industries, the facts are that the people of
the cities of the county have been obliged to use about as much condensed
milk, the output of factories of New York and Illinois, as they have of native
cow's milk, during the past five years, and have had to pay as high as forty
cents a pound for creamery butter during the holiday season of 19 16. A
large proportion of the butter consumed has to be imported.
248 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
The Blue Valley Creamery Company operated here until July 29, 10,01.
The Walker Brothers had in the meantime established a branch of the Blue
Valley Creamery in St. Joseph, Missouri, and in igoi removed to that city
and consolidated the concern.
There is no creamery in the county now, but several dairies are in opera-
tion. There are one thousand tour hundred and twenty-nine cream sepa-
rators in the county, and cream to the value of ninety-seven thousand two
hundred and twenty-six dollars was sold to creameries for the year ending
March !. [916. Six hundred and fifty pounds of cheese was made and sold in
the county, by individual cheese-makers, there being no cheese factory in the
county. During the same period, three hundred and eighty-two thousand
nine hundred and one pounds of butter-fat have been shipped OUl of the
county and sold.
BREEDS FOR DAIRY PURPOSES.
The dairy breeds that are the most popular are the Holsteins and
Jerseys. Lackland Brothers, W. O. Morrill, F. E. Austin, Mr. Arnold and
others champion the Holsteins, while the Jerseys are preferred by C. Thomas,
R. 0. McKee, George Hall, Joseph Krasney and others. Alfred Sanderson
is the only man in the county who is specializing in Guernsey-.
Several years ago large numbers of cattle were fed for the markets.
Among the large feeders were Perry Hutchinson, Patrick Finegan, Charles
Scholz, William Cassidy, Charles Butler, and John Cottrell. Butler and Cot-
trell are still in the business.
One predominant factor in the promotion of the animal industry in the
county has been alfalfa, ever since its introduction. The man who raises
alfalfa, not only makes two blades grow where but one grew before, but
he grow- ten, and everyone, green or dry, is a stick of meat and fat for
horse, cow or hog.
To Bernard Nauman, of Frankfort, belongs the credit of having broughl
the fir>t alfalfa seed to this county about [872. It was many years getting
under cultivation, but once fairly started it became the favorite it deserves
to be, and no farmer can "keep house." without it now.
The silo has become a strong ally of alfalfa for dairy and Fattening
purposes. It furnishes "canned" green feed of excellent quality to all kinds of
stock at all s,.-as«,iis of the year. Fifty-eighl of these feed preserves were
reported in use for the year ending March 31, [916, in the county, and in
January, i<)i 7. the number had been nearly doubled.
iv^B
- — *r %a
CHESTER ROWE, BOY FRIZE WINNER IN COUNTY CONTEST, WITH SILVER CUP.
Calf prize and exhibit of corn. He also won first state prize at the Kansas State
Agricultural College.
Y. M. C. A. EXHIBIT AT MARSHALL COUNTY FAIR.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 249
THE HORSE.
With the coming of the German settlers on Horse Shoe creek, among
whom were the Friedrichs, Raemers, Koenekes, Schottes and Westermans,
came the knowledge of good draft and general utility horses. Those men
were from the north of Germany, where the splendid breeds of horses for
cavalry and for heavy draft use were well known and appreciated. Those
German farmers had no desire for racing stock and they at that time and
for many years, continued to raise the best draft horses in the county.
The desire for fast horses, which usually attends frontier life, was
present for some years in the county and was in a small measure indulged
in by H. H. Lourey, J. Gano, Dave Barrett and Charles Hill, of Frankfort;
Perry Hutchinson, Dr. G. A. Seaman, Dr. E. L. Willson, St., A. G. Shepard,
and in later years, H. E. Wiedemeyer, of Marysville, were patrons of the turf.
A racing association and track were maintained at Frankfort and Marysville
for many years, but the men who once kept fancy horses are no longer living
and few of the men of today evince the sporting spirit of the "race-horse man."
The Marshall County Fair and Stock Show may again attract races and revive
the old spirit. L. W. Libby was a lover of good horses and at one time had
one hundred and twenty-five head of the Sangaree breed, which he raised
for market, but the decline in the price of horses during the years 1894 to
1898 resulted disastrously for Mr. Libby.
HIGH-GRADE HORSES INTRODUCED.
About 1876 Henry Bull brought a high-grade Norman horse to Marys-
ville and in 1883 Degnan & Degen brought two imported French Norman
horses. To Dr. E. L. Willson, Sr., belongs the credit of having done more
for the improvement of the horse in the county than to any other number of
men. From 1882 to 1886 he imported seventy-two Percheron. Clydesdale
and English Coach thoroughbred stallions from Canada and Scotland, and
to this day when a good stepper is seen, it is almost sure to be a descendant
of Doctor Willson's "Sangaree" or "Karatas," although Doctor Willson
retired from active horse business many years ago.
Horse raising was quite an industry up to 1894, by which time the
county was full of very good horses of all kinds. The year 1894 will never
be forgotten by all who lived in the county, as the year of the hottest winds
ever experienced, killing not only the corn and hay, but all the fruit and
denuding even the forest trees of foliage, so that by September the trees
25O MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
were as hare as in the winter. There was no iw\ nearer than St. Joseph
or Kansas City, Missouri, win re owing to its scarcity the price was prohibi-
tive. Many horses were given away for lack of feed to support them.
I. l'>. Davis bought a good team of mules, wagon and harness on the
streets of Marysville for sixtj seven dollars. During that winter horse buy-
1 rs from Eastern markets scoured the county < >ne man from < >maha bought
two carloads at one time in MarysA ille, m »t one of the horses weighing less than
fourteen hundred pounds and without blemish, at an average of forty-five dol-
lars per head. This buyer told the writer that it was the finest lot of horses
lie had bought in mam years. That fall 1 [894) it was reported in Marys-
ville that there was a sign on the gate of a pasture, which contained a lot
of cattle and hi rses, just across the state line in Gage county, Nebraska, hearing
these words: "Help yourself to horses, but don't let the cattle out."
In February, 1896. Robert Halter, of St. Gall, Switzerland, came to
Marysville to purchase a cargo of horses. The best horses had been sold
by this time. John Degnan drove him to the country to make purchase-.
On Horse Shoe creek, two big fine horses were shown and Halter told Deg-
nan t "go a hundred dollars apiece on them." Degnan offered the owner
eighty-live for the two, which caused the Swiss to run behind the barn, expect-
ing the owner of the horses to resent the "insult" by opening tire. Hearing
no shots he returned to find that Degnan had bought both horses for eighty-
five dollars.
Ill the fall of tS()4 Halter had been told to come to Kansas and buy
horses, but when he got as far west as Ohio, he was informed that there
thing in Kansas but ponies and that people lived in dug-outs, so he
bought his cargo of undoubtedly western horses in the Eastern markets at
Eastern prices and returned to Europe. Needless to say. that when Halter
obtained an introduction to Kansas horses and prices in [896 he was a wiser
but poorer man. At such prices ruling horse raising was anything but profit-
able to Marshall county farmers.
'Idle recovery of the industry was slow and the introduction of the
lie did not encourage it any. However, many g 1 sires were con-
stantly being brought in and while recovery and development have been slow.
it has been in the right direction. The county is -till behind other sect:
he country in the production of good horses. The raising of thoroughbred
horses for breeding purposes lias not been pursued in this county to any
extent. August Wempe, of Frankfort, is breeding Percherons, but has only
a small number at present.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 25I
AUTO VS. HORSE.
In July, 1912, Ci. Philip Schmidt, of Marysville, because the first owner
of an automobile in the county — a one-cylinder Oldsmobile. On January t,
191 7, there were at least two thousand automobiles in the count}-, one
thousand nine hundred and fifty-four of them being licensed machines, or
one machine to every ten and one-half inhabitants. In 1900 there were from
two to four livery stables in each town, supporting from two to ten teams
each. Now the horse livery and the livery horse are practically extinct, the
auto having displaced them.
During the past four years the tractor engine has begun to displace the
horse on the farm, principally at the plow.
There is still plenty of room for the good farm and draft horse, but the
roadster and saddler have become too slow for present-day conditions. The
farmer of todav living three miles from town can go to town in his auto,
transact business and return in less time than it took his "dad" to yoke "Buck
and Jerry."
Since the outbreak of the European war, many horses have been pur-
chased in this county for shipment to Europe and the previous market price
has been enhanced about twenty-five per cent.
SHEEP.
Sheep have never played a very important part in the system of agricul-
ture in Marshall county. Dr. J. G. Crawford had rather an extensive sheep
ranch in Center township from 1872 till 1878. but no wide-spread sheep
industry has been carried on in the county. Sheep, in limited numbers, have
1 een fed for market in various places, but as a money-making product of the
farm the)' have not ranked with either hogs or cattle. Some of the farmers
in the county who feed out some sheep yearly are Hawk Brothers, William
W'uester, Henry Farrar, J. Farrar and Jesse Craik.
The following shows the number of sheep listed in the county for the
past four years: 1 9 1 3 . 285: 1914, 391; 1915, 366; 1916. 1,450.
Since the foregoing report was rendered. Francis Benson, Ross Kinney,
Fred Reinders, William Jones and Anton Feldhausen have invested in sheep
and will give the business a try-out. At the present time there are over
two thousand head of sheep in the county.
-.">-
M \KSII \1 I. COUNTY, K VNS \-.
HOGS.
The raising of hogs was one of the first side lines that the fanner took
up in connection with other farm activities in Marshall county. The first
pure-bred hogs in the county were the Berkshires, Poland Chinas ami Chester
Whites. J. 1). Farwell, of Waterville, is credited with bringing the first
Che ter Whites to the county. It cannot be determined who introduced the
other breeds. Charles Scholz, of Snipe ('reek, introduced the Duroc-Jersey
hreei 1 .
During the first three decades of Marshall county history the hog was
the "mortgage lifter." Early-day farmers raised hogs more fur the purposes
mi' market and consumption, than for pedigree. The state agricultural
reports -how that Marshall county was a big hog-producing county of the
state.
During the last thirty years hog cholera has increased and has caused
es to farmers running into thousands of dollars. During the year end-
in- March i. i<)i s", the reports -low that 39,296 hoi;'- were raised in the
county. 1 if this number 5,588 died of disease. For the year ending March
1. [914, 32,84 1 hogs were raised, and 6,394 died of disease. In [915, 41.904
hogs were raised and 6,071 died of disease. This aggregated a loss to Mar-
shall county farmers of over Sjoo.ooo. In 1916 the number was 40.919
:ud [,325 died. (If this latter number 813 died of cholera.
CHl ILEK v ERADICATION STATION.
In fuly, 1014. the Bureau of Animal Industry of the United States
Department of Agriculture established a hog cholera eradication station in
Marshall county, with headquarters at Marysville, with an expert veterinarian
and a corps of assistants. The entire expense of maintaining this station is
Lome by the Federal government.
'['he bureau made a thorough investigation of hog diseases prevalent
in the count v and immediately instituted vigorous warfare on such diseases.
\ decrease is shown by the last report in the total death rate, and a very
marked decrease in the death by cholera.
L. K. Smith. I). V. S.. who has been in charge of the station
since September, 1915, states that for the pasl fifteen month- there
ha- been practically no lo-- in the county from hog cholera and that
during forty days he did not receive a call in the county Hearty co-opera
HOLSTEIN BULL, VALUE $4,700, EXHIBITED AT MARSHALL COUNTY FAIR.
HEREFORD CATTLE, SHOWN AT MARSHALL COUNTY FAIR
RIVERSIDE PARK, WHERE THE MARSHALL COUNTY FAIR AND HORSE
SHOW IS HELD.
FLORAL HALL, RIVERSIRE PARK.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 253
tion between the farmer and bureau will result, it is hoped, in a permanent
eradication of the disease and a consequent gain to the producer.
A large percentage of the hogs now raised in the county are registered
or are eligible to registration. Some of the farmers who have been exten-
sive breeders of thoroughbred hogs are, Thompson Brothers. Ben Bell. A.
B. Garrison. A. B. Swank and J. M. Nielson.
The following breeders exhibited thoroughbred hogs at the Marshall
County Stock Show at Blue Rapids in 1916: J. A. Carlson, George Honey-
cutt, Howell Brothers. J. O. Honeycutt, Ed. Envin, Herman Anderson and
F. B. Wempe.
POULTRY.
There is not a town in the county which has not one or more dealers
in poultry and eggs, and the "helpful hen"' is not to be despised as an assist-
ant money maker, by any means.
Official reports show the value of eggs and poultry sold in the county for
the period ending March 1 of the following years to be — 1913 — $200,090:
1914 — $203,557; 1915 — 8231,312: 1916 — $239,242, an annual average of
S22 1, 605. These results do not take into account the eggs and poultry con-
sumed at home.
Of the many breeds of chickens, the Rhode Island Red and the Barred
I'lvmouth Rock are the most numerous: after these, almost every known
breed is well represented and enthusiastically supported. The county has
many men and women who specialize in thoroughbred chickens, and who sell
a great number of eggs for hatching purposes at fancy prices, ranging from
fifty cents to six dollars a setting of fifteen.
While the hen has not gone out of business entirely as a hatcher, never-
theless, her process is too slow for this age of speed mania, and for that
reason the incubator, which hatches from one to several hundred chicks at
one time or setting, is universally used.
MARSHALL COUNTY FARM BUREAU.
The Marshall County Farm Bureau was organized in the spring of
1916. Marshall was the sixteenth count)- in Kansas to perfect an organiza-
tion. F. B. Williams was elected county agent and began his work on June
21, 1916.
M \I'>II Al.l. COUNTY, KANS \S.
The bureau is ;i co-operative educational organization of the fanners
i the county to promote better farming, better stock raising and better farm
and rural home conditions. In every county in the state there is a vast
amounl of practical knowlecl can be used to assist in solving the agri-
cultural problems of the present day. If this knowledge can be organized
and placed in a readily available form, it will be the most valuable informa-
tion that can be secured from any source. Such practical infi rmation is the
first essentia] in successful farming. Every farmer will admit that it is
necessary to keep well informed also upon so-called "scientific farming,"
which is merely the application of I te best known principles of agriculture
■ ■ ■ >! i farm operations.
A farm bureau giving continuous attention to agriculture, will help
fanize available information and to keep all concerned well informed.
The farm bureau is financed by the government, the state, the county and by
the individual members. The services of the county agent are free. He is
furnished with an automobile and will respond at any time t<> the call of the
farmers of the county requiring his assistance. The county agent is not an
"adviser," but is a man with an agricidtural education and practical experi-
e, working under the direction of the farm bureau, to improve agricul-
tural conditions.
METHOnS OF WORK.
The farm bureau conducts its work- by mean- of demonstrations and
demonstration meetings, publications, through committee- and by personal
visits of the agent, Some of the projects carried on are variety tests, seed
t i ' 11. testing insect control and orchard work: drainage, planning farm
buildings, live-stock improvement; cow testing, hoys' and .yirK' clubs, and
anything that the bureau deems advisable. The farm bureau working in the
United State- ha- been an unqualified success. There are now one thou-
: tw< hundred and forty agents at work, and the good being accomplished
■ greater than was originally anticipated.
i ORN CONTEST, [916.
First honor- in the Y. M. < '. A. acre-growing corn contest were won
by Chester Rowe, of Marysville. \s winner of the contest lie received a
silver loving-cup, offered by R. S. Pauley, of Beattie, and a Holstein calf.
\
M \RSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 255
offered by Lackland Brothers, of Axtell. Tlie cup will be held one year and
then passed on to the winner of next year's contest.
Maynard Reb, of Blue Rapids, won second honors; Jay Hendel, of Blue
Rapids, third, and Harold Wager, of Irving, fourth. Maynard Reb received
the Poland China gift, offered by A. B. Garrison & Son, of Summerfield.
The contest will be continued in iqij. The Lackland Brothers have
been so well pleased with the interest shown that they have again offered a
Holstein calf to the winner. P. T. Burk, of Marysville, has also offered a
seventy-five dollar silo for the first prize.
farmers' educational and co-operative union.
In the year 19 12 a number of the farmers of Marshall county, believing
that they could better their condition by some method of farm marketing,
began to discuss the question of organization and co-operation. Some wanted
to organize the count}- by itself, others favored joining the Grange, but the
final decision was to unite with the Kansas branch of the Farmers* Educational
and Co-operative Union of America.
The first local in the county was organized by Mr. McAuliffe, of Salina,
president of the state union, in January, 1913, at the school house in district
No. 75, two and one-half miles south of Vermillion. Later a local was organ-
ized at the Lamb school house in district No. 134, two miles west of Ver-
million, and during the next few months a number of locals were organized
in different parts of the county.
On May 24, 1913, the several locals of the county met at the court house
in Marysville to perfect a county organization, in order, that by co-operative
effort in the county, they might better accomplish the ends they were striving
for. McAuliffe, of Salina, was present and assisted in the organization.
A constitution and by-laws were adopted and officers elected as follows :
President, N. S. Kerschen, of Marysville ; vice-president, John Frost, of Blue
Rapids; secretary-treasurer, A. F. Johnson, of Vliets; county organizer, \Y.
G. Swanson, Vleits ; conductor, Clarence Steel, Vermillion ; doorkeeper, Roger
Pichney, Waterville.
Farmers' wives and daughters are eligible to membership in the organiza-
tion and have taken a very active part, not only in the social and educational
features, but have assisted materially in the business enterprises.
256 MARSHALL CO! XI Y. KANSAS.
ENTERPRISE 1 II..
As the organization had to grow and learn at the same time, the members
worked along step by step. At first they clubbed together to ship their grain
and live stock, and buy their supplies in carload lots, and found by so doing
they could save considerable money.
By the end of the first year they found it would be necessary to employ
men to take care of their shipments, and in 1914 the county was divided into
four sections with the following men elected by each section, to take care of
thi> work: L. H. Van Valkenburg, of Blue Rapids; E. W. Bergman, Axtell;
Charles R. Wallace, Vleits. and J. II. Schulte. Home City.
From this humble start in 1913 the organization has continued to increase
it- membership and enlarge its business activities, until, in January, 1917, its
membership is 1,855, xv'tn fourteen business associations, consisting of thir-
teen elevators, one store anil fifteen produce stations, located as follows: Blue
Rapids, Marysville, Schroyer. Waterville. Irving. Winifred. Axtell, Summer-
field. Vliets, < )keto, Beattie, Home City. Herkimer, and a store at Mina.
These business enterprises have a paid-up capital of over $75,000, and the
hiiMiHss transacted in mho aggregated SSoo.ooo.
The directors of the business associations are chosen from among the
farmers and nearlv all the managers are farmers. Hvery association has heen
a financial success — sufficient evidence that the Union will make better farms,
better homes, better towns, and place the business of farming in the front
rank of the great industries of the world.
FARM PRODUCE CONTEST.
At the county fair held at Blue Rapids in October, 1916, five locals
entered a contest for the best display of farm products. Lamb Local No. J~<).
of Vliets, won first prize with a display of two hundred and fifty products,
grown on the farm of Charles R. Wallace, near Vliets, besides a number of
products from other farms in Lamb local, among which were the best ten
ear- of white corn shown at the fair, grown by E. Schubert, of Vermillion.
The other locals contesting were Blue Valley Local No. 7S1. which took
second prize in the general exhibit, also a number of blue ribbons. Cottage
Hill No. 801 won third prize with a splendid exhibit. Cooley Local No. 807
won fourth prize with a very creditable exhibit.
The countv union now consists of forty local unions, with a membership
of 510 women and [,345 men. making a total of 1.N55 members.
HORSES EXHIBITED AT MARSHALL COUNTY FAIR.
The West 3o years ago.
THE WEST THIRTY YEARS AGO.
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF MARYSVILLE.
ORIGINAL BLUE VALLEY CREAMERY.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 257
Meetings of the county union are held quarterly at the following points:
Marysville, in January ; Beattie, in May ; Frankfort, in July, and at Blue Rap-
ids, in October.
In January, 191 5, the following officers were elected: President, W. T.
Gossin, of Axtell; vice-president, John T. Ellenbecker, Marysville; secretarv-
treasurer, Charles R. Wallace, Vliets. At that time the organization was
chartered.
In January, 1916, the following officers were chosen: President, William
T. Gossin, of Axtell ; vice-president, John Frost, of Blue Rapids ; secretary-
treasurer, Charles R. Wallace, of Vliets.
The officers for 1917 are: President, Ralph H. Hawkins, of Marysville;
vice-president, A. D. Fitch, of Frankfort; secretary-treasurer, Charles R.
Wallace, of Vliets.
NUMBER OF LOCALS AND SECRETARIES, I9I7.
No. 859 — Roy Christy, Axtell. No. 781 — Charles Musil, Blue Rapids.
No. 776 — L. W. Davis, Vermillion. No. 779 — J. A. Johnson, Vliets. No.
780 — Neil Swanson, Vliets. No. 782 — A. W. Bennett, Waterville. No. 796
— Charles A. Schulz, Marysville. No. 797 — James McNew, Marysville. No.
801 — Charles Stenson, Waterville. No. 807 — C. H. Palmer, Blue Rapids.
No. 809— M. T. Bigham, Frankfort. No. 822— R. D. Blair, Blue Rapids.
No. 838— E. C. Talbot, Marysville. No. 841— H. A. Waters, Marysville. No.
834 — R. S. Hawkins, Marysville. No. 854 — O. C. Severns, Marysville. No.
857 — Fred W. Koepp, Home. No. 858 — -Anton Nieberding, Marysville. No.
808 — Stephen Navricek, Irving. No. 924 — H. C. Lucas, Frankfort. No.
948 — R. F. Carver, Frankfort. No. 951 — Phil Smith, Frankfort. No. 961 —
William T. Gossin, Axtell. No. 964 — Willis Conable, Axtell. No. 967—
H. H. Feldhausen, Frankfort. No. 968 — Charles Wuester, Beattie. No. 971
— V. C. Miller, Summerneld. No. 990 — H. A. Wanamaker, Blue Rapids.
No. 997 — Dan Bachoritch, Oketo. No. 998 — George E. Raymond, Bigelow.
No. 1002 — Irwin Otto, Marysville. No. 1005 — A. H. Seaman, Axtell. No.
185 1 — Otto J. Wullschleger, Winifred. No. 1071 — Sidney Johnson, Frank-
fort. No. 1 122 — H. F. Bergman, Vermillion. No. 1232 — Charles Schroeder,
Home. No. 1238 — Emil Hohn, Marysville. No. 1259 — N. G. Schmidt,
Marysville. No. 1288 — J. C. Shepard, Irving. No. 1349 — Harvey Smith,
Home.
(17)
258 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
MARSHALL COUNTY STOCK SHOW AND FAIR ASSOCIATION.
The Marshall County Stock and Fair Association, located at Blue Rapids,
was chartered in March, 1916, and its capital stuck fixed at $10,000, divided
into 1,000 shares of $10 each. For the purpose of interesting as many as
possible in this matter, it was determined not to sell mure than one share to
any one person.
The following first hoard of directors was elected at the first stockholders'
meeting held at Blue Rapids, June 21st, 1916: E. R. Fulton, William Acker.
S. W. Tilley, \V. J. Gerard, J. W. Stewart. Xiel Robinson, A. B. Garrison.
John Cornell. A. R. Dean. Frank W. Lann, C. E. Nichols. C. B. Mayer. G. 1).
Curry, Ernest Hermann and R. J. Wells. The organization was completed
by the election of Neil Robinson, president : J. W. Stewart, first vice-president ;
A. B. Garrison, second vice-president; W. J. Gerard, treasurer, and C. J.
Brown, secretary. Executive committee: \V. J. Gerard. A. R. Dean. Neil
Robinson, C. B. Mayer and G. D. Curry.
The city of Blue Rapids gave to the association, for a term of years, the
use of its Riverside park, for stock -bow and fair purposes, and in this beau-
tiful park the first fair was held October 10 to 13, 1916.
The result of the first year's work of this county stock show and fair is.
in brief, as follows: Several tine permanent buildings on the grounds, a very
successful fair held, every obligation paid, a ten per cent, dividend paid on the
seven hundred and twenty-live shares of stock sold, and eight hundred dollars
surplus in the treasury for the future work.
fair arouses interest;
This was a splendid awakening of the county fair spirit, which did SO
much for the agricultural interests from the time the first fair was held at
Marysville in 1873, up to ten years ago, when it died out. During most of
those years race horses were kept in training on the tracks of Marysville and
Frankfort, practically all the year round. The fair was the one great occa-
sion of the year, attended by everybody with his whole family. The stock was
worth seeing, as well as the exhibits of grain, but the great .attraction was the
races between some of the best and fastest horses in the country, some of
which were owned at home. Capt. Perry Hutchinson. Doctor Willson, Doctor
Scamon, Neil Robinson. H. !•".. W'iedemever and other- from Marysville; H.
H. Lourey, J. Gano, the Osborn brothers and others from Frankfort, all had
good track horses, some with national reputations
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 259
As the old settler and the old cavalry soldier passed away, the real lover
of the horse passed, and the great American game, baseball, took the eye and
money of the people. Bicycle and automobile races are much more interesting
now than horse races; as the faces change, so do the tastes. However, the
live stock and farm product show at Blue Rapids in October, 1916, was a
decided success.
LADIES FIGURE FAVORABLY.
The display made by the ladies of the county is worthy of especial com-
ment. Pantry stores of all kinds, bread, cake, preserves, pickles, jellies and a
great variety of canned fruit, were evidence of the interest taken by the women
of the county in the fair. In the fine arts display, Mrs. J. G. Strong took first
prize for a landscape in oil, and Mrs. Carrie Hunter, first prize for an animal
in oil. The exhibits in water color, china painting, crayon and pastel, photog-
raphy and pencil drawing, were very fine.
The exhibit which was of most pleasure to the visiting ladies was the
wonderful display of handmade laces, tatting, embroidery, pieced silk quilts,
appliqued quilts, knitted bedspreads, point lace, drawn work, and home-made
rugs. The drawn work, which was the object of attention by all, was done
by Mrs. Moden, of Waterville, who has passed her eightieth birthday. It is
quite evident that the deft fingers of Kansas women have not lost their cun-
ning in fancy work and sewing.
BLUE VALLEY CREAMERY COMPANY.
The original Blue Valley Creamery Company was organized on May 5,
1894, by Walker Brothers, of Wichita, Kansas, assisted by a number of pub-
lic-spirited citizens of Marysville.
A creamery was built and butter making began on September 1, 1894.
So successful was the business that the Walkers soon sought larger fields and
abandoned the business in Marysville. Today, giant plants of the Blue Valley
Creamery Company are established in nearly all the large cities of the United
States and in some foreign countries.
Twenty years from the time the Walker Brothers began making butter
in Marysville the company had become the largest creamery product manu-
factory in the world.
Until 191 5 the stone building was used by F. W. Heinke, as a machine
shop. Since then it has been left to ruin and decay. In summer, birds nest
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
among the wild vines, which clamber over it > roof and the sunflowers which
gr \\ rank around its walls. In winter it becomes a hiding place for rodents.
Fat, sleek horses once drew wagons to its entrance, from which were
unlo 3 of rich cream that were turned into butter as golden as the
dollars that were swelling the bank account of Walker Brothers. Now,
abandoned and shunned, it is the very symbol of neglect. The boy on lii.->
way to the White Stump swimming hole, pauses long enough to hurl a stone
at it.- -battered windows. It stands in solitude and no one remembers that
it placed men on the highway to wealth, save the historian.
CHAPTER XII.
Military History.
LITTLE GRFEN TENTS.
From "Walt Mason, His Book." published by Basse & Hopkins, New York. Copyrighted.
The little green tents where the soldiers sleep.
And the Jiuibeams play and the women weep,
Are covered with flowers today.
.And between the tents walk the weary few,
Who were young and stalwart in sixty-two,
When they went to the war away.
The little green tents are built of sod.
They are not long and the}' are not broad.
But the soldiers have lots of room.
And the sod is part of the land they saved.
When the flag of the enemy darkly waved.
The symbol of dole and doom.
The little green tent is a thing divine.
The little green tent is a country's shrine,
Where patriots kneel and pray.
And the brave men left, so old, so few.
Were young and stalwart in sixty-two,
When thev went to the war awav.
MARSHALL COUNTY IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.
During the War of the Rebellion. Marysville being on the main overland
road between the .Missouri river and. the mountains, was made a recruiting-
pi lint at which cmnpanies were enlisted, the men coming from all directions.
2C>2 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
The first soldiers to enlist from this county, however, were six boys from
the Vermillion: James Smith, l!ol> Henderson, John 1 >. Wilson, Oliver S.
Leslie, John Burke and F. C. Brooks. The first Marshall county man to
give his life for the Union in actual war was Bob Henderson.
The following letter by James Smith to his brother, tells a story of the
early days of the war much better than anyone else can. It will be remem-
bered that after the war "Jim Smith" served this county as representative,
county clerk, county treasurer, secretary of state for six years and private
secretary to Gov. John A. Martin and Gov. Lyman C. Humphry, and
quartermaster-general for four years. He died at Topeka on May _\S, i<)i4.
Smith's letter follows:
W. H. — Before answering your letter of long ago I was anxious to have
a talk with "Boots", alias Elihu Holcomb, who knew more than I did about
the Little Blue fight. 1 have not been able to gel to see him. hut the follow-
ing are facts that I gleaned from Holcomb long ago.
On the evening of November to. 1861, about 8 o'clock. Companies A.
B and H, Seventh Kansas Cavalry, under command of Lieut. -Col. 1). R.
Anthony marched out of Kansas City. On that march Boh Henderson rode
side by side with "Boots" and during the night they became well acquainted
and P.oh's conversation made a lasting impression oh Holcomb. Bob, calm
and cool in anticipation of a tight, hut at the same time expressed his firm
belief that he would he killed in the first fight and in this belief he went into
the fight early on the morning of the nth of November.
Of the engagement 1 copy the following from the second volume of the
adjutant-general's report :
"fhe first engagement in which the regiment was represented was fought
on the nth of November, [861, by companies A, B and H. under command
of Lieut. Col. D. R. Anthony, with a rebel force outnumbering his four to
one under command of the notorious Col. Up Hays. The rebels were driven
from their camp hut occupied a strong position just beyond amongst the
rocks and trees on the hills along the Little Blue river. After a desperate
fight and being unable to dislodge the enemy from his natural strong position,
Colonel \nthonv ordered the camp destroyed and having captured all of the
horses of the command Colonel Anthony with his force retired from the field.
In this skirmish companies A. B and II had nine killed and thirty-two
wounded."
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 263
FIRST SOLDIER KILLED IN FIRST ENGAGEMENT.
I understood (I had not yet recovered from typhoid fever and was not
in the fight) that Bob was the first soldier killed in that first engagement of
the Seventh Kansas.
His body was brought back in a wagon (we had no ambulance yet) to
Kansas City and received a soldier's burial. It was taken up and removed
to Pennsylvania. His bloody cavalry jacket, his testament, which, rollicking
boy as he was, he read daily, his violin, and other belongings were sent to
his mother. For some particulars about these see Uncle Dan Auld. •
The village of Barrett was intensely loyal in 1861. The Barretts, the
Leavitts, Blackburn, Puntney, Todd, and the Wells, although Kentuckians,
honest old Henry Rebb, O. C. Allen, Lncle Tommy Edgar, Dan C. Auld,
Soren Jensen, all the Wilsons. Uncle Isaac Clark, Bob Smith, Johnny Burke,
Leslie, Brooks, Foster, Fphraim Lewis and scores of others of like loyalty
made up the Vermillion Valley. The news of the firing on Sumter was
received by us just as it was received by loyal men everywhere, but I think
none of us thought for a moment that there would be a four-year war. I
know we boys believed that the government would crush treason at one fell
blow, and not until the news of the defeat at Bull Run, which reached us
through Thedrow S. Vaile, did we have any idea that our services would be
needed.
Then I think without meetings or preconcerted plannings, a few of us
determined to enlist. There were six of us, to-wit: Bob Henderson,
John D. Wilson, Oliver S. Leslie. John Burke. F. C. Brooks and myself. I
think the first time we were all together before leaving for Leavenworth was
at a camp meeting up East Fork. I remember that one afternoon divine
services were dispensed with and Union services substituted. The night
before we left we all attended church at the little old school house at Barrett
and a Campbellite minister, Giddings by name, discoursed patriotism and
at the conclusion of his sermon offered a most fervent prayer for the boys
and then requested us to stand up while each one of the audience filed by and
bade us farewell. Bob Henderson and I went home with our girls from the
meeting and walked back four miles and slept our last sleep together in Mar-
shall county. Next morning we met over at the mill where everybody had
gathered to bid the first soldiers from Marshall county "God speed." If you
see Jennie Love she can tell you all about the parting. We were all liked
fairly well but everybody, men, women and children, actually loved Bob Hen-
derson and in your address you cannot say too much of the noble qualities
of the soldier boy for whom Henderson Post was named.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
TRIBUTE TO LOYALTY OF VERMILLION.
It may not have any special bearing, but 1 cannot forbear to refer again
i" the loyalty of the Vermillion. In the winter and spring before the com-
mencement of hostilities, we rill fell outraged at Pete Peters' paper at Marys-
ville which was disloyal. We bad several meetings to discuss the advisa-
bility of going up and demolishing the "shebang." The meetings were held
it A. < i. Barrett's. The Barretts were there, Puntney, Blackburn, Todd,
Bob Smith, Bob Henderson, Brooks, myself and others I do not now think
of. We finally concluded that we would take care of the south half and
lease the north half to the tender mercies of such patriots as Perry Hutchin-
son. Tom Bowen afterwards came to tbe rescue of the loyal men of Marys-
ville and gutted the obnoxious paper.
When we got to Leavenworth we enlisted in Company A, which was
officered from top t>> bottom and needed just our number to fill it to the
maximum. I think you can say that we were the first to enlist from .Marshall
county. And that Bob Henderson was tbe first Marshall county soldier to
be killed and tbe first one in bis regiment to be killed. As far as patriotic
meetings were concerned, they occurred wherever and whenever two or three
were gathered together. But tbe one which left tbe most vivid impression
on my mind was tbe one at tbe school house before we left when tbe gray-
haired Campbellite minister preached a farewell sermon to us and for us.
You might call tbe next morning when we marched away a meeting too,
with saw logs f..r seats at tbe old mill. Since that morning I have had some
triumphs and have received honors at the hands of Marshall county people,
but never felt as solemnly proud and grateful as on that morning when we
bade farewell to tbe people of Barrett. The warm band-shake, the tearful
eye, and tbe tremulous "God bless you.'* told us that we would be always
during our career as soldiers, held in affectionate remembrance by these g 1
people. Bob Henderson and I often talked of that good-bye and wondered
bow in a short year it was possible to become so attached to those people.
But I am getting prolix and away from tbe subject. Possibly you can
sift something out of tin's which will help you out. I believe, however, you
could get mure interesting things from A. <i. Barrett or Mrs. Barrett or
Jennie Love.
\- \>> tbe battle of Little Blue, if you see Leslie you could get something.
Voiirs,
I \mks Smith.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 265
county's CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNION CAUSE.
In i860 the population of the county was two thousand two hundred
and seventy-five, the number of men of voting age did not exceed four hun-
dred, yet in absence of definite data it is safe to say that the county furnished
more soldiers to the "Union" than it had voters, besides a few for the con-
federacy.
In addition to several hundred privates and minor officers, the county
furnished Col. Thomas E. Bowen, Capt. Perry Hutchinson, Capt. Frank
Kister, Capt. Mel. Lewis, Capt. W. S. Blackburn, Capt. James H. McDougal,
Capt. Rev. M. D. Tenny, Lieutenants John D. Wells, David E. Ballard, S.
B. Todd. James E. Love, Levi Hensel, W. W. Griffin, Dan C. Auld, John
X. Cline, Xathan Slosson and others. So far as is known Capt. Mel. Lewis,
of the soldiers home in California, is the only survivor of this list.
Colonel E. C. Manning was federal census enumerator in i860 and
gives the population of Marshall county at that time as two thousand two
hundred and eighty.
Manning says: "On the last day of July, i860, a tornado came down
the Blue Valley doing much damage and tore the printing office asunder.
General Marshall who owned the printing plant said he was glad of it as he
would rather see the outfit in the bottom of the Blue river than see Repub-
lican sentiments printed on his type.
"After Lincoln's inauguration I was appointed postmaster at Marys-
ville, the city then containing but four settlers who did not sympathize with
the South. To assure passengers that they were in a loyal region, I pro-
posed soon after Sumter was fired upon to erect a pole near the public well
in the main street and unfurl our country's flag to the loyal Kansas breeze.
Amos Park, Lee Holloway, Cale Hulburt, Tim Conner and Rug Bulis agreed
to join me in the enterprise. Several young, hot-blooded Southerners threat-
ened with bodily harm any person who should attempt to raise a 'Union
flag', as it was called then.
RAISING THE UNION FLAG.
"I sent two of the men to the woods clown the river with a team bor-
rowed from Peter Gift, a loyal Scotch blacksmith, for the purpose of getting
a suitable pole, while two others dug a hole for the pole and I borrowed a
flag from Abner G. Barrett who kept a hotel by the roadside opposite the
well. We raised the flag before sundown, silently and with as little demon-
266 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
stration as proper, while six of the hostile enemy watched our proceedings.
We learned they intended cutting down the flag during the night. To
prevent this the halyards were carried to the second story of the hotel win-
dow and two armed men, Lee Holloway and Tim Conner, stood guard at
the window for a few nights until the enemy became reconciled to the sight.
Many a home-bound passenger expressed his pleasure at seeing his country's
flag wave a greeting at thai frontier town."
ARM F.I) AC, A IX ST INDIANS.
Marshall county during the war was in some measure a border county
and was therefore drawn into the national conflict, hut the first armed defense
made by the citizens of the county was against Indians. Companies were
recruited under the command of Capt. Frank Schmidt and (/apt. James
McClosky. A company from the Vermillion settlement under Capt. James
Kelley and one from Irving under (apt. T. S. Vaile. These troops were
placed under the command of Col. !•".. ( . Manning and were reinforced by
companies from Nemaha, Riley and Washington counties, under command
of Genera] Sherry, of Seneca, Kansas. They were furnished arms and
ammunition by the government, hut were not enlisted in the service of the
United States.
Many minor skirmishes took place in .Marshall county and the settlers
differed greatly from systematic pilfering and stealing by the Indians. Sev-
eral outrageous massacres took place in Cloud. Washington and Republic
counties and these troops were organized and equipped for protection to the
settlers and fur the purpose of convincing the predatory hands of Indians
that armed defense would l>e made in case of attack. The troops' went out
twice to render assistance to western counties.
Thousands of Indians hunted, camped and traded in Marshall county
hut. singularly, few tragedies occurred.
Andreas states in his history that a large proportion of the troops
enlisted from Marshall county in the War of the Rebellion, were from Marys-
ville and Vermillion townships.
Marvsville was made the recruiting station for Marshall and Washing-
ton counties. There were about four hundred and fifty voters in Marshall
county at that time, yet the county is credited with having sent four hundred
men t" the Union army prior to 1865. In that year (1865) the county was
called upon for thirty-one additional men. win. were furnished.
Company K, Ninth Kansas Cavalry, was organized at Marvsville in the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 267
summer of 1862 by Capt. Thomas M. Bowen, later United States senator
from Colorado. Under his command as captain and J. D. Wells as first
lieutenant, the company consisting- of eighty men, was ordered to join the
regiment at Leavenworth. This regiment served principally in Missouri and
Arkansas and participated in all the important engagements that took place
on the Arkansas river.
After serving with distinction Company K was mustered out of service
at Duval's Bluff, Arkansas, and discharged at Ft. Leavenworth in July, 1865.
This company suffered severely during its service, only ahout one-third of
the soldiers returning.
COMPANY G, THIRTEENTH KANSAS INFANTRY.
This company under command of YY. S. Blackhurn, captain, Thomas
Hensel, first lieutenant, was recruited at Marysville in August, 1862. Ver-
million township furnished most of the men for this company. The com-
pany joined the regiment at Atchison- and their first engagement took place
at Cane Hill. Arkansas, and was followed by an engagement at Van Buren,
Arkansas.
The company was discharged at Ft. Leavenworth on July 9, 1865.
Onlv about half of the soldiers returned.
COMPANY E, THIRTEENTH KANSAS INFANTRY.
This company was recruited at Marysville during the summer of 1862,
under command of Capt. Perry' Hutchinson.
Marysville furnished twenty-seven men to this company, the remainder
coming from various points in the county. This company was stationed at
Marysville until September 8, 1862, when Captain Hutchinson received orders
to transport his men to Ft. Scott.
The company of Otoe Indians under command of Capt. D. W. Williams
accompanied Company E, and the entire command numbered over three hun-
dred men. This company served with distinction in Missouri and Arkansas,
and like the other companies suffered great losses in men.
COMPANY H, SECOND KANSAS CAVALRY.
This company was mustered into service at Kickapoo, in Doniphan
county in the spring of 1862, under command of Capt. A. Gunther and was
composed entirely of recruits from Marshall and Washington counties.
268 M VRSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
After serving with distinction throughout the war it was mustered out of
service March [8, 1865, at Little Rock, Arkansas.
Large numbers of men from .Marshall county enlisted in others Kan-
regiments. The Second, Seventh. Eighth, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh
Kansas Regiments, had men from Marshall county in their ranks.
.Marshall county furnished her full share of troops to the Union army
and the regiments in which they were enlisted served with bravery and dis-
tinction during the war.
T. L. Hollowaj is the only surviving member of Company II. Second
Kansas Cavalry, now residing in Marshall county and Lieut. William Mercer.
1 t the same company, resides in Washington county. These men, so far as
known are the only survivors of the gallant company.
During the days of recruiting and mustering in soldiers for the war,
what is now Marysville city park was the rendezvous.
The Old Settlers Reunion was held in the park in September, tojo, and
at the same time a reunion of Company K, Ninth Kansas, was held on the
same ground where fifty-five years ago as "boys" they enlisted and went
away to the front. But five members were present. They were: J. E.
Wood, of Boise, Idaho; L. II. Pralle, of Hollenberg, Kansas; J. M. Harper.
of Stockdale, Kansas; ( ,. \. Storms, of Powhattan, Kansas; Q M. Murdock,
of Wymore, Nebraska. J. E. Wood was elected president pro tem and C.
M. Murdock. secretary pro tern.
The roll of the surviving members was called and letters were read from
many of them. Many old army incidents were related and a good social
visit was enjoyed by this little hand of survivors. At the regular business
eting, I-".. II. Pralle, of Hollenberg, was elected president; Lollard Carna-
han, of Manhattan, vice-president, and C. M. Murdock. secretary-treasurer.
CIVIL WAR VETERANS.
The following is a list of soldiers now residing in Marshall county,
who served in the War of the Rebellion:
Axtell. — <i. L. Barnes, L II. Scott, T. C. Casterline, J. R. Livingston,
J. F. Sharpe, D. I. O'Connell, S. J. Sharpe, Sidney Sharpe.
Bigelow. — Andrew M. Colton, Andrew J. Zerhe. John M. Kimhart.
Nathan Midcalf, Samuel M. Rucker.
Barrett. — Simon T. Massie.
Beattie. — William II. Brooke, form II. Crabb, James L. Giles, William
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 269
Helvering, Orin Kingman, William Lord. Jacob V. Schleigh. James R. Wil-
cox, Milo A. Tucker, Mark Eichelberger, David Heisse, William A. Willis.
Blue Rapids. — David J. Huffman, James Warriner, Stout Shearer,
James O. Wheeler, Isaiah Walker, William Worthington, Hugh Thorman,
Francis M. Thomas. John X. Snodgrass, Arthur H. Xeal. John McPherson,
Henry J. Lane, William Hardin, Abel W. Gibson, William H. Francis,
Samuel A. Craft, Andrew Chambers, Isam Burnett, Albert W. Beacham,
Peter S. Burnett,
Frankfort. — Jonathan Bishop, James W. Campbell. W. S. Dingman,
John L. Davis, E. R. Fairchild, Charles Edinborough, Isaac Gordon, Charley
Howe, B. F. Hersh, Augustus P. Hampton, Charles H. Keyes, Samuel
McConchie, George X. Morse, Samuel Morehouse, Patrick Montgomery,
Jacob Forth. Caleb Osborne, William Phifer, Henry Reynolds. Thomas J.
Snodgrass, Elias Schreiner, William Skillin, M. K. Thomas, L. V. B. Taylor.
Luther Whiting, John M. Watson, M. A. Brawler. J. Bigham, M. A. Barrett.
Thomas Bisbirg.
Vermillion. — T. M. Andrews. J. S. Myers, Joel Barkes, John T. Holston,
W. H. DeWalt, A. A. Xauman, J. H. Taneir, E. F. Wilkins, J. P. Duck-
worth, C. Bergmann.
Yliets. — Henry Bottger, Timothy Gibson, James McKitrick, John W.
Reed. A. J. Waxier.
Marysville. — Lee D. Hollaway, Samuel Butler, J. A. Broughton, J. B.
Logan, W. H. Smith. AJvin Arand, Elijah Bentley, Adolph Cumro, St. Clair
Guthrie, J. O. Ackles, J. L. Bayles, Samuel Johnson, T. C. Randolph, A. J.
Travelute. J. H. Crabb, E. B. Scott, Josiah Zellars, Peter Dugdale, Philip
Phillippi, Joseph Manning, William Lofinck, D. B. Knight, Michael Barlow,
George Winkler. E. B. Gatchell, J. F. Hanna.
Oketo. — Peter Champaign, Valentine Draher, Allen Robinson.
Summerfield. — John M. Graham, Sterling Keck. E. S. Wagner, Henrv D.
Maitland, Alexander Hart. George Finlayson, Chauncey F. Ream, George
W. Small, W. A. Graham.
Waterville. — H. C. Follett, Jos Wan Allen, R. Smith, J. Jones, J. Scott,
S. Wheeler. M. Scott.
WAR WITH SPAIN.
Though Marshall county had a company of men drilling in every town
and village, even before war was declared, ready and willing to join the
ranks, it was allowed only a minor part of Company M, of the Twenty-
second Regiment, Riley county furnishing all of the commissioned officers
and a majority of the men to the Spanish-American War, 1898.
2JO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Governor Leedy ordered the counties of Riley and Marshall to recruit
the "one company allowed" at Blue Rapids on .May 2nd, 1898. Enough
aspirants appeared to make several companies and it lias always been the
opinion of the Marshall county boys, that the examining surgeon, Doctor
Wharton, and recruiting officer and colonel of the Twenty-second Regiment,
H. C. Lindsay, had given us unfair treatment. Therefore, some of the boys
went to other counties to join and others went home to continue drilling for
a possible future call for more troops.
Time men. Henry E. Clark and Lambert Steinmetz, of Marysville, and
Fred K. Barrett, of Barrett, joined the Twentieth Kansas ami served in the
Philippines with the late General Funston.
])r. Fred \V. Turner, of Marysville. served as assistant surgeon with
rank of captain, and \\ illard Calkins, of Axtell, as a private in the Twenty-
first Regiment.
The following forty-six men served in the Twenty-second Regiment:
Marysville. — John S. Schkx, Rudolph A. IVIoser, Dana W. Julian, Gott-
Frey Riesen, Albert Ross. Arthur Fink.
WaterviUe. — Bert R. Lane, Ira 1!. Longbon, Otto A. Olson, Roy L
Stevenson, Fletcher Van Allen, Timothy Welch, C.eorge G. Thedick, Frank
Van .Mien. Thomas R. Armstrong, Roy EC. Beecher, William II. Brown,
Charles C. Funk, Alfred M. Wilder. Gustav II. Yungeberg, John Summers.
William H. Treaster.
Oketo. — Richard Cosgrove, Ben Dolen.
Frankfort. — Robert E. Trosper, Jr., Maurice E. Jilson,
Axtell.— Basil F. West. James ( ). Miller. Charles F. Tseli. John T. WV-i
Beattie. — Martin (loin. Steven Matson, Henry C. Smith, Eugene 1.
Totten, Frank 1). Walbridge, Frank M. Wilson, Guv T. Helveriner.
Blue Rapids. — William Drennen, David L. Reed, Lewis II. Staples,
Walter Barrett.
Herkimer. — George I'. Feil, Fred J. Feil.
Irving. — William l'uett.
Bremen. — Herman I'". Brenneke.
Home City. — James II. Blocker.
During this same period the following Marysville men served: Wilson
Bently. in the Fifth United States Coasl Artillery: Walter W. Libbv, in
Company II. Thirty-second United States Volunteers in the Philippines;
Rudolph Knuchel. in Company L, Twentieth United States Infantry in the
Philippines; Henry J. Kysela, in Company C. Fourteenth United States
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 27 1
Infantry in the Philippines and China, wounded in action at Pekin, August
15, 1900; died at Tin Tsin, September 5, 1900; Herbert G. Horr, in Com-
pany K, Twenty-second United States Infantry in the Philippines, died at
Manila, November 28, 1900, of fever. The bodies of both of those boys
were brought home and buried in the Marysville cemetery.
It would be impossible in a brief history to tell the full story of Mar-
shall county soldiers in active duty. Their story is that of the soldiers of
those eventful years. They served their country with sublime courage,
magnificent enthusiasm and splendid discipline. The battles in which they
engaged stand out prominently in history. Many of the boys "sleep the
sleep that knows no waking", but men who fought nobly and gallantly and
died heroically, will never be forgotten.
THE WAR OF 191 7.
As the history of Marshall county goes to press, the United States is
engaged in war with Germany. Preparations are going on all over the
country and public meetings are being held in every town to inspire the
people with a feeling of patriotism.
Marysville has done herself proud in response to the nation's need for
soldiers to participate in the world war and defend the nation's honor in this
great conflict. Fifty young men of this city and immediate vicinity have
answered the call.
Frederick Allen and Louis McAllister, who joined the National Guards
at Lawrence, Kansas, secured five recruits for Battery B. Artillery
at Lawrence. Duke Brown, who had joined the National Guards at Man-
hattan, accompanied by Sergeant O. W. Reed of Company I, First Kansas
Infantry, made a canvass of the city and talked over the proposition with
many young men and by evening had secured a dozen or two recruits. C. R.
Keller, second lieutenant of the company arrived and relieved Sergeant Reed.
The enlistments continued to come in. When Lieutenant Keller and Brown
returned to Manhattan they had secured a total of thirty-nine recruits.
Twenty-five recruits went to Manhattan to take the physical examina-
tion and all but one of them, William Throm, passed.
Roscoe Meredith enlisted in the hospital corps and left Lillis on Friday,
April 6, 1917, to answer his country's call.
-'. -' MARSHALL COUNTYj KANSAS.
MARYSVILLKS VOLUNTEER ROSTER.
Iii Batten- B. Artillery. National Guards, Lawrence: Frederick Allen,
Louis .McAllister, medical corps; John Leroy, John 0. Johnson, Byron Clarke.
Joseph Schramm. Don O'Neil and Edward Cooper.
In Company 1. First Kansas Infantry, .Manhattan: Duke Brown, Ray-
mond L. Smith. William Lowe, Carl fin. horn. Karl Shirkey. Byron Man-
rose, P. F. Wymore, Thomas Parrish, Archie Dexter, Bernard W. Harrison,
Melvin J. Scott. Charles E. Reinders, Harold Freeby, Lawrence Meier. Wil-
bur Fordyce, Edward Frankenpohl, W. W. Hayes. Charles O. Smith,
Maurice Jones, Myles Holloway, Otis E. Chapman, Percy D. Bartley, Paul
Mitschler, Virgil Lockard, William Maluy, Dewey F. Lunday, Wallace
Wakefield and Cyrus J. Xester.
Edward I. Farrell, John V. Linger, Hugo E. Tangeman, Emil W. Lang-
ner and Ralph E. Tangeman, all of Home City.
Charles A. Taylor, of Schroyer
J. R. Larson, Colchester, Illinois.
In the navy: Selmar Meed and George Cottrell.
In the engineer corps: Kale Thomson, S. Parkhurst Mover. Bvron
Lathrap. Wilbur Watson. Virgil Russell, Floyd Zeek and Everett Dorcas.
Applicants to the officers' training camp at Fort Riley: Emil Carlson,
assistant cashier of the Citizens State bank; Carl White, instructor in the
Marysville high school; Dr. Chester A. Brooks, optometrist, and Herbert
V Pusch.
At the outset there was much red tape procedure to be gone through in
the matter of acceptance of applications to the training camp which caused
great delay, but this was swept away b) an order from the Central department
at Chicago.
Herbert Pusch, who had military training at Shattuck College, Faribault,
Minnesota, was commissioned a first lieutenant in the United States army
and joined his command at Fort Riley on May i_\
K. M. Carbon received orders to report at Manhattan to take his pre-
liminary examination. He passed the examination and his application was
accepted.
Miss May Ruggles joined a unit in the Red Cross branch of the
service. This branch of the service will probably be the first to be called
out. She has been holding the position of assistant night superintendent of
tlie Presbyterian hospital in Chicago.
This total roster of fifty Marysville young folks who have volunteered
irve the nation in various departments speaks well of their patriotism
and shows to the world that Marshall county is no slacker when the occasion
demands service.
GUITTARD BROTHERS AND JOSEPH THOMAN.
WEST VIEW OF GUITTARD STATION.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 273
THE FLAG GOES BY.
By Henry Holcombe Bennett.
Hats off!
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums,
A flash of color beneath the sky :
Hats off!
The flag is passing by!
Blue and crimson and white it shines,
Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines.
Hats off!
The colors before us fly ;
But more than the flag is passing by.
Sea fights, land fights, grim and great,
Fought to make and to save the state ;
Weary marches and sinking ships;
Cheers of victory on dying lips ;
Days of plenty and years of peace ;
March of a strong land's swift increase;
Equal justice, right and law,
Stately honor and reverent awe ;
Sign of a nation, great and strong
To ward her people from foreign wrong :
Pride and glory and honor — all
Live in the colors to stand or fall.
Hats off!
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums;
And loyal hearts are beating high ;
Hats off!
The flag is passing by.
(18)
CHAPTER XIII.
Political History.
REMINISCENCES.
In 1864 Edwin C. Manning published a weekly paper in Marysville
called the Big Blue Union. The name of the paper indicated Mr. Manning's
politics. Also at the time he was "Colonel" E. C. Manning, commanding
Seventeenth Regiment Kansas State Militia.
Colonel Manning carried the name of Abraham Lincoln for President at
the head of his editorial page, Andrew Johnson for Vice-President and Sam-
uel J. Crawford for governor of Kansas.
Crawford was Colonel of the Second Kansas Colored Volunteers and
was elected governor that fall. He was the father of Mrs. Arthur Capper,
wife of the present governor of Kansas. J. D. Brumbaugh, a son-in-law of
T. W. Waterson, of Marysville, was a candidate for attorney-general. Col-
onel Manning was himself a candidate for state senator from Marshall, Riley.
Washington and Republic counties, and John D. Wells was a candidate for
representative fmm Marshall. Harrison Foster was the candidate for probate
judge, and Alexander Campbell for clerk of the district court. Moses T.
Bennett was the candidate for superintendent of schools, and W. W. Jerome,
for county attorney.
The address of the Republican state central committee to the people of
Kansas was printed in full in Manning's paper of October 14, [864, and
"tie paragraph is sufficient to tell the story of the times:
"This i^rcat conflict, inaugurated upon our soil, has under the provi-
dence of Almighty God, been transferred to the national arena and today
in council and on the battlefield, the purpose of Kansas is the purpose of the
nation. If the nation lives — if from the trial of blood she emerges into one
indivisible unity, with freedom secured to all — then indeed, this conflict will
not have been in vain, and the vast expenditure of life and treasure useless;
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 275
but the future of Kansas will be secured with the future of our common
country."
These were prophetic words and we of this later day enjoy their full
fruition.
STATE OFFICIALS.
Thomas W. Waterson, Marysville, was made bank commissioner on Feb-
ruary 20, 1857.
Waterson's son-in-law, J. D. Brumbaugh, was elected attorney-general
in 1864 and served one term.
James Smith, of Marysville, served as secretary of state from January,
1879, to January, 1885 ; was private secretary to Governor Martin and
Governor Humphrey, eight years: quartermaster-general, from 1901 to 1905.
Channing J. Brown, Blue Rapids, was clerk of the supreme court from
1879 to 1897.
William Becker, Marysville, served as brigadier-general from 1883 to
1885.
Charles F. Koester, Marysville, served as commissioner for the revision
of tax laws in the year 1872, and in 1876 was commissioner to the Centennial
Exposition at Philadelphia.
D. E. Ballard. Marysville, was quartermaster-general in 1865 and in
1867 was on the commission to settle Price raid claims.
BOARD OF REGENTS, STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
E. C. Manning, Marysville, 1868 to 1870.
Charles A. Bates, Marysville, from February, 1874, to April, 1874.
William Hunter, Blue Rapids, from 1900 to 1903.
Lapier Williams, Marysville, served, as superintendent of the school for
the blind, from 1892 to 1893 and from 1899 to 1906.
August Hohn, Marysville, was a member of the state board of charities,
from 1883 to 1885, and T. F. Rhodes, Frankfort, served from 1889 to 1893.
G. H. Hollenberg served as emigration agent, Hanover, Germany, from
1873 to 1874.
W. H. Smith, Marysville, served as president of the State Historical
Society in 1902 and as secretary of the state board of railroad commissioners,
from 1901 to 1903, and on the John Brown park commission, 1909.
John Severance, of Axtell, served on the commission to establish the
state industrial reformatory at Hutchinson, 1885 to 1889.
-7'' MARSHAL!. COUNTY, KANSAS.
Ed M. Turner. Marysville, served on the live stock sanitar) commission,
[893 i" [896.
Jacob Weisbach, Frankfort, served on the commission to assess railroad
property in [871.
Perrj Hutchinson, Marysville, on the- same commission in 1873.
Dr. T. I. Hatfield, Marysville, served as president of the state board of
dental examiner-. 1895 '" |('".v
W. S. Glass, Marysville, served on the state tax commission, 1907 to t < > 1 1.
MARSHAL) COUNTY MEN IX FEDERAL SERVICE.
Marshall county has furnished a number of men for the service of the
government. Frederick A. Stocks, chief clerk of the treasury department)
served from i^8y to 1893. Mr. Stocks was from Blue Rapids and after his
return from Washington, 1 ). C, was elected state senator from Marshall
county, lie engaged in banking in Blue Rapids and died in that city.
Frederick J. Hates, a native Marysville hoy. now holds a position as
examiner of customs and is regarded as the government's leading sugar expert.
Samuel Forter served as a special examiner in the bureau of pensions,
resigning to accept the position of postmaster of Marysville.
James ( 1. Shibley now holds the position of chief of the insecticide
division, department of agriculture.
Earl J. Butterheld, from the vicinity id" OketO, is now superintendent
of plant industry, department of agriculture.
Russell A. Oakley, of ('enter township, agrostologist, department of
agriculture.
Roland A. McKee, scientific assistant, plant industry, department of
agriculture.
EARLY ELECTIONS.
The first election was held in Marysville on March 31, 1 S 5 5 . The right
to vote had been conferred by the Kansas-Nebraska act upon every inhabi-
tant, otherwise qualified, who should he an actual resident. No period oi
time was required. A liberal construction was put on the law. and an organ-
ized hand of men came to Marysville with wagons, horses, tents, camping
equipment and provisions.
No opposition was offered them, as there were only two Free-State men
in the county. John 1). Wells and G. II. Hollenberg. Marshall was elected
dek-ate to the Territorial Legislature.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 2JJ
In October, 1857, at an election of the Territorial Legislature, James
White cast the only Free-State vote in the county. Andreas' "History of
Kansas" says: "At Marysville, on the Overland trail, a little colony of
Southerners had congregated, ostensibly for the purpose of building up the
town, but in reality to work in the interest of the pro-slavery party. Mar-
shall operated his ferry under a charter from the Territorial Legislature,
which allowed him to charge the gold seekers and all other Western pilgrims
the sum of five dollars per wagon for crossing the river. There were per-
haps some half-dozen log cabins on the river bank near where R. Y. Shibley's
residence now stands.
"This was Marysville, the county seat of Marshall county and the home
of the candidate for governor of Kansas.
VOTING BY "BALLOT."
"On December 21, 1857, a vote was taken in one of the upper rooms
of one of the log cabins. The polls were opened for the vote on the adoption
of the Lecompton constitution, 'with slavery' or 'without slavery.' A soap
box was placed on the head of a whiskey barrel as a receptacle for the ballots.
As soon as this was filled, another box was to be substituted. A narrow
staircase led to a hole in the ceiling through which the voter would thrust
his hand, holding a ticket, and yell out his name or any name he happened
to think of at the time.
"He would then descend to make room for the next voter, imbibe all
the 'red eye' he could, conjure up a new name and await his opportunity to
vote again.
"Old Shanghai, or 'Shang,' as he was called, was a character from Sum-
ner, Atchison county, who came out with 'the gang,' to run the election.
'Shang' was pretty well 'corned' before the day had passed and. becoming
excited, sprang upon a whiskey barrel and offered to bet one hundred dollars
that he had voted more times than anyone present.
"His challenge was accepted and upon investigation it was found that
another member of the crowd had exceeded 'Shang.' This enterprising citi-
zen hail in his possession a St. Louis directory and was voting right through
the 'A's.'
"According to the census, one hundred thirteen illegal votes were cast
on that day. It was some years before it was possible to convince the voters
that a 'free ballot and a fair count' meant that a man hail but one vote, which
was to be counted but once."
278 marshall county, kansas.
"some voting/'
In January and February, 1855, a census of Marshall county was taken
by B. H. Twombley. His returns showed: Males, 33; females. 3; voters,
24; minors, 5; natives of United States, 30; foreign born, 6.
On March 30, 1855. an election was held for the purpose of electing
one representative and one member of the territorial council. At this election
F. J. Marshall received three hundred twenty-eight votes for representative
and John Donaldson received three hundred twenty-eight votes for member
of the council. Xeedless to say, these votes were pro-slavery, and with a
voting population only twenty-four in the county, this was "some voting."
Marshall served at Pawnee at the first meeting of the Territorial Legis-
lature, and Donaldson served in the council. Donaldson resigning. Marshall
\va> appointed to serve in the council.
POLITICAL PARTIES.
The two great parties. Republican and Democratic, have always had
strong adherents in Marshall county. But the electors have always mani-
fested a spirit of independence. The Greenback. Populist and Progressive
parties have had supporters, and have been able at times to elect members
of their respective political faith to office. In the campaign of 1916 party
lines were closely drawn and the victory at the polls went to the Republican
party.
Marshall was one of the few counties in Kansas which gave Hughes a
majority for President. T. P. O'Neill, county commissioner for the First
district, is the only representative of the Democratic party holding an elective
county office. He was elected at a prior election.
Among the stanch Democrats in the county in days past, will be remem-
bered. II. II. Lourey, Cal. T. Mann. J. S. Magill. John A. Broughton, R. V.
Shibley, A. G. Barrett. D. C. Auld, M. L. Duncan. George S. Emmert, A. J.
Travelute, \Y. E. Lee, Stephen Stout and T. W. Waterson
The more active members of the party in recent years are: C. \V.
Brandenburg, Andrew Shearer. W. W. Redmond, O. P. Rosenkranz. J. D.
Flannery, W. H. Dexter, W. D. Patterson. William Bommer, P. J. Schu-
macher, G. H. Nelson, George Van Vliet, Clarence Coulter. Ed Hanna. Lu
Helvern. M. M. Schmitt, Frank Thomann, M. M. Haskins, H. M. Brod-
erick. L. R. Broderick. John Kramer, the Doctors Wilson. James Sullivan
and Michael Nestor.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 279
The standard-bearer of the Democratic party in the county is Hon. G. T.
Helvering, the present member of Congress from the Fifth congressional
district of Kansas. Mr. Helvering grew to manhood in the town of Beattie
where his parents now reside. He is a graduate of the Beattie schools and
also of the University of Kansas. He finished a course in law at Ann Arbor
and was elected county attorney of this county serving two terms. He de-
feated R. R. Rees, a Progressive, for Congress and is now serving his third
term.
Mr. Helvering is a man of fine appearance and pleasing personality and
soon won distinction in Congress and is at present a member of the ways
and means committee. His wife is a daughter of C. F. Koester, a prominent
pioneer of the county. Mrs. Helvering, who is an estimable woman, is a
member of the round table reading circle. Mr. and Mrs. Helvering have
a large circle of friends in Marshall county.
POPULIST POLITICS.
Iii the year 1892 Kansas went populist in politics and elections and the
Legislature of 1903 passed an omnibus bill repealing a number of Kansas
laws. Among the number was the act creating the twenty-first judicial dis-
trict. As Marshall, Riley and Clay counties comprised this district, the conse-
quence was that Marshall county was "no man's land," judicially.
Doubts were expressed as to the validity of legal transactions and a
newspaper discussion took place between Richard Hawkins, a member of the
Marshall county bar, and Ed. Hutchinson.
Finally the supreme court came to the rescue and put the district once
more into the "stern hands of the law."
One of the old settlers of the county who will be remembered by many
friends, was W. T. Pulleine, who served as probate judge for five terms.
Judge Pulleine was of English birth and came to Marshall county in 1870,
settled on a homestead near Home City, where he resided until 1895, when
he came to Marysville, making this city his home until his death in September,
1911.
KANSAS TERRITORIAL COUNCIL.
1855 — John Donaldson. 1858 — Andrew J. Mead.
1857 — Francis J. Marshall, to fill va- 1859 — Andrew J. Mead.
cancy caused by resignation i860— Luther R. Palmer.
of John Donaldson. 1861 — Luther R. Palmer.
1857 — Special — -Andrew J. Mead.
280
MARSHALL COUNTY, K V
MEMBERS «>F KANSAS LEGISLATURE.
855 Francis j. Marshall.
856— J. P. Miller.
857— W. 11. Jenkins.
858— J. P. Miller.
859— T. S. Vaile.
860— J. S. Magill.
86) — George G. Pierce.
861— I). C. Auld.
X(>j — Harrison Foster.
863— J. Weisbacti.
81 i 1 — J. D. Brumbaugh.
865— John D. Wells.
866 lames Smith.
867— J. D. Wells.
868— A. G. Patrick.
8 9 -W. TI. Smith.
870— J. D. Wells.
871— W. II. Smith.
8j2 — Alvinza Jeffers.
873 — I. C. Legere.
874— Allen Reed.
875 — C. J. Brown.
876 -J. D. Brumbaugh.
877 -John Lockwi iod an
Smith.
878— W. W. Smith.
879 — L. P. Hamilton.
880 -W. W. Smith.
881 George W. Kelley.
Since 1885 Marshall
excepting the years [893, 1
1882— S. W. Hazen.
[883— J. D. Wells.
[884— W. S. Glass.
1885 — James Billingsley, T. F.
Rhodes.
1887— W. S. Glass, T. F. Rhodes.
[889— Wellington Doty, Fred A.
St( >eks.
1891 — Wellington Doty, Marion Pat-
terson.
[893 — William Raemer. Jr.
[895 — William Raemer, Jr.
1897 — Richard 1!. Moore.
1898 — Special session, Richard B.
Moore.
1890— M. M. Haskin. Richard B.
Moore.
[901 — L. V. McKee, Fred Pralle.
1903 — I.. V. McKee. Fred Pralle.
I()05— J. M. Rhodes, Pred Pralle.
1907— J. M. Rhodes. E. P. Wills. ml
1908 — Special session. J. M. Rhodes.
E. P. Willson.
1 W. W. 1909 — J. M. Rhodes, John Kuoni.
1911 — Andrew Shearer. E. P. Will-
sun. Sr.
I9I3 —)■ J- Tilley, X. S. Kerschen.
1015-S. F. Paul. M. M. Schmidt.
has had two representatives in the lower house.
895, 1807 and 1898.
STATK SENATORS.
[861-62 — Samuel Pappin.
1863-64- T. IP Baker.
[865 I •' • I » '. Manning.
[867-68— J. M. Harvey.
[869-70 \ \. ( "arnahan.
[871-72— Philip Rockfeller.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 28l
1873-74 — Frank Schmidt. ^97~99 — Fred A- Stocks.
1877-80 — C. J. Brown. 1901-07 — E. R. Fulton.
1881-84 — Perry Hutchinson. 1909-11 — W. P. Brown.
1885-87— W. W. Smith. 1913-15— R. S. Pauley.
1889-91 — E. A. Berry. 1917 — F. G. Bergen.
1893-95 — James Shearer.
CHAPTER XIV.
Schools of Marshall County.
Kansans are justly proud of their common schools, as well as of the >tate
institutions of learning, and of the excellence of the teachers. Marshall
county has no state institutions for higher education, but the high schools
of the towns, as well as the rural and parochial schools, maintain a standard
which is not surpassed in the state. The presence of substantial school houses
in the districts and the fine high school buildings in the towns, tell the storv
of progress along educational lines. But it is the duty of the historian t"
hark back to early days and early teachers, and to recall the difficult path of
the teacher of more than sixty years ago.
Up to 1859 there was not a school house in Marshall county, ami to four
men. then bachelors, belongs the credit of putting up the fir>t school house in
the county. These young pioneers were Eli Puntney, D. M. Leavitt. A. M.
Bell and Henry Ret, of Barrett, Vermillion township.
FIRST SCHOOL DISTRICT.
School district No. 1. Barrett, was the tir-t legally organized cli>trict in
Marshall county. This was in 1859, and the school house built by the boys
was fourteen by twenty-four feet. The lumber was given by A. G. Barrett
and the work was donated. Andreas states that John Crawford was the fir-t
teacher, but Eli Puntney, the only survivor of the building committee, assert-
that there was no real school held for two years and gives a good and valid
reason: "Bless you. there were no children." Mr. Puntney says that \Y. S.
Blackburn was the first teacher in 1860-61. As the records show that Mr.
Blackburn was the county superintendent during those years, it is evident his
duties were not pressing, a- at that time there were but two organized school
districts in the county.
The cause of education was not entirely neglected, since a number of
private, or "select" schools were kept. Miss Jennie Robb taught a -elect
school in Marysville in a frame house, which stood on the site of the old
"Sullivan House." Miss Kate Weber also had a small private school. These
schools were continued until 1861, when district No. 4 was legally organized,
and a small frame school house was erected at a cost of seven hundred dollar-
A. S. Xewell and P. O. Robins were among the first teachers.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 283
Schools were taught in the various settlements in the county, wherever
there were children. Rev. Samuel Walker, a Methodist minister, taught
school in 1858, in a cabin at the mouth of Fawn creek. In 1859 Lucy Thomp-
son Palmer taught a small school near where Blue Rapids now stands ; Emma
Thompson taught in a house on the Little Blue near where the gypsum mill
now stands, and continued this school in 1864-65. Fanny Jeffers taught in a
log cabin at the mouth of Coon creek in 1861. Mrs. Whitmore, Mrs. Choate
and E. A. Berry were teachers before the railroad was built. These were all
private schools, not supported by state or county. There was no Waterville
before 1868 and no Blue Rapids before 1870.
EFFORT TOWARD HIGHER EDUCATION.
One of the great plans of the people of Irving was an institution of higher
education, and the Wetmore Institute, a seminary for girls, was built to give
the girls of the county the advantages enjoyed by their sisters in the East.
Trained and accomplished teachers from Eastern colleges were brought to
Irving. As there were but few girls in the county, and those who lived here
then scarcely possessed "two calico dresses each,'* the institute was not over-
crowded ; there was plenty of room and fresh air. But boundless admiration
must be bestowed on the men and women of Irving, who, amid the keenest
hardship incident to pioneer life, yet gave freely to the cause of higher educa-
tion. Three of the early county superintendents were from Irving — W. S.
Blackburn, J. L. Chapman and A. Jeffers.
DEER CREEK SCHOOL.
Deer Creek school, which is located five and one-half miles north of
Marysville, was approved by Prof. J. A. Shoemaker, state rural school inspec-
tor, as a standard rural school, and enjoys the distinction of being the first
and only such school in Marshall county.
On Saturday, January 13, 1917. the patrons of the school invited more
than one hundred guests to participate in the celebration of the standardization
of the school. A splendid musical program was given and Mrs. C. A. Fannen,
the sweet singer of Marysville, rendered several solos. A dinner such as the
good cooks of Deer creek know how to prepare, was served in the basement
of the building. After the dinner, Mrs. A. J. Travelute (formerly Elizabeth
Mohrbacher), who taught the first school in district No. 24, dedicated the new
school house and gave an historical address, which was of county-wide
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
interest. Mrs. Travelute -aid : 'Fifty-six years ago there were few evidences
of civilization in Marshall county. The sod house, the dugout, and the log
houses were few and far between: Education stood on the threshold of
Kansas, looking eagerly for the means wherewith to enter the open dour of
opportunity.
"One of these log houses stood on the hank of Horse Shoe creek, on the
southeast corner of a homestead belonging to James Bartlow. During the
year this log cabin was fitted up fur a school house. Lee Holloway, James
Bartlow and Thomas Marshall formed the school hoard of district No. -'4.
and they employed Elizabeth Mohrbacher, daughter of Jacob Mohrbacher, to
teach the school at a salary of thirty-five dollars a month, which was a princely
-alary in those days. The number of pupils was fifteen.
"District No. 24 then comprised all of Herkimer township, half of Logan
and that part of Mary.-ville township which extends to the wot of the
Blue river.
"Miss Mohrbacher was succeeded by Mary Travelute. Elizabeth Suggett,
Anna Tyres. Charles Laycock, and Adda Fitzpatrick. In 1872 district No. -• j
was divided into three district-, namely Horse Shoe, Blue Valley and Deer
Creek, the latter becoming district Xo. 58, now the standard school of the
cainty.
"TIk- log school house soon became too -mall and a frame house was
bought from Jeff Watson for one hundred dollars. This served until 1882,
when a tine school house was built, which for thirty-four years was the pride
of the country side, and which was used for church and all other public
functions. The builders were John Truax, Henry Bodenner and (ash Stone.
The building, when finished, cost over two thousand dollar-.
"In the fall of iS.X^ the first school wa- taught in the new building by
A. R. Harbour. Dr. VV. 1'- Boyakin was then county superintendent of
instruction. On July 31, 1916, this building was destroyed by tire during
an electrical storm. The fine building of today is erected on the old site."
.-o\ik EARLY TEACHERS.
Many of the early teacher- of Marshall county taught school in the Deer
creek district. Among them were T. < i. Cutler. Charles Pritchard and C. i;.
'Travelute. Mr. Travelute and his brother's wife. Mr-. A. J. Travelute
1 formerly Elizabeth Mohrbacher) were present at the celebration.
The history of the evolution of Deer creek i> but the history of the
public schools of the county. \- soon a- time- were ea-ier the tir-t thought
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 285
-was better schools and better teachers. In the years between 1859 and 1870,
much of the teaching was done in private homes. In the Catholic settlement
the faithful priests gave what instruction they could to the young people and
children.
In the German settlements the ministers gave instruction in the catechism
and German language. The ministers of all denominations lent a hand in the
cause of education.
Rev. J. L. Chapman, Revs. Charles and Luke Holmes and Dr. \Y. F.
Boyakin were all men of exceptional ability and their faith in Kansas was as
fixed as the stars that looked down upon her prairies, and her future was as
bright as her glorious sunsets. Time has justified their ideals and while they
sleep beneath her sod, her children remember them and chronicle their good
deeds.
Among the teachers who were prominent in the county were T. C.
Randolph, now city clerk of Marvsville; Sybil Broughton, who became the
wife of C. F. Koester; W. R. Brown, now teaching the fourth generation,
near Summerfield ; Thomas Hynes, of St Bridget ; Ella Sheridan Acker and
William Acker, now of Vermillion; George Heleker and wife; Georgia
Patterson Heleker, A. M. Billingsly, Mell Chaffee, Ruth Bigham, the Dunlap
sisters and Maggie McDonald, of Waterville, who is still in her chosen
profession.
FIRST SCHOOL IN COTTAGE HILL.
Cottage Hill district No. 31 was organized in the winter of 1870-71,
with Frank Leach as director ; James Nash, clerk, and Jackson Thomas, treas-
urer. Sarah McKelvey taught the first school in the winter following. H.
Jones and John Dolen built the school house. The present members of the
school board are: Mr. Pischnez, director; E. F. Roepke, clerk, and Henry
Webber, treasurer. The new school house was built in 1916 at a cost of
three thousand five hundred dollars, including furnace and modern up-to-date
furniture ; the basement is cemented and used as a play room, gymnasium and
for town meetings. It is twenty-six by thirty-six, with an addition ten by
thirty, for hall and work room. It is to be paid for by direct taxation in three
years, commencing in 1915.
PUBLIC SCHOOL. MARYSVILLE.
In the year 1861 district No. 4. Marysville. was legally organized, and
a small frame building was put up at the northwest corner of Seventh and
286 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Center streets. In [866 the block on which the school now stands was pur-
chased from .Mr. and Mrs. Perry Hutchinson and from Samuel Raines for
the sum of seventy-eight dollars and forty cents and the stone building, com-
monly known as "the old stone building," was erected at a cost of eight thou-
sand dollars. This building was thirty-five by seventy feet, two stories high,
with two rooms on the ground floor and a large assembly room and recitation
room on the upper floor.
The assembly and recitation room on the second floor, which was one
large room, was also used by the Methodist church and by the Masonic lodge.
In this room I. P>. Davis and R. Y. Shibley were initiated into the mysteries
of Masonry in [870.
In the year [880 a brick building was erected, forty by sixty feet, costing
twelve thousand dollars, and in [892 an addition was built on the north of
it of exactly the same dimensions. Later a frame building was put up in
the second ward, consisting of two rooms in which are taught pupils of the
first and second grades, who live in that part of the city. Still later, an out-
lying school was built. This did not prove satisfactory and now these pupils
living in the outlying portions of the district are taken to and from school
in an automobile.
From [89] to [902, the modern normal school was held in the old stone
building, conducted by John G. Ellenbecker. The stone building in its day
was one of the best in this portion of the state; two hundred and sixtv-three
graduates left it with diplomas. Some of them have achieved distinction and
wi in places 1 if pn iminence.
Like all the old landmarks, after it had served its day and generation,
it was dismantled to make room for the splendid high school, which now
adorns the same site and which gathers within its walls many sons and daugh-
ters of parents who obtained their education within the walls of the "old stone
building."
MARYSVIIXE HIGH SCHOOL.
The city of Marysville in I'M'1 completed a high school building at a
of sixty thousand dollars, which is modern and complete in every detail.
This school offers superior advantages to students as its graduates are,
admitted to any college or university in the United States, without examina-
tion.
One of the strong features is a completely equipped commercial depart-
ment, giving thorough business training.
Graduates from the normal course receive a two-years certificate from
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 287
the state board of education. All the college preparatory subjects are taught
and entrance credits given.
Tuition is free to anyone living in the county who has completed the
common school course.
Marysville has one hundred thousand dollars invested in grounds, build-
ings and equipment. Nineteen teachers are employed.
The enrollment is as follows: High school, 160; grades, 365; total,
525; parochial school, 100; grand total, 625.
Average daily attendance in high school, 155; in grades, 351 ; total, 506.
The school has gained thirty-five per cent in enrollment in four years.
BLUE RAPIDS SCHOOLS.
The people of Blue Rapids have always realized the importance of a
good school in the development of the city. Blue Rapids was the first town
in Marshall county to establish a standard four-year course for its high school.
At the present time it is the only school in Marshall county that maintains a
department for beginners below the first grade.
The use of two buildings thus separating the grades and the high school,
is of distinct advantage to both. The citizens of Blue Rapids were sufficiently
far-sighted to provide ample space for playgrounds.
Blue Rapids high school has always been active in county contests, both
of an athletic and literary nature. For a number of years her track team has
been among the best in the county and her students have taken a number
of prizes in oration and declamation.
The high school offers courses in domestic science, agriculture, normal
training and commerce, as well as the regular academic courses.
An active parent teacher association, whose membership includes the
representative men and women of the town, attest to the interest of the com-
munity in the schools. J. H. Houston is the superintendent and, with a
splendid corps of teachers, the school is one of the ranking schools of the
state.
THE FIRST SCHOOL.
In November, 1861, the first school in the vicinity of Blue Rapids was
taught by Lucy A. Palmer in a private dwelling one-half mile west of the
present town. There were twenty-five pupils in the school. The teachers fol-
lowing were : Emma Thompson, Rev. P. Duncan, Harriet Whitmore, Emma
Cooley. A. Smith and Rev. Charles Holmes.
288 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
The first >chool taught in Blue Rapids was in the old Colonial hail and
Rev. Charles Holmes was the teacher, in the summer of 1870 He was suc-
ceeded the following year by Charles Palmer. A. Griffin and ( '. M. Bridges
succeeded 1 'aimer.
Blue Rapids district No. ,} was organized and in 1N73 a tWO-story
brick building thirty by fifty feet, was erected at a cost of eight thousand
dollars.
C. M. Brydges, who was the first teacher in the new building, was suc-
ceeded by E. Philbrock, W. B. Dimon, 11. II. Halleck and J. \Y. Quay.
( hving to the increased numbers a new building, twenty by thirty feet, was
put up near the first, and in later years a tine new building adequate to the
needs of the town was erected. The school is modern in every detail and
is second to Marysville in size. The curriculum meets the requirements
imposed for entrance to state institutions.
IRVING SCIlooi. NOTES SINCE I S70.
From available records, and other information, the following sketches
are' compiled. The organization of district No, J and what was done for
a school building before 1N70. seem to be uncertain. It is supposed, how-
ever, that school was held in a church building situated about one and one-
half blocks south of the present postoffice mu- in Irving. This now is the
residence property of Mrs. Julia Wells. The old church in question stood
on the rear of these premises and the bell which now rings in the tower of
the frame school building once rang in the tower of the old church. In 1S70
a stone school building was erected at the same site as the present building.
It contained two rooms and had but one teacher until 1873. Since the two
rooms were situated one above the other. .Mr. Jeffers, the first teacher, must
have had no use for the room above. In [873, however, according to the
reo llection of one of the pupils, who began school that year, another teacher
was added to the teaching force. Miss Williams. It is uncertain whether
there were an) assistants before this year or not.
Then for a period of ten years there is no certainty as to the names of
teachers and superintendents, knowing only the names of some men who
acted as principals during that period. They are given in the order they
served: A. letters. 1X70: Mr. Reese. 1873-; II. C. Robinson, and Mr. Tay-
lor and Mr. Coleman served until 1883. Mr. Coleman served during the
years beginning in [B82 and 1883. In 18N4. Augusta Carlson who taught
for thirty consecutive \ears. began her third term of teaching (her first in
Bob-White.
American Badger.
Canadian Beaver.
Raccoon.
Prairie Chicken.
Deer.
Red Fox, with Prairie Chicken.
Gray (Timber) Wolf, with Cubs.
WILD ANIMALS AND BIRDS OF THE NORTHWEST.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 289
the Irving school) under G. W. Carrico. She received thirty dollars per
month. In the preceding year Miss Minnie Ish taught the primary room.
The size of the first stone building was about thirty feet wide and forty
feet long. This was blown down by a cyclone in 1879 ancl replaced by a
frame structure, similar in size and shape. The new building of that day
was constructed by a contractor, Frank Edwards, at a contract price of
eight hundred dollars and so well built that it still stands as a part of the
present building. The small sum, eight hundred dollars, received by the con-
tractor according to his figures, as reported by our pioneer citizen, J. L. Judd,
netted him ten dollars per day profit. A passing comment offered was that
the price of lumber then was not in line with present prices.
The total number of pupils enrolled in the school in 1884 was seventy-
four; in 1895, one hundred and twenty; in 1905, one hundred and seventy-
six; in 19 r 5, one hundred and sixty-four. The school building was enlarged
in 1 89 1 by adding to the then existing frame structure four rooms and an
entrance. This is being added to in 19 17 by placing a brick structure on
the north of the entire frame structure. The building has always borne an
artistic appearance though it seems to have been put together in pieces.
The first increase in the number of teachers has been mentioned. In
1889, besides Augusta Carlson, there was employed another to assist in the
grades, Melissa B. Smith. The next increase came in 1892, when four
teachers, including the superintendent, were employed.
The year 1894 witnessed the first graduating exercises in the Irving
high school. In that year there were nine graduates which formed the
charter membership of one of the most loyal alumnae associations in Kansas.
Each year has added its quota until now, in 19 17, there is a total number of
graduates from the school of one hundred and sixty-two.
From the organization of the district until the present, the people of
Irving have kept abreast with the times in providing the best for their chil-
dren in the way of education. In 19 13 play-ground apparatus was installed
for the smaller children; 1914 a basket ball court was constructed; in 1915
tennis courts were made and proved a popular pastime and recreation with
the intermediate and high school pupils; and in 1916 a football court was
laid out. Since the beginning of the contests in oratory, declamation and
track work in Marshall county, the Irving school has come in for its share
of the honors. The school has been accredited with the state university for
several years and pupils have made splended records at that institution and
other institutions of this state and in other states.
(19)
29O MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
A few items indicate the increase in total expenditure for the district.
In 1876 the tax money collected for district No. 2 was $2,989.88; in 1886,
$3,830.59; in [896, $2,989.88; 1916, $3,588.75. In the earlier times the
annual tax levy ranged from 17 to 25 mills. The valuation of the district
has ranged from $100,804 in 1904 to $909,674 in 1915.
WATERVILLE S( HOOLS.
The first school was taught by Miss !•'. Hartwell, now Mrs. H. Jones,
in a building known as the Lutheran church. A frame school house was
built in 1869-70, < i. B. Vroom being the first teacher. Mr. Griffin taught
the school in [872. In the same year a new limestone school building, forty
by fifty feet, two stories with basement, was erected. It had four rooms
and cost twelve thousand dollars. This building was at that lime the besl
in that part of the country. Mr. J. Potter was the first principal. Follow-
ing him was (i. W. W'inans. who afterwards was elected state superintend-
ent. In 1910 an eight-room brick school house was built at a COSt of twenty
thousand dollars, and the old stone school house has been fitted up for do-
mestic science, manual training and gymnasium purpi
The Waterville high school is one of the Barnes high schools in the
county, ami its graduates enter the state institutions on their high school
diplomas. Mr. 0. I'.. Vernon is the superintendent.
The early settlers on the Little Blue river and on Coon creek believed
111 schooling for their children. Rev. Samuel A. Walker, a Methodist min-
ister, taught school in [858, in a cabin at the mouth of Fawn creek.
Mrs. Lucy Thompson Palmer taught a small school near where Blue
Rapids now stands, in [859. Emma Thompson taught in a house on the
Little Blue river near where the gypsum mill stands, in 1859, also in 1 S04
and 1865. Fanny Jeffers taught in a loo- cabin at the mouth of Coon creek
in 1861. Mrs. Whitmore, Mrs. Choate and Hon. E. A. Berry were teachers
before the railroad came. These were all private schools, not supported by
state <>r county. There was no Waterville before [868 and no Blue Rapids
he fore 1S70.
SUMMERFIE1 I' SCH001 -
The first school house in Summerfield was a frame building erected
in 1889. In iS()_' an addition was built on and the school then contained
two rooms. J. M. Kendall was the first principal and Mrs. George Shadle,
the primary teacher.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 291
This school was destroyed by fire in 1904, and in 1905 a new modern
brick and stone building was erected at a cost of twelve thousand dollars.
At that time there were one hundred seventy-one pupils in attendance.
In 1910 a high school course was added to the course of study, and in
191 5 an addition was made to the building at a cost of six thousand five
hundred dollars. The total cost of building and addition, with heat and
thorough equipment, aggregated over twenty thousand dollars. Tt is one
of the Barnes high schools of the county and has an attendance of one
hundred sixty-four pupils.
Mr. John J. Fowler is the superintendent, assisted by a corps of eight
teachers. The board of education consists of Henry Maitland, F. G. Bergen
and S. C. Dugan. Mr. Maitland has been clerk of the board since the
school first started.
BEATTtE SCHOOLS.
In 1868 school district No. 29 was organized and a log school house
costing five hundred dollars was built at Beattie. Charles Pritchard was the
first teacher and he was succeeded by Misses C. J. Sheldon, Ruth Barrett,
Mary Hamilton and H. P. Buck. ■ In 1871 a new stone school house, twenty-
eight by forty-eight feet, was erected at a cost of seven thousand dollars.
C. Mattleson taught the first term in the new building and was succeeded by
J. M. Blair, Rev. E. Barber, F. W. Parsons, Mrs. F. W. Parsons, L. F.
Fuller, Florence Patterson, Ida Newton, Albert L. Perry, and Georgiana
Patterson.
Since that time the building has been enlarged to meet the needs of
the city and now has an accredited high school under the Barnes high school
law, with John Menehan as superintendent and a corps of seven assistant
teachers. The building is modern and thoroughly equipped.
BUILDING AN EARLY-DAY SCHOOL HOUSE.
Reminiscences of pioneer days bring to mind many old pictures, the log
school house among them. The writer recalls one in particular of which
mention may be made.
About the year 1808. while Blue Valley was still a part of the Horse-
shoe school district, no attempt whatever had been made to build a school
house, because there were no funds for that purpose. There were twelve or
fourteen sturdy pioneers, who manifested a spirit of co-operation and achieve-
_'()_' MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
nient by constructing one of those log school houses on the northeast corner
of section 28 in Oketo township.
Those men took up the task of furnishing logs with which to build the
school house. Nearly all <>t them were prairie farmers and having no tim-
ber the) were compelled to haul the logs from the Otoe Indian reservation.
Sorghum molasses being the only medium of exchange then, they would
swap a gallon of molasses for a couple of logs, with the Indian, each farmer
furnishing two logs. The roof was made of native shingles, the seats were
made of rough Cottonwood hoards and the desks were made of slabs, which
were laid on pins driven into the walls. Elizabeth Middlemiss has the honor
of having taught the first term in this, the Blue Valley school house.
Those who helped build this school house were: William ("ockerill,
Frank Butterfield, Oliver Furman, Robert Cottrell, A. J. Travelute. Thomas
Howes. Hen llcring. Peter Champaign, James Coats, R. E. Benson, G. R.
Fulton. Peter McXultv. Sr.. Henry Spielmann and Tim Downing.
One cannot think of the early days of Marshall county, without becom-
ing enthusiastic upon educational matters as they existed in pioneer days,
because the Kansas pioneer home and the prairie school house were typical
of Kansas, as were the white schooners of the trackless plains, who brought
those men and women who longed to deliver the new territory from bondage
and to write across its map — "free".
SUPERINTENDENTS OF PUBLIC [NSTRUCTION.
1859, John D. Wells; i860, W. S. Blackhuru; 1861-1862. W. W.
Jerome: [863-1864, T. H. Baker; 1865-1860. Moses T. Bennett; 1867-1868,
Rev. J. I.. Chapman; 1869-1872, C. S. Balton; 1S73-1876. A. Jeffers; [877-
1878, G. W. Winans; [879-1882, W. 1". Boyakin; 1883-1884, Samuel Renoe;
[884-1885, J. J. Sproul; 1885-1889. J. W. Quay; 1889-1891, William Acker;
1891-1893, V. II. Biddison; 1893-1897, Lewis Scott; 1897-1901, M. W.
Street; 1901, interim, J. G. Ellenbeckcr ; 1901-1905, George K. Thompson;
1905-1909, Otis Berry; 1909-1913, C. E. Drumm; 1913-1915, I' N. Schmitt;
[915-1917, W. 1 1. Seaman.
5< HOOL DISTRICTS AXt) TEACHERS, I916-I7.
Following is a list ..f districts, names of schools and names of teachers
in Marshall county, in the order mentioned:
1 — Iiarrctt. Keturah Prebble. 5 — Osborn, Anna Shedden. 6 — Gallup.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 293
Elnora Wanamaker. 7 — Antioch, Francis Guffee. 8 — Elm Creek. Kittie
Hunt. 9 — Blue River, .Minnie Wassenburg. 10 — Life, Sara Price. 11 —
Fairview, Lou Olson. 13 — Beaty, Minnie Froom. 14 — Borphy, Dollie
Turley. 15 — Merrimac. Manilla Grimes. 16 — Walker, Nina Carver. 18 —
La Grange, Efne 'Wilson. 19 — O'Neill, Josephine Thome. 21 — Hermans-
burg, Evangeline Church. 23 — New Salem, Helen Detweiler. 24 — Hollo-
way, Celia Severns. 25 — McDonald, Orel Severns. 26 — Snodgrass, no
school; pupils sent to Frankfort city schools. 27 — Fairview, Vera Peacock.
28 — Flint Hill. Merle Gerard. 30 — Garrison, Celia Smith. 31 — Cottage Hill,
Geneva Nichols. ^2 — Valley View, Caroline Massie. 33 — Campbell. Ella
Nester. 34 — Auld, Grace McKee. 36 — Blue Valley, Ellen Yaussi. 2>7 —
Game Fork, Albina Musil. 38 — Pleasant Valley, Grace Filley. 39 — Sun-
flower, Lessie De Vault. 40 — Reedsville, Vivian Thompson. 41 — Snipe
Creek, Minnie McKibben. 43 — Grimes, Otis Crevier. 44 — Excelsior, Zella
Burton. 45 — Allison. Agnes Rutti. 46 — Carclen, Mabel Tays. 47 — Pleasant
Hill. Ella Moden. 48— Mt. Pleasant, Ethel Zeller. 49— Pleasant Valley,
Blanche Houston. 50 — Little Timber, Grace Radebaugh. 51 — Lincoln,
Minnie Severin. 52 — St. Bridget, Sr. M. Pauline, O. S. B. 53 — Plunkett,
Lizzie Smith. 54 — Stillwater, Bertha Tyler. 55 — Prairie Ridge, Nella Fen-
ner. 57 — Elliott, Thomas Warders. 58 — Deer Creek. Florence Schwinda-
mann. 59 — Pleasant Ridge, Charlotte Waters. 60 — Bremen, Ore McMahon.
61 — McLeod, Anna Krause. 62 — Dow. Marie Schulte. 64 — Fawn Creek,
Lena Hendel. 65 — Reserville, Alice Mackey. 66 — Brown. Fea Raymond.
67 — Blanchville. William Griffee. 68 — Pecenka. Julia Peterson. 69 —
Eighteen, Zilpha Anderson. 70 — Farrar, Ethel Tompkins. 71 — Bluhm, Iva
Rowe. "2 — Scriber, Verna Martin, yi, — Bain, May McMahon. 74 — Ander-
son, Mary Black. 75 — Seventy-five, Elizabeth Elliott. 76 — Seventv-six,
Laura Harper. y~ — Prospect Hill, Lenore George. 78 — Grand View, Irene
Godbout. 80 — Brown, Francis Butler. 81 — Summit. Elsie Johnson. 82 —
Pleasant Prairie, Nora Stosz. 83 — Cunningham, Margaret Klein. 84— Koch,
Ruby Wikoff. 85— Victory, Mildred Winquist. 86— Star, Bertha Fulton.
^j — Larkin. Ella Voile. 89 — Fairiew, Lola Baker. 90 — Woodbine, W. R.
Brown. 91 — Pleasant Prairie. Bertha Schulte. 92 — Keystone, Minnie Lar-
son. 93 — Mt. Hope, Marie Zeller. 94 — Hopewell, Cornelia Fitch. 95 — ■
Thomas, Howard Jester. 96 — Green Valley, Myra McMahon. 97 — Wilson,
Marie Sedivy. 98 — Reust, Helen Sedivv. 99 — Harmony, Julia Rudeen.
100 — Pleasant View, Millie Derby. 101 — Flag, Mrs. Jennie Campbell. 102 —
Victory, Georgia Goin. 103 — Patterson. Helen Bright. 104 — Hardman,
Ethyle Harry. 105 — Brooks, Pauline Wuester. 106 — Burnside, Ella Davies.
21)4 Marshall COUNTY, KANSAS.
107 — Orr, Anna Cain. 10S — Balderson, Sophia Gurtler. 109 — Fairmount,
Luella Linnabary, no — Prairie View, Gladys Jester. 1 1 1 — Brush College,
Stephana Bond. 112 — Thomas. Gladys Sharpe. 113 — Barklow, Aha Dough-
erty. 114 — Sunrise, Leota Dolen. 116 — Peril, Mary Van Verth. 117 — West
Point, Lela Doering. 118 — Stony Point, Bernice Livingstone. ii<> — Lily
Creek, Tresa Juenemann. 120 — Liberty. Lyla Roepke. i2r — Pauley, Eldon
Weller. 122 — Brammer, Gertnule Whiteside. [23 — Bommer, John Brand-
enburger, Jr. 124 — Prairie Center, Dora Tucker. 125 — Pleasant Hill, Min-
nie Burks. 126 — Pleasant Ridge. Myrtle Millick. 127 — Crane. Willa Wat-
kins. 128 — Schroyer, Esther Vering. 129 — Fairfield, Mary Warders. 130 —
Midway. Xetta Hafner. 131 — Mt. Hope, Blanche Sharpe. 132 — Sunnyside,
Ruth Willey. 133 — Triumph, Helene Thompson. 134 — Lamb. Edna
Buckles. 135 — Riggert, LeNora Rombeck. 136 — Hatten, Julia Wendel. 138
— O'Brien, Ralph Bair. 139, — Enterprise, Grace Sandborn. 140 — Mina,
\ ilma Winney. 141 — Scully. Netta Vogel. 142 — Cedar Ridge. Norma
Tyler. Jt. I — Windy Ridge, Sadie Gosper. Jt. 2 — Spring Valley, Ralph Har-
per. Jt. 7 — Swede Creek. Paulina Osner.
TWO-TEACHER SCHOOLS.
22 — Lillis. Leo Mackey and Rosa Hayes. 42 — Home, George Marshal]
and Marie Keller. 63 — Herkimer, Alma Mollinger and Grace Thomas. 79 —
Yliets, Ross Grifiis and Maude Arnold. 88 — Winifred, Lottie Waymire and
Rosa Seematter. 115 — Bigelow, Robert Shope and Eva Johnson.
BARNES HIGH SCHOO] -
DISTRICT NO. 2 — IRVING.
O. W. Kim/, superintendent; F. J. Wood, principal; Frances Lomuller,
high school; Emma Hadorn, sixth, seventh and eighth; Eva Webb, fourth and
fifth; Irene Stone, first, second and third.
DISTRICT NO. 3 — BLUE RAPIDS.
J. H. Houston, superintendent; Harriet Landers, principal; K. I!. Am-
brose, high school; Edith Folz, high school; ('.race Ulrich, high school; R. E.
Carlson, eighth; Elsie Schmidler, seventh; Floretta Dailey, sixth: Edna Bald-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 295
win, fifth; Hazel Rucker, fourth; Nettie Crissman, third; Esther Axe, sec-
ond; Bertha Waters, first; Mrs. S. E. S. Vawter, primary; Rexford Clarke,
seventh; Adah Lerhr, music.
DISTRICT NO. 12 VERMILLION.
C. Kraemer. superintendent ; Ruth Thomas, principal ; Hulda Froom, high
school; Blanche Woodward, seventh and eighth; Maude Smith, fourth, fifth
and sixth; Mabel Woodward, first, second and third.
DISTRICT NO. I37 SUMMERFIELD.
J. J. Fowler, superintendent; Ethel Henry, principal; Edith Arnold, high
school; Ethel Kissack, seventh and eighth; Emma Craven, fifth and sixth;
Carrie Hughes, third and fourth ; Maude Samuelson, first and second ; Ross
Campbell.
DISTRICT NO. 29 BEATTIE.
John Menehan, superintendent ; Florence Totten, principal ; Iowa Jones,
high school; Viola Malm, high school; Will Stosz, seventh and eighth; La
Verne Conger, fifth and sixth; Martha Calhoun, third and fourth; Bessie
Thorne, primary.
DISTRICT NO. 56 AXTELL.
C. I. Smith, superintendent; F. Chilcott, principal; J. J. Bollin, high
school; Florence Hudson, high school; Margaret Russell, high school; Edna
M. Danner, district school; Minnie E. Mack, eighth grade; Myrtle Temple,
sixth and seventh ; Mary McKnight, fourth and fifth ; Mary O'Neil, second and
third ; Anna C. Olson, primary.
DISTRICT NO. 4 MARYSVILLE.
C. O. Smith, superintendent; Etta Beavers, high school; F. M. Unruh,
high school; Ethel Mallonee, high school; Beulah Jevons, high school; Hazel
Richards, high school ; Carl White, high school ; Dorothy Waite, high school ;
Neva Kissell, music ; Clara Froom, eighth ; Nina Kirkwood, seventh ; Mildred
Kirkwood, sixth; Veda Smith, fifth; Maude Thomas, fourth; Anna Schmitt,
third; Mabel Montgomery, second; Mildred Paxton, primary; Mabel Newman,
first and second (ward).
296 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
DISTRICT NO. I/ WATERVII.LE.
C. B. Vernon, superintendent; Jesse Seaton, principal; .Martha Sellards,
high school; Helen Coolidge, high school; Mabel Lamereaux, eighth grade;
Mabel Nider, sixth and seventh; Ivan Nichols, fourth and fifth; Ruth Rice,
second and third; Margaret McDonald, primary.
DISTRICT NO. 20 OKETO.
P. X. Schmitt, superintendent; Frank Menehan, principal; Dorothy
Waters, seventh and eighth; Minna Scott, fourth, fifth and sixth; Mildred
Briggs. first, second and third.
DISTRICT NO. 35 FRANKFORT.
R. L. Hazzard, superintendent; Duncan McRuer, principal; John Cannon,
high school; Bessie Curry, high school; Maud Lourey, high school; Georgia
Hoffman, high school; Katherine Zook, high school; Esther Zeininger, dis-
trict school; Howard Heleker, seventh and eighth; Winifred Shearer, sixth;
Bess Shafcr, fifth; Eva Lathrop, third and fourth; Hazel Raskin, second;
Verna Smith, first.
COUNTY BOARD OF EXAMINERS.
Miss Harriet Landers. Blue Rapids; C. Kxaemer, Vermillion; W. II.
Seaman. Marysville. Regular examinations are held on the last Saturdaj of
October, the last Saturday of January and last Saturday of June, together
wiih the Friday preceding each such Saturday.
OFFICERS OF THE COUNTY TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.
President, Harriet Landers, Blue Rapids; vice-president, R. L. Hazzard,
Frankfort; secretary. Etta Reaver-. Marysville; treasurer. W. 11. Seaman,
Marysville. The executive committee consists of the officers of the asso-
ciation.
OFFICERS OF THE SCHOOL BOARDS' ASSOCIATION.
President. Frank T.ann, Axtell : vice-president, E. O. Webber, Marys-
ville; secretary-treasurer. Mrs. P. C. McCall, Irving.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 297
SUMMARY.
*School census 6,973
Enrollment 5,162
Average daily attendance 4,060
Teachers employed :
One teacher schools 131
Two teacher schools 89
Marysville 18 238
Average salary per month :
Male teachers —
High school $111.80
Grade 68.00
Rural 49.66
Female teachers —
High school 73-°°
Grade 54-QO
Rural 47-00
Number school districts :
Rural 126
*High school and graded 16 142
Number parochial schools 6
* Valuation $51,604,720.00
:;:Value of school property 402,125.00
Amount Barnes high school fund, 1916-17 25,794.00
* Amount paid teachers 1 12,532.00
*Total costof maintaining schools 228,086.17
Enrollment in high schools, 1915-16 693
High school graduates, 1916 109
Total number of high school graduates to date 1, 185
Common school graduates, 19 16 162
Volumes in school libraries 16,585
"Tncludinsr Marysville.
_'i|N MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
GOLD MEDAL AWARDS.
Twelve years ago, Marshall county inaugurated a plan of offering, as an
incentive- to better attendance upon our public schools, a gold medal as an
award for seven years' perfect attendance. For the school year 1915-16,
thirty-three medals were presented. The following named pupils received
medals
Walter Goin, Beattie; Rub) Graham, Beattie; Walter Gurtler, Beattie;
Glen Swanson, Waterville; Carl Steenson, Waterville; Florence Godfreson,
Waterville; Walter Stewart. Waterville; Marcellus LesUe, Frankfort; Esther
Caldwell. Frankfort; Wanita Fowler, Frankfort; Argie Logan, Frankfort;
Eva Myers, Frankfort; Anna B. Holt, Home; Frederick Dexter, Home; Clar-
ence Genschoreck, Home: Lawrence Genschoreck, Home; F.lla Genschoreck,
Home; Freda Dettke, Hume: Myrtle Fincham, Home; Rosa Seematter, Home;
Elnora Wanamaker, Line Rapids; Creta Swanson, Blue Rapids; Wallace
Koppes, Carden; Marie Krai, Vliets; Victor Hoerath, Herkimer: Clarence
Remmers, Herkimer; Fner Poison, Vermillion; Edla Poison, Vermillion; Grace
Buckles, Vermillion; Elva Morrill, Summerfield; Jakie Wagner. Summerfield;
Raymond McLarnen, Summerfield; Verne Franks, Irving.
HONOR STUDENTS OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
Jennie Lea Dilworth, Summerfield, common school valedictorian; Edythe
Gould, Irving, high school spelling; Esther Ross, Axtell, high school declama-
tion; Earl Frost, Blue Rapids, high school oration.
ROLL OF HONOR.
Of the 5,162 pupils attending school in the county, 684 have keen neither
absent nor tardy during the year [915-16. The county roll of honor for that
school year shows the number of pupils and the number of consecutive years
their attendance as follows: 331, one year: [56, two years; i-'i. three
years: 1 [3, four years; 80, live years; (.6, six years; ,}o, -even years.
\ esta Bickle, Mabel Smith. Myrtle Smith. Thomas Warders, Lucille
Whan, of districl No. (., Marysville; Clara Brock, of No. 56, Axtell; Albert
Poggeman and Howard Moore, of No. [37, Summerfield; Esther Mapes, of
No. 48, Mount Pleasant, Waterville — eight years each.
Lily Shepard and Jessie Summers, of No. 2, Irving; Anna Saville, of
No. 3, Blue Rapids; Elsa Schwartz, of No. 4. Marysville; Jennie Bell, of No.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 299
36, Marysville; Marie Cecile Plunkett, of No. 53, Summerfield — nine years
each.
Lillian Cottrell, of No. 2, Irving, and Bruno Schwartz, of No. 4, Marys-
ville— ten years each.
Sidney Osborn, of No. 35, Frankfort, has the honor of having attended
school for thirteen consecutive years, without missing a single day or being
tardy.
JOHN MACDONALD.
It would be ingratitude on the part of the historian not to speak of the
good work done by John MacDonald, for the schools and teachers of Marshall
county. He came to the teachers' meetings and county institutes and brought
hopeful and cheering messages to the overworked and underpaid teachers of
early public school work in the county. His Western School Journal was
an education to the young teacher, dealing as it did, with all the perplexing
problems of pedagogy. A winged pilot has borne him across the bar, but
those who felt the inspiration of his presence and profited by his wise counsel,
have not forgotten him.
Marco Morrow has paid the following tribute to his memi iry :
"Across the dark but peaceful chasm which death has interposed between
us and the soul of John MacDonald, we waft a fond farewell. Scotchman,
American, Kansan; educator, editor, linguist, writer and teacher — you were
more than all that; you were a friend of man; you were beloved by your
fellows beyond most men. We shall miss your genial humor, your sparkling
wit, your kind spirit, and your sterling common sense. No man in Kansas
journalism was ever more universally respected; no memory will be more
greatly revered. Farewell, John ; we know that all is well with you."
CHAPTER XV.
Chur< hes ix Marshall County.
Ml I HODIST EPIS( OPAL CHURCHES.
In the days of the settlement of Marysville, churches did not thrive to
any great extent. An early historian puts it very nicely: "The population
was in some measure of a transitory nature and society was much subject to
the influence incident to a constant tide of emigration and travel."
To this statement may be added the fad that a large proportion of the
population were engaged in holding conversations similar to one which, accord-
ing to tradition, once took place between the governors of North and South
Carolina.
It has been hinted by some that the first church erected in the city, was
because certain citizen- of other portions of the county declared it a "burning
shame" that they were obliged to transact business in a town so devoid of
in' ralirj a- t<> neglect to provide a house of worship. And that because of
this complaint subscriptions were taken and a church erected.
Tradition has it that the first religious services held in Marysville, were
in a saloon, in the summer of 1857. There is sufficient evidence that at least
the saloon was here. The Methodisl church, South, had a small church
house and the first sermon preached in it was by the Rev. Mr. Millice, of that
denomination. In 1859 Rev. .Mr. Robbins, of the same church, held services
m Ballard & Morrall's drug store.
In the summer of r86o two ministers of the same church. Reverends
Kin^ and Duncan, held revival meetings lasting two weeks in the Barrett
House. When the war broke out this organization disbanded, hut church
services were held whenever an ilmerant minister came this way and li
services were always well attended.
The Marshalls were religious people and there were at all times some
le in the town who kept alive the religious faith.
The priest- soon searched out their flocks and held mas- and gradually
the de-ire tor churches and regular sei v ice- grew.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 3OI
MARYSVTLLE.
An organization of the Methodist church, North, was perfected in 1866
by Reverend Woodburn of Manhattan, with five members, three of whom
were Mrs. L. J. Swearengen and L. Keefover and wife. Meetings were
'held in the old court house, also in the old frame school house. Among the
early preachers were Reverends Tennent. Tenney and Taylor. The mem-
bership was small and became discouraged.
At the annual conference held in Leavenworth in the spring of 1879,
Rev. A. J. Coe was appointed to the Marysville circuit, which included Marvs-
ville. Oketo and Deer Creek. The class at Marysville was then composed of
Thomas Hughes and wife, Mrs. Swearengen, Bates, Cooper and Linley, and
Miss Hattie Linley.
The presiding elder instructed Coe to come to Marysville and build a
church. This seemed almost a forlorn hope to Mr. and Mrs. Coe and they
were told by the church that it was an impossibility. Tom Hughes, then the
editor of the News, gave the only encouragement. Reverend Coe began his
services in Waterson's Hall and preached to a small congregation. He
talked of a new church and by hard work raised nine hundred dollars and
started to build. It was uphill work, but finally the church was completed
and on the day of dedication the entire amount was raised. A hearty revival
was held that winter and some fifty accessions were made to the church.
After the congregation had a home the church prospered.
When the new bank, which afterwards grew into the First National
Bank, was first established, a young man by the name of Colin Southerland
was assistant cashier, fie was a member of the Methodist church and
induced a brother banker in Osceola, Iowa, to present the little church with a
bell. This banker's name was Ziegler and a few years ago he was living
in Los Angeles. Many able ministers served this church, among others.
Rev. Thomas Scott, a man of great courage and forcefulness, a "poet and a
scholar." No pulpit in Marysville has ever been filled by an abler man. He
sleeps in the Marysville cemetery.
On October 31, 1902, Rev. W. C. Hanson came to Marysville from
Robinson. He was a splendid business man and a good pastor. A new-
building was needed. He finished the present fine church home now occu-
pied by the Methodists.
The money was raised by popular subscription and the building cost six
thousand five hundred dollars. It is forty-four by seventy-three feet, with a
J02 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
basement under the entire building. The auditorium is forty by forty, and
there are two large Sunday school rooms. The church will seat two hundred
and seventy-five people. There are three stained-glass windows, which add
greatly to the appearance of the building.
I'lie present pastor is Rev. A. R. Williams and the church membership is
i me hundred and -e\ enty.
There is a large Sunday school, numbering one hundred and thirty
pupils, with eighteen teachers. E. F. Boxall is superintendent; !•". M. Unruh,
assistant superintendent; Adamantha Newton, secretary-treasurer. Other
auxiliary societies are the Epworth League and Ladies Aid.
BLUE RAPIDS.
A partial organization of the Methodist church was perfected in the
winter of 1870-71, by Rev. M. D. Tenney. with sixteen members. Occa-
sional services were held during the year, in different halls, until 1876, when
a church was built of native limestone, at a cost of two thousand two hun-
dred dollars. This church was built under the pastorate of Rev. E. W.
Van Deventer. In 1N89 a parsonage was built.
Rev. Thomas Sett, of Marysville, served this charge during the years
[900-01. In [905, Rev. J. C. Wilson came to the church and remained for six
years, lie rebuilt and enlarged the church at a cost of six thousand dollars.
This church was dedicated on December [9, 1909, by Bishop \V. A. Quayle,
assisted by District Superintendent W. C. Hanson.
Since that time the parsonage and church have been re-decorated, electric
lights installed and other improvements made. The membership of the
church has grown from sixteen charter members to two hundred and twentv-
fi\ e.
The present officials are: Trustees: II. I*. Kaump, Clyde Rodkey,
M. I'. Robinson, John Frost and Charles Palmer; stewards. J. L Rodkey,
F. E. Austin. 1-:. LT. Bright, John Blair, Mrs. Susan Bendel and II. 1".
Kaump. I 'resent pastor. I-'. A. Whittlesey.
Sunday school superintendent, J. II. Houston; secretary, Florence
Bright; treasurer. II. F. Kaump: librarian, Mrs. J. I.. Moorhead; pianist,
Blanche Houston; class leader, Mrs. \. \ Austin. Membership, two hun-
1 Woman's Missionary Societ) has eighteen members; Epworth League,
twenty-eight; Ladies Aid Society, twenty-five. The church and Sunday
s<h' ' '1 are prospering.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 3O3
FRANKFORT.
On September 24, 1869, Rev. S. M. Hopkins, of New York, arrived in
Frankfort. The city consisted of thirteen residences and stores. Consent
was obtained from the railroad company to hold meetings in the depot. A
class of thirteen was organized, consisting of Mrs. S. M. Hopkins, Jessie
L. Hopkins, J. S. Kelley and wife, and others. Doctor Clutter acting as
superintendent, a Sunday school was gathered from among people living
in the vicinity and religious services held every Sunday. Late in the winter
meetings were moved into the school house and in March, 1870, Reverend
Hopkins was appointed pastor. During the year Rev. G. W. Gault and
Reverend Lairey assisted in the work. A large section of country was
included in the work of that pastorate. About one hundred dollars was
raised for furnishing a library for the Sunday school. This was the first
public library of which there is any record in the county.
In 1871 a promise of two lots was secured; eight hundred dollars was
subscribed and foundation was laid for a new church. In March, 1871,
Reverend Gray was appointed to the charge at Frankfort and Centralia,
with a residence in Centralia.
Rev. Charles Parker, of Irving, came to Frankfort and organized a
Union church, including Presbyterian and other denominations, and the
idea of building a Methodist church for a time was abandoned. From that
time until 1876 the preaching was done by the following pastors, alternating
with laymen: Rev. William Knipe. Nichols, Price, A. J. McKee and
Spencer. In 1877 Reverend Hopkins retired and Reverend Zimmerman
was installed. He set to work to build a church, raised money to pay for a
lot and withdrew his charge from the Union meetings and established a
Methodist organization and Sunday school in Brady's hall.
A building committee was appointed, and in March, 1878, a new pastor.
Reverend C. H. Koester. was installed. At a called meeting two hundred
and fifty dollars was subscribed for a church edifice. This was augmented
the next morning by one hundred and fifty dollars. As a re>ult of a peti-
tion the railroad company presented a lot to the members, and on this lot
a parsonage was built. Air. A. J. McKee gave the use of a room over his
building, then known as the First National Bank building, for the use of
the congregation. The Sunday school grew rapidly and soon this hall
became too small. The church accepted an offer from the Presbyterians of
the use of their church in the afternoon. In March. 1880. Rev. E. H. Bailiff
304 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
commenced his pastorate in the Presbyterian church, and again agitated the
question of building. Mr. A. J. McKee donated the lots on which the pres-
ent church now stands. The new church home was dedicated in [88] and
completed in 18N7. In [884 a -term and cyclone damaged the building so
that it had to be replastered and painted and new windows put in. In 1890
the church building and parsonage were worth about four thousand five
hundred dollars.
I lie building was destroyed for the second time by a cyclone and the
present structure erected in 1896. Valuable improvements have since l>een
made and the property is now valued at ten thousand dollars. The present
church lias eight rooms — auditorium, three lecture room- and four rooms
in the basement. The present membership is four hundred. The Sunday
school membership is three hundred. The ladies aid and missionary socie-
ties, adjuncts of the church, and the Senior and Junior Epworth Leagues
are prominent factors in the life of the church. The present pastor is Rev.
L. R. South.
AXTEIX.
The officials of the Methodist Episcopal church at Axtell are: Bishop, W.
O. Shepherd; district superintendent, S. L. Buckner; pastor, P. B. Knepp;
president official board, J. (i. Sitler; Sunday school superintendent, \Y. S.
McKnight; superintendent primary department, Mrs George T. Whitcraft;
superintendent home department. Miss Janie Keegan ; superintendent cradle-
roll department, Mrs. F. M. Wolf; trustees — C. H. Baker, A. E. Gaston.
George \Y. Reed. Charles Phillips and W. F. Rabe; stewards. J. G. Sitler, (.'.
II. Baker, George W. Reed, G. W. Keller, E. II. Harrison, (ail G. Newton,
irge T. Whitcraft. Miss Lou Brawner, Miss Janie Keegan; class leader.
I.ee Davis; president, Ladies' Aid Society, Mrs. \Y. F. Rabe; president. Ep-
worth League, Miss Florence Sitler: superintendent, Junior League. Mrs.
I'. 1!. Knepp.
The present membership is two hundred and seventy-seven. All the
d< partments of the church are in a healthy condition. The average attendance
at Sunday school during [916 was one hundred and thirty-six. There are
forty-five members in the home department, and thirty oil the cradle roll.
During the same time the Epworth League had an average attendance of
forty.
The church property consists of a frame church building valued at eight
thousand live hundred dollars and a frame parsonage valued at three thou-
sand five hundred dollars.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 305
WATEUVILLE.
Services were held by Methodists of Waterville as early as 1868, when
the depot was used as a meeting house.
In the winter of 1868 Rev. M. D. Tenney organized a church with nine
members, among- whom were J. D. Farwell, W. J. Johnson, M. T. Bennett,
J. W. Pierce, and their wives. For the first years meetings were held in
the depot grain house, railroad coaches and school house. In the summer
of 1 87 1 a church edifice thirty-six by seventy feet was erected at a cost of
six thousand dollars. Rev. M. Spencer was the pastor until 1873, when he
was succeeded by Revs. J. M. Sullivan, former Gov. N. Green, R. Wake,
W. R. Kister and Rev. S. Brooks, when the congregation had grown to
sixty-five members. The present membership is two hundred twenty-six.
The pastor is Rev. E. M. Paddleford. The trustees are, C. A. Palmer,
William McKelvy, Frank Thorne, Henry Honstead, William Fitzgerald,
P. S. Vickery, and William Mapes. The stewards are, L. A. Palmer, dis-
trict steward; Myrtle McKelvy, recording secretary and treasurer; William
Fitzgerald, J. D. Farwell, Mrs. P. T. Vickery, Mrs. Eli Peterson. Miss
Erfie Bair, Miss Hannah Anderson, Samuel Anderson and P. T. Vickery.
This church is in a united and flourishing condition. The ladies aid
society donates two hundred dollars toward the running expenses of the church.
The missionary society raises four hundred dollars for home and foreign
missions, and the Sunday school pledges fifty dollars to the same work, and
last year gave sixty-one dollars and sixty-four cents.
The Sunday school has a membership of one hundred and eighty-five.
Gene Gorder is superintendent, Mildred Bartlow, secretary, and Anna Nider,
librarian, with J. D. Farwell, secretary, over all the work. Olive Wilson has
charge of the infant class, which numbers forty-two. Both international and
graded lessons are used. Twenty-eight dollars per month is required to
furnish the school with supplies.
SUMMERF£ELD.
This church was organized in Summerfield by Rev. A. E. Chachvick,
and chartered in 1889. The first trustees were: John A. Sipe, John L.
Magaw, Charles Sipe, Charles Ester, James Beecham. There were thirty
members at the time of organization. The congregation is united, and the
(20)
306 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
church ; I li parsonage and church property are valued at about
five thousand dollars.
The present officials are: Trusteees, E. II. I. "eke, J. 'I". Briggs, Charles
Tarr, Edw. McKee, John Winney, J. II. Russell, II. E. \hert. W. W. E.
kard, and R. G Shue; stewards, Charles Packard, Mrs. Charles Tarr,
Airs. W. E. Glick, Mrs. C. II. Roper and R. G, Shue. Rev. |. M. McGuire
is the past ir.
There .ire one hundred thirty-five members in the Sunday school; ]. T.
Briggs, superintendent. The Epworth League has a membership of thirty,
the Junii >r League, nineteen.
IRVING.
Tlie Methodist Episcopal church of trving was organized in 1867 by
Reverend Devaul. That same year work on a church edifice was begun,
hut was abandoned for lack of funds, ami in 1X71 a stone building was pur-
chased. Later, as the church grew, services were held in tin- Presbyterian
church. Some <>i" the early pastors were: M. 1'. Tenney, T. I'.. Grey, B.
1'". Smith. \V. II. Underw 1. E. W. Vandeventer, S. V Green, <i. W.
Miller. S. L. Hunter and C. S. Freark. The church has prospered. In
[882 a parsonage of six rooms was built and in [884 the present church
was erected. The present membership is sixtj eight. The membership of
the Sunday school is one hundred one. F. E. Barber is the present pastor.
VLEl 1 -
The first services of the Methodisl Episcopal faith in Vleits were held
by Rev. Merrill ( 1. Ilamm. who conducted the meeting in the school house
ith of town. \t thai time there were aboul a dozen members of the Meth-
odist church. Me remained about 1 ir and increased the membership
to fifty. In March of 1809 he was followed by Reverend Payne and dur-
ing his pastorate the church was built. The church was completed in [900
at a cost of two thousand one hundred fifteen dollars.
There is a Sunday school in connection with the church and has a mem-
bership of nearly one hundred. Miss Floy Smith is superintendent. The
present church officials an C R. Wallace. C. E. Foltz and George Con-
nett, trustees: C. E. Foltz, S. IV Heisy, C. R. Wallace and Merrill Bullock,
stewards. II. >t 1 1 church and Sundax school art' well attended.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 307
COTTAGE HILL.
The Cottage Hill Methodist church was organized in 1872, and a church
and parsonage were built in 1884. Their first pastor was Rev. Charles
Minear. The officers were James Clark, Reuben Hartman, John Nichols,
Reuben Fuller (all deceased), and Frank Leah, now living at Grand Junction,
Colorado. This church was organized with twenty-two members. At that
time it was the only church in Cottage Hill, and the attendance at both church
and Sunday school was much larger than now, for Cottage Hill now has three
churches within a half mile of each other.
Rev. W. H. Buckner is the present pastor, with thirty-four members and
about sixty attendants. The official board is John Sisco, G. Roepke, William
Roepke, Herman Anderson, John Leppard and Clarence E. Nichols. The
Sunday school superintendent is Henry Pretz, with thirty-eight members. It
is a live church and Sunday school.
BEATTIE.
The Methodist Episcopal church of Beattie was organized in the spring
of 1876 by Rev. A. J. Coe, with seven members. They were, Mr. and Mrs.
T. C. Byrum and Phoebe Byrum, Mary Sheldon, Elizabeth Sweet. Julia
Brown and Mrs. A. J. Coe.
In 1 88 1 a church was built, costing one thousand four hundred dol-
lars. The church has prospered and in January, 19 17, had a membership
of one hundred thirty-five. There is an excellent Sunday school in con-
nection and the usual ladies aid and missionary societies, which do their
share toward making the church a factor in the community. The value of
church and parsonage is near five thousand dollars. The present pastor is
Rev. F. E. Hurrell.
VERM 1 1 LION.
The Methodist Episcopal church was organized in the depot in 1871 by
Rev. T. B. Gray, with twelve members. Later, services were held in the
school house. In 1874 a church was erected at a cost of about one thousand
five hundred dollars.
In IQ02 under the pastorate of Reverend Spencer, this structure was dis-
mantled, and a fine new building erected. In 1914 the church was fitted
with electric lights and heating plant. Previous to this, in 1906-07, a new
par-nnage was built at a cost of two thousand two hundred dollars. Rev.
I [1 mier Wroten was the first to occupy it. There is a Sunday school attached.
308 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
PRESBYTER! \X CHURCH] S
Memorial Presbyterian church at Marysville was organized on October
i'i. [870, by Rev. Charles Parker, the noted blind preacher of Irving, Kansas.
The original records of this church written by Edward Hutchinson, read
as follows:
"Tins was in the year rendered memorable in the history of American
Presbyterianism by the union of the old school and new school branches of
the Presbyterian church at the United Assembly meeting at Pittsburgh, Penn-
sylvania. Meantime, the old and new school synods of Kansas united and
held their first session at Topeka, July i_\ 1S70, with Rev. Joseph < '•. Reaser,
moderator, and Rev. John L. Chapman, stated clerk. Also, the old school
presbytery of Highland and the new school presbytery of Smoky Hill, were
united wholly or in part, occupying substantially the same territory of each
of the old presbyteries, under the name of the presbytery of Highland."
Very fittingly, then, under such historical auspices this church appropri-
ated to itself the name of the Memorial Presbyterian church of Marysville.
The following were the first members of the church: Mrs. Amanda
Parker. Charles Pritchard, Edward Hutchinson. Mrs. Eliza Morrill. Mrs.
Annie S. Fisher, Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Reed. Peter \. Reed and Edward
Hutchinson were ordained ruling ciders. K. Hutchinson was elected clerk.
which office he held until [879. First trustees were: P. A. Reed, Edward
Hutchinson, lames S. Magill and J. A. Broughton. Rev. A. 11. Lilly, a
non-resident pastor, supplied the pulpit from the spring to the fall of 1N71.
The corner stone for the new church was laid on June S. 1S7J, by the
Masons and Odd Fellows, no minister of the Gospel being present. The
church was dedicated on September iS. [874.
The first regular pastor was Rev. E. G. Fish, who remained six months.
The first members to he admitted on profession of faith were Alexander
Campbell and Isabella, his wife.
On April 14, 1 S 7 _' , Pew Frank E. Sheldon began his pastorate and it
was largely through his efforts that the church was built, The services at
that time were held in an upper room of the new Stone school building,
which was erected in [866. Title to the present site of the church was pro-
cured in February, 1N71. and contract for its erection was let on April IO,
1872.
Mr. and Mrs. Perry Hutchinson. Rufus Edwards, T. W. Waterson,
Frank Schmidt and (.". F. Koester, although not members of the church.
PRESBYTERIAN MEMORIAL CHURCH AND PARSONAGE, MARYSVILLE.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 309
contributed largely to its erection and maintenance. Of those who assisted
in the building of the church, only Mrs. Perry Hutchinson, for many years
a member, and John A. Broughton are now living in Marysville, and many
have entered into rest.
At the present date the church lias no pastor. The present officers are :
Elders, B. Price, J. F. Hanna, A. B. Campbell, E. R. Fulton ; trustees, S. C.
Schmidt, William Kraemer, J. M. Goodnight, Arthur Hohn, A. A. Good-
man and E. R. Fulton. The Sunday school has an enrollment of one hun-
dred and sixteen. Superintendent, Stella R. Gallup; assistant, James Good-
night ; secretary, .Arthur Mohrbacher : treasurer, L. H. Eddy ; chorister,
Grace Fannen ; organist, Mabel Montgomery.
The Woman's Missionary Society and the Westminster Circle are
important church societies. There is also a very strong- social circle of the
ladies of the church and others, which contributes very substantially to the
financial support of the church. The church owns a neat parsonage adjoin-
ing it on the south. Mr. Reuben Bull, who died September 30, 1916, was
an elder of the church for fourteen years.
BLUE RAPIDS.
The First Presbyterian church of Blue Rapids was organized on May
1, 1870, by Rev. C. F. Mussey, with twenty -three members. Meetings
were held in public halls until 1874, when a church was erected at a cost of
four thousand dollars. The church has grown and prospered and now has
a membership of one hundred and forty- four; seventy-six of this number
having been added to the church under the pastorate of Rev. S. B. Lucas.
The present officials are : W. E. Axtell, C. A. Watkins, G. B. Layton,
S. F. Paul, George S. Emmert, Marshall Arnott, E. J. Brown, Will Lock-
ard, Ed Nevins, Ed Kennedy, F. O. Waynant, John Rodocker, L. B. Tibbetts
and W. E. Axtell. The church property is valued at about nine thousand
dollars. Mrs. E. J. Brown is the choir leader and Mrs. A. A. Marvin,
pianist.
The Sunday school officers are : J. W. Nevins, superintendent ; G.
B. Layton, assistant ; secretary, Clarence McKee ; treasurer, John Skalla ;
C. C. Tibbetts, librarian. Enrollment, one hundred and thirty-four. There
are thirteen classes, with as many teachers. The Christian Endeavor Society
has a membership of fifteen. The Knights of St. Paul has a membership
of twenty-three. The Social Union has forty members. The Woman's
3IO MARSHALL O'I'NTV, KANSAS.
Missionarj Society has a i^< >< >d membership and holds monthly meetings.
.Mrs. L. B. Tibbetts, president.
This is one of the strong Presbyterian churches of the county and
is thoroughly organized in every department.
FRANKFORT.
The Presbyterian church at Frankfort was organized in 1871 with the
following members: I. Greenman and wife, S. B. Todd and wife, Mrs. Mary
Strong, Miss I. Greenman and F. M. Fleming. Rev. Timothy Hill wi-
the pastor.
The school house was used as a place of worship fur three years. In
1S74 work was commenced on a church edifice which was finished and dedi-
cated on December 2, 1877. This building was a -tone structure, thirty-
two by forty-five feet, and cost three thousand six hundred dollar-. At
that date the membership was fifty-three and a Sunday school of one hun-
dred and ten members.
In May. 1904, a new and larger building wa- dedicated. During the
period from its organization to the present, fourteen ministers have served
the church, including the present pastor. Rev. G. M. West. The present
membership is one hundred and eighty-seven. The enrollment of Sunday
school is one hundred and sixty-eight. G. H. Coon is Sunday school superin-
tendent. Howard Heleker i- president of the Christian Endeavor Society,
which numbers twenty-eight. Mrs. John Davis is president of the Ladies
Aid Society with twenty-eight members. Emma Leavitt is president of the
Missionary Society with nineteen member-.
AXTELL.
The First Presbyterian church of Axtell was organized in April. [879, by
Rev. John M. Brown. The church has had gradual growth until it now
has a membership of one hundred and seventy members, the highest in it-
history. There have been eleven pastors including the Rev. J. L. Under-
woi id, the present pastor.
The comfortable church edifice, -eating over three hundred, together
with the manse property, ha- a valuation of nine thousand dollars.
The session i- composed of the pastor and the following laymen: Charles
I Smith, clerk: Edgar White. J. \Y. Fisher, John U. Payne, II. F. Detweiler,
John Lichty, Ed Warner and Delbert Hanna. The Sunday school has a
MARSHALL COUNTY, KAXSAS. 3II
membership of two hundred with a men's Bible class of over forty mem-
bers, of which J. YY. Fisher is the president. Edgar White is superintendent
of the school and C. I. Smith is assistant.
IRVING.
On October 26, 1862, the First Presbyterian church of Irving was organ-
ized by Rev. Charles Parker. The first members were : A. Goer, C. A.
Freeland and wife: C. E. Gaylord and wife; Mrs. A. Parker, Mrs. J. L.
Freeland and Mrs. YY. \Y. Jerome. In 1869 a church was erected, forty-
two by fifty-two feet, at a cost of five thousand dollars. This church was
destroyed by a cyclone in 1879, but the devoted members put up a frame
building the same year, forty-two by fifty-two feet, at a cost of three thou-
sand five hundred dollars. Rev. Charles Parker was the first pastor and
other pastors of those days were: Revs. J. L. Chapman, Sheldon, G. F.
Chapen, I. R. Brown. J. Wilson, I. B. Smith and J. A. Griffes. Rev. Will-
iam Carnine, of Vermillion, is the present pastor.
VERMILLION.
The first religious services were held in a box-car and later in 187 1 in
the depot at Vermillion. Rev. Charles Parker of Irving, a Presbyterian
minister, held the services.
The Presbyterian church of Vermillion was organized in 1872 by Rev.
Edward Cooper, of Atchison, with nine charter members. The meetings
were held in the school house, which was lighted by lanterns. Of the nine
charter members but one is now living, Mrs. Ellsworth, of Boulder, Colorado.
The church, disbanded a few years later owing to lack of funds, but was
reorganized on February 9, 1879, by Rev. Timothy Hill, D. D., with thirteen
members the greater number of whom are now living, but widely scattered.
Rev. I. B. Smith was the first resident pastor.
During the thirty-four years of its existence, seventeen pastors have
come and gone. Rev. W. W. Carnine, who is the present pastor, is the
eighteenth to serve the church.
The church building was purchased in 1879 from the people of the
Church of God, who had disbanded, and it has been remodeled into the
present fine structure. In January, tgi6, electric lights succeeded the acety-
lene plant. The present membership is one hundred and sixty-three. A
manse costing about one thousand five hundred dollars, was built in 1902.
Reverend Tweed was the first pastor to occupy it.
312 MARSHALL OH'XTY. KANSAS.
CHRISTIAN CHURl HES (( HI R( H OF CHRIST).
The first permanent organization of the Church of Christ was effected by
W. B. Jrvin. who came to .Marshall county, March 20, 1869, and located on
the Black Vermillion, near the Merrimac school house. A young minister of
the Christian faith, named Alonzo Burr, was then preaching in this part of the
state, and occasionally held services at the Antioch school house in district
No. 7.
Through the influence of Elder Griffith, \Y. B. Irvin and others, thi^
nucleus became a permanent body, meeting regularly and maintaining a Sunday
school. They were served by Elder Pardee Butler, of Atchison, widely noted
for his fearless denunciation of slavery and the methods adopted in public
affairs by its adherents. R. L. Downing and John Bain also preached regularly
to this congregation. Later, the Antioch congregation was merged into the
liigelow congregation and the church at Bigelow was erected. Elders Bain
and Downing had l>een preaching at different points in the county to unor-
ganized congregations of the Christian faith. The church, which is now
Balderson church, was one of those congregations and was visited at inter-
vals by these ministers.
Doctor Burnham, a familiar figure on the streets of Marysville in those
days, was one of the old-fashioned type 'of exhorters from the Blue Hills of
Kentucky and preached for the people of all denominations at North Elm
creek. In summer-time these services were held out of doors and the creek
served as the baptismal font. People from within driving distance came to
hear Doctor Burnham exhort, and his meetings were popular with the settlers.
As a result, a church organization was effected and a church built, known as
the Balderson, or North Elm creek church.
Elder Bain visited his church people at Beattie and services were held in
the hotel parlor and later in the stone school house. Organizations were per-
fected in Beattie. W'aterville. frank fort, Irving, Blue Rapids and later in
Vermillion and Marysville. The Frankfort church was destroyed by a storm
in 1896 and has never been rebuilt. Services are sometimes held there 1>\
Elder Ballon, of Vermillion.
The Christian church now has seven organizations in Marshall county.
Houses of worship are owned in Marysville, Beattie, Balderson, frving,
Bigelow, Vermillion and W'aterville. The property is valued at thirty-five
thousand dollars. Too much cannot be said in praise of the pioneer pastors,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 313
Downing, Bain and others, who gave money, time and earnest devotion to
the cause of the church, often giving free ministrations to the different
churches in the county, and bringing the consolations of religion to the pio-
neer families of that period.
IRVING.
The Christian church (Disciples) was organized in Irving in 1892 by
Elder H. E. Ballon with ninety-two charter members. Prominent among
the members were W. B. Irvin, James Murphy, Caruthers Johnson, E. F.
Blazier, Airs. E. M. Peterson, Airs. Hines. Airs. Mollenberg, Airs. Arnold,
William Fenwick, J. S. Myers, and others. Their latest pastor was I. N.
Myers. Under his pastorate about forty were enrolled in the Sunday school.
A short revival under H. E. Ballon resulted in an accession of four members
to the church. The total membership is now forty-six. Three successful
ministers have gone out from this little church : C. W. Cooper, of Bonner
Springs: I. N. Myers, of Nebraska, and L. W. Myers, state evangelist, of
Nebraska! The church is free of debt and owns the building, which is worth
about three thousand dollars.
VERMILLION.
The Christian church at Vermillion was organized in 1893 by Rev. R.
L. Downing. The organization was perfected in the Presbyterian church,
in which their services were held for one year.
The first resident pastor was Reverend Rose. The membership was
twelve. In tqoj a neat parsonage was built. Under the present pastor,
Rev. H. Ballon, the church has been remodeled, enlarged and equipped with
electric lights and steam heat. This is a fine church with a devoted mem-
bership. A well-attended Sunday school is conducted as an auxiliary to the
church work.
WATERVILLE.
The Christian church at Waterville has never had a regular pastor for
any length of time. Rev. James Scott, a resident pastor, preached part of
the time when able, but for the last three years there have been no services
held in the church, and the membership scattered or joined the other churches
in town.
,V4 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
!'. VPTIST CHURCH] S.
The First Baptist church of Marysville was organized in the year [883,
in the old court house, under the leadership of Rev. George Brown. The
membership consisted of Mr. and Mrs. R. X. King, Mr. and Mrs. II. S.
Morse, Carrie Morse and Mrs. I". I. Hatfield.
The Lutheran church officials offered the use of their church for evening
service and for a long time the few devoted members worshipped in the Ger-
man Lutheran church. The decision to erect a church home was reached and
the money for the site was given by the church at VVaterville in remembrance
nt" the family of Robert Campbell, who had been members of the church at
that place The site was purchased from the Presbyterian church at a cost
of five hundred dollars. In [889 the foundation was begun and the corner
sti »ne \\ as laid by the Masons.
As was the case with every church building erected in Marysville, the
money was raised bj subscription among the citizens of the town. In this
manner four thousand five hundred dollars was raised and the ladies of the
chinch donated three hundred and fifty dollars for the furniture. Rev. \Y.
J ). Elwell was the pastor. The church was dedicated in October, [890.
Rev. F. Barr Brown is the preseril pastor. The church has the usual
auxiliary societies. The Sunday scl 1 numbers fifty. Mr. E. J. McKee
is the superintendent and is a devoted and energetic church worker.
BLUE RAPIDS.
On Sunday, December 1. 1872, Rev. G. dates, a general missionary of
the Baptist church, organized the Blue Rapids Baptist church with twenty-
three members. The charter was signed on January 27, 1873. The firsl
trustees were: C. G. Beach. C. O. Roice, G. Fitzgerald, K. M. Bridges, C.
B. Ih >it. William Fitzgerald;
Rev W. V Briggs, of Homer, New York, became resident pastor April,
[873. The town company offered the lot and a church was completed and
dedicated on December 4. 1873. This was the first church edifice erected
in Blue Rapids and cosl one thousand eight hundred dollars.
\ new church wa-- hnilt in mii. when Rev. J. P. Henderson was pastor,
and dedicated March 3, [912. Rev. Frank E. Gray was the resident pastor
in 1912 and presided at the dedicatory services. The church is fifty-six by
sixty feet. The auditorium is forty bj forty feet. The lecture, or Sunday
school, room is twenty by twenty-five feet, and there are three small rooms,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 315
ten feet square, for class room and pastor's study. The total cost was ten
thousand dollars.
There are seven memorial windows in the auditorium with the fol-
lowing inscriptions :
Mrs. M. A. Avis, February 7, 1911.
P. S. Burnett and wife. M. F. Burnett.
Rev. W. A. Briggs, first pastor.
Mr. O. A. Cole and Mr. and Airs. H. Weekly.
Thomas Hunt, March 1, 1910.
H. Burnett and wife, M. S. Burnett.
Bible Class, 191 1.
At the present time Rev. George H. Clark, Jr., is pastor and I. F. Fitz-
gerald, M. A. Brooks, Charles Ostrander, John Avis and Harry L. Hunt, the
deacons; I. F. Fitzgerald, R. S. Fillmore, J. B. Pope, A. H. Avis and
Charles Ostrander, trustees. The Sunday school under the superintendency of
A. H. Avis has an enrollment of one hundred and eighty-four. The church
membership is one hundred and thirty-seven.
SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH ( COLORED).
An organization was formed in 1902 and until 1905 the members met in
private houses. In 1904 Rev. J. B. Overstreet and his family moved to
Blue Rapids. Through his efforts, assisted by some members of the congre-
gation, a lot was secured and in 1905 a church was built at a cost of five
hundred dollars. Many friends of the church contributed liberally and
the congregation soon had their own church home. The census of 1905
showed the colored population of the city to be forty-five, the majority being
church members. They soon had a flourishing Sunday school of twenty-
five members. The church has a membership of thirty, is free from debt,
is lighted by electricity. Prominent members of the church are Charles
Burnett, Frank Haines, Isaiah Walker, Edith Burdett, Frank Francis. The
church officials are : Elders. Isiah Walker. Charles Burdette ; deacons.
Frank Francis, Stout Miller ; pastor, J. B. Overstreet.
FRANKFORT.
The Baptist church (colored) of Frankfort was organized in 1886. the
pastor being Rev. J. H. Moran. The first officers were: P. M. Hickman, Greene
Hocker and Thomas White. The building was erected in 1887 and the Sun-
316 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
day school organized with a membership of ten. P. M. Hickman was super-
intendent. They had no pastor at thai date. The present officers arc \V.
II. McAlister, P. Montgomery, Perry Taylor and J. I!. Price. The present
membership is thirty; Sunday school, ten. The superintendent of Sunday
school i^ < ieorge < loud.
WATERVILLE.
Waterville Baptist church was organized in the fall of [873 by Rev.
W. A. Briggs 1 E Blue Rapids, with fifteen members. A brick edifice thirty-
two by forty-two feet, was completed in [877 at a cost of one thousand five
hundred dollars. Rev. VV A. Briggs officiated until i88o, since which time
the church lias had no regular pastor. When the Baptist church was built
in Marysvilk the society sold the Waterville Baptist church to the Christian
church society for live hundred dollars and put that amount in the Baptist
church at Marysville.
WINIFRED.
Winifred Baptisl church was dedicated on September 3, [911. It was
1 rganized by Rev. John A. Riney, a missionary of the Blue Valley associa-
tion. The first pastor was Rev. Henry F. l'.uekcr, of Plymouth, Illinois.
Mrs. Edith Dexter was the first clerk; Paris Houston and Joseph Griffee,
the first deacons; 'I". B. Dexter, D. O. Dexter and Joseph Griffee, first trus-
tees. The present officers are. '.'. Rakestraw, Joseph Griffee, Andrew
Patzka, elders; 1). < ). Dexter, foseph Griffee. 1'aris Houston, deacons.
The Rev. Wallace Carpenter, who was ordained on November 26, mhj.
closed Ins pastoral duties on December 31, [916. The present church has
seventy members The Sunday school has a membership of one hundred;
Young People's Society, twenty-five. A Ladies Missionary Society is con-
nected with the church. A fine parsonage has recently been added to the
Church property.
EPISCOPAL CHURCHES.
The story of St. Paul's Episcpal church, Marysville. is an interesting
.me. Twenty-eight years have passed and the little brick church on the hill
is -till ministering to her children in the name of the Lord. These were
years fraughl with joy and thankfulness-, while at worship within her sacred
walls.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 317
On November 24, 1887, Rev. Joseph Wayne, of Burlington, Kansas,
held services in Marysville, and on February 1, 1888, the following officials
were elected: Wardens, F. W. White, J. S. Magill ; vestrymen, C. H.
Shaffer, R. E. Moser, Frank Thompson.
On April 5, 1888, the site of the present church was purchased; on
September 11, the corner stone was laid and on Advent Sunday, the same
year, St. Paul's was opened for worship. One year had passed since Rev-
erend Wayne had visited Marysville and much had been accomplished in
the Master's vineyard.
The next resident rector was Rev. Percy B. Eversden, who remained
until November, 1899. Rev. A. Randall, of Hiawatha, came frequently and
on the 10th of June, 1901, Rev. H. C. Attwater was appointed to serve
Washington. Irving, Blue Rapids, and Marysville. He remained about one
year.
During the next four years Archdeacon Crawford visited the parish
occasionally, for the celebration of the Eucharist. Rev. David Curran
officiated in 1906-07. He was succeeded by Rev. P. B. Peabody, of St.
Marks, Blue Rapids, until the arrival of B. E. Chapman, who remained until
1909. Rev. L. G. Fourier served the parish for one year.
Dr. H. E. Toothaker ministered to St. Paul's as catechist and deacon
for three years, residing at Washington. W. L. Gibson, as lay reader, and
L. P. Thatcher, served until December 19, 1914, when Louis T. Hardin was
appointed and entered upon the duties of catechist. He is still serving the
parish as deacon in charge.
During all these years Mr. F. W. White has served the church as warden
and has rendered devoted service to the parish. Nearly all the charter mem-
bers have fallen asleep; a few remain, whose desire it is to glorify the Son
of Man.
Services are maintained on two Sundays in each month and Sunday
school is held each Sunday morning.
Present officials : Louis T. Hardin, deacon ; warden. W. W. Hutchin-
son ; vestrymen. Dr. F. W. Clark, Guy A. Pulleine and Carl W. Belknap.
IRVING.
The Episcopal church was organized in 1867 by Rev. Charles Holmes.
For some time meetings were held in the school house. The membership
was small and the meetings irregular and the church declined, but in 1874
it was reorganized by Bishop Vail and Reverend Holmes installed as pastor.
318 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
In the fall "i 1879 a small church home was erected at a cost of one thou-
1 two hundred dollars. Rev. George Turner served as rector in 1883.
church is now in charge of Rev. Louis Harding, of Marysville.
Mil E R \PIDS.
Articles of association were adopted by the parish of St. Mark. Blue
Rapids, .March 1. [871, to form a congregation of the Episcopal church.
The charter members were: Frank Hall, John McPherson, C. V. Reed,
Jane Reed, Eva Reed, E. A. McPherson, Luke P. Holmes, Walter R. Webb,
M. S. Holmes, Charles Holmes, Matilda Webb, X. A. Stone. John \Y. Grif-
fith, C. I'.. Olmstead, E. H. Comstock, Charles O. Clark and Emma Griffith.
The firsl meeting was held in Colonial hall, March 5, 1871. The first
officials were: Charles Holmes, parish clerk; X. A. Stone, senior warden;
Cliarle- Holmes, junior warden: C. E. Olmstead, John McPherson, John
W. < iriffith, vestrymen.
\i the annual parish meeting held on Easter Monday. April 1, 1872,
the following officers were elected: A. E. Sweetland, senior warden; Frank
Hall, junior warden: E. II. Comstock, C E. Olmstead. John McPherson,
vestrymen. All annual elections since then have been held on the same day.
During the years [871-74 Bishop Vail, the pioneer Episcopal bishop oi
Kansas, confirmed a number of candidates. These were the last confirma-
tions held in I Hue Rapids for a number of years.
Lacking a church building the church members became scattered and
some affiliated with other churches. Some removed to other localities and
death claimed his toll. In [883 three families of the'Episcopal faith located
in Blue Rapids, bringing a membership of nine to the church. These families
were ill- Deaths, the Russells and Chaneys. Rev. Joseph Wayne, rector at
Marysville, gathered the scattered members together and on May jo. [888,
services were re Limed 'in Easter morning regular services were held in
the Congregatii nal church by Bishop Thomas. The following day the annual
election was held and the officials elected were: John McPherson, senior
[en; J. V Death, junior warden: Henry Harland, John Mulende/ ami
1 )r Harry Humfreville, vestrymen.
On June 15. [901, Rev. II. C. Attwatcr assumed the pastorate of St
Marks. I • der his ministry the church grew and prospered. A church home
was secured in Olmstead hall and furnished appropriately. Soon after this.
through the efforts of Mrs. Mary J. Martin, a bequesl of the hundred dollars
was made St. Marks by Miss S. E. Maurice, ol New York, and later the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 3IO,
Congregational church edifice was purchased and a permanent church home
secured. The church has been greatly improved, furnished with marble
baptismal font, choir, stalls, lectern, prayer desk and hymn board. The
lectern is a gift from the St. Agnes guild, in memory of Mrs. John McPher-
son, long a loved member of the church. The altar vases were given by the
Sunday school, in honor of Paul Wanamaker, who died August 13, 1913.
Early in 1901 Air. and Mrs. C. J. Brown and Miss Florence Greer,
(Mrs. Brown's daughter), moved from Topeka to Blue Rapids, and became
faithful workers in St. .Mark. Miss Greer was especially active among the
young people and her beautiful life was an example to all. Her death
occurred on August 22, 191 5.
In 1908 a fine rectory was built and first occupied by Rev. P. B. Pea-
bodv, who was rector of St. Mark for nine years. Reverend Peabody left
the charge at Blue Rapids to assume the pastorate of St. James church.
Independence. Iowa. The present rector of St. Mark is the Rev. W. E.
Rambo, of Brownsville, Pennsylvania. He became resident rector in Decem-
ber, 1916. The church is prospering and has a devoted membership.
LUTHERAN AND EVANGELICAL CHURCHES.
The English Lutheran church of Cottage Hill township was organized
in 1879-80. The first pastor was Rev. D. Harbaugh. The first officials were
Charles Dietelbach, L. R. Kistler. deacons; C. R. Kistler and F. J. Faulkner,
elders.
Previous to this time Rev. F. R. Scherer and Rev. D. Harbaugh. both
ministers of the English Lutheran church, preached in school houses in both
Marshall and. Wa-hington counties.
After the building of the Keystone school house in district Xo. 92,
preaching was held alternately in that school house and Pleasant Hill. In
1882-83 Rev- J- A. Lowe was installed as pastor and, largely through his
efforts, the Waterville church was built in 1884. Reverend Sponseller suc-
ceeded Reverend Lowe, and he planned and had the present church under
ci instruction in 1891.
Rev. I. B. Heisev followed Reverend Sponseller and under his charge
the church was completed in 1892. The cost of the church was two thousand
dollars. Reverend Heisev was well known as a pioneer citizen of the county.
He was the well beloved pastor of the Waterville and Cottage Hill churches
320 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
for twenty-one years. He took a well-earned rest in Illinois t « >r some
years and at present lives in Chapman, Kansas.
The present pastor of the church is Rev. (lark Powell, who has just been
installed. The present number of members is twenty-three. The present
church officials are: Elders, I). C. Smith. M. M. Rice; deacons, George
Rodecker, Andrew Hirt: trustees, Charles St in son and Roy Rodecker.
There i- a Sundaj school in connection with the church, with forty mem-
bers. Superintendent, Charles Stenson; secretary, Myrtle Smith; treasurer,
Mrs. Sarah Kistler.
ENGLISH LUTHERAN CHURCH, WALNUT TOWNSHIP.
The now existing church has its origin from the Scandinavians who
settled in the western part of the county in the early seventies. The congre-
gation was tirst organized as the Skandinaviske Evangeliske Lutherske
Menighed, in Marshall county on 25th of .March, 1N74, with X. ( '. Brun, of
Doniphan county. Kansas, as pastor and Jens T. Lund, II. M. Johnson and
P. S. Lundgren as trustees, and Mart Scott as secretary. This congregation
was not able to build a church at once and services were held in settlers'
homes and school houses until 1KN0. when a building was erected on a plot
of two acres of ground in the southeast corner of northwest quarter of
section 5. township ,}. range 6, of which the south acre i- set apart as a
cemetery.
For three years the church had a resident pa-tor. but usually was served
by pastors from other Scandinavian settlements.
In [898 the charter was surrendered to the present organization, with
Rev. 1. B. Heisy, of Waterville, as pastor, and since then it has been a part
of the Waterville Lutheran pastorate.
GERMAN EVANGELICAL CHURCH, MARYSVTJ 1 1:.
This church was organized in t868 by Rev. A. Bathe, with a good
membership. Services were held in a frame building until 1S70. when the
present edifice was dedicated. The corner stone was laid in [874 and a
stone structure erected at a cost of three thousand dollars. The church still
stands as erected, but has been remodeled slightly and a gallery for the choir
added. In connection with the church a parochial school is maintained, where
the young are instructed in the catechism and also in the German language.
Rev. V Bathe was succeeded in [870 by Rev. \Y. Goegel, who was sue-
GERMAN EVANGELICAL CHl'RCH, MARYSVILLE.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 32I
ceeded by Reverend Haas, in 1872. Rev. H. Barkman assumed charge
in July, 1876, and remained until October, 1895. His successor was Rev.
W. Schaefer, who resigned in 1900, when Rev. L. Reinert was elected, who
held the charge for nearly fourteen years, when the present incumbent, Rev.
C. Bechtold, accepted the call of the congregation.
This congregation consists of about two hundred souls all told, in
thirty-five families, with sixty adult individual members.
This "little German church on the corner," is one of the institutions of
Marysville, which has shown the great quality of endurance, amidst all
adversity. It has never in all these years been without a pastor and the
church bell has never failed, on each succeeding Sabbath morn, as the years
have come and gone, to call to the house of God a devoted congregation of
worshippers.
Of the thirty-three original members of this congregation, the only ones
now living are August Hohn and wife, and Christ Kracht and wife, of
Marysville, and Fred Gerlinger, of West Allis, Wisconsin.
The present board of trustees are : Julius Plegge, Louis Sievert, Edward
B. Menzel and John Peeks.
SWEDISH LUTHERAN.
The Swedish Lutheran Gloria Dei church of Cottage Hill, was organized
on September 28, 1871. Rev. S. P. A. Lindahl perfected the organization.
The first officers were : Deacons, N. P. Nelson, P. Hull and P. Blumquist ;
trustees, Henry Nelson, John Olson and J. E. Nelson; secretary, L. Ljoblom.
For two years the congregation was served by visiting ministers and the
services were held in the Harbaugh school house. Rev. J. Veleen was the
first regular pastor. He was succeeded by H. Olson.
On January 5, 1S7S, a location was secured and the present church was
completed in 1886.
In 1894 a parsonage was built and Rev. B. S. Nystrom was the first
pastor to live in it. He was succeeded by Rev. L. Ulden and Rev. N. J.
Sture, who were succeeded by the present pastor.
The early membership was about one hundred and forty. In 1912 the
membership was one hundred and twenty. The church is active in maintain-
ing a Sunday school, in which the Swedish language is taught.
There is a Luther League and Ladies' Aid Society in connection with
the church. The value of the church property is six thousand five hundred
(21)
322 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
dollars. The present officials of the church are: Pastor, M. J. Lonner;
deacons, A. D. Moden, G. T. Nelson and Alfred Lindquist; trustees, Frank
Moden, ( >scar Xelson and C. A. Peterson. Oscar Nelson is church treasurer
and Mrs. M. J. Lonner, organist. The church owns a beautiful and well-
kept cemetery, adjoining the church property.
EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN ZION CHURCH.
The Evangelical Lutheran Zion church at Herkimer was erected in
\S')J at a cost uf two thousand two hundred dollars, with" a membership
of twelve. The names of the first officials were : J. H. Brockmeyer, presi-
dent; William Thiele and E. Hormann, elders; \Y. H. Koeneke, treasurer;
C. Kulper, secretary. I^ater a parsonage was built at a cost of two thousand
live hundred dollars and a school at a cost of two thousand two hundred dol-
lars. There are about twenty-five pupils attending the school. German is
taught, religious training given and all English branches are taught as in
the public schools. The minister is also the teacher.
The present membership of the church is twenty-live communicants and
about two hundred attendants. The following are the present officers: II.
Thiele. president; William Thiele. William Fink and Theodore Schotte,
elder> ; H. Hormann, treasurer; William Kruse. secretary.
The first pastor was H. Wein. The present pastor, H. C. Matting.
GERMAN EVANGELICAL CHURCH, STOLZENBACH.
This church was organized in 1869 by Rev. A. Bathe, then the resi-
dent pastor at Marysville. First services were held in the Otoe Indian mis-
sion house, which stood on section 1, Baldwin township.
The mission house was a three-story concrete building, one hundred by
lift\ feet, and was erected by an Eastern church society, at the time the
Indians were located on that reservation, for whatever use the Indian agent
might make of it. In [873 a hurricane tore the top story off this building,
and after that it continued in operation as a two-story affair and was still
used by this congregation for a meeting house. Later, the Merklinghaus
school house, located on the same section, was used until 1879, when a church
building was erected on the northeast coiner of section [2, Balderson town-
ship. Up to [892 this church was under the pastorage of Marysville, since
then it has been combined with a church of the same denomination at Herki-
mer.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 323
Pastors serving this church were: Rev. A. Bathe, to 1870; Rev. W.
Gogel, to 1872; Reverend Haas, to 1876; Rev. H. H. Barkman, to 1892;
Reverend Vogt, to 1895; Reverend Bohnstengel, to 1895; Reverend Huebsch-
mann, to 1901 ; Reverend Koch, to 1903; H. Grosse, to 1906; G. H. Schwake
and Ad. Rahn, 191 1 to 1914.
The pastor in charge of this congregation at present is Rev. E. Berg-
strasser. The present membership is fifteen families, numbering seventy-one
souls.
The mission house referred to above, was built by an Eastern church
missionary society. The missionary in charge gathered up a couple of dozen
papooses and tried to teach them to read and write and do kindergarten work ;
then the parents of the children insisted upon getting pay for the use of
their children, and the work had to be dropped, and the building was used
for a sort of community hall.
GERMAN EVANGELICAL IMMANUEL CHURCH, HERKIMER.
This church is an offspring of the church of the same denomination at
Marysville, and was organized in 1890. Distance and growth of population
in the surrounding country seemed to justify the separation.
Rev. E. Vogt had charge of this congregation from 1892 to 1897; Rev.
H. Huebschmann, to 1901 ; Rev. Chr. Koch, to 1902 ; H. Grosse, to 1908; Rev.
U. B. Slupianek, to 1912; Rev. L. Birnstengel, to present date.
The church edifice was erected in 1893 at a cost of one thousand dol-
lars, and the records for 191 5 show a congregation of one hundred and ten
adults, consisting of thirty-nine families, making one hundred and sixty-
three souls in all.
EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN TRINITY CONGREGATION ( GERMAN), WALNUT
TOWNSHIP.
This congregation was first organized in 1886. The membership included
nearly all the German families residing in the vicinity. Meetings were held
in the Danish church. The congregation was served by neighboring pastors,
namely, Revs. G. Polack, Frese, Hover, and Wein.
In 1906 the congregation was reorganized, the present property purchased
and a good church built. The first resident pastor was Rev. J. Rabold, who
served the congregation until February, 1911, when he accepted a call to
324 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
western Kansas. During the summer of that year the new pastor, Rev. W.
Cook, was installed.
The membership at proem is as follows: Number of souls, one hundred
eighty-five; communicants, ninety-eight ; voting members, thirty-one.
The present board of elders are 1 lennan Scheil>e. Martin I lolle, and I Icr-
mari Minge; R. Frohberg, chairman; H. Stoh-. secretary; A. Pronske, treas-
urer.
A cemetery near the church is the object of care on the part of the church,
and is in perfect order. .Many of the good men and women who helped build
and maintain the church sleep in peace and quiet within that inclosure.
AT HERMANSBURG.
Three and one-half miles northeast of Bremen, on an eminence named
Hermansburg, which commands a fine view of the country for miles in each
direction, stands the German Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel church, known
to the people of Marshall county and adjoining counties as the Hermans-
bury church.
This church was erected in 1870 by an organization, which was per-
fected in the year 1868, with twelve members.
The trustees of the first organization were: Friedrich Westermann,
Louis Knees. Henry Meyer. Thomas Koeneke. John Bandich, secretary.
The early pastors who served this congregation were: Jonas Matthias.
Leonhard Pfiffer, Gustav W. Polack and Friedrich Pennekamp.
Rev. Gustav Polack was a widely known pastor of the German Luth-
eran Evangelical faith. He was originally from Illinois; came to Cape
Girardeau, Missouri, thence to Marshall county. He served as pa-tor of the
Hermansburg church from [879 until his death in 1898. During the early
years hi- pastorate extended as far north as Lanham and as far south as
Herkimer, lie established German Lutheran churches at Afton and Herki-
mer in Marshall county: at Palmer. Linn and Strawberry in Washington
county: at Bern in Nemaha county, and at Onaga and Duluth in Potta-
watomie county. Because of this the influence of the Herman-burg church,
being the central power, extended beyond the limit- of the county. Reverend
Polack closed his mini-try with the church in [898. He was buried on the
dav he had chosen to deliver his farewell sermon.
The church ha- prospered and now ha- a membership of eighty-eight,
with a Sunday school of one hundred. There are two parochial schools in
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 325
connection with the church. One of the school buildings is on property
adjoining the church, the otlier is three and one-half miles south and east
of the church. The common branches, extending as far as the eighth grade,'
are taught and, in addition, special instruction in the German language and
in religious training is given. There are seventy-seven children enrolled in
the two schools and two teachers are employed. Dwellings are furnished
the teachers free of charge and salaries amounting to one thousand and fifty
dollars annually, are paid. The cost of the two school buildings exceeded
three thousand dollars.
The church owns forty-five acres of land, on part of which is located
a well-kept cemetery. The present pastor of the church is Otto Menke, and
the present officials are: Fred Friedrichs, John Rengstorf, Fred Holle;
William Rabe, treasurer, and E. A. G. Mueller, secretary.
UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The first United Presbyterian church in Marshall county was organ-
ized May 20, 1883, by Rev. Marion Morrison. D. D., with Capt. C. F. Mc-
Culloch, A. B. Weede and S. M. Pressly as ruling elders. The location of
this congregation was in the vicinity of the present city of Summerfield.
There were twenty-three charter members as follow: Mr. and Mrs. C. F.
McCulloch, Mr. and Mrs. John S. Smiley, Air. and Mrs. Thomas Brown,
Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Gordon, Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Weede, Mr. and Mrs. S.
M. Pressly, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Nash, Mr. and Mrs. A. D. Hutchison,
Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Brown, E. I. Smiley. W. A. Smiley, Miss Carrie E.
McCulloch. Miss Fannie Smilev and W. R. Brown.
For about six years the congregation worshipped in the school house
in district 90, with. Reverend Morrison, Rev. J. H. Montgomery and cithers
as supplies, but when Summerfield was started a church building at a cosi
of about two thousand live hundred dollars was built and Rev. W. T. War-
nock called as pastor in 1891. Rev. C. FT. Mitchell succeeded Reverend
Warnock as pastor in 1894 and eight years later Dr. J. C. Calhoun became
pastor and continued for twelve years when the present pastor, Rev. W. L.
Torrence, took charge.
The congregation now has one hundred ninety members and the Sab-
bath school numbers more than two hundred. The church building: has
326 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
been enlarged and a commodious parsonage has been erected since the
organization.
Eleven of the charter members are yet living, seven of whom reside
within tlie bounds and continue as members of this church.
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
On January i_>, 1872, the following persons, who were of the Congrega-
tional polity and faith, perfected a church organization in Blue Rapids:
James Cooley, Charles E. Tibbetts, J. D. Field, F. G. Morris, J. E. Ball,
John Palmer, J. C. Friselle, Lewis Phelps, John A. Smith. William Hkins
and James A. Dawes. Of these men, James Cooley and Charles E. Tib-
betts had been in the county since 1866. and William Ekins and James A.
Dawes came later.
The first pastor was Rev. Arthur Smith. He died early in his minis-
terial work. In 1879 came Rev. E. Skinner, of English birth, and during
hi> ministry a church was erected and dedicated in October, [882. Reverend
Skinner died in [901. Members moved away and the church
declined. In igoi the church property was leased to the Episcopal people
and later sold to them. In 1910 the church formally disbanded. This
church amply justified its existence by the part it took, for more than
three decades, in the religious and social life of Blue Rapids. Among
those who went out from under its guidance is Rev. Frank L. Macy, for
many years a successful Congregational minister, now residing at Mil-
ford, Kansas; Rev. Harry E. Vincent, a Congregationalisl pastor, of New
York state: Charles \\\ Elkins. of California, a Sunday school worker of
national reputation. Among the prominent pastors who served the church
may he noted Rev. Vernon H. Deming, of New England, and Rev. Wil-
liam M. Brown, president of Tillotson College, Texas.
FREE METHODIST CllfKCll.
The Free Methodist church of Frankfort, Kansas, was organized on
Ma) 24, [907. The first members were: Rev. Charles II. Southworth,
Wesley Long. Christian Reust, Samuel -McDonald and Edgar Long. The
first trustees were: Christian Reust, Samuel McDonald. Samuel A. Reust,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 327
Samuel Reust, Samuel Koch, E. S. Slifer and Wesley Long. Stewards:
Joseph Reust. Tabitha Packard, Mary A. Alleman. Class leader, Wesley
Long: treasurer, S. A. Reust: secretary, Tabitha Packard. Membership of
the church, twenty-nine. Superintendent of Sunday school, E. S. Slifer:
membership of Sunday school, thirty. First pastor, C. S. Huston. The
church was built in 1910. The present pastor is J. A. Chaney.
UNIVERSALIST CHURCH.
In July, 1880, Rev. Mr. Rhodes, of Seneca, organized a church of the
Universalist faith at Vermillion, with forty members. Services were held by
Reverend Rhodes in the school house and in an upper room of a store building,
for some time, when the organization finally disbanded, many placing their
membership in other denominations.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH.
On the corner of Fourteenth street and Broadway in Marysville, stands
this little church, built and dedicated to the service of Christian Science, in
the spring of 1893.
It is said that this is the second church building ever dedicated to the
cause of Christian Science in the world.
Christian Science was first introduced into this county by Mrs. Lillie
B. Shepard in the year 1887. I11 I^9I a Christian Science society was
formed by a few families meeting in a hall.
In 1892 a Sunday school was organized with a goodly attendance. In
1893 a charter for a church was procured under the name of First Church
of Christ, Scientist. There were fourteen charter members.
In 1903 the reading rooms connected with this church were established
in a commodious suite of rooms in the White building.
There is regular Sunday service and Sunday school and Wednesday
evening testimonial meetings are maintained by this organization.
BEUE RAPIDS.
This society was organized in May, 19 12. Services are held every
Sunday morning in the Odd Fellows hall.
328 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
PENTECOST CHURCH.
The Pentecost church at Blue Rapids was organized on August 6, [907,
by \V. C. Craig, then bishop of the general Pentecost church, with twenty-
three members. Officers were elected as follow : Elders, C. A. Bartell and
E. J. McAtee; deacon, R. A. McAtee; deaconess, Ollie Wadley; treasurer,
Delia .McAtee; recorder, W. E. Ellis; trustees, T. M. Guy, E. A. Wadley,
('. A. Bartell, L. E. Payne and Zeliria Westlake. Pastor, E. J. McAtee.
A Bible school was organized with forty scholars. Officers and teach-
ers as follow: Superintendent. A. E. Wadley; assistant superintendent, Iva
Cox; secretary, D. L. Reed: treasurer, R. V McAtee: teachers, R. A. .McAtee,
\\". E. Ellis, < Hlie Wadley and Carrie McAtee.
At the time of organization the congregation owned a building on
.Main street, purchased from the Christian church, in which services were
held until a new church was built and dedicated on December 20, i<)i_>. In
January, 1917, there were only tifteen members.
The presenl officer: areas follow: Elders, E. J. McAtee. R, A. McAtee;
deacon, Mberl Warner ; deaconess, Rebecca Mosher ; treasurer, I-'.. |. McAtee;
recorder, Mrs. S. Burton; trustees, Albert Warner. Charles Mosher and
R. A. McAtee. Pastor, E. J. McAtee.
The I'.ihle scIkkjI consists of twenty-three scholars. Superintendent,
E. J. McAte* . secretary, Maude Burton; teacher-. 1). I.. Reed, E. f. McAtee
and Mrs. S. Burton.
( ATHOLXC I in R( HES.
In a log cabin the first ma-- wa- celebrated in the Irish settlement ill
1 leveland township. The cabin was built in [866 and at that time was
isidered a palatial resilience. It became the property of W. I', and Cath-
erine Gregg in 1867 and from that time until [872, when a church was
cted, Catholic services were held monthly in this house. The old log
cabin, which became each month a tabernacle to the Most High, and wh
was always a hospitable home for the pioneer priest, ha- long since been
abandoned a- a residence hut is -till standing, "tie of the very few remain-
ing log cabins in the county, 't is the property of Hon. W. I. Gregg, of
Frankfort, a son of the pioneer, and t«i Mr. Gregg the editor is indebted foi
the accompanying picture.
ST. GREGORY'S SCHOOL, MARYSYILLE.
THE FIRST CATHOLIC CHl'RCH AT MARYSVI U.K.
ST. MALACHY'S CHURCH AND PARISH HOUSE, MARYSVILLE.
' ! ^i^4^mMtkM^d-^MJft
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, MARYSVILLE.
The second church of this denomination to be built in the world.
.MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 329
ST. JOSEPHS CHURCH.
A great tide of emigration from Eastern states and from European
countries, swept over Kansas between the years 1854 and 1865, when the
country was opened by the United States government to settlers.
The new settlers represented different nationalities and different creeds.
The two localities where Catholics settled in early days and founded colonies
were Irish creek in the southeast and St. Bridget in the northeast of the
county.
The settlers who came between the years 1857-1860 were Daniel, Jerry
and Dennis Donahy, John Doud, William Thomas, John and Daniel Nolan,
Thomas and Edward McXieve, Patrick, Ned, Mike and Herbert Burk, the
Greggs, William Kennedy, Harrington, Grimes and William Handeshan.
The pioneer settler was followed by the pioneer priest.
The Jesuit Fathers of St. Mary's and the Benedictine Fathers from
Atchison would travel over the prairies of Kansas and visit the early settlers,
and have mass in private houses and dug-outs.
FIRST PASTOR.
Iii 1865 Father William Fitzgerald made his home among the settlers
of Irish creek. The Gregg family donated a strip of land along the creek
for church purposes. The location was in the northeast quarter of section
20, Cleveland township. Here they found plenty of timber to build the
church, and shade and shelter for the teams in summer and winter.
The first church, a structure twenty-eight by fifty feet, was built mostly
out of native lumber and dedicated to St. Joseph. Some years later an addi-
tion was put to this church. With the erection of the church came the building
of a parish house for the priest.
Some of the successors of Father Fitzgerald were Fathers Daily, Hud-
son, Butler, Weikmann, Meile. Stack, John Ward, now bishop of Leaven-
worth ; Fathers Meehan, Jennings and Michel.
The Rev. Father Fitzgerald procured a ten-acre tract of land one-half
mile away from the church for a cemetery. It had always been the desire
of many to have the church and house near the cemetery. In 1902 Father
William Michel built a new parish house, and hall and bought two acres
of ground opposite the cemetery. On this piece of land he built the parish
house, a beautiful brick veneer structure.
In 1904 the church was moved from the creek to the new site. A year
3,30 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
I
after Father Patrick O' Sullivan succeeded Father Michel as pastor of trish
creek. During this time ;i new railroad was built from Topeka to Marysville
ami a new town was laid out one mile east of the church. The town was
called Lillis, in honor of the bishop of the diocese, Rt. Rev. Francis
Lillis, I). I). The question then arose to move St. Joseph's church to the
town of Lillis. The congregation was divided on the matter and it was
finallj decided by vote, in presence of Rt. Rev. Bishop Ward, to leave the
church at the eld place opposite the cemeterv.
In iqio Rev. Father Fitzgerald succeeded Father O'Sullivan. The
Rt Rev. Bishop had given orders to build a new church and Father Fitz-
gerald sel to work to take up subscriptions and get the plan- fur the new
building. A ruck church was decided (in. fifty by one hundred and ten feet.
Roman in style. The rocks were quarried three miles west of the church
and the basement and foundations were finished in the summer of i<ji_>.
In the fall df [912 the corner stone Vas laid by Bishop Ward. A few months
later en account of a defective Hue the brick veneer house burned down and
was replaced with a stone structure in harmony with the new church. The
new church was finished and dedicated mi May n>. km*', by Bishop Ward,
in presence of a large concourse of people from far and near, and assisted by
twenty-two priests of the diocese.
St. Joseph's church stands as a monument which speaks to future gen-
erations cf the faith and devotion of the priest and the people who built it.
'fhe COSl cf the church and house was thirty thousand dollars. One hundred
families belong to St. Joseph's church, one mile wesl of the small town of
Lillis in Marshall county.
SUMMERFIELD PARISH.
'fhe Catholic church known as the Church of the Holy family, in Sum-
merlield. was built in the same year that the town was liuilt — (889. father
John Hurley, pa-tor of St. Bridget church, from which the Summerfield
church was attended, was the first pa-t<>r and he it was who built the church.
He attended the parish until his removal from St. Bridget about the year
(895. Rev. Patrick O'Sullivan succeeded him a- pa-tor of St. Bridget and
also attended the Summerfield parish until the year 1 < >< >7- when Rev. Clar-
ence Bradley was appointed as the first permanent pastor. lie attended the
parish for almost two years, during which time he built the parish house.
Rev. M. T. Hoffman succeeded father Bradley until the year 0115. In the
fall of 1 c , 1 - Rev. E. R. Embleau was appointed pa-tor and is the present
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 33 1
pastor. During his time he has purchased ground for a Catholic cemetery,
for, until up to this time, Summerfield people had been using the cemetery
in St. Bridget to bury their dead. The Summerfield parish consists of fifty
families. Plans are being made now to build a new church to correspond
to the means of the people.
st. Michael's church, axtell.
St. Michael's congregation was organized by Rev. Timothy Duber, O.
S. B., and the church was built in 1883. Up to this time the scattered Catho-
lics in and around Axtell attended service at St. Bridget, six miles north.
From 1884 to 1886 Father Martin, O. S. B., and Father Rettle, O. S. B.,
attended to the flock.
In the year 1890 Father Hurley built the parochial residence and moved
the church to a new site in the northeast part of town. In 1891 Father
Bononcini built a small parochial school and procured a bell. In 1894, not
having sufficient children, the parochial school was abandoned. From 1894
to 1898 Father Shields, Father Hiavvalka and Father O' Sullivan had charge
of Axtell. Father J. N. Burk was appointed pastor of Axtell in 1898 and
remained for five years until in 1903, when Father Taton, the present pastor,
took charge of affairs.
The first church ground was donated by Michael Murray in block 2,
east of Barnes Hall. In 1890 the lots were sold and the church moved to
a new site purchased from Mrs. Catherine Murray. It was during this time
that A. P. Cetmer caused some religious disturbance among the citizens of
Axtell.
In 1901 Rev. M. Burk began arrangements for the erection of a new
church and in June of the same year purchased block 13 for a new church
site. The foundation for the new church was laid in the spring of 1903
and the corner stone was laid by Rt. Rev. Bishop Lillis in May, 1904.
Before the foundations were completed, Father Burk was removed. Father
Taton, after some changes in the plans, finished the beautiful St. Michael's
church in 1905. In 1909 Father Taton started the erection of a new parish
house, which is the pride of the town. In 1913 the foundations were laid
for a parochial school. The contract for the school and hall was let in the
spring of 191 7.
The parish has seventy families and is in good condition financially
and spiritually. The Catholic cemetery dates back to the year 1886.
MARSHALL CO) N I V, KANSAS.
MONICA .-. WATERVI] I I
The tir-t settler in and near Waterville came to that locality in i8«
twelve years or more before the railroad was built and the town laid out.
The first pioneers, who were Catholics and located in that vicinity, were
the Casey, Oliver and Smith families, who came in [858. The nearest
Catholic church was at Atchison, one hundred miles away.
A few years later, the pioneer priests followed the pioneer settler. Iri-h
creek and St. Bridget received pastors and the neighboring towns and adjoin-
ing counties were attended from there. It was not until [866 or [867 that
Father Fitzgerald, of Irish creek, visited the settlement in the southwestern
part of the county and celebrated the first mas- at the Casey heme, a mile
east of the present Waterville.
After the railroad came in [868, services were held once a month in
the Sexton house, which was occupied by Mr. Brady. In [870, Father
Pichler, of Hanover, attended Waterville for a time. Later. Waterville was
annexed to Frankfort, (ireeiileat. Parsons creek and Kimeo. Fathers Weik-
mann. Hoffman and Groeters said mass "it weekday- for many years.
The service- were held at the John Ready home west of town. From 1896
to [898 no regular services were, held. The chalice, vestments, candle-
sticks, etc., were kept at the Ready residence.
In June. [903, during the high water in the Little Blue river, a pretended
Dominican priest, or brother, arrived in Waterville. and stayed a few days
at the home of Mrs. Ready. < *n leaving, he asked Mr>. Ready for the mis-
sion article-, and she having full confidence in his being a priest, let him
have them. This supposed Dominican was never heard of again, and thus
ever) of the earliest missionary life at Waterville disappeared.
1 >n February to, [908, a meeting was called by Rev. Vugust Redeker,
of Marysville, to consider the proposition of erecting a church. At this
meeting there were present: Isidor Schmieder, R. Ready. Henry Mentgen,
irge Casey, Joseph and Phil. Tommer, John Stengelmeier, James Real.
Mrs. Kiefer and Mr. and Mrs. George Swanson. Three hundred and seventy-
five dollar- was subscribed and three building lots were bought.
On August 3, 1908, mass was celebrated at the Georj j home, and
a meeting was held for the consideration of plan- for the new church. Ab
forty members were present at this meeting, a subscription list was headed
by Isidore Schmieder with five hundred dollars, and one thousand six hun-
dred and seventy-five dollars was subscribed at this meeting.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
CHURCH ERECTED.
The plans of Architect Wilson Hunt, of Kansas City, Missouri, for a
frame structure, thirty-five by seventy-five feet, were adopted ; the contract
for the foundation was let to George Casey for four hundred and twenty-
eight dollars, for the framework to Orin Ivers. of Axtell, for three thousand
one hundred dollars. The building was completed in 1909, and on August
1st of that year Rev. Francis Elast was appointed the first parish priest
for Waterville and missions, who soon raised money enough to build a parish
house, which was completed in the fall of 1909.
The church and parish house were not dedicated until May 2, 191 1, by
the Rt. Rev. John Ward. The church was given the name of St. Monica.
Monica was the name of the mother of Isidore Schmieder, whose generosity
made it possible to build the church. Next to Mr. Schmieder, Mrs. Eliza-
beth Gleason deserves special recognition for her untiring efforts in behalf
of this church.
In September, 1912, Father Elast was succeeded by Father M. O'Leary,
who was followed in July, 1913, by Father David Hall, and in April, 1915,
Father Hall was succeeded by the present pastor, Rev. P. Mclnerney.
st. Elizabeth's, irving.
The Catholic congregation at Irving is the youngest of all the Catholic
congregations in the county. When the Catholic church in Waterville was
being built in 1909, the Rt. Rev. Thomas Lillis requested the Rev. A.
Redeker, of Marysville, to organize or build or buy a church at Irving and
unite the Catholics at Springside in Pottawatomie county and those near
Irving. The time for this work did not arrive until 19 12.
On August 28th, 191 2, Rev. August Redeker conducted services at
the Bohemian settlement, eight miles southwest of Irving, in place of Rev.
F. Elast, their regular pastor. Rev. A. Redeker spoke to the members of
St. Wenceslaus parish about moving the church to Irving or to build a new
church at that place. Two weeks later he conducted the services again and
a vote was taken by the members upon the question ; it was voted not to
move -St. Wenceslaus church. Thereupon, the plan to build a new church
at Irving was taken up. Two lots were generously donated by the late
James Denton and two lots by a lady at Irving. The lots selected were
those on Main street, one block from the business section. The subscription
334 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
li-t was headed by Herman Fegner, with five hundred dollars, and more
than two thousand four hundred dollars was subscribed in a short time.
At a meeting in the residence of John Forest, it was decided to adopt
the Waterville church plan with some modifications, and Herman Fegner,
John Forest, and Mr. Wacek were appointed a committee. In October
and November, [912, the members hauled the sand gratis from the river
and dug the basement and built the foundation of the new church. In the
meantime, bather M. O'Leary had been appointed pastor and took charge
<jf the building of the church.
CHURCH BUILT.
The church was to be a frame structure, thirty-six by seventv-hve feet,
and the contract was let to Mr. Skillen, of Frankfort, Kansas. The church
was built in the winter and spring of i<)iv}.
On Thursday. June 5. 19 13, in the presence of a large gathering of
pcplc. the Rt. Rev. Bishop Ward, I). IX, assisted by a dozen priests, dedi-
cated the church to the service of God. The church was given the name of
St. Elizabeth, in compliment to II. Fegner's mother, whose name was Eliza-
beth. This privilege was granted him because of bis being the largest donor
to the new church. The congregation consists of twenty-five families,
attended regularly from Waterville.
In the fall of [913, bather O'Leary was succeeded by Rev. David Hall.
In April. ioio. bather Patrick Mclnerney took charge of the congregation.
paid off the debt and put the congregation on a solid financial basis.
ST. malachy's, beattie.
In the pioneer days the Catholics who lived in and near Beattie attended
services at St. Bridget and Irish creek in this county. In the year [879,
Father William Fitzgerald, pastor at Irish creek, organized the Beattie con-
gregation. At that time the following Catholics lived in or near Beattie;
Mrs. V Wuster, P. Smith, Nicholas Orr, I". D'Niel, D. R. Cottrell, J. O'Neil,
I'. I "i t -ih. P. Finnigan, J. Gardner, Thomas Koenig, Thomas McMahon,
James McDonald, lame- Fitzgerald, 1'. McMahon. John Kraemer. G. Koch.
Mr. Renger, R. Cosgrove and < >. Heandley.
In [879 a ten-acre tract of land was bought for a cemetery, north of
Beattie. The next year bather William Fitzgerald, with the aid of the
ive mentioned persons and their families, began the erection of St. Mai-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 335
achy's church. The lots on which the church was erected were donated by
Mr. and Mrs. James Fitzgerald, the brother of Father William Fitzgerald.
The building cost about three thousand dollars. Before the church was com-
pleted, Father Fitzgerald died on November 29, 1881. Father Bernard
Hudson completed the church and took charge of the congregation for a
short time after the death of Father Fitzgerald. Father Daily succeeded
Father Hudson in 1882 and had charge of the congregation until 1883,
when Beattie was attached to Marysville and Father M. A. Meile took
hold of affairs. In September, 1885, Father Meile, on account of ill
health, resigned, and Father John Hartman succeeded him. From August
14, 1886, until 1895, Rev. M. J. Schmickler attended Beattie twice a month
from Marysville. In September, 1895. Beattie was attached to Axtell, as a
mission in charge of Father F. S. Hawelka until January, 1898, when Beat-
tie was attended by Father P. R. O'Sullivan, of St. Bridget, for several
months.
From May, 1898, until 1903, Father M. Burk. of Axtell, had charge of
the congregation. In August, 1903, Father Francis Taton began the erec-
tion of the parish house and upon its completion Beattie was given its first
resident pastor, Father M. J. Galvin, October 12, 1907. August 4, 1910,
Father Galvin was succeeded by Father J. J. Ryan, who was compelled to
leave on account of ill health and was followed by Father H. A. McDevitt,
March 13, 1914. He labored as pastor of Beattie until March 8, 1916, when
the present pastor, Father Theol. P. Schwam, took charge.
ST. BRIDGET CHURCH AND PARISH.
The first settlement of St. Bridget parish was made in 1857, when
Philip Coffey, Owen Reilly, Elizabeth Hoffman, Eli Tripp and Jacob Straub
headed westward in search of homes, and like all early settlers, the one
thing most necessary was timber to build their dwellings, shelter for stock
and for fuel. Hence, the first settlements are found in the timbered sections
of the county.
In 1858 the following persons and their families settled in St. Bridget:
John Coughlin, Michael Shaughnessy, Peter Lynch, John Smith, Michael
Murray, Patrick Hughes, Thomas Loob, Michael Maddigan. Between 1858
and 1861 came Patrick McGrath, James Carroll, John Gossin, Sylvester
Creevan, John Clark and Bernard Gallagher and formed the nucleus around
which gathered the present Catholic community.
336 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
The hardships endured by these pioneers were many and severe, bul
tin- truly charitable spirit and the indissoluble bond of brotherhood had so
united them in their efforts, thai the burden of one was the burden of all
and no sacrifice \\;i> too great in their efforts to alleviate the suffering of
a neighbor in sickness or distress.
FIRST MASS.
The one great hope of this Irish colony had not as yet been realized.
They had no church and no priest to preach to them the gospel of truth.
SO firml) planted in their minds and hearts in the land of their birth. But
their hopes were brightened when in .May. 1S59. Father Kdmond. a mission-
ary, said the first mass in St. Bridget in the home of John Coughlin, and
it is generally believed that was the first time the holy sacrifice of the mass
was offered up in Marshall county.
As each new settler arrived, the homes of those who came before were
thrown open and he and his family were invited to share their humble abode
until such time as he could provide a shelter, which was done by the neigh-
bors gathering together, cutting and hauling the logs and helping build the
house. Another family, another home, was added to the little colony, and
as one old settler remarked, "How the people of St. Bridget should love
each other for the kindness of those days."
In 1862 the first church organization was affected under the direction
of bather John, ( ). S. B., who made his home at St. Benedict, and visited
the parish from time to time. A charter was taken out with the following
charter members: John Gossin, John Clark. Peter Lynch. Michael Maddi-
gan, Michael Murray, William P. Madden and James Carroll. A log
church was built, but before it was completed it was burned, supposed to
have been done by incendiaries.
FIRST FRAME CHURCH.
In [863-64 the first frame church was built on the site where the ceme-
tery now is, but afterwards moved to where the present church stands. This
building also served as a school house for man) years. The first resident
priests in St. Bridget were: bather William bitgcrald and bather bogerty.
During their stay, from [865 to [869, they built a parish house, which was
destroyed by lire in 1N69.
From [869 to 1S71 the parish was attended by missionaries. In 1871
ST. BRIDGET CATHOLIC CIUTK'H.
INTERIOR OF ST. BRIDGET CATHOLIC CHl'RCH.
INTERIOR OF ST. GREGORY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH.
ST. GREGORY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH, MARYSVILLE.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 337
Father Suitberth, O. S. B.. from Atchison, became resident priest and began
the erection of the stone church, thirty by sixty feet, which was completed
in 1875. Patrick Hughes donated the stone used in the church, each mem-
ber hauling one cord ; Phillip Coffey donated the plastering, James Carroll
and John Stohl did the mason work.
In 1876 and 1877 the parish was attended by Fathers Eugene, Theo-
docis and Boniface. In 1877 Father Timothy took charge of the
parish, remained until 1883 and during his stay erected a twelve-room
parish house at a cost of three thousand dollars, which is now used for a
sisters' house. Too much could not be said in praise of this pious, zealous
man, who was ever striving for the moral and social uplift of his parish.
Brother Lambert served as his housekeeper and spent much of his time in
the care of the grounds, which he converted into a veritable flower garden.
From 1883 to 1884 Father William Bettele was in charge and in August,
1884, Rev. John Hurley took charge, remaining until February, 1896, a
period of twelve years. Then came Father Patrick R. O' Sullivan, in 1896,
and remained until 1908.
BRICK BUILDING ERECTED.
Father O'Sullivan was an earnest and faithful worker. By his efforts
he succeeded in building the present handsome brick church, fifty by one
hundred feet, at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars, the pride of the
parish and a monument to the self-sacrificing pioneers of St. Bridget.
Before the church was quite complete Father O'Sullivan was moved
to Lillis and Rev. P. R. McNamara was sent to take up the work where
Father O'Sullivan left off, which he did by plastering the church, installing
beautiful stained glass windows and interior furnishings. The new church
was dedicated by Rt. Rev. Bishop Lillis. September 3, 1909. Father
McNamara remained until 19 10, when Father Geinetz was appointed, serv-
ing one year. In 191 1 Father McManus was appointed and during his
stay he established the sisters' school in St. Bridget, which is giving the
children the advantage of a two-teacher school, also the opportunity of a
musical education, which is not easily obtained in a rural community.
In 1913 Rev. Michael O'Leary took charge, serving until 1916. Dur-
ing his stay in St. Bridget he erected a modern parish house at a cost of
four thousand dollars. In 1916 Father Murphy took charge and is now the
resident priest.
(22;
33° MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Thi> sketch oi St. Bridget would be incomplete without mention of
that patriotic Irishman. Thomas Hynes, who came to St. Bridge! about
[865. Mr. Hynes was a graduate of St. Benedict College, Atchison, and
served as teacher in our schools for several years. He was foremost in
every public enterprise and had charge of the mail route in this section of
the country for several years, ^.bout [877 he moved to Axtell and enga
in the drug business.
Michael Murray, one of the charter members of the church, conducted
a general -tore in St. Bridget from [865 to 1 N 7 7 . when he moved to Axtell
continue the business there. .Murray township was named for Michael
Murray.
One of the pioneers worthy of mention is Michael Maddigan, who
before his death willed one hundred and sixty acres of land tO St. Bridget
parish, to be used for the benefil of the church.
ANNUNCIATION PARISH, FRANKFORT.
The historj of Annunciation parish dates hack to the early days of
[880, when the first humble church was erected by Rev. Father William
Fitzgerald, then resident pastor of St. Joseph's church on Irish creek. The
parish then numbered about seventeen families. The church was attended
by the priests from St. Joseph's church up to the year t888, when Rev.
Father P. Kloss was placed in charge of the Frankforl parish, tn the
1889, Father Kloss erected a parish house, but in the year 1890 the Frank-
fort and Irish creek parishes were again united, the priest residing at Frank-
fort.
The priests who have had charge oi the parish at various tit the
foil., win-: Fathers William Fitzgerald, Bernard Hudson, J. Daly. A. M.
Meile. William Stack. John Begley, John Ward 1 now bishop), I'. Klos^.
T. Butler, Sylvester Median. A. W. Jennings, William Michel. F. Kulicek.
Francis < >rr and ( '.. A. Bradley.
In the year [900, Rev. Father Michel being pastor, the firsl church
building was disposed of, and a larger church erected on a site easl of the
inal location. The corner stone of this building was laid on Sunday,
July [5, [900, by the pastor, Father Michel. The church committeemen
then in office were Matt Peril, Thomas Ryan, James Gregg and Daniel Sulli-
van. The building committee was William Gregg and ( '. T. Hessel. The
estimated cost of th id church was three thousand sjx hundred and
fifty-four dollars. The parish then numbered about forty families. Rev.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 339
Father Francis Kulicek was appointed rector of Annunciation parish in the
year 1902, anil while in charge, also tended the Bohemian mission church,
seven miles south of Irving.
FIRE DESTROYS CHURCH.
On November 4th, 1905, the church erected in 1900 was destroyed by
fire, together with all equipment and furniture, not even the Blessed Sacra-
ment being saved. The parish house built in 1889 was also destroyed in
this same fire. Father Kulicek was then transferred to Kansas City, Kansas,
and Father Michel was instructed by the bishop to erect another church
and residence, while services were to be conducted by a Benedictine Father,
from Atchison, for the time being. The contract price of the new church
was four thousand three hundred dollars, and the amount for the residence
was two thousand six hundred and seventy dollars. The four thousand three
hundred dollars did not include the foundation of the church, which was to
be a duplicate of. the one built in 1900. The corner stone of this third church
was laid on the 30th of March, 1906, by Rev. William Michel, and on the
building committee were C. T. Hessel, William Gregg, Michael Griffin and
John A'Hern. Alfred Meier, of St. Joseph, Missouri, was the architect in
charge and Joseph Trompeter, of Effingham, Kansas, had the contract for
all work. Immediately upon completion of the two buildings, which was
about September, 1906, Rev. Francis M. Orr was appointed by Rt. Rev.
Bishop Lillis, as pastor of the parish.
CHURCH AGAIN DESTROYED.
At 7:30 o'clock, on the evening of Sunday, May 3, 1908, the church
was struck by lightning, and church and residence were burned to the ground
— a complete loss. Disaster and misfortune had blighted the hopes of the
brave, good people of the parish for the second time within two years, but
far, indeed, from destroying them. Plans were immediately prepared, and
funds raised to rebuild beiter and safer and more beautiful than ever. The
buildings were to cost eleven thousand dollars with an additional cost of
from four to five thousand dollars to complete them in every respect. The
corner stone of this fourth church was laid in August, 1908, Rev. Father
Orr presiding at the ceremony. The church committee at this time was
James Gregg, Jeremiah O'Leary and James Kennedy, and the building com-
mittee consisted of the rector. Father Orr, William Gregg and Henrv Ken-
3-JO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
nedy. ["he construction work progressed without interruption, and on the
morning of February 22, 1909, the beautiful church was solemnly dedicated
by Rt. Rev. Thomas F. Lillis, bishop of the diocese.
The present edifice is a magnificent building of clearest white lime-
stone, designed in the Roman style of architecture, with slate roof, orna-
mental stained glass windows and stately bell tower. The interior and its
appointments are complete, rich and tasteful, yet withal, calculated to inspire
religious fervor and devotion. In every respect the church stands a model
of beauty and strength, and reflects greatest credit on both the builder.
Father ( )rr. and the noble, generous-hearted parishioners, who sacrificed
much tu insure its completion.
Father Orr continued in charge of the parish until June, 1911, when he
was appointed as pastor of St. Peter's parish in Kansas City, Kansas. Rev.
Father C. A. Bradley was then appointed by Rt. Rev. Bishop Ward, as
pastor, and entered upon his duties on the last Sunday of June. 191 1. Since
that time various improvements have been made, most important of which
was the frescoing of the church during the summer of 1912. The base-
ment nt' the church has also been fitted up into an assembly room. Despite
the fact that many of the early pioneer members of the parish have passed
away, and the parish roster contains a changed order of names, its strength
and vigor have increased, and the membership now number- seventy-five
families. There is no debt or incumbrance on the property or buildings.
Gregory's parish, marysville.
The two localities where Catholics settled in early days and formed
onies were I ri >h creek in the southeast and St. Bridget in the northeast
of the county. However, there were Catholic families located in every
township in the count)-. Some of the first Catholic families who came in
early days, and located within the present limits of St. Gregory's parish
were: Xic Koppes, Jacob Morbacher, Sr., with thirteen children: Patrick
Haynes, John Reiter, Thomas McCoy, Louis and Frank llanke. John Joerg,
Sr., John Kirch, Mathias Schmitt, lames Grey, Peter Koppes, Joseph Ellen-
becker and others.
The first Catholic priest that held divine service among the scattered
Catholics around .Marysville. was Rev. Father Thomas Bartel, O. S. B. Ilis
presence was hailed with joy by the handful of Catholics. Father Bartel
was succeeded by Rev. Theodore Heinemann, of St. Mary's. Kansas, in [862.
During the Civil War many men joined the army, the farms were
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 34I
neglected, crops failed and business was poor. The good priest made his
appearance about every two or three months. In 1863 and 1864 service was
conducted several times by Father Jones, of St. Mary's, Kansas. Father
Suitbert De Marteau, of Atchison, had charge of Marysville in 1865. From
1865-67, Marysville was regularly visited by Fathers Fitzgerald and Fogarty,
both being stationed at St. Bridget and Irish creek in Marshall county.
GATHERING THE FLOCK.
In 1867 Rev. Father Riemele took charge of this locality and services
were conducted more frequently. Traveling on horseback from St. Mary's,
the good priest would halt at every pioneer's cabin door to ask if any Catho-
lic lived there. If he found any, he would tell them when and where mass
would be said the next morning. Sometimes, Catholics living fifteen miles
away would be notified and summoned to come to service. For nine or ten
years the Jacob Mohrbacher home, south of Marysville, was the resting
place of the poor priest in the days of pioneer life, and mass was generally
celebrated there. Rev. Father Riemele was again succeeded by Father Suit-
bert, who attended this mission from St. Bridget for more than two years,
until 1874. Father Suitbert tried hard to build a church and had several
meetings to bring the Catholics together, but failed. He collected some
money in 1871 and 1872, but when the farmers even charged, for hauling
rock, he felt disappointed and dropped the undertaking. The "salary" of
the priest in those days consisted of the few nickels that were thrown into
the collection box; many a time the amount did not reach the sum of fifty
cents.
EFFORTS TO ERECT CHURCH.
Services were now held in the town of Marysville in a vacant carpenter
shop, at the west end of Broadway. Rev. A. M. Weikmann was next in
charge of the place. He was stationed at Parsons creek, now Palmer,
Washington county. He made an attempt to build a church and laid a part
of the foundation, when he was succeeded by Rev. John Pichler, of Hanover,
in 1875. During Father Weikmann's time, a mission was given by Father
Timothy Luber and Father Peter Kassens, at the close of which a class
of ten received their first holy communion. The mission lasted four days —
the first day at the public school house, the three following days over Wat-
terson's store.
Perry Hutchison offered to give three acres of ground on the west
342 MARSHALL C01 XTV, KANSAS.
side of the river near the mill for the building of a Catholic church, but
the offer was not accepted. Had a church been built there and the postoffice
removed to the west side, the town of Marysville might be today on the
west bank of the Big Blue. Mr. Schmidt anil Charles F. ECoester gave a
block of ground east of the present standpipe to the Catholics for the loca-
tion of a church. The location, however, did not suit the membership, as
it was to<> far out of town. The foundation was started but never finished,
and a mi. re suitable location was picked ou1 by the consultors. About eighty
dollars had been spent on the foundation, when the idea to build a church
there was given up.
The place chosen for the new church was block 36 in Ballard's & Mor-
rall's Addition, in the town of Marysville. Father Pichler now set to work
and built a neat little brick church, twenty-four by fifty feet, on the new
site. The building was never plastered inside, and was used only a few years
for services. The altar of the church was made out of a dry goods lxi.x. Xo
pews were set up in the church and the farmers used to bring their chairs
along to church service. On account of the steep bank of Spring creek.
nearby, many were dissatisfied with this location. As the building and lots
could be sold at an advantage, the property was disposed of and another site,
near the present depot, where the llartwick lumber yard now stands, was
selected by Father I'ichler. A new frame church was erected on these lots
in the year 1877-78. Here services were conducted until 1886, when the
building and lots were sold.
From 1870 to 1880 the number of Catholic families increased greatly.
The newcomers, however, were poor, and drought, hot winds and the grass-
hoppers in 1874 were calamities that befell them and gave the state a bad
name. "Ad Astra per Aspera" is the Kansas motto, and those settlers who
went through the hardship- and stayed on their farms are today wealthy.
On December 1, 1883, Rev. John I'ichler was followed by bather Meile.
who became the first resident pastor of St. Gregory's congregation. A
house was rented for the pastor near the church. Father Meile stayed until
the end of \ugust. 18S5. He was a noble priest, loved by all the Catholics
and non -t atholics of Marysville. Being a convert to the Catholic church, he
knew how to handle both classes. He occupied his time in instructing the
children and looking after the spiritual welfare of the Sock. The church
being again too small to accommodate the growing congregation, the build-
ing of a new church was again considered. Many were of the opinion that
the present location was not a suitable place for the new church. The com-
FATHER ME1LE,
First Resident Priest at Marysville.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.- 343
mittee, consisting of Jacob Ring, W. Dougherty, Xic Schtnitt, Jacob Mohr-
bacher and John Tracy, headed by Father Meile, selected the present beauti-
ful site.
NEW CHURCH COMMENCED.
On the 30th of August, 1885, Rev. Father Meile gave place to Father
Hartmann, during whose administration the foundation of the present church
was laid, but not quite completed. On November 16, 1885, Father Hart-
mann held the first Catholic fair in Marysville ; proceeds, one thousand five
hundred and twelve dollars, of which one thousand two hundred and forty-
six was net. The account books of Father Hartmann, on August 15, 1886,
show a cash balance on hand of six hundred and eight dollars and four
cents ; notes from pew rent, thirty-seven dollars and fifty cents ; notes from
new church building, seven hundred and fifty-six dollars and seventy-four
cents; in all, one thousand four hundred and two dollars and twenty-eight
cents. This statement was signed by the pastor and the following committee-
men : Jacob Mohrbacher, Nic Koppes, Jacob Ring. The records of baptism
go back to December 23, 1883. Previous records are found at Atchison,
St. Mary's, St. Bridget, Irish creek and Hanover.
On August 15, 1886, Father F. J. Hartmann was replaced by Rev. M.
J. Schmickler, who completed the foundation of the new church. The
corner stone was laid by Rt. Rev. Bishop Fink on October 9, 1886. The
great ambition of Father Schmickler was to see the church completed and
to erect a building that would be a credit to himself and to the good people
of Marysville. The dimensions of the church are fifty by one hundred feet,
with a ten-foot projection of the tower. The foundation and basement of
the church cost four thousand nine hundred dollars. As the crops failed
for several years, the church could not be built as soon as the pastor would
have liked, but, in the meantime, money was collected and fairs were held,
so that on January 1, 1892, about four thousand dollars was on hand. From
the sale of the old church, near the depot, one thousand eight hundred dol-
lars were realized. With this money, together with a new subscription,
the church could be brought under roof and almost free of debt. From
the year 1892-93, eight thousand forty-eight dollars and sixty cents were
expended for the new church. W. Dougherty got the contract for all the
brick work for three thousand nine hundred and twenty-nine dollars ; M.
Treinen, the carpenter work for three thousand eight hundred dollars. The
church was, however, not completed until the year 1894. The contract to
^44 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
plaster it was given to J. F. \Yebl> at one thousand and twenty-five dollars;
the finishing carpenter work, to M. Treinen at three hundred and thirty-six
dollar-.
CHURCH DEDICATED.
All these years divine services were held in the basement of the church.
There was as yet no furniture in the church, no pews, no altars, no com-
munion railing. Mr. Bauhaus, of Leavenworth, agreed to furnish pews,
altars and railing for the sum of one thousand four hundred dollars, excluding
the statue of St. Gregory, which cost eighty-five dollars; St. James, sixty-
eight dollars; St. Barbara, sixty-eight dollars. The two vestment cases in
the sacristy cost sixty dollars. Many beautiful vestments, albs, candlestick-,
etc.. were then bought. The day of the dedication, for which the pastor and
people had so earnestly longed, at last came. October 24. [898, was a gala
day for Marysville. and for St. Gregory's parish especially — one that will
long be remembered by the young and the old who took part. The Rt. Rev.
Bishop Fink, of Leavenworth, dedicated the church and administered the
sacrament of confirmation. Rev. John Hurley, of St. Bridget, delivered
the dedication sermon in English, and Rev. \Y. Schellberg of Hanover, in
German, whereupon the Rt. Rev. Bishop congratulated the pastor and
the people upon the completion of the beautiful church. The following
-ted at the ceremonies: Rev. W. Schellberg, Rev. I. Hurley. Reverend
Schwamm, Reverend Groener, Reverend Grootaers, Reverend Kamp, Rev-
erend Leidecker and Reverend Cihal. At two o'clock p. m., some one hundred
persons were confirmed by the bishop, after which the day's festivities closed
with vespers and benediction. A special train from Hanover and Seneca
conveyed many visitor- to the dedication services. More than four hundred
and fifty people came from Hanover.
Till'. SKY FOR A ROOF.
In early day- the lodging place of the priest was generally some pio-
neer's cabin, but he was often obliged to sleep outside, with nothing but the
canopy above him. Conditions became better the more the country was
-ettled. The first resident priest, Father Meile, bad rented a house near
church; afterward he lived in the old -tone house south of the present
parsonage, which was torn down in July, [906. Father Hartmann and
Father Schmickler also lived in the same quarters in the old -tone house on
the hill. When the basement was built in [886, Father Schmickler reserved
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 345
two rooms in the southwest part of the church, where he lived until the year
1898. In the year 1891 he bought the south half of block 101, on which the
parsonage now stands, together with the old stone house, for the sum of
one thousand four hundred and twenty dollars. On March 6, 1895, ^lr-
Michael Kimmish died, leaving to the church about four thousand dollars.
It was no more than right that the pastor who had completed the church,
should now consider the erection of a new parsonage. Hence, plans were
drawn up by Mr. Grant, of Beatrice. Nebraska, and the contract was let
in the spring of 1898. The brick and stone work was awarded to W. Dough-
erty for one thousand three hundred and seventy-five dollars. Hayward
& Ivers, of Axtell, agreed to complete the building, including all the material,
for two thousand one hundred and forty-five dolars. The beautiful Catho-
lic parsonage is one of the finest dwellings in the city of Marysville, a
credit to the town and to the Catholic people.
In May, 1903, Rev. Aug. Redeker succeeded Father Schmickler. A debt
of two thousand four hundred and fifty-four dollars resting on the church
was paid off. The same year he procured three sisters from Atchison to
teach the parochial school.
In 1904 three new hells were bought for the church and blessed by
Rt. Rev. Bishop Fink on February 28th. On August 8, 1905, the first
ground was broken for the foundation of a new parochial school and society
hall. The school house was built at a cost of nine thousand dollars all
complete. It was dedicated by Rt. Rev. Bishop Lillis. October 20, 1906.
The sidewalks to the west were laid in 1895. but those to the southeast and
north not until 1913. In 191 1 lightning had struck the tower and it was
decided to finish the spire of the church, which was done in that year. At
present a new addition to the church is talked of and will be finished during
the year 191 7.
The congregation is out of debt and has a membership of one hundred
and twenty-five families, and all the usual auxiliary societies.
st. Gregory's aid society.
St. Gregory's Aid Society was founded mi April <), 1893, hv Father
Schmickler. The membership at the present time is fifty. It is an organ-
ization of men of the church and is slightly beneficiary. The present officers
are: President, herd. Viering; vice-pre-ident, Henry Bramlage; financial
secretary Frank Meier ; treasurer, B Wassenberg ; recording secretary, lames
Barb iw.
34^ MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
1 \ 1 EIOLIC MUTUAL JiKNl.l ! I SO< [El V.
rhis is a fraternal insurance society, and Si Gregory's branch, No. (8,
was instituted on October 13, 1898. The present officers arc: President,
F. Viering; financial secretary, J. Barlow ; recording secretary, Frank Meier:
treasurer, I'.. Wassenberg: trustees, J. Dwerlkotte, Clemen! Vbet ami John
Armstn mg.
ALTAR SOCIETY.
This society was organized on March 10. [884, by Father Meile, with
a membership of forty-two ladies. The present officers are: President,
Mrs. James Barlow; vice-president. Mrs. Frank Nieberding; secretary, Mr-.
\> hn Cooper; treasurer, .Mrs. John Cavanaugh.
YTOUNG LADIES SODALITY.
This society was organized by Rev. Father Redeker, December 8, 1003.
The present officers arc: President, Nora Reiter; secretary. Helene Klein:
treasurer, Minnie Wassenberg; sacristan; Romona Meier.
ST. WENCESL VUS CH I'KCII.
Eight miles southwest of Irving, on the Riley county line, stands a neat
little church dedicated to St. Wenceslaus, the great Bohemian saint. The
congregation was organized and a frame church, twenty by thirty feet.
■ ruted by Father Klaus in the year [884. Father Klaus was at that time
stationed at Frankfort. The church, grounds and cemetery, on the south-
east corner of section 32 in Blue Rapids township, consisting of two acre-,
were donated by the Frank Forst family.
The early Catholic settlers of tin- section were the Katopish, Forst,
Osner, Smutny, Duchek, Zeleny, Nedvid, Kropacek, Karek, Kratochvil,
Nerad and I [nat families.
For a number of years the congregation was attended by the following
priests: Reverends Klaus. Dragoon, Chial, Kulizek, and Father AJphons,
' ). S. I'... from Atchison.
In the spring of [906 Father Kulizek, who was stationed at Frankfort,
built a new church to replace the old one, which had become too -mall. The
church wa- dedicated on September _'S. 1906, by Father Kulizek. In August,
imc"). the Rt. Rev. Bishop -cut Father Francis I-'.la-t to Waterville, with the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 347
St. Wenceslaiis congregation as a mission. In iqio a church bell was pro-
cured and hlessed by the pastor. Father Elast was followed by Father
O'Leary, Father Hall and the present pastor, Father Thomas Mclnerney.
The congregation is regularly attended once a month from Waterville
and, although small, has a substantial growth.
VERMILLION.
A Catholic church was built about 1870 and services held once a month
for about one year, Rev. Father Butler having charge. Later, the building
was sold to F. \Y. Watson, the members transferring their membership to
Axtell, Coal creek and Lillis, where there were prosperous church organiza-
tions.
CHAPTER XVI.
Fraternal Orders, Societies and O i bs.
tNDl l'i WDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Blue Rapids, was organized
October io. [893, with the following charter members: William II. Hill,
noble grand; J. 1!. .Miller, vice-grand; 1). ( ). Munger, secretary, ami H. R.
Meyer, /. T Trumbo, J. E. Mcintosh, I). F. Casey. W. L. Griffith. M. F.
Davis, .1. 11. Siebert, G. M. West, G II. Heathman, II. G. Fowler, W. H.
Hewitt and J. II. McRae.
The officers For mi 7 <ire: C. X. Badger, noble grand; B. Shaw, vice-
grand; Harry Craft, secretary-treasurer.
Pawnee Lodge X". [08, Independent Order of < >dd Fellows, Waterville,
was instituted October 15. [873, with the following members: S. M. Wil-
hite, George Bancroft, F. Damour, J. W. Sharrard, R. Smith. A. H. Snyder.
Firsl officers: A. L. Johnson, noble grand; George Bancroft, vice-grand; J.
\V. Sharrard. secretary, and F. F. Damour, treasurer. Present officers: L.
A. Parson, noble grand; A. D. Henderson, vice-grand; 11. C. Wilson, secre-
tary, and 1. R. Edwards, treasurer. Presenl membership, one hundred and
twenty-one. Lodge meet- every Monday evening in Fraternity Hall.
Joseph Van Allen, a charier member of this lodge, has the extraordinary
distinction of holding the honorable veteran jewel of the order, which repre-
sents fift) years of continuous membership. He was initiated into Odd Fel-
lowship on November >i. [866, at Burlington, New Jersey. Mr. Van Allen
is a veteran of the War of the Rebellion.
Vermillion Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was organized
in 1897, with the foil barter members: W. P. Mesmer, Matt. McAtee,
Ernest Hill, Herberl Williams, W. S. Homer, David Bislan and the Steven-
- 11 brothers. Dr. John Clifton located in Vermillion in [899 and gave much
time and effort to strengthen the lodge, but, finally, tor lack of funds the
• r was surrendered mi i
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 349
Axtell Lodge No. 221, meets every Monday in the Odd Fellows hall.
H. C. Barnes, noble grand : Frank A. Werner, recording secretary.
Odd Fellows Lodge No. no, Frankfort, was organized on October 14,
1874. The charter members and officers were: F. B. Taylor, Si\, George
F. Poor, Henry Sleigh, T. H. Gibson, Granville Sleigh, J. L. Davis and
J. R. Voorhees. The officers for 191 7 are: J. J. Brooks, noble grand;
James Chandler, vice grand ; Charles Kelley, secretary.
Oketo Lodge No. 344, Independent Order of Odd Fellows was organ-
ized on July 6, 1888. The charter members were: Samuel Bentley. noble
grand: F. \Y. Bartlett, secretary; Dell Stowell, vice-grand; D. B. Knight,
treasurer, and R. B. Brewer, N. Brooks, H. P. Benson and R. T. Baldwin.
The membership at the present time is forty. The present officers are:
Walter Howes, noble grand; James Ebright, vice-grand; T. J. Suggett, treas-
urer: W. B. Shafer, Jr., secretary.
Otoe Lodge No. 85, Independent Order of Odd Fellows was instituted
at Marysville under dispensation on February 14. 1872. A charter was
granted on October 8, 1872, with the following members: J. Doniphan,
noble grand; W. H. Richardson, vice-grand; J. A. Broughton : P. H. Peters,
financial secretary; G. D. Swearengen, treasurer; F. F. Thompson, J. S.
Magill, J. Donahue.
This organization, which was prosperous for a number of years, at the
present time has a membership of fourteen. Present officers: fohn [I.
Throm, noble grand; J. B. Logan, secretary; E. G. Draheim, treasurer.
REBEKAHS.
Blue Rapids Rebekah Lodge No. 7,^-, was instituted on December 29,
[897, with thirty-two charter members.
The first officers were: Noble grand, Laura B. Fouler: vice-grand,
Adell G. Plehn; secretary, Ella I. Ileathman; treasurer, Lottie Brown; con-
ductor. Nellie Thompson; warden, Minnie Hill; inside guardian. Allie Aller-
dice; outside guardian. J. H. McRae; chaplain, Nettie Coulter; right sup-
porter to noble grand. Florence Ulsh; left supporter to noble grand,
Rachel Siebert : organist, Mildred Edinborough; right supporter to vice-
grand, Jessie Allerdice; left supporter to vice-grand, Nellie Holing.
The present officers are : Noble grand, Julia C. Hewitt : secretary and
treasurer, Ella Ileathman : vice-grand, Molly Scott.
The membership at January, 1917, was fifteen.
MARSHA] 1 VS.
The Rebekahs at Franl d December 27, 1897. The
cers were: Ophelia Bliss, noble grand; Emma Poor, vice-grand; fennie
Piatt, secretary; Allie McMinimyy, treasurer; Minnie Parks, conductress;
warden. The officers for 1917 are: Mary Warnica, noble grand;
Edith Myers, vice grand; Adah Fladd, secretary; Minnie Cook, treasurer;
Ella Wray, conductress; June Bliss, warden. The present membership i>
fiftj -six.
Axtell Lodge No. 144. meets first and third Tuesday in the ( >dd Fellows
hall. Myrtle Rush, noble grand; Rowena Livingston, secretary.
KNIfiH ! , rHIAS.
Blue Valley Lodge NTo. [82, Knights of Pythias, at Marysville, was
instituted March 4, [889, on the evening of the day that Benjamin Harrison
inaugurated President of the United States. Sam Kimble, deputy grand
chancellor, of Manhattan, Kansas, was the instituting officer and he was ably
assisted by members of Knights of Pythias lodges from his own and other
ns in this vicinity.
The membership of the new lodge comprised William Barks, past
chancellor; E. I.. Miller, chancellor commander ; E. D. White, vice-chancellor;
Robert Campbell, prelate: A. M. Billingsley, keeper of records and -eal ;
John B. Logan, master of finance; E. ( ',. Draheim, master of exchequer;
Frank A. Arand, master at arms; G. Philip Schmidt, inner guard; Nickolas
tuer, outer guard; L. W Libby, Andrew Fluhrer and Dr. I. K. Julian.
trustees The others were Herman Selz, (lark M Stewart, Samuel Forter,
John Lonergan. Henry E. Wiedemeyer, Max Schreiber, John Luedders, \.
iecht, I'. B. Gatcheil, Ed. E. Tracy, G Messall, E.J. Fehrenkamp, Roberl
J. Jordan, VV. T. Ecks and Charles I). Schmidt.
Of these, E. I). White. Frank A. Arand. (lark M. Stewart. Samuel
Forter, Henry !■'.. Wiedemeyer, John I!. Logan, John Luedders, E. G. I )ra-
heim, N'ickolas Grau G. Philip Schmidt are still members of this same
The others have either moved away or have passed t>> the great
nd.
i membership of this lodge is thirt) five with the following
■ inmander, O. A. Sum1' vice-chancellor, J. W. Rus-
sell; prelate. William Kraemer ; keeper of records and seal, J. A. ( '. Lueddi
master of finance, John B. Logan; master of exchequer, E. G Draheim;
master at arms, 1 I". Mohrbacher; master of work, F. J. Olson; inner
guard, W. E. Draheim ; outer guard, E. D. White
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 35I
Solitaire Lodge No. 245, Knights of Pythias, at Blue Rapids, was organ-
ized February 25, 1907, with twenty-one charter members.
The present officers are: Fred L. Stauffer, chancellor commander; A.
A. Marvin, vice commander; C. W. Moser, prelate; W. J. Burr, master of
work; G. A. Johnson, keeper of records and seal and master of finance;
C. E. Cummings, master of exchequer; Seward H. Wohlferal, master
at arms; R. L. Blaker, inner guard; A. J. Brice, outer guard.
Meetings are held on second and fourth Thursdays of each month.
Welcome Bodge No. 112. Knights of Pythias, was organized at Cen-
tralia, Kansas, August 14, 1884, Joseph L. Rogers being the only charter
member from Vermillion. This order continued in Centralia until January,
1887, when it was removed to Vermillion, with Joseph L. Rogers as chancellor
commander. The meetings were held upstairs in a building owned by Mr.
Duffy. Later, this order furnished the hall, which was one of the best
equipped in the state. Lack of interest caused them to surrender the charter
in 1906. Joseph L. Rogers and Marion Duffy hold membership in Sapphire
lodge at Irving. F. W. Arnold and Marcus Leonard transferred to the
Axtell lodge.
Sapphire Lodge No. 158, Knights of Pythias, was instituted in Irving
in November, 1891, with the following charter members: A. J. Carlson,
Theo. Gaylord, G. H. Giles, J. M. McCoy, Ira Sabins, S. J. Skoch, P. L.
Preston, R. S. Weeks, H. C. Lathrop, J. S. Waterson, C. L. Meyers, R. H.
Swanson, R. A. Harvey. J. J. Kropacek, C. S. Otis, A. FI. Reed, W. M.
McCoy, Hugh Thompson, Edwin Reddington, Harry Baird, J. W. John-
son, L. C. Trustan and Charles Proctor. The lodge has been organized
for twenty-five years and has always been able to discharge its duties to
rrand lodge, thanks to the untiring efforts of A. J. Carlson and Hugh Thom-
son.
In February, 1913, Mrs. C. M. Palmer built and gave to Sapphire lodge
the beautiful Castle Hall, which is the pride of the members and the town
of Irving. The hall is a two-story building, with the reading room, audi-
torium, kitchen and dining room on the first floor; the second floor has the
large and handsome lodge room, bedrooms and property room. Adjoining
the building is a beautiful park, also the gift of Mrs. Palmer. The building
has its own light plant, from which the park and building are lighted. Mrs.
I 'aimer was personally acquainted with J. FI. Rathbone, the founder of the
order of Knights of Pythias.
352 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Sapphire lodge has a membership of eighty, and in i<)\j Carl !•'.. Peter-
holds the office of grand inner guard of the grand domain of Kansas. The
present officers are as follow : David Donahue, chancellor commander; R. J.
Denton, vice commander; Then. Gaylord, prelate; Fred Kautz, keeper of
records and seal and master of finance; B. W. Forbes, master of exchequer;
D. ('. Cooper, master at arms: J. \V. Elliott, inside guard; G. W. Duffy,
outside guard; II. Huffmeir, master of work.
ANCIENT ORDER UNITED WORKMEN.
This lodge was organized on September 15. 1880, at Marysville, with
sixteen charter members. The first officers were: A. E. Parks, pasl master
workman; J. I'.. Logan, master workman; J. Brown, financier; C. W. Thomp-
son, "titer watchman; \V. S. Glass, overseer; W. B. Scamman, recorder; 1
II Goelitzer, receiver. Members: II. E. Wiedemeyer, M. S. Shepard, J. F.
Renoe and E. G. Draheim. The present officers are: Past master work-
man, John li. Smith; master workman, W. G. Bickell; foreman, W. D.
Hover; overseer, G C. Butler; recorder, John P>. Logan; financier. C. F.
Reinders; treasurer, I'.. G. Draheim; guide, Alt'. Kllis: inner watchman. Il\.
Stauf; outer watchman. Jos. Schmalz; medical examiner. W. I). Patterson,
M. I).: representative, G C. Butler; alternate. C. F. Reinders.
Lodge No. 33, Frankfort, was organized on April i_\ 1880. The
charter members were: W. II. Clutter. P. C. Garvin, II. II. Lourey, J. L.
Davis, T. W. Waddick, G. C. Brownell, W. II. Auld, J. R. Voorhees,
George O. Coffin, W. T. Dwinnell. The officers for [917 are: (i I).
Curry, master workman; A. 1'.. Scadden, foreman; W. D. Auld. recorder:
T. VV Snodgrass, financier; W. J. Gregg, receiver; O. P. Rosencrans, guard;
A. Farrant, inner workman; Frank Auld. outer workman; M. A. Brawley,
medical examiner.
Waterville Lodge No. ^j. Ancient Order of United Workmen, was
chartered on September 6, 1880, with the following members and first officers:
G. S. Mall, past master workman; II. I'.. Parmenter, master workman: 11
Humfreville, financier: C. F. Scouten, overseer; A. Kunz, recorder; F.
Gaver, foreman: F. II. Bancroft, receiver; W. K. Wilson, guide; T. Dockerty,
inner watchman: F. Pieral. outer watchman. Present officers: < '•. W. Casey,
master workman: II. C Willson, recorder; J. R. Edwards, financier. Pres-
ent membership, forty-one. Lodge meet- second and fourth Saturdays of
each month, in Fraternity Hall.
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 353
Axtell Lodge No. 202, meets first, third and fifth Saturday in Odd-
Fellows hall. D. L. Funk, master workman; W. M. Moore, recorder.
MODERN WOODMEN OF AMERICA.
Blue Rapids Camp No. 944, Modern Woodmen of America, was organ-
ized in the spring of 1889, although the official charter was not issued until
October 1, 1889. The first officers were: William Allerdice, venerable con-
sul; W. J. McNab, worthy advisor: J. O. Buell, banker; George M. Garrison,
clerk; Horace Beardsley, escort; W. Y. Brown, watchman; S. Y. Richer,
sentry; Doctors Fillmore and Hunter, local physicians; J. B. Vincent, A.
D. Hoag and C. D. Richard, managers. The following other charter mem-
bers are still living and are members of this camp : John Avis, C. L. Gar-
rison, C. K. McHarg, G. L. Nichols and Jason Yurann.
The present officers of the camp are: E. F. Dewey, venerable consul; J.
D. Sieh, worthy advisor; S. W. Gilson, banker; L. B. Tibbetts, clerk; E. E.
Oswalt, watchman ; Thomas Reedy, sentry ; David Irvine, escort ; Byron
Weeks, C. N. Rodgers and H. C. Lathrap, trustees ; A. L. Loban, past consul.
The charter members and officers of the Modern Woodmen lodge of
Frankfort were: J. L. Waterson, consul; Glen A. Smith, worthy advisor;
George F. Poor, banker; J. A. Weston, clerk; D. H. Wood, escort; M. W.
Taylor, watchman; M. A. Brawley, physician. The officers for 1917 are:
J. H. Rand, consul; James Welsh, worthy advisor; T. W. Snodgrass,
banker; C. W. Blodgett, clerk; R. C. Mackey, escort; M. A. Brawley, Sr.,
physician ; Mike Ferris, watchman ; Eugene Gough, sentry.
Prairie Grove Camp No. 1497, meets second and fourth Fridav in
I. O. O. F. hall, Axtell. C. J. Manley, venerable consul; James Rush, clerk.
ROYAL NEIGHBORS OF AMERICA.
Nightingale Camp Xo. 498, Royal Neighbors of America, at Marysville,
was chartered January 19, 1897. with twenty members. The following officers
were elected: Oracle, Mrs. Kate Hatfield; vice-oracle, Mrs. Mary Funck ;
recorder, Mamie Libby; receiver, Minerva Seely ; chancellor, Hattie E. Lynde;
marshal, Mrs. Mary Stewart; physician. Dr. W. R. Breeding; inner sentinel.
Mrs. Carrie Fleischman; managers, Mrs. Martha Simmons, May Hartman
and Helena Samter ; past oracle, Martha Simmons.
(23)
354 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
The present officers are: Mrs. Ella White, oracle; Mrs. Minnie
Wendele, vice-oracle; Mrs. Emma Wecker, chancellor; Mrs. Gertrude Scott,
recorder; Mrs. Alary von Riesen, receiver; Mrs. Bertha Reber, marshal; Mr\
Lizzie Luchtman, inner sentinel; Airs. Annie Zentz, outer sentinel; Mrs.
Getta Morris and Mrs. Carrie Fleischman, managers.
Oketo Lodge of the Royal Neighbors was organized on December 9,
1896, in the Moore Hall, with twenty members. The first officers were:
Oracle, Mrs. Fanny B. Stein; vice oracle. Mrs. Laura Balderson ; chancellor,
Mrs. Triplett; marshal, Mrs. Alice Chambers; recorder, Mrs. Belle Long;
receiver, Mrs. Lizzie Hedge; inner sentinel, Mrs. Mary Bach; outer sentinel,
Mrs. Etta Chambers; managers, Mrs. Allen, Miss Mae Esterbrook, Ira B.
Hedge.
The present officers are : Oracle, Mrs. Amanda Root ; vice oracle, Mrs.
Cynthia Brubaker; chancellor, Mrs. Lavina Moore; marshal, Mrs. Hettie
Elliott; recorder, Mrs. Belle Long; inner sentinel, Mrs. Emma Munson;
outer sentinel, Mrs. Eythel Cowell ; physician, Dr. Wood: managers, Mrs.
Hattie Kiev, Mrs. Lavina Watson and Mrs. Eliza Joseph. The present
membership is thirty-nine.
There is a thriving camp of the Royal Neighbors at Vermillion, with the
following officers: Oracle, Mrs. Ida Duffy; vice-oracle, Tressie Hvbskman;
past oracle, Mrs. J. O Puntney ; recorder. Mrs. Edith Leonard; receiver,
Tinnie Malcolm: chancellor. Mrs. Augusta Gruby; marshal, Mrs. Peach
Duffv ; inner sentinel, Mrs. ( ). ( ). Steckles; outer sentinel, Mrs. C. E. Ijames.
Fern Camp No. 540, Royal Neighbors, Blue Rapids, was instituted on
February 17, 1895, with thirty-five charter members.
The first officers were: Oracle, Elnora Gilson; vice-oracle, Nettie
Coulter; recorder, Ella 1. Heathman ; receiver, Emma Benedict; chancellor,
Jeannie W. Yarrick: marshal, Annie Watkins; assistant marshal, Julia C.
Hewitt; physicians, Drs. Elnora Gilson and R. S. Fillmore; inner sentinel,
Via L. Fillmore; outer sentinel, Martha McRae; past oracle. Xettie W.
Barli »w.
The present officers are: Oracle. Nettie Coulter; vice-oracle. Sudah
Woolley; past oracle. Zella Rogers; recorder. Mary Patterson; receiver, Daisy
Baraclough; chancellor. Annie Watkins; marshal. Lucy Murrell; physician,
Doctor Fillmore; managers, Ella Heathman, Daisy Roache, Nina Baldwin.
At fanuary, 1017. the number of members was thirty-nine.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
355
Winifred Royal Neighbor Camp was organized November I, 1912.
Charter members : Margaret Adams, Inez Barrett, Anna M. Carver, Mar-
garet A. Twidwell, Cora L. Dierking, Margaret Feldhausen, Josephine
Griffee, Ella Martin, Cora L. Mathews, Sarah Patzka, Maud Rakestraw,
Bertha Rakestraw, Maud Smith, Minnie Carver, Bertha Flinn, Lois G. Tilley,
Ada Tilley, Emma Tilley, Sarah Snow, Annette Walker, Jennie Williams,
Anna Twidwell.
First of Officers: Oracle, Miss Cora Mathews; vice-oracle, Mrs. Anna
Twidwell ; past oracle, Mrs. Margaret Feldhausen ; chancellor, Mrs. Emma
Tilley ; recorder. Bertha Rakestraw ; marshal, Inez Barrett ; assistant mar-
shal, Lois Tilley ; inner sentinel, Maud Rakestraw ; outside sentinel, Cora
Dierking.
Officers 1917: Oracle, Ella Martin; vice-oracle, Ora Nelms; past
oracle, Clara Waymire; chancellor, Sarah Snow; recorder, Lena Denlinger;
receiver, Maud Smith ; marshal, Minnie Carver ; assistant marshal, Ida
Tangeman; inner sentinel, Jennie Jurk; outer sentinel, Anna Stromer;
managers, Marguerite Adams, Ella R. Solt and Inez Barrett ; physicians,
Doctors Brawley, Brady and Shumway. The camp has thirty-two bene-
ficiary members and six social members.
Concord Camp No. 1088, Royal Neighbors of America, was instituted
on August 2, 1898, by Mrs. McDavis. The charter was granted on August
15, 1898.
The first officers were : Oracle, Leona Kern ; vice-oracle, Emma
McMichaels; recorder, Effie Arnold; receiver, Ida Duffy; chancellor, Maggie
Bullard; marshal, Edith Leonard; inner sentinel, Celia Bailey; outer sentinel,
Mary Card; manager, Hattie Thompkins; physician, H. L. Bullard.
Meetings are held in Masonic Hall every second and fourth Tuesdays
of each month. This is a very popular beneficiary order and always has a
good live membership.
Valentine Camp No. 843, meets first and third Friday in Odd Fellows
hall, Axtell. Katherine McCleary, oracle ; Lucinda Allen, secretary.
KNIGHTS AND LADIES OF SECURITY.
Blue Rapids Council No. 66, Knights and Ladies of Security, was
organized on February 20, 1894, at Blue Rapids.
The charter officers were: President, James Allerdice; vice-president,
3j6 VRSHAL1 COUNTY, KANSAS.
.Mr.-. Jennie Yarick; second vice-president, Mrs. Belle Hamilton; prelate.
William R. Lewi-: secretary, Mrs. Ella Hunt; financier, C. A. Axtel; treas-
urer, I. I). Yarirk : guard, John i.. Hamilton; sentinel, Horace S. Beardsley;
trustees, A. W. Arnott, George Gallup and M. Patterson.
The present officers are: President, II. Y. Austin; vice-president, Jen-
nie M. Loban; second vice-president, Guy S. Kidd; prelate, Aha M. Lock-
ard ; financier. Gertrude Kelly; secretary, Da. II. Cox; conductor, Faye Cox;
sentinel, Mary Seeley; guard, Carl Strand. Present membership, two hun-
dred and twenty-eight.
The order of Knights and Ladies of Security was organized at Ver-
million in 1803. with Dr. Leonidas Pampel as the first president. The
animation was small, but owing to the strong efforts of Doctor Pampel
ami W. II. De Walt, it grew from a membership of seven to a present mem-
bership of one hundred and fifteen.
McReyttolds Council No. 152 was organized at Beattie in September,
1894. with twenty-five charter members. In January. 1917, the member-
ship was two hundred and three. The president is John Chidester; secretary,
Margaret E. Willis.
Axtell Council No. -'^O meets every second and fourth Tuesday in
I. O. O. F. hall. Harriet Hurlbut, president; Lou Brawner, secretary.
KNIGHTS OF HONOR.
The Knights of Honor was organized at Vermillion on September 13,
iN'U. with J. L. Mathers, commander: C. W. Kelley. recorder and W. S.
Domer, treasurer. There were fifteen members in the organization, which
later disbanded and took membership elsewhere.
GREE OF HONOR.
1 irden Lodge No. 21, Degree of Honor, was organized on March 5,
[886, with the following officers: Miss Belle Throm, lady of honor: Mrs.
R. D. Gerow, chief of honor: Mrs. M. S. Shepard. chief of ceremonies; J.
B. Logan, recorder; G. II. Goelitzer, financier; E. G. Draheim, receiver; Mrs.
Gus Luhrs, usher; George Reber, inside watch: William Henry, outside watch.
The present officers are: Effie Henry, chief of ceremonies; Dora Dra-
heim, chief of honor: Anna Leifheit, lady of honor: John Logan, recorder;
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 357
Emil Draheim, receiver-treasurer; Delia Faulkner, past chief of honor; Mary
Schramm, usher ; Caroline Reinders, outside watch ; Mary E. Cudney, inside
watch.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS.
Marysville Council 1777, Knights of Columbus, is an organization of
Catholic men whose object is to promote Catholic education and charity, to
furnish aid to families of deceased members through its insurance depart-
ment : to promote patriotism by proper observation of national patriotic days
and anniversaries, and to support and encourage every movement which tends
to better citizenship.
Marysville council was organized on February 7, 1914, by James Bar-
low with fifty charter members. The first officers were : Grand knight,
James Barlow ; deputy grand knight, Joseph Dwerlkottee ; financial secretary,
J. H. Cavanaugh ; treasurer, M. J. Treinen, Jr.; recording secretary, Joseph
Schulte; warden. Ferdinand Wassenberg ; chancellor, John Tracy; advocate,
P. G. YVadham ; inner guard, J. F. Martin ; outer guard, August Wassen-
berg; trustees, D. J. Donahv, M. Barlow, Jr., and A. J. Travelute.
The present officers are : Grand Knight, J. Dwerlkottee ; deputy grand
knight. John Sampson ; financial secretary. J. H. Cavanaugh ; treasurer, M.
J. Treinen. Jr.; chancellor, Franke Scholte; lecturer, Joseph Schulte; warden,
Nic. Reiter ; inner guard, George Cooper; outer guard, J. Barlow; past grand
knight. James Barlow ; trustees, A. J. Travelute, John Armstrong and D. J.
Donahv.
Fitzgerald Council No. 1144. Lillis. This was the first council organized
in Marshall county. The present officers are: James Morrissey, .grand
knight ; James A. Keating, deputy grand knight ; J. P. Redmond, financial
secretary; T. J. Smith, treasurer; George Heffern, recorder; Mike Lally,
warden ; P. J. Dougherty, chancellor ; J. W. Hayes, inner guard ; James Mc-
Garry, outer guard ; Rev. II. Fitzgerald, chaplain : trustees, Matt Kennedy,
George McCarty and Edward Brown.
Lillis Council No. 1163, Axtell. Frank A. Scanlan, grand knight; D
F. Meara, financial secretary.
The present officers of Annunciation Council No. 1383 of Frankfort
are as follows: H. I. Lierz, grand knight; R. H. Mackey, deputy grand
knight ; W. J. Gregg, financial secretary ; William Melcher, recording secre-
tary; James Kennedy, chancellor; J. H. Ryan, warden; Rev. C. A. Bradley,
lecturer and chaplain ; William Ahem, inner guard ; John Ahern, outer guard.
358 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
FRATERNAL AID I NION.
The Fraternal Aid Union at Frankfort was organized in September, 1896.
The members were: George H. Ferguson, Robert S. McGhie, Annette
Taylor, W. \Y. Taylor, Rodenna Williams, James M. Lane, T. Brodt, Frank
D. Bliss, Thomas C. Horr, Clemens T. Hessell, Matt McKeon, Adelia C.
Taylor, William J. Granger, Cora E. Granger, Fred A. Garvin, Edward
C. Healey. The present officers are: W. H. Snodgrass, president; P. J.
Spillman, past president; F. D. Bliss, vice-president; G. R. Carver, secre-
tary; Rodenna Williams, chaplain; Kate Snodgrass, guide; Jeannette Lourv.
outer guard; Frank Rundel, treasurer; R. S. McGhie, steward.
BENEFIT ASSOCIATION.
The Triple Tie Benefit Association, of Blue Rapids (now known as
Fraternal Aid Union No. 759) was instituted on April 11. 1897, with forty-
one charter members.
The first officers were: President, Fred A. Stocks: vice-president. Mr-.
Frances Strong; past president, Z. T. Trumbo ; secretary, George Coulter:
conductor, Julia M. Cheney: treasurer. F. A. Garrison; chaplain, Horace
IVardsley: inner sentinel. Ira Jewell: guard. A. B. Wagor; physician. Doc-
tor Plehn.
The present officers are: President, Carrie E. Haskell: vice-president,
Verona Lower; past president, Ella Grabhorn; secretary, Ella I. Heathman;
treasurer. E. F. Dewey; chaplain, Sarah A. Burr; guide, Jennie Jackson;
captain, Jno. Scott; inner guard. Mary Scott; outer guard. E. Ervin.
At January, 191 7. the membership stood at ninety-six.
CATHOLIC MUTUAL BENEFIT ASSOCIATION.
Meets every fourth Wednesday in the Odd Fellows hall, Axtell. M. L.
Griffin, president; John Murray, secretary.
Other organizations at Irving are the Farmers Union, with H. L. Stiles,
president; I. M. Layton, vice-president; J. C. Shepard, secretary.
Fraternal Union — A. J. Pifer, president; Grace Smith, secretary.
Knights and Ladies of Security — X. W. Sabin, president ; W. W. Ded-
rick, financier; H. McMillan, secretary: F. Thompson, first vice-president;
J. C. Shepard, second vice-president.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 359
Independent Order of Odd Fellows — Theron Van Scoter, noble grand;
John Bromwell, vice-grand ; B. W. Forbes, secretary ; J. F. Dawkins, treas-
urer.
GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.
Robert Hale Post No. 328, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized
at Bine Rapids, June 18, 1884, with twenty-one charter members.
The post was named in honor of Robert Hale, the first soldier who fell
in line of battle from Blue Rapids township. Robert Hale was killed at
the battle of Chickamauga.
The following were charter members : F. M. Riddle, William Sharp,
Anderson Moore, James Winter, John McPherson, M. McOuinney, John
Brown, D. Fairbanks, B. F. Adams, M. B. Cole, J. E. Graver, J. F. Lane.
Thomas E. Marcy, A. W. Kimball, G. Shermer, James Allerdice, William
H. Strange, David Bear, J. O. Wheeler and M. Patterson.
The present members of the post are : A. W. Beacham, post com-
mander: Tvan Burnett, senior vice-commander; A. H. Neal, junior vice-
commander ; Peter Burnett, quartermaster ; Dr. F. M. Thomas, adjutant :
Frank Francis, officer of the day ; William Kerber, officer of the guard ; Will-
iam Strange, A. W. Gibson. James Warriner, J. O. Wheeler, John McPherson.
Chase Post No. 101, Grand Army of the Republic, at Beattie, was
organized July 2S, 1882, with the following charter members and officers:
Dr. J. J. Sheldon, post commander; J. Johnson, senior vice-commander; H.
H. Helverin, junior vice-commander; William Schiller, quartermaster; H. C.
Smith, surgeon; John Crabb. chaplain; J. V. Schleigh, officer of the day;
W. C. Thompson, officer of the guard: S. Willis, adjutant: N. V. Culover,
quartermaster sergeant; M. A. Tucker, sergeant major.
The present members are : J. R. Wilcox, post commander ; M. A.
Tucker, senior vice-commander; O. Kingman, junior vice-commander; W.
S. Willis, adjutant; W. J. Helvering, quartermaster; D. Hine, A. Robinson,
John Crabb and William Lord. The post meets regularly and observes with
care the ceremonies of Memorial and Decoration Day and, though its ranks
are thinning, the graves of their comrades who have gone before are carefully
decorated each succeeding 30th of May.
Henderson Post, Grand Army of the Republic, Frankfort, was organized
on April 26, 1882. The charter members were: P. C. Garvin, H. M. Pidco,
L. V. B. Taylor, T. J. Snodgrass, C. B. Haslett, S. B. Todd, Joseph Wallace,
360 MARSHALL CO! \ I V. KANSAS.
|. W". Brown, G H. Francis, '!'. 1 ). Magatagan, Ben Coffland, II. G.
Trosper, Joseph Miller. O. S. Leslie, J. J. Calnan, A. J. McKee, M. Hoh-
man, II. M. Wade, Thomas McKinley, W. T. Evans, J. M. Watson, W. II.
Snodgrass and M. Bowers.
The following are the officers for the year 1 <n 7 : M. K. Thomas, com-
mander; D. !'.. Walker, senior vice-commander; Thomas Bisbing, junior vice-
commander; George R. Carver, adjutant; Jacob North, quartermaster; P.
Duckworth, officer of the day; Thomas J. Farrar, chaplain; Pat. Mont-
gomery, guard.
Axtell Post No. 253, Grand Army of the Republic, was chartered on
July 10, 1883.
The following were the charter members: W. M. Lucas, John M.
Brown, T. C. Casterline, John Gordon, T. II. Scott, H. C. Layton, J. S.
Wood; C. C. McKinley. J. P. Minard. G. A. Ely, Jesse Axtell, G. L. Barnes,
J. R. Ash, Levi Burden, George Sharp. W. R. Lewis and J. R. Curtis: Three
comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic, were instrumental in having
the post organized: T. H. Scott, George Ely and Lev. J. M. Brown. Many
nt the charter members have joined the hosts <>n "the other shore." Thomas
H. Scott and William Allender are members of the post. The duties of
Memorial and Decoration Day are carefully observed, and a few years ago
the post erected a cannon in the cemetery in memory of deceased comrades.
\ post of the Grand Army of the Republic was organized in Vermillion
in June, 1883. The firsl commander was J. W". Kinney. The meetings
were held in Presbyterian church and later in the William /ink building.
But few of the veterans still live in Vermillion. Decoration Day is observed
with appropriate exercises.
WOM \X'S RELIEF (OKI'S.
Robert Hale Corps No. 172 was organized at Blue Rapids on February
28, [888, with the following charter members: Emma McPherson, Annette
Riddle, Louise Benedict, Lucy Stiffler, Mary Bivins, Emeline Axtell. Christen
Axelson, Mary McQuinney, Sarah Jewell. Ida Axtell. Alhertine Myres,
Laura Towell, Mahala Cox, Elizabeth Fairbanks, Mary E. Marcy and Delia
Kiddle.
The officers for [917 are: President, Carrie Haskell; senior vice-
president, Amelia Thorrman; junior vice-president. Louisa (.'raft: treasurer.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 361
Annice B. Tibbetts; chaplain, Mahala Cox; conductor, Alice Gibson; guard,
Sarah Warriner; secretary, Ella Grabhorn.
The membership at January, 1917, was seventeen.
The Henderson Woman's Relief Corps, at Frankfort, was organized on
April 10, 1891, with twenty-tour charter members as follow: Lou Smith,
Laura Grow, Amanda Horr, Nettie Walker, Winifred Holtham, Rebecca
McConchie, Olive Ewart, Jennie Gurner, Jennie Thomas, Olive Boyer, Nancy
McMinimy, Mattie Shaw, Nettie Taylor, Alsetta Collins, Lucy Campbell,
Melissa A. Haslett, Anna Brawley, L. G. Dover, Cherry Peters, Alida Shu-
mate. Sarah Headington, Loraine Pickett, Mattie .Goodnight, Winifred
Walker. The first officers were : President, Lou Smith ; senior vice-presi.-
dent, Laura Grow; junior vice-president, Winifred Holtham: secretary,
Mattie Goodnight; treasurer, Nettie Walker, chaplain, Alida Shumate; con-
ductor, Cherry E. Peters ; guard, Rebecca McConchie ; assistant conductor,
Amanda Horr; assistant guard, Alsetta Collins.
The present officers are: President, Ophelia M. Bliss; senior vice-presi-
dent. Mrs. S. R. Raymond; junior vice-president, G. A. Coxley ; treasurer,
Jennie Thomas ; conductor, Hester Davis : press correspondent. June J. Bliss ;
assistant conductor, Anna Radcliffe: assistant guard, E. A. McElroy; chap-
lain, Elizaheth Whiting; secretary. Emma Morse; patriotic instructor. Mary
Scholtz; color bearers: No. 1, Jennie Brodheck ; No. 2, Hannah Taylor;
No. 3, Margaret Hopkins; No. 4, Etta McKee.
It is worthy of note that Ophelia Bliss served this corps as president
from 1805 t" l&9& aiK' trom 1911 to 1917. and is the present president.
Emma L. Morse served as secretary from 1909 and has been re-appointed
for the year 19 17.
The Axtell Woman's Relief Corps No. 206, was organized on Mav 3,
19 10, by Cora M. Deputy, department president. Woman's Relief Corps,
with the following charter members: Ivy Farrar, Nettie M. Scott,
Lillian Farrar, Maggie Saff, Permelia Scott, Martha Farrar, Martha Gaston,
Margaret Stout, Belle Pierce, Stella Harrison, Lena Phillips, Eugenia Ream,
Lila Egan, Carrie Brawner, Emma Nork, Euphemia Strayer, Ella L. Scott,
Ida M. Kerr, Lizzie Yauslin, Mamie Rabe, Harriett Hurlburt, Ida Nork,
Minnie Bird, Rose Martin, Florence Simpson.
The present officers are : President, Nettie Scott ; senior vice-president,
Lucindia Allen; chaplain, Martha Farrar; treasurer, Lila Manley; secre-
tary, Stella Harrison ; conductor, Bessie Harrison.
362 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
LADIES OF Till: GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.
Allison Circle, Ladies of the G. A. R., at Vermillion, was organ-
ized "ii January [8, 1902, and named in honor of F. W. Allison, who was
a member of the post at thai time. Miss Gertrude Harris was the first presi-
dent.
SONS OF VETERANS.
Vermillion Camp No. 64, Sons of Veterans, was organized on June 19.
1NN0. with eighteen charter members — James \Y. Jellison, captain. This
cam]) had the distinction of having the first uniformed camp in the state.
It was a live organization until 1895, when it ceased to exist.
The Ladies Aid Auxiliary to the Sons of Veterans was organized ahout
1890 and existed for a year. The first president was Mrs. A. D. Crooks;
vice-president, Carrie Arnold: secretary, Anna Calnan : treasurer. Mrs. Ruby.
YOUNG men's CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
The Noting Men's Christian Association at Vermillion was organized in
1014, Dr. F. B. Sheldon being the first president; Virgil Nash, vice-president:
Virgil Russell, secretary: Howard Bowers, treasurer.
woman's CHRISTIAN temperance union.
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union at Vermillion was organ-
ized in April, 1914, Mrs. Joseph Lockwood Rogers being the first president;
Lillian Weeks, secretary, and Amy Xauman, treasurer.
Mrs. Anna De Walt, of Vermillion, was county president of the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union during 1915.
ANCIENT FREE AND AC( I I'll D MASONS IN MARSHALL COUNTY.
By Dr. Robert Hawkins.
When the permanent white settlers in what is now Marshall county
gathered on the banks of the Big Blue river, about twelve miles south of the
Nebraska line, around Frank Marshall's ferry and his little trading store,
they found that they had many topics which to them were important and
upon which they could not always agree.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 363
All through the fifties the gathering storm which in the sixties broke
into the War of the Rebellion, cast the shadow of its clouds over this little
group of the advance guard of the growing civilization.
Here we had the pro- and anti-slaver; here the strong follower of Jeffer-
son and his "States Rights" belief, was neighbor to his opponent ; here all
shades of religious belief and church formalities, from the ardent follower
of the leader at Rome to the most fanatic "protestor," associated with the
atheist.
After the War of the Rebellion the young hot-headed Northern soldier,
heated by the fires of victory and the gray-haired fanner, with his large
family of boys and his well-developed bump of conservatism, came with the
floating adventurer to find a home among the Southern members of the
Palmetto Town Site Company.
In the late sixties and early seventies, hundreds of foreigners flocked
here from Canada and northern Europe. This mixture was to be remolded
from a common melting pot into modern Americanism.
NUCLEUS OF MASONIC FRATERNITY.
The centers around which clustered the sacred and time-honored ties of
families, clans, customs, and institutions of all foreign peoples and countries
must be forgotten. When one by one we each, of our own free will and
accord, appeared before the district court and asked for admission into this
amalgamation, that we might share on terms of equality with our new neigh-
bor the advantages of this newly-cemented union, we, who were of foreign
birth, turned our backs upon our former homes and pledged our support
to a common cause here. We entered into a solemn covenant to support and
defend all that is symbolically represented by the stars and colors of the
national flag. Among this motley throng we find a few master Masons.
A few more had taken claims and were farmers in the southeast part
of the county. Those men all soon became acquainted and bound together
by the teachings which they had received concerning the basic principles of
the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. If the individual is
.found worthy, each in his own way becomes an influence in the molding of
the growing county, by directing "the sacred longings that arise which this
world never satisfies."
They knew that modern Freemasonry is one of the many helps designed
to guide the earnest traveler on his journey in search of that which will
,V> I MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
satisfy. They also knew thai modern Freemasonry is founded "ii those
basic principle- which tend to make good nun to be better citizens and better
neighbors.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF MASONRY.
These few scattered master Masons, who came from all points of the
compass and from many nationalities, saw in Masonry a fraternal organ-
ization formed along the lines of our national Declaration of Independence.
In fact they knew that many, very many of the makers of our nation were
Masons, and that Masonic phraseology and thought were largely used in
that historic document. "Masonry unites men of every country, sect and
opinion and conciliates true friend-hip among those who might otherwise
have remained at a perpetual distance, and heart and hand join in promot-
ing each other's welfare and rejoicing in each other's prosperity." Every
:andidate is required to he a believer in a Supreme Being, to have a desire
for knowledge and a sincere wish to be serviceable to his fellow men. And
he is informed that Masonry con-i-ts of a course of moral instruction; that
it is not a religion, hut is closely interwoven with it. He is admonished to
be true to his government and just to his country, not to palliate or aggravate
the offenses of others, hut "in decisions on every trespass he should judge
with candor, admonish with friendship, reprehend with justice."
Although modern Freemasonry', in its present mode of organization,
date- hack scarcely two hundred years ago, it was then an outgrowth
what had been developing for many hundreds of year-. Kilwinning lodge
in Scotland has an unbroken line of the secretaries' records back into the
fourteenth century, when it was a trade union associated with the priests
i >i the church.
In Gould's History of Freemasonry, published in 1904, is found this
statement :
"In the famous old Scotch Lodge of Kilwinning all the Kings of Scot-
land have been Grand Master Masons without interruption from the day- of
Fergus, who reigned there more than three thousand year- ago."
All the old charges required of every .Mason a faithful supporl of the
church. The symbolic teachings and direct admonition- today in all lodges,
direct the Masonic student to s^k :i closer knowledge of his relationship to
his Maker and his own destiny.
That the reader may better understand what Masonry is today it will
he well to know that it is for good reasons represented by a secret organ-
ization. Outsiders may he divided into three classes — its friends, who have
a favorable opinion: a second class, which neither knows nor cares anything
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 365
about it, and its enemies, who know nothing about its truths and have been
misinformed about its mission.
Masonry is a progressive science, in search of knowledge and a higher
qualification in its votaries.
MASONRY DEFINED.
That the reader may gain a clear conception of what Masonry is and
why it was organized in Marshall county, it is well to know that the basic
principles of its teachings are as old as human intelligence. That among
other things, it has always stood for the freedom of the oppressed as expressed
in the Magna Charta of England and the Declaration of Independence of
the American colonies and has met with opponents and enemies wherever
the oppressor is found. Thinking man has, through all the ages of the past
repeatedly asked of his intelligent neighbor, "From whence came you and
whither are you traveling." There has usually been an answer, but it has
not usually been entirely to the satisfaction of the thinking inquirer. The
practical, active history-making Roman of two and three thousand years
ago, was not entirely satisfied with the teachings of the priests and the
services of the vestal virgins in the temples of the national gods. In their
conquests they adopted all that they found and considered worthy in the
provinces, and erected temples for the services of the gods of the provinces.
In all this they were in search of that which had been lost, and were supply-
ing a substitute.
ANCIENT HISTORY IN RELATION TO MASONRY.
"In hoc signo vinces", "In this sign, conquer", Constantine, in despera-
tion, placed on his war banner with the Christian cross and won the battle
of the Milvian Bridge near Rome and changed the future history of Europe,
thus making the Christian cross another symbolic substitute for that which
was lost. The old philosophers among the ancient Athenians, in an attempt
to answer this same question, erected temples to all the known gods, but not
being satisfied they built one more and dedicated it to the unknown god.
The ancient Egyptians applied to their kind, affectionate, home-loving
Osiris and Isis ; the Scandinavian turned to his fierce Thor and his associates.
Away back in the dim mists and uncertainties of old Babylon and on the
banks of the Ganges, in the mountain recesses and caves of northern India,
and over in old, sleepy China, the same questions were asked and answered
vV><> MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
with i lie same unsatisfied result. Moses, born of a slave woman but reared
in the luxury of royalty and versed in all the learning of the old Egyptians,
gave to his people an answer to these same <|uestions in the history and
promises given to their ancestors.
In this system of an explanation and in its continuation as we have it
in the great light of Masonry, the dream of Jacob at the foot of the ladder,
the faith of Abraham on Mount Moriah and the substituted thousands of
sacrifices of Solomon, were fulfilled in the carpenter-builder's son and a new
world power had a lowly start again. Once more a new impetus was given
to the search for that which was lost. The Master Teacher from the hills,
after serving His Apprentice ami Fellow Craft time as an operative builder,
became a Speculative Master Builder. His followers continued His teach-
ings and propagated them by His methods for more than three hundred years.
Consjtantine in his efforts to gain supremacy in the crumbling Empire
of Rome, placed the sacred emblem on his war banners and victory followed
victory. Constantine established himself and endowed the Christian church,
which grew in worldly power as the empire crumbled. As the church grew
it lost its originality and Europe was racked and torn by the semi-religious
and political wars for more than a thousand years. When the church and
the sword were united the old < >rder, "Simon Peter, put up thy sword," was
forgotten.
Freemasonry, as we have had it for the last two hundred years, has
come down to us through all the vicissitudes of time as common ground on
which all the warring factions may unite on the level, if they but under-
hand its symbols.
MASONRY IX KANSAS.
[■'or tin- reason a little hand of Masons found what they needed — com-
mon eround on which they could meet on the level after the war of the
sixties. Masonry was first promulgated on the North American continent
among the very early English colonies. The most worshipful grand master
• if tin- Masons granted dispensation for several lodges in Kansas before it
was a state, and the grand, lodge of Kansas was organized by representatives
from three of those lodges in Leavenworth on March 17. 1856. Twelve
years later the grand master granted a dispensation on March 28, [868, and
a lodge was organized in the farmhouse of A. G. Barrett in the southeast
part of .Marshall county, near where Barrett station is now located. 'The
members continued to meet in the little farmhouse all summer. New mem-
hers were accepted and many visitor^ were entertained from all parts of the
county, ^tate and nation.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 367
WOMAN LEARNS SOMETHING OF MASONRY.
On account of the limited house conveniences the tyler was outwitted by
a woman's curiosity, and Mrs. Barrett became well schooled in the monitor
and ritual. In the fall of the same year the lodge moved to Frankfort and
for a time held their communications in one end of the new railroad depot.
The lodge furniture and equipment consisted of such pieces of freight as
could be conveniently utilized. It was a common thing to have more visitors
than members.
As the company usually came from distant points, and in some cases
it required all night and most of two days to make the round trip, it was
necessary that the lodge be opened in the "knife-and-fork" degree. The
morning following such occasion, it was the common experience of the dray-
man to deliver boxes of groceries that were light weight.
At first the master used a carpenter's clawhammer for a gavel and one
of the wardens used his pocket knife, while the other had a big spike. Elijah
Bentley, a visiting brother from Marysville, hired a carpenter to make a full
set of working tools, which he presented to the lodge.
On account of unmasonic conduct, committed by a few of the members,
this, Marshall county's first Masonic lodge, was deserted by the better ele-
ment and the charter was forfeited.
In 1S77 a new lodge was organized under a new charter with the same
old name and number and Frankfort Lodge No. 97 became, and has ever
since remained, one of the prosperous and honored lodges of the county.
The first master of the old lodge was A. G. Barrett and the first master
of the present lodge was S. B. Todd, with F. J. Snodgrass, senior warden;
E. Bradv. junior warden ; S. J. McKee, treasurer ; W. L. Sanders, secretary ;
P. C. Carver, senior deacon ; Joseph Whitley, junior deacon ; H. B. Massie,
tyler.
The present officers are: A. Anderson, worshipful master; H. W.
Scheld, senior warden ; W. T. Scholtz, junior warden ; J. M. Bishop, treas-
urer; D. A. Brodbeck, secretary; Leonard Twidwell, senior deacon: Charles
L. Andrews, junior deacon ; J. V. Hartshorn, senior steward ; Joseph Clima,
junior steward; W. W. Barrett, tyler.
The total membership of this lodge on December 31, 19 16, was eighty-
one.
368 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
-1 [TON LODGE NO. 85, WATERVILLE.
The early records of Sutton lodge appear to be rather defective, and
tlu- exact date of its origin is uncertain. < >ne statemenl says "Sutton Lodge
No. 85, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, was instituted June i. [870,
and chartered [870."
A historical pamphlet published in 1892 says, "On November 3, [869,
Right Worshipful John 11. Brown, most worshipful grand master of the
grand lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Kansas, granted a
dispensation to Brothers Edward A. Berry, Harry C. Whistler and John I).
Wilson as Sutton Lodge U. D. at Waterville, Kansas."
The records of the grand secretary are stored at the present time. <>n
account of the erection of a new office building, at Topeka and proofs a~
to the correct date are not now available.
Upon this point depends the proof as to where the lir>t permanent lodge
was established in Marshall county.
In the records of the secretary of Marysville Lodge No. 91, date of
March _'_>. 1S70. nine a. m., is this statement: "Dispensation being received,
a call was made by me to assemble the lodge, viz: Harmony Lodge U. D.
at their hall on Tuesday evening the twenty-second day of March at seven
o'clock p. m.. Peter II. 1'eters. W. M."
( Mi the next page are the minutes of the secretary dated March _>_■. [870,
telling how the lodge was organized.
On the grand lodge records will depend the proof as to which of these
two lodges has the honor of being the first permanent lodge in the county.
The first lodge was the old Frankfort lodge, hut its charter was revoked.
The historical statemenl that gives Novemher 3. iNtx). as the date of the
dispensation for Sutton lodge with E. A. Berry, II. C. Whistler and J, D.
Wilson, makes no mention of am meeting, under dispensation. The record
slates that the lodge was instituted June 1. 1N70, with the following officers
E. A. Berry, worthy master: W. ('. Johnson, senior warden: W. I'. Mudgctt.
junior warden: F. Spaulding, treasurer: G. B. Vroom, secretary; F. Leach.
senior deacon; J. 1). Harwell, junior deacon.
A charter was granted to Sutton Lodge No. 85 at Waterville. October
jo, [870. Since that time the lodge his heen in a very satisfactory condi-
tion. Peace and harmony have always prevailed and the work has pros-
pered, the worthy have in it heen neglected nor has the work of the helping
hand heen advertised. The present membership is seventy-seven. The
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 369
present officers are : O. H. Rommell, worthy master ; M. I. Parker, senior
warden; C. W. Edwards, junior warden; M. Delaney, treasurer; H. C.
Willson, secretary; G. I. Thatcher, senior deacon; L. D. Argonbright, junior
deacon; R. E. Berner, senior steward; M. Brammer, junior steward, C. M.
Sawin, tyler.
MARYSVILLE LODGE NO. 91, MARYSVILLE.
To establish a lodge pf master Masons in the home of A. G. Barrett
in the Frankfort district after the close of the war, or in Waterville after
the new railroad made that town its western terminal, was easy, because
neither of these places had widely diverging ambitions nor warring factions.
At Mary svi lie the conditions were vastly different. In the earlv fifties.
Frank Marshall's ferry landing marked the extreme frontier and last trad-
ing post of civilization. At times the camp ground was thronged with a
motley gathering of a thousand people.
It would not be well to go into the early history of some of these men,
or inquire why they were here, perhaps some of them had no homes where
they could stay. Sveral companies of soldiers had been recruited here for
the Northern army. The members of the old Palmetto Town Company were
Southern supporters. The very fact that Marysville had been the hotbed
of strife and hatred and warring faction, was the reason why the influences
of the teachings of Masonry and its levelling of differences, were here most
needed.
During the earlier period of the war the people of Marysville held and
expressed very radical differences of opinion as to the cause involved. Peter
H. Peters, who edited and printed a very radical and outspoken pro-slavery
paper, had his press smashed and type scattered in the street by Union sol-
diers. An organization of the Methodist church. South, supported the gos-
pel of secession and slavery. It failed of financial support and one of its
members who had furnished all the material for the church building, R. Y.
Shibley, sold it to the county for a court house. Northern church mem-
bers came and preached the faith of the North, and even after the close of
the war, these differences of opinion had not been eliminated.
Were half the power that fills the world with terror,
Were half the wealth bestowed on camps and courts.
Given to redeem the human mind from error,
There were no need of arsenals nor forts.
(24)
370 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Speculative Ancient Free and Accepted Masonry has for it- object the
redeeming of the human mind from error. Masons are in search of truth and
strive to bar from their membership the quarrelling, fault-finding dissenter.
The dissenter may be all right, provided he does not impose his peculiarities
• >n his neighbors, but is broadly charitable and will grant to others that free-
dom of individuality which he himself enjoys.
PETERS BECOMES A MASON.
As soon as the Barrett brethren had received their dispensation, the
Marysville master Masons were frequent visitors and a few young men
from Marysville became members at Barrett. One day a master Mason
returning from Colorado met several strangers here and they all became
friend- at once and arranged i<> visit the Frankfort lodge. Peter 11. Peters,
who had resumed and renamed his paper, seeing this familiarity among
strangers, inquired the cause. At once he found that he had a favorable
opinion of the institution, a desire for knowledge and a sincere wish to be
of service to hi> fellow men. In i\m- time and form he was made a Mason;
passed on to the workman's degree and then elevated to the honored place
of a master Mason. So thoroughly was Brother Peters impressed with the
nature and object of Masonry that he hired an additional foreman to man-
age his business in Marysville, while he went to Frankfort for a month to
study the work and meaning of the lodge.
Peters and a few others applied to the grand master for a dispensation
and received it. There is no record of thi- dispensation in the Marysville
lodge. Under date of March _>_'. [870, nine a. m., there i- a statement that
a dispensation had been received and a call for the brethren t" assemble!
and "it the next page under date of March _'_', [870, are the secretary's
minutes of the first meeting and organization of the lodge under the name
-1' Harmony Lodge U. D. with nine members. The officers were: Peter
H. Peters, worthy master; Perry Hutchinson, senior warden: Absalom Jester,
junior warden; James S. Magill, secretary; Thomas McCoy, treasurer;
Elijah Bentley, senior deacon; David Wolf, junior deacon; J. M. Carter,
tyler, and Brother Joseph Samuels as the only member not an officer.
At this first meeting there were two victors — both members of Frank-
fort Lodge No. 67 — Alonzo Cottrell, a druggist in Marysville. and C". S.
Bolton, county superintendent of public instruction. At this communica-
tion four applications for degrees were received. Just four days later, March
26, 1870, their second communication was held and they voted on the four
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 37I
applications and elected and initiated three of the applicants; Dr. A. G.
Edwards was the first.
The first few communications were held over D. Wolf's grocery store
on the south side of Broadway, where the White Brothers building now
stands, but they soon moved out of this building because intoxicating liquors
were being sold in the store below. The second floor of Bendel's hall, a
new building on the north side of Broadway, was rented, but after a few
months the first floor of this building was fitted up for a saloon and again
the lodge moved out and used the upper floor of the old stone school house
on the hill, where they remained until the east half of the Koester block
was built. They occupied the upper part of this until the three-story building
on the west was finished, when they moved to the third floor, and it has
been the home of the lodge ever since.
MASONS OPPOSED TO LIQUOR TRAFFIC.
Here was the first public positive step taken in the county in the cause
of prohibition, in the cause of freeing the oppressed victims of John Barley-
corn. Harmony lodge moved out because Masonic law would not permit a
lodge to convene in such close proximity to the liquor traffic. Here was an
example of the basic principles on which the institution has always stood.
Its mission is to assist the erring, but to do it in such a tender manner that
it will elevate and not humiliate. These nine men who assembled in Har-
mony lodge may not have been perfect models themselves, but Masonic law
would not permit the lodge with all that it represents to be so desecrated.
These nine men had lived in and around Marvsville for some time and
they knew of the warring factions among them; they came from several
nationalities. Here were found the late Northern soldier and the strong
Southerner; Jews and Gentiles, Democrats and Republicans, Catholics and
Protestants, so they called their organization Harmony lodge.
RESOLUTION PROHIBITING TOBACCO.
In the year 1893 Marvsville lodge passed a resolution prohibiting smok-
ing in the lodge room. This, we believe, was the first positive stand taken
in the county to check the use of tobacco.
This resolution did not simply provide for the control during the time
the lodge was open, but at all times. Masonry teaches the control of the
372 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
passions; charity concerning the interests of others, and that we arc not
to impose on others our personalities which may be unpleasant to them.
In 1870 Marysville lodge took a stand against the liquor traffic In
fact, .Masonry has always been a leader in the uplift of humanity and in
the suppression of everything that lowers its standard.
The lodge continued t<> work under a dispensation until the fall meet-
ing of the grand lodge, October jo. 1870, when a charter was granted and
on November .}. [870, at a stated communication, Deputy Grand Master
E. I). Hillver informed the lodge that a charter had been granted and the
name changed to Marysville Lodge No. 91. The following officers were
elected under the charier, and were installed by the deputy grand master:
i'. II. Peters, worshipful master; 1'. Hutchinson, senior warden: Joseph
Samuels, junior warden: A. J. Edwards, treasurer: J. S. Magill, secretary;
E. Bentley, senior deacon; I). Wolf, junior deacon; G. Borgman, senior
steward; K. Y. Shibley. junior steward; I. I'.. Davis, tyler.
The new lodge under the charter started with the original nine mem-
bers and seven new master Masons, who had been raised by the lodge under
dispensation: A. G. Edwards, J. Borgman, F. Garrety, F. Hanka. J. Lock-
wood. I. B. Davis. R. Y. Shibley. Besides these sixteen master Masons,
the lodge had several entered apprentices and fellowcraft members. The
lodge continued to grow in membership and proficiency, rejecting many
applications for membership and expelling others, because they were be-
lieved to lie defective timber, or not properly prepared for the temple.
DRILL WORK A FEATURE.
Marysville is one of the few lodges in the state, and the only one in
the county, where the craft has been drilled for the dramatized form of work
in the third degree. During the years when the work was in the hands ol
three custodians for the state. Marysville lodge frequently held a school of
instruction under the supervision of one of the hoard. Since the grand lec-
turer plan has been adopted by the grand lodge. Marysville lodge still con-
tinues to hold a school of instruction frequently. A lecturer has several
times been employed to instruct the craft and lecture on semi-Masonic topics.
For several years the annual district meeting has been held at Marysville
and the rest of the county, not in this district, has always been invited.
During the last twenty years a tendency to study has grown up among
Masons, and for some time Marysville lodge has had a question box. which
has furnished much instruction as well as amusement.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 373
The lodge has several Masonic histories, encyclopedias, periodicals, and
other works on Masonry and this study course is, to some of the craft, the
best part of Masonry.
On December 31, 19 16, Marysville lodge had one hundred and twenty-
three master Masons. The first master and founder of the lodge, Peter H.
Peters, served five years in the oriental chair. In 1906 his son, Magill C.
Peters, was chosen as the master.
ROSTER OF OFFICERS OF MARYSVILLE LODGE NO. 91.
In the following list the name of the worshipful master appears first ;
next, that of senior warden, junior warden, treasurer and secretary, in order
given throughout, from 1870 to 191 7:
1870 — P. H. Peters, P. Hutchinson, Absalom Jester, Thomas McCoy,
J. S. Magill.
1870 — P. H. Peters, P. Hutchinson, J. Samuels, A. G. Edwards, J. S.
Magill.
1871 — P. H. Peters, P. Hutchinson, E. Bentley, A. G. Edwards, J. S.
Magill.
1872 — P. H. Peters, A. G. Edwards, I. B. Davis, James Smith, C. F.
Koester.
1873 — P. H. Peters, A. G. Edwards, F. F. Thompson, C. F. Koester,
Joseph Samuels.
1874 — F. F. Thompson, C. F. Koester, I. B. Davis, H. S. Clark, E.
Hutchinson.
1875— P. H. Peters, A. G. Edwards, J. R. Voorhees, H. S. Clark, E.
Hutchinson.
1876— F. F. Thompson, A. G. Edwards, I. B. Davis, H. S. Clark. M.
Balgue.
1877 — A. G. Edwards, E. Hutchinson, M. Balgue, H. S. Clark, J. S.
Magill.
1878— E. Hutchinson, C. F. Koester, A. Hohn, H. S. Clark, J. B.
Winkler.
1879 — E. Hutchinson, F. F. Thompson, A. Hohn, H. S. Clark, J. B.
Winkler.
1880— E. Hutchinson, A. Hohn, D. Wolf, H. S. Clark, J. B. Winkler.
1881— I. B. Davis, G. B. Bullock,- F. J. Pierce, H. S. Clark. J. Merk-
linghaus.
374 MARSHAL I. COUNTY, KANSAS.
[882— C. I-'. Koester, I'. F. Thompson, C. T. .Mann. II. S. 1 ' M.
I 'atterson.
[883— F. F. Thompson, W. B. Scamon, C. B. Wilson, II. S. Clark
II. I .emon.
r884 — F. F. Thompson, J. McCoy, J. Lonergan, II. S. ('lark. J. M.
Patterson.
[885 — F. F. Thompson, A. Hohn, J. Lonergan, II. S. ('lark. ]■".. R. Ful-
ton.
1886— F. F. Thompson, J. Lonergan, J. A. Davis, II. S. Clark. I-:. R.
Fulton.
[887— C. I'-. Wilson, C. Brown, I-:. R. Fulton, II. S. Clark. H. Selz.
[888— C. Brown, E. R. Fulton, C. D. Schmidt. M. Barlow, Ceorge
Thomas.
[889— E. R. Fulton, C. I). Schmidt. C. II. Shafer, M. Harlow. C. A.
Barber.
[890— E. R. Fulton, C. I >. Schmidt. C. II. Shafer. M. Barlow, C. A.
Barber.
1891— C. I). Schmidt. C. Ti. Shafer, F. Powell, M. Harlow. Alex.
Schmidt.
189J— C. D. Schmidt. C. H. Shafer. F. Powell. M. Barlow, Alex.
Schmidt.
[893 — F. Powell, J. Lonergan, Alex. Schmidt. M. Barlow, George
Thomas.
[894— C. D. Schmidt. E. A. Bittel, John Otto, M. Barlow, F. V. Shaw.
[895— E. R. Fulton, J. Montgomery, C. A. Hammett, M. Barlow, F.
\ Shaw.
[896- J. Montgomery, C. A. Hammett. J. 1. Schloss, M. Barlow, I".
V. Shaw.
[897— C. B. Wilson, J. I. Schloss, W. Lonergan, M. Barlow, F. V.
Shaw.
[898— J. I. Schloss, W. Lonergan, C. H. Davi>. M. Barlow, F. V.
Shaw.
r899 — J- '■ Schloss, W. Lonergan, C 11. Davis. M. Barlow, F. V.
Shaw.
1900— C. II. Davis, F. G. Powell, Alex Schmidt. M. Barlow, F. V.
Shaw.
1901— F. G Powell, Alex. Schmidt. Arthur Hohn, M. Barlow, F. V.
Shaw.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 375
1902— C. A. Hammett, Arthur Holm, R. \V. Hemphill, M, Barlow, F.
V. Shaw.
1903 — Arthur Holm, I. B. Davis, S. C. Schmidt, M. Barlow, J. Mont-
gomery.
1904 — L. E. Davis. S. C. Schmidt, E. A. Holm, A. G. Shepard, F'. V.
Shaw.
1905 — S., C. Schmidt, M. C. Peters, L. H. Hammett, A. G. Shepard,
F. V. Shaw.
190*6— M. C. Peters, R. Hawkins, E. L. Miller, A. G. Shepard, F. V.
Shaw.
1907— R. Hawkins. J. M. Ross, H. F. Whitten, A. G. Shepard, F. V.
Shaw.
1908— J. M. Ross, H. F. Whitten, L. H. Eddy, A. G. Shepard, M. \V.
Sanderson.
1909— H. F. Whitten, L. H. Eddy, H. W. Hover, A. G Shepard, C. H.
Davis.
1910— H. W. Hover. W. E. Cottrell, J. E. Andrews, A. G Shepard,
L. E. Davis.
191 1 — R. Hawkins, R. L. Parker, R. C. Guthrie, A. G. Shepard, L. E.
Davis.
19 1 2 — R. L. Parker, R. C. Guthrie, William Kraemer, A. G Shepard,
L. E. Davis.
1913 — R. C. Guthrie, William Kraemer, G. Mohrbacher, A. G Shep-
ard, L. E. Davis.
1914 — William Kraemer. G Mohrhacher, W. R. Breeding", A. G Shep-
ard, L. E. Davis.
191 5 — G Mohrhacher, W. R. Breeding, H. R. Fisher, E. R. Fulton,
L. E. Davis.
1915 — G Mohrbacher, W. R. Breeding, H. R. Fisher, E. R. Fulton, L.
E. Davis.
1916 — W. R. Breeding. H. R. Fisher, L. R. Broderick, E. R. Fulton,
G T. Mohrbacher.
19 17 — H. R. Fisher, L. R. Broderick, J. E. Andrews, E. R. Fulton, G
T. Mohrbacher.
AXTELL LODGE NO. 234.
Axtell lodge was chartered on February 19, 1885, with D. W. Acker,
worshipful master: C. B. Thummel, senior warden: C. D. Russell, junior war-
den ; P. S. Wheeler, secretary ; C. Anderson, treasurer.
376 MARSHALL COIN TV, KANSAS.
Since its organization the lodge has been popular and has met with suc-
cess in all its undertakings. Schools of instruction have been held and lec-
tures given for the benefit of the craft. Many of its members have l)een
men of prominence in the affairs of the community, county and state. The
present membership is one hundred and five, the second largest Masonic
lodge in the county.
The present elective officers are: W. J. McKnight, worshipful master;
J. A. Ingram, senior warden; J. Medlack, junior warden; G. T. Whitscraft,
secretary; E. Mack, treasurer.
OKETO LODGE NO 25.
Oketo lodge was granted a charter on February 15, 1893. an<l nacl a
membership of forty-three on December 31, 1916. The present master is
Ray Flew and the secretary is Henry C. Waters.
During the year 1916 the lodge initiated three new members, lost two
by deatli and one withdrew on demit.
VERMILLION LODGE NO. 32O.
Vermillion lodge was organized and worked for about a year under a
dispensation, and was chartered on February 20, 1889. First officers:
George W. Kelley, worthy master; B. F. Johnson, senior warden: K. L.
McBride. junior warden; X. B. Hall, secretary; II. F. Turner, treasurer;
W. S. Domer. senior deacon: G. W. Warren, junior deacon; S. A. Hall.
tyler, and John I.. Mathers. W. S. Stowell. A. V. Thomas, Daniel Fiiget,
1\. V. Coulter, J. F Bensley, J. S. Dodson, Leonard ( Multer, John VanYliet,
members. The first regular communication was held in the old school house.
The order has now sixty members and i- in a prosperous condition.
The preseril officers of Vermillion lodge are: A. E. VVormer, worthy
master; W. M. Steele, senior warden: H. W. Bowers, junior warden:
H. C. Schafer, treasurer; J. II. Johnson, secretary: T. F. Smith, senior dea-
con; A. D. Lobbe, junior deacon.
SUMMERFIELD LODGE N<>. 354.
Upon petition of twenty-seven master Masons a dispensation was granted
on June 5. [895, and on June 21. Summertield lodge was organized U. D.
with the following officers and members: William F. Rittershouse, worthy
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 377
master; John E. Mann, senior warden; Frank Thomann, junior warden;
Henry D. Maitland, secretary; James H. Bonon, treasurer; Robert W. Hemp-
hill, senior deacon ; Jacob Hoffman, junior deacon ; Fred R. Joseph, senior
steward; James McCaughey, junior steward; Charles S. Evans, tyler, and
John A. Gallant, William Johnston, William A. Fleming, Alonzo O. Ger-
hart, Benjamin W. Smith, Frank P. Click, George S. Smith, Peter Appleby,
John L. Magaw, James Hemphill, members.
A charter was issued on February 19, 1896, and the lodge was organ-
ized on March 4, 1896, at which time D. Walker, deputy grand master,
installed the following officers : Frederick Rittershouse, worshipful master ;
John E. Mann, senior warden ; Frank Thomann, junior warden ; James Bonon,
treasurer ; Henry Maitland, secretary ; R. W. Hemphill, senior deacon ; Jacob
Hoffman, junior deacon; Fred R. Joseph, senior steward; J. G. McCaughey,
junior steward ; E. V. Allen, chaplain ; C. S. Evans, tyler. Since the date
of organization to December 31, 1916, fifty-five brethren have been raised
to the sublime degree of master Masons. The number of master Masons
in the lodge on December 31, 1916, was thirty-seven. Lodge furniture and
paraphernalia are valued at three hundred dollars. Regular communications
are held on first and third Saturday of each month.
The present officers are: Frederick G. Bergen, worshipful master;
Leonard H. Stephens, senior warden; Roy Connard, junior warden; William
Johnston, treasurer ; Henry D. Maitland, secretary ; John H. Small, senior
deacon, Gideon E. Click, junior deacon; John G. Graham, senior steward;
George Transue, junior steward; Louis Poggerman, tyler.
BLUE RAPIDS LODGE NO. 169.
Blue Rapids lodge was instituted on October 18, 1876, with the fol-
lowing charter members and officers : A. J. Brown, worshipful master ; C. W.
Farrington, senior warden; S. Hill, junior warden; W. Burr, treasurer;
D. W. Hinman, secretary; members, N. Halstead, C. Holman, I. A. Chand-
ler, A. X. Taylor, D. Minium, J. P. Peck and R. S. Craft.
The present officers are: S. L. Stauffer, worshipful master; F. G. Moser,
senior warden; W. W. Kendall, junior warden; F. O. Waynant. treasurer;
S. W. Gilson. secretary; C. D. Smith, senior deacon; L. B. Tibbetts, junior
deacon; C. W. Moser, senior steward; F. M. Layton, junior steward; John
Higgins, tyler. Past masters: A. J. Brown, C. W. Farrington, D. A. Peoples,
W. Burr, W. T. Ross, J. O. Buell. M. N. Cox, A. F. Winter, C. L. Garrison.
J. H. Wanamaker, I. H. Dean, E. D. White, S. W. Gilson, C. W. Moser,
378 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
• D. Smith. I-'. A. Estes and C. A. Hodges. Regular meetings are held
in their own hall on first and third Monday evenings of each month.
M VRYSVILLE ill W'TI R M 1. .
The first meeting of the chapter was held under dispensation July <•. 1875.
'lite officers appointed at the first meeting were: William I'. Mudgett, high
priest; X. I'. Hotchkiss, king; Fillmore I.. Dow, scribe; Robert Campbell,
captain of the hi >st ; R. L. Weeks, principal sojourner; F. I.. Dow, Si\. tr<
urer; T. C. Powell, secretary; W. A. Thurston, royal arch captain; Francis
Baird, master of third veil; George R. Kelly, master of second veil; F. J.
Faulkner, master first veil; B. W. Curtis, guard.
\ charter was -ranted on < (ctober 20, [875, and the first meeting under
the charter was held on November (6, 1875. The following officers were
installed: W. P. Mudgett, high priest; \V. P. Hotchkiss, king; F. L. Dow,
scribe; F. L Dow, treasurer; Charles F. ECoester, secretary; J. F. Voorhees,
captain of the host; Cal. T. Mann, principal sojourner; I. C. Legere, royal
arch captain; George E. Kelly, master of third veil; 1". J. Faulkner, master of
second veil; W. F. Boyakin, master of first veil; John Lockwood, guard.
Members present, I'. 11. Peters, John Means.
The officers for [917 are: W. W. Potter, high priest; 11. II. Fisher,
king; Arthur Hohn, scribe; E. R. Fulton, treasurer; George T. Mohrbacher,
secretary; 1.. R. Broderick, captain of host; Louis T. Hardin, principal
sojourner; S. C. Schmidt, royal arch captain; Stewart Clarke, master of third
veil; '/.. M. Nellans, master of second veil: E. M. Carlson, master of firsl
veil; A. 1'.. Campbell, sentinel. Present membership, eighty-nine.
CORINTHIAN COMMANDERY NO. 40.
Letters of dispensation were granted on July 17. [893, to the following:
Edward Hutchinson, Fred Powell, August Holm. Frank G. Powell. Charles
I'.. Wilson, Edgar Ross Fulton, Charles F. Koester, Charles I). Schmidt.
Amos W. Kirkw 1. Simeon J. Gillis, John l'>. Simminger, Omar Powell,
Edward B. Fox, Harry 1. Diffenbaugh, Thomas B. Fredendall, William
bs, Marion Hawk. William E. Hanr. G. A. Seaman. A. J. Brunswig, Cal
T. Mann and Daniel Spence.
A charter was granted on Maj 8, [894, and at the first meeting held
under the charter the following knights were installed: Edward Hutchinson,
eminent commander; August Hohn. generalissimo; Charles D. Schmidt, cap-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
379
tain general ; Frecl Powell, prelate ; Edgar Ross Fulton, senior warden : Charles
B. Wilson, junior warden: Charles F. Koester, treasurer; Frank G. Powell,
recorder; Andrew At. Fluhrer. standard bearer.; John Lonergan, sword hearer;
Elijah Bentley, sentinel. Members: Isaac B. Davis, Chauncy S. Chapman,
Stewart Clarke, T. I. Hatfield, R. B. Moore, Robert Campbell; Emmett A.
Bittell, J. Xorton Abbott, F, J. Faulkner^ G. A. Seaman. Lewis E. Helvern.
Perry Hutchinson, Arthur J. Whitmore, August Jaedicke, Jr.. Frederick
Lhrke, August Soller. Herman O. Jaenicke, Joseph G. Lowe. Theo. H.
Parrish, Henry M, Mueller, James Madison Howell ami William James P.urr.
Present officers are: W. W. Potter, eminent commander; Emil A. Holm,
generalissimo; -Sylvester C. Schmidt, captain general; Amos W. Kirkwood,
treasurer (deceased); Alex. B. Campbell, recorder; Al. G. Garber,
senior warden; Stewart Clarke, junior warden: Arthur Hohn, prelate; Charles
L". Barrett, standard bearer; Zoa. M. Nellan, sword bearer; Glen T. Ingalsbe,
warder; Herman R. Fisher, sentinel. Present membership, eighty..
ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR.
The Order of the Eastern Star as it now exists, is of recent origin and
is distinctly an American institution. Many attempts in Europe as well
as America had been made by Masons to provide a means whereby women
relatives could prove themselves such.
About the year 1850 Robert Morris, a master Mason, and afterwards
grand master of Kentucky Masons, formulated a system and taught it to
many master masons and their wives. The system grew and expanded;
headquarters were established in New York and during the war and on into
the seventies, organizers traveled over the Eastern and Middle states, estab-
lishing local chapters. A few were organized in eastern Kansas. There is
a rumor that one was formed in Marvsville, but no positive proof has been
found.
In 1867 delegates from fifteen of the local chapters in Michigan met and
formed a grand chapter for their state. This is the first and oldest grand
chapter in the world organized by representation. Other states soon followed
and, in 1876, Kansas organized a grand chapter of the Order of the Eastern
Star.
In the first book of the secretary's record of Hilda Chapter No. 164,
Marysville, under date of July 17, 1894, is a statement that Mrs. P. W.
Hutchinson, Airs. AL S. Goodwin. Mrs. Alary Kirkwood, Airs. Hacldie Davis,
Airs. Viola Shaw, Airs. Alary Campbell, Airs. Kate Hatfield. Airs. Delia Bit-
380 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
tell, .Miss Lillian Edwards, Edward Hutchinson, G. Goodwin, A. W. Kirk-
wood, F. V. Shaw, T. [. Hatfield. Jacob Schloss, I. II. Davis, Robert Campbell,
E. A. Bittell, Charles H. Schmidt, and Edgar Ross Fulton signed and sent a
petition to John E. Postlethwaite, grand patron of the order of Eastern Star
of Kansas, asking for a dispensation.
It is further stated that a favorable reply had been received with blanks
and instructions, and that on motion, Robert Campbell was elected chairman,
I-. V. Shaw, secretary; Mrs. 1'. W. Hutchinson, worthy matron, and R.
Campbell, worthy patron; Mrs. ] laddie Davis, associate matron. The blanks
were filled out as instructed and with a check for ten dollars, returned to
the grand patron and the meeting adjourned after resolving that Miss Hilda
Marquardt, of Hanover chapter, be requested to come and organize the new
chapter, and that she lje commissioned by the grand chapter for that purpose,
and also that the chapter be named Hilda, in her honor.
The dispensation was under date of July 28, 1894. and the records show
that Hilda Chapter No. if 14 was duly organized and the following officers
installed under the grand chapter of the Order of Eastern Star of Kansas:
Mrs. 1'. W. Hutchinson, worthy matron; R. Campbell, worthy patron; Had-
die Davis, associate matron; E. I\. Fulton, secretary; F. V. Shaw, treasurer;
Mary Campbell, conductress; Delia Bittell, associate conductress; Mrs. G.
Goodwin, chaplain; Miss Lillian Edwards, Adah; Mary Kirkw 1. Ruth;
Viola \. Shaw. Esther; M. S. Goodwin, Martha; Kate Hatfield. Electa;
J. J. Schlos-,. warder; T. I. Hatfield, sentinel. Four petitions for degrees
wen- received at this meeting. The date of the charter is May l6, 1895.
The present officers are: Alice Hohn, worthy matron; R. C. Guthrie.
worthy patron; Matilda Kraemer. associate matron: Kate Broihier, treasurer;
Mildred Kirkwood, secretary; Blanche Potter, conductress. Elizabeth Davis.
ociate conductress; Nettie Breeding, chaplain; Julia Holm, marshal:
Minna Mohrbacher, organist: Martha Guthrie, Adah; Mary Ewart, Ruth:
llallie Willson, Esther; Margaret Douglas-, Martha; Hyacinthe Koester,
Electa; Lulu Faulkner, warder: Walter Breeding, sentinel. On January 1.
(i)i 7. the chapter had a membership of one hundred and ninety-eight. Stated
meetings are held first and third Friday evenings of each month.
Elnora Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, was instituted at Blue
Rapids, February <>, r8oj6, by Elnora Gilson, with the following charter mem-
bers: Minora 1". I.. Gilson, \. E. Winter. Ella B. Wilcox, Kittie E. Winter,
[essie V Cheney, Julia C. Hewitt. Cora Hall. Ella Deathman. Julia M.
Cheney. Phoebe Hawk. Wash Hawk. Ida McXab. W. A. Gilson, E. Russell
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 381
Cheney, Sadie L. Wanamaker, Jennie E. Stearns. Luella M. Trumbo, J. T.
Trunibo, J. Grace Morgan and Edith Nevins.
The first officers were : Elnora Gilson, worthy matron : A. E. Winter,
worthy patron : Ella B. Wilcox, associate matron ; Sadie L. Wanamaker,
secretary ; Jessie Cheney, conductress ; Kittie Winter, treasurer : Julia C.
Hewitt, associate conductress ; Jack T. Trumbo, chaplain ; Cora Hall. Adah ;
Ella I. Heathman. Ruth; Jennie Stearns, Esther; Ella Trunibo, Martha;
Julia Cheney, Electa ; Wash Hawk, sentinel ; Grace Morgan, marshal ; Ida
McNab, organist; Phoebe Hawk, warder.
The present officers are: Eva Sandborn, worthy matron; H. H. Fen-
ton, worthy patron ; Jessie Fenton, associate matron ; Ella Heathman, secre-
tary; Julia C. Hewitt, treasurer; Sarah A. Burr, chaplain; Leula Estes, con-
ductress ; Geneva Stauffer, associate conductress ; Pearl Van Yalkenburgh,
warder; Cora Hall, organist: D. S. W. Gilson, sentinel: Bessie Trombla,
marshal; Iva Ryan. Adah; Sudah Woolley, Ruth; Harriet Axtell. Martha;
Elizabeth Headrick, Electa.
The membership of the chapter at January, 1917. was eighty-two.
Palace Chapter No. 174. Eastern Star, was organized in the Masonic
hall, Frankfort, June 19, 1895. The first officers were: Winifred Holtam,
worthy matron; Walter H. Lewis, worthy patron; Ella Lane, assistant
matron; Marion Whittaker, conductress; Addie M. Brandenburg, associate
conductress ; Emma Lewis, treasurer ; R. E. Trosper, secretary ; Nettie Tav-
lar, chaplain ; Amanda Horr, Adah ; Hattie Busby, Ruth ; A. C. Brawley.
Esther; K. E. Trosper, Martha; Annie E. Souders, Electa; Mary E. Bliss,
warder; Albert Busby, sentinel. The following are the officers for 1917:
Tempie S. Bishop, worthy matron: William Campbell, worthy patron; Emma
Lindsey. assistant matron; Caroline Anderson, secretary; Mary Scholz.
treasurer : Mary Warnica, conductress ; Nealie Scholz, associate conduc-
tress; Aldean Haskett, chaplain; Sadie Scholz, marshal; Ella Lane, organist:
Marie Wasser, Adah ; Haskel Haskin, Ruth ; Dora Olson, Esther ; Phvllis
Rankin, Martha; Winifred Shearer, Electa; Jennie Campbell, warder; Wal-
ter Scholz, sentinel.
Cordelia Chapter No. 247, Order of the Eastern Star, at Vermillion, was
instituted in April, 1901, by Grand Worthy Matron Cordelia Bittell, with
eighteen charter members. The first officers were : Lucy Woodman,
worthy matron ; G. W. Warren, worthy patron ; Elizabeth Hall, associate
382 MARSH \l I C01 \ TV. KANS VS.
matron; Anna De Walt, secretary; Carrie Arnold, treasurer; Clarissa Weeks,
conductress; Maggie Warren, conductress.
The past worthy matrons are as Follow: Lucy Woodman, Clarissa
Weeks, Phoebe Havens, Margaret Warren, [da Duffy, Laura W Iman,
Vllie B. Rogers, Rose Clifton, Carrie Arnold, Anna DeWalt and Tressie
Hybskman. Miss Amy Nauman is the presenl worthy matron.
Angerona Chapter No. 205, meets every first and third Wednesday in
Masonic hall, Axtell. Florence Simpson, worthy matron; Euphemia Strayer,
tary.
The foregoing are all of the lodges of Speculative Ancient Craft Masonry
in Marshall county consisting of three degrees: Entered apprentice, fellow-
eratt and master .Mason, representing the three stages of human life — youth,
manh 1 and old age, with all its joys and pleasures, responsibilities, rewards
and disapp lintments, and pointing to its final destiny. The object lessons
here displayed by types, emblems and allegorical figures point out the whole
duty of man and constitute the three foundation steps from which the three
expansions of Masonry as practiced in America are erected. These three
expansions are: The Order of the Eastern Star, the York Kite and the
Scottish Rite. Membership in any one of these three can only he obtained
and maintained through and by the qualifications in the first three steps.
fhe work of these three branches is entirely independent of each other, but
'ike college work, compared with our public schools, so may these lie com-
pared with the lodge work. A proper training in the lodge is necessary before
the branches can be fully understood.
This chapter contain- the names of all the organized bodies of Masons
in Marshall county. There are many master Masons in the county who are
members of local organizations and who hold membership elsewhere in the
council, Sc< ttish Rite and Shrine. A complete list of the Order of the East-
i rn Star 1- a!-' 1 given
CHAPTER XVII.
The Medical Profession.
By Dr. Robert Hawkins.
"Backward, turn backward, oh, Time in your flight,
And make me a child again just for tonight."
In almost all topics of general importance, and long years of general
development, it is impossible to know positively the details of origin. Med-
ical history in Marshall county is no exception.
As it is impossible to thoroughly understand the adult man without at
least some knowledge of the child, so it is advisable to go back into the child-
hood period of medical history to understand the present and be of benefit
to the future.
Let us then together turn back the pages of time in this period of hurry-
ing flight and endeavor to learn something of early conditions. At once we
find ourselves confronted with only fragments of records, memories and tra-
ditions.
All that we know of earlv conditions among the Indians who frequented
this part of the great American desert, is what we can learn and deduce from
habits, customs and traditions existing at the time the white man first invaded
his domain, coupled with his later mode of life. Standing on this broad
platform we have reason to believe that the Indian as he roamed over and
camped in the country, practiced a system of preventive medicine that in
some respects was, in its results, superior to our methods of today. He had
a smaller percentage of defective and undesirable adults than we have at the
present time. His manner of living and his standard of ethics did not pro-
duce that ever-increasing and ever-varying host of drones and swarms of
vultures that we now harbor by our methods and feed from the earnings of
our workers.
HEALTH FROM THE WATERS.
The early trappers and hunters, the advance guard sent out by Brigham
Young to spy out a modern promised land for Modern Day saints, and the
explorers. Pike and Fremont, probably all were directed to the invigorating
384 MARSHALL nirNTY, KANSAS.
waters and healthful surroundings of Alcove Springs. There they found
conditions favorable for building up man and beasl after the long drive from
the Missouri river, and lay up a reserve supply of energy for the long weary
journey to the mountains.
Here was a summer health resort open for all. Here, clear pure spring
water was flowing from the rocks and Aaron's rod had not been required;
here was found a variety of l" 1 mere varied than the manna of "Id and
easy t" gather, as represented by the catfish in the river, the quail in the
underbrush, the wild turkey in the trees, the antelope, rabbit and buffalo up
the draw, nr out over the hills. And here was abundance of grass for the
horses and os teams Here was an opportunity for preventive medicine in
a lite id' open-air freed' mi surrounded with plenty.
TTIE tNDIAN MEDICINE MAN".
Alcove Springs has the reputation of having been the summer camping
ground of the nomad Indian. Here the Indian medicine man had for many
generations sent his patients to camp on the lulls and to breathe the clear,
pure and invigorating air of Kansas breezes, or recline under the leafy
branches of big spreading elms or bask in the warm sunshine "lit in the open,
while his fevered brow was cooled by the gentle Kansas south winds. I
doubt not but that many a convalescent Indian patient was aided by a channel
cat-fish from the waters i.f the Blue river near Alcove Springs.
While the Indian, in his summer hunting trips camping here, was a fre-
quent patron of Nature's dispensatory, and many a functional and pathological
lormality was warded off or aborted, yet. like the labors of the modern
followers of Aesculapius, the prognosis was sometimes unfavorable and the
Indian medicine man was called in the case. His methods usually consisted
in spectacular demonstrations and barbaric endeavors t<> drive away the evil
spirit.
We are told by early observers of Indian customs that the "Id-time
medicine man practiced a system of counter-irritation somewhat similar to
the mustard plaster of our grandmothers.
I remember in my boyhood days of seeing a picture in a history of
primitive Indian customs and conditions that illustrated the similarity.
According t" thai early-day observer it would be a frequent picture t" see
the Indian medicine man, after his fantastic demonstration had failed t" drive
away the bad spirit that had taken possession of the poor Indian with a head-
ache, practice more hemic methods.
Sb*^
FY***^
H. ■•^^B
jfriittrifti ■ii
UBP»P~?^
IPSE
^^^'^^K
.
BELOW THE DAM, MARYSVILLE.
jfcjfc.
ALCOVE SPRINGS.
E. E. Forter, below, and John Schilling, above.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 385
Come with me, in your imagination, and let us stand on one of the bluffs
overlooking that beautiful landscape garden surrounding Alcove Springs in
its original grandeur, just before the late summer sun had ceased to cast the
long shadows of evening, but is still lighting up hill and valley and giving
a luster to the autumn foliage.
Focus your field glass and take a careful survey of the entire field. Up
the valley, just across the bend of the draw, the herd of ponies is feeding on
the fresh growth of grass that has sprung up since the recent fall rains, under
the spreading trees that the white man has not yet cut down, the men are
gathered in a small group discussing the exploits of the day and making plans
for the morrow. Some of the women are getting supper while others are
curing the fresh buffalo and antelope meat by cutting it into strips to dry in
the smoke of a slow fire, kindled from dead twigs and buffalo chips.
CURING THE SICK.
The special part of the picture in which we are interested is down the
valley and almost hidden by a clump of underbrush. Here we see a young
Indian naked to the waist seated on a half decayed log that some cyclone had
twisted from that deformed, bushy-topped cottonwood, his head grasped
tightly with both hands, the face is cast down from our view, the elbows are
supported on the knees and the entire body is as motionless and apparently
as devoid of feeling as the old log under him.
The medicine man has apparently exhausted all ordinary methods to
cure the headache; his drum has been set aside; his buffalo head mask rests
on the end of the 'log and now he is applying a live fire brand to the sick
man's bare back. Here is counter-irritation with a vengeance, and who can
say it will not divert the mind of the patient away from his headache.
When the gold seekers of the 1849 rusri and the emigrant train of the
forties and fifties came rolling in from Independence, Missouri, they crossed
the Big Blue river at Alcove Springs and called it Independence Crossing.
Fremont, in 1842, crossed here and, recognizing this as a health resort,
camped here for some weeks. In 184Q, when the Mormons first began their
exodus to the West in large numbers, they camped here and it became an
annual summer hospital for their sick and dying. A large number of graves
were located here and scattered over the adjacent hills. No organized bury-
ing plot was arranged nor permanent markers erected, and nothing now
remains to show the last resting place of many an emigrant. Westward bound,
who here received the call to which all must respond. Here mothers lost
f25)
386 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
their babes and children lost their mothers. The survivors must pass on with
the current of humanity, leaving on the hillside all that was visible of the
dear departed.
This evidence of the frailty of humanity would indeed lie dark and
gloomy were it not for the symbolic meaning of the evergreen on the bluff
close by. "From the voiceless lips of the unreplying dead there comes no
word; but in the night of death, hope sees a star and listening love can hear
the rustle of a wing."
AMPUTATION UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
The story is told by early historians diat among those emigrants passing
through Marshall county was a company of Missouri farm hoys with ox
teams. One of their number broke his leg shortly after leaving the Missouri
border. It was a compound fracture and soon became infected, not only
with pus but also with the larvae of the flies. By the time they reached
Alcove Springs his comrades decided that the boy's life was in immediate
danger. A consultation resulted in the decision thai the leg must come oft
in order to give him the last hone. Not one of them had ever seen such an
Operation; they must be their own doctors, and, worse, they had no modern
■ perating equipment, no antiseptic and no anesthetic. They were farm boys
from Missouri and knew no such word as fail.
With a lariat rope for a tourniquet and one of their hunting knives and
a handsaw, the leg was soon removed above the infected injury. With a
pair of common pincers they tried to find the severed arteries but could not.
They heated the king bolt from one of the wagons and seared the entire face
of tbe flaps and sewed it up with a waxed end such as had been provided for
repairing their shoes.
The story as I have heard it declares that the patient made a good stump
and became one of the settlers on the coast. Here was emergency surgery,
with thorough sterilization of the field of operation.
GRANDMOTH ER's REMEDIES.
Qp to this time there was no local doctor settled in the county. There
was no county organization. The floating, moving, ever-passing hosts were
thrown on their own resources.
With the coming of the actual settlers, who Stayed here with the idea
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 387
of making this a permanent home, all was changed. The good housewife
came with grandmother's ideas of catnip and boneset tea and a supply of
roots, dried barks and herbs, and the spring time dosing followed.
"When they see the tender grasses,
And the fragrant lilacs bud,
Kate takes sulphur and molasses,
For to purify her blood."
From the time Frank Marshall started his ferry boat across the Blue
river and on to i860 and the starting of actual hostilities in the war, many
families had formed several settlements in different parts of the county.
There was a struggle for existence and none but the stoutest survived. Many
a homesick young girl found herself a housewife with the house unbuilt, long-
ing for the supporting hand and cheering sympathy of mother or the heavy
step and hope-giving voice of the old family doctor back "in the states."
Those were trying days. In times of sickness neighbor helped neighbor.
What little medicine had been brought from home was usually shared with
the ailing. The open-air methods of living; the absence of modern luxuries
and the fact that but few delicate persons came, all helped to keep the standard
of health high and the death rate low.
THE FIRST BABIES.
The first known white baby born in the county was George W. Thiele
on September 14, 1855, about one and one-half miles east of the present town
of Bigelow. The ancestry came from Germany and first settled in old Con-
necticut. Later, they came to the free home life of "Sunny Kansas." George
W. Thiele was born in the log cabin home on the free one hundred and sixty
acres then farmed by the family. He is now a prominent business man of
Washington, Kansas.
The second baby, of which we can find any record, is William H. Todd,
born on August 13, 1856. The last heard of him, he was in Colorado.
The third baby was a girl, Sarah P. Martin, born on September 3, 1857,
in the log cabin farm home six miles southeast of where the town of Beattie
is now located. The family came from Indiana, where an elder brother.
George, had been born two and one-half years prior. This little girl, now a
grandmother, Mrs. William Crane, lives just west of the Marysville bridge
and attends daily to the household duties of her own home. She tells me
388 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
thai at the time of her birth there was neither door nor window in the log
cabin, bul simply a blanket hung over the opening in the log wall for a door-
way and the cracks between the logs stopped with chunks df wood and daubed
up with mud. Mrs. Martin's sister, Mrs. Life, living on an adjacent farm
officiated as nurse.
In all three of these cases the general conditions were similar. Mrs
Crane tells me that when she was three years old she and her father, Mr.
Martin, had chills and fever all summer until they were nearly exhausted.
This was the prevailing ailment of the early settler. After using all the home
remedies and exhausting the small supply of quinine in the neighlx>rhood,
the mother took them in a farm wagon with an ox team sixty miles north
into Nebraska, where they heard there was a doctor. This one hundred and
twenty miles round trip with an ox team, camping on the high prairie and liv-
ing in the open with winter coming on. was the last supreme effort of the
despairing wife and mother to cure what she believed to he dying patients.
They made the round trip, saw the doctor, got their medicine and made a
recovery. The combination of conditions produced the desired result. The
patients were removed from the vicinity of the creek and mosquitOS, the sum-
mer season was past and they lived on tin- high prairie for several weeks.
While it is hut reasonable to suppose that other white babies were 1>orn
here prior to these three, yet it remains a fact that the Old Settlers' Associa-
tion has failed to find any.
The first doctor known to come to the county to locate, was Dr. J. 1'.
Miller, who came in 1850. During that summer a number of young men
came from Atchison and from different points in the south for the purpose
of starting a town. They were all pro-slavery party men and they came to
Marshall's ferry and organized the town of Palmetto, supposedly under ter-
ritorial laws.
How near they complied with the legal requirements, is best answered
in the general statement which is made on page (>M of A. T. Andreas' "His-
tory of Kansas". [883 :
"The first election in Marshall county was on March 31, 1855. Every
inhabitant, who should he an actual resident, was a qualified voter. The
pro-slavery party put the most liberal construction on the law. At the elec-
tion on October 5, (857, only one Free-state vote was counted in the county."
That vote was given by James E. White.
Dr. J. P. Miller was one of this group of pro-slavery party men. who
came for the purpose of making Kansas a slave state.
They were not of the home-making kind, like the settlers in other parts
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 389
of the county. In the border-turmoil days, just before the war, there was
little opportunity for Doctor Miller to become a family physician. His
patients for a few years were the floating and emigrant kind. Might made
right and the arguments concerning differences were often settled with the
gun. The doctor had a wide and varied experience along this line. Under
the pro-slavery methods of conducting politics, it was an anti-election decision
that all important positions should be taken by their members.
ONE OFFICIAL TO FOUR OFFICES.
Doctor Miller was elected to the pro-slavery Legislature and served the
party well. Later, he was elected to several local county offices, and held
them all at the same time being, respectively, sheriff, clerk of the court, justice
of the peace and coroner. His endeavors to manipulate political matters
apparently occupied most of his time. As a doctor he was independent of
the drug stores, because there were none in the county. In answering calls
among the scattered settlers, he went on horseback and his saddlebags stock
was chiefly quinine, calomel, opium and a poor grade of Missouri whiskey.
One of his contemporary settlers informs us that Miller was a fine
example of the southern gentleman of the early frontier type; that he was a
heavy user of the last-named article in his saddlebag supply, but that the
Missouri article did not agree with him and he died before he reached his full
measure of usefulness.
Before the opening of national hostilities in the War of Secession, a
bitter contest was raging in eastern Kansas. Marshall county, as one of the
extreme frontier points, on a direct route to the mountains and the coast and
occupied by extreme representatives of both factions, was a history-making
community, where individual freedom and an advance in modern civilization
was striving to overthrow slavery.
During this period of uncertainty, distrust and strife among the poli-
ticians, we find but few doctors, several druggists and no mention of the
dentist until after the close of the war.
After the admission of Kansas into the union as a free state, the pre-
ponderance of pro-slavery advocates rapidly declined and almost disappeared
among the doctors.
THE "COPPERHEAD" SOCIETY.
In 1864 we find the business card of Dr. John Hall, of Marysville, in a
newspaper of that date. In a book on early history in Kansas, now in the
390 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
library of the Historical Association in Toepka, E. C. Manning gives an
accounl of conditions in Marshall county in 1X64. Manning states that lie
was publishing a paper in which he said many thing- against the pro-slavery
party ami the "Copperheads."
A secret "Copperhead" society existed here, of which this Doctor Hall
was a member. It was decided at one of their meetings that Manning must
be put "in of the way and by lot it became the business of Doctor Hall to
do it. A friend of Manning's, who was let into the plot, told Manning and
the next morning Manning hunted up the doctor and informed him that he
knew all ahout it and that he would give him twenty-four hours in
which to leave the country. Doctor Hall disappeared at once.
We find an advertisement in a local paper, dated [864, of a drug store
owned by Doctor Edwards and a man named Horr.
This Doctor Edwards was an elder brother of the Dr. A. G. Edwards,
who located in Marysville after the war. This local advertisement states
that a full assortment of liquors and wines was constantly carried in stuck.
While several saloons were running in Marysville at the time, this drug store
and druggist, who sin mid he the assistant of the doctor, were working in
harmony with the saloon keeper and the bartender. This liquor business of
the druggist, along with the saloon keeper, continued until the prohibition
laws placed the liquor business all in the hands of the druggist, intending
that he should he the handmaid of the doctor, hut so many ex-bartenders
became druggists, that the doctors quit the drug store and of late years nearly
all doctors in the county dispense for themselves.
Before, during and for some years after the war. there was no legal
standard of qualification in regard to the doctors. The business, in a com-
mercial way. was open to all. Very few were graduates of any medical
school. But few had even what would now he considered a common-school
preparation.
A "cure" for chills.
Tin- Following story is told of one young fellow who. like many others
in the early day. took up a claim on a creek bottom. I le came from "Egypt,"
in southern Illinois and his mother having learned that quinine was made
from willow hark, fed him on willow-bark tea to cure the chill-. It always
worked when taken late in the fall after the malaria season wa- over. lie
used these fundamental principles, hut. with business tact, he manufactured
a more elegant article.
In the first place he kept the secret to himself. He wa- not married.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 39I
He trimmed the rough bark from a willow tree and then scraped the inner
bark into a pulp by using a hoe or a corn knife, being careful to scrape down-
ward. The tea made from this, flavored, colored and preserved with elder
berries and whiskey, seldom failed to cure the chills, if taken early and con-
tinued until late in the fall. Occasionally, there was a stubborn case and for
them he scraped the bark from below upward and made it strong by using
more "aqua fortalis," boiling it longer and adding a little wild turnip root
to give it a sharp twang.
This combination never failed, if the conditions were favorable. The
first, he called "Hipopalorum," and the second, a strong medicine, he
called "Lopopahirum." At one dollar per half gallon for the first and two
for the second, the young doctor had a nice little income.
After the close of the war a great change came over the country in
many ways. The army was scattered and the boys who were mustered out
flocked to the West to take up homesteads. Many young doctors who had
served under the flag located in Marshall county.
Among them were A. G. Edwards, of Marysville; Patterson, of Beattie;
Paul Garven, of Frankfort: D. \Y. Humfreville, of Waterville, and several
others. Those men were of a sterling type of manhood that the county had
never before possessed. This class of young men had responded to the call
of the Union in the hour of distress. Some of them had enlisted in the ranks
and had been promoted to service in the medical corps. They had dropped
a school course half completed, they turned away from promising futures
and answered a call for help in a cause for right.
A NEW ERA.
This class of doctors gave their best efforts to the distressed on both
sides of the conflict. When in the late sixties they came to Marshall county,
with the rush of home-seeking settlers, it was but natural they would find a
place in the new homes and hearts of the people. As those new homes
swelled the population of the trading posts into towns and transformed the
prairies into farms, the doctor was taken into the consultation with the par-
ents as no other person could be. The babies, as they grew up, learned to
look upon the doctor as their friend and staff in times of trouble and as one
win 1 rejoiced with them in their prosperity.
Through the storms of winter, the deep mud of spring and the burning
hot winds of the long, dry summer, the doctor could always be depended upon
in times of sickness and accidents. Xo road was too long or too bad, no
392 MARSHAIX COUNTY, KANSAS.
night was too 'lark or too stormy, no creek too deep or dangerous to ford,
to deter the doctor from going to the call for help.
The merchant might refuse a sack of flour >>r the druggist refuse medi-
cine, until the poor and needy secured an order from the county, but the
doctor was always the friend of the deserving.
From out of the darkness and out of the wild.
Came a voice: I'm alone with my dying child.
Oh winds, hear a message; tell some one to come;
In God's mercy send help to our sad, stricken home.
The wild storm was raging, the snow drifted high,
Was't the wind or an angel brought the doctor that cry.
So out in the darkness and out in the wild.
He brought hope to that mother and help to her child.
Associated with these grand army doctors, who grew old as they became
engrafted into the hearts and homes of the people, we find a great assort-
ment of humanit) attempting, succeeding or pretending to follow in their
footsteps. For more than thirty years after the close of the war, our county
was robbed by a class of impostors who came a- itinerant doctors to prey
Upon the weakened, chronic, incurable, or the loving sympathy of the friends.
as well a^ upon the poor, deluded mind that dwelt upon Mime real or imaginary
functional abnormality, ami secured a depraved pleasure in the thought of
chronic individualism. Those criminal impostors sometimes had an advance
nt to round up the victim. Others had a tent and a show to draw the
crowd. A third class put up at hotels, but all were alike in one respect:
They secured a contract, in the form of a note, which they sold to a broker
and then departed to find new tield> for conquest.
A second class embraced a large number of would-be doctors, who
possessed neither the natural or acquired ability. They remained a short
time and disappeared. A third class came better prepared and as time
advanced and population increased, this third class of doctors increased both
in numbers and proficiency.
\s the nation, the state and the county developed, SO the individuality
of the medical profession developed in the standard of qualification. In the
early days there was no established minimum of qualifications. It was in
the early eighties that the first effort was made to raise the standard through
tate board, but without avail. About ten years later the present law was
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 393
passed by the state Legislature. As this law first went into effect the doctors
were divided into three classes.
First, those who were graduates of reputable schools of medicine ; second,
those who would pass a creditable examination before a state board and,
third, those who were not eligible for either first or second grade, but who
had been continually engaged in the practice of medicine for the ten years
last past.
CONDITIONS TO OBTAIN PERMIT.
Later, the law was changed, and as it now stands an applicant for a
state permit must be a graduate of a recognized medical school and then must
pass a satisfactory examination before a state board. The certificate of the
state board must be recorded in the office of the county clerk, where the doc-
tor resides.
As the state board was to be the judge of what constituted an acceptable
school, it became necessary to establish a degree of proficiency for standard
schools. Up to a few years ago the medical diploma in America was a joke
in the opinion of the rest of the world.
In the report of the United States commissioner of education for the
year ending June 30, 1915, we find the statement that the number of medical
schools in America was one hundred and sixty-two, about one-half the total
number in the world. In 1904 there were five thousand seven hundred and
forty-seven graduates from these medical institutions. As the commercially-
run schools are being put out of business, the number of graduates has rapidly
decreased. Many of these schools were private, carried on in the interests
of commercialism. The only entrance qualification was to be able to pay the
fee. The post-graduate qualification was the ability to call one of the pro-
fessors in consultation, or send an endless stream of patients to the hospital.
This led to the infamous practice of robbing the patient and dividing the fee.
The state of Kansas, ever in the front ranks protecting the interest of the
oppressed, declared such fee-splitting a crime ami established a penalty.
By co-operating with other state boards, the qualifications of both doc-
tors and schools were raised. This resulted in weeding out the commercially-
run schools. Today, nearly all the medical schools in America are the med-
ical departments of standard universities. The total number of new gradu-
ates turned out each year, in the last ten years, has been only about one-half
the number of former decades, but the proficiency has averaged much higher,
and is increasing every year.
394 M ^RSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
ADVANCE OJ WEDICA1 SCH \CE.
The researches of such men as Pasteur and the many who have come
after him, have completely revolutionized the science of medicine. In the
pasl fifty years greater progress has been made than during all preceding
ages. The old, empirical methods arc abandoned in the light of the micro-
scope, test tube and the post-mortem revelation.
The research labaratories have opened up new fields; have broadened
our view-point; deepened cur vision: turned the search-light into the closed
recesses and the X-ray through what was opaque, giving us a clearer compre-
hension of the relationship between cause and result. The held of bacteri-
ology is a new world of life and death, in which we have found the solution
of many former mysteries. Along this line our anti-serums and their uses
are being developed. The relation-hip ol organic or inorganic chemistry to
biology, has as yet been but lightly touched.
The subject of preventive medicine as required in modern times and
under modern condition- and in the light of modern knowledge, has just
begun to be recognized. This will include the broad subject of nutrition.
growth, repair, energy, waste and decay, and the differences between the
uses of the fats, the carbo-hydrates and. the proteins from the animal and the
\ egetable kingdoms.
( in these varying changes and broadening of human knowledge, the
tors of Marshall county have not been idle. New men fresh from the
standard medical schools and strengthened by preparatory training, have from
year t" year been added t < ■ the ranks as recruits. Many of the older men.
who are -till active in the work, have either returned to their alma mater
or taken regular post graduate work and are active student- today as of old,
pushing onward, traveling in search of '*li.s;ht. more light."
COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY.
'fbe first ( ount) Medical Societ) wa- organized in 1879 with ten mem-
ber- and many of the young doctors who, twelve years before, bail been
mustered out of the army, were active in this movement New memb
hive been added from year to year and at present the county organization is
in affiliation with the State and American Associations.
At presenl the profession i- represented by thirty-three doctors in twelve
towns. In Oketo Doctor Wood. In Marysville — Doctors McAllister,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 395
Breeding, Edington Eddy, Hausman, Hawkins, Patterson, Rooney, Yon
Wald and the Wilsons, father and son. Home City — Doctor John Shumway.
Eeattie — Doctors Ham, Gist and Mathews. Axtell — Doctor Piper and New-
man. Summerfield — Doctors Dodds, Stewart and Johnson. Waterville —
Doctors Humfreville and Thatcher. Blue Rapids — Doctors Fillmore, Reed
and McFarland. Irving — Doctors Leith and Phillebawm. Frankfort —
Doctors Brawley, Sr., and Brawley, Jr. and Brady. Vermillion — Dr. John
Clifton. Lilhs— Doctor Holliday.
Thirty-three doctors in Marshall county, with a total population of
twenty-two thousand, gives us an average per capita of a number that would
indeed tax the ability of the physicians, if it were not for the many modifying
conditions. Here we have a population composed almost entirely of the
so-called middle classes, the workers, the thinkers and the planners. These
people are living under the very best social and economic hygiene. There
are some drug stores, where we have good reason to believe the clerks and
proprietors are violating state laws by counter prescribing. Those who are
guilty are acting the part of a dispensing physician, without possessing the
state regulation as such.
The National and State Druggists' .Association have been trying for
years to force the doctors to send all patients to the druggist with prescrip-
tions, and prevent the doctors from dispensing their own drugs to the patient
direct. Many of the drug jobbers and manufacturers have refused to sell
direct to dispensing physicians.
It has for years been a common practice among druggists to refill physi-
cians' prescriptions for any and all who requested it, and even thev them-
selves prescribe for customers. The druggist, who should be the co-worker
of the doctor, is often his most bitter enemy. Today, practically all physi-
cians in the county are dispensing direct to patients.
MACBETH ON MEDICINE.
There is another reason why all patients do not come to the doctors.
In all times, past and present, it lias been a well-known fact that, under favor-
able conditions, the human system tends to right a wrong within itself. One
of the favorable conditions is a contented mind. This is often produced by
the confidence that something is being or has been clone for them. On this
principle, a great many systems of drugless treatment have been devised and
thrust upon the confiding public. The underlying truth of this was well
understood by Shakespeare, when he causes Macbeth to enquire of the doctor :
V/" MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Macbeth: How does your patient, doctor?
Doctor: Not so sick, my lord,
As she is troubled with thick-coming fancies,
That keep her from her rest.
Macbeth : lure of that.
Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased,
I 'luck from the memory a rented sorrow.
Raze out the written troubles of the brain
\nd with some sweel oblivious antidote,
Cleanse the stuff'd bosom of that perilous stuff
Which weighs upon the heart.
Doctor: Therein the patient
Must minister to himself.
All through the journey of human life the true doctor is constantly
brought face to face with every problem that confronts mankind. The very
problem of life itself he is often asked to explain. Every cradle asks us
ivhcnce and every coffin, zvhitherf
Every member of the community calls upon him in the hour of trouble,
- upon him in the time of weakness, and draws aside the curtain disclos-
ing die fan il\ skeleton in the closet, or the secret, hidden wealth.
No man becomes SO endeared to the family as the old family doctor.
"Unskilful he to fawn, or seek for power.
By doctrines fashioned to the varying hour;
Far Other aims his heart had learned to prize.
More benl to raise the wretched, than to rise."
It was not for selfish, commercial reasons that the old-time doctor made
thi long drives on stormy nights to relieve some sufferer in the settler's
lonely dugout. There is something so noble, so precious, so enjoyable that
money cannot purchase it, when the doctor rejoices with the young parents
i their new-found treasure.
In after years when the mother counsels with the doctor on a well-bal-
anced ration and the entire process of constructive and destructive metabolism,
the doctor enjoys a pari ownership in the development of a new American
citizen.
RETROSPECTIVE.
When in his declining years the doctor sees his babies take their places
and play their parts on the world's stage in the drama of human life, there
is a pride and a satisfaction that words cannot express and the careless can-
not understand.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 397
When you see the modern physician walk down the cement sidewalk
with his neat little hlack case, or you see him go rapidly past you in his modern
motor car over one of our well dragged country roads, at a speed far exceed-
ing the legal rate, don't think he is out for a pleasure or a crazy speed drive.
He may he going to the home of wealth and luxury, to relieve the victim of
an afternoon tea party or a last night's banquet.
It may be to the home of privation and sorrow, or to the injured bread-
winner in Some laborer's cottage with the rent unpaid. It matters not to the
doctor, so long as it is a call from one who is suffering. He goes as cheer-
fully, as willingly and as hurriedly to one as to the other. I know of no
one of all the world's workers, who comes nearer than the honest, conscien-
tious, self-sacrificing member of the medical profession to the poet's ideal,
when he wrote :
"What is noble? That which places,
Truth in its enfranchised will.
Leaving steps like angel traces,
That mankind may follow still :
Ever striving, ever seeking.
Some improvement yet to plan ;
To assist our fellow-being,
And like man, to feel for man."
til \PTKP XVIII.
Bench and Bah of Marshall County.
On February 26, 1855, A. II. Reeder, territorial governor of Kansas.
issued a proclamation defining the judicial districts of the territory and assign-
ing judges t'> them.
The third district included the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and
twelfth election districts. Big Blue Crossing was the tenth election district
and Marysville, the eleventh. Marshall count}- was then in the third judicial
district, Kansas territi iry.
President Pierce had commissioned Saunders \\'. Johnston as an associ-
ate justice on June 24, [854, and the third judicial district was assigned to
him. Courts were to he held at Pawnee.
It is well to recall sunn- political history in connection with the fact that
court was f> he held at Pawnee Governor Reeder, like many other citizens,
had become interested in various schemes for the organization of embryo
cities.
What more natural than to think that the future capital of the state
mid If located near the center. Pawnee was the logical site of the future
capital: so the Pawnee Town Company was formed. Congress had appro-
priated twenfy-five thousand dollars fur the erection of a suitable building in
which the territorial Legislatures might meet.
That building was erected by the Pawnee Town Company, of which
ernor Reeder was a passive, if not an active, member. The executive
offices were established at Pawnee and the first territorial Legislature con-
vened there. True, it did not last long; hut for a time, at least for four
days, it was in the same judicial district as Marshall county. On July 2,
1855, the same day on which the first territorial Legislature met at Pawnee.
Saunders \V. Johnston organized the third district bar. at Pawnee. One
man from Marshall county was present at that meeting — Frank J. Marshall.
His honor, Saunders \V. Johnston, never visited this county. On Sep-
tember 1. [855, not quite three months later, he resigned his office and Jere-
miah 1). Burrell was appointed and on September 13 was commissioned and
assigned to the third district. Two years later he held the first court in
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 399
Marysville. probably in one of F. J. Marshall's log houses. His one act was
to "swear in" D. C. Auld, as justice of the peace.
In the fall of 1855 the voting strength of Marshall county being about
sixtv, it was decided that a. county organization was needed and. the county
was duly organized, the necessary business proceedings taking place, as usual,
in a log cabin on the banks of the Blue.
SHERIFF SHOT.
The duties of the county officials were not very arduous. Alexander
Clarke, the first sheriff, had his official career ended very suddenly by being-
shot by a desperado, whom he was attempting to arrest.
A county warrant was issued on December 15, 1856, by James McClosky
in favor of Henry Adams and H. L. Kirk, of Atchison, for services rendered
in laying out a road from Atchison to Marysville.
Tin's was the first county warrant issued in Marshall county. The first
regularly organized district court convened in Marysville in March, 1857.
Judge Burrel. of the United States district court, presided and James
McClosky acted as clerk. As no cases appeared on the docket and no grand
jury called, it looked a; if the court would have to adjourn without trans-
acting an}- business, when a "case of conscience" came up. D. C. Auld, an
abolitionist, had been appointed justice of the peace for the Vermillion dis-
trict. The territorial laws, as passed by a pro-slavery Legislature, required
that all officials should take an "iron-clad oath" to support the United States
fugitive slave law. This law was antagonistic to Mr. Auld's principles and
he refused to take the oath. McClosky appealed to Judge Burrel to qualify
Mr. Auld without requiring the oath and Judge Burrel wrote out a Pennsyl-
vania oath and administered it to Auld, who qualified, served out his term
ami felt free to assist any fugitive slave who, in his flight for freedom, hap-
pened to pass his way.
COUNTY RE-DISTRICTED.
In i860 a re-districting was made and Marshall county was then put in
the second judicial district and Rush Elmore, associate justice of the supreme
court, was assigned as judge. Elmore was from Alabama and was com-
missioned an associate justice of the territory of Kansas by Franklin Pierce,
President, on the same day on which Andrew H. Reeder was commissioned
territorial governor — June 29. 1854. There is no record that Judge Elmore
ever presided over a court in Marshall county.
400 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
The second judicial district was now composed of the counties of
Vtchison, Doniphan, Brown, Nemaha, Washington and Marshall counties.
Judge Rush Elmore was succeeded l>y Hon. Albert L. Lee. \vh<> lived at
Elmore, Doniphan county, and who served from January 29, [86i, the day
<>n which Kansas became a state, until October 31, t86i. Judge Lee died
in New York Cit} on December 31, [907.
The next judge was Albert II. Morton, who was born in Orange county.
New York, March 1 j, [837, and was educated at Ann Arbor University.
He was admitted to the practice of law in the supreme court of New York
in 1.859 ;M"' came to Kansas in [860, locating at Atchison. In 1S01 he was
e'ected city attorney of Atchison and the same year was appointed judge of
the second judicial districl by Gov. Charles Robinson, and held that office by
election until r8G6, when he resigned. In [876 he was appointed chief
justice of the supreme court of the state by Governor Osborne, and the fol-
|i wing year was elected to the same office, in which capacity he served seven-
teen years, when he resigned, lie was subsequently re-elected supreme court
justice and died while serving in that office September 2. [900.
A CELEBRATED CASK.
Horton was succeeded as judge of the second judicial district by Hon.
St. Clair Graham on May n. [866, who served until January 11. [869
|udge Graham was on tin bench when the celebrated Regis Liosel land con-
test was tried in the Nemaha count)' court, in which John J. Tngalls repre-
sented claimants to thirty-eight thousand one hundred and eleven acres of
land in the counties of Nemaha, Marshall and Pottawatomie.
It was one of the celebrated cases ,,f the day and formed the basis for
rngalls' most charming story of "Regis Liosel, [799-1804," to be found in
the tngalls' book of writings. The litigation grew out of a French land
grant, which subsequently was confirmed by an act of Congress in 1858.
The attorneys of record at the bar were: John \Y. Ballinger, county
attorney; I. E. Clardy, 1. I >. Brumbaugh, W. C. Dunton and W. W. Jerome.
[861-66. — lion. Albert Morton, district judge; Byron Sherry, county
attorney (appointed from \tchison county). Attorneys: R. M. l'.ratnev.
I. !•". Babbett, M. C. Hawkins. E. J. Jenkins. United States district attorney,
appeared on the April term of court in [865 and W. \Y. Jerome was the
county attorney.
[866-68.— Hon. R. St. Clair Graham, district judge; W. W. Jerome,
countv attorney. The bar remained the same.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 4OI
1868-71. — Hon. Nathan Price, district judge; M. C. White, county
attorney. During the October term, 1869, Asa E. Park and W. Pitt Mudgett
were admitted to the bar. Attorneys of note were Metcalf and Waggener
and John J". Tngalls, of Atchison.
In 1868 Hon. Nathan Price, of Troy, was elected judge and served
until 1872, when he resigned. Judge Price was a man of strong, forceful
personality, impressing all who came in touch with him with that indefinable
quality called magnetism. His decisions were seldom reversed.
TWELFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT.
The twelfth judicial district was created by the Legislature of 1871 and
consisted of Marshall, Washington, Republic, Mitchell, Clay, Cloud, Smith,
Osborn, Phillips and Norton counties.
The terms of court in Marshall county were to be held on the second
Monday of April and the second Monday of October.
Andrew S. Wilson of Washington was judge of the twelfth district
from March 16, 187 1, to October 20, 1884, when he was succeeded by Joseph
G. Lowe, of Washington, who held the office from October 20 to November
10, 1884, when he was succeeded by A. A. Carnahan, of Concordia, who
held the position from November 11, 1884, to January, 1885. He was suc-
ceeded by Edward Hutchinson, of Marysville, who served from January,
1885, t0 January, 1889.
Lowe and Carnahan were appointed by Gov. George W. Glick.
1871-84. — Hon. A. S. Wilson, district judge; M. C. White, county
attorney, 1871-73.
1873. — Edward Hutchinson, county attorney.
1875. — F. M. Love, county attorney.
1879. — John A. Broughton, county attorney.
1883. — E. A. Berry, county attorney.
Members of the bar during these years were: W. H. H. Freeman, W.
W. Smith, John V. Coon, E. L. Begun, Theodore H. Polack, George C.
Brownell, G. E. Scoville, W. S. Glass, W. A. Calderhead, C. H. Lemmon,
J D. Gregg, W. J. Gregg, Cal. T. Mann, Jos. Patterson, J. S. Magill, John
McCoy and H. K. Sharpe.
This was without doubt the strongest bar in the history of Marshall
county. E. A. Berry served many years as county attorney. W. W. Smith
acted as private secretary for Senator Charles Curtis for many years. E.
Hutchinson became the district judge. W. A. Calderhead was elected to
(26)
402 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Congress and served fourteen years. Of this bar, Love, Coon, Begun, Sco-
ville, J. I >. Gregg, Mann, Patterson, Glass and Lemmon have appeared before
a higher judge.
Mr. Berry, Mr. Broughton and Mr. Calderhead are no longer in active
practice. Smith, Brownell and Hutchinson arc not residents of the county.
Mr. Polack and Mr. W. J. Gregg arc the only active lawyers left of that bar.
TWENTY-FIRST HIHcIAL DISTRICT.
In [888 the district was again changed and the twenty-first judicial dis-
trict created, composed of Marshall. Clay and Riley counties.
Judge Robert B. Spilman, of Riley county, was elected judge, to suc-
ceed Judge Hutchinson.
Judge R. I!. Spilman was the most popular judge who ever graced this
bench. He had the judicial temperament in a high degree and was greatly
respected by the bar of the district. He continued judge until his death in
1899.
Hon. W. S. Glass, of Marysville, was appointed to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of Judge Spilman and served until 1902.
At the annual election. Hon. Sam Kimble, of .Manhattan, was elected
judge and continued in office until 1 « > 1 3 . serving as judge of the twenty-first
judicial district for twelve years. He was succeeded by Hon. Frederick
Smith, the present judge. Judge Smith is a native of Manhattan and i-
the third judge from that city to preside over the tri-county bar.
iSSX. — Hon. Kdward Hutchinson, district judge; 1'".. A. Berry, county
attorney. S. I). McKee admitted. The bar remained much the same.
[889-99. — ' '""• R- B. Spilman, district judge; \Y. A. Calderhead,
county attorney, [889-91; E. Hutchinson, county attorney. [895-96; E. A.
Berry, county attorney, [896-97.
On February 8, (895, J. G. Strong, of Blue Rapids, was admitted to the
far and one week later his father, J. ( r. Strong. Si\. was admitted. W. W.
Redmond was an attorney of practice in [889, and is still a member of the
Marshall county bar.
October 15. [899, Hon. W. S. Glass was appointed to fill a vacancy
caused f\ the death of Judge R. B. Spilman.
\t the election ol' kjdj, lion. Sam Kimble, of Manhattan, was elected
judge and continued in office until January 1. 1015. serving for twelve years.
County attorney — Guy T, Helvering, [907-11; James Van Vlect. [911-
13: Charles 1 1. I >avis, i<M.V 17.
[915. — Hon. Fred R. Smith, district judge.
[917. — Hon. J. G. Strong, county attorney.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 403
ATTORNEYS.
The dates on which many of the attorneys were admitted to practice at
the Marshall county bar are not of record, but such as it has been possible to
ascertain are given.
E. L. Begun, admitted, 1S71.
W. A. Calderhead, admitted, December 10, 1879.
W. S. Glass, admitted, December n, 1879.
Charles H. Lemmon, admitted, December 14, 1879.
Omar Powell, admitted, March 15, 1880.
A. C. Pepper, admitted, December 8, 1879.
Giles E. Scoville, admitted, March 17, 1873.
J. W. Searles.
E. W. Waynant.
Guy T. Helvering, admitted, 1906.
Robert L. Helvering, admitted, 1909.
MARSHALL COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION.
In May, 1884, the first Bar Association of Marshall county, was organ-
ized at the court house in Marysville. The membership consisted of J. S.
Magill, John McCoy. J. A. Broughton, W. A. Calderhead, E. A. Berry, A.
E. Park, W. J. Gregg, H. K: Sharpe, G. E. Scoville, Cal T. Mann, S. D.
McKee and E. Hutchinson. At this meeting, E. Hutchinson was elected
president ; W. J. Gregg, secretary, and J. A. Broughton, treasurer.
The present officers are : W. J. Gregg, president ; R. L. Helvering,
secretary, and W. \Y. Redmond, treasurer. The regular meetings are held
on the first day of court each new year.
FIRST SESSION OF COURT IN MARSHALL COUNTY.
In 1855 a few log houses on the slight eminence, where R. Y. Shibley's
house now stands, constituted the city of Marysville.
One log house near where the ward school is located, the home of J. P.
Miller, was all there was of Palmetto.
One day. this community was interested to learn that court would be held
in one of the log cabins on die river bank and would be presided over by
Judge Buce, from South Carolina.
Suit had been brought by Frank J. Marshall against W. M. F. McGraw,
4O4 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
of Maryland. McGraw had a contract with the United States government
for carrying mail monthly to Salt Lake City. Marshall had instituted suit
against McGraw for the keeping and feeding of some eighty mules for a
period of two years, for which McGraw had not paid. McGraw had been
notified to appear in court and the momentous day arrived.
A UNIQUE JURYMAN.
"Bob" Shibley, measuring six feet two in height and about the size of
a clothes line in width, aged seventeen years, was one of the six jurymen.
A store box served for the judge's bench and another box furnished him a
seat. The six jurymen were seated on boxes, the judge was in his place,
when amidst a great commotion, yelling and rattling, the mail stage drove
up. McGraw was on the seat with the driver, while a man known in plains-
men's parlance as a "whacker." ran along side the four mules doing exactly
what his name indicates.
J. 1'. Miller, who will he recalled as one of the original I'almetto Town
Company, was officiating in as many roles as the celebrated Pooh-Bah of
Gilbert and Sullivan's "Mikado."
He was sheriff, clerk of the court, register of deeds, and in fact in any
other office that might he thrust upon him. Tie was a tall thin man and,
with much dignity, he advanced to the door of the cabin and ordered McGraw
into court.
McGraw and his two men had two revolvers in their belts and things
looked like immediate war, as they came into the cabin.
The judge was attired in a suit of clothes which showed wear and lack
of cleaning and pressing, but what attracted young Bob's attention was his
coat. This article was a bright blue in color and fit his honor "like the
feathers on a bird." This dazzling garment caught the eye of the young
juror and interested him more than the legal proceedings
CHALLENGE TO A DUEL.
The judge opened court: "Mr. McGraw you are summoned {<> appear
here as defendant in a suit brought by F. J. Marshall for recovery of money.
Have you anything to say?"
"Yes, sir," roared McGraw. "I refuse to recognize this court. You
are all Frank Marshall's hirelings and f will have nothing to do with you."
The effect of this retort on Judge Buce cannot he described. He thrust
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 405
his hands into the box before him and brought forth two revlovers. One
lie held by the barrel presenting the handle to McGraw and demanding with
language more forceful than elegant that he take the revolver and defend
himself, for he (Buce) proposed to defend the honor of the court. In other
words a duel was imminent.
McGraw, who was a large, portly man, backed around the room, fol-
lowed by the small but wrathy South Carolinian, pouring out oaths and threats
in quick succession. Finally reaching the door, McGraw made his escape
and with his drivers left judge and jury to finish the trial.
TALE OF A COAT MINUS A TAIL.
During the altercation between Buce and McGraw, "Bob", who feared
there would be blood shed, backed into a corner of the cabin and made him-
self as flat as possible against the wall. The thing which impressed itself
most vividly on his mind was the coat of his honor the judge. This gar-
ment had previously attracted the attention of the boy juror, but when the
integrity of the court was questioned and Buce sprang from the judicial
bench, the astounding fact was revealed that one coat tail was missing.
The coat was of the "spike tail" variety and the spectacle of the judge
in pursuit of McGraw with rage and oaths, threatening vengeance with one
"claw" of the "hammer" missing, was too much for "Bob," and to this day.
when he recalls it, he roars with laughter.
After McGraw's departure the perspiring judge again opened court.
Miller presented the case for the plaintiff, and the jury was sent out into the
yard to deliberate on the verdict. Having agreed they came into court and
in response to the question, "Gentlemen, are you agreed?" the foreman
answered that damages to the amount of eight thousand dollars had been
awarded to F. J. Marshall. A board of appraisers was sent to the pasture,
enough mules were selected to satisfy the judgment, and such report was
made by Sheriff Miller. Court was adjourned and Judge Buce, with his blue
coat minus one section, departed. That night, Frank Marshall's partner,
Woodward, started with the mules for Iowa.
BAR STORY.
In the days that Nathan Price served as judge, the lawyers from Atchison
made the trip in the Overland stage.
Many amusing incidents of those days were told by those who "practised
406 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
at the liar" in more than one sense. Frank A. Root, in "The Overland
Trail," tells this story:
On the I Iverland route during staging days, a good story is told on Uncle
John ' >'Laughlin, who was postmaster in the early days of Kansas, at a ranch
between Seneca and Guittards, called Ash Point.
( I'l.aughlin kept a small stuck of g Is in connection with the postofhee,
and over the door of his building was a prominent sign which read, "Uncle
John's Store." His goods consisted of such articles as are usually needed by
people crossing the plains and. some of the staples required to supply the
wants of the neighboring ranchmen.
One of the principals kept in stock and sold over the counter by Uncle
John, was whiskey. In the early days some of the travelers spoke of the
place as an oasis on the prairies.
While the war was in progress, Congress passed a stringent revenue law
and a tax was immediately imposed on all ardent spirits.
liisir.nl of selling by the drink, it became necessary for the dealers to dis-
pose of the stuff in original packages only.
One day it happened that Judge Nathan Trice and a number of lawyers
were on their way to Marysville. by stage, to attend court. Price was then
judge of the second judicial district.
On reaching Uncle John's store and having heard the old man kept
"something good to take." the jolly disciples of Blackstone suddenly became
"awful thirsty." While the stage stopped for a few minutes to change the
mail, the lawyers crawled out of the coach, and. single file, followed the judge
into the postofhee.
After politely passing the time of day the judge inquired of Uncle John
if he kept anything "good to take." Being answered in the affirmative, he
ordered "eye opener cocktails" for the crowd.
"I would like to accommodate you. but I can't sell it by the drink", said
the old man: "since Congress has passed this infernal revenue law, I can
dispose of it only in original packages."
"Original packages be " roared the judge, "by the great horn
spoon we must have something to drink, if we have to buy your entire outfit,
or a barrel. What do you want for your place? What will a barrel of the
Stuff cost' or, perhaps you have some smaller packages."
With a broad smile on his face. Uncle John reached down under the
counter and brought forth a quart bottle of genuine "i >ld Kentucky Bourbon"
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 407
and for a few minutes following, those thirsty lawyers were happy, prac-
tising at the old man's bar.
These are all matters of the past now. Ash Point is no longer a stopping
place. The old stage coach has been replaced by the railroad. The pro-
hibitory laws have driven out the bar and the liquor, and Nathan Price and
his associates sleep with their fathers. The court remains, untouched by
time.
CHAPTER XIX.
Banks and Banking in Marshall County.
One of the most substantial assets of Marshall county is its banks. It is
not too much to say that there is not a county in the state with a stronger
group of banks, or one in which the hanks enjoy in greater degree the con-
fidence of patrons.
There are twenty-eight banks in the county, officered by representative
business men, and these hanks demonstrate what business acumen and honest
administration may attain.
The banking history of the county shows but three failures. The
Hodges bank at Irving, the Warden bank at Frankfort, and the Baer bank
of Beattie. It is said that no depositor lost a dollar by these failures.
Under wise and conservative management Marshall county hanks are
transacting an extensive business and have gained recognition by the solid
financial institutions of this and other states.
It is said the stability and character of a state may be judged by the
Standing of its banks. Marshall county ranks second in the state in num-
ber and the reports of its twenty-eight banks show a steady and secure
financial growth.
AXTELL HANKS.
Axtell Citizen's Hank was organized in [886; I'. J. Curtler, president;
Alex. Gillespie, vice-president; George W. Reed, cashier; John Byrne, assist-
ant cashier. Capital, S-'5,ooo; deposits, 1916, $94,000.
The State Bank of Axtell was organized in [890. George W. Williams.
presidenl : 0. \ . Lohmuller, cashier; J. R. Thomas, assistant cashier. Capital
Si 5.000; deposits, Si 43.000.
AT BEATTIE.
The State Bank of Beattie was organized in 1905; C. E. Lohmuller,
I resident; O. V. Lohmuller, cashier; J. R. Thomas, assistant cashier. Capital
stock, $ 12,000; deposits, S8o,ooo.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 409
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF BEATTIE.
The First National Bank of Beattie was organized on July n, 1914,
and commenced business on August 26, 1914, with the following officers:
Albert P. Simpson, president; Samuel S. Simpson, vice-president; Robert O.
Crouse, cashier ; directors, R. S. Pauley, Marion Hawk, W. B. Hawk, Albert
P. Simpson, Samuel S. Simpson and Robert O. Crouse. The present officers
are the same with the addition of J. D. Burnside, Jr., as assistant cashier.
AT BLUE RAPIDS.
Banking at Blue Rapids was commenced on May 15, 1871, by C. E.
Olmstead, Henry B. Olmstead and J. L. Freeland, under the name of "Bank
of Blue Rapids." It was sold in 1884 to G. B. and Fred A. Stocks, they con-
tinuing same name until the organization of the State Bank of Blue Rapids
on August 5. 1891.
The capital of bank is $20,000, and present officers are : F. O. Way-
nant, president; E. \Y. Waynant, vice-president; \Y. J. Burr, cashier and F.
L. Stauffer, assistant cashier.
CITIZENS STATE BANK, BLUE RAPIDS.
The charter for the Citizens State Bank was granted on September 22,
1904. The building was completed and opened up for business on February
8, 1905, with C. S. Cummings, president, and C. E. Cummings, cashier.
Capital stock, $15,000.
The statement on January 1 191 7. showed: Capital stock, $15,000;
surplus and undivided profits. $5,000; deposits, $200,000: loans and dis-
counts, $150,000. The officers are: M. A. Thompson, president; Livy B.
Tibbetts, vice-president; C. E. Cummings, cashier; Dan H. Cox, assistant
cashier.
BREMEN STATE BANK.
The Bremen State Bank was organized August 5, 1907. The first
officers were : W. Rabe, president ; F. W. Stohs, vice-president ; Fred H.
Pralle, cashier.
On March 17, 1908, the bank was destroyed by fire. $4,000 on deposit
in the burglar-proof safe was badly charred. W. H. Smith, of Marysville,
4IO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
a director in the hank, took the money to Washington, D. C. where it was
all redeemed with the exception of one five dollar bill.
Between the "late- March 17. 1908, and Septeml>er 1. 1908, the bank
did business in a box car and during that time deposits increased $40,000.
The hank npw has a capital stock of $10,000; surplus profits, $7,240.82;
deposits. Si44.cni.<)i : loans and discounts, $98,567.94.
BlGELOW STATE BANK.
The Bigelow State Bank was organized on August 7, 1907, with a
capital stock of Su.ooo. The following were the officers: J. E. Chitty,
president: L. II. Armstrong, vice-president, and A. H. Brnbaker. cashier,
with the following directors. |. K. Chitty. L. II. Armstrong, P. E. Laughlin.
Charles F. Pusch, \V. H. Smith. A. H. Brubaker, P. L. Rasmussen and
Charles E. Fea.
There was an attempted holdup of the hank on December 23, 1909.
A. II. Brubaker, the cashier, still has the gun which he took away from the
robber who attempted the holdup.
The present officers are: L. H. Armstrong, president; 1'. I.. Rasmussen,
vice-president : X. A. Brubaker, cashier, and. I.ula E. Brubaker. assistant
cashier.
The bank now has ;i capital stock of $12,000: surplus and profits,
.-'(•' <n.,V>: deposit*. $70,22820, being a state depository.
AT FRANKFORT.
The Bank of Frankfort was started by L. V. McKee and Charles
Dougherty as a private hank. May 1. [886, with a capital of $10,000. The
first officers wire: President, Charles Dougherty; cashier. L. V. McKee:
assistant cashier. J. W. Lobley.
< >n January 17. [889, it was organized as a state bank with a capital
of $50,000, >>i which $35,000 was paid up. It was chartered and opened
for business on May 1. 1889, under the name of the State Bank of Frank-
fort, with Charles Dougherty, president; L. V. McKee. cashier; J. W. Lobley,
assistant cashier.
On January 1, [914, L. V. McKee, owing to ill health, retired from the
hank, selling his interest to J. VV. Lobley and B. Xauman.
The -present officers are: President. B. Xauman: vice-president. P. R.
Wolfe; vice-president, W. C. Brown; cashier. L. W. Lobley. The capital
stock is $35,000; surplus fund-. $17,500.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 41 1
CITIZENS BANK, FRANKFORT.
The Citizens Bank of Frankforthas been in successful operation since its
establishment in i8gi. Its present officers are T. F. Rhodes, president: A.
P. Hampton, vice-president; Isaac H. Munro, vice-president; H. Kennedy,
cashier; T. W. Snodgrass and T. T. Rhodes,- assistant cashiers, and T. F.
Rhodes, A. P. Hampton, Isaac H. Munro, H. Kennedy, W. J. Gregg, James
M. Rhodes and F. H. Lourey, directors.
The bank report for December n, 1916, shows: Capital stock, $30,000;
surplus fund, $15,000; undivided profits, $21,368.60, and deposits, $197,719.96.
CITIZENS STATE BANK, HOME CITY.
The Citizens State Bank of Home city was organized in 1907. with a
capital of $10,000; deposits, $105,000. Officials: President, E. W. Zim-
merling; vice-president, C. W. Kneisteadt ; cashier, P. R. Pulleine: assistant
cashier, William Eckstein. The foregoing with S. C. Schmidt, of Marys-
ville, constitute the board of directors.
STATE BANK, HOME CITY.
The State Bank Of Home city was organized in 1904 by J. B. Wuester,
with a capital of $15,000; deposits at last call were nearly $170,000.
Officials: J. P>. Wuester, president; A. R. Wuester, vice-president; T-
B. Wuester, cashier; S. C. Harry, assistant cashier. The foregoing names
with C. R. Harry comprise the directors.
AT IRVING.
The State Bank of Irving was organized in 1899, with John Cottrell,
president; A. E. Hawkinson, vice-president; J. E. Pretz, cashier; Grace
Smith, assistant cashier. Capital stock, $12,000; deposits, $85,000.
AT HERKIMER.
The State Bank of Herkimer was organized in 1910, with George T-
Hoerath. president; J. Bluhm, vice-president ; H. W. Koeneke, cashier.
Capital stock, $10,000; deposits, $49,000.
STATE BANK, LILLIS.
The State Bank of Lillis was promoted by T. F. Rhodes and organized
by Pat Donahue on the 10th day of December, 1909. The bank opened for
41-' MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
business soon after New Year, 1010, with Pat Donahue as cashier. The first
directors were: T. F. Rhodes, James Harrington, James A. Keating, James
M. Rhodes, E. V. Dorcas, J. I!. Lohmuller and F. P. Bowen.
Alter one year of efficient service. Mr. Donahue resigned the cashiership
and Mr. E. Y. Dorcas was chosen in his stead. Mr. Dorcas remained in
the hank five years, putting it on a good financial basis by his excellent busi-
ness dealings.
In January. [916, the local fanners bought the controlling interest from
Mr. T. F. Rhodes. Mr. Dorcas asked to be relieved of the cashiership and
the new organization chose J. 1'. Redmond as cashier.
The hank is capitalized at $15,000. In its last official statement, that
of December ir. 1916, it had accrued a surplus of $2,000, and undivided
prolit- of < iver $2,000.
This hank is housed in a modern brick bank building, with modern
equipments, which give promise to bring this new institution up to a standard
that is second to none in Marshall county.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK, MARYSVTLLE.
The First National Bank of Marysville, was organized in August, 1882.
The first officers were: M. S. Smalley. president; Perry Hutchinson, vice-
president; 1-'.. R. Fulton, cashier, and August Hohn and S. A. Fulton, direct-
or-. On May 1, [885, S. A. Fulton was elected president, and assumed
active charge of the business. He died on April 26, [893, and Perry Hutch-
inson was elected president and August Hohn, vice-president. Retry Hutch-
inson died on December jo, 1014. ami R. R. Fulton was elected president
and H. A. Hohn, cashier and E. A. Hohn, assistant cashier. The board of
directors consists of August Hohn. J. R. Andrews, \Y. \\\ Hutchinson, H.
\. Holm and lr.. R. Fulton.
The last official statement, March 5. 1 01 J. shows capital, £75,000; sur-
plus. $44,500.78; deposits. SNn:;.f>jS.o<i; loans. $516,035.59, and cash and
exchange, $322,988.31, with total resources, $1,000,138.47. This bank is a
United States d< pi isitary,
EXCHANGE BANK, MARYSVILLE.
The Exchange Rank of Schmidt & Koester was established by Frank
Schmidt and Charles R. Koester in 1870 and was incorporated under the
Kansas state hanking law in 1891 with a capital of §75,000.00.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 4I3
The business is now carried on by their sons, the capital stock remain-
ing in the Schmidt and Koester families.
The bank has always enjoyed a steady growth and has deposits of over
$575,000, with its capital the same and has surplus and profits of over $25,000.
Its officers and directors are as follow : President, Alex Schmidt ; vice-
president, Charles J. D. Koester : cashier. S. C. Schmidt ; assistant cashiers,
G. P. Schmidt and W. M. Schmidt.
CITIZENS STATE BANK, MARYSVILLE.
The Citizens State Bank of Marysville was organized early in the year
of 1907 and opened for business on March 4, that year, with a capital of
$30,000. At the first stockholders' meeting the following directors were
elected: W. H. Smith, P. E. Laughlin. G. S. Hovey, Frank Schulte, W. S.
Tinsman, J. D. Robertson and Thomas G. Hutt, and the directors then chose
the following officers : W. H. Smith, president; G. S. Hovey, vice-president;
P. E. Laughlin, cashier and Joseph Dwerlkotte, assistant cashier.
Mr. Laughlin resigned the cashiership of the bank in 1912 and Mr.
Dwerlkotte succeeded him in that capacity, which office he still holds.
The bank has made a steady growth ever since its organization and the
last official statement on March 15, 1917, showed surplus and undivided
profits amounting to $7,500, and deposits of $270,000. The present officers
of the bank are as follow: P. E. Laughlin, president; Charles F. Pusch, vice-
president ; Joseph Dwerlkotte, cashier, and E. M. Carlson, assistant cashier.
MARIETTA STATE BANK.
»
The Marietta State Bank was chartered on May 24, 1900, as a state
bank. At the time of organization the officers were : B. R. Bull, president ;
Fred Obermeyer, vice-president, and YY. L. Kirby, cashier. At the present
time the officers are : B. R. Bull, president ; Fred Obermeyer, vice-president,
and J. G. Schmidler, cashier.
The bank now has a capital stock of $10,000, with thirty-one stock-
holders ; no stock changed hands in the past three years.
OKETO STATE BANK.
The Oketo State Bank was organized as a private bank on October 7,
1889, by Z. H. Moore, with a capital of $5,000, Z. H. Moore retaining the
414 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
complete ownership until [899, when he converted it into a state bank with
a capital of Sio.ooo. At this time Mr. Moore was the cashier and asso-
ciated with him as directors were P. J. Eychaner, Frank L. Root, C. D.
White and A. II. Brubaker.
This hank has endeavored to build up a strong surplus to give to its
customers better accommodations and to make more funds available during the
lean-crop years. \t the present time it has a surplus of $25,000, making the
capita] and surplus $35,000.
The organizer and founder, Z. II. Moore, was actively connected with
the hank until his death on September hi. [916, at which time he was presi-
dent.
The director- of the hank at this time are: P. J. Eychaner, L. G.
Moore. M. B. Moore, E. H. Moore and J. II. Moore. The officers are:
L. G. Moore, president; P. J. Eychaner, vice-president; J. II. Moore, cashier;
Henrj C. Waters, Jr., assistant cashier.
SUMMERFIELD STATE BANK.
This hank was organized in [889 as the Summerfield State Bank, which
is the name at the present date. The officers at that time were, president,
Frank Thomann; C. G. Scrafford, cashier. The present officials are:
President, W. F. Orr; vice-presidents, George Craven, Andrew Nestor;
cashier, F. G. Bergen; assistant cashier, James Ilamler.
The hank is well patronized by a fine class of depositors and business
men of the city and surrounding community and is third in line of deposits
of the twenty-eighl banks in Marshall county.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF SUMMERFIELD.
The First National Bank of Summerfield, was chartered on April 6,
7. The officials are: H. A. Berens, president; J. II. Russell, vice-presi-
dent; William Scott, vice-president; J. P. Murray, cashier. The capital stock
i- $25,001 . with a surplus of $2,500.
\T VERMILLION.
The State Bank of Vermillion was organized in 1891. A. W. Slater.
president; William Acker, vice-president; P. II. Hybskman, cashier: E. W.
Hvbskman, assistanl cashier. Capital stock. $20,000; deposits, $70,000.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 415
AT VLIETS.
The State Bank of Vliets was organized in 1898, with a capital stock
of $10,000. The first president was W. F. Robinson, and the cashier was
George F. Walker.
The bank retains its original name and is capitalized at the same stock.
The present president is W. T. Buck and the cashier is R. F. Glick.
CITIZENS STATE BANK, WATERVILLE.
The Citizens State Bank of Waterville, was established in 1906 by Dr.
D. W. Humfreville, with a $10,000 capital. It now has $7,000 surplus, and
deposits have grown to $175,000. The bank is a member of both the State
and National Bankers Associations.
The present officers are: Dr. D. YY. Humfreville, president; J. D.
Flannery and M. Delaney, vice-presidents: J. W. Thompson, cashier, and G.
T. Arganbright and B. R. Talbot, assistant cashiers.
MERCHANTS STATE BANK, WATERVILLE.
This bank began business under name of the Merchants Bank in 1882,
with Thorne & Thomas, partners. It was incorporated as the Merchants
State Bank in 1905, Chester Thomas, president: F. P. Thorne. cashier. At
present, F. P. Thorne is president and W. P. McKelvy, cashier.
FARMERS STATE BANK, WATERVILLE.
The Farmers State Bank of Waterville was organized in 1880. with
J. H. Nelson, president: L. A. Palmer, cashier. Capital stock, $10,000;
deposits, $50,000.
STATE BANK OF WINIFRED.
The State Bank of Winifred was chartered on September 23, 1909,
with a capital stock of $20,000.
The first officers were : President, D. B. Walker ; vice-president, M. R.
Dickinson; cashier. A. B. Walker; clerk, Albert F. Yaussi.
The bank has made a steady growth and enjoys the patronage of the
community. Mr. A. F. Yaussi is the present cashier and Miss Florence
Yaussi, the clerk.
CHAPTER XX.
Marshall County Press.
Captain Henry King says: "The first Kansas banner was a newspaper.
It made its advent under an elm tree on the townsite of Leavenworth, Sep-
teml>er 15. [854. There was not yet a house to be seen nor any definite sign
of civilization. It was named the Leavenworth Herald; was pro-slavery in
sentiment, and the name of the editor was Rives Pollard. One thing may be
said of it — the true pioneer instinct appeared in its first issue, for it proposed
to lead and not to follow. This pa]>er soon had companionship, for a goodly
crop of newspapers soon sprung up in the territory."
The establishment of the rural daily mail service has worked some hard-
ship to the country editor, since the metropolitan dailies may he delivered at
the door at little more expense than the price of the local paper. But a feeling
■ if neighborliness causes people to read the home news, and Marshall county
newspapers are fairly well supported.
THE PALMETTO KANSAN.
The first newspaper printed in Marshall county was called the Palmetto
Kausan. and was published December. 1 S 5 7 , in a log cabin, on the site where
R. Y. Shibley's residence now stands. This cabin was supposed to be within
the limits of Palmetto, but was not, neither was it within the limits of Marys-
ville. The Palmetto Town ( Company owned the office and J. P.. Clardy was the
editor. It was a pro-slavery organ and survived seven months, which was
about as long as the original Palmetto Town Company was active. In 185S
one Childers tried to resuscitate the paper under the name of the Marysville
Democrat, but it was again short-lived.
Till-: DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
The next paper published in Marysville was the Democratic Platform.
P. II. Peters, R. S. Newell and P.. ( '. Manning were editors and proprietors.
It was published as a Democratic paper a short time, when Manning became
si >le proprietor ami made it Republican.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 417
The building in which this paper was published was destroyed by a cyclone
and the material scattered. Peters gathered up what could be found and
resumed the publication of the paper, made it Democratic and issued it until
the war broke out in 1861.
In 1 86 1 G. D. Swearingen founded the Blue Valley Union, a Republican
paper, issued until 1863, when E. C. Manning purchased it and continued the
publication until 1866, when he removed press and material to Manhattan.
In 1862 P. H. Peters established the Constitutional Gazetteer, an ardent
pro-slavery paper, and the editorials being offensive to the citizens and soldiers,
a squad of them destroyed the office and type and the press was carried down
the river, where some parts are still in existence in an old lime-kiln. Peters
was conducted to the guard house at Leavenworth, but after a few days'
confinement, was released.
In 1864 Peters again returned to Marysville and with his father-in-law,
J. S. Magill, and F. W. Baker, established The Enterprise. This paper was
independent in politics, with strong Democratic tendencies, but later Peters
became the sole owner and the paper was rather non-partisan. It was sold
to George Crowther, of Irving, who removed the establishment to Irving.
THE LOCOMOTIVE.
In the fall of 1869 The Locomotive was established by P. H. Peters,
who issued it as an independent paper until 1876, when Thomas Hughes
purchased the paper and changed the name to the Marshall County News
and the politics to Republican. The name and politics have remained un-
changed since that date. In January, 188 1, Thomas Hughes sold the paper
to C. E. Tibbetts and George T. Smith, and in 1882 Mr. Smith became the
proprietor and is the present owner.
From June 1, 1909, until January 1, 1913, Mr. Smith published the
Marysville Daily News. This bright, newsy little sheet deserved better sup-
port than it received.
THE ADVOCATE-DEMOCRAT.
The Advocate-Democrat is a continuation and combination of the fol-
lowing papers: Marysville Democrat, William Becker, editor and publisher,
first issue October 5, 1882; the Bugle Call, a Grand Army publication,
founded in 1885 by P. D. Hartman; name changed in 1886 to the True
Republican; name changed in 1890 to the Peoples' Advocate, with Clark
and Runneals as editors and publishers.
(27)
418 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
A stock company for a number of years published the Peoples' Advocate,
which was later bought by C. A. Hammett Clark, after disposing of the
Peoples' Adz'ocatc, associated with William Hcks and started the Marshall
County Democrat, which they later sold to J. S. Magill.
In the spring of 1898 S. E. Ruede bought the Peoples' Advocate and two
months later he bought the Marshall County Democrat from J. S. Magill
and consolidated them under the name of the Advocate-Democrat. For
a few months Asa Smith, of Osborne, was in partnership with him.
On December 2, 1899, Ruede formed a partnership with H. M. Brode-
rick. who, in the spring of 1901, bought Mr. Ruede's interest. On March 1,
191 3, Mr. Broderick took into partnership with him his son, Lynn R. Brode-
rick, the firm name now being H. M. & L. R. Broderick. The Advocate-
Democrat is the leading Democratic paper in the county.
AXTELL NEWSPAPERS.
In [882 \Y. W. Brooks started the Axtell Visitor, as a Republican
organ. Within the year he sold it to L. C. McCarn. It later suspended
publication.
The next paper, the Axtell Anchor, was started in 1883 by Thomas
Haynes, president; T. E. Cone, secretary; X. H. Cone, manager, with Milton
Singry as editor. The paper was Democratic in politics. Albert Xash suc-
ceeded Singry in 1886. Two years later the paper was sold to James Ross
and Thomas Nye. In [895 Watson Staines became owner, publishing the
same for a number of years, when the management passed to Ed. II. Sehy
and the paper became Republican in politics.
The next paper was The Standard, started in 1898 by John G. Nelson,
who sold it to J. A. Kecgan in 1900: the paper was Democratic. Keegan
sold to Ernest Werner in July. 1908. Frank A. Werner, brother of Ernest
Werner, came in August and bought The Anchor. In September, [908,
both papers were made rhto one. The Anchor plant was sold to L. E. Busen-
bark and became later the Home City Tribune. The Standard was pub-
lished for four years by Werner Brothers, the Standard Publishing Com-
pany, and in 1912 the present owner, publisher and editor. Frank A. Werner,
became sole owner. The paper is independent in politics; enjoys a g 1
patronage and has a healthy circulation.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 419
THE BLUE RAPIDS TIMES.
Many men and women have helped to make Blue Rapids the splendid
town it is. Among those who deserve mention is Mr. C. E. Tibbitts'. An
event of more than passing interest in colony affairs was the publication of
the Blue Rapids Times, by W. P. Campbell, of Waterville, Kansas, and C. E.
Tibbitts, late principal of the Wetmore Institute at Irving. The first num-
ber was published on July 9, 1871. The same date the interest of W. P.
Campbell was purchased by Frank Hall, son of Theo. Hall, a member of the
Blue Rapids Town Company.
The following August, Tibbitts purchased the interest of Frank Hall,
and associated with him as editor, B. W. Curtis, of Atchison. The paper
was ably edited and was Republican in politics. After forty-five years the
paper continues to be one of the strong country newspapers of the state, and
still adheres to the same political faith.
In 1875 E. M. Brice, of Oberlin, Ohio, became a partner of Mr. Tibbitts.
Mr. Brice was a fine man and endeared himself to the citizens of Blue Rapids.
In 1878 he became sole proprietor of the paper. In 1879 Mr- Tibbitts, who
was engaged in the real estate business, issued the first number of the
Kansas Pilot in the interest of his business. In 1881 Mr. Tibbitts purchased
the Marshall County News, which he sold the following year to George T.
Smith, the present editor.
Charles E. Tibbitts served his country as first lieutenant in the Thir-
teenth Regiment, Connecticut Infantry, three years in the War of the Rebel-
lion. He graduated from Oberlin College after the war. He came to
Kansas, located at Irving, coming to Blue Rapids in the early years of its
settlement, where he continued to reside until his death. He was a member
of Robert Hale Post, Grand Army of the Republic. In 1875 he was appointed
postmaster of Blue Rapids. He took an important part in all public affairs,
was widely known and respected. He sleeps in Fairmont cemetery, over-
looking the home he loved so well.
The Blue Rapids Times is now ably edited by his son, C. C. Tibbitts.
THE BEATTIE EAGLE.
The Beattie Eagle is a continuation of the North Star, founded in 1884
by A. J. Tucker; the name was changed in 1885 to The Star, with W. W.
Brooks as editor. In 1891 the name was again changed to Williamson's
Beattie Eagle, which was shortened in 1894 to Beattie Eagle; in 1902 it
420 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
absorbed the Bcattic Palladium, founded in 1898 by J. M. Kendall. The
Beattie Eagle is a Republican paper; Mr. F. \Y. Reed is its present editor.
The Frankfort Index was founded by Warren and Hartman in 1905.
It is now owned by F. H. Hartman. Miss June J. Bliss is the editor in
charge. The Index is issued daily and weekly and is independent in politics.
The Home City Journal was established in 1908 by L. E. Busenbark,
and was published weekly. Busenbark was succeeded by Harley R. Row,
who was succeeded by the present editor, Richard Lewis. The paper is still
a weekly and is non-partisan in politics.
The Irving Leader was founded in 1836 by J. R. Leonard. It is pub-
lished weekly and is independent in politics; the present owner and editor is
Mr. Bert Forbes.
The Oketo Eagle was founded in 1908 by J. A. Church. The manage-
ment and politics of the paper have changed many times and the paper has
--u-pended publication at intervals. It is at present under the ownership of
R. F. Montgomery, is issued weekly and independent in politics.
The Siinnuerfield Sun was established in 1889 by Fabrick and Felt.
This has always been a live paper under excellent management. Mr. G. W.
Willis and II. I'. Wadham, of MarysvHle, once owned and published the
paper. This firm purchased the paper from Fred Fleming in April 1903. and
published it until 1904, when the firm became Willis & Son. In 191 1 W. R.
Brown purchased the paper and was succeeded by Jones, the present pub-
lisher. The paper is independent in politics.
WATERVILLE TELEGRAPH.
The Waterville Telegraph deserves more than passing notice because of
the character of the men who were associated in its publication. The paper
was established by Frank A. Root and the first number was issued in 1870.
Prior to this, Root had been an overland stage driver for Ben Holliday, and
after that career became a well-known newspaper man in Kansas. In later
years he published the "Overland Stage to California," a most valuable
addition to Kansas literature.
In 1S71 West Wilkinson, of Seneca, became a partner with Root.
Wilkinson afterward published the Seneca Courier and later Root went to
Seneca and for a time became a business partner in that paper. On January
1, 1871, F. G. Adams and W. 1'. Campbell bought the Telegraph. Adam-
after ward moved to Topeka ami became state librarian and held that posi-
tion until his death.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 421
RAPID CHANGES IN OWNERSHIP.
The Telegraph changed hands so rapidly that its readers scarcely had
learned the name of the new owner before another had taken his place. In
1872 Thomas Hughes bought the paper. It was then Adams & Hughes.
Hughes then bought the Marshall County Neius, later sold out his interests
in both papers and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he became a
prominent newspaper man and served as mayor of that city. W. P. Camp-
bell bought the paper from Hughes & Adams, and later the paper was sold
to J. E. Reece & Company.
Campbell moved to Oklahoma in 1878, published a paper and later was
made state librarian which position he now holds. Reece & Company changed
the name of the paper to the Blue Valley Telegraph and its politics to Demo-
cratic. In September, 1879, C. F. Stanley bought the paper and restored
the former name and politics.
In 1880 H. C. Willson bought the paper and is its present publisher.
It is Republican in politics and Mr. Willson has made it a strong paper in
this part of the state; and for the first time in its career, although always
ably edited, it is now a success financially.
NEWSPAPERS OF VERMILLION.
But little is known about the early papers of Vermillion, as no files
were kept. From what can be learned the first printing plant in the town
was brought by G. W. Keely, one of the earliest settlers.
The first paper of which any record is found was Kind }Vords, a little
religious monthly published by Rev. I. B. Smith, and printed at Frankfort.
There were several newspaper ventures after that, but none of them lasted
very long, until in May, 1891, The Record was launched by F. W. Arnold,
continued it until 1896, when it was sold to Roy Wilson, of Beattie. The
name was changed to The Old and was continued for a few months, when
it ceased and the plant was moved to Beattie.
The Monitor was the next paper. It was published by J. W. Mahaffey
and others in 1896 and continued for about three years.
The Harris Brothers began the publication of The Tinics in April, 1900,
and it ran about two years.
Forrest Warren then published The Enterprise, which continued for
a period of two years. In December, 1904, H. L. Huff moved a plant from
Netawaka to Vermillion and started the present paper, The Times, which
422 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
he edited until November, 1913, when lie transferred the paper to Forrest
Warren, who continued the paper for nearly a year, when F. W. Arnold
became the owner and proprietor, in October, 191 4. Mr. Arnold is now the
editor, and the politics of the newsy little Times is Republican.
In 1903 Rev. M. L. Laybourne, a Presbyterian minister, living in Ver-
million, published the Little Presbyterian, a religious monthly.
The Marshall County School Journal is a monthly publication, issued
in the interest of the schools by the county superintendents.
Marshall's Manhood is a religious quarterly, published by Hervey F.
Smith, county secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association.
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Y. M. ('. A. HOYS ON A 'HIKE" AT TWIN MOUNDS, NEAR BIGELOW.
SCENE AT MARSHALL COUNTY Y. M. ('. A. CAMP.
CHAPTER XXI.
Miscellaneous Items of Interest.
YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
In November, 1910, a group of men familiar with the work of the
Young Men's Christian Association, decided that they would have the influ-
ence of that organization in Marshall county. They knew that they could
not erect a big building in every town, but they also knew that it is not
buildings and paraphernalia that make men, but leadership of the right sort.
A committee of fifteen prominent men of the county was elected to super-
vise the work, a county secretary was employed, boys' clubs were organized
with a competent leader over each group, and for six years the principles of
association work — development of mind, body and spirit — have been applied
to the boy life of the county.
C. J. Brown was elected the first chairman of the county committee,
a position which he has held ever since. A. D. Holloway was elected
county secretary and for four years directed the work of the association,
■being succeeded in November, 1914, by Hervey F. Smith, the present secre-
tary.
The county work, as the rural work of the Young Men's Christian
Association is called, is organized in five counties in Kansas. It is the
newest phase of Christian association work, but is growing rapidly. It is
the one organization that binds together men and boys of all churches and
beliefs in a definite, concerted effort. The maximum of results is secured
with the minimum of expense, localise the basis of the work is volunteer
leadership. One employed officer — the county secretary — gives his entire
time to the work. All his assistants are volunteer laborers. The business
of the secretary is to "find, enlist and train leaders," who will assume respon-
sibilitv in the work with bovs.
424 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
I i xdamkNTAI.s OF THE WORK.
The activities of the county work are many and varied. There are
county conferences, when social and religious problems are discussed and
decisions are made for Christian living, one or more college gospel teams
are brought into the county for a week's stay during the winter; there are
"Father and Son" banquets, and among the prominent men who have heen
brought into the county to address these meetings are Gov. Arthur Capper,
ex-Governor George 11. Hodges. President Henry J. Waters, A. E. Roherts
and Dr. John Brown, of New York. There are athletic contests, hikes and
camps. Clubs are organized in the high schools with the motto, "clean
speech, clean sport, clean habits." All these and many other things find
their way, naturally, into the program of the association.
.Marshall county is a rural county; of the twenty-three towns of the
count)-, none have a population over two thousand five hundred, and any
program which did not place emphasis upon a better rural life and better
agricultural conditions, would he incomplete. Farm institutes for boys, stock-
judging contest, corn-growing contests and farm trips have centered the
attention of the hoys upon the farm and because of this work during the
past six years upwards of a hundred young people are attending the State
Agricultural College. During the past summer, forty Marshall county lads,
under the direction of the Young Men's Christian Association, have been
enrolled in an acre contest — each hoy planting, tending and harvesting an
acre of corn. Accurate records are kept of every transaction so that a boy
knows at the end of the season just what profit he has from his acre. As a
part of the contest each hoy is to select and exhibit a sample of ten ears at
the fair or institute, and it is not uncommon for the hoys to win over the
men in this competition.
CRITICAL TIME IN A YOUNG M.w's LIFE.
Every year main- young men leave the country to attend school or to
"seek their fortune" in the city. It is one of the critical times in a young
man's life, this leaving of home for the first time, and the Young Men's
Christian Association has a system of following these young men and help-
ing them in this time of crisis. In Marshall county are sixteen "correspond-
ing members," who report to the office of the state Young Men's Christian
Association the names of these who are leaving home, word is sent on ahead.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 425
and when the young man arrives in a strange city, he is welcomed by the
association and helped to find the right kind of friends.
Every normal boy has an intense desire to "camp out." To meet this
need the association holds each summer a week's camp where boys can have
an outing at a minimum expense and under Christian leadership. Eighty-
two boys and leaders last summer attended Camp Edwards, near Irving,
which was held under the joint direction of the associations of Marshall and
Washington counties.
The most important work of the . association is done through boys'
groups, or clubs, as they are called. These meet regularly during the winter
months. The activities include Bible study, practical- talks -by business and
professional men, athletics, debates, first aid instruction, etc. It is in these
groups, meeting week after week, under competent leadership, that character
is wrought into the lives of boys and ideals are found, which make for
future manhood of the highest type.
To maintain the Young Men's Christian Association in the county
requires a budget of two thousand dollars a year. This is raised by sub-
scription in a short-term canvass once a year. During the past year seven
hundred men and women contributed to this fund in amounts varying from
one dollar to one hundred dollars. Thus, a wide territory is covered and a
large number of boys and men are reached with character-building activities,
at a very small cost.
SCOPE OF SECRETARY'S DUTIES.
No minister in the county has such a fruitful parish as has the county
secretary ; no superintendent of schools is responsible for so many boys ; no
business man needs to be a shrewder student of human nature than this
secretary, who meets daily from five to fifty men and boys. His task is to
find, enlist and train leaders, who will assume responsibility for boys' clubs.
He has no wages to offer them, except hard work; no influence to hold them
to the task, except the power of his own personality and the satisfaction
which comes from seeing timid, uncouth boys grow into stalwart men.
The plan is to have in each community a supervisory board of inter-
ested men, a high school Young Men's Christian Association, and one or
more groups of younger boys. Eventually, the association will reach out
into the open country and every boy in the county will have an opportunity
to join a group of his own age.
The secretary has recently purchased an automobile, the upkeep of
4-'' MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
which is taken care of by the county committee, and with this he is able to
cover t he entire county quickly and economically, and can keep in close touch
with each group and with every phase of the work.
The committee which supervises the work consists of the following men :
Dr. E. A. Gaston, George VV. Reed, W. T. Lackland. Axtell; Dr. E. H.
(iist. I'.eattie; C. J. Brown. I'.. 11. Kennedy, J. E. Ryan. C. C. Tibbetts, Blue
Rapids: J. \V. Lobley. George B Heleker, J. Sidney Johnson, Frankfort;
M. M. Schmidt. W. H. Dexter. Home City: A. J. Carlson, B. K. Durland.
Irving: Arthur Hohn, A. Goodman, \V. W. Potter, Marysville; O. E.
Hardesty, Oketo; J. T. Briggs, W. F. Orr, Summerfield : W. E. Stewart.
Vermillion; John Seaton, W'aterville.
INDEPENDENCE CROSSING.
This crossing or ford was for .many years a well-known point on the
overland trail from Independence, Missouri, to various points West and
Northwest. This old crossing on the Big Blue river was located on what
is now section 31, Elm Creek township, just a short distance from the mouth
of tlie little creek that flows from Alcove Springs into the river. There is
a "riffle" in the river and with a small amount of work on the approaches
of the banks, a crossing could still be made. It can be forded by cattle or
horses at the present time in ordinary stage of water.
Marshall's ferry was about half a mile up stream from this crossing.
This was an old trail and crossing used by the Indians and fur traders. A-
early as the year [839 James McClosky came out from St. Louis with seven
wagons loaded with Indian goods and escorted by twelve mounted men.
passed over this trail. These goods had been purchased of Bernard Pratt in
St. Louis and were the trading property of Bibile & Adams. McClosky
was a clerk in the employ of Pratt, to look after his interests and make
returns. McClosky made several trips across the country and finally came
to this county to live.
ALCOVE SPRINGS.
These springs are situated east of the old Independence Crossing in a
small steep canyon. The bed of the canyon is of hard limestone and afforded
an excellent place for a camp lire. The grassy plateau sloping towards the
river \\a^ a favorite camping spol
Here, for many years extending from [839 to t86o, travelers camped.
The cool spring was known from New York to San Francisco. John
OX YOKE USED IN FREIGHTING BETWEEN MARSHALL COUNTY AND MISSOURI
RIVER POINTS. PROPERTY OF FRED COTTRELL, OF IRVING.
INDEPENDENCE CROSSING, LOOKING DOWN STREAM. (Crosses mark ford.)
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 427
Denton, a young man accompanying the Donner party, gave the spring its
name from the overhanging rock, which is at least twelve feet higher than
the spring, and which presents the appearance of an alcove. Denton carved
the name on the rock and the letters are still distinct. It is a favorite camp-
ing place and full of historic interest. Many visitors to the Worlds Fair in
Chicago in 1893, were attracted by the beautiful oil painting of Alcove
Springs, the work of Miss Mamie Schroyer, of Marysville, which was exhib-
ited in the Kansas building.
POSTOFFICES IN MARSHALL COUNTY.
Rural
Name. Routes. Class. Salary.
Axtell 3 3 $1,500 I.M.O. P.S
Barrett 4 M.O
Beattie . 2 4 M.O
Bigelow 1 4
Blue Rapids ... 3 3 1,600 I.M.O.
Bremen 2 4
Carden 4
Frankfort 6 3
Herkimer 1 4
Home 2 4
Hull 4
Irving 3 4
Lillis 4
Marietta 4
Marysville 6 2 2,100 I.M.O.
Mina 4
Oketo 1 4
Schroyer 4
Summerfield ... 3 3
Vermillion 4 4
Vliets 1 4
Waterville 3 3 Moo I.M.O.
Winifred 4
Total 41
I.M.O. — International money order office.
M.O. — Money order office.
P.S. — Postal savings office.
M.O
1,600
I.M.O
M.O
1,600
I.M.O
M.O
M.O
M.O
M.O
M.O
2,100
I.M.O
M.O
M.O
M.O
I.IOO
I.M.O
I.M.O
I.M.O
I.4OO
I.M.O
M.O
4-* MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
ORIGIN OF PLACE NAMES IN MARSHALL COUNTY.
Axtell — Named for Dr. Jes-e Axtell, an official of the St. Jo & Grand
[sland Railroad.
Beattie — Named for A. Beattie, mayor of St. Jo, Missouri, in 1870.
Blue Rapids — Named for rapids in Big Blue river, at that point.
Barrett — Named for A. G. Barrett, a pioneer.
Bigelow — Named for General Bigelow, an official of the Missouri Pa-
cific Railway, who selected the townsite.
Bremen — Named for a seaport in Germany.
( .mien — Named for Mrs. Garden, on whose land the townsite was platted.
Frankfort — Named for Frank Schmidt, of Marysville, owner of the
townsite.
Herkimer — Named by O. Keller, who laid out the town.
Hull — Named for a city in England.
Home — Named by G. W. Van Camp, who platted the townsite.
Irving — Named fur Washington Irving.
Lillis — Named for Bishop Thomas Lillis, of Kansas City.
Marysville — Named for Mary, wife of F. J. Marshall, for whom the
county was named.
Marietta — Named for Mrs. Marietta Mann.
1 >keto — Named for an Indian chief, Arkatetah. the name being shortened
by the settlers to Oketo.
Schroyer — Named for a well-known pioneer family.
Stimmerfield — Named for Elias Summcrticld. an official of the Missouri
Pacific Railroad.
Vermillion — No record.
Yliets — Named for the Van Vleit family, on whose farm the town is
located.
Waterville — Named by R. Osborne, superintendent of the Central Branch.
Union Pacific Railroad, in honor of hi> home town. Waterville. Maine.
Winifred — Named for the wife of [saac Walker, a pioneer.
GREAT PRAIRIE FIRE.
The historian is indebted to Mr. Grant (•"wing for an account of a great
prairie fire thai swept across Marshall county on November 17. [873. A
terrific wind came up from the northwest on the morning of the 17th. and
drove before it a terribh fire, which was supposed to have started on the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 429
Otoe reservation near Oketo. It extended across Marshall count)' in a strip
eight to ten miles wide and burned as far south as the Kaw. The wind being
from the northwest, kept the fire out of the Blue Valley, but it raged madly
on the divide in Wells township and swept across the Vermillion and onward
to the Kaw. The back fire in places came as far as the east side of the Blue
river.
Among the prairie settlers who lost heavily were the Sabins, the Ewings
and William Walls. A young boy, Wootef by name, lost his life in this
fire. He had accompanied some neighbors to Marysville and they were
returning home with flour and provisions for themselves and neighboring
families, when the fire came raging towards them. They hastily searched
their pockets for matches with which to start a back fire but did not succeed
in getting a fire started and exhausted the supply of matches. Finally, one
man found just a half of a match and with this he burned off a small patch
and drove the teams on it. The boy, about eleven years old, they put in the
center of a wagon-load of flour and covered him with blankets. They
unhitched the ox teams and then the men made a dash through the flames,
which by this time were close upon them. The boy, frightened by the mad
roar of the flames, threw off the blankets and was enveloped in the fire.
The men on returning, carried him to the house of John D. Wells, where he
died in a few hours. The oxen were so badly burned that they had to be
killed. They were the property of Wells.
Mr. Ewing savs he remembers the fire well, as his mother carried her
children out to the middle of a four-acre field of green wheat and threw
blankets over them for protection. The heat of the flames drove rabbits,
coyotes and deer on to the same green field, all too badly frightened to harm
one another or to fear human beings.
TERRIFIC CYCLONE.
Friday, May 30, 1879, is a day and date that will be remembered as
long as a living witness of the tragedy which took place remains to recall the
terrible events about to be narrated.
The morning, in the southern portion of the county, was bright and
clear, but during the afternoon clouds appeared and a lowering temperature
was noticeable. There were lightning flashes and peals of thunder, and
between five and six o'clock the storm broke in terrific fury. The first indi-
cation of danger was from an approaching funnel-shaped cloud to the south-
west. At Blue Rapids, the gypsum mill of J. V. Coon & Son had the roof
43° MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
torn off, and the roof of the big Wright flouring mill was raised, but left in
position. The west portion of the roof of the woolen mill was carried away
and the flood heat in on the machinery. Fortunately, no lives were lost and
Blue. lva.pids suffered slightly in comparison with the .beautiful .little city of
Irving.
C. E. I'il betts, who was then publishing the Blue Rapids Times, issued
an extra giving the following details:
"The situation at Irving beggars description. The storm first passed
over the townsite wot of the railroad, destroying the residences of John
Gallup, Mr. Armstrong and John Thompson. It laid in ruins, more or less
complete, Charles Preston's place, the Parker house, Wetmore Institute. John
Freeland's Stone house, and one formerly owned by him: Buckout's new stone
residence, J. S. Walker's tine residence. Leddy's; Sahin's, letter's and Guthrie's
homes; then swung hack over the track, struck into a branch current of the
cyclone, and swept through the main part of the town towards the river.
Some twenty minutes after the rain had commenced falling, a brisk shower
of hail set in, driven by a northerly wind. There was a short cessation of
the Sturm and then commenced falling hailstones "i" monstrous size weighing
several ounces and measuring six to eight inches in circumference.
KILLED AXI) INJURED.
"The number of those instantly killed in Irving, including four from
Game fork neighborhood southwest of town, i- thirteen. They are as fol-
low: Mr. Keeny. sewing machine agent and his wife, and his father, who
was visiting Mr. Keeny. A Swede girl in the employ of the Jacob Sabin
family; Miss Emma Sheldon. Mrs. \\" J. Williams, Mr-. Nbark, Mr-. < ieorge
Martin, Mrs. Buckmaster and four children.
"The injured were: Mrs. William Bates and five children; Mrs. Snider
and daughter, Jacob Sabin. wife and son. Eber Sheldon and wife, the Keeney
boy-. Foster, son "fa Randolph lumberman, Wright Helleker, Mr. Seaton, a
railroad man. both arms broken; Mr. Johnson, James McCoy and wife. Mrs.
John Gallup and four children. Mr. Buckmaster and child: George Martin's
two children. John Case's two children. Ilaney Wilson and two children.
Mrs. John Thompson and two children. Lee Hunt, wife and three children.
Samuel (lark. W. J. Williams and Mrs. Rickel. Scarcely a house was left
Standing in [rving and few families escaped without some injured one.
"Thiny-t'our homes ami business houses were entirely destroyed, the loss
exceeding £50,000. Wagon bridges were blown into the river, loss $15,000.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 43 1
Churches, schools, elevator, bridges, business houses and dwellings were
totally destroyed and many were entirely blown away.
"The storm seemed to have gathered south of Blue Rapids, sweeping
down the Game Fork. Valley, killing two people and wrecking faurj. buildings.
The same storm struck the west fork of the Vermillion, killing five persons
and seriously injuring ten others, and destroyed a large amount of property.
Part of the storm passed up the Big Blue river, wrecking a new farm house
belonging to James Schroyer. The storm crossed the river at that point.
"On the Corn Dodger creek several buildings were destroyed and Milo
Weeks was dangerously injured.
"Those killed in Frankfort were : Mr. and Mrs. James Downs, John
Howe, Mrs. Henry Johnson and a man named Grove. The damage to prop-
erty was very great."
As soon as the storm ceased sufficiently to make it possible, relief parties
went to Irving. A train of nurses and physicians was hurried out from
Atchison and the night was spent searching foi bodies and members of fam-
ilies over the prairies and among the wrecked buildings. The night was
dark and the rain fell continuously. The morning broke upon a scene never
to be forgotten by those who witnessed it.
A detailed account of the storm and incidents connected with it, may be
found in the public library in Blue Rapids, but mention will be made of some
of the peculiar incidents. Some of the killed were found entirely divested of
clothing, a gold watch was found hanging by its chain, in a tree half a mile
away. Chickens were entirely devoid of feathers, except a frill around the
neck ; spokes blown out of a wagon wheel leaving the hub and rim intact :
wheat and oat straws driven into telegraph poles; house scattered over lot,
the stove standing on the kitchen floor uninjured and the fire burning.
On June ist a sad procession followed the victims of that fearful eve
to the secluded cemetery, Sylvan Shade, where they sleep today. Irving
remembers them on each succeeding anniversary with floral tributes and
appropriate ceremonies. On that tragic day were shattered and scattered
many hopes for that growing city. Perhaps the future may unfold a brighter
page in her history.
COTTAGE HILL CEMETERY.
Cottage Hill Cemetery Association was chartered in February, 1891.
The charter members were P. T. Vickery, James Clark, C. G. Thomas, John
L. Nichols. Samuel Lamereaux, M. H. Gilbert, John Sisco, John Paul, Jackson
432 M VRSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Thomas, Margaret McDonald. Sylvester Hartman, Charles Powel, L. R.
Kistler, George R. Kistler, Joseph Green, A. M. Sherwood, Reuben Fuller.
C. J. Nugent, Robert Dockerty, Otto F. Hohn, John Swanson and Ben Lam-
ereaux. The officers were: President. John Paul; secretary. M. H. Gilbert;
treasurer. John Sisco. This cemetery ljeing in such a prominent part of
Cottage Hill, the entire township is interested in it, and they pride themselves
on the beautifying ami upkeep of the grounds. It is the best kept and prettiest
cemetery in any country place in Marshall county.
The present board are : C. G. Thomas, president ; Roger Pischney, secre-
tary; John Sisco, treasurer; executive committee, Herman Anderson. Frank-
Paul, M. M. Rice. These officers have an endowment fund of more than
twelve hundred dollars, drawing interest. The interest is used to keep the
cemetery in excellent condition.
MARSHALL COUNTY AND THE WORLDS FAIR.
Marshall county was represented at the World's Columbian Exposition
at Chicago in 1893.
Entries were made in the agricultural department by George Binder, of
Waterville, wheat; William Kossow, Marvsville. oats; F. M. Spangler,
millet.
Awards were made to W. \Y. Eddy, for best winter wheat; Gotlieb
Adam, best red winter wheat: J. L. Johnson, best hard winter wheat; A.
Anderson, best hard winter wheat; J. B. Ilammett. Schroyer, best yellow
ear corn.
Mrs. Josie Furman exhibited an oil painting of Perry Hutchinson's mill.
.Miss Mamie Schroyer exhibited an oil painting of Alcove Springs. The
ladies of Irving exhibited a rug. which was afterwards sent to the old ladies'
reel at Leavenworth.
ok ISSHOPFERS.
The year i S7.4 was one of severe droughl and the prevailing wind was
from the southwest. On Sunday. August 23, the wind changed to the north
and with it came myriads of grasshoppers. They were so plentiful that they
created a haze in the atmosphere. They literally devoured every green thing.
except peach leaves. It is impossible to describe the numbers, or to tell the
damage. Corn, tomatoes, beets, onions, wheat— every living thing was
stripped, and then they began on hoard and picket fences and OB hoe and
rake handles.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 433
The marks could be plainly seen for years afterward. The sides of
buildings were literally covered with them. West of Marysville, the train
had to pull up a steep grade and the hoppers frequently were so thick on the
track that it was impossible to proceed until the track was sanded. Every
possible device for their destruction was employed, but to no avail. Finally.
a scourge broke out among them and they perished from the effects of the
sting. The few which escaped this enemy disappeared.
People were greatly depressed, not only on account of losses, but be-
cause of dread of a reappearance of the plague. But they have never reap-
peared in such numbers as in that terrible grasshopper year.
It makes one shudder to picture anything so terrible, so appalling and so
pathetic. It is almost impossible for the human mind to realize the awful
devastation of crops and vegetation that befell the states of Kansas and
Nebraska that year.
The settlers were greatly amazed as, looking into the blue depths of
the cloudless sky, in the direction of the blazing sun, they saw that the air
was full of living organisms.
It was the invasion of the locust or grasshopper. At first, one here
and there would alight : but in a short time, the host was so great as to cover
all the fields and outnumber the people, millions to one. There was a bounti-
ful prospect that vear and the undesirable hosts lit on the corn fields riddling
them in a few hours and as the ears were in the milk stage, the loss was
very apparent.
Gardens and orchards went just as fast as the cornfields. The first set-
tlers used to cultivate "homestead tobacco" and the prospect had been very
good with its long and broadly streaming leaves — even that went just as
fast. Onions, beets and carrots were devoured to the roots. The forest
trees were defoliated in a few days. And what was the result of this great
calamity which visited this unfortunate state. In the autumn of 1874 there
was a continual tide of "prairie schooners," returning from the West, pour-
ing through the highways and byways out of the desolated country, going
East.
When asked. "Whither bound," the answer invariably was, "Going
back to old Missouri"; "To old Mizzoo", or "Back to God's country." Some
even had written on their wagon covers, "Busted; back to Missouri." And
they certainlv looked as though they were busted — this stream of humanity
pouring over what is now the ocean to ocean highway. Their outfits were
(28)
434 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
ragged and forlorn and they themselves looked anxious and forsaken. Many
"I them were ouartered and fed tree of charge, owing to their needy circum-
stances.
FIRST HOMESTEAD PATENT GRANTED.
Marshall county has the distinction of having been the home of the
man who held the first homestead patent ever granted. This man was Daniel
Donahy. The land which he homesteaded is in Pottawatomie county, hut
only a half mile south of the Marshall county line, being the southwest quar-
ter of section 2, township 6, range g. Mr. Donahy also owned the quarter
just north of this homestead and a section just north of that in Mar-
shall county. As soon as he had proved up on his homestead he moved into
Marshall county, where lie continued to reside until his death. The land then
parsed into the hands of his eldest son, Daniel Donahy, who still owns all of it.
Hettie Magill. daughter of Judge Magill, one of the original memhers
of the Palmetto Town Company, was the first white child born on the town-
site of Palmetto. This lady is now Mrs. Daniel Kellev. of Kansas City,
Kansas.
"tremble."
■'Whereas. Lewis Twombly has at his own expense and at a cost of
about $1,000, erected a good and sufficient bridge across the Vermillion
branch of the Big Blue river at the crossing of the Independence ami Cali-
fornia road, it was enacted that Lewis Twombly should have exclusive right
t<> the benefits and profits of toll for a period of live years." i Statutes. Kan.
Terr.. 1S55. p. -71.)
fhe name of Lewis Twombly is spelled by F. G. Adams as Tremble,
and in "Marshall County Clippings" (Vol. 3. p. -'71 as Tromley. His ford
was said to be located at the Elizabeth crossing of the Vermillion, between
Langdon's mill and Barrett's mill.
TRAGEDIES.
Manx dark deeds of frontier life are hidden from the historian by the
lapse of time. Violence was common, and for some crimes, retribution did
not always wait for "the strong arm of the law."
Horse stealing was ;i crime, which it was tacitly understood would be
summarily dealt with and a certain elm tree that stood near the northeast
corner of the city park, south of O. \Y. French's house, Marysville, was
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 435
the gallows upon which more than one guilty wretch paid the penalty of
his crime.
The first record of the action of "Judge Lynch" is reported in the Big
Blue Union of October 15, 1864. E. C. Manning, the editor, published the
following' :
"A LOYAL MAN MURDERED BY A TRAITOR.
"SUMMARY RETRIBUTION.
"A WARNING.
"It is our painful duty as journalists to record the assassination of a
most worthy citizen, and the execution of his murderer.
"Last Saturday evening the citizens of our town were startled by the
report of a pistol shot, and on investigation found a loyal, peaceable, law-
abiding citizen weltering in his blood, in front of our court house, while in
the grasp of the officers was his murderer, defiant still, though knowing the
penalty of his crime.
"During the day a man named Goisney was observed to be trying to pro-
voke a quarrel. He was avoided as he was known to be quarrelsome.
There had been a political meeting during the afternoon and Goisney was
heard to threaten to shoot any man who would not vote for McClellan. Later
in the evening he attempted to get into the court house, where there was to
have been a dance, when Henry Agle, who is the constable of the township,
took hold of Goisney and told him to keep quiet and that he could not go
into the court house.
"A scuffle ensued during which Goisney drew a revolver and, just at
this juncture, Mr. Patrick Casey came up for the purpose of helping Henry
Agle, who had called for help, when Goisney pointing his pistol at Agle
and firing, exclaimed, 'Take that.' Casey fell dead, the ball having entered
his neck under the left ear, passing out on the opposite side. Mr. Casey
died instantly without uttering a word or sound. The murderer was imme-
diately carried to jail and ironed. During the night the guard was awak-
ened by a large crowd of men who took the prisoner and hanged him upon
a tree near town. The next morning the body was taken down, a coroner's
inquest held and the body was carried out to the prairie and buried.
"On Monday the remains of poor Casey were buried with military
honors. A large concourse of citizens attended to pay the last tribute of
respect to a good man, a worthy citizen, a faithful friend and an affectionate
husband and father. Patrick Casev had been a soldier and served as ser-
436 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
geant; had avowed patriotic and loyal principles, and for this he met his
death at the hands of a disloyal traitor."
MURDERED TOR HIS GOLD.
During the year i860 a train of soldiers, emigrants, and gold seekers
was returning from the West. The party cani]>ed on the grounds of the
present city park. In the evening a number of the men came up town to a
saloon, which was kept on the spot where White Brothers' store is now
located. They drank heavily and one man in the company a German, dis-
played a pouch of gold. Later, the German was seen to leave the saloon with
a man who seemed soher. Nothing was thought of the matter at the time.
During the forenoon of the following day some hunters came into the
same saloon and reported the finding of the body of a man in the creek.
There had been a light fall of snow during the night and the footsteps of the
two men were traced to the spot on Spring creek, where the body of the man
had been found. The body was quickly identified by a number of men who
had seen him in the saloon displaying his gold.
The train was followed, stopped and the men in charge informed of
the murder. The German had not been missed from the party, but suspicion
fell on the man who left the saloon with him on the previous night. A search,
was made and the man was found concealed in one of the wagons. The
entire train returned to Marysville. A short trial was held without judge
or jury anil the only witnesses were the lifeless body and the confessed mur-
derer.
A short consultation, a trip to the elm tree on Spring creek, two graves,
one on the prairie and one in the cemetery on the hill, and the train moved
eastward.
The gold, a watch and a letter giving name and address were sent to
the dead man's people.
That night the whole matter was thoroughly discussed in the saloon and
it was unanimously decided that justice had been done.
HORSE THIEF BANGED.
The following stor) was told the writer by a prominent pioneer: "There
was a gang of horse thieves operating through Marysville and some good
horses had been stolen. One night I lost a tine mare and the next da) a
crowd of us started in search. We found the thief with my mare and
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 437
another southeast of Waterville, hiding in the brush on a creek. We put
the fellow on a lead horse, tied his hands and started for Marysville. It
was just coming day when we reached Spring creek and the thief began to
quarrel because we refused to untie his hands. He was told to keep still,
whereupon he kicked the horse viciously. We were tired of him any way,
and one of the men had a long rope halter, and we left him hanging to the
elm tree."
Later the tree was cut down, but that fact did not prevent the meting
out of swift punishment to the criminal.
The passing of the years, the civilizing influences of the school, the pulpit
and the press had awakened the sense of allowing legal processes to govern
criminal action, when a dastardly murder aroused the people of the city, and
this time the new bridge over Spring creek became the means of sending a
guilty man out of the world.
THE PENNINGTON MURDER.
Mr. and Mrs. Pennington lived alone on a farm in Wells township and
found it necessary to keep a hired man. They employed a stranger who
proved very helpful to them on the farm. He had been in their employ about
two weeks when, one day, a neighbor going to the Pennington home, dis-
covered the murdered bodies of both these good people. The crime was
traced to the hired hand, he was apprehended in Nebraska and brought to
Marysville and confined in the old jail.
He was brought to trial, found guilty and, while awaiting sentence, a
body of masked men went to the jail about midnight and took the murderer
to Spring creek bridge and hanged him.
Dastardly as was the crime, and with no doubt of the man's guilt, yet
the manner of his death was felt to be a lingering remnant of barbarism.
It was the opinion of all that "Judge Lynch" had had his time and that
thereafter the law would be respected.
It was the passing of the old frontier spirit and the dawning of a better
way. Since that time law and order have prevailed in a larger measure and
every man is allowed his "day in court."
THE MURDER OF UNDER-SHERIFF BATTERSON.
In April, 1898, bold burglaries were committed in Vermillion and Blue
Rapids. The members of a gang, James S. Dalton, Ed Royal and Tom
Taylor were apprehended and placed in the old jail at Marysville. Charley
438 U \RSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Batterson was under-sheriff for Sheriff Huff, and in order to keep close guard
over the prisoners, had a cot placed in the corridor and slept there.
The prisoners managed to loosen the rivets in the clasp of the door
between the cell room and the sheriff's office, also to reduce the heads of
the staple which held the padlock to Dalton's cell, so that the staple could he
pushed out and thus release the door. A city election had been held that day
and Batterson had been down town to get election returns. Coming home a
little late he lay down on the cot and fell asleep. Dalton had wrenched an
iron slat from the cot in his cell, and as the door was loose he soon opened it.
and also the door to the corridor, and with the slat beat Batterson into insen-
sibility. He then took the keys of the jail opened the doors of the cell in
which Taylor and Royal were and opened the outer door and all escaped.
Batterson lived a few days, but never regained consciousness.
Dalton enlisted under an assumed name in the United States army and
went to the Philippines. St. Claire Guthrie, Sr., was elected sheriff of Mar-
shall county and determined to bring Dalton to justice. He learned that
Dalton's mother lived in Indiana and knew that sooner or later she would
have a letter from her son. Detectives were put on guard.
During Dalton's absence he did not write to his mother, but on returning
to San Antonio, Texas, he wrote to her and the letter was intercepted by the
authorities. After four years of freedom, in 1902. Dalton was again incar-
cerated in the cell from which he escaped.
He was tried and sentenced for life to Lansing. Under the wardenship
of W. II. Haskell, Dalton was made clerk in the "Bertillon" room and soon
became very expert. Gov. W. 1\. Stubbs paroled him and made him Bertillon
clerk at Hutchinson state reformatory.
So the man who brutally murdered Charley Batterson, is now a salaried
state official, on parole from the Kansas state penitentiary.
CHAPTER XXII.
Sidelights on Marshall County History.
FREMONT S EXPEDITION.
Gen. John C. Fremont in his report of the expedition of 1842, says:
"I had collected at St. Louis, Missouri, twenty-one men, principally Creoles
and Canadian voyageurs, who had become familiar with prairie life in the
service of the fur companies in the Indian country.
"Mr. Charles Preuss, a native of Germany, was my assistant in the
topographical part of the survey. L. Maxwell, of Kaskaskia, had been
engaged as hunter, and Christopher Carson, more familiarly known as Kit
Carson, guide. In addition to these, Henry Brant, son of Colonel J. B.
Brant, of St. Louis, a young man nineteen years of age, and Randolph, a
lively boy of twelve, son of Hon. Thomas H. Benton, accompanied me."
On June 19, 1842, Fremont writes: "Longitude 96 degrees, 14'-
49": latitude 39 degrees, 30'-4o". (Near the southeast corner of county.)
"The morning of the 20th was fine with a southerly breeze and a bright
sky ; and at seven o'clock we were on the march. The country today was
rather more broken, rising still, and covered everywhere with siliceous lime-
stone, particularly on the summits where they were small, and thickly strewn
as pebbles on the shore of the sea. We crossed at ten a. m., the Big Ver-
million, which has a rich bottom of about a mile in breadth, one-third of
which is occupied by timber. Making our usual halt at noon, after a day's
march of twenty-four miles, we reached the Big Blue, and encamped on the
uplands on the western side, near a small creek, where was a fine, large spring
of very cold water. This is a clear and handsome stream, about one hun-
dred and twenty feet wide, running with a rapid current through a well-
timbered valley. Today, antelope were seen running over the hills, and at
evening Carson brought us a fine deer. Longitude of the camp 96 degrees —
32'"35"; latitude 39 degrees — 4S'-35"; thermometer at sunset 75 degrees."
The commonly accepted statement that General Fremont camped for
44° MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
clays at Alcove Springs and that he lost some soldiers there by death from
cholera, is not borne out by the published report made by Fremont t<> the
war department.
This report also states that he did not lose any men by death on
the trip. The men who accompanied him were not enlisted men in the
service of the government, but were hired for the trip, except the two boys
who accompanied him for love of adventure. The spring was on the old
Schmver home farm and is still a living spring.
MORMON MF.AXDERINGS.
One of the great movements in the West was the exodus of the Mor-
mons in [846 from east of the Missouri river to Great Salt Lake. Thou-
sands of those exiled "saints" crossed at the Independence Crossing and in
time the name "Mormon Crossing", was applied to it.
For more than two years these people traveled this trail under all sort<
of conditions. By ox team, wagon team, on foot and on horseback: some
witli all their worldly belongings heaped in wheel-barrows and pushcarts;
others with bundles on their backs, all with eager, even anxious faces turned
towards "the promised land". This vast concourse of people, not less than
seventy-five thousand, entered what is now Marshall county, near the south-
east corner of the county, traveled in a northwestern direction, and near
where Barrett is now located, crossed the Vermillion and followed the trail
to the crossing on the Big Blue, as seen by the picture.
When the river was swollen, the travellers camped on its banks until
the water subsided. Hundreds of wagons and people were sometimes gath-
ered there and about Alcove Springs, where there was always a plentiful
supply of pure cold water. It was a motley crowd, hastening from the fer-
tile Valley of the Blue westward to the great American desert.
The ill-fated Doimer party followed this trail in 184!) and left a lonely
grave on the hillside, a silent testimony of the hardships of pioneer life.
So the great mass of restless humanity surged westward. The Indian
trader, the gold meeker, the adventurer and the explorer as well as those
seeking homes, all "hit the trail", and crossed the Big Blue river in what
afterwards became Marshall county.
THE OVERLAND STACE.
The exodus of the Mormons and the discovery of gold in California.
necessitated the establishment of a mail route across the count rv.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 441
The first contract was let to Samuel H. Woodson, of Independence,
Missouri, which was an old point and which soon became very prominent
during the days of the Overland mail.
In 1859 up to June 30th, there were no less than six different routes for
carrying the mail to and from California. The route which traversed Mar-
shall county was known as the Central-Overland-California line. The fare
across the continent was one hundred dollars in gold.
At that time Marysville, one hundred miles west of the Missouri river,
was almost at the outskirts of civilization and was the last town of conse-
quence on the Overland route between Atchison and Denver.
SOME NOTABLE TRAVELLERS.
Among the men who traversed Marshall county by the Overland stage,
and crossed the Big Blue at Marysville, were Ben Holladay, the owner of
the stage line: Albert D. Richardson, war correspondent for the New York
Tribune; Schuyler Colfax, Colonel Thomas Knox, who had gone around
the world for the New York Herald; Mark Twain, Gen. P. E. Connor,
United States commandant at Great Salt Lake: Richard J. Hinton, Bayard
Taylor, Bishop E. S. Janes, of the Methodist Episcopal church ; Fargo,
Cheney and Barney, great express men : Jim Bridger, famous scout ; Russell,
Majors and Waddell, noted transportation men; Artemus Ward, scores of
army officers and scouts ; senators and representatives from the great West ;
delegates to Congress from the western territories ; prominent Mormon lead-
ers from Utah, and hundreds of others. The trail across the state was worn
"as smooth and hard as a floor", according to an old military man who
traveled it.
THE OKETO CUT-OFF.
Some differences existing between Holladay and the town of Marys-
ville, a cut-off of thirty-five miles was talked of by the stage authorities, to
run northwesternly from Guittard's via Oketo across the Otoe Indian reserva-
tion, leaving Marysville to the south.
To forestall this a new road was laid out from Marysville to Seneca,
leaving Guittard's a few miles to the north. It was hoped to induce the
freighters to travel this road but the plan did not succeed.
All these plans and schemes only served to augment the existing ill will
and, finally, Holladay opened up the road and about the middle of October,
442 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
[£62, the Overland stage began traveling the Oketo cut-oft'. Before this
change Marvsville had a tri-weeklv mail. For a montli afterward tlie people
were without mail.
MAIL SERVICE DISCONTINUED.
Finally, a man was engaged to carry a tri-weeklv mail, from Guittard.
Later, that was cut to a semi-weekly jyjd again to once a month. A vigor-
ous remonstrance was sent in. and then the mail was discontinued. This
was unbearable and ih time the mail service was restored and a carrier
delivered mail regularly.
There was had feeling between Oketo and Marvsville. One stormy
nighl the ferry was cut louse from its moorings which was a serious damage
to the stage company. But it was not the end of the trouble. Crossings
were torn up, ditches dug and some shooting affrays took place. Holladay
had placed J. II. Whitehead in charge of the Oketo station, and although
some historians state that the Oketo cut-off (which had become quite famous),
was discontinued by Holladay after four months, Mrs. Lee Holloway, who
was formerly Mrs. J. H. Whitehead, declares positively that Holladay did
not discontinue the use of this cut-off until the Overland stage was finally
abandoned by reason of the building of the railroad to Grand Island, Nebraska.
Certain it is that the matter culminated, because one dark and stormy
night the stage with a United States general as a passenger, was plunged
into a ditch and the officer given a shaking up.
When he was told of the bad feeling and depredations, he at once wrote
to the commanding officer at Ft. Leavenworth and had troops sent out to
protect the Overland mail line. In a few days a detachment of the Third
Wisconsin Cavalf) arrived at .Marvsville and peace was restored and in time
the stages again drove through Marvsville.
Many old frontiersmen and freighters declared that the route through
Marvsville was the better. It was an old-established military highway across
the plains to Salt Lake City and California, and was one of the most important
Stage and wagon roads in the country.
THE PRICE OF OBSTINACY.
The establishment of the cut-off had cost Ib'lladav at least fifty thou-
sand dollars and the people of Marvsville were caused some losses. Both
parties at last learned the value of forbearance.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 443
There was much rejoicing among the stage employees and the citizens
of the town, when the old Concord coach again dashed into town and pulled
up in front of the Barrett hotel.
A pioneer stage driver of the Overland stage was Con Smith, who
resided for many years near Irving. Smith once drove from Boonville to
Tipton, Missouri. Later, he drove- on the Butterfield stage line from Ft.
Smith, Arkansas, to Sherman, Texas.
In 1861 he came to St. Joseph and drove for Holladay. His drive was
from Guittard's Station to Hollenberg, the first station west of Marysville.
In 1862 he enlisted in Company H, Seventh Kansas and served until 1865,
when he again entered the employ of Holladay and drove until he finally
"threw down the lines" and began farming. A man of sterling integrity
and great physical courage, he was a well-respected citizen of this county.
THE PONY EXPRESS.
This was a frontier enterprise of great public importance. The power
behind the throne was the well-known western overland freighter, 'William
H. Russell, of Leavenworth. The route from St. Joseph, Missouri, struck
the old military road at Kennekuk, forty-four miles out, thence it ran in a
northwesterly direction and touched Marshall county at Guittard Station
and Marysville. The first courier of the pony express left the Missouri
river, April 3, at three p. m., and reached Salt L.ake City on the evening of
April 9.
Johnnie Frey, mounted on a swift little black pony, was the carrier.
At the same moment he left St. Joe, Harry Roff left Sacramento on a snow-
white steed and the courier arrived in Salt L.ake City on April 7. These
two boys, neither of whom weighed over one hundred and thirty-five pounds,
were heralds of the great development and civilization which followed.
Russell had two hundred ponies and hundreds of small, Meet horses.
They were distributed along the line from nine to fifteen miles apart. Each
rider was required to ride three animals in succession, covering three stages.
The riders were selected on account of light weight, few weighing over one
hundred and thirty-five pounds. The saddle, bridle and leather pouch used
for the mail were strong and durable, weighing altogether only thirteen
pounds. The most important news transmitted by the pony express from
St. Joe early in 1861 was that the air was filled with rumors of war. In
444 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
the early sixties some letters were sent at a cost of twenty-seven dollars and
sixty cents postage.
Of the eighty daring riders employed on the line at times, forty were
in tlie saddle going cast and forty going west. An average of two hundred
miles was covered every twenty-four hours. The couriers were splendid
types of young men of great courage and power of endurance. They
endeared themselves greatly to the settlers along the routes, who welcomed
the sight of their coming, and watched them depart with a silent prayer for
their safety.
EARLY-DAY ADVERTISING.
The following advertisement copied from the Big, Blue Union of Octo-
ber 15. 1864, indicates one way the pioneer might have passed away an other-
wise dull hour.
"The I. one Star Billiard Saloon. — Keep cool, gentlemen. Take some-
thing like a julep, punch, cobbler, sangaree, cocktail, smash, or lager, in ice,
through a straw, or any other way while you enjoy yourselves at the famous
military game of billiards."
The proprietor evidently did not care to engage in the "famous military
game" then being played, with the life of the nation at stake.
An advertisement in the same issue of the paper is, to say the least, unique.
"American Hotel, Marvsville. Kansas. — 1 have lately purchased the
property known as Barrett's Hotel, in this place, and shall endeavor to keep
a first-class hotel. Hay, corn and oats plenty. J. H. Cottrell, Proprietor."
In the same paper. J. W'icsbach advertises: Dry goods, groceries, boots
and siloes, liquors and tinware and says: "Cash paid for bides, wool and
furs."
T. VV. Water-on advertises an immense stock of dry goods, groceries,
drugs, medicine^, foreign and domestic liquors.
A. E. Lovell notifies bis customers that he has a "full supply of choice
family groceries, including tobacco and candles." In the dry-goods depart-
ment he advertises: "Monkey jackets, hoop skirts, balmorals, nubias,
wamunses, etc." Fashions have changed somewhat in the half century that
has passed.
It is worthy of chronicle that two parties advertising in the paper do
not ofter intoxicating liquors for sale.
THE OLD WHITE STl'MI' SWI.M.MIXC POOL
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 445
Mrs. Sarah Foster advertises "millinery done in the latest style and on
the shortest order."
Gustav Stanss announces to the citizens of the community that he has
opened a blacksmith shop on Broadway and that "he is prepared to do all
kinds of work in his line on reasonable terms and at the shortest notice ; and
hopes by strict attention to business to merit the confidence and patronage
of the public."
The Big Blue Union also carries the advertisement of a man who spent
the remainder of his days in Marysville and was the friend of all who came
to know him.
"Thomas McCoy, boot and shoemaker. — Come along and bring your
feet, I can fit them; don't care if they are as uneven as a tomato, or so ugly
as to make their owner blush. N. B. — I will also repair harness."
In time McCoy became the largest harness dealer in the city. His
unique advertisement appeared in the Marysville papers for a period of
twenty-five years, as follows :
A good broth of a boy is Thomas McCoy,
He lives in Marysville, Kan.,
And those who want tools for horses and mules.
Should call on him quick as they can.
He has saddles and bridles, and collars and whips.
All made with new-fangled invention.
His goods are all made with an eye to the trade,
And to please is his honest intention.
So come in and buy, of this clever McCoy,
And ne'er doubt but your visit will pay.
You'll remember the place, 'tis so easy to trace.
At the west end and south side of Broadwav.
WHITE STUMP SWIMMING HOLE.
The accompanying view will recall pleasant memories to the mind of
every man under forty years of age, who lived in Marysville for any length of
time in boyhood days.
To this shady retreat on Spring creek may be charged countless cases
44n MARSH w.i. COUNTY, k.wsxs.
of truancy, hours of maternal anxiety and "oceans of fun" for the boys, who
during all of those years have promptly and cheerfully responded to the sign
of "two fingers."
The amphibians in the water are William A. Calderhead. Jr., now man-
ager of a \>in cattle ranch in Mexico: Arthur Johnson, well known in Rock
Island railroad circle-;, and Butler Shepard, who was recently on the .Mexican
border with tin.- late General Funston. The boy on the bank must remain
incognito. Suffice it to say he has boys of his own large enough to recognize
the sign of the "two fingers."
STOKY OK GRANDMA KEYES,
On April 14, 184(1. the Donner party left Springfield, Illinois, on their
journey to California. James F. Reed was the originator of the party, and
the Donner brothers, George and Jacob, joined him.
Mrs. Reed's mother, Sarah keyes. was an invalid, seventy-five years
old, hut as Mrs. Reed was her only daughter she refused to be parted from
her and although her sons, Gersham and James W. Keyes. tried to persuade
her to remain with them, she accompanied the party.
Everything possible was planned to make her comfortable for the long
journey ami she improved in health every day until the party reached the
Big Blue river, at the ( >Id Independence crossing, where they found the
river so swollen that they could not cross and were obliged to lie by and
make some rafts. As soon as they stopped traveling. < irandma Keyes began
to fail in health and on the i<)th day of May she died.
Her granddaughter, Virginia (Keyes) Murphy, writing in the Century
Magazine, July, [891, gives this account:
"It seemed hard to bury grandma in the wilderness and travel on and
we were afraid the Indians would destroy her grave, but death here, before
troubles began was providential, and nowhere on the whole road could
wi I ind s, , beautiful a resting place. By this time main- emigrants
had joined our company and all turned out to assist at the funeral.
"A coffin was hewn out of a Cottonwood tree and John Denton, a young
man from Springfield, found a large, gray stone on which he carved in deep
letters the name. 'Sarah Keyes, born in Virginia,1 giving her age and dale
of her birth.
"She was buried under the shade of an oak. the slab being placed at
the fool of the grave, on which were planted wild flowers of the prairie. A
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 447
minister in our party. Rev. A. J. Cornwall, tried to speak words of comfort
as we stood about this lonely grave."
This grave and the slab are on the hill side near Alcove Springs and have
been visited by many people who have not forgotten the story of the death
of Grandma Keyes nor of the ill-fated Donner party. That party, which
left Springfield on that beautiful April morning, suffered to the extreme of
human endurance, only a small number surviving and reaching California.
Among the survivors were James F. Reed and wife, and their four children,
Virginia, Fatty, James and Thomas. Their last hours of real happiness on
the trip were buried in that lonely grave near the Blue river.
A few years ago the granddaughters, Virginia and Patty, wrote to Peter
Schroyer making inquiry concerning the grave and were assured that it had
never been molested. It is hoped that steps will be taken to give this grave
proper marking, so that the dead left with us shall not be forgotten.
THE OLD MUSICIAN.
"Tell me the tales that to me were so dear,
Long, long ago ; long, long ago ;
Sing me the songs I delighted to hear,
Long, long ago ; long, long ago."
From 1869 to 1880 the music best known and most in demand was the
Pecenka .Orchestra. When this orchestra first became known to the dancing
folks in and around Marysville, the orchestra contained but two instruments,
[dim Pecenka. Sr., played a violin and his son John played an accordion.
This old-time instrument has passed beyond the memory of many people,
while the younger generation knows nothing of it: but in those good old
days it was the musical instrument of the settler's cabin, and the accordion
player was classed as a musician and had his place in the orchestral ranks.
Later, as the children of the family advanced in years they took their
places beside the father and the orchestra instrumentation was: Leader and
first violin, John Pecenka, Sr. ; cornet, John Pecenka. Jr.; clarionet, Milos A.
Pecenka: viola, Anton C. Pecenka; second violin, Joseph Sedlacek; accordion,
Joseph A. Sedlacek.
This was the group of Bohemian musicians known as the Pecenka
Orchestra and, while the members were all musicians of rank, the central
figure was the leader with his rich-toned violin.
To the many gav dancers who listened to its strains, it meant only the
44's MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
waltz, schottische or quadrille, to which restless feet beat broken time and
plunged waveringly from cue tune to another, giving no thought to composer
or interpreter. But to the old musician it meant the day when he was "1.1
enough to draw the bow or finger the strings. It meant his first trembling
attempts at the melodies of Dvorak. Smetena and. in later years, the stately
mi ides and chants of St. Gregory. It meant the home of his youth and early
manhood, with its lares and penates. It meant his native land, with its
legend of hill and vale, from which he had parted, never more to breathe its
flower-laden air or press with gentle footstep the sacred soil, where slept his
ancestors.
DISASTER l oi. I.ows NIGHT OF PLEASURE.
One night the orchestra had been playing for a dance in Waterson's
hall in Marysville, and the night had worn almost till morn, when the strains
of "I lomc. Sweet Home." gave notice of the final waltz and 1 'ecenka with his
violin left the hall. The night was dark and stormy and rain was falling.
Pecenka placed the violin carefully wrapped in a grain sack in the back part
of the wagon and covered it with louse hay. Pecenka with his son, John,
were about to start on their homeward drive, when John discovered he had
left his music rack in the hall and returned for it. During his absence the
father tied the team and stepped into the stairway out of the rain. The
team, restless from the cold and the late hour, broke loose and ran down the
street. Someone, who recognized the "gray and bay" team, jumped into
the back 'f the wagon and stopped the runaways and tied them at the foot
Broadway. Pecenka's first thought was of his violin and he soon came
t" the team and hastily reached for the sack under the hay. Alas, it rattled
like bones and the hallowed wood was stilled.
The friend who had intercepted the runaway team, had stepped on his
instrument and crushed the plate and sides into splinters. The heart of
Pecenka was pierced with anguish and tears fell from his eyes. His precious
violin, dear to him as a child, was ruined. Across the sea in his childh 1
home, in sunny, music-loving Bohemia, he had taken his first lesson from a
master musician on that beloved instrument. On the voyage he had charmed
the passengers on the steamer with its sweet strains and had solaced his
family and friends during the lonely, dangerous hours of the eight weeks
voyage. In Chicago he made it speak to men and women of his own nativity
in the music of the homes they had left beyond the sea. In Iowa it had helped
to earn maintenance for the growing family. ( >n the prairies of Kansas,
the first nighl in the state, he had played for a future governor while the
LONE GRAVE CEMETERY.
•■■■■'- ■ ■,
■
II
GRAVE OF GRANDMA SARAH KEYES.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 449
children danced with happiness on the grass. And now maimed and crushed,
it lay at his feet.
With broken heart Pecenka gathered together the fragments of his idol.
One ray of hope illumined his despair and as day broke over the eastern hills
he rapped at the door of his friend, Fred Baeuerle, the cabinet-maker.
Baeuerle had fingers that worked magic in wood. Perhaps he could repair
the violin.
PECENKA HIMSELF AGAIN.
A few weeks later a group of men were gathered in Matthias Bendel's
saloon when Pecenka entered with his violin in the sack, under his arm. He
dropped into a chair and with trembling fingers untied the strings and took
out the instrument. Slowly he raised it, lovingly rested it against his face
and, with a gentle stroke, he brought the bow across the strings. The tone
came back sweet and true as of old.
Strong men were in the group, but none felt ashamed of the tears that
moistened their eyes as the old musician wept. Some one handed him a
foaming glass and soon, his composure returned, he rendered with skilful
touch the sweet strains of the "Divci Rozmar" (The Maiden's Waltz.)
Then came other favorites — "The Dnesni" (Of This Day) waltz and the
vivacious polonaise. Occasionally, while Pecenka resined his bow, the group
partook of refreshments and the musician was not forgotten.
It was Saturday afternoon and as was usual everybody had come to
town. Bendel's saloon was the favorite haunt of a number of congenial
souls and among those gathered there that afternoon were: Fritz Baeuerle,
the Schwabian cabinet-maker, who had restored the instrument : John Kempf,
the village blacksmith; a soldier from Schwabia ; Tom McCoy, the jolly
harness-maker from old Erin; Jo»Kelley, of the same nativity: Louis Wyl,
a French soldier : Henry Schell, a farmer, musician and a Union soldier ;
Anton Huber, a Badenese revolutionist of 1848; George Wohlwend, a soldier
of the Swiss Sonderbund War; James McClosky, a Scotchman and pioneer;
Robert Boehme, a homesteader, highly educated, of the aristocracy of Silesia ;
George Bachoritch, a Hungarian soldier, also a Union soldier; Romeo B.
Werner, an Austrian nobleman, artist and inventor, and Christ Ruffner, a
Swiss, six feet, four, basso, dugout homesteader, renowned for strength.
Some were seated on rude chairs, some leaned against the wall, others
stood at the bar with foot on rail and glass in hand. Here comrades and
citizens, men from different lands and of various speech, paid tribute to
music, the universal language of mankind.
(29)
450 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
AN IMPROVISED CONCERT.
With a gladness of heart, born of the restoration of his loved violin
after weeks of anxiety, filled with thankfulness thai he was in a land chosen
For its rich opportunities, it- beneficent laws, and for the highest develop-
ment of individual life, here surrounded by congenial friends, his bow
involuntarily brought forth the strain- of "America".
There was a stir in the room, a coming closer together, a clinking of
glasses and then, "God Save the Queen," sang the Irishman. "Heil dir im
Siegerkranz," was the song of the German. "Rufst du mein Vaterland,"
rang oul the voice of the Swiss, while all joined, brokenly and Stumblingly,
but none the less fervently, in the words:
Our father's God, to Thee.
Author of Liberty,
\'i i Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright.
With Freedom's holy light.
Protect us by Thy might.
' ireat God, our King.
Who can tell what magic played upon the heartstrings of these men. as
the music enraptured their very -oul> and bathed them in its harmonies, as
the moonlight bathes the rough mountain crag and makes it radiant. The
m became a picture. By that law which sets men in the same frame of
mind a- the artist, the poet and the musician, the dingy, narrow room will
it- low ceiling became to McCoy and Kelley, the hawthorn-scented lanes of
the Emerald Isle, and they heard afar a"s\veet voice singing, "Come hack
to Erin, Mavourneen, mavourneen." Wyl and Schell were in France, and
again marching in quick time to the inspiring strains of the "Marsellaise."
Ruffner and Wohlwend heard the cry of the yodeler From the mountain top
and. from the valley below, the unconquerable spirit of t-iberty resounded
in the Kureihen.
The moi d of the musician changed, the how swept the strings with mar-
tial fervor and the strains of "hie Wachl am Rhein," resounded through
the room. There were men in that gathering who had served in the Prus-
sian arm) and they were again on the battlefield. The din of musketry, the
roar of cannon, the moans of the dying were in their ears. The\- sang
old war-SOng as they had often voiced it in dead!) warfare. As the words
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 45 1
died away they scarce dared look at one another, so full of emotion were all.
The day had worn to eve and when the glasses clinked for the last time,
memory, libation and music had worked its spell. The dim, ancestral knowl-
edge in men dominated the minds and hearts of all. The old mysticism of
the Rhine with its legends and lore was over them, as the fascinating tones
of "The Lorelei"' pervaded the air. Softly and tenderly they sang,
"Ich weiss nicht was soil es bedeuten,
Dass ich so traurig bin ;
Ein Maerchen aus alten Zeiten,
Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn."
Slowly the group dispersed, going silently from that cheap room, which
for the time being had in imagination, been transformed into scenes of other
lands and other climes. The sun was setting in a blaze of glory as the old
musician turned his footsteps toward his homestead in the golden west.
A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH.
A local paper, published in 1890, carried the following story:
"A Kansas City drummer received a shock at Blue Rapids recently.
When he jumped into the bus at the Union Pacific depot he trilled a
merry little song as he looked on the other passengers. 'It seems to me I've
met you before," he said to the man opposite. 'Isn't your name Eaton?" 'No,
sir, my name is Life." 'Ha, ha! where' s Death?" 'Here, sir, answered the
man at his right. My name is Death." 'Gad, Life and Death!' was his
astonished exclamation. 'And here is the Coffin,' quietly remarked his left-
hand neighbor. 'My name is Coffin." 'My goodness, let me off, I'd rather
walk than ride in such company.' The bus passengers waited in front of
the hotel until the express wagon came ; sure enough there he was humming
his little song. He was informed he had finished his ride with the express
man named Sexton, and in the wagon generally used as a hearse. He was
so overcome he went to bed."
The truth of the tale is vouched for. All the persons whose names are
mentioned, lived in Blue Rapids at one time.
O. W. FRENCH.
Obe French, who was born in Canada in 1844, began blacksmithing in
Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the age of sixteen. He came to Marysville in
45? MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
February, 1S71. where for forty-six consecutive years he has conducted a
blacksmith shop. Many others have come and gone but "Olie" stayed "on
the job". There was no mule too vicious for him to shoe; no day too I
for him to refuse to sharpen the fanner's plow or repair machinery. All of
his work bore evidence of the hand and skill of the master and most of this
was done before the gas engine it electric motor made the trip hammer |
sible.
( > \V. French has stood at the anvil more years than any other man in
the county, if not in the state. I lis familiar face going to and from his work
daily for nearly half a century has been an object lesson in industry to the
generations of boys who knew him. lie served the city as councilman for
many years with the same absolute honesty and efficiency which characterized
his own business. A written history of Marysville for the last forty-six
years, without making mention of "Obe" French, the blacksmith, would be
incomplete.
"Toiling, rejoicing, sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes.
Each morning sees some task begun,
Each evening sees it close.
Something accomplished, something done.
Has earned a night's repose."
GEORGE GUITTARD.
For many years in the history of Marshall county, there were three well-
known points: Frank Marshall's at Marysville, Barrett's, of Barrett Mills,
and Guittard Station
Guittard Station was the first stopping place in the county for the Over-
land stage, and it was a favorite stopping place on the route. The host was
genial and hospitable and an air of gentility pervaded the home life.
George Guittard was horn in Bellemagna, Upper Alsace. France, in
[800. The Guittards were an old French family and heads of the family
had >erved as magistrates for years, one of the name being a member of the
Chamber of Deputies in Napoleon's time. Another came to America with
I.aFayette and served during the Revolutionary War. George Guittard
came to the United States in [833 and with him came his mother, his wife,
Magdelena, nee Thomann, and their four sons, George, Jr., Francis, Joseph
and Xavier; also Mrs. Guittard's brother. Thomann and family and their
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 453
aged parents. They were one hundred and three days on the ocean, suffered
much hardship and food" went scarce. They landed in Baltimore, where Mr.
Guittard's mother died from the effects of the voyage, as did also Francis, a
young son. Mr. Guittard found employment in factories in Philadelphia,
New York and Xewark, and finally started a factory of his own.
ATTRACTED TO THE WEST.
The story of land in the new territory in the West, attracted him and in
1857 they came to St. Joseph by rail and boat. They purchased an ox team
and wagon and coming to Marshall county settled on section 4, township 2,
range 9. on June 4, 1857.
A tent served for a dwelling place until a log house was built. The
Guittards and Thomann families suffered the privations incident to pioneer
life. Settlements were few and far between, and the members of the family
spoke mainly the French language.
Roving bands of Indians often molested them and stole from the scanty
store. But they were of the sterling French type and by thrift and good
management they soon prospered. The father and sons each took up land,
making a section in all.
In 1858 a road was opened up from Ash Point in Nemaha county to
Marysville, cutting off about fifteen miles of the old military road that ran
by Robidoux station, which was situated at the crossing of the main fork of
the Black Vermillion. This turned the travel toward Guittard's, and soon
the place was named Guittard Station and became a landmark in the territory
and throughout the country.
When Ben Holladay assumed control of the Overland stage line, George
Guittard was one of his most trusted agents and many times received from
Holladay substantial tokens of his esteem.
ACTIVE IN COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
In early organization of the county Mr. Guittard took an active part in
advancing the public interest. He assisted when the county was organized
into townships and Guittard township was named in honor of her first and
best citizen. Mr. Guittard was one of the early county commissioners. He
was a man of refined and gentle, but forceful, character and upright in all
ways. He lived to be "of old age and full of honor". He died on March
5, 1881, and his devoted wife followed him on June 6, 1892. They are
454 MARSHALL COUNTY, K.\.\s\s.
buried in the cemetery at Beattie, where a hands., me monument has been
erected over the resting place of these two worthy pioneers by their si
Xavier. On the monument is inscribed a short and fitting history of their
eventful lives.
All mi' Mr. Guittard's family were born in France. Francis died in
Philadelphia; George, Jr., is buried in the same lot with his parents. At last
accounts, Joseph was living in St. Funis; Xavier, in St. Joseph. Xavier
Guittard was the oldest continuous postmaster in the state, having served
from t86l to [901, when the office was taken up by a rural mail route.
W. A. CALDERHEAD, or MARYSVILLE.
William Alexander Calderhead was horn in Ferry county, Ohio, the
eldest -on of Rev. E. B. Calderhead and Martha Boyd Wallace. He attended
Franklin College, New Athens. Ohio, at the age of sixteen and when eighteen
years old. in [862, he enlisted in Company 11. One Hundred and Twenty-sixth
Ohio Infantry, lie was discharged on June _•; '. 1865.
Calderhead was admitted to the bar in 1875 and in 1879 came to Marys-
ville. where he has since resided. He was elected count} attorney in [888,
serving two years and was for several years clerk of the hoard of education.
He was elected to the Fifty-fourth Congress b) the elector, of the fifth
congressional district of Kansas in the year [894. In 1896 he was defeated
for election, because of his unwavering stand for the gold standard, being
the only member of Congress from Kansas who held for sound money.
In 1898 he was again elected and continued to serve the district through
the Fifty-sixth, Fifty-seventh, Fifty-eighth, Fifty-ninth. Sixtieth and Sixty-
first Congresses. Mr. Calderhead was for many years a member of the
committee on invalid pensions and assisted largely in the beneficient pension
legislation which the veterans now enjoy, lie was a member of the ways
and means committee which gave the country the Payne-Aldrich Tariff
hill. He has always been a sound-money, protective-tariff Republican. A
matt of earnest conviction, a brilliant lawyer, with greal political sagacity,
Mr. Calderhead has hosts of friends who enjoy his tine presence and great
perse ,nal charm.
Marshall county is his home, and he loves the county and her people, who
have si, many times demonstrated their faith in him. and devotion to his
interests.
HON. W. A. CALDERHEAD.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
455
G. H. HOLLENBERG.
G. Henry Hollenberg was born in the province of Hanover, Germany,
December 19, 1823. In 1849 the discovery of gold in California induced
him to sail for this country. He lived three years in California accumulating
some money, then sailed for Australia. He was successful in mining ven-
tures there and with sixty-five others went to Peru, South America. He
suffered great hardships in crossing a branch of the Amazon river and the
Andes mountains, and in fighting Indians. The adventure not proving suc-
cessful, Mr. Hollenberg went to New York, via the Isthmus of Panama.
In 1854 he came to Marshall county and settled on the Black Vermillion,
near what is now the town of Bigelow. There he kept a general store at the
ford of the old Independence and California trail, and did a thriving busi-
ness besides carrying on farming. On May 15, 1858, he was married to
Sophia Brockmeyer and that same year moved to Washington county and
established Cottonwood ranch, which became a stopping point for the Over-
and stage. Later he assisted largely in the development of Washington
county and in founding the city of Hanover, which was named for his
native city, and the town of Hollenberg, which bore his name. In politics
he was a stanch Republican and in 1857 cast one of the two free-state votes
which were cast in Marshall county.
Mr. Hollenberg was a member of the Lutheran church, a man of
sterling integrity of character, of great kindness, public-spirited and gen-
erous. He served three terms as a member of the Kansas Legislature and
several terms as county commissioner.
In 1874 he was appointed emigrant consul and sailed for Hanover on
the steamer "Bolivia" from New York on July 1, 1874. He was taken
with a severe hemorrhage of the lungs and lived but four hours. He was
buried at sea on the following day, the captain reading the burial service.
He left a large estate.
Mrs. Hollenberg later married Judge William Kalhoefer, of Hanover,
Kansas. Mr. Ernest Thiele. of Hanover, and George W. Thiele, of Wash-
ington, Kansas, are nephews of Mr. and Mrs. Hollenberg.
George W. Thiele was the first white child born in Marshall county,
and close friendships have always existed between the Hollenberg, Brock-
meyer and Thiele families and people of Marshall county.
456 MARSHALL COUNTY, K.\.\-\<.
L ENVOI.
"The old order changeth, yielding place to new,
And God fulfills Himself in many ways."
History must be written and read with the thought that the mind of
one is the mind of all. It i-* nol to be regarded as a 'Shallow tale." but as
the record of the motives and deeds of men and women.
The story of human life is quick with interest. The same hope- and
fears, ambitions and longings dwell within the hearts of all. Sorrow is a
common heritage.
"Never morn wore to eve hut some heart did break."
Marshall comity, within its circumscribed limits, holds the pregnant
story of humanity. On its soil have heen enacted scenes of courage and
comfort, of fortitude and faith, of life and death. The evolution of the
county from prairie and plain to field and farm has heen worthy of a people
who have so marvelously stood the tot of efficiency and virtue.
The historian and the playwright differ. When the actors have spoken
their final lines, the curtain falls, the lights are dimmed, the play is over.
But the historian — when the last page is written and the book about to
close, may cry. with fair Portia,
"Tarry a little: There is something more."
tfl
6
r
-e-i
MRS. F. G . BEP.'"
BIOGRAPHICAL
FRED G. BERGEN.
Fred G. Bergen, one of the well-known and successful business men of
Summerfield, Marshall county, and the efficient cashier of the State Bank of
that place, was born in Galesburg, Illinois, on June 13, 1865, the son of
George I. and Maria S. (Field) Bergen.
The bank of which Air. Bergen is the cashier, was organized in 1889
with a capital stock of twenty-five thousand dollars. The organizers were
John Gilchrist, R. M. Schriver, C. J. Schriver and Andrew J. Felt, since
which time the personnel of the stockholders has been changed. The bank
has been well managed and has met with much success and is today the third
largest bank in Marshall county. With a capital stock of twenty-five thou-
sand dollars and a surplus of fifteen thousand dollars, the institution is recog-
nized as one of the strong banks of this section of the state and one in which
the people have great confidence, which is demonstrated by the fact that there
is now over three hundred thousand dollars on deposit. The present officers
are: President, William F. Orr; vice-president, George Craven; second vice-
president, Andrew Nestor; cashier, Fred G. Bergen, and assistant cashier,
James A. Ffamler. The bank owns its own banking house, which was erected
in 1889 and is one of the substantial structures of the city.
George I. Bergen was born in 1827 and died in 1869; his wife, Maria
S. (Field) Bergen, was born in 1824 and died in 1866. Mr. Bergen was a
successful manufacturer of army boots and the inventor of the famous
Brown's corn planter. Me was a friend of Abraham Lincoln and it was
Lincoln who joined in marriage his sister and A. L. Scoville. Maria S.
(Field) Bergen was a member of the Field family, of which Marshall Field
and Cyrus W. Field were representatives.
His parents having died when he was but a child, Fred G. Bergen was
reared by James Compton, of Augusta, Illinois. He remained with the
45's MARSHALL CO! MV. KANSAS.
( iompton family until he was nineteen years of age and received the advan-
tages of a good common- ami high-school education. In 1884, at the age of
nineteen years, lie came t" Seneca, Kansas, and engaged in the study of law
with ( '. C. K. Scoville. He continued his law studies for two years. He
and Mr. Scoville later engaged in the banking business. For fifteen year-.
Mr. Bergen was connected with the Scoville State Bank, when in [900 he
came to Summerfield as cashier of the State Bank of Summerfield. In addi-
tion tn hi- interests in the hank he is the owner of two hundred acre- of land
in Marshall county. He is identified with the Republican party and has ever
taken much interest in local affair- and i- a man of much influence ill that
party'- councils. < In November 7. [916, he was elected to represent his dis-
trict in the state Senate, by a majority of over one thousand six hundred.
While he was yet a resident of the state of Illinois, he was captain of Com-
pany I. Seventh Regiment, Illinois National Guards, at Galesburg. Owing,
to an accident he was unable to continue service. During the Spanish-
American War he raised and drilled a company for Governor Leedy in [898.
Since locating at Summerfield he has served as a member of Governor Bailey's
staff. For five year- he served as treasurer of the Kansas State Banker's
Association and was one of the organizers, and i- now vice-president of his
congressional district of the Banker's Association.
fraternally. Mr. Bergen i- a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons and i- a member of the Summerfield Chapter No. 354. lie i- also
a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of < ><U\ Fellows
and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is active in the Sons of the
American Revolution, his paternal and maternal grandparents having served
in the Revolutionary War. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bergen are active members
of the United Presbyterian church, and Mr. Bergen has been a teacher in the
Sunday school f<>r over ten year-; has served as superintendent for three
years and for two years has been president of the County Sunday School
Association. He gives his best efforts to the work that he undertake-, and
with his commanding personality he meet- with much success, both in organ-
ization and the accomplishment of results. Few men of the county have
assumed greater responsibilities for the development of the moral, social
and financial conditions of the district, than has Mr. Bergen.
On August 5, [889, Fred < >. Bergen was united in marriage to May
Matthew-, the daughter of Mortimer M. Matthew-, one of the early pioneers
of Seneca and for forty-five years surveyor of Nemaha county, Kansas.
Mrs. Bergen is a graduate of the Seneca high school and i- a woman of
considerable culture. Like her husband, she takes much interest in the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 459
religious, social and educational development of the city and district, she has
always been devoted to the interests of her family, and with Air. Bergen is
held in the highest regard and esteem. They are prominent in the social
life of Summertield and consider it a pleasure to entertain their neighbors
and friends. The}- are the parents of three children, Fredrica G., Alary J.
and George I. Fredrica G. is a graduate of the Seneca high school and the
State Normal at Emporia and has had a year in Northwestern University.
She is now a teacher in the primary department of the Topeka, Kansas,
schools. Mary J. is a member of the junior class of the Summerfield high
school and George is also an attendant in the schools of their home city.
WILLIAM W. POTTER.
The Hon. William \Y. Potter, judge of probate for Marshall county and
one of the best-known residents of Marysville, the county seat, is a native
of the state of Illinois, but has been a resident of Kansas and of Marhsall
county since he was fourteen years of age and has consequently been a wit-
ness to and a participant in the development of this county almost since the
days of the pioneers. He was born on a farm near the city of Olney, in
Richland county, Illinois, March 4. 1871, a son of Benjamin F. and Rebecca
( Xeal) Potter, natives, respectively, of Kentucky and Indiana, who came
to Kansas in the early days of the settlement of this part of the state and
settled on a farm in the vicinity of P.eattie. in this county, where Benjamin
F. Potter spent the rest of his life, his death occurring on February JJ, 1907,
and where his widow is still living.
In 1885 Benjamin F. Potter came into Kansas with his family. He
established his home in Guittard township and it was not long until he came
to be recognized as one of the progressive and substantial farmers of that
part of the county. He and his wife were the parents of nine children, of
whom the subject of this biographical sketch was the seventh in order of
birth, the others being as follow: John F., a fanner, living near Frankfort,
this county; Nancy J., wife of David H. Beaver, of Home City; Kate, wife
of J. G Braxton, a farmer, living in the neighborhood of Frankfort; Thomas
A., a farmer, of Blue Mound: Mary M., of Beattie; Emma, wife of Oscar
Halsel, of Frankfort; Lucy, now deceased, was the wife of Daniel S. Thomas,
of Grand Junction, Colorado, and Dr. Harry E. Potter, of Fairburv,
Nebraska.
460 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
William \V. Potter was about fourteen years of age when he came to
Marshall county with his parents in [885 and his schooling was completed
in the district school in the neighborhood of his new home and in the high
a Marysville. Shortly after leaving school lie became employed in
the drug Store of E. 1.. Miller at Marysville and was thus engaged during
the years [890-92, after which he accepted a clerkship in the general store of
Arand & Son. In the spring of [893 he accepted a position as a traveling
salesman for a photographers' supplj house and was thus engaged for ten
years, at the end of which time he took over the management of the home
farm for his father and was thus engaged during the years 1903-08. In
January. [908, he became associated with the Hank of Beattie and was thus
engaged at the time of his election, in the fall of 1910, to the position of
judge of pri hate f<>r .Marshall county. Judge Potter entered upon the duties
of his important office in January, 1011, and so satisfactorily has he dis-
charged the duties of that office that he was re-elected in the successive elec-
tions nf [912-14-16 and is now serving his fourth term as judge of probate.
Judge Potter is a member of the Masonic fraternity and his wife is a mem-
ber of the 1' cal chapter of the Order of the Pastern Star.
On January 9. [908, Judge \V. \V. Potter was united in marriage to
Blanche Burnside, who was born in this county, daughter of Thomas and
Jane ( Ruddy) Burnside, natives, respectively, of Ireland and of the Dominion
of Canada, who settled in this county, becoming pioneers of the Beattie neigh-
borho d. Mrs. Potter having received her schooling in the Beattie high school.
Judge and Mrs. Potter have a very pheasant home at Marysville and take a
1 roper part in the general social activities of the city.
WILLIAM JAMES HOLTHAM.
In the memorial annals of Marshall county there are few names held in
better remcml tame than those of the late William J. 1 biltham, the first rail-
way station agent and postmaster at Frankfort and for many years a well-
known merchant of that city, and his father-in-law, the late Albert G. Bar-
rett, one of Marshall comity's very first settlers, founder of the town of Bar-
rett and for many years the real outstanding figure in the history of this
county, his activities in the way of promoting the various interests of the
11 unty in pioneer days having made him a participant in pretty much every
serious movement that marked that development in the days when the plains
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
461
were being claimed to civilization. Mr. Bokhara's widow, a daughter of
Mr Barrett, is still living at Frankfort, which city she has seen grow from
a mere railway station on the bleak plain, to its present substantial state
She has been a resident of Marshall county from the .lays of her childh 1
and has thus been a witness to the wonderful development that has been mad,
here during the past generation; a development to winch she has contributed
her part, ever helpful in the promotion of all movements having to do with
the advancement of the common welfare and the extension of the soaal and
cultural life of the community of which she has been a member since pioneer
days. ,
William lames Holtham was a native of England, born in the city ot
London on September ;. 1848. and was but two years of age when his par-
ents William and Caroline Rosamond Holtham. came to America and pro-
ceeded on out to Indiana, locating at Evanston, in Spencer county, in the
southern part of that state, not far from the Ohio river, whence tney pres-
ently came farther West and located at Atchison, this state, where the elder
William Holtham. who was a trained brickmason, became an active building
contractor. It was thus that William J. Holtham was reared and educated
at Atchison. He early became attracted to the telegraph key and became an
expert telegraph operator, at seventeen years of age drawing one hundred
and seventy-five dollars a month, and was one of the first of the operators
of the Western Union Telegraph Company to be sent across the plains to
Denver. During that period of his career as an operator. Mr. Holtham had
many thrilling experiences and while accompanying the construction crew of
the Western Union while the line was being constructed west to Denver, not
infrequently was compelled to tap the line to report evidences of Indian out-
rages discovered along the way. He was a sort of a protege of Charles
Stebbins, the magnate of the Western Union Company at that time, and when
the railway came through this county in 1868 he was made agent ot the rail-
way company and telegraph operator at the new station of Frankfort. At
the same time he opened a general merchandise store at Frankfort, with the
firm name of Holtham & Nelson, and was made the first postmaster of the
new town. In 1870 his store was destroyed by fire and he shortly afterward
decided to go to the coast. He was married in that year and for a time after
the destruction of his store he engaged in farming in the vicinity of Frank-
fort but presently he and his bride went to California, where he was engaged
in railway service until 1882, in which year he returned to Frankfort and
the next year, 1883. engaged in business there and was thus engaged until
his retirement on account of ill health, from active business in 191 4, a sue-
462 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
■t'nl merchant and one of the ablest factors in the upbuilding of his home
town. Mr. Holtham was a Republican and ever took an active interest in
local politics, but was not included in the office-seeking class. He was a
member of the Episcopalian church and his widow is a member of the Presby-
terian church, lie was a member of the Masonic fraternity and was also
a member of the local lodges of the Ancient I Irder of United Workmen, of
th( Knights and Ladies of Security and of the Knights of Pythias. Mr.
Hi ltliam died on October 28, [915, and was buried at Frankfort, his funeral
being in charge of the Masons.
()n January 1. [870, William ! Holtham was united in marriage to
Winifred Barrett, who was horn in Harrison county, Ohio, July 24, [850,
daughter of Albert G. and Mary (McKeever) Barrett, the former of whom
was horn on July 17. 1816, and the latter. June 14. iS_»i, and whose last
days were spent in this county, for many years among the most prominent
and influential pioneers of this section of Kansas. Albert G. Barrett was oi
Quaker stock and was reared in Ohio in accordance with the rigid tenets
of that faith, the uprightness of his life during the years of his residence in
this county ever reflecting the lessons of rectitude and faithfulness in man's
relation to man he had [earned in his youth. I le was married at Cadiz. Ohio,
in [843, and continued to make his home in that community until 1856, when
he came with his family and a number of other colonists from < »hio to Kan-
tnd settled in what afterward became organized as Marshall county. Two
years bef< re, in 1854, Mr. Barrett had come out here in company with some
others and had started a grist- and saw-mill on the hanks of the Vermillion
in the southwestern part of township 4. range 9, east, the first mill erected
in this county and the only one within forty miles of thai point; beginning
business there as a company, under the name of the Barrett Milling Company.
The other members of the company presently became discouraged at what
appeared to be the barrenness of the outlook and Mr. Barrett bought their
interests in the mill, determined to operate the mill alone, having become
ci nvinced that it could not be long until this section of Kansas would be
filling up with settlers. He then returned to Ohio and in [856 brought out
his family and quite a number of others whom he had been able to interesl
in the subject of homes out here on the plains, and it was thus that he founded
the town of Barrett, where he -pent the rest of his life.
There were ten families in the Barrett colony, all Abolitionists and anti-
slaven fi Ik. and during the troublous days preceding and during the Civil
War, Mr. Barrett, who was the acknowledged leader of the anti-slavery
movement in this part of the state, often was in serious danger. He was
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 463
elected a member of tbe territorial Legislature and for many years was an
influential factor in Republican politics in this part of tbe state, one of the
earnest factors in tbe movement which started Kansas out as a free state
in 1861. When tbe Civil War broke out be was determined to enlist bis
services and go to the front, but his friends persuaded him that bis duty lay
at borne, where bis personal influence ever could be exerted in behalf of the
things for which be so notably stood, and he contented bimself to remain, a
member of tbe Home Guards. He later took an active part in tbe work of
organizing Marshall county and served for two terms as treasurer of the
county. In 1859 Air. Barrett built the first hotel at Marysville, the old Amer-
ican House, and later erected there the Barrett House, long one of the lead-
ing bostelries in northern Kansas. He organized the first school in Mar-
shall county, the school in old district 1 at Barrett, and built the first school
house, ever afterward giving much attention to the development of tbe pub-
lic-school system in the county. Upon coming out here Mr. Barrett entered
a section of land at tbe point where tbe town which bears bis name grew up,
and ever afterward made his home there. The house which he erected there
was the first really substantial house erected in Marshall county. It was
built of oak. finished with walnut, and was for years a social center for all
that section of the county. That old house is still standing, a beautiful place,
and is now occupied by one of Mr. Barrett's daughters, Airs. Van Vliet. Air.
Barrett was a member of the .Masonic fraternity and the first lodge of that
ancient order in Alarshal! county was organized in that bouse. During the
early days the town of Barrett was the center of pioneer activities throughout
this part of the country and Air. Barrett's part in those activities was a most
wholesome influence in the formative period of the now well-established and
populous community. In connection with bis general mill work, he also was
a skilled cabinet-maker and for some years after coming here made all the
coffins that were necessary in this part of the country. He invested largely
in lands and was the owner of several valuable farms, giving to each of his
children large farms. Air. Barrett made considerable money and was a gen-
erous contributor to all proper causes hereabout for many vears. ever willing
to share bis bounty in a good cause. He had a sister. Airs. Winifred Walker,
and five brothers, Thomas, William, Uriah. John and Joseph, who joined him
after he bad become well established in business out here and the Barrett
family thus became early one of tbe most numerous in Alarshall county.
Albert G. Barrett died at his home in Barrett in April, 1000, a little more
than a year after the death of his wife, the death of the latter having occurred
on January 20, 1899. They were the parents of five children, of whom Airs.
464 MARSHALL COUNTY, Kansas.
Holtham was the third in order of birth, the others being a- follow: Mrs.
lane Love, who is now living at Taft, California: William, of Hubbell,
Nebraska: Cyrus M.. who died at his home in Barrett, where his widow
and family are still living, and Mrs. George Van Vliet. of Barrett.
Mrs. Iloltham has been a resident of this county since the days of her
childhood, having been but six years of age when her parents established their
home here. She grew u] al Barrett and was a student of the first school
taught there by Doctor Blackburn, who was the first physician in Marshall
county. For some years after her marriage to Mr. Holtman she lived in
California, but since returning to Frankfort in iNKj has continued to make
that place her home and is very comfortably situated there. Mrs. Holtham
is a member of the Presbyterian church and has ever taken a warm interest
in church work. She is a member of the local chapter of the Order of the
Eastern Star and is one of the charter members of the local organization of
the Woman's Relief Corps, in the affairs of both of which organizations she-
takes an active interest. To Mr. and Mrs. Iloltham one child was horn, a
-on. Charles Albert, who died in California. They later adopted two chil-
dren. Samuel, who died at the aye of twenty years, and Jennie Barrett, who
married R. M. Emery, Jr., of Seneca, Kansas.
CAPT. PERRY HUTCHINSON.
In the memorial annals of Mar-hall county no name occupies a higher
place than that of the late ('apt. Perry Hutchinson, who. from the days of
the very beginning of a social order hereabout to the time of his death in
mi 4. was one of the leading factors jn the development of this now highly
favored region. \n honored veteran of the Civil War. Captain Hutchinson
brought to all his relations with the community interest here a steadfastness
of purpose anil a sturdiness of character that made him from the beginning
a leader of men and of affairs and it is undoubted that he did much to give
direction to the early development of this part of the state. During the
fifty-five years in which Captain Hutchinson lived at Marysville he com-
manded the highest respect and esteem of the entire community and he was
highly honored by the community, his services in the several civic offices to
which he was called ever having been exerted in behalf of the common good.
As state senator he gained a wide acquaintance among the leading men of
the State, in which he even before that time had attained a high position, and
PERRY Ht/TCHINSON
MRS. LYDIA J. HUTCHINSON.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 465
as pioneer stockman, miller and banker he, from the beginning of things in
Marshall county, occupied a position of influence that left the definite imprint
of his sturdy character upon every enterprise he touched. One of the local
newspapers very aptly commented in the following terms at the time of
Captain Hutchinson's death: "From the day of the redman to the com-
forts of civilization ; from the boundless prairies, teeming with herds of
wild buffaloes, to the modern farm stocked with thoroughbred cattle and
horses and hogs; from the dangers of frontier life to the contentment of
peaceful and prosperous homes ; from the pioneer days to the present time,
the development of Marshall county passed like a panorama during the fifty-
five years that Captain Hutchinson lived in Marysville. And inch by inch,
step by step, and year by year that sturdy pioneer walked along the pathway
of development, always doing his full share in the work incumbent upon
those who transformed the desert into a land of peace, prosperity and happi-
ness, until his very existence among us was woven into the warp and woof
of every phase of the history of Marshall county for the past half century."
Captain Hutchinson was a native of the Empire state, born at Fredonia,
Chautauqua county, New York, December 2, 183 1, a son of Calvin and Sophia
(Tern) Hutchinson, both representatives of old colonial families. Calvin
Hutchinson was born in Chenango count}-. New York, a son of Elijah
Hutchinson, one of the pioneer settlers of that region and a cousin of Gov-
ernor Hutchinson, of Massachusetts. Sophia Perry was a daughter of Col.
Sullivan Perry, a first-cousin of Commodore Perry, the hero of the battle
of Lake Erie during the ^\'ar of 1812, and himself a naval commander of
distinction, having been in command of a war vessel that sank a British
vessel off the coast of Dunkirk, New York, during that war. Captain
Hutchinson was reared at Fredonia and upon reaching his majority he turned
his face toward the great Northwest, which then was beginning to offer such
boundless promises of development, and 011 his arrival in Wisconsin secured
employment with the logging firm of McAdoo & Schuter, one of the leaders
in the timber industry of that region in that day. That was in the spring of
1852 and he put in his time until the close of the river navigation in the fol-
lowing winter, in charge of the crews that drove several large rafts of logs
from the Wisconsin river down the Mississippi to St. Louis. He then
returned to New York, but in the following spring returned to the North-
west and bought a farm near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he engaged in farm-
ing. He married in 1855 and in 1857 built a combined flour- and saw-mill
at Vinton, Iowa, and was engaged in operating the same for two years, at
the end of which time, through the defalcation of a partner whom he trusted.
(3o)
466 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
he was forced t" give up his entire property to satisfy creditors. Though
thus stripped of material possessions, this sturdy pioneer retained a -\<>ui
heart, an undaunted spiril and an eager willingness to begin over again. He
bought on credit a span Hi' linr-cs ami a wagon ami with his wife and chil-
dren drove through to Kansas, which then was beginning to offer indu
ments as a place of settlement. During the first year of his residence in this
~iate. Perry Hutchinson found employment a- a farm hand while he was
looking an mml and "getting his bearings" in the new land, and in the fol-
lowing year he entered a claim to a tract of land seven miles east of Marys-
ville, erected a small cabin on the same and there established his home, one
of the real pioneers of .Marshall county. His place was on the old stage mute
ami his humble cabin was early utilized as a tavern and stage station.
While thus engaged Captain Hutchinson one night saved Superintendent
Lewi's, of the Eiolliday Stage line, from freezing to death and thus cemented
a friendship which resulted in creating what was perhaps the real turning
point in the career of the pioneer, for when the American Hotel (later known
as the Tremont I louse) was erected Mr. Lewis advised Captain Hutchinson
to rent the same, guaranteeing him all the patronage from the HoUiday stage
line. A. ('•. Barrett, the owner of the hotel, however, rejected the propo-
sition, declaring that he was "not leasing his hotel to paupers.'" When this
remark was conveyed to Gen. Frank J. Marshall, after whom Marshall county
takes its name, the General did not take the same view of Perry Hutchin-
son's status as that entertained by Barrett and he promptly agreed to sign
the lease, as surety for Hutchinson, ami then and there was executed what
has been referred to as probably the most inm-clad contract ever drawn up
in this county, ami Hutchinson entered upon the management of the hotel
as well as upon a new stage <>f his career. At the end of six months acting
as landlord of the hotel he had cleared the sum of eighteen hundred dollars
ami with that money bought a tract of eighty acres adjoining the village of
Marysvillc upon which he presently erected the tirst flour-mill built in the
state i if Kansas and established the business that is now carried mi under
modern methods and which has from the tirst heen known as the Excelsior
mill. It was in the spring of 1864 that Captain Hutchinson secured the
water-power rights on tile Big Blue river, west of Marvsville, and built a saw-
mill on the east hanks of the stream. In that mill the lumber used by the
Holliday stage line between Marysvillc and Denver was sawed. On August
15. [867, Hutchinson built on the west side of the stream the tirst flour-mill
tn lie erected west of the Missouri river, his product quickly finding a market
as far east as Lawrence, wheat being brought by fanners in the territory
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 467
within a radius of one hundred and fifty miles, the mill always paying a
little in advance of the market price for grain. Step by step the Hutchinson
mills have been kept up-to-date, modern machinery always replacing the
obsolete equipment of bygone days, and the reputation of the firm has been
maintained throughout the half century and more that it has been doing
business. Not only was Captain Hutchinson the first flour-miller in Kansas,
but he milled the first roller-process flour in the state. When on February
5, 1905, the Excelsior mill was destroyed by fire, the Captain, though then
past seventv-five years of age, was undismayed and at once began laying the
plans which resulted in the erection of a new and better mill on the site
of the old.
In July, 1862, Perry Hutchinson responded to the call to arms in defense
of the nation during the Civil War and organized Company E of the
Thirteenth Regiment, Kansas Volunteer Infantry, and was elected captain
of the same. Company E was mustered into service at Atchison in August
of that year and Captain Hutchinson served until the fall of 1863, when he
received his honorable discharge on account of illness. He ever afterward
took a warm interest in the veterans of the war and was an active member
of Lyon Post, Grand Army of the Republic. Besides his milling business,
Captain Hutchinson found time to engage in other lines of industry and per-
sonally superintended his extensive farming interests, as well as being rated
one of the largest stockfeeders in the state. He was also engaged in the
banking business, and the same business care that characterized the manage-
ment of his personal affairs was always exercised in the administration of
such affairs as came under his jurisdiction as a banker. When the Marshall
County Bank was organized back in pioneer days, Captain Hutchinson was
one of the chief factors in the organization of that institution, which was
succeeded by the First National Bank in 1882. In 1894 Captain Hutchinson
was elected president of the bank and held that position the rest of his life.
He ever took a leading part in local political affairs and for manv years was
one of the leaders in the Republican party in this district. In 1880 he was
elected to the state Senate and served with distinction in that body. In
1876 Captain Hutchinson was appointed one of a committee of three to
represent Kansas in the Centennial Jubilee held in Xew York City. He was
a delegate to the national conventions that nominated James A. Garfield and
James G. Blaine for the Presidency and was for many years one of the most
familiar figures at the state and local conventions of his party. As noted
above, Captain Hutchinson was an active member of the Grand Army of the
468 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Republic. He also was a Mason, in which ancient order he had attained to
the York Kite, ami ever took a warm interest in Masonic affairs.
In December, [855, Perry Hutchinson was united in marriage to Lydia
Jennette Barber, daughter of Champlin Barber and wife, of Chautauqua
county, New York, and to that union were burn four children. F. W. and
Delia (deceased), were born in Iowa; W. W. Hutchinson, of Marysville, and
Mrs. Etta Hutchinson-Kotsch, of Sturgis, South Dakota, three of whom,
with their mother, survive the death of Captain Hutchinson, which occurred
on December j<». [914, he then being past eighty-three years of age.
FRANK W. HUTCHINSON.
Frank W. Hutchinson, well-known grocer, of Marysville. is a native of
the -late of towa, lmt ha- been a residenl of Marysville practically all the
time -ince the days of his childhood and has thus witnessed the growth of the
city and the development of this region since pioneer days, lie was born at
Palo, Iowa, August -\ 1857, son of Perry and Jeannette L. (Barber)
Hutchinson, natives of New York state, who became prominent and influen-
tial pioneers of this county, active in promoting the interests ,,f Marysville
in the early days, and the latter of whom is still living in that city at a ripe
Perry Hutchinson was burn at Fredonia, New York, December 2, 1831,
<.t Calvin Hutchinson, a native of England, and was reared on a dairy
farm, in his youth helping to milk one hundred cows. At Fredonia, in [853,
he married Jeannette L. Barber, who was born at that place in February,
[837, and immediately after their marriage he and his wife came West.
settling in Iowa. For some time Perry Hutchinson worked in the timber
wo, .(Is iii Wisconsin, rafting logs and then went to Iowa, where, at Palo, he
engaged in the cattle business and in the milling business, remaining there
until [859, when he came down into Kansas and pre-empted a quarter of a
section of land in Balderson township, this county. He built a log cabin
on his claim and put up a shack to shelter his horses and the first winter he
was there worked with his team, receiving for his labor daily one bushel >>i
corn, worth twenty cents a bushel. The next spring, when the tide of
immigration out this way began to flow past his door, be was able to sell
that twenty-cent corn for two dollars and fifty cents a bushel. His place
was along the line of the old stage route and one morning about two o'clock
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 469
lie heard sounds of distress proceeding from the trail. On investigating he
found the mail-stage and the six-horse team stuck in the ice and the driver
nearly frozen to death. The driver was made comfortable for the night at
Mr. Hutchinson's house and upon asking the next morning what the charge
for the accommodation was, was informed that there was no charge. To show
his appreciation for the favor the superintendent of the mail gave Mr.
Hutchinson a "tip", which was to go to the then new village of Marysville
and lease the hotel that had been started there. Air. Hutchinson recognized
the value of the tip, for travel through this part of the country was then
beginning to become quite brisk, but he told the superintendent that it would
be impossible for him to enter upon such an undertaking, that all his equip-
ment in the way of housekeeping consisted of a table that he had made out
of dry-goods boxes, three dilapidated chairs and a fewT old knives and forks.
He picked up courage, however, and determined to investigate the "tip."
With that end in view he drove over to Marysville, his sole cash possession
at the time being twenty-five cents, and proposed to A. G. Barrett, the owner
of the hotel, to rent the same and operate it. Barrett informed him that he
would not rent the place to "a pauper"' and coolly dismissed the proposition.
.Mr. Hutchinson laid the matter before Frank Marshall, who was then con-
ducting a store in a log building at Marysville and after whom Marshall
county later came to be named, and Marshall offered to "go his security" for
any reasonable amount sufficient to swing the hotel proposition. On that
basis Mr. Hutchinson secured a lease on the hotel and in eight months made
a clear profit of eighteen hundred dollars operating the same. By the way,
the site of the log store above referred to is the present site of the First
National Bank, of which Mr. Hutchinson was president for many years and
until the time of his death. With the money earned in his hotel deal, Perrv
Hutchinson bought an eighty-acre tract of land adjoining the village and
there erected a flour-mill, in a building twenty by eighty feet, said to have
been the first flour-mill in the state of Kansas, settlers coming from distances
as far away as two hundred miles to get their grist ground at that pioneer
mill. Air. Hutchinson was engaged in milling when the Civil War broke
out and he dropped everything and enlisted a company of men to fight in
behalf of the Union, that company from Marysville going to the front as a
part of the Thirteenth Regiment, Kansas Volunteer Infantry. Near the close
of the war. Captain Hutchinson was taken ill and was mustered out. Upon
his return home he resumed his milling business and in 1867 erected a new-
mill on the west side of the river, which old mill is still standing. In 1881
Captain Hutchinson was elected state senator from this district, on the Repub-
470 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
lican ticket. Aboul [878 he engaged in the banking business and was a
director of the" Firsl National Bank until the death of S. A. Fulton, the presi-
dent, when he was elected president and continued to serve in that capacity
until his death on December 27, 1014. He was an active and earnest mem-
ber of the Grand Army of the Republic and was a Royal Arch Mason and a
Knight Templar. Mis widow is still living in the old home erected by Iter
husband in [868. She is a member 1 if the Presbyterian church and was
among the mos( active workers in behalf of all good causes hereabout in
pioneer daw. To her and her husband four children were born, of whom the
subject of this sketch was the first-born, the others being Dilla, now deceased:
Mrs. Etta Kotsch, of Sturgis, South Dakota, and Wallace \\\. the well-known
retired miller, of Marysville.
Frank W. Hutchinson was but a child when his parents moved to Marys-
ville and he grew to manhood there, a valued assistant to his father in the
mill, remaining thus engaged for four or five years. In the early seventies
he was severely injured by being caught beneath a freight train and while
recuperating from those injuries took a trip to the mountains and on the
train was robbed of what money lie had. He >topped at Canon City, Colo-
rado, where he remained a year or two working for a time in a hotel and
then in a wholesale grocery house. Upon his return to Marysville lie was
put in charge of his father's lumber yard and was thus engaged until iNKj.
when he went to Beattie and there started a grocery store. A little more
than sixty days later bis store was destroyed by tire, but he rebuilt and
restocked the place and continued in business there until [892, when he sold
the store and returned to Marysville to take charge of his father's mill. In
[894 he bought a grocery stock at Marysville and presently bought the site
of his present place of business and erected bis present commodious Store
room, into which he moved in [895 and where he ever since has been engaged
in business, long having been recognized as one of the substantial merchants
of his home town. Mr. Hutchinson also is the owner of a farm of eighty-
three acre- in Wells township. lie is a Republican, but has not been a'
seeker .after office.
In 1SS4 Frank W. Hutchinson was united in marriage to Emma Brum-
baugh, who was born at Valparaiso, Indiana. March 17. 1N04. a daughter
of Alexander and Elizabeth (Hawthorn) Brumbaugh, the parents of eight
children, three sons ami five daughters, who came to Marshall county about
[889, some time after the marriage of their daughter Emma, and settled on
a Farm near l'.eattie, where Mr. Brumbaugh died and where Mrs. Brumbaugh
is living in the northeast part of Marysville, now being in the eighty-seventh
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 471
year of her age. Mrs. Hutchinson received an excellent education in her
girlhood and after her graduation came, to Kansas in response to a call sent
out for school teachers and was teaching school in Marshall county at the
time of her marriage. To that union no children have been born. Mr. and
Mrs. Hutchinson are members of the Presbyterian church and have for years
taken a warm interest in the various beneficences of the same.
NICHOLAS S. KERSCHEN.
The Hon. Nicholas S. Kerschen, former representative in the Legislature
from this district, manager of the farmers elevator at Marysville and one
of the extensive landowners of Marshall county, making his home on his fine
farm in Marysville township, is a native of Europe, but has been a resident
of this county since he was five years of age. He was born in the grand
duchy of Luxemburg on April 29, 1868, son of Charles and Mary (Klein)
Kerschen, native Luxemburgers, who came to this country in 1873 and set-
tled on homestead farm in section iS of Marysville township, this county,
becoming substantial and influential pioneer residents of that community.
Nicholas S. Kerschen was reared on that pioneer farm and received his
schooling in the neighboring district school. He remained on the home farm,
a valuable assistant to his father in the labor of developing and improving
the same. Upon his marriage in i8go he assumed charge of the home farm
of two hundred acres and upon the death of his father inherited the home
place. As his affairs prospered, Mr. Kerschen added to his land holdings
until he now is the owner of five hundred and fifty-three acres, to the farming
of three hundred and twenty acres of which he is giving his personal attention
and there makes his home, having one of the best-developed farms and most
up-to-date farm plants in the county. Mr. Kerschen has been a stockholder
in the Farmers Elevator Company at Marysville ever since the organization
of the same and on June 16, 191 5. was made manager of the same, a position
he ever since has filled in a manner highly satisfactory to both shareholders
and patrons of that admirable institution. Mr. Kerschen has ever given his
thoughtful and intelligent attention to local civic affairs and in 1912, as the
nominee of the Republican party, was elected representative from this dis-
trict to the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, his services in the House
during the session of 19 13 being regarded as of much value not only to his
district, but to the state at large.
472 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
On July 2, iNijo. Nicholas S. Kerschen was united in marriage to Mar-
guerite Koppes, who was born on a pioneer farm in section 17 of Marysville
township, this county, October 15. 1N71. daughter of Nicholas S. and Helen
(Klass) Koppes, natives of Luxemburg and pioneer residents of Marshall
county. Nicholas Koppes was an honored veteran of the Civil War, a mem-
ber of the Thirteenth Regiment, Kansas Volunteer Infantry. To Mr. and
Mrs. Kerschen two sons have been born, Carl X.. burn en August 8, [894,
who is farming the home place, and Arthur I'.. Augusl 7. 1897, who is now
a studenl of the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor, taking the law
course. The Kerschens are members of the Catholic church and take a
warm interest in the various beneficences of tlie same, as well as in the gen-
eral social activities of the community. Mr. Kerschen is a member of the
Knights of Columbus and of the Modern Woodmen of America and takes a
proper interest in the affairs of both these organizations, lie has ever given
hi- close attention to the general development of the best interests of his home
county and is I Hiked upon as one of the active factors in all worthy move-
ments designed to advance the common welfare hereabout.
WALLACE WALTER HUTCHINSON.
Wallace Walter Hutchinson, well-known retired miller, hanker and land-
owner, of Marysville, is a native son of that city and has lived there all his
life, one of the most active factors in the development of the interests of that
thriving county-seat town during the past quarter of a century, an able repre-
sentative, in the second generation, M one of the most prominent and influen-
tial pioneer families in this part of the state, lie was born at Marysville mi
November 6, [871, son of Capt. Perry and Lydia (Barber) Hutchinson, the
former of whom died at his home in Marysville "ii December 29, 1914, and
'he latter of whom is still living there, one of the most honored and respected
pioneers of Marshall county In a biographical sketch relating to the late
Captain Hutchinson, presented elsewhere in this volume, there is set out
at considerable detail the history of this pioneer family in this county and to
that sketch the leader i- referred for further details regarding the genealog)
of the subject of this sketch.
W. W. Hutchinson was reared at Marysville, receiving his schooling in
the local schools. and early took an interest in his father's flour-mill at that
place, the first flour-mill erected in the state of Kansas; and upon completing
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 473
school was installed June 11. 1889, as bookkeeper and office manager of the
mill, continuing thus connected with his father in the milling business until
his father's death in 1914, when he became owner of the mill, which he con-
tinued to operate until August 1. 1916, when he sold the mill; since which
time he has been giving his attention to his extensive land and banking inter-
ests. Mr. Hutchinson has an interest in seven hundred acres of land and is
a stockholder in and a member of the board of directors of the First National
Bank of Marysville. During his many years of active connection with the
1 Jd Excelsior mills he gave his whole time to the direction of the affairs of
that pioneer industry and, as he recalls now, on many occasions worked
practically day and night and on Sundays, it being no unusual thing for
him to be occupied at the mill for twenty hours at a stretch for considerable
periods of time during the busy season.
On April jo, 1893, \Y. \Y. Hutchinson was united in marriage to Bessie
L. Parrish, who was Lorn in Jefferson county, New York, October 20, 1874,
daughter of George W. and Emma (Parker) Parrish, natives of that state,
who are now living in Texas. George W. Parrish was born on January 6,
1849, and became one of the early students of electricity upon the develop-
ment of applied electrical energy for power and light. From New York
state he moved to Illim is anil came thence to Kansas, locating in 1878 in
the neighborhood of Frankfort, where he was engaged in farming until 1888,
when he moved to Marysville, where he resumed his trade as an electrician
and in that capacity built Marysville's first electric-light plant. About 1900
he left Marysville and he and his wife are now living in Texas, where he
owns a farm. To them four children were born, of whom Mrs. Hutchinson,
the second in order of birth, is now the only survivor, her three brothers,
Arthur, Franklin and Foster, being deceased.
To W. W. and Bessie F. ( Parrish) Hutchinson five children have been
born, namely: Georgia V., born on March 22, 1894, who was graduated
from die Marysville high school with the class of 1913 and on September
14, 19 16, married Bryan P. Weeks, a linotype operator at Forest City, Iowa;
Grace C, March 30, 1896, who was graduated from the Marysville high
school with the class of 1 9 1 4 ; Perry P., December 4, 1898, also a graduate
of the local high school, completing the course there with the class of 1916
and now a student at Chauncey Hall, a preparatory school at Boston, Massa-
chusetts: Glenn \V., April 4, 1906, and Carol, August 11, 1908. The
Hutchinsons have one of the finest homes in the city of Marysville and take
an earnest interest in the general social activities of the community. Air.
474 MARSHALL COUNTYj KANSAS.
and Mrs. Hutchinson are members of the Episcopal church and Mr. Hutchin-
son has been treasurer of the local congregation of the same for the past
fifteen war-. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and take- a warm
interest in the affair- of the same.
GEORGE I. THACHER; M. D.
Vmong the well-known and prominent residents of Marshall county, is
Dr. George !. Thacher, who was born in Hornell, New York, on April 17.
[877, the si 11 of Safford M. and Sarah (Langworthy) Thacher.
Safford M. Thacher was born on December 21, [834, in Hornell, New
York, where he received his primary education in the- public schools and grew
to manli I. Alter he had completed his common-school work lie entered
the Alfred University, from which institution he was later graduated. As a
lad he had a taste of 1 ioneer life in his native state, but received a splendid
education. In [856 he came to Kansas during the time of the fierce agitation
"i the slavery question. He and his brother, Dwight, established themselves
in the printing business, and published the Lawrence Republican, a strong
anti slaverj paper, and developed strong opposition. Their lives were even
in danger on account of their opposition to the extension of slavery. At the
time of the Quantrel raid in August, [863, the brother, Dwight, was at Kan
sas City as editor of the Journal, bul S. M. Thacher was in Lawrence and
came near losing his life when the printing plant was destroyed by tire.
started by the raider-. After the destruction of the plant the two brothers
joined forces al Kansas City and the Republican plant was not rebuilt.
\ i'ut the close of the Civil War. Mr. Thacher returned to Hornell, New
Yi rk, where on I Ictober 25, [865, he was united in marriage to Louise La
rthy, and to this union Four children were born : Frank Eugene, of Salina,
Kansas; Dr. Mowry Safford Thacher, of Turon, Kansas; Dr. George Isaac
rhacher and one that died in infancy. Mr. Thacher was a man possessed
of much public spirit and took a lively interest in all that would tend to
elevate and inspire a better Hie. During the time Grant was President he
served a- postmaster of Hornell.
In [885 Safford M. Thacher returned to Kansas and with his family
established their hemic nil a farm near Topeka. \fter three years of farm life
Mr. Thacher moved t>> Lawrence, where he became associated with the West-
ern harm Mortgage Company and remained with the linn until [802, at which
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 475
time he accepted a position with the City Real Estate Trust Company of
Topeka and moved to that city. His wife, who was born in 1834, died in
1898, and after the death of Airs. Thacher, lie was married to Kate Lewis,
of Hudson, Wisconsin, who died at Waterville five years later. Mr. Thacher
spent much of his time at Blue Rapids and at Waterville with his sons, and
died at the home of his son, George I., on November 19. 191 1. During his
residence at Waterville the people of the city entertained a high regard for
him. He kept well posted on current events, and up to the time of his death
he was interested in political affairs. Much of the time of his later years
was devoted to the collecting and recording of interesting data of the Thacher
family, whose history is traceable for many generations. The father of the
first Thacher who came to America, was the Rev. Peter Thacher, who was
minister at Salem, England, in 1620, and the son became pastor of the old
South church at Boston, and it seems evident from family records that for
more than a century and a half there was a continuous line of Thachers in
the Congregational ministry of Massachusetts. In a sermon over the remains
of Judge Otis Thacher, of Hornell, in 1868 the minister said, "Mr. Thacher's
ancestry for two and a half centuries, at least, were puritans and Congre-
gationalists, and thus they have become in America a part of that powerful
influence that has helped so much in making this a Christian nation."
Safford M. Thacher early in life became a member of the Congrega-
tional church. At Lawrence he was associated with Dr. Richard Cordely in
his Christian work, with its humble beginning. At Kansas City, what is now
a great consolidated Congregational church, was in 1863 a weak struggling
organization, but it had in the Thacher Brothers a good foundation and
strong support. Mr. Thacher often said that in those days, his brother,
Dwight, and family and himself made up the congregation. When he located
at Waterville, he transferred his membership from the Congregational church
at Topeka to the English Lutheran church of that place, and when his health
permitted he was a regular attendant at all" church services.
Dr. George I. Thacher received his primary education in the district
schools of Kansas, after which he entered the public schools of Lawrence.
He then attended the high school of Monte Vista, Colorado. In 1893 he
completed a course in the Strickler Business College at Topeka. After com-
pleting his education he was employed by the City Real Estate Trust Corn-
pan}- and the Shawnee Milling Company, as stenographer. In 1898 he
entered the Medical College at Topeka and completed his work in 1902 and
since 1903 has been actively engaged in the general practice at Waterville.
where he has met with much success.
47'' MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
In [903 Doctor Thacher was united in marriage to Lucy Knowles, a
native of Topeka, the daughter of C. O. and Rebecca (Holmes) Knowles.
Her father was born at (ape Cod, Massachusetts, in [843. There he received
his edtieation in the public schools and there lie lived until he was seventeen
years of age, when he came to Kansas, and was for a number of years
engaged in driving an ox team from Leavenworth to Denver, Colorado,
being engaged in the freighting business, His trips took him through Mar-
shall county, but he had never seen Marysville until Doctor Thacher took
him there •nine time before his death, which occurred in [916. For many
years Mr. Knowles was engaged successful!) in the real-estate business
Topeka and was one of the progressive and prominenl men of the com-
munity, llis widow is now living at Topeka at the age of sixty-four years.
They were the parents of five children, George, who died in New Mexico in
July. [916; Katherine. the Wife of J. A. Cole, superintendent of the Inn
and iron works at Topeka; Charles; Lucy, the wife of Doctor Thacher and
one that died in infaucj .
Mrs. Thacher received her education in the public schools of Topeka,
and is a graduate of Washington College at Washington, I >. ( '. She then
took a course in kindergarten at Kansas City. Missouri, after which she
ne year before her marriage. She and Doctor Thacher are the
parents of three children. Rebecca L., Philip 1.. and Luin EC, they being
twelve, ten and seven years of age respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Thacher are
pri minent in social life of the communitj and are held in the highest regard.
Di ctor Thacher ha- long been identified with the Republican party and
has ever taken the keenest interest in local affairs. |n 11)07 he was elected
a member of th< council of Waterville and served for two terms, and was
then elected n ayor, which position he held for two terms. During his term
< f office the electric lights and waterworks were installed and marry other
tantial improvements were made, that have added much to the beauty
ami importance of the city. The Doctor is progressive and is an advocate of
tin highest class of public improvements, lie is a firm believer in the best
schi Is pi 1 h and the building of good roads, for in these he feels diat
much of tlu- future depends. He served as county health officer for fo
irS, and his term of office was regarded as successful. To him the health
department, if rightly conducted, is of the greatest importance.
Fraternally, Doctor Thacher is a member of die Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons and has held all the offices in the local organization. lie
is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern
Woodmen of America. He takes much interest in the conduct of these
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 477
orders. Few men in the community have met with more success in their
chosen work and few are held in higher regard. He and Ids wife are active
memhers of the Evangelical church ; they take much interest in all church
work and are liberal supporters of the local society.
CLARK M. STEWART.
Clark M. Stewart, a well-known architect and builder, of Marysville,
Marshall county, was born in Steuben county, New York, on March 21,
1854, being the son of Samuel and Sarah Ann (Leach) Stewart, who were
natives of the state of New York, the father having been born in that state
on March 7, 181 1, and the mother on September 17, 1815. They received
their education in the public schools of their native state and there grew up
and were married on bebruary f>, 1836. The father was born at Troy and
there he learned the trade of a carpenter. He worked at his trade in the
state until 1854, when he located at Millidgeville, Illinois, where he estab-
lished himself as a contractor and builder and continued in the business until
the outbreak of the Civil War when he enlisted in the Fifty-fifth Regiment,
Illinois Volunteer Infantry and saw much active service in the campaigns
about Vicksburg, Shilo and Pittsburg Landing. His eldest son also served
in another regiment. After a service of one and one-half years, Samuel
Stewart received his honorable discharge and returned to his home at
Millidgeville and again engaged in his work of contractor and builder until
1875, when he went to Iowa, where he died on November 29, 1889. Mr.
Stewart was of a family whose history dates back to over two hundred years
in the state of New York. Mrs. Stewart died on February 24, 1873, after a
useful and active life. She was an active member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church and took a prominent part in all the services of that denomina-
tion. Her paternal grandparents were natives of Holland and established
themselves in New York and became identified with the life of that state.
Samuel and Sarah Ann Stewart were the parents of nine children as
follow : Hezekiah, Calvin, Julia, Rena, Sarah, Helen. Melvin. Clark M. and
James W. Hezekiah resides at Madrid, Iowa, where he lives a retired life.
He is a veteran of the Civil War and was during his younger days an
accomplished musician; Calvin lives in Grundy county, Iowa, where he is a
successful farmer and stockman ; Julia Bowen is a resident of Illi-
nois, where she and her husband live retired after active service spent on the
478 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
farm; Rena Mead ts ;t widow and lives in Illinois; Sarah Heath is now
I; Helen Smith and husband reside in Minneapolis; Melvin lives at
Conrad, Iowa, and is a retired farmer, and James W. lives at Waterville,
Kansas, and is a well-known fanner.
(lark M. Stewart was reared in Illinois and there received his education
m the public schools and as .1 young man learned the carpenter trade. In
June, 1878, he and his brother, James W.. came to Marshall county, having
driven a team of horses from Grundy county. They each purchased eighty
acres of railroad land, for which they paid five dollars and fifty cents per
acre, and had to borrow the money to make the first payment. Mr. Stewart
at 1 nrc engaged in breaking the wild prairie land and the next year he built
a small house and devoted his time to farming until 1881, when he went to
Herkimer, where he worked at his trade until 1887, when he went to western
Kansas and purchased a tract of land in Thomas county, and again engaged
in farming for a short time. He later lived in Colby and Kansas City. Mis-
souri, and in [888 returned to Marshall county and located at Marysville,
where he established himself as a contractor and builder. lie has built some
1 f 1 lie finest residences as well as the 1'nsch cigar factory and the city hall,
lie has substantial property in the city. lie sold his farm of eighty at
in the county in 1 0 1 5 , hut owns the other farms that he purchased.
Politically, Mr. Stewart is identified with the Democratic party and has
til mi the city council for a number of years, lie is a member of the
Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America, and is a man of
much influence in his home community.
In 1X7.) (lark M. Stewart was united in marriage to Mary E. Purcell,
who was born in Berkeley county, Virginia, on September [8, 1X55. and is the
daughter of Thomas V. and Nancy X. 1 Walters 1 Purcell. Thomas and
Nancy Purcell were natives of Loudoun county, Virginia, the former hav-
ing been born on June 7. t8l8, and the latter in 1820. They received their
education in the schools of their native states and there grew up. They first
met in the state of Virginia and were there married. They continued to
reside in Virginia after their marriage until i860, when they moved to Illi-
nois. Mr. 1 urcell being a Quaker, was not compelled to serve in the Civil
War, the religious belief of that denomination being recognized by the l;
ernment. On their arrival in Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Purcell established their
hi me on a farm, where Mr. Purcell was actively engaged as a general farmer
and stockman until seven years before he died when he moved to Millidge-
ville. Illinois, where he died on February i<>. 1NN7. and his widow died on
November _'. [893. They were the parents of the following: children: Joseph.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 479
Mahlon, Anna. John, Thomas, Mary E. and Elias H. Joseph is now deceased :
Mahlon is a retired farmer of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Anna married
Jasper Shoemaker, and after some years of married life, Mr. Shoemaker died
and the widow is now living at Pasadena, California; John is a resident of
Billings, Montana; Thomas is a resident of Polo, Illinois; Mary E. is the
wife of Clark M. Stewart; and Elias H. is professor of music in Chicago,
Illinois.
Clark M. and Mary B. Stewart are the parents of one child, Edith S.,
who was horn on October q, 1883. She is a graduate of the Marysville high
schi (.1 and the University of Kansas. She was married in 1903 to Clarence
T. Rice, who is prominently connected with the high schools of Kansas
City, Kansas, where he is principal. To Mr. and Mrs. Rice has been born
one child, Mary, whose birth occurred on August 7, 1914. Mr. Rice is the
son of Charles and Inez (Crane) Rice. Charles W. Rice was born in Eng-
land on October 16, 1856, and was the son of William and Ellen (Watson)
Rice, who came to Canada in 1864 The parents were ribbon-makers in
England, and when they located in Canada they were employed as laborers.
In 1867 they came to Indiana and located near Bluff ton, where they engaged
in general farming, and there William Rice died in 1869. It was there that
Charles W. Rice lived until 1877, when he left his mother, two sisters and a
brother and on a horse started on the long trip to Marshall county. Here
he located in Winifred and for two years worked as a farm hand, at which
time he was married in a log cabin, in 1879, to Inez Crane, after which he
rented a farm and there established his home. After three years he pur-
chased a farm two miles south and one mile east of Home City, where he and
his family lived until 1889 when he engaged in the grocery business at Home
City, which business he conducted until 1891, when he engaged in the car-
penter work. In 1896 he moved to Marysville, where he worked in the
general store of Frank Powell until October, 1899, when he purchased the
furniture store of H. B. Walker, which he conducted until the time of his
death on December 20, 191 1. The mother of Clarence T. Rice was born on
November 15, 1862, in Milford. Illinois, and died on August 6, 1890. Her
father was born in Pennsylvania in 1830 and was one of the earlv home-
steaders in Marshall county. His wife, Sarah Anna ( Deeds) Crane, was
born in 1834 in Pennsylvania and is now living in Marysville, Kansas. Clar-
ence T. Rice received his education in the local schools and at the University
of Kansas and later engaged in teaching, in which profession he has met
with much success, and is now the principal of the high school of Argentine,
Kansas City, Kansas. He and his wife are held in the highest regard and
480 MARSHALL CO! NTY, KANSAS.
esteem by all who know them, and they art- among the cultured and refined
people of the community in which they live, and where they have an extended
influence on the moral and educational development.
(lark M. Stewart i- a man who ha- always taken a prominent part in
the activities of hi- home community, and mi the occasions of celebrations
has been selected a- marshal "t the day, ami on hi- large black horse he has
presented a commanding appearance, lie has ever taken much interest in
hunting and is recognized as one of the genial sportsmen of the district.
Me has hunted duck- from the lakes of Minnesota tn the Gulf of Mexico, and
his ability in this line is known to all. In his home life he i- an ideal hus-
band and father, and hi- highest ambition has been t" make his home one of
pleasure and comfort. His home on North Broadway is one of the beautiful
places in Marysville.
REV. FRANCIS II. TATON.
The Rev. Francis II. Taton, pastor of the Catholic church of St.
Michael'- at Axtell, this county, i- a native of the old Hoosier state, hut has
been a resident of Kansas ever since the early days of hi- ordination to the
priesthood, a period of nearly thirty years, during which period he ha- per-
formed a wonderful work in the mission fields of this state, a labor that has
endeared him to the heart- of many in various portion- of the state. Father
Taton ha- keen in charge of St. Michael'- parish at Axtell since the sum-
mer of [903 and has a record tor faithfulness and efficiency of service rarely
equaled in a Western diocese. In an interview published following the
celebration of the silver jubilee of hi- ordination to the priesthood in [9] |.
Father Taton -aid: "During my charge at Easton, Kansas, I took sick on
th( [6th day of January, [890. whilsl in Leavenworth and was confined to
St. John'- hospital there for six weeks. Otherwise 1 never missed a Sunday
whilst in charge at Easton. Whilst in charge of Paola I was absent one
Sunday. Since my appointment in Axtell 1 took a vacation for -ix week- in
[910, during which I visited the Pacific coast from Los Angeles to Seattle.
Washington. Outside of tin- I was absent from duty in Axtell on three
Sundays. This 1- the extent of my being absent from duty in twenty-five
years."
A sympathetic fellow-priest, the Rev. T. II. Kinsella, a companion of
Father Taton'- seminar} days, writing on that jubilee occasion and com-
plimenting hi- old friend upon becoming a jubilarian, said: "The celebra-
REV. FRANCIS H. TATON.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
48 1
tion of the silver jubilee of a Catholic priest is no longer an event of rare
importance. Its frequent occurrence in our day has reduced it to the com-
monplace; vet, to the priest himself, and to all who are near and dear to him,
the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ordination must always retain its joyful
aspect, its symbolism and its solemn significance. It is usually the only mile-
stone he comes up on in his weary journey from his sacredotal consecration
to the last anointment. Few there are who live to count the golden years.
and fewer still who find sympathy and affection in a generation not their
own, and in a world they have outlived. Twenty-five years of struggle and
self-effacement — in rain and sun and storm, in weakness of health and
depression of spirit; and a loneliness on the prairies of Kansas, that at times
forces the mind to woo the stars and the eye to admire the kindly human
face that is reflected on the moon — twenty-five years of faithful effort on the
Western missions cannot but leave their traces on the brow of every faithful
priest of God who has lived through them."
Though Hoosier born. Father Taton is of French descent, both his
parents having been born in the beautiful Champagne country of France.
He was born on a little farm well back in the woods of Perry county, in the
southern part of Indiana, three and one-half miles from the village of Leo-
pold, September 15, 1861, only son of Alexander and Appoline ( Duchainois)
Taton, the former of whom was born in 1842 at Assigny, in the old province
of Champagne. France, and the latter of whom was born at Meziere, in that
same district, in 1842. In 1849 Father Taton's parents came to this country,
his father then being eleven years of age and his mother, nine years of age.
Their respective families emigrated from France together, being a part of a
considerable colony that came over on the same vessel, and they settled in
the woods of southern Indiana, which even at that date retained much of
their unbroken, primeval grandeur. Amid pioneer conditions the two grew
up and in i860 were married, making a home for themselves on a little farm
in the Leopold neighborhood. In 1864 Alexander Taton and his little family
left Indiana and came to Kansas, having heard much of the possibilities that
awaited the homesteader in this state. He homesteaded a quarter section in
Johnson county, the tract now occupied by the town of Edgerton, and pro-
ceeded to develop the same, his son, the future priest, thus, in childhood,
gaining a very distinct impression of Kansas pioneer life. Three years later,
in 1867. Alexander Taton sold his homestead and returned to Indiana, where
he died in 1874, leaving a widow and three children, the subject of this sketch
having had two sisters, Victoria, who married Jacob Oaks and is now living
at Ottawa, this state, and Mary, who died in girlhood. Years later, in 1889,
(30
482 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
after her son had become an established priesl at Easton, this state, the
Widow Taton returned to Kansas and rejoined her son. later moving with
him to Axtell, win-re -In spent her last day-, her death occurring on \.pril 2,
1908. The beautiful, clinging affection that marked Mother Taton's d<
tii m tu her onl) son was often the occasion of comment. It lias been written
of her that from hi- very infanc) "All her heart'- love went out tu him; every
d influence was thrown around him, her prayers were unceasing and, in
the exuberance of her French nature, -lie gave over tu 'Notre Dame' a gift
like unto the one given her on Mounl Calvary. Madame Taton dedicated
and in a manner consecrated her only sun t< > the Hlessed Virgin in the early
days of civilization in southern Indiana, just as had been done so often in her
beloved France. A memento of that event may still he seen in the gold chain
that haii:;-. or did hang, around the figure of the Madonna in the parish
church."
It i- related thai an extraordinary event, twice repeated, when he was
thirteen years of age, determined young Taton's vocation tu the priesth 1.
hut the means to prosecute a course of study extending over many years was
entirely absent. IK- conceived the idea of laying his case before the abbot of
St. Meinrad's Abbey, over in the neighboring county of Spencer. Abbot
Finn hi was greatly impressed bj the young man's story and took him in at
once, free of charge, until the day that Father tsadore recommended him in
glowing term- to Rt. Rev. Louis Mary Fink, O. S. I!., of the diocese of
Leavenworth, as a young man of extraordinary piety, g 1 talent .and excel-
lent health. In [887, from Bishop McClosky, of Louisville, Kentucky. Father
Taton received minor orders. Sub-deaconship and deaconship were con-
ferred in (888 by Bishop Chatard, of Indianapolis, and mi February 24, 1889,
in the cathedral at Covington, Kentucky, he was ordained to the holy priest-
1 1 by Bishop Mae-. On March 17, the following St. Patrick's Day, Father
Tatnii celebrated hi- first ma-- in Si Michael's church at Cannelton, Indiana,
lie then wa- -enl in Kansas and after ten days -pent at the cathedral at
Leavenworth, wa- appointed to Easton and the outlying missions, taking
charge mi the first of April of that appointment, which then comprised Easton,
Springdale and St. Joseph, of Mi. Olivet. During that appointment Father
Tat' mi completed the church at Springdale and buill the new church of St.
Joseph at Mt. Olivet. He -aid mass frequently in private houses in out-of-
wa\ place-, instructed the neighboring children and administered the sac-
raments. Though Catholics were then few and far between in that district,
many converts came tu the church and the mission wa- a great success. For
-ix years and three months Father Taton had charge of those missions and
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 483
was then transferred to the parish of Paola and missions, of which he took
charge on July 17, 1895, that charge comprising Paola, Ossawatomie, the
State Asylum for the Insane at the latter place and the whole of Linn county.
At that time there was not a Catholic church in Linn county, but there were
scattered Catholics throughout the county, practically all of whom, Father
Tatcn recalls, had fallen away from the church. During his stay in Paola
the L'rsuline Academy was built and in 1896 was dedicated. The parochial
school near the church was built about that time and that school Father Taton
named St. Patrick's, in memory of his celebration of the mass for the first
time on that day. The school opened with fifteen pupils and by the close of
the school year had an enrollment of forty-four. During that time the church
at Ossawatomie was remodeled from end to end and a sacristy built. For
eight years and one month Father Taton was in charge at Paola and missions
and on August 17, 1903, was transferred to the parish of St. Michael's at
Axtell. of which he ever since has been in charge and where, in 1914, he cele-
brated the silver jubilee of his ordination to the priesthood, the occasion being
made one of much rejoicing on the part of his friends, not only in this county,
but throughout those other sections of the state where his ministrations have
endeared him to many hearts.
When Father Taton was- sent to Axtell the parish comprised both St.
Michael's church and Beattie as a mission, services between the two points
being equally divided. In 1909 Father Taton built the parochial residence
at Beattie and in the fall of that year the Beattie mission was given over to
the Rev. Father Calvin, who became its pastor. On November 8, 1904, work
on the new St. Michael's church at Axtell was begun and in the spring of
1905 the corner stone was laid. On April 24, 1906, the church was dedi-
cated, the total cost of the same being nearly twenty-two thousand dollars.
In 1909 the new parish house was built, at a total cost, including appurte-
nances, of more than seven thousand dollars, Father Taton moving into the
same in November of that year. In 19 13 work on the new parochial school
was begun, but delays, on account of crop failures during that year, put off
the completion of the work until February 8, 1917, when the school was
0 mpleted at a cost of nine thousand dollars. St. Michael's parish is well
organized and its various auxiliaries, such as the Mutual Benefit Association,
the Temperance Society, the Knights of Columbus, the Altar Society, the
Young Ladies Sodality, the Childrens Sodality and the League of the Sa-
cred Heart, are reported to lie in a flourishing condition, progress being re-
ported in all departments of the work of the parish.
|S| MARSHALL COUNTY, Kansas.
REV. CLARENCE BRADLEY.
The Rev. Clarence Bradley, pastor of the Catholic church of the Annun-
ciation at Frankfort, is a native son of Kansas and has lived in this state all
his life, a residenl of this county since [907, when he was made the first resi-
dent priesl at Summerfield, saw for two wars when he was serving the
parish at- Emmett, in the neighboring county of Pottawattamie. He was
horn in the city of Atchison on May 10, [883, a son of Charles E. and Anna
(Ostertag 1 Bradley, the former a native of the state of Illinois and the latter,
of Buffalo, New York, well-known resident- of Atchison and the latter of
w horn is still living.
Charles 1'".. Bradley was horn in Illinois on February J. 1 X 5 5 . and in
1S77 came to Kansas, locating at Atchison, where, in [88l, he established a
shoe store and was thus engaged in business there until his retirement in
[915, a period of thirty-four years, during which time he became a quite well-
to-do merchant and one of the leading men in Atchison, having served for
-■me tunc a- a member of the city conned. He died on April <), [916, and
Ins widow, who was horn in [857, is still living, making her home at
Atchison, where she has lived since her early childhood. She was horn.
\nna Ostertag. in Buffalo, \'ew York, and was little more than an infant
when her parents came West and located at Atchison. Grandfather Oster-
tag was a smith and wheelwright and early drove a thriving business in
fitting wheels to the heavy wagons of the freighters on the plains, Atchison
being one of the busiest points of departure for these great wagon trains in
an early day. lie helped to lay the rails over the ice in the Missouri river,
for tin- transportation of the first locomotive engine taken into Atchison,
and was one of the active factors in the upbuilding of that town in pioneer
days. To Charles E. Bradley and wife three children were horn. Father
Bradley having two brothers, Harold, who is operating the shoe store his
father established in Atchison in [88l, and Aloysius, who is a clerk in the
First National Bank of Atchison.
Father Bradley received excellent scholastic training for his holy office.
Upon completing the course in the local schools he entered St. Benedict's
College, at Atchison, and upon completing the course there entered Kenrick
Seminary. St. Louis, where for five years he was grounded in philosophy and
theology, completing his studies in [906. On April 17 of that same year, at
Kansas City, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Lillis and was
appointed assistant to the pastor of St. Mary's parish, in that city, serving in
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
485
that capacity for one year, at the end of which time he was sent to Paola,
this state, where for five months he substituted for the pastor of that parish.
He then, on August 23, 1907, was appointed pastor of the church of the Holy
Family at Summerfield. this county, the first resident pastor of that parish.
During his pastorate of nearly two years at Summerfield, Father Bradley
erected the parish house there and in many other ways strengthened the
parish, remaining there until June 27, 1909, when he was transferred to the
parish at Emmett, where he remained for two years, or until his transfer
to the parish of the Annunciation at Frankfort, June 27, 191 1, a charge
which he still holds and in which he is doing much to advance the cause of
the parish, both in a spiritual and a material way, excellent progress having
been reported in all departments of the work of the church during his pastorate.
Father Bradley is well read and widely informed, not only on matters per-
taining to his holy calling, but on the current topics of the day, and has been
an influence for much good since taking up his work in Frankfort. His
popularity in the city and surrounding country is not confined to the members
of his parish and he is held in the very highest esteem by all, regardless of
religious faith or affiliation.
AIRS. MELISSA HASLETT.
Mrs. Melissa Haslett is one of the real pioneers of Marshall county and
there are few who have more vivid or distinct recollections of the days of
the unbroken prairie and of the open range, of the days before the railroad
had penetrated into this part of Kansas and when the lumbering ox carts
or the mule trains over the old Overland trail afforded the only means of
transportation. She came into Kansas when a young woman with her parents
in territorial days, the family settling on a pioneer farm four miles northeast
of where Frankfort later sprang up, and she ever since has been a resident of
this county ; therefore thoroughly familiar with the history of the same from
the days of the very beginning of a social order hereabout and has ever done
well her part in the development of the social and cultural life of the com-
munity of which she has been a member since the days of her girlhood, even
before Kansas had taken her place in the proud sisterhood of states.
Melissa Mitchell was born in Calhoun county, Michigan, August 3,
1838, a daughter of George and Maria ( Brainard ) Mitchell, natives of the
state of New York and pioneers of Michigan, who were the parents of six
children, three of whom grew to maturity, Mrs. Haslett having a brother,
486 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Edwin Mitchell, and a sister, Mrs. Myla Herrick, both of Clay ("enter. this
state. George Mitchell died in Michigan in 1N47 and in [858 his widow
and her children canu- to Kansas, settling four miles northeast of the present
city of Frankfort, where they established their home, thus having been among
the very earliesl settlers in this part of Kansas. Mrs. Mitchell was married
Four times. She had five children by her first husband, lie died in Mich-
igan; then she married a Mr. Caldwell, by whom she had one child, lie also
died in Michigan. Then she married George Marshall, with whom she
came to Kansas; no children were born. He died and was buried in Kan-
ller lasl husband was a Mr. Striker; there were no children. Years
later Mrs. Striker moved to (lay ("enter, where she spent her last days, her
death occurring in [908. She was born in [818 and had thus reached the
greal age of ninety years at the time of her death.
( in Inly }. 1858, the year in which she came to Kansas, Melissa Mitchell
was united in marriage t" Harvey Randall, a cabinet-maker who had come
oul here to try his fortunes on the plains; both came together; the) were mar-
ried in Michigan. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Randall pre-empted
a trait of ^ne hundred and twenty acres of land four and One-half miles
northeast of where Frankfort later sprang up and there built a log house
which cost them six dollar-. This house had neither window- nor a floor
and had hut a "shake" roof, about as humble a dwelling as any young couple
ever started housekeeping in. hut their hearts were sh-.mil; and their hands
willing and they started in to develop a real home there .hi the wind-swept
plain and were doing very well when the Civil War broke out. Mr. Randall
nee enlisted his services in defense of the Union and in [86l went to the
front as a member of Company 1 >. Eighth Regiment. Kansas Volunteer
Infantry, with which command he served until his death in [862, dying in
the service of his country. When her husband went to war Mrs. Randall
left her humble farm home and with her two children rejoined her mother
in the hitter's home farther to the south, where she made her home until
her marriage in [865 to Charles Haslett, a native of Vermont, who had come
to Kansas in [860 and was ;t veteran of the Civil War. he also having gi
1.. the front with the Eighth Kansas, with which command he served until
his honorable discharge on account of disabilities incurred in Andersonville
1 iris. .u. Mr. Hasletl served for fifteen months in Rebel prisons, having been
mmed from one t" another until finally, the fourth move, he found himself
in dreaded Andersonville. Upon his final exchange and removal from that
horrid prison pen. he was in such a reduced physical condition that he was
honorably discharged from service and returned to his home in Kansas.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 48/
After her second marriage, Mrs. Haslett returned to her farm northeast
of Frankfort and found that during her absence the log house which she had
left there had been torn down and carried away by some unscrupulous but
enterprising settler who no doubt wanted the logs for use on his own claim,
and it became necessary for her and Air. Haslett at once to erect a new house.
They built a neat frame house, thirty- four by fourteen feet, and there, for
a second time, this pioneer woman started in housekeeping. Their affairs
prospered and though they suffered, in common with all the early settlers
of this count)-, during- the days of the grasshoppers and the scourging hot
winds, they gradually built up a good piece of property, adding to their
holdings until they became the owners of a fine farm of one hundred and sixty
acres. There they made their home until 1895, when they left the farm and
moved to Frankfort, where Mr. Haslett died in 1902, he then being seventy
years of age, and where Mrs. Haslett is still living, one of the honored pio-
neer residents of Marshall county. Mrs. Haslett still owns her farm, deriv-
ing- a comfortable income from its rental.
By her first marriage Mrs. Haslett had two children, Clara, who died in
[863, and Harvey Randall, who is now engaged in the loan business at Okla-
homa City. To her second union four children were born, namely : Myla
Mayme. who married Z. M. Robison and died in 191 1, leaving seven chil-
dren, Elmer, Ollie, Melissa, Charles, Gertrude. Iva and Guy: Edwin Elliot,
who died in youth; Ira, who also died in youth, and Henry, of Morris count}-,
this state, who has been twice married and is now a widower with one child,
a son, Walter. Mrs. Haslett has ten great-grandchildren, Elmer Robison,
who lives in North Dakota, having two children: Mrs. Ollie (Robison)
Pendleton, of Oklahoma, having two children; Mrs. Melissa (Robison)
Line, of Illinois, having four children, and Mrs. Gertrude (Robison) Peter-
son, of Texas, having two children. Charles Robison lives in Salt Lake
City and Iva and Guy Robison are living in New York with their father.
Mr. Haslett was an active member of the local post of the Grand Army
of the Republic and Mrs. Haslett has been a member of the Woman's Relief
Corps since the organization of the same at Frankfort, ever taking a warm
interest in the beneficent objects of that patriotic body. Mrs. Haslett retains
very vivid recollections of pioneer days here on the plains and is a veritable
mine of information concerning matters relating to pioneer days. She recalls
that the first year she and Mr. Randall occupied their pre-emption claim their
taxes amounted to two dollars and fifty cents. On the nights preceding
January 1, 1861, they attended a "watch meeting" at the home of a neighbor,
two miles distant, driving across the prairie with their ox-teams through snow
488 MARSHALL C01 \IV. KANSAS.
four feet deep. Mrs. Hasletl said the funny thing about this was, there was
neither a watch nor a clock in the house. They only had an almanac and
watched by that, knowing thai th< moon would rise by n P. M.
On July 4 of that same year the} attended a picnic at the Barrett
settlement, to which all the settlers for miles about drove in, there
being about sixty persons present thus to celebrate the national holiday out
here on the plains. When Mrs. Haslett came to Kansas the nearest market
was at Vtchison and they drove over each fall, "if they had the money";
otherwise they did without and got along as well as they could with the pro-
ducts of their own hands. That, of course, was before the days of the rail-
roads or of established highways and the settlers drove their ox-teams by the
shortest route, right out over the open range, definite trails thus gradually
her. -mm- established, the same serving as highways until a proper system
of roads gradually was evolved as the country became settled and the range
became fenced.
ANDREW J. TRAVELUTE.
Andrew J. Travelnte, one of the early settlers of Marshall county, who
became prominent in the agricultural development of the section, and now
living a retired life, was horn on June 30. 1S41. in the state of Pennsylvania,
being the son of Charles 11. and Margurete (Spealmann) Travelnte.
Charles 11. Travelnte was the son of Andrew and Christena Travelnte
and was born in France in 1818, where he spent seven years of his life on
the farm. In 1NJ5 his parents came to the United States and located in
Pennsylvania, where they engaged in general farming, and where they lived
and died. Charles II. Travelnte received his education in the common
schools of Pennsylvania and there grew to manhood. lie later located in
Marvsville town-hip. Marshall county. The trip to Kansas from the home
m Illinois was made in a covered wagon, which was used the firsl summer
as a residence. ( Mi his arrival in Marshall comity. Mr. Travelnte home-
steaded one hundred and sixty acres of land on which he built a frame house
and was soon activelj engaged in the development and improvement of his
farm. In time he became the owner of three excellent farms, in addition to
other valuable property, lie was a man who took interest in local affairs and
served his county as assess* >r and as commissioner, After reaching an advanced
age he sold his farm- and lived a retired life at Marvsville, where he died in
1900
MR. AND MRS. ANDREW J. TRAVELUTE.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 489
Margurete ( Spealmann ) Travelute was born in Wurtemburg, Germany,
on November 6, 1818, and was the daughter of John and Mary Spealmann.
The parents came to Pennsylvania when the daughter, Margurete, was
but a child, and later went to Illinois, where they died. Margurete Spealmann
grew to womanhood in Pennsylvania and there completed her education in
the common schools and was later married to Charles H. Travelute. Some
years later she and her husband located in Illinois and then in Marshall
county, Kansas, where she died on May 20, 1902.
Andrew J. Travelute received his education in the public schools of
Ogle county, Illinois, and there grew to manhood on the home farm. His
achool days were not spent in well-equipped buildings as those of todav. but
in the log cabin with a slab for a seat. On completing his education he re-
mained on the home farm assisting in the work, until the outbreak of the
Civil war, when he enlisted in Company A, Sixty-seventh Regiment, Illinois
Volunteer Infantry, his enlistment being for one hundred days. He saw
service at Chicago, Illinois, guarding prisoners and was later sent South,
where he did guard duty. He later returned to Chicago, where he contracted
typhoid fever and was discharged. He returned to his home in Ogle county
and in 1863 he and Dendridge Dean drove horses and mules across the
mountains and plains to California. There he worked for a time in the
quartz mines and drove a stage coach. On July 3, 1865, he left San Francisco
for New York, by way of the Isthmus of Panama. He returned to Ogle
county, Illinois, where he remained until the spring of 1866, when he came
to Marshall count}-, Kansas, where he homesteaded one hundred and sixty
acres of land in Marysville township. The tract at that time was all wild
prairie, on which he built a small log cabin, which, was used as a residence
for four years, when he built a frame structure, fourteen by sixteen, with
upstairs apartments. The house was dedicated with a dance in the upper
part, a ladder being used on the outside of the building to gain access to the
dance room. It is needless to say that the dance was the social event of the
year, in that pioneer settlement.
In time, the wild land was developed, and where once grew the tall
prairie grass in unrestrained freedom, were seen broad fields of golden grain.
The farm was enlarged until there was three hundred and twenty acres in
the tract, all of which was under high cultivation and well improved. Mr.
Travelute continued to reside on the farm until Februarv, 1901, and was
actively engaged in general farming and stock raising, being particularly
interested in the breeding and raising of Poland China hogs. On his
MARSHALL C01 N i"Y. KANSAS.
retirement from the farm he moved to Marysville, where he lia- a handsome
residence. Mr. Travelute is a man of rare- business judgment and, in n < 1 < 1 i -
tion i" his extensive land interests, he is a stockholder in the Elevator Com-
pany and the Citizens State Bank, being a director of the latter institution.
On October 9, [866, at St. Bridget, Marshall county, Andrew J. Trave-
lute was united in marriage to Elizabeth Josephine Mohrbacher, who was
bom near Milwaukee. Wisconsin, on \uul- i<). i S_|.f ». She is the daughter
[acob and Elizabeth (Latterner) Mohrbacher both of whom were natives
of Bavaria, Germany, where they received their education in the public
schools and were later married. The father was born <>n August -'4. [810,
and died on April 6, (872. In his native land he was a cooper by trade.
but did much farming. In [845 Mr. and Mr-. Mohrbacher decided t" leave
the land of their birth and seek a home in the United State- On their ar-
il in tin- country they proceeded to Wisconsin, where they established a
home, and there resided for many years. They later moved to St. J01
Missouri, making the trip with oxen and wagons, having seven prairie
oners and fi urteen yoke of oxen, by which they brought their building
terial. In r86o they came to Marysville, arriving here on May 1. of that
year. Mr. and Mr-. Mohrbacher and their eleven children suffered many
of the hard-hip- of primitive travel and the life on the plains. The daughter,
Elizabeth Josephine, received her education in the schools of Wisconsin and
after the family located in Kansas -he taught the first school in Mar-hall
county, at district X". 1. The papers of the county some years ago, pub-
lished a mosl interesting article by her on the early school life of the district.
The first school house built in this county, was built at Barrett, the first
-tcp- to build such a house having been taken by Mr. A. <i. Barrett, de-
-r*\. but who has several relatives residing in our city. The first teacher
who wielded the rod of correction in this humble school house was Miss
Mohrbai w Mrs. Travelute. of Marysville; she is the mother of Mrs.
Brumbaugh, of this city. The first white boy born in the county, Mr. P. P.
Radcliffe, attended this school term.
To Andrew and Elizabeth Josephine Travelute have been born the
hildren: Robert Willard, Henry M., John ^..Josephine, Charles
L. and Emma. Robert Willard. now deceased, married Carrie Moore and
to that union two children were born. Some years after the death of her
husband, Mrs. Travelute married Mr. Brock and now live- at Kansas City,
Missouri; Henry M.. who married Elizabeth Koppes, live- at Lincolnville,
Marion county, Kansas, and the) are the parent- of nine children: John A.
i- deceased; Josephine Brumbaugh lives at Home City. Kansas, and i- the
ADDENDUM.
Andrew J. Travelute died at his home in Marysville on Tuesday morn-
ing, June 12, 1917. at 3:30 o'clock. Funeral services were held on Thursday
morning-, June 14, at St. Gregory's Catholic church, where solemn requiem
mass was celebrated by Rev. August Redeker, of Marysville, as celebrant,
Reverend Bradley, of Frankfort, as deacon, and Reverend Hillary, of Seneca,
as sub-deacon.
The presence at the funeral of hundreds of people from far and near
attested to the high esteem in which Andrew Travelute was held by all who
had known him. The Grand Army of the Republic, the Woman's Relief
Corps and the Knights of Columbus, of which the deceased was a member,
attended in separate bodies.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 491
mother of four sons; Charles L. lives in Smith county Kansas; he has been
twice married, his first wife at her death left two sons. His second wife was
Edna Forke, of Raymond, Nebraska. Emma is at home with her parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Travelute are devout members of the Catholic church and
reared their children in that faith. Mr. Travelute is identified with the
Democratic party and has always taken an active interest in local affairs and
has served as justice of the peace, road overseer and a member of the council.
He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Sons of St. Gregory.
also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, of which he was com-
mander for one vear.
JAMES ARTHUR HAMLER.
Among the prominent business men and well-known residents of Sum-
merfield. Marshall county, is James Arthur Hamler, the efficient assistant
cashier of the State Bank of that city, who was born on a farm near Hiawatha.
Brown county. Kansas, on October 23, [882, the son of Howard and Eliza
( Dieffenderfer ) Hamler.
Howard Hamler was born in the state of Pennsylvania in 1853 an<^ 's
of German ancestry. He is the son of Daniel Hamler and wife, who were
natives of Pennsylvania, and there received their education in the public
schools and were later married. Thev continued to reside in that state until
1875, when they came to Kansas and established their home in Brown county,
where they became prominent in agricultural enterprises. The son, Howard.
also engaged in farm work in this section of the state, and came here from
his former home in Pennsylvania, after his marriage in 1875. to Eliza Dieffen-
derfer, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1857. Daniel Hamler and his
sons purchased land in Brown count}', Kansas, when they came to the state.
They later developed the farms and made them among the best in the county.
Howard Hamler engaged in general farming and stock raising in the county,
until some years later and then moved to Seneca, where be retired. He later
moved to Manhattan in 1900. so that he might give his children a better oppor-
tunity to obtain an education. He is still the owner of one hundred and
sixty acres of good land and a splendid home in Manhattan.
Howard and Eliza Hamler are the parents of the following children:
Nora E.. James Arthur and Harry T. Xora E. received her education in
the public schools and later studied in the University of Campbell, at Holton,
Kansas. For a number of years she was a successful teacher, before her
4"-' MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
marriage '■ Mr. Anderson, of Oneida: Harry T. received his primary edu-
cation in the public schools and later completed the course of study at the
nhattan Agricultural College and is n< w a successful farmer and stockman
near, Belpre, Edwards county, Kansas.
James Arthur Hamler received his education in the common schools
• •i Nemaha county, and later graduated from the Kansas Wesleyan Business
College at Salina in rtjoi. After completing his education, he was connected
with the I ank at Burlington, Colorado, for one year, and then tame to the bank
i t Summerfield in tin- year tgo2. In addition to his duties as assistant cashier
of the State Bank of Summerfield, he is associated with F. ( •. Bergen in the
real e tate and insurance business. He has two hundred and forty acres of
splendid land in rexas and is the owner of a beautiful home in the city of
Summerfield. At the time of a contest in their home city in i < > 1 3 . Mr. and
Mrs. Hamler were awarded a silver cup for having the finest home in the
place They take the greatest interest in the upkeep of the place, not for the
sake of winning prizes, but because they enjoy the pleasures of a beautiful
and well-kept home. The house is a six-room structure, finished in white,
with hard-wood floors and bath, and has every modern convenience, including:
both hard and soft water in all parts of the house. The place was built with
the idea of beauty and comfort, and is an evidence of the best thought and
attention. Much beauty lias been added to the place in the well-kept lawn, in
which many varieties of flowers and shrubbery are grown and surrounded
with the finest trees.
( )n ( )cloher j(>, [914, lame- \rtlmr Hamler was married to Kt'tic Beavers,
who was horn in Mar-hall county and is the daughter of I). II. Beavers,
who i> a well-known and successful grain Inner of I tome City, Kansas. Mrs.
Hamler received her education in the public schools of Mar-hall county, and
later studied music at the Hiawatha Academy of Music, after which she
npleted the course in music at the University of Kansas. Mr. and Mrs.
Hamler have long been prominent in the social and the religious life of the
community, ami Mrs. Hamler is active in the musical circles of the home city.
Politically, James Arthur Hamler is indentified with the Republican
party and has ever taken an active interest 111 all local affairs, and being a
man of ability, and a representative citizen of the city, he has had much to
do with the civic life of the town. Since [906 he has served as city treasurer
and his administration has been one of continued success. He has always
given the affairs of the office the same care and attention that he gives to
his own business, and by his management of the city's financial affairs, he has
wini the confidence and approval of the people. Fraternally, Mr. Hamler is
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
493
a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons at Summerfield. He lias
attained the Scottish-Rite degrees, holding his membership at Kansas City,
Kansas. He is also a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias at Sum-
merfield. He takes much interest in his lodge work, and is recognized as
one of the working members of the orders to which he belongs.
Although a young man, Mr. Hamler has by his active life accomplished
much in the social and financial life of the community in which he lives and
where he is recognized as one of the prominent and substantial men of the
county. His conservative and careful attention to business, has won for
him the confidence of the people with whom he is associated. His interest
are with the people of Marshall county and his every effort is for the better-
ment of the district in which he lives.
GUY L. RICE.
Guy L. Rice, well-known undertaker and furniture dealer at Marys-
ville and long recognized as one of the most active and progressive of the
younger business men of that city, is a native son of Marshall county and has
lived here all his life. He was born on a farm in Center township on Octo-
ber 16, 1883, son of Charles \Y. and Marguerite Inez (Crane) Rice, the
former a native of England and the latter of the state of Illinois, whose
last days were spent in this county.
Charles W. Rice was horn in the city of Coventry, England, October
10, [856, and was about eight years of age when his parents, William and
Ellen ( Watson) Rice, emigrated with their family from England to Canada
in 1864. Three years later, in 1867, they left Canada and moved to Indi-
ana, settling on a farm near Bluffton, that state, where William Rice died
in i860, leaving his widow and four children, two sons and two daughters.
In 1877 Charles W. Rice left his mother and his brother and two sisters
in Indiana and came to Kansas, riding through on horseback to Marshall
county. He began working as a farm hand in the vicinity of Winifred and
for two years "batched it" there in a little log cabin. He then, in 1879,
married and established a home on a rented farm in that vicinity, on which
he lived for three years, at the end of which time he bought a farm two miles
south and one mile east of the village of Home, where he lived until 188c;,
in which year lie engaged in the grocery business and was thus engaged
until 1891, when he engaged in general carpentering. In Februarv, 1896,
4<)4 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
(.'harlc- VV. Rice moved to Marysville and was there engaged in the general
store of Frank < i. Powell until in October, i S< »< >, when he bought the furni-
ture store and undertaking establishment of II. B. Walker at that place and
continued to operate the same the resl of his life, his death occurring on
December 20, 1911. His mother, who had joined him in this county many
year- . had died in the previous February.
In 1N70. in this county, Charles W. Kite was united in marriage to
Marguerite tnez (Vane, who was hern at Milford, [llinois, November 15.
[81 -'. daughter of Robert and Sarah Ann (Deeds) Crane, natives of Penn-
sylvania, the termer born in [830 and the latter in iN,}4, who became pioneers
and homesteaders in Marshall county, where Robert Crane spent his last
days, hiV widow now making her home in Marysville. Mrs. Charles W.
Rice died on August 6, t8qo, leaving three children, those besides the sub-
this sketch, who was the second in order of birth, being Prof. Clarence
T. Rice, of the Argentine school of Kansas City, Kansas, public schools,
and Sarah Ellen, who married F. Hutton and is now deceased.
Guy I.. Rice was reared on the home farm in Center township and in
of Home, receiving his elementary schooling in the district sch
in that n ighborhood, then went to Mary Forter and completed the same in
the public schools at Marysville, from which he and his brother and sister
were graduated. L'ntil he was twenty-one years ,,f age, Guy I. Rice worked
• •1 the Farm during the summer months and he then became engaged with
in- father in the furniture store at Marysville. lie had previously, under
the direction of his father, learned the details of the undertaking business
and had become a skilled embalmer. In i<:o<). at Topeka, he passed the
n of the Kansas state hoard of embalmers and has ever since been
eel in the undertaking business at Marysville, conducting the same in
1 with his extensive furniture business, having been proprietor of
the store since his father's death in rcjn. Mr. Rice is a progressive and
active business man and his business is conducted in strict accordance with
lern methi ds. lie not onlj carries a full and complete line of furniture.
hut has a well-equipped and up-to-date undertaking establishment and was
the tii'st undertaker in northern Kansas to add to his equipment an auto
hearse. In addition to his extensive connections at Marysville, Mr. Rice is
the owner of a half section of land in Sheridan county, this state, and is
arded as one of Marysville's substantial citizens.
1 Mi February ". 1907, Guy K. Rice was united in marriage to Myrtle
Ford, who was lorn ai Axtell, this county. March id. [886, daughter of
Joseph II. and Sarah F. (Dean) Kurd, natives of England ami of the state
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 495
of Kentucky, respectively, who are now living at Abilene, this state. Joseph
H. Ford was one of the early settlers of Marshall county, a blacksmith at
Marysville and a farmer in the neighborhood of Axtell, and was for years
one of the best-known residents of the countv. To Mr. and Mrs. Rice two
children have been born, sons both. Merlin L. and Dean W. Mr. Rice is
"independent" in his political views. He is a member of the local Masonic
lodge and he ami his wife are members of the Eastern Star and of the
Methodist church, in the various beneficences of which they take a warm
interest. They have a plea-ant home at Marysville and take a proper inter-
est in the general social activities of their home town, helpful in promoting
all proper causes designed to advance the common welfare.
GEORGE L. FENWICK.
George E. Fenwick. proprietor of the Independent auto garage at Marys-
ville and sales agent for cars and Bull tractors at that place, is a native son
of Marshall county and has been a resident of this county all his life with
the exception of the time spent in school at Manhattan and at Ouincy, Illi-
nois. He was born on a pioneer farm in the neighborhood of Bigelow, June
i_\ 1881, son of William and Melissa (Boyd) Fenwick, early settlers in that
part of the county, the former of whom was born in Bath countv, Kentucky,
in 1840, and who were the parents of four children, those besides the subject
of this sketch being as follow: Martha, deceased; Eva, who married Greelv
Warders and is now deceased, and Xettie, who married W. J. Williams, who
died about six months after marriage, and fifteen years later she married
Charles Jones and is now living on the old home place in the neighborhood
of Bigelow.
George L. Fenwick was reared on the paternal farm in this countv and
received his elementary schooling jn the district schools of that neighborhood.
At the age of nineteen years he started attending school at Manhattan and in
K)02 entered the business college at Ouincy, Illinois, from which he was
graduated in 1904, after which he traveled with a band, as a musician, for
one year, at the end of which time he returned to the home farm, which he
rented from his father, and there made his home until 191 1, in which year
he moved to Marysville and for awhile thereafter was connected with one of
the local garages. He then determined to engage in the automobile business
on his own account and built his present commodious and well-equipped
.)(,(. MARSHALL C01 MTV, KANSAS.
garage, a structure forty-four by one hundred and thirty-two feet, in which
he has since very successfully carried on a general business in automobiles
and accessories and has established a high reputation as the proprietor oi
one of the besl service stations in this part of the state. Mr. Fenwick is the
local sales manager for Bull gasoline tractors and lias built up quite a busi-
ness in these lines, carrying on his business in accordance with strictly up-to-
date metb ids.
()n May 25, [904, George L. Fenwick was united in marriage to Louise
M. Jansen, who was born at Quincy, Illinois. December -\ [881, a daughter
of Theo. and Louise (Ruff) Jansen, natives of Illinois, and the former of
whom was a druggist at Quincy. Mrs. Fenwick is a graduate of the busi-
ness college at Quincy and is a valuable aid to her husband in his business,
taking the part of bookkeeper in the garage and sales establishment. Mr.
and Mrs. Fenwick are attendants at the Christian church and take a proper
part in the general social activities of their home town. Mr. Fenwick is
"independent" in his political views and has ever given his thoughtful atten-
tii 11 t< 1 1' ical civic affairs.
C \THERINE I.. STEWARD.
One of the highly respected and greatly admired women of Irving,
Marshall county, is Mrs. Catherine I.. Steward, who was horn on October
25, [843, at Marshall. Michigan, and is the daughter of Godwin and Delia
A. Dolan.
Godwin Dolan was horn in the city of New York and was the s> >n of
John T. Dolan. a native of Ireland. I lis wife was of Irish-English descent,
and her people were prominent in their home community. Godwin Dolan
and his wife grew up in New York and wire there married. lie became
prosperous and was a man of influence. lie and his wife later located in
the stale nt Michigan and there their daughter, Catherine I... was horn at
Marshall. The) resided in that state for nine years and returned to \'ew
York, remaining there till [869, when they came to Kansas, where they
located in Atchison county. In 1872 the) came to Marshall county and
established their home at Irving, where they died some years ago. They
were held in the highest regard and esteem and they had much to do with
the general development of the district in which they lived.
Catherine I- Dolan received her education in the schools of New York
State, and there grew to womanhood and came with her parents to Atchison.
^^^^CcA^^-c. &C, ^d/^C^-r^^
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 497
Kansas, where she was united in marriage in 1870, to Herbert Hawk, who
was born in 1837 and died in 1878. To this union the following children
were born : Delia, Emily and Alfred. Delia is the wife of Frederick Luedke,
a resident of Irving; Emily is the wife of J. Morris Layton, a highly-respected
resident of Irving, and Alfred is also a resident of Irving, and is married to
Zelda Blodgett, and to them have been born two children, Chauncey and
Ella. Herbert Hawk was a native of the state of New York, and there
received his education in the public schools and grew to manhood and came
to Kansas in the year 1857, and located in Atchison county, where he home-
steaded a farm. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he offered his services
in the defense of the Hag of the Union, and enlisted in Tenth Regiment,
Kansas Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Quigg. He served throughout
the war and saw much active service. At the close of the war he returned
to Kansas, and later established his home near Irving, where he engaged in
general farming and stock raising until the time of his death. He took
much interest in the local affairs of the community, and was most happy in
the environment of his home. The latter years of his life were devoted to
the interests of his family, and his greatest desires were for their comfort
and happiness. His untimely death was mourned by the people of the com-
munity, for they knew that a good and honest man had gone from them.
Some years after the death of Herbert Hawk, Mrs. Hawk was united
in marriage to Silas Steward, and to this union one son was born, Harry,
who now lives with the mother. Her daughter, Emily, who is the wife of
J. Morris Layton, is the mother of three children, Mary, Alice and Ida. The
daughter, Mary, who is the wife of George Williams, is a resident of Spring-
side, and Alice is the wife of Dr. Adelbert Ferguson, to whom she was mar-
ried in September, 1916, and they are now living, in Michigan.
Mrs. Steward has long been active in the social and the religious life
of the community, where she is held in high regard and esteem. She is a
member of the Episcopal church and of the Order of the Eastern Star. Her
two sons are members of the Masonic lodge, of the Eastern Star and of the
Knights of Pythias and Pythian Sister>.
The father of Mrs. Steward, who came to Kansas from his home in the
state of New York, owing to the severe climate of the former state, was a
man of pleasing characteristics and of much force of character. He owned
considerable property in his native state, where Mrs. Steward now has large
property interests. She has a beautiful home in Irving, where she lives with
her daughter.
(32)
1'iS MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
SAMUEL FRANCIS PAUL
Samuel Francis Paul, a native son of th< if Illinois, and today one
mi the mosl progressive and substantia] farmers and stockmen of Marshall
county, and the representative of the Thirty-ninth districl to the state Legis-
lature, was born at Rock [sland on January 28, [856, the son qf William and
Eliza A. (Walker) Paul, who were natives of Belfast, Ireland, and Madison
county, Illinois respectively.
William Paul was born on February t6, (830, and died on August u.
[889. He received his education in the schools of his native land and there
grew to manhood. He continued to live his life in the land where he was
rn, until 1847, when he decided that he would seek his fortune in America.
He landed at Quebec, where he remained for a time, after which he took Up
his residence at Watertown, New York, where he was engaged in the blast
furnaces for a time. He then decided to locate further West, and in a short
time was established at Geneva Lake. Wisconsin, and after a residence of
31 me time in that place, he located at Rock Island. Illinois, where he engaged
in general farming. There he was married on June 311. [853, to Eliza A.
Walker, who was horn on January 26, [836, being the daughter of Samuel
A. Walker and wife, who were natives of Virginia, their early home being on
the hanks of the James river, and where her father was born in 1 7N5. lie
was one of the early settlers of Madison county, Illinois, and was a well-
known Methodist minister of that section After having spent many years
in the work in the county, Mr. Walker moved to Rock Island and in 1X5N
moved to Marshall county, and later died in Nebraska City, Nebraska. His
life was one of usefulness, and his influence ou the moral and the social life
of the community, was for the general good. The life of a minister was a
hard one in those days, yet Mr. Walker accepted his responsibilities with a
determination that broughl success to his work. He was held in the highest
1 .nd l>\ all with whom he came in contact, and his influence for the better
life was keenly felt throughoul the district in which he worked. He was a
man of the highest ideals and of pleasing qualities. To him the people of
Madison county were greath indebted for the high standard of morality that
lie sel in that early pioneer settlement.
To William and Eliza Paul were horn the following children: Martha
A.. Samuel Francis, Sadie I... Clara R. and William F. Martha A. Johnson
is a resident of Sheridan, Arkansas; Sadie L. Wanamaker resides at Blue
Rapids. Kansas; Clara I'. Miller lives at Clepsen Beach, Washington, and
William F. lives at Edna, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Raul continued to live at
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 499
Rock Island, Illinois, until 1858, when they located in the state of Kansas
with their family in that year. Here Mr. Paul pre-empted land three miles
north of Blue Rapids, in Blue Rapids township, Marshall county, where he
obtained one hundred and twenty acres at one dollar and twenty-five cents
per acre. The journey from their home in Illinois to their new home in
Kansas, was made within a covered wagon, drawn by horses and they were
three weeks on the way. The journey was a hard one, over an unknown
tract, with no roads lint the winding- trail over the prairie. But they were a
determined people and were willing' to endure the hardships, supported by
the thought that in time a better home was in store for them. On their
arrival at their new home, logs were cut and a cabin erected in which the
family lived for some years. It was not long after the family established
their home in the new country, that the father enlisted under the flag of his
country, with a determination to assist in preserving the Union. As he
marched away with Company E, Thirteenth Regiment, Kansas Volunteer
Infantry, he left at home a devoted wife who wished him Godspeed. For
three years he served his country, and saw much active service in the South
and West. After his honorable discharge he returned to his home and the
devoted wife*, who had experienced in many ways the hardships of the war as
much as the soldiers on the field of battle. Those three years were filled with
many privations in the care of the five children of the family. By the will
of God, Mr. Paul survived his campaigns at Prairie Grove, Pea Ridge, Ft.
Smith and the chase after General Price, through Missouri and Arkansas.
On his return to his home in Kansas, Mr. Paul settled on a farm two miles
east of Blue Rapids, Marshall county, where he became a successful farmer
and stockman, and there lived until his death. He was a man of much prom-
inence in the community in which he lived and where he was held in the high-
est regard by all who knew him.
Samuel Francis Paul received his education in the common schools of
Kansas, the Wetmore Institute and the Agricultural College of Kansas.
After completing his education he engaged in teaching and was for nine years
1 nc of the successful teachers of .Marshall county. He later engaged in farm-
ing and in [884 he engaged in the work for himself, on a farm three miles
cast of Blue Rapids. There he made his home until 1898, when he moved
to Blue Rapids, where he has a beautiful home, one of the finest residences
in the town. As a farmer and stockman, Mr. Paul met with much success.
He was a firm believer in the intensive farming and the keeping of the best
of stock and his farm has always been one of the finest in the county. He
has always taken the greatest pride in the upkeep of his fine estate and the
500 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
care of his stock. I lis farms consist of eighty acre- of splendid bottom land
easl of Blue Rapids; one hundred and sixty acre- of land two miles east of
Blue Rapids and a splendid farm of eighty acre- of bottom land north of
Irving. The life of Mr. Paul has been a most active one and he is still
recognized as one of the progressive men of the county. lie has met with
much succe-- and has n-ed hi- influence and best efforts for the advancement
■ if the community in which he has lived for so many years and where he is
held in the highest regard by all win i know him.
( )n March 3, 1885, Samuel Francis Paul was united in marriage to Clara
Dunlap, vvh'i was born in Red Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, mi October
26, [859, the daughter of James and Mary A. Dunlap, who were natives of
\ irginia, where they received their education in the public schools and there
-lew up and were later married. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Dun-
lap continued to reside in Virginia until March [8, [880, when they came to
Kansas. Mr. Dunlap had spent his life in agricultural pursuits, and when
he arrived in Kansas he established hi- home mi a farm near Axtell, Murray
township, Marshall county, lie was a man of sterling worth and possessed
nf much ability and he became "tie of the successful farmers and stockmen
1 if the county, where he and his wife were prominent in the social .and the
moral life ><i the community, and were held in the highest esteem by all. He
made the county his home until the time nf his death, and i- buried in the
cemetery at Axtell.
In Samuel Francis and Clara Paul have been horn the following chil-
dren: William Clarence Frances, Ruth. Hubert and Marian. William
Clarence received his education in the schools of Mar-hall county and grew
to manli 1 mi the home farm, where he assisted his father with the farm
work. After reaching manhood he was united in marriage t" Marie Jerui-
rick. and to them has been horn one child. William Clarence. Jr., whose
birth occurred on April 17. [916. Air. and Mrs. William Clarence Paul
now reside at Elko, Nevada, where Mr. Raul is an employee of the Western
Pacific Railmad. They are among the prominent residents Of that place.
Frances is the wife nf E. M. Bartholow, who holds a responsible position
with the government <<i the United State- at Washington, I). C. Ruth is
the wife i'i II. W. Cornell, who also holds a responsible position with the
government at Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Cornell have an interesting
young son, Raul. Hubert has completed his education in the local schools
and is imvv a student in the University of Kansas at Lawrence, and Marian
is at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Raul are active members >>\ the Presbyterian church and
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 5OI
are among the prominent workers of that denomination, Mr. Paul being an
elder of the local church. Their best efforts have ever been given to the good
work of the church, and to them much of the success of the local society is
due. All departments of the church work appeal to them and receives their
active and financial support. Few people of the community are held in
higher regard, than are Mr. and Mrs. Paul. They are a most hospitable
people and by their kindly disposition, they have won for themselves many
friends in the locality.
Fraternally, Mr. Paul is a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America, in which orders he takes
keen interest. Politically, he is identified with the Republican party and has
always taken much interest in all local affairs. For many years he was town-
ship trustee and during his term of office he gave valuable service to the
township. In 1914 he was elected to represent his district in the state Legis-
lature and was re-elected in November, 1916. As a member of the Legis-
lature he has demonstrated his ability as a leader and has served on the fol-
lowing important committees : Assessments and taxation ; education ; mines
and mining ; county seats and county lines ; immigration, and ways and
means. He introduced into the house the bill known as the "Mortgage
Registration Law," which was later declared unconstitutional. The law
would do away with the system of double taxation, and it is more than prob-
able that a constitutional amendment will be made, so that a law may be
passed that will incorporate the provisions of the bill introduced by Mr. Paul.
CHARLES WILSON BRANDENBURG, D. D. S.
It has been said that probably no one man has done more to rehabilitate
the Democratic party in Kansas than has Dr. Charles W. Brandenburg, the
well-known dental surgeon at Frankfort, this county. And his friends affirm
this statement to be true. At any rate, it may be truthfully said that no one
has been more faithful in the service of the party or more ardent in his champ-
ionship of the principles of Democracy than has Doctor Brandenburg. From
the days of his boyhood, when, at eighteen years of age, he succeeded in
effecting an organization of Democrats in Jackson county, right in a very
hotbed of rampant Republicanism, Doctor Brandenburg has been unceasing
in his advocacy of the principles of the party he has held dear to his heart
and, in season and out of season, morning, noon and night, has given his most
502 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
earnesl attention to the work of perfecting an effective organization of the
party in this state.
Vs noted above, il was when little more than a boy thai Doctor Branden-
burg gained a reputation for study Democracy throughoul this state by his
zealous efforts on behalf of an organization of that party in his home county.
\'>t long before he had come here from his native \ irginia and h,ad located
ai Holti n. in Jackson county, a place where Democrats were might) few and
Far between. ETolton had been settled by Abolitionists and in the early
hties Republicanism still was dominant as a political factor there. Despite
the many obstacles thus presented, young Brandenburg in [882 succeeded in
effecting a strong working organization of the Democratic party in Jackson
county ami thus came to the early and favorable notice of the party managers
in this state. From that time forward few men in Kansas were more active
or influential in the councils of the party in this state than he and for a score
or more of years he has been one of the most familiar figures at the banquets
and gatherings of his party in this state and in other states of the middle
West, while for years he has been recognized as the wise and kindly dictator
of his party in this district. In [894 Doctor Brandenburg was the nominee
of his part) as the representative from this district to Congress, in opposition
to W. D. Calderhead, but that was Republican year in this district and his
party's genial ambition in his behalf was not gratified. In 1896 Doctor
Brandenburg was a delegate from this district to the national Democratic
convention at Chicago that first nominated William Jennings Bryan for the
Presidency, and was one of the mosl influential among the enthusiastic young
men who secured for Mr. Bryan the nomination amid scenes of political fer-
vor that are now historic. In 1 > Doctor Brandenburg was selected with
David ' ibermeyer to go to Washington to present the claims of Kansas City
for the national convention before the national Democratic committee, thai
year, and when convention hall was burned not long before the time for the
holding of the convention, he was the first man to telegraph one hundred dol-
lars to the fund for the rebuilding of the same. In 1904 and in [908 the
Doctor also was a delegate to the national conventions of his party and in
i'iij was one of the enthusiastic party of Kansans presenl at the national
convention at Baltimore, where he was an ardent champion of the nomination
. 1 \\ [row Wilson. The Doctor organized this district for Wilson and
did much effective work during the memorable campaign of [912. Since
[884 he has attended, as a delegate or as an alternate, every state and national
convention of his party and has been prominent in the councils of the party
throughout this section. For twenty-two years he was district chairman of
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 503
the party and a member of the state committee of the same, while for six-
teen years he was a member of the state executive committee of seven mem-
bers and for eight years was chairman of the Marshall county central com-
mittee. When the Doctor took charge of his party in this county few Demo-
crats had held office here, but in 191 _' Wilson carried the county and prac-
tically the entire Democratic county ticket was elected. Doctor Branden-
burg' is a man of large stature — big of body and big of brain — a natural
leader of men. He is widely traveled, having been in every city of conse-
quence in the United States, and has a wide acquaintance among politicians
throughout the country. He is a member of nearly a score of fraternal and
secret societies and has been prominently identified with the higher councils
of the fraternal orders with which he has been affiliated.
Dr. Charles W. Brandenburg is a native son of the Old Dominion, but
has been a resident of Kansas since he was fifteen years of age and is thus
as much a Kansatt as though "native and to the manner born." He was
linn in Loudoun county, Virginia, January 30, 1865, a son of Virginia parents,
of German descent and of Colonial stock, some of his ancestors having served
as soldiers of the patriot army during the Revolutionary War. The founder
of the family in America was a member of an European noble family, one
of the Prussian Brandenburgs, who came to this country in Colonial days and
established his home in Virginia.
In 1880, he then being fifteen years of age, Charles W. Brandenburg left
Virginia and came out to Kansas to make his home with an uncle at Holton.
There he completed his common schooling in the Holton high school and
then entered Campbell University at Holton, being one of Professor Miller's
first students, and attended that institution during the years 1883-84, after
which he began the study of dentistry in the office of Dr. A. W. Davis, at
Holton, presently beginning the practice of that profession there and was thus
engaged until 1888, when he entered the old Kansas City Dental College and
after supplementary instruction there, in 1890, located at Frankfort, where
he opened an office for the practice of his profession and where he ever since
has been located, long having been one of the best-known and most success-
ful dental surgeons in northern Kansas, his clientage extending to many
towns and cities hereabout.
In 1885, at Holton, Dr. Charles W. Brandenburg was united in marriage
to Addie M. Kellar, a daughter of the Hon. J. H. Kellar, former district
judge and for many years a member of the Kansas state Legislature, ami
to this union two children have been born. Fay, wife of Dr. W. W. Reed,
of Blue Rapids, and Marjorie, who is still in school. Mrs. Brandenburg is
504 M \KSII All. COUNTY, KANSAS.
postmistress at Frankfort, having received her commission to that important
office from Presidenl \\ ilson. The Brandenburgs have a very pleasant home
at Frankfort and have ever taken a proper part in the general social and cul-
tural activities of thai city.
RUFUS SWAIN CRAFT, M. D.
Few men had more to do with the growth and development of Blue
Rapids, Marshal] county, and few were held in greater esteem fur their good
work than was Dr. Rufus Swain Craft, a native of Winchester, Virginia,
\litre he was horn on February 11, 1831, the -on of Samuel and Elizabeth
1 I line-) (raft. Doctor Craft first came to the state of Kansas in [859 and
was ever active in the affair- of hi- home community, until the time of his
death on March X, [908.
Samuel Craft was horn in the -tate of New Jersey in [808, and was
the -on of Benjamin Craft and wife. The father was a native of .Maryland,
where he received his education and there grew to manhood, when he located
in New Jersey. The Craft family was, without doubt, of Welsh origin; the
great-grandfather of Doctor Craft came to America in the middle of the
eighteenth century and located in Maryland, where he was married and
where he died a greal many years ago. Benjamin ('raft, the grandfather of
Doctor (raft, after a residence of some year- in New Jersey, located near
Zanesville, Ohio, which at that time was known a- the far West. There he
and hi- family established their home on a farm, and there the father died.
The -on. Samuel, who came to Ohio with his father, learned the trade of a
shoemaker at Zanesville. lie followed this work for a number of years and
worked at different place-, and it was while working at Georgetown, 1'. C,
thai he mel .no married Elizabeth 1 lines. For a time after their marriage
they lived at Georgetown, after which they moved to Winchester, Virginia,
and from there to Lawrenceburg, Indiana, in [833. Samuel Craft spent
many years of hi- life in Lawrenceburg, ami in 1 N70, he came to Kansas,
where hi- son was then living. Some time after coming to the -tate he
engaged with the Santa Fe Railroad at Topeka, and remained with the com-
pany until a week before his death, which occurred in January. [888, at the
age of eighty-six years. His wife, Elizabeth Craft, was a native of the
District of Columbia, and died at her home in Lawrenceburg in 1844.
Some years after the death of his lir-t wife. Samuel Craft was married
DR. RUFFS S. CRAFT.
MKS. ANNA It. CUAI'T.
.MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 505
to Jane Boice, who died at her home in Topeka, Kansas, in 1887. The early
members of the family of Elizabeth (Hines) Craft were the owners of the
site cf the city of Washington and were prominent factors in the social and
civic life of their time. They were descendants of the Swain families of
Virginia and of John Wolfe and Pocahontas.
To Samuel and Elizabeth (Hines) Craft were born three children:
Samuel A., Julia, the wife of George W. Benies, and Rufus Swain, all of
whom are now deceased with the exception of Mrs. Benies, of Indianapolis,
Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Craft were excellent people, educated and refined.
Mr. Craft was an honest and industrious man, and devoted his life to his
trade until he accepted employment with the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad
at Lawrenceburg. He was active in the Masonic order and in the Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows, and at the time of his death, it was said that
he was the oldest member of the latter order in the state. Few men of the
community were held in higher regard, and at his funeral on one of the
coldest days of the year, an imposing cortege composed of Masons, Odd
Fellows, railroad employees and friends, followed his remains to the grave.
Rufus Swain Craft, who was but two years of age when his parents
established their home in Lawrenceburg, was reared in that city and there
received his educational training in the public schools and the Lawrenceburg
Institute. While pursuing hi? studies in the latter school, where he was
taking up the study of medicine, the Mexican War started. He was but
sixteen years of age at the time, yet he laid aside his studies and passing
himself for eighteen years, he enlisted in the Fourth Indiana Infantry, and
saw active service under General Taylor and General Scott. He was with
the forces at battles of Huamsntla and Atalixco and the siege of Pueblo, in
addition to many other skirmishes. After having served for some fourteen
months, he returned to Lawrenceburg in 1848 and continued his study of
medicine in the institute of that place. After completing the work, he \va^
employed as an instructor in the institution for a time, and later attended
medical lectures in Cincinnati. Ohio. He had then reached his majority, and
emigrated to Putnam county. Missouri, where he entered the practice of
medicine with his uncle. Dr. John Hines. He remained here for four years,
when he located in Harrison county, Missouri, where he engaged in the
practice until 1859, when he located in Holton, Jackson county, Kansas.
Doctor Craft was always interested in mill enterprises and, in 1865,
he with his brother and a third partner decided to make a tour of inspection
of some of the rivers of the state. Doctor Craft was given the section of
506 MARSHAL! i mi \'iv, KANSAS.
Blue Rapids, where the three were to meet later. At this meeting il was
ided dial the power al Blue Rapids was the best, and the three, as part-
rs, purchased two hundred and eighty-seven acres, al Blue Rapids, which
also gave them the power further up the river. The doctor purchased in his
own right, sevent) acres, which now adjoins Blue Rapids on the west. The
property, held in partnership, was held until 1870, when the tract was sold
to the Genesee colony, winch laid oul the town of Blue Rapids. Lip to the
time of the platting of the town, Doctor (rait was a residenl of Holton, but
in 1872 he moved to nine Rapid-, the town he helped lay out and here he
began his medical practice in Marshall county, lie also conducted a drug
Store, one 1 E the first in this section, lie later owned the building in which
he had hi- 1 'lice and where he conducted his store.
Always interested in the nulling business, Doctor (raft was one of the
i]i <>i" nun who built the stone flouring-mill on the east side of Blue river,
next the dam that had been constructed. This mill was operated until [876
by Olmstead Brothers, at which time it was under the direction of J. S.
Wright & Company. Doctor (ran -till retained his interest jn the mill he
had assisted in establishing and which had so much to do with the early
progre - "i Blue Rapids. In August, 1887, the mill was sold n> 1'. II.
lie, and the doctor retired from the business. To him has ever been
en much of the credit for the establishment of one of the important in-
dustries "i' the city. For many years the milling enterprises of Blue Rapids
have 1 een recognized a- among the greatest in this section of Kansas, and
their products have become known throughout the confines of many a state.
At the time Doctor (raft disposed of his interests in the mill, he also dis-
posed of his interest in Jacks, in county, where he devoted his time and atten-
tion t" the practice ol his profession. For many years he was the leading
practitioner of this section, and in later years he had an extensive office pr
lice. I lis careful attention to business and his excellent ability and knowledge
of medicine, won for him the highest commendation of the people of the dis-
trict, ami \\<m for him a high place in the profession. Few men wmi higher
approval in their work and few were held in greater regard and esteem.
( )n ( Ictol ei t6 (852, Rufus Swain * Va it was united in marriage to Anna
i'., Bledsoe, in Putnam county, Kansas. Mrs. (raft was bom at Ghent, Carroll
inty, Kentucky, where her forefathers had settled on their removal from
\ irginia. She was of a well-known family in her native state, many of whom
became prominent in the various affairs of the state and nation, Her uncle.
Jesse Bledsoe, was a well-known United States senator, and another uncle.
Lewis Saunders, was one oi the very first residents of the state t'' engage in
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 507
the importation of fine stock, for which the Bine Grass state has since become
famous. Airs. Craft was horn on January 10, 1834, and was the daughter of
Aaron and Elinore (Bond) Bledsoe, the father heing a native of Virginia,
and the mother of the state of Pennsylvania, she having been born near the
town of Beaver.- Both the Bledsoe and Boyd families were prominent in
their native states, and after their location in the Bine Grass region, they were
among the influential and prosperous people of the state. The family was
a worthy one. and to them is due much of the wonderful advancement and
progress of the state that is known the world over, for its fine horses and
splendid cattle.
To Rufus Swain and Anna B. Craft were born the following children :
George, William, Ella, Samuel Adolphus, Emma, Julia and Edward. George,
a bright young man of nineteen years, had completed the work in the local
schools and had entered the medical department of the Campbell University
at Holton, when he was taken with consumption. His father took him to
Colorado, Mexico and California, in the hope of some relief, but the dread
disease had taken too firm a hold and he passed away at Santa Anna, Cali-
fornia, on July 1, 1887; 'William R. died in infancy; Ella completed her edu-
cation in the local school and married Clement E. Coulter, the son of William
and Eliza (Lince) Coulter. His parents were natives of Ireland and
were of a prominent family. His paternal great-grandfather was a major in
the British arm}-, but his son Charles, the grandfather of Clement E., was
reared on the home farm in the native land. Charles Coulter wTas married
in Ireland to Jane Cluxton, a native of the County Louth. To this union
six children were born, all of whom came to America with their parents, with
the exception of William and his sister, Jane, who later came to the new-
land. William Coulter was a man of much ability and possessed of a high
education, having completed the course of study at the classical school of
Cootehill, and later attained a high place as an apothecary, and took an active
part in helping the victims of the cholera scourge in Ireland in 1 S3 1 . In
1842 he was united in marriage to Eliza Lince, a native of Dublin. Ire-
land, and a woman of pleasing qualities and loved by all who knew her. Thev
were the parents of twelve children, two of whom died in infancy, the others
receiving an excellent education in the higher institutions of learning. The
son, Clement E., graduated from schools of pharmacy, both in Canada and
Philadelphia, and later entered the drug business with his father-in-law. Doctor
Craft, at Blue Rapids, where he and his wife were among the prominent and
active members of the local social life, until the time of her death on Decem-
ber 29, 1888: Samuel Adolphus was born in the northern part of Missouri
508 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and died at the age of .six wars: Emma died at the age of three years, and
Edward, at the age of two years; Julia received her education in the local
schools and later was united in marriage, on December 25, [882, to Henry
[. Hewitt, ope of the well-known and prosperous residents of the county, who
was born in Ohio. To this union one son, George C, was hum, whose birth
occurred on December 20, [886. He completed his education in the high
-chn.i] of Blue Rapids and later entered the employ of the American Refining
and Smelting Company and is now located at Garfield, Utah, and is one "t
their trusted and valued men. Henry I. Hewitt, who was for many years
an employee "i the Canton, Ohio, Bridge Company, died at Elyria, Ohio,
mi December 1. [912. During hi- employment with that company he and
his wife maintained their home in Blue Rapids, when' Mrs. Hewitt was one
of the charter members of the Order of the Eastern Star. The early mem-
bers of the Hewitt family settled at Southport, Connecticut, on the mother's
side. On the father's side, at Middletown, Maryland, and later moved t" the
Western Reserve in Ohio. The mother of Henry I. Hewitt. Elizabeth
Hewitt, was a woman of much ability and was noted for her great memory.
His grandmother, Eveline W Is, married ('apt. George Smith, who was lost
at sea. after which she married Doctor Sherwood, of Southport, Connecticut.
His death occurred some years later and she was then married to Philo
Wells, who lived to he ninety-nine years of age, and the grandmother, who
was born on November 11. [811, lived until April 1, 1910.
Clement E. and Ella (milter were the parents of three children: Edna,
Royal and Anna. Edna received her education in the schools of P>lue Rapids,
and later married Frank Wigginton, who is a cousin of the present wife of
President Woodrow Wilson. They now live at Wells City, Missouri, and are
among the highly respected and influential people of the state. Royal S. and
Anna Florence are now residents of Los Angeles, California.
Doctor (raft was a man of great personality, and while he was not in
any -> nse a s< eker after office, the people of Jackson county elected him county
d mmissioner, county treasurer ami in the state Legislature in [862; he also
served a- a member of the city council of Blue Rapids fur a number of years.
He filled these positions with dignity and honor, and displayed much ability
Mid fidelity to the people of his community. He was a man of sound judg-
nl mi all professional and business matters, and his judgment and intellect
were sharpened by his long years of experience and his contact with the gen-
era] public. \s a physician, he Stood at the head of his profession in Marshall
linty, and his services were in constant demand. As a man of business he
was always trusted and as a citizen he was held in the highest regard and
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 5OQ
esteem by all who knew him. It was his effort at all times to work for the
be^t interests of Bine Rapids and the surrounding country, and today his
memory is held in reverence bv all.
PETER J. SCHUMACHER.
Peter J. Schumacher, proprietor of a flourishing marble-cutting estab-
lishment at Marysville and one of the well-known and progressive business
men of that city, is a native of the neighboring state of Wisconsin, but has
been a resident of Marshall county since pioneer days, having been but a child
when his parents moved to this county and took their place among the
pioneer residents of this part of the state. He was born on a farm in Ozaukee
count)-, Wisconsin, Octoher 12, 1861, son of Peter and Susan (Koppes)
Schumacher, natives of Europe, whose last days were spent in this county,
honored and influential pioneer residents of the 'same.
Peter Schumacher and Susan Koppes were born in the grand duchy
of Luxemburg and grew to maturity there. In 1S51 tliev joined a party
of their fellow-countrymen and came to this country, the sailing vessel on
which they took passage being seventy-six days making the voyage. They
were married shortly before they started to this country and settled on a
farm in Ozaukee county, Wisconsin, whence they presently moved to Mich-
igan, where they remained until 1866, when thev decided to put in their
lot with the considerable number of homesteaders who were then making
their way to this part of Kansas. From the railway terminus at St. Joseph,
Missouri, they drove through with their little farmilv to Marshall county,
traveling by "prairie schooner" and ox-team. Peter Schumacher home-
steaded a quarter of a section of raw land in section 12 of Herkimer town-
ship, this county, erected a log house on the same and there established his
home. He broke up his land with his oxen and proceeded to get in a crop,
hut his early operations were greatly hampered and set back by the inva-
sion of grasshoppers in this part of the state about that time and he had
much difficulty in getting a start in the new land, being compelled to leave
his pioneer farm and go to Hutchinson mills at Marysville, where lie found
employment at a wage of one dollar a day, paid in bacon and corn-meal, on
which humble fare he sustained his family until brighter days came. Mr.
Schumacher gradually improved his farm, bringing the same up to a high
state of cultivation, and after awhile added an adjoining quarter section to
510 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS,
his land holdings, coming to be accounted one of the substantia] farmers of
thai county. ["here he spent the remainder of his life, his
th occurring in 1913, at the age of seventy-eighl year-. His widow sur-
ged him about three years, her death occurring in [916, she then being
at iIh age of eighty-five years. The) were- members of the Catholic church
- ir children were reared in the faith of that church. There were six
of these children, 1 f whom the subject of this sketch was the third in order
or birth, the others being as follow: Margaret, who married Nicholas
Mollingei and is now deceased; [Catherine, who married ('. A. Huber and
is n< \\ deceased; Mathias, who lives at Moscow, Idaho; Stephen, of Marys-
ville, this a unty, and Susan, also of Marysville, the widow of II. Ashwiler.
Peter I. Schumacher was about five years of age when his parents
came to this county and he was reared on the pioneer homestead farm in
Herkimer township, receiving his early schooling in a Sod shanty, the first
school house in that township, and his firsl school teacher was Mrs. V J.
Travelute, a biographical sketch in' whom i- presented elsewhere in this
volume. He remained at home, a valuable assistant to his father in the
labors 1 f developing the home place, and after awhile bought a quarter
section of his own in Herkimer town-hip, on which, after his marriage in
(888, he established his home. There he lived until [894, when he sold
the place and moved to Marysville. where he engaged in the agricultural-
implement business and was thus engaged until [897, when he sold his
re and took a position with the McCormick Harvester Company as a
traveling -;de-man. The next year he wa- appointed superintendent of the
Mar-hall county "'poor farm." and wa- thus occupied for five years, or until
[903, when he bought from Mr. Bittell the Marysville granite and marble
works and ha- ever since been engaged in operating the -ante and has made
quite a success of In- business. Mr. Schumacher started in business with
a stock of all ut three thousand dollars and ha- gradually extended hi- plant
and enlarged In- stock until he is now carrying a stock valued at fifteen
thousand dollars and ha- a considerable force of marble-cutters at work.
The business is carried on under the firm name of Schumacher & Son. Mr.
Schumacher's -mi. Andrew < >. Schumacher, having been admitted to part-
nership with hi- father some time ago. The linn ha- a flourishing business
and cover- a wide -cope of country in it- operations. Mr. Schumacher i- a
Democrat and during his residence in Herkimer township was for three
year- township trustee. He al-o ha- served a- a member of the Marysville
city council for two term- and ha- ever taken an earnest interest in local
civic affairs.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 5II
On November 10, 1888, Peter J. Schumacher was united in marriage
to Paulina Huber, who was born at Peru, Illinois. March 28, 1867, and to
this union three children have been born, namely: Andrew O.. junior part-
ner in the firm of Schumacher & Son, who married Catherine Reem and
has one child, a daughter, Audra; Verna J., who was graduated from Man-
hattan College and is at home, and Helena, also at hi >me. The Schumachers
have a very pleasant home at Marysville and take a proper interest in the
general social activities of their home town. Air. Schumacher is a member
of the Independent Order' of Odd Fellows, of the Modern Woodmen of
America and of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and takes a warm
interest in the affairs. of these several popular organizations.
EDGAR ROSS FULTON.
Edgar Ross Fulton was born on a farm in Clearfield count}', Pennsyl-
vania. February 10, 1856. He moved to Falls City, Nebraska, in 1873, an(^
for several years was a clerk in his brother's law office. He studied law and
attended the State University of Iowa, and was graduated from the law
department of that institution in June, 1877.
In 1878 Air. Fulton moved to western Kansas and located in Hodgeman
county and served as county attorney in that county for two years. In 1882
he came to Marysville and was elected cashier of the First National Bank,
which position he held nnti! January, IQ15. when he was elected president
of the bank, which position he still holds. He was elected state senator from
this county in 1000 and re-elected in 1904. serving eight years. He has been
a member of the board of education of Marysville, continuously since 1899.
Mr. Fulton was married on May 20, 1885. to Miss Jennie A. Schmidt,
eldest daughter of Hon. Frank Schmidt, of Marysville. Three children
were born to them: Edgar Ross, who died when four years old; Ludowiene,
now Mrs. Charles U. Barrett, and Jennie S., who married Lynn R. Brodrick,
and who died on January 13, 1917. Mrs. Fulton died on June 17, 1891.
On December 6, 1910, Mr. Fulton married Miss Ludowiene Schmidt, a sister
of his former wife.
Mr. Fulton is a member of the Masonic fraternity and in 1907 held the
position of grand commander of the Grand Commandery, Knights Templar,
of Kansas. He is a Republican in politics and an active member of the
Presbyterian church.
512 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
JOHN" G. ELLENBECKER.
M.iii\ of tin.- best citizens of Kansas claim her as their adopted state, and
\ ic with her native citizens in their faith in, and fidelity to, the one and only
one beloved Kansas. John (i. Ellenbecker is one of these many adopted citi-
zens of whom the Sunflower state may well be proud.
John G, Ellenbecker was born at Hancock, Michigan, January 29, [867,
and 1- the son of Joseph and Mary Ann 1 Schumacher 1 Ellenbecker, two of
Marshall county's pioneers. Joseph Ellenbecker was born in the village of
Cotbach in the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, June 26, 1836. He resided there
during part of his youth and attended the public schools, which were conducted
in French. When he was about twelve (in (848), he with his parents and
their Other nine children — six Low and four girls — emigrated to America and
settled on a farm in Ozaukee county, near Belgium, Wisconsin. The names
of his parent- were John and Margaret ( Welter 1 Kltenbecker. They resided
On their Wisconsin farm until their death and are buried in Lake church
cemetery near Belgium. At the time of their advent to Wisconsin the part
where they settled, near Lake Michigan, was covered by a dense hardwood
forest, and a space had to be cleared to build a log house and barn, to say
nothing about a field for cultivating a little rye. corn and vegetables.
Thai opportunity knocks even at the door of poor people, is -ecu in this
incident : When Grandpa Ellenbecker with his family passed through Chicago,
then a village, he was offered for five hundred dollar- the forty acres upon
which the Union depot is now situated, but he had heard the call of the wilds
through a friend up North, where he could get one hundred and sixty acres
oi fine timber land for a song, and thither he journeyed. In those days there
were no railroad- west of the Mississippi river, and the journey from New
York to Wisconsin had to be made mostly by canal boats and river boats
and required many months. The trip across the ocean consumed over seventy
day-. Tlu- Wisconsin forests abounded in wild deer and turkey, and those
supplied the early settlers with fresh meat, although the other food was
generally ver) plain and sometimes painfull) scarce. The plow, cradle, axe
and scythe embraced the agricultural implements, .and the first sowings of rye
and wheat were worked into the ground between the stump- by hand har-
rows made out of deer horn-. For many year- there were no threshing
machine-; the grain was tramped out of the straw by oxen or horses and
winnowed in the wind. Some of the w 1 wa- broken up into handmade
shingles and slabs for building, hut most of it, though valuable, was burnt
on the ground to clear the land.
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MARSHAL!- COUNTY, KANSAS. 513
At the age of eighteen Joseph Ellenbecker went to Fulton, Illinois, in
search of employment, and there worked on a farm for two years at ten
dollars a month. Subsequently, he worked on a Mississippi river steamboat
during the summer, and in the winter he cut cordwood near St. Louis at fifty
cents a cord. Returning to Wisconsin in i860, he was united in marriage on
January 22, 1802, to Mary Ann Schumacher. After residing on a small farm
near Belgium for one year, they moved to Hancock, Michigan, where Mr.
Ellenbecker found employment for five years in the Heckly copper mines.
In 1868, with their three children, of whom John was then eighteen months
old, they came to Kansas, and settled one and one-half miles northwest of
Marysville in section 30, on a slightly improved farm of one hundred and
forty acres, which they had purchased for twelve hundred dollars, paying cash.
The old California and Oregon Trail crossed this farm in its course from
St. Joseph to the West; and over this road it was a common sight to see in
those days trains of twenty-five or thirty covered wagons, three ox-teams to
each, slowly winding toward the setting sun.
Mary Ann Schumacher, the youngest of nine children ( five boys and
four girls), was born in the village of Erhelding in the same country in which
her husband was born. The names of her parents were Mathias and Catherine
(Herbert) Schumacher; both were born and reared in the Grand Duchy of
Luxemburg. When Mary Ann Schumacher was in her thirteenth year, in
1855, she came with her parents to America. They also settled on a farm in
the forests of Ozaukee county, near Belgium, Wisconsin. Here with her
parents she resided until she grew to womanhood, and shared with them the
life of toil and poverty. Her parents continued to reside on this farm until
their deaths, and are buried in the Lake church cemetery nearby. They, like
the Ellenbecker family, who came over a few years earlier, experienced the
inconvenience of slow travel, being sixty-six days on the ocean and several
months on their inland journey.
Grandpas John Ellenbecker and Mathias Schumacher were both soldiers
under Xapoleon Bonaparte, the former serving in the bodyguard of the
great dictator.
To Joseph and Mary Ellenbecker were born nine children, as follow :
Maggie (Mrs. Frank Meier); Anna (Mrs. John Bernadt ) ; John G ; Katie;
Mary I Mr.--. Michael Jacobs) ; Mathias (died at the age of five) ; Frank A.;
Louis A. and Joseph S.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ellenbecker, coming to Kansas in the frontier
days, suffered all the privations of the early settlers — droughts, sickness, pov-
erty, hard times, and grasshoppers. Thev lived for thirteen vears in a one-
(33)
514 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
story cottonwood board shanty, fourteen by fourteen feet, when in [88] they
built a commodious new house. They farmed for years with such backward
equipment as oxen, double-shovel plows, and old-fashioned grain cradles.
Money being too scarce to hire help. Mrs. Ellenbecker assisted her husband
with their harvest besides doing the housework for many years. All the
grain had to be bound with straw hands by hand, and no cither vehicle was
seen upon the farms or roads than the heavy farm wagon. There were no
barns; the sheds for horses and cattle were made out of poles, brush and
straw. The rail- fence was the only kind seen, and was as common ;i- rail
corn-cribs and log granaries. The washboard, dash-churn and spinning-
wheel indicated the housewife'- lot in those day-. Mr. and Mrs. Ellenbecker
put up with those things and condition- for many years without wavering
or complaining, but they were made of that material that never gave up; and
de from the splendid family they reared, they acquired fully a section of
tine farm land, well improved in every particular, and lived to experience the
well-merited reward— ease, comfort, and an abundance of this world's happi-
ness and goods
When Joseph Ellenbecker and his wife came to Kansas they could come
by railroad only to Frankfort, a railroad not being built to Marysville until
four years later. All that they raised, therefore, was cheap, and what they
bought was high. They paid as high as one dollar and thirty cents per
bushel for corn for icv(\ and -eed. and in [869 sold wheat as low as thirty-
five (cut- per bushel, and then hauled it to W'aterv ille. fourteen miles distant.
All the firewood had to he hauled from a little timber lot they owned on
Horseshoe creek, eight mile- distant. Every cent they made wa- made by
hard work and honest dealing. In business matters Joseph Ellenbecker was
guided greatly by a keen judgment; he knew when to hu\ land, how to handle
cattle, .and when to market grain. Hi- ventures sometimes seemed daring,
but the outcome proved how carefully they iiad been planned. Joseph Ellen-
becker never soughl any public office, although holding several, ami was for
fifteen years treasurer of the Marshall County Farmers Mutual Insurance
Company. They continued to reside upon their farm near Marysville until
their deaths. Thev were both faithful members of the Catholic church, were
good parent-, kind neighbors, and excellent citizens. Thev possessed prac-
tically every trait of good character: honesty, industry, virtue, frugality, wis-
dom, and kindness. They were splendid models for the sons and daughters
whom they so carefully reared, and in tlii- regard the parental teachings and
wishes were amply rewarded. Perhaps few parents were held in as high
1 steem by their children a- they were.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 515
Mr. Joseph Ellenbecker died on August 2j, 1901, at the age of sixty-five
years, and was buried in the Catholic cemetery near Marysville, Kansas.
Mrs. Joseph Ellenbecker died on June 13. 1910, at the age of sixty-eight
years, and was laid to rest by the side of her husband.
On account of a liberal endowment to the University of Luxemburg by
an uncle of Joseph Ellenbecker, of the same name, three perpetual scholar-
ships were created in that school and to which anyone bearing that family
name is eligible.
Joseph Ellenbecker had two brothers, Nicholas and Frank, who served
in Wisconsin regiments in the Civil War. Frank, at the time a captain, was
killed at the battle of Lookout Mountain, and lies buried in that battlefield in
Virginia.
John G. Ellenbecker. coming to Kansas with his parents when a mere
child, has spent practically all of his life in this state. His youth was spent
working on the parental farm and attending the Pleasant Ridge rural school.
From a mere lad he was bent on securing an education, and it was a con-
tinual contest between farm and school as to which would get the most of
his time. Although the farm won at first by big odds, the school at last
came in for its share of his time, even though much delayed. He was
graduated from the Marysville high school, June 15, 1888, at the age of
twenty-one. He then taught in district schools for two years — one term in
the Deer creek district, both in Marshall county, driving five miles each day to
school and working on the home farm during vacation. In this way he
saved enough money to further pursue his education. While he was in the
high school, on account of good work, he won a four-year scholarship in
Adrian College, Michigan, but he did not avail himself of this educational
opportunity for lack of funds. In the autumn of 1890 he became a student in
the Kansas Normal College at Ft. Scott, Kansas, which was then one of the
best colleges in the state. This school was then in charge of Prof. D. E.
Sanders, whom John Ellenbecker and hundreds of other people kindly
remember for valuable educational advantages received. Here he completed
three courses : commercial, scientific and classical, and obtained his diplomas
and degrees. Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts.
In the autumn of 1892 Mr. Ellenbecker opened a private school at
Marysville, Kansas, known as the Modern Normal College, which, with an
able corps of teachers, he conducted for eleven years. The financial support
of this school came from a small tuition charged the students attending, but
no worthy b<>y or girl was refused enrollment because he or she did not have
the money. The school was moderately successful, and no less than twelve
51" MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
hundred young people received part or all of their education in it- class-
rooms. < in account of close application to these school duties, Mr. Ellen-
becker's health became so impaired that a change of work was advisable,
so he reluctantly decided to give up the school which had been entered a- his
life's work. lie then purchased a Stock farm of two hundred acres, "lie mile
west of Marysville, to which he and his family moved in the spring ol i
and upon which they still reside.
John < ',. Ellenbecker was united in marriage t" Lillie [Catherine Koppes,
Jul} ('. (898, at .Marysville, Kansas. Lillie K. Koppes was horn September
30, [871^ "ii the homestead six miles northwest of Marysville and has ever
since resided in her native state. She grew to womanhood in the parental
home, attended the Deer creek district school, anil later the .Modern Normal
College for several years, in which she later became an instructor. She was
affectionately attached to her father and mother and served them most faith-
full). The name- of her parents were Peter and Susan 1 Schmidler 1 Kopp'es,
also t\\<> of Mar-hall county's hardy pioneers.
Peter Koppes, the youngest of eight children ( four hoys and four girls I,
was horn October 14, [836, in the village of Erisingen, in the Grand Duchy
of Luxemburg, lie was educated and grew to manhood in the countr) ol
his birth, and at the age of twenty, in [856, came to America, and for a time
lived near Dacada, Wisconsin. In [859 he came to Marysville, Kansas,
where he found employment for one year at the sawmill of R. V. Shibley.
lie then moved onto a homestead in tlie northwest comer of Marysville
township, which he had selected in the year of his coming West, and which
land became the pleasant abode and seat of his family home for forty-seven
years.
\- soon as times and agricultural tod- permitted, Mr. Koppes engaged
in genera] farming and stock-raising, and was highly successful, lie always
tared for hi- stock, being among the first to erect a large barn, and always
tilled his acres after the exact and thorough methods employed in the land
of hi- birth. Hi- large vineyard and line orchard showed hi- great -kill and
interest in horticulture. Even though the first two years Peter Koppes lived
in Kansas comprised the memorable drought (from June. [859, to Novem-
ber, t86o), he did nol lose faith in the territory. During [860 no cr< >ps were
raised, live stock starved, and over half the people had to live on what was
brought in from the East, lie maintained this vigor and interest in farm
activities until he was seventy, when advancing age made it advisable for him
to move from the scenes that might tempt him to toil. In [906 Mr. Koppes
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 5 17
purchased a house in Marysville, to which he and his faithful wife retired
to spend at ease their declining years.
The names of Peter Koppes' parents were Michael Koppes and Alary
( Ries ) Koppes. Both were born and reared and died in the native land
of their son.
Susan (Schmidler) Koppes was born on July 31, 1841, in the village
of Kayl, in the native land of her husband. In 1848, at the age of seven,
she with her parents, Jacob and Susanna (Bessinger) Schmidler, emigrated
to the New World and took up their home on a farm near Dacada, Wis-
consin. She had three brothers and four sisters, all coming to America.
At this place her parents resided until their deaths, and are buried in the
cemetery at Dacada. They also lived the trying lives of the Wisconsin pio-
neers.
Susan Schmidler grew to womanhood in the parental home, and on
January 19, 1864, was united in marriage to Peter Koppes at Dacada, and
at once came with him to Marysville, Kansas, where he had already estab-
lished an abiding place on his homestead.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Koppes came to Kansas in the early days, and
experienced all the tips and downs of pioneer times. Prairie fires destroyed
their crops, and when the grasshoppers did not eat up their corn, oft the
ague left them too weak to cultivate [he fields. Their agricultural tools were
the hoe, cradle, harrow, and walking plow drawn by oxen. Ofttimes Mrs.
Koppes stayed for many days in the little log house on the homestead, while
her husband went to Atchison with an ox-team, taking a load of cured meats
or corn to exchange for provisions and farming tools.
These incidents relate the dangers of those days: On one of these trips,
while Mr. Koppes was driving to the river markets, and was near where the
city of Hiawatha now is, a prairie fire driven by a high southwest wind over-
took him, and while he was lashing his oxen to outrun the fire, he fainted,
only to wake up in the care of some kind settler many miles away, to which
place the faithful brutes had carried their unconscious driver to safety.
In 1854 the Cheyenne Indians coming in from the west, massacred five
settlers on the Little Blue in Nebraska, and scaring the other settlers to come
as far east as Marysville and other towns, where this motley collection of
frightened people stayed for days, built defenses and did picket duty against
approaching Indians. Mr. Koppes, like many of the settlers west and north
of Marysville, brought his family to the little town for safety every evening
for many days, helped stand guard overnight, and then returned to the home-
stead in the morning with his ox-team and family to spend the day in work
;iN MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
about the farm. The little log-cabin down by a creek or a dugout in the tall
prairie grass made life weird enough, to say nothing about the sight of cruel
Indians and horrifying Indian scares. Every hark of a dog at night or the
rattK- of a batten made the heart cease beating and the blood run cold at the
thought of approaching savages. But come what might they gave not up.
They stayed as if appointed bj fate to help tame the wilderness, so that com-
ing generations more delicate and less persevering might find a land in which
they could abide in safety. The) stayed through it all. and won the well-
merited crown of happiness and prosperity. Their real estate holdings
increased tn a well-impn >ved farm of over three hundred acres, .and a Spacious
dwelling-house,, built in 1880, unlimited in cheerfulness and comforts.
I'm Mr. and Mrs. l'eter Koppes were hum nine children: Louise 1 Mrs.
Henry Amelunxen) ; Andrew 1'.; Lillie K. (Mrs. John <i. EUenbecker) ;
Hubert; Verona 1 Mrs. Paul X. Schmitt) ; Otilla M. (Mrs. M. J. Schmitt) ;
John V.; Anna ( Sister Athanasia. ( ). S. 1!. ) : and a hoy who died in extreme
infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Koppes were always active members of the Catholic
faith, in which they reared all their children, and the splendid family that
they reared is ample proof how well they did their duty as parents and
citizens. They were ever ready to help all who were in need, and cheerful
to all whom the) met. and by these and their man) other admirable trait-
of character won a priceless heritage from all who learned to know them.
and especially from their children.
Mr. l'eter Koppes died July J'j. [913, at the family home in Marys-
ville. at the age of seventy-six years, and was followed by his faithful wife
four years later, who died at their home in Marysville, January 8, 1017. at
the aye of seventy-li\c years. They were both buried in the Catholic ceme-
ter) near Marysville, Ixau-.is.
To Mr. and Mrs. John (',. EUenbecker were horn two children. Raymond
Louis, horn on November 1. [900, and now a member of the second-year
class high school, and Irene Veronica, horn on May _'<>. [904, and now a
pupil in the seventh grade. Both children, aside from their academic studies.
are interested in music. Raymond in violin and Irene in piano.
John ( ',. EUenbecker is a linn believer in intensive farming, and he with
his estimabk helpmate have shown jn their present beautiful rural home.
"Sylvan Heights Farm," what can he made out of a once much-neglected,
wornout piece of land. His motto in farming is. "Treat every acre so that
it can do its best," and that hi- acres are doing thus j. seen in a commodious
nine-room dwelling house, three big barns and other good out-buildings,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 519
alfalfa and wild grass meadows, fertile fields, tine orchard, large pasture,
and among other live stock a large herd of high-grade Shorthorn cattle.
John G. Ellenhecker is a friend of trees and forests. During the twelve
years he has resided on "Sylvan Heights Farm" he has planted and growing
no less than rive thousand trees, three hundred of which are pines and cedars.
He has the dream that Kansas should become a timber state, and has often
said: "If even' Kansas boy would plant only ten walnuts each year, in
twenty-five years Kansas would be one vast forest of black walnut timber."
Air. Ellenhecker is an ardent advocate of co-operative societies. He
was one of the founders of the Marshall County Farmers Co-operative Busi-
ness Association, served two years as its president, and is still one of its
directors. Recently he has helped to organize the Marshall County Co-opera-
tive Oil and Gas Association, is one of its directors and believes that oil and
gas will be found under Marshall and adjoining counties. He does not
encourage co-operative business for selfish motives, nor to injure legitimate
private business, but solely as self-defense of the producers and consumers,
who are now too often left to the mercy of heartless and unprincipled
middlemen.
Mr. Ellenbecker has rarely sought public office, but was for one term
superintendent of public instruction of his county, being appointed by the
In ard of county commissioners to fill an interim. This service, besides the
work in his private normal school, comprise his educational labors, and there
is much evidence to show that his good-will and efforts for the betterment
of schools have borne good fruits. He has always been independent in hi>
voting, although classed as a Democrat. He has always been a stanch friend
of good, clean government, and knowingly no candidate ever received his
support who has spent carelessly the public funds. He still believes that the
burden of taxation could be much reduced without impairing the service, if
public officials and men doing public work were more conscientious. Mr.
Ellenbecker is an able public speaker and debater, and is frequently called
upon to employ this gift on public occasion. His education enables him to
clearly grasp the most intricate public questions, and his fellow-citizens have
ever recognized in him a fearless champion of right and justice.
Mr. Ellenbecker and his family are members of the Catholic church at
Marysville. They arc likewise friends and liberal supporters of the other
churches. They find vast enjoyment in the many periodicals that they receive
as well as in the large library in their farm home. Mr. Ellenbecker has but
little time to devote to literary work, but he has during odd hours written
a volume of essays and poems, and just recently has completed what appears
520
MAKSI1AI.I i I IUNTY. KANSAS.
to be a very extensive and comprehensive work on English grammar, all of
which books he intends some time- to have published.
In all liis public and private career he has been ably assisted bj his
faithful wife, and Mr. and Mrs. EHenbecker are splendid examples to show
to what social, educational and civic heights any boy or yirl from the farm.
with few advantages and humble surroundings, may attain. Here we see
n the truth oi thai old adage: "The pathway of toil leads to character
and strength," and may even boy and girl who read- this, place in their lives
.1 high aim and with renewed zeal strive to attain it.
JOSEPH M. SHUMATE.
The late Joseph M. Shumate, an honored veteran of the Civil War, for
many year- justice of the peace at Frankfort and a well-established insurance
agent and real-estate dealer in that city, was a native of the state of Illinois,
but had lived in Kansas since pioneer days and had therefore been a witness
to and a participant in the development of this county almost from the time
of the organization of the county. He was born on a farm in the vicinity
of Carlinville, in central Illinois, January 2~. [840, a son of Hiram and Eliza
Shumate, natives, respectively, of Virginia and Kentucky, and was living there
when the Civil War broke out. lie responded to the call for volunteers in
t86i and upon the completion of his original hundred-days service re-enlisted
and went to the front as a member of Company B, Thirtieth Regiment, Illi-
nois Volunteer Infantry, and was with that command when he was veteranized
two years later, lie re-enlisted and during a skirmish about a month after
the battle of Atlanta, in which he had participated, was badlj wounded in the
hip. On account of this wound he went 1 m furlough, hut upon his recovery
he hastened to New York to sail down the coast to rejoin Sherman's army,
hut the war terminating then he met his "Id commander at Raleigh in North
Carolina and with his "Id command participated in the Grand Review at
Washington, i '. C.
Upon the completion of his military service Joseph M. Shumate returned
to his home in Illinois and < m September ij. [865, was there united in mar-
riage t" Alida (fslioni. who was born in Knox county, that state, July 4.
[845, a daughter of Robert and Betsy (Roundtree) Osborn, natives, respec-
tively, of Illinois and of Kentucky, the former of whom was a son of Stephen
< Isborn, an Illinois pioneer. During that same year, in the summer of 1865,
MR. AND MRS. JOSEPH M. SHUMATE.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 521
Alida Osborn had been visiting in this section ot Kansas ami during her stay
here had taught a three-months term of school, the first school taught in the
Brophy district in this county, the school house having been a tloorless log
cabin, sixteen by eighteen feet in dimension, with unglazed windows, a clap-
board door, slabs for benches and a goods box for a teacher's desk. In
1866. the year after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Shumate and the Osborn
family moved over to Kansas from Illinois, bringing necessary household
goods and some live stock with them, and settled about a mile north of the
Barrett settlement in this county; both Joseph M. Shumate and Robert Osborn
bought land in that section. Air. and Airs. Shumate began housekeeping
there in a log cabin and after a few years of such residence moved on down
into Texas, but after six months of experience there returned to Kansas and
located at Frankfort, which by that time was beginning to be somewhat of a
\illage, and there Air. Shumate began clerking in a store, later engaging in
the real-estate and insurance business and was thus engaged the remainder
of his life, early becoming recognized as one of the leading business men of
that city. For thirty-five years he served as justice of the peace in Frankfort
and in other ways contributed of his services and his energy to the public
service. He was one of the organizers of the Frankfort post of the Grand
Army of the Republic and ever took an active part in the affairs of that
patriotic organization. He also was a member of the Alodern Woodmen
of America and of the Knights and Ladies of Security and was an active
member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Joseph M. Schumate died on
Alarch 13, 1913, and his widow is still living at Frankfort, where she owns
a very pleasant home. She is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps, a
member of the local chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and a member
1 f the Knights and Ladies of Security, in the affairs of which several organi-
zations she takes a warm interest.
To Joseph AI. and Alida (Osborn) Shumate four children were born,
namely: Airs. Lulu McConkey, who lives four miles southwest of Frankfort;
Airs. Carrie E. Symonds, whose husband is a druggist at Wooster, Texas;
W. R. Shumate, who is engaged in the drug business at Kansas City, and
Herbert Shumate, who is at home with his mother. Airs. Shumate is one
of the eight children born to her parents, the others being as follow: S. S.
Osborn. who is living at Washington; Airs. G. X. Morris, of Frankfort, this
county; John Osborn, who is engaged in the grocery business at Cottonwood
balls, this state ; Airs. William D. Warnica, deceased ; Airs. Calvin Warnica,
of Wells township, this county; Walter Osborn, who is a member of the
5-'-' MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Denver police force, and I). R, Osborn, a well-known resident of Frankfort.
Roberl < >sborn, the father of these children, died at his home in this county
in August, [892, at the seventj years, and his widow is now living.
at the age of ninety-one years, with her son. I). R. Osborn, at Frankfort.
Mrs. Shumate has a picture showing six geneartions of her family, five
generations of whom are sij|| represented, all the subjects of that remark-
able picture being alive save the eldest. Mrs. Dosia Roundtree, Mrs. Sim-
mate's maternal grandmother, who died at the great age of ninety-four years,
the Others being as follow : Mrs. BetS) < >sborn, now ninety-one years of age;
Mis. J. M. Shumate, seventy-one; Mis. Lulu McConkey, forty-nine: Mis.
Vgnes Davis, thirty, ami William. Wilbur and Willard Davis, aged, respec
lively, tin. eight and five years. Mis Shumate has seven grandchildren and
four great grandchildren, Mrs. McConkey having two children, Mrs. Amies
I >a\ is and Joseph : Mrs. Symonds, four children. Mrs. Alida 1 1 ill (who has one
child. Annellan), Randall. Esther and Waldo, and W. R. Shumate, one son,
Clarence, horn in [902. Mrs. Shumate has been a resident of this community
since pioneer days. She is physically vigorous and able and retains vivid
and distinct recollections of conditions here when she first came to Marshall
county, hack in tin- days of the beginning of a proper social order hereabout.
FRANK VAl'SSI.
Frank Yaussi, one of Marysville's best-known and most progressive
merchants, the proprietor of a well-stocked clothing and men's furnishing
store there and who also has extensive banking interests, is a native of the
Republi* of Switzerland, but has been a resident of Kansas since he was
twelve years oi age. Me was born in the city of Berne, Switzerland, March
21, 1856, son of Christian and Elizabeth (Begert) Yaussi, the former of
whom died in his native land and the latter of whom spenl her last days m
Marysville, this <-, unity.
Christian ^ aussj, also a native ol Switzerland, was born in 1825 and
was early trained to die butcher trade, a vocation he followed all his life. lie
died in Canton I '.erne in [863 and five years later, in (868, his widow and her
six children came to this countrj and settled mi a farm in Brown county, this
state, the family remaining there farming the place and holding together for
ut ten years and thus getting a good start in the country of their adoption.
Mrs. Yauss] later moved to Marysville, where she spent her last days, an
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 523
honored pioneer, her death occurring in 1907, she then being in the Seventy-
fifth year of her age. She was the mother of se^en children, of whom the
subject of this sketch was the sixth in order of birth, the others being as
follow: Rosa, who married John Detwiler and is now deceased; Fred J.,
deceased; Elizabeth, who married Gottlieb Buhler and died in Switzerland;
Rudolph, who is a well-known and substantial farmer of this county ; Gott-
lieb, a farmer of Brown county, this state, and Mary, who married John
Aegerte, a farmer, of Garber, Oklahoma.
Frank Yaussi was about twelve years of age when his family came to
this country and he grew to manhood on the home farm in Brown county,
presently beginning farming on his own account. In 1884, about three years
after his marriage in Brown county, he came over into Marshall county and
bought a quarter of a section of land west of Marysville, where he established
his home, later buying an adjoining tract of one hundred and twenty acres,
and there made his home, farming and raising stock, for sixteen or eighteen
years, at the end of which time he sold his place and moved to Marysville.
He bought the bottling works that had been established in that city and for
six years or more was engaged in the manufacture of soda "pop" and carbon-
ated drinks. He then, in 1904, formed a partnership with George Love in
the general merchandise business, with a store at the west end of Broadway
in Marysville. and was thus engaged until iqo8, when the partnership was
dissolved and Mr. Yaussi entered upon his present successful line of men's
furnishings and clothing, in which he has done very well, long having been
regarded as one of the most substantial merchants in the city. He carries a
full and complete line of clothing and men's furnishings and his store is well
stocked and equipped in up-to-date fashion. In addition to bis mercantile
interests, Mr. Yaussi possesses considerable banking interests and is a mem-
ber of the board of directors of two hanks, the Citizens State Bank at Marys-
ville and the bank at Winifred. Mr. Yaussi owns a valuable tract of ten
acres of land adjoining the city of Marysville and also owns land in southern
Kansas. He is a Republican and has performed public service as a member
of the Marysville city council.
On September 9, 1881, at Hiawatha, Kansas, Frank Yaussi was united
in marriage to Mary Feller, who was horn on a farm in the vicinity of Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, in February, 1869, a daughter of David and Alary (Siegrest)
Feller, natives of Switzerland and early settlers in Iowa, who later came to
this state and spent their last days in Brown county. To Mr. and Mrs.
Yaussi nine children have been born, namely: Alma, who married F.
Schmidtt and is now deceased : Ida, who married John Mohr, a farmer living
5 -'4
MARSHALL (in \ I v. K VNSAS.
' of Marysville: Dora, who married < )u<> Briefeldt and is living at Avis-
ton, Illinois: Albert, who is engaged in the banking business at Winifred, this
county; Florence, who is at home and is engaged in the teaching of music;
Esther, also at home, who is a stenographer for W. W. Redmond; Ellen,
who is a member of Marshall county's teaching corps; Charles, who died
when three months of age, and Blanche, who is at home. The Yaussis have
a pleasant home at Marysville and take a proper part in the social activit
of their home town. Phej are members of the Lutheran Reformed church
and have ever given their earnest attention to the various beneficences of
the same.
l-'DW ARD |. McKEE.
Edward J. McKee, one of the best-known merchants at Marysville
and the proprietor of a well-equipped hardware store at that place, i- a
native son of Alar-hall count) and has lived here all his life, lie was born
on a pioneer farm in (enter township, this county, May 22. [872, son of
Robert F. and Sarah 1 ( rawford 1 .McKee. the former a native nt" the Domin-
ion of Canada and the latter of the state of New Jersey, who became pion-
eer- of Mar-hall comity and later moved to Idaho, where Robert F. McKee
died. His widow is now making her home at 1'ortland. Oregon.
Robert F. McKee was horn in the province of Ontario. Canada, in
November, [836, son •■* William and Mary (Finley) McKee. native- of
tland or of the north of Ireland, who emigrated to Canada and settled
on a farm in the province of Ontario. There Robert F. McKee grew to
manh 1 d. lie married Sarah (rawford. who was horn in the city of New-
ark, Xew Jersey, May 10. 1N44. daughter of Joseph and Anna Crawford,
and in t8( 9 he and hi- wife came to Kansas and settled in Marshall county.
Upi n coming to this county. Robert F. McKee homesteaded a tract of one
hundred and sixty acre- in Center township and there established his home.
lie built a -mall house and started in to improve the farm, eventually meet-
ing with much success, and presently had one of the most highly improved
and best-developed places in that neighborhood. There he made his home
until 1883, when lie went to the Western coast, but returned to Mar-hall
county in 1889 and bought a farm in Marysville township, again establish-
ing his home in tin- county. In [900 he -old that farm and bought a farm
in Elm Creek township, where he lived until hi- retirement from the active
labors "f the farm in [905, in which year he moved to Twin Falls, Idaho.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 525
where lie died in igoq. His widow is now making her home with her
daughter. Airs. Mary Walker, at Portland, Oregon. Robert F. McKee
and wife were the parents of eleven children, of whom the subject of this
sketch was the fifth in order of birth and all of whom are still living save
two.
Edward J. McKee was reared on the farm on which he was born in
Center township, and attended the district school in that neighborhood, the
school at that time having been under the direction of Mrs. Forter. Reared
to the life of the farm, he early engaged in farming on his own account,
and in 1901, the year following his marriage, bought a farm of two hundred
and eighty acres near Blue Rapids, where he established his home and
where he engaged quite extensively in stock-raising, his Hereford stock com-
ing to be recognized as among the best in the county, his stock being ex-
hibited to advantage at local fairs and stock shows. About three years
after taking over that farm Air. McKee sold the same and became engaged
in the real-estate business, being thus engaged at Marysville and Axtell
until iqio, when, in partnership with Wilard Dexter, he bought a hardware
store at Marysville and has ever since been engaged in that business. In
191 1 Mr. McKee bought Mr. Dexter*s interest in the store and has since
been conducting the business alone and has been quite successful. He car-
ries a complete stock of general hardware and his store is equipped in
up-to-date fashion. Mr. McKee is a progressive and wide-awake merchant
and has long been recognized as one of the forceful factors in the commer-
cial life of Marysville and of the county at large. He is a Republican, an
ardent supporter of the progressive wing of that party in the memorable
campaign of 1012, and has ever taken an earnest interest in the civic affairs
of the county and state, but has not been included in the office-seeking class.
In 1900 Edward J. McKee was united in marriage to Anna Randolph,
who also was born in Marshall county. She was born on November 8,
1883, daughter of Thomas and Martha (Tarvin) Randolph, natives of
Pennsylvania and Kentucky, respectively, who came to Marshall county
from Pennsylvania in an early day in the settlement of this countv and set-
tled in Balderson township. To Mr. and Mrs. McKee four children have
been born, Jesse, Cecil, Merland and Vesta E. Mr. and Mrs. McKee are
members of the Baptist church and take a proper interest in the various
beneficences of the same. They have a very pleasant home at Marysville
and take an active part in the general social activities of their home city,
helpful in promoting all worthy movements having to do with the advance-
ment of the common welfare.
5 _•' > MARSHALL c"l VI Y. KANSAS.
( \!'T. \\ 1 I.I.I \.M l.( (FINCK.
Capt. William Lofinck, a well-known and substantial retired merchant
of Marysville, an honored veteran of the Civil War. former treasurer of
Marshall count) and former member of the city council of Marysville, is
a native of the Mate of Illinois, but has been a resident of Marysville ever
since 1*71. with the exception of a few years -pent in business in Colorado.
lie was born in the town of Waterloo, county seat of Monroe county, Illi-
nois, December 29, [843, son of John and [Catherine (Lotz) Lofinck, na-
of Germany, whose last days were spenl in Illinois.
John Lofinck was born in the city of Worms, on the Rhine, in Hesse,
Germany, March 6, [808 and was trained to the trade of a carpenter.
There he married and in [842 he and his wife came to the United State-.
the sailing vessel on which they took passage being six weeks in making
the voyage. They settled at Waterloo, Illinois, where John Lofinck worked
at his trade for a number of years and then engaged in the hotel business
there and was thus engaged until his retirement a few years before his
death, his death occurring in [867. !lis widow, who was born on Novem-
ber 30, [809, survived until 1873. They were members of the German
Lutheran church and their children were reared in that faith. There were
five of these children, of whom tin subjeel of this sketch was the third in
order of birth, the others being as follow: Henry, deceased; Bernhard,
deceased; [Catherine, who lives .at St. Louis, the widow of (". Ruppert, a
veteran of the Civil War, and Mary, who is still living at Waterloo, Illinois.
,-. idow of W. Rode.
William Lofinck received his early schooling at Waterloo. Illinois, and
at the age of fourteen went to Belleville, that state, and was there engaged
as a clerk in a grocery Store for eighteen months, at the end of which time
he returned to Waterloo, remaining then', a valued assistant to his father
in the operation of the hotel, until i860, when he went to St. Louis and
took a position as a clerk in a store and remained there until September 1.
1861, on which day he returned home and enlisted in Company A. Forty-
ninth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, for service during the Civil
War. IU was detailed as one of the company lifers and presently was made
chief lifer of his regiment. With this command he saw service at the battle
of Shiloh. Later securing a discharge from this command he helped to
.uii/e a company of colored troops and on April i ,^, [865, was made firsl
lieutenant of Company I >. Sixty-first Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 527
and presently was made captain of Company F of that regiment. Captain
Lofinck saw much active service in the South and upon the cessation of
hostilities was stationed for guard duty at Raton Rouge, Louisiana, where
lie was mustered out on December 30, 1865.
Upon the completion of his military service, Captain Lofinck returned
tn his home at Waterloo, Illinois, and resumed the hotel business in which
lie had received careful training from his father in the days of his youth.
He married in 1867 and in 1871 came to Kansas, locating at Marysville,
where he engaged in the mercantile business and was thus engaged until
his election to the office of county treasurer. He entered upon the duties
of that office in October, 1882, having been elected in the election of Novem-
ber. 1881, and in the fall election of 1 883 was re-elected, thus serving two
terms as treasurer of the county. In t886, upon the completion of his
term of public service, Captain Lofinck went to Trinidad, Colorado, where
he established a grocery store and was thus engaged in business at that
place until 1890, when he returned to Marysville, where he lias since con-
tinued to make his home and where he has been occupied in looking after
his numerous investments. Captain Lofinck has a good deal of property
in Marshall county, has an interest in a gold mine in Santa Fe county, New-
Mexico, and is accounted among the substantial and well-to-do citizens of
Marysville. He is a life-long Republican and has ever given his earnest
attention to local civic affairs. Resides his iong service as county treasurer,
he also has rendered valuable public service as a member of the Marysville
city council and has ever been on the side of progress and public improve-
ment.
On January 29, 18(17, at Waterloo, Illinois. Capt. William Lofinck
was united in marriage to Agnes F. H. Goelitz. who was born in the village
of Osterode. in the Hartz mountains of Germany, September 26, 1846, and
who was but six weeks old when her parents, George and Christina
I Tahlbusth ) Goelitz, came to this country and settled at St. Louis, Mis-
souri. Later. George Goelitz and his family moved to Monroe county.
Illinois, where lie bought a farm, which he later sold and then moved to
Waterloo, where his wife and daughter Agnes engaged in the millinery
business and the latter was thus engaged at the time of her marriage to
I antain Lofinck. George Goelitz was a veteran of the Civil War. When
Captain Lofinck came to Kansas he and his wife accompanied the Captain
and his wife and the two men became engaged in business together at
Marysville, where Mr. and Mrs. Goelitz spent their last days. To Captain
and Mrs. Lofinck have been born four children, namely: Amanda, who
528 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANS
married George I'. Schmidt, the well-known banker at Marysville; George,
deceased; Emma, deceased, and Olga, who married Janus T. Spellman and
lives at St. Joseph, Missi mri.
ptain Lofinck for many years has been one of the most active mem-
bers of the local posl of the Grand Army of the Republic at Marysville and
is now the senior vice-commander of the post. He also is a Mason and in
the affairs of the local lodge of that ancient order take- a warm interest.
ASHER F. REED
Asher F. Reed, now deceased, who was for many years one of the well-
known fanners and highly respected citizens of Marysville township, Mar-
shall county, was born at Champlain, Illinois, on April 30, 1871, being the
son of Andrew Jackson and Mary A. ( Miller) Reed.
Andrew Jackson Reed was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, on
August 4. 1824, and was reared on the farm and received an excellent edu-
cation in the public schools. lie remained a resident of the state of his
nativity until he was twenty-eight year- of age, when he located in Illinois.
lie and his family later came t< ■ Kansas and established their home "ti a
farm of three hundred and twenty acres of excellent land in Marshall county,
near Marysville. They remained on the farm for some live years when they
sold the place and retired to Marysville. The money from the -ale of the
farm was invested in a cattle ranch in South Dakota, which was managed
by the -on, Asher. for some years. It was at his home in Marysville that
Andrew Jack-on Reed died on November 15. [906, and hi- untimely death
wa- mourned by the entire community, for he had ever taken the keenest
interest in all things that would tend to the pleasure and the happiness of the
people of hi- home district, lor many years he wa- superintendent of the
Sunday school of the Methodist Episcopal church, and while serving in that
capacity he not only won the friendship and love of the older people of
the church and Sunday school, hut the children and young people
were hi- mosl enthusiastic admirers, lli- kind and pleasing disposition made
for him many friend- in all the walk- of life, and hi- greatest pleasure wa-
in doing a kind deed for some friend and in giving happiness and comfort
to tin- members of his family, lli- home life was a happy one, .and few men
enjoyed m > :y 1 f the home and the companionship of his family.
MATHIAS AND URSULA KUONI.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 529
than did Mr. Reed. To be with his family and his friends was one of the
greatest pleasures that he could enjoy.
Andrew Jackson Reed was the son of Hugh and Catherine (Gordon)
Reed, both of whom were natives of Chester county, Pennsylvania. There
they were educated in the public schools, grew up and were married. They
lived their lives in the county of their birth and were among the prominent
people of the community in which they lived. Hugh Reed was for many
years identified with the Republican party and took much interest -in all local
affairs, and served the people of his township as trustee as well as in many
of the other offices of the district. Mary A. (Miller) Reed was born in Ches-
ter county, Pennsylvania, on February 27, 1829, and was reared on the home
farm and educated in the local schools. She was the daughter of Jacob \V.
and Ann G. (Bolton) Miller, both of whom were natives of the state of
Pennsylvania. Her father was a shoemaker by trade and carried on a retail
trade for many years. His birth occurred on November 13, 1803, and he died
on May 22, 1862. The mother, Ann G. Miller, was born on August 5.
1808, and died on November 22, 1856. She was a woman of considerable
ability and took much interest in the services of the Methodist Episcopal
church, of which she was a member.
To Andrew Jackson and Mary A. Reed were born nine children as
follow: Fannie, Charles, Laura, Frank, Anna M., Harry T., Edwin A.,
Ella R. and Asher F., deceased. This family of children are now all deceased
with the exception of Laura M. O'Xeil. who is a resident of Indianapolis,
Indiana, where Mr. O'Neil is employed by one of the railroads, and Ella
R. Snyder, also a resident of the city of Indianapolis, Indiana, where her
husband is a well-known contractor and builder.
Asher F. Reed was reared on the home farm and received his education
in the local schools and attended high school. As a lad and young man
lie assisted his father with the work on the farm, and at the age of twenty-
three years he started farming for himself. He rented his father's farm in
Marysville township and here he was engaged in general farming and stock
raising for five years. For the next two years he rented a farm in the same
vicinity, after which he operated his father-in-law's place for two years. He
then purchased forty acres of his own in Marysville township, which he
developed and improved. This farm he enlarged, until the time of his death
on November 1, 1908, he was the owner of two hundred and eight acres of
splendid land, all of which was well developed and nicely improved. He and
his wife were regular attendants of the Methodist Episcopal church and
were prominent in the social and the religious life of the communitv.
(34)
530 MARSH W.I. COUNTY, K \\- VS.
On November 25, [893, Asher F. Reed was united in marriage to Julia
Kuciiii. tlic daughter of Mathias and Ursula (Bohner) Kuoni. Mr. and
Mrs. Kuoni were natives of Switzerland and there received their education
in the public schools, grew up and later came to the United States. They
were both born in the year [835 and the father died on May 11. [905, and
the mother on September [9, [891. They came to the United States in
[869, and for two year- were residents of Peru. Illinois, alter which the)
came to Kansas and located on a farm in Mar-hall county. Mr. Kuoni
purchased a farm in Marysville township and here lie spent the remainder
of his life, lie at first purchased railroad land and then homesteaded one
hundred and sixty acres, lie paid seven dollars per acre for the land he
purchased; the whole trad today 1- worth one hundred dollars per acre.
This farm he developed and improved and here he engaged in general farm-
ing and stock raising with success, in connection with his farm work he
ihv^ many well- in all parts of the county and became known in all parts of the
district. Mr. and Mr-. Kuoni were identified with the Lutheran church and
were long prominent in the social and religious lite of the township. Mr.
Kuoni believed in the principles of the Democratic party and took much
interest in all local affairs, and for a number of years served a- road over-
seer. I le was a strong advocate of the best roads and during his term of office,
the road- of the district were placed in the lie-t condition possible.
To Mathias and Ursula Bohner Kuoni were horn the following chil-
dren: John II.. a retired farmer of Marysville: Michael, a farmer of Idaho;
Christina Bigham, a resident of Idaho, where her husband is a successful
farmer; George, a resident of Arizona, and is now a retired farmer; Julia,
the widow of Asher F. Reed and one that died in infancy.
Julia ( Kuoni 1 Reed was horn in Mar-hall county, on November -'5.
[873, and was reared on the home farm and educated in the local school-.
She remained at home until after her marriage to Mr. Reed. She now
own- the farm in Marysville town-hip. hut lives aero-- the road in Franklin,
and during her residence in this section, she has made for herself many
friends, who hold her in the highest regard and esteem. She take- much
interest in the social and the moral development of the community, and in
the work of the Methodisl Episcopal church. She and Mr. Reed were the
parent- of the foil. i\\ ing children : < laivnce. who w a- horn on June 11 . 1 897 .
Selmar on October to, 1898, and Leslie A., on January 27, [903. Selmar
li^x-t] was the first one of Marshall county'- young men to answer hi- coun-
try's call in the war crisis, lie has enlisted in the navy.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KAXSAS. 53I
ROBERT W. SMITH.
Robert W. Smith, one of the real pioneers of Marshall county, now
living comfortably retired at his pleasant home in Frankfort, has been a
witness to the development of thing's in this part of Kansas from the days
of the very beginning- of a social order hereabout and there are few men
in the northern part of the state who have a more vivid recollection of the
days of the plainsmen and of the old Overland trail than has he. Coming
to Kansas in 1858 he was a participant in affairs here during the stirring
days of the Civil War period and as a freighter on the old Overland trail
was a witness to many a stirring scene that marked the traffic along that
historic highway in the days before the railroad brought a new order and
robbed the plains of the picturesque quality that has so entertainingly been
embodied in story and song by the observers of a generation now past.
Beginning his career in Marshall county as a merchant at the stage and
milling station of Barrett, Mr. Smith has remained all the years since pretty
closely identified with the affairs of that part of the county, in which he
earlv became an extensive landowner and cattleman, and now, in the pleas-
ant "evening time" of his life, with his affairs well ordered, he is in a posi-
tion, while still preserving in a remarkable degree his vigor and zest in living,
to take things easily and to enjoy the ample rewards of a long and busy life.
Robert W. Smith was born in Indiana county, Pennsylvania. Decem-
ber 30, 1838, second in order of birth of the children born to his parents.
Robert and Sarah ( Ray ) Smith, also natives of the Keystone state, his
paternal grandfather of Irish birth and his maternal grandfather of Scotch-
ing M<;ck. The elder Robert Smith was a substantial farmer and the
owner of a store at Elders Ridge. In the academy at Elders Ridge Robert
W. Smith completed his schooling and as a young man engaged in the
mercantile business there on his own account, but after being thus engaged
for about six months came to the conclusion that wider opportunities
awaited him out on the plains of Kansas, and in 1858, he then being hardly
twenty years of age, he came out here, bringing with him a stock of goods,
which be transported by steamer down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and
thence up the Missouri to .Atchison and then by wagon on over into Mar-
shall county, his point of destination being the stage station and saw-mill
settlement at Barrett, on the old Overland trail. There Mr. Smith estab-
lished his store, but in 1861. finding that the outlook for a merchant there
was not as promising as it had seemed, sold his store and engaged on his
own account in general freighting, his route being from Kansas City to
532 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Leavenworth, Atchison and Omaha and from Barrett to Denver and the
Rocky mountains, keeping from five to fifteen teams going. In the mean-
time Ik- began investing in land and in the spring of [865 located on a farm
lie had bought in Clear Fork township, tins county, and after his marriage
in [866 established his home there, soon becoming recognized a- one of the
leading farmers and stockmen in that part of the- county. From the very
beginning of his residence in this county, Mr. Smith took an active and
thoughtful interest in local civic affairs. The firsl school district in Mar-
shall comity was that organized in the Barrett neighborhood, old district
No. 1. and Mr. Smith for years was the director in the district. That was
in the days when the money for the maintenance of the schools had to he
raised by popular subscription, there being no law to raise money by taxes
for schools at that time, and the teacher was paid but forty dollars for a
term 1 >f five months, in [8< k >.
\fter a brief residence on his first farm in Clear Fork township, Robert
W. Smith determined that a better location would be over on another bit
of land he had boughl in section 16 of what is now Bigelow township and
there he definitely settled, making that place his home until his retirement
in [915 and removal to Frankfort, where he and his wife are now living.
In addition to his fine and well-improved farm of four hundred acres in
Bigelov township. Mr. Smith is the owner of considerable land elsewhere,
including land in Oklahoma, on which, in the summer of [916, just to show
die boys that, despite his years, he -till could make a hand. Mr. Smith took
part in the wheat harvest. His home farm that season produced more than
four thousand bushels of corn. Mr. Smith is a Republican and has ever
taken a good citizen's part in local politics. In addition to the school office
above mentioned, he has held other local offices and was also postmaster
of Barrett, in t86o, but he has never been a seeker after public office, pre-
ferring to give his undivided attention to the development of his farming
properties.
( hi September 20, r866, Robert W. Smith was united in marriage to
Henrietta Edgar, who was born in Knox county. Illinois, in 1S41. and who
came with her parents, Thomas and Martha Edgar, to Kansas in March,
[860 tmily settling in Marshall county. Thomas Edgar and his wife
both were horn in Kentucky, but became residents of Illinois, from which
latter state they came as pioneer- to this county, locating on a farm in
Clear Fork township, where they spent the rest of their live-, the former
dying in [885. lli- widow survived him for some years, her death occur-
ring about [900. They were the parent- of -even children and the family
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 533
became one of the well-established families of Marshall county. To Mr.
and Mrs. Smith six children have been born, namely: Harry T., now living
at Bristol, Oklahoma: William F., of Wetmore, this state; Sarah, wife of
Edward Blainey, of Marshall, Oklahoma ; James, who is living on a farm
adjoining Frankfort on the south: Edgar M., who died in igio, and Robert
E., who is living on the old home farm in Bigelow township.
GEORGE T. MOHRBACHER.
George T. Mohrbacher, junior member of the firm operating" the well-
known August Hohn & Sons department store at Marysville, and one of
the most progressive and influential business men in this part of the state,
is a native son of Marshall count}' and has lived here all his life. He was
born on a pioneer farm in Franklin township, this county, February 22,
1876, son of Christian and Caroline (Koch) Mohrbacher, pioneers of Mar-
shall county, the former of whom died at Marysville in 1902 and the latter
of whom is still living in that city.
Christian Mohrbacher was born in the kingdom of Bavaria, Germany,
October 31, 1838, and was but a child when his parents, Jacob Mohrbacher
and wife, come to this country. He learned the cooper's trade in Wisconsin
and in the winter of 1859-60 came to Kansas, driving through to Marshall
county from St. Joseph, Missouri, then the terminus of the railway, and
with his parents settled on a homestead two and one-half miles south of
Marysville; later he purchased a small farm west of the homestead which
he later sold and bought a four-hundred-acre farm in section 16 of Franklin
township, north of Home City, where he established his home and soon
became recognized as one of the leading, farmers and cattlemen in that part
of the county. He was an extensive breeder of Durham cattle and developed
an extensive cattle business. He made his home on that pioneer farm until
he retired from the active labors of the farm and moved to Home City,
where he resided until 1901, when he moved to Marysville, where his death
occurred on January 1, 1902.
Christian Mohrbacher was twice married. His first marriage was to
Martha Tanner and by that union he had five children, namely: Alexander,
who is now living in Denver, Colorado; Hettie, who married J. E. McMahan
and is living at Marysville; Edwin H., who is living at Denver; Thomas,
of Marysville, and Christopher, deceased. Upon the death of the mother
53 I M VRSHAl I COUN I V. KANSAS.
of ■ ildren, • hristian Mohrbacher married Caroline Koch, who was
i in Milwaukee county, Wisconsin, October 31, [846, and who' is now
living al Vlarysville, and to thai union four children were bom, of whom
the subjecl oi thi ketch was the second in order of birth, the others being
as follow: Matilda, deceased; Cora I-'... who married Carl Lemmer and is
living al Denver, Colorado, and Frances, who makes her home with her
mother and is cashiei of the Augusl Hohn & Sons departmeni store at
Marysville.
George I Mohrbacher was reared on the home farm in Franklin town-
ship and supplemented the schooling received in the district school in thai
neighborhood bj a course in the high school al Marysville. On October
in. [892, he then being sixteen years of age, he began clerking in the
Vugusl Hohn departmeni store at Marysville and has ever since been closel)
identified with the affairs of thai substantial concern. On January 1. [900,
lie became a stockholdet in the enterprise and is now the junior member of
tin firm ■ ing his active attention to the management of the extensive
resl oi !u enterprise, long having been recognized as one of the l<
merchanl oi Vlarysville. Mr. Mohrbacher gives his close attention
to the general business affairs of the city and is a member oi the publii
cot ttee of the Marysville ( ommercial Club. He is a Republican and
take a I citizen's interesl in the civic and political affairs of his home
community Some years ago he was appointed chief of the Marysville fire
departmeni and lias given much attention to the affairs of the departmeni
as well as to the general subjecl of fin pre ention, now serving as treasurer
of the Kansas State Firemen's Association and as chairman of the legisla
committee ol the same; also vice-presidenl of the Kansas State \ -
ciation ol Fire ( biefs Mr. Mohrbacher is an active member of several
lodges; 1- a member of all the Masonic bodies* a thirt) second-degree
Mason and ol Marysville Lodge No. 91, Vncienl Free and Accepted
ville Chapter No 29, \\<>\.\\ \rch Masons; a member
of the Modern Woodmen oi America, oi the Vncieni Order of United
Workmen, of the Knights of Pythias and of the Turnverein, and 1- m
ager of Turner I tall
tin May 16, 1899, George I Mohrbacher was united in marriagi to
Minna \ Hohn, a graduate oi the Vlarysville high school, who was born
.it Marysville on Vugusl ti, 1878, daughter of Vugusl and Minna (Zim-
merman) Hohn, further mention of whom is made in a biographical sketch
relating i" the tenner, the veteran merchanl at Marysville, and to tins
union two children have been hern, \rihur. who was born "ii October 22.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 535
i<)oo. and Winton, June 13. M105. The Mohrbachers have a very pleasant
home in Marysville and have ever taken a warm interest in the general
social activities of their home town, helpful in promoting all worthy move-
ments designed to advance the common welfare hereabout.
TOHX L. LEWIS.
John L. Lewis, one of Marshall county's substantial farmers and land-
owners and former trustee and treasurer of Blue Rapids township, now
living retired from the active labors "\ the farm in his pleasant home in the
village "\ Irving, on the outskirts of which village his farm abuts, is a native
of the principality of Wales, but has been a resident of this country since he
was but a child, his parents having come to this country and settled in Wis-
consin when lie was about nine years of age. He was horn on January 1.
1X41. a son of David and Jane (Lloyd) Lewis, who came to the United
States in t850 and settled on a farm in Waukesha county, Wisconsin, where
David Lewis died the next year, in 1851. He was horn on November 25,
181 1. His widow, whi was horn in that same year, survived him many
years, her death occurring in [892. They were the parents of four children.
of whom the subject of this -ketch i- now the only survivor, he having had
a brother, David, and two sisters, Mary and Mrs. Sarah Evans, deceased.
John L. Lewis was about nine years of age when he came to this coun-
try with his parents and he was reared on a farm in Waukesha county.
Wisconsin. In [866 he bought a farm in Kankakee county. Illinois, and
following his marriage the next year established his home there, remaining
there until 1877. when he went to Missouri and bought a farm in Carroll
county, that state, where he farmed for a couple of years, at the end of
which time, in 1870. he came to Kansas and for rive years was engaged in
farming on a rented farm in Osage county; in the meantime Inning a farm
in Gage county. Nebraska, on which he presently established his home, hut
111 1S01 -old out there and moved to Nuckolls county, in that same -tale.
where he lived until he came to Marshall county in 1005 and settled on a
farm which he had bought here in 1888. During the years of his owner-
ship of that farm a village had been growing up alongside it and Mr.
Lewi- found that he had a valuable hit of property when he finally made
his home here. He is the owner of three hundred and fifteen acres of land
in section 6 of Bigelow township and the home place in section t> oi Blue
5.V MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Rapids township, righl on the southeastern edge of the thriving village of
Irving. For some time past Mr. Lewis has had his farm rented and lie
and his wife arc now making their home in Irving, \\ Iil-ic they are very
comfortably situated. In addition to his land holdings in thi> county, Mr.
Lewis is the owner of a farm ol eight hundred acres in Beadle county, South
Dakota, and is regarded as one of Marshall county's substantial citizens.
Mr Lewis is a Democrat and has served the public in the capacity of treas-
urer and as trustee of Blue Rapids township.
On Christmas Day, in the year [867, John I.. Lewis was united in
marriage, in Waukesha county, Wisconsin, to Ellen William-, who was
h^rn in that county on November -''>. [846, a daughter of Hugh II. and Ellen
William-, natives of Wale-, who left their native country in [838 and came to
tin- country, settling in Wisconsin, where both spent the remainder of their
lives. To Mr. and Mr-. Lewis two children have been horn. Jennie, now
deceased, who was a graduate of the Crete (Nebraska) Congregational Col-
lege, and Sarah Ann. widow of John H. Jones, who has two sons, Lewis
and Edwin Lloyd Jones, and now lives at Wymore, Nebraska. Mr. and
Mrs. Lewis are members of the Episcopal church and take a proper interest
in local church work. Mr. Lewi- i- a member of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows and for year- has taken an active interest in the affairs of
that organization.
FRANK TIK (MANN.
France has given to the United State- some of her best and most pro-
ssive citizen-. Among those who have settled in Mar-hall county is Frank
Thomann, one of the well-known and prominent retired farmer- of Summer-
field, who was horn in Alsace on March _•". 1847, tnc -"" "' Jacques and
Victoria (Bishops) Thomann.
The parents of Frank Thomann were also native- of France and there
received their education and grew up and were later married. The father
had been married before his union to Victoria Bishops and hv the first wife
was the father of five children. By the second wife, the mother of Frank,
there were two children horn, of whom Frank is the only one living. Jacques
Thomann as a young man learned civil engineering, at which he worked in
hi- native land until 1X51 1. when he decided to -eek a home for himself and
family in the United State-. After a voyage of thirty-six days they landed
at Philadelphia, where the family resided for a year. The father then decided
FRANK THOMANN.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 537
that he would be a farmer and in 1857 came to Kansas. The trip from St.
Joe to Marshall county was made in a wagon drawn by oxen. On their
arrival in the county. Mr. Thomann located in Richland township, where
he pre-empted one hundred and twenty acres of land in section 32, at one
dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. He at once built a log cabin in which
the family lived for some years, and with his oxen he broke the tough prairie
sod and planted his grain. The few years that he lived on his farm were
fraught with many difficulties, yet during those years his life was a most
active one. He was the first surveyor of Marshall county after Kansas
became a state. His death occurred on May 10, 1864. His widow survived
him until 1890, when her death occurred on April 16 of that year. They
were members of the Catholic church and lived consistent Christian lives, and
were held in the highest regard and respect by all who knew them.
Frank Thomann received the greater part of his education in the schools
of his native land, having attended school but two months after the family
came to America, yet he was but nine years of age when he came with his
parents to this country. At the age of sixteen years he started in to work for
himself, and later he and his half-brother farmed the old home place. In
1884 Mr. Thomann retired from the farm and moved to Beattie, Kansas,
where he assisted A. J. Brunswig and Joseph Baer organize the Bank of
Beattie, Mr. Thomann furnishing the money. These men were also the man-
agers of an elevator known as the Brunswig Elevator Company, which did
a big business. In 1889 the Kansas City & Northwestern railroad was com-
pleted through Summerfield, and Mr. Thomann was one of the first to buy
lots in the new town. He and his brother-in-law, August Wuester, started
a drug store, which they conducted for a number of years. The members
of the banking house and August Wuester. organized the Summerfield Hard-
ware and Implement Company, of which the subject was the manager. This
business was conducted tor ten years, when thev sold. The drug store was
burned in 1894, after which Air. Thomann took over the business, which
he conducted until 1904. After this he operated the elevator until 191 3, in
which year he retired to private life. He was president of the bank at Sum-
merville for twenty-six years, but at the present time lie has no interests in
the institution. He still has large land interests, owning three hundred and
sixty acres of splendid land in Guittard township, one hundred and sixty
acres in Pottawatomie county and one hundred and twenty acres in Osage
count}-. Kansas, as well as an additional eighty acres in Marshall count)-.
Frank Thomann was united in marriage on March 10. 1883, to Charlotte
538 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Wuester, the daughter of Abraham and Margaret 1 Bauer) Wuester, both oi
whom.were natives of Germany, where they received their education in the
public schools and grew up. They later came to the United State- and estab-
lished themselves on a farm.
To Frank and Charlotte Thomann have been born the following children:
lame- A., the first born, deceased; Wilbur Charles; Warren F. and Frank
< harles. Wilbur Charles is an automobile -ale-man at [ndianola, Nebraska;
rren F. 1- a painter, of Frankfort, Kansas, and Frank Charles i- a student
in the University of Kansas,
Politically, Mr. Thomann is a stanch Democrat and has ever taken much
interest in local affair-, lie i- a member "t" the Ancient Order of United
Workmen, the Knights and Ladies of Security and the free and Accepted
Masons, having attained the Knight Templar degree and i- a member of the
Shriners,
During their early life in the county, the Thomanns lived in a tent and
experienced many of the difficulties of the early settler, There were many
Indians in the vicinity, and at time- they camped near the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Thomann. At one time there was a hand of thirty-five red-kin- that
stopped at their home, and during their staj they took two gallons of whiskey
which the family had for medical use. It was not long until the greater
number of the Indian- were intoxicated and were determined to fight. Lucky,
there were enough of the hand that remained sober to care for the drunken
1 lie-, and by morning the hand hail disappeared. After the Indian raid in
I. the settlers of Washington county and the counties west, returned 1
through Marshall county, and the road was lined with people from Marysville
to Guittard Station. Much of the fear that animated their ha-t\ retreat
at that time, was caused by a large hand of Pottawatomie Indian- that were
11 their way to vi-it the < Itoes, and when they crossed the military and the
stage road, the settlers -aw them and gave the alarm that the Indian- were
mi on the war-path.
Frank Thomann having come to Kansas in an early day. when he was
hut a lad. ha- seen the wonderful transition of the country from the wild
prairie, inhabited with the wolf ami roving hand- of Indians, to the present
well developed farm-, with field- of golden grain and pastures dotted here and
there with tine herd- of the best of cattle: droves of hogs growing fat on the
products of the farm, and the finest horses, tit for the plow and driving
purposes. This greal change from the most primitive to the highest state
of efficiency, has only been accomplished by the hardesl kind of work and
close economy. Splendid buildings and well-kept premises are now seen,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 53O
where once stood the settler's cabin and the rude barn. In all of this Mr.
Thomann has had an important part, and he and such as he are entitled to the
greatest honor for the work that they have done. It is difficult for the pres-
ent generation to realize the wonderful changes that have taken place during
the life of some of the men and women now living.
JOHN L. DAVIS.
John L. Davis, one of the pioneers of Marshall county, a well-to-do
retired farmer and an honored veteran of the Civil War. now living at
Frankfort, is a native of the old Buckeye state, but has been a resident of
Kansas since the year 1870. when he came to Marshall county, and hence
has been a witness to and a participant in the development of this count}'
since pioneer days. He was born in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, August 22, [838,
a son of John M. and Avelander (Pierce) Davis, natives of the state of
Pennsylvania and Ohio, respective!)', members of old families in that state,
whose last days were spent in Mechanicsburg, where John M. Davis was a
well-known and well-to-do building contractor.
Reared at Mechanicsburg, John L. Davis was early trained to the trade
of carpenter and cabinet-maker by his father, who gave him a bench and
tools in his shop when he was a hoy, telling him to go to work and make
whatever he wanted to, and he was working at his trade in that city when
the Civil War broke out. In 1863 he enlisted in Company C, One Hundred
and Thirty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served with
that command for four months. His brother, Joseph Davis, served through-
out the war as a soldier in the Thirty-second Ohio Regiment. In 1870
John L. Davis came to Kansas and located at Frankfort, where for two
years he was engaged as a builder and then, in 1872. began farming on a
place just north of the town. , At the same time he opened and began oper-
ating the first retail meat market opened in Frankfort, but presently sold
that and bought a tract of one hundred and thirty-five acres south of the
town, which he proceeded to develop. When Mr. Davis took possession of
that farm it bad a little two-room house on it and that be enlarged and built
other and adequate buildings until he came to have one of the best-equipped
farm plants in that part of the county. He now owns a splendid farm of
two hundred acres and is regarded as being quite well circumstanced. In
addition to his general farming Mr. Davis also for years was quite exten-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
sively engaged in the raising of live stock. Since li is retiremenl from the
farm and removal to Frankfort his son, Joseph Davis, who is making his
hi me on the place-, i- operating the farm and is doing very well.
<)n November 28, [861, eight or nine- years before coming to Kansas,
John L. Davis was united in marriage, in Ohio, to Esther Cox, who was
born at Salem, in Columbiana county, that state, December 25, 1N44, a
daughter of Samuel and Rachel Cox, both of whom were born at Edinburg,
Pennsylvania, and to this union three children have been horn, namely: Ora,
who married M. M. 1 la-kins, of Frankfort, and ha- five children, Frank,
Harold, Fletcher, Hazel and Davis; Elizabeth, who married W. J. Gregg,
of Frankfort, and has live children. Gerva, Gracia, Geraldine, Gilbert and
Edward, and Joseph, mentioned above a- operating the old home farm, who
is married and ha- five children. Hazel, Norma, Madia, Joseph Leroy
and (anil. In addition to the fifteen grandchildren here mentioned, Mr.
and Mrs. Davis have three great-grandchildren, Catherine, Ellen Ora and
Marshall Ma-kins. The Davises are members of the Presbyterian church
and have ever lien warm supporters of the same, .as well as all other local
goi d works. Mr. Davis i- an active member of the local post of the Grand
\rmy of the Republic, in the affairs of which he for years has taken a warm
interest, and Mr-. Davis is a member of the Woman'- Relief Corps and of the
d chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, in the affair- of both of
which organizations she takes an active interest, being conductor and past
matn n 1 f the latter society.
PETER SHR( IYER.
In point of continuous residence Peter Shroyer, the well-known pioneer
farmer, now living retired at Marysville, is the oldesl living resident of
Mar-hall county. lie came here in [857, there being at that time hut two
other families within the presenl confine- of the county, and has lived here
i since. During all that time he ha- never employed a physician for his
n use and has likewise never had personal use for a dentist, hi- teeth to
tin- day being perfectly sound. Mr. Shroyer attributes much of his present
soundness of teeth to the fact that in the early day- out here he ate SO
much frozen bread and dried buffalo meat that his teeth were kept in per-
fecl condition and he newer developed later troubles of that sort. Mr.
Shroyer also claims to have shucked more corn than any man in Marshall
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 54 1
county. He began when five years of age and even since his retirement
from the active labors of the farm continues to "take a hand" during corn-
husking season and can keep up his row with the best of them.
Peter Shroyer is a native of the old Buckeye state, but has been a resi-
dent of Marshall county since he was nine years of age, and has consequently
been a witness to and a participant in the development of this county since
the earliest days of settlement hereabout. He was born on a farm in Perry
count}-, Ohio, near the town of Thornville, July 30, 1848, a son of John
and Alary (Zortman) Shroyer, natives of Pennsylvania, both of Dutch
stock, the former a son of Philip Shroyer and the latter a daughter of Peter
Zortman, the Shroyer and Zortman families being early settlers in Perry
county, Ohio. It was there that John Shroyer was married and established
his home. He became a farmer and was the owner of one hundred and
sixty acres of land. In 1853 ne so'c' that farm for thirty dollars an acre,
accepting partial payments for the same, and with his wife and six children
came to Kansas. Three years later he returned to his old home in Ohio to
collect the final payment and found that in the meantime the farm that he
had sold for thirty dollars an acre had been resold for one hundred and
five dollars an acre. John Shroyer and his family crossed the country to
their destination in Marshall county in a "prairie schooner," which they had
amply freighted with provisions for beginning life anew on the plains be-
fore leaving St. Joseph. They had three horses upon arriving in this county,
but these presently died and for ten years John Shroyer conducted his farm-
ing operations with oxen. Upon arriving in this county the Shroyer family
settled on a farm on the Blue river, at the point where the railroad station
of Sbrover. named for the family, is now located, and there erected a loo-
cabin and set up a home. In that humble habitation the family made their
home for years, or until a more commodious and convenient house could be
built.
When the Shroyers settled in Marshall county there were but two other
families in the county and Indians still were numerous and wild game
plentiful. The markets for the grain raised in this part of the state then
were at Leavenworth and at Atchison and until the railroads came this way
a long trip to market was necessary on the part of the early settlers, while
the nearest mill was at St. Joseph until the Hutchinson mill was built at
Marvsville. Buffalos still were roaming the plains in countless numbers
and it was the practice of the settlers to go out on a buffalo drive and put
up enough meat for a year's supply. Wheat was threshed by the primitive
method of having the cattle trample it out. the grain then being winnowed
54- MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
111 the wind, but the markel for wheal was so limited in those days that it
infreqm Id for a- small a sum as twenty-fivi a bushel in
the Uchison market. John Shroyer put in much of his time as a freighter
u was while thus employed, in r863, that lie met his death. He had
jusl returned from a freighting trip to Ft. Kearney and had gone t<> Leaven-
■tli for a load of provisions. ' >n coming down a steep hill out of Leaven-
iih he fell off hi- wagon and was killed beneath the wheels. It was
thre< week w id of his death could he brought to hi- family. His
widoM survived him for -even year-, her death occurring in [870, -he then
being fifty-four years "t age. John Shroyer and hi- wife were the parents
1 f nine children, three having been born to them after they came to this
county. ')i' these the subject of tin- sketch is the eldest and the others are
1- follow: Philip, who owns the old Shroyer farm in Elm (reek town-
ship, Inn 1- now living at Granite, Oklahoma, Peter Shroyer's eldest son
running the farm for him: Hiram, who lives near Shroyer; John, who lives
in Oklahoma: Benjamin Franklin, who live- near Oklahoma City; Mr-.
Harriet Hamniet. of Shroyer; Mrs. Amanda Griffin, of I Hue Rapids; Mr-.
\l.n\ Bender, of Commanche, Oklahoma, and Samuel, of Oklahoma City.
\- noted above, Peter Shroyer was hut nine year- of age when he
came t" this county from Ohio and he grew to manhood on the home farm
in Elm ('reek township, from earl\ boyhood taking hi- part in the work of
eloping the pioneer farm. When hut a boy he went to St. [oseph and
drove hack three yoke of oxen. With these cattle he broke the first ground
on the bottoms at Shroyer. continuing to use cattle in his farming opera-
tion- until he was twenty-fix e years of age. When twenty-one year- of age
he homesti tded a tract of land across the river from Shroyer and in that
ear, 1869, bought an additional "eighty." For twelve year-, or until
hi- marriage in (88l, Mr. Shroyer "hatched" on hi- place and after his
man ntinued to live there for twenty-four year-, at the end of which
time Ik retired from the active labors of the farm and moved to Marys
ville, where he ami hi- family are very pleasantly situated, having a beau-
tiful home in the north pari of the city, the house being surrounded by at-
tractive shrubbery and a five-acre grove which form- part of the place.
lending greatly to the attractiveness of the -ante.
In 1SS1 Peter Shroyer wa- united in marriage to Emma Rowe, who
was horn in h.wa in iS(>4- daughter of Allen and Euphemia 1 Riley) Roue,
who came to Marshall county about t'^75. and to this union four children
ha\e been lorn, namely: Violet, who i- at home: Jesse E., who i- operat-
ing his uncle'- farm at Shroyer, the old original Shroyer place; Mrs. Ri
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 543
Woods, of Joplin, Missouri, and Peter A., who is at home. Mr. and Mrs.
Shroyer are members of the Church of Christ (Scientist) and take a warm
interest in the affairs of the same. Mr. Shroyer is a Republican and has
even given his close attention to local political affairs, but has not been a
seeker after public office. As the oldest living pioneer of Marshall county
his life is a veritable Epitome of the history of this county and there is per-
haps no person in the county who has a more vivid or distinct recollection
of the incidents of pioneer days hereabout than he. In the daws when he
drove the three yoke of oxen from St. Joseph to Marshall count}- the site
of the present city of Marysville was marked by the presence of a lone
shanty and there was nothing but an Indian trail leading to his home at
Shroyer. Despite the hardships he underwent during the pioneer days, Mr.
Shroyer is still a very vigorous man and continues to take an active interest
in current affairs.
WILLIAM C. HUXTABLE.
The late William C. Huxtable, for years one of the substantial farmers
of Marshall county, who died at his home in Frankfort in 1915, was a
native of England, born there in [833, and there grew to manhood. In
1857, he then being twenty-four years of age, he came to this country and
settled in New York state, where he engaged in farming and where he was
married in [862. After his marriage Mr. Huxtable continued farming in
Xew Yo,rk until 1871, in which year he emigrated to Kansas with his fam-
ily and became one of the pioneers of Marshall county. Upon coming here
he bought a homesteader's right to a tract of land one mile north of Frank-
fort and there established his home, continuing his residence there for ten
years, at the end of which time he moved five miles northwest and bought
a fine farm of one hundred and ten acres of bottom land in Rock township,
where he remained, successfully engaged in farming, until his retirement
from the farm and removal to Frankfort, where he spent his last days. As
he prospered in his farming operations he added to his land holdings and
was the owner of a quarter of a section in addition to his home farm.
Politically, Mr. Huxtable was an independent Democrat. He had served
on his local school board and was treasurer of the school district for some
time.
In 1 80 2 William C. Huxtable was united in marriage, in Xew York
state, to Maria Page, who was born in 1841. daughter of William and Betsy
544 MARSHALL CO! \IY. KANSAS.
Page, natives i't' England, and to that union five children were born, namely:
Mrs. Sophia Hunt, who lives on a farm near Blue Rapids, this county, and
seven children, George, Harry. Kittie, Archibald, Ruth, Lawrence and
Letha; Mrs. Bertha Flinn, who lives northwest of Frankfort and lias four
children, Roy, Bessie, Lydia and Clarence; Mrs. Minnie Carver, who lives
on a farm northwest of Frankfort and has three children. Nina, Gladys
and Homer; William 11.. of Blue Rapids, who married Bessie Saville and
has two children, (lark and Viola, and Edgar, a farmer, living south of
Frankfort, who married Erne Saville, who died in [916, leaving two chil-
dren. Dorothy and Marvin. Since her husband's death in 1 < > 1 5 Mrs. Ilux-
tahle has continued to make her home in Frankfort, where she is very com-
fortably situated. She is a member of the Episcopal church, as was her
husband, and has ever taken an earnest interest in church work, as well as
in other good works of the community in which she has lived since pioneer
davs.
DAVID DeLAIR.
The Dominion of Canada has given to the United State- some of her
best citizens and most progressive men. who have come to this country
where they have met with singular success and have become recognized as
among the progressive and substantial people of the community in which
they located. The greater number of these people who left their native
clime, t'> seek a home in a new country, came with the determination to
make good, and obtain a home worthy of the name, for themselves and
those dependent upon them. With this determination and the inborn spirit
t<> succeed these people are today among the substantial and influential rc-i-
dents of the various states of the Union. Among the number who were
natives of Canada and later came to Kansas, 1- David Del.air. who came
to the United States when a young man, and has risen to a place of influence
and prominence. He was horn in llaldimand county, Ontario, Canada, on
March t6, 1848, and is the -on of John and Rachel 1 Hodge) Del.air.
John and Rachel Del.air were native- of Canada, the former having
been horn on April _>(). 17110. and the latter on March j<>. 1800. John
Del.air was the son of French parents, who came to Canada. Rachel's
forefathers were of New England descent. Mr. and Mrs. DeLair received
their education in the schools ,,f Canada and there they <,aew up and were
later married. To them were horn the following children: Edmund, wh
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-MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 545
birth occurred on April u, 1830; Mary, who was born on March 31, 1831 ;
Francis. July 22, 1832; Samuel, September 13, 1834; Peter, February 4,
1837; Matilda, May 24, 1839; Nancy, April 5, 184 1 ; Jane, born in 1S45;
David, March 16, 1848, and Clement, August 20, 1849. Of these children
all are now deceased with the exceptions of Nancy, Jane and David. Samuel
died in 1865; Matilda Kronk died at Tacoma, Washington, and Clement
died in the mountains of Colorado. Nancy Williams lives at Tacoma,
Washington ; Jane Murdy is a resident of Dunville, Canada. Mr. and Mrs.
DeLair were highly respected people and were of the farming class in their
native country, where they lived their lives and where they were prominent
in the social and the religious life of the community.
David DeLair received his education in the schools of Canada and
there grew to manhood. At the age of twenty, in 1868, he decided to
seek a home in the United States. He at once came to Kansas and here he
established himself on a homestead in section 18, Balderson township, Mar-
shall county. He was accompanied to this country by his brother-in-law,
Mr. Kronk, who also homesteaded in the township. Mr. DeLair for ten
years lived by himself on his homestead, which he developed and improved,
and where he met with much success on his new claim, in the pursuit of
general farming and stock raising.
In 1880 David DeLair was united in marriage to Margaret Cameron.
who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 18, 1848, the daughter of John
and Margaret Cameron. Her father died in the native land. Mrs. DeLair
received her education in New York City. She came over as a child and
spent her younger days partly in Illinois and Nebraska. Some time after
the death of the husband and father, the mother with her daughter and
sons decided to come to the United States. They located in the city of
Xew York, where they remained for some years, and in 1871 they left
their home in that city and came first to Illinois and then to Nebraska,
where they bought a homestead on Mission creek. There the mother made
her home until the time of her death some years ago at the age of eighty-
three years.
To John and Margaret Cameron were born the following children :
Robert, Ellen, John. James, Peter and Margaret. Robert died at the age
of eighty-two years; Ellen Chapman died in the state of Massachusetts in
1916 at the age of eighty-two years; John died at the age of seventy-eight
years; James departed this life at the age of seventy-six years, in Furnas
county, Nebraska, and Peter lives on Mission creek, Nebraska.
After having selected his claim to a homestead, Mr. DeLair at once
(35)
MARSHAL] I 01 \ I Y, K VNSAS.
proceeded to build for himself a cabin. He cut the logs for his house, on
Indian creek. The building was twelve by fourteen feet and was boarded
up and down, and in this he made hi- home during the time he developed
his farm. In 1884 he disposed of his homestead and moved to Nebraska,
where he lived for nine year-, when he returned to Kansas and established
hi- home on the farm, on section 17. Balderson township, this count}-, which
he had purchased before he moved to Nebraska. On his return to the farm
he made many additional improvement- and put the farm under a high
state of cultivation Here he engaged in general farming and stock raising
until December. 11)15, when he retired from the activities of farm life and
became a resident of ( (ketO. lie is now the owner of one hundred and sixty
acres of land in Marshall count}' and one hundred and sixty acres in
Stephens county, Oklahoma, and is today one of the substantial and highly
respected citizens of the county.
Mr. and Mrs. DeLair are the parents of four children. Lillie, the wife
of C. J. Swanson, of Leadville, Colorado. She was horn on May 31, 1881.
and grew to womanhood on the home farm; Claude was horn on December
4, 1883, and is 1 hi the home farm; Clyde, a twin of Claude, died at the age
of seventeen wars, and Russell, who was born on June 10. 1885, IS a
fanner of Wakefield. Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Del. air are active members
of the Baptist church, ami Mr. Del. air is a member of the Modern Wood-
men of America.
WILLIAM D. WARNIC V
William D. Warnica, one of the real pioneer farmers of Marshall
count}-, now living retired in his pleasanl home in Frankfort, is a native of
Canada, hut has been a resident of the United States since he was a child
ami a resident of Kansas since the year [869, when he became a home-
ader in Wells county, this state, where he made his home, one of the
foremost pioneers of that part of the count}, until 11107. when In- retired
from the active labors of the farm and moved to the nearby city of Frank-
fort, where he since has resided. lie was horn at Berry, near Toronto, in
the Dominion of Canada, December i«>. [848, son of Joseph and Melvina
(Denure) Warnica, both natives of \'ew York state and the former of
German descent, who had settled in Canada after their marriage.
Joseph Warnica was a carpenter by trade. In 1N57 he moved with
his family from Canada to Michigan and located within six miles of Grand
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 547
Rapids, on the plank road between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, and there
opened a tavern, also continuing to follow his trade as a carpenter. When
the Civil War broke out he enlisted his services in defense of the Union and
in 1861 went to the front with the Michigan Engineer Corps, only to find
a nameless grave on some battlefield of the South. The last heard of Joseph
Warnica was in 1863. He left a widow and seven children. Of these chil-
dren the subject of this sketch was the fourth in order of birth, the others
being as follow : Peter, an early settler in Kansas, who is now living in
Texas; Joseph G., who also enlisted in the Michigan Engineer Corps for
service during the Civil War, went to the front with his father, received
his honorable discharge in 1864, later became a pioneer in Kansas and is
now deceased: Airs. Melvina Crandall, who died in Colorado in 191 1;
George A., a substantial farmer living near St. Joseph, Missouri; Calvin,
a fanner living west of Frankfort in this county, and James, of Junction
City. Kansas. In 1873 the Widow Warnica left her home in Michigan and
came to Kansas, taking a homestead five miles west of Frankfort, in this
county, where she spent her last days with her three youngest children, her
death occurring there in 1876.
In 1869, some little time before his twenty-first birthday. William D.
Warnica came to Kansas with a view to finding a home in the then rapidly
developing state. He found conditions in Marshall county to his liking
and homesteaded an "eighty" in Wells township, four miles west of Frank-
fort. At that time he had very little money and the beginning of his oper-
ations there was on a very modest scale. He put up a log "shack," twelve
feet square, for a claim shanty and started in developing his homestead.
In 1872 he married and established his home on that tract, gradually con-
tinuing to develop and improve the same until he had an excellent farm.
Though, in common with all the settlers throughout this part of the state,
he suffered many hardships and privations during the days of the grass-
hopper plague and the destroying hot winds, he had the courage to "stick-
it out" and in time was amply rewarded. As he prospered in his operations
Mr. Warnica gradually added to his land holdings until he became the
owner of a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres, on which he erected
a substantial and commodious dwelling and good farm outbuildings, hav-
ing one of the best-appointed farm plants in that part of the county. There
he made his home until T907, when he retired from the active labors of the
farm and moved to Frankfort, where he is now living and where he and
his wife are very comfortably situated.
Mr. Warnica has been twice married. It was in 1873. about four years
548 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
after coming to this county, that he was united in marriage to Hannah
Osborn, who was born in Illim >i>. daughter of Robert Osborn, who came
to Kansas in [867, and to that union four children were born, namely:
LeRoy, a farmer of Wells township, this county, who married Florence
Ettenboro, a daughter of Charles Ettenboro, and has five children, Thelma,
Everett, Wayne, Marvin and Freda; Alfonso, a clerk in a hardware store
in Montana. who married Eunice Rogers and has one child, a son, Earl:
Bessie, who married Wilbur J. Land, who i- farming the Warnica home
farm in Wells township, and has three children. Vernon, Fletcher and
Geneva, and Robert, also farming in Well- township, who married Edna
McConkey and ha- two children, Evelyn and Etta May. The mother of
these children died in December, iqto, at the age of fifty-six year-, and in
November, 1 <> r 4. Mr. Warnica married Mr-. Mary E. (McElroy) McLain.
widow of Lloyd McLain. a farmer, merchant and former postmaster of
Frankfort, and a daughter of Benjamin and Mary (Thomas) McElroy,
who came to Kansas from Wisconsin in 1856 and homesteaded a place in
Vermillion township, this county, thus having been among the very earlie-t
settlers in that part of the county. Benjamin McElroy was a veteran of
the Civil War. having served as a private in Company G. Thirteenth Ri
ment, Kansas Volunteer Infantry, in which he enlisted in 1862 and with
which Ik- served until discharged on a physician's certificate of disability,
his service having been rendered in Arkansas and Missouri, serving under
Captain Blackburn. Upon settling on his homestead farm one and one-half
mile- west of where the city of Frankfort later sprang up, Mr. McElroy put
up a log cabin and established his home there. His wife died the year fol-
lowing, in 1857, and he continued to make his home there until 1875. when
he moved to Frankfort, where he died in iN<>4. Mrs. Warnica was but six
month- old when her parents came to this county and was still but an infant
when her mother died. She has an elder sister, Mr-. Ann I. Rountree,
now living in western Kan-
Mr. Warnica i- a Republican and during his long residence on the
farm in Wells town-hip held various township offices, having been a mem-
ber of the township board for thirteen years and holding the position of
clerk and treasurer of the same. In other ways he gave of his sen ices to
the public welfare and was helpful in promoting the interest- of ]fi- home
township from pioneer days. Mr. Warnica i- a Mason and a member of
the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Daugh-
ters of Rebekah. Mr-. Warnica also i- a member of the latter order and of
the local chapter of the Order Of the Eastern Star and both take a warm
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 549
interest in Masonic affairs and in the affairs of the Odd Fellows. Both
have been witnesses to the development of Marshall county from the days
of the unbroken prairie and the open range and have performed well their
part in that development, ever helpful in promoting such causes as were
designed to advance the common welfare.
OLIVER C. WELLS.
When the name of Wells is mentioned in Marshall county memories
of the pioneer John D. Wells, father of the subject of this biographical
sketch, inevitably are aroused. John D. Wells was one of the first, as he
was one of the most active of the early settlers of Marshall county and it
is said of him that he at one time owned nearly half of the county. A Ken-
tuckian by birth, lie went to Iowa from that state, but after a year spent in
the vicinity of Des Moines decided that the opportunities for pioneering
were better down here in Kansas and he drove down with an ox team in
the year 1855 and "pitched his tent" in section 36 of township 4. south,
range 8, east, where lie bought a tract of "Congress land" and established
his home. That was in the days before the organization of Marshall county
into a civic entity and before the days of the admission of Kansas into the
sisterhood of states. When his home township was organized, Mr. Wells
took an active part in the work of organization and his pioneer neighbors
were glad to do him the honor of naming the township for him. In the
general history of the early settlement of this county further and fitting
mention is made of the services of John D. Wells in the community in
pioneer days and of his activities in a general way in the development of
the county. Xot only did he go into land speculation on an extensive scale,
liuying land for from one dollar to two dollars an acre, until at one time
he owned nearly half of Marshall county, but he engaged in the freighting
business, operating a train of teams over the Overland trail to Denver,
and thus became one of the best-known figures on the plains throughout
this section in those days. He went into the business of raising hogs and
in order to secure advantage of the better market Denver then offered over
the markets to the East, he would drive his hogs all the long drive to Den-
ver, the trip requiring sixty days to complete. He owned six hundred
acres of land in his home place and there early engaged extensively in cattle
raising, thus being one of the first big cattlemen in Kansas, and did much
550 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
to promote the cattle business in northern Kansas in the days of the open
range. He lived to near the allotted a^e of man. "three score years and
ten," and to the day of his death maintained his hearty interest in the affairs
of the county, in the organization .and. development of which he had taken
i tive a part.
John D. Wells wa> burn in Bath county, -Kentucky, October 9, 1830,
and there grew i" manhood. He married Elizabeth Langdon, who was
born in [829 not far to the north, over^he river in Ohio, and in 1854, he
then being twenty-four years of age, he and his wife went t" Iowa seeking
a location in the West. As tinted above, after a year spent in the vicinity
of Des Moines, they came down into Kansas in [855 and the resl of their
lives were spent in Marshall county, their lives here being a definite part
nt the early history of this county. John D. Wells was a member of the
Masonic lodge at Frankfort and ever tm>k an active interest in the affairs
uf the same. He died on March [9, [899, and his widow did not long
survive him, her death occurring 011 April 3. 1900. They were the parents
of ten children, three of whom died in infancy, the others, besides the sub-
ject of this sketch, being as follow: Mary P., who married James M. Wells
and died in [881 ; Amanda M.. who is living on the old home place in
Wells township; Artie Belle, wife of 1.. Bennett, also of Wells township:
Veda J., wife of J. 1.. McConchie, also of Wells township; Robert ].. of
Bigelow township, and Anna F., who married Daniel Pendergast and is
living in Wells township.
Oliver C. Wells, fourth in order of birth of the ten children born to
John I), and Elizabeth (Langdon) Wells, was born on the old Wells place
in Wells township. September S, [862, and has made his home in this county
all his life, now being engaged in the grain and coal business at Barrett
He also is the owner of an excellent farm in this county and a property
consisting of eighl acres in the village of Barrett, where he makes his home.
Reared on the home farm, ( )liver C". Wells received his schooling in the old
Yallcv View school, district No. 3-'. and remained on the home place until
his marriage, a valuable aid to his father in the hitter's extensive operations.
Even in the days of his boyhood Mr. Wells made a good "hand" in the
operations of the home farm and was able to handle an ox-team with the
best Vlong in the middle eighties he bought his first land, a tract of forty
acres, and to that he gradually added until be became the owner of two
hundred acres, to which another tract of seventy-One acres was added upon
the distribution of his father's estate. In [910 he sold his land holdings,
hut bought another farm and continued farming until 1912, when he moved
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 55 1
to Barrett, where, in 19 14, he bought the grain elevator there and has since
then been engaged in the grain and coal business, at the same time giving
proper attention to the management of his farm of one hundred and forty-
five acres lying in section 35 of Wells township and in the adjoining section
2 of Bigelow township. Mr. Wells is a Democrat and has rendered public
service as a member of the school board in his old home district and as
deputy sheriff of Marshall county, in which latter capacity he served for
three years. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen
and in the affairs of that fraternal organization has long taken a warm in-
terest.
In 1893 Oliver C. Wells was united in marriage to Helen Warren,
who was born in Bath county, Kentucky, August 25, 1873, daughter of
Martin V. and Margaret (Jackson) Warren, both natives of that same
county, who came to Kansas in 1892 and settled in this county, where they
spent their last days. To Mr. and Mrs. Wells six children have been born,
the first-born dying in infancy, the others being as follow : Bessie, de-
ceased; Anna V., who married Richard Fairchild and is living at Barrett,
and Marguerite, Elizabeth and Mark, at home. The Wells family have
a very pleasant home at Barrett and take a proper part in the general social
activities of the village and of the community at large.
REV. EDWARD R. EMBLEAU.
One of the well-known men of Summerfield and one who has had much
to do with the moral and the religious life of the community, is Rev. Edward
R. Embleau, who is the pastor of the "Holy Family" parish of Summerfield,
Marshall county, and who was born in Leavenworth, Kansas, on August 14.
1887, the son of Philip and Catherine (Long) Embleau.
Philip Embleau was born in Montreal, Canada, in 1863, the son of
Joseph and Josephine Embleau, who were natives of France, where they
received their education in the parochial schools and there grew up. They
later left their native land and came to Canada, locating in Montreal, where
the father. Philip Embleau continued his work as a stove moulder for a
number of years. He later moved to Leavenworth, and continued in the
same work until 1904, when he moved to Hannibal, Missouri, where he is
still engaged in the moulding business. Catherine (Long) Embleau was
born in the city of Washington, D. C, in 1865, and is the daughter of
55-' MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Michael and .Mary Long, who were natives of Ireland Mr. and Mrs. Long
received their education in the schools of their native land and there grew
to maturity and later came to the United State-, locating for a time in Wash-
ington and later came to Kansas, settling in Leavenworth, where Mr. Long
iged in his work a- a -tunc mason until the time of his death, some years
ago.
Philip and Catherine i Long | Embleau were the parents of four children
as follow: Alfred. Edward, Stella and Joseph. Alfred and Stella are now
deceased and Joseph is a manufacturer of brooms at Topeka, Kansas. The
parent- were prominent members of the Catholic church and were held in
the highest regard and esteem by all who knew them. They were ever inter
ested in the educational development of their home community, and were
most devoted to the interests of their children.
Edward R. Embleau received his education in St. Benedict's College,
from which institution he graduated in the year 1007. Me later completed
the course in the seminary at St. Mary'-. Cincinnati, and received his degree
on June 1. igil. After completing his education, his first appointment was
as assistant priest of the Assumption church at Topeka. Kansas, where he
remained for three and a half year-. He was then transferred to the church
at Coal Creek, Kansas, where he remained for one year before taking charge
of the Holy Family church at Summerfield. As pastor of the church at Sum-
merfield, Reverend Embleau has won many friends during his two years
pastorate, both among the members of his congregation and the residents of
the community, lie i- a man of much force of character, a .splendid organ-
izer and an orator of no mean ability.
REZIN CLARK.
Rezin (lark, one of Mar-hall county's real pioneer farmer- and land-
owners, now living retired at Frankfort, is a native of the old Buckeye 3ti
hut has been a resident of Kansas since he was nineteen years of age, having
keen one of that stalwart and courageous hand of young men who came out
here in the early seventies and started in to develop the plains ,,f Kansas into
the rich and prosperous farming region it since has become. He was born
■ in a farm in Allen county, < >hio, March 24, [852, a son of John and Luanda
(Jennings) Clark, the former of whom was bom in Ireland and the latter in
the Mate of Ohio.
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 553
In 1 87 1 Rezin Clark came to Kansas and settled in Marshall county,
presently becoming the owner of a tract of land where the village of Winifred
now stands. After his marriage in 1873 Mr. Clark established his home
011 that farm and there remained for fifteen years, at the end of which time
he moved to Frankfort, in order to secure better advantages in the way of
schooling for his children, and later returned to the farm, where he continued
to make his home until his retirement from the active labors of the farm
in 191 5 and return to Frankfort, where he is now living and where he and
family are very comfortably situated. Mr. Clark has prospered well in his
farming operations in this county and is now the owner of two fine farms,
one of three hundred and sixty acres at Winifred and another of two hundred
and seventy-four acres in the immediate vicinity of Frankfort. Mr. Clark is
a Democrat and has ever given a good citizen's attention to local civic
affairs, but has not been a seeker after public office.
In 1873, about two years after coming to this county, Rezin Clark-
was united in marriage to Cora Jane Ewart, who was born in Scotland on
August 24, 1855, a daughter of Thomas and Jane (Woods) Ewart. who
came to this country in 1870 and settled on a farm five miles west of Frank-
fort, in this county, thus having been among the earliest settlers of that part
of the county. Mrs. Clark's maternal grandparents, William and Jane
(Clark) Woods, also came to this country from Scotland in 1870 and settled
in this county, among the pioneers of the south central part of the county.
To Rezin and Cora Jane (Ewart) Clark five children have been born,
namely : Alvin, who is engaged in the drug business at St. Joseph, Missouri ;
Warren, a druggist, of Chicago; Charles, of Oklahoma City, who in 1916, as
a member of the United States Cavalry, stationed in Oklahoma, was engaged
m service on the Southern border as a guard against threatened outbreaks
on the part of lawless Mexicans; Clara, who married T. H. Farrar and is
now living on the old Woods homestead west of Frankfort, and Mrs. Elsie
Havely, who is at home with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have seven
grandchildren, Alvin Clark having three children, Alvin, Jr., Elsie Lela and
Emma Rogene; Mrs. Farrar, two children, Otis Charles and. Margaret Holli-
clav, and Mrs. Havely. two, Warren Okley and Marjorie Lorraine. The
Clarks are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and have ever taken
a proper part in church work. Mr. Clark is a member of the Knights and
Ladies of Security, as is his wife, and the latter also is a member of the local
chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and of the Woman's Relief Corps,
in the affairs of which she takes a warm interest. Mr. Clark is a great agi-
554 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
tator. He and Rev. Hokomb wen- the first to close the saloons in Frankfort,
Kansas. Frankfort was the Rrsl town closed in Marshall county in 1903.
and that was the start of the state going dry. Mr. Clark is a very earnest
man and believes he did the right thing.
CLEMEXT TIIHODORK HESSEL.
The late- Clement Theodore Hessel, for years one of the best-known
and most substantial farmers in the immediate vicinity of Frankfort, this
county, and who died at his home en the east edge of that city on July 15.
igo'i. was a native of the state of Wisconsin, hern at Watertown, that state,
April jo. [848, a Min ,,1" Clement Hessel and wife, the former of whom was
born in Germany of French parentage. In his young- manhood Clement T.
Hessel came to Kansas and became a stock buyer at Atchison, traveling
out of there to all parts of the countn adjacent to that market, buying live-
stock. Before coming to Kansas, Mr. Hessel had married in Wisconsin,
Mary Lynch, of Columbus, that state, and who became ill at her home in
Vtchison. He accompanied her hack to her old home at Columbus, where
she died, leaving one child, a son. Frank, who is now living in the West.
Later .Mr. Hessel returned to Kansas and eventually came to Marshall
county. locating at Frankfort, where, "ii January 7, [890, he married Jo-
hanna Fox, who was In, rn at Brandywine, Pennsylvania, July z~, [859, a
daughter of Richard and Johanna ( Kellar ) Fox, natives of Ireland, who
came t" this country in the days of their youth and were married at Brandy-
wine, Pennsylvania. In [88l the Fox family came to Kansas and settled
on a farm in the northwest corner of Vermillion township, this county, where
they established their home, and where Mr. Fox spent his last days, his
death occurring on September 25, 1903. lie was horn on September 21,
[838, and was therefore just past seventy-five years of aye at the time of
his death. His widow later moved to Frankfort, where she Spent her last
days, her death occurring on March S. 1915. She was born in the year [832
and was therefore eighty-three years of age at the time of her death. Richard
Fox and his wife were the parents of sjx children, of whom Mrs. Hessel
was the second in order of birth, the others being as follow: Richard, who
was a railroad man and who died at his home in Atchison in mo;; Mrs.
Charles Brady, who lived on a farm on Irish creek in this county, is now
deceased: Humphrey, who lives at Frankfort; Julia, now employed at the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
555
Odd Fellow Home, who has proved up on a homestead claim in the vicinity
of Chugwater, in Laramie county, Wyoming, and Thomas, who is farming
the old Fox home place in the northwest corner of Vermillion township.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hessel rented a quarter-section farm
on the eastern edge of Frankfort, where they established their home, and
six months later bought the place. There Mr. Hessel continued farming
until his death in 1906. He made extensive improvements on the place and
his family now has a splendid home there, having continued to make that
their place of residence since his death. Mr. Hessel was a very energetic
and progressive farmer, his operations being carried on in accordance with
modern methods of farming, and he did very well, so that his family was
left quite well circumstanced at the time of his death. He was a member
of the Catholic church, as is his widow, and their children have been reared
in that faith.
To Clement T. and Johanna (Fox) Hessel four children were born,
namely: Clement Joseph, born on May 14, 1894, who is a graduate of the
high school at Frankfort: Anna Regina, who on February 8, 191 1, married
John Thomas Ahern, of this county, and has two children, Eugene Arthur,
born on September 19, 191 3, and Justin Hessel, May 19, 1916; William
Richard, born on November 7, 1895, who was graduated from the Frank-
fort high school, and Arthur Gerald, December 16, 1899, who also is a
graduate of the Frankfort high school. Mrs. Hessel has a very pleasant
home on the outskirts of Frankfort and has ever taken a proper part in the
general social activities of the community of which she has been a member
since the days of her young womanhood.
MICHAEL JOSEPH DUIGEXAX.
The late Michael Joseph Duigenan, of Marysville, one 'of the pioneers
of Marshall county and for many years one of the wealthiest and most
influential residents 61 the county, was a native of the Emerald Isle, but
had been a resident of this county since 1870 and had therefore witnessed
the development of this region since the days of the early settlement of
the same. He was born in the city of Dublin, Ireland, in November, 1842,
of Irish parents, but was reared in London, to which, city his parents had
moved when he was a child. He lost his parents in the days of his youth
and he later went to South America, making his home in the city of Buenos
556 MARSHALL C01 \iv, KANSAS.
Ayres for some time, later coming to the United States and settling at
Chicago, where he remained until he came to Kansas in [870 and located at
Marysville, with the interests of which city and of Marshall county he was
actively and prominently identified the rest of his life.
During his boyhood in London Mr. Duigenan had learned the trade
of saddler and harness-maker and had worked at that trade both in Buenos
Ayres and in Chicago. I Ipon locating at Marysville he bought the harness
shop that had been established there by Nierman & Switzer and at once
engaged in business, eventually becoming very successful. Mr. Duigenan
had the utmost confidence in the future of Marysville from the very be-
ginning of In- residence there and shortly after his arrival there made con-
siderable investments in town lots, which turned out very well. LTpon his
marriage two years later he built a handsome residence in Marysville and
there established Ins home, making that his place of residence the rest of
his life, lie rapidly extended the business of his harness shop and presently
had one 1 i the most extensive establishments of that sort in northern Kan-
sas \i the same lime he was making judicious investments in Marshall
county farm lands and it was not long until he came to he regarded as one
of the wealthiest and most substantial citizens of the county. At one time
lie owned five or six farms in this county and went in quite extensively for
cattle raising. lie retained to the end his fine ranch of eight hundred and
forty acres six miles south of Marysville and took much pride in the devel-
opment of the same and in raising the standard of the live-stock bred on
his place. Mr. Duigenan had inherited a hit of property in London and
after his marriag< made four trips hack to that city, incidentally increasing
his investments there, lie also had extensive investments in bonds and
owned, besides his beautiful residence in Marysville, a business block and
other property there. During the nineties Mr. Duigenan gave much atten-
tion to cattle raising and was known is one of the most enterprising stock-
men in this part of Kansas. In later years he spent much time in travel
and had not only visited most 'if the chief points oi interest in this country,
hut m Europe. In [913 he made a pilgrimage to the Vatican at Rome and
iiit of a part) oi seven hundred he was the only American, the rest all
being foreigners, anil received the papal blessing of the supreme pontiff.
Mr. Duigenan was an ardent member of the Catholic church and among
the benefactions revealed by his list will and testament was one bequeath-
ing four thousand dollars to Catholic institutions Politically, he was a
Republican and from the very beginning of hi- residence in this county took
an active interest in political affairs. For some time he served as a mem-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
557
her of the Marysville city council and lie also served for years as a member
of the local school hoard. Air. Duigenan died at his home in Marysville
in May, 191 5, leaving- a widow and five children.
On July 13, 1872, at Stratford, Ontario, Michael J. Duigenan was
united in marriage to Rachel Cooper, who was born at that place on June 6,
1854, daughter of John and Rosanna Cooper, natives, respectively, of Eng-
land and Ireland. John Cooper, who was a substantial brick manufacturer.
was born at Enkring, England, in 1818, and when a young man emigrated
to Canada. For two years he and his wife made their home in Marysville.
In 1888 lie returned to his boyhood home in England and there died on
February 18, [898. To Mr. and Mrs. Duigenan five children were horn,
namely: Kathleen, who married J. C. Grindle, of Marysville: Charles
Joseph, a draughtsman, who is at home; Francis, a pharmacist at Kansas
City; Elizabeth, who married Omer Fulton, and Madeline, who is at home.
The Duigenans have a very pleasant home at Marysville and have ever
taken a proper part in the social, cultural and religious activities of their
home town, earnest factors in the promotion of all movements having to do
with the advancement of the common welfare.
D. W. LUDWICK.
D. \V. Ludwick, a well-known retired grainman and farmer, now living
at Frankfort, was horn in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 2, 1866,
a son of Conrad and Lucy A. ( Byers) Ludwick. who later became residents
of this count}- and here spent their last days
The Ludwick family formerly spelled the name Ludwig and is directly
descended from the stock from which sprang old King Ludwig, of Bavaria.
D. \V. Ludwick's great-grandfather, Conrad Ludwig, the founder of the
family in this country, having been a first cousin of the king. He came
to this country in Colonial times and his sons fought in the patriot army
during the Revolutionary War. One of the grandsons of this old Bavarian
immigrant. Conrad Ludwick, father of the subject of this sketch, was born
in Pennsylvania and there grew up. trained to the trade of millwright, he
and his brother, Charles, building mills along the Monongehela river. Later
he built mills in Iowa. In 1845 Conrad Ludwick and his brother, Jacob,
settled on the prairie just west of the city of Chicago and there bought a
farm of eighty acres, land now comprised within the Garfield Park section of
53s MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
the city. Jacob Ludwick was killed while serving as a soldier during the
Civil War and Conrad Ludwick later traded thai land for a farm in the
Onarga neighborhood of Iroquois county, Illinois, and there, in [867, built
a big flour mill which he operated For years and in the operation of which
he became quite wealthy. I lis mill was twice destroyed by fire and after the
second fire, in [879, he came to Kansas and settled on a farm on the line
between Marshall arid Washington counties, where he made his home until
[897, when he moved to Barrett, but after a sometime residence there moved
tn Frankfort, where he spent his last days, his death occurring in 1908. he
then being eighty-four years of age. His widow survived him until in April,
[913, -he being seventy-nine years of age at the time of her death. They
were the parents of eight children, of win mi the subject of this sketch was
the fourth in order of birth, the others being as follow: lielle. deceased;
I rank, deceased; Ellis, a lumber dealer of Bellville, this state; .Mrs. Minnie
Schmidt, of Waterville, this county; C. \\\, of Ft. Cobb, Oklahoma; A. I!.,
win is engaged in the lumber business at Glasgow, Kansas, and Mrs. Mary
I".. Thrumm, wife of a cigar manufacturer at Bellville.
I). \\ . Ludwick was aboul thirteen years of age when his parents came
tn Kansas and he grew to manhood on the home farm on the line between
this county and Washington county, remaining there until iS<)4- when he
lo ated at Barrett and there engaged in the grain business, lie presently
s. Id his elevator at Barrett and in [898 bought his present property in Frank-
fort and was engaged in the grain business in that city until [908, in which
year he erected a splendid grain elevator at Winifred and operated the same
until 1 • > 1 3 . when he sold it to the Farmers Union and then returned to
Frankfort, where he since has made his home, now living practically retired.
Mr. Ludwick is the owner of a line place of twenty acres mi the river at
1 rankf rt and takes much pleasure in his poultry, Im^s and cows. However,
he is not content t.> lead s, , comparatively inactive a life and is now contem-
plating the erection of a flour-mill at Frankfort. Mr. Ludwick is a Demo-
crat and has ever given his close attention to local political affairs, hut has
in 1 been a seeker after public 1 iffice.
In \pril. id 5. I'. W. Ludwick was united in marriage t<> Alice Deven-
di r\. of Topeka, daughter of Capt. Henry Devendorf, a Civil War veteran,
who settled at Topeka in [876 and there spent the rest of his life, his death
occurring in [912. Mr. and Mi's. Ludwick have a very pleasant home and
take a proper part in the general social activities of their home city. They
attend the services of tin leal branch of the Church of Christ (Scientist)
ami take much interest in the general good works of the community.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
559
E. A. GASTON, D. D. S.
Dr. E. A. Gaston, well-known dentist at Axtell and former member
of the city council of that city, is a native of the old Hoosier state, but has-
been a resident of Kansas since he was seventeen years of age. He was
horn in Monroe count)', Indiana, July 29, 1875, son of Dr. J. H. Gaston and
wife, the former of whom was horn in Greene county, that same state, a
son of James Gaston, a native of Tennessee, who was one of the early set-
tlers in southern Indiana.
J. H. Gaston was horn in 1843 aiK' early turned his attention to the
study of medicine. When the Civil War broke out he enlisted in Company
A, Ninety-seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served with
that command until he was incapacitated for further service by reason of a
severe wound in the right forearm received during the battle of Kenesavv
Mountain. Following his discharge from service he resumed his medical
studies and completed the same at the Miami Medical College at Cincinnati,
after which he engaged in the practice of his profession in Monroe county,
Indiana. Doctor Gaston also took an active part in the civic affairs of his
home county and served for two terms as treasurer of Monroe county, mak-
ing his home at Bloomington, where he continued to reside, following the
practice of his profession, until 1892. when he came to Kansas and settled
at Axtell, where he continued in the active practice of medicine until a short
time before his death, which occurred in 1911. His wife, who was Martha
A. Connet, also a native of Indiana, had preceded him to the grave about one
year, her death having occurred in 1910.
E. A. Gaston was about seventeen years of age when his parents moved
from Indiana to Axtell. About five years later, in the fall of 1897, he
entered the Western Dental College at Kansas City, Missouri, and was gradu-
ated from the same in 1900. Thus admirably equipped for the practice of
his chosen profession, Doctor Gaston opened an office at Axtell and has ever
since been there engaged in the practice of dental surgery, one of the best-
known dentists in this part of the state. Doctor Gaston has a well-appointed
suite of offices in the Citizens Bank building and has built up an excellent
practice. He keeps fully abreast of the latest advancement in the science of
his profession and is a member of the Kansas State Dental Association, of
the Northeastern Kansas Dental Association and of the National Dental
Association, in the affairs and deliberations of which he takes a warm inter-
est. Doctor Gaston is a Republican and ever gives a good citizen's atten-
560 MA US I [A 1. 1. COUNTY, KAXSAS.
tion to local civic affairs, having served for some time as a member of the
Axtell city council.
In i')oi Dr. E. A. Gaston was united in marriage to Effie 1"< >rd. He
and his wife have a very pleasant home in Axtell and take a proper part in
the general social activities of the city. They are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church and take an earnest interest in the various beneficences of
the same, Doctor Gaston at present being one of trustees of the church. He
1- a Mason and a member of the Independent Order of < >dd Fellows and of
the Knights of Pythias, besides being affiliated with certain fraternal insur-
ance orders, and in the affairs of all these several organizations take- a warm
interest.
BENJAMIN WILLIAM HERRING.
Benjamin William Herring, one of the early pioneers of Oketo town-
ship, .Marshall county, and now deceased, was Imrn in England on October
30, 1834, near the town of Lynn. He received hi- education in the schools
of his native land and at the age of eighteen years he decided to come to
the United States. ( m his arrival in this country he established himself at
his trade as a blacksmith in New York. He remained in New York for a
tune and later came to Illinois, where he again engaged in the work of a
blacksmith at old Dement, now Creston.
While living at Creston, Benjamin William Herring was united in
marriage to Marj Ann Bigham, in 1858. She was born in Canada on
May -\ 1839, the daughter of Thomas and Jane (Davis) Bigham, natives
of Canada and Ireland, respectively. In [857, when the daughter, Mary
Ann. was eighteen years of age, the family came to Illinois. She had re-
ceived her education in her native land and the next year alter coming t"
Illinois she was married to Mr. Herring. Her parents later came to Kansas.
and established their heme in Marshall county.
In [866 Mr. and Mrs. Herring decided to leave their home in Illinois
and locate on the farm in Oketo township, Marshall county, that Mr. Her-
ring had homesteaded one year before. They made the journey in a prairie
schooner and experienced many of the hardships of that mode of travel.
The) established their home on their new farm of "ne hundred and sixty
acres of land, and at once entered into the task of development and im-
provement. The first house was built from the roof of a barn that Mr.
Herring had purchased. The building consisted of but two rooms, and in
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MARSHALL. COUNTY, KANSAS. 561
this the family lived fur some years, or until the present substantial house
was built. They met with success in their new home and in time added to
the farm until they were the owners of two hundred and sixty acres of
splendid land, all of which was placed under high cultivation and was well
improved with two sets of buildings.
Mr. Herring was always a hard-working man and a splendid citizen.
In 1885 he was bothered with the ague, and in order to regain his health
he went to Vancouver Island and worked at his trade for three years. There
he was engaged in sharpening picks and shoeing mules. On his return to
his home he conducted a shop on his farm for a number of years. He al-
ways took the deepest interest in local affairs and was identified with the
Republican party. He served for many years as a school director and as
school treasurer.
Mr. and Mrs. Herring were among the well-respected people of their
home community, and were held in high esteem by all who knew them. On
January 13, 1908, they celebrated their golden wedding, which was at-
tended by a large number of their friends and neighbors. That same year,
Mr. Herring lost the sight of one of his eyes, which interfered much with
his comfort. The next year he and his wife visited the Seattle Fair, then
Victoria and the Island of Vancouver, where Mr. Herring had worked for
three years, the trip proving a most enjoyable one.
There were six children in the Herring family : Hattie Lillian, Ben-
jamin Henry, Samuel Thomas, Robert Elroy, Vinnie Victoria and Hiram L.
Hattie Lillian Suggett is a resident of Marietta, Kansas, and is the mother
of three children, Sidney R., Bernice M. and Cyril J. Sidney R. Suggett
is married and has two children, Lloyd and Norman Randall. Bernice M.
Suggett is the wife of M. H. Schmidt and is living on the old home place.
Benjamin Henry Herring was born in Illinois and is now deceased. Samuel
Thomas is a successful farmer of Oketo township. He is married to Lottie
Hawes and they are the parents of one child. Vida May. Robert Elroy
lives in Oregon and is married to Louisa Schmidt and they have five chil-
dren, Benjamin Michael. Mary, Magdelena, Howard and Elroy; Vinnie
Victoria is the wife of James Curtis, of Firth, Nebraska, and they are the
parents of two children, William James and Earl J. ; Hiram L. is a resident
of Oketo township, and is married to Maggie Schmidt, and to them has
been born one child, Hiram Michael.
To Mr. and -Mrs. Herring is due much of the early progress in the
township, as well as the county. They entered into the development of their
home district with a determination that was sure of success. In addition
(36 )
\l VRSHALL COUNTY, K \N- \>.
i" the improvement of their own home farm, they were interested in the
development of the territory in which they bad established themselves. They
were indulgent parents, and the welfare of their children was always one
oi their chief considerations. They were always interested in the schools
and the moral well-being of the district. To such men as Mr. Herring the
present generation owe much for the excellent system of schools that are
now established in the township and the county. He was also a strong advo-
cate of the building of good mads and believed that in the schools and the
highways of the county depended a g 1 deal of the future greatness of
this section of the siate. He was a most entertaining man. and being a
great traveler, he was possessed of much interesting information. He was
a great reader and kept well posted on the current events of the day.
T. G. SCII.MlDl.l'.R.
< >ne oi tiie native sons of Marshall county, who has met with much suc-
cess and is one of well-known residents of Marietta, where he is the cashier
of the Marietta Stale Bank, was horn on Horseshoe creek in Logan township,
the son of John and Catherine (Steinmetz) Schmidler.
The State Hank of Marietta was organized in August, [909, with a
capitalization of ten thousand dollars, and now lit- a surplus of over one
thi usand dollars and deposits of over ninety thousand dollars. The offi<
of the hank are: President, Benjamin R. Bull; vice-president, Fred Ober-
meyer; cashier, J. < '.. Schmidler; directors, I'.. R Fulton, B. R. Bull, S. W.
Bull, A. J. Cottrell, W. W. Cottrell and \V. M. McCloud. The institution
owns its own hanking house, which is one of the modern buildings of the
city, and is furnished with the latest modern furniture. There are twenty-
four Stockholders, the) being among the most substantial and representative
men of the district, and there has been no change in the personnel of the Stock-
holders for the past four or five years. The hank has done a splendid busi-
ness and the officers of the hank, by their courteous treatment of the general
public, have won the confidence of all The institution, while hut a new one
in the financial world, has made substantial progress and is recognized as a
sound hanking institution. The officers are recognized as among the sub-
stantial and influential people of the district.
J. ( r. Schmidler received his education in the schools of Marshall county,
where he grew to manhood. His father. John Schmidler. was born in
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 563
Luxemburg, Germany, in 1837, and when two years of age came with his
parents to Wisconsin in 1830. The family established their home in that
state and there John was educated, grew to manhood and was married to
Catherine Steinmetz, who was born in 1847, m Wisconsin. At the time of
her birth her parents lived near Port Washington, Sheboygan county, where
they resided until [869, at which time they came to Kansas. The father first
came to the county in 1866 and he and Peter Schumacher chiseled out the ■
tunnel water course for the Hutchinson mill. After the family came to the
county, they located on the did Marshall farm, which was owned by J- G.
Schmidler's grandfather, Jacob Schmidler, and it was here that the family
resided for some years. In 1876 they spent the winter in California, after
which they returned to their former home in Kansas. In 1881 the parents
moved to a farm in Oketo township, where they now reside, all of which is
well improved and under a high state of cultivation.
To John and Catherine Schmidler have been born the following children :
J. G., Theresa, Anna, Sophia, Lulu, Elsie, Agatha, John H. and Henry W.
Theresa Bommer is now a resident of Oketo township; Anna died in 191 5;
Sophia is the wife of I. J. Adams, of Cleveland, Ohio; Lulu is the wife of
A. R. Young, who is city engineer of Topeka ; Elsie is a successful teacher
in the schools of Blue Rapids ; Agatha is at home ; John H. is a successful
farmer and resides two miles south of Oketo and Henry W. is one of the
successful farmers of Oketo township.
J. G. Schmidler, after completing his education in the common schools
of the county, attended a private normal school for some time and then
engaged in teaching, and was successfully engaged in that work for nine
years in the district school, after which he was principal of the Herkimer
schools for a year. While engaged in teaching, he spent his summer vaca-
tion in farming. He continued in his work as a teacher and a farmer until
191 1, at which time he took charge of the bank, where he is still the efficient
cashier. In addition to his interest in the bank, he is the owner of one hun-
dred and three acres of splendid land and a half interest in one hundred
and sixty acres with his father.
In June, 1901, J. G. Schmidler was united in marriage to Minnie M.
Cottrell, who was born in Oketo township and is the daughter of Robert
and Sarah Cottrell, old settlers of the county. Her parents came to the
count}' in an early day, and established themselves on a farm, which they
developed and improved, and here they lived for many vears, dving some
years ago. They devoted their lives to the interests of their family and the
good of the community in which they lived, and were held in the highest
5' M MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
regard. Their lives were active ones, and they had much to do with the
growth and the developmenl of the district. They were progressive people
and to them is due much of the advanced condition of the community. They
took greal interest in the welfare of their children and were much concerned
in the good of the neighborhood.
To J. ( I. and Minnie M. Schmidler have been born three children,
Marjnrie Lenore, aged fourteen years; John Carlisle, aged twelve and Lorna
Katherine. aged eight years. Mrs. Schmidler is a graduate of the Marys-
ville high school, and after completing her work in that institution, she taught
in the schools of that place for a number of years, with much success. As
a teacher, Mrs. Schmidler was recognized as one of the most proficient in
the county.
The life of Mr. Schmidler has been an active one. When but a lad
lit" eight years he herded cattle <>n the plains and was engaged in this work
until he was twelve years of age. As a lad he was ever busy in useful occu-
pation, and during his active life he found but little time fur vacations. He
is an independent in politics, yet takes much interest in local affairs, and has
had much to do with the civic life of the community in which he lives and
where he is held in the highest regard.
ORLIN PEARL WOOD. M. ]).
Of the many progressive and well-known men of Oketo, Marshal]
county, who have won distinction in their chosen work and have met with a
large measure of success, is Dr. I >rlin Pearl Wood, who was born in Coffey
county, Kansas, the son of William I!, and F.mma Alice (Beaumont) Wood.
William II. Wood was born in Ohio in 1X40 and his wife is a native
of the state of Maryland. They are of old and w ell-established families,
whose lives have been closely associated with the growth and development
of Vmerican institutions. Representatives of the family won distinction in
the occupations and professions of their home communities and were ever
held in high regard by the residents of their home districts. William II.
Wood was reared in his native stale and there he received bis education in
the cumin, hi schiiuls and engaged in agricultural pursuits. At the outbreak
■ if the Civil War be was one of the first to offer bis services in the den
uf the flag of bis country, and enlisted m the hirst Ohio Regiment. Light
Artillery. He savv much active service and at the battle of Chancellorsville
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 565
he lost his right arm. Being unfitted for further service he returned to his
home in Ohio, where he remained until 1866, when he came to Kansas and
homesteaded a tract of land, six miles from Burlington, in Coffey county.
This farm he later developed and improved into one of the well-cultivated
farms of the district. He was an excellent farmer and a good manager and
soon became recognized as one of the prominent and successful men of the
county. After many years of active life on his homestead he retired to
Burlington, where he now resides. His life has been an active one, and he is
today honored and respected by his neighbors and friends.
Doctor Wood was born on November 7, 1880, and received his early
educational training in the public schools of Coffey county and later attended
the high school at Burlington. After completing his high school work he
engaged in teaching and for one year followed that profession with marked
success. In 1807 he entered the medical school of the Kansas University, at
Kansas City, this state, and was graduated from that institution in 1900.
He entered the practice of his profession at Hall Summit, Kansas, where he
remained for twelve years. He then came to Oketo in 1912, and here he
has met with much sirccess, and is today known as one of the prominent men
in the profession in the county. He gives care and attention to his patients
and by his professional dignity and close attention to business, he has won
the confidence of the entire community. Some years ago he took post-
graduate work in the University of California, in order to better prepare
himself for his work. His worth as a physician and surgeon has been recog-
nized by tlie management of the Union Pacific railroad and is their district
surgeon.
In 1904 Doctor Wood was united in marriage to Jessie A. Barnard, of
Hall Summit, Kansas, and to them has been born one child, Merrill, aged
ten years. Doctor and Airs. Wood are active members of the Methodist
Episcopal church and have long been prominent in the social and the religious
life of the community, where they are held in high regard. Mrs. Wood is
an excellent woman and by her kindly disposition has made friends.
Fraternally. Doctor Wood is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Politically: he is
identified with the Republican party and has always taken a keen interest in
the affairs of the community. His worth was recognized in 191 5, when he
was elected as mayor of the home town. During his administration, he has
given the people of Oketo excellent government and many reforms and much
progress have been made. Today, Oketo with its enforcement of law and
order, excellent streets and splendid walks and its own electric light plant,
566 MARSHALL C01 MV, KANSAS.
1- one of the model and progressive towns "t* the county. To Doctor VV 1
1- due much of the credit for the new life that has been inaugurated in the
little city.
FRED 11. I'kAI.l.K.
Fred II. Pralle, one of the prominent and successful business men of
Bremen, Mar-hall county, was born in Germany on November -'_'. 1864,
the -"ii of Jordan and Minnie (Rahlfs) Pralle. both of whom were natives
of the fatherland.
Jordan Pralle was born in 1837 and received his education in the schools
of his native land and as a young man learned the butcher trade, which he
followed until his death in tSjo. lie and his wife, who died in 1875, were
active members of the German Lutheran church and were prominent in the
social and religious life of the district in which they lived. They were the
parents of four children, Fred II.. Louisa, Justina and Henry. Louisa Hor-
man is the wife of a well-known fanner and stockman of Herkimer town-
ship: Justina Timme resides in Idaho, where her husband i- engaged in farm-
ing anil Henry is farming in Oklahoma.
Fred 11. Pralle received his education in the public schools of Germany,
where lie lived until he was seventeen year- of age, when in r88l he came to
the United State-. On hi- arrival in thi- country he at once came to Kansas
and located in Mar-hall county, where he worked on a farm for nine years
in Logan township He dun rented one hundred and sixty acre- of land
in Washington county. lie devoted his time for the next two years to
butchering, after which he rented one hundred and twenty acre- of land of
Mr-. Caroline Geishler for one year, at which time thej were united in
marriage. They continued to live 011 the farm until September, 1 < > 1 o. hut
during the last three year- the farm was managed by hi- son, while Mr.
Pralle continued hi- business in Bremen a- cashier of the Bremen State
Hank. He then built hi- beautiful modern brick house, which is one of the
finest mi Bremen.
Mr. Pralle was first married in [89J to Caroline Geishler. a widow and
the daughter of Fred and Mary (Breneka) Germer. To thi- union three
children were horn. Minnie l.emke. who lives at Carleton, Nebraska, where
Mr. l.emke i- engaged iii teaching; Ralph, who is a student in the Theolog-
ical Seminary at St. Louis, and Walter l;... assistam cashier of the Bremen
State Bank and i- living at home. Caroline Pralle died on September -'4.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 56/
1908, and on September 9. 1910, Mr. Pralle was united in marriage to
Louisa Friedrichs, the daughter of Fred and Catherine ( Raemer) Fried-
richs, who were natives of German}'. Mrs. Louisa Pralle was born in
Marshall county on June 4. 1865, and was reared on the home farm and
received her education in the local schools. She and Mr. Pralle are promi-
nent members of the German Lutheran church. They are the parents of
one child, Fridel, who was born on January 29, 1913.
Fred H. Pralle has always taken a keen interest in local affairs and is
recognized as one of the progressive and successful citizens of the county.
In addition to his interests in the bank, he owns a splendid farm of one
hundred and seventy-five acres in Herkimer township, which is under high
cultivation and well improved. His ability as a business man was noted
when he assisted, on .August 7. 1007. in the organization of the Bremen
State Bank, by the following named representative people of the county :
Charles F. Pusch, P. E. Laughlan, \Y. H. Smith, Frank Yaussi, William
Rabe, F. W. Stohs, Ernest Koeneke. On the completion of the organiza-
tion the following officers were elected: President, William Rabe: vice-
president, I7. W. Stohs, and cashier, Fred H. Pralle. The bank was opened
for business on September 14, 1907, and conducted successfully during the
trying times of 1908. The first location of the bank was in a one-story
frame building, where they continued until the disastrous fire of March 17,
1908, when not only the bank, but the entire business district of the town
was burned. The bank at that 'time had no vault, but had a burglar-proof
iron safe, in which was some five thousand dollars in currency the most of
which was mutilated by the heat. On advice from the department from
Washington, W. H. Smith, one of the directors of the bank took the cur-
rency to Washington, after the safe had cooled. After a thorough exam-
ination the money was Ml restored, with the exception of a five-dollar bill
that could not lie identified. The bank was at once reopened after the fire
and for some time they operated in a box-car on the Rock Island railroad,
which was the only available location. At the time the bank established the
business in the box-car, they had deposits of thirty-nine thousand nine
hundred seventy-five dollars and thirty-five cents and when they removed
to their new building they had a deposit of seventy-two thousand three
hundred thirty-eight dollars and thirty-nine cents. During the time they
were doing business in the temporary quarters they built their present sub-
stantial brick building into which they mined on September 10, 1908. They
now have a surplus of five thousand dollars and a deposit of one hundred
5''N MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and thirty-five thousand two hundred and ninety dollars and sixty-seven
cents, and the bank i- recognized as one of the strongest in this part of
Kansas. Through the efforts of Mr. Pralle, who has been the cashier since
the organization, much credit is due for the high standard to which the
hank has risen, lie has given his untiring efforts to the work, and by his
business-like methods and courteous treatment of the public, he has the
confidence and the resped of all. Ilis constant aim is to serve the patrons
of the hank in the besl manner possible, consistent with gi n >d banking, and
the success of the institution demonstrates his ability in this line.
JOHX PECENKA.
Among the prominent citizen- of Logan township, Marshall county,
whn have won success and recognition in the county i- John Pecenka, who
was horn in Bohemia on April 21, 1N47. the son of John and Kate (Casper)
Pecenka, both of whom were horn in that country.
John Pecenka, the father of the subject of this -ketch, was horn in
1825 and received his education in the schools "i Bohemia and there grew
tn manhood. When a voting man he engaged in the grist-milling business,
at which lie worked until 1861, when he decided to come to America. < Mi
In- arrival in this country he located in [owa, where he rented a farm and
engaged in general farming and stuck raising fur eight year-. He then
came to Kansas and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land, ami
at the same lime pre-empted one hundred and sixty acre- in Mar-hall
county. This he developed and improved and here he did general farming
•and stuck raising until his death in 1902.
The elder John 1'ecenka was first married to Kate Casper, who died
at the birth "f a daughter and when John, the subject of this sketch, was
two years of age. lie later married Anna Fleder, who was also horn in
Bohemia, Iter birth having occurred in [830. Mr. and Mrs. Pecenka were
members of the Catholic church and were prominent in the social life of
the district in which they lived and where they were held in the highest
regard h\ all who knew them. By hi- first wife Mr. Pecenka was the
father of two children, one who died at birth ami John. By his second mar-
riage eight children were horn a- follow: Joseph, a well-known fanner of
Iowa; Frank, who resides in Minnesota and is a railroad engineer: Anna,
the wife of Joseph A. Sedlacek, a prominent merchant of Bremen, Kansas;
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 569
Wesley, a musician of Seattle, Washington; Anthona C, a successful farmer
of Logan township ; Mary Pejsa, who lives at Hanover, Kansas, where her
husband is a prominent dry-goods merchant: Milton is a well-known farmer
of Logan township ; Millie Sedlacek is a resident of Logan township, where
her husband is engaged in farming and stock raising.
John Pecenka, the subject of this sketch, received his education in the
schools of his native country, where he lived until he was thirteen vears
of age, when he came to the United States. His mother having died when
he was but a small child, he on coming to this country made his home with
an uncle until he was eighteen years of age. He then sought work in the
woods of Minnesota and later assisted in rafting logs down Black river
and Mississippi river. With much difficulty the logs were at last floated to
Rock Island. The raft broke at Rapid City, Illinois, where there are great
rapids in the river, and Mr. Pecenka came near losing his life. He then
gave up the work and was engaged in the harvest field in Iowa, where he
remained during the season. He then spent a month visiting his father at
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when he returned to the farm of his uncle, where he
engaged in clearing land and cutting wood until 1869, when he came with
his father from Cedar Rapids, with an ox team to Marshall county. Here
he anil his father each homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in
section 30, Logan township. Mr. Pecenka improved and developed his
tract and has since made this his home, where he is successfully engaged in
general farming and stock raising. He generally keeps about fifty head of
high-grade Shorthorn cattle and as many Poland China hogs, and is todav
recognized as one of the substantial men of the township and county. It
has only been by hard work and close application to business that he has
succeeded in his work. As a child and young man he experienced many of
the sterner realities of life, and after reaching manhood he was compelled
to depend upon himself. Settling in the county when it was new and unde-
veloped, he had to battle with many of the hardships and privations common
to the early settler. He has always been progressive and to him is due
much of the prosperity of this section of the district.
In 1874 John Pecenka was united in marriage to Mary Alexa, the
daughter of John and Kate Alexa, who are among the prominent residents
of Washington county, Kansas, where they are the owners of some of the
best land, all of which is under high cultivation and well improved. Mr.
Alexa was eighty-nine years old when he died on Christmas Day, 1016. and
his widow is eighty-two. They were long known among the substantial
5/0 MARSHALL C01 \ 1 V, KANSAS.
people of the county and held in the highest regard. They were the parents
of seven children, only two "f whom are now living.
Mary (Alexa) Pecenka \\a> born in Bohemia in [857 and at the age
of four years came to the United State- with her parents and for twelve
years lived in Michigan, coming to Kansas in 1873, where she continued to
live until the time of her death in [882. She and .Mr. Pecenka were the
parents of four children as follow: Melia Manard, whose husband is a
farmer in Oklahoma; Louisa Bower, who lives in Kansas, where Mr. Bower
is engaged in farming; Mary Crevelinger, who resides in Hanover, where
Mr. Crevelinger is engaged in the barber business, and Anna, who makes
Iter home with Iter grandparents. In 1883, after the death of his wife, Mr.
Pecenka married Kate Alexa, the sister of his first wife, and to thi- union
have been born the following children: John, in Colorado; Helen and
Wesley, deceased, and Kate and Sophia, at home. Mrs. Pecenka was born
in Bohemia in [859 and came to the United States. Mr. and Mr-. Pecenka
are members of the Catholic church and have reared their children in that
faith. Mr. Pecenka is a man of broad views and excellent judgment and
has seen much of the world. In 1907 he visited Europe and spent five
months in travel and siglu seeing. Mr. Pecenka has a well-built, modern
brick house, containing eight large, airy rooms, and i- equipped with every
convenience for domestic comfort.
HAUKY BOMMER.
Harry Bommer, the owner of two hundred and forty acre- oi splendid
land in section 26, < >keto township, Mar-hall county, and one of tin ess
ful general farmers and stockmen of the township, was born in Benton county,
Iowa, on September 24, 1864, the son of Henry and Christina Bommer, who
e born in Germany, the former in [823 and died in February, iSSu. and
the latter hum in [828 and died in August, [9
Henry and Christina Bommer received their education in the scho
of their native land, and there they view up and were married. After their
marriage they established their home in their native land. They later decided
1 me to America, where they might have a better opportunity of obtain-
ing a home for themselves and those dependent upon them. On their arrival
in the United Stale-, they located in the State of Ellinois in the early fifties.
Thev continued to reside in that state for some years and then located in
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 57 1
Iowa, where they remained until 1879, when they came to Kansas. They
first located four miles north of Marysville, after which they moved to Oketo
township, where they purchased the farm now owned by J. W. Gibson.
Here Mr. Bommer engaged in general farming and stock raising with suc-
cess, for many years. He and his wife were among the highly esteemed
people of the township and were held in high regard lay all who knew them.
The}" were the parents of nine children, six having died in infancy. Frank
died in October, 1905, and William and Harry are residents of Oketo town-
ship.
Harry Bommer received his education in the common schools of Iowa
and Kansas and grew to manhood on the home farm, where he remained
with his father until he rented his present farm, which he later purchased in
1905, and has lived on the place since May, 1887. He has placed all the
present substantial improvements and his house is one of the good farm
residences of the county, and his barn, granary, corn cribs and hog houses are
substantial structures. He takes the greatest interest in the upkeep of his
farm, which is one of the best in the county. He believes in the highest
standard of modern farming and the keeping of good stock.
Harry Bommer was united in marriage in May, 1887. to Nolia Helms,
who was burn in the comity in March, 1868. She is the daughter of William
and Nancy Helms, natives of Pennsylvania. The parents received their
primary education in the schools of their native state and later located in
the state of Xehraska, where they were married. Shortly after their mar-
riage they came to Oketo township, Marshall county, where they homesteaded
their home farm in 1868. They established their home in a log cabin that
they erected, and in which Mrs. Bommer was born. Thev were true pioneers
and had much to do with the growth and the development of the district.
Mr. and Mrs. Helms were born in 1834 and 1841, respectively, and the
former died in 1005 and the latter in 1895. They were the parents of four
children as follow: Mary, Sophronia, Nolia and William. Sophronia Bom-
mer is a resident of Oketo township; Mary is now deceased and William is
a resident of Norton count}-. Kansas. Mr. Helms was a stanch Democrat
and took the greatest interest in the civic life of his home township. Fra-
ternally, he was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at
Oketo.
Mr. and .Mrs. Bommer are the parents of four children as follow:
Henry, who was born on October 13, 1888; Myrtle, now the wife of Mr.
Howes, a successful young farmer, residing west of Marietta, and Ernest
57- MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and Ethel at home. Mr. and Mrs. Bommer are among the prominenl people
oi Marshall county, and have long been prominent in the social life of their
community, where the) arc held in the highest regard and esteem l>v all who
know them. Their lives have been active ones and they have accomplished
much that is worthy the highesl commendation. They have always taken
much interest in the physical, the mural and the educational development of
the township.
WILLIAM J. HELVERING.
William J. Helvering, an honored veteran of the Civil War. former
mayor of Beattie and the present assistant postmaster of that city, father
i f the Hon. Guy T. Helvering, congressman from this district, and of
Mma M. Helvering, postmaster of Beattie, and for years one of the best-
known citizens of Marshall county, is a native of the state of Ohio, but has
been a resident of Kansas since the year 1887. ''*-' w:i~~ born in Pickaway
county, Ohio, June 8, 1846, a son of Daniel and Susanna (Leonard) Hel-
vering, I "tii natives of Maryland, born near I [agerstown, the former of
whom was hurn in [812 and the latter in [819. Daniel Helvering was a
shoemaker and farmer, and his father, who was a native of Pennsylvania,
was a hotel-keeper. Susanna Helvering was a daughter of John Leonard
and wife, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Germany,
she having come to this country with her parents when she was six years
of age. Daniel Helvering early established his home in Pickaway county,
Ohio, and there he spent the rest of his life, His wife died in [866 and
he survived her until [882. They were the parents of thirteen children, of
whom tlic subject of this sketch was the seventh in order of birth.
Reared on the home farm in Pickaway county, Ohio, William J. Hel-
vering received his early schooling in the district school in that neighbor-
1 and supplemented the same b) a course in the high school at lircle-
ville, Ohio. During the Civil War he enlisted as a member of Companj I .
One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, known
as tlte Home Guards, and served on garrison dutj for four months in the
year 1865. At the conclusion of his military service he entered the South-
western Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, and in [867 began teaching
school in Pickaway county. The next year he went to Clermont county, in
that same state, and was there engaged in teaching for twelve years. In
[879 he engaged in farming and tobacco raising there and later went to the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
573
nearby city of Cincinnati, where for a year he was engaged in the employ
of the Street Railway Company. That was in the days of the cable system
of the operation of street cars in that city.
In the meantime one of Mr. Helvering's brothers, Louis E. Helvering,
had come to this state and had engaged in the mercantile business at Beattie.
Thither William J. Helvering came in the year 1887 and for a year there-
after was engaged with his brother in the latter's hardware store. He
then, in 1888, was engaged in the sale of fruit trees throughout this part
of the state, and the next year turned his attention to truck farming at
Beattie, where he owns a snug bit of property. From the very beginning
of his residence at Beattie, William J. Helvering has given his thoughtful
attention to local political affairs and has for years been recognized as one
of the leaders in the Democratic party in that part of the county. He has
held numerous public offices, including that of township clerk, city council-
man, marshal of Beattie, police judge and mayor of the city. It was during
his incumbency as mayor of Beattie that the city built the opera house block
and city hall. Mr. Helvering is now serving as assistant postmaster of
Beattie, under appointment of his daughter, Alma M. Helvering, who was
commissioned postmaster by President Wilson in 191 5. Mr. Helvering is
a pensioner on account of his services in behalf of the Union during the
Civil War and receives eighteen dollars a month from the government.
In 1870. at Felicity, in Clermont county, Ohio. William J. Helvering
was united in marriage to Samantha Jane Jones, who was born in that
county (in April 4, 1850. elder of the two daughters born to William and
.Mary ( Hicks) Jones, natives of Ohio, and to this union five children have
been born, Edward G., Lillie, Guy T., Robert L. and Alma M., all of whom
are living save Lillie, bom on September 3, 1873, who died in 187N.
Edward G. Helvering was born on June 24, 187 1, and was educated
in the Cincinnati common schools and in the high school at Beattie. He is
an expert mechanic and steam engineer and has traveled over the greater
part of the globe, the most of the time in government employ, having served
for some time as inspector of the material that entered into the construction
of battleships. For the past eight years Edward G Helvering has been in
the government employ in the Philippine Islands, as a steam engineer, and
is now in charge of a force of seven hundred men. He married Mrs. Ida
(Williams) McGregor.
The Hon. Guy T. Helvering, present member of Congress from this
district, was born at Felicity, . Ohio, January 10, 1878, and received his ele-
mentary schooling in the schools at Cincinnati and at Beattie. this county.
574 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
In [903 he entered the University of Kansas a< Lawrence, with the expecta-
tion of completing the pharmacy course there, hut in that same year changed
his course of study and entered the law departmenl of the University of
Michigan at Ann Vrbor, from which he was graduated in [906. During
his senior year at the- university he was presidenl of his class. Upon com-
pleting his law studies Guy T. Helvering opened an office for the practice
1 f his profession at Marysville, this county, and was presently elected county
attorney, a position he occupied for two terms. He then was elected 0
gressman from this district and is now serving in that capacity. < >n March
r6, nun. Guy T. Helvering was united in marriage to Tena L. Koester.
Robert I.. Helvering, who also was educated to the law. was bora on
January 27, [883, and is now engaged in the practice of hi- profession at
Marysville, one of the best-known young lawyers in this part of the state.
Alma ,\i. Helvering was born on Novemher 19. 1888, at Beattie, and
was graduated from the high school in that city. She then took a course in
the fine arts and music at the State University at Lawrence and on January
3, nil 5 . was appointed postmaster at Beattie, which position she now occu-
pies. Mis- Helvering continues to make her home with her parents at
Beattie and her father is serving as assistant postmaster. The Helverings
have a very pleasant home at Beattie and have for years been among the lead-
ers in all good works in that community.
JULIUS JOHNSON SHELDON, M. D.
Anion- those earnest pioneers of Marshall county who wroughl well
during the days of their residence in pioneer times in this county, there is
none entitled to more grateful remembrance on the part of the present genera-
tion than the late Dr. Julius Johnson Sheldon, one of the first settlers of
Guittard township, who was known as "the father of Beattie," and who died
at his home in that village on March 14. [884.
Doctor Sheldon was a native of the Southland, horn in December, [830,
hut was reared in Ohio, to which State his parents moved when he was a
boy. Early evincing a taste for the medical profession he directed his studies
to that end and in >\uv time was graduated from the medical college al Cleve-
land, Ohio. In [854 he married and he and his wife presently moved from
( >hio to Missouri, later, in [860, coming to Kansas and locating at Centralia,
where they were living when the Civil War broke out. Doctor Sheldon
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 5/5
straightway returned to Ohio and at Columbus enlisted for service in the
Union army, being accepted as a surgeon, and went to the front. At Loudoun,
Tennessee, he was captured by the rebels and was taken to Dalton, Georgia,
where for some time he ministered to wounded Confederate soldiers. He
then was taken to Libby prison at Richmond, Virginia, and after six weeks
of confinement there was exchanged. The Doctor then returned home on a
furlough, but presently rejoined his regiment and continued in the service
until discharged. But later he enlisted in the First Veteran Volunteers
Regiment and lie was retained about a year and was located at Baltimore.
Tie then was appointed surgeon in charge of the disabled soldiers in the
hospital at Baltimore and continued serving in that capacity for another
vear, during which period lie was ablv assisted by his wife, who had rejoined
him at Baltimore.
In 1867, a year or two after the completion of his military service,
Doctor Sheldon and his wife returned to Kansas and located at Seneca, where
the Doctor opened an office for the practice of his profession. His health
presently failing, he gave up his office at Seneca and came over into Marshall
county and bought a farm in Guittard township, believing that the life on
the open prairie would prove beneficial. He continued his practice, however,
and was soon widely known among the pioneers of this section of the state.
When the railroad came Doctor Sheldon established his office and home at
the new railway station not far from his farm and thus became known as
"the father of Beattie," his efforts in behalf of the new station undoubtedly
having done very much to promote the growth and the interests of that vil-
lage in its early days. He engaged in the lumber business upon the estab-
lishment of the village and presently also started a bank there, the first bank
in Beattie, now the First National Bank of that city, and in other ways did
all in his power to promote the new town. Some time later Doctor Sheldon's
health again failed and he spent a year at Hot Springs, Arkansas. He con-
tinued his practice, intermittently, until his death, there being some of his
old patients who would not permit him to find the retirement he sought.
Doctor Sheldon was a Republican and ever took an earnest part in local
political -affairs, having been coroner of Marshall county at the time of his
death. He attended the Methodist Episcopal church and, fraternally, was
a very ardent Mason, in the affairs of which organization he took a prominent
part. He was die first master of the Seneca lodge. The members of the
lodge at that place and other friends he had gained during his residence
there, chartered a special train after his death in order to make the trip to
Beattie to attend his funeral.
;-i. MARSHALL C01 \ I V, KANSAS.
In [854 I >r. Julius J. Sheldon was united in marriage to Man- Sheldon,
who was born in Lorain county, Ohio, November 22, 1833, daughter of
Elam and Azuba 1 Robinson) Sheldon, natives of New York state and repre
sentatives of old colonial families, the Robinsons tracing their descent to the
Robinson who came to this country on the companion ship of the "Mayfli >wer."
To Doctor and Mrs. Sheldon one child was born, a daughter, Mina, who
married W. R. I lawk, who was born in Missouri and who is a well-known
druggist at Beattie. Mr. and Mrs. Hawk have one child, a daughter, Mrs.
Ruby Wooster, of the village of Home. Mrs. Sheldon has a very pleasant
home at Beattie and retains a lively interest in local affairs. Despite the fact
that she is now well past four -core years of age, -in- continues physically
and mentally vigorous, is able to read without the aid of glasses and finds
much pleasure in the making of fancy work for her friends. Mrs. Sheldon
retain- the most vivid recollections of pioneer days in this county and is a
veritable mine of information on matters relating to the early history of the
county and of the events leading up to its present high state of development.
PETER II. Di I. \IU.
Peter II. DeLair, deceased, who was one of the early pioneer farmers
of Marshall county, was horn in Canada on February 4. 1837, and died in
the year [904. He received his education in the schools of his native
country and there he grew to manhood and engaged in general farming.
In [863 he was united in marriage to Susan A. Dickhout, who was also
horn in Canada on February 28, [840, the daughter of Henry and Sarah
Dickhout. natives of that country, hut of German and English parent-.
; ( specth civ.
Mr. and Mrs. Del. air were married in their native country and there
they resided until [867, when they came to the United States, where they
might have a better opportunity to obtain a home for themselves. On their
arrival iti this country they at once came to Kansas and homesteaded one
hundred and sixty acres of land in Herkimer township, Marshall county.
During the earlv years on their new tract of land, they lived in the style oi
house common to that section in those early days, but some years later they
built a substantial residence, one of the best in the district. The farm was
developed and improved and Mr. Del. air became one of the successful and
progressive men of the county. He and his wife had one thousand dollars
SUSAN A. DB LAIR.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. . 577
when they ventured into the new land and amid new conditions, but by
hard work and strict economy they saw their early savings grow into larger
proportions. They continued to live on the homestead farm until 1903,
when they retired from the more active duties of life and moved to Oketo,
where Air. DeLair died the next year. He was a man of pronounced con-
victions and was held in the highest regard by all. He was an excellent
farmer and a worth}- citizen. He with his wife and two children suffered
many of the hardships common to the early settlers in a new country, yet
they had plenty of plain food and their lives were made happy with the
anticipation of a better home in the near future, and with their children they
enjoyed many pleasant days. Both Mr. and Mrs. DeLair took the greatest
interest in township and county affairs and their every effort was to ad-
vance the best interests of all. They had much to do with the moral, social
and educational progress as well as the physical development of the home
district. They always lived noble and active lives and at the death of Mr.
DeLair the community knew that they had lost an excellent citizen and a
kind neighbor. Both were members of the Baptist church and took much
interest in all religious work. They were members of the Good Templars
and the Grange.
Peter H. and Susan A. DeLair were the parents of the following
children: John E., Ethelbert D., William E., Edmund W., Clement M.,
and Cynthia A. John E. was born on December 29, 1865, and is now a
general merchant at Oketo. He married Ida Blackburn, of Alpena. Mich-
igan, and they are the parents of four children as follow : Blanche, George,
Norma and Raymond. Ethelbert D. was born in 1867 and is now a resident
of Junction City, Kansas; William E., who was born on May 22, 1870, is
now the head miller at the Hutchinson mills at Marysville ; Edmund W.
was born in January, 1873, anc' 's engaged in general farming and stock
raising on the home place; Clement M. was born on December 12, 1875,
and is a successful hardware merchant at Oketo; Cynthia A., who is a
twin of Clement M., is the wife of N. Brubaker, of Oketo, and is the
mother of two children, Myrle and Edna.
Airs. DeLair is still living at her home in Oketo at the age of seventy-
seven years and is a most remarkable woman for one of her years. She
is a most interesting person to meet and her many interesting stories of the
early days on the plains of Kansas are instructive and are impressive of
the great work done in those days by the men and women, who by
their determination and hard work have transformed Marshall county into
one of the finest sections of Kansas. Mrs. DeLair makes her own dresses
(37)
578 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and those of her daughter and granddaughter, and it is one of her greatest
pleasures to assist others in the duties of the home. She still takes much
interest in her church work and when her health permits she is a regular
attendant at the church services.
MATHIAS M. SCHMIDT.
The Hon. Mathias M. Schmidt, representative from the fortieth district
in tlie Kansas Legislature, a former educator and hanker, who is now actively
engaged in the insurance business in the village of Home, is a native of the
state of Wisconsin, but has been a resident of Marshall county since he
was three years of age. He was born at Port Washington, Wisconsin, July
8, [876, son of Michael and Mary (Molitor) Schmidt, natives of Europe,
both bom in the grand duchy of Luxemburg, the former of whom, an hon-
ored veteran of the Civil War. spent his last day- in this county and the lat-
ter of whom is still living, now making her home at Marysville. an honored
pioneer of this county. Michael Schmidt was twice married. By his first
marriage he was the father of three children and by his second marriage was
the father of ten children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the first-
born and all of whom are living.
Michael Schmidt was born in Luxemburg on December 25, 1837, and
was but twelve year- of age when he came to this country with his parents,
the family settling in Wisconsin, where Michael was reared on a farm. Upon
attaining his majority he went to Illinois, where he began working for George
B. Reynolds, who. upon the breaking out of the Civil War. organized the
Sixty-fourth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was made the colonel
of the same. Michael Schmidt enlisted in that command and served from
[86] until [863, when he received his discharge "ii accounl of deafness con-
tracted in service. This command was attached to the Army of the West
and Mr. Schmidt saw service at the engagement of Island No. to. at the
battle of Shiloh, at Ft. Donelson, at Pittsburg Landing and at Ft. Henry.
Upon the completion of his military service he returned to Wisconsin, mar-
ried there and located at Sheboygan, where he was engaged in buying grain
until 1879, when he came to Kansas with his family and settled in Herkimer
township, this county, where he homesteaded a tract of one hundred and
sixtv acres of raw prairie land and established his home. There he lived for
seven or eight years, at the end of which time he moved farther east in that
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. ^79
same township and there spent the rest of his life, his death occurring on
June 8, 1913. His widow, who was born in Luxemburg on August 2, 1850,
and who was but nine months of age when her parents came to this country,
the family settling in Wisconsin, still survives and is now making her home
at Marysville.
Mathias M. Schmidt was reared on the home farm in Herkimer town-
ship, receiving his early schooling in the district school in the neighborhood
of his home and supplemented the same by a course in the old Modern Nor-
mal School at Marysville, after which, in 1896, he began teaching school in
Oketo township and for five years thereafter was engaged as a teacher in the
district schools of Marshall county. He then for three years served as prin-
cipal of the schools at Herkimer, one year as principal of the Oketo schools
and two years as principal of the schools at Home. In 1902, Mr. Schmidt
took a course at the Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois. On
1907 he organized the Citizens State Bank of Home, was elected cashier of
the same and served in that capacity for seven years, at the end of which
time lie resigned that position and has ever since been very successfully
engaged in the insurance business at Home. Mr. Schmidt retains his stock
in the Citizens State Bank and takes an active and influential interest in the
general business of his home town and of the county at large. He is a Demo-
crat ami in 1Q14 was elected to represent the fortieth Kansas representative
district in the state Legislature, his services in the House being of large
benefit not only to his district, but to the state at large. Mr. Schmidt is a
member of the Kansas State Historical Society, an active member of the
National Geographic Society and a member of the Kansas Academy of
Science. He has the largest and finest library in Marshall county and for
vears has been accounted as one of the leaders in the cultural activities of
this part of the state.
On December 11, iqo6. Mathias M. Schmidt was united in marriage
to Nellie Thomas, who was born in Franklin township, this county, March
9, 1882, daughter of Joshua and Margaret (Francis) Thomas, natives of
Wales, who came to this country in the seventies and settled at Madison,
Wisconsin, moving thence, in 1880, to Kansas and settling in Franklin town-
ship, this county. A few years later Joshua Thomas moved to the village
of Home, where he engaged in the mercantile business and there spent the
remainder of his life, his death occurring on January 19, 1905, he then being
about sixty years of age. His widow is now living at Marysville. Nellie
Thomas was graduated from the high school at Chillicothe, Missouri, took a
special course in music and was engaged in teaching in this county at the
580 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
time of her marriage to Mr Schmidt. To that union three children have
been born, Victor Hugo, Carol M. and .Mary M. The Schmidts have a very
pleasant home at Home and take a proper interest in the community's general
social activities, helpful in promoting all worthy causes thereabout.
FRANK A. WFRXER.
Frank A. Werner, editor and proprietor of the Axtcll Standard at
Axtell, this county, is a native of Germany, hut has been a resident of this
country since he was twelve years of age. He was born in the Prussian
province of Brandenburg on June 10, 1S71. son of August and Augusta
(Seidel) Werner, natives of that same province, who came to this country
more than thirty years ago and are now living pleasantly retired at Crab
( Irchard, Xebraska.
August Werner was horn on August 8, 1836, and his wife was horn
on December 17, 1838. For twenty-three year-- he served as treasurer of
his district in the Fatherland, under appointment by the crown, and in 1S84
came with his family to this country and settled on a farm in Fremont
county, Iowa, where he lived until 1893, in which year he moved to Crab
Orchard, Nebraska, and bought the Herald, a weekly newspaper published
at that place and which lie conducted until his retirement from business, his
( Itto, 111 1\\ conducting the paper. August Werner and his wife are mem-
ber- of the Methodist church and their children were reared in that faith.
There were nine of these children, four of whom are still living, tho>c besides
the subjeel of tin- sketch being a- follow: William P.. who is engaged in
the monument business at Axtell. this county; Frnc-t F., who is a farmer in
Murray town-hip, this county, and Otto, who 1- the editor of the Herald at
("rah Orchard, Nebraska.
Frank A. Werner was hut twelve years "t" age when he came to the
United State- with his parents and he was reared on a farm in Iowa. In
[892 he entered the Conservatory of Music at Lincoln, Nebraska, and there
took a three-years course in the violin and harmony, after which, in 1X0,5. he
went t" Elm (reek. Nebraska, where he became engaged as a clerk in a gen-
eral store, acquiring there a sufficient fund of experience in the mercantile
business t" embolden him to embark in business on hi- own account. He
bought a stock of merchandise at Crabb Orchard and conducted the same
until [899, in which year he sold his Store and engaged in business with his
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 58 1
brother. Otto Werner, in the publication of the newspaper at Crab Orchard,
and was thus engaged until 1902, when he became the manager for George
D. Dement, a fruit grower, but shortly afterward returned to the newspaper
office and was engaged there with his brother. Otto, from 1903 to 1906, in
which htter year he became foreman for the Enterprise Printing Company
at Exeter, Nebraska. Two years later, in 1908, he came to Kansas and
located at Axtell, where he bought the Axtell Anchor and consolidated the
same with the Standard, which was then being published at Axtell by his
brother, Ernest Werner, the paper being conducted by the brothers, the name
Standard being retained, until 19 12, when Frank A. Werner bought his
brother's interest in the paper and has since been conducting it alone, sole
editor and proprietor. Mr. Werner has a well-equipped and well-established
printing plant and has built up the circulation of the Standard from four
hundred to eight hundred, the paper having a wide popularity throughout
the region it so admirably covers. Mr. Werner is independent in his political
views and the columns of his newspaper do not reflect the theories or prin-
ciples of any political party, the chief mission of the paper being to give the
news from week to week relating to Axtell and vicinity.
On September 17, 1897, Frank A. Werner was united in marriage to
Mary Hennek, who was born in the city of Oppeln, in Prussian Silesia, Ger-
many, November 21, 1878, daughter of Frank and Julia (Andreas) Hennek,
who came to this country in 1886 and settled at Lexington, Nebraska. Frank
Hennek is now living at Rapid City, South Dakota, a retired farmer. To
Mr. and Mrs. Werner six children have been born, Eva M.. Frederick W.,
Yelma G., Ralph F., Ruby R., and Irene F. The Werners are a musical
family, Mr. Werner and his four elder children often being called on to pro-
vide orchestral music for local entertainments. Frederick W. Werner is a
trap-drummer of more than ordinary accomplishment and all the children are
skilled performers on one or more musical instruments, while Mr. Werner is
a violinist of much skill. The Werners have a very pleasant home at Axtell
and take an active part in the general social activities of the city. Mr. Wer-
ner is a Mason and is a member of the local lodges of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows and of the Modern Woodmen of America, in the latter two
of which organizations he has been an office bearer, and in the affairs of all
of which he takes a warm interest. He is an active "booster" for Axtell and
Marshall county and the columns of his enterprising newspaper are ever
advocating measures designed to advance the common welfare not only of
his home town, but of the county at large.
582 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
FRANK I»)W SHELDON.
Frank Dow Sheldon, now deceased, and formerly one of the highly
respected and successful men of Blue Rapids, Marshall county, was born on
September 4. [853, in Aurora township, Portage county, Ohio, being the son
of Albert Russell Sheldon, of Ohio, and Cornelia (Dow) Sheldon, who was
born in Brattleboro, Vermont.
Mr. Sheldon's ancestors were of an old Connecticut family, several mem-
bers of whom served in the militia and took an active part in the Revolu-
tionary War. In 1800 his great grandfather, Ebenezer Sheldon, moved to
Portage county. Ohio, taking possession of a tract of land in the Western
Reserve, granted by the state of Connecticut to those who had helped during
the war. This farm is still in possession of the Sheldon family and there
Frank Dow Sheldon grew to manhood. After completing his education in
the common schools, he entered Hiram College. Hiram, Ohio, from which
institution he was later graduated. He then taught school for four years,
after which he entered the drug business at Burton, Ohio, where he remained
for ten year-. In [888 he came to Kansas and established himself in busi
ness at Blue Rapids, and became one of the highly respected and successful
business men of the county. Before coming to the state he had married
Mrs. Lottie (Cooley) Scott, the (laughter of Festus Cooley, one of the early
pioneer^ of this section of the state. To this marriage one son. FestUS Cooley
Sheldon, and one daughter. Cornelia Beaula Sheldon were born.
Lottie Cooley Sheldon died in iSqo. On October 1. 1902, Frank Dow
Sheldon married Mrs. Carrie Van Tine Liscom, the daughter of Charles and
Harriet (Cady) Van Tine, with whom he lived until the time of his death
on October 21, km'', after a sickness of over two years had worn him to but
a shadow of his old-time vigor and self. After the death of his wife in
[890, Mr. Sheldon returned to the old home in Ohio, his little daughter
dying there 111 [897, He later returned to Blue Rapids with his son to take
charge of business interests there. In [907 he built his tine home on a
twelve acre orchard tract on Easl avenue; this he later had platted. It is now
the "Sheldon Subdivision" of Blue Rapid City and comprises a very desirable
residential section of the town. Mr. Sheldon was closely connected with the
business interests of the town for many years. A member of the Christian
church, he always ti«>k the keenest interest in religious work. He was a
member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and politically, was iden-
tified with the Republican party. He was a man who took the greatest inter-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 583
est in the growth and development of his home community, where he was
recognized as a man of the highest integrity and purpose. He and Carrie V.
Sheldon were the parents of one daughter, Frances Dow Sheldon, whose birth
occurred on February 22, 1907.
Carrie Van Tine Sheldon was born in Atlas township, Genesee county,
Michigan, and there she received her education in the public schools. Her
parents, Charles and Harriet (Cady) Van Tine, were natives of the state of
New York, having been born in Erie county, and were among the early set-
tlers of Genesee county, Michigan, where they settled in the thirties. There
the daughter, Carrie, married in 1883, Albert H. Liscom, of Goodrich that
state. He was a well-known farmer and stockman, and engaged in that work
until the time of his death. He and his wife were the parents of one child,
Dena Van Tine Liscom. now the wife of Harold H. Wanamaker, of Blue
Rapids. Charles Van Tine was one of the Michigan men who, in 1849,
made the trip to California. He and his party made the trip on horseback,
and passed over the old trail in Marshall county. They made the return
trip by way of ocean steamer. Mrs. Sheldon's ancestry is traced back to the
time of the Dutch rule of New Amsterdam.
Mrs. Carrie V. Sheldon is a woman of pleasing qualities and is possessed
of much ability. At the time of her marriage to Mr. Sheldon, she was state
commander of the Supreme Hive of the Maccabees of the state of Kansas,
having been sent to the state by the supreme hive, with headquarters at
Topeka, where she was married. Mrs. Sheldon united with the Presby-
terian church and has been for fourteen years a director of the board of
the public library and was for six years president of the library board ; also
a member of the Tuesday Afternoon Club, of Blue Rapids.
ED IRVIN.
One of the chief industries of Blue Rapids, Marshall county, is the mak-
ing of cement from the gypsum mines of that section of the county. The
industry furnishes employment to a large number of people and brings a
large amount of money to the city and surrounding country. One of the
large industrial plants of the place is the American Cement Plaster Company,
a strong and substantial business concern and one that has had much to do
with the prosperity and growth of Blue Rapids. One of the men who are
prominently connected with the business is Ed Irvin, the mill superintendent,
584 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
who was born at RedfieM, Iowa, on February _'_•. [873, the son of Mathias
and [saphana 1 Bass ) Irvin.
Mathias Irvin was long interested in woolen mills and the wool industry
in towa, where he lived for many years. In [889 he moved to Nebraska,
where he engaged in general farming in Harlan county near Alma. After a
number of years he retired and moved to McCook, Nebraska, where he later
died.
Kd Irvin received his education in the common schools of Iowa, where he
lived until he was sixteen years of age, when he moved to Nebraska with his
father. There he engaged in general fanning, until [898, when he entered
the employ of the cement mill and learned the work thoroughly, both in the
mill and in the mines. He gave his best services to the company, and took the
greatest interest in the success of the business. He became proficient in all
the departments and his efforts were rewarded in 1904 by being made super-
intendent, lie now has over fifty men in his charge and is recognized as a
capable executive. His pleasing personality has won for him the confidence
of the officers of the company and the highest respect of the men under his
supervision. During his connection with the mill he has increased the output
and has raised the standard of excellence in the work.
In 1894 Ed Irvin was united in marriage to Louisa J. Maher. a native
of Nebraska, and to this union three children have been horn, John, Fay
and Roy. John is an employee of the mill, where he began work at the age
of twenty years; the other two children are now in school. -Mr. and .Mrs.
Irvin are among the worthy people of Blue Rapids and are held in the highest
regard. They take much interest in the social life of the town, and have long
been interested in the social, moral and educational growth of the community.
Mr. Irvin i> recognized as one of the influential men of the city.
I AMES M. SCOTT.
The late James M. Scott, who died at his home in Mansville in 1900
and who for years was one of the best-known citizens of Marshall county,
was a native of the state of Pennsylvania, hut had been a resident of Kansas
since the days of his young manhood, having come here from Missouri, to
which state he had moved when about fourteen years of age. He was
born in Franklin county. Pennsylvania. July _><), 1865, son of George and
Sarah Scott, natives of that same state.
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 585
About the year 1886 James M. Scott came from Missouri to this
county. He presently became engaged on the Tootle ranch in the adjoining
county of Washington, but not long afterward located at Marysville, where
he became engaged in the livery business. Some time later he disposed of
that business and returned to the Tootle ranch and was engaged as foreman
of the same for seven years, at the end of which time, in 1899, he returned
to Marysville, where he spent his last days, his death occurring in January,
igco.
On November 6, 1890, James M. Scott was united in marriage to Ger-
trude Crane, who was born in Davis county, Iowa, September 5, 1869,
daughter of Robert and Sarah Ann (Deeds) Crane, and who was but six
weeks of age when her parents moved to Marshall county and established
their home in Center township, early becoming recognized as among the
most substantial and influential pioneer residents of that part of the county.
It was on that pioneer farm in Center township that Mrs. Scott was reared.
She received her elementary schooling in the district school in the neigh-
borhood of her home there and supplemented the same by a course in the
high school at Marysville, from which she was graduated, after which she
began teaching in the district schools of Marshall county and had taught
three terms of school at the time of her marriage to Mr. Scott. To that
union three children were born, namely: Earl F., who is now living at
Dawson, New Mexico, where he is conducting a barber shop ; Gladys, who
married C. E. Meinzer and is now living at Atlantic, this state, and Melvin
J., who is a machinist in the Travelute garage at Marysville. Mrs. Scott
is an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal church and takes a warm
interest in the various beneficences of the same. For years she has taken
an active part in the local work of the Woman's Christian Temperance
Union and for some years has served as secretary of the Marvsville branch,
giving her most intelligent and earnest attention to the promotion of the
temperance movement in this part of the state. Mrs. Scott is the owner of
a quarter of a section of land in Garfield county, Oklahoma. She is now
making her home with her mother at Marysville.
Robert Crane, father of Mrs. Scott, was born on a farm in Preble
county, Ohio, February 13, 1830, son of George and Elizabeth (Beatty)
Crane, natives of Pennsylvania and of New York, respectively, who moved
from Ohio to Miami county, Indiana, where Robert Crane grew to man-
hood and in 1852 was married to Sarah Ann Deeds, who was born at
Coshocton, Ohio, May 5. 1834, daughter of William and Elizabeth
586 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
(Slothour) Deeds, natives of the state of Pennsylvania. In i860 he
moved from Indiana to [roquois county, Illinois, where he was engaged in
farming until 1869. when he set out with his family for Kansas, driving
through in a "prairie schooner" and settling in I enter township, this county,
where he established his home. Mr. Crane homesteaded a tract of eighty
acres in Center township and built a frame house on the same, gradually
making other improvements to his place and extending his land holdings
until he became the owner of a tine farm of two hundred and forty acres.
In 1883 he retired from the active labors of the farm and moved to Marys-
ville. hut in 1890 moved hack to the farm and there remained until 1897,
when he returned to Maryvsille and there spent the rest of his life, his
death occurring there on December 27, 1909. His widow is still living
there, her daughter, Mrs. Scott, making her home with her. and the two
are very pleasantly and very comfortably situated. Mrs. Crane retains
possession of the old home farm of two hundred and forty acres in Center
township and is quite well circumstanced. During his long residence in
(enter township, Robert Crane took an active part in public affairs there
and rendered valuable public service as a member of the school board in
his home district.
To Robert and Sarah Ann (Deeds) Crane ten children were born, of
whom Mrs. Scott was the eighth in order of birth, the others being as fol-
low : Elizabeth, who married J. H. Wakefield and is now living at Eagle
City, Oklahoma; Matilda, the second in order of birth; William R.. who
is a well-known farmer of Marysville township, this county; Alpharetta,
now living at Lawton, Oklahoma, the widow of T. H. Edmundson ; Mrs.
Inez Rice, deceased; Tryphena. who married I.. \. Xeal and is now living
in Graham county, this state; Harvey, who died while the family was en
route from Illinois to this state; Samuel, who is living at Lone Wolf. ( >kla-
homa, and All>ert X.. deceased.
An interesting feature, worthy of note, in connection with the Scott
family history, is the circumstance that William R. Crane, brother of Mrs.
I. M. Scott, is married to a woman who has the distinction of being the
first white child born in Marshall county. Mrs. W. R. Crane is the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Martin, who. in 1857, came to Kansas
and stopped on the Vermillion, south of town. Joseph Martin served in
the Civil War as a member of Company D. Eighth Kansas Volunteer In-
fantry. During bis period of service he was taken ill and subsequently died
of lung lexer. In 1868 bis widow married William Lewis and they settled
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 58/
on a homestead farm at Home City, two miles from Marysville. Mr.
Lewis died on July 10, 1903, and his widow (Mrs. Crane's mother) sur-
vived until June 20, 1907, when she died at the age of sixty-nine years,
eight months and ten days.
JAMES WELLS.
James Wells, deceased, for many years one of the well-known and sub-
stantial residents of Marshall county, was born on December 20, 1840, and
died on October 27, 1908. He was born in Bath county, Kentucky, the son
of Thomas and Martha (Warren) Wells, both of whom were natives of that
state. The parents were educated in the schools of Kentucky and there they
resided until 1858, when they came to Kansas where they located in Bigelow
township, Marshall county. Here the son, James, came with his parents and
here he was married on February 21, 1865, to Julia McClure, who was born
on February 14, 1849. She was born in Union county, Kentucky, and there
she received the greater part of her education. She is the daughter of Nich-
olas and Rebecca (Jones) McClure. Her parents were natives of Virginia,
where the)' received their education in the public schools and there grew to
maturity and were married. James Wells may well be numbered with the
early pioneers of the county, for he came to Marshall county when it was
mostly in a primitive condition, and when few people had attempted to make
a home in the new country. For many years he was a resident of the county,
where he constructed a home on the undeveloped plains and where he and
his family lived for many years, and where he was ever a useful factor in
the growth and the development of the district.
Nicholas and Rebecca (Jones) McClure, came from their home in Vir-
ginia and were early settlers in Kentucky, where they established their home
on the farm, and there Mrs. McClure died in 1857. The father and children
continued to reside in the state until 1864, when they came to Kansas and
located at Irving, Marshall county, where the father engaged in the buying
and the selling of live stock. To Nicholas and Rebecca McClure were born
the following children : William, Elizabeth Virginia, George, Julia and
Mary S. William is now a resident of Kentucky ; Elizabeth Virginia Cal-
houn is living in New Mexico ; George is a resident of Missouri and Mary S.
Walls resides near Bigelow. The McClure family were prominent in their
home community, and were held in the highest regard and esteem. They
588 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
took a prominent part in the development of the township in which they lived
and where they made their home for main- years.
Soon after their marriage James and Julia Wells located on a farm on
the Vermillion river near Barrett, Vermillion township, Marshall county.
Here they purchased eighty acres and homesteaded eighty acres. They
made their home on the first farm, which they developed and improved, and
there they made their In. me fur ten years. They sold it and then home-
Steaded .in the lllne river. Mr. and Mrs. Wells built the first log cabin on
the place. There they continued to live for some years and in [875, pur-
chased a farm en the Blue river in Bigelow township. They purchased one
hundred and sixty acres of land and homesteaded eighty acres, to which they
later added forty acres. They later sold a team of horses and a wagon and
purchased forty acres of splendid land, which is now worth six thousand
dollars. They added to their original log cabin in which they lived tor a
number of years, and in time built one of the beautiful and substantial homes
of the township. By hard work and close economy they hecame the owners
of two hundred and eighty acres of land, winch they developed and improved
and there they engaged in general farming and stoek raising with success.
The farm was one of the best in the township, owing to the high development
that had been made. In [903 Mr. Wells and his wife moved to Irving and
retired from the more active duties of life, and there Mr. Wells died in 1908,
after an active life of usefulness
Mr. Wells was identified with the Republican party and while he was
not a seeker after office, he took great interest in local affairs and was one
of the influential men of the township, as well as the county. He and his
wife were long members of the Methodist Episcopal church and were prom-
inent in the social and the religious life of the community, wdiere they were
held in high regard. Mr. Wells was for many years one of the prominent
men of the township and his advice was often sought in matters relative to
the civic life of the district. lie was a member of the Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons and had much to do with the growth and success of the
local society. His life was a worthy one and at his death the community felt
they had lost a good friend and a most worthy adviser.
James and Julia Wells were the parents of the following children : Mary
Belle, Ida. Ora and Frank. Mary Belle Miller is a resident of Oklahoma,
where her husband is one of the worthy and successful men of the section in
which they live. They are the parents of the following children: Lucy,
Kay. Ethel, Ruth, Gladys and Denis. Ida Stimson and her husband reside
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
589
at Houston, Texas, and they are the parents of five children : Edward, Carl,
Maude, Cora and Homer. Ora Traxler is a resident of Emporia, Kansas,
and she and Mr. Traxler are the parents of two children, Arthur and Ora
May. Frank is a successful farmer of Blue Ridge township, Marshall county,
and is married to Delia Johnson and to them the following children have been
born : Dorothy, Clyde, Edith and Lloyd. Mrs. Wells is still active in the
work of the church, since the death of her husband, who was a veteran of
the Civil War, having served with the Ninth Kansas Regiment and later
received his discharge on account of disability.
CORNELIUS W. ALSPACH.
Cornelius W. Alspach, a well-known and substantial retired farmer of
Marshall county, now living at Axtell, is a native of Ohio, but has been a
resident of this county since pioneer days, having come here in 1S71. He
was born on a farm in Fairfield county, Ohio, June 15, 1844, son of John D.
and Elizabeth (Heimbaugh) Alspach, both of whom are long since deceased,
having spent their last days in Ohio. John D. Alspach was born in Ohio, of
Pennsylvania-Dutch parentage, and was twice married, having children by
both marriages.
Reared on the home farm in Ohio. Cornelius W. Alspach remained there
until after he was twenty-five years of age, when, in the spring of 1871, he
came to Kansas and homesteaded a tract of eighty acres southeast of Beattie,
in Rock township, this county, and proceeded to develop the same. Four
years later he married and presently traded his improved homestead for a
tract of two hundred acres in Murray township, where he established his
home and where he continued farming for thirty years or more, becoming
one of the most substantial farmers in that neighborhood. Mr. Alspach
gave considerable attention to the raising of cattle and hogs and did very
well in his operations. He added to his land holdings in Murray township
and now owns three hundred and seventy-eight acres in section 4 and eighteen
acres in section 14 of that township, continuing to take an active interest in
the management of the place, even though he has for years been retired from
the active labors of the farm. It was in 1904 that Mr. Alspach retired from
the farm and moved to his present home near Axtell. There he owns
eighteen acres on the edge of the city and he and his family are very pleas-
antly and comfortably situated. Mr. Alspach is a Democrat and has ever
590 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
given a g 1 citizen's attention to local political affairs. Daring hi-, long
residence in .Murray township lie held numerous township offices and was
for years a member of the school board in his home district.
In [874 Cornelius W. Alspach was united in marriage to Barbara Wolf-
gang, who was horn in Pennsylvania in February, [856, daughter of Jacob
and Sarah 1 Schwartz) Wolfgang, both of whom were born in that same
state and who came to Kansas with their family in 1S70, settling on a home-
stead farm smith of Beath'e. To .Mr and Mrs. AJspach eleven children have
been born, namely: Mrs. Priscilla M. Brooks, of Kansas City, Missouri, to
whom two children have been horn, one of whom is dead; Sarah, who mar-
ried H. T. Totten, a farmer living northeast of Mina, this county, and has
two children: Cornelius F., who is employed in the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe railroad shops at Topeka and who married Edith Kirk and has two chil-
dren: Delia, who married Fred Lower, of Centerville, Iowa, and has two chil-
dren; Mrs. Nellie Graham, who lives south of Beattie and has two children:
Alta, who married II. B. Huddleston, a farmer living near Axtell, and has
four children: Charles, who is running an elevator at Kensington, in Smith
county, this state, and who married Dora Douglas and has one child: Mrs.
Ruby Iv dkey, of Blue Rapids, who has two children: Harry, who is at home:
Grafe, also at home, and Effie, who is deceased. The Alspachs have a very
pleasant home near Axtell and have ever taken a proper part in the general
social life of the vicinity. Mr. Alspach. is a charter member of the Masonic
lodge at Axtell and has ever taken an active interest in the affairs of the
same. He also is a member of the local lodge of the Ancient Order of United
Workmen and takes a warm interest in the affairs of that organization.
GEORGE I.. I d. SOX.
fohn Olson, father of George 1.. Olson, was horn on a farm near the
city of Stockholm, Sweden. October 26, 1839, and his young manhood was
Spent as a herder. lie later became a coachman and remained in his native
land until he was about thirty years of aye. when, in [868, he came to this
o untrv and settled in Missouri. A year later, in [869, he came to Kansas
and located in Marshall county, where he ever since has made his home, one
■ if the substantial pioneer residents of this county. Upon coming to this
county Mr. Olson settled in Murray township, where he presently married,
and where he worked as a farm hand until he had saved about twelve bun-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
59 T
dred dollars, when he bought a tract of eighty acres of unimproved land in
the Axtell neighborhood and there established his home, building a small
three-room house on the place. There he farmed for about eight years, at
the end of which time he sold his place and bought a quarter .section of land
in Lincoln township, where he made his home until igi2, when he retired
from the farm and moved to Axtell, where he and his wife are now living
and where they are very comfortably situated. During the early period of
his residence in Marshall county, John Olson assisted in the construction of
the Grand Island railroad and also helped in the quarrying of the rock for
the bridge across the Missouri river at St. Joseph, the stones for that bridge
being secured from the quarry near Beattie, this county.
It was not long after his settlement in this county that John Olson was
united in marriage to Mary Johnson, who also was born in Sweden, March
31, 1859, an<l wno was but fifteen years of age when she came to this country
with her parents. To that union nine children were born, of whom the sub-
ject of this sketch was the second in order of birth, the others being as fol-
low : Dora, who is conducting a general merchandise store at Frankfort,
this count}-: Sadie, who married J. V. Johnson, of Lincoln township, this
county; Mrs. Hilma Lamm, also of Lincoln township; Robert, who is engaged
in business at Axtell, in partnership with his brother, George L. Olson; Etta,
a teacher in the business college at Salina; Louisa, a teacher in the public
schools of Marshall county ; Josephine, deceased, and Kermit. who is at home
with his parents.
George L. Olson was reared on the home farm in Murray township and
later in Lincoln township, completing his schooling in the common schools
in the high school at Axtell and supplementing the same by a course of three
years in Campbell College at Holton. He then worked for his father a while
and on April 1, 1903, began his mercantile career as a clerk in a general store
at Axtell. Eighteen months later he engaged in business for himself, starting
a general store at Axtell, in partnership with D. C. Henderson, and was thus
engaged until January, 19 10, when he sold his interest in that store and bought
the William McMahon store at Beattie, where he ever since has been engaged
in business and where he has done very well. The Olson store is well equipped
in up-to-date fashion, carries a complete line of goods and is widely patron-
ized by the people of Beattie and the country surroiinding that thriving village.
On June 8, 1910, George L. Olson was united in marriage to Gertrude
Grazier, who was born at Decorah, Iowa, October 29, 1883, a daughter of
Darius and Delia (Taylor) Grazier, natives of Pennsylvania, who are now
592 MARSHALL OH MY. KANSAS.
living at Topeka, 1 1 1 i — state, where Mr. Grazier is engaged in business as the
secretary of the Topeka Pasteurized Pure Milk Company, which he helped
to organize and of which he is one of the principal stockholders. Mrs. Olson
completed her schooling at the Kansas Wesleyan College and at Washburn
College at Topeka, from both of which institutions she was graduated, and
was the assistant principal of the schools at Axtell at the time of her mar-
riage to Mr. < llson.
Mr. Olson is independent in his political views and takes a good citizen's
interest in the general civic affairs of his home community, but has ool been
a seeker after office. 1 te is a member of the Masonic lodge at Axtell and both
he and his wife arc members of the local chapter of the Order of the Eastern
Star, in the affairs of both of which organizations they take a warm interest,
as well as in the general social affairs of the community in which they live.
helpful in promoting all cause- having to do with the advancement of the com-
mi n welfare thereabout.
DR. L. II. STEPHENS.
Doctor Stephens, a well-known and prominent dentist of Summerfield,
is a native of the West, and located in Summerfield in his profession in
[901, since which time he has met with much success. He has been asso-
ciated with the practice of dentistry since boyhood. Doctor Stephens re-
ceived hi- education in colleges at * linaha. Kansas City and Chicago. As
a young practitioner he was associated with his brother. Dr. C. A. Stephens,
in the old Indian Territory, where they had an extensive practice in the
Quapavt nation and throughout the northeast part of the territory. They
later practiced in Blue Rapids, Kansas, prior to the location of Doctor
Stephens in Summerfield.
Since locating in Summerfield Doctor Stephens has served as a mem-
ber of the city council for several years and was in the spring of 1915
elected mayor of the city and re-elected in [917. During bis official life
he has demonstrated his ability as an able law maker and executive. The
present administration have extended their lighting system to Burchard,
Nebraska, thus adding a substantial revenue to their home treasury. He
took a most active part in the endeavor of the city to issue bonds for the
installation of the present light plant, which is toda^ one of the substantial
institutions of the city, and in which all take the greatest pride. The old
hoard sidewalks have been abolished and cement walks have been placed in
DR. L. H. STEPHENS.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 593
all parts of the city. The park has been reconstructed and many improve-
ments have been made, including the planting of trees and the removal
of old stumps and dead trees. A new cement sidewalk to the cemetery,
one-half mile distant, has been completed, and the home-beautiful and tree-
planting movement has been encouraged. A beautiful silver loving-cup
was given for the best-kept lawn, and a prize, "The Summerfield Beautiful
Trophy," for the best-kept residence. These had a most desirable effect
and many substantial improvements were made in the city. Another inno-
vation that brought much good to the city and the surrounding country is
the good roads work of the Interstate Good Roads Association, of which
the Doctor is president. Hills have been removed, grades established,
bridges raised and trees planted by the roadside. The street from the town
to the cemetery has been beautified by the planting of trees along the walk.
In addition to the physical development of the country. Doctor Stephens
has always taken a keen interest in the educational development of his home
community, and has encouraged the building of the best school houses and
the employment of the most efficient teachers. When the school house
burned in 1905 he was prominent in establishing a subscription school board
for the purpose of renting a building in which the interrupted term of school
could be finished and hiring the regular teachers, so that the senior class
of the school completed their work and were graduated, in spite of diffi-
culties. A new school building was in time erected, to which has since
been added a substantial addition. It has always been one of Doctor
Stephens' greatest ambitions to help and assist the young man or young
woman who shows a disposition to help themselves.
Fraternally, Doctor Stephens is a member of the Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons, and has attained the thirty-second degree. He has three
times served as master of his lodge at Summerfield. During his admin-
istration as mayor of the city, a ladies' rest-room has been erected, and is
one of the best in the county. It is entirely modern, with reading room,
rest rooms and toilets, all under the supervision of a caretaker, and is a
most comfortable and attractive place.
Doctor Stephens is identified with the Republican party and has rep-
resented his party in Marshall county at the state convention. He has for
several years been a member of the central committee from St. Bridget
township. While taking the greatest interest in all civic life of his city
and county and always working for the best interest of the people, he has
never in any sense been an office seeker, and while he has served as a mem-
ber of the city council and as mayor the honors came to him unsolicited.
(38) '
594 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Doctor Stephen- has always taken much interest in outdoor sports
and is at present the presidenl of the "National Coursing Association." As
a hunter he is recognized as one of the genuine sportsmen of thi> section of
the country. He maintain- one of the leading kennel- of greyhounds in
America. A portion of hi- vacation each year is -pent in the West, where
he has many friends and acquaintances and where he always finds a hearty
welcome with the ranchmen and i- accepted a- cue of them on their rides
and hunts.
Doctor Stephens' lite has been a most active one. it hems; hi- ^<">d fur-
tune to take a broad view of lite and to find genuine delight in everything
which goes to make living worth while, whether it he a delicate problem in
science or art, or a rough one of the big out-doors.
1()I1.\ P. T( IEDTER.
John I'. Toedter, one of Marshall county's substantial retired farmers,
the owner of ;i fine farm of eight hundred and thirteen acres in Balderson and
Franklin township-, who now lives in the village of Home, where he and his
wile are very well situated to enjoy the rewards of the toil they endured in
pioneer day-, is a native of Germany, but ha- been a resident of this country
since he was eighteen years of age. lie was horn in the province of Hanover.
November _\ [851, son of Christ and Elizabeth (Dearsan) Toedter. nati
of that same province, who were the parents of two children, the subject of
llii- -ketch having a sister, Mr-. Mary Wedeman. who continues to make her
In ime nt her native land.
Upon completing his schooling in his native land. John P. Toedter came
to this country, leaving port on May 1. [869, and on hi- arrival here located at
Peru, Illinois, in the neighborhood of which place he became engaged at farm
labor and was thus engaged there lor nine year--. lie left home with but
twenty dollar- in money and thus had nothing to give him a start over here
save hi- strong hand- and hi- willing heart, hut his energy and thrift presently
,ini on the way to a competence, and at the time of hi- marriage in l S77
he had quite a comfortable little hank roll. In [878, the year following his
marriage, he and his wife came to Kansas and he bought a tract of eighty
acre- of partly-improved land in section [8 of Franklin township, this county.
paying for the same the sum of one thousand dollars. On that place he built
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 595
a small house and barn and established his home. From the beginning of
his operations his affairs prospered and in 1881 he bought a quarter of a-
section of land adjoining, the tract on which the school house in district No.
57 later was erected. To these holdings Air. Toedter later added until he
became the owner of eight hundred and thirteen acres of well-improved land
in Balderson and Franklin townships. In addition to his general farming,
Mr. Toedter always gave considerable attention to the raising of live stock
and did very well, it not having been long after his location in Franklin town-
ship that he began to be recognized as one of the most progressive and sub-
stantial farmers and stockmen in that part of the county. There he lived
until 1909, in which year he retired from the active labors of the farm and
moved to the village of Home, where he has a comfortable brick house and
where he and his wife are very pleasantly situated.
In 1877, while living at Peru, Illinois, John P. Toedter was united in
marriage to Mary Branch, who was born at that place on August 18, i860,
daughter of Henry and Henrietta (Diederick) Branch, natives of the
province of Hanover, Germany, who came to this county from Illinois in
1878, at the same time Mr. Toedter and his wife came and settled on a farm
here. Henry Brauch was killed in a runaway accident in 1880, he then
being fifty-three years of age, and was the second person buried in the ceme-
tery at Marysville. His widow died in August, 1893, in the sixty-fourth
year of her age. They were the parents of nine children, of whom Mrs.
Toedter was the sixth in order of birth.
To John P. and Mary (Brauch) Toedter seven children have been born,
namely : Henry, now managing the old home place, who married Lizzie
Ruette and has four children, one son and three daughters ; Louise, who mar-
ried Charles Nollar, living three and one-half miles north of Home, and has
two children, a son and a daughter; Rosa, who married Emil Weber, of
Balderson township and has two sons; John W., living on one of his father's
farms in Franklin township, who married Nellie Warren and has two chil-
dren, a son and a daughter: Henriette, who married Luie Reinhardt, of
Franklin township, and has one son ; August, also farming in Franklin town-
ship, who married Emma Schwartz and has one son, and Louis, who is
working for his father. The family are members of the German Lutheran
church and have ever taken an active interest in the affairs of the same, Mr.
Toedter having been treasurer of the local congregation for a number of
vears. He is a Republican and has ever given a good citizen's attention to
local political affairs, but has not been included in the office-seeking class.
596 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
WILLI \M JOHN STEWART, M. D.
William [bhn Stewart, one of the most successful and prominent physi-
cians of Summerfield, Marshall county, Kansas, was born on a farm in Lake
county, tndiana, on July 7. [869, the son of John and Melissa (Young)
Stewart.
John and Melissa Stewart were natives of Ireland and the state of Ohio.
respectively, the former having been born in [842 and the latter in 1^44.
At the age of two years, John Stewart came with his parents to America in
1S44. William Stewart, the father, located in the city of Philadelphia, where
they lived for a time, and later established their home in Lake county. Indi-
ana. There Mr. Stewart homesteaded land and engaged in general farm-
ing, and was known as one of the substantial and influential men of the
county. There the son. John, was reared on the home farm and educated in
the public schools. Later he was united in marriage to Melissa Young and
their children were horn and reared on the old homestead. Mr. and Mrs.
Stewart were the parents of the following children: William John. Clayton.
Alice. Frank, Ross. Nellie, Agnes May. Elizabeth and Harry. Clayton is
on a large ranch in 'Texas: Alice Vickers is a resident of Sioux City. Iowa:
Frank is a well-known physician of Eskridge, Kansas; Ross is a resident
of Indiana: Nellie Gibbs also resides in the state of Indiana, as do Agnes May
Simpson and Elizabeth Simpson and Harry is on the old home place. The
parents were prominent in the s, >oi:i 1 and the religious life of the community
in which they lived and where they were held in the highest regard and
esteem by all who knew them. Being early settlers in the locality in which
they lived in Indiana, they had much to do with the development and growth
of their home township and county. In August. [862, John Stewart enlisted
in the Ninth Indiana Volunteer [nfantrj and served until the close of the
Civil War.
William John Stewart received his education in the common schools of
Indiana and at the university at Bloomingtoh and at Valparaiso, having taken
a preparatory course as well as a business and teacher's course in the uni-
versities, lor one year he taught school and won much praise as a success-
ful instructor. He then came to Kansas and for seven years engaged in
general fanning, near Eskridge. He then decided to complete his education,
and entered the Washburn medical school of the University of Kansas and
was graduated from that institution in 1000. He also received his diploma
from the university of Kansas in 1914. Soon after his graduation from the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 597
medical school, he engaged in general practice at Topeka, Kansas, but later
established himself at Summerfield, where he now has a good practice. Doc-
tor Stewart practically worked his way through school, and during his career
in college he operated a store in Topeka.
In 1896 Doctor Stewart was united in marriage to Mary A. Baird, of
Crown Point, Indiana, and to this union two children have been born, Ger-
trude, who is a student in the Tarkio College at Tarkio. Missouri, and
Martha, who is in the schools at Summerfield. Doctor and Mrs. Stewart
are active members of the United Presbyterian church and have long been
prominent in the social life of their home city, where they are held in the
highest regard. They take much interest in the betterment of the moral
and social conditions of the district, and- are active in all that tends to the
betterment of their beautiful little city. Doctor Stewart, being a man of
much ability and a strong personality, has much influence in all enterprises
that has a tendency toward the growth and development of the district. Mrs.
Stewart is a woman of education and refinement and with her husband is
interested in the betterment of the schools, as well as the moral and social
conditions of Summerfield. To such people, as Doctor and Mrs. Stewart,
is due the excellent condition of the city today : the excellent schools, beautiful
homes, well-kept streets and churches, that are doing much to make the city
of Summerfield an ideal residence place. Doctor Stewart is one of the
directors and stockholders of the First National Bank of Summerfield, which
is being started at this writing.
C. E. CUMMINGS.
Among the successful business men and bankers of Marshall county, is
C. E. Cummings, the efficient cashier of the Citizens State Bank of Blue
Rapids, who was born on June 13, 1873. at Centralia, Kansas, the son of
C. S. and Mary K. (Smith) Cummings, natives of Xew Jersey and Illinois,
respectively.
C. S. Cummings was reared in Michigan, near Pontiac, where his par-
ents were among the early settlers in that section. There he grew to man-
hood on the farm and early in life followed agricultural pursuits. He was
educated in the country schools and became one of the sturdy young men
of that section. On reaching manhood he came to Illinois, where he engaged
in general farming and later was married. Shortly after his marriage he
598 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and his wife moved to Leavenworth, Kansas, where they lived for t\\" year-.
when they moved to Centralia and there Mr. Cummings engaged in the hard-
ware business. After many years of active life as a successful merchant, he
retired and on December _'4. [908, he died, at the age of seventy-three years.
lie \\a^ an active Republican and represented his district in the Legislature
for two terms, during which time he made an enviable record and won the
re>pect of the enure county. Mrs. Cummings died in October, 1913, at the
nty-three years. They were the parent- of two children. Oscar
S., who formerly engaged in banking and is now a resident of Houston,
Texas, and C. E. Cummings.
( E. Cummings was educated in the common schools of Centralia and
had two years of work in the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and attended
the business college at Quincy, Illinois. After completing his education lie
entered the Citizens State Bank at Centralia. where he remained for two
years, after which he went to Alvin, Texas, as assistant cashier of the Alvin
Exchange Bank. lie remained at Alvin for five year- and then returned to
Kansas, and in [900 and organized the itizens State Bank at Netawaka, and
operated that institution for two year-, after which he -"Id the business and
in 1 « >< >4 came to Blue Rapids and organized the Citizens State Bank. A new
stone building was erected and the bank was furnished with modern and sub-
stantia] furniture, safe and vault and was opened for business on February
8, 1905. The hank has done a successful business and i- today recognized
a- 1. ne of the strong institutions of this section of the state.
i)n January [6, [894, Mr. Cummings was united in marriage t<> Grace
Birchfield, of Centralia. the daughter of A. J. Birchfield. Mr. Birchfield,
now deceased, was one of the prominent ami successful merchant- of Cen-
tralia, and a man of much force and character. To Mr. and Mrs. Cummings
one child ha- been horn. Claude Edmund, who attended school at Kansas
City and i- now an employe of the Santa Fe railroad at Chicago, Illinois, and
also attending school, lie was horn on January jo, (897, and i- preparing
himself for a life of usefulness.
Mr. Cummings i- identified with the Republican party and has always
taken a keen interest in local affairs. Being a man of much force and pro-
gressive idea-, hi- advice ha- had much to do with the progressive spirit
of his home town. Since residing in Blue Rapid- he ha- served the city for
one term as mayor, and hi- administration was considered one of the best
in the history of the city. Hi- interest was ever with the future growth of
the place and hi- constant endeavor was to make the community one of high
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 5Q9
ideals. Much was done at that time to advance the future interest of the
financial, educational and social conditions of the community.
Fraternally, Mr. Cummings is affiliated with the Ancient Free and
Accepted .Masons, the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Knights
of Pythias, in all of which his influence is keenly felt for the good of the
orders. He is a man of pleasing qualities and has made many friends in the
social, business and financial world, and as a banker he has the confidence and
respect of the entire district.
CHARLES L. GARRISON.
Of the business enterprises of Blue Rapids. Marshall county, Kansas,
it is well to mention the United States Gypsum Company, one of the sub-
stantial and progressive industries of the county. Much of the success of
this large business is due to the ability and untiring effort of the superin-
tendent, Charles L. Garrison, who devotes his best efforts to the interests
of the mill. He was born in New York on March 25. 1866, and is the son
of Edwin A. and Mary ( Phillips) Garrison.
Edwin A. and Mary ( Phillips) Garrison were also natives of the
state of New York, where they were educated in the public schools, grew
up and were later married. The}' were of Dutch descent; their forefathers
came to America before the Revolutionary War and took an important part
in the struggle for independence. As a young man Edwin A. Garrison
learned the carpenter trade, at which he worked in his native state until
1888, when he came to Blue Rapids, where he continued at his trade until
the time of his death in 1902, and his widow died at her home in Blue
Rapids in 1913. To them were born children as follow: George, Susan
and Charles L. George is now a resident of Gray county. Kansas, and
Susan Whitman is living in the state of New York.
Charles L. Garrison received his education in the schools of his native
state and there he grew to manhood. In February, 1887, he came to Kan-
sas and located at Blue Rapids, where he worked as a farm hand for six
years. He then entered the employ of the company with which he is still
engaged. He learned every department of the large business. He devoted
his best efforts for the success of the business, and seven years ago he was
appointed to his present position as superintendent. For a year he was
600 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
superintendent of the mill in Oklahoma, but returned to the mill at Blue
Rapids in 191 1.
Mr. Garrison was married in [906 to Susan M. Gilbert, of Colorado
Springs, Colorado, and to this union two son- have been born, Gilbert, aged
nine years, and Ellis, aged six years. .Mrs. Garrison i- an excellent woman
and she and her husband are attendants at the Methodisl Episcopal church.
Mr. Garrison is not identified with any political party, but he is an
independent, yet takes much interest in the affairs of his home district. He
is a member of the Ancient free and Accepted Masons and has attained
the Scottish Elite degrees. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen
1 America, Mr. Garrison has attained his high place in life through his
own efforts. Starting as a laborer, he is now a trusted employee, high in
authority in a large business.
HARRY M. BRODRICK.
llarry M. lirodrick. editor of the Advocate-Democrat at Marysville
and postmaster of that city. is a native of the old Hoosier state, but has
been a resident of Kansas practically all the time since he was ten years of
age. He was born in the city of Goshen, Indiana. December 31, [869, -on
of John II. lirodrick and wife, who came to Kansas in [879 and settled at
Osborne, where, in [88l, he then being but twelve years of age. llarry M.
Brodrick entered upon his journalistic career, working for the Osborne
Daily News.
Upon completing the course in the public schools at Osborne, Harry
M. Brodrick continued working for the Daily News awhile and then went
to Chicago, where he took a course in tlnj Metropolitan Business College,
upon completing which he returned to Osborne and began working there
a- a drug clerk, presently transferring his services to a bank in that city,
with which institution he was engaged for a year as a clerk. He then, in
[888, went to Marceline, Missouri, where his brother-in-law. S. K. Kuede.
hail started a newspaper, and began working on that newspaper, in [£
buying a half interest in the same and in that same year becoming the sole
owner of the paper. In [893 Mr. Brodrick sold his newspaper and went to
Alton. Kansas, becoming connected with the Alton City Bank at that place
and served as cashier of that bank until [895, when he returned to Marceline
and bought his old printing plant there, which he sold a year later and then
HARRY M. BRODRICK.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 6ot
returned to his native state, accepting there a position as business manager
of the Daily Review at Elkhart. In 1898 he resigned that position to be-
come the assistant manager and general credit man for the National Paper
and Supply Company at Elkhart, but presently, on account of the failing
health of his wife, resigned that position and returned to Kansas, locating
at Marysville, where he bought a half interest, with his brother-in-law, S. E.
Ruede, in the Advocate-Democrat and resumed his old calling at the "tri-
pod." Eighteen months later, Air. Brodrick bought Mr. Ruede's interest
in the paper and has since been the owner and editor of the same, giving
bis son, Lynn Brodrick, a partnership in the business in February, 191 3.
On March 1, 1914, Harry M. Brodrick received his commission as post-
master at Marysville and has since been serving in that important public
capacity.
On December 25, 1890, while living at Alton, this state, Harry M.
Brodrick was united in marriage to Emma L. Rosegrant, a daughter of
William L. and Anna ( Cheney ) Rosegrant. natives of Ohio, who came to
Kansas in 1879 and located at Alton, where Mr. Rosegrant was engaged
in the banking business until 191 1. Mrs. Brodrick's schooling was com-
pleted in the Central Female College at Lexington, Missouri, from which
institution she was graduated with the class of 1889. To Mr. and Mrs.
Brodrick two sons have been born, Lynn, a partner with his father in the
publication of the Advocate-Democrat and a biographical sketch of whom
is presented elsewhere in this volume, and Van C, who was born at Mar-
celine, Missouri, December 14, 1895, and who is a graduate of the Marys-
ville high school. Mr. Brodrick is a Democrat and the columns of his
paper ever have reflected the earnestness of his faith in the principles of
that party, the Advocate-Democrat long having been regarded as one of
the most influential party papers in this part of the state. In his fraternal
affiliations he is connected with the Masonic fraternity and with the Knights
of Pythias.
ANDREW D. HUTCHISON.
Andrew D. Hutchison, a well-known and prominent retired farmer of
Summerfield, Marshall county, was born in Ohio county, West Virginia, on
September 11, 1850, the son of Joseph and Nancy (Dennison) Hutchison,
both of whom were natives of that state.
002 MARSHALL COUNTYj KANSAS.
Joseph Hutchison was born on November 29, [823, and Nancy Dennison
Hutchison was born on July ;. 1N17. Thej received their education in the
public schools Ol their native state and there grew to manh 1 and woman-
hood and were married. For some years after their marriage, they con-
tinued to live in the state of then- nativity, when in 1855 they emigrated to
Illinois, where the) established their home "li a farm in Warren county.
Here Mr. Hutchison engaged in general farming and stock raising for many
years. ( )n August 15. [880, Nancy Hutchison died and five years later Mr.
Hutchison came to Kansas and made his home with his son, Andrew D.
I lis death occurred at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Joanna Millen. on
January 1. [894. He and Mrs. Hutchison were the parents of three chil-
dren as follow: \V. VV., of Greenfield, California; Mrs. Joanna Millen of
Pawnee comity. Nebraska, and Andrew 1).
Andrew I). Hutchison received his education in the schools of Illinois
and there grew to manhood and engaged in farming until [883, when he
came to Kansas and settled on a farm of eighty acres, just south of Summer-
field, in section i_\ Richland township, Marshall county. For this prairie
land he paid fifteen dollars per acre. hi [888 he purchased another eighty
acres that adjoined his original purchase. * >n this last tract there was a
house and some other improvements. The place has been greatly improved
since that time. The house is nicely located on well-kept grounds and the
barn is one of the best in the township. Mr. Hutchison engaged in general
farming and stock raising and was soon recognized as one of the substan-
tial and successful men of the county. In [913 he retired from the more
active duties of life and moved to Summerfield, where he now lives in his
beautiful home in that city.
Andrew I). Hutchison was united in marriage on February i<>, 1876, to
Sarah E. Brown, who was born in Warren county, Illinois, on April id.
[850, the daughter of Thomas and Phoebe (Giles) Brown. Her parents
were natives of Ohio, where the father was horn in 1819 and the mother
on January [2, [822. The Brown family were among the early settlers of
Illinois, having emigrated from their home in Ohio, and the Giles family
billed in the state in [834. Thomas I'.rown went to Iowa, but later returned
afool to Warren county, Illinois, where he purchased land, was married and
there established his home. He engaged in farming until [883, when he
came to Kansas with Andrew D. Hutchison, and settled on a farm in Rich-
land township, Marshall county, jusl south of Summerfield. It was here
that Thomas and Phoebe Brown made their home until the time of their
death-, she having died on January 24, H)0_\ and he on April 22, [908.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 603
They were among the prominent and highly respected people of the township
and were held in high esteem. They took much interest in the moral and
educational development of the community and were active in the early social
life. They were the parents of the following children: John L., farmer
and a resident of Summerfield ; W. R., a resident of Summerfield, engaged
in teaching and farming, and Sarah E., the wife of Andrew D. Hutchinson.
To Andrew D. and Sarah E. Hutchison have heen born the following
children : Hattie, Charles, Belle, and Arthur L. Hattie was born on Janu-
ary 7. itX^S, and is the wife of \Y. H. Fulwider, a clothing merchant of Sum-
merfield; Charles was born on June 17. 1880. and is engaged in general farm-
ing on his farm of eighty acres, two miles south of Summerfield ; Belle was
born on February 11, 188 J. and is the wife of H. B. Finlayson, of Wynne-
wood, Oklahoma, and Arthur L., who was born on May 21, 1891, is operat-
ing the old home place. Mr. and Airs. Hutchison are active members of the
United Presbyterian church, of which .Mr. Hutchison is an elder and attends
the sessions of the presbytery in his district. Mr. and Mrs. Hutchison take
much interest in the social and religious life of the community and are among
the prominent workers for the moral development of the district in which they
lived for so many years and where they are held in high regard. Mr. Hutch-
ison is identified with the Republican party and has always taken an active
interest in local affairs, but he has never been an office seeker.
Arthur L. Hutchison, second son of Andrew D. and Sarah E. Hutchison.
He received his education in the district schools and at the Summerfield high
school and later took a course of study at the Manhattan College. After
o mpleting his education he returned to the farm with the intention of taking
Up agriculture. He rents two hundred and thirteen acres, one hundred and
sixty of which is his father's old home farm. He is engaged in general
farming, and slock raising, making a specialty of high-grade stock. He has
exhibited many of his fine animals, which have received favorable comment.
In June, 1914. Arthur L. Hutchison was united in marriage to Haze.l F.
Hartman, who was born on February 17. 1892. at Cincinnati, Ohio, and is the
daughter of J. B. and Anna (Hultz) Hartman. Mrs. Hutchison received
her education in the public schools of Kansas and is a graduate of the high
school at Summerfield. Mr. and Mrs. Hartman were natives of the state
of Ohio and were there married. For some years after their marriage thev
continued to reside in Ohio, but later came to Kansas and located on a farm
in Xemaha county, and are now living at Centralia. Kansas, where thev are
prominent in the social life.
To Arthur L. and Hazel F. Hutchison has been born one child, Dale
604 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
I larimaii, whose birth occurred on May 21, [915. They arc members of
the United Presbyterian church and among the most prominent young people
of the county. Mr. Hutchison is identified with the Republican party and is
one of the well-known young men in that organization; he is progressive in all
the activities of life. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hutchison arc popular with their
friends and take much pleasure in the entertainment of their neighbors and
friends.
HENRY C. FOLUETT.
Coming to Walnut township, Marshall county, from his home in Williams
county. 1 >hio, where he was born on March [8, 1845, Henry C. Follett, the
son of Robert and Julia (Turner) Follett, lias met with success as a farmer
and stockman and has for many years been recognized as one of the substan-
tial and influential men of this county.
Robert and Julia Folletl were natives of the state of Massachusetts and
were among the early settlers in Williams county. Robert Follett had first
gone to Michigan, where he lived for a time, before coming to Ohio. The
journe) En m Michigan was a hard one and fraught with much danger. Roads
had to be cut through the brush and the timber, before the little party could
proceed. A home was established in Ohio and there the family lived until
March. [864, when they came to Doniphan county. There the father died on
July _), [867, at the age of eighty-five years and his wife died in [877 at the
age of eighty-five years. The father of Julia (Turner) Follett was a native
oi New |ersey and her mother was horn in Ohio. They were well-to-do farm-
ers and prominent in the social life of the community in which they lived, and
where they were held in high regard. The father died in Ohio in 1865.
To Robert and Julia Follett were born the following children: William,
Helen, Phoebe, Janette, Jerome. Henr) C. and three who died in infancy.
William is a retired farmer and now living in Williams county. Ohio; Helen,
who married a Mr. Pointer, died at her home in Holton, Kansas, on March 1,
[915. She was the mother of four children, one of whom died in infancy.
Phoebe Sing, who died some years ago, was the mother of two hoys; Janette
is the widow of Mr. Cronin and resides at Severance. Kansas; Jerome gave
his services to his country in the Civil War and was killed at the battle of the
Wilderni
Henry C. follett received his education in the local schools of Williams
county, < )hio, and there grew to manhood on the home farm, where he assisted
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 605
his father with the farm work. He remained at home until 1863, at which
time he enlisted in Company H, Thirty-eighth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer
Infantry, on February 9. of that year. He saw much active service and was
at the battles of Missionary Ridge, Buzzard Roost, Big Shanty, Jonesboro and
Atlanta. At the latter place he was taken from the battlefield and placed
in the hospital at Nashville, Tennessee, where he lay for two months with
typhoid fever, after which he was transferred to the hospital at Camp Dennison,
where he remained for another month. He then rejoined his company at
Atlanta, and went with them on the "march to the sea." He also joined in the
grand review at Washington and was discharged at Louisville, Kentucky, on
July 12, 1865. He was but seventeen years of age at the time he entered the
service, and his education had been much neglected. After his discharge, he
came to Kansas, where his parents were located in Doniphan county. He
remained in that count) until 1869, when he came to Marshall county and
homesteaded eighty acres of land in section 22, Walnut township, which is n< iw
a part of his fine farm of four hundred acres, all of which is in this section.
On his homestead he built one of the first frame houses between Waterville and
Marysville. He at once set to work to place his farm under cultivation and
improve it. One of the first things that he did was to plant an orchard, which
failed him : but three times he has planted an orchard, with a determination to
win. His farm is today one of the best developed and nicely improved in the
township, and here he engaged in general farming and stock raising, until 1908,
when he retired from the more active duties of life and moved to Waterville.
He was always an exact farmer and a believer in the best cultivation possible.
He kept a splendid lot of high-grade stock, including cattle, Clydesdale and
Norman horses and hogs. By hard work and excellent management he met
with much success and soon became recognized as one of the foremost farmers
and stockmen in the county. His home in Waterville is a modern two-story
house and one of the best in the little city. He is a stockholder in the lumber
company at Waterville and in the elevator company at Schroyer, Kansas, and
has ever been active in those enterprises that would tend to the growth and
prosperity of his community.
On January 16, 1868, Henry C. Follett was married to Aure E. Rose, the
daughter of Lewis and Julia ( Carr ) Rose, natives of the state of Ohio.
Mrs. Follett was born in Bryant, Williams county, Ohio, on July 5, 1850,
and died at her home in \Witerville, Kansas, on June 2$, 1913. To this
union two children were born, Elmer and Florence. Elmer is a farmer and
stockman of Walnut township, where he is respected as a man and as "a
citizen. Florence M. was first married to Victor Madison, a native of
VI \ksll VI I- COUNTY, KANSAS.
Washington county, Kentucky, and to this union three children were born.
Mr. Madison was killed -nine years ago by having an automobile turn over
on him. .Mrs. Madison later married Ed Green, a farmer of Burroak,
Kansas.
Politically, Mr. Follett is a stanch Republican and has ever taken a
keen interest in the affairs of his township. He is a member of the Knights
and Ladies of Security and of the Grand Army of the Republic.
PETER CHAMPAGNE.
The town of OketO, .Marshall county, has many well-known and prom-
inent retired resident-, among the number being Peter Champagne, who is
entitled to mention in the history of the county, he having had much to do
with its growth and development, lie was horn in France on July 5. 1S36,
the son of Joseph and Justine (Bay) Champagne.
Joseph and Justine ( Hay) Champagne were also natives of France and
there were educated grew to maturity and were later married. They spent
their early married life in France, when they decided to come to America.
During his life in his native land, Joseph Champagne engaged in fanning
and on his arrival in the United States, in [846, he established his home on
a farm in the state of Pennsylvania, where the wife and mother died the
same year the family came to this country. After the death of hi- wife.
.Mr. Champagne kept his family together until the time of his death in
[853, when the three younger children were given a home in the family
of an uncle. Peter, the other member of the family, decided to seek a home
for himself and located in the state of Illinois. Kmil and Frank later
enlisted in the Federal army during the Civil War and were never heard ol
In [861 I'eter Champagne enlisted in Company A, Twelfth Illinois
airy, and served in the Union army throughout the Civil War. He
served for a year and a half in the Army of the Potomac and was with
George Stoneman in his famous raid. At the end of his first enlistment
he came home and then re-enlisted and was assigned to the Department of
the Gulf under General Banks and took an active part in the campaigns in
thai section of the country. During hi- life as a soldier he was in the
following engagements: Dartsville, Virginia; Harper's Ferry, Antietam,
csquam, Stoneman Raid at Yorktown; Allie, Virginia; Summerville,
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Iiooiieshoro, Maryland; Benevola. Maryland:
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 6o7
Funkstom, Maryland ; Jones Cross Roads, Falling Waters, Chester Gap, Rap-
pahannock, Culpeper, Racoon Ford, Madison Court House, Summerville and
Prentville, Virginia. He received his discharge at Memphis, Tennessee, on
June 16, 1865, and was mustered out of the service at Camp Butler, Spring-
field, Illinois. After his discharge he returned to his old home in Pennsyl-
vania and for a year and a half he was engaged in the oil fields of that state.
In the spring of 1867 he came to Kansas, where he homesteaded a tract of
land in section 22, Oketo township, Marshall county. He later purchased
one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 15, making him a splendid
farm of three hundred and twenty acres. This he developed and improved
and later added to his tract until he is now the owner of five hundred and
sixty acres. He engaged in general farming for many years and met with
much success, both as a farmer and stockman. He has two sets of build-
ings on his extensive tract of land, but since 191 1 he has been retired from
the more active duties of farm life and has lived in Oketo, where he has a
fine home.
On September .20, 1868, Peter Champagne was united in marriage to
Elizabeth Suggett, who was born at Detroit, Michigan, on June 18, 1848,
and is the daughter of John and Cinda (Burgess) Suggett. Her parents
were natives of England and were for a number of years residents of Rock
Island, Illinois, before they came to Marshall county in i860, where they
died some years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Champagne had born to them the fol-
lowing children: Mary S., Victor B.. Eugene F., Grace B. and Ernest J.
Mary S. is now living with her father in Oketo; Victor B. died on Septem-
ber 10. 1913, and left five children, Boyd, Reba, Vere, John and Garth.
Eugene F. married Clara Farrend and they are living on the home farm ;
Grace B. is the wife of O. L. Poor; they are the parents of two children,
Carieton and Stanery ; the)- live in Los Angeles, California, and Ernest J.
is a farmer of Marshall county, where he is meeting with much success in
his chosen work.
Mr. and Mrs. Champagne were always interested in the affairs of the
township and the community in which they lived and where they were held
in the highest regard. They were regular attendants of the churches, and
liberal supporters of all projects that tended to the better moral and educa-
tional development of the district. Their interest in the schools had much
to do with the high standard of the educational institutions of the district.
Mrs. Champagne died in April, 1916, and was buried in Oketo cemetery.
Mr. Champagne has long been identified with the Republican party and
for many years has served his township as a member of the school board
6o8 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
ami was for two years trustee of the township. He conducted the affairs
of these offices with the same care which he gave to his own interests. He
was for a number of years a member of the Grand Army of the Republic
Post at Oketo. When that disbanded he became a member of the post at
Marvsville. Mr. Champagne is a man of the highest integrity ami because
ct his upright lite he has made fur himself many friends throughout the
d unty.
FRED OBERMEYER.
Fred Obermeyer, one of the well-known and successful farmers and
stockmen of Balderson township, Marshall county, was born in Bureau
county, Ulinois, on February 17. 1867, the son of Henry and Abbie (Gab
< (bermeyer.
Henry and Abbie (Gates) Obermeyer were natives of Germany. The
former was horn in the year t8l8 and the latter in 1823. They received
their primary education in the schools of their native land and later settled
in the United Slates. At the age of eighteen years, Henry Obermeyer de-
cided to leave the land of his nativity and seek a home in America. On
his arrival in this county he located for a time in the state of Xew York,
where he worked in order to get the money with which he could go West.
He later moved to Illinois, where he engaged in general fanning and stock-
raising until the time of his death. He and Mrs. Obermeyer, who died in
1893, were married in the state of Illinois, where they made their home for
many years and where the) were among the prominent and highly respected
people of the community in which they lived. They were members of the
Lutheran church and were prominent in all the social and religious activ-
ities .if the district. lie died in 1889.
Fred < Ibermeyer received his education in the schools of Illinois and
there he grew to manhood on the home farm, where as a lad and young
man he assisted his father with the work on the farm. When hut fourteen
years of age he assisted the farmers in the neighborhood as a farm hand at
eighteen dollars per mouth. lie remained in Illinois until i8i;S. when he
came to Kansas, and settled in Balderson township, Marshall county, where
he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of his present farm of two hun-
dred and forty-five acres, all of which is well improved and under a high
state of cultivation. The tract at the time of the original purchase was
MR. AND MRS. FRED OBERMEYER.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 609
undeveloped and unimproved, and Mr. Obermeyer had but thirty dollars,
with which to make his first payment.
On December 24, 1890, Fred Obermeyer was united in marriage to
Anna Wetzler, who was born in Green count}-, Wisconsin, on November
II, 1866, the daughter of Charles and Margrett (Heindel) Wetzler. Mr.
and Mrs. Wetzler were natives of Pennsylvania, where they received their
education in the public schools and there grew up and were married. Thev
later located in Wisconsin, where they lived until 1878, when they came to
Brown county, Kansas, where they resided until 1881, when they located
in Marshall county. Here they established their home on a farm and be-
came prominent in the social and the civic life of the district. They resided
on their home farm in the county until the time of their deaths, some years
ago. They were the parents of nine children, who became representative
citizens of the community in which they located.
To Fred and Anna (Wetzler) Obermeyer have been born the follow-
ing children : Wilda and Charles Russell. Wilda is now the wife of F.
Weber, one of the well-known residents of Franklin township, Marshall
county, and Charles Russell is now at home. Mr. and Mrs. Obermeyer have
long been active in the social and the moral life of the community. They
have ever taken the keenest interest in the educational and the physical
development of the township and county, in which they have lived for so
many years. Their lives have been active ones and they have accomplished
much that is worthy of note. They are progressive and hospitable people,
and one of their greatest pleasures is in the entertainment of their neigh-
bors and friends.
Air. Obermeyer is identified with the Democratic party, and while he
has never been an office seeker, he has taken the greatest interest in the affairs
of the township and count}-, and because of his high ideals and excellent
judgment, his advice is often sought in matters that pertain to the welfare
of the community. As a successful farmer and breeder of high-grade stock.
Mr. Obermeyer is recognized as among the most successful in the county.
He keeps the best of stock and among his herd of Shorthorn cattle and his
tine Duroc-Jersey hogs are to be seen some of the finest specimens of these
animals, their sires being selected with the greatest care. Mr. Obermeyer
and Mr. Smith have one of the finest thoroughbred Percheron horses, which
won the gold medal in France and was shipped to this country in 1914. He
is now five years of age and is a splendid specimen of his class. He was
obtained from Frank lams, of St. Paul, who imported him to this country.
In addition to his large interests on the farm, Mr. Obermeyer is in-
(39)
6lO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
terested in the State Bank at Marietta and is vice-president of the institu-
tion. He is also a stockholder and a director of the Farmers' Elevator Com-
pany of Marietta. He is a man of much ability and is possessed of rare
judgment and much business acumen, and is toda) recognized as one of
the substantia] and successful men of the county.
HEXRV MA1TLAXD.
One of the best known residents of Summerfield, Marshall county, is
Henry Maitland. who was born in Middlesex, England, on January 13,
1841, and is the son of James II. and Mary M. (Dupleir) Maitland. The
father was born in 1810. The parents were also natives of that country;
there they received their education in the public schools, grew to maturity
and there they died. The father was a great traveler. He had independent
means and visited many countries, among them this country. It was in
1826 that the father. James Maitland. came to the United States, and
remained here for some time. lie returned to England and married in
[839. lie intended to return to America, but he died in England in [867,
James and Mary Maitland were of good families, who were held in the
highest regard in the community in which they lived. They were ever
active in the social and the religious life of the district, and were honest
and thrifty people, who took the keenest interest in the moral and educa-
tional welfare of their children.
Henry Maitland received his education in the schools of England and
there -pent hi> early life. In 1S54 he came to America and located at
Haverhill, Massachusetts, where he was employed as a laborer. lie later
came to Illinois and in [863 he enlisted in the First Missouri Light Artil-
lery and did good service with the Union forces until the close of the Civil
War. He was at the battle of Black River near Vicksburg, and was in
the Atlanta campaign with General Sherman, and fought with the forces
of General Thomas at Franklin and Nashville, two of the hardest-fought
and most destructive battles of the war. Alter the war. Mr. Maitland
ated at Lebanon, Illinois, where he was married on December _'<). t8 5.
to Mary Douglas Clark, who was a native of County Down, Ireland, where
she was horn on September 14. [840. After their marriage they contin-
ued to live at Lebanon and at Trenton, Illinois, until [869, when they came
to Kansas, and established their home on a farm near Irving. Blue Rapids,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 6l I
Marshall county, and there Air. Maitland engaged in general farming and
stock raising, with much success until 1898, when he came to Summerfield,
and was at that time the second man to settle on what is now the site of
the city of Summerfield. The old Pawnee court house had been moved
here, and is now the residence of J. W. Woodward and family. On their
arrival. Airs. Maitland was startled by the local conditions and it was a
wonder to her what they were going to do. Mr. Maitland had prepared
a small house, fourteen by sixteen feet, in which he, his wife and five
children were to live. Not alone was the house to serve as a residence,, but
as an office for the father, who had been elected a justice of the peace. The
tiny shack was a decided contrast for Mrs. Maitland, who had just left a
comfortable home on the farm, near Irving. There was a rush to Sum-
merfield at that time, owing to the possibility of the town becoming a
railroad division point and property was selling rapidly. Mr. Maitland
says that he purchased five hundred dollars' worth of lots at the time and
did not know where his property was, owing to imperfect descriptions.
The town built up rapidly, most of the building being done on Front, Or
Railroad street and Main street was at that time a big ditch, and as such
remained until after the big fire some years ago. After the fire the dirt
and trash were thrown in the ditch and thus made Main street one of the
best roads in the country. It was then that the business houses began to be
located on this street.
During his residence in Illinois, after the war. Air. Maitland devoted
three years of his life to teaching, then after locating in Blue Rapids town-
ship he engaged in farming, also teaching. In the early seventies he taught
at the Lamb school house near Irving. Since taking up his residence in
Summerfield he has held the position of justice of the peace. He was
re-elected in 1916, and had no opposition, as both Democrats and Republi-
cans voted for him, he being a popular man and competent for the position
that he has held for so man)- years. He and his wife are active members
of the United Presbyterian church and have long been prominent in the
social and religious life of the district. Air. Maitland is a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic and holds his membership in the post at
Irving. He is also a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Alasons,
the Knights of Pythias and the Eastern Star. For thirty years he has
served as secretary of the Masonic lodge, he having been secretary of the
lodge at Irving before serving in that capacity at Summerfield. He served
for four years as trustee of Blue Rapids township, and since coming to
Summerfield has served as a member of the school board for many years.
6l2 MARSHAL! C01 \ l Y. KANSAS.
He taught school for a time in Blue Rapids township, and is the oldest
living school teacher in Marshall county, lie having taught in the county
as early as 1870.
Henry and Mary Maitland are the parents of the following children:
Clark, a barber of Kirksville, Missouri; Margaret Walter-, whose husband
i- a real-estate dealer of Aheline, Kansas; Martha Ryan, of Park, Gove
county. Kansas, where Mr. Ryan i- engaged in the hardware business;
Edward, of Hog-art. Georgia. Mr. and Mrs. Maitland celebrated their
fiftieth wedding anniversary on December 29, 1915, at which time they
received the congratulations of the resident population of their home city.
Many substantial presents were given them in token of the high regard in
which they are held by the home folks. Mr. Maitland is known as the father
of Summerfield, as he has been identified with the best interests of the place
since it was a wild tract of land. lie has always given his best efforts ti
iwth and development, and today take- the greatest pride in it- growth
and development.
FRED R. JOSEPH.
Among the prosperous and successful fanner- and stockmen of Mar-
shall county i- Fred l\. Joseph, who i- the owner of ninety-six acres ,,f the
best of land, much of which with the house and barn, is in the city limits
of Summerfield.
Mr. Joseph was horn in Benton county. Iowa, on Augusl 21, [867, the
son of Mathias and Elizabeth 1 Swer) Joseph. Mathias and Elizabeth Joseph
were natives of Frankfort, Germany, the former having been hom in 1832
and the latter in [830. When one year of age, Mrs. Joseph came with her
parent- to the United State- and located at Philadelphia, where the family
lived for many year-. In [850 Mathias Joseph, who received his education
in Germany, came to this country when he wa- eighteen year- of
age. lie also -ettled in Philadelphia and there he and Elizabeth Swer were
married. They continued to reside in that city until [854, when they came
to Iowa, where they established their home on a farm on which they
remained until 1856, when they moved to Iowa count}-. Iowa, where they
lived for one year, then coming to Mar-hall county. They purchased three
hundred and twenty acre- of land, on part of which is now located the city
of Summerfield. Mr. Joseph engaged in general farming and stock raising
for a nurriber of years and in 1SS1 sold one hundred and sixty acres of
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 613
the tract. He and his sons then purchased four hundred and eighty acres
at Barnes when the Indian Reservation was sold. On this farm he made
his home until the time of his death in 1896; his widow survived him until
1914.
Mathias and Elizabeth Joseph were the parents of the following chil-
dren: Alary, Charles C, W. H., John, Fred R., Airs. L. Wilson, .Martha
and M. G. Mary Hart is a resident of Benton county, Iowa; Charles C.
is a resident of Marshall county, and is a successful farmer north of Oketo;
W. H. lives at Lincoln, Illinois; John died in 1888; Airs. L. Wilson is a
resident of Cottage Hill township; Martha Roach died in Marysville in
1904, and M. G. is a farmer in Minnesota, where he is the owner of one
hundred and sixty acres of land.
Fred'R. Joseph received his education in the old Mission Creek school
house, and was reared on the home farm. At the age of twenty-two years
he was engaged as a traveling expert machinist and remained in that work
for four years. He then purchased a part of the old home farm at Sum-
merfield, consisting of ninety-six acres. Here he has erected a beautiful
eight-room house: a large barn, twenty-eight by thirty-six feet, a cattle
barn, sixteen by twenty-four feet, and a hog barn, ten by twenty-four feet.
The house is modern in every way, being supplied with water and bath and
is one of the substantial places of Summerfield.
In December, 1896. Fred R. Joseph was married to Mary Wooster, of
Beattie, Marshall county, the daughter of John Wooster and wife, well-known
people of that section of the county. To this union two children have been
born, Paul and Marie. Paul was born on January 13, 1899, and is now a
junior in the Summerfield high school; Marie was born on October 20, 191 5.
.Mr. and Mrs. Joseph are members of the Catholic church and have long been
prominent in the social life of the township. Mr. Joseph has always taken
a keen interest in local affairs, particularly those of Summerfield, in which his
father took so much interest when it was founded. At that time a part of
the original farm was platted, when he gave to the town a strip of land so
as to leave the streets open.
Mr. Joseph is identified with the Democratic party and is a great
admirer of President Wilson. Although he is not an ofifice seeker, he uses
his best efforts in the selection of good men to administer the affairs of the
township and the count}'. He is progressive and is an advocate of substan-
tial public improvements. Good roads and good schools are to him two
essential factors in the growth and development of any section. He is an
active member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
f)I4 M VRSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
JOHN HOWES.
Among the successful tanner- of oketo township, who deserve men-
tion in the history of Marshall county, is John Howes, trustee of his home
township and the owner of a farm of ninety-live acres of land. He was
born in the township on July 10, 1870, on the old homestead and is the
von of Thomas and Eliza ( Loveridge) Howes.
Thomas and Eliza Howes were born in England in 1S41 and there
grew to maturity. They were later married and in 1866 they derided to
seek a home in America. On their arrival in the United States they at
once came to Kansas and homesteaded a tract of land in Oketo township,
Marshall county. A log cabin was soon erected on the tract and in this
the little family lived for some years. At that time there were hut two or
three houses in Marysville. and the territory was sparsely settled. The
lir>t few \ears of their lives were hard ones and they experienced many of
the hardships of the early pioneer on the plains of Kansas. The farm in
time was thoroughly developed and improved and today Mr. Howes is
recognized as one of the suhstantial retired farmers and stockmen of his
township. During those early days both Mr. and Mrs. Howes took the
deepest interest in local affairs and were among the early advocates of the
establishment of good schools and the general development of the district.
They were the parents of the following children: Charles, Mary. John,
Lillie, Lottie, Esther, Louisa and Walter, and one who died in infancy.
Charles is now a resident of Pottawatomie county; Mary died in [899;
Lillie is the wife of John A. Triggs and resides in Oketo; Lottie is the
wife of S. T. Herring and they are residents of Oketo township; Esther
Gillette is a resident of the county: Louisa is the wife of Frank 'Human,
and is also a resident here, and Walter resides in Oketo township.
John Howes received his education in the schools of Blue Valley dis-
trict and attended during his first days in the old log school house. He
was reared on the home farm, where he assisted hi- father with the work
until he was twenty-nine years of age. when he engaged in farming for
himself. He then moved t,, his present home farm. On October 4. [899,
Mr. Howes was married to Mice Blackmer. who was horn on December
14. [876, on the old homestead in section _>8, Oketo township, and i- the
daughter of Marvin and Augusta (Graves) Blackmer. Her father was a
native of the state oi New York, her mother a native of Maine. They
were married in Illinois in [869 and came to Kansas, where they home-
steaded land in Oketo town-hip. Marshall county. The father was horn
.MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
615
in 1839 and died in 1893, and the mother was born in 1837 and died in
the year 1907. They were among the prominent people of the district in
which they lived and had much to do with the development of their home
township as well as the county. They were the parents of the following
children: Eva McNulty, who died in May, 1910; Ralph, who died at the
age of two years; Alice, the wife of John Howes; Marvin, a resident of
Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Mr. Howes has always taken a prominent part in the affairs of the
township and is one of the influential men of the district. For the past
eight years he has served as trustee of his home township and was chair-
man for nine years of the local school board, and during his membership
on the board the schools of the district took high rank among the schools
of the county. He is a prominent member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and of the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. and Mrs.
Howes are the parents of four children, Fred, Garth and Wayne, and one
that died in infancy. The}' are among the substantial people of the com-
munity and are held in the highest regard and esteem by all who know
them.
HENRY A. BERENS.
Henry A. Kerens, a well-established and successful merchant of Sum-
merfield, Marshall county, was born in Carroll county, Iowa, on January 28,
1876, the son of Clemmens and Marie Berens.
Henry A. Berens received his education in the public schools of his
home locality and grew to manhood on the farm, and as a lad assisted with
the farm work. After completing his education in the common schools he
attended the Dennison Normal school and later completed a course in a
business college. He then became bookkeeper and cashier for the large
department store of J. P. Miller & Company for five years. He was then
married and moved to Elkton, South Dakota, where he purchased a general
store and engaged in business for himself until 1906, when he sold the busi-
ness and came to Summerfield, Kansas. Here he purchased a stock of goods
valued at twelve thousand dollars. This store he developed into one of the
finest in this section of the county. He put in an up-to-date stock of goods,
and today with his twenty-thousand-dollar stock he is one of the prominent
and successful business men of the county. In addition to his extensive mer-
cantile business, he is the owner of four hundred acres of the best land in
6l6 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Pawnee and Marshall counties. He also has one hundred and twenty-five
acres that adjoins the incorporation of Summerfield, where he is feeding one
hundred and seventy-five head of cattle. He taker- much interest in the rais-
ing of Shorthorn cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs. He now has over two. hun-
dred head of hogs, that are recognized as among the very best in the county.
Henry A. Berens has always taken an active interest in the local affairs
of the district, and is recognized as an independent Republican. Six years
ago he was elected to the city council and i- -till a member of that body. \-
a member of the council his work and influence have been of great value to the
development of the city, lie has given the best service and ha- devoted his
ability to the interests of the city. During his tenure of office, it lias been
his ambition to do good for the people. In this he ha- been successful and
today he is known as a true representative "f the people.
In 1902 Henry A. Berens was united in marriage to Elenora Heiman.
the daughter, of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Heiman. Elenora (Heiman) Berens
was born in [880, in Nemaha county, Kansas, and there .-he received her
education in the common schools. To Mr. and Mr-. Berens have been born
two children, Beatrice, who was born on April 19, 1906, at Elkton, South
Dakota, and Xorbert, who was born on November 23, [910, at Summerfield,
Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Berens are members of the Catholic church at Sum-
merfield, and are prominent in the social life of the district. One of their
greatest pleasures is the entertainment of their neighbors and friend-.
HERMAN R. FISHER.
Herman R. Fisher, well-known florist at Marysville and the proprietor
of a well-established and flourishing greenhouse in that city, i- a native of
Germany, but has been a resident of this country since he was three years
of age. He was born in West Prussia on May _>_•. [867, -on of Christian
and Louise (Schultz) Fisher, native- of that same country, who were the
parent- of seven children, of whom the subject of tin- -ketch wa- the la-t-
born and of whom h\x- are -till living.
Christian Fisher was a laborer in his native country and died there in
the year 1870, after which, in that same year, his widow and her three
youngest children came to this country and located at Milwaukee. Wis-
consin. Mrs. Fisher was without money and shortly after her arrival at
Milwaukee two of her children were stricken with typhoid fever. For a
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 617
time the little family was compelled to live in an old barn and the outlook
for brighter days in the new country was far from promising'. Some time
later Airs. Fisher married John Gerber, a farmer, who settled in Blue Earth
county, Minnesota, but later returned to Milwaukee, where Airs. Gerber
spent her last days, her death occurring in 1897, she then being seventy-four
years of age.
Herman R. Fisher was but a child when his mother and his stepfather
settled in Minnesota and he there received a limited education in the district
school in the neighborhood of his home in Blue Earth county. At the age
of ten years lie started out working for himself, working on his brother's
farm and helping to clear the same of the growth of timber that cumbered
the same, at an early age driving an ox-team and hauling logs to the saw-
mill. He worked on farms in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois and then
returned to Milwaukee, where he took employment in the machine shops
of E. P. Allis & Company. He later began working on a fruit and vege-
table farm and was thus engaged for two years, there acquiring his liking
for the line of endeavor in which he later was destined to become so suc-
cessful, floral culture in his case being the outcome of the experience he
gained in the culture of fruits and vegetables on that Milwaukee truck
farm. Mr. Fisher later worked at various jobs and in 1901 started to work
in a Milwaukee greenhouse, presently being promoted to the position of
foreman in the same. Later he became a traveling florist and before he
eventually settled down had worked as a florist in eighteen states. He was
located at Falls City, Nebraska, for six months and in 1910, a few months
after his marriage, moved to Marysville, this county, where he engaged
in the greenhouse business in partnership with D. VonRiesen. That part-
nership continued for nine months, at the end of which time Mr. Fisher
bought his partner's interest in the business and has since been conducting
the same alone.' being now the owner of a very substantial and well-devel-
1 ped property, where his extensive and well-equipped greenhouses stand,
and has long been regarded as one of the leading florists in this part of the
■-t;ite, demands for his products being much more than merely local. Mr.
Fisher located at Marysville with but little capital, but by the exercise of
his rare skill and sound judgment in business has prospered and has built
up a fine business in his line. Mr. Fisher is "independent" in his political
views, but has ever given his intelligent attention to local civic affairs and
has rendered valuable service to the community as a member of the Marys-
ville city council.
6l8 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
On October 20, iw<«). at Kansas City, Missouri, Herman k. Fisher
was united in marriage to Tessie Cupples, who was born at Eldorado, Kan-
sas, July 28, [883, daughter of John and Elizabeth 1 Long) Cupples, natives
• it" the state of Pennsylvania, the former a carpenter, who arc now living
Eldorado, where Mrs. Fisher was reared and where she received her school-
ing. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher arc earnest and active members of the Methodist
church at Marysville and Mr. Fisher is a member of the board of trustees
of the same and the leader of the "gospel team" in the men's Bible class in
the Sunday school. Mr. Fisher is a Royal Arch Mason and a Knight Tem-
plar and has held numerous Masonic offices, taking a warm interest in the
affairs of that ancient organization. At this writing he is occupying the
chair of worshipful master of the lodge at MarysviHe. The success that
Mr. Fisher has attained he attributes to hi- efforts of trying to lead a
Christian life. lie. for one. thinks SO, and wishes that everyone who re
hi- biography would do the same. lie says he knows it pay.-.
HENRY ( . WATERS.
Anions the substantial and well-known men of OketO, Marshall county,
w Ik i hi ilds the respi msible pi i-iti' in 1 if agent f< >r the railroad company, is 1 leiiry
( '. Water-, who was horn on March S. iN4<). at Alcxandervillc. Ohio, the -mi
of Thomas ami Alary (Cabin) Water-, who were natives of Pennsylvania.
They were educated in the common schools of that stale, and there they -pent
their early year- and later were married.
Thomas Waters was horn in the year [818, the same year that his future
wife first saw the light of day. After their marriage they established their
home on a farm in their native -tate and they resided there until 1S45. when
they moved to a farm in Ohio. There they lived in Montgomery county until
[869, when Mr. Waters came to Iowa. With his family he made the trip to
Washington county with horses and wagon, enduring many of the hardships
of such means of travel over poor roads and an unknown territory, lie estab-
lished himself on a farm in Washington county, where he resided until his
death in [899. Me vva- a hard-working man and a first-class farmer and
stockman, lie developed hi- tract of land into one of the ideal farms of the
county and was recognized as one of the substantial farmers. His wife met
her death in [872, having been killed by a terrific storm that passed over that
section of the country. She vva- a woman of high ideal- and by her kindly
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 619
disposition made many friends in her western home, who moured her untimely
death.
Thomas and Alary Waters were the parents of the following children :
Solomon, William, Simon. Samuel, George, Henry C, Thomas and Eliza-
beth. Solomon, now deceased, was a farmer and during the Civil War he left
his home and gave several years to the service of his country ; William, also
deceased, served during some of the hard campaigns of the Civil War, and
after his honorable discharge he returned to the farm and became a farmer
and stockman; Simon, now a resident of Posttown, Ohio, and his brothers,
Samuel and George, also enlisted ; Samuel and George are now both deceased;
Thomas is a resident of Washington county, Iowa, and Elizabeth Van Circle
resides at Westchester, Iowa.
Henry C. Waters received his education in the public schools of Ohio'
and was reared on the home farm, where he assisted his father with the farm
work. He remained at home until he was eighteen years of age, when he
started in life for himself. In 18S1 he was employed as station agent for the
Union Pacific railroad and served in that capacity at several stations, with
singular success. In 1889 he was transferred to his* present position, where he
has secured the confidence of the public and the railroad company. He is a
man of pleasing qualities and is held in the highest esteem.
On New Year's Day, 1884, Henry C. Waters was united in marriage to
Alary Jane Watkins, who was born in Iowa in 1862. When but a child Iter
parents moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where they lived for many years, and
were among the prominent residents of that place. Mrs. Waters has spent
the greater part of her married life in Oketo, where she has made many friends.
Mr. and Mrs. Waters are the parents of five children, as follow: Henry,
assistant cashier of the Oketo State Bank; Olive, postmistress of Oketo; Dott
and Charlotte, both teaching in Marshall county, and Charles, attending college
in Kentucky. Mr. Waters is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons and has ever taken the warmest interest in the good of the order.
IOHN LINK.
John Link, a successful farmer and a well-known resident of Marysville
township, Marshall county, was born in Germany on April 27, 1838, the son
of Martin and Elizabeth (Homan) Link.
Martin Link was born in Germany in 1800 and received his education in
the common schools and grew to manhood on the farm. He was later married
MARSHALL < ' >l N IV. KANSAS.
tn Elizabeth Homan, who was born in [800 and received her education in the
public schools. After their marriage they established their home on a farm, and
were engaged in farming until the time id' their death-, the father's death
having occurred in [872 and the mother's in 1859. They were devout members
of the Catholic church and took much interest in all church work. They were
the parent- of six children, as follow: Fronie, who came to the United States
and located in Illinois, where she died -dine years ago; Gertrude is now
deceased; Valentine i- deceased; .Mary Berger resides near Herkimer, Logan
township, Alar-hall county; John i- the subject of this sketch, and Fred is
deceased.
John Link received his education in the schools of his native land and
there grew to manhood, and at the age of fourteen years he started in life for
himself. lor many years lie worked in Germany as a farm hand and in 1867
he decided to come to America. On In- arrival in this country he located in
Illinois, where he worked by the month for eighl \ears. when he rented a farm
for three years. During the years that he rented he was unable to -axe any-
thing and lost much that he had made in the former years, lie then came to
Kansas, and for three years he worked in Marysville as a laborer, after which
he rented a farm near that city and was thus enagged for nine year-, lie then
purchased one hundred and forty-nine acre- of good land near Marysville and
here he ha- since made hi- home. While he ^till lives on the farm, he has for
the im> si pan retired from the more active duties of farm life, his -on now
■ iperating the place
In [874 John Link was united in marriage to Catherine Leupold, a native
of Germany. Her parents were also native- of that country, where the) were
married and died some years ago. There were three children in the family,
all oi whom are now deceased. Catherine Leupold was horn on November 25,
[848, and received her education in the public school- of Germany ami there
grew to womanhood. She later came to the United State- and located in La
Salle county. Illinois, where she worked for three years before her marriage.
After their marriage they continued to live in Illinois for some years, and then
Mr. and Mr-. Link came to Kansas and located in Marshall county. The)
later established their home on a farm in Marysville town-hip. and here Mrs.
Link died on April u. [915. Mrs. Link was a member of the German Luth-
eran church and Mr. Link was a member of the Catholic church. They were
ever active in all church work, and were for many years prominent in the social
life of the community They were the parents of the following children:
Amelia. Elizabeth, John. George \\\. Vnna, 11. F.. Katie. John G., Marie and
William M. Amelia, horn on September 22, 1875 i- now at home with her
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 62 I
father; the first John died in infancy; Elizabeth Cottrell was born on Feb-
ruary 12, 1877, is now a resident of Marshall county, where Mr. Cottrell is a
farmer and stockman; George W., born on May 7, 1880, is now a farmer of
South Dakota; Anna Newman, born on March 16, 1882, is now a resident of
Oketo, where her husband is a farmer; B. F., born on February 23, 1886, is a
farmer near Home City; John, born on July 17, 1888. is on the home farm;
Marie Cumro born on March 14, 1890. is now a resident of Herkimer town-
ship, where her husband is a fanner and stock raiser ; Katie Paper, born on
December 3, 1884, died at the age of twenty-four years, and William M.. born
on September 29, 1892, is now at home.
JOSEPH C. DICKEY.
Joseph C. Dickey, who was born at Catawba, Ohio, in 1838, was for
many years before his death, on April 20, 1903, one of the prominent and
highly respected residents of Marshall count}'. He grew to manhood in
Ohio, and there received his education in the public schools. As a lad he
learned the trade of a blacksmith, and before the Civil War he came to
Indiana, where he worked at his trade for a number of years. After Ft.
Sumter had been fired upon, and President Lincoln had called for volunteers.
Mr. Dickey was one of the first to offer his services in the defense of the
Union. He enlisted in an Indiana regiment for one hundred days service,
and while crossing the Potomac river he was made a prisoner, but was later
released. At the end of his first enlistment he returned home, but in 1863 he
re-enlisted in the One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Regiment, Indiana Volun-
teer Infantry, and saw much active campaigning. Owing to illness be was
obliged to return to his horrie, one month before his regiment returned. He
was at the battles of Antietam and Chickamauga, as well as many other en-
gagements. For braverv and efficient service he was made lieutenant of his
company, and later, captain.
While home on a furlough, Joseph C. Dickey was united in marriage to
Mary Stewart, who was born at Urbana, Champaign count}-, Ohio, on Novem-
ber 12, 1842. She was the daughter of Louis M. and Hannah Stewart, both
of whom were natives of Ohio. They were a highly respected and a most
patriotic people, and two of their sons were also in the service, Robert T-.
who died at Sweetwater. Tennessee, and Theodore. After their marriage,
Mr. and Mrs. Dickey established their home at South Whitley, Indiana, where
'•_'_' MARSHALL C01 VI Y. KANSAS.
Mr. Dickey worked at liis trade. He operated his blacksmith shop at that
place until [869, when he and his family came to Kansas, where they located
at Waterville, Marshall county, when the town was jusl starting, lie estab-
lished and operated the firsl shop in the town, and from the beginning had
nn. re work than he could do. The freighters of those days required the
services of a blacksmith and to Mr. Dickey much of their work was brought.
Mis first ship was but a small shanty, but in the early seventies he built a
Stone structure, which he later enlarged to accommodate his many patrons.
He was a first-class workman and honest, and he soon had an extensive busi-
ness, becoming well known throughout the district.
Joseph C. Mickey was a man who took great interest in local affairs and
had much to do with the civic life of his home town as well as the county.
lie was a strong advocate of substantia] public improvements, and was espe-
cially interested in good roads and good schools. For a number of years he
served as a member of the hoard of county commissioners, and from 1884 to
[888 was the postmaster of Waterville. He homesteaded eighty acres and
purchased eighty acres, shortly after coming to the state. His farm was
increased until he became the owner of a splendid tract of two hundred
acres east of Waterville, which Mrs. Dickey sold in 11114 for twelve thou-
sand dollars. During the last years of his life he looked after his property
erests, having retired from his work as a blacksmith, lie was a useful
citizen, and his ability was recognized by the people of his home town, who
vd him to many local offices, lie was long a member of the Grand
Army of the Republican, and was made a Mason at a called meeting, before he
entered the service as a soldier. The latter order was always to him the
itesl of fraternal bodies. To them he always felt that he owed his life,
for while a prisoner of war. his condition was such that he developed scurvy,
and was about to die from starvation, when he gave the sign of distress and
help came to him at on<
To James ( '. and Mary Dickey were horn three children. William Louis,
Ray and Daisy. William Louis was horn on September 30, [866, and grew
to manhood and was educated in Marshall county. lli> death occurred on
March n. [897, the result of a surgical operation: Ray. who was born on Sep-
tember 23, 1869, is the electrician for the light plant at Blue Rapids. Hi
married to llallie Thompson and they are the parents of two children. Don-
ald, in a hank at Topeka, and Creta, at home. Daisy was horn on Februarj
3, [876, and is now the wife of Frank Keefover; they reside at Tacoma,
Washington. Before coming to Waterville. Mr. Dickey was a member "i
die Lutheran church, and for many years after locating in Marshall county,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 623
he attended the Methodist Episcopal church, of which his wife was an active
member.
Air. and Mrs. Dickey were always active and prominent in the social
and the religious life of the community in which they lived anil where they
were held in the hghest regard. To them has -been due much of the credit
for the high moral and social standing of the little city of Waterville. Mrs.
Dickey takes much interest in her church work, and has long been active in
the Woman's Relief Corps and the Order of the Eastern Star and is also a
member of the Rebekah lodge and of a fraternal insurance societv.
GEORGE PETERSOX.
George Peterson, one of the substantial and highly respected retired res-
idents of Waterville, Marshall county, was born on March 17, 1849, in Den-
mark, and is the son of Peter and Martha Peterson, both of whom were
natives of that country and there spent their lives. George Peterson received
his education in the schools of his native land and there lived until he was
twenty-four years of age. He then came to the United States and arrived
in this country without funds and among strangers and amid strange condi-
tions. He at once came to Kansas and located in Doniphan county, where he
worked for twenty dollars per month as a farm hand, the greater part of
his time being employee! in the cutting of hazel brush. After a time he
located on a piece of land of his own and engaged in general farming with
success. After having lived for eleven years in Doniphan county he sold his
farm and came to Waterville, and in 1883 he purchased one hundred and
sixty acres of land in Walnut township. The tract at that time was all wild
land, and had to be broken and improved by Mr. Peterson. In time the place
became one of the ideal farms in the township, and here he engaged in general
farming and stock raising until October, iqoS, when he moved to Water-
ville, where he has a splendid home. His house is situated on a beautiful
tract in the corporation and is one of the pretty places of the little city.
In 1885 George Peterson was married to Elsie M. Nelson, who was born
in Denmark on September 23, 1858, and died at her home in Waterville,
Kansas, on February 8, 1916. Mrs. Peterson came to the United States in
1884 at the time when Mr. Peterson returned to this country after a visit to
his native land. It was on this trip that they became acquainted and two vears
later they were married at Hiawatha, Kansas. Mrs. Peterson was an excel-
r,_'4 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
lent woman, and always took much interest in her husband's affairs, assisting
him during their man} years of happy married life. During her residence in
Waterville and in the township, she made many friends by her kindly dispo-
sition and her readiness to assist in sickness and trouble. Her life was well
spent and at lar death, she was mourned by a large circle of friend-, who
knew that a g 1 woman had gone to her reward. Mr. Peterson has always
taken much inteersl in the affars of the district and has had much to do with
the development of one of the finest sections of Mar-hall county. Coming
to this country without fund-, he has by his own efforts risen to a position
i f influence and is recognized as one of the substantial men of the county.
To Mr. and Mrs. Peterson were born two children. Margaret Sophia and
\niia Dorotha. Margaret Sophia is the wife of George Downard, a pro-
gressive young fanner of the county, who is now operating the farm for Mr.
Peterson. Mr. and Mr-. Downard are the parents of two children. I Ian .Id
Edward and Elsie Geraldine, both of whom are at home with their parent-.
Anna Dorothy received her primary education in the district school- of the
town-hip and of Waterville: she is now at home with her father.
Mr. and Mr.-. Peterson were members of the Lutheran church. Mrs.
Peterson was a regular attendant and took considerable interest in all church
services, and was one of the active worker- in the local society. Mr. Peter-
son is -till a member of the church at Waterville and, when able, attend- the
services. The daughters were reared in the faith of that church and have
remained active members. The family i- held in high regard in the com-
munity and are prominent in the social life of the town.
Mr. Peterson has a pleasing personality; he is a hospitable and pleasing
entertainer. He can tell many interesting tale- of his early life in hi- native-
land, as well as his experiences when first he came to the United State-.
JAMES WASHINGTON DENTON.
lames Washington Denton, deceased, formerly one of the prominent
and successful residents of Biglow town-hip. Mar-hall county, was horn
in Bath county. Kentucky, on April -•->. 1843, :u,(1 was tne son "' Abraham
and Elizabeth Denton, who were Southern people and lived their live- in
the South.
lame- Washington Denton was united in marriage on December 1.
[866, to Caroline Jack-on. also a native of Kentucky. They established
JAMES W. DENTON.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 6-?5
their home in the state of their nativity and there they resided until 1871,
when they decided to locate in the state of Kansas, where they might
better have an opportunity to obtain a home for themselves and those de-
pendent upon them. They left their home at Owensville by stage and pro-
ceeded to Maysville, Kentucky. From there they proceeded by boat to
Cincinnati, Ohio, and from there to Barrett, Kansas, by railroad. From
Barrett they journeyed to Springside, Kansas, with horses and wagon, and
there they established their first home in the new state. Mr. Denton home-
steaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in Marshall county, but con-
tinued to maintain his home in Pottawatomie. He engaged in the cattle
business, and bought and shipped many head. He proved up on a claim
he had made in Pottawatomie county, and there he lived for nineteen years.
In 1894 he sold the farm and purchased the farm of W. J. Williams, in
Bigelow township. Marshall county. This farm, of fourteen hundred acres,
was located near Irving, and here he engaged extensively in general farm-
ing and stock raising until 1906, when he moved to Irving, where he lived
until the time of his death on May 19, 191 5. During his active life on the
farm he kept many cattle and for many years delivered to the markets some
five hundred head. His aim was to keep only the best stock, to which he
gave the most careful care and attention, and when placing them on the
market he received the highest prices. As a farmer and stockman he was
recognized as one of the most successful in the county. Few men in this
section of the state attempted either farming or the handling of stock on
so large a scale. He was a man of great ability and was able to master
large business interests. He was most systematic and conservative, and
was possessed of keen business acumen.
He was a member of the Republican party and while taking the great-
est interest in the civic life of the district, he was not a seeker after office.
Being a man of pronounced convictions and possessed of a wide range of
information, his advice was often sought in matters that pertained to the
welfare of the community, as well as for individual advice relative to finan-
cial matters. He was an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church
and was a liberal supporter of the local society. He was a member of the
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and of the Order of the Eastern Star.
James Washington and Caroline Denton were the parents of four
children as follow: George H., Elizabeth, Ida M. and Roscoe. George is
a well-known and successful farmer and stockman, living six miles north
of Frankfort, Kansas. He married Gertrude Dexter and they are the par-
ents of two children, Kenneth and George W. Elizabeth is the wife of
(4o)
MARSH \l.l. < hi \ IV, KANSAS.
I'. ( '. McCall, nf Mar-hall county, and they live on the old home place. They
are the parents of three children, Denton, Luceil and Elizabeth. Ida M.
tiughes is a resident of Fulton, Missouri, and Roscoe i- a successful farmer
and stockman, lie is married to Alena Boyd and they are the parents oi
two children, I la/el and Kale Everett.
Few people of the count) have ever been held in higher regard than
have -Mr. and Mrs. Denton. They were a most estimable people and they
had many friends throughout the county and were most active in all that
tended to make better and greater tlie county wherein they resided. In the
social, educational, religious and the general activities of the district, they
were always active and influential. Mr-. Denton i- also a member of the
i (rder of the Eastern Star and hold- the office of Martha in that organiza-
tion. While their early lives in the -tate were fraught with hardships,
they ever remembered their duty to society.
THOMAS DEVER.
Many men and women of Ohio have come to the -tate of Kansas, where
they have played an important part in the development of the state. These
representatives of the eastern state have entered into the business life and
agricultural pursuits, attaining much success. Among the number who have
come to Kansas from Ohio is Thomas Dever, now a retired farmer and one
of the prominent men of Mar-hall county, lie was horn on December 4.
[846, in Tuscarawas county. Ohio, the -on of Andrew and Elizabeth (Wise)
1 )ev er.
Andrew Dever was horn in Ireland in [813, and remained a resident of
his native land until he was eight year- of age. At that time hi- parents
decided to come to America and seek a home. The parent- had received their
education in the schools of their native land ami were familiar with the condi-
tion- of that country. There was little in life for them in their native land,
and being of a progressive nature, they were anxious to have a home of
their own. On their arrival in the United State- in [867, they established
their home in Ohio, where they lived for a time and later moved to Hancock
county, Illinois, where the father died in [882. Mrs. Dever. the wife of
Andrew Dever, was horn in ( >hio in [817 and died in [891, her parents being
native- of the state of Pennsylvania.
To Andrew and Elizabeth (Wise) Dever were horn the following chil-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 627
dren : Richard, Thomas. Mary. Augustus, Alice, Mattie, John and one that
died in infancy. Richard is now a retired farmer and is one of the well-
respected residents of his home community; Mary C. Wise is a resident of
Keokuk. Iowa ; Augustus lives near St. Louis, Missouri ; Alice is now deceased;
Mattie died some years ago, and John lives at Adrian, Missouri. Mr.
and Mrs. Dever were prominent people in their home district, where they were
held in the highest regard. They took much interest in the development of
the county and were particularly interested in the schools and the moral
development of the community.
Thomas Dever received his education in the common schools of Ohio
and was reared on the home farm. He remained at home until he was
twenty-seven years of age, when he rented land and worked for himself
in the state of Illinois. He later purchased eighty acres of land in that state,
which he farmed for three years; he then sold the tract and in 1884 came
ti 1 Kansas, and purchased one hundred and twenty-six acres of land in sectii >n
14, Oketo township, Marshall county. At the time he made the purchase there
were no improvements on the place, with ,the exceptions of a house and a
well. Soon after establishing himself on the farm, he began the task of making
improvements, and soon had one of the well-developed farms in the town-
ship. He spent over three thousand dollars on the farm, in order to make it
one of the ideal places in the county. As he prospered in his work as a general
farmer and stockman, he purchased more land and is now the owner of two
hundred and thirty acres and one hundred and sixty acres in Howard county,
Texas, and is today known as one of the substantial and successful men of
the district.
Mr. Dever was one of a family of eight children, he being the second
born, and during his early life had much to do with the improvement of the old
home place. There he learned the principles of farming and stock-raising, in
which he later engaged, and at which he remained until 1908, when he
retired to Oketo, where he now lives, but looks after his large land interests.
In addition to his farming interests he is interested as a shareholder of the
Farmer's Co-operative Store at Oketo.
Thomas Dever has been twice married. He was first united in mar-
riage in 1876 to Mary A. Esterbrook, the daughter of Alonzo and Pollv
(Rucker) Esterbrook. Polly (Esterbrook) Dever was born in Hancock
county, Illinois, in 1859 and died in 1896. To this union seven children were
born: Bina. Clarence. Earl, Pearl, Guy E.. Ray E. and Edith. Bina, Clarence,
Earl, Guy E. and Edith are now deceased. Pearl is the wife of Frank Costello,
a resident of Florence, Colorado: Ray is a resident of Imperial, Nebraska.
fu* MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
After the death of Mary A. Dever, Thomas Dever married to Mrs. Lydia
(Van Vacter) Esterbrook, in [900. Mrs. Dever was born in 1871 in Prince-
ton, Missouri, and died in 1004. To this union two children were born, Eleta
1!. and Lydia (1 . both of whom are at home, with their father.
Mr. Dever and his family have long been members of the Methodist
church and have taken much interest in all church work and the moral develop-
ment cf the county. For many years, Mr. Dever has served as a trustee of the
local church and has had much to do with it- growth and development He
has always taken a great interest in local affairs and has served as a member
of the school board, as road overseer and mayor cf the city of Oketo, and
during his two terms as mayor, many improvement- were made, and the
little city now ranks with the best in the county.
WILLIAM STRAYER, M. D.
In the memorial annals of Marshall county there are few names entitled
to more prominent mention than that of the late Dr. William Strayer. one
ot' the pioneer physicians of this part of the state, who died at his home in
Axtell in [916. Doctor Strayer was a native of Ohio, hut had been a resi-
dent of Marshall county since 1882 ami had thus been a witness to ami a
participant in the development of this county since pioneer days and an
active mover in all cause- having to do with the advancement ot the com-
mon welfare in this part of Kansas. He was horn at Royalton, in Fairfield
county, Ohio. January 8, [852, -on of Abraham W. and Ellen M. (Cross)
Strayer. the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania, of German
ancestry, and the latter of whom was horn in Virginia, a daughter of John
Cross and wife, of English ancestry. Abraham W. Strayer died at Royal-
ton in [866, in the fifty-second year of hi- age. John Cross wa- horn March
2, 1761, and died Vpril 22, 1S47. He wa- a soldier in the Revolutionary
War. serving a- a private in a company of light horsemen under Col. William
Washington. Mr-. Strayer, just previous to her death, was one of four
real Daughter- of the Revolution.
Reared at Royalton, William Strayer received hi- elementary education
in the schools of that place, and at the age of seventeen year- began teaching
school. He later took a course in the Northern Normal University at
Lebanon, Ohio, and then, having determined to engage in the practice of
medicine as a life'- profession, entered the medical college at Columbus,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
62CJ)
Ohio, and was graduated from that institution on February 25, 1878. After
receiving his diploma he opened an office at Royalton, where he continued
in practice until his removal to Kansas in 1882. Upon coming to this state,
Doctor Strayer located at Beattie and was there engaged in practice until
in February, 1887, when he moved to Axtel, where he continued in active
practice until failing health compelled his retirement during the later years
of his life and where he spent his last days, his death occurring on Febru-
ary 11, 1916. Doctor Strayer suffered a stroke of paralysis in March, 1910,
and was an invalid during the remaining six years of his life.
During the long period covered by Doctor Strayer's active practice in
Marshall county, there were few figures in the county, and particularly in the
eastern part of the county, more familiar than his. his travels in behalf of
suffering humanity taking him over a wide stretch of country. For more
than a score of years he occupied the same suite of offices at Axtell and there
was no one in the town who gave more unselfishly of himself for the bet-
terment of the community than he. Doctor Strayer did not slavishly tie
himself down to his practice, but at intervals in his long professional career
found relaxation and recreation in travel, he having, at one time and another,
visited nearly every state in the Union. He was president of the Missouri
Valley Medical Association and ever took an active interest in the same, as
well as in the affairs of the Marshall County Medical Association, the Kansas
State- Medical Association and of the National Medical Association, of all
of which organizations he was an active member. Doctor Strayer was a
constant student of his profession and ever kept abreast of the wonderful
advancement made in medical and surgical science, to the day of his death
keeping in touch with the amazing developments being made along these
lines. Although physically weak, his mind retained its strength right up to
the last and the Doctor maintained an unceasing interest in current affairs.
Doctor Strayer was a Republican and for many years was looked upon
as one of the leaders of bis party in Marshall county, though in the memorable
campaign of 19 12 his sympathies were with the progressive wing of the
party. He was not an aspirant for public office and the only such office he
held was that of county health officer, in which capacity he served with
much value to the community at large for a period of six years, or three terms
of two years' duration each. Doctor Strayer was a Presbyterian from the
days of his boyhood, and for years was an elder in the Presbyterian church
at Axtell, retaining that connection until the day of his death. He was a
member of the Masonic order, being a Knight Templar, and had entered the
temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mvstic Shrine.
MARSHALL < OUNTY, KANSAS.
He was also a member of the Independent Order of < ><1<1 Fellows, and of the
.Modern Woodmen of America, and in the affair- of all these organizations
look a warm interest. Doctor Strayer's body was taken back to his old home
in Ohio for interment, and was laid away in the Watson family lot, that of
his wife's family in Forest Rose cemetery at Lancaster.
(in September i_\ i S«;_j.. at Montrose, Colorado, Dr. William Strayer
was married to Euphemia Watson, of Lancaster, Ohio, a daughter of James
(i. and Rachel ( VToung) Watson, both of whom were horn in Fairfield county,
Ohio, in the neighborhood of Lancaster, members of old families in that
county, the Watson farm there having been in the ownership of the family
for four generations, and the Young farm for the past century. Mrs.
Strayer is also descended from Revolutionary ancestors on both her father
and mother's side. Sin is a graduate of the Lancaster, Ohio, high school
and also of Lake Erie Seminary and hold- a life certificate from the .State
of Coloroda, where she taught seven year- previous to her marriage. To
Doctor and Mr-. Strayer one child was horn, a daughter, Faith, born on
Feoruan 6, 1902, now in the sophomore year in the Axtell high school.
WILLIAM R.\
William Rahe, a successful tanner and a well-known stockman of Logan
township, Marshall county, and the president of the Bremen State Rank, was
horn in Germany on May r8, [866, the son of Peter and Catherine ( Mun-ter-
mann) Rahe. who were also natives of Germany, in which country they were
educated, grew up and were married..
Peter Rahe was horn in [83] and. Catherine Rabe in (832 and spent the
remainder of their lives in Germany, the former dying in [905 and the latter
in [902. Peter Rabe after completing hi- education engaged in farming,
owning a good-sized farm ami was recognized a- one of the substantial men
of the district, lie and his wife were active members of die German Luth-
eran church and were prominent in the social life of the locality in which they
lived and where they were held in the highest regard. They were the par-
ent- of seven children a- follow: Mary Kaiser, who is a widow and resides
in Germany; Dora Bokelmann resides in the land of her birth, where her hus-
band i- a tailor: Harry, now deceased, wa- a mail carrier: Anna Bartls i- the
wife of a German farmer; Chris i- a farmer of Washington county. Kansas;
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 63 1
William, the subject of this sketch, 'and Sophia Johannes, a resident of Ger-
many, where Mr. Johannes is engaged in farming- and bee culture.
William Rabe was educated in the schools of Germany and at the age
of seventeen years began working for himself and was for some years engaged
as a farm hand, working by the month. In 1884 he came to America and
on his arrival in the United States he came to Marshall county, where he
worked on a farm until 1890, when he rented a farm of one hundred and
sixty acres near Bremen. After a residence of nine years on the farm he
engaged in the grain and elevator business at Bremen for ten years, after
which he sold the business and went to Colorado, where he remained for
eighteen months, when he returned to Marshall count)-, and located in Logan
township, where his wife owned a farm and where he has since resided and
has been successfully engaged in farming- and stock raising, fie has built
a tine, eight-room house on the place and has made many other valuable
improvements. In 1907 he made an extended visit to Germany and visited
many of the places of interest. That same year the Bremen State Bank was
organized and Mr. Rabe was elected president of the institution and through
his management it has become one of the strong banking houses of this sec-
tion of the state. He is a thorough business man. and has the confidence of
the public. In addition to his connection with the bank he is also president
of the Bremen Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, which was organized in
1S87.
In 1899 William Rabe was united in marriage to Catherine Kruse, the
daughter of George and Anna (Jurgens) Kruse. Mr. Kruse was born in
German}- in 1832 and received his education in the public schools and there
worked as a farm hand until 1859, when he came to the United States and
located in Illinois, where he continued to engage in farm work until 1862.
when he enlisted in an Illinois regiment and served three years in the army
during the Civil 'War. At the close of the war he returned to Illinois, where
he rented forty acres of land and engaged in farming for eight vears. He
then went to Nebraska by wagon and there purchased one hundred and sixty
acres of land, which he later increased to three hundred and twenty acres.
After a residence there of eight years he sold one hundred and sixty acres of
his farm and came to Marshall county and purchased three hundred and
twenty acres of land in Herkimer township, which he later increased to> eight
hundred and forty acres, and here he made his home until the time of his
death in July, 1014. He was a man of much business acumen and was recog-
nized as one of the substantial citizens of the county. Politically, he was a
Republican, but never aspired to office. Anna (Jurgens) Kruse was also a
632 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
native of Germany, where she was educated. She was long a resident of
Marysville, where she died in 1^97.
George and Anna Kruse were the parents of the following children:
Catherine, Margaret, Mary, William, George, Henry, Anna. Christina.
Andrew and two that died in infancy. Catherine is the wife of William
Rabe; Margaret Schaefer is the wife of a farmer of Herkimer township;
Mary Lohse lives in Logan township, where Mr. Lohse is a successful farmer;
William lives in Herkimer; Henry and Andrew are farmers and stockmen
of Herkimer township; George i- engaged in farming and stock raising in
Logan township; \nna Geihsler is a resident of Oklahoma, where her hus-
band is a farmer; Christina Prell is the wife of a merchant and Andrew is
on the home place. Mr. and Mrs. Kruse were active members of the Ger-
man Lutheran church and were among the prominent workers of thai organ-
ization and were held in the highest regard by the people of the county.
itherine (Kruse) Rabe was horn in Illinois on September 14. [867,
and was reared on the farm, where -he took an active part in the plowing and
Other work mi the farm. She received her education in the local schools
and remained at home until the time of her marriage. She and Mr. Rabe
are the parents of two children. Anna and Sophia. Anna W'estermann lives
on a farm adjoining that of her father and where her husband is a success
ful agriculturist. They are the parents of two children. Sophia died at the
age of fourteen j 1
ZIBA HIBBARD MOORE.
Ziba Hibbard .Moore, at one time one of the successful hankers and
business men of Oketo, now deceased, was horn near Avondale, Chester
county. Pennsylvania, on a farm on March 14. [845, and was the son of
Ziba and Mary (Pell) Moore. The parents were natives of Pennsylvania
and New York, the father having been horn in Pennsylvania and the mother
in the-state of New York. They were members of old and respected fam-
ilies in their home stales and were among the prominent people of the com-
munity in which they lived and where they were held in the highest regard.
Ziba Hibbard Moore received his education in the district schools and
as a young man learned the carpenter trade. When he was hut eighteen
mouths old he lost his father and when hut a lad he became dependent upon
his own effort-. He worked at his trade for a number of years and in 1 :
he. with Jesse driest, the uncle of his future wife, he engaged in the can-
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 633
ning factory business at Adams and in this work they became successful
business men. Some years later Mr. Griest became Indian agent for Kan-
sas. During his administration of this important office he met with much
success and was recognized as one of the best men in the service.
On December 19, 1872, Ziba Hibbard Aioore was united in marriage
to Lavinia Griest, who was born on November 13, 1849, in Adams county,
the daughter of Hiram and Louisa Griest, both of whom were natives of
the state of Pennsylvania. Hiram Griest was the son of Cyrus and Mary
Ann Griest, natives of Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland, respect-
ively. The father of Mrs. Moore was born on September 12, 1826, and is
now living. In 1875 Mr. and Mrs. Moore came to Kansas and located on
the Otoe Indian Reservation, where Mr. Moore worked as a carpenter for
the government for a period of nearly five years. He then came to the
section of the country where Oketo is now situated and at a time when
there was no town. Here he built the first house and dug the first well in
the place. He later established himself in a general store, in what later
became a thriving settlement. He met with much success and later as the
town grew and he became more prosperous, he established the State Bank
of Oketo, which he conducted for many years. Ziba H. Moore died on
September 19, 1916.
Mr. and Mrs. Moore were reared in the faith of the Friends' church
and lived consistent Christian lives according to the teachings of the church
of their parents. They were the parents of" two sons, Edgar H. and J.
Howard. Edgar H. was born on April 2, 1878, and is now the owner of
the elevator' at Oketo, where he is engaged in a large and extensive busi-
ness. He married Mary Thomas and to them have been born two children,
Margaret and Ziba. J. Howard is the efficient cashier of the State Bank
at Oketo and is known as one of the prominent and successful men of the
community where he lives. He was born on August 20, 1884, and received
his education in the local schools of the county, later marrying Margaret
Betzer, of Topeka. They have a beautiful home in the town and are among
the prominent and highly respected people of the community. Thev have
long been identified with the social life of the town and have had much to
do with the moral and social development of the district.
Ziba H. Moore had long been identified with the Republican party,
and had always taken an active interest in local affairs, serving as mavor
of the city of Oketo. He was a man of fine appearance and of much
ability, and had ever used his best efforts for the advancement of the growth
634 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and development of the home community in which he lived and where he
was held in the highesl regard. He was a member of the Masonic order
and attained the degrees of the Royal Arch chapter. He took an active part
in all affairs that tended to the betterment of the district. Being: a man of
«
high ideal- a 1 >sed of the best of judgment his advice was often - • ight
in all matter- that pertained to the civic life of the township and the county.
THE BLUE RAPIDS TIMES.
One of the noteworthy institutions of Marshall count) is the Blue
Rapids Times, the oldest paper in the county published under a continuous
name, and a paper that, during it- nearlj half century of existence, has
always stood for the best type of citizenship. The limes was founded in
• by C'harle- E. Tibbetts-, a native of Connecticut, who "'came West'
io in the fifties and entered Oberlin College. He had just gotten well
rted "ii his college course, when came the call from President Lincoln
volunteers ami he was among the first from Oberlin t" respond t<> the tail.
Yfter serving out hi- first enlistment period he returned t<> Connecticut ami
assisted in organizing a company in the vicinity of hi- "Id home and he
ed between two and three year- in the Union army, a part of the time as
first lieutenant "i Company \. Thirteenth Connecticut fnfantry. After the
he returned t" < tberlin to resume hi- course, which had been interrupted
I his military career. While attending that institution, Mr. Tibbetts wa-
ned to Annice C. Brewster, who was also a student at the same school
The next year after their marriage Mr. Tibbetts taught school at Put-in-
ha\ Island, Lake Erie, the scene of Commodore Perry's famous victory
They then returned to Oberlin and completed their courses, Mrs. Tibbetts
graduating in 1867 and Mr. Tibbetts in [868. They both received the degree
u hel< >r of Arts.
Mr. and Mrs. Tibbetts came to Kansas and Marshall county in [868,
locating at Irving, where Mr. Tibbetts was principal of VVetmore Institute.
\ remained there until the Genesee colony came to Kansas and founded
the town of Blue Rapids, and in [871 Mr. Tibbetts founded the />'/»>• Rapids
Times, which he published until [879, following which he was associated
with George T. Smith for a few year- in the publication of the Marsh
County News, but on account of poor health he was compelled to give up
active new -paper work. Ili- death occurred in the year [889, after a life
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 635
of usefulness. He served his community as postmaster and was also county
commissioner three years. Air. and Airs. Tibbetts took an active interest in
the social, religious and literary activities of the town in its early days and
assisted in the organization of several societies for the promotion of educa-
tion. Airs. Tibbetts has. from its organization, been an active member of the
Ladies Library Association, and is still a director of this worthy institution.
Mr. and Mrs. Tibbetts were the parents of three children, all of whom
are now living. The eldest is a daughter. Alary, who was born within the
walls of Wetmore Institute, at Irving. After graduating from the Blue
Rapids high school, she taught school and also attended Oberlin College
and Washburn College. At the latter school she met and married Rev. H.
Edward Mills, and for a number of years their home has been in Spokane,
Washington. The other two children, Livy B. and Charles C, have both
remained at "the home town and for a number of years past have had charge
of the paper their father founded. Livy B. Tibbetts, the elder son, attended
the public schools of 'Blue Rapids and also Washburn Academy, later taking
a commercial course in the Topeka Business College. He then returned to
Blue Rapids and served two years as assistant cashier of the City Bank. In
1S93 he purchased a half interest in the Times, on which paper he had
previously learned the printer's trade, and became local editor. For over
twenty vears he was actively connected with the Times. He represented
his township as a member of the Republican count}' central committee for
eleven vears, served as a member of the school board, three years on the
city council and two years as mayor. He was assistant postmaster for ten
years.
In February, 1916, Air. .Tibbetts left the newspaper business to take the
position of active vice-president of the Citizens State Bank, which position
he is now filling. Air. Tibbetts was married on May 21, 1895, to Blanche
Ekins, a daughter of William and Sarah Ekins, both natives of England, who
located in Illinois upon coming to this country, and in 1871 moved to Kansas
and ^ettled at Blue Rapids. Airs. Tibbetts was reared and educated in Blue
Rapids, where she attended the high school until she removed with, her
parents to Riverside. California, in 1890, and continued her studies in the
Riverside high school. Air. and Airs. Tibbetts have six children, namely:
Eunice, Harlow, Dorothy. Raymond, Clifford and Charles. Air. and Mrs.
Tibbetts are members of the Presbyterian church, and the former is also
a Mason and a member of the Alodern Woodmen of America, having been
clerk of the latter organization for over a dozen years.
Charles C. Tibbetts was born in Blue Rapids June 22, 1879. He spent
636 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
his boyhood days in Blue Rapids and graduated from the high school in the
class of 1897. He took a course in Piatt's Commercial College of St. Joseph,
Missouri, and then entered the emploj of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad
1 ompany as stenographer and clerk, and remained about a year and took a
position in the civil engineering department of the Chicago & Great Western
Railroad at St. Joseph. He spent a year with this company and then the
year following with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. In 1904 lie pur-
ch; sed a half interest in the linns from Mr. E. M. Brice, and from that time
to the present ha- been actively connected with the management of the paper
and i- now editor and publisher, lie ha- a well-equipped plant for handling
job work, and the paper enjoys a constantly increasing circulation.
Charles C. Tibbetts was married June 20, 1905, t<> Nellie A. Price, of
Topeka. The latter is a daughter of \\ illiam and Jennie ( Fitzgerald) Price,
the former a native of Wales and the latter of Canada. The father was 1
Hi' Tier by occupation and established a foundry at Blue Rapids in the -even-
tie-, lie i- now connected with the Santa l;e railroad at Topeka. .Mr-.
Tibbetts was horn in Blue Rapid- and graduated Erom the high school. Mr.
d Mrs. Tibbetts are both active members of the Presbyterian church. She-
is a member of the Tuesday Afternoon Club, and he i- a member of the
Mason- and Modern Woodmen.
JOSEPH GREEN.
Among the many well-known and prominent residents of Waterville,
Vlarshall county, a history ol the county would not he complete without men-
tion of Joseph Green, one of the substantia] retired farmers and the owner
of live hundred and sixty acres of splendid land in Waterville town-hip.
who was horn in Nutbourne, Sussex, England, on November 20, [850. He
the son of James and Sara (Bourn) Green, both of whom were natives
of England, where they were educated in the public school- and -pent their
entire live-. They were the parents of nine children, eight of whom grew to
maturity, namely: Emma Wblflfe, now living in England; William, a resi-
dua of Brooklyn, New York: George, in Africa; Alice, who resides at
Asbury Park, New Jerse) ; Joseph; the subject of tin- -ketch; Arthur, who
died in Africa: Lucy Holm, a resident of Waterville. Kansas, and Walter, a
n iidenl of Canada. The parents were well-known in their home commun-
ity and were prominent in the social and the religious life of the district in
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 637
which they lived. James Green died in 1894, aged seventy-nine years; his
widow survived until 1901, at her death being eighty-eight years old.
Joseph Green received his education in the public schools of England,
but was never able to attend school for any great length of time, on account
of assisting his father, who was a butcher. At the age of fourteen years
he went to work for a family as a sort of chore boy, and for his services
he received sixty cents per week, with board. When he reached the age of
nineteen years he was given the opportunity to come to the United States
with a friend, who was an excellent carpenter. He accepted the offer and
in 1869 he left his native clime in a sailing vessel and after a voyage of four
weeks he landed in the United States. The fare to the new land was twenty
dollars, with very poor food and accommodations. When he arrived in
this country, he was met by a brother, who was a butcher in Brooklyn. At
that time Mr. Green was possessed of but forty-eight cents and his first job
was in a hardware store, where he earned four dollars per week. This
meager sum would not pay his board and keep him, so he engaged in work-
ing on a sewer at two dollars per day, and continued at that work as long
as it lasted. He then worked in a livery stable at nine dollars per month
and board, which was increased to fifteen dollars. In the spring of 1870
he came to Kansas, and here he located at Waterville. The carpenter with
whom he came to this country was then homesteading on Swede creek,
seven miles south of Waterville, and here he obtained work for the sum-
mer. Later in the vear he homesteaded one hundred and twenty acres on
Swede creek, but he lost eighty acres of the tract, which was transferred to
the St. Joe & Denver Railway Company, and the remaining forty acres be
sold for one hundred dollars. He was then employed by George Wright,
and worked for him until he had money enough to buy a team of oxen,
which cost him seventy-five -dollars, and these he later traded for a team
of mules. He then purchased a drilling machine and was engaged in the
well business for some time. He continued in this work until 1874, when
he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Cottage Hill township
for six hundred and fifty dollars. He paid one hundred and forty dollars
in cash, which he raised on his crop of wheat, and had seven years to pay
the balance. The next seven years were busy ones, for in meeting his pay-
ments on the land and making the necessary improvements on the place, he
had a hard time. Hogs were selling at two dollars per hundred, potatoes at
ten cents per bushel and corn at twelve cents per bushel. At the same time
farm machinery was very high and interest was fifteen to thirty per cent.
When breaking his farm and making improvements. Mr. Green experienced
638 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
many hardships and lost a large part of a crop of corn by prairie fire. Dur-
ing those early days he boarded with a Mr. Thomas and that was his best
h< me until after he was married.
In the fall of [885 Mr. Green returned to his native land and there
married Elizabeth Williams, and in the spring of 1886 they came to the
home farm in Cottage Ilill township. Here three children were l>orn. two
of whom died in infancy. The family remained on the home farm, where
.Mr. Green engaged successfully in general farming and stock raising. Dur-
ing that time he thoroughl} developed his farm and made many valuable
improvements. In 1893, owing to his health failing, he moved to Water-
ville, where he engaged in the buying and the shipping of stock, in which he
continued until the death of his wife in 1899. lie then retired from the
grain and stock business and sold his farm, which he had greatly improved,
and purchased a farm of two hundred and forty acres two miles easl of
VVaterville. In [900 he and his daughter visited England and again viewed
the scenes of his early life, and after eighteen months they returned to
thi> country. In January. 1902, Air. Green was united in marriage to Nellie
Gilbert, of the state of New York, and to this union two children were
born, one of whom died in infancy.
In 1904 Mr. Green purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land
in Washington county, Kansas, and became known as one of the prominent
and substantial men of the district. In 1911 he moved to his present home
in Waterville, where he has a splendid modern house and one of the beau-
tiful home- of the city. His first wife, Elizabeth (William) Green, was
born in England in 1848. The only living child by this marriage is Alice
Steel, who is a resident of Washington county, where Mr. Steel is success-
fully engaged in general farming and stock raising on his splendid farm,
six inile> southwest of Waterville. Mr. and Mrs. Steel are the parents of
nur hoys, all of whom are at home with their parents.
Nellie (Gilbert) Green, the second wife of Mr. Green, is the daughter
of Henry and Martha (Gardiner) Gilbert, both of whom were natives of
and, where they received their education and as children came to the
L'nited States, and with their parents located in the state of New York,
where they lived to the end of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Green are the
parents of one child, Arthur, a lad of twelve years and now attending the
home school.
Joseph < ireen is identified with the Republican party and ha- ever taken
an active interest in local affairs and i~ one of the prominent members of
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 630,
the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Waterville. He
and his wife are among- the prominent members of the local social circles of
their home town, where they are held in the highest regard.
GEORGE BANCROFT.
George Bancroft, deceased, for many years one of the well-known and
highly respected citizens of Marshall county, was born in Springfield, Vermont,
in 18 14, and was the son of James and Fannie Bancroft, who were also natives
of Vermont and came of old New England families. John and Jane Bancroft,
early representatives of the family in America, came to this country on the ship
"James," in 1632. They were the parents of two sons, from whom many
of the Bancroft family have sprung. The family settled at Lynn. Massachu-
setts, where John Bancroft died in 1637. George Bancroft, the great Ameri-
can historian, was a member of the family.
James Bancroft, the father of George Bancroft, the subject of this sketch,
settled at Rockingham, Vermont, where he lived for a number of years. The
son, George, received his education in the state of his nativity, and there he
grew to manhood and married Merril Brown, also a member of an old New
England family. They established their home in their native state, where
they lived for a time, after which they moved to the state of New York, and
settled on a farm near the city of Buffalo, where Mrs. Merril Bancroft died in
1850. Here he remained until 1857, when he moved to Wisconsin, where he
lived for some years. In 1871 he left Wisconsin and came to Marshall
county, and here Mr. Bancroft engaged in the mercantile husiness at Water-
ville. the building in which he conducted his store being still standing. Asso-
ciated with him in the business was bis son-in-law, Spencer Hurlbut. now-
deceased. For twelve years Mr. Bancroft was successfully engaged in the
husiness, when he sold to Hurlbut & Clark, and purchased a large farm
north of Waterville, which he managed with much success until the time of
his death in 1884.
Mr. Bancroft was a prominent member of the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He took much
interest in the work of both orders, and had much to do with their success
in the district. Politically, he was identified with the Republican party, and
always took a keen interest in the affairs of his home township as well as the
county. Though he was not an office seeker, he felt it his duty to see that
f«40 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
the best men were elected to public office. He was a most energetic business
man. possessed of much business acumen, and he was for many year- reo
nied as one of the foremost and successful residents of the county. His wife,
Merril Bancroft, was horn in [817 and was a woman of unusual attainments.
To 1 ieorge and Merril Bancroft were born the following children: For-
rest Henry, Frances S. and Harriet Ellen. Forrest Henry received his educa-
tion in the local schools and as a lad learned the miller'- trade, and later went
to Trinidad. Col rado, where he died: Harriet Ellen is the widow of Spencer
Hurlbul and i- now living with her son-in-law. George Delaney, at Axtell,
Kansas. Frances S. Bancroft received her education in the schools of Wis-
consin and came with her parents to Waterville, as a t,rirl. She is a ^reat
reader and has added to her store of learning by reading the best literature.
She is a member of the Lutheran church and is one of the active religi
workers of her home cite. She i- also a member of the Woman's Relief Corps
and was the acting secretary for a period of thirteen year-. She takes great
interest in missionary work and i- a member of the Missionary Society and
the Ladies' Aid Society of the Lutheran church. She i- a woman who is
admired by all who know her. and her life ha- been filled with noble deeds
and work well d< me.
Some years after the death of his first wife. Mr. Bancroft was united in
marriage to Adelia C. Eggleson, an excellent woman, who died in [885.
FRED GERM*ER.
Fred Germer, a well known and prominenl retired farmer of L
township, Marshall county, was born in Cook county. Illinois, on October
17. (868, the son of Fred and Mary (Breneka) Germer, who were natives
of 1 1, -mover, Germany.
The elder bred Germer was born in 1NJ7 and hi- wife in [832. They
received their education in the village school- and there grew to manh 1
and womanhood. After their marriage they continued to reside in the
fatherland until 1866, when they came to the United States. During his
residence in Germany, Mr. Germer worked as a farm hand for twenty-
seven dollars per year. After locating in Cook county. Illinois, he worked
as a farm hand and as a section hand on the railroad for four years, after
which lie came to Mar-ball county and purchased one hundred and sixty
acres of land in Logan township. This he developed and improved and
33
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 6-j.I
here he engaged in general farming until the time of his death in 1889 and
here his widow died in 1898. They were hard-working and honest people,
who had the confidence and respect of all who knew them. When a girl
in Germany, Mrs. Germer worked for others and assisted in supporting
herself and the other members of the family. By hard work and wise
advice she assisted her husband in the life on the farm and in the home.
Fred and Mary Germer were the parents of the following children:
Mary, Carrie, Minnie, Sophia, Fred, Alvina and the first born, who died
in infancy. Mary Meyn resides with her husband on a farm in Washing-
ton county, Kansas, where they are meeting with much success in their
chosen work; Carrie Geishler and Minnie Riggert are both residents of
Herkimer township, where their husbands are successful farmers and stock-
men; Sophia Lauterbach lives in Logan township, where her husband is
one of the successful agriculturists of that section and Alvina Petsch and
husband are among the successful farmers of Gage county, Nebraska.
Fred Germer, the subject of this sketch, received his education in the
schools of Marshall county, and attended the Western Business College
at Wichita, Kansas. When not in school he assisted his father with the
work on die home farm until he was twenty-one years of age. He then
rented the farm for four years, after which he purchased the place and
here he engaged successfully in general farming and stock raising until
1908, when he retired to Bremen, where he has a substantial home. During
his active life he took much interest in the affairs of the township and had
much to do with its growth and development. He has long been identified
with the Republican party, and is recognized as a man of influence, not
only in the party but in the affairs of the township. For the past two years
he has served as justice of the peace.
On November 21, 1890, Fred Germer was united in marriage to Ger-
trude Lemke. the daughter of Theodore and Louisa (Stoks) Lemke, both
of whom were born in German}-, the father in 1842 and the mother in
1844. After their marriage they continued to reside in their native land
until i860, when they came to the United States, locating in Herkimer
township, Marshall county, where Mr. Lemke homesteaded one hundred
and sixty acres of land, which he developed and improved, engaging in
general farming and stock raising until 191 1, when he retired and moved
to Bremen, where he now resides, the wife and mother having died in
1877. They were the parents of four children as follow : Gertrude. Mary.
Augusta and Emil. Mary Crome resides in Marshall county, where her
husband is a successful farmer; Augusta Feil is the wife of a well-to-do
(41)
642 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
farmer in Oklahoma, where her brother, Emil, also resides. Gertrude
was horn in Marshall county on January 25. 1N70, and was educated in
the common schools and grew to womanhood on the home farm, where
she resided until her marriage.
Fred and Gertrude Germer are the parents of the following children :
Gertrude, Martin. Carrie, Louisa, Frieda, Fred, Theodore, and Anna.
Gertrude died at the age of two years; Martin was born on January 29,
1896; Carrie, April 20, 1898; Louisa, September 7, 1900; Frieda. July 18,
1903; Fred, November (6, 1905; Theodore. May i>. 1909, and Etna on
October 30, 191 2.
WILLIAM S. BOYD.
William S. Boyd, one of the well-known and prominent retired farmers
and old-time freighters of Irving, Marshall county, was born in Bath county.
Kentucky, on September 8, 1840, the son of Samuel (I. and Roxlina (Mark-
well) Boyd. The parents were natives of Virginia and were early settlers
in Kentucky, where the mother died in [862.
William S. Boyd received his education in the schools of his native state.
where he grew to manhood. He and his father's family experienced many
of the hardships of the Civil War, but their sympathies were with the Union.
In [863 William S. Bovd enlisted in Company A, Seventh Kentucky Cavalry
and gave nineteen months of active service to the cause of the Union. Much
of his service was rendered in scout duty, and when near Springfield, Tenn-
essee, he was captured and served a time in Libby prison. After receiving
an honorable discharge, he returned to his home in Kentucky, where he
remained until February, [865, when he came to Kansas. He made the trip
by way of Quincy, Illinois, and was accompanied by his sister and her hus-
band, William Fenwick, both of whom are now deceased. They came to
Marshall county, where Mr. Boyd worked at grubbing for John Wells [or
six weeks. He then engaged as a freighter and made seven trips across the
plains, his last trip being to Cheyenne, Ft. Mitchell and Julesburg, and he
acted as a collector, in which he was most successful. He went as a hand
under Bob Smith and William Wells, and on his first trip he acted as one
of the bull whackers. He drove five yoke of good oxen, and was hacked
in the enterprise by John Wells. After several trips, Mr. Wells had over
ten thousand pounds of freight, which brought him twenty-two dollars per
one hundred weight for transporting to Ft. Laramie. In June. [866, with
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 643
George Martin and Ed Stenniff, Mr. Boyd started for Ft. Laramie with a
train of freight, and were forty-seven clays on the road. The freight bill
realized two thousand dollars, less the expense. The life proved a hard one
and was accompanied with many dangers.
In 1868 Mr. Boyd retired from the work and settled on a farm in Wells
township, Marshall county. In 1870 he homesteaded eighty acres in Wells
township in section 3. Here he built a frame house, sixteen by sixteen feet,
which at that time was considered a splendid home. He developed his farm
and engaged in general farming and stock raising with much success. He
added to his farm and is now the owner of five hundred and fifty-six acres
of excellent land, after selling one hundred and sixty acres that he at one
lime owned in Riley county. He continued the active life of a farmer until
1910, when he moved to Irving, where he now resides and where he has a
splendid home, with all the conveniences to which his active life has entitled
him. During his active life on the farm, in addition to his general farm
work, he handled some eighty head of cattle and many hogs, each year, which
he placed on the market at the best prices.
In May, 1874. Mr. Boyd was married to Laura B. Pollitt, a native of
Kentucky, where she was born on March 21, 1855. She was the daughter
of Thomas Alexander and Eliza (Deatley) Pollitt, who were natives of Vir-
ginia and later located in the Blue Grass state. Mrs. Boyd was reared in her
native state and there received her education in the local schools. Mr. Boyd
had located in Marshall county and he returned to the old Kentucky home to
claim his bride. To Mr. and Mrs. Boyd have been born the following chil-
dren : Lillie Belle, John A., George L., Omer S., Charles A., Ella May,
Lena, Frank, Emma, Lawrence J. and Thomas A. Lillie Belle Stoneman is
a resident of Blue Rapids township, where her husband is a farmer ; John A.
is the owner of eighty acres of land in Wells township, and is now engaged
as rural mail carrier out of Irving; George L. is on the old home place in
Wells township, and is engaged in general farming and stock raising; Omer
S. is the proprietor of a meat market at Irving; Charles A. is engaged in
farming in Bigelow township ; Ella May Abrant resides- in Colorado, where
she and her husband have homesteaded at Ordway ; Lena is the wife of
Roscoe C. Denton of Irving; Frank is also a resident of Irving; Emma Big-
low lives in Bigelow township, where her husband is a farmer; LawTence J.
resides in Colorado, and Thomas A. lives at Irving. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd
are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church and have long been
prominent in the social and the religious life of the township, where they
have a beautiful home. Their lives have been most active, and there are few
644 M ^RSHALL COUNTY, kaxsas.
residents of the county who are entitled to more praise and honor Eor their
good work. Coming to the county, much of it then an undeveloped prairie,
they had their share in the work of making Marshall county one of the great
farming and stock counties of the state. During their lives, they have seen
much of the territory developed from the home of wild animals to well culti-
vated fields. Journeys are now made on steel trains or in the automobile,
over splendid roads. I low different now is the transportation of the com-
modities of life across the plains, to the days of Mr. Boyd and his ox team.
Mr. Boyd came to Kansas in [865, one of the first settlers.
Politically. Mr. Boyd is identified with the Democratic party and has
always taken a keen interest in civic life of the township and county. He
was the first treasurer of Wells township and had much to do with the organ-
ization of the di^irict. lie and his wife always took the deepest interest in
the educational development of the community and had much to do with the
moral standard of the territory in those early days. Their lives have heen
spent in useful work, and now they arc enjoying- the evening of their lives in
peace and contentment, honored and loved by all who know them.
ROBERT T. LEWIS.
Robert J. Lewis, a well-known and prominent grain dealer of Home
City, Marshall county, was horn in Yorkshire, England, on December u.
1864, the son of William and Maria | Brewitt) Lewis. When the -on, Rob-
ert J., was live and a half years old the parents left their home in England
and came to the United States. They had up to that time lived in England
and were there educated in the public schools and grew to maturity. On their
arrival in this country they came to Kansas and established their home on a
farm in Franklin township, Marshall county. Here Robert J. Lewis engaged
in general farming and stock raising, in which he met with much success.
In 1903 he left the farm and moved to Home City, where he took charge
of the farmers elevator. lie conducted the business for the company until
1906. when he purchased it and enlarged the elevator to a capacity of fourteen
thousand bushels of grain, lie also established a jewelry shop, which he
conducted with SUCO
As a boy and young man Robert J. Lewis spent his life on the home
farm two miles northeast of Home City. In addition to his many duties con-
nected with the farm work, he was required to herd cattle on the plains, where
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 645
for miles there was naught but the unbroken prairie, where the animals native
to that section roamed. As late as 1S75 he saw a herd of nine wild deer
feeding on the plains where he was wont to herd his cattle. He also assisted
in the breaking of the prairie land and many a day he trailed behind the plow,
drawn through the tough sod by a yoke of oxen. Thus, in early life, he
experienced many of the hardships and privations of the early settler in
Marshall county. His father was a man of much ability and a thorough
farmer and in him the son had an excellent teacher. The father was well
and favorably known throughout the entire county, and was held in the high-
est regard by all.
Robert J. Lewis is the owner of four hundred acres of excellent land in
Franklin township, which is in a high state of cultivation and well improved.
During his residence on the farm he was interested in breeding and raising
of Durham cattle and Poland China hogs, in which he was successful. In
addition to his other extensive interests he is a director of the Citizens State
Bank at Home City. He is identified with the Democratic party and has
served his township as clerk and trustee and is now a justice of the peace.
In 1892 Robert J. Lewis was united in marriage to Amy Kniesteadt,
who was born on March 2, 1872, at Pawnee, Nebraska, where she received
much of her education in the public schools and spent her early life. Mrs.
Lewis is the daughter of Lewis D. and Sarah J. (Brenester) Kniesteadt,
both of whom were natives of Germany, where they were educated in the
public schools and grew to maturity. They came to Meadow township,
Marshall county, in 1884, where they established themselves on a farm and
were soon prominent in the social and business life of the community. They
were the parents of six children, one of whom is now deceased. The mother
died some years ago and the father is now living a retired life at Home
City. Mr. and Mrs. Kniesteadt were active members of the Methodist
Kpiscopal church and took much interest in all church work, and were among
the highly esteemed people of the district where they lived and where they
had so much to do with the development of the community.
To Robert and Amy (Kniesteadt) Lewis have been born two children,
Walter LeRoy and Frederick G. Walter LeRoy was born on August 20,
1894, and received his education in the public schools and is a graduate of
the Atchison Business College and is now a partner with his father in the
^rain business. He was married on February 27, 1914, to Nellie Dryer
and they are the parents of one child, Maxine. Frederick G was born on
June 3, 1896, and received his education in the local schools and is now at
646 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
home with his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis are prominent members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Lewis is one of the trustee-. He
is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and takes much interest
in tlie work of the order.
JACOB MEYBRUXX.
Jacob Meybrunn, one of the old settlers of Marshall county, and now a
prominent retired farmer at Summerfield, was born in Baden, Germany, on
March 1, 1831, near the town of Freiburg, and is the -son of Joseph and Fran-
ces (Firschen) .Meybrunn, both of whom spent their lives in Germany, where
the father was a farmer.
Jacob Meybrunn received his education in the schools of his native land
and there grew to manhood. At the age of twenty-three, in 1854, he decided
to come to America. After a voyage of forty-two days from Havre. France,
he landed at the port of Xew York. He had but a few dollars, and it was
necessary for him to find work. He at once proceeded to western Pennsyl-
vania, where he worked in the coal mines and did some farming, and also
engaged in the making of charcoal from the timber in the vicinity of his
home. While living in the state of Pennsylvania he was united in marriage
in 1865 to Regina Winkler, who was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1845, tne
daughter of George and Otilia (Schlitzer) Winkler. Her parents were also
natives of that country, where they lived until 1852, when they came to the
United States and located in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and there
the parents died some years later.
At the time of his marriage, Mr. Meybrunn was engaged in teaming in
the oil regions of Pennsylvania, but in this he was not successful, and met
with many reverses. He then engaged in farming, working for an old
employer. Here he met with more success and in 186S visited his old home
in Germany. On liis return to this country after an absence of six months,
he came to Kansas, where he homesteaded eighty acres of land in Balderson
township, Marshall county. He purchased an old house in St. Bridget town-
ship, which he hauled to his farm, and in this he and his family lived for some
time. He at once began the task of developing his land and preparing it for
the planting of crops. As he began to prosper he pre-empted eighty acres
and then be purchased another eighty acres, all excellent land, but it required
much labor to bring it under cultivation. He engaged in general farming
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 647
and stock raising and was successful. After a residence of fourteen years on
the place, he built a beautiful and substantial house. His barn and other out-
buildings were in keeping with the other extensive improvements. After a
residence of thirty-five years of active life on the farm, he retired in 1903
from farm work and moved to Summerfield, where he now lives, a well-
respected citizen.
To Mr. and Mrs. Meybrunn were born the following children : George
Joseph, deceased; Jacob, John, Frances, Nancy, Mary, Paulina and Regina.
Jacob married Mary Wendel and since 1886 has resided at Portland, Oregon;
John lives on the old home place and is married to Maggie Steig, and to this
union three children have been born. Frank, George and Edward ; Frances
is the wife of Joseph Wagner, of Idaho, and they are the parents of five chil-
dren, Jacob, Joseph, Isaac, Josephine and Abelina; Nancy is the wife of
James Gallagher, of Holloway, Kansas, and is the mother of thirteen children,
Rosa, Katie, Andrew, Peter, Mabel, Bertha, Theodore, Fred, Regina, George,
William, Leo and Francis ; Mary married Lawrence Gallagher a railroad man
of Dubois, Idaho, and they' are the parents of three children, Cecelia, Blanche
and Edmond ; Paulina Smith resides in Nebraska and she and her husband are
the parents of three children. Henry, Lawrence and Reginald, and Regina
Keck resides in Balderson township, where her husband is engaged in farming.
Mr. Meybrunn is identified with the Democratic party and has for many
years taken an active interest in local affairs. During his many years of resi-
dence in the county he has had much to do with its growth and development.
He and his wife are earnest members of the Catholic church and are promin-
nent members of the community in which they live and where they are held
in the highest regard.
FRANK M. GAYLORD.
Frank M. Gaylord, a native of Paola, Kansas, and one of the prominent
and well-known merchants of Axtell, Marshall county, was born on May 23,
1874. and is the son of Jasper M. and Lucy (Stafford) Gaylord.
Jasper M. Gaylord was born at Bridgeport, Massachusetts, in 1842. He
received his education in the schools of his native state and there grew to
manhood. As a young man he learned the dentist trade, at which he worked
for some years and was later engaged as bookkeeper and worked for Field
& Leiter at Chicago. Illinois, where he remained until 1872, when he came
to Kansas and located at Paola, where he engaged in the real-estate and insur-
(,|S MARSHALL COUNTYj KANSAS.
ance business until the time of his death in [890. His widow, Lucy Gaylord,
who now resides at Ontario, Oregon, at the age of sixty-seven years. She
was born at Fox Lake. Wisconsin, and grew to womanhood in her native
state and there received her education in the public schools. Mr. and Mrs.
Gaylord were active in church work and were prominent in the social life of
the community in which they lived and where they were always held in the
highest regard.
Frank M. Gaylord received his education in the public schools of Paola.
Kansas, and was reared to manhood in that locality. At the age of fifteen
years he spent one year of his life at herding cattle on the plains of Kansas.
He was then engaged as a clerk in a grocery More and later was employed in
a department store, where he remained until [899, when he came to Axtell,
Kansas, where he purchased a small stock of groceries and engaged in busi-
ness for himself. He added to his stock and established other line- of
merchandise, and today, by hard work and close application to business, he
has one of the finest general stores in Mar-hall county, carrying about twenty
tin tusand d< 'liar- w< >rth 1 if good-.
In 1899 Mr. Gaylord was united in marriage to Anna Sheridan, who was
born in Mar-hall county, on August 14. 1874. After nine years of -happy
married life, Mrs. Gaylord died at her home in Axtell in 1908. In 191 1 Mr.
Gaylord was united in marriage to Mary P. Rice, who was born in Clay
countv. Missouri, on December 27 , 1S70. It was while a patient in the
hospital at Excelsior Spring-. Missouri, that Mr. Gaylord and his second wife
met. and in a short time the hospital lost a good nurse and Mr. Gaylord won
a splendid wife. They are prominent in the social life of Axtell, where
they are so well known and where they are held in the highest regard.
JAMES A. THOMPSON.
lame- A. Thompson, deceased, at one time a prominent and well-
known resident of Marshall county, was born at Chester, Pennsylvania,
November to, [833, and died at his home in W'aterville, Marshall county.
September _\ 1885. He was the son of Andrew and Eliza (Burford)
Thompson, who emigrated from Ireland to America in the early day- to
better the opportunities for themselves and those dependent upon them.
They located at Chester, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they con-
tinued to reside until [852, when they moved to Grundy county. Illinois.
JAMES A. THOMPSON.
"V
MRS. SARAH THOMPSON.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 649
James A. Thompson received his education in the schools of Pennsyl-
vania, there grew to manhood and moved with his parents to Illinois. Here
he was married, October 2, 186 1, to Sarah Leach, the daughter of Henry
and Sarah (Bagshaw) Leach, natives of England. The parents came to
America in 184 1 and established their home in Illinois, sixty miles west
of Chicago. This territory at that time was for the most part undeveloped,
and Mr. Leach had to do his trading at old Fort Dearborn — the Chicago
of today, making the trips to that distant post with a team of oxen. Mr.
Leach was the first to plant corn in that section, of the commercial kind of
today. He was a pioneer horticulturist, experimenting with seeds, shrubs
and plants that he had sent from the old home in England. He was a man
of exceptional ability, well educated, of a literary turn of mind and con-
tributed many valuable articles to magazines and Eastern newspapers. His
life was a worthy one, and his influence in the community in which he lived
was uplifting.
James A. Thompson engaged in general farming in Grundy county,
Illinois, and later in the grain business at Morris, that state, but was com-
pelled to retire on account of ill health. In 1868 he came to Kansas, where
he invested in land at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre ; now valued
at one hundred and twenty-five dollars per acre. In 1876 he established
his home in Waterville, Kansas, which was then the terminus of the Cen-
tral Branch of the Missouri Pacific railroad. Here he became interested
in the real estate and loan business, in which he was successful, and was
one of the extensive landowners in Marshall and Washington counties. He
took the greatest interest in the growth and the development of the district
in which he lived, and was known as a public-spirited citizen, who used his
best efforts for the prosperity of the county. He was a member of the
Masonic order. At the death of Mr. Thompson, his wife took charge of
his business interests, which she continues in a most successful manner,
being recognized as one of the most capable business women of the county.
James A. and Sarah Thompson were the parents of one child, Olive A.
Thompson, who received her education in the public schools, at the Saint
Angelus Academy of Morris, Illinois, and has taken her bachelor degree
at the University of Kansas, where she graduated in 1887. She is a musi-
cian of note, studied under Prof. Frederick Boscovitz, of the Hershey
School of Musical Art, in Chicago, conducted by Clarence Eddy, the noted
pipe organist. She is also an artist of much ability, having studied under
D. F. Biglow, of Chicago, and others. Both Mrs. Thompson and her
65O MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
daughter are prominent members of the Order of the Eastern Star, of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and have always been active in the advance-
ment of community interests in Waterville and the vicinity.
AUBREY R. DEAX.
Among the business men of Blue Rapids, of prominence and influence,
is Aubrey R. Dean, a miller and now mayor of the city, who was born in
Blackstone, Illinois, on November 12, 1876, and is the son of George and
Martha (Hamilton) Dean.
George and Martha ( Hamilton) Dean were natives of the states of New
York and Indiana, respectively. The father was born on August 14, 1850,
and there received the greater part of his education in the public schools. He
later came to Illinois, where he lived for some years and there married. The
family came to Kansas and, since 1880, the father has been actively engaged
in general farming and stock raising, and is now living in Blue Rapids City
township. His wife, Martha Dean, died in 1890 at the age of thirty-six
years. She was the mother of two children, Ira. of Rock Springs, Wyom-
ing, where he is manage rof the Standard Oil Company's business at that
place, and Aubrey R. Some years after the death of his wife, Mr. Dean
was married to Etta Hamilton, but no kin of the first Mrs. Dean.
Aubrey R. Dean was reared on the home farm and received his education
in the public schools of Blue Rapids and graduated from the high school with
the class of 1896. After completing his education he traveled from 1896 to
1905 in the interests of the International Harvester Company, as a member
of their sales force. During a part of that time he was off the road and
operated a hardware and implement store at Blue Rapids in 1903. and owned
several stores in various sections of the state. He was also a large land-
owner in Marshall count}-, and was one of the organizers of the second Ameri-
can plaster plant at Blue Rapids. In 19 14 he disposed of most of his original
interest and started with the milling industry at Blue Rapids. He is the presi-
dent and one of the four men who own and operate the Flour and Elevator
Company of that city, lie has met with much success and is regarded as one
of the substantial men of the town.
Politically, Mr. Dean is a member of the Republican party, and is a man
of much force and character, lie served two years on the city council, when
he wa- elected mayor in April. 1915. a position which he now occupies. He
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 65I
is giving the residents of the place a clean and business-like administration.
Starting life for himself as a mere boy. without funds and without influence,
he came to realize, early in life, the advantage of a hustling and progressive
spirit. He feels that the same policy applies to corporations and civic gov-
ernments as well. By applying his individual methods in the government
of his home city, he hopes to make the city better. He believes in substantial
public improvements — those that will benefit the greater number of people. He
is opposed to class legislation, and only those improvements that are of bene-
fit to the whole people receive his approval. Good streets, good schools and
the suppression of those enterprises that have an evil influence on the moral
standard of the community, engage his hearty co-operation and support.
Today, the city is recognized as one of the progressive residential cities of this
part of the state, and the schools are regarded as being of the best class.
On January 22, 1901, Aubrey R. Dean was united in marriage to Blanche
Drake, who was born at Dumont, Colorado, on December 25, 1880, and is
the daughter of Joseph E. and Mary (Chinn) Drake. Her parents came to
Blue Rapids when she was but a child, and here the father was mining foreman
for the United States Gypsum Company for a good many years. His wife
died on February 20, 1916, and he is now living in Arizona.
To Mr. and Mrs. Dean have been born the following children : George,
Ruth, Dorris and Rollin, whose ages are, respectively, thirteen, nine, seven
and two years. Mr. and Mrs. Dean are prominent in the activities of the
city and are held in the highest regard. Mr. Dean is a member of the Masonic
blue lodge, a Knight Templar and a Shriner. also a member of the Modern
Woodmen of America.
GEORGE HEISERMAN.
George Heiserman, one of the well-known and successful farmers and
stockmen of Balderson township, Marshall county, was born in the state of
Illinois on December 12, 1866, the son of Fred and Mary (Hund) Heiserman.
Fred Heiserman was born in Germany on January 25, 1834, and received
his education in the schools of his native land and there grew to manhood
and engaged in farm work. At the age of twenty-one years, he decided to
come to America, where he felt that he might obtain a home for himself. In
1855, after a long and stormy voyage he landed at the port of New York,
among strangers and without financial support. He at once continued his
journey to Illinois, where he worked for some years as a farm hand. Here
652 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
he was married to .Mary I hind, who was born in 1847 and died in 1909.
Soon after their marriage they came to Kansas with horses and wagon, and
homesteaded eighty aero of land in Balderson township, Marshall county.
This place was later developed ami improved and in time was increased to
two hundred and forty acres.
To Fred and Mary I [eiserman were born the following children: Henry,
a residenl of Liberty, Nebraska; William, a resident of Oklahoma; Jacob,
of Norton county, Kansas; William; John, now of Oklahoma: Fred, a resi-
dent nf Smith enmity; Edd, a farmer of Balderson township; Charles, a
farmer of Richland township; Albert, on the home farm; Walter, a farmer of
Marshall county; Anna, the wife of Fd. Ringen, of Richland township: Rosa,
the wife of William Ringen, and Lillie. the wife of John Wagner, of Rich-
land township. Mr. and Mr--. Heiserman always took much interest in the
services of the Lutheran church and were ever held in high regard in their
home community. Mr. Heiserman is identified with the Democratic party
and has always taken much interest in local affairs, and has had much to do
with the the civic life of the township.
George Heiserman received his education in the public schools and grew
to manhood on the home farm, where as a lad he assisted with the work on
the farm. He remained at home until he was twenty-two years of age. after
which he operated a well-drilling machine for a time and was later engaged
in a butcher shop at Libert)-, Nebraska, lie then returned to his old home
and helped hi- father with the fall crops, harvesting the grain that he had
planted. After having completed his work at the old home, he was engaged
for some months by a Mr. Reese in Nebraska as a farm hand. He then
came to Mar-hall county, where he rented ,1 farm in Balderson township and
engaged in general farming for one year, lie was then married and for the
next two year- he rented another farm, after which he purchased eight}' acres
of his father, which i- now a part of his splendid farm of one hundred and
sixty acre-, eighty acres of which lies in section 12 and eighty acre- in section
[3, Balderson township, lie purchased a part of the farm in 1894 and the
la-t eighty in [906. Since assuming possession of the place he has made
many valuable improvements and today has a most ideal country home.
On March _\ [892, George Heiserman was united in marriage to Hen-
rietta Breunsbach, who was horn on December 2, [872, the daughter of Daniel
Breunsbach and wife, natives of Germany and among the pioneer settlers of
Nebraska. To this union the following children were born: Minnie, Ray.
Freddie Daniel and Lamie M. Minnie II. wa- horn on July 17, 1893, and
is now the wife of Sigmund Oehm, they having been married on December
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 653
11, 1912, and are now well established in their home in the county; Ray was
born on April 13, 1895; Freddie Daniel was born on February 8, 1902, and
Famie M. was born on March 31, 1906. Henrietta Heiserman died on July
31, 1914, after a useful life and one devoted to her family and friends. She
and Mr. Heiserman were members of the Evangelical Lutheran church and
were prominent in the social and the religious life of the community. Mr.
Heiserman is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and is identified
with the Republican party and has always taken a keen interest in the civic
life of the township and county.
FRANK A/SCAXLAX.
Frank A. Scanlan, a well-known and substantial farmer and stockman
of Marshall county, who makes his home at Axtell and from that point looks
after the affairs of his farms in Guittard township and in St. Bridget town-
ship, is a native of the state of West Virginia, but has been a resident of
Kansas practically all the time since the days of his early childhood, having
come to this county with his parents when he was but three years of age.
He was born in West Virginia on January 17, 1867, son of Thomas and
Catherine (Broderick) Scanlan, the former a native of Ireland and the latter
of Virginia, who came to Kansas in 1870 and became counted among the
early settlers of Marshall county, where they spent their last days.
Thomas Scanlan was born in Ireland in 1830 and was nineteen Years
of age when, in 1849, he came to the United States and settled in Massa-
chusetts, whence he presently moved to Virginia, where he was living when
the Civil .War broke out. He enlisted in one of the Virginia regiments of
the Confederate army and served for four years or until the close of the war.
In that state he married Catherine Broderick, who was born in 1837 in that
part of the Old Dominion now comprised in West Virginia, and in 1870 he
and his family came to Kansas and located in St. Bridget township, this
county, wheie Thomas Scanlan bought a partly-improved farm and estab-
lished his home. Ten years later, in 1880, he moved over into the neighbor-
ing county of Nemaha and settled on a farm three miles east of Axtell, where
he lived until 1002, when he returned to this county and located at Axtell,
where lie and his wife spent the rest of their lives, his death occurring in
191 1 and hers on September 3, 1916. During Thomas Scanlan's years of
activity in this part of the state he became a large landowner and at the time
of his death was the proprietor of three quarter sections of land, all of which
: MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
had been brought to a high state of development. He and his wife were
members of St. Bridget's Catholic church and ardent supporters of the same
and their children were reared in the faith of that church. There were
thirteen of these children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the sixth
in order of birth, the others being as follow: James I... who died at San
Diego, California. February 15. [916; William H., who is on the old home
farm north of Baileyville, over in Nemaha county; Emmet, who died in Texas
"ii September -\ 1902; Sifter Virvina, who was in the St. Scholasticas convent
at Atchison and who died on March 23, 1913; Thomas ]•".. who is a general
foreman in the shops of the Illinois Central Railroad Company at Chicago;
Mrs. Bryan Waters, who live-- on a farm four miles west of Axtell, in Mur-
ray township; Sister Genevieve, who is in the St. Scholasticas convent at
Atchison; Sister Aurelia, a member of the Order of St. Scholasticas, who is
now teaching at Argentine, this state; Benjamin I'"., a farmer, of Axtell;
Cora, who is keeping house for her brother, Frank A., at Axtell: John B.. a
stockman in Sioux county. Nebraska, and J. Paul, who is with the Omaha
drain Exchange at Omaha. Nebraska.
\s noted above, Frank A. Scanlan was but three years of age when bis
parents came from West Virginia to Kansas and he grew up on the paternal
farm, thoroughly familiar with pioneer conditions of living. Until he was
thirty years of age he remained with his father, a valued assistant in the labor
of developing the latter's extensive farming interests, and then went to Cali-
fi mia, where he spent a year, lie then located at Omaha, where he was
engaged in the employ of the Union Pacific railroad for ten years, at the end
of which time, in K;oS. he returned to Marshall county and has since then
been engaged in looking after his extensive farming interests, making his
home at Axtell. Mr. Scanlan is the owner of a line farm of two hundred
and ninety acres in Guittard township, two miles south and six miles west 'of
Axtell. and a quarter section in St. Bridget township and a quarter section in
Nemaha county, part of the old home farm, all of which farms he has brought
up to a high state of cultivation.
On December 17. [906, while living at Omaha, Frank A. Scanlan was
united in marriage to Orilla May Butterfield, daughter of Doctor and Mrs.
Butterfield, of that city, and who died on April -'_'. [907, a little more than
four months after her marriage, at the age of twenty-nine years. Mr. Scan-
lan is a Democrat. He is a member of the Catholic church and of the Knights
of Columbus. He takes a proper interest in the general business affairs of
his home town and is regarded as one of Axtell's substantial and public-
spirited citizens.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 65 S
HERMANN BROTHERS.
Two of the well-established farmers and stockmen of Oketo township,
Marshall county, are the Hermann Brothers, Henry and Herman, the sons
of John and Johanna Hermann, natives of Germany and Springfield, Illi-
nois, respectively.
John Hermann received his education in the land of his nativity, where
he was born on October 10, 1875. As a young man he decided to come to
America, and on his arrival in this country he located in Illinois, where he
remained for a time and then came to Nebraska. Here he homesteaded in
Nemaha county some time before the Civil War and had entered upon the
task of developing and improving his farm. At the outbreak of the war, he
enlisted in a Nebraska regiment in the defense of the flag of his adopted
country. He saw much active service and was taken prisoner in Texas and
for six months he did time in one of the Southern prisons. At the time of
his capture he had over four hundred dollars sewed in his shirt, which was
later taken by his captors. At the close of the war, and when he received his
discharge he came to Kansas, where he purchased three hundred and twenty
acres of land in Oketo township, Marshall county, where the sons now live.
On his return form the war, Mr. Hermann was married and to them
thirteen children were born, nine of whom are still living, as follow: Tohn,
Mary, Anna, Henry, Herman, Emma, Fred, Richard and Frank. John is a
resident of Nuckolls county, Nebraska : Mary Remmers, is also a resident of
Nebraska, where her husband is a farmer and stockman. Her sister, Anna,
resides with her. Emma Bentley is residing in Oketo township, as is her
brother, Richard; Fred is engaged in farming and Frank is a resident of
Wymore. Mr. Hermann died in 1S96 and his widow is now living at
Wymore, Nebraska. They were long members and ardent workers in the
Lutheran church and were prominent in the social life of the community,
where they were held in the highest regard.
Of the two brothers, Flenry was born on December 26, 1872, and Her-
man on October 10, 1875, on the old homestead in Marshall county, Kansas.
Henry was united in marriage on April 1, 1904, to Grace Remmers, who was
born in Germany on July 21, 1879, and is the daughter of Clans and Lena
Remmers. When the daughter, Grace, was ten years old the family came
to Marshall county, and the parents are now living in Oketo township. To
Henry and Grace Hermann one child has been born, Johanna, whose birth
occurred on June 16, 1906. Mr. and Mrs. Hermann are active members of
656 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
the Lutheran church and arc among the prominent people of the community.
Henry and Herman Hermann are identified with the Republican party,
and are influential in local affairs; they arc stockholders of the co-operative
store and of the elevator company at Oketo.
AUGUST J. CARLSON.
August J. Carlson, a native of Sweden, and now one of the best-known
and most successful farmers and stockmen of Blue Rapids township, Mar-
shall county, was horn on July J4, 1868, the son of John and Christine
Carlson.
John and Christine Carlson were also natives of Sweden and received
their education in the schools of that country. They were of the laboring
cla>s and grew to manhood and womanhood amid the environments of their
heme people. I11 [869 they decided that they would come to the United
States, where many of their countrymen had come, who had met with suc-
cess. Mr. and .Mrs. Carlson were ambitious to obtain a home of their own
for themselves and those dependent upon them. With a feeling of confi-
dence that by hard work and close economy they could and would secure
their home in the new land, they sailed for America. On landing in this
country they at once came to Kansas, and established their home at Irving,
Marshall county. For the first three years the father worked as a laborer,
after which he homesteaded his farm in Bigelow township, for two years
the family lived in a dugout, and though the conditions were not the most
pleasant, the father and mother were happy in the thought that at last they
had realized their ambition in the possession of a home. A saw-mill was
later started on the river, near the farm, and there Mr. Carlson engaged as
a mill hand, in order to get lumber with which to build him a house, which
was later accomplished, and the siding on the house then built is of walnut.
By hard work and close economy. Mr. and Mrs. Carlson put their farm
under a high state of cultivation and made many valuable and substantial
improvements. < >n this farm the mother died in 18S6 and here the father
engaged in general farming with success until the time of his death in
[899. They were excellent people and were held in the highest regard by
all who knew them. They were the parents of the following children:
Alfred, Anna. Justine. Josephine, llattie. Augusta and August J. Alfred,
now deceased, was for a number of years a printer at Irving and was later
.MRS. MARY CARLSON.
AUGUST J. CARLSON.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 657
with a queensware company at Atchison and died at St. Joe in 1896. Anna
Johnson, who is a widow, is a successful druggist at Kansas City. She has
two sons, one, the successful proprietor of a hotel and the other a traveling
salesman. Justine is the widow of Doctor West, a former successful physi-
cian of Irving. She is now with a son, who is a banker in Idaho. Josephine
married Doctor Chase, of Irving, who later moved to San Diego, California;
he died at Los Angeles ten years ago and Mrs. Chase died in the spring of
19 1 6. Hattie kept the home for the father and brother, August, for a
number of years and now lives at Irving. Augusta was a successful teacher
and taught school for twenty-five years in Irving.
August J. Carleson came to the United States with his parents when
he was but one year old. He was reared in the vicinity of Irving, and there
received his education in the schools of that place. As a young man he
engaged in farm work, and in 189 1, he went to California with Doctor
Chase and remained there for one year, returning to Marshall county in
1892. The following year he engaged in the live-stock business, at which
he remained for four years. For the next twelve years he operated a meat
market with success. He was then engaged to manage the estate of Mrs.
C. M. Palmer, consisting of one hundred and eighty acres of splendid land
in Eigelow township. He employs from one to three men in the operation
of the place. He has recently erected a splendid business block in Irving,
where he owns the blacksmith shop and the meat market. For the past
twenty years he has been a dealer in ice in his home town.
On June 9, 1896, August J. Carlson was united in marriage to Mary
Reddington, who was born at Atchison, Kansas, in 1870, and is the daugh-
ter of James Reddington and wife. To this union the following children
have been born : Margaret, Alfred, John, Fred, and Victor. Margaret
is a graduate of the Irving high school, having completed her course in that
institution with the class of 19 16. Alfred is a junior in the high school
and John is a freshman ; Fred is in the seventh grade and Victor is in the
second grade. Mr. and Mrs. Carlson are prominent members of the Epis-
copal church and take much interest in the services of that denomination, of
which they are substantial supporters. They have long been prominent in
the social and the religious life of the district, and have many friends who
hold them in the highest esteem.
Politically, Mr. Carlson is identified with the Republican party, and
has always taken a keen interest in the civic affairs of his home city. He
has served as a member of the city council, where he gave valuable services.
(42)
''5X MAESHAIi COUNTY, KANSAS.
Being a man of broad views and progressive ideas, his official life was suc-
cessful. He is a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias, the Modern
Woodmen of America and the Ami- Horse-thief Association. He has been
a member of the first lodge for twenty-five years and is a past chancellor
and has represented his lodge at the' grand lodge. Mr. Carlson is a repre-
sentative citizen and his active life has been a most successful one; he is
recognized as one of the substantial men of the county.
JOHN' H. KRUG.
John H. Krug, one of the well-known and successful young men of
Marshall county, was born in Washington county, Kansas, on January 18,
1890, the son of John and Ida ( Kasneck) Krug.
John Krug was born in i860 in Pennsylvania, where he was reared on
the farm and educated in the public schools of the district. At the age of
seventeen years he engaged as a farm hand, working by the month for twelve
years. He then purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Washing-
ton county. Kansas, which he developed and improved and where he engaged
in general farming and stock raising for ten years, when he sold the farm and
bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Phillips county, Kansas, his
present home. In addition to general farming he is an extensive breeder
of high-grade draft horses, in which he has been most successful.
Ida (Kasneck) Krug was hum in Germany in [853 and was reared in
a village of that country and received her education in the local schools. At
the age of fourteen years, she came to the United States with her parents and
located in Washington county, Kansas, where she grew to womanhood and
was married in 1SS7. She continued to live in that county until the time
nf her deatli in [895. Mr. and Mrs. Krug were the parents of three children
as follow: Walter. John H. and Rudolph. Walter is employed by the
Standard Oil Company and is stationed at St. Joe. Missouri, and Rudolph is
a brakeman on the Grand Island railroad with headquarters at Hastings,
Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Krug were reared in the faith of the German
Lutheran church and Mr. Krug is now an active member of that denomina-
tion. Politically, he is identified with the Republican party and takes much
interest in local affairs and is at present a member of die school hoard of his
home district.
His mother having died when he was but five years of age. John H.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 659
Krug- was reared by Margurete Ramar, in whose home he remained until lie
was sixteen years of age. His early life was spent on the farm and he
received his education in the local schools. As a lad he learned telegraphy
and was later appointed station agent at Endicott. The first year he was
relief man and during that time he worked at twelve different stations for the
Grand Island railroad. For a vear he was at Powells, Nebraska, as agent,
when he was transferred to Hanover as operator, and after a year at that
place, he served as agent at Bremen, for five years before assuming his present
position as agent at Herkimer. Here he has a relief man and devotes much
of his time to the automobile business. In 1913 he erected a building, four-
teen by twenty feet, opposite the depot and established a garage and handled
second-hand cars for a year. He then built a brick block, thirty-two by
twenty-two feet, on the same location and handled the Ford and Dodge cars
for Charles Travelute, of Marysville. After two years he took the agency
for the Saxon automobile and discontinued the sale of the Ford and Dodge
cars. In April, 1916, he built a two-story iron-clad garage, thirty-eight by
sixty-four feet, on Main street. The upper part of the building is used as a
public hall and the lower part for the automobile business. His garage is
one of the finest in this section and he has the greatest floor space of any
garage in the town. He has a well-established business and during the first
part of 1 91 6 he sold ten carloads of Saxon cars and fifty Chevrolet cars since
January I.
In addition to Iiis extensive automobile interests, Mr. Krug has much
property in the town, owning four good business places, many vacant lots and
a fine residence. In 1914 he installed an electric light plant and has the con-
tract for lighting the city, and has lights in nearly all the buildings in the
place. He also owns and conducts a modern and up-to-date pool and billiard
parlor, which is managed in such a manner as to receive the approval of the
greater portion of the resident population.
On May 10, 1914, John H. Krug was united in marriage to Freda Ida
Minder, the daughter of Adolph and Rosa ( Kohler) Minder. The parents
were natives of Switzerland, where the father was born in i860 and the
mother in 1859. Their early lives were spent in their home village and there
they were educated in the public schools. After reaching their majority they
were married in 1888 and continued to reside in the land of their birth until
1891, when they came to the United States, locating at Home City. Kansas.
As a young man, Mr. Minder learned the saddlery trade and on coming to
Home City he established a harness shop, which he conducted for twelve
years, when he sold the place and moved to Herkimer, where he built a sub-
660 MARS HALT. COUNTY, KANSAS.
stantial residence and harness shop and continued in the business until his
death in [906. Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Minder lias made her
home with Mr. and Mrs. Krug. Politically, Mr. Minder was identified with
the Democratic party and took much interest in local .affairs. He and his
wife were reared in the faith of the German Lutheran church and were
prominent in all church work. They were the parents of two children, Freda
Ida. who was born in Switzerland on September 10, 1890, and Adolph, born
at 1 Ionic City, Kansas.
John 11. and Freda Ida Krug are the parents of one child, l.eman Paul.
who was born on April 3, [915. Mr. and Mrs. Krug are members of the
Lutheran church and are prominent in the social and religious life of the
town, where Mr. Krug is recognized as one of the substantial and most pro-
gressive business men. and where he has taken an active part in promoting
its best interests.
FRED MOSER.
Fred Mover, a well-known resident of Marvsville township, Marshall
count\. is a native of Germany, where he was horn on March II, i860, the
son of Jacob and Marie Moser.
Jacob and Marie Moser were also natives of Germany, where they were
educated, grew up and were married. Jacob Moser was horn in 1825 and
was reared in a village, where he and his wife lived until the time of her
death in [864, when the son, Fred, was four years of age. For four years
after the death of his wife. Mr. Moser continued to live in Germany, when
in [868 he decided to come to America. After the death of Marie Moser,
Mr. Moser was united in marriage to Rosa Onger, a native of Germany.
By Marie Moser. Jacob Moser was the father of three children as follow:
George, who is now deceased; Fred the subject of this -ketch and J. C, a
butcher of Marvsville. To Rosa Moser has been horn three children as fol-
low: William. Mary and Charles, all of whom are now deceased
On his arrival in the United States in [868, Jacob Moser at once came
to Kansas and purchased three hundred and sixty acres of land in Marvs-
ville township, Marshall county. This he developed and improved and
engaged in general farming and stock raising with much success until the
time of his death in [896. He and his family were members of the German
Lutheran church and were prominent in the early social and religious life
of the township, where they were held in the highesl regard. Mr. Moser was
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 66l
identified with the Democratic party and took a good deal of interest in local
affairs, and had much to do with the civic life of the township and the county.
He was a progressive man and his farm and stock were among the best in
the district. Being a man of excellent judgment, his advice was often sought
in matters that pertained to the welfare and improvement of the locality.
Fred Moser received his earliest educational training in the public schools
of his native land and at the age of eight years came to the United States
with his father and the other members of the family. He completed his edu-
cation in the schools of Marshall county, and grew to manhood on the home
farm, where he assisted his father with the farm work. At the age of twenty-
one years he engaged as a farm hand by the month and later worked in a
stone quarry. After some years of this work he was employed in the office
of the division superintendent, of the Northern Pacific railroad. In 1897
he returned to the farm, he and his brother renting two hundred and twenty
acres of land, which was a part of the old home place. Here he engaged
in general farming for two years, when he rented one hundred and sixty
acres near Oketo, where he lived for 'ten years, at the end of which time he
came to his present farm where he is successfully engaged in the operation
of three hundred and eighty acres of splendid land. In addition to his gen-
eral farming, he pays much attention to the raising of cattle and hogs, and
has some of the best animals in this section of the township. He has always
taken an interest in local affairs and has served his township as a member of
the school .board.
In 1888 Fred Moser was united in marriage to Anna Georgina May,
the daughter of David and Mina (King) May. David May was born in
Germany in 1836 and was there educated in the public schools and there grew
to manhood. He later came to the United States and located in Illinois,
where he was married to Mina King. Some years later they located in Cass
county, Nebraska, where they died. They were the parents of two children,
Frank and Georgina. Anna Georgina ( King) Moser was born in the state
of Illinois and was educated in the common schools and lived at home until
the time of her marriage. Her death occurred on February 24, 1902. She
was a woman of many excellent qualities and during her short life had made
many friends. She and Mr. Moser were the parents of the following chil-
dren: Perry \V., born on February 20. 1889; Mina May, February 4, 1890;
Royal G, June 13, 1894; Minnetta, March 28, 1896; William J., January 12,
180,8, and Horace A., born on December 9, 1900. The children are all at
home with the exception of Royal G., who is working on a ranch in Nebraska.
662 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
PETER S. BURNETT.
Of the well-known and prominent retired farmers and stockmen of
Blue Rapids, Marshall county, is Peter S. Burnett, a native son of the South-
land, horn in North Carolina on October 20. 1835, the son of Jesse and
Mary (Stoner) Burnett, also natives of North Carolina, and there they
received their education in the public schools and were later married.
Jesse Burnett was the son of Thomas Burnett, a life-long resident of
North Carolina, where he was drowned many years ago. When l'eter S.
was three years of age. his parents left the South and came to Indiana, where
they established their home on a farm in Putnam county and there the father
died in [884, at an advanced age. He was a hard-working and industrious
man and was held in the highest esteem. His wife, Mary Burnett, was horn
in [816 and died in April. [913. She was the daughter of a Revolutionary
soldier, l'eter Stoner. who married Eva Cottner, both being natives of the
state of Pennsylvania. The father was a soldier of the Revolutionary War,
and a strong supporter of the government. They also came to Putnam
county, Indiana, where they died.
Peter S. Burnett lived for many years in a log cabin and received his
education in the early schools of Indiana and was on the farm in Madison
township, Putnam county. He remained on the home farm until 1856. when
he engaged as a farm hand at twelve dollars per month. There was at that
time little to regulate the hours that a man should work each day, other than
the sun or the weather. It was from daylight to dark, and many times it
was from before daylight until after dark. While yet a lad and roing to
school, he split rails and cut many a cord of wood.
On the attempted dissolution of the Union, Mr. Burnett demonstrated
his patriotism and his determination to assist in the defence of the flag, bv
isting in Company G, Thirtieth Regiment. Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He
fought his first battle at Bellemont, Missouri, on November 7, [861, and
on February 12, 1862, he was al Ft. Henry, Tennessee. He was later at
it. Donalson and saw the surrender of the Southern forces to General
Grant, under whom Mr. Burnett was then serving. It was an impressive
sight to the new soldier to see, amid the waving of the Stars and Stripe-.
the fluttering of the white flags of truce. He also saw active service and
ban! lighting at Pittsburg Landing and was with the forces at the hard fought
battle of Brittenslane, Tennessee. He took part in several important skirm-
ishes and was made first sergeant of bis company. On May 2, 1863, he
was in the battle at Port Gibson, Mississippi, and on May u at Raymond;
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 663
May 14, the battle of Jackson was fought; on the 16th, Champion's Hill; on
May 17, Big Black river and on May 22, the forces settled down for the
siege of Vicksburg, and for forty-seven days, this memorable engagement
continued, when on July 3, 1863, the white flag was seen to wave from the
camp of the Confederate forces, and the long and trying ordeal was over.
From April until September of the next year he was at the siege of Atlanta,
during which time he was in several small fights. He was with Sherman on
the march to the sea, and was present at the surrender of General Johnson.
During his campaign to the sea, he fought battles in the country where he
was born, though in the opposing forces of most of the residents of that sec-
tion at that time. He was in the march from Raleigh, North Carolina, to
Washington, where he took part in the Grand Review. He was then sent to
Louisville, Kentucky, where he was mustered out of the service on August
17, 1865, and was discharged at Springfield, Illinois, some time later. For
four long years, he had given his best services to the cause of the Union and
was once more a free man to engage in the work of life.
In December, 1865, Mr. Burnett came to Kansas and located on a farm
in section 12, Waterville township, Marshall county. The township has since
been changed to Blue Rapids City township. Here he purchased one hun-
dred and sixty acres of partly improved land at ten dollars per acre. There
were many people in the community at that time who thought him foolish to
pay so much for farm land at that time, where there were so many acres to
homestead at a much lower price. But the tract suited him and lie made the
purchase. He made many extensive improvements and developed the farm
into one of the finest in that section. He engaged in general farming until
1 89 1, when he retired and moved to Blue Rapids, where he now has a splen-
did residence. He enlarged his original farm until he became the owner of
two hundred and fifty acres, all of which he placed under high cultivation.
He was an extensive breeder of Shorthorn cattle and kept many hogs. He
soon became recognized as one of the most successful and progressive farm-
ers and stockmen in the county, where he has ever been held in the highest
regard.
On May 9, 1867, Mr. Burnett was married to Margaret J. Stout, a
native of Buchanan county, Missouri, where she was born on October 29,
1848, and her death occurred on August 4, 1890. She was the daughter of
Albert and Nancy (Williamson) Stout, who were natives of Virginia. They
settled in Missouri, where they remained until 1859, when they came to Mar-
shall county, and settled on a farm near Blue Rapids, where Mr. and Mrs.
Burnett were later married.
'•I. I MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
To Peter S. and Margaret J. Burnett was born one child, Belle, who is
now the wife of Elmer F. Haven of Jacksonville, Florida, where Mr. Haven
is an inspector for the Armour Packing Company, of which lie is the chief
of the bureau of animal industry. Mr. and Mrs. Burnett were long identified
with the active life of their home community, and were ever interested in all
that tended toward the moral, social and educational betterment of the town-
ship and the county. Mrs. Burnett was an exceptional woman, who by her
pleasing qualities won for herself many friends, who hold her in kindly remem-
hrance. Both she and Mr. Burnett were attendants of the Baptist chinch.
taking much interest in all church services and were substantial supporters
of the society.
Politically, Mr. Burnetl is a member of the Republican party, and has
always taken a keen interest in the civic life of the township. Though he
has never been a seeker after office, he has served as a member of the local
school board for twelve years. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of
America and of the (hand Army of the Republic Post at Blue Rapids and is
the quarter-master of the local organization. His life has been an active one
and he takes much pride in the fact that during his life in the defense of his
country, he was under fire for three hundred days. Today he is one of the
honored and highly respected men of the state.
FRED CROME.
Fred Crome, the well-known manager of the elevator at Bremen, Kan-
sas, was horn on the home farm in Logan township, on January 28, [878,
the son of Conrad and Mary (Sluter) Crome, natives of Germany, where the
father was born in [828 and the mother in [838.
t onrad and Mary Crome were educated in the schools of Germany and
there grew up and were married. Mr. Crome spenl live years of his young
life in Australia, where he worked in a gold mine.' The rest of his life,
until [871, he lived in his native land where he was engaged in farming.
In 1S71 he decided to come to tile United States where he mighl better
make a home for those dependent upon him. On his arrival in this country
lie located for a time in Indiana, where he worked in a smelter, making rail-
road rails. The following year he came to Kansas and purchased one hun-
d and >ixty acres of land in Logan township, Mar-hall county. This land
he developed and improved and engaged in general farming and stock- rais-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 665
ing until the time of his death in 1904. He and his wife always took an
active part in the services of the German Lutheran church, of which they
were members and of which Mr. Crome was a trustee for many years. He
was identified with the Republican party and was prominent in the civic and
political life of the township. For a number of years he served as road boss
and was a member of the local school board.
Conrad and Mary Crome were the parents of thirteen children, of whom
eight are living-, as follow : Conrad F., Herman, Fred, Hermine. William,
Anna, John and Emma. Conrad is a farmer in Marshall county; Herman
is engaged in general farming in Washington county; Hermine Pralle is the
wife of a well-known farmer of Logan township; William is farming the
home place; Anna Duever resides on a farm in Washington county, where
her husband is a successful farmer; John is a rural mail carrier out of
Bremen and Emma Lauderbach is living in Logan township, where Mr.
Lauderbacli is a successful farmer and stockman. Mr. and Mrs. Crome were
ever prominent in their home community, took much interest in the social
and moral development of the district and were held in the highest esteem
and regard by all who knew them.
bred Crome received his education in the local schools and was reared
on the home farm, where as a lad he assisted his father with the farm work.
At the age of sixteen years he was employed as a farm hand and worked by
the month for nine years. He then rented a farm of one hundred and sixty
acres in section 31, Logan township, and after three years he purchased the
place. He made many extensive improvements and placed the farm under
a high state of cultivation. After nine years he traded it for the elevator
at Bremen and a residence property in that place. In connection with his
farm work, Mr. Crome operated a threshing machine from 1901 to 1906.
The elevator which Mr. Crome now owns, was established about 1894
by W. H. Koeneke, win, enlarged and improved the property in [901. Since
assuming possession of the elevator. Mr. Crome has made many valuable
improvements and is now doing about thirty thousand dollars in business
each year. He is most progressive and believes in keeping his elevator up to
a high standard of excellence. He has the confidence of the public and his
business shows an increase from year to year.
In 1908 Fred Crome was united in marriage to Kate Wassermann,
who was born in Herkimer township. Marshall county, in 1XS7, the daughter
of Chris and Katie ( Germerroth) Wassermann, natives of Germany and now
prominent residents of Herkimer township. Mrs. Crome died at the birth
df her child, Katie, who was born on October 2~, 1909. In 1912 Mr. Crome
666 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
was united in marriage to Lizzie Wassermanri, a sister of his first wife, Who
was burn in Marshall county in [889 and received her education in the schools
nf her home township. To this union three children have been born as fol-
low: Fred, whose birth occurred on January 2<>. 1913; Munford, on Novem-
ber i<), [914, died mi January 22, 1917, and Edgar, on April 9, 1916. Mr.
and Mrs. Crome are members of the German Lutheran church and are prom-
inent in the social life of the town.
OSCAR T. RUSSELL.
Among the well-known and successful farmers of Marysville township,
Mar-hall county, may be mentioned Oscar T. Russell, who was burn in the
state of Illinois on May 22, [864, the son of John II. and Maria Jane (Wat-
kins) Russell, who were natives of Ohio and Kentucky, respectively, the
fi rmer having been born in [83] and the latter in [835.
John II. Russell was reared on the farm and received his education in
the public schools. When he was but a lad he came with his parents to Illi-
nois, where they established their In mie mi a farm, and there the son. John,
i irned the principles of agriculture during his younger days and became
impressed with the independent hie of the farmer. In [851 he was united in
marriage to Maria lane Watkins, win. received a splendid education in the
public schools and was a successful teacher for several years. Mr. and Mrs.
Russell were married in the state of [llinois, where they lived for some \.
after their marriage, when they decided to locate in Iowa. Mr. Russell pur-
chased four hundred acres of land in northwestern part of that state, which
he developed and improved and engaged in general farming and stock raising
f> r five years, when be sold the place and in [884 moved to Kansas. Here
he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of splendid land near Marysville.
the farm being the one on which the son. Oscar T., now lives. John H.
Russell engaged successfully in farming and stoek raising until the time of his
death in [889. Mr. and Mrs. Russell always took an active interest in the
services of the Methodisl Episcopal church, of which they were members.
Politically, Mr. Russell was identified with the Republican party, and while
taking much interest in local affairs, was not an office seeker. He and Mrs.
Russell were the parents of the following children: Sophia, James, Oscar
T., Effie -V. W. G. and live that are now deceased. Sophia Mtilnix lives at
Potwin, Kansas, where her husband is a druggist; James H. is a retired
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 667
farmer at Summerfield, Kansas ; Erne A. resides at Marysville, Kansas, and
W. G. is a merchant at Jefferson City, Missouri.
Oscar T. Rnssell was reared on the farm and received his education in
the common schools. He remained at home, assisting his father with the
work on the farm, until he was twenty-one years of age, when he started in
work for himself. He rented a farm near Marysville, where he lived for
two years. He and his brother, W. G. then purchased one hundred and sixty
acres of land, which they farmed in partnership for two years, when Oscar
purchased the entire farm, which he operated until 1906. In the latter year
he sold the place and purchased the old home place of one hundred and sixty
acres, which he has increased and is now the owner of five hundred and forty
acres of the best land, all of which is under a high state of cultivation and
well improved. During a portion of his time as a farmer he has given atten-
tion to the feeding of cattle ; but for the past few years, he has devoted the
greater part of his energies to the cultivation of corn and wheat, in which
he has been most successful.
In 1897 Oscar T. Russell was united in marriage to Adelaide Riley, the
widow of Albert H. Riley, and the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Neely)
Robinson. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were natives of England and Canada,
respectively, the father having been born in 18 16 and the mother in 1829.
John Robinson received his education in the schools of England and as a
young man farmed in that country before he went to Canada. On his arrival
in Canada he purchased a farm and there he engaged in general farming and.
stock raising until his death in 1872. He had purchased three hundred and
sixty acres of land in Center township, Marshall county, but had never lived
on it. His widow lived on it with her family of nine children. Mrs. Robin- .
son was educated in the schools of Canada and there she lived for some time,
dying on the home farm in Marshall county, in 1897. They were very active
members of the Methodist Episcopal church and took much interest in all
departments of church work. They were prominent in the social life of the
community, and did much for the moral and social uplift of the district, in
which they' were held in the highest regard. They were the parents of the
following children: Henry N., George W., Isabelle, Albert R., Sarah Jane,
Victoria E., Adelaide, Morley P. and Lillie. George W. lives at Lincoln,
Nebraska, where he is a street-car conductor ; Isabelle Smith resides at
Sabetha, Kansas, and her husband is a traveling salesman ; Albert R. lives
near Maryville, Missouri, engaged in farming; Sarah Jane Heal}' resides at
Los Angeles, California, where her husband is an adjuster for one of the
railroads ; Victoria E. Riley resides near Home City, Kansas, where her bus-
668 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
band is a farmer and stockman; Morley P. lives near Blue Rapids, Kansas,
and is a farmer, and Lillie is now deceased.
Adelaide (Robinson) Russell was horn near Petersburg, Canada, on
July 26, [867; was reared oil the farm and received her education in the local
schools. She and Mr. Russell are the parents of four children as follow:
Blanche, horn on April m. [898, graduated from the Marysville high school
in the class of [916; Lawrence Oscar, August <>. [901, a student in the high
school; Robert, April 3, [908, and Esther, February jo. [912. Mrs. Russell
is an active member of the Christian Science church and Mr. Russell also
attends that organization. Politically, Mr. Russell is identified with the
Democratic party and has served his district as a member of the school board
for fi lur terms.
WILLIAM HUNTER, M. I).
William Hunter, M. D., now deceased, and for many years one of the
well-known and successful practitioners of Blue Rapids, Marshall county, was
lorn at West Newton, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, on July 2<), 1850,
and died at his home in Blue Rapids, Kansas, on November 28, 1914. His
parents were natives of the state of Pennsylvania, where they received their
education in the public schools, grew to maturity and were married. After
their marriage they established their home in that state where they continued
to live until [866, when they came to Missouri and located on a farm, where
ime prosperous and influential people.
William Hunter received his early educational training in the schools
of \\ est Newton, where he resided until he was sixteen years of age, at which
time he came to Missouri with his parents. Here he entered the Savannah
Normal school, from which he was later graduated. For seven years he was
one of the successful teachers of the state, and later pursued a business course
in Kansas Lit v. Missouri. He later entered the Ensworth Medical College
at St. Joe and was graduated in [879. After completing his education, he
iblished himself at Axtell, Kansas, where he practiced his profession until
[886, when he came to Blue Rapids, Kansas. For several years he engaged
in the practice of medicine, when he became interested in the cement and
plaster manufacturing business in his home town. He and Jesse Axtell first
built the Great Western 1'laster Mills, which they operated for a number of
years, when they sold the husiness Doctor Hunter then became interested
in the Marshall County Rower and Light Company. This husiness was first
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
known as the Electric Plaster Company, but after the selling of the mill, the
new company was organized. For many years Doctor Hunter was the secre-
tary of this successful company, that had so much to do with the general
development and growth of this section of the state.
During seventeen years of his active life, Doctor Hunter was the local
surgeon of the Missouri Pacific and the Union Pacific railroads, in which
capacity he gave satisfactory evidence of his medical and surgical skill. He
was for many years the regent of the State Agricultural College at Man-
hattan, an institution in which lie always took the greatest interest. He was
always most influential in educational matters, and one of his greatest desires
was to see the educational institutions of the county placed on the highest
plane possihle. and to him is largely due the excellent school system now in
force. He was greatly opposed to any inferior enterprise; he regarded a
poor system of schools as a great hindrance to the progress of the district.
He believed in a practical education and one that would fit the boy and the
girl for the more important duties of life. The agricultural school, where
the boys and the girls of the state might be trained for a life of usefulness
and good citizenship, was to him a matter of the utmost importance. Today,
this institution has given to the state many men and women who have brought
honor and success to the great state of Kansas. Being a man of progressive
ideas, and, perhaps, in advance of the times and community, he advocated
reforms that had much to do with the growth of his home town. He always
had great faith in the future of Blue Rapids and his constant effort was ever
in the interests of a better and a greater city. He was for many years a
member of the school board and had much to do with formulating the present
excellent system of schools.
Politically, Doctor Hunter was identified with the Republican party, and
always took the greatest interest in local affairs, both in the city and the
county. He was not a partisan, but he used his best efforts in the selection
of good men to administer the affairs of the county, rather than to the selec-
tion of any man because of party affiliation. He was a member of the
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and of the Order of the Eastern Star,
and he and his wife were prominent and active members of the Presbyterian
church. As a young man he united with the church, and always took much
interest in religious work. Both he and his wife were long active in the
social life of the community, where they were held in the highest regard.
On November 13, 1884, at Axtell. Kansas, William Hunter was united
in marriage to Carrie L. Axtell, a native of Red Oak, Iowa, and the daughter
of [esse and Emeline (Shangle) Axtell, natives of the state of Ohio, where
67O MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
they were born, near Mt. Gilead, Morrow county. Jesse Axtell left his home
in Ohio in the year 1859 and located at Red Oaks, Iowa, where he was a
merchant for a number of years. At the outbreak of the Civil War he
enlisted in an Iowa company and saw much active service. . After receiving
his honorable discharge he returned to Iowa, where he lived until 1879, when
he came to Kansas and established a store and lumber yard at Axtell, where
he successfully engaged in that business until the fall of 1885, when he came
to Blue Rapids. 11 ere he and Doctor Hunter opened a lumber yard, which
was operated by them until 1912. He was also interested in the plaster
business and was one of the organizers of the Electric Power Company. Mr.
and Mrs. Axtell were both born in the year 1840 and since the death of his
wife, on August 10. 1910, he has made his home at Long Beach, California.
They were the parents of nine children, seven of whom are now living:
Carrie I... Ida, Chloe, Carson, Gertrude, Willis and Clinton. Carrie L., the
widow of I toetor Hunter, is a resident of Blue Rapids; Ida, the wife of Mr.
Mattern, is living at Adrian. Michigan; Chloe, the wife of Mr. Molby, is a
resident of Barnes, Kansas; Carson lives near Bedford. Massachusetts; Ger-
trude, the wife of Mr. Loomis, resides at Long Beach. California; Willis is
engaged in the lumber busness in Blue Rapids, and Clinton is an electrician
and is with the General Electric Company at Schenectady, Xew York.
Tu the union of William and Carrie L. Hunter, there were four children
horn: Edith, Oliver W., Charles Axtell and one that died in infancy. Edith
died at the age of four and a half years: Oliver \Y., after completing his work
in the high school of Blue Rapids, entered the Agricultural College at Man-
hattan, where he completed the work and where for the past six years he
lias been assistant professor of bacteriology. He has his master's degree
from the University of Wisconsin and is a student of much ability. Charles
Axtell is also a graduate of the Agricultural College at Manhattan and took
hi- master's degree in mio from the University of Wisconsin, and is now
professor of bacteriology in the University of Florida, at Gainesville. Both
the -on- are establishing an enviable reputation in their chosen work and are
now recognized as authorities on many matters of professional importance.
They have ever been hard students and earnest workers, and their great
desire was to succeed in their work.
Duct' ir Hunter was a man of unusual ability and possessed of much
business acumen. Honest in his every business transaction, he won the con-
fidence am! the respect of the business men of the county. As a physician
and surgeon, he was recognized as one of the most proficient in the district
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 67!
where he practiced. He attended strictly to business and was most careful
in his duties to his patients. He had an extensive practice throughout a large
district, and his death was a distinct loss to the professional and business life
of the community in which he lived and where he was held in such high
regard.
Mrs. Hunter is now living in Blue Rapids, where she has a beautiful
home, and where she is actively engaged in the social and the religious life
of the city. She is a woman of pleasing qualities and possessed of con-
siderable ability. She is prominent in the Order of the Eastern Star and is
one of the active members of the Afternoon Club, in which she takes much
pleasure.
ALBERT WITTMUS.
Among the many well-known and successful men of Kansas who were
born in foreign countries and who have later come to the United States, is
Albert Wittmuss, of Balderson township, Marshall county, who was born in
Germany on July 18, 1868, the son of William and Augusta Wittmuss.
William and Augusta Wittmuss were natives of Germany, where they
were educated, grew up and were later married. For a number of years
after their marriage they continued to live in Germany, where Mr. Wittmuss
engaged in farming. In 1882, when the son, Albert, was fourteen years of
age, the parents decided to come to America. On their arrival in this country
they located at Omaha, Nebraska, where the father worked as a laborer until
1886, when he moved to a farm west of that city and engaged in farming for
some years, after which he moved to South Dakota, where he now lives.
Albert Wittmuss received his early educational training in the schools
of Germany, and came with his parents to the United States. When the
family located in Omaha, Albert Wittmuss continued to live at home and
remained with his parents on the farm in Nebraska, until he was twenty-two
years of age. In 1890 he came to Kansas, and as he had no money he worked
as a farm hand for some time and then he rented a farm and engaged in farm
work for himself and later purchased his present farm of one hundred and
sixty acres in Balderson township, which he has developed and improved,
and today has one of the ideal farms of the township. He has made all the
improvements and has a splendid eight-room modern house, a large bank
barn, forty-two by forty-four feet, with tool shed, thirty by fifty feet, and a
cattle barn, forty-four by fiftv feet. He has his farm in an excellent state
672 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
of cultivation and his buildings are kept in the besl re-pair. As a farmer and
stockman he is recognized as one of the most successful in the district, his
cattle and hogs being among the finest in the county.
In [893 Vlberl Wittmuss was united in marriage to Louisa Walker,
who was born in Germany in [870 and is the daughter of Jacob and Mary
(Lutz) Walker. Iler parents were also natives of that country and there
resided until [875, when they came to the United States. On their arrival
in this country, Mr. and Mrs. Walker located in Illinois, where they remained
for a few years and then moved to Nebraska, and later were among the early
settlers in this part of Kansas. They are now living at Summerfield.
Albert Wittmuss and wife are the parents of the following children:
Ludwig, Anna, Hilda and Arnold. The family are active members of the
Evangelical Lutheran church and take much interest in all church work and
are prominent residents of the township in which they live. Mr. Wittmuss
is an independent voter and looks to the men who are to administer the affairs
of county and state rather than to any party. He has always taken a keen
interest in local affairs and has had much to do with the growth and develop-
ment of the district, lie is one of the stockholders of the Farmer's Elevator
Company at Summerfield.
At the time Alberl Wittmuss came to Kansas and when he had pur-
chased his farm, he and his parents lived in a shanty, twelve by eighteen feet,
until a better house could be built, some ten years later. Those early years
were full of hardships and privations, but, with the sterling qualities of Ins
race, Mr. Wittmuss has made for himself a place among the substantial and
successful men of the county and is one of the most patriotic Americans in
the state of Kansas.
V B. GARRISON.
A. B. Garrison, a well-known and successful farmer and stockman of
Summerfield, Marshall county, was horn in Rush county, Indiana, on July
21, 1859, the son of William and Louisa (Cruse) Garrison, who were natives
of Indiana, the former having been bom on July 1. [836, and the latter on
March 9, [839. The lather died on January id. i<)io. and the mother, on
September 12, [91 1. They received their education in the schools of Indiana
and there grew up and we were married. The father of William Garrison was
horn in the stale of Kentucky and was one of the early pioneers of Rush
county, Indiana.
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After their marriage, William and Louisa Garrison continued to live in
Indiana until 1867, when they decided to come to Kansas. On their arrival
they established their home on a homestead in the northeast part of section
1, Balderson township, Marshall county. This farm was at that time wild
prairie and unimproved. The pioneer home was soon established in a small
house that had been erected, and here Mr. Garrison engaged in the task of
clearing and developing his farm, and here he engaged in general farming
and stock raising, until five years before his death, when he and his wife
retired from the more active duties of life and moved to Summerfield, where
they continued to live until their deaths. They were married on March 2,
1858, and were the parents of four sons as follow: Charles S., of Chicago;
Henry L., a farmer of Richland township; E. M., of Richland township,
and A. B.
A. B. Garrison received his education in the public schools of Marshall
county and grew to manhood on the home farm, where he assisted with the
farm work. The first school that he attended in Kansas was in a log school
house, with cottonwood slabs for seats and no desks. School was in session
but three or four months during the winter months, and it was amid those
primitive conditions that the children of the district received their education.
A. B. Garrison remained on the home farm until he was twenty-two years
of age, when he engaged in work for himself. For two years he worked
as a farm hand, when he purchased eighty acres of land in section 8, Rich-
land township, and a part of the present farm. He purchased the tract at
ten dollars per acre and that on time. The place was undeveloped and unim-
proved, but at the present time is one of the well-developed and improved
places of the township. In 1893 ne purchased another eighty acres of land
at thirty-five dollars per acre, and is now the owner of one hundred and sixty
acres in the home place, in addition to another three hundred and twenty
acres in the township. As a general farmer and stock raiser, Mr. Garrison
met with much success and was soon recognized as one of the prominent and
substantial farmers of the district.
In 1907 Mr. Garrison left the farm and moved to Summerfield, where
he lived until 191 2, when he again returned to the farm and took up the
duties of farm life. Here he remained until February, 191 5, when he again
moved to Summerfield, where he now lives. He and Mrs. Garrison were
married on November 29, 1882, at Beattie, Kansas. Mrs. Garrison, who
was Jessie B. Winter, was born in Rush county, Indiana, on May 20, 1859, the
daughter of Gideon and Priscilla (Knisely) Winter, the former born in 1815
(43)
r>74 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and died on January 18, 1879, and the latter born in [819 and died on May
3, 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Winter were natives of Kentucky and there received
their education and grew to manhood and womanhood. They later moved
to Indiana, where they remained until [869, when they located on a farm
in Richland township, Marshall county. They were from the same section
in Indiana, as were the parents of A. B. Garrison, and it is known that both
Mr. and Mrs. Garrison, when babies, were nicked in the same cradle together.
Mr. and Mrs. Winter were the parents of the following children: Jane
Thruman, now a resident of Marysville; Elizaheth and Mary are now
deceased: William is a resident of Shelby county, Indiana: Joseph resides
in Colorado; Frances Small resides at Summerfield, her husband being a
well-known retired farmer: Mary Turner lives in Oregon and Adeline Mar-
tin i> a resident <>i ( !ouncil < Irove.
A. IV and Jessie 11. Garrison are the parent- of the following children:
Floyd, Etta, Clarence. Walter, Austin. Benjamin, Raleigh, Etta May and
Bessie. Floyd is a successful farmer in Lincoln township. He is married
to Manda Duckworth and they are the parents of three children. Lola. Yelma
and Elsie; Etta is the wife of Ervin Glide, of Richland township, and is the
mother of three children as follow: Cecil, Ethel and Ruth: Clarence 'lied
at the age of four months: Walter married Lottie Finnerty and is engaged
in farming on the home place. lie and his wife arc the parents of one child.
Weston: Austin is at home and Benjamin Harrison is on a farm adjoining
the home place. He married Marie Sharp and they are the parents of one
child. < Henna: Raleigh, a successful farmer, is married to Cora Easter and
they are the parent- of one child, [mogene; Etta May and Bessie are at home
Mr. and Mrs. Garrison are identified with the Republican party and take
much interest in local .affairs. Mr. Garrison has served as township assessor
and treasurer, and as treasurer of the school district. Since becoming a resi-
dent of Summerfield. he has served as city school clerk. In all his official
life he has given the same care and attention t < • the business of the township
and city, that he gives to his own business affairs. His record as a public
official spread beyond the confines of his home district, and he was appointed
to till a vacancy on the hoard of count) commissioners; in [904 he was elected
to the same position, and because of his excellent services he was retained in
the important 1 iffice until km I.
Mr. and Mrs. Garrison are regular attendants of the Methodist Epis-
copal church and give liberally of their means to its support. They have
long been prominent in the social life of the community and are held in the
highest regard by all win know them. Fraternally, Mr. Harrison is a mem-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 675
ber of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Ancient Order of
United Workmen. In addition to his many other duties, he is a director of
the Summerfield State Bank since 1904, and has had much to do with its
growth and success.
During his active life, Mr. Garrison has always taken much interest in
the breeding and raising of purebred Poland China hogs, and since 1898
has exhibited many of his animals at the county and state fairs. At the state
fair in Nebraska in 1904, he won many first prizes on hogs of his own breed-
ing. Today he is recognized as one of the most successful breeders in this
part of the state, and on his farm may be seen some of the finest animals,
many being supplied for breeding purposes in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado
and Nebraska. In addition to the breeding of hogs, he is an extensive
breeder of Shorthorn cattle and sheep. He has served as president of the
Standard Record Association with headquarters at Maryville, Missouri.
HENRY GREIVELDINGER.
Henry Greiveldinger, a well-known and successful farmer of Logan
township, Marshall county, was born in Luxemburg on June 15, 1845, the son
of Christopher and Lena (Cinnon) Greiveldinger.
Christopher and Lena Greiveldinger were also natives of that country,
the father having been born in 1800 and the mother in 1806. They received
their education in the schools of their native land and there grew to maturity.
Mr. Greiveldinger received instruction in both German and French and was
a man of much ability. After completing his school work he engaged in
farming in his native land until 1855, when he and his family came to the
United States. He established his home in Wisconsin, where he engaged
in general farming and stock raising until his death in 1863. After the death
of her husband, Mrs. Greiveldinger moved to Kansas, where she died in Mar-
shall county in 1888. They were the parents of fourteen children, seven hav-
ing come to the United States in 1855 and all are now deceased with the
exception of Henry, who was the thirteenth child of the family.
Henry Greiveldinger received his earliest educational training in Ger-
many and completed his education in the schools of the United States. He
grew to manhood on the home farm, where as a lad he assisted his father
with the work. In 1863, on the death of his father, he went to Michigan,
676 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
where lie worked in the woods and in the saw-mills of that -tate until 1870,
when he came to Marshall county. Here he took a homestead of one hun-
dred and sixty acres of land in Logan township, which he has since made his
home. The trad at that time was undeveloped and unimproved, but with
much hard work and close application to business, the place is now <>ne of
the attractive country homes in the county. He has erected a large and sub-
stantial house, good barn and other outbuildings, and has made many other
valuable improvements. As a general farmer and stockman, be is recognized
as among the successful ones of the township. He keeps a large herd of
splendid Shorthorn cattle and many 1 >ur< >c- Jersey hogs. Some years ago he
specialized in the raising of hogs and shipped many carloads, but at present
the numbers are more limited.
Henry Greiveldinger was united in marriage in 1872 to Elizabeth Pir-
rott, the daughter of Peter and Catherine (Allair) Pirrott. natives of France
and Germany, respectively. The parent- received their education in the
schools of their home communities and there grew to maturity. After their
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Pirrott continued to live in Germany until 1871, when
they came to the United States. Mr. Pirrott was a farmer in Germany and
on coming' to this country, he located on a farm in Waterville township, where
he homesteaded eighty acres of land. He did much in the way of develop-
ment and engaged in general farming for eight years, when he sold the place
to his son and made his home with his children until his death in [895. Mr.
and Mrs. Pirrott were prominent members of the Catholic church and were
highly respected people. They were the parents of fourteen children, three
of whom are still living as follow: Antona, a retired farmer of Seneca,
Kansas; Catherine Cordell, a widow who lives at Tipton. Kansas, and Eliza-
beth, the wife of Henry Greiveldinger. Elizabeth Pirrott was horn on Octo-
ber 20, 1851, in Germany, where she received her education in the public
schools and resided there until she was twenty years of age. when she came
with her parent- to Waterville township, where she lived until her marriage.
Henry and Elizabeth Greiveldinger are the parent- of eight children as
follow: Peter, who is a farmer of Ford county. Kansas: Henry, a barber,
of Hanover; Catherine Brychta, who resides in Logan township, where her
husband is a farmer: Antone, who is a farmer of Herkimer township; John,
a farmer of Washington county; Elizabeth Heboid, whose husband is a farmer
of Logan town-hip: Maggie Page, the wife of a farmer of Waterville town-
ship ami Joe, who i- also a fanner. Mr. and Mrs. Greiveldinger are earnest
members of the Catholic church and have long been active in the social life
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 677
of the township, where they have lived for so many years. Air. and Mrs.
Greiveldinger have rented their place to their son, Antone, and moved to a
beautiful home which thev own in Hanover, Kansas.
VENCEL MALICKY,
Among the well-known farmers and stockmen of Oketo township, Mar-
shall county, who were born in foreign countries and came to the United
States when but lads, is Vencel Malicky, the owner of three hundred and
eighty-three acres of splendid land, and who was born in Bohemia on April
15. 1850, the son of Vencel and Wilhelmina (Benbednor) Malicky.
Yencel Malicky and his wife were natives of Bohemia and were educated
in the schools of that country, grew to maturity and were later married.
After their marriage they continued to live in Bohemia until 1865, when they
decided to seek a home in the United States. On their arrival in this country
they at once proceeded to Iowa, where they established their home on a farm,
on which they lived and prospered until the time of their deaths some years
ago. They were held in the highest regard and esteem in the community in
which they lived. Their lives were active ones and they accomplished much
in the new land, among strangers and amid new conditions. They were the
parents of eight children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the second
born.
Vencel Malicky received his education in the schools of Bohemia and in
the state of Iowa. He grew to manhood on the home farm in Washington
county, Iowa, and assisted his father 'with the work on the home place. In
1875 he started farming for himself, his father having given him forty acres
of land in Washington county, Iowa. He farmed this tract until 1880, when
he moved to Nebraska, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land
in Gage county. There he made many improvements and did much in the
way of developing the farm, and made that place his home until 1885. He
then sold out and invested in one hundred and sixty acres of government
land in Oketo township, Marshall county. This was excellent land, but
undeveloped and unimproved, being a part of the Indian Reservation of that
section of the country. Here he built a fine frame house and has made many
valuable improvements on the place, which he has since made his home. He
is engaged in general farming and stock raising with much success. He
6/8 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
keeps a fine lot of Shorthorn cattle and some splendid hogs, and is recognized
as one of the successful and substantial men of the county.
In 1875 Mr. Malicky was united in marriage to Antonia Vesely who
was born in Bohemia on June _\ 1 S - - . She spent a part of her childhood in
that country and at the age of nine years she came with her parents to the
United States and settled with them in the state of Iowa, where she received
her education and there grew to womanhood. To Mr. and Mrs. Malicky
have been born the following children: Vencel, Anthony. John. Emma,
Milton, Joseph, Charles, Frank, Rose, Stella, Tillie and Anna. Vencel is
farming the home place; .Anthony is a resident of Barston. Nebraska; Emma
Chadima is living in Nebraska; Joseph and Stella are now deceased; Charles,
Rose and Anna are at home: Frank is a farmer in Nebraska, and Tillie is a
graduate of the ( )keto high school and is now taking a course in deaconess
work at the National Training School of Kansas City, Missouri. Mr. and
Mrs. Malicky with their family are active members of the Methodist Epis-
copal church and have long been active in the social and the religious life
of the district.
Politically, Mr. Malicky is identified with the Democratic party and has
served in his present position as a member of the school board for the pasi
thirty years. lie has always taken keen interest in local affairs and has had
much to do with the civic life of the township, of which he is one of the pro-
gressive men. lie is a stockholder of the co-operative store and the mills
at Oketo.
A. B. SAATHOFE
It is a well-established principle, that wherever the native German has
settled, he has for the most part made a success of his work, and this i~
especially true of those who have engaged in farming and stock raising.
Among the number who have nut with success jn Marshall county, is A. B.
Saathoff, who was horn in Germany in 1S44. and in that country was edu-
cated and grew to manhi >od.
In [868, at the age of twenty-four years. A. B. Saathoff left his home
in Hanover and came to the United States. On his arrival in this country.
he located at Livingston county. Illinois, where he engaged as a farm hand.
There in [870 he was united in marriage to Folcke klessner. who was horn
in Hanover, Germany, in [849. She grew to womanhood in her native
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 079
country and in 186S came to Illinois. After his marriage, Mr. Saathoff
rented land in Illinois and engaged in agricultural work until 1883, when he
came to Marshall county, where he purchased one hundred and twenty acres
of land in Oketo township. He had but little money to pay for the tract
and was given time to make his other payments. He had two good teams
of mules and at once engaged in the task of developing and improving his
farm. He and his wife worked with diligence, practicing the strictest
economy, and they soon had their farm paid for. They continued to buy
more land and became the owners of eight hundred acres, seven hundred and
twenty-eight acres being in Oketo township and eighty acres in the state of
Nebraska.
At the time Mr. and Mrs. Saathoff came to their farm they had a house
with but three rooms, the house being but fourteen by eighteen feet. The
house was the only building on the place and there was no building to shelter
the stock. The house stood on the northwest corner of the place, and Mrs.
Saathoff remembers well when the family would have breakfast in Kansas,
dinner in Nebraska and return to Kansas for supper. Those days, while
hard ones to the new settlers, were made happy with anticipations of a better
home in the near future. They worked with a determination to accomplish
their desired goal, and today Mr. Saathoff is recognized as one of the sub-
stantial and successful farmers and large stock raisers of the county.
Mr: and Mrs. Saathoff are the parents of the following children: Ben,
who lives two miles northwest of the home farm, where he is a farmer and
stockman ; Margaret Gerdes lives one mile east of her father's home and
there Mr. Gerdes is situated on a farm; Elsie is the wife of Wilke Tjaden,
a farmer of Oketo township ; Henry is farming in the township, being
located on a part of his father's farm ; John is at home ; Fannie Ubben is a
resident of Oketo township, where her husband is engaged in general farm-
ing; Annie Saathoff resides on a farm one-half mile north, but in the state
of Nebraska : and Gertrude is at home with her parents. Mr. and Mrs.
Saathoff are active members of the Lutheran church and have always taken
much interest in all church work. Mr. Saathoff having served for many
years as a deacon and trustee of the local congregation. They have devoted
their lives to the interests of their children and the good that they might do
in the moral and educational development of the township.
Mr. Saathoff is identified with the Republican party. While he has not
been an office seeker, he has been interested in the civic life of his home
county and state. He is a firm believer in substantial public improvements
680 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and the election of the best men to administer public affairs. Being a man
of sound judgment and having met with a marked degree of success in his
own affairs, he is often consulted relative to the public affairs of his "\vn
community.
WILLIAM RIEKENBERG.
William Riekenberg, a successful farmer and stockman of Logan
township, .Marshall county, was born on the farm where he now lives on
July 16, 1878, the son of Frederick and Mary (Pralle) Riekenberg, who
were natives of Germany, the father having been born in 1843 and the
mother in 1845. They were reared on a farm and received their education
in the schools of the land of their birth.
In 1864, Frederick Riekenberg, on reaching the age of twenty-one
years, left the scenes of his childhood and early life and came to America.
On landing in this country he proceeded at once to Illinois, where he worked
for six months as a farm hand, when he came to Kansas, being among the
early pioneers of this part of the state. He took a homestead of one hun-
dred and sixty acres in section 8, Logan township, Marshall county. The
land was undeveloped and unimproved and the neighbors were few and
far apart. He at once began the task of developing and improving his new
farm, and it was here that he lived for twenty-three years, meeting with
much success in general farming and stock raising. He then moved to a
farm of two hundred and forty acres in Washington county, that belonged
to his wife. Here he continued his agricultural work and interest in -tock-
raising until 1910, when he retired from the more active duties of life and
moved to Lanhan, Kansas, when- he died in 1912. Mrs. Riekenberg died
in [887. Mr. Riekenberg was a man who took keen interest in local affairs
and had much to do with the substantial development of the county. He
served lor some years as road bo--, and was a member of the school board.
two important positions in the early life of any community. Mr. and Mrs.
Riekenberg were active members of the German Lutheran church and took
much interest in the social life of the community in which they lived and
where they were held in the highest regard. They were the parent- of seven
children as follow: Twin- that died in infancy; Fred, a farmer of Wash-
ington county; Sophia Helberg, whose husband is a farmer in Oklahoma:
William; Henry, a successful farmer of Herkimer town-hip. Mar-hall
county, and Mary, who died at the age of one year.
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. , 68 1
William Riekenberg received his education in the schools of Logan
township and grew to manhood on the home farm, and early in life became
impressed with the independent life of the farmer. At the age of twenty-
two years he rented the home farm of his father, three months later his
father-in-law purchased the place and gave it to him and his wife, and here
they have continued to make their home. Mr. Riekenberg has met with
success in general farming and stock raising. He is interested in the breed-
ing and the raising of high-grade Hereford cattle and Duroc- Jersey hogs,
of each of which he raises many head. In 1905 Mr. and Mrs. Riekenberg
built a substantial two-story, eight-room house, modern in all respects. The
farm has also been improved with a fine large barn and other good build-
ings that have added to the value of the place.
In 1901, William Riekenberg was united in marriage to Sophia Licht,
the daughter of William and Mary ( Krueger) Licht, natives of Germany.
Mr. Licht was born in 1834 and his future wife was born seven years later.
They received their education in the schools of that country and were reared
mi a farm. In 1867 they came to the United States. While living in Ger-
many, Mr. Licht engaged in general farming, and on coming to this country,
he located on a farm in Illinois, where he remained for two years, after which
he came to Kansas, where he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of
land in Washington county. This farm lie developed and improved and
here he engaged in farming and stock raising until the time of his death in
1906, and here the widow now resides. Mr. Licht was for many years
recognized as one of the prominent and influential men of Washington county,
where he took much interest in all local affairs. He was progressive in all
things, believed in substantial public improvements, and was a strong advo-
cate of good roads and the best schools. He and his wife having been edu-
cated in the best schools of their native land, they realized and appreciated
their value in the growth and development of any district. Mr. Licht was
identified with the Republican party, but was not partisan and used his
influence toward the advancement of those principles that tended toward the
better development of his county and state. He and Mrs. Licht were the
parents of seven children as follow : Mary Wallenberg, of Washington
eounty, where her husband is a successful .farmer; William, on the home
place; Henry and Dora, twins, who died in infancy; Elizabeth died at the
age of two years; Sophia, the wife of William Riekenberg, and Anna Holle,
whose husband is a well-known farmer of Logan township.
Sophia (Licht) Riekenberg was born in Washington county, Kansas,
on October 26, 1879. She was educated in the local schools and reared on
682 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
the home farm, where she resided until her marriage. She and William
Riekenberg arc the parents of three children as follow: Alphons, born on
March 8, [903; Herbert, December 4. [906, and Ralph, April 21, 1909.
They arc active members of the Lutheran church and prominent in the social
life of the township. Mr. Riekenberg is independent in politics ;ind has
served for a number of years as a member'of the school board.
WILLIAM BOMMKR.
Among the successful and prominent farmers and stockmen of Oketo
township, Marshall county, is William Hummer, who was born in Freeport,
lllinc's. March 10, i860, the sun of Henry and Christena Bonimer. natives of
Germany.
Henry and Christena Bommer were horn in the years 1823 and [828,
respectively. They received their education in the schools of their native
land and there they grew np and were later married. After their marriage
they established their home in Germany, where they continued to live for
some years. They later decided to come to America, and on their arrival
in this country they first located in the state of Illinois, where they remained
for a time and then removed to Iowa, and later to Kansas. In 1879 they
settled four miles north of Marysville. Marshall county, and later moved to
Okcto township, where they purchased the farm now owned by J. W. Gib-
son. This place they developed and improved and here they lived for a
number of years.
To Henry and Christena Bommer were horn the following children:
William: Frank, who died in October, 1905, and Harry. Mr. and Mrs.
Bommer were prominent in the social life of the community in which they
lived and where they were held in the highest regard. They always took
great interest in the affairs of the district and were active until the time
their deaths, the former having died in February, [889, and the latter in
August, [914. Mr. Bommer, while he was not in any way an office seeker,
took considerable interest in local affairs and was recognized as one of the
prominent and influential men of the district. He was a man of exceptional
ability and excellent judgment. He was a linn believer in the building of
the besl roads and the establishment and maintenance of the highest grade
of schools, and he and his wife were ever influential in furthering the inter-
of the township and the county. Mr. and Mrs. Bommer were active
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 683
members of the Lutheran church and always took much interest in the services
of the church. They devoted their lives to the interests of their family and
the good that they might do in the home community and they made many
friends throughout the county.
William Bommer received his education in the common schools of Illi-
nois and Iowa and came with his parents to Marshall county in 1879. Here
he worked as a farm hand at twelve dollars per month for several years.
At the death of his father he received from the estate forty acres of excel-
lent land, to which he later added eighty acres. The tract that he bought
had been for a number of years a part of the county farm. It had no improve-
ments, and Mr. Bommer at once erected a splendid house and outbuildings
and planted many beautiful trees on the place. His home is one of the
ideal country places in the county. He is engaged in general farming and
stock raising, meeting with much success. His farm is under the highest
state of cultivation and he keeps the best stock. In addition to his large
interest on the farm, he is the owner of stock in the Marietta Elevator
Company.
William Bommer was united in marriage in 1884 to Mary Helms, who
was born in Marshall county, in [861 and died in 1890. She was the daugh-
ter of William and Nancy (Hall) Helms, both of whom were natives of
Nebraska. To this union two children were born, Clara and Charlotte.
Clara is the wife of F. A. Craik, a resident of Washington county, Kansas,
and thev are the parents of five children; Charlotte, now deceased, was the
wife of W. Wood. In 1905 William Bommer married Theresa Schmidler,
a native of Marshall county, where she was born on February 9, 1S71. Her
parents were John and Catherine (Steinmetz) Schmidler. The father was
born in Luxemburg, Germany, in 1837 and when two years of age came
with his parents to the United States. They established their home in Wis-
consin, where they lived for a number of years. It was there that the son,
John, was born, educated, grew to manhood aud was married to Catherine
Steinmetz, who was born in Wisconsin in 1847, near Port Washington.
The family continued to reside in that state until 1869, when they came to
Kansas. The father had come to Marshall county in 1866. when he and
Peter Scharman cut out the tunnel water course for the Hutchison mill.
After the family came to the county they established their home on the old
Marshall farm, which at that time was owned by Jacob Schmidler, the grand-
father of Mrs. Bommer. On this farm the family resided for a number
of vears and engaged in general farming and stock raising. In 1876 the
684 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
parents spent the winter in California, after which they returned to Kansas,
and in iNNi removed to Oketo township, where they now reside.
To John and Catherine Schmidler have been burn the following children:
I. G., Theresa, Anna. Sophia, Lulu, Elsie, Agatha, John H. and Henry W.
Theresa is the wife of William Bommer and resides in Oketo township; J.
<i. is the cashier of the State Bank of Marietta; Anna died in the year 1915 ;
Sophia is the wife of I. J. Adams, of Cleveland, Ohio: Lulu is the wife of
A. R. Young, who is the city engineer of Topeka, Kansas; Elsie is a teacher
in the schools of Blue Rapids, Kansas; Agatha is at home: John H. is a
farmer, and resides two miles south of Oketo, and Henry H. is also a farmer
of the township. Mr and Mrs. Schmidler have long been held in the greatesl
esteem by the people of their home community. For ten years before her
marriage Mrs. Bommer taught school in Marshall county. She is a woman
of excellent education and possessed of culture and refinement.
Mr. Bommer has always taken much interest in the civic life of the
township. In 1887 he was elected township trustee and served in that
capacity for eight years, giving general satisfaction. Fraternally, he is a
member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
JEROME M. BRYCHTA.
Jerome M. Brychta, a well-known and successful farmer of Logan town-
ship, Marshall county, was born in this county on February 24, 1874. the --on
of John and Mary (Marak) Brychta.
John Brychta, the father of Jerome M.. was the son of John and Anna
(Chelopeaka) Brychta, who were natives of Bohemia and there received
their education in the public schools, grew to maturity and were married.
The father was born in [783 and the mother in [803. They were of the
farming class and there the mother died in 1N07. Seven years after the
death of his wife, John Brychta came to the United States in 1874 and made
his Ik mic with his son, |bhn, until his death some years later. They were
the parents of two children as follow: Dora Cejp, born in 1836 and died
at her home near Barnes, Kansas, in [916, and John. Jr., born in Bohemia
on January o. 1839, and was educated in the schools of that country and
grew to manhood. In 1865 he came to the United States and located on a
farm in Iowa, which he rented tor five years and engaged in general farm-
ing and carpentering. He then came to Kansas, where he homesteaded
eighty acre- of land in Logm township. Marshall county, in section 18. and
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 6S5
here he is still living with his son, Jerome M. He has long been associated
with the Democratic party and has ever taken much interest in local affairs
and is held in the highest regard. Mary ( Marak ) Brychta was the daughter
of Matt and Helen (Benes) Marak, who were natives of Bohemia, where
the father was born in 1790 and the mother in 1804. They received their
education in the schools of their native land and there resided for many years
after their marriage, where Mr. Marak was engaged in farming. In
Bohemia Mr. Marak died in 1862, and three years after his death the widow
came to the United States, dying in Iowa in 1871. They were the parents
of three children, Joseph, who died in Iowa; Mary, the mother of Jerome M.
Brychta, and Helen Burns, whose husband is engaged in office work in Iowa.
Mary Marak was born in Bohemia on September 7, 1842, and was there
educated and married to John Brychta. In 1865 she and her husband decided
to come to America. They were the parents of seven children, three of
whom are now living: John, a teamster of Marysville: Jerome, the subject
of this sketch, and Henry, shipping clerk with M. M. Johnson, of St. Joe,
Missouri.
Jerome M. Brychta was reared on the home farm in Marshall county
and here received his education in the public schools. He remained at home
until he was eighteen years of age, when he started in business for himself.
He served as an apprentice for two years in a blacksmith shop, after which
he worked at the trade for two years when he rented his father's farm and
engaged in general farming and stock raising until 1912. He then purchased
the farm and has since made the place his home. He has two houses on the
place, his father and mother occupying one and he and his family the other.
He and his family are members of the Catholic church and have long been
active in the social life of the community. Mr. Brychta has always taken
keen interest in local affairs and, as a Democrat, has served as township clerk
and justice of the peace, as well as treasurer of the school board.
In 1 90 1 Jerome M. Brychta was united in marriage to Catherine
Greiveldinger, the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Pirrott) Greiveldinger.
win) are prominent residents of Logan township, where Mr. Greiveldinger is
a farmer. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Brychta were Christopher and
Lena (Cinnon) Greiveldinger. who were natives of Germany, the grand-
father having been born in 1800 and the grandmother in 1806. Thev were
educated in their native land and there grew to maturity. The grandfather
\va< a man of much ability and was educated both in German and French,
as well as English, his education in the latter tongue being received after
<.N .MA US HA I.I. COUNTY, KANSAS.
coming to the United States in 1*55. On landing in the United States he
and his family established their home in Wisconsin on a farm, where the
grandfather died in [863, after which the grandmother moved to Kansas
and died in Marshall county in [888. There were thirteen children in the
family, all of win mi are now deceased with the exception of Henry, the
lather of Mrs. Brychta.
Henry Greiveldinger was born in Germany and there received his pri-
mary education, completing his school work in America, where he came
with his parents in [855. He remained at home until the death of his father,
when at the age of eighteen years he went to Michigan where he worked
in the pine woods and in the saw-mills of the state, until [870, when he
came to Marshall county and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acre- of
land in Logan township, where he has since made his home. He was united
in marriage in [872 to Elizabeth Pirrott, the daughter of Peter and Cath-
erine 1 \llair i Pirrott, who were natives of France and Germany, respect-
ively. Mr. and Mrs. Pirrott came to the United States and located in Mar-
shall county in 1871. Here Mr. Pirrott homesteaded eighty acres of land
and engaged in general farming for eight years when he sold the place to
his son and made his home with his children until the time of his death in
1895. Mr. and Mrs. Pirrott were the parents of fourteen children, three of
whom are still living as follow : Anthony. Catherine and Elizabeth, the wife
■ if 1 lenry ( ireiveldinger.
Henry and Elizabeth Greiveldinger as the parents of eight children as
follow: Peter, a farmer of Ford county. Kansas; Henry, a harher of Han-
over; Catherine, the wife 6f Jerome M. Brychta, of Logan township; An-
thony; John; Elizabeth; Maggie, and Joe. They are active members of the
Catholic church and are prominent in the social life of the township.
( atherine Greiveldinger was born in Marshall county. July u. 1S77,
and was reared on the home farm and received her education in the local
schools, and at an early age was confirmed in the Catholic church and soon
became a member of the altar society.
fen me M. and Catherine Brychta are the parents of the following chil-
dren: Cecelia, who was horn on December in. [902; Sidonia, February 7.
[903; Laura. April 17, [904; Arnold. November 4. [906; Leonidas and
Leonilla, twins, March 30, moil: Evaline and Elizabeth, twins. December
[8, [913, and Marie and one that died, were twins, who were horn on
February _\ 1916. Mr. and Mrs. Brychta are esteemed throughout the
community in which they live.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 687
WILLIAM H. FULWIDER.
William H. Fuhvider, one of the men who has helped to make Sum-
merfield. Marshall county, one of the prominent trading points in this sec-
tion of Kansas, and is today one of the well-known merchants of the town,
was born at West Liberty, Ohio, December 28, 1869, being the son of David
A. and Elizabeth Ann ( Dear ) Fuhvider.
David A. Fuhvider was born in Champaign county, Ohio, on June 27,
1 84 1, and there he received his education in the common schools and engaged
in the mercantile business and farming. He remained in that state until
1890. when he and his family came to Nebraska, and located in Pawnee
county in the spring of 1890. Here he went into the grocery business for
a short time. He then came to Kansas and in that same year purchased a
farm of eighty acres in section 2, St. Bridget township, Marshall county.
He engaged in farming until 1903. when he returned to Ohio, where he
engaged in farming until the time of his death in 191 1. He was the son of
David and Elizabeth ( Mavse ) Fuhvider, both of whom were natives of
Virginia. After the marriage of David and Elizabeth ( Mayse) Fuhvider,
they moved to Ohio and there spent the remaining days of their lives. To
them were born ten children, David A., the father of William H., being the
fifth born. To David A. and Elizabeth Fuhvider were born three children:
Vashti, now deceased, who was the wife or S. Lantz ; William H.. the sub-
ject of this sketch and Birdie M., the wife of Luie Flanagan, of Pawnee
county, Nebraska, where they are engaged in general farming and stock
raising.
Elizabeth Ann (Dear) Fuhvider was born on May 7. 1847, :it Tremont,
Ohio, and was the daughter of Fountain and Pence (Taffy) Dear, who were
residents of the state of Ohio for many years and were the parents of five
children. They were ever active in the social and the moral life of the com-
munity in which they lived and where they were held in the highest esteem.
William H. Fuhvider received his education in the schools of Urbana,
Ohio, and there grew to manhood. When his father came to Nebraska, he
accompanied the family and later accompanied them to Kansas, where he
remained on the home farm until 1903. At that time he moved to Sum-
merfield and there he was engaged as a clerk in the general store of E. J.
Gano, where he remained for two years, when he became a partner in the
clothing store. This partnership continued until 191 2, when Mr. Fuhvider
purchased the entire clothing business, which he has conducted since that time.
dSN MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
He carries a complete line of furnishings that invoice ten thousand dollars
ami i- one <■! the nn >st extensive establishments of the kind in Kansas. In
addition to his store, Mr. Fulwider owns much other property in the city
of Summerfield, and is recognized as one of the progressive and substantial
men of the county.
In June, !<)<>-. William H. Fulwider was united in marriage to Ilattie
E. Hutchison, the daughter of Andrew and Sarah (Brown) Hutchison, both
■ it whom were natives of Illinois, where they spent their early life and were
educated in the public schools. They later came to Kansas and located in
section i-\ Richland township, where they now have a splendid and well-
improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres, on which they are engaged
in general farming, meeting with much success.
To William II. and Ilattie E. Fulwider have been born three children
as follow: Evelyn Pearl, Florence Wilma and Birdabelle, all of whom are
at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Fulwider are active members of
the United Presbyterian church and arc prominent in the social and the
religious life of the community, where they are held in the highest regard.
Mr. Fulwider is identified with the Democratic party and has always taken
much interest in local affairs. He has served as township clerk and as trustee
of St. Bridgel township and is now a member of the city council. He is a
member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and of the Modern Wood-
men of America and is one of the active members of the lodges to which
he belongs.
JAMES R. W [LO IX.
iames R, Wilcox, one of the best known and most prominent residents
of Beattie, .Mar-hall county, wa- horn in Crawford county. Pennsylvania, on
November |, [843, the son of Roberl R. and Mary Jane (King) Wilcox,
both of whom were natives of the state of New York, where they received
their education in the public schools, there grew up and were later married.
Soon after their marriage tiny moved to Crawford county. Pennsylvania,
where they established their home and where they lived until 1X5(1. when
they left Pennsylvania and moved to Iowa. They located on a farm in
Hi ward county, where they remained for five years, when they removed to
Polk county, and later to Andrew county. Missouri, where the mother died
in [865. The father later moved to California and his death occurred in the
vear 1905. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox were highly respected people and
MR. AXD MRS. JAMES R. WILCOX.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 689
were ever active in the affairs of the community in which they lived. Mr.
Wilcox was a man of much ability and during his active life had much to
do with the growth and development of the localities in which he lived.
James R. Wilcox is one of a family of eight children, he being the second
born. His early education was received in the schools of Crawford county,
where lie lived until he was thirteen years of age. He then came with his
parents to Iowa, and here he made his home with his parents until he was
eighteen years of age, when he enlisted in Company C, Twenty-third Regi-
ment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry, on August 9, 1S62, at Des Moines. As a
soldier, he distinguished himself for bravery and was soon promoted from
the rank of a private to the position of color-sergeant, which position he
held until lie received his discharge from the service. Among the numerous
engagements in which he took an active part were those at Ft. Gibson, Grand
Gulf, Jackson, Mississippi, Champion Hill, Black River Bridge, siege of
Vicksburg, battle of Ft. Esperanza, Texas, and the siege of the Spanish
Fort at Mobile. At the charge of Black River Bridge he received a severe
wound in the face and at the siege of Spanish Fort he received a wound in
the jaw. Following his honorable discharge he returned to Des Moines,
Iowa, where he was united in marriage on August 27, 1865, to Sarah L.
Ballard, the daughter of Isaac and Mary Ann (Keeth) Ballard, both of whom
are natives of Illinois and are now living in Mills county, Iowa. After
their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox left Des Moines and established their
home in Andrews county, Missouri, where they resided until 1871. In
March of that year they came to Marshall county and later established their
home in Franklin township, where they became the owners of a splendid
farm and where they had one of the pleasant country homes of the county.
Mrs. Wilcox was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 9, 1847, and departed
this life on September 2^, 1916, after a happy married life of over fifty-one
years. At the age of sixteen years she was converted to Christianity at Ris-
ing Sun, Iowa, and lived a consistent life until the time of her death, which
occurred at her home in Beattie. She was a member of the Baptist church
and of the Knights and Ladies of Security, and was a woman in whom all
had the greatest confidence. She was universally beloved and at her death
she was mourned by a large circle of friends.
Mr. Wilcox is a charter member of the Lyons Post No. 9, Grand Army
of the Republic, at Marvsville, and has served as a steward of the Methodist
Fpiscopal church, of which lie is now a member. He has always taken an
active and prominent part in the affairs of the township and the county,
(44)
690 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and is interested in all matters that tend to promote the growth and welfare
of his home district. He has served as constable of the township and for
twelve years was a justice of the peace. In 1902 Mr. and Mrs. W ilcp?: left
the farm and moved to Reattie. In [898 he was -elected as star route car-
rier for the mail- to Guittard Station, and after a service of two years, he
was given a position as rural carrier out of Reattie. which position he has
filled with credit to the present time. Having served for three years in
the army, he considers that lie has given over twenty year- of his life to the
service- of his government.
James R. Wilcox is a man of much force of character and i- an enter-
taining talker and debater. By request, he has publicly discussed many of
the more important topics of the day. and always in an able manner. His
style of address i> simple and convincing and he has received many compli-
ments on the manner in which he has presented his subjects. During the
life of the Farmer's Alliance Mr. Wilcox took an active interest in promul-
gating the cause of that organization in his home district and for two vears
he was presidenl of the local society. After coming to Reattie lie joined
the Knights and Ladies of Security and has served in the various office- of
the lodge and was presidenl for three time-. He is now past commander of
the Grand Army Post at Beattie and ha- been president of the Rural Mail
Carrier- Association of Marshall county.
Of the ten children of Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox, four are now living, namely :
Anna, who is the widow of I.. King, lives at Topeka, Kansas: Sarah L.
Rochler resides at Beattie; Mary E. is the wife of J. F. Keylan, of Omaha.
Nebraska, and Benjamin II. resides at Beattie. The family have been long
prominent in the social and religious life of Mar-hall county and are among
the progressive residents of their home communities.
WILLIAM KRUSE.
William Kru-c. a successful farmer and a well known stockman of
Logan township, Marshall county, was horn in Nebraska on December 17.
[875, the -on of George and Anna (Jurgens) Kruse.
George and Anna (Jurgens) Kruse were horn in Germany, the father
in 1832 and the mother in [842. They received their education in that
country, grew to maturity and were there married in 1S64. Thev estab-
lished their home in their native land and there Mr. Kruse engaged in farm-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 691
ing for a time. They then decided to come to America and after landing in
the United States they at once proceeded to Illinois, where they established
a new home and where they resided for some years. They then moved to
Nebraska and engaged in farming for a time, after which they came to Mar-
shall county, in 1882. Here Mr. Kruse purchased three hundred and twenty
acres of land, the greater part of which at that time was in a wild state.
After some years of hard work the tract was developed and improved and
became one of the ideal places in the township. The farm was enlarged
until Mr. Kruse owned eight hundred and forty acres. He erected a mag-
nificent house, two large barns and other substantial buildings. Here he and
his wife lived the rest of their lives, the latter having died in 1895 and the
former on July 18. 1914.
George Kruse was prominent in the affairs of the locality but did not
aspire to office. Mr. and Mrs. Kruse were active members of the German
Lutheran church, and took a deep interest in the moral and social develop-
ment of their home township as well as the county. They were the parents
of the following children : Catherine, Margaret, Mar}', William, George,
Henry, Anna, Christina, Andrew and two that died in infancy. Catherine
is the wife of William Rabe, a farmer and banker of Bremen, Kansas, where
he is at the head of the State Bank; Margaret Shaefer lives in Herkimer
township, where her husband is a farmer; Mary Lohse is the wife of a farmer
and stockman of Logan township; George A. is a farmer of Logan town-
ship and William and Henry are farmers in Herkimer township; Anna
Geihsler is a resident of Oklahoma, where her husband is engaged in agri-
cultural work, and Christina is the wife of Mr. Prelle, a merchant of the
county, and Andrew is farming on the home place.
William Kruse was reared on the home farm and educated in the local
schools. He assisted his father with the farm work until he was twenty-six
years of age, at which time he rented one of his father's farms, on which he
lived by himself for two years. He was then married and he and his wife
continued to live there for more than a year. Mr. Kruse then rented his
father-in-law's farm at the edge of Herkimer and engaged in farming for
three years. He then went to Nebraska on the farm given him by his father
and remained in that state for two years, when he returned to Marshall county,
where he purchased one hundred and seventy acres near Herkimer. After
a residence of two years on this farm he rented the place and moved to the
father-in-law's farm. Mr. and Mrs. Kruse continued to live with her father
until his death, when Mr. Kruse purchased the place of the heirs and they
have since made it their home.
692 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
On May 4, [904, William Kruse was united in marriage to Sophia
Koeneke the daughter of \\ . II. and Julia (Brockmeyer) Koeneke. W. II.
Koeneke was born in Cook county, Illinois, July 15. [852. He attended the
common schools of that county for a time, and when eight years of age, he
came with his parents to Kansas, where they located on a tract of wild land
in Logan township, Marshall county. Here the family established their home
on the wild prairie, amid the most primitive conditions, and there they experi-
enced many of the hardships of pioneer life. The farm was developed and
enlarged and in time was improved with substantial structures. W. H.
Koeneke, in addition to his farm interest, engaged in the lumber business
with his brother-in-law, with whom he remained for a number of years. In
1888 Mr. Koeneke purchased the business, which he managed with the buy-
ing and selling of grain. He erected a large elevator at Bremen and there
did an extensive business. During his active life he purchased much land,
becoming the owner of fourteen hundred acres, all under high cultivation
and nicely improved.
W. II. Koeneke was married In Julia lirockmeyer in May, 1878. She
was the daughter of Frederick and Fredericka (Martin) Brockmeyer. who
were natives of Germany. They came to the United States in an early day
and for a time lived in Connecticut, hut later came to Kansas, when the state
was ,,ne wild stretch of prairie, and here they established their home in Han-
oxer, where the father engaged in farming until the time of his death on
March 25, t'M.v The wife. Julia Koeneke, who was born on June 5. 1859,
and was the first child of the family born after their arrival in Kansas, died
on May 17, 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Koeneke were the parents of eight children
as follow: Sophia, E. W., Mary. Henry. Martha. Julia and two that died
in infancy. Sophia is the wife of William Kruse: E. W. is assistant cashier
of the State Hank of Herkimer: Mary tieyer is a resident of W'aterville, Kan-
sas, where her husband is manager of the telephone system; Julia Hermann
and husband reside on a farm in Logan township: Henry W. is cashier of
the bank at Herkimer and Martha is a student in the schools of the county.
Mr. and Mrs. Koeneke were long active members of the German Lutheran
church and prominent in the social life of the township.
Sophia 1 Koeneke ) Kruse was born in Marshall county. Kansas, and
was reared in Herkimer where she was educated in the public schools of that
place. Her birth occurred on October io. [880, and -lie remained at home
until the time of her marriage. She and Mr. Kruse are the parents of seven
children as follow: Myrtle, born on July 14. too;; Laura, August j;. 1007:
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 693
William, April n, 1909; Julia Anna, September 27, 1910; Victor, November
12, 1912; Juergen, July 18, 1914, and Roland, September 25, 1915. Mr.
and Mrs. Kruse are prominent members of the German Lutheran church and
are popular in the social life of their home community.
William Kruse now owns six hundred and ninety-two acres of land in
Marshall and Washington counties. He devotes his time to high-class farm-
ing and stock raising. He is interested in Polled Hereford cattle and Perch-
eron horses. Of his fine herd of cattle, he has thirty-five registered and of
the horses, eight are registered. He has over one hundred and sixty acres
of alfalfa and raises much seed for the market, having his own huller for
threshing. He cultivates but forty acres of small grain, the balance of his
farm being in meadow, pasture and timber. His home place, in the corpora-
tion of Herkimer, consists of ninety acres. The place is nicely improved
and is centrally located, the residence being but one block from the Lutheran
church. He has always taken much interest in local affairs and is recog-
nized as one of the influential men of the township. He is identified with
the Republican party and his advice is often sought in the party's councils
as well as in the affairs of the county. He is secretary of the church organ-
ization and to him is due much of the success of the local society. He has
long been an advocate of the good roads movement and a better system of
public schools. Not alone in civic affairs does he believe in progress, but
he practices it on his large farms, which are models of modern methods and
systematic work.
PERCY R. PULLEINE.
One of the well-known and successful business men of Home City,
Marshall county, is Percy R. Pulleine, the efficient cashier of the Citizens
State Bank, who was horn in Franklin township, Marshall county, on No-
vember 23, 1880, the son of William T. and Julia (Dunn) Pulleine.
William T. and Julia (Dunn) Pulleine were born in England, the
former in 1844, in Yorkshire, and the latter at Hull, in 1845. William T.
Pulleine was educated in the public schools of England and was reared on
a farm, his father being a large land owner. On the death of his father
he was left quite an estate and in 1870 he came to the United States. On
his arrival in this country he came to Kansas, where he purchased one hun-
dred and twenty acres of excellent land in section 26, Franklin township.
Here he engaged in general farming and stock raising with much success
694 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
until [894, at which time he was elected probate judge of Marshall county
and moved to Marvsville. He was retained in this position for ten year-, at
which time lie' retired from the activities of the more strenuous life, and
lived a life of <|ttietude for eight years, when his death occurred in 19 12.
The widow died in i<M4 after a useful life of well-doing. She and Mr.
Pulleine were married in England and soon after their marriage left for
their new home in America. Their children were all horn in Marshall
county with the exception of one who was born in Virginia, where the
parents remained for some little time after coming to this country. Mr.
and Mrs. Pulleine were prominent members of the Episcopalian church
and were active in the social and religious life of the community in which
they lived.
Percy R. Pulleine was reared on the home farm and received his
education in the local schools and at the high school of Marvsville. having
graduated from the latter institution in the class of 1900. Soon after com-
pleting his education he entered the First National Hank at Marvsville as
bookkeeper, which position he held until i<)t-. when he came to Home City
as cashier of the Citizens State Batik, where he has since given such val-
uable service and has won for himself the approval of the officials of the
institution and the respeel 'if the public, lie is most proficient in his line of
work, and l>v hi- genial disposition and business-like methods he has the
confidence of all.
Percy l\. Pulleine is happily united in marriage to Gertrude Hamilton,
who was horn in Blue Rapids, Kansas, September 16, 1885. the daughter
of |olm I., and Alice (Fitzgerald) Hamilton who were horn in Marshall
county and Canada, respectively, and are now living on a farm at Blue
Rapids. To this union two children have been horn. Alice J. and Patricia.
Mr. and Mrs. Pulleine are active members of the Episcopal church and have
long been been prominent in the social and religious life of the community.
Politically Mr. Pulleine is a Republican and has served as a member of the
city council at Marvsville. Mr. Pulleine is a man of sterling worth and
high integrity and his life ha- been one of activity in the district where he
was born and reared. From the time he left school he has been actively
associated with the financial interesl of the county. Few men of his age
have had more practical experience in financial work than ha- he. He has
always taken the keenest interest in the growth and development of hi-
hoine district and his influence ha- been given to those enterprises that would
tend to the future greatness of the township and the county. The schools
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 695
and the roads of his district have always received his earnest consideration
and he is in sympathy with the modern standard of schools and the good roads
movement, believing that in these much of the development of any com-
munity depends.
JACOB RUTTI.
Jacob Rutti, one of Franklin township's well-known and substantial
farmers and the proprietor of a fine farm of three hundred and twenty
acres there, is a native of the republic of Switzerland, but has been a resi-
dent of this country since the days of his young manhood. He was born
on February 2, 1854, son of George and Mary (Flure) Rutti, who were
the parents of twelve children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the
fifth in order of birth and all of whom are still living save one.
Leaving his native land in 1878, Jacob Rutti came to this country and
located in Wisconsin, where he began working in a cheese factory and
where, in 1882. he was married. Two years later, in 1884, he and his
wife came to Kansas and settled on an eighty-acre farm in this county.
In 1899 Mr. Rutti bought the quarter section of land in Franklin town-
ship on which his present home is situated and there he has lived ever
since, long having been regarded as one of the leading farmers in that part
of the country. He has prospered in his affairs and has added to his
original purchase until now he is the owner of a farm of three hundred
and twenty acres, all of which is under cultivation and on which, in addi-
tion to his general farming, he is somewhat • extensively engaged in the
raising of cattle. He has improved his farm in excellent shape and he and
his family have a very comfortable home.
Jacob Rutti has been twice married. As noted above, it was in 1882,
while living in Wisconsin, that he married Mary Haffner, who was born in
that state in 1858, and to that union five children were born, namely: Lizzie,
who married Henry Toeter, of Franklin township, this county; Anna, who
married M. McDonald, a farmer, living near Oketo; Rosa, who married F.
Keller, of Center township ; Frank, deceased, and Henry, deceased. The
mother of these children died in 1890 and in 1894 Mr. Rutti married Amelia
Muller, who was born in Switzerland on August 11, i860, and who came
to this country in 1894 and to this union two children have been born, Otto
and John, both of whom are at home, taking an active part in the cultiva-
tion of their father's farm.
696 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
IRA EDMOND HENRY.
Ira Edmond Henry, a well-known druggist, business man ami city clerk
of Summerfield, Marshall county, was born in Hanover, Kansas, on Septem-
ber 10, [883, ami is the sun of Ed. S. and Sadie Eveline (Holbert) Henry.
Ed. S. Henry was born in the state of Illinois in [861 and received his
education in the public schools and grew to manhood. He later married
Sadie Eveline Holbert, who was burn in [863 and was the daughter of Perry
Holbert, who was a native of Ohio and one of the first settlers of Washing-
ton county, Kansas. The town of Washington is now located on a part of
what was then his farm. As a young man Perry Holbert was united in mar-
riage to a .Miss Avard. a native of Wesl Virginia. She had a number of her
people who were in sympathy with the cause of the South and her nephew,
David Clevenger, was a soldier of note in the Confederate army, yet three
of her nephews, Greenberry, John and Minor Clevenger were soldiers in the
Union army and won distinction in the cause of the Union.
The ancestors of Ed. S. Henry were originally from Ohio and in an
early day settled in the states (if Illinois and Missouri, and thence to Els-
worth, Kan>as. Ed. S. and his brother, Ira, when young men engaged in
farming in Washington county, and there Ira is still engaged in the work.
Ed. S. later located at Kansas City, where he engaged in the commission and
produce business for a number of years, when he established himself in the
business in Chicago, Illinois, and was one of the first to use the candling pro-
cess in the selection of eggs, lie continued in the business during his life
and met with much success. He and Mrs. Henry were the parents of two
children. Ira Edmond and Guy Morris, the latter having died at the age of
fifteen years.
Ira Edmond Henry received his early education in a country school
house in Washington county, Kansas, and experienced many of the early
conditions 'if the early life on the plains. In 1892, at the age of nine years,
he came to Summerfield, Marshall county, with bis mother, who had after
the death of his father married Samuel J. Grauer. Here he attended the
public schools and later entered the University of Kansas, at Lawrence, in
1903, lb' took the course in pharmacy and completed his work in 1904
ml became a registered pharmacist that year. During the time he was in
the university be was a member of the baseball team, and was awarded a
"K" in baseball and general athletics. After completing his education and
receiving his certificate, he returned to Summerfield in June, 1904, and in
IRA E. HENRY.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 697
July of that year he purchased a drug store which he conducted for seven
years. He then purchased his present store in ign, and a year later con-
solidated it with the "Daisy Pharmacy Store," which he had purchased. His
present store is known as the "Rexall Store" and is one of the most com-
plete in this section of the county. He has an excellent room for his busi-
ness, which is twenty-four by eighty feet, all of which is well stocked with
up-to-date goods". In addition to his stock of drugs, he handles musical
instruments for which he has a special room. He has the agency for the
Edison, the Knaba, the Marshall and Wendell pianos, in all of which he
has a well-established business. He has a stock, the value of which is eight
thousand dollars, and carries a large stock of Rexall remedies, books, station-
ery, Lowe Brothers high-standard paints, wall paper and toilet articles. He
has two registered clerks and on Saturdays has extra help.
Ira Edmond Henry has by hard work risen to his present position in
the business world. He began his active life with no financial backing, and
before he was twenty-one- years of age he had completed his college career
and had established himself in the business world. He began his life as a
clerk in a drug store at one dollar and fifty cents per week, for the first year.
But he had the determination and push to own a store of his own. Fie bor-
rowed the money when he made his purchase of the first drug store, all of
which he has paid.
On September 2, 1908, Ira Edmond Henry was united in marriage to
Florence Nightingale Hazels, of Washington county, Kansas, the daughter
of George Nicol Hazels and wife. Her father was a native of Scotland and
there received his education in the public schools and grew to manhood. At
the age of twenty years he left his native land and came to America. On
his arrival in the United States he came direct to Kansas and located on a
farm in Washington county, where he died at the age of seventy-two years.
To .Mr. and Mrs. Henry has been born one child, Helen Davene, now a girl
of five years. Mr. and Mrs. Henry are active members of the LTnited Presby-
terian church and are prominent in the social life of their home city, where
they are held in the highest regard and esteem by all who know them.
Politically. Mr. Henry is identified with the Republican party, and has
always taken a keen interest in local affairs, and is at present the efficient
city clerk. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the
Order of the Eastern Star, the Knights of Pythias and the Ancient Order
of United Workmen. He is the distributor of the "Indigent Vaccine" for St.
Bridget and Richland townships and is local register of the births and deaths.
He has always been much interested in the educational progress of the city
698 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and in adding to its beauty and growth. He had much to do with the seven-
thousand-five-hundred-dollar addition to the school house. He won the five-
dollar prize of Doctor Stephens for producing the best growth in five elm
trees within a year.
KARL HOIIX.
Of the well known farmers and stockmen of Balderson township, Mar-
shall county, who were born in Germany may be mentioned Karl Hohn, who
was born by Koelnam Rhein, on June i_\ 1852, and is the son of John W.
and Regina I ( Mini ) 1 [ohn.
John W. and Regina Oehm were also natives of Germany, in which
country they were educated and were later married. John W. IKhn was
born in 1827 and his wife in [828. After their marriage they continued to
make their home in Germany until [869, when they came to the United
States. John W. Hohn was reared on a farm and engaged in that work in
his native land, and when he came to Marshall county, he continued in that
work. He purchased the farm where his son, Karl, now lives and made
all the improvements, including the stone house and barn. The stone for
these structure- he quarried from his farm. He developed the farm and
became one of the substantial farmers of the town-hip. Mr. Hohn con-
tinued to live on the old home place until 1890. when he returned to his native
'.and. where he died in [900. The wife and mother died on October (8,
[894.
John W. and Regina Hohn were active members of the Evangelical
church and took much interest in all the services of the church and were
I rominent in the social life of the township. They were the parent- of the
following children: Karl. Bertha and Amelia. Bertha i- the wife of C.
Schaeer, of Superior. Nebraska, and Amelia was the wife of |). Breunsbach.
Her death occurred some years ago.
Karl Hohn was educated in Germany and remained there until he was
seventeen years of age. He came with his parents to America and located
in Balderson town-hip. Marshall county, and here he entered school hut was
unable to attend, longer than eighteen day-. Being the eldest child he was in
a position to assist his father in the cultivation of the farm, and remained
with him until he returned to Germany. Karl Holm then purchased the
farm and since that time ha- been engaged in general farming and stock
raising. He experienced many of the hard-hips of the early pioneer; yet
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 699
with the determination to succeed he is now one of the substantial men of
the township. He sold corn at thirteen cents per bushel, and has even hauled
it to Marysville, when it was a task to get rid of it at any price. He has
taken wheat to Frankfort, Kansas, twenty-five miles distant, and sold it for
thirty-five cents per bushel. To make this trip he would start at eleven
o'clock at night, so as to be at the market early in the morning. Those were
most trying times, and a load of wheat would bring but a few dollars.
The first house on the place, built by his father, was of logs, the timber
being obtained from the home farm. In 1880 the present stone house was
erected. It required many days of hard work for the father and son to
quarry the stone, dress and place them in the building. The placing of the
stone in the building was left to Karl Hohn, and the evidence of his good
work is seen in the splendid condition of the building today. There were
manv Indians in the county at the time the family made their settlement
there, yet they were always friendly to the Hohn family. Many times, when
in the woods or fields about his work, or on the hillside picking berries, Karl
Hohn would meet a band of Indians, and while he was man}- times fright-
ened, he was never in any way hurt. He has been driven from the berry
patch by them, with the claim that the berries belonged to them and later he
became aware that it was all a joke. These little incidents had much to do
with cementing the friendship of the red men and the whites in this section
of the state.
On November 15. 1880. Karl Hohn was united in marriage to Amelia
Brueosbach, who was born on September 12, 1862, in the state of Illinois,
and later came to Kansas, where she died on February 15. 1901. She was
a member of the Evangelical church. To that union the following children
were born : Lena, Bertha, Amelia, Emil, Emma, Anna and Rudy. Lena
Rohtenberger is now a resident of Balderson township, where her husband
is a farmer; Bertha is the wife of John Grauer, a resident of Marysville ;
Amelia is the wife of Frank Kratch, of Balderson; Emma Zeibach resides
near Steel City, Nebraska, and Anna Rudy are at home with the father.
Karl Hohn is an active member of the Evangelical church and is prom-
inent in the social life of the township. He has always taken much interest
in the services of the church and is one of the highly respected men of the
community. Politically, he is identified with the Republican party and has
had much to do with the civic life of the township and served for a number
of vears as treasurer. He is a strong advocate of better schools and g_ood
roads. On January 12, 19 10, Mr. Hohn married for his second wife, Mrs.
Sophia Kratch. a daughter of Fritz and Kathrin ( Freese) Meier, of Mis-
/OO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
souri, where they were farming people, both being now deceased. Mr-.
Hohn, by lier first marriage, was the mother of the following children:
(•'rank. Rudolph, Alma and Fred, all of whom are married and living in
Balderson township, this county.
STERLING KECK.
Sterling Keck, one of the prominent residents of Summerfield, .Mar-
shall county, and now living a retired life, was horn in Claiborne county,
'rcnnev.ee. ,,n September 9, [845, the son of Philip and Rachel ( Coin 1 Keck.
Philip Keck was born in Pennsylvania and was the son of John and
Anna 1 liaiislcx ) Keck, both of whom were natives of the state of Pennsyl-
vania, and where the father was engaged in farming. John Keck was the
'I Conrad Keck and wife, also natives of that state. The families later
moved to Tennessee and there John Keck died in 1859. Philip Keck after
moving to Tennessee became the owner of a large plantation consisting of
over three hundred acres of land. It was there that he died in t88o at the
age of eighty-five years. Rachel (Goin) Keck, the mother of Sterling Keck,
was born in Tennessee in [816. She was die daughter of Uriah Goin. She
grew to womanhood in home state and there lived her life, her death having
occurred some years ago.
Sterling Keck received his education in the common schools of his native
•tate and there grew to manhood on the home plantation. At the age of
seventeen years he enlisted in the Union army, and served in Battery B, First
Tennessee Light Artillery, and saw much active service in and about
Nicholasville, Kentucky, lie was in the Twenty-third Army Corps and did
g 1 service for two and a half years. After the close of the war he returned
to bis home and engaged in teaching, and was for four years one of the suc-
cessful teachers of his state. He then retired from the work as a teacher
and engaged in farming on bis tract of land for fifteen years. In [879 he
left Tennessee and went to Gage count)', Nebraska, where he purchased
eighty acres of land at twelve dollars per acre. He held this land for a
time, when he traded it for land in Thomas county, Kansas. In [890 he
left Nebraska anil came to Marshall county, where be purchased one hun-
dred and sixty acres ,,f land in section _•), I'.alderson township. The place
was partially developed and had some improvements. He later built a tine
1 ight-room house and made other extensive improvements. Here he engaged
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. /OI
in general farming and stock raising with much success for the next eighteen
years, when in 1909 lie retired from the active duties of farm life and moved
to Summerneld. Here he has a beautiful modern house and six acres of
land. The land is just across the line in Nebraska.
While actively engaged in farm work. Mr. Keck was an extensive raiser
of cattle, and each year had ready for the market some two hundred head.
He was the largest hog raiser in Balderson township. He was also a dealer
in mules and each year he shipped large numbers of these animals to the
various markets of the country. As a business man and farmer he demon-
trated his ability to handle matters of large proportions.
Sterling Keck was twice married. His first wife was Harriet Har-
man, whom he married on October 18, 1866. She was born in Tennessee
in 1848 and died on Tulv 13, 1908. To this union the following children
have been born: Roxie Ann, Clarcie, Lucretia. Emeline. James William,
Melvin, Belle, Josephine. Proctor. Bert, John. Eva, Iva and one that died
in infancy. Roxie Ann is the wife of William Wymote, of Portland,
Oregon, and to them have been born five children; Clarcie Brown lives in
Montana, where Mr. Brown is engaged in farming; Lucretia. now deceased,
was the wife of Tames McMahan ; Emeline is the wife of L. McMahan and
they reside in California; James William resides in Montana; Melvin is
farming on the home place; Belle is the wife of L. Vanortwick, a farmer of
Richland township: Josephine Arnold resides in California; Proctor L. is a
farmer of Richland ' township ; Bert lives in California; John is a resident
of Montana; Eva Fralin resides in Richland township, where Mr. Fralin is
engaged in farming and Iva is now deceased.
In 1909 Mr. Keck was united in marriage to Mrs. Maggie Munday.
who was born in Tennessee on May 27, 1881, where she grew to womanhood
and was united in marriage to Oscar Munday, by whom she is the mother of
two children. Nellie and Claud, both of whom are at home. Mrs. Keck is
the daughter of William and Sallie (Lane) Munday. natives of Tennessee.
Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Munday came to Marshall
county and established their home in section 19, Richland township, in 1902.
Oscar Munday engaged in general farming and stock raising for a number
of years and met with much success, in his chosen work. He and his wife
were among the prominent people of the community and were active in the
social life of the district. Some years after the death of her husband, Mrs.
Munday became the wife of Sterling Keck, and since their marriage have
lived in their beautiful home in Summerfield.
At the time Sterling and Harriet Keck left Tennessee to establish a new
, ' -' MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
home in Gage county, Nebraska, they were the parent- of six girls and eight
sons. With his wife and large family of children. Mr. Keck landed in Gage
county with but twenty-live dollars in money. The long and difficult jour-
ney was made with horses and covered wagons, and in the party that came
at that time there were eighl wagons and forty-two people. The trip occu-
pied forty-two days, and was fraught with many hardships and dangers.
The roads were but trails and there were few. if any, bridges spanning the
creek- and rivers.
COXSTAXD CLAEYS.
Constand Claeys, one of the well known and prominent men of Marys-
ville township, Marshall county, was horn in Belgium on April 9, 1870,
the Mm of Celestine and Caroline (Cambrell) Claevs.
Celestine and Caroline Claeys were natives of Belgium and there re-
ceived their education, grew to maturity and were later married. After
their marriage they established their home in Belgium and there they spent
the rest of their lives. The father was horn in 1834 and the mother in
1838, the former died in the land where he was born on January 16, 1915,
and the mother died in the land of her nativity in 1877. Mr. and Mrs.
Claeys were devout members of the Catholic church and prominent in the
local society of their home community. They were the parents of ten
children. >ix of whom died in infancy; the four now living are Florman,
Lena. Constand and Celina. Florman live- at Axtell, Kansas; he is a
farmer and stockman; Lena Von De Rostine is a resident of Atchinson,
Illinois, where Mr. Von De Rostine is engaged in farming and stock rais-
ing; Constand i- the subject of this -ketch and Celina Busie is still a resi-
dent of the hi ime country.
Constand Claeys received hi- education in the schools of Belgium. lie
immigrated to the United State- in April. [889. Following his arrival in
this country he started in to work for himself and sought employment in
a brick' yard, after be had located at Beatrice, Nebraska. Mere he remained
for ten -.ear.-, when be came to Alar-hall county, in 1900, anil here he started
a yard of hi- own at Marysville, which be operated until 191 1. lie then
disposed of hi- business and rented a farm near Marv-ville. where he lived
for four year-, after which he rented one hundred and sixtv acre-, near his
former location, and here i- -till living, lie i- engaged in general farming
and stock raising, being particularly interested in the breeding and the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 703
raising of Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs, and is now preparing
to raise a high grade of Hampshire hogs.
In 1899 Constand Claeys was united in marriage to Antonia Peter, the
daughter of Walter and Barbara (Shoemaker) Peter. Mr. and Mrs. Peter
were natives of Switzerland and there received their education, grew up
and were later married. The father was born in 1847 and tne mother in
1849. While living in his native land Mr. Peter was employed at all kinds
of work, especially at the building of brick ovens in residences. He and
his wife continued to live in their native land until 1883, when they came to
the United States and established their home on a rented farm in Nebraska,
where they lived until 1905, when they took a homestead in South Dakota.
The wife and mother died in 1887. After a residence of some eighteen
months in South Dakota, Mr. Peters returned to Switzerland on a visit
and there he died. He and Mrs. Peters were devout members of the Cath-
olic church and highly respected people. Mr. Peter was an active member
of the Democratic party and always took much interest in local affairs. Mr.
and Mrs. Peters were the parents of the following children : Antonia. Ar-
nold, Freciia, Walter, Louise, Warner, Lena, Ralph, Amelia and Barbara.
Antonia is the wife of Constand Claeys; Arnold, a carpenter, is a resident
of the state of Iowa; Freda Moshell resides at Lincoln, Nebraska, her hus-
band being a traveling man ; Walter is engaged in farming on the old home-
stead in South Dakota; Louise Misery lives in South Dakota, and is now a
widow, her husband, who was a telegraph operator, died some years ago;
Warner is a farmer in South Dakota ; Lena Kemper lives in Nebraska,
where her husband is a carpenter ; Ralph is a carpenter in Iowa ; Amelia
Kenned}- resides at Dorchester, Nebraska, where Mr. Kennedy is engaged in
the carpenter work and as a contractor, and Barbara Hire, who was the
second born of the family, is the wife of Mr. Hire, who lives at Franklin,
Nebraska, and is one of the farmers and stock men of that section.
Antonia (Peter) Claeys was born in Switzerland on March 4, 1872,
and was reared in a village and received her education in one of the schools
of that country. At the age of eleven years she came to the United States
with her parents, and with them located on a farm in Nebraska. There
she grew to womanhood and was later married. She and her husband, Mr.
Claeys were for long years devout members of the Catholic church, and
Mrs. Claeys was an active member of the altar society until the time of
her death in 1905. She was a woman who was held in the highest regard
and at her death the community lost one who was ever ready and willing
to assist in trouble and in sickness. She and Mr. Claeys were the parents
704 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
of the following children: Louis, born on November 6, [899; Agnes, De-
cember to, [900; Susana, Semtember 11. [903; and Barbara, February
j 1, 1(105. These children arc now all at home with Uic father and all have
been confirmed in the church of their father and mother. With their father,
they arc held in high regard by the people of the district in which they live
and where they take an active interest in the social life as well as the re-
ligions life id' their church.
JOHN F. WAGNER.
Among the successful farmers and stockmen of Richland township,
.Marshall county, may he included John F. Wagner, the owner of one
hundred and sixty acres id" splendid land, and at present operating three
hundred and twenty acres, who was horn in Franklin count}', Indiana, on
May -'-', [877, the son of Jacob and Eliza (Cruse) Wagner.
Jacob Wagner was a native of Germany, and there he received his
education in the schools and grew to manhood. His early life was spent
en a farm, and as a young man he decided that he would he a farmer.
Feeling that he would have better opportunities to obtain a home and a
farm he came to the United States and at once proceeded to Indiana, locat-
ing in Franklin county. In that state he was married to Eliza Cruse, who
was horn in Indiana in 1840. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Wagner
established their home in Franklin county, where they resided until 1880,
when they came to Kansas. Mere Mr. Wagner purchased a farm of two
hundred and forty acres of splendid land, which is now owned by the son,
Louis J. This farm he developed from the unbroken prairie into one of
the model farms of the count). \fter four years of active life on his new
farm he died in 1S84. The widow is now living a retired life at Summer-
field. They were the parents id' the following children: Harry, Louis J..
Charles 1'.. John I'.. Edward and William C. Harry is deceased; Charles
P. is a farmer and stockman in Richland township; William C. is a jeweler
at Sapulpa, Oklahoma, and Edward is a resident of Summerfteld.
Jacob Wagner was twice married. To the union before he married
Eliza (ruse were horn three children .i^ follow: Todd, who is a resident
of Des Moines, lovva: [Catherine Mertes. a resident of California, and Addie
Poffinbarger. who lives near Fairbury, Nebraska.
John F. Wagner was three years old when his parents left their home
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 705
in Indiana and came to Kansas. Here he received his education in the
public schools and remained at home until he was twenty-one years of age.
He then rented land where he engaged in general fanning until 1907, when
he purchased his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres of land in
section 33, Richland township, where he has erected the best of modern
buildings and today has one of the best country homes in the county. He
is a progressive farmer and an excellent stockman, and his farm and stock
show the results of care and attention.
John F. Wagner was united in marriage on February 24, 1903, to
Lillie M. Heiserman, who was born in Marshall county on November 16,
1884, the daughter of Fred and Mary (Hunt) Heiserman. Mr. Heiserman
was born in Germany on January 25, 1834, and is the son of Jacob Heiser-
man and wife, who spent their lives in the fatherland. Fred Heiserman
was reared in Germany and there received his education in the public
schools. At the age of twenty-one years he came to America* On his
arrival in the United States in 1855, he at once proceeded to Illinois, where
he engaged as a farm hand for some years. There he was married to
Man- Hunt, who was born in 1847 a°d died in 1906. In 1868 Mr. and
Mrs. Heiserman came to Kansas, having made the journey with horses
and wagon from the home in Illinois. They homesteaded eighty acres of
land in Richland township, Marshall county, which they later developed
and improved and in time became the owners of two hundred and forty
acres of the best land. They were the parents of the following children :
Henry, of Liberty, Nebraska ; William, of Oklahoma ; Jacob, of Norton
county. Kansas; George, a well-known farmer of Balderson township,
Marshall county; John, of Oklahoma; Fred, of Smith county, Kansas;
Charles, of Richland township; Albert, on the home farm; Walter, a farmer
of Marshall county; Edward, of Balderson township; Anna, the wife of Ed
Ringen, of Richland township, a prosperous farmer and stockman; Rose,
the wife of William Ringen. a well-known farmer, and Lillie, the wife of
John F. Wagner.
John F. and Lillie Wagner are among the prominent residents of Rich-
land township and are held in high regard. They are the parents of two
children, Clifford A. and Viola I. They take the keenest pleasure in their
beautiful home with their children, and one of their greatest pleasures is
the entertainment of their neighbors and their friends. Mrs. Wagner has
spent her life in the county where she now lives, where she has ever taken
much interest in church work and the social activities of the community.
(45)
706 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Politically, Mr. Wagner is identified with the Republican party and has
always taken considerable interest in the civic affairs of the township. He is
now serving as township clerk, having been first elected in 1908. He is also
a member of the school board of district No. [36 and is treasurer of the
board. Both he and his wife have always taken much interest in the edu-
cational development of the county, and any movement for better schools
always receives their hearty approval. Mr. Wagner has long been an advo-
cate of good roads and gives his support to all development in that line. He
is an active member of the Modern Woodmen of America.
GEORGE A. KRUSE.
George A. Kruse, one of the well-known and prominent farmers of
Logan township. Marshall county, was born in Saunders county, Nebraska,
on March 25. 1878, the son of George and Anna (Jurgens) Kruse.
George and Anna (Jurgens) Kruse were natives of Germany, where
the father was born in 1832 and the mother in 1842. They received their
education in the public schools and there grew to maturity and were married
in 1864. Some time after their marriage they decided to come to America,
and after their arrival in this country, they came at once to Illinois, where
they established their home on a farm on which they lived for some vears.
They later moved to Nebraska, where they engaged in general farming for
s. mic time, after which they came to Marshall county in 1882. Here Mr.
Kruse purchased three hundred and sixty acres of excellent land in Herkimer
township. The tract at that time was all wild prairie, but of prime quality.
This he developed and improved, and at the time of his death he had a splen-
did house, two large barns and other buildings. Mr. Kruse died on Julv iS,
1914. his wife having died in [895, both having died on the old homestead.
George Kruse was a man of much business ability and owned at the
time of his death eight hundred and forty acres. He took much interest in
local affairs and was progressive in all things. He was identified with the
Republican party, but did not aspire to office. He and his wife assisted in
the educational and moral development of their home township, and were
held in the highest regard. They were the parents of the following chil-
dren: Catherine. Margaret, Mary. William, George, Henry, Anna, Chris-
tina, Andrew and two that died in infancy. Catherine is the wife of Will-
iam Rabe, a farmer and banker of Bremen. Kansas: Margaret Schaefer is
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 707
the wife of a farmer of Herkimer township; Man' Lohse lives in Logan
township, where Air. Lohse is engaged in farming; William and Henry are
farmers of Herkimer township; George A., the subject of this sketch, is a
farmer of Logan township ; Anna Geihsler is a resident of Oklahoma where
her husband is engaged in farming; Christina Prelle is the wife of a mer-
chant and Andrew is on the home farm. Mr. and Mrs. Kruse were devoted
members of the German Lutheran church and were among the most substan-
tial supporters of that denomination.
George A. Kruse received his education in the home schools of Mar-
shall county and grew to manhood on the home farm, where he assisted his
father with the work. After completing his education, and at the age of
twenty-two vears, he was given one hundred and sixty acres of land in
Nebraska bv his father, and here he engaged in general farming and stock
raising for one year, when he moved to Herkimer township, Marshall county,
where he bought one hundred and sixty acres and rented his Nebraska place.
After two vears on the farm which he had purchased, he sold out, after
having made many substantial improvements, and moved to Bremen, where
he engaged in the grain and implement business for six years. He then sold
his business in Bremen and moved to his present farm of two hundred and
eighty acres in Logan township. Here he has one of the desirable farms
of the township, and which is substantially improved with a splendid house,
large barn, garage, granaries and alfalfa sheds. Here he is successfully
engaged in general farming and stock raising, and is one of the extensive
breeders of cattle and hogs in the county. He believes in up-to-date methods
of operating a farm, and now has on his place a tractor that will do more
and better work than the horse, thus conserving his time and energy for other
purposes.
In 1904 Mr. Kruse was united in marriage to Minnie Brenneke, the
daughter of Henry and Mary (Vogel) Brenneke, natives of Germany and
prominent residents of Bremen. Minnie (Brenneke) Kruse was born in
Bremen on May 23, 1883, and there« received her education in the public
schools and resided at home until her marriage. She and Mr. Kruse are
the parents of the following children : Elmer, born on March 2, 1905 ; Vera
Marie, October 10, 1906; Laverne Arlo, April 26, 1909; George Orbin, July
27, 191 1, and Orlinda Leona, July 16. 1915. Mr. and Mrs. Kruse are active
members of the Lutheran church and have long been prominent in the social
life of the community, where their good qualities and Christian spirit have
won for them a host of friends. Mr. Kruse has always taken a keen inter-
est in local affairs and is one of the representative men of the township.
70S MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
He is now township clerk and has served as a member of the school board
and lias always taken a deep concern in the educational development in the
county. Progressive in all things, he realizes that the future greatness of
any section must largely depend upon the institutions of learning. The
good roads movement has always received his earnest support.
JOSEPH ZARYBNICKY.
Bohemia has given to the United States many of her citizens who have
become prominent in many of the walks of life in this country. Among
the number is Joseph Zarybnicky, the owner of four hundred acres of ex-
cellent land and the raiser of high-grade stock, who was born on November
23, 1868. and is the son of Anton and Anna (Soucek) Zarybnicky.
Anton and Anna Zarybnicky were also natives of Bohemia, where they
were educated, grew to maturity and were later married. In that country
their children were born and there they spent many years of their early
life. In 1881, after their daughter. Anna, the wife of Joe Polnicky, had
located in America, the parents and the rest of their children came to this
country. After a voyage of nineteen days the family landed in the United
States and later established their home near Wilber, Nebraska. There the
father worked as a farm hand for a number of years and later made his
home with his son, Frank, who was at that time one of the successful farmers
of the district. Anton Zarybnicky was born in the year 1832 and is now
living with his son, Joseph. The mother was born in 1832 and is now de-
ceased, she having died in 1908. They were the parents of the following
children: .Mary, Anna, Josephine, Frank, Antonia, deceased: Joseph. An-
tonia (2), John, Katherine and two that died in infancy. Mary died in
Bohemia; Anna died after coming to this country; Josephine Plihal died
Mime ten vears ago; Frank is living near Odell, Nebraska. Antonia lives
near Latham, Kansas; John died on the way to the United States and was
buried at sea: Katherine Iteia is a resident of Table Rock, Nebraska. Mr.
and Mrs. Zarybnicky were active members of the Catholic church
and always took great interest in the affairs of the church and were well
known in the social life of the community in which they lived and where
they were held in the highest regard.
foseph Zarybnicky received his education in the schools of his native
land and in the public schools of Nebraska, he having spent his boyhood
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 709
days in the latter state. At the age of fourteen years he worked as a farm
hand for the farmers in the neighborhood of his home. In 1888 he rented
one hundred and sixty acres of land in Nebraska, where he was engaged
in general farming and stock raising for himself for five years. He then
left the rented farm and purchased one hundred and sixty acres in section
11, Oketo township, Marshall county. Here he engaged in general farming
with success for nine years, when he purchased his present farm in the town-
ship. The farm at the time he made the purchase was all unimproved and
was for the most part undeveloped. Since establishing himself on his
present farm, Mr. Zarybnicky has put the place under the highest state of
development. As a raiser of Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs he
has met with with much success, and is now known as one of the most
successful stockmen in the county. He has some splendid horses and his
stock is all of the highest grade. The past year he had one hundred and
sixteen acres of his farm in corn, which averaged thirty-three bushels per
acre. In addition to his large farm interests he is a stockholder in the
farmers' elevator and the co-operative store at Oketo.
On January 13, 1892, Mr. Zarybnicky was united in marriage to
Katherine Bell, who was born in Bohemia in 1870. She received her edu-
cation in the schools of her native land, where she lived until she was fifteen
vears of age, when she came to the United States and settled at Wilber,
Nebraska, where she lived until the time of her marriage. Her parents
spent their lives in Bohemia, where they died some years ago. To Mr.
and Mrs. Zarybnicky have been born the following children : Anna, Clara,
Frank, Abbie, Millie, William, Edward and Wilhelmina, all of whom are
at home with the exception of William, who is deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Zarybnicky are active members of the Catholic church
and have reared their children in the faith of that denomination. They
have ever taken an active interest in the affairs of the county, in which
they have made their home for so many years and where they are held
in the highest regard. Coming to this country, where they were among
strangers and amid new conditions, they have demonstrated their ability to
meet the new conditions with success. By hard work and close application
to business they are today numbered among the substantial people of the
community.
Mr. Zarybnicky has always taken an active interest in the civic life of
his home township, and while he has not been an office seeker, his advice
has often been sought in matters that pertained to the public welfare. He is
7IO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
one of the patriotic and influential men of the district and his life had been
one of honor. He is a member of the Bohemian lodge, Z. C. B. J., and was
the organizer of the local society. He is a man of much ability and his
influence is keenly felt in all matters that pertain to the public welfare, in
his home township as well as the county.
JOHN W. SUGGETT.
John Suggett, one of the well-known residents of Marietta. .Marshall
county, and one of the early pioneers of the district, was horn in Detroit
on June 1 i. 1851, the son of John 1'. and Clinda (Burgess) Suggett, natives
of England.
John P. and Cinda ( Burgess > Suggett were natives of Durhamshire, and
Somersetshire, respectively, the former having been born in 1813 and died
on June 7, 1874. and the latter was born in 1827, and died on May 6. 1906.
Mr. Suggett received his education in the schools of his native land and there
he grew to manhood and learned the butcher's trade. At the age of twenty
years he decided to seek a home in America and on his arrival in this country
he located at Detroit, where he was engaged in butchering for the lake boats.
Clinda Burgess spent her early childhood in England, and at the age of
ten years came to America with her parents, who located at Detroit, where
she completed her education in the public schools and where she was mar-
ried in 1847 to Mr. Suggett. They established their home in that city and
there they lived until 1856. when they moved to Bock Island. Illinois. There
Mr. Suggett engaged in supplying the steamers on the Mississippi river
with meat. After a residence of six years in that city, the family decided
to locate in Kansas. They made the trip to Hannibal. Missouri, by steam-
boat and from there to St. Joseph by rail. Here John P. Suggett purchased
a team of oxen and with his family drove to Marvsville, Marshall county,
lie engaged in the butcher business and for two years furnished meat for
the soldiers. He remained in the butcher business until [869, when he
homesteaded in Oketo township. There he and his sons cut the logs to
build their first home on the claim. They obtained their timber from along
the creek, and built a two-story house in which they lived for a number of
years. The family always had plenty to eat in their new home, and much
of their meat was obtained on the prairie, where they obtained wild prairie
chicken, duck, turkey and buffalo. They were provided with fresh buffalo
meat until the year 187.' and had dried meat until late the next year.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 7TI
John P. Suggett became a successful farmer and in time his farm be-
came one of the well-developed and improved places in the township. He
raised much stock, with which he had much success. He and Mrs. Suggett
were the parents of the following children : Elizabeth, William H., John
W., Nathaniel P., Thomas J., Fannie L., Benjamin F., Nellie, Clinda and Mary
D. Elizabeth Champagne, William H., Fannie L. Watson and Mary D.
are now deceased, the latter having died on November 7, 1895. Nathaniel
P. is a resident of Oketo ; Thomas J. is a resident of Marietta ; Benjamin F.
resides at Beloit, Kansas; Mrs. Nellie Gibson conducts a boarding house at
Oketo; Clinda Mayhew lives on a farm four miles west of Marietta, in
Oketo townshop where her husband. John Mayhew, is a farmer. John P.
and Clinda Suggett were among the prominent residents of the county.
Mrs. Suggett was a firm believer in teaching her children household duties.
Her boys and girls from childhood were taught the art of cooking and the
care of the home, and anyone of them could prepare an excellent meal.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Suggett spent their last days on the old homestead.
John W. Suggett received his education in the schools of Marshall
county. At the age of ten years he moved with his parents to the home-
stead in Oketo township, where he spent his life as a lad and young man.
There he assisted in the breaking and the clearing of the home place and
later in the cultivation of the crops and in the general work on the farm.
At the age of twenty-nine years, in 1880, he homesteaded forty acres of
land in Oketo township, this being the last homestead in Oketo. He made
many improvements on the place, which he later sold and moved to Marietta,
where he has a good home and four acres of land. Here for many years
he did general work and operated his mother's farm.
In 1880 Mr. Suggett was united in marriage to Ida Triggs, who was
born in Lucas county, Iowa, in 1863 and is the daughter of Thomas M.
Triggs and wife, who left their home in Iowa and came to Marshall county
in 1869, where they became prominent in the affairs of the community. To
Mr. and Mrs. Suggett have been born the following children : Elsie, who
died in 1896; Percy, who died in November, 1913, and Victor and Hazel
are now residing in Oketo township, the latter being a student in the Oketo
hi°-h school. Mr. and Mrs. Suggett are active members of the United Evan-
gelical church, and have long been prominent in the social life of the com-
munity in which they have lived for so many years and where they are held
in the highest regard. Mr. Suggett is independent in politics, but has always
taken a keen interest in the civic life of his home district, and is an advocate
712 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
of the selection of the best men to administer the affairs of the county and
the township.
John \Y. Suggett has had an active life on the plains of the West, and
when he was but fifteen or sixteen years of age he joined with Robert
Shibley as a freighter. They left Marysville in April, 1866, and with a
consignment of two mills for Ft. Laramie, for the gold mines, they started
for St. Joseph. They transported the machinery to Laramie and were gone
until winter. On one trip with Mr. Shibley they had thirty-five wagons
in the caravan, including two four-horse wagons. The Indians were on the
warpath in that section of the country and they had a most difficult time
in making their trip. At one place Mr. Suggett and the party found an old
couple murdered and they delayed their journey long enough to give them
a burial. At another place they found a German settler killed at the door
of his house, he having been murdered while endeavoring to gain entrance to
his home. Traveling on the plains in those days was dangerous as well
as difficult. There were no roads, and the winding trail at times was most
difficult to follow.
To such people as the Suggett family, much honor and credit are due
for their efforts in blazing the way for civilization in this Indian-ridden
country. Their lives were hard ones, and only those with brave hearts and
a firm determination to win could possibly succeed in their efforts to estab-
lish homes on the fertile plains of Kansas. Much has been said of the
trials and the hardships of those people, but only those who experienced the
life can realize the struggle.
JOHX STEIG.
John Steig. who is now deceased, was one of the -oldest pioneers in
Marshall county, and bad lived on bis farm in Balderson township since
1865. He was born in Belgium on February 9, [823, the son of John Steig
and wife, who were of the farming class in that country, and among the
highly respected people of their home district, John Steig received his
education in the schools of his native land and remained a resident of that
■
country until he was thirty-two years of age. In 1857 he decided to seek
a home in America. After a long voyage he landed at the port of New
York and at once proceeded to Chicago, Illinois, where he remained for a
time, after which he took up hi< residence in Milwaukee. In 1865 he left
y.
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 713
the city life and came to Kansas. Here he homesteaded land in Balderson
township. Marshall county, on which he built a small shack, which answered
the purpose of a home. Those were hard and trying times for the young
man in a strange land and amid new conditions. The country was new and
the few neighbors were far apart. Marysville, a long distance away in
those days, over the plains, with no roads other than the trail over the
prairie, was the nearest trading point, and at that time it could hardly be
called a town. He later built a log house, obtaining the material from the
timber growing on his own tract of land. He also built a log barn, and
today there are walnut logs on the place that were a part of the barn erected
forty-nine years ago. Some years later he erected a board house, that is
still standing on the farm and in which he lived until 1902, when he built
the present neat and substantial residence.
By much hard work and close application Mr. Steig was able to clear
and break his land preparatory to the planting of his crops. His progress
was slow, but in time he began to prosper and was soon successfully engaged
in general farming and stock raising, and left a splendid farm of one
hundred and sixty acres, which adjoins eighty acres that is owned by his
son, John B. The farm is under a high state of cultivation and well kept.
Much of the place is of fine bottom land, where are raised splendid crops
of corn and other grain, with fine tracts of pasture and meadow land.
On March 24, 1868, John Steig was united in marriage to Margaret
J. Beonack, who was born on September 5, 1847, >n Luxemburg, and to this
union were born two children, Margaret and John B. Margaret Meybrunn
resides in Balderson township, two miles south and one mile west of the
home. John B. was born on March 20, 1882, and received his education in
the district schools of Balderson township and has always lived on the
farm where he was born, and where he assisted his father with the farm
work. In addition to the management of his late father's farm he looks
after the interest of his own place of eighty acres.
John Steig was an active member of the Catholic church, as is his
widow, and they reared their children in that faith. The family have
long been prominent in the social life of the community and are held in
the highest regard and esteem by all who know them. Mr. Steig was
actively identified with the Democratic party, and was recognized as among
the substantial and successful men of the township. Mr. Steig cast his
first vote for James Buchanan for President, and never missed casting his
vote for the Democratic candidate up to the time of his death. He had
never been sick, up to his last illness, but once in his life, and that was in
714 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
the fall of 1915, when he had an attack of la grippe, which affected his
sight and hearing. Other than that he was both hale and hearty and able
to enjoy many of the blessings of life, on his farm, where he spent so many
years. During his residence in the county he had witnessed many wonderful
changes, and. today, where now stand the fine farm buildings and where
grows the golden grain, then stood the few huts of the early settlers and
there grew the tall prairie grass, with here and there a patch of timber.
All this took place in the life of this worthy man. who did so much for
the development of .Marshall county. John Steig died in Balderson town-
ship on February t;. 1017. and was buried at Summerfield. Kansas, at
i lolv Kamilv cemetery.
WILLIAM H. BROOKS.
William H. Brooks, a well-known and substantial farmer and stock-
man of Franklin township, this count}-, an honored veteran of the Civil
War and the proprietor of a tine farm of four hundred and eighty acres
there, on which he has one of the best-appointed homes in the count}-, is a
native of the old Hoosier state, but has been a resilient of this county
practically all the time since 1882 and has thus long been accounted one
of the well-established citizens of Marshall county, lie was horn at Brook-
ville, Indiana, on February jo, 1N47. son of Joseph M. and Amelia (Swan)
Brooks, who were the parents of eight children, three of whom are still
living.
Joseph M. Brooks was horn in April, 1818, and was trained to the
trade of carpenter and builder. Me moved from Indiana to Peru, Illinois,
and there made his home until [879, when he came to Kansas and settled
on the farm in Franklin township, this county, on which his son, the sub-
ject of this sketch, is now making his home, and presently became one of
the large landowners of the county. Upon coming to this county Joseph
M. Brooks bought a farm of four hundred and eighty acres, built a small
house on the same and there made his home for four years, at the end of
which time he retired and moved to Beattie. where he spent the rest of
his life, his death occurring on July 31. 1001. After his retirement, how-
ever, he continued to extend his farming operations and land purchases
and at the time of his death was the owner of fifteen hundred acres of
Mar-hall county land. Joseph M. Brooks was twice married. Following
the death of his first wife he married Margaret A. Porter, who was born
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 715
on October 30, 1823, in Adams county, Ohio, and who died at the home
of William H. Brooks in this county on May 7, 1916. That second union
was without issue.
■William H. Brooks was but a child when bis parents moved from
Indiana to Peru, Illinois, and he received his schooling in that city. In
1864, he then being but seventeen years of age, he enlisted for service
during the Civil War and served as a member of Company B, Fourteenth
Illinois Cavalry, under Captain Dressier, in Sherman's Army, until the
close of the war, being a participant in the spirited engagements in which
his command took part in the last year of the war. In one of these engage-
ments he was captured by the enemy and for four or five months was con-
fined in the dreadful prison pen at Andersonville. Mr. Brooks received
his discharge in Tennessee at the close of the war and then returned to
Peru, Illinois, where he began working as a stationary engineer, a vocation
which occupied his time chiefly thereafter for thirty-five years. In 1882
he came to Kansas and for a few years worked with his father on the
farm in this county, but later resumed his calling as stationary engineer
and was thus engaged, in Nebraska and points farther west, until the death
of his father in the summer of 1901, when he came back to this county
to settle the estate and has since made his home here. In the settlement of
his father's estate he inherited one hundred and forty-six acres of the old
home place and he has since added to that tract by purchase until now he is
the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of excellent land and has one
of the best farm plants in that part of the county. In addition to his gen-
eral farming, Mr. Brooks has long given considerable attention to the rais-
ing of live stock, now feeding about eighty head of cattle, and has done
very well. His farm is situated on section 24 of Franklin township and
there he has one of the best-appointed farm houses in Marshall county,
an eight-room modern house, equipped with electric lights, furnace, bath
and hot and cold water, and he and his family are very comfortably situated.
The house has an admirable location and commands one of the best views
in that part of the county.
On June 24, 1885, William H. Brooks was united in marriage to Alice
Beveridge, who was born on March 5. 1864, in Adams county, Ohio,
daughter of Jacob and Nancy (McNeil) Beveridge, further mention of
whom is made in this volume in a biographical sketch relating to Dr. Jacob
Beveridge, and to this union four children have been born, namely : Ralph,
who is at home ; Mrs. Madge Totten, of La Junta, Colorado ; Ray E.,
who is at home, and Chester A., an optician, practicing at Marysville.
/l6 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Mr. ami Mrs. Brooks are attendants at the services of the Methodist church
and have ever since taking up their residence in this county taken a warm
and active interest in the various good works of the community in which
they live, helpful in promoting all worthy causes thereabout. Mr. Brooks
is a Republican, but has never been a seeker after public office.
WILLIAM SCHWIXDAMAX.
William Schwindaman, a native of Peoria. Illinois, where he was born
on April 6. 1853, the son of Laurence and Katie 1 Kern ) Schwindaman,
is now one of the substantial farmers of Marshall county.
Laurence and Katie ( Kern 1 Schwindaman were born in Strasburg,
Germany, he in 1808 and she in 1SJ3. They received their education in
good schools and were reared amid the scenes of village life. As a lad Mr.
Schwindaman learned the basket-maker's trade, at which he worked dur-
ing the years of his active life. Thirty-two years of his life were spent in
his native land, when, in [840, he decided to come to America. On his
arrival in this country he at once proceeded to Louisville, Kentucky, where
he lived for a time, after which he spent some time in St. Louis and Chicago
and then located I'eoria, Illinois, where he followed his trade for over
thirty years. His health failing him. he came to Kansas, where he pur-
chased three hundred and twenty acres of land in Washington county, where
he died a few months later. The widow died some years later at the home
of her son, William, in Marysville township, Marshall county.
Politically, Laurence Schwindaman was identified with the Republican
party: though he did not aspire to office, he took much interest in local
affairs. He and bis wife were devout members of the Catholic church and
Mrs. Schwindaman was prominent in the work of the altar society of that
church. They were the parents of ten children, four of whom are now
living a- follow: Kasper. William. George and Lizzie. Kasper resides
at Keokuk. Iowa, where he is a farmer; George is a farmer at Meridian,
Iowa, and Lizzie Smith lives at Bellingham. Washington, where her hus-
band is a foreman in a cement mill.
William Schwindaman received his education in the common and high
school at I'eoria. Illinois, and there grew to manhood. At the age of
twenty-three years he entered eighty acres of land in his native state, where
he engaged in general farming for one year, when he came to Marshall
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 7*7
count v, where he worked as a farm hand for a year and a half and then
rented his father's farm in Washington county. After two years of active
farm life he engaged as a clerk in a store at Palmer, Kansas, and was thus
engaged for two rears. He then purchased a furniture and undertaking
establishment, and after two years he sold the business and moved to Reims-
ville, Kansas, where he conducted a general store for two years when he
sold this business and moved to Colorado, where he took a homestead and
also clerked in a store for about two years. He next located at Boise City,
Idaho, where he clerked for a year and a half, at which time he returned
to Palmer and rented the home farm, which he purchased a few months
later. Here he engaged in general farming and stock raising for four
years, when he sold the farm and purchased the elevator at Palmer. Here
he engaged in the buying and selling of grain for two years when he sold
the business at Palmer and purchased the elevator at Marysville, and there
continued in the grain business for two years, when he sold and purchased
a harness business. This work he managed in connection with his position
as mail carrier for about a year, after which he moved to the farm he had
purchased, two and one-half miles from Marysville. Here he has a splendid
farm of one hundred and sixty acres, in addition to a quarter section that
he owns in Colorado. He is successfully engaged in general farming and
stock raising and is recognized as one of the progressive men of the town-
ship. During his residence in Palmer he served as a justice of the peace,
and has served a term of four years as trustee of Marysville township, as
well as being for many years as a member of the school board.
In 1879 William Schwindaman was united in marriage to Anna Schim-
mels. the daughter of Henry and Catherine (Schlax) Schimmels. Mr. and
Mrs. Schimmels were born on a farm in Germany and there received
their education and grew to maturity. Mr. Schimmels was born in 1814
and continued to live in his native land until 1851, when he decided to locate
in America. On his arrival in the United States he proceeded at once to
Wisconsin, where he purchased eighty acres of land, which he developed
and improved and there he engaged in farming and stockraising for twenty
years, when he came to Kansas and bought one hundred and sixty acres of
land in Marshall county, where he made his home until the time of his
death on July 17. 1887. Catherine (Schlax) Schimmels was born in 1828
and continued to reside in Germany until 1855, when she came with her
brother to the United States and located in Wisconsin, where she worked
out before her marriage. She and Mr. Schimmels were devout members
7l8 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
of the Catholic church and she was an active member of die altar society,
until her death in 1901. Mr. and Mrs. Schimmels were the parents of nine
children as follows: Marguretta, John, Antone, William, Catherine, Anna,
1'eter, Elizabeth and Alary. Marguretta Smith is now deceased; John and
Antone are farmers in Nebraska ; William is a well-known farmer in Ok-
lahoma; Catherine Lippett lives at Beloit, Wisconsin, where her husband
is operating a hotel; Peter is a merchant in Oklahoma; Elizabeth Kersting
resides in .Nebraska, where her husband is a farmer and stockman, and Mary
Kersting resides in Mundon, where Mr. Kersting is conducting a restau-
rant.
Anna (Schimmels) Schwindaman was born on the home farm in Wis-
consin on April 18, 1862, and received her education in the public schools,
remaining at home until her marriage at the age of seventeen years. She
and Mr. Schwindaman are the parents af eight .children as follow : Cath-
erine, Lillian, Mary, Laura, Golden, Florence, William and Leo. Cath-
erine Potter is now a resident of Clinton, Missouri, her husband being a trav-
eling man ; Lillian Ring, Mary King. Laura Schmitz and Golden Wassenburg
are all residents of Marshall county, where their husbands are farmers and
stockmen; Florence, after completing her education in the Marysville high
school, having graduated in the class of 191 1, engaged in teaching, and is
now one of the teachers of Marshall county, and is living at home; William
is the station agent at Hull, Kansas, and Leo is at home with his parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Schwindaman are members of the Catholic church and
have reared their children in that faith. They have long been prominent
in the religious activities of the church and of the social life of the com-
munities in which they have lived. They have taken much interest in the
educational and moral development of the township as well as the county.
ERNST KOENEKE.
Ernst Koeneke, one of the well-known and successful farmers and stock-
men of Herkimer township. Marshall county, was born in Cook county. Illi-
nois, on September 30, 1857, and is the son of Thomas and Mary ( Schotte)
Koeneke.
Thomas and Mary Koeneke were natives of Germany, the former hav-
ing hern born in Holstein and the latter in Hanover. They were educated
in the schools of their native country and later came to the United States,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 7 19
locating in the state of Illinois, where they were married and where Mr.
Koeneke engaged in farming until 1S60. At that time they decided that
they would locate in Kansas. They pre-empted a farm of one hundred and
sixty acres, where the son, Ernst, now lives, and for this they paid three
dollars and seventy-five cents per acre. Logs were obtained from the timber
on the tract, with which the first house was built. He had his oxen to assist
him in his work, for the family had made the trip from Atchison, with an
ox team and wagon. Mr. Koeneke at once engaged in the task of breaking
his land and preparing it for planting crops. In time he had a well-estab-
lished home and here he and his wife lived until the time of their deaths,
he having died in 1893, at the age of seventy-three years, and she in 19 10, at
the a°-e of eighty-four. They were devout members of the German Luth-
eran church, and were among the organizers of the first church in the town-
ship. They were the parents of four children as follow: Henry, now
deceased, who was a stock and grain buyer of Herkimer; Ernst; Mary, the
wife of Mr. Gleue, of Herkimer township, and Christena Fragel, a widow
of Herkimer. Mr. and Mrs. Koeneke were a most estimable people and
were held in the highest regard. Their lives were active ones and they took
the greatest interest in their family and the social, civic and religious life of
the township.
Ernst Koeneke was three and a half years of age at the time his parents
left their home in Illinois and located in Herkimer township. Here he
attended the early schools of the district for a time, and was reared on the
home farm, where he assisted his father with the work of the place. As a
young man he became impressed with the dignity and independence of the
life of a farmer and soon decided that he would follow in the work of his
father. He remained at home after he had reached manhood, but later
established himself on a farm which his father had given him. From 1886
he operated the home farm for his father. After the death of the father,
Mr. Koeneke bought and traded with his brother for the old home place,
where he now lives. Since assuming possession of the place he has
remodeled the house, which is today one of the substantial farm residences
of the county. His barn, thirty-eight by one hundred feet, is a substantial
structure. He is now the owner of nine hundred and sixty acres of splendid
land, the greater part of which is in a high state of development and nicely
improved. He raises high-grade Hereford cattle and Duroc- Jersey hogs,
and is recognized as one of the substantial and successful farmers and stock-
men of this section of the state.
7-20 MARSHALL Col/XTY. KANSAS.
In [881, Ernst Koeneke was united in marriage to Agusta Sengcr, who
was born in Germany. She received her primary education in Herkimer
township. When seven years of age she came with her parents to the I'nited
State-. They located in Herkimer township, Marshall county, in 1873,
where the father and mother died some years ago. To Mr. and Mrs. Koe-
neke have been born the following children: Amalie, Sophia. Rudolph.
George. Edward, Alfred. Ernst and Louise. Amalie is the wife of Rudolph
Cuniro, a successful young farmer of Herkimer township, and they are the
parents of four children: Rudolph Koeneke is a resident of the home town-
ship; Sophia Drinkgern is a resilient of Colorado, and the other children are
at home. Mr. and Mrs. Koeneke are prominent in the social and the religi-
ous life of the community, in which they live and where they are held in high
regard.
Mr. Koeneke is identified with the Republican party and has served as
township treasurer and is now treasurer of the school board.
LIXDLX KIRLIX.
Linden Kirlin, the well-known inventor of farm machinery and one of
the most substantial farmers of Guittard township, this county, is a native
of Illinois, but has been a resident of Kansas since 1879 and of Marshall
county since [883, with the exception of the period of years spent in promot-
ing the manufacture of his disk cultivators in Kansas City, where he oper-
ated as the head of the Kirlin Cultivator Company. He was born on a farm
in Mercer county, Illinois, September 21, 1848, son of Jacob and Nancy
Jane ( Mills ) Kirlin. natives of Ohio and of Indiana, respectively, both repre-
sentative- of old American families.
Reared 00 the home farm in Illinois, Mr. Kirlin was made familiar
with farm work and with farm machinery from the days of his boyhood,
and it was by studying the needs of the practical farmer along these lines that
he came to conceive the devices which have made his name one of the best-
known among the farming people of this country, the Kirlin farm imple-
ment- having a wide sale throughout the United States. One spring while
plowing corn back on the old home farm in Illinois. Mr. Kirlin was seized
with an attack of rheumatism which made it torture for him to follow the
old-fashioned cultivator he was guiding along the corn rows behind a big
pair of mules. Right then and there he conceived the idea of a riding-plow
LINDEN KIRLIN.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 72 1
and he had a local blacksmith rig up a plow surmounted by a seat and swing-
ing between wheels. It was a great success. That was in the early seventies
and he presently improved on his idea and in 1878 invented a riding com-
bined lister and drill, which was made for him by the Rock Island Plow
Company under his direction. This lister was constructed by attaching one
right-hand bar-share plow bottom and one left-hand bar-share plow bottom
together, that having been the first lister ever made in the Rock Island fac-
tory. The next year, in the spring of 1879, Air. Kirlin came to Kansas with
his family, he having married in 1871, and settled in Brown county, where
he made his home until 1883, when he came to Marshall county and bought
a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in the southeastern part of the county,
where he lived for thirteen years, or until 1896, when he moved to Beattie
to give his personal attention to the affairs of the L. Kirlin Cultivator Com-
pany, manufacturing his farm implements at that place. In the meantime,
in 1880. Mr. Kirlin had patented a combined lister and drill, which was made
and sold by the P. & O. Plow Company for a good many years on a royalty
basis. After the lister came the two-row knife cultivator for listed corn,
patented in the year 1882, which also was manufactured by the above com-
pany. Mr. Kirlin's next invention was the two-row disk lister cultivator,
which revolutionized the cultivation of listed corn. Thousands of these
cultivators were sold by Air. Kirlin and they are still in great demand in
many parts of the listed-corn territory. After this runner-cultivator came
the Kirlin two-row wheel and runner disk cultivator the wheels making the
draft lighter. This cultivator was patented in ir ,2. The following year
Mr. Kirlin brought out the wheel-and-tongue cultivator. It was in 1893-94
that Air. Kirlin began the wholesale cultivator business at Beattie, but on
account of his rapidly increasing business he moved to Kansas City in 1900,
where he remained until his retirement in 1913 and returned to his old home
place of three hundred and twenty acres northwest of Beattie, where he is
now living. Air. Kirlin's friends declare for him that his inventions, being
the means of enabling the farmers to raise corn more cheaply than before,
have been the means of paying off more mortgages on farm lands in the
West than any one other agency. In the year 19 15 Air. Kirlin, who, despite
the growing weight of his years, is still alert and his inventive genius as
vigorous as ever, brought out a shock absorber for Ford automobiles, known
as the "Kirlin road smoothers." and during the summer of 1916 made an
attachment for the old runner cultivator for the second time over the corn,
(46)
722 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
which is thought to be destined to bring this machine back into the market.
Mr. Kirlin is now traveling in his car taking orders for the trade.
In 1871. in Mercer county, Illinois, Linden Kirlin was united in mar-
riage to Blanche Estelle Mitchell, who was born in that county in 1853,
daughter of Isaac and Susan D. (Glancy) Mitchell, the former a native of
Ohio and the latter of Indiana, and to this union five children have been
born, three son- and two daughters, namely: Mrs. Eva Maud Thomas, of
Chicago; Ward Graham Kirlin. a traveling salesman, of Kansas City: Ernest
Clair Kirlin. who is on the home farm in Guittard township; Jacob Orr Kir-
lin, a traveling salesman, of Kansas City, and Grace Belle Kirlin. a music
teacher, with a studio at Kansas City, who is an instructor in music in the
college at Lexington, Missouri. The Kirlins attend the Methodist Epis-
copal church and take a warm interest in the general social affairs of their
home community. Mr. Kirlin is a Republican and tnves close attention to
local civic affairs, but has not been a seeker after public office.
GEORGE II. THIELE.
Though not for long a resident of Marshall county, having left here
with his parents when but an infant for St. Louis, where he was reared,
George H. Thiele, well-known abstractor and examiner of land titles in the
city of Washington, county seat of the neighboring county of Washington,
bears a peculiar and distinctive relation to the history of this county, for he
lias the distinction of having been the first white child born within the present
confines of the county of Marshall. lie has been a resident of the neighboring
county of Washington since 1877 and is thus perfectly familiar with the
progress made in tin's section of Kansas since pioneer days and has done well
his part in the development of this region, having been helpful in many ways
in promoting movements designed to advance the common welfare, and in
the development of the real-estate interests of this section has for many
years been particularly active, few men in the state possessing more thoroughly
grounded information regarding land values and conditions hereabouts than
he.
George II. Thiele was born on a pioneer farm on the Black Vermillion,
near the present site of Bigelow, this county. September 14. 1855, and in the
absence of any more authoritative claim is thus declared to be the first white
person born in Marshall county, his parents, Ernest William and Charlotte
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 723
(Brockmeyer) Thiele, Hanoverians, having been among the very earliest set-
tlers in the region now comprised within the borders of this county, they
having settled here in the spring of 1855. Ernest William Thiele was born in
the city of Hanover, in the kingdom of that name, son of George and Sophia
Thiele, natives of that same city, and there married Charlotte Brockmeyer,
also a native of Hanover, daughter of Henry and Sophia Brockmeyer, natives
of that same kingdom. They were married at Meridan, Connecticut. Shortly
after their marriage Ernest William Thiele and wife came to Marshall
county and settled on a pre-empted tract of land on the Black Vermillion,
near the site of the present town of Bigelow, in the southern part of the pres-
ent county of Marshall. Conditions, however, did not prove satisfactory to
them there and in the winter of 1856-57 they disposed of such holdings as
they had accumulated there and went to St. Louis, Missouri, where they
established their home and where they resided until 1880, when they removed
to 'Hanover, Washington county, Kansas. Ernest W. Thiele died on May
17, 1883, and his widow survived him less than three years, her death
occurring on April 24, 1886. Their descendants now include, besides the
subject of this sketch and his family, Ernest William Thiele, of Hanover,
this state ; Mrs. Sophia Rhode, of Herkimer, Kansas ; the widow and chil-
dren of August Thiele, of Hanover, Kansas, and the husband and children
of Eliza Haverhorst, of Jackson county, this state.
As noted above, George H. Thiele was but an infant when his parents
left this part of Kansas and went to St. Louis and in that city he grew to
manhood, receiving his schooling in the city public schools. He remained
there until after he was twenty-one years of age and then, in May, 1877,
returned to Kansas and settled in Washington county, adjoining the county
of his birth. On January 1, 1880, Mr. Thiele opened an abstract of title
office at Washington, county seat of that county, and has ever since been
engaged in business there as an abstracter and examiner of land titles and
conveyancer, one of the best-known and most influential business men in that
city. Mr. Thiele is vice-president and a member of the board of directors
of the Washington National Bank, served for one term as mayor of his home
city, for three terms as a member of the city council from his ward, as clerk
of the city school board for six years and as a director of the same for one
year. He is a Republican and has ever given a good citizen's attention to
local political affairs. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the local lodges of
the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Ancient Order of United Work-
men and the Modern Woodmen and in the affairs of these organizations
takes a warm interest. He and his wife are members of the Presbvterian
724 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
church at Washington and have ever taken a proper part in church work and
in the general good works and social activities of their home town. Mr.
Thiele is an active member of the Abstracters Association of Kansas and a
corresponding member of the National Geographic Society.
( >n |une 1 1. 1883, at Washington, Kansas, (leorge H. Thiele was united
in marriagt to Elizabeth B. Baumberger, of that city, who was horn at Fryes-
town, Pennsylvania, June 14, 1861, daughter of John B. and Persida Baum-
berger, whose lasl days were spent at Washington. John B. Baumberger,
who was horn on May 3, 1834, died on February [3, 1892. His widow.
who was born on September 28, [832, survived him more than thirteen years.
her death occurring on December i<>. [905. They were the parents of five
children, those besides Mrs. Thiele being as follow: Ida R., who died on
May -V. 1897; Mr-. Mary A. Bales, who died on December 3. 1887: Harvey
Baumberger, who died on Februaty '). 1899, and David B. Baumberger. now
a resident of Salt Lake City. Utah.
To George H. and Elizabeth 11. (Baumberger) Thiele have been horn
nine children, namely: Ernest J... horn on February 15. 1884, now living,
unmarried, ai Schenectady, New York ; Walter (i.. September 10, 1885, who
i- married and now lives at Lawrence, this state: Edna B.. Octoher 7. 1886,
at home: Mary E., February 5. [888, at home; Alfred I... March 17. 1889,
now a resident of Spokane, Washington, who is married and has two chil-
dren: Ann (.".. December 5. 1800, at home: Paul W., March 9. 1892, unmar-
ried and now living at Lincoln. Nebraska; Mabel I.. January 20. 1804. <'it
home, and George 11.. Jr.. July 21. [896, also at home.
GUSTAV C. PAPE.
Gustav C. Pape, one of Franklin township'- well-known and substantial
farmers and the proprietor of a tine farm of one hundred and sixty acre-
in section 4 of that township, is a native of Germany, but has been a resi-
dent of Marshall county since the days of his infancy and has consequently
been a witness to the development of tin- county since pioneer days. He
wa- horn on January 24. 1S75. son of Chri-tav Louis and Elizabeth ( Eber-
ling) Pape. also natives of Germany, who became pioneers of this county.
where the former spent his last days and where the latter is still living,
now making her home in the village of Home.
Christav Louis Pape was horn in Rohrberg, Prussia. August 26. 1841,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 725
and grew to manhood in his native land. In 1872 he married Elizabeth
5
Eberling. who was horn in Stockheim on February 12, 1854, and a year
or two later he came to the United States with a view to seeking a per-
manent location should conditions over here be found to his liking, and at
the end of six months returned to the Fatherland very deeply impressed
with the possibilities of the situation in this country. A year or two later,
in 1876, he returned to the United States, bringing his family with him,
and located at Cincinnati, where he left his wife and children while he
came on West prospecting, "Kansas being his destination. So well did he
like the appearance of things in Marshall county that he bought a quarter
of a section of land just south of Home village, sent for his family to join
him and there he established his home, continuing to live there until 1906,
when he retired from the active labors of the farm and moved to Home,
where his death occurred on May 12, 1910, he then being sixty-eight years,
eight months and fourteen days of age. Mr. Pape was a successful farmer
and owned at the time of his death three hundred and twenty acres of
excellent land, besides valuable property in the village of Home. For his
original quarter section in Franklin township he paid but eight dollars an
acre, but he lived to see the prices of land in that section and throughout
this whole section of Kansas increase many fold. Following his death a
local newspaper had the following to say regarding Mr. Pape: "He man-
aged well and acquired a goodly portion of this world's wealth, which he
later used to help his children get a start in the world. He had large fore-
sight and was remarkably successful in all he undertook to do. Mr. Pape
was a great man. He had great qualities of heart and soul. In him all
the attributes of a fine Christian character perfectly blended. He was a
father, a husband, a neighbor and a citizen in all the sense these words
imply. It is a happ) thought to think of men like him. His life was
gentle. It was not clouded with strife. Though a large man physically,
he was always calm and self-possessed. There was no anger, no tempest
in his soul. Yet he was not cowardly. He had great moral courage. He
was a brave man and would undertake the most difficult tasks and com-
plete them with no seeming effort. He was a natural leader of men. He
controlled others by controlling himself. He never argued a point in dis-
pute, yet he controlled. He merely told where he stood, what he believed,
and men agreed with him without argument and without comment."
To Christav Louis Pape and wife were born seven children, Mrs. Mary
Braugh, of Marysville, Gustav C, Louis, Ernest W. and Carl, who reside
JJI, MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
near Home. Mrs. Emma Tucker, of Kansas City, Missouri, and one son,
OttO, who died at the age of seven years. Besides his widow and these
children, the deceased left two sisters and one brother, residing in Germany,
and a sister, residing in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Gustav C. Pape was hut an infant when his parents came to this
country in 187(1 ana" ne grew to manhood on the home farm in Franklin
township, receiving his schooling in the district school in that neighhorhood.
He remained at home until after his marriage in 1904, when he bought a
farm of one hundred and sixty acres in section 4 of that same township
and there has ever since made his home, he and his family being comfortably
and pleasantlv situated. .Mr. Pape has made extensive improvements on
his place and has one of the most attractive farms in that part of the county,
in addition to a fine orchard having fifteen acres of natural timber on
his farm. Mr. Pape is a Democrat and has ever given close attention to
local political affairs. In 190S he was elected trustee of Franklin town-
ship: was re-elected in 191 2 and i> still holding that office.
In 1904 Gustav C. Tape was united in marriage to Matilda Neumann,
who was horn in Richland township, this county, December 15, 1880. daugh-
ter of Herman and Emma ( Brauch) Neumann, pioneers of Marshall county,
the latter of whom died in 1903 and the former of whom is now making his
home with Mr. and Mrs. Tape. Herman Neumann was born in West
Prussia, Germany. May 25, 1852, and in 1870, when eighteen years of
age. came to this country and located in Illinois, where he began working
as a farm hand and where, in 1S73, he married Emma Brauch, who was
born in that state en January 3. [856. In 1878 be and his family came to
Kansas and settled in Marshall county, Mr. Neumann for a time renting
a farm in Richland township. In [882 he bought a quarter of a section
of land and has since enlarged his holdings until now he is the owner
nf three hundred and twenty acres of land. Mis wife died on July jj, 1903,
and in 1900 he retired from the active labors of the farm and has since
made his home with Mr. and Mrs. Pape. Mr. Neumann for years took
an active part in local affairs and has served as a member of the school
board in his district for twenty-four years. To him and his wife six chil-
dren were born, of whom Mis. Pape was the fourth in order of birth, the
others being as follows: Mrs. Charles Blocker, of Home: Frederick, a
fanner, living in the neighborhood of Oketo; Mrs. Fred Blocker, of Home:
Mrs. August Genschoreck, of Franklin township, and Gustav. deceased. To
Mr. and Mrs. Pape three children have been born. Arthur. Verda and Laura.
Mr. and Mrs. Pape are members of the German Lutheran church and Mr.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 727
Pape is the treasurer of the local congregation. He is a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Modern Woodmen of America
and takes a warm interest in the affairs of these organizations.
CHARLES L. WILLEY
Among the residents of Balderson township, Marshall county, who have
won a prominent place in the affairs of the township and the county, it is
well to mention Charles L. Willey, one of the successful farmers and stock-
men of the district, who was born in Starke county, Indiana, on July 14, 1867,
and is the son of Albert Burton and Anna (Prettiman) Willey.
Albert Burton and Anna Willey were born in the state of Delaware, the
former having been born on March 11, 1832, and died at his home in Blue
Rapids, Kansas., in 1897. Mrs. Willey was born on May 18, 1832, and is
living with her children, since the death of her husband. They were edu-
cated in the common schools of their native country and later were married
and located in Kansas, where they became prominent in the social and the
civic life of the community, where they were held in the highest regard and
esteem by all.
Charles L. Willej received his primary education in the public schools
of Indiana, where he lived until he was sixteen years of age, when he came
with his parents to Kansas and with them located in Balderson township,
Marshall county. Here he remained with his parents until 1886, when he
rented a farm in the township and began the active operations of life for him-
self. He engaged in general farming for a time and later rented a farm in
Nebraska, where he remained until 1893, when he returned to Marshall county
and purchased eighty acres of land in Balderson township, which is a part
of his present farm. The tract at that time had no improvements whatever,
not even a fence. Mr. Willey at once engaged in the task of developing
and improving his new farm and was soon in a position to purchase more
land. He added eighty acres to his original tract and in a short time was
the owner of two hundred and forty acres of splendid land, all of which was
placed under high cultivation and was well improved. He engaged in gen-
eral farming with much success and kept high-grade stock, including Short-
horn cattle and Poland China hogs. In 1916 he raised some one hundred
acres of corn, which gave him a splendid average. In addition to his large
interests on the farm, Mr. Willey is a holder of stock in the co-operative store
J28 MARSHALL COUNTYj KANSAS.
at Oketo and is president of the company, lie is a director of the elevator
at < Iketo, and has had much to do with its success.
In [886 Charles L. Willey was united in marriage to Lucy Shores, who
was ])(irn in North Carolina on May [3, (868, and is the daughter of James
and Sarali M. (Manard) Shores. Her parents were natives of that state
and there they received their education in the common schools, grew to
maturity and were later married. After their marriage they continued to
reside in North Carolina until [883, at which time they decided to locate in
Kansas. < In their arrival in this state they established their home on a farm
in Balderson township, Marshall county, where they resided up to the end of
their lives.
To Charles L. and Lucy Willey have been born the following children:
1 harles R., a resident of Nebraska; Earl, one of the successful men of Balder-
son township; Ruth, a graduate of the common and normal schools and now
a successful teacher of the county ; Fern, Floyd, Fay and Orval are at home
and Jewell is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Willey are active in the affairs of
the community and have long been prominent in the social and the religious
life of the district. Mr. Willey is identified with the Republican party and
was for eighteen years a member of the local school board and is now town-
ship clerk. lie and his family are regular attendants of the Baptist church.
in which Mr. Willey is a deacon. He is a member of the Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons. He has for some years been a deputy lire marshal
of his home township and is also recorder of the birth- and the deaths.
SAMUEL W. STEDMAN.
Samuel W. Stedman. one of the well-known and successful farmers and
stockmen of Richland township. Marshall county, was born at Dowagiac,
Michigan, when that country was all heavy timber, on August 16, 1858, and
is the son of Zerah and Phoebe 1 Ryder) Stedman.
Zerah and Phoebe Ryder Stedman were natives of the state of New
York and Canada, respectively. Mr. Stedman was born on January 10,
[828, and died on April 8, [905; Mrs. Stedman was born on August 7. 1835,
and died on January 2, [911. Their ancestors were of Irish descent, the
grandfather of Samuel W. Stedman basing been Nun and reared in Ireland.
The Stedmans were early settlers in the state of Michigan, and William
Ryder located there when the daughter Phoebe was a little girl. The state
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 729
at that time, in the northern and central parts, was covered with a heavy
growth of timber, and there were but few settlers, in the vicinity where those
families settled. They were true pioneers and during their stay in the state,
experienced many of the hardships and privations of the early settler. In
1870 the Stedmans moved to Kansas, where Zerah Stedman homesteaded
a farm where the city of Summerfield is now located. This farm he
developed and improved and here he engaged in general farming and stock
raising until 1881, when he sold the place and for three and a half years
made his home with his son, Samuel \Y. He then purchased the farm where
the brother of Samuel W. Stedman now lives, and there he made his home
"until two years before his death, when he moved to another farm that he
owned.
Zerah and Phoebe (Ryder) Stedman were the parents of two children,
Samuel W. and Richard James. The latter is now a successful farmer and
stockman of Richland township, and is the owner of a tract of land in that
township. His farm is under a high state of cultivation and well improved,
and he and his family are held in the highest regard and esteem.
Samuel W. Stedman received his education in the district schools of
Marshall county, attending school in the winter time and working on the
farm in the summer. In 1879 he purchased his farm in Richland township,
but continued to live with his father until 1882, when he moved to his own
place. On December 25, 1880, he was united in marriage to Lettie May
Harvey, who was born on April 5, 1864. She was a native of the state of
Indiana and the daughter of William L. and Permelia (Arnet) Harvey.
Her parents were also natives of the Hoosier state, where they were educated
in the public schools and there grew to maturity and were later married.
After their marriage they continued to live in Indiana until 1878, when they
came to Kansas and established their home on a farm in St. Bridget town-
ship, where they engaged in general farming and stockraising for a number
of years. Mr. Harvey was born on October 12, 1819, and died on March
9, 1888; Mrs. Harvey was born on December 25, 1825, and died on March
18, 1876. They were the parents of the following children: Jane, William,
Milton, Franklin, Elizabeth, Alice, Lena, Fremont, Emma, Lettie May and
Clara. Jane was born on May 15, 1842, and now makes her home with
Samuel W. Stedman and wife; William, October 20, 1843, was a soldier in
the Civil War. and gave his life in the defense of the Union; Milton, April
13, 1846, is now deceased; Franklin, September 5, 1848, and is now a resi-
dent- of Indianapolis. Indiana : Elizabeth Dunn, January 30, 1850, and she
and her husband now reside at Oklahoma; Alice, April 21, 1853, and died
730 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
some years after her marriage to .Mr. McMains; Lena Hay ward, August 26,
1855, is now a resident of Oklahoma; Fremont. March 11, 1858, is now a
resident of southeastern Kansas; Emma Lockhard, October 22, i860, and
lives at Marysville, and Clara Stedman, April 27, 1868.
To Samuel W. and Lettie May Stedman have been born the following
children: Z., who was born on November 9, r883, ;U1,1 's n"u a rt-'>ident of
California. He married Susie Huddell and to them have been born five chil-
dren as follow: Ralph, Wayne. Margurete, Elsie and Z., Jr. Phoebe was
born on February 5, 1886, and is the wife of Joseph Chase, a successful
young farmer of Guittard township, and to them have been born two chil-
dren, Francis Joseph and Sarah Rose; Sophronia, April 22, 1888, and is
married to David Tucker, a well-known farmer of Richland township, and
to this union the following children have been born : Clarence, May, Ella
and Roy; Varena, January 12, 1891, and is the wife of Lloyd Wyckoff, a
successful farmer of Richland township, and to them has been born one child,
Austin Cecil : Clara. May [3, 1894, and is the wife of Lee Laramore and they
are the parents of two children, Olynn and Irene; Id, August 10, 1899; Anna,
February 27, 1903, and Paul, June 16, 1907. The last three children are
at home with their parents.
William and Luanda Arnet, the maternal grandparents of Lettie May
Stedman were born on September 16, 1801, and on April 9, 1808, respectively,
and her paternal grandfather. William Harvey, was born in South Carolina
on August 14. 1790, and the grandmother, Jane ( Estes) Harvey, was born
on June 6, [793. They were early settlers in Indiana and engaged in farming.
When he first came to Kansas, Samuel W. Stedman lived in a sod house
for three years, and experienced many of the trials of the pioneer. As a
young man he soon devoted his abilities to farming and the raising of stock.
He was not satisfied with the life of a renter and soon purchased land of his
own. In 1882 he came to his present excellent farm of three hundred and
twenty acres, which is today one of the best farms in the county. At the
time he made the purchase it was all wild prairie and he paid but six dollars
per acre for the tract. With much hard work the tough prairie sod was
broken and prepared for planting of crops. He has placed all the buildings
and has a splendid house and barn with other outbuildings, all of which he
keeps in an excellent state of repair, lie rents one hundred and sixty acres of
his farm, but is actively engaged in the management of the other part of the
place. Ten years ago he began the breeding of Shorthorn cattle on a small
scale, and today he has a fine herd of these animals, twenty of them being
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 73 1
registered. He is recognized as one of the most successful breeders in the
township and his herd is one of the finest in the county.
Mr. and Mrs. Stedman are members of the Seventh-Day Adventist
church and are prominent in the social and religious life of the community.
Politically, Mr. Stedman is identified with the Republican party, and has
always taken a keen interest in local affairs. He has served as clerk and as
trustee of Richland township, and was in an early day the postmaster of
West Ella.
TIMOTHY P. O'NEIL.
Timothy P. O'Xeil, a well-known farmer and one who has met with
much success in his chosen work as a general farmer and stockman in Rich-
land township, Marshall county, and is now one of the efficient county com-
missioners, representing the first district, was born in Guittard township,
within one mile of where he now lives, on December 23, 1862, and is the son
of Patrick and Mary (Connor) O'Neil.
Patrick and Mary (Connor) O'Neil were born in Ireland and there
received their education in the public schools and grew to manhood and
womanhood. Mr. O'Neil was born in 1829, and worked as a laborer in his
native land, until he was nineteen years of age, when he decided to come to
America. Mrs. O'Neil remained in her native land until she was eighteen
years of age, when she came to this country with relatives. They both set-
tled in the state of Virginia, where they lived for some time and were mar-
ried. Soon after their marriage they set out for the Western territory, where
they hoped to make a home for themselves. They established their home in
St. Louis, where they remained for two years and where Mr. O'Neil worked
as a laborer. They then moved to Leavenworth, Kansas, where they
remained for seven years, when in 1S62 they came to Marshall county. On
their arrival in this county, Mr. O'Neil purchased a pre-emption in Guittard
township and there established his home. He at once built a log cabin in
which he and his family made their home for some years. This farm he
later developed and improved and became one of the prosperous farmers of
the township. He purchased more land and is now the owner of four hun-
dred acres of excellent land. He engaged in general farming and stock rais-
ing, with much success, until 1896, when he retired from the more active
duties of life and moved to Beattie, where he now resides. Mr. and Mrs.
O'Neil always took much interest in the services of the Catholic church in
732 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
which they were reared and of which they ever remained earnest members.
They are the parents of three children as follow: Dennis, a successful grain
dealer of Axtell, Kansas; Mrs. Menehan. a widow who lives with her father
at Beattie, and Timothy I '.
Timothy P. O'Neil received his education in a log school house in his
home township, but had the opportunity of attending school only during the
winter mouths. lie grew to manh 1 on the home farm, where he assisted
his father with the farm work', until his marriage in 1885, when he removed
to his presenl home on a farm, at that time consisting of eighty acres. Hi-
father had given him tile place, which at that time was without improvements.
lie at once began the task of making permanent improvements and develop-
ing the tract, lie met with much success in his work as a general farmer
anil stockman, and was soon in a position to add to his farm, and is now the
owner of four hundred and eighty-five acres of excellent land, two hundred
.and forty-five acres in the home tract in Richland township and two hundred
and forty acres in the farm in Guittard township, near Beattie. On the home
farm he now has two sets of substantial buildings and on the farm near
Beattie he also has a line set of buildings. I lis house on the home place is
situated on a hillside, with a grove of trees to the front and presents a mosl
pleasing view, llis house is one of the best in the community and his barn
is a substantial structure. His farm, with well-cultivated fields and pasture
dotted here and there with herds of the finest of cattle and droves of hogs,
gives one the idea of an ideal country home.
(in October 6, 1885, Timothy I'. O'Neil was united in marriage in
Illinois to Mary McDonald, the daughter of James and Bridget (Finn)
McDonald. Mr. and Mrs. McDonald were born in Ireland, where they
grew to maturity and were married. In 1878 they and their family came to
the United States and located on a farm in Marshall county, and later retired
to Summerfield, where they now live. Mr. and .Mrs. O'Neil are the parents
of the following children: James', Nellie, Terence, Rose, Maurice and John.
Nellie, the eldest of the family, is the wife of 1 '. J. Hughes and lives just
over the road from her parents, on a farm where her husband, is actively
engaged a- a general fanner and stockman: James is the owner of a good
farm, which his father assisted him in buying, as he did with all his boys,
and is successfully engaged in the buying of horses; Terence married Myrtle
Burr and is one of the well-known young farmers of the township, his farm
being adjacent to that of his father; Rose. Maurice and John are now at
home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. O'Neil are active members of the
1 atholic church and have reared their children in that faith. They have
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 73$
long been prominent in the social life of the community and are held in the
highest regard and esteem by all who know them.
Politically, Mr. O'Neil is associated with the Democratic party and has
for many years been one of the active workers of that organization in the
county. In 1909 he was elected to the position of township trustee of Rich-
land township and served until 191 1. In the fall of 1910 he was elected
county commissioner, demonstrating his high _ worth in the community, as the
county is normally a strong Republican county. His services were of such
high class that he was re-elected in T914 for another four years and is now
serving in that important position. In his official life, he has devoted the
same care to the work of the public that he has to his own. He is an active
member of the Knights of Columbus and takes much interest in the order.
FREDERICK J. HEISERMAX.
Among the men of foreign birth who came to Marshall county in an
earlv day. and experienced the hardships and privations of the people of
those days, in their endeavor to make a home on the plains of the new
country, and who had so much to do with the growth and development of
the county and the state of Kansas, it is well to mention the late Frederick
I. Heiserman, a farmer of Richland township, and a native of Germany,
where he was born on January 25, 1834. the son of Jacob Heiserman and
wife, who were also natives of that country. His parents were of the farm-
ing class, and highly respected people, who spent their lives in the land of
their nativity.
Frederick J. Heiserman received his education in the schools of Ger-
many, and there he lived until he was twenty-one years of age, when he
decided that he would seek a home in America. It was in 1855 that he bade
farewell to his native land and came to this county where he was a stranger
to the social conditions and the people. With the determination of his race
he felt success would come to him, if he was true to the principles of industry
and economy. On his arrival at the port of New York, after a long ocean
voyage, he at once proceeded to Illinois, where he was engaged as a farm
hand for a number of years. While living in that state he was married to
Mary Hunt, who was born in 1847 and died in 1908. Soon after their mar-
riage, they left the home that they had established in Illinois and came to
Kansas in 1868, having made the trip with horses and wagon. Here they
734 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
homesteaded eighty acres of the present farm in Richland township, Mar-
shall county. The tract at that time was undeveloped and unimproved, but
with much hard work and economy, they in time had the farm well under
cultivation. G 1 and substantial buildings were in time erected and the
place became an ideal country home, and was increased to two hundred and
fort) acres.
To Frederick J. and Mary Heiserman were horn the following children:
Henry, who lives at Liberty. Kansas; William, a resident of Oklahoma;
Jacob, of Norton county. Kansas; George, a farmer of Balderson township,
Marshall county; John, now living in Oklahoma; Fred, of Smith county.
Kansas; Charles, of Richland township. Marshall county; Albert on the home
farm: Edward, in Balderson town-hip; Walter, a farmer; Anna, the wife
of Ed Ringen of Richland township; Rose, the wife of William Ringen, and
Lillie, the wife of John Wagner, of Richland township. Mr. and Mrs.
Heiserman were for many years memhers of the Lutheran church and always
took much interest in church work and the social life of the community.
Politically, -Mr. Heiserman was associated with the Democratic party and
t<ir wars was influential in the civic life of the township.
When Mr. Heiserman first came to the county, he broke one hundred
acre- of the wild prairie land with oxen and used them to help in cultivating
the crops, lie purchased his first land on time, a- he had no money when
he came to the state. Much of their meat at that time was dried buffalo
quarters, and the necessary supplies for the house and the farm were obtained
from Marvsville. which was many miles away, with no roads, but trail over
the prairie. During those early days he was much in need of one dollar and
fifty cents with which to pay his taxes, which were due. In order to gef the
money he took a load of dry wood to Marvsville, hut was unable to sell it.
A friend then came to his assistance and took the wood and gave him the
dollar and fifty cents. Those day- were most trying ones to the new settlers,
and it was only with the utmost determination that they were able to with-
stand the hardships of pioneer days. To them as well as to other- of their
class, do the iire-tiit generation owe much for the condition of the country.
Today, on the well-built road- may he -ecu the latest type of automobile,
where once trod the slow oxen, over the winding prairie trail. Today the
beautiful homes and the well-cultivated farms are hut evidences of the work
done by the men and women of an earlier day. and to them is due all honor
for the wonderful transformation that ha- been wrought.
Frederick T. Heiserman died at his home -ix miles southwest of Sum-
merfield on Wednesday, November 22, i<m<>. and was buried on the follow-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 735
ing Saturday afternoon at the German Lutheran cemetery, following religious
services at the home and at the German Lutheran church. A local news-
paper in its comments on the death of this honored pioneer citizen, con-
cluded its warm appreciation as follows: "Mr. Heiserman was a good
citizen, loyal to his country and to his family. He was honest, industrious
and prosperous. He leaves not only his large family of good citizens, but
also a verv larg-e circle of other friends to mourn his death."
TOHX SMITH.
John Smith, better known among his many friends in this county as
"Jack," and one of the best-known and most substantial pioneer farmers of
Marshall county, now living in comfort on his well-kept farm of one hun-
dred and sixty acres in Murray township, is a native of Illinois, but has been
a resident of Kansas since 1881. He was born in Peoria county, Illinois,
August 12, 1842, son of Patrick and Rosa Smith, natives of Ireland.
In 1881 John Smith came to Kansas with his family from Illinois and
bought a farm in Murray township, the place where he still makes his home,
and proceeded to develop the same. After he had made considerable and
substantial improvements on the farm another claimant appeared on the
scene, claiming prior rights, and Mr. Smith had to pay for his farm a
second time, the place thus costing him nineteen dollars an acre, together
with interest on the sum claimed by the man who entered prior claim. This
setback, together with poor crops during the early years of his farming, gave
Mr. Smith a touch of hard times which he will never forget, but he pushed
along and presently began to prosper, in time having his farm well improved
and profitably cultivated. In addition to his general farming he has always
given considerable attention to the raising of live stock and has done very
well. Mr. Smith is a Democrat and has ever given a good citizen's atten-
tion to local civic affairs, but has never been a seeker after public office.
In 1868, while living in Illinois, John Smith was united in marriage to
Mary 'Hill, who was born in Pennsylvania, and to that union fourteen chil-
dren were born, twelve of whom are still living, namely: Patrick, a farmer;
Mrs. Mary Doren, of Murray township: John, who is now living in Colo-
rado; Mrs. Rose Gudbolt, of Axtell, this state; Mrs. Maggie Peterson, of
Atchison; Mrs. Elizabeth Yoder, of St. Joseph, Missouri; Catherine, who is
at home; Mrs. Anna Tubby, of Nebraska; William, of Colorado; Mrs. Alice
736 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Ruggles, of St. Joseph; Mrs. Helen Whittaker, of Kansas City, and Robert,
at home. The mother of these children died at her home in Murray town-
ship nil April 8, 1915, at the age of sixty-three years and twenty-five days.
She was a faithful member of the Catholic church, as is Mr. Smith, and their
children were reared in that faith, the family ever taking a warm interest in
parish affairs.
PETER S. CAIN.
Peter S. Cain, one of the well-known and successful farmers of Guit-
tard township, Mar-hall county, was born in a log cabin on the present farm
i'ii June 27, [871, and is the sen of Edward and Johanna 1 FitzGerald 1 Cain,
natives of Ireland, where they were educated, grew to maturity and were
later married. While yet young they came to the United State-, -where they
became pioneers of Marshall county, and here they spent their last days,
In 'iii .red and respected citizens, and where they had much to do with the
general growth and development of the township and the countvy.
Edward Cain was born in County Meath, Ireland, in 1826, and at the
age of twenty-six year- came to this county and located in the state of
Massachusetts, where he remained for five years, becoming a citizen of the
United State-. In 1857 he moved to Illinois, where he remained until 1858.
when he came to Leavenworth, Kansas, where he lived until the next year
when he came t" Marshall count}'. Here he pre-empted a ipiarter section of
laud in section 17. in what later became Guittard township, and thus became
one of the earliest landowners in Marshall county. At Atchison, Kansas, he
wa- married in [86l, and during the Civil War he was engaged with the
government in the Steamboat service between St. Joseph and Kansas City.
\- a lad and young man in his native country he had learned the lesson of
economy and during his service on the steamboat he saved hi- wage- -■ 1 that
he might improve the farm lie had obtained. In August, 1865, after the
dose of the war, he brought his family to his claim and here they estab-
lished their permanent home. He built a log house and stable and at. once
began the task of developing the farm according to the high standard that he
has set. By hard work and close economy, together with close application
to business, lie prospered and he soon enjoyed a large measure of success
a- a general farmer and stockman. He increased his land holdings and
became the owner of four hundred and forty acres of most excellent land,
all of which he put under a high -tate of cultivation. He built a fine house
MR. AND MRS. PETER S. CAIN.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 73J
and other good and substantial farm buildings and here he made his home
until the time of his death on April 20, 1894. Mr. Cain was associated
with the Democratic party and always took a keen interest in local affairs.
He assisted in the organization of Guittard township and in the organization
of his home school district, the school house having been built on his farm.
He and his wife were devout members of the Catholic church, and saw the
little parish grow from a very few families to one of large proportions, and
became a great factor for good in the community.
On December 22, 1861, at Atchison, Kansas, Edward Cain was united
in marriage to Johanna FitzGerakl, who was born in County Limerick, Ire-
land, in 1832, and who came to the United States in 1851 and located at
Baltimore, Maryland, where she remained for six years, after which she was
a resident of Chicago for two years, when in 1858 she came to Atchison,
Kansas, where she met and married Mr. Cain. To this union the following
children were born: Peter S. ; James H.. who married Mary A. Cook and
resides at Beattie, where he is engaged in the stock business; Mary E., who
married Henry G. Frisch, of near Billings, Oklahoma: John F., a railroad
conductor, married Mary A. Scanlon and they reside at Lincoln, Nebraska,
and Patrick W., the first born, who married Mary A. Schaaf, and is now
one of the best-known and successful farmers and stockmen of Marshall
county. Mrs. Johanna Cain was of a most retiring disposition, though most
kind and generous to her neighbors and friends. Her life as a pioneer on
the plains of Kansas, was a worthy one and at her death on November 12,
191 1, she was mourned by a large circle of friends, who had known and
learned to love her during her many years of residence in the community.
Peter S. Cain received his education in the local schools and grew to
manhood on the home farm, where as a lad and young man he assisted with
the farm work. He also attended school at Beattie, in the old building, a
part of which is now used as a coal house for the school. After completing
his education, he was a member of the police force at Lincoln, Nebraska,
from 1906 to 1907, when he resigned and returned to his father's farm. The
place being at that time held as an estate, he and his brother purchased the
interest of three of the heirs, Peter S. obtaining one hundred and twenty
acres. This he farms, in addition to forty acres of rented land of his sisters
and one hundred and twenty acres of his mother's estate ; he also owns one
hundred and sixty acres in Texas. He is a progressive farmer and success-
ful stockman and is recognized as one of the substantial men of the town-
ship. He is a shareholder of the Farmers Telephone Company and has
(47)
738 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
always taken a keen interest in local affairs. As a Democrat, he was
appointed deputy sheriff of Marshall county in 1906. which position he held
for a number of years, and is still serving under the present sheriff, having
served in all ten years in this capacity.
( in January 4. 1904, l'eter S. Cain was united in marriage to Catherine
Scanlon, who was born on June i_\ 1881, in Ballymote, County Sligo, Ire-
land, where she resided until she was twelve years of aye. At that time she
came to the United St.'tes and made her home with her sister. Mary, who
was the wife of John F. Cain, a hrother of Peter S. Cain. Catherine (Scan-
lon 1 Cain is the daughter of James and Ann ( Davey ) Scanlon. both of whom
were natives of Ireland, where they spent their lives and where they died
before Mi'.-. Cain came to this country. After coming to this country Mr-.
Cain engaged as a milliner and is a graduate of the Madison Hunt's Millinery
School of Chicago, Illinois. She was engaged in her work in the city of
Chicago for a number of years, after which she returned to Lincoln, Neb-
raska, where she was employed in Charles Bryan's printing and publishing
establishment and also on the Freie Press, a ( ierman publication. She is a
woman of unusual ability, and of high moral and intellectual capabilities.
To Peter S. and Catherine Cain have been horn the following children:
Emmett I'., horn on May 31. 1912; John R., August 15. [Q14: Retta Rose,
September i<). [916, and a twin to Rita Rose, who died in infancy. Mr. and
Mrs. Cain are earnest members of the Catholic church and are prominent in
the social life of the community, where they are held in the highest regard
and esteem by all who know them. They take the greatest interest in the
welfare of their children, and their home life is one of the most pleasant in
the county. Thev take much interest in the growth and the development of
the educational and moral growth of the home district, and their efforts are
always exerted for the promotion of those enterprises that will tend to make
the township and the county a better and more ideal home district.
GEORCK B. LAYTON.
George B. Layton, one of the prominent and well-known farmers and
stock raisers of Blue Rapid- City township, Marshall county, and at present
one of the commissioners of the county, was born in Union county, Kentucky,
(.11 April _'K. [864, and is the son of James and Elizabeth ( McClure ) Layton.
Jame- and Elizabeth Layton were natives of Kentucky and Virginia,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
739
respectively, the father having been born in the year 1838 and the mother in
1843. The parents received their education in the schools of Kentucky and
Virginia. Shortly after their marriage, they came to Marshall county and
established their home on a farm four miles south of Irving, where the father
engaged in general farming until the time of his death in 1870. Some years
after the death of her husband, Airs. Layton was united in marriage to Dewit
C. Calhoun, a native of Indiana, and who came to Kansas in 1872. George
B. Layton was the eldest of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Layton, the others
being Charles, now of New Mexico, where he is engaged in stock raising,
and James M. of Irving', Marshall county, where he is a general farmer and
stockman. To -Mr. and Mrs. Calhoun was born one child, Francis, now a
resident of Kansas City, Missouri. Mrs. Calhoun is now a resident of New
Mexico.
George B. Layton received his education in the schools in Marshall and
Riley counties, Kansas. His father having died when he was but six years
of age, he was soon thrown on his own resources. He being the eldest of
the family, at; an early age assumed the responsibilities of looking after
the interests of his mother and the other members of the family. At the
age of twenty he was working as a farm hand at thirteen dollars per month.
In 1886 he rented land near Irving, and engaged in farming for himself.
The next year he purchased his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres,
which was at that time improved with only an old stone house and a small
horse stable. Since that time he has erected a splendid nine-room, modern
brick house. The house is supplied with hot and cold water and gas lights
and is one of the well finished homes in the county. In 1904 he built his fine
barn, forty by one hundred feet, one of the best in the township. His farm
is recognized as one of the best tracts of farming land in the county, and Mr.
Layton has it all in a high state of cultivation. Where once stood the old
stone house and a shed for a barn, now stands one of the finest houses and
best barns in this section of the state, and where was then seen the unbroken
and undeveloped prairie land, is now seen beautiful fields of golden grain
and pasture with numbers of fine horses and cattle and droves of hogs.
Politically, Mr. Layton is identified with the Republican partv and has
for a number of years been recognized as one of the leaders of the party in
the county. He is a man of exceptional ability and excellent judgment. His
worth and ability were recognized in 1912, when he was elected to the impor-
tant position of county commissioner. In this position he gave valuable
service, and the confidence placed in him was not misused. In 1916 he was
again solicited to accept the position and he was re-elected by an increased
74° MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
majority. He represents the second commissioners' district of the county
and aside from his duties on the board and on his farm, he is engaged in the
building of good roads. He has made the latter work a study and has given
it particular attention and is known as one of the most successful lmilders of
good highways in this section of the state.
On May 7, 1889, George B. Layton was united in marriage to Jennie
L. Rodkey, a native of Huntington county, Indiana, where she was born on
March 14, 1865. and is the daughter of Joseph ami Frances (Dolmen Rod-
key. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania and when but children
moved to the state of Ohio with their parents, and were there educated in the
public school and were married. They later moved to Indiana, where they
established their home on a farm in Huntington county. In the fall of 1880
they came to Kansas and they located on a farm in Blue Rapids City township,
where the father engaged in general farming and stock raising until his death
in 1907, since which time the mother has made her home with her daughter.
Mrv Layton. Mr. and Mrs. Rodkey were always held in the highest regard
by the people who knew them. At the death of the husband and father, the
family lost a kind and affectionate father and the community one of the best
and most honored residents. Mr. and Mrs. Rodkey were the parents of ten
children, six of whom are now living: John J., of Blue Rapids: Clayton, a
well-known and successful farmer of Blue Rapids City township ; Abraham
Lincoln, of Oklahoma: Mrs. Anna Koutz. of Nebraska City: Jennie L. and
Grant C, a resident of Colorado.
To Mr. and Mrs. Layton have been born three children. Fred M., Anna
Y. and Charles F. Fred received his primary education in the public schools
of Marshall county anil completed the course at the Kansas Agricultural and
Scientific College at Manhattan, Kansas; Anna is a graduate of the Blue
Rapids high school and of the college at Manhattan, and is now one of the
successful teachers of the state, being assistant principal of the high school at
Kensington. Smith county, Kansas: and Charles is attending Manhattan Col-
lege, where he is taking a veterinary course. Mr. and Mrs. Layton are
prominent members of the Presbyterian church and have long been active in
the social and the religious lite of the community. They are members of the
Knights and Ladies of Security and have had much to do with the success
of the local society. They have long taken an active interest in the moral
and educational development of their township, and feel that in the schools
of the district much of its greatness depends.
Mr. Layton has lived an active life and through his own efforts he has
risen to a position of honor and influence. He has seen many changes in
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 74 1
the country since he first came here from his Kentucky home, the trip hav-
ing been made by his father and mother with horses and wagon. His first
home in the county was at the junction of Blue river and Black Vermillion
river. There the father erected a small log house in which the little family
lived for some years. The roads were at that time most impassable and much
of the district was undeveloped and unimproved. In all this wonderful
transition. Air. Layton has had his part and to him and such as he, is due
much honor.
ARTHUR T. JONES.
One of the well-known and successful farmers and stockmen of Guittard
township, Marshall county, is Arthur T. Jones, who was born in the town-
ship on March 27. 1885, and is the son of Peter and Emma (Totten) Jones,
pioneers of Marshall county, the former of whom died in 191 1 and the latter
of whom is now living on the old home place.
Peter Jones came to Marshall county when the land was still open for
pre-emption and when there were but few settlers in the district. On coming
to Kansas he first settled in Xemaha county, where he remained but a short
time, after which he came to Marshall county and pre-empted land in Guit-
tard township. Here he obtained one hundred and sixty acres of land and
established his home. At the time he made the settlement he had a team of
oxen and no wagon, and it was necessary for him to drive to St. Joseph in
order to obtain one. Before starting home he loaded his wagon with doors,
sashes, flooring and roofing, to complete a stone house that he had erected
on his claim. The house is still standing and with the many improvements
that have been made to it, is still the residence of the widow, who is one of
the honored pioneers of the county. After completing his house, Peter Jones
proceeded to break up his farm and prepare it for the crops which he later
planted. In time his farm became known as one of the best developed and
most highly improved places in the township. He always took great pride
in the upkeep of his farm and buildings, and at his death, the place was a
splendid monument to his energy and ability as a farmer. When he first set-
tled in this community, the Indians were still very numerous, and at one time
there were two hundred encamped on the farm, and there is still evidence
of their camp on the farm at the present time. At that time the nearest
market was at Beatrice, Nebraska, to which place Mr. Jones hauled his first
grain from the farm. The wheat of that first crop was cut with a scythe and
74- MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
threshed with a flail. Deer were numerous along the timber tracts and there
were numerous herds of buffalo on the plains. Mr. Jones often engaged in
the hunt for the deer and on different occasions lie took part in a buffalo
hunt, in the more western part of the state, where lie was tor some time
manager of a large ranch. The home was near the old trail, over which the
government trains would make their slow progress toward "Tikes Peak."
and the slowly moving wagon trains could he seen from the house. Those
caravans were eagerly watched for, a- they had much to do with breaking
the monotony of the lonely life on the plains at that time. Mr. Jones always
took much interest in the development of the district and in the civic life of
the township in which he lived, and in which he and his wife had si i much
to do with the general development and growth.
Arthur T. Jones received his primary education in the, district schools
and later graduated from the high school at Beattie and in \qoj he attended
the business college at Grand Island. Nebraska. That same year he returned
to the home farm, which he operated for two years, when he then rented a
farm for three years. He then came into possession of eighty acres of land.
a part of his present farm. This he farmed and in addition he operated a
tract of eighty acres of the old Thorn place, lie later rented eighty acres
from his brother. A. (I. Jones, which he continued to operate until 1912. He
then built a splendid house and barn on his own place, where he now lives
and where he is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of prime land.
Here he is engaged in general farming and stock raising and is meeting with
much success. Hi' keeps a tine lot of cattle, Duroc-Jersey hogs and Perch-
eron horses, and is today recognized as one of the substantial men and suc-
cessful fanners and stockmen of the county.
On March 10. [Q09, \rthur T. Jones was united in marriage to Bertha
A. Stevenson, who was born in Richland township. Marshall county, on
August 7. [885. She is the daughter of Milton I., ami Mary (Easterly)
Stevenson, prominent resident- of the county. They were natives of the
state of Iowa, where they received their education in the public schools, grew
to maturity and were there married. They later came to Marshall county,
where they now live two miles west of Axtell.
To Arthur T. and Bertha A. Jones have been born two children. Stewart
1.. and Dwighl A. Stewart I., was born on May 7. [913, and Dwight A. on
September 19, 1915. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are prominent members of the
Methodist Episcopal church and are active in all moral, social and religious
work of the township. They take the greatest interest in the educational
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
743
development of the district and are strong advocates of the best class of pub-
lic schools that it is possible to have. Mrs. Jones, having graduated from
the local schools, attended the Emporia Normal school and was for four
years one of the successful teachers of the county, fully realizes the great
importance of the high standard school. Mr. Jones, a graduate of the high
school and having taken work in a business college, is also in accord with a
high standard of schools. To him good schools and well-built roads are
two of the essentials in the development and growth of any community.
Politically, Mr. Jones is identified with the Democratic party, and while he
is not an office seeker, he has always been active in the affairs of the town-
ship, and is a firm believer in selecting competent men to administer the
affairs of the township and the county, rather than voting for men because
thev are identified with any particular party.
LEWIS R. HOWELL
Lewis R. Howell, a well-known and substantial farmer of Center town-
ship, is a native of Illinois, born on a farm in Will county, that state, August
26, 1850. son of William and Sarah (Rodgers) Howell, the former a native
of Xew Jersey, born on May 6. 1826. and the latter, of Pennsylvania, born
on November 28, 1828, whose last days were spent in Illinois. In 1849, the
year of his marriage, William Howell located in Will county, Illinois,
later moving to Lee county, that state, where he spent the remainder of his
life. During the Civil War he enlisted as a member of one of the Illinois
regiments, but never saw any active service at the front. He was mustered
out at Springfield, Illinois, in October, 1865. He and his wife were mem-
bers of the Methodist church and their children were reared in that faith.
They were the parents of eight children, six of whom, three sons and three
daughters, are still living. Of these the subject of this sketch is the eldest.
William Howell died in October, 1899. His wife had preceded him to the
grave more than six years, her death having occurred on February 20, 1893.
Both are buried in the cemetery at Pawpaw, in Lee count}-, Illinois.
Reared on the home farm in Illinois, Lewis R. Howell received his
schooling in the schools of that neighborhood and there grew to manhood.
In 1S78 he came to Kansas and bought a farm in Rice county, but two years
later disposed of his interest there and on August 1. 1880, came to Marshall
county. LTpon his arrival here he rented a farm and was engaged in the
744 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
cultivation of the same for two years, at the end of which time, in 1882, he
bought a farm near Beattie. A year later he sold that farm and in 1883
bought the farm on which he is now living, in section 34 of Center township,
established his home there after his marriage two years later and has ever
since lived there, he and his family being comfortably and pleasantly situ-
ated there. Mr. Howell is the owner of a fine farm of three hundred and
ninety-nine acres, which he has improved in excellent shape and on which
there are six or seven acres of natural timber.
On July 8, 1885, Lewis R. Howell was united in marriage to Millie
Crevier, who was horn in Doniphan county, this state, one of the fourteen
children born to Charles C. and Tar-el ( Market) Crevier. natives of Canada.
who settled in this county about 1870. Charles C. Crevier was a dealer in
furs in Canada and traveled extensively until forty-two years of age, when
he came to Kansas and settled in Doniphan county, later coming to Marshall
county, where he and his wife spent their last days. To Mr. and Mrs.
Howell four children have been born, namely: Fred, born on May 29, 1886,
who married Mary lladorn and is now living on a farm in Wells township,
tin- county; Lawrence, February 21, 1889, who is at home and assists his
father in the management of the farm, and Myrtle and Gertrude (twins),
March 12, 1893, the latter of whom died in infancy. Myrtle Howell was
graduated from the Joliet Conservatory of Music in 1914 and is now a
teacher of instrumental music and a student of voice culture, continuing to
make her home with her parents. Mrs. Howell was reared in the Catholic
faith and she and her children are members of that church, taking an active
interest in local parish affairs. Mr. Howell is a Republican and has served
his di-trict as a member of the school hoard. Fraternally, he is affiliated with
the Knights and Ladies of Security and takes a warm interest in the affairs
of that organization.
BYRON C. GRAHAM.
Byron C. Graham, one of the well-known and successful farmers and
stockmen of St. Bridget township, Marshall county, was born in Medina
county, < >hio, on June 20, 1853, the son of Charles Henry and Mary Ann
(Fuller-Smith) Graham, who were natives of the states of Ohio and New
York, respectively, and received their education in their respective localities.
The mother was twice married, her first husband being a Mr. Smith, by
whom she was the mother of one child, Mrs. Mary Jane Wentherby and by
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 745
Mr. Graham she was the mother of one child, Byron C. Mrs. Wentherby
is now living south of Axtell, where her husband is one of the successful
farmers of the township. After her marria'ge to Charles Henry Graham,
they continued to live in Medina county, Ohio, for some time, and there the
son Byron C. was born, and there the father died when the son was but an
infant. The widow and her two children later came to Kansas and located
in Murray township. Marshall county, near Axtell. The family were always
prominent in the local social life of the community and were held in the
highest regard.
Byron C. Graham received his education in the local schools of Medina
county, and grew to manhood in the city of Spencer, Ohio, and where he
remained until he was twenty-one years of age. He came to Kansas in 1880
and was employed on the railroad section for three years, at Axtell. He
then purchased a farm of forty acres south of Axtell, where he engaged in
farming for three years. He later sold the place and in 1895 bought a farm
east of Mina, where he remained until 1903, when he purchased his present
farm in St. Bridget township, where he is now the owner of three hundred
and twenty acres of splendid land. This place he has developed and
improved, having placed all the present improvements, and today his farm
is one of the ideal places in the township, with highly cultivated fields and
excellent improvements. The farm is called "Cloverdale Farm."
On January 20, 1877, Byron C. Graham was united in marriage in
Medina county. Ohio, to Martha Kelly, who was born in that county on Janu-
ary 14, 1859, and is the daughter of Francis and Mary Kelly, both of whom
were natives of the state of Illinois. They later came to Kansas and in 1881
located in Elk county, after which they came to Marshall county, where they
have lived for many years.
To Byron C. and Martha Graham have been born the following chil-
dren : Brita, Charles, Bert, Etta, Ezra. .Nellie. Francis, Minnie, Delpha,
Ray, Ruth. Marie and Donald. Brita Cope lived at Bigelow, Kansas, until
her death in June, 1912; Charles is engaged in general farming near Beattie,
Kansas ; Bert is also a farmer south of Beattie ; Etta Totten lives northwest
of Beattie. where her husband is engaged in general farming; Ezra is a
farmer south of Beattie: Xellie Pauley lives on a farm south of Beattie;
Francis is engaged in general farming on the farm adjoining that of his
father; Minnie Brown resides on the farm east of her father, where Mr.
Brown is engaged in farming and stock raising; Delpha Burton resides in
Richland township, southwest of Mina, where her husband is engaged in
farming; Marie Detwiler lives southwest of Beattie. where Mr. Detwiler is
74& • MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
a successful farmer, and Ray, Ruth and Donald are at home, the latter being
but thirteen years of age and in school.
Mr. and Mrs. Graham are active members of the Christian church and
are prominent in the social life of the community in which they live and
where they are held in the highest regard and esteem by all who know them.
They have ever taken much interest in the moral, social and educational
development of the district, and have had much to do with the substantia]
grow tli of the township and the county. Politically. Mr. Graham is an inde-
pendent, but takes keen interest in the civic affairs of the township and is
a strong advocate of substantial public improvements. He is a member of
the Farmers Union, which has for its purpose the betterment of the home.
social and financial conditions of the farmer, and through its work has
accomplished much for the general good of the agricultural people of this
section of Kansas.
CLAYTON RODKKY.
Of the well-known farmers of Marshall county, who have made good in
their chosen work and who have had much to do with the growth and develop-
ment of the county, it is fitting to mention Clayton Rodkey, of Blue Rapids
township, who was born on June 6, 1857. in Huntington county, Indiana,
and is the son of Joseph C. and Frances (Dohner) Rodkey.
Joseph C. and Frances Rodkey were natives of Pennsylvania, where
they spent their childhood, after which they went to Ohio with their parents
and in that state they grew to maturity and were married. Shortly after
their marriage, they moved to Indiana, where they established their home on
a farm in Huntington county, where they lived until the fall of 1880. In
the latter year they came to Kansas and located on a farm, one and a half
miles south of the home of the son, Clayton. The father engaged in general
farming anil stuck raising until the time of his death in 1907. since which
time the mother has made her home with the daughter, Mrs. G. B. Layton.
Mr. and Mrs. Rodkey were always held in the highest regard and were
prominent in the activities of their home community. To them were born
ten children. -i\ of whom are now living: John I. of nine Rapids: Clayton;
Abraham Lincoln, of Oklahoma; Mrs \nua Koutz, of Nebraska City: Mrs.
G. B. Layton: Grant C. a resident of Colorado.
Clayton Rodkey received his education in the schools of Indiana and
there he grew t" manhood and married. lie came to Kansas in the fall of
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 747
1884 and located on a farm of eighty acres, which he had purchased some
time before, one mile south of his present home in Marshall county and in
Blue Rapids City township. lie has met with much success and is now the
owner of four hundred and forty acres of splendid land in 'the home farm,
and has three hundred and twenty acres of irrigated land at Garden City,
Kansas, that is worth one hundred dollars per acre. He began with nothing,
and is now one of the substantial men of Marshall county. His home farm,
one of the best in this district, and worth one hundred and twenty-five dollars
per acre, is situated at the southeast line of Blue Rapids. Here he erected
a beautiful, nine-room house in 1913, which is modern throughout. The
structure cost him over four thousand dollars, in addition to the work that
he did himself. The house, with stone pillars and handsome designs, is a
pretentious residence. The approach from the highway is by a beautiful
driveway, the entrance to which is through an artistic gateway, with stone
posts. The large barn, thirty-eight by eighty feet, with nineteen-foot posts,
adds much to the appearance of the home.
The home farm is of Blue river valley land and is possessed of great
possibilities. For a number of years the place has averaged over forty-five
bushels of corn to the acre, and has produced over sixty bushels. He also has
a farm of two hundred acres west of Blue Rapids, which is one of the good
farms of the district, and is worth one hundred dollars per acre. He came to
his present home farm in 1912, until which time he had lived on his original
farm of eighty acres. Mr. Rodkey is a firm believer in thorough cultivation
of the land. He formerly engaged extensively in the breeding of high-grade
cattle, but of late years he has devoted his energies to the higher development
of his land.
In the fall of 1880 Clayton Rodkey was united in marriage to Eliza
Everhart, who was born in ^Yabash county. Indiana, on September 15. 1859,
and is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lance Everhart. To this union the
following children have been born: Jesse E., Fred, Ralph and Ruth. Jesse
E. is the proprietor of a garage at Blue Rapids: Fred is a graduate of the
University of Kansas, where he made an enviable record as a student and
athlete. He is now teaching in the university. Of his record in the games
and sports. Marshall's Manhood says of him: "Fred Rodkey, crack runner
of the West and a Marshall county boy, who is making good, has demon-
strated that an athlete can maintain a high standing in scholarship and partici-
pate in literary and religious activities, while making records in an athletic
way. Reports from Kansas University, where Rodkey is attending school,
show that last year he carried seventeen hours a week in recitations with
74^ MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
grades of five firsts and one second. I te has also been prominent in the other
activities of the school, being a delegate of the Young Men's Christian Asso-
ciation, to their student conference at Kstes Park, Colorado, and being also
a member of the college gospel team." Ralph, now eighteen years of age is
a student of the university: Ruth is thirteen years of age and a student of
the eighth grade of the Blue Rapids schools. .Mr. and Mrs. Rodkey take
much pride in the success of their children, and one of their greatest desires
is to make them happy and useful men and women. Mr. and Mrs. Rodkey
have long been active in the social life of the county, where they and their
family are held in the highest regard and esteem by all who know them.
CHARLES A. HARRY.
One of the well-known and successful farmers of Guittard township.
.Marshall county, was born in Buckcastle, England, on July 31, 1863, being
the son of John and Elizabeth (Thomas) Harry.
John and Elizabeth Harry were also natives of England and there were
educated, grew to maturity and were later married, becoming the parents of
four children. After their marriage they continued to live in that country.
To them those places were an inspiration to a better and a nobler life. They
were well respected people and were prominent in the social life of the com-
munity in which they lived. After useful and worth)- lives they died in their
native land. They were of the farming class and reared their children amid
the pleasant scenes of country life.
Charles A. Harry received his education in schools of England and
there grew to manhood. As a young man he learned the trade of a mason,
at which he wmked there until 1SS3, when at the age of nineteen years he
came to America. On his arrival in this country, he came direct to Kansas
and he located in Marshall county. He came with the intention of visiting a
brother, with whom he expected to stay for one year and then return to his
native clime. But he soon obtained work at his trade and came to like the
country so well that he stayed. He invested the first money that he made
in eighty acres of land. On this land he built a small house and was soon
engaged in general farming. He met with much success in his farming and
stock raising and in 1906 he built his present beautiful house, one of the
best in the township, with its fine lawn, magnificent evergreen trees and ideal
location. Mr. Harry is now the owner of two hundred and forty acres of
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 749
the best land, all of which is in a high state of cultivation and well improved.
He is a thorough and scientific fanner and his machinery is of the most
modern make. He keeps the very best of White Hereford cattle and Poland
China hogs, and his reputation as a progressive and successful farmer is
recognized throughout the county.
On April 10, 1884, Charles A. Harry was united in marriage to Anna L.
Thomas, who was born on September 18, 1863, in Buchanan county, Mis-
souri. She is the daughter of Joseph H. and Elizabeth W. (Hopper) Thomas,
to whom fifteen children were born, Mrs. Harry being the youngest of the
children. Six of this family of children are now living. Joseph H. Thomas
was born in Virginia in 1804. He received his education in the public schools
of that state and was reared on the home plantation. During his active life
in that state he was a slave-owner, yet he was to a great extent opposed to the
system. In an early day he left Virginia and moved to Missouri and there
he died in 1864. His wife was born in Kentucky in 1830, and there she was
reared to womanhood and educated in the public schools. She later moved
to Missouri, where she reared her children and where she lived until 1871,
when she and her family moved to Marshall county. They located on the
farm now owned by Charles A. Harry. Mrs. Thomas later moved to Beattie,
where she lived with a faithful negro, whom she brought from the south
with her. until the time of her death in 1888. She is buried in the cemetery
at Beattie. and by her side is buried the negress, who died in 1890. This
colored woman, who had lived the greater part of her life with Mrs. Thomas,
even after her emancipation, would not leave Mrs. Thomas and remained
with her until death parted them.
To Charles A. and Anna L. Harry have been born the following chil-
dren : Leslie. Sidney, Jennie M- and Robert C. Leslie T. was born on
March 25, 1885, received his education in the local schools and was reared
on the home farm, where as a lad he assisted his father with the farm work.
On reaching manhood he was united in marriage to Sarah Satterfield, of
Emporia, Kansas, and to this union two children have been born. He is now
living in Franklin township, where he is a well known farmer and stockman.
Sidney C. was born on January 3, 1887. He received his education in the
schools of Beattie, where he completed the course in the high school and
later graduated from the Gem City Business College at Ouincy, Illinois. He
was reared on the farm and early in life decided to follow agricultural work.
He is now the manager of the Wuester farms of Marshall county. He was
married in 1908 to Charlotte Wuester, of Home City, Kansas. She was a
graduate of the Gem City College. To them has been born one child.
750 .MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Jennie M. was horn on February 18. 1889, and is the wife of A. Kelley, of
Frankfort, Kansas, and they are now living at St. Joe, Missouri. Mrs.
Kelley is a graduate of the local school and of the I liawatha Normal. Before
her marriage she taught music for two years and was considered one of the
successful teachers in the county. Robert B. was born on April 28, 1905,
and is now at home. Mr. and Mrs. Harry are active members of the Chris-
tian church and are prominent in the social and the religious life of the com-
munity, where they are held in the highest regard. They have always taken
a keen interest in the development of the educational, moral and social condi-
tion of the community in which they live. They are interested in all that
tends to the betterment of their home community and their best efforts are
directed to that end.
Fraternally, Charles A. Harry is a member of the Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons and the Modern Woodmen of America. He has always
taken much interest in the work of these orders and held offices in both of
the organizations. Mrs. Harry is an active member of the Order of the
Eastern Star and has held the office of chaplain in that order. Their lives
have been devoted to the interests of their children and the good that they
might do in the community in which they live. In church and lodge work,
as well as in the general social life of the township, they are ever ready and
willing to do their part for the advancement of any worthy cause.
THOMAS HOWES.
Among those of English birth, who have located in Oketo township.
Marshall county, where they have met with much success in general farm-
ing and stock raising, is Thomas Howes, a pioneer resident of the township,
who was horn in Northamptonshire, England, October 20, 1840, being the son
of Lazarus and Mary Howes, farming people, both of whom were natives
of that country and spent their lives there.
Thomas 1 1 owes received his education in the English schools and grew
to manhood on the farm. He engaged in farming for himself and on March
j_». 1806, he was united in marriage to Eliza Leveridge, who was also a native
of England, where she was born in 1841. In 1866, following their marriage,
they came to America. After landing in Xew York they came direct to
Kansas. They made the trip as far as Keokuk by rail, and then up the river
to Atchison, from which place they came to Marshall county with an ox team
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 75 I
that they had purchased. They had little to hring to their new home, as they
brought only their bedding from their home in England. After their arrival
in the county, they homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres in Oketo town-
ship, but eight}- acres of the tract was later taken away from them. They
lived in the prairie schooner until Mr. Howes could cut the logs and build a
one-room house, twelve by fourteen feet, and in this they lived for seven
years, after which they built a frame house. The first year they were on the
place, five acres of the tract was broken and a crop of buckwheat was raised.
Their first year in their new home was a hard one, for they had been able
to raise but little on their farm and they were without funds to buy. Much
of their food consisted of game that was killed on the prairie, consisting of
chicken, duck and wild turkey. Their nearest market at that time was at
Marysville, a small pioneer town. The second year was more prosperous.
In time the farm was placed under a high state of cultivation and as a gen-
eral farmer and stockman, Mr. Howes became successful. He increased his
farm, until he is now the owner of three hundred and sixty-five acres of
prime land, all of which is well improved.
To Thomas and Eliza Howes were born the following children : Charles,
Mary, Lillian, John. Lottie, Esther, Louise, and Walter. Charles is now a
resident of Pottawatomie county; Mary is deceased; Lillian Triggs resides
in Baklerson township ; John is a resident of Oketo township and is now
serving as township trustee ; Lottie Herring lives in Oketo township, where
her husband, Samuel Herring, is a farmer; Louise Tatman is a resident of
Oketo township and Walter is on the old home farm. In 1899 Eliza Howes
died, and Mr. Howes continued to live on the home farm until 1904, at which
time he was married to Mina Harrison Lawson. the widow of Jacob Lawson,
who was born in Sweden and settled in Marshall county in i860. Mr. and
Mrs. Lawson were married in 1870 and lived on the home farm until the
time of his death in 1902. They were the parents of the following children:
Charles Albert, deceased ; John, of Smith county ; Edmund, of Morton
county; Arabelle Johnson, of Blue Rapids; Augustus J., of Colorado, and
Alice Garrison, who lives in Morton county. Mina Howes was born in the
state of Indiana in 1853 and is the daughter of George and Lorina Harrison,
natives of that state. They lived there until 1858, when they came to Illi-
nois, in which state they lived until 1872. In the latter year they located in
Oketo township, where they lived for one year, when they moved to Jewell
county, where they lived until their deaths.
Mr. Howes is the oldest living pioneer of Oketo township and is one of
752 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
the substantial men of the county. He is identified with the Republican party
and has always taken an active interest in 'the affairs of the district. His
life has been an active one and he has accomplished much that is worthy of
emulation.
C \R1. \\ KBER.
Carl Weber, one of the well-known and substantial farmers of Franklin
township and the proprietor of a well-improved farm of one hundred and
sixty acres in section 5 of that township, is a native of Germany, but has
been a resident of Kansas since 1880 and has consequently been a witness to
the greater part of the material development that has marked Marshall
county since pioneer days. He was born on a farm in the Rhine country on
January 4. 1852, son of Henry and Henrietta (Steintrasser) Weber, both
natives of that same country, the former born in 1819 and the latter in 1829,
who died in their native land in [891, the mother living but three hpurs
after the father's death. They were the parents of thirteen children, of
whom the subject of this sketch was the fourth in order of birth and eight
of whom are still living. The Weber family in the old country has been
doing excellent service in behalf of the Fatherland during the great European
War. in the summer of 1916 there being no fewer than seventeen of Mr.
Weber's cousins and nephews taking part in that gigantic struggle.
Carl Weber learned the baker's trade in his native land and was there
employed in the bakery of Henry Holm. When twenty-five years of age
he married and about three years later, in 1880, with bis wife and their first-
born child, came to this country, proceeding on out to Kansas and locating
in Marshall county, joining here Mrs. Weber's brother, Henry Otto, who
had some time previously located in the Beattie neighborhood. Six weeks
after their arrival in Marshall county a second child was born to Mr. and
Mrs. Weber. Upon his arrival in this county Mr. Weber had but twenty-
live dollars remaining of the sum with which he left his native land, but both
he and his wife had brave hearts and a firm determination to succeed and
they presently had their home established and were pushing along toward the
goal they had set upon coming here, the acquisition of a farm of their own.
\fter looking about a bit Mr. Weber rented a farm on Mission creek in
Richland township and settled down there. On that farm had l>een built a
little log cabin and in due time in that cabin a third child was born to Mr.
and Mrs. Weber. Sixteen years ago Mr. Weber bought his present farm
MR. AND MRS. CARL WEBER.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 753
of one hundred and sixty acres in section 5 of Franklin township and there
he and his family are very comfortably and very pleasantly situated. He
has made extensive improvements on the place and has brought the farm up
to a high state of productivity. Of late years Mr. Weber has been living prac-
tically retired from the active labors of the farm, his sons assuming the gen-
eral management of the same. Mr. Weber has prospered in his farming
operations and among his investments is a nice block of stock in the bank
at Marietta.
In 1877, while living in his native land, Carl Weber was united in mar-
riage to Regina Otto, who also was born in the Rhine country, August 22.
1852. daughter of Frank and Dorothy (Abies) Otto, farming people, the
former of whom, born in 1810, died in 1885, and the latter, born in 1817,
died in 1878, and who were the parents of six children, but two of whom
are now living. To Mr. and Mrs. Weber five children have been born,
namely : Otto, who is a farmer in Franklin township ; Lena, who married
William Wahler, a Balderson township farmer; Emil, who owns a farm in
Balderson township ; Frank, who is farming in Franklin township, and
Rudolph, at home. The Webers are members of the German Evangelical
church and take a proper interest in church affairs. Mr. Weber is a Repub-
lican, but has not been a seeker after office, although ever giving his thought-
ful attention to the civic affairs of his adopted state and country. Mrs.
Weber is a writer of German poetry, which really borders on the classic.
NICHOLAS KOPPES.
Xicholas Koppes, one of the well-known farmers and stockmen of Marys-
ville township, Marshall county, was born in the township where he now lives
on June 16, 1866, being the son of Xicholas and Helen (Class) Koppes.
Xicholas and Helen (Class) Koppes were natives of Germany, where
Nicholas Koppes was born in 183 1 and Helen Class in 1843. Thev received
the greater part of their education in the schools of that country and were
reared in a village. Mr. Koppes resided in Germany until he was twenty-
three years of age, when he decided that he would come to America. In
1854 he sailed for America and on his arrival in this countrv he located in
Wisconsin, where he worked as a farm hand and at the cooper trade, after
which he drove a stage through' Kansas to California. He returned to Kan-
(48)
754 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
sas and in 1859 took a homestead on Horseshoe creek, where he remained
until 1862, when he enlisted in a Kansas regiment and served three years
and a half in the defense of his country. He saw much active service and
was twice wounded, once in the head and once in the body. After the war
he returned to Kansas, where he took a homestead in Marysville township,
Marshall county. Thi- farm he developed and he engaged in general farm-
ing and stock raising until 1004. when he retired from the activities of farm
life and moved to Marysville. where he died in 1910. His wife. Helen
1 ( ilass 1 Koppes resided in her native land until she was thirteen years of age,
when she came to the United States in 1856. and with her parents located in
Wisconsin and there grew to womanhood and was later married. Mr. and
Mr-. Koppes were the parent- of seven children as follow: Xicholas, George,
Abbie, Maggie. Lizzie. Francis and Katie. George is a farmer and stock-
man on the old home place: Abbie Kline lives in Logan township, where her
husband is a farmer and stockman: Maggie Kerchen is a resident of Marys-
ville township, where Mr. Kerchen is engaged in agricultural work: Lizzie
Travelute lives in Marion county. Kansas, where Mr. Travelute is engaged
in general farming and stock raising: Francis and Katie are now decea-cl.
Mr. and Mrs. Koppes were devout members of the Catholic church and
prominent in the local society. Mrs. Koppes took much interest in the
activities of the altar society until her death in 1898.
Nicholas Koppes, the subject of this sketch, received his education in
the public schools of Marysville township, and grew t< > manhood on the home
farm, where as a lad he assisted his father with the work on the place. He
remained at home until he was twenty-four years of age. when he rented a
farm of one hundred and twenty acres, near Marysville, where he lived fur
cue year engaged in general farming, after which he purchased one hundred
and sixty acres of land, near Marysville, where he now lives and where he
has been succeessfully engaged in farming and stock raising. He has added
to his original farm: until he is now the owner of five hundred and sixty acres
of excellent land, all of which is in a high state of cultivation and well
improved. He i- much interested in the finest Shorthorn cattle and Poland
China hogs, having over one hundred and twenty head of the former and
one hundred and ten head of the latter. He feeds all the grain that he raises
on his farm, and then i- required to buy. in order to develop hi- many bead
of Stock. Mr. Koppes has risen to his present prominent position, by hard
work and close application to business. He saw much of the hardships of
the early life on the plains and experienced many of the hardships of the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 755
early pioneer. As a boy he worked at the breaking of the wild prairie sod,
when he was so small that it was necessary to place extra plow handles on
the breaking plow, so that he could reach them.
In 1890 Nicholas Koppes was united in marriage to Sarah E. Parker,
the daughter of Henry and Bridget (Malloy) Parker. Henry Parker was
born in England in 183 J and was reared on the farm and educated in the
public schools. At the age of twelve years he was brought to Canada where
he grew to manhood and there engaged in farming until 1870, when he came
to the United States, and located in Center township, Marshall county. Here
he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he developed and
improved and engaged in general farming and stock raising until his death
in 1892. Bridget Parker was born in Ireland in 1835; she was reared on
the farm and received her education in the common schools. She came to
Canada at the age of twelve years, and as a girl and young woman worked
for others until her marriage. Mr. Parker was a member of the church of
England and Mrs. Parker was a devout member of the Catholic church and
until her death in 1893, was an active member of the altar society. Mr. and
Mrs. Parker were the parents of five children as follow : Mary Murphy,
now deceased ; Theresa Finegan, a widow now living in Marysville ; Sarah
E., the wife of Nicholas Koppes, and two that died in infancy.
Sarah (Parker) Koppes was born in Center township. Marshall county,
on August 2, 1871, grew to womanhood on the home farm and received her
education in the local schools. Her early life was spent at the home of her
parents, where she lived until the time of her marriage. Air. and Mrs.
Koppes are active members of the Catholic church and are prominent in the
social life of the community. Mr. Koppes is a member of the Knights of
Columbus and Mrs. Koppes is one of the active workers in the altar society.
Mr. Koppes is identified with the Republican party and takes much interest
in the civic life of the district, ^et he has never been an office seeker. Mrs.
Koppes is a member of the Royal Neighbors and takes much interest in that
organization. Mr. and Mrs. Koppes are the parents of six children as fol-
low : Francis X., Florence, Sadie, Wallace, Carl and Nicholas. Jr. Francis
X. is a well-to-do farmer of Elm Creek township ; Florence was born on Octo-
ber 23, 1895; Sadie. August 23, 1898; Wallace, November 14, 1901 ; Carl,
October 6, 1905, and Nicholas, Jr., December 9. 1910. The children are all
at hume with the exception of Francis N. Mr. and Mrs. Koppes have a
beautiful home, which is nicely located, presenting a commanding view from
the distance.
Nicholas Koppes, by his own efforts and hard work, has won a place of
756 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
prominence in the vicinity in which he lives. Beginning life .1 poor boy, he
has now one of the finest and best improved farms in the township, and is
recognized as one of the substantial men of the district.
(,!•'.( >K I,!'. GALLUP.
George Gallup, now deceased, and at one time a prominent and success-
ful farmer and stockman of Blue Rapids City township. Marshall county,
was horn at Mason, Michigan, on Octoher 23, 1841. and was the son of
Alfred and Nancy (Grey) Gallup, who were natives of Le Roy, New York.
The parents were educated in the schools of that state and there grew to
maturity and were later married. In 1839 they left Xew York and moved
to Michigan, where Mr. Gallup engaged in general farming and stock rais-
ing until his death in 1878, at the age of seventy years. Alfred and Nancy
Gallup were the parents of three sons, all of whom are now deceased. They
were much respected people and held in the highest regard throughout the
district in which they lived.
George Gallup was reared on the home farm in Michigan and received
his education in the schools of that state and later taught school for a num-
ber of years, at Le Roy, Xew York. While at Le Roy. he met and married
Caroline C. Hammond, who was horn near that place on March 29, 1847.
and is the daughter of Isaac and Amanda ( Dunning) Hammond, natives of
Scipio, that state. Mrs. Gallup was the youngest of seven children and
received her education in the public schools and at Ingham University, after
which she taught school for one year. Her father was born on Xovemher
11. 1803, and died on February 27, 1866. He was a man of much ability
and a successful fanner, llis parents were Luther and Mary Hammond,
also natives of the state of New York and were prominent people. The
family date the advent of their appearance in the United States to the time
of the "Mayflower". Both the Gallup and Hammond families have a family
history that gives an unbroken record for many generations.
George and Caroline C. Gallup were united in marriage on June 23,
1870. and the next year they left their home in Xew York and came to Kan-
Here they established their home on a farm, where Mrs. Gallup lives,
in Blue Rapids City town-hip. Marshall county. A small frame house.
twenty by twenty-four feet, was erected and consisted of four rooms. There
was no other house so tine between their home and Marysville, and the people
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 757
of the prairie country considered the new home something to be exceedingly
proud of. Mr. Gallup and C. J. Brown laid out the Ridge road from Marys-
ville to Blue Rapids and always gave his best efforts to the development and
improvement of this section of the county. His worth and ability were recog-
nized by the people of the community and he was honored with many of the
local offices. The trust placed in him was never betrayed, for he gave the
people his very best services. To him is due much of the early progress of
the township and city of Blue Rapids. He was ever much interested in the
establishment of the best schools and churches: he was a strong advocate of
the building of good roads, and felt that the future greatness of the county,
depended much on its schools, churches and roads. He was an attendant at
the Presbyterian church and a liberal supporter of that denomination, as well
as assisting in the support of other denominations in the district. He was
an active member of the Knights and Ladies of Security.
As a farmer and stockman. Air. Gallup met with much success and was
recognized as one of the influential and successful men of the county. In
1886 he established a herd of Shorthorn cattle on his farm of four hundred
acres, and was soon able to place some of his animals on the market at the
highest market prices. He was a great reader and perhaps no man in the
county kept more abreast of the times than did he. He believed in progress
in all lines of work, and modern methods and modern machinery were intro-
duced on his home farm. He did not believe that any one could make a
success of farming and stock-raising, unless he was a student of natural and
local conditions. In his death on April 10, 1914, the family lost a kind and
indulgent father; the wife, a loving husband and the community, a true friend.
To George and Caroline E. Gallup were born the following children :
Elmina L., Stella C, Ralph and Alfred H., the last two being twins. Elmina
L. is the widow of Rev. Samuel Mover, and makes her home with her mother.
She received her education in the public schools of her home county and com-
pleted the high school course at Blue Rapids and later studied at Kansas Uni-
versity. From the year 1900 to 1905 she was in the employ of the Dodd &
Mead Publishing Company at New York City in the Biblical-geographical
research library. She has two stepsons, Parkhurst A., a student in the Uni-
versity of Kansas, and Francis, a student of Washburn College. Stella C.
is the wife of Prof. Hamilton Cady of the University of Kansas. They have
three children, Ruth Caroline, George H. and Helen F. Mrs. Cady is a
graduate of the local high school at Blue Rapids and of Kansas University,
and is a woman of exceptional ability and culture. Professor Cady is a
man of high attainments and highly educated, and is at present professor of
758 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
chemistry and liquid air. Ralph Forney is county engineer of Marshall
county, and resides at Marysville. and is also a graduate of the State Uni-
versity of Kansas, having completed his work with the class of 1907. On
February 14. iqio, he was united in marriage to Stella Hawkins and to them
two children have been horn. Alice Caroline and Alfred F. Alfred Ham-
mi >nd Gallup lives with his mother on the home farm and is a successful
young farmer and stockman, lie is particularly interested in the breeding
of Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs, and is recognized as one of the
successful men in his line in the county. He was for several years in the
Agricultural College of Kansas.
Mrs. Gallup is a most pleasing woman and has many friends, who hold
her in the highest regard. She is an .active worker in the Presbyterian church
and one of the favorites in the social life of the community, where she has
so long lived.
NEIL ROBIXSOX.
Among the native sons of Canada who have come to the United States,
where they have met with success as general farmers and stockmen, is Xeil
Robinson, of Blue Rapids City township. Marshall county. He was horn
at Peterborough, Ontario, on February 24. 1858, and is the son of John and
Elizabeth ( Xeely) Robinson.
John and Elizabeth Robinson were natives of Yorkshire, F.ngland, and
Ontario, Canada. Mr. Robinson came to Canada with his parents when he
was but two years of age in 181 4. There he received his education in the
.schools of his adopted country, and there he grew to manhood and married.
As a young man he engaged in farming, which work he followed until his
death in 1872. Six years after the death of her husband Mrs. Robinson and
her children came to the United States and located in Center township, Mar-
shall county, where she died in 1896 at the age of sixty-six years. Mr. and
Mrs. Robinson were held in high regard, and were active members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, always taking much interest in religious work.
Thev were the parents of nine children, one of whom is now deceased, and
Xeil is the eldest of the family.
Xeil Robinson was educated in the schools of Canada, where he lived
until he was twenty, when with his mother and the other children of the
family he came to Mar-ball county, where he has since resided. His father
had some time before his death purchased three hundred and sixty acres of
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 759
land in Center township, and it was there that the family first settled. The
place was undeveloped and without improvements of any kind. Here Neil,
with the assistance of his mother and the other members of the family, erected
a house, sixteen by twenty-four feet, in which they lived for a number of
years. Other improvements were made and they were soon engaged at the
task of putting the place under cultivation. In the spring of 1878, Mr.
Robinson succeeded in breaking sixty acres of the prairie tract, preparatory
to the planting of their crops. He remained on the home place, where he
assisted with the many duties on the farm, until 1886, at which time he rented
a farm in Elm Creek township and began farming for himself. In 19 13 he
purchased his present farm of three hundred and twenty acres, one of the
best farms in the township and nicely improved with a splendid house and
excellent barn. He has lately built a tine garage for the housing of his
automobile.
Mr. Robinson is a most successful farmer and a breeder of high-class
race horses. He has exhibited his horses at many of the fairs throughout
Kansas and Nebraska and has taken part in several successful races. He is
a great admirer of good horses, and was interested in racing while living in
Canada. He is one of the best judges of horses in this section of the state,
and the animals on his farm receive the utmost care and attention. In addi-
tion to his horses he also has high-grade cattle and hogs. He believes in the
thorough cultivation of the soil and his fine farm is an evidence of work in
that direction. He is a man who has the confidence and respect of his home
people, and in 1900 he was elected as trustee of Elm Creek township and
held the position for two years, after which he moved to Blue Rapids City
township, where in 19 16, he was elected trustee of that township. His
influence throughout the county was demonstrated in the spring of 1916,
when he organized the County Fair Association. He made a canvass of the
county and sold shares of stock to nearly every prominent man who was
interviewed. Today the organization is one of the features of the county,
with Mr. Robinson as its president. As an organizer and an executive he
has few equals and much of the success of the new association is due to his
untiring efforts and ability, as well as his faith in the county to have a good
fair. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen and is one of their active
members.
On November 17, 1887, Neil Robinson was united in marriage to Edith
Brown, the daughter of Rev. George and Emma ( Popplestone) Brown.
Edith Brown was born at Elmira, New York, April 3, 1869. Her parents
were natives of England, the father having been born in that country in 1844
j6o MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and died in January, km,}; die mother, who was born in 1840, is now living
at Wamego, Kansas. They received their education in the schools of their
native country and there they grew to maturity and resided until i860, when
they came to the United States. The father, as a young man entered the
ministry and became a well-known Baptist divine. On coming to the United
States he located at Elmira, New York. In 1881 he came to Kansas and
located at Blue Rapids. He preached in many different towns of Kansas
and Iowa, his last pastorate being Clay Center. Kansas. He died in Wamego,
Kansas, January 1 1. [913.
Edith (Brown) Robinson attended the schools of Blue Rapids and
specialized in music, also taking a course in Xew York. After completing
her education, she was a successful teacher of music. She is a woman of
rare attainment- and greatly admired by her friends and acquaintances
throughout the county. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson are the parents of live chil-
dren. Earl, Nellie, Russell, lay and 11a. all of whom are at home with the
exception of Nellie, who is the wife of Carl Andrews. The family are
prominent in the social and the religious life of the community and are
among the well-known people of the county.
ALBERT L. JOXF.S.
Albert L. Jones, one of Guittard town-hip's representative farmers,
former clerk of that township and now the township trustee, is a native son
of that township and has lived there all his life. He was born on the farm
on which be is now living, August 18, 1880. son of Peter and Emma ( Tot-
ten) Jones, pioneers of Marshall county, the former of whom died in 1911
and the latter of whom is still living on the old home place.
Peter Jones was one of .Marshall county's earliest settlers, having come
here back in the days when land was still open t< » pre-emption. Upon com-
ing to Kansas he had settled in Nemaha county, but after a short stay there
came over into Marshall county and pre-empted a quarter of a section in
Guittard township, where he proceeded to establish a home. He had no
wagon, but he had a team of oxen and those he drove to St. Joseph, where
he bought a wagon. He loaded on this wagon doors and sashes and the
material for flooring and a roof and returned with the same to his claim,
where he erected a stone house, which, is still standing and which, with the
numerous improvements that have been made to it. continues to make a
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 761
comfortable home for his widow, who is still living there, one of the hon-
ored pioneer mothers of Marshall count}'. Peter Jones broke up his farm
with a team of oxen and soon had it under cultivation and in a way to the
later development that caused it to be regarded as one of the best-kept farms
in that part of the county. When he settled there Indians still were numer-
ous throughout this part of. the state and for some time after locating on
that place there was a band of two hundred Indians encamped on the place,
the evidence of that aboriginal camp still being visible at the northwest cor-
ner of the farm. At that time the nearest market was at Beatrice, Nebraska,
to which place Mr. Jones hauled his first gathering of grain. The wheat
was cut with a scythe and was threshed with a flail. Deer still were numer-
ous along the timber line and the buffalo ranges still held numerous herds
of buffalo, Mr. Jones often engaging in a buffalo hunt, particularly over in
the western part of the state, where for some time he was manager of a
ranch. At that time the old government trains were still making the trip
west to Pike's Peak and the slowly-moving wagon trains could be seen from
the Jones place on the way west through this county.
Albert L. Jones was reared on that pioneer farm and received his school-
ing in the neighboring district school. From boyhood he was a valued
assistant to his father in the labors of developing and improving the home
place. Following his marriage he rented a portion of the farm and there
established his home. Upon the death of his father on February n, 1911,
he became heir to one of the eighties and is now the owner of a full quarter
section, on which he has made valuable improvements, including a modern
house and barn, and he and his family are very comfortably situated. Mr.
Jones is a Democrat and has long taken an active part in local civic affairs.
For some time he served as clerk of the township.
On May 3, 1905, Albert L. Jones was united in marriage to Lillie
Millikan, who also was born in Guittard township, this county. May 27,
1885, a daughter of William and Belle (Thorn) Millikan, who were the par-
ents of four children, of whom Mrs. Jones was the second in order of birth.
William Millikan was born in Missouri and his parents were among the
earliest pioneers of Marshall county, having settled in the neighborhood of
Frankfort shortly after lands in this county were opened for settlement.
Belle Thorn was born in this county, on a pioneer farm in Guittard town-
ship, and was one of the first white persons born in that part of the county.
After her death Mr. Millikan married again and is now living in Kansas
City, Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Jones four children have been born,
Albert L., Jr., Iris Belle, Leroy and Peter V. Mr. and Mrs. Jones have a
762 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
very pleasant home and take a proper part in the general social activities of
their home community, helpful in advancing all good causes. Mr. Jones is
a memher of the local lodge of the Modern Woodmen of the World and
takes an active interest in the affairs of the same.
THOMAS JEFFERSON SUG< IKTT.
Thomas J. Suggett, one of the well-known retired fanners of Oket>>.
Marshall county, was horn in Detroit. Michigan, on Jul\' 25. 1855. and is the
son of John Pontiach and Clinda (Burgess) Suggett.
John Pontiach and Clinda (Burgess) Suggett, were born in England,
the former having been born in Durhamshire in 1813 and died on June 7.
1874, and the latter was born in Somersetshire in 1827 and died on May 6.
1906. John P. Suggett was educated in the schools of his native country
and there he grew to manhood and learned the butcher trade. At the age
nt' twenty years he came to America and on his arrival in this country he at
once located in Detroit, where he was engaged at his trade and did butcher-
ing for the boats that plied on the lakes. Clinda Burgess, who became the
wife of Mr. Suggett. received her first educational training in the schools
of England, and when hut ten years of age, she came with her parents to the
United States and with them settled in Detroit. There she completed her
education and grew to womanhood and was later married in 1847. Mr.
and Mrs. Suggett established their home in their adopted city and there they
lived until 1856. when they moved to Rock Island, Illinois. Mr. Suggett
continued in his work as butcher, supplying the steamers that plied the Missis-
sippi river with meat. After a residence of six years in that city the family
moved to Kansas, the trip being made by boat to Hannibal, Missouri, and
from there to St. Joseph by railroad. At St. Joseph Mr. Suggett purchased
a team of oxen and completed the journey to Marysville, Marshall count).
( >ii his arrival in that town, he again engaged in the butcher business and
supplied meat to the soldiers. In 1869 he homesteaded a tract of land in
Oketo township and he and his buys built their first house. The logs were
obtained along the creek, a two-story building being erected, in which the
family lived for a number of years. Although the family was on the plains
and in a sparsely settled country, they always had a plenty to eat. Their
meat was obtained on the plains, where there was plenty of wild prairie
chicken, wild turkey, duck and buffalo. The latter were (mite plentiful until
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 763
as late as 1872, and furnished fresh meat for the family. That year most
of these animals had deserted the plains of this section of Kansas, but the
family had plenty of dried meat to last them well into the next year.
As time advanced. John P. Suggett put his farm into a good state of
development and had it well improved and he became a successful farmer
and stock raiser. He made his home one of the pleasant places of the county,
and there he and his wife lived until the time of their deaths. They were the
parents of the following children : Elizabeth, William H., John W.,
Nathaniel P., Thomas J., Fannie L., Benjamin F.. Nellie, Clinda and Mary
D. Elizabeth, who married Mr. Champagne, is now deceased, as are Will-
iam H., Fannie L., who was the wife of John Watson, and Mary D., the
latter having died on November 7, 1895. Nathaniel P. resides at Oketo,
where he is well known; Benjamin F. is a resident of Beloit, Kansas; John
W. is engaged in farming in Marietta, and Mrs. Nellie Gibson is conducting
a boarding house at Oketo. Clinda is the wife of John Mayhew, a farmer
and stockman of Oketo township, their farm being located four miles west
of Marietta.
John P. and Clinda Suggett were excellent people and were held in the
highest regard and esteem in the community in which they resided. Mrs.
Suggett believed in teaching her children the care of the home and how to
cook, and her boys were adepts in both arts. They took the greatest interest
in the moral and physical development of their home township, and were
ever active in promoting the interests of the community.
Thomas Jefferson Suggett received his education in the schools of Mar-
shall county and made his home with his parents until he was seventeen years
of age, up to which time he worked in the neighborhood as a farm hand.
On April 22, 1899, upon the opening of the large tract of land in Okla-
homa, he made the run and was successful in obtaining a town lot in Guthrie
and one hundred and sixty acres of land. For seven years he remained in
Guthrie, living in a tent and operating the Royal grocery in a building, six-
teen by twenty-four feet. He dug a well and sold the water at five cents
per bucket and from this venture he made five dollars per day. He also
operated a blacksmith shop in which he was also successful. He lived a
strenuous life in the new land until 1906, when sold all his holdings in the
territory and returned to Oketo. Here he has a splendid home and is the
owner of eighteen city lots, and devotes his time to the raising of potatoes,
strawberries and small fruit. For the most part he lives a semi-retired life,
but he takes pleasure in the cultivation of his small tract of land and the care
of his fruit.
764 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Politically, Mr. Suggett is a member of the Republican party and has
always taken a keen interest in the affairs of the community. For ten years
he has served the township as a constable and he was re-elected again in 1916,
out of three hundred and ninety-nine votes, receiving three hundred. The
family were members of the Episcopal church and Mr. Suggett was reared
in that faith. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
and has given excellent service to his local lodge. He has devoted much of
his time to the interests of the order and has had much to do with its growth.
He has tilled the chairs of his lodge twice, and is now a past noble grand.
In 1910 he represented his order at the grand lodge in Junction City. He
has served a- treasurer and chaplain of his home lodge and is now filling the
important position of deputy grand master, in which position he has demon-
strated his ability and force.
On October 2$. 1896, Mr. Suggett was united in marriage to Mrs.
Rebecca Wood. Mr. Suggett has always been a hard-working man and is
possessed of sound judgment and business acumen. Financially, he has met
with success and is recognized as one of the substantial men of the township.
IOHX C. DOLKX.
John C. Dolen, now deceased, and at one time one of the large land
owners and successful farmers and stockmen of Marshall county, was born
on October 2, 1844. in Kentucky, being the son of Benjamin and Nancy
i Chesney ) Dolen.
Benjamin and Nancy (Chesney) Dolen were natives of Kentucky, where
they grew to maturity and were educated in the public schools. They were
later married and established their home in that state, where they resided for
some years, when they decided to seek a home in one of the more northern
Mates. Thev at first located in the state of Missouri, where they remained
for a time, after which they settled in Nebraska. There Benjamin Dolen
established bis home on a farm, and in time became one of the successful
men of the district. There he and his wife spent many years of their lives
and were held in the highest regard and esteem. There they reared and edu-
cated their children and were influential in the physical and the moral develop-
ment of the district.
John C. Dolen received his education in the schools of Missouri, and
remained with his father on the home farm until he enlisted in 1861 in the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 765
Confederate army and served four years. He joined the Second Missouri
Infantry, and part of the time he was in a cavalry regiment. He was mar-
ried on July 22, 1866, to Araminta Henton, who was born on April 28,
1843, in the state of Illinois, the daughter of James and Susan (Primm)
Henton. Her parents were natives of Tennessee and Illinois, respectively.
Susan Primm was the daughter of John Primm and wife, who were natives
of North Carolina and later settled in Virginia and then went to Illinois,
just east of St. Louis. In Illinois they located on a tract of land and engaged
in farming. The territory at that time was new and there were but few
settlers, neighbors being far apart. Many were the hardships that the family
endured in their struggle to obtain a home on the frontier of the state.
St. Louis at that time was little more than a trailing post, with little pros-
pects of becoming the great city of today. James Henton, the father of
Mrs. Dolen, was a rover. On leaving his home in Tennessee he located in
Illinois, and then moved to Missouri, where he remained for a time, when
he returned to Illinois and later came to Nebraska in 1855. Here he pre-
empted land near Table Rock and was one of the first permanent settlers
in the state. Mrs. Dolen remembers well the trip from their home in Illi-
nois to their new home in Nebraska. The journey was made with horses
and wagon, and many hardships were encountered on the way. After hav-
ing established their home in the then far West, they were subjected to
man)- privations and hardships. Their nearest trading points, Brownsville
or St. Stephens, were many miles away. There were few neighbors in the
district and they were a long distance from the Henton home. On their
arrival at their new home, the father cut logs and built a house of three
rooms, in which the family lived for many years. Mr. Henton being a good
carpenter was enabled to construct a substantial, though small, house in which
his little family was to live.
James Henton was born on August 2, 1812, and died on April 10. 1900.
His wife was born on September 1, 1818. and died on May 8, 1899. They
were the parents of the following children : Araminta, Catherine, Hester,
Matthew, Minnesota, Columbus, Arthur, Louisiana and Luanda.
In 1854 Benjamin and Nancy Dolen left their home in Kentucky and
located in Missouri, where they remained for ten years, when they estab-
lished their home in Gage county, Nebraska. They made the trip by the
overland route, with horses and wagon, and on their arrival in Gage county
Mr. Dolen homesteaded a tract of land, which he later developed and im-
proved and in time became a successful and prosperous farmer. Mr. and,
766 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Mrs. Dolen were the parents of the following children: John C, Emily,
Edward, Harriet. Prather and James.
John C. Dolen engaged in the hotel business with his uncle, Warren
Chesney, at Beatrice, Nebraska. This was the only hotel in the town and
was operated in a log building. While living at Beatrice John C. Dolen
was married and there he lived until one year later, when he went to the
In 'me of his father and later homesteaded a tract of land. There he
remained for seven year-, during which time he did much in the way of
developing his new farm. He then moved to DeW'itt. Nebraska, where he
remained for five years, after which he returned to Beatrice and operated
a tavern until [882, when he came to Marshall county, Kansas. Here he
purchased a large tract of land in the Otoe Reservation, but did not move
onto the tract until 1886. In 1903 he built a tine home on his tract in
section 13 and was the owner of four hundred and forty acres of splendid
land, with one of the beautiful farm homes in the county. He met with
much success in his work as a general farmer and stockman and was known
as one of the most successful and influential men of the district. One of the
finest stone quarries in this section of the state is located on Mr. Dolen's
home farm. He was a most thorough farmer, and his well cultivated fields
and his splendid stock were indicative of his ability and caretaking. He
took great pride in the development of his farm and in the upkeep of his
buildings.
Mr. and Mrs. Dolen were the parents of the following children:
Edward, James. Benjamin, Lillian. George and Nellie. Edward is on the
old home place, which is the original purchase of his father in this section.
Here he is meeting with much success in general farming and stockraising.
He is a progressive man and one of the successful younger farmers of the
county. He is married to Delia Robinson, and to them have been born the
following children: Edward, Mildred, Cecil. Seita and Harold. James is
a farmer of Oklahoma and is married to Mattie Munson and to them has
been born one child, Hope. Benjamin is in Panama, where he is employed
011 the canal: Lillian, (ieorge and Nellie are at home. Since the death of
John C. Dolen. Mr-. Dolen has received attention from her children, the
daughter Lillian giving the greater part of her time to the care of the home
and her mother. The family have long been prominent in the social life
of the community, and have had much to do with the general prosperity and
growth of the district in which they have lived for so many years.
John C. Dolen was identified with the Democratic party, always taking
deep interest in local affair-, and while he was not an office seeker, he had
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 767
much to do with the civic life of the township and county, and was often
consulted in matters pertaining to public affairs. His life was a worthy one,
and his death was mourned by a large circle of friends.
BERNARD MYERS.
Bernard Myers, one of the well-known and substantial farmers of St.
Bridget township and the proprietor of a fine farm in that township, is a
native son of Marshall county and has lived here all his life. He was born
on a pioneer farm in St. Bridget township, in the St. Bridget settlement, in
the neighborhood of his present home, March 3, 1863, son of Sebastian and
Margaret (Huffman) Myers, natives of Pennsylvania, who were among
the earliest settlers in Marshall county, where their last days were spent.
Sebastian Myers was born in 1830 and his wife was born in that same
year. They were married in Pennsylvania and about 1856 came to Kansas
and settled on a homestead farm which a sister of Mrs. Myers, Elizabeth
Huffman, had homesteaded the year before in the St. Bridget settlement in
this county. Later, Sebastian Myers bought out a land patent in that same
township, later adding to his holdings and becoming the owner of four hun-
dred and eighty acres of land, which he was developing in good shape when
death overtook him in 1864. His widow survived him many years, her death
occurring on October 31, 1900. They were the parents of five children, of
whom the subject of this sketch was the last-born, the others being as fol-
low: John, who is now living in Montana; Nicholas, deceased; Mrs. Bar-
bara Koelzer, who is now living in the neighboring county of Nemaha, and
Mary, who is a Sister in the convent at Mt. St. Scholasticas at Atchison.
Bernard Myers was but one year of age when his father died and he
was reared by his aunt, Elizabeth Huffman, continuing to make his home
with her until his marriage in the spring of 188 J. when he took possession
of the farm on which he is now living, in section 36 of St. Bridget town-
ship, and ever since has made his home here. Mr. Myers started farming
with one hundred acres, but has gradually added to his holdings, as he pros-
pered in his farming operations, until now he is the owner of three hundred
and thirty acres, eighty acres of which lies in section 25 and the remainder
in sections 35 and 36. On this farm he has forty acres of bottom land and
has plenty of water and timber. He has made excellent improvements on
his place, has given considerable attention to the raising of live stock and
/68 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
has done very well, long having been regarded as one of the leading farmers
in that part of the county. Mr. Myers is a Democrat and lias ever given
thoughtful attention to local political affairs, but has not been a seeker
after public office.
On April n. [882, Bernard Myers was united in marriage to Mary
Shaughnessy, who also was born in St. Bridget township. September 25,
1863, daughter of Michael Shaughnessy and wife, who were among the early
settlers in that part of Marshall county. Of the children born to this union
seven are now living, namely: Nellie, who married Harry Finnegan, who
was horn in Guittard township, this county, and is now living on a farm
one mile south of Beattie, and has two children, Patrick and Edward: Mrs.
Margaret Creavan, a widow, of Nemaha county, who has two children,
Beatrice and Wilma: Joseph, who married Dollie Nelson and is now living
at Kansas City; John, who married Theresa Eagari and lives on a farm near
Beattie; Nicholas, who is at home; Bernard, now a student in the Axtell
high school, and Mary, who was born in U)Oj. Mr. and Mrs. Myers are
members of St. Bridget's Catholic church and they and their family have
ever taken an active interest in parish affairs, as well as in the general social
affairs of the community in which they live, helpful in promoting all worthy
causes thereabout.
CHARLES A. P.ALDERSOX.
Charles A. Balderson, one of Marshall county's best-known farmers,
former trustee of Franklin township and the proprietor of a tine farm of one
hundred and sixty acres in that township, is a native of the state of Illinois,
but has been a resident of this county since he was fourteen years of age,
having come here with his parents back in pioneer days. Tie was born on
a farm in Ogle county. Illinois, May .^, 1855, son of John and Mary Ann
I Smith I Balderson, the former a native of the Dominion of Canada and the
latter of England, who became early and influential pioneers of Marshall
county and here spent their last days.
John Balderson was born on a farm near Toronto. Canada. April 10.
[826, son of Thomas Balderson, a native of England, and was reared on a
farm. About 1845 he located at Creston, in Ogle county. Illinois, where, in
[854, he married Mary Ann Smith, who was born in England on March 9,
[833, and who was hut an infant when her parents. Thomas T. and Jane
(Thompson) Smith, came to this country. In 1861) John I'alderson and
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 769
family came to Kansas, driving through from Illinois in a "prairie schooner,"
and settled in Marshall county, taking a homestead in section 28 of township
1 south, range 8 east, which township, presently, upon the organization of the
same, was given the name of Balderson, in compliment to this pioneer set-
tler, who was one of the most forceful characters and important factors in
the development of that part of the county in pioneer days.
Upon taking possession of his homestead tract, John Balderson built a
house, fourteen by twenty-eight, boarded up and down, the lumber for which
he hauled from Frankfort, twenty-five miles away, proceeded to break the
soil and presently was well established there. During the grasshopper visita-
tions he suffered, in common with all the settlers of this region, but he stuck
to the farm and in time acquired additional land holdings and became one
of the most substantial pioneer farmers and stockmen in that part of the
county, spending the rest of his life on that farm, his death occurring in
1905. His widow survived him ten years, her death occurring on May 28,
1915. Thev were the parents of ten children, of whom the subject of this
sketch was the first-born and all of whom are living save four, two having
died in childhood before the family left Illinois and two dying in youth after
the family located in this county, the others being as follow : Mrs. John
King, of Tacoma, Washington ; Mrs. Jane Hardenbrook, a widow, of Balder-
son township, this county ; Frank, who is now living in Idaho ; Minnie, who
married Myers Witney and is living on the old home place in Balderson town-
ship, and Mrs. Rena Sheppard, of Lawrence, this state.
As noted above, Charles A. Balderson was fourteen years of age when
he came to Marshall county with his parents and he grew to manhood on the
pioneer farm in Balderson township, a valuable assistant to his father in the
labors of developing and improving the same. In his younger days he, as
well as his brother, Frank, both of whom owned ponies, herded cattle on the
plains and grew up hardy and robust sons of the open range. After his
marriage in 1880 his father gave him a quarter of a section of unimproved
land in Franklin township, on which he established his home and where he
ever since has resided. Mr. Balderson has made excellent improvements
on his place and long has been accounted one of the leading farmers in that
part of the county. He has always made more or less a specialty of raising
a good grade of stock and has done very well in his operations. He has ever
given his thoughtful attention to local civic affairs and for four years served
as township trustee, while for thirtv vears he has been a member of the
(49)
J JO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
school board and has in other ways given of his time and services to the
public good.
On December i, 1880, Charles A. Balderson was united in marriage to
Laura Foulk, who was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, March 2, 1863,
daughter of James and Mary ( Beattie ) Foulk, also natives of Ohio, the
former born in 1835 and the latter in 1845. wn0 came to Kansas in 1870
and settled on a farm in this county, north of Marysville. For years James
Foulk farmed in Marshall county and is now living in the state of Wash-
ington. His wife is making her home with her daughter, Mrs. Balderson.
To James Foulk and wife eight children were born, all of whom are living,
save one, and of whom Mrs. Balderson is the eldest. To Mr. and Mrs.
Balderson two children have been born, Edna, who married Frank Withey,
of Franklin township, this county, and has three children, and Alta. who is
attending high school at Marysville. The Baldersons are members of the
Christian church, of which Mr. Balderson is one of the elders. He is a
member of the Modern Woodmen and takes a warm interest in the affairs
of that organization.
THOMAS B. DEXTER.
Thomas P>. Dexter, one of the pioneers of Marshall county, for many
years justice of the peace in and for Center township and the proprietor of'
a well-kept farm in that township, where he and his family have a very
comfortable home, is a native of the Dominion of Canada, but has been a
resident of Kansas and of this county since 1870, having therefore been a
witness to and a participant in the development of this part of the state since
pioneer days. He was born on June 10. 1 84 1 . son of Asahel and Jane
( Whitfield ) Dexter, the latter of whom was of the same family of Whit-
fields to which the great English divine, George Whitfield, who founded the
sect of Calvinistic Methodists, belonged. She was but a child when her
parents emigrated from England to Canada and she wore wooden shoes at
the time she crossed the ocean.
In 1S70 Asahel Dexter and bis family left Canada and came to Kan-
sas, settling in Marshall county, among the pioneers of this county. Thomas
B. Dexter came here in April, 1870, and a week after his arrival homesteaded
a tract of eighty acres north of Reedville and proceeded to develop the same.
Four years later he married and established his home there, remaining on
that homestead until 1880, when he moved to a half section of land a mile
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 771
south of his original location. This latter tract, a quarter of a section of
school land and a quarter of a section of railroad land, he had bought with
money earned as commissions for the sale of lands of the Missouri Pacific
Railroad Company. He paid four dollars an acre for the half section, and
in 19 10 sold the identical tract for one hundred dollars an acre. Mr. Dexter
early took an active part in the affairs of his home township and from the
beginning of things there was regarded as one of the leaders in the new
community's activities. It was he who circulated the petition for the estab-
lishment of a postoffice at Home in the winter of 1872-73 and when the office
was created it would have been called Dexter, in his honor, save for the fact
that there already had been established a Dexter postoffice in the southern
part of this state. As Mr. Dexter prospered in his farming operations he
gradually added to his land holdings until he became the owner of eight
hundred acres of land. As his children married and started out for them-
selves he gave each an "eighty" and now holds for himself, in the pleasant
"evening time" of his life, only the eighty surrounding his home. In 1907
he bought a quarter of a section for four thousand dollars. After selling the
half section above referred to in 1910 he bought a half section, including his
present home place, paying for the same fifty-three dollars an acre. He has
taken advantage of rising land values and has made money in his real-estate
transactions. Politically, Mr. Dexter is an "independent." He has ever
given close attention to local civic affairs, for years served as a justice of the
peace and for twenty-five years was a member of the school board, during
that period doing much for the advancement of the cause of education in his
district. He and his wife were among the charter members of the Marshall
Center Baptist church, and when the Baptist church at Winifred was organ-
ized in 1910, Mr. Dexter was one of the leaders in that movement. Fra-
ternally, Mr. Dexter is a member of the local lodge of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows and for years has taken a warm interest in the affairs of
the same.
On October 4, 1874, Thomas B. Dexter was united in marriage to Emma
L. Smith, who was born in Pennsylvania, August 3, 1856, daughter of
Nathan C. and Amanda J. (Adams) Smith, natives, respectively, of New
York and Pennsylvania, the former born on June 29, 1820, and the latter,
March 13, 1835, who came to Kansas in September, 1870, and located in
Wells township, this county. Mr. Smith bought a homesteader's right to a
tract of land five and one-half miles northwest of Frankfort and there estab-
lished his home, remaining there until 1894, when, under the administration
of Governor Llewellen, he was made overseer of the state farm at Ossawat-
y~2 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
tomie. Upon the completion of that service lie made his home at Horton,
where he died on March i_\ 1900. His widow survived him mure than four
years, her death occurring on December 1. 1904. Xathan S. Smith was an
honored veteran of the Civil War and was one of the leading members of
the Grand Army of the Republic in this section. In September, 1861, he
enlisted for service in the Twenty- fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry, and with that command served until the close of the war. During
this service Mr. Smith participated in some of the bloodiest battles of the
Civil War. including Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain. Missionary Ridge,
Winchester and the campaigns through Virginia and Maryland. At one time
he captured Mosbv. the famous guerilla chief, but did not recognize him.
He took him to headquarters, where he also escaped identication and he was
exchanged as a common soldier and permitted to go.
To Thomas B. and Emma L. (Smith) Dexter ten children have been
born, namely: Minnie, who married Alvin Watkins and lives in Center
township; Dane O., also a resident of Center township; Gertrude, who mar-
ried George Denton and lives in Rock township; Ray, who married Mabel
Newton, of Marysville, and now lives at Siloam Springs, Arkansas; Thorne.
who married Emma Hull, of Frankfort, and lives in Center township; Olga.
wife of Roy Evans, of Washington, this state; Earl, who died in his third
year: Arnott. a minister of the Baptist church, who married Grace Loomi^.
of Chicago, and is now preaching at Iron Mountain, Michigan; Ellis, who
married Bessie Banks and now lives at Whiting, this state, and Lome, at
home.
GUSTAY A. WITT.
Gustav A. Witt, one of Murray township's best-known and most pro-
gressive farmers and the proprietor of one of the best-improved farms in
that township, is a native of Germany, but has been a resident of this country
since he was three years of age. and of Marshall county since 1893. He
was born in Germany on August 5, 1869, son of John A. and Augusta
Witt, natives of the Eatherland, who came to the United States with their
family in 1873 and settled on a farm in Richardson county, Nebraska, where
thev established a home and there remained until 1908, then moving to
Ealls City. Augusta Witt died on February 1. 1916, she then being seventy-
two vears, four months and twenty-six days old. They were the parents
of ten children, six of whom are still living. Of these the subject of
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. -/JT,
this sketch is the eldest, the others being as follow: Agnes, who married
George Mathews and lives in Nebraska : Henry, also of Nebraska ; Frank,
who continues to live on the old home place in Richardson county. Nebras-
ka; Mrs. Bertha Myers, of Nebraska, and Ida, who lives in her father's
home. The father died on March 16, 191 7, seventy-nine years six months
and twenty-nine days old.
As noted above, Gustav A. Witt was but little more than three years
of age when his parents came to this country and settled on a farm in Ne-
braska, and on that pioneer farm he grew to manhood, receiving his school-
ing in the neighboring schools. He retains distinct childhood recollections
of the Indians, who still were numerous in that part of the country and
bands of whom often would stop and camp on his father's farm. During his
boyhood he spent much time herding cattle on the open range and he grew
up with a thorough familiarity of conditions on the plains. He remained
on the home farm, a valued assistant to his father in the labors of develop-
ing and improving the same, until 1893, when he came down into Kansas
and bought the quarter section on which he is now living in section 22 of
Murray township, this county, and proceeded to develop the same. Upon
his marriage in 1895 he established his home there and has ever since
resided on that farm, he and his family now being very pleasantly and very
comfortably situated. Mr. Witt is possessed of progressive ideas regarding
agriculture and now has one of the best-improved farms in that township.
In 19 10 he built a modern eight-room house and in that same year also built
a fine new barn, thirty-six by forty feet. The other buildings on this admir-
able farm plant are in keeping with the same and the place is equipped with
numerous modern appliances and conveniences for the most profitable and
expeditious farming. The place has quite a bit of natural timber on it, a
very attractive feature of the landscape thereabout. Mr. Witt has given
considerable attention to the breeding of Poland China hogs and the pro-
ducts of his pens have won first prizes at the stock shows at Axtell. He
also has a fine herd of Shorthorn cattle and has done very well in his farm-
ing operations. Mr. Witt is a Democrat and has ever given a good citizen's
attention to local political affairs, but has never been a seeker after public
office.
In 1805 Gustav A. Witt was united in marriage to Sophia Hubner, who
also was born in Germany and who left her native land when a child with
her parents, the family coming to this country and settling in Richardson
county, Nebraska, where she grew to young womanhood and where she
married Mr. Witt. To this union four children have been born, Ella, Nor-
774 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
man. Dayton i deceased ) and Wilson. Mr. and Mrs. Witt arc members of
the Presbyterian church and take a proper interest in the various beneficences
of the same, as well as in the general social activities of the community in
which they live, ever helpful factors in promoting such movements as are
designed to advance the common welfare thereabout.
IOHX F. McKEE.
John F. McKee, one of the prominent and well-known and successful
farmers of Elm Creek township. Marshall county, where he owns one hun-
dred and sixty acres of splendid land, and is successfully engaged in general
farming and stock-raising, was born in the Dominion of Canada, on Febru-
ary _>4. 1843. and is the son of William and Mary McKee.
William and Mary McKee were also natives of Canada and there they
received their education in the public schools and were later married. They
were of Scotch-Irish descent, their forefathers having come from the north
of Ireland to Canada in an early day. The family were members of the
Baptist church and were always most active in the religious life of the com-
munity. William and Mary McKee, after their marriage, established their
home in the land of their nativity, where they continued to reside until iS6<j.
when they decided to come to the United States. On their arrival in this
country they located in Kansas, where they homesteaded a farm in Center
township, Marshall county, which they developed and improved and there
they continued to live, until the time of their deaths. They were held in the
highest regard in the community in which they lived, and where they had
much to do with the moral and the social life of the township. They were
the parents of the following children: Robert, Anna. Margaret, John !"..
Samuel J.. William George, Frank and Harry. Robert, Anna, and Frank
are now deceased. Margaret Fitzgerald is a resident of Beatrice, Nebraska,
where her husband is one of the well-known men of the district: Samuel J.
and Harry are successful fanners of (enter township. Marshall county, and
William George is one of the prominent men of Marvsville.
John F. McKee received his education in the schools of Canada, there
grew tn manhood and engaged in general fanning. In [867 he was united
in marriage to Sarah Jannes Chalmers, who was born and reared in Canada.
Mr. and Mrs. McKee, after their marriage, established their home in the
land where they were burn and there they continued to live, until [871, when
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 775
they came to Kansas, where they homesteader! eighty acres of land and pur-
chased three hundred and twenty acres in Center township. Here Mr.
McKee made many valuable improvements and engaged in general farming
and stock raising until 18S1, when he returned to the old home in Canada,
on account of the health of his wife. Much of his land in Marshall county
he purchased at six dollars and fifty cents per acre and sold for eight-fifty
per acre. He traded one of his farms for a farm in Canada, on which he
and his wife lived after their return to the land of their nativity. The health
of Mrs. McKee did not improve to any great extent, after her removal to
her native land, and her death occurred in 1886. She and Mr. McKee were
the parents of two children, Laura and Hattie. Laura is the wife of Morley
P. Robinson and Hattie is the wife of Frank Newson, well-known and suc-
cessful farmers and stockmen of Blue Rapids township. Mrs. McKee was a
woman universally beloved by the entire community in which she lived, and
where she was held in the highest regard.
After the death of his wife, Mr. McKee continued to live on his farm
in Canada, until 18Q2. when he returned to Kansas and again established his
home in Marshall county. He purchased the farm in Elm Creek township,
which he now owns, which is one of the most excellent farms of the county,
on which is located the "Big Spring," which is the head of Elm Creek. This
farm he has developed and improved and here he is known as one of the
successful and substantial farmers of the township.
In 1888, before his return to Kansas, Mr. McKee was united in mar-
riage to Rose Stanton, who was born in Canada in i860, and is the daughter
of James and Mary Stanton, who are natives of England. Her parents were
educated in their native country and there they grew to manhood and wom-
anhood and were married. They later came to Canada, where thev became
prosperous and well-known residents of the district in which they located.
Tf) John F. and Rose ( Stanton) McKee has been born one child, Frank,
who died at the age of two years. Mr. and Mrs. McKee are active members
of the Baptist church and have long been active in all church work. They
are 'prominent in the social and the religious life of the community in which
they live and where they are held in such high regard and esteem. They
have ever taken an active interest in all the affairs of the district, that would
tend to the betterment of the educational and social conditions. They are
people of high ideals and their influence is greatly felt in the development of
the home district. Their personal qualities have won for them many friends
throughout the county.
Politically, Mr. McKee is identified with the Republican party and has
776 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
for many years been interested in the civic life of the township and the
county. He has 'served for many years as a justice of the peace and has
rendered valuable service to the- community. He has in no sense been a
seeker after office, but has rendered valuable service as an adviser in public
matters. He and his wife are prominent members of the Knights and Ladies
of Security.
BENJAMIN E. SCHLAX.
Benjamin E. Schlax, one of Franklin township's well-known and sub-
stantial young farmers and the proprietor of a well-kept farm of one hun-
dred and sixty acres in section 24 of that township, is a native son of Mar-
shall county and has lived here all his life. He was born in Marysville, the
county seat. August 17. 1883, son of John and Mary ( Scherer ) Schlax, the
former a native of Germany and the latter of the state of Wisconsin, who
were among the early and influential settlers of Marshall county and the
latter of whom is still living at Marysville, an honored and respected pioneer.
They were the parents of thirteen children, of whom the subject of this
sketch was the tenth in order of birth and all of whom are living save three.
John Schlax was born in Germany on March 28, 1830, and was early
trained to the trade of wagon-maker, in which he became very proficient.
As a young man he came to this country and was married in Wisconsin. In
1867 he came to Kansas ami settled at Marysville, there opening the first
wagon-making shop in that city and for years was engaged there in making
wagons. The superior quality of the product of the Schlax shops is attested
by the fact that quite a number of the wagons Mr. Schlax made are still in
use in this and adjoining counties and are still doing excellent service. The
Schlax shop was situated on the site now occupied by the city hall at Marys-
ville and for years was one of the leading industries of the county seat. In
1872 John Schlax homesteaded a tract of eighty acres in Center township,
machine-made wagons by that time having reduced the demand for the pro-
duct of bis shop to the point that it no longer was profitable to operate the
same, and presently established his home on that farm, gradually increasing
his land holding- to two hundred and forty acres, and there he spent the rest
of his life, hi ^ death occurring in 1915. His widow, who was born in Wis-
consin on November 29, [840, is now living in Marysville, the growth of
which town she has witnessed from the days of its hamlet period of exist-
ence, when it was but little more than a stage stop on the old overland trail.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. "j-jy
Benjamin E. Schlax was reared on the homestead farm in Center town-
ship and received his schooling in the district in the neighborhood of his
home. He remained at home until he had attained his majority, when he
rented a tract of land from William McKee and began farming on his own
account, making his home on that farm, after his marriage in 1906, until
1910, when he bought the quarter section of land in section 24 of Franklin
township; on which he now lives, and where he ever since has made his home,
he and his wife now being very comfortably situated there. Since taking
possession of that farm Mr. Schlax has built a new house and barn and now
has a very attractive place. He has set out an acre of orchard to supplement
his grove and has brought his farm up to a high state of productivity.
In 1906 Benjamin E. Schlax was united in marriage to Regina Peter-
son, who was born in Sweden on August 8, 1881, and was but an infant when
her parents, Xels and Regina Peterson, came to this country in that same
year and settled in Center township, this county. Nels Peterson is now liv-
ing in Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Schlax have a very pleasant home and take
a proper pa,_t in the general social activities of the community. In his
political views Mr. Schlax is "independent."
ALYAH HEDGE.
Alvah Hedge, one of the pioneers of Marshall county and the pro-
prietor of a well-kept and profitably cultivated farm of a quarter of a sec-
tion in section 10 of Center township, is a native of the old Hoosier state,
but has been a resident of Kansas since 1878 and of the place on which he
now lives since 1884, having settled there the year following his marriage
in 1883. having bought the place in 1S80. He was born on a farm in Black-
ford county, in the eastern part of Indiana, August 21, 1854, a son of Abner
and Charlotte ( Castelline ) Hedge, natives of the state of New York, whose
last days were spent in this county, where they had settled in pioneer days.
In February, 1878, the Hedge family came to Kansas from Indiana and
settled in Marshall county, locating in Center township. In 1883 Abner
Hedge bought half of section 10 in that township and about the same time
rented the farm at the county infirmary and was working the latter at the
time of his death not long afterward, in March. 1884. He was born in
1827 and was thus fifty-seven years of age at the time of his death. The
family then moved to the Charles Kelle1" place in Center township and devel-
778 MARSHALL
COUNTY, KANSAS.
oped tlif sank'. Mr>. Hedge, whose death occurred in November, 1901, was
born in [83] and was thus seventy years of age at the time of her death.
Aimer Hedge and wife were the parents of four children, those hesides the
subject of this sketch being Morgan, who is in the lumber business at Oketo;
Ira, who is now living at Grass Range, Montana, and Mrs. Mary Warren.
of Joplin, Missouri.
Alvah Hedge was twenty-three years of age when he came from
Indiana to Marshall county with his parents in the early spring of 1878 and
he early took his part in the pioneer life of this then sparsely settled region.
In 1880 he bought a quarter of a section of land in section 10 of Center
township, and in [884, the year after his marriage, established his home
there and has ever since lived there, with the exception of about ten months
spent at Oketo. Upon establishing himself on his private farm Mr. Hedge
built a house eighteen by thirty-rive, one and one-half stories, containing
three rooms on the first floor and two on the upper floor. He now has a
comfortable home of nine rooms and his farm buildings are in keeping with
the same, the farm plant being up-to-date and well kept. In addition to his
general fanning Mr. Hedge has given considerable attention to the raising
of live stock and has done very well. He is a Democrat and has served as
clerk of Center township.
On April 8, 1883, Alvah Hedge was united in marriage to Ida Xelm.
who was born in New York state on .March 27, [862, daughter of Edwin
and Margaret 1 Meredith) Xelm. natives of England, who came to this
country in 1 S57. after their marriage, and settled in Xew York state, where
they made their home until 1864, when they moved to Illinois and there
resided until 1869. in which year they came to Kansas and settled in Marshall
county, Mr. Xelm homesteading a tract of land one mile south of the Hedge
place in Center township. There Edwin Xelm spent his last days, one of
Marshall county's substantial pioneer farmers, his death occurring in [902.
He was born in [825. His widow, who was born on February 5. [834, i-
still living, making her home now with her children. These children, besides
Mrs. Hedge, are as follow: Mrs. Emma Helverin. of Beattie: Mrs. Sarah
Wise, also of Beattie; Mrs. Addie Hedge, of Hoxie; George, of tenter town-
ship; Mrs. Lizzie Hedge, of Grass Range, Montana: Reuben, of Center
township; Fred, of Wells township, and Mrs. Maggie Huf. of Home. Mr.
and Mrs. Hedge have two children. Edith, who married Dane Dexter, of
Center township, and has one child. Arwayne. and Mabel, at home. The
Hedges are members of the Winifred Baptist church and ever have taken a
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 779
proper part in church work and in the other good works of the community
in which they live. Air. Hedge is a member of the local lodge of the Ancient
Order of United Workmen and Mrs. Hedge is a member of the Degree of
Honor.
HENRY WEAVER.
The late Henry Weaver, for years one of the best-known and most
progressive farmers and stockmen of Guittard township, the proprietor of a
fine farm in the Beattie neighborhood and one of the real pioneers of Mar-
shall county, was a native of the great Empire state, but had been a resident
of Marshall county since he was ten years of age and had thus witnessed
the development of this county from pioneer days. He was born on a farm
near Batavia, in Genesee county, New York, October 6, 185Q, son of Nich-
olas and Susan (Toney) Weaver, the former a native of Switzerland and
the latter of France, who became pioneers of this county and both of whom
are now deceased.
Nicholas Weaver was born at Roupeswell, in the Canton of Berne,
Switzerland, October 18, 18 18, and in 1852 came to the United States, set-
tling near Batavia, New York, where he lived until 1867, when he moved
West and settled on a farm in DeKalb county, Illinois, where he lived until
May 2j, 1869, when he started with his family for Kansas, arriving in due
time in Marshall count}', where he established his home and where he spent
the remainder of his active life, one of the most active and influential
pioneer citizens of this county. Some time before his death Nicholas Weaver
retired from the active labors of the farm and moved to Waterloo. Oregon,
where his last days were spent, his death occurring there on May 31, 1907.
His widow survived him for seven years, her death occurring near Batavia,
New York, on January 31, 19 14, she then being ninety years of age. She
was born at Melden, France, in 1825. To Nicholas Weaver and wife six
children were born, three of whom are still living, namely : Thomas Weaver,
of Lebanon, Oregon ; Mrs. Alice Hotchkiss, of Apalachin. Tioga county,
New York, and Charles Weaver, of Princeton, Idaho.
Upon coming to this county Nicholas Weaver and family drove through
from Illinois in company with the families of John Balderson and John
Kelly, and for a time after their arrival here lived in their covered wagon,
until they could get settled and erect a small house. A year or two later
their house was destroyed by fire, together with their clothes, household
/SO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
goods, three hundred dollars in currency and their family records, a very
serious loss to the pioneer family. The farm that Nicholas Weaver home-
stead in what afterward came to be known as Balderson township was
presently developed in excellent shape and Mr. Weaver came to be recog-
nized as one of the substantial and influential farmers of that part of the
county.
As noted above, Henry Weaver was about ten years of age when he
came to this county with his parents and he grew to manhood on the home-
stead farm in Balderson township, completing his schooling in the pioneer
schools of that district. As a buy he herded cattle on the open range, over
the very land that he afterward came to own, and he witnessed the begin-
ning of the town of Beattie, in the neighborhood of his home, which town
sprang up following the coming of the railroad. He carried the mail from
Beattie to Guittard postoffice, four miles north, and from boyhood his life
was marked by habits of industry and thrift. After his marriage in 18S5
.he established hi:- home on the farm in Guittard township, where he spent
the rot of his life, and in time came to be the owner of two hundred and
sixty-six acres of land, all of which was highly developed and profitably cul-
tivated. Mr. Weaver built a modern house on his place and he and his
family were very comfortably situated. In addition to his general farming
he had for years paid considerable attention to the raising of a good grade
of live stock and had done very well in his operations. He was a Republi-
can and ever took an earnest interest in local civic affairs and for eighteen
years served as treasurer of the local school board in district No. 112.
Though reared in the Lutheran faith, at the age of forty-five years .Mr.
Weaver affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church and was a member
of that church al the time of his death. lie was a member of the Masonic
fraternity and of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and in the affairs
of both these organizations took a warm interest. Henrv Weaver died at
hi> home in Guittard township on August 22, 1916, and his death was widely
mourned throughout the Beattie neighborhood, for he had earned and had
long enjoyed the respect and esteem of a large circle of friends. His interesl
in the development of local industrial conditions was displayed on all proper
occasions and he was a valued shareholder in the farmers' Union Elevator
Company at Beattie and in the Farmers' Mutual Telephone Company, in the
affair- of both of which concerns he took an active interest. Following the
death of Mr. Weaver a local new -paper had the following comment regard-
ing his personal character: "He was industrious, a capable manager, a
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. j8l
a thoroughly good citizen in every way, a kind and indulgent husband and
father, and his death brings deep sorrow and regret to his family and
friends."
On February 4. 1885, at Beattie, Henry Weaver was united in marriage
to Cora E. G. Totten, who was born on a pioneer farm near Beattie on
December 25, 1869, daughter of Joseph and Susan (Postin) Totten, who
were among the earliest settlers of Guittard township, and to this union four
children were born, namely: Joseph Nicholas, on November 7, 1886. who
died January 1, 1887; Roland S., who was born in Balderson township on
March 10, 1891, was graduated from the Beattie high school and is an
undergraduate of the Kansas State University at Lawrence, married Clara
Scholtz and has one child, a daughter, Gwendolyne Joy, born on October 17,
191 5; Wallace Henry, who was born at Kendrick, Idaho, June i„ 1893,
during the period of one year in which the Weavers made their home at that
place, was graduated from the township schools and had one year at the
Beattie high school, and Gladys V., who was born on the home place near
Beattie on December 10, 1897, and graduated from the Beattie high school
in 1916.
Mrs. Cora Weaver is the last-born of the twelve children born to her
parents, Joseph and Susan (Postin) Totten, the others being Elizabeth
Thorn, Emeroy Jones, John L., Florence Sharp, Henry T., Eliza Newton,
Frank H., Nora Pauley, William J., and Charles Joseph and Sarah Madora,
both deceased. Joseph Totten was born at Blanford, Massachusetts, March
22, 1825. His father was born in Rhode Island in March, 1795, and spent
most of his early life in his native state, where he married Miriam Carpen-
penter, who was born on January 4. 1804, later moving to Massachusetts,
whence, in 1828, Joseph Totten then being but three years of age, they
moved to Albany, New York, where they lived for eight years, at the end
which time they moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, but at the end of a year
spent there returned North and settled in Rock Island county, Illinois, where
Joseph Totten grew to manhood. The elder Totten later moved to Iowa,
where he died in 1864. His widow later came to this country, where her last
days were spent, her death occurring at the home of her son, H. T. Totten,
in 1878, she then being seventy-seven years of age.
Joseph Totten completed his schooling in the schools of Rock Island
county, Illinois, and there engaged in farming, later moving to Iowa, in
which state, on November 17, 1844, he married Susan Postin, who was born
in Ohio on February 6, 1830, and who, when quite young, had moved with
~82 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
her parents to Scott county, Iowa, where she married Mr. Totten, the two
shortly afterward settling in Minnesota. In the spring of 1858 Joseph
Totten and his family left Minnesota and came to Kansas, arriving in Mar-
shall county mi June 8 of that year, and settled in what is now Guittard
township, being among the very earliest arrivals in that part of the county,
there being only four or five families in that township at that time. Mr.
Totten had a full experience of pioneer life and on the virgin prairie opened
up a farm that is now in the possession of his son. Frank II. Totten. At
the time the Tottens settled in this county Indians still were numerous here-
al.oiit and wild game was plentiful. The white neighbors were few and far
between and the outlook for the first few years was not very encouraging,
but Mr. Totten possessed a sturdy courage and a resoluteness of will essen-
tial to the demands of the occasion and had prepared himself for every
emergency. He presently prospered in his undertakings and not only became
recognized as one of the most substantial farmers of that part of the county,
but as one of the leading and most public-spirited citizens. For four years
he served as township trustee and for twenty years was a member of the
school board of district No. 19, which he helped to organize, and also helped
to put up the first school building in that and other neighboring districts.
Mr. Totten was a Republican and was warmly devoted to the interests of
his partw ever a firm supporter of its principles. For some years after his
settlement in this county Joseph Totten was obliged to journey to St. Joseph
for the family provisions and necessary household .articles, among the latter
being a number of cats, for which he paid one dollar each, the cats being
necessary to destroy the mice which infested the premises. In those days
farm products were transported to the same point, a long and difficult haul.
Mr. Totten watched the development of Marshall county with a warm inter-
est and by redeeming a portion of its soil from its primitive state, contrib-
uted his quota toward the upbuilding of this part of Kansas. Joseph Totten
died at his home in this county on May jo. 1892, and his widow survived
until June 2, 11)03.
Joseph Tottens grandfather. Levi Totten, was horn in England and
came to this country in the days of his young manhood, lie is supposed to
have served as a soldier of the patriot army during the Revolutionary War
and also to have served as a soldier during the War of iSi_» His son, Henrv
Morris Totten. grandfather of Mrs. Weaver, was born on March 17, 1 7**5.
and died, as above noted, in Iowa, in 1864. His widow, as noted above, sur-
vived him for some years, her last days being spent in this county. They
were the parents of four sons, those besides Joseph, the first-born, being
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 783
Edwin, Charles and Henry, the two former of whom served as soldiers of
the Union army during the Civil War and the latter of whom was a member
of General Custer's command in 1876, and was killed in the Indian massacre
which wiped out that gallant command. When Joseph Totten came to Mar-
shall county there was very little "hard cash" in circulation hereabout and the
conveniences of modern life were wholly lacking. The nearest mill was
located on the Missouri river and sometimes the settlers were obliged to go
farther to mill, even to Iowa Point. In the summer of 1863 Joseph Totten
started out to explore the farther West, his objective point being Denver, and
he made the journey in seven months. He put up the first hotel in Marys-
ville and was engaged in the erection of the first three houses in Frankfort,
during that year working one hundred and five days as a carpenter, for
which labor he received three hundred and fifteen dollars. In that same year
he also served as assessor and thus made the money necessary to the earlv
development of his homestead. Had Mr. Totten preserved in detail the storv
of his pioneer life and of his experiences on the frontier, there would have
been given to posterity an extensive and readable volume.
CHARLES W. KOEPP.
Charles W. Koepp, an energetic and substantial young farmer of Center
township, this county, proprietor of a fine farm in section 7 of that town-
ship, was born on that farm and has lived there all his life. He was born
on February 4, 1884, son of Christ and Justina ( Dreger) Koepp. natives of
Germany and early settlers in Marshall county, the latter of whom is now
living in the village of Home.
Christ Koepp took up his residence on a homestead farm in Center
township upon coming to Marshall county, not long- afterward moving to
the farm in section 7 of that same township, where the subject of this sketch
now makes his home, and in time became one of the large landowners and
substantial farmers of that part of the county. Upon retiring from the
active labors of the farm he and his wife moved to the village of Home,
where Mr. Koepp spent his last days, his death occurring in August, 1916.
he then being seventy-nine years of age, and where his widow is still living.
They were the parents of nine children, of whom the subject of this sketch
was the last born.
Charles W. Koepp was reared on the farm on which he was born and
-84 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
where he now lives and received his schooling in the neighboring school.
From boyhood he was an able assistant in the labors of developing and
improving the home place and when twenty-two years of age took charge
of the place, farming it cm his own account. Later his father gave him
three hundred and twenty acres, and to this he has added until now he is the
owner of four hundred and eighty acres, a part of the same lying in sections
17 and 18.
.Mr. Kneii]) i- an enterprising young farmer, carrying on his farming
operations according to modern methods of agriculture, and is doing verv
well. His place i- well improved and he is accounted one of the substantial
farmers of that section of the county. In his political views, Mr. Koepp is
"independent." He takes a good citizen's interest in local civic matters and
in the general affairs of the community in which he lives and is one of the
live "boosters" of Marshall county.
JOHN H. CARNEY.
John H. Carney, one of the well-known and successful farmers of Mur-
ray township, Mar-hall county, was born in Fairfield county. Ohio, on July
24, 1863, and is the son of Eli Gierhart and Catherine (Alspach) Carney.
Eli (i. Carney, who was born in Licking county, Ohio, was the son of
lames and Louvesia (Gierhart) Carney. James Carney was also a native of
Ohio and was the son of John Carney and wife, who were of Scotch-Irish
descent. John Carney was born in the north of Ireland and later came to
the United States, where he married Miss C'haney, who was a native of the
United State- ami was born during the Revolutionary times. Louvesia Car-
ney was also a native of Ohio and the daughter of Daniel and Anna ( Hanna )
Gierhart. John Hanna. the grandfather, was a native of Hagerstown.
Maryland, where he grew to manhood and later came to Fairfield count}-,
Ohio, and located within eight miles of Lancaster, early in 1800. The great-
uncle of Eli Carney fought in the Revolutionary War. and during the cam-
paign of General Harrison the family supplied the army with meat. The
grandfather came in an early day to Indiana, and died at his home in La-
grange county, where during his active life he was a man of much influence.
lame- and Louvesia Carney were the parent- of the following children:
John H., Eli Gierhart. Sarah. Daniel and Elizabeth. Daniel and John H. are
now deceased; Sarah is the wife of Frederick E. Bitsberger. of Ft. Wayne,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 785
Indiana; and Elizabeth, who was the wife of Henry Dellinger, died in the
year 1900. The father died in 1843 and the mother in 1881.
Eli Gierhart Carney received his education in the public schools of
Ohio, where he was born on January 16, 1839. At the age of fifteen years,
he was employed as an apprentice to learn the carpenter trade at which he
worked for a number of years. In 1871 he came to Marshall count}-, Kan-
sas, where he engaged in general farming and stock raising and met with
much success', and is now the owner of two hundred and eighty acres of
splendid land in Murray township. In addition to his home farm he is also
the owner of one hundred and sixty acres' in St. Bridget township and two
hundred and ninety acres in Eranklin township. He has a beautiful country
home and his residence is one of the most substantial in the township.
On June 24, i860, Eli G. Carney was united in marriage to Catherine
Alspach, who was born in Ohio on March 24, 1842, and is the daughter of
John D. and Elizabeth ( Heimbaugh ) Alspach. Mrs. Alspach was the daugh-
ter of John Heimbaugh and wife, who were of Fairfield county, Ohio. She
was a sister of Abraham Click, of Ohio, who was the father of George W.
Glick, who was one of the most prominent governors of Kansas and whose
statue is in statuary hall at Washington, D. C.
To Eli G. and Catherine Carnev were born the following children :
Mary Emma, John H., Alta M., Fli E„ Charles C. Oliver O.. Alice M. and
Catherine Maud. Mary Emma died in infancy; John H. is the subject of
this sketch: Alta M. is the wife of Willis Conable, of Murray township;
Charles is now deceased; Oliver O. is connected with the state hospital; Alice
M. is the wife of John Hawkins, the manager of the farmers' elevator at
Axtell, and Catherine Maud is the wife of Henry Hawkins, a farmer living
west of Carney Station.
John H. Carney came with his parents to Kansas when he was eight
years of age. On November 9, 1871. they landed in Frankfort, where the
family spent three months of that winter. The)- then moved to the home-
stead at Carney Station. Mr. Carney received his earliest educational train-
ing in the schools of Ohio and attended school after coming to Kansas and
studied one year in the high school at Axtell. He then taught school for
two years when he decided to engage in farming and engaged in that work
with his father until 1884. He at that time purchased a farm of eighty acres,
one mile west of his preset home farm, where he engaged in his chosen
work until 1893, when he moved to the place where he now lives.
On October 11, 1887, John H. Carney was united in marriage to Nan-
(5°)
"86 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
nie Brolver, who was born at Wabash, Indiana, on March 21, 1867, being the
daughter of Henry Brolyer and wife, who were also natives of the state of
Indiana and came to Kansas in 1SS4 and located in Marshall county, where
they became well-established farmers and have ever been held in the high-
est regard.
To John H. and Nannie Carney have been born the following children:
Charles J.. Fern. Nina and Neva. Charles J. married Grace Totten and they
are the parents of one child. Creta Jane: Fern i-- new deceased: Nina Temple
is residing on a farm, west of her father's place, where her husband is suc-
cessfully engaged in general farming, and Xeva is a student of the Axtell
high school and is now in her second year.
Mr. Carney has a splendid farm of one hundred and sixty acres, all of
which is under a high state of cultivation and well improved. The buildings
have all been erected by him, and they are modern and substantial. The
house is a tine building of eight rooms and nicely located, and is one of the
beautiful farm residences in the township. In 1906 he erected his barn, a
structure thirty-eight by forty-eight feet, with sixteen-foot posts and slate
roof, fie also ha- a cattle barn, fourteen by forty-eight feet, as well as other
outbuildings. He has a line lot of Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs.
In addition to hi- own farm of one hundred and sixty acres. Mr. Carney is
operating one hundred and forty acres of the E. G. Carney farm. In 1916
he cultivated one hundred and sixty acres of corn and fifty acres of wheat,
and today he is recognized as one of the progressive and successful farmers
and stockmen in the county. He is a believer in the modern methods of
operating the farm as well as in the care of the stock. His farm is an evi-
dence of the care and attention that he gives it and his stock is among the
best in this section of the district.
Mr. and Mrs. Carney are active members of the Presbyterian church
and are prominent in the social life of the community and have long been
interested in the moral and educational development of their home township.
Politically, Mr. Carney is a stanch Democrat and was an active worker for
the re-election of President Wilson. He has held many of the township
offices and ha- for many years been clerk of the school district. Fraternally,
he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and he and his
wife are members of the Eastern Star lodge at Axtell. Mr. Carney has had
a most active life and he has accomplished much that is worthy of note. He
takes much interest in his home and family and is a devoted husband and a
kind father.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 787
PATRICK LYNCH.
Patrick Lynch, one of the best-known and most substantial farmers of
St. Bridget township, the owner of a fine farm of five hundred and forty
acres of well-improved land in section 1 1 of that township, is a native of
the Emerald Isle, but has been a resident of this county since boyhood and
has therefore been a witness to the development of the same since pioneer
days. He was born in County Kildare, Ireland, in May, 1859, a son of
Edward and Mary ( Highland ) Lynch, natives of Ireland, the former of
whoijfi died in his native land and the latter of whom became a pioneer
settler in this part of Kansas and here spent her last days.
Edward Lynch was the son of Patrick and Alice (Grattan) Lynch and
was reared as a farmer in the old country. There he married Mary High-
land, who was born in 1825, daughter of Edward Highland and wife, also
natives of Ireland, and to that union six children were born, three of whom
are still living. Edward Lynch died in 1861 and ten years later, in 1871,
his widow and her four children came to this country and settled in St.
Bridget township, this county, where Edward Lynch's brother, Peter Lynch,
one of Marshall county's earliest settlers, had located some years before.
The Widow Lynch bought a tract of eighty acres of land near St. Bridget's
church and there established her home, she and her children developing the
farm and presently adding to the same by the purchase of an adjoining
eighty. There Mrs. Lynch spent her last days, one of the best-known pio-
neers of St. Bridget township, her death occurring in March, 1914.
Patrick Lynch was, but a lad when he came to this country with his
mother, and he grew to manhood on the home farm in St. Bridget town-
ship, an able and valuable assistant in the labors of developing and improv-
ing the same. He remained on the farm with his mother until his mar-
riage in 1886, after which he traded an eighty of the home farm for a
quarter section in section 1 1 of that same township and there established
his home ami has ever since made that his place of residence. Mr. Lynch
has done well in his farming operations and as he prospered added to his
land holdings until now he is the owner of a well-improved farm of five
hundred and forty acres, on which, in addition to his general farming, he
raises quite a bit of live stock, specializing in Hereford cattle and Duroc-
Jersey hogs. He has eighty acres of timber on his farm. Mr. Lynch is a
Democrat, but has not been a seeker after public office.
In the year 1886 Patrick Lynch was united in marriage to Anna
788 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Shaughnessy. daughter of Michael and Ellen (Ryan) Shaughnessy, natives
of Ireland and early settler- in St. Bridget township, further mention of
whom is made elsewhere in this volume, and to this union eight children
have been horn, namely: Ellen, who married S. Mauley, of the neighbor-
ing county of Nemaha; Edward, who is at home; Patrick, deceased; Mary,
who is now teaching school in Xemaha county: Emmet, at home: Frances,
deceased, and Anna and Lillis, at home. The Lynches are members of St.
Bridget's Catholic church and take a warm interest in parish affair-, as well
as in the general social affairs of their home community, helpful factors in
all local g 1 works.
• )Si \R XELSOX.
Sweden has given to Kansas many of her best representative men and
women, and among the number who have located in Cottage Hill town-
ship, Marshall county, who are recognized as among the prominent and suc-
cessful citizens of the county, is Oscar Nelson, who was born on August
19, 1867, in the southern part of Sweden and is the son of John E. and
Anna S. (Larson) Nelson.
John E. and Anna S. Xelson were also natives of Sweden, and there
received their education. Some years after their marriage and after two
of their children had been horn, they decided to seek a home in America.
John E. Xelson was horn on December 3, 1834. and when he was thirty-
four years of age, in 1868, he and his wife and two children came to the
United States. After a voyage of five weeks on a sailing vessel, the family
landed on the shores of the United States. Mr. Xelson lived in this county
until the time of his death on June 27. 1913. On their arrival in this country,
they came direct to Kansas and located at Waterville. He soon took a home-
stead Of one hundred and sixty acres in section 5. Cottage Hill township.
Marshall county. He had money enough to pay for his homestead right
and to buy a cow. The next spring he bought a team of horses and an
old breaking plow and at once began the task of getting his land ready for
the crops. He built a log house in which the family lived for some years and
where two of his children were horn. During the winter of [869, which
was one of the worst for -now in that section of the country, he worked
for the railroad company at shoveling snow from the tracks, working all
the way from Waterville to Atchison. In time the farm was thoroughly
developed and improved and here Mr. Xelson engaged in general farming
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 789
and stock raising with much success, and at the time of his death he was
the owner of two hundred acres of prime land. He and his wife were active
members of the Swedish Lutheran church, Mr. Nelson being one of the
organizers of the local church in the township and of the school in district
No. 44. Mrs. Nelson is now living with her son, Oscar, and enjoying her
remaining years on the old farm which she assisted in developing. Mr. and
Mrs. Nelson were the parents of the following children: two girls that died
in infancy in Sweden; Charles A., a dairyman at Moneta, California; Oscar;
one that died in infancy, after the family came to the United States, and
Victor, now deceased.
Oscar Nelson received his education in the schools of district No. 44,
Cottage Hill township, and one term in the high school at Waterville. He
was reared on the home farm and as a lad and young man assisted his father
with the development and operation of the place. He remained at home
until 1897, when he purchased his present farm. The place, now one of
the ideal farms of the township, was at that time unimproved and unde-
veloped. The splendid buildings, fine groves and well-cultivated field are all
the result of the hard work and good management of Mr. Nelson. As a
farmer and stockman he is recognized as one of the progressive and sub-
stantial ones of the county. He keeps a fine lot of cattle and hogs and his
crops are among the best grown in that section of the state. In 1916 he made
an exhibit of corn at the fair and received most favorable comment for its
excellent quality. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator Company
at Waterville and in the County Fair Association.
On December 29, 1897, Oscar Nelson was married to Hildor C. Daw,
the daughter of John and Caroline (Jacobs) Larson, natives of Sweden,
where they spent their lives. Mrs. Nelson was born on September 15, 1871,
in Sweden, where she lived until 1893. On coming to the United States she
located in Chicago, Illinois, where she lived until her marriage four years
later. To Mr. and Mrs. Nelson have been tern three children, Richard E.,
Edwin E. and one that died in infancy. Richard E. was born on January
16, 1899, and Edwin E. was born on December 2, 1904. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson
are members of the Lutheran church and are prominent in the social life
of the district.
Politically, Oscar Nelson is identified with the Republican party and
has always taken a keen interest in the affairs of the township and county.
In 1912 he was elected clerk of his township and in 1914 was re-elected for
a term of two years. For twenty years he served as clerk of the school
district and resigned that position in 1914. He has always been interested
790 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
in the schools of the township and is one of those progressive men who
believe in the best schools. To him good roads and good schools are two
of the essential elements in the growth and development of the community.
He remembered when the roads were but trails over the prairie, and his recol-
lection is vivid with reference to the many covered wagons wending their
way over the winding trails. The log house that his father built was made
from logs cut on Coon creek, one and one-half miles west of the old home-
stead. The lumber that was needed was obtained at the sawmill at Cleabourne
and required four days to make the trip, a distance of only eighteen miles.
There were no bridges over the streams and many times the water was too
high to ford. These conditions and the devastating prairie fires that often
raged in that section, made the life of the family for the first few years a
hard one.
ERXST W. ZIMMERLING.
Ernst W. Zimmerling, a well-known and prominent farmer of Frank-
lin township, Marshall county, was born in Germany on July 15, 1869, being
the son of Ernst F. and Caroline (Paul) Zimmerling. The parents were
also natives of Germany and there received their education and were mar-
ried, after which they continued to live in Germany for some years. The
father and mother had both been married before. Besides Ernst \\\, they
were the parents of nine other children, eight of whom are now living.
When the son. Ernst W., was six years of age the parents left their home
in Germany and came to the United States, locating on a farm in Marshall
county. Here the son was educated in the public schools and grew to
manhood on the home farm, where as a lad he assisted his father with the
farm work. He remained at home until he was twenty-six years of age, at
which time he was married and he and his wife established their home on a
farm that she then owned.
In 1916 Ernst W. Zimmerling purchased the home farm of one hun-
dred and sixty acres and is actively engaged in general farming and stock
raising. He is a thorough farmer and keeps the best class of stock and is
particularly interested in the breeding of Duroc-Jersey hogs and good cattle.
In addition to his duties on the farm, he has always taken an active interest in
the business life of the township and is now the efficient president of the
Citizens' State Bank at Home City, and is also interested as a shareholder
of the Marshall County Fair Association. Politically. Mr. Zimmerling is
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 79 1
associated with the Democratic party and is now treasurer of the Home City
school board and has served as township clerk for six years.
In 1896 Ernst W. Zimmerling was united in marriage to Louisa
Kramme. who was born in Illinois on May 9, 1870, and is the daughter of
Henry and Alvena (Brauch) Kramme, who were early settlers in the county.
On coming to Marshall county Mr. and Mrs. Kramme established their
home on a farm and became substantial and prominent residents of the dis-
trict and are held in the highest regard by all who know them.
To Ernst W- and Louisa Zimmerling have been born the following
children : Selma, Henry. Walter. Arnold and Zena, all of whom are at
home with their parents and are receiving their education in the schools of
the district. Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerling have a fine home and take the great-
est of pleasure in the education of their children and in the social and general
development of the community.
VENZEL KABRIEL.
One of the well-known of the younger men of Marshall county, who
has met with much success as a general farmer and stockman in St. Bridget
township, is Venzel Kabriel, who was born in Nemaha county, Kansas, on
February 3, 1878, being the son of Joseph and Frances (Holan) Kabriel,
who were natives of Austria.
Joseph Kabriel spent his early life in the land of his nativity and there
received his education in the schools of that country. In 1866, at the age of
seventeen years, he came to the United States. On, his arrival in this coun-
try, he located at Pittsburgh, where he was later married to Frances Holan,
who was born in 1847. After their marriage they continued to live in Pitts-
burgh and in October, 1877, they emigrated to Kansas and here they estab-
lished their home in Nemaha county. After some years of successful farm
life in that county, the family moved to Marshall county, where the father
lived until 1895, when he moved to his present home at Mina.
To Joseph and Frances Kabriel have been born the following children :
Frank, Anna, Emma, Mary, Edward, Venzel, Joseph and William. Frank
is a successful farmer living one and one-half miles west of Mina; Anna
Ness lives in the county, her husband being a well-known farmer; Emma
Harkins is a resident of Colorado ; Mary Burton is a resident of Marshall
county; Edward lives at Valley Falls, and Joseph is now deceased.
792 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Veuzel Kabriel received his education in the district schools of Nemaha
county and at Mina, Marshall county, and grew to manhood on the home
farm, where as a lad he assisted his father with the farm work. At the age
of twenty-one years he began to work for himself and for two years worked
for his father by the month. He then rented land in Marshall county and
there engaged in general farming for two years, when he then rented a
farm in .Morris county. Kansas, where he remained for two years. He then
purchased eighty acres of land in St. Bridget township, which he later sold
to his brother. At that time he bought his present farm of one hundred and
sixty acres. The railroad goes through the place and eighty acres of the
farm is in section 28 and eighty acres in section 33, of St. Bridget town-
ship. This place he has developed and improved with most substantial build-
ings, and in [916 completed his modern barn, thirty-eight by thirty-eight
feet. Here he is engaged in general farming and stock raising and is meet-
ing with much success.
On January 7. 11)03. Venzel Kabriel was united in marriage to Rosa
Brolyer, who was horn on June 27. 1N7N. and is the daughter of Henry and
Jennie Brolyer. To this union the following children have been born:
Vance, whose birth occurred on March 21, [904; Joseph, November 6. 1905:
Gladys, October 19, 1908, and Rosalee, August 2, 1910.
JOHN" W. STROM ER.
John W. Stromer, a well-known and prominent retired farmer of Home
City. Marshall county, was born in Adams county. Nebraska, on February
15, [876, being the son of Dirk and Johanna (Williams) Stromer.
Dirk and Johanna ( Williams) Stromer were born in Germany and there
received their education in the public schools and grew to maturity. The
father was born on October 13. i<v'4s. and the mother on April 25, 1846.
Dirk Stromer resided in the fatherland until he was nineteen years of age,
when he decided that he would seek a home in free America. After his
arrival in the United States he proceeded to Illinois, where he located at
Minonk, Woodford county. Illinois, where he worked in a coal mine for two
\ears. He then left the state of Illinois and located in Nebraska, where he
purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Adams county. This he
develo[>ed and improved and. here he engaged in general farming and stock
raising, with much success until 1909. when he retired from the active duties
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 793
of farm life and moved to Hastings, Nebraska, where he died on October 24,
1914. He accumulated enough to give his eight children each one hundred
and sixty acres of land.
In Illinois, Dirk Stromer was united in marriage to Johanna Williams,
who with her sisters and brothers left their home in Germany and located in
the northern part of that state. For some years after their marriage, Mr.
and Mrs. Stromer lived in Illinois, when they removed to Nebraska and there
established themselves on a farm. Mrs. Stromer is now living at Hastings,
where she has a beautiful home and is the owner of five hundred and twenty
acres of splendid land. Mr. and Mrs. Stromer were from early childhood
members of the Lutheran church, and Mrs. Stromer was one of the promin-
ent communicants in the church of her younger life. She died on October 4,
1916.
John W. Stromer received his education in the common schools of
Nebraska and there grew to manhood on the home farm, where as a lad and
young man he assisted with the farm work soon becoming impressed with
the independent life of the tiller of the soil. He remained at home until
1897, when he decided to come to Kansas, where he located in Marshall
county and for a time worked as a farm hand for his future father-in-law,
William Arnast. He later rented land and engaged in general farming and
stock raising for himself. On his marriage on May 6, 1897, to Emma M.
Arnast, who was born in Franklin township, Marshall county, on March
20, 1877, and the daughter of William and Wilhelmena (Messall) Arnast,
he and his wife became the heirs of two hundred and forty acres of splendid
land.
William Arnast was twice married. His first wife was Elizabeth
Mateba, and to this union two children were born, William and Albert. By
his second wife, Wilhelmena (Messall) Arnast four children were born as
follow: Mrs. Endrulat, a widow of Marysville, Kansas; Louis and Lucy,
twins, are now deceased, and Emma M., the wife of John W. Stromer. Mr.
Arnast was born in Germany on February 28, 1837, and was there educated
in the public schools and there he resided until he was twenty-eight years of
age, when he came to the United States. As a young man in his native
country he served in the army and saw some active service. On his arrival
in the United States he at once came to Kansas and located in Marshall
county. In 1868 he purchased land in section 28, Franklin township, and at
once built a cabin, in which all his children were born. This farm he devel-
oped and improved and he engaged in general farming and stock raising with
success, until the time of his death in 1907. His wife, Wilhelmena (Messall)
794 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Arnast was born in Germany on March 25, 1850, and there received her edu-
cation in the public schools and resided until she was seventeen years of age,
when she came to the United States and settled in Wisconsin, where she was
later married. Her death occurred on March 4, 1916. Mr. and Mrs.
Arnast were active members of the German Lutheran church and were among
the organizers of the church in the township in which they lived.
William Arnast was a man of much ability and met with much success
in his chosen work. At the time of his death he was the owner of six hun-
dred and eighty acres of the best land, all of which was under the highest
state of cultivation and well improved. When he first located on his pioneer
farm, which was at that time a wild prairie, he broke the tough sod and pre-
pared the soil for planting with a yoke of oxen. The nearest place where
he could get groceries for the family use was at Atchison, and he had to go
to Beatrice, Nebraska, to do his milling. On the road home with his
groceries and flour he was often met by a band of Indians, with whom he
had to share his provisions. During his early life on the plains, he and his
family experienced many of the hardships of pioneer life. The breaking of
the soil, the life in the rude cabin and the destruction of the crops by the
grasshoppers were among the many tribulations that they had to encounter.
To John and Emma M. Stromer have been born two children, Minnie,
whose birth occurred on January 26, 1903, and Edna, who was born on
August 4, 1906. They are active members of the German Lutheran church
and have long been identified with the moral and social development of the
township in which they have lived for so many years, and where they are
held in the highest regard. Mr. and Mrs. Stromer have spent active lives
and they have accomplished much that is worthy of emulation. They retired
from the more active duties of life in 1914, but still maintain their residence
on the home farm.
RICHARD If. HAWKINS.
Richard II. Hawkins, a substantial farmer of (enter township, this
county, was born on the farm he now owns and on which he is living and
has lived there all his life. He was born on April _>_>, 1877. son of Thomas
and Jane (Jackson) Hawkins, both natives of Ireland, who came to Kansas
after their marriage in New York state and became pioneers of Marshall
county, being among the very first settlers of Center township.
Thomas Hawkins was born in Ireland on January 6, 1846, son of Rich-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 795
ard Francis Hawkins and wife, farming people, both natives of the Emerald
Isle who spfent all their lives, there, the former dying in 1850 at the age of
fifty years When twenty-one years of age. in 1867. Thomas Hawkins came
to the United States, stopping in New York and later taking a trip to Canada
He then returned to New York, where, in the spring of ,870 he married and
he and his bride straightway came out to Kansas and settled m Marshall
county Upon his arrival here Mr. Hawkins homesteaded a tract of eighty
acres in section 8 of Center township, and there established his home. He
put up a small frame house, sixteen by twenty-two feet, and dug the first
well put down in that township. He broke up his land with oxen and pres-
ently had his farm under cultivation. As he prospered he added adjoining
land and became the owner of a well-kept farm of one hundred and sixty
acres He set out a grove of cottonwood trees, transplanting slips he gath-
ered along the banks of the Blue river, and in due time had a good looking
farm In common with other early settlers he suffered discouraging losses
during the time of the grasshopper visitation, but "stuck it out" and in time
succeeded becoming accounted one of the substantial pioneers of that sec-
tion of the county. Both Mr. Hawkins and his wife had been reared in the
faith of the Episcopal church and helped to organize a church of that denom-
ination in Center township and Mr. Hawkins set in place the first stone that
went into the foundation of the church. His early wheat crops were hauled
to the Hutchinson mill at Marysville, where he received twenty-five cents a
bushel for the same. He hauled his fuel from Blue Rapids, paying from one
dollar to one dollar and fifty cents a cord for the same.
On' April 18, 1870, in New York State. Thomas Hawkins was united
in marriage to Jane Jackson, who also was born in Ireland, September 13,
1835, daughter of Henry and Amelia (Hawkins) Jackson, natives of Ire-
land' Mrs. Hawkins left her native land in 1859, going to Canada and later
to New York, where she was married. To that union four children were
born those besides the subject of this sketch being as follow: Amelia, who
married George Brown, a farmer, of Franklin township, this county, and has
four children; Mary E., who married W. D. Miller, of Marysville, and has
five children, and Rebecca F., who married Edward Hawkins, of Franklin
township, to which union three children were born, one of whom is now dead.
Richard H. Hawkins grew to manhood on the pioneer farm on which
he was born and has lived there all his life. In his boyhood and young man-
hood he was an able assistant to his father in the labors of developing and
improving the home place and is now farming the same, a well-developed
796 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
tract of three hundred and twenty acres on which lie is doing very well. Mr.
Hawkins is independent in his political views. He is a member of the
Episcopal church and takes a proper interest in church work. Fraternally,
he is affiliated with the local lodge of the Ancient Order of United Workmen
and take- a warm interest in the affairs of the same.
WILLIAM E. SMITH.
William E. Smith, one of the progressive and well-known farmers and
stockmen of Balderson township. Marshall county, was horn in Creston,
Ogle county. Illinois, on June 22, 1863. l>eing the son of Thomson and Rebecca
(Rovve) Smith.
Thomson Smith was a native of London. Canada, where he was born
on November jo. 1836, and was the son of Thomas Smith, who was born
in Yorkshire, England. Rebecca (Rowe) Smith was born on November
7. 1836, in Devonshire, England, being the daughter of John H. Rowe
and wife, who were also natives of that country. Mr. and Mrs. Rowe
received their education in the best English schools and continued to live
in that country for some years after their marriage, when they decided to
come to America. On their arrival in this country, they remained for a time
in the state of Xew York and later emigrated to Illinois, where they established
their home on a farm, where they lived and engaged in general farming
for many years. They were ever loyal to their adopted country, and took
much interest in the general social and physical development of the district
in which they lived, and where they were held in high regard.
Thomson Smith received his education in the schools of Canada and
there grew to manhood, having spent his early life on a farm in that country.
\> a young man he came to Illinois. I lis father became a well-known farmer
in this state and a successful breeder of Shorthorn cattle. While a resident
of Ogle county, Illinois. Thomson Smith was united in marriage on January
3, 1 Son. to Rebecca Rowe. After their marriage they continued to reside in
the state until 1876. when they moved to Cedar county, Iowa. There he con-
tinued his work as a farmer and a breeder of stock, in which he had met
with much success in Illinois. The family remained in Iowa for rive years
and in 1881 they came to Kansas, locating in section 21, Balderson township.
Marshall county. Here he obtained a fine farm, on which he erected a
beautiful house and some good and substantial barns and other outbuildings.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 797
He continued' his work as a farmer and breeder of Shorthorn cattle until
his death on May n, 1916. He was a well-known member of the Masonic
order, and a man who took the deepest interest in all local affairs and did
much for the development of the district in which he lived. William E.
Smith lives east of Oketo, on his farm and is one of the men who have had
much to do with the introduction of the Shorthorn cattle into Marshall
county, and has shipped many of these fine animals out of the state of
Kansas.
Thomson and Rebecca Smith were the parents of the following children :
Ezra, William E., Ella J., Walter J., Minnie and Nellie. Ezra is a success-
ful farmer in section 16, Balderson township; Ella J. is the wife of Clarence
White and they are residents of Marysville; Walter J. is a resident of
Esbon. Kansas; Minnie R. is at home and Nellie Potter is a resident of
Balderson township, where her husband was engaged as a successful farmer
and stockman. He died in 19 16.
William E. Smith received his education in the public schools of Illi-
nois, Iowa and Kansas. He was but a lad when he came to Kansas and
here he spent the first few years of his life on the home farm. For five
years after his marriage he lived in section 21 Balderson township, Marshall
county, and was there engaged in general farming and stock raising until
1894, when he moved to his present location.
On December 19, 1888, William E. Smith was united in marriage to
Effie M. Delair, who was born on November 29, 1869, in Oketo township,
Marshall county. She was the daughter of Edmund and Dilena (King)
Delair, the former born on April 11, 1829, and died on July 13, 1893, and
the latter was born in 1830 and died on June 6, 1886. As a young man
Edmund Delair enlisted in Company K, Ninety-second Regiment, Illinois
Volunteer Infantry and served his country in the Civil War in a most accept-
able way. He saw much active service and demonstrated his ability as a
soldier of force and ability. Both Mr. and Mrs. Delair were active in the
moral and social life of the community in which they lived and where they
were held in the highest regard and esteem by all who knew them. Edmund
Delair was born in Canada and Mrs. Delair was a native of the state of New
York. They received their education in the schools of their respective locali-
ties and later located in the state of Illinois, where they were married and
where they lived until 1868. when they came to Kansas. Here they estab-
lished their home on a farm in section 13 Oketo township, Marshall county,
which they later developed and improved. Mr. and Mrs. Delair were actively
engaged in general farming and stock raising until the time of their deaths.
79& MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
During their residence in the county they were active in all the enterprises
that would tend to the hetter growth and development of the district. As a
general farmer and stockman. Mr. Delair was recognized as one of the
successful ones of the township. He took much interest in local affairs and
became well known throughout the count}-. Mr. and Mrs. Delair were
the parents of the following children: Oscar, a resident of Oketo; Ida Smith,
a resident of Idaho where her husband is a farmer; Dora Patterson and
her husband are living in the state of Washington ; Etta Tatman and her
husband are residents of Kansas, and Hffie M. is the wife of William E.
Smith.
To William and Effie Smith have been born the following children :
.Myrtle D. Taylor, who lives one mile south and three miles east of Home
City, where they are living on a farm ; Howard J. and Ellwood Earl are at
home and Marvel M. died on November 5, 191 1. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have
always taken an active interest in all the affairs of the township that would
tend to the uplift of the community in which they live, and where thev are
held in the highest regard and esteem. They are the owners of one of the
best farms in the township, located in section 16, Balderson township. The
house, a most substantia] structure, is located on a hillside and presents a
pleasing view from the road. The barn, thirty by forty feet, with its sheds,
one of which is nineteen by forty feet and the other fourteen by forty feet,
is among the substantial farm structures in the township. Mr. Smith is
one of the mosl successful general farmers and stockmen in the community,
and is particularly interested in the breeding and raising of Shorthorn cattle
and Poland China hogs.
Politically, Mr. Smith is identified with the Republican party and has
always taken much interest in local affairs. After having served two terms
as trustee of his township, he was again elected against his wishes in Novem-
ber, 1916, for another term. He is a member of the Masonic order and he
and his wife are active members of the Christian church. In addition to his
membership in the Masonic order and the church. Mr. Smith is also a mem-
ber of the Modern Woodmen of America and of the Knights and Ladies of
Security, in all of which he takes a most active interest and in which he IS
one of the prominent workers.
Mr. Smith has always taken an active interest in the moral and educa-
tional development of the community and has long been one of the strongest
advocates of the better country school, believing that in the common schools
of tin- township and the county rests the future of the district. Bv his efforts
in conjunct inn with others in the community, the standard of the schools has
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 799
been raised to their present high standard of efficiency. He is president of
the Farmers* Co-operative Store at Oketo and assisted in the organization
of Farmers Elevator Company and is a member of the Fair Association.
By his activity and interest in all these undertakings, they have met with
much success arid are among the permanent organizations of the county.
Mr. Smith is recognized by the residents of the county as one of the most
progressive and influential men in the district.
JOHN GUSTAVE NELSON.
Among the many successful and well-to-do farmers and stockmen of
Cottage Hill township, it is well to mention John Gustave Nelson, who was
born in Sweden on February 14, 1863, and is the son of Nels Payson and
wife, who were highly respected residents of their home community, where
they spent their lives, the father dying in 1914.
John Gustave Nelson received his education in the public schools of
Sweden and there he grew to manhood on the farm. On March 1, 1889. he
was united in marriage to Eva Caroline Nelson, who was born on October
27, i86i, and was educated in the schools of Sweden. In May, 1889, Mr.
and Mrs. Nelson left the land of their nativity and sailed for the United
States and later reached Wiriklers Mill. Kansas, on June 12, 1889. When
they arrived at their destination, Mr. Nelson had but five dollars in cash, and
at once engaged as a farm hand, at which work he continued for three years.
He then rented the Alexander Johnson farm, which he operated for ten
years, after which he purchased his present farm in Cottage Hill township.
Marshall county, in 1902. His original farm consisted of one hundred and
sixty acres, to which he has since added two hundred and fortv acres, mak-
ing him a splendid farm of four hundred acres, all of which is under a high
state of cultivation and well improved, and is today worth at least sixty-five
dollars per acre. He has improved the place with substantial buildings, and
the house has been enlarged and modernized. His cow barn, twenty-four
by fifty-four feet, which is mostly stone, is one of the excellent structures of
the kind in the county. He has a fine horse barn of cement and stone, thirty-
six by thirty- four feet; the poultry house and garage are of stone and are
substantial structures. In fact, he has on the place a small village of good
and well-built structures, the stone being quarried from the place. The farm
is most attractive, and the buildings as well as the different divisions of the
8<X> MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
tract are all arranged in a mosl attractive manner, and is recognized as one
of the desirable farm hemes in the district. Mr. Nelson is engaged in gen-
eral farming and stock raising with the greatest success, and he is considered
one of the most substantial men of the county.
I'm John Gustave and Eva (aniline Nelson have been born the follow-
ing children, Flattie, who lives in Kansas City: Hugo, of Wyoming; Harold,
William. Elmer, Alice. Ruby, Lillie and Carl, who are at home. Mr. and
Mrs. Nelson are active workers for the general and social development of
the community and are held in the highest regard and esteem. Mr. Nelson
is identified with the Republican party and has always taken much interest
in the local affairs of the township, and i> considered oik- of the progressive
and influential men of the countv.
PATRICK W. CAIX.
Patrick \Y. Cain, one of the best-known, progressive and substantial
farmers and stockmen of Franklin township and the proprietor of a fine
farm of two hundred and forty acres on rural route Xo. i out of Beattie. is
a native son of Kansas and has lived in this state all his life, a continuous
resident of .Marshall county since the days of his early childhood, and has
thus been a witness to and a participant in the development of this region
since pioneer days. He well remembers many of the trying incidents of
those pioneer days and believes that the historian will pay proper tribute t"
these hardy men and women who persevered in establishing homes in Mar-
shall county and in extending the lines of civilization in those early days and
will refer to them as the Kansas "heroes of peace." Mr. Cain was horn at
Atchison, this state. October 6, 1862, son of Edward and Johanna (Fitz-
Gerald) Cain, natives of Ireland, who became pioneers of Marshall county
and here spent their last days, honored and respected residents of the com-
munity in the development of which they proved potent factors.
Edward Cain was horn in County Meath. Ireland, in [826, and there
grew t" manhood. At the age of twenty-six years he came to the United
States and settled in Massachusetts, where he remained for five years and
where he became a citizen of the United States. In 1857 he came West
and remained in Illinois until the spring of [858, when he came to Kansas,
locating at Leavenworth, whence, the next year, in 1859, he came up into
Marshall county and pre-empted a quarter of a section of land in section 17,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 8oi
township 2 south, range 9 east, later organized as Guittard township, and
thus became one of the earliest landholders of Marshall county. At Atchison,
in 1 861, he married and during the Civil War was engaged in the govern-
ment employ in the steamboat service between St. Joseph and Kansas City.
Mr. Cain had learned the hard lessons of economy in his native land and
while steamboating saved his wages for the purpose of improving his farm
in Marshall county. In August, 1865, he came to this county with his family
and established his permanent home on his claim, building a log house on the
place and working early and late to bring the farm under cultivation and
improve it according to the high standard he had set.
Fate was kind to Edward Cain in his new home on what then was the
frontier of civilization in the West and he prospered, his brave heart and
willing hands standing the test. Times became better and he enjoyed a large
measure of success as a farmer and stockman, in due time coming to own
four hundred and forty acres of excellent land in this county. In 1892 he
built a fine frame house and then, apparently, when his life's dreams became
realities, his busy life came to a close, April 20, 1894, on the old homestead,
where he had baffled the terrors of pioneers days and had won. Mr. Cain
was a Democrat and was always public spirited. He assisted in the organ-
ization of Guittard township and in the organization of school district No.
29. the school house in that district having been built on his farm. He was
closely identified with the activities of the Catholic church in that neighbor-
hood and saw the parish grow from its original number of eight families to
fifty families.
On December 22, 1861, at Atchison, this state, Edward Cain was united
in marriage to Johanna FitzGerald, who was born in County Limerick, Ire-
land, in 1832, and who came to the United States in 1851, locating at Balti-
more, Maryland, where she remained six years. She then spent two years
in Chicago and then, in 1858, came to Kansas, locating at Atchison, where
she met and married Edward Cain, and to that union were born four sons
and one daughter, of whom the subject of this sketch was the first-born, the
others being as follow : James H., who married Mary A. Cook and resides
at Beattie, where he is engaged in the live-stock business; Mary E., who mar-
ried Henry G. Frisch and lives near Billings, Oklahoma; John F., a railroad
conductor, who married Mary A. Scanlon and resides at Lincoln, Nebraska,
and Peter S., a farmer and stockman, who married Kathryn J. Scanlon and
resides on the old Cain homestead just north of Beattie. Mrs. Johanna Cain
was of a retiring disposition, vet kind and generous to her neighbors. The
(50
802 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.'
hand of time rested lightly on her and she lived to see her grandchildren to
the number of seventeen. Having assumed the cares and performed the
labors of pioneer life in Marshall county, and having done her duty as she
saw it, it may well be said that Mrs. Cain did her full share of the world's
work. On November 12, 191 1, at the old homestead, the scene of her cares
and labors for well nigh fifty years, she died at the ripe old age of eighty
years.
Patrick W. Cain was not yet three years of age when his parents set-
tled in Marshall county in August, 1865, and he grew to manhood on the
homestead farm in Guittard township. His first school days were spent in
the little old log school house located on his father's farm. When the school-
house site was changed to Beattie and the stone school house was erected
there, he attended school in the village and acquired a common-school edu-
cation. Being the eldest son, he was from the days of his boyhood an invalu-
able aid to his father in the labors of developing and improving the home
place. Tn the spring of 1894 he was married and he and his wife made their
home on a farm live miles northeast of Beattie. In the autumn of [899 Mr.
and Mrs. Cain jointly purchased a farm of two hundred and forty acres in
section 1 of Franklin township and in the spring of 1900 moved to their new
home. On October 1 of that same year, rural free-delivery route No. 1, out
of Beattie, was established, bringing the daily mail almost to their door, and
the telephone followed in (|uick succession; and in 1905 a new frame house,
with some of the modern conveniences, added another chapter to the develop-
ment of home life on the Cain farm. Mr. Cain has given much thought to
farm problems and, owing to the uncertainty of grain crops, and as a factor
in the upkeep of soil fertility, advocates the keeping of cattle on the farm,
and usually twenty-five or thirty head are kept on the Cain farm. In the
autumn of 1915 Mr. Cain and his son, Daniel, bought four head of registered
Shorthorns as foundation stock for a Shorthorn herd.
On April 3, 1X1)4, the ceremony taking place in the Catholic church at
Center, near Garrison, Nebraska, Patrick VV. Cain was united in marriage to
Mary A. Schaaf, of that place, who was born at Iowa City. Iowa, January 3,
1866. daughter of George and Anna ( Deckert ) Schaaf. natives of Europe, the
former horn in Alsace and the latter in the kingdom of Bavaria, both now
deceased. George Schaaf was horn in Lower Alsace, France, February -'4,
1833, and came to America in [851, lauding at Philadelphia, where he lived
for fourteen years and where he became a citizen of the United States. In
1858, at Philadlphia, he married Anna Deckert, who was horn in Bavaria, Ger-
inany, in 1X35, ami who came to America in 1842, with her parents, locating
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 803
at Philadelphia, where she lived for twenty-one years and where she met and
married Mr. Schaaf. George Schaaf remained at Philadelphia until 1863,
when he came West with his family and settled at Iowa City, Iowa. Two
years later they moved to the vicinity of South Liberty, that same state, where
Mr. Schaaf bought a quarter of a section of land and where he engaged in
farming and stock raising. Some years later he bought a tract of five hundred
and sixty acres of railroad land in the vicinity of Garrison, Nebraska, and in
1884 removed with his family to that place and established his home, becoming
a substantial farmer and stockman. George Schaaf was a man ©f fine char-
acter and of excellent business judgment. Possessed of that quality of
genius which has been defined as "a capacity for hard work," success crowned
his efforts and from time to time he purchased more land near Garrison,
until he became the owner of eight hundred acres. George Schaaf was one
of the leading factors in the Catholic church in his home parish at Center.
Politically, he was a Democrat and ever took a good citizen's part in the
public affairs of his home community. He died at his home near Garrison
on January 5, 1905, and it was afterward said of him that "The young man
who contemplates entering 'the university of hard knocks,' and who aspires
to become a good and useful citizen, will find much inspiration in the life of
George Schaaf."
To George and Anna (Deckert) Schaaf were born five children, three
sons and two daughters, of whom Mrs. Cain wras the second in order of birth,
the others being as follow: George J., who died on November 6, 1892, at
the age of twenty-nine years; Frank E., who married Gertrude McDunn and
now resides at Lincoln, Nebraska, where he is engaged in the real-estate
business; Anna G., who married August Bauermeister and resides at McLean,
Saskatchewan, Canada, and Albert J., who married Rose Vanderheiden and
resides at Columbus, Nebraska. Mrs. Anna Schaaf, the mother of these
children, survived her husband more than five years and her last days were
spent in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Bauermeister, at McLean, Saskatche-
wan, where her death occurred on May 22, 191 1, at the ripe old age of
seventy-five years. Mrs. Schaaf was of genial disposition and was devoted
to her home and family. She was a woman of tact and good judgment and
rendered valuable assistance to her husband in his business affairs. She lived
to see her grandchildren to the number of fourteen.
To Patrick W. and Mary A. (Schaaf) Cain seven children have been
born, three sons and four daughters, namely : Anna Eveline, one of Mar-
shall county's successful school teachers; Daniel O'Connell, who was gradu-
ated from the Beattie high school and is now ably assisting his father in the
804 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
management of the farm, giving particular attention to the live stock; Eleanor
Marie, Gertrude Rose and Thomas Jefferson, who are afflicted with defective
hearing and are attending the Ephpheta School for the Deaf in Chicago;
Genevieve, who died in infancy and Vincent LaFayette, who died in his
eleventh year. Mrs. Cain is a splendid type of the home-loving woman and
she and her husband have worked hard that their children might receive a
good education and enjoy some of the advantages of life in this generation.
Yet. things have not always come their way. True, there were good days —
days when fate seemed very kind, when, in a measure, "love's young dream"
came true, but there were dark days, too; notably, July 23, 1913 — a day
never to be forgotten — when their son, Vincent LaFayette Cain, a bright and
most lovable child of ten years, died of diphtheria.
In politics, Mr. Cain is a Democrat and, while never seeking political
honors, is a close student of political questions. He holds that every Amer-
ican carries the grave responsibility of doing his own thinking and that the
citizen can best serve his country politically by heeding Washington's solemn
warning with respect to the baneful effects of the spirit of party. Mr. Cain
has a fine library and is enthusiastic on the subject of intellectual growth.
He believes that every American should read and think and grow with the
vears. He also believes that there is no better way of improving the odds
and ends of time than by reading good books, and considers it a rare treat to
commune with the world's great minds. Mr. Cain believes that fraternal
organizations are among the necessities of modern economic society and he
i- a member of the Modern Woodmen of Amercia, of the Knights of Colum-
bus and of the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association, in the affairs of all of
which orders he takes a warm interest.
TOSKIMI KRASNY.
One of the well-known residents and successful farmers and stockmen
of Cottage Hill township, also proprietor of the "Willow Springs Jersey
barm." is Joseph Krasny, who was born in Bohemia, on March 4, 1872, being
the son of Frick and Frances Krasny. both of whom were natives of that
country, the former of whom died in bis native land. After the death of the
husband and father, the mother with her three sons. Joseph, Emil and Gabriel
and a daughter, Mary, left Bohemia and came to the United States. On
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
8o =
their arrival in this country they located in the city of Omaha, and there
Joseph Krasny, the subject of this sketch, lived for sixteen years.
During his life in the city of Omaha. Air. Krasny was engaged as a
baker, and was for a time engaged in the large hotels of Omaha and Sioux
City. He was then with Fred Harvey, in the hotel business and spent two
years in Los Vegas, Xew Mexico, after which he spent some time in Cali-
fornia. Some time later he went to Nebraska and then returned to Sioux
City. He did much traveling and was over much of the western territory
of the United States. After having spent much of his early life in. roaming
about, Mr. Krasny decided that he would engage in general farming and
stock raising.
Joseph Krasny was united in marriage to Rosa Xemechek on October
17, 180.9. at Humbolt. Nebraska. Mrs. Krasny was born in Richardson
county, Nebraska, in 1884, and is the daughter of Frank and Kate Nemechek,
both of whom were natives of Bohemia. The parents were educated in the
land of their nativity and there they grew to maturity. On coming to the
United States they located in Nebraska, where the father engaged in general
farming and stock raising with much success. His death occurred in 1915
and the mother is now living on the home place at the age of sixty-six years.
To Joseph and Rosa Krasny have been born the following children :
Joseph E.. Jr., Minnie, Lillian, Elsie, Rudolph, Jessie and Edwin. The
children are all at home and Lillian and Elsie are twins. Mr. and Mrs.
Krasny are highly respected people in the community and are prominent in
the social life of the district. Mr. Krasny is a strong advocate of the
principles of the Socialist party.
In 1902 Mr. Krasny purchased his present farm in Cottage Hill town-
ship, and is now the owner of two hundred and eighty acres of splendid
land, all of which is under a high state of cultivation and nicely improved.
His large dairy barn is one of the best in the township and in 191 1 he built
his silo, sixteen by thirty-four feet, and in 1914 he built the second silo,
sixteen by twenty-eight feet. He now has a fine herd of sixty-two registered
Jersey cattle. He has now been in the breeding and dairy business for
three years and has met with much success. The herd that he purchased
from Chester Thomas is one of the finest in the county, and his herd leader,
"Fern's Lad's Lost Time No. 95562." is a fine specimen of this breed of
cattle. Mr. Krasny is a member of the Southwestern Jersey Breeders Asso-
ciation and of the American Jersey Cattle Club. He lately exhibited his
animals at the Blue Rapids County Stock Show and carried away sweepstakes
and thirty dollars in premiums. Since that time his reputation as a breeder
806 MARSHALL COUNTY; KANSAS.
and raiser of fine stock lias become known throughout the district. He
sells many animals to those who are good judges of the better class of
cattle, and the products of his dairy are shipped to Concordia, where they
are always recognized as standard. During the year 1015 he sold over
twelve hundred dollars worth of cream, in addition to over five hundred
dollars worth of male Jerseys. The feed for this magnificent herd is all
raised on the farm, with the exception of the cotton seed meal.
Mrs. Krasiiv is a great fancier of White Leghorn chickens and has
sume of the finest in the state, and during the past year she sold over seven
hundred and fifty dollars worth of eggs and chickens.
AXDRPW IIIRT.
Andrew llirt. one of the well-known and successful farmers of Cottage
Hill township, Marshall county, was born in the state of Pennsylvania on
April 3, [856, being the son of Joseph ami Isahelle (Turnbaugh) Hirt,
natives of Germany and Pennsylvania, respectively.
Joseph Hirt was born in 1826 and was educated in the public schools
of Germany and grew to manhood. In 1N40. in order to escape military
service, he came to the United States and located in Pennsylvania, and later
did good service in the Civil War. Mrs. llirt was horn in [834 and spent
her life in the state of her birth, where she died in K)i6; her husband died
in 1904. They were the parents of ten children, nine of whom are now
living.
Andrew llirt was the only one of the family to come to Kansas; he
located here on a farm in February. 1886. On July 30, 1882, he was united
in marriage to Annie Laura Rice, who was born on December 19, 1802. in
Pennsylvania, and is* the daughter of George T. and Kate Rice, both of
whom are natives of Pennsylvania and were members of old established
families, who had located in the state five generations before their birth.
The first member of the Pice family to locate in the state was Zachariah,
who came from Germany early in the eighteenth century. He was the
father of twenty-one children and had one hundred and fifty-six grand-
children. Members of the family took an active part in the Revolutionary
War. as well as the War of 1812 and the Civil War. George I. anil Kate
Rice were the parents of nine children, three of whom came to Kansas, as
follow: Anna Hirt. of Cottage Hill township. Marshall county; Alberta
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 807
Arganbright and Milo M. Rice, both of whom are also living in Cottage
Hill township.
To Andrew and Annie Hirt have been born the following children :
Minnie Alice, who was born on January 29, 1884, and is the wife of LeRoy
Rodocker and is the mother of two children, Leila and Dorotha; George
Joseph was born on December 15, 1889, and died on February 14, 1894,
and Charles Everett, who was born on January 26, 1895, and is now at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Hirt are active members of the Lutheran church and are prom-
inent members of the community.
When Mr. and Mrs. Hirt first came to Kansas they located in Cottage
Hill township, Marshall county, and there rented land of Jackson Thomas,
for seven vears. They then purchased eighty acres of land two miles east
of Cottage Hill. This farm they developed and improved and there they
made their home for eight years, when Mr. Hirt traded the farm on his
present home place of one hundred and sixty acres. This place he has devel-
oped and improved with splendid buildings and today has one of the best
farms in the township.
J. M. MODEN.
Of the native-born Swedes who came to America and engaged in gen-
eral farming and stock-raising with much success, in Cottage Hill township,
Marshall county, was J. M. Moden, now deceased, who was born on Octo-
ber 4, 1857, and died on December 29, 1915. Mr. Moden spent his early
life in the land of his birth and when twelve years of age came with his par-
ents, John and Anna Moden, to this country. On their arrival in the United
States the family located at Laporte, Indiana, where they remained for three
years, after which they came to Kansas and here established their home on
a farm southeast of YVaterville. Here J. M. Moden grew to manhood on
the home farm, and there his parents died some years ago.
On Februarv 28, 1883, J. M. Moden was united in marriage to Amanda
Nelson, who was born in Sweden on October 15. 1861, being the daughter
of Daniel and Gustave Nelson. Her parents were also natives of that
country and there they resided until 1868, at which time the father came to
America and located in Riley county, Kansas, while the mother and the chil-
dren did not join him in the new land until 1880. The parents then lived
on the home farm until the time of their deaths, the father dying in 1895 and
the mother in 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Moden were the parents of the following
808 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
children: Frank, Clarence, Lillie and .Melinda, all of whom are at home,
and Laura Anderson, now a resident of Riley county.
At the time J. M. and Amanda Moden were married they moved to their
present farm, which at that time consisted of one hundred and sixty acres of
wild prairie, with not a tree or a shrub growing on it. This original farm
was later developed and at the time of the death of the husband and father,
they were the owners of f"iir hundred and forty acres of prime land, which
had been placed under the highest state of cultivation and improved with the
best buildings. 'The house, a beautiful structure, is a model and modern
home: the barns and other outbuildings are among the substantial structures
of the township. It was only by hard work and economy that Mr. and Mrs.
Moden made their work a success, for when they hegan their married life
they were without funds and had no one to assist them. Xot alone did they
work for themselves, hut for the growth and betterment of the community
in which they lived and where they were ever held in the highest regard.
Mrs. Moden now has the old home, just across the line in Riley county, and
one hundred and sixty acres of the estate. She and Mr. Moden were reared
in the faith of the Swedish Lutheran church: they were active in all church
work and were prominent members of the community. Mr. Moden was
not an office seeker, hut took the greatest interest in the affairs of the town-
ship and the county.
FRANK THOMSON.
Irving. Marshall county, and one of the beautiful and progressive little
cities of the state, has some splendid stores and business industries, among
the number being the one owned and operated by Frank Thomson, who was
horn in Brooklyn, New York, on October to, [861, and is the son of John
and Margaret Thomsi m.
John and Margaret Thomson were natives of Edinburgh, Scotland, and
were educated in the schools of that country. John Thomson became a
soldier in the P.ritish army and was stationed in the fort at Quehec. Canada.
He later came to the United States and located at Brooklyn, New York,
where he worked at his trade as a printer. In [870 he and his family came
to Kansas and established a home in Irving, lie established the Irving
Gazette, which he published for five years; he died in the year 1880. His
wife, who was horn in 1831, is now living with her son. John and Margaret
Thomson were the parent-, of ten children, eight of whom grew to maturity:
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 809
John, Bessie, Frank, Hugh, Margaret, Jean, Grace and Alice. John is a
resident of San Antonio, Texas; Bessie is the wife of Thomas J. Moxley, of
Blue Rapids, Kansas, now deceased ; Hugh is a merchant of Irving ; [Mar-
garet Filley is also a resident of Irving ; Jean Mover is now deceased and
Alice Lhotak is also deceased.
Margaret Thomson, the mother, is truly a pioneer, having come to
Canada almost eighty years ago, when that county was a wilderness and later
coming to Kansas, when every cow path was a road and one could travel
anywhere and everywhere without let or hindrance. She has voyaged across
the Atlantic ocean three times and in her seventy-seventh year made a trip
to California alone. Now in her eighty-sixth year, in full possession of all
her faculties, she is enjoying the fruits of a well-spent life, surrounded by
her children and grandchildren, who pay her homage.
Frank Thomson received his education in the schools of Irving and as
a lad began work in the store of E. Peterson, a well-known merchant of that
city. He remained in that store until 1892, when he began business for him-
self, and is today one of the successful and substantial merchants of the
town. He is most progressive and. by business-like and honest methods, he
has won the confidence of the people of his community, where he is held in
high regard.
In 1889 Frank Thomson was united in marriage to Minnie E. Wood-
man, of Oketo, Kansas, and the daughter of W. D. Woodman and wife, who
now reside at Vermillion. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomson have been born three
children, John W., Reginald G. and Mildred E. John W. is a graduate of
the home schools and of the University of Kansas and is now the efficient
principal of the high school at Kensington, Smith county, Kansas ; Reginald
G. is a student in Baker University and will complete the course of study
in the class of 1917 and Mildred F. will graduate from the Battle Creek,
Michigan, Normal School of Physical Education in 1917. Mrs. Thomson
and the children are members of the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Thomson
is a regular attendant and a liberal supporter of the local church. The
family have long been active in the social and educational life of the city,
where they are so well known and where they are held in much esteem. Mr.
and Mrs. Thomson, who have lived in the county for so many vears, have
seen many changes in all lines of development. In 1870 when Mr. Thomson
came to Irving with his parents, there was then little that would indicate a
prospect of the present progressive and thriving little city. The wild prairies
and the wooded tracts that surrounded the little town, have been transformed
into well-cultivated fields and farms, improved with splendid and modern
8lO MARSHALL COUNTY, Kansas.
buildings, that would suggest an era of great prosperity. The territory was
then, and for many years later, being settled by an excellent class of citizens,
whose ideals were of the highest and whose intentions were to make this
section of Kansas one of the mosl productive and progressive. In all this
great development Mr. Thomson has had his part, and in the management
of an up-to-date mercantile establishment, he has builded wiser perhaps,
than he thought.
Politically, Mr. Thomson is a Republican, and while not an office seeker,
he has taken an active interest in the civic life of the city. He is a member
of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Mod-
ern Woodmen of America and the Knight- and Ladies of Security.
WILLIAM T. GOSSIX.
Among the well-known and prominent farmers of St. Bridget township.
Marshall county, is William T. Gossin, who was born on the farm where
he now lives on November 4. 1867. and is the son of John C. and Catherine
1 1 'on f rev ) Gossin.
John C. Gossin was born at (Jtica, New York, on March 3, 1829. and
died on February 26, 1915. His wife was horn in Ireland, near the town
of Longford, on June 24, 1830. and died on January II, 1912. John C.
Gossin was the son of Patrick and Catherine Gossin, both of whom were
born in Ireland, where they received their education in the public schools
and grew to manhood and womanhood. They later came to the United
States and located at Utica, New York, where they lived many years before
their deaths.
John C. Gossin received his education in the schools of his native state
and there he was married to Catherine Confrey in 1854, at Utica. They
established their home on a farm near that city, where they lived until
1 S 5 7 . when they came to Kansas and located at Leavenworth, and until
1861 Mr. Gossin was engaged as a steamboat employee. That year he came
to St. Bridget township and here he homesteaded land. He and his family
made the journey from Leavenworth to their new home in Marshall county
with an ox team. He later used the oxen to break his land and put it under
cultivation. The lumber with which he built his house was hauled from
Atchison, that being his nearest market point for that material. Those days
were most trying ones for the little family, but the father and mother devoted
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 8ll
their best efforts in developing and improving their farm, and in time, Mr.
Gossin became one of the substantial and successful men of the township.
During his early life on the homestead, he did much work for John Frees,
in the flour mill, near Dubois, Nebraska, where he acted as fireman. At this
work he engaged during the winter months, in order to get money with which
to keep his family and make needed repairs and improvements on the place.
He and his wife were most industrious and hard-working people and devoted
their lives to their family, and were much interested in the moral and the
educational growth of the community where they lived and where they were
held in the highest regard. They were charter members of the St. Bridget's
Catholic church, and ever lived true Christian lives. They were active in
the building of the first church in the township, Mr. Gossin being a member
of the building committee.
In addition to his original farm, Mr. Gossin became the owner of other
land in various parts of the township. There is in the estate eight hundred
and forty acres of the best land, most of which is under a high state of
cultivation and well improved. He was a man who believed in the thorough
cultivation of the soil and the keeping of high-grade stock. Being a man of
exceptional ability and good judgment, he was often consulted relative to
the civic affairs of the township, and while he was not an office seeker,
he always took great interest in all local affairs.
To John C. and Catherine Gossin were born the following children :
Sarah, Mary, John R., Margaret, Katie, Frank, Anna, William, Amelia
and Theresa. Sarah Gleason is now a resident of Shawnee, Oklahoma;
Mary Curtin resides at Kansas City, Kansas; John R. died in the year 1908;
Margaret Gray lives at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Katie Busick lives at
Hayward, Oklahoma; Frank died on March 25, 1897; Anna Mitchell died on
September 17, 1913; Amelia Mitchell is a resident of Nemaha countv.
Kansas, and Theresa died at the age of four years.
William T. Gossin received his education in the district schools of St.
Bridget township and grew to manhood on the home farm, where he assisted
his father with the farm work and the developing of the place. He remained
at home and at the age of nineteen years he took charge of the home place,
which he managed with much ability. In 1893 ne rented the farm and
went to Oklahoma, where in September of that year, he made the race for a
tract of land in the Cherokee Strip, that was then opened for settlement.
He made the race from the south line of the strip and secured the second
homestead of one hundred and sixty acres. He remained in the territory
until 1896, when he returned to Kansas, where he has been successfullv
8l2 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
engaged in genera! farming and stockraising. In 1905 he was the secretary
and promoter of the Axtell Development Company, and that year they
drilled for oil, south of Axtell. Mr. Gossin invested seven hundred dollars
in the enterprise, and while no definite results were obtained, many good
indications of oil was discovered. He has always taken a keen interest in
all enterprises that would tend to promote the welfare of the community
in which he has lived for so many years, and where he is held in the highest
regard.
Mr. Gossin is identified with the Democratic party and is one of the
leading men of the organization in the county. He served his township for
six years as trustee and was township clerk for four years, always giving
the affairs of the township the same care and attention that he gave to his
own business. He has served as delegate to the various conventions of his
party and has rendered excellent service. 1 le is a member of the Farmers
Union and served as county president for two terms. He and his wife
are devout members of the Catholic church and are prominent in the social
activities of their home community. They are a most hospitable people,
and have made many friends throughout the county.
On April 9, [896, William T. Cossin was united in marriage to Delia
Shaughnessy, who was burn in St. Bridget township on May 16, 1868, and
is the daughter of Michael and Ellen (Ryan) Shaughnessy. Her parents
were natives of Ireland, where they were educated and spent their earl) lives.
The father was born in [824 and died on June 13, 1906, and the mother was
born in 1829 and died in February, 1885. When young they came to
America and located at Madison, Indiana, where they were married in
1849. There they established their first home and lived until i860, when
they came to Kansas and joined the little band of early settlers in St. Bridget
township, Marshall county. They located on a farm and in time became
successful farmers and prominent people of the community. They remained
on their original farm in the township until 1882, when they purchased the
farm now owned by the son. James. \s lie prospered, .Mr. Shaughnessy
purchased more land and at the time of bis death he was the owner of over
one thousand acres ,,f excellent Kansas land. Mr. and Mrs. Shaughnessy
were devout members of the Catholic church and were prominent in the
social life of the community, where they were held in the highest regard
They were the parents of the following children: Thomas. Edward, Michael,
Ellen, the wife of Patrick Loot, of Axtell: Mary, the wife of 1'.. Myers, of
St. Bridget; Delia, the wife of Mr. Gossin, and Anna.
William and Delia (iossin are the parents of the following children:
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 813
Gilbert, Edward, Mary, Valentine, and Joseph. Gilbert was born on Janu-
ary 27, 1897, and is on his father's farm; Edward, on June 12, 1899; Mary,
February, 21 1903; Valentine, February 14, 1905, and Joseph, March 25,
1901, and died in infancy.
Mr. Gossin is one of the hustling and intelligent men of Marshall
county and has met with much success in his work. He devotes himself
to his business and is a most careful and prudent business man. He is a
man of broad and generous views, well read and informed on the current
events of the day. He is most progressive and a firm believer in permanent
and substantial public improvements. Good roads and good schools are to
him an index of the future progress of the county and the state. He and
Mrs. Gossin have a fine family and their home life is an ideal one.
FRANZ EDWARD NELSON.
One of the native sons of Cottage Hill township, Marshall county, who
has won a prominent and influential place among the residents of his home
township, is Franz Edward Nelson, the present trustee of the township
and one of its successful farmers, who was born on September, 1878, and is
the son of C. O. and Anna Matilda (Anderson) Nelson.
C. O. Nelson was born in Sweden on October 8, 1845, and there received
his education in the public schools and resided until he was twenty-four
years of age, when in 1869, he decided to come to America. On his arrival
in this country he came direct to Kansas, and here he homesteaded one
hundred and sixty acres of land in Cottage Hill township, one and one-
half miles southwest of where Franz Edward now lives. This farm he
developed and improved into one of the best in the township. He engaged
in general farming and stock raising with success until 1902, when he
moved to Waterville, where he has since lived a retired life. He increased
his land holdings after a time and is now the owner of four hundred and
eighty acres of splendid land, after having assisted his children to good
homes and farms.
As a young man Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Anna Matilda
Anderson, who was born in Sweden on September 25, 1845. She spent her
early life in that country and when yet a girl she came to the United States
with her parents. To this union the following children have been born : Annie
OIlie, Sophie, Laura Alida, Frank Edward, Alfred William, Clarence Victor
814 MARSHALL COfXTY. KANSAS.
and Amanda. Annie Ollie Johnson resides in Waterville, Kansas, where her
husband is one of the leading carpenters of the town; Sophie Hager i- a
resident of Riley county., Kansas, where her husband is engaged in general
farming and stock raising; Laura Alida is the wife of Sander Larson, a
farmer of Cottage Hill township; Clarence Victor is engaged in farming
on the old home place and Amanda is at home. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson are
active members of the Lutheran church and are prominent residents of the
community in which they live, and where they are held in such high regard.
Franz Edward Nelson received his primary education in the common
schools of the township and later attended Bethany College at Lindsborg,
where he completed the business and commercial courses in 1905. He then
returned to the home farm, where he remained for two years and then
purchased his present place, onto which he moved in 1906. He has made
many valuable improvements and has developed his farm to a high stand-
ard of excellence and is engaged in general farming and stock raising with
marked success.
On June 6. 1905, Franz Edward Nelson was married to Caroline
Catherine White, who was born on June 14, 1877. in Denmark and is the
daughter of Peter and Hannah (Madison) White, the former having been
born in 1844 and died in 1880 and the latter was born in 1844, on May 6.
Peter White and his family continued to live in Denmark until 1878, when
they came to the United States and at once established a home in Walnut
township, Marshall county, where the father died, and since the death of
her husband. Mrs. White has resided in Washington county, Kansas. They
were the parents of the following children: Dorathy, Margaret, Catherine
and Mary. Dorathy Stenson resides in Cottage Hill, where Mr. Stenson is
engaged in general farming and stock raising on his farm one mile south
of the home of Mr. Nelson; Margaret resides in Marysville, where she is
engaged in dressmaking, and Mary is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. White
were members of the Lutheran church and reared their children in that
faith. To Franz Edward and Catherine Nelson one child has been born,
Margaret, whose birth occurred on November 11, 1908. and she is now a
pupil in the public schools.
Mr. Nelson is independent in politics and has served his township as
trustee and a> assessor and was for a number of years a member of the
local school board. He takes much interest in the Farmers Union, of which
he is a member and he and his wife arc active members of the Lutheran
church.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 815
PETER F. JACOBSON.
Sweden is the native land of many of the well-to-do and influential resi-
dents of Marshall county, and among the number, few deserve more special
mention than Peter F. Jacobson, one of the substantial farmers and stockmen
of Cottage Hill township, who was born on August 18, 1854, and is the son
of Jacob and Mary Elizabeth (Jones) Erickson. The parents spent their
lives in Sweden and were among the prominent people of the community
in which they lived and where thye were held in the highest regard and esteem.
The father was born in March, 1803, and died in 1866; his wife was born in
1816 and died in 1869. They were the parents of eight children, five of
whom are living. Three of the family came to the United States : Charlie,
Christena and Peter F. Charlie is now living at Yikberg, Kansas, where
he is one of the well-known men of the community and Christena is the
wife of Xels Johnson, of Randolph, Kansas. Charlie was the first of the
family to seek a home in America. In 1868 he decided that he would seek
a home in this country and later landed on the shores of the United States
and at once proceeded to the state of Kansas, where he has met with much
success.
Peter F. Jacobson received his education in the schools of Sweden and
there grew to manhood. At the age of twenty-eight years, he sailed for
the land where he hoped to make his future home. For a time after his
arrival in this country he worked in the wire mills at Worcester, Massa-
chusetts. In 1883 he came to Kansas and worked as a stone mason and
carpenter in Waterville and in Cottage Hill township. During his single life
in this country he made his home with his sister, Mrs. Charlotte Aim, in
Ripley county, Kansas. In addition to his work in Marshall county, Mr.
Jacobson worked for a time in Colorado, where he was engaged as a mason
and carpenter, trades that he had learned in Sweden.
In 1887 Peter F. Jacobson was married to Mary L. Blomquist, who
was born in Illinois on February 1, 1868, being the daughter of Peter Blom-
quist and wife, who were natives of Sweden and who came to the United
States in an early day. They first located in Illinois and later came to Mar-
shall county, where they homesteaded land in 1870. To Peter F. and Mary
L. Jacobson have been born the following children: Judith L., James L.,
Ernest P., Emanuel R., Daniel, Gladis R., Helen M. and one that died in
infancy, whose name was Rebecca. Judith L. was born on October 30, 1888,
and received her education in the public schools and is now teaching at the
816 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Spring school district; James I... February _m, 1890, is a graduate of the
Kansas State Agricultural College and is now teaching in the high school
at Salena, Kansas; Ernst P., December 19, 1891, at Denver, Colorado, and
is now at home with his parents; Emanuel R., May 28, 1895: Daniel, June
7. 1897; Gladis R.. .March 7, 1900, and Helen M.. April 5, 1909. Mr. and
Mrs. Jacobson are active members of the Baptist church and take much
interest in all church work and they and their family are active in the social
life of the community.
Mr. Jacobson is an independent Republican in politics and looks rather
to the man than to party affiliations in the selection of officers to administer
the affairs of the township and county. For a number of years he has held
the position of treasurer of the school district, and has always taken an active
interest in the development of the schools of the township, and one of his
ambitions has been to have the schools attain the highest degree of pro-
ficiency. He is a shareholder in the Farmers Union at Waterville and in the
Blue Rapids "Fair Association, and has always taken an active interest in
promoting the best interests of the count)-.
ROLEY S. PAULEY
The Hon. RoleyS. Pauley, former state senator from this district,
former countv treasurer and one of the most extensive landowners and stock-
men in Marshall county, now living on his fine farm in Guittard township,
this countv, is a native of the old Hoosier state, but has been a resident of
Kansas since 1S7S, in which year he came to Marshall county, ami lias thus
been actively identified with the development of this part of the state since
pioneer days. He was born on a farm in Monroe county. Indiana, June _'vV
1849. son .if Solomon and Americus (Smock) Pauley, the former of whom
was born in Lexington, Kentucky, ami the latter at Bloomington, in Monroe
countv. Indiana. In 1855 the Pauley family moved from Indiana to [owa
and settled in Monroe county, in that latter state, where Solomon Pauley died
on October 18, 1892.
Roley S. Pauley was about six years of age when his parents moved
from Indiana to Iowa and he was reared on a farm in the latter state, receiv-
ing his elementarv schooling in the district school in the neighborhood of his
home, supplementing the same by a course in a business college at Burling-
toii, Iowa. In 1878 he came to Kansas and rented a farm in Rock town-
ROLEY S. PAULEY.
MRS. NORA E. PAULEY.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 817
ship, where, in company with Henry C. Boggs, he "batched it" for two years,
until his marriage in 1881, after which he bought a farm in Guittard town-
ship and there established his home. He later bought the farm he had first
rented and on that place his eldest son is now living. When Air. Pauley
came to Marshall county he had four old horses and a wagon and little else,
hence his rise to his present state of good fortune has been due to his own
efforts, aided by his wife, a daughter of pioneer parents and who has been
a most competent helpmate in all her husband's undertakings. From the
very beginning of their married life Mr. and Mrs. Pauley have worked
together and have prospered together. During the early years of their life
on the farm, Mrs. Pauley thought nothing of going into the fields and mak-
ing "a hand", and even after the babies were toddling about her feet she con-
tinued to aid in the field work. She recalls that at one time, she then having
two small children, it became necessary for her to lend her assistance in the
field driving a corn-stalk cutter. She fastened a box onto it and in this
box she tucked the babies safely away, thus driving with them all day.
Prosperity presently attended these admirably combined efforts and now the
Pauleys have more than one thousand acres of valuable land, including a
wheat farm over in Graham county on which, in the summer of 1916, there
was raised six thousand bushels of wheat. The Pauleys have a beautiful
home on their farm in Guittard township, have a fine family of children and
are very pleasantly and very comfortably situated, long having been recog-
nized as one of the most substantial and influential families in the countv.
Mr. Pauley early began raising standard live stock and for years fed cattle
for the market, later taking up general farming, though continuing to engage
extensively in the raising of cattle, and has done very well. He is president
of the hog and cattle department of the Marshall County Fair Association,
is a stockholder in that association and one of the most active promoters of
the same. In addition to his extensive agricultural and live-stock interests,
Mr. Pauley also has other interests and has for years been regarded as one
of the most prominent factors in the general business life of the community.
He was one of the organizers of the Bremen State Bank at Bremen, of the
Gitizens State Bank at Marysville and of the State Bank at Bigelow, but
has recently disposed of those interests, his only banking connection at present
being as a stockholder and member of the board of directors of the First
National Bank of Beattie. He also is a member of the board of directors
of the Mutual Telephone Company and of the Farmers Union Elevator Com-
panv at Beattie. Mr. Paulev is a Republican and for manv vears has been
(52)
8l8 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
looked upon as one of the leaders of that party in this part of the state.
Since 1885 lie has been a member of the school hoard in his home district,
which he helped to organize, and has been treasurer of the same all these
years. In 1900 he was elected treasurer of .Marshall county and in 1908
was re-elected, thus serving fur two terms of two years each, during which
time lie and his family made their home in Marvsville, the county seat,
returning to the farm at the conclusion of his official service. In 1912 Mr.
Pauley was elected state senator from the nineteenth Kansas senatorial dis-
trict and served in the state Senate during the sessions of 1913 and 1915,
rendering valuable service not only to his district, hut to the state at large,
his service as a member of the committees on live stock, fish and game and
hygiene, proving of particular value. For years Mr. Pauley has been an
active party worker and has been a frequent delegate to count}', state and
congressi( mal conventions.
On December -'-'. [881, Roley S. Pauley was united in marriage to Nora
E. Totten, who was born on September 22, 1865. in a lug cabin on a pioneer
farm on the banks of Vermillion river, two miles west of her present home, a
daughter of Joseph and Susan Totten, who had come to this count}' from
Illinois in [858, thus having been among the very earliest settlers (if Marshall
count}-. Joseph Totten was a carpenter and helped build the first houses in
Marysville and at Frankfort. At the time he settled here the nearest trad-
ing point was at Leavenworth and he would haul his grain to that point in
the fall, returning with a load of provisions sufficient fur the coming year.
During the earl\ years of his residence here he was actively engaged in car-
pentering during the season fur such work and his wife and children looked
after affairs on the developing farm. In time the Tottens prospered and
became the owners of a fine farm of two hundred acres. Joseph Totten was
line of the first trustees of Guittard township, serving at a time when that
township comprised one-fourth of Marshall county, and served in that
capacity for several terms, performing a most excellent service during the
formative period "f tin- county's civic life. He died in 1892 and his widow
survived him for ten years, her death occurring in [902. They were the
parents of eleven children, of whom Mrs. Pauley was the ninth in order of
birth, the others being as follow: Elizabeth, widow of George Thorne,
living just north of Beattie: Emma, widow of Peter (ones, living on a farm
two miles north of Beattie; John L., who died at Ottawa, this state; Florence,
deceased, who was the wife of II. K. Sharp, former register of deeds for this
county; Eliza X.. deceased, who was the wife of John Morton; Henry T.,
who live- near Mina. thi- county; Frank II.. who lives south of Beattie:
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 819
Charles, who died in infancy; W. J., of Spokane, Washington, and Cora,
wife of Henry Weaver, of Guittard township.
To Roley S. and Nora E. (Totten) Pauley eight children have been
born, namely: Delia E., who was born on December 6, 1882, and is now
at home; Ray S., December 17, 1884, now living on the farm in Rock town-
ship where his parents got their start, and who married Nellie E. Graham
and has two sons, Monroe and Calvin; Susan A., deceased; Jesse T., born
on November 17, 1889, who married Ida Peterson and lives on one of the
Pauley farms in Guittard township; Lulu A., deceased; Elsie T., born on
July 28, 1895. who is now a stenographer in the State Agricultural College
at Manhattan; Cora E., April 26, 1900. and Wayne R., July 28, 1903. Mrs.
Pauley and children are members of the Baptist church, to which Mr. Pauley
is a generous contributor, and the family have ever taken an earnest part
in the general social activities of their home community, helpful in promot-
ing all movements having to do with the common welfare thereabout.
During the annual contest held at Blue Rapids on May 11, 191 7, in
which specially selected representatives from all of the high schools of the
county took part, their daughter, Cora E., distinguished herself by winning
first honors in oratory, her subject being "Individual Preparedness."
Fraternally, Mr. Pauley has been a member of the Ancient Order of
United Workmen at Beattie since 1885; he is also active in Masonic circles,
as are his sons. Mrs. Pauley is a charter member of the Beattie Eastern
Star, in which she has always taken a prominent part having filled all of the
chairs but that of worthv matron.
OSCAR A. SWANSON.
Among the well-known and prominent farmers and stockmen of Cot-
tage Hill township, Marshall county, who have won recognition in the com-
munity where they live, is Oscar A. Swanson, who was born on May 16,
1877, on the farm where he now lives, and is the son of John and Anna
Swanson, natives of Sweden.
John Swanson was born on November 24, 1839, and received his edu-
cation in the public schools of his native land and there grew to manhood.
In 1866 he decided to settle in America and on his arrival in this country
he located in Michigan, where he worked in the lumber mills until 1870,
when he came to Kansas and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres in
820 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Cottage Hill township, Marshall county. In 1872 he was united in marriage
to Anna Swanson and they continued to reside on the homestead for a
number of years. They made many valuable improvements on the place and
erected some substantial buildings. .Much of the land was placed under
cultivation, and here Mr. Swanson met with a great measure of success.
In 1877 the family moved to the farm where the son, I '-car A., now live-
In 1879. while reaping hay. the team of mules that John Swanson was
driving ran away, and as a result of the accident Mr. Swanson lost his right
hand and a part of his left hand. He was a man of much ability and pos-
sessed of keen business acumen. At the time of his death on January -■;.
1905, he was the owner of six hundred and forty acres of land, all of which
was under a high state of cultivation and nicely improved. Ik-fore his death
he had moved to Randolph, where he lived for some years; and where the
widow now resides at the age of seventy-three years. They were the parents
of six children: Selma, Frank. August, Oscar A.. Arthur, and Ellen. Frank
is a resident of Fulton, Kansas; Selma is the wife of H. Goff, of Riley
county, Kansas; August is now deceased; Arthur lives in Grove county,
Kansas, and Ellen resides with her mother at Randolph. Mr. Swanson
was a man who was held in the highest regard by all who knew him. His
life was devoted to the interests of his family and an endeavor to make-
better the district in which he lived. He had much to do with the general
development of the township and was instrumental in the establishment of
good schools and advocated the building of good roads. His life was a most
worthy line, and at bis death he left a large circle of friend- who held him in
kindly remembrance.
Oscar A. Swanson received hi- education in the public schools of the
county and grew to manhood on the farm, where he now lives. For a good
many years before the death of his father he operated the home place. On
the death of his father. Mr. Swanson became the heir to one hundred and
sixty acre- of prime land and to this be added eighty acre- in Washington
county. He has made many substantial improvement- on the place. In
1910 he built a splendid modern eight-room bouse, fitted with furnace, lights,
hot ami cold water and hardwood floors. He is a member of the Marshall
County Fair Association, and has made an exhibit of rye, wheat, oats, corn.
pop-corn, beets and fruit-, raised on his place and won third prize. A- a
farmer, stockman and fruit grower he is recognized as one of the substantial
and progressive ones of the county.
On October 2. [901, Oscar A. Swansun was united in marriage to
Augusta John-011, who was born in Sweden and i- the daughter of Nels and
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 821
Elsie (Anderson) Johnson, who came to the United States in 1882 and
established their home in Riley county, Kansas. To this union five children
have been born, Myron, Elsie, Mabel, Roy, and Dorothy, all of whom are
at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Swanson attend the Methodist
Episcopal church and take an active part in the social life of the community.
Politically, Mr. Swanson is an independent and has always taken much
interest in local affairs, and has exerted much influence in the civic life of
the township. For the past nine years he has served as a member of the
school board, and his best efforts have always been for the good of the
schools. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and takes
much interest in the work of that order.
W. J. KINSLEY.
\Y. J. Kinsley, one of the prominent men and substantial farmers of
Marysville township. Marshall county, was born in Wisconsin on November
3, 1 87 1, and is the son of John and Jane (Lootitt) Kinsley.
John and Jane Kinsley were born in England, he on July
4, 1845 and sne on October 14, 1853. They were both of the
farming class in their native land and grew to maturity on the
home farm, receiving their limited education in the public schools. The
father worked as a farm hand before he came to the United States and
the mother did much work for people other than her parents. They came
to America single and located in Wisconsin, where they were married
on December 5, 1870. John Kinsley was a young man when he located
in Wisconsin and there he worked in the lead mines, after which he enlisted
in a Wisconsin regiment and served eighteen months in the Civil War.
At the close of the war he returned to Wisconsin, where he was later married
and where he and his family lived until 1880. Mr. Kinsley then came to
Kansas where he purchased eighty acres in Marshall county. This he
developed and improved and engaged in general farming for ten years,
when he traded the tract for three hundred and twenty acres in Logan county,
Kansas. This farm he also developed and improved and was engaged in
farming and the raising of good stock, until 191 3, when he sold the farm
and moved to Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, where he
is now living a retired life. Mr. Kinsley was prominent in the life of Logan
county, Kansas, but did not aspire to office. He is a member of the Inde-
$22 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
pendent Order of Odd Fellows and has filled all the official positions in the
order, including that of past noble grand.
John and Jane Kinsley are the parents of the following children : W.
J., James, Christopher, A. T., Sadie, and one that died in infancy; Jennie,
deceased; Louise, Elmer and Pearl. James is a farmer of Logan county,
Kansas; Christopher resides in Logan county, Kansas, and is engaged in the
practice of veterinary surgery ; A. T. is president of the Kansas City Veteri-
nary College at Kansas City, Missouri; Sadie Long is a widow and lives at
Oakley, Kansas; Jennie is now deceased; Louise Pelfresne resides at Denver,
Colorado, where her husband is an employee of a railroad; Elmer resides
at Laramie, Wyoming, and is assistant state veterinarian, and Pearl is at
home.
W. J. Kinsley received his education in the common schools of Wis-
consin and Kansas and remained at home until he was fifteen years of age,
when he worked as a farm hand until he was twenty-four years of age,
when he rented eighty acres of land near Marysville, where he lived for one
year, when he rented another eighty acres near Oketo, where he remained
for three years. He then rented three hundred and twenty acres in the same
vicinity, where he engaged in general farming and stock raising for ten years.
He then purchased his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres near
Marysville and is engaged in general farming and stock raising, in which
he has been most successful. He keeps a fine lot of Duroc-Jersey hogs and
many high-s;rade Shorthorn cattle and ten to twelve horses. He has always
taken much interest in local affairs. Politically, he is a Republican and for
thirteen years he served as a member of the school board and was township
treasurer for two years, when he was elected trustee of his township, which
position he now holds. He is secretary of the Farmers Elevator Company
and president of the local Farmers Union. His official life has always been
above reproach and his services have been such that he has the confidence
and respect of the entire community. He is most progressive and gives the
same care and attention to his official positions that he does to his own
personal work.
On October 14, 1896, W. J. Kinsley was united in marriage to Laura
T. Kirkwood, the daughter of Amos W. and Mary (Slaughter) Kirkwood.
Mr. and Mrs. Kirkwood were born in the state of Indiana, he on May
15, 1838, and she on September 17, 1846. Mr. Kirkwood was reared on the
farm and attended the common schools. His father died when the lad was
but fourteen years of age and it became necessary to look after himself.
He worked as a farm hand, and at the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 823
in an Indiana reigment and served three years in the cause of the Union.
He then returned to Indiana, where he was later married and there he and
his wife lived for some time. They then took up their residence in Illinois,
where they lived until 1884, when they came to Kansas, and here Mr. Kirk-
wood purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land near Marysville, where
he lived until 1896, when he sold the farm and bought three hundred and
thirty-three acres of land one mile north of where he had lived. There he
engaged in general farming and stock raising until 1901, when he rented his
place and moved to Manhattan, Kansas, so that his children might have better
educational advantages. After a residence of four years in that place the
family returned to Marysville, where Mr. Kirkwood lived a retired life until
his death on April 18, 1916. Mr. Kirkwood was a man in whom the people
had the utmost confidence and respect. He was a warm supporter of the
Republican party and served his township as trustee for several years. Fra-
ternally, he was a Free and Accepted Mason and had attained the order of
Knight Templar. He was also a member of the Eastern Star and was active
in the work of the Grand Army of the Republic. He attended the Presbyte-
rian church and was a liberal supporter of that denomination. Mrs. Kirk-
wood was also reared on the farm and received her education in the common
schools. At the age of sixteen years she left school and until her marriage
she worked for others, away from her home. She was ever a constant
help and inspiration to her husband in his work, and shared his hardships.
She sympathized with him in reverses and joined him in thanksgiving over
successes. Her life has been a worthy one and she is loved and admired by
all. She is a member of the Presbyterian church and she has long been
prominent in the religious and social life of her home community. She
is a member of the Knights and Ladies of Security ; the Eastern Star and
the Woman's Relief Corps, and has always been active in the latter organiza-
tion.
Mr. and Mrs. Kirkwood were the parents of eight children as follow :
Charles N., Laura J., William M., Robert L., one, that died in infancy;
Owen, who died at the age of eighteen months; Mildred I. and Nina H.
Charles N. is engaged in farming and stock raising on the home place; Laura
is the wife of W. J. Kinsley; William M., resides at Hull, Kansas, and is
engaged in farming, as is his brother Robert L. ; Mildred and Nina are
graduates of Manhattan College and are now teaching in the Marysville
public schools and are at home.
Laura (Kirkwood) Kinsley was born in Iroquois county, Illinois, on
February 27, 1874. She received her elementary education in the public
824 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
schools and later attended the normal school at Marysville. After complet-
ing her education, she was for three years one of the teachers of the county
before her marriage. She is a woman of fine attainments, cultured and
refined and by her kindly disposition and womanly traits, she has won for
herself many friends who hold her in the highest regard. Mr. and Mrs.
Kinsley are the parents of two sons, both of whom are at home: Elmer
R., who was horn on July _\ 1897, and is a graduate of the Marysville high
school in the class of 1915, and Ross K., who was horn on September 17.
1901, and is a junior in the high school.
Mr. and Mrs. Kinsley were active members of the Presbyterian church
and are prominent in the religious and social life of the community, in which
they live and where they are active in all that tends to the betterment of
the home township and are among the strongest supporters of the best
school system possible. Mr. Kinsley has for many years had much to do
with the civic life of the township and the confidence placed in him has
not been abused. His official work in the schools and in the general civic
life of the township has been of the highest class.
TOHX L. HAMILTON.
One of the prominent and successful farmers of Blue Rapids City
township. Marshall county, and the owner of four hundred acres of prime
land, is John L. Hamilton, who was born on January 3, 1855, at St. Joseph,
.Missouri, and is the son of Frederick and Amelia (Bainbrich) Hamilton.
Frederick and Amelia Hamilton were natives of France and the state
of Missouri, respectively. The former was born in 1818 and died in 1897;
the latter was horn on September 17, 18.24, and died in 1901. Amelia
Hamilton was the daughter of Frederick and Mary Bainbrich. The former
was born on August 29, 1782, in Prussia, and the latter in December, 1792,
in Wurtemburg, Germany. They were educated in the schools of those
countries and later came to the United States, locating for a time at Phila-
delphia, where they were married on October 7, 1810. Some time after
their marriage they went to Missouri, where they established their home
on a farm and there the mother died on Januarly 28, 1847. Thev were
among the early settlers of the state and had much to do with the general
development and growth of their home county, becoming prominent ami
influential members of the community.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 825
Frederick Hamilton, when a lad nine years old, ran away from his
home in France, and as a stowaway on a ship got passage to the United
States. For a number of years he lived in the East and then decided to
try his fortune in the West. He located in the state of Missouri, where he
was later united in marriage to Amelia Bainbrich, a native of Missouri,
where she was educated and grew to womanhood. During the gold craze in
1849 Mr. Hamilton was one of the first gold seekers to go to California.
He later engaged as freighter and made many trips to Salt Lake and the
farther west. Life on the plains was a hard and dangerous one and in time
Mr. Hamilton retired from the work and engaged in general farming.
In 1858 Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton came to Marshall county, and estab-
lished their home on a farm in Blue Rapids City township, where they were
among the very earliest settlers. They settled on the farm now owned by-
George Dean. They developed and improved their holding and in time
became successful in their agricultural operations. When coming from their
home in St. Joe, Missouri, they were accompanied by Elbert Stout, who
was for a long period a resident of the county.
John L. Hamilton, when a child of three years, came with his parents
to Blue Rapids City township, where he has since resided. Here he received
his education in the schools of that period and was reared on the home farm,
where he became conversant with the early pioneer life of the times. His
first home in the county, would not nowadays be considered a pretentious
affair. His father had built two log cabins, ten feet apart. In one was a
large fire place, around which the family spent their evenings, and the other
was used mostly as a sleeping room. His home at that time was one of
the best, considering pioneer conditions, and in fact, was one of the first
in the community. It became a favorite stopping place for the settlers about
Irving. At one time, Mr. Hamilton's parents entertained seventeen of the
early settlers in their pioneer home. It was during those early days that the
family entertained Senator Pomeroy and Doctor Reed. The latter had
been sent from Fulton, Illinois, to seek a location for the Irving colon}',
and for two summers he stopped at the Hamilton home, after which he
withdrew from the colony. Those were most strenuous times and were
conducive in making all men kin. The greatest hospitality was extended to
all, and no one was turned away, without receiving assistance, if it were
needed. As the family prospered, the father boarded up the space between
the two houses, thus making a much larger residence.
John L. Hamilton first attended school at Irving and in the winter of
1864 and 1865 attended school at Marysville. He continued to live with
826 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
his father, with the exception of three years, which he -pent ranching in
Oregon, from 1875 to 1878. He cared for his father and mother until their
deaths, and when lie left the old home farm lie purchased the place where he
now lives.
On December 28. 1881. John I.. Hamilton was united in marriage to
Alice Fitzgerald, who was horn in 1'eterboro, Canada, on September 8,
1855. She was the daughter of William and Agnes ( Davidson ) Fitzgerald.
Her parents were also natives of Canada and were of Irish descent. They
remained residents of Canada until 1871. when they immigrated to the United
States, and in February of that year located two and one-half miles east
of Blue Rapids, on a farm. This farm was improved and developed and
here the mother died in 1878; the father later moved to Blue Rapids, where
he died in 1898. They were the parents of the following children: Mrs.
Margaret Isabelle Hamilton, of Blue Rapids; Robert James, who died in
the fall of 1871 ; .Mrs. Alice Hamilton; Ross, who lives on the old homestead;
William, now deceased, and Isaac Francis, who also lives on .the old home
farm.
To John L. and Alice Hamilton have been born the following children :
Lula Isalxlle, Gertrude May. Virgil Blain. Russell, Agnes Amelia and Hazel
Maude. Lula Isabelle Estes is a resident of Blue Rapids; Gertrude May
Pulleine lives at Home City, where her husband is a successful banker;
Virgil Blain died at the age of seven years; Russell Myron is at home;
Agnes Amelia, who is the wife of Mr. Harding, of Kansas City, Missouri,
was for a number of years one of the successful primary teachers of the
state. She received her primary education in the local schools of the county
and completed her work in the National Kindergarten School of Chicago.
After completing her education she was for a time a teacher in the schools
of Marysville, Manhattan and Wichita. Hazel Maude was educated with
the view to becoming a teacher and is now engaged in that work at Jewell
City, Kansas. She is playground instructor for the Redpath Chautauqua.
All the children are graduates of the Blue Rapids high school and the girls
have all been teachers. Mrs. Hamilton is an active member of the Baptist
church and has ever taken much interest in all church work. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Hamilton have long been identified with the social life of the home com-
munity and have had much to do with the moral and educational development
of the township. They have always displayed considerable interest in the
educational life of their children and have encouraged the higher education
for all.
Politically, Mr. Hamilton is identified with the Republican party. While
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 827
he has not been a seeker after office, he has had much to do with the civic life
of the township. He has devoted his energies to the development of his four-
hundred-acre farm, which is one of the best in the district, and he is recog-
nized as one of the substantial men of the count v.
JOHN D. VANAMBURG.
John D. Vanamburg, of Elm Creek township, Marshall county, where
he is a well-known farmer and a breeder of high-grade poultry, was born in
Grundy county, Illinois, on August 3, 1861, and is the son of Graham and
Martha (Turner) Vanamburg.
Graham and Martha Vanamburg were natives of the state of New York,
where the father was born on August 20, 1820. They later established their
home in the state of Illinois, where they lived for some years. In 1876 they
decided to establish their home in Kansas, and on October 20 of that year
they landed in Elm Creek township, Marshall county. After a year the fam-
ily moved to Wells township, and soon after that they moved to Mitchell
county, where Mr. Vanamburg engaged in general farming until the time of
his death on September 22, 1901. To Mr. and Mrs. Vanamburg were born
the following children: Gardner, Henry, Katherine, Anna, Mary, Homer,
Jane, Philip, Lurinda, William, Sarah and John D. Gardner, who was a sol-
dier of the Civil War, is now a resident of Marysville; Henry is a resident of
Jewell county, Kansas; Katherine is deceased; Anna died in infancy; Mary
became the wife of W. C. Barrett and died some years ago ; Philip, also a sol-
dier of the Civil War, is now deceased, as are Homer Jane and Sarah ; Lurinda
is the wife of H. Effland and they reside at Victor, Kansas, and William
lives in Smith county, Kansas. Mrs. Vanamburg, who was born on August
2, 1815, died on December 24, 1879. She was a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church and took much interest in all religious work, and was a
woman who was universally beloved by all who knew her.
John D. Vanamburg, the youngest of the family, was fifteen years of
age when his parents left their home in Illinois and came to Kansas. He
attended school in the state of Illinois, and completed his education in the
schools of Wells township, Marshall county. He later went to Mitchell
county, Kansas, with his parents, where he lived until 1885, when he returned
to Marshall county. For a number of years he worked as a farm hand and
learned the trade of stone mason at Oketo, and for eleven years engaged in
8->8 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
that work. In 1896 lie rented a farm in Rock township and engaged in farm-
ing until 1904, when he purchased his present home farm of one hundred and
sixty acres in Elm Creek township. He started life a poor hoy and during
his early life he assisted his father in a financial way. After assuming pos-
session of his present farm, he remodeled his house, making it more modern
and complete, and has also erected a splendid barn, forty by sixty feet. He
has beautified and improved the place with a fine orchard and many beautiful
shade trees, and today his farm home is one of the ideal places of the town-
ship. In igi4 he bought another one hundred and sixty acres and his farm
now consists of three hundred and twenty acres.
On July 3, [884, John D. Vanamburg was united in marriage to Augusta
Klo.xin, who was born in Germany on November 22, 1868, and is the daugh-
ter of John and Louise (Hawkins! Kloxin. She spent her girlhood in the
family home near Pomerania, and in 1X79. at the age of eleven years, she
came with her parents to America. They located in Center township, Mar-
shall county, where the parents lived for a number of years, before moving
to Marysville, where they now live. They are the parents of eleven children
and are among the highly respected people of the county.
To Mr. and Mrs. Vanamburg the following children have been born :
Mabel. Eva, Elsie, Nellie, Benjamin, Alice, Christena, William, Daniel. Ken-
neth and Myrtle. Mabel, now thirty-one years of age, was married in Feb-
ruary, 1903. to Mr. Gordon, of St. Joe, Missouri, and they are the parents
of four children, three of whom are now living: Eva, twenty-nine years of
age. is the wife of Mr. Duckworth, and they are the parents of three children;
Elsie died in infancy; Xellie. twenty-five years of age, is the wife of A.
McNew, of Elm Creek township, and they are the parents of one child; Ben-
jamin, at home, is twenty-three years of age; Alice, twenty years of age, is
the wife of Mr. Shell, of Elm Creek township, and is the mother of one child:
Christena is seventeen years of age; William, fourteen; Daniel, thirteen; Ken-
neth, ten. ami Myrtle, eight years of age. The family is a most interesting
one and all take the greatest interest in the home life.
Mr. and Mrs. Vanamburg are active members of the Baptist church, tak-
ing much interest in all church work, and have long been prominent in the
social and the religious life of the community. They have always shown
much interest in the growth of the educational system of the township, and
their influence and best efforts have been exerted in the promotion of those
enterprises that would tend to the betterment of the community in general.
They have been progressive, hard-working and economical people, who by
their own efforts have made good in their work. Mr. Vanamburg is a mem-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 829
ber of the Modern Woodmen of America and is one of the hustlers of the
local lodge.
In 191 2 Mr. Vanamburg engaged in the poultry business to a large
extent and has met with much success, shipping his chickens to many of the
states of the Union. He is also a successful general farmer and breeder and
raiser of fine horses, cattle and hogs.
HEXRY W. MOEI.LER.
Henry W. Moeller, a successful farmer and one of the well-known resi-
dents of Marysville township, Marshall county, was born in this county^
on January 25, 1878, and is the son of Fred W. and Mary (Holle) Moeller.
Fred W. Moeller was born in Buckeburg, Germany, April 7, 1843, an(l
there received his education in the public schools and grew to manhood.
He continued to reside in Germany until 1855, when he decided to come to
America, where he might have a better opportunity to obtain a home. After
his arrival in the United States he proceeded to Illinois and after some years
he rented a farm and engaged in farming for five years. He was married
on June 2j, 1867, to Mary Holle. He came to Kansas in 1869, where he
bought one hundred and sixty acres of land near Marysville. This farm
he developed and improved and became one of the successful farmers of the
township. Here he made his home for many years when he retired from
the farm, and moved to Marysville, where he operated a hotel and saloon
for some time, and there he died on January 23, 1890. For a number of
years he devoted a part of his time to the work of an auctioneer, and was
recognized as one of the best in the district. He was able to speak both
English and German in his work, and was thus in a position to make his
profession most effective. Mr. Moeller was county commissioner for one
term of three years — 1876-79.
Mary (Holle) Moeller was born in Hessen, Germany, on December 3,
1845, and there received her education in the common schools and there spent
her girlhood days. As a young woman she came to the United States in 1867
and located in Illinois, where she was united in marriage to Mr. Moeller the
same year. They were residents of that state for some time after their
marriage, and came to Kansas in 1869. She and Mr. Moeller were members
of the German Lutheran church and were prominent in the social life of the
community. To them were born ten children, two of whom died in infancy,
83O MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and Charles H. died in California in 1916 at the age of forty-five years. Mary
Schroeder resides in Omaha. Nebraska, where her husband is a cigar-maker;
Christina Luedders resides in Marysville, where Mr. Luedders is a clothing
merchant; Fred H. lives at Emporia, Kansas, and is the agent of a wholesale
grocery company; Philip is at Omaha and is engaged as a cigar manufac-
turer; Henrv W. is the suhject of this sketch; Emma Moser is a resident
of Thomas, Oklahoma, where her husband is a farmer, and Alma Huber
resides at Blair, Oklahoma, where Mr. Huber is a banker. After the death
of her husband, in 1890 Mrs. M<>eller remarried in 1893 to Jonn Duever
and lived on the farm till the death of Mr. Duever on February 23, 1904.
Mrs. Duever. two years later, became the wife of Peter Rahde in 1906 and
now resides at Marysville.
Henrv W. Moeller received his education in the common schools of
Marshall county, and at the age of fifteen years, began life for himself.
For three years he worked as a farm hand, after which he worked in a
bakery at Lincoln, Nebraska, for five years. He then gave up his work as
a baker and returned to farm life. He rented a farm of one hundred and
sixty acres, near Marysville. where he remained for one year, when he
purchased his present farm of one hundred and forty-seven acres in Marys-
ville township. He is successfully engaged in general farming and stock-
raising, and gives much attention to the breeding and the raising of Short-
horn cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs, and has some of the finest of these ani-
mals to be found in this section of the county. He feeds all the grain that
he raises, selling the finished hogs and cattle rather than the grain.
On June 4, 1899, Henry Moeller was united in marriage to Rosa King.
the daughter of Jonathan and Henrietta (Wiscow) Klug. Mr. Klug was
born on May 14, 1849, m Wisconsin. Mrs. Klug was born on April 5,
1855. in Abbot Sherman, Wisconsin. Mr. Klug came to Nebraska in 1S75
and there purchased a tract of land, where he has since been successfully
engaged in farming. He and his wife are active members of the German
Lutheran church, of which Mr. King has served as trustee for many years.
They are the parents of seven children, five of whom are now living, as
follow: Rosa, Matilda. Frank. Lizzie and Jessie. Matilda Goeble i- a
resident of Lincoln. Nebraska, where Mr. Goeble is employed in the parks:
Frank is a farmer and is now on the home place; Lizzie Knuistadt is a widow
and is at home with her parents, and Jessie is at home.
Rosa (Klug) Moeller was born in Seward county. Nebraska, on March
18, 1879. and was reared on the home farm and educated in the common
schools of her community. Before her marriage she did some work away
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 83 I
from home. She and her husband are active members of the German
Lutheran church and are prominent in the social life of the township, and
are active members of the Knights and Ladies of Security. Mr. Moeller is
also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Bankers Life
Insurance Company of Nebraska. They are the parents of the following
children: Uneeda, born on September 23, 1900; Elsie, August 28, 1902;
Arthur, May 22, 1905; Alma, April 19, 1907; Marietta, October 28, 1912,
and Henry Ford, December 4, 1913. Alma died at the age of five years
in 1912.
Henry W. Moeller has by his own efforts risen from the position of a
poor boy, making his own way in the world, since the age of fifteen years,
to that of one of the substantial and influential men of the township, honored
and respected by all who know him. His life has been one of activity
and he has accomplished much that is worthy of note, and has always taken
a keen interest in local affairs. As a farmer and stockman he is recognized
as one of the most progressive and successful in the county.
TAMES L. POTEET.
James L. Poteet. deceased, was for many years a well-known farmer
and stockman in Richland township, Marshall county. He was born on
July 8, 1859, and died on February 19, 1915, after a useful and successful
life. As a lad he located in Nebraska with his parents and there he was
married on February 23, 1898, to Celest White, a native of Illinois and the
daughter of Joseph and Lillie White, and after their marriage they estab-
lished their home on a farm in Kansas, where they always lived.
Soon after their marriage, James L. Poteet and wife rented land one
mile south of Summerfield. They had no money, yet they purchased one
hundred and sixty acres of land, in the fall of that year. To this they
later added more land and became the owners of four hundred and eighty
acres. It was by close management and application to business that they
met with success. Mr. Poteet was a good manager and a man possessed
of much business acumen. He thoroughly developed his excellent farm
and erected a magnificent modern house of ten rooms in 1912. He installed
every modern convenience such as water, lights, bath and a furnace.
Mr. and Mrs. Poteet were for many years active members of the United
Presbvterian church and took much interest in all church work and were
832 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
prominent in the social life of the community, where they were held in the
highest regard. Mr. Poteel was identified with the Republican party and
always took much interest in local affairs, and was a man in whom all had
the utmost confidence. He was a home man and after his marriage he never
spent a night away from home, lie and Mrs. Poteet were the parents of
one child. Luther, who is now thirteen years of age and attending the public
schools.
Since the death of her husband. Mrs. Poteet. has with much ability and
success, managed the home farm and rents one hundred and sixty acres
of the tract. With some hired help she has met with great success in
her general farming and stock raising.
ED. \Y. RIXGLX.
Ed. W. Ringen, one of the well-known and successful farmers and
stockmen of Richland township. Marshall county, was born in Dearborn
county, Indiana, on March 5, 1865, the son of John and Louisa (Rholfing)
Ringen.
John and Louisa Ringen were natives of Pennsylvania and Germany,
respectively. The father came of German ancestors and was educated in
the schools of Pennsylvania and there grew to manhood. He later moved to
Dearborn county, Indiana, where he engaged in general farming and stock
raising for many years. He and his wife were among the highly respected
people of the community. Their later years were spent in the Hoosier state
and there they died some years ago.
Ed. \V. Ringen received his education in the common schools of his
home district and grew to manhood in Dearborn county, Indiana, and there
he lived until he was twenty-two years of age. At that time he decided to
seek a new location, and in 1887 he came to Kansas, locating in Richland
township, Marshall county, and here he worked by the month for some years.
After having spent some eight years of his life working for fifteen dollars
per month, he rented land until 1007. when he purchased his present farm.
Here he has made all the improvements and today has one of the best
developed and nicely improved places in the township.
On March 19, 189 1 . Ed. W. Ringen was united in marriage to Anna
Heiserman. who was born at Lincoln. "Illinois, on November 30. 1868, the
daughter of bred and Mary (Hund) Heiserman. The father of Mrs.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 833
Ringen was a native of Germany, having been born in that country on Janu-
ary 25, 1834. It was there that he received his education in the public
schools and there he continued to live until he was twenty-one years of age,
when he left the land of his nativity and came to the United States. In 1855
he came to this country and at once established himself as a farm hand in the
state of Illinois. There he married Mary Hund, who was born in 1847.
Some years after their marriage they came to Kansas, with horses and wagon
and established themselves on a homestead of eighty acres of land in Rich-
land township, Kansas. This farm was later developed and improved and
here Mr. Heiserman engaged in general farming and stock raising for many
years, with much success. He soon became the owner of two hundred and
forty acres of land and was one of the prominent men of the township. On
that farm his wife died in 190S. They were the parents of the following
children: Henry, of Liberty, Kansas; William, now a farmer of Oklahoma;
Jacob, of Norton county, Kansas ; George, a successful farmer of Marshall
county; John, of Oklahoma: Fred, of Smith county, Charles, a farmer of
Richland township; Albert, on the home farm; Walter, a farmer of Mar-
shall county; Anna; Rosa, the wife of William Ringen; Lillie, the wife of
John Wagner, of Richland township, and Edward, of Oketo township. Mr.
and Mrs. Heiserman were ever prominent in the social life of the community,
and were active in the moral and educational development of the township,
and were among the highly respected people of the district.
To Ed. W. and Anna Ringen have been born the following children:
Herbert Duncan, now deceased; Walter, born on October 24, 1892, and Cora
born on January 4, 1895. Walter is a graduate of the State Agricultural
School and thoroughly versed in the art of scientific farming. Mr. and Mrs.
Ringen are active members of the German Lutheran church and are prom-
inent in the social and the religious life of the county. Politically, Mr.
Ringen is identified with the Republican party and has ever taken a keen
interest in all local affairs, and is regarded as one of the progressive and
substantial men of the township. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen
of America and of the American Hereford Cattle Breeders Association.
During their early lives, both Mr. and Mrs. Ringen experienced many
of the hardships common to the children of the pioneer families. Mrs.
Ringen, being the eldest girl in the family, had much of the household duties
to perform, and her task was no easy proposition. Their educational advan-
tages were limited, and even when in school they scarcely ever attended more
than two or three days a week. As boy and girl, in their respective homes,
(53)
834 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
they learned well how to do the work both in the house and on the farm.
After their marriage they applied themselves to the task of getting a home
and making it one of the best in the district. They have always taken much
interest in the educational development, and their children are having the
advantages of the best training the schools afford. Many labor-saving
devices are installed in their home, and the washing, churning and the pump-
ing of the water is all done by machinery. The house is a splendid one and
has every modern convenience and is nicely located. The barns are com-
plete and modern in every particular, and are arranged in the most systematic
way possible.
Mr. Ringer. V cattle are among the best in this section of the state.
'"Rocky Boy", the head of the herd, he obtained from Vermillion, and is a
beautiful animal. .Mr. Ringen exhibited him at the Royal Stock Show at
Kansas City when he was five years old, in 1913. He is the sire of "Rocky
Bob No. 560081", an animal in which the owner has the greatest confidence
for future greatness. "I 'lumber" is another noted sire on the place, and was
obtained in Nebraska. In addition to the sire-. Mr. Ringen has some sixty
cows on the farm.
JOSEPH A. SEDLACEK.
1
Joseph A. Sedlacek, one of the well-known and successful business men
of Bremen, Marshall county, where he conducts an extensive business in hard-
ware, furniture, automobiles and musical instruments, was born in Bohemia
on June _> 1, 1853. the son of John and [Catherine 1 Pecenka) Sedlacek.
John and Katherine Sedlacek were also natives of Bohemia, the former
having been born in 1802 and the latter in 1821. They were reared on the
farm and received the educational advantages of excellent schools. After
completing bi> education, John Sedlacek engaged in farming until 1874, when
he retired from active life, but lived on the home place. In 1878 he came to
the United States to visit his son, Joseph A. Sedlacek, and remained in this
country two years, when he returned to his native land and died on the home
farm in January. 1889; his wife died in 1878. Mr. Sedlacek, before his mar-
riage to Katherine Pecenka, had been married to \nna Jenik. who was born
in 170,4 and died at the birth of her son. John, who lived to be forty years of
age. She was a highly educated woman.
John Sedlacek later married Katherine Pecenka, and to that union nine
children were born, of whom three are now living as follow: Frank and
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 835
Wesley, of Bohemia, and Joseph. Mr. and Mrs. Sedlacek were devout mem-
bers of the Catholic church and were held in high regard. John Sedlacek was
a man of much prominence and for five years was royal game warden of his
district, a position of much moment. He was also a veterinary surgeon and
had an extensive practice, throughout the territory. He was a strong advo-
cate of the best schools and the highest class of public improvements.
Joseph A. Sedlacek had the advantages of good schools and supple-
mented his primary education with three years in a school of practical educa-
tion at Moravia. After completing his education he engaged in business for
himself and in 1876 came to the United States. He spent nine months in this
country and then returned to his native land, but the next year he returned to
America, and located in Marshall county, Kansas, where he purchased one
hundred and sixty acres of land in section 31, Logan township. This he
developed and improved and engaged in general farming and stock raising
for ten years, when he rented the farm and moved to Bremen. When he
located on his farm it was all wild prairie and the only improvements were a
dugout and a well. He was in a position to make many needed improve-
ments, as he 'anded in the county with over seventeen hundred dollars, which
he brought from Bohemia. A frame house, good barn and corn crib were
erected and in time many other valuable additions were made on the place,
which, with the cost of land bought of Mr. Brennen, amounted to one thousand
and twenty-rive dollars.
When locating in Bremen, Mr. Sedlacek purchased two lots, on which he
erected a two-story business block and residence at a cost of thirty-five hun-
dred dollars. The upper floor of the business block he devoted to a public
hall, and in the lower part he installed an up-to-date hardware business which
he conducted with success until 1908, when the premises was destroyed by
fire, his loss being several thousand dollars. The fire that destroyed his prop-
erty also burned the greater part of the business section of the town. The
year he had the fire he rebuilt, this time building a structure of brick, thirty-
two by sixty-eight feet, and two stories, the upper story being devoted to a
hall and four bed-rooms. The new building was in time completed at a cost
of eight thousand five hundred dollars, and Mr. Sedlacek soon established his
stock, valued at nine hundred dollars, which now stands at seven thousand
five hundred dollars. In addition to his mercantile business, Mr. Sedlacek
was for two terms justice of the peace and postmaster of the town from
April 13, 1908, to January 1, 191 5, when his son, who is associated with him
in business, assumed the office.
Joseph A. Sedlacek was united in marriage on August 2j, 1878, to Anna
836 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
Pecenka. the daughter of John and Anna ( Flidr) Pecenka. John and Anna
Pecenka were natives of Bohemia, where the former was born in 1825 and
the latter in 1830. They received their education in good schools in their
native land. After completing his education, John Pecenka engaged ingri-t-
milling in his native land and continued in that business until 1861. when he
came to the United States. On his arrival in this country he and his family
proceeded to Iowa, where the father rented a farm and engaged in general
farming for eight years. He then came to Marshall county, where he home-
steaded one hundred and sixty acres of land and at the same time pre-empted
one hundred and sixty acres. With much hard work and strict economy he
developed the farm and soon had it under a high state of cultivation, and here
he engaged in general farming and stock raising until his death in 1902. For
many years he was recognized as one of the substantial and progressive men
of the township, where he and his family were among the prominent and
respected residents. Before his marriage to Anna Pecenka, John Pecenka
had been united in marriage to Kate Kasper, who died at the birth of her
daughter and when her only son was two years of age.
Anna (Pecenka) Sedlacek was born in Bohemia on January 15, 1857,
and when four years of age came with her parents to the United States. She
received her education in the public schools of Marshall county. Mr. and
Mrs. Sedlacek are devout members of the Catholic church and have always
taken a deep interest in the social and civic life of the community. To them
have been born the following children : Anna and Emilie, who died in infancy.
Anna was a graduate of the Marvsville Modern Normal College and later
clerked in one of the stores of her home town. Her death occurred when
she was twenty-eight years of age. John J., who was born on May 7, 1890,
in Marshall county, was reared in Bremen, Kansas, and graduated from the
common schools and from St. Benedict's College at Atchison, Kansas, where
he completed a four-year course of instruction in two years, receiving the
degree of Master of Accounts, and was graduated in June, 1007. After
completing his education he clerked for a time in one of the stores at Marvs-
ville, after which he came to Bremen, where he is now associated with his
father in business, and is postmaster of that place.
On August 27, 191 3, John J. Sedlacek was united in marriage to Kathe-
rine Jedlicka, the daughter of Frank and Ludmila (Hora) Jedlicka. who were
natives of Bohemia and later settled in Washington county. Kansas, where
they are now the owners of two hundred and forty acres of fine land and
are among the prominent people of that section. {Catherine (Jedlicka)
Sedlacek was born in 1891 and received her education in the common schools.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 837
She and Air. Sedlacek are the parents of two children, John J., born on
December 13, 1914, and Katherine M., born on February 16, 1916. The
family are devout members of the Catholic church and active in the social
life of the community.
JOSEPH B. WUESTER.
Joseph B. Wuester was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in the year 1858.
In i860 his parents came to Marshall county, Kansas, and located on a farm
three miles north of Beattie, where he grew to manhood. In the year 1880
he was united in marriage to Miss Rosa R. Schwarz and remained on the
farm until 1884, when they engaged in the" general mercantile and grain
business in Home City. Kansas, which they conducted for about twenty
years. In 1904 he organized the State Bank of Home City where he has
always enjoyed the confidence of the people and prospered in business.
To this union were born three children, William, who died at the age
of five years; Joseph W. and Charlotte R. Harry, both of whom reside in
Home City. Charlotte R. was born on August 24, 1885, and was married
to S. C. Harry, January 3. 1909. To them was born one child, Audrey
La-Xelle, March -'3, 1914. Joseph W. was born on November 26, 1887;
he was married to Ruin- Haw, September 18. 191 1. To them were born
two children. Charlotte La-Yerne. January 25, 1913, and Blanche, June
18, 1916.
JOHN W. DENLlNGER.
The late John YY. Denlinger, a welhknown and substantial farmer of
Marshall county, who died at his home in Rock township in 191 5, was a
native of the great Keystone state, but had lived in the West since the days
of his childhood. He was born at Blair, Pennsylvania, April 9, 1854, a
son of John and Margaret (Wort) Denlinger, natives of that same state,
who moved to Iowa about i860, where the subject of this memorial sketch
grew to manhood and where he lived until 1893. when he came to Kansas
and bought a farm in Center township, this county, where he made his home
until March of 1901, when he moved to a farm that he had bought
in Rock township the year before and on which he spent the remainder
of his life, his death occurring there on December 10, 1915. At
838 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
the time of his death Mr. Denlinger was the owner of four hundred and
forty acre> of land and was regarded as one of the best circumstanced men
in that part of the county, lie was a Democrat and had served the public
for two terms as treasurer of 'enter township and for three terms as a
member of the school hoard. He was a member of the Baptist church, as
is his widow, and ever took a proper part in local go. id works. Mrs. Denlinger
is the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres surrounding her
pleasant home in Rock township and she and her family are very comfortably
situated.
John W. Denlinger was twice married. It was while living in Iowa
that he was united in marriage to Ella Ford, who died on October 25. [893.
To that union five children were horn, namely: John, deceased; George,
deceased; Hurt, who is a well-known farmer in Rock township, this county;
Mrs. Jessie Waite. of Axtun. Colorado, who died May 7. 191 7, and Orval.
who died on July 3, 1897. George Denlinger was frozen to death on
January 13, 1888, during a fearful blizzard in Iowa. He and his brother,
John, were on their way home from school when overtaken by the blizzard
which cost George his life, while John was badly frozen, but was not past
resuscitation when found by a search party. John Denlinger. who came to
Marshall county with his father upon the hitter's removal from Iowa, was
killed by an accidental shot during a "wolf drive'' in this county on Janu-
ary 21, 1913. He left a widow and two small children, the youngest of
whom was but an infant. The widow, who was horn Emma Behrens,
and her children were in a railway wreck at Randolph on October 16.
191 5. when a car carrying sixty passengers went into Fancy creek, and
the infant child of Mrs. Denlinger was drowned. Of the large number
of persons drowned in that wreck the body of Mrs. Denlinger's baby was
the only one not recovered from the water. Mrs. Denlinger was badly
injured in the wreck, but recovered. She and her daughter. Venetia, make
their home with the widow of her father-in-law on the Denlinger farm in
Rock township.
On September i_'. iN<)_l. John \Y. Denlinger was united in marriage to
Mrs. Lena (Hildebrand) Oswald, widow of Andrew Oswald, whom she
married in 1886 and who died in 1891. leaving two children, daughters
both, Mrs. Anna Drennen, of Lenora, this state, and Mrs. Helen Blackney.
of Center township, this county. Mrs. Denlinger was horn at Hanover.
Kansas. May 5. 1869, daughter of John and Dora (Brocker) Hildebrand.
natives, respectively, of Germany and of the state of Iowa, the former of
whom is stil! living, a successful retired farmer, now making his home at
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 839
Hanover. John Hildebrand remained in his native Fatherland until he was
seventeen years of age, when, in 1855, he came to the United States and
proceeded on out West to the then end of the railway line at St. Joseph,
Missouri, whence he walked over into this part of Kansas and presently
homesteaded a tract of land in Marshall county on which, after his marriage,
he established his home and became quite successful as a farmer and stock-
man, remaining there until his retirement and removal to Hanover, in the
neighboring- county of Washington. His wife, mother of Mrs. Denlinger,
died in 1884. To John W. Denlingers' second union two children were
born, Floyd and Alta, both of whom are at home with their mother. The
Denlingers have a very pleasant home and have ever taken a proper part
in the general social activities of the community in which they live, helpful
in promoting all movements having to do with the advancement of the
common welfare thereabout.
JONATHAN CRAVEN LEWIS.
Jonathan C. Lewis, one of Franklin township's best-known and most
progressive farmers, clerk of that township and for years actively identified
with the promotion of the best interests of that community, is a native son
of Marshall county and has lived here all his life. He was born in a log
cabin on a pioneer farm in section 26 of Franklin township, June 5, 1879,
son of William and Maria (Bruitt) Lewis, pioneers of Marshall county,
further mention of whom is made elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Lewis
died in 1913.
Reared on the home farm in Franklin township, Jonathan C. Lewis
received his schooling in the old school house in district No. 105 and remained
at home, a valued assistant to his father and his brothers in the labors of
developing and improving the home place, and remained at home until he
was twenty-one years of age, when he began working on his own account,
taking employment as a farm hand at seventeen dollars a month, and was
thus employed for five years, at the end of which time he married and rented
a farm in Guittard township, on which he made his home for two years.
He then, in 1907, rented the place on which he is now living, a part of the
old home place. His father gave him eighty acres and he has continued to
make his home there, he and his family being very comfortably situated.
Some years ago Mr. Lewis built a new house, to which he is now making
84O MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
1
an addition, which will increase the size to a nine-room house of two stories,
with heating plant. He also built a barn on his place and his farm is well
improved and skillfully cultivated. He now owns a full quarter of a section
of land, is quite extensively engaged in the raising of Shorthorn cattle and
is doing very well. Mr. Lewis is a Democrat and is now serving the public
in the capacity of clerk of Franklin township, a position to which he was
elected in 1913, and is giving his most thoughtful attention to the public
business.
On March 22, 1905, Jonathan C. Lewis was united in marriage to
Ottilie Halm, who was born at St. Joseph, Missouri. April 24. 1880, daughter
of George and Ottilie (Engler) Hahn, natives of Germany, who were the
parents of fourteen children, of whom Mrs. Lewis was the fifth in order
of birth and all of whom are living. George Hahn was born in Germanv on
May 2. 1839. and remained in bis native land until he was twenty-four years
of age, when he came to this country and settled at St. Joseph. Missouri,
where he established himself in business. Ten years later he returned to
the Fatherland and there married Ottilie Engler, who was born in Germany
on January 21, 1865. and with his bride returned to St. Joseph, where he
spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in 1907. His widow is now-
living at Osawatomie, this state.
To Jonathan C. and Ottilie (Hahn) Lewis five children have been born,
namely: Gladys, who was born on Deceml^er 14, 1905; Beulah, October 20,
1907; Mildred, January 26. 1910; Herbert, October 9, 1912, and Esther,
November 15, 1914. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis take a proper interest in the gen-
eral social activities of their home community and are helpful in promoting
all worthv causes thereabout.
THOMAS I!. SMITH.
Thomas B. Smith, now deceased, at one time one of the well-known
and successful farmers of Murray township, Marshall county, was born in
Banff, Scotland, on June 12. 1871, and was the son of John and Labelle
( Met ven ) Smith.
John and Isabelle Smith were also natives of Scotland and there received
their education in the public schools, t,rrew to maturity and were married.
After their marriage they continued to live in the land of their nativity until
1883, when they decided to come to America, where they might make a home
THOMAS B. SMITH AND FAMILY.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 84I
for themselves and those dependent upon them. On their arrival in the
United States they located on a farm in Fremont county, Iowa, where they
spent the remaining days of their lives and where they were among the
prominent and highly respected people of the district.
Thomas B. Smith received much of his education in the schools of his
native land and in Iowa. He first came to Kansas with William Mawhor in
1887 and assisted him in driving cattle to the state. Mr. Smith continued
this work for several years, when he later established his home in Marshall
county.
In 1898 Thomas B. Smith was united in marriage to Leah Mawhor,
who was born in Iowa in 1874 and is the daughter of William and Martha
(Songer) Mawhor, the former having been born in 1832 and died in 1901
and the latter was born in 1842 and died in 1887. Mr. Mawhor was a
native of Ireland and his wife was born in Illinois. For many years before
his death Mr. Mawhor was in poor health and went to Excelsior Springs,
Missouri, where he died. They were the parents of the following children :
Alice, Grace, Leah. Samuel and May. Alice is now deceased and Grace
and Samuel died in infancy : Leah is the widow of Thomas B. Smith and
May is the wife of Roy Mason, of Beattie. By a former marriage Mr.
Mawhor was the father of a son, Robert J., who now lives in Iowa.
After their marriage Thomas B. and Leah Smith established their home
on a farm four and one-half miles southwest of Axtell, where they lived
until 1902, when they moved to the present home farm, where Mrs. Smith
now has three hundred and twenty acres of splendid land, all under high
cultivation and well improved. The house is nicely located on a hill and is
well protected by beautiful trees, and surrounded by a well-kept lawn. Mr.
and Mrs. Smith were active members of the Presbyterian church and always
took much interest in the religious life of the township. Politically, Mr.
Smith was identified with the Republican party, yet he frequently voted for
men, regardless of party affiliations. He was a great home man and took
much pleasure in the company of his wife and children, and was a most
affectionate husband and kind father. He and Airs. Smith were the parents
of the following children : Lawrence Darrell. who was born on April 27,
1899; Leah Alice, June 5, 1901 ; Howard Leverne, April 10, 1903. and Grace
Leora, January 4, 1908. On July 15, 1914. while Mr. Smith was assisting a
neighbor in threshing, be was killed by a stroke of lightning, at which time
a horse was killed and several of the other workers shocked. It was a most
peculiar circumstance, for there was but little indication of an electrical storm
and th:re was but a small cloud in the sky. His death caused a ffloom over
842 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
the entire community, for he was a man who was held in the highest regard
and esteem by all who knew him.
Mr. Smith was a mosl progressive fanner and stockman ami was recog-
nized throughout the township as one of the substantial and successful men
of the county. His life was a mosl active one. and his untimely death cut
short a useful career. lie was a linn believer in intensive fanning and the
keeping of the best of stuck, and his farm was one of the ideal places of
the district and hi^ stock received the best care and attention. He always
took much interest in local affairs, and while he was in it an office seeker, his
advice was often sought in matters pertaining to the welfare of the township
and the county, and there were few men whose judgment was mure worthy
of consideration.
JONATHAN C. PARTHEMER.
Jonathan C. Parthemer, one of the real pioneers of .Marshall county,
the proprietor of a well-improved farm of one hundred and forty acres in
Wells township and one hundred and sixty acres in section 33 of Bigelow
township and since pioneer days one of the best-known residents of that
section of the count}-, is a native of the old Buckeye state, but has been a
resident of Kansas since the days of his boyhood and has consequently l>een
a witness to the development of this section since the days of the early set-
tlement of this region. He was born in Union county, Ohio, March 28,
1854, son of J. S. and Maria (Clayton) Parthemer, natives, respectively.
of Pennsylvania and of Ohio, both of Virginia parentage, who later moved t<>
towa and thence to Kansas, becoming pioneers of Marshall county, where their
last days were spent.
J. S. Parthemer was born at Middleton, Pennsylvania, September 23,
1818, son of Jacob S. Parthemer, and in 1839 moved with his father to
Union county, Ohio, whence, in the middle fifties, he moved to Iowa, where
he remained hut a few years, however, coming to Kansas in [859 and pre-
empting a tract of land one mile east of the Barrett settlement, where he
built a log cabin and established his home, one of the very earliest settlers
in Marshall county. He later moved from the farm to Barrett, where he
opened a grocer}- store, and in [86] was appointed postmaster of that vil-
lage, his commission being signed by Abraham Lincoln, a position he held
for years and during which time he also was an active business man. influ-
ential in the labors of bringing about a proper social order in the early days
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 843
of the settlement. J. S. Parthemer also took an active part in the civic
affairs of the new settlement and was the first justice of the peace in Barrett.
He also served for some time as township clerk and as township treasurer
and in other ways did his part in the public service, while he and his wife
were ever active in church and other good works. J. S. Parthemer was
twice married. In 1841 he married Maria S. Amerine. who died, leaving"
one son and four daughters, and in April, 1852, he married Maria T. Clayton,
who was born in Union county, Ohio, October 9, 1831, and to that union
was born one child, a son, Jonathan C, the subject of this sketch. J. S.
Parthemer died at his home in Barrett on December 1, 1898, and his widow
survived him for more than ten years, her death occurring on March 3, 1910.
Jonathan C. Parthemer was but an infant when his parents moved from
Ohio to Iowa and was about five years of age when they moved from the
latter state to Kansas. He grew up at Barrett, receiving his schooling in
the first school house built in Marshall county, old district No. 1, at Barrett,
the same having been conducted by Mrs. Mary A. Stagg. His first job when
a boy was herding sheep on the plains, later becoming a cattle drover, help-
ing to drive herds across the plains to Atchison and St. Joseph. Mr. Parth-
emer was the first person in Marshall county to use horses in the task of
breaking the prairie soil and was told by old settlers that he was foolish
for making the attempt, they holding that only oxen could be used in such
work, but young Parthemer went ahead with his team of horses and was
successful. By the time he was sixteen years of age he had saved money
enough to buy an "eighty," a part of his present home place, and early
began the improvement and development of the same. At fourteen years
of age he secured the contract for carrying the mail on the star route from
Barrett to Seneca, making a trip once a week, on Saturdays, and in other
ways found outlet for his active energies, during the days of his boyhood.
After his marriage in 1874 Mr. Parthemer settled down on the tract he had
bought in Wells township and there lived until 1885, when he bought a half
section of land over in Norton county, on the extreme western edge of that
county, and made his home there for five years, or until 1890, when he sold
the place, upon the coming of the railroad, as a site for the present town of
Clayton. Upon disposing of his holdings in Norton county Mr. Parthemer
returned to his Marshall county home and has since resided there, having
one of the best-kept places in that part of the county. He now owns one
hundred and forty acres in the home place and a quarter section in section
^^ of Bigelow township, and has long been regarded as one of the substan-
tial residents of that section of the county. In addition to his general farm-
844 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
ing, Mr. Parthemer has for years given his attention to the raising of cattle,
is also an extensive breeder of Duroc-Jersey hogs, and has done very well
in his operations. .Mr. Parthemer holds the original patent to his home
place, the same bearing the signature of A. Lincoln.
On October 4, 1874, Jonathan C. Parthemer was united in marriage to
Harriet Mosher, who was horn in Knox county, Illinois, April 22, (854,
daughter of Reul>en and Man (McCombs) Mosher, natives of New York
state, who came to Kansas in 1858 and settled in Nemaha county, where
they spent the remainder of their lives, the former dying in September,
1885, and the latter, in March. 1902. To Mr. and Mrs. Parthemer four
children have been horn, namely Mrs. Maude Wolfe, of Vermillion town-
ship, this county; Mrs. Daisy Stauffer, of Los Angeles, California; Mrs.
Pearl Whiting, of Blue Rapids, this county, and Jacob, born on December
22, 1893, vrho is at home, a valued assistant to his father in the manage-
ment of the latter's agricultural interests. Mr. Parthemer is a Republican
and has ever given his close attention to local political affairs, but has not
been a seeker after public office. He is a member of the local lodge of the
Modern Woodmen of America and takes a warm interest in the affairs
of that organization.
ROBERT W'ULLSCHLEGER.
Robert W'ullschleger, who for years was one of Marshall county's
best known and most successful building contractors, operating in part-
nership in that line with his brother, Jacob W'ullschleger, but who since
1907 has been farming in Center township, where he has made a decisive
success of his farming operations, is a native of the republic of Switzerland,
but has been a resident of this country since 18K2. He was born in the
canton Aargau, November 3, 1863, -on ,,i Isaac and Anna W'ullschleger.
both natives of that country, who spent their lives there and who were
the parents of nine children, all of whom save the first-born, who died in
Switzerland, came to this county and further reference to whom is made
in a biographical sketch relating to. Jacob W'ullschleger. elder brother of
the subject of this sketch, presented elsewhere in this volume, to which
the attention of the reader is respectfully invited for additional informa-
tion in this connection.
Reared in his native Switzerland. Robert W'ullschleger was early
trained to the trade of a carpenter, that having been his father's vocation,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 845
as was his elder brother, Jacob Wullschleger, and in the fall of 1882 the
two brothers came to this country and located in Livingston county, Illi-
nois, expecting to engage there in building contracting. Not finding con-
ditions there to their liking, they came to Kansas and worked in and
about Wichita for a year, at the end of which time, in 1884, they came
to Marshall county and located at Marysville, where they found an excel-
lent field for their activities as building contractors and where they remained
in business for twenty-eight years, during "which period they built many
of the best buildings, not only at the county seat, but in other parts of
the county, including nearly all the buildings at Home. In 1907 the brothers
retired from the contracting business and invested in farm lands in Center
township, where both are now living and where they are prospering. Rob-
ert Wullschleger first bought a quarter of a section, the place on which
he now lives, and as he prospered there bought a quarter section adjoining
on the west and is now farming the half section. In addition to his general
farming he is giving considerable attention to the raising of high-grade
live stock and is doing very well. His residence and farm buildings are of
an excellent type, designed throughout for comfort and convenience. His
residence is built of stone and is reached by a paved driveway. The farm
buildings are in keeping with the same, the farm plant being one of the
best and most substantial in that part of the county. Mr. Wullschleger is
a Republican and has given his earnest attention to local political affairs
since becoming a resident of Marshall county, but has not been a seeker
after office. He and his family are members of the Evangelical church
and take a proper interest in church work and other good works of the
community in which they live.
Robert Wullschleger has been twice married. It was in 1886, two
years after he located at Marysville, that he was united in marriage to
Louise Brandenburger, who died on February 5, 1892, leaving four chil-
dren, Robert and Richard, who are farming one of their father's farms ;
Freda, who is keeping house for her brothers, and Emma, who is at home.
On December 2, 1895, Mr. Wullschleger married, secondly, Elsie Keller,
also a native of the republic of Switzerland, who was born in the canton
Bern on October 15, 1871, a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Luders)
Keller, who later became residents of this county and here spent their last
days. Mrs. Wullschleger has been a resident of this country since 1889,
when she and her brother, Amiel, came to Kansas and located in Marshall
county. A year later their father and their brother, Samuel, joined them
here and in 1891 the mother and Amelia, Albert and Fred came over and
846 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
joined the family. Mrs. WuUschleger's eldest sister, Bertha, lives in her
native land and she had another brother, Gottfried, who died there. Samuel
Keller and his wife both died in 1909.
To Robert and Elsie (Keller) Wullschleger six children have been
born, namely: Louise, who was graduated from the Marysville high school
and is now teaching school; William, born on June 21, 1900; Albert,
February -'4. 1902; Emil, May 20, 1905; John, July 7, 1907, and Margaret,
January 4, 1909.
HANS P. LARSON.
The late Hans P. Larson, a substantial farmer and landowner of Rock
township, this county, who died at his home in that township in the summer
of 1915, was a native of the far-away kingdom of Sweden, but has been a
resident of this country ever since he was twenty-one years of age. He
was born at Hallen. in Sweden, December 3, 1857, son of Lars and Mary
Hanson, natives of that same country, who came to America in 1880, pro-
ceeding on out to Kansas and settling in Marshall county, where two or
three of their children had preceded them some years before, and here they
spent their last days.
Upon attaining his majority. Hans P. Larson determined to try his
fortunes in the new land beyond the sea and in 1879 came to the United
States, proceeding to Kansas and joining his sister, Mrs. P. Johnson, in
Marshall county. For a year after coming here he was engaged in railway
construction work at Vermillion and then went to Kansas City, where he
secured employment in the roundhouse and shops of the Missouri Pacific
Railroad Company, where he gave such a good account of himself that he
presently was promoted to the position of locomotive engineer, a position
he held for twenty years, running for the Union Pacific Railroad Company.
In [906 Mr. Larson retired from the railway service and returned to Mar-
shall county. Here he bought a fine farm of a quarter section in Rock
township, established bis home there, improved the place until it became
one of the best-kept farms in that part of the county, and there spent the
remainder of his life, his death occurring on June 21, 1 9 1 5 . Mr. Larson
was a Republican in his political faith and by religious persuasion was a
Lutheran, ever giving his earnest attention both to civic affairs and to
church work, a good citizen in all that term implies, and his widow and
children are members of the Lutheran church.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 84/
In 1883, three or four years after coming to this country, Hans P.
Larson was united in marriage to Eva Betty Benson, who also was born
in Sweden, March 20, 1865, daughter of B. and Celia (Nelson) Benson,
natives of that same country, the former born on April 5, 1829, and the
latter, February 11, 1837, who came to this country in 1892 and located
at Kansas City, where their daughter then was living, and where thev
remained until 1908, when they came to Marshall county to make their
home with Mr. and Mrs. Larson.
To Hans P. and Eva Betty (Benson) Larson five children were born,
namely : Louis Barnhart Larson, now foreman in Rand's iron works at
Detroit, Michigan ; Mrs. Clara Marie Gunderson, of Colome, South Dakota ;
Mrs. Esther Eldere Nord, living near Winifred, this county; Peter Herman
Larson, born on October 1, 1899, who is operating the home farm for his
mother, and Edna Adena, born on January 15, 1901. The Larsons have a
very pleasant home and take a proper part in the general social activities of
the communitv in which thev live.
GOTTFRIED KELLER.
Gottfried Keller, a substantial farmer of Center township, proprietor
of a fine farm of a half section of land in that township, is a native of the
republic of Switzerland, but has been a resident of Marshall county for
more than thirty years. He was born on a farm in the canton of Bern,
Switzerland, September 30, i860, son of Nicholas and Anna Keller, natives
of that same country, who came to the United States in 1885 and came
on out to Kansas, settling in Franklin township, this county, where the former
died five years later, in 1890, he then being fifty-six years of age, and
where his widow died in 1900, she then being sixty-eight years of age. They
were the parents of four sons, of whom the subject of this sketch was the
second in order of birth, the others being Charles, of Center township,
this county; John, of Franklin township, and Fred, who is now living in
Oregon.
Reared in his native Switzerland. Gottfried Keller came to this country
in 1885, with his parents. After a vear spent on the farm with his parents,
in Franklin township he rented a farm in Guittard township for one vear ; and
rented a part of the county farm, and after a year he began farming in
Richland township, where he remained a year, at the end of which time
848 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
he began farming in Logan township and was there thus employed until
1893, when he moved hack to Franklin township and established his home
in that township and there made his home for ten years. In 1901 he
bought his present farm of three hundred and twenty acres in Center
township and in the spring of [903 moved onto the same and has since
made his home there. After taking possession of that place Mr. Keller
erected all the buildings now there, with the exception of some minor
buildings, and has otherwise improved the place in up-to-date fashion,
now having an excellent farm plant. His farm is right at the edge of
the village of Winifred and is a very attractive place of residence. Mr.
Keller takes an active interest in the general affairs of the community and
is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator Company at Winifred. He is a
Democrat and for four years served as township treasurer and was then
re-elected for two vears. He is a member of the local lodge of the Modern
Woodmen of America and he and his family are members of the German
Lutheran church.
In 1883 Gottfried Keller was united in marriage to Rosa Kohler, who
also was born in Switzerland, daughter of Samuel Kohler and wife, and
to this union twelve children have been horn, three of whom died in infancy,
the others being: Robert, a farmer in Franklin township; Fred, a farmer,
of Center township: Edward and Ernest, assistants to their father on the
home farm: Mrs. Anna Bruenshach, of Balderson township, and Emma.
Ida, Rosa and Edith. The Kellers have a very pleasant home and take
a proper interest in the general social activities of their home community.
JAMES SHAUGHNESSY.
James Shaughnessy, one of the well-known and prominent farmers and
stock breeders of St. Bridget town-hip. Marshall county, was born in the
township on November 1. 1870. and i> the son of Michael and Ellen (Ryan)
Shaughnessy.
Michael and Ellen Shaughnessy were natives of Ireland and there received
their education in the public schools and spent their early life in the Emerald
Isle. The former was born in 1824 and died on June 13. 1906, and the latter
was born in 1829 and died in February, 1885. As a young man Michael
Shaughnessy came to America and located in the state of Indiana, where he
was married at Madison in 1849. There he and his wife established their
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 849
home and lived until i860, when they came to Kansas, where they joined
the colony of early settlers in St. Bridget township. Marshall county. They
obtained a farm and soon became prominent in the community and had much
to do with the development of the district. They remained on the original
farm until 1882, when they purchased the farm now owned by the son,
James. Here Mr. Shaughnessy engaged in general farming and stock raising
in which he was most successful. As he prospered he purchased more land
and at the time of his death was the owner of one thousand acres of the best
land. He was a man of strong personal qualities and was possessed of much
business acumen. He was a firm believer in the highest class of farming
and the keeping of the best of stock. He was known throughout the county
as one of the most successful breeders and raisers of high-grade stock in
the district. He and his wife were devout members of the Catholic church,
Mr. Shaughnessy being one of the founders of the parish in St. Bridget town-
ship and one of the builders of the church. He was identified with the
Democratic party, taking much interest in local affairs and had much to do
with the growth and development of the township and county.
To Michael and Ellen Shaughnessy were born the following children :
Thomas, Edward, Michael, Ellen. Mary, Anna. Delia, James. Edward and
Thomas are now deceased; Michael lives at Kansas City; Ellen is the wife
of Patrick Loot, of Axtell; Mary is the wife of B. Myers and is a resident
of St. Bridget township and Delia is the wife of William Gossin, of St.
Bridget township.
James Shaughnessv received his education in the common schools of St.
Bridget township and at Axtell and was reared on the home farm. As a
boy he put in much of his time herding cattle on the range and while thus
engaged he came to know the habits and characteristics of these animals,
which has been of much value to him as a stockman. He now has six hun-
dred acres of the best land and is engaged in general farming and stock rais-
ing. In 191 1 he began the breeding of thoroughbred Hereford cattle and
his herd today is one of the finest in this section of the state. The present
leader of the herd is "Beam Ultin Xo. 366158," bred by Gudgell and Simp-
son of Independence, Missouri, and was later owned by the University of
Missouri and purchased by Mr. Shaughnessy in 1916. He now has some
fortv cows and he sells many of his cattle in all parts of the country for
breeding purposes, as well as for the range. He is a member of the Amer-
ican Hereford Breeders Association and is well posted on the care and atten-
tion that should be given to all breeding animals. He has a splendid barn,
(54)
85O MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
thirty-four by thirty-six feet, with a shed twenty by one hundred feet, all of
which is modern in every respect and especially adapted for the feeding and
care of his stock. In addition to the care of his stock he had last year one
hundred and fifty acres of coin and seventy acres of other grain. His beauti-
ful house, one of the best in the township, is situated almost in the center of
his large tract of land, making it convenient for him to reach every part of
the place with as little trouble as possible.
On April 28, 1896, lames Shaughnessy was united in marriage to Laura
Brolyer, who was horn on August 2j, 1S72, in Miami county, Indiana, and is
the daughter of Henry and Nancy I. 1 Hubbard) Brolyer, the former having
been horn in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, on February 11. [836, and died on
January 23, [Q02, and the latter was horn in Fayette county. Indiana, on
December 25, 1841, and was the daughter of Samuel and Nancy (Glidwell)
Hubbard. Mr. and .Mrs. Brolyer were married at Wabash. Indiana, on
October 27. 1861, and remained residents of the state of Indiana until [884,
when they came to Kansas and located in St. Bridget township. .Marshall
county, where they became prosperous farmers, and are held in high cegard
by all. They are the parents of the following children: Luella I'. Bryan
and Charles now deceased: Mrs. John Carney of Murray township: Mrs.
Laura Shaughnessy; Mrs. Rose Kabriel, of near Mina; Oliver, of Nebraska;
Edward, of Marysville, this county, and Emil, of Geary count}-. Kansas.
To James and Laura Shaughnessy the following children have been born:
Leebert. a graduate of the Axtell high school and now attending the St.
Joe Commercial College: Vincent has completed the public school course.
graduating June. 1915; Rose, in the eighth grade of the public schools;
Vgatha, in the fifth grade and hern and (bark's, also in school. Mr. and
Mrs. Shaughnessy are devout members of the Catholic church and are prom-
inent in the social life of the community, where they are held in the highfSt
regard and esteem by all who know them.
JOHX V. SMITH.
John V. Smith, deceased, was for many years one of the well-known
and successful farmers and stockmen of Richland township, Marshall county.
He was born in County Galway. Ireland, on March 14, 1838, and was the
son of Thomas Smith and wife. He received his education in the schools of
his native land, where he lived until 1867. At that time he and his brother.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 85 1
Michael, decided to come to America, and they set sail for the new land, where
they hoped to make a home. On their arrival in this country, they proceeded
to St. Louis, where they worked as laborers for six years. In 1873 they
came to Marshall county, where they purchased one hundred and sixty
acres, which they later divided. When they came to the county, the brothers
had twenty-five hundred dollars, which they had saved from their work in
St. Louis. They paid nine hundred dollars for the quarter section of land,
which today is worth some eighteen thousand dollars. On that farm John
V. Smith devoted many years of his life to general farming and stock rais-
ing and met with much success. He added to his land holdings and at the
time of his death was the owner of eight hundred acres of excellent land.
He moved to the present home place in 1896. This he developed and improved
with the best of buildings. The house is a most attractive one, painted white,
its location among the stately evergreen trees, presents a most pleasing effect.
The barns and outbuildings are substantial and are in keeping with the most
excellent upkeep of the farm.
On July 10, 1876, John V. Smith was united in marriage to Catherine
Lynch, who was born in Ireland on January 16, 1854, and was the daughter
of Edward and Mary Lynch. The father died when Catherine was eight
years of age, and thus bereft of a father, her early educational advantages
were neglected. She grew to womanhood in her native land; and in 1873
she and her brother, Peter, came to America, and here joined their uncle,
Peter Lynch, in St. Bridget township, Marshall county. Mr. Lynch had
been agent for new settlers in the county since 1857 and was a man of much
influence and force of character. Here Catherine Lynch and her brother
established their home and here she lived until the time of her marriage,
three years later.
To John V. and Catherine Smith were born the following children :
Thomas, Edward, John L.. Robert, George, William, Mary, Agnes and
Katie. Thomas, Edward and John L. are all successful farmers in the
township. Three of these children, Thomas, Mary and Agnes, each taught
school for about four years in Marshall county. The family belong to the
Catholic church at Summerfield. The mother and daughters are members of
the altar society. Robert and William are engaged in farm work at home;
George is a senior in the high school at Summerfield ; Agnes Gallagher lives
at Summerfield where she is the postmaster ; Mary is at home and Katie is
assistant postmaster at Summerfield and married Vincent Mulharn, of Rich-
land township. John L. Smith is the father of two children, Regina and
Helen, and Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher have two children, Edward and Howard.
852 MARSHAL! COUNTY, KANSAS.
THOMAS HARRY.
Thomas Harry, one of Marshall county's best-known and most sub-
stantial pioneer farmers, fur many years one of the leading citizens of
Guittard township, a shareholder in the Farmers Elevator Company at Heat tie
and one of the county's large landowners, is a native of England, hut has
heen a resident of Kansas since [88] and has consequently seen this section
of the state develop from its original prairie state to its present highly-
developed condition. He was horn in Herefordshire, England. March 9,
i860, son of John and Elizabeth (Thomas) Harry, who spent all their
lives in their native land and who were the parents of four children, of
whom the subject of this sketch was the third in order of birth.
Reared on a farm, Thomas Harry received his schooling in his native
land and remained at home until lie was twenty-one years of age, when,
in 1NN1, in company with William Price, a stonemason, he came to this
country and proceeded on out to Kansas, settling near Beattie. in this
county, where he began working as a farm hand. In 1884 he bought a
tract of eighty acres in section 7 of Guittard township and began develop-
ing the same. The pioneers along the timher helts advised him against
investing i" prairie land, but he had a wider vision than they and he pres-
ently was able to prove to the doubters the wisdom of his judgment. As
he prospered in his operations he bought another "eighty" and by the time
of his marriage in 1890 was a well-estahlished and successful farmer. In
1904 Mr. Harry bought his present farm and is now the owner of six
hundred acres of excellent land, the most of which is well improved and
highly cultivated. In addition to his general farming Mr. Harry has long
given considerable attention to the raising of Shorthorn cattle and Poland
China hogs and has done very well, for vears having heen regarded as one
of the leading farmers and stockmen in that part of the county. Mr. Harry
is a Republican and for thirteen years, or until about four years ago, served
as a member of the school hoard in district No. 1 -?4 and in other ways lent
of his time and his energies t. . the promotion of the best interests of his
home community.
In 1890, at Home, this county. Thomas Harry was united in mar-
riage to Mary A. Lewis, who was horn in Yorkshire, England, May 14.
1867. daughter of William Lewis and wife, further mention of whom is
made elsewhere in this volume, and who was hut two years of age when
her parents came to this country, and to this union six children were horn.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 853
namely: William J., who is farming one of his father's farms; Charles
C, who also is farming one of the home places; Ethel, who was graduated
from the Beattie high school, later attended the State University at Em-
poria, and since 191 5 has been teaching in the public schools of this county,
and Raymond T., Zoie M. and Arthur L., who are at home. The mother
of these children died on July 20, 1916.
Mr. Harry is a member of the local lodges of the Modern Woodmen
of the World and of the Knights and Ladies of Security and has long taken
an active interest in the affairs of the same. As a promoter of local inter-
ests in a general business way he has ever taken a proper part in the com-
munity activities and is one of the shareholders in the Farmers' Elevator
Company at Beattie.
HENRY H. FARRAR.
Henry H. Farrar, one of the best-known and most progressive young
farmers and stockmen of Marshall county, the proprietor of a tine farm in
Guittard township, former clerk of Murray township and the holder of
banking and other extensive interests in this part of the state, is a native
son of Marshall county and has lived here all his life. He was born on a
pioneer farm in Lincoln township, this county, October 25, 1882, son of
Horatio N. and Martha L. (Minter) Farrar, natives of Ohio, who became
early and influential residents of this county, where the former spent his
last days and where the latter is still living, now making her home at Axtell.
Horatio N. Farrar was born in the city of London, Madison county,
Ohio, and became a well-to-do farmer and stockman. He and his brother,
Thomas Farrar, served as soldiers of the Union army during the Civil War,
serving as member of a Kentucky regiment. He married in Madison
county, Ohio, Martha L. Minter, who was born in that county on April 19,
1850, and in 1870 came with his wife to Kansas and settled in Marshall
county, where he spent the remainder of his life, one of the most active and
influential pioneer residents of this county. Upon coming to Marshall
county Horatio Farrar entered a soldier's claim to a quarter section home-
stead in Lincoln township and there established his home. He prospered
in his farming operations and eventually became the owner of a full section
of land, in addition to extensive banking and other interests in the county.
He was one of the organizers of the Citizens' Bank of Axtell and for years
served as president of the same. Politically, Mr. Farrar was a Republican
854 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and from the very beginning of his residence in this county took an active
interest in local civic affairs, long having been regarded as one of the leaders
of his party in that part of the county. For some time he served as treas-
urer of Lincoln township and in other ways gave of his time and energies
to the public service, ever interested in such movements as were designed to
advance the common welfare hereabout. Horatio Farrar died on August
24, 1913, and his widow is now making her home in Axtell. They were
the parents of eleven children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the
eighth in order of birth, and all of whom are living.
Henry H. Farrar was reared on the home farm in Lincoln township
and received his early schooling in the schools of Axtell, from which he was
graduated in 1903. He then taught school for a year and later entered
Baker University, from which he was graduated with the class of 1908, one
of the members of that class being the young woman who later became his
wife. During his university course Mr. Farrar took a particularly active
part in the athletic events of the institution and in 1907 won a medal for
high jumping, his performance in that line breaking all records for the
state of Kansas. Mr. Farrar was married in the fall of the year following
his graduation from the university and in that same year became engaged
with his father and one of his brothers in the live-stock business. He had
previously bought his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres in sec-
tions 35 and 36 in Guittard township and there established his home and has
ever since lived there, he and his family being very comfortably and very
pleasantly situated. In addition to his own quarter section, Mr. Farrar has
an interest in a half section of land near Axtell; has shares in the Farmers'
Elevator Company at Beattie, and a considerable block of stock in the bank
at Axtell. He is a Republican and for some time served as clerk of Murray
township, but resigned that position in 1910. Mr. Farrar has been an ex-
tensive breeder of live stock, giving his special attention to Shorthorn cattle
and to sheep, having now a flock of seven hundred head of the latter and is
known as one of the most successful sheep raisers in the county. He has
ever taken a warm interest in the general welfare of the county and has
given his intelligent attention to numerous movements designed to advance
the same.
On September 2, 1908. at Baldwin, Kansas, Henry H. Farrar was
united in marriage to Ivy Riley, who was born in Johnson county, this
state, January 26, 1885, daughter of James Francis and Elizabeth Lucretia
(Williams) Riley, natives of Ohio, who became pioneers of Kansas and
who are now living at their pleasant home in Baldwin, this state. James F.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 855
Riley was born at Zanesville, Ohio, June 6, 1838, eldest of a family of nine
children, and his wife was born near Circleville, in that same state, Decem-
ber 6, 1841, the sixth in order of birth in a family of fifteen children. She
moved with her parents by wagon to St. Louis and by boat up the Missouri
river to Johnson county, Kansas, settling, in 1864, near Monticello, where
she taught school until her marriage to Mr. Riley on September 17, 1865.
Fifty years later, at their home in Baldwin, Mr. and Mrs. Rilev celebrated
their golden wedding anniversary, the occasion being made one of much
felicitation on the part of their many friends, the reunion and celebration
being attended by all members of the immediate family, eleven of the
eighteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, besides a numerous
company from this and other states. The event attracted much attention
among the newspapers and a comprehensive account of the celebration,
together with a reproduction of portraits of the celebrants, appeared in the
Topeka Capital, while the Brooklyn (New York) Daily Eagle featured the
affair by giving it a half page, with portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Riley, together
with a very interesting story relating to Mr. Riley's experiences as a "bull-
whacker" along the old Santa Fe trail in pioneer days in Kansas and other
interesting and illuminating reminiscences of that period in the history of
Kansas.
James F. Riley came to Kansas in 1858, when even the eastern counties
of the then territory were inhabited chiefly by Indians, when there was no
Kansas City, Kansas, and when what is now Kansas City, Missouri, was
known as Westport Landing. He helped to lay out the original site of
White Cloud, in Doniphan county, and was present at the barbecue that was
given in Kansas City when the first shovelful of dirt was thrown in building
the first railroad that entered the place. During the five years from 1859 to
1864 Mr. Riley made numerous trips in hauling freight by ox and mule
trains from Ft. Leavenworth across the plains to Salt Lake City and to Ft.
Union and Albuquerque, using the now famous Santa Fe trail and having
many thrilling experiences with the Indians. In 1864 he was sergeant of
cavalry in the Kansas State militia and aided in guarding Lawrence against
the expected raid of the Confederate General Price in October of that year.
Two or three years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Riley bought two
hundred acres of land from Polly Greenfeather and other Indians on Indian
creek in Johnson county, where they made their home until their retirement
from the farm in 1901 and removal to Baldwin, where they now reside.
To them were born nine children, four sons and five daughters, of whom
Mrs. Farrar is the youngest, and all of whom are living. In keeping with
85^ MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
tlie pioneering instinct of their parents, this family of nine children is now
widely scattered and its members engaged in various pursuits. The eldest
son, Charles Allen Riley, and three daughters, Mrs. Ralph I oppock, Mrs,
Joseph J. Baker and Mrs. Thomas J. Coppock, are prosperous farmers and
ranchmen in Alberta, Canada. The eldest daughter is the wife of Col. Andy
J. James, the widely-known auctioneer of Kansas. Missouri and Oklahoma,
and owner of "Meadow Brook Stock Farm" in Johnson county. Three
sons are engaged in educational and philanthropic work. The eldest,
Thomas J. Riley, is general secretary of the Brooklyn bureau of charities.
Brooklyn, New York; Edgar I". Riley is director in the Teachers" Training
School of the Wisconsin State Normal at Plattville, and the youngest son,
Elmer A. Riley, is head of the department of economics and sociology in
Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio.
To Henry H. and Ivy (Riley) Farrar two children have been born.
Virginia, born on February 24. 191 1, and Roberta, February 19, 1914. .Mr.
and Mrs. Farrar are members of the Methodist church at Axtell and take a
proper interest in the various beneficences of the same, as well as in the
general social activities of the community in which they live.
FRANK Til HO WOHLER.
Frank Theo Wohler, one of the progressive and well-known of the
younger farmers of Cottage Hill township, Marshall county, and the man-
ager of bis mother's splendid farm of four hundred and eighty acres, was
born on July [6, [890, and is the son of Theo and Sophia ( Elstroth I Wohler.
Theo Wohler, the father, was bom in Liperdetmold, Germany, on Octo-
ber J4. 1N01. When he was but four years of age he came with his parents,
Fred and Louisa Wohler, to the United States. Fred Wohler on his arrival
in this country, with his family came at once to Marshall county, and estab-
lished his home on a farm in Cottage Hill township, where he and his wife
spent the remaining days of their lives, be dying in [909 at the age of ninety-
two years and the wife and mother died in 1S70 at the aye of seventy-six
years. When Fred Wohler came to America with his little family, it took
the courage and die determination of a strong man. and one who had faith in
his ability to make good, in a Strange land and amid a strange people. < In his
arrival in the county he was without financial support of any kind, yet lie had
the determination to win. After homesteading a tract of land, he at once
:heo. wohler and famii/i
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 857
built a small log cabin in which the family lived for some time. He had but
one horse and with that he broke a part of his land and planted his first crop.
In a short time he began to prosper and became the owner of one of the
splendid farms in the township, all of which he placed under high cultivation
and improved with substantial buildings. He and Airs. Wohler were the
parents of four children as follow : Henry, August, Gatha and Theo.
Henry and August are successful farmers in Riley county, Kansas ; Gatha is
the wife of William Klocke, one of the successful farmers of Missouri, and
Theo is now deceased.
Theo Wohler was reared on the home farm in Cottage Hill township
and was educated in the public schools of Marshall county. He remained on
the home farm and assisted his father with the work, and at the age of
twenty-one years he assumed the management of the farm. In 1882 he pur-
chased the place, which then contained one hundred and sixty acres and to
which he added until at the time of his death on January 10, 1913, he was
the owner of four hundred and eighty acres, all of which he had under a high
state of development and well improved. A few years after he had pur-
chased the original farm, he built a fine horse barn, after which he erected a
large cattle barn, twenty-eight by one hundred and fifty feet. In 1906 he
built the beautiful modern house at a cost of two thousand five hundred dol-
lars, and which is one of the best farm residences in the township. He
took the greatest interest in his family and did everything possible for their
convenience and happiness. As a farmer and stockman he was recognized
as one of the successful and substantial men of the township and county. He
kept the best grade of hogs and the finest Aberdeen Angus cattle. He was
a feeder and a shipper of cattle and hogs and each year he placed many of
these animals on the market, receiving the highest market price. He placed
the buildings of his farm in the center of the tract, and from the farm home
they have the finest view of the whole of the place. The farm buildings
are so arranged as to give the greatest degree of proficiency and economy of
time. He gave his stock the most careful attention and his farm was kept
in the highest state of cultivation. Mr. Wohler was a leader and not a fol-
lower in the management of a farm and the care of stocE. He made his
life work a study, and was known as one of the most proficient men in his
line in the county.
On March 24, 1882, Theo Wohler was united in marriage to Sophia
Elstroth, the daughter of Henry and Marie (Elstroth) Elstroth, both of
whom were born in Germany and there received their education in the public
schools and were later married. Mrs. Wohler was born in Westphalia, Ger-
858 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
many, on May 11. 1856. and there she received her education in the public
schools and grew to womanhood. In [881 she left the land of her nativity
and came to the United States, to he with friends in Marshall county. It
was here that she met and married Theo Wbhler, by whom she l>ecanie the
mother of the following children: Ortwinj a successful farmer of Cottage
Hill township, Marshall county; I.illie, the wife of Ed Kaump. one of the
successful residents of Riley county. Kansas, and Frank Theo.
Frank Theo Wohler was born on July 16, 1890, and received his edu-
cation in the district schools of Cottage Hill township and grew to manhood
on the home farm, where as a lad he assisted his father with the work on
the farm, and became thoroughly conversant with the duties of the manage-
ment of a large estate and the care of -tuck. Today he is recognized as one
of the progressive young farmers and stockmen of the township, and in the
management of his mother's large farm he has demonstrated his ability v<
do big things. Since the death of his father he has kept the farm in the
best condition and has maintained the upkeep of the excellent buildings on the
place. He dees general farming and keeps a high grade of stock, some of
which is among the best in the county. He has always taken an active inter-
est in the affairs of the township and i^ a firm believer in the progressive spirit
of the times.
The Wohler family are active members of the Evangelical church and
have long been prominent in the social life of the community where they live
and where they are held in the highest regard and esteem.
ABEL W. GIBSOX.
Abel W. Gibson, one of Wells township's well-known and substantial
farmers and stockmen, a pioneer of Marshall county and the proprietor of
a well-kept farm of one hundred and forty-three acres in Wells township.
is a native of the Hoosier state, an honored veteran of the Civil War from
that state, but has been a resident of this county since 1881. He was born
on a pioneer farm in Putnam county, Indiana, not far from the city of
Greencastle, October 11, 1841, a son of Castleton and Lucy (Wilson) Gib-
son, natives of Kentucky and early settlers in Indiana.
Castleton Gibson was born in 1820 and was little more than an infant
when his parents, Louis Gibson and wife, moved from Kentucky up into
Indiana in 1823 and settled in the then wild- of Putnam county. Louis
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 859
Gibson, a Virginian and a member of an old Colonial family, the Gibsons
having settled in New York in Colonial days, was a soldier in the War of
1812 and received a land warrant for his services during that war. Alex-
ander Wilson, father of Lucy Wilson, also was a soldier during that war
and received a land warrant, he and Louis Gibson exercising their warrant
rights by taking land side by side in Putnam county, Indiana, where they
established their homes and where they spent the remainder of their lives.
Alexander Wilson's father, Michael Wilson, carried all kinds of seeds into
Putnam county and set out the first apple orchard in that section of the
Hoosier state. A few years ago Abel W. Gibson took a trip back to his old
home in Indiana and he found some of those original trees still standing
on the old home place and still bearing excellent fruit. On those two pioneer
farms, side by side, Castleton Gibson and Lucy Wilson grew up and were
married and there spent their lives, Castleton Gibson's death occurring in
1883. He was a cousin of General Gibson, of Civil War fame.
On that pioneer farm in Putnam county, Indiana, Abel W. Gibson
grew to manhood, receiving his schooling in the local schools and proving
a valuable aid to his father in the labors of the farm. He was not twenty
years of age when the Civil War broke out, but in September of 1861, the
first year of the war, he enlisted his services in behalf of the Union and
went to the front as a member of Company B, Forty-third Regiment, Indiana
Volunteer Infantry, and with that command served for three years and ten
months, during which time he participated in many stirring engagements
and suffered imprisonment at the hands of the Rebels for ten months. The
Forty-third Indiana was commanded by Col. William E. McLain, of Terre
Haute, and Company B of that regiment was headed, successively, by Capt.
Marion Darnell, Capt. Marmaduke Darnell and Capt. William Yelton. Dur-
ing his service with that command Mr. Gibson was in many skirmishes on
the Mississippi river and participated in the battles at New Madrid, Island
No. 10, Ft. Pillow, the capture of Memphis, Helena, Arkansas, and Marks'
Mills, Arkansas, April 25, 1864. It was in the latter engagement that the
Forty-third Indiana was "smashed" and Mr. Gibson was there taken pris-
oner by the enemy, being sent to Tyler, Texas, where he was held for ten
months. He got out, however, before the war was closed, but upon seek-
ing to rejoin his regiment found it disbanded or destroyed and he was at
Indianapolis when the war ended, and there received his honorable dis-
charge on June 15, 1865.
Upon the completion of his military service, Abel W. Gibson decided
to try his fortunes in the then rapidly developing Northwest and in the fall
860 M \KSH.\U. COUNTY, KANSAS.
of 1865 went to Iowa, settling in Decatur county, that state, where he took
a homestead and prepared to establish a home, alter awhile returning to his
old home in Indiana for a bride and after his marriage there in January,
1868, settled down on his homestead farm in Iowa, where he remained until
1NN1. when lie disposed of his holdings there to advantage and came to
Kansas. Upon coming to this stale .Mr. Gibson located in Smith county,
but his experience there that year with the burning winds, which destroyed
all crops in that section of the state, discouraged him and he moved over
into Marshall county in i88j and bought his present farm in Wells town-
ship, where he established his home and where he since has resided. Mr.
Gibson has an excellent farm of one hundred and forty-three acres and for
for the past twenty-live years has given considerable attention to stock
raising, in addition to his general farming, and has done very well. During
the past ten years his attention has been particularly directed to the raising
of Herefords and he has been a successful producer along that line. lie
has a tine herd of registered Herefords. the same now being headed by
"Woodrow," from the Drennen herd. .Mr. Gibson disposes of his calves
each year at good prices, in 1916 selling more than six hundred dollars worth
of such stock, lie is a member of the American Hereford Association and
takes a warm interest in the affairs of that association.
On January _'_', 1868, in Putnam county, Indiana. Abel W. Gibson was
united in marriage to Sarah G. Ellis, who was born in that county on May
9, 1845. a daughter of Adam and Caroline ( Gall 1 Ellis, native- of Ken-
tucky, who moved to Mississippi and thence to Indiana, in which latter state
they established their home not far from the Gibson and the Wilson home-
steads. Mrs. Gibson died at her home in this county on May 30, 1894, leav-
ing two children, Alice, who is now housekeeper for her father, and Burt,
now living at Peyton. Golorado, who married Bessie Greenleaf and has
three children. Lucy, John and Joseph. Mr. Gibson is an independent Re-
publican and has rendered public service as a member of the school board
in his home district. He is an active member of Robert Hayes Post, Grand
Army of the Republic, at I '.hie Rapids, and in the affairs of that patriotic
organization has long taken a warm interest. He also is an active member
of the local Anti-Horsethief Association and is the only member of that
association that ever stole a horse; Mr. Gibson often recalling with a chuckle
that during his days of soldiering he took a horse that did not belong to
him and stole away from the "Johnnie-." but he salves his conscience by
the declaration that as soon as he had reached a point of safety from the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 86l
pursuing enemy he turned the animal loose. Despite the fact of his advanc-
ing years, Mr.' Gibson is a hale and hearty old gentleman, vigorous and well
preserved, and retains the heartiest zest in living and a keen interest in
current affairs.
JOHN G. GRAHAM.
John G. Graham, one of the well-known and most successful farmers
and stockmen of Richland township, Marshall county, was born in the state
of Illinois on October 19, 1868, and is the son of James Thomas and Melissa
Jane (Gilchrist) Graham.
James Thomas and Melissa Jane Graham were born in Illinois and there
they received their education in the public schools and there grew to matur-
ity and were later married. After their marriage they continued to live in
Illinois until 1871, when they went to Iowa and located in Adair county,
where they remained for thirteen years, when they came to Kansas and
settled in Richland township, Marshall county. Here they established their
home on a farm, where Mr. Graham engaged in general farming and stock-
raising with much success for many years. He and his wife were among
the prominent people of the township and were held in the highest regard
and esteem. They always took the deepest interest in the affairs of the com-
munity. They made their home on the farm until a few years ago, when
they retired from the more active duties of life and moved to Summerfield,
where the}- have a beautiful home.
John G. Graham received his education in the common schools and
grew to manhood in Marshall county. At the age of sixteen years he
began working for himself as a farm hand, and when yet a young man, he
purchased eighty acres of land in Nebraska, where he engaged in farming
for a time, when he sold the place and in March, 1908, purchased his pres-
ent farm, which he has improved and developed into one of the best farms
in the township. On this farm of one hundred and sixty acres he is
engaged in general farming and stockraising and is recognized as one of
the substantial' men of the township, and a successful breeder of high-grade
stock. His home, with its beautiful white house and barns, situated amid
a fine grove of evergreen trees, presents a most pleasing view. His farm,
with its well cultivated, fields aglow with the golden grain and his pasture
with the herds of the finest cattle and the best of hogs, is evidence of thrift
and prosperity. Few farms in the district are better kept and few are main-
tained in better condition with outside buildings.
862 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
John G. Graham has always taken an active interest in local affairs
and has had much to do with the growth and development of the township.
He is identified with the Republican party and in 1914 was elected trustee
of his home township. He assumed the office with the confidence and
the respect of the entire community and he gave to his official duties the
same care and attention that he has always given his own business. Be-
cause of his successful administration during the years for which he was
chosen in 1914, the voters returned him to office in the fall of 1916. it being
evident that his services were appreciated and that his work was well done.
He is an active member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the
Modern Woodmen of America and the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
As a lodge man he takes much interest in the work and is devoted to the
cause of the orders of which he is a member.
On March 23, 1892, John G. Graham was united in marriage to Clara
Conard, who was born in Pawnee county, Nebraska, on August II, 1871,
and is the daughter of [ohn and Elizabeth (Winter) Conard. Mr. and
Mrs. Conard were natives of the state of Indiana, where they were edu-
cated in the public schools. They were later married, and soon thereafter
came to Nebraska, where they homesteaded land and engaged in general
farming and stock raising with success. They have ever been among the
highly respected people of their home community and are held in the
highest regard.
To John G. and Clara (Conard) Graham have been born the follow-
ing children : Ray W., Ava Eola, Iva Igetta. Thelma Elizabeth and Walter
Ivan. Ray W. was born on January 9, 1893, received his 'education in the
public schools and is now at home assisting his father with the work on the
farm: Ava Eola was born on June 19, 1895; Iva Igetta was born on Decem-
ber 13. 1896; Thelma Elizabeth was born on October 3, 1898, and Walter
Ivan was born on Deceml>er 18. [901. Mr. and Mrs. Graham are among
the prominent and highly respected people of the township, and have ever
taken a keen interest in the general development of the community. Their
home life is ideal and they take much interest in the welfare of their children.
James Thomas Graham, the father of John G. Graham, was born mi
October 8, 1836, and the mother was born on October 7, 1842. They were
the parents of the following children: Alva E., A. R., W. M.. H. W., John
(... 1.. W\. I. T.. Iva L.. G. W. and Frank I. Alva E. was born on Decem-
ber 25, 185a and is now a resident of Norton. Kansas: A. R. was born < >n
October 18, 1861, and is a well-known carpenter, of Summerfield, Kansas;
W. M. was born on December 27. 1863; 11. W. was born on March 14,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 863
1866, and now lives in the state of Washington; L. W., born on August 4,
1871, is a resident of the state of Nebraska: J. T. was born on June 16,
1874, and is also a resident of the state of Nebraska; Iva L. Howard was
born on December 13, 1876, and is now a resident of Oklahoma, where her
husband is a professor of schools and a minister: G. W-, born on December
10, 1878, is now living at Denver, Colorado, and Frank I., who was born
on December 21, 1885, 's now a successful farmer south of Home City.
Marshall county.
John Conard, the father of Mrs. John G. Graham, was born in 1845
and was for many years one of the successful farmers and stockmen of
Nebraska, is now a resident of Howell county. Missouri, where he moved
in 1893. Elizabeth Conard, the wife of John Conard, was born in 1842 and
died on October 13, 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Conard were the parents of the
following children : Joseph, Clara, Jessie, Myrtle and Ray. Joseph is a
successful farmer of Richland township, and near neighbor of Mr. and Mrs.
Graham; Jessie Graham is a resident of Nebraska, where her husband is
successfully engaged in farming ; Myrtle Evans is a resident of Missouri,
where Mr. Evans is engaged in overseeing an experimental station in the
state of Missouri, and Rav is now deceased.
GEORGE MILLER.
George Miller, one of Wells township's well-known and progressive
farmers and stock breeders and the proprietor of a fine farm of three hun-
dred and forty acres in that township, is a native of the state of Illinois,
but has lived in Marshall county since the days of his childhood, having
come here with his parents from Illinois back in pioneer days. He was
born in Madison county, Illinois, September 3, 1866, son of Charles and
Belle (Trevor) Miller, natives of that state, who left Illinois with their
family in October, 1871, and came to Kansas, settling three miles north of
Blue Rapids, in this county, among the very earliest settlers in that part of
the county.
Upon coming to Marshall county Charles Miller pre-empted an eighty-
acre tract of land at the point above indicated, three miles north of Blue
Rapids, established his home there and has ever since resided on that pioneer
farm, being now in the eightieth year of his age. He and his wife are
the parents of nine children, those besides the subject of this sketch being
864 MARSHAL] COUNTY, KANSAS.
as follow: Mrs. Fannie Howes. living in the neighboring county of Ne-
maha; Mrs. Lillie Neuman, of Marysville; Mrs. Telia McNew, also of this
county; Mrs. Cordelia Buck, of Los Angeles, California; Mrs. Florence
Morris, also of Los Angeles: William L.. of Osborne county, this state:
Melissa, who is at home with her parents, and Maud Christiansen, living
near Bremen. Kansas.
George Miller was just past five years of age when his parents moved
from Illinois to this county and he grew to manhood on the home farm
north of Blue Rapids, receiving his schooling in the neighborhood schools
and proving a valuable aid in the labors of developing and improving the
farm. In 1886. at the age of twenty years. Mr. Miller married and began
fanning on his own account, he and his wife making their first home in
Wells township. A year later he rented the Scully place west of Marys-
ville, and there made his home for thirteen years, or until 1899, when he
bought his present farm in Wells township and has since made his home
there, he and his family being very comfortably and very pleasantly situ-
ated. Mr. Miller has a farm of three hundred and forty acres and has one
of the best farm plants in that part of the county. He is progressive in his
operations, hi-- farming being carried on in accordance with modern meth-
ods, and he is doing very well. In addition to his general fanning, Mr.
Miller gives considerable attention to the raising of pure-bred Hereford
stock and now has about thirty-live head of registered Herefords, his herd
being headed by "Woodrow." his strain being the same a.- that of his neigh-
bor, A. W. Gibson, a veteran breeder of Herefords. Mr. Miller disposes of
hi> stock at private sale and gets good prices for the same, in the year 1916
having disposed of two thousand dollars' worth of thoroughbred cattle. He
is a member of the American Hereford Breeders' Association and keeps
fully alive to the developments in the live-stock business.
In 1886 George Miller was united in marriage to Emma Goodwin, who
was born in the province of Ontario, Canada. March _>o. 1865. daughter of
ludge Jervis and Carrie (Cornell) Goodwin, natives, respectively, of Eng-
land and Ontario, who moved from the latter place to Wisconsin and four
years later, in 1878, came to Kansas and settled on a farm in Wells town-
ship, this count v. Judge Jervis Goodwin early became one of the most
active and influential men in Marshall county ami was widely and favor-
ably known throughout this part of the state. In [888 he was elected judge
of probate for Mar-hall county and served for eight years in that important
office. Judge Goodwin died in September. [897. His wife had long pre-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 865
ceded him to the grave, her death having occurred in 1879, the year after
she came to Marshall county.
To George and Emma (Goodwin) Miller seven children have been
born, namely : Mrs. Edna Cook, of Ness county, this state ; Earl, who is
farming in Blue Rapids township, this county, and Bessie, Yern G., Hazel,
Charles and Everett, who are at home with their parents. The Millers have
a very pleasant home and take a proper part in the general social activities
of their home neighborhood. Mr. Miller is a Democrat. Fraternally, he is
affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America. He also is a member of
the Anti-Horsethief Association.
ANTHONY CHARLES PECENKA.
Anthony Charles Pecenka, one of the best-known and most substantial
farmers of the Bremen neighborhood in this county, former trustee of
Logan township, former clerk of that same township and formerly and for
years a well-known and influential school teacher in this county and in the
neighboring county of Washington, is a native of the state of Iowa, but
has been a resident of this county since the days of his boyhood, his parents
having settled here back in pioneer days. He was born at Cedar Rapids,
in Linn county, Iowa, December 6, 1863, son of John and Anna (Flidr)
Pecenka, Bohemians, who came to this country after their marriage, set-
tling in Iowa, but later came to Kansas and settled in this county, where
their last days were spent, earnest pioneers of this region.
John Pecenka was born in the village of Ridky u Litomysle, in the dis-
trict of Chrudim, kingdom of Bohemia (Cechy), June 14, 1825, and his
wife, Anna Flidr, whose ancestors were of the Svobodnik, or freemen, was
born in the village of Osyk. in that same district, October 31, 1830. Thev
were married in their native land and afterward came to this country, locat-
ing at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where they remained until 1869, when they came
to Kansas and settled on a farm in the then Marysville. now Logan, town-
ship, Marshall county, where they established their home and where they
spent the remainder of their lives, Mrs. Pecenka dying there on January 5,
1897, and Mr. Pecenka, November 17, 1902. They were the parents of
nine children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the sixth in order of
birth, the others being as follow: Tohn, of Bremen, this countv; Joseph,
(55)
866 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
whose present address is unknown to his family; Frank A., of Condee,
South Dakota; Mrs. Anna Sedlacek, of Bremen, this county; Waclav. of
Seattle, Washington; Mrs. Mary 1'ejsa, of Hanover, this state; Milos A.,
of Bremen, and .Mrs. Emilie Sedlacek, also of Bremen.
Having been but a lad when his parents came to this county from
Iowa. Anthony C. Pecenka was reared on the home farm here and grew
up familiar with pioneer conditions, even in the days of his youth hen lin-
ing a practical farmer. He early became imbued with the desire for a
higher education and upon completing the course in the district schools
entered the Atchison Institute at the age of twenty, in 1884, and after a
short course there and at the St. Benedict College of Atchison. Kansas, in
1885, began teaching the home school and was thus engaged during the
following winter. He then took a further course of instruction in 1887-89
at the Campbell University of Holton, Kansas, and in 1898 was graduated
from the junior scientific course at the Modern Normal College at Marvs-
ville. Meanwhile Mr. Pecenka had been continuing to teach school, farm-
ing during the summers, and after his marriage in 1890 rented a farm and
established his home; continuing for some time after his marriage to teach,
his teaching experience including schools in this county and in the neigh-
boring county of Washington, but finally finding it difficult to give his
proper attention to both of these vocations, give up teaching and has since
confined his efforts to farming and stock raising and has done very well,
being now the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres on rural
route Xo. 2, out of Bremen, and the possessor of one of the pleasantest
and most comfortable homes in that community, he and his family being
delightfully situated. Mr. Pecenka takes an active interest in the general
business affairs of his home community and is a stockholder in the Farmers'
Elevator Company at Hanover and a stockholder in the Farmers' Kdnca-
tional Co-operative Union of America, in the affairs of both of which
organizations he takes a warm interest. Politically. Mr. Pecenka is a Dem-
ocrat, though inclining to independence of party on local issues, reserving
his right to vote for the men best qualified for the offices sought and in
1895 was elected clerk of Logan township, a position he held for four
years. In 1902 he was elected trustee of that township and held that office
for four years, his friends declaring that his administration of the affair-;
of that important office was the most satisfactory that had ever been ren-
dered there.
On January 7. (890, at the Catholic church of St. John the Baptist at
Hanover, in the- neighboring county of Washington. Anthony C. Pecenka
MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS. 867
was united in marriage to Christina Pacha (Pejsa), who was born at Min-
den, in Sanilac county, Michigan, April 17, 1865, daughter of Matej and
Marie Pejsa, Bohemians, who were married in their native land and later
came to America, presently settling in Michigan, where the former died,
his widow later coming to Kansas with her children and establishing her
home here. Matej, or Mathias, Pejsa was born in the village of Drhovice
No. 2, in the kingdom of Bohemia (Cechy), February 24, 1806, and his
wife, Marie Placha, was born in the neighboring village of Drazice No. 18,
February 19, 1824. They were married in the latter village on November
26, 1844, and five children were born to them in Europe. In the latter
part of September, 1853, they came to the United States and located in the
city of Cleveland, Ohio, in the latter part of December of that same year.
In the February following twins were born to them. In August, 1854,
Matej Pejsa and his family moved up into Canada and there remained until
in May. 1859, when they moved down into Michigan and settled in Sanilac
county, Matej Pejsa buying a tract of land in the immediate vicinity of
Minden, in that county. The land agent at Detroit, from whom he pur-
chased the land, had difficulty with the spelling of the foreign name and
with a careless disregard for the proper preservation of the family name
and the accuracy of the land record, recorded the purchase in the name of
"Matthis Pacha," which latter spelling of the name, in order to keep the
record straight, the family afterward observed and has since maintained,
all the members of this considerable family, with the exception of Albert
Pejsa, of Hanover, this state, continuing to spell the name Pacha. Matej
Pejsa died in Michigan in November, 1868. and his widow maintained her
residence there until 1875, when she came to Kansas with her family and
established her home on a farm, where her last days were spent, her death
occurring on June 5, 1895. Of the large family of children born to Matej
Pejsa and wife, Mrs. Pecenka is the youngest, the others of these children
who grew to maturity, several having died in infancy, being as _ follow.
Frank, of Pleasant Plain, Iowa; Jacob, of that same place; Matej, of Rich-
wood. Union county, Ohio; Mrs. Mary Benda, of Lanham, Nebraska;
Joseph, of Marysville, this county; Mrs. Katherina Triska, of Hanover;
Mrs. Anna Klecan. of Hanover; Mrs. Elizabeth Hladik, who died on Feb-
ruary 1, 1893; John, of Black Duck, Minnesota, and Albert, of Hanover.
To Anthony C. and Christina (Pejsa) Pecenka have been born eight
children, namely: John Anthony, born on January 5, 1891 ; Katherina and
Christina (twins), February 1, 1893; Mary, December 11, 1898, who died
on April 8, 1901 ; Mary, October 4, 1901 ; Zita, April 24, 1903; Francis
868 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Anthony. May II, 1906, who died on July 13, 1906, and Francis Alois,
August 6, 1908, all of whom are at home. {Catherine Pecenka was gradu-
ated from the Marysville high school in the spring of 19 17. Mr. and Mrs.
Pecenka are members of the Catholic church and their children have been
reared in the faith of that church. The family have a very pleasant home
and have ever taken a proper part in the general good works and social
activities of the community in which they live, helpful in promoting the
general welfare.
FRANK SEDIYY.
Frank Sedivy, one of the well-known and successful farmers and
stockmen of Blue Rapids City township, Marshall county, where he is the
owner of two hundred and ten acres of splendid land in section 2. was born
in Bohemia on December 13, i860, and is the son of Frank and Anna
( Machacek) Sedivy.
Frank and Anna Sedivy were also natives of Bohemia and there they
received their education in the schools of that country, grew up and were
later married. They established their home in their native land and con-
tinued to live there until 1870, when they decided to come to America,
where they might better have an opportunity to make a home for them-
selves and those dependent upon them. On their arrival in the United
States they at once proceeded to Iowa, where they resided for a year, after
which they came to Kansas, and here they settled in Marshall county, near
the Riley county line. A home was made on the homestead of eighty acres,
where the father engaged in general farming and stock raising until the
time of his death in 1885, at the age of fifty-five years. His wife, who was
born in 1835. died in 1908. During their residence in the county, where
they led worthy lives, they made many friends, who held them in much
regard and esteem. They were the parents of the following children : Frank.
Louis, Anna and William. Louis is a resident of Cottage Hill township,
Marshall county, where he is the owner of two farms and he is successfully
engaged in general farming and stock raising. Anna is the widow of L.
Swacha and is living in Grant county, Oklahoma. William is a well-known
farmer of Blue Rapids township.
Frank Sedivy resided in the land of his birth until he was ten years
of age, when he came to this country with his parents and with them settled
in Marshall countv. Here he received his education in the common schools
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 869
and grew to manhood on the home farm, where as a lad he assisted his
father with the farm work and became impressed with the dignity and inde-
pendence of the life of a farmer. In 1891 he purchased a farm of eighty
acres four miles south of the town of Blue Rapids. The farm at that time
was for the most part undeveloped and unimproved. Mr. Sedivy at once
entered into the task of making development of the place, and in addition
to the building of a good house and barn, he made many other valuable
improvements that added much to the beauty and the value of the place.
In 1904 he traded the farm for his present place in Blue Rapids City town-
ship. Here he has erected several buildings and made many valuable im-
provements. Today he is known as one of the substantial and successful
men of the township and the county. He is a stockholder of the Farmers'
Elevator Company and of the Fair Association of Blue Rapids.
Politically, Mr. Sedivy is identified with the Republican party and has
always taken an active interest in local affairs, and for many years has been
a member of the local school board. He is a progressive citizen and takes
the keenest interest in the development of the schools of the township, and
has had much to do with the growth and prosperity of the county in general.
On March 31, 1891, Frank Sedivy was united in marriage to Antonia
Pishny, who was born in Moravia, on February 7, 1865, and is the daughter
of Ignatz and Antonia (Roman) Pishny. Her parents were also natives
of Moravia and there they received their education in the schools of that
country and grew to maturity and were married. They were the parents
of five boys and two daughters, and when the daughter Antonia was thir-
teen years of age, in 1878, the parents decided to come to America. Here
they located in Cottage Hill township, Marshall county, Kansas, where they
still reside. Mr. Pishny is eighty-five years old and has retired from farm
work. Each of his sons are living on their own farms in the same town-
ship.
To Frank and Antonia Sedivy have been born five children, as follow :
Richard, Bessie, Helen, George and Mila. Richard, a graduate of the ani-
mal husbandry course of the Kansas State Agricultural College, is employed
at Tremonton, Utah. Miss Bessie is a graduate of the short course of
Kansas State Agricultural College. Helen is a graduate of the Blue Rapids
high school and is now one of the successful teachers of Marshall county,
and Georgia is a student in the Blue Rapids high school and is completing
her senior year.
Mr. and Mrs. Sedivy endured many of the hardships of life, before
they succeeded. Xow they have many friends in their community and are
held in the highest regard by all.
870 MARSHALL Oir.NTV, KANSAS.
JOHN RUEGER.
Among the many well-known residents and successful farmers and
stockmen of Guittard township, Marshall county, is John Rueger. who was
born in Sauk county, Wisconsin, on September 8, 1863, the son of Leonard
and Leona Rueger.
Leonard Rueger was born in Bavaria. Germany, in 1820, and there
received his education in the public schools and grew to manhood. When
but a young man he left his native land and came to the United States, and
after his arrival in this country he proceeded at once to Wisconsin, where
he engaged in general farming until 1874. He then came to Kansas and
located in Balderson township. Marshall county, where he first purchased
eighty acres of land, on which he built a log house, in which he and his
family lived for a number of years. After having settled on the land he
at once engaged in the breaking of the tract, and with his oxen he soon had
some of the farm under cultivation. He later purchased another one hun-
dred and sixty acres of land, which he sold to his son--, and at the time of
his death in 1888 he was the owner of eighty acres of excellent land.
Leonard Rueger was first married to Leona Rueger and by her he was
the father of five children, of win mi John was the youngest After the
death of Leona Rueger, Leonard Rueger was later married to Roseine
Wendle, and to this union two children were born. Mrs. Rueger is now
living in western Kansas at the age of eighty-one years. Mr. Rueger and
hi- family were active members of the Catholic church and were for many
years prominent in the social life of the community in which they lived, and
where they were held in the highest regard and esteem.
John Rueger received his education in the local schools, and was ten
years of age when he came to Kansas with his parent-. As a lad he began
working for six dollars per month on the farm, and for thirty-one years he
worked for Xavier Guittard, who owned the section of land, where John
Rueger now owns one hundred and sixty acre-. Mr. Rueger purchased the
tract from Mr. Guittard. having earned the money during his many years
of labor on the place. In addition to this one hundred and sixty acres of
excellent land, he is the owner of another eighty acres, that he has added
to his original place. He is engaged in general farming and stock-raising
with much succe-< and keeps a fine lol of Durham cattle and many fine h
He is also a shareholder in the Union elevator at Beattie. and is recognized
as one of the prominent and successful residents of the township.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KAXSAS. 871
In 1907 John Rueger was married to Mary Wiler, who was born in
Switzerland on February 26, 1878. and is the daughter of Christ and Eliza-
beth (Street) Wiler. Mr. and Mrs. Wiler were also natives of that coun-
try and there they received their education in the public schools, grew to
maturity and were married. After their marriage they continued to live in
the land of their nativity until 1881, when they decided that they would
come to the United States. On arriving in this country they located in
Balderson township, Marshall county, where they lived nine years, after
which they moved to Oklahoma, where they lived until the time of their
deaths some years ago. They were the parents of seven children, all of
whom are now living.
To John and Mary Rueger have been born two children, Arthur F.,
who was born on February 10, 1908, and Eugene J., born on January 7,
1913. Mr. and Mrs. Rueger are devout members of the Catholic church
and have long been prominent in the social life of the district. They have
always taken a keen interest in the development of the educational and the
social life of the community, and are held in the highest regard for their
man}- excellent qualities.
Mr. Rueger has seen many changes in the country since as a lad he
herded cattle for Guittard. During those early days much of the country
was a wild tract of prairie land, and at times not less than four hundred
Indians were encamped not far from the present home of Mr. Rueger.
JOSEPH MANNING.
Joseph Manning, one of Franklin township's well-known and substan-
tial farmers, an honored veteran of the Civil War and the owner of a fine
farm of one hundred and sixty acres in section 18 of that township, is a
native of Ohio, but has been a resident of Marshall county since 1870, when
he came here from Iowa with his family and settled in Franklin township,
where he ever since has made his home, one of the best-known pioneers of
that part of the county. Joseph Manning was born on a farm in Franklin
township, Clermont county, Ohio, XoVember 20, 1837, son of John and
Ursula B. (Morgan) Manning, both natives of that same state, the former
of whom also was born in Clermont county, son of John Manning, one of
the earliest settlers in that part of the state.
In 1850 the younger John Manning and his family left Ohio and moved
872 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
to Appanoose county. Iowa, where he established his home and where he
and his wife spent the remainder of their lives, honored pioneer residents
of that county. They were the parents of eleven chldren, of whom the sub-
ject of this sketch was the fourth in order of birth. Joseph Manning was
about thirteen years of age when his parents moved to Iowa and he at once
became a valued assistant to his father in the lalx>rs of developing and im-
proving the new homestead. He was living there when the Civil War broke
out and in August, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company I. Thirty-
sixth Regiment. Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served with that command
for three years, or until the close of the war. Upon the completion of his
military service, Mr. Manning returned to his home in Iowa and on Decem-
ber 31, 1865, was united in marriage there to Maria I. Holshouser. who was
bom in Putnam county. Indiana, August 30, 1849, fourth in order of birth
of the eight children born to her parents, Milus A. and Caroline 1 Atkinson 1
Holshouser, the former a native of Xorth Carolina and the latter of Indiana,
who moved from the Hoosier state to Iowa in 1S50 and settled in Wapello
county, later moving to Appanoose county, where they spent their last days.
A few years after his marriage Joseph Manning and his wife came to
Kansas and pre-empted a homestead of a quarter of a section of land in
section 18 of Franklin township, this county, with the view to establishing
a home there, but five years later returned to their old home in Appanoose
count}'. Iowa, where they remained until 1883, when they returned to their
homestead farm in this county and here have resided ever since, long having
been regarded as among the most substantial and influential residents of
that part of the county. Mr. Manning also owns a quarter of a section of
land in Jewell county. For years he has given considerable attention to the
raising of Shorthorn cattle and formerly was an exhibitor at county fairs
and stock shows, once having received a prize on his cattle at the county
fair. Mr. Manning is a Republican and has ever given a good citizen's
attention to local political affairs, having held several township offices at one
time and another. He and his wife are members of the Methodist church
and have ever given their thoughtful attention to the affairs of the same. To
them six children have been born, namely: William A., who died in in-
fancy: Nevada V. who died at the old family home in Iowa on February
14. [882, at the age of fourteen years; Edward A., now a bookkeeper in the
office of a cement factory at Kansas City, Missouri, who married Miss
Nellie Faulkner, of Marysville, and has two children, a son and a daughter;
Gertrude M.. who married Clarence Bevers, a fanner living near Beanie.
this county, and has one child, a son; Hallie M.. who married Dr. E. L.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 873
Wilson, Jr., of Marysville, and O. Clyde Manning, who is at home assist-
ing his father in the management of the home farm. The Mannings have
a very pleasant home and have ever taken a proper part in the social activi-
ties of their home neighborhood, helpful in advancing all good causes there-
about.
HERMAN J. ANDERSON.
Among the native sons of Sweden who have come to the United States
and settled in Cottage Hill township, Marshall county, and here success-
fully engaged in general farming and stock raising, is Herman J. Ander-
son, who was born in the west part of Sweden on March 20, 1862. being
the son of Jacob and Lottie (Swenson) Anderson.
The parents of Herman J. Anderson were also natives of Sweden and
there they received their education in the public schools and grew to matur-
ity and were married. They continued to live in the land of their nativity
until 1869, at which time they decided to come to America. On their arrival
in the United States they came direct to Kansas, where they established
their home in Riley county. Here the father homesteaded a tract of land
which he later developed and improved into a splendid farm, and there he
engaged in general farming and stock raising until the time of his death
in 1879, at the age of fifty-five years. His wife was born in 1826 and died
in 1906. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were excellent people and were held in
the highest regard and esteem by all who knew them.
Herman J. Anderson received his education in the district schools of
Rilev county and there grew to manhood on the home -farm, where as a lad
and young man he assisted his father with the farm work. After the death
of the father, Mr. Anderson assumed the management of the home place,
where he remained until 1886, when he came to Marshall county and pur-
chased a part of his present large farm of some eight hundred acres. The
farm was much smaller at the start, but he has added to the original tract,
as he could and as he prospered. He has two sets of farm buildings, which
are most substantial and well kept.
It was in 1884 that Herman J. Anderson was united in marriage to
Mary Isaacson, a native of Sweden, and who came to the United States
with her parents at the time the parents of her future husband came to this
country. The family settled in Riley county and there her father home-
steaded a farm which he developed and improved, and there he engaged in
874 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
general farming and stuck raising until the time of his death in 1904, at the
age iif seventy years. The widow of John Isaacson is now living at her
home in Riley county at the age of eighty years.
To Herman J. and Mary Anderson have been horn the following chil-
dren: Edward, William. Elmer, Mabel and Alice. Edward, who is now
thirty years of age, is farming a part of his father's farm; William, twenty-
eight rears of age, is engaged in general farming on a part of his father's
farm: Elmer, nineteen years of age, and Mabel, sixteen years old, are both
at home; Alice died at the age of five months. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson
were active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and long prominent
in the social life of the township, where they were held in high regard and
esteem. Mrs. Anderson, a most estimable woman and one who made many
friends, was horn on September 22, [864, and departed this life at her home
in Cottage Hill township on January 21, 1916.
Politically, Mr. Anderson has always taken a keen interest in the civic-
life of his home township and county, although not an office seeker, has
held the position of justice of the peace for one term. He is a man of
pleasing qualities, and because of his progressive spirit and excellent judg-
ment his advice is often sought on matters of public importance. He is a
stockholder in the County Pair Association and in the State Bank at Water-
ville, and also in the Elevator Company, the Telephone Company and the
Lumber Company at Waterville. He has always used his best interest in
the development of his home district and is a strong advocate of the build-
ing of good mads and the support of the best schools, and in these matters
his influence has been fraught with much good.
JOHN ALFRED LIXDQUIST.
Among the many native horn Swedes, who came to the United State-
and located in Marshall county, is John Alfred Lindquist, of Cottage Hill
township, who was horn on March 1 1. [861, being the son of John and Caro-
lina Larson, who were also natives of Sweden, where they spent their lives
and there died some years ago. They were among the highly respected
people of the district in which they lived and they were held in the highest
regard and esteem. Their lives were spent in humble, hut honorable circum-
stances. Thev were of a religious turn of mind, and they reared their
family to be honest men and women. Their lives were spent amid adverse
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 875
circumstances, yet they were ambitious to have their children enjoy more
of the pleasures of life than was given to them.
John Alfred Lindquist remained a resident of his native country until
he was twenty-six years of age, when he decided that he would come to
America, where the advantages were better for young men and where he
might obtain a home for himself. After landing in the United States, with-
out a cent in cash, he at once proceeded to Waterville, Marshall county,
where he engaged as a farm hand, at sixteen dollars per month. He con-
tinued in this work for a year, and then he rented a farm and engaged in
general farming for himself for six years. He saved all that he could
during that time, and then he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of
land, which is a part of his present farm of four hundred acres in Cottage
Hill township. He paid two thousand nine hundred dollars for the place
and there were but few improvements on the farm at that time. He later
erected a splendid house and other farm buildings, but retained the old stone
barn that was on the place at the time he made the purchase. By hard
work and close application he has prospered in his work as a general farmer
and stockman and has increased his farm to its present large proportions,
and he is recognized as one of the substantial and influential men of the
township and county.
On October 6, 1889, John Alfred Lindquist was united in marriage to
Matilda Larson, who was born in Sweden on October 2, 1861, the daughter
of Lars and Christina Gustafson. Her parents were also natives of that
country. There the parents received their education in the public schools
and there the father died in 1884. Three years after the death of the hus-
band and father, Mrs. Gustafson and her daughter, Matilda, came to the
United States, where the other members of the family had located some
time before, and it was here that the mother died shortly after her arrival
in this country. The family located in Kansas and here Mr. and Mrs.
Lindquist met and were later married. To them have been born the follow-
ing children : Carl Herman, Endfred Theadore, Hilder Eugenia, Albin
Herbert, Helga Matilda. Ernest Robert, Gerda Elfreda and Lillie Melvena.
Carl Herman is one of the successful young farmers of Cottage Hill town-
ship and is meeting with much success in his chosen work; Endfred Thea-
dore is a farmer of the county; Hilder Eugenia is the wife of Victor Nel-
son, a farmer of Cottage Hill township; Helga Matilda is attending high
school at Waterville, and the other children are at home. Mr. and Mrs.
Lindquist are active members of the Lutheran church and are prominent in
all church work as well as in the social life of the community in which they
876 .MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
live and where they are held in the highest regard and esteem. Mr. Lind-
quist is a deacon of the church in Cottage Hill township, and has had much
to do with the success of the local organization.
Politically, .Mr. Lindquist is a member of the Republican party and has
always taken an active interest in local affairs. While he is not an office
seeker, he helieves that every man should take an interest in the selection
of the best men to administer the affairs of the township, the county and
the state. In the life of Mr. Lindquist is well illustrated the result of con-
sistent work and close application to business. Coming to this countrv a
poor young man, he has risen to a position of one of the influential and
substantial men of the countv.
CLARENCE E. NICHOLS.
Among the men who have located in Cottage Hill township. Marshall
county, and have met with a large degree of success as general farmers
and stock raisers is Clarence E. Nichols, who was born in the state of
Illinois on September 26, 1H67, and is the son of John L. and Sarah (Mil-
mine) Nichols, natives of Massachusetts and Canada, respectively.
John L. Nichols was born in the city of Boston on January 20, 1833,
being the son of John Nichols, who was born in 1797, where he lived until
1836. when he and his family came to Illinois and was one of the early
settlers in that state. There he homesteaded forty acres of land and there
he reared his family. It was in the locality of the family's first home in
that state that the son. John L.. grew to manhood and received his educa-
tion in the local schools. At the outbreak of the Civil War. John L. Nich-
ols was one of the first to give his services to his country in defense of the
Union. For four years he served as a sergeant in Company I'.. Second llli-
ii"is Cavalry, and rendered excellent services in some of the hardest cam-
paigns "t the war. At Forts Henry and Donelson he was shot in the body
and in the leg, and never fully recovered from the effects of these wounds.
At the close of the war he returned to Illinois, where he lived until 1N71.
when he with his family came to Kansas. In the year before Mr. Nichols
came to Marshall county, where he purchased land at five dollars per acre
and later had a most difficult time in keeping up the payments. The mar-
kets were far distant and the prices were low. and where there was grain
or produce to sell, it brought but very little. When the family came to the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 8/7
state from Illinois, John L. and his son, Clarence E., made the trip in a box
car, having made the journey with the horses and the household goods. The
farm the family settled on was undeveloped and unimproved and required
much hard work and close economy to bring to the high state of excellence
in which Mr. Nichols had placed it some years later. He engaged in gen-
eral farming and stock raising until the time of his death on February 10.
1902. He was an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and
he and his wife were prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal
church.
Sarah Nichols was born in her Canadian home on April u, 1837,
and there she received her education in the local schools and grew to
womanhood. In 1853, she came with her parents to Illinois, where the
family home -was established and she was later united in marriage to Mr.
Nichols. Her parents, Alpheus and Hannah (Kennedy) Milmine were
of Scotch-French descent and were prominent members of the local com-
munity. Mrs. Nichols died at her home near Waterville on March 25,
191 5. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols were the parents of two children. Clarence
E. and Laura M. Butler, who with her family live in Enid, Oklahoma.
Clarence E. Nichols received his education in the common schools
and at the Chaddock College, Quincy, Illinois. At Ouincy he was united
in marriage, by the Rev. M. P. Lackland, on June 11, 1890, to Clara A.
Bryner, who was born on November 14, 1862, at Andersonberg, Penn-
sylvania, and is the daughter of John H. and Margaret Ann (Rice)
Bryner. Mr. and Mrs. Bryner were of German descent and the families
were old ones in the state. The mother of Airs. Nichols died in 1863 and
her father in 1874 and she was reared by her grandfather, Benjamin Rice,
a native of Pennsylvania, and there she spent her young life and was
educated in the academy. After completing her education, she came West
with the intention of teaching, but instead she was married. To Mr. and
Mrs. Nichols three children have been born: Laura M., born June 10,
1891, a teacher; Alma B., who was born on April 18, 1893, and is now a
teacher at Baker University, and S. Geneve, born on July 3, 1896, and
is one of the teachers in the Cottage Hill schools. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols
are prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, Mr. Nichols
being assistant superintendent and district steward.
Mr. Nichols has a splendid farm of one hundred and sixty acres
on which he has lived for forty-five years, having come here with his
father in 1870. He has done much in the way of development and improve-
ment, having remodeled and added to the house and beautified the place
878 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
by the planting of trees and shrubs, and today has one of the ideal country
homes of the township. He is one of the progressive men of the town-
ship and county, and his farm is an index of the careful attention that is
given it. The well-cultivated fields and the well-kept buildings are an evi-
dence of the high standard of living to which Mr. and Mrs. Xichols have
accustomed themselves. He keeps a tine lot of stock, and is recognized as
one of the substantial and successful farmers and stockmen in the district.
Politically. Mr. Xichols is identified with the Prohibition wing of the
Republican party and has represented the party as a member of the central
committee. He is president of the Farmers Union and a director of the
County hair Association. As president of the Farmers Elevator Company
at Waterville, he has managed the affairs of that organization with marked
success, and has won the confidence and respect of the entire body of
stockholders. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and
is one of the active workers of that organization. He has taken an active
interest in the affairs of the township, and his best efforts have always been
for the betterment and growth of the district. He is a firm believer in the
best schools and substantial public improvements, and while he has never
been an office seeker, bis advice is often sought on matters pertaining to the
civic life of the county.
IGXATZ PISHXV.
Ingatz Pishny, one of the successful farmers and stockmen of Cottage
Hill township, and the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of land,
was born on October 16, 1866. in Bohemia and is the son of Ignatz and
Antonia Pishny, both of whom were natives of that country, where the)
lived until 1878, when they came to the United States. On their arrival
in this country they came direct to Kansas, where they located in Blue
Rapids township. Marshall county. Here the father purchased one hundred
and sixty acres of land, which he developed and improved, and here he
farmed for three years, when he purchased eighty acres in section 36, Cot-
tage Hill township, where he and his wife now live, lie at the age of eighty-
two years, and she at the age of seventy-three years. To them were born
seven children, as follow: Antonia. who is now the wife of F. Sedivy. of
Kim Creek township, where he is one of the prominent residents: [gnatz,
the subject of this sketch: Francis, who is now deceased; Frank, who is a
resident of Cottage Hill township and the owner of one hundred and sixty
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 8/9
acres of land; Ladislav J., a well-known blacksmith of Cottage Hill town-
ship ; Joseph, who conducts a bakery and restaurant at Waterville, and
Ernst, the owner of a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Cottage Hill
township, where he is a farmer and stockman.
Ignatz Pishny was but eight years of age when he came to the United
States with his parents, and located in Cottage Hill township, where he
received his education in the public schools and grew up on the home farm.
After reaching manhood he was employed on a farm until he was thirty-
five years of age. During much of this time he was a foreman of the farm
and ranch of Fred A. Stocks near Blue Rapids, Kansas. In 1901 he pur-
chased one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 30, Cottage Hill town-
ship, to which he added more acres and then sold the place and bought his
present farm in 1910. This farm he has developed and improved to a great
extent, having placed many substantial buildings, including a garage, barn
and other buildings. He is a shareholder in the Fair Association and the
Farmers' Elevator Company of Waterville.
On November 24, 1891, Mr. Pishny was united in marriage to Ann
Krasny, who was born in Bohemia on November 15, 1869, and is the daugh-
ter of Frick and Frances (Novak) Krasny. The parents of Mrs. Pishny
were also natives of Bohemia and there they grew to maturity and were
married. The father lived his life in the land of his nativity and there he
died some years ago. In 1889 the mother with her children, Emil, Joseph,
Gabriel and Mary came to the United States and located in Omaha and
there the mother died in 1892.
To Ignatz and Anna Pishny have been born the following children :
Frederick, Vladimir, George, Benjamin, Ignatz, Jr., and Beatrice. Fred-
erick is a resident of Cottage Hill township and is engaged as a farm hand,
and the other children are at home. Mr. and Mrs. Pishny are active in the
social life of the community, and have long taken an active interest in those
enterprises that tend to the betterment and the growth of the township and
the county. Mr. Pishny is identified with the Democratic party and is now
serving as one of the members of the school board. His interest in the
success of the schools has always been intense, and to him, perhaps, more
than to any other man is due the high-grade schools and the splendid
school house of the district. The new building is one of the finest in the
county and the schools are up to the highest standard.
Mr. Pishny is one of the most progressive men and substantial farm-
ers and stockmen of the district, and his influence has been demonstrated
in the advanced condition of the schools as well as the other civic condi-
88o MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
tions of the township. He gives his best attention not only to his affairs,
but to the good of the community as well, and he is held in the highest
regard by all.
JOHN' SEEMATTER.
Among the substantial farmers and stockmen of Center township, Mar-
shall county, is John Seematter, who is a native of Switzerland, his birth
having occurred there on February 6, 1863. He is a son of Henry and Anna
1 Begert) Seematter, both natives ,,f Switzerland.
Henry Seematter was horn December 22. 1X22, and died in [892. He
was a farmer and cheese-maker in his native land, but left there in 1883,
coming to the United States and settling at Marysville, Kansas, and here he
conducted a creamery for about ten years. His wife was born in 183 1. and
died on February 22, [913. They were the parents of live children: Jacob,
a farmer of Logan township, this county: Marie, the wife of A. Rrauchie,
living in the western part of Oklahoma; Anna, the wife of Fred Rubin, liv-
ing in Switzerland: John, the immediate subject of this review: and Eliza,
the wife of F. Eiadorn, a farmer of Rock township, this county.
John Seematter received his education in the schools of his native land,
and in 1882 came to the United States to join, his brother. Jacob, who had
come to this country two years previously. The brothers farmed together
for ten years on the Frank Smith farm, east of Marysville, after which John
Seematter rented land in Logan township and engaged in farming and stock
raising, and has been very successful in his chosen vocation, as is now evi-
denced by his tine farm of six hundred and forty acres. In 1908 he traded
a half section of land which he had acquired for his present farm in section
2 j. Mr. Seematter has made many and varied improvements on his place,
installing new and modern machinery and is an up-to-date farmer and stock-
man. He has set out a tine vineyard; has g 1 and substantial farm build-
ings, and makes a specialty of breeding and raising Aberdeen Angus cattle
and Duroc-Jersey hogs, lie also keeps a line apiary on his estate. Besides
his farming interests Mr. Seematter is a shareholder in the Winifred Farmers
Union.
In 1889 John Seematter was married to Rosa Goetz, who is a native
of Germany, but left her native country in 1889, coming to Marysville, Kan-
sas, to join her sister. Mrs. Katherine Ungerer. She was a daughter of
Dan Augustine and Martha Goetz, both of whom were natives of Germany,
X
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 88l
where they lived and died. John Seematter and wife are the parents of eight
children: Henry, now living in Montana: Ernst, a farmer of Center town-
ship, this county: John, living at home; Anna, the wife of H. Ring, a farmer
of Elm Creek township, this county: Rosa, a graduate of Frankfort high
school, is now a teacher at Winifred, Kansas; and Albert, Herman and Paul,
all of whom are still at home with their parents, the last named being a
student of the high school at Frankfort.
Politically, Mr. Seematter is an independent voter, preferring to vote
for men rather than for parties, and fraternally, is a member of the Modern
Woodmen of America.
H. RUXKLE.
H. Runkle, one of the well-known and successful farmers of Water-
ville township, Marshall county, was born in the state of Indiana on July
6, i860, and is the son of Emanuel and Margaret (Sawyer) Runkle, both
of whom were natives of Ohio and of Pennsylvania-German descent.
Emanuel Runkle was born in 1828 and died on November 2, 1897;
Margaret Runkle was born in 1827 and died on December 22, 1898. They
spent their early lives in their native state and later located in Indiana,
where they lived for a number of years. In 1865 they came to Kansas,
and later established their home on a farm west of Waterville, Marshall
county. They purchased a farm, which they developed and improved and
there made their home until they retired from the activities of farm life,
and moved to Waterville where they died. Mr. and Mrs. Runkle were
the parents of the following children : Philip, of Kansas City ; Mrs. D. O.
Parker, now deceased; H. Runkle, the subject of this sketch; Alonso, on
the old home place, and Samuel, who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs.
Runkle were among the highly respected people of the district in which
they lived and were held in the highest regard and esteem.
H. Runkle received his education in the log school house of the early
times, on the plains of Kansas. He seldom had the opportunity to attend
school for more than two months in the year. As a lad he went on many
a hunting trip with his brother, Philip, and brought home the slaughtered
buffalo and deer. At times his mother would hang out a red cloth to attract
the attention of the deer, when his brother, Philip, would shoot the animal.
The father woidd go after buffalo in the fall, and many a wagon-load he
(56)
882 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
would bring home with him. There were many Indians in the country at
that time and there was a large camp on the home farm. The family
made friends with die red men and the father was one of their best
friends.
H. Runkle lived on the home farm and there grew to manhood. At
the age of twenty-three years, he engaged in farming for himself. He pur-
chased a farm on which he lived for a number of years. In 1909 he traded
his farm for the telephone exchange, which he operated for two years and
sold the business. He then purchased his present farm in W'aterville town-
ship, where he has made many valuable and substantial improvements. Hi--
house is one of the best modern structures in the district and his barn is a
modern and convenient structure. He has a splendid farm of one hundred
and sixty acres of high-class land, all of which is nicely improved and under
a high state of cultivation.
On June 13, 1883, Mr. Runkle was united in marriage to Emma Sliirck,
who was born in .Monrovia, Atchison county, Kansas, on April 22, 1864,
and is the daughter of Samuel and .Mary (Young) Shirck, both of whom
were natives of the state of Pennsylvania. Samuel Shirck was born in
1839 and died in 1910; Mrs. Shirck was born in 1842 and died in 1907.
At the age of fourteen years, Mrs. Shirck came to Kansas with the Hippie
family, who were pioneers of this section. Mr. Shirck came to the state
in 1856, and here he was married and established his home, and for a
number of vears taught school in Atchison county, before locating in Mar-
shall county. He later engaged -in general farming and became one of the
successful men of the county. He later retired to W'aterville. where he
died. His home farm, in Washington county, was one mile west of the
county line from Marshall county, and was known as one of the best
developed and improved in the district. To Air. and Mrs. Shirck were
born the following children: Emma Runkle, Anna Allingham, a resident
of New Mexico; May Ritzel, who resides on the home farm in Washington
county and Harvey, a mail carrier on a rural free delivery route.
To Mr. and Mrs. Runkle have been born the following children: Grace;
Jessie, Elsie, Mabel and Clarence. Grace Hubbard is living at home with
her parents; Jessie is the wife of Ellis Alley, and is a resident of Cottage
Hill township: Elsie Runkle lives at W'aterville and is a telephone oper-
ator: Mabel Reboul lives at Green, Kansas, and Clarence is at home.
Mr. Runkle has always been a hard-working man and has met with
much success in his work as a general farmer and stockman. His lite has
been a most active one and by hard work and close economy he has risen
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 883
to a substantial and influential position in the county. He is independent
in politics, and while he has never been an office seeker, he has always
taken an active interest in the affairs of the township and county, and his
advice is often asked in matters pertaining to the important affairs of the
district. He is a man of progressive ideas and is recognized as one of the
successful men of the community.
Fraternally, Mr. Runkle is a member of the Modern Woodmen of
America and Mrs. Runkle is a member of the Royal Neighbors and also
one of the active members of the Lutheran church. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Runkle are among the representative people of the community in which
they live and where tbey are prominent in the social life of the township,
and where they are held in the highest regard and esteem.
HENRY TRAXLER.
Henry Traxler, one of the substantial men and high-class farmers and
stockmen of Cottage Hill township, Marshall county, was born in the state
of New York, on October 14, 1848, being the son of Adam and Sylvia
(Roberts) Traxler, who were natives of Pennsylvania and the state of
New York, respectively.
Adam Traxler was the son of Henry Traxier, a member of one of
the old families of Pennsylvania and was of German origin. When Adam
was a lad his father moved to the state of New York and there the boy
was educated in the public schools and grew to manhood on the home farm.
It was there that he was united in marriage to Sylvia Roberts, and some
years later they established their home on a farm in Richland county, Ohio,
and there they died, the mother in 1864 and the father in 1867. Mr. and
Mrs. Traxler were excellent people and highly regarded in the community
in which they lived.
At the time of the death of his father, Henry Traxler was nineteen
years of age and was one of a family of seven children, two of whom are
now living. After the death of his father he remained in Ohio for three
years and then moved to Muscatine county, Iowa, where he farmed for
one year. During his residence in that county he was married and in 1879
he and his wife came to Kansas, and established their home in Norton
county. They homesteaded a tract of land and for a time lived in a dug-out
or sod house. Here the little family experienced many of the hardships
884 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
of pioneer life on the plains. In 1882 they moved to Brown county,
where they lived for one year and in 1883 they came to Marshall county.
and for three years lived in Logan township, southwest of Marysville.
Thev then took up their residence in Herkimer township and purchased a
good farm, and there Mr. Traxler engaged in general farming until 1891,
when he purchased a farm in Waterville township, where the family lived
for ten vears. He purchased his present farm in Cottage Hill township,
and is now the owner of four hundred acres of splendid land, all of which
is under a high state of cultivation and well improved. He has erected a
beautiful ten-room, modern house, with hot water heat, bath, hardwood
floors and every convenience possible. He has a splendid barn with silo, for
the housing of his stock and his grain. He is much interested in his Red
Polled cattle and Duroc-Jersev hogs. He is to a large extent replacing
his Duroc-Jersevs with Poland China hoys, and now has some fine animals.
His well-kept fields and pastures dotted here and there with the herds
of line cattle and droves of hoys, present a pleasing sight. The buildings
are kept in a tine state of repair and the place is beautified with trees and
shrubbery and a tine young orchard.
In 1870 Ilenrv Traxler was united in marriage to Hannah E. Moore,
who was born in Ohio in November, 1850, and is the daughter of Alex
and Mina (Corson) Moore, both of whom were natives of Ohio, and who
later settled in the state of Iowa, where they established their home on
a farm and there the father died, and after his death the mother came
to Kansas. To Henry and Hannah Traxler have been born the follow-
ing children: Edwin, who is a teacher, having graduated from the normal
school and is now working for a degree at Emporia; Herbert is at Kansas
City; one child that died in infancy; Clyde, who died at the aye of five
years, and Maud, Robert, Ralph and Stanley, who are at home. Mr. and
Mrs. Traxler are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church and
have long been prominent in the social life of the community in which they
live and where they are held in high esteem and regard by all. Mr. and
Mr-. Traxler are members of the Knights and Ladies of Security and
he is one of the influential men of the district.
Since coming to Marshall county. Mr. and Mrs. Traxler have by
their own efforts and hard work, accomplished much that i- worthy of note.
They have one of the ideal farms and beautiful homes of the county, where
thev take much pleasure in the entertainment of their neighbors and their
friends. Politically, Mr. Traxler is a Republican and while be takes much
interest in local affairs, he ha- never been an office seeker.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 885
HIRAM LILLIBRIDGE.
Among the man}- well-known and substantial farmers and stockmen of
Waterville township, Marshall county, Hiram Lillibridge ranks prominently.
He is the owner of three hundred and ten acres of splendid land in section
18, and was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, on March 28, 1847,
being the son of Thomas and Sophia (Brooks) Lillibridge.
Thomas and Sophia Lillibridge were natives of the state of Vermont
and there they received their education in the local schools, and later, with
their parents moved to the state of New York, where they were married.
The father was born in 1807 and died in 1865. The mother was born
in 1818 and died in 1895. After their marriage they established their
home in the state of New York, where they lived for a time and then
moved to Pennsylvania, where Mr. Lillibridge engaged in general farming.
Some years later the family moved to Crawford county, Iowa, where they
remained until the spring of i860, when they settled in Oketo township,
Marshall county. Here Mr. Lillibridge homesteaded one hundred and sixty
acres of land, where he made his home until the time of his death. The
trip from Iowa to their new home was made with oxen and a covered
wagon, and the family experienced many of the hardships of that method
of travel. They lived for a time in a dug-out on their homestead, during
which time Mr. Lillibridge broke his land with his oxen and prepared the
soil for the planting of his crops. In addition to his work on the farm,
he was a well-known freighter, and made many trips from Marysville to
Atchison with his team of oxen. His death occurred in the Rocky Moun-
tains. His wife died at the home of her son, Hiram, at the age of eighty-
two years. They were the parents of nine children, two of whom are now
deceased, Hiram being the fourth eldest born. They were active memebrs
of the Baptist church and always took a keen interest in church work.
Hiram Lillibridge came to Marshall county with his parents. He
received his education in one of the pioneer schools, held in a dug-out.
He was married when he was but eighteen years of age and soon there-
after homesteaded eighty acres of his present farm in Waterville township.
Here he constructed a dug-out in which he and his wife lived for some
years. He at once proceeded to develop and improve his farm, which was
at that time raw prairie. He had but twenty dollars when he was mar-
ried. He worked as a farm hand and in that way bought himself a yoke
of oxen, and he worked for twenty-five days for John Tulle and Newton
886 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Cook, in return for which they broke live acres of his land. As he began
to prosper he built a log house, and in this the family lived until the
present frame house was built forty-two years ago. Those first few years
were trying ones to the young man and woman, who had attempted to
establish a home for themselves on the wild and unbroken prairie of Kansas.
They had the determination to win, and by hard work and close economy,
they did in time become successful and influential people in the district.
The territory was at that time sparsely settled, and their nearest trad-
ing point was at Marysville, where they were compelled to go for the few
necessities of life that they could get. There were no roads, and the trips
to market were as few as possible.
On July 15, 1865, Hiram Lillibridge was united in marriage to Mar-
garet M. Cook, who was born in Hamilton county, Indiana, on January 29,
1847, and is the daughter of Joseph and Rachel (Willis) Cook. Mr. and
Mrs. Cook were both natives of the Hoosier state, the former having been
born in 181 1 and died in 1877, at the age of seevnty-seven years; the
latter was born in Rush county and died on June 3. 1884, at the age of
seventy-one years. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Cook established
their home on a farm in Hamilton county, where they lived until 1865.
when they decided to seek a home on the plains of Kansas, and that year
they homesteaded eighty acres in section 19, Waterville township, Marshall
county. Their early life on the prairie was fraught with many hardship-,
for the country was but thinly settled and was for the most part unde-
veloped. They shared the hardships with other pioneers, and a bond of
friendship and hospitality was developed that would be hard to find in a
more advanced district. Their lot was a common one and each shared
the hardships and the few pleasures with the others. They had three sons
who took an active part in the Civil War, one of whom was killed in battle
and another died a few weeks after coming home.
To Hiram and Margaret M. Lillibridge were lwrn the following chil-
dren : Ollie, Matthew, William? Mary, Isabelle, John, Lulu, Daniel L.,
Daisy and Hiram, Jr. Ollie was the wife of L. Park and to them ten
children were born, four of whom with the mother are now deceased;
Matthew is a farmer and stockman of Washington county. Kansas; Mary
J. is the wife of Al Arganbright, a resident of Wraterville township, and
to them have been born nine children, all of whom are now living; Isabelle
is the wife of Bert Arganbright, of Waterville township and to them have
been born five children, one having died some years ago; John P. is a land-
owner and farmer of Waterville township; Hiram, J., resides in Nebraska;
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 887
Lulu, now deceased, was the wife of A. Mapes and to her three children
were born; Daniel L. was killed when but two years of age; Daisy is
the wife of J. Brooks of Frankfort, and to them no children have been
born. Mr. and Mrs. Lillibridge have twelve great-grandchildren and forty-
five grandchildren, and one of their greatest pleasures is experienced on
home-coming days. Mrs. Lillibridge is an active member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, and Mr. Lillibridge is a regular attendant and a liberal
subscriber to its support. They are estimable people and are held in the
highest regard by all who know them. Their lives have been active ones
and they have accomplished much that is worthy the emulation of all. Their
early married life was started under the most trying circumstances, but as
the years came and went, they advanced on the ladder of success and in
the affection of the people with whom they associated.
Mr. Lillibridge has always taken an active interest in the affairs of
the township and county. Although he has never been a seeker after office,
he has felt it to be his duty to assist in the selection of the best men to
administer the affairs of county and state. He is a stockholder of the
Farmers Elevator at Waterville, and a man of much force and influence.
He has his farm rented, yet there are few days in the year that he is not
busy looking after his extensive interests.
JAMES W. STEWART.
James W. Stewart, a substantial and influential farmer of Waterville,
township, Marshall county, was born in the state of Illinois on December
14, 1857, being the son of Samuel. and Sarah (Leach) Stewart, natives of
the state of New York and Pennsylvania, respectively. The parents were
married in Pennsylvania and soon thereafter established their home in Illi-
nois, where the mother died in 1873 at the age of fifty-seven years. Two
years after the death of his wife, Samuel Stewart moved to Iowa, locating
in Wappelo county, where he died in December, 1889, at the age of seventy-
nine years.
Samuel and Sarah Stewart were the parents of nine children : Hezekiah,
Calvin, Julia, Irene, Sarah, Helen, Melvin, Clark, and James W. Hezekiah
is a resident of Boone county, Iowa; Calvin resides in Grundy county, Iowa;
Julia Bowen is a resident of Illinois; Irene Heath is a widow and resides
with her daughter in South Dakota; Helen Smith lives in Minneapolis;
8SN MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Melvin lives in Grundy county, Iowa: Clark M. is a resident of Marysville,
this county, and James \Y., in Waterville township. Samuel Stewart was
a member of the Fifty-fifth regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and the
son Hezekiah was in the Seventy-fifth regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry,
both seeing much active service during the Civil War.
James W. Stewart received his education in the public schools of Illinois
and remained a resident of his native state until he was eighteen years of age;
he then moved to towa, where he remained for two years, when he came to
Kansas in 1878. Here he located cm the old Indian reservation and three
months later sold his claim and purchased eighty acres in Herkimer town-
ship at five dollars per acre, on ten-year time. The times were hard and
Mr. Stewart had many difficulties to encounter for a few years in meeting
his payments, but in the end he succeeded and at the same time developed
and improved the place. He sold the farm in 1888 and located three miles
northwest of Waterville, where he obtained eighty acres of excellent land.
This he also improved and engaged in farming until 1906, when he sold out
and purchased his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres at the edge
of Waterville and forty acres further north. This is a splendid farm, highly
developed and nicely improved, with a beautiful modern house and other
farm buildings. With the excellent and substantial buildings, surrounded
with trees and shrubbery, the place is one of the ideal country homes of Mar-
shall county, and as a general farmer and stockman, Mr. Stewart is meeting
with much success.
On August 1, 1879, James W. Stewart was married to Eugenie Hill Yale,
who was born in the state of New York and is the (laughter of Samuel and
Margaret Hill, both of whom were also natives of that state. Mrs. Stewart
received her education in her native state and there she grew to womanhood
and was united in marriage to Tracy Yale. They came to Kansas where
Mr. Yale died sonic time afterward. To James W. and Eugenie Stewart
the following children have been born: Edward, who is deputy county
treasurer at Tologo, Oklahoma: Gladys is the wife of Louis Eddy, of Marys-
ville; Fred is engaged in farming in Cottage Hill township: Frank resides
in Iowa; Walt is at home; Walter is a clerk at Toluca, Oklahoma; and
Fletcher is at home. The children received their education in the common
and high schools of the county, and are well prepared for life's battles.
Mrs. Stewart and the children are members of the Lutheran church and the
family is prominent in the social activities of their home community.
Mr. Stewart is identified with the Republican party and has held the
office of township treasurer. He is a member of the Ancient Free and
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 889
Accepted Masons and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is vice-
president of the County Fair Association and one of the active members
of the board of management.
ORTWIN F. WOHLER.
Ortwin F. Wohler, one of the substantial and progressive farmers and
stockmen of Cottage Hill township, Marshall county, where he has a splendid
farm home and an excellent farm of one hundred and sixty acres of land,
was born on the home farm in the county on December 24, 1885, being the
son of Theo and Sophia (Elstroth) Wohler.
Theo Wohler was born in Lueppedelmold, Germany, on October 25,
1861, and died at his home in Marshall county, on January 10, 1913. When
he was but four years of age, he came with his parents, Fred and Louisa
Wohler, to the United States. The family established their home on the
farm in Cottage Hill township, Marshall county, where the father and
mother spent the remaining days of their lives. Fred Wohler died in 1909
at the age of ninety-two years and Louisa Wohler died in 1879 at the age
of seventy-six years. Fred Wohler and his family came to this country
without any money, yet with the determination to make a home in the new
land. Mr. W'ohler at once homesteaded a tract of land in Cottage Hill
township and built a log cabin in which the family lived for number of
years. He broke his first land with one horse and planted his crops. It
was in this manner that he laid the foundation for a successful life as a
farmer and stockman. He met with much success and at the time of his
death he was the owner of one of the splendid farms of the county. Fred
and Louisa Wohler were the parents of four children: Henry, August,
Gotha and Theo. Henry and August are residents of Riley county, Kansas,
and Gotha is the wife of William Klocke, of Missouri.
Theo Wohler was reared on the home farm in Cottage Hill township
and received his education in the local schools. He assisted his father with
the work on the farm, and at the age of twenty-one years he assumed the
management of the place, and in 1882 he purchased the home farm of one
hundred and sixty acres. To this farm he added until at the time of his
death he was the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of splendid land,
all of which was under a high state of cultivation and well improved. In
1892 he built a large horse barn and a few years later he erected the cattle
89O MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
barn, which is twenty-eight by one hundred and fifty feet. In 1906 he
built the splendid modern house at a cost of two thousand five hundred dol-
lars. Mr. Wohler was a great home man and took the greatest pleasure
with his family. He was a great admirer of good horses and kept a fine
lot of draft animals. He was a breeder and raiser of grade hogs and Aber-
deen Angus cattle. He was both a feeder and shipper, and each year he
placed a carload of good cattle on the market.
On March 24. [882, Then Wohler was married to Sophia, the daughter
of Henry and Marie (Elstroth) Elstroth, both of whom were natives of
Germany, and in that country Mrs. Wohler was born on May n, 1857, and
there she was educated in the public schools and grew to womanhood.
In 1 88 1 she left her home in the fatherland and came to some of her
friends in Marshall county, and the next year was married. She now resides
on her fine farm, and since the death of her husband the son, Frank,
operates the farm. Besides Frank, Mr. and Mrs. Wohler were the parents
of two other children, Ortwin. the eldest and a successful farmer of the
township, and Lillie, the wife of Ed. Kaump. a resident of Riley county,
Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Wohler were active members of the Evangelical
church and always took much interest in all church work.
Ortwin F. Wohler received his education in the local schools and grew
to manhood on the home place. When but a lad he decided that he would
be a farmer and always took much interest in all farm work and the care
of stock. After reaching manhood, he soon obtained a farm for himself,
and is today one of the progressive and successful young farmers of Mar-
shall county. He pays much attention to the breeding and raising of cattle
and has a fine lot of Aberdeen Angus cattle on the place.
On April 13, 1910. Mr. Wohler was united in marriage to Emma Sand,
a native of Riley county and the daughter of G. and Eliza Sand, both of
whom were natives of Germany and early settlers in Marshall and Riley
counties. To Mr. and Mrs. Wohler one child has been born. Mable, whose
birth occurred on July 18, 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Wohler are active members
of the Evangelical church and are prominent in the social life of the town-
ship, where they are held in the highest regard and esteem. They have
one of the neat and desirable farm homes of the county, and take the great-
est pleasure in the entertainment of their neighbors and friends.
Mr. Wohler is identified with the Democratic party and has always
taken a keen interest in the affairs of the town-hip and county. Tn the selec-
tion of men to administer the affairs of the district, he looks rather to the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 89I
man than to any party affiliation. He is one of the progressive men of
the community, and is a firm believer in the building of good roads and
the support of the best schools.
MICHAEL FREDERICK FOCKS.
Michael Frederick Focks, now deceased, and who was long a resident
of Marshall county, was born at Barth, Germany, on January 5, 1850, and
died on May 23, 191 5. He was the son of J. F. and Margaret (Brumzagsn)
Focks, the former of whom was born in 181 1 and the latter in 1821. The
parents received their education in the schools of Germany and there grew
to manhood and womanhood and were there married. The father was a
ship carpenter and for many years worked at his trade in the land of his
nativity. In 1871 he and his wife decided to leave the fatherland and seek
a home in America. After their arrival in the United States they at once
proceeded to Chicago, where they lived until the next year when. they came
to Kansas. The father obtained a farm in Waterville township, Marshall
county, and engaged in general farming and stock raising until the time
of his death in 1885 and here the widow died in 1899. They were the
parents of two children, Lena, who died in 1888, and Michael Frederick.
Mr. and Mrs. Focks were highly respected and were active members of
the Lutheran church and took great interest in all church work. During
his residence in the county, Mr. Focks was active in local affairs, and soon
became interested in the new order of things. He was a man of much
ability and possessed of excellent judgment.
Michael Frederick Focks received his education in the schools of
Germany and there he was reared • and continued to live until he was
eighteen years of age, when he decided to come to America. He landed
in the United States in the years 1868, and at once continued his journey
to the city of Milwaukee, where he lived for two years. His life in the
Fatherland had been spent as a seaman and a fisherman and at Milwaukee
he sought a position on the Lakes. In 1870 he went to Holly Springs,
Mississippi, and did much traveling through the south. In 1872 he came
to Kansas, where he homesteaded the present home farm of the family,
in Waterville township, Marshall county. He built a log cabin of two
rooms, and at once started the task of developing his farm. The tract was
a good one, of rich bottom land, and in 1878 he purchased another eighty
892 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
acres, making the farm one hundred and sixty acres. This tract he thor-
Ollghly developed and improved, and in time his farm was known as one
of the best in the township, and Mr. Focks was recognized as one of the
successful and substantial men of the county. He took the greatest inter-
est in his general farming and stuck raising, in both of which he was
successful.
Mr. Focks was a man of unusual attainments and of splendid educa-
tion. He was always a great reader and kept well posted on all current
events. He was broadminded and possessed of excellent judgment, and
his advice was often sought in matters that pertained to the welfare of
the township or county. Having been educated in the excellent schools
of his native land, he well knew the value of an education, and was in a
position to advise in all matters pertaining to schools and school work.
For twenty years he was a member of the school board of his township
and served as clerk of the organization. He took the greatest interest in
his family, and was a great In •me man, giving his family the best that he
had to give. lie and his wife were meml>ers of the Lutheran church and
always took much interest in all church work, and were prominent in the
social, educational and the religious life of the community.
On December 28, 1876, Michael Frederick Focks was united in mar-
riage to Mary Schroeder. who was born at Bloomington, Illinois, on Janu-
ary 20, 1857, and is the daughter of Anthony and Sophia 1 Siebert)
Schroeder. Her parents were natives of Mecklenburg, Germany, where
they were educated in the public schools and were later married. They
established their home in their native land, where they continued to live
until 1854, when they came to the United States and located on a farm
near Bloomington. Illinois, where they died, the former in 1 863 and the
latter in 1903. They were the parents of two children, Mary and Minnie,
the latter, now deceased, was the wife of John Hcnniug. of Minneapolis.
Some years after the death of her husband. Mrs. Schroeder married Gott-
lieb Liepold and to this union two children were born, Bertha, now deceased,
and Albert, of Bloomington. Illinois.
Michael Frederick and Mary 1 Schroeder) Focks were the parents of
the following children: Amelia, Minnie, Frederick, Hulda. Henry. Louis,
Rudolph, Bextha and Albert. Amelia is the wife of Will Hall and lives
at Red Rock, Oklahoma; Minnie Mills, of Kansas City, Missouri: Frederick
A. is a railroad man and lives at Crane City, Missouri: Hulda Dwyer,
<d" Kansas City, Missouri; Louis died in 1892: Rudolph resides in South
Dakota: Bertha Talbot resides at Marvsville. and Henry and Albert are
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 893
at home. Henry was born on January 16, 1884, and Albert on January
7, 1894. The family have long been among the prominent people of the
county and have had much to do with the social activities of their home
communities.
Michael Frederick Focks was a man who accomplished much during
his active and useful life. Coming to America as a lad, and without funds
and without friends, he had his own way to make, and in this he was
most successful. He always had a high regard for morality and correct
living, and during his rambling life of the first few years he was always
careful of his associates, and to his family he brought a clean and manly
life.
ANDREW JOHNSON.
Andrew Johnson, mayor of the town of Vermillion, proprietor of an
extensive lumber business at that place and also connected with various
other business enterprises there and at Axtell, treasurer of Noble township,
former clerk of Murray township and a substantial landowner of Marshall
county, is a native of the kingdom of Sweden, but has been a resident of
this county since the days of his early childhood and is thus as thoroughly
identified with the affairs of this region as though "native and to the manner
born." He was born on February 10, 1867, son of Peter and Margaret
(Pearson) Johnson, also natives of Sweden, who came to this country with
their family in the spring of 1870 and proceeded on out to Kansas, locating
in the northern part of Marshall county, near the present site of the town
of Summerfield. right on the Nebraska line. There Peter Johnson home-
steaded a tract of land ami proceeded to develop the same, making his home
there until 1878. when he bought a farm two miles south of Axtell in Mur-
ray township. He did well in his farming operations and eventually became
the owner of three hundred and twenty acres. He had been trained to the
trade of stone mason in his native land and followed that trade to a con-
siderable extent after coming here, building the foundations for many of
the early buildings in the northeastern part of the county, including the
foundation for the first Catholic church at Axtell. His father-in-law, Andrew
Pearson, who with his wife, accompanied the Johnsons to this country from
Sweden, was a carpenter and actively followed that trade for some years
after coming here. He and his wife made their home with the Johnsons.
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were among the charter members of the Swedish
894 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Lutheran church in the Swedish settlement in Lincoln township and were
influential members of that community. They lived to see their family well
established and the community into which they had come when this region
was an open range populated and prosperous, with flourishing towns and
villages and farms improved to the very last word in agricultural develop-
ment. Peter Johnson died on January 22, 19 14, and his widow survived him
a little less than two years, her death occurring on January 2, 1910. They
were the parents of ten children, of whom the subject of this sketch was
the first-born, the others being as follow : Jonas, who is now living retired
at Kackley. this state; Gustave, who is living on a farm south of Axtell;
Frank O.. a banker at Courtland ; William, a merchant at Axtell: Mrs.
.Minnie bloberg, of Lincoln township; Victor and Edward, who have remained
on the old home place in Murray township, and Dena and Rosa, who are
also living on the old home place.
Andrew Johnson was but three years of age when his parents came to
Marshall county and he grew to manhood as a farmer, assisting his father
until he was twenty-two years of age. As a lad he herded cattle on the
open range on land now occupied by the town of Summerfield and he has
been a witness to the development of the county from the days when the
homes of the settlers were few and far between. After his marriage in
1889, he then being twenty-two years of age. he engaged in the mercantile
business at Courtland and was thus engaged at that place for four years, at
the end of which time he sold out there and moved to Axtell. where he
engaged in the mercantile business. Two years later he sold hi- -tore and
took up the feed and mill business, continuing engaged in that line for
five Avars, at the end of which time he took tip the hardware business and
conducted a hardware store there for five years. He then moved to Yliets,
where he opened a lumber yard and was there engaged in the lumber busi-
ness for seven years, or until 1912, when he moved to Vermillion, purchased
an extensive lumber establishment at that place and has since been engaged
in that business there. Mr. Johnson has done well in his business engage-
ments and has made some excellent real-estate investments, being the owner
of a farm of two hundred and forty acres in Murray township, which is
being operated by his eldest son; the east halt" of the southeast quarter ol
section 36 of that township and a quarter of a section across the road in
the adjoining count} of Nemaha, and also owns an "eighty" a mile and a
half north of the village of Vliets. He also continues to own his old home
place in Axtell. During his residence in Axtell. Mr. Johnson was one of
the most active business men there and he is still retained as a member of
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 895
the board of directors of the Axtell Telephone Company and a member of
the board of directors of the Citizens Bank of Axtell. Mr. Johnson is a
Republican and has for years taken an active part in local political affairs.
For years he was a member of the council at Axtell and also served as
clerk of Murray township during his residence there. While at Vliets he
served for seven years as a member of the school board and is now treas-
urer of Noble townhip. In 1914 he was elected a member of the council
of Vermillion and is now mayor of the city of Vermillion.
On July 11, 1889, Andrew Johnson was united in marriage to Chris-
tine Pearson, who was born in Sweden, daughter of Per Pearson and wife
and who came to this country with her parents when she was sixteen years
of age. To this union three children have been born, namely: Ernest G.,
who is working his father's farm in Murray township; Arthur W., who is
assisting his father in the lumber business at Vermillion; Leonard A., who
is a student at Wesleyan Business College at Salina. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson
are members of the Swedish Lutheran church in Lincoln township and have
ever given their earnest attention to community good works, helpful in pro-
moting all measures having to do with the advancement of the common
welfare.
JOHN DENNIS FARWELL.
Among the prominent and well-known residents of Waterville, Mar-
shall county, and one of the early settlers of the county, was born in
Cattaraugus count}-, New York, on July 22, 1832, being the son of Selah
and Nancy (Plank) Farwell, natives of the state of New York.
Selah Farwell was born on a farm and was the son of Solomon Far-
well, who was the son of Abel Farwell, a native of the state of Massa-
chusetts and a soldier of the Revolutionary War. Nancy Plank Farwell
was the daughter of Henry and Margaret (Van Ingen) Plank. Henry
Plank was a son of John Plank and Nellie Margaret Gordinier. John
Plank was a soldier of the War of the Revolution. Mrs. Farwell was of
Dutch descent, her grandfather, Joseph Van Ingen, was a captain in the
War of Independence, and his father was a well-known surgeon, who came
to the United States from his home in Rotterdam, Holland, and served
as a surgeon in the same war.
When John Dennis Farwell was but a few months of age, his Grand-
father Plank induced his parents to move back to Lewis county, New York,
896 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
the old home of the family, and there Mr. Farwell received his education
in the local schools. When he was sixteen years of age he entered the
academy at Denmark, where he completed his education. He then taught
school for a time at fifteen dollars per month and hoarded around, a-
was the practice in those days. 11 is father was a carpenter, at which trade
he worked for many years, in connection with the operation of a saw-
mill and grist-mill. On reaching an advanced age, the father retired from
the husiness and moved in 1848 to a farm near Denmark, Xew York,
which he sold and moved to Whiteside county, Illinois, in 1856. In [872
he moved to Waterville, Kansas where he died in 1894. He was a man
who was devoted to his family, was industrious and held in the highest
regard by all in the community in which he lived. His life was a most
active one, and he accomplished much for the opportunities that he had.
John Dennis Farwell, as a lad and young man, was not strong, and
after teaching school and clerking in a store for some years, he decided
that he would locate in what was then one of the Western states. In
1854 he left his home in the state of Xew York and settled at Morrison,
Illinois. He rented a farm and engaged in general farming, and during
the winter months taught school. He later purchased a farm for one
thousand six hundred and fifty dollars, ami had to go in debt for the
place. He made many improvements and did much in the way of develop-
ment. He then sold the farm for six thousand five hundred dollars and
in 18(18 came to Kansas. He stopped for a time at Lawrence. Kan-a-.
and then joined an excursion in search of a location. Their destination
was Ft. Sheridan, hut when they got as far as Hays City, the soldiers
stationed at that place stopped them on account of a hand of Indians
and vast herds of buffalo moving south in the locality. The next day the
train proceeded on its way over the prairie. Many buffalo were seen and
some of the larger ones tried to butt the engine off the track, and at three
different times tin- herd was so dense that the train had to run slowly,
for the sake of safety. They at last reached IT. Sheridan, but owing to
the raids of the Indians, they started on the return trip early the next
morning. At the request of the paymaster for the Kansas & Pacific Rail-
road, Major E. I). Reddington, who was to follow, was requested to keep
watch for him as he was fearful the Indians would attack his train. Mr.
Farwell and the roadmaster. rode on the front of the engine, and during
their novel ride, saw many herd of antelope. While thus riding, they
discovered a turned rail in the track, but not in time to prevent a wreck
of the tender of the engine and a number of the cars. An investigation
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MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 897
showed that someone had pulled the spikes, and turned the rail. It .was
a most exciting time, for the first thought was of the Indians in that sec-
tion of the country. It was not long until a white horse, ridden by the
chief and followed by many of his tribe, appeared. The train was sur-
rounded, but the men of the party guarded the train as best they could.
Mr. Farwell with some others of the party, took the engine and made
for Carlysle, where they telegraphed to General Sheridan, at Ft. Hays,
who sent a relief party to the scene of the holdup. Mr. Farwell then
proceeded to Manhattan and from there he staged it to Irving, Marshall
county, and homesteaded a farm south of Waterville. Then, after voting
for General Grant for President, he returned to Illinois and with his family
he returned to Kansas on March 4, 1869, and established himself on the
farm. The lumber with which he built his first house, he obtained at
Atchison, and while it was but cottonwood, he paid fifty-five dollars per
thousand for it. This farm he developed and improved and here he engaged
in farming, until 1879, when he sold his large farm of eight hundred and
eighty acres and moved to Marysville. In the fall of 1869 Air. Farwell was
elected township clerk and while serving as such he made the contract with
the King Bridge Company in 1870 and supervised the building of the first
iron bridge built in Marshall county, which bridge is still in use over the
Little Blue river at Waterville, although the bridge is forty-seven years old.
He was elected register of deeds and served in that office for four years.
He was a most painstaking official, and his records were at all times up-to-
date. It was one of the requirements of Mr. Farwell, that the office was
not to be closed for the day until the records were compared and in order
for the next day's business. He was the first official in the county to employ
a woman in the office, and it is to his credit, that his record is one of the
best that has been made by any official. After his term as register of deeds
expired, he was the first one to introduce the hectograph, with which he
furnished reports of all instruments filed in the register of deeds office, now
reported by the Coles Abstract Company, and conducted a loan and abstract
office in Marysville, until 1903, when he retired from the business and
moved to Waterville.
John Dennis Farwell was first married on October 20, 1856, to Lydia
Hollingshead, who was born in the state of Illinois on January 1, 1837,
and died on July 16, 1865. Of this union three children were born: Etta
N., Alice E. and Elmer S. Etta N. was born on March 27, 1858, and is
now the wife of Mr. Sconten, and she is a resident of the state of Cali-
(57)
Ni)N MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
fornia ; Alice E., who was born on December 2, i860, is the wife of C. G.
Thomas, a retired resident of Waterville, and Elmer S. was born on Decem-
ber _'o, 1803. and died on December 1 _'. 1 9 1 3 . He was a graduate of the
Trocv polytechnic school of New York, having completed the course in civil
engineering in that institution. On July 3, 1867, Mr. Farwell was mar-
rid 1 to Abba Hartwell. who was born in Lewis county, Xew York, on
April 4. (842, and to this union three children were born, only one now
living, Fred Henry, who is a resident of Orange, Texas. Mr. and Mrs.
Farwell are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Water-
ville. ami for nineteen years. Mr. Farwell was superintendent of the Sunday
school at Marysville and for four years at Waterville. They are most estim-
able people and have long been active in social and the religious life of the
county, where they are held in high regard and esteem. He was for many
years a trustee of the church and has always been a liberal supporter of
the local churches and the various societies of the denomination. He has been
a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons since 1856. and he
is also a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is the
oldest member of the former order in the county, in point of service and
membership. He was a charter member of the order at Waterville. ami
of the Royal Arch Masons at Marysville, and is also a charter member of
the Ancient Order of United Workmen at Marysville.
Mr. Farwell is a man of much ability and possessed of a splendid
education. He has always been a great lover of good literature and is
a writer of note. He is a great student of history and has contributed
a number of historical facts to this present volume. He has also completed
a genealogical history of the Farwell family, which i- now on the press.
His life has been a most active one, and he is known as the "grand old
man" of Waterville. His life in the county connects the early ]rioneer
times with the present, and in all the remarkable growth and history of
the county, he has taken an important part. He is one of the progressive
men of the district, and today is one of the best informed on the past and
the present time. To him is due much of the progress in the educational,
moral and physical deevlopment of this section of the state. Coming to
the county, when much of it was an unbroken prairie, he has seen the
transition to the splendid farms, fine homes and up-to-date towns and cities.
Mr. Farwell remembers with pride when living on the farm, of having
raised and tamed two buffalo, that ran with his cattle, and believes that
those animals might have been domesticated to advantage.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 899
JAMES SULLIVAN.
James Sullivan, former sheriff of Marshall county and one of the
best-known farmers, stockmen and grain buyers in the county, proprietor
of a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Vermillion township, is
a native son of Marshall county and has lived here all his life. He was
born on the pioneer farm on which he is now living, October 19, 1872,
son of James and Bridget (Drew) Sullivan, natives of Ireland and pio-
neers of Marshall county, whose last days were spent on their home farm
in Vermillion township, both dying in the year 1902.
The senior James Sullivan, who for years was one of the best-known
figures on the plains during the days of the freighters along the old Over-
land Trail, was born in County Limerick, Ireland, in 1838; and there spent
his youth. In 1857. he then being nineteen years of age and of an adven-
turous turn of mind, he came to the United States and proceeded up into
Wisconsin, glowing word at that time going out of the Northwest and
attracting many settlers to that part of the country. The lay of the land
there did not suit him, however, and he presently came down into the
Territory of Kansas and became a freighter on the old Overland Trail from
Atchison and St. Joseph to Denver and was thus employed when the Civil
War broke out. Ardently espousing the cause of the Union he enlisted
his services in behalf of that cause and served valiantly as a member of
the Missouri Militia until the close of the war, returning then to the old
position as a freighter on the Overland Trail and was thus engaged until
his marriage in 1867. when he bought a quarter of a section of land in
Vermillion township and there "settled down," spending the rest of his
life there, die farm on which his son, the subject of this sketch, is now
living. The last trip James Sullivan made over the Overland Trail in 1867
was with a load of shelled corn, eighty bushels, which brought fourteen
cents a pound on the market at Denver, corn being greatly in demand
there for meal for the miners. The quarter section James Sullivan bought
in Vermillion township was a parcel of school land and he paid seven
dollars an acre for the same. His first house was a log cabin and he
started breaking his land with an ox-team. From the very beginning he
prospered in his farming operations and eventually became a well-to-do
landowner, being able to give his children a good start in the world when
they branched out for themselves. His wife. Bridget Drew, also was born
in Ireland, in 1843, and both were devout members of the Catholic church,
900 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
raising their children in that faith. They were among the organizers of
the Catholic church at Lillis and their second son, James Sullivan, the subject
of this sketch, was the first person baptized in that church, to the necessi-
ties of which his parents ever were liberal contributors, as well as active
workers in all departments of the parish work. To this pioneer couple
eleven children were born, those besides the subject of this sketch being as
follow: Thomas, who died when nineteen years of age; Michael, now a
resident of Noble township ; William, also of Noble township ; Mary E.,
who married Warren Osborn and lives near Frankfort: John, deceased;
Hannah, who married George Moss and lives in Wells township; Katherine,
who married J. M. Brophy and lives at Frankfort; Joseph, deceased, and
Daniel and Margaret, who died in infancy. The parents of these children
both died in 1902, after many years of usefulness in the community in
which they had settled in pioneer days and which they had lived to see
develop grandly.
The junior James Sullivan was reared on the farm on which he was
born, receiving his schooling in the neighboring district school, and remained
on the farm, assisting his father and his brothers in the labors of the same.
Upon the death of his parents in 1902 he inherited the home quarter section
and continued farming there until his election in 1908 to the office of sheriff
of Marshall county, as the nominee of the Democratic party. So efficiently
did Mr. Sullivan perform the duties of that office that he was re-elected in
the following election and thus served for two terms as sheriff of this
county. Upon the completion of his term of service as sheriff he returned
to the home farm from Marysville and began buying grain and live stock,
carrying on these operations quite successfully in addition to managing his
farm, and has been thus engaged since that time, long having been recog-
nized as one of the most substantial farmers and stockmen in that part of
the county. In addition to his term of service as sheriff of Marshall county
Mr. Sullivan for twelve years prior. to his election as sheriff served as clerk
of his school district. In 1906 he was the nominee of his party for com-
missioner from his district, but was defeated by twenty-three votes. He has
long taken an active part in the political affairs of the county and is recog-
nized as one of the leading Democrats in his neighborhood.
On January 12, 1908, James Sullivan was united in marriage to Julia
Brophy. who was born at Kingston, New York, June 26, 1873, a daughter
of Michael and Anna (Delaney) Brophy. natives of Ireland, who had come
to this country with their respective parents in the days of their youth, the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 9OI
families settling in New York. In 1879 Michael Brophy came west with
his family and located at Atchison, where he was engaged as a building con-
tractor until 1882, when he came over into Marshall county and bought a
farm in Cleveland township, where he spent the rest of his life, his death
occurring on July 12, 1884, he then being forty-five years of age. His
widow survived him many years, her death occurring on January 21, 1914,
she then being seventy-five years of age. They were the parents of seven
children, those besides Mrs. Sullivan, the third in order of birth, being as
follow : Mary, who married George McCarthy and lives in Noble township,
this county; Bridget, who makes her home with her sister, Mrs. Sullivan;
Andrew, a farmer, of Clear Fork township; Edward, of Vliets; Margaret,
who married Edward Brown and lives in the neighboring county of Potta-
watomie, and John, of Frankfort.
To James and Julia (Brophy) Sullivan one child has been born, a daugh-
ter, Mary E., who died in 1914, at the age of three years. Mr. and Mrs.
Sullivan are members of the Catholic church at Lillis and give their earnest
attention to the affairs of that parish, as well as to the general social activi-
ties of the community in which they live. Mr. Sullivan formerly was a
member of the Knights of Columbus. He is an active, energetic farmer and
business man and has done well his part in helping in the development of
his native county, in the general industrial and civic affairs of which he has
always taken a deep interest.
SAMUEL CURTIS.
Samuel Curtis, one of Marshall county's most substantial citizens and
the proprietor of the largest farm operated under individual management
in this county, his ranch just east of Vermillion being one of the best-
equipped farm plants in this part of the state, is a native of the state of
Michigan, but has been a resident of Kansas since he was twenty years of
age. He was born on a farm in vicinity of Ovid, in Shiawassee county, Michi-
gan, May 14. 1857, son of Edwin Marcus and Mary Ann ( Blanchard ') Curtis,
natives, respectively, of Massachusetts and of Vermont, both members of
old Colonial families, who settled in Michigan and became substantial farm-
ing people in the Ovid neighborhood. They later moved to Laingsburg and
spent their last days there.
Reared on the paternal farm in Michigan, receiving his schooling in the
g02 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
neighboring schools and from boyhood trained in the ways of farming,
Samuel Curtis remained in Michigan until he was twenty years of age. when,
in 1877. he came to Kansas and began farming in the vicinity of Caney,
bringing to this state with him seed wheat from Michigan. He made a
success of his first crop, but the second crop was taken by cinch bugs. Mr.
Curtis then disposed of his interest at Caney and in 1879 moved to Brown
cunty. where lie remained, further engaged in farming, until his marriage
in the spring of l88l, when he moved over into Nemaha count) and bought
a farm of eighty acres of unimproved land in section 31 of Center town-
ship, that county, near the Marshall county line, northwest of Vermillion,
going in debt for the same to the amount of eight hundred dollars. There
Mr. Curtis built a house, broke the land and at the same time broke an
"eightv" adjoining on the north. As his farming operations developed he
leased three other "eighties'" and there he continued farming quite successfully
until iS<)o. in which year he disposed of his home tract to advantage and
moved over into Marshall county, buying the northeast quarter of section
12 of Vermillion township, established his home there and has ever since
resided there, long having one of the best-improved places in that part of
the county. Upon taking possession of that place Mr. Curtis found but
sixtv acres of it broken and the only building on the same a small shed
of a barn, all the present substantial and up-to-date improvements on the place
therefore having been made by him. As he prospered in his operations
Mr. Curtis added to his holdings until be now is the owner of a ranch of
nine hundred and eleven acres, the largest farm operated in Marshall county,
and to all of which he gives his personal oversight. His wife is the owner
of one hundred acres in the adjoining county of Xemaha. making ten hun-
dred and eleven acres under the Curtis ownership and management. For
years Mr. Curtis gave much attention to the raising of cattle, handling about
six hundred and fifty head annually, hut of recent years has not been so
extensive a feeder. He also handles one hundred and fifty or two hundred
head of pure-bred Duroc-Jersey bogs a year and has done much to improve
the strain of swine throughout that section. Mr. Curtis employs six mar-
ried men on his place, the families being housed on the farm, ami his opera-
tions are conducted in strict accordance with modern agricultural methods.
Mr. Curtis was the first man in his part of the county to recognize the neces-
sity of proper fertilization of the farm lands of this section and in 10.02
bought the first machinery for that purpose sold in Vermillion.
On May 24. [88l, Samuel Curtis was united in marriage to Lucy M.
McClanahan, who was born at Macon. Missouri, daughter of James and
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 903
Eliza (Towne) McClanahan, natives of Ohio, who were married in Mis-
souri and later came to this state, settling in Brown county, where they
spent their last days. James McClanahan was a "forty-niner" and later
settled at old Albany in Nemaha county, this state, in the early fifties, and
there his first wife died. He then returned to Missouri and during the
Civil War period was superintendent of a coal mine at Brevier, in Macon
county, that state. There in 1862 he married, secondly, Eliza Towne and
in 1865 returned to Kansas and again settled in the neighborhood of old
Albany, north of Sabetha, but later traded his land there for a farm north
and east of Sabetha and there spent the rest of his life. The home place
there is still in the possession of the family, now owned by a brother of
Mrs. Curtis. By descent on the maternal line Mrs. Curtis is a member of the
Betty Washington chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, at Law-
rence, taking descent from James Towne, a soldier of the patriot army
during the Revolutionary War. James Towne, born in 1756, died in 1837.
His wife, Lucy Bettis, to whom he was married in 1778, was born in 1758
and died in 1843. Their son, Oliver Towne, born in 1779, married Damens
Luce, and their son, Nathaniel Towne, born in 1807, in Ohio, married, in
1829, Matilda Hevil, born in 1800. Nathaniel Towne died in 1846 and his
widow survived him until 1872. Their daughter, Eliza Towne, born in
1830, was married in 1862, as noted above, to James McClanahan and Mrs.
Curtis is one of the children born to this parentage.
To Samuel and Lucy M. (McClanahan) Curtis seven children have
been born, namely: Edna M., who married A. B. Beacham and is now liv-
ing at Powell, Wyoming; Rose E., who began in the automobile business
at Lincoln and is now engaged as an automobile salesman at Kansas City;
Floyd Towne, who is engaged on the home farm ; Norman Ivan, wrho is now
developing a homestead farm in the neighborhood of Gillette. Wyoming;
Stella, a member of the class of 19 17, Mt. St. Scholastica Academy, at
Atchison, and Lucy and Gloria, both still in school. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis
are members of the Presbyterian church and have ever taken a proper part
in local good works, as well as in the general social activities of the com-
munity in which they live. Mr. Curtis is an independent Republican. Fra-
ternally, he is affiliated with the local lodges of the Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of the Ancient
Order of United Workmen, of the Modern Woodmen of America and of
the Knights and Ladies of Security, in the affairs of all of which organiza-
tions he takes a warm interest.
904 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
JOHN CLIFTON, M. D.
Dr. John Clifton, one of the best-known physicians of Marshall county
and who has been practicing his profession at Vermillion for nearly twenty
years, during which time he has done much for the development of that
thriving village, was born on a farm in the near vicinity of Meredosia, in
Morgan county, Illinois, October 20, 1864, son of John \Y. and Elizabeth
(Hoover) Clifton, natives of Indiana, who later returned to their native
state, where the latter spent her last days and where the former is still
living.
John W. Clifton was horn in 1840. He became a farmer in Illinois
and was living there when the Civil War broke out. He enlisted his serv-
ices in behalf of the Union and served as a member of the Twenty-eighth
Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Not long after the completion of
his military service he moved with his family to Fulton county. Indiana,
where he is still living a a ripe old age. His wife died there in 18S0. They
were the parents of nine children.
Not until he had reached years of maturity did Doctor Clifton turn
his attention to the study of medicine. He was but a child when his parents
moved from Illinois to Indiana and he grew to manhood on a farm in
Fulton county, that state. At the age of eighteen years he began teaching
school in the district schools of his home county and for twelve years was
thus engaged, meantime completing the academic course at the Valparaiso
(Indiana) Normal College. In 1888 he married and afterward began the
studv of medical works. In 1896 he entered the Central Medical College
at St. Joseph, Missouri, and was graduated from that institution in 1898.
In the next year. 1899, Doctor Clifton opened an office for the prac-
tice of his profession at Vermillion and has ever since been located there,
having an excellent practice in and about that flourishing village. Doctor
Clifton is a diligent student and keeps fully abreast of the advance made
in his profession, lie is a member of the Marshall County Medical Society
and of the Kansas State Medical Association and in the deliberations of
these learned bodies takes a warm interest. The Doctor is a Republican of
the unadulterated variety and ever since becoming a resident of Marshall
countv has given his earnest attention to local political affairs.
In 1888, while living in Indiana. Doctor Clifton was united in mar-
riage to Rose Bailev, who was born in that state, a daughter of Dr. Allan
Bailev and wife, of Akron, Indiana, and to this union four children have
been born. Archie, deceased; Beatrice, who married Roy Talbert and is
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 905
now living at Topeka; John and Jessie, at home. Doctor and Mrs. Clifton
are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and take a proper part in
church work and in other local good works. The Doctor is an active lodge
man and is affiliated with the local lodges of the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of the Knights of
Pythias and of the Knights and Ladies of Security, in the affairs of which
several organizations he takes a warm interest.
THOMAS J. FARRAR.
Thomas J. Farrar, a well-to-do retired farmer and landowner, of Rock
township, former trustee of that township, former member of the board
of county commissioners of Marshall county and an honored veteran of
the Civil War, is a native of the old Buckeye state, but has been a resident of
this county since 1880. He was born on a farm in the immediate vicinity of
London, in Madison county, Ohio, March 10, 1843, son of Henry and
Melinda (Chenoweth) Farrar, the former a native of England and the latter
of Ohio and the former of whom became a Kansas pioneer, spending his
last days on his farm in the vicinity of Beattie, this county, a well-to-do and
influential pioneer citizen.
Henry Farrar was born in Yorkshire, England, on March 19, 1815,
and was but five years of age when his parents came to this country, settling
in the vicinity of Cincinnati, later moving on up into Madison county, Ohio,
where Henry Farrar grew to manhood and where he married Melinda
Chenoweth in 1837. Afterward he employed himself in farming pursuits
in that county and became the owner of about six hundred acres of land
in the vicinity of London, the county seat. He also took an active part in
local civic affairs, served his township as assessor and in other public capa-
cities and was also treasurer of his school district. In 1873 Mr. Farrar dis-
posed of his interests in Ohio and came to Kansas, realizing the possibilities
that awaited the pioneer in this section of the state, and bought a tract of
land in Guittard township, this county, the next year, 1874, establishing his
home there. He was an excellent farmer and prospered in his operations,
presently becoming the owner of fifteen hundred and twenty acres in Guit-
tard and Rock townships, which he afterward divided among his children.
He maintained his home on his original farm, about one mile southeast
of Beattie, where he spent his last days, his death occurring there in 1895,
in the residence he built there in 1880.
906 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Henrv Farrar was twice married. His first wife, Melinda Chenowcth.
died at her home in Madison county, Ohio, in 1N57. at the age of forty
years. To that union ten children were born, seven of whom grew to
maturity, those besides the subject of this sketch being as follow: Mrs.
Owen Thomas, deceased; Horatio N., an honored veteran of the Civil War
and a pioneer of this county, now deceased, a memorial sketch of whom
is presented elsewhere in this volume: Jonathan, a substantial farmer of
Vermillion township, this county; Mrs. Margaret Crooks, living near Frank-
tort: Mrs. Isahelle Durkee. deceased, and William II.. of Stevens county,
this state. On Septemher 30, [858, in Madison county. Ohio, Henry Farrar
married, secondly, Mrs. Rachel (dregs) Seal, who was horn in that county,
and to that union two sons were horn, Romeo, a mechanic, of Blue Rapids,
and Spurgeon, of Chicago. The mother of these children died in Chicago
and was buried in this county. By her previous marriage to John W. Seal,
who died about 1855, she was the mother of one child, a daughter. Eva,
who married John Warner, of this county.
Reared mi the home farm in the vicinity of London, Ohio, Thomas J,
Farrar was living there when the Civil War broke out. He enlisted his
services in behalf of the Union and went to the front as a member of Com-
pany C. First Regiment, Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, and saw service
with that command in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama, later
being detailed to guard prisoners of war at Chicago. Upon the completion
of his military service Mr. Farrar returned to his home county in Ohio in
1864 and in 1865 was married there. lie established his home on a farm
in Oak Run township, that county, and there resided until 1880. when he
came to Kansas, his father having located in this county several years pre-
viously, anil in [881 he bought his present farm in Rock township, this
county. On that place when he bought it there was a small, two-room house
and an orchard had been planted on the place. He at once set about improv-
ing the place and it was not long until lie had one of the best-improved
farms in that part of the county. At his home place in Rock township Mr.
Farrar owns one hundred and sixty acres and he also has a farm of one
hundred acres in Vermillion township. Since 1908 he has l>een living prac-
tically retired from the labors of the farm, though continuing to keep an
eye on the management of the same. Mr. Farrar is an ardent Republican
and has ever given his close attention to local political affairs. In 1805 he
was elected a member of the board of county commissioners from his dis-
trict and served very acceptably during his incumbency in that important
office. IK' also has rendered service as trustee of his home township.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 907
As noted above, it was in 1865, in Madison county, Ohio, that Thomas
J. Farrar was united in marriage to Anne Holway, who was born in Devon-
shire, England, and who left there in 1861 and came to this country with
a sister, settling in Ohio. She completed her schooling at Oberlin, engaged
in teaching school in Madison county and was thus engaged at the time of
her marriage to Mr. Farrar. Some years later, in 1868, her parents, Robert
and Elizabeth (Hartnell) Holway, came to this country and settled in Madi-
son county, Ohio, where their last days were spent. To Mr. and Mrs.
Farrar ten children have been born, two of whom died in infancy, the others
being as follow : Imogene, who married James Temple and is now deceased ;
Robert H., who married Lulu Storm and is farming in Rock township;
Mary E., who is at home with her parents; Frank C, deceased; Thomas H.,
who married Clara L. Clark and is farming in Wells township; Nellie J., a
trained nurse and a graduate of the Wesley Hospital, Kansas City ; Anne
W., who is teaching school at Sterling, Kansas, and Iasarah, a graduate of
the Frankfort high school, now teaching at Delphos. The Farrars are mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church and take a proper interest in the
various beneficences of the same, as well as in the general social activities
of the community in which they live, helpful in promoting all agencies hav-
ing to do with the advancement of the common welfare. .Mr. Farrar is an
active member of the Frankfort post of the Grand Army of the Republic
and is now serving as chaplain of that patriotic organization.
ELI GIERHART CARNEY.
Eli Gierhart Carney was born in Etna, Licking county, Ohio, Januarv
16, 1839, and is a son of James and Lovesia (Gierhart) Carnev. James
Carney was born and reared in the state of Ohio. He was the son of John
Carney, who was born in the north of Ireland and was of Scotch-Irish
descent.
On coming to the United States John Carney was married to Bridget
Chaney, who was a daughter of Sebidea Chaney, who was a very early set-
tler of Ohio. The Chaneys were of Welsh descent. When John Carney's
family were grown up and married they moved to Lagrange county, Indiana,
and settled there in the years 1838 and 1840, all coming to that place with
the exception of his son, James.
Daniel and Anna ( Hanna ) Gierhart were the parents of Mrs. Lovesia
908 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Gierhart Carney. These parents were reared near Hagerstown, Maryland,
and were the descendants of old Colonial stock and of German descent.
They moved to Greenfield township, Fairfield county, Ohio, while it was still
in a state of nature. He was a justice of the peace for many years and
was noted for his good judgment in getting parties to settle their difficulties
before the cases came to court. lie was a blacksmith by trade and was a
great help to the early settlers when that part of the country was being
opened up. He was a member of the Lutheran church.
James and Lovesia Gierhart Carney had the following children born
to them: Daniel J. H. Carney, now deceased; Eli Gierhart Carney; Sarah
Bitsbarger and Elizabeth Delinger. Sarah Bitsbarger lives at Ft. Wayne,
Indiana; Elizabeth Delinger died in the state of Michigan about 1900.
James Carney, the father of E. G. Carney, died on January t8, 1844. Love-
sia (i. Carney, mother of E. G. Carney, was a good weaver. She could weave
almost any kind of cloth worn by farmers of that day, and could cut out
and make it up. She could do all kinds of work that usually fell to the
lot of the women of her time. She was a member of the Presbyterian church
and lived up to its teachings. She died at Ft. Wayne, Indiana, January 1,
1881.
E. G. Carnev learned the blacksmith trade when he was fifteen years
old. After he had served over four years apprenticeship he started a shop
in Jefferson, Fairfield county, Ohio. On June 24, i860, he was married to
Catherine Alspach. who was the daughter of John D. and Elizabeth ( Heim-
baugh ) Alspach. They were both born and raised in Fairfield county, Ohio.
Their parents were among the early settlers and were of German descent.
After following the blacksmithing for eleven years, E. G. Carney came
to the state of Kansas, arriving in Frankfort. Marshall county, on Novem-
ber 9, 1871. Shortly after coming here he bought a claim of John Raven
in section 6. township 3, range 10. He did some smithing and also engaged
in raising the bigbone Poland China hogs. When he proved up on his claim
he traded it for two hundred acres of raw land in Murray township, section
3. To this tract he has added and he now has four hundred and forty acres
in his home farm. He also owns a tine farm in Franklin county, containing
two hundred and ninety-six and three-quarter acres. His home farm is well
improved and is in excellent condition for cultivation.
Eli G. Carney is a supporter of the Democratic party. In 1867 he
became a member of the Nepthalia Lodge No. 262, Free and Accepted
Masons, in Carroll. Fairfield county, Ohio, Mr. Carney does not belong
to any church, but is a believer in all churches that are well based on Holy
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 909
Writ ; and he also holds that it makes little difference to what church a man
may belong, if its teachings are lived up to. Airs. Carney has been a mem-
ber of the church since her girlhood. She has been a kind wife and a kind
mother and an industrious woman.
To Eli G. and Catherine Carney the following children were born :
John H., Alta, Eli E., Charles, deceased; Oliver O., Alice and Catherine M.
All these children are living on farms near the parental home. Catherine
Alspach Carney was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, June 24, 1843.
WILLIAM L McKEE.
William L. McKee, one of Center township's best-known and most
substantial farmers and the proprietor of a quarter of a section of fine land
in that township, a part of the section upon which his father settled upon
coming to Kansas in the early days of the settlement of Marshall county,
is a native of the Dominion of Canada, but has been a resident of Marshall
countv since the days of his boyhood and has therefore been a witness to
and a participant in the development of this county since pioneer times. He
was born on a farm in Smith township, five miles from Peterborough, in the
county of that name, province of Ontario, Canada, June 4, 1856, eldest of
the seven children of Tohn and Man* Ann (Findlay) McKee, both natives
of Ireland, of Scottish descent, who became pioneers of Marshall county
and here spent their last days.
John McKee was born in County Donegal, Ireland, October 23, 1828,
and was but an infant when his parents emigrated to Canada in 1830 and
settled in Peterborough county, Ontario. There he grew to manhood and
in Smith township, that county, began farming on his own account after
his marriage in 1852, remaining there until the fall of 1869, when he came
to Kansas on a prospecting trip and in September of that year bought a
section of railroad land in Center township, this county, section 17, for
which he paid five dollars and twenty-five cents an acre. He then returned
to his home in Canada, disposed of his affairs there and brought his family
to Kansas, arriving at Frankfort on January 15, 1871. The first month
was spent with his brother, William McKee, three and one-half miles south
of his homestead, and there the family remained while a house was being
erected on the place in section 17. The house was built in the center of
the section and into that new home the family moved in August, 1871.
9IO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
John McKee was an excellent farmer and it was not long until he began
to get his section under cultivation, quickly becoming regarded as one of
the leading farmers and stockmen in that part of the county. Among the
early improvements he made on his place was the planting of an orchard
covering twenty acres of his tract and a vineyard covering a half acre or
more, that orchard developing into one of the finest orchards in Kansas.
He also planted long stretches of hedge and the improvements surrounding
his home made of the place one of the most attractive farm plants in the
county. Mr. and Mrs. McKee were members of the Baptist church and
upon the organization of a congregation of that denomination in that neigh-
borhood, the ("enter Baptist church. Mr. McKee donated two and one-half
acres of the southeast corner of his section on which to erect the church,
of which for years he was a deacon. Mrs. McKee died on April 20. 1890,
and in October. 1896, Mr. McKee retired from the farm and moved to
Marvsville. where, alternating his residence there with visits to his chil-
dren, he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring on August 29, 1913.
He was an ardent Republican and ever gave his earnest attention to local
civic affairs, hut was never a seeker after public office.
On June 11, [852, John McKee was united in marriage, in Canada, to
Mary Ann Findlay, who was horn in Dublin, Ireland, March 4. 1835. and
who was thirteen years of age when she emigrated with her parents. William
Findlay and wife, to Canada, the family settling in the Peterborough neigh-
borhood in Ontario, where she lived until her marriage to Mr. McKee. To
that union seven children were born, of whom the subject of this sketch, as
noted, above, was the first-born, the others being as follows: Mrs. T. M.
Bishop, of Frankfort, this county; Nina, who married S. M. Ferrell and is
now living at Vance, Mississippi; Florence, wife of Theodore Polack, of
Marvsville: Susan, deceased, who was the wife of Allen Reed, also now
deceased, and Robert and John, twins, who died before the family left
Canada.
William T.. McKee was fifteen year- of age when he came to Mar-hall
count v with his parents in 1S71 ami he ever since has made his home on
the home place in section 17 of Center township, a period of more than
forty-five years. From the time the family came to Marshall county he
was a valuable assistant to hi- father in the labors of developing and improv-
ing the home place and is now the owner of the northwest quarter of the
section bis father bought upon coming here. In addition to that he farms
another quarter section and is doing very well in his operations, conducting
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 911
his place along modern lines of agriculture, being accounted one of the up-
to-date farmers in that part of the county.
On October 20, 1896, William L. McKee was united in marriage to
Louise Fitzgerald, who also was born in Smith township, Peterborough
countv, Ontario, January 14, 1867, daughter of Thomas Edward and Agnes
(Hall) Fitzgerald, who were born and reared in Canada, the former of
Irish and the latter of Scottish descent, who spent all their lives in their
native land. To this union one child has been born, a son. Maxwell Fitz-
gerald McKee, born on April 25. 1898, who is assisting his father in the
management of the home farm. Mr. McKee is a member of the Center
Baptist church and Mrs. McKee, of the Methodist church of Marysville.
Thev take a proper interest in church affairs as well as in other neighbor-
hood good works and have ever been helpful in promoting worthy causes
thereabout. Mr. McKee is a Republican and takes a warm interest in polit-
ical affairs, but has never been included in the office-seeking class.
JOSEPH CHADDOCK.
Joseph Chaddock, one of the pioneers of Marshall county and the pro-
prietor of a fine farm and one of the prettiest homes in Noble township,
is a native of the state of Illinois, but has been a resident of this county
since he was twenty-one years of age. He was born on a farm in Fulton
county, Illinois, January 12, 1856, son of James and Sarah (Test) Chad-
dock, the former of whom was born in Virginia in 1801 and the latter, in
Ohio. James Chaddock was but a boy when his parents moved from Vir-
ginia to Ohio and in the latter state, he grew to manhood, later moving
to Illinois, where he died in 1868. His wife had preceded him to the
grave about four years, her death having occurred in 1864.
Being but a boy when bereaved of his parents, Joseph Chaddock made
his home with his eldest brother until he was seventeen years of age, when
he began working on his own account. In 1877, he then being twenty-one
years of age, he came to Kansas, locating at Frankfort, and presently bought
a farm in Lincoln township, this county. Two years after coming here he
married and on that pioneer farm made his home for four years, or until
1 88 1, when he sold the same to advantage and bought the farm on which
he is now living in Noble township and there has ever since made his home,
a period of more than thirty-five years, his being one of the oldest settled and
gi.2 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
best-improved farms in that part of the county. In addition to his general
farming. Mr. Chaddock lias given considerable attention to the raising of
live stock and has done very well. Upon taking possession of his present
home farm Mr. Chaddock built a small house which served as a residence
until 1898, when he erected his present splendid farm residence. He is the
owner of two hundred and twenty acres of excellent land and his well-kept
farm plant is recognized as one of the prettiest places in the Vermillion
neigh borhood.
On November [9, (879, Joseph Chaddock was united in marriage to
Rilla Freeman, who was born in Illinois, June 24, 1857, daughter of Eben
and Anna Freeman, natives of Providence, Rhode Island, and of Ohio,
respectively, whose last days were spent in Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Chaddock
were reared in the same community in Illinois and were playmates in child-
hood. Mr. and Mrs. Chaddock are members of the Presbyterian church
and take a proper part in neighborhood good works, ever helpful in advanc-
ing worthy causes thereabout. Mr. Chaddock is an independent Republican
and has ever given a good citizen's attention to local political affairs, but has
not been a seeker after public office.
MR. AND MRS. SAMUEL FORTER.
Samuel Forter was born in Marbach, Canton St. Gallen, Switzerland.
December 6, 1858. His parents were Samuel Forter and Anna Elizabeth
Walt, both well .educated. The Forters came of a long line of well-to-do
farmers and military and civil officers of high rank. The Walts were arti-
sans and teachers. Anna Elizabeth taught embroidery and tine needlework
in the cantonal school of domestic science in the city of Altstaetten.
On May 20th, [868, Samuel Forter and his wife, Elizabeth, with seven
children, arrived in Highland, Illinois, near which town Mr. Forter carried
on farming until 1873, when they moved in prairie schooners to Marysville,
Kansas, reaching there on October 12. 1873. The family consisted of the
following children: Emil. Alfred, Samuel, Hulda. Lina. Jacob and Maggie.
In 1874 the youngest son, Adolph. was born. In the winter of 1875, after a
discouraging effort at farming for the benefit of the grasshoppers in 1874,
the father, mother and younger members of the family moved to a new farm
in northern St. Clair county, Missouri, Emil, Alfred and Samuel remaining
in Marysville. Samuel Forter, Sr.. died near Bryant. Arkansas, October 29,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 913
1902. Elizabeth Walt Forter died in Denver, Colorado, January 24, 191 1.
The children of the family are all living. Emil, Hulda ( now Mrs. Harburg)
and Adolph reside in Denver. Alfred, Samuel and Lina ( now Mrs. Wied-
rich) reside in Marysville, Kansas, and Jacob and Maggie (now Mrs. Munns)
reside in Cushing, Oklahoma.
Samuel Forter has been a resident of Marysville since October, 1873.
He worked on a farm until 1877, then learned the blacksmith trade and by
1879 had a business of his own, which he conducted until 1899.
During those years he contributed much time and energy in other direc-
tions, and for twenty years there were very few entertainments or events
given for the benefit of the public, toward which he did not furnish the
major portion. He organized the fire department, of which he was chief
until 1900; he was president of the State Firemen's Association for two
terms, 1897-9 and declined re-election. He helped organize the National
Firemen's Association in 1898 at Chicago, Illinois; was chairman of the leg-
islative committee for this latter organization during the fifty-sixth and
fifty-seventh Congresses. He founded the Helvetia Society in Marysville
and helped organize the Barks Military Band, of which he was president for
eighteen vears and of the Barks Orchestra, for the same period. He was
phvsical instructor in the school of the Marysville Turner Society for four-
teen vears, and was director of singing of the Swiss and the Turner societies
and some churches for many years. He was a member of the Odd Fellows,
United Workmen, Select Knights. Maccabees and a charter member of the
Knights of Pvthias, passed through all of the principal chairs of all the
lodges and societies of which he was a member and was many times elected
grand and supreme representative. He now holds membership in the Knights
of Pythias only, and is an honorary member of the Swiss and Turner
societies.
In the fall of 1899 Congressman Calderhead took Mr. Forter out of
his blacksmith shop and made him his private secretary, which place he filled
satisfactorilv for four years. During those four years he served as assistant
clerk to the committee on post offices and post roads ; also to the committee
on banking and currency. In February, 1904, Eugene F. Ware, United
States commissioner of pensions, appointed him a "special pension examiner
in the field," and for the greater part of seven years he was engaged in pension
work in the states of Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Colorado, Missouri and
Kansas, serving under Commissioners Ware, Warner and Davenport, from
whom he received many complimentary- letters which he prizes verv highly.
(58)
914 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
In February, 191 1, he resigned as pension examiner to accept the postmas-
tership at Marysville. He served as postmaster from April 1, 191 1, to
March 15, 1915. when he was let out to make room for a Democrat.
Emma Elizabeth Calderhead is the daughter of Rev. E. B. Calderhead
and Martha Boyd Wallace. Rev. E. B. Calderhead was the youngest son
of Rev. John Calderhead and Margaret Brown, who was a granddaughter
of John Brown, of Haddington, Scotland, a noted divine of his day.
Rev. John Calderhead came to America and settled in Belmont county.
Ohio, where E. B. Calderhead was born near Uniontown, January 4, 1810,
and who was graduated from Franklin College, Xew Athens, Ohio, in 1836,
and from the Alleghany Associate Reformed Theological Seminary in 1840
and was licensed to preach by the Steubenville Presbytery the same year.
being assigned to three charges, namely, Jonathan's Creek, Rush Creek and
Thornville, Ohio. In 1861 Mr. Calderhead was appointed on the board of
church erection and continued a member of that board during the remainder
of his life. In 1861 he removed to Xew Athens. Ohio, for the purpose of
educating his children in his own alma mater and lived in that excellent
college town until he came to Kansas. He died at the home of his son, W. A.
Calderhead, in Marysville. Kansas, September j-,, 189J.
Martha Boyd Wallace was a daughter of William Wallace and Elizabeth
Gilhllan. William Wallace was a son of John Wallace and Elizabeth McKee,
who came to the United States in 171)3 an<* settled in Alleghany county. Penn-
sylvania, midway between Pittsburgh and Washington. Pennsylvania. There
John Wallace served as an elder in the Robinson's Run congregation for fifty
vears and there was born William Wallace. May 18. 1798. There William
lived all his life and on September 5, i8_'J. he was united in marriage to
Elizabeth Gilfillan, a daughter of Alexander Gilhllan, of Upper St. Claire,
Pennsylvania.
The Gilfillan family has been prominently identified with the histoiy of
Upper St. Claire for more than two hundred years; some member of the
family serving as magistrate during all that period. William Wallace and
Elizabeth Gilfillan were the parents of four children: Alexander Gilfillan
Wallace, who was for many years an editor of the United Presbyterian, the
official paper of that church. Rev. A. G. Wallace was a greatly gifted man
and at his death the magnificent Wallace Memorial church was erected in
Washington, D. C.
William J. Wallace succeeded his father and grandfather as elder of
the congregation at Robinson's Run. He is still living. Martha Boyd Wal-
lace and Sarah Jane Wallace were the daughters. Sarah J. Wallace married
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 915
George Kelso, a farmer of the same county, and she survives him and is
living at Washington, Pennsylvania. Martha Boyd Wallace was united in
marriage to Rev. E. B. Calderhead, November 28, 1843, and she died on
February 16, 1872. They were the parents of eleven children: William
Alexander, John Wallace, James Harvey, Sarah Jane, Joseph Walker, Sam-
uel Coman, Emma Elizabeth, Silas Brown, Owen Oliver, Almanara Boyd and
Renwick Wallace. William A. is a lawyer, and was a member of Congress
from the Fifth congressional district of Kansas for seven terms. John Wal-
lace was a Union soldier and gave his life for his country. James Harvey
is secretary of the board of railroad commissioners of North Dakota. Sarah
J. is the wife of J. F. Hanna, of Marysville. Joseph Walker died at the
age of eighteen years. Samuel Coman is superintendent of a building and
loan association in Seattle, Wash. Emma Elizabeth is the wife of Samuel
Forter, of Marysville, Kansas. Silas Brown is general passenger agent of
the Northern Pacific railroad, with offices at Walla Walla, Washington.
Owen Oliver is secretary of the state board of railroad commissioners of
Washington and resides in Olympia. Almanara Boyd is the wife of Joseph
L. Rogers, of Vermillion, Kansas, and Renwick Wallace resides in Fair-
banks, Alaska, where he conducts a large music store.
Emma E. Calderhead, the second daughter of Rev. E. B. Calderhead
and Martha Boyd Wallace, was born at Rushville, Fairfield county, Ohio, on
October 4th, 1857. When she was four years of age her parents removed
to New Athens. Ohio, and resided there until coming West in 1869. She
attended the private academy of Mrs. H. E. Monroe, of Atchison, Kansas,
and at the age of fifteen began teaching. Later, she came to Marshall
county to make her home and taught in the public schools of the county.
She taught in the country districts of what was known as the McLeod
school, north of Marysville, and in the McDonald school, each for one term,
and in the Thomas school in Elm Creek township for two years.
On July 1, 1884, Samuel Forter and Emma E. Calderhead were married
at the home of T. H. Calderhead in Beloit, Kansas, Rev. J. A. Pinkerton,
of the First Presbyterian church, performing the ceremony. From that time
Mr. and Mrs. Forter have resided in Marysville, Kansas. In 1890 Mrs.
Forter accepted a position in the city schools of Marysville, beginning her
work in the Ward school, primary department, from which, after two years'
teaching, she was promoted to the Central school, fifth grade, and the follow-
ing year was placed in charge of the seventh grade and first year high school
work. She continued teaching for six years, resigning to .take up secretarial
work in the office of W. A. Calderhead.
916 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
In 191 3, owing to a mid-term vacancy in the seventh grade. Mrs. Forter
was requested by the board of education to take charge of the work for the
remainder of the year, which she did. Having by that date attained the
dignity of grandmother, Mrs. Forter felt complimented at being thought
equal to the task. In 191 5 Mrs. Forter taught one week in the English
department of the high school, which closed her life work in the school room.
In 1902 Mrs. Forter was chosen department president of the Woman's
Relief Corps, Department of Kansas, and at the close of her year's work she
was presented with a handsome diamond badge as a testimonial of esteem by
the members of that organization. She also served as president of the
Woman's Federated Chilis of the Fifth congressional district. In 1916 Gov.
Arthur Capper appointed Mrs. Forter a member of the advisory board of
the state Republican committee and she gave time and effort to the campaign,
speaking in various places in the state. In April, 191 7, Governor Capper
again honored her by appointing her on the council of defense board of
Kansas, and she is at the present time engaged in organizing the women of
the state and preparing for any emergency which may arise during the war
with Germany.
Mr. and Mrs. Forter are the parents of two sons, Samuel Alexander
Forter, born on October 15, 1886, and Cecil Alfred Forter, born on Novem-
ber 18, 1888. These boys were educated in the public schools of Marysville,
Samuel graduating on May 28, 1903, and Cecil graduating on May 20, 1904.
They entered the University of Kansas before reaching sixteen years of age
and each completed a course in civil engineering in the required time, receiving
degrees in that branch.
Samuel Alexander Forter, a member of the Beta fraternity, graduated
from the University of Kansas in [908. He entered the employ of the
James A. Green Constructing Engineers Company; he was engaged in en-
gineering work in the far West, first in New Mexico and Arizona, and then
had charge of irrigation work in Idaho, putting in the irrigation plant in the
Gooding tract of thirty thousand acres. He then went to Brogan. Oregon,
where he built the great earth dam, the second largest earth dam in the world.
Returning to Kansas, he constructed the state fish hatchery at Pratt, Kansas.
He then went to American Falls, Idaho, where he constructed the famous
Snake river dam, across the Snake river at American halls. The next year
he put in an irrigating plant on a rice plantation near DeWitt. Arkansas, on
the White river. In the fall of 1914 Samuel A. Forter began business for
himself and is now a constructing and consulting engineer with offices at
American Falls, Idaho, where he is engaged in active engineering work.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. Q)IJ
Samuel A. Forter and Lucille Tavey were united in marriage in the
church of the Good Shepherd, in Ogden, Utah, on February 24, 1914, by
Rev. Win. W. Fleetwood. Lucille Tavey Forter is the daughter of Henry
Cartwright Tavey, son of Peter Tavey and Frances Cartwright, who was
born in London, England, and of Martha Allen, daughter of John and
Martha Allen, who was born in Sheffield, England. Henry W. Tavey and
Martha Allen were married in Ogden, Utah; they now reside in Blackfoot,
Idaho.
Lucille Tavey Forter was educated in the schools of Ogden, Utah,
finishing her education in a private school in Alabama. She went with her
husband to Arkansas immediately after her marriage and spent six months
in an engineers' camp and helping with household duties. She displayed
great fortitude and courage and a true wife's interest in her husband's work.
On Monday, March 19, 1917, Mrs. Samuel A. Forter was summoned as a
juror in the civil case of Commons vs. Hall, on an action to collect a note
and she served on the first jury composed entirely of women empanelled in
Power county, Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. S. A. Forter reside in American Falls,
Idaho.
Cecil Alfred Forter was graduated from the department of civil engi-
neering. University of Kansas, in 1909, and immediately accepted a position
in the office of the city engineer of Topeka, Kansas, where he remained until
January, 1916, when he accepted the superintendency of the city crematory,
which he reorganized and put on a business basis. In December, 1916, he
resigned this position to become sales engineer for the John Baker, Jr.,
Asphalt Company, which position he now holds. Both he and his brother,
Samuel, are members of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Cecil
was secretary of the Kansas Society of Civil Engineers for three terms,
relinquishing the office in 19 17.
Cecil A. Forter and Elizabeth Tusten were united in marriage in Trin-
ity Episcopal church, Lawrence, Kansas, December 8, 1909, Rev. Irving E.
Baxter officiating. Elizabeth Tusten is the daughter of Harmon William
Tusten, born in Goshen, New York, of Revolutionary ancestry, a paternal
uncle having served on the staff of George Washington. The little city of
Tusten, New York, is named in his honor and his statue adorns the public
square of the city. William Harmon Tusten came to Wisconsin in his early
manhood and later moved to Kansas. He was one of the promoters of the
colonization of Russell county and was an active and influential citizen of the
county.
Mathilde de Neveu, the mother of Mrs. Cecil A. Forter, is a daughter of
9l8 MARSHAL!. COUNTY, KANSAS.
Gustave de Neveu, a son of the historic French family of that name. Gustave
was born at Savigny, France, March 30. 1811. He was educated at the
famous military academy of La Fleche and at the College of Yendome. He
located finally in Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, purchasing six hundred
and forty acres of land, which included the beautiful lake, afterward named
de Neveu lake and now a noted summer resort.
In 1840 Gustave de Neveu was married to Harriett Puttoff Dousman, a
daughter of a noted French-Canadian family. Mrs. de Neveu was born on
the island of Mackinac, December 16, 1818. Mathilde de Neveu is a daugh-
ter of that union and was united in marriage to William Harmon Tusten in
Wisconsin. Elizabeth Tusten, a daughter, was born in Herington, Kansas.
She attended high school in Warren, Pennsylvania, and later was a student
of the University of Kansas at Lawrence, where her parents resided at the
time of her marriage to Cecil A. Forter. Mrs. Cecil A. Forter was especially
prominent in the musical life of the university and took a leading part in
the rendition of classical music, both operatic and sacred. She is a member
of the Theta Sorority, and since her marriage has become identified with
musical circles in the city of Topeka. She is a beautiful woman, endowed
with great personal charm. Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Forter have one son, Cecil
Alfred Forter, Jr., born on August 24, 191 1.
If any of the descendants of David McKee, of Anahilt, among whom
may be named the Wallaces, Caklerheads and the descendants of Mr. and
Mrs. Samuel Forter, should ever visit County Down. Ireland, they may see
the homes of their ancestors, which are still standing. On the Lisburn road,
going from Lough Neagh to Saintfield, attention will be attracted to the ivy.
covered gables of the old homestead. Here lies the land once granted by the
crown for lpvalty and on which stand Moor Hall and The Temple, the ances-
tral homes of their forefathers and still inhabited by one of the name.
The Wallace branch of the family are descendants of the Scotch clan
of that name and are of the family of the Duke of Argyll.
The name, Calderhead, is the same as the Scotch name Calder or Cawdor
and has been preserved by Shakespeare in the play '"Macbeth," Cawdor
Castle being the scene of the murder of King Duncan by Macbeth, who
had been promised the much-coveted position of Thane of Cawdor, for com-
mitting the crime. A thane was a body-guard and counsellor to the king and
was a position of title, honor and trust. The old family castle still stands,
though in ruins, in the parish of Nairn and Inverness, Scotland.
The Wallace family, descendants of the Scotch family, has always been
prominently identified with churches. John Wallace, William Wallace, his
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 9I9
son, and William Jamison Wallace, his grandson, served an aggregate of one
hundred and five consecutive years as elders of the United Presbyterian
church of Robinson's Run, Pennsylvania.
David Wallace was the founder and president of Monmouth College,
Illinois, and his son, John Findlay Wallace, was the first engineer on the
Panama Canal. David Wallace was a nephew of William Wallace and a
cousin of Martha Bovd Wallace, the mother of Mrs. Forter.
WILLIAM H. DEXTER.
William H. Dexter, one of the well-known and substantial farmers of
Center township, this county, is a native of the Dominion of Canada, but has
been a resident of Marshall county since he was nine years of age, having
come here with his parents in 1870, and may thus properly be regarded as
one of the pioneers of the county, having been a witness to its development
since the days of the open range. He was born on April 6, 1861, son of
Asahel and Jane (Whitfield) Dexter, natives, respectively, of Canada and
of England, who became pioneers of Marshall county and whose last days
were spent here.
Asahel Dexter was born in Canada on March 14. 1809. and there grew
to manhood. He married Jane Whitfield, who was born in England on
September 24, 18 17, and who had emigrated to Canada with her parents in
the days of her girlhood. After his marriage Mr. Dexter continued to
make his home in Canada until 1870, when he came to Kansas with his family
and settled in this county. Here he bought a half section of land in Center
township and established his home, spending the rest of his life there.
When he bought the place he erected there a small shack, which did duty
as a home until the next vear, when he built a substantial dwelling house,
but not until he had made two attempts on the same, for the framework
of the new house had hardly been completed when a tornado came along
and demolished it. The second structure has stood all the storms since
and is still standing, the subject of this sketch still residing there, his con-
tinuous home since he was ten years of age. Asahel Dexter was a good
farmer and soon had his pioneer farm improved in good shape. In com-
mon with all the early settlers he suffered the privations due to grasshoppers
and scorching winds in those early days, but he persevered despite all dis-
couragements and was presently well established. As he prospered he added
Q20 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
to his land holdings and as his sons started out for themselves he helped
them to acquire farms of their own. lie and his wife were earnest mem-
bers of the Baptist church and helped to found the church of that denomi-
nation at Marshall Center, Mr. Dexter for years being a deacon of the
same. In his later years Mr. Dexter retired from his active labors of the
home place and turned the management of the same over to his youngest
son, the subject of this sketch, who now owns the home place. Mrs. Dexter
died on May 24, 1887, and Mr. Dexter survived her a little less than four
years, his death occurring on February 4. 1891, he then lacking less than
three weeks of being eighty-two years of age. He and his wife were the
parents of thirteen children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the
last-born, the others being as follow: Maria, who died before the family left
Canada: George, deceased: Matilda, deceased; Thomas B.. who is living a
mile east of the old home place in Center township; John, who died before
the family left Canada: Sarah Jane, deceased; Mrs. Mary Richardson, of
Hill City, this state; Mrs. Margaret Barker, deceased; Asahel, deceased;
Teesdale. of Trenton, Nebraska; Martha, of Eureka Springs. Arkansas, and
Edmund, who lives three miles west of the old home, in Elm Creek township.
William 11. Dexter, as noted above, was hut nine years of age when
his parents came t<> Marshall county and he was reared on the pioneer farm
that his lather opened for cultivation, even from the days of his boyhood
an able assistant in the labors of developing and improving the same. He
completed his schooling in the Marysville schools and early began to relieve
his father of the responsibility of farm management, continuing to live on
the old home place, which is still his home and which he now owns. Mr.
Dexter has three hundred and ten acres in that tract, a well-improved and
profitahlv cultivated farm, on which there are two sets of farm buildings.
In addition to his general farming he has given considerable attention to
the raising of live stock and lias done very well.
On December jo. 1807. William II. Dexter was united in marriage
to Hettie Blewitt. who was born at Blue Rapids, this county, daughter of
Richard and Jane ( Strange 1 Hewitt, natives, respectively, of Kentucky and
of Missouri, early settlers of Blue Rapids township, who are now living at
Jennings. Oklahoma, to which place they moved in [893. To that union
four children have been born. Margaret Alice. Frederick William, Ralph
Hiram and Wilma Hettie. the two former of whom are now students in
the Marvsville high school. Mr. and Mrs. Dexter are members of the Bap-
tist church and Mr. Dexter is a member of the board of trustees of the
same. He is a member of the Knights and Ladies of Securitv.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 92I
LYNN ROSEGRANT BRODRICK
Lynn Rosegrant Brodrick, business manager of the Advocate-Democrat
at Marysville and partner with his father, the editor and postmaster of
Marysville, in the publication of that influential newspaper, was born at
Marceline, Missouri, February 18, 1892, son of Harry M. and Emma L.
(Rosegrant) Brodrick, further mention of whom is made in a biographi-
cal sketch of the former presented elsewhere in this volume.
Lynn R. Brodrick was about eight years of age when his parents
located at Marysville and he grew to manhood in that city, receiving his
schooling in the public schools, and was graduated from the high school with
the class of 1909. From boyhood he had been an active assistant to his
father in the office of the latter's newspaper, the Marysville Advocate-
Democrat, and on March 1, 1913, was given a one-third interest in the paper
by his father and has since been acting as business manager of the paper.
The plant of the Advocate-Democrat is one of the most up-to-date newspaper
plants in this part of the state and the paper is managed along modern
lines, long having been regarded as one of the ablest and most influential
newspapers in this part of the state. Lynn R. Brodrick is a Democrat
and in 191 5 was elected chairman of the Marshall county Democrat cen-
tral committee. He is now serving as secretary of the committee and is
recognized as one of the most active young Democrats in the county.
On November 17, 1914, Lynn R. Brodrick was united in marriage to
Jennie Schmidt Fulton, who was born on June 1, 1891, at Marysville, the
daughter of E. R. and Jennie (Schmidt) Fulton, further mention of whom
is made in a biographical sketch of the former, presented elsewhere in this
volume.
Mrs. Brodrick secured her early education in the Marysville schools
and graduated from the high school in the class of 1910. She completed
her education by taking a year's course at the National Park Seminarv at
Washington, D. C. She was an active and energetic worker in church circles,
having joined the Presbyterian church at the age of seventeen and engaged
in Sunday school and church work. She and her husband took an earnest
part in the general social activities of Marvsville. On January 13, 1917.
at the age of twenty-five years, seven months and twelve days, she passed
away at her home after a brief illness.
Mr. Brodrick is a Royal Arch Mason and a Knight Templar and has
held Masonic offices. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of
922 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
America. In the affairs of these organizations and the others to which he
belongs lie has always taken a warm interest. In the general affairs of
his home town he has taken an active interest even from the days of his
boyhood and has always given his time and influence to the advancement
of the general welfare of the city and the county at large.
WILLIAM H. McATEE.
William II. McAtee, one of the best-known farmers of St. Bridget
township, former trustee of that township and for years manager of the
grain elevator at Mina, is a native son of Kansas and has lived in this state
all his life. lie was horn in the city of Atchison on November 10, 1861,
s,,n of W. J. and Sarah A. (Lancaster) McAtee, natives of Ohio, the former
of whom was an honored veteran of the Civil War, and who became sub-
stantial pioneer citizens of Marshall county, where they made their home for
many years.
W. J. McAtee was but a hoy when his parents, James McAtee and wife,
moved from Ohio to Missouri and in the latter state he spent his young
manhood. There his father died and the family later, in 1858, came to
Kansas, settling on Elm creek in this county, among the very earliest set-
tlers in this part of the state. In 1856 W. J. McAtee moved into Doniphan
countv and thence to Atchison, where he was living when the Civil War
broke out. He enlisted for service in the Fourth Regiment, Missouri State
Militia, and with that command saw considerable active service during the
war. In [865 he returned to Atchison and with his family moved to Mar-
shall county and located on a farm in Elm Creek township, where he
remained until 1 870, when he retired from the farm and moved to Blue
Rapids, where he made his home until 1881, when he returned to farming
and made his home on a farm in the Axtcll neighborhood until 1887. In
that year he definitely retired from farming and moved to Horton, where
he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in iqij. he then being
seventy-six years of age.
William H. McAtee was not yet four years id" age when his parents
moved from Atchison to this county and he spent his boyhood on the home
farm in Elm Creek township, later moving with the family to Blue Rapids,
where he completed his schooling. When twenty-one years of age. in 1882.
he began working on his own account and rented a farm, on which, after
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 923
his marriage in 1884, he established his home and there he lived until 1903,
when he took charge of the grain elevator at Mina and was thus engaged
until in July, 1915. In the meantime he had bought the farm of one hun-
dred and twenty acres in St. Bridget township, on which he is now living,
and had been improving and developing the same, and upon his retirement
from his management of the elevator moved to that farm, where he and
his family are now pleasantly and comfortably situated. Mr. McAtee built
a new house on the farm, a house of eight rooms, with bath and modern
conveniences, the dwelling being beautifully located on a hill and command-
ing a fine view of the country for miles. His farm is otherwise well-
improved and he is regarded as one of the progressive farmers of that
township. Mr. McAtee is a Republican and for one term served the public
as trustee of St. Bridget township, rendering a valuable service in that
connection.
Mr. McAtee has been twice married. In 1884 he married Ada Will-
iams, who died on May 2, 1895, leaving two children, Claude, who is now
operating the grain elevator at Mina, and Mrs. Ida Packard, of St. Bridget
township. In 1896 Mr. McAtee married Lottie Packard, daughter of J. W.
Packard, formerly of Marshall county, now a resident of Enid, Oklahoma,
and to this union nine children have been born, Mrs. Vera Burton, of near
Axtell, Frank, Cora, William, Loyal, Howard, Chester, Iola and Anna, the
latter of whom died in October, 1916. The McAfees are members of the
Baptist church and take a proper interest in church work, as well as in
the general social activities of the community in which they live, and have
ever been helpful factors in advancing all good works in that community.
LACKLAND BROTHERS.
The impetus given to the breeding of Holstein cattle in Marshall county
by the Lackland Brothers, owners of a fine farm of two- hundred and forty
acres three miles north of Axtell, has been of incalculable benefit to the
live-stock interests of this county and it is undoubted that they have done
very much toward developing the valuable animal industry of this part of
the state. The firm of Lackland Brothers has been engaged in the breeding
of pure-bred Holstein cattle for the past four years and has been very suc-
cessful, their stock being sold at private sale to breeders and cattle fanciers
over a wide range of territory in Kansas, Texas, Nebraska and Missouri.
924 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
In October, 1916, they shipped half a carload of fine stock to New Mexico
buyers and their market is being constantly extended. They are constantly
giving their earnest attention to the extension of the very valuable plant
they have created on their stock farm north of Axtell. The farm is well
improved, the improvements including two capacious silos and all grain
raised on the place is fed to the cattle. At the first annual Marshall County
Stock Show held at Blue Rapids on October 2, 1916, Lackland Brothers
took first and second prizes with their Holsteins and all the Holstein stock
exhibited at that fair originated from their herd, eight head of such exhibits
taking prizes.
The Lackland brothers are natives of Illinois, born in the city of Bloom-
ington, that state, sons of the Rev. M. P. and Edith (Tryner) Lackland,
both natives of that same state, who were for many years engaged in educa-
tional work at Bloomington. the Rev. M. P. Lackland later engaging in the
gospel ministry, and who are now living retired in their comfortable home
north of Axtell. The Rev. M. P. Lackland was born in Tazewell county.
Illinois, and early engaged in educational work, presently being made presi-
dent of Chaddock College. One of the instructors in that college was Edith
Tryner, who was born in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1855, and was was
engaged in teaching for five years before her marriage to Mr. Lackland.
After their marriage both Mr. and Mrs. Lackland continued in their educa-
tional work and for seven years Mr. Lackland was engaged as professor
of mathematics in the Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington. He
then engaged in the gospel ministry, as a minister of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and was for seventeen years engaged in ministerial labors. In 1881
he had invested the proceeds of his share in the old home in Illinois in land
in this county, having bought the first quarter section in the northeast corner
of Murray township, and upon his retirement from the ministry a few
years ago came to Marshall county and is now living here. To the Rev.
M. P. Lackland and wife were born three children. W. T., II. W. and Mar-
garet, the two sons being the well-known young stock breeders now doing
business in this county under the firm name of Lackland Brothers.
W. T. Lackland was born on March II, 1884, and was educated in
the Ohio Wesleyan University and in the Chicago University, from which
latter institution he received his bachelor degree. He then was engaged in
Young Men's Christian Association work in Illinois for five years, at the
end of which time he became engaged as a traveling salesman for a whole-
sale furniture house at Chicago and was thus engaged for five years, at
the end of which time. February, 1913, he came to Kansas and has since
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 925
been engaged in the live-stock business in this county, as set out above. He
is an active member of the Masonic fraternity. In 1904 W. T. Lackland
was united in marriage to Myra Barnes and to this union four children have
been born, Mabel, W. T., Jr., Barnes and Elizabeth Jane.
H. W. Lackland was born at Bloomington, Illinois, December 5, 1891,
and completed his schooling in Knox College at Galesburg, Illinois, after
which for two years, 1912-13, he was engaged as teacher of mathematics in
the high school at Magnolia, Illinois. He then accompanied his brother to
Kansas and has since been engaged in the stock breeding business in partner-
ship with his brother, under the firm name of Lackland Brothers. The
Lacklands are members of the Holstein-Friesian Association of America and
of the similar association of breeders in Kansas and take an active part in
the deliberations of the same.
Margaret Lackland studied two years in the Illinois Woman's College,
one vear in the University of Illinois and completed her schooling in the
Illinois Weslevan University, from which institution she received her degree.
She then taught four years in the Brimfield (Illinois) schools and succeeded
her brother as teacher of mathematics in the high school at Magnolia, and
was thus engaged at the time of his marriage to Prof. H. H. Hayes, instructor
in mathematics in the high school at Peoria, Illinois.
GEORGE B. BAUMAN.
One of the well-known and prominent retired farmers of Beattie, Mar-
shall county, is George B. Bauman, who was born in Ottawa county, Michi-
gan, on September 2, 1864, being the son of Henry and Harriett (Stettler)
Bauman.
Henry Bauman was born in Switzerland in 1823, where he lived until
he was nine years of age, when he came with his parents, William Bauman
and wife, to the United States and located in Seneca county, Ohio. There
he received his education in the public schools and grew to manhood on the
home farm, later locating in Michigan, where he engaged in general fann-
ing in Ottawa county, and where he enlisted in Company A, Seventh Regi-
ment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, in April. 1863. He was detailed to
Indiana service and on account of ill health he was given an honorable dis-
charge. He later located in Nebraska and in 1870 he came to Kansas,
where he settled in section 4 Rock township, where he purchased eighty
926 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
acres of land. The tract at that time was all wild prairie. He built a
house and outbuildings, broke the land and engaged in general farming
and stock raising until the time of his death in 1889. As a young man
he learned the carpenter trade, which he followed for some years. Harriett
Stettler Bauman was horn in Pennsylvania in February, 1832, and died in
.March, 1 < > 1 r . To them were horn the following children: Jacob F. James
F., William H., Jr., Sarah, Emma, George B. and Elmer. William H., Jr.,
is a farmer of Marshall county and resides at Beattie; Jacob F. is retired
and lives at Salem, Oregon: James F. is a retired fruit grower of Fresno,
California; Sarah Dawson is a widow and lives at De Soto, Missouri;
Emma died when she was ten years of age and Elmer died in infancy.
George B. Bauman was but six years of age when his parents left their
home in Michigan and came to Gage county. Nebraska, where he was edu-
cated in the public schools and was reared on the home farm. After com-
pleting liis education he remained on the home farm, and assisted his father
with the work until his father's death. In [910 he purchased one hundred
and twenty acres of land in Marshall county, on which he built a splendid
modern house and made other valuable improvements. His farm, which
is located just south of the city limits of Beattie, is one of the best in
the township. Here he is engaged in general .farming and stock raising with
much success. He keeps a splendid lot of hogs and Shorthorn cattle, and
is today recognized as one of the substantial men and successful farmers
and stock raisers of the county. He has always taken an active interest in
local affairs, and has for many years been associated with the Republican
party. He has served as treasurer of Rock and Guittard townships, in which
positions he gave excellent service.
In 1895 George B. Bauman was united in marriage to Mary Bulkley,
who was born in Fayette county. Indiana, on January 18, 1 869, and was
the daughter of Thomas and Clementine (Porter) Bulkley, both of whom
were natives of Indiana, where they received their education in the public
schools, grew up and were later married. In [879 they came to Rock town-
ship, Marshall county, where they established their home on a farm, where
they resided until the time of their deaths some years ago. In 1012 Mary
(Bulkley) Bauman died, and on July 17, [913, Mr. Bauman was married to
Aurora Kingsbury, who was born on February 11. 1876. in Johnson county.
Nebraska, the daughter of David and Harriett (Moore) Kingsbury. To
Mr. and Mrs. Kingsbury, who are now deceased, there were three chil-
dren born, Aurilla D. Hardins. Aurora S. Bauman and Charles II. Kingsbury.
Mr. and Mrs. Bauman are active members of the Methodist Episcopal
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 927
church and are prominent in all the social and religious life of the town-
ship, where they have lived for so many years and where they are held in
the highest regard and esteem by all who know them. Mr. Bauman is a
member of the board of trustees of the church, and is active in the mem-
bership of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights and
Ladies of Security. His life has been a most active one and he has accom-
plished much that is worthy of note.
TAMES M. DILLEY.
James M. Dilley, one of Guittard township's best-known and most
substantial farmers and former trustee of that township, is a native of the
state of Illinois, but has been a resident of Kansas since the days of his
childhood. He was born on a farm in Carroll county, Illinois, November
22, 1864, son of Richard and Mary (Barnes) Dilley, who were the parents
of six children, of whom the subject of this sketch and his twin brother were
the last born. Richard Dilley was born on December 2~j, 1828, in Luzerne
county, Pennsylvania, and when a young man moved to Illinois, where he
engaged in farming, later coming to Kansas and settling on a farm in the
neighborhood of Hamlin. He died at St. Joseph, Missouri, in November.
1913, near the eighty-fifth year of his age. Richard Dilley was twice mar-
ried. His first wife, Mary Barnes, mother of the subject of this sketch,
who was born in Pennsylvania in 1830, died in 1877 and in 1878 Mr. Dilley
married Martha Burgess, who is still living. To that union one child was
born.
James M. Dilley was reared on a farm and completed his schooling in
the schools of Hamlin, this state. Following his marriage at the age of
twenty-one he began farming on his own account, on a rented place, and
two years later, in 1887, bought the farm in Guittard township, this county,
where he ever since has made his home and on which he has made all the
present substantial improvements. Mr. Dilley is the owner of a quarter
of a section of land in section 18 and has a very pleasant home, his house
being situated on the Rock Island highway, two and one-half miles north-
west of Beattie. In addition to his general farming he long has given con-
siderable attention to the raising of high-grade live stock, specializing in
Shorthorn cattle and Duroc- Jersey hogs, and has done very well. Mrs. Dilley
has more than a local reputation as a breeder of Barred Plymouth Rock
928 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
chickens and has frequently made successful exhibits of her poultry at the
fairs at Topeka, Marysville and other points. Mr. Dillev is a Democrat and
lias long given his earnest attention to local civic affairs, having served for
some time as trustee of his home township.
On December 24, [885, at Hiawatha. Kansas, James M. Dillev was
united in marriage to Anna J. Martin, who was horn at Seneca, this state,
February jj, 1870. daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Merry) Martin, the
former a native of Ireland and the latter of Canada, who came to Kansas
in [867 and settled in Marshall county, later moving to Nemaha county,
and to this union seven children have been born, namely : Arthur, a graduate
of the Heattie schools, now farming in Franklin township, who married
Myrtle Pautz, of Brown county, and has one child, a son, Martin; Richard,
a farmer in Guittard township, who was graduated from the high school at
Beattie and taught district schools for six terms, married Edna Capps, of this
county, and has one child, a daughter. Lauretta: Addie, who also was grad-
uated from the Beattie schools and from Nazareth Academy, taught school
for four terms, married Martin Flannigan, a grain and live-stock dealer at
Summerfield, and has two daughters. Catherine and Mary; Clyde, also a
graduate of the Beattie schools, who is at home; Annabel, at home; Coburn,
also at home, and one, the sixth in order of birth, who died in infancy. The
Dilleys are members of the Catholic church and take a proper interest in
the affairs of the same, as well as in the general social activities of the com-
munity in which they live, helpful factors in the promotion of all causes hav-
ing to do with the advancement of the common good thereabout.
I \( ( IB WULLSCHLEGER.
lacoh Wullschleger, for years one of the best-known and most success-
ful carpenters and builders in Marshall county, but since 1908 a tanner in
Center township, proprietor of a fine place of a quarter of a section there. i>
a native of the republic of Switzerland, but has been a resident of this
country since 1882. lie was born in the canton Aargau, Switzerland. August
5, [859, son of Isaac and \nna Wullschleger. both natives of thai same
country, the former born in [829 and the latter, in [830, who spent all their
lives there, the latter dying in 1S72 and the former in 1877. Isaac Wull-
schleger was a fanner and carpenter and a substantial citizen in the neigh-
borhood in which he lived, lie and his wife were the parents of nine chil-
>
Q
•J2
Q
H
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 929
dren, of whom the subject of this sketch was the second in order of birth and
all of whom came to this country save Ida, the first-born, who died in her
native land, the others being as follow : Mrs. Anna Costin, of Wichita, this
state; Emma, who is married and lives in Oregon; Robert, one of the best-
known residents of Center township, this county, who for years was engaged
with his brother, Jacob, in building operations in this county ; Richard, also of
Center township; Otto, who is now living in California; Ferdinand, of Okla-
homa City, and Mrs. Albertine Lenderman, who is living on a farm near
Oklahoma City.
Jacob Wullschleger received his schooling in his native Switzerland and
early learned from his father the carpenter trade, at which he and his brother,
Robert, worked there until the fall of 1882, when they came to the United
States, proceeding to Livingston county, Illinois, not long afterward coming
on over into Kansas, locating near Wichita. In the spring of 1884 they
came to Marshall county and located at Marysville, where the}' began work-
ing as carpenters and builders and were there thus engaged for a period of
twenty-eight years, during which, time they became recognized as among the
most successful building contractors in this part of the state, many of the
best buildings not only at Marysville, but in other parts of this and surround-
ing counties having been erected by them. In 1907 Jacob Wullschleger
bought a quarter of a section of land in Center township and decided to
become a farmer, the love of the soil being inherent in him, the Wullschlegers
for generations back having been farmers. In 1908 he moved to the farm
and has since lived there, he and his family being very well situated. Air.
Wullschleger has one of the best farm plants in the county. His buildings
are of an excellent type and occupy a beautiful site on rolling land, or rather
a group of knolls, offering admirable opportunities for landscape gardening.
Much stone is used in the buildings and the driveway up to the house is
enclosed between stone walls. Besides the commodious residence there are
two barns, a garage, an ample granary, corn cribs and the like, all well kept,
and an orchard in the rear. In addition to his general farming operations
Mr. Wullschleger gives considerable attention to the raising of grade Hol-
stein cattle and is doing very well. Politically, he is a Republican, but dur-
ing the years of his busy life in this county has not found time to seek public
office.
On April 18, 1885, the spring after he came to Marshall county, Jacob
Wullschleger was united in marriage to Rosa Schwartz, also a native of the
republic of Switzerland, born in the canton of Bern on April 27, 1865, daugh-
(59)
930 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
ter of Christ and Anna (Hanni) Schwartz, who came to America in 1883.
arriving in Marshall county on December 31 of that year. Christ Schwartz
died in ( Oklahoma in iN<>2 and his widow survived him three years, her death
occurring in [895. To Mr. and Mrs. Wullschleger six children have been
born, namely: Otto, born on January 8, 1886, who is at home assisting his
father in the operations of the farm; Anna. November 10, 1887. who mar-
ried Lawrence Griffis and is living at Frankfort, this county: Ida. April 7,
1890. born at Laramie. Wyoming, where the family s]>ent one year, who is
now a nurse in the Sisters hospital at St. Joseph; Huldah, April 18. 1893. at
home; Ernest. January 15. 1000. and Walter, July 17, 1905. The Wull-
schlegers are members of the Evangelical church and take a warm interest
in church affairs, as well as in the general social affairs of their community,
helpful in promoting all worthy causes thereabout.
ALFRED JOHNSON.
Alfred Johnson, recently deceased, was one of Lincoln township's best-
known and most substantial farmers and was the proprietor of a farm of
two hundred acres in section 28 of that township. He was a native of the
kingdom of Sweden, but had l>een a resident of this county for more than
.thirtv years. He was born in Sweden on March 10, 1X57. son of John lien-
son and Brigitta Johnson, natives of that same country, who spent all their
lives there and who were the parents of six children, those besides the sub-
ject of this sketch being as follow: Herman, deceased; Amelia, deceased;
Josephine, deceased; Edwin, a farmer in Lincoln township, this county, and
Klaus, who is still living in his native land.
Reared in Sweden, Alfred Johnson remained there until March 31,
1884, when he sailed for this country in company with a cousin, with a view
to joining the considerable Swedish colony that had been established in
this county. He arrived at the station at Frankfort on April 4. 1884. with
just two dollars ami titty cents in his pocket with which to start in a new
countrv. Without delay he secured employment on the Spiller farm, engaging
his services there at the wage id" sixteen dollars a month, and was thus engaged
for two years, at the end of which time he had saved two hundred and fifty
dollars. With that money lie bought a team of horses, a set of harness and
a wagon and thus equipped for work on his own account rented a farm of
sixty acres in Rock township. That was in 1887 and those who recall the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 93 1
two dry years that followed that date may have some notion of the dis-
couragement that must have attended Mr. Johnson's first attempt at Ameri-
can farming. The succeeding two years, however, were better and at the
end of that time he saw his way clear to the purchase of a small farm. It
was then that he bought eighty acres of the farm on which he is now living,
assuming in that transaction a couple of mortgages carrying twelve and one-
half per cent, interest. During the first year of Mr. Johnson's ownership
of that farm he raised excellent crops and he felt that he was "getting on
his feet" in the new land. This emboldened him to build a house on the
place and that structure, a building fourteen by twenty feet, left him, including
the outstanding obligation on his land, seventeen hundred dollars in debt,
but he continued to prosper and by the time of his marriage seven years
later had the place all paid for and admirably improved. In 1903 Mr. John-
son bought an additional "forty" and in 1905 bought another "eighty,"
which gave him an excellent farm of two hundred acres, on which he and
his family were very pleasantly situated. The farm house, an admirably
appointed dwelling of nine rooms, sets well up on an attractive knoll and is
approached by a beautiful driveway bordered by maples and evergreens
planted by Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. In addition to his general farming Mr.
Johnson gave considerable attention to the raising of live stock and did
very well, his Durham cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs being a source of a
good bit of extra revenue.
On February 21, 1900, Alfred Johnson was united in marriage to
Netta Lew, who also was born in the kingdom of Sweden, November 1,
1867, daughter of Jons Assarsson, who was born on October 29, 1816, and
died on April 4, 1898. Mrs. Johnson traces her genealogy back in an unbroken
line to the year 1500 and the family, beginning with Bengt, have lived on
the same farm in Sweden for three hundred and twenty-two years. Jons
Assarsson married Ingrid Johanna Palsdatter, who was born on September
6, 1828, and who died on December 18, 1890. and had the following chil-
dren : Anna Brita, Per, Petronella, Karl Ludwig, Neta, John and Nils.
In May, 1888, Mrs. Johnson came to America in company with her brother,
Johan, their destination being the Swedish settlement in this county, where
they had kinsfolk living. After a few weeks spent there she went to Kansas
City, whence she presently returned to Sweden and there resumed her place
as a teacher; but later returned to the United States and at Cambridge and
Boston, Massachusetts, was engaged as a teacher in an evening school. From
there she went to Rock Island, Illinois, and there entered Augustana College
and after a course in that institution returned to Kansas and was engaged
932 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
as a teacher in the parochial school in the Swedish settlement in this count v,
and was thus engaged for two years, at the end of which time she went to
Kansas City and there taught school for a year. She then returned to Mar-
shall county, where she married Mr. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson has had a tine
career as a teacher and a student and has written considerable poetry which
has been published and which occupies a well-defined place in the "History
of the Swedish Settlement of Marshall County."
To Alfred and Netta Johnson five children were born, namely: John
Arthur, born on December 10, 1900; Walton Alfred, July 3. 1902; Reuben
Milton, March 6. 1904; Ruth Signe, October 21, 1905, and Herbert Theo-
dore, February 15, 1907. Mr. Johnson was a member of the Swedish
Lutheran church and of which he was a member of the deaconate and sec-
retary of the local congregation. For twelve years he was treasurer of the
church, with which he had been connected since 1888. Mrs. Johnson is sec-
retary and treasurer of the Ladies' Aid Society of the church and gives
her earnest attention to the various beneficences of the church, as well as
to all local good works; helpful in promoting all movements having to do
with the advancement of the general welfare of the community in which
she lives. Mr. Johnson was a Republican, as is Mrs. Johnson, and was a
member of the school board. He took an active interest in local political
affairs and was an earnest exponent of good government.
Mr. Johnson died on May 7. 191 7. and was buried at the Swedish
cemetery on May 9, 191 7.
h
ARTHUR D. MORSF.
Arthur D. Morse, a well-known and substantial farmer and stockman
of Wells township, this county, is a native son of that township, born on
a pioneer farm within half a mile of his present home, and has lived in
that vicinity all his life. He was born on June 22, 1869, son of George X.
and Louisa (Osborn) Morse, the former a native of the state of New
York and the latter of Illinois, who l>ecame pioneers of Marshall county
and active and influential residents of the settlement in which they made
their home in Wells township.
George N. Morse, an honored veteran of the Civil War, is still living
in this county, of which he has been a resident since 1867. He was born
in New York state in May, 1843, son °f John Morse and wife, and when
a boy moved with his parents to Illinois, where he grew to manhood and
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 933
where he was living when the Civil War broke out. He enlisted in the
service of the Union and served with an Illinois regiment until the close
of the war. Upon the completion of his military service he returned to
Illinois and remained there until 1867, when he came to Kansas and home-
steaded a tract of land in section 24 of Wells township, this county, where
he built a frame house, one of the first frame houses in that part of the
county, and there established his home, remaining there until his retire-
ment from the farm and removal to Frankfort, where, of late years, he has
maintained a home. He is an active member of the local post of the Grand
Army of the Republic and has ever taken a warm interest in the affairs of
that patriotic organization, though of late years he has been practically an
invalid and unable to attend the meetings of the post. His wife is a native
of Illinois, born in Knox county, that state, a daughter of Robert and
Betsy (Rountree) Osborn, natives, respectively, of Illinois and Kentucky,
the former of whom was a son of Stephen Osborn, an Illinois pioneer.
In 1866 the Osborns moved from Illinois to Kansas and settled about a
mile north of the Barrett settlement in this county, Robert Osborn home-
steading a tract of land in that community, thus becoming early settlers in
Marshall county. To George N. Morse and wife four children were born,
of whom the subject of this sketch was the third in order of birth, the
others being Mrs. Hattie Feldhausen, of Vermillion township, this county;
Fred, of Junction City, Kansas, and Mrs. Ida Leach, deceased.
Arthur D. Moore was reared on the homestead farm in Wells town-
ship and received his schooling in the district school in that neighborhood,
the old Osborn school. From boyhood he was a valued aid to his father
in the labors of developing and improving the home place and remained at
home until he was twenty-two years of age, when he bought his present
home place of eighty acres in the immediate vicinity of his old home place
and after his marriage shortly afterward established his home there and
has ever made that his place of residence. Mr. Morse formerly owned an-
other tract of eighty acres in Wells township, but sold that place to invest in
cattle for a range of two hundred and forty acres he bought in Pottawatomie
county in 1909 and which latter place he still owns. He has made extensive
and up-to-date improvements on his home place and he and his family are
very comfortably situated there. Mr. Morse is a Republican and ever since
1896 has served as treasurer of his home township.
On December 28, 1892, Arthur D. Morse was united in marriage to
Emma L. Lefler, who was born in Brown county, this state, not far from
the village of Severance, March 13, 1872, daughter of Henry and Anne
0,34 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
(Evans) Lefier, natives, respectively, of the state of Ohio and of the prin-
cipality of Wales, who hecame pioneers of Kansas. Henry Lefier. who was
born at Toledo, Ohio, in 1X40. was living in the state of Iowa when the
Civil War broke out and in 1861 he enlisted for service in the Union Army
as a member of Company II. Thirteenth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infan-
try, with which command he served for three years, being mustered out in
1864. In [866 he came to Kansas and entered a soldier's claim to a home-
stead tract in Brown county. While living there he married Anne Evans,
who was born in Wales in 1 X40. and who was but a small child when her
parents came to this country in 1853 and settled in the vicinity of St. Joseph.
Missouri, where she grew to womanhood. In the spring of 1873 Henry
Eerier disposed of his interests in Brown count}-, this state, and moved to
Smith county, where he homesteaded another tract and where he made his
home until [882, when he came to Marshall county and located on a farm
in Wells township, where he lived until his retirement in old age and removed
to Frankfort, where he died in 1807. His widow survived him for four-
teen years, her death occurring in 191 1. They were the parents of three
children, those besides Mrs. Morse, the second in order of birth, being Frank-
lin, who died in infancy, and Mrs. Lydia Isabelle Wilson, a widow, of
Frankfort, who makes her home much of the time with her sister. Mrs.
Morse. Mr. and M rs. Morse are members of the Methodist Episcopal
church and take a proper interest in the general beneficences of the same, as
well as in the general good works of the community in which they live. Mr-
M"rse is a member of Henderson Corps No. 9. Woman's Relief Corps, at
Frankfort, and has been secretary of that patriotic organization since 1907.
SAMUEL WESLEY TILLEY.
Samuel Wesley Tillev, proprietor of beautiful "Long View Stock
Farm," in Wells township, and one of the best-known breeders of pure-
bred Hereford cattle and Poland China hogs in Kansas, is a native of the
Dominion of Canada, but has been a resident of Marshall county since his
childhood, his parents having come here in the summer of i860, and is there-
fore familiar with the development of this county since pioneer days. He
was born in Canada on ( )ctober 2, 1865, son of James ami Margaret 1 Watt |
Tillev, natives of the Dominion, who became pioneers of this county, the
former spending his last days here and the latter still living in this county.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 935
James Tilley was born in 1832 and was reared in the province of
Toronto, where he married and where he continued to make his home until
1869, when he came to Kansas with his family, settling in Marshall county
in June of that year. Upon coming to this county Mr. Tilley homesteaded
a tract of eighty acres in Wells township, the place now owned by the sub-
ject of this sketch, and there established his home. He was an energetic and
progressive farmer and it was not long until he began enlarging his holdings,
gradually acquiring large tracts of land, which he later distributed among
his sons as they began to branch out for themselves. Mr. Tilley also was
one of the pioneer breeders of pure-bred live stock and became very success-
ful. He was a Republican and from the time he secured his citizenship took
an active and an influential part in local political affairs. For five years he
filled the important office of "pathmaster," or highway commissioner. He
and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and ever took
an earnest part in local good works. James Tilley died in October, 1901,
and his widow, who was born in 1834, is still living at her old home in this
county. They were the parents of four sons, the subject of this sketch hav-
ing three brothers, Richard Henry Tilley, of Rock township, this county;
John James Tilley, of that same township, and William Edward Tilley, who
lives on a farm in section 10 of Wells township, north of "Long View Stock
Farm."
As noted above, Samuel W. Tilley was not yet four years of age when
his parents came to Marshall county and he grew to manhood on the old
homestead in Wells township, a valuable aid in the labors of developing and
improving the same and in extending his father's successful operations, par-
ticularly in connection with the latter's early operations in stock breeding.
His schooling was obtained in district No. 45 and he remained at home until
his marriage in 1893, when he built his present house on "Long View Stock
Farm." where he since has resided and where he and his family are very
pleasantly situated. Mr. Tilley is the owner of four hundred and eighty
acres in his home place and of another tract, a farm of two hundred acres,
northeast of there, on the Vermillion river. As early as 188 1 Mr. Tilley
became interested in the breeding of pure-bred Hereford cattle, operating
along that line in connection with his father, and has ever since given his
close attention to the improvement of the strain of cattle throughout this
section of Kansas. He now has a herd of more than one hundred and fortv
registered Herefords, the present leader of the herd being "Letham Fairfax,
414471," purchased for four thousand one hundred dollars at the world-
record sale held at the Warren T. McCray stock farm at Kentland, Indiana,
936 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
May 17. 1916, when seventy-one head of cattle were sold at an average price
of two thousand one hundred and eighty dollars. Another prized bull in
Mr. Tilley's herd is "Kels'ey, 415690." purchased as a calf from the herd
of the Drennen brothers, Mr. Tilley thus having two of the finest bulls in
Kansas. He also owns a half-sister of "Letham Fairfax," "Celia Fairfax.
317650," worth two thousand dollars. Mr. Tilley has admirably-equipped
feeding and housing facilities for his herd and his farm plant is provided
with all the modern accessories for the successful prosecution of agricultural
and breeding operations. He has a number of imported cows and at the
1916 exhibit of the Marshall County Fair Association at Blue Rapids was
awarded first prizes in everything in the class of his exhibits, and he also
won first and sweepstakes at the Washington county fair. Among his cows
are gets from such famous bulls as "Weston Stamp, 86091." "Majestic
Baron. 190860." "Majestic Prince. 59182." and "Onward XVIII, 15 1572."
a prize winner. Mr. Tilley also has been engaged in the breeding of pure-
bred Poland China hogs for the past thirty-five years and for the past fifteen
years has kept a record of his pens, having done much in the way of improv-
ing the strain of swine throughout this part of the state. Mr. Tilley is a
member of the American Hereford Breeders' Association and of the Amer-
ican Poland China Breeders" Association and in the affairs of these two asso-
ciations takes an active interest, being widely known among breeders through-
out the country. In his political views Mr. Tilley is an independent Repub-
lican and he has served for four terms as clerk of his home township.
In [893 Samuel W. Tilley was united in marriage to Mary Catherine
Walmer, who was born in Pennsylvania, daughter of John Thomas and
Rachel Elizabeth (Love) Walmer, also natives of Pennsylvania, the former
of whom died in that state and the latter of whom came to Kansas in the
fall of 1903 and has since made her home with Mr. and Mrs. Tilley. To
Mr. and Mrs. Tilley seven children have been born, namely: John Wesley,
who is assisting his father in the operations of "Long View Stock Farm:"
Elverina, deceased: Victor Thomas, now a student in high school at Frank-
fort; James Laverne, Marion Walmer. Karl Blair (deceased) and Margaret
Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Tilley are members of the Methodisl Episcopal
church, in the various beneficences of which they take a proper part, as well
as in the general social activities of the community in which they live, help-
ful in promoting all movement- having to do with the advancement of the
common welfare thereabout. Mr. Tilley is a member of the local branch of
the Anti-Horsethief Association and has taken an interested part in the
activities of that energetic organization.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 937
CHARLES ERICKSON.
Charles Erickson, a well-known farmer of Lincoln township and the
proprietor of a fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres in section 24
of that township, may properly be regarded as one of the pioneers of Mar-
shall county, for he has lived here since 1870, having been but a boy when
his parents settled in this county, among the very first settlers of the consid-
erable Swedish settlement that later sprang up in the eastern part of the
county. Mr. Erickson is a native of Sweden, born on January 13, 1857, son
of John and Mary Erickson, both natives of that same country, the former
born in 1814 and the latter in 1825, who became pioneers of Marshall county
and here spent their last days.
In the spring of 1870 John Erickson and his family came to the United
States and came on out to Kansas, settling in this county, which at that time
was beginning to attract settlers in considerable numbers. Upon his arrival
here John Erickson homesteaded a "forty" in section 24 of what later came
to be subdivided as Lincoln township, but which then was included in Xoble
township, and there established his home, one of the first Swedish settlers in
that part of the county. He built a small frame house, a mere "shack" in
comparison with the residences of that section today, but which even at that
was a better dwelling than most of his neighbors, who were living in sod
shanties or dug-outs. The Ericksons endured all the hardships and priva-
tions of pioneering on the plains, but stuck to the farm even in the face of
early discouragements and eventually became well established. John Erick-
son was a man of strong physique and a good farmer and he and his sons
worked together to such advantage that they presently were able to enlarge
their land holdings and became the owners of a fine farm of a half section
of land. John Erickson lived to the age of eighty-six years, his death occur-
ring in 1900. His widow survived him nine years, her death occurring
in 1909. The}- were the parents of two children, sons both, the subject
of this sketch having had a brother, August, who died at the age of thirty-
two years.
Charles Erickson was but thirteen years of age when he came here with
his parents in 1870 and he grew to manhood thoroughly familiar with pioneer
conditions hereabout. In the absence of any properly organized schools in
that section at that time, he pursued the studies that had been interrupted
when he left his native land by careful home reading. From the very be-
ginning of his residence here he was a valued aid to his father in the labors
of developing and improving the home farm and is now the owner of the
Q38 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
half section his father acquired there, one of the best-improved farms in that
neighborhood. Mr. Erickson is living in the old house, one of the first
houses erected ill Lincoln township, and is surrounded there by an excellent
farm plant. In 1914 he erected a set of buildings on his north quarter,
where his son, Ivan, and family now make their home. For eight years Mr.
Erickson was engaged in Hereford breeding and had a tine herd of thorough-
breds, which he sold in 19 13. preceding a trip with his wife to Colorado,
Mrs. Erickson's state of health at that time requiring a change of climate.
Mr. Erickson is a Republican and upon the organization of Lincoln township
as a separate civic entity was elected treasurer of the same and served in that
capacity for two terms.
In 1882 Charles Erickson was united in marriage to Justina Johnson,
who was born in Sweden on June 16, 1861 , and who had come to this coun-
try in 188 1. Mrs. Erickson died on February 10, 1916. To that union
three children were born, Ellen, who died at the age of twenty-one years:
Ivan, fanning on the home place, who married Anna Fromm and has one
child, a daughter. Ellen, and Clarence, who is at home with his father, help-
ing to farm the home place. Mr. Erickson is a member of Vermillion Lodge
No. 30, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and takes a warm interest in
Masonic affairs.
ANDREW KJELLBERG.
Andrew Kjellberg. trustee of Lincoln township and for nearly fifteen
years a member of his local school board, proprietor of a well-improved farm
in section 22 of his home township and for years actively identified with the
development of that part of the county, has been a resident of Marshall
county since [881, having come here with his parents when but a boy. He
was born .at Rock ford, Illinois, November 4. 1867. son of Andrew and
Johanna Kjellberg, natives of the kingdom of Sweden, the former born in
January, 1833, and the latter. September o. [831, who came to the United
States in [866, locating at Rockford, Illinois, where they remained until
1881. when they came to Kansas and settled in this county, where Mr. Kjell-
berg spent hi< last days and where his widow is still living.
The senior \ndrew Kjellberg was a carpenter in his native land and
upon coming to this country and locating at Rockford, he followed his trade
in that city and became a stockholder in a furniture factory there. In that
citv be made his home until 1SN1. when he came to Kansas with his family
MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS. 939
and settled in Rock township, this county, establishing his home on a farm
in section 1 1 of that township, presently becoming owner of that entire sec-
tion. Mr. Kjellberg was a good farmer and with the assistance of his sons
developed a fine farm, on which he made his home until 1893, when he sold
his place and moved to Vliets, where he spent his last days, his death occur-
ring on July 24, 1897. To him and his wife six children were born, of whom
the subject of this sketch was the fifth in order of birth, the others being as
follow: Mrs. Anna L. Long, of Collinsville, Oklahoma; John, of Rock
Island, Illinois; Levine, deceased; Emma, who makes her home with her
brother Andrew and family, and Charles, a farmer two miles north of
Vliets.
The junior Andrew Kjellberg was not yet fourteen years of age when
his parents came to this county from Illinois and he grew to manhood on
the home farm in Rock township, completing his elementary studies in the
schools of that neighborhood and supplementing the same bv a course in
Bethany College at Lindsborg. In 1890 he began farming for himself on a
part of his father's section of land and in 1892 he and his brothers assumed
entire management of the big farm and directed its operations. After the
farm was sold in 1893 Andrew Kjellberg engaged in farming a quarter of
a section at Vliets with his father and in 1896 was married there. In 1900
he bought the farm on which he is now living, in section 22 of Lincoln town-
ship, established his home there and has ever since made that his place of
residence, he and his family being very comfortably situated. Mr. Kjellberg
owns two hundred and fifty-six acres, which he has improved in excellent
shape, having a good house, ample farm buildings, a capacious silo and other
equipment for an up-to-date farm plant. He raises about a carload of Duroc-
Jersey hogs each year and is doing well in his farming operations. Mr.
Kjellberg is a Republican and lias long given close attention to local political
affairs. Since 1900 he has been a member of the school board and in
November, 1916, was elected trustee of Lincoln township, a position of
responsibility and trust which he is now filling very acceptably.
On February 20, 1896, at Vliets, Andrew Kjellberg was united in mar-
riage to Ellen A. Peterson, who was born in Morris county, this state, March
14, 1876. daughter of John A. Peterson and wife, the former of whom is
still living, a resident of Marshall county since 1882. John A. Peterson was
born in Sweden on December 24. 1844, and came to the United States in
September, 1871, locating at Chicago, where he worked in a machine shop
and foundry for three years, or until 1874, when he came to Kansas and
homesteaded a farm in Morris county. There he made his home until 1882,
940 MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
when he disposed of his interests in that county and came to -Marshall county.
Mr. Peterson owns a farm adjoining that of his son-in-law, Mr. Kjellherg,
and makes his home with the latter. In 1873 John A. Peterson was mar-
ried to Mrs. Anna Brumquist, a widow, who was lx>rn in Sweden and who
died in 1879, leaving two children. Mrs. Kjellherg having a hrother, Arvid
Leonard, who is now living in Iowa. By a former marriage Mrs. Peterson
had a son. Oscar \\ '., now living in Minnesota.
To Mr. and Mrs. Kjellherg have heen horn seven children, Arthur.
Elton, Cora. Judith, Clifford, Marshall and Gladys. The Kjellhergs are
members of the Swedish Lutheran church and take an active part in church
affairs. Mr. Kjellherg being treasurer of the local congregation.
SAMUEL J. BEATY.
Samuel J. Beaty. lately deceased, was a substantial stockman, farmer and
landowner of Marshall county, who lived at Vermillion. He was a native
>on of this county and had lived here all his life. He was torn on a pioneer
farm two and one-half miles north and one-half miles west of the present
village of Vermillion on Octolxr 6. 1859. son of Major Steele and Elizabeth
( Watson ) Beaty, natives, respectively, of Ohio and of Indiana, who settled
in this county in 1857 and here spent the remainder of their lives, influential
and useful pioneers.
Major Steele Beaty was a son of Virginia parentage, horn in Ohio in
February, 1826, who in his youth moved to Indiana, where he married
Elizabeth Watson, who was horn in that state in February, 1836: In the
spring of 1856 he and his wife went to Iowa with a view to settling in that
state, hut not satisfied with conditions found there, came to Kansas and
in June. 1857. settled in Marshall county, one of the first families to locate
in this county. Upon coming here Major Beaty bought a pre-emption
claim in what later was organized as Noble township, built a log cabin on
the same, established his home there and proceeded to develop the claim.
soon becoming quite well fixed. During the Indian trouble of that year
he was one of the company organized to put down the rebellious redskins and
in other ways did well his part in the work of creating a proper social
order hereabout. Major Beaty prospered in his farming operations and
gradually added to his land holdings until he became the owner of eight
hundred and forty acres and was accounted one of the most substantial resi-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. , 94I
dents of that part of the county. He was a Republican and ever took an
active part in local political affairs and in 1888-90 served as a member of
the board of county commissioners. In his religious faith he was a Presby-
terian and he and his wife were active in good works in the early days of
the settlement of the county. Major Beaty helped build the local house of
worship of the Church of God, later taken over by the Presbyterians, also
helped to build the Presbyterian church at Vermillion, of which he was a
ruling elder. In 1894 Major Beaty retired from the farm and moved to
Vliets, where he and his wife made their home until 1901, when they moved
to Vermillion, where they spent their last days, dying within two days of
each other, Mrs. Beaty dying on January 22. 1912, and the Major dying
two days later, January 24, 1912. They were the parents of three children,
Samuel J., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Lorena Cannon, of Baldwin, this
state, and William W. Beaty, now living at Linn, in the neighboring county
of Washington.
Samuel J. Beaty was reared on the home farm in Noble township and
supplemented the schooling he received in the early schools of this county by
a course of two years at Monroe Institute at Atchison. Until 1890 he
remained connected with his father's extensive farming interests and then
began farming on his own account, buying an eighty-acre farm one-half
mile west of Vermillion, to which he presently added an adjoining quarter
section, and now has there a well-improved and profitably cultivated farm
of two hundred and forty acres. There Mr. Beaty made his home until
1914, when he retired from the farm and moved to Vermillion, where he
had been living up to the time of his death on May 28, 1917. Meantime,
Mr. Beaty continued to add to his land holdings and was the owner of six
hundred and forty acres of excellent land, all located in Noble and Lincoln
townships. Mr. Beaty was a Republican and ha clever given a good citizen's
attention to local political affairs, but had not been included in the office-
seeking class.
In December, 1884, Samuel J. Beaty was united in marriage to Claudia
Randall, who was born in Buchanan county, Missouri, December 26, 1884,
daughter of William and Elizabeth (Yates) Randall, natives, respectively,
of the state of New York and of Missouri, the latter of whom was a daugh-
ter of Kentuckians who had settled in Missouri at an early day in the set-
tlement of that state. In 1880 the Randalls came to Kansas, locating on a
farm three miles southwest of Axtel, where they lived until 1894, when Mr.
Randall joined a son in the development of a homestead in Oklahoma, where
he died in 1899. His widow survived him about four years, her death
942 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
occurring in 1903. To Mr. and Mr\ Beaty were two sons, Fred Steele
Meaty, born on January 11. [889, who i- now living at Kansas City and
Claude S. Beaty. January 25, [891, who is now living at Chicago. Illinois,
\vh<> married Beth Eaton, of Topeka. and has one child, a daughter. Betty
Ann, born on December 4. 1916. .Mr. Beaty was a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, as is Mrs. Beaty, and they ever lent their aid and influence
to all movements having to do with the advancement of the general welfare
of the community.
Samuel J. Beaty died at his home in Vermillion on May 28, 191 7. aged
fifty-seven year-, seven months and twenty-two days. His death was the
cause of deep regret to his family and a large circle of friends.
LLOYD BENNETT.
Lloyd Bennett, one of the best-known and most progressive farmers
and stockmen of Wells township, is a native of Virginia, but has been a
resident of Kansas since the days of his boyhood and has therefore been
a witness to the development of this part of the country since pioneer day-.
He was horn in Harrison county, in that section of the Old Dominion now
comprised in West Virginia. August 9. 1859, son of A. H. and Sarah
(Husted) Bennett, also natives of Virginia.
A. 11. Bennett was an ardent Union man and when the Civil War broke
out was an active champion of the movement to bring about a separation
of the loyal western part of the Old Dominion from the seceding state and
he went to the front as a soldier of the West Virginia regiments, serving
until the close of the war. His wife, the mother of the subject of this
-ketch, died in West Virginia and he afterward married again and in 1871
came to Kansas with his family and homesteaded a tract of land in Cloud
county, where he established his home and where he -pent the remainder
of his life, hi- death occurring in 1910.
Lloyd Bennett was about twelve years of age when he came to Kansas
with his father and lie remained on the homestead farm in Cloud county
until he was sixteen years of age, when, in 1875, he came over into Marshall
county and began herding cattle on the Hadley farm three miles south of
Irving. He then began working on the W. J. William- farm and was thus
engaged until his marriage in 1881. when he rented a farm one mile north
of Bigelow and began farming on his own account. A year later he bought
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 943
eighty acres of his present farm in section 12 of Wells township and there
established his home. Upon taking- possession of that place Mr. Bennett
began a systematic series of improvements and it was not long until he had
a well-improved and profitably cultivated farm. As he prospered in his
operations he added to his place and now has a very well-kept farm of one
hundred and sixty acres and one of the best farm plants in that part of the
county. In addition to his general farming. Mr. Bennett has long given
considerable attention to the raising of high-grade live stock and has done
very well. He has a cement silo on his place and in other ways his farm
plant shows evidences of the progressive character of his farming.
In 1 88 1 Lloyd Bennett was united in marriage to Arta Belle Wells,
who was born in this county in 1858, daughter of John D. and Elizabeth
Wells, who were among the earliest settlers in Marshall county and further
and fitting mention of whom is made elsewhere in this volume, and to this
union six children have been born, two sons and two daughters, George L.
Bennett, of Kansas City, and Archibald, Ethel and Edith, who are at home,
and two who died in infancy. The Bennetts have a very pleasant home and
have ever taken a proper interest in the general social activities of the com-
munity in which they live, helpful in the promotion of all worthy causes
thereabout. Mr. Bennett is a Democrat and gives a good citizen's attention
to local political affairs, but has not been a seeker after public office.
LARS PETER OLSON.
Lars Peter Olson, a well-known and substantial farmer of Lincoln
township and the owner of a fine home and two hundred and forty acres
of land in section 7 of that township, is a native of the kingdom of Sweden,
but has been a resident of Marshall county since 1879. He was born on
January 20, 1852, son of Benson and Engelina Olson, also natives of Sweden,
who spent all their lives in their native land. He received his schooling in
his native land and remained there until he was nineteen years of age, when,
in 1 87 1, he came to the United States and was for two years engaged in
railroad work in Pennsylvania. He then, in 1873. returned to Sweden,
married there, and in 1879 came back to this country and proceeded on out
to Kansas, locating in Marshall county, which has ever since been his home.
In 1880, not long after his arrival in Marshall county, Mr. Olson
bought a tract of one hundred and twenty acres of school land one and one-
944 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
half miles east of the Swedish Lutheran church and proceeded to improve
and develop the same. In 1900 he m>1<1 that place in advantage and bought
his present place of two hundred and forty acres in section 7 of Lincoln
township, where he and his family are very comfortably and very pleas-
antly situated. Mr. Olson has done well in his general farming and stock
raising operations and has improved his farm in excellent shape. In I1S93
he thought to broaden his field by homesteading a tract of land over in the
western part of the state ami rented his home farm and went to Wallace
county, where he homesteaded a quarter of a section of land and spent two
years there developing the same. These were dry years, however, and he
lost on his venture, lie returned t<> his home farm in this county in 1895
and has since been quite content to regard Marshall county as a good enough
place of residence for anyone."
In 1875, in Sweden. Lars Peter Olson was united in marriage to Jose-
phine Benson, who was horn in that country on February 7. [854, daughter
nf Benson and Anna Anderson, who spent all their lives in their native
land, and to this union seven children have been horn, namely: Augusta, who
married Albin Qdberg, of Kettle River, Minnesota, and has two children,
Gertrude and Matilda: Oscar, now living at St. Joseph, Missouri, who mar-
ried Hilda Bragg and has two children. Gladys and Charles; Edwin, who
died in 1908; Elmer, who is at home: Theodore, a farmer of Lincoln town-
ship, who married Edla Helstrom and has two children, Evelyn and Audrey;
Dell, who is at home, and Emma, who is living at St. Joseph, Missouri.
The Olsons are members of the Swedish Lutheran church and Mr. Olson
has served as deacon of the same for the past thirty years. He is a Repub-
lican and takes a warm interest in political affairs, hut has not been a seeker
after public office.
TAMES G. STRONG.
The great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch was William
Strong, born on the eastern shore, Maryland, January 8, 1783; he moved
to Jefferson county, Ohio, where Samuel S. Strong was born, November
3, 1807. The family then again removed to Liberty, Indiana, where, on
April 12, 1832, the son. Samuel S. Strong, married Temperance Crist, a
daughter of George W. Crist, who was born near Albany, New York, in
1770, of German parentage. In 1834 this young couple moved to Lebanon,
JAMES fi. STUOXO.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 945
Indiana, where the father of the subject, James G. Strong, Sr., was born
on March 4, 1836. After receiving his primary education in the common
schools, he attended the State University at Bloomington, Indiana, and then
the Law School of Cincinnati, where he graduated in the class of 1859.
He was married on April 25th of the same year to Rebecca M. Witt at
Lebanon, Indiana, whose, people had been pioneers from Kentucky and
North Carolina. Her father, Michael Witt, was a brother of Mary Witt,
the mother of Joaquin Miller, and her grandfather Wall was an own cousin
of Daniel Boone. Their wedding trip was a wagon journey of two hun-
dred miles in company with the large family of Samuel S. Strong to Liv-
ingston county, Illinois. James G. Strong, Sr., taught school and prac-
ticed law at Dwight, Illinois, and later engaged in the grain and banking
business. He was one of the incorporators of the Plymouth, Kankakee &
Pacific railroad, on which nearly four hundred thousand dollars was
expended, and was a director and its secretary and treasurer. He was
also a large bond and stockholder in the Kankakee River Improvement
Company. In 1870 he was elected to the Twenty-seventh General
Assembly of Illinois, where he introduced the first bill ever presented to
the Legislature of that state for the appointment of a board of railroad
commissioners. In 1S72 he was elected to the State Senate, serving as
chairman on the printing committee and introducing bills which saved the
state over one hundred and thirty thousand dollars. Business losses caused
him to enter the government Indian service in South Dakota through the
influence of Gen. John A. Logan, and three years were so spent at Yankon
Agency. Locating at St. Marys, Kansas, in 1882, he again engaged in the
grain and milling business and in 1891 moved to Blue Rapids, Kansas, and
engaged first in the milling business and later entered into the practice of
law with his son. He died at Blue Rapids, September 4, 1895; his wife
survived him until August 4, 1914, and is buried beside him at Blue Rapids,
Kansas. They have three living children : Emma Temperance, now the
wife of Frank B. Chester, the owner of a seven hundred and twenty-six-
acre farm four miles south of Valparaiso, Indiana : Ella May, now the wife
of Z. T. Trumbo, of Pontiac, Illinois, where he is assistant superintendent
and chief clerk of the Illinois State Reformatory, the second largest institu-
tion of the kind in this country ; and James George, the subject.
James G. Strong was born at Dwight, Livingston county, Illinois, on
(60)
946 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
April _>;;, 1N70. He received his common school education in the local
schools of Dwight and Bloom in'gton, Illinois, and St. Marys, Kansas: he
then attended Baker University, took a correspondence school of law and
studied under his father and was admitted to the bar in Marshall county,
Kansas, and in 1895 entered into partnership with his father in the practice
of law at Blue Rapids, Kansas, where he has attained success both as a law-
yer and a business man.
As a lawyer, Mr. Strong served his city as its attorney for fifteen
years without losing it a case; was assistant attorney general for Marshall
county two years and closed up and kept closed the "joints" which had been
engaged in the sale of liquor. He was elected without opposition as county
attorney in 1916, which position he now fills with credit to himself and
satisfaction to the people. He stands high in his profession and has won
his success by ability and work.
As a business man, Mr. Strong has been unusually successful. Starting
without means of any kind after the death of his father, when he was
twenty-five, and receiving no gifts by inheritance or otherwise, he worked
his way to success in the business world. He organized the Blue Rapids
Telephone Company in 1894, became its president three years afterward,
built it up to its position as one of the best equipped and conducted exchanges
in the country and is still its president. In 1913 he organized the Marshall
County Tower and Light Company and began the rebuilding of the splendid
water-power which had long been the pride of Blue Rapids, but which no
one had been able to make either permanent or profitable. He was able
to secure capital and gather around him able associates and, despite many
obstacles and local prejudice is fast building a network of transmission
lines from a magnificent hydro-electric plant to all adjoining cities, now
furnishing electric current for light, heating and power to the cities of
Blue Rapids. Marvsville. Waterville and Irving, besides furnishing power
to two large plaster mills. Over one hundred thousand dollars has been
spent upon the proposition. Mr. Strong is the only resident stockholder
and is at present a director and the secretary and manager.
Aside from his work as a lawyer and business man Mr. Strong has
found time to serve six years upon the board of education; he takes a lead-
ing part in the Commercial Club, the Chautauqua, the county fair and all
matters pertaining to the business and educational life of the community. He
has led in the work for good roads, was vice-president of his congressional
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 947
district of the State Automobile Association and is president of the Blue
Valley Highway and director of the Kansas White Way Highway.
Mr. Strong has always been a loyal Republican and served fifteen
years on the county committee ; he was elected to the national convention
of 1912 for Roosevelt, but did not leave the party; was in the state "har-
mony convention" in 1914 and a member of the committee which wrote
the resolutions which were adopted and helped unite the party. He has
assisted in many speaking campaigns and is an ardent admirer of the
"old soldier," being generally their choice speaker on Decoration Day.
On December 18, 1S94, James G. Strong was united in marriage to
Frances E. Coon, of Blue Rapids, and a daughter of Emir J. Coon, deceased,
and the granddaughter of Judge John V. Coon. The latter was one of the
organizers of the city of Blue Rapids. He was born at Phelps, New York,
March 30, 1822. where, in the year 1842, he was united in marriage to
Charlotte M. Miller. Moving to Elyria, Ohio, after his graduation as a
lawyer, he won prominence and success in his profession, and there his only
son, Emir J. Coon, was born. After service in an Ohio regiment in the
Civil War, the son united in marriage with Elizabeth Boynton, a member of
the prominent Boynton family. In 1870 Judge Coon assisted in the organ-
ization of the town colony composed of well-to-do people from Genesee,
New York, and Elyria, Ohio, who located at the "Rapids of the Blue River"
and incorporated and platted the city of Blue Rapids. They built the splen-
did stone dam at the head of the rapids at a cost of thirty thousand dollars
which still stands as a monument to the quality of their work. Judge Coon
divided his time between Blue Rapids and Elyria until 1876, when, together
with his son and their families, they took up their permanent residence in
Blue Rapids, where he soon became the leading lawyer and was recognized
as one of the ablest real estate lawyers in northern Kansas. He recognized
the value of the gypsum deposits found near Blue Rapids and, with his son,
built the first plaster mill, and thus began the industry which has made the
town renowned for its high grade wall, molding and dental plasters. At
the time of his death, January 3, 1895, he was mayor of the city and county
attorney-elect. His widow was born in 182 1 and is living today with the
subject of this sketch, being the oldest resident in Marshall county.
To James G. and Frances E. Strong have been born two children,
George Eugene Strong, born November 30, 1895, who graduated from the
Blue Rapids high school in 1913. He then attended the State University
948 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
at Lawrence for three years and graduated from the University of Chicago
on June i-\ [917, with the degree of Ph. B. He is now deputy county
attorney for his father in the county attorney's office at Marysville, Kansas.
Erma Elizabeth Strong was horn. August 30, 1898, and will graduate from
the Blue Rapids high s>chool with the class of 1919. In a beautiful home,
the life of this family is a most ideal one and, with the grandmother and
great-grandmother, comprises four generations.
Mr. and Mrs. Strong are members of the Episcopal church. Mr.
Strong is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Blue Rapids; the Knights
of Pythias at Frank, Kansas, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks at Manhattan, Kansas, as well as the Modern Woodman and the Sons
of Veterans.
CHRISTIAN BERGMAN X.
Christian Bergmann, one of Lincoln township's best-known citizens
and an honored veteran of the Civil War, a well-to-do farmer, now living
practically retired from the active labors of the farm on his well-kept place
in Lincoln township, is a native of Germany, but has been a resident of this
country since he was twenty-live years of age and of Kansas since 1877,
King therefore very properly regarded as one of the pioneers of this
section. He was horn at Riemendorff, Germany, March 2, 1835, son of
Christian Gottlieb and Johanna Christiana (Schneider) Bergmann, natives
of that same country, who emigrated to America in i860, entering the
Uniteil States by way of Quebec. The family left Riemendorff on May 10.
i860, and sailed from Hamburg on the 19th of that same month, arriving
at Quebec on July 2. From that city they proceeded to Milwaukee. \\'i>-
consin, where they established their home.
Christian Bergmann was twenty-live years of age when he came to
this country and upon arriving at Milwaukee he secured employment as a
laborer. He was living there when the Civil War broke out and upon the
President's first call for volunteers to suppress the rebellion of the Southern
states he and his two brothers, Ernest and Ehren fried Bergmann, enlisted
their servicer- in behalf of their adopted country and went to the front as
members of Company E., Third Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry,
with which command Christian Bergmann served for three years and three
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 949
months, seeing some of the most active service of the war. His brother,
Ernest Wilhelm Bergman, was killed at the battle of Brandy's Station, Mary-
land, and Ehrenfried Bergmann was killed at the battle of Antietam. In
this latter battle, September 17, 1862, Christian Bergmann received a severe
bullet wound in the left leg. At the battle of Chancelorsville, May 3, 1863,
he received another bullet wound in that same leg. In referring to the coinci-
dence of being shot twice in the same member, Mr. Bergmann is wont to
declare that the "Rebs" were trying to shoot his left leg off, but didn't have
powder enough. Besides the important battles just mentioned, Mr. Berg-
mann participated in the battle of Winchester, the battle of Cedar Mountain
and numerous minor battles and skirmishes, his regiment often being in
the very thick of things. His war experience gave him an intensely patriotic
regard for his adopted country, a regard that has only grown stronger with
the passing years and he says he has reared five sons for Uncle Sam's army
if the country should ever need their services.
Upon the completion of his military service Mr. Bergmann returned to
Milwaukee and in the fall of 1865 was married. He remained in Wisconsin
until 1869, when he moved to Nebraska and settled in Pawnee county, where
he farmed until 1877, when he moved down into Kansas and rented a farm
on the western edge of Center township, in the neighboring county of Nemaha,
where he established his home and where he remained for twenty years,
at the end of which time, in 1897, he moved across the road from that
place and bought his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Mar-
shall county, where he since has made his home and where he and his
family are very comfortably situated. Upon taking possession of this lat-
ter place. Air. Bergmann was confronted with the task of developing it from
its raw prairie state, but that task has been performed most effectively and
he now has a well-improved and profitably cultivated farm on which he is
living in comfort, now practically retired from the active labors of the
farm, although he continues to give the same his careful oversight. He has
a neat home and well-kept grounds and takes much pleasure in the same.
On October 26, 1865, in Dodge county, Wisconsin, Christian Bergmann
was united in marriage to Augusta Krause, who also was born in Germany,
in February, 1847. Of the children born to this union eight
are still living, namely: William Frederick Christian, the owner of
a farm adjoining that of his father on the north; Matilda, wife
of John Daniels, a farmer, living one and one-half miles northeast of
Vermillion; Emma Henrietta Louise Sophia, wife of Harvey Bishop, living
near Vermillion; Henry, a farmer, of Lincoln township; Albert Conrad.
950 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
who is farming in Cleveland township; Edward William, of Axtell, who
owns a farm in Murray township; George Gustave. also a Murray town-
ship farmer, and Bertha, who is at home with her parents. The Bergmanns
are members of the Lutheran church and take a proper part in church work.
Mr. Bergmann is a Republican and has ever given a good citizen's attention
to political affairs, but has not been a seeker after public office.
WILLIAM JOHNSON
William Johnson, first trustee of Lincoln township and the proprietor
of a well-improved and profitably operated farm of two hundred and forty-
one acres in that township, is a native of the kingdom of Sweden, but has
been a resident of this country and of Marshall county since he was twenty-
one years of age. He was born on March 28, 1863, son of Par and Mary
Johnson, also natives of Sweden, who spent all their lives in their native
land.
Reared on a farm in his native land. William Johnson remained there
until he was twenty-one years of age, when, in 1884, he came to this country
and proceeded on out to Kansas, arriving at Frankfort, this county, on April
3 of that year. Upon his arrival here he secured employment at farm labor
in Rock township and was thus engaged there for two years, receiving from
fifteen dollars to twenty dollars a month for his labor. In 1888 he married
and for two years thereafter rented a farm in Rock township, later rent-
ing a farm in Noble township, where he lived a year, at the end of which
time he bought a farm of eighty acres one mile east of his present farm.
He later moved to a farm in section 16 of Murray township and after two
vears of residence there bought a farm in Rock township, where he made
his home for live vears. or until 1897. when he bought the farm on which
he is now living and where he ever since has made his home, he and his
family being very comfortably situated there. In addition to his general
farming Mr. Johnson has given considerable attention to the raising of graded
live stock, making a specialty of Shorthorn cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs
He has made excellent improvements on his place and has one of the best-
kept farms in that part of the county. Mr. Johnson is a Republican and
has for years taken an active part in local civic affair-. He was trustee
of Noble township for one year and when Lincoln township was organ-
ized was elected trustee of that township and was re-elected for three terms
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 95 1
without opposition, his term of service expiring on January i, 1916. Mr.
Johnson also has been a member of the school board for twelve vears and
in other ways has done his part in advancing the interests of the commun-
ity in which he lives.
In 1888, four years after coining to this country, William Johnson was
united in marriage to Ida Johnson, who also was born in Sweden and who
had come to this country in 1886, and to this union seven children have
been born, namely: Clara, born in 1889, who married John Olson and is
now living at Seattle. Washington; Thorsten, 1890; Albert, 1892; Esther,
1894; Florence, 1898; Leonard, 1902, and Ebba. 1903. Mr. and Mrs.
Johnson are members of the Swedish Lutheran church and for years have
taken an active part in church work and in other neighborhood good works.
RUDOLPH YAUSSI.
Rudolph Yaussi, one of the well-known and successful farmers of Wal-
nut township, Marshall county, was born in Switzerland on February 15,
185 1, the son of Christian and Elizabeth (Begert) Yaussi, the former of
whom died in Switzerland and the latter spent her last years in Marysville,
Marshall county.
Christian Yaussi followed the butcher business in Berne until his death
in 1863. Five years after his death the mother with her six children came
to the United States locating near Hiawatha, Brown county, Kansas, on
a farm, where she resided for many years, coming to Marysville, Kansas,
where some of her children resided, in her later years, and where she died
at the age of eighty-five, loved and respected by all who knew her, for her
kind and hospitable disposition and true Christian spirit.
Christian and Elizabeth Yaussi were the parents of seven children as
follow: Rosa, Fred J., Elizabeth, Rudolph, Gottlieb, Frank and Marv.
Rosa, now deceased, was the wife of John Detwiler; Fred J. is deceased;
Elizabeth, the wife of Gottlieb Buehler, died in Switzerland ; Gottlieb is a
prosperous farmer in Brown county, Kansas ; Frank is a well-known merch-
ant in Marysville, and Mary is the wife of John Aegerter, of Garber, Okla-
homa, and Rudolph is the subject of this sketch.
Rudolph Yaussi was educated in the schools of Switzerland and at the
age of seventeen he came to the United States with his mother and the rest
of her family and located in Brown county, Kansas. After this young
95^ MARSHALL COUNTY. KANSAS.
Rudolph worked as a farm hand in Kansas and Missouri for some years;
rented and worked a farm in Missouri cue year. He then returned to Brown
county, Kansas, where he acquired eighty acres of land, which he farmed
for a few years; lie then sold out and moved overland to Smith county,
Kansas, where he traded a good team of mules for a relinquishment on a
one hundred and sixty acre homestead of raw land. Here he made his home
in a "dugOut" in true pioneer style, suffered untold agony with rheumatism
for months, but stayed with it and his tireless energy won for him a fair
return for his work. After six years he sold his place in Smith county and
came to Marysville, where he purchased two hundred and forty acres four
miles west of town, on which he resided about fifteen years. He sold this
place to two of his sons and bought a two-hundred-acre farm nearer Marys-
ville, where he now resides, and which he has made one of the best in the
county, both as a live stock and grain farm.
In 1876 Rudolph Yaussi was united in marriage to Mary Aegerter. and
to them were born ten children: Rosie, John, Emma, William, Mary, Frank,
Lida, Rudolph. Edward and Sophia.
In 1896 Mary ( Aegerter 1 Vaussi died in Marysville. Kansas. Some
years later Rudolph Yaussi was married to Mary (Studach) Goepfert, a
native of Switzerland, and to them was born one child, a daughter, Zella,
now attending the high school at Marysville.
Mr. and Mrs. Yaussi are consistent adherents of the Evangelical church.
Mr. Yau>-i is also a member of the Swiss and Turner societies of Marys-
ville.
TAMES I.. FLANAGAN.
James L. Flanagan, one of the younger and most successful farmers
and stockmen of Richland township. Marshall county, was born in McLean
county, Illinois, on August _'_\ 1KS1. being the son of James and Catherine
(Dunn) Flanagan.
James Flanagan was born at Hamilton. Butler county. Ohio, on Febru-
ary -'=;. [852, where he resided until he was seven years of age. when with
his parents, Martin and Julia (O'Connell) Flanagan he came to the state
of Illinois. The parents established their home near Chenoa, and it was
here that the son. James, received his education in the local schools, grew
to manhood and was married. Martin and Julia Flanagan were natives of
Ireland and came to the United States in 1848, and were married in this
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 953
country two years later. They were the parents of nine children and were
a highly respected people.
In 1876 James Flanagan was united in marriage to Catherine Dunn, who"
was born on September 16. 1855, and was the first white child born in
Chenoa township, McLean county, Illinois. She is the daughter of Patrick
and Mary (Murray) Dunn. They were natives of Ireland, and after com-
ing to the United States, located in Ohio and then in Illinois, after which they
established their home in the Dakotas, about 1853. Some nine years after
their marriage, in 1885, James and Catherine Flanagan left their home in
Illinois and came to Kansas and settled on their present farm in section 17,
Richland township, Marshall county. The tract at that time was unde-
veloped and unimproved. A house, eighteen by twenty-six feet was erected,
and divided into three rooms, and in this the family lived for a number of
years. A small stable was built and the land was broken, with three mules
that they had brought with them from their home in Illinois. They also
brought hedge plants, box-elder seeds and sprigs of cottonwood. These they
planted, and today the magnificent trees are evidence of the careful thought of
those early pioneers. As they began to prosper, Mr. and Mrs. Flanagan
purchased more land, and at the time of the death of Mr. Flanagan on Janu-
ary 10, 1910, they were the owners of nine hundred and sixty acres of splendid
land, all of which was well improved.
To James and Catherine Flanagan were born the following children :
Julia, John, James L., Mary, Martin. Nellie, William and Catherine. Mr.
and Mrs. Flanagan were devout members of the Catholic church and were
ever active in all the services of the church. Three of their daughters are
sisters in parochial schools ; Julia is a teacher at the convent at Clyde, Kan-
sas; Mary is at Monett, Missouri, and Nellie is at Concordia, Kansas. John
died when he was twenty-one years of age and Martin is the manager of
the elevator at Summerfield, and William and Catherine are at home. Mr.
and Mrs. Flanagan were ever held in the highest regard by the people of
their home community. Mr. Flanagan was a most patriotic citizen and a
man of high ideals, and was recognized as a progressive farmer and suc-
cessful stockman. He always took a keen interest in local affairs and had
much to do with the growth and prosperity of the township and of the
county. He was an independent voter and for two terms he served the
township as trustee. His life was a worthy one; he was a kind and indulgent
husband and father, and a generous neighbor and friend. His death was
mourned by the entire community, for all knew that a good man had gone
054 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
to his reward. Mrs. Flanagan is still living at the >>1<1 home and takes much
interest in the management of the place.
James L. Flanagan was hut three years of age when he came with his
parents to the farm in Marshall county. Here he was educated in the local
schools and in Marysville Normal, and was reared on the home farm,
where he now lives and where he as a lad and young man assisted his
father with the farm work. He is now operating the place for his mother
and is meeting with much success in general farming and stock raising.
He is the owner of shares in the Elevator Company at Summerfield and
is one of the substantial men of the township. He is a devout memher of
the Catholic church. He is a member of the Democratic party and takes
much interest in local affairs.
LEWIS MILTON STEVENSON.
Lewis Milton Stevenson, one of Murray township's most substantial
and progressive farmers and the proprietor of a tine farm of one hundred
and sixty acres one and one-half miles west of Axtell. has been a resident of
Kansas since 1882, in which year he came down here from Nebraska, after
having resided in that state a couple of years after a long residence in the
state of Iowa. Mr. Stevenson is a native of the state of Illinois. He was
horn on a farm in Knox county, that state, November 7, 1846, son of Edward
and Mary 1 Key- 1 Stevenson, the former of whom was born at Baltimore.
Maryland, and the latter at Dover. Delaware, both representatives of old
American families, whose last days were spent in Illinois.
Edward Stevenson was born in 1807, the son of Zachariah Stevenson,
who was a soldier in the War of 1812. He married in the East and in the
early forties emigrated to Illinois, settling on a quarter of a section of land
in Kno\ county, one of the pioneers of that part of the state, and there he
and his wife spent the remainder of their lives. She died in 1865 and he
survived her for nearly twenty years, his death occurring in 1S84. They were
the parents of six children, of whom but two survive, the subject of this
sketch having a brother, James Stevenson, who is living in Missouri.
Lewis M. Stevenson was reared on the paternal farm in Knox county,
Illinois, growing up familiar with pioneer conditions, and received his edu-
cation in a little old district school house built of slabs and from boyhood
made a "hand" on the farm. He was nineteen years of age when his
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 955
mother died and after that he began shifting for himself, presently, in 1866,
going to Iowa, where he began working as a farm hand at eighteen dollars
a month, working with a hoe from sunup to sundown. Four years later he
married in Iowa and began farming on his own account on a rented farm.
Three years later he bought a farm in Shelby county, that state, a tract of
railroad land it was, borrowing the money from the county treasurer with
which to pay the same, and from the very beginning was successful in his
farming operations, soon coming to have one of the best-improved farms
in Shelby county. There he lived until 1880, when he sold his farm to
advantage and moved to Beatrice, Nebraska. After traveling around a bit,
Mr. Stevenson decided to again engage in farming and in 1882 came to
Marshall county and bought a quarter of a section of land in Richland town-
ship, seven miles northwest of Beattie. He developed that place into a
splendid farm and in October, 1907, sold the same. The next month he
bought a quarter section in Murray township, just west of Axtell, built a
fine house on the same and in March. 1908, established his home there and
has ever since made that his place of residence, he and his family being
very pleasantly and very comfortably situated. Mr. Stevenson has made
other valuable improvements on his place and has one of the best-equipped
farm plants in that part of the county. He gives considerable attention
to the raising of pure-bred Duroc-Jersey hogs, in addition to his general
farming, and has done very well, long having been regarded as one of
Marshall county's most substantial farmers.
In 1870, in Iowa, Lewis M. Stevenson was united in marriage to Mary
Minerva Easterly, who was born on a pioneer farm in Jones county, Iowa,
in 1853, daughter of Jonathan and Sarah Jane (McConkey) Easterlv, natives
of the state of Ohio, who moved to Iowa in 185 1 and there established
their home. Jonathan Easterly and wife were the parents of ten children,
eight of whom are still living. Of these surviving children Mrs. Steven-
son is the eldest, the others being as follow : Margaret Ellen, who mar-
ried Danville Tarbox, of Jones county, Iowa; John L., a resident of Charles
City, Iowa ; Mrs. Flora Clementine Simmons, of Jones county, Iowa ; Mrs.
Jennie Moe, of Animosa, Iowa: Elmer Ellsworth, of Seattle, Washington;
U. S. Grant, of Olin, Iowa, and Mrs. Ada Belle Harper, of Saskatchewan,
Canada.
To Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson twelve children have been born, namely:
Lemuel Lester, who taught school for one year and then turned his atten-
tion to photography and is now conducting a photograph studio at Emporia,
this state; Jonathan Lewis, who was graduated from the Kansas State
956 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Normal School at Emporia, taught school several years and is now the owner
of a farm in the neighborhood of Plymouth, this state; Elnora Jane, who
completed her schooling at the State Normal School at Emporia and at
Campbell College. Holton, and is now a member of the excellent corps of
Marshall county's public school teachers: .May. a graduate of Kansas State
Normal, taught for nine years in the schools at Iloxie and for two years
in Arizona and is now the wife of J. M. Hall, of Hoxie; Mary Ethzelda,
also a former public-school teacher, who is now conducting a dressmaking
establishment at Denver: Arthur G., also a teacher, who is fanning in the
neighborhood of Holton; Bertha, also formerly a teacher, who married
Arthur Jones, a tanner, living north of Beattie; Mrs. Clementine Wanklyn,
also a former teacher, who is now living six miles south of Beattie; Xellie
Pearl, who is now teaching school in Colorado: Chalmers, who also formerly
taught school, but is now employed as a machinist at I toxic: Olin, a machin-
ist at Manhattan, and Clayton, who is at home assisting in the management
of the home farm. Perhaps no other family in Marshall county has con-
tributed so many persons to the public-school teaching force as has the
Stevenson family and the members of the same have ever been actively
concerned in the social and cultural development of the county and of the
Axtell neighborhood in particular, helpful in promoting all movements having
to do with the advancement of the common welfare thereabout.
JOSEPH DWERLKOTTE.
Joseph Dwerlkotte, cashier of the Citizens' State Bank of Marysville,
Kansas, and a landowner in Marshall count}-, i^ a native of Germany, but
has been a resident of this county since the days of his boyhood. He was
born and reared on his father's estate near the village of Dinklage, Grand-
Duchy of Oldenburg, April 10th. 1874, the seventh son of Clemens and
Bernadina Dwerlkotte.
Reared on the farm, Joseph Dwerlkotte received his elementary train-
ing in the common schools and afterwards took a three years course, in a
normal and agricultural college. At eighteen years of age he made up his
mind to come to this country, and took passage at Bremen on February 12th,
1893, and arrived in the port of New York on February 26th. From there
he came west to Custer county. Nebraska, and worked on a farm near the
town of Oconto for eighteen months. In July, 1894, he came to Marshall
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 957
county, where he engaged in farming in Elm Creek township, near Marys-
ville, for about twelve years. In the year 1900 he was united in marriage
to Miss Johanna Minkenberg, also a native of Germany, born in the village
of Stein f eld-Oldenburg, in 1879. Mr. Dwerlkotte was a very successful
farmer and upon the organization of the Citizens' State Bank of Marysville
in 1907, he entered that institution as assistant cashier and moved to Marys-
ville, where he has since resided. Upon the resignation of Mr. Laughlin as
cashier in 191 3, Mr. Dwerlkotte was chosen as his successor, which position
he still occupies.
To Mr. and Mrs. Dwerlkotte four children have been born, Edith, Leo,
Ludowiena and Joseph, all of whom are living excepting the last named.
Mr. Dwerlkotte is a Republican in political affairs. Religiously, he is affil-
iated with the Catholic church, and fraternally with the Knights of Colum-
bus and the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association. At the present time he
holds office as grand knight of Marysville Council No. 1777.
CORWIN BALLARD.
Corwin Ballard, trustee of Bigelow township, a former well-known
school teacher in this county and the proprietor of a well-kept farm of eighty
acres in Bigelow township, is a native of the neighboring state of Nebraska,
but has been a resident of Marshall county since he was ten years of age.
He was born on a farm in Richardson county, Nebraska, April 6, 1871, son
of Jesse and Martha (Huntsinger) Ballard, the former a native of the
Hoosier state and the latter of the Buckeye state, who spent their last days
in this county, substantial residents of Franklin township.
Jesse Ballard, who was an honored veteran of the Civil War, was born
in Carroll county, Indiana, June 23, 1843, a son °f Jermaine and Mary Ann
(Baum) Ballard, natives cf Indiana, who came west and settled in Rich-
ardson county, Nebraska, in i860. When the Civil War broke out Jesse
Ballard was eager to take his part in the defense of the Union and believing
his chances for getting to the front would be better for enlisting in Iowa,
went over into that state and enlisted in the Fourth Iowa Battery, with
which he served until mustered out at the close of the war, and during
which service he saw some very stirring action. The effects of constant
heavy gun fire so affected Mr. Ballard's hearing that he ever afterwards
suffered from an annoying deafness. Upon the completion of his military
958 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
service he returned to Nebraska and there married Martha Huntsmger, wrho
was born at Xenia, Ohio, October 9, 1 848, a daughter of Eli and Mary
(Harrison) Huntsinger, natives of Pennsylvania, who had settled in
Nebraska. After his marriage Mr. Ballard continued farming in Nebraska
until 188 1 , when he came to Kansas and settled in Marshall county, buying
a quarter of a section of land in Franklin township, where he spent the rest
of his life, his death occurring in 1908. His wife had preceded him to the
grave about thirteen years, her death having occurred in 1895. They were
the parents of four children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the
first-born, the others being Libbie, deceased, and Otlia and Leroy, who are
now living in Colorado.
As noted above. Corwin Ballard was about ten years of age when he
came to Marshall county with his parents in 1881. The course in the district
schools of Franklin township he supplemented by a course in the high school
at Marysville and then took a course in the State Normal School, after
which he entered Ottawa University and was there taking the classical course
when the death of his mother and sister in 1895 interrupted his studies. He
did not return to the university and in 1899 l>egan teaching school in district
No. 36, in Oketo township, this county, where he taught for two years. He
then rendered further teaching service in the Bigelow schools and in the
school in district No. 65 and in 1904 began farming on his own account.
For two years he farmed a rented place and then bought his present farm
of eighty acres in section 4 of Bigelow township, where, after his marriage
in 1909, he established his home and where he and his family are very pleas-
antly and very comfortably situated. Mr. Ballard lately has gone in some-
what extensively into the breeding of Holstein cattle and is doing very well.
His farm is well improved and his operations are carried on in accordance
with the principles of modern farming. Mr. Ballard is a Republican and
from the days of his youth has given his thoughtful attention to local civic
affairs. In 1914 be was elected trustee of Bigelow township and in 1916
was re-elected to that important office, now serving his second term and
giving to the duties of that office his most intelligent attention.
In 1909 Corwin Ballard was united in marriage to Daisy Walls, who
was born near what is now the village of Bigelow, in this county. January
18, 1881, daughter of William H. and Rachel ( Strange I Walls, the former
a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Virginia, who were married in
this county and are still living here, and to this union two children have been
born, Lulu R., born on January 23, 1910, and Eunice E., July 4, 191 1. Mr.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 959
and Mrs. Ballard are members of the Christian church and take a proper
interest in the various beneficences of the same, as well as in the general
social activities of the community in which they live.
REV. GUSTAF NYQUIST.
The Rev. Gustaf Nyquist, rector of the Swedish Lutheran (Salem)
church in Lincoln township, this county, and one of the most active and
influential men in that part of the county, is a native of the kingdom of
Sweden, but has been a resident of this country since he was twenty-four
years of age and of Kansas since completing his theological studies in
1900. He was born in Dalsland, near the line separating Sweden from
Norway, December 17, 1871, son of Alexander and Katharina (Larson)
Nyquist, also natives of Sweden, who spent all their lives in their native
land. Alexander Nyquist was a merchant tailor. To him and his wife
eight children were born, four of whom are still living, those besides the
subject of this sketch being Alfred, who came to the United States in 1893
and at Chicago worked at his trade as a tailor until 1899, when he returned
to his native land and is now continuing the business established there by
his father; Mrs. Laura Anderson, of Norway, and Mrs. Inga Kullgren, also
of Norway.
The Rev. Gustaf Nycjuist received an excellent foundation for his
ministerial vocation in the schools of his native land and in 1896 came to
the United States and shortly afterward entered the divinity school of the
University of Chicago, from which he was graduated in 1900 and in that
same year was ordained to the ministry, being shortly afterward given
charge of a church at Topeka, this state. He later was transferred to
Omaha and also for some years, in addition to his ministerial labors, was
engaged in educational work. In 191 1 Mr. Nyquist took a special course
in the Augustana Theological Seminary, Rock Island, Illinois, and was
given charge of the Swedish Lutheran Salem church in Lincoln township,
this county, and has since been engaged in the ministry, having done much
in that time to enlarge the scope of the local congregation's influence along
all lines ; the church having expanded both materially and spiritually under
his effective ministration. Salem church is well established and good work
is reported in all departments of the congregation's activities in the pros-
perous community thus covered. Both as a leader in the general community
96o MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
life of that neighborhood and as a faithful minister of the gospel, Mr.
Nyquist lias given his most earnest and devoted attention to the various
needs of the community along; religious, social and cultural lines and has
clone a good work, his efforts being appreciated greatly throughout that
entire section.
On December 30. 1903, the Rev. Gustaf Nyquist was united in mar-
riage to Louise Lofgren, who was born in Riley county, this state, May 5,
1883, daughter of Charles and Alida ( Sellberg | Lofgren, natives of Sweden.
who settled in this state years ago. and to this union five children have been
born, namely: Joy, born on July 7. 1907; Harold, April 18, 1909; Lowell,
June 30, 1911: Noble, January 13, 1913; Earl, January 24. 1915, and
Floyd, April 1 1, 1917.
WILLIAM B. HUNT.
Genesee county. New York, recognized as one of the greatest agricul-
tural counties in the United States insofar as the richness of the county is
concerned, was the birthplace of William H. Hunt, one of the most prosper-
ous and progressive farmers of Blue Rapids township, Marshall county,
where he is the owner of four hundred acres of splendid land, which is im-
proved with the best and most modern of buildings. His birth occurred
on May 6, 1854, he being the son of James and Esther (Bond) Hunt.
James Hunt was born in Somersetshire, England, on February 4, 1826,
and was the son of Thomas and Jane Hunt. Thomas and Jane Hunt were
also natives of that section of England, and there they received a limited
education in the public schools of those times, and there they grew to maturity
and were later married. They reared their family of children and they died
in that country many years ago, after a life of usefulness, highly respected
by the entire community. James Hunt received his education in the schools
of his native country, and there he was united in marriage, on May 15,
1852, t<> F.sther Bond, who was born in Devonshire. England, on December
1, 1834, and was the daughter of Thomas and Annie Bond. After their
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hunt continued to live in England until the spring
of 1853, when they decided that they would leave that country and seek
a home in America, where they believed their opportunities would be greatly
enhanced. On completing the ocean voyage, they landed at Quebec and then
proceeded to Genesee county, New York, where they established a home on
a farm. In that county they made their home until 1S71. when they came
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MKS. ELLA L. HUNT.
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WILLIAM B. HUNT.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 961
to Kansas, and here purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land of the
railroad company in Blue Rapids City township, Marshall county, at eight
dollars per acre. This farm he developed and improved and he became a
successful farmer and stockman, and one of the influential men of the county.
He and his wife were always held in the highest regard and esteem and
were among the active people of the social life of their home district.
To Tames and Esther Bond Hunt were born the following children :
William B., Emma, Frank, John, Charles, Thomas, Esther, James and Syd-
ney. Emma is the wife of William Means and is now a resident of North
Yakima, Washington ; Frank L. is a resident of Anthony, Kansas ; John lives
at Manhattan, Kansas: Charles is a resident of Ottawa, Kansas: Thomas is
now deceased: Esther became the wife of James Means: James lives at Pond
Creek, Oklahoma, and Sydney is a resident of California.
Tames and Esther Hunt were active members of the Episcopal church
and always took much interest in all church work and were prominent in the
community. They were a highly respected people and because of their
pleasing qualities and high regard for others, they made many friends. They
devoted their lives to their home, their children and the interests of the
community, until the time of their deaths, the father dying on November 17,
1907, and. the mother on July 1, 1912.
William B. Hunt received his education in the schools of New York
state and there received a splendid education. He was reared on the farm
in his native state and at the age of seventeen years, came with his parents
to Kansas in 1871. Here he engaged in general fanning with his father,
with whom he remained until he was twenty-four years of age. when he
engaged in agricultural pursuits for himself.
On March 24, 1878, William B. Hunt was united in marriage to Ella
L. Ham, a native of Brooklyn, New York, where she was born on July 29,
1 86 1, being the daughter of Ezbon and Harriett E. Haseltine. Her father
was born at Kinderhook, New York, in April, 1820, and the mother at
Bath, Maine, in November, 1838. They were married in the state of their
nativity, where they lived for a number of years, when they came to Kansas
and established their home on a farm in Marshall county, where they became
prominent in the affairs of the community. To them were born the follow-
ing children: Ella, now the wife of William B. Hunt: Edgar S., of Arkan-
sas : Charles E., of Blue Rapids City township, Marshall county ; Carrie M.
Blair, of Elm Creek township, where Mr. Blair is one of the successful
farmers of the district, and Frank Alonzo, a resident of Center township.
(61)
962 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Mr. Ham died September 3, 1898, and sonic years later, Mrs. Ham was
united in marriage to lames R. McAtee, of Blue Rapids.
To William B. and Ella L. Hunt have been born the following children:
Esther B., Harriett A.. James E., William \\".. Jennie. Frederick Robert,
Stuart L.. and Louis Eugene. Esther B. Lewis is a resident of Rock Island,
Illinois; Harriet A. Axtell resides at Blue Rapids, where Mr. Axtell is one
of the prominent dealers of the county; James E. is engaged as farmer near
Prince Alliert. Canada: William W. is a successful farmer of Blue Rapids
City township; Jennie Christianson resides in Waterville township, where her
husband is successfully engaged in general farming: Frederick Robert and
Louis Eugene are at home and Smart L. is a student in Manhattan College.
Mr. and Mrs. Hunt are active members of the Presbyterian church and have
always taken much interest in all church work and are prominent in the
social life of the community in which they live and where they are held in
the highest regard and esteem.
Politically, William B. Hunt is identified with the Republican party
and since reaching his majority, be has taken the keenest interest in the
civic life of his township and the county. For a number of years he has
served as township clerk and has been a member of the County Fair Associa-
tion. He is a most diligent worker and uses his best efforts in carrying out
the wishes of the people. He is a member of the Modem Woodmen of
America and is one of the active participants in the work of the local order.
In [892 Mr. Hunt erected a house, which be remodeled in 1916, mak-
ing it one of the most modern eight-room houses in the township. He has
installed every modern convenience, having a furnace, bath, water, sun-
porch, and was the first in the county to place in the home the Delco lighting
system. The house is most beautifully situated, a mile south of the town
of Blue Rapids, on the Marysville and Blue Rapids road, and overlooks the
beautiful valley of the Blue river. No more ideal place could be found for a
country home, and the view presents some of the most magnificent scenery
of the district. His barns and out-buildings are modern and are kept in
the highesl state of repair. The farm buildings are so arranged that they
present the most satisfactory arrangement and convenience for the care of
the stock and grain of the farm. His cement silo is the only one of the
kind in the township, and is modern and substantial. Mr. Hunt is a most
progressive man. and conducts his farm according to the latest methods of
farming. His fields are under the highest state of cultivation, and during
the growing season of the year they present a pleasing sight with the golden
grain, waving in the light of the Kansas summer sun. Every detail of the
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 963
farmer's art is known to him, and his excellent tract of land is recognized
as one of the finest in the county. He keeps a splendid lot of stock and
his herd is one of the finest in this section of Kansas. He operates his farm
with the most improved machinery and is a firm believer in modern and
up-to-date methods.
Mr: and Mrs. Hunt are intelligent, well read and cultured. One of the
greatest pleasures of Mr. and Mrs. Hunt, is that derived from entertaining
their friends. Their lives have been most active ones, and by their own
efforts they have risen to places of prominence and influence. They are de-
voted to their children and have reared a splendid family of boys and girls,
who are assuming responsible places in their home communities.
THE LAMB FAMILY.
John Thomas Lamb was born at Tobinsport, Perry county, Indiana,
December 13. 1844. He was the ninth child in a family of thirteen children
of his father, Dorastu* Lamb, who married Elizabeth Miller, who was born
on March 29. 1804. To them were born seven children, four sons and three
daughters, all of whom are now dead.
Elizabeth Batt was born on July 10, 1823, and was married to Dorastus
Lamb on December 2j, 1840. Their first son, Ezra, was born July 20, 1842,
and John Thomas Lamb, their second son, was born on December 13, 1844.
All of the brothers and sisters are now deceased, except Nora Lamb Lewis,
who married William Lewis at Seneca, Nemaha county, Kansas, October
16, 1873, and resided on a farm in that county until March, 1875; then
moved to Blue Rapids, Marshall county, and resided there until October 1,
1900, her husband having charge of a meat-market there. He sold out
and moved to Manhattan, where he was custodian at the Agricultural Col-
lege for about fourteen years, and on January 15, 19 14, they moved to
their fruit farm near Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where thev still reside.
John Thomas Lamb received his education in the local schools of his
home community, for fifteen years; he then went to Illinois, for one year,
near Equality: then to Memphis, Tennessee, and enlisted in Company K,
Sixth Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, November 1st, 1862, and was discharged
on November 5th. 1865, as corporal, at Selma, Alabama: he then returned
to his home in Indiana. In the spring of 1866 John Thomas Lamb and
his two sisters, Nancy Newberry and Nora Lamb, left Tobinsport, Indiana,
964 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and reached Atchison on the first day of April. It took them three days
to reach Marshall county, near Vermillion, as they had to come by team,
there being no railroad then. He bought eighty acres of land at that time
in section 9, township 4, range 10, and later purchased another eighty acres
from his brother, Zopher Lamb, who came to Marshall county in January,
1866, and purchased this one hundred and sixty acres for himself and his
brother, John.
John Thomas Lamb was a home-loving man. and the members of his
own family knew him best, but above all, the testimony can be given to him
by all who knew him, that he was a true Christian, a constant reader and
teacher of the best literature obtainable, a good neighbor and loved to visit
the school located just east across the road from his family residence, being
the school district named for him, "Lamb District Xo. 134." Messrs. Wat-
kinson. Charles Grable and John Thomas Lamb were the three first school
officials of this school district and he was treasurer thereof for over twelve
years. Thereafter, he and his wife, Elizabeth, loved to watch the school
children play, bringing back to their minds the youthful days of their school-
life in comparison to the advantages the children enjoy today. And they
always at Christmas time took the children apples by the bucketful and
shared the joys of their Christmas tree or entertainment and exchanging
of presents, making the days happier for the children as well as enjoying
the joy, peace, and happiness, themselves. He was a soldier and a lover
of liberty. On May 9th. [916, the members of Allison Circle, of Vermil-
lion, Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, presented a silk flag to the
Lamb School in memory of Comrade and Sister Lamb. The ladies were
accompanied by several of the veterans and friends, and <juite a number
of the patrons of the school district were also present. Miss Duckies, the
teacher, had prepared an appropriate program of recitations and songs.
The flag was presented by Mrs. Samuel Arnold, who also conducted with
the Presbyterian minister, the funeral services, as leader of the members
of Allison Circle at Vermillion, for Mrs. Elizabeth Cray Auld Lamb, on
November 16th, 1914. The Lamb children thanked the ladies for the honor
and respect shown the memory of their father and mother, and Mr. Charles
Wallace, district clerk for many years, and still clerk, paid tribute to the
memory of Mr. and Mrs. Lamb and talked patriotism right royally, also.
All joined lustily in three cheers for Old Glory, May 9th, 1916.
In politics, he was a Republican from childhood until death, and a
very diligent worker at all times for the cause in his community and fre-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 965
quently was their delegate. In church societies he was a true believer and
often declined to join any particular society, because of conscientious scru-
ples, as he would not confess any particular faith that was not in him. His
reason forbade him to accept some of the doctrines, nevertheless he always
helped, financially, any and all church societies, as all were working for the
betterment of humanity, and provided for his wife and three daughters
to attend church, Sunday school and young people's church societies, of
which they frequently were delegates. He lived a good Christian life daily;
he had formulated his own high ideals and had the courage to live up to
them, regardless of the cost. True enough, we do not find that very often,
but there are not many of them who exist. His three daughters are indeed
proud of the fact, and will try and observe and do likewise. In business
affairs he always worked for the benefit of the community in which he
lived, and was president of the Vleits Bank for a number of years. By
occupation he was a farmer, and was always planning that his wife and three
daughters might enjoy the home prepared by a devoted husband and kind
and loving father. He always took an active part in the affairs of the com-
munity in which the family lived. The father and mother moved on to
the present home as soon as they were married, Friday, February 14th,
1873, and lived on the same farm all their lifetime. Their eldest daughter,
Ora Adelia Lamb, was born on July 2, 1874; their second daughter, Emma
Lydia Lamb, was born on March 24, 1876; and their youngest daughter,
Julia Effa Lamb, was born on April 4th, 1879. The three children were
educated at the Vermillion city school until No. 134 Lamb School was
organized and completed ; then the last days of school life were spent there.
Later, after receiving their county diplomas ( three to the eldest daughter,
Ora) they were sent to Marysville, to the normal and Ora attended the
Holton College (Campbell University) for a business education for two
years about 1889 and 1891 and prepared herself for the business world.
She taught school for two years south of Marysville, and then worked for
J. A. Broughten for over twenty years as stenographer, in his law office,
combining the work with the telephone work as collector and bookkeeper
for the past twelve years for the Marysville Telephone Exchange Company,
and previous for W. W. Hutchinson and W. C. Evans, now deceased, in
the same capacity.
Emma Lydia Lamb also taught school near home and later went to
Rawlins, Wyoming, about May 27th, 1903, the time of Marshall county's
flood. Later, in 1904, she made a trip through Yellowstone Park, Salt Lake,
966 MARSHALL COUNTY) KANSAS.
Utah, and down the Columbia river to California and returned home again
via Denver. Colorado, alxmt July 5th. 11)04.
Their youngest daughter, Julia Effa Lamb, was married at the home
of her parents to Clarence D. Steele, a young farmer of more than ordinary
ability, February 14. 1910. They now live on the home place with her
sister, Emma, since the death of their parents. He is an ideal farmer, with
the latest methods, such as mogul tractors, and has the management of die
three hundred and twenty acres of land, that John Thomas Lamb had
arranged to be closely together, as he had by industrious and continuous
labor saved and provided for his wife and three daughters a comfortable
home and plenty of funds to start life much easier than he and his wife.
The parents had saved and done without many of the comforts of life that
the children might enjoy the blessings given by our gracious God, and the
freedom of our country. The father bravely helped to give them as a legacy,
with the two hundred acres of Marshall county's valuable land, free and
clear of all incumbrances, that they might have the same industrious habits
as their parents, is a legacy that they may be proud to inherit and rekindle
the lire of patriotism in our hearts for the defense of liberty and justice
today.
In later life he enjoyed much happiness in his home, with his family,
until sickness brought sadness at times, but the constant thought of others,
which he had cultivated in youth, made it much easier for bis family in
caring for him, especially bis daughter, Emma I.vdia Lamb, who was In-
constant nurse for many years and took such good care of him. as -be
worshipped her father, until he was called by death on August i_\ [913.
Mi- wife, being deaf, and eldest daughter, Ora Adelia Lamb, working in
Marysville as stenographer, and the youngest daughter. Effa. being married
and having her own home to care for, the greatest responsibility rested with
his second daughter. Emma Lydia Lamb, who devoted her time and life
work in caring for her father at home. He often remarked. "It will not
be for lack of care, if \ do not get well." But his long-continued sickness
finally took him away from this material condition, and the children will
always remember their father kindly, and try to live as he did. All who
knew him best always spoke very highly of his business integrity and pleas-
ant manner.
Elizabeth Gray Lamb, {nee Auld ) was born on April 2nd, [848, in
Ohio, near Dcersville. Harrison county: her mother. Eleanor Alexander,
was born on April [Oth, [820, in Ireland, ami was one year old when her
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 967
parents came to Ohio, near Deersville, Harrison county. Eleanor was mar-
ried to James Auld in 1838; to this union there were eight children horn,
four of whom died in infancy. She was left a widow in 1853. She and
her four children, Mary, Elizaheth, Martha and James, came to Kansas in
1858, in company with two other families, the Strongs and the Bradfords.
A few years after she was married to Harrison Foster and lived east of
Frankfort, now called the Van Yleit farm, west of Vleits, Kansas. Her
husband died in a short time, and she was left with her above named chil-
dren. Later, she married Francis Austin, and was living west of Frank-
fort when her daughter, Elizabeth Gray Auld, was married at their home to
John Thomas Lamb on February 14th, 1873, and immediately they moved
to their home on his farm near Vermillion two and one-half miles northwest
thereof, and both resided thereon until both were called by death from the
activities of life here below. They were both active in the social and relig-
ious life of their community. Their influence had much to do with the
high standard of morality in the district in which they lived, and they were
held in the highest regard by all who knew them. They became prominent
in the agricultural life of Marshall county, owning at the time of their
demise two hundred acres of land, part of which one hundred dollars per acre
could not purchase.
Elizabeth was a youth-keeping woman, with her strength, ambition,
enthusiasm and culture. In the larger, better life, and in the uplift and
progress of this wonderful age. she had her opportunities. In the buoyancy
and optimism which she brought to her work, she renewed her glad days
of her girlhood. While young, she came with her widowed mother, two
sisters and a brother to Frankfort about 1858 and was one of the early
pioneers of Kansas. She held membership in that vast army of noble men
and women who by sacrifice, toil, and perseverance transformed Kansas
into the peaceful, intelligent, healthy, law-abiding commonwealth that we
view today. What an honor to be numbered among the pioneers of Kansas.
It was her privilege to usher into the world the new-born babe; to admin-
ister to the sick, to help clothe and feed the needy; to build schools. She
saw the modern home of others supplant the log cabin ; the overland express
take the place of the ox team. She often assisted when a child, in hauling
wood and timber at their home. The night concert of the covote has been
replaced by the marvelous Victrola. In 1858 she found Kansas a wilder-
ness, lying in undisturbed virgin sleep, waiting for the coming of the cun-
ning hand of industry to blossom in plenty: she was a forerunner, ever
968 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
marching onward to the light: never shirking and never turning back. She
was one whose faith was indexed by her works. The year the grasshoppers
visited Kansas, [874, their eldest daughter was born. But, being an excel-
lent woman of high intelligence and courage and always taking an active
part in the incidents of the early history of Marshall county, and being
highly respected by all the early settlers, they all worked together, and their
lives were characterized by self -sacrifice, she with her husband, denying
themselves many comforts and much that their friends thought necessities,
that they might preserve intact the property accumulated by their industry
and devote the same to the use of their three daughters. In addition to the
propertv given, the personal efforts of their lives were untiring for their
country, their home and liberty. These three children are always striving
to make happy their three children, of their own household, but never for-
getting the children of society — many of these are grown-up children, who
have been dwarfed by circumstances or by economic conditions, so that they
have found but little of cheer and much of misery in life, and always made
them a little better off by considering them a little.
Her ambition was that her three daughters might be useful citizens
and thev are trying to obey, as Ora Adelia is now one of the progressive
and successful business women of Marvsville, and the efficient bookkeeper,
stenographer and collector for the Marvsville Telephone Exchange Com-
pany, as she attended Campbell University at Eiolton and then in 1892 took
a post-graduate course at Campbell, preparing herself to work as stenog-
rapher and bookkeeper. She has purchased a comfortable home just east
of the Catholic church grounds (one block therein), within the city of
Marvsville. Ora is improving her permanent home, and enjoys her city life,
but still loves her farm home, being the home her father and mother started.
Her sisters, both now reside thereon, and all three sisters aim to perpetuate
their parents efforts to maintain this home and add thereto in honor of their
parents. It would have been hard to find a more happy family until death
came and claimed the father: then the mother's desire was to be with her
husband, as the three children were all grown, and by their father's and
mother's careful training — spiritual and moral — and business, our mother
felt satisfied that her work here on earth was completed. The mother will
be missed in the community in which she lived so long, over fifty-six year-
near Frankfort, where she first settled on a farm, and the present Vleits,
not known then, and was always highly respected and greatly loved by all
who knew her. She was a member of the Church of God, now our Presbv-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 969
terian church in Vermillion, and was always a faithful worker for religion,
regardless of church denomination, as all goodness and practical piety make
for the betterment of the community in which we live.
The Farmers' Union, now located in Yleits, was first organized at
Lamb School house and named "Lamb" for Mr. and Mrs. Lamb.
Emma Lydia Lamb, second daughter, lives on the home place with her
sister, Julia Effa Steele, and husband. They farm three hundred and twenty
acres of land, and raise wheat, corn and alfalfa in large quantities and
many other smaller products for the feeding of their chickens, which they
raise in large quantities, both for the sale of the eggs and the young chick-
ens, having two large and commodious hen-houses therefor. They also
raise nice stock, substantial, medium-grade mules, horses, cattle and hogs.
Thev are successful and progressive farmers in the true sense of the word —
farmers — as in this day and age, to be a successful farmer means the com-
bination of culture and strength, all of which the two daughters, and the
youngest daughter's husband have obtained by education and their strong
physical life; by inheritance the two daughters are strong physically, and
by culture, intellectually.
Mary A. Auld, a sister of Elizabeth Lamb, was born on December 23,
1840, and came from Ohio in 1858 and lived with her widowed mother
near Frankfort until her marriage on June 16, 1869, to James Gorman, of
Pottawatomie county, Kansas, where she lived until she and her husband
went to Ft. Dodge, Kansas, where she died on July 4, 1916. She had the
honor of being numbered among the pioneers of Kansas, and taught school
in Marshall county in the early days, and later she lived in her log cabin as
a bride, and for a number of years after.
James Auld, her brother, was born on January 21. 1852. and came to
Marshall county when about five years old, from Ohio and died in Minne-
sota, leaving a wife and four children surviving him.
One sister, Mrs. Martha J. Lieb, survives Elizabeth, and was with her
during her last illness of about four days' sickness, her death being caused by
a complication of diseases.
Martha J. Lieb (nee Auld) was born on April 10th, 1850, on a farm
near Deersville, Harrison county, Ohio, and came at the age of eight years
with her widowed mother, Eleanor Alexander Auld, two sisters and
one brother, James, in 1858. to Marshall county, residing near Frankfort,
where all three sisters were married at their family home west of Frankfort,
she to Charles Lieb, on December 29th, 1869, and went with him to his
970 MARSHALL OH'XTY, KANSAS*.
home in Pottawatomie county, Kansas, near Onaga, two and one-half miles
southeast thereof, where he died four years thereafter of pneumonia, leav-
ing her with two small children. She still lives on the farm, where she went
as a bride, and she has seen her share of pioneer life; she can recall when
the Indians were seen every day hunting and fishing, and the grasshoppers
in 1874 so thick that they resembled a bi^ storm cloud. She received her
education in the country schools of Marshall county, around Barrett and
Frankfort and was one of the best spellers, when they had their old-fash-
ioned spelling schools. She is sixty-seven years old at the present time,
and would not be afraid to spell with some of the school-teachers of today.
as the present teachers do not devote the time to spelling they did in the
early days of pioneer life.
CARL M. BELKNAP.
Carl M. Belknap, superintendent of the plant of the Electric Light and
Water Company at Marysville, county seat of Marshall county, was horn
in that city and has lived there all his life, one of the best-known men in
the town. He was born on August 27, 1881, son of Sota and Gussie Bel-
knap, who settled at Marysville in 1878, and who were the parents of three
sons, of whom the subject of this sketch was the second in order of birth,
the others being Curtis W. Belknap, deceased, and Clovis I. Belknap, of
Chechalis, Washington, The mother of these >ons died in [886, Carl M.
Belknap then being but five years of age. Sota Belknap, the father, was
born in Minnesota in E854, son of William B. Belknap.
TOHX I.ol-DAHL
John Lofdahl, a well-known and substantial farmer of Lincoln township
and the owner of three hundred and sixty acre-, of excellent land in that town-
ship, now living practically retired from the active labors of the farm at his
pleasanl home in section 30, is a native of the Kingdom of Sweden, but has
been a resident of this country and of Marshall county since 1881. lie was
born on May iN. 1N51. son of l.ofs and Hannah Lofdahl, also natives of
Sweden, who came to this country with their family in 1881 and after a brief
stop with kinsfolk at Rockford, Illinois, came on over to Kansas and settled
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 97 1
in Marshall county, where both died in the fall of 1884. Lofs Lofdahl and
wife were the parents of seven children, of whom the subject of this sketch
was the fifth in order of birth, the others being as follow: Sarah, a resident
of Lincoln township, this county: Nels, a resident of Rockford, Illinois; Aug-
ust, who died at Rockford in 1882; Albert, who formerly owned the farm on
which the subject of this sketch now makes his home and who died there in
1897: Mrs. Christina Elberg, of Rockford, Illinois, and Mrs. Sophia Young-
sten.
Reared on a farm in his native Sweden, John Lofdahl was well prepared
to take up farming upon his arrival in this country in 1881. He had married
in his native country three or four years before coming here and shortlv after
his arrival in Marshall county bought a farm in partnership with his father
and his brother, Albert, but in 1885 sold his interest in the same and for five
years thereafter rented a farm. In 1890 he bought a quarter of a section of
land in section 20 of Lincoln tonship, a place on which he had been living for
a year, and proceeded further to develop and improve the same. When he took
possession of that place it had on it a small house and a shed of a barn, but
he made substantial improvements on the place and brought it up to a high
state of cultivation. In 1899 he bought the "eighty" in section 30 on which
he is now living, and in 1906 bought an additional tract of one hundred and
twenty acres in section 31 of that same township, now having, as above noted,
three hundred and sixty acres, all in Lincoln township, and all of which is
well improved. In July, 1916, Mr. Lofdahl retired from the active labors of
the farm and moved onto his "eighty" in section 30, where he has a very pleas-1
ant home and where he and his family are quite comfortably situated. Mr.
Lofdahl is an independent voter and has given close attention to local civic
affairs since becoming a resident of Marshall county. For twelve years he
served as treasurer of his local school district.
In 1877. while living in his native land. John Lofdahl was united in mar-
riage to Charlotte Anderson, also a native of Sweden, born in 1854, and to
this union twelve children have been bom, namely : Vilander, who is a farmer
in Lincoln township; Mrs. Bertha Christianson, now living in Burt county,
Nebraska ; Mrs. Effie Johnson, of Vliets ; Martin, who is operating the farm
of his Aunt Sarah and a part of his father's land; Edith, who lives in Omaha:
William, who is farming his father's place in section 31; Friedolpf, who is
farming in Burt county, Nebraska ; Tekla, who is living in Kansas City : Elmer
and Arvaid. who are farming their father's place in section 20, and Herbert
and Elvera. at home with their parents. The Lofdahls are members of the
Swedish Mission church and have ever taken a proper part in church work
97-2 MARSHALL COUNTY., KANSAS.
and in other neighborhood good works, helpful in promoting all movements
designed to advance the common welfare. Mr. Lofdahl has prospered since
coming to this country and has long been looked upon as one of the sub-
stantial residents of the eastern part of the county.
JACOB A. BEVERIDGE, D. D. S.
Dr. Jacob A. Beveridge. a popular young dentist at Marysville, i- a
native son of Marshall county and has lived here all his life. He was born
in the village of Home on August 15. 1890. son and only child of Jesse
and Rebecca ( Logsdon) Beveridge, the latter of whom is still living. Jesse
Beveridge, whose father was an honored veteran of the Civil War, was
born on a farm in the vicinity of Springfield, the capital of the State of
Illinois, in March, 1867, and died at his home in this county in 1901. He
was a son of Jacob and Nancy (McNeil) Beveridge. the former of whom
was born in Ohio in 1830 and in that state grew to manhood, living there
when the Civil War broke out. He enlisted his services in behalf of the
Union and went to the front with an Ohio cavalry regiment, with which
command he served until the close of the war.
CHARLES B. JONES.
Charles B. Jones, one of the best-known and most substantial farmers
and stockmen of Bigelow township and the proprietor of a fine farm of
three hundred and forty acres lying in sections 8 and 16 of that township,
with his home and well-kept farm plant in the former section, is a native
son of Marshall county and has lived here all his life. He was born on a
pioneer farm in Wells township on April 21. 1873, son °f James M. and
Louise A. (Jones) Jones, natives of Kentucky and pioneers of Marshall
county, and the latter of whom is still living here.
James M. Jones was horn in Bath county, Kentucky. September 18,
1839. a son of Charles and Rebecca (Robins) Jones, also natives of the
Blue Grass state, the former of whom was of Virginia parentage, his par-
ents having moved over into what then was Kentucky county of the Old
Dominion before the days of the organization of that great western district
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 973
into a state. In Kentucky J. M. Jones grew to manhood and there in i860,
he married Louise A. Jones, who was born in that state on January 12,
1840. daughter of Joseph Jones and wife, the latter of whom was a Boyd,
also natives of Kentucky, where they spent all their lives. In 1865 J. M.
Jones and his wife came to Kansas and settled in Marshall county, driving
over from Atchison, their first destination having been the John D. Wells
farm. In that neighborhood, in Wells township, Air. Jones bought a quarter
of a section of land, erected a log cabin on the same and there established
his home. After breaking up his land he set out trees and later built a
better house. In 1875 he sold his farm and with his family moved to Cali-
fornia, a change of climate being sought for the benefit of his wife's health.
Returning to this county in the spring of 1876 he resumed his home in Wells
township and there rented land until 1883, when he bought the southeast
quarter of section 8 in Bigelow township, the place where the subject of
this sketch is now living, and later added an adjoining "forty" to the place.
There Mr. Jones spent the rest of his life, a substantial farmer and stock-
man. He made excellent improvements on the place and always kept a
good herd of cattle, prospering in his operations. He took an active part
in local civic affairs and served as treasurer of Bigelow township for two
terms. His death occurred on August 16, 1900, and his widow is now
making her home with her son, Samuel Jones, a substantial farmer of Bige-
low township, and the only survivor, besides the subject of this sketch, of
the eight children born to his parents.
Charles B. Jones was the fourth in order of birth of the children born
to his parents, and he was reared on the farm, receiving his elementary
schooling in the district schools and supplementing the same by two terms
of study at the Ellenbecker Normal School at Marysville and a course in
Campbell University at Holton. In 1897, upon his return from the univer-
sity, Mr. Jones took charge of his father's farm and in 1901 bought eighty
acres of the old home place, continuing farming there with such success
that in 191 1 he bought an adjoining tract of two hundred and sixty acres
and now has a well-kept and profitably cultivated farm of three hundred
and forty acres, on which he is doing very well. He has made many and
valuable improvements to the place and is now very comfortably situated
there. Mr. Jones is a Republican and takes an earnest interest in local pol-
itical affairs, but has not been a seeker after public office.
On April 20, 1910, Charles B. Jones was united in marriage to Mrs.
Nettie (Fenwick) Williams, daughter of William and Melissa (Boyd)
Fenwick and widow of James W. Williams, to whom she was married in
974 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
1895, that union having been without issue. To Mr. and Mrs. Junes one
child has been born, a son, who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Jones have
a very pleasant home and take a proper part in the general social activities
of the community in which they live. Mr. Jones is a member of the local
lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Knights of
Pythias at Irving, and in the affairs of those two popular organizations
takes a warm interest.
J. L. JUDD.
J. L. Judd, one of the real pioneers of Marshall county and for many
years a well-known farmer and stockman of Bigelow township, now living
retired in the pleasant village of Irving, is an honored veteran of the Civil
War and a native of the state of Ohio, born in Lorain county, that state,
August 12, 1845, a son of Rasmus and Phoebe (Hall) Judd, New England-
ers, born in Litchfield. Connecticut, who became pioneers of Lorain county,
Ohio, and there spent their last days, substantial farming people. Of their
six children, but three are now living, the subject of this sketch having a
brother, Garwood H. Judd, who is a miner in Colorado. Mr. Judd was in
a heavy artillery regiment in 1863 and in 1865 he was in an infantry regi-
ment. He was discharged at Salisbury. North Carolina.
Reared on a pioneer farm in Ohio, J. L. Judd received his elementary
schooling in a little old log school house in the neighl)orhood of his home
and was living there when the Civil War broke out. In 1863, at Brighton.
Ohio, he enlisted for service in Company K, One Hundred and Fiftieth
Res'iment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and later was attached to the One Hun-
dred and fiftieth Heavy Artillery, with which command he served until
mustered out at the close of the war. Upon the completion of his military
service, Mr. |udd. in company with several of his army comrades, entered
college at Poughkeepsie, New York, and after a comprehensive course
there, in 1N70, came to Kansas and walked over from Atchison to Marshall
cOunty. He presently bought a quarter of a section of land in Bigelow town-
ship, this county, paying for the same five dollars an acre, and then began
working as a farm hand, clerking in a store at Irving and doing such other
labor as his hands could find to do in order to earn the money with which
to complete the sale, building up his farm in the meantime as well as he
could. He built his dwelling house of Stone quarried from his own land and
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 975
broke up his land with a double yoke of oxen. Indians still were quite
numerous here at that time and Mr. Judd recalls that they were great beg-
gars. His nearest market for grain was at Marysville and he had to haul
his wheat twenty miles on the old trails across the hills. As he prospered
in his farming operations, Mr. Judd added to his original quarter section
until he became the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres
in section 17. which he still owns, besides a considerable tract of pasture
land in Pottawatomie county, where his son, G. H. Judd, is engaged in
cattle feeding.
Mr. Judd's wife, who was Lillian Twaddle, born in Huron county,
Ohio, died in 19 13, at the age of fiftv-nine years. To Mr. and Mrs. Judd
six children were born, namely: Daisy, who married J. Sheppard and is
living at Irving; Charles, of Grand Island, Nebraska; Garwood, who is
at home; Bessie, who died in her girlhood; Guy, who also died in his youth,
and Laura, who married Owen Jones, and who died in March, 19 17. Mr.
Judd is a Democrat and has ever given a good citizen's attention to local
political affairs, but has never been a seeker after public office. He is a
member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic and has ever
taken an active interest in the affairs of that patriotic order.
RUDOLPH A. KAPITAN.
Rudolph A. Kapitan, former township trustee, a well-known farmer of
Bigelow township and proprietor, in partnership with his younger brother,
Wesley Kapitan, of a fine farm of one hundred and fifty-five acres in section
19 of that township, is a native son of Marshall county and has lived here
the greater part of his life. He was born in the village of Irving, in a
house which occupied the site now occupied there by the Knights of Pythias
hall, April \y, 1875, a son of Wesley and Mary (Brozik) Kapitan, both
natives of the far-away kingdom of Bohemia and both of whom are now
deceased.
Wesley Kapitan was born in 1848 in the city of Prague, the capital of
Bohemia, and there received a college education. When he was twenty
years of age he came to the United States and located in the city of Balti-
more, where he was married and where his eldest child was born ; remaining
there until 1874, when he and his little family came to Kansas and located
at Irving, in this county, where he became for awhile engaged as a laborer
976 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and where he remained until 1876, when he went down into the adjoining
county of Riley, homesteaded there a tract of eighty acres, established his
home there and there spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring
in 1894. Wesley Kapitan was twice married. His first wife. Mary Brozik,
who was horn in Bohemia in 1848, died in 1883. She was the mother of
six children, one of whom died in infancy, the others being as follow:
Olivia, who married F. Chalupnik and is now living near Irving, in this
county: Rudolph, the immediate subject of this biographical sketch: Wesley,
mentioned above as a partner in the farming operations of his brother,
Rudolph; Matthew, twin brother of Wesley, now living at Tenney, Minne-
sota, and Antonia, now deceased. After the death of the mother of these
children, the elder Wesley Kapitan married Mrs. Verona Konigsmark, a
widow with four children, who is now living on her farm of one hundred
and sixty acres in Riley county.
Rudolph A. Kapitan early began to be self-supporting, beginning work
on neighboring farms when eight or nine years of age, and picked up such
schooling as he could get in the district schools. When twenty-one years of
age, in 1896, he began working as a butcher at Hanover, this state, and the
next year went to Nardin, Oklahoma, where he opened a butcher shop of
hi- own and was thus engaged there for four years or until his butcher shop
was destroyed by fire, when he returned to his native county and opened a
butcher shop at Blue Rapids, where be was engaged in business until 1908.
when he and his brother. Wesley, bought their present farm of one hundred
and fifty-five acres in section iq of Bigelow township, which they ever since
have been operating. Wesley Kapitan, who was born in Riley county on
August 14. 1877. is unmarried and makes his home with his brother, who.
after his marriage in 191 1, established his home on the farm. Since taking
possession of that farm the Kapitan brothers have made many improvements
on the same, including the extensive remodeling of the house along modern
lines, the building of a fine new barn and a double garage and other im-
provements in keeping with the character of the rine farm plant they have
established. The Kapitan brothers also are quite extensively engaged in
the raising of high-class live stock and are doing very well. The brothers
are Democrats and give close attention to local political affairs. Rudolph
A. Kapitan was appointed trustee of Bigelow township to fill out an unex-
pired term and in [912 was elected to that office and was re-elected in 191 4.
serving until his resignation, he having found that the proper discharge of
the duties of that office interfered too much with the constantly expanding
interests of his agricultural business.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 9/7
On September 12, 191 1, Rudolph A. Kapitan was united in marriage
to Margaret Jones, who was born in the principality of Wales on April 7,
1884, and who was but two years of age when her parents, Harry O. and
Rose (Owens) Jones, also natives of Wales, came to this country in 1886
and settled in Kansas, both still living in Bigelow township, this county.
Mrs. Kapitan is the fourth in order of birth of the eight children born to
her parents. To Mr. and Mrs. Kapitan two children have been born, Kelma,
born on December 27, 1912, and Elwyn, January 5, 1914. The Kapitans
are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and take a proper part in
church work, as well as in the general social activities of the community in
which they live, helpful in promoting all movements having to do with the
advancement of the common welfare thereabout. Rudolph A. Kapitan is
a skilled musician, has played in several large bands and has taught bands.
He still takes much interest in musical affairs and has been a great help
along that line in the Bigelow and Irving communities.
EDWIN D. BROLYER.
Edwin D. Brolver, the well-known plumbing and heating contractor at
Marysville and one of the leaders in that line throughout this part of Kan-
sas, is a native of the old Hoosier state, but has been a resident of Kansas
since he was eight years of age and of this county all the time since then,
with the exception of about a year spent as a bank clerk at Emporia and
the time he spent completing his schooling in the state university. He was
born on a farm in Wabash county, Indiana, May 13, 1876, son of Henry
and Jennie (Hubbard) Brolver, the former a native of Ohio and the latter
of Indiana, who came to this county in the early eighties and settled on a
farm north of Axtell, where Henry Brolver spent his last days, his widow
later moving to Axtell, where she is now living.
Henry Brolver was born on a farm in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, Feb-
ruary 11, 1836, and was eleven years of age when his parents moved to
Indiana, where he grew to manhood on a farm in the vicinity of Wabash.
He married Jennie Hubbard, daughter of a farmer in the Peru neighbor-
hood, bought land in that vicinity and there continued farming until the
fall of 1884, when he came to Kansas with his family, arriving in Marshall
countv on September 4 of that vear. Upon coming to this county Henrv
" (62)
978 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Brolyer bought a farm of eighty acres three miles north of Axtell, paying
ten dollars an acre for the same, and there established his home. Henry
Brolyer was a good farmer and made substantial improvements on his farm.
There he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in 1902. His widow
is now living at Axtell, in the seventy-sixth year of her age, she having
been born in 1841. She is a member of the Christian church, as was her
husband, and their children were reared in that faith. There were eight <>f
these children, of win 'in the subject of this sketch was the sixth in order
of birth and all of whom are living save two.
As noted above, Edwin D. Brolyer was about eight years of age when
his parents came to Marshall county and he grew to manhood on the home
farm north of Axtell, receiving his elementary education in the district school
of that neighborhood. This schooling he supplemented by attendance at the
Kansas State Normal School during the years 1897-1901. and then entered
the medical department of the Kansas State University at Lawrence, with a
view to fitting himself for the practice of medicine, but presently abandoned
that idea, preferring a life of trade rather than that of a profession, and
after eighteen months spent in the medical school accepted a position as a
clerk in a bank at Emporia and was thus engaged for eight months, at the
end of which time he returned to Marshall county and bought a general
store at Mina, which he successfully operated until 1904. He then traded
his store for a farm of two hundred and forty acres in Center township and
farmed the same from March. 1904, until December. 1905. when he sold
the place and moved to Marysville, where he entered upon his present line
of business and has since been very successfully engaged along that line.
During his school day-,, Mr. Brolyer "spelled out" his vacations by working
at the plumbing trade and completed his apprenticeship at Wichita, becom-
ing a very proficient plumber and steam-litter, lie was thus well equipped
for the business when he established his plumbing shop at Marysville and it
was not long until he had built up a line business covering this section of
Kansas and the adjacent sections of Nebraska, his contract work taking him
over a wide territory. Mr. Brolyer has equipped a number of large build-
ings with their heating plants, one of his most notable contracts having
been that in connection with the equipment of the Community House at
Marysville. and his reputation fur excellent workmanship is now well estab-
lished. Mr. Brolyer is a Republican, ever giving his thoughtful attention
to local civic affairs, but has no! been included in the office-seeking class.
On April 28, 1903, Edwin 1). Brolyer was united in marriage to
Myrtle Grant, who was born in this county on May _\ 1881, daughter of
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 979
William H. and Louvina Grant, natives of Illinois and early settlers in
Marshall county, locating near Vermillion, where Mr. Grant became a large
landowner. To Mr. and Mrs. Brolyer two children have been born, Ken-
neth, born on March 6, 1906, and Tressa, January 16, 1908. Mr. and Mrs.
Brolyer are members of the Christian church and are active workers in the
same. They have a very pleasant home at Marysville and take a proper part
in the general social activities of their home town. Mr. Brolyer is a Mason
and a member of the Knights and Ladies of Security and takes a warm
interest in the affairs of these two organizations.
MILO M. RICE.
Milo M. Rice, one of the well-known and prominent residents of Cot-
tage Hill township, Marshall county, was born in the state of Pennsylvania
on November 17, 1864, and is the son of George I. and Kate (Rice) Rice,
both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania and members of old families
of the state. The first member of the Rice family to settle in Pennsylvania
was Zachariah, who was born in Germany and settled in the state in the
eighteenth century. He was the father of twenty-one children and his
grandchildren numbered one hundred and fifty-six. Members of the family
did good service in the Revolutionary War and in the War of 1812, and
were prominent in the localities in which they lived.
George I. and Kate Rice received their education in the schools of their
native state and there grew to manhood and womanhood. The former was
born in 1841 and the latter in 1842, and they have spent their lives in the
state of their nativity and are now living on the old home farm. They are
the parents of nine children, three of whom came to Kansas : Anna Hirt,
who resides in Cottage Hill township, Marshall county, where her husband
is a farmer and influential man in the district ; Alberta Arganbright is also
a resident of Cottage Hill township, where Mr. Arganbright is engaged in
general farming and stock raising, and Milo M., the subject of this sketch.
The Rices have long been prominent in the social and religious life of the
state of Pennsylvania and are active in the work of the Lutheran church.
Milo M. Rice received his education in the public schools of Pennsvl-
vania and was reared on the home farm, where he lived until he was seven-
teen years of age when in 1883 he started in work for himself. He came
to Ohio that year, but remained there but two months, when he came to
980 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Kansas in June of the same year. Here he engaged as a farm hand and
attended a teachers' institute, after which lie taught school for '>ne winter.
He then rented two hundred and forty acres of land; he later bought eighty
acres, on which he. has since resided, with the exception of three years that
he lived at 1 laid win, when he and his wife moved to give their children a
better opportunity to obtain an education. His farm is one of the splendid
tracts of land in the county and is nicely improved. The buildings are well
kept and the fields are under a high state of cultivation. He always kept
high-grade stock, which was among the best in the district. In 1906 he
retired from the more active duties of farm life, yet he takes much interest
in the management of his farm.
On February 7. 1886. Mr. Rice was united in marriage to Lura I'..
Clark, the daughter of James and Emma Clark, natives of Pennsylvania
and the state of Xew York, respectively. They established their home in
Illinois and later came to Kansas. Lura Ethel I Clark ) Rice was born in
Illinois, in Lee county, on October 2, 1867, where she received her early
education and later came with her parents to Kansas. The father is now
deceased and the mother is making her home at Baldwin with her son.
William, who is a graduate of the Baker Lniversity and is now with the
Baldwin State Bank. The Clarks moved to Baldwin in order to educate
their children and there they lived for a number of years. They were
people of high ideals and took the greatest interest in all educational mat-
ters and were prominent in the community in which they lived and where
they were held in the highest regard and esteem.
To Milo M. and Lura ((/lark) Rice have been born the following
children : George Clark, William Fletcher and Clarence Albert. George
Clark was born on October 30. 1887. and after completing his education in
the common schools entered Baker University, where he received his degree
and is now a resident of Los Angeles, California, where he is a bookkeeper
for the Williams Company; William Fletcher was born on December 9. 1 888,
and completed the common-school course and is a graduate of the Commer-
cial Class of Baker Lniversity and is now a resident of California, and
Clarence Albert was born on November 8. 1892, and is now engaged in
farming on the home place, where he is in partnership with his father, in
general (arming and slock raising, and is meeting with much success.
The village of Cottage Hill is located on the farm of Milo M. Rice
and he is known as the father of the village, he having been one of the
earliest settlers in this community and had much to do with the foundation
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 981
and growth of the place. He has always taken much interest in local affairs
and has been much interested in the development of. the village, where he
has had so many interests.
Politically, Mr. Rice is identified with the Republican party and has
been one of the prominent men in the civic life of the district. In 1908 he
was elected trustee of his home township and served in that capacity for
eight years, when he declined re-election. During his term as trustee many
substantial developments were made and his interests were ever for the good
of the community in which he lived. The best schools and good roads
received his utmost consideration, for in these he believed that the future
of the township and the county largely depended.
Mr. and Mrs. Rice are active members of the Lutheran church and
have always taken great interest in church work and are prominent in the
social life of the community. Mr. Rice is one of the active members of the
Modern Woodmen of America and to him is due much of the success of
the local lodge. He is a man of pleasing qualities and has a wide influence
throughout the county.
THOMAS M ALONE.
Thomas Malone, one of the most successful of the younger farmers
and stockmen of Richland township. Marshall county, was born in Rich-
ardson county, Nebraska, on May 14, 1881, being the son of John R. and
Mary M. (Ashley) Malone.
John R. Malone was born in Scioto county, Ohio, in 1843, and his
wife was also a native of that county, having been born on November 9,
1849. John R. was the son of William Malone, also a native of Ohio and
of Irish descent. Mrs. Malone was the daughter of Jeremiah and Useba
( Conklin ) Ashley, both of whom were natives of Ohio. On September 5,
1866, John R. Malone and Mary M. Ashley were united in marriage and
soon after their marriage they left Ohio and established their home in the
state of Nebraska, where they remained until 1881.
On August 6, 1863, John R. Malone enlisted in Company D, First Regi-
ment Heavy Artillery of Ohio, and gave three years of his life to the cause of
the Union. He received his honorable discharge at Knoxville, Tennessee,
on June 20, 1865, after having seen much active service and had been in
many of the hard-fought battles of the Civil War. After his discharge he
returned to his former home in Scioto countv, Ohio, where he was married
982 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
within the next few months. With his bride he went to Richardson county.
Nebraska, where he rented land and engaged in general farming and stock
raising, with much success. In [88l he and his family made the journey to
Marshall county with horses and wagons and established their home in
Richland township. There they resided on a farm east of Beattie for three
years, after having lived in Richland township for two years. In 1886 Mr.
Malone purchased the excellent farm in Richland township, that is now
owned by the son. Thomas. This farm he developed into one of the best
in the township and made several important improvements. The house
was one of the best in the township and the barn was a substantial structure :
these with the excellent condition of the farm, made the place one of the
attractive homes of the county.
To John R. and Mary M. were born the following children: Dora,
John. George, Richard, J. W.. Ida, Harvey. Mary. Thomas. Eli. Susan.
Alice and Harry. Dora is now deceased: John is a resident of Salina,
Kansas; George is at home; Richard is a farmer near Axtell; J. W. is a
resident of Apple Lane, Kansas; Ida. who was the wife of Ed Warner,
is now deceased; Harvey is deceased; Mary is the wife of Charles Wolf
and resides in Colorado: Thomas is the subject of this sketch: Eli is engaged
in farming on a farm adjoining that of his brother, Thomas; Susan is the
wife of Bert Wolf, of Denver. Colorado: Alice is the wife of Howard
Shue and resides at Denver, Colorado, and Harry is on a farm one-half
mile south of the farm home of his brother, Thomas.
John R. Malone lived on his farm in Richland township, until the
time of his death on November 4, 1902. His life was an active one and
he accomplished much in the years that he lived. He was a poor young
man when he came to the new country in the West with his bride, and with
her assistance he was able to surmount many of the difficulties which came
his way. He devoted his best energies to his work, and by diligence and
economv he in time became one of the prominent men of the township
and county. He and his estimable wife were ever active in all the affairs
of the community that would tend to the betterment of the moral, social and
financial condition of the people. They were held in the highest regard
and esteem, and were among the most worthy people of the district in which
they lived for so many years.
Thomas Malone received his education in the district schools of Rich-
land township and has lived on the present home farm, since he was but
a lad. The older members of the family received their education in the
schools of Beattie, before the family came to this township. After com-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 983
pleting his education he decided to engage in farm work and since that
time has devoted his attention to high-grade farming and stock raising. He
owns the old homestead consisting of two hundred and forty acres in section
26 and eighty acres in section 2j, all of which is in a high state of culti-
vation and well improved.
On November 30, 19 13, Thomas Malone was united in marriage to Bertha
Hostettler. daughter of Albert and Margaret Hostettler- Her parents were
also natives of that country and there they received their education in
the public schools, grew to maturity and they were later married . They
continued to live in the land of their nativity until 1894, when the daughter,
Bertha, was one year old, when they decided to seek a home in America.
On their arrival in the United States they came to Kansas and after a resi-
dence of three years at Herkimer, they located on a farm east of Home
City, where they remained for a time, when they moved to their present
home in Guittard township, where Mr. Hostettler is successfully engaged
in general farming and the raising of good stock.
Thomas Malone is recognized as one of the progressive and substantial
men of the township, where he has lived for so many years, and where he
and his wife are held in the highest regard and esteem, and where they are
prominent and active in the social life of the community. Mr. Malone
is an independent in politics, yet he takes much interest in local affairs and
uses his best efforts for the growth and development .of his home district.
HENRY F. DETWEILER.
Henry F. Detweiler, one of Murray township's substantial and pro-
gressive farmers and the proprietor of a fine farm of two hundred and eighty
acres in section 27 of that township, is a native of Illinois, but has been
a resident of this county since he was seventeen years of age. He was born
on a farm in Clay county, Illinois, March 31, 1866, son of Henry and Mary
(Hillyer) Detweiler, the former a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1832,
and the latter, of Ohio, born in 1842, who came to Kansas in 1883 and
settled in Marshall county, where they spent the remainder of their lives,
honored and influential pioneer citizens.
On coming to this county Henry Detweiler settled on a partly-improved
farm six miles northwest of Axtell and there established a home for him-
self and family. He developed the farm, making valuable improvements
984 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
on the same, and there he and his wife spent their last days, his death
occurring in 1898 and hers in April, 1907. He was the owner of one
hundred and sixty acres of prime land. They were earnest members of
the Christian church and their children were reared in that faith. They
were the parents of thirteen children, of whom four sons and three daughters
are still living, namely: P. L., of Mina, this county: O. B., of Wichita: Henry
F., the subject of this biographical sketch: Airs. Anna Hawkins, of Topeka;
Mrs. Belle Jackson, of Rice county, this state: Mrs. Stella Beason, of
Montana, and H. A., a farmer, living one and one-half miles south of
Axtell.
As noted above, Henry F. Detweiler was seventeen years of age when
he came to this county with his parents and he completed his schooling in
the district school in the neighborhood of his home. At the age of twenty-
one he began farming on his own account and for some years, in partner-
ship with one of his brothers, was engaged in farming on rented farms,
being thus engaged for some years. He rented the John Montgomerv farm
northwest of Axtell. After his marriage in 1892 he began farming alone
and in 1893 bought one hundred and sixty acres of the farm on which
he is now living. The next year he established his home there and has
ever since made that his place of residence, he and his wife being pleasantlv
and comfortably situated there. When Mr. Detweiler took possession of
the place there were but few improvements on the same, including a little
old house. He built a new house and farm buildings to match and has one
of the best-equipped farm plants in that part of the county. In 1901 he
bought an adjoining tract of one hundred and twenty acres and now has
a well-developed and profitably cultivated farm of two hundred and eighty
acres. His home is beautifully situated on a hillside, commanding a view
of the country for miles about. The house is equipped with a modern
heating and lighting system and the commodious barn and other farm build-
ings are in keeping, everything being nicely arranged for comfort and con-
venience. In addition to his general farming, Mr. Detweiler gives consid-
erable attention to the raising of live stock and has done very well.
In the spring of 1892 Henry F. Detweiler was united in marriage to
Agues Wilson, who was born in Dubuque county, Iowa, daughter of James
and Margaret Wilson, and who was visiting with her sister in this county
when she met Mr. Detweiler, their marriage taking place shortly afterward.
Mr. and Mrs. Detweiler are members of the Presbyterian church and take
an earnest interest in the various beneficences of the same. Mr. Detweiler
is a Democrat and ever gives his thoughtful attention to local political affairs,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 985
but has not been included in the office-seeking class. He is a member of the
Masonic lodge at Axtell and of the local lodge of the Knights and Ladies
of Security, and in the affairs of both of these organizations takes a warm
interest. He and his wife have a very pleasant home and take a proper part
in the general social activities of the community in which they live, helpful
in promoting all worthy causes thereabout.
LYMAN H. ARMSTRONG.
Lyman H. Armstrong, president of the Bigelow State Bank at Bigelow,
a substantial landowner and stock breeder, member of the Marshall County
Fair Association and formerly and for years one of Marshall county's best-
known school teachers, is a native of the great Empire state, but has been
a resident of Kansas since 1884. He was born at Marcellus, in Onondaga
county, New York, January 26, 1861, son of Addison H. and Adelia M.
(Brown) Armstrong, the former of whom, born in Bennington county. Ver-
mont, May 12, 1823, died at his home in New York in 1891, and the latter
of whom, born on May 10, 1833, is still living at Marcellus, New York.
Addison H. Armstrong and wife were the parents of eight children, of
whom the subject of this sketch was the fourth in order of birth and five
of whom are still living.
Reared on a farm in New York, Lyman H. Armstrong received his
elementary schooling in the public schools and supplemented the same by
a course in the Monroe College Institute, after which he began teaching
school in his home county. When twenty years of age, in 1881. he went to
Michigan and taught school near Union City, in that state. In 1884 he
came to Kansas, his destination here being Frankfort, in this county, and
for a year after bis arrival here worked on the farm of T. F. Rhodes. He
then taught district schools in this county until 1887. when he entered the
State Normal School at Emporia and after a comprehensive course in that
institution resumed teaching, in 1890, being employed as principal of the
schools at Oketo. During the next two years he was employed as a teacher
in the high school at Marysville and for two years thereafter as principal
in the schools at Beattie. While at Beattie Mr. Armstrong bought his pres-
ent farm of two hundred and forty acres in sections 3 and 15 of Bigelow
t< iwnship and began the development of the same, continuing his school
work during the winters and spending his summers on the farm. In 1893
986 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
he further enlarged his land holdings and ever since then has lived in and
out of Bigelow. In 1904 Mr. Armstrong retired from the school room in
order to give his whole attention to his rapidly developing agricultural and
live stock interests. At the time of the organization of the Bigelow State
Bank in 1907 Mr. Armstrong was one of the original stockholders and was
elected vice-president of the same. Following the death of John E. Chitty,
president of the bank, in 191 1, he was elected to succeed Mr. Chitty, and
has since been president of the bank, a position for which he is eminently
qualified. In addition to the land holdings above mentioned Mr. Armstrong
is the owner of an "eighty" of valuable land on the north edge of Bigelow
and is regarded as one of the most substantial citizens of that part of the
county.
Mr. Armstrong is a Democrat and ever since he came to this county
in 1884 has taken an earnest and an active part in local civic affairs. For
six years he served as township clerk in Clear Fork and in Bigelow town-
ships and was the first clerk elected in the latter township after its organiza-
tion. He also has taken an earnest interest in the agricultural development
of the county and has rendered excellent service as a member of the Mar-
shall County Fair Association. Fraternally, Mr. Armstrong is affiliated
with the local lodge of the Modern Woodmen of America at Bigelow and
is clerk of the same. Mr. Armstrong has a wide acquaintance in banking
and general business circles throughout this part of the state and has long
been recognized as one of the important personal factors in the development
of the business life of the community.
ALFRED LINDEEN.
Alfred Lindeen, one of Lincoln township's well-known and substantial
farmers and the owner of a fine farm home there, is a native of the kingdom
of Sweden, but has been a resident of this country and of Marshall county
since 1886. He was born on July 16, 1856, son of Gust Anderson and Anna
Johnson, also natives of Sweden, who spent all their lives in their native land.
Reared on a farm in his native Sweden, Alfred Lindeen received his
schooling there and grew to manhood on the home farm, becoming in turn
a farmer on his own account, and there he remained until he was thirty
years of age, when, in 1886, he came to the United States and proceeded on
out to Kansas, locating at Frankfort, in this county. In that vicinity Mr.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 987
Lindeen, who had arrived in this country with very little money, secured
employment at farm labor, at a wage of fifteen dollars a month, and for two
years was thus engaged. He then rented a farm and for three years worked
the same quite successfully. At the end of that time he bought eighty acres
of the farm on which he is now living and, in the meantime having married
in 1889, established his home there. Mr. Lindeen is a good farmer and as
he prospered in his operations added to his land holdings until now he is the
owner of two hundred acres of excellent land in Lincoln township, forty
acres in section 17, eighty acres in section 16 and eighty in section 28. He
has a fine farm house and farm buildings in keeping with the same, his farm
plant being operated along modern lines, and he is doing well. He has an
excellent orchard on his place and in addition to his general farming devotes
considerable attention to the raising of cattle, Shorthorns and Polled Angus,
and Poland China hogs, the latter being of the white-spotted variety, a
splendid type of big, rapid growers.
As noted above, it was in 1889, about three years after he came to this
county, that Mr. Lindeen was married. His wife, Clara Back, is also a
native of Sweden, born in 1859, who came to this country in 1887. To that
union five children have been born, namely: Freda, wife of John Anderson,
a farmer, living on section 15 of Lincoln township, this county: Eben, a
farmer ; Albin, who married Ellen Odell and lives at Axtell, and Emil and
Albort, at home. Mr. and Mrs. Lindeen are members of the Swedish
Lutheran (Solem) church, of which Mr. Lindeen has been a member of the
board of trustees for twelve years and for five years a teacher in the Sunday
school. He is a Republican and gives his earnest attention to local political
affairs, but has not been a seeker after public office.
CALVIN WARNJCA.
Calvin Warnica, one of Marshall county's substantial pioneer farmers
and the proprietor of a fine farm in Vermillion township about three miles
east of Frankfort, is a native of the Dominion of Canada, but has been a
resident of this county since pioneer days, having come to Kansas with his
mother, widow of a Civil War veteran, who came here from Michigan
and became a Marshall county homesteader in 1873. He was born at Berry,
near Toronto, July 20, 1853, sixth in order of birth of the seven children
born to his parents, Joseph G. and Melvina (Denrure) Warnica, natives of
988 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
New York state, the former of whom was of German descent, who had set-
tled in Canada after their marriage. In a biographical sketch relating to
William D. Warnica, elder brother of the subject of this sketch, presented
elsewhere in this volume, there is set out at some length further details of
the history of the Warnica family that will not need to be repeated in this
connection, the attention of the reader being respectfully invited to that
sketch for additional information. Suffice it to say that Joseph G. Warnica
was a carpenter, who moved with his family from Canada to Michigan in
1857 and established his home in the vicinity of Grand Rapids, where he
was living when the Civil War broke out. He enlisted his services in behalf
of the Union and went to the front as a member of the Michigan Engineer
Corps, in which service he lost his life. His older sons later came to Kansas
and became pioneers of this part of the state. In 1873 the Widow Warnica
and her three younger children, including the subject of this sketch, then
twenty vears of age, came to Kansas and homesteaded a tract of land five
miles west of Frankfort, in this county, where she established her home and
where she died three years later.
Calvin Warnica was but a child when his parents moved from Canada
to Michigan and in the latter state grew to manhood. He was but ten years
of age when his soldier father lost his life and as the older children grew
up and started out for themselves he continued to stay with his mother and
when she came here and entered her homestead he remained with him, help-
ing to develop the same. He later homesteaded an eighty-acre tract of his
own and after his marriage in 1876 established his home there, remaining
there until in 1892, when he sold that place and bought his present farm in
section 18 of Vermillion township, where he since has made his home. In
addition to his home farm of one hundred and ninety-seven acres Mr. War-
nica is the owner of a farm of two hundred and thirty-six acres in Morris
county, this state.
In September 17, 1876, Calvin Warnica was united in marriage to Joan
Osborn, who was born in Knox county, Illinois, October 4, 1856, daughter
of Robert and Betsy (Roundtree) Osborn, natives of Kentucky, who came
to- Kansas in the latter sixties and settled in this county, locating on the farm
on which Mr. and Mrs. Warnica are now living, Robert Osborn becoming
one of the substantial pioneers of that part of the county. Mr. Osborn died
in 1893, at "the age of seventy-one years, and his widow is now living at
Frankfort at the age of ninety-two years. To Mr. and Mrs. Warnica ten
children have been born, namely. George E., who was a soldier during the
Spanish-American War, a member of the Twenty-sixth Regiment, Kansas
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 989
Volunteer Infantry, and who is now living at Junction City, this state, where
he is engaged as a carpenter: Oscar X., who died when thirty-one years of
age: Robert A., who died at the age of four months; Charles C, a farmer of
Vermillion township; Emma, who died at the age of fifteen months: Wini-
fred, who married P. Skadden and is living in 'Wells township: Edna, wife
of H. T. Harper, of Colorado; Walter R., who is engaged in the offices of
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Company at Topeka; Leroy, of
Frankfort, this county, and Geneve R., a graduate of the Frankfort high)
school, who is at home with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Warnica are mem-
bers of the Christian church and have ever taken a warm interest in local
good works. Mr. Warnica is a Republican, and ever since coming to Mar-
shall county in the davs of his young manhood has given his earnest atten-
tion to local political affairs, a consistent exponent of good government.
HENRY SCHULTE.
It i^ well to note the elements of success in the lives of representative
citizens of any country, and especially of those who had to do with the earlv
history and the future growth and prosperity of their home community.
Among these representative men of Elm Creek township, Marshall county,
is Henry Schulte, who was born in Oldenburg, Germany, on November 25,
1857. and is the son of Arnold and Elizabeth (Dwelkotte) Schulte. These
parents were also natives of Germany and there they spent their lives; the
father died in 1906 at the age of ninety-three years, and the mother died in
1878 at the age of forty-three years. They were the parents of ten children,
five of whom are now living, Henry being the fifth born. Arnold Schulte
was a successful farmer as was his father, Arnold Schulte, before him. Mr.
and Mrs. Schulte were devout members of the Catholic church and were
highly respected in the community in which they lived.
Henry Schulte was educated in the schools of his native land and there
he grew to manhood. At the age of sixteen years, in 1874, he decided to
seek his fortune in America. On his arrival in the United States he located
at Cincinnati, Ohio, and worked in that vicinity for eight years as a farm
hand. He then purchased a dairy, which he operated until 1883, when he
sold the business and came to Kansas. He purchased one hundred and sixty
acres of land in Elm Creek township and engaged in general farming. There
was an old house on the place, in which he lived for some years. He had
990 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
gone in debt for his farm, and was determined to make good. Being a hard
worker and possessed of excellent business judgment, he was on the way to
success. In 1893 he built a splendid seven-room brick house and in 1912 a
large and modern barn. The latter structure is conveniently arranged for
feeding and has a hay mow that will hold over sixty tons of hay. In 1916
he built a large barn for the housing of his stock. This building is one of
the best of its kind in the community. He takes the greatest interest in the
upkeep of his farm and buildings, and is considered one of the most suc-
cessful of the general farmers and stockmen in the county. He keeps only
the best of cattle and hogs, and each year he has many fine animals to put
on the market at the highest prices. He has increased his original farm
until he is now the owner of seven hundred acres of most excellent land, the
greater part of which he has in a fine state of development.
In 1883 Mr. Schulte was united in marriage to Tressia Cohorst, who
was born in Oldenburg, Germany, on October 27, 1865. 1° her native land
she received her educational training and there she continued to live until
she was eighteen years of age, when in 1883, she came to America with her
parents, Fredinald and Fredricka (Wassenberg) Cohorst. The family, on
their arrival in the United States came to Kansas, where the father estab-
lished a home for his family on a farm in Elm Creek township, Marshall
county, and there he engaged in general farming, with success, until the time
of his death some years ago : the mother is still living in the township. Mr.
and Mrs. Cohorst were always held in the highest regard by the people of
their home township.
To Henry and Tressia Schulte have been born the following children:
Henry, Fredia, Ferd, Joseph, Frank and Aloysius. Henry A. is now a suc-
cessful young farmer and stockman of Elm Creek township ; Fredia is the
wife of Joe Lubeke, who is engaged in farming on Mr. Schulte' s farm in
the township ; Ferd is deceased ; Joseph, after completing his education entered
the First National Bank of Marysville, and is now the assistant cashier;
Frank is at home and Aloysius is attending Benedict's College at Atchison,
Kansas. Mr, and Mrs. Schulte are active members of the Catholic church
and are among the most prominent and popular residents of the township,
where they are held in high regard and esteem. They have by their genial
personality and consideration for the interests of others, won for themselves
a high place in the estimation of the people of the district. They have ever
taken much interest in the affairs of the community, and have always advo-
cated and practiced a high standard of living. They have had much to do
with the high standard of social conditions that exist in Elm Creek town-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 99 1
ship, and they have supported those enterprises that would tend to advance
the best interests of the county.
Mr. Schulte is a man of broad views and excellent judgment and abil-
ity, and while he has never been a seeker after office, his advice is often
sought on matters that pertain to the public welfare. He is an advocate of
good roads and the best schools. He believes it the duty of all men to use
their best efforts in the selection of the best officials to administer the affairs
of the county and the state. Politically, he is an independent, and has served
his township as trustee and treasurer, and has been road overseer, all of
which positions he has filled with distinction. He gave the same care and
attention to the affairs of the township that he gives to his own business.
He and his wife have a pleasant home and an ideal family. Mr. Schulte is
an active member of the Catholic Men's Benevolent Association, and is de-
voted to the cause of Christianity and morality.
OLIVER R. MANLY.
Oliver R. Manly, a well-known young farmer of St. Bridget township,
this county, was born in Missouri on August 27, 1889, son of Allen and
Emma (Steadman) Manly, the former of whom was born in Ohio and is
now living in Barber county, this state. Allen Manly was the eldest of seven
children born to his parents and was married twice, his second marriage
having been without issue. To his union with Emma Steadman eight chil-
dren were born, of whom the subject of this sketch was the sixth in order of
birth, the others being as follow : Joseph, who is living in Barber county,
this state ; Mrs. Sadie Abernacky, of Wichita ; Mrs. Audrey Boden, de-
ceased; Mrs. Maggie Smith, of Springfield, Missouri; Lonnie, of Barber,
county ; Anna, who also lives in Barber county, and Charles, who is working
for his brother, Oliver R. Manly, in this county.
Reared on a farm, Oliver R. Manly has been engaged as a farmer all
his life and early discerned the possibilities of modern methods applied to
agriculture, being an ardent advocate of progressive methods in tilling the
soil. In 191 1 he came to Marshall county and has since made his home here,
being now engaged in farming the old James W. Manly farm in St. Bridget
township, the place belonging to his brothers-in-law, his labors co-operating
with theirs in bringing that place to its highest development and most profit-
able cultivation.
On October 17, 1916, Oliver R. Manly was united in marriage to Mrs.
992 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Sadie (Manly) Rodgers, who was born in Murray township, this county,
November ir, 1879, daughter of James W. and Mary A. (Ford) Manly, the
former of whom was a son of Beveridge and Sidney ( Bowes) Manly, pion-
eers of Marshall county, further mention of whom is made elsewhere in this
volume. James W. Manly was born in Ohio in 1852. In 1875 he married
Man' A. Ford, who was born in Livingston county, Illinois, April 14. 1855.
They settled in this county and at the time of his death in 191 5 James W.
Manly was the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres in St.
Bridget township, where his widow still makes her home, being tenderly
cared for there by her daughter. Mrs. Oliver Manly.
To James \Y. and Mary A. (Ford) Manly five children were born,
namely: Mrs. Lillie Pattridge, of Murray township, this county: Sadie, the
wife of Oliver R. Manly, the subject of this biographical sketch; John H.,
who is assisting in the farming of the home place in St. Bridget township :
James R., of Marysville, and Robert Elmer, who is also at home assisting
in the management of the farm. In 1900 Sadie Manly married George
Rodgers, who was born in Monmouth, Illinois, March 2, 1880. son of Duty
and Mary (Bowes) Rodgers, natives of Illinois, who came to Kansas in
1882 and settled on a farm in Murray township, this county. George
Rodgers died on May 20, 1915. leaving a widow and one child, a daughter.
Rachel, who was born on February 8, 1903.
THOMAS H. SKALLA.
Thomas H. Skalla, a pioneer of Blue Rapids township, Marshall county,
and for many years one of its highly respected citizens and successful farm-
ers, was born in Bohemia on December 2j, 1841, and he lived in that country
until 1867. In his native land he received his education in the public schools
and became identified with the farm life. His parents were also natives of
that country, and Mr. Skalla remained at home until he was twenty-two years
of age, when in 1863 he was united in marriage to Teresie Hromatke, who
was born on December 3. 1843. After their marriage they established their
home amid the scenes of their early life, and there they lived for four years.
Thev were progressive young people, and their desire was to reach a higher
plane, than that to which they had been accustomed. With this desire in
view thev decided to seek a home in America. On their arrival in the
United States thev at once came to Iowa, where thev lived in Lynn countv
MR. AXD MRS. THOMAS H. SKALLA.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 993
for three years. They then moved to Riley county, Kansas, where they
homesteaded eighty acres of land in 1870. They built a log cabin and pro-
ceeded to develop their new farm. They met with much success and made
many valuable improvements on the place and there they resided for ten
years, after which, in the year 1880, they came to .Marshall county, and estab-
lished their home in Blue Rapids township. Here they purchased a farm,
which at that time was undeveloped and unimproved, but which in time they
made into one of the fine farms of the county. They increased their land
holdings and in time became the owners of over four hundred acres of splen-
did land, all of which was placed under high cultivation and well improved.
The tract was later sold to the children, all of whom were helped to good
farms of their own.
To Thomas H. and Teresie Skalla were born the following children:
Joseph. Thomas, John, Julia, George, Jennie, William. Emma, Amiel. Fred
and Clara. Joseph is a successful farmer ; Thomas is a prominent farmer
of Blue Rapids township; John is a merchant of Blue Rapids and is meeting
with much success : Julia Lamb resides in Blue Rapids township, where her
husband is a successful farmer and stockman: George is also a well-known
and progressive farmer of Blue Rapids township; Jennie Dobrorlmv resides
in Cottage Hill township, where her husband is meeting with success on the
farm : William is in Colorado ; Emma Woriechek is a resident of Cottage
Hill township where she and her husband are among the prominent people
of their community : Amiel is engaged in general farming and stock raising
in Blue Rapids township : Fred is at home : and Clara Xowak resides in Blue
Rapids township, where Mr. Xowak is engaged in farming with success.
Mr. and Mrs. Skalla are active members of the Catholic church and
have reared their family in the faith of that denomination, and they are
among the highly respected people of Marshall county, where thev have lived
for so many years, and where they have had so much to do with the general
development of the district. Their lives have been active ones, and their
early days on the plains were full of adventure and hardships. Thev made
the journey from Iowa with horses and wagon and were twentv-eight days
on the way. Blue river at the time they crossed it, was so low that their
seven-year-old boy was able to cross without anv assistance.
On their arrival at their new farm in Marshall county, Mr. Skalla built
a residence in which the family lived for some years. He built a log cabin
in Rilev county. The only tool that he had was an ax, and his only assist-
(63)
994 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
ance was his team of horses. He and his wife were determined to have a
home of their own and their efforts were crowned with success. Today they
are among the substantial residents of the county and are now enjoying their
lives on the farm where they have lived for the past thirty-seven years.
GODFREY H. NELSON.
Godfrey H. Nelson, former treasurer of Lincoln township, the first man
to settle in section 23 of that township and the owner there of one of the best
quarter-section farms in Marshall county, is a native of the kingdom of
Sweden, but has been a resident of this country since 1874 and of Kansas
since 1876, being thus very properly regarded as one of the real pioneers of
Marshall county, the development of which he has watched since the days
of the open range and to which development he has added his full share as a
citizen, for years having taken an active and influential part in the public and
general affairs of the community. He was born on October 2, 1853, son of
Carl August and Mary Nelson, also natives of Sweden, who spent all their
lives in their native land, and he remained in his native land until he was
twenty-one years of age, when he came to this country and two vears later
settled in Marshall county. Four sisters and one brother of Mr. Nelson pre-
ceded him to this country, namely: Albertina, wife of Claus Anderson, who
is a pioneer farmer in section 22 of Lincoln township, this county; Albin, of
Chicago: Mrs. Henricka Anderson, of Chicago: Mrs. Mena Chinland. also
of Chicago, and Mrs. Selma Nelson, of South Bend, Indiana.
It was in 1874 that Godfrey H. Nelson left his native land and crossed
the ocean to the United States, landing here practically penniless. For a
short time after his arrival in this country he was engaged as a teamster at
Providence, Rhode Island, working for the B. B. Knight Manufacturing
Company, beginning that employment at a wage of one dollar and fifty cents
a day. Presently that wage was reduced to one dollar and twenty-five cents
and then was cut to one dollar, which Mr. Nelson regarded as insufficient
and he made up his mind to come \Yest. Borrowing enough money to take
him to Chicago, he remained in that city for six months, working at odd
jobs until in October, 1876, when he came to Kansas, with a view to joining
his sister, Albertina, and her husband. Claus Anderson, who had a short time
before settled in the eastern part of Marshall county, in what then was Noble
township, but which later was created into Lincoln township. Mr. Nelson
MARSHALI COUNTY, KANSAS. 995
missed his train at Atchison, but through the kindness of Superintendent
Downs, of the railroad company, was enabled to ride to Vermillion on an
extra train. Upon his arrival at Vermillion he walked out to his brother-in-
law's farm through the lush grass of the open prairie and the prospect both
pleased and amazed him. The broad prairie, with the grass waving in the
fall breezes like the waves of the ocean, presented to him a new and novel
view and he was deeply impressed by the sight, as well as convinced that
land that could produce grass in such amazing luxuriance could be converted
into the most wonderful farms. Until the June following his arrival in this
county Mr. Nelson remained with his brother-in-law, working for his board,
and then he took employment with Capt. Perry Hutchison at Marysville and
was thus engaged for more than three years, during which time he aided in
the construction of the elevator. After his marriage in 1880 Mr. Nelson
rented a farm in Rock township and there made his home for three years,
at the end of which time he bought the farm on which he is now living, a
quarter section in section 23 of Lincoln township, paying ten dollars an acre
for the same, established his home there and has ever since resided on that
place, which he has improved and brought up to a degree of cultivation ex-
celled by no other farm in the county. Upon taking possession of that farm
Mr. Nelson was the first settler in the section in which his place lies. He
put up a small house, twelve by sixteen feet, and started out in a modest way,
for he had gone heavily in debt for his farm, having saved but four hundred
dollars at the time he bought it. but he prospered from the very start and
now has a fine home and a well-improved farm and he and his family are
very comfortably situated. Mr. Nelson has traveled quite a bit not only in
the United States, but in Canada, and he is always glad to get back to
Marshall county, regarding this as one of the best agricultural regions in
the entire country. Starting on his unbroken farm heavily in debt and facing
responsibilities that might have daunted a less stout-hearted man, Mr. Nelson
now does not owe a dollar and has a fine piece of property in Vermillion
and now lives as a retired farmer, and believes that any other man can do
as well with Kansas land if he tries.
In February, i88n, Godfrey H. Nelson was united in marriage to
Augusta Johnson, who also was born in Sweden, in 1848, and who came to
this country in 1871, and to this union three children have been born, Effie,
who is at home ; Mamie, who is now engaged as a stenographer in Kansas
City, Missouri, and Everett W. Nelson, who has ever been a capable assistant
to his father in the management of the home farm and who recently was
appointed postmaster of Vermillion, which important public office he is now
99^ MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
filling. The Nelsons are members of the Swedish Lutheran church and for
years have taken a proper part in the various beneficences of the same, as
well as in the general social activities of their home community. Upon
becoming a citizen of this country Mr. Nelson affiliated with the Republican
party and continued thus to affiliate until the memorable campaign of 1896,
when he became an ardent supporter of Mr. Bryan and has ever since con-
tinued a Democrat, long having been regarded as one of the leaders of that
party in this county. For four years he served as treasurer of Lincoln town-
ship and for twenty-two years as a member of the school board. For four
years he was committeeman from his precinct and a member of the Marshall
county Democratic central committee. Fraternally, Mr. Nelson is affiliated
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and with the Knights of Pythias
at Vermillion. In the local lodge of the last named order he has filled all
the chairs and is a past representative of that lodge in the grand lodge of
the state.
NELS E. JOHNSON.
The late Nels E. Johnson, an honored veteran of the Civil War and for
years one of the best-known and most substantial farmers of Lincoln town-
ship, this county, was a native of the kingdom of Sweden, but had been a
resident of this country since he was ten years of age. He was born in the
old province of Skane, in the southern part of Sweden, November 21, 1842,
and was ten years of age when his parents came to this country, in 1852,
locating at Galesburg, Illinois, where his father died in the following year,
1853, and there he was living when the Civil War broke out. On August
22, 1862, he then being under twenty years of age, Nels E. Johnson enlisted
for service in the Lmion army as a member of Company F, Seventy-seventh
Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served with that command until
he was seriously wounded at the battle of Arkansas Post. He was removed
to a hospital at St. Louis and there, May 30, 1863, was honorably dis-
charged, on a physician's certificate of physical disability.
Upon recovering from the effects of his wound Mr. Johnson returned
to Galesburg. Illinois, and was there employed as a clerk in a furniture store
until he presently formed a partnership in the grocery business and was there
engaged in that business until 1883, when he disposed of his interests in Illi-
nois and came to Kansas, arriving in Marshall county in the spring of that
year. Upon coming to this county Mr. Johnson bought a quarter of a section
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 997
of land in Lincoln township, proceeded to improve the same and there he
spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring on March 14, 191 5.
Nels E. Johnson was twice married. In 1877 ne was united in mar-
riage to Matilda Lindquist, who died in 1881, and in 1889 he married
Hannah Grans, who was born in Rockford, Illinois, March 8, 1871, daughter
of G. A. and Anna S. Grans, natives of Sweden, who came to the United
States in 1868, settling in Illinois, where they remained until 1882, when
they came to Kansas and in 1884 settled in Lincoln township. G. A. Grans
became a substantial farmer in Lincoln township and there spent his last
days, his death occurring on December 27, 1906. His widow, who was born
on January 2y. 1831, is still living.
To Xels E. and Hannah (Grans) Johnson three children were born,
Sigel R.. born on October 1, 1S90, who married Ethel Samuelson and is liv-
ing on the old home place in Lincoln township and are the parents of one
child. Ruby, born on March 2, 1917 ; Norman V., May 10, 1893, a farmer of
Rock township, this county, who married Luella St. John and has one child,
a daughter, Irene May, and Clayton, March 13, 1907. Some time after the
death of her husband Mrs. Johnson left the farm and moved to Vliets, where
she is now living.
GEORGE VAN VLIET.
George Van Vliet, a member of one of the pioneer families of Marshall
county and a substantial landowner of this county, present proprietor of the
old Barrett farm in Vermillion township, he and his family making their
home there in the first frame house erected in Marshall county, is a native of
the Dominion of Canada, but has been a resident of this county since 1869
and has therefore seen the development of this region since the early days
of its settlement, a development to which he has contributed no small share.
He was born in the city of Montreal, Canada, September 22, 1854, son of
Hiram and Elizabeth (Hodgson) Van Vliet, who also were born in Mon-
treal, the former of German parentage and the latter of English descent,
who later came to Kansas and settled in Marshall county, becoming early
recognized as among the most substantial and influential residents of the
Frankfort neighborhood, and here they spent their last days.
It was on Thanksgiving Day, 1869, that Hiram Van Vliet and his fam-
ily arrived at Frankfort, seeking a new home in this county. After looking
about a bit he bought a quarter of a section of land in section 19 of Noble
998 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
township, paying fifteen hundred dollars for the same, and there he estab-
lished his home, one of the first settlers in that part of the county, and th^re
he remained for twenty years, or until his retirement from the farm in 1889
and removal to Frankfort, where he died in 1898. Hiram Van Vliet and
wife were the parents of four children, of whom the subject of this sketch
was the second in order of birth, the others being Dr. John Van Yliet, now
deceased, who for years was a well-known physician at Wheaton, this state;
Mary, who is still living on the old home place in Xoble township, and James,
who also lives on the old home place.
George Wan Yliet was fifteen years of age when he came to Kansas
with his parents in 1869 and he was from the very beginning of his residence
here a valuable factor in the labors of developing and improving his father's
farm in Noble township. In 1882 he bought a farm northeast of Frankfort
and after his marriage in the summer of 1884 established his home there,
living there and in Frankfort until January, 191 1. when he moved to the old
Barrett place at the village of that name, and has since occupied the old Bar-
rett home, the first frame house erected in Marshall county. Upon taking
possession of that historic old house Mr. Van Vliet moved the same up on
the hill, built a modern porch and an addition to the house and otherwise
remodeled it and now has a very comfortable home. That house was built
by Albert Barrett, founder of the village which bears his name and for mam-
years one of the foremost citizens of this part of Kansas. It was constructed
throughout of walnut and oak and when erected became a social center for
all the countryside in that part of the county. Mr. Van Yliet has been quite
successful in his farming operations and is now the owner of more than
seven hundred acres of excellent land, including a quarter of a section sur-
rounding his home place, a half section on Irish creek and two hundred and
forty acres northeast of Frankfort.
On July 30. 1884, George Van A'liet was united in marriage to Phoebe
Barrett, youngest of the eight children born to Albert G. and Mary ( Mc-
Keever) Barrett, the former of whom was born in Ohio and the latter in
Indiana, who came to Kansas in 1855 ar>d located in Marshall county, among
the very earliest residents of this county. Albert G. Barrett was a mill man
and upon coming here established a mill at Barrett, the settlement which
sprang up around the same being the first considerable settlement in this part
of the state. His mill was the first saw- and flour-mill in northeastern Kan-
sas and the settlers for many miles about patronized him. Further mention
of the life of this enterprising pioneer and useful citizen is made elsewhere
in this volume and it is not necessarv here to enlarge on the same, it beinsr
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 999
sufficient to say that .Mrs. Van Yiiet's parents performed nobly their part in
the development of Marshall county, that both lived to ripe old age and in
their passing left a memory that is as enduring as the community they vir-
tually established and to which for years they gave the best that was in them.
To Mr. and Mrs. Van Vliet three children have been born, Mrs. Eliza-
beth Haskins, who lives on a farm in the vicinity of the village of Vliets, in
Xoble township; Winifred, who married W. J. Schiller, of the Central Lum-
ber Company, Kansas City, and died on June 29, 1916, leaving an infant
son. George Walter Schiller, and Hiram, who died on January 15, 1902, he
then being twelve years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Van Vliet have ever given
their earnest attention to the general social activities of their home com-
munity and have been helpful in promoting all movements designed to ad-
vance the common welfare thereabout. Mr. Van Vliet is a Democrat and
has ever given a good citizen's attention to local civic affairs, but has not
been included in the office-seeking class. For more than twenty years he
has been a member of the Masonic fraternity and takes a warm interest in
the affairs of the local lodge of that ancient order.
KASPER WESTBURG.
Kasper Westburg, owner of the northwest quarter of section 22 in Rock
township, this county, where he has a very comfortable home, is a native of
the kingdom of Sweden, born there on December 16, 1862, son and only
child of Hans and Eva (Peterson) Johnson, who spent all their lives in that
country. Hans Johnson died in 1874 and his widow married again and lived
until 1914, she being seventy-two years of age at the time of her death. By
her second marriage she was the mother of three children, Martha and
Sandra, who are living in their native land, and Carl, who came to this
country and is now living at Kansas City, Missouri.
Upon attaining his majority Kasper Westburg decided to come to the
United States and upon his arrival here came on out to Kansas, arriving at
Frankfort, in this county. April 17, 1886. For three months after his arrival
here he was engaged in farm labor in the vicinity of Frankfort and then
began working as a stone mason, quarrying rock at Frankfort. He then
presently rented a farm in this county and worked the same for four years,
at the end of which time, in 1892. he pushed on farther west and home-
steaded a quarter of a section of land in Wallace county, this state, taking
IOOO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
possession of the same in 1893, building a claim shanty on the place and
starting in to develop the farm. While thus engaged he divided his time
between his homestead tract and a job he secured over in Colorado as a farm
hand, driving back and forth from the farm on which he was employed to
his homestead, under the mistaken impression that he could hold his home-
stead in this fashion. Upon losing his homestead Mr. Westburg went over
into the gold fields of the Cripple Creek country and was there engaged seek-
ing fortunes until 1897, when he returned to Marshall county and rented a
farm in Rock township, on which he "batched" until his marriage in 1899.
He then rented the old Kellberg farm and there lived for five years, or until
1904, when he bought his present well-improved farm of one hundred and
sixty acres in section 22 of that same township, where he since has made his
home and where he and his family are very pleasantly situated.
On April 1, 1899, Rasper Westburg was united in marriage to Louise
Carlson, who was born in Sweden, daughter of Carl J. and Petronella
(Johnson) Carlson, and who left Sweden in 1895, her parents continuing
to reside in that country. To this union one child has been born, Raymond
K., born on May 2, 191 1. Mr. and Mrs. Westburg are members of the
Lutheran church and take a proper interest in church work and in other
good works in the neighborhood of their home. Mr. Westburg is a Repub-
lican and gives a good citizen's attention to the political affairs of his
adopted country.
HERMAN JOHNSON.
Herman Johnson, one of Marshall county's substantial pioneer farmers
and the proprietor of a fine farm in section 2 of Vermillion township, where
he has made his home for nearly forty years, is a native of the far-away
kingdom of Norway, but has been a resident of this country ever since the
days of his young manhood. He was born on a farm near the city of
Christiania, Norway, February 24, 1847, son ar>d eldest of the seven children
of P. J. and Karen Johnson, natives of that country, who spent all their
lives there, the former, who died in 1915. living to the great age of ninety
years.
Reared on the home farm in his native Norway, Herman Johnson re-
mained at home until after attaining his majority, when, in 1868, he came
to the United States and proceeded on out to Minnesota, whence so many
of his countrymen had preceded him, and there he became engaged as a
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IOOI
member of a railway construction crew. In 1871, at Preston, Minnesota,
Mr. Johnson married Lottie Nevins, of Elyria, Ohio, and presently went
with his wife to Elyria, in the vicinity of which city, in Lorain county, he
became engaged in farming and was thus engaged there for six years, at
the end of which time, in 1877, he came to Kansas on a bit of a prospecting
trip and bought a tract of one hundred and twenty acres in section 2 of
Vermillion township, this county, and in the spring of the following year,
1878, brought his family out here and settled on the farm, where he ever
since has made his home and which he had developed into one of the best-
improved and most highly cultivated farms in that part of the county. The
land for which he paid seven dollars an acre is now well worth one hundred
and twenty-five dollars an acre and he has never regretted the choice which
caused him to settle in Marshall county. In addition to his general farming,
Mr. Johnson has long given considerable attention to the raising of live stock
and has done very well. He has some particularly fine Percheron stock on
his place and formerly exhibited his horses at the local fairs. He has given
much attention to this line of stock and has done much to improve the strain
of horseflesh in his neighborhood.
Mr. Johnson has been twice married. His first wife. Lottie Nevins,
whom he married in Minnesota, died at her home in this county in 1S95,
leaving six children, namely: Gertrude W., who is a trained nurse, now
living at Carrollton, Missouri ; Grace, wife of Doctor Olson, of Clay Center,
this state; Karina, who is a clerk in a dry-goods store at Manhattan, Kan-
sas; Edward S., who is engaged in the hardware and agricultural-implement
business at Rockford, Minnesota; Carl O., who is a graduate architect and
is now engaged as a building contractor at Clay Center, and Mina, a grad-
uate nurse, who married Lewis Rea and is now living on a farm near Carroll-
ton, Missouri.
On October 14, 1909, Mr. Johnson married, secondly, Mrs. Sarah Eliz-
abeth (Wharton) Richards, of Olney, Illinois, widow of Henry Richards,
whom she married at Olney in 1894 and who died in 1900. Mrs. Johnson
was born in Indiana on December 18, 1858, a daughter of Joseph and Cath-
erine Wharton, natives of that same state, who moved to Illinois in 1859.
Joseph Wharton served as a soldier of the Union during the Civil War, a
member of a company in an Illinois regiment of volunteer infantry, and dur-
ing that period of service was captured by the enemy and was held in Libby
Prison for thirteen months and fourteen days. Both he and his wife spent
their last days in Illinois, the latter dying in 1885 and the former living until
1892. It was at Olney, Illinois, that Sarah Elizabeth Wharton grew to
1002 M \KSH ALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
womanhood and there she married Henry Richards, who died six years later,
without issue. Some time after her husband's death she came out to Kansas
on a visit to friends and here she met and married Mr. Johnson. The John-
sons have a very pleasant home and take a proper part in the general social
activities of their home community. They are members of the Presbyterian
church and Air. Johnson is a member of the Frankfort lodge of the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Daughters of Rebekah, of which
latter lodge Airs. Johnson also is a member. Mr. Johnson is a Republican
and has given his earnest attention to the political affairs of his adopted
country ever since acquiring citizenship here, but has never been a seeker
after public office.
WILLIAM M. DRUMM.
William M. Drumm, one of Marshall county's best-known and most
substantial landowners and the proprietor of a fine farm in Bigelow town-
ship, is a native of the old Buckeye state and has been a resident of this
countv since 1883, when he came over here from Missouri and settled on
the place where he has now been long established and where he and his
family are very comfortably situated. He was born on a farm in Logan
county. Ohio, January 17, 1848, the fifth in order of birth of the ten chil-
dren born to his parents, Samuel H. and Mary Jane (Holmes) Drumm, the
former a native of Ohio and the latter of Virginia, whose last days were
spent in Illinois. Of their ten children, five sons are still living, three sons
and two daughters being deceased.
Samuel H. Drumm was the son and only child of John and Frances
( Hanson) Drumm, the former of whom was born in Germany and the latter
in the state of Ohio. John Drumm left his native Germany with his par-
ents, en route to the United States. The parents died on board ship on
the way over and upon his arrival in this country he settled in Virginia,
later moving to Ohio. He enlisted for service upon the declaration of war
against England in 18 12 and rendered valiant service during the second
American war of independence, but was compelled to suffer the humiliation
of surrender under General Hull at Detroit. Samuel H. Drumm grew up in
Ohio and there married Mary Jane Holmes, who was born in Virginia in
1818. a daughter of Nathaniel and Betty (Whitley) Holmes, the former
of whom also was a soldier during the War of 181 2. Some time after
his marriage Samuel H. Drumm moved to Illinois, settling on a farm in
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. I003
Edgar county, where he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring
in 1 90 1, lie then being eighty-four years of age. His widow survived him
until 1904.
William M. Drumm was but a child when his parents moved to Illinois
from his native Ohio and there he grew to manhood on a farm, remaining
there until he reached his majority, when, in 1869, he went to Missouri,
where he began working at farm labor, later becoming engaged on county
bridge work. After his marriage in 1874 he began farming on his own
account, on a rented place,, but the next year, in 1875, he bought a forty-
acre farm in Nodaway county, that state, where he made his home until
1882. in which year he sold out his holdings in Missouri and with his family
and some necessary household articles drove over into Gage county, Nebraska,
leading a cow behind his covered wagon, with a view to buying a tract of
Indian land that had just been opened, to settlement. He found the price
of that land too high, however, and the next year, in 1883, fitted out an-
other covered wagon and drove on down into Kansas and settled in his
present location in section 16 of Bigelow township, this county, where he
bought land and where he ever since has been established, now owning two
hundred and twenty acres in the home tract in section 16 and the north
half of the northwest quarter of section 22 and the west half of the south-
west quarter of section 15. Wlien Mr. Drumm bought his home place in
this county the same was partly broke and there was a log cabin on it. He
built an addition to that humble house and lived in the same for a year or
two, at the end of which time he moved to the village of Bigelow in order to
secure for his children better advantages in the way of schooling, continuing,
however, to farm his place and to improve and develop the same. In 1892
he moved back to the farm, built a new house and made other essential im-
provements and has lived there ever since, now having one of the best-
established farm plants in that part of the county. Mr. Drumm is a Demo-
crat and has ever given his thoughtful attention to local political affairs.
He was a former member of the school board at Bigelow and in iqi6 was
a member of the Democratic county central committee, representing his
home township.
In 1S74, while living in Nodaway county, Missouri, William M. Drumm
was united in marriage to Mary Lynch, who was born in that county on
Februarv 14. 1852. a daughter of Thomas and Lizzie (Mercer) Lynch, na-
tives of Kentucky, and to this union eight children have been born, three of
whom died in infancy, the others being as follow : Alta, who married diaries
Phillips, new living in Garfield county, Oklahoma, and two children. Vera
T004 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
and Milton E. ; Odessa, who married Lee Fraker, a bookkeeper, living at
Kansas City, .Missouri, and has one child a daughter, Helen; Charles E., who
is now conducting a gold-cure institute at Grand Island, Nebraska, in partner-
ship with Charles Judd ; Mary, who married Joseph Wasser, of Frankfort, this
county, and has one child, a son. Garwood, and Clarence Milton, who is
now at home assisting his father in the management of the farm. Clarence
M. Druinni was graduated from the normal school at Grand Island and
later taught in that institution. During his school days he achieved con-
siderable note as an athlete and for some time was a baseball player, attached
to the Nebraska state league of baseball clubs. Charles E. Drumra (called
Ed), taught school for ten years and in 1908 was elected county superintend-
ent of Marshall county. He served for four years before going into the gold-
cure business.
For forty-two years William M. Drumm has been a member of the
Masonic fraternity, now affiliated with the lodge of that order at Irving, and
has ever taken a warm interest in the affairs of that ancient order. He also
is a member of the local lodge of the Modern Woodmen and takes much
interest in the affairs of that order.
ERSKIXF W. JOHNSTON.
Erskine W. Johnston, a progressive and up-to-date young farmer of
Rock township, this county, is a native son of Marshall county and has lived
here all his life with the exception of three or four years spent in Labette
county, in the southern part of the state. He was born on a farm in Rock
township, not far from his present place of residence, January 2$, 1890, son
of Henry and Laura E. Johnson, the former of whom, born in 1847. <ne(l
in April. 1905, and the latter of whom, born in 1854, is now living at Frank-
fort. Henry Johnston was a native of Canada and came from there to
Kansas in pioneer days. He was twice married and by his first marriage
was the father of two children, William, who lives four milest west of the
old home in Rock township, and Mrs. Janie Ward, of Westmoreland, in the
neighboring county of Pottawattomie. By his second marriage Henry John-
ston was the father of three children. Mrs. Bertha McConchie, of Washing-
ton, this state: Earl B., of Westmoreland, and Erskine W.
Erskine W. Johnston was reared on the farm on which he was born
in Rock township and completed his schooling in the high school at Frank-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IOO^
fort. He then engaged in the agricultural-implement business at Frankfort
and was thus engaged until 191 1, when he went to southern Kansas and
bought a farm in Labette county, where he remained until 19 15, when he sold
out there and returned to Marshall county and bought the farm on which he
is now living and where he and his family are very pleasantly and very
comfortably situated. Upon taking possession of that farm Mr. Johnson
erected a handsome modern residence and his well-kept farm plant is in
keeping with the same, the plant bearing many evidences of the up-to-date
character of the owner's methods of carrying on his farming operations.
In 191 1 Erskine \Y. Johnston was united in marriage to Fay Slater,
of Frankfort, this county, daughter of H. and Catherine Slater, who came
to this state from Indiana and located at Frankfort, where Mr. Slater, who
is now living at Axtell, formerly was engaged in the laundry business. Mr.
and Mrs. Johnson have one child, a son, Clement, born on March 1, 1916.
They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and take a proper part
in church work, as well as in the community's general social activities, and
are interested in all measures having to do with the common welfare. Mr.
Johnston is a Republican and, fraternally, is affiliated with the local lodge
of the Knights and Ladies of Security, in the affairs of which he takes a
warn: interest.
JOHX F. HARPER.
John F. Harper, a well-known and substantial farmer of Marshall
county, an extensive landowner in Vermillion township, who formerly and
for years was engaged in the grain business at Vermillion, but who for the
past fifteen years or more has made his home on his well-kept farm in the
township of that name, is a native of Virginia, but has been a resident of
this county since the days of his young manhood. He was born in that
section of the Old Dominion which since the days of the Civil War has been
known as West Virginia, October 3, 1858, son of Thomas and Margaret Jane
(Ferguson) Harper, natives of Scotland, who became pioneers of Marshall
county and here spent their last days.
Both Thomas Harper and Margaret Jane Ferguson, though born in
Scotland, were reared in the neighborhood of Belfast, in the north of Ireland,
their respective parents having moved there during the days of their child-
hood, and there both were orphaned. When about sixteen years of age they
both came to this country with kinsfolk and settled in New Jersey, not far
1006 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
from the city of Philadelphia, where they grew up and were married, later
settling in western Virginia, where they lived until 1876, when they moved
to the state of Illinois. Three years later, in 1879, they came to Kansas
and located in Vermillion township, this county. There Thomas Harper
bought a farm and there he made his home until 1890, when he retired from
the farm and moved to the village of Vermillion, where his last days were
spent, his death occurring in 1900, he then being seventy-six years of age.
His widow survived him but two years, her death occurring in 1902, she then
being seventy-eight years of age. They were the parents of five children,
of whom the subject of this sketch was the second in order of birth, the
others being as follow: Mrs. Elizabeth Hough, of Norton county, this state;
Mrs. Howard Schaefer and Mrs. Isabelle Oliver (twins), the former of
wlmm lives at Vermillion, this county, and the latter in Norton county, and
Thomas, a substantial farmer, of the neighborhood southeast of Frankfort.
John F. Harper was reared on a farm in West Virginia and was about
eighteen years of age when his parents moved to Illinois. There he com-
pleted his schooling, attending school a couple of terms after going to that
state, and was about twenty-one years of age when the family came to Kansas
and settled in this county in 1879. Two years later, in 1881, he rented a
tract of land and began farming on his own account, at the same time en-
gaging in the live-stock business at Vermillion, and was thus engaged for
twenty years, at the end of which time he bought his present home farm of
three hundred and twenty acres in Vermillion township and has since made
his home there, he and his family being very comfortably and very pleasantly
situated. In addition to the farm of three hundred and twenty acres here
referred to, Mr. Harper is the owner of a farm of one hundred and ninety-
eight acres north of there and is quite well circumstanced.
Mr. Harper has been twice married. In 1883 he was united in marriage
to Hattie Dilley, who died in February, 1S89, leaving two sons, Glenn and
Harrv, both of whom are now living at Caddoa, Colorado, the former being
there engaged in the lumber business and the latter farming. On May 3,
1893, John F. Harper married, secondly, Rosa Crawford, who was born at
Cottage Hill, in Jackson county. West Virginia, December 16, 1863, a
daughter of James and Jane (Dudgeon) Crawford, the latter of whom died
in 1874 and the former of whom, born in November, 1831, is still living in
West Virginia. Rosa Crawford came to Kansas in October, 1888, and it
was here that she first met Mr. Harper, whom she married in 1893. To
this union three children have been born. Armour, who is now attending the
Salina Business College; Mabel, a student at the State University at Law-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IOOJ
rence, and Justin. The Harpers have a very pleasant home and take a
proper part in the general social activities of their home community. Mr.
Harper is a Republican and has ever given a good citizen's attention to
political affairs, but has not been a seeker after office. He is a Mason, a
member of the local lodge of that ancient order at Vermillion, and is also a
member of the local lodge of the Modern Woodmen of America, in the
affairs of both of which organizations he takes a warm and active interest.
TOHX A. WINQUIST.
John A. Winquist, one of Marshall county's pioneers, a large landowner
in Lincoln township, and who claims the distinction of being the head of
the largest family in Marshall county, is a native of Sweden, but has been
a resident of Marshall county since T875, he having come here with his
father in that year, and has thus been a witness to and a participant in the
development of this county since pioneer days. He was born on February 19,
1855, son of Xels and Olina B. Winquist, natives of the same county, the
former born on August 15, 181 7, and the latter. March 5, 182 1, who became
pioneers of Marshall count}- and here spent their last days.
In 1870 Xels Winquist and his two sons. John A. and Severin, then
mere boys, the former being but fifteen years of age, came to the United
States with a view to making a new home on this side of the water. Upon
his arrival here' Mr. Winquist located in Connecticut, where he began work-
ing in a stone quarry. The next year he and his two elder sons were joined
by the mother and the other three children and the family remained in
Connecticut until 1875, when they came to Kansas and located in this county,
where they established their home. Upon coming here Xels Winquist home-
steaded a tract of forty acres in what is now Lincoln township, the nucleus
of the large farm now owned by the subject of this sketch. There he con-
structed a dug-out, sixteen by fourteen feet in dimensions, with a dirt floor,
boarded sides and a sod roof, and in that humble abode the family lived for
three years, at the end of which time they were able to erect a modest
frame house, fourteen by twenty. There Xels Winquist spent his last days,
his death occurring on January 17, 1889. His widow survived him about
seven years, her death occurring in 1896. They were the parents of five
children, those besides the subject of this sketch, the second in order of birth,
being as follows: Mrs. Augusta Benson, now deceased; Severin, who died
I008 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
in 1904, after having been engaged in farming in partnership with his brother
John; Malcolm, who died in 1872. the year after he came to this country,
and Hannah, also now deceased.
John A. Winquist was fifteen years of age when he came to this coun-
try and was twenty when he came out to Kansas with the family in 1875.
From the beginning of his residence here he worked hard, not only he and
his brother laboring with their father in the task of developing the home-
stead tract upon which the family settled, John A. Winquist taking extra
employment as a corn-husker at ninety cents a day during the winters. His
brother Severin herded cattle during the summers, at a wage of twelve
dollars a month and with the extra money thus earned the brothers bought a
horse. For the greater part of the time after he came here until his death
Nels Winquist was an invalid and upon the two brothers devolved the task
of working the farm, the eldest brother taking care of his parents until their
death. After his father "proved up" the homestead he took charge of it
and proved not only a capable manager but a good farmer. He and his
brother Severin ever worked in partnership, an excellent arrangement, for
they worked harmoniously and to good effect and made money, John A.
Winquist becoming sole owner of their joint holdings upon the death of his
brother in 1904. Mr. Winquist is now the owner of eight hundred and
forty acres of excellent land in Lincoln township, the same having on it
two sets of improvements, the home place comprising a half section of
land in section 14. In addition to his general farming he does a good bit in
the way of raising live stock and markets about one hundred head of hogs
annually.
On July 20, 1890, John A. Winquist was united in marriage to Hannah
P. Sanquist. who also was born in Sweden, July 19, 1873, a daughter of
A. P. and Johanna Sanquist, who came to Kansas in 1887 and located in
Lincoln township, but later moved to Beattie, where they are now living.
To Mr. and Mrs. Winquist seventeen children have been born, namely:
Martin W.. born on August 4, 1891 : Elsie O. N.f September 21, 1892;
Frank R.. November 15, 1893: Mabel V., November 27, 1895, wno married
Edward Doering, a farmer living west of Axtell, in Murray township, and
has one child, a son, Ralph Willard; Lillie A.. January 27, 1897: Mildred E.,
March 29, 1898; Albert S., January 13, 1900: Aaron Leroy, March 6, 1901,
who died on September 25, 1901 : John Leroy, June 21, 1903: Lila B., July
14. 1904; Clifford R.. August 21, 1905; Carl E., September 10, 1906;
Hobart D. and Hannah (twins), January 14, 1909, the latter of whom
died in infancy: Winifred V. and Wilfred H- (twins) April 26. iqit. the lat-
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IOO9
ter dying at the age of one year, and Doris L., August 9, 1913. The Win-
quists are members of the Swedish Lutheran church and Air. Winquist was a
former member of the board of trustees of the same. He is a Republican and
for some time served as clerk of Lincoln township.
THOMAS H. LEWIS.
Thomas H. Lewis, a well-known and substantial farmer and stockman
of Franklin township, this county, was born on a pioneer farm in that town-
ship and has lived there all his life. He was born on September 18, 1871,
son of William and Maria Lewis, pioneers of Marshall county, further
mention of whom is made elsewhere in this volume, and grew to manhood
on the old homestead farm, receiving bis schooling in the school in the
Brooks district. As a lad he used to herd cattle on the plains and helped
to break the sod, retaining distinct recollections of the old oxen used on the
farm. He remained an assistant to his father in the labors of improving
and developing the home place until be was twenty-one years of age," when
he rented a tract of land and began farming on his own account. In 1907
he bought a quarter of a section of land in section 35, Franklin township,
from his mother-in-law and has since made his home on that place, bring-
ing the same up to a high state of development. The place was well im-
proved when he bought it. but he has made numerous valuable improve-
ments to the same and now has one of the best-kept farms in that part
of the county.
In 1903 Thomas H. Lewis was united in marriage to Lena Tangeman,
who was born on a pioneer farm in Center township, this county, June 5,
1877. daughter of John and Dora (Duever) Tangeman, natives of Germany,
who became pioneers of Marshall county, where the former spent his last
days and where the latter is still living. John Tangeman was born in the
province of Hanover on June 22, 1835, and was trained to the trade of a
blacksmith, at which lie winked in the army. In 1866 he married Dora
Duever. who was also born in Hanover, May 31, 1837, ar>d i'1 tnat same
year he and his wife came to the United States, the vessel on which they
came over being fourteen days in making the passage. They located at Chi-
cago, where Mr. Tangeman worked at his trade until 1871, when he came to
Kansas and homesteaded a tract of forty acres in section 4 of Center town-
(6.0
IOIO MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
ffaip and tliere established his home in a dug-nut, in which humble abode a
son was presently born. Later, he built a ten-by-twelve house of cottonwood
lumber and in that little house two other children were born. During the
grasshopper visitations his small attempts at farming were thwarted by the
voracious pests, which ate every growing thing on the place. His first crop
was five or six acres of corn, for which he received twelve and a half cents
a bushel ; a similar price being also all he could get for a few potatoes he
also was able to raise. At that time Indians still were quite numerous in
this part of the state and the family often was annoyed by the lazy aboriginals
coming to the house and begging for something to eat. Presently, however,
better times set in and Mr. Tangeman's affairs began to prosper, he after
awhile becoming the owner of a quarter of a section of land, on which he
did well and where he spent his last days, his death occurring on February
2, 1906. His widow is still living and now makes her home with her chil-
dren. There were seven of these children, of whom Mrs. Lewis was the
sixth in order of birth., the others being as follow: William, deceased;
Ernest, a merchant at the village of Home; G. J., a farmer in the vicinity
of Winifred; August, a merchant; Mrs. Amelia Reinhardt, wife of a hard-
ware merchant at Home, and Henrietta, deceased.
To Mr. and Mrs. Lewis two children have been born, Ruth, born on
November 7, 1906, and Russell C, December 22, 191 5. The Lewises have
a pleasant home in Franklin township and take a proper interest in the gen-
eral social activities of that neighborhood. Mr. Lewis is a Democrat and
takes an earnest interest in local political affairs, but has never been a seeker
after public office.
HENRY REB.
Among the old settlers of Marshall county the name of Henry Reb, one
of the real pioneers of this county, who died in Vermillion township on March
24, 1874, is held in pleasant remembrance. He was one of the very
earliest settlers in this county and did well his part in the work of developing
that part of the county in which he settled. Henry Reb was born in Rhein-
ish Bavaria, Germany, in 1830, and was trained as a blacksmith and wheel-
wright in his native Fatherland. There he lived until after he had attained
his majority, when, in 1852, he came to this country and lived in the states
of Michigan and Iowa for a few years, and in 1858 came to Kansas and
settled in Marshall county. Upon coming here Mr. Reb bought a quarter
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IOI I
of a section of land in section 30 of what later was organized as Vermillion
township and there set up a smithy and wagon shop, the only industry of
the kind for miles around, and his services were in immediate demand, soon
having plenty of work. Some four or five years after his marriage in i860
Air. Reb abandoned his smithy and gave his whole attention to the develop-
ment of his farm, on which he established his home and where he spent the
rest of his life, leaving at the time of his death in 1874 an estate of two hun-
dred acres of rich bottom land, now owned by his widow, who continues to
make her home there. During the Civil War Henry Reb gave his services
to his adopted country and rendered valuable service to Kansas as a member
of the Home Guards. He was a member of the German Evangelical Asso-
ciation, as is his widow, and both took an active part in church and other good
works hereabout in pioneer days.
On September 14, i860, in this county, Henry Reb was united in mar-
riage to Anna Regina Lodholz, who was born at Wurtemberg, Germany,
November 10,1838, daughter of Joseph Frederick and Anna Mary Lodholz,
natives of that country, the former of whom died in the Fatherland in 1843.
Four vears later, in 1847, tne elder son of the Lodholz family, Godfrey
Lodholz, came to the United States and about five years later, in 1852, an-
other son. George Lodholz, also came. Two years later, in 1854, the Widow
Lodholz and her daughter, Anna Regina, and another son, Frederick, fol-
lowed and settled at Terryville, Connecticut, where they remained until 1858,
when they came to Kansas, accompanied by Godfrey Lodholz and his family
and settled on a tract of land they pre-empted six miles north of Beattie, in
this county. Upon coming to Kansas the Lodholz family proceeded by rail
and steamer as far as Atchison, where George met them on horseback and
there procured another horse and a wagon and thus hauled their household
goods over here to their new home in Marshall county, he having preceded
them the year before and selected the land on which they made their home.
Two years after coming to this county, Anna Regina Lodholz married Henry
Reb and has ever since made her home on the land he pre-empted upon coming
here, one of the honored and respected pioneer residents of Marshall county.
To Henry and Anna Regina (Lodholz) Reb five sons and two daugh-
ters were born, namely : George Henry, who is at home farming the home
place for his mother; Anna Mary, at home; John F., a Marshall county
farmer, who married Lulu L- Jones and has two sons, James Henry and John
Maynard, who are now attending high school at Blue Rapids; Frederick C,
who died aged two years and nine months; William G., owner of a farm
JOI2 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
adjoining the old home place on the southwest, who married Susan J. Ander-
son and has one child, a son, Ralph William: Helena Christina, at home, and
Louis C, owner of a farm adjoining the home place on the northwest, who
married Pearl H. Smith, to which union one child has been born, a daughter,
Christine Lenore. As noted above, Mrs. Reb is a member of the German
Evangelical Association and her children, Henry, Alary, Helena, William and
wife, Louis and wife, are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Bar-
rett: John and his wife belong to the Christian church. Mrs. Reb has a
pleasant home and has ever given her earnest attention to local good works.
As one of the real pioneers of Marshall county, she is thoroughly familiar
with the history of that section of the county in which she has lived ever since
coming out here in the fifties and is a veritable mine of information on mat-
ters relating to the early settlement of the county.
HUTCHINSON JOHNSON.
The late Hutchinson Johnson, who was one of the pioneers of Bigelow
township, this county, and the proprietor of a fine farm in that township,
where his widow continues to make her home, was a native of the great
Keystone state and an honored veteran of the Civil War. He was born at
Troy, in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, December 17, T840, a son of James
and Euphemia Johnson, the former of whom was twice married. Hutchin-
son Johnson was reared at Gallipolis, Ohio, and became a farmer in Meigs
county, that state, where he was living when the Civil War broke out. He
enlisted his services in behalf of the Union and went to the front with one
of the Ohio regiments. Upon the completion of his original term of enlist-
ment he re-enlisted in Company G, First Artillery, February 3, 1864, and
served with that command until the close of the war, his total period of
service covering four years. Mr. Johnson was the owner of a piece of farm-
ing property in Ohio, but not long after the completion of his military ser-
vice sold that farm and in 1866 went to Iowa, settling on a farm in Wapello
county, that state.
In Iowa, in 1874, Hutchinson Johnson married Amanda Reeves, who
died in 1875. In the next year, 1876, he was united in marriage to Laura
Smith, who was born in Iowa on June 12. 1857. daughter of Willis and
Minerva (Smith) Smith, natives of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson continued
to make their home in Iowa until 1881, when they disposed of their interests
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IOI3
there ;.nd came to Kansas, settling on the farm in Bigelow township, this
county, where Mrs. Johnson is still living. Mr. Johnson bought a tract of
one hundred acres upon settling there, built a house and barn and presently
had a well-established farm plant, which he continued to develop and im-
prove until the time of his death, one of the progressive and enterprising
fanners of that section of the county. He gave considerable attention to the
raising of high-grade live stock, with particular reference to Jersey cattle,
and did very well in his fanning operations. Since his death his widow, who
has continued the operations of the farm, had added an adjoining "forty"
to the place and is now the owner of an excellent farm of one hundred and
forty acres. Mr. Johnson, who died on October 24, 1907, was a Republican
and gave a good citizen's attention to local political affairs. He attended the
services of the Methodist Episcopal church and was an active member of the
local post of the Grand Army of the Republic at Irving, in the affairs of
which patriotic organization he ever took an earnest interest.
To Hutchinson and Laura (Smith) Johnson eight children were born,
namely: Amanda, born on January 1, 1878, who married Edgar Williams
and is now living at Alice, Texas; Sydney. May 12, 1882, now living near
Barrett, who married Edith Jones and has three children, Arline. Winifred
and Geneva; Clarence. February 19, 18S4, now living at Barrett, who mar-
ried Xellie Hodges and has one child, a daughter, Thelma : Effie, November
17, 1887, at home; William, January 5, 1891 ; Ray, July 26, 1893; Eva,
January 15, 1S97, and Velma, August 26, 1899. Ray Johnson is serving
in the United States navy, now stationed on the "Huntington" in the Gulf
nt Mexico. The Johnsons have a very pleasant home and take a proper part
in the general social activities of the community.
TOHX H. HUNT.
John H. Hunt, one of Bigelow township's well-known and progressive
farmers and stockmen and the proprietor of a well-improved farm in sec-
tion 13 of that township, is a native of Tennessee, but has lived in this
county since the days of his infancy. He was born at Lebanon, in Wilson
county, Tennessee, April 17, 1870, son of Henry X. and Elizabeth (Cham-
pion) Hunt, both now deceased, the former of whom was born in that same
c< unity and the latter in the state of Massachusetts, who became pioneers
of Marshall county.
Henry X. Hunt was born on June 13, 1813, and grew to manhood in
IOI4 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Wilson county, Tennessee, the place of his birth. On November 3, 1854.
in that county, lie was united in marriage to Elizabeth Champion, who was
born at Lowell, Massachusetts, December 29, 1834, and he continued to
make his home in Tennessee until the year 1870, when he became attracted
to the possibilities that then were opening to the earnest settler in Kansas and
moved out to this state, settling on a farm of sixty-seven acres just north
of Blue Rapids, in the township of that name, that having been before the
original Blue Rapids township was divided into four, and there he spent
his last days, his death occurring on June 28, 1875, just about the time he
was becoming well established on his farm. His widow later married Thomas
Donahue and continued to make her home in this county the rest of her
life, her death occurring on October 2$, 1895. Henry X. Hunt and wife
were the parents of seven children, those besides the subject of this sketch,
the fourth in order of birth, being as follows : Henry N., who died at Mul-
hall, Oklahoma, in 1916; William S., who is living in Oklahoma; James R.,
of Blue Rapids City township, and Carrie, Mary and Sarah, deceased.
John H. Hunt was but five years of age when his father died. He
was reared on a farm, attending the district school in the neighborhood of
his home in Blue Rapids City township, and at the age of fifteen began
working as a farm hand in that neighborhood, later working with his step-
father as a teamster in bridge-construction work. He was married in 1888
and in 1893 began farming, renting land in Wells township, where he lived
until 1907, when he bought his present farm in section 13 of Bigelow town-
ship, where he since has made his home and where he and his family are
very comfortably situated. Mr. Hunt is the owner of two hundred and
forty acres of land and his farm is well-improved and profitably cultivated.
In addition to his general farming he is giving considerable attention to the
raising of high-grade Hereford cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs and is doing
very well.
On June 4, 1888, John H. Hunt was united in marriage to Ella Davis,
who was reared in the neighborhood county of Nemaha, daughter of Daniel
and Maria (Seward) Davis, natives, respectively, of Kentucky and of Vir-
ginia, who came to Kansas about the year 1869 and settled on a farm east
of Corning, in Xemaha county, remaining there until about 1883. when they
came over into Marshall county and located in Blue Rapids City township,
where Daniel Davis farmed the rest of his life, his death occurring in 1907,
he then being seventy-two years of age. His widow is still living, being
now in her eighty-fifth year. To Mr. and Mrs. Hunt four children have
been born, namely: Daniel H., who married Cordelia Smith, of Bigelow, and
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IOI5
is now farming at Bigelow: Albert C, who married Velma Carpenter, also
of Bigelow, and is now farming in the vicinity of Hoxie, in Sheridan county,
this state: Ruth R., who married Frank Morton, a farmer, of Wells town-
ship, and has one child, a son, Charles L., and Charles Lester, who is at
home ably assisting his father in the management of the home farm. The
Hunts are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and take a proper
interest in church work, as well as in the general social affairs of the com-
munity in which they live, helpful in advancing all good causes thereabout.
Mr. Hunt is a Democrat, but has never been included in the office-seeking
class.
ROSS MANLY.
In the memorial annals of St. Bridget township, this county, there is
no name held in better remembrance than that of the late Ross Manly, who
had been a resident of that township since the days of his boyhood and who
became one of the best-known and most substantial farmers of the Summer-
field neighborhood, leaving to his widow and children, at the time of his
death in 1901, not only the inestimable heritage of a good name, but a
comfortable home and a fine bit of farm property in St. Bridget township,
where the family still make their residence.
Ross Manly was a native of Ohio, born on a farm in Harrison county,
that state, May 5, i860, son of Beveridge and Sidney C Stephens) Manly,
natives of that same state, the former born on July 14, 1819, and the latter,
September 1, 1S24, who became pioneers of Marshall county and here spent
their last days.
Beveridge Manly was a farmer in his native state and along in the
middle seventies became attracted to the possibilities awaiting the earnest
homestead farmer in Kansas. He came out here with his family and settled
in the northeastern part of Marshall county, in that portion of what then was
Guittard township now comprised in St. Bridget township, and became a
well-to-do landowner, the proprietor of a fine farm of more than seven
hundred acres, on which he engaged extensively in cattle raising, in addition
to his general farming operations. His wife died on the home farm on
January 2, 1892, and he survived her until 1907. They were married on
March 4. 1846, and were the parents of seven children, of whom the sub-
ject of this memorial sketch was the fourth in order of birth, the others
being as follow : Allen, who lives in Barber county, this state : Robert, a
IOI6 .MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
resident of Axtell : James, who died at his home in St. Bridget township;
Rachel Ann, widow of J. Gallagher, living at Boise, Idaho; Mrs. Josephine
Jennings, deceased, and Lucy, who married Walter Smith and is now
deceased.
Ross Manly was still a boy in his teens when his parents came to this
county and he grew to manhood on the home farm in St. Bridget township,
completing his schooling in the schools of that neighborhood, and remained
at home until his marriage, when be bought a partly-improved farm of eighty
acres in section 17 of St. Bridget township, where he lived until after the
death of his mother in 1892, when he bought an additional eighty, the west
half of the northwest quarter of section 17 of that same township, and there
established his home, his father thereafter making his home with him. Ross
Manly was a good farmer and in addition to his general farming gave con-
siderable attention to the raising of high-grade live stock and did very well,
coming to be regarded as one of the most substantial and progressive farmers
in that part of the county, and owning at the time of his death on May, 2,
1 90 1, a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres, on which he had erected
a comfortable and attractive dwelling and which he had improved in excel-
lent fashion. He was a Democrat and had ever given a good citizen's atten-
tion to local political affairs, but bad never been included in the office-seeking
class.
Ross Manly was united in marriage to Margaret Cougblin, who was
born in St. Bridget township, this county, November 1. 1863, daughter of
John and Honora (Rodgers) Cougblin. natives of Ireland, who were mar-
ried in Kentucky and who came to Kansas in 1858, settling in St. Bridget
township, this county, where they built a log cabin and made their home,
thus having been among the very earliest settlers in Marshall county. In
that pioneer log cabin five of the nine Cougblin children were born. Of
these children Mrs. Manly was the third in order of birth, the others being
as follows: Mary, who married Robert Manly, of Axtell; Catherine, who
married \Y. Bowers and is living in Illinois ; Anna, who married B. Gal-
lagher, of Stockton, this state : John, who died when five years of age ;
Joseph, a well-known farmer of St. Bridget township ; Bernard, of Axtell ;
Jennie, deceased, and Alice, who is living at Summerfield with her widowed
mother.
To Ross and Margaret (Cougblin) Manly three children were born,
Alfred R., Earl and Roy. all of whom are at home with their mother. Mrs.
Manly is a member of the Catholic church, as was her husband, and their
children have been reared in that faith, the family ever taking an earnest
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IOL
interest in parish affairs and in all neighborhood good works. Mrs. Manly
is the owner of a quarter of a section of land surrounding her home and she
and her family are very pleasantly and very comfortably situated.
WILLIAM T. BUCK.
William T. Buck, president of the State Bank of Vliets, and owner of
the grain elevators in that village, is a native of the Old Dominion, born in
Augusta county, Virginia, May 21, 1854, son of Napoleon I. and Mar)' M.
(Fahnestock) Buck, the former also a Virginian and the latter a native
of Pennsylvania, both of whom spent their last days in Virginia.
Xapoleon I. Buck was born in Morgan county, in that section of the
Old Dominion now comprised within West Virginia, April 9, 1822, son
of Isaac and Sarah (Waugh) Buck, the former a native of Scotland and
the latter of England. Isaac Buck was born in 1797 and was but a lad when
his parents came to this county, settling in Virginia, and when the second
war of American Independence broke out in 1812 he ran away from home
in order to take part in that war, and served for fourteen days before his
father could get hold of him and take him back home. When he grew to
manhood he took a very active part in Virginia politics and served for some
years as a member of the Legislature in that state. Isaac Buck was twice
married and was the father of thirteen children by his first wife and four
children by his second wife. He died in Virginia in 1891, at the great
age of ninety-four years.
Reared on a farm, Napoleon I. Buck for some time followed farming.
He was appointed sheriff of his home county to fill an unexpired term and
was later elected to that office. Upon the completion of his official term
he engaged in the mercantile business at Sangerville, Virginia, and five years
later sold his store and bought an interest in a paper-mill at Mossy Creek,
same state, and was thus engaged for nine years, or until the Civil War
broke out, destroying his business. Broken in health, Napoleon I. Buck
was unable to enlist in the service of the Confederate States to aid in sup-
porting the contention of his native state, but he paid a substitute, a valiant
Irishman, one thousand dollars in gold to represent him at the front. At
the close of the war he engaged in farming at Mt. Solon, Virginia, and
there he spent his last days, his death occurring on June 15, 1881. His
widow, who was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, 1828, and to
IOl8 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
win un he was married in 1850, survived him twenty-five years, her death
occurring in 1904. They were the parents of nine children, of whom the
subject of this sketch was the third in order of birth and all of whom are
living save one.
William T. Buck spent his early years on a farm and received his
elementary schooling in the rural schools, supplementing the same by a
course in the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He early became interested
with his father in the paper-mill and when his father later became an invalid
took charge of the mill for him. In 1885 he left Virginia and came to
Kansas, locating at Shannon, in Atchison county, where he became a farmer
and grain dealer, remaining there until 1897, when he came to Marshall
county, locating at Vliets, where he bought one of the elevators and also
helped to organize the State Bank of Vliets, of which he is now the presi-
dent. Later Mr. Buck bought the other elevator at Vliets and is now the
owner of both elevator A and elevator B at that place, long having been
recognized as one of the leading bankers and grain men in Marshall county.
Mr. Buck also is the owner of a quarter of a section of excellent land in
Shannon township, Atchison county, and has other interests, all of which
rank him as one of the substantial men of this county. He is a member of
the Merchants' Exchange of St. Louis and gives his earnest attention to
the general business affairs of this section. Politically, Mr. Buck is a Dem-
ocrat and is the committeeman for his party in Noble township.
On April 18, 1906, William T. Buck was united in marriage to Carrie
T. DuBois, who was born in the state of Xew Jersey, July 18, 1864, daugh-
ter of Louis P. and Sarah J. (Jones) DuBois, natives of that same state,
who are now living at Vliets. members of the household of Mr. and Mrs.
Buck, both now being past eighty years of age. Louis P. DuBois came to
Kansas in 1858, having been sent out here as a means of seeking restoration
of his failing health, and entered upon the open, free life of the range,
presently becoming engaged as a freighter between Atchison and Denver
and was not long afterward appointed captain of the "bull-whackers." He
later became engaged in mining in Xew Mexico, but after awhile returned
to New Jersev, where he married and where he remained until after his
first child. Mrs. Buck, was bom, after which he returned to Kansas with
his family and rented a small farm in Atchison county. Leaving his family
there he returned to his mining property in New Mexico, but after some
years disposed of his interests there and settled down in his home in Atchi-
son county, where he remained until 1914, when he retired and moved to
Vliets, where, as noted above, he and his wife are now living, he at the age
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IOIQ
of eighty-two and she at the age of eighty-one. Mr. and Mrs. Buck have
a verv pleasant home at Vliets and take a proper part in the general social
activities of the village and of the community at large, helpful in promoting
all movements having to do with the advancement of the common welfare
hereabout.
HEXRV \Y. KOENEKE.
Among the well-known and successful business men of Marshall county,
is Henry W. Koeneke, the cashier of the Herkimer State Bank, since its
organization on August 2, 1909. This banking institution was opened for
business on January 2j, 1910. with the following board of directors: W. H.
Koeneke, George J. Hoerath, Henry W. Koeneke, Joseph Bluhm, J. G.
Schmidler and E. R. Fulton. W. H. Koeneke was selected as president of
the institution: George J. Hoerath, vice-president, and Henry W. Koeneke,
cashier. The bank was capitalized with ten thousand dollars, and now has a
surplus of two thousand dollars and deposits of over seventy-three thousand
dollars. The management of the institution has been successful, and by their
business-like methods they have won the confidence and respect of all. In
May, 1913. on the death of W. H. Koeneke, the board elected George J. Hoe-
rath. president, and Joseph Bluhm, vice-president, and E. W. Koeneke was
selected as a member of the board of directors to fill the place of his father,
and in January, 1916, he was selected as assistant cashier of the bank.
Henry W. Koeneke is the son of W. H. and Julia (Brockmeyer)
Koeneke, and is a native of this county. The father was born in Cook
county, Illinois, on a farm on July 15. 1852. He attended the common
schools of that county for a time and at the age of eight years, came with
his parents to Kansas. They located on a tract of wild land in Logan town-
ship, Marshall county, and here, on the wild and unbroken prairie, they estab-
lished their home, amid the most primitive conditions. There were but few
settlers in the immediate vicinity at that time and the little family experienced
many of the hardships of pioneer life. The farm was developed and some-
what improved with primitive structures, and in time they were in a position
to look forward to better days. The farm was enlarged, better and more
modern buildings were erected, and their position became one of substantial
progress. As a young man \Y. H. Koeneke, in addition to his interests on
the farm, engaged in the lumber business, having associated himself with his
brother-in-law. William Winters, with whom he remained until 1888, when
1020 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Mr. KOeneke purchased the entire business, which he operated by himself.
In addition to the lumber trade the men also engaged in the buying and sell-
ing of grain, which Mr. Koeneke continued. In 1888 he erected a large ele-
vator at Bremen and there did an extensive business in grain and lumber.
In earlv life he foresaw the future possibilities of Kansas land and became
owner of over fourteen hundred acres, which was in time placed under high
cultivation and nicely improved.
W. H. Koeneke was a most progressive man and possessed of much
business acumen. He was not at all satisfied with having a thing partially
done, but he wanted it done right. He and his wife were prominent in the
work of the German Lutheran church, and Mr. Koeneke was treasurer of
the local society until his death on May 25, 1913. He was a member of
the Republican party and took the greatest interest in the affairs of the town-
ship and the county. For many years he was treasurer of the township, and
served as a member of the school board. He was a strong advocate of the
best schools and good roads, and through his influence both received much
consideration.
W. H. Koeneke was united in marriage in May, 1878, to Julia Brock-
meyer. the daughter of Frederick and Fredericka (Martin) Brockmeyer,
both of whom were natives of Germany and came to the United States in
an early day, and for a time located in Connecticut, but later came to Kansas
at a time when the country for the most part was one stretch of wild prairie.
Here thev established their home on a farm in Hanover, where the father
engaged in general farming, until the time of his death. Julia (Brockmeyer)
Koeneke, whose birth occurred on June 5, 1859, was t!ie m'st cmld born to
her parents after their arrival in Kansas. Here she grew to womanhood
and received her education in the local pioneer schools. Her death occurred
on May 17, 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Koeneke were the parents of eight children
as follow: Sophia. E. \Y., Mary. Julia, Henry W., Martha and two that
died in infancy. Sophia Kruse is a resident of Logan township, where Mr.
Kruse is a successful farmer and stockman: E. W. is assistant cashier of the
Herkimer State Bank and manager of the lumber yard at that place: Mary
Geyer is a resident of W'aterville. Kansas, where her husband is manager of
the telephone svstem ; Julia Harmann is a resident of Logan township, where
Mr. Harmann is a well-known and successful farmer of the district and
Martha is a student in the schools of Logan township.
E. W. Koeneke was born in Marshall county, on February 22, 1884, and
was reared in the town of Herkimer and educated in the public schools, later
attending college at Midland for one year, after which he took a course at a
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1021
business college in St. Joe. After completing his education, at the age of
twenty-one years, he engaged in the flour-mill business with his father, at
Shady Bend, Kansas. After continuing in the business for three years he
returned to Herkimer and for two years engaged in general farming and
stock raising. He then purchased the elevator in Bremen, which he sold
after six years. He then purchased the lumber yard at Herkimer, which he
still manages in connection with his duties as assistant cashier of the bank.
E. W. Koeneke was united in marriage on September 14, 1910, to Sophia
Scheibe. the daughter of John Henry and Minnie (Breneke) Scheibe. both
of whom were natives of Germany and there received their education in the
public schools and there lived until 1864, when they came to the United
States, and were married in Marshall county, in 1870. After coming to
this country, Mr. Scheibe located for one year in Illinois, after which he
resided in Marshall county, for six months, when for the next two and one-
half years, he worked on a railroad near Salt Lake, Utah. He then returned
to Marshall county, where he homesfeaded one hundred and sixty acres of
land in Walnut township. This farm he developed and improved and here
he engaged in general farming and stock raising, with much success until the
time of his death on August 29, 1906. Minnie (Breneke) Scheibe was born
on March 18, 1852, and after coming to the United States located in Cook
county, Illinois, where she lived until 1868. when she came to Marshall county
and was married two years later. Mr. and Mrs. Scheibe were for many
years active members of the German Lutheran church, and were among the
organizers of the local church at Afton, Kansas, and Mr. Scheibe was the
first to be buried in the cemetery there. They were the parents of the fol-
lowing children: Anna Frohberg, of Afton, where her husband is a well-
known farmer: the second child died in infancy: Christina Berger lives at
Afton, where .Mr. Berger is a farmer: Herman is also engaged in farming
near Afton: Bertha Ludicke lives at Home City, where Mr. Ludicke is
engaged in the lumber business: Lena Draver lives on a farm near Afton and
her husband is engaged in general farming; Sophia is the wife of E. W.
Koeneke: Albert is a farmer near Afton and Alfred is on the home place.
Sophia (Scheibe) Koeneke was born in Walnut township, Marshall
county, on March 25. 1885, and received her education in the local schools
and was reared on the home farm, where she lived until the time of her mar-
riage. Mr. and Mrs. Koeneke are the parents of one child, Minnie Julia,
who was born on August 16, 1913. They are active members of the Luth-
eran church and are prominent in the social and religious life of the town.
1022 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Henry \Y. Koeneke was born in Marshall county, on February 27, 1890,
and was reared in Herkimer, where lie received his elementary education in
the public schools, having completed the common-school course at the age
of fourteen years. He then attended Midland College for three years, after
which he completed the course in the Card Business College at St. Joe. For
some time after completing his school work, he was engaged with his father
on the farm. In September, 1909, be was employed by the First National
Bank at Marysville, where he remained until 1910, when he assumed his
duties as cashier of the Herkimer State Bank. He is a young man of sterling
worth and held in the highest regard by all.
MORLEY P. ROBIXSOX.
Morley P. Robinson, one of the well-known and successful farmers and
stockmen of Blue Rapids City township, Marshall county, and the owner of
eight hundred acres of splendid land, was born in Peterborough, Canada, on
January 30, 1869, and is the son of John and Elizabeth (Xeely) Robinson.
The parents of Morley P. Robinson were natives of Yorkshire, Eng-
land, and Ontario, Canada, respectively, the father having been born in the
year 181 2, and when two years of age, was brought by his parents to Can-
ada, and it was there that the father and mother of our subject received their
education in the common schools. They were reared on the home farms in
their respective communities, and were later married. As a young man,
John Robinson engaged in general farming and continued in the work until
the time of his death in 1872. The widow and her children continued to live
at their Canadian home until 1878, when they came to Marshall county, and
established their home on a farm in Center township, where they had an
undeveloped and unimproved farm of three hundred and sixty acres. The
mother, with the elder children of the family erected a house, sixteen by
twenty-four feet, and in this they lived for a number of years. The farm
was improved and developed and here the mother died in 1896 at the age
of sixty-six years. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were highly respected people and
held in high regard by all who knew them. Mrs. Robinson, in her prairie
home, demonstrated her ability as a manager, and with her children met with
success as farmers and raisers of stock. Their lives for the first few years
were hard ones, and it required a strong determination for a woman, with a
family of children, to settle on an undeveloped prairie farm among strangers.
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IO23
To her and her family much credit and praise are due for the magnificent
work that they accomplished. Air. and Mrs. Robinson were active members
in the Methodist Episcopal church and were prominent in all religious work.
They were the parents of nine children, only one of whom is now deceased.
At the age of seventeen years, Morley P. Robinson took charge of the
home farm, and though but a lad, he met with success. He remained on the
old home place until 1894, when he purchased a farm of his own, of one
hundred and sixty acres in Franklin township. Here he engaged in general
farming until 1901. when he sold the place and moved to Logan county,
where he owned two thousand acres of ranch land, with a Mr. Suggett. Dur-
ing the time Mr. Robinson was on his ranch in Logan county, his family
remained at Carden. During the greater part of five years Mr. Robinson
was employed on his ranch, when in 1908 he purchased his present farm.
The place at that time was unimproved and undeveloped, but has since been
transformed into one of the fine farms of the district. The house is a large
and handsome residence and his barns, feeding sheds, silos and other build-
ings are all arranged with a view to economy and comfort. Mr. Robinson
is an extensive buyer and feeder of cattle for the markets, and twice a year
he ships five hundred head of the finest animals. He also keeps many hogs
and each year places many on the market, for which he receives the highest
market prices. His reputation is known throughout the county, as a suc-
cessful buyer and shipper of stock and as a salesman of automobiles. He
and his brother. Neil, are much interested in the county fair association,
being shareholders and are active in its management. In 1916 Mr. Robin-
son exhibited a Shorthorn bull, on which he won first prize, and at the same
time he won second prize on a young mule that he also had at the fair.
On November 20, 1894, Morley P. Robinson was united in marriage to
Laura McKee. who was born at Peterborough, Canada, on April 16, 1870,
and is the daughter of John F. and Sarah (Chalmers) McKee. When the
daughter, Laura, was one year old, the family left their home in Canada and
came to the United States and established their home in Center township,
Marshall county. The mother died some years ago and the father is now
living in Elm Creek township, and is known as one of the substantial men
of the township, and one of the well-known farmers of the county.
To Morley P. and Laura (McKee) Robinson have been born three chil-
dren: Harold M., John Victor and Ethel. Harold M., now twenty vears
of age, is now at home. He is a graduate of the Blue Rapids high school
and has completed the sophomore year at the University of Kansas. John
IOJ4 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
Victor, seventeen years of age, is also a graduate of the Blue Rapids high
school and is at home. Ethel is fourteen years of age and is a student in the
Blue Rapids schools.
Mr. and Mrs. Robinson are highly respected people and have many
friends throughout the county, who hold them in the highest regard and
esteem. They have long been active in the social life of the community.
They are broadminded and progressive, and take much interest in the edu-
cational and moral development of the county. Politicallv, Mr. Robinson
is identified with tbe Republican party, and while he is not an office seeker,
he takes an active interest in the civic life of the township and the county.
BURTON MARSHALL WINTER.
Burton Marshall Winter, one of the best-known and most successful-
stock-breeders in northern Kansas and the proprietor of a fine farm, the old
Winter homestead, in Wells township, this county, is a native of the great
Empire state, but has been a resident of Kansas ever since he was eight years
of age and has therefore seen Marshall county develop from its pioneer state.
He was born in the city of Buffalo, Xew York, August 22, 1864, son of John
Marshall and Sarah Boyd ( Goodman ) Winter, both natives of that same
state, who later came to Kansas and established themselves on a homestead
farm in this county, where the former spent his last days and where the lat-
ter is still living.
John Marshall Winter was born in Warren county, Xew York, May
21, 1832, a son of Moses Winter, a native of Massachusetts, of old Colonial
stock, and on November 12, 1856, was united in marriage, in Warren county,
to Sarah Boyd Goodman who was born in that same county, April 6, 1834,
daughter of Samuel and Lovice (Turtle) Goodman, also of old New Eng-
land stock, tracing back to the "Mayflower" contingent, members of the
tamilv also having rendered service in the patriot army during the Revolu-
tionarv War. John M. Winter established his home in the city of Buffalo,
where he lived until 1872, when, on account of the failing state of his wife's
health, he came to Kansas with his family and settled in Marshall county.
Upon bis arrival here Mr. Winter bought a piece of land near Blue Rapids,
but was not satisfied with that location and presently bought a homesteader's
right to an "eighty" in Wells township, of which he took possession in March,
1872, and later bought an adjoining "eighty" of railroad land, still later buy-
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.MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IO25
ing another adjoining tract of eighty acres, thus giving him a fine farm of
two hundred and forty acres, which he developed and on which he for years
gave much attention to the raising of registered live stock, with particular
attention to Hereford cattle, and did very well. On that pioneer farm John
M. Winter spent his last days, his death occurring on April 10. 1902. To
him and his wife were born three children, of whom the subject of this
sketch is now the only survivor, the others having been Nancy, who died in
infancy, and Catlin Goodman, who died at the age of twenty-six years. Mr.
and Airs. Winter, in October, 1883, took into their home as an adopted
daughter a four-year-old girl, Madge Fay Walrath, who subsequently as-
sumed the name of Winter. On October 2, 1901, she was married to John
A. Boyd, and lives in Irving, this county, where Mr. Boyd is a farmer and
also rural route mail carrier.
Burton M. Winter was but eight years of age when his parents came to
this county and his schooling, which had been begun in the schools of Buffalo,
was completed in the school in district No. 7, in the neighborhood of his new
home in this county. He grew to manhood on the home farm and has lived
there ever since, with the exception of one year spent in Arizona, in 1904,
he having gone there seeking betterment of health through a change of
climate. After the death of his father in 10,02. Mr. Winter assumed charge
of the old home farm and is now proprietor of the same, a fine tract of land,
with his home on the original homestead "eighty" in Wells township, the
remaining quarter section lying over the line in Bigelow township. Follow-
ing his father's example Mr. Winter has continued the breeding of registered
Hereford cattle and has a fine herd, now numbering thirty-four head, the
products of his cattle barns being disposed of to special buyers and to large
breeders, the reputation of the Winter herd having been well established
throughout this part of the country ever since John M. Winter founded the
herd on his farm in November, 1875, the foundation of that herd having
been a registered Hereford heifer he bought at the Woodward sale on Flm
creek, the original stock having been brought into this state from Ohio about
1872. John M. Winter continued breeding and had a large herd at the time
of his death, his sales over this part of the state having done much during
the years of his activity toward improving the strain of cattle in this section.
In [904 Burton Al. Winter disposed of his herd and went to Arizona, but
upon his 'return from there a year later renewed the herd and has ever since
given close attention to the same. For several years and at the time the
original Winter herd was sold in 1904, the famous "Theodore" was the head
(65)
1020 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
of the herd and since renewing hi?- herd in 1905, Air. Winter has had several
notable sires, the present leader of his herd being "Simoon. Xo. 102857";
dam, "Lakeview Queen VIII, No. 204372.'" Former heads of his herd
were "Go On VI, No. 219256": "Albert. No. 368527", from the William
Acker herd, and "Sir Simoon XLVII, No. 451694". Mr. Winter has a
splendid herd of Herefords, gets good prices for his stock and makes a proper
profit on his sales.
On .March 21, 1900, Burton M. Winter was united in marriage to Effie
A. Young, who was born in Ohio on April 20, 1868. daughter of Albert and
Mary I. ( Bird) Young, the former a native of the state of Xew York and
the latter of Ohio, who moved from the latter state to Minnesota in 1874
and thence, in 1876, to Kansas, locating at Frankfort, where Mr. Young
became engaged as a stationary engineer. He formerly had been engaged
as a locomotive engineer on the Rock Island railroad. His wife, who was
born in December. 1845, died at her home in Frankfort on February 20.
1896, and the next vear, 1807, be went to Arkansas, where he since has made
his home. He was born on May 31, 1845. Mr. and Mrs. Winter have an
adopted son. Donald Marshall, who was born on January 22, 1909. They
attend the Presbyterian church and take a proper interest in the general
-1 icial activities of the. community in which they live. Mr. Winter is a
member of the Farmers Union, of the Anti-Horse-Thief Association and
of the American Hereford Breeders Association, in the affairs of which
organizations he takes a warm and active interest.
HEXRY BOTTGFR.
Henry Bottger. the oldest resident of Yliets, former postmaster of that
village, former justice of the peace in and for Noble township, owner of
the elevators at Yliets. of which village he has been a resident practically
ever since it was established and which, as a contracting carpenter, he did
much to build up, is a native of Germany, but has lived in this country since
he was seventeen years of age and is an honored veteran of the Civil War.
He was born at Flensburg. the most populous city in Sleswick-Holstein.
September n, 1834. son of Jacob and Dora Bottger, natives of that same
country, the former of whom was a millwright and miller and who spent all
their lives in their native land, and there he received an excellent education
in his boyhood. When seventeen years of age he came to the United States,
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IO27
arriving at the port of New York on May 28, 1852, and for two years
thereafter worked in the city of Schnectady, New York, going thence to.
.Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he began working at the carpenter trade and
which city he presently left, going to St. Louis, seeking work as a journey-
man carpenter. Later he went to Kansas City, where he was offered work
on condition that he accept city lots in part payment of his service. Kansas
City lots at that time did not seem as valuable as they now are and he
declined that offer, going thence to St. Joseph, where he worked a short
time and then came over into Kansas and began working at his trade in
Doniphan county, where he remained three years, at the end of which time
he went to Andrew count}-, Missouri, where he began working as a car-
penter and where, in i860, he was married. Mr. Bottger was living in
Missouri when the Civil War broke out and in the spring of 1861 upon
the President's call for volunteers, he enrolled his name for the Missouri
state Union service. In the fall of 1864 he enlisted as a member of Com-
panv E, Eighteenth Regiment, Missouri Volunteer Infantry, and served
with that command until he was honorably discharged in Mt. Pleasant hos-
pital at Washington, D. C. in June, 1865, on a physician's certificate of
phvsical disability. During his military service Mr. Bottger was attached
to the Seventeenth Army Corps and was in numerous important battles, the
last one of which was the battle of Bentonville, in North Carolina. Shortly
after that engagement he was taken seriously ill and was transferred to the
hospital at Washington, where he presently received his discharge, as noted
above.
Upon the completion of his military service Mr. Bottger returned to
St. Toseph, where he rejoined his wife and baby, and presently went back
up into Andrew county, north of there, where he again engaged in con-
struction work and was thus engaged until 1882, when he came over into
Kansas and bought a farm of one hundred and forty-two acres, northwest
of Yliets, in this county. Mr. Bottger improved that farm and lived on
the same until [894, when he moved to Vliets, later selling his farm, and
in the village again resumed his old vocation of carpenter and builder, em-
ploying quite a force of men and building many of the buildings in that vil-
lage, including the school house and the elevators, as well as a row of houses
which he owns, and has done very well in bis operations. Mr. Bottger is a
Republican and for some time after moving to Vliets served as postmaster
of that village. He also has served as justice of the peace.
Henry Bottger has been twice married. It was on December 31, i860,
that he was united in marriage to Alcelia Jane McLaughlin, who died on
1028 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
December [3, 1873, leaving four children, John and George, who are now
living in Oklahoma; Fred, who is at home with his father, and Airs. Mary
St. John, who is living on a farm in Rock township, five miles northwest
of Vliets. On August 24, 1881, Mr. Bottger married Mary Jane Ballard,
who died on November 26, 191 3, without issue. Mr. Bottger is a member
of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic at Vliets and of the
local lodge of the Free Masons, in the affairs of both of which organiza-
tions he takes a warm interest. He is now the oldest inhabitant of Vliets
and is held in high esteem there and throughout the county generally.
CHARLES H. TARVIN.
Charles H. Tarvin, one of the well-known and successful men of Marys-
ville township, Marshall county, was born in Kentucky on November 9, 1863,
being the son of G. W. and Anna S. ( Hicks) Tarvin.
G. \Y. and Anna S. Tarvin were burn in Kentucky, he on September
14, 1824. and she on July 25, 1X28. They received their education in the
common schools of that state and were reared on the farm. After their mar-
riage they established their home on a farm, and there Mr. Tarvin engaged
in agricultural work until April, 1865, when the family immigrated to Kan-
sas. Here he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Marysville
township, .Marshall county, and engaged in general farming and stock rais-
ing until the time of his death on December 11, 1905, his wife survived him
until April 15. 1915. They were good Christian people and were devout
members of the United Brethren church, of which Mr. Tarvin was a minister
for over fifteen years. He always took much interest in local affairs and
lived a progressive life. He was identified with the Republican party and
served his township for a number of years as a justice of the peace.
G. W. and Anna S. Tarvin were married in their Kentucky home on
October 14. 1850, and there they lived for fifteen years, when they and their
family came to Kansas. They were the parents of seven children as follow:
L. S., who is a minister at Mankato, Kansas; Mattie H. Randolph resides at
Marysville, Kansas, where her husband is city clerk; Willie G. d.ied at the
age of two years; John M. resides at Blue Rapids, Kansas, where he is a
well-known and successful stockman; Charles H., the subject of this sketch;
Sallie H. and George W., now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Tarvin hail much
to do with the moral and social development of the communities in which
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. 1029
they lived and were held in the highest regard and esteem. Their lives were
devoted to their family and the good that they might do among the people
of their home district. They were strong advocates of the best schools and
the moral training of the voting, and their influence had much to do with the
high standard of living in the township.
Charles H. Tarvin was but two years of age, when his parents left
their home in Kentucky and came to Kansas, and located in Marysville town-
ship, where he grew to manhood on the home farm, and received his educa-
tion in the local schools. At the age of sixteen years, he started out for
himself, and for five years he worked as a farm hand in the states of Wash-
ington, Oregon and Idaho. He then returned to Marshall county and rented
the farm of his father for two years. He then purchased forty acres of the
place, on which he lived for twenty years. At that time his father died and
Air. Tarvin came into control of the home place, where he has since lived.
He now owns three hundred and twenty acres of excellent land, which is
well improved. He does little of the active work on the farm, but rents the
place to his son, and devotes his time to his extensive interests in the buying
and the selling of stock.
In 1889 Charles H. Tarvin was united in marriage to Cora C. Tays,
the daughter of Dr. R. L. and Laura (Barnes) Tays. Doctor Tays was
born in North Carolina on October 25, 1850, and was reared on a farm
in that state and received his elementary education in the local schools. He
later studied medicine and was engaged in the practice from the time he was
twenty-one years of age until the time of his death on April 30, 1916. He
practiced for some years in the state of Missouri and in 1883 came to Kansas,
locating in Herkimer, where he died. He was a man of pleasing qualities
and made many friends. He was a member of the Masonic order and became
a past master. Politically, he was identified with the Republican party and
served his count\- as coroner for some years. Mrs. Tays was a native of
.Missouri and grew to womanhood on the home farm and received her educa-
tion in the local schools. She was an active member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church and took much interest in all church work, and she and Doctor
Tays were prominent in the social life of the community for many years.
Her death occurred in 1878, where the family was living at the time. They
were the parents of three children as follow: Cora, the wife of Charles H.
Tarvin ; William Lee, in the United States army and one that died in infancy.
Cora (Tays) Tarvin was born in the state of Missouri on December 18,
1872, and received her education in the common schools. Mr. and Mrs.
Tarvin are the parents of six children as follow: Earl D., born on Novem-
(66)
IO3O MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
ber 17, 188c), and is now an electrician at Marysville; Tays R., January 15,
1891 ; Monarie, February 13. 1892; Merle G., April 12, 1896; one that died
in infancy and Teddie McKinley, January 25, 1900. The children are all
at home with the exception of the first named.
Mr. and Mrs. Tarvin are prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal
church, of which they have long been members. They take much interest in
moral and social development of their community and are held in the highest
regard and esteem by all who know them.
Politically, Charles H. Tarvin is identified with the Republican party
and is one of the progressive and prominent men of that organization in Mar-
shall countv. He served for eight years as township trustee of Marysville
township, and his official life was one of honor and respect. He is a man
of much ability and the affairs of the township were conducted in a most
business-like and practical manner.
FRANK LARKIN.
Frank Larkin, one of the well-known and successful farmers and stock-
men of Richland township, Marshall county, was born in Will county, Illi-
nois, on August 2, i860, and was the son of Charles and Mary (Austin)
Larkin.
Charles and Mary (.Austin) Larkin were born near Kent, England, and
there received their education in the public schools and there grew to maturity.
They later came to America and located in Illinois, where they resided for
many years. Their birthplace was at Kent, the father having been born in
1832 and the mother on April 2, 1830. Charles Larkin was reared on a
farm and engaged as a farmer in his native country until 1850, when he
decided to come to America. After a residence of some years in Illinois, he
came to Kansas in 1868. and here he remained for twelve years and was
engaged in general farming. He later located in Nebraska, where he con-
tinued his work as an agriculturist. In 1880 he came to Richland town-
ship. Marshall county, and established his home on the farm that the son,
Frank, now owns. It was here that he engaged in general farming for some
vears before his death. His wife died on January 10, 1898. When Charles
and Mary Larkin first came to Kansas they located in Greenwood county,
where they experienced many of the hardships of the early pioneer. There
were no bridges over the streams, and during high water, when they could
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IO3I
not get to the mill, it was necessary for them to grind their corn in the coffee-
mill. This was but an illustration of the many devices that they had to use
in order to live in the new country in that early day. They secured five hun-
dred acres of good land. They later sold one hundred and sixty acres of
the land for two hundred dollars and traded a Canadian horse for one hun-
dred and sixty acres. They then located in Nebraska, where they home-
steaded land and remained for some time. After coming to Marshall county,
they purchased land in Richland township for five and eleven dollars per
acre.
Charles and Mary Larkin were the parents of the following children:
Marv, William, Charles (i). Alvin, Frank, Louise, Emma, Charles (2),
Albert and Edward. Mary, now deceased, was the wife of Ed. Goodsale, a
successful farmer, and they were the parents of ten children, all of whom
are now living: William H. is a resident of Seattle, Washington, and is
married and he and his wife are the parents of seven children; the first-born
Charles died in infancy ; Alvin is a resident of Dickerson county, Kansas, and
is a laborer ;. Louise, now deceased, was the wife of J. Voile and was the
mother of two boys: Emma is deceased: Charles (2) is married and lives at
Beattie and is the father of four children, three of whom are living; Albert
and Edward are deceased.
Frank Larkin was but eight years of age when his people located in
Nebraska and there he attended district school and grew to manhood. At
the age of seventeen years he began freighting between Table Rock and
Pawnee City. Nebraska, and engaged in this work for two years when
engaged in the dray business and transfer at Pawnee City, where he remained
until 1884. He then came to Marshal! county, and established his home on
the old home farm of his father, which he purchased, and is now the owner
of two hundred and fort}- acres of splendid land, all of which is nicely
improved. Here he has done much in the way of general improvement ; the
house has been rebuilt and other substantial improvements have been made.
Here he is engaged in general farming and stock raising, and has a fine bunch
of Shorthorn cattle, Poland China hogs and Percheron horses, all of which
are graded stock. As a farmer and stockman he is recognized as one of the
successful and progressive ones of the township.
On November 3, 1883, Frank Larkin was united in marriage to Lizzie
B. Goodridge, who was born in Pawnee City, Nebraska, on July 9, 1866,
being the daughter of Frank T. and Estelle (Carey) Goodridge, who were
natives of Maine and the state of New York, respectively. Frank J. Good-
IO32 .MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
ridge came to Nebraska when he was but sixteen years of age and later
engaged in freighting from Denver to St. Joe, Missouri, making the trip
through the old trail that passed through the farm now owned by Frank
Larkin. These trips were made with oxen, and many hardships were
encountered in the long and slow journey. Mr. Goodridge died in 191 1 at
the age of sixty-six years; his widow is now living at Pawnee City at the
age of seventy-two rears. They were the parents of ten children, two sons
and three daughters now living.
To Frank and Lizzie B. Larkin have been born the following children:
Walter, Roy E., Stella. Murray, and twin girls that died in infancy. Walter
is now deceased : Roy E. is engaged in general farming near Mina, Marshall
county; Stella is the wife of Ff. Sturrat, and they live near Mina and are the
parents of three children, and Murray is at home. Mr. and Mrs. Larkin are
members of the Christian church and are prominent in the social and the
religious life of the community.
Politically, Mr. Larkin is identified with the Democratic party and has
always taken much interest in local affairs and has served as a member of
the school board and as road boss of his township. He is a member of the
Modern Woodmen of America and Mrs. Larkin is a member of the Knights
and Ladies of Security and the Eastern Star. They have a beautiful home
and are devoted to their family and are interested in all that tends to the bet-
terment of their home community.
LOUIS I. WAGNER.
Louis I. Wagner, a well-known and successful farmer and stockman of
Summerfield. Marshall county, was born in Franklin county, Indiana, on
February 8. 1871. being the son of Jacob and Eliza (Crusa) Wagner.
Jacob Wagner was born in Germany in 1840 and there received his edu-
cation in the public schools and grew to manhood. As a young man he came
to the United States and located in Indiana, where he was married. He and
his wife established their home in Franklin county, Indiana, where they con-
tinued to reside until 1880. when they came to Kansas. Here Mr. Wagner
purchased two hundred and forty acres of land, which is now owned by the
son, Louis J. The tract at that time was wild prairie and unimproved. A
frame house was built and the task of development was at once begun. After
four vears of active life on his new farm, Mr. Wagner died in 1884. Eliza
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IC>33
Wagner, who was bora in Indiana in 1840. is now living a retired life in
Summerfield, Kansas. She and Mr. Wagner were die parents of the fol-
lowing children: Harry, Louis J.. Charles P., John, William and Edward..
Harry is now deceased ; Charles P. is engaged in general farming and stock
raising on his excellent farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Richland
township : John also owns a farm in Richland township, of one hundred and
sixty acres' and is a well-known farmer and stockman; William is engaged
in the iewelery business at Sapulpa, Oklahoma, and Edward lives at Sum-
merfield.
Jacob Wagner was twice married, and to his union before he married
Eliza Crusa. were born three children as follow: Todd, Katherine and
Addie. Todd resides in Des Moines, Iowa: Katherine Mertes, resides in
California and Addie Poffenberger lives near Fairbury, Nebraska.
Louis I. Wagner was five years of age when his parents left their home
in Indiana and came to Kansas. Here he received his education in the dis-
trict school and grew to manhood on the home farm, where he remained until
1910. He then moved to Summerfield. Kansas, where he engaged in the
buying and selling of stock, and is now one of the largest buyers and sellers
of 'stock in the county. Some years ago he purchased the old home farm of
two hundred and forty acres which he now owns, and where he has made
many substantial improvements. He now has his farm rented and devotes
his attention to the buying of stock. He is also the owner of a one-half
interest in the pool hall at Summerfield, as well as other property of value.
On September .20, 1898, Louis J. Wagner was united in marriage to
Dora Hungate, the daughter of Dallas and Hattie (Nance) Hungate. Mr.
and Mrs. Hungate were born in Illinois, where they received their education,
grew to maturity and were married. They then left their home in that state
and located in Missouri, and later took up their residence in Nebraska, where
they lived for a time before coming to Marshall county. Here they estab-
lished their home in Summerfield in 1009, and are still residents of that place.
Louis I. and Dora Wagner are the parents of two children, Famie, born
on February 8. 1901. and Cecil, born on June 8, 1904. Mr. and Mrs. Wag-
ner are active members of the United Presbyterian church and have long been
prominent in the social life of the community, where they are held in the
highest regard and esteem by all who know them. Mr. Wagner is a member
of the Modem Woodmen of America, and has ever taken an active interest
in the civic life of the township and city. He is identified with the Repub-
lican party and is now representing his ward in the city council. Few men
1034 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
are better known throughout the county than Mr. Wagner. His business
of buying stock takes him to all parts of this section, and by his business-
like methods he has won the confidence and respect of the business men and
farmers of the district. His life has been an active one and he has accom-
plished much that is worthy of notice. By hard work and hustling qualities
he has risen to a position which places him as one of the substantial and suc-
cessful men of the countv.
CHARLES A. SPRATT.
Among the busy men and successful residents of Blue Rapids township,
Marshall county, is Charles A. Spratt, the owner of one hundred and sixty
acres of land, and one of the finest gravel pits in the state of Kansas. He
was born in Buchanan county, Iowa, on December 7, 1865, and is the son of
Otis and Esther (Hardick) Spratt.
Otis and Esther Spratt were born in England, and there they received
their education in the public schools, grew to maturity and were married.
They continued to reside in the land of their nativity until 1855, when they
decided to come to America. After their arrival in the United States they
at once proceeded to the state of Iowa, where they established themselves on
a farm and there they continued to live until 1879, when they came to Mar-
shall county. Kansas. They settled on a farm five miles west of Oketo, on
the old Indian Reservation, which they developed and improved, and where
they lived for many years. They were a most estimable people and were
held in the highest regard by all who knew them.
Charles A. Spratt received his education in the schools of Iowa and in
Oketo township, and grew to manhood on the home farm, where as a lad he
assisted his father with the farm work. He remained at home until 1890,
when he came to Blue Rapids township, where he purchased his present farm,
which he has developed and improved and where he is engaged in general
farming and stock raising with much success. He is a great fancier of fine
horses, high-grade Jersey cattle and good hogs, and his place is at all times
well stocked with these animals. He has among the animals on the farm
some of the finest in the county, and is recognized as one of the best stockmen
of the district.
In 1886 Charles A. Spratt was united in marriage to Ida Bickell, daugh-
ter of John Bickell and wife, prominent residents of the county. To this
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IO35
union three children were born : Mrs. John March, Ralph and Benjamin.
The two former are residents of Blue Rapids township and the latter is living
in Idaho. Ida Bickell, who was a woman of unusual attainments and greatly
admired by all, died in 1S93. On November 1, 1900, Mr. Spratt was united
in marriage to Roseman Summers, and to this union two children have been
born, Cecile, who. was born on April 22, 1904, and Iris, whose birth occurred
on July 4, 1905. Mrs. Spratt was born at Chanute, Kansas, on April 1,
1 88 1. She was left an orphan at a young age, and was reared by Mr. and
Mrs. J. W. Roush, of Chanute, who came to Blue Rapids township in 1897.
She received her education in the schools of Chanute and at Blue Rapids, and
has spent her mature life in the community where she now resides and where
she and her husband are among the worthy and prominent people. They are
active in the social life of their home district and are earnest members of
the United Brethren church, to which they are liberal supporters and in which
tl ley are active workers. Few people of the township take greater interest
in the educational and moral development of the district.
Politically, Mr. Spratt is a member of the Republican party, and while
he has never aspired to office, he has always taken the greatest interest in
the civic life of his home township and county. He is most progressive and
is an advocate of substantial public improvements and is a supporter of the
best schools. He has long been a member of the Marshall County Fair Asso-
ciation, and has given his best efforts to its. success.
On his farm Mr. Spratt has a splendid gravel pit of some forty acres
in extent. The pit is one of the most valuable deposits of clean, pure gravel
in the state. He ships to all parts of the state in carload lots, and employs
a number of men in the pit at all times. The product is most valuable for
concrete work, building material and high-grade road work.
TAMES E. KEEFOVER.
Among the well-known and successful farmers of Walnut township,
Marshal! county, who have met with much success in his chosen profession
is James E. Keefover, who was born in Monongalia county, West Virginia,
on May 30, 1869, and is the son of George and Ann (Freeland) Keefover.
George Keefover was born on March 2j, 1820, and was a native of the
state of Pennsylvania, where he received much of his education in the public
schools. He later attended school in Morgantown, Virginia, and taught
IO36 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
school in that state, and was there married. Airs. Keefover was born in
Virginia in 1846 and died in 1890. In 1869, Mr. and Mrs. Keefover left
their home in Virginia and came to Kansas and here with their five children,
they established their home in Brown county. They remained in their new
home but a short time when they came to Marshall county, and homesteaded
one hundred and sixty acres in section 31, Walnut township. A slab house
was built and in this the family lived for a time. The first winter was a
hard one and the little family suffered many hardships and privations. The
winter was a hard one and the house was but rudely constructed and was a
poor shelter from the strong winds that blew across the wild waste of prairie.
Such a life demanded the determination of the strongest men and women,
and Mr. and Mrs. Keefover had come to Kansas in order to obtain for them-
selves a home, and they exerted every effort to that end. In the spring of
1870 Mr. Keefover engaged in the breaking of his land preparatory to the
planting of his crops. He had no horses and oxen were used to do his work
and for ten years he used these animals. He later traded a part of his oxen
and seventy dollars in money for the one hundred and sixty acres of land
where the son, James E., now lives. He continued to live on the old home-
stead for many years, but later moved to Waterville, where he operated a
feed store until the time of his death in 1904. Mr. Keefover was three times
married, twice in Vest Virginia and then after he came to Kansas. He
taught school in Walnut township* and was a man of much ability and great
force of character.
James E. Keefover was but a babe when his parents left their home in
Virginia and came to Kansas, where he received his education in the public
schools and grew to manhood on the home farm, where as a lad and young
man he assisted his father with the farm work. He later rented one hun-
dred and sixty acres of iiis present home place of two hundred and forty acres
of his father, after which he purchased the tract of the estate. Here he has
made many valuable and substantial improvements and today has one of the
ideal farms of the township. James E. Keefover is one of a family of six
children, the others being: Jasper, a successful farmer of near Barnes. Kan-
sas: Caroline, who was the wife of Frank Jacques, is now deceased, and at
her death she left to mourn her husband and two children: William J., a suc-
cessful fanner, of Oketo ; Thomas W., a well-known farmer, of near Axtell,
and Frank A., of Tacoma, Washington.
James E. Keefover married Lenora Scholfield, the daughter of John A.
and Sarah ( McCurdv") Scholfield. natives of Steuben county, Indiana, where
-MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. iO$J
they received their education in the public schools, grew to maturity and were
married. In 1865 they left their home in Indiana and came to Waterville,
Kansas, where Mr. Scholfield was engaged in the feed business. His wife
died in 1871 and Mr. Scholfield is now residing at Waterville at the age of
sixty-eight years.
To James E. and Lenora Keefover have been born the following chil-
dren : Walter, now twenty-four years of age and at home ; Epha H. Hearn,
now twenty-three years of age and resides near Afton, Kansas, where her
husband is a successful farmer : Myrle is twenty years of age and at home :
Harry J. is a student in the high school at Waterville ; Claude, aged sixteen,
Thelma, aged ten, and Vern, aged eight, are at home and all attending school.
Mr. and Airs. Keefover have a well-established home and are prominent
members of the social life of the community and are held in the highest regard
and esteem by all who know them. Air. Keefover has never been' an office
seeker, vet he has always taken the keenest interest in local affairs.
OSCAR W. H. ZIMMERLING.
Oscar W. H. Zimmerling, one of the best-known and most progressive
young farmers of Franklin township and the local agent for Marshall county
for the Haynes Automobile Company, is a native son of Marshall county and
has lived here all his life, a continuous resident of the farm on which he still
makes his home, one of the pioneer farms of Franklin township. He was
born on that farm on June 20, 1884, son of Ernest Zimmerling and wife,
pioneers of this county, further mention of whom is made elsewhere in this
volume.
Reared on the home farm in Franklin township, Oscar W. H. Zim-
merling received his schooling in school district Xo. 104 and remained with
his father, a valued assistant in the labors of developing and improving the
home farm, until his father's death, after which he inherited a quarter of a
section of the old home place and has continued to make his home there.
Since coming into possession of the farm Mr. Zimmerling has made numer-
ous important improvements on the place and now has one of the best-kept
and most skillfully cultivated farms in that part of the county. Tn addition
to his general farming he has for some years given considerable attention
to the raising of high-grade live stock and has done very well. In 1916 Mr.
Zimmerling accepted the local sales agency for the Haynes Automobile Com-
J O38 MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
pany for Marshall county and is doing very well along that line, having been
quite successful in extending the sales of this make of car throughout this
section. Air. Zimmerling is a Democrat and has ever given his thoughtful
attention to local political affairs, but has not been a seeker after public office.
On November 25, 1915, Oscar \V. H. Zimmerling was united in mar-
riage to Clara Brandt, who was born in Rooks county, this state, November
19, 1893, daughter of Fred C. and Louisa M. ( Jesberg) Brandt, the former
a native of Germany and the latter of Kansas, who were the parents of nine
children, of whom Airs. Zimmerling is the eldest. Fred C. Brandt was born
in Germany on December 16, 1854, and was for years a well-known farmer
in Rooks county, this state. He died in 1910 and his widow, who was born
in Lee county, this state, on January 25, 1865, is now living near St. Joseph,
Missouri.
Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerling are members of the Evangelical church at
Marvsville and take a proper interest in church work, as well as in the general
social activities of the community in which they live and are helpful factors
in the promotion of all worthy causes designed to advance the common wel-
fare. Mr. Zimmerling is a member of the local lodge of the Knights and
Ladies of Security and takes a warm interest in the affairs of the same.
FRANCIS J. -MARKSMAN.
Francis J. Marksman, a well-known farmer of Vermillion township,
this county, is a native son of Marshall county and has lived here all his
life. He was born at Frankfort on July 27, 1878, a son of John and Mary
(Rooney) Marksman, early settlers in Marshall county, the former of whom
is now living at Kansas City, Missouri, where the latter died in 1914.
John Marksman was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in 1844 and remained
there until he was eighteen years of age, when, in 1862, he came to the
United States, locating in New Jersey, and shortly afterward enlisted as a
soldier of the Union for service during the Civil War as a member of the
Sixty-ninth Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, with which he served
until the close of the war. Durijig that service he was severely wounded
during the battle of Cold Harbor. Upon the completion of his military
service Mr. Marksman went to Ohio, where he remained until 1869, when
he came to Kansas and began to work for the railroad company at Atchison,
where he remained until 1871, when he came to Marshall county, having
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IO39
been made foreman of the railway section at Frankfort and in that village
he made his home, engaged in railway work seven years, at the end of which
time he bought a tract of one hundred and twenty acres in Vermillion town-
ship and there established his home. He was a good farmer and gradually
increased his land holdings, with the assistance of his sons, until he became
the owner of six hundred acres of well-improved land. In 1912 he sold
forty acres of his farm and retired from active farming, he and his wife
moving to Kansas City, Missouri, where Mrs. Marksman died on December
22, 19 14, at the age of sixty -nine years. She was an earnest member of the
Catholic church, as is Mr. Marksman, and their children were reared in that
faith. Of these children the subject of this sketch was the sixth in order
of birth, the others being as follow : John, a farmer, now living at Watson-
ville. California; Katherine, who, as Sister Ignatia, is now a teacher in a
parochial school at Topeka ; Mary, who is a trained nurse, now engaged in
that humane profession at Kansas City, Missouri ; Anna, who as Sister Hya-
cinthia. is a Sister of Charity at Leavenworth; James, who died in infancy;
Ella, who married M. Ahern and is now living in Chicago; Margaret, who
was graduated from St. Margarets at Kansas City and is now a trained nurse
in that city; Elizabeth, who is keeping house for her father at Kansas City,
and Joseph, living on the home farm in Vermillion township, who married
Xellie Shyne, who also was born in this county, and has one child.
Francis J. Marksman, who is the owner of a tract of eighty acres, was
reared in Vermillion township, having been but an infant when his parents
moved there from Frankfort, and received his schooling in district No. 98.
From the days of his youth lie was a valued assistant to his father in the
labors of the home farm and upon his father's retirement in 1912 he and his
brother, Joseph, assumed the management of the place and successfully oper-
ated the same. Francis J. Marksman is a member of the Catholic church.
In his political views he is a Republican and gives a good citizen's attention
to local civic affairs. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the local council of
the Knights of Columbus and takes a warm and active interest in the affairs
of the same.
Mr. Marksman was married to Miss Tresa Deneke, of Beloit, and they
are now living on his own farm.
IO4O MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
F. A. TRAIX.
One of the substantial and busy men of Blue Rapids, Marshall county,
is F. A. Train, the president and manager of the Blue Rapids Lumber
Company, which he organized in 1903. He was born at Clinton, Iowa, in
1865 and is the son of George and Mary Train.
George and Mary Train were natives of Alsace-Lorraine, France, and
Wittenburg, Germany, respectively. They spent their lives in their places
and there received the greater part of their education. They later came to
the United States and were for many years residents of Iowa, where they
died some years ago. The father came to this country in 1841, at the age
of thirteen years, and for some years lived in Canada, after which he was
a resident of the state of Illinois, where he lived before moving to Iowa.
In the schools of Clinton, Iowa, F. A. Train received his education
and there he grew to manhood. At the age of nineteen years he was
emploved by the Foster Lumber Company at Fostoria, Pottawatomie
county, where he remained for four years. In 1888 he engaged in the
work in Colorado, when after a year in that state he came to Kansas and
was at Belleville for fourteen years and had charge of the business of
the Chicago Lumber and Coal Company. He then came to Blue Rapids
in 1903 and organized the present lumber company with a capital of eight
thousand dollars, which today has a working basis of over sixteen thou-
sand dollars. They carry a full line of lumber, coal and building mate-
rial, and are doing an extensive business.
F. A. Train was united in marriage in 1885 to Alice G. Stevens, of
Fostoria. Kansas, and to this union six children have been born : Frances
M.. L. B., B. F.. William R.. Louis B. and Leola. Frances M. Tablow is
a resident of Stillwater. Oklahoma; L. B. is in the lumber business at
Pomona, California; William R. and R. F. are with the Boise-Payette
Lumber Company of Boise City, Idaho; Louis B., of Hayward, in the lum-
ber business, and Leola E. Reese resides in Blue Rapids. Since coming to
Blue Rapids, Mr. and Mrs. Train have taken an active interest in the
social and the civic life of the town, and are among the prominent resi-
dents of that city, and are active members of the Episcopal church.
Politically, Mr. Train is identified with the Republican party and has
served as mayor of his home town for a term of two years, and is now
a member of the council and had served in that capacity for eight years,
up to May. iqr^. He has given much thought and attention to his official
MARSHALL COUNTY, KANSAS. IO4I
life, and his highest aim has always been to give his best services to the
community. Being a man of excellent judgment and much experience,
his services have been most valuable to the city in the many improvements
that have been made during the past few years.
Fraternally, Mr. Train is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons and has reached the Chapter degrees and is a member of the Knights
Templar at Marysville. He is also a member of the Knights
and Ladies of Security, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and
the Modern Woodmen of America. He takes much interest in the work
of the societies of which he is a member and has long been one of their
most active workers.
F. A. Train is one of the most hustling of the business men of his
home town and is recognized as one of the most progressive and success-
ful residents of the district. He is a man of pleasing qualities, and because
of his business-like methods he has met with the success that he deserves.
He came to Blue Rapids but a few years ago, yet in the time that he has
been here, he has won the confidence and the respect, not alone of the
business world, but of the entire community. Politically, socially and finan-
cially, he has met with success, and is today held in the highest regard
by the community.
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