Skip to main content

Full text of "Portrait and biographical record of Leavenworth, Douglas and Franklin counties, Kansas. Containing portraits, biographies and genealogies of well known citizens of the past and present"

See other formats


978.101 

L48p 

1158675 

OENEALOOY  COLLECTION 


, *l,LEN  COUN" 

lllliilll 

3  1833  01103  1660 


PORTRAIT  AND 

BIOGRAPHICAL 

RECORD 


OF 

Leavenworth_ 
Douglas  and 
Franklin    Counties 

...KANSAS... 


Containing  Portraits,  Biographies  and  Genealogies 
of  well   known  Citizens  of  the  Past  and  Present 


Together  with  Portraits  and  Biographies 
of  all  the  Presidents  of  the  United  States 


CHAPMAN  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

CHICAGO 

1899 


PRKFACE 


1158G75 

y  HE  greatest  of  English  historians,  Macaulay,  and  one  of  the  most  brilliant  writers  of  the 
I  Q  present  century,  has  said:  "The  history  of  a  country  is  best  told  in  a  record  of  the  lives  of  its 
v2/  people."  In  conformity  with  this  idea,  the  Portrait  and  Biographical  Record  of  this 
county  has  been  prepared.  Instead  of  going  to  musty  records,  and  taking  therefrom  dry  statistical 
matter  that  can  be  appreciated  by  but  few,  our  corps  of  writers  have  gone  to  the  people,  the  men 
and  women  who  have,  by  their  enterprise  and  industry,  brought  the  county  to  a  rank  second  to  none 
among  those  comprising  this  great  and  noble  state,  and  from  their  lips  have  the  story  of  their  life 
struggles.  No  more  interesting  or  instructive  matter  could  be  presented  to  an  intelligent  public. 
In  this  volume  will  be  found  a  record  of  many  whose  lives  are  worthy  the  imitation  of  coming 
generations.  It  tells  how  some,  commencing  life  in  poverty,  by  industry  and  economy  have 
accumulated  wealth.  It  tells  how  others,  with  limited  advantages  for  securing  an  education,  have 
become  learned  men  and  women,  with  an  influence  extending  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  land.  It  tells  of  men  who  have  risen  from  the  lower  walks  of  life  to  eminence  as  statesmen,  and 
whose  names  have  become  famous.  It  tells  of  those  in  every  walk  in  life  who  have  striven  to 
succeed,  and  records  how  that  success  has  usually  crowned  their  efforts.  It  tells  also  of  many,  very 
many,  who,  not  seeking  the  applause  of  the  world,  have  pursued  "the  even  tenor  of  their  way," 
content  to  have  it  said  of  them,  as  Christ  said  of  the  woman  performing  a  deed  of  mercy — '  'They  have 
done  what  they»  could. ' '  It  tells  how  that  many  in  the  pride  and  strength  of  young  manhood  left 
the  plow  and  the  anvil,  the  lawyer's  oflice  and  the  counting-room,  left  every  trade  and  profession, 
and  at  their  country's  call  went  forth  valiantly  "to  do  or  die,"  and  how  through  their  efforts  the 
Union  was  restored  and  peace  once  more  reigned  in  the  land.  In  the  life  of  every  man  and  of  every 
woman  is  a  lesson  that  should  not  be  lost  upon  those  who  follow  after. 

Coming  generations  will  appreciate  this  volume  and  preserve  it  as  a  sacred  treasure,  from  the 
fact  that  it  contains  so  much  that  would  never  find  its  way  into  public  records,  and  which  would 
otherwise  be  inaccessible.  Great  care  has  been  taken  in  the  compilation  of  the  work,  and  every 
opportunity  possible  given  to  those  represented  to  insure  correctness  in  what  has  been  written,  and 
the  publishers  flatter  themselves  that  they  give  to  their  readers  a  work  with  few  errors  of  consequence. 
In  addition  to  the  biographical  sketches,  portraits  of  a  number  of  representative  citizens  are  given. 

The  faces  of  some,  and  biographical  sketches  of  many,  will  be  missed  in  this  volume.  For  this 
the  publishers  are  not  to  blame.  Not  having  a  proper  conception  of  the  work,  some  refused  to  give 
the  information  necessary  to  compile  a  sketch,  while  others  were  indifferent.  Occasionally  some 
member  of  the  family  would  oppose  the  enterprise,  and  on  account  of  such  opposition  the  support  of 
the  interested  one  would  be  withheld.  In  a  few  instances  men  could  never  be  found,  though 
repeated  calls  were  made  at  their  residences  or  places  of  business. 

Chapman  Publishing  Co. 

December,  1899. 


PORTRAITS  AND  BIOGRAPHIES 


OF  THE 


PRESIDENTS 


OF  THE 


UNITED    STATES 


^<^^^ 

'--(^f^^^^^ 


V 


/^^^i^^^^ 


PRESIDENTS 


^x^-|-^^ 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 


V^HE  Father  of  our  Country  was  born  in  West- 
f  C  moreland  County,  Va. ,  February  22,  1732. 
v2/  His  parents  were  Augustine  and  Marj-  (Ball) 
Washington.  The  family  to  which  he  belonged 
has  not  been  satisfactorily  traced  in  England. 
His  great-grandfather,  John  Washington,  emi- 
grated to  Virginia  about  1657,  ^^'^  became  a 
prosperous  planter.  He  had  two  sons,  Lawrence 
and  John.  The  former  married  Mildred  Warner, 
and  had  three  children,  John,  Augustine  and 
Mildred.  Augustine,  the  father  of  George,  first 
married  Jane  Butler,  who  bore  him  four  children, 
two  of  whom,  Lawrence  and  Augustine,  reached 
maturity.  Of  six  children  by  his  second  mar- 
riage, George  was  the  eldest,  the  others  being 
Betty,  Samuel,  John  Augustine,  Charles  and 
Mildred. 

Augustine  Washington,  the  father  of  George, 
died  in  1743,  leaving  a  large  landed  property. 
To  his  eldest  son,  Lawrence,  he  bequeathed  an 
estate  on  the  Potomac,  afterwards  known  as  Mt. 
Vernon,  and  to  George  he  left  the  parental  resi- 
dence. George  received  only  such  education  as 
the  neighborhood  schools  afforded,  save  for  a 
short  time  after  he  left  school,  when  he  received 
private  instruction  in  mathematics.  His  spelling 
was  rather  defective.  Remarkable  stories  are 
told  of  his  great  physical  strength  and  develop- 
ment at  an  early  age.  He  was  an  acknowledged 
leader  among  his  companions,  and  was  early 
noted  for  that  nobleness  of  character,  fairness  and 
veracity  which  characterized  his  whole  life. 

When  George  was  fourteen  years  old  he  had  a 
desire  to  go  to  sea,  and  a  midshipman's  warrant 
was  secured  for  him,  but  through  the  opposition 
of  his  mother  the  idea  was  abandoned.     Two 


years  later  he  was  appointed  surveyor  to  the  im- 
mense estate  of  Lord  Fairfax.  In  this  business 
he  spent  three  years  in  a  rough  frontier  life, 
gaining  experience  which  afterwards  proved  very 
essential  to  him.  In  1751,  though  only  nineteen 
I  years  of  age,  he  was  appointed  Adjutant,  with  the 
rank  of  Major,  in  the  Virginia  militia,  then  being 
trained  for  active  service  against  the  French  and 
Indians.  Soon  after  this  he  sailed  to  the  West 
Indies  with  his  brother  Lawrence,  who  went  there 
to  restore  his  health.  They  soon  returned,  and 
in  the  summer  of  1752  Lawrence  died,  leaving  a 
large  fortune  to  an  infant  daughter,  who  did  not 
long  survive  him.  On  her  demise  the  estate  of 
Mt.  Vernon  was  given  to  George. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  Robert  Dinwiddle  as  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  Virginia,  in  1752,  the  militia 
was  reorganized,  and  the  province  divided  into 
four  military  districts,  of  which  the  northern  was 
assigned  to  Washington  as  Adjutant- General. 
Shortly  after  this  a  very  perilous  mission,  which 
others  had  refused,  was  assigned  him  and  ac- 
cepted. This  was  to  proceed  to  the  French  post 
near  Lake  Erie,  in  northwestern  Pennsylvania. 
The  distance  to  be  traversed  was  about  six  hun- 
dred miles.  Winter  was  at  hand,  and  the  journey 
was  to  be  made  without  military  escort,  through 
a  territory  occupied  by  Indians.  The  trip  was  a 
perilous  one,  and  several  times  he  nearly  lost  his 
life,  but  he  returned  in  safety  and  furnished  a  full 
and  useful  report  of  his  expedition.  A  regiment 
of  three  hundred  men  was  raised  in  Virginia  and 
put  in  command  of  Col.  Joshua  Fr^',  and  Maj. 
Washington  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel. Active  war  was  then  begun  against  the 
French  and  Indians,  in  which  Washington  took 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 


a  most  important  part.  lu  the  memorable  event 
of  July  9,  1755,  known  as  "Braddock's  defeat," 
Washington  was  almost  the  only  officer  of  dis- 
tinction who  escaped  from  the  calamities  of  the 
day  with  life  and  honor. 

Having  been  for  five  years  in  the  military  serv- 
ice, and  having  vainly  sought  promotion  in  the 
royal  army,  he  took  advantage  of  the  fall  of  Ft.  Du- 
quesne  and  the  expulsion  of  the  French  from  the 
valley  of  the  Ohio  to  resign  his  commission.  Soon 
after  he  entered  the  Legislature,  where,  although 
not  a  leader,  he  took  an  active  and  important 
part.  Januarj'  17,  1759,  he  married  Mrs.  Martha 
(Dandtidge)  Custis,  the  wealthy  widow  of  John 
Parke  Custis. 

When  the  British  Parliament  had  closed  the 
port  of  Boston,  the  cry  went  up  throughout  the 
provinces,  ' '  The  cause  ot  Boston  is  the  cause  of 
us  all!  "  It  was  then,  at  the  suggestion  of  Vir- 
ginia, that  a  congress  of  all  the  colonies  was 
called  to  meet  at  Philadelphia  September  5, 
1774,  to  secure  their  common  liberties,  peaceably 
if  possible.  To  this  congress  Col.  Washington 
was  sent  as  a  delegate.  On  May  10,  1775,  the 
congress  re-assembled,  when  the  hostile  inten- 
tions of  England  were  plainly  apparent.  The 
battles  of  Concord  and  Lexington  had  been  fought, 
and  among  the  first  acts  of  this  congress  was  the 
election  of  a  commander-in-chief  of  the  Colonial 
forces.  This  high  and  responsible  ofiice  was  con- 
ferred upon  Washington,  who  was  still  a  member 
of  the  congress.  He  accepted  it  on  June  19,  but 
upon  the  express  condition  that  he  receive  no  sal- 
ary. He  would  keep  an  exact  account  of  ex- 
penses, and  expect  congress  to  pay  them  and 
nothing  more.  It  is  not  the  object  of  this  sketch 
to  trace  the  military  acts  of  Washington,  to  whom 
the  fortunes  and  liberties  of  the  people  of  this 
country  were  so  long  confided.  The  war  was 
conducted  by  him  under  every  possible  disadvan- 
tage; and  while  his  forces  often  met  with  reverses, 
yet  he  overcame  every  obstacle,  and  after  seven 
years  of  heroic  devotion  and  matchless  skill  he 
gained  liberty  for  the  greatest  nation  of  earth. 
On  December  23,  1783,  Washington,  in  a  parting 
address  of  surpassing  beauty,  resigned  his  com- 
mission as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  army  to  the 


Continental  Congress  sitting  at  Annapolis.  He 
retired  immediately  to  Mt.  Vernon  and  resumed 
his  occupation  as  a  farmer  and  planter,  shunning 
all  connection  with  public  life. 

In  Februarj',  1789,  Washington  was  unani- 
mously elected  President,  and  at  the  expiration 
of  his  first  term  he  was  unanimously  re-elected. 
At  the  end  of  this  term  many  were  anxious  that  he 
be  re-elected,  but  he  absolutely  refused  a  third 
nomination.  On  March  4,  1797,  at  the  expiration 
of  his  second  term  as  President,  he  returned  to  his 
home,  hoping  to  pass  there  his  few  remaining 
years  free  from  the  annoyances  of  public  life. 
Later  in  the  year,  however,  his  repose  seemed 
likely  to  be  interrupted  by  war  with  France.  At 
the  prospect  of  such  a  war  he  was  again  urged  to 
take  command  of  the  army,  but  he  chose  his  sub- 
ordinate officers  and  left  them  the  charge  of  mat- 
ters in  the  field,  which  he  superintended  from  his 
home.  In  accepting  the  command,  he  made  the 
reservation  that  he  was  not  to  be  in  the  field  until 
it  was  necessary.  In  the  midst  of  these  prepara- 
tions his  life  was  suddenly  cut  off.  December  12 
he  took  a  severe  cold  from  a  ride  in  the  rain, 
which,  settling  in  his  throat,  produced  inflamma- 
tion, and  terminated  fatally  on  the  night  of  the 
14th.  On  the  18th  his  body  was  borne  with  mili- 
tar>'  honors  to  its  final  resting-place,  and  interred 
in  the  family  vault  at  Mt.  Vernon. 

Of  the  character  of  Washington  it  is  impossible 
to  speak  but  in  terms  of  the  highest  respect  and 
admiration.  The  more  we  see  of  the  operations 
of  our  government,  and  the  more  deeply  we  feel 
the  difficulty  of  uniting  all  opinions  in  a  common 
interest,  the  more  highly  we  must  estimate  the 
force  of  his  talent  and  character,  which  have  been 
able  to  challenge  the  reverence  of  all  parties, 
and  principles,  and  nations,  and  to  win  a  fame  as 
extended  as  the  limits  of  the  globe,  and  which  we 
cannot  but  believe  will  be  as  lasting  as  the  exist- 
ence of  man. 

In  person,  Washington  was  unusually  tall,  erect 
and  well  proportioned,  and  his  muscular  strength 
was  great.  His  features  were  of  a  beausiful  sym- 
metry. He  commanded  respect  without  any  ap- 
pearance of  haughtiness,  and  was  ever  serious 
without  being  dull. 


JOHN  ADAMS. 


JOHN  ADAMS. 


nOHN  ADAMS,  the  second  President  and  the 
I  first  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  was 
Q)  born  in  Braintree  (now  Quincy)  Mass.,  and 
about  ten  miles  from  Boston,  October  19,  1735. 
His  great-grandfather,  Henry  Adams,  emigrated 
from  England  about  1640,  with  a  family  of  eight 
sons,  and  settled  at  Braintree.  The  parents  of 
John  were  John  and  Susannah  (Boylston) 
Adams.  His  father,  who  was  a  fanner  of  limited 
means,  also  engaged  in  the  business  of  shoe- 
making.  He  gave  his  eldest  son,  John,  a  classical 
education  at  Han-ard  College.  John  graduated 
in  1755,  and  at  once  took  charge  of  the  school  at 
Worcester,  Mass.  This  he  found  but  a  "school 
of  affliction,"  from  which  he  endeavored  to  gain 
relief  by  devoting  himself,  in  addition,  to  the 
study  of  law.  For  this  purpose  he  placed  himself 
under  the  tuition  of  the  only  lawyer  in  the  town. 
He  had  thought  seriously  of  the  clerical  profes- 
sion, but  seems  to  have  been  turned  from  this  by 
what  he  termed  ' '  the  frightful  engines  of  ecclesi- 
astical councils,  of  diabolical  malice,  and  Calvin- 
istic  good  nature,"  of  the  operations  of  which  he 
had  been  a  witness  in  his  native  town.  He  was 
well  fitted  for  the  legal  profession,  possessing  a 
clear,  sonorous  voice,  being  ready  and  fluent  of 
speech,  and  having  quick  perceptive  powers.  He 
gradually  gained  a  practice,  and  in  1764  married 
Abigail  Smith,  a  daughter  of  a  minister,  and  a 
lady  of  superior  intelligence.  Shortly  after  his 
marriage,  in  1765,  the  attempt  at  parliamentary 
taxation  turned  him  from  law  to  politics.  He 
took  initial  steps  toward  holding  a  town  meeting, 
and  the  resolutions  he  offered  on  the  subject  be- 
came very  popular  throughout  the  province,  and 
were  adopted  word  for  word  by  over  forty  differ- 
ent towns.  He  moved  to  Boston  in  1768,  and 
became  one  of  the  most  courageous  and  promi- 
nent advocates  of  the  popular  cause,  and  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  General  Court  (the  Leg- 
islature) in  1770. 
Mr.  Adams  was  chosen  one  of  the  first  dele- 


gates from  Massachusetts  to  the  first  Continent- 
al Congress,  which  met  in  1774.  Here  he  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  his  capacity  for  business 
and  for  debate,  and  advocated  the  movement  for 
independence  against  the  majority  of  the  mem- 
bers. In  May,  1776,  he  moved  and  carried  a  res- 
olution in  Congress  that  the  Colonies  should 
assume  the  duties  of  self-goverimient.  He  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  committee  of  five  ap- 
pointed June  1 1  to  prepare  a  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence. This  article  was  drawn  by  Jefferson, 
but  on  Adams  devolved  the  task  of  battling  it 
through  Congress  in  a  three-days  debate. 

On  the  day  after  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence was  passed,  while  his  soul  was  yet  warm 
with  the  glow  of  excited  feeling,  he  wrote  a  letter 
to  his  wife,  which,  as  we  read  it  now,  seems  to 
have  been  dictated  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy. 
"Yesterday,"  he  says,  "the  greatest  question 
was  decided  that  ever  was  debated  in  America; 
and  greater,  perhaps,  never  was  or  will  be  de- 
cided among  men.  A  resolution  was  passed 
without  one  dissenting  colony,  'that  these  United 
States  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  in- 
dependent states.'  The  day  is  passed.  The 
Fourth  of  July,  1776,  will  be  a  memorable  epoch 
in  the  historj'  of  America.  I  am  apt  to  believe  it 
will  be  celebrated  by  succeeding  generations  as 
the  great  anniversar>'  festival.  It  ought  to  be 
commemorated  as  the  day  of  deliverance  by 
solemn  acts  of  devotion  to  Almighty  God.  It 
ought  to  be  solemnized  with  pomp,  shows,  games, 
sports,  guns,  bells,  bonfires  and  illuminations 
from  one  end  of  the  continent  to  the  other,  from 
this  time  forward  forever.  You  will  think  me 
transported  with  enthusiasm,  but  I  am  not.  I 
am  well  aware  of  the  toil  and  blood  and  treas- 
ure that  it  will  cost  to  maintain  this  declaration 
and  support  and  defend  these  States;  yet,  through 
all  the  gloom,  I  can  see  the  rays  of  light  and 
glory.  I  can  see  that  the  end  is  worth  more  than 
all  the  means,  and  that  posterity  will  triumph, 


24 


JOHN  ADAMS. 


although  you  and  I  may  rue,  which  I  hope  we 
shall  not." 

In  November,  1777,  Mr.  Adams  was  appointed 
a  delegate  to  France,  and  to  co-operate  with  Ben- 
jamin Franklin  and  Arthur  Lee,  who  were  then 
in  Paris,  in  the  endeavor  to  obtain  assistance  in 
arms  and  money  from  the  French  government. 
This  was  a  severe  trial  to  his  patriotism,  as  it 
separated  him  from  his  home,  compelled  him  to 
cross  the  ocean  in  winter,  and  exposed  him  to 
great  peril  of  capture  by  the  British  cruisers,  who 
were  seeking  him.  He  left  France  June  17, 
1779.  In  September  of  the  same  year  he  was 
again  chosen  to  go  to  Paris,  and  there  hold  1  im- 
self  in  readiness  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace  and 
of  commerce  with  Great  Britain,  as  soon  as  the 
British  cabinet  might  be  found  willing  to  listen 
to  such  proposals.  He  sailed  for  France  in  No- 
vember, and  from  there  he  went  to  Holland,  where 
he  negotiated  important  loans  and  formed  im- 
portant commercial  treaties. 

Finally,  a  treaty  of  peace  -n-ith  England  was 
signed,  January  21,  1783.  The  re-action  from  the 
excitement,  toil  and  anxiety  through  which  Mr. 
Adams  had  passed  threw  liim  into  a  fever.  After 
suffering  from  a  continued  fever  and  becoming 
feeble  and  emaciated,  he  was  advised  to  go  to 
England  to  drink  the  waters  of  Bath.  While  in 
England,  still  drooping  and  desponding,  he  re- 
ceived dispatches  from  his  own  go\-ernment  urg- 
ing the  necessity  of  his  going  to  Amsterdam  to 
negotiate  another  loan.  It  was  winter,  his  health 
was  delicate,  yet  he  immediately  set  out,  and 
through  storm,  on  sea,  on  horseback  and  foot,  he 
made  the  trip. 

February  24,  1785,  Congress  appointed  Mr. 
Adams  envoy  to  the  Court  of  St.  James.  Here 
he  met  face  to  face  the  King  of  England,  who 
had  so  long  regarded  him  as  a  traitor.  As  Eng- 
land did  not  condescend  to  appoint  a  minister  to 
the  United  States,  and  as  Mr.  Adams  felt  that  he 
was  accomplishing  but  little,  he  sought  permis- 
sion to  return  to  his  own  countrj',  where  he  ar- 
rived in  June,  1788. 

When  Washington  was  first  chosen  President, 
John  Adams,  rendered  illustrious  by  his  signal 
services  at  home  and  abroad,  was  chosen  Vice- 


President.  Again,  at  the  second  election  of  Wash- 
ington as  President,  Adams  was  chosen  Vice- 
President.  In  1796,  Washington  retired  from 
public  life,  and  Mr.  Adams  was  elected  President, 
though  not  without  much  opposition.  Sen-ing 
in  this  office  four  j-ears,  he  was  succeeded  bj'  Mr. 
Jefferson,  his  opponent  in  politics. 

While  Mr.  Adams  was  Vice-President  the 
great  French  Revolution  shook  the  continent  of 
Europe,  and  it  was  upon  this  point  that  he  was 
at  issue  with  the  majority  of  his  countrymen,  led 
by  Mr.  Jefferson.  Mr.  Adams  felt  no  sympathy 
with  the  French  people  in  their  struggle,  for  he 
had  no  confidence  in  their  power  of  self-govern- 
ment, and  he  utterly  abhorred  the  class  of  atheist 
philosophers  who,  he  claimed,  caused  it.  On  the 
other  hand,  Jefferson's  sympathies  were  strongly 
enlisted  in  behalf  of  the  French  people.  Hence 
originated  the  alienation  between  these  distin- 
tinguished  men,  and  the  two  powerful  parties  were 
thus  soon  organized,  with  Adams  at  the  head  of 
the  one  whose  sympathies  were  with  England, 
and  Jefferson  leading  the  other  in  sympathy  with 
France. 

The  Fourth  of  July,  1826,  which  completed  the 
half-century  since  the  signing  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  arrived,  and  there  were  but 
three  of  the  signers  of  that  immortal  instrument 
left  upon  the  earth  to  hail  its  morning  light. 
And,  as  it  is  well  known,  on  that  day  two  of 
these  finished  their  earthl}'  pilgrimage,  a  coinci- 
dence so  remarkable  as  to  seem  miraculous.  For 
a  few  days  before  Mr.  Adams  had  been  rapidlj' 
failing,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  Fourth  he 
found  himself  too  weak  to  rise  from  his  bed.  On 
being  requested  to  name  a  toast  for  the  cus- 
tomary celebration  of  the  day,  he  exclaimed 
"Independence  forever!"  When  the  day  was 
ushered  in  by  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  firing 
of  cannons,  he  was  asked  by  one  of  bis  attend- 
ants if  he  knew  what  day  it  was  ?  He  replied, 
' '  O  yes,  it  is  the  glorious  Fourth  of  July — God 
bless  it — God  bless  you  all!"  In  the  course  of 
the  day  he  said,  "It  is  a  great  and  glorious 
daj'."  The  last  words  he  uttered  were,  "Jeffer- 
son survives."  But  lie  had,  at  one  o'clock, 
resigned  his  spirit  into  the  hands  of  his  God. 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON. 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON. 


^HOMAS  JEFFERSON  was  born  April  2, 
I  C  1743,  at  Sliadwell,  Albemarle  County,  Va. 
\y  His  parents  were  Peter  and  Jane  (Ran- 
dolph) Jefferson,  the  fomier  a  native  of  Wales, 
and  the  latter  born  in  Ivondon.  To  them  were 
born  six  daughters  and  two  sons,  of  whom  Thomas 
was  the  elder.  When  fourteen  years  of  age  his 
father  died.  He  received  a  most  liberal  educa- 
tion, having  been  kept  diligently  at  school  from 
the  time  he  was  five  years  of  age.  In  1760  he 
entered  William  and  Mary  College.  Williams- 
burg was  then  the  seat  of  the  Colonial  court,  and 
it  was  the  abode  of  fashion  and  splendor.  Young 
Jefferson,  who  was  then  seventeen  years  old,  lived 
somewhat  expensively,  keeping  fine  horses,  and 
going  much  into  gaj^  society;  yet  he  was  ear- 
nestly devoted  to  his  studies,  and  irreproachable  in 
his  morals.  In  the  second  year  of  his  college 
course,  moved  by  some  unexplained  impulse,  he 
discarded  his  old  companions  and  pursuits,  and 
often  devoted  fifteen  hours  a  day  to  hard  study. 
He  thus  attained  very  high  intellectual  culture, 
and  a  like  excellence  in  philosophy  and  the  lan- 
guages. 

Immediately  upon  leaving  college  he  began  the 
study  of  law.  For  the  short  time  he  continued 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  he  rose  rapidly, 
and  distinguished  himself  by  his  energy  and 
acuteness  as  a  lawj-er.  But  the  times  called  for 
greater  action.  The  policy  of  England  had  awak- 
ened the  spirit  of  resistance  in  the  American  Col- 
onies, and  the  enlarged  views  which  Jefferson  had 
ever  entertained  soon  led  him  into  active  politi- 
cal life.  In  1 769  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
Virginia  House  of  Burgesses.     In  1772  he  mar- 


ried Mrs.  Martha  Skelton,  a  very  beautiful, 
wealthy,  and  highly  accomplished  young  widow. 

In  1775  he  was  sent  to  the  Colonial  Congress, 
where,  though  a  silent  member,  his  abilities  as  a 
writer  and  a  reasoner  soon  become  known,  and  he 
was  placed  upon  a  number  of  important  com- 
mittees, and  was  chairman  of  the  one  appointed 
for  the  drawing  up  of  a  declaration  of  independ- 
ence. This  committee  consisted  of  Thomas  Jef 
ferson,  John  Adams,  Benjamin  Franklin,  Roger 
Sherman  and  Robert  R.  Livingston.  Jefferson, 
as  chairman,  was  appointed  to  draw  up  the  paper. 
Franklin  and  Adams  suggested  a  few  verbal 
changes  before  it  was  submitted  to  Congress.  On 
June  28,  a  few  slight  changes  were  made  in  it  by 
Congress,  and  it  was  passed  and  signed  July  4, 
1776. 

In  1779  Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  successor  to 
Patrick  Henry  as  Governor  of  Virginia.  At  one 
time  the  British  officer  Tarleton  sent  a  secret 
expedition  to  Monticello  to  capture  the  Governor. 
Scarcely  five  minutes  elapsed  after  the  hurried 
escape  of  Mr.  Jefferson  and  his  family  ere  his 
mansion  was  in  possession  of  the  British  troops. 
His  wife's  health,  never  very  good,  was  much 
injured  by  this  excitement,  and  in  the  summer 
of  1782  she  died. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1783. 
Two  years  later  he  was  appointed  Minister  Pleni- 
potentiary to  France.  Returning  to  the  United 
States  in  September,  1789,  he  became  Secretarj' 
of  State  in  Washington's  cabinet.  This  position 
he  resigned  January  i,  1794.  In  1797,  he  was 
chosen  Vice-President,  and  four  years  later  was 
elected   President  over  Mr.  Adams,  with  Aaron 


28 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON. 


Burr  as  Vice-President.  In  1804  he  was  re- 
elected with  wonderful  unanimit^•,  George  Clin- 
ton being  elected  Vice-President. 

The  earh-  part  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  second  ad- 
ministration was  distiu-bed  bj-  an  event  which 
threatened  the  tranquiUity  and  peace  of  the  Union; 
this  was  the  conspiracy  of  Aaron  Burr.  Defeated 
in  the  late  election  to  the  Mce-Presidency,  and 
led  on  by  an  unprincipled  ambition,  this  extraor- 
dinary man  formed  the  plan  of  a  military  ex- 
pedition into  the  Spanish  territories  on  our  south- 
western frontier,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  there 
a  new  republic.  This  was  generallj-  supposed 
to  have  been  a  mere  pretext;  and  although  it  has 
not  been  generally  known  what  his  real  plans 
were,  there  is  no  doubt  that  they  were  of  a  far 
more  dangerous  character. 

In  1809,  at  the  expiration  of  the  second  term 
for  which  Mr.  Jefferson  had  been  elected,  he  de- 
termined to  retire  from  political  life.  For  a  period 
of  nearly  forty  years  he  had  been  continually  be- 
fore the  public,  and  all  that  time  had  been  em- 
ploj-ed  in  offices  of  the  greatest  trust  and  respon- 
sibility. Ha\-ing  thus  devoted  the  best  part  of 
his  life  to  the  sen-ice  of  his  country-,  he  now  felt 
desirous  of  that  rest  which  his  declining  j-ears  re- 
quired, and  upon  the  organization  of  the  new  ad- 
ministration, in  March,  1809,  he  bade  farewell  for- 
ever to  public  life  and  retired  to  Monticello,  his 
famous  countrj-  home,  which,  next  to  Mt.  Vernon, 
was  the  most  distinguished  residence  in  the  land. 

The  Fourth  of  July,  1S26,  beingthe  fiftieth  an- 
niversary' of  the  Declaration  of  American  Inde- 
pendence, great  preparations  were  made  in  everj- 
part  of  the  Union  for  its  celebration  as  the  nation's 
jubilee,  and  the  citizens  of  Washington,  to  add  to 
the  solemnitj'  of  the  occasion,  invited  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, as  the  framer  and  one  of  the  few  sur\-i%-ing 
signers  of  the  Declaration,  to  participate  in  their 
festivities.  But  an  illness,  which  had  been  of 
several  weeks'  duration  and  had  been  continuallj- 
increasing,  compelled  him  to  decline  the  invita- 
tion. 

On  the  2d  of  July  the  disease  under  which  he 
was  laboring  left  him,  but  in  such  a  reduced 
state  that  his  medical  attendants  entertained  no 
hope  of  his  recover}'.     From  this  time  he  was 


perfectly  sensible  that  his  last  hour  was  at  hand. 
On  the  next  daj-,  which  was  Monday,  he  asked 
of  those  around  him  the  da}'  of  the  month,  and 
on  being  told  it  was  the  3d  of  Jtily,  he  ex- 
pressed the  earnest  wish  that  he  might  be  per- 
mitted to  breathe  the  air  of  the  fiftieth  anniver- 
sar}'.  His  prayer  was  heard — that  day  whose 
dawn  was  hailed  with  such  rapture  through  our 
land  burst  upon  his  eyes,  and  then  they  were 
closed  forever.  And  what  a  noble  consummation 
of  a  noble  life!  To  die  on  that  day — the  birth- 
day of  a  nation — the  day  which  his  own  name 
and  his  own  act  had  rendered  glorious,  to  die 
amidst  the  rejoicings  and  festi\'ities  of  a  whole 
nation,  who  looked  up  to  him  as  the  author,  un- 
der God,  of  their  greatest  blessings,  was  all  that 
was  wanting  to  fill  up  the  record  of  his  life. 

Almost  at  the  same  hour  of  his  death,  the  kin- 
dred spirit  of  the  venerable  Adams,  as  if  to  bear 
him  company,  left  the  scene  of  his  earthly  honors. 
Hand  in  hand  they  had  stood  forth,  the  cham- 
pions of  freedom ;  hand  in  hand,  during  the  dark 
and  desperate  struggle  of  the  Revolution,  they 
had  cheered  and  animated  their  desponding  coun- 
tr}'men;  for  half  a  century  they  had  labored  to- 
gether for  the  good  of  the  countr}-,  and  now  hand 
in  hand  they  departed.  In  their  lives  they  had 
been  united  in  the  same  great  cause  of  Ubert}', 
and  in  their  deaths  they  were  not  divided. 

In  person  Mr.  Jefferson  was  tall  and  thin,  rather 
above  six  feet  in  height,  but  well  formed;  his  eyes 
were  light,  his  hair,  originally  red,  in  after  life  be- 
came white  and  silver}',  his  complexion  was  fair, 
his  forehead  broad,  and  his  whole  countenance 
intelligent  and  thoughtful.  He  possessed  great 
fortitude  of  mind  as  well  as  personal  courage,  and 
his  command  of  temper  was  such  that  his  oldest 
and  most  intimate  friends  never  recollected  to 
have  seen  him  in  a  passion.  His  manners,  though 
dignified,  were  simple  and  unaffected,  and  his 
hospitalit}'  was  so  unbounded  that  all  found  at 
his  house  a  ready  welcome.  In  conversation  he 
was  fluent,  eloquent  and  enthusiastic,  and  his 
language  was  remarkably  pure  and  correct.  He 
was  a  finished  classical  scholar,  and  in  his  writ- 
ings is  discernible  the  care  with  which  he  formed 
his  st}-le  upon  the  best  models  of  antiquity. 


JAMES  MADISON. 


JAMES  MADISON. 


(Tames  MADISON,    "Father  of  the   Consti- 

I  tution,"  and  fourth  President  of  the  United 
(2/  States,  was  born  March  i6,  1757,  and  died 
at  his  home  in  Virginia  June  28,  1836.  The 
name  of  James  Madison  is  inseparably  connected 
with  most  of  the  important  events  in  that  heroic 
period  of  our  country  during  which  the  founda- 
tions of  this  great  repubhc  were  laid.  He  was 
the  last  of  the  founders  of  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  to  be  called  to  his  eternal  reward. 

The  Madison  familj'  were  among  the  earlj'  emi- 
grants to  the  New  World,  landing  upon  the  shores 
of  the  Chesapeake  but  fifteen  j-ears  after  the  settle- 
ment of  Jamestown.  The  father  of  James  Madison 
was  an  opulent  planter,  residing  upon  a  verj'  fine 
estate  called  Montpelier,  in  Orange  County,  Va. 
It  was  but  twenty-five  miles  from  the  home  of  Jef- 
ferson at  Monticello,  and  the  closest  personal  and 
political  attachment  existed  between  these  illustri- 
ous men  from  their  early  youth  until  death. 

The  early  education  of  Mr.  Madison  was  con- 
ducted mostly  at  home  under  a  private  tutor.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  sent  to  Princeton  Col- 
lege, in  New  Jersey.  Here  he  applied  himself  to 
study  with  the  most  imprudent  zeal,  allowing  him- 
self for  months  but  three  hours'  sleep  out  of  the 
twenty-four.  His  health  thus  became  so  seriously 
impaired  that  he  never  recovered  any  vigor  of 
constitution.  He  graduated  in  1 77 1 ,  with  a  feeble 
body,  but  with  a  character  of  utmost  purity,  and 
a  mind  highly  disciplined  and  richly  stored  with 
learning,  which  embellished  and  gave  efiiciency 
to  his  subsequent  career. 

Returning  to  Virginia,  he  commenced  the  study 
of  law  and  a  course  of  extensive  and  systematic 
reading.  This  educational  course,  the  spirit  of 
the  times  in  which  he  lived,  and  the  society  with 
which  he  associated,  all  combined  to  inspire  him 
with  a  strong  love  of  liberty,  and  to  train  him  for 
his  life-work  as  a  statesman. 

In  the  spring  of  1776,  when  twenty-six  years  of 


age,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Con- 
vention to  frame  the  constitution  of  the  State.  The 
next  year  (1777),  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  He  refused  to  treat  the  whisky -lov- 
ing voters,  and  consequently  lost  his  election;  but 
those  who  had  witnessed  the  talent,  energy  and 
pubhc  spirit  of  the  modest  young  man  enlisted 
themselves  in  his  behalf,  and  he  was  appointed  to 
the  Executive  Council. 

Both  Patrick  Henry  and  Thomas  Jefierson  were 
Governors  of  Virginia  while  Mr.  Madison  re- 
mained member  of  the  Council,  and  their  apprecia- 
tion of  his  intellectual,  social  and  moral  worth 
contributed  not  a  little  to  his  subsequent  eminence. 
In  the  year  1780  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Continental  Congress.  Here  he  met  the  most  il- 
lustrious men  in  our  land,  and  he  was  immediately 
assigned  to  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  positions 
among  them.  For  three  years  he  continued  in  Con- 
gress, one  of  its  most  active  and  influential  mem- 
bers. In  1784,  his  term  having  expired,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Legislature. 

No  man  felt  more  deeply  than  Mr.  Madison  the 
utter  inefficiency  of  the  old  confederacy,  with  no 
national  government,  and  no  power  to  form  trea- 
ties which  would  be  binding,  or  to  enforce  law. 
There  was  not  any  State  more  prominent  than 
Virginia  in  the  declaration  that  an  efficient  na- 
tional government  must  be  formed.  In  Januarj', 
1786,  Mr.  Madison  carried  a  resolution  through 
the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  inviting  the 
other  States  to  appoint  commissioners  to  meet  in 
convention  at  Annapolis  to  discuss  this  subject. 
Fi\-e  States  only  were  represented.  The  conven- 
tion, however,  issued  another  call,  drawn  up  by 
Mr.  Madison,  urging  all  the  States  to  send  their 
delegates  to  Philadelphia  in  May,  17S7,  to  draft 
a  Constitution  for  the  United  States,  to  take  the 
place  of  the  Confederate  League.  The  delegates 
met  at  the  time  appointed.  Ever>'  State  but 
Rhode  Island  was  represented.    George  Washing- 


32 


JAMES  MADISON. 


ton  was  chosen  president  of  the  convention,  and  the 
present  Constitution  of  tlie  United  States  was  then 
and  there  formed.  There  was,  perhaps,  no  mind 
and  no  pen  more  active  in  framing  this  immortal 
document  than  the  mind  and  the  pen  of  James 
Madison. 

The  Constitution,  adopted  by  a  vote  of  eighty-one 
to  seventy-nine,  was  to  be  presented  to  the  several 
States  for  acceptance.  But  grave  solicitude  was 
felt.  Should  it  be  rejected,  we  should  be  left  but  a 
conglomeration  of  independent  States,  with  but 
little  power  at  home  and  little  respect  abroad.  Mr. 
Madison  was  elected  by  the  convention  to  draw  up 
an  address  to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  ex- 
pounding the  principles  of  the  Constitution,  and 
urging  its  adoption.  There  was  great  opposition 
to  it  at  first,  but  at  length  it  triumphed  over  all, 
and  went  into  effect  in  1789. 

Mr.  Madison  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives in  the  first  Congress,  and  soon  became 
the  avowed  leader  of  the  Republican  party.  While 
in  New  York  attending  Congress,  he  met  Mrs. 
Todd,  a  young  widow  of  remarkable  power  of  fas- 
cination, whom  he  married.  She  was  in  person 
and  character  queenly,  and  probaby  no  lady  has 
thus  far  occupied  so  prominent  a  position  in  the 
very  peculiar  society  which  has  constituted  our 
republican  court  as  did  Mrs.  Madison. 

Mr.  Madison  served  as  Secretarj^  of  State  under 
Jefferson,  and  at  the  close  of  his  administration 
was  chosen  President.  At  this  time  the  encroach- 
ments of  England  had  brought  us  to  the  verge  of 
war.  British  orders  in  council  destroyed  our  com- 
merce, and  our  flag  was  exposed  to  constant  insult. 
Mr.  Madison  was  a  man  of  peace.  Scholarly  in 
his  taste,  retiring  in  his  disposition,  war  had  no 
charms  for  him.  But  the  meekest  spirit  can  be 
roused.  It  makes  one's  blood  boil,  even  now,  to 
think  of  an  American  ship  brought  to  upon  the 
ocean  by  the  guns  of  an  English  cruiser.  A 
young  lieutenant  steps  on  board  and  orders  the 
crew  to  be  paraded  before  him.  With  great  non- 
chalance he  selects  any  number  whom  he  may 
please  to  designate  as  British  subjects,  orders  them 
down  the  ship's  side  into  his  boat,  and  places  them 
on  the  gundeck  of  his  man-of-war,  to  fight,  by 
compulsion,  the  battles  of  England.     This  right 


of  search  and  impressment  no  efforts  of  our  Gov- 
ernment could  induce  the  British  cabinet  to  re- 
linquish. 

On  the  1 8th  of  June,  1812,  President  Madison 
gave  his  approval  to  an  act  of  Congress  declaring 
war  against  Great  Britain.  Notwithstanding  the 
bitter  hostility  of  the  Federal  party  to  the  war,  the 
country  in  general  approved;  and  Mr.  Madison, 
on  the  4th  of  March,  181 3,  was  re-elected  by  a 
large  majorit}',  and  entered  upon  his  second  term 
of  office.  This  is  not  the  place  to  describe  the 
various  adventures  of  this  war  on  the  land  and  on 
the  water.  Our  infant  navy  then  laid  the  found- 
ations of  its  renown  in  grappling  with  the  most 
formidable  power  which  ever  swept  the  seas.  The 
contest  commenced  in  earnest  by  the  appearance 
of  a  British  fleet,  early  in  February,  18 13,  in 
Chesapeake  Bay,  declaring  nearly  the  whole  coast 
of  the  United  States  under  blockade. 

The  Emperor  of  Russia  offered  his  services  as 
mediator.  America  accepted;  England  refused. 
A  British  force  of  five  thousand  men  landed  on  the 
banks  of  the  Patuxet  River,  near  its  entrance  into 
Chesapeake  Bay,  and  marched  rapidly,  by  way  of 
Bladensburg,  upon  Washington. 

The  straggling  little  city  of  Washington  was 
thrown  into  consternation.  The  cannon  of  the 
brief  conflict  at  Bladensburg  echoed  through  the 
streets  of  the  metropolis.  The  whole  population 
fled  from  the  city.  The  President,  leaving  Mrs. 
Madison  in  the  White  House,  with  her  carriage 
drawn  up  at  the  door  to  await  his  speedy  return, 
hurried  to  meet  the  ofiicers  in  a  council  of  war. 
He  met  our  troops  utterly  routed,  and  he  could  not 
go  back  without  danger  of  being  captured.  But 
few  hours  elapsed  ere  the  Presidential  Mansion, 
the  Capitol,  and  all  the  public  buildings  in  Wash- 
ington were  in  flames. 

The  war  closed  after  two  years  of  fighting,  and 
on  February  13,  18 15,  the  treaty  of  peace  was 
signed  at  Ghent.  On  the  4th  of  March,  18 17,  his 
second  term  of  office  expired,  and  he  resigned  the 
Presidential  chair  to  his  friend,  James  Monroe. 
He  retired  to  his  beautiful  home  at  Montpelier,  and 
there  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  On  June 
28,  1836,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years,  he  fell 
asleep  in  death.  Mrs.  Madison  died  July  12,  1849. 


i 


JAMIiS  MONROE. 


JAMES  MONROE. 


1158G7 


(Tames  MONROE,  the  fifth  President  of  the 
I  United  States,  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
G)  County,  Va.,  April  28,  1758.  His  early  life 
was  passed  at  the  place  of  his  nativity.  His  an- 
cestors had  for  many  years  resided  in  the  province 
in  which  he  was  born.  When  he  was  seventeen 
years  old,  and  in  process  of  completing  his  educa- 
tion at  William  and  Mary  College,  the  Colonial 
Congress,  assembled  at  Philadelphia  to  deliberate 
upon  the  unjust  and  manifold  oppressions  of  Great 
Britain,  declared  the  separation  of  the  Colonies, 
and  promulgated  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
Had  he  been  born  ten  years  before,  it  is  highly 
probable  that  he  would  have  been  one  of  the 
signers  of  that  celebrated  instrument.  At  this 
time  he  left  school  and  enlisted  among  the  pa- 
triots. 

He  joined  the  army  when  everything  looked 
hopeless  and  gloomy.  The  number  of  deserters 
increased  from  day  to  day.  The  invading  armies 
came  pouring  in,  and  the  Tories  not  only  favored 
the  cause  of  the  mother  country,  but  disheartened 
the  new  recruits,  who  were  suflBciently  terrified 
at  the  prospect  of  contending  with  an  enemy 
whom  they  had  been  taught  to  deem  invincible. 
To  such  brave  spirits  as  James  Monroe,  who  went 
right  onward  undismayed  through  difficulty  and 
danger,  the  United  States  owe  their  political 
emancipation.  The  young  cadet  joined  the  ranks 
and  espoused  the  cause  of  his  injured  country', 
with  a  firm  determination  to  live  or  die  in  her 
strife  for  liberty.  Firmly,  yet  sadly,  he  shared  in 
the  melancholy  retreat  from  Harlem  Heights 
and  White  Plains,  and  accompanied  the  dispirited 
army  as  it  fled  before  its  foes  through  New  Jersey. 
In  four  months  after  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, the  patriots  had  been  beaten  in  seven 
battles.  At  the  battle  of  Trenton  he  led  the  van- 
guard, and  in  the  act  of  charging  upon  the  enemy 
he  received  a  wound  in  the  left  shoulder. 


As  a  reward  for  his  bravery,  Mr.  Monroe  was 
promoted  to  be  captain  of  infantrj',  and,  having  re- 
covered from  his  wounds,  he  rejoined  the  army. 
He,  however,  receded  from  the  line  of  promotion 
by  becoming  an  officer  on  the  staff"  of  L,ord  Ster- 
ling. During  the  campaigns  of  1777  and  1778, 
in  the  actions  of  Brandywine,  Germantown  and 
Monmouth,  he  continued  aide-de-camp;  but  be- 
coming desirous  to  regain  his  position  in  the 
army,  he  exerted  himself  to  collect  a  regiment  for 
the  Virginia  line.  This  scheme  failed,  owing  to 
the  exhausted  condition  of  the  State.  Upon  this 
failure  he  entered  the  office  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  at 
that  period  Governor,  and  pursued  with  consid- 
erable ardor  the  study  of  common  law.  He  did 
not,  however,  entirely  lay  aside  the  knapsack  for 
the  green  bag,  but  on  the  invasion  of  the  enemy 
served  as  a  volunteer  during  the  two  years  of  his 
legal  pursuits. 

In  1782  he  was  elected  from  King  George 
County  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  Virginia, 
and  by  that  body  he  was  elevated  to  a  seat  in  the 
Executive  Council.  He  was  thus  honored  with 
the  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens  at  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  and  having  at  this  early  period 
displayed  some  of  that  ability  and  aptitude  for 
legislation  which  were  afterward  employed  with 
unremitting  energy  for  the  public  good,  he  was 
in  the  succeeding  year  chosen  a  member  of  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States. 

Deeply  as  Mr.  Monroe  felt  the  imperfections  of 
the  old  Confederacy,  he  was  opposed  to  the  new 
Constitution,  thinking,  with  many  others  of  the 
Republican  party,  that  it  gave  too  umcli  power  to 
the  Central  Government,  and  not  enough  to  the 
individual  States.  Still  he  retained  the  esteem 
of  his  friends  who  were  its  warm  supporters,  and 
who,  notwithstanding  his  opposition,  secured  its 
adoption.  In  1789  he  became  a  member  of  the 
United  States  Senate,  which   office   he  held  for 


36  JAMES  MONROE. 

four  years.  Every  month  the  Hne  of  distinction 
between  the  two  great  parties  which  divided  the 
nation,  the  Federal  and  the  Republican,  was 
growing  more  distinct.  The  differences  which 
now  separated  them  lay  in  the  fact  that  the  Repub- 
lican party  was  in  sympathy  with  France,  and 
also  in  favor  of  such  a  strict  construction  of  the 
Constitution  as  to  give  the  Central  Government  as 
little  power,  and  the  State  Governments  as  much 
power,  as  the  Constitution  would  warrant;  while 
the  Federalists  sympathized  with  England,  and 
were  in  favor  of  a  liberal  construction  of  the  Con- 
stitution, which  would  give  as  much  power  to  the 
Central  Government  as  that  document  could  pos- 
sibly authorize. 

Washington  was  then  President.  England  had 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Bourbons  against  the 
principles  of  the  French  Revolution.  All  Europe 
was  drawn  into  the  conflict.  We  were  feeble  and 
far  away.  Washington  issued  a  proclamation  of 
neutrality  between  these  contending  powers. 
France  had  helped  us  in  the  struggles  for  our 
liberties.  All  the  despotisms  of  Europe  were  now 
combined  to  prevent  the  French  from  escaping 
from  a  tyranny  a  thousand-fold  worse  than  that 
which  we  had  endured.  Col.  Monroe,  more  mag- 
nanimous than  prudent,  was  anxious  that,  at 
whatever  hazard,  we  should  help  our  old  allies  in 
their  extremity.  It  was  the  impulse  of  a  gener- 
ous and  noble  nature,  and  Washington,  who  could 
appreciate  such  a  character,  showed  his  calm,  se- 
rene, almost  divine,  greatness,  by  appointing  that 
very  James  Monroe  who. was  denouncing  the  pol- 
icy of  the  Government,  as  the  minister  of  that 
Government  to  the  Republic  of  France.  Mr. 
Monroe  was  welcomed  by  the  National  Conven- 
tion in  France  with  the  most  enthusiastic  dem- 
onstration. 

Shortly  after  his  return  to  this  country,  Mr. 
Monroe  was  elected  Governor  of  Virginia,  and 
held  the  ofSce  for  three  years.  He  was  again 
sent  to  France  to  co-operate  with 'Chancellor  Liv- 
ingston in  obtaining  the  vast  territorj^  then  known 
as  the  province  of  Louisiana,  which  France  had 
but  shortly  before  obtained  from  Spain.  Their 
united  efforts  were  successful.  For  the  compara- 
tively small  sum  of  fifteen  millions  of  dollars,  the 


entire  territory  of  Orleans  and  district  of  Loui- 
siana were  added  to  the  United  States.  This  was 
probably  the  largest  transfer  of  real  estate  which 
was  ever  made  in  all  the  history  of  the  world. 

From  France  Mr.  Monroe  went  to  England  to 
obtain  from  that  country  some  recognition  of  out 
rights  as  neutrals,  and  to  remonstrate  against 
those  odious  impressments  of  our  seamen.  But 
England  was  unrelenting.  He  again  returned  to 
England  on  the  same  mission,  but  could  receive 
no  redress.  He  returned  to  his  home  and  was 
again  chosen  Governor  of  Virginia.  This  he  soon 
resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  Secretary  of 
State  under  Madison.  While  in  this  office  war 
with  England  was  declared,  the  Secretary  of  War 
resigned,  and  during  these  trying  times  the 
duties  of  the  War  Department  were  also  put  upon 
him.  He  was  truly  the  armor-bearer  of  President 
Madison,  and  the  most  efficient  business  man  in 
his  cabinet.  Upon  the  return  of  peace  he  re- 
signed the  Department  of  War,  but  continued  in 
the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  until  the  expira- 
tion of  Mr.  Madison's  administration.  At  the 
election  held  the  previous  autumn,  Mr.  Monroe 
himself  had  been  chosen  President  with  but  little 
opposition,  and  upon  March  4,  18 17,  he  was  in- 
augurated. Four  years  later  he  was  elected  for 
a  second  term. 

Among  the  important  measures  of  his  Presi- 
dency were  the  cession  of  Florida  to  the  United 
States,  the  Missouri  Compromise,  and  the  famous 
"  Monroe  doctrine."  This  doctrine  was  enun- 
ciated by  him  in  1823,  and  was  as  follows:  ' '  That 
we  should  consider  any  attempt  on  the  part  of 
European  powers  to  extend  their  system  to  any 
portion  of  this  hemisphere  as  dangerous  to  our 
peace  and  safety,"  and  that  "we  could  not  view 
any  interposition  for  the  purpose  of  oppressing  or 
controlling  American  governments  or  provinces 
in  any  other  light  than  as  a  manifestation  by 
European  powers  of  an  unfriendly  disposition 
toward  the  United  States. ' ' 

At  the  end  of  his  second  term,  Mr.  Monroe  re- 
tired to  his  home  in  Virginia,  where  he  lived  un- 
til 1830,  when  he  went  to  New  York  to  live  with 
his  son-in-law.  In  that  city  he  died,  on  the  4th 
of  July,  1831. 


I 


JOHX  OUINCY  ADAMS. 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 


(TOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS,  the  sixth  President 

I  of  the  United  States,  was  born  in  the  rural 
\Z/  home  of  his  honored  father,  John  Adams,  in 
Quincy,  Mass.,  on  the  nth  of  July,  1767.  His 
mother,  a  woman  of  exalted  worth,  watched  over 
his  childhood  during  the  almost  constant  ab- 
sence of  his  father.  When  but  eight  years  of 
age,  he  stood  with  his  mother  on  an  eminence, 
listening  to  the  booming  of  the  great  battle  on 
Bunker's  Hill,  and  gazing  out  upon  the  smoke 
and  flames  billowing  up  from  the  conflagration  of 
Charlestown. 

When  but  eleven  years  old  he  took  a  tearful 
adieu  of  his  mother,  to  sail  with  his  father  for  Eu- 
rope, through  a  fleet  of  hostile  British  cruisers. 
The  bright,  animated  boy  spent  a  year  and  a-half 
in  Paris,  where  his  father  was  associated  with 
Franklin  and  Lee  as  Minister  Plenipotentiary. 
His  intelligence  attracted  the  notice  of  these  dis- 
tinguished men,  and  he  received  from  them  flat- 
tering marks  of  attention. 

John  Adams  had  scarcely  returned  to  this 
country,  in  1779,  ere  he  was  again  sent  abroad. 
Again  John  Quincy  accompanied  his  father.  At 
Paris  he  applied  himself  to  study  with  great  dil- 
igence for  six  months,  and  then  accompanied  his 
father  to  Holland,  where  he  entered  first  a  school 
in  Amsterdam,  then  the  University  at  L,eyden. 
About  a  year  from  this  time,  in  1781,  when  the 
manly  boy  was  but  fourteen  years  of  age,  he  was 
selected  by  Mr.  Dana,  our  Minister  to  the  Rus- 
sian court,  as  his  private  secretary. 

In  this  school  of  incessant  labor  and  of  ennobl- 
ing culture  he  spent  fourteen  months,  and  then 
returned  to  Holland,  through  Sweden,  Denmark, 
Hamburg  and  Bremen.  This  long  journey  he 
took  alone  in  the  winter,  when  in  his  sixteenth 
year.  Again  he  resumed  his  studies,  under  a  pri- 
vate tutor,  at  The  Hague.  Then,  in  the  spring  of 
1782,  he  accompanied  his  father  to  Paris,  travel- 
ing leisurely,  and  forming  acquaintances  with  the 
most  distinguished  men  on  the  continent,  examin- 


ing architectural  remains,  galleries  of  paintings, 
and  all  renowned  works  of  art.  At  Paris  he 
again  became  associated  with  the  most  illustrious 
men  of  all  lands  in  the  contemplation  of  the 
loftiest  temporal  themes  which  can  engross  the 
human  mind.  After  a  short  visit  to  England  he 
returned  to  Paris,  and  consecrated  all  his  energies 
to  study  until  May,  1785,  when  he  returned  to 
America  to  finish  his  education. 

Upon  leaving  Harvard  College  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  he  studied  law  for  three  years.  In  June, 
1794,  being  then  but  twenty-seven  years  of  age, 
he  was  appointed  by  Washington  Resident  Min- 
ister at  the  Netherlands.  Sailing  from  Boston  in 
July,  he  reached  London  in  October,  where  he 
was  immediately  admitted  to  the  deliberations  of 
Messrs.  Jay  &  Pinckney,  assisting  them  in  nego- 
tiating a  commercial  treaty  with  Great  Britain. 
After  thus  spending  a  fortnight  in  London,  he 
proceeded  to  The  Hague. 

In  July,  1797,  he  lefl;  The  Hague  to  go  to  Por- 
tugal as  Minister  Plenipotentiary.  On  his  way  to 
Portugal,  upon  arriving  in  London,  he  met  with 
despatches  directing  him  to  the  court  of  Berlin,  but 
requesting  him  to  remain  in  London  until  he 
should  receive  his  instructions.  While  waiting 
he  was  married  to  an  American  lady,  to  whom  he 
had  been  previously  engaged — Miss  Louisa  Cath- 
erine Johnson,  a  daughter  of  Joshua  Johnson, 
American  Consul  in  London,  and  a  lady  en- 
dowed with  that  beauty  and  those  accomplish- 
ments which  eminently  fitted  her  to  move  in  the 
elevated  sphere  for  which  she  was  destined.  He 
reached  Berlin  with  his  wife  in  November,  1797, 
where  he  remained  until  July,  1799,  when,  hav- 
ing fulfilled  all  the  purposes  of  his  mission,  he  so- 
licited his  recall. 

Soon  after  his  return,  in  1802,  he  was  chosen 
to  the  Senate  of  Massachusetts  from  Boston,  and 
then  was  elected  Senator  of  the  United  States  for 
six  years,  from  the  4th  of  March,  1804.  His  rep- 
utation,  his   ability  and    his  experience    placed 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 


him  immediately  among  the  most  prominent  and 
influential  members  of  that  body. 

In  1S09,  Madison  succeeded  Jefferson  in  the 
Presidential  chair,  and  he  immediately  nominated 
John  Quincy  Adams  Minister  to  St.  Petersburgh. 
Resigning  his  professorship  in  Harvard  Col- 
lege, he  embarked  at  Boston  in  August,  1809. 

While  in  Russia,  Mr.  Adams  was  an  intense 
student.  He  devoted  his  attention  to  the  lan- 
guage and  history  of  Russia;  to  the  Chinese  trade; 
to  the  European  system  of  weights,  measures  and 
coins;  to  the  climate  and  astronomical  observ^a- 
tions:  while  he  kept  up  a  famiHar  acquaintance 
with  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics.  In  all  the 
universities  of  Europe,  a  more  accomplished 
scholar  could  scarcely  be  found.  All  through 
life  the  Bible  constituted  an  important  part  of  his 
studies.  It  was  his  rule  to  read  five  chapters 
every  da3\ 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1817,  Mr.  Monroe  took 
the  Presidential  chair,  and  immediately  appointed 
Mr.  Adams  Secretary  of  State.  Taking  leave  of 
his  numerous  friends  in  public  and  private  life  in 
Europe,  he  sailed  in  June,  18 19,  for  the  United 
States.  On  the  iSth  of  August,  he  again  crossed 
the  threshold  of  his  home  in  Quincy.  During  the 
eight  j-ears  of  Mr.  Monroe's  administration,  Mr. 
Adams  continued  Secretary  of  State. 

Some  time  before  the  close  of  Mr.  Monroe's 
second  term  of  office,  new  candidates  began  to  be 
presented  for  the  Presidency.  The  friends  of  Mr. 
Adams  brought  forward  his  name.  It  was  an 
exciting  campaign,  and  party  spirit  was  never 
more  bitter.  Two  hundred  and  sixty  electoral 
votes  were  cast.  Andrew  Jackson  received  ninetj-- 
nine;  John  Quincy  Adams  eighty-four;  William 
H.  Crawford  fortj'-one;  and  Henr3-  Clay  thirty- 
seven.  As  there  was  no  choice  by  the  people, 
the  question  went  to  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives. Mr.  Clay  gave  the  vote  of  Kentucky  to 
Mr.  Adams,  and  he  was  elected. 

The  friends  of  all  the  disappointed  candidates 
now  combined  in  a  venomous  and  persistent  as- 
sault upon  Mr.  Adams.  There  is  nothing  more 
disgraceful  in  the  past  historj'  of  our  countn,-  than 
the  abuse  which  was  poured  in  one  uninterrupted 
stream  upon  this  high-minded,  upright  and  pa- 


triotic man.  There  never  was  an  administration 
more  pure  in  principles,  more  conscientiously  de- 
voted to  the  best  interests  of  the  countrj-,  than 
that  of  John  Quincy  Adams;  and  never,  perhaps, 
was  there  an  administration  more  unscrupulously 
and  outrageously  assailed. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1829,  Mr.  Adams  retired 
from  the  Presidency,  and  was  succeeded  by  An- 
drew Jackson.  John  C.  Calhoim  was  elected 
Vice-President.  The  slavery  question  now  be- 
gan to  assume  portentous  magnitude.  Mr.  Adams 
returned  to  Quincy  and  to  his  studies,  which  he 
pursued  with  unabated  zeal.  But  he  was  not 
long  permitted  to  remain  in  retirement.  In  No- 
vember, 1830,  he  was  elected  Representative  in 
Congress.  For  seventeen  years,  or  until  his  death, 
he  occupied  the  post  as  Representative,  towering 
above  all  his  peers,  ever  ready  to  do  brave  battle 
for  freedom,  and  winning  the  title  of  "the  Old 
Man  Eloquent."  Upon  taking  his  seat  in  the 
House,  he  announced  that  he  should  hold  him- 
self bound  to  no  party.  Probably  there  never 
was  a  member  more  devoted  to  his  duties.  He 
was  usually  the  first  in  his  place  in  the  morning, 
and  the  last  to  leave  his  seat  in  the  evening. 
Not  a  measure  could  be  brought  forward  and  es- 
cape his  scrutiny.  The  battle  which  Mr.  Adams 
fought,  almost  singly,  against  the  pro-slavery 
party  in  the  Government  was  sublime  in  its 
moral  daring  and  heroism.  For  persisting  in 
presenting  petitions  for  the  abolition  of  slaverj', 
he  was  threatened  with  indictment  by  the  grand 
jury,  with  expulsion  from  the  House,  with  assas- 
sination; but  no  threats  could  intimidate  him,  and 
his  final  triumph  was  complete. 

On  the  2ist  of  Februarj',  1848,  he  rose  on  the 
floor  of  Congress  with  a  paper  in  his  hand,  to 
address  the  speaker.  Suddenly  he  fell,  again 
stricken  by  paralysis,  and  was  caught  in  the  arms 
of  those  around  him.  For  a  time  he  was  sense- 
less, as  he  was  convej^ed  to  the  sofa  in  the  ro- 
tunda. With  reviving  consciousness,  he  opened 
his  eyes,  looked  calmly  around  and  said  ' '  This 
is  the  end  of  earth;' '  then  after  a  moment's  pause 
he  added,  "  I  am  content."  These  were  the  last 
words  of  the  grand  ' '  Old  Man  Eloquent. ' ' 


ANDREW  JACKSON. 


ANDREW  JACKSON. 


Gl  NDRKW  JACKSON,  the  seventh  President 
LA  of  the  United  States,  was  born  in  Waxhaw 
I  I  settlement,  N.  C,  March  15,  1767,  a  few 
da3-s  after  his  father's  death.  His  parents  were 
poor  emigrants  from  Ireland,  and  took  up  their 
abode  in  Waxhaw  settlement,  where  they  lived 
in  deepest  poverty. 

Andrew,  or  Andy,  as  he  was  universally  called, 
grew  up  a  very  rough,  rude,  turbulent  boy.  His 
features  were  coarse,  his  form  ungainly,  and  there 
was  but  very  little  in  his  character  made  visible 
which  was  attractive. 

When  only  thirteen  years  old  he  joined  the 
volunteers  of  Carolina  against  the  British  invasion. 
In  1 78 1,  he  and  his  brother  Robert  were  captured 
and  imprisoned  for  a  time  at  Camden.  A  British 
officer  ordered  him  to  brush  his  mud-spattered 
boots.  "lam  a  prisoner  of  war,  not  your  serv- 
ant," was  the  reply  of  the  dauntless  bo3\ 

Andrew  supported  himselfin  various  ways,  such 
as  working  at  the  saddler's  trade,  teaching  school, 
and  clerking  in  a  general  store,  until  1784,  when 
he  entered  a  law  office  at  Salisburj-,  N.  C.  He, 
however,  gave  more  attention  to  the  wild  amuse- 
ments of  the  times  than  to  his  studies.  In  1788, 
he  was  appointed  solicitor  for  the  Western  District 
of  North  Carolina,  of  which  Tennessee  was  then 
a  part.  This  involved  many  long  journeys  amid 
dangers  of  every  kind,  but  Andrew  Jackson  never 
knew  fear,  and  the  Indians  had  no  desire  to  re- 
peat a  skirmish  with    "Sharp  Knife." 

In  1 791,  Mr.  Jackson  was  married  to  a  woman 
who  supposed  herself  divorced  from  her  former 
husband.  Great  was  the  surprise  of  both  parties, 
two  years  later,  to  find  that  the  conditions  of  the 
divorce  had  just  been  definitely  settled  by  the 
first  husband.  The  marriage  ceremony  was  per- 
fonned  a  second  time,  but  the  occurrence  was 
often  used  by  his  enemies  to  bring  Mr.  Jackson 
into  disfavor. 


In  Januarj',  1796,  the  Territory  of  Tennessee 
then  containing  nearly  eighty  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, the  people  met  in  convention  at  Knoxville 
to  frame  a  constitution.  Five  were  sent  from 
each  of  the  eleven  counties.  Andrew  Jackson 
was  one  of  the  delegates.  The  new  State  was 
entitled  to  but  one  member  in  the  National  House 
of  Representatives.  Andrew  Jackson  was  chosen 
that  member.  Mounting  his  horse,  he  rode  to 
Philadelphia,  where  Congress  then  held  its  ses- 
sions, a  distance  of  about  eight  hundred  miles. 

Jackson  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  Jeiferson  was  his  idol.  He  ad- 
mired Bonaparte,  lo^•ed  France,  and  hated  Eng- 
land. As  Mr.  Jackson  took  his  seat,  Gen.  Wash- 
ington, whose  second  term  of  office  was  then 
expiring,  delivered  his  last  speech  to  Congress. 
A  committee  drew  up  a  complimentary  address  in 
reply.  Andrew  Jackson  did  not  approve  of  the 
address,  and  was  one  of  the  twelve  who  voted 
against  it.  He  was  not  willing  to  say  that  Gen. 
Washington's  administration  had  been  "wise, 
firm  and  patriotic. ' ' 

Mr.  Jackson  was  elected  to  the  United  States 
Senate  in  1797,  but  soon  resigned  and  returned 
home.  Soon  after  he  was  chosen  Judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  his  State,  which  position  he 
held  for  six  years. 

When  the  War  of  18 12  with  Great  Britain  com- 
menced, Madison  occupied  the  Presidential  chair. 
Aaron  Burr  sent  word  to  the  President  that  there 
was  an  unknown  man  in  the  West,  Andrew  Jack- 
son, who  would  do  credit  to  a  commission  if  one 
were  conferred  upon  him.  Just  at  that  time  Gen. 
Jackson  offered  his  services  and  those  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  volunteers.  His  offer  was  accepted, 
and  the  troops  were  assembled  at  Nashville. 

As  the  British  were  hourly  expected  to  make 
an  attack  upon  New  Orleans,  where  Gen.  Wil- 
kinson was  in  command,  he  was  ordered  to  de- 


44 


ANDREW  JACKSON. 


scend  the  river  with  fifteen  hundred  troops  to  aid 
Wilkinson.  The  expedition  reached  Natchez, 
and  after  a  delay  of  several  weeks  there  without 
accomplishing  anything,  the  men  were  ordered 
back  to  their  homes.  But  the  energy  Gen.  Jack- 
son had  displayed,  and  his  entire  devotion  to  the 
comfort  of  his  soldiers,  won  for  him  golden  opin- 
ions, and  he  became  the  most  popular  man  in  the 
State.  It  was  in  this  expedition  that  his  tough- 
ness gave  him  the  nickname  of   "Old  Hickory." 

Soon  after  this,  while  attempting  to  horsewhip 
Col.  Thomas  Benton  for  a  remark  that  gentleman 
made  about  his  taking  part  as  second  in  a  duel 
in  which  a  younger  brother  of  Bentoii's  was  en- 
gaged, he  received  two  severe  pistol  wounds. 
While  he  was  lingering  upon  a  bed  of  suffering, 
news  came  that  the  Indians,  who  had  combined 
under  Tecumseh  from  Florida  to  the  Lakes  to  ex- 
terminate the  white  settlers,  were  committing  the 
most  awful  ravages.  Decisive  action  became  nec- 
essary. Gen.  Jackson,  with  his  fractured  bone 
just  beginning  to  heal,  his  arm  in  a  sling,  and 
unable  to  mount  his  horse  without  assistance, 
gave  his  amazing  energies  to  the  raising  of  an 
army  to  rendezvous  at  Fayettesville,  Ala. 

The  Creek  Indians  had  established  a  strong 
fort  on  one  of  the  bends  of  the  Tallapoosa  River, 
near  the  center  of  Alabama,  about  fifty  miles  be- 
low Ft.  Strother.  With  an  army  of  two  thousand 
men,  Gen.  Jackson  traversed  the  pathless  wilder- 
ness in  a  march  of  eleven  days.  He  reached  their 
fort,  called  Tohopeka  or  Horse-shoe,  on  the  27th 
of  March,  1814.  The  bend  of  the  river  enclosed 
nearly  one  hundred  acres  of  tangled  forest  and 
wild  ravine.  Across  the  narrow  neck  the  Indians 
had  constructed  a  formidable  breastwork  of  logs 
and  brush.  Here  nine  hundred  warriors,  with 
an  ample  supply  of  arms,  were  assembled. 

The  fort  was  stormed.  The  fight  was  utterly 
desperate.  Not  an  Indian  would  accept  quarter. 
When  bleeding  and  dying,  they  would  fight  those 
who  endeavored  to  spare  their  lives.  From  ten 
in  the  morning  until  dark  the  battle  raged.  The 
carnage  was  awful  and  revolting.  Some  threw 
themselves  into  the  river;  but  the  unerring  bul- 
lets struck  their  heads  as  they  swam.  Nearly 
every   one    of  the  nine  hundred  warriors  was 


killed.  A  few,  probably,  in  the  night  swam 
the  river  and  escaped.      This  ended  the  war. 

This  closing  of  the  Creek  War  enabled  us  to 
concentrate  all  our  militia  upon  the  British,  who 
were  the  allies  of  the  Indians.  No  man  of  less 
resolute  will  than  Gen.  Jackson  could  have  con- 
ducted this  Indian  campaign  to  so  successful  an 
issue.  Immediately  he  was  appointed  Major- 
General. 

Late  in  August,  with  an  army  of  two  thousand 
men  on  a  rushing  march,  Gen.  Jackson  went  to 
Mobile.  A  British  fleet  went  from  Pensacola, 
landed  a  force  upon  the  beach,  anchored  near  the 
little  fort,  and  from  both  ship  and  shore  com- 
menced a  furious  assault.  The  battle  was  long 
and  doubtful.  At  length  one  of  the  ships  was 
blown  up  and  the  rest  retired. 

Garrisoning  Mobile,  where  he  had  taken  his 
little  army,  he  moved  his  troops  to  New  Orleans, 
and  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  which  soon  ensued, 
was  in  reality  a  very  arduous  campaign.  This 
won  for  Gen.  Jackson  an  imperishable  name. 
Here  his  troops,  which  numbered  about  four 
thousand  men,  won  a  signal  victory  over  the 
British  army  of  about  nine  thousand.  His  loss 
was  but  thirteen,  while  the  loss  of  the  British  was 
twenty-six  hundred. 

The  name  of  Gen.  Jackson  soon  began  to  be 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the  Presidency, 
but  in  1824  he  was  defeated  by  Mr.  Adams. 
He  was,  however,  successful  in  the  election  of 
1828,  and  was  re-elected  for  a  second  term  in 
1832.  In  1829,  just  before  he  assumed  the  reins 
of  government,  he  met  with  the  most  terrible 
affliction  of  his  Hfe  in  the  death  of  his  wife,  whom 
he  had  loved  with  a  devotion  which  has  perhaps 
never  been  surpassed.  From  the  shock  of  her 
death  he  never  recovered. 

His  administration  was  one  of  the  most  mem- 
orable in  the  annals  of  our  country — applauded 
by  one  party,  condemned  by  the  other.  No  man 
had  more  bitter  enemies  or  warmer  friends.  At 
the  expiration  of  his  two  terms  of  oSice  he  retired 
to  the  Hermitage,  where  he  died  June  8,  1845.  The 
last  years  of  Mr.  Jackson's  life  were  those  of  a  de- 
voted Christian  man. 


MARTIN  VAN   BURKN. 


MARTIN  VAN  BUREN. 


|ARTIN  VAN  BUREN,  the  eighth  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  was  born  at  Kin- 
derhook,  N.  Y.,  December  5,  17S2.  He 
died  at  the  same  place,  July  24,  1862.  His  body 
rests  in  the  cemeterj'  at  Kinderhook.  Above  it  is 
a  plain  granite  shaft,  fifteen  feet  high,  bearing  a 
simple  inscription  about  half-way  up  on  one  face. 
The  lot  is  unfenced,  unbordered  or  unbounded 
by  shrub  or  flower. 

There  is  but  little  in  the  life  of  Martin  Van 
Buren  of  romantic  interest.  He  fought  no  battles, 
engaged  in  no  wild  adventures.  Though  his  life 
was  stormy  in  political  and  intellectual  conflicts, 
and  he  gained  many  signal  victories,  his  days 
passed  uneventful  in  those  incidents  which  give 
zest  to  biography.  His  ancestors,  as  his  name  indi- 
cates, were  of  Dutch  origin,  and  were  among  the 
earliest  emigrants  from  Holland  to  the  banks  of 
the  Hudson.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  residing 
in  the  old  town  of  Kinderhook.  His  mother,  also 
of  Dutch  lineage,  was  a  woman  of  superior  intel- 
ligence and  exemplary  piety. 

He  was  decidedl}'  a  precocious  boy,  developing 
unusual  activity,  vigor  and  strength  of  mind.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen,  he  had  finished  his  academic 
studies  in  his  native  village,  and  commenced  the 
study  of  law.  As  he  had  not  a  collegiate  educa- 
tion, seven  years  of  study  in  a  law-ofiice  were  re- 
quired of  him  before  he  could  be  admitted  to  the 
Bar.  Inspired  with  a  lofty  ambition,  and  con- 
scious of  his  powers,  he  pursued  his  studies  with 
indefatigable  industr>'.  After  spending  sixj^ears 
in  an  office  in  his  native  village,  he  went  to  the  city 
of  New  York,  and  prosecuted  his  studies  for  the 
seventh  year. 

In  1803,  Mr.  Van  Buren,  then  twenty-one  years 


of  age,  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  his  na- 
tive village.  The  great  conflict  between  the  Fedei  al 
and  Republican  parties  was  then  at  its  height. 
Mr.  Van  Buren  was  from  the  beginning  a  politi- 
cian. He  had,  perhaps,  imbibed  that  spirit  while 
listening  to  the  many  discussions  which  had  been 
carried  on  in  his  father's  hotel.  He  was  in  cordial 
sympathy  with  Jefferson,  and  earnestly  and  elo- 
quently espoused  the  cause  of  State  Rights,  though 
at  that  time  the  Federal  party  held  the  supremacy 
both  in  his  town  and  State. 

His  success  and  increasing  reputation  led  him 
after  six  years  of  practice  to  remove  to  Hudson, 
the  county  seat  of  his  county.  Here  he  spent 
seven  years,  constantly  gaining  strength  by  con- 
tending in  the  courts  with  some  of  the  ablest  men 
who  have  adorned  the  Bar  of  his  State. 

Just  before  leaving  Kinderhook  for  Hudson,  Mr. 
Van  Buren  married  a  lady  alike  distinguished  for 
beauty  and  accomplishments.  After  twelve  short 
years  she  sank  into  the  grave,  a  victim  of  con- 
sumption, leaving  her  husband  and  four  sons  to 
weep  over  her  loss.  For  twenty-five  years,  Mr. 
Van  Buren  was  an  earnest,  successful,  assiduous 
lawyer.  The  record  of  those  years  is  barren  in 
items  of  public  interest.  In  1812,  when  thirty 
years  of  age,  he  was  chosen  to  the  State  Senate, 
and  gave  his  strenuous  support  to  Mr.  Madison's 
administration.  In  181 5,  he  was  appointed  At- 
torney-General, and  the  next  year  moved  to  Al- 
bany, the  capital  of  the  State. 

While  he  was  acknowledged  as  one  of  the  most 
prominent  leaders  of  the  Democratic  party,  he  had 
the  moral  courage  to  avow  that  true  democracy  did 
not  require  that '  'universal  sufiirage' '  which  admit;- 
the  vile,  the  degraded,  the  ignorant,  to  the  right 


48 


MARTIN  VAN  BUREN. 


of  governing  the  State.  In  true  consistency  with 
his  democratic  principles,  he  contended  that,  while 
the  path  leading  to  the  privilege  of  voting  should 
be  open  to  ever}'  man  without  distinction,  no  one 
should  be  invested  with  that  sacred  prerogative 
unless  he  were  in  some  degree  qualified  for  it  by 
intelligence,  virtue,  and  some  property  interests  in 
the  welfare  of  the  State. 

In  1 82 1  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  United 
States  Senate,  and  in  the  same  year  he  took  a 
seat  in  the  convention  to  revise  the  Constitution  of 
his  native  State.  His  course  in  this  convention 
secured  the  approval  of  men  of  all  parties.  No 
one  could  doubt  the  sing'^^ness  of  his  endeavors  to 
promote  the  interests  of  i—  classes  in  the  com- 
munity. In  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  he 
rose  at  once  to  a  conspicuous  position  as  an  active 
and  useful  legislator. 

In  1827,  John  Quincy  Adams  being  then  in  the 
Presidential  chair,  Mr.  Van  Buren  was  re-elected 
to  the  Senate.  He  had  been  from  the  beginning 
a  determined  opposer  of  the  administration,  adopt- 
ing the  '  'State  Rights' '  view  in  opposition  to  what 
was  deemed  the  Federal  proclivities  of  Mr.  Adams. 

Soon  after  this,  in  1828,  he  was  chosen  Governor 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  accordingly  resigned 
his  seat  in  the  Senate.  Probably  no  one  in  the 
United  States  contributed  so  much  towards  eject- 
ing John  Q.  Adams  from  the  Presidential  chair, 
and  placing  in  it  Andrew  Jackson,  as  did  Martin 
Van  Buren.  Whether  entitled  to  the  reputation 
or  not,  he  certainly  was  regarded  throughout  the 
United  States  as  one  of  the  most  skillful,  sagacious 
and  cunning  of  politicians.  It  was  supposed  that 
no  one  knew  so  well  as  he  how  to  touch  the  secret 
springs  of  action,  how  to  pull  all  the  wires  to 
put  his  machinery  in  motion,  and  how  to  organize 
a  political  army  which  would  secretly  and  stealth- 
ily accomplish  the  most  gigantic  results.  By  these 
powers  it  is  said  that  he  outwitted  Mr.  Adams,  Mr. 
Clay,  and  Mr.  Webster,  and  secured  results  which 
few  then  thought  could  be  accomplished. 

When  Andrew  Jackson  was  elected  President 
he  appointed  Mr.  Van  Buren  Secretary  of  State. 
This  position  he  resigned  in  1831,  and  was  im- 
mediately appointed  Minister  to  England,  where 
be  went  the  same  autumn.     The  Senate,  however, 


when  it  met,  refused  to  ratify  the  nomination,  and 
he  returned  home,  apparently  untroubled.  Later 
he  was  nominated  Vice-President  in  the  place  of 
Calhoun,  at  the  re-election  of  President  Jackson, 
and  with  smiles  for  all  and  frowns  for  none,  he 
took  his  place  at  the  head  of  that  Senate  which  had 
refused  to  confirm  his  nomination  as  ambassador. 

His  rejection  by  the  Senate  roused  all  the  zeal 
of  President  Jackson  in  behalf  of  his  repudiated 
favorite;  and  this,  probably,  more  than  any  other 
cause  secured  his  elevation  to  the  chair  of  the 
Chief  Executive.  On  the  20th  of  May,  1836,  Mr. 
Van  Buren  received  the  Democratic  nomination 
to  succeed  Gen.  Jackson  as  President  of  the  United 
States.  He  was  elected  by  a  handsome  majority, 
to  the  delight  of  the  retiring  President.  '  'Leaving 
New  York  out  of  the  canvass,"  says  Mr.  Parton, 
"the  election  of  Mr.  Van  Buren  to  the  Presidency 
was  as  much  the  act  of  Gen.  Jackson  as  though 
the  Constitution  had  conferred  upon  him  the  power 
to  appoint  a  successor." 

His  administration  was  filled  with  exciting 
events.  The  insurrection  in  Canada,  which 
threatened  to  involve  this  country  in  war  with 
England,  the  agitation  of  the  slavery  question, 
and  finally  the  great  commercial  panic  which 
spread  over  the  country,  all  were  trials  of  his  wis- 
dom. The  financial  distress  was  attributed  to 
the  management  of  the  Democratic  party,  and 
brought  the  President  into  such  disfavor  that  he 
failed  of  re-election,  and  on  the  4th  of  March, 
1 84 1 ,  he  retired  from  the  presidency. 

With  the  exception  of  being  nominated  for  the 
Presidency  by  the  "Free  Soil"  Democrats  in  1848, 
Mr.  Van  Buren  lived  quietly  upon  his  estate  until 
his  death.  He  had  ever  been  a  prudent  man,  of 
frugal  habits,  and,  living  within  his  income,  had 
now  fortunately  a  competence  for  his  declining 
years.  From  his  fine  estate  at  Eindenwald,  he 
still  exerted  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  politics 
of  the  country.  From  this  time  until  his  death, 
on  the  24th  of  July,  1862,  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years,  he  resided  at  Lindenwald,  a  gentleman  of 
leisure,  of  culture  and  wealth,  enjoying  in  a 
healthy  old  age  probably  far  more  happiness  than 
he  had  before  experienced  amid  the  stormy  scenes 
of  his  active  life. 


WILLIAM    HENRY  HARRISON. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON. 


WILUAM  HENRY  HARRISON,  the  ninth 
President  of  the  United  States,  was  born 
at  Berkeley,  Va.,  February  9,  1773.  His 
father,  Benjamin  Harrison,  was  in  comparatively 
opulent  circumstances,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  men  of  his  day.  He  was  an  inti- 
mate friend  of  George  Washington,  was  early 
elected  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress, 
and  was  conspicuous  among  the  patriots  of  Vir- 
ginia in  resisting  the  encroachments  of  the  British 
crown.  In  the  celebrated  Congress  of  1775,  Ben- 
jamin Harrison  and  John  Hancock  were  both 
candidates  for  the  office  of  Speaker. 

Mr.  Harrison  was  subsequently  chosen  Gov- 
ernor of  Virginia,  and  was  twice  re-elected.  His 
son  William  Heurj-,  of  course,  enjoj'ed  in  child- 
hood all  the  advantages  which  wealth  and  intel- 
lectual and  cultivated  society  could  give.  Hav- 
ing received  a  thorough  common-school  educa- 
tion, he  entered  Hampden  Sidney  College,  where 
he  graduated  with  honor  soon  after  the  death  of 
his  father.  He  then  repaired  to  Philadelphia  to 
study  medicine  under  the  instructions  of  Dr.  Rush 
and  the  guardianship  of  Robert  Morris,  both  of 
whom  were,  with  his  father,  signers  of  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence. 

Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Indian  troubles,  and 
notwithstanding  the  remonstrances  of  his  friends, 
he  abandoned  his  medical  studies  and  entered  the 
army,  having  obtained  a  commission  as  Ensign 
from  President  Washington.  He  was  then  but 
nineteen  years  old.  From  that  time  he  passed 
gradually  upward  in  rank  until  he  became  aide 
to  Gen.  Wayne,  after  whose  death  he  resigned 
his  commission.  He  was  then  appointed  Secre- 
tarj'  of  the  Northwestern  Territory.  This  Terri- 
tory was  then  entitled  to  but  one  member  in  Con- 


gress, and  Harrison  was  chosen  to  fill  that  position . 
In  the  spring  of  1800  the  Northwestern  Terri- 
tory was  divided  by  Congress  into  two  portions. 
The  eastern  portion,  comprising  the  region  now 
embraced  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  was  called  ' '  The 
Territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio. ' '  The  western 
portion,  which  included  what  is  now  called  Indi- 
ana, Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  was  called  "the  Indi- 
ana Territory."  William  Henry  Harrison,  then 
twenty-seven  years  of  age,  was  appointed  by  John 
Adams  Governor  of  the  Indiana  Territory,  and 
immediately  after  also  Governor  of  Upper  Loui- 
siana. He  was  thus  ruler  over  almost  as  exten- 
sive a  realm  as  any  sovereign  upon  the  globe. 
He  was  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  and 
was  invested  with  powers  nearly  dictatorial  over 
the  then  rapidly  increasing  white  population.  The 
ability  and  fidelity  with  which  he  discharged 
these  responsible  duties  may  be  inferred  from  the 
fact  that  he  was  four  times  appointed  to  this 
office — first  by  John  Adams,  twice  by  Thomas 
Jefferson,  and  afterwards  by  President  Madison. 

When  he  began  his  administration  there  were 
but  three  white  settlements  in  that  almost  bound- 
less region,  now  crowded  with  cities  and  resound- 
ing with  all  the  tumult  of  wealth  and  traflBc. 
One  of  these  settlements  was  on  the  Ohio,  nearly 
opposite  Louisville;  one  at  Vincennes,  on  the 
Wabash;  and  the  third  was  a  French  settlement. 

The  vast  wilderness  over  which  Gov.  Harrison 
reigned  was  filled  with  many  tribes  of  Indians. 
About  the  year  1806,  two  extraordinary  men, 
twin  brothers  of  the  Shawnee  tribe,  rose  among 
them.  One  of  these  was  called  Tecumseh,  or 
"the  Crouching  Pai.ther;"  the  other  Olliwa- 
checa,  or  "the  Prophet."  Tecumseh  was  not 
only  an  Indian  warrior,  but  a  man  of  great  sagac- 


52 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON. 


ity,  far-reaching  foresight  and  indomitable  perse- 
verance in  an}'  enterprise  in  which  he  might  en- 
gage. His  brother,  the  Prophet,  was  an  orator, 
who  could  sway  the  feelings  of  the  untutored  In- 
dians as  the  gale  tossed  the  tree-tops  beneath 
which  they  dwelt.  With  an  enthusiasm  unsur- 
passed by  Peter  the  Hermit  rousing  Europe  to  the 
crusades,  he  went  from  tribe  to  tribe,  assuming 
that  he  was  specially  sent  by  the  Great  Spirit. 

Gov.  Harrison  made  many  attempts  to  con- 
ciliate the  Indians,  but  at  last  war  came,  and  at 
Tippecanoe  the  Indians  were  routed  with  great 
slaughter.  October  28,  1812,  his  army  began  its 
march.  When  near  the  Prophet's  town,  three 
Indians  of  rank  made  their  appearance  and  in- 
quired why  Gov.  Harrison  was  approaching  them 
in  so  hostile  an  attitude.  After  a  short  confer- 
ence, arrangements  were  made  for  a  meeting  the 
next  day  to  agree  upon  terms  of  peace. 

But  Gov.  Harrison  was  too  well  acquainted 
with  the  Indian  character  to  be  deceived  by  such 
protestations.  Selecting  a  favorable  spot  for  his 
night's  encampment,  he  took  everj'  precaution 
against  surprise.  His  troops  were  posted  in  a 
hollow  square  and  slept  upon  their  arms.  The 
wakeful  Governor,  between  three  and  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  had  risen,  and  was  sitting 
in  conversation  with  his  aides  by  the  embers 
of  a  waning  fire.  It  was  a  chill,  cloudy  morning, 
with  a  drizzling  rain.  In  the  darkness,  the  In- 
dians had  crept  as  near  as  possible,  and  just  then, 
with  a  savage  yell,  rushed,  with  all  the  despera- 
tion which  superstition  and  passion  most  highly 
inflamed  could  give,  upon  the  left  flank  of  the 
little  army.  The  savages  had  been  amply  pro- 
vided with  guns  and  ammunition  by  the  English, 
and  their  war-whoop  was  accompanied  by  a 
shower  of  bullets. 

The  camp-fires  were  instantly  extinguished,  as 
the  light  aided  the  Indians  in  their  aim,  and 
Gen.  Harrison's  troops  stood  as  immovable  as 
the  rocks  around  them  until  day  dawned,  when 
they  made  a  simultaneous  charge  with  the  baj-o- 
net  and  swept  everything  before  them,  completely 
routing  the  foe. 

Gov.  Harrison  now  had  all  his  energies  tasked 
to  the  utmost.     The  British,  descending  from  the 


Canadas,  were  of  themselves  a  very  formidable 
force,  but  with  their  savage  allies  rushing -like 
wolves  from  the  forest,  burning,  plundering,  scalp- 
ing,, torturing,  the  wide  frontier  was  plunged  into 
a  state  of  consternation  which  even  the  most  vivid 
imagination  can  but  faintly  conceive.  Gen.  Hull 
had  made  an  ignominious  surrender  of  his  forces  at 
Detroit.  Under  these  despairing  circumstances. 
Gov.  Harrison  was  appointed  by  President  Madi- 
son Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Northwestern 
Army,  with  orders  to  retake  Detroit  and  to  protect 
the  frontiers.  It  would  be  diiEcult  to  place  a  man 
in  a  situation  demanding  more  energj',  sagacity 
and  courage,  but  he  was  found  equal  to  the 
position,  and  nobly  and  triumphantly  did  he  meet 
all  the  responsibilities. 

In  1816,  Gen.  Harrison  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  National  House  of  Representatives,  to  rep- 
resent the  District  of  Ohio.  In  Congress  he  proved 
an  active  member,  and  whenever  he  spoke  it  was 
with  a  force  of  reason  and  power  of  eloquence 
which  arrested  the  attention  of  all  the  members. 

In  1 8 19,  Harrison  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of 
Ohio,  and  in  1824,  as  one  of  the  Presidential  Elec- 
tors of  that  State,  he  gave  his  vote  for  Henry 
Clay.  The  same  year  he  was  chosen  to  the  Uni- 
ted States  Senate.  In  1836  his  friends  brought 
him  forward  as  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency 
against  Van  Buren,  but  he  was  defeated.  At  the 
close  of  Mr.  Van  Buren's  term,  he  was  re-nom- 
inated by  his  party,  and  Mr.  Harrison  was  unani- 
mously nominated  by  the  Whigs,  with  John  Tyler 
for  the  Vice-Presidency.  The  contest  was  very 
animated.  Gen.  Jackson  gave  all  his  influence  to 
prevent  Harrison's  election,  but  his  triumph  was 
signal. 

The  cabinet  which  he  formed,  with  Daniel  Web- 
ster at  its  head  as  Secretary  of  State,  was  one  of 
the  most  brilliant  with  which  any  President  had 
ever  been  surrounded.  Never  were  the  prospects 
of  an  administration  more  flattering,  or  the  hopes 
of  the  country  more  sanguine.  In  the  midst  of 
these  bright  and  joyous  prospects.  Gen.  Harrison 
was  seized  by  a  pleurisy-fever,  and  after  a  few 
days  of  violent  sickness  died,  on  the  4th  of  April, 
just  one  month  after  his  inauguration  as  President 
of  the  United  States. 


JOHN  TYLER. 


JOHN  TYLER. 


(TOHN  TYLER,  the  tenth  President  of  the 
I  United  States,  and  was  born  in  Charles 
(2/  City  County,  Va.,  March  29,  1790.  He  was 
the  favored  child  of  afiiuence  and  high  social  po- 
sition. At  the  early  age  of  twelve,  John  entered 
William  and  Mary  College,  and  graduated  with 
much  honor  when  but  seventeen  years  old.  After 
graduating,  he  devoted  himself  with  great  assi- 
duity to  the  study  of  law,  partly  with  his  father 
and  partly  with  Edmund  Randolph,  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  lawj'ers  of  Virginia. 

At  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  commenced  the 
practice  of  law.  His  success  was  rapid  and  as- 
tonishing. It  is  said  that  three  months  had  not 
elapsed  ere  there  was  scarcely  a  case  on  the 
docket  of  the  court  in  which  he  was  not  retained. 
When  but  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  was  almost 
unanimously  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature. He  connected  himself  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  warmly  advocated  the  measures 
of  Jefferson  and  Madison.  For  five  successive 
years  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  receiving 
nearly  the  unanimous  vote  of  his  county. 

When  but  twenty-six  years  of  age,  he  was 
elected  a  Member  of  Congress.  Here  he  acted  ear- 
nestly and  ably  with  the  Democratic  part}-,  oppos- 
ing a  national  bank,  internal  improvements  by 
the  General  Government,  and  a  protective  tariff"; 
advocating  a  strict  construction  of  the  Constitu- 
tion and  the  most  careful  vigilance  over  State 
rights.  His  labors  in  Congress  were  so  arduous 
that  before  the  close  of  his  second  term  he  found 
it  necessary  to  resign  and  retire  to  his  estate  in 
Charles  City  County  to  recruit  his  health.  He, 
however,  soon  after  consented  to  take  his  seat  in 
the  State  Legislature,  where  his  influence  was 
powerful  in  promoting  public  works  of  great 
utility.  With  a  reputation  thus  constantly  in- 
creasing, he  was  chosen  by  a  very  large  majority 
of  votes  Governor  of  his  native  State.  His  ad- 
ministration was  a  signally  successful  one,  and  his 
popularity  secured  his  re-election. 


John  Randolph,  a  brilliant,  erratic,  half-crazed 
man,  then  represented  Virginia  in  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States.  A  portion  of  the  Democratic 
party  was  displeased  with  Mr.  Randolph's  way- 
ward course,  and  brought  forward  John  Tyler  as 
his  opponent,  considering  him  the  only  man  in 
Virginia  of  sufficient  popularity  to  succeed 
against  the  renowned  orator  of  Roanoke.  Mr. 
Tyler  was  the  victor. 

In  accordance  with  his  professions,  upon  tak- 
ing his  seat  in  the  Senate  he  joined  the  ranks  of 
the  opposition.  He  opposed  the  tariff,  and  spoke 
against  and  voted  against  the  bank  as  unconsti- 
tutional; he  strenuously  opposed  all  restrictions 
upon  slavery,  resisting  all  projects  of  internal  im- 
provements by  the  General  Government,  and 
avowed  his  sympathy  with  Mr.  Calhoun's  view 
of  nullification;  he  declared  that  Gen.  Jackson, 
by  his  opposition  to  the  nullifiers,  had  abandoned 
the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  Such 
was  Mr.  Tyler's  record  in  Congress — a  record  in 
perfect  accordance  with  the  principles  which  he 
had  always  avowed. 

Returning  to  Virginia,  he  resumed  the  practice 
of  his  profession.  There  was  a  split  in  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  His  friends  still  regarded  him  as  a 
true  Jeffersonian,  gave  him  a  dinner,  and  show- 
ered compliments  upon  him.  He  had  now  at- 
tained the  age  of  forty-six,  and  bis  career  had  been 
ver>'  brilliant.  In  consequence  of  his  devotion  to 
public  business,  his  private  affairs  had  fallen  into 
some  disorder,  and  it  was  not  without  satisfac- 
tion that  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  and  de- 
voted himself  to  the  cultivation  of  his  plantation. 
Soon  after  this  he  removed  to  Williamsburg,  for 
the  better  education  of  his  children,  and  he  again 
took  his  seat  in  the  Legislature  of  Virginia. 

By  the  southern  Whigs  he  was  sent  to  the 
national  convention  at  Harrisburg  in  1839  to  nom- 
inate a  President.  The  majority  of  votes  were 
given  to  Gen  Harrison,  a  genuine  Whig,  much 
to  the  disappointment  of  the  South,  which  wished 


56 


JOHN  TYLER. 


for  Henry  Clay.  To  conciliate  the  southern 
Whigs  and  to  secure  their  vote,  the  convention 
then  nominated  John  Tyler  for  Vice-President. 
It  was  well  known  that  he  was  not  in  sympathy 
with  the  Whig  party  in  the  North;  but  the  Vice- 
President  has  very  little  power  in  the  Govern- 
ment, his  main  and  almost  only  duty  being  to 
preside  over  the  meetings  of  the  Senate.  Thus  it 
happened  that  a  Whig  President  and,  in  reality, 
a  Democratic  Vice-President  were  chosen. 

in  1841,  Mr.  Tyler  was  inaugurated  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States.  In  one  short 
month  from  that  time.  President  Harrison  died, 
and  Mr.  Tyler  thus  found  himself,  to  his  own 
surprise  and  that  of  the  whole  nation,  an  occu- 
pant of  the  Presidential  chair.  Hastening  from 
Williamsburg  to  Washington,  on  the  6th  of 
April  he  was  inaugurated  to  the  high  and  re- 
sponsible ofEce.  He  was  placed  in  a  position  of 
exceeding  delicacy  and  difficulty.  All  his  long 
life  he  had  been  opposed  to  the  main  principles  of 
the  party  which  had  brought  him  into  power. 
He  had  ever  been  a  consistent,  honest  man,  with 
an  unblemished  record.  Gen.  Harrison  had  se- 
lected a  Whig  cabinet.  Should  he  retain  them, 
and  thus  surround  himself  with  counselors  whose 
views  were  antagonistic  to  his  own  ?  or,  on  the 
other  hand,  should  he  turn  against  the  party 
which  had  elected  him,  and  select  a  cabinet  in 
harmony  with  himself,  and  which  would  oppose 
all  those  views  which  the  Whigs  deemed  essen- 
tial to  the  public  welfare  ?  This  was  his  fearful 
dilemma.  He  invited  the  cabinet  which  Presi- 
dent Harrison  had  selected  to  retain  their  seats, 
and  recommended  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer, 
that  God  would  guide  and  bless  us. 

The  Whigs  carried  through  Congress  a  bill  for 
the  incorporation  of  a  fiscal  bank  of  the  United 
States.  The  President,  after  ten  days'  delay,  re- 
turned it  with  his  veto.  He  suggested,  however, 
that  he  would  approve  of  a  bill  drawn  up  upon 
such  a  plan  as  he  proposed.  Such  a  bill  was  ac- 
cordingly prepared,  and  privately  submitted  to 
him.  He  gave  it  his  approval.  It  was  passed 
without  alteration,  and  he  sent  it  back  with  his 
veto.  Here  commenced  the  open  rupture.  It  is 
said  that  Mr.  Tyler  was  provoked  to  this  meas- 


ure by  a  published  letter  from  the  Hon.  John  M. 
Botts,  a  distinguished  Virginia  Whig,  who  se- 
verely touched  the  pride  of  the  President. 

The  opposition  now  exultingly  received  the 
President  into  their  arms.  The  party  which 
elected  him  denounced  him  bitterly.  All  the 
members  of  his  cabinet,  excepting  Mr.  Webster, 
resigned.  The  Whigs  of  Congress,  both  the 
Senate  and  the  House,  held  a  meeting  and  issued 
an  address  to  the  people  of  the  United  States, 
proclaiming  that  all  political  alliance  between  the 
Whigs  and  President  Tyler  was  at  an  end. 

Still  the  President  attempted  to  conciliate.  He 
appointed  a  new  cabinet  of  distinguished  Whigs 
and  Conservatives,  carefully  leaving  out  all  strong 
party  men.  Mr.  Webster  soon  found  it  necessary 
to  resign,  forced  out  by  the  pressure  of  his  Whig 
friends.  Thus  the  four  years  of  Mr.  Tyler's  un- 
fortunate administration  passed  sadly  away.  No 
one  was  satisfied.  The  land  was  filled  with  mur- 
murs and  vituperation.  Whigs  and  Democrats 
alike  assailed  him.  More  and  more,  however,  he 
brought  himself  into  sympathy  with  his  old 
friends,  the  Democrats,  until  at  the  close  of  his 
term  he  gave  his  whole  influence  to  the  support 
of  Mr.  Polk,  the  Democratic  candidate  for  his 
successor. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1845,  President  Tyler  re- 
tired from  the  harassments  of  office,  to  the  regret 
of  neither  party,  and  probably  to  his  own  unspeak- 
able relief  The  remainder  of  his  days  were 
passed  mainly  in  the  retirement  of  his  beautiful 
home — Sherwood  Forest,  Charles  City  County, 
Va.  His  first  wife,  Miss  Letitia  Christian,  died 
in  Washington  in  1842;  and  in  June,  1844, 
he  was  again  married,  at  New  York,  to  Miss  Julia 
Gardiner,  a  young  lady  of  many  personal  and 
intellectual  accomplishments. 

When  the  great  Rebellion  rose,  which  the 
State  Rights  and  nullifying  doctrines  of  John  C. 
Calhoun  had  inaugurated.  President  Tyler  re- 
nounced his  allegiance  to  the  United  States,  and 
joined  the  Confederates.  He  was  chosen  a  mem- 
ber of  their  Congress,  and  while  engaged  in 
active  measures  to  destroy,  by  force  of  arms,  the 
Government  over  which  he  had  once  presided,  he 
was  taken  sick  and  soon  died. 


JAMES  K.    POLK. 


JAMES  K.  POLK. 


(Tames  K.  polk,  the  eleventh  President  of  j 

I  the  United  States,  was  born  in  Mecklenburgh 
Q)  Countj',  N.  C,  November  2,  1795.  His 
parents  were  Samuel  and  Jane  (Knox)  Polk,  the 
former  a  son  of  Col.  Thomas  Polk,  who  located 
at  the  above  place,  as  one  of  the  first  pioneers,  in 
1735.  In  1806,  with  his  wife  and  children,  and 
soon  after  followed  bj'  most  of  the  members  of  the 
Polk  famil)',  Samuel  Polk  emigrated  some  two  or 
three  hundred  miles  farther  west,  to  the  rich  val- 
ley of  the  Duck  River.  Here,  in  the  midst  of  the 
wilderness,  in  a  region  which  was  subsequently 
called  Maur>-  County,  they  erected  their  log  huts 
and  established  their  homes.  In  the  hard  toil  of 
a  new  fann  in  the  wilderness,  James  K.  Polk 
spent  the  early  years  of  his  childhood  and  youth. 
His  father,  adding  the  pursuit  of  a  survej'or  to 
that  of  a  farmer,  gradually  increased  in  wealth, 
until  he  became  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
region.  His  mother  was  a  superior  woman,  of 
strong  common  sense  and  earnest  piety. 

Very  earty  in  life  James  developed  a  taste  for 
reading,  and  expressed  the  strongest  desire  to  ob- 
tain a  liberal  education.  His  mother's  training 
had  made  him  methodical  in  his  habits,  had  taught 
him  punctuality  and  industrj%  and  had  inspired 
him  with  lofty  principles  of  morality.  His  health 
was  frail,  and  his  father,  fearing  that  he  might  not 
be  able  to  endure  a  sedentarj-  life,  got  a  situation 
for  him  behind  the  counter,  hoping  to  fit  him  for 
commercial  pursuits. 

This  was  to  James  a  bitter  disappointment.  He 
had  no  taste  for  these  duties,  and  his  daily  tasks 
were  irksome  in  the  extreme.  He  remained  in  this 
uncongenial  occupation  but  a  few  weeks,  when, 
at  his  earnest  solicitation,  his  father  removed 
him  and  made  arrangements  for  him  to  pros- 
ecute his  studies.  Soon  after  he  sent  him  to  Mur- 
freesboro  Academy.  With  ardor  which  could 
scarcely  be  surpassed,  he  pressed  forward  in  his 


studies,  and  in  less  than  two  and  a-half  years,  in 
the  autumn  of  18 15,  entered  the  sophomore  class 
in  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  at  Chapel 
Hill.  Here  he  was  one  of  the  most  exemplary  of 
scholars,  punctual  in  everj-  exercise,  never  allow- 
ing himself  to  be  absent  from  a  recitation  or  a 
religious  service. 

Mr.  Polk  graduated  in  1818,  with  the  highest 
honors,  being  deemed  the  best  scholar  of  his  class, 
both  in  mathematics  and  the  classics.  He  was 
then  twenty -three  years  of  age.  His  health  was 
at  this  time  much  impaired  by  the  assiduity  with 
which  he  had  prosecuted  his  studies.  After  a 
short  season  of  relaxation,  he  went  to  Nashville, 
and  entered  the  office  of  Felix  Grundy,  to  study 
law.  Here  Mr.  Polk  renewed  his  acquaintance 
with  Andrew  Jackson,  who  resided  on  his  planta- 
tion, the  "Hermitage,"  but  a  few  miles  from 
Nashville.  They  had  probably  been  slightly  ac- 
quainted before. 

Mr.  Polk's  father  was  a  Jeffersonian  Republican 
and  James  K.  adhered  to  the  same  political  faith. 
He  was  a  popular  public  speaker,  and  was  con- 
stantly called  upon  to  address  the  meetings  of  his 
party  friends.  His  skill  as  a  speaker  was  such 
that  he  was  popularly  called  the  Napoleon  of  the 
stump.  He  was  a  man  of  unblemished  morals, 
genial  and  courteous  in  his  bearing,  and  with  that 
sympathetic  nature  in  the  joys  and  griefs  of  oth- 
ers which  gave  him  hosts  of  friends.  In  1823, 
he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  Tennessee, 
and  gave  his  .strong  influence  toward  the  election 
of  his  friend,  Mr.  Jackson,  to  the  Presidency  of 
the  United  States. 

In  January,  1824,  Mr.  Polk  married  Miss  Sarah 
Childress,  of  Rutherford  County,  Tenn.  His 
bride  was  altogether  worth}'  of  him — a  lady  of 
beauty  and  culture.  In  the  fall  of  1825  Mr.  Polk 
was  chosen  a  member  of  Congress,  and  the  satis- 
faction he  gave  his  constituents  may  be  inferred 


6o 


JAMES  K.  POIvK. 


from  the  fact,  that  for  fourteen  successive  years, 
or  until  1839,  he  was  continued  in  that  ofiSce.  He 
then  voluntarily  withdrew,  only  that  he  might 
accept  the  Gubernatorial  chair  of  Tennessee.  In 
Congress  he  was  a  laborious  member,  a  frequent 
and  a  popular  speaker.  He  was  always  in  his 
seat,  always  courteous,  and  whenever  he  spoke 
it  was  always  to  the  point,  without  any  ambitious 
rhetorical  display. 

During  five  sessions  of  Congress  Mr.  Polk  was 
Speaker  of  the  House.  Strong  passions  were 
roused  and  stormy  scenes  were  witnessed,  but  he 
performed  his  arduous  duties  to  a  very  general 
satisfaction,  and  a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks  to 
him  was  passed  by  the  House  as  he  withdrew  on 
the  4th  of  March,  1839. 

In  accordance  with  Southern  usage,  Mr.  Polk, 
as  a  candidate  for  Governor,  canvassed  the  State. 
He  was  elected  by  a  large  majority,  and  on  Octo- 
ber 14,  1839,  took  the  oath  of  ofiice  at  Nashville. 
In  1841  his  term  of  office  expired,  and  he  was 
again  the  candidate  of  the  Democratic  party,  but 
was  defeated. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1845,  Mr.  Polk  was  in- 
augurated President  of  the  United  States.  The 
verdict  of  the  country  in  favor  of  the  annexation 
of  Texas  exerted  its  influence  upon  Congress, 
and  the  last  act  of  the  administration  of  President 
Tyler  was  to  affix  his  signature  to  a  joint  resolu- 
tion of  Congress,  passed  on  the  3d  of  March,  ap- 
proving of  the  annexation  of  Texas  to  the  Union. 
As  Mexico  still  claimed  Texas  as  one  of  her 
provinces,  the  Mexican  Minister,  Almonte,  im- 
mediately demanded  his  passports  and  left  the 
country,  declaring  the  act  of  the  annexation  to  be 
an  act  hostile  to  Mexico. 

In  his  first  message.  President  Polk  urged  that 
Texas  should  immediately,  by  act  of  Congress,  be 
received  into  the  Union  on  the  same  footing  with 
the  other  States.  In  the  mean  time.  Gen.  Taylor 
was  sent  with  an  army  into  Texas  to  hold  the 
country.  He  was  first  sent  to  Nueces,  which  the 
Mexicans  said  was  the  western  boundary  of  Tex- 
as. Then  he  was  sent  nearly  two  hundred  miles 
further  west,  to  the  Rio  Grande,  where  he  erected 
batteries  which  commanded  the  Mexican  city  of 
Matamoras,   which  was  situated  on  the  western 


banks.  The  anticipated  collision  soon  took  place, 
and  war  was  declared  against  Mexico  by  President 
Polk.  The  war  was  pushed  forward  by  his  ad- 
ministration with  great  vigor.  Gen.  Taylor, 
whose  army  was  first  called  one  of  ' '  observation, ' ' 
then  of  "occupation,"  then  of  "invasion,"  was 
sent  forward  to  Monterey.  The  feeble  Mexicans 
in  every  encounter  were  hopelessly  slaughtered. 
The  day  of  judgment  alone  can  reveal  the  misery 
which  this  war  caused.  It  was  by  the  ingenuity 
of  Mr.  Polk's  administration  that  the  war  wa.'s 
brought  on. 

' '  To  the  victors  belong  the  spoils. ' '  Mexico 
was  prostrate  before  us.  Her  capital  was  in  our 
hands.  We  now  consented  to  peace  upon  the 
condition  that  Mexico  should  surrender  to  us,  in 
addition  to  Texas,  all  of  New  Mexico,  and  all  of 
Upper  and  I,ower  California.  This  new  demand 
embraced,  exclusive  of  Texas,  eight  hundred 
thousand  square  miles.  This  was  an  extent  of 
territory  equal  to  nine  States  of  the  size  of  New 
York.  Thus  slavery  was  securing  eighteen  ma- 
jestic States  to  be  added  to  the  Union.  There 
were  some  Americans  who  thought  it  all  right; 
there  were  others  who  thought  it  all  wrong.  In 
the  prosecution  of  this  war  we  expended  twenty 
thousand  lives  and  more  than  $100,000,000.  Of 
this  money  $15,000,000  were  paid  to  Mexico. 

On  the  3d  of  March,  1849,  Mr.  Polk  retired 
from  office,  having  served  one  term.  The  next 
day  was  Sunday.  On  the  5th,  Gen.  Taylor  was 
inaugurated  as  his  successor.  Mr.  Polk  rode  to 
the  Capitol  in  the  same  carriage  with  Gen.  Tay- 
lor, and  the  same  evening,  with  Mrs.  Polk,  he 
commenced  his  return  to  Tennessee.  He  wa.'. 
then  but  fifty-four  years  of  age.  He  had  alwaj-s 
been  strictly  temperate  in  all  his  habits,  and  his 
health  was  good.  With  an  ample  fortune,  a 
choice  library,  a  cultivated  mind,  and  domestic 
ties  of  the  dearest  nature,  it  seemed  as  though 
long  years  of  tranquillity  and  happiness  were  be- 
fore him.  But  the  cholera — that  fearful  scourge 
— was  then  sweeping  up  the  Valley  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  he  contracted  the  disease,  dying  on  the 
15th  of  June,  1849,  in  the  fifty-fourth  year  of  his 
age,  greatly  mourned  by  his  countrymen. 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR. 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR. 


G7ACHARY  TAYLOR,  twelfth  President  of 
j,  the  United  States,  was  born  on  the  24th  of 
/2  November,  1784,  in  Orange  County,  Va. 
His  father.  Col.  Taj-lor,  was  a  Virginian  of 
note,  and  a  distinguished  patriot  and  soldier  of 
the  Revolution.  When  Zacliary  was  an  infant, 
his  father,  with  his  wife  and  two  children,  emi- 
grated to  Kentucky,  where  he  settled  in  the  path- 
less wilderness,  a  few  miles  from  Louisville.  In 
this  frontier  home,  away  from  civilization  and  all 
its  refinements,  young  Zachary  could  enjoy  but 
few  social  and  educational  advantages.  When 
six  years  of  age  he  attended  a  common  school, 
and  was  then  regarded  as  a  bright,  active  boy, 
rather  remarkable  for  bluntness  and  decision  of 
character.  He  was  strong,  fearless  and  self-reli- 
ant, and  manifested  a  strong  desire  to  enter  the 
army  to  fight  the  Indians,  who  were  ravaging  the 
frontiers.  There  is  little  to  be  recorded  of  the 
uneventful  years  of  his  childhood  on  his  father's 
large  but  lonely  plantation. 

In  1808,  his  father  succeeded  in  obtaining  for 
him  a  commission  as  Lieutenant  in  the  United 
States  army,  and  he  joined  the  troops  which  were 
stationed  at  New  Orleans  under  Gen.  Wilkinson. 
Soon  after  this  he  married  Miss  Margaret  Smith, 
a  young  lady  from  one  of  the  first  families  of 
Maryland. 

Immediately  after  the  declaration  of  war  with 
England,  in  1812,  Capt.  Taylor  (for  he  had  then 
been  promoted  to  that  rank)  was  put  in  command 
of  Ft.  Harrison,  on  the  Wabash,  about  fifty  miles 
above  Vincennes.  This  fort  had  been  built  in  the 
wilderness  by  Gen.  Harrison,  on  his  march  to 
Tippecanoe.  It  was  one  of  the  fir.st  points  of  at- 
tack by  the  Indians,  led  by  Tecumseh.  Its  garri- 
son consisted  of  a  broken  company  of  infantry, 
numbering  fifty  men,  many  of  whom  were  sick. 

Early  in  the  autumn  of  181 2,  the  Indians, 
stealthily,  and  in  large  numbers,  moved  upon  the 


fort.  Their  approach  was  first  indicated  \iy  he 
murder  of  two  soldiers  just  outside  of  the  stockade. 
Capt.  Taylor  made  every  possible  preparation  to 
meet  the  anticipated  assault.  On  the  4th  of  Sep- 
tember, a  band  of  forty  painted  and  plumed  sav- 
ages come  to  the  fort,  waving  a  white  flag,  and 
informed  Capt.  Taylor  that  in  the  morning  their 
chief  would  come  to  have  a  talk  with  him.  It 
was  evident  that  their  object  was  merely  to  ascer- 
tain the  state  of  things  at  the  fort,  and  Capt. 
Taylor,  well  versed  in  the  wiles  of  the  savages, 
kept  them  at  a  distance. 

The  sun  went  down;  the  savages  disappeared; 
the  garrison  slept  upon  their  arms.  One  hour 
before  midnight  the  war-whoop  burst  from  a 
thousand  lips  in  the  forest  around,  followed  by 
the  discharge  of  musketry  and  the  rush  of  the 
foe.  Every  man,  sick  and  well,  sprang  to  hi:^ 
post.  Ev^eiy  man  knew  that  defeat  was  not 
merely  death,  but,  in  the  case  of  capture,  death  by 
the  most  agonizing  and  prolonged  torture.  No 
pen  can  describe,  no  imagination  can  conceive,  the 
scenes  which  ensued.  The  savages  succeeded  in 
setting  fire  to  one  of  the  block-houses.  Until  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning  this  awful  conflict  con- 
tinued, when  the  savages,  baffled  at  every  point 
and  gnashing  their  teeth  with  rage,  retired. 
Capt.  Taylor,  for  this  gallant  defense,  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  Major  by  brevet. 

Until  the  close  of  the  war,  Maj.  Taylor  was 
placed  in  such  situations  that  he  saw  but  little 
more  of  active  service.  He  was  sent  far  away 
into  the  depths  of  the  wilderness  to  Ft.  Craw- 
ford, on  Fox  River,  which  empties  into  Green 
Bay.  Here  there  was  little  to  be  done  but  to 
wear  away  the  tedious  hours  as  one  best  could. 
There  were  no  books,  no  society,  no  intellectual 
stimulus.  Thus  with  him  the  uneventful  years 
rolled  on.  Gradually  he  rose  to  the  rank  of 
Colonel.     In  the  Black  Hawk  War,  which  re- 


64 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR. 


suited  in  the  capture  of  that  renowned  chieftain, 
Col.  Taylor  took  a  subordinate,  but  a  brave  and 
efficient,  part. 

For  twenty-four  years  Col.  Taylor  was  engaged 
in  the  defense  of  the  frontiers,  in  scenes  so  re- 
mote, and  in  employments  so  obscure,  that  his 
name  was  unknown  beyond  the  limits  of  his  own 
immediate  acquaintance.  In  the  year  1836,  he 
was  sent  to  Florida  to  compel  the  Seminole  Indi- 
ans to  vacate  that  region,  and  retire  beyond  the 
Mississippi,  as  their  chiefs  by  treaty  had  prom- 
ised they  should  do.  The  services  rendered  here 
secured  for  Col.  Taylor  the  high  appreciation  of 
the  Government,  and  as  a  reward  he  was  ele- 
vated to  the  high  rank  of  Brigadier-General  by 
brevet,  and  soon  after,  in  May,  1S38,  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  chief  command  of  the  United 
States  troops  in  Florida. 

After  two  years  of  wearisome  employment 
amidst  the  everglades  of  the  Peninsula,  Gen.  Tay- 
lor obtained,  at  his  own  request,  a  change  of 
connnand,  and  was  stationed  over  the  Department 
of  the  Southwest.  This  field  embraced  lyouisiana, 
Mississippi,  Alabama  and  Georgia.  Establishing 
his  headquarters  at  Ft.  Jessup,  in  lyouisiana,  he 
removed  his  family  to  a  plantation  which  he  pur- 
chased near  Baton  Rouge.  Here  he  remained 
for  five  years,  buried,  as  it  were,  from  the  world, 
but  faithfully  discharging  every  duty  imposed 
upon  him. 

In  1846,  Gen.  Taylor  was  sent  to  guard  the 
land  between  the  Nueces  and  Rio  Grande,  the 
latter  river  being  the  boundarj-  of  Texas,  which 
was  then  claimed  by  the  United  States.  Soon 
the  war  with  Mexico  was  brought  on,  and  at  Palo 
Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  Gen.  Taylor  won 
brilliant  victories  over  the  Mexicans.  The  rank 
of  Major-General  by  brevet  was  then  conferred 
upon  Gen.  Taylor,  and  his  name  was  received 
with  enthusiasm  almost  everywhere  in  the  na- 
tion. Then  came  the  battles  of  Monterey  and 
Buena  Vista,  in  which  he  won  signal  victories 
over  forces  much  larger  than  he  commanded. 

The  tidings  of  the  brilliant  victory  of  Buena 
Vista  spread  the  wildest  enthusiasm  over  the 
country.  The  name  of  Gen.  Taylor  was  on 
every  one's  lips.     The   Whig  party  decided  to 


take  advantage  of  this  wonderful  popularity  in 
bringing  forward  the  unpolished,  unlettered,  hon- 
est soldier  as  their  candidate  for  the  Presidency. 
Gen.  Taylor  was  astonished  at  the  announce- 
ment, and  for  a  time  would  not  listen  to  it,  de- 
claring that  he  was  not  at  all  quaUfied  for  such 
an  office.  So  little  interest  had  he  taken  in  poli- 
tics, that  for  forty  years  he  had  not  cast  a  vote. 
It  was  not  without  chagrin  that  several  distin- 
guished statesmen,  who  had  been  long  years  in 
the  public  service,  found  their  claims  set  aside  in 
behalf  of  one  whose  name  had  never  been  heard 
of,  save  in  connection  with  Palo  Alto,  Resaca  de 
la  Palma,  Monterey  and  Buena  Vista.  It  is  said 
that  Daniel  Webster,  in  his  haste,  remarked,  "  It 
is  a  nomination  not  fit  to  be  made. ' ' 

Gen.  Taylor  was  not  an  eloquent  speaker  nor  a 
fine  writer.  His  friends  took  possession  of  him, 
and  prepared  such  few  communications  as  it  was 
needful  should  be  presented  to  the  public.  The 
popularity  of  the  successful  warrior  swept  the 
land.  He  was  triumphantly  elected  over  two 
opposing  candidates, — Gen.  Cass  and  Ex-Presi- 
dent Martin  Van  Buren.  Though  he  selected  an 
excellent  cabinet,  the  good  old  man  found  himself 
in  a  very  uncongenial  position,  and  was  at  times 
sorely  perplexed  and  harassed.  His  mental  suf- 
ferings were  very  severe,  and  probabl}'  tended  to 
hasten  his  death.  The  pro-slavery  party  was 
pushing  its  claims  with  tireless  energy;  expedi- 
tions were  fitting  out  to  capture  Cuba;  California 
was  pleading  for  admission  to  the  Union,  while 
slavery  stood  at  the  door  to  bar  her  out.  Gen, 
Taylor  found  the  political  conflicts  in  Washington 
to  be  far  more  trying  to  the  nerves  than  battles 
with  Mexicans  or  Indians. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  troubles,  Gen.  Taylor, 
after  he  had  occupied  the  Presidential  chair  but 
little  over  a  year,  took  cold,  and  after  a  brief 
sickness  of  but  little  over  five  days,  died,  on  the 
9th  of  July,  1850.  His  last  words  were,  "I  am 
not  afraid  to  die.  I  am  ready.  I  have  endeav- 
ored to  do  my  duty."  He  died  universally  re- 
spected and  beloved.  An  honest,  unpretending 
man,  he  had  been  steadily  growing  in  the  afiec- 
tions  of  the  people,  and  the  Nation  bitterly  la- 
mented his  death. 


/ 

^ 

I 

^^ 

\ 

■^1 

1 

\i 

/ 

MILLARD  FILLMORE. 


MILLARD  FILLMORE. 


I  II.LARD  FILIyMORE,  thirteenth  President 
of  the  United  States,  was  born  at  Summer 
Hill,  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  on  the  7th  of 
January,  1 800.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  and,  owing 
to  misfortune,  in  humble  circumstances.  Of  his 
mother,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Abiathar  Millard,  of 
Pittsfield,  Mass.,  it  has  been  said  that  she  pos- 
sessed an  intellect  of  a  high  order,  united  with 
much  personal  loveliness,  sweetness  of  disposi- 
tion, graceful  manners  and  exquisite  sensibilities. 
She  died  in  1831,  having  lived  to  see  her  son  a 
young  man  of  distinguished  promise,  though  she 
was  not  permitted  to  witness  the  high  dignity 
which  he  finally  attained. 

In  consequence  of  the  secluded  home  and  limited 
means  of  his  father,  Millard  enjoyed  but  slender 
advantages  for  education  in  his  early  years.  The 
common  schools,  which  he  occasionally  attended, 
were  very  imperfect  institutions,  and  books  were 
scarce  and  expensive.  There  was  nothing  then 
in  his  character  to  indicate  the  brilliant  career 
upon  which  he  was  about  to  enter.  He  was  a 
plain  farmer's  boy — intelligent,  good-looking, 
kind-hearted.  The  sacred  influences  of  home 
had  taught  him  to  revere  the  Bible,  and  had  laid 
the  foundations  of  an  upright  character.  When 
fourteen  3'ears  of  age,  his  father  sent  him  some 
hundred  miles  from  home  to  the  then  wilds  of 
lyivingston  County,  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  clothier. 
Near  the  mill  there  was  a  small  village,  where 
some  enterprising  man  had  commenced  the  col- 
lection of  a  village  librarj'.  This  proved  an  in- 
estimable blessing  to  young  Fillmore.  His  even- 
ings were  spent  in  reading.  Soon  every  leisure 
moment  was  occupied  with  books.  His  thirst  for 
knowledge  became  insatiate,  and  the  selections 
which  he  made  were  continually  more  elevating 
and  instructive.  He  read  history,  biography, 
oratory,  and  thus  gradually  there  was  enkindled 


in  his  heart  a  desire  to  be  something  more  than  a 
mere  worker  with  his  hands. 

The  young  clothier  had  now  attained  the  age 
of  nineteen  years,  and  was  of  fine  personal  appear- 
ance and  of  gentlemanly  demeanor.  It  so  hap- 
pened that  there  was  a  gentleman  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  ample  pecuniarj'  means  and  of  benev- 
olence,— ^Judge  Walter  Wood, — who  was  struck 
with  the  prepossessing  appearance  of  young  Fill- 
more. He  made  his  acquaintance,  and  was  so 
much  impressed  with  his  ability  and  attainments 
that  he  advised  him  to  abandon  his  trade  and  de- 
vote himself  to  the  study  of  the  law.  The  young 
man  replied  that  he  had  no  means  of  his  own, 
no  friends  to  help  him,  and  that  his  previous  edu- 
cation had  been  very  imperfect.  But  Judge  Wood 
had  so  much  confidence  in  him  that  he  kindly 
oifered  to  take  him  into  his  own  office,  and  to 
lend  him  such  money  as  he  needed.  Most  grate- 
fully the  generous  offer  was  accepted. 

There  is  in  many  minds  a  strange  delusion 
about  a  collegiate  education.  A  young  man  is 
supposed  to  be  liberally  educated  if  he  has  gradu- 
ated at  some  college.  But  many  a  boy  who  loi- 
ters through  university  halls  and  then  enters  a 
law  office  is  by  no  means  as  well  prepared  to 
prosecute  his  legal  studies  as  was  Millard  Fill- 
more when  he  graduated  at  the  clothing-mill  at 
the  end  of  four  years  of  manual  labor,  during 
which  everj-  leisure  moment  had  been  devoted  to 
intense  mental  culture. 

In  1823,  when  twenty-three  years  of  age,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas. 
He  then  went  to  the  village  of  Aurora,  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  law.  In  this  secluded, 
quiet  region,  his  practice,  of  course,  was  limited, 
and  there  was  no  opportunitj-  for  a  sudden  rise  in 
fortune  or  in  fame.  Here,  in  1826,  he  married  a 
lady  of  great  moral  worth,  and  one  capable  of 


MILI.ARD  FILLMORE. 


adorning  any  station  she  might  be  called  to  fill, — 
Miss  Abigail  Powers. 

His  elevation  of  character,  his  untiring  industry, 
his  legal  acquirements,  and  his  skill  as  an  advo- 
cate, gradually  attracted  attention,  and  he  was 
invited  to  enter  into  partnership,  under  highly  ad- 
vantageous circumstances,  with  an  elder  member 
of  the  Bar  in  Buffalo.  Just  before  removing  to 
Buffalo,  in  1829,  he  took  his  seat  in  the  House  of 
Assembly  of  the  State  of  New  York,  as  a  Repre- 
sentative from  Erie  County.  Though  he  had 
never  taken  a  very  active  part  in  politics,  his  vote 
and  sympathies  were  with  the  Whig  party.  The 
State  was  then  Democratic,  and  he  found  himself 
in  a  helpless  minority  in  the  Legislature;  still  the 
testimony  comes  from  all  parties  that  his  courtesy, 
ability  and  integrity  won,  to  a  very  unusual  de- 
gree, the  respect  of  his  associates. 

In  the  autumn  of  1832,  he  was  elected  to  a 
seat  in  the  United  States  Congress.  He  entered 
that  troubled  arena  in  the  most  tumultuous  hours 
of  our  national  history,  when  the  great  conflict 
respecting  the  national  bank  and  the  removal  of 
the  deposits  was  raging. 

His  term  of  two  years  closed,  and  he  returned 
to  his  profession,  which  he  pursued  with  increas- 
ing reputation  and  success.  After  a  lapse  of  two 
years  he  again  became  a  candidate  for  Congress; 
was  re-elected,  and  took  his  seat  in  1837.  His 
past  experience  as  a  Representative  gave  him 
strength  and  confidence.  The  first  term  of  service 
in  Congress  to  any  man  can  be  but  little  more 
than  an  introduction.  He  was  now  prepared  for 
active  duty.  All  his  energies  were  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  public  good.  Every  measure  re- 
ceived his  impress. 

Mr.  Fillmore  was  now  a  man  of  wide  repute, 
and  his  popularity  filled  the  State.  In  the  year 
1847,  when  he  had  attained  the  age  of  forty- 
seven  years,  he  was  elected  Comptroller  of  the 
State.  His  labors  at  the  Bar,  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, in  Congress  and  as  Comptroller,  had  given 
him  very  considerable  fame.  The  Whigs  were 
casting  about  to  find  suitable  candidates  for  Presi- 
dent and  Vice-President  at  the  approaching  elec- 
tion. Far  away  on  the  waters  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
there  was  a  rough  old  soldier,  who  had  fought 


one  or  two  successful  battles  with  the  Mexicans, 
which  had  caused  his  name  to  be  proclaimed  in 
trumpet-tones  all  over  the  land  as  a  candidate  for 
the  presidency.  But  it  was  necessary  to  associate 
with  him  on  the  same  ticket  some  man  of  repu- 
tation as  a  statesman. 

Under  the  influence  of  these  considerations,  the 
names  of  Zachary  Taylor  and  Millard  Fillmore 
became  the  rallying-cry  of  the  Whigs,  as  their 
candidates  for  President  and  Vice-President.  The 
Whig  ticket  was  signallj'^  triumphant.  On  the 
4th  of  March,  1849,  Gen.  Taylor  was  inaugurated 
President,  and  Millard  Fillmore  Vice-President, 
of  the  United  States. 

On  the  9th  of  July,  1850,  President  Taylor, 
about  one  year  and  four  months  after  his  inaugura- 
tion, was  suddenly  taken  sick  and  died.  By  the 
Constitution,  Vice-President  Fillmore  thus  be- 
came President.  He  appointed  a  very  able  cabi- 
net, of  which  the  illustrious  Daniel  Webster  was 
Secretary  of  State;  nevertheless,  he  had  serious 
difficulties  to  contend  with,  since  the  opposition 
had  a  majority  in  both  Houses.  He  did  all  in  his 
power  to  conciliate  the  South;  but  the  pro-slavery 
party  in  the  South  felt  the  inadequacy  of  all 
measures  of  transient  conciliation.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  free  States  was  so  rapidly  increasing 
over  that  of  the  slave  States,  that  it  was  inevitable 
that  the  power  of  the  Government  should  soon 
pass  into  the  hands  of  the  free  States.  The  fa- 
mous compromise  measures  were  adopted  under 
Mr.  Fillmore's  administration,  and  the  Japan  ex- 
pedition was  sent  out.  On  the  4th  of  March, 
1853,  he,  having  served  one  term,  retired. 

In  1856,  Mr.  Fillmore  was  nominated  for  the 
Presidency  by  the  "Know-Nothing"  party,  but 
was  beaten  by  Mr.  Buchanan.  After  that  Mr. 
Fillmore  lived  in  retirement.  During  the  terri- 
ble conflict  of  civil  war,  he  was  mostly  silent.  It 
was  generally  supposed  that  his  sympathies  were 
rather  with  those  who  were  endeavoring  to  over- 
throw our  institutions.  President  Fillmore  kept 
aloof  from  the  conflict,  without  any  cordial  words 
of  cheer  to  one  party  or  the  other.  He  was  thus 
forgotten  by  both.  He  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age, 
and  died  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  March  8,  1874. 


FRANKLIN   PIIvRCE. 


FRANKLIN  PIERCE. 


r7RANKI.TN  PIERCE,  the  fourteenth  Presi- 
r3  dent  of  the  United  States,  was  born  in  Hills- 
I  '  borough,  N.  H.,  November  23,  1S04.  His 
father  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  with  his 
own  strong  arm  hewed  out  a  home  in  the  wilder- 
ness. He  was  a  man  of  inflexible  integrity,  of 
strong,  though  uncultivated,  mind,  and  was  an  un- 
compromising Democrat.  The  mother  of  Frank- 
lin Pierce  was  all  that  a  son  could  desire — an  in- 
telligent, prudent,  affectionate,  Christian  woman. 

Franklin,  who  was  the  sixth  of  eight  children, 
was  a  remarkably  bright  and  handsome  boy, 
generous,  warm-hearted  and  brave.  He  won 
alike  the  love  of  old  and  young.  The  boys  on 
the  play-ground  loved  him.  His  teachers  loved 
him.  The  neighbors  looked  upon  him  with  pride 
and  affection.  He  was  by  instinct  a  gentleman, 
always  speaking  kind  words,  and  doing  kind 
deeds,  with  a  peculiar,  unstudied  tact  which 
taught  him  what  was  agreeable.  Without  de- 
veloping any  precocity  of  genius,  or  any  unnatural 
devotion  to  books,  he  was  a  good  scholar,  and  in 
body  and  mind  a  finely  developed  boy. 

When  sixteen  years  of  age,  in  the  year  1820, 
he  entered  Bowdoin  College,  at  Brunswick,  Me. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  popular  young  men  in 
the  college.  The  purity  of  his  moral  character, 
the  unvarj'ing  courtesy  of  his  demeanor,  his  rank 
as  a  scholar,  and  genial  nature,  rendered  him  a 
universal  fa\^orite.  There  was  something  pe- 
culiarly winning  in  his  address,  and  it  was  evi- 
dently not  in  the  slightest  degree  studied — it  was 
the  simple  outgushing  of  his  own  magnanimous 
and  loving  nature. 

Upon  graduating,  in  the  year  1824,  Franklin 
Pierce  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  Judge  Woodbury,  one  of  the  most  distinguished 


law^'crs  of  the  State,  and  a  man  of  great  private 
worth.  The  eminent  social  qualities  of  the  young 
lawyer,  his  father's  prominence  as  a  public  man, 
and  the  brilliant  political  career  into  which  Judge 
Woodbury  was  entering,  all  tended  to  entice  Mr. 
Pierce  into  the  fascinating  yet  perilous  path  of 
political  life.  With  all  the  ardor  of  his  nature  he 
espoused  the  cause  of  Gen.  Jackson  for  the  Presi- 
dency. He  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in 
Hillsborough,  and  was  soon  elected  to  represent 
the  town  in  the  State  Legislature.  Here  he 
served  for  four  years.  The  last  two  years  he  was 
chosen  Speaker  of  the  House  by  a  very  large 
vote. 

In  1833,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  Congress.  In  1837,  being 
then  but  thirty-three  years  old,  he  was  elected  to 
the  Senate,  taking  his  seat  just  as  Mr.  Van  Buren 
commenced  his  administration.  He  was  the 
youngest  member  in  the  Senate.  In  the  year 
1834,  he  married  Miss  Jane  Means  Appleton,  a 
lady  of  rare  beauty  and  accomplishments,  and  one 
admirably  fitted  to  adorn  every  station  with  which 
her  husband  was  honored.  Of  the  three  sons  who 
were  born  to  them,  all  now  sleep  with  their  par- 
ents in  the  grave. 

In  the  year  1838,  Mr.  Pierce,  with  growing 
fame  and  increasing  business  as  a  lawyer,  took  up 
his  residence  in  Concord,  the  capital  of  New 
Hampshire.  President  Polk,  upon  his  accession 
to  office,  appointed  Mr.  Pierce  Attorney-General 
of  the  United  States;  but  the  offer  was  declined 
in  consequence  of  numerous  professional  engage- 
ments at  home,  and  the  precarious  state  of  Mrs. 
Pierce's  health.  He  also,  about  the  same  time, 
declined  the  nomination  for  Governor  by  the 
Democratic  party.     The  war  with  Mexico  called 


72 


FRANKLIN  PIERCE. 


Mr.  Pierce  into  the  anny.  Receiving  the  appoint- 
ment of  Brigadier-General,  he  embarked  with  a 
portion  of  his  troops  at  Newport,  R  I.,  on  the 
27th  of  May,  1847.  He  took  an  important  part 
in  this  war,  proving  himself  a  brave  and  true  sol- 
dier. 

When  Gen.  Pierce  reached  his  home  in  his  na- 
tive State,  he  was  received  enthusiastically  by  the 
advocates  of  the  Mexican  War,  and  coldly  by  his 
opponents.  He  resumed  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, very  frequently  taking  an  active  part  in 
political  questions,  giving  his  cordial  support  to 
the  pro-slavery  wing  of  the  Democratic  party. 
The  compromise  measures  met  cordially  with  his 
approval,  and  he  strenuously  advocated  the  en- 
forcement of  the  infamous  Fugitive  Slave  L,aw, 
which  so  shocked  the  religious  sensibilities  of  the 
North.  He  thus  became  distinguished  as  a 
' '  Northern  man  with  Southern  principles. ' '  The 
strong  partisans  of  slaverj'  in  the  South  conse- 
quently regarded  him  as  a  man  whom  they  could 
safely  trust  in  office  to  carr>^  out  their  plans. 

On  the  12th  of  June,  1852,  the  Democratic  con- 
vention met  in  Baltimore  to  nominate  a  candidate 
for  the  Presidency.  For  four  days  they  contin- 
ued in  session,  and  in  thirty-five  ballotings  no  one 
had  obtained  a  two-thirds  vote.  Not  a  vote  thus 
far  had  been  thrown  for  Gen.  Pierce.  Then  the 
Virginia  delegation  brought  forward  his  name. 
There  were  fourteen  more  ballotings,  during  which 
Gen.  Pierce  constantly  gained  strength,  until,  at 
the  forty-ninth  ballot,  he  received  two  hundred 
and  eighty-two  votes,  and  all  other  candidates 
eleven.  Gen.  Winfield  Scott  was  the  Whig  can- 
didate. Gen.  Pierce  was  chosen  with  great  una- 
nimity. Only  four  States — Vermont,  Massachu- 
setts, Kentucky  and  Tennessee — cast  their  elec- 
toral votes  against  him.  Gen.  Franklin  Pierce 
was  therefore  inaugurated  President  of  the  United 
States  on  the  4th  of  March,  1853. 

His  administration  proved  one  of  the  most 
stormy  our  country-  had  ever  experienced.  The 
controversy  between  slaver>'  and  freedom  was 
then  approaching  its  culminating  point.  It  be- 
came evident  that  there  was  to  be  an  irrepressible 
conflict  between  them,  and  that  this  nation 
could  not  long  exist ' '  half  slave  and  half  free. ' ' 


President  Pierce,  during  the  whole  of  his  admin- 
istration, did  everything  he  could  to  conciliate  the 
South;  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  The  conflict  evers- 
year  grew  more  violent,  and  threats  of  the  disso- 
lution of  the  Union  were  borne  to  the  North  on 
every  Southern  breeze. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  afiairs  when  Presi- 
dent Pierce  approached  the  close  of  his  four- 
years  term  of  ofl5ce.  The  North  had  become 
thoroughly  alienated  from  him.  The  anti-slaverj' 
sentiment,  goaded  by  great  outrages,  had  been 
rapidly  increasing;  all  the  intellectual  ability  and 
social  worth  of  President  Pierce  were  forgotten  in 
deep  reprehension  of  his  administrative  acts.  The 
slaveholders  of  the  South  also,  unmindful  of  the 
fidelitj'  with  which  he  had  advocated  those  meas- 
ures of  Government  which  they  approved,  and 
perhaps  feeling  that  he  had  rendered  himself 
so  unpopular  as  no  longer  to  be  able  to  accepta- 
blj'  ser\-e  them,  ungratefully  dropped  him,  and 
nominated  James  Buchanan  to  succeed  him. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1857,  President  Pierce  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Concord.  His  three  chil- 
dren were  all  dead,  his  last  surviving  child  hav- 
ing been  killed  before  his  eyes  in  a  railroad  acci- 
dent; and  his  wife,  one  of  the  most  estimable  and 
accomplished  of  ladies,  was  rapidlj'  sinking  in 
consumption.  The  hour  of  dreadful  gloom  soon 
came,  and  he  was  left  alone  in  the  world  without 
wife  or  child. 

When  the  terrible  Rebellion  burst  forth  which 
divided  our  country  into  two  parties,  and  two 
only,  Mr.  Pierce  remained  steadfast  in  the  prin- 
ciples which  he  had  always  cherished,  and  gave 
his  sympathies  to  that  pro-slaverj'  party  with 
which  he  had  ever  been  allied.  He  declined  to 
do  anything,  either  by  voice  or  pen,  to  strengthen 
the  hand  of  the  National  Government.  He  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  Concord  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  October,  1869.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  genial  and  social  of  men,  an  hon- 
ored communicant  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and 
one  of  the  kindest  of  neighbors.  Generous  to  a 
fault,  he  contributed  liberally  toward  the  allevia- 
tion of  suffering  and  want,  and  many  of  his 
towns-people  were  often  gladdened  by  his  material 
bounty. 


I 


JAMP:S  BUCHANAN. 


JAMES  BUCHANAN. 


(Tames  BUCHANAN,  the  fifteenth  President 
I  of  the  United  States,  was  born  in  a  small 
Q)  frontier  town,  at  the  foot  of  the  eastern  ridge 
of  the  Alleghanies,  in  Franklin  County,  Pa.,  on 
the  23d  of  April,  1791.  The  place  where  the 
humble  cabin  home  stood  was  called  Stony  Bat- 
ter. His  father  was  a  native  of  the  north  of  Ire- 
land, who  had  emigrated  in  1783,  with  little  prop- 
erty' sa\e  his  own  strong  arms.  Five  years  after- 
ward he  married  Elizabeth  Spear,  the  daughter 
of  a  respectable  farmer,  and,  with  his  young  bride, 
plunged  into  the  wilderness,  staked  his  claim, 
reared  his  log  hut,  opened  a  clearing  with  his 
axe,  and  settled  down  there  to  perform  his  obscure 
part  in  the  drama  of  life.  When  James  was  eight 
years  of  age,  his  father  removed  to  the  village  of 
Mercersburg,  where  his  son  was  placed  at  school, 
and  commenced  a  course  of  study  in  English, 
Latin  and  Greek.  His  progress  was  rapid,  and 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  entered  Dickinson  Col- 
lege, at  Carlisle.  Here  he  developed  remarkable 
talent,  and  took  his  .stand  among  the  first  scholars 
in  the  institution. 

In  the  year  1809,  he  graduated  with  the  high- 
est honors  of  his  class.  He  was  then  eighteen 
years  of  age;  tall  and  graceful,  vigorous  in  health, 
fond  of  athletic  sports,  an  unerring  shot,  and  en- 
livened with  an  exuberant  flow  of  animal  spirits. 
He  immediately  commenced  the  study  of  law  in 
the  city  of  Lancaster,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  in  1812,  when  he  was  but  twenty-one  years 
of  age. 

In  1820,  he  reluctantly  consented  to  run  as  a 
candidate  for  Congress.  He  was  elected,  and  for 
ten  years  he  remained  a  member  of  the  Lower 
House.     During  the  vacations  of  Congress,   he 


occasionally  tried  some  important  case.  In  1831 
he  retired  altogether  from  the  toils  of  his  profes- 
sion, having  acquired  an  ample  fortune. 

Gen.  Jackson,  upon  his  elevation  to  the  Presi- 
denc3%  appointed  Mr.  Buchanan  Minister  to  Rus- 
sia. The  duties  of  his  mission  he  performed 
with  ability,  and  gave  satisfaction  to  all  parties. 
Upon  his  return,  in  1833,  he  was  elected  to  a  seat 
in  the  United  States  Senate.  He  there  met  as 
his  associates  Webster,  Clay,  Wright  and  Cal- 
houn. He  advocated  the  measures  proposed  by 
President  Jackson,  of  making  reprisals  against 
France  to  enforce  the  payment  of  our  claims 
against  that  countrj',  and  defended  the  course  of 
the  President  in  his  unprecedented  and  wholesale 
removal  from  office  of  those  who  were  not  the 
supporters  of  his  administration.  Upon  this 
question  he  was  brought  into  direct  collision  with 
Henry  Clay.  He  also,  with  voice  and  vote,  ad- 
vocated expunging  from  the  journal  of  the  Senate 
the  vote  of  censure  against  Gen.  Jackson  for  re- 
moving the  deposits.  Earnestly  he  opposed  the 
abolition  of  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
and  urged  the  prohibition  of  the  circulation  of 
anti-slavery  documents  by  the  United  States 
mails.  As  to  petitions  on  the  subject  of  slavery, 
he  advocated  that  they  should  be  respectfully  re- 
ceived, and  that  the  reply  should  be  returned 
that  Congress  had  no  power  to  legislate  upon  the 
subject.  "  Congress,"  said  he,  "might  as  well 
undertake  to  interfere  with  slavery  under  a  for- 
eign government  as  in  any  of  the  States  where  it 
now  exists. ' ' 

Upon  Mr.  Polk's  accession  to  the  Presidency, 
Mr.  Buchanan  became  Secretary  of  vState,  and  ae 
such   took  his  share  of  the  responsibility  in  the 


76 


JAMES  BUCHANAN. 


conduct  of  the  Mexican  War.  Mr.  Polk  assumed 
that  crossing  the  Nueces  by  the  American 
troops  into  the  disputed  territory-  was  not  wrong, 
but  for  the  Mexicans  to  cross  the  Rio  Grande 
iuto  Texas  was  a  declaration  of  war.  No  candid 
man  can  read  with  pleasure  the  account  of  the 
course  our  Government  pursued  in  that  movement. 

Mr.  Buchanan  identified  himself  thoroughly 
with  the  party  devoted  to  the  perpetuation  and 
extension  of  slavery,  and  brought  all  the  energies 
of  his  mind  to  bear  against  the  Wilmot  Proviso. 
He  gave  his  cordial  approval  to  the  compromise 
measures  of  1850,  which  included  the  Fugitive 
Slave  Law.  Mr.  Pierce,  upon  his  election  to  the 
Presidency,  honored  Mr.  Buchanan  with  the  mis- 
sion to  England. 

In  the  year  1856,  a  national  Democratic  Con- 
vention nominated  Mr.  Buchanan  for  the  Presi- 
dency. The  political  conflict  was  one  of  the  most 
severe  in  which  our  country  has  ever  engaged. 
All  the  friends  of  slavery  were  on  one  side;  all 
the  advocates  of  its  restriction  and  final  abolition 
on  the  other.  Mr.  Fremont,  the  candidate  of  the 
enemies  of  slavery,  received  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  electoral  votes.  Mr.  Buchanan  received 
one  hundred  and  seventy-four,  and  was  elected. 
The  popular  vote  stood  1,340,618  for  Fremont, 
1,224,750  for  Buchanan.  On  March  4,  1857, 
the  latter  was  inaugurated. 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  far  advanced  in  life.  Only 
four  years  were  wanting  to  fill  up  his  three-score 
years  and  ten.  His  own  friends,  those  with 
whom  he  had  been  allied  in  political  principles 
and  action  for  years,  were  seeking  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Government,  that  they  might  rear 
upon  the  ruins  of  our  free  institutions  a  nation 
whose  corner-stone  should  be  human  slavery.  In 
this  emergency,  Mr.  Buchanan  was  hopelessly 
bewildered.  He  could  not,  with  his  long-avowed 
principles,  consistently  oppose  the  State  Rights 
party  in  their  assumptions.  As  President  of  the 
United  States,  bound  by  his  oath  faithfully  to 
administer  the  laws,  he  could  not,  without  per- 
jury of  the  grossest  kind,  unite  with  those  en- 
deavoring to  overthrow  the  Republic.  He  there- 
fore did  nothing. 

The  opponents  of  Mr.  Buchanan's  administra- 


tion nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  as  their  stand- 
ard-bearer in  the  next  Presidential  canvass. 
The  pro-slaver}'  party  declared  that  if  he  were 
elected  and  the  control  of  the  Government  were 
thus  taken  from  their  hands,  they  would  secede 
from  the  Union,  taking  with  them  as  they  retired 
the  National  Capitol  at  Washington  and  the 
lion's  share  of  the  territory'  of  the  United  States. 

As  the  storm  increased  in  violence,  the  slave- 
holders claiming  the  right  to  secede,  and  Mr. 
Buchanan  avowing  that  Congress  had  no  power 
to  prevent  it,  one  of  the  most  pitiable  exhibitions 
of  governmental  imbecility  was  exhibited  that  the 
world  has  ever  seen.  He  declared  that  Congress 
had  no  power  to  enforce  its  laws  in  any  State 
which  had  withdrawn,  or  which  was  attempting 
to  withdraw,  from  the  Union.  This  was  not  the 
doctrine  of  Andrew  Jackson,  when,  with  his  hand 
upon  his  sword-hilt,  he  exclaimed:  "The  Union 
must  and  shall  be  preserved!" 

South  Carolina  seceded  in  December,  i860, 
nearly  three  months  before  the  inauguration  of 
President  Lincoln.  Mr.  Buchanan  looked  on  in 
listless  despair.  The  rebel  flag  was  raised  in 
Charleston;  Ft.  Sumter  was  besieged;  our  forts, 
navy-yards  and  arsenals  were  seized;  our  depots 
of  military  stores  were  plundered,  and  our  cus- 
tom-houses and  post-offices  were  appropriated  by 
the  rebels. 

The  energy  of  the  rebels  and  the  imbecility  of 
our  Executive  were  alike  marvelous.  The  na- 
tion looked  on  in  agon}',  waiting  for  the  slow 
weeks  to  glide  away  and  close  the  administration, 
so  terrible  in  its  weakness.  At  length  the  long- 
looked-for  hour  of  deliverance  came,  when  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  was  to  receive  the  scepter. 

The  administration  of  President  Buchanan  was 
certainly  the  most  calamitous  our  country  has  ex- 
perienced. His  best  friends  can  not  recall  it  with 
pleasure.  And  still  more  deplorable  it  is  for  his 
fame,  that  in  that  dreadful  conflict  which  rolled 
its  billows  of  flame  and  blood  over  our  whole 
land,  no  word  came  from  his  lips  to  indicate  his 
wish  that  our  country's  banner  should  triumph 
over  the  flag  of  the  Rebellion.  He  died  at  his 
Wheatland  retreat,  June  i,   1868. 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 


61  BRAHAM  IvINCOIvN,  the  sixteenth  Presi- 
Ll  dent  of  the  United  States,  was  born  in  Hardin 
/  I  Count}-,  Ky.,  February  12,  1809.  About 
the  year  1780,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Abraham 
m  Lincohi  left  Virginia  with  his  family  and    moved 

into  the  then  wilds  of  Kentucky.  Only  two  years 
after  this  emigration,  and  while  still  a  young  man, 
he  was  working  one  day  in  a  field,  when  an  Indian 
stealthily  approached  and  killed  him.  His  widow 
was  left  in  extreme  povertj'  with  five  little  chil- 
dren, three  boys  and  two  girls.  Thomas,  the 
youngest  of  the  boys,  and  the  father  of  President 
Abraham  Lincoln,  was  four  years  of  age  at  his 
father's  death. 

When  twenty-eight  years  old,  Thomas  lyincoln 
built  a  log  cabin,  and  married  Nancy  Hanks,  the 
daughter  of  another  family  of  poor  Keiituckj- 
emigrants,  who  had  also  come  from  Virginia. 
Their  second  child  was  Abraham  l,incoln,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  The  mother  of  Abraham  was 
a  noble  woman,  gentle,  loving,  pensive,  created 
to  adorn  a  palace,  but  doomed  to  toil  and  pine,  and 
die  in  a  hovel.  "All  that  I  am,  or  hope  to  be," 
exclaimed  the  grateful  son,  "I  owe  to  my  angel- 
mother.  ' '  When  he  was  eight  years  of  age,  his 
father  sold  his  cabin  and  small  farm  and  moved 
to  Indiana,  where  two  years  later  his  mother  died. 
As  the  years  rolled  on,  the  lot  of  this  lowly 
family  was  the  usual  lot  of  humanity.  There 
were  joys  and  griefs,  weddings  and  funerals. 
Abraham's  sister  Sarah,  to  whom  he  was  tenderly 
attached,  was  married  when  a  child  of  but  four- 
teen years  of  age,  and  soon  died.  The  family 
was  gradually  scattered,  and  Thomas  Lincoln 
sold  out  his  squatter's  claim  in  1830,  and  emi- 
grated to  Macon  County,  111. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  then  twenty-one  years 
of  age.  With  vigorous  hands  he  aided  his  father 
in  rearing  another  log  cabin,  and  worked  quite 
diligenth-  at  this  until  he  saw  the  famih'  com- 
fortably settled,  and  their  small  lot  of  enclosed 
prairie  planted  with  corn,  when  he  announced  to 


his  father  his  intention  to  leave  home,  and  to  go 
out  into  the  world  and  seek  his  fortune.  Little 
did  he  or  his  friends  imagine  how  brilliant  that 
fortune  was  to  be.  He  saw  the  value  of  educa- 
tion and  was  intensely  earnest  to  improve  his 
mind  to  the  utmost  of  his  power.  Religion  he 
revered.  His  morals  were  pure,  and  he  was  un- 
contaminated  by  a  single  vice. 

Young  Abraham  worked  for  a  time  as  a  hired 
laborer  among  the  farmers.  Then  he  went  to 
Springfield,  where  he  was  employed  in  building 
a  large  flat-boat.  In  this  he  took  a  herd  of  swine, 
floated  them  down  the  Sangamon  to  Illinois,  and 
thence  by  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans.  What- 
ever Abraham  Lincoln  undertook,  he  performed 
so  faithfully  as  to  give  great  satisfaction  to  his 
employers.  In  this  adventure  the  latter  were 
so  well  pleased,  that  upon  his  return  they  placed 
a  store  and  mill  under  his  care. 

In  1832,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Black  Hawk 
War,  he  enlisted  and  was  chosen  Captain  of  a 
company.  He  returned  to  Sangamon  Count}', 
and,  although  only  twenty-three  years  of  age,  was 
a  candidate  for  the  Legislature,  but  was  defeated. 
He  soon  after  received  from  Andrew  Jackson  the 
appointment  of  Postmaster  of  New  Salem.  His 
only  post-ofTice  was  his  hat.  All  the  letters  he 
received  he  carried  there,  ready  to  deliver  to  those 
he  chanced  to  meet.  -He  studied  surveying,  and 
soon  made  this  his  business.  In  1 834  he  again 
became  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature  and  was 
elected.  Mr.  Stuart,  of  Springfield,  advised  him 
to  study  law.  He  walked  from  New  Salem  to 
Springfield,  borrowed  of  Mr.  Stuart  a  load  of 
books,  carried  them  back,  and  began  his  legal 
studies.  When  the  Legislature  assembled,  he 
trudged  on  foot  with  his  pack  on  his  back  one 
hundred  miles  to  Vandalia,  then  the  capital.  In 
1836  he  was  re-elected  to  the  Legislature.  Here 
it  was  he  first  met  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  In  1S39 
he  removed  to  Springfield  and  began  the  practice 
of  law.     His  success  with  the  jury  was  so  great 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 


tliat  he  was  soon  engaged  in  almost  every  noted 
case  in  the  circuit. 

In  1854  the  great  discussion  began  between  Mr. 
Lincoln  and  Mr.  Douglas  on  the  slavery  ques- 
tion. In  the  organization  of  the  Repubhcan  party 
in  Illinois,  in  1856,  he  took  an  active  part,  and  at 
once  became  one  of  the  leaders  in  that  party. 
Mr.  Lincoln's  speeches  in  opposition  to  Senator 
Douglas  in  the  contest  in  1858  for  a  seat  in  the 
Senate,  fonn  a  most  notable  part  of  his  history. 
The  issue  was  on  the  slaver)'  question,  and  he 
took  the  broad  ground  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence, that  all  men  are  created  equal.  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  defeated  in  this  contest,  but  won  a 
far  higher  prize. 

The  great  Republican  Convention  met  at  Chi- 
cago on  the  1 6th  of  June,  i860.  The  delegates 
and  strangers  who  crowded  the  city  amounted  to 
twenty-five  thousand.  An  immense  building 
called  ' '  The  Wigwam, ' '  was  reared  to  accommo- 
date the  convention.  There  were  eleven  candi- 
dates for  whom  votes  were  thrown.  William  H. 
Seward,  a  man  whose  fame  as  a  statesman  had 
long  filled  the  land,  was  the  most  prominent.  It 
was  generally  supposed  he  would  be  the  nomi- 
nee. Abraham  Lincoln,  however,  received  the 
nomination  on  the  third  ballot. 

Election  day  came,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  received 
one  hundred  and  eighty  electoral  votes  out  of  two 
hundred  and  three  cast,  and  was,  therefore,  con- 
stitutionally elected  President  of  the  United  States. 
The  tirade  of  abuse  that  was  poured  upon  this 
good  and  merciful  man,  especially  by  the  slave- 
holders, was  greater  than  upon  any  other  man 
ever  elected  to  this  high  position.  In  February, 
1 86 1,  Mr.  Lincoln  started  for  Washington,  stop- 
ping in  all  the  large  cities  on  his  way,  making 
speeches.  The  whole  journey  was  fraught  with 
much  danger.  Many  of  the  Southern  States  had 
already  seceded,  and  several  attempts  at  assassi- 
nation were  afterward  brought  to  light.  A  gang 
in  Baltimore  had  arranged  upon  his  arrival  to 
"get  up  a  row,"  and  in  the  confusion  to  make 
sure  of  his  death  with  revolvers  and  hand-gren- 
ades. A  detective  unravelled  the  plot.  A  secret 
and  special  train  was  provided  to  take  him  from 
Harrisburg,  through  Baltimore,  at  an  unexpected 


hour  of  the  night.  The  tram  started  at  half- past 
ten,  and  to  prevent  any  possible  communication 
on  the  part  of  the  Secessionists  with  their  Con- 
federate gang  in  Baltimore,  as  soon  as  the  train 
had  started  the  telegraph-wires  were  cut.  Mr. 
Lincoln  reached  Washington  in  safety  and  was 
inaugurated,  although  great  anxiety  was  felt  by 
all  loyal  people. 

In  the  selection  of  his  cabinet  Mr.  Lincoln  gave 
to  Mr.  Seward  the  Department  of  State,  and  to 
other  prominent  opponents  before  the  convention 
he  gave  important  positions;  but  during  no  other 
administration  had  the  duties  devolving  upon  the 
President  been  so  manifold,  and  the  responsibilities 
so  great,  as  those  which  fell  to  his  lot.  Knowing 
this,  and  feeling  his  own  weakness  and  inability 
to  meet,  and  in  his  own  strength  to  cope  with, 
the  difficulties,  he  learned  early  to  seek  Divine 
wisdom  and  guidance  in  determining  his  plans, 
and  Divine  comfort  in  all  his  trials,  both  personal 
and  national.  Contrary  to  his  own  estimate  of 
himself,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  one  of  the  most  cour- 
ageous of  men.  He  went  directly  into  the  rebel 
capital  just  as  the  retreating  foe  was  leaving,  with 
no  guard  but  a  few  sailors.  From  the  time  he 
had  left  Springfield,  in  1861,  however,  plans  had 
been  made  for  his  assassination,  and  he  at  lasl 
fell  a  victim  to  one  of  them.  April  14,  1865,  he, 
with  Gen.  Grant,  was  urgently  invited  to  attend 
Ford's  Theatre.  It  was  announced  that  they 
would  be  present.  Gen.  Grant,  however,  left  the 
city.  President  Lincoln,  feeling,  with  his  char- 
acteristic kindliness  of  heart,  that  it  would  be  a 
disappointment  if  he  should  fail  them,  very  re- 
luctantly consented  to  go.  While  listening  to 
the  play,  an  actor  by  the  name  of  John  Wilkes 
Booth  entered  the  box  where  the  President  and 
family  were  seated,  and  fired  a  bullet  into  his 
brain.  He  died  the  next  morning  at  seven 
o'clock. 

Never  before  in  the  history  of  the  world  was 
a  nation  plunged  into  such  deep  grief  by  the  death 
of  its  ruler.  Strong  men  met  in  the  streets  and 
wept  in  speechless  anguish.  His  was  a  life  which 
will  fitly  become  a  model.  His  name  as  the 
Savior  of  his  country  will  live  with  that  of  Wash- 
ington's, its  Father. 


ANDREW  JOHNSON. 


ANDREW  JOHNSON. 


Gl  NDREW  JOHNSON,  seventeenth  President 
LJ  of  the  United  States.  The  early  life  of  An- 
/  I  drew  Johnson  contains  but  the  record  of  pov- 
erty,  destitution  and  friendlessness.  He  was  born 
December  29,  1808,  in  Raleigh,  N.  C.  His  par- 
ents, belonging  to  the  class  of  "poor  whites" 
of  the  South,  were  in  such  circumstances  that  they 
could  not  confer  even  the  slightest  advantages  of 
education  upon  their  child.  When  Andrew  was 
five  years  of  age,  his  father  accidentally  lost  his 
life,  while  heroically  endeavoring  to  save  a  friend 
from  drowning.  Until  ten  years  of  age,  Andrew 
was  a  ragged  boy  about  the  streets,  supported  by 
the  labor  of  his  mother,  who  obtained  her  living 
with  her  own  hands. 

He  then,  having  never  attended  a  school  one 
day,  and  being  unable  either  to  read  or  write, was 
apprenticed  to  a  tailor  in  his  native  town.  A  gen- 
tleman was  in  the  habit  of  going  to  the  tailor's 
shop  occasionally,  and  reading  to  the  boys  at 
work  there.  He  often  read  from  the  speeches  of 
distinguished  British  statesmen.  Andrew,  who 
was  endowed  with  a  mind  of  more  than  ordinary 
ability,  became  much  interested  in  the.se  speeches; 
his  ambition  was  roused,  and  he  was  inspired  with 
a  strong  desire  to  learn  to  read. 

He  accordingly  applied  himself  to  the  alphabet, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  some  of  his  fellow- 
workmen  learned  his  letters.  He  then  called  upon 
the  gentleman  to  borrow  the  book  of  speeches. 
The  owner,  pleased  with  his  zeal,  not  only  gave 
him  the  book,  but  assisted  him  in  learning  to  com- 
bine the  letters  into  words.  Under  such  difficul- 
ties he  pressed  onward  Isboriously,  spending  usu- 
ally ten  or  twelve  hours  at  work  in  the  shop,  and 
then  robbing  himself  of  rest  and  recreation  to  de- 
vote such  time  as  he  could  to  reading. 

He  went  to  Tennessee  in  1826,  and  located  at 


Greenville,  where  he  married  a  young  lady  who 
possessed  some  education.  Under  her  instructions 
he  learned  to  write  and  cipher.  He  became 
prominent  in  the  village  debating  society,  and  a 
favorite  with  the  students  of  Greenville  College. 
In  1828,  he  organized  a  working  man's  party, 
which  elected  him  Alderman,  and  in  1830  elected 
him  Mayor,  which  position  he  held  three  years. 

He  now  began  to  take  a  lively  interest  in 
political  affairs,  identifyinghimself  with  the  work- 
ing-class, to  which  he  belonged.  In  1835,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives of  Tennessee.  He  was  then  just  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age.  He  became  a  very  active 
member  of  the  Legislature,  gave  his  support  to 
the  Democratic  party,  and  in  1840  "stumped  the 
State,"  advocating  Martin  Van  Buren's  claims  to 
the  Presidency,  in  opposition  to  those  of  Gen. 
Harrison.  In  this  campaign  he  acquired  much 
readiness  as  a  speaker,  and  extended  and  increased 
his  reputation. 

In  1 84 1,  he  was  elected  State  Senator;  in  1843, 
he  was  elected  a  Member  of  Congress,  and  by  suc- 
cessive elections  held  that  important  post  for  ten 
years.  In  1853,  he  was  elected  Governor  of  Tenn- 
essee, and  was  re-elected  in  1855.  In  all  these 
responsible  positions,  he  discharged  his  duties 
with  distinguished  ability,  and  proved  himself  the 
warm  friend  of  the  working  classes.  In  1857,  Mr. 
Johnson  was  elected  United  States  Senator. 

Years  before,  in  1845,  he  had  warmly  advocated 
the  annexation  of  Texas,  stating,  however,  as  his 
reason,  that  he  thought  this  annexation  would 
probably  prove  "to  be  the  gateway  out  of  which 
the  sable  sons  of  Africa  are  to  pass  from  bondage 
to  freedom,  and  become  merged  in  a  population 
congenial  to  themselves."  In  1850,  he  also  sup- 
ported the  compromise  measures,  the  two  essen- 


84 


ANDREW  JOHNSON. 


tial  features  of  which  were,  that  the  white  people 
of  the  Territories  should  be  permitted  to  decide 
for  themselves  whether  they  would  enslave  the 
colored  people  or  not,  and  that  the  free  States  of 
the  North  should  return  to  the  South  persons  who 
attempted  to  escape  from  slavery. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  never  ashamed  of  his  lowly 
origin:  on  the  contrary,  he  often  took  pride  in 
avowing  that  he  owed  his  distinction  to  his  own 
exertions.  "Sir,"  said  he  on  the  floor  of  the 
Senate,  "I  do  not  forget  that  I  am  a  mechanic; 
neither  do  I  forget  that  Adam  was  a  tailor  and 
sewed  fig-leaves,  and  that  our  Savior  was  the  son 
of  a  carpenter. ' ' 

In  the  Charleston-Baltimore  convention  of  1 860, 
he  was  the  choice  of  the  Tennessee  Democrats  for 
the  Presidency.  In  1861,  when  the  purpose  of 
the  Southern  Democracy  became  apparent,  he  took 
a  decided  stand  in  favor  of  the  Union,  and  held 
that  "slavery  must  be  held  subordinate  to  the 
Union  at  whatever  cost. ' '  He  returned  to  Tenn- 
essee, and  repeatedly  imperiled  his  own  life  to 
protect  the  Unionists  of  that  State.  Tennessee 
having  seceded  from  the  Union,  President  Lincoln, 
on  March  4,  1862,  appointed  him  Military  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State,  and  he  estabUshed  the  most 
stringent  military  rule.  His  numerous  proclama- 
tions attracted  wide  attention.  In  1864,  he  was 
elected  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  and 
upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  April  15,  1865, 
became  President.  In  a  speech  two  days  later  he 
said,  "The  American  people  must  be  taught,  if 
they  do  not  already  feel,  that  treason  is  a  crime 
and  must  be  punished;  that  the  Government  will 
not  always  bear  with  its  enemies;  that  it  is  strong 
not  only  to  protect,  but  to  punish.  *  *  The 
people  must  understand  that  it  (treason)  is  the 
blackest  of  crimes,  and  will  surely  be  punished. ' ' 
Yet  his  whole  administration,  the  history  of  which 
is  so  well  known,  was  in  utter  inconsistency  with, 
and  in  the  most  violent  opposition  to,  the  princi- 
ples laid  down  in  that  speech. 

In  his  loose  policy  of  reconstruction  and  general 
amnesty,  he  was  opposed  by  Congress,  and  he 
characterized  Congress  as  a  new  rebellion,  and 
lawlessly  defied  it  in  everj'thing  possible  to  the  ut- 
most.    In  the  beginning  of  1868,  on  account  of 


"High  crimes  and  misdemeanors,"  the  principal 
of  which  was  the  removal  of  Secretary  Stanton  in 
violation  of  the  Tenure  of  OflSce  Act,  articles  of 
impeachment  were  preferred  against  him,  and  the 
trial  began  March  23. 

It  was  very  tedious,  continuing  for  nearly  three 
months.  A  test  article  of  the  impeachment  was 
at  length  submitted  to  the  court  for  its  action.  It 
was  certain  that  as  the  court  voted  upon  that  ar- 
ticle so  would  it  vote  upon  all .  Thirty-four  voices 
pronounced  the  President  guilty.  As  a  two-thirds 
vote  was  necessary  to  his  condemnation,  he  was 
pronounced  acquitted,  notn'ithstanding  the  great 
majority  against  him.  The  change  of  one  vote 
from  the  not  guilty  side  would  have  sustained  the 
impeachment. 

The  President,  for  the  remainder  of  his  term, 
was  but  little  regarded.  He  continued,  though 
impoteutly,  his  conflict  with  Congress.  His  own 
party  did  not  think  it  expedient  to  renominate 
him  for  the  Presidency.  The  Nation  rallied  with 
enthusiasm,  unparalleled  since  the  days  of  Wash- 
ington, around  the  name  of  Gen.  Grant.  Andrew 
Johnson  was  forgotten.  The  bullet  of  the  assassin 
introduced  him  to  the  President's  chair.  Not- 
withstanding this,  never  was  there  presented  to  a 
man  a  better  opportunity  to  immortalize  his  name, 
and  to  win  the  gratitude  of  a  nation.  He  failed 
utterly.  He  retired  to  his  home  in  Greenville, 
Tenn. ,  taking  no  very  active  part  in  politics  until 
1875.  On  January  26,  after  an  exciting  struggle, 
he  was  chosen  by  the  Legislature  of  Tennessee 
United  States  Senator  in  the  Forty-fourth  Congess, 
and  took  his  seat  in  that  body,  at  the  special  ses- 
sion convened  by  President  Grant,  on  the  5th  of 
March.  On  the  27th  of  July,  1875,  the  ex-Presi- 
dent made  a  visit  to  his  daughter's  home,  near 
Carter  Station,  Tenn.  When  he  started  on  his 
journey,  he  was  apparently  in  his  usual  vigorous 
health,  but  on  reaching  the  residence  of  his  child 
the  following  day,  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis, 
which  rendered  him  unconscious.  He  rallied  oc- 
casionally, but  finally  passed  away  at  2  A.  M., 
July  31 ,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  His  funeral  was 
held  at  Greenville,  on  the  3d  of  August,  with 
every  demonstration  of  respect. 


ULYSSES  S.  GRANT. 


ULYSSES  S.  GRANT. 


HtYSSES  S.  GRANT,  the  eighteenth  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  was  born  on  the 
29th  of  April,  1822,  of  Christian  parents,  in 
a  humble  home  at  Point  Pleasant,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Ohio.  Shortly  after,  his  father  moved  to 
Georgetown,  Brown  County,  Ohio.  In  this  re- 
mote frontier  hamlet,  Ulysses  received  a  common- 
school  education.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  in 
the  year  1839,  he  entered  the  Military  Academy 
at  West  Point.  Here  he  was  regarded  as  a  solid, 
sensible  young  man,  of  fair  ability,  and  of  sturdy, 
honest  character.  He  took  respectable  rank  as  a 
scholar.  In  June,  1843,  he  graduated  about  the 
middle  in  his  class,  and  was  sent  as  Lieutenant  of 
Infantry  to  one  of  the  distant  military  posts  in  the 
Missouri  Territory.  Two  years  he  passed  in  these 
dreary  solitudes,  watching  the  vagabond  Indians. 

The  war  with  Mexico  came.  Lieut.  Grant  was 
sent  with  his  regiment  to  Corpus  Christi.  His 
firgt  battle  was  at  Palo  Alto.  There  was  no 
chance  here  for  the  exhibition  of  either  skill  or 
heroism,  nor  at  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  his  second 
battle.  At  the  battle  of  Monterey,  his  third  en- 
gagement, it  is  said  that  he  performed  a  signal 
service  of  daring  and  skillful  horsemanship. 

At  the  close  of  the  Mexican  War,  Capt.  Grant 
returned  with  his  regiment  to  New  York,  and 
was  again  sent  to  one  of  the  militarj-  posts  on  the 
frontier.  The  discoverj^  of  gold  in  California 
causing  an  immense  tide  of  emigration  to  flow  to 
the  Pacific  shores,  Capt.  Grant  was  sent  with  a 
battalion  to  Ft.  Dallas,  in  Oregon,  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  interests  of  the  immigrants.  But  life 
was  wearisome  in  those  wilds,  and  he  resigned 
his  commission  and  returned  to  the  States.  Hav- 
ing married,  he  entered  upon  the  cultivation  of  a 
small  farm  near  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  but  having  little 


skill  as  a  fanner,  and  finding  his  toil  not  re- 
munerative, he  turned  to  mercantile  life,  entering 
into  the  leather  business,  with  a  younger  brother 
at  Galena,  111.  This  was  in  the  year  i860.  As 
the  tidings  of  the  rebels  firing  on  Ft.  Sumter 
reached  the  ears  of  Capt.  Grant  in  his  counting- 
room,  he  said  :  ' '  Uncle  Sam  has  educated  me 
for  the  army;  though  I  have  served  him  through 
one  war,  I  do  not  feel  that  I  have  yet  repaid  the 
debt.  I  am  still  ready  to  discharge  my  obliga- 
tions. I  shall  therefore  buckle  on  my  sword  and 
see  Uncle  Sam  through  this  war  too. ' ' 

He  went  into  the  streets,  raised  a  company  of 
volunteers,  and  led  them  as  their  Captain  to 
Springfield,  the  capital  of  the  State,  where  their 
services  were  offered  to  Gov.  Yates.  The  Gov- 
ernor, impressed  by  the  zeal  and  straightforward 
executive  ability  of  Capt.  Grant,  gave  him  a  desk 
in  his  ofiice  to  assist  in  the  volunteer  organiza- 
tion that  was  being  formed  in  the  State  in  behalf 
of  the  Government.  On  the  15th  of  June,  186 1, 
Capt.  Grant  received  a  commission  as  Colonel  of 
the  Twenty-first  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers. 
His  merits  as  a  West  Point  graduate,  who  had 
served  for  fifteen  years  in  the  regular  armj-,  were 
such  that  he  was  soon  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Brigadier-General,  and  was  placed  in  command  at 
Cairo.  The  rebels  raised  their  banner  at  Padu- 
cah,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee  River. 
Scarcely  had  its  folds  appeared  in  the  breeze  ere 
Gen.  Grant  was  there.  The  rebels  fled,  their 
banner  fell,  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes  were  un- 
furled in  its  stead. 

He  entered  the  service  with  great  determina- 
tion and  immediately  began  active  duty.  This 
was  the  beginning,  and  until  the  surrender  of 
Lee  at  Richmond  he  was  ever  pushing  the  enemy 


ULYSSES  S.  GRANT. 


with  great  vigor  and  effectiveness.  At  Belmont, 
a  few  days  later,  he  surprised  and  routed  the 
rebels,  then  at  Ft.  Henry  won  another  victory. 
Then  came  the  brilliant  fight  at  Ft.  Donelson. 
The  nation  was  electrified  by  the  victory,  and  the 
brave  leader  of  the  boys  in  blue  was  immediately 
made  a  Major-General,  and  the  miUtary  district 
of  Tennessee  was  assigned  to  him. 

Ivike  all  great  captains,  Gen.  Grant  knew  well 
how  to  secure  the  results  of  victory.  He  imme- 
diately pushed  on  to  the  enemies'  lines.  Then 
came  the  terrible  battles  of  Pittsburg  Landing, 
Corinth,  and  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  where  Gen. 
Pemberton  made  an  unconditional  surrender  of 
the  city  with  over  thirty  thousand  men  and  one 
hundred  and  seventy-two  cannon.  The  fall  of 
Vicksburg  was  by  far  the  most  severe  blow  which 
the  rebels  had  thus  far  encountered,  and  opened 
up  the  Mississippi  from  Cairo  to  the  Gulf. 

Gen.  Grant  was  next  ordered  to  co-operate  with 
Gen.  Banks  in  a  movement  upon  Texas,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  thrown 
from  his  horse,  and  received  severe  injuries,  from 
which  he  was  laid  up  for  months.  He  then 
rushed  to  the  aid  of  Gens.  Rosecrans  and  Thomas 
at  Chattanooga,  and  by  a  wonderful  series  of 
strategic  and  technical  measures  put  the  Union 
army  in  fighting  condition.  Then  followed  the 
bloody  battles  at  Chattanooga,  Lookout  Moun- 
tain and  Missionary  Ridge,  in  which  the  rebels 
were  routed  with  great  loss.  This  won  for  him 
unbounded  praise  in  the  North.  On  the  4th  of 
February,  1864,  Congress  revived  the  grade  of 
lieutenant-general,  and  the  rank  was  conferred 
on  Gen.  Grant.  He  repaired  to  Washington  to 
receive  his  credentials  and  enter  upon  the  duties 
of  his  new  office. 

Gen.  Grant  decided  as  soon  as  he  took  charge 
of  the  army  to  concentrate  the  widely-dispersed 
National  troops  for  an  attack  upon  Richmond, 
the  nominal  capital  of  the  rebellion,  and  endeavor 
there  to  destroy  the  rebel  armies  which  would  be 
promptly  assembled  from  all  quarters  for  its  de- 
fense. The  whole  continent  seemed  to  tremble 
under  the  tramp  of  these  majestic  armies,  rushing 
to  the  decisive  battle-field.  Steamers  were  crowd- 
ed with  troops.     Railway  trains  were  burdened 


with  closely-packed  thousands.  His  plans  were 
comprehensive,  and  involved  a  series  of  cam- 
paigns, which  were  executed  with  remarkable 
energy  and  ability,  and  were  consummated  at  the 
surrender  of  Lee,  April  9,  1865. 

The  war  was  ended.  The  Union  was  saved. 
The  almost  unanimous  voice  of  the  nation  de- 
clared Gen.  Grant  to  be  the  most  prominent  in- 
strument in  its  salvation.  The  eminent  services 
he  had  thus  rendered  the  country  brought  him 
conspicuously  forward  as  the  Republican  candi- 
date for  the  Presidential  chair. 

At  the  Republican  Convention  held  at  Chicago, 
May  21,  1868,  he  was  unanimously  nominated 
for  the  Presidency,  and  at  the  autumn  election 
received  a  majority  of  the  popular  vote,  and  two 
hundred  and  fourteen  out  of  two  hundred  and 
ninety-four   electoral  votes. 

The  National  Convention  of  the  Republican 
party,  which  met  at  Philadelphia  on  the  5th  ot 
June,  1872,  placed  Gen.  Grant  in  nomination  for 
a  second  term  by  a  unanimous  vote.  The  selec- 
tion was  emphatically  indorsed  by  the  people  five 
months  later,  two  hundred  and  ninety-two  elect- 
oral votes  being  cast  for  him. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  his  second  term,  Gen. 
Grant  started  upon  his  famous  trip  around  the 
world.  He  visited  almost  every  country  of  the 
civilized  world,  and  was  everywhere  received 
with  such  ovations  and  demonstrations  of  respect 
and  honor,  private  as  well  as  public  and  official, 
as  were  never  before  bestowed  upon  any  citizen 
of  the  United  States. 

He  was  the  most  prominent  candidate  before 
the  Republican  National  Convention  in  1880  for 
a  renomination  for  President.  He  went  to  New 
York  and  embarked  in  the  brokerage  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  Grant  &  Ward.  The 
latter  proved  a  villain,  wrecked  Grant's  fortune, 
and  for  larceny  was  sent  to  the  penitentiary. 
The  General  was  attacked  with  cancer  in  the 
throat,  but  suffered  in  his  stoic-like  manner,  never 
complaining.  He  was  re-instated  as  General  of 
the  Ann3%  and  retired  by  Congress.  The  cancer 
soon  finished  its  deadly  work,  and  July  23,  1885, 
the  nation  went  in  mourning  over  the  death  ol 
the  illustrious  General. 


RUTHERFORD  B.    HAYES. 


RUTHERFORD  B.  HAYES. 


RUTHERFORD  B.  HAYES,  the  nineteenth 
President  of  the  United  States,  was  born  in 
Delaware,  Oliio,  October  4,  1S22,  almost 
three  months  after  the  death  of  his  father,  Ruther- 
ford Hayes.  His  ancestrs^  on  both  the  paternal  and 
maternal  sides  was  of  the  most  honorable  char- 
acter. It  can  be  traced,  it  is  said,  as  far  back  as 
1280,  when  Ha3'es  and  Rutherford  were  two 
Scottish  chieftains,  fighting  side  by  side  with 
Baliol,  William  Wallace  and  Robert  Bruce.  Both 
families  belonged  to  the  nobility,  owned  extensive 
estates,  and  had  a  large  following.  Misfortune 
overtaking  the  family,  George  Hayes  left  Scotland 
in  1 680,  and  settled  in  Windsor,  Conn.  His  son 
George  was  born  in  Windsor,  and  remained  there 
during  his  life.  Daniel  Hayes,  son  of  the  latter, 
married  Sarah  Eee,  and  lived  from  the  time  of 
his  marriage  until  his  death  in  Simsbury,  Conn. 
Ezekiel,  son  of  Daniel,  was  born  in  1724,  and  was 
a  manufacturer  of  scythes  at  Bradford,  Conn. 
Rutherford  Hayes,  son  of  Ezekiel  and  grandfather 
of  President  Hayes,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  in 
August,  1756.  He  was  a  farmer,  blacksmith  and 
tavern-keeper.  He  emigrated  to  Vermont  at  an 
unknown  date,  settling  in  Brattleboro,  where  he 
established  a  hotel.  Here  his  son,  Rutherford 
Hayes,  the  father  of  President  Hayes,  was  bom. 
He  was  married,  in  September,  18 13,  to  Sophia 
Birchard,  of  Wilmington,  Vt.,  whose  ancestors 
emigrated  thither  from  Connecticut,  they  ha\'ing 
been  among  the  wealthiest  and  best  families  of 
Non\'ich.  Her  ancestrj'  on  the  male  side  is 
traced  back  to  1635,  to  John  Birchard,  one  of  the 
principal  founders  of  Norwnch.  Both  of  her  grand- 
fathers were  soldiers  in  the  Revolntionarj-  War. 

The  father  of  President  Hayes  was  an  industri- 
ous, frugal,  yet  open-hearted  man.     He  was  of  a 


mechanical  turn  of  mind,  and  could  mend  a  plow, 
knit  a  stocking,  or  do  almost  anything  else  that 
he  chose  to  undertake.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
church,  active  in  all  the  benevolent  enterprises 
of  the  town,  and  conducted  his  business  on  Chris- 
tian principles.  After  the  close  of  the  War  of 
181 2,  for  reasons  inexplicable  to  his  neighbors,  he 
resolved  to  emigrate  to  Ohio. 

The  journey  from  Vermont  to  Ohio  in  that  day, 
when  there  were  no  canals,  steamers,  or  rail- 
ways, was  a  very  serious  affair.  A  tour  of  in- 
spection was  first  made,  occupying  four  months. 
Mr.  Hayes  decided  to  move  to  Delaware,  where 
the  family  arrived  in  181 7.  He  died  July  22, 
1822,  a  victim  of  malarial  fever,  less  than  three 
months  before  the  birth  of  the  son  of  whom  we 
write.  Mrs.  Hayes,  in  her  sore  bereavement, 
found  the  support  she  so  much  needed  in  her 
brother  Sardis,  who  had  been  a  member  of  the 
household  from  the  day  of  its  departure  from 
Vermont,  and  in  an  orphan  girl,  whom  she  had 
adopted  some  time  before  as  an  act  of  charity. 

Rutherford  was  seven  years  old  before  he  went 
to  school.  His  education,  however,  was  not  neg- 
lected. He  probably  learned  as  much  from  his 
mother  and  sister  as  he  would  have  done  at 
school.  His  sports  were  almost  wholly  within 
doors,  his  playmates  being  his  sister  and  her  asso- 
ciates. The.se  circumstances  tended,  no  doubt,  to 
foster  that  gentleness  of  disposition  and  that  del- 
icate consideration  for  the  feelings  of  others  which 
were  marked  traits  of  his  character. 

His  uncle,  Sardis  Birchard,  took  the  deepest 
interest  in  his  education;  and  as  the  boy's  health 
had  improved,  and  he  was  making  good  progress 
in  his  studies,  he  proposed  to  send  him  to  college. 
His  preparation  commenced  with  a  tutor  at  home; 


RUTHERFORD  B.  HAYES. 


but  he  was  afterwards  sent  for  one  year  to  a  pro- 
fessor in  the  Wesleyan  University  in  Middletown, 
Conn.  He  entered  Kenyon  College  in  1838,  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  and  was  graduated  at  the  head 
of  his  class  in  1842. 

Immediately  after  his  graduation  he  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  oflSce  of  Thomas  Sparrow, 
Esq.,  in  Columbus.  Finding  his  opportunities 
for  study  in  Columbus  somewhat  limited,  he  de- 
termined to  enter  the  Law  School  at  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  where  he  remained  two  years. 

In  1S45,  after  graduating  at  the  Law  School,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  and 
shortly  afterward  went  into  practice  as  an  at- 
torney-at-law  with  Ralph  P.  Buckland,  of  Fre- 
mont. Here  he  remained  three  years,  acquiring 
but  a  limited  practice,  and  apparently  unambitious 
of  distinction  in  his  profession. 

In  1849  he  moved  to  Cincinnati,  where  his  am- 
bition found  a  new  stimulus.  For  several  years, 
however,  his  progress  was  slow.  Two  events 
occurring  at  this  period  had  a  powerful  influence 
upon  his  subsequent  life.  One  of  these  was  his 
marriage  with  Miss  Lucy  Ware  Webb,  daughter 
of  Dr.  James  Webb,  of  Chillicothe;  the  other  was 
his  introduction  to  the  Cincinnati  Literary  Club, 
a  body  embracing  among  its  members  such  men 
as  Chief  Justice  Salmon  P.  Chase,  Gen.  John 
Pope,  Gov.  Edward  F.  Noyes,  and  many  others 
hardly  less  distinguished  in  after  life.  The  mar- 
riage was  a  fortunate  one  in  every  respect,  as 
everybody  knows.  Not  one  of  all  the  wives  of 
our  Presidents  was  more  universally  admired, 
reverenced  and  beloved  than  was  Mrs.  Hayes,  and 
no  one  did  more  than  she  to  reflect  honor  upon 
American  womanhood.  The  LiteraryClub  brought 
Mr.  Hayes  into  constant  association  with  young 
men  of  high  character  and  noble  aims,  and  lured 
him  to  display  the  qualities  so  long  hidden  by  his 
bashfulness  and  modesty. 

In  1856  he  was  nominated  to  the  oSice  of  Judge 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  but  he  declined  to 
accept  the  nomination.  Two  years  later,  the  of- 
fice of  City  Solicitor  becoming  vacant,  the  City 
Council  elected  him  for  the  unexpired  term. 

In  1861,  when  the  Rebellion  broke  out,  he  was 
at  the  zenith  of  his  professional  life.     His  rank  at 


the  Bar  was  among  the  first.  But  the  news  of 
the  attack  on  Ft.  Stunter  found  him  eager  to 
take  up  arms  for  the  defense  of  his  country. 

His  military  record  was  bright  and  illustrious. 
In  October,  1861,  he  was  made  Lieutenant- Colo- 
nel, and  in  August,  1862,  promoted  Colonel  of 
the  Seventy-ninth  Ohio  Regiment,  but  he  refused 
to  leave  his  old  comrades  and  go  among  strangers. 
Subsequently,  however,  he  was  made  Colonel  of 
his  old  regiment.  At  the  battle  of  South  Moun- 
tain he  received  a  wound,  and  while  faint  and 
bleeding  displayed  courage  and  fortitude  that 
won  admiration  from  all. 

Col.  Hayes  was  detached  from  his  regiment, 
after  his  recovery,  to  act  as  Brigadier-General, 
and  placed  in  command  of  the  celebrated  Kanawha 
division,  and  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services 
in  the  battles  of  Winchester,  Fisher's  Hill  and 
Cedar  Creek,  he  was  promoted  Brigadier-General. 
He  was  also  breveted  Major-General,  "for  gallant 
and  distinguished  services  during  the  campaigns 
of  1864,  in  West  Virginia."  In  the  course  of  his 
arduous  services,  four  horses  were  shot  from  un- 
der him,  and  he  was  wounded  four  times. 

In  1864,  Gen.  Hayes  was  elected  to  Congress 
from  the  Second  Ohio  District,  which  had  long 
been  Democratic.  He  was  not  present  during  the 
campaign,  and  after  the  election  was  importuned 
to  resign  his  commission  in  the  army;  but  he  fi- 
nally declared,  ' '  I  shall  never  come  to  Washing- 
ton until  I  can  come  by  way  of  Richmond."  He 
was  re-elected  in  1866. 

In  1867,  Gen.  Hayes  was  elected  Governor  of 
Ohio,  over  Hon.  Allen  G.  Thurman,  a  popular 
Democrat,  and  in  1869  was  re-elected  over  George 
H.  Pendleton.  He  was  elected  Governor  for  the 
third  term  in  1875. 

In  1876  he  was  the  standard-bearer  of  the  Re- 
publican party  in  the  Presidential  contest,  and 
after  a  hard,  long  contest  was  chosen  President, 
and  was  inaugurated  Monday,  March  5,  1877. 
He  served  his  full  term,  not,  however,  with  satis- 
faction to  his  party,  but  his  administration  was  an 
average  one.  The  remaining  years  of  his  life 
were  passed  quietly  in  his  Ohio  home,  where  he 
passed  away  January  17,  1893. 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD. 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD. 


(Tames  a.  GARFIELD,  twentieth  President 
I  of  the  United  States,  was  born  November  1 9, 
Q)  1 83 1,  in  the  woods  of  Orange,  Cu3'ahoga 
County,  Ohio.  His  parents  were  Abram  and 
Eliza  (Ballon)  Garfield,  both  of  New  England 
ancestrj',  and  from  families  well  known  in  the 
early  history  of  that  section  of  our  country,  but 
who  had  moved  to  the  Western  Reserve,  in  Ohio, 
earlj'  in  its  settlement. 

The  house  in  which  James  A.  was  born  was 
not  unlike  the  houses  of  poor  Ohio  farmers  of 
that  day.  It  was  about  20  x  30  feet,  built  of  logs, 
with  the  spaces  between  the  logs  filled  with  clay. 
His  father  was  a  hard-working  farmer,  and  he 
soon  had  his  fields  cleared,  an  orchard  planted, 
and  a  log  barn  built.  The  household  comprised 
the  father  and  mother  and  their  four  children, 
Mehetabel,  Thomas,  Marj'  and  James.  In  May, 
1823,  the  father  died  from  a  cold  contracted  in 
helping  to  put  out  a  forest  fire.  At  this  time 
James  was  about  eighteen  months  old,  and 
Thomas  about  ten  years  old.  No  one,  perhaps, 
can  tell  how  much  James  was  indebted  to  his 
brother's  toil  and  self-sacrifice  during  the  twenty 
years  succeeding  his  father's  death.  He  now 
lives  in  Michigan,  and  the  two  sisters  live  in  Solon, 
Ohio,   near  their  birthplace. 

The  early  educational  advantages  young  Gar- 
field enjoyed  were  very  limited,  yet  he  made  the 
most  of  them.  He  labored  at  farm  work  for 
others,  did  carpenter  work,  chopped  wood,  or  did 
anything  that  would  bring  in  a  few  dollars  to  aid 
his  widowed  mother  in  her  struggles  to  keep  the 
little  family  together.  Nor  was  Gen.  Garfield 
ever  ashamed  of  his  origin,  and  he  never  forgot 
the  friends  of  his  struggling  childhood,  youth  and 
manhood;  neither  did  they  ever  forget  him. 
When  in  the  highest  seats  of  honor,  the  humblest 
friend  of  his  boyhood  was  as  kindly  greeted  as 
ever.  The  poorest  laborer  was  sure  of  the  sym- 
pathy of  one  who  had  known  all  the  bitterness  of 


want  and  the  sweetness  of  bread  earned  by  the 
sweat  of  the  brow.  He  was  ever  the  simple, 
plain,  modest  gentleman. 

The  highest  ambition  of  young  Garfield  until 
he  was  about  sixteen  years  old  was  to  be  cap- 
tain of  a  vessel  on  Lake  Erie.  He  was  anxious 
to  go  aboard  a  vessel,  but  this  his  mother  strongly 
opposed.  She  finally  consented  to  his  going  to 
Cleveland,  with  the  understanding,  however,  that 
he  should  try  to  obtain  some  other  kind  of  em- 
ployment. He  walked  all  the  way  to  Cleveland. 
This  was  his  first  visit  to  the  city.  After  making 
many  applications  for  work,  and  trying  to  get 
aboard  a  lake  vessel  and  not  meeting  with  suc- 
cess, he  engaged  as  a  driver  for  his  cousin,  Amos 
Eetcher,  on  the  Ohio  &  Pennsylvania  Canal. 
He  remained  at  this  work  but  a  short  time,  when 
he  went  home,  and  attended  the  seminary  at 
Chester  for  about  three  years.  He  then  entered 
Hiram  and  the  Eclectic  Institute,  teaching  a  few 
terms  of  school  in  the  mean  time,  and  doing  other 
work.  This  school  was  started  by  the  Disciples 
of  Christ  in  1850,  of  which  body  he  was  then  a 
member.  He  became  janitor  and  bell-ringer  in 
order  to  help  pay  his  way.  He  then  became  both 
teacher  and  pupil.  Soon  "  exhausting  Hiram," 
and  needing  a  higher  education,  in  the  fall  of  1854 
he  entered  Williams  College,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1856,  taking  one  of  the  highest  honors  of 
his  class.  He  afterwards  returned  to  Hiram  Col- 
lege as  its  President.  As  above  stated,  he  early 
united  with  the  Christian,  or  Disciples,  Church  at 
Hiram,  and  was  ever  after  a  devoted,  zealous 
member,  often  preaching  in  its  pulpit  and  places 
where  he  happened  to  be. 

Mr.  Garfield  was  united  in  marriage,  Novem- 
ber II,  1858,  with  Miss  Lucretia  Rudolph,  who 
proved  herself  worthy  as  the  wife  of  one  whom 
all  the  world  loved.  To  them  were  born  seven 
children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living,  four  boys 
and  one  girl. 


96 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD. 


Mr.  Garfield  made  his  first  political  speeches  in 
1856,  in  Hiram  and  the  neighboring  villages,  and 
three  years  later  he  began  to  speak  at  county 
mass-meetings,  and  became  the  favorite  speaker 
wherever  he  was.  During  this  year  he  was 
elected  to  the  Ohio  Senate.  He  also  began  to 
study  law  at  Cleveland,  and  in  1861  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar.  The  great  Rebellion  broke  out  in  the 
early  part  of  this  year,  and  Mr.  Garfield  at  once 
resolved  to  fight  as  he  had  talked,  and  enlisted  to 
defend  the  Old  Flag.  He  received  his  commission 
as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Forty-second  Regi- 
ment of  Ohio  Infantry  August  14,  1861.  He 
was  immediately  put  into  active  service,  and  be- 
fore he  had  ever  seen  a  gun  fired  in  action,  was 
placed  in  command  of  four  regiments  of  infantry 
and  eight  companies  of  cavalry,  charged  with  the 
work  of  driving  out  of  his  native  State  the  able 
rebel  officer,  Humphrey  Marshall,  of  Kentucky. 
This  work  was  bravely  and  speedily  accomplished, 
although  against  great  odds,  and  President  Lin- 
coln commissioned  him  Brigadier- General,  Janu- 
ary ID,  1862;  and  "as  he  had  been  the  youngest 
man  in  the  Ohio  Senate  two  years  before,  so  now 
he  was  the  youngest  General  in  the  army."  He 
was  with  Gen.  Buell's  army  at  Shiloh,  in  its 
operations  around  Corinth  and  its  march  through 
Alabama.  He  was  then  detailed  as  a  member  of 
the  general  court  martial  for  the  trial  of  Gen. 
Fitz-John  Porter.  He  was  next  ordered  to  re- 
port to  Gen.  Rosecrans,  and  was  assigned  to  the 
"Chief  of  Staff."  The  militarj'  histor>'  of  Gen. 
Garfield  closed  with  his  brilliant  services  at  Chick- 
amauga,  where  he  won  the  rank  of  Major-General. 

Without  an  effort  on  his  part.  Gen.  Garfield 
was  elected  to  Congress  in  the  fall  of  1862,  from 
the  Nineteenth  District  of  Ohio.  This  section  of 
Ohio  had  been  represented  in  Congress  for  sixty 
year's  mainly  by  two  men — Elisha  Whittlesey  and 
Joshua  R.  Giddings.  It  was  not  without  a  strug- 
gle that  he  resigned  his  place  in  the  army.  At 
the  time  he  entered  Congress  he  was  the  youngest 
member  in  that  body.  There  he  remained  by 
successive  re-elections  until  he  was  elected  Presi- 
dent, in  1880.  Of  his  labors  in  Congress,  Senator 
Hoar  says:  "Since  the  year  1864  you  cannot 
think  of  a  question  which  has  been  debated  in 


Congress,  or  discussed  before  a  tribunal  of  the 
American  people,  in  regard  to  which  you  will  not 
find,  if  you  wish  instruction,  the  argument  on 
one  side  stated,  in  almost  every  instance  better 
than  by  anybody  else,  in  some  speech  made  in 
the  House  of  Representatives  or  on  the  hustings 
by  Mr.  Garfield." 

Upon  January  14,  1880,  Gen.  Garfield  was  elect- 
ed to  the  United  States  Senate,  and  on  the  8th  of 
June,  of  the  same  year,  was  nominated  as  the 
candidate  of  his  party  for  President  at  the  great 
Chicago  Convention.  He  was  elected  in  the  fol- 
lowing November,  and  on  March  4,  188 1,  was 
inaugurated.  Probably  no  administration  ever 
opened  its  existence  under  brighter  auspices  than 
that  of  President  Garfield,  and  every  day  it  grew 
in  favor  with  the  people.  By  the  ist  of  July 
he  had  completed  all  the  initiatory  and  prehmi- 
nary  work  of  his  administration,  and  was  prepar- 
ing to  leave  the  city  to  meet  his  friends  at  Will- 
iams College.  While  on  his  way  and  at  the 
depot,  in  company  with  Secretary  Blaine,  a  man 
stepped  behind  him,  drew  a  revolver,  and  fired 
directly  at  his  back.  The  President  tottered  and 
fell,  and  as  he  did  so  the  assassin  fired  a  second 
shot,  the  bullet  cutting  the  left  coat  sleeve  of  his 
victim,  but  inflicting  no  further  injury.  It  has 
been  very  truthfully  said  that  this  was  ' '  the  shot 
that  was  heard  around  the  world. ' '  Never  before 
in  the  history  of  Jihe  nation  had  anything  occur- 
red which  so  nearly  froze  the  blood  of  the  people 
for  the  moment  as  this  awful  deed.  He  was 
smitten  on  the  brightest,  gladdest  day  of  all  his 
life,  at  the  summit  of  his  power  and  hope.  For 
eighty  days,  all  during  the  hot  months  of  July 
and  August,  he  lingered  and  suffered.  He,  how- 
ever, remained  master  of  himself  till  the  last,  and 
by  his  magnificent  bearing  taught  the  country 
and  the  world  one  of  the  noblest  of  human  les- 
sons— how  to  live  grandly  in  the  very  clutch  of 
death.  Great  in  life,  he  was  surpassing!}-  gjeat 
in  death.  He  passed  serenely  away  September 
19,  1883,  at  Elberon,  N.  J.,  on  the  very  bank  of 
the  ocean,  where  he  had  been  taken  shortly  be- 
fore. The  world  wept  at  his  death,  as  it  rarely 
ever  had  done  on  the  death  of  any  other  great 
and  noble  man. 


CHESTER  A.  ARTHUR. 


CHESTER  A.  ARTHUR. 


E HESTER  A.  ARTHUR,  twenty-first  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  was  born  in  Frank- 
lin County,  Vt.,  on  the  5th  day  of  October, 
1830,  and  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  two  sons 
and  five  daughters.  His  father  was  the  Rev.  Dr. 
William  Arthur,  a  Baptist  clergyman,  who  emi- 
grated to  this  country  from  County  Antrim,  Ire- 
land, in  his  eighteenth  year,  and  died  in  1875,  in 
Newtonville,  near  Albany,  after  a  long  and  suc- 
cessful ministry. 

Young  Arthur  was  educated  at  Union  College, 
Schenectady,  where  he  excelled  in  all  his  studies. 
After  his  graduation  he  taught  school  in  Ver- 
mont for  two  years,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that 
time  came  to  New  York,  with  $500  in  his  pocket, 
and  entered  the  office  of  ex -Judge  E.  D.  Culver 
as  a  student.  After  being  admitted  to  the  Bar,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  intimate  friend  and 
room-mate,  Henrj'  D.  Gardiner,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  practicing  in  the  West,  and  for  three 
months  they  roamed  about  in  the  Western  States 
in  search  of  an  eligible  site,  but  in  the  end  re- 
turned to  New  York,  where  they  hung  out  their 
shingle,  and  entered  upon  a  successful  career  al- 
most from  the  start.  Gen.  Arthur  soon  after  mar- 
ried the  daughter  of  Lieut.  Herndon,  of  the 
United  States  Navy,  who  was  lost  at  sea.  Con- 
gress voted  a  gold  medal  to  his  widow  in  recog- 
nition of  the  braverj^  he  displayed  on  that  occa- 
sion. Mrs.  Arthur  died  shortly  before  Mr. 
Arthur's  nomination  to  the  Vice- Presidency,  leav- 
ing two  children. 

Gen.  Arthur  obtained  considerable  legal  celeb- 
rity in  his  first  great  case,  the  famous  Lemmon 
suit,  brought  to  recover  possession  of  eight  slaves 
who  had  been  declared  free  by  Judge  Paine,  of 
the  Superior  Court  of  New  York  City.     It  was  in 


1852  that  Jonathan  Lemmon,  of  Virginia,  went  to 
New  York  with  his  slaves,  intending  to  ship  them 
to  Texas,  when  they  were  discovered  and  freed. 
The  Judge  decided  that  they  could  not  be  held  by 
the  owner  under  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law.  A  howl 
of  rage  went  up  from  the  South,  and  the  Virginia 
Legislature  authorized  the  Attorney-General  of 
that  State  to  assist  in  an  appeal.  William  M. 
Evarts  and  Chester  A.  Arthur  were  emplo3-ed  to 
represent  the  people,  and  they  won  their  case, 
which  then  went  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.  Charles  O' Conor  here  espou.sed 
the  cause  of  the  slaveholders,  but  he,  too,  was 
beaten  by  Messrs.  Evarts  and  Arthur,  and  a  long 
step  was  taken  toward  the  emancipation  of  the 
black  race. 

Another  great  sen-ice  was  rendered  by  Gen. 
Arthur  in  the  same  cause  in  1S56.  Lizzie  Jen- 
nings, a  respectable  colored  woman,  was  put  off 
a  Fourth  Avenue  car  with  violence  after  she  had 
paid  her  fare.  Gen.  Arthur  sued  on  her  behalf, 
and  secured  a  verdict  of  $500  damages.  The  next 
day  the  company  issued  an  order  to  admit  colored 
persons  to  ride  on  their  cars,  and  the  other  car 
companies  quickly  followed  their  example.  Be- 
fore that  the  Sixth  Avenue  Company  ran  a  few 
special  cars  for  colored  persons,  and  the  other  lines 
refused  to  let  them  ride  at  all. 

Gen.  Arthur  was  a  delegate  to  the  convention 
at  Saratoga  that  founded  the  Republican  party. 
Previous  to  the  war  he  was  Judge-Advocate  of 
the  Second  Brigade  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
and  Gov.  Morgan,  of  that  State,  appointed  him 
Engineer-in-Chief  of  his  staff.  In  1861,  he  was 
made  Inspector- General,  and  soon  afterward  be- 
came Quartermaster-General.  In  each  of  these 
oflaces  he  rendered  great  service  to  the  Govern- 


CHESTER  A.  ARTHUR. 


ment  during  the  war.  At  the  end  of  Gov.  Mor- 
gan's term  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  form- 
ing a  partnership  with  Mr.  Ransom,  and  then 
Mr.  Phelps,  the  District  Attorney  of  New  York, 
was  added  to  the  firm.  The  legal  practice  of  this 
well-known  firm  was  very  large  and  lucrative, 
as  each  of  the  gentlemen  composing  it  was  an  able 
lawyer,  and  possessed  a  splendid  local  reputa- 
tion, if  not,  indeed,  one  of  national  extent. 

Mr.  Arthur  always  took  a  leading  part  in  State 
and  city  politics.  He  was  appointed  Collector  of 
the  Port  of  New  York  by  President  Grant,  No- 
vember 21,  1872,  to  succeed  Thomas  Murphy, 
and  he  held  the  office  until  July  20,  1878,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  Collector  Merritt. 

Mr.  Arthur  was  nominated  on  the  Presidential 
ticket,  with  Gen.  James  A.  Garfield,  at  the 
famous  National  Republican  Convention  held  at 
Chicago  in  June,  1880.  This  was  perhaps  the 
greatest  political  convention  that  ever  assembled 
on  the  continent.  It  was  composed  of  the  lead- 
ing politicians  of  the  Republican  party,  all  able 
men,  and  each  stood  firm  and  fought  vigorously 
and  with  signal  tenacity  for  his  respective  can- 
didate that  was  before  the  convention  for  the 
nomination.  Finally  Gen.  Garfield  received  the 
nomination  for  President,  and  Gen.  Arthur  for 
Vice-President.  The  campaign  which  followed 
was  one  of  the  most  animated  known  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  country.  Gen.  Hancock,  the  stand- 
ard-bearer of  the  Democratic  party,  was  a  popular 
man,  and  his  party  made  a  valiant  fight  for  his 
election. 

Finally  the  election  came,  and  the  country's 
choice  was  Garfield  and  Arthur.  They  were  in- 
augurated March  4,  1881,  as  President  and  Vice- 
President.  A  few  months  only  had  passed  ere 
the  newly-chosen  President  was  the  victim  of  the 
assassin's  bullet.  Then  came  terrible  weeks  of 
suffering — those  moments  of  anxious  suspense, 
when  the  hearts  of  all  civilized  nations  were 
throbbing  in  unison,  longing  for  the  recovery  of 
the  noble,  the  good  President.  The  remarkable 
patience  that  he  manifested  during  those  hours 
and  weeks,  and  even  months,  of  the  most  terrible 
suffering  man  has  ever  been  called  upon  to  en- 
dure, was  seemingly  more  than  human.     It  was 


certainly  godlike.  During  all  this  period  of 
deepest  anxiety  Mr.  Arthur's  every  move  was 
watched,  and,  be  it  said  to  his  credit,  that  his  every 
action  displayed  only  an  earnest  desire  that  the 
suffering  Garfield  might  recover  to  serve  the  re- 
mainder of  the  term  he  had  so  auspiciously  be- 
gun. Not  a  selfish  feeling  was  manifested  in 
deed  or  look  of  this  man,  even  though  the  most 
honored  position  in  the  world  was  at  any  moment 
likely  to  fall  to  him. 

At  last  God  in  his  mercy  relieved  President 
Garfield  from  further  suffering,  and  the  world,  as 
never  before  in  its  history  over  the  death  of  any 
other  man,  wept  at  his  bier.  Then  it  became  the 
duty  of  the  Vice-President  to  assume  the  respon- 
sibilities of  the  high  office,  and  he  took  the  oath 
in  New  York,  September  20,  1881.  The  position 
was  an  embarrassing  one  to  him,  made  doubly  so 
from  the  fact  that  all  eyes  were  on  him,  anxious 
to  know  what  he  would  do,  what  policy  he  would 
pursue,  and  whom  he  would  select  as  advisers. 
The  duties  of  the  ofiice  had  been  greatly  neglected 
during  the  President's  long  illness,  and  many  im- 
portant measures  were  to  be  immediately  decided 
by  him ;  and  to  still  further  embarass  him  he  did 
not  fail  to  realize  under  what  circumstances  he 
became  President,  and  knew  the  feelings  of  many 
on  this  point.  Under  these  trying  circumstances. 
President  Arthur  took  the  reins  of  the  Govern- 
ment in  his  own  hands,  and,  as  embarrassing  as 
was  the  condition  of  affairs,  he  happily  surprised 
the  nation,  acting  so  wisely  that  but  few  criticized 
his  administration.  He  served  the  nation  well 
and  faithfully  until  the  close  of  his  administra- 
tion, March  4,  1885,  and  was  a  popular  candidate 
before  his  party  for  a  second  term.  His  name 
was  ably  presented  before  the  convention  at  Chi- 
cago, and  was  received  with  great  favor,  and 
doubtless  but  for  the  personal  popularity  of  one 
of  the  opposing  candidates,  he  would  have  been 
selected  as  the  standard-bearer  of  his  party  for 
another  campaign.  He  retired  to  private  life,  car- 
rying with  him  the  best  wishes  of  the  American 
people,  whom  he  had  served  in  a  manner  satisfac- 
tory to  them  and  with  credit  to  himself.  One 
year  later  he  was  called  to  his  final  rest. 


STEPHExX  GROVER  CLEVELAND. 


STEPHEN  GROVER  CLEVELAND. 


mTEPHEN  GROVER  CI.EVEI.AND,  the 
?\  twenty -second  President  of  the  United  States, 
\Z/  was  bom  in  1837,  in  the  obscure  town  of 
Caldwell,  Essex  Countj^  N.  J.,  and  in  a  little 
two-and-a-half-story  white  house,  which  is  still 
standing  to  characteristically  mark  the  humble 
birthplace  of  one  of  America's  great  men,  in 
striking  contrast  with  the  Old  World,  where  all 
men  high  in  oiEce  must  be  high  in  origin  and 
born  in  the  cradle  of  wealth.  When  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  three  years  of  age,  his  father, 
who  was  a  Presbyterian  minister  with  a  large 
family  and  a  small  salary,  moved,  by  way  of  the 
Hudson  River  and  Erie  Canal,  to  Fayetteville,  N. 
Y.,  in  search  of  an  increased  income  and  a  larger 
field  of  work.  Fayetteville  was  then  the  most 
straggling  of  country  villages,  about  five  miles 
from  Pompey  Hill,  where  Governor  Seymour 
was  born. 

At  the  last-mentioned  place  young  Grover  com- 
menced going  to  school  in  the  good,  old-fashioned 
way,  and  presumably  distinguished  himself  after 
the  manner  of  all  village  boys — in  doing  the 
things  he  ought  not  to  do.  Such  is  the  dis- 
tinguishing trait  of  all  geniuses  and  independent 
thinkers.  When  he  arrived  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  he  had  outgrown  the  capacity  of  the 
village  school,  and  expressed  a  most  emphatic  de- 
sire to  be  sent  to  an  academy.  To  this  his  fa- 
ther decidedly  objected.  Academies  in  those 
days  cost  money;  besides,  his  father  wanted  him 
to  become  self-supporting  by  the  quickest  pos- 
sible means,  and  this  at  that  time  in  Fayetteville 
seemed  to  be  a  position  in  a  country  store,  where 
his  father  and  the  large  family  on  his  hands  had 


considerable  influence.  Grover  was  to  be  paid 
$50  for  his  services  the  first  year,  and  if  he  proved 
trustworthy  he  was  to  receive  $100  the  second 
year.  Here  the  lad  commenced  his  career  as 
salesman,  and  in  two  years  he  had  earned  so  good 
a  reputation  for  trustworthiness  that  his  employ- 
ers desired  to  retain  him  for  an  indefinite  length 
of  time. 

But  instead  of  remaining  with  this  firm  in 
Fayetteville,  he  went  with  the  family  in  their  re- 
moval to  Clinton,  where  he  had  an  opportunity 
of  attending  a  High  School.  Here  he  industri- 
ously pursued  his  studies  until  the  family  re- 
moved with  him  to  a  point  on  Black  River  known 
as  the  "Holland  Patent,"  a  village  of  five  or  six 
hundred  people,  fifteen  miles  north  of  Utica,  N.  Y. 
At  this  place  his  father  died,  after  preaching  but 
three  Sundays.  This  event  broke  up  the  family, 
and  Grover  set  out  for  New  York  City  to  accept, 
at  a  small  salarj^  the  position  of  under-teacher 
in  an  asylum  for  the  blind.  He  taught  faithfully 
for  two  years,  and  although  he  obtained  a  good 
reputation  in  this  capacity,  he  concluded  that 
teaching  was  not  his  calling  in  life,  and,  revers- 
ing the  traditional  order,  he  left  the  city  to  seek 
his  fortune,  instead  of  going  to  the  city.  He  first 
thought  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  as  there  was  some 
charm  in  that  name  for  him;  but  before  proceed- 
ing to  that  place  he  went  to  Buffalo  to  ask  advice 
of  his  uncle,  Lewis  F.  Allan,  a  noted  stock- 
breeder of  that  place.  The  latter  did  not  speak 
enthusiastically.  "What  is  it  you  want  to  do, 
my  boy?"  he  asked.  "Well,  sir,  I  want  to  study 
law,"  was  the  reply  "Good  gracious!"  remarked 
the  old  gentleman;  "do  you,  indeed?    Whatever 


I04 


STEPHEN  GROVER  CLEVELAND. 


put  that  into  your  head  ?  How  much  money 
have  you  got?"  "Well,  sir,  to  tell  the  truth,  I 
haven't  got  any." 

After  a  long  consultation,  his  uncle  offered  him 
a  place  temporarily  as  assistant  herd-keeper,  at 
$50  a  year,  while  he  could  look  around.  One 
day  soon  afterward  he  boldly  walked  into  the  of- 
fice of  Rogers,  Bowen  &  Rogers,  of  Buffalo,  and 
told  them  what  he  wanted.  A  number  of  young 
men  were  already  engaged  in  the  office,  but  Gro- 
ver's  persistency  won,  and  he  was  finally  per- 
mitted to  come  as  an  office  boy  and  have  the  use 
of  the  law  librar}',  receiving  as  wages  the  sum  of 
$3  or  $4  a  week.  Out  of  this  he  had  to  pay  for  his 
board  and  washing.  The  walk  to  and  from  his 
uncle's  was  a  long  and  rugged  one;  and  although 
the  first  winter  was  a  memorably  severe  one,  his 
shoes  were  out  of  repair,  and  as  for  his  overcoat  he 
had  none;  yet  he  was,  nevertheless,  prompt  and 
regular.  On  the  first  day  of  his  service  there,  his 
senior  employer  threw  down  a  copy  of  Black- 
stone  before  him,  with  a  bang  that  made  the  dust 
fly,  saying  "That's  where  they  all  begin."  A 
titter  ran  around  the  little  circle  of  clerks  and 
students,  as  they  thought  that  was  enough  to 
scare  young  Grover  out  of  his  plans;  but  in  due 
time  he  mastered  that  cumbersome  volume. 
Then,  as  ever  afterward,  however,  Mr.  Cleve- 
land exhibited  a  talent  for  executiveness  rather 
than  for  chasing  principles  through  all  their 
metaphysical  possibilities.  "Let  us  quit  talking 
and  go  and  do  it,"  was  practically  his  motto. 

The  first  public  office  to  which  Mr.  Cleveland 
was  elected  was  that  of  Sheriff  of  Erie  County, 
N.  Y.,  in  which  Buffalo  is  situated;  and  in  such 
capacity  it  fell  to  his  duty  to  inflict  capital  punish- 
ment upon  two  criminals.  In  1881  he  was 
elected  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Buffalo,  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  with  especial  reference  to  bring- 
ing about  certain  reforms  in  the  administration 
of  the  municipal  affairs  of  that  city.  In  this  of- 
fice, as  well  as  in  that  of  Sheriff,  his  performance 
of  duty  has  generally  been  considered  fair,  with 
possibly  a  few  exceptions,  which  were  ferreted 
out  and  magnified  during  his  Presidential  cam- 
paign. As  a  specimen  of  his  plain  language  in 
a  veto  message,  we  quote  from  one  vetoing  an 


iniquitous  street- cleaning  contract:  "This  is  a 
time  for  plain  speech,  and  my  objection  to  your 
action  shall  be  plainly  stated.  I  regard  it  as  the 
culmination  of  a  most  bare-faced,  impudent  and 
shameless  scheme  to  betray  the  interests  of  the 
people  and  to  worse  than  squander  the  people's 
money."  The  New  York  Sun  afterward  very 
highly  commended  Mr.  Cleveland's  administra- 
tion as  Ma3-or  of  Buffalo,  and  thereupon  recom- 
mended him  for  Governor  of  the  Empire  State. 
To  the  latter  office  he  was  elected  in  1882,  and 
his  administration  of  the  affairs  of  State  was 
generally  satisfactory-.  The  mistakes  he  made, 
if  any,  were  made  very  public  throughout  the  na- 
tion after  he  was  nominated  for  President  of  the 
United  States.  For  this  high  office  he  was 
nominated  July  11,  1884,  by  the  National  Demo- 
cratic Convention  at  Chicago,  when  other  com- 
petitors were  Thomas  F.  Bayard,  Roswell  P. 
Flower,  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  Benjamin  F. 
Butler,  Allen  G.  Thurman,  etc.;  and  he  was 
elected  by  the  people,  by  a  majority  of  about  a 
thousand,  over  the  brilliant  and  long-tried  Re- 
publican statesman,  James  G.  Blaine.  President 
Cleveland  resigned  his  office  as  Governor  of  New 
York  in  January,  1885,  in  order  to  prepare  for 
his  duties  as  the  Chief  Executive  of  the  United 
States,  in  which  capacity  his  term  commenced  at 
noon  on  the  4th  of  March,  1885. 

The  silver  question  precipitated  a  controversy 
between  those  who  were  in  favor  of  the  continu- 
ance of  silver  coinage  and  those  who  were  op- 
posed, Mr.  Cleveland  answering  for  the  latter, 
even  before  his  inauguration. 

On  June  2,  1886,  President  Cleveland  married 
Frances,  daughter  of  his  deceased  friend  and  part- 
ner, Oscar  Folsom,  of  the  Buffalo  Bar.  In  the 
campaign  of  1888,  President  Cleveland  was  re- 
nominated by  his  party,  but  the  Republican  candi- 
date, Gen.  Benjamin  Harrison,  was  victorious. 
In  the  nomination  of  1892  these  two  candidates 
for  the  highest  position  in  the  gift  of  the  people 
were  again  pitted  against  each  other,  and  in  the 
ensuing  election  President  Cleveland  was  victori- 
ous by  an  overwhelming  majority.  Since  the 
close  of  his  second  term,  he  has  resided  in  Prince- 
ton, N.  J. 


SENJAMIN   HARRISON. 


BENJAMIN  HARRISON. 


QENJAMIN  HARRISON,  the  twenty-third 
jC\  President,  is  the  descendant  of  one  of  the 
L^  historical  families  of  this  country.  The  first 
known  head  of  the  family  was  Maj.-Gen.  Harrison, 
one  of  Oliver  Cromwell's  trusted  followers  and 
fighters.  In  the  zenith  of  Cromwell's  power  it  be- 
came the  duty  of  this  Harrison  to  participate  in 
the  trial  of  Charles  I.,  and  afterward  to  sign  the 
death  warrant  of  the  king.  He  subsequently 
paid  for  this  with  his  life,  being  hung  October  13, 
1660.  His  descendants  came  to  America,  and 
the  next  of  the  family  that  appears  in  historj'  is 
Benjamin  Harrison,  of  Virginia,  great-grandfa- 
ther of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  after  whom 
he  was  named.  Benjamin  Harrison  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Continental  Congress  during  the  years 
1774,  1775  and  1776,  and  was  one  of  the  original 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  He 
was  three  times  elected  Governor  of  Virginia. 

Gen.  William  Henry  Harrison,  the  son  of  the 
distinguished  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  after  a 
successful  career  as  a  soldier  during  the  War  of 
1 8 12,  and  with  a  clean  record  as  Governor  of  the 
Northwestern  Territory,  was  elected  President  of 
the  United  States  in  1840.  His  career  was  cut 
short  by  death  within  one  month  after  his  in- 
auguration. 

President  Harrison  was  born  at  North  Bend, 


Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  August  20,  1833.  His 
life  up  to  the  time  of  his  graduation  from  Miami 
University,  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  was  the  uneventful 
one  of  a  countrj'  lad  of  a  family  of  small  means. 
His  father  was  able  to  give  him  a  good  education, 
and  nothing  more.  He  became  engaged  while  at 
college  to  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Scott,  Principal  of 
a  female  school  at  Oxford.  After  graduating,  he 
determined  to  enter  upon  the  study  of  law.  He 
went  to  Cincinnati  and  there  read  law  for  two 
years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  young  Har- 
rison received  the  only  inheritance  of  his  life — his 
aunt,  dying,  left  him  a  lot  valued  at  $800.  He 
regarded  this  legacy  as  a  fortune,  and  decided  to 
get  married  at  once,  take  this  money  and  go  to 
some  Eastern  town  and  begin  the  practice  of  law. 
He  sold  his  lot,  and,  with  the  money  in  his  pocket, 
he  started  out  with  his  young  wife  to  fight  for  a 
place  in  the  world.  He  decided  to  go  to  Indian- 
apolis, which  was  even  at  that  time  a  town  of 
promise.  He  met  with  slight  encouragement  at 
first,  making  .scarcely  anything  the  first  year. 
He  worked  diligently,  applying  himself  closely  to 
his  calling,  built  up  an  extensive  practice  and 
took  a  leading  rank  in  the  legal  profession. 

In  i860,  Mr.  Harrison  was  nominated  for  the 
position  of  Supreme  Court  Reporter,  and  then  be- 
gan his  experience  as  a  stump  speaker.     He  can- 


BENJAMIN  HARRISON. 


vassed  the  State  thoroughly,  and  was  elected  by 
a  handsome  majority.  In  1862  he  raised  the 
Seventeenth  Indiana  Infantry,  and  was  chosen  its 
Colonel.  His  regiment  was  composed  of  the  raw- 
est material,  but  Col.  Harrison  employed  all  his 
time  at  first  in  mastering  military-  tactics  and  drill- 
ing his  men,  and  when  he  came  to  move  toward 
the  East  with  Sherman,  his  regiment  was  one  of 
the  best  drilled  and  organized  in  the  army.  At 
Resaca  he  especially  distinguished  himself,  and 
for  his  bravery  at  Peachtree  Creek  he  was  made 
a  Brigadier-General,  Gen.  Hooker  speaking  of 
him  in  the  most  complimentary  terms. 

During  the  absence  of  Gen.  Harrison  in  the 
field,  the  Supreme  Court  declared  the  office  of 
Supreme  Court  Reporter  vacant,  and  another 
person  was  elected  to  the  position.  From  the 
time  of  leaving  Indiana  with  his  regiment  until 
the  fall  of  1864  he  had  taken  no  leave  of  absence, 
but  having  been  nominated  that  year  for  the  same 
office,  he  got  a  thirty-day  leave  of  absence,  and 
during  that  time  made  a  brilliant  canvass  of  the 
State,  and  was  elected  for  another  term.  He  then 
started  to  rejoin  Sherman,  but  on  the  way  was 
stricken  down  with  scarlet  fever,  and  after  a  most 
trying  attack  made  his  way  to  the  front  in  time  to 
participate  in  the  closing  incidents  of  the  war. 

In  1868  Gen.  Harrison  declined  a  re-election 
as  Reporter,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law.  In 
1876  he  was  a  candidate  for  Governor.  Although 
defeated,  the  brilliant  campaign  he  made  won  for 
him  a  national  reputation,  and  he  was  much  sought 
after,  especially  in  the  East,  to  make  speeches. 
In  1880,  as  usual,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the 
campaign,  and  was  elected  to  the  United  States 
Senate.  Here  he  served  for  six  years,  and  was 
known  as  one  of  the  ablest  men,  best  lawj-ers  and 
strongest  debaters  in  that  body.  With  the  ex- 
piration of  his  senatorial  term  he  returned  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  becoming  the  head  of 
one  of  the  strongest  firms  in  the  State. 

The  political  campaign  of  1S8S  was  one  of  the 
most  memorable  in  the  history  of  our  country. 
The  convention  which  assembled  in  Chicago  in 
June  and  named  Mr.  Harrison  as  the  chief  stand- 
ard-bearer of  the  Republican  party  was  great  in 
every  particular,  and  on  this  account,  and  the  at- 


titude it  assumed  upon  the  vital  questions  of  the 
day,  chief  among  which  was  the  tariff,  awoke  a 
deep  interest  in  the  campaign  throughout  the 
nation.  Shortly  after  the  nomination,  delegations 
began  to  visit  Mr.  Harrison  at  Indianapolis,  his 
home.  This  movement  became  popular,  and  from 
all  sections  of  the  country  societies,  clubs  and 
delegations  journeyed  thither  to  pay  their  re- 
spects to  the  distinguished  statesman. 

Mr.  Harrison  spoke  daily  all  through  the  sum- 
mer and  autumn  to  these  visiting  delegations, 
and  so  varied,  masterly,  and  eloquent  were  his 
speeches  that  they  at  once  placed  him  in  the  fore- 
most rank  of  American  orators  and  statesmen. 
Elected  by  a  handsome  majority,  he  served  his 
country  faithfully  and  well,  and  in  1S92  was  nom- 
inated for  re-election;  but  the  people  demanded  a 
change  and  he  was  defeated  by  his  predecessor 
in  office,  Grover  Cleveland. 

On  account  of  his  eloquence  as  a  speaker  and 
his  power  as  a  debater.  Gen.  Harrison  was  called 
upon  at  an  early  age  to  take  part  in  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  great  questions  that  then  began  to 
agitate  the  country.  He  was  an  uncompromising 
anti-slaverj'  man,  and  was  matched  against  some 
of  the  most  eminent  Democratic  speakers  of  his 
State.  No  man  who  felt  the  touch  of  his  blade 
desired  to  be  pitted  with  him  again.  With  all 
his  eloquence  as  an  orator  he  never  spoke  for  ora- 
torical effect,  but  his  words  always  went  like  bul- 
lets to  the  mark.  He  is  purely  American  in  his 
ideas,  and  is  a  splendid  type  of  the  American 
statesman.  Gifted  with  quick  perception,  a  logi- 
cal mind  and  a  ready  tongue,  he  is  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  impromptu  speakers  in  the 
nation.  Many  of  these  speeches  sparkled  with  the 
rarest  eloquence  and  contained  arguments  of  great 
weight,  and  many  of  his  terse  statements  have 
already  become  aphorisms.  Original  in  thought, 
precise  in  logic,  terse  in  statement,  yet  withal 
faultless  in  eloquence,  he  is  recognized  as  the 
sound  statesman  and  brilliant  orator  of  the  day. 
By  his  first  wife,  Caroline  (Scott)  Harrison,  he 
had  a  son  and  daughter.  In  1896  he  married 
Mrs.  Mary  (Scott)  Dimmick,  and  they,  with  their 
daughter,  reside  in  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  where  he 
has  made  his  home  since  early  manhood. 


WILLIAM   McKINLEY. 


WILLIAM  McKINLEY. 


pCJlLLIAM  McKINLEY,  who  was  inaugu- 

\  A  /  rated  President  of  the  United  States  in  1897, 
V  Y  was  born  in  Niles,  Ohio,  January  29,  1843. 
The  family  of  which  he  is  a  member  originated 
in  the  west  of  Scotland,  and  from  there  removed 
to  the  north  of  Ireland.  According  to  the  fam- 
ily tradition,  James  and  William  McKinley  emi- 
grated to  this  country  from  Ireland  and  founded 
the  two  branches  of  the  family  in  the  United 
States,  one  settling  in  the  north,  the  other  in  the 
south.  At  the  time  of  their  arrival,  James  was 
twelve  years  of  age.  He  settled  in  York  County, 
Pa.,  where  he  married  and  spent  his  remaining 
years. 

David,  son  of  James,  and  the  great-grandfather 
of  William  McKinley,  was  born  May  16,  1755, 
and  three  times  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the 
colonies  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  serving 
seven  months  after  his  first  enlistment  in  June, 
1776,  spending  six  months  at  the  front  in  1777, 
and  again  in  the  following  year  serving  eight 
months.  December  19,  1780,  he  married  Sarah 
Gray,  who  was  born  May  10,  1760,  and  died 
October  6,  1814.  For  fifteen  years  he  lived  in 
Westmoreland  County,  Pa.,  and  thence  removed 
to  Mercer  County.  One  year  after  the  death 
of  his  first  wife  he  married  Eleanor  McLean 
and  about  the  same  time  settled  in  Colum- 
biana County,  Ohio,  but  afterward  made  his  home 
in  Crawford  County,  where  he  died  August  8, 
1840. 

James,  grandfather  of  William  McKinley,  was 
born  September  19,  1783,  married  Mary  (or 
"Polly"  )  Rose,  and  with  his  family  moved  to  New 
Lisbon,  Ohio,  in  1809.  Their  eldest  son,  Will- 
iam, Sr.,  was  born  in  Mercer  County,  Pa., 
November  15,  1807,  and  in  1827  married 
Nancy  Allison,  a  woman  of  noble  and  strong 
character  and  consistent  Christian  life.  For  some 
years  he  was  engaged  as  manager  of  iron  fur- 
naces at  different  places.     From   Niles  he   re- 


moved to  Poland,  because  of  the  educational  ad- 
vantages offered  by  Poland  Academy.  In  1869 
he  established  his  home  in  Canton,  and  here  he 
died  November  24,  1892.  His  widow  lives  at 
the  family  residence  in  Canton,  and  with  her  are 
her  daughter,  Miss  Helen,  and  two  orphan 
grandchildren. 

Of  the  family  of  nine  children,  William,  Jr.,  who 
was  seventh  in  order  of  birth,  was  born  during 
the  residence  of  his  parents  at  Niles,  Ohio,  Jan- 
uary 29,  1843.  His  boyhood  years  were  spent 
in  that  place  and  Poland,  where  he  studied  in  the 
academy.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered 
Allegheny  College,  but  illness  caused  his  return 
to  Poland,  and  on  his  recovery  he  did  not  return 
to  college,  but  taught  a  country  school.  At  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  War,  though  only  eighteen 
years  of  age,  he  immediately  wanted  to  enlist. 
As  soon  as  he  could  overcome  the  objections  of 
his  mother,  he  enlisted,  in  May  of  1861,  as  a 
private  in  Company  E,  Twenty-third  Ohio  In- 
fantry. The  regiment  was  commanded  by  Col. 
W.  S.  Rosecrans,  who  afterward,  as  general,  led 
his  forces  on  many  a  bloody  battle  field,  and  the 
first  major  was  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  afterward 
President  of  the  United  States.  As  a  gallant 
soldier  Mr.  McKinley  soon  won  promotion,  serving 
for  a  time  as  commissary  sergeant,  later  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant  for  gal- 
lantry at  Antietam,  and  then  won  his  way  up- 
ward until,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  major  by  brevet.  July  26,  1865,  after 
more  than  four  years  of  hard  service,  he  was 
mustered  out  with  his  regiment. 

With  Judge  Charles  E.  Glidden,  of  Mahoning 
County,  Mr.  McKinley  began  the  study  of  law, 
which  he  afterward  carried  on  in  the  Albany 
(N.  Y.)  Law  School,  and  in  1S67  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  Beginning  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  Canton,  he  soon  became  prominently 
known  among  the  able  attorneys  of  the  city.   His 


WILUAM  MCKINI.EY. 


first  connection  with  political  affairs  was  in  i86g, 
when  he  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  Stark 
County,  and  this  office  he  held  for  two  years. 
In  1876  he  was  nominated  for  Congressional 
honors  and  was  elected  to  the  Forty-fifth  Con- 
gress, afterward  by  successive  re-elections  serv- 
ing for  fourteen  years.  In  March  of  1890  he  in- 
troduced the  celebrated  McKinley  tariff  bill, 
which  was  passed  and  became  a  law.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year,  1891,  he  was  elected  governor  of 
Ohio,  and  two  years  afterward  was  re-elected  to 
that  high  office,  which  he  filled  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  command  the  respect  not  only  of  his  own 
party — the  Republican — but  his  political  op- 
ponents as  well.  The  connection  of  his  name 
with  the  tariff  bill  and  his  prominence  in  the  Re- 
publican party,  together  with  his  force  and  elo- 
quence as  a  speaker,  brought  him  into  national 
fame.  In  the  campaign  of  1892,  for  a  period  of 
more  than  three  months,  he  traveled  over  a 
territory'  extending  from  New  York  to  Nebraska, 
making  speeches  in  the  interest  of  the  Republi- 
can platform.  Those  who  heard  him  speak, 
whether  friends  or  opponents  of  his  political 
opinions,  cannot  but  have  admired  his  logical 
reasoning,  breadth  of  intellect,  eloquence  of  speech 
and  modesty  of  demeanor.  During  the  campaign 
of  1894  he  made  three  hundred  and  seventy-one 
speeches  and  visited  over  three  hundred  towns, 
within  a  period  of  two  months,  addressing  perhaps 
two  million  people. 

The  tariff  issue  and  all  the  intricate  questions 
of  public  revenue  that  are  interwoven  with  it, 
constitute  the  most  complicated  problems  with 
which  a  statesman  has  to  deal.  To  master  them 
in  every  detail  requires  an  intellect  of  the  high- 
est order.  That  Major  McKinley  thoroughly  un- 
derstands these  questions  is  admitted  by  all  who 
have  investigated  his  official  utterances  on  the 
subject,  beginning  with  the  speech  on  the  Wood 
tariff  bill,  delivered  in  the  house  of  representatives 
April  15,  1878,  and  closing  with  his  speech  in 
favor  of  the  tariff  bill  of  1890,  which  as  chairman 
of  the  ways  and  means  committee  he  reported  to 
the  house  and  which  was  subsequently  passed  and 
is  known  throughout  the  world  as  the  McKinley 
tariff  bill  of  1890.  He  opposed  the  Wood  bill  be- 
cause of  a  conviction  that  the  proposed  measure 


would,  if  enacted,  prove  a  public  calamity.  For 
the  same  reason,  in  1882,  he  advocated  a  friendly 
revision  of  the  tariff  by  a  tariff  commission,  to  be 
authorized  by  congress  and  appointed  by  the 
president.  In  1884  he  opposed  the  Morrison 
horizontal  bill,  which  he  denounced  as  ambiguous 
for  a  great  public  statute,  and  in  1888  he  led  the 
forces  in  the  fight  against  the  Mills  tariff  bill. 

As  governor  of  Ohio,  his  policy  was  conserva- 
tive. He  aimed  to  give  to  the  public  institutions 
the  benefit  of  the  service  of  the  best  man  of  the 
state,  and  at  all  times  upheld  the  legitimate  rights 
of  the  workingmen.  Recognizing  the  fact  that 
the  problem  of  taxation  needed  regulation,  in 
his  messages  of  1892,  1893  and  1894,  he  urged 
the  legislature  that  a  remedy  be  applied.  In 
1892  he  recommended  legislation  for  the  safety 
and  comfort  of  steam  railroad  employes,  and  the 
following  year  urged  the  furnishing  of  automatic 
couplers  and  air-brakes  for  all  railroad  cars  used 
in  the  state. 

When,  in  1896,  the  Republican  party,  in  con- 
vention assembled  at  St.  Louis,  selected  a  man  to 
represent  their  principles  in  the  highest  office 
within  the  gift  of  the  American  people,  it  was  not 
a  surprise  to  the  public  that  the  choice  fell  upon 
Major  McKinley.  The  campaign  that  followed 
was  one  of  the  most  exciting  in  the  history  of 
the  country  since  the  period  of  reconstruction. 
Especial  interest  centered  in  the  fact  that  the 
point  at  issue  seemed,  not,  as  in  former  days, 
free  trade  or  protection,  but  whether  or  not  the 
government  should  declare  for  the  free  coinage  of 
silver.  This  question  divided  the  voters  of  the 
country  upon  somewhat  different  lines  than  the  old- 
time  principles  of  the  Republican  and  Democratic 
parties  and  thus  made  the  campaign  a  memorable 
one.  The  supporters  of  the  gold  standard  main- 
tained that  silver  monometallism  would  precipi- 
tate a  panic  and  permanently  injure  the  business 
interests  of  the  country,  and  the  people,  by  a 
large  majoritj',  supported  chese  principles. 

January  25,  1871,  Major  McKinley  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Ida  Saxton,  who  was  born 
in  June,  1847,  the  daughter  of  James  A.  Saxton. 
Their  two  children  died  in  1874,  within  a  short 
time  of  each  other,  one  at  the  age  of  three  years 
and  the  other  in  infancy. 


LEAVENWORTH 

DOUGLAS  and 

FRANKLIN  COUNTIES 

..KANSAS.. 


I 


INTRODUCTORY 

BIOGRAPHY  alone  can  justly  represent  the  progress  of  local  history  and  portray  with  accuracy 
the  relation  of  men  to  events.  It  is  the  only  means  of  perpetuating  the  lives  and  deeds  of 
those  men  to  whom  the  advancement  of  a  city  or  county  and  the  enlightenment  of  its  people 
are  due.  The  compilers  of  this  work  have  striven  to  honor,  not  only  men  of  present  prominence, 
but  also,  as  far  as  possible,  those  who  in  years  gone  by  labored  to  promote  the  welfare  of  their  com- 
munity. The  following  sketches  have  been  prepared  from  the  standpoint  of  no  man's  prejudice, 
but  with  an  impartial  aim  to  render  justice  to  progressive  and  public-spirited  citizens  and  to  collect 
personal  records  that  will  be  of  value  to  generations  yet  to  come. 

To  be  forgotten  has  been  the  great  dread  of  mankind  from  remotest  ages.  All  will  be  forgotten 
soon  enough,  in  spite  of  their  best  works  and  the  most  earnest  efforts  of  their  friends  to  preserve  the 
memory  of  their  lives.  The  means  employed  to  prevent  oblivion  and  to  perpetuate  their  memory 
have  been  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  intelligence  they  possessed.  The  pyramids  of  Egypt  were 
built  to  perpetuate  the  names  and  deeds  of  their  great  rulers.  The  exhumations  made  by  the 
archaeologists  of  Egypt  from  buried  Memphis  indicate  a  desire  of  those  people  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  their  achievements.  The  erection  of  the  great  obelisks  was  for  the  same  purpose. 
Coming  down  to  a  later  period,  we  find  the  Greeks  and  Romans  erecting  mausoleums  and 
monuments,  and  carving  out  statues  to  chronicle  their  great  achievements  and  carry  them  down  the 
ages.  It  is  also  evident  that  the  Mound-builders,  in  piling  up  their  great  mounds  of  earth,  had  but 
this  idea — to  leave  something  to  show  that  they  had  lived.  All  these  works,  though  many  of  them 
costly  in  the  extreme,  give  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  lives  and  character  of  those  whose  memory  they 
were  intended  to  perpetuate,  and  scarcely  anything  of  the  masses  of  the  people  that  then  lived.  The 
great  pyramids  and  some  of  the  obelisks  remain  objects  only  of  curiosity;  the  mausoleums, 
monuments  and  statues  are  crumbling  into  dust. 

It  was  left  to  modern  ages  to  establish  an  intelligent,  undecaying,  immutable  method  of 
perpetuating  a  full  history — immutable  in  that  it  is  almost  unlimited  in  extent  and  perpetual  in  its 
action;  and  this  is  through  the  art  of  printing. 

To  the  present  generation,  however,  we  are  indebted  for  the  introduction  of  the  admirable 
system  of  local  biography.  By  this  system  every  man,  though  he  has  not  achieved  what  the  world 
calls  greatness,  has  the  means  to  perpetuate  his  life,  his  history,  through  the  coming  ages. 

The  scythe  of  Time  cuts  down  all;  nothing  of  the  physical  man  is  left.  The  monument  which 
his  children  or  friends  may  erect  to  his  memory  in  the  cemetery  will  crumble  into  dust  and  pass 
away;  but  his  life,  his  achievements,  the  work  he  has  accomplished,  which  otherwise  would  be 
forgotten,  is  perpetuated  by  a  record  of  this  kind. 

To  preserve  the  Hneaments  of  our  companions  we  engrave  their  portraits;  for  the  same  reason 
we  collect  the  attainable  facts  of  their  history.  Nor  do  we  think  it  necessary,  as  we  speak  only 
truth  of  them,  to  wait  until  they  are  dead,  or  until  those  who  know  them  are  gone;  to  do  this  we 
are  ashamed  only  to  publish  to  the  world  the  history  of  those  whose  lives  are  unworthy  of  public 
record. 


%,  .f: 


d^i^,:c^  J(  JO.  iyc<!r/^. 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


HON.  CHARLES  ROBINSON,  M.  D.,  first 
governor  of  Kansas.  Of  the  many  men 
who  were  attracted  to  Kansas  during  the 
days  of  its  early  struggles,  there  is  none  whose 
name  is  more  indissolubly  associated  with  its  his- 
tory than  that  of  Charles  Robinson,  and  certainly 
there  is  none  whose  memory  is  more  worthy  of 
perpetuation  in  the  annals  of  the  state.  He  was 
born  in  Hardwick,  Mass.,  July  21,  18 18,  a  de- 
scendant of  Rev.  John  Robinson,  the  illustrious 
pastor  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers.  From  his  parents, 
Jonathan  and  Huldah  (Woodward)  Robinson,  he 
inherited  superior  intelligence  and  originality  of 
thought.  The  opposition  to  slavery,  which  was 
one  of  his  marked  characteristics,  came  to  him 
from  his  father,  who  as  early  as  1840  broke  off 
from  party  affiliations  and  became  associated  with 
the  champions  of  liberty,  who  gathered  under  the 
standard  of  James  G.  Birney.  Ever  afterward 
he  was  outspoken  in  his  belief  that  the  institution 
of  slavery  was  in  violation  to  all  of  God's  laws. 
He  was  not  spared  to  see  the  colored  race  made 
free  (for  he  died  in  i860),  but  his  life  was  one  of 
the  many  that  lent  its  influence  toward  securing 
that  great  end.  The  mother,  too,  possessed  great 
force  of  character,  combined  with  a  gentle,  mild 
disposition,  and  while  the  care  for  the  physical 
well-being  of  her  six  sons  and  four  daughters 
consumed  much  of  her  time,  she  gave  careful 
thought  also  to  their  mental  training  and  im- 
planted in  their  hearts  principles  of  honor  and 
integrity.  She  was  spared  to  an  advanced  age, 
dying  in  1869,  surrounded  by  and  ministered  to 
by  her  family,  in  whose  success  her  happiness 
was  consummated. 

When  a  boy  Charles  Robinson  was  a  student 


in  select  and  private  schools,  and  Hopkins  and 
Amherst  Academies,  and  subsequently  attended 
Amherst  College  for  two  years.  He  was  obliged 
to  leave  college  on  account  of  trouble  with  his 
eyes,  and  he  walked  forty  miles  to  Keene,  N.  H., 
to  consult  a  celebrated  oculist.  Dr.  Twichell. 
While  his  eyes  were  being  treated  he  became  so 
impressed  with  the  greatness  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession that  he  determined  to  take  it  for  his  life 
work.  Accordingly  he  entered  Dr.  Twichell' s 
office  as  a  student,  and  after  a  year  with  him  en- 
tered the  office  of  Dr.  Gridley,  of  Amherst,  with 
whom  he  gained  considerable  practical  expe- 
rience. He  attended  medical  lectures  at  Wood- 
stock, Vt.,  and  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  receiving  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  latter  place  in  1843. 
During  the  same  year  he  succeeded  Dr.  Garrett 
at  Belchertown,  Mass.,  which  at  that  time  was  a 
prosperous  and  aristocratic  town.  From  the  first 
he  was  successful  in  his  profession,  but  constant 
attention  to  his  professional  duties  undermined 
his  health  and  forced  him  to  relinquish  his  prac- 
tice. In  1845  he  removed  to  Springfield,  where 
he  and  the  famous  author.  Dr.  J.  G.  Holland, 
opened  a  hospital.  While  residing  in  that  city, 
January  17,  1846,  his  first  wife,  Sarah  (Adams) 
Robinson,  died;  the  two  children  born  of  their 
marriage  died  in  infancy.  At  the  solicitation  of 
his  brother  Cyrus  he  removed  to  Fitchburg, 
Mass. ,  and  continued  to  practice  there  until  fail- 
ing health  demanded  a  complete  change  of  cli- 
mate. 

When  the  first  news  was  received  of  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California,  a  party  of  fifty  men 
from  Boston  and  Roxbury  (the  first  from  Massa- 
chusetts) decided  to  seek  the  far  west.     He  ac- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


companied  them  as  phj'sician  for  a  colony.  They 
arrived  in  Kansas  City  April  lo,  1849,  and  on 
the  loth  of  May  started  from  that  town,  with  ox 
and  mule  teams,  following  the  Kansas  River 
route.  On  the  next  day,  while  he  was  riding 
ahead  of  his  party,  he  ascended  Mount  Oread 
(named  after  Oread  school  in  the  east).  There 
he  paused,  viewing  with  liveliest  interest  and 
admiration  the  beautiful  landscape  that  lay 
stretched  before  him,  forming  what  is  now  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  city  of  Lawrence.  In 
his  journal  he  wrote  that  if  the  land  were  open 
to  settlement  he  would  go  no  further.  However, 
he  pursued  his  way  toward  the  setting  sun,  little 
dreaming  that,  in  later  years,  the  reading  of  the 
journal  in  which  this  sentiment  was  written 
should  have  caused  the  Emigrant  Aid  Society  to 
select  him  as  its  leader,  to  return  to  this  very 
spot  and  labor  for  the  success  of  the  free-state 
party  here. 

After  a  weary  but  uneventful  journey  the  party 
reached  Sacramento  August  17,  1849.  After  ex- 
perimenting as  a  miner  for  two  weeks  Dr.  Rob- 
inson became  interested  in  a  restaurant,  in  which 
business  he  was  successful  until  he  lost  all  by  the 
Sacramento  River  flood.  He  also  published  the 
Miners'  and  Settlers'  Tribune  until  elected  to  the 
legislature.  During  the  controversy  between  the 
speculators  and  squatters  on  the  Sutter  claim  he 
upheld  the  rights  of  the  squatters,  and  this 
brought  upon  him  the  revengeful  enmity  of  the 
speculators,  by  whom  he  was  shot  through  the 
body  a  little  below  the  heart,  but  owing  to  his 
vigorous  constitution  he  soon  recovered  and  was 
thrown  into  a  prison  ship.  While  there  he  was 
elected  to  the  legislature,  in  which  he  served  for 
one  term,  meantime  forming  the  acquaintance  of 
John  C.  Fremont,  whose  election  to  the  United 
States  senate  he  favored,  but  which  was  not  ac- 
complished. July  I,  1851,  he  left  San  Francisco 
for  the  east.  On  the  night  of  the  4th  the  ship 
'  'Union' '  was  wrecked  after  being  out  three  days. 
The  passengers,  provisions  and  gold  dust  were 
saved  by  means  of  the  life  boats,  in  which  they 
were  taken  to  a  barren  rock,  on  the  coast  eighty 
miles  south  of  San  Diego.  There  they  remained 
two  weeks,  then  went  to  San  Diego,  where  they 


embarked  on  board  ship.  They  landed  on  the 
shore  at  the  mouth  of  a  dry  ravine.  They  formed 
a  company  of  forty  men,  of  which  the  doctor  was 
second  in  command,  and  they  guarded  the  gold 
dust  in  relays  often.  Captain  Day  and  Dr.  Rob- 
inson stopped  at  Acapulco  for  the  purpose  of 
seeing  the  American  consul  and  arranging  to  get 
the  proper  papers  for  salvage  in  New  York  and 
Philadelphia.  The  ship  proceeded  on  its  course 
and  left  Captain  Day  and  the  doctor  to  take  an- 
other ship  two  weeks  later.  He  was  also  delayed 
two  weeks  at  Aspinwall,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
isthmus,  making  nearly  two  months  on  the  waj'. 
At  the  isthmus  Dr.  Robinson  was  employed  as 
physician  by  the  steamer  "Crescent,"  which  had 
on  board  a  large  number  of  sick  laborers  from 
the  Panama  Railroad,  then  in  process  of  construc- 
tion. The  steamer  reached  Havana  on  the  day 
of  the  execution  of  Lopez.  Arriving  at  Belcher- 
town,  September  9,  1851,  the  next  year  he  began 
the  publication  of  the  Fitchburg  News,  an  anti- 
slavery  paper,  which  he  conducted  for  two  years, 
but,  having  frequent  calls  for  professional  service, 
he  sold  his  paper  and  re-entered  the  profession. 

On  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  compromise  Dr. 
Robinson  was  sent  to  Kansas,  June  28,  1854,  to 
prepare  the  way  for  northern  settlers.  For  this 
work  his  experience  in  California  admirably  qual- 
ified him.  The  subsequent  portion  of  his  life  was 
a  part  of  the  history  of  Kansas.  He  became  the 
real  leader  of  the  free-state  forces.  His  position 
made  his  life  in  daily  peril  from  pro-slavery  men, 
and  more  than  once  he  narrowly  escaped.  At 
one  time  when  going  east  on  a  boat  he  became 
involved  in  a  controversy  with  Gens.  Joe  Shelby 
and  Donaldson,  but  he  was  so  determined  in  the 
stand  he  took,  the  men  had  not  the  courage  to  kill 
him,  as  they  had  planned.  In  1855  the  free-state 
men  were  driven  from  the  polls.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  to  repudiate  the  authoritj^  of  the  bogus 
laws  and  was  chosen  delegate  to  the  convention 
which  met  at  Topeka  to  formulate  new  laws  and 
a  state  government.  From  May  11  to  Septem- 
ber II,  1856,  he  was  held  a  prisoner  near  Le- 
compton,  charged  with  treason.  During  what 
was  known  as  the  Wakarusa  war,  in  November, 
1855,  when    Lawrence  was   besieged    by  eleven 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hundred  pro-slaverj'  men  and  there  were  only  six 
hundred  men  to  defend  it,  he  was  chosen  major- 
general  of  the  forces  and  assisted  iu  the  defense 
of  the  city. 

On  the  adoption  of  the  free-state  constitution 
Dr.  Robinson  was  chosen  governor  of  the  pro- 
posed state.  The  legislature  met  twice  in  1856. 
On  the  adoption  of  the  Wyandotte  constitution 
he  was  elected  governor  of  Kansas,  and  when 
the  state  was  admitted  to  the  Union,  January  29, 
1861,  he  assumed  the  duties  of  office,  holding  the 
position  until  January,  1863.  The  position  was 
a  most  trying  one.  The  progress  of  the  Civil 
war,  the  hostility  of  Indians,  the  strife  between 
different  elements  of  the  citizenship,  made  the 
governor's  oflBce  no  sinecure.  It  would  have 
been  impossible  for  a  man  to  fill  the  position 
without  making  enemies;  in  fact,  any  man  of 
force  of  character  and  great  will  power  always 
meets  with  opposition,  and  Governor  Robinson 
was  no  exception  to  the  rule.  But  he  allowed 
no  criticism  to  deter  him,  when  once  his  mind 
was  resolved  upon  a  certain  course  of  action  he 
believed  to  be  just  and  right.  To  his  faithful 
work  amidst  the  most  trying  circumstances,  and 
in  the  face  of  greatest  danger  to  life,  he  pursued 
his  way,  undaunted  by  threats,  undismayed  by 
hardships.  His  retirement  from  the  gubernato- 
rial chair  did  not  mean  his  retirement  from  public 
life.  The  people  appreciated  his  worth  as  an  offi- 
cial. In  1864  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate, 
and  two  years  later  was  honored  by  re-election. 
Later  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  house  of  rep- 
resentatives. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  Governor  Robinson 
was  interested  in  educational  matters.  On  com- 
ing to  Kansas  he  organized  the  first  free  school 
and  paid  the  teacher,  Edward  Fitch,  who  opened 
a  school  in  January,  1855,  i"  the  rear  room  of 
the  Emigrant  Aid  Building  on  the  banks  of  the 
Kansas  River,  at  the  north  end  of  Massachusetts 
street,  Lawrence.  The  next  teacher  was  Miss 
Kate  Kellogg,  who  came  as  one  of  the  family  in 
March,  1855,  remaining  here  until  .she  returned 
east  in  September  of  that  year  to  marry  Dr. 
Temple.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  here  Governor 
Robinson  pre-empted  a  claim  to  the  tract  where 


he  had  stood,  some  years  before,  en  route  to  Cal- 
ifornia. From  that  unimproved  stretch  of  ground 
he  evolved  a  beautiful  homestead  "Oak  Ridge," 
comprising  sixteen  hundred  acres.  He  located 
the  first  site  of  a  college  where  the  original 
structure  of  the  Kansas  State  University  stands. 
To  the  founding  of  the  college  he  gave  nineteen 
acres  and  his  wife  twenty-one  acres,  and  after- 
ward they  donated  gifts  of  money,  besides  assist- 
ing in  other  ways.  For  years  before  his  death 
he  was  a  regent  of  the  university,  and  his  will 
provided  that,  at  the  death  of  his  wife,  their 
beautiful  homestead  should  become  the  property 
of  the  institution  in  which  they  were  so  deeply 
interested. 

For  some  years  Governor  Robinson  was  inter- 
ested in  railroad  enterprises,  and  was  a  director 
of  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  Rail- 
road. During  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  gave 
some  time  to  literary  work,  and  wrote  a  complete 
account  of  the  condition  of  Kansas  during  the 
'50s,  which  he  published  under  the  title  of  "The 
Kansas  Conflict."  It  is  a  work  replete  with  facts 
and  showing  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  state  during  the  most  troubled  period 
of  its  history.  As  an  addition  to  the  history  of 
that  period  it  is  invaluable.  While  he  was  a 
Whig  and  Republican  in  early  manhood,  in  later 
life  he  became  independent,  and  during  the  fa- 
mous campaign  of  1872  supported  Horace  Gree- 
ley, of  whom  he  was  a  warm  admirer.  His  life 
was  prolonged  to  an  advanced  age.  He  died 
August  17,  1894,  having  lived  to  see  the  wonder- 
ful progress  of  the  state  and  its  advancement  of 
material  wealth  and  educational  resources.  His 
life  is  ended,  its  record  complete.  He  who  reads 
it  ma3' emulate  with  eagerness  the  strict  integrity, 
the  force  of  will,  the  adherence  to  principle  and 
the  lofty  honor  that  leaves  the  pages  of  the  life 
record  untarnished  and  undimmed. 


RS.  SARA  T.  D.  LAWRENCE  ROBINSON 
is  a  member  of  a  family  that  has  furnished 
many  distinguished  men  to  our  country. 
Among  these  may  be  mentioned  Hon.  Abbott 
Lawrence,    minister   to    England;     Hon.    Amos 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


A.  Lawrence,  in  whose  honor  the  city  of  Law- 
rence, Kans.,  was  named,  and  who  donated 
$10,000  to  the  State  University  at  its  opening; 
and  Hon.  Timothy  Dwight,  president  of  Yale 
College,  and  one  of  the  most  prominent  educators 
in  the  land.  Benjamin  Lawrence,  a  native  of 
Windsor,  Conn.,  became  a  pioneer  of  Middle- 
bury,  Vt. ,  where  his  subsequent  life  was  spent. 
His  two  sons,  Myron  and  Edwin,  were  successful 
attorneys,  the  latter  being  for  thirteen  years 
judge  of  the  district  court  in  Washtenaw  County, 
Mich.  The  former,  who  was  born  in  Middle- 
bury  May  18,  1799,  graduated  from  the  college 
in  that  city,  and  then  studied  law  with  M.  A.  K. 
Doolittle,  a  graduate  of  Yale.  He  made  his 
home  in  the  residence  of  Mr.  Doolittle,  and  there 
met  Miss  Clarissa  Dwight,  a  teacher,  who  was 
boarding  with  Mr.  Doolittle' s  family,  and  whom 
he  married  in  1824.  On  his  admission  to  the  bar 
he  began  to  practice  at  Northampton,  Mass., 
where  his  ability  soon  placed  him  in  the  front 
rank  of  attorneys.  Recognizing  his  iitness  for 
public  oflSce,  his  fellows-citizens  frequently  chose 
him  to  represent  them  in  offices  of  trust  and 
honor.  For  several  terms  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Massachusetts  state  senate,  of  which  body  he 
was  president  from  1838  to  1840.  During  twenty- 
seven  years  of  his  life  he  was  either  representa- 
tive or  senator.  His  career  in  the  lower  and 
upper  house  was  one  that  reflected  the  highest 
credit  upon  his  moral  worth  and  his  extensive 
knowledge.  With  the  broad  vision  of  a  states- 
man he  looked  forward  to  the  future,  and  advo- 
cated measures  that  would  have  not  merely  a 
present,  but  a  future,  bearing  on  the  welfare  of 
the  state.  In  his  advocacy  of  temperance  prin- 
ciples he  was  steadfast.  Both  by  precept  and  by 
example  he  gave  his  influence  for  prohibition. 
In  1852,  when  the  temperance  issue  was  in  the 
ascendency,  he  was  nominated  for  governor,  but, 
his  health  being  poor,  he  declined  the  nomina- 
tion. Had  he  been  able  to  make  the  race  there 
is  every  reason  to  believe  that  he  would  have 
been  elected.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church,  adhering  to  the  religion  of  his 
forefathers.  Fraternally  he  was  connected  with 
the  Masons.     In  political  belief  he  favored  the 


Whig  party.  He  was  a  warm  personal  friend 
and  great  admirer  of  Daniel  Webster,  and  two 
weeks  after  that  great  statesman  passed  away  he 
answered  his  death  summons,  November  7,  1852. 

The  wife  of  Senator  Lawrence  was  born  in 
Belchertown,  Mass.,  a  daughter  of  Col.  Henrj' 
Dwight,  and  a  descendant  of  the  old  family  of 
that  name,  for  years  prominent  among  the  Pil- 
grims at  Dedham,  Mass.  Colonel  Dwight,  a 
native  of  W^arren,  Mass.,  was  a  man  of  great 
prominence  and  blameless  life,  and  during  the 
Revolutionary  war  commanded  a  regiment  as 
colonel.  Mrs.  Lawrence  was  educated  in  Hop- 
kins and  Deerfield  Academies,  and  a  ladies' 
boarding  school  at  Hartford,  Conn.  Not  only 
was  she  a  woman  of  splendid  education,  but  of 
great-  executive  force  as  well,  and  in  the  town 
where  she  made  her  home  her  position  was  very 
high.  She  was  born  November  25,  1799,  and 
died  August  21,  1869,  leaving  a  son  and  two 
daughters.  The  son,  Mark  D.,  who  was  a  mer- 
chant, died  in  Philadelphia  August  23,  1884. 
One  of  the  daughters,  Sophia  Dwight,  became 
the  wife  of  Samuel  Goddard,  and  died  in  Massa- 
chusetts March  15,  1893. 

The  only  surviving  member  of  the  family  is 
Mrs.  Robinson.  She  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Sara  Tappan  Doolittle  Lawrence.  Her  educa- 
tion, which  was  thorough,  she  acquired  in  the 
Belchertown  classical  school,  Miss  Smith's  pri- 
vate school  and  New  Salem  Academy.  At  her 
father's  home  in  Belchertown,  October  30,  1S51, 
she  was  united  in  marriage  to  Dr.  Charles  Rob- 
inson, whose  helpmate  and  companion  she  re- 
mained until  his  death.  Like  him,  she  was 
brave  and  fearless,  hence  was  fitted  for  life  in  the 
west  during  its  dark  days.  When  her  husband 
was  arrested  at  Lexington,  Mo.,  and  taken  to 
Lecompton  to  be  tried  for  treason  by  the  pro- 
slavery  party,  she  went  east,  carrying  the  official 
proceedings  of  the  congressional  committee  of 
investigation,  and  safely  delivered  them  to  the 
proper  parties.  From  there  she  joined  her  hus- 
band in  prison,  and  remained  with  him  until  he 
was  released.  Her  knowledge  of  early  life  in 
Kansas  and  her  literary  ability  qualify  her  for 
work  as  an  author,  and  her  work,    ' '  Kansas,  Its 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Kxterior  and  Interior,"  is  one  of  the  most  com- 
plete of  its  kind  ever  published.  It  was  pub- 
lished in  1856,  with  nine  editions  of  one  thou- 
sand each,  and  a  revised  edition  was  published 
in  1899,  with  appendix.  As  a  descriptive  work 
it  is  unsurpassed,  and  the  detailed  accounts  of 
the  character  of  the  new  territory  and  the  strug- 
gles of  the  free-state  men  possess  an  undying  in- 
terest for  all  who  love  the  state. 


pGjELUNGTON  Y.  LEONARD,  M.  D.,  a 
\  A  /  leading  physician  of  Lawrence  and  coro- 
V  V  ner  of  Douglas  County,  was  born  in  Troy, 
Miami  County,  Ohio,  October  5,  1834,  a  son  of 
James  W.  and  Julia  (Renshaw)  Leonard,  natives 
respectively  of  Rutland,  Vt. ,  and  Philadelphia, 
Pa.  His  grandfather,  Joseph  Leonard,  who  was 
a  member  of  a  pioneer  family  of  New  England, 
spent  his  entire  life  in  Vermont,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  period  of  his  service  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war;  his  wife  passed  away  in  Massachu- 
setts when  within  six  months  of  one  hundred  years 
old.  For  some  years  James  W.  Leonard  was 
foreman  of  large  iron  works  in  Phoenixville,  Pa., 
but  in  1834  settled  in  Troy,  Ohio,  and  for  some 
time  cultivated  a  farm  near  that  village.  In 
1851  he  removed  to  Albion,  Ind.,  where  he  con- 
tinued farm  pursuits  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years.  His  wife,  who  was  of  Scotch 
descent  and  a  woman  of  estimable  character,  died 
at  sixty-four  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  four  of  whom  attained  mature 
years  and  two  are  now  living. 

The  education  of  Dr.  Leonard  was  begun  in 
Troy  public  schools  and  further  prosecuted  in 
the  college  of  Xenia,  Ohio,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1856.  Later  he  taught  two  terms  of 
school  and  in  1858  began  to  study  medicine  under 
Dr.  D.  W.  C.  Denney,  of  Albion,  Ind.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  entered  Jefferson  Medical  College, 
where  he  carried  on  his  studies  for  two  years. 
Returning  to  Albion,  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Dr.  Denney,  with  whom  he  remained  until 
the  latter  entered  the  army.  In  1862  he  ma- 
triculated in  the  Cincinnati   College  of  Medicine 


and  Surgery,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1863, 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  In  1865  he  entered 
Rush  Medical  College  in  Chicago,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  was  given  the  degree  of  M.  D.  by 
that  institution.  Afterward  he  frequently  re- 
turned to  Rush  for  the  purpose  of  conducting 
post-graduate  work.  The  continuous  practice  of 
his  profession  in  Albion  in  the  course  of  time 
undermined  his  health  and  he  felt  the  need  of  a 
change  of  climate  and  surroundings.  For  this 
reason  in  1883  he  came  to  Lawrence  and  here  he 
carried  on  a  drug  business,  starting  the  City 
drug  store,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Leonard 
&  Hamlin.  At  the  same  time  he  also  gave  some 
attention  to  practice.  In  April,  1898,  he  sold 
the  store  in  order  that  he  might  devote  himself 
exclusively  to  professional  work. 

In  Phoenixville,  Pa.,  Dr.  Leonard  married 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Place,  who  was  born  there  and  re- 
ceived an  academic  education.  They  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  namely:  E.  W.,  who  is 
a  business  man  in  Kansas  City;  J.  R.,  editor  of 
the  Strong  City  Demck,  at  Strong,  Kans. ;  O.  P., 
a  merchant  tailor  in  Lawrence;  and  Ella  M.,  at 
home. 

During  his  residence  in  Indiana  Dr.  Leonard 
was  for  eight  years  surgeon  for  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Railroad.  Politically  he  has  always  been  a 
Republican.  On  that  ticket,  in  1893,  he  was 
nominated  for  count}' coroner  and  received  a  good 
majority  at  the  election.  In  1895  and  1897  he 
was  re-elected,  his  third  term  to  expire  in  Jan- 
uary, 1900.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  identified 
with  Lawrence  Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
He  is  identified  with  the  Lawrence  Medical  So- 
ciety, and  prior  to  his  removal  west  was  active 
in  the  work  of  the  American  Medical  A.ssocia- 
tion.  In  religion  he  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  is  serving  upon  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  the  same. 


HON.    H.    MILES    MOORE.      The  life    of 
General  Moore  has  been  inseparably  asso- 
ciated with  the  history  of  Kansas.     Full  of 
incidents,  stirring  and  exciting,    it  possesses  that 


124 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


interest  which  attaches  to  all  lives  presenting  the 
spectacle  of  a  man  who  stands  for  a  principle, 
and  who,  alike  in  prosperous  and  in  adverse 
environments,  preserves  the  independence  of 
thought  and  action  and  the  patriotic  spirit  char- 
acteristic of  a  true  son  of  the  land  of  the  free. 
From  boj'hood  a  believer  in  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  firm  in  his  adherence  to  the 
truth  that  "all  men  are  created  free  and  equal," 
he  saw  that  the  system  of  slavery  was  a  menace 
to  our  country,  and  therefore  gave  his  whole  be- 
ing to  secure  its  overthrow.  When  Kansas  was 
the  theater  of  deepest  interest  and  the  fate  of  the 
state  regarding  slavery  was  at  a  critical  point, 
he  came  here,  and  from  that  time  afterward  he 
was  vitally  connected  with  the  free-state  move- 
ment. In  politics,  first  an  ardent  Whig  and 
later  a  Democrat,  he  held  to  the  maxim  that 
"He  serves  his  party  best  who  serves  his  country 
best,"  and  with  him  partyism  was  absorbed  in 
patriotism.  More  than  once  his  close  connection 
with  the  anti-slavery  cause  brought  him  in  peril 
of  his  life.  Often  he  was  shot  at  bj'  those  who 
realized  that  his  death  would  be  of  advantage  to 
the  pro- slavery  movement.  Three  times,  during 
the  days  of  border  warfare,  he  was  taken  bj^  ene- 
mies and  led  out  to  be  hanged,  but  each  time  his 
connection  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  saved  his 
life.  Those  were  perilous  days  for  the  prominent 
men  of  Kansas,  and  none  perhaps  was  in  greater 
danger  than  he.  Through  perils,  seen  and  un- 
seen, he  walked  from  day  to  day,  until  finallj^ 
the  crisis  was  passed,  and  Kansas,  no  longer  the 
"bleeding  state,"  could  turn  its  attention  to  the 
development  of  farms  and  fields,  to  the  improve- 
ment of  cities  and  towns. 

The  Moore  family  was  first  represented  in 
America  by  several  brothers  from  Ireland.  Miles 
Moore,  a  grandson  of  one  of  these  original  emi- 
grants, was  the  son  of  a  colonel  in  the  war  of 
1812,  and  was  himself  a  man  of  patriotic  spirit. 
He  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Brock- 
port,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  at  thirty-one  years  of 
age.  In  Monroe  County,  that  state,  he  married 
Irene  Smith,  who  was  bom  in  Connecticut,  and 
who,  like  himself,  died  in  the  prime  of  life. 
There  were  only  two  children  born  of  the  union, 


and  one  of  these  died  in  infancy.  The  other,  who 
forms  the  subject  of  this  article,  was  born  in 
Brockport  September  2,  1826,  and  was  reared  in 
the  home  of  his  grandfather,  Deacon  Levi  Smith, 
a  veteran  of  the  war  of  18 12  and  the  son  of  a 
Revolutionary  soldier. 

When  nineteen  years  of  age  H.  Miles  Moore 
graduated  from  Union  College,  Schenectady, 
N.  Y.,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  He  then  trav- 
eled for  a  year,  after  which  he  studied  law  with 
Selden  &  Jewett,  of  Clarkson,  N.  Y.,  and  later 
with  C.  M.  Lee  and  L.  Farrar,  of  Rochester,  that 
state.  While  in  the  latter  city  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Rochester  Union  Grays,  nearly  all  of 
whom  attempted  to  enlist  in  the  Mexican  war, 
but,  the  desired  quota  having  been  obtained, 
they  were  rejected.  In  1S48  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  and  soon  afterward  went  south,  where 
he  owned  interests.  In  a  previous  trip  in  the 
south  he  had  purchased  land  in  Louisiana,  and  re- 
turning to  that  state  he  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  law,  and  also  took  charge  of  his  plantation. 
After  having  made  a  visit  to  Weston,  Mo.,  in 
the  fall  of  1849  he  decided  to  locate  in  that 
place,  and  the  spring  of  the  following  year  found 
him  a  resident  there.  He  opened  a  law  office, 
engaged  in  practice,  and  also  had  charge  of  the 
editorial  work  of  the  Weston  Reporter. 

The  excitement  incident  to  the  passage  of  the 
Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  spread  throughout  the 
country,  and  both  slavery  supporters  and  op- 
ponents were  induced  to  come  to  Kansas.  In 
June,  1854,  ^^r.  Moore  came  to  the  then  terri- 
tory. He  belonged  to  what  might  be  termed  the 
"fighting"  element  of  his  party,  hence  he 
brought  upon  himself  the  enmity  of  southern 
sympathizers,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  he  won 
the  esteem  of  anti-slavery  men,  among  whom  he 
soon  wielded  great  influence.  Three  times  he 
was  elected  attorney-general  of  Kansas  condi- 
tional upon  its  admission  to  the  Union  as  a  state. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  first  territorial  legisla- 
ture in  1857,  and  was  afterward  again  chosen  to 
serve  in  this  position,  besides  one  term  later  in 
the  state  legislature.  He  also  served  as  city  at- 
torney for  six  years,  and  as  United  States  com- 
missioner and  assistant  United  States  attorney. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


'25 


General  Moore  was  a  member  of  the  original 
town  company  of  lyeaven worth,  and,  as  its  secre- 
tary, he  drew  up  the  first  paper  organizing  the 
same.  This  he  still  has  in  his  possession,  to- 
gether with  many  other  relics  of  those  pioneer 
days.  The  company  consisted  of  thirty  mem- 
bers, three  of  whom  (himself  one  of  the  three) 
were  chosen  to  select  a  name  for  the  new  town. 
He  selected  the  name  Leavenworth,  in  honor  of 
the  fort  near  by.  The  others  preferred  the  name 
of  Douglas,  but  he  was  successful  in  securing  the 
name  he  desired.  The  lots  comprising  the  origi- 
nal plat  of  the  town  were  bought  at  a  cost  of 
$24,000,  each  of  these  lots  having  a  government 
patent.  Adjacent  property  was  sold  in  blocks, 
after  which  the  town  company  was  disbanded 
and  the  partnership  dissolved.  The  first  gov- 
ernor, A.  J.  Reeder,  promised  to  locate  the  capi- 
tal here,  but  failed  to  keep  his  promise.  The 
neighboring  towns  in  the  county  were  settled  by 
hard-working,  persevering  men,  who  gave  this 
section  the  high  reputation  it  has  since  retained. 

With  that  typical  western  man,  General  Lane, 
our  subject  was  always  in  deepest  sympathy.  In 
186  r  he  served  as  judge  advocate,  with  the  rank 
of  lieutenant-colonel,  on  General  Lane's  staff, 
after  which  he  was  transferred  to  the  Fifth  Kan- 
sas Regiment  as  acting  colonel.  During  a  part 
of  the  war  he  was  appointed  and  served  as  com- 
missary of  subsistence,  with  the  rank  of  captain, 
his  commission  coming  from  Abraham  Lincoln. 
Prior  to  the  Rebellion  he  served  as  colonel,  and 
later  was  general,  of  the  free  state  army  organi- 
zation. Since  the  close  of  the  war  he  has  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  law,  and  held  various  ofiBces. 
He  has  maintained  a  deep  interest  in  every  move- 
ment for  the  upbuilding  of  Leavenworth,  which  he 
has  seen  grow  from  a  few  inhabitants  to  its  present 
large  population.  Active  in  educational  work 
he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  for 
many  years,  and  did  all  within  his  power  to  pro- 
mote the  interests  of  the  public  schools.  He  has 
also  beeii  generous  in  contributions  to  religious 
enterprises  and  philanthropic  movements,  and  is 
active  in  the  work  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  to 
which  he  belongs.  In  the  early  days  he  became 
identified  with  the  State  Historical  Society,  and 


has  since  acted  as  one  of  its  trustees.  During 
his  residence  in  Weston  he  was  made  a  Mason, 
and  is  now  connected  with  Leavenworth  Lodge 
No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  a  member  of  Kan- 
sas Commandery  of  the  Military  Order  of  Loyal 
Legion,  and  Custer  Post  No.  2,  G.  A.  R.,  in 
which  he  has  served  as  a  department  aide. 

In  Madison,  Wis.,  General  Moore  married 
Harriet  E.  Van  Valkenburg,  of  New  York,  a 
descendant  of  Dutch  ancestry.  While  visiting 
in  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  she  was  thrown  from  a  car- 
riage and  fatally  injured,  dying  soon  afterward. 
His  second  marriage  took  place  in  Leavenworth 
September  15,  1857,  and  united  him  with  Miss 
Linnie  F.  Kehoe,  who  was  born  at  Laurel  Hill, 
Fairfax  County,  Va.,  and  was  reared  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  graduating  from  Georgetown 
Convent.  The  two  children  born  of  the  first 
marriage  are  deceased.  Of  the  second  marriage 
one  child  is  now  living,  Harry  Miles  Moore,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  drug  business  at  Galena,  Kans. 

As  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Leavenworth,  the 
name  of  General  Moore  deserves  to  be  placed  in 
the  archives  of  history;  but  still  more  is  he  de- 
serving of  remembrance  when  we  consider  his 
long  and  active  connection  with  movements  for 
the  development  of  the  city.  Personally  he  is  a 
man  of  decided  and  inflexible  traits  of  mind,  as 
his  past  history  proves.  Possessing  a  strong 
mind  and  determined  will,  he  has,  under  every 
circumstance,  had  the  courage  of  his  convictions, 
and  has  never  deviated  from  the  course  his  con- 
science mapped  out  for  him.  He  is  a  fine  con- 
versationalist, with  the  courtesy  and  agreeable 
manners  that  make  him  popular  with  all.  Well 
informed  along  all  lines,  he  is  especially  familiar 
with  local  history,  and  whenever  questions  arise 
regarding  facts  in  the  history  of  early  days,  he  is 
always  referred  to  as  an  authority.  With  the 
thoughtfulness  of  a  man  who  looks  into  the 
future  he  has  carefully  preserved  letters,  jour- 
nals, papers,  etc.,  together  with  his  personal 
recollections  in  writing,  concerning  tho.se  event- 
ful days  when  the  fate  of  Kansas  trembled  in  the 
balance.  These  data,  if  compiled  and  published, 
would  fill  a  volume,  and  would  form  an  import- 
ant addition  to  the  history  of  that  period. 


[26 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


NON.  THOMAS  CARNEY,  second  governor 
of  Kansas,  was  intimately  identified  with 
the  history  of  this  commonwealth  during  the 
exciting  days  prior  to  and  during  the  Civil  war. 
In  fact,  for  some  years  his  life  history  was  the 
history  of  the  state  itself,  so  inseparablj'  was  he 
associated  with  public  measures.  An  ardent  sup- 
porter of  Republican  principles  and  a  man  of  great 
patriotism,  he  did  all  within  his  power  to  pro- 
mote the  interests  of  his  party,  his  state  and  his 
country,  in  each  of  which  he  attained  distinction. 

In  Delaware  County,  Ohio,  Mr.  Carney  was 
born  August,  20,  1824.  When  he  was  four  years 
of  age  his  father,  James  Carney,  died,  leaving  the 
widowed  mother,  poor,  and  with  four  small  chil- 
dren. For  this  reason,  his  opportunities  were 
meagre;  in  fact,  he  had  none  except  such  as  he 
made  for  himself.  His  early  life  was  spent  in 
the  hardest  kind  of  work,  after  he  was  old  enough 
to  be  of  assistance  on  the  farm.  From  the  time 
he  was  eleven  until  he  left  home,  he  was  the 
teamster  of  the  family,  and  conveyed  the  prod- 
ucts of  the  farm  to  Newark,  thirty-six  miles  dis- 
tant, using  as  a  means  of  transportation  a  yoke 
of  oxen.  When  nineteen  years  of  age,  with$3.5o 
in  his  possession  and  buoyed  by  the  hope  of  youth, 
he  left  the  home  farm.  He  attended  school  in 
Berkshire,  Ohio,  for  six  months,  meantime  work- 
ing for  his  board.  Afterward  he  secured  employ- 
ment in  a  retail  dry-goods  house  in  Columbus, 
where  he  remained  for  two  years,  then  became 
clerk  in  a  wholesale  dry-goods  house  in  Cincin- 
nati. While  with  the  retail  firm  he  received  $50 
and  his  board  the  first  year  and  $100  and  board 
the  second  year.  He  remained  in  Cincinnati  for 
twelve  years,  but  his  health  became  impaired  by 
his  close  attention  to  business,  his  success  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Carney,  Swift  &  Co.,  hav- 
ing been  secured  only  at  the  expense  of  his  phy- 
sical strength. 

Realizing  that  he  must  seek  another  climate, 
in  1857  Mr.  Carnej'  visited  the  west.  In  the 
spring  of  1858  he  commenced  business  in  Leaven- 
worth, Kans.,  where,  in  partnership  with  Thomas 
C.  Stevens,  he  opened  the  first  exclusively  whole- 
sale house  in  the  city  and  founded  a  business  that 
for  years  was  of  immense  value  to  local  interests. 


On  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Stevens  in  1866,  the  firm 
name  was  changed  to  Carney,  Fenlon  &  Co. 
Two  years  later  the  firm  established  the  house  of 
E.  Fenlon  &  Co.,  in  St.  Louis,  which  business 
later  merged  into  the  house  of  Carney,  Garrett, 
Fenlon  &  Co.,  and  later  was  changed  to  Carney, 
Fenlon  &  Co.  The  subsequent  retirement  of  Mr. 
Fenlon  caused  another  change  in  the  business, 
which  was  afterward  conducted  by  Mr.  Carney 
alone  until  it  was  sold.  He  also  started  the 
wholesale  shoe  house  of  Carney,  Storer&Co., 
which  firm  in  1873  was  dissolved,  and  succeeded 
by  Thomas  Carney  &  Co.  In  1875  the  business 
was  sold  and  the  one  to  whom  its  success  was 
due  retired,  in  a  measure,  Trom  participation  in 
business  affairs. 

The  connection  of  Mr.  Carney  with  affairs  ot 
state  dates  from  the  fall  of  i85i,  when  he  was  elec- 
ted to  the  lower  house  of  the  legislature.  Sep- 
tember 17,  1862,  when  the  Republicans  met  in 
state  convention,  he  was  nominated  for  governor, 
and  on  the  4th  of  November  was  elected,  receiv- 
ing ten  thousand  and  ninety  votes,  about  twice 
the  number  received  by  his  opponent.  January 
12,  1863,  he  took  his  seat  as  governor,  and  from 
that  time  until  the  close  of  his  term  he  gave  his 
undivided  attention  to  public  affairs.  He  found 
the  state  in  a  discouraging  condition.  It  was 
utterly  without  credit,  and  without  means  to  carry 
on  its  government  or  protect  its  citizens  from 
guerillas,  Indians  and  the  calamities  incident  to 
war.  Along  the  eastern  and  southern  borders 
the  confederates  hovered,  while  on  the  west  were 
murderous  bands  of  Indians.  The  life  of  every 
settler  was  in  peril.  The  general  government, 
immersed  in  civil  war,  had  no  time  to  devote  to 
the  welfare  of  a  remote  state.  Hence,  the  wel- 
fare of  the  people  devolved  entirely  upon  the  gov- 
ernor. Finding  that  he  would  be  obliged  to  de- 
pend upon  his  own  resources,  he  investigated  the 
situation  thoroughly.  The  state  had  no  mone}-, 
no  arms  and  no  ammunition,  but  this  did  not  dis- 
courage him.  On  visiting  the  menaced  regions 
he  found  that  the  people  were  beginning  to 
seek  places  of  greater  safety,  and  he  foresaw 
the  probability  that  the  region  would  become  a 
desert,    unless  decisive    steps  were  immediately 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


[27 


taken.  He  raised  a  force  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  men  and  employed  them  as  a  patrol  along 
the  border,  so  that  no  hostile  movement  could  be 
made  without  detection  and  the  people  would 
thus  have  time  to  rally  to  the  necessary  points  for 
defense.  The  patrol  was  hired  by  the  governor 
and  paid  out  of  his  private  means,  he  giving  $i 
a  day  for  a  man  and  horse,  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment furnishing  the  rations.  He  put  the  men 
in  the  field  and  kept  them  there,  at  a  cost  to  him- 
self of  more  than  $10,000.  At  the  same  time  he 
was  a  captain  in  the  home  guard  and  often  on 
duty  in  that  capacity.  Through  his  patrol  he 
preserved  the  border  from  invasion,  but,  at  a  later 
period,  he  was  notified  by  the  commander  of  the 
federal  forces  to  abolish  the  patrol,  as  the  regu- 
lar troops  would  be  able  to  care  for  the  safety  of 
the  state.  He  carried  out  the  order,  and  within 
three  days  Quantrell  made  his  raid  into  Kansas, 
Lawrence  was  in  ashes  and  one  hundred  and 
eighty  persons  were  foully  murdered.  During 
the  existence  of  the  patrol,  the  arrangements 
were  such  that  the  difierent  members  could  speak 
with  each  other  every  hour,  but  the  militia  were 
scattered  in  squads  over  a  distance  of  twenty-five 
miles,  and  when  Quantrell  marched  into  Kansas, 
he  easily  escaped  their  notice.  He  moved  stealth- 
ily. No  one  knew  of  his  approach  except  one 
man  who  lived  along  the  line  of  march.  He  saw 
the  guerillas,  mounted  a  hor.se  and  hurried  to- 
ward Lawrence  to  warn  the  inhabitants,  but  his 
horse  fell  and  the  rider's  neck  was  broken.  Thus 
the  sole  witness  of  the  invasion  was  silenced.  It 
is  worthy  of  mention,  as  showing  the  governor's 
generous  disposition,  that  he  made  a  gift  of  $500 
to  the  widow  of  this  man,  and  he  also  gave  $1,000 
for  the  relief  of  the  people  of  Lawrence. 

The  entire  oificial  career  of  Governor  Carney 
was  a  stormy  one.  Occurring,  as  it  did,  at  a 
time  when  the  nation  was  rent  asunder  by  inter- 
nal .strife,  when  the  state  itself  was  a  financial 
and  political  wreck,  the  situation  called  for  a  man 
of  great  discretion,  foresight,  energy  and  force  of 
character.  That  he  met  the  demands  of  the  .sit- 
uation is  recognized  by  all.  Through  his  in- 
strumentality the  state  was  placed  upon  a  firm 
basis  financially.     He  sacrificed   himself  for  the 


interests  of  the  state,  and  gave  generously  of 
time,  of  means  and  of  influence,  to  promote  the 
prosperity  of  the  commonwealth.  During  the 
first  year  of  his  administration,  the  house  ac- 
cepted the  grant  of  congress  giving  land  for  the 
agricultural  college  and  located  said  college  at 
Manhattan,  Riley  County;  also  provided  for  the 
establishment  of  an  asylum  for  insane  at  Osa- 
watomie,  for  the  building  of  a  penitentiary  at 
Leavenworth,  the  establishment  of  a  state  normal 
school  at  Emporia,  and  the  Kansas  State  Univer- 
sity at  Lawrence  (to  which  he  made  a  personal 
contribution  of  $5,000).  December  10,  1863,  a 
brick  building  on  Kansas  avenue,  Topeka,  was 
leased  to  the  state  for  a  temporary  capitol.  Dur- 
ing 1864  the  house  appointed  commissioners  to 
locate  a  blind  asylum  in  Wyandotte  County,  and 
a  deaf  and  dumb  asylum  in  Olathe;  grand  juries 
were  abolished  and  a  bureau  of  immigration  es- 
tablished. 

January  9,  1865,  Governor  Carney  retired  from 
the  chair  of  chief  executive,  in  which  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Samuel  J.  Crawford.  June  4,  1866, 
he  was  elected  a  director  in  the  Kansas  City, 
Lawrence  &  Fort  Gibson  Railroad  Company,  of 
which  James  H.  Lane  was  first,  and  William 
Sturges  the  second  president.  In  1865  and  1866 
he  served  as  mayor  of  Leavenworth,  during  which 
time  he  was  interested  in  and  contributed  toward 
the  building  of  the  railroads  here.  He  was  inter- 
ested in  the  organization  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Leavenworth,  of  which  he  officiated  as 
a  director  for  several  years.  With  other  enter- 
prises, both  local  and  state,  he  continued  to  be 
identified,  and,  while  giving  much  time  and 
thought  to  private  business  aff"airs,  nevertheless 
found  opportunity  to  identify  himself  with  every 
project  for  the  public  welfare  and  advancement. 
His  death,  the  result  of  apoplexy,  occurred  July 
28,  188S,  in  the  town  of  which  he  had  long  been 
an  honored  citizen  and  to  whose  development  he 
had  contributed  perhaps  as  much  as  any  of  its 
prominent  pioneers.  His  name  is  inseparably  as- 
sociated with  the  history  of  the  state  he  loved  so 
well.  Those  who  watched  his  official  career, 
amid  all  the  perplexities  of  war  times,  when  great 
responsibilities  were   thrust  upon  him,  under  the 


[28 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


most  adverse  and  trying  circumstances,  agreed 
that  he  proved  himself  to  be  equal  to  every  emer- 
gency, the  man  for  the  place;  and,  whatever  may 
have  been  individual  opinions  as  to  his  decisions 
and  actions,  it  was  the  verdict  of  all  that  his  ad- 
ministration was  the  means  of  establishing  the 
credit  of  the  state  upon  a  sound  financial  basis  and 
advancing  its  educational  and  general  interests 
in  a  manner  most  gratifying  to  every  loyal  cit- 
izen. 

During  his  residence  in  Ohio,  Governor  Carney 
married  Miss  Rebecca  Ann  Canaday,  who  was 
born  in  Kenton,  that  state,  and  died  in  Leaven- 
worth, September  25,  1895.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  five  sons,  namely:  Edwin  L-;  William 
W.,  both  of  Leavenworth;  Harry  C,  of  Butte, 
Mont. ;  Charles  T. ,  of  Meeker,  Colo. ;  and  Frank, 
who  died  in  infancy. 


gEN.  EDWARD  RUSSELL.  The  life  his- 
tory of  General  Russell  was  closely  con- 
nected with  the  history  of  Kansas  from  a 
very  early  period  of  its  development  and  progress. 
Of  stanch  patriotic  principles,  he  was  ever  loyal 
to  the  Union,  and  during  the  exciting  days  prior 
to  the  war  he  stood  firm  in  his  allegiance  to  the 
government.  Every  reformatory  movement  en- 
listed his  sympathies  and  his  co-operation;  he 
was  a  stalwart  friend  of  civil  service  and  other  re- 
forms, to  all  of  which  he  gave  his  firm  allegiance. 
Descended  from  Puritan  ancestors  (one  of  whose 
descendants,  ex-Governor  Russell  of  Massa- 
chu,setts,  was  his  own  cousin),  he  inherited 
qualities  that  contributed  to  his  success  in  life. 
His  life  was  brought  to  a  close  August  14,  1898, 
with  a  rounded  completeness  that  comes  to  few 
lives,  and  he  was  followed  to  his  grave  by  the 
esteem  of  hosts  of  friends  and  personal  associates. 
Capt.  Daniel  Russell,  who  was  of  English  and 
Scotch  descent,  served  as  a  captain  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  and  was  disabled  while  at  the 
front.  Returning  to  Massachusetts,  he  settled 
on  a  farm  near  Boston  and  there  remained  until 
death.  His  son,  David  Moore  Russell,  was  born 
in  New  Hampshire,  and  there  married  Mary 
Flint,  who  was  born  in  the  suburbs  of  Boston. 


Mr.  Russell  was  a  son  of  Moore  Russell  and 
grandson  of  Peltier  Russell,  both  of  whom  served 
in  the  Revolution,  the  latter  as  an  ofiicer.  While 
David  M.  Russell  was  living  at  Plymouth,  N.  H., 
his  son,  Edward,  was  born,  February  9,  1833. 
Two  years  later  the  family  settled  in  Gainesville, 
Sumter  County,  Ala. ,  prior  to  the  removal  of  the 
Choctaw  Indians  to  their  present  reservation  in  the 
Indian  Territory.  The  father  became  a  large 
land  owner  in  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  and  gave 
his  attention  to  the  management  of  his  vast  es- 
tates. He  also  owned  large  interests  in  copper 
mines  in  Michigan.  The  war  coming  on  he  lost 
all  of  his  fortune,  and  the  cares  and  excitement 
occasioned  by  the  distressing  condition  of  affairs 
caused  his  death  in  1864.  His  wife  died  in  Ala- 
bama in  1875.  They  had  only  two  children, 
both  sons,  the  younger  of  whom,  David  Moore 
Russell,  is  now  a  planter  in  Mississippi. 

When  eleven  years  of  age  Edward  Russell  was 
placed  in  an  academj'  at  Meriden,  N.  H.,  and 
there  prepared  for  college.  He  entered  Yale  at 
seventeen  years  of  age  and  studied  there  for  a 
year,  after  which  he  was  a  student  in  Williams 
College  in  Massachusetts  for  a  year.  An  attack 
of  measles  so  injured  his  eyesight  as  to  render  the 
completion  of  his  education  impossible.  For  a 
time  afterward  his  winters  were  spent  in  the 
south,  and  his  summers  in  the  north  and  west. 
During  this  time  he  was  a  close  observer  of  the 
relative  advantages  of  slave  and  free  labor,  and  a 
close  student  of  the  slavery  question.  The  re- 
sult was  that,  in  1856,  upon  coming  to  Kansas, 
he  placed  himself  on  the  side  of  the  Union,  as 
against  slavery.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  set- 
tled at  Elwood,  Doniphan  County,  Kans.,  where 
he  afterward  had  charge  of  the  Advertiser, 
which  was  published  in  the  interests  of  the  town 
company.  September  25,  1859,  he  married  Miss 
Ionia  Blackstone,  great-great-great-granddaugh- 
ter of  William  Blackstone,  the  famous  author  of 
Blackstone's  commentary  on  law;  also  of  George 
Fox,  the  famous  leader  of  the  Quakers;  and  a 
third  cousin  of  ex-President  Rutherford  B. 
Hayes.  Her  father,  Ebenezer  Blackstone,  was 
born  in  Smithfield,  Ohio,  and  was  a  son  of  Will- 
iam Blackstone,  a  dry-goods  merchant  of  Phila- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


[29 


delphia,  and  later  a  resident  of  Smithfield;  he 
married  Miss  Ann  Price,  whose  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  George  Fox.  William's  father,  Eb- 
enezer,  was  born  in  England,  where  his  father, 
William  Blackstone,  was  a  leading  attorney  and 
writer  upon  law.  The  various  branches  of  the 
family  were  allied  with  the  Society  of  Friends. 
Ebenezer  Blackstone,  Jr.,  engaged  in  the  dry- 
goods  business  in  Middletown,  Guernsey  County, 
Ohio,  where  his  daughter,  Ionia,  was  born. 
About  1854  he  removed  to  St.  Joe,  Mo.,  where 
he  built  and  operated  the  first  steam  ferry  on  the 
then  upper  Missouri,  the  charter  for  which  he 
held  for  thirty  years,  meantime  running  the 
ferry  between  St.  Joe  and  Elwood.  During  the 
Civil  war  the  government  chartered  two  of  his 
boats  and  converted  them  into  iron-clads,  using 
them  at  St.  Louis  until  the  war  closed.  Of 
one  of  these  boats  he  was  commissioned  captain. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  St.  Joe, 
where  he  engaged  in  dealing  in  farm  lands  and 
city  real  estate.  He  adhered  to  the  Republican 
party  and  in  religion  upheld  the  doctrines  of  the 
Quaker  Church.  When  he  died,  January  10, 
1888,  he  was  seventy-five  years  of  age.  His 
was  a  busy  life.  During  the  Pike's  Peak  excite- 
ment the  tide  of  emigration  westward  was  so 
great  that  he  ran  three  ferries  and  several  flat 
boats,  and  employed  one  hundred  men,  besides 
forty  men  who  got  out  timber  in  the  woods. 

The  marriage  of  Ebenezer  Blackstone  united 
him  with  Mary  A.  Hayes,  a  native  of  Middle- 
town,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Hayes, 
who  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio  in  a 
very  early  day.  His  father,  Thomas,  Sr.,  was  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  a  pioneer  of  Ohio, 
where  he  cleared  large  tracts  of  land.  Mrs. 
Blackstone  died  at  St.  Joe,  April  12,  1893,  when 
seventy-five  years  of  age.  She  was  a  woman  of 
deeply  religious  character  and  an  earnest  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  her  fam 
ily  were  five  children,  viz.:  Mrs.  Annie  E.  Ells- 
worth, of  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.;  Ionia;  Rebecca 
Susan,  wife  of  Benjamin  Fleming,  of  St.  Joe,  Mo 
Frank  T.,  a  farmer  in  Howell  County,  Mo.;  and 
Ella,  wife  of  B.  F.  Saunders,  of  Salt  Lake  City 
who  is  known  as  the  ' '  cattle  king  ' '  of  the  west 


At  the  time  her  parents  came  west,  Mrs.  Rus- 
sell accompanied  them.  She  was  educated  in 
the  Sacred  Heart  Convent  and  the  Presbyterian 
Female  College  in  St.  Joseph.  Educated  in  the 
Quaker  faith,  she  has  always  adhered  to  its  doc- 
trines, though  not  a  member  of  the  society. 
During  the  Civil  war  she  experienced  all  the 
perils  common  to  the  times,  and  stood  guard  over 
her  own  fireside.  Having  befriended  a  jaw- 
hawking  captain,  the  latter  was  the  means  of 
saving  her  considerable  loss.  To  her  marriage 
four  children  were  born.  The  eldest,  Percj' 
Blackstone,  was  educated  in  Williams  College  and 
the  University  of  Kansas,  and  is  now  pro- 
prietor of  a  plantation  in  Mississippi,  his  home 
being  in  Memphis,  Tenn.  Formerly  he  had 
charge  of  the  building  of  the  Great  Eastern  irri- 
gation canal,  which  his  father  projected  and 
which  rendered  possible  the  opening  to  settle- 
ment of  thousands  of  acres  on  the  Arkansas 
River  between  Deerfield  and  Hartland.  The 
second  son,  Edward  Flint  Russell,  is  a  farmer  in 
Jefferson  County,  Kaus.  The  older  daughter, 
Mary  R. ,  was  educated  in  Elmira  College  in  New 
York  and  became  the  wife  of  Arthur  Peabodj', 
late  of  Lawrence,  now  deceased.  The  youngest 
child,  Ella,  is  a  student  in  the  high  school  of 
Lawrence. 

In  the  contest  over  the  Lecompton  constitution, 
pending  the  vote,  August  3,  1858,  by  order  of 
congress,  it  was  then  that  Mr.  Russell  made  his 
first  canvass  in  the  interests  of  the  abolition  of 
slavery.  At  that  time  his  county  ( Doniphan)  was 
almost  equally  divided  between  the  free  state  and 
slavery  advocates.  In  the  spring  of  1859,  with 
A.  L.  Lee  and  D.  Webster  Wilder,  he  began  the 
publication  of  the  Elwood  Free  Press,  which  he 
assisted  in  publishing  for  a  year.  In  the  spring 
of  1 86 1  he  moved  his  family  on  the  blufis  of  the 
Missouri,  one  mile  west  of  Wathena,  and  there 
planted  an  orchard.  In  1862  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  legislature,  and  as  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  ways  and  means  he  spent 
much  time  in  endeavoring  to  place  the  state  upon 
a  safe  financial  basis  by  means  of  better  laws  of 
taxation.  He  was  re-elected  to  the  legislature  of 
1863  and  again  served  as  chairman  of  the  ways 


I30 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


aud  means  committee.  While  a  member  he  cast 
the  deciding  vote  in  favor  of  I^awrence  as  the 
place  to  establish  the  State  University.  In  the 
spring  of  1863  he  was  appointed  quartermaster- 
general  of  Kansas,  and  this  position,  with 
the  rank  of  colonel,  beheld  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  called  upon  to  provide  for  the  mi- 
litia secured  to  protect  the  border  counties  from 
sudden  invasion  by  Confederates  or  Indians.  As 
acting  paymaster,  he  reluctantly  paid  off  the  de- 
tachments at  Olathe  and  Paola,  in  accordance 
with  the  instructions  of  the  government.  Im- 
mediately afterward,  through  the  neglect  of  some 
one  at  General  Ewing's  headquarters  in  Kansas 
City,  Quantrell's  raid  was  rendered  possible.  He 
paid  off  the  men  and  the  latter  dispersed.  A  few 
days  later,  in  August,  1864,  Quantrell  secretly 
approached  Lawrence  and  in  a  short  time  many 
lives  were  lost  and  the  city  in  ruins.  General 
Russell  was  returning  to  Lawrence  when  he  saw 
some  soldiers  leaving.  He  succeeded  in  escaping 
observation  and,  by  taking  another  road,  entered 
the  city  unobserved,  just  after  the  raid.  From 
1863  to  1 864  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  en- 
rollment, and  in  1864  was  chairman  of  the  state 
Republican  central  committee.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  legislature  in  1865  and  voted  against 
the  re-election  of  United  States  Senator  Lane. 

In  April,  1865,  General  Russell  removed  to 
Leavenworth,  where  he  embarked  in  the  real- 
estate  and  conveyancing  business,  and  in  this  he 
continued  until  1874.  He  was  one  of  the  pro- 
jectors of  the  Leavenworth  Coal  Company,  that 
has  since  become  one  of  the  most  prosperous  con- 
cerns of  Kansas.  In  1872  he  was  elected  auditor 
of  Leavenworth  County.  The  following  year 
Gov.  Thomas  A.  Osborn  appointed  him  superin- 
tendent of  insurance,  and  this  position  he  held 
until  December,  1874.  After  ten  or  more  years 
in  Leavenworth  he  moved  to  Lawrence,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  building  and  real-estate  business 
until  his  death,  although  during  the  last  nine 
years  of  his  life  his  health  was  so  poor  that  he 
was  unable  to  engage  actively  in  business.  His 
connection  with  public  affairs  extended  over 
many  years,  and  brought  him  into  intimacy  with 
all  the  prominent  men  of  Kansas.     He  served  as 


a  member  of  the  legislature  from  Doniphan, 
Douglas  and  Leavenworth  Counties,  and  in  each 
instance  his  service  was  most  satisfactory.  He 
belonged  to  the  first  territorial  legislature,  and 
hence  was  identified  with  Kansas  history  from  its 
territorial  days.  A  man  of  broad  knowledge  and 
deep  insight  into  national  issues,  their  causes, 
and  their  results,  he  was  a  frequent  contributor 
to  newspapers  and  periodicals  and  kept  posted 
concerning  every  problem  brought  before  the 
people.  From  boyhood  he  held  membership  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  for  many 
years  he  was  a  ruling  elder.  He  died  August 
14,  1898,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  Mount 
Muncie  Cemetery  at  Leavenworth. 


SEN.  JAMES  H.  LANE.  The  life  of  this 
remarkable  man  was  inseparably  associated 
with  the  history  of  Kansas  during  the  crit- 
ical period  when  its  fate,  as  a  free  or  slave  state, 
hung  in  the  balance.  Whatever  may  be  said  of 
his  faults  and  mistakes,  it  cannot  be  denied  that 
he  was  for  years  the  leading  free-state  advocate 
in  the  territory,  and  to  his  influence,  more  than 
to  that  of  any  other  man,  the  success  of  the  free- 
state  movement  was  due.  He  was  a  man  of 
powerful  ambitions,  and,  like  Cardinal  Woolsey, 
he  might  have  justly  attributed  much  of  the  dis- 
appointment and  sorrow  of  his  last  days  to  that 
attribute  of  mind  which  had  been  his  guiding 
star  during  all  the  active  years  of  his  tempestu- 
ous life.  At  the  same  time  he  was  a  man  of  great 
personal  courage,  undaunted  in  the  face  of  any 
foe,  and  one  to  whom  the  word  "fear"  had  no 
existence.  He  was  also  a  remarkable  orator, 
perhaps  the  most  eloquent  man  in  the  west  dur- 
ing the  early  days,  and  his  stirring,  eloquent 
speeches  won,  both  in  the  east  and  west,  thou- 
sands of  converts  to  the  free-state  cause.  Many 
men  who  for  years  have  been  among  the  best 
citizens  of  Kansas  were  led  to  cast  in  their  fort- 
unes with  the  people  here,  through  hearing  him 
describe  the  condition  of  affairs  in  the  territory. 
The  passing  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
through  the  state  was  almost  wholly  the  result 
of  his  judicious  management.     At  all  times  loyal 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


to  his  country,  he  was  especially  devoted  to  the 
state  of  his  adoption,  and  in  seeking  its  glory  his 
own  happiness  was  to  be  found. 

General  Lane  was  born  in  Lawrenceburg,  Ind., 
June  22,  1814.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent 
on  his  father's  side,  and  through  his  mother  was 
connected  with  the  Foote  family  of  Connecticut. 
At  the  time  of  the  Mexican  war  he  was  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  law.  He  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  the  Third  Indiana  Infantry  and  raised  a  com- 
pany, of  which  he  was  made  captain.  Later  he 
was  chosen  colonel  of  the  regiment,  which  he 
commanded  in  the  brilliant  campaign  of  General 
Taylor. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  chosen  lieu- 
tenant-governor of  Indiana,  and  in  1852  was 
elected  to  congress,  also  during  the  same  year 
was  an  elector-at-large  on  the  Democratic  ticket. 
He  supported  the  Nebraska  bill,  the  passage  of 
which  rendered  the  re-election  of  its  northern 
Democratic  supporters  very  doubtful.  Realizing 
that  his  political  future  in  Indiana  was  hazardous, 
he  decided  to  cast  his  lot  with  the  territory  whose 
interests  he  had  warmly  espoused.  In  April,  1855, 
he  settled  on  a  claim  adjoining  Lawrence,  which 
continued  to  be  his  home  until  his  death.  Dur- 
ing that  year  he  was  chairman  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  Topeka  convention,  which  in- 
stituted the  first  state  government  in  Kansas,  and 
subsequently  he  was  president  of  the  Topeka  con- 
stitutional convention,  also  was  elected  major- 
general  of  the  free-state  troops.  In  1856  he  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  senate  by  the  legisla- 
ture, which  met  under  the  Topeka  constitution, 
but  the  election  was  not  recognized  by  congress. 
In  1857  he  was  president  of  the  Leavenworth 
constitutional  convention,  and  was  also  elected 
major-general  of  the  Kansas  troops  by  the  terri- 
torial legislature.  The  legislature  of  1861,  which 
convened  in  pursuance  of  the  constitution  under 
which  Kansas  was  admitted  to  the  Union,  elected 
him  to  the  United  States  senate.  In  June,  1861, 
he  was  made  brigadier-general  of  volunteers  and 
commanded  the  Kansas  brigade  in  the  field  for 
four  months.  Again,  in  December,  he  was  nomi- 
nated brigadier- general,  with  a  view  to  com- 
manding an  expedition  in  the  southwest,  but  the 


plan  was  abandoned  and  he  resigned.  After  the 
adjournment  of  congress,  in  July,  1862,  he  was 
commissioned  to  superintend  the  enlistment  of 
troops  in  the  west. 

Upon  first  coming  to  Kansas,  General  Lane 
hoped  to  organize  a  national  Democratic  party 
within  the  borders  of  the  territory,  and  with  this 
object  in  view  he  and  others  of  similar  faith 
met  in  Lawrence  July  27,  1855.  He  was  made 
president  of  the  meeting,  which  passed  resolu- 
tions indorsing  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  and  the 
platform  of  the  national  Democratic  convention 
held  in  Baltimore  in  1852.  This  movement, 
from  which  he  had  hoped  so  much,  touched  no 
responsive  chord  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and 
came  to  naught.  Realizing  that  he  could  hope 
for  no  change  in  that  party,  he  allied  himself 
with  the  free-state  anti-slavery  Republican  forces, 
and  from  that  time  forward  adhered  with  the  zeal 
of  an  enthusiast  to  these  principles.  When  the 
Lecompton  constitution  was  about  to  be  thrust 
upon  the  people  against  their  will,  he  called  a 
public  meeting  almost  at  the  very  doors  of  the 
convention  and  denounced  the  authors  of  the 
constitution  as  tyrants.  With  all  of  his  energy 
he  opposed  the  admission  of  the  state  under  slav- 
ery rule,  and  created  such  a  sentiment  that  the 
secretary  of  the  territory,  in  the  absence  of  the 
governor,  was  forced  to  accede  to  his  demands. 
He  persevered  until  the  legislature  was  convened 
and  the  threatened  disaster  was  averted. 

In  1864-65  General  Lane  was  re-elected  to  the 
United  States  senate.  In  that  body  he  sided  with 
President  Johnson  regarding  the  freedman's  bu- 
reau and  civil  rights  bill.  This  action  on  his 
part  disappointed  his  constituents  and  caused 
many  of  them  to  oppose  him  strongly.  In  June, 
1866,  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Lawrence,  but 
found  that  those  who  had  formerly  yielded  him 
homage  no  longer  looked  up  to  him  as  the  ac- 
knowledged leader  in  public  affairs.  Ill  and  dis- 
heartened, he  started  to  return  to  Washington, 
but  his  illness  became  so  serious  that  at  St.  Louis 
his  physician  advised  his  return  home,  as  he 
was  threatened  with  softening  of  the  brain.  June 
29  he  reached  the  farm  of  his  brother-in-law, 
Captain  McCall,  near  Leavenworth.     On  the  ist 


132 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  July,  while  riding  with  his  brother-in-law  and 
another  gentleman,  he  alighted  at  one  of  the  farm 
gates  and,  exclaiming,  "Good-bye,  gentlemen," 
discharged  a  revolver  in  his  mouth.  The  ball 
passed  out  near  the  center  of  the  cranium.  He 
lingered  until  the  nth,  when  he  passed  into  the 
great  beyond. 

General  Lane's  wife,  who  died  in  Lawrence  in 
1883,  was  a  granddaughter  of  General  Arthur 
St.  Clair,  who  was  born  in  Roslyn  Castle,  a 
grandson  of  the  earl  of  Roslyn,  and  studied  medi- 
cine in  Edinburgh,  coming  to  America  before  the 
Revolutionary  war,  in  which  he  took  a  promi- 
nent part.  Of  the  children  of  General  Lane  and 
his  wife,  a  son  and  daughter  died  in  Lawrence; 
Mrs.  Anna  Johnson  resides  in  Kansas  City,  and 
Thomas  is  living  in  St.  Paul,  Minn. 


HON.  JUSTIN  D.  BOWERSOCK.  Not 
alone  through  his  prominence  in  the  politi- 
cal life  of  Lawrence,  but  also  by  reason  of  his 
identification  with  its  commercial  interests,  Mr. 
BowersoCk  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  influ- 
ential citizens  of  the  city.  Many  of  the  most  im- 
portant business  enterprises  of  the  town  owe  their 
origin  or  their  subsequent  growth  to  his  energy. 
At  this  writing  he  is  president  of  the  Lawrence 
National  Bank,  president  of  the  Bowersock  Mil- 
ling Company  (which  owns  one  of  the  largest  mills 
in  Kansas),  president  of  the  Griffin  Ice  Company 
(which  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  artificial 
ice  and  sells  that  product  as  well  as  natural  ice), 
president  of  the  Kansas  Water  Power  Company, 
president  of  the  Lawrence  Gas  and  Electric  Light 
Company,  and  vice-president  of  the  Lawrence 
Consolidated  Barb  Wire  Company.  He  was  in- 
strumental in  the  organizing  of  the  Commercial 
Club  and  served  as  its  president  for  many  years. 
Born  in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  September 
19,  1842,  the  subject  of  this  article  is  a  son  of  I. 
Bowersock  and  Adaline  (McDonald)  Bowersock, 
natives  respectively  of  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York.  The  former,  who  was  of  Holland-Dutch 
and  Scotch  descent,  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  in  boyhood  and  set- 
tled upon  a  farm.  About  1850  he  removed,  over- 
land, to  Iowa,  settling   in  Iowa   City,  where  for 


years  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  He 
is  now  living  retired,  in  Iowa.  By  his  marriage 
to  Miss  McDonald,  who  was  a  member  of  a  New 
York  family  of  Revolutionary  stock,  he  had  two 
children,  Justin  D.  and  Mrs.  F.  R.  Stewart,  of 
Fostoria,  Ohio.  The  family  lived  for  some  time 
in  Wood  County,  Ohio,  where  our  subject  atten- 
ded school.  In  1863  he  began  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  Iowa  City,  where  he  continued  until 
his  removal  to  Kansas  in  1877.  During  his  res- 
idence in  Iowa  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and 
was  a  large  shipper  of  stock  and  grain  to  Chicago 
and  the  east.  For  several  years  he  was  an  officer 
in  the  local  and  state  lodges  of  the  Good  Temp- 
lars, and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  many 
lodges  of  this  order.  After  coming  to  Lawrence 
he  built  the  Lawrence  paper  mills,  rebuilt  the 
water  power,  built  the  elevators  and  organized 
all  of  the  companies  that  utilize  the  water  power. 
At  the  same  time  he  became  interested  in  bank- 
ing and  organized  the  Douglas  County  (now  the 
Lawrence  National)  Bank,  of  which  he  has  since 
been  president. 

While  the  extensive  business  interests  of  Mr. 
Bowersock  have  necessarily  consumed  much  of 
his  time,  he  has  never  neglected  his  duties  as  a 
citizen,  but  has  kept  in  touch  with  national  prog- 
ress and  has  ever  been  ready  to  aid  in  public  af- 
fairs. The  people  have  signified  their  apprecia- 
tion of  his  worth  by  electing  him  to  offices  of  re- 
sponsibility, in  all  of  which  he  has  endeavored  to 
promote  the  welfare  of  his  constituents.  In  pol- 
itics he  has  allied  himself  with  the  Republican 
party,  the  principles  of  which  he  upholds.  In 
1881  and  1883  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Lawrence. 
Under  his  administration  the  city  was  released 
from  an  indebtedness  of  $100,000  to  the  state.  In 
1887  he  became  a  member  of  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives, and  during  his  term  was  instrumental 
in  securing  the  passage  of  the  Quantrell  raid  re- 
lief bill.  His  service  in  the  lower  house  was  em- 
inently satisfactory  to  his  constituents  and 
brought  him  into  prominence  among  the  public 
men  of  the  state.  In  1895  he  was  elected  to  the 
state  senate  to  succeed  Judge  Thatcher,  deceased. 
Three  years  later  he  was  elected,  by  a  majority  of 
two  thousand,  to  represent  the  second  district  of 


HON.  JOHN   PALMER  USHER. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


135 


Kansas  in  the  United  States  congress.  B3'  his 
ability  and  courtesy  in  the  administration  of  his 
official  duties  he  has  made  himself  deservedly 
popular  with  the  people,  and  is  regarded  by  all 
as  an  able  officer,  as  well  as  a  genial  friend  and 
honorable  gentleman.  He  finds  time,  aside  from 
his  various  interests,  to  superintend  his  farming 
property,  and  to  serve  as  president  of  the  Mer- 
chants' Athletic  Club.  He  is  also  president  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  Plymouth  Congregational 
Church. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Bowersock  took  place  in 
Iowa  City  in  September,  1866,  and  united  him 
with  Miss  Mary  C.  Gower,  whose  father,  James 
H.  Gower,  was  an  early  settler  of  that  city,  a 
leading  banker  and  merchant  there,  and  one  of 
the  most  active  in  the  establishment  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Iowa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowersock  are 
parents  of  four  daughters  and  two  sons.  The  lat- 
ter are  graduates  of  the  law  department  of  -the 
University  of  Kansas  and  one  also  graduated 
from  Harvard  College.  Both  are  now  engaged 
in  active  professional  practice,  one  being  in  Kan- 
sas City,  the  other  in  Lawrence. 


N' 


ON.   JOHN   PALMER  USHER.      In- pre- 
senting to  the   readers  of  this  volume  the 
biography  of  Judge  Usher,  we  areperpetuat- 
S  ing  the  life  record  of  one  who  was  once  prominen  t 

"*  in  the   public    affairs  of   our   countrj'   and  who 

occupied  many  positions  of  honor  and  trust. 
Throughout  his  long  and  eventful  career  he  main- 
tained the  integrity  of  character  and  firmness  of 
convictions  that  were  among  his  most  conspicuous 
traits.  At  a  time  when  our  nation  was  passing 
through  the  darkest  crisis  of  its  existence,  when 
the  perpetuity  of  the  Union  was  threatened  and 
gloom  shrouded  the  future  like  a  heavy  pall,  he 
stood  by  the  side  of  President  Lincoln  as  a  mem- 
ber of  his  cabinet  and  upheld  him  in  every 
decision,  supported  him  in  every  crisis.  To  that 
great  statesman  and  leader  he  remained  faithful 
to  the  last,  and  when  the  assassin's  bullet  termi- 
nated the  remarkable  career  of  the  martyred 
president,  he  stood  by  his  side  as  the  tide  of  life 
ebbed  slowly  out  into  eternity. 


Judge  Usher  was  born  in  New  York,  the  sou  of 
Nathaniel  Usher,  M.  D.,  a  practicing  physician 
in  that  state.  He  received  an  excellent  education 
in  youth  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Albany. 
Desiring  to  seek  a  western  location,  he  went  to 
Indiana,  where  he  opened  an  office  in  Terre 
Haute.  There  and  in  Illinois  he  often  met  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  of  whom  he  was  ever  a  warm  friend 
and  admirer.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  politics 
and  upon  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party  became  an  advocate  of  its  principles.  For 
a  time  he  served  in  the  Indiana  legislature,  later 
was  a  candidate  for  congress,  and  under  Gov- 
ernor Morton  held  office  as  attorney-general  of 
Indiana.  When  Mr.  Lincoln  became  president 
he  chose  Judge  Usher  as  first  assistant  secretary 
of  the  interior,  and  when  Secretary  Smith  re- 
signed, Judge  Usher  was  chosen  to  occupy  his 
seat  in  the  cabinet.  He  continued  to  serve  as 
secretary  of  the  interior  until  after  the  death  of 
Lincoln,  but  resigned  under  President  Johnson. 

After  leaving  Washington,  Judge  Usher  came 
to  Kansas  and  established  his  home  in  Lawrence, 
where  he  erected  a  beautiful  residence  on  Ten- 
nessee street.  From  the  time  of  his  removal  to 
Kansas  until  his  death  he  held  the  position  of 
general  solicitor  for  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad, 
an  office  of  the  greatest  responsibility,  but  one 
which  he  filled  with  recognized  efficiency.  Dur- 
ing the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  spent  his  winters 
in  Florida,  where  he  had  a  winter  home  on  the 
Indian  River  at  Sharp's  Landing.  He  died  in  a 
hospital  at  Philadelphia,  April  13,  1S89,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six  years.  His  death  removed 
from  earth  one  who  had  possessed  the  confidence  of 
the  people,  and  whose  integrity  of  character,  both 
during  and  after  our  great  national  conflict,  and 
whose  fidelity  to  duty,  private  and  public,  was 
never  questioned. 

In  Rockville,  Ind.,  Judge  Usher  married  Miss 
Margaret  A.  Patterson,  sister  of  Judge  Chambers 
Patterson,  who  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  for 
eighteen  years  held  the  office  of  judge  of  courts 
in  Indiana.  Besides  this  brother,  she  had  two 
sisters,  one  of  whom  died  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind., 
the  other  in  New  York,  so  that  of  the  family  she 
alone  survives.     She   was  a  daughter   of  Gen. 


[36 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Arthur  and  Margaret  (Chambers)  Patterson,  na- 
tives respectively  of  Ireland  and  western  Virginia. 
Her  grandfather,  James  Patterson,  brought  the 
family  to  America  and  some  years  afterward 
settled  near  Washington,  Pa. ,  where  he  became 
an  extensive  farmer.  General  Patterson,  who 
commanded  a  body  of  troops  in  the  American 
army  during  the  war  of  1812,  winning  distinction 
as  a  general,  settled  at  old  Fort  Vincennes,  and 
after  that  post  was  abandoned  he  laid  out  Rock- 
ville,  the  county  seat  of  Park  County,  Ind.  He 
was  a  very  prominent  Democrat.  At  one  time 
he  came  within  one  vote  of  being  elected  to  the 
United  States  senate,  and  it  is  said  that  the  vote 
he  lacked  had  been  bought  by  his  opponent.  He 
was  a  warm  friend  of  President  Madison  and 
other  notable  men  of  his  day.  While  visiting  in 
Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  he  died  there.  His  wife  was  a 
daughter  of  Col.  David  Chambers,  a  colonel  in 
the  Revolutionary  war  and  afterward  the  owner 
of  a  large  plantation  in  Virginia,  where  he  died. 
He  had  a  brother,  Maj.  Benjamin  Chambers, 
who  served  under  General  Braddock  at  the  time 
of  the  French  and  Indian  war,  and  was  killed  at 
Braddock' s  defeat. 

Mrs.  Usher  was  born  in  a  log  house  at  Vin- 
cennes, Ind.,  April  15,  1818.  The  home  of  her 
infancy  was  a  primitive  structure,  built  more  for 
defense  than  for  comfort,  and  was  surrounded  by 
a  huge  stockade  intended  as  a  protection  against 
the  Indians.  When  quite  young  she  was  taken 
by  her  parents  to  Rockville.  At  twelve  years  of 
age  she  entered  a  school  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  and 
after  two  years  there  became  a  pupil  in  a  Catholic 
school  at  Bardstown,  Ky.  She  is  a  woman  of 
charitable  disposition,  and  has  always  been  kind 
to  the  needy  and  a  friend  to  the  suffering.  Since 
the  death  of  her  husband  she  has  continued  these 
helpful  charities.  Her  heart  is  especially  tender 
toward  friendless  children,  and  many  a  poor  waif 
or  orphan  has  been  clothed  and  educated  by  her, 
and  given  a  start  in  the  world  through  her  timely 
aid.  She  attends  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
contributes  toward  its  maintenance.  Since  her 
husband's  demise  she  has  continued  to  occupy 
their  home  in  Lawrence  and  has  maintained  a 
supervision  over  their  property  interests.    Of  her 


four  sons,  Arthur  died  in  Lawrence;  John  P. 
lives  in  Kansas  City;  Linton  is  a  cattleman  in 
New  Mexico;  and  Samuel  C,  a  graduate  of  the 
Lawrence  schools,  is  with  his  mother. 


r)EV.  RICHARD  CORDLEY,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 
U\  To  this  gentleman,  often  alluded  to  as  the 
r  \  "father"  of  the  Congregational  Church  in 
Lawrence,  belongs  the  distinction  of  being  the 
oldest  minister,  in  point  of  years  of  active  service, 
in  the  entire  state  of  Kansas.  To  write  his 
biography  is  to  write  a  history  of  the  Plymouth 
Church.  This  congregation  was  organized  in 
September,  1854,  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Home  Missionary  Society  of  New  York,  who 
sent  Rev.  S.  Y.  Lum  as  missionary.  Services 
for  some  time  were  held  in  private  houses  or 
stores  and  in  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel.  In  the 
spring  of  1856  a  church  building  was  commenced 
(40  X  65)  of  limestone,  but  this  was  not  com- 
pleted until  1862.  It  was  situated  on  Louisiana 
and  Pinckney  streets,  and  cost  $8,000. 

Meantime  four  young  gentlemen  had  been 
studying  theology  in  Andover  Seminary  in 
Massachusetts,  from  which  they  graduated  in 
1857  with  the  degree  of  B.  D.  It  had  been  their 
custom  to  meet  regularly  in  their  rooms  and  plan 
for  their  future  work  in  the  west.  They  were 
pledged  to  take  'up  work  in  a  new  and  difficult 
field,  and  were  known  as  the  Andover- Kansas 
band.  They  carried  out  their  plans,  one  going  to 
Leavenworth,  another  to  Emporia  and  the  third 
to  what  is  now  Kansas  City.  The  fourth  young 
man,  who  forms  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  came 
to  Lawrence,  arriving  here  December  2,  1857. 
He  found  an  uncompleted  church,  with  a  mem- 
bership of  twenty-two.  Immediately  taking  up 
the  work  here,  under  his  efficient  ministrations 
the  congregation  grew  and  met  with  continuous 
prosperity  until  the  time  of  the  Quantrell  raid. 
He  had  been  so  outspoken  in  his  denunciation  of 
slavery  that  he  was  a  marked  man  among  pro- 
slavery  sympathizers.  When  the  mob  entered 
the  city  they  first  passed  along  Massachusetts 
street,  and  as  his  home  was  on  New  York  street, 
four  blocks  away,    he  was  warned   in  time  to 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


'37 


escape  and  fled  to  the  river,  thus  saving  his  life. 
The  church,  however,  was  not  so  fortunate;  six- 
teen of  the  members  were  killed  and  all  suffered 
heavy  losses  financially.  This  proved  a  serious 
blow  to  the  little  flock,  and  when  the  survivors 
met  in  the  church,  the  second  day  after  the  raid, 
they  were  a  sorrowful  band  and  faced  a  gloomy 
future.  However,  the  period  of  depression  in 
time  gave  way  to  a  period  of  hope  and  prosperity, 
which  has  continued  to  the  present.  In  1868, 
the  congregation  having  grown  rapidly,  a  new 
edifice  was  begun.  The  structure  that  was 
erected  was,  at  the  time  of  building,  one  of  the 
largest  and  finest  of  its  kind  in  the  state,  costing, 
with  pipe  organ,  about  $45,000.  It  occupies  a 
splendid  location  on  Vermont  street,  between 
Warren  and  Berkeley,  and  is  the  home  of  an 
earnest,  busy  congregation,  numbering  more 
than  five  hundred  members. 

The  Cordley  family  is  of  English  origin.  The 
doctor's  father,  James,  and  grandfather,  Richard, 
were  natives  of  Lincolnshire.  The  former  was 
engaged  in  business  in  Nottingham,  but  in  1833 
brought  his  family  to  America,  spending  ten 
weeks  in  the  voyage  from  Hull  to  Quebec,  thence 
going  to  Whitehall  and  Utica,  and  by  canal, 
after  two  weeks,  to  Buffalo,  from  there  to 
Detroit,  and  thence  by  ox-teams  and  wagons  to 
the  frontier,  settling  near  Hamburg,  Livingston 
County,  Mich.  By  care  and  constant  toil  he  im- 
proved one  of  the  finest  estates  in  his  section, 
the  property  being  made  more  valuable  by  the 
Cordley  lake.  He  died  in  186S,  at  the  age  of 
eighty  j'ears,  having  spent  his  last  daj's  with  his 
son  in  Lawrence.  He  was  a  firm  believer  in 
abolition  and  became  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party  on  its  organization.  In  his  native 
land  he  had  been  connected  with  the  Church  of 
England,  but  after  settling  in  Michigan  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 
He  built  the  first  schoolhouse  in  his  vicinity  and 
was  interested  in  educational  work.  The  farm 
which  he  owned  is  now  the  property  of  de- 
scendants. 

The  wife  of  James  Cordley  was  Ann  Minta, 
who  was  born  in  Ropsley,  Lincolnshire,  where 
her  father,  Thomas  Minta,  was  proprietor  of  a 


farm  of  six  hundred  acres  and  was  a  very  pros- 
perous and  prominent  man.  The  history  of  the 
Minta  family  in  England  dates  back  to  about 
1700,  when  an  Italian  family  of  that  name  was 
forced  to  flee  from  Italy  for  political  reasons  and 
sought  a  home  in  England.  All  who  bore  the 
name  were  respected  and  honorable.  Thomas 
Minta  died  in  1816.  His  daughter,  Ann,  was 
educated  in  the  Grantham  boarding  school  and 
was  a  woman  of  fine  mind.  She  died  in  1886, 
when  nearly  ninety  years  of  age.  Of  her  ten 
children  six  sons  attained  manhood.  Christopher 
M.,  the  eldest,  graduated  from  Andover  Theo- 
logical Seminary  and  entered  the  Congregational 
ministry  in  Massachusetts,  dying  while  pastor  at 
Lawrence,  that  state.  James,  who  is  a  manu- 
facturer of  organs,  resides  in  Crawford  County, 
Pa.  John  died  in  Ann  Arbor.  William,  a 
teacher,  died  in  Michigan,  and  Charles  died  at 
the  old  homestead. 

Dr.  Cordley  was  born  in  Nottingham,  England, 
September  6,  1829.  He  was  a  child  of  four  years 
when  the  family  came  to  America.  From  boy- 
hood he  was  ambitious  to  acquire  knowledge, 
and,  by  his  personal  efforts,  he  secured  the 
money  necessary  for  his  college  education.  In 
1850  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  from 
which  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in 
1854.  Three  years  later  he  received  the  degree 
of  A.  M.  Immediately  after  leaving  the  univer- 
sity he  entered  Andover,  where  he  took  the  com- 
plete course,  graduating  in  1857.  From  that 
time  until  1875  he  was  in  charge  of  the  church  in 
Lawrence,  Kan.  In  1875,  being  overworked 
here  and  feeling  the  need  of  a  change,  he 
accepted  a  call  to  Flint,  Mich.,  where  he 
remained  for  three  years.  He  then  spent  six 
years  as  pastor  of  the  church  at  Emporia,  Kans. , 
and  while  there  superintended  the  building  of 
a  handsome  stone  edifice.  From  Emporia  he 
returned  to  Lawrence,  it  being  understood  that  it 
was  to  be  only  a  vacation,  but  he  has  continued 
here  to  the  present.  Since  his  return  here  the 
parsonage  was  built,  at  a  cost  of  almost  $5,000. 
In  1873  he  received  the  degree  of  D.  D.  from  the 
University  of  Kansas. 

May  19,  1859,  in  Hamburg,  Mich.,  Dr.  Cordley 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


married  Mary  Minta  Cox,  who  was  born  in  Not- 
tingham, England,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Minta)  Cox.  Her  father  was  a  business 
man  of  Nottingham,  where  he  died.  He  had 
ten  children,  of  whom  two  daughters  alone  sur- 
vive. When  fourteen  years  of  age  Mrs.  Cordley 
came  to  the  United  States  with  relatives.  She 
was  educated  in  the  Ypsilanti  Ladies'  Seminary, 
where  she  completed  the  course.  In  all  the  work 
started  by  her  husband  she  has  been  ready  to 
assist  and  her  counsel  and  sympathy  have  been  of 
the  greatest  encouragement  to  him.  They  had 
an  adopted  daughter,  who  married  W.  E.  Griffith 
and  died  at  Lawrence  when  thirty  years  of  age, 
leaving  two  sons,  Richard  Cordley  and  Alfred 
M.,  who  were  left  by  their  mother  with  their 
grandparents. 

For  twenty  years  Dr.  Cordley  was  a  member  of 
the  school  board  of  Lawrence,  and  from  18S5  to 
1891  he  served  as  its  president.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  building  committee  at  the  time  of  the 
erection  of  the  high  school  and  Central  school, 
and  has  always  been  interested  in  educational 
work.  The  University  of  Kansas,  too,  received 
the  impetus  of  his  support  in  the  early  days,  when 
its  friends  were  far  less  numerous  than  now.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  Washburn  College, 
Topeka,  he  and  the  three  other  young  men  of  the 
Andover- Kansas  band  having  conceived  the  idea 
of  such  a  school  and  aiding  in  starting  it  in  1858. 
From  that  time  to  this  he  has  been  a  trustee.  In 
1 87 1  he  was  elected  president  of  the  college,  but 
declined,  preferring  to  remain  iu  the  ministry. 
From  1867  to  1872  he  was  a  regent  of  the  State 
Agricultural  College  at  Manhattan.  He  was  also 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Dunlap 
Academy,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  Chicago  Theological  Seminary.  During  the 
war  he  was  mustered  into  the  Third  Kansas 
Militia  and  served  at  the  time  of  Price's  raid, 
after  which  he  was  mustered  out.  He  is  now  a 
member  of  Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R., 
of  which  he  held  the  office  of  chaplain  for  many 
years.  His  wife  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Ladies'  Circle,  G.  A.  R.  Several  times  he  has 
been  moderator  of  the  Congregational  Association 
in  Kansas,  of  which  he  is  the  oldest  member  now 


living.  During  1891  he  was  one  of  six  hundred 
delegates  to  the  International  Council  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  in  London,  where  he  read  a 
paper  on  the  liquor  traffic.  His  wife  accompanied 
him  on  this  trip  and  they  spent  three  months 
abroad,  visiting  Great  Britain,  France  and  Bel- 
gium, and  returning  via  Antwerp  to  New  York. 


gEN.  JOHN  N.  ROBERTS,  a  resident  of 
Lawrence  for  the  past  thirty  years,  was  born 
at  Mecca,  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  July  3, 
1838,  of  parents  who  in  early  life  moved  from 
near  Hartford,  Conn.,  to  Trumbull  County, 
Ohio.  He  is  of  Scotch  descent,  and  traces  his  lin- 
eage to  a  Scotch  Highlander,  Major  Roberts,  an 
officer  in  the  British  army,  who  came  to  this 
country  in  the  seventeenth  century.  His  grand- 
father served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  as  a  mem- 
ber of  a  body  of  dragoons  known  as  the  Scotch 
Highlanders.  Mr.  Roberts  is  skilled  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  engines  and  machinery,  having  learned 
his  trade  in  his  father's  factory  in  Ohio.  This 
knowledge  of  machiner}^  he  has  turned  to  good 
account  as  a  manufacturer,  to  which  occupation 
he  has  given  his  entire  business  life,  and  in  which 
he  has  met  with  gratifying   success. 

In  April,  1861,  in  response  to  Lincoln's  first 
call  for  troops,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
Nineteenth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  with  this  regi- 
ment was  mustered  into  the  army  at  Columbus, 
Ohio,  for  ninety  days.  This  regiment  was  as- 
signed to  the  army  under  command  of  General 
McClellan,  and  served  in  western  Virginia,  taking 
part  in  the  battles  of  Rich  Mountain  and  Beverlj' 
Ford,  where  the  Confederate  General  Garnett  was 
killed  and  his  army  captured.  Upon  being  mus- 
tered out  by  reason  of  expiration  of  term  of  serv- 
ice he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Sixth  Ohio  Cav- 
alry, which  in  October,  1861,  was  mustered  into 
service  for  three  years.  In  this  regiment  he  was 
commissioned  first  lieutenant  of  Company  G.  In 
August,  1863,  he  was  transferred  and  promoted 
to  be  captain  of  Compan}'  D,  same  regiment,  and 
in  November,  1864,  was  commissioned  major  of 
the  regiment. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  Cavalry  Corps, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


r39 


Army  of  the  Potomac,  commanded  first  by  Gen- 
eral Stoneman,  then  by  General  Pleasanton,  and 
during  the  last  eighteen  months  of  the  war,  bj- 
the  matchless  Phil  Sheridan,  the  Sixth  Ohio 
Volunteer  Cavalry  was  assigned  to  that  organi- 
zation and  served  therein  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  taking  part  in  the  many  battles  and  raids 
which  have  made  that  organization  famous  and 
the  name  of  Phil  Sheridan  immortal.  June  21, 
1863,  Mr.  Roberts  was  \'ery  severely  wounded 
while  taking  part  in  a  cavalrj^  charge  at  Upper- 
ville,  Va. ,  but  remained  in  the  army  until  the 
winter  of  1864-65,  when,  by  reason  of  the  expira- 
'  tion  of  his  term  of  service,  and  on  account  of  the 
trouble  he  was  having  with  his  wound,  he  retired 
from  the  army. 

About  two  j'ears  after  leaving  the  army  he  was 
married  at  Warren,  Ohio,  to  Miss  Emily  S.  Sut- 
liff,  the  daughter  of  an  attorney;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Roberts  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Belle  Bran- 
don, now  the  wife  of  H.  1,.  Armstrong,  who  re- 
sides at  Topeka,  Kans. 

Mr.  Roberts  was  elected  as  the  candidate  of  the 
Republican  party  to  the  legislature  and  served 
during  the  regular  session  of  1885  and  the  special 
session  of  1886.  In  1889  he  was  appointed  adju- 
tant-general of  Kansas  and  held  that  office  for  four 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  a 
charter  member  and  first  commander  of  Washing- 
ton Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R. ,  Department  of  Kan- 
sas, and  a  companion  of  the  first  class  of  the  mil- 
itary order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United 
States. 

HON.  DUDLEY  C.  HASKELL,  deceased, 
was  long  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  figures 
in  the  public  life  of  Kansas.  Thoroughly 
conversant  with  political  economy  and  the  social 
problems  of  his  age,  his  recognition  as  a  political 
leader  was  a  tribute  to  his  intelligence  and  ability. 
In  1872,  1875  and  1876  he  was  elected  to  the 
Kansas  house  of  representatives,  and  during  the 
last  session  served  as  speaker,  for  which  difiicult 
position  he  was  peculiarly  adapted.  While  always 
adhering  with  steadfastness  to  the  fundamental 
principles  of  the  Republican  party,  he  never  dis- 
played narrow  partisanship,  but  was  broad  and 


liberal  in  his  views,  and  impartial  in  his  rulings. 
In  the  fall  of  1876  he  was  elected  to  congress 
from  the  second  congressional  district,  receiving 
a  majority  of  forty-six  hundred  and  eighty.  In 
1878  he  was  re-elected  by  a  larger  majority  than 
before.  Again  in  1880  and  1882  he  was  returned 
to  his  seat  in  congress,  in  which  body  he  was 
serving  at  the  time  of  his  death,  December  16, 
1S83.  Though  participating  in  general  legisla- 
tion, his  most  lasting  service  as  congressman  was 
in  connection  with  his  work  as  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  Indian  aflFairs.  It  was  due  to  his 
efforts  that  an  Indian  school  was  established  in 
Lawrence.  This  school,  known  as  Haskell  In- 
stitute, bears  his  name  and  is  a  permanent  monu- 
ment to  the  forethought  of  its  projector. 

Born  in  Springfield,  Vt.,  March  23,  1842,  Dud- 
ley C.  Haskell  was  a  son  of  Franklin  Haskell 
and  a  brother  of  John  G.  Haskell,  of  Lawrence. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  came  to  Kansas  with 
his  mother.  He  was  of  heroic  mould,  showing 
from  earliest  boyhood  a  fearless  spirit  and  a  love 
for  his  country,  and  hence  he  was  fitted  for  life 
on  the  frontier,  during  the  period  days  of  border 
warfare.  In  Lawrence  he  could  have  few  advan- 
tages, for  the  town  was  new  and  its  schools  poor, 
being  provided  with  none  of  the  facilities  of  the 
present  day.  He  first  studied  in  a  building  where 
Miller's  hall  now  stands  and  afterward  attended 
the  first  public  school  in  Lawrence,  held  in  the 
basement  of  the  Unitarian  Church.  His  father 
died  in  January,  1857,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year 
he  entered  school  in  Springfield,  Vt.,  but  re- 
turned in  1858  aud  began  in  business.  In  the 
spring  of  1859  he  went  to  Colorado,  where  he 
prospected  and  mined,  meeting  with  many  rough 
experiences,  and  finding  but  little  gold.  At  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  returned  to  Kansas 
and  enlisted  in  the  service,  being  for  a  year 
master  of  transportation  in  the  quartermaster's 
department  and  spending  most  of  the  time  in 
southwestern  Missouri,  western  Arkansas,  south- 
eastern Kansas  and  the  Indian  Territory.  Owing 
to  the  presence  of  bushwhackers,  for  whom  the 
timbered  regions  afforded  excellent  protection, 
the  most  constant  vigilance  was  required,  and  as 
master  of  transportation  his  position  was  a  most 


[40 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


responsible  one.  He  was  also  chief  of  forage 
parties  whose  dutj'  it  was  to  scour  the  country 
for  supplies,  a  very  hazardous  service.  He  was 
present  in  the  battles  of  Newtonia,  Mo.,  Cane 
Hill  and  Prairie  Grove,  Ark.  In  positions  of 
danger  he  was  as  calm  and  collected  as  when  at 
home. 

Upon  the  completion  of  a  long  campaign,  in 
January,  1863,  Mr.  Haskell  left  the  service  and 
entered  Williston  Seminary,  at  East  Hampton, 
Mass. ,  where  he  completed  his  education.  L,ater 
he  entered  Yale  College,  where  he  completed  the 
scientific  course  in  November,  1865.  On  his  re- 
turn to  Lawrence  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business,  continuing  until  the  fall  of  1876,  when 
he  began  his  life  as  a  public  official  in  the  lower 
house  of  congress.  He  was  a  man  possessing 
many  attractive  traits  of  character.  His  sym- 
pathies were  always  on  the  side  of  the  people, 
hence  he  was  popular  with  them.  Nor  did  he 
ever  betray  a  confidence  reposed  in  him  or  prove 
himself  unworthy  of  his  high  office.  When  the 
occasion  demanded  public  speech  it  proved  him 
the  possessor  of  eloquence,  that  '  'gift  of  the  gods' ' 
so  desirable  to  one  in  public  life.  As  a  speaker, 
he  was  strong,  forcible  and  convincing,  and  the 
effect  of  his  logical  arguments  was  heightened  by 
his  commanding  presence  and  fine  physique. 

At  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  in  December,  1865, 
Mr.  Haskell  married  Miss  Hattie  M.  Kelsey, 
who,  with  their   two   daughters,   survives  him. 


|5^ELSON  O.  STEVENS.  Among  those  who 
yl  have  acted  in  the  capacity  of  traveling  audi- 
I  Ui  tor  of  the  southern  Kansas  division  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  system, 
few  have  filled  the  position  so  efficientl}'  and  none 
has  held  it  so  long  as  did  Mr.  Stevens.  It  was 
in  1884  that  he  became  connected  with  the  com- 
pany in  this  office,  which  he  held  for  eight  years 
and  four  months,  a  much  longer  period  than  it 
has  ever  been  held  by  any  other  man.  The  posi- 
tion was  one  of  great  responsibility,  and  taxed 
both  the  mental  and  physical  powers  of  a  man. 
The  division  included,  at  the  time  he  resigned, 
eleven  hundred  miles,  and  during  the  entire  time 


of  his  service  there  were  three  days  and  three 
nights  of  every  week  that  he  never  took  his 
clothes  off,  but  had  to  snatch  a  little  rest  and  sleep 
now  and  then  as  he  had  a  moment's  leisure. 
Four  times  he  presented  his  resignation  to  the 
company,  feeling  that  the  work  was  a  heavier 
burden  than  he  could  bear,  but  each  time  they 
refused  to  part  with  him,  believing  him  to  be  too 
valuable  an  officer  to  lose.  Finally,  however, 
his  fifth  resignation  was  accepted,  January  1,1893, 
since  which  time  there  have  been  four  traveling 
auditors  in  his  former  division. 

A  son  of  Capt.  James  T.  Stevens,  late  of  Law- 
rence, the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
Princeton,  111.,  May  11,  1854.  He  was  thirteen 
years  of  age  at  the  time  the  family  left  Illinois  for 
Kansas,  settling  in  the  city  of  Lawrence.  He 
graduated  from  the  high  school  in  1873  and  later 
from  McCauley's  Commercial  College.  After- 
ward he  became  local  editor  and  business  man- 
ager of  the  Spirit  of  A'ansas,  which  position  he 
held  until  he  was  elected  county  clerk  in  1879. 
He  filled  this  office  with  such  efficiency  that,  in 
1881,  he  was  re-elected  by  double  the  majority 
he  had  ever  received,  and  continued  in  office  until 
January,  1884.  Just  prior  to  his  election  as 
county  clerk,  in  September,  1879,  he  was  elected 
secretary  of  the  Kansas  Valley  Fair,  and  filled  the 
position  until  after  the  fair  held  that  fall,  when  he 
resigned.  Shortly  after  he  retired  from  the 
county  clerk's  office  he  became  traveling  auditor 
of  the  Santa  Fe  road.  Since  his  retirement  from 
the  latter  position  he  has  given  his  attention  to  the 
supervision  of  his  various  property  and  moneyed 
interests,  and  has  recently  been  devoting  consid- 
erable attention  to  the  oversight  of  the  building 
of  his  elegant  residence,  a  fine  structure  with 
modern  appointments,  on  the  corner  of  Louisiana 
and  Pinckney  streets.  At  this  writing  he  is  treas- 
urer of  the  Lawrence  Commercial  Club,  and  sec- 
retary and  treasurer  of  the  Lawrence  Vitrified 
Brick  and  Tile  Company. 

In  politics  Mr.  Stevens  has  always  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  party,  and  believing  in  its 
principles,  he  has  always  zealously  advocated 
them.  He  is  identified  with  the  Plymouth  Con- 
gregational Church  and  a  member  of  its  choir. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


His  marriage,  in  Lawrence,  March  22,  1882, 
united  him  with  Miss  Lucetta  Duncan,  who  was 
born  in  this  city,  daughter  of  Wesley  H.  Duncan, 
a  poineer  of  1855  in  Kansas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stev- 
ens have  two  children,  Lois  E.  and  Myra. 


HON.  G.  R.  GOULD,  mayor  of  Lawrence, 
was  born  in  Kenosha,  near  Racine,  Wis., 
September  10,  1843,  and  was  the  only  son 
among  three  children,  whose  father  died  when 
the  son  was  three  years  of  age.  Left  an  orphan 
at  a  very  early  age  he  was  obliged  to  become 
self-supporting  at  a  time  when  most  boys  are  at- 
tending school.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  near 
Brighton,  Rock  County,  and  began  to  work  as 
soon  as  he  was  large  enough  to  push  a  plow. 
During  two  winters  he  attended  school,  but  with 
that  exception  he  had  no  educational  advantages 
whatever,  and  the  broad  knowledge  he  has  ac- 
quired is  the  result  of  self-culture. 

In  186 1,  at  Janesville,  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  Company  A,  Thirteenth  Wisconsin  Infantry, 
and  was  at  once  ordered  west,  going  to  Fort 
Leavenworth,  Fort  Scott,  Lawrence  and  Fort 
Riley.  In  1862  he  joined  the  army  of  the  Cum- 
berland, and  served  successively  under  Sherman, 
Logan,  McPherson  and  Thomas.  He  took  part 
in  the  battle  of  Lookout  Mountain  and  the  sec- 
ond engagement  at  Fort  Donelson,  and,  being 
sent  to  head  off  Hood,  fought  in  the  three  days' 
battle  at  Decatur,  Ala.,  where  the  regiment  saw 
some  hard  service.  Later  he  took  part  in  various 
campaigns.  Finally  he  was  sent  to  Indianola, 
Tex.,  and  remained  there  until  1865.  He  was 
mustered  out  in  January,  1866,  after  a  service  of 
four  and  one-half  years. 

Returning  to  Lawrence  in  the  spring  of  1866, 
Mr.  Gould  became  identified  with  this  growing 
town.  At  first  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Wilson  &  Gould,  which  set  out  a  nurserj^  west 
of  town.  After  two  3'ears  he  was  employed  as 
manager  of  Fish  Brothers'  wagons,  and  in  time 
became  a  partner  of  A.  C.  Fish  in  the  wholesale 
and  retail  wagon  business,  which  he  conducted 
prosperously  for  six  years.  He  then  embarked 
in  the  agricultural  implement  business,  at  the 


same  time  handling  wagons  and  carriages,  and 
representing  the  Mitchell  &  Lewis  Wagon  Com- 
pany, the  J.  I.  Case  Threshing  Machine  Com- 
pany, and  also  carrying  Moline  plows  and  Janes- 
ville machines.  At  Nos.  924-926  Massachusetts 
street  he  erected  a  two-story  building,  50x117, 
which  he  now  occupies.  In  point  of  years  of 
business  experience  he  is  the  oldest  implement 
and  wagon  dealer  in  the  city. 

In  Rock  County,  Wis.,  in  November,  1866,  Mr. 
Gould  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Macomber,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but  was  reared  in 
Wisconsin.  The}'  have  three  children,  G.  R., 
Jr. ,  who  is  engaged  in  the  agricultural  implement 
business  at  Baxter  Springs,  Kans. ;  Ada  S.,  wife 
of  E.  S.  Meade,  of  Lawrence;  and  Grace,  who  is 
with  her  parents. 

Politically  Mr.  Gould  has  always  been  a  Re- 
publican. For  four  terms  he  represented  the 
third  ward  in  the  common  council,  for  four  years 
served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and  for 
a  similar  period  was  city  treasurer.  In  1897  he 
was  elected  mayor  by  seven  hundred  majority, 
taking  the  oath  of  office  in  May,  1897,  for  two 
years.  He  was  re-elected  in  April,  1899.  Dur- 
ing his  administrations  many  improvements,  es- 
pecialh'  in  curbing,  have  been  made.  In  the  fall 
of  1 866  he  became  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  4, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  with  which  he  is  still  connected,  and 
he  is  also  a  past  ofiScer  in  the  encampment.  He 
is  a  member  of  Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R. 
His  wife  is  identified  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  he  is  a  Sunday-school  teacher 
in  the  Lutheran  Church,  toward  which  denom- 
ination he  inclines. 


HENRY  JANSEN,  a  resident  of  Leavenworth 
since  1866,  is  in  charge  of  an  insurance  and 
steamship  agency  at  No.  210  South  Fourth 
street,  and  represents  the  North  American,  Com- 
mercial Union,  New  Hampshire  and  Manchester 
insurance  companies.  He  was  born  November 
29,  1839,  under  the  Danish  flag,  in  Schleswig- 
Holstein,  now  a  part  of  the  German  empire.  He 
was  the  younger  of  two  children  born  to  the 
union  of  Hans  J.  and  Tepke  (Pahl)  Jansen,  the 


142 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


former  a  native  of  Schleswig-Holstein  and  a 
farmer  and  gardener  there,  where  he  died  at  sev- 
enty-two years  of  age.  In  religion  he  was  of  the 
Lutheran  faith.  His  older  son,  Prof.  Christian 
H.  Jansen,  -Ovas  a  school  teacher  in  the  old  coun- 
try and  died  there. 

At  sixteen  years  of  age  Henry  Jansen  began  to 
teach  school  and  continued  teaching  until  1862, 
when  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Company,  Fif- 
teenth Danish  Infantry,  and  continued  to  serve 
in  it  for  two  years,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. In  the  fall  of  1865  he  came  to  America 
and  settled  in  Scott  County,  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  following  year.  The  year  1866 
found  him  in  Leavenworth,  his  present  home. 
He  became  manager  of  the  Turner  Hall,  which 
position  he  held  for  five  years,  and  then  turned 
his  attention  to  the  insurance  business,  in  which 
he  has  since  engaged.  In  national  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat.  From  1889  to  1893  he  served  as 
city  treasurer,  and  in  1894  he  was  president  of 
the  board  of  police  commissioners  of  Leaven- 
worth. Since  1866  he  has  been  identified  with 
the  Turn  Verein,  and  for  a  time  was  its  secretary. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias. 

In  Leavenworth  Mr.  Jansen  married  Miss 
Emily  Kumm,  who  was  born  in  Germany  and 
died  in  this  city  in  1888.  Afterward  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Fort  Worth,  Tex. ,  to  Mrs.  Mary  F.  Joyce, 
of  Toledo.  By  his  first  marriage  he  has  two 
daughters  and  a  son,  viz.:  Mrs.  Augusta  Feller, 
of  Leavenworth;  Mrs.  Mamie  Cerletti,  also  of 
this  city;  and  Harry,  who  in  1898  enlisted  in 
Company  C,  Twentieth  Kansas  Infantry,  and  has 
since  served  as  corporal,  being  now  stationed  at 
Manila,  in  the  Philippine  Islands. 


EOL.  THOMAS  MOONLIGHT.  During 
the  Civil  war,  when  Kansas,  by  virtue  of  its 
position  and  previous  history,  became  the 
centre  of  an  exciting  train  of  incidents,  simultane- 
ous, yet  not  directly  connected,  with  the  con- 
flicts in  the  east,  one  of  the  principal  figures  in 
military  circles  was  Colonel  Moonlight,  who, 
through  his  valor  and  mastery  of  the  art  of  war, 


rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel  and  was  made  a  brevet 
brigadier-general.  His  name  is  inseparably  as- 
sociated with  the  war  history  of  Kansas,  and  he 
did  much  to  secure  for  the  Union  a  success  in 
arms  that  contributed  toward  the  fall  of  the  con- 
federacy. 

A  Scotchman  by  birth  (born  in  Forfarshire, 
near  Arbroath),  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  and,  being 
obliged  to  earn  his  own  livelihood,  he  developed 
qualities  of  self-reliance  and  determination  that 
were  noticeable  in  his  subsequent  military  career. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  came  to  America,  where 
he  worked  for  his  board  while  he  attended  school. 
In  1854  he  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Artillery  and 
served  as  an  orderly  sergeant  in  the  Florida  war. 
He  fought  Indians  in  Florida,  Texas  and  Kansas, 
and  was  mustered  out  at  Fort  Leavenworth  in 
1858.  Afterward  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
Kickapoo  Township.  When  the  Civil  war  began 
he  raised  a  battery  and  was  assigned  to  Lane's 
brigade.     In  time  he  was  commissioned  colonel. 

The  name  of  Colonel  Moonlight  is  written  on 
nearly  every  page  of  the  history  of  the  war  in 
Kansas,  Missouri  and  the  trans- Mississippi  coun- 
trj'.  One  incident,  which  shows  his  bravery  in 
battle,  is  as  follows:  When  Price,  with  aboxit 
fifteen  thousand  men,  made  his  last  raid  in  south- 
western Missouri  in  1864,  Colonel  Moonlight, 
with  one  regiment,  marched  to  Mound  City,  Lynn 
County,  just  within  the  Kansas  border.  Early 
one  morning  he  hastened  out  of  Mound  City  and 
found  Price  and  his  army  stretched  out  in  line. 
Forming  his  regiment  on  a  mound,  disobeying 
orders,  he  launched  it  at  the  enemy,  himself  at 
the  head  of  his  men.  It  was  apparently  a  reck- 
less thing  to  do,  yet  it  accomplished  its  object  and 
proved  his  wisdom  and  foresight.  Price's  army 
was  cut  in  two  and  was  so  demoralized  that  it 
lost  heart  and  soon  became  disintegrated. 

After  the  war  was  over  Colonel  Moonlight  be- 
came prominent  in  the  politics  of  Kansas.  In 
1868  he  was  elected  secretary  of  state.  He  had 
hitherto  been  a  Republican,  but,  dissatisfied  with 
the  action  of  the  Republican  party  in  the  impeach- 
ment of  Andrew  Johnson,  he  transferred  his  al- 
legiance to  the  Democracy.     However,  the  Demo- 


^^ 


^C?M^^^'  1. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


145 


crats  were  in  the  miiioritj-  in  Kansas,  and  he  was 
therefore  defeated  in  his  candidacy  for  offices  on 
that  ticket,  with  the  exception  of  an  occasional 
election  to  the  legislature.  He  was  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  governor  and  was  defeated 
when  John  A.  Martin  ran  for  a  second  term.  He 
was  also  defeated  for  congress  in  the  first  district 
bj'  Case  Broderick.  He  was  offered  the  Candida - 
cj^  for  governor  in  1 8S2  but  refused,  and  George 
Click  was  nominated.  At  the  election  Glick  was 
successful,  being  the  first  Democrat  who  was  ever 
elected  governor  of  Kansas.  Colonel  Moonlight 
was  appointed  adjutant-general  under  that  ad- 
ministration. When  Cleveland  became  president 
in  1884  he  was  appointed  governor  of  Wyoming, 
and  under  the  second  administration  of  Cleveland 
he  was  chosen  minister  to  Bolivia.  On  his  return 
from  South  America,  in  March,  1898,  he  settled 
upon  a  ranch  near  Leavenworth.  He  passed  away 
February  7,  1899,  at  Leavenworth.  His  wife 
died  March  7,  1894.  They  left  three  daughters 
and  a  son.  The  oldest  daughter  is  the  wife  of 
Bennett  Brown,  of  Huntington,  Ark.,  superin- 
tendent of  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Coal 
Company  there.  Another  daughter  is  the  wife 
of  E.  E.  Murphy,  of  Leavenworth;  and  the  third 
is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Haussermann,  first  lieutenant 
in  the  Twentieth  Kansas  Volunteers,  now  at 
Manila.  The  son,  Walter  Moonlight,  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Twentieth  Kansas  Volunteers,  in 
service  in  Manila,  during  the  Spanish-American 
war. 


^OL.  D.  R.  ANTHONY.  From  the  time  of 
I  (  his  settlement  in  Leavenworth,  in  June, 
\J  1857,  to  the  present  day,  Colonel  Anthony 
has  been  inseparably  connected  with  the  history 
of  the  city.  In  fact,  it  would  be  impossible  to 
give  an  accurate  account  of  the  one  without  fre- 
quent allusion  to  the  other.  As  mayor  during 
the  exciting  days  of  the  war,  he  was  placed  in  a 
peculiarly  trying  position,  and  one  which  called 
for  courage,  determination,  thorough  familiarity 
with  state  and  city  laws,  and  a  wise  judgment. 
These  qualities  he  has  posses.sed  in  an  unusual 
degree.     Of  later  years   (since  May,  187 1,)  he 


has  been  best  known  as  the  owner  and  editor  of 
the  Leavenworth  Times,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
influential  dailies  in  the  state. 

Daniel  Read  Anthony  was  born  in  Adams, 
Mass.,  August  22,  1824,  a  son  of  Daniel  and 
Lucy  (Read)  Anthony,  and  a  brother  of  Susan 
B.  Anthony,  widely  known  through  her  connec- 
tion with  the  cause  of  woman's  suffrage.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Humphrey  Anthony,  was 
a  Quaker,  and  a  descendant  of  John  Anthony, 
who  came  from  Wales  to  Massachusetts  in  1 646. 
The  maternal  grandfather,  Daniel  Read,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  serving  in  the 
division  that,  under  Arnold,  marched  in  midwin- 
ter from  New  England  to  Quebec,  suffering 
untold  hardships.  He  also  fought  under  Stark 
at  Bennington,  Vt.,whereBurgoyne  was  defeated. 

At  thirteen  years  of  age  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  attended  an  academy  at  Union  village  in 
New  York.  Afterward  he  worked  in  his  father's 
cotton  mill  and  store  at  Battenville,  and  later  in 
his  flour  mill.  When  twenty-three  years  of  age 
he  removed  with  the  family  to  Rochester,  N.  Y. , 
where  he  taught  for  two  winters  and  then  en- 
gaged in  the  insurance  business.  In  July,  1854, 
he  visited  Kansas  with  the  first  colony  sent  out 
by  the  New  England  Emigrant  Society,  under 
the  leadership  of  Eli  Thayer.  During  that  visit 
he  assisted  in  founding  the  city  of  Lawrence, 
which  at  that  time  contained  only  one  house. 
Returning  to  Rochester  in  the  fall  of  1854,  he 
remained  there  until  his  removal  to  and  settle- 
ment in  the  new  and  growing  town  of  Leaven- 
worth. 

When  the  Civil  war  began  he  was  commissioned 
lieutenant-colonel  of  the  First  Kansas  Cavalry, 
and  commanded  his  troops  at  the  battle  of  the 
Little  Blue,  in  November,  1861,  in  which  he  won 
a  victory  over  a  force  of  guerillas  of  four  times 
his  number.  During  the  following  year  he  was 
principally  on  duty  in  Tennessee,  Kentucky, 
Mississippi  and  Alabama.  On  resigning  his  com- 
mission he  resumed  the  duties  of  his  office  .as 
postmaster  at  Leavenworth,  to  which  he  had 
been  appointed  by  President  Lincoln  in  April, 
1 86 1,  and  which  he  filled  for  five  years.  In  1863 
he  was  elected  mayor  by  a  large  majority.     His 


r46 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


rule  was  characterized  by  a  vigorous  policy  that 
brought  him  both  friends  and  enemies.-  Many 
of  the  most  permanent  improvements  in  the  city 
were  made  during  his  term,  and  the  growth  in 
population  was  never  so  marked  as  then. 

At  Edgartown,  Mass.,  January  21,  1864,  oc- 
curred the  marriage  of  Colonel  Anthony  to  Miss 
Annie  E.  Osborn,  daughter  of  one  of  the  leading 
whaling  merchants  of  Massachusetts.  They 
have  two  children  living:  Maude,  wife  of  Capt. 
E.  M.  Koehler,  U.  S.  A.,  now  stationed  at  Fort 
Grant,  Ariz.;  and  Daniel  R.,  Jr. ,  postmaster  at 
Eeavenworth,  having  been  appointed  to  the  office 
by  President  McKinley. 

In  1868  Colonel  Anthony  was  president  of  the 
Republican  state  convention  and  served  as  presi- 
dential elector,  casting  one  of  the  three  votes  of 
Kansas  for  General  Grant.  In  1870  he  was 
elected  to  the  city  council  by  a  large  majority, 
and  during  1870  and  1871  was  chairman  of  the 
Republican  state  central  committee.  In  1871  he 
was  re-elected  to  the  council  and  took  a  very 
prominent  part  in  the  "railroad  war,"  which 
finally  was  compromised  by  the  agreement  of  the 
railroad  to  build  a  union  depot  in  Eeavenworth 
and  make  certain  improvements  on  the  levee. 
From  1872  to  1874  he  served  as  mayor  of  Eeaven- 
worth, and  in  the  fall  of  1873  was  elected  to  the 
legislature.  April  3,  1874,  President  Grant 
appointed  him  postmaster  at  Eeavenworth,  which 
office  he  held  under  that  administration,  and  also 
under  President  Hayes,  having  been  again  ap- 
pointed March  22,  1878. 

Perhaps  it  is  as  a  journalist  that  Colonel  An- 
thony is  best  known  to  the  people  of  Kansas.  In 
January,  1861,  he  established  the  Eeavenworth 
Conservative,  the  first  issue  of  which  contained 
the  news  of  the  admission  of  Kansas  into  the 
Union,  and  with  these  papers  he  rode  on  horse- 
back to  Eawrence,  where  (that  city  having  no 
telegraph  lines  then)  he  was  the  first  to  bring  the 
great  news  to  the  members  of  the  legislature  in 
session.  He  sold  the  paper  in  July,  1862,  and  in 
March,  1864,  purchased  the  Bulletin,  which  he 
sold  in  1868.  In  May,  1871,  he  bought  the 
Times,  with  which  the  Conservative  had  previously 
been  united,  and  in  November  of  that  year  he 


again  purchased  the  Bulletin,  which  he  merged 
into  the  Tiines.  In  January,  1876,  he  purchased 
the  Commercial,  which  he  united  with  the  Times, 
thus  acquiring  complete  control  of  all  the  morn- 
ing papers  of  Eeavenworth.  He  has  since  given 
his  attention  principally  to  journalistic  work,  a 
field  in  which  his  vigorous  mind  finds  abundant 
scope  for  activity. 

For  the  last  thirty  years  Colonel  Anthony  has 
been  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Republican  party 
of  Kansas,  and  it  is  said  of  him  that  he  has  exer- 
cised a  more  potential  influence  in  the  ranks  of 
his  party  than  any  other  man  in  the  state.  Prob- 
ably the  strongest  point  in  his  character  is  his 
intrepid  courage,  in  both  public  and  private 
integrity.  He  has  never  truckled  to  anything  he 
believed  to  be  wrong,  and  therefore  stands  to-daj' 
in  a  unique  position  among  the  great  men  of 
Kansas.  In  the  various  political  whirlwinds  that 
swept  over  the  state  he  was  among  the  very  few 
men  who  stood  firm  and  steadfast  for  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Republican  party  and  sound  money. 


NGN.  THOMAS  J.  STERNBERGH.  The 
life  history  of  this  citizen  of  Eawrence  is 
one  of  interest.  Full  of  incidents,  it  pos- 
sesses the  fascination  which  attaches  to  all  lives 
that  present  the  spectacle  of  small  beginnings 
and  large  achievements,  of  success  wrested  from 
adverse  circumstances,  and  of  a  high  and  noble 
character  maintained  both  in  peace  and  in  war. 
He  has  always  been  strong  in  his  attachment  to 
the  Republican  party,  yet  he  has  never  shown 
any  partisan  narrowness,  and  has  endeavored  in 
every  official  position  to  exemplify  the  maxim, 
' '  He  serves  his  party  best  who  serves  his  coun- 
try best." 

Born  near  Rochester,  Monroe  County,  N.  Y., 
October  25,  1836,  the  subject  of  this  review  is  a 
son  of  William  and  Margaret  (Schuyler)  Stern- 
bergh,  both  natives  of  New  York  state.  His 
mother  was  a  granddaughter  of  Gen.  Philip 
Schuyler,  who  served  as  one  of  the  colonial  gov- 
ernors of  New  York,  and  also  gained  fame  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  William  Sternbergh  was  a 
farmer  and  also  a  large  contractor  on  the  Erie 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


147 


canal,  and  died  in  1863.  Twice  married,  by  his 
first  wife  he  had  five  children,  all  deceased,  while 
by  his  second  marriage  he  had  twelve  children, 
four  of  whom  are  living,  viz. :  Anna  S. ,  who  is 
eighty-nine  years  of  age,  and  resides  near  Roch- 
ester; Mrs.  Maria  Quinby,  of  Rochester;  James 
H.,  a  wealthy  manufacturer  of  Reading,  Pa.; 
and  Thomas  J.,  the  youngest  of  the  entire  fam- 
ily. The  last-named  was  reared  in  Saratoga 
Springs  from  the  age  of  nine  years,  and  attended 
the  common  .schools  and  academy  there.  His 
studies  were  directed  toward  civil  engineering, 
and  he  was  fortunate  in  having  excellent  pre- 
ceptors in  this  occupation.  When  he  was  nine- 
teen years  of  age  he  had  charge  of  the  laying  of 
the  plans  for  the  Hoosac  tunnel,  which  he  built 
at  North  Adams,  Mass.  About  the  same  time 
he  did  the  engineering  for  the  Troy  &  Boston 
road,  and  ran  the  Saratoga  &  Sacket's  Harbor 
Railroad. 

During  the  year  1857  Mr.  Sternbergh  arrived 
in  Lawrence,  Kans. ,  and  here  he  engaged  in  the 
surveying  of  the  town  site,  after  which  he  became 
cashier  of  Ed  Thompson's  bank.  At  the  opening 
of  the  Civil  war  he  balanced  up  all  the  accounts  in 
the  bank  and  closed  the  books.  Then,  having 
adjusted  his  business  affairs,  he  prepared  for 
service  in  the  army  of  the  Union.  He  assisted  in 
raising  Company  D,  Second  Kansas  Infantry, 
and  was  offered  the  captaincy,  but  refused  it,  ac- 
cepting, however,  a  commission  as  first  lieutenant. 
At  the  expiration  of  four  and  a-half  months  the 
regiment  was  honorably  discharged,  and  he  then 
became  an  aide  on  General  Mitchell's  staff,  with 
the  rank  of  captain  of  engineers.  He  was  pres- 
ent at  the  battle  of  Springfield,  Mo.,  as  a  member 
of  the  Second  Kansas  Regiment.  In  June,  1863, 
he  resigned  and  returned  home,  where  he  bought 
a  one-half  interest  in  the  hardware  store  of  A. 
Storm  &  Co.  Shortly  after  his  return  occurred 
the  memorable  massacre  by  Quantrell's  men. 
His  store  was  burned  and  he  suffered  heavy 
losses.  He  had  rooms  at  the  Eldredge  house 
and  surrendered  to  Quantrell,  whom  he  knew 
personally.  With  Mr.  Sternbergh  were  former 
acting  governor  Hugh  Walsh,  Messrs.  Spicer, 
Babcock,    Horton  and  R.  S.   Stevens,  the  latter 


afterward  a  member  of  congress  from  New  York. 
Quantrell  told  them  to  keep  together  and  he 
would  put  a  guard  around  them.  This  he  did, 
marching  them  to  the  City  hotel.  While  on 
the  way  Bill  Anderson  rode  up  and  shot  twice  at 
Mr.  Sternbergh,  but  missed  him  both  times.  On 
reaching  the  City  hotel  the  party  were  in  safety, 
as  that  hotel  was  not  burned. 

After  the  raid  Mr.  Sternbergh  rebuilt  the  store 
and  resumed  business.  At  the  time  of  the  Price 
raid  he  was  captain  of  the  rifle  company  that 
aided  in  protecting  Lawrence.  In  1863  he  was 
elected  to  the  state  legislature,  and  during  1864 
received  an  appointment  as  United  States  assessor 
of  internal  revenue  for  the  entire  state  of  Kansas, 
which  position  he  held  until  1869.  In  1868  he 
was  elected  mayor  of  Lawrence,  and  during  his 
term  instituted  a  number  of  important  improve- 
ments. He  also  served  for  one  term  as  council- 
man from  the  third  ward.  On  selling  out  his 
business  in  Lawrence  he  opened  in  northern 
Franklin  County  some  of  the  first  coal  mines  in 
the  state,  and  also  opened  mines  in  the  Indian 
Territory.  In  1872  he  was  on  the  plains  engaged 
in  government  surveying.  In  1S73  he  went  to 
Texas,  where  he  helped  to  build  fifty  miles  of  the 
Sunset  route.  Later  he  was  a  contractor  for 
public  works  in  Galveston,  where  he  remained 
until  1876,  and  then  returned  to  Lawrence. 
From  1878  to  1880  he  served  as  county  surveyor, 
and  from  1880  to  1S82  was  deputy  county  clerk. 
In  1880  he  had  charge  of  the  engineering  work 
on  the  Central  Kansas  Railroad  from  Leaven- 
worth to  the  Jefferson  County  line.  From  1882 
to  1886  he  acted  as  general  manager  of  the  plant 
in  Reading,  Pa.,  owned  by  his  brother.  On  his 
return  to  Lawrence  he  resumed  contract  survey- 
ing and  engineering,  and  at  the  same  time  held 
the  office  of  city  engineer.  The  latter  position 
he  still  holds,  having  filled  it  for  some  years  with 
efficiency,  and  he  also  served  as  street  commis- 
sioner for  two  years.  He  is  the  owner  of  consid- 
erable property  in  Lawrence,  including  the  resi- 
dence which  he  built  in  1866  and  has  since 
occupied.  At  one  time  he  owned  Oak  Hill,  but 
disposed  of  it  to  the  city  for  a  cemetery.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  other  positions,  he  served  as  justice 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  the  peace  for  two  terms.  Fraternally  he  is 
identified  with  the  blue  lodge,  chapter,  command- 
ery  and  Scottish  Rite  degrees  of  Masonry.  He 
is  a  charter  member  of  Washington  Post  No.  12, 
G.  A.  R.,  and  his  wife  is  connected  with  the 
Ladies  of  the  G.  A.  R. 

November  16,  1864,  in  Lawrence,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Sternbergh  to  Miss  Emma  R. 
Enos,  who  was  born  in  Middlebury,  Vt.,  a 
daughter  of  Horace  and  Mary  (Conant)  Enos, 
natives  respectively  of  Leicester  and  Brandon, 
Vt.  Her  father,  who  was  a  son  of  Perley  Enos, 
a  tanner  in  Addison  County,  himself  engaged  in 
tanning  for  some  years.  In  March,  1855,  he  be- 
came one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Lawrence  and  en- 
gaged in  farming,  also  in  dealing  in  furs,  etc. 
He  died  in  1870.  His  wife,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Luther  Conant,  a  farmer  of  Brandon,  died  in 
1879,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three.  They  had  two 
children,  Mrs.  Emma  R.  Sternbergh  and  Mrs. 
Helen  Marsh,  of  Omaha.  Mrs.  Sternbergh  was 
reared  in  Lawrence  and  is  identified  with  the 
Episcopal  Church  of  this  city.  By  her  marriage 
to  our  subject  one  son  was  born,  Horace  Enos 
Sternbergh,  a  student  in  Lafayette  College  at 
Easton,  Pa.,  class  of  1901. 


HON.  HENRY  M.  GREENE.  The  record 
of  this  family  in  America  is  a  most  honora- 
ble one,  and  the  present  representatives  have 
done  much  to  add  to  the  prestige  of  the  name. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  direct  descendant 
of  Gen.  Nathaniel  Greene,  of  Revolutionary  re- 
nown, and  Roger  Williams,  the  founder  of  Prov- 
idence, R.  I.,  and  is  in  the  seventh  generation  in 
collateral  descent  from  Nathaniel  Greene,  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  representatives  of  the  fam- 
ily in  America.  His  grandfather,  Rowland 
Greene,  who  was  a  Quaker  preacher,  about  1806 
began  making  itinerant  journeys  to  the  wilder- 
ness of  Ohio,  and  afterward  aided  in  establishing 
Quaker  churches  and  missions  on  the  frontier. 
His  ministerial  and  missionary  work  was  done 
without  thought  of  recompense  or  remuneration; 
he  supported  himself  by  the  practice  of  medicine, 
in  which  he  was  more  than  ordinarily  successful. 


Elisha  Harris  Greene,  our  subject's  father, 
was  born  in  Scituate,  R.  I.,  in  1800,  and  devoted 
a  large  part  of  his  life  to  the  cause  of  religion, 
working  particularly  as  a  colporteur  and  lecturer, 
meantime  supporting  himself  and  family  by  the 
cultivation  of  his  farm.  In  1837  he  became  a 
pioneer  of  Illinois.  Twenty  years  later  he  came 
to  Kansas,  having  been  led  by  his  devotion  to 
the  anti-slavery  cause  to  ally  himself  with  the 
free-state  movement  in  Kansas.  He  settled  near 
Twin  Mounds,  Douglas  County,  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  exciting  events  connected  with 
border  warfare  days.  While  in  Illinois  he  was  as.so- 
ciated  with  such  men  as  Owen  Lovejoy  and  Levi 
Spencer,  and  after  settling  in  the  west  he  became 
identified  with  other  leading  Abolition  workers. 
His  enthusiasm  in  the  cause  brought  upon  him 
hardships  and  persecution,  but  his  ardor  never 
diminished.  Even  in  peril  of  his  life  he  main- 
tained his  firmness  of  principles.  He  took  stock 
in  the  underground  railroad,  and  in  other  ways 
endeavored'to  aid  the  cause  of  liberty.  His  life 
was  spared  to  witness  the  triumph  of  the  princi- 
ples he  had  espoused  with  such  earnestness.  He 
died  at  Lecompton  in  1884. 

The  lady  who  became  the  wife  of  Elisha  Harris 
Greene  was  Lucy,  daughter  of  John  Stacey,  who 
was  a  builder  of  ships  engaged  in  the  West  Indies 
trade.  She  was  born  in  Saco,  York  County,  Me., 
and  was  given  a  good  education,  afterXvard  teach- 
ing for  several  years  in  the  schools  of  Providence, 
R.  I.  She  possessed  not  only  an  amiable  dispo- 
sition, but  also  great  force  of  character  and  Chris- 
tian earnestness,  and  was  a  cultured  vocalist, 
having  studied  under  that  eminent  composer, 
Lowell  Mason.  The  impress  of  her  teachings 
has  been  felt  in  the  lives  of  her  children.  She 
died  in  May,  1877.  Of  her  sons,  Henry  M.  was 
the  oldest.  The  second,  William  W.,  a  young 
man  of  great  promise,  died  while  serving  as 
county  clerk  of  Livingston  County,  111.  Thomas 
W.,  who  graduated  with  honors  from  Shurtlefi" 
College,  Upper  Alton,  111.,  in  1857,  and  from 
Rochester  Theological  Seminary,  held  pastorates 
in  Baptist  churches  at  Litchfield  and  Bunker 
Hill,  111.;  Fort  Scott  and  Junction  City,  Kans.; 
and  Denver,  Colo.     In  1876  he  removed  to  Cali- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


fornia  and  soon  afterward  was  elected  president 
of  California  College,  but  was  obliged  to  resign 
the  position  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  died 
suddenly  at  a  mountain  resort  in  that  state. 
Throughout  the  west  he  was  known  as  an  elo- 
quent speaker,  able  man  and  devoted  minister. 
Albert  R.,  who  possesses  ability  as  a  writer,  has 
written  much  for  the  press,  and  his  articles  have 
a  general  interest.  Under  President  Harrison  he 
was  appointed  United  States  inspector  of  land 
offices,  and  when  Cleveland  was  elected  he  was 
urged  to  remain,  but  resigned.  On  the  inaugura- 
tion of  President  McKinley  he  was  immediately 
re-appointed  to  the  position,  in  which  he  is  serv- 
ing with  great  credit,  making  his  home  at  Le- 
compton.  During  the  Rebellion  he  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Ninth  Kansas  Infantry.  Three  daughters 
and  one  son  died  in  childhood  and  another  daugh- 
ter, Anna,  died  in  L,ecompton  when  a  young  lady. 
Born  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  October  14,  1833,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  only  four  years  of  age 
when  the  family  removed  to  Illinois.  In  1850 
they  settled  near  Metamora,  Woodford  County, 
that  state,  where  he  attended  a  few  terms  of  com- 
mon school.  His  education,  however,  was  mainly 
self- acquired.  He  was  a  diligent,  ambitious  and 
clever  student.  When  eight  years  of  age  he  was 
reading  RoUin's  history.  In  1854  he  went  to 
Wisconsin  and  entered  land  on  the  site  now  occu- 
pied by  West  Eau  Claire,  surveying  pine  woods 
on  the  Eau  Claire  and  Black  Rivers,  but  return- 
ing to  Illinois  in  1856.  During  that  year  he 
canvassed  his  county  for  Fremont.  He  was  sec- 
retary of  the  first  Republican  organization  in 
Woodford  County  and  was  active  in  local  affairs. 
From  the  time  of  his  immigration  to  Kansas,  in 
1857,  he  has  been  prominent  and  interested  in 
politics.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  ill-fated  Second  Kansas  Militia, 
which  was  overpowered  by  Shelby's  advance  near 
Westport,  Mo.,  at  the  battle  of  the  Big  Blue. 
During  the  retreat  of  the  command,  while  at- 
tempting to  form  a  line  to  check  the  pursuers, 
he  was  severely  wounded  in  the  head  and  right 
hip,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  never  recovered. 
For  seventy-two  hours  he  lay  on  the  field.  Mean- 
time it  was  reported  that  he  was  dead  and  funeral 


services  were  held  for  him  in  Wyandotte.  He 
finally,  by  crawling  slowly,  managed  to  reach  a 
farmhouse  a  mile  distant,  and  there  he  asked  for 
something  to  eat.  He  presented  a  melancholy 
sight,  with  face  covered  with  blood  and  dust  and 
hair  matted  with  blood  from  the  wound  in  his 
head.  It  happened  that  the  farmer  was  a  Union 
man,  and  he  gave  him  the  kindest  treatment, 
conveying  him  to  Westport,  where  he  was  taken 
to  a  surgeon.  On  telling  the  surgeon  who  he 
was,  he  was  told  that  Colonel  Greene  had  just 
been  buried,  but  he  succeeded  in  convincing  the 
man  of  his  identity  after  a  time.  His  wounds 
were  treated,  the  balls  extracted,  and  he  was 
given  the  best  attention  possible.  It  was,  how- 
ever, some  time  before  he  was  able  to  resume  his 
former  activity  in  public  affairs,  and  eventually 
the  wound  in  the  hip  resulted  in  paralysis. 

In  the  spring  of  1S65  Colonel  Greene  was  in- 
terested in  the  establishment  of  the  Lane  Univer- 
sity, named  in  honor  of  General  Lane,  and  situ- 
ated on  the  site  of  the  old  territorial  capitol.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  trustees  and 
Rev.  Solomon  Weaver  acted  as  the  first  president.. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  promoting  the  welfare 
of  the  college  and  served  as  its  financial  agent  for 
a  time.  For  some  years  he  was  a  minister  in  the 
United  Brethren  Church  and  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  the  denomination.  In  1869  and  1873  he 
was  a  delegate  to  the  general  conferences  of  the 
denomination.  At  the  latter  meeting  a  discussion 
arose  regarding  secret  societies.  Believing  that 
the  members  of  the  convention  displayed  a  spirit 
entirely  too  narrow  to  be  in  harmony  with  the 
broad  spirit  of  the  Lord,  he  and  others  withdrew 
from  the  church.  In  the  spring  of  1880  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Topeka  presbyterj',  and  during 
the  same  year  accepted  a  pastorate  at  Lacygne, 
Kans.,  but  resigned  in  July,  1881,  in  order  to 
accept  the  appointment,  tendered  by  Governor 
St.  Joljn,  as  superintendent  of  the  asylum  for 
imbecile  children,  recently  started  in  Lawrence. 
Under  his  able  supervision  the  school  was  estab- 
lished upon  a  firm  basis.  In  1886  it  was  removed 
to  Winfield  and  a  large  building  erected.  He 
remained  at  its  head  until  the  fall  of  1888,  when 
he  resigned,   desiring  to  return  to  Lawrence  in 


15° 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


order  that  his  children  might  have  better  school 
advantages.  The  institution  had  been  made  a 
success.  A  large  addition  had  been  built,  but 
even  with  it  there  was  scarcely  room  to  accom- 
modate the  children  who  were  patients  there. 

On  returning  to  Lawrence  Colonel  Greene  took 
editorial  charge  of  the  Daily  Journal  and  contin- 
ued at  its  head  for  eighteen  months.  At  the 
same  time  he  also  preached  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Perry  for  a  year  and  the  church  at 
Media  for  six  months.  On  resigning  from  the 
Journal  he  became  editor  of  the  Daily  Record.  As 
a  journalist  he  has  had  few  superiors.  His  keen, 
forcible  and  clear  articles  always  attracted  atten- 
tion. He  brought  the  paper  into  prominence 
and  made  it  a  literary  success.  It  was  said  of 
him  that  he  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  writers 
in  Kansas.  When  the  paper  was  sold  in  1892  he 
retired  from  the  field  of  journalism. 

In  1876  Colonel  Greene  was  elected  to  the  state 
senate,  where  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  education,  and  in  1879  cast  the  deciding  vote 
for  Ingalls  as  United  States  senator.  Much  of  his 
time  in  the  senate  was  given  to  the  upbuilding  of 
the  schools.  As  at  that  time  there  existed  some 
schools  where  German  only  was  used,  he  secured 
the  passage  of  a  bill  making  it  compulsory  to 
teach  English  in  all  district  schools,  thus  forcing 
all  the  new  settlers  of  the  state  to  gain  familiarity 
with  the  English  language.  He  became  inter- 
ested in  the  free  silver  movement  and  stumped 
the  county  in  its  interests.  Owing  to  the  failure 
of  the  Republican  party  to  declare  for  it,  he 
identified  himself  with  the  People's  party,  and 
became  active  upon  its  committees.  As  a  speaker 
he  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  Populists  in 
the  state  and  did  much  to  arouse  an  interest  in 
the  currency  question.  In  June,  1898,  he  at- 
tended the  second  congressional  convention  held 
in  Olathe.  At  the  Douglas  County  convention 
his  name  had  been  presented  as  a  candidate  for 
congress,  and  when  the  congressional  convention 
met  he  and  St.  John  were  candidates,  either  one 
being  willing  to  withdraw  in  favor  of  the  other, 
and  against  Peters.  St.  John  made  a  speech  and 
was  followed  by  Colonel  Greene.  The  latter,  at 
the  close  of  his  address,  was  seized  by  a  paralytic 


stroke  and  sank  to  the  floor.  He  was  carried 
out  of  the  hall  and  conveyed  to  his  home,  but 
many  weeks  elap.sed  before  he  recovered  suf- 
ficiently to  sit  up.  He  is  still  an  invalid,  but 
passes  his  time  cheerfully  and  quietly,  and  may 
be  seen,  on  pleasant  days,  sitting  on  his  porch 
overlooking  the  Kaw  River  and  enjoying  the 
society  of  his  family  and  his  friends.  He  is  a 
member  of  Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R., 
and  served  on  the  national  commander's  staff 
one  term.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
Halcyon  Lodge  No.  18,  I.  O.  O.  F.;  Lawrence 
Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  and  Lawrence 
Chapter  No.  4,  R.  A.  M. 

January  24,  i860,  in  Osage  County,  Kans. , 
Colonel  Greene  married  Miss  Margaret  Monogue, 
a  native  of  New  York.  They  became  the  parents 
of  nine  children,  but  suffered  a  deep  bereavement 
in  the  death  of  their  daughters,  Lucy  Harris, 
Caroline  Harris,  Florence  and  Henrietta  B., 
within  two  months  of  one  another.  The  sons 
are  living  and  all  but  the  youngest  are  engaged 
in  business  in  Lawrence.  They  are  named  as 
follows:  Edward  E.,  Henry  M.,  Jr.;  Hiel  B., 
Frederick  H.  and  Charles  K. 


N  OMER  CLIFTON  OATMAN,  Ph. G.,M.D., 
who  holds  the  chair  of  diagnosis  in  the 
homeopathic  medical  department  of  the 
Kansas  City  University,  is  a  talented  and  suc- 
cessful physician  and  surgeon  of  Lawrence, 
where  he  has  been  engaged  in  professional  work 
since  1895.  In  1896  he  became  connected  with 
the  Kansas  City  University  as  instructor  of  bac- 
teriology and  histology  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment, but  has  since  been  transferred  to  the  chair 
of  physical  diagnosis.  For  thepurpo.se  of  broad- 
ening his  professional  knowledge  and  thereby 
rendering  his  advice  more  valuable  to  his  pa- 
tients, he  went  abroad  in  October,  1898,  spending 
seven  months  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh 
and  (at  the  same  time)  six  months  in  the  Royal 
Infirmary,  where  he  did  special  clinical  work, 
devoting  himself  principally  to  surgery  and  diag- 
nosis. Prior  to  his  return  to  the  United  States 
he  spent  some  time  in  the  hospitals  of  London. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


He  is  in  touch  with  the  latest  developments  of  the 
science  of  medicine  and  few  are  better  prepared 
for  professional  work  than  he.  Under  appoint- 
ment by  Mayor  Gould  he  served  as  city  physi- 
cian of  L,awrence  in  1897  and  1898.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Douglas  County  Medical  Society 
and  has  been  very  active  in  the  work  of  the  Kan- 
sas State  Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  of  which 
he  was  secretary  in  1898. 

Dr.  Oatman  was  born  in  Benton  County,  Mo., 
April  9,  1870.  His  father,  Adolphus  G.  Oatman, 
a  native  of  Dundee,  111.,  was  first  lieutenant  in  a 
company  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighth  Illinois 
Infantry  during  the  Civil  war.  Afterward  he  en- 
gaged in  the  cattle  business  in  Benton  County, 
Mo.  In  1876  he  removed  to  Denver,  Colo., 
where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  soap. 
In  1880  he  came  to  Lawrence  and  has  since  en- 
gaged in  growing  fruits,  owning  land  that  adjoins 
the  city.  He  married  Mary  A.  Ransom,  who 
was  born  in  Tecumseh,  Mich.,  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  Halsey  Ransom,  a  Methodist  Episco- 
pal minister,  who  died  in  Bennington,  Vt.,  in 
1867,  aged  fifty-six  years.  Dr.  Oatman's  pater- 
nal grandfather,  James  R.  Oatman,  was  born  in 
Indiana  and  became  a  pioneer  lumber  merchant 
of  Dundee,  111.,  but  after  some  years  removed  to 
Missouri,  where  he  carried  on  a  lumber  and  real- 
estate  business.  Later  he  followed  mercantile 
pursuits  in  Denver,  Colo.  His  death  occurred  in 
Lawrence  in  1899,  at  eighty-four  years  of  age. 

The  next  to  the  oldest  of  five  children,  our 
subject  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Denver 
and  Lawrence.  In  1886  he  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  Kansas,  where  he  first  took  a  course  in 
the  arts  and  afterward  in  pharmacy,  graduating 
in  1 89 1  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  G.  One  year 
was  devoted  to  special  work,  after  which  he  was 
employed  as  a  registered  pharmacist.  From 
boyhood  it  had  been  his  ambition  to  become  a 
physician,  and  in  1893  he  entered  the  junior 
class  in  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1895,  with  the  degree  of  M.D. 
During  both  years  of  his  study  at  Hahnemann, 
he  also  acted  as  tutor  in  bacteriology  and  his- 
tology. After  graduating  he  returned  to  Law- 
rence.    Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Lawrence 


Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A  M.,  the  Modern  Wood- 
men and  Fraternal  Aid,  and  is  examining  physi- 
cian for  the  two  latter  orders.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican  and  in  religion  is  identified  with  the 
Baptist  Church. 

HON.  MATTHEW  RYAN,  SR.,  who  long 
held  a  position  among  Leavenworth's  most 
honored  and  influential  citizens,  was  a 
pioneer  of  1857.  His  life  was  a  very  active  one, 
filled  with  experiences  of  an  exciting  nature  on 
the  plains  of  the  great  west.  Identified  with  the 
cattle  industry,  his  business  required  his  frequent 
presence  at  frontier  posts,  and  in  his  long  trips 
across  the  plains  he  encountered  Indians,  some  of 
whom  were  hostile.  He  began  life  in  the  west 
under  very  different  circumstances  and  conditions 
from  those  of  the  present  day,  but  bravely  over- 
came every  obstacle  that  he  encountered,  and  in 
time  became  independent  and  prosperous.  Every- 
one who  knew  him  at  all  intimately  admired  him 
for  his  many  good  qualities.  He  was  especially 
helpful  to  struggling  and  penniless  young  men, 
and  many  a  youth  owed  his  start  in  life  to  him. 
Personally  he  was  considerate,  conscientious, 
trustworthy,  and  possessed  a  keen  sense  of  honor. 
Born  in  Johnstown,  County  Kilkenny,  Ire- 
land, August  30,  1819,  the  subject  of  this  memoir 
was  a  son  of  Michael  Ryan,  a  merchant  of  Johns- 
town, who  brought  his  family  to  America  in 
1832,  and  settled  in  Maryland,  but  a  few  years 
later  located  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  His  active  life 
was  devoted  to  the  mercantile  business.  When 
advanced  in  years  he  joined  his  son  in  Leaven- 
worth, and  here  his  death  occurred  in  1872,  at 
eighty-two  years  of  age.  Besides  his  son,  he  had 
a  daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  Draper,  now  living  in 
Leavenworth.  At  the  time  the  family  came  to 
the  United  States,  Matthew  Ryan  was  a  boy  of 
thirteen.  From  that  time  he  was  self-supporting, 
and  had  no  opportunity  to  attend  .school;  how- 
ever, in  tlie  great  school  of  experience  he  gained 
a  broad  education,  thereby  becoming  a  well-in- 
formed man.  When  a  youth  he  learned  the 
butcher's  trade  in  Cincinnati.  At  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
King   &    Ryan,  butchers  and  stockmen,  which 


152 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


connection  continued  almost  three  years.  After- 
ward he  engaged  in  the  same  line  of  business  for 
himself,  shipping  to  southern  ports.  In  1856 
the  death  of  his  son,  Richard,  a  bright  boy  of 
seven  years,  caused  him  to  grow  discontented 
with  Cincinnati,  and  to  desire  a  change  of  loca- 
tion. As  soon  as  he  could  sell  out  his  interests 
there  he  removed  to  Kansas.  Here  he  started 
the  first  packing  house  in  Leavenworth  and  was 
given  the  government  contracts  for  supplying 
the  forts  with  beef  He  continued  engaged  in 
the  packing  business  until  1876.  Meantime,  as 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Russell,  Ryan  &  Hens- 
ley,  he  carried  on  a  wholesale  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Leavenworth  for  several  years. 

When  the  Pike's  Peak  excitement  drew  large 
crowds  of  emigrants  to  the  mountain  regions  in 
1859,  the.  firm  of  Russell,  Morehead,  Ryan  & 
Hensley  opened  a  wholesale  business  in  Denver, 
with  which  Mr.  Ryan  was  connected  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  early  days  he  made  several 
trips  across  the  plains  with  oxen.  At  one  time 
he  went  west  as  far  as  Salt  Lake  City,  and  during 
the  journey  encountered  hostile  Indians,  but 
avoided  a  conflict.  In  1S70  he  bought  several 
hundred  acres  in  Leavenworth  County,  but  this 
propertj'  he  afterward  sold. 

Accompanied  by  his  sons.  Matt  and  Jepp,  in 
1876  Mr.  Ryan  went  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  en- 
gaged in  trailing  cattle  extensively  from  Oregon 
and  Washington  to  Cheyenne,  Wyo.,  handling  as 
many  as  thirty  thousand  head  in  a  season.  In 
this  enterprise  he  was  very  successful.  With  his 
sons,  in  1883,  he  started  a  cattle  ranch  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Yellowstone  River  in  Montana, 
about  seventy  miles  north  of  the  Custer  battle- 
field. Of  the  cattle  company  formed  he  served 
as  the  president,  but  the  active  management  of 
the  business  devolved  mainly  upon  his  sons,  who 
remained  in  Montana  to  superintend  the  work. 

Almost  every  enterprise  for  the  benefit  of 
Leavenworth  and  the  development  of  its  resources 
received  the  sympathy  and  active  assistance  of 
Mr.  Ryan.  His  influence  was  felt  in  the 
development  of  the  city's  industries.  He  con- 
structed the  Ryan  and  Richardson  cold  stor- 
age plant  on   Cherokee  street,  which  was  the 


first  and  is  still  the  largest  ice  plant  in  the 
city.  His  last  work  was  in  1892,  when  he  built 
the  Rj'an  block,  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and 
Cherokee  streets;  this  is  the  largest  and  one  of 
the  finest  business  buildings  in  the  place.  For 
some  years  he  acted  as  president  of  the  German 
National  Bank,  and  after  it  was  consolidated 
with  the  First  National  Bank  he  became  a  di- 
rector of  the  latter  institution,  with  which  he 
was  connected  until  his  death,  and  since  then  one 
of  his  sons  has  represented  the  family  in  the  bank. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  promoters  of 
the  Leavenworth  Coal  Company,  and  in  time 
became  the  largest  stockholder  and  president  of 
the  company,  with  which  he  was  connected  as 
such  until  his  death.  His  familj'  still  own  and 
operate  the  coal  mine.  An  active  promoter  of  the 
Leavenworth  Glucose  Company,  he  was  its  presi- 
dent for  some  years. 

Having  been  so  intimately  identified  with 
business  affairs,  Mr.  Ryan  had  little  time  for 
participation  in  public  aS'airs,  and,  while  he  served 
for  one  term  in  the  state  legislature,  he  refused 
further  nomination,  preferring  to  give  his  atten- 
tion wholly  to  private  pursuits.  However,  he 
did  not  lack  in  public  spirit.  No  one  was  more 
desirous  than  he  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his 
city  and  state,  but  his  method  of  doing  this  was 
by  the  advancement  of  business  interests,  rather 
than  by  the  formulation  of  laws  or  participation 
in  politics.  During  the  war  he  was  a  member  of 
a  company  of  militia  that  was  called  into  service 
at  the  time  of  the  Price  raid  in  Kansas.  From 
the  organization  of  the  Catholic  Church  in 
Leavenworth  he  was  identified  with  it,  and  took 
a  leading  part  in  its  work,  remaining  one  of  its 
most  liberal  and  prominent  members  until  he 
passed  from  earth,  in  its  faith,  June  20,  1893. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Ryan  was  solemnized  in 
Cincinnati  in  1844  and  united  him  with  Miss 
Mary  Beresford,  who  was  born  and  educated  in 
that  citj',  and  is  an  estimable  lady,  and  a  faithful 
member  of  Sacred  Heart  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
The  family  of  which  she  is  a  member  is  connected 
with  that  of  Lord  Beresford,  of  England.  Her 
grandfather,  Richard  Beresford,  emigrated  from 
England  to  America  in  1819  and  settled   in  Cin- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


•55 


cinnati,  where  he  became  owner  of  a  large  shoe 
store.  Her  father,  Samuel  Beresford,  had  one  of 
the  largest  packing  houses  in  Cincinnati  and  was 
a  leading  business  man  of  that  city,  where  he 
died  in  1S76,  aged  eighty-two;  his  wife  was 
Elizabeth  Bestwick,  born  in  Lancashire,  Eng- 
land, and  died  in  Cincinnati  in  1849,  at  fifty-four 
years  of  age.  Of  their  eleven  children,  only  three 
are  now  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ryan  became  the 
parents  of  the  following-named  children :  Samuel, 
who  died  in  Leavenworth,  in  1859,  when  thir- 
teen years  of  age;  Richard,  who  died  in  1856,  at 
seven  j'ears;  Matthew,  Jr.,  deceased;  Kate,  Mrs. 
Dennis  Sheedy,  who  died  in  Denver  in  1895; 
Jephtha;  Alexander,  who  died  at  twenty-four 
years;  Mrs.  Mary  Loftus,  of  New  York  City; 
Thomas  and  Ethan,  of  Leavenworth. 


HON.  ALEXANDER  CALDWELL.  In 
presenting  to  the  readers  of  this  volume  the 
biography  of  Mr.  Caldwell,  we  are  perpetu- 
ating the  life  work  of  one  of  the  most  honored 
and  influential  residents  of  Kansas.  Throughout 
a  long  and  honorable  career,  both  in  public  life 
and  private  business  affairs,  he  has  maintained 
the  energy  and  integrity  characteristic  of  him 
from  early  years.  Alike  in  every  office  he  has 
held,  from  a  local  position  of  minor  responsibility 
to  the  important  office  of  United  States  senator, 
he  has  sacrificed  personal  interests  for  the  general 
welfare  and  has  ever  striven  to  promote  the  pros- 
perity of  the  people  of  his  state.  In  business 
circles,  too,  he  has  wielded  an  important  influ- 
ence, and,  as  president  and  manager  of  the  Kan- 
sas Manufacturing  Company,  for  years  stood  at 
the  head  of  one  of  the  most  important  enterprises 
of  the  west.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Leavenworth  he  became  a  de- 
positor of  the  new  institution  and  later  was  inter- 
ested as  a  stockholder.  In  January,  1897,  he 
was  chosen  president  of  the  bank,  and  this  office 
he  has  since  efficiently  filled,  his  business  ability 
and  conservative  spirit  fitting  him  for  its  man- 
agement. As  a  financial  institution,  this  bank  is 
one  of  the  oldest  and  largest  in  the  country, 
ranking  as  the  one  hundred  and  eighty-second  in 
3 


the  list  of  national  banks  in  the  United  States, 
and  as  the  first  among  those  west  of  the  Missouri 
River. 

The  Caldwell  family  was  founded  in  America 
by  Alexander  Caldwell,  Sr. ,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
who  brought  his  family  to  New  Jersey,  where  he 
cultivated  a  farm  and  operated  a  stone  quarry. 
He  was  accidentally  killed  in  his  quarry.  His 
son,  James,  was  born  in  County  Donegal,  Ireland, 
and  settled  in  Huntingdon  County,  Pa.,  where 
for  years  after  1830  he  was  proprietor  of  the 
"Matilda"  furnace,  a  charcoal  furnace  named  in 
honor  of  his  wife.  During  the  Mexican  War  he 
enlisted,  and  became  captain  of  Company  M, 
Second  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  During  the 
battle  in  front  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1847,  he  was  mortally  wounded  and  died 
five  days  after  the  city  was  captured.  He  was 
forty  or  more  years  of  age.  His  wife,  who  had 
died  in  1842,  was  Jane  Matilda  Drake,  a  native 
of  Huntingdon  County,  Pa.,  and  daughter  of 
James  Drake,  who  was  proprietor  of  Drake's 
Ferry  across  the  Juniata  River,  ten  miles  below 
Huntingdon.  The  family  descended,  in  collat- 
eral   line,  from  Sir  Francis  Drake,  of  England. 

The  .subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  oldest  of 
four  children,  of  whom  he  and  one  sister  alone 
survive.  He  was  born  in  Huntingdon  County, 
Pa.,  March  i,  1830,  and  had  only  limited  ad- 
vantages in  his  boyhood.  When  his  father  en- 
listed in  the  Mexican  war  he  was  a  boy  of 
seventeen,  living  in  Columbia,  Lancaster  County, 
Pa.  He  left  his  position  in  the  store  where  he 
was  clerking  and,  overtaking  his  father  at  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.,  prevailed  upon  him  to  take  him  into 
Company  M  as  a  private.  With  the  other  sol- 
diers he  marched  to  the  front,  and  participated 
in  various  battles  with  the  Mexicans,  among 
them  those  of  National  Bridge,  Pueblo,  Contreras, 
Cherubusco  and  Castle  of  Chapultepec,  and  skir- 
mishes adjoining  the  City  of  Mexico.  For  a 
time  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  commissarj-  depart- 
ment. On  his  return  to  Pennsylvania  he  was 
employed  in  a  bank  in  Columbia.  During  the 
years  that  followed  he  gained  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  banking  business  and  rose  to  a  posi- 
tion of  influence  in  local  financial  circles. 


156 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


The  spring  of  1861  found  Mr.  Caldwell  in 
Leavenworth,  Kans.,  where  he  took  contracts  for 
the  transporting  of  army  supplies  to  the  militarj^ 
posts  west  of  the  Missouri  River.  His  business 
was  very  large  and  was  conducted  under  the 
name  of  A.  Caldwell  &  Co.  To  carry  on  the 
work  he  employed  five  thousand  teams,  sixty 
thousand  head  of  oxen,  and  gave  employment  to 
more  than  five  thousand  men.  He  continued  in 
the  transportation  of  military  supplies  until  1870, 
after  which,  the  railroads  having  been  built,  the 
teaming  business  declined.  Meantime,  he  had 
become  interested  in  railroad  building.  In  1866 
he  had  the  contract  for  the  building  of  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  from  Kansas  City  to  Leavenworth. 
In  1869  he  extended  the  line  to  Atchison,  and 
afterward  served  as  president  of  the  road  until  it 
was  sold.  He  and  his  associates  organized  the 
Kansas  Central  Railroad  Company  and  built  its 
line  from  Leavenworth  to  Miltonvale,  Kans. 
Afterward  he  served  as  vice-president  of  the  com- 
pany. The  road  was  originally  narrow  gauge, 
but  was  afterward  changed  to  the  standard 
gauge,  and  was  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles 
long.  It  was  sold  to  Commodore  Garrison,  who 
in  turn  sold  it  to  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  by  whom  it  was  sold  to  Jay  Gould,  and 
finally  to  the  Union  Pacific. 

In  187 1  Mr.  Caldwell  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  senate  to  succeed  Senator  Ross,  the  suc- 
cessor of  Senator  Lane.  He  served  in  the  ses- 
sions of  1872  and  1873,  but  resigned  his  seat  in 
1874.  In  politics  he  was  originally  an  old-line 
Whig,  and  upon  the  disintegration  of  that  party, 
became  a  Republican.  It  was  through  his  influ- 
ence that  a  bill  was  passed  requiring  that  one 
term  annually  of  the  United  States  court  should 
be  held  in  Leavenworth.  He  was  also  instrumen- 
tal in  securing  an  appropriation  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  United  States  military  prison 
(now  the  United  States  penitentiary)  at  Fort 
Leavenworth. 

From  1874  to  1888  the  Kansas  Manufacturing 
Company,  with  Mr.  Caldwell  as  its  president  and 
manager,  ranked  among  the  most  important 
business  establishments  in  the  west,  and  furnished 
employment  constantly  to  almost  four   hundred 


men.  The  annual  products  of  the  factory  aggre- 
gated nearly  seven  thousand  wagons,  and  these, 
known  as  the  Caldwell  wagons,  were  sold  over 
the  entire  western  country,  from  the  Mississippi 
River  to  the  Pacific  coast.  After  1 888  the  busi- 
ness was  gradually  closed  down,  although  the 
company  is  still  in  existence,  its  affairs  not  hav- 
ing been  entirely  settled. 

During  bis  residence  in  Columbia,  Pa.,  Mr. 
Caldwell  married  Miss  Pace  Heise,  member  of  a 
family  that  has  been  identified  with  the  history  of 
that  city  since  1728.  They  are  the  parents  of 
two  children,  Mrs.  Minnie  Taylor,  of  Leaven- 
worth, widow  of  Dr.  S.  F.  Taylor;  and  Emily, 
wife  of  H.  C.  Graef,  of  New  York  City.  Mr. 
Caldwell  is  still  a  stockholder  in  the  Columbia 
(Pa.)  National  Bank.  He  is  identified  with  the 
Aztec  Association  that  was  organized  in  the  Cit}^ 
of  Mexico  in  1847  and  whose  few  surviving  mem- 
bers, in  their  meetings,  dwell  with  pleasure  and 
pride  upon  those  days  long  ago,  when  they 
assisted  in  protecting  the  interests  of  the  United 
States  from  the  encroachments  of  Mexico. 

Mr.  Caldwell  has  spent  almost  his  entire  active 
life  in  Kansas  and  is  imbued  with  the  spirit  of 
western  push  and  progress.  The  success  with 
which  he  has  met  may  be  attributed  to  his  wise 
judgment  and  force  of  character  that  has  never 
been  daunted  by  obstacles.  Withal,  he  has  been 
essentially  a  progressive,  loyal  [citizen,  stanch  in 
his  support  of  movements  for  the  benefit  of  his 
fellow-citizens  or  for  the  development  of  his 
home  city,  in  whose  growth  and  progress  he 
has  taken  just  pride. 


EOL.  FRANKLIN  EYRE  HUNT.  The  life 
which  this  narrative  sketches  began  at 
Hunt's  Mills,  N.  J.,  January  i,  1809,  and 
closed  at  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  February  2,  1881. 
The  intervening  years  were  filled  with  experi- 
ences that  fall  to  the  lot  of  an  army  officer,  some 
of  which  (especially  incidents  during  the  Civil 
war)  were  exciting  and  thrilling,  and  proved  that 
he  possessed  the  mettle  of  a  soldier.  During  his 
long  and  active  life  he  met  many  of  the  greatest 
men  of  our  country.     Appointed  to  the  United 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


'57 


States  Military  Acadeni}-  at  West  Point  from  New 
Jersej-,  he  was  a  student  in  that  school  from  July 
I,  1824,  to  July  I,  1829,  and  was  a  classmate  of 
Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee  and  Gen.  Joseph  E.  John- 
ston, while  in  the  class  of  1828  was  Jefferson 
Davis.  Upon  graduating  he  was  breveted  second 
lieutenant  of  the  Fourth  Artillery.  He  served  in 
the  garrison  at  Fort  Columbus,  N.  Y.,  in  1830- 
31;  at  Fort  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  1831-32;  in  the 
Black  Hawk  expedition  in  1832;  again  at  Fort 
Columbus  1832-33;  Fortress  Monroe,  Va.,  1833; 
in  Creek  Nation,  1833-34;  back  at  Fortress  Mon- 
roe, 1834;  upon  engineer's  duty  from  September 
I,  1834,  to  June  8,  1836;  again  in  the  Creek  Na- 
tion, in  1836;  commissioned  first  lieutenant  of  the 
Fourth  Artillery  August  15,  1836;  in  the  Florida 
war  1836-38;  in  the  Cherokee  Nation,  1838, 
while  the  Indians  were  being  removed  west;  in 
garrison  at  Fort  Columbus,  1S38;  again  in  the 
Florida  war,  1838-39;  back  to  Fort  Columbus 
and  then  in  the  Camp  of  Instruction  near  Tren- 
ton, N.  J.;  in  northern  territory  during  the  Can- 
adian border  disturbances  of  1839-41;  at  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  in  1841-42;  at  Fort  McHenry,  Md.,  1842- 
44;  Carlisle  Barracks,  Pa.,  1844-45;  Fort  Mc- 
Henry, 1845-46;  at  Fortress  Monroe,  in  1846, 
and  then  in  the  Mexican  war,  1846-48. 

From  January  18,  1846,  to  March  2,  1855,  he 
was  captain  of  the  Fourth  Artillery.  Meantime, 
from  1848  to  1850,  he  engaged  in  frontier  duty  at 
Fort  Brown,  Tex.  The  year  1850  found  him  at 
Fort  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  where  he  remained 
until  1855.  March  2,  1855,  he  was  commissioned 
major  and  paymaster  in  the  army.  About  the 
same  time  he  was  transferred  to  Fort  Snelling, 
Minn.,  where  he  remained  for  two  years.  Re- 
turning to  Fort  Leavenworth  in  1857  he  took 
part  in  the  Utah  expedition,  and  was  in  the  de- 
partment of  Utah  until  1861  as  chief  paymaster. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  was  chief  of  the  pay  dis- 
trict embracing  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Colorado  and 
the  Indian  Territory,  and  was  aide-de-camp  to 
Major-General  Curtis,  in  charge  of  the  artillery 
and  defense  of  Fort  Leavenworth  during  the 
Price  raid  in  1S64.  For  faithful  and  meritorious 
service  during  the  war  he  was  breveted  lieutenant- 
colonel   March   13,    1865.     In   1877  he  was  pro- 


moted to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel  and  dep- 
uty paymaster-general  and  was  serving  as  chief 
paymaster  of  the  department  when,  in  1879,  he 
was  placed  on  the  retired  list  of  the  army,  after  a 
service  of  fifty  years. 

From  the  time  of  the  first  sale  of  lots  in  Leav- 
enworth, Colonel  Hunt  was  interested  in  this  city, 
buying  land  here  and  improving  real  estate.  His 
residence  on  Twenty-first  and  Shawnee  streets 
stood  on  a  ten-acre  tract.  At  Cambridgeport, 
Mass.,  August  23,  1830,  he  married  Ann  Maria 
Noble,  who  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  October 
14,  1809,  a  daughter  of  George  Noble,  and  a 
descendant  of  George  Noble,  an  Englishman, 
who  was  an  officer  in  the  British  army  during  the 
Revolutionary  war.  In  1843  Colonel  Hunt  and 
his  wife  embraced  the  Catholic  faith.  He  was 
baptized  in  the  archbishop's  home, March  8,  1843, 
by  Rev.  H.  B.  Coskerj-,  and  was  confirmed  in 
the  Baltimore  Cathedral  June  8,  by  Archbishop 
Eccleston.  His  wife  was  baptized  in  the  same 
faith  at  Fort  McHenry,  June  27  of  that  year. 
She  died  in  Leavenworth,  June  7,  1889,  and  was 
buried  in  Mount  Muncie  Cemeterj'. 

Of  the  children  of  Colonel  Hunt  we  note  the 
following:  Franklin  Eyre,  Jr.,  in  1859  became 
connected  with  his  father  as  paymaster's  clerk  of 
the  Utah  department.  Two  years  later  he  re- 
turned to  Leavenworth,  where  he  was  similarly 
employed  until  the  retirement  of  his  father  in 
1879;  he  is  now  engaged  in  the  real-estate 
business  in  Leavenworth.  Mary  Ellen  married 
Edward  Carroll  and  died  in  this  city  September 
8,  1892.  Frederick  Ralph,  who  was  a  business 
man  of  Leavenworth,  died  here  December  15, 
1 891.  James  John  McCown,  the  youngest  of 
the  family,  is  represented  on  another  page. 

In  recognition  of  his  long  and  honorable  con- 
nection with  the  United  States  Army,  when  Col- 
onel Hunt  passed  away  it  was  ordered  that  he 
should  be  given  a  military  funeral  and  that 
military  honors  should  be  paid  to  him,  as  the 
last  tribute  of  respect  to  his  memory.  The 
funeral  services  were  held  in  the  family  resi- 
dence Sunday  morning,  February  5,  1881.  The 
handsome  casket  was  draped  with  national  flags, 
while   floral    decorations  in   profuse   abundance 


158 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


proved  the  affectionate  esteem  in  which  the  dead 
ofBcer  had  been  held.  The  services  were  con- 
ducted by  Lieutenant  Dodge,  and  were  attended 
by  General  Pope  and  several  others  who  were 
high  in  the  army,  while  the  honorary  pall- 
bearers were  Majors  J.  D.  Bingham,  D.  L. 
Magruder,  George  Bell,  William  R.  Gibson,  J.  J. 
Coppingerand  Charles  McClure.  From  the  fam- 
ily home  the  remains  were  conveyed  to  Mount 
Muncie  Cemetery  for  interment,  where  the  last 
rites  were  performed  and  the  last  bugle-call 
sounded  over  the  new-made  grave. 


RIPLEY  W.  SPARR.  It  would  be  impossi- 
ble to  write  a  complete  history  of  Lawrence 
and  omit  mention  of  Mr.  Sparr,  whose  con- 
nection with  the  city  commenced  in  the  early 
period  of  its  settlement.  His  long  life  of  useful- 
ness and  industry  has  had  a  direct  bearing  upon 
the  progress  of  his  city,  and  his  voice  has  been 
heard,  directly  or  indirectly,  upon  many  of  the 
questions  affecting  the  administration  of  local  and 
national  affairs,  while  his  unflinching  integrity 
has  secured  for  him  the  full  and  complete  confi- 
dence of  all  who  know  him.  He  is  a  man  of 
broad  information  and  intelligence,  possessing 
clear  and  concise  opinions  upon  all  important 
questions,  and  having,  under  all  circumstances, 
the  courage  of  his  convictions. 

A  resident  of  Kansas  since  March  25,  1857, 
and  of  Lawrence  since  1859,  Mr.  Sparr  was  born 
in  Rush  County,  Ind.,  July  6,  1832,  a  son  of  John 
and  Mary  Ann  (Guthrie)  Sparr,  natives  of  Bote- 
tourt County,  Va.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
John  Sparr,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  in 
1748,  and  on  coming  to  America  first  settled  in 
Pennsylvania,  but  afterward  removed  to  Virginia, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  1778  he  en- 
listed in  the  American  army,  and  continued  in 
service  until  the  close  of  the  Revolution.  The 
Guthrie  family  was  founded  in  America  in  1775 
by  William  Guthrie,  a  native  of  Scotland,  born 
in  1752,  who,  after  crossing  the  ocean,  settled 
upon  a  farm  in  Maryland.  From  there  he  went 
to  Virginia.  He,  too,  was  a  Revolutionary  sol- 
dier, serving  from  1779  to   1783. '"His  son,  John 


Guthrie,  who  was  a  farmer  in  Virginia,  also  ren- 
dered valiant  service  in  defense  of  his  country. 
Mary  Ann  Sparr,  the  daughter  of  John  Guthrie, 
was  a  woman  of  noble  character  and  gentle  dis- 
position, a  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  exemplifying  in  her  life 
the  depth  of  her  religious  experiences.  Her  death 
occurred  in  November,  1872,  when  she  was 
eighty -two.  Of  her  eleven  children  all  but  two 
attained  maturity,  and  one  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters are  now  living. 

During  his  residence  in  Virginia  the  father  of 
our  subject  was  sheriff  of  his  county,  and  also 
proved  himself  a  true  patriot  by  his  valor  in  the 
war  of  18 1 2.  In  1829  he  removed  to  Indiana  and 
began  to  clear  a  farm  in  Rush  County.  In  addi- 
tion to  agricultural  pursuits  he  had  the  contract 
for  building  a  part  of  the  national  road  from 
Columbus  to  Indianapolis.  In  1833  he  traveled 
on  horseback  through  the  southwestern  territo- 
ries into  Texas,  then  a  province  of  Mexico,  and, 
without  a  single  companion,  explored  those  re- 
mote wilderness  regions,  occupying  one  year  in 
the  trip.  In  1837  he  moved  to  Delaware  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  settling  seven  miles  from  Muncie,  where 
he  died  March  21,  1843,  at  fifty-eight  years  of 
age. 

When  a  boy  the  subject  of  this  sketch  had  few 
advantages.  His  attendance  at  the  public  school 
did  not  exceed  one  year  altogether.  In  1854  he 
entered  the  Iowa  Wesley  an  University  at  Mount 
Pleasant,  where  he  was  a  student  for  eight 
months,  and  later  taught  school  during  one 
winter  term.  Afterward  he  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  brick  in  Iowa.  On  coming  to  Kansas 
he  took  up  a  claim  in  Franklin  County  and  gave 
his  attention  to  its  improvement  for  two  years. 
May,  1859,  found  him  in  Lawrence,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  until  1867, 
meantime  manufacturing  almost  all  of  the  brick 
used  in  the  early  building  of  the  town,  and  hav- 
ing the  largest  and  most  important  plant  here. 
During  the  war,  at  the  time  of  Price's  raid,  he 
served  in  the  Third  Kansas  Militia. 

In  1867  Mr.  Sparr  turned  his  attention  to  rail- 
road contracting,  and  continued  mostly  in  that 
business  until  1887 — making  it  a  financial  sue- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


'59 


cess.  During  1887  he  retired,  to  a  large  extent, 
from  the  contracting  business.  The  following 
year  he  started  the  Douglas  County  State  Bank 
with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  of  which  he  continued 
to  be  president  until  1896,  when  it  was  merged 
into  the  Lawrence  National  Bank.  On  the  con- 
solidation of  the  two  banks  he  was  made  vice- 
president  and  manager  of  the  consolidated  inter- 
ests, and  has  since  given  his  attention  largely  to 
the  financial  interests  of  the  bank.  As  vice- 
president  and  manager  of  the  Lawrence  National 
Bank,  he  is  closely  identified  with  one  of  the 
strongest  financial  institutions  in  the  state,  a  bank 
that  has  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000,  with  depos- 
its aggregating  more  than  $700,000. 

In  politics  Mr.  Sparr  is  a  free-coinage  Demo- 
crat, believes  in  tariff  for  revenue  only,  isopposed 
to  trusts  of  all  kinds,  condemns  the  oppression  of 
the  masses  by  the  greed  of  ambitious  capitalists, 
and  holds  mankind  to  be  superior  to  money.  He 
is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  with  which  he  has  been  identified 
for  many  years.  He  is  connected  with  Washing- 
ton Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Lawrence,  also  the 
orders  of  Masons  and  Odd  Fellows  in  this  city. 
From  1864  to  1866  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
town  council.  However,  the  nature  of  the  busi- 
ness in  which  he  so  long  engaged  required  his 
presence  in  dififerent  points  and  prevented  him 
from  accepting  local  ofiices  in  his  home  town. 
He  is  vice-president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
Baker  University  in  the  town  of  Baldwin,  and  a 
member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  board. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Sparr  united  him 
with  Mary,  daughter  of  Jesse  Critchfield,  of 
Leavenworth,  Kans. ,  in  April,  1862.  She  was 
born  in  Fulton  County,  111.,  January  25,  1S40, 
was  a  woman  of  culture,  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  died  in  Law- 
rence, April  19,  1877.  Her  parents  were  Jesse 
and  Elizabeth  (Bass)  Critchfield,  the  latter's 
mother  being  a  member  of  the  celebrated  Spen- 
cer family  in  Harrison  County,  Ind.  Jesse 
Critchfield  was  born  in  Sono  County,  N.  C, 
April  II,  1793,  and  was  a  son  of  Richard  Critch- 
field, whose  father  was  John  Critchfield,  of  Berk- 
shire,   England.     The   only  child   born    of  Mr. 


Sparr's  first  marriage,  C.  W.  Sparr,  was  born  in 
Lawrence  August  5,  1864,  and  is  employed  in 
the  Lawrence  National  Bank;  in  1886  hemarried 
Alice  Miller,  of  Wisconsin,  by  whom  he  has  one 
child,  Helen,  born  August  5,  1890. 

December  20,  1883,  Mr.  Sparr  married  Mrs. 
B.  W.  Milton,  daughter  of  Mortimer  and  Mary 
A.  (Washington)  Mcllhany.  Her  father  was  a 
son  of  Maj.  James  Mcllhany,  of  Loudoun  County, 
Va.,  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Her 
mother,  a  woman  of  fine  culture  and  noble  bear- 
ing, was  a  daughter  of  Edward  Washington,  of 
Fairfax  County,  Va.,  who  was  a  cousin  of  Gen. 
George  Washington.  Mrs.  Sparr  was  born  in 
Loudoun  County,  Va.,  January  10,  1839,  and  in 
girlhopd  accompanied  her  parents  to  Montgom- 
ery County,  Mo.,  where  she  became  the  wife  of 
Dr.  George  R.  Milton,  of  Winchester,  Va.  Dr. 
Milton  joined  the  Confederate  army  with  the 
rank  of  major,  and  was  promoted  to  be  colonel 
after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Mo.,  but  was  soon 
afterward  obliged  to  resign  his  commission  on 
account  of  poor  health ;  he  died  in  1865,  leaving 
two  sons,  Herbert  and  Fairfax  Milton.  After 
the  death  of  Dr.  Milton  his  widow  taught  music 
in  several  colleges  in  Missouri.  A  sincere  Chris- 
tian, she  is  actively  identified  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  has  always  been  foremost 
in  works  of  charity.  Refined  and  cultured,  gen- 
erous and  kind-hearted,  she  is  respected  and  loved 
by  all  who  know  her,  and  shares  with  her  hus- 
band in  the  esteem  of  the  people  among  whom 
they  have  so  long  made  their  home. 


QASON  POWERS  RICHARDSON.  The 
I  life  record  of  this  pioneer  of  1855  in  Leaven- 
G)  worth  is  full  of  interest.  He  was  born  in 
Woodstock,  Vt.,  February  22,  1822,  and  de- 
scended from  the  Powers  and  Richardson  fami- 
lies who  crossed  the  ocean  in  the  "Mayflower," 
and  was  also  related  to  Israel  Putnam,  of  Revo- 
lutionary fame.  The  first  of  the  Richardson 
family  to  settle  in  America  were  Thomas  and 
Samuel  Richardson,  and  their  older  brother, 
Ezekiel,  the  last-named  having  come  with  Gov- 
ernor Winthrop,    while  the  others    crossed    in 


i6o 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1635.  lyots  were  assigned  them  in  Maiden  in 
1638,  and  in  1642  they  were  among  the  seven 
who  settled  Woburn.  Thomas  died  in  Woburn 
in  1650.  He  and  his  wife,  Mary,  had  a  son, 
Nathaniel,  who  was  born  in  Woburn  in  1650 
and  died  there  in  17 14.  He  fought  in  King 
Philip's  war  and  was  wounded  in  the  great 
swamp  fight  in  1675.  His  son,  Nathaniel,  Jr., 
was  born  in  Woburn  in  1673  and  died  there  in 
1728.  By  his  wife,  Abigail,  daughter  of  Israel 
Reed,  he  had  a  son,  Israel,  who  was  born  in 
Woburn  in  1710  and  died  in  Brookfield,  Mass., 
in  1740.  Capt.  Israel  Richardson,  a  son  of 
Israel,  Sr. ,  was  born  in  Brookfield  (Spencer), 
Mass.,  in  1736,  and  was  a  gunsmith  and  black- 
smith by  trade.  In  1781  he  moved  from  New 
Salem,  near  Hardwick,  to  Vermont,  and  bought 
six  hundred  acres  near  the  present  site  of  Wood- 
stock. It  is  said  that  he  was  a  captain  in  the 
Revolution  and  fought  at  White  Plains  and 
Monmouth.  He  died  near  Woodstock  in  1800. 
By  his  marriage,  in  1759,  to  Susanna  Forbush, 
he  had  a  son,  Jason,  who  was  born  at  New 
Salem  in  1761,  and  removed  in  1781  to  Vermont, 
where  he  had  a  blacksmith's  shop,  hotel  and 
large  farm.  In  1784  he  married  Mary,  daughter 
of  Dr.  Stephen  Powers,  who  moved  from  Middle- 
boro,  Mass.,  to  Woodstock,  Vt.,  in  1774.  Jason 
Richardson  died  in  Woodstock  in  1805.  His 
wife  died  in  Pontiac,  Mich.  Their  oldest  child, 
Susanna,  born  in  1785,  became  the  wife  of  a 
cousin,  Israel  Putnam  Richardson,  and  they  had 
three  daughters  and  one  son,  the  latter  of  whom, 
Gen.  Israel  Bush  Richardson,  was  killed  during 
the  Civil  war.  The  second  daughter,  Lydia 
Drew  Richardson,  was  born  in  1786,  married  Dr. 
Lyman  Paddock,  of  Barre,  Vt.,  and  died  in  1867. 
The  third  child  and  eldest  son  was  Noah  F. 
Richardson,  born  in  1788.  The  other  sons  were 
John  Drew  (born  1790),  John  Powers  (1792), 
Origen  Drew  (1795)  and  Israel  Bush  (1800). 
Origen  Drew  was  the  most  prominent  member  of 
the  family.  Settling  in  Michigan  when  young, 
he  became  one  of  its  early  lieutenant-governors. 
In  1854  he  removed  to  Nebraska,  where  he  was 
a  successful  attorney  and  the  compiler  of  the 
statutes  of  the  state.     By  his  marriage  to  Sarah 


P.  Hill,  of  Rhode  Island,  he  had  six  children, 
viz.:  George,  who  died  at  two  years;  Sarah, 
who  married  Z.  B.  Knight,  of  Pontiac,  and  now 
lives  in  Omaha;  Lyman,  who  lives  in  Omaha; 
Origen  and  Julia,  who  died  in  Pontiac;  and  Cor- 
nelia, wife  of  George  Ingersoll  Gilbert,  a  lawyer 
of  Omaha. 

The  children  of  Noah  F.  and  Polly  Richard- 
son were  Mary,  Jason  Powers,  George,  Ann, 
Jane,  Charles,  Fllen,  Lyman,  Edward,  Susan  , 
Annette,  Lydia,  Ellen  and  Marcella.  Of  these 
Charles  was  drowned  in  Lake  Superior,  and 
Lyman  was  shot  and  burned  to  death  by  rebel 
raiders.  Jason  Powers,  who  was  the  oldest  son, 
forms  the  subject  of  this  article.  When  he  was 
nineteen  years  of  age,  in  1841,  he  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Michigan  and  settled  with  them 
on  a  farm,  where  they  remained  until  their  death. 
At  an  early  age  he  studied  civil  engineering  and 
assisted  in  surveying  the  copper  regions  of  Lake 
Superior.  In  1849  he  went  to  California  via 
Cape  Horn,  and  from  San  Francisco  proceeded 
up  the  American,  Feather  and  Yuba  Rivers, 
where  he  engaged  in  mining  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  also  carried  on  a  general  store  in 
San  Francisco,  but  a  disastrous  fire  caused  the 
loss  of  his  entire  stock  of  goods  and  left  him  with 
only  $5.00.  However,  his  mining  enterprises 
were  more  successful.  In  1853  he  returned  to 
Michigan  via  Panama  and  New  York  City,  and, 
settling  in  Pontiac,  engaged  in  the  agricultural 
implement  business  with  H.  W.  Lord. 

In  Pontiac,  August  2,  1855,  occurred  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  Richardson  to  Miss  Mary  King, 
who  was  born  in  Hinckley,  Medina  County, 
Ohio,  August  5,  1832.  The  wedding  trip  of  the 
young  couple  was  made,  via  St.  Louis,  on  the 
steamer  "New  Lucy,"  to  the  city  of  Leaven- 
worth, Kans.  In  this  then  frontier  town  Mr. 
Richardson  opened  a  wholesale  grocery,  on 
Main  street,  between  Delaware  and  Cherokee, 
where  he  carried  on  general  jobbing  until  he 
sold  out  in  1861.  During  the  perilous  times  of 
border  warfare,  he,  while  being  conservative, 
believed  thoroughly  in  the  free-state  cause.  His 
support  of  these  principles  brought  upon  him  the 
wrath  of  some  of  the  pro-slavery  advocates,  who 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


r6i 


took  him  from  Leavenworth  to  Weston  in  a  boat 
in  chains;  however,  he  had  influential  friends 
among  the  pro-slavery  men,  and  through  their 
assistance  he  was  released  and  afterwards  left 
unmolested.  While  he  was  held  b)'  southern 
sympathizers,  his  wife  remained  in  Leavenworth, 
in  spite  of  threats,  and  took  care  of  their 
property. 

After  1 86 1  Mr.  Richardson  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  owned  a  section  of  land  near  Lawrence, 
which  he  operated  for  some  years  and  then  sold 
at  a  good  profit.  Afterward  he  bought  and  im- 
proved a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  Salt  Creek  Valley.  In  1872  he  pur- 
chased two  hundred  and  forty  acres  six  miles 
south  of  Leavenworth  and  upon  this  place  he  set- 
tled, afterward  giving  his  attention  to  its  im- 
provement and  cultivation.  He  identified  him- 
self with  local  interests  and  held  a  prominent 
position  among  the  agriculturists  of  Leaven- 
worth County.  In  the  various  enterprises  in 
which  he  engaged  he  was  unusually  successful; 
this,  too,  in  spite  of  hardships  and  obstacles  of 
many  kinds.  His  early  life  in  the  far  west  and 
his  pioneer  experiences  in  Leavenworth  were  of 
a  stirring  nature,  but  his  later  years  were  quietly 
spent,  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  comforts  his  in- 
dustry rendered  possible.  Prior  to  the  war  he 
identified  himself  with  the  Democrats,  but  after- 
ward adhered  to  Republican  principles.  In  re- 
ligion he  was  a  Universalist.  His  death  occurred 
June  23,  1882,  from  the  effects  of  sunstroke. 

Mrs.  Richardson  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Jane  (Dunlap)  King,  natives  respectively  of 
Wyoming  County,  N.  Y.,  and  Connecticut. 
Her  grandfather  King,  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  married  a  sister  of  Hon.  Stephen 
Hopkins,  the  famous  Quaker  who  signed  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  He  was  a  pioneer 
in  the  western  part  of  New  York  and  planted  the 
first  orchard  there.  Later  he  went  to  Ohio  and 
then  to  Indiana,  where  he  entered  land  for  all  of 
his  fourteen  sons.  Henry  King,  who  served  in 
the  war  of  1812,  afterward  engaged  in  farming 
in  Medina  County,  Ohio,  and  from  there  moved 
to  Milford,  Mich.,  where  he  died  at  fifty-seven 
years.     His  wife,  whose  parents  died  soon  after 


they  settled  in  Ohio,  died  in  Fulton,  Stark 
County,  when  forty- three  years  of  age.  They 
were  the  parents  of  five  daughters  and  one  son, 
of  whom  all  are  dead  except  two  daughters. 

After  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Richard- 
son left  the  farm  in  the  care  of  one  of  her  sons 
and  established  her  home  in  Leavenworth,  where 
she  resides  on  Walnut  street,  between  Sixth  and 
Seventh.  She  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Leavenworth  and  a  contributor 
to  charitable  enterprises,  one  who  is  kind  and 
helpful  to  the  poor  and  needy.  Nine  children 
were  born  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Richardson, 
namely:  George  C,  who  is  engaged  in  the  fruit 
and  cold  storage  business  in  Leavenworth ;  Mrs. 
Anna  R.  Davis,  of  Saginaw,  Mich. ;  William  K. 
and  Frederick  H.,  who  are  now  in  Alaska; 
Helen,  who  died  at  three  months  of  age;  Charles 
L.,  who  has  charge  of  the  old  homestead  near 
Leavenworth;  Jason  Powers,  Jr.,  who  resides 
upon  and  cultivates  the  farm  in  Salt  Creek  Val- 
ley; Martha  L.  and  Mary  (twins),  the  former 
residing  with  her  mother,  the  latter  deceased. 


3 ESSE  CONNELL  PETHERBRIDGE.  The 
record  of  the  Petherbridge  family,  both  in 
America  and  in  England,  is  one  that  is  re- 
markable for  the  honesty,  uprightness  and 
ability  of  its  members.  The  first  to  settle  in  the 
new  world  was  John  Petherbridge,  who  came 
from  Nottingham,  Devonshire,  about  1787  and 
established  his  home  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  where 
for  many  years  he  carried  on  a  large  and  prosper- 
ous business  as  ship- builder.  He  was  noted  for 
his  large-hearted  generosity.  He  gave  the  lot  on 
which  old  Ebenezer  Church  in  Philadelphia  was 
built  and  contributed  liberally  to  the  erection  of 
the  edifice.  The  deed  specified  that  the  lot  must 
always  be  used  for  church  purposes,  and  if  at  any 
time  it  was  perverted  to  other  uses,  it  should  be- 
come the  property  of  his  heirs.  In  time  the  lot 
was  utilized  for  other  purposes,  but  the  then  head 
of  the  family,  his  son  Richard,  never  claimed  it. 
The  records  also  show  that  he  collected  almost 
all  the  funds  used  in  the  building  of  the  First 
Methodist  Church  in  Camden,  N.  J. 


[62 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Twice  married,  the  eldest  son  of  John  Pether- 
bridge  was  John,  Jr. ,  the  first  dentist  in  Balti- 
more, Md.,  where  he  built  up  a  large  practice. 
He  was  well  known,  not  only  as  a  successful 
dentist,  but  also  as  an  active  worker  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  had  four  sons 
and  two  daughters.  The  oldest  son,  John  (3d), 
as  a  prominent  physician  of  Trappe,  Md.,  was 
known  throughout  his  entire  section  of  the  state, 
not  only  for  his  skill  in  ministering  to  the  sick 
and  suffering,  but  also  for  his  earnest  labors 
as  a  local  preacher.  He  was  a  man  of  brilliant 
intellect  and  deep  piety,  and  left  a  son  who  fol- 
lows in  his  father's  footsteps.  One  son,  Richard, 
died  in  early  manhood;  another,  Edward,  who 
was  major  in  an  artillery  regiment  during  the 
Civil  war,  died  in  Baltimore,  Md. ;  Charles,  who 
carried  on  a  boarding  school  in  Richmond,  was  a 
man  of  cosmopolitan  knowledge  and  a  local 
preacher  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
The  Petherbridge  family  have  been  identified 
with  the  Methodist  Church  ever  since  it  was 
started  by  John  Weslej',  and  an  Englishman 
once  remarked  that  '  'You  cannot  find  a  Pether- 
bridge in  England  who  is  not  a  Methodist." 

John  Petherbridge  (ist)  had  two  sons.  Of  the 
older,  John,  mention  has  been  made.  The 
younger,  Richard  Whatcoat  Petherbridge,  was 
born  in  Philadelphia,  and  named  for  one  of  the 
first  bi.shops  in  the  Methodist  denomination.  He 
was  a  man  of  broad  culture  and  deeply  interested 
in  eastern  educational  institutions,  especially 
that  of  Pennington  Seminary.  In  his  familj' 
there  were  three  sons  and  six  daughters:  Odell, 
Annie,  John,  R.E.,  Emily,  Sarah,  Mary,  Hen- 
rietta and  Helen.  Odell,  Annie  and  Helen  died  in 
early  childhood.  John  was  a  surgeon  in  the 
Civil  war  with  the  rank  of  brigadier-general, 
but  died  soon  after  its  close.  Emily  is  the  wife 
of  Dr.  A.  M.  Cory,  of  New  Providence,  N.  J., 
who  as  acting  assistant  surgeon  during  the  Civil 
war,  rendered  heroic  service  on  the  general  medi- 
cal staff;  Sarah  resides  in  Trenton,  N.  J.,  with 
Henrietta  (now  Mrs.  Caminade)  ;  and  Mary  (now 
Mrs.  A.  G.  Cox)  lives  in  Middletown,  Del. 

The  younger  son  of  Rev.  R.  W.  Petherbridge, 
and  the  father  of  our  subject,  R.  E.  Petherbridge, 


was  born  in  Pemberton,  N.  J.,  and  educated  at 
Pennington  Seminary,  Pennington,  N.  J.,  and 
Fort  Edward  Institute,  N.J.;  he  chose  farming 
as  an  occupation,  and  after  i860  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Kansas.  For  some  time  he  made  his 
home  in  Atchison  County,  but  after  a  few  years 
moved  to  Eeavenworth  County  and  bought  land 
in  High  Prairie  Township,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  until  his  death  in  November,  1895,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-eight  years.  Politically  he  was 
a  Republican.  He  married  Theodosia  Connell, 
who  was  born  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  the  oldest 
daughter  of  Hon.  Jesse  Connell,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky. Coming  to  Leavenworth  County  in  the 
early  '50s  Mr.  Connell  was  one  of  the  first  to  im- 
prove a  farm  here;  he  took  an  active  interest  in 
political  affairs  and  for  several  terms  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  legislature.  He  was  a  stanch 
Democrat  and  fraternally  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order.  His  death  occurred  in  Bates 
County,  Mo.,  in  February,  1892.  His  daughter, 
Mrs.  Petherbridge,  is  living  near  Boling,  Leaven- 
worth County.  Of  her  five  children,  Mary  is  the 
wife  of  John  F.  Hull,  of  Winchester,  Kans. ; 
Jesse  Connell,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the 
oldest  son;  L-  C.  is  engaged  in  mining  in  Boze- 
man,  Mont.;  R.  M.  is  a  farmer  and  school 
teacher  at  Boling;  and  Nellie  R.  is  the  wife  of 
Louis  P.  Jennins,  of  High  Prairie. 

In  Kansas,  where  he  was  born  March,  30, 
1866,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  com- 
mon-school education.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  began  to  teach  school,  and  spent  five  years 
teaching  in  Leavenworth  and  Jefferson  Counties. 
In  1889  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated June  25,  1891,  with  the  degree  of  LL.B. 
Locating  for  practice  in  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  he 
was  for  one  year  deputy  county  attorney  under 
Hon.  John  H.  Atwood,  after  which  he  served 
as  police  judge  of  Leavenworth  City  for  six 
months.  Since  then  he  has  given  his  attention 
closely  to  the  practice  of  law.  Within  the  past 
few  years  he  has  made  remarkable  progress  in 
his  profession.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  scholarly  men  and  best  lawyers  in  his  town. 
At  the  Leavenworth  bar   he   is   rapidly  taking  a 


EmjUI^^^        ^  V 


<^c 


/:^^rzt 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


165 


front  rank.  Gifted  by  nature  with  energy, 
ability  and  keen  perceptive  faculties,  coupled 
with  an  excellent  constitution  and  fine  physique, 
he  has  added  to  these  gifts  by  diligeut  study,  and 
hence  his  success  has  been  constant.  In  all  of 
his  professional  work  he  is  keenly  alive  to  the  in- 
terests of  the  people,  and  has  been  a  stanch 
friend  to  them  in  every  movement  affecting  their 
welfare. 

In  Tonganoxie,  this  county,  Mr.  Petherbridge 
was  made  a  Mason  and  is  now  a  member  of 
Leavenworth  Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.; 
he  also  belongs  to  Ivanhoe  Lodge  No.  14,  K.  P., 
and  the  Turn  Verein.  Inthe  Democratic  party  he 
is  a  favorite  campaign  speaker  and  does  much  in 
behalf  of  his  party  and  its  candidates  throughout 
the  state.  He  is  connected  with  the  alumni  of 
his  alma  mater,  the  University  of  Michigan. 


NGN.  HORACE  J.  SMITH.  It  would  be 
impossible  to  write  a  history  of  Ottawa  and 
omit  prominent  mention  of  the  name  of 
Smith.  Not  without  justice  he  holds  an  influential 
position  among  the  business  men  and  financiers 
of  his  city.  To  his  discrimination  in  business  is 
added  a  high  character  as  a  man,  a  progressive 
spirit  as  a  citizen,  and  a  philanthropy  that  has 
stamped  his  life  indelibly  upon  the  pages  of  the 
history  of  his  home  town.  Necessarily,  a  man 
of  such  attributes  will  be  a  power  for  good  in  his 
community  and  will  stand  foremost  among  his 
fellow-citizens. 

Of  Scotch- Irish  descent,  the  family  of  our  sub- 
ject has  long  been  connected  with  American  his- 
tory, and  his  grandfather,  on  his  mother's  side, 
Jeremiah  Meacham,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  re- 
moved to  Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  in  1800, 
where  he  died.  Horace,  son  of  Silas  Smith,  was 
born  in  Cooperstown,  N.  Y. ,  and  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  the  dental  profession  in  Montrose, 
Pa. ,  where  he  died;  he  married  Marilla  Meacham, 
a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Meacham.  She  was  born 
in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  and  died  in  Montrose,  Pa. 

The  youngest  of  five  children  who  attained 
mature  years,  our  subject  was  born  near  Mont- 
rose, Pa.,  January  27,  1838.     His  boyhood  years 


were  spent  in  Susquehanna  County.  In  1856  he 
settled  in  Oregon,  Ogle  County,  111.,  where  he 
took  one  course  of  study  in  Mount  Morris  Semin- 
ary. For  four  years  he  served  as  deputy  circuit 
clerk  under  his  brother,  Mortimer  W.  Smith.  In 
i860  he  was  elected  county  treasurer,  assuming 
the  duties  of  the  ofiice  in  January,  1861.  The 
following  year  he  raised  a  company  for  the  war 
and  was  made  first  lieutenant  of  Company  K, 
Ninety-second  Illinois  Infantry.  Later  the  regi- 
ment was  mounted  and  after  six  months  he  was 
made  captain  of  Company  B,  serving  under  Gen. 
Smith  D.  Atkins,  of  Freeport,  111.  Among  the 
battles  in  which  he  bore  a  part  were  Chickamau- 
ga,  Mission  Ridge,  the  campaign  from  Resaca 
to  Atlanta,  including  the  battles  of  Macon  and 
Waynesboro,  Ga. ,  and  with  Sherman  to  the  sea; 
thence  north  to  Bentonville  and  Greensboro,  wit- 
nessing the  surrender  of  Johnston.  During  the 
Georgia  campaign  and  the  march  to  the  sea  he 
served  as  assistant-adjutaut-general  on  the  staff  of 
Gen.  Smith  D.  Atkins.  After  the  surrender  he  re- 
turned to  his  company  and  with  them  proceeded 
to  Concord,  N.  C,  remaining  there  until  ordered 
home  at  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  mustered 
out  July  4,  1865,  and  honorably  discharged  in 
Chicago,  111.  After  a  short  visit  in  Ogle  County 
he  went  to  Chicago  and  for  six  months  was  em- 
ployed there. 

In  the  spring  of  1866  Captain  Smith  came  to 
Kansas,  settling  in  the  then  new  town  of  Ottawa 
and  opening  the  first  hardware  store  in  Franklin 
County.  He  continued  in  this  business  for  four 
years.  In  1872  he  organized  the  Ottawa  sav- 
ings institution,  of  which  he  was  cashier  for 
three  years.  In  1S75  Mr.  Smith  and  A.  M.  Blair 
bought  the  stock  of  the  First  National  Bank  and 
he  was  chosen  cashier  of  the  institution,  and  in 
1884  was  promoted  to  the  presidency,  which  po- 
sition he  has  since  held.  The  bank  is  on  the 
corner  of  Second  and  Main  streets,  and  is  not 
only  the  oldest,  but  also  the  largest  capitalized 
bank  in  the  county.  The  conservative  policy 
adopted  by  its  president  has  added  much  to  its 
strength  and  its  reputation  as  a  safe  and  solid 
financial  institution. 

On  the    Republican    ticket,    in    18S9,  Captain 


[66 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Smith  was  elected  a  member  of  the  lower  house 
of  the  legislature,  in  which  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  banking  committee  and  as  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  cities  of  the  second  class.  Sev- 
eral times  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  city 
council  and  once  held  the  office  of  ma3'or.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Kansas  Commandery  of  Loyal 
Legion  and  George  H.  Thomas  Post  No.  i8, 
G.  A.  R.  In  Masonry  he  belongs  to  Ottawa  Lodge 
No.  128,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;-  Franklin  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M.,  and  Tancred  Commandery  No.  11, 
K.  T. ,  in  which  he  served  as  eminent  commander 
for  four  terms. 

In  Ottawa,  in  1867,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
Captain  Smith  to  Miss  Mary  F.  Ward,  who  was 
born  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  and  came  to 
Franklin  County,  Kans.,  in  1859.  They  are  the 
parents  of  five  children:  Minnie  E.;  Ella  W., 
wife  of  Charles  B.  Voorhis;  Grace  L. ;  Jay 
Ward,  a  student  in  Phillips  Academy  at  An- 
dover,  Mass. ;  and  Horace  Eugene,  all  of  whom 
are  now  living  in  Ottawa. 


SOL.  JOHN  GIDEON  HASKELL.  The 
Ha.skell  family,  which  has  been  represented 
in  Douglas  County  ever  since  the  days  of 
the  free-state  colonization,  was  founded  in  Amer- 
ica by  Roger  Haskell,  who  was  born  in  England 
in  1813,  and  settled  at  Beverly,  Mass.,  in  1632. 
From  that  place  his  son,  Roger  (2d),  removed  to 
Norwich,  Conn.,  in  1708,  accompanied  by  Roger 
(3d),  who  at  the  time  was  a  small  boy.  Elijah, 
son  of  Roger  (3d),  removed  from  Norwich  to 
Tolland,  Conn.,  in  1781,  and  there  died,  leaving 
his  widow,  Sarah  (Read)  Haskell,  with  the  care 
of  thirteen  children,  the  j'oungest  only  four  years 
of  age.  During  the  Revolutionary  war  four  of 
her  sons  enlisted  in  the  colonial  service,  and  two 
died  in  defending  our  country.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  she  removed  from  Tolland  to  Weth- 
ersfield,  Windsor  County,  Vt. ,  accompanied  by 
five  sons  and  three  daughters.  In  that  place  her 
son,  Gideon,  resided  at  the  time  our  subject's 
father,  Franklin,  was  born.  The  latter  married 
Almira  Chase,  daughter  of  John  Chase,  of 
Wethersfield,  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution,    and 


originally  from  Sutton,  Mass.  He  descended 
from  Aquilla  Chase,  who  settled  in  Newbury- 
port,  Mass.,  with  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony, 
about  the  time  that  the  Haskells  came  to  Ameri- 
ca, and  whose  descendants  have  since  been 
prominent  in  public  affairs. 

When  the  city  of  Lawrence,  Kans.,  was  found- 
ed in  September,  1854,  by  the  first  free-state 
company,  one  of  the  party  who  came  west  was 
Franklin  Haskell.  He  settled  upon  a  quarter- 
section  of  land  adjoining  the  city,  and  there  he 
died  January  27,  1857.  His  wife  continued  to 
make  the  place  her  home  until  she  passed  from 
earth  in  1876.  Of  their  children,  Charles  A., 
who  was  master  of  transportation  in  the  quarter- 
master's department  during  the  Civil  war,  died 
in  Lawrence  in  1868;  Elizabeth  P.,  Mrs.  French, 
also  died  in  Lawrence;  and  Hon.  Dudley  C, 
who  was  a  member  of  congress  and  a  man  of 
great  influence  in  public  life,  died  in  December, 
1883. 

In  Milton,  Chittenden  County,  Vt.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  born  February  5,  1832. 
His  education  was  begun  in  the  common  schools 
of  Vermont.  In  1849  he  entered  the  Wesleyan 
Academy  at  Wilbraham,  Mass.,  where  he  con- 
tinued (with  the  exception  of  the  period  devoted 
to  labor  for  his  support)  until  1854.  Afterward 
he  was  a  student  in  Brown  University  at  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.  In  1855  he  entered  an  architect's 
office  at  Boston,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  for 
two  years,  meantime  preparing  himself  for  his 
chosen  profession,  architecture.  The  death  of 
his  father  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  come 
west.  At  the  time  his  necessitated  change  of 
plans  seemed  fatal  to  his  prospects,  as  a  prosper- 
ous career  was  opening  up  to  him  in  the  east, 
and  Kansas,  a  new  and  undeveloped  country, 
could,  he  thought,  oflTer  but  little  to  one  in  his 
line  of  work.  Contrary  to  his  expectations,  he 
was  successful  from  the  first.  For  a  time  he  had 
the  only  office  in  the  then  territory  of  Kansas, 
and  from  that  date  to  this,  excepting  during  the 
Civil  war,  he  has  practiced  his  profession,  first 
in  Lawrence,  later  in  Topeka.  During  this  en- 
tire period  his  connection  has  been  close  with  all 
work  of  an  important  public  nature.     The  major- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


C67 


ity  of  the  state  buildings  have  been  constructed 
under  his  oversight  and  from  his  plans,  and  more 
than  once  he  has  been  called  to  neighboring 
states  upon  work  of  a  responsible  nature.  The 
original  plans  for  the  state  capital  were  drawn  by 
him,  and  he  has  since  been  in  charge  of  changes 
made  in  the  building,  including  the  construction 
of  the  senate  chamber  in  1885.  He  was  also  en- 
gaged as  architect  of  the  State  University  of 
Kansas,  the  insane  asylums  at  Topeka  and  Osa- 
watomie,  the  reform  school  at  Topeka  and  the 
reformatory  at  Hutchinson.  Besides  these,  he 
has  been  architect  for,  and  connected  with  the 
construction  of,  schools,  colleges,  churches, 
court-houses,  hotels,  opera  houses  and  business 
buildings  in  this  and  other  states;  also  has  exe- 
cuted a  large  number  of  commissions  for  the 
government,  mainly  schools  and  agency  build- 
ings in  Indian  reservations.  The  United  States 
court-house  and  postofEce  at  Topeka,  which  was 
planned  at  Washington,  was  erected  under  his 
supervision.  In  1874  and  1875  he  had  charge  of 
the  building  of  agency  and  public  buildings  at 
Tallequah  and  Grand  Saline  for  the  Cherokee 
nation. 

When  the  Civil  war  began  Mr.  Haskell  was 
made  deputy  quartermaster-general  of  Kansas, 
under  Gen.  G.  W.  Collamore,  and  in  this  capac- 
ity outfitted  the  First,  Second  and  Third  Kansas 
Regiments  with  such  supplies  as  the  state  fur- 
nished, until  ready  to  be  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service.  He  was  commissioned 
first  lieutenant  and  regimental  quartermaster  of 
the  Third  Regiment.  In  the  spring  of  1862  the 
Third  and  Fourth  were  consolidated  and  called 
the  Tenth  Regiment,  of  which  he  was  retained  as 
quartermaster.  In  June,  1862,  he  was  made 
captain  and  assistant  quartermaster  of  volunteers 
under  commission  of  President  Lincoln,  and  was 
assigned  to  duty  on  the  staff  of  Brigadier-General 
James  G.  Blount.  As  chief  quartermaster  of  the 
army  of  the  frontier  he  was  with  Gen.  James  H. 
Lane,  General  Blount  and  Gen.  John  McNeil, 
ending  his  field  service  on  the  frontier  at  Fort 
Smith,  Ark.,  December  31,  1863,  by  an  order 
from  General  Schofield  to  report  for  duty  at  St. 
Louis.     In  February,  1864,  he  was  assigned  to 


duty  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  as  chief  purchasing 
agent  of  the  department  of  Arkansas  and  the 
Fifteenth  army  corps,  at  the  same  time  being 
given  charge  of  the  supplies  at  Little  Rock.  In 
addition  to  his  other  duties,  while  at  Little  Rock 
he  built  a  hospital  with  accommodations  for  one 
thousand  beds,  also  erected  recuperating  stables, 
army  repair  shops,  warehouses,  and  a  pontoon 
bridge  across  the  Arkansas  River  at  Little  Rock. 
After  having  been  in  service,  without  furlough, 
for  four  years  and  five  months,  he  was  honorably 
discharged  in  November,  1865.  In  June,  1866, 
he  was  commissioned  by  President  Johnson 
brevet  major  and  quartermaster  United  States 
volunteers,  for  "efficient  service  during  the 
war,"  the  rank  dating  from  March,  1865.  Dur- 
ing the  administration  of  Governor  S.  J.  Craw- 
ford he  was  quartermaster-general  of  Kansas, 
with  the  rank  of  colonel.  In  1866  he  was 
elected  architect  of  the  state  house,  and  in  this 
capacity  designed  the  capitol,  and  during  the 
next  four  years  erected  the  east  wing.  When 
the  office  of  state  architect  was  created  in  1891 
he  was  elected  to  the  position,  and  continued  in 
charge  during  the  existence  of  the  board  with 
whom  he  served.  In  1895  he  was  appointed 
architect  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  state 
charitable  institutions,  and  held  the  office  during 
the  period  of  the  then  existing  board.  By  reason 
of  long-continued  membership  in  the  American 
Institute  of  Architects,  he  will,  after  1900,  be- 
come a  life  member  of  the  organization.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  State 
Historical  Society. 

In  the  work  of  the  Plymouth  Congregational 
Church  of  Lawrence  Colonel  Haskell  has  been 
deeply  interested,  and  its  various  organizations 
receive  his  assistance.  For  many  years  he  has 
been  a  member  and  secretary  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  State  Home  Missionary  Society 
of  the  Congregational  denomination,  and  has 
frequently  served  as  delegate  to  its  state  and  na- 
tional conventions.  Three  times  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  State  Sunday-school  Association, 
and  for  many  years  served  upon  its  executive 
committee. 

The   marriage  of  Colonel  Haskell,    December 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


22,  1859,  united  him  with  Mary  Elizabeth  Bliss, 
daughter  of  Luther  Burt  Bliss,  of  Wilbraham, 
Mass.,  a  descendant,  through  her  mother,  of 
John  Adams,  of  Wilbraham,  and  Aseph  King, 
who  was  a  Revel utionarj^  soldier  from  Enfield, 
Conn.  The  two  daughters  born  of  this  union 
are  Harriet  Bliss,  wife  of  William  McDonald, 
professor  of  history  in  Bowdoin  College,  Me., 
and  Mabel  Bliss,  who  resides  with  her  parents. 

All  enterprises  having  for  their  object  the  good 
of  Lawrence  or  .Douglas  County  find  in  Colonel 
Haskell  an  advocate  and  friend,  ready  to  give 
substantial  aid  and  influence  to  the  movement. 
His  entire  life  has  been  marked  by  the  deeds  of  a 
patriotic,  public-spirited  citizen;  and,  not  only  as 
an  early  settler  of  the  county  and  a  man  whose 
energies  were  devoted  to  its  development,  but 
still  more  as  a  leader  in  public  aifairs  and  the 
promoter  of  large  business  projects,  his  name  is 
entitled  to  remembrance  in  histor}'. 


HON.  JOHN  P.  HARRIS,  president  of  the 
People's  National  Bank  of  Ottawa  and  post- 
master of  this  city,  was  born  in  Marietta, 
Ohio,  July  24,  1839,  being  a  son  of  Asa  and 
Eliza  (Fulcher)  Harris,  natives  respectively  of 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  and  Pennsylvania. 
His  grandfather,  George  Harris,  a  native  of  York 
state,  and  a  cooper  by  trade,  removed  with  his 
family  to  Ohio,  settling  near  Marietta  in  18 17, 
and  followed  his  chosen  occupation  there  until 
his  death.  At  the  time  of  the  removal  of  the  fam- 
ily to  Ohio,  Asa  Harris,  who  was  born  in  181 1, 
was  a  child  of  six  years.  In  bo3'hood  he  learned 
the  wagon-maker's  trade,  and  this  occupation  he 
followed  in  Marietta.  Coming  west  to  Iowa  in 
1853  he  established  his  home  on  an  unimproved 
farm  near  Centreville,  Appanoose  County,  where 
he  remained  for  six  years.  In  1859  he  came  to 
Kansas,  and  located  a  claim  near  Centropolis, 
Franklin  County,  where  for  many  subsequent 
years  he  carried  on  farm  pursuits.  Finally  retir- 
ing to  Ottawa,  he  died  in  this  city  in  1884.  He 
was  a  Republican  and  an  Abolitionist,  and  dur- 
ing the  days  of  the  underground  railroad  he  had 
a  station  at  his  place  in  the  village  of  Marietta. 


His  sympathies  were  on  the  side  of  the  Union, 
and  no  one  was  more  gratified  than  he  at  the 
downfall  of  slavery.  After  coming  to  Kansas  he 
identified  himself  with  the  growing  interests  of 
this  state,  and  always  lent  substantial  assistance 
to  enterprises  for  the  benefit  of  his  county.  He 
was  chosen  to  occupy  the  oflfices  of  county  treas- 
urer and  county  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion, in  both  of  which  positions  he  discharged 
every  duty  with  promptness  and  fidelity.  In 
religious  connections  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  By  his  marriage 
to  Miss  Eliza  Fulcher,  who  died  in  Marietta, 
Ohio,  he  had  three  sons:  John  P.;  Milo  R.,  who 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  is  now  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  in  Ottawa;  and  Asa,  who 
died  in  boyhood. 

When  a  boy  our  subject  became  familiar  with 
frontier  life  in  the  west.  His  life  in  Iowa  gave 
him  a  taste  of  existence  in  newly  settled  locali- 
ties, where  comforts  were  few  and  harships  many. 
In  May,  1859,  he  accompanied  the  family  to 
Kansas,  and  has  since  made  his  home  in  Frank- 
lin County,  of  which  he  is  a  pioneer.  Two  years 
after  his  arrival  here  the  Civil  war  began,  and 
the  entire  nation  was  darkened  by  the  cloud  of 
strife.  Nowhere  was  there  more  excitement  than 
in  Kansas,  which  had  for  years  been  one  of  the 
centres  of  the  struggle  between  the  north  and  the 
south.  W^ith  the  zeal  of  youth  and  the  ardor  of 
a  patriot,  Mr.  Harris  resolved  to  offer  himself  to 
his  country's  cause.  In  November,  1861,  his 
name  was  enrolled  in  the  First  Kansas  Battery, 
and  for  eighteen  months  he  engaged  in  duty  on 
the  frontier,  taking  part  in  numerous  engage- 
ments in  the  west.  In  1863  he  was  transferred 
to  Tennessee,  where  much  of  his  subsequent 
service  was  spent.  With  General  Thomas  he 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Nashville  in  the  fall  of 
1864.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  was 
mustered  out,  as  a  non-commissioned  ofiicer,  at 
Nashville,  in  December,  1864. 

At  the  time  of  entering  the  army  Mr.  Harris 
had  no  thought  that  on  his  return  he  would  find 
a  city  had  sprung  up  on  the  present  site  of  Otta- 
wa; but  so  he  found  it,  and  in  1866  he  settled 
here.     For  some  time  he  engaged  in  the  freight- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


169 


ing  business,  but  the  completion  of  the  railroad 
to  the  west  in  1868  rendered  freighting  unprofit- 
able, and  he  abandoned  it.  When  his  father  re- 
tired from  the  county  treasurer's  office  he  suc- 
ceeded him,  serving  from  1868  to  1872.  In  1874 
he  settled  on  a  farm  ten  miles  southwest  of  Otta- 
wa, where,  with  his  brother,  M.  R.,  he  owned 
thirteen  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  engaged 
in  the  stock  business  for  three  years.  Returning 
to  Ottawa  in  1877  he  became  president  of  the 
People's  National  Bank,  and  he  has  since  been 
at  the  head  of  this  institution.  The  bank  was 
organized  in  1874,  and  has  since  been  one  of  the 
solid  financial  institutions  in  the  countj'.  Much 
of  his  success  is  due  to  his  business  judgment 
and  the  conservative  policy  he  has  pursued  in  the 
matter  of  investments,  etc. 

A  man  of  versatile  ability,  Mr.  Harris  is  not 
only  able  to  engage  in  the  banking  business  suc- 
cessfully, but  he  has  also  wielded  an  influence  in 
public  affairs.  Few  Republicans  in  Franklin 
County  have  been  more  prominent  than  he,  and 
his  services  to  his  party  have  been  invaluable. 
In  1876  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate,  and 
during  the  four  years  that  he  served  he  repre- 
sented the  interests  of  his  constituents  with  abil- 
ity, at  the  same  time  taking  a  deep  interest  in 
general  state  legislation.  He  was  not  a  candidate 
for  re-election,  but  retired  at  the  close  of  his  first 
term.  He  has  several  times  been  a  member  of 
the  city  council  of  Ottawa,  and  once  served  as  its 
mayor.  In  1896  he  was  the  Republican  candi- 
date for  congress,  but,  owing  to  the  fusion  of 
the  free  silver  tickets,  he  was  defeated  (as  was 
also  the  state  ticket),  though  he  lost  by  only 
three  hundred  votes.  .  As  a  partial  return  for  his 
services  to  his  party  he  was  tendered  the  office 
of  postmaster  in  December,  1898,  and  accepted 
the  position,  his  son,  Ralph  A.,  being  deputy 
postmaster.  Public-spirited  and  progressive,  he 
is  disposed  at  all  times  to  aid  worthy  enterprises. 
By  his  intelligence  and  force  of  character  he  has 
not  only  advanced  his  personal  success,  but  has 
aided  iu  the  progress  of  the  city  with  whose 
progress  his  own  life  has  been  inseparably  con- 
nected. 

Mr.  Harris  is  a  charter  member  of  George  11. 


Thomas  Post  No.  18,  G.  A.  R. ,  and  in  1895  was 
department  commander  of  Kansas,  with  the  rank 
of  general.  He  is  a  member  of  Franklin  Lodge 
No.  18,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Ottawa  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M.,  and  Tancred  Commandery  No.  11, 
K.  T.  His  marriage  took  place  in  Farmington, 
111.,  and  united  him  with  Sarah  E.  Zook,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  removed  to  Illi- 
nois with  her  father,  David  Zook.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harris  are  the  parents  of  two  sons.  The  older, 
Ralph  A.,  who  was  educated  at  the  Northwestern 
University  at  Evanston,  111.,  was  for  ten  years 
teller  of  the  People's  National  Bank.  The  other 
son,  Fred  M.,  is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Kansas,  and  is  a  practicing  attorney  at  Ottawa, 
this  state. 

HON.  WILLIAM  CYRUS  HOWARD  has 
made  his  home  upon  a  farm  in  Palmyra 
Township,  Douglas  Countj',  since  1868, 
and  is  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  valuable,  well-improved  land  here,  besides 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Miami  Coun- 
ty, Kans.  He  is  a  man  of  prominence  in  public 
affairs,  wielding  an  influence  in  behalf  of  meas- 
ures for  the  public  good.  While  he  has  been 
active  in  the  Republican  party  he  has  displayed 
no  narrow  partisanship,  but  has  been  inclined 
toward  liberal  views.  From  18S8  to  1892  he 
represented  his  district  in  the  state  senate,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  drafted  and  presented  the  bill 
providing  for  the  present  interest  laws  of  the 
state;  also  the  law  authorizing  Chancellor  Snow 
to  distribute  the  material  necessary  to  kill  the 
pest  known  as  the  chinch  bug:  the  primary  elec- 
tion laws  of  the  state,  and  laws  relative  to  official 
bonds  for  a  given  sum  opposite  the  name  of  the 
signer. 

Near  Ripley,  Brown  County,  Ohio,  Mr.  How- 
ard was  born  July  24,  1840.  His  father,  Cyrus, 
was  born  in  the  same  place  December  9,  181 2, 
and  in  early  life  was  a  boatman,  but  from  middle 
age  devoted  himself  to  farm  pursuits.  Though 
he  started  in  the  world  for  himself  without  means, 
and  had  not  even  the  assistance  of  a  good  educa- 
tion, yet  such  was  his  energy  and  ability  that 
at  the  time  of  his  death  he  left  property  worth 


[yo 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


$60,000.  In  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig,  later 
a  Republican,  and  was  active  in  local  affairs,  al- 
though he  never  desired  office  for  himself.  When 
he  was  sixty-four  years  of  age  he  was  clubbed  to 
death  near  his  home  by  robbers  who  wanted  to 
secure  his  money.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Mary  Stephenson,  was  born  in 
Brown  County,  Ohio,  in  1814,  and  died  there  at 
seventy-two  years  of  age.  Both  were  members 
of  the  New  Light  or  Christian  Church.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy,  Alfred  at  fifty  years  of  age,  and 
Louisa  when  twenty-three. 

The  paternal  grandfatherof  our  subject,  Abner 
Howard,  was  born  at  Briar  Ridge,  Va. ,  and 
migrated  to  Kentucky  about  1800.  During  the 
war  of  18 12  he  served  under  General  Harrison. 
Though  he  had  no  education,  he  was  a  shrewd, 
smart,  capable  man,  quick  to  avail  himself  of 
favorable  opportunities.  He  owned  the  first 
horse-tread  mill  in  his  section  of  country.  His 
occupation  was  farming,  in  which  he  met  with 
success.  In  religion  he  was  a  Methodist,  and 
politically  voted  with  the  Democrats  until  the 
formation  of  the  Republican  party.  His  death 
took  place  at  eighty -three  years  of  age.  Our 
subject's  mother  was  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Isabelle  (Kirkpatrick)  Stephenson.  The  latter 
was  born  in  Virginia,  and  was  one  of  two  daugh- 
ters, whose  father  was  killed  by  the  Indians  in 
1791,  while  on  his  way  from  Wheeling,  W.  Va., 
to  Kentucky.  James  Stephenson  was  born  in 
Delaware,  of  English  descent.  Fort  Stephenson 
was  named  in  honor  of  his  brother.  Col.  Mills 
Stephenson,  who  was  colonel  of  a  regiment.  The 
latter  was  a  brave  soldier,  and  served  in  the  war 
of  181 2;  also  was  present  at  the  defeat  of  St. 
Clair  in  1791,  when  he  was  only  eighteen  years 
old.  His  father,  a  native  of  Delaware,  served  as 
a  captain  in  Washington's  army  during  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  some  years  afterward, 
about  1790,  settled  in  Kentucky.  James  Ste- 
phenson's father,  a  captain  in  Washington's 
army,  witnessed  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at 
Yorktown. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  obtained  in 
country  schools  and  Ripley  high   school.     The 


descendant  of  patriotic  soldiers,  it  was  but  natural 
that  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  should  find  hin' 
fired  with  enthusiasm  in  behalf  of  the  Union. 
July  9,  186 1,  he  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Inde- 
pendent Ohio  Cavalry,  and  was  with  McPherson 
as  body  guard  for  two  j'ears,  remaining  in  the 
service  for  three  years.  He  was  slightly  wound- 
ed at  Utica,  Miss.,  May  12,  1863,  during  the  ad- 
vance on  Vicksburg.  Shortly  after  his  return 
home  he  was  elected  sheriff,  being  the  first  Re- 
publican that  ever  held  the  office  in  his  native 
county.  He  had  never  been  in  court  until  he 
went  as  sherifi",  consequently  had  a  very  dim 
conception  of  the  duties  of  his  office,  but,  al- 
though he  lacked  experience,  he  soon  proved 
himself  a  capable  officer.  At  the  expiration  of 
his  term,  in  1867,  he  came  to  Kansas  and  bought 
the  farm  where  he  has  resided  since  1868. 

May  12,  1866,  Mr.  Howard  married  Miss 
Lizzie  M.  King,  of  Brown  County,  Ohio.  She 
died  in  1883,  leaving  two  sons,  James  Harvey,  a 
farmer  in  Miami  County,  Kans.,  and  Alfred  Ste- 
phenson, a  student  in  the  Kansas  law  school  in 
Lawrence.  In  1890  Mr.  Howard  married  Miss 
Katie  Grow,  of  Brown  County,  Ohio.  To  this 
union  three  children  were  born,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  William  Te- 
cumseh  and  Lannes  Dassaix.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Howard  is  connected  with  the  Masons  and  Odd 
Fellows.  He  is  a  public-spirited  citizen,  and  has 
done  much  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  people 
of  his  community,  where  he  rightly  ranks  as  an 
honorable  and  able  man. 


(lOHN  W.  PARCELS,  president  of  the  Jewett 
I  Milling  Company  of  Eudora,  Douglas  Coun- 
(2/  ty,  was  born  in  Wabash  County,  Ind.,  May 
13,  1843,  a  son  of  Rev.  James  and  Lucy  (East- 
man) Parcels,  natives  respectively  of  Virginia  and 
Vermont.  His  father  settled  in  Indiana  in  1842, 
and  continued  to  make  his  home  in  that  state 
until  1863,  when  he  moved  toFairbury,  Living- 
ston County,  111.,  spending  the  remainder  of  his 
life  there.  While  he  supported  himself  and  fam- 
ily by  means  of  farming,  he  gave  much  of  his 
time   to  ministerial  and  missionary  work  in  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he  was  a 
licensed  preacher.  However,  while  he  traveled 
considerably  and  labored  with  the  greatest  self- 
sacrifice  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  he  never  asked 
any  remuneration  for  his  services,  but  was  con- 
stantly giving  from  his  private  means  for  the  sup- 
port of  churches  in  which  he  was  interested.  He 
died  at  eighty  years  of  age  and  his  wife  when 
seventy-six.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living,  namely:  John 
W.;  Martha,  wife  of  William  H.  H.  DeLong; 
Julia,  Mrs.  Clark  Cozzens;  Frank,  ofTopeka, 
Kans. ;  and  Edward  M.,  of  Littleton,  Colo. 

When  a  boy  our  subject  became  familiar  with 
milling.  While  working  at  his  trade  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  Ind.,  in  1863,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  In- 
diana Infantry,  in  which  he  served  for  nine 
months,  meantime  receiving  promotion  to  the 
rank  of  sergeant.  His  regiment  was  assigned  to 
the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps  and  served  under 
General  Thomas  in  the  army  of  the  Cumberland. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  in  1864, 
he  went  to  Fairbury,  111.,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  for  six  years.  In  1870  he  came  to  Kansas 
and  accepted  a  situation  as  head  miller  with  the 
Smucker  Milling  Company  of  Lawrence,  and  later 
with  the  Pierson  Milling  Company.  Associated 
with  S.  S.  Jewett,  in  1894,  they  purchased  the 
property  of  the  Kaw  Valley  Milling  Company 
and  organized  the  Jewett  Milling  Company,  of 
which  he  is  president  and  general  manager.  Hav- 
ing made  a  thorough  study  of  the  milling  busi- 
ness from  his  youth,  he  is  familiar  with  all  of  its 
details  and  is  equipped  with  the  scientific  and 
practical  knowledge  so  indi.spensable  to  success 
in  his  occupation. 

On  the  Republican  ticket  Mr.  Parcels  was  elec- 
ted to  the  city  council  of  Eudora,  in  which  capa- 
city he  was  a  supporter  of  all  measures  for  the 
public  good.  For  six  years  he  was  a  member  of 
tlie  board  of  education,  during  which  time  he  took 
an  active  part  in  the  management  of  the  schools 
of  his  home  town.  Fraternally  he  is  past  grand  of 
Halcyon  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  of  Lawrence,  and 
is  connected  with  Washington  Post  No.  112, 
G.  A.  R.     He  is  a  member  of  the  English  Luth- 


eran Church  of  Lawrence.  December  24,  1881, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  Miles,  of  Indiana.  One  child  blesses 
their  union,  a  son,  Byron  M. 


EEORGE  W.  KAUFMANN.  The  prosperity 
of  a  place  is  dependent  upon  the  growth  and 
development  of  its  business  interests,  and  it 
is  consequently  a  matter  of  the  highest  impor- 
tance that  these  should  be  in  the  hands  of  reli- 
able, efficient  business  men,  who  will  use  their 
influence,  not  alone  for  their  personal  advantage, 
but  also  for  the  benefit  of  the  city.  It  may  safely 
be  said  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  that  he  has 
acted  his  part  as  a  citizen  of  Leavenworth  and 
has  done  all  within  his  power  to  promote  local 
interests.  While  much  of  his  time  is  given  to 
the  management  of  his  grocery,  he  has  found 
time,  as  a  member  of  the  city  council,  to  aid  in 
enterprises  that  will  promote  Leavenworth's 
progress. 

The  entire  life  of  Mr.  Kaufmann  has  been 
spent  in  Leavenworth  and  he  is  now  engaged  in 
business  at  No.  222  West  Seventh  street,  on  the 
site  where  stood  the  house  in  which  he  was  born 
in  1867.  His  father,  William  Kaufmann,  emi- 
grated from  Germany  to  America  and  settled  in 
Joliet,  111.,  but  after  a  short  time,  in  1858,  came 
to  Leavenworth,  Kans. ,  where  several  years  later 
he  opened  a  grocery.  He  was  the  incorporator 
of  the  National  Soap  Company,  which  he  carried 
on  for  seven  years.  From  the  time  of  his  re- 
moval to  this  city  until  his  retirement  a  few  years 
ago,  he  was  actively  identified  with  the  interests 
of  the  place,  and  took  a  leading  part,  not  only 
in  business  matters,  but  also  in  politics.  He 
married  Mary  Kauffmann,  a  native  of  Germany, 
but  a  resident  of  Leavenworth  from  girlhood. 
They  are  still  living  in  this  city,  and  are  now 
advanced  in  years.  They  have  but  two  children, 
Anna  and  George  W. 

When  a  young  man,  our  subject  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  machinist's  trade,  but  did  not 
follow  the  occupation.  For  .several  years  he  was 
a  partner  in  the  National  Soap  Company.  In 
1 89 1  he  opened  a  grocery  business,  which  he  has 


[72 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


since  successfully  carried  on.  Besides  his  store, 
he  is  the  owner  of  considerable  real  estate,  in- 
cluding a  residence  on  Chestnut  street.  In  1887 
he  married  Ida,  daughter  of  J.  H.  Rothenberger. 
They  have  two  children,  Henry  William  and 
Edith. 

In  politics  a  Republican,  Mr.  Kaufmann  was 
elected  on  this  ticket  in  1 897  to  represent  the 
third  ward  in  the  city  council  and  two  years  later 
he  was  re-elected  for  another  term.  He  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the  council 
and  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  fire  and 
market  committees  and  a  member  of  other  com- 
mittees. His  service  in  the  council  has  been  en- 
tirely satisfactory  to  the  people  of  the  third  ward. 
Every  matter  for  the  benefit  of  the  city  receives 
his  aid,  and  all  public-spirited  projects  find  him 
at  the  front.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
King  Solomon  Lodge  No.  10,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  Leavenworth  Court  No.  10,  F.  of  A.,  in 
both  of  which  lodges  he  has  held  ofiices. 


pQlLLIAM   HUGHES.      During  the  entire 

I A  /  psi'io'i  since  the  earliest  settlement  of  Kan- 
YV  sas,  Mr.  Hughes  has  been  identified  with 
itshistory.  Fond  of  the  stirring  and  adventurous, 
scenes  of  pioneer  life,  he  was  fitted  to  aid  in  the 
task  of  transforming  the  uninhabited  prairie  with 
its  raw,  undeveloped  land,  into  the  home  of  a 
busy,  industrious  and  contented  people.  When, 
in  1855,  he  came  to  Kansas,  he  secured  employ- 
ment in  Lawrence.  The  next  year  he  bought  a 
team  and  began  freighting  over  the  plains  to 
Fort  Union,  N.  M.,  but  after  having  made  two 
trips  he  turned  his  attention  to  other  work.  In 
1858  he  rented  forty  acres  from  Captain  Parks, 
chief  of  the  Shawnee  Indians,  and  four  years  later 
he  commenced  to  buy  land  from  Indians,  his  first 
purchase  being  two  hundred  acres  of  raw  land. 
Afterward  he  continued  to  add  to  his  property 
until  at  one  time  he  was  the  owner  of  eleven  hun- 
dred acres,  but  he  has  disposed  of  six  hundred 
acres,  and  now  owns  five  hundred,  on  which  he 
has  for  j-ears  engaged  in  raising  stock  and  feed- 
ing cattle  for  the  market.  He  is  a  lover  of  good 
horses  and  has  several  head  on  his  place.  In  1867 


he  built  a  .substantial  brick  residence,  which  was 
the  finest  -farm  house  built  up  to  that  time  in 
Douglas  County,  and  which  is  still  one  of  the 
best  in  Eudora  Township. 

Born  in  Wales,  April  9,  1833,  our  subject  is  a 
son  of  Samuel  Hughes,  a  native  of  Wales,  who 
crossed  the  ocean  in  1839  and  settled  near  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.,  there  engaging  in  farm  pursuits.  He 
met  with  an  accident  in  1844  and  died  from  its 
effects  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  His  wife,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Edwards,  was 
born  in  Wales  and  died  in  Pittsburg  in  1844. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  living,  viz.:  Samuel,  of  Arizona;  Will- 
iam; Sallie,  widow  of  Charles  Taylor;  Elizabeth; 
Annie;  Lewis  C,  who  was  governor  of  Arizona 
under  President' Cleveland  and  is  now  editor  of  the 
Arizona  Star;  and  Thomas,  also  of  Arizona. 

At  the  time  the  family  emigrated  to  America 
our  subject  was  six  years  of  age.  Left  an  orphan 
at  an  early  age,  he  became  a  ward  of  the  wife  of 
Gen.  William  Robinson,  a  wealthy  citizen  of 
Pittsburg.  He  remained  in  the  east  until  after 
attaining  his  majority,  when,  at  the  opening  of 
Kansas  for  settlement,  he  cast  in  his  lot  with  the 
pioneers  of  this  then  territory.  He  arrived  in 
Lawrence  March  15,  1855,  with  fifty  cents  in  his 
pocket;  but,  though  lacking  money,  he  did  not 
lack  perseverance  and  determination,  and  subse- 
quent years  brought  him  a  large  degree  of  pros- 
perity, as  well  as  considerable  prominence.  Dur- 
ing the  border  wars  he  was  associated  with  John 
Brown  in  the  battles  of  Black  Jack  and  Osawato- 
mie  and  was  also  with  Captain  Vigerrton  at  Fort 
Saunders  and  Titus.  At  the  time  oftheQuan- 
trell  raid  he  was  one  of  the  party  that  captured 
Skeggs,  one  of  the  most  daring  of  the  raiders. 
His  sympathies  were  strongly  on  the  side  of  the 
Union  and  he  never  hesitated  to  declare  his  opin- 
ions openly  without  fear  of  consequences.  Ac- 
tive in  Republican  local  politics,  he  assists  the 
campaigns  in  Eudora  Township  and  works  for 
the  party  candidates.  Believing  firmly  in  the 
advantages  of  a  good  education,  he  has  given  his 
family  liberal  advantages,  besides  helping  several 
orphans,  and  has  also  aided  the  schools  of  his 
township. 


FRANCIS  HUNTINGTON  SNOW,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


175 


August  28,  1858,  Mr.  Hughes  married  Ellen  J. , 
daughter  of  Alexander  and  Jane  (McWilliams) 
Robinson,  of  Sharpsburg,  Pa.  Thej-  have  two 
sons:  William  R.,  ex-county  clerk  of  Custer 
County,  Okla.,  and  now  clerk  of  the  district 
court ;  and  Thomas  J. , a  stock-raiser  of  that  county. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Hughes  is  connected  with  Law- 
rence Lodge  No.  4,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  has  been 
prominent  in  connection  with  fairs,  aiding  the 
Bismarck  and  the  Kansas  state  fairs,  and  he  has 
also  given  liberal  contributions  to  other  worthy 
enterprises.  He  organized  the  first  Sunday- 
school  in  the  Kaw  Valley  and  maintained  it  per- 
sonally for  ten  years. 


r"RANCIS  HUNTINGTON  SNOW,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
Ki  chancellor  of  the  University  of  Kansas, 
I  *  has  been  connected  with  this  institution 
during  the  entire  period  of  its  history,  and 
the  record  of  his  life  is,  in  its  vital  points,  a  his- 
tory of  the  university.  No  one  has  labored  more 
untiringly  than  he  to  promote  its  advancement 
and  broaden  the  scope  of  its  influence.  When, 
in  1866,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  faculty 
and  came  west  to  accept  the  chair  of  mathematics 
and  natural  science,  he  found  himself  one  of  a 
faculty  of  three,  in  charge  of  a  school  of  fifty-five 
students.  As  the  years  passed  by  he  contributed 
to  the  rapid  growth  of  the  school,  to  the  success 
of  which  his  reputation  as  an  instructor  added 
not  a  little.  In  1870  he  was  transferred  to  the 
chair  of  natural  history,  the  university  having 
increased  by  that  time  to  an  attendance  of  two 
hundred  and  twenty-seven,  while  the  faculty  had 
nine  members.  He  occupied  three  rooms  in  the 
main  building,  soon  after  its  erection  in  1S72, 
continuing  there  until  1886,  when  Snow  Hall 
was  completed,  and  for  four  years  he  had  charge 
of  recitations  in  that  building.  When,  in  1889, 
he  was  elected  president  of  the  faculty  and  placed 
in  charge  of  the  educational  work,  there  was  an 
attendance  of  five  hundred  and  eight  students, 
with  thirty-three  instructors.  In  1890  he  was 
made  chancellor,  which  responsible  position  he 
has  since  filled  with  the  greatest  efficiency.  Tlie 
subsequent  growth  has  been  most  gratifying.     In 

4 


1891  the  preparatory  department  was  cut  off, 
since  which  time  the  number  of  accredited  high 
schools  has  increased  from  sixty-four  to  one 
hundred  and  forty-seven.  During  the  last  term 
C 1 898-99)  there  was  an  attendance  of  one 
thousand  and  eighty-seven  students,  and  the 
faculty  now  numbers  .sixty-nine  members, 
among  whom  are  many  instructors  of  national 
reputation. 

The  work  of  Chancellor  Snow  has  been  not 
only  in  the  direction  of  increasing  the  attendance 
at  the  university,  but  he  has  endeavored  to  en- 
large the  facilities  and  broaden  the  advantages 
offered  to  the  students.  Realizing  the  need  of 
suitable  buildings  for  various  purposes,  he  has 
striven  to  secure  the  funds  necessary  for  their 
erection,  and  in  this  work  he  has  been  remark- 
ably successful,  having  enlisted  the  sympathy  of 
many  men  of  large  means  and  philanthropic 
spirit.  In  1895  the  Physics  building  was  erected 
by  a  state  appropriation,  and  three  years  later 
the  Fowler  building,  with  every  facility  for  in- 
struction in  engineering,  was  erected,  a  gift  from 
George  A.  Fowler,  of  Kansas  City.  The  most 
valuable  private  endowment  was  one  of  $95,000, 
given  by  an  uncle  of  Chancellor  Snow,  William 
B.  Spooner,  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Boston,  whose 
wife  was  Lucy  Huntington.  This  generous  gift 
rendered  possible  the  magnificent  Spooner  library, 
a  modern,  fire-proof  building,  provided  with 
every  facility  and  containing  a  fine  collection  of 
books. 

For  a  period  of  twenty-five  years  Dr.  Snow 
devoted  his  vacations  to  the  collection  of  material 
for  the  museum  of  natural  history  which  is  now 
a  part  of  the  university.  In  1885  the  state  leg- 
islature, in  appreciation  of  his  labors,  appropri- 
ated the  sum  of  $50,000  to  be  expended  in  the 
erection  of  a  building  in  which  this  splendid  col- 
lection might  be  preserved.  This  building  was 
completed  in  1886  at  an  expense  of  $50,000  and 
named  Snow  Hall,  in  honor  of  Chancellor  Snow. 

As  many  as  eighty  lineal  ancestors  of  Chancel- 
lor Snow  came  to  America  between  1620  and 
1640.  Three  ancestors  took  part  in  the  Revolu- 
tion and  many  participated  in  the  colonial  wars. 
His  father,  Benjamin  Snow,  was  born  in  West- 


[76 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


moreland,  N.  H.,  and  became  a  merchant  and 
manufacturer  of  paper  at  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  also 
president  of  a  savings  bank  there  and  a  director 
in  the  RoUstone  National  Bank.  He  died  in  that 
town  when  seventy-five  years  of  age.  His 
father,  Benjamin  Snow,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of 
Lunenburg,  Mass.,  and  for  some  years  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  at  Westmoreland, 
N.  H.,  but,  when  his  son  was  eleven  years  old, 
removed  to  Fitchburg,  Mass. ,  where  he  died  in 
his  eighty-ninth  year.  He  married  Alfreda  Hall, 
a  descendant  of  Richard  Warren,  who  came  in 
the  "Mayflower,"  and  also  of  George  Hall,  who 
came  from  Devonshire,  England,  in  1636,  settled 
in  Taunton ,  Mass. ,  was  one  of  the  proprietors  of 
the  first  iron  works  in  this  country,  served  as 
chairman  of  the  board  of  selectmen  and  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Pilgrim  Congregational 
Church.  The  father  of  Benjamin  Snow,  Sr. ,  was 
Lieut.  Silas  Snow,  who  was  born  in  Lunenburg, 
Mass. ,  and  became  an  early  settler  of  Fitchburg. 
His  father,  William,  was  asonof  Zerubabel,  who 
was  the  son  of  John,  and  grandson  of  Richard 
Snow,  who  emigrated  from  England  in  1640  and 
three  years  later  settled  in  Woburn,  Mass. 

The  mother  of  Chancellor  Snow  was  Mary, 
daughter  of  David  and  Ruth  Baldwin  (Hunting- 
ton) Boutelle,  and  a  member  of  the  family  to 
which  belonged  ex-Governor  Boutwell,  of  Massa- 
chusetts. David  Boutelle,  who  died  at  ninety- 
three  years,  was  a  son  of  David,  Sr. ,  whose  father, 
James,  was  a  son  of  James  (4th).  The  latter's 
father,  James  Csd),  was  a  son  of  James  (2d),  the 
son  of  James  Boutelle  (ist),  the  founder  of  the 
family  in  America,  and  one  of  the  original  set- 
tlers of  Reading,  Mass.  David  Boutelle,  Sr. ,  en- 
listed from  Leominster,  Mass.,  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war;  he  married  a  daughter  of  Lieut. 
Luke  Richardson,  who  enlisted  in  the  colonial 
army  as  a  private  and  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  lieutenant. 

Dr.  Christopher  Huntington,  father  of  Ruth 
Baldwin  Huntington,  was  a  descendant  of  Simon 
Huntington,  who  was  born  in  Norwich,  Eng- 
land, and  started  with  his  wife  and  three  children 
to  America,  but  died  on  the  ocean.  His  wife, 
Margaret  (Baret)  Huntington,  came  on  with  the 


children  and  settled  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  where 
their  homestead  is  in  the  hands  of  their  descend- 
ants. Her  son,  Christopher  (ist),  was  the  first 
town  clerk  of  Norwich,  Conn.,  and,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  two  terms,  the  ofiice  has  since  been 
held  by  descendants.  Deacon  Christopher  Hunt- 
ington (2d)  was  the  first  white  male  child  born 
in  Norwich,  Conn.  His  son,  Christopher  (3d), 
was  the  father  of  Christopher  (4th),  a  physician, 
whose  son,  Christopher  (5th),  also  a  physician, 
was  the  great-grandfather  of  Chancellor  Snow. 
Christopher  Huntington  (ist)  married  Ruth 
Rockwell,  from  whom  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant  was  a 
direct  descendant. 

Chancellor  Snow  also  traces  his  lineage  to 
Capt.  James  Leonard,  of  Pontypool,  Wales,  who 
settled  in  Taunton,  Mass.,  in  1652  and  died  in 
1 69 1.  His  descendants  were  iron  workers,  and 
also  took  an  active  part  in  the  Indian  wars. 
One  of  the  ancestors  was  John  Prescott,  a  native 
of  Yorkshire,  England,  a  noted  Indian  fighter, 
of  Lancaster,  Mass.  Other  ancestors  were  Capt. 
Nathaniel  Wilder,  who  was  killed  by  Indians  at 
Lancaster;  Capt.  Peter  Joslin,  whose  first  wife 
and  four  children  were  massacred  by  savages; 
and  Rev.  Thomas  Carter,  who  came  from  Eng- 
land in  1635,  and  was  the  first  minister  at  Wo- 
burn, Mass.;  his  son,  Samuel  Carter,  graduated 
from  Harvard  College  in  1660. 

Of  the  family  of  Benjamin  Snow,  Jr.,  compris- 
ing six  children,  only  two  are  living.  One  son, 
Benjamin,  died  in  Lawrence  when  twenty-eight 
years  of  age.  Francis  Huntington  Snow  was 
born  in  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  June  29,  1840,  and 
graduated  from  the  high  school  of  his  native 
town.  In  1858  he  matriculated  in  Williams  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  graduated,  as  valedictorian 
of  the  class  of  1S62,  with  the  degree  of 
A.  B.  While  in  college  he  was  president 
of  the  Lyceum  of  natural  history  and  the 
Philologian  Literary  Society.  In  1865  the 
degree  of  A.  M.  was  conferred  upon  him  by 
his  alma  mater.  In  1862  he  accepted  the 
principalship  of  the  Fitchburg  high  school,  and 
later  was  his  father's  chief  clerk  for  a  year.  In 
1864  he  entered  Andover  Theological  Seminary, 
at  Andover,  Mass. ,  from  which  he  graduated  in 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


[77 


1866,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  the  Congre- 
gational denomination.  Immediately  afterward 
he  accepted  a  chair  in  the  University  of  Kansas, 
then  being  established,  and  at  once  began  his 
long  and  honorable  connection  with  one  of  the 
greatest  institutions  of  the  west. 

At  Andover,  Mass.,  July  8,  1868,  Chancellor 
Snow  married  Miss  Jane  Appleton  Aiken,  who 
was  born  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  was  a  namesake 
of  her  aunt,  the  wife  of  President  Franklin  Pierce. 
Her  father,  John  Aiken,  descended  from  Edward 
Aiken,  who  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  of 
Scotch  lineage,  and  settled  in  Londonderry, 
N.  H.  Her  mother,  Mary  M.,  was  a  daughter  of 
Jesse  Appleton,  D.D.,  president  of  Bowdoin  Col- 
lege, whose  ancestry  can  be  traced  to  141 4 
in  England.  The  first  of  the  Appletons  in  this 
country  was  Samuel  Appleton,  who  came  from 
Waddingfield,  England,  in  a  very  early  day. 
The  family  took  an  honorable  part  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary and  Indian  wars.  One  of  the  ancestors 
was  Samuel  Symonds,  an  early  governor  of 
Massachusetts  colony.  Mrs.  Snow  received  an 
excellent  education,  attending  Abbot  Female 
Academy  in  Andover.  Of  her  marriage  six 
children  were  born,  five  of  whom  are  living.  The 
eldest,  William  Appleton  Snow,  graduated  from 
the  University  of  Kansas  with  the  degree  of  B.  S. , 
later  received  the  degree  of  M.  S.,  and  is  now  an 
instructor  in  Leland  Stanford,  Jr.,  University  in 
California.  The  oldest  daughter,  Martha  Boutelle 
Snow,  graduated  from  the  University  of  Kansas 
in  1898,  and  is  the  wife  of  William  Harvey 
Brown,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Kansas, 
class  of  1888,  a  pioneer  of  Salisbury,  South 
Africa,  and  a  participant  in  many  of  the  exciting 
events  in  Rhodesia,  concerning  which  he  has 
written  in  his  "On  the  South  African  Frontier," 
published  by  Scribner  in  1899.  The  second 
daughter,  Mary  Margaret,  who  was  educated  in 
the  University  of  Kansas,  is  the  wife  of  Ermine 
C.  Case,  a  professor  in  the  Wisconsin  State  Nor- 
mal at  Milwaukee.  The  youngest  children  are 
Edith  Huntington  and  Frank  Lawrence  Snow. 
The  former  is  a  student  in  the  university,  and 
the  latter  is  now  in  South  Africa  with  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Brown. 


Since  1889  Chancellor  Snow  has  been  an  ex- 
officio  member  of  the  state  board  of  education.  His 
interest  in  educational  work  is  broad  and  endur- 
ing, and  the  high  standing  of  Kansas  as  an  educa- 
tional centre  is  not  a  little  due  to  his  wise  efforts. 
Frequently  he  has  contributed  to  scientific  jour- 
nals, about  one  hundred  articles  from  his  pen  hav- 
ing been  published,  mainly  in  Kansas.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Cambridge  Entomological  Society 
and  has  acted  as  an  editor  of  "Psyche,"  the  organ 
of  that  society.  The  university  educational  exhibit 
at  the  World's  Fair,  which  attracted  considerable 
notice  and  revealed  the  high  standing  of  Kansas 
in  educational  work,  was  made  under  his  super- 
vision. He  is  a  director  of  the  Museum  of  Natu- 
ral History  and  a  director  of  the  University  Ex- 
perimental Station  established  for  the  destruction 
of  chinch  bugs.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Kansas  Academy  of  Science,  of  which  he  is 
a  life  member.  The  National  Educational  Asso- 
ciation numbers  him  among  its  members,  and  he 
is  also  connected  with  the  North  Central  Asso- 
ciation of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools.  He 
is  a  fellow  of  the  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science,  and  a  member  of  the 
Delta  Ypsilon,  of  the  national  society  of  which 
he  was  recently  president. 

In  188 1  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  was  conferred 
upon  Chancellor  Snow  by  Williams  College.  At 
the  time  of  his  inauguration  as  chancellor,  in 
1890,  announcement  was  made  that  the  degree 
of  D.  D.  had  been  conferred  upon  him  by  Prince- 
ton College.  While  he  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry,  his  work  has  been  mainly  in  the  line  of 
educational  effort,  although  during  the  first  two 
years  of  his  residence  in  Lawrence  he  preached 
every  Sunday  for  Congregational  Churches 
in  Lawrence  and  vicinity.  For  twenty-five  years 
he  has  been  the  teacher  of  a  Bible  class  in  Ply- 
mouth Congregational  Church,  and  during  much 
of  the  time  he  has  served  as  a  trustee  and  dea- 
con. He  is  in  sympathy  with  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party  and  usually  votes  that 
ticket.  His  descent  from  pioneer  fighting  stock 
entitles  him  to  admission  in  the  Society  of 
American  Wars  and  he  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  same. 


[78 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


In  summing  up  the  life  and  character  of  Chan- 
cellor Snow,  it  may  be  said  that  he  is  one  of  the 
best-known  educators  in  the  United  States.  His 
mental  powers  are  of  an  unusually  strong  and 
vigorous  order.  His  wide  experience,  his  habits 
of  comprehensive  reading,  his  insight  into  human 
nature  and  his  love  for  the  young,  qualify  him  to 
stand  at  the  head  of  an  institution  that  is  accom- 
plishing so  much  in  the  moulding  of  the  charac- 
ters of  the  young  men  and  women  of  Kansas. 


30HN  H.  JOHNS,  chief  engineer  and  super- 
intendent of  construction  at  the  National 
Military  Home,  Leavenworth,  was  born  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  June  5,  1847,  a  son  of  James 
H.  and  Elizabeth  (Fetters)  Johns.  His  father, 
who  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  removed  from 
there  to  Cincinnati  in  1838,  and  in  the  latter  city 
he  began  carpentering  and  building.  After  a 
time  he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading 
architects  of  the  place  and  was  employed  in  the 
construction  of  many  important  buildings.  His 
death  occurred  in  Cincinnati  in  1876,  when  he 
was  seventy-four  years  of  age,  having  survived 
his  wife  eight  years.  He  was  a  son  of  David 
Johns,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  18 12,  and 
whose  father  served  in  the  colonial  army  during 
the  Revolution.  In  the  family  of  James  H. 
Johns  there  were  eight  children,  but  onlj'  four 
of  these  are  now  living,  one,  William  H. ,  being 
a  civil  engineer  in  Silver  Star  City,  Mont.,  and 
Samuel  F. ,  a  builder  and  contractor  in  Cincin- 
nati, while  the  only  daughter  living  is  the  wife 
of  Maj.  William  Thompson,  of  the  National 
Soldiers'  Home  at  Hampton,  Va. 

For  years,  during  his  early  manhood,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  engaged  in  civil  and  me- 
chanical engineering  in  Cincinnati,  and  he  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  that  city  until  1885,  when  he 
accepted  his  present  position  as  chief  engineer 
and  superintendent  of  construction  at  the  Na- 
tional Military  Home  in  Leavenworth.  When 
he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  he  enlisted  in 
Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-ninth  Ohio 
Infantry,  and  served  on  detached  duty  until  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war,  having  charge  of  the  guard 


of  prisoners  in  southern  Maryland.  He  has  al- 
ways been  a  patriotic,  public-spirited  citizen,  and 
in  politics  has  been  identified  with  the  Republican 
party.  By  his  marriage,  in  1869,  to  Miss  Mary 
Porter,  of  Cincinnati,  he  has  three  children,  viz.: 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  George  Williams,  of  Kansas 
City;  Ruth  and  Grace. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Johns  is  a  member  of  Leaven- 
worth Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  past 
grand  of  Cincinnati  Lodge  No.  3,  I.  O.  O.  F. 
For  years  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Grand 
Army  and  interested  in  its  welfare  and  reunions. 
He  is,  in  point  of  years  of  active  connection  with 
the  Soldiers'  Home,  the  oldest  employe  here, 
having  accepted  his  present  position  when  the 
Home  was  first  established,  and  has  since  had 
charge  of  the  construction  of  all  the  buildings. 


(Joseph  H.  HARRISON,  a  retired  farmer  of 
I  Wakarusa  Township,  Douglas  County, 
(2/  was  born  in  Alabama,  December  22,  1828. 
He  is  descended  from  one  of  five  brothers  who 
came  to  America  prior  to  the  Revolutionarj-  war 
and  settled  in  different  parts  of  thecountr)',  his  an- 
cestor going  to  the  south.  His  father,  Jesse,  who 
was  a  millwright  and  for  some  years  worked  in 
cotton  mills,  removed  to  Missouri  in  1829  and 
engaged  in  carpentering.  As  the  locality  in 
which  the  family  settled  was  on  the  frontier, 
whither  as  yet  few  pioneers  had  made  their  waj-, 
the  advantages  for  obtaining  an  education  were 
very  meagre,  and  hence  our  subject  had  few  op- 
portunities to  attend  school.  Most  of  his  time 
was  given  to  assisting  in  the  clearing  of  the  farm. 
At  the  time  of  the  Mexican  war  he  volunteered 
under  Col.  N.  B.  Holden,  but  he  was  so  young 
that  the  officers  refused  to  accept  him.  For  a 
time  he  was  employed  in  freighting  for  the  gov- 
ernment. 

In  1854  Mr.  Harrison  came  to  Kansas  and 
took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  where  he 
now  resides,  and  he  has  a  government  patent  for 
the  land.  When  he  arrived  in  Lawrence  June  4, 
the  first  cabin  in  the  town  was  being  built,  and 
this  building  stood  until  verj'  recently.  He  has 
witnessed   the  growth  of  the  place  from  a  hamlet 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAI.  RECORD. 


179 


with  one  house  to  a  large,  prosperous  city,  the 
seat  of  the  state  university,  the  home  of  an  intel- 
ligent people,  and  the  center  of  wide  commercial 
interests.  After  building  a  log  house  on  his 
land  he  began  to  improve  the  place,  and  engaged 
in  general  farming  here.  With  a  few  colts  and 
cattle  he  embarked  in  the  stock  business,  and  in 
time  became  the  owner  of  valuable  stock.  After 
he  had  accumulated  some  means  he  bought  an 
eighty-acre  tract  south  of  his  original  quarter- 
section,  and  built  a  neat  farm  house,  which, 
standing  on  an  elevation,  occupies  a  fine  location. 
The  land  is  improved  with  all  the  accessories  of 
a  modern  farm,  and  he  has  a  garden  and  vine- 
yard, in  addition  to  other  improvements. 

Prior  to  the  war  Mr.  Harrison  was  a  stanch 
free-state  man.  He  incurred  the  dislike  of  pro- 
slavery  advocates  and  twice  his  horses  were 
stolen  from  him,  but  each  time  he  recovered 
them.  Formerly  a  Democrat,  he  now  votes 
with  the  Populists.  He  has  filled  the  offices  of 
road  overseer  and  school  director.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  engaged  in  freighting  for  the  gov- 
ernment between  Kansas  and  New  Mexico. 
At  one  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  Grange. 
By  his  marriage  to  Mrs.  Martha  A.  Randolph 
eight  children  were  born,  but  only  two  are  now 
living,  viz.:  Joseph  M.,  who  since  his  father's 
retirement  has  had  charge  of  a  portion  of  the 
home  farm;  and  Lucy  J.,  who  married  Seigel 
Rose,  and  lives  on  a  part  of  the  old  homestead. 


fgUSTAV  A.  GRABBER,  member  of  the  firm 
I—  of  Graeber  Brothers,  of  Lawrence,  is  a  man 
VJ  of  striking  and  original  personality,  and  for 
years  has  been  a  conspicuous  figure  in  his  home 
town.  A  resident  of  Lawrence  from  boyhood  he 
started  the  first  boat  house  here,  and  continued 
its  keeper  for  fourteen  years,  during  which  time 
not  a  single  accident  occurred.  During  the  ex- 
istence of  the  Lawrence  Boat  Club  he  was  also 
employed  as  its  keeper.  He  was  instrumental  in 
getting  the  first  racing  shell  on  the  river.  As  a 
swimmer  and  diver  he  has  no  superior,  and  in 
boating  he  is  also  an  expert.  On  three  after- 
noons in  succession  he  shot  over  the  dam  in  a 


boat,  a  most  hazardous  undertaking,  and  one 
which  no  one  else  has  ever  attempted.  Often  he 
dived  for  the  large  fish  that  came  up  to  the  foot 
of  the  mill  race,  and  in  this  he  soon  excelled. 
He  constructed  a  hook  attached  to  a  short  line, 
and  with  this  he  would  dive  and  feel  his  way  to 
the  place  he  knew  the  large  fish  to  be.  When 
he  touched  the  fish,  he  would,  quick  as  a  flash, 
with  a  downward  stroke,  hook  it  usually  down 
from  the  top  of  the  back;  then  would  come  the 
struggle,  which  always  ended  fortunately  for 
him,  although  he  had  some  narrow  escapes.  In 
this  way  he  caught  fish  weighing  from  twenty- 
five  to  eighty  pounds  each,  his  best  record  as  to 
number  being  nine  fish  in  twelve  minutes.  His 
boat  house  was  a  fine  one,  furnished  with  an 
equipment  of  row  boats  and  sail  boats.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  work  he  started  the  first  mandolin 
club  and  the  second  skating  rink  in  Lawrence. 
In  his  rink  he  employed  steam  power  for  grind- 
ing the  skates,  and  had  other  improvements  of  a 
modern  nature.  Upon  selling  out  his  boat  busi- 
ness, in  June,  1895,  he  engaged  with  his  broth- 
ers, Albert  and  Carl,  in  the  plumbing,  heating 
and  gas-fitting  business,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Graeber  Brothers.  They  have  their  ofiice  and  shop 
at  No.  728  Massachusetts  street,  and  are  prepared 
to  do  thorough  work  in  their  line,  the  two  broth- 
ers being  practical  plumbers  (while  our  subject 
gives  his  attention  to  the  general  management  of 
the  business).  The  firm  had  the  contract  for  the 
plumbing  system  at  Haskell  Institute,  the  Fow- 
ler building  in  the  University  of  Kansas,  as  well 
as  some  of  the  finest  residences  in  the  city. 

Carl  Graeber,  our  subject's  father,  was  a  son 
of  Johan  Graeber,  a  shoemaker,  who  served  in  the 
war  of  1S12-15,  taking  part  of  the  battles  of  Leip- 
sic  and  Waterloo,  and  died  in  Germany  May  5, 
1866,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four.  The  latter's 
father  was  a  soldier  under  Frederick  the  Great. 
In  Bartenstein,  East  Prussia,  Germany,  where 
he  was  born  in  1825,  Carl  Graeber  learned  the 
trade  of  a  shoemaker.  For  three  and  one-hatf 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Thirty -fifth  Regu- 
lar Infantry,  serving  his  time  mostly  on  the 
French  line.  May  19,  1852,  he  set  sail  from 
Hamburg  for  America,,landing  on  the  loth  of 


[8o 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


July.  He  proceeded  via  Chicago  to  LaSalle,  111. , 
where  he  followed  his  trade.  In  1857  he  came 
to  Kansas  and  secured  a  claim,  after  which  he 
returned  for  his  family.  His  first  home  in  Kan- 
sas was  eight  miles  south  of  Clinton.  In  1861 
he  came  to  Lawrence  to  work  at  his  trade,  leaving 
his  family  at  Franklin.  August  20,  1863,  cir- 
cumstances arose  which  made  it  necessary  for 
him  to  return  home  for  a  short  time.  Thus  he 
fortunately  escaped  the  Quantrell  massacre  of 
the  next  day,  in  which  his  employer  was  shot. 
Shortly  afterward  he  brought  his  family  to  Law- 
rence, and  here  he  has  since  followed  his  trade. 
While  in  Illinois  he  was  married,  at  Chicago,  to 
Miss  Apolonia  Braun,  who  was  born  in  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  and  came  with  her  mother  to  Ameri- 
ca. They  became  the  parents  of  six  children: 
Gustav  A.,  who  was  born  in  Illinois  February 
27,  1855;  Otto,  of  Pueblo,  Colo.;  Albert  and  Carl, 
of  Lawrence;  Laura  and  Minna,  at  home.  Dur- 
ing the  Price  raid  the  father  served  as  a  member 
of  Company  B,  Seventeenth  Kansas  Militia. 

Our  subject  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Frater- 
nal Aid  Association.  He  was  married  in  St. 
Joe,  Mo.,  to  Miss  Margaret  Eyre,  who  was  born 
in  England,  and  by  whom  he  has  one  son, 
Arling. 

QrOF.  GEORGE  B.  PENNY.  There  is  no 
L/  department  connected  with  the  University  of 
fS  Kansas  more  popular  than  the  school  of  fine 
arts,  which  was  organized  under  the  immediate 
supervision  of  Professor  Penny,  and  of  which  he 
is  the  dean.  He  was  called  to  the  university  in 
1890,  having  been  elected  dean  of  the  school  of 
music,  a  department  for  which  his  long  and  thor- 
ough course  of  preparation,  as  well  as  natural 
gifts,  admirably  qualified  him.  Two  years  after 
taking  this  chair  he  organized  the  school  of  fine 
arts,  which  now  has  an  attendance  of  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  students.  This  school  is 
not  the  result  of  a  spasmodic  effort,  but  of  calm, 
deliberate  and  intelligent  thought.  Teachers 
have  been  selected  with  the  greatest  care,  differ- 
ent courses  have  been  established  and  made  self- 
sustaining,  and  the  work  placed  upon  a  practical 
and   systematic   basis.     Instruction    is  given   in 


pianoforte,  pipe  organ,  voice  and  violin,  drawing 
and  painting,  elocution  and  oratory.  Besides  his 
other  work,  he  gives  lectures  on  the  history  of 
the  fine  arts,  acts  as  instructor  on  the  pipe  organ, 
and  superintends  the  four  years'  theoretical 
course  in  harmony  and  composition.  Concerts 
are  frequently  given  in  the  city  of  Lawrence,  the 
high  character  of  which  shows  the  advance  made 
by  the  pupils. 

At  Haverstraw  on  the  Hudson,  N.  Y. ,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  June  30,  1861,  a 
son  of  Rev.  Joshua  and  Sarah  Janet  (Barlow) 
Penny.  His  father  was  born  at  Moriches,  L.  L, 
March  17,  1815,  the  oldest  of  the  ten  children  of 
Joseph  and  Sally  (Moore)  Penny,  the  latter 
the  daughter  of  a  prominent  merchant  of  River- 
head,  L.  I.  In  a  very  early  day  the  Penny  fami- 
ly settled  in  Connecticut  and  later  removed  from 
thereto  Long  Island.  Rev.  Joshua  Penny,  who 
was  a  Protestant  Methodist  minister,  continued 
active  in  the  work  of  his  profession  until  his 
voice  failed,  while  he  was  filling  a  pastorate  at 
Tompkins  Cove,  N.  Y.  He  then  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  at  Haverstraw,  after  which  he 
was  interested,  successively,  in  general  merchan- 
dising and  the  manufacture  of  brick.  At  the 
time  of  his  death,  in  1890,  he  was  residing  in 
New  York  City.  During  his  entire  life  he  con- 
tinued prominent  in  his  denomination,  and  at 
Garnerville,  near  his  home,  he  erected  a  Method- 
ist Episcopal  house  of  worship  from  his  private 
funds  and  supplied  the  pulpit. 

The  mother  of  Professor  Penny  was  born  in 
Haverstraw,  N.  Y.,  in  1840,  and  was  the  third 
child  of  Jonathan  and  Melissa  (Gurnee)  Barlow, 
the  latter  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Abraham  Gurnee, 
who  served  his  state  as  representative  and  sena- 
tor. Jonathan  Barlow  was  born  in  Delaware 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1811,  became  a  manufacturer  of 
the  Essex  sewing  needle,  and  died  at  Haver- 
straw. His  father,  William  Barlow,  was  born  at 
Sackville,  N.  B.,  in  1782,  but  spent  his  life 
principally  as  a  farmer  in  New  York  state.  He 
was  a  man  of  splendid  physique  and  attained  a 
great  age.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Abigail  Robertson.  The  genealogy  of  the  Bar- 
low family  is  traced  to  Jonathan  Barlow,  who 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


crossed  the  ocean  in  the  ship,  ' '  Thomas  and 
William,"  to  Halifax,  settling  in  New  Bruns- 
wick in  1774.  He  was  closely  related  to  Rev. 
Samuel  Rogers,  of  Rhode  Island.  During  the 
Revolution  or  short!}'  afterward  he  moved  to 
Walton,  Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  his  sympathy 
with  the  colonial  cause  having  led  him  to  remove 
from  a  British  province;  for,  although  he  was  of 
English  birth,  born  twenty  miles  from  York,  he 
did  not  side  with  England  in  the  war,  but  was  a 
stanch  patriot  and  a  believer  in  independence. 
He  became  the  owner  of  one  of  the  finest  farms 
in  Delaware  County  and  a  prominent  man  in  its 
early  history.  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Penny  is  still  liv- 
ing and  makes  her  home  in  New  York.  She  is 
the  mother  of  five  children,  viz.:  George  B.; 
Alice,  wife  of  Gustav  Oberlander,  of  Indianapo- 
lis, Ind.;  lyaura,  of  New  York;  William,  who  is 
connected  with  the  Shoe  and  Leather  Bank  in 
New  York;  and  Charles,  a  lumber  merchant  of 
that  city. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  begun  in  the 
private  school  of  Lavalette  Wilson,  A.  M. ,  at  Hav- 
erstraw  and  the  Hackettstown  (N.  J.)  Collegiate 
Institute.  He  entered  Cornell  with  the  class  of 
1884,  remaining  until  the  sophomore  year,  when 
he  left  school  for  a  year  and  devoted  himself  to  the 
study  of  music,  which  he  had  previously  pursued 
for  several  years.  From  boyhood  he  had 
evinced  musical  talent  and  had  made  rapid  prog- 
ress in  the  art.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he 
began  to  give  concerts,  in  which  much  of  the 
best  work  was  done  by  himself.  In  1885  he 
graduated  from  Cornell  with  the  degree  of  B.  S., 
and  was  one  of  the  commencement  orators. 
After  graduating  he  became  professor  of  music  in 
Girton  College  and  Dalhousie  University,  Hali- 
fax, N.  S.,  but  after  two  years  resigned  and  re- 
turned to  New  York  City,  becoming  a  member 
of  the  faculty  of  Metropolitan  College  of  Music 
on  Fourteenth  street.  Soon  he  was  called  from 
there  to  the  chair  of  music  in  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Emporia,  Kans.,  and  in  1890  he  re- 
signed this  position  in  order  to  become  a  profes- 
sor in  the  University  of  Kansas.  He  has  had  the 
advantage  of  study  abroad,  as  well  as  under  the 
best  masters  in  this  country.     In  1886  he  studied 


in  England  and  France,  and  again  in  1888.  In 
April,  1896,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  he  sailed 
for  Europe,  where  he  studied  Greek  and  Roman 
art,  and  in  Greece  and  Italy,  archaeology,  and 
made  a  special  study  of  the  galleries  of  Europe. 
His  visit  to  the  Island  of  Sicily,  rich  in  its  speci- 
mens of  Greek  art,  was  especially  interesting  and 
profitable.  During  the  winter  of  1899- igoo. 
Professor  Penny  will  conduct  the  Egyptian  sec- 
tion of  an  oriental  party  of  about  three  hundred 
persons,  principally  from  New  England.  The 
tour  will  include  all  of  the  Mediterranean  coun- 
tries. He  is  identified  with  the  National  Educa- 
tional Association,  holds  membership  with  the 
Psi  Ypsilon  of  Cornell,  also  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  is  a  vestryman  in  Trinity  Episcopal 
Church  of  Lawrence. 

In  Tarrytown,  N.  Y.,  January  6,  1891,  Profes- 
sor Penny  married  Miss  Beulah  Ray  White,  who 
was  born  in  that  city  and  educated  in  the  Ladies' 
Institute  there.  Her  father  was  Judge  Robert 
F.  White,  of  Tarrytown,  and  her  mother  was  a 
member  of  the  old  and  prominent  family  of 
Dixous  there.  Professor  and  Mrs.  Penny  have 
two  sons,  Carl  and  Vernon. 


EAPT.  THOMAS  L.  JOHNSON.  As  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  intelligence  and  integrity 
of  the  people  of  Leavenworth,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  occupies  no  ordinary  position.  He 
is  favorably  known  in  his  home  citj',  and  is 
especially  prominent  among  the  pioneers,  of 
whom  he  is  one.  In  recognition  of  his  ability 
and  trustworthiness,  he  has  frequently  been 
called  upon  to  fill  local  positions  of  trust  and  re- 
sponsibility, and  the  duties  of  these  positions  he 
has  discharged  with  fidelity  and  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  all.  In  politics  a  Republican,  he  has  for 
many  years  been  a  strong  believer  in,  and  advo- 
cate of,  the  course  adopted  by  his  party,  and 
among  its  members  in  Leavenworth  he  has  long 
wielded  an  important  influence. 

Born  in  Somerset  County,  Pa.,  February  15, 
1834,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  sou  of  James 
and  Julia  Ann  (Graham)  Johnson,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.     When  he  was  three  years  of  age 


[82 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  was  taken  to  Illinois  by  his  parents,  and  his 
father  was  afterward  engaged  extensively  in  the 
shipment  of  merchandise  by  flat  boats  to  St.  Louis 
and  New  Orleans.  The  family  of  which  he  is  a 
member  consisted  of  seven  children,  namely: 
Isabella  G. ,  now  the  widow  of  Martin  Eichelber- 
ger,  and  a  resident  of  Pennsylvania;  Robert,  de- 
ceased; Catherine,  Mrs.  Shafer,  who  died  in 
Illinois;  George  G. ,  an  artist,  who  died  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio;  Thomas  L.;  James  J.,  a  major  of  the 
First  Arkansas  Cavalry  in  the  Civil  war  and  now 
a  resident  of  Lewiston,  Fulton  County,  111.;  and 
Capt.  W.  S. ,  who  was  wounded  seriously  during 
his  service  in  the  First  Arkansas  Cavalry  and  is 
now  living  in  Washington,  D.  C. 

The  education  acquired  by  our  subject  was 
such  as  the  common  schools  of  Illinois  afforded. 
After  leaving  school  he  learned  the  printer's 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  some  years.  March 
20,  1857,  found  him  in  Kansas,  with  whose  sub- 
sequent history  he  has  been  identified.  He  wit- 
nessed the  struggle  for  supremacy  between  the 
free-state  party  and  the  pro-slavery  men,  and 
aided  the  former  in  its  efforts  to  gain  the  victory. 
For  a  long  time  he  was  connected  with  the  press, 
being  for  years  local  editor  of  the  Herald  in 
Leavenworth,  as  well  as  local  editor  of  the  paper 
started  by  United  States  Senator  Ross.  After- 
ward he  was  employed  as  mail  agent  from  Kansas 
City  to  Ellis  on  the  Union  Pacific  and  from 
Leavenworth  to  Miltondale  on  the  narrow  gauge. 

The  Republican  party  has  always  had  in 
Captain  Johnson  a  stanch  advocate  and  friend. 
Upon  the  ticket  he  was  three  times  elected  to 
represent  the  third  ward  in  the  council,  and  for 
four  years  he  held  the  ofiice  of  clerk  of  the 
criminal  court,  also  served  as  deputy  clerk  of 
the  district  court  for  two  years.  Recognizing  his 
ability  to  fill  positions  of  responsibility,  his  party 
in  1872  elected  him  to  the  state  senate  of  Kansas 
and  for  two  years  he  held  the  office,  which  he 
filled  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction 
of  his  constituents.  At  one  time  he  was  a  can- 
didate for  probate  judge.  For  two  terms  he  was 
president  of  the  town  council  and  acting  mayor 
of  the  city.  In  1897  he  was  nominated  unani- 
mously for  mayor  by  the  Republican  party  in  its 


convention,  but,  owing  to  an  independent  Repub- 
lican running,  he  failed  to  be  elected.  Since 
1893  he  has  been  justice  of  the  peace.  Governor 
Humphrey  appointed  him  police  commissioner, 
but  he  returned  the  commission,  not  desiring  the 
office.  The  same  governor  appointed  him  notary 
public  August  26,  1892,  and  Governor  Morrill 
re-appointed  him  to  the  office  four  years  later. 
January  9,  1897,  he  was  chosen  to  succeed  to  the 
office  of  police  judge  upon  the  death  of  Judge 
Aller,  and  this  office  he  held  until  the  Papulists 
came  into  power.  He  usually  attends  the  county 
and  state  conventions  of  his  party,  and  his  influ- 
ence is  felt  among  its  leaders  throughout  the 
^tate.  It  is  doubtful  if  there  are  many  citizens 
who  take  a  keener  interest  in  public  affairs  than 
does  he,  and  certainly  no  one  is  more  deeply  in- 
terested in  the  success  of  Republican  principles. 

For  more  than  thirty  years  he  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  has  been  presented  with  the  veteran's  badge 
in  recognition  of  his  many  years  of  membership 
in  the  order.  He  is  the  sole  survivor  in  Leaven- 
worth of  those  who  organized  the  Leavenworth 
Typographical  Union  No.  45  in  1858.  By  de- 
scent and  education,  he  is  a  believer  in  the  Pres- 
byterian faith.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  in 
Illinois.  With  an  intense  desire  to  assist  the 
government,  he  at  once  threw  his  energies  into 
securing  the  enlistment  of  men.  He  raised  a 
company  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  men  and  re- 
ceived from  Governor  Oglesby  the  commission 
as  captain  of  Companj'  B,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifty-sixth  Illinois  Infantry,  also  acted  as  ranking 
captain  of  the  regiment.  From  Chicago,  where 
he  was  mustered  in,  the  command  was  ordered 
to  the  south,  and  served  principally  in  Missouri, 
Arkansas  and  Tennessee.  During  his  term  of 
service  he  was  once  wounded;  this,  however,  was 
but  a  slight  wound.  Since  the  establishment  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  he  has  been 
one  of  its  members  and  interested  in  its  work. 

February  18,  1864,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
Captain  Johnson  to  Miss  Mary  Margaret  Piper, 
of  Canton,  Fulton  County,  111.  Seven  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  four  of  whom  are  living, 
viz. :  Paul  B.,  proprietor  of  the  Bell  steam  laundry 


S^S^c^/^ 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


[85 


iu  Leavenworth;  Thomas  Lee,  a  graduate  of  the 
United  States  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis,  now 
an  ensign  in  the  navy  and  on  the  "Massachu- 
setts" during  the  siege  of  Santiago  in  1898; 
Edith  E. ,  a  teacher  in  the  Oak  street  school;  and 
Ortha  Belle,  who  is  librarian  in  the  high  school. 
All  are  graduates  of  the  Leavenworth  high 
school. 


HON.  SAMUEL  A.  RIGGS,  judge  of  the 
fourth  district  of  Kansas,  has  resided  in 
Lawrence  since  the  spring  of  1859,  and  has 
been  one  of  the  influential  attorneys  and  public 
men  of  this  city.  He  traces  his  ancestry  to  Miles 
Riggs,  who  came  from  Wales  to  America,  and 
settled  at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  crossing  the  ocean 
in  the  "Mayflower,"  or  one  of  the  boats  that  fol- 
lowed shortly  afterward.  He  died  at  Roxbury, 
Mass.  His  sons  removed  to  Connecticut,  and 
later  one  of  them,  Edward,  settled  in  what  is  now 
New  Jersey.  From  him  the  line  is  traced  through 
Miles,  Edward  and  Joseph,  to  Joseph  (2d),  who 
located  in  Washington  County,  Pa.,  prior  to 
1790.  His  son,  Stephen,  in  1795  married  Annie 
Baird,  of  Fayette  County,  Pa.,  and  in  1799 
moved  to  Mercer  County,  Pa.,  thence  in  1806  to 
Franklin  County,  Pa.,  and  in  1809  settled  on  a 
farm  four  miles  west  of  Steubenville,  Jefierson 
County,  Ohio. 

Of  the  eleven  children  of  Stephen  Riggs, 
Joseph  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Pa., 
July  2,  1796.  He  went  to  Ohio  in  1809,  when 
Jefferson  County  was  a  wilderness  and  the  sur- 
rounding country  was  wholly  unimproved. 
Pittsburg,  Pa.  (then  called  Fort  Pitt),  had  a 
population  of  only  one  thousand,  including 
suburbs.  After  returning  from  service  in  the 
war  of  18 1 2  he  started  out  for  himself.  In  1817 
he  went  down  the  Ohio  on  a  flat  boat  as  far  as 
Manchester,  Adams  County,  then  walked  to 
West  Union,  the  county  seat,  where  he  secured 
employment  as  clerk  in  a  bank.  In  1824  he  was 
elected  auditor  of  the  county,  to  which  he  was 
three  times  re-elected.  In  1831  he  was  elected 
state  senator.  In  1833,  immediately  after  the 
close  of  the  session  of  the  senate,  he  removed  to 
Hanging  Rock,  Lawrence  County,  Ohio,  where 


he  was  engaged  in  manufacturing  iron,  and  built 
the  first  rolling  mill  there.  In  1835  he  removed 
to  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  where  he  was  interested  in 
rolling  mills  at  first,  but  later  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business,  continuing  the  latter  until  he 
died,  July  28,  1877.  He  had  served  as  a  member 
of  the  city  council  for  many  years,  and  also  as 
surveyor  of  that  city.  He  was  a  ruling  elder 
in'  the  Presbyterian  Church  more  than  thirty 
years. 

December  8,  1819,  Joseph  Riggs  married  Re- 
becca G.,  daughter  of  Rev.  William  Baldridge. 
She  was  born  near  the  Natural  Bridge  in  Vir- 
ginia, February  18,  1801.  Her  father  was  the 
third  son  of  Alexander  Baldridge,  who  migrated 
from  the  north  of  Ireland  to  North  Carolina. 
WilHam  was  born  March  6,  1763,  and  graduated 
with  honors  from  Dickinson  College  at  Carlisle, 
Pa.  In  1 791  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  be- 
came pastor  of  two  congregations  in  Rockbridge 
County,  Va.  In  1809  he  took  charge  of  congre- 
gations in  Adams  County,  Ohio.  He  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  ministers  in  the  Associate  Re- 
formed (now  the  United  Presbyterian)  Church, 
which  he  assisted  in  founding.  He  died  suddenly 
in  1830.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Riggs,  died  April 
3,  1862.  Of  her  twelve  children,  Mrs.  Rebecca 
A.  Kendall  resides  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.;  Mary 
died  in  infancy;  Eliza,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of 
L.  N.  Robinson,  who  commanded  Battery  L  of 
the  First  Ohio  Light  Artillery;  Mrs.  Robert 
Dunlap,  Jr.,  died  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.;  Martha, 
who  resides  in  Florida,  is  the  wife  of  Maj.  J.  V. 
Robinson,  who  was  major  of  the  Thirty-third 
Ohio  Infantry  during  the  Civil  war;  James  W. 
was  killed  in  a  railroad  accident  in  1857;  S.  B. 
is  engaged  iu  the  real-estate  business  in  Emporia, 
Kans.;  Samuel  A.  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Joseph  E.  is  also  a  resident  of  Kansas;  Charles 
H.  makes  his  home  in  Pittsburg,  Pa. ;  Alexander 
Brown,  a  highly  cultured  man,  is  a  professor  in 
Lane  Theological  Seminary  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
and  pa.stor  of  a  Presbyterian  Church  there; 
Emma,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  died  at  three 
years  of  age. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Law- 
rence  County,   Ohio,   March    i,  1S35.     In   1851 


r86 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  entered  an  academy  at  Marietta,  where  he 
prepared  for  Marietta  College,  and  in  the  latter 
institution  remained  until  the  second  term  of  the 
junior  year.  Next  he  studied  in  Washington 
and  Jefferson  College,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1856  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  later  receiving 
the  degree  of  A.  M.  Afterward  he  studied  law, 
and  in  1858  graduated  from  the  Cincinnati  Law 
School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Hamilton  Coun- 
ty bar.  In  the  spring  of  1859  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas, where  for  twenty-five  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Riggs  &  Nevison.  From  1859 
to  1861  he  was  county  attorney;  from  1861  to 
1866  served  as  district  attorney  in  a  district  of 
eight  counties  containing  one-fourth  of  the  entire 
population  of  the  state.  In  1866  he  was  elected 
to  the  state  senate  on  the  Republican  ticket, 
where  he  was  one  of  a  committee  of  three  that 
revised  the  statutes  of  the  state,  reporting  what 
was  called  the  general  statutes  of  1868,  the  same 
being  adopted  as  reported.  For  one  term  he  was 
a  member  of  the  house,  and  was  the  author  of 
the  Riggs  railroad  bill,  placing  railroads  under  a 
board  of  commissioners.  In  1868  he  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  district  attorney,  which 
office  he  held  for  three  years.  In  1870  he  left 
the  Republican  party.  Two  years  later  he  was 
a  candidate  for  congress  on  the  liberal  Republican 
ticket,  and  in  1S85  was  the  Democratic  candidate 
to  succeed  Hon.  Dudley  Haskell,  deceased. 
During  the  Greeley  campaign  he  was  a  member 
of  the  liberal  Republican  national  committee, 
and  served  as  delegate  to  the  convention  that 
nominated  Greeley  for  president.  In  1896  he 
was  a  delegate  to  the  convention  in  Chicago  that 
nominated  Bryan  for  president,  and  during  that 
convention  he  was  a  member  of  the  committee 
on  organization.  In  the  fall  of  1896  he  was 
elected,  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  judge  of  the 
fourth  district  of  Kansas,  embracing  Douglas, 
Franklin  and  Anderson  Counties.  His  election 
was  remarkable,  as  the  district  usually  gives  a 
Republican  majority  of  one  thousand.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1897,  he  took  the  oath  of  office  to  serve  for 
four  years.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  state 
Democratic  central  committee,  and  in  various 
ways  has  promoted  the  success  of  his  party.    For 


some  years  he  has  been  connected  with  the 
University  of  Kansas  as  a  lecturer  in  the  law 
department. 

In  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  December  31,  1 861,  Judge 
Riggs  married  Kate  Doane  Earle,  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Jane  (Kirkpatrick)  Earle.  Her 
grandfather,  William  Earle,  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  was  a  merchant  in  Pittsburg.  His 
father,  Richard  Earle,  was  a  descendant  of  a 
nobleman  of  England.  Her  father,  who  was 
born  in  Pittsburg,  was  a  wholesale  and  retail 
merchant,  and  a  prominent  citizen  of  Pittsburg. 
His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  David  Kirkpatrick, 
who  was  born  near  Belfast,  Ireland,  of  Scotch 
descent,  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  Mrs. 
Riggs  was  one  of  ten  children,  four  of  whom  are 
living.  Three  of  her  brothers,  William,  James 
and  Albert,  served  with  distinction  in  a  Pennsyl- 
vania regiment  during  the  Civil  war.  She  was 
educated  in  Pittsburg  and  Patapsco  Institute  at 
Ellicott's  Mills,  Md. ,  from  which  she  graduated. 
By  her  marriage  to  Judge  Riggs,  one  child  was 
born,  Henry  Earle  Riggs,  who  graduated  from 
the  University  of  Kansas  in  1886,  then  for  six 
years  was  chief  engineer  of  the  Toledo,  Ann  Ar- 
bor &  North  Michigan  Railroad,  and  is  now  a 
successful  sanitary  engineer  in  Toledo.  Judge 
Riggs  is  a  Congregationalist,  while  his  wife  is 
identified  with  the  Episcopal  Church.  They 
occupy  a  residence  on  Union  avenue,  which  he 
built  in  1864. 

|~LMORE  W.  SNYDER.  Those  public-spir- 
Iv)  ited  citizens  whose  sound  judgment  has 
L  promoted  the  industrial  growth  of  their 
community  and  whose  energy  has  brought  an  in- 
creased prosperity  to  every  line  of  local  activity 
deservedly  occupy  positions  of  prominence  among 
their  associates.  Among  the  men  to  whom  Leav- 
enworth is  indebted  for  its  high  standing  in  the 
galaxy  of  western  cities,  mention  especially  be- 
longs to  Mr.  Snyder,  who  is  president  of  the 
Manufacturers'  National  Bank  and  also  president 
of  the  Leavenworth  Terminal  Railway  and  Bridge 
Company.  While  there  are  many  reasons  for 
which  he  is  entitled  to  distinctive  mention,  doubt- 
less the  greatest  work  of  his  life  has  been  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


[87 


connection  with  the  planning  and  building  of  the 
bridge  immediate!)-  across  the  river  from  the  city 
of  Leavenworth.  The  building  of  such  a  struc- 
ture had  long  been  realized  to  be  a  necessity,  but 
it  remained  for  him  and  Vinton  Stillings,  together 
with  a  few  other  progressive  citizens,  to  project 
the  plans  and  carry  forward  the  movement  to  a 
successful  completion,  by  which  means  new  ter- 
ritory for  commerce  was  opened  up  to  Leaven- 
worth, and  the  importance  of  the  city,  from  a 
business  standpoint,  greatly  increased. 

A  resident  of  Leavenworth  since  1883,  Mr. 
Snyder  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  No- 
vember 23,  1850,  and  is  the  older  of  the  two  sur- 
viving sons  of  Col.  James  W.  and  Sarah  A. 
(O'Neill)  Snyder,  natives  of  Wayne  County, 
where  they  still  reside.  His  only  brother,  Ches- 
ter W.,  is  president  of  the  Clifton  State  Bank  at 
Clifton,  Kans.,  but  makes  his  home  in  Topeka, 
Kans.  His  father,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  raised 
a  company  during  the  summer  of  1862  and  was 
mustered  into  the  army  as  its  captain,  it  being 
Company  A,  Ninth  New  York  Artillery.  He 
took  part  in  various  battles,  among  them  those 
of  Cedar  Creek  and  Winchester,  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  retiring  with  a  colonel's 
commission.  Afterward  he  gave  his  attention 
to  farming  and  the  grain  business.  He  is  con- 
nected with  the  Masons  and  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic. 

Mr.  Snyder  was  educated  in  Union  Seminary. 
His  first  position  was  that  of  bookkeeper  for  a 
manufacturing  firm  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  remained  for  five  years.  The  year  1878  found 
him  in  Kansas,  where,  with  his  brother,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  banking  and  grain  business  at  Clif- 
ton, the  firm  being  Snyder  Brothers.  In  1879  the 
firm  established  the  Clifton  State  Bank,  of  which 
our  subject  became  president  and  with  which  he 
remained  identified  until  his  Leavenworth  inter- 
ests absorbed  his  entire  attention.  His  first 
business  enterprise  in  Leavenworth  was  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Snyder  &  Denton,  grain 
dealers. 

The  Manufacturers'  National  Bank  of  Leaven- 
worth was  organized  in  August,  1888,  with  J.  C. 
Lysle  as  its  first  president.     In  December  of  the 


same  year  Mr.  Snyder  became  connected  with  the 
bank,  and  at  the  same  time  he  was  made  its  pres- 
ident, which  position  he  has  since  filled.  Under 
his  judicious  and  conservative  management  the 
institution  has  been  placed  upon  a  solid  financial 
footing  and  has  gained  prestige  among  the  banks 
of  the  state,  as  well  as  the  confidence  of  its  large 
list  of  depositors.  The  capital  stock  of  the  bank 
is  $150,000,  the  surplus  $30,000,  and  the  depos- 
its average  about  $300,000;  semi-annual  divi- 
dends have  been  declared  regularly  since  his 
presidency  began.  Under  his  supervision  the 
Manufacturers'  National  Bank  building  was 
planned  and  erected  in  1889;  this  is  considered 
the  finest  ofiice  building  in  Leavenworth,  and  is 
as  large  as  any  in  the  city. 

Through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Snyder  the  oft- 
di.scussed  plan  of  building  a  bridge  across  the 
Missouri  at  Leavenworth  was  again  taken  up  and 
agitated.  In  1892  he  interested  Vinton  Stillings 
in  the  movement,  and  a  company  was  formed 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $600,000,  of  which  he  was 
the  president  from  the  first,  and  in  which  he  and 
Mr.  Stillings  were  the  principal  stockholders. 
The  bridge  was  completed  and  opened  to  the 
public  January  i,  1894.  It  is  of  steel,  with  two 
fixed  spans  and  one  draw  span,  and  has  a  total 
length  of  eleven  hundred  and  ten  feet.  Over  it 
three  roads  enter  the  city,  viz. :  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy;  Rock  Island;  and  Great  Western. 
There  are  also  adequate  accommodations  for  foot 
passengers  and  vehicles.  In  addition  to  the 
bridge  itself,  the  company  built  a  terminal  depot 
and  storehouses.  The  enterprise  was  one  of  great 
magnitude  and  required  judgment,  energy  and 
ability  on  the  part  of  its  projectors.  The  capital 
stock  proved  none  too  large  for  so  vast  an  under- 
taking, involving  large  expenditures  of  money  in 
the  purchase  of  material  and  employing  of  men. 
The  successful  completion  of  the  bridge  speaks 
volumes  for  the  ability  of  the  men  to  whom  its 
building  was  due. 

In  Brandon,  Vt.,  in  1877,  Mr.  Snyder  married 
Miss  Fannie  M.  Benson,  daughter  of  Lafayette 
Benson,  a  merchant  of  Brandon,  where  she  was 
born ;  but  subsequently  a  merchant  at  Gardner, 
111.,  where  he  died.     Mrs.  Snyder  was  educated 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  the  Evanston  Female  Seminary  at  Evauston, 
111.  She  is  a  refined  and  cultured  lad)-,  and  is 
popular  in  Leavenworth's  social  circles.  She 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Leavenworth 
Public  Library  Association,  of  which  she  was 
chosen  the  first  president.  She  is  an  active  mem- 
ber and  treasurer  of  the  Art  League.  The  two 
sons  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  are:  Charles  E.,  who 
is  connected  with  the  Manufacturers'  National 
Bank;  and  Ira  B. 

The  business  interests  of  Mr.  Snyder  have  been 
of  such  a  nature  that  he  has  had  little  leisure  for 
participation  in  politics.  He  has  always  been  a 
Republican  in  party  principle  and  has  served  as 
chairman  of  the  county  central  committee.  For 
four  years  he  represented  the  first  ward  in  the 
city  council,  and  was  president  of  the  council  one 
year.  The  nomination  for  mayor,  which  has 
been  offered  him,  he  declined.  He  is  interested 
in  educational  matters  and  has  been  a  member  of 
the  school  board.  In  1896  he  was  his  party's 
nominee  for  the  state  senate,  and,  although  op- 
posed by  a  fusion  ticket  in  which  the  opposing 
parties  had  combined,  he  came  within  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  votes  of  being  elected.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  State  Bankers'  Association  and 
was  its  vice-president  in  1898.  While  living  in 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  he  was  made  a  Mason,  and  he 
is  now  connected  with  Leavenworth  Lodge  No.  2, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Leavenworth  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.; 
Leavenworth  Commandery  No.  i,  K.  T. ;  and 
Abdallah  Temple,  N.  M.  S. 


ICHAEL  D.  GREENLEE,  general  secre- 
tary of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association,  is 
one  of  the  most  popular  citizens  of  Law- 
rence, and  has  a  host  of  friends  throughout  the 
west.  He  was  born  near  Springboro,  Crawford 
County,  Pa.,  October  27,  1850,  a  son  of  Michael 
and  Rebecca  Howard  (Conover)  Greenlee,  na- 
tives respectively  of  Crawford  County,  Pa.,  and 
Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.  His  paternal  ancestors 
were  of  Scotch  lineage  and  were  driven  from 
their  native  land  by  the  Catholics,  five  brothers 
coming  to  America  and  settling  in  different  lo- 
calities. "  Robert  Greenlee  married  a  Miss  Cham- 


berlain and  they  made  their  home  on  a  farm  in 
Spring  Township,  Crawford  County,  where  he 
died  at  seventy-four  years  of  age.  His  son, 
Michael,  died  October  11,  1850.  Of  his  two 
children,  the  older,  George  W.,  died  at  fourteen 
years  of  age.  The  younger  is  the  subject  of  this 
article.  The  mother  was  a  second  time  married, 
by  which  union  she  had  four  children;  of  these 
two  are  living,  both  in  California.  She  makes 
her  home  with  her  oldest  son  in  Lawrence.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  David  Conover,  who  was  born 
in  New  Jersey  in  April,  1797,  and  descended 
from  Holland-Dutch  ancestors,  whose  name  was 
orginally  Schoenhoven.  David  was  a  son  of 
Andrew  Conover,  of  New  Jersey,  whose  wife, 
after  his  death,  married  a  man  who  served  as 
paymaster  of  the  Colonial  army  during  the  Revo- 
lution, being  stationed  at  Philadelphia,  where  he 
died.  David  Conover  settled  in  New  York, 
thence  moved  to  Crawford  County,  Pa.,  and  later 
to  the  vicinity  of  Jackson,  Mich.,  but  the  malaria 
was  so  prevalent  at  the  latter  place  that  he  re- 
turned to  Pennisylvania.  His  trade  was  that  of  a 
coverlet  weaver,  but  much  of  his  time  was  given 
to  farming. 

When  a  lad  of  sixteen,  the  care  of  his  motlier 
and  her  four  small  children  devolved  upon  Mr. 
Greenlee.  He  reluctantly  gave  up  his  cherished 
hope  of  securing  an  education,  and  turned  his 
attention  to  the  support  of  the  family.  In  No- 
vember, 1 87 1,  he  was  forced  by  failing  health  to 
seek  a  change  of  climate,  and  came  to  Eudora, 
Kans.  The  first  day  the  Missouri  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company  opened  its  office  there,  January  i, 
1872,  he  entered  as  a  clerk,  and  as  such  contin- 
ued until  the  fall,  when  he  was  made  agent  at 
Eudora.  During  the  years  that  followed  his 
duties  increased  greatly.  The  Santa  Fe  coming 
through  the  town  doubled  his  labors,  while  he 
was  also  appointed  to  act  as  agent  for  two  ex- 
press companies  and  the  Western  Union  Tele- 
graph Company.  The  work  proved  too  heavy 
for  him  and  his  health  became  undermined  by 
the  strain.  January  i,  1878,  he  resigned  his  po- 
sition, and  traveled  for  a  time,  visiting  Colorado 
and  his  old  home  in  Pennsylvania.  Afterward 
he   was  employed   as  manager  for  a  grain  firm, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


later  was  bookkeeper  and  assistant  postmaster  at 
Eudora  until  March,  1884.  His  next  position 
was  that  of  deputy  county  clerk,  which  he  held 
for  four  years.  In  1887,  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  he  was  elected  county  clerk  by  a  majority 
of  eleven  hundred.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
term,  in  1889,  he  was  again  elected,  on  an  inde- 
pendent ticket,  by  a  majority  of  about  one 
thousand.  He  held  the  office  from  January; 
1888,  to  January,  1892,  after  which,  not  wishing 
to  again  become  a  candidate,  he  began  to  travel 
for  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association  in  Nebraska, 
remaining  with  the  association  at  that  time  for 
eighteen  months.  Later  he  traveled  in  Oregon 
and  Washington,  in  the  interests  of  the  Order  of 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  establishing  so- 
cieties there,  also  in  Kansas,  Missouri,  and  the 
Indian  Territory,  and  opening  the  work  for  the 
association  in  Illinois,  where  he  established  the 
first  lodges  of  the  order  in  the  state. 

In  1897  Mr.  Greenlee  renewed  his  connection 
with  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association,  becoming 
adjuster  and  organizer,  and  traveling  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  order  wherever  needed.  On  the 
resignation  of  the  general  secretary.  May  i,  1898, 
he  was  tendered  this  position  by  the  advisory 
board,  without  any  solicitation  on  his  part,  a  fact 
which  proves  that  his  promotion  was  due  en- 
tirely to  merit.  In  February,  1899,  ^^  the  bien- 
nial session  of  the  order,  he  was  elected  to  the 
position,  by  acclamation,  for  two  years,  with  an 
increase  of  salary.  He  has  reorganized  the  entire 
system  of  keeping  reports  and  cash  accounts,  and 
during  the  year  1898  wrote  more  business,  with 
less  per  capita  cost  to  members,  than  had  been 
secured  any  preceding  year.  Eleven  states  and 
two  territories  are  now  represented  in  the  asso- 
ciation, namely:  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Missouri, 
Colorado,  Iowa,  California,  Washington,  Ore- 
gon, lUinois,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Oklahoma  and 
Indian  Territory;  of  all  of  which  field  Mr.  Green- 
lee, by  virtue  of  his  position  as  superintendent  of 
organization,  has  charge.  The  number  of  mem- 
bers was  more  than  doubled  in  1898,  the  aggre- 
gate membership,  January  i,  1899,  being  twenty 
thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-nine.  At  the 
beginning  of  1898  there  were  but  thirteen   thou- 


sand three  hundred  and  fifty-seven  members. 
The  order  is  beneficiary,  with  a  graded  assess- 
ment; $31,219,000  protection   in  force,  January 

1,  1899;  $132,500  paid  losses  in  189S;  while  the 
death  rate  showed  a  reduction  from  4.29  to  2.74 
in  1897.  The  office  of  the  association  is  in  the 
Merchants'  Bank  building. 

The  general  officers  of  the  association  are: 
Lewis  A.  Ryder,  M.  D.,  North  Topeka,  general 
president,  and  M.  T.  Shearer,  Abilene,  Kans., 
general  past  president;  S.  H.  Enyeart,  Tulare, 
Cal.,  general  vice-president;  M.  I^  Greenlee, 
general  secretary;  C.  O.  Anderson,  Arcadia, 
Kans.,  general  treasurer;  A.  J.  Anderson,  M.  D. , 
Lawrence,  general  medical  examiner;  W.  B. 
Wood,  M.  D.,  Orange,  Cal.,  assistant  general 
medical  examiner;  Emily  Mobley,  Grand  Island, 
Neb.,  general  chaplain;  Mrs.  Cora  Hoyer,  Den- 
ver, Colo.,  general  guide;  C.  F.  Young,  Los 
Angeles,  Cal.,  general  observer;  and  Duval 
Jackson,  Newkirk,  Okla.,  general  sentinel.  The 
trustees  are:  John  Sullivan,  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
J.  R.  Craig,  Beatrice,  Neb.;  and  Hon.  H.  E. 
Don  Carlos,  Vinita,  I.  T.  The  special  features 
recommending  the  association  are  reliability, 
simplicity,  reserve  fund,  restricted  territory,  and 
refusal  to  admit  persons  engaged  in  hazardous 
occupations.  In  addition  to  the  death  benefits, 
there  are  also  sick  and  total  disability  benefits, 
which  features  recommend  the  order  to  many 
persons. 

As  general  secretary,  Mr.  Greenlee  supervises 
the  publication  of  the  Fraternal  Aid,  the  official 
paper  of  the  organization,  which  is  mailed  to 
every  member  free  of  charge  and  is  one  of  the 
most  complete  papers  of  its  kind  published.  He 
assisted  in  instituting  Athens  Council  No.  3,  in 
Lawrence,  which  was  the  first  council  instituted; 
although  on  the  reorganization  at  Topeka,  the 
councils  in  that  city  were  recorded  as  Nos.  i  and 

2,  while  the  one  in  Lawrence  was  recorded  as 
No.  3.  Besides  his  connection  with  this  order, 
Mr.  Greenlee  is  identified  with  the  Court  of 
Honor,  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  Doric  Lodge  No.  83,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Eudora,  in  which  he  is  pa.st 
master,  Adah  Chapter  No.    7,    Eastern  Star,  in 


I  go 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


which  he  is  past  patron,  and  Zerbal  Lodge  of  Per- 
fection No.  5,  A.  A.  S.  R.  In  national  politics 
he  is  independent,  supporting  such  principles  as, 
after  thoughtful  consideration,  seem  for  the  best 
welfare  of  the  country,  rather  than  following 
blindly  whatever  doctrines  may  be  promulgated 
by  any  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  in  which  he  serves  as  a  deacon.  En- 
dowed by  nature  with  many  winning  attributes, 
with  tact,  a  genial  disposition,  frank  manner  and 
sympathetic  qualities,  he  has  the  faculty  of  gain- 
ing the  friendship  of  all  with  whom  he  has  busi- 
ness or  social  relations.  Of  polite  and  compan- 
ionable manners,  he  is  the  life  of  every  social 
circle  he  enters.  He  is  a  man  of  generous  im- 
pulses, sanguine  in  temperament,  whole-souled 
and  open-hearted.  The  confidence  that  he  wins 
at  the  first  is  never  abused  by  him.  In  action  he 
has  ever  been  honorable,  in  life  upright.  His 
integrity  and  worth  as  a  man  have  won  for  him 
the  respect  of  the  people  of  his  city  and  the  mem- 
bers of  the  order  with  which  his  name  is  insepar- 
ably identified. 

CVSAAC  L.  HOOVER,  a  farmer  and  stock- 
I  raiser  of  Marion  Township,  Douglas  County, 
X  was  born  in  Willow  Springs  Township,  this 
county,  March  19,  1859,  a  son  of  Isaac  B.  and 
Mary  Ann  (Longnecker)Hoover,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania. His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Hoover, 
who  was  born  in  Bedford  County,  Pa.,  was 
for  years  engaged  in  the  ministry  of  the  German 
Baptist  (Dunkard)  Church,  and  spent  his  active 
life  in  what  was  known  as  Morrison's  Cove  be- 
tween the  mountains.  In  early  days  our  sub- 
ject's father  moved  to  Wayne  County,  Ind., 
where  he  took  up  a  tract  of  unimproved  land. 
From  there,  in  1855,  he  came  overland  to  Kansas, 
settling  on  Cottonwood  River  in  Lyon  County, 
where  he  took  up  government  land.  Holding 
his  claim  there,  the  next  year  he  moved  to 
Douglas  County  and  settled  on  Chicken  Creek, 
in  what  is  now  Willow  Springs  Township. 
There  he  took  up  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  which  he  cleared  and  improved,  be- 
coming in  time  a  successful  farmer.  He  also 
purchased   eighty   acres  in    Marion   Township, 


where  he  engaged  in  stock-dealing  and  farming. 
At  the  time  of  the  slavery  struggle  he  was  in- 
tensely strong  in  his  abolition  sentiments.  At 
the  time  of  Quantrell's  raid  he  saved  his  horses 
by  hiding  them  in  the  woods,  so  that  he  incurred 
no  heavy  losses.  Besides  the  management  of  his 
farm,  he  owned  an  interest  in  a  threshing  outfit, 
which  he  superintended.  All  during  his  life  he 
was  active  in  the  work  of  the  German  Baptist 
Church,  in  which  for  some  years  he  officiated  as 
a  deacon.  His  death  occurred  August  21,  1866, 
and  resulted  from  cholera,  a  disease  that,  then 
as  now,  was  very  uncommon  in  Kansas.  His 
wife  died  of  the  same  disease  August  24,  three 
days  after  his  death.  They  had  six  children, 
viz.:  Joseph  C. ;  Henry,  of  Ottawa;  Isaac  L.; 
John  L.,  a  farmer  of  Douglas  County;  Benjamin, 
a  merchant  of  Lawrence;  and  Anna  Mary,  wife 
of  R.  A.  Willis. 

A  life-long  resident  of  Douglas  County,  our 
subject  early  became  familiar  with  the  work  of 
farming  in  this  part  of  the  west.  When  seven 
years  of  age  he  was  taken  into  the  home  of  J.  C. 
Metsker,  with  whom  he  remained  until  attaining 
his  majority.  In  1879  he  purchased  his  present 
farm,  which  by  degrees  he  has  transformed  into 
one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  township,  making 
desirable  improvements  and  adding  to  the  estate 
which  now  comprises  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  acres.  In  addition  to  general  farming  he 
raises  hogs  and  feeds  cattle  for  the  market.  In 
1880  he  donated  land  for  School  District  No.  4,  on 
which  to  build  a  new  school  building.  Not  only  in 
educational,  but  in  other  matters,  he  has  done  his 
part.  For  several  years  he  has  been  a  deacon  in 
the  German  Baptist  Church  and  isnow  ofiiciating 
as  an  elder,  besides  which  he  has  for  some  time 
been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school.  He 
has  also  been  president  of  the  Missionary  board 
of  the  Northeastern  District  of  Kansas  for  several 
years,  and  is  still  serving  in  that  capacity.  In 
1879  he  married  Mary  E.  Stutsman,  by  whom  he 
has  eight  children:  Charles  O. ,  Bert  Omer,  Wegie 
Malinda,  Clarence  Martin,  Lloyd  Emerson,  Otis, 
Earl,  Jesse  Jason  and  Clifford  Carroll. 

Mrs.  Hoover's  father,  John  W.  Stutsman,  was 
born   in  Ohio  in   1830  and   in  a  very  early  day 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


191 


came  to  Kansas,  but  after  a  few  years  removed  to 
Elkhart  County,  Ind. ,  where  he  remained  for 
seven  years.  In  1870  he  returned  to  Kansas, 
settling  in  Marion  Township,  Douglas  County, 
where  he  followed  farm  pursuits.  In  religion  he 
was  a  Dunkard.  His  ancestors  were  Germans, 
who  settled  in  Pennsylvania  at  an  early  day  and 
later  migrated  to  Ohio.  He  died  in  Douglas 
County  in  1898,  aged  sixty-seven.  By  his  mar- 
riage to  Malinda  Weybright,  who  was  born  in 
Indiana,  he  had  eight  children,  viz.:  IdaL.,  wife 
of  Samuel  M.  Miller;  Mary  E.,  Mrs.  Hoover; 
William  M.,  who  carries  on  the  home  place; 
Sabina  C;  Elijah  A.;  Sarah  E.,  wife  of  Edward 
Shively;  Lucy  M.,  who  married  Edward  Brunk; 
and  Zora  Lucretia,  wife  of  J.  F.  Metsker. 


Gl  MOS  G.  HONNOLD  is  one  of  the  veterans 
LI  of  the  Civil  war  now  residing  in  Lawrence. 
I  I  He  was  born  near  Adamsville,  Muskingum 
County,  Ohio,  in  1837,  a  son  of  John  E.  and 
Mary  (Fell)  Honnold,  natives  respectively  of 
.  Loudoun  County,  Va.,  and  Pennsylvania.  His 
grandfather,  Jacob  Honnold,  who  was  the  son  of 
a  German,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  removed  to 
Ohio  when  his  son,  John  E.,  was  three  years  of 
age.  Settling  in  Muskingum  Countj'  he  re- 
mained there  until  his  death  at  an  advanced  age. 
John  E.  Honnold  cleared  a  farm  from  the  woods, 
and  continued  to  reside  on  it  until  his  death,  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war.  He  was  held  in  high  respect, 
and  held  numerous  local  offices  of  trust.  His 
wife,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Amos  Fell,  died 
in  Lawrence,  Kans.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  children,  of  whom  Gilbert  died  in  boyhood. 
S.  H.,  who  served  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Six- 
tieth Ohio  National  Guard  during  the  Civil  war, 
is  now  living  in  Olathe,  Kans.  H.  F.,  who  was  a 
member  of  Company  E,  Ninety-seventh  Ohio 
Infantry,  was  wounded,  November  25,  1863,  in 
the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge,  and  was  afterward 
transferred  to  the  signal  corps.  He  died  at  the 
hospital  in  Chattanooga  in  the  spring  of  1865. 

In  September,  1862,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
enlisted  in  Company  E,  Ninety-seventh  Ohio  In- 
fantry, to  which  his  brother,  H.  F.,    belonged. 


Enlisting  at  Zanesville,  Ohio,  he  was  ordered  to 
Covington,  Ky.,  and  was  assigned  to  the  army  of 
the  Cumberland.  After  the  battle  of  Perry ville 
his  regiment  followed  Grant  through  Kentucky 
to  Nashville,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Murfreesboro,  then  crossed  the  mountains  to  the 
front  of  Chattanooga,  and  unfurled  the  first  col- 
ors over  Chattanooga.  After  the  fight  at  Orchard 
Knob  its  proceeded  to  Missionary  Ridge,  where 
the  division  broke  the  line  and  crossed  the  ridge 
at  Bragg' s  headquarters,  making  a  heroic  dash 
some  distance  beyond.  It  was  a  desperate  at- 
tempt. Bullets  were  hurled  thick  and  fast  in 
their  midst.  Mr.  Honnold  was  wounded  in  the 
hip  and  the  left  arm,  and  while  several  other 
bullets  passed  through  his  clothing  one  shot 
penetrated  his  canteen,  another  his  haversack, 
and  still  another  struck  his  gun.  His  brother 
was  with  him  at  the  time  and  was  also  wounded. 
About  one  o'clock  that  night  Mr.  Honnold 
was  removed  from  the  battlefield  and  taken  to  an 
unfinished  church,  but  it  was  not  until  the  fourth 
day  after  the  engagement  that  his  wounds  were 
dressed.  About  a  month  later  he  was  given  a 
furlough  of  thirty  days.  His  father  came  down 
for  him  and  his  brother  and  took  our  subject 
home,  but  the  father  contracted  a  cold  on  the 
journey  and  died  from  pneumonia  soon  after- 
ward. After  his  father's  death  Mr.  Honnold 
rejoined  his  regiment  at  Charleston,  Tenn.,  and 
soon  entered  upon  the  Atlanta  campaign,  although 
he  was  still  disabled  and  really  unfit  for  military 
service.  Under  Sherman's  orders  those  who 
were  weak  were  sent  to  the  rear,  and  he  was 
therefore  detailed  as  clerk  and  orderly  for  the 
ordnance  officer  of  the  division.  He  participated 
in  the  march  through  Georgia,  where  he  was 
often  in  the  thickest  of  the  fights.  From  Atlanta 
he  returned  to  Pulaski  to  hold  Hood  back  while 
Thomas  prepared  to  hold  Nashville.  He  took 
part  in  the  battle  at  Spring  Hill  and  was  at 
Franklin,  where  a  fierce  battle  was  fought  from 
3:30  p.  m.  until  dark.  Later  he  was  in  the  three 
days'  battle  at  Nashville,  where  Hood's  army 
was  crushed  and  driven  back  to  Alabama.  Next 
he  was  ordered  to  Knoxville,  then  to  Camp 
Nashville,  and  was  mustered  out  June   10,  1865. 


192 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


During  his  service  he  had  manj'  hair-breadth 
escapes  and  was  often  in  the  hottest  places  of  the 
battles.  At  Huntsville  he  was  offered  the  rank 
of  ordnance  sergeant  of  the  regiment,  but  de- 
clined, as  he  carried  about  an  ounce  of  rebel 
lead  and  was  hardlj'  able  to  ride,  much  less  per- 
form the  duties  of  the  ofEce  tendered  him. 

After  some  years  on  a  farm  in  Ohio  Mr.  Hon- 
nold  came  to  Kansas,  in  October,  1869,  seeking  a 
suitable  location.  January  i,  1870,  he  located 
in  L,awrence,  where  he  engaged  in  the  insurance 
business,  then  became  clerk  in  the  county  treas- 
urer's office,  serving  for  six  years.  In  1879  he 
was  elected  register  of  deeds,  and  by  re-election 
served  until  1886.  For  two  years  he  was  deputy 
clerk  of  the  district  court.  In  1887  he  was  ap- 
pointed city  clerk  by  the  mayor  and  council,  and 
has  held  the  office  since,  serving  by  appointment 
until  it  was  made  an  elective  office.  In  1898  and 
1899  he  was  elected  to  the  position.  For  some 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  .school  board.  He 
assisted  in  organizing  the  Fraternal  Aid  Asso- 
ciation, to  which  he  still  belongs,  as  he  does  to 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and 
Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  in  which  he 
has  been  an  aide  on  the  staff  of  the  department 
commander.  In  1866  he  married  Miss  Mary  J. 
Domer,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  died  in  Law- 
rence in  1894.  He  has  three  children  living, 
Arri  B.,  Edna  M.  and  Rosa  B.,  the  eldest  of 
whom  is  a  graduate  of  the  Lawrence  high  school. 


3UDGE  JOHN  CHARLTON,  deceased,  for- 
merly a  resident  of  Lawrence,  was  born  in 
Kidderminster,  Worcestershire,  England, 
January  20,  1827,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Jane 
(Winter)  Charlton,  also  natives  of  that  country. 
His  father,  who  was  a  weaver  of  Brussels  carpets, 
brought  the  family  to  America  and  settled  at 
West  Farms,  N.  Y.,  where  he  followed  his  trade. 
Later  he  removed  to  Princeton,  111.,  and  there 
carried  ou  a  grocery  business  until  he  retired. 
The  last  eleven  years  of  his  life  were  passed  in 
the  home  of  his  son,  John,  at  Lawrence,  and  he 
died,  at  eighty -four  years  of  age,  while  visiting  in 
Topeka.     Of  his  five  children,  John  was  next  to 


the  oldest.  He  received  in  England  an  educa- 
tion that  fitted  him  for  the  general  business  pur- 
suits of  life.  When  he  was  eleven  he  began  to 
assist  his  father,  and  thus  became  familiar  with 
the  weaving  of  Brussels  carpets.  At  the  time 
the  family  came  to  America  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age.  He  resided  for  a  time  in  Phila- 
delphia. Later  he  took  charge  of  a  bank  note 
establishment  for  the  firm  of  Toppan,  Carpenter 
&  Co.  (now  the  American  Bank  Note  Company) 
in  the  Trinity  building.  New  York  City. 

In  1857  he  went  to  Princeton,  111.,  where  he 
successfully  carried  on  a  drug  business  for  ten 
years.  .  In  1867  he  established  his  home  in  Law- 
rence, Kans.,  and  engaged  in  the  fire  and  life  in- 
surance business,  and  from  1889  until  his  death 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  For  eleven  years 
he  was  president  of  the  school  board,  but  finally 
refused  to  serve  longer  and  retired.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Republican,  and  in  religion  an  active 
member  of  the  Plymouth  Congregational  Church. 
A  lover  of  good  books,  much  of  his  leisure  time 
was  .spent  in  reading,  and  he  was  particularly 
fond  of  Charles  Dickens,  whom  he  considered  in- 
imitable as  a  delineator  of  character.  In  Odd 
Fellowship  he  was  prominent.  He  was  one  of 
the  leaders  in  Lodge  No.  4,  at  Lawrence,  served 
as  grand  representative  to  the  sovereign  grand 
lodge  several  times,  and  at  Wichita,  in  October, 
1876,  was  elected  grand  master  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Kansas,  in  which  responsible  position  he 
won  the  confidence  of  the  entire  state  member- 
ship. He  was  also  connected  with  the  encamp- 
ment. In  Masonry  he  served  as  master  and  sec- 
retary of  Acacia  Lodge  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
was  past  officer  in  Lawrence  Lodge  No.  4, 
R.  A.  M.,  and  past  eminent  commander  in 
DeMolay  Commandery  No.  4,  K.  T. 

In  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  May  18,  1847,  occurred 
the  marriage  of  Judge  Charlton  to  Miss  Martha 
Curtiss,  and  fifty  years  later.  May  18,  1897,  they 
celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  mar- 
riage, at  their  pleasant  home  in  Lawrence,  where 
they  were  the  recipients  of  the  congratulations 
of  relatives  and  friends.  Less  than  two  years 
after  this  memorable  celebration,  he  passed  away 
from  earth,  February    27,  1899.     Mrs.  Charlton 


HON.  GEORGE  T.  ANTHONY. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


195 


was  born  in  Worcestershire,  England,  a  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Ann  (Allen)  Curtiss.  Her  father, 
who  was  a  weaver  of  Brussels  carpets,  settled  in 
Philadelphia  in  1831  and  followed  his  trade 
there.  His  last  years  were  spent  in  Connecti- 
cut, where  he  died  at  fifty  years  of  age.  His 
wife  died  in  New  York  City.  In  religious  be- 
lief they  were  Methodists,  conscientious  in  the 
observance  of  all  denominational  doctrines.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  two  of  whom 
are  living.  One  son,  Theodore,  who  enlisted  in 
an  Illinois  regiment  during  the  Civil  war,  died 
from  the  eiiects  of  the  hardships  and  exposure 
of  the  campaign.  Mrs.  Charlton  was  the  oldest 
of  the  four  children  and  was  reared  in  Phila- 
delphia, where  she  resided  until  her  marriage. 
Like  her  husband,  she  is  a  devoted  Christian  and 
a  member  of  Plymouth  Church.  She  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Eastern  Star  and  Rebekah  Lodge,  and 
is  interested  in  various  movements  for  the  aid  of 
the  city  and  the  welfare  of  the  people.  In  her 
family  there  are  seven  children:  Mrs.  Emma  J. 
Meade,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Mary  Stewart, 
of  Lawrence;  Mrs.  Ada  Good,  of  Topeka,  Kans. ; 
Harry  Curtiss,  of  Minneapolis,  Kans. ;  Mrs.  Kate 
Ewing,  of  Decatur,  111.;  Edwin  L. ,  who  is  his 
father's  successor  in  business;  and  Mrs.  Margaret 
Forsythe,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. 


HON.  GEORGE  T.  ANTHONY.  There 
are  very  few  citizens  of  Kansas,  either  of 
the  present  or  the  past,  whose  names  are 
more  indissolubly  associated  with  the  history  of 
the  state  than  is  that  of  Governor  Anthony.  In 
presenting  to  the  readers  of  this  volume  a  sketch 
of  his  life  we  are  perpetuating  the  memory  of 
one  of  the  most  noted  men  the  state  has  ever 
had;  and  one  who  accomplished  much  in  the  ad- 
vancing of  progressive  measures  and  the  devel- 
oping of  agricultural  resources.  There  are  many 
reasons  for  which  he  is  deserving  of  mention  in 
the  annals  of  the  state.  He  was  the  first  man  in 
Kansas  who  ever  dared  to  declare  prohibition 
doctrines  from  a  political  rostrum,  his  work  in 
this  direction  antedating  that  of  the  famous  tem- 
perance advocate.  Governor  St.  John.  While  he 
5 


was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  party  principles,  he  at  the  same  time 
believed  in  the  prohibition  amendment  and  did 
all  in  his  power  to  promote  its  success.  Largely 
through  his  instrumentality  the  National  Mili- 
tary Home  at  Leavenworth  was  established;  he 
continued  to  agitate  the  measure  until  it  was 
finally  passed.  His  connection  with  the  Centen- 
nial Exposition  at  Philadelphia  proved  most 
helpful  to  the  interests  of  his  state.  For  about 
six  months  he  gave  almost  his  entire  time  to  se- 
curing an  adequate  representation  for  Kansas  at 
the  Exposition;  and,  as  president  of  the  board  of 
centennial  managers,  he  succeeded  in  drawing 
the  attention  of  people,  not  only  of  our  own 
countrj',  but  of  others  as  well,  to  the  magnificent 
and  diversified  opportunities  offered  by  our  great 
western  state,  to  the  end  that  the  population  of 
the  state  was  greatly  swelled  and  its  importance 
augmented.  Then  was  begun  that  era  of  growth 
concerning  which  Senator  Hoar  of  Massachu- 
setts, in  a  speech  in  the  United  States  senate, 
said:  "There  is  no  other  instance  on  the  face  of 
the  earth,  unless  it  be  some  neighboring  state, 
where  a  territory  has  grown  up  in  fortj'-two 
years  containing  such  a  population,  such  wealth, 
such  value  of  agricultural  lands,  such  vast  agri- 
cultural products." 

The  life  herein  sketched  began  at  May  field, 
Fulton  County,  N.  Y.,  June  9,  1824,  and  closed 
at  Topeka,  Kans.,  August  5,  1896.  Governor 
Anthony  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Anna  An- 
thony, who  were  earnest  members  of  the  ortho- 
dox Quaker  society.  He  was  the  youngest  of 
five  children  and  was  only  five  years  of  age  when 
his  father  died,  leaving  his  family  in  straightened 
circumstances.  Four  years  later  he  accompanied 
his  mother  to  Greenfield,  N.  Y.,  where  he  at- 
tended school  in  the  winter  and  worked  for 
farmers  in  the  summer.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  began  an  apprenticeship  to  the  tinner's  trade 
under  his  uncle,  who  lived  in  Union  Springs, 
N.  Y.  On  the  completion  of  his  time  he  opened 
a  small  hardware  store  in  Medina,  N.  Y.,  where, 
working  from  fourteen  to  sixteen  hours  a  day, 
he  laid  the  foundation  of  those  industrious,  self- 
reliant  and  determined  traits  so  noticeable  in  his 


[96 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


character  in  later  3'ears.  In  Park  Church,  Sj^ra- 
cuse,  N.  Y.,  December  14,  1852,  he  married  Miss 
Rosa  Iv5'on,  who  was  born  in  Perryville,  Madison 
County,  that  state.  Her  father,  Andrew  J.  Lyon, 
was  a  member  of  a  Puritan  family  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  a  nephew  of  Mary  Lyon,  the  founder 
of  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary  in  Massachusetts. 
He  was  born  in  New  York,  but  in  middle  life  re- 
moved to  Madison,  Wis.,  where  he  died.  His 
wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Abbie  Lamb, 
was  the  daughter  of  a  Frenchman,  who  accom- 
panied Lafayette  to  America  and  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  war. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  Mr.  An- 
thony was  engaged  in  the  commission  business 
in  New  York  state.  When  the  call  was  made, 
July  2,  1862,  for  three  hundred  thousand  more 
soldiers  the  governor  of  New  York  organized 
the  state  and  placed  the  subdivisions  in  charge 
of  committees,  Mr.  Anthony,  Ex-Governor 
Church  and  Noah  Davis,  Jr.,  being  the  commit- 
tees of  Orleans,  Niagara  and  Genesee  Counties. 
Mr.  Anthony  organized  the  Seventeenth  New 
York  Independent  Battery  of  Light  Artillery  and 
at  once  became  its  captain.  His  military  history 
is  presented  in  the  records  of  the  Loyal  Legion, 
as  follows:  "Reported  at  Camp  Barry,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  September,  1862;  assigned  to  the 
army  for  the  defense  of  Washington,  December, 
1862;  attached  to  King's  division  at  Centerville 
in  the  summer  of  1863;  later  attached  to  Second 
Corps;  July  4,  1864,  reported  to  General  Grant 
at  City  Point,  and  assigned  to  Eighteenth  Army 
Corps  of  the  James;  later  assigned  to  Twenty- 
fourth  Army  Corps,  and  took  part  in  the  Appo- 
mattox campaign;  participated  in  assault  and 
capture  of  Petersburg;  thence  to  Appomattox, 
remaining  until  after  surrender;  returned  to 
Richmond  April  29,  1865." 

After  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Anthony 
closed  out  his  business  interests  in  the  east.  In 
November,  1865,  he  settled  in  Leavenworth, 
Kans.  His  remaining  years  were  intimately  as- 
sociated with  the  progress  of  this  state.  He  was 
editor  of  the  Leavenworth  Daily  Bulletiji  and  the 
Leavenworth  Daily  Conservative  for  two  and  one- 


half  years,  and  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Kan- 
sas Farmer  for  six  years.  In  the  latter  position 
it  was  his  aim  to  teach  diversified  farming,  econ- 
omy in  management,  improvement  in  live  stock 
and  higher  regard  for  home  and  social  life;  es- 
pecially criticising  the  carelessness  of  those  who 
at  the  end  of  the  season  left  the  plow  in  the  fur- 
row and  the  mowing  machine  at  the  fence  corner. 
His  work  in  this  direction  was  most  helpful,  and 
now  no  farmers  stand  higher  than  do  those  of 
Kansas. 

In  December,  1867,  Mr.  Anthony  was  appointed 
assistant  assessor  of  internal  revenue,  and  was 
made  collector  of  internal  revenue  July  11,  1868. 
At  the  close  of  his  term  as  collector  his  accounts, 
when  balanced,  showed  a  variation  of  only  three 
cents,  a  fact  which  shows  his  methodical  and  sys- 
tematic manner  of  keeping  his  books.  For  three 
years  he  was  president  of  the  state  board  of  agri- 
culture. At  the  close  of  the  Centennial,  in  No- 
vember, 1876,  he  was  elected  governor  of  Kansas, 
a  position  which  he  filled  with  great  credit  to 
himself.  Meantime  he  had  become  well  known 
throughout  the  country  and  his  ability  as  a 
speaker  caused  him  to  be  in  frequent  demand. 
In  1877  the  governors  of  thirty  states  visited 
New  York.  At  a  banquet  given  at  that  time  the 
most  prominent  of  these  governors  responded  to 
toasts.  Of  all  the  addresses  given  none  was  ap- 
plauded so  much  as  that  of  Governor  Anthony 
and  none  was  so  complimented  by  the  public 
press.  As  a  speaker  he  was  unsurpassed  for 
strong,  logical  argument.  Those  who  heard  him 
when  in  his  prime  pronounce  him  the  strongest 
speaker  of  his  state.  As  a  writer,  too,  he  was 
forceful  and  logical.  While  his  education  had 
been  very  limited,  by  self-culture  he  had  acquired 
a  broad  fund  of  valuable  knowledge,  and  was  a 
thorough  student  of  ancient  and  modern  classics. 

A  man  possessing  firm  convictions  and  the 
courage  to  proclaim  them  naturally  has  enemies. 
The  public  actions  of  Governor  Anthony,  though 
guided  by  the  loftiest  and  most  patriotic  motives, 
were  sometimes  misunderstood,  and  brought  upon 
him  the  enmity  of  those  whose  opinions  were  dif- 
ferent.    But,  even  when  he  knew  the  frank  ex- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


197 


pression  of  his  opinions  would  react  adversely  to 
himself,  he  stood  firm  to  his  views.  As  an  illus- 
tration of  this  it  may  be  said  that  when  he  was  a 
candidate  for  congress  he  was  asked  by  the  old 
soldiers  if  he  would  work  for  service  pensions. 
He  was  bitterly  opposed  to  service  pensions,  and, 
of  course,  would  not  make  the  promise.  The 
consequence  was  that  he  met  with  defeat  in  his 
candidacy. 

In  1 88 1  he  was  appointed  general  superintend- 
ent of  the  Mexican  Central  Railroad  and  served 
for  two  years.  In  1885  he  represented  Leaven- 
worth County  in  the  legislature.  In  1889  he  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of  railroad  com- 
missioners, and  in  1892  was  re-elected,  serving 
until  the  Populists  came  into  power  the  next 
year.  May  5,  1892,  he  was  the  Republican  nom- 
inee for  congress,  but  was  defeated  by  W.  A. 
Harris.  In  1895  Governor  Morrill  appointed 
him  superintendent  of  insurance,  an  office  which 
he  was  holding  at  the  time  of  his  death,  August 

5,  1896.  In  April,  1890,  he  established  his  home 
in  Ottawa,  where  his  widow  is  still  living.  Their 
son,  George  H.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Chester 
(Pa.)  Military  Institute,  is  now  traveling  freight 
agent  for  the  Wisconsin  Central  Railroad;  he  is 
married  and  has  two  daughters. 

In  1879  Mr.  Anthony  joined  Custer  Post  No. 

6,  of  Leavenworth,  and  was  afterward  prominent 
in  that  post  of  the  Grand  Army.  He  was  a  char- 
ter member  of  the  Kansas  Commandery  of  the 
Loyal  Legion;  memberof  council  of  Kansas  Com- 
mandery, 1887-88;  and  commander  of  Kansas 
Commandery,  1893-94.  I"  ^^  the  years  of  his 
life  in  Kansas  his  voice  was  heard  at  the  camp 
fires  and  on  the  rostrum  in  behalf  of  the  survivors 
of  the  war.  His  parentage  and  early  education 
made  him  a  Republican;  later  years  but  intensi- 
fied his  devotion  to  his  party.  He  took  an  active 
part  in  every  campaign  in  Kansas,  and  not  his 
voice  only,  but  his  pen  as  well,  was  consecrated 
to  the  cause  in  which  he  believed.  During  the 
long  period  of  his  public  service  no  criticism  was 
ever  uttered  touching  his  integrity  and  his  honor; 
both  were  unassailed  and  unimpeachable.  Nor 
was  his  loyalty  to  his  country  and  his  state  ever 
questioned;  by  every  act,  in  every  address,  in  all 


his  writings,  he  emphasized  loyalty  and  aimed  to 
draw  together,  in  service  as  patriots,  all  those 
who  owned  Kansas  as  their  home  and  the  star- 
spangled  banner  as  their  flag. 


HON.  JOEL  GROVER,  deceased,  who  was 
one  of  Douglas  County's  most  prominent 
pioneers,  was  born  at  Springwater,  Living- 
ston County,  N.  Y.,  August  5,  1825.  He  was 
educated  in  the  Temple  Hill  Academy,  at  Gene- 
seo,  N.  Y. ,  under  Horatio  N.  Robinson,  the  cel- 
ebrated mathematician,  and  graduated  with  hon- 
ors from  that  institution.  His  tastes  inclined 
him  toward  agriculture,  and  on  leaving  the  acad- 
emy he  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  first  in 
New  York  and  afterward  in  Iowa.  In  1851  he 
went  to  California,  where  he  engaged  in  the  pur- 
chase of  stock  and  in  running  pack  trains  from 
Sacramento  to  the  mines.  After  two  years  on 
the  Pacific  coast  he  returned  to  New  York,  vis- 
ited relatives  there  for  a  short  time,  and  then 
came  to  Kansas.  The  passage  of  the  Kansas  and 
Nebraska  bill  awoke  his  anti-slavery  instincts 
and  prompted  him  to  fall  in  with  the  tide  of  free- 
state  men  moving  to  Kansas.  He  came  with 
what  is  known  as  the  second  party  and  arrived  on 
the  present  site  of  Lawrence  September  13,  1854. 
One  of  the  first  outbreaks  in  Kansas  was  the 
removal  of  a  tent  by  some  pro-slavery  men.  This 
Mr.  Grover  and  others  resisted  and  took  the  tent 
from  a  wagon,  setting  it  up  on  the  spot  it  had 
occupied  before,  and  at  the  same  time  preparing 
for  its  defense.  On  the  next  evening,  as  the  out- 
come of  this  little  aff'air,  the  first  military  com- 
pany of  Lawrence  was  organized,  and  Mr.  Grover 
was  made  its  captain.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
active  free-state  men  and  participated  in  all  of  the 
conflicts  of  those  days.  He  was  one  of  those  who 
volunteered  to  go  to  Shawnee  Mission  to  defend 
Governor  Reeder  in  canvassing  the  vote  on  the 
election  of  March  30,  1855,  and  was  in  the  pro- 
slavery  caucus  until  they  passed  a  resolution  ex- 
cluding all  who  did  not  sympathize  with  their 
principles.  Although  alone  among  a  large  party 
of  bitter  political  opponents  he  made  a  strong 
speech,    denouncing  their  action   in   the  face  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


such  men  as  Dr.  Stringfellow,  B.  F.  Stringfellow, 
Messrs.  Atchison,  Richardson,  and  all  the  noted 
southern  leaders  of  that  place  and  period.  On 
the  conclusion  of  his  speech  the  caucus  adjourned 
informally  in  the  midst  of  great  excitement. 
With  his  compau}'  he  aided  to  defend  Lawrence 
during  the  Wakarusa  war  of  1855,  at  which  time 
he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel  and  placed 
in  command  of  one  of  the  forts.  His  commission 
as  colonel  of  the  Sixth  Regiment  of  the  First  Bri- 
gade of  the  Kansas  State  Militia  bears  date  of 
November  27,  1855,  and  is  signed  by  James  H. 
Lane,  then  general, commanding  theFirst  Brigade. 
In  1856  he  was  a  member  of  the  safety  committee. 
After  the  raid  of  Lawrence,  May  21,  1856,  he 
rode  to  Kansas  City  in  the  night,  took  a  steamer 
from  there  and  carried  to  St.  Louis  the  first  in- 
telligence of  the  burning  and  sacking  of  Law- 
rence, which  brought  out  an  extra  issue  of  the 
Missouri  Democrat.  Pursuing  his  way  he  brought 
the  first  news  to  Alton  and  also  to  Chicago,  where 
his  report  preceded  the  pro-slavery  reports.  He 
spent  two  weeks  organizing  a  company  in  Chicago 
and  returned  via  the  Missouri  River  to  Leaven- 
worth. All  of  the  company  but  him  were  dis- 
armed at  Lexington  and  afterward  turned  back 
at  Leavenworth,  being  refused  the  liberty  to  land. 
However,  on  the  return  of  the  boat  from  Weston 
with  the  men  on  board,  Mr.  Grover,  having  se- 
cured the  pledge  of  some  Leavenworth  men  to 
protect  the  company,  was  on  the  wharf  to  assist 
in  the  work,  but  the  Leavenw^orth  men  failed  to 
keep  their  promises.  He  was  overpowered  and 
driven  to  the  boat,  but  was  allowed  by  the  cap- 
tain to  get  off  at  Kansas  City,  from  which  point 
he  escaped  to  Kansas.  He  commanded  his  com- 
pany and  participated  in  the  battles  of  Franklin, 
Fort  Saunders,  Fort  Titus,  and  others  of  the  free- 
state  engagements.  During  the  Price  raid  he 
also  had  command  of  a  company. 

In  1854  ^It"-  Grover  located  a  claim  three  miles 
southwest  of  Lawrence  and  afterward  he  im- 
proved it.  In  1858  he  was  elected  a  county  com- 
missioner and  served  in  that  position  for  four 
years.  He  also  held  office  as  school  director, 
trustee,  etc.  In  1867  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  legislature,  and  the  following  year  was  re- 


elected, making  one  of  the  most  efficient  members 
of  that  body.  In  1869  he  was  chosen  county 
commissioner  and  was  made  chairman  of  the 
board,  to  which  he  was  re-elected  in  187 1.  For 
years  he  was  a  director  of  the  St.  Louis,  Law- 
rence &  Western  Railroad  Company. 

October  13,  1857,  he  married  Miss  Emily  J. 
Hunt,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children  :  Frank 
G.,  Helen  A.,  Charles  R.,  Cora  E.,  Ernest  J., 
Lillie  F.  and  Jay  G.  His  death  occurred  July 
28,  1879,  and  brought  forth  many  testimonials  as 
to  his  worth  as  a  citizen  and  his  value  as  a  friend. 
With  other  pioneers  of  Kansas,  his  name  deserves 
to  be  perpetuated  in  the  annals  of  his  state. 

Mrs.  Grover  was  born  in  Medway,  Mass.,  Sep- 
tember I,  1839,  a  daughter  of  George  W.  and 
Nancy  (Adams)  Hunt.  She  was  one  of  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  four  survive:  Charles  W.,  of  To- 
peka,  Kans. ;  Emily  J.;  George,  of  Lawrence; 
and  Augusta,  wife  of  George  B.  Hall,  of  Solomon, 
Kans.  Her  grandfather,  Joel  Hunt,  was  born  in 
Holliston,  Mass.,  November  25,  1782,  and  was  a 
prominent  and  successful  business  man.  George 
W.  Hunt,  a  native  of  Mil  ford,  Mass.,  born  March 
14,  1808,  was  a  cabinet-maker  by  trade,  and  after 
he  married  his  father  established  him  in  business 
in  Lowell,  Mass.,  where  he  became  an  influential 
citizen  and  a  deacon  in  the  Congregational  Church. 
About  1844  he  moved  to  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  where 
he  was  proprietor  of  two  extensive  furniture  ware- 
houses. In  1854  he  was  a  member  of  what  was 
known  as  the  third  party  to  settle  in  Kansas. 
Returning  east  in  the  fall  he  spent  the  winter 
there,  and  in  the  spring  came  to  Kansas  again. 
He  had  the  contract  for  the  woodwork  of  the  free- 
state  hotel.  In  the  spring  of  1856  he  went  east 
and  brought  his  family  to  Kansas,  arriving  in 
Kansas  City  May  21,  the  day  of  the  sacking  of 
Lawrence.  Coming  through  on  the  stage  coach, 
the  stage  was  overhauled,  the  trunks  of  the  party 
ransacked  and  valuables  taken,  after  which  the 
travelers  were  allowed  to  proceed.  He  was  a 
friend  of  Eli  Thaj-er,  one  of  the  prominent  workers 
in  the  Emigrant  Aid  Society.  In  1854,  and  again 
in  1855,  he  conducted  parties  to  Kansas.  He 
continued  to  reside  in  this  state  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  March   25,  1870.     His  mother. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


199 


Clara  (Metcali)  Hunt,  was  a  daughter  of  Major 
Metcalf,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  mother  of  Mrs. 
Grover  was  born  March  17,  18 13,  and  died  April 
II,  1896.  When  Mrs.  Grover  was  a  girl  she 
came  west  with  Governor  Robinson  and  his  wife 
in  1855,  and  remained  with  them  until  her  mother 
and  other  members  of  the  family  made  the  journey 
west.  During  the  troublesome  days  in  Kansas 
she  retained  her  courage  and  cheered  others  by 
her  spirit.  When  Lawrence  was  burned  in  1856, 
all  of  the  wearing  apparel  of  the  family,  except 
such  as  was  in  use  at  the  time,  was  destroyed  in 
the  burning  of  Governor  Robinson's  house. 
More  than  once  she  was  in  peril,  but  in  the  midst 
of  every  adversity  she  retained  her  calmness  of 
spirit  and  brave  demeanor,  thus  inspiring  others 
to  greater  courage.  She  has  witnessed  the  many 
changes  in  Lawrence  in  the  past  forty-five  years 
and  is  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  the  city  in  which 
the  entire  active  part  of  her  life  has  been  passed. 


I 


I  EMUEL  HERBERT  MURLIN,  D.  D.  To 
It  assume  the  duties  of  president  of  a  univer- 
LJ  sity,  to  be  responsible  for  its  upward  growth, 
for  the  welfare  of  its  students  and  its  influence 
upon  their  lives,  is  to  accept  a  position  calling 
for  more  than  ordinary  powers  of  mind  and  heart. 
But  far  greater  ability  is  required  of  the  man  who 
becomes  the  head  of  an  institution  burdened  by 
debt,  distressed  by  obligations,  with  diminishing 
attendance  and  discouraged  trustees  and  faculty. 
To  such  a  position  as  this  Dr.  Murlin  was  called 
when  he  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  Baker 
University  in  Baldwin.  Fortunately,  he  was  by 
nature  and  education  adapted  for  his  responsible 
ofiSce,  and  he  entered  upon  its  duties  with  enthu- 
siasm and  that  ardor  which  anticipates  success. 
For  such  a  man  as  he  success  could  be  the  only 
outcome.  It  has  been  his  privilege  to  see  the 
debt  wiped  out,  the  institution  brought  to  a  high 
position  among  western  universities,  and  the  last 
year  (i  898-1 899)  close  with  an  attendance  of 
five  hundred  and  sixty-eight,  the  largest  in  the 
history  of  the  school. 

Dr.    Murlin  was  born  near  Neptune,   Mercer 


County,  Ohio,  November  16,  1861.  His  father, 
Orlando  Murlin,  was  born  in  Ohio  and  was  of 
English  and  Scotch-Irish  descent.  He  remained 
on  a  farm  until  forty  years  of  age,  when  he  en- 
tered the  Methodist  Episcopal  ministry,  and  con- 
tinued to  preach  the  Gospel  until  he  died,  at 
sixty-two  years.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served 
for  three  years  as  a  private.  He  married  Esther 
Hankins,  who  is  descended  from  the  Bigelow 
family  of  New  England,  and  is  still  living  in 
Ohio.  Of  the  five  children  born  to  their  union, 
Lemuel  Herbert  was  next  to  the  youngest.  The 
father  being  a  preacher  in  pioneer  districts,  the 
problem  of  educating  the  children  on  his  meagre 
salary  became  a  perplexing  one  to  the  patents. 
Desiring  to  relieve  them  of  the  burden  of  his 
education,  our  subject  determined  to  earn  the 
necessary  money  himself.  At  the  age  of  fourteen 
he  entered  a  drug  store  as  clerk,  continuing  his 
studies  by  night.  Two  years  later  he  graduated 
from  the  Convoy  public  school,  after  which  he 
was  engaged  as  instructor  in  the  same  school. 
Later  he  took  charge  of  the  boys'  department  of 
the  Fort  Wayne  (Ind.)  College,  and  by  means 
of  this,  together  with  such  other  work  as  he  could 
find  to  do,  he  worked  his  way  through  college, 
graduating  in  1886.  After  serving  for  one  year 
as  pastor  of  Trinity  Church  in  Fort  Wayne  and 
as  a  teacher  in  the  college,  he  entered  De  Pauw 
University,  where  he  took  the  regular  four  years' 
course,  at  the  same  time  having  charge  of  the 
Knightsville  church.  From  the  college  of  liberal 
arts  he  was  graduated  in  1891  and  from  the 
theological  school  the  next  year. 

Upon  the  completion  of  his  literary  course  he 
was  selected,  over  many  competitors,  as  instruc- 
tor in  his  alma  mater,  but  at  the  close  of  the  first 
session  he  resigned  his  position  in  order  to  accept 
an  appointment  as  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Church 
at  Vincennes,  Ind.  While  filling  that  pastorate 
he  married  Miss  Ermina  Fallass,  Ph.  D.,  precep- 
tress and  professor  of  modern  languages  in  Cor- 
nell College,  Iowa.  At  the  close  of  his  third 
year  in  Vincennes,  in  August,  1894,  he  was 
elected  to  the  presidency  of  Baker  University. 
This  came  as  a  complete  surprise  to  him,  as  he 
was  not  even  aware  there  was  a  vacancy  in  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


office  or  that  his  name  was  before  the  board  for 
consideration  until  he  received  bj'  wire  the  news 
of  his  election. 

During  his  administration  Dr.  Murlin  has 
shown  himself  to  be  genial  and  courteous  as  a 
man;  careful,  conservative  yet  progressive  as 
president;  and  scholarl3'  and  helpful  as  an  in- 
structor. However,  it  is  perhaps  his  executive 
ability  that  is  his  most  noticeable  trait  of  charac- 
ter. When  he  began  as  president,  in  September, 
1894,  the  university  was  struggling  beneath  an 
indebtedness  of  $16,000.  Eiforts  had  been  made 
to  meet  the  debt,  but  had  always  resulted  in  fail- 
ure, the  amount  raised  being  only  sufficient  to 
meet  the  interest  and  make  needed  repairs  upon 
buildings.  In  March,  1898,  the  conference  re- 
quested Dr.  Murlin  to  devote  all  of  his  time  to 
the  raising  of  $13,000  to  wipe  out  the  interest- 
bearing  indebtedness.  He  did  as  requested,  and 
in  June  began  the  work.  Five  months  after  the 
campaign  was  begun,  on  the  15th  of  November, 
the  total  amount  had  been  raised.  It  was  a  glo- 
rious victory  for  him  and  the  institution.  On 
the  2d  of  December  Judge  Case  placed  in  his 
hands  interest-bearing  securities  aggregating 
$6, 152,  to  form  the  nucleus  of  the  librarj-  fund,  and 
since  that  time  two  wills  have  been  drawn  up  in 
favor  of  the  university,  and  other  gifts  are  being 
contemplated. 

Both  as  pastor  and  president  Dr.  Murlin  has 
had  many  duties,  but  he  has  yet  found  time  for 
study,  and  has  devoted  his  summer  months  to 
.special  and  professional  researches.  He  has 
studied  Hebrew  under  Dr.  Harper,  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago,  and  psychology  and  philoso- 
phy under  Dr.  William  Romaine  Newbold,  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Dr.  Hall  of 
Clark  University.  In  1891  he  was  elected  to 
membership  in  the  American  Institute  of  Chris- 
tian Philosophy.  In  1895  he  was  made  a  liiember 
of  the  American  Branch  of  the  Society  for  Psychi- 
cal Research,  composed  of  the  leading  psycholo- 
gists in  the  world.  At  this  writing  he  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Kansas  Association  of  College  Presi- 
dents. In  1 897  the  University  of  Denver  conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  of  S.  T.  D.,  and  Cornell 
College  tendered  the  degree  of  D.  D.     Believing 


that  the  mind  is  capable  of  its  greatest  achieve- 
ments only  as  the  result  of  constant  culture,  he 
has  continued  to  be  a  student  and  has  availed 
himself  of  the  best  advantages  offered  both  by 
America  and  by  Europe  in  those  studies  which 
he  has  made  his  specialties.  During  the  summer 
of  1899  Dr.  Murlin,  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
visited  Europe  for  the  purpose  of  continuing  the 
study  and  research  which  he  had  mapped  out  for 
himself,  returning  to  his  duties  as  president  of  the 
university  in  September. 


EOL.  S.  J.  CHURCHILL,  assistant  adjutant- 
general  of  the  department  of  Kansas, G.  A.  R. , 
was  one  of  the  brave  men  who  fought  for  the 
extinction  of  slavery  and  the  freedom  of  a  race. 
He  wears  a  medal  of  honor  which  was  volun- 
tarily awarded  by  congress  for  most  distinguished 
gallantry  in  the  battle  of  Nashville,  Tenn., 
December  15,  1864.  In  that  engagement  he 
commanded  one  gun  (a  twelve-pound  Napoleon) 
and  a  gun  detachment  of  eight  men.  When  the 
enemy's  batteries  opened  fire  upon  his  gun,  com- 
pelling the  men  of  his  detachment  to  seek  shelter, 
he  stood  at  his  post  alone,  and  amid  a  perfect 
rain  of  shot  and  shell,  loaded  and  fired  eleven 
shots  before  relief  came.  The  rebel  batteries 
were  silenced  and  beaten  back  and  the  Union 
forces  took  an  advanced  position,  thus  assisting 
in  the  final  victory  at  that  battle. 

Born  in  Rutland,  Vt.,  November  i,  1842,  our 
subject  is  a  son  of  Samuel  Sumner  and  Polly 
(Richardson)  Churchill,  natives  of  Vermont,  and 
members  of  old  and  prominent  families  there. 
His  grandfather,  Amos  Churchill,  who  lived  to 
be  ninety-seven  years  old,  was  a  descendant  of 
English  ancestors  who  settled  in  Massachusetts. 
Samuel  S.  Churchill  died  on  a  Vermont  farm  at 
forty-four  years,  and  his  wife  when  fifty -six. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  daughters  and 
two  sons  who  attained  mature  years,  of  whom 
three  daughters  and  one  son  survive.  Our  subject 
was  two  years  of  age  when  his  father  and  only 
brother  died.  He  was  the  youngest  of  the  family 
and  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  attending  com- 
mon schools  and  an  academj-.     In  the  spring  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1 86 1  he  went  to  Illinois,  intending  to  teach  school, 
but,  instead,  at  the  first  call  for  three  hundred 
thousand  soldiers,  he  enlisted,  August  6,  1861, 
as  a  private  in  Battery  G,  Second  Illinois 
Light  Artillery,  and  was  mustered  in  at  Camp 
Butler,  after  which  he  was  sent  to  Kentucky. 
He  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Donelson  and 
was  with  the  first  troops  that  entered  Columbus, 
K}'.  Thence  he  marched  to  Hickman,  Ky.,  and 
Union  City,  Tenn. ,  where  the  Union  force  sur- 
prised the  Confederates,  captured  the  guns  and 
then  proceeded  to  Trenton,  Tenn.  He  joined 
Grant's  expedition  at  Lagrange  and  marched 
further  south,  going  as  far  as  Coffeyville,  where 
the  Confederates  in  the  rear  cut  oif  supplies. 

Returning  to  Memphis,  the  regiment  after- 
ward took  part  in  the  Vicksburg  campaign  and 
the  battles  of  Champion  Hills,  Jackson  and 
Black  Water  Bridge,  thence  went  to  Jefferson  Bar- 
racks, Mo.,  and  from  there  pursued  Price,  serving 
under  Gen.  A.J.Smith.  Their  next  engagements 
were  at  Franklin  and  Nashville,  where  they 
assisted  in  securing  the  annihilation  of  Hood's 
forces.  In  January,  1864,  our  subject  veteran- 
ized and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  corporal. 
He  then  went  to  New  Orleans,  thence  to  Mobile 
and  took  part  in  the  siege  of  that  city,  later  was 
at  Forts  Spanish  and  Blakely,  then  went  to 
Montgomery,  Ala.,  remaining  there  until  mus- 
tered out.  He  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Springfield,  111.,  September  5,  1865.  Though 
he  had  borne  an  active  part  in  nineteen  battles, 
he  was  never  seriously  wounded.  His  principal 
engagements  were  as  follows:  Fort  Donelson, 
February  16,  1862;  Union  City,  March  31,  1862; 
Coffeyville,  Miss.,  December  5,  1862;  Siege  of 
Vicksburg,  1863;  Brownsville,  Miss.,  October 
14,  1863;  Tupelo,  Miss.,  July  14,  1864;  Oldtown 
Creek,  Miss.,  July  15,  1864;  Hurricane  Creek, 
August  14,  1864;  Nashville,  Tenn.,  December 
15-16,  1864;  Siege  of  Fort  Spanish,  Mobile  and 
Fort  Blakely  from  March  27  to  April  12,  1865. 
His  last  promotion  was  to  be  quartermaster-ser- 
geant, but  at  the  captain's  request  he  retained 
his  place  at  the  gun  and  left  others  to  distribute 
rations. 

While  at  home  on  a  furlough  our  subject  was 


married,  in  Rutland  County,  Vt.,  May  4,  1864,  to 
Miss  Adelia  A.  Holmes,  daughter  of  Pliny  and 
Vesta  (Caldwell)  Holmes.  Soon  after  the  war  was 
over  he  settled  in  Jackson  County,  Mo.,  twenty 
miles  southeast  of  Kansas  City,  settling  in  1866 
upon  property  he  had  purchased  in  December 
1865.  He  was  the  first  Union  man  in  his  town 
and  at  first  naturally  had  considerable  prejudice 
to  overcome.  He  assisted  in  building  up  a  school 
and  aided  other  local  enterprises.  In  1879  he 
came  to  Lawrence,  Kans.  From  1878  to  1881  he 
represented,  in  Missouri  and  Kansas,  the  H.  B. 
Scott  &  Co.  Barb  Wire  Manufacturing  Company 
ofjoliet,  111.  In  1881  he  began  as  a  wholesale 
dealer  in  barb  wire  and  nails,  with  office  and 
storerooms  on  Massachusetts  street.  He  built  up 
a  large  trade  and  continued  until  1887.  He  also 
assisted  in  organizing  the  Organ  Mountain  Min- 
ing and  Smelting  Company,  of  which  he  was 
vice-president  and  treasurer,  but  the  enterprise 
was  not  a  success.  Later  for  several  years  he 
carried  on  a  wholesale  and  retail  grocery  busi- 
ness, but  finally  traded  the  business  for  real 
estate  and  retired.  For  two  years  he  was  deputy 
clerk  of  the  district  court,  since  which  time  he 
has  engaged  in  assessing  property  for  the  city 
and  has  also  done  considerable  official  clerical 
work.  In  1890  he  took  the  census.  For  one 
term  he  served  in  the  city  council  from  the  first 
ward,  and  has  been  active  on  county  committees 
and  in  conventions  of  the  Republican  party. 

The  first  wife  of  our  subject  died  in  Missouri, 
leaving  four  children,  namely;  May,  wife  of  A. 
L.  Sloan,  who  is  a  civil  engineer  at  San  Bernar- 
dino, Cal.;  Frank  H.,  who  died  January  8, 
1891;  Winnifred  G.,  wife  of  James  Owen,  an 
attorney  at  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.;  and  Lena 
Blanche,  who  died  July  8,  189S.  The  second 
marriage  of  Colonel  Churchill  occurred  at  Coun- 
cil Grove,  Kans.,  uniting  him  with  Miss  Louana 
Grant,  who  was  born  near  Cooperstown,  Otsego 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  received  her  education  in 
Starkey  Seminary  and  Albion  (Mich. )  College. 
She  was  the  youngest  of  three  children,  one  of 
whom,  Solon  E.  Grant,  was  a  captain  in  a  Michi- 
gan regiment  during  the  Civil  war  and  died  about 
1879.     Among  her   relatives   were   several  who 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


attained  national  fame  during  the  war  of  the  re- 
bellion. Her  father,  Rev.  Jacob  Grant,  a  native 
of  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y.,  graduated  from 
Hamilton  College  and  entered  the  Baptist  minis- 
try, in  which  he  continued  until  he  died,  at  Lodi, 
N.  Y.  He  was  the  son  of  a  Revolutionary  hero, 
who  received  a  medal  for  bravery  in  that  conflict. 
Her  mother,  Louana,  was  a  daughter  of  Major 
Cloughandwas  born  in  Madison,  N.  Y. ,  but  died 
when  her  daughter  and  namesake  was  only  three 
weeks  old.  Both  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Churchill 
are  members  of  the  official  board  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  and  he  has  also  officiated 
as  class-leader,  chorister  and  Sunday-school  su- 
perintendent. Fraternally  he  is  identified  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  Washington  Post  No. 
12,  G.  A.  R.,  in  which  he  is  past  commander. 
Several  times  he  has  been  aide  on  the  staff  of  the 
department  commander.  In  1898,  at  the  Wichita 
encampment,  he  was  appointed  assistant  adjutant- 
general  of  the  department  of  Kansas,  G.  A.  R. 
In  this  position  he  has  discharged  every  duty 
with  efficiency. 

It  is  said  that  Colonel  Churchill  is  one  of  the 
finest  penmen  in  Kansas.  When  he  was  in  the 
army  he  did  the  writing  for  his  company,  making 
out  the  muster  and  pay  rolls  and  the  monthly 
reports.  He  took  great  pains  with  his  work  and 
thus  acquired  a  precision  and  accuracy  of  pen- 
manship that  is  universally  admired.  On  ac- 
count of  his  skill  as  a  writer  he  has  been  em- 
ployed by  the  state  to  write  commissions  for  the 
officers  of  the  Kansas  regiments. 

Department- Commander,  D.  W.  Eastman,  in 
his  report  to  the  department  encampment  at 
Hutchinson,  April  26,  1899,  said,  in  referring  to 
Colonel  Churchill:  "I  would  especially  call  at- 
tention to  the  report  of  Assistant  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral Churchill,  and  of  his  work  during  the  year. 
The  books  under  his  charge  are  models  of  neat- 
ness and  correctness.  He  has  been  faithful  and 
painstaking  in  all  his  work.  Not  an  unpleas- 
ant word  has  passed  between  us,  and  we  part 
with  the  ties  of  comradeship  firmly  welded." 

The  committee  to  whom  the  report  of  Colonel 
Churchill  to  the  Hutchinson  Encampment  was  re- 


ferred made  the  following  report:  "To  the  De- 
partment of  Kansas,  G.  A.  R.:  We  the  under- 
signed committee  on  report  of  Assistant  Adju- 
tant-General Churchill,  do  most  respectfully  re- 
port that,  after  giving  said  report  a  careful  con- 
sideration, and  because  of  the  faultless  and  thor- 
ough manner  of  its  preparation  and  the  methodi- 
cal arrangement  of  the  valuable  information  it 
contains,  do  unhesitatingly  approve  the  same. 
It  contains  all  that  a  painstaking  mind  can  sug- 
gest and,  because  of  its  completeness,  furnishes  a 
model  for  all  future  officers  occupying  this  impor- 
tant station.  We  recommend  this  Department 
pass  a  vote  of  thanks  to  our  gallant  Assistant 
Adjutant-General  for  the  efficiency  he  has  shown. 
"Respectfully  submitted  in  F.  C.  &!,." 
(Signed) 

W.  H.  Fletcher, 

F.  P.  Cochran,     J-  Committee. 

W.  F.  Hendry, 


AJ.  DANIEL  C.  JONES,  M.  D.,  sur- 
geon of  the  western  branch  of  the  National 
Soldiers'  Home,  at  Leavenworth,  is  a  de- 
scendant of  colonial  settlers  of  Virginia,  whose 
names  were  intimately  associated  with  the  early 
history  of  the  Old  Dominion.  His  father,  Eph- 
raim  B.  Jones,  removed  from  Virginia  to  Ohio 
and  later  to  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising  until  his  death,  in  1876. 
He  was  a  man  of  intelligence  and  upright  charac- 
ter and  was  a  leader  in  his  community.  His 
father,  Hon.  John  Jones,  went  from  Virginia  to 
Ohio,  where  he  became  an  influential  attorney 
and  judge  of  the  courts,  attaining  a  success  that 
made  his  name  influential  throughout  his  county. 
By  the  marriage  of  Ephraim  B.  Jones  to  Martha 
Clark,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  and  died  in  Illi- 
nois in  1875,  seven  children  were  born,  of  whom 
four  are  living,  namely:  Daniel  C;  O.  S.,  of 
Paris,  111.;  Sarah,  wife  of  J.  H.  Shawhan;  and 
Helen,  widowof  Joseph  Johnson,  of  Indianapolis, 
Ind.  Major  Jones  was  born  in  Athens  County, 
Ohio,  January  5,  1838,  and  was  reared  near  Paris, 
111.,  where  he  studied  in  the  public  schools  and 
academy.     He  began  to  read  medicine  under  a 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


203 


physician  of  Paris,  and  later  matriculated  in  Rush 
Medical  College,  where  he  took  the  complete 
course  of  study,  graduating  in  1862.  Before 
graduating  he  had  enlisted  in  the  Union  army, 
his  name  being  enrolled  August  10,  1861,  as  a 
member  of  Company  A,  Seventh  Illinois  Cavalry, 
in  which  he  was  first  sergeant.  In  1862,  after 
having  received  his  degree  of  M.  D.,  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  surgeon  of  the  Second  Illinois 
Cavalry,  and  in  1864  was  made  surgeon,  with 
the  rank  of  major.  As  such  he  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  afterward  was  stationed  at 
the  post  in  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  for  six  months. 
He  was  present  in  all  of  the  engagements  of  the 
army  of  the  Mississippi,  under  General  Grant, 
the  most  important  of  these  battles  being  Vicks- 
burg  and  Corinth,  and  remained  with  the  regi- 
ment at  the  front  without  furlough  or  change. 
In  one  battle  he  was  slightly  wounded. 

After  receiving  his  honorable  discharge  from 
the  army,  in  1866,  Major  Jones  entered  the  Ohio 
Medical  College  at  Cincinnati,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1867.  Returning  to  Paris,  111.,  he 
opened  an  office  and  began  a  general  practice.  In 
1868  he  came  to  Kansas,  settling  in  Junction  City, 
where  he  carried  on  practice  until  1875.  He  then 
moved  to  Topeka,  where  he  built  up  a  reputation 
as  a  skillful  physician  and  surgeon,  continuing 
in  that  city  until  he  accepted  the  position  of  sur- 
geon at  the  Soldiers'  Home  in  Leavenworth  in 
1895.  In  the  Home  he  has  full  charge  of  the 
surgical  and  medical  department,  with  three  as- 
sistants under  him.  His  thorough  acquaintance 
with  his  profession  and  his  success  in  its  practice 
admirably  qualify  him  for  the  responsibilities  of 
his  position  and  enable  him  to  satisfactorily  dis- 
charge every  duty. 

Active  as  a  member  of  the  Republican  party. 
Major  Jones  has  given  his  influence  to  party 
principles  in  the  various  cities  where  he  has  made 
his  home.  In  1893  ^^  was  elected  mayor  of  To- 
peka, which  office  he  filled  to  the  satisfaction  of 
all.  It  has  been  his  custom  to  attend  such  con- 
ventions of  the  party  as  his  professional  duties 
will  allow,  and  he  has  been  an  interested  specta- 
tor in  a  number  of  national,  as  well  as  many  state 
and    local,   conventions.     He  is  connected   with 


the  American  Public  Health  Association,  the 
Eastern  District  Medical  Society  and  the  Kansas 
State  Medical  Society,  and  has  officiated  as 
president  of  the  two  last-named.  Fraternally  he 
holds  membership  in  Topeka  Lodge  No.  17, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Topeka  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and 
Palestine  Commandery,  K.  T.,  at  Paris,  111. 
While  in  the  army,  in  1864,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Jane  E.  Austin,  of  Illinois, 
who  died  in  1885,  leaving  two  daughters:  Mar- 
tha; and  Adelia,  wife  of  William  F.  Hixon,  of 
Leavenworth. 


qOHN  W.  SPRATLEY.  In  reviewing  the 
I  history  of  any  community  there  are  always  a 
G)  few  names  that  stand  out  pre-eminently 
among  others,  because  those  who  bear  them  are 
men  of  superior  ability,  energy,  judgment  and 
intelligence.  Such  men  add  to  the  prosperity  of 
a  town  and  increase  its  commercial  importance. 
To  this  class  belongs  J.  W.  Spratley,  president 
of  the  Union  Savings  Bank  of  Leavenworth,  and 
one  of  the  large  cattle-dealers  of  the  west.  Stand- 
ing, as  he  does,  at  the  head  of  a  large  financial 
institution,  he  wields  an  influence  that  is  by  no 
means  limited  to  his  home  town.  The  success  of 
the  bank  is,  in  a  large  measure,  due  to  his  saga- 
cious judgment  and  the  sound  business  policy  he 
has  adopted  in  its  management.  Since  its  or- 
ganization in  January,  1890,  he  has  held  the  of- 
fice of  president,  and  has  also  been  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors.  During  the  nine  years 
that  the  bank  has  been  in  existence  it  has  earned, 
besides  paying  dividends,  a  large  surplus, 
amounting  at  the  present  time,  to  $i  1,000,  and 
is  one  of  the  substantial  concerns  of  Kansas.  The 
recipient  of  the  patronage  of  many  of  the  bu.si- 
ness  men,  as  well  as  large  numbers  of  private 
citizens  of  Leavenworth,  its  deposits  on  the  last 
day  of  June,  1899,  were  $410,111.34,  with  a  capi- 
tal stock  of  $30,000,  and  undivided  profits  $10,- 
000,  surplus  $11,500,  while  its  loans  and  dis- 
counts reached  the  gratifying  figure  of  almost 
$300,000. 

The  life  which  this  narrative  sketches  began 
in  Surry  County,  Va.,  January  23,  1834,  upon 
the    plantation    of  Junius   Nicholas  Spratley,  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


whose  six  children  only  two  are  living.  One  son, 
who  was  his  father's  namesake,  took  part  in  the 
Civil  war,  and  afterward  settled  in  Leavenworth, 
Kans. ,  where  he  died.  The  subject  of  this  arti- 
cle was  left  fatherless  at  an  earl)-  age.  At  fifteen 
he  went  to  Alabama  and  remained  in  the  vicinity 
of  Mobile  until  May,  1856,  when  he  came  to  the 
then  new  town  of  Leavenworth.  In  the  fall  he 
returned  to  the  south,  not,  however,  with  the  in- 
tention of  remaining,  for  the  spring  of  1857  found 
him  once  more  in  Kansas.  Securing  employment 
as  clerk  he  entered  at  once  into  western  activi- 
ties. During  the  winter  of  1860-61  he  visited  at 
his  old  Virginia  home,  and  after  his  return 
started  a  flour  mill  and  also  embarked  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber.  His  sawmill  adjoined 
the  government  reservation,  and  during  the  war 
he  was  kept  constantly  busy  in  filling  govern- 
ment contracts,  but  at  the  close  of  the  conflict  he 
turned  the  business  over  to  his  brother. 

The  industry  with  which  Mr.  Spratley  has 
been  most  intimately  identified,  and  in  which  he 
has  been  very  successful,  is  that  of  dealing  in  cat- 
tle. Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  he 
purchased  and  began  to  improve  large  tracts  of 
land.  Some  of  this  he  sold  at  handsome  profits. 
A  portion  he  retained  in  his  possession,  in  order 
to  furnish  range  for  his  cattle.  He  now  owns 
farms  in  different  parts  of  the  county,  where  he 
feeds  cattle,  which  from  time  to  time  he  ships  to 
eastern  markets.  His  specialty  has  been  the 
Shorthorns  and  Herefords,  with  both  of  which  he 
has  been  successful.  Besides  his  land  in  Kansas, 
he  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  near  Smithville,  Clay 
County,  Mo.,  where  he  raises  fancy  cattle. 

It  would  be  impossible  for  one  so  long  identi- 
fied with  a  city  to  feel  no  interest  in  its  welfare, 
and  we  find  that  Mr.  Spratley  has,  during  more 
than  forty  years  of  his  residence  in  Leavenworth, 
done  all  within  his  power  to  advance  its  material 
welfare.  He  has  been  especially  helpful  in  broad- 
ening its  power  as  a  financial  center.  The  bank 
he  helped  to  organize  has  been  an  important 
agency  in  the  growing  prosperity  of  the  place. 
During  the  panic  of  1893  it  maintained  its  credit 
unimpaired  and  retained  then,  as  it  has  ever 
done,  the  confidence  of  its  patrons.     Giving  his 


attention  to  his  cattle  business  and  banking  in- 
terests, Mr.  Spratley  has  little  time  to  participate 
in  public  affairs,  but  he  keeps  posted  concerning 
the  national  problems,  and  in  politics  is  a  Demo- 
crat. In  fraternal  relations  he  is  connected  with 
the  Endowment  Rank,  Knights  of  Pythias. 

In  Platte  County,  Mo.,  Mr.  Spratley  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emma  Cockrill, 
who  was  born  in  that  county,  a  member  of  the 
family  to  which-  Platte  County  owed  not  a  little 
of  its  progress.  She  was  reared  in  the  home  of 
her  parents,  Clinton  and  Mary  (Coates)  Cockrill, 
and  in  girlhood  became  connected  with  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  of  which  she  has  since  been  a  mem- 
ber. The  only  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spratley  is 
J.  W.  Spratle}',  Jr.,  who  is  teller  of  and  a  director 
in  the  Union  Savings  Bank.  In  1886  Mr.  Sprat- 
ley was  elected  treasurer  of  Leavenworth  County 
on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  at  the  expiration 
of  the  term  was  re-elected,  serving  until  1890. 


0ILLWYN  PARKER,  cashier  and  paymaster 
at  the  National  Military  Home  in  Leaven- 
worth, was  born  in  Parkersville,  Chester 
County,  Pa.,  in  1840,  a  son  of  Wistar  and  Abigail 
(Jackson)  Parker,  both  of  Quaker  descent  and 
faith.  His  grandfather,  John  Parker,  was  a 
Quaker  preacher  and  the  ancestors,  who  came 
from  England,  were  also  prominent  in  that  so- 
ciety. The  history  of  the  family  in  this  country 
dates  back  to  17 10,  when  William  and  John  Penn 
deeded  to  John  Parker  a  tract  of  land  now  em- 
braced in  the  town  of  Parkersville.  Mrs.  Abigail 
Parker  died  in  Harford  County,  Md.,  in  1873,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-two.  She  had  long  survived 
her  husband,  who  was  a  lifelong  resident  of 
Chester  County,  Pa.,  and  died  there  at  forty- 
nine  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, but  onlj'  three  of  these  are  now  living,  the 
two  daughters  being  Mary,  wife  of  Dr.  S.  T. 
Brown,  of  Germantown,  Pa.,  and  Ellen,  who 
married  Dallas  Reeve,  of  Trenton,  N.  J. 

The  boyhood  days  of  our  subject  were  passed 
principally  in  Westchester,  Pa.,  and  his  educa- 
tion was  largely  acquired  in  a  boarding  school. 
For  several  years  he  was  deputy  recorder  of  deeds 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


205 


of  Chester  County,  later  became  recorder.  In 
1 86 1  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  First  Pennsyl- 
vania Reserve  Infantry,  and  was  detailed  as 
secretary  to  Generals  Reynolds,  Sykes  and  Craw- 
ford, serving  in  a  clerical  capacity,  and  as  an 
orderly  on  General  Reynolds'  staff.  He  was  with 
the  regiment  at  Fredericksburg,  Gettysburg  and 
in  the  seven  days  battle  before  Richmond,  and 
was  slightly  wounded  in  the  first-named  engage- 
ment and  for  a  few  hours  was  a  prisoner.  His 
regiment  was  a  part  of  the  third  division,  fifth 
army  corps,  under  Generals  Reynolds,  Meade, 
Sykes  and  Warren.  In  July,  1864,  he  became  a 
clerk  in  the  war  department  at  Washington, 
where  he  remained  for  two  years.  During  that 
time  he  was  called  upon  by  President  Lincoln  and 
Secretary  Stanton  to  write  out  three  proclama- 
tions of  great  importance.  The  last  of  these  was 
drafted  just  before  the  election  of  1864  and  called 
for  three  hundred  thousand  volunteers,  but  was 
not  issued  until  after  the  election.  He  also  drew 
up  the  proclamation  granting  amnesty  to  any 
Confederates  who  wished  to  enter  the  Union 
lines. 

After  leaving  the  war  department  Mr.  Parker 
spent  a  short  time  in  southern  Texas,  returning 
to  Westchester  in  1866.  In  a  convention  pre- 
sided over  by  Gen.  John  R.  Brooke  he  was  nomi- 
nated for  recorder  of  deeds,  and  was  later  elected, 
filling  the  ofiSce  until  he  removed  to  Harford 
County,  Md.,  in  1870.  For  six  years  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising  there,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Westchester,  Pa.,  and 
shortly  afterward  was  appointed  appraiser  in  the 
United  States  custom  house  at  the  Centennial 
Exposition.  Coming  to  Kansas  in  1877  ^^  en- 
gaged in  the  loan  business  at  Paola,  representing 
Smedley  Darlington.  He  remained  in  Paola  un- 
til 1888,  when  he  was  appointed  chief  clerk, 
cashier  and  paymaster  at  the  National  Military 
Home,  which  appointment  he  still  holds.  In 
politics  he  has  always  supported  the  Republican 
party  and  has  been  active  in  local  and  state 
affairs;  however,  he  is  not  a  partisan,  but  inclined 
to  be  independent  in  principle  and  favors  any 
measure  for  the  benefit  of  the  people.  While  re- 
siding in  Maryland  he  took  a  leading  part  in  the 


campaign  of  1875  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  state 
convention  which  nominated  J.  Morrison  Harris 
for  governor. 

In  1869  Mr.  Parker  married  Carrie  L.,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  Taylor  McClellan,  who  was  for  forty- 
eight  years  superintendent  of  the  Allegheny  iron 
furnace  at  Altoona,  Pa.  They  are  the  parents  of 
two  children:  Henry  W.,  who  is  a-ssistant  to 
Colonel  Ayleshire,  chief  quartermaster,  with  the 
rank  of  first  lieutenant,  on  General  Wilson's 
staff  at  Matanzas,  Cuba;  and  Sylvester  C.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Parker  is  connected  with  the 
Knights  of  Honor.  He  has  served  as  quarter- 
master of  the  Union  Veterans'  Legion  and  for 
some  time  held  office  as  senior  vice  and  acting 
commander  of  McCasslan  Post  No.  117,  G.  A.  R. 
He  has  full  charge  of  all  financial  matters  in  the 
treasurer's  ofiice  at  the  Soldiers'  Home  and  dis- 
charges his  responsible  duties  with  accuracy  and 
fidelity. 

0  WIGHT  BYINGTON,  who  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  past  grand  commander  and 
grand  recorder  of  the  grand  commandery 
of  Knights  Templar  of  Kansas,  was  a  man  who.se 
aim  in  life  was  to  do  good,  and  in  his  demise, 
which  occurred  October  11,  1894,  his  wife  lost  a 
devoted  companion,  and  the  community  a  citizen 
who  could  illy  be  spared.  Born  in  Norwich, 
Chenango  County,  N.  Y.,  February  20,  1831,  he 
was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Puritan  stock.  His 
father,  Frederick,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
and  his  mother  of  Massachusetts.  About  1816 
they  removed  to  Norwich,  N.  Y.,  where  they 
were  married  April  27,  1827.  When  Dwight 
was  four  years  of  age  his  father  died.  He  was 
reared  under  the  care  of  his  mother,  and  was 
educated  in  Norwich  and  Oxford  Academy.  In 
early  life  he  engaged  in  various  pursuits  and  ac- 
quired a  knowledge  of  telegraphy,  which  he 
afterward  followed  in  the  west.  Believing  that 
there  were  better  chances  for  a  young  man  in  the 
growing  west,  he  went  to  Terre  Haute,  Ind., 
where  he  was  employed  as  operator  by  the  Terre 
Haute  &  Alton  Railroad.  Later  he  was  made 
agent  at  Charleston,  111.,  and  in  1861  promoted 
to  train  dispatcher.     In   1862   he  was  called  to 


2o6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Jefiferson  Barracks,  Mo.,  by  Major  Smith,  and 
placed  in  charge  of  the  military  telegraph  service 
during  the  remainder  of  the  war.  Two  j^ears 
after  he  went  to  Jefferson  Barracks  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Pilot  Knob,  then  to  Helena  and  Little 
Rock,  Ark.,  and  in  1864  was  made  manager, 
with  headquarters  in  Leavenworth.  He  was  the 
last  man  mustered  out  of  the  service  in  this  de- 
partment in  1866. 

After  the  expiration  of  his  army  service  Mr. 
Byington  was  employed  in  Leavenworth  by  the 
Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  as  operator  and  agent. 
The  road  at  that  time  was  uncompleted,  and  he 
had  his  office  in  a  box  car.  During  those  days 
he  had  many  interesting  experiences.  He  once 
took  a  ride  in  the  steamer  "Hensley,"  Capt.  W. 
S.  Burke,  from  Leavenworth  down  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Kaw  and  up  to  Lawrence.  When  the  first 
engine  was  brought  by  boat  to  the  Kaw  River, 
he  went  down  to  see  it  tried.  The  track  had 
been  laid  to  the  river  bank,  and  when  the  engine 
started  it  was  run  up  a  .short  distance  and  back, 
then  was  taken  out  of  sight.  Returning,  it  got 
out  of  the  control  of  the  engineer,  plunged  over 
the  bank  of  the  river  and  was  imbedded  in  the 
quicksand,  where  it  remains  to  this  daj'. 

For  twenty  years  Mr.  Byington  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad.  Dur- 
ing eighteen  and  one-half  years  he  was  ticket 
agent  and  in  all  of  that  time  he  was  absent  from 
duty  on!}'  three  and  one-half  weeks.  Nor  was 
there,  in  the  entire  period,  a  discrepancy  of  a 
penny  in  his  accounts.  Owing  to  poor  health, 
he  was  finally  obliged  to  give  up  active  employ- 
ment. From  Major  Smith  he  received  the  gift 
of  a  very  fine  pocket  telegraph  instrument,  and 
this  he  often  used  when  on  his  trips  in  charge  of 
government  lines  during  the  war;  it  is  now  in 
the  possession  of  Mrs.  Byington,  who  highly 
prizes  it  as  a  token  of  the  esteem  in  which  he 
was  held. 

In  the  Masonic  order  Mr.  Byington  took  high 
rank.  He  became  a  member  of  the  fraternity  in 
Leavenworth,  in  June,  1864,  belonging  to  King 
Solomon  Lodge  No.  10,  A.  F.  &  A.  M,  In 
1S66  he  served  as  junior  warden,  in  1868  as 
senior  warden,  and  in  1869  as  worshipful  master. 


From  1873  to  1876  he  was  deputy  grand  master. 
In  1865  he  became  a  member  of  Leavenworth 
Chapter  No.  2,  and  was  high  priest  in  1868  and 
1869.  In  1866  he  assisted  in  organizing  the 
Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  Kansas  and  was 
elected  grand  king  in  1876  and  grand  high  priest 
in  1877.  In  1865  he  received  the  degrees  of 
royal,  select  and  super-excellent  master  in  Leav- 
enworth Council  No.  i,  and  was  honored  with 
the  office  of  illustrious  master  in  1877  and  1878. 
He  also  assisted  in  organizing  the  Grand  Council 
of  Kansas,  and  was  afterward  grand  master  in 
1880  and  1 88 1,  and  was  a  delegate  from  the 
Grand  Council  of  Kansas  to  the  convention  at 
Detroit,  Mich.,  and  took  a  deep  interest  in  the 
organization  of  the  General  Grand  Council.  In 
1868  he  helped  to  organize  the  Grand  Command- 
ery  of  Knights  Templar  of  Kansas,  and  was 
chosen  eminent  commander  in  1874.  He  was 
elected  grand  captain  general  at  the  annual  con- 
clave in  1877,  and  deputy  grand  commander  in 
1879.  In  1880  he  represented  the  Grand  Com- 
mandery  in  the  grand  encampment  in  Chicago, 
the  largest  assembly  of  Knights  Templar  that 
was  ever  gathered  in  any  city  or  country. 

Among  Masons  throughout  the  country  Mr. 
Byington  was  well  known  and  held  in  the  high- 
est esteem.  When  he  died  there  were  many 
tributes  paid  to  his  memory  by  his  host  of 
friends.  He  was  buried  with  Masonic  honors 
and  his  funeral  brought  together  the  largest  con- 
course of  people  ever  seen  at  a  similar  service  in 
Leavenworth.  In  the  hearts  of  those  to  whom 
he  was  known,  his  memory  is  honored  for  his 
upright  life  and  noble  character. 


RS.  EMILY  J.  BYINGTON,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  business  in  Leaven- 
worth, was  born  in  Oxford,  N.  Y.,  in  1835, 
a  daughter  of  Levi  and  Laura  (Humphrey) 
Eggleston.  Her  father  was  an  expert  machinist 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  a  member  of  the 
oldest  firm  of  hardware  merchants  in  Chenango 
County.  Through  her  mother  she  is  of  English 
descent,  but  the  family  has  been  identified  with 
American  history   for   many   generations.     Her 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


207 


education  was  obtained  in  Oxford  Academy,  with 
the  alumni  association  of  which  she  has  since 
been  identified.  She  was  given  the  benefit  of  the 
best  advantages  of  the  day  and  locality.  Prior  to 
the  origin  of  the  Morse  system  of  telegraphy,  she 
attended  a  lecture,  in  which  was  demonstrated 
the  result  of  electricity  when  put  under  control 
by  wire  and  keys. 

When  twenty  years  of  age  Miss  Eggleston  be- 
came the  wife  of  Dwight  Byington.  They  had 
an  only  child,  a  son,  deceased,  who  was  buried 
at  Litchfield,  111. 

In  1865,  being  desirous  of  getting  a  home,  Mrs. 
Byington  began  to  clerk.  She  succeeded  in  ac- 
complishing her  aim,  and  at  the  same  time  dis- 
played the  possession  of  so  much  business  ability 
that  she  has  since  continued  identified  with  the 
business  interests  of  Leavenworth.  In  1873  she 
bought  a  small  house,  which  she  has  since  en- 
larged to  its  present  commodious  size.  In  1883 
she  embarked  in  the  real-estate  business,  in  which 
she  has  since  successfully  engaged.  During  the 
boom  of  1887  and  its  subsequent  collapse,  others 
were  more  or  less  injured  financially,  but  by  the 
exercise  of  good  judgment  she  came  out  ahead. 
It  has  always  been  one  of  her  principles  that  all 
should  live  within  their  incomes,  and  in  her  ad- 
dress before  the  students  of  Leavenworth  College, 
in  February,  1899,  she  made  that  thought  one  of 
her  principal  points.  She  is  fond  of  literary  work 
and  shows  a  decided  talent  for  it.  She  delivered 
an  address  at  the  memorial  .service  held  in  honor 
of  Mrs.  Harriet  C.  Cushing,  founder  of  Cushing 
hospital  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Home  for 
the  Friendless,  in  Leavenworth. 

In  1896  Mrs.  Byington  was  a  delegate  to  the 
biennial  convention  of  Women's  Clubs  held  in 
Louisville  and  two  years  later  she  attended  as  a 
delegate  a  similar  gathering  in  Denver.  She  was 
one  of  the  originators  of  the  Saturday  Club,  with 
which  she  has  been  identified  for  twenty  years. 
In  the  Alantean  Club  of  Topeka  she  is  an  hon- 
orary member,  and  is  also  a  life  member  of  the 
Art  League  of  Leavenworth.  Identified  with  By- 
ington Chapter  No.  177,  Order  of  Eastern  Star, 
she  holds  office  as  past  worthy  matron  of  the 
chapter.     Her  various  fraternal  and   social  con- 


nections afford  her  an  outlet  for  her  energies  and 
an  agreeable  relaxation  after  the  cares  of  busi- 
ness. She  laid  out  the  Byington  subdivision  to 
Leavenworth  and  now  owns  a  number  of  resi- 
dences in  the  city.  Matters  calculated  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  the  people,  either  morally  or 
intellectually,  receive  her  sympathy  and  support. 
The  public  library  is  one  of  the  worthy  causes  in 
which  she  is  interested.  She  has  also  taken  a 
warm  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Home  for  the 
Friendless,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  home 
board. 


3EPP  RYAN,  president  of  the  Ryan  Brothers 
Cattle  Company,  president  of  the  Leaven- 
worth Coal  Company,  and  a  director  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Leavenworth,  was  born 
in  the  city  of  Leavenworth,  November  24,  1858, 
a  son  of  Matthew  Ryan,  Sr.  His  education  was 
obtained  principally  in  St.  Mary's  College  in 
Kansas.  From  an  earlj'  age  he  has  been  inter- 
ested in  the  cattle  business.  Associated  with  his 
older  brother  and  their  father,  in  1876  he  began 
trailing  cattle  from  Oregon,  Idaho  and  Washing- 
ton to  Cheyenne,  Wyo.,  and  this  business  they 
conducted  upon  an  extensive  scale,  handling  as 
many  as  thirty  thousand  cattle  in  a  single  season. 

The  Ryan  Brothers  Cattle  Company,  organized 
in  1883,  located  a  ranch  on  the  Musselshell 
River,  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  northwest  of 
Miles  City,  Mont.,  and  seventy  miles  from  Cus- 
ter's battlefield.  From  that  time  until  1897  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  spent  almost  his  entire  time 
in  Montana,  where  he  was  extensivelj-  engaged 
in  the  cattle  business.  While  he  conducted  the 
business  upon  a  large  scale,  and  was  prosperous, 
yet  he  had  his  share  of  misfortunes.  During  the 
severe  winter  of  1886- 1887  the  firm  lost  more 
than  fifteen  thousand  head  of  cattle.  However, 
thej-  continued  the  business  upon  as  large  a  .scale 
as  before,  and  in  addition  to  the  raising  of  cattle, 
also  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  saddle  and  thor- 
oughbred horses,  being  the  largest  producers  of 
saddle  horses  in  Montana. 

During  all  the  years  that  Mr.  Ryan  had  the 
superintendence  of  the  ranch  he  made  his  home 
in  Miles  City,  Mont.     In  1891  he  opened  a  hard- 


208 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ware  store  in  that  place,  where  he  built  up  an 
extensive  business  and  continued  at  the  head  of 
the  establishment  uutil  1898,  when  he  sold  out. 
In  1894  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Miles  Cit3^ 
which  position  he  held  one  term.  He  was  very 
popular  among  the  people  of  Miles  City  and  his 
departure  was  greatly  regretted;  the  local  paper 
alluded  to  him  in  terms  of  the  highest  praise  and 
the  people  united  in  testifying  to  his  worth  as  a 
citizen.  In  November,  1897,  his  brother,  Mat- 
thew Ryan,  Jr.,  died.  The  two  had  always  been 
engaged  in  business  together,  Matthew  having 
charge  of  their  Leavenworth  interests,  while  our 
subject  superintended  the  cattle  business  in 
Montana.  The  latter' s  plans  were  changed  by 
the  death  of  his  brother  and  his  return  to  Leav- 
enworth was  rendered  necessary.  Here  he  has 
since  had  the  supervision  of  the  Ryan  estate, 
while  his  brother,  Ethan,  has  acted  as  vice- 
president  of  the  company  and  manager  of  the 
Montana  ranch. 

Besides  their  interests  in  Montana,  Ryan 
Brothers  are  also  extensively  engaged  in  cattle 
raising  near  Tombstone,  Cochise  County,  Ariz., 
Eldorado,  Kans.,  and  Chickasaw  Nation,  I.  T. 
Ryan  Brothers  Cattle  Company  also  own  a  farm 
of  one  thousand  acres,  stocked  with  cattle,  and 
situated  seven  miles  .south  of  Leavenworth.  Mr. 
Ryan  is  vice-president  of  the  Lost  Horse  Mining 
and  Milling  Company,  operating  a  gold  mine  in 
San  Bernardino  County,  Cal.,  of  which  company 
his  brother,  Thomas,  is  the  president.  The 
Leavenworth  Coal  Company,  of  which  he  is 
president,  are  the  oldest  coal  operators  in  the 
state,  and  have  a  shaft  seven  hundred  and  ten 
feet  deep,  mining  a  twenty-three  inch  vein,  with 
a  capacity  of  thirty  thousand.  In  addition  to  his 
other  enterprises  he  is  president  of  the  Ryan 
Brothers  Cattle  Company  and  a  director  in  the 
First  National  Bank.  During  his  residence  in 
Montana  he  was  actively  identified  with  the  Mon- 
tana Cattle  Growers'  Association. 

On  South  Broadway,  Leavenworth,  stands  the 
beautiful  and  elegantly  furnished  home  of  Mr. 
Ryan.  He  was  married  in  Leavenworth,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1883,  to  Miss  Addie  Carr,  daughter  of  E. 
T.  and  Margaret  Carr;  she  was  born  in  Leaven- 


worth and  received  excellent  advantages  in  girl- 
hood. Her  charming  manners  and  tact  enable 
her  to  preside  graciously  over  her  elegant  home. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ryan  are  Lee  M. 
and  Samuel. 

A  great  deal  of  credit  is  due  Mr.  Ryan  for  the 
energy  he  has  displayed  in  business  matters  and 
for  the  liberal  manner  in  which  he  has  supported 
all  enterprises  calculated  to  develop  and  add  to 
the  progress  of  his  native  town.  He  is  a  man  of 
enterprise,  joined  with  sound  common  sense,  and 
in  his  stock-raising  projects  has  exhibited  excel- 
lent judgment.  In  fact,  it  is  doubtful  if  any  citi- 
zen of  Leavenworth  is  better  versed  than  he  in 
the  details  of  the  stock  business. 


EAPT.  JAMES  T.  STEVENS  was  born 
in  Leaksville,  Rockingham  County,  N.  C, 
a  son  of  William  C.  and  Caroline  Frances 
(Barnett)  Stevens,  and  a  descendant,  on  the  pa- 
ternal side,  of  a  pioneer  family  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, while  the  Barnetts  were  early  residents  of 
Virginia  and  many  of  their  members  took  part  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  In  1834  the  family  re- 
moved to  Peoria  County,  111. ,  and  soon  afterward 
the  mother  died,  after  which  the  father  married 
again.  He  became  one  of  the  most  extensive 
and  prosperous  farmers  of  his  section  and  lived  to 
be  a  very  aged  man. 

In  a  private  school  our  subject  obtained  a  good 
knowledge  of  the  English  language  and  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  education  which  was  afterward 
broadened  by  travel  and  self-culture.  August 
25,  1850,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  and  two 
months,  he  married  Miss  Lizzie  Flint.  Soon 
afterward  he  rented  a  farm  at  Princeton,  but  a 
year  later  sold  his  property  and  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  a  furniture  store  in  the  town,  which 
business  he  conducted  for  several  years,  making 
money  rapidly,  but  losing  through  unfortunate 
investments.  In  1857  he  disposed  of  the  store 
and  resumed  farming,  and  soon  had  three  farms 
well  improved  and  stocked. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  determined 
to  enlist  in  defense  of  the  Union.  October,  1861, 
found  his  name  enrolled  as  a  member  of  Company 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


209 


C,  Fifty-seventh  Illinois  Infantry.  A  short  time 
afterward  he  was  made  sergeant-major,  and 
served  in  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  participa- 
ting in  the  battles  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  Corinth 
and  Stone  River.  He  was  always  to  be  found  in 
the  thickest  of  the  fights,  leading  others  on  to 
victory.  In  1863  he  was  transferred  to  the  One 
Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  Illinois  Infantry  and 
commissioned  captain;  serving  as  such,  mostly  in 
Tennessee  and  Alabama,  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  when  he  was  mustered  out,  July  5,  1865,  at 
Springfield,  111. 

Returning  home.  Captain  Stevens  found  farm- 
ing in  a  stagnant  condition,  owing  to  the  influ- 
ence of  the  war.  Believing  conditions  would  be 
more  favorable  in  the  west,  he  sold  his  Illinois 
property  and  came  to  Kansas  in  November, 
1867.  Settling  in  Lawrence,  he  first  built  a 
tannery  and  engaged  in  tanning,  but  lost  all  he 
had  invested.  His  next  venture  was  in  the  real- 
estate  and  insurance  business,  in  which  he  was 
so  successful  that  within  three  years  he  had  re- 
trieved his  losses  to  some  extent.  In  January, 
1872,  he  and  I.  S.  Kalloch  issued  the  first  num- 
ber of  the  Spirit  of  Kansas,  a  paper  devoted  to  the 
general  interests  of  the  farming  people.  After 
a  year  he  bought  out  his  partner  and  ran  a  few 
months  alone,  when  he  took  Hon.  E.  G.  Ross  into 
partnership,  but  after  a  year  he  again  became 
editor  and  sole  proprietor.  Under  his  manage- 
ment the  paper  increased  in  circulation  and  popu- 
larity, and  was  generally  conceded  to  have  no 
superior  of  its  kind.  He  continued  its  editor  for 
years,  but  finally  sold  the  paper. 

Politically  Captain  Stevens  was  always  a 
stanch  Republican.  He  was  connected  with  the 
Masons,  Odd  Fellows  and  Grand  Army.  In 
1873  he  became  identified  with  the  Grange  move- 
ment and  for  several  terms  he  served  as  master 
of  his  Grange.  In  1877  and  1878  he  was  lecturer 
of  the  Kansas  State  Grange.  In  this  capacity  he 
made  a  general  canvass  of  the  state,  organizing 
granges,  strengthening  old  organizations  and  ad- 
vancing the  movement.  Through  his  pointed, 
logical  and  practical  lectures  he  did  much  to 
awaken  the  people  to  a  realization  of  their  op- 
portunities and  the  state's  needs  as  an  agricult- 


ural community.  For  two  hundred  days  he 
engaged  in  lecturing,  without  asking  for  any 
remuneration  whatever.  In  religion  he  was  a 
Congregationalist.  His  wife  died  in  1887,  and  two 
years  later,  while  he  was  serving  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  he  also  passed  away.  They  were  the  pa- 
rents of  five  children:  Mrs.  Eva  Griesa,  of  Law- 
rence; Nelson  O.,  of  this  city;  James  B.,  profes- 
sor of  vocal  music  in  Boston,  Mass.;  Carrie  F.,  a 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Lawrence;  and 
William  C,  professor  of  botany  in  the  University 
of  Kansas. 


HON.  MARTIN  SMITH.  The  pioneers  of 
Leavenworth  will  be  held  in  grateful  re- 
membrance long  after  they  shall  have 
passed  from  earth.  The  hardships  and  priva- 
tions which  they  endured  during  the  early  days 
of  the  settlement  of  Kansas  entitle  them  to  spe- 
cial recognition.  Among  these  early  settlers 
mention  belongs  to  Mr.  Smith,  who  came  to 
Leavenworth  June  8,  1857,  and  is  still  an  active 
business  man  of  this  city.  During  the  entire 
period  of  his  residence  here  he  has  maintained  a 
deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  city  and  state, 
and  has  contributed  his  quota  toward  the  devel- 
opment of  each.  Through  his  service  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  senate  he  has  also  had  a  connec- 
tion with  the  making  of  the  laws  of  the  state  and 
the  sustaining  of  its  broad  educational  and  phil- 
anthropic institutions. 

At  No.  305  Delaware  street  Mr.  Smith  is  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  and  insurance  business. 
As  an  underwriter  he  draws  up  policies  ensuring 
against  fire  and  tornado,  also  against  the  destruc- 
tion of  plate  glass  by  accident.  The  companies 
he  represents  are  as  follows:  Liverpool,  London 
&  Globe;  Firemen's  Fund  of  San  Francisco; 
German-American  of  New  York;  North  British 
&  Mercantile;  Orient  of  Hartford;  Glens  Falls  of 
Glens  Falls,  N.  Y. ;  Hamburg-Bremen;  Sun  of 
London  (the  oldest  insurance  company  in  the 
world);  American- Central  of  St.  Louis  and  Mil- 
waukee. He  owns  residence  property  in  Leaven- 
worth, and  also  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
acres  in  Platte  County,  Mo.  He  has  acted  as 
president  of  a  number  of  building  and  loan  asso- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ciations  until  their  shares  matured  and  were  paid 
off.  Other  enterprises  have  received  his  attention 
from  time  to  time. 

On  New  Year's  day  of  1832  Mr.  Smith  was 
born  in  Rhenish  Prussia,  Germany,  a  son  of 
John  and  Marj'  (Wagner)  Smith,  also  natives  of 
that  vicinity.  His  paternal  grandfather,  a  farmer, 
was  seventy-one  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  his  wife  was  ninety-seven.  When  a 
young  man  John  Smith  entered  the  Prussian 
army  and  served  in  the  Napoleonic  wars,  up  to 
and  including  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  He  was 
second  lieutenant  of  his  company,  and  received, 
for  bravery,  the  order  of  the  iron  cross.  Before 
Frederick  William  died  he  issued  an  order  that 
each  and  every  one  who  was  a  participant  in 
these  wars,  who  was  qualified  for  office,  should 
be  given  the  preference.  In  this  way  John  Smith 
was  given  the  office  of  general  superintendent  of 
public  roads,  his  territory  covering  a  very  large 
area.  He  continued  in  the  office  until  he  died  at 
eighty-seven  years,  and  retaining  his  mental  and 
physical  faculties  was  able  to  attend  to  every 
duty  up  to  the  last.  He  death  resulted  from  an 
attack  by  a  mad  bull.  His  wife  died  at  sixty- 
six  years.  Of  their  six  children  three  are  living, 
Martin  being  next  to  the  youngest,  and  the  only 
one  in  America.  One  of  the  sons,  John,  was  a 
lieutenant  in  the  revolution  in  Baden  and  was  a 
man  of  splendid  qualities,  whose  rise  from  the 
ranks  was  merited. 

When  fourteen  the  subject  of  this  sketch  en- 
tered a  college  at  Bern-Kassel.  Afterward  he 
became  superintendent  of  twenty-five  men  in  the 
building  of  a  twelve-mile  macadam  road,  which 
work  occupied  one  year.  He  then  served  a  two 
years'  apprenticeship  to  the  machinist's  trade  in 
Burkenfeld,  after  which  he  traveled  in  Germany 
for  eight  months.  He  was  drafted  into  the  army 
and  accepted,  but,  before  regularly  entering  the 
army,  came  to  America  in  order  to  escape  mili- 
tary oppression.  In  1852  he  took  passage  on  the 
sailing  vessel  "  Fitzpatrick,"  at  Hamburg,  and 
after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks  arrived  in  New 
York,  friendless,  and  with  only  $32.  He  found 
employment  as  a  machinist,  and  during  the  two 
years  he  remained  in  New  York  he  saved  $800, 


by  working  overtime,  in  addition  to  his  regular 
salary.  With  this  money  he  started  west.  He 
traveled  through  difi"erent  parts  of  the  country, 
and  for  eighteen  months  worked  in  New  Orleans. 
While  there  he  and  seventeen  others  joined 
Walker's  second  expedition  to  Honduras,  where 
he  had  many  thrilling  experiences.  While  he 
was  in  prison,  Walker  was  taken  out  and  shot. 
During  the  night  he  and  four  comrades  made 
their  escape,  and  traveled  inland  to  a  smalltown, 
where  they  secured  employment  in  the  building 
of  four  iron  houses.  With  the  money  thus 
earned  they  were  able  to  pay  their  way  back  to 
New  Orleans.  From  there  he  proceeded  to  St. 
Louis  and  thence  to  Leavenworth.  His  earlj^ 
life  here  was  no  less  perilous  than  had  been  his 
experiences  in  Honduras.  Border  warfare  made 
existence  a  constant  menace.  He  was  a  free- 
state  man,  and  consequently  encountered  the 
dislike  of  southern  sympathizers.  For  a  time  he 
worked  in  a  blacksmith  shop  on  Second  street. 

In  1862  Mr.  Smith  was  made  chief  of  the  vol- 
unteer fire  department,  which  position  he  held 
for  eight  years.  Prior  to  this  he  had  organized 
the  Leavenworth  Hook  and  Ladder  Companj' 
No.  I ,  of  which  he  was  foreman.  While  acting 
as  chief  he  organized  the  paid  fire  department, 
and  bought  the  first  and  second  steamers  in  the 
town.  During  the  war  he  was  captain  of  Com- 
pany G,  First  Kansas  Militia.  In  1863  he  start- 
ed in  the  fire  insurance  business,  and  now  has 
the  oldest  business  of  the  kind  in  Leavenworth, 
if  not,  indeed,  in  the  entire  state.  In  this  city 
he  married  Lizzie,  daughter  of  George  Galloway, 
who  removed  from  Kentucky  to  Platte  County, 
Mo.,  in  1854.  They  are  the  parents  of  four 
children,  namely:  Mrs.  Mary  Oliver;  Florence; 
Jessie;  and  Martin  J.,  a  graduate  of  the  high 
school,  and  now  connected  with  his  father  in 
business. 

Formerly  a  Republican,  upon  the  passage  of 
the  prohibitory  bill  Mr.  Smith  transferred  his 
allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party.  He  has 
been  active  in  county  and  state  conventions  and 
upon  committees.  For  ten  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board,  and  for  six  years  repre- 
sented the  fourth  ward  in  the  city  council,  dur- 


.^  «^ 


/"7T:.ylk:M^^ 


2^ 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  which   time   he  served  as   president  of   the      France,  and  during  the  religious  persecutions  of 
council.      In   spite   of  being  frequently  urged   to      Charles  and  James  II.  of  England,  large  numbers 
candidate  for  mayor,  he  has   always     of  Protestants  sought  refuge  from  persecution  in 
America.     Among  these  was   Henry   Harris,  a 


become  ; 

declined.  In  1869  and  1S70  he  served  as  a  mem 
her  of  the  state  senate,  to  which  he  was  elected 
by  a  large  majority,  and  in  the  work  of  which 
he  bore  an  honorable  part.  Since  then,  however, 
he  has  invariably  refused  nominations  for  senate 
and  legislature.  For  .several  years  he  was  presi- 
dent of  all  of  the  sixty-three  Personal  Liberty 
Clubs  in  the  state  of  Kansas,  through  the  in- 
fluence of  which  Click  was  elected.  Fraternalh* 
he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
has  served  ofHcially  in  the  lodge  and  encampment 
of  Odd  Fellows,  besides  being  a  member  of  the 
grand  lodge  and  the  grand  encampment. 


HON.  WILLIAM  A.  HARRIS 
labors  to  secure  the  progress  of  his  country, 
striving  to  bring  out  its  latent  resources; 
who  seeks  to  promote  the  cause  of  justice  and 
morality;  and  who,  both  as  a  public  official  and 
as  a  private  citizen,  is  interested  in  the  advance- 
ment of  commerce  and  education,  such  a  man  be- 
comes a  public  benefactor,  and  his  name  should 
be  inseparably  linked  with  that  of  his  county  and 
state.  This,  in  brief,  is  the  character  and  this 
the  reputation  of  United  States  Senator  Harris, 
who  is  known  far  beyond  the  limits  of  his  home 
county  of  Leavenworth,  having,  by  his  close 
identification  with  public  affairs,  gained  for  him- 
self a  name  as  a  progressive,  public-spirited  citi- 
zen. 

The  life  of  any  man  may  be  better  understood 
when  his  ancestral  history  is  presented.  In 
studying  the  ancestry  of  the  Harris  family,  it 
becomes  evident  to  all  that  the  talents  possessed 
by  Senator  Harris  are  his  by  inheritance.  The 
family  has  for  generations  been  honorably  and 
actively  identified  with  public  affairs  in  America, 


Bapti.st  preacher,  who  in  1691  came  from  Gla- 
morgan, Wales,  to  Virginia,  obtaining,  with 
others,  from  William  and  Mary  of  England,  a 
grant  of  ten  miles  square  of  crown  lands,  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  James  River,  some  miles  above 
the  great  falls,  now  Richmond,  Va.  His  only 
son,  Edward,  had  eight  sons  and  five  daughters. 
The  tenth  child,  Nathan,  born  in  17 16,  married 
Catherine  Walton,  of  Brunswick  County,  Va., 
in  1737,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  fourteen 
children,  viz.:  Walton,  Nathan,  Isaac,  David, 
Elias,  Rowland,  Herbert,  Gideon,  Howell,  John 
Henry,  Catherine,  Martha,  Elizabeth  and  Ann. 
The  oldest  child,  Walton,  was  born  in  Brunswick 
County,  Va.,  in  1739.  He  married  Rebecca 
Whoever  Lanier,  a  granddaughter  of  Elizabeth  Washing- 
ton, a  first  cousin  of  Gen.  George  Washington. 
Their  children  were:  Buckner,  Samp.son,  Joel, 
Augustine,  Edwin,  Nathan,  Simeon,  Walton, 
Elizabeth,  Littleton  and  Jephtha  V.  Of  these  chil- 
dren, Augustine  became  the  father  of  Judge  Iver- 
son  L.  Harris,  of  the  United  States  district  court. 
Senator  Harris  of  Tennessee  descended  from 
West,  the  twelfth  child  of  Edward  Harris.  The 
honorable  position  held  by  the  many  representa- 
tives of  the  family  shows  that  the  old  saying 
"blood  will  tell,"  is  true.  The  members  of  the 
family  have  sought  the  frontier,  pushing  south 
to  Georgia  and  Mississippi,  and  west  to  the 
regions  beyond  the  Mississippi.  They  have 
served  in  both  hou.ses  of  congress,  have  served  as 
governors  of  states,  have  sat  on  the  bench  and 
reached  eminence  at  the  bar,  and  in  every  posi- 
tion have  left  the  impress  of  their  individuality 
upon  their  states. 

The  father  of  Senator  Harris  was  William  A. 
Harris,  a  descendant  of  Augustine  Harris.  He 
was  born  in  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  in    1805,  and 


among  their  most  prominent  representatives  of     was  given  a  classical  education.      He  became  a 


the  nineteenth  century  having  been  United  States 
Senator  Isham  G.  Harris  of  Tennessee  and  Judge 
Iverson  L.  Harris  of  Georgia.  After  the  revoca- 
tion of  the  edict  of  Nantes   bv  Louis  XIV.  of 


prominent  attorney  and  for  ten  years  practiced 
law  in  Page  County,  Va.  Twice  he  was  elected 
to  the  state  legislature  of  Virginia.  In  1S41  he 
was  made  a  presidential  elector.     At  the  same 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


time  he  was  elected  to  congress,  and  served  as  a 
member  of  the  twenty  seventh  and  twenty-eighth 
congresses.  For  several  years  he  was  editor  of 
the  Washington  Spectator,  afterward  known  as 
the  Constitution.  In  1845  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Polk  as  charge  d'affaires  at  Buenos 
Ayres,  which  position  he  held  until  1851.  After 
the  election  of  James  Buchanan  to  the  presi- 
dent's chair  he  became  editor  and  proprietor  of 
the  Washington  Union,  a  daily  newspaper.  He 
resigned  the  editorship  to  accept  the  position  of 
printer  to  the  senate,  in  which  capacity  he  con- 
tinued for  two  years.  In  1854  he  moved  to  Pike 
County,  Mo.,  where  he  bought. a  farm  two  miles 
south  of  Bowling  Green.  During  the  Civil  war 
he  was  appointed  judge  advocate  general  of  the 
Trans- Mississippi  department  of  the  Confederate 
army.  His  death  occurred  while  the  war  was 
still  in  progress,  March  28,  1864.  He  was  a  man 
of  vigorous  mind,  and  was  admirably  versed  in 
the  principles  of  wise  statesmanship  and  public 
policy,  while  as  a  diplomat  his  tact  and  con- 
servative judgment  were  at  the  service  of  his  fel- 
low-citizens. The  prominence  to  which  he  rose 
illustrated  the  laws  of  heredity  and  of  merit. 

In  1840  he  married  Frances  Murray,  who  died 
in  Missouri  at  sixty-four  years  of  age.  Of  their 
six  children,  all  but  two  are  now  living.  Mur- 
ray Harris,  the  second  son,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Kansas  State  University  and  is  now  a  civil  en- 
gineer connected  with  the  Texas  Pacific  Rail- 
road; Charles  Harris,  the  third  son,  is  a  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  in  Missouri;  and  Ella  H.  is  the 
wife  of  William  H.  Abrams,  land  commissioner 
for  the  Texas  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  The 
eldest  son  is  he  whose  name  introduces  this  article. 
He  was  born  in  Loudoun  County,  Va.,  October 
29,  1S41,  and  was  reared  in  the  Old  Dominion, 
remaining  with  his  parents  until  he  entered 
Columbia  College  at  Washington,  D.  C,  from 
which  he  graduated  with  the  class  of  1859.  Two 
years  later  he  graduated  from  the  Virginia  Mil- 
itary Institute  at  Lexington,  where  he  had  been 
under  the  military  training  of  "Stonewall"  Jack- 
son. At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  became 
a  lieutenant  under  Jackson,  and  afterward  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain,  and  adjutant- 


general  of  Wilcox's  brigade,  Longstreet's  divi- 
sion, and  chief  ordnance  officer  of  Gen.  D.  H. 
Hill's  division. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Harris  came  to 
Kansas,  and  was  employed  as  a  civil  engineer  in 
the  construction  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
from  Leavenworth  to  Lawrence.  After  the  com- 
pletion of  the  road  he  was  made  resident  en- 
gineer, with  headquarters  at  Wyandotte  (now 
Kansas  City),  Kans. ,  and  remained  in  that  posi- 
tion until  the  road  reached  the  Colorado  line.  In 
1868  he  was  appointed  land  agent  for  the  rail- 
road companies,  having  charge  of  and  selling  the 
Delaware  and  other  Indian  reservations,  which 
were  purchased  from  the  Indians  by  the  railroad 
companies.  He  continued  in  that  capacitj'  until 
the  land  was  disposed  of,  meantime  making  his 
home  in  Lawrence,  where  he  resided  until  1884. 
During  the  intervening  years  he  had  purchased  a 
tract  of  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of 
the  reservation  land,  and  this  he  developed  into 
a  fine  stock  farm,  erecting  on  the  property  a 
mansion,  where  he  has  resided  since  1884.  The 
place  is  one  of  the  best-improved  and  most  valu- 
able in  I,eavenworth  County,  and  is  stocked  with 
thoroughbred  Shorthorn  and  imported  cattle, 
brought  from  Scotland  and  Canada. 

During  the  period  of  his  residence  in  Lawrence, 
Mr.  Harris  was  acting  mayor  of  the  city  and  for 
several  years  president  of  the  city  council.  He 
was  elected  congressman-at-large  to  the  Fifty- 
third  Congress  and  served  for  one  term.  In  1896 
he  was  chosen  to  represent  the  third  senatorial 
district  in  the  state  senate,  and  his  splendid  record 
in  that  position  led  to  his  election  to  the  United 
States  senate  the  following  year.  In  the  state 
senate  he  took  an  active  part  in  promoting  meas- 
ures for  the  benefit  of  his  constituents  and  also 
served  as  chairman  of  the  railroad  committee. 
Since  taking  his  seat  in  the  United  States  senate 
he  has  been  influential  in  bringing  about  a  settle- 
ment between  the  Union  Pacific  and  Central 
Pacific  Railroads  and  the  national  government, 
by  which  the  government  obtained  the  full  amount 
of  the  railroad  indebtedness.  He  has  also  served 
on  the  Nicaragua  canal  committee.  He  ad- 
vocates  the  construction  and  ownership  of   the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


canal  by  the  United  States  government  at  the 
earliest  possible  date,  in  preference  to  private  cor- 
porations. 

In  1863  Senator  Harris  married  Miss  Mary  A. 
Lionberger,  daughter  of  John  Lionberger,  of 
L,uray,  Page  County,  Va.  She  died  in  1894, 
leaving  five  children.  The  eldest.  Page  Harris, 
is  assistant  general  manager  of  the  Texas  Pacific 
Railroad  at  Dallas,  Tex.  Frances  is  the  wife  of 
H.  L.  Patteson,  of  Kansas  City.  Isabella  mar- 
ried William  M.  Byrne,  of  New  York  City.  Bessie 
is  the  wife  of  Hughes  F.  Findle}-,  of  Dallas,  Tex. 
The  youngest  child,  Craig  Harris,  when  but  fif- 
teen years  of  age,  enlisted  in  the  First  District  of 
Columbia  Regiment  during  the  Spanish-Ameri- 
can war  and  was  made  sergeant  of  his  company, 
with  which  he  served  during  the  memorable 
Santiago  campaign.  Afterward  he  received  an 
appointment  to  the  United  States  Military  Acad- 
emy at  West  Point.  The  present  wife  of  Senator 
Harris  was  Mrs.  Cora  M.  Mackey,  of  Pittsburgh, 
Pa. 

EHARLES  WESLEY  ALLENDORPH,  of 
Lawrence,  the  owner  of  large  tracts  of  ranch 
land  in  Kansas,  was  born  on  Vesey  street. 
New  York  City,  March  26,  1837,  a  son  of  Philip 
C.  and  Cornelia  T.  (Wiley)  Allendorph.  His 
grandfather,  Henry,  was  born  near  Red  Hook, 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  and  engaged  in  farm 
pursuits  in  that  county.  The  family  was  estab- 
lished in  America  by  the  great-grandfather  Allen- 
dorf  (as  the  name  was  then  spelled)  ,  who  crossed 
the  ocean  from  Holland  and  settled  near  the  Hud- 
son. During  the  Revolutionary  war  he  took  up 
arms  in  the  cause  of  independence.  Born  near 
Rhinebeck,  Dutchess  County,  Philip  Allendorph 
was  a  young  man  when  he  went  to  New  York 
Citj',  and  there  he  became  interested  in  a  furni- 
ture business  on  Canal  street.  Upon  selling  the 
business  he  returned  to  his  old  home  and  engaged 
in  farming.  In  1855  he  settled  in  Buffalo,  Scott 
County,  Iowa,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of  land 
and  improved  a  farm.  Eight  years  later  he  went 
to  Dayton,  N.  J.,  and  afterwards  spent  three 
years  at  Elizabeth  City,  the  same  state.  For 
four  3'ears  he  was  employed  in  the  naval  depart- 


ment of  the  custom  house  in  New  York  City. 
His  last  days  were  spent  in  the  home  of  his  son, 
Charles  Wesley,  with  whom  he  remained  until  a 
year  before  his  death,  when  he  removed  to  his 
daughter's,  Mrs.  Dr.  Merry,  in  Iowa  City,  where 
he  died  in  1880.  His  wife,  who  died  in  her  son's 
home,  in  1895,  was  born  on  Dye  street,  New 
York  City,  and  was  the  daughter  of  a  Scotchman, 
who  settled  in  New  York  and  had  contracts  there 
for  the  stone  cutting  on  the  custom  house,  Mer- 
chants' Exchange  and  other  public  buildings. 

Isabella,  who  married  H.  S.  Merry,  M.  D.,  and 
died  in  Iowa  City,  Iowa;  Philipine  Augusta, 
wife  of  J.  B.  Gruman,  of  Westwood,  Bergen 
County,  N.  J. ;  and  Charles  Wesley,  of  Lawrence, 
comprised  the  family  of  Philip  C.  Allendorph. 
The  son,  who  was  the  youngest  of  the  family, 
graduated  in  1855,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B., 
from  the  New  York  Free  Academy,  now  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  City  of  New  York.  Afterward  he 
began  civil  engineering.  For  six  months  he 
assisted  the  county  surveyor  of  W^estchester 
County,  N.  Y.  Late  in  1855  he  went  to  Rock 
Island,  111.,  and  secured  employment  on  the 
Rock  Island  &  Peoria  Railroad,  which  he  helped 
to  survey,  the  present  General  Wheaton  at  the 
same  time  working  as  rodman.  In  1856  he  was 
rodman  in  the  survey  of  the  Sheffield  &  Savan- 
nah Railroad  in  Illinois.  The  next  year  he  was 
employed  on  the  Peoria  &  Hannibal  Railroad 
survey,  the  Illinois  River  Railroad  (later  the 
Peoria,  Pekin  &  Jacksonville  road) ,  and  from 
April,  1857, to  April,  186 r,  was  rodman,  division 
engineer  and  first  assistant  engineer  on  the  Jack- 
sonville, Alton  &  St.  Louis  road.  From  1860 
until  the  outbreak  of  the  war  he  was  connected 
with  the  survey  of  the  Tonica  &  Petersburg  Rail- 
road. When  the  war  began  he  recruited  twenty 
men,  expecting  to  form  a  company  and  enter  the 
service,  but  family  reasons  caused  him  to  change 
his  plans.  From  March,  1863,  to  May  15,  1864, 
he  was  divi.sion  engineer  on  the  Morris  &  Essex 
Railroad  in  New  Jersey,  and  from  the  latter  date 
to  December  15,  1865,  he  was  with  the  St.  Louis, 
Jacksonville  &  Chicago  Railroad  as  assistant  en- 
gineer. 

Going  to    Missouri,  Mr.   Allendorph  was  ap- 


2l6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


pointed  chief  engineer  of  the  Osage  Valley  & 
Southern  Kansas  Railroad,  which  position  he 
held  from  February  i,  1866,  to  August,  1868. 
The  construction  work  was  completed  from  Boon- 
ville  to  Tipton,  Mo.,  but  the  survey  was  made 
through  to  Kansas.  The  road  is  now  incorpor- 
ated in  the  Missouri  Pacific.  From  October  i, 
1868,  to  the  ist  of  December  of  the  same  year, 
he  was  division  engineer  on  the  Peoria,  Pekin  & 
Jacksonville  Railroad,  then  held  a  similar  posi- 
tion on  the  Danville,  Urbaua,  Bloomington  & 
Pekin  Railroad  until  July,  1870.  His  next  posi- 
tion was  as  first  assistant  engineer  on  the  Indian- 
apolis, Bloomington  &  Western  road.  In  1871, 
as  chief  engineer,  he  made  the  preliminary  sur- 
vey of  the  Pekin  &  Mississippi  Railroad,  which, 
however,  was  never  built.  He  then  was  elected 
chief  engineer  of  the  Chicago,  Pekin  &  South- 
western Railroad,  which  position  he  held  until 
April,  1873.  In  1872  he  was  appointed  chief  en- 
gineer of  the  Peoria,  Pekin  &  Jacksonville 
road,  after  which  he  held  a  similar  position  in  the 
survey  and  construction  of  the  Peoria  &  Spring- 
field Railroad.  At  the  same  time  he  was  chief 
engineer  of  the  Dakota  Southern  road,  locating 
and  constructing  from  Sioux  City  to  Yankton. 
On  the  suspension  of  railroad  work  in  1873 
Mr.  Allendorph  went  to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and 
bought  a  one-half  interest  in  the  wholesale  and 
retail  tea  and  coffee  business  owned  by  his 
brotherin-law,  J.  B.  Gruman,  with  whom  he 
continued  for  five  years.  At  the  same  time  he 
also  carried  on  a  wholesale  house  on  Water  street, 
New  York.  During  this  period  he  had  his  resi- 
dence in  Elizabeth,  N.  J.  In  1878  he  disposed 
of  his  interests  in  the  east  and  came  to  Kansas, 
where  for  six  years  he  carried  on  a  mercantile 
business  in  Lawrence.  He  built  the  Allendorph 
block,  and  was  the  owner  of  five  stores  in  a  row. 
Much  of  his  time  since  coming  to  Kansas  has 
been  devoted  to  the  cattle  business.  He  had 
traded  for  four  thousand  acres  in  the  south-east- 
ern part  of  Riley  County,  Kans.  This  he 
fenced  and  has  used  for  a  cattle  ranch,  leasing 
additional  land  until  the  ranch  comprised  twelve 
thousand  acres,  but  some  years  since  he  turned 
the  four  thousand  acres  over  to  his  son.     Near 


Winfield,  Cowley  County,  he  now  owns  a  ranch 
of  sixteen  hundred  acres  in  a  bod3-,  two  hundred 
of  which  are  planted  in  corn,  while  the  remainder 
is  devoted  to  the  pasturage  of  his  five  hundred 
head  of  steers.  In  addition  he  owns  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  of  irrigated  land  (with  an 
unlimited  freerangeof  buffalo  grass  land)  in  Kear- 
ney County,  near  Lakin,  where  he  has  four  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle  and  raises  alfalfa  for  feed,  oper- 
ating the  place  himself.  He  also  owns  farms  in 
Pratt  and  Riley  Counties,  Kans.,  land  in  Texas 
and  valuable  propertj^  in  Lawrence.  Since  com- 
ing west  he  has  given  some  attention  to  civil 
engineering.  He  was  assistant  engineer  of  the 
branch  of  the  Missouri  Pacific,  from  Butler,  Mo. 
to  Emporia,  Kans.  He  was  assistant  engineer 
from  Kansas  City  to  the  Piatt  River  in  Nebraska, 
in  the  location  and  construction  of  the  Kansas 
City,  Wyandotte  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  and 
is  now  engineer  in  charge  of  the  Winner  Electric 
Railway  from  Lawrence  to  Topeka.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  belongs  to  the 
Select  Friends  and  Fraternal  Aid  Association. 

In  Jerseyville,  111.,  September  6,  1865,  Mr. 
Allendorph  married  Miss  Martha  Stelle,  a  mem- 
ber of  a  New  Jersey  family  that  removed  to  Illi- 
nois during  pioneer  days.  They  have  three  sons 
and  one  daughter,  namely:  Arthur,  a  cattle- 
man at  Alma,  Kans.;  Eugene  W. ,  who  gradu- 
ated from  the  Kansas  City  Dental  College,  and  is 
now  proprietor  of  the  Western  dental  depot,  in 
that  city;  DeWitt,  who  is  at  home;  and  Cornelia, 
wife  of  Rev.  George  D.  Rogers,  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  Church  of  Lawrence.  Mrs.  Allendorph 
was  one  of  four  children,  the  others  being  Mrs. 
Mary  A.  Randolph,  of  Jerseyville,  111.;  Mcore, 
on  the  old  homestead;  and  Cretie,  of  Jerseyville. 
Her  father,  Jacob  K.  Stelle,  a  native  of  Somerset 
County,  N.  J.,  settled  in  Jersey  County,  111.,  in 
1837,  and  there  he  engaged  in  farming  until  he 
was  advanced  in  years.  He  was  a  deacon  in  the 
Baptist  Church  for  forty  years.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Jerseyville  in  1878.  His  father,  John, 
who  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  died  in  Illinois 
while  visiting  his  son,  Jacob.  The  Stelle  family 
is  of  French  lineage  but  has  been  represented  in 
America    from    an    early    period.       The   wife  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


217 


Jacob  K.  Stelle  was  Eliza  J.  Coniptoii,  who  was 
born  in  Somerset  Count)-,  N.  J. ,  daughter  of  Moore 
Compton,  a  farmer  there.  She  is  still  living  and 
makes  her  home  in  Jersejville.  In  religion  she 
has  long  been  a  faithful  adherent  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 


ARSHAEL  M.  JEWETT.  A  resume  of 
the  life  of  Mr.  Jewett  shows  that  he  is  a 
representative  type  of  a  western  man,  thor- 
oughly imbued  with  the  spirit  of  western  push  and 
enterprise.  He  has  led  the  adventurous  life  of  a 
frontiersman,  and  has  experienced  not  only  the 
usual  hardships  of  the  pioneer,  but  during  early 
days  was  often  in  the  greatest  danger  from  the  In- 
dians of  the  plains  and  from  the  pro-slavery  men, 
whose  hatred  he  aroused  by  his  open  espousal  of 
the  free-state  movement.  Much  of  his  time  was 
spent  on  the  plains  between  Leavenworth  and 
Denver,  and,  including  the  trips  made  in  wagons, 
he  rode  across  the  country  forty-six  times.  Some- 
times when  alone,  and  sometimes  when  with 
others,  he  was  attacked  by  the  red  men,  and  more 
than  once  he  was  wounded  by  their  arrows  and 
narrowly  escaped  with  his  life.  He  has  lived  and 
braved  the  hardships  of  a  frontier  existence  until 
he  has  seen  the  old  method  of  transportation  by 
ox-teams  replaced  by  the  swift  steam  cars;  he 
has  seen  the  Indians  gradually  drifting  further 
westward  before  the  approaching  wave  of  immi- 
gration and  civilization;  he  has  seen  the  country 
dotted  over  with  ranch  houses  and  heids  of  cat- 
tle and  sheep  replace  those  of  buffalo  and  deer. 
The  smoke  from  factories  rises  where  once  he 
could  discern  only  the  camp  fires  of  Indians  or 
white  immigrants.  In  all  of  this  wonderful  trans- 
formation that  has  been  wrought  he  has  borne  a 
part,  and,  as  a  pioneer,  his  name  deserves  to  be 
perpetuated  in  the  annals  of  the  west. 

In  a  very  early  day  the  Jewett  family  was  es- 
tablished in  Rowley,  Mass.,  and  later  generations 
founded  Jewett  City,  Conn.  One  of  the  name, 
Charles  Jewett,  was  a  very  prominent  temper- 
ance worker  and  wrote  man\-  works  upon  that 
subject.  Eleazer,  a  brother  of  Charles,  was  born 
in  Jewett  Cit}-,  and  became  a  pioneer  manufactur- 
er of  cut  nails,   operating   a   large  plant  at  Nor- 


wich, Conn.,  and  employing  several  hundred 
men.  He  was  employed  by  the  government  of 
Portugal  to  superintend  the  erection  of  mills,  but 
lost  his  health  while  in  that  country  and  died 
shortly  after  his  return  home,  in  1839.  His  wife, 
Mrs.  Mary  Aim  (Russell)  Mount,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  Laban  Russell,  of  Rye,  N.  Y.,  and  a 
descendant  of  early  settlers  of  Nantucket,  Mass. 
By  her  first  husband,  Captain  Mount,  she  had 
two  children,  Caroline,  who  married  Henrj' 
Spring,  of  Olney,  111.,  and  Mary,  wife  of  Capt. 
Peter  E.  Le  Fevre.  The  latter  was  a  prominent 
ocean  captain,  and  commanded  the  "North  Star," 
"Ariel,"  "Magnolia"  and  "Vanderbilt,"  owned 
by  Commodore  Vanderbilt.  Our  subject  was  the 
second  of  three  sons  born  to  his  parents,  his 
brothers  being:  Washington, who  died  in  boyliood, 
and  Laban  Russell  Jewett,  of  Norwich,  Conn., 
who  at  one  time  was  first  officer  on  the  steamship 
"Vanderbilt,"  later  for  fourteen  years  was  a 
commander  in  the  English  merchant  marine  serv- 
ice between  London  and  the  East  Indies,  and  is 
now  engaged  in  the  coal  and  mercantile  business. 
Mrs.  Mary  A.  Jewett  died  at  the  home  of  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Le  Fevre. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Jewett 
City,  Conn.,  in  1831.  When  eight  years  of  age 
he  was  taken  by  his  mother  to  Rye,  N.  Y.,  his 
father  having  died  recently.  Afterward  he  was 
given  a  home  with  his  grandmother,  but  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  went  to  Olney,  III.,  and  from 
that  time  he  was  practically  self-supporting.  He 
was  employed  as  clerk  in  a  store  and  later  be- 
came a  partner  of  his  brother-in-law,  Henry 
Spring.  Wishing  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  new 
west,  he  came  to  Leavenworth,  October  20,  1855, 
in  company  with  James  L.  Byers,  bringing  a 
stock  of  groceries  and  hardware  from  St.  Louis 
on  the  boat  "Ben  Bolt."  The  firm  of  Byers  & 
Jewett  opened  a  store  in  Leavenworth,  which 
they  carried  on  until  1857,  and  then  turned  their 
attention  to  the  real-estate  business. 

The  first  trip  across  the  plains  that  Mr.  Jewett 
made  was  in  October,  1858,  when  he  formed  a 
company  of  six  men  and  traveled  to  the  point 
where  Denver  now  stands.  Building  a  cabin, 
the  men  spent  the  winter  on  Cherry  Creek.     He 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  captain  of  the  company',  which  consisted  be- 
sides himself,  of  Richard  E.  Whitsett,  Gen.  Will- 
iam H.  H.  Larimer,  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  William 
H.  H.  Larimer,  Jr.,  now  of  Kansas  Cit.v,  Charles 
Lawrence  and  his  nephew,  Fulsom  Darsett. 
They  were  among  the  first  white  men  to  build  a 
cabin  on  the  present  site  of  Denver,  and  thej' 
laid  out  and  incorporated  the  town  of  Denver,  Mr. 
Jewett  becoming  the  owner  of  a  share  in  thecom- 
panj'.  Indians  were  numerous  and  the  remoteness 
of  the  few  white  men  from  others  made  their  situ- 
ation not  a  little  dangerous.  In  the  spring  of  1859 
Mr.  Jewett  left  the  party  and  traveled,  on  horse- 
back, seven  hundred  miles  to  Leavenworth,  mak- 
ing the  distance  in  twenty-two  days.  In  May  of 
the  same  year  he  returned  to  Colorado  with  a 
freighting  outfit,  loaded  with  provisions  and  mer- 
chandise, and  arrived  safely  in  Denver,  where  he 
sold  his  goods,  wagons  and  horses.  Buying  fresh 
horses  he  rode  back  to  Leavenworth.  In  the  fall 
of  1859  he  went  back  to  Denver,  with  an  outfit  of 
eighteen  wagons,  loaded  with  merchandise  and 
provisions,  which  he  sold  to  prospectors,  realiz- 
ing a  handsome  sum.  Returning  to  Leavenworth 
the  third  time  on  horseback,  he  spent  the  winter 
here  and  in  the  spring  of  i860  went  across  the 
plains  with  twenty  six  wagons  and  three  hundred 
and  twelve  oxen.  Afterward  he  followed  freight- 
ing between  the  Missouri  River  and  Colorado, 
Salt  Lake,  Santa  Feand  other  points.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  was  employed  by  the  government  in 
providing  provisions  for  the  western  forts.  In 
the  winter  of  1863-64  he  killed  sixteen  hundred 
and  thirty-seven  head  of  buffalo  on  the  plains  of 
northwestern  Kansas;  and  the  skins  of  these  he 
sold  in  Leavenworth. 

As  has  already  been  intimated,  Mr.  Jewett  had 
frequent  encounters  with  the  Indians  and  was 
wounded  several  times.  The  most  troublesome 
were  the  Kiowas,  Cheyennes  and  Sioux.  During 
1865,  while  riding  from  Valverde  to  Leaven- 
worth, alone,  he  was  attacked  by  seventeen  In- 
dians known  as  "dog"  soldiers,  and  he  had  a  hard 
fight  with  them,  but  made  his  escape.  When  on 
a  return  trip  from  the  west,  with  one  hundred 
and  four  wagons  and  only  forty-one  men,  he  was 
attacked  in  the  Platte  River   bottom  bv  Indians, 


and  was  corraled  for  several  hours,  but  finall}' 
drove  the  red  men  awa}'.  An  Indian  shot  him 
in  the  arm,  but  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  killing 
the  one  that  wounded  him.  In  1869  he  settled 
down  to  farm  life  in  Leavenworth  County,  and 
afterward  engaged  in  stock-raising.  In  1896  he 
bought  a  farm  near  Leavenworth  from  John  W. 
Loar,  and  upon  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
comprising  this  place  he  has  since  made  his  home, 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising. 
In  the  summer  of  1898  his  residence  was  destroyed 
by  fire. 

In  1S65  Mr.  Jewett  made  the  trip  across  the 
plains  from  Valverde  to  Leavenworth  and  here 
married  Sarah  Burr,  a  sister  of  H.  S.  and  E. 
Burr.  She  died  in  1S97,  leaving  two  sons,  Ed- 
mond  R.  and  Harry  S.  During  the  border  war- 
fare days  Mr.  Jewett  was  an  outspoken  Union 
man.  In  1857  he  was  one  of  the  party  who  cap- 
tured the  Kickapoo  cannon  at  Kickapoo  which 
had  been  stolen  by  the  pro-slavery  party  from  the 
government  arsenal  at  Liberty.  He  was  with 
John  Brown  in  his  camp  at  Tabor,  Iowa.  So 
pronounced  was  he  in  his  defense  of  the  free- 
state  cause  that  he  brought  upon  himself  the  en- 
mity of  those  of  different  views  and  at  one  time  a 
reward  was  ofTered  for  his  scalp  by  the  pro-slav- 
ery party.  In  spite  of  all  these,  and  other  dan- 
gers, he  continued  his  fearless  defense  of  prin- 
ciples he  believed  to  be  right.  He  has  always 
been  a  man  of  patriotic  character,  progressive 
and  public  spirited  motives,  and  has  cherished  a 
warm  affection  for  the  country  where  the  active 
years  of  his  life  have  been  passed. 


nOHN  ALBERT  HERNING,  proprietor  of 
I  the  Lawrence  canning  factory,  is  at  the  head 
Q)  of  one  of  the  important  industries  of  Doug- 
las County.  The  material  used  in  the  canning 
business  is  of  the  choicest  grade,  much  of  it  be- 
ing raised  on  his  farm  of  three  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  in  the  Kaw  River  bottom,  but  in  addition 
to  this  he  also  buys  from  gardeners  and  growers. 
The  Kaw  Valley  brand  is  known  throughout  the 
west  and  shipments  are  made,  in  carload  lots,  to 
points  between  the  Missouri  River  and  the  coast. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


219 


In  the  factor}^  there  is  floor  space  of  an  acre. 
The  plant  is  operated  by  steam,  modern  improve- 
ments have  been  introduced,  and  there  is  a  ca- 
pacity of  fifty  thousand  cans  a  day.  The  prod- 
ucts are  tomatoes,  peas,  sweet  corn,  beans  and 
also  various  kinds  of  fruits.  During  the  busy 
season  more  than  two  hundred  hands  are 
employed.  In  the  winter  months  he  devotes  his 
attention  to  feeding  cattle  and  usually  has  about 
one  hundred  head  on  his  place,  where  he  has  a 
silo  with  a  capacity  of  six  to  eight  hundred  tons. 
Mr.  Herning  was  born  at  Vinland,  Palmyra 
Township,  Douglas  County,  April  2,  1868,  a  son 
of  Michael  and  Sarah  A.  (Eberhart)  Herning, 
natives  respectively  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany, 
and  Butler  County,  Pa.  His  father,  who  was 
third  among  five  children,  was  a  son  of  Joseph 
Herning,  who  brought  the  family  from  Germany 
to  Holmes  County,  Ohio.  In  youth  he  learned 
the  builder's  trade.  Coming  to  Kansas  in  1859, 
he  settled  near  Vinland,  where  he  improved  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  acres.  He  was  a  free-state 
man  and  in  politics  voted  with  the  Republican 
partj'.  He  died  on  his  farm  March  20,  1S73,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-five,  and  was  the  first  man 
buried  in  Stony  Point  Cemetery,  which  he  had 
laid  out  and  platted  in  lots.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  took  part  in  the  campaign  against  Price 
and  fought  at  the  Big  Blue. 

In  Douglas  County,  January  21,  1864,  Michael 
Herning  married  Miss  Sarah  A.  Eberhart, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Eberhart,  a  native  of  West- 
moreland County,  Pa.,  and  granddaughter  of 
Christian  Eberhart,  who  was  born  in  Lehigh 
County  March  9,  1772,  thence  was  taken  by  his 
parents  to  Westmoreland  County  in  1773  and 
died  there  upon  a  farm.  He  was  a  son  of  Paul 
Eberhart,  who  was  born  on  the  ocean  in  1727, 
when  the  family  were  en  route  to  America.  Paul's 
father,  Michael,  a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  crossed 
on  the  ship,  "Friendship,"  and  in  March,  1727, 
settled  in  what  is  now  Lehigh  County,  where  he 
became  a  large  farmer  and  active  worker  in  the 
German  Reformed  Church.  Joseph  Eberhart, 
who  was  a  tailor  in  youth,  became  a  local  preacher 
in  the  Lutheran  Church  and  a  colporteur  in  the 
employ  of  the  American  Tract  Society.     In  1S25 


he  settled  in  Mercer  County,  Pa.,  twenty  years 
later  went  to  Armstrong  County,  and  in  order  to 
secure  a  home  for  his  sons  finally  decided  to  lo- 
cate in  Kansas.  April  13,  1854,  he  brought  his 
family  as  far  west  as  Kansas  City,  where  they  re- 
mained until  July.  He  then  proceeded  to  Doug- 
las County,  Kans.,  and  took  up  a  claim  three 
miles  east  of  the  present  site  of  Lawrence,  later 
removing  to  a  claim  at  what  is  now  Willow 
Springs.  There  he  built  a  log  house  and  began 
the  task  of  improving  a  farm.  Later  he  bought 
a  farm  in  Palmyra  Township,  where  his  last  days 
were  spent.  During  the  early  days  of  his  resi- 
dence here  he  preached  very  frequently,  there 
being  a  scarcity  of  ministers  at  that  time,  but  he 
never  sought  any  renumeration  for  his  services. 
Being  himself  a  stanch  free-state  man,  he  en- 
deavored to  secure  eastern  immigrants  to  Kansas, 
hoping  their  presence  might  aid  the  anti-slavery 
movement.  For  his  activity  in  this  direction  he 
incurred  the  hatred  of  the  pro-slavery  party,  who 
resolved  to  hang  him.  A  night  was  set  for  the 
deed,  but  he  learned  of  it  and  managed  to  escape. 
He  died  in  November,  1S82,  when  almost  eighty- 
three  years  of  age. 

The  marriage  of  Joseph  Eberhart  united  him 
with  Catherine  Kistler,  who  was  born  in  West- 
moreland County,  Pa.,  in  1805,  and  died  in  Kan- 
sas December  21,  1885.  She  was  a  faithful,  in- 
dustrious woman,  whose  sole  aim  was  to  promote 
the  happiness  and  welfare  of  her  husband  and 
children.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Kistler, 
a  farmer  of  Pennsylvania.  In  her  family  there 
were  thirteen  children,  namely:  Mary  Ann,  who 
was  first  married  to  a  Mr.  Hemphill  and  later 
became  the  wife  of  William  Bierly,  and  died  in 
Vinland,  in  February,  1898;  Obadiah,  formerly 
a  farmer,  now  living  in  Baldwin  City,  Kans.; 
Mrs.  Priscilla  Barnhart,  who  died  near  Ottawa, 
in  February,  1899;  John,  who  died  in  Pennsyl- 
vania; Joseph,  who  was  accidentally  killed  at 
eighteen  years  of  age;  Henry  S.,  who  served  in 
Company  C,  Tenth  Kansas  Infantry,  and  is  now- 
living  in  Willow  Springs  Township,  Douglas 
County;  Lewis  J.,  who  was  in  the  Kansas  miHtia 
during  the  Price  raid  and  now  lives  near  Vinland; 
Andrew,  who  enlisted  in  aKausas regiment,  was 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


taken  prisoner  at  Independence,  Mo.,  finall}'  re- 
ceived an  exchange  and  returned  to  his  regiment, 
and  is  now  living  near  Vinland;  Paul  C,  of 
Lawrence,  who  was  captured  while  serving  in 
the  Union  armj',  but  later  was  paroled  and  dis- 
charged; Catherine  Elizabeth,  who  died  at  the 
old  homestead;  Sarah  A.;  Susannah  Lydia,  who 
was  twice  married  and  died  at  the  old  home;  and 
Mrs.  Rebecca  L.  Hemphill,  who  lives  near  Vin- 
land. 

Three  years  after  the  death  of  her  husband, 
Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Herning  settled  in  Lawrence. 
She  was  a  second  time  married,  becoming  the 
wife  of  John  Lagerquist,  a  native  of  Sweden,  who 
died  in  1885.  Of  this  union  one  son  was  born, 
Frank  Abraham,  now  at  home.  To  her  first  mar- 
riage the  following-named  children  were  born: 
Joseph  Edwin,  of  Wellington,  Kans.,  an  engineer 
on  the  Santa  Fe  road;  John  Albert,  of  this  sketch; 
Grace  Elizabeth,  who  married  Eben  Baldwin, 
owner  of  a  large  farm  near  Lawrence;  Rebecca 
Lucinda,  wife  of  Frank  Charles  Endacott,  of 
Lawrence;  and  Mary  Catherine,  wife  of  William 
Endacott,  who  is  foreman  in  the  Lawrence  collar 
factory.  The  Endacott  brothers  were  born  in 
England  and  are  members  of  an  old  family  of 
Devonshire.  Their  father,  John  Endacott,  was  a 
son  of  James  Endacott,  a  farmer  of  Devonshire. 
For  three  hundred  years  back  there  has  been  a 
John  Endacott  in  every  generation.  Belonging 
to  the  same  family  was  John  Endacott,  who  came 
to  America  in  the  "Mayflower,"  and  was  the 
first  governor  of  Massachusetts.  The  father  of 
the  Endacott  brothers  was  born  in  Moreton,  Eng- 
land, and  became  heir  to  Gidley  Mill  castle, 
which  he  still  holds.  He  has  two  brothers  in 
the  United  States,  one  of  whom  is  a  Methodist 
Episcopal  minister  in  Leavenworth  County, 
Kans.  He  married  Marie  Pedlar,  a  native  of 
Devonshire. 

The  ancestry  of  the  Eberhart  family  is  traced 
to  Eberhard  the  Noble,  a  Wurtemberger,  whose 
parents  belonged  to  the  royal  family.  A  man  of 
remarkable  abilitj',  he  established  the  still  flour- 
ishing kingdom  of  Wurtemberg,  where  he 
reigned  forty-six  years,  and  died  June  5,  1325. 
From  him  descended  a  long  line  of  rulers  and 


dukes,  the  last  ruler  of  Wurtemberg  being  Leo- 
pold Eberhard,  who  was  deposed  from  the  throne 
in  a  struggle  between  Catholics  and  Protestants, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Duke  Charles  Augen. 

For  fourteen  years  our  subject  was  connected 
with  the  Watkins  Mortgage  Company,  after 
which  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  canning 
business,  and  since  1894  has  been  proprietor  of 
the  Lawrence  canning  factor}-.  From  January, 
1S95,  to  January,  1S99,  he  was  a  director  in  the 
Watkins  Bank,  in  which  he  is  still  a  stockholder. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  connected 
with  the  lodge  and  Rebekah  degree  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  is  a  member  of  the  English  Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  he  is  a  deacon. 


IILLIAM  DURHAM  MARTIN,  M.  D. 
F'ew  of  the  residents  of  Baldwin  were  more 
closely  identified  with  its  early  history 
than  was  Dr.  Martin,  w-ho  is  remembered  as  a 
public-spirited,  enterprising  man,  and  one  to 
whom  the  village  owed  not  a  little  of  its  early 
growth.  Every  project  for  its  improvement  re- 
ceived his  assistance,  and  not  a  few  plans  that 
aided  its  development  originated  in  his  fertile 
brain.  From  the  time  that  he  began  in  professional 
practice  here  in  1857,  until  the  date  of  his  death 
forty-one  years  afterward,  the  place  had  no  citi- 
zen more  devoted  to  its  welfare  than  he.  For 
two  years  he  officiated  as  mayor  of  Baldwin.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Baldwin  Bank , 
in  which  he  afterward  held  stock.  Other  local 
industries  and  interests  received  the  impetus  of 
his  timely  encouragement. 

Dr.  Martin  was  born  in  New  York  state  March 
29,  1822,  a  son  of  Agrippa  and  Rhoda  (Durham) 
Martin,  the  latter  of  Spanish  extraction.  He 
was  the  youngest  of  six  children,  four  of  whom 
became  farmers  and  two  physicians.  His  father, 
who  was  a  farmer,  removed  to  Illinois  in  an  early 
day  and  settled  near  Freeport,  in  what  was  after- 
ward known  as  Martin's  settlement.  After  hav- 
ing completed  the  common  school  studies,  in 
1849  our  subject  began  to  read  medicine  with  his 
brother  in  Freeport,  and  later  he  attended  Rush 
Medical    College    in    Chicago,    from    which    he 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


graduated  in  1851.  Opening  an  office  in  Nora, 
Jo  Daviess  County,  111.,  he  remained  there  for 
two  3'ears,  and  then  returned  to  Freeport  to  en- 
gage in  practice  with  his  brother.  From  Free- 
port  he  came  to  Kansas  in  1856,  and  the  follow- 
ing year  opened  an  office  in  Baldwin,  where  for 
nearly  forty  years  he  carried  on  a  large  general 
practice,  covering  the  entire  section  of  surround- 
ing country.  In  1895  he  was  thrown  from  his 
buggy  and  crippled  to  such  an  extent  that  gen- 
eral practice  was  no  longer  possible,  but  he  con- 
tinued his  office  practice  until  he  died,  Septem- 
ber 10,  1898.  He  was  prominent  in  the  blue 
lodge  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  aided  other  or- 
ganizations having  for  their  object  the  ameliora- 
tion of  the  sufferings  of  mankind  and  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  race. 

August  5,  i860,  Dr.  Martin  married  Miss  Cor- 
nelia J.  Clayton,  daughter  of  William  and  Alice 
Clayton,  who  were  pioneers  of  Kansas.  Mrs. 
Martin  died  August  i,  1895,  a  few  years  prior  to 
her  husband's  death.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  daughters,  namely:  Alice,  who  married 
W.  H.  Robinson,  of  Arkansas  City,  Kans. ;  Jen- 
nie, wife  of  J.  W.  Jenkins,  a  farmer  of  Douglas 
County;  Josephine  and  Maude.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  Dr.  Martin  left  to  his  daughters  a  com- 
fortable residence  in  Baldwin  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  improved  land  near  the  town. 


HON.  JOHN  D.  EDMOND,  who  was  mayor 
of  the  city  of  Leavenworth,  1S97-99,  was 
born  in  Vergennes,  Addison  County,  Vt., 
August  29,  183S,  a  son  of  William  and  Eliza  Ann 
(Vail)  Edmond.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Hon. 
David  Edmond,  a  native  of  Newtown,  Conn.,  and 
a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  was  one  of  the  most 
famous  lawyers  of  New  England  and  was  espe- 
cially influential  in  the  public  life  of  Vermont,  of 
which  state  he  served  as  attorney -general  for 
fourteen  years.  As  selectman,  member  of  the  state 
legislature,  and  for  many  years  the  mayor  of 
Vergennes,  he  proved  himself  a  most  progressive, 
public-spirited  citizen,  and  did  much  to  advance 
the  welfare  of  his  fellow-citizens.  At  the  time 
President  Monroe  visited  Vermont  he  gave  the 
address  of  welcome.     He  stood  at  the  head  of  the 


Vermont  bar  and  was  connected  with  Daniel  \\'eb- 
ster  in  the  management  of  several  cases.  To 
great  natural  ability  he  added  a  broad  education, 
thorough  knowledge  of  mankind,  and  tact,  re- 
sources and  energy.  He  was  active  in  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church.  He  was  a  brother  of  Hon. 
William  Edmond,  the  first  judge  of  the  supreme 
court  of  Connecticut,  and  a  brave  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  in  which  other  members  of 
the  family  also  bore  a  part.  Their  father,  Robert 
Edmond,  was  born  in  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  of 
Scotch  descent,  and  emigrated  to  America,  set- 
tling in  Newtown,  where  he  reared  a  large  family. 
His  great-grandson.  Judge  William  Edmond 
Curtis,  of  New  York  City,  was  the  father  of  Hon. 
William  Edmond  Curtis,  Jr.,  who  held  office  as 
assistant  treasurer  under  President  Cleveland's 
second  administration. 

The  marriage  of  Hon.  David  Edmond  united 
him  with  Harriet  Lavergne  Ducasse,  of  West- 
field,  Conn.,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Whit- 
ing) Ducasse,  and  a  lineal  descendant  of  Admiral 
Ducasse,  who  defeated  Admiral  Benbow,  of  the 
English  navy,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  this 
being  the  only  instance  of  the  defeat  of  the  Eng- 
lish fleet  by  the  French  navy.  Her  father,  Capt. 
John  Ducasse,  was  a  captain  in  the  French  artil- 
lery of  Louis  XVI's  life  guard,  but  resigned  his 
commission  and  came  to  America  to  assist  the 
colonies  in  gaining  their  freedom,. with  the  un- 
derstanding that,  should  he  ever  return  to  France, 
his  commission  would  be  given  back  to  him.  He 
accompanied  General  Lafayette  to  America, 
where  he  was  commissioned  major  of  artillery, 
and  was  in  command  at  the  battles  of  Saratoga 
and  other  engagements.  Until  the  close  of  the 
Revolution  he  continued  a  brave  officer  of  the 
colonial  army,  and  at  its  close  retired  as  colonel 
of  artillery  in  the  continental  line.  When  the  war 
ended  he  went  to  the  West  Indies  to  visit  an 
uncle,  Governor  Ducasse,  who  was  at  the  head 
of  one  of  the  islands,  and  while  there  he  died  of 
yellow  fever.  While  in  America  he  had  marritd 
a  daughter  of  Capt.  William  Whiting,  a  lintal 
descendant  of  Rose  Standish.  He  left  only  one 
child,  Harriet  Lavergne  Ducasse. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Reared  in  Vermont,  the  father  of  our  suljject 
was  sixteen  when  he  went  south.  He  engaged 
in  thecottonbrokeragebusiness  with  Judge  Will- 
iam Henry  Hitchcock,  of  Mobile,  Ala.,  until  the 
failure  of  his  health  forced  him  to  return  to  the 
north.  His  death  occurred  in  Vermont  when  he 
was  thirtj'-eight  3'ears  of  age.  He  had  not  taken 
an  active  part  in  public  affairs,  but  he  was  a  pub- 
lic-spirited citizen  and  a  man  of  business  ability. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Whig.  His  wife  was  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Harriet  (Thomas)  Vail, 
of  Troy,  N.  Y.  James  Vail  acted  as  private  sec- 
retary to  his  uncle,  Aaron  Vail,  the  first  Ameri- 
can consul  to  Bordeaux,  France,  and  a  wealths- 
shipowner  and  merchant,  who  finally  lost  all  of 
his  property  and  died  in  France,  his  familj^  later 
returning  to  the  United  States.  While  James 
Vail  was  on  a  vacation  trip  to  England  the  war 
of  1S12  broke  out  and  he  was  taken  prisoner. 
Afterward  he  was  put  on  parole,  but  could  not 
leave  the  country.  While  there  he  met  and  mar- 
ried Miss  Thomas.  After  the  war  closed  he  re- 
turned to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness until  his  death.  His  brothers,  George  and 
Henr}-,  were  also  successful  dry-goods  merchants. 
Our  subject's  mother  died  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  at 
seventy-six  years  of  age,  and  was  buried  at  her 
old  home  in  Vermont.  She  had  two  sons:  Henry 
Vail,  who  died  in  New  Hampshire  in  1891;  and 
John  D.,  of  this  sketch. 

When  an  infant  of  three  months  our  subject 
was  taken  to  Mobile,  Ala.,  and  when  six  years 
old  he  was  brought  back  to  Vergennes,  where  his 
father  died  three  years  later.  At  thirteen  years 
of  age  he  entered  Williston  Seminary,  in  East- 
hampton,  Mass.,  and  afterward  clerked  in  a  store 
in  Vergennes  for  eighteen  months,  then  went  to 
Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  was  engaged  as 
clerk  in  a  hardware  store  for  twelve  years.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  also  carried  on  business  for  him- 
self under  the  firm  name  of  John  D.  Edmond  & 
Co.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  went  to  Norwich, 
Conn.,  but  one  year  later  went  to  Chicago,  and 
in  1870  settled  in  Leavenworth,  Kans.  For  eleven 
years  he  was  traveling  salesman  for  J.  F.  Rich- 
ards &  Co.,  and   for  eight  years  he  traveled  for 


the  Wyeth  Hardware  Company,  of  St.  Joseph, 
Mo.,  making  a  total  of  eighteen  years  and  ten 
months  as  traveling  salesman.  His  territory  in- 
cluded northern  Kansas,  southwestern  Nebraska 
and  northwestern  Missouri.  Upon  quitting  the 
road  he  became  interested  with  a  nephew,  John 
D.  Edmond,  2d,  and  under  the  firm  title  of  John 
D.  Edmond,  ist  and  2d,  the  two  carried  on  a 
hardware  business  in  Logan,  Phillips  County, 
Kans. ,  for  three  years. 

May  25,  1876,  in  Leavenworth,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Edmond  to  Miss  Mary  Johnston 
Thompson,  who  was  born  in  Harrisonburg,  Va., 
a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  Ann  (Yount) 
Thompson,  both  natives  of  the  Shenandoah  Val- 
ley. About  1S55  Mr.  Thompson  brought  his 
family  to  the  territory  of  Kansas  and  settled  in 
Leavenworth,  but  during  the  war  he  returned  to 
Virginia,  joined  Lee's  army,  and  served  with  the 
Confederates  until  he  was  killed.  His  wife  reared 
their  children  in  Leavenworth,  and  now  makes 
her  home  with  her  son-in-law,  Mr.  Edmond. 

In  the  progress  of  his  home  town  Mr.  Edmond 
has  always  shown  a  deep  interest.  For  one  term 
he  represented  the  second  ward  in  the  city  coun- 
cil, and  for  four  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  education.  In  1897  he  was  elected 
mayor  on  the  Democratic  ticket  by  a  plurality  of 
more  than  six  hundred.  He  filled  the  ofiice  eiB- 
ciently,  giving  his  entire  attention  to  the  dis- 
charge of  oflBcial  duties,  but  at  the  end  of  his  term 
of  ofiice  declined  a  renomination.  In  1859  he 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  National  Ri- 
fles at  Washington,  D.  C,  which  afterward  be- 
came famous.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served 
as  orderly  sergeant  of  Compan}^  C,  District  of 
Columbia  Militia.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution  of  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut. He  was  a  Mason  in  St.  John's. Lodge 
No.  II,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  joined  by  dimit  King  Solomon  Lodge  No. 
10,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Leavenworth,  in  which  he 
is  past  master;  is  a  member  of  Leavenworth 
Chapter  No.  2,  R.  A.  M.;  Leavenworth  Council 
No.  I,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  Leavenworth  Commandery 
No.  I,  K.  T.;  Abdallah  Temple,  N.  M.  S.;  and 
for  six  terms  served  as  a  member  of  the  Masonic 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


board  of  trustees,  during  all  of  which  time  he 
was  president  of  the  board.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  thirty-second  degree  Consistory  at  To- 
peka.  The  United  Commercial  Travelers  number 
him  among  their  members.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  Church. 


qONATHAN  AKERS,  yardmaster  at  the 
I  state  penitentiary  of  Kansas,  and  a  respected 
(2/  citizen  of  Lawrence,  was  born  in  Putnam 
County,  Ind.,  August  i6,  1839,  a  son  of  Jonathan 
and  Catherine  (Mead)  Akers.  Of  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  only  three  besides  himself  are 
now  living,  viz.:  John  M.,  a  retired  farmer  liv- 
ing in  Bluifton,  Iowa;  Mrs.  Grace  Elza,  also  of 
Bluffton;  and  Matilda,  widow  of  John  Kirkpatrick, 
of  Lawrence,  Kans.  The  father,  a  native  of  Craw- 
ford County,  Ky.,  engaged  in  farming  there  and 
acquired  a  number  of  slaves  in  connection  with 
other  property.  However,  being  opposed  to  the 
institution  of  slavery,  in  1S36,  prior  to  his  re- 
moval from  the  state,  he  gave  all  of  the  negroes 
their  freedom.  On  his  arrival  in  Indiana  he 
settled  in  Owen  County,  on  the  Eel  River,  but 
after  a  very  short  time  he  removed  to  Putnam 
County,  and  there  made  his  home  until  he  died, 
in  1843. 

At  the  time  of  his  father's  death  our  subject 
was  only  four  years  of  age.  He  was  taken  into 
the  home  of  his  sister,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Hiram 
Anthis,  of  Madison  County,  111.,  and  there  he  re- 
mained until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  started 
out  in  the  world  for  himself.  For  four  years  he 
found  employment  as  a  farm  hand,  after  which 
he  engaged  in  lumbering  on  the  Mississippi  from 
Stillwater,  Minn.,  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  way 
points.  In  July,  186 1,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
D,  Second  Illinois  Cavalrj-,  which  rendezvoused 
at  Camp  Butler,  and  was  sent  from  there  to  the 
front,  afterward  participating  in  the  battle  of  Bel- 
mont, the  taking  of  New  Madrid,  and  numerous 
skirmishes.  On  account  of  disability,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1863,  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service. 
After  his  health  had  been  regained  Mr.  Akers 
resumed  lumbering  on  the  river,  which  he  con- 
tinued for  three  years.     In    1866  he  was  united 


in  marriage  with  Miss  Amanda  J.  Lawrerce,  a 
native  of  Madison  County,  111.,  and  the  daughter 
of  Thomas  Lawrence,  who  was  a  prominent 
farmer  there.  After  his  marriage  he  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  constable,  which  he  filled  for  four 
years,  at  the  same  time  acting  as  deputy  sheriff. 
Following  this  he  operated  a  rented  farm  in 
Madison  County  for  two  years.  In  1871  he  came 
to  Lawrence,  Kans.,  where  he  secured  employ- 
ment with  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  and  for  the 
next  thirteen  years  he  was  employed  as  foreman 
in  the  construction  work  of  the  Union  Pacific  and 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  systems,  from  Kansas  City  to 
Denver.  In  1S85  he  was  appointed  guard  at  the 
state  penitentiary,  which  position  he  held  until 
the  spring  of  1893.  During  the  following  two 
years  he  was  street  commissioner  of  Lawrence. 
February  i,  1897,  he  was  appointed  yardmaster 
of  the  state  penitentiary,  in  which  capacitj'  he 
has  since  been  retained.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
publican until  1896.  In  1885  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  city  council  of  Lawrence,  but  after 
one  year  resigned,  because  the  duties  of  his  po- 
sition at  the  penitentiary  required  his  entire  time. 
In  1S95  he  was  again  elected  to  the  board,  where 
he  served  for  two  years. 

Of  the  seven  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Akers 
four  are  living,  nameh":  Oliver,  who  is  a  con- 
ductor of  the  Denver  &  Gulf  Railroad,  and  re- 
sides in  Denver:  Warren  E.,  who  is  connected 
with  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  and  is  stationed 
at  Leavenworth;  Neva  Maude  and  Jessie,  both  at 
home. 

HON.  E.  F.  CALDWELL,  A.  B.,  LL.  B., 
postmaster  of  Lawrence  and  one  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  this  city,  is  a  member 
of  an  old  family  of  which  John  Caldwell  Calhoun 
was  an  illustrious  representative — a  family  that 
had  several  members  in  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  that  descended  from  Scotch-Irish  ancestors. 
His  father,  James  Allen  Caldwell,  whose  father, 
John,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812  and  a 
large  stock  farmer  in  Kentucky,  was  born  near 
Danville  in  iSiS  and  removed  to  Indiana  in  1850, 
his  intense  hatred  of  slavery  impelling  him  to 
refuse  to  take  any  slaves  or  ally  himself  in  any 


226 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


way  with  a  movement  he  believed  to  be  unjust. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  attempted  three  times  to 
enlist  in  the  Union  army,  but  on  account  of  a 
broken  leg  he  was  rejected  each  time.  He  gave 
his  attention  to  the  management  of  a  farm  and 
also  owned  a  blacksmith's  shop  and  wagon  works 
near  Rockville.  In  1870  he  settled  on  a  farm 
near  Carlyle,  Allen  County,  Kans.,  where  he  was 
e.Ktensively  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising 
until  his  death,  in  1S96,  at  seventy-eight  years  of 
age.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and  in  re- 
ligion a  Presbyterian.  His  wife,  who  was  born 
near  Danville,  Ky.,  was  a  daughter  of  Godhart 
Smick,  of  German  descent,  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  181 2  and  an  extensive  farmer  and  stockman  of 
Kentucky,  where  he  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-three.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  Cald- 
well, died  in  1881,  when  sixty-four  years  of  age. 
She  was  the  mother  of  six  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  the  oldest  son,  John  G.,  enlisted 
at  eighteen  years  in  an  Indiana  regiment  and 
served  as  a  non-commissioned  officer  during  the 
Civil  war;  he  now  makes  his  home  in  Albu- 
querque, N.  M.  Belle  F.  lives  in  Carlyle,  Kans.; 
Delilah  died  at  eighteen  years;  David  Knox  is 
living  near  Carlyle;  Thomas  Jefferson  is  a  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  minister  in  Kansas;  Henry  Clay 
is  a  merchant  and  deputy  postmaster  at  Carlyle; 
Eldie  Franklin,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
next  in  order  of  birth;  and  the  youngest  is  Mor- 
ton, who  is  farming  near  the  old  Kansas  home- 
stead. 

The  subject  of  this  article  was  born  in  Parke 
County,  Ind.,  near  Rockville,  September  6,  1859. 
When  a  boy  he  assisted  on  the  ranch  in  Kansas, 
breaking  prairie,  herding  cattle,  etc.  Owing  to 
losses  of  cattle,  his  father  met  with  heavy  re- 
verses, and  when  he  was  ready  to  start  out  in 
life  he  had  no  money  nor  means  to  secure  a  col- 
lege education.  He,  however,  was  not  discour- 
aged, and  came  to  Lawrence  September  8,  1879, 
with  $10  in  his  pocket.  Po.ssessing  considerable 
literary  ability  he  turned  this  talent  to  financial 
account  and  by  means  of  it  worked  his  way 
through  college,  where  he  spent  six  years,  during 
four  of  which  he  was  manager  of  the  University 
i^^-zwzf',  a  college  publication.     In  June,  1885,  he 


graduated,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  as  valedic- 
torian of  his  class,  which  had  been  his  ambition 
when  he  left  the  farm.  Before  graduating  he  had 
contracted  for  the  Lawrence  Daily  Journal  and  at 
once  assumed  charge.  After  conducting  it  for  a 
short  time  the  Lawrence  Journal  Company  was 
organized  and  he  became  solicitor  for  the  new 
company.  He  continued  as  such  until  the  ist  of 
November,  when  he  was  appointed  advertising 
agent  for  the  Southern  Kansas  Railroad,  with 
headquarters  in  Lawrence.  He  filled  this  posi- 
tion for  two  years,  when  the  office  was  removed 
to  Topeka.  He  then  resigned  and  returned  to 
the/(?«/v/rt/  as  solicitor.  His  next  enterprise  was 
to  assist  in  raising  funds  to  take  the  Cyclone 
Flambeau  Club  to  Washington,  D.  C.  He  ac- 
companied the  club  to  Washington  as  one  of  the 
managers  and  attended  the  Harrison  inaugura- 
tion ceremonies,  where  the  club  won  first  prize 
for  its  display  of  fireworks.  After  their  return 
the  captain  of  the  club,  E.  F.  Goodrich,  was 
postmaster,  and  Mr.  Caldwell  became  deputy 
May  21,  1889,  serving  until  May  i,  1894.  Mean- 
time he  read  law  evenings  and  in  1890  entered 
law  school,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1892, 
with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  delivering  the  law 
oration  at  the  commencement  exercises  of  the 
university. 

On  the  Republican  ticket,  in  June,  1894,  Mr. 
Caldwell  was  nominated  for  the  legislature  and 
was  elected  by  a  good  majorit}'.  During  the 
session  of  1895  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  state  affairs,  and  was  frequently  called  to  the 
chair  to  preside  over  the  house  as  a  committee  of 
whole.  He  championed  the  university  appro- 
priation raising  the  income  of  the  institution 
from  $75,000  to  $100,000  a  year;  also  the  irriga- 
tion bill  appropriating  funds  for  the  development 
of  western  Kansas,  and  other  important  legisla- 
tion that  session.  After  his  retirement  from  the 
House  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  until 
July,  1898,  when  he  became  postmaster  at  Law- 
rence. Much  of  his  time  has  been  given  to  lit- 
erary work.  He  has  published  a  number  of 
illustrated  papers  and  pamphlets  on  Kansas  and 
the  west,  among  them  a  history  of  Lawrence  in 
the  early  days,  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Richard  Cord- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ley.  His  latest  undertaking  was  the  compiling 
and  publication  of  an  illustrated  edition  of  Law- 
rence that  was  greatly  admired  for  artistic  work. 
His  attention  is  now  wholly  given  to  his  duties 
as  postmaster  and  the  superintendance  of  that 
office. 

At  Lawrence,  in  October,  1885,  Mr.  Caldwell 
married  Miss  Mary  Viola  McFarlaud,  who  was 
born  in  Ohio  and  died  in  Lawrence  in  18S7, 
leaving  a  daughter,  Kate  May. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  Commercial  Club 
Mr.  Caldwell  has  been  one  of  its  members,  and 
since  1893  has  served  as  secretary.  He  is  iden- 
tified with  the  University  Exten.sion  Club  and 
has  been  chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of 
the  Alumni  Association.  He  assisted  in  organ- 
izing the  Republican  League  of  Kansas  and  was 
its  president  in  1897.  In  the  Presbyterian  Church 
he  is  an  active  worker  and  has  served  as  a  trustee. 
A  charter  member  of  the  Phi  Delta  Theta  Col- 
lege Fraternity,  he  has  been  its  president  and 
representative.  In  the  Knights  of  Pythias  he  is 
past  chancellor  and  its  representative  in  Grand 
Lodges.  He  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows 
and  Daughters  of  Rebekah.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association  and 
has  been  prominent  in  its  work.  As  a  citizen  he 
is  influential  and  popular  among  the  people  of 
Lawrence,  and  is  actively  identified  with  many 
enterprises  in  the  building  up  of  that  city. 


EAPT.  RICHARD  L.  IGEL,  who  has  made 
his  home  in  Leavenworth  since  1872,  and  is 
now  druggi.st  at  the  western  branch  of  the 
National  Military  Home,  was  born  in  the  king- 
dom of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  March  29,  1839. 
His  father,  Louis  F.  Igel,  who  was  a  pharmacist 
by  occupation,  w-as  one  of  the  highly  respected 
citizens  of  his  native  place.  Accumulating  a 
hand,some  property  he  retired  from  business 
while  still  comparatively  young,  but  subsequent 
misfortunes,  involving  the  loss  of  a  large  amount 
of  capital,  led  him  to  come  to  America  in  1851 
and  open  a  drug  store  in  Madison,  Ind.  After  a 
number  of  years  in  that  city,  in  1858  he  moved  his 
stock  of  drugs  to  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.,  where  he 


was  successfully  engaged  in  business  until  his 
death  in  1863.  He  was  the  son  of  a  successful 
druggist,  so  that  our  subject  represents  the  third 
generation  who  have  followed  the  same  line  of 
business. 

When  the  family  came  to  the  United  States 
Captain  Igel  was  a  boy  of  twelve  years.  He 
learned  the  druggist's  trade  under  his  father  and 
continued  in  Madison  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war.  He  then  enlisted  for  ninety  days  in 
the  Sixth  Indiana  Infantry,  of  which  he  was 
chosen  hospital  steward.  After  he  had  been  hon- 
orably discharged  from  that  regiment  he  joined 
the  Thirty  second  Indiana  Infantry,  and  was 
chosen  corporal  of  his  company.  For  one  year 
he  served  on  detached  dutj'  under  the  surgeon- 
general,  after  which  he  was  returned  to  his  regi- 
ment as  second  lieutenant.  The  death  of  his 
father  in  1863  caused  him  to  resign  his  commis- 
sion and  return  home.  He  took  charge  of  his 
father's  store  at  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.,  where  he 
made  his  home  until  he  came  to  Kansas  in  1872. 
His  first  position  in  this  city  was  as  clerk  in  a 
wholesale  drug  house,  where  he  continued  until 
1879.  Later  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
for  himself.  In  May,  i8go,  he  was  appointed 
druggist  at  the  National  Soldiers'  Home,  which 
position  he  has  since  efficiently  filled.  He  has 
engaged  in  the  drug  business  for  forty  years  and 
is  familiar  with  its  every  detail,  while  his  knowl- 
edge of  medicine  and  surgery  is  also  broad  and 
thorough.  He  is  a  registered  pharmacist,  and  a 
member  of  the  Kansas  State  Pharmaceutical  As- 
sociation. The  Kansas  Commandery  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  and  Custer  Post  No.  120,  G.  A.  R.,  num- 
ber him  among  their  members  and  enable  him  to 
frequently  renew  his  associations  with  those  who, 
like  him,  fought  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union 
during  the  dark  days  of  the  '60s.  Fraternally  he 
is  connected  with  Concordia  Lodge  No.  8,  K.  P. 
He  has  in  his  possession  a  thirty  pound  mortar 
made  of  brass  in  Germany,  which  bears  the  date 
of  15 16,  and  has  been  in  the  family  for  several 
hundred  years.  Tradition  says  that  this  mortar 
was  the  possession  of  the  alchemist  at  the  mon- 
astery Kaltenbrunn  in  Wurtemberg,  whose  ro- 
mantic career  was  investigated  by  the  immortal 


228 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Goethe,  and  employed  by  him  as  the  subject  for 
his  famous  character  in  the  celebrated  drama  of 
"Faust." 

The  marriage  of  Captain  Igel  took  place  in 
1S63,  and  united  him  with  Emma,  daughter  of 
Charles  F.  Schuessler,  M.  D.,  surgeon  of  the 
Sixth  Indiana  Infantry  from  Madison,  lud.,  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war.  They  are  the  parents  of  five 
children,  namely:  Leonora,  wife  of  Frederick 
Harper,  United  States  assayer  at  Helena,  Mont.; 
Carl,  who  is  connected  with  the  United  States 
mail  service;  Richard  L.,  Jr.,  who  is  hospital 
steward  of  the  United  States  penitentiary  at  Fort 
Leavenworth;  Louisa,  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  of  Helena,  Mont.;  and  Lena. 


GlDOLPH  C.  GRIESA.  There  is  no  finer 
I  I  land  for  nursery  purposes  than  that  which 
J  1  lies  in  eastern  Kansas.  Hence  a  large  num- 
ber of  men  have  been  able  to  secure  a  success  in 
the  business  that  would  have  been  impossible 
elsewhere.  Among  the  prosperous  nurserymen 
of  Lawrence  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who 
with  his  brother,  Theodore  E.,  started  Mount 
Hope  nursery  in  1878.  For  five  years  they  oc- 
cupied a  location  three  miles  west  of  the  city,  but 
in  1883  bought  their  present  site,  where  they 
have  seventy  acres  in  one  body,  besides  eighty 
acres  adjoining  the  city,  using,  with  their  rented 
land,  about  two  hundred  acres  for  nursery  pur- 
poses. Shipments  of  their  luirsery  stock  are 
made  to  all  points  in  the  Missouri  Valley  and  the 
west,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  salesmen  are 
employed  in  different  parts  of  this  territory.  The 
packing  house,  40x80,  two  stories,  has  twelve 
thousand  square  feet  of  space.  A  two-inch  pipe 
line  brings  water  from  the  city  water  works.  The 
office  is  on  the  corner  of  Missouri  and  Elliott 
streets. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Charles  Heury,  son 
of  Charles  Henry  Griesa,  was  born  in  Prussia, 
Germany,  and  in  youth  learned  the  cabinet-mak- 
er's trade.  In  1853  he  came  to  America  and  set- 
tled in  Lima,  N.  Y.  Two  years  later  the  family 
joined  him.  He  resided  for  a  time  in  Naples, 
N.   Y.,  then    in    North   Cohocton,  where  he   en- 


gaged in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business 
until  his  death  in  1879,  at  seventy-two  years. 
The  business  which  he  established  is  conducted 
by  his  son,  Charles  A.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject bore  the  maiden  name  of  Henrietta  Scholl; 
she  was  born  in  Leubeke,  in  the  province  of 
Westphalia,  Germany,  and  died  in  New  York 
in  1889,  aged  seventy-two.  Her  father,  Charles 
Scholl,  was  a  saddler  and  harness-maker.  In  the 
family  of  Henry  and  Henrietta  Griesa,  there  were 
seven  children  who  attained  mature  years,  viz. : 
William  F.,  a  commission  merchant  in  Naples, 
N.  Y.;  August  H.,  a  nurseryman  and  fruit- 
grower of  Lawrence;  Adolph  C;  Mrs.  Rachael 
Boone,  of  Lawrence;  Charles  A.;  Mrs.  Augusta 
Lyon,  of  Naples;  and  Theodore  E.,  of  Lawrence. 

A  native  of  Bielefeldt,  Prussia,  born  March 
29,  1847,  our  subject  was  a  boy  of  eight  years 
when  his  mother  brought  him  to  this  country, 
making  the  trip  in  seven  weeks  from  Bremen  to 
New  York  via  the  sailer  "Atlanta."  He  attended 
the  public  schools  and  academy  of  Naples,  N.Y., 
and  for  some  years  worked  on  a  farm  in  the  sum- 
mer and  attended  school  during  the  winter.  In 
1869  he  joined  his  brother,  August  H.,  in  Law- 
rence, and  for  nine  years  the  two  continued  in 
the  nursery  business  together,  after  which  their 
partnership  was  dissolved,  and  our  subject  be- 
came connected  with  his  younger  brother.  In 
everything  pertaining  to  his  chosen  business  he 
maintains  a  deep  interest.  He  always  attends  the 
meetings  of  the  American  Association  of  Nurs- 
erymen, and  has  frequently  served  on  commit- 
tees in  connection  with  the  same.  He  has  also 
been  actively  identified  with  the  Western  Asso- 
ciation of  Wholesale  Nurserymen,  and  is  a  life 
member  of  the  Kansas  State  Horticultural  So- 
ciety. 

Since  coming  to  Lawrence  Mr.  Griesa  has  been 
a  member  of  Lawrence  Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.  He  is  also  connected  with  the  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Security.  In  the  Plymouth  Con- 
gregational Church  he  is  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees.  Politically  he  votes  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  was  married  in  this  city  to  Miss 
Eva  Stevens,  who  was  born  in  Princeton,  111.,  a 
daughter  of  Capt.  James  Stevens,  who  served  as 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


229 


a  captain  of  an  Illinois  regiment  during  the  Civil 
war,  and  in  1867  settled  in  Lawrence.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Griesa  have  four  children:  Mabel  C,  a 
graduate  of  the  Lawrence  high  school,  and  now 
a  student  in  the  University  of  Kansas;  Ora  N., 
who  will  graduate  from  the  high  school  class  of 
1900;  William  Stevens  and  Edna  E. 


^"HEODORE  GRIESA  was  born  in  Naples, 
f  C  Ontario  Count}',  N.  Y.,  January  7,  1S59,  a 
v2/  son  of  Charles  Henry  and  Henrietta  (Scholl) 
Griesa.  When  he  was  an  infant  his  father  re- 
moved with  the  family  to  North  Cohocton,  Steu- 
ben County,  the  same  state,  and  there  he  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools.  After  the  death 
of  his  father  in  1879  he  engaged  in  building  in 
his  hometown,  but  in  the  fall  of  1880  joined  his 
older  brothers  in  Kansas.  For  four  years  he  was 
engaged  as  traveling  salesman  for  his  brother, 
A.  C,  after  which  the  two  formed  a  partnership 
under  the  firm  title  of  A.  C.  Griesa  &  Bro. ,  es- 
tablishing the  Mount  Hope  nursery,  of  which 
they  have  since  been  the  proprietors,  and  which 
is  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  in  the  entire  state. 
While  he  maintains  the  general  supervision  of 
the  entire  business,  he  has  several  foremen  to 
assist  him.  During  the  busj'  season  employment 
is  furnished  to  more  than  one  hundred  men. 
Agents  represent  the  company  in  Tennessee, 
Kentucky,  Arkansas,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Missouri, 
Iowa,  Nebraska  and  Colorado,  and  shipments 
are  made  of  the  nursery  .stock  through  the  entire 
western  country.  Being  connected  with  the  city 
water  works,  twenty-five  acres  of  the  nursery  are 
irrigated  by  this  means.  Every  modern  improve- 
ment is  to  be  found  here,  and  the  brothers  are 
quick  to  seize  upon  every  advantage  in  order  to 
promote  the  growth  of  the  business. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  took  place  in  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Myra  P. 
Scott,  of  Dorchester,  that  state,  who  was  born  in 
Kennebunk,  Me.,  and  graduated  from  the  high 
school  of  Dorchester.  Thej'  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  Scott,  Charles  and  Murray. 

In  politics  Mr.  Griesa  is  a  Republican,  and  on 
that  ticket  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  Wakarusa 


Township,  an  office  which  he  filled  for  two  terms. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen  and  the  Knights  and 
Ladies  of  Security.  His  wife  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Plymouth  Congregational  Church  and 
the  Fraternal  Aid.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Doug- 
las County  Horticultural  Society,  the  State, 
American  and  Western  Associations  of  Nursery- 
men, and  endeavors  to  keep  in  touch  with  the 
latest  developments  made  in  horticulture  and 
floriculture. 


pCjlLLIAM  R.  GREEN.  In  the  eastern  part 
\A/  of  Grant  Township  lies  one  of  the  valua- 
V  V  ble  farms  of  Douglas  County.  It  is  owned 
and  occupied  by  Mr.  Green.  At  the  time  he  pur- 
chased the  property  the  land  was  partly  under 
cultivation,  and  he  completed  its  improvement, 
and  now  farms  one  hundred  and  forty-three  acres 
of  the  finest  bottom  land,  on  which  he  raises  corn, 
wheat  and  potatoes.  In  the  early  days,  when 
traveling  was  done  by  stage,  his  house  was  used 
as  one  of  the  hotels  on  the  stage  route.  As  a 
farmer  he  has  been  successful.  In  addition  to 
the  raising  of  cereals  and  vegetables  he  gives 
considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  Poland- 
China  hogs,  and  in  former  years,  when  horses 
brought  good  prices,  he  had  a  number  on  his 
place,  but  the  subsequent  depreciation  in  price 
caused  him  to  give  up  this  branch  of  agriculture. 
The  first  of  our  subject's  ancestors  in  America 
was  his  great-grandfather,  James,  whose  son, 
Thomas,  was  the  father  of  Robert  Green.  The 
last-named  was  born  in  New  York,  where  he  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits  until  liis  death  at 
forty  years  of  age.  By  his  marriage  to  Margaret 
Woods,  of  Washington  County,  N.  Y.,  he  had 
four  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  the  follow- 
ing survive:  J.  W.,  who  has  been  dean  of  the  law 
department  of  the  University  of  Kansas  ever  since 
that  department  was  established;  Anne,  wife  of 
C.  D.  Warner,  of  Coeur  d'Alene,  Idaho;  and 
William  R.,  who  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Wash- 
ington County,  N.  Y.  The  education  of  our  sub- 
ject was  such  as  to  prepare  him  for  the  responsi- 
bilities of  life.  He  attended  Williston  Seminary 
at    Ea.st    Hampton,    Ma.ss.,   for  two  years,  after 


2  3° 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


which  he  spent  a  year  in  Eastman's  Business  Col- 
lege at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  For  eight  j'ears 
after  completing  his  education  he  engaged  in 
farming  on  the  home  place,  but  later  sold  the 
propert}'  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  manage- 
ment of  a  foundry  and  machine  shop,  which  he 
conducted  for  five  years.  After  a  year  in  Cali- 
fornia he  came  to  Kansas  and  purchased  the  farm 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  Here  he  gives 
his  attention  to  farming,  dairying  and  stock-rais- 
ing. 

In  national  politics  Mr.  Green  is  a  Republican, 
but  in  local  affairs  he  is  independent,  favoring 
such  measures  as  will  best  conduce  to  the  welfare 
of  the  people.  While  he  has  not  sought  office  for 
himself,  at  the  solicitation  of  his  friends  he  has 
consented  to  serve  as  member  of  the  school  board 
and  township  treasurer,  and  holds  the  latter  of- 
fice at  this  writing.  When  twenty-one  years  of 
age  he  joined  the  Masonic  order  at  Cambridge, 
N.  Y.  He  is  now  identified  with  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security. 
March  lo,  1886,  he  married  Sallie  J.  Attee,  who 
was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  attend  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  and 
contribute  to  its  maintenance. 


jg\lCHOLASS.  CLARKE,  proprietor  of  a  liv- 
I  /  ery  and  sales  stable  at  Lawrence  and  a  resi- 
I/d  dent  of  this  city  .since  1869,  was  born  in 
Rushville,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  April  14,  1845, 
a  son  of  Rev.  John  and  Ann  (O'Hearn)  Clarke. 
His  grandparents,  John  and  Eleanor  Clarke, 
were  natives  of  Ireland,  and  settled  in  Lancaster, 
Pa.,  where  he  followed  the  tanning  business;  his 
wife  was  ninety-nine  at  the  time  of  her  death. 
Rev.  John  Clarke  was  born  in  Lancaster  and  re- 
ceived his  education  at  Pittsburgh,  after  which,  as 
a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
he  labored  in  Ohio  and  Indiana,  and  in  1843  ac- 
cepted a  pastorate  at  Rushville,  111.,  where  he 
became  the  owner  of  a  large  farm.  Later  he  was 
stationed  at  Quincy,  Adams  County,  and  War- 
saw, Hancock  County.  He  was  prominent  in 
public  affairs  and  was  one  of  the  men  who  met 


at  Bloomington,  111.,  and  organized  the  Republi- 
can part}'.  He  represented  Schuyler  County, 
while  Abraham  Lincoln  represented  Sangamon 
County.  He  was  a  personal  friend  of  the  latter, 
who  frequently  visited  him  in  his  home,  and  he 
was  also  a  cotemporary  of  Bishop  Simpson  and 
other  noted  divines  of  his  denomination.  Pos- 
sessing broad  knowledge  and  an  extraordinary 
command  of  language,  he  was  in  demand  as  a 
writer  of  articles  for  journals,  religious  and  secu- 
lar. The  last  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  where  he  died  May  18,  1896.  His 
wife,  who  was  of  Scotch- Irish  descent,  was  born 
in  1813  and  died  in  Illinois  in  189 1,  aged  seventy- 
eight  years.  Of  their  twelve  children  who  at- 
tained maturity  four  are  now  living.  One  son, 
Thomas,  who  was  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Nineteenth  Illinois  Infantry,  died  during  the 
Red  River  expedition.  Another  son,  Albert, 
enlisted  in  a  cavalry  company,  and  was  captured 
by  Quantrell's  men  near  Independence,  Mo.,  but 
was  soon  paroled  and  afterward  entered  the  Tenth 
Missouri  Infantry,  in  which  he  rose  to  the  rank 
of  major;  he  died  in  Kearney,  Neb.  A  third 
brother,  James  F.,  lives  in  Portland,  Ore.,  while 
Ancil  H.  is  in  Rushville,  111. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  seventh 
among  nine  sons.  He  received  his  education  in 
public  schools  and  Wesleyan  Universitj-,  at  Bloom- 
ington, 111.  His  first  work  was  in  connection 
with  railroad  contracting  on  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railroad.  In  1869  he  came  to 
Kansas,  and  for  three  years  farmed  in  Douglas 
County,  after  which  he  settled  in  Lawrence,  buy- 
ing a  lot  that  had  an  old  frame  building  on  it. 
Here  he  began  the  transfer  business,  and  later  he 
opened  a  livery  stable  and  dealt  in  horses.  After 
some  years  he  built  a  two  story  barn,  50x117, 
which  he  still  utilizes  for  his  fine  horses.  Since 
the  organization  of  the  Lawrence  Building  and 
Loan  Association  he  has  been  one  of  its  directors. 
Reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Republican  party, 
when  that  political  organization  was  in  its  infancy, 
it  is  natural  that  he  should  be  a  stanch  adherent 
of  its  principles.  He  served  for  two  terms  as 
councilman  from  the  first  ward,  then  refused  fur- 
ther nomination  until  the  spring  of  1899,  when 


.,£^^ 


r^^^^rr^^r:^. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


233 


he  was  again  elected  to  the  council.  He  is  now 
doing  excellent  work  as  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  streets  and  allej'S.  The  Commercial 
Club  numbers  him  among  its  members.  Fra- 
ternall}'  he  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men, the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and 
the  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  is  past 
grand;  and  also  a  member  of  the  Lodge  of  Re- 
bekahs,  as  is  also  his  wife. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Clarke,  in  Lawrence, 
united  him  with  Miss  Luc)- J.  Patterson,  who  was 
born  iu  Findla)',  Ohio,  and  in  1855  accompanied 
her  father,  William,  to  Lawrence,  where  Mr.  Pat- 
terson became  one  of  the  foremost  attornejs  of 
the  city;  he  was  injured  at  the  blowing  up  of 
Hunt's  Mills,  and  after  lingering  in  poor  health 
for  a  3'ear  he  died  in  1858.  His  wife  died  in 
Lawrence  in  iSgo.  During  the  Quantrell  raid 
they  were  burned  out  and  suffered  the  loss  of  all 
their  personal  property.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarke 
became  the  parents  of  three  children  (triplets), 
one  of  whom  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  months. 
The  others,  Mary  P.  and  Helen  M.,  were  among 
the  honor  students  in  the  high  school  graduating 
class  of  1899,  and  are  now  students  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Kansas.  They  are  unusually  bright 
and  capable,  and  have  hosts  of  warm  friends 
among  the  young  people  of  Lawrence.  The 
family  are  connected  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church. 

HON.  JAMES  S.  EMERY.  The  life  of  Judge 
Emery  was  so  intimately  connected  with 
the  earl}'  history  of  Lawrence  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  present  the  record  of  one  without 
frequently  alluding  to  the  other.  He  belonged 
to  that  large  and  intellectual  class  of  eastern  citi- 
zens who,  coming  to  Kansas  in  territorial  days, 
assisted  in  laying  the  foundations  of  the  common- 
wealth broad,  deep  and  solid.  Reared  under  the 
beneficent  influences  of  New  England  schools 
and  religious  institutions,  these  men  were  fitted 
to  go  forth  and  open  up  a  new  colony  in  a  ter- 
ritory that,  largely  through  their  influence,  was 
made  to  stand  for  the  abolition  of  slavery. 

In  January,  1854,  a  year  after  his  admission 
to  the  bar  of  New  York  City,  Judge   Emery  was 


in  Boston  and,  attending  a  citizens'  meeting 
held  to  protest  against  the  admission  of  Kansas 
as  a  slave  state,  he  became  deeply  interested  in 
the  matter.  A  party  was  being  organized  to  set- 
tle in  Kansas,  with  Governor  Robinson  as  the 
leader.  He  joined  the  company,  and  from  that 
time  until  his  death  was  associated  with  the 
history  of  this  part  of  the  great  west.  Governor 
Robinson,  by  reason  of  having  crossed  the  plains 
in  1848  with  John  C.  Fremont,  was  familiar  with 
the  west  and  was  a  safe  leader  for  the  party  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-three  who  put  them- 
selves under  his  guidance.  Of  the  company,  the 
majority  were  from  Massachusetts,  although 
some  were  from  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  other 
points  along  the  route  westward. 

September  14,  1854,  Judge  Emery  arrived  at 
what  is  now  Lawrence.  He  entered  a  claim  to 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining  the  pres- 
ent site  of  the  university.  His  first  home  in 
Kansas  cost  him  $25  and  was  built  on  government 
land  for  which  he  paid  $1.25  an  acre.  For  a  time 
his  attention  was  given  to  the  improvement  of 
his  claim  and  to  surveying  and  drawing  up  con- 
tracts. The  political  conditions  of  Kansas  were  at 
that  time  most  unsettled.  Villages  and  counties 
were  operated  under  bogus  laws,  which  he  and 
other  free  settlers  refused  to  acknowledge,  and 
hence  never  brought  suits  under  them.  In  No- 
vember, 1855,  he  served  in  the  defense  of  Law- 
rence in  one  of  the  four  forts  around  the  town. 
It  was  at  this  time  that  John  Brown  and  his 
four  .sons  made  their  first  appearance  in  Law- 
rence, and  Mr.  Emery  served  in  the  same  fort 
with  them.  Under  the  "  squatter  "  sovereignty, 
he  was  superintendent  of  the  first  school  started 
in  Lawrence.  He  built  the  first  permanent  build- 
ing in  the  town,  and  subsequently  erected  others. 
After  he  had  been  here  little  more  than  a  year 
he  was  appointed  magistrate  or  justice  of  the 
peace  under  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  bill,  his 
commission  as  such,  November  8,  1854,  being 
the  first  of  the  kind  issued  by  Governor  Reeder, 
and  it  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  State  Historical 
Society  of  Topeka. 

Shortly  after  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war, 
October  5,    i86i,our  sul)jcct  was  commissioned 


234 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  colonel  iu  the  Kansas  militia  by  Governor  Rob- 
inson. The  following  year  he  was  elected  to 
represent  his  district  (then  known  as  the  thirty - 
sixth)  in  the  state  legislature,  and  November  3, 
1863,  was  re-elected  to  that  body.  During  his 
term  of  office  a  contest  arose  between  Lawrence 
and  Emporia  respecting  the  location  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Kansas.  Governor  E.skridge  led  the 
Emporia  faction  and  Judge  Emery  the  Lawrence 
party.  The  matter  was  finally  settled  by  the  lo- 
cation of  the  university  in  Lawrence,  by  a  vote 
of  fifty-one  to  fifty.  The  university  received  an 
endovv'uient  of  $10,000  from  Amos  Lawrence,  in 
whose  honor  the  city  of  Lawrence  was  named. 
March  i,  1864,  Judge  Emery  received  from  Gov- 
ernor Carney  appointment  as  regent  of  the  uni- 
versity, and  filled  the  position  for  four  years.  In 
March,  1874,  Governor  Osborn  again  appointed 
him  regent,  and  he  served  for  three  years.  From 
President  Lincoln,  March  18,  1864,  he  received 
the  appointment  of  United  States  district  attorney 
for  Kansas. 

During  the  service  of  Senator  Henry  M.  Teller 
as  secretary  of  the  interior.  Judge  Emery  was  ap- 
pointed, March  3,  1885,  chairman  of  the  board  of 
visitors  to  the  Indian  Industrial  school  (now  the 
Haskell  In.stitute).  In  August,  1888,  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Martin  a  delegate  to  the 
first  convention  of  the  Inter-state  Deep  Water 
Association.  This  meeting,  which  convened  in 
Denver,  was  the  first  in  the  interests  of  a  deep 
water  harbor  on  the  Gulf.  To  the  cause  of  irri- 
gation he  devoted  the  best  efforts  of  his  life, 
traveling  thousands  of  miles  to  deliver  lectures 
in  support  of  the  plan.  He  heartily  believed  in 
irrigation,  and,  could  his  wi.shes  be  consulted, 
without  doubt  he  would  rather  be  remembered 
for  his  work  in  behalf  of  irrigation  than  for  any- 
thing else  he  accomplished  in  his  life.  In  his 
opinion  the  opening  up  of  vast  areas  of  unpro- 
ductive land  through  the  medium  of  irrigation 
would  not  only  be  of  especial  benefit  to  the 
poorer  classes,  but  would  react  to  the  advance- 
ment of  all  interests  and  peoples.  In  1893  he 
was  appointed  a  delegate  to  the  International  Ir- 
rigation Convention  held  in  Los  Angeles,  and 
was    afterward  appointed  every  year   until    his 


death.  In  everything  pertaining  to  that  move- 
ment he  was  considered  an  authority-  and  his 
advice  was  often  sought  in  matters  bearing  upon 
the  subject.  In  1899  Governor  Stanley  ap- 
pointed him  a  member  of  the  Trans- Mississippi 
Congress,  held  in  Wichita,  Kans. 

The  characteristics  noticeable  in  the  life  of 
Judge  Emerj'  were  his  by  inheritance.  He  came 
of  an  old  Maine  family,  and  was  a  son  of  Ira  and 
Sarah  (Stanley)  Emery,  natives  of  York  County, 
that  state.  Through  his  mother  he  was  a 
descendant  of  English  ancestors.  As  early  as 
1800  his  father  became  a  pioneer  at  Industry, 
Me.,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his 
death  at  an  advanced  age;  his  wife  died  when 
more  than  eighty  years  of  age.  Of  their  twelve 
children  all  but  two  attained  maturity  and  five 
are  now  living,  three  daughters  being  residents 
of  Lawrence.  Judge  Emery  was  born  at  Indus- 
try, Me. ,  on  the  3d  of  July,  1826.  He  graduated 
from  Colby  University  in  185 1,  with  the  degree 
of  A.  B.,  and  later  received  the  degree  of  A.  M. 
He  paid  his  own  expenses  while  in  college 
by  teaching  and  engaging  in  manual  labor. 
Afterward  he  studied  law  in  Troy  and  New  York 
City,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  January, 
1853.  In  Brandon,  Vt.,  November  6,  1851,  he 
married  Miss  Mary  Rice,  only  child  of  Pliny  and 
Maria  (Whitcomb)  Rice.  Ira,  the  only  son 
of  Judge  and  Mrs.  Emery,  died  at  the  age  of 
fourteen.  The  daughters,  Agnes  and  Sarah,  are 
graduates  of  the  University  of  Kansas.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Congregational  Church 
of  Lawrence. 

Judge  Emery  was  a  fluent  speaker,  and  ex- 
pressed his  thoughts  clearly  and  forcibly.  His 
logical  reasoning  and  eloquence  rendered  him  an 
interestnig  orator.  Throughout  the  roughening' 
influences  of  pioneer  life  he  never  lost  his  love  for 
books  and  his  interest  in  education.  He  was  fre- 
quently called  upon  to  deliver  addresses  before 
various  universities  and  before  the  Kansas  His- 
torical Society  (of  which  he  was  a  member),  as 
well  as  other  historical  societies.  As  a  pioneer 
of  Lawrence  he  is  one  of  those  to  whom  the 
present  generation  owes  a  largedebt  of  gratitude, 
owing,  as  it  does,  all  its  advantages  for  a  higher 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


235 


degree  of  culture  and  for  the  refinements  of  life 
to  the  brave  men  who  endured  privations  and 
hardships,  and  opened  the  way  for  a  high  civili- 
zation in  the  west.  He  died  June  8,  1899,  after 
an  illness  of  four  months.  To  the  last  his  mind 
was  unimpaired  by  the  flight  of  time,  and  he  was 
able  to  look  back  over  hi.s  busy  and  useful  life, 
and  rejoice,  not  only  in  the  success  he»  had  at- 
tained, but  also  in  the  high  position  he  held  as 
a  man  and  a  citizen. 


rTDWARD  JAMESON.  No  man  has  done 
Kft)  more  for  the  advancement  of  the  real  estate 
L_  of  Leavenworth  than  has  Mr.  Jameson.  His 
prompt  business  habits,  superior  financial  talent 
and  tact  in  the  management  of  affairs  have  brought 
him  into  prominence,  not  only  in  his  city,  but 
also  in  the  state.  His  efforts  have  not  been  solely 
for  personal  aggrandizement,  but  also  for  the  bene- 
fit of  others  and  for  the  development  of  local  re- 
sources. At  a  time  when  real  estate  was  low 
and  values  depreciated,  he  never  lost  his  belief 
in  a  "prosperous  future;  and  the  fact  that  better 
times  dawned  for  Kansas  was  due  not  a  little  to 
his  energy,  sagacity  and  wise  judgment. 

Mr.  Jameson  was  born  in  Hunsen worth,  near 
Blanchland,  County  Durham,  England,  April  21, 
1849,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Clennell) 
Jame.son.  His  grandfather,  Thomas  Jameson, 
Sr.,  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  moved 
with  his  family  to  Blanchland, County  of  Durham, 
England,  and  developed  the  Jameson  lead  mines. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  family  to  which  belonged 
Jameson,  the  celebrated  artist.  Thomas  Jame- 
son, Jr.,  was  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death, 
at  thirty-two  years.  In  religion  he  was  identi- 
fied with  the  Church  of  England.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Alexander  Clennell,  a  mine  operator 
and  farmer,  whose  father,  Alexander,  Sr. ,  was  a 
native  of  Gla.sgow.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Jameson  died 
in  England  in  1895,  leaving  a  son,  Edward,  and 
a  daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  Bamboro,  of  County  Dur- 
ham, England.  The  son,  our  subject,  studied 
architecture  under  Mr.  Harrison,  of  Houghton- 
on  Spring,  County  of  Durham.  In  iS83hecame 
to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Leavenworth, 


where,  as  architect  and  superintendent,  he  made 
plans  for  many  of  the  principal  buildings  erected 
in  the  city.  After  two  years  he  drifted  into  the 
real-estate  business,  in  which  he  has  since  suc- 
cessfully engaged. 

Under  the  personal  direction  of  Mr.  Jameson 
the  following  additions  have  been  laid  out  to 
Leavenworth:  Fenn's  Broadway  addition;  Fenn's 
fair  ground  addition;  Morris  addition;  Cleveland 
Park  addition;  Evans'  addition,  and  others.  He 
has  also  bought  and  sold  farms  in  every  part  of 
Kansas  and  in  other  states.  In  1894  he  with  others 
organized  the  Kansas  State  Real  Estate  Associa- 
tion, of  which  he  has  since  been  the  president  and 
which  was  the  means  of  .starting  better  times  in 
Kansas.  With  the  organization  of  the  Kansas 
Million  Club  he  was  also  actively  connected  and 
served  as  its  secretary.  This  club  shipped  a  train- 
load  of  farm  produce  and  fruit  to  Chicago  during 
the  fall  of  1895,  and  exhibited  the  same  along  the 
entire  route  eastward,  afterward  giving  the  mayor 
of  Chicago  a  carload  of  apples  to  be  distributed 
among  the  poor  people  of  that  city.  This  proved 
a  splendid  advertisement  for  the  state  and  attract- 
ed considerable  immigration. 

The  various  property  enterprises  originated  by 
Mr.  Jameson  engross  his  attention,  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  all  other  interests.  He  has  never  been  a 
politician,  although  he  is  a  pronounced  Republi- 
can and  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  county  Re- 
publican committee.  However,  while  not  a  pol- 
itician, he  is  a  very  progressive  citizen,  and  no 
enterprise  for  the  advancement  of  the  cit\'  is  pro- 
posed that  fails  to  meet  with  his  hearty  approval. 
While  in  Durham,  England,  he  was  made  a  Ma- 
son. The  close  attention  which  he  gives  to  his 
business  affairs,  however,  has  prevented  him  from 
identifying  himself  with  fraternal  associations  in 
the  United  States. 

In  Sunderland,  Durham,  England,  Mr.  Jame- 
SDU  married  Miss  Jane  A.  Stephenson,  a  member 
of  the  family  to  which  belonged  George  Stephen- 
son, the  inventor  of  locomotives.  They  arc  the 
parents  of  three  children:  Arthur  E.,  Frederick 
W.  and  Loui,se.  The  elder  son,  a  graduate  of  the 
Art  Students'  League  of  New  York  City,  has 
since  1895  been  an  artist   on  the  New  York  Sioi- 


236 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


day  Journal.  The  younger  son  graduated  from 
high  school  in  1S99,  and  was  captain  of  the  high 
school  cadet  company. 


0AMUEL  H.  CARMEAN,  who  held  the  office 
Nk  of  sheriff  of  Douglas  County  for  four  terms 
V^  and  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  vigil- 
ant and  fearless  men  ever  in  the  office,  was  first 
elected  to  the  position  in  1871,  and  his  term  was 
so  satisfactor}'  that  he  was  re-elected  in  1873, 
without  opposition.  At  the  beginning  of  his 
first  term  he  established  his  home  in  Lawrence 
and  here  he  has  since  resided.  After  the  close  of 
his  second  term  he  returned  to  the  cattle  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  had  previously  engaged.  In 
1883  he  was  nominated  for  sheriff  by  acclamation 
and  was  elected.  Again,  in  1885,  he  received 
the  nomination  by  acclamation,  and  gained  the 
election,  serving  until  January,  1888,  when  he 
retired.  While  he  held  the  office  a  train  was 
held  up  at  Muncie,  on  the  Union  Pacific  road. 
One  of  the  desperadoes,  McDaniels,  was  caught 
in  Kansas  City  and  brought  to  the  Lawrence  jail 
for  safe  keeping;  but,  during  the  absence  of  Mr. 
Carmean,  he  and  three  othei's  knocked  the  jailer 
down  and  succeeded  in  effecting  an  escape.  Pur- 
suit was  at  once  instituted,  and  after  two  days' 
hunt  McDaniels  was  found,  but  was  wounded  in 
the  capture  and  died  in  jail  soon  afterward. 

Mr.  Carmean  was  born  near  Chillicothe,  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  March  2,  1832,  and  was  next  to 
the  oldest  of  seventeen  children,  fourteen  of  whom 
attained  mature  years  and  seven  are  now  living. 
Three  of  the  sons  took  part  in  the  Civil  war. 
Pierson,  who  was  a  non  commissioned  officer  in 
the  Fourteenth  Iowa  Infantry  and  was  wounded 
at  Pittsburg  Landing,  first  came  to  Kansas  in  1856 
and  is  now  living  in  Miami  County.  Joshua, 
who  was  also  a  member  of  the  Fourteenth  Iowa, 
is  living  at  Leon,  that  state.  David  enlisted  in 
Iowa  and  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Atlanta; 
he  now  resides  at  Mediapolis,  Iowa. 

Foster  Carmean,  our  subject's  father,  was  a 
son  of  Pierson  Carmean,  who  was  born  in  Mary- 
land, probably  of  French  descent.  The  former 
accompanied  the    famil}'  to  Ross  County,  Ohio, 


and  engaged  in  farming  and  raising  stock  on 
Paint  Creek.  Removing  to  Iowa  in  1842,  he 
settled  fifteen  miles  north  of  Burlington,  and  en- 
gaged extensively  in  farming  there  until  his 
death  at  sixty-two  years.  He  married  Elvine 
Heizer,  who  was  born  in  Ross  County,  and 
died  in  Iowa  at  seventy- two  years.  Her  father, 
who  was  born  in  Virginia,  of  German  ancestry, 
settled  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  and  married  a 
Miss  Ware,  whose  father  was  a  Revolutionary 
soldier  and  an  early  settler  of  Ohio  from  Virginia. 

When  ten  years  of  age  our  subject  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Iowa.  His  education  was 
begun  in  the  public  school  and  continued  in  Yel- 
low Springs  College,  after  which  he  taught  two 
terms  of  school.  At  Northfield,  Iowa,  April  17, 
1856,  he  married  Miss  Lydia  Jane  Gray,  who  was 
born  in  New  Milford,  Pa. ,  a  daughter  of  Elisha 
Perkins  Gray,  and  a  granddaughter  of  Thomas 
Gray,  both  natives  of  Connecticut.  Her  father 
from  New  London,  Conn.,  removed  to  New 
Milford,  Pa.,  where  he  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing, but  after  some  time  settled  on  a  farm  near 
Portage,  Kalamazoo  County,  Mich.,  where  he 
died  at  fifty  years.  He  married  Haimah  Belknap, 
who  was  born  near  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  and  died 
in  Michigan.  Her  father,  John  Belknap,  was 
a  native  of  New  York,  of  English  descent,  and  in 
an  early  day  removed  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
owned  and  operated  a  sawmill.  Mrs.  Carmean 
was  one  of  four  children,  of  whom  she  and  her 
sister,  Mrs.  Charlotte  Gray,  of  Lawrence,  alone 
survive. 

In  1859  Mr.  Carmean  settled  at  Baldwin, 
Douglas  County,  Kans.,  where  he  opened  a  gen- 
eral store  and  also  became  interested  in  the  stock 
business.  During  the  war  he  had  the  contract  to 
furnish  beef  for  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians.  Early 
in  the  war  Governor  Robinson  commissioned  him 
captain  of  a  company  of  militia,  but  it  was  dis- 
banded before  the  Price  raid.  He  was  quarter- 
master of  the  Third  Kansas  Regiment  of  militia, 
which  was  mustered  into  service  to  defend  the 
state  against  Price.  After  the  war  he  gave  his 
attention  to  the  cattle  business  until  he  was  elected 
sheriff  and  after  his  retirement  from  that  office  he 
resumed  dealing  in  stock.    For  one  term  he  served 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


237 


as  cit}'  marshal.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  county  committee 
of  his  party.  Fraternally  he  is 'connected  with 
Palmyra  Lodge  No.  33,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Bald- 
win City;  the  Knights  of  Honor;  Select  Friends; 
Eastern  Star  (to  which  his  wife  also  belongs); 
and  Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  his  wife 
being  a  member  of  the  Ladies  of  the  G.  A.  R.  In 
religion  he  is  a  Presbyterian  and  has  officiated  as 
an  elder  in  his  church.  He  and  his  wife  have 
four  children,  namely:  Charles  K.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  live  stock  commission  business  in 
St.  Joe,  Mo. ;  Cyrene,  wife  of  F.  D.  Connor,  of 
Clifton,  Ariz.;  Fannie,  who  married  C.  M. 
Spaulding,  of  Sacramento,  Cal.;  and  Arthur  W., 
who  graduated  from  the  Lawrence  Business  Col- 
lege and  is  interested  in  business  with  his  brother 
at  St.  Joe.  Besides  caring  for  and  educating 
their  own  children,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carmean  took 
into  their  home  a  boy,  Emerson  E.  McClure,  who 
is  now  in  Kansas  City. 


QOSIAH  S.  FLETCHER  was  one  of  the 
I  highly  respected  residents  of  Willow  Springs 
(2/  Township,  Douglas  County,  where  he  owned 
an  improved  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  He  was  born  in  Bethel ,  Me. ,  February  2 1 , 
1833,  and  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer 
families  of  New  England,  dating  the  ancestry 
back  to  one  of  two  brothers  who  came  from  Eng- 
land one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  His  father, 
Ephraim  Fletcher,  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Worcester  County  and 
there  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  was  well  informed 
concerning  the  national  problems  of  his  day  and 
in  politics  coincided  with  Whig  principles. 

Reared  and  educated  in  Massachusetts,  our 
subject  had  only  such  advantages  as,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  century,  fell  to  the  lot  of  a  farmer's 
son.  Being  studious,  he  gained  considerable 
knowledge  in  a  brief  attendance  at  an  academy, 
where,  though  unable  to  complete  the  regular 
course  of  study,  he  nevertheless  laid  a  solid 
foundation  upon  which  he  built  in  later  years  by 
self-culture.     In    earlv    manhood    he    went    to 


McLean  County,  111.,  where  he  secured  employ- 
ment on  a  farm,  remaining  there  for  two  years. 
At  that  time  public  attention  w^s  being  drawn 
toward  Kansas,  owing  to  the  conflict  between  the 
pro  slavery  and  free-state  parties.  In  the  spring 
of  1857  he  came  w-est,  joining  his  fortunes  with 
the  northern  element  here.  He  pre-empted  a 
claim,  began  its  improvement,  and  by  persever- 
ance acquired  a  valuable  homestead.  During  his 
last  years,  however,  he  was  so  crippled  by  rheu- 
matism that  he  delegated  to  others  the  task  of 
planting,  plowing  and  harvesting,  although  he 
maintained  a  supervision  of  the  place  until  a 
short  time  before  his  death. 

By  his  marriage,  April  14,  1858,  to  Miss  Mary 
Crosby,  who  died  October  21,  1891,  Mr.  Fletcher 
had  five  children,  namely:  Frank  L.,  a  farmer  of 
Coffey  County,  Kans. ;  George  F.,  who  is  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock-raising  in  Colorado;  John, 
who  died  at  twenty  years;  James,  who  resides 
with  his  parents;  and  Clara,  who  lives  in  Ford 
County,  this  state.  March  28,  1S93,  he  married 
Mrs.  Eliza  J.  Cantrell,  of  Baldwin.  From  i860 
until  his  death  Mr.  Fletcher  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  and  for  many  years 
served  as  an  officer  of  the  same.  His  interest  in 
school  matters  continued  during  the  entire  period 
of  his  residence  in  Kansas.  Recognizing  the 
value  of  public  schools,  in  which  even  the  poorest 
child  may  hope  to  obtain  a  good  education,  he 
did  all  within  his  power  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  the  schools  within  his  district,  and  after  1859 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors.  For  two 
terras  he  held  office  as  justice  of  the  peace,  having 
been  elected  to  that  office  on  the  ticket  of  the 
Republican  party. 

Mr.  Fletcher  had  been  in  ill  health  for  about 
three  months,  but  his  death,  which  occurred 
August  20,  1S99,  was  quite  unexpected  by  his 
family. 

pi  ATRICK  CUMMINGS,  one  of  the  earliest 
ly  of  the  pioneers  of  Lecompton ,  was  born  in 
ts  County  Tipperary,  Ireland,  August  10, 
1834,  a  .son  of  Patrick  and  Nora  (Horan)  Cum- 
mings,  and  the  only  one  of  their  six  children  to 
come  to  America.     He  passed  the  years  of  youth 


238 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


on  his  father's  farm  and  acquired  his  education  in 
the  national  schools.  In  1851  he  determined  to 
come  to  America,  and  the  27th  da_v  of  December 
found  him  in  New  Orleans,  a  stranger,  without 
mone}-.  He  hired  out  to  work  on  the  Polk 
plantation,  twenty-five  miles  up  the  river,  where 
he  was  employed  in  digging  ditches.  After 
three  months  he  returned  to  New  Orleans  and 
for  nine  months  was  employed  in  driving  a 
truck,  after  which  for  six  months  he  was  em- 
ployed at  corporation  work.  Afterward  he  came 
up  the  river  to  St.  lyouis,  but  not  liking  that  city, 
he  proceeded,  by  water,  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  teaming  for  four  months. 
Later  he  engaged  in  railroad  work  and  in  build- 
ing plank  roads  on  the  Indiana  side  of  the  river 
at  New  Albany.  He  remained  at  New  Albany 
about  one  year,  after  which  he  worked  on  the 
Albany  &  Salem  road  from  New  Albany  to 
Michigan  City,  his  work  being  grading  and 
track  laying.  From  Michigan  City  he  went  to 
Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  afterward  to  Lansing,  the 
same  state,  where  he  worked  for  a  month.  On 
account  of  his  employer  getting  into  trouble 
through  killing  a  man,  he  failed  to  be  paid  for 
his  work.  He  then  went  to  Peoria,  111.,  where 
he  freighted  between  that  place  and  Elmwood. 
This  occupied  his  attention  for  six  months,  after 
which  he  returned  to  St.  Louis.  From  there  he 
worked  his  way  west  to  Kansas  City,  and  in  com- 
pany with  two  other  men,  went  to  Leavenworth, 
intending  to  drive  a  government  team  across  the 
plains  to  California. 

While  at  Leavenworth  waiting  for  a  team  Mr. 
Cummings  found  the  town  so  rough  that  he  con- 
cluded to  return  to  Kansas  City.  A  short  time 
later  the  territorial  capital  was  located  at  Le- 
compton,  and  he  and  his  comrades  decided  to 
come  to  this  place.  He  walked  the  entire  dis- 
tance from  Kansas  City,  and  on  his  arrival  was 
given  work  by  Wilson  Shannon  on  the  capitol 
building.  After  seven  months'  work  he  asked 
for  his  wages,  intending  to  take  a  trip  to  Cali- 
fornia, but  being  unable  to  collect  the  amount 
due  him  he  was  obliged  to  remain  in  Lecompton. 
Here  he  worked  at  various  occupations  for  some 
time.     Afterward  for  seven  years  he  and  his  wife 


lived  on  a  farm  owned  by  Lyman  Evans,  a  bach- 
elor, his  wife  keeping  house  for  Mr.  Evans,  while 
he  assisted  in  the  cultivation  of  the  farm,  situated 
on  the  river  east  of  Lecompton.  In  return  for 
his  services  he  was  given  half  of  all  the  stock 
and  all  of  the  produce  raised  on  the  place.  In 
1870  he  bought  his  present  farm,  three  and  one- 
half  miles  south  of  Lecompton,  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  15,  township  12,  range  iS. 
He  built  a  house,  made  other  improvements  and 
brought  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  under 
e.Kcellent  cultivation,  making  of  the  tract  a  fine 
farm.  With  his  wife,  he  now  owns  two  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  valuable  land. 

November  15,  1862,  Mr.  Cummings  married 
Mi.ss  Bridget  Anderson.  They  became  the  par- 
ents often  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living,  all 
at  home,  viz.:  James,  Joseph,  William,  Thomas, 
John,  Nora,  Maggie,  Mary  and  Ellen.  The 
family  are  identified  with  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church. 


OSES  C.  HARVEY.  While  Leavenworth 
County  is  the  center  of  an  important  busi- 
ness in  the  raising  and  feeding  of  stock, 
there  is  probably  no  one  in  the  entire  county 
who  has  engaged  in  the  industry  more  extensive- 
ly than  has  Mr.  Harvey,  of  Fairmount  Town- 
ship. He  has  been  exceptionally  fortunate  in 
his  undertakings,  but  his  good  fortune  is  not 
-simply  the  result  of  "luck";  it  comes  from  his 
energy,  perseverance,  determination  and  sound 
judgment.  There  is  no  department  of  the  stock 
business  with  which  he  is  not  familiar;  hence  his 
judgment  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  same  is 
regarded  as  sound  and  sagacious. 

Mr.  Harvey  was  born  in  Pettis  County,  Mo., 
October  12,  1855,  and  spent  the  years  of  boyhood 
and  youth  upon  the  home  farm  in  that  county, 
his  education  being  obtained  in  common  schools. 
Upon  gaining  his  majority  he  came  to  Kansas 
and  for  a  half  year  worked  on  the  large  stock 
farm  in  Leavenworth  County  which  he  now 
manages.  Next  he  went  to  Colorado,  where  he 
was  employed  on  ranches  for  more  than  two 
years.  As  a  cowboj'  on  the  range  he  later 
worked  in  Wyoming  and  Dakota  for  four  years. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


239 


Returning  finall}'  to  Leavenworth  County,  he 
engaged  in  buying  and  shipping  stock  to  Denver, 
Colo.,  having  as  partner  Mr.  Usher,  the  owner  of 
the  ranch  on  which  Mr.  Harvey  now  lives.  In 
the  spring  of  1884  he  rented  the  ranch  and  has 
since  engaged  in  the  stock  business  here.  The 
place  consists  of  more  than  two  thousand  acres, 
and  is  devoted  to  the  pasturage  of  stock.  Besides 
his  interests  here  he  is  the  owner  of  a  ranch  near 
Pomona,  Franklin  County,  Kans.,  consisting  of 
two  thousand  acres,  which  his  nephew  manages 
for  him. 

December  5,  1883,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Harvey  to  Miss  Alice  A.  Brantner,  of 
Arapahoe  County,  Colo.  They  have  three 
children,  Nancy  Grace,  Ada  Jennie  and  Moses 
C,  Jr.  The  family  spend  the  greater  part  of 
each  year  in  Lawrence,  in  order  that  the  children 
may  have  the  excellent  educational  advantages 
of  that  city.  Though  not  a  partisan  nor  in- 
terested in  politics,  Mr.  Harvey  recognizes  his 
duty  as  a  citizen  and  takes  an  interest  in  local 
and  national  elections.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch 
Democrat.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World;  King  Solomon  Lodge 
No.  10,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Leavenworth,  and  has 
attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  Scottish  Rite. 


REV.  RUDOLPH  B.  GROENER,  pastor  of 
St.  John  the  Evangelist  Church  of  Law- 
rence, was  born  in  Zistersdorf,  Lower  Aus- 
tria, a  son  of  Frederick  W.  and  Theresa  (Schredl) 
Groener,  and  a  descendant,  through  his  paternal 
ancestors,  of  an  old  family  of  Holland.  His  fa- 
ther, who  was  born  on  the  Rhine  in  Germany, 
learned  the  baker's  trade  and  worked  as  a  jour- 
neyman in  Germany,  France  and  Switzerland. 
After  his  marriage  he  settled  in  Zistersdorf,  where 
he  carried  on  a  bakery  until  the  time  of  the 
Austro-German  war,  in  1866.  The  hatred  be- 
tween the  two  races  was  so  great  that  he  felt  it 
expedient  to  leave  home.  He  came  to  America 
in  1880,  accompanied  by  all  of  his  family  except 
Rudolph.  Locating  in  Alton,  111.,  he  began 
gardening,  and  in  that  city  he  remained  until  his 
death.     His  wife,    who  was  a  daughter  of  Frank 


and  Mary  Schredl,  who  were  members  of  old 
Austrian  families,  was  born  in  Russbach,  Austria, 
and  is  now  living  in  the  home  of  her  son  in 
Lawrence,  Kans.  Of  her  fourteen  children,  two 
daughters  and  one  son  are  living,  one  daughter 
being  in  Illinois,  while  the  other  resides  with  her 
mother. 

In  the  town  where  he  was  born  September  10, 
1864,  Father  Groener  was  reared  until  ten  years 
of  age.  He  then  entered  a  gymnasium  in  Moravia , 
where  he  took  an  eight  years'  course  in  classics, 
graduating  in  the  spring  of  1S81.  He  then  came 
to  America  and  entered  a  college  at  Teutopolis, 
111.,  where  he  remained  until  the  completion  of 
his  English  course.  Next  he  matriculated  in  St. 
Meinrad  (lud.)  Seminary,  where  he  spent  two 
years  in  the  study  of  philosophy  and  four  years 
in  the  study  of  theology,  receiving  the  minor 
orders  in  18S6,  and  in  1887  those  of  sub-deacon 
and  deacon.  February  26,  1888,  he  was  ordained 
to  the  priesthood  in  Vincennes,  Bishop  Chataid 
officiating,  and  was  assigned  to  the  Leavenworth 
diocese.  He  was  secretary  of  this  diocese,  chap- 
lain in  St.  John's  hospital  and  second  assistant  at 
the  cathedral.  From  there,  in  189 1,  he  was 
transferred  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Holy  Family 
Church  in  Eudora,  Kans.,  where  he  remained  for 
eighteen  months.  In  September,  1892,  he  was 
assigned  to  his  present  pastorate  and  has  since 
devoted  himself  assiduously  to  his  responsible 
position  as  rector  of  the  Catholic  Church.  The 
congregation  in  Lawrence  was  organized  prior  to 
the  war,  the  first  services  being  held  at  the  house 
of  B.  Donnelly,  in  October,  1857,  by  Father 
Magee.  In  i860  a  building,  25x50,  was  erected 
on  Vermont  street,  and  this  was  occupied  for 
church  purposes  until  1871,  when  an  edifice, 
45x90,  was  completed  on  Kentucky  street  at  a 
cost  of  $10,000.  At  the  time  of  the  Ouantrell 
raid  Bishop  Miege  was  in  the  city  for  the  pur- 
pose of  confirming  a  number  of  members,  and  he 
remained  to  perform  the  last  rites  over  the  bodies 
of  twelve  or  more  of  the  members  who  had  been 
killed  in  the  raid. 

The  congregation  is  large,  enthusiastic  and  act- 
ive, and  the  various  .societies  are  doing  excellent 
work.      In  addition  to   the  resident   membership 


240 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  services  are  attended  bj'  the  Cathohc  Indians 
from  Haskell  Institute  and  b\^  Catholic  students 
in  the  universit}'.  Under  the  supervision  of  the 
rector  ever}'  department  of  work  is  making  prog- 
ress and  the  church  is  alive  to  the  needs  of  the 
hour.  Father  Groener  is  a  thoughtful,  earnest 
student  of  the  most  profound  authors,  and  the  in- 
fluence which  he  wields  over  his  congregation  is 
that  of  a  noble,  cultured.  Christian  gentleman. 


EAPT.  A.  JACKSON  JENNINGS,  one  ol 
the  first  settlers  on  the  Shawnee  Indian 
reservation  in  Douglas  Count}',  was  born  in 
Washington  Count}',  Pa.,  December  8,  1829,  a 
son  of  DeGras  and  Anne  (Jackson)  Jennings, 
natives  respectively  of  Pennsylvania  and  New 
Jersey.  The  maternal  grandfather,  Richard 
Jackson,  came  to  this  country  from  England  and 
served  for  seven  years  in  the  American  array 
during  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  William  Jennings,  was  also  a  native 
of  England,  and  for  years  was  captain  of  a  mer- 
chant vessel ;  one  of  his  sons  was  Israel  Jennings, 
of  whom  William  Jennings  Bryan  is  a  lineal  de- 
scendant. De  Gras  Jennings  was  a  practicing 
physician,  also  a  large  farmer  and  sheep-raiser; 
he  died  in  Washington  County,  Pa.,  in  1838,  and 
his  wife  died  in  the  same  place.  They  had  eleven 
children,  but  only  the  following  survive:  Mrs. 
Ann  Silcox;  A.  Jackson;  and  Thomas  S.,  of 
Washington  Couuty,  Pa. 

When  seventeen  years  of  age  our  subject  began 
to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed 
for  four  years.  Later  he  attended  Oberlin  Col- 
lege, Ohio,  and  also  engaged  in  teaching  school. 
In  the  spring  of  1856  Samuel  Wood  came  from 
Kansas  to  Oberlin,  in  search  of  young  men  who 
would  volunteer  to  assist  the  free-state  movement 
in  the  west,  and  among  the  sixty  who  responded 
to  the  call  our  subject  was  one.  In  March, 
1857,  he  came  to  Kansas,  and  after  a  few  days  in 
Lawrence  and  Franklin  he  took  up  a  claim  in 
Johnson  County,  settling  on  the  land  known  as  the 
George  Rogers  farm.  The  next  year  he  sold  the 
place  and  took  up  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  raw  land,  on  the  Shawnee  In- 


dian reservation,  in  Eudora  Township.  He  built 
his  first  house  on  the  reservation  in  Johnson 
County.  When  he  settled  at  his  present  place 
there  were  few  in  the  neighborhood,  and  he  has 
witnessed  the  gradual  development  of  this  region 
made  since  he  came  in  1857.  Though  he  began 
without  means,  he  has  been  a  very  successful 
farmer  and  stock-raiser. 

In  1862,  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  our  subject  en- 
listed and  was  mustered  into  the  service  as  second 
lieutenant,  with  authority  to  recruit  a  company 
for  the  Twelfth  Kansas  Infantry.  After  the  com- 
pany was  recruited  he  was  mustered  in  at  Paoli, 
Kans.,  as  first  lieutenant  of  Company  E  Twelfth 
Kansas  Infantry,  and  commissioned  by  Governor 
Robinson. 

At  the  time  of  the  Ouantrell  raid  in  1863  the 
mob  surrounded  our  subject's  house  and  called 
for  him,  but  his  wife  told  them  he  was  in  the 
army,  and  they  then  departed.  Had  he  been  at 
home,  undoubtedly  he  would  not  have  escaped 
with  his  life.  In  1864  he  was  elected  captain  of 
his  company  and  as  such  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  being  connected  with  the  western 
division  of  the  army.  On  the  30th  of  May,  1864, 
at  the  battle  of  Jinkins  Ferry,  Saline  River,  Ark., 
the  brigade,  consisting  of  the  Twelfth  Kansas 
Infantry  (in  which  Captain  Jennings  commanded 
Company  E,)  and  one  other  regiment,  charged 
and  took  a  rebel  battery,  in  which  action  the 
colonel  was  wounded  and  lost  the  use  of  an  arm, 
and  the  lieutenant-colonel  lost  a  leg.  Upon  being 
honorably  discharged  from  the  volunteer  service 
the  captain  passed  the  required  examination  for 
an  assignment  in  the  regular  army,  but  his  wife 
opposed  his  enlistment  with  such  earnestness  that 
he  abandoned  the  plan  and  returned  to  farm  life. 

Formerly  a  Republican,  Captain  Jennings  is 
now  a  Populist.  In  1870  he  was  elected  to  the 
legislature  on  the  Republican  ticket,  and  served 
with  efiBciency  in  that  body.  He  was  at  other 
times  a  candidate  for  senator  and  sheriflF.  He 
has  been  chairman  of  the  county  convention  and 
a  delegate  to  state  conventions.  At  the  time  of 
the  starting  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance  in  Johnson 
and  Wyandotte  Counties  he  acted  as  organizer. 
He   is  a  stockholder  in  and  vice-president  of  the 


JAMES   A.  LANE,  M.  D. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Eudora  State  Bank.  Fraternall}-  he  i.s  connected 
with  Eiidora  Lodge  No.  42,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  in  which 
he  holds  the  jewel  of  twenty-five  years  of  con- 
tinuous membership.  At  this  writing  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Johnson  County  Grange.  Inter- 
ested in  educational  matters,  he  contributed  to 
the  erection  of  Hesper  Academy,  and  took  a  part 
in  the  organization  of  Hesper  school  district  No. 
5,  which  was  the  fifth  school  district  organized  in 
the  county;  Hesper  Social  Lyceum,  connected 
with  it,  was  organized  in  1857.  It  has  been 
transferred  to  the  Hesper  Academy  and  is  still 
in  active  operation.  Captain  Jennings  was  one 
of  the  organizers  and  wrote  the  constitution  and 
by-laws.  He  has  also  given  to  religious  enter- 
prises, especially  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  with  which  his  family  are  identified.  In 
Eudora  Post  No.  333,  G.  A.  R.,  he  is  the  senior 
commander  of  the  post.  In  1857  he  married 
Rose  A.  McCartney,  by  whom  he  has  a  daughter, 
Belle  T.,  now  the  wife  of  C.  H.  Daugherty.  They 
also  reside  at  the  old  homestead. 


HAMES  A.  LANE,  M.  D.  There  are  few  of 
I  the  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Leavenworth 
Q)  who  have  attained  a  distinction  so  merited 
as  that  which  years  of  successful  practice  have 
brought  to  Dr.  Lane.  Not  alone  in  his  home 
city,  but  in  other  towns  as  well  he  is  known  as  a 
skillful  physician,  whose  accuracy  in  diagnosis 
and  skill  in  treatment  bring  him  the  confidence 
of  his  patients.  By  study,  observation  and  ex- 
perience he  has  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  his  profession,  and  his  services  as  an  instructor 
have  been  utilized  by  medical  colleges.  In  mi- 
croscopy, bacteriology,  and  in  sanitary  measures 
he  has  for  years  been  a  leader,  as  in  other  de- 
partments of  thought  related  to  his  profession. 

Dr.  Lane  was  born  in  Rio,  Columbia  County, 
Wis.,  November  20,  1853,  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Mary  (Rutherford)  Lane,  natives  respectively  of 
western  Pennsylvania  and  Ireland.  The  former 
grew  to  manhood  near  Pittsburgh  and  from  there 
removed  to  Stark  County,  Ohio,  where  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Rutherford,  whose  parents  were  from 
the  north  of  Ireland  and  of  the  Presbyterian  faith. 


After  his  marriage  he  settled  in  Wisconsin,  where 
he  improved  a  stock  farm.  In  1868  he  removed 
to  Mirabile,  Caldwell  County,  Mo.,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising  and  was 
also  prominent  in  local  aifairs.  When  seventy 
years  of  age  he  went  on  a  hunting  expedition  to 
Idaho,  where  he  was  taken  sick  and  died.  The 
family  of  which  he  was  a  member  originally  set- 
tled in  Virginia  and  were  well-known  Indian 
fighters.  His  wife  died  in  Wisconsin  in  1866, 
leaving  five  children,  of  whom  James  was  the 
third. 

When  the  family  settled  in  Missouri  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  about  thirteen  years  of 
age.  His  high-school  course  was  completed  at 
Cameron,  Mo.  In  1874  he  came  to  Leaven- 
worth and  entered  the  State  Normal  School,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1876.  He  had  previously 
taught  in  Missouri  and  after  the  close  of  his  nor- 
mal course  he  resumed  teaching,  which  he  fol- 
lowed in  Kansas.  For  one  year  he  was  principal 
of  the  North  Leavenworth  colored  school,  then 
for  one  year  principal  of  the  Morris  school,  and 
for  a  similar  period  he  held  the  chair  of  natural 
science  and  mathematics  in  the  Kansas  State 
Normal  at  Paola.  Taking  up  the  study  of  med- 
icine, he  took  the  course  in  one  of  the  most 
famous  institutions  in  our  country,  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  in  Philadelphia,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  188 1,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
Soon  after  graduating  he  returned  to  the  west, 
and  since  1881  has  engaged  in  practice  in  Leaven- 
worth, where  he  has  his  office  in  the  Manufactur- 
er's National  Bank  block.  For  three  years  he 
was  in  partnership  with  his  former  preceptor. 
Dr.  S.  F.  Neeley,  and  since  then  has  practiced 
alone. 

During  his  course  in  Jefferson  Medical  College 
Dr.  Lane  was  assistant  demonstrator  of  anatomy, 
and  he  also  took  a  special  course  of  study.  F^r 
ten  years  he  was  professor  of  histology  and  mi- 
croscopy in  the  Kansas  City  Medical  College  at 
Kansas  City,  Mo.  When  the  Medico-Chirurgical 
College  was  established  in  Kansas  City  he  was 
elected  to  the  chair  of  the  principles  of  surgery, 
which  position  he  still  fills.  His  influence  has 
done  much   toward  placing  this  institution  upon 


244 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  solid  basis  and  giving  it  a  reputation  through- 
out the  west.  He  was  also  active  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Leavenworth  Hospital  Associa- 
tion, with  which  he  has  since  been  connected. 
For  years  he  has  been  surgeon  for  the  Missouri 
Pacific  and  the  Kansas  Northwestern  railroads. 
For  several  terms  he  has  been  county  physician, 
also  served  as  city  physician  and  as  a  member  of 
the  board  of  health. 

The  various  medical  organizations  of  the  west 
have  enlisted  the  interest  of  Dr.  Lane.  He  has 
been  president  of  the  Eastern  Kansas  Medical 
Society  and  is  now  president  of  the  Leavenworth 
City  and  County  Medical  Society  and  the  Kansas 
State  Medical  Society.  In  the  American  Med- 
ical Association,  of  which  he  is  a  member,  he 
has  served  as  chairman  of  the  judicial  council. 
He  is  connected  with  the  International  Associa- 
tion of  Railway  Surgeons,  the  Missouri  Valley 
Medical  Society,  the  Western  Surgical  and 
Gynecological  Association;  the  State  Sanitary 
Association,  of  which  he  is  vice-president;  the 
Leavenworth  Academy  of  Science,  of  which  he  is 
president;  is  an  associate  fellow  of  the  Kansas 
City  Academy  of  Medicine,  and  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Tri-State  Medical  Association, 
Jackson  County  Medical  Society,  Missouri  State 
Medical  Society,  and  the  Illinois  State  Medical 
Society.  He  is  also  vice-president  of  the  Com- 
mercial Club  of  Leavenworth. 

Recreation  is  a  necessity  with  all  active  minds. 
Dr.  Lane  finds  his  recreation  in  hunting  and  in 
athletic  sports.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the 
different  gun  clubs,  is  one  of  the  state  team,  and 
holds  a  number  of  first  medals  for  rifle,  shotgun 
and  revolver.  He  is  also  a  member  of  a  fishing 
club.  By  his  connection  with  these  clubs  he 
finds  a  needed  relaxation  from  the  heavy  respon- 
sibilities of  professional  work. 

In  Paola,  Kans. ,  Dr.  Lane  married  Miss  Hat- 
tie  Kennedy,  of  Buffalo,  who  was  his  classmate 
in  the  Kansas  State  Normal  School  and  who 
came  to  Leavenworth  with  her  brother-in-law. 
Prof.  John  Wherrell,  then  the  president  of  the 
school,  and  now  a  practicing  physician  in  Kansas 
Citj'.  Mrs.  Lane  graduated  from  the  normal 
school,  and  is  a  lady  of  splendid   education  and 


culture,  with  literary  tastes.  She  is  prominent 
in  societ}-  and  in  local  organizations,  and  is  now 
president  of  the  Library  Association,  the  Art 
League  and  the  Leavenworth  Federation  of 
Clubs.  The  three  children  of  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Lane  are  Lillian  May,  Jennie  B.  and  James  A. 
Jr. ,  all  of  whom  are  students  in  the  Leavenworth 
schools. 

OSES  SHAW  THOMAS,  M.  D.  The  an- 
cestry of  the  Thomas  famil}'  is  traced  to 
Lewis  Walker  Thomas,  a  native  of  York- 
shire, England,  and  an  ofiicer  in  the  army  of 
William  of  Nassau,  Prince  of  Orange.  While 
engaged  in  his  official  duties  he  went  to  Wales 
and  there  he  became  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends.  About  1700  he  emigrated  to  America 
and  settled  upon  a  valuable  tract  of  land  in 
Chester  County,  Pa.,  within  twenty  miles  of  Phil- 
adelphia. His  grandson,  Daniel  Walker  Thomas, 
born  about  1757,  was  a  barrister  and  married 
Sarah  Ellis,  daughter  of  an  English  naval  officer 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  who  was  taken  pris- 
oner during  one  of  the  battles  of  that  war,  but 
continued  faithful  to  the  British  government. 
His  fate  is  uncertain.  Some  traditions  represent 
him  as  dying  in  prison,  while  others  state  that  he 
returned  to  England  and  died  there. 

During  the  early  life  of  Daniel  Walker  Thomas 
he  was  very  prosperous  and  accumulated  a  for- 
tune in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Winches- 
ter, Va.,  where  he  located  shortly  after  his  mar- 
riage. When  advanced  in  years  he  was  made 
liable  for  a  security  debt  of  $40,000,  which  he 
paid.  Immediately  afterward  he  was  a  severe 
sufferer  by  an  extensive  fire,  which  destroyed  his 
library,  papers,  etc.,  and  left  him  a  poor  man. 
He  took  up  his  abode  in  the  home  of  his  eldest 
son,  Jacob  R. ,  father  of  M.  Shaw  Thomas,  M.  D. 
Jacob  R.  Thomas  was  born  in  Winchester 
in  1783  and  was  educated  for  the  law,  but  pos- 
sessed a  peculiar  faculty  of  mind  toward  mechan- 
ics and  a  genius  for  invention.  He  was  the 
inventor  of  a  flax  spring  machine  and  reel  attach- 
ment, which  is  still  in  use  in  portions  of  Maryland. 
After  his  marriage  he  removed  to  Baltimore, 
where  he  was  proprietor  of  the  Globe  Inn,  then 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  leading  hotel  of  that  city.  During  the  build- 
ing of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  he  erected 
a  hotel  at  Ellicott  Mills,  the  then  terminus  of 
the  road .  Still  later,  when  P'rederick  became  the 
terminus,  he  kept  a  hotel  at  that  place,  and  after- 
ward, when  it  reached  Point  of  Rocks,  he  in- 
vented a  packet  to  run  by  horse  power  (the 
horses  being  placed  in  the  vessel),  and  this  packet 
made  successful  trips  on  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio 
canal.  He  was  in  the  midst  of  a  most  useful 
career  when  he  died,  at  Point  of  Rocks,  in  1835. 

The  marriage  of  Jacob  R.  Thomas  united  him 
with  Miss  Shaw,  who  was  a  lady  of  remarkable 
beaut}'  and  accomplishments,  as  well  as  of  noble 
Christian  character  and  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  She  was  a  descendant 
of  ancestors  who  were  strict  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  north  of  Ireland. 
Among  the  eight  children  of  this  union  was 
Moses  Shaw  Thomas,  who  was  born  in  Baltimore, 
Md.,  January  3,  1830.  He  was  educated  in  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  went  after  the  death  of  his  father. 
His  medical  studies  were  carried  on  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Maryland,  at  Baltimore,  from  which 
he  graduated.  For  two  years  he  practiced  his 
profession  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  of  Virginia. 
In  iS56hecame  to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Leaven- 
worth, where  he  built  up  a  good  practice.  Just 
prior  to  the  Civil  war  he  was  employed  by  the 
United  States  government  as  a  surgeon  at  Fort 
Leavenworth.  In  the  fall  of  1861,  being  a  Vir- 
ginian and  sympathizing  with  the  southern  cause, 
he  went  to  Richmond  and  enlisted  in  the  Confed- 
erate army  as  a  surgeon  (with  rank  of  major), 
in  which  capacity  he  served  in  Virginia  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  being  attached  to  Lee's  army. 
At  the  end  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Leavenworth 
and  afterward  engaged  in  practice,  becoming 
known  as  a  skilled  surgeon  and  reliable  physician. 

Dr.  Thomas  was  a  man  of  fine  character,  and, 
though  reserved  and  dignified,  won  innumerable 
friends  in  all  of  his  dealings,  for  he  was  the  soul  of 
honor.  In  his  professional  work  no  mercenary 
consideration  was  ever  allowed  to  enter.  His  aim 
was  to  do  all  that  could  be  done  for  his  patient, 
whether  that  patient  lived  in  a  palatial  residence 
or  in  a  cabin.     Regardless  of  race  or  creed,    re- 


gardless of  heat  or  cold,  sunshine  or  rain,  night 
or  day,  he  answered  every  summons  for  his  assist- 
ance. Added  to  his  great  surgical  skill,  trained 
by  long  experience,  and  his  profound  medical 
knowledge,  were  personal  qualities  of  gentleness, 
.sympathy  and  painstaking  care. 

Originally  a  whig,  about  1853  Dr.  Thomas 
allied  himself  with  the  Democratic  party,  to 
whose  principles  he  ever  afterward  adhered.  He 
became  a  Roman  Catholic  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
and  continued  in  that  faith  until  his  death.  In 
Leavenworth,  April  22,  1869,  he  married  Alice 
A.,  daughter  of  Malcolm  Clark,  and  a  graduate 
of  the  Academy  of  the  Sisters  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  The  four  children  born  of 
this  union  are:  F.  Miege  Thomas,  M.  D.;  Moses 
Shaw,  a  member  of  the  First  Arizona  Territorial 
Regiment,  stationed  at  Albany,  Ga.;  Theodore 
C,  of  Atchison,  Kans.;  and  Genevieve. 

The  death  of  Dr.  Thomas  occurred  July  9,  1896, 
and  two  days  later  his  body  was  laid  to  rest,  after 
appropriate  services  in  the  Cathedral,  which  was 
crowded  with  friends  desirous  of  paying  the  last 
tribute  of  respect  to  his  memory.  The  Leaven- 
worth County  Medical  Society,  of  wliich  he  was 
a  member,  passed  resolutions,  bearing  testimony 
to  his  skill  as  a  physician,  his  patriotism  as  a  citi- 
zen, his  high  sense  of  honor  as  a  man,  and  his 
high  character  as  a  friend,  husband  and  father. 
Not  only  members  of  his  own  church,  but  peo- 
ple of  every  religious  faith,  united  in  lauding  the 
character  of  the  man  who  for  so  many  years  had 
been  one  of  Leavenworth's  most  respected  citi- 
zens. 


r~  MIEGE  THOMAS,  M.D.,  of  Leavenworth, 
fQ  was  born  in  this  city  March  22,  1870,  the 
I  '  eldest  son  of  M.  Shaw  Thomas,  M.  D.  In 
youth  he  was  given  the  best  educational  ad- 
vantages which  the  state  afforded.  After  having 
studied  in  the  high  school  for  three  years,  in  1890 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  continued  the 
studies  of  the  regular  course  in  that  institution, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1893,  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  In  September  of  the  same  year 
he  entered  the  New  York  Pohxlinic,  where  he 


246 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


took  a  post-graduate  course  of  nine  months,  and 
at  the  same  time  acted  as  house  surgeon  in  the 
New  York  Polyclinic  Hospital. 

Returning  to  Leavenworth  in  June,  1894,  Dr. 
Thomas  began  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
which  he  has  since  conducted  in  this  cit}-.  His 
medical  studies  did  not  cease  with  the  awarding 
of  his  degree.  He  has  ever  been  a  student,  de- 
sirous of  keeping  thoroughly  posted  concerning 
every  advance  made  in  therapeutics,  and  by  ob- 
servation, experience  and  the  reading  of  the  best 
medical  journals,  is  in  constant  touch  with  the 
latest  developments  in  the  science.  In  the  diag- 
nosis of  disease  he  has  proved  himself  to  be  very 
skillful,  thus  being  enabled  intelligently  to  sug- 
gest and  apply  the  most  effective  remedial  agen- 
cies. In  August,  1895,  he  was  appointed  sur- 
geon of  the  new  United  States  penitentiary  at 
Leavenworth,  and  this  position  he  has  since  filled. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Leavenworth  County  Med- 
ical Societv. 


^HEODORE  C.  THOMAS,  who  was  one  of 
I  C  the  soldiers  of  the  Spanish-American  war, 
VJ*/  was  born  in  Leavenworth  in  1873,  a  son  of 
Dr.  M.  Shaw  Thomas.  After  graduating  from 
the  high  school  of  this  city  in  1892  he  entered  the 
emplo}'  of  Fred  Harvey,  becoming  manager  of 
an  eating  house  in  Leadville,  on  the  Colorado 
Short  Line.  Afterward  he  was  for  more  than 
three  years  connected  with  the  Santa  Fe  eating 
house  at  Topeka.  Upon  the  organization  of 
Troop  H,  First  United  States  Cavalry  (known 
throughout  the  world  as  Roosevelt's  Rough 
Riders)  he  enlisted  and  was  mustered  into  the  ser- 
vice at  Tampa,  Fla.,  June  15,  1898. 

When  it  was  seen  that  not  all  of  the  troops 
would  be  needed  in  Cuba,  a  division  of  forces  was 
effected,  and  some  were  ordered  to  remain  in 
Florida,  while  others  had  the  coveted  privilege 
of  going  to  the  front  and  seeing  active  service. 
Six  hundred  of  the  Rough  Riders  were  ordered  to 
Cuba,  the  remainder  were  held  at  Tampa.  Mr. 
Thomas  was  one  of  those  who  were  retained  in 
Florida.  How  well  and  bravely  those  fought  who 
went  to  the  front  is  a  matter  of  history;  but  few 
realize   that  those  who   were    kept   behind  and 


who  were  obliged,  in  keen  disappointment,  to 
witness  the  departure  of  their  comrades  for  the 
seat  of  war,  also  had  hardships  to  endure,  with 
none  of  that  glory  which  came  to  their  comrades 
at  the  front. 

After  honorable  service  Mr.  Thomas  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Montauk  Point,  September  15,  1898. 
He  returned  to  Kansas  and  has  since  been  sec- 
retary and  treasurer  of  the  Thomas  Fuel  and 
Ice  Company,  of  Atchison,  which  is  engaged  in 
jobbing  Santa  Fe  coal  and  also  in  manufactur- 
ing ice. 

ALCOLM  CLARK,  one  of  the  original  pro- 
prietors of  Leavenworth,  was  born  in  Ed- 
inburgh, Scotland.  When  a  young  man 
he  accompanied  relatives  to  Toronto,  Canada, 
and  from  there  about  1848  removed  to  Missouri, 
becoming  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Weston.  During 
his  residence  there  he  married  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
(Hampton)  Owens,  formerl}^  of  South  Carolina, 
but  then  of  Missouri.  They  became  the  parents, 
among  other  children,  of  a  daughter,  Alice,  who 
is  now  the  widow  of  Moses  Shaw  Thomas,  M.  D., 
of  Leavenworth.  Mr.  Clark  was  one  of  the  orig- 
inal proprietors  of  Leavenworth  and  it  was  at  his 
suggestion  the  town  was  named  in  honor  of  his 
friend,  Colonel  Leavenworth. 

Intimately  identified  with  the  early  history  of 
Kansas,  of  which  he  was  a  pioneer,  it  was  the  fate 
of  Mr.  Clark,  as  of  all  stanch  free-soilers,  to  en- 
counter opposition  and  arouse  enmity  on  the  part 
of  slavery  advocates.  He  was  a  man  of  kind 
heart,  but  nevertheless  very  determined  in  char- 
acter, and  when  once  convinced  of  the  justice  of 
a  cause  steadilj'  maintained  allegiance  to  it,  in 
spite  of  threats  and  danger.  Among  his  fellow- 
citizens  he  was  prominent  and  influential.  At  a 
meeting  in  Leavenworth,  April  30,  1855,  of  the 
Delaware  Squatters'  Association,  he  was  chosen 
moderator.  Among  those  present  was  a  Scotch- 
man, Mr.  McCrea,  whom  Mr.  Clark  had  be- 
friended in  former  years  in  Missouri,  but  who 
repaid  that  kindness  with  basest  treachery. 

During  the  course  of  the  meeting  Mr.  McCrea 
repeatedly  interfered  with  the  proceedings.  He 
was  justly  reprimanded   by  the  moderator  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


247 


was  respectfully  requested  either  to  leave  the  meet- 
ing or  to  desist  from  his  unjust  interference. 
However,  he  refused  to  do  as  requested,  although, 
not  being  a  squatter  on  the  Delaware  trust  lands, 
the  matters  before  the  convention  did  not  affect 
his  personal  interests.  Finalh%  when  a  resolu- 
tion was  passed,  he  pronounced  it  a  gross  fraud. 
Mr.  Clark  denied  the  assertion,  but  was  inter- 
rupted by  the  most  violent  language  from  Mr. 
McCrea.  The  moderator,  becoming  exasperated, 
started  towards  his  opponent,  who  at  once  fired 
upon  him  and  killed  him. 

In  many  ways  Mr.  Clark  aided  the  early  growth 
of  Leavenworth.  Largely  through  his  efforts 
Bishop  Meige  was  induced  to  remain  here,  Mr. 
Clark  deeding  to  him  lands  that  lie  opposite  the 
Cathedral.  Not  only  religious,  but  educational 
and  commercial  enterprises  received  his  encour- 
agement and  assistance.  As  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Leavenworth,  and  as  one  of  the  martyrs 
of  the  free-state  agitation,  his  name  should  be 
perpetuated  in  the  annals  of  the  city. 


ARSHALL  G.  LAHUE,  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative ranchmen  of  Lecompton  Town- 
ship, Douglas  County,  was  born  in  Christian 
County,  111.,  June  6,  1862,  a  son  of  Carrington 
and  Catherine  (Bruebeck)  Lahue.  He  was  one 
of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  survive,  viz.: 
Margaret,  wife  of  Weslej'  Kitchin,  of  Washing- 
ton, D.  C;  Sabrina,  who  married  A.  B.  Morlan, 
of  Geary  County,  Kans.;  Charles  P.,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Lecompton  Township;  Angie,  wife  of 
W.  H.  Nace,  of  Geary  County;  and  Marshall  G. 
The  father,  who  was  born  in  Harrison  County, 
Ind.,  February  2,  1825,  removed,  three  years 
after  his  marriage,  to  Missouri,  settling  in  Mer- 
cer County,  but  after  two  years  he  went  to  Chris- 
tian County,  III.  During  the  fourteen  years  of 
his  residence  there  he  became  one  of  the  well- 
known  farmers  of  his  section.  In  1868  he  re- 
moved to  Kansas,  and  settled  three  miles  south 
of  the  village  of  Lecompton,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  with  the  exception  of  two 
years  in  western  Kansas,  he  having  moved  there 
with  the  intention  of  making  his  home,  but  the 


scarcity  of  rain  determined  him  to  return  to  Le- 
compton. His  death  occurred  March  22,  1SS9. 
He  was  a  regular  contributor  to  and  supporter  of 
the  Christian  Church,  and  aided  in  charitable 
movements.  For  manj-  years  he  acted  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board.  His  wife,  who  was  a 
member  of  an  old  Virginia  family,  was  born  in 
Augusta  County  August  15,  1826,  and  removed 
to  Indiana  with  her  parents  in  1842;  she  now 
makes  her  home  with  our  subject  on  the  old 
homestead  in  Lecompton  Township. 

After  having  completed  the  studies  of  the  com- 
mon schools  our  subject  began  for  himself  as  a 
farmer,  and  for  two  years  cultivated  rented  land. 
When  his  younger  brother  had  attained  his  ma- 
jority the  two  were  given  charge  of  the  home 
farm,  the  father  retiring  from  active  work.  The 
brother  met  his  death  through  an  accident,  and 
soon  afterward  the  father  died,  after  which  our 
subject  took  entire  charge  of  the  farm,  which  he 
has  since  superintended.  He  is  a  progressive 
farmer  and  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  his 
township.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  supporter 
of  the  Republican  party.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  Lecompton  Lodge  No.  413,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
and  Lecompton  Lodge  No.  155,  Fraternal  Aid 
Association.  He  is  one  of  the  rising  young 
farmers  of  the  county  and  has  many  friends 
among  his  acquaintances  here. 


RUFUS  KLINKENBERG.  The  farm  owned 
and  cultivated  by  this  gentleman  lies  in  the 
northern  part  of  Stranger  Township,  Leaven- 
worth County,  and  consists  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  of  improved  land.  In  addition  to 
the  raising  of  cereals  he  has  given  attention  to 
the  stock  business,  and  on  his  farm  has  a  number 
of  Short-horn  cattle.  At  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage, when  twenty-three  years  of  age,  he  pur- 
chased this  property  and  here  he  has  since  made 
his  home. 

Born  in  Holland  July  19,  1855,  our  subject 
is  a  son  of  Nicholas  Klinkenberg,  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  Hanover,  Germany,  and  thence 
removed  to  Holland  and  secured  employment  at 
the  carpenter's  trade.      For  thirty  years  he  made 


248 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  home  in  that  country.  In  the  spring  of  1871 
he  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in 
Leavenworth  County,  Kans. ,  purchasing  a  small 
farm  that  is  now  occupied  by  his  widow.  Here 
he  died  March  5,  1889,  at  sixty-eight  years  of 
age.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  never 
took  an  active  part  in  public  affairs.  During  his 
residence  in  Holland  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church,  and  to  its  doctrines 
ever  afterward  adhered.  For  twelve  years  he 
served  as  an  elder  of  his  congregation.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  left  eighty  acres  in  land  and  a 
number  of  head  of  fine  stock. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  a  native  of  Holland, 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Klasina  Walters,  and 
from  childhood  has  been  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church.  She  is  now  living  on 
the  homestead  and  is  seventy-five  years  of  age.  Of 
her  seven  children  (all  born  in  Holland)  we  note 
the  following:  Hebo  is  a  farmer  of  this  county; 
Jennie  is  the  widow  of  Charles  Haug;  Rufus  was 
third  in  order  of  birth;  Gertrude,  John  W.  H., 
Walter  and  Henry  complete  the  family.  The 
children  were  brought  to  America  in  187 1  and 
have  since  lived  in  this  county. 

Our  subject  takes  an  active  interest  in  educa- 
tional affairs.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He 
has  represented  the  local  lodge,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  in  the  grand  lodge  and  has  served  as 
district  grand  chancellor.  He  married  Augusta 
Kaiser,  who  was  born  in  Germany.  They  have 
eleven  children,  viz. :  Ferdinand,  Henry,  Amelia, 
Paulina,  Bertha,  William,  Walter,  Louisa,  Ed- 
ward, Ruth  and  Carlton  (twins.) 


ICHAEL  T.  FITZPATRICK,  deceased,  a 
pioneer  of  Douglas  County  and  for  years 
one  of  the  well-known  railroad  men  in  the 
state,  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  November  15, 
1 84 1,  a  son  of  William  and  Margaret  (Culliton) 
Fitzpatrick.  He  was  one  of  a  large  family,  of 
whom  only  three  survive,  viz.:  James,  of  Willow 
Springs,  Mo.;  Thomas,  whose  home  is  in  Boul- 
der, Colo.;  and  Catherine,  wife  of  Gilbert  B. 
Kirk,  of  Topeka,  Kans.  His  "father,  who  was 
born,  reared  and  married  in  Queens  County,  Ire- 


land, brought  his  wife  to  America  immediately 
after  their  marriage,  and  settled  in  Albany,  N.  Y. , 
where  he  engaged  in  railroad  work.  Some  years 
later  he  removed  to  Tioga  County,  Pa.,  remain- 
ing there  until  1867,  when  he  migrated  to  Kan- 
sas and  settled  in  Kanwaka  Township,  Douglas 
County,  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  our  sub- 
ject's widow.  Here  he,  in  connection  with  his 
sons,  followed  farming  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  July  23,  1S97. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  our  subject 
enlisted  in  the  engineering  department  of  the 
service  and  was  engaged  in  bridge  building  and 
railroad  construction  during  the  entire  period  of 
hostilities.  After  the  war  he  engaged  in  railroad 
work  in  Tioga  County,  Pa.  In  1866  he  married 
Miss  Jane  Moonej',  who  was  born  in  Count}' 
Meath,  Ireland,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Julia 
(Lamb)  Mooney.  Her  father,  who  was  a  native 
of  County  Meath,  came  to  America  with  his 
family  in  1852,  and  settled  in  Corning,  N.  Y., 
where  he  died  two  years  later.  After  his  death 
his  widow  removed  to  Tioga  County,  Pa.,  and 
there  resided  until  her  death,  which  occurred  in 
1888. 

The  year  after  his  marriage  our  subject  brought 
his  wife  to  Kansas  and  settled  on  his  father's 
farm,  in  which  he  owned  an  interest.  However, 
he  did  not  engage  in  agricultural  pursuits,  but 
gave  his  attention  almost  wholly  to  railroad 
work.  He  was  employed  in  the  construction  of 
the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad,  having  charge  of 
the  laying  of  the  track,  and  completing  it  into 
Denver,  Colo.  Afterward  he  was  made  road- 
master  on  the  division  of  the  road  running  into 
Denver,  in  which  cit}'  he  had  his  headquarters. 
Shortly  afterward  he  took  charge  of  track  con- 
struction of  a  railroad  in  Illinois,  where  he  was 
employed  for  fifteen  months.  His  next  position 
was  that  of  roadmaster  on  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad,  with  headquarters  at  Fargo,  N.  Dak., 
where  he  remained  for  three  years.  He  then 
accepted  a  position  with  the  Missouri,  Kansas  & 
Texas  Railroad,  at  Fort  Scott,  Kans.,  where  he 
was  retained  as  roadmaster  for  one  year.  Later 
he  went  to  Atchison,  Kans.,  where  he  served  in 
the  same  capacity  for  the    Missouri  Pacific  Rail- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


249 


road.  With  the  latter  road  he  continued  for  ten 
years,  during  four  of  which  he  was  located  at 
Concordia,  Kans.  In  1895  he  accepted  a  position 
as  general  roadmaster  on  the  Kansas  City,  Fort 
Scott  &  Memphis  Railroad,  with  headquarters  at 
Kansas  City,  where  he  remained  for  two  years. 
He  then  accepted  the  position  of  roadmaster 
with  the  Denver  &  Gulf  Railroad,  having  his 
headquarters  in  Trinidad,  Colo.,  which  position 
he  continued  to  hold  for  fifteen  months,  until  his 
death,  March  3,  1898. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  was  a  member  of 
Lawrence  Lodge  No.  7,  A.  O.  U.  W. ;  Camp  No. 
798,  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the  blue  lodge  and 
chapter  of  Masonry,  having  a  short  time  before 
his  death  withdrawn  from  Chapter  No.  45, 
R.  A.  M.,  in  Concordia,  intending  to  place 
his  membership  either  in  the  Lawrence  or  Kansas 
City  chapter,  but  his  death  prevented.  In  re- 
ligion he  was  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  Suc- 
cessful in  his  business  ventures,  at  the  time  of  his 
death  he  left  his  family  the  home  farm  of  nine 
hundred  and  sixty-five  acres,  besides  other  pos- 
sessions of  value.  He  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  namely:  Margaret, 
wife  of  H.  M.  Barber,  who  assists  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  home  farm;  Mary,  who  married 
Dr.  W.  R.  Priest,  a  prominent  physician  and 
surgeon  of  Concordia,  Kans.;  William,  who  as- 
sists in  taking  charge  of  the  homestead;  James, 
who  is  connected  with  the  Fort  Scott  &  Memphis 
Railroad;  Charles  and  Francis,  who  are  pursuing 
their  studies  in  St.  Mary's  College,  at  St.  Mary's, 
Kans. ,  and  Kirk,  who  is  a  pupil  in  the  district 
school. 


0ANIEL  MARK  HILL  owns  and  occupies  a 
farm  of  two  hundred  acres  at  Big  Springs, 
one  of  the  most  delightful  locations,  not 
only  of  Douglas  County,  but  of  eastern  Kansas 
as  well.  On  the  land  are  thirty-one  mineral 
springs  possessing  health-restoring  mineral  prop- 
erties that  will  at  some  future  day  without 
doubt  make  the  place  a  noted  health  resort. 
Nor  is  the  presence  of  the  springs  the  only  claim 
which  the  place  has  to  public  notice.  Those 
interested  in  the  early  history  of  the  state  regard 


it  as  an  historic  landmark,  for  it  was  the  site  of 
the  first  territorial  convention  and  served  as  the 
headquarters  of  "Jim"  Lane  during  the  exciting 
days  of  border  ruffian  warfare. 

Mark  Hill  (for  by  his  middle  name  our  sub- 
ject is  best  known)  was  born  in  Bedford  County, 
Pa.,  August  4,  1836,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Rosina 
E.  (Byer)  Hill.  He  was  one  of  eleven  children, 
five  now  living,  viz.:  Margaret,  wife  of  Louis 
Kellerraan,  a  retired  stockman  of  Burlington, 
Kans. ;  William,  who  is  with  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company  and  resides  at  Bard,  Pa., 
where  he  is  an  extensive  holder  of  farming  lands; 
Daniel  Mark;  Anna,  wife  of  Ellis  Miner,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  wholesale  dry-goods  business 
at  Heppner,  Ore.;  and  Kate,  wife  of  Samuel 
Zike,  who  is  engaged  in  the  hotel  and  livery 
business  in  Nebraska.  Jacob  Hill  was  born  in 
Bedford  County,  Pa.,  where  he  early  became 
prominent  in  political  life,  although  he  was 
educated  for  the  Lutheran  ministry.  He  was  a 
power  in  his  party  and  filled  many  offices  in  his 
section  of  the  country. 

When  our  subject  was  nine  years  of  age  his 
father  died  and  he  was  taken  into  the  home  of  an 
older  brother,  a  farmer  and  business  man  of  Bed- 
ford County,  who  owned  a  farm  of  four  hundred 
acres,  also  a  sawmill,  blacksmith's  and  shoe- 
maker's shop.  He  was  fourteen  when  he  began 
teaming  for  his  brother  and  became  so  expert  in 
his  work  that  he  could  drive  six  horses  with  a 
single  line;  his  skill  as  a  driver  caused  his  asso- 
ciates to  say:  "Show  Hill  a  knot  hole  and  he 
will  drive  the  team  through."  In  1854  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Delilah,  daughter  of  John  Boone,  who 
was  a  great-nephew  of  Daniel  Boone.  After  his 
marriage  he  continued  teaming  and  also  engaged 
in  farming.  In  1S62  he  left  the  business  in  the 
care  of  his  brother  and  visited  Iowa  with  a  view 
to  locating  there.  After  a  year  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  spent  some  months,  then  returned  to 
Iowa.  His  brother  sold  out  in  the  east  and  lo- 
cated in  Anderson,  while  our  subject,  settling  at 
Weston,  Iowa,  became  the  leading  business  man 
of  the  town,  where  he  operated  a  brick  yard,  a 
shoe  store,  a  meat  market  and  a  general  con- 
tracting business.     In    1867    he   disposed  of  his 


250 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


business  there  and  came  to  Kansas,  settling  at 
Cherry  Mound,  Anderson  Count3s  where  he  em- 
barked in  farming  and  the  stock  business.  On 
account  of  his  wife's  ill  health  he  came  to  Doug- 
las County  in  1869  and  settled  in  Lecompton 
Township,  two  miles  south  of  the  village  of  Le- 
compton, where  he  planted  and  carried  on  a  fruit 
farm,  also  engaged  in  raising  sheep  and  cattle. 
Some  ten  years  later  he  removed  to  Jefferson 
County  and  for  four  years  was  foreman  of  the 
Elliott  farm  of  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
meantime  clearing  the  farm  of  mortgage.  From 
there  he  returned  to  Douglas  County  and  bought 
his  present  farm  in  Lecompton  Township. 

By  his  marriage  Mr.  Hill  had  seven  children, 
namely:  William,  a  prominent  business  man  of 
Oklahoma  City;  Charles,  who  is  with  the  Poehler 
Mercantile  Company  in  Lawrence;  George,  a  ris- 
ing young  business  man  of  Kelso,  Wash.;  Jesse 
B.,  who  is  a  partner  of  his  brother  in  Kelso; 
Frederick,  who  is  in  the  Klondike;  Anna,  wife  of 
C.  T.  Spencer,  a  farmer  of  Douglas  County; 
and  Lulu,  who  married  E.  M.  Duncan  and  re- 
sides upon  a  farm  in  this  count}-.  The  wife  and 
mother  died  in  July,  1897.  Sli^  was  an  earnest 
worker  in  the  United  Brethren  Church  and  was 
highly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  her.  Mr.  Hill 
has  contributed  to  the  support  of  the  church  and 
also  to  other  worthy  movements.  He  is  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party  and,  had  he  so 
desired,  might  have  been  elected  to  any  of  the 
local  offices,  but  be  prefers  to  devote  himself  to 
his  private  interests. 


QJERY  REV.  T.  J.  DOWNEY,  pastor  of  the 
\  /  Sacred  Heart  Roman  Catholic  Church  of 
V  Leavenworth,  has  held  his  present  pastorate 
since  August,  1885,  when  he  organized  the  parish 
and  congregation  and  at  first  held  services  in  the 
school  building.  In  1886  work  was  begun  upon 
the  church  building,  which  was  constructed  of 
brick,  with  two  floors  and  basement,  the  first 
floor  being  used  for  the  school  and  the  .second  for 
the  church.  The  parsonage,  a  substantial  build- 
ing, was  erected  in  1895.  The  membership  of 
the  church  comprises  about  one  hundred  families, 


while  the  school  has  an  attendance  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fourteen  pupils,  who,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Sisters  of  Charity  from  the  Cathedral,  are 
instructed  in  the  various  branches  up  to  and  in- 
cluding the  sixth  grade.  The  church  has  the 
various  societies  to  be  found  in  all  progressive 
congregations,  and  these  have  proved  of  great 
assistance  to  the  pastor. 

Father  Downey  was  born  in  Paris,  Ky.,  No- 
vember 17,  1 85 1,  the  third  among  eleven  chil- 
dren, all  but  one  of  whom  are  living,  eight  of 
these  being  in  Clinton  County,  Mo.,  while  one  is 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  Kansas  City, 
Kans.  John  Downey,  father  of  the  family,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  a  son  of  Michael  Downey,  a 
farmer.  In  1848  he  and  four  brothers,  having 
lost  everything  in  the  famine  of  those  years  in 
their  country,  sought  a  new  home  in  America. 
They  landed  in  New  Orleans  and  settled  in  Ken- 
tucky, where  they  learned  the  stonemason's  trade 
and  worked  together  as  contractors.  In  1857 
John  migrated  to  Plattsburg,  Clinton  County, 
Mo.,  where  the  others  later  joined  him.  Each 
settled  upon  farm  land  and  with  the  aid  of  oxen 
broke  the  prairie  soil  and  improved  the  land. 
All  but  one  are  now  dead.  John,  who  was  a 
county  official  and  a  man  of  influence  in  his  lo- 
cality, was  a  stanch  free-state'  man  and  during 
the  war  was  a  non-commi.ssioned  officer  in  a  Mis- 
souri Federal  regiment  of  Home  Guard.  He 
died  September  13,  1898,  when  seventy-three 
years  of  age.  His  wife,  Johanna,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  McQuinn,  a  farmer  in  Ireland,  and  is 
now  living  on  the  old  homestead  in  Clinton  Coun- 
ty, Mo. 

In  1870  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  having  pre- 
viously gained  a  country-school  education,  en- 
tered the  Seminary  of  Assumption  in  Topeka, 
Kans.,  where  he  was  a  student  for  two  and  one- 
half  years,  during  which  time  he  was  also  a 
teacher  of  mathematics  in  the  same  institution. 
Next  he  spent  eighteen  months  as  a  student  in 
St.  Benedict's  College,  Atchison,  and  while  there 
taught  private  classes.  Afterward  he  spent  five 
years  in  Salesianum  Seminary  in  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  where  he  took  a  complete  course  in  philos- 
ophy and    theology.     During  that  time   he   as- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


253 


sisted  in  defrajiiig  his  expenses  by  teaching  the 
classics.  In  the  cathedral  in  Leavenworth,  July 
5,  1879,  he  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  by 
Bishop  L.  M.  Fink,  O.  S.  B.  He  was  appointed 
chaplain  at  St.  Mary's  Academj',  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  months.  Afterward  he  was  made 
pastor  of  St.  Ignatius'  Church  in  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, and  at  the  same  time  had  charge  of  a  mis- 
sion at  Delaware  for  almost  three  and  one  half 
years;  also  attended  the  state  penitentiary,  the 
military  prison  and  the  county  poor  farm,  where 
he  gratuitously  ministered  to  the  spiritual  needs  of 
the  inmates.  The  pressure  of  so  much  work, 
with  its  attending  responsibilities,  broke  down 
his  health,  and  he  was  obliged  to  seek  a  field 
where  duties  would  be  lighter.  He  was  trans- 
ferred to  Holy  Cross  Church  in  Pottawatomie 
County,  where  he  remained  for  two  years  and 
three  months,  meantime  regaining  his  health. 
From  Holy  Cross  he  returned  to  Leavenworth, 
where  he  has  established  and  built  up  the  Sacred 
Heart  Church.  He  is  also  dean  of  Leavenworth 
and  president  of  the  diocesan  school  board.  He 
has  done  much  toward  maintaining  the  schools  at 
a  high  standard  and  has  been  deeply  interested  in 
educational  work,  realizing  the  importance  of  a 
good  education  in  preparing  for  the  responsi- 
bilities of  life. 

EHARLES  PILLA.  Among  our  German- 
American  citizens  who  have  been  success- 
ful since  settling  in  Kansas  mention  be- 
longs to  Mr.  Pilla,  the  well-known  business  man 
of  Eudora.  Mr.  Pilla  was  born  in  Rhenish  Ba- 
varia, Germany,  February  19,  1830,  and  received 
a  good  education  in  the  German  language.  At 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  arriving  in  New  York  March  26,  1S49. 
For  fourteen  years  he  remained  in  the  vicinity  of 
that  city,  and  during  ten  years  of  the  time  he  was 
employed  as  clerk  and  bookkeeper  for  the  pub- 
lishing house  of  E.  Walker  &  Sons.  In  1865 
he  came  to  Kansas  for  the  purpose  of  entering 
into  partnership  with  his  brother  F.  L.,  who  had 
started  a  small  store  in  Eudora.  The  title  of  the 
firm  became  Pilla  Brothers,  which  continued 
until  his  brother's  death  in  1871. 
8 


Being  thus  left  sole  proprietor  of  the  store  Mr. 
Pilla  continued  the  business  alone.  In  1872  he 
enlarged  the  building  and  increased  the  quantity 
of  stock  carried.  His  store  is  now  the  largest  of 
its  kind  in  Eudora.  In  connection  with  the 
mercantile  department,  for  some  years  he  carried 
a  stock  of  drugs,  but  this  is  now  discontinued. 
Besides  his  mercantile  interests  he  has  engaged 
in  farming  in  Douglas  and  Johnson  Counties, 
where  he  owns  large  tracts  of  farm  lands;  and, 
while  these  places  are  operated  by  tenants,  he 
nevertheless  maintains  an  active  supervision  of 
the  land  and  directs  its  management. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  State  Bank  of 
Eudora,  in  which  he  was  interested,  Mr.  Pilla 
was  elected  its  president  in  1893  a  position 
which  he  has  filled  with  the  greatest  efficiency. 
As  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Pilla  &  Statler  he 
also  carries  on  a  brick  manufacturing  business. 
In  1894  he  erected  a  beautiful  residence  on  a  hill 
overlooking  the  village  and  commanding  a  fine 
view.  At  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  sweet 
corn  factory,  in  1883,  he  was  one  of  the  principal 
contributors  to  the  same  and  became  a  stock- 
holder in  the  compan\-.  He  is  a  stockholder  and 
director  of  the  Eudora  Creamery  Company,  and 
was  a  stockholder  in  the  Leis  chemical  works,  of 
Lawrence,  Kans.  When  the  Kimball  plow  fac- 
tory was  started  in  Lawrence  he  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  company  controlling  the 
plant,  but  the  enterprise  did  not  prove  successful. 
All  movements  of  a  progressive  character  where 
the  benefit  accruing  to  the  people  is  unquestion- 
able have  received  the  impetus  of  his  encour- 
agement and  practical  aid. 

Since  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Pilla  has  al- 
ways been  a  stanch  Republican.  As  mayor  of 
Eudora,  and  as  a  member  of  the  city  council,  also 
as  a  school  director,  he  has  been  able  to  greatly 
promote  local  projects,  and  has  given  an  impetus 
to  the  welfare  of  his  town  and  fellow- townsmen. 
In  187 1  he  received  appointment  as  postmaster, 
and  continued  to  fill  the  office  until  1885.  Prior 
to  this,  from  1865  to  187 1,  he  served  as  assistant 
postmaster,  having  practically  the  entire  charge 
of  the  office.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
Doric  Lodge   No.   83,  A.  F.  &  A.  M;  Lawrence 


254 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Conimander5'  No.  4,  K.  T.;  and  Eudora  Lodge 
No.  28,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  in  which  he  is  past  grand. 
In  religion  he  worships  with  the  German  Evan- 
gelical Church.  He  was  married  September  10, 
1865,  to  Alice  B.  Smith,  daughter  of  Paul  and 
Catherine  Smith.  She  was  born  on  Staten  Is- 
land and  died  in  Eudora,  January  15,  1899, 
leaving  three  daughters:  Alvena  E.,  wife  of 
John  E.  Dolisi;  Louisa  P.,  wife  of  Spencer  J. 
Lawson ;  and  Molvie  E. ,  who  has  had  charge  of 
the  home  since  her  mother's  death. 


HON.  HARVEY  W.  IDE.  Since  coming  to 
Leavenworth  in  1857  Judge  Ide  has  occu- 
pied a  position  of  prominence  among  the 
people  of  this  city.  Both  at  the  bar  and  on  the 
bench,  he  has  proven  himself  to  be  a  man  of 
sound  judgment,  keen  intuition,  close  discrimina- 
tion and  clear  reasoning  faculties,  which  quali- 
ties, joined  with  determination  of  character,  al- 
most invariably  bring  success.  He  is  interested 
in  all  enterprises  for  the  benefit  of  Leavenworth, 
with  whose  progress  he  has  been  identified  from 
its  early  days,  and  to  whose  growth  he  has  been 
a  contributor. 

Judge  Ide  was  born  in  Saratoga  County, 
N.Y.,  April  19,  1833,  a  son  of  Rodman  and  Elvira 
(Herrick)  Ide,  also  natives  of  Saratoga  County. 
His  paternal  grandfather  migrated  from  New 
England  to  that  county  and  engaged  in  farming 
there  for  y^ars,  but  finally  removed  to  James- 
town, N.  Y.,  and  there  died.  The  maternal 
grandfather,  Thomas  Herrick,  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  afterward  engaged  in 
farming  in  New  York.  He  lacked  but  little  of 
having  rounded  out  a  full  century  when  death 
removed  him  from  the  sphere  of  his  activity. 

While  engaged  in  farming  in  York  state  Rod- 
man Ide  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  town- 
ship trustee  for  some  years.  In  1847  he  removed 
to  Wisconsin  and  settled  upon  a  raw  tract  of  land 
near  Janesville,  Rock  County,  where  heimproved 
a  farm.  After  settling  there  he  held  luimerous 
minor  offices.  Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason  and 
in  religion  a  Methodist.  At  the  time  of  his 
death,  in  1872,  he  was  sixty-eight  years  of  age. 


His  wife,  who  was  born  in  181 1,  died  in  Wiscon- 
sin in  1886.  Of  their  eleven  children  all  but  one 
attained  years  of  maturity  and  five  are  living. 
The  brothers  and  sisters  are  named  as  follows: 
Sarah  J.,  widow  of  Isaac  Howe,  of  northern 
Wisconsin;  Harvey  W. ;  Thomas  H.,  who  died 
in  Janesville,  Wis.;  Polly,  wife  of  G.  W.  Cox- 
head,  living  near  Edgerton,  Wis.;  Stephen  C, 
who  died  near  Janesville;  Frances,  who  was  a 
school  teacher,  but  died  in  young  womanhood; 
Pliu}',  a  mechanic,  of  Janesville;  Elvira,  Mrs. 
Fessenden,  who  lives  in  Wisconsin;  Isaac,  who 
graduated  from  Rush  Medical  College,  and  after- 
ward engaged  in  practice  at  Stevens  Point,  Wis., 
where  he  died  in  1887;  and  Fremont,  who  resides 
in  Edgerton,  Wis. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  prin- 
cipally in  New  York,  although  after  coming 
west  he  had  the  advantage  of  a  course  of  study 
in  Milton  Academy  (now  Milton  College). 
When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  began  to  teach 
near  Rockford,  III.,  and  in  that  occupation  he 
continued  for  some  years,  meantime  giving  his 
leisure  hours  to  the  .study  of  law.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  at  Janesville  in  1856,  when 
United  States  Senator  J.  R.  Doolittle  was  judge. 
After  practicing  for  one  year  in  Wisconsin,  the 
Kansas  excitement  began  and  many  northern 
men  removed  to  this  state  in  order  to  cast  their 
fortunes  in  with  the  free-state  movement.  April 
16,  1857,  he  arrived  in  the  then  frontier  town  of 
Leavenworth.  Here  he  at  once  began  the  prac- 
tice of  law,  and  from  the  start  met  with  gratify- 
ing success  in  his  profession. 

The  first  office  held  by  Judge  Ide  in  his  new 
home  was  that  of  city  attorney,  to  which  he  was 
elected  in  1861  and  which  he  filled  for  one  term. 
In  1863  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  state 
legislature,  and  his  service  of  one  term  in  that 
body  was  characterized  by  fidelity  to  the  inter- 
ests of  his  constituents  and  his  party.  When 
Leavenworth  and  Wyandotte  Counties  were  the 
first  judicial  district  he  was  elected  district  attor- 
uey  and  at  the  close  of  a  term  was  re-elected, 
when  the  district  was  divided  and  an  attorney 
elected  for  each  county.  While  he  was  filling 
this  position  the  present  Justice  Brewer  was  dis- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


^55 


trict  judge.  When  Judge  Ide  wa.s  elected  dis- 
trict judge,  in  1868,  Justice  Brewer  was  chosen 
prosecuting  attorney.  In  1872  he  was  re-elected 
district  judge,  serving  until  Januarj-    1S77. 

On  his  retirement  from  the  bench,  Judge  Ide 
resumed  the  practice  of  law,  to  which  he  gave 
his  attention  exclusively  for  some  time,  but  of 
late  years  his  business  interests  have  to  some 
extent  encroached  upon  his  professional  work. 
During  the  Price  raid  he  served  as  lieutenant  in 
a  company  of  militia.  For  two  terms  he  was 
chosen  to  serve  as  a  member  of  the  school  board, 
of  which  he  was  president  continuousl}'  after  his 
first  year,  but  before  the  end  of  the  second  term 
he  moved  from  the  ward  and  resigned  the  posi- 
tion. He  is  the  owner  of  property  in  different 
parts  of  the  state,  has  also  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  business  in  Leavenworth  and  erected  a 
business  house  on  Cherokee  street,  besides  his 
residence  on  Seventh  street.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  First  Congregational  Church,  in  which  he 
officiates  as  a  trustee.  Politically  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

In  Waverly,  Mo.,  Judge  Ide  married  Miss 
Mary  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  Brunswick,  Me., 
and  was  a  school  teacher  prior  to  her  marriage. 
She  died  in  Leavenworth,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren. Lizzie  v.,  a  graduate  of  Rockford  (111.) 
Female  Seminar}',  is  the  wife  of  L.  A.  Knox  and 
resides  in  Leavenworth;  Mary  A.,  who  is  the 
wife  of  C.  J.  Schmelzer,  is  also  a  graduate  of  the 
seminary  at  Rockford,  and  now  a  resident  of 
Kansas  City,  Mo.;  and  Harvey  J.  died  in  boy- 
hood. Mrs.  Mary  Ide  was  a  daughter  of  Ebe- 
nezer  M.  and  Elizabeth  Johnson,  natives  of  Con- 
necticut, the  latter  a  daughter  of  a  physician 
who  served  in  the  war  of  181 2.  Mr.  Johnson 
was  a  merchant  in  Brunswick,  Me.,  and  after 
retiring  from  business  he  removed  to  Ohio,  set- 
tling near  Springfield,  where  his  last  years  were 
spent.  His  death  occurred  when  he  was  visiting 
Judge  Ide  in  1862.  In  Leavenworth  Judge  Ide 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ella  Catlin,  who 
was  born  in  Connecticut  and  in  1863  came  to 
Leavenworth  with  her  father,  Shelden  G.  Catlin, 
who  was  a  wholesale  jobber  in  shoes.  She  died 
in   1879,  leaving  a  daughter,  Ella  C,  who  is  now 


attending  the  School  of  Dramatic  Art  in  New 
York  City.  The  present  wife  of  Judge  Ide, 
whom  he  married  in  Chillicothe,  Mo.,  in  1S86, 
was  Mrs.  Lottie  G.  (Giltner)  Phillips,  who  was 
born  in  Indiana  and  accompanied  her  parents  to 
Chillicothe,  where  her  father  was  a  merchant  and 
her  first  husband  an  attorney. 


EAPT.  MILTON  PETTIBONE,  of  Lawrence, 
was  born  near  Pembroke,  Genesee  County, 
N.  Y.,  January  15,  1822,  a  descendant 
of  a  prominent  English  famil}-  and  a  relative  of 
Roswell  Pettibone,  for  whom  Roswell  P.  Flower 
was  named.  His  father,  John  R.,  and  grand- 
father, Roger  Pettibone,  natives  of  Vermont, 
served  respectively  in  the  first  and  second  wars 
with  England,  the  father  being  a  commissioned 
officer.  By  occupation  he  was  a  carpenter  and 
builder  and  also  a  farmer.  In  1829  he  settled  at 
Ypsilanti,  Mich.,  where  he  engaged  in  contract- 
ing. In  1836  the  Huron  River  was  swollen  by  a 
spring  freshet  and  was  about  one-half  mile  wide. 
One  day,  with  three  companions,  he  crossed  in  a 
boat  to  get  .some  tools.  When  making  the  return 
trip  he  was  drowned  while  endeavoring  to  save 
a  woman's  life.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Susanna  Hovey,  was  born  in  Vermont 
and  died  in  Michigan.  They  were  the  parents 
of  twelve  children,  nine  of  whom  grew  to  matur- 
ity, but  Milton  alone  survives.  He  was  reared 
in  Michigan  and,  being  fourteen  years  of  age 
when  his  father  died,  from  that  time  he  assisted 
in  caring  for  his  mother  until  she  died  eight 
years  later.  He  was  employed  at  the  cooper's 
trade  until  185S,  when  he  came  west  to  assist  in 
making  a  free  state  of  Kansas.  His  brother 
John  had  come  in  1856,  and  at  the  same  time  he 
had  determined  to  come  as  soon  as  arrangements 
could  be  made.  Settling  at  Wellsville,  Franklin 
County,  he  cleared  and  improved  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  our  subject 
volunteered  in  Company  D,  Second  Missouri 
State  Militia,  which  was  composed  of  seven  com- 
panies from  Kansas  that  went  into  Missouri  to 
fight    bushwhackers    and    guard    Kansas   from 


2.S6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


guerillas.  While  at  Independence  with  onlj-  a 
few  men  he  was  attacked  at  night  b}'  a  very 
large  force,  and  was  wounded,  taken  prisoner, 
but  soon  paroled  and  mustered  out  at  Kansas 
City  two  weeks  later,  after  a  service  of  seven 
months.  Next  he  was  commissioned  captain  of 
Company  E,  Tenth  Kansas  Militia,  by  Governor 
Carnej',  and  at  the  time  of  the  Price  raid  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Westport  and  aided  in  driv- 
ing the  Confederates  out  of  Kansas. 

After  the  war  Captain  Pettibone  resumed 
farming.  In  1873  he  settled  in  Lawrence.  For 
two  years  he  owned  a  farm  on  Mud  Creek,  but 
traded  it  for  city  propert}-,  and  improved  a  place 
at  No.  472  Lincoln  street.  His  first  vote  was 
for  Whig  candidates.  From  the  organization  of 
the  Republican  party  he  was  identified  with  it. 
He  is  a  member  of  Washington  Post  No.  12, 
G.  A.  R.  For  manj'  years  he  has  been  chairman  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Pilgrim  Congrega- 
tional Church. 

In  Michigan,  Captain  Pettibone  married  Al- 
mira  E.  Putnam,  who  was  born  in  New  York 
and  died  in  Michigan;  both  of  her  children  are 
also  deceased.  The  second  marriage  of  the  cap- 
tain took  place  in  Washtenaw  County,  Mich., 
and  united  him  with  Mrs.  Eleanor  (Vought) 
Bacon,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  the  widow  of 
Hiram  A.  Bacon,  who  was  a  farmer  in  Michi- 
gan. By  her  first  marriage  she  had  two  sons. 
One  died  in' childhood;  the  other,  Philip  G.  V. 
Bacon,  is  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in 
Texas.  Her  marriage  to  Captain  Pettibone  re- 
sulted in  the  birth  of  three  children,  namely: 
Ahuira  Eliza,  who  is  married  and  lives  in  North 
Lawrence;  Mrs.  Nellie  Wilkins,  of  Portland, 
Ore. :  and  Charles,  in  North  Lawrence.  Mrs. 
Pettibone  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  twelve 
children  of  Philip  G.  and  Leah  (Manning) 
Vought,  natives  respectively  of  New  York  and 
New  Jersey.  Her  grandfather,  Capt.  John 
Vought,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  an  ofiicer 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  settled  in  Schenec- 
tady, N.  Y.  Philip  G.  Vought  settled  in  Wash- 
tenaw County,  Mich.,  in  1834,  and  afterward 
carried  on  farming  there.  He  married  a  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Manning,  a  farmer  of  New  Jersey. 


Enterprises  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  Law- 
rence always  receive  the  S5mpathy  and  co-oper- 
ation of  Captain  Pettibone.  For  two  terms  he 
served  as  a  police  officer  of  the  sixth  ward,  and 
for  one  term  represented  the  sixth  ward  in  the 
city  council.  During  his  residence  in  Franklin 
County  he  held  the  office  of  county  commissioner 
for  one  term,  also  served  on  the  school  board 
during  the  entire  period  of  his  residence  in  that 
county  and  aided  in  building  the  first  school 
there.  For  some  time  he  held  office  as  justice  of 
the  peace,  resigning  when  he  removed  from  the 
county. 

HON.  JOSEPH  J.  COX  came  to  Kansas  in 
1869  with  his  parents  and  settled  on  a  farm 
in  the  eastern  part  of  Wakarusa  Township, 
Douglas  County.  This  property  he  operated  for 
a  time  and  also  bought  and  cultivated  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  the  homestead. 
For  eight  years  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  of  which  he  was  president  and 
treasurer.  In  the  fall  of  1884  he  was  the  Repub- 
lican nominee  as  representative  of  the  thirteenth 
district  in  the  legislature  and  was  elected  by  a 
fair  majority.  Two  years  later  hewas  elected  by 
twice  as  large  a  majority  as  he  had  received  be- 
fore. In  the  session  of  1885  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  various  committees.  In  the  session  of 
1887  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  state 
affairs  and  a  member  of  three  other  committees. 
With  his  colleague  he  secured  the  passage  of  a 
bill  appropriating  nearly  f  400, 000  for  the  Quan- 
trell  sufferers.  During  the  extra  session  of  1886, 
at  the  time  of  the  redistricting  of  the  state,  he 
served  on  the  legislative  apportionment  com- 
mittee. He  supported  John  J.  Ingalls  for  the 
United  States  senate  in  1885.  After  the  session 
of  1887  he  settled  in  Lawrence.  He  was  given 
the  contract  to  build  the  north  and  south  wings 
of  the  state  capitol,  at  a  cost  of  $500,000;  also  a 
second  contract  for  the  roofing  of  the  capitol  and 
the  building  of  the  dome,  at  a  cost  of  over  $250,- 
000.  The  completion  of  both  contracts  took  his 
entire  time  from  1887  to  1893,  and  he  has  since 
engaged  in  general  contracting.  He  has  had  the 
contract  for    some    of   the    business    blocks    in 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


257 


Topeka,  the  new  Fort  Bliss  at  El  Paso,  Tex.,  a 
detached  ward  in  the  Osawatomie  insane  asyhini, 
the  Santa  Fe  hospital  at  Topeka,  a  large  pump- 
ing .=;tation  in  Topeka,  several  bridges  acro.ss  the 
Kaw  River,  a  number  of  buildings  at  the  Haskell 
Institute,  the  Br3-ding  &  Lansing  Railroad, 
some  work  at  the  Universit)'  of  Kansas,  and 
numerous  residences  in  Topeka  and  Lawrence. 
Without  doubt  he  is  one  of  the  most  successful 
contractors  in  the  state. 

Mr.  Cox  was  born  in  Seymour,  Jackson 
County,  Ind.,  October  9,  1853,  a  son  of  Richard 
A.  and  Margaret  (Cosand)  Cox.  His  father, 
who  was  born  near  Goldsboro,  N.  C. ,  April  4, 
1820,  was  a  son  of  Isaac,  and  grandson  of  Rich- 
ard Cox,  whose  ancestors,  from  England,  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers  of  North  Carolina. 
Richard  Cox  removed  from  that  state  to  Illinois 
about  1824  and  died  there.  At  the  time  of  his 
removal  his  son,  Isaac,  also  came  north,  wishing 
to  free  himself  from  the  influences  of  slavery. 
He  settled  in  the  midst  of  the  woods  in  Indiana, 
where  he  cleared  a  farm.  He  was  a  leader  in  the 
Society  of  Friends.  Politically  he  adhered  to 
Whig  principles  until  the  organization  of  the 
Republican  party,  which  he  then  joined.  He 
died  in  1862,  at  the  age  of  about  si.xty-two  years. 
He  married  Milicent  Parker,  who  was  born  near 
Goldsboro,  N.  C,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Parker, 
who  was  of  English  descent;  he  moved  to  Indiana 
prior  to  1824  and  afterward  engaged  in  farming 
and  also  was  a  minister  in  the  Friends'  Society. 
He  died  when  seventy-five  years  of  age. 

Richard  A.  Cox  was  the  third  among  ten  chil- 
dren. Of  his  brothers,  Benjamin  came  to 
Kansas  and  was  a  prosperous  farmer  here,  but 
later  removed  to  Tulare,  Cal.  He  himself  re- 
moved from  Bartholomew  County,  Ind.,  to  Jack- 
son County,  the  same  state,  and  from  there,  in 
1869,  settled  in  Douglas  County,  Kans.,  buying  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  acres.  In 
1890  he  retired  from  business  cares  and  has  since 
made  his  home  in  Lawrence.  He  was  among  the 
first  Quakers  to  settle  in  Douglas  County  and  is 
identified  with  that  society  in  Lawrence.  In 
Washington  County,  Ind.,  he  married  a  daughter 
of  Benjamin  Cosand,  who  was  born,  reared  and 


married  in  North  Carolina,  and  was  a  pioneer  in 
Washington  County,  Ind.,  where  he  was  a 
prominent  worker  in  the  Friends'  Society.  The 
Cosand  family  is  of  English  descent.  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet Cox  was  born  in  Pasquotank  County, 
N.  C,  and  died  in  Douglas  Count3%  Kans.,  in 
1879,  aged  sixty-two.  Of  her  five  children  three 
sons  are  living.  Charles  resides  on  a  farm  in 
Douglas  County  and  Albert  L.  lives  in  Lawrence. 
In  Lawrence,  November  25,  1872,  Mr.  Cox 
married  Miss  Belle  T.  Trueblood,  who  was  born 
in  Salem,  Ind.,  a  daughter  of  William  N.  and 
Isabelle  (Albertson)  Trueblood,  natives  of  North 
Carolina.  Her  father,  who  was  of  English  de- 
scent, was  a  farmer  and  extensive  miller,  and 
took  a  leading  part  in  the  work  of  the  Society  of 
Friends.  His  wife,  who  was  also  a  member  of 
an  English  Quaker  family,  was  the  daughter  of  a 
phj'sician  who  moved  from  North  Carolina  to 
Indiana.  The  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cox 
is  Flora  Margaret,  a  graduate  of  the  high  school 
and  a  student  in  the  University  of  Kansas.  The 
family  are  identified  with  the  Society  of  Friends. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Cox  is  connected  with  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  Acacia 
Lodge  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Lawrence  Chap- 
ter No.  4,  R.  A.  M.;  DeMolay  Commandery  No. 
4,  K.  T.,  and  Abdallah  Temple,  N.  M.  S., 
at  Leavenworth. 


pCjlLLIAM  R.  CARTER  came  to  Kansas  in 
\  A  /  March,  1870,  and  after  a  short  time  in 
YV  Topeka,  in  June  of  the  same  year  settled 
in  Lawrence.  Here,  for  many  years,  he  was 
foreman  for  O.  P.  Smith,  a  large  contractor,  who 
erected  a  number  of  buildings  for  the  state,  also 
built  Washburn  and  Bethany  colleges  at  Topeka. 
In  1883  he  began  contracting  and  building, 
which  he  has  since  followed,  and,  in  addition,  he 
has  drawn  plans  and  specifications  for  buildings. 
He  had  charge  of  the  carpentering  in  the  first 
buildings  erected  at  Haskell  Institute,  built  the 
Merchants'  Bank,  Chancellor  Snow's  residence, 
depots  for  the  .Santa  Fe  road  along  the  line  in 
Kansas,  the  Hiawatha  National  Bank,  Hiawatha 
Academy,  the  academy  at  Oswego,  Kans.,  and 
numerous  residences  and  business  houses. 


258 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


The  Carter  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Sussex 
Count)',  England,  where  successive  generations 
have  lived  as  far  back  as  the  record  can  be  traced. 
Thomas  Carter,  who  was  a  brickla3-er  and  con- 
tractor, was  the  first  of  the  name  to  settle  in 
America.  He  crossed  the  ocean  in  1850,  and 
established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Grant  Count)-, 
Wis.  His  son,  Richard,  who  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, was  a  clerk  at  Brighton,  Sussex  Count)-, 
for  some  years.  He  did  not  accompany  his  father 
to  America,  but  remained  at  Brighton,  and  there 
he  died  at  seventy-six  years.  He  married  Sarah 
Beeching,  who  was  born  at  Cowfold,  Sussex 
County,  a  daughter  of  William  Beeching.  She 
died  in  1851,  leaving  two  children,  but  the 
daughter,  Elizabeth,  died  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years.  The  son,  who  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  Brighton  January  30,  1845. 
He  was  six  years  old  when  he  lost  his  mother. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  the  Brighton 
schools  and  St.  John's  College  at  Hurstpier 
Point.  Afterward  he  was  apprenticed  to  an 
architect  and  builder,  and  served  for  four  years, 
later  following  his  trade  in  his  native  land  for 
five  years. 

In  1869  Mr.  Carter  came  to  America.  For  a 
year  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  Lancaster,  Grant 
County,  Wis.  From  there  he  came  to  Kansas, 
and  has  since  built  up  a  large  business  in  con- 
tracting. The  accuracy  of  his  work  and  his  close 
attention  to  every  detail  has  made  him  prominent 
as  a  contractor,  and  has  won  for  him  the  confi- 
dence of  the  people.  Politically  a  Democrat,  his 
attention  is  given  closely  to  his  business  affairs, 
and  he  has  therefore  never  identified  himself  with 
politics,  nor  has  he  sought  office  of  any  kind.  He 
is  a  charter  member  of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Asso- 
ciation, and  belongs  to  Lawrence  Lodge  No.  6, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Lodge  No.  4,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
in  which  he  has  been  a  trustee  for  many  years. 
In  his  native  land  he  became  identified  with  the 
Church  of  England,  and  still  adheres  to  that 
faith,  being  now  identified  with  the  Episcopal 
Church  of  Lawrence,  and  for  years  a  member  of 
its  board  of  vestry. 

In  Lancaster,  Wis.,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
Mr.   Carter  to   Miss  Alice  E.   Carter,  who  was 


born  in  England,  and  accompanied  her  parents 
to  Wisconsin  in  girlhood.  Of  their  union  six 
children  were  born.  The  eldest,  Richard  W., 
graduated  in  civil  engineering  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Kansas  in  1894,  and  is  now  engaged  in 
his  chosen  profession  at  Trenton,  N.  J.  The 
other  children  are  Bessie,  Edwin,  Alfred,  Anna 
and  Frances. 


EURDON  GROVENOR,  a  resident  of  Law- 
rence since  1S57,  and,  in  point  of  years  of 
business  activity,  the  oldest  lumber  dealer 
in  Kansas,  traces  his  ancestry  to  the  Grosvenor 
family,  who  crossed  the  channel  with  William 
the  Conqueror  and  were  given  Cheshire  County. 
The  founder  of  the  family  in  England  was  Gilbert 
Le  Grosvenor,  a  Norman  nobleman  and  a 
nephew  of  the  noted  Norman  conqueror.  The 
name  meaus  "the  great  hunter."  After  1066 
the  family  was  prominent  in  the  wars  of  England 
and  a  number  of  the  name  joined  the  ranks  of 
the  Crusaders  who  marched  to  the  Holy  Land. 
From  the  same  ancestor  descended  the  Earl  of 
Westminster.  In  1685  John  Grosvenor  came 
from  Cheshire  County  to  America  and  settled  in 
Roxbury,  Mass.,  where  he  died  in  1691.  The 
family  coat-of-arms  may  still  be  seen  on  the  stone 
that  marks  his  resting  place.  His  son,  Ebenezer, 
and  grandson,  Caleb,  made  their  home  at  Pom- 
fret,  Conn.,  in  which  town  the  great-grandson, 
Moses,  was  born  and  spent  his  entire  life.  Next 
in  line  of  descent  was  Willard,  who  was  born  in 
Pomfret,  became  a  farmer  in  Suffield,  and  later 
settled  at  West  Springfield,  Mass.,  where  he 
died.  Willard's  son,  Gurdon  (our  subject's 
father),  was  born  in  Suffield,  where  he  followed 
farming  and  the  transfer  business.  He  died  at 
forty-one  years.  His  wife,  Maria,  a  native  of 
Suffield,  was  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Seth  Phelps, 
who  served  in  the  Indian  wars  in  Ohio  shortly 
after  the  Revolution  and  also,  under  General 
Scott,  was  a  captain  in  the  war  of  18 12.  His  en- 
tire life,  with  the  exception  of  the  period  of  his 
military  service,  was  spent  in  Suffield,  where  he 
died.  His  father,  Aaron,  who  was  born  in 
the  same  town,  was  a  son  of  Timothy  Phelps,  a 
native    of    Northampton,   Mass.,   whose    father. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


259 


Nathaniel,  born  in  Windsor,  Conn.,  was  a  son  of 
Nathaniel,  Sr.,  a  native  of  England.  The  latter 
was  a  son  of  William  Phelps,  who  was  born  in 
Tewksbury,  England,  in  1599,  and  in  1630 
brought  his  famib-  to  America,  settling  in  Massa- 
chusetts, but  soon  moving  to  Windsor,  Conn. 
His  father,  William,  Sr.,  lived  and  died  in 
Tewksbur}^  and  was  a  son  of  James  Phelps,  born 
in  that  place  in  1520.  Capt.  Seth  Phelps  married 
Phoebe,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Hastings,  and 
granddaughter  of  Rev.  Joseph  Hastings,  who 
were  among  the  pioneer  Baptist  clerg}'men  in 
Suffield,  Conn.,  and  were  very  active  in  building 
up  that  denomination  in  their  locality.  Mrs. 
Maria  Grovenor  died  in  Connecticut  at  fifty  years 
of  age.  She  had  one  son  by  her  marriage  with 
Mr.  Grovenor,  Gurdon,  who  forms  the  subject 
of  this  article.  Maria  Grovenor  afterward  mar- 
ried Warren  Lewis,  by  whom  she  had  two 
children,  John  and  Mary  Lewis.  Gurdon  was  born 
in  Suffield,  Conn.,  September  13,  1830,  and  was 
reared  on  a  farm.  After  completing  his  education 
he  taught  school  for  five  years.  In  October,  1857, 
he  came  to  Lawrence,  via  the  Missouri  River  to 
Wyandotte,  and  thence  to  Lawrence.  He  started 
a  grocery,  which  he  conducted  until  1863.  Mean- 
time, in  1859,  he  embarked  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, and  after  selling  his  grocery  he  gave  his 
entire  attention  to  his  lumber  trade,  having  a 
large  yard  on  Massachusetts  and  Warren  streets. 
During  the  Quandrell  raid,  in  common  with  all 
the  business  men  of  the  city,  he  suffered  heavy 
losses,  his  residence  being  burned  to  the  ground, 
but,  in  some  miraculous  way,  his  store,  which 
was  set  on  fire,  was  saved  from  destruction.  In 
1866  he  located  his  yard  at  Massachusetts  and 
Berkeley  streets,  where  it  has  since  remained. 
He  assisted  in  organizing  the  Merchants'  Na- 
tional Bank,  in  which  he  has  since  been  a  di- 
rector. In  May,  1899,  on  account  of  the  failing 
health  of  Mr.  Grovenor  and  his  son,  he  sold  his 
entire  lumber  business  to  Funnell  &  Co.  of 
Topeka. 

In  Suffield,  Conn.,  Mr.  Grovenor  married 
Ellen  M.  Crane,  who  was  born  in  Washington, 
Ma.ss.,  and  died  in  Lawrence,  Kans.     They  had 


three  children,  Charles  P.,  John  C.  and  Fanny 
M.,  only  one  of  whom  is  living,  Charles  P.,  who 
was  interested  in  business  with  his  father.  The 
second  marriage  of  Mr.  Grovenor  took  place  in 
Monson,  Mass.,  and  united  him  with  Miss  L. 
Maria  Bliss,  who  was  born  in  Wilbraham,  Mass., 
and  is  a  member  of  an  old  family  of  the  state, 
For  more  than  twenty-five  years  our  subject  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  in  which 
he  has  been  deacon  for  many  years,  has  served 
as  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees,  was  a 
member  of  the  building  committee,  and  has  also 
for  years  been  a  trustee  of  the  Baptist  state  con- 
vention, of  which  he  has  twice  been  chosen 
president.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
he  has  been  a  trustee  of  Ottawa  University,  and 
has  several  times  been  president  of  the  board, 
of  which  he  was  the  oldest  member  until  his  res- 
ignation in  June,  1899. 

The  first  presidential  ballot  cast  by  Mr.  Grove- 
nor was  in  favor  of  Winfield  Scott.  Since  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party  he  has  sus- 
tained its  principles  by  his  vote.  Several  times 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  city  council,  once 
held  office  as  county  commissioner,  and  for  three 
terms  (1865,  1870  and  1871)  was  mayor  of  the 
city.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  and  was  interested  in  the  erection  of 
Central  building,  the  first  schoolhouse  built  in 
the  city. 

0SGOOD  A.  COLMAN,  who  is  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Douglas  County, 
began  farming  in  Kanwaka  Township  in 
1871.  Seven  years  later  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent farm  in  the  same  township,  where  he  has 
since  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing. He  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  land,  all  improved  and  under  cultivation. 
Notwithstanding  the  limited  advantages  he  had 
in  his  youth  he  has  become  one  of  the  well-to-do 
farmers  of  his  locality,  and  has  proved  himself  a 
useful  and  honorable  citizen.  A  Republican  in 
politics,  he  has  been  a  leader  in  local  matters, 
but  has  never  sought  office  for  himself,  several 
times  refusing  nominations  offered  him.     How- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ever,  he  has  consented  to  serve  as  school  director, 
which  office  he  has  filled  since  1889  in  district 
No.  15. 

Our  subject's  father,  E.  A.  Colman,  was  born 
in  Ashby,  Mass.,  and  in  early  manhood  moved 
to  Boston,  where  he  learned  and  afterward  fol- 
lowed the  paper  manufacturing  business.  He 
was  successful  and  furnished  employment  to  sev- 
eral men.  In  1854  he  sold  out  and  moved  to 
Douglas  County,  Kans. ,  settling  in  Lawrence. 
On  Christmas  day  of  that  year  he  took  up  a 
quarter-section  of  land,  on  which  he  made  some 
improvements  and  remained  for  two  j'ears.  In 
1856  he  sold  the  place  and  opened  in  Lawrence  a 
general  store,  which  he  carried  on  for  one  and 
one-half  3-ears.  Upon  selling  the  store,  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Kanwaka  Township,  and  there 
remained  until  1894,  when  he  disposed  of  the 
property  and  went  to  California.  There  he  died 
in  1898,  at  eighty-four  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
man  of  intelligence  and  kept  posted  concerning 
public  affairs.  In  politics  he  was  stanchly  Re- 
publican. For  several  years  he  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  several  times  was  a  delegate  to 
county  and  state  conventions.  During  the  Civil, 
war  he  served  as  lieutenant  of  the  first  colored 
regiment  organized  in  Kansas,  and  was  commonly 
known  b}-  the  title  of  captain.  His  ancestors 
were  early  settlers  of  Massachusetts,  and  one  of 
them  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  By 
his  marriage  to  Mary  J.  Wendell,  a  native  of 
Marblehead,  Mass.,  he  had  fourteen  children, 
but  the  only  survivors  are:  C.  T.;  Osgood  A. ; 
Mary,  Mrs.  J.  R.  Topping,  of  Kanwaka  Town- 
ship; and  William  A.,  also  of  this  township.  Of 
those  deceased,  Charles  Jack.son  Colman  enlisted 
in  May,  1861,  as  a  private,  and  was  advanced  to 
a  first  lieutenancy  in  the  fall  of  1862.  He  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Poison  Springs,  April  14, 
1864,  while  commanding  a  companj-  of  the  First 
Kansas  colored  troops. 

Born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1850,  our  subject 
was  four  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  west 
to  Kansas.  He  had  only  such  advantages  as  the 
early  schools  of  Douglas  County  afforded.  For 
a  time  he  clerked  in  a  store  owned  by  George 
Ford,  in  Lawrence,  after  which  he  turned  his  at- 


tention to  his  present  occupation— agriculture. 
In  1875  he  married  Miss  Flora  R.  Richardson, 
who  was  the  first  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Kansas,  and  who.se  daughter  is  the  first  gradu- 
ate's child  who  will  have  completed  the  university 
course.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colman 
are:  Alice,  Nellie,  Minnie,  Fred,  Clara,  Asa  and 
Ralph. 

GILBERT  GRIFFIN.  In  the  .spring  of  1878 
LA  Mr.  Griffin  rented  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
/  I  and  sixty  acres  in  Eudora  Township,  Doug- 
las County.  Three  years  later  he  bought  the 
property,  to  which  he  has  since  added  by  the 
purchase  of  an  eighty-acre  tract.  Giving  his  at- 
tention closely  to  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  he  has  met  with  gratifying  success, 
which  is  especially  praiseworthy  when  it  is  noted 
that,  at  the  time  of  coming  to  his  present  place, 
he  had  nothing  but  one  team  and  a  few  head  of 
stock.  He  was  the  first  charter  member  of  the 
Farmers'  Alliance,  in  the  organization  of  which 
he  took  a  very  active  part,  and  afterward  he 
served  as  vice-president  and  then  as  president  of 
the  society  for  several  years.  For  four  terms  he 
was  treasurer  of  school  district  No.  44  and  was 
the  first  to  agitate  the  question  of  erecting  a  school 
building  in  the  district.  The  People's  party  re- 
ceives his  support  and  he  always  advocates  its 
principles  by  his  influence  and  his  vote. 

In  Niagara  County,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Griffin  was 
born  January  31,  1844,  a  son  of  James  and  Jane 
(Brazee)  Griffin,  natives  of  the  same  locality. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  William  Griffin,  carried 
on  a  cooper  factory  and  an  extensive  milling  busi- 
ness. James  Griffin  was  a  farmer  during  much 
of  his  life,  but  did  not  confine  his  energies  to 
that  occupation.  He  was  also  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  in  Niagara  County.  He  was 
active  iu  the  local  ranks  of  the  Democratic  party. 
In  1867  he  removed  from  his  native  place  to  Polo, 
Ogle  County,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
until  his  death,  in  1873,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven 
years.  His  wife  had  died  it  New  York  ten  years 
prior  to  his  demise.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living,  namely: 
Ann,    wife  of   H.    M.   Carter;  Eliza  Jane,   who 


/^^ff//    /////  //// 


i 


r  / 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


263 


married  William  Newell:  Sarah,  Mrs.  William 
Lower}' ;  Carrie,  wife  of  Samuel  Debolt;  and  Al- 
bert. 

Until  twenty-one  years  of  age  our  subject  re- 
mained with  his  father,  meantime  obtaining  his 
education  in  common  schools  and  in  the  academy' 
at  Gasport,  Niagara  County.  In  1865  he  went 
to  Michigan,  where  he  followed  photography  for 
a  year.  In  1866  he  settled  in  Polo,  111.,  where 
the  following  four  years  were  spent  in  farming. 
In  1870  he  came,  overland,  to  Kansas,  and  set- 
tled in  Lawrence,  where  he  engaged  in  teaming 
for  four  years.  In  1874  he  rented  a  farm  on 
Wakarusa  Creek,  and  two  years  later  purchased 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  at  Bellevue  Corner, 
remaining  there  until  he  moved  to  his  present 
property  in  the  spring  of  1S78. 

November  24,  1869,  Mr.  Griffin  married  Jean- 
nette  Lawson,  of  Polo,  Ogle  County,  111.  She 
died  in  1886,  leaving  three  children,  namely: 
Mary,  wife  of  S.  F.  McGleget;  Charles  and 
Eugene.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Griffin 
united  him  with  Miss  Emma  Lawson,  a  sister  of 
his  first  wife,  a  ladj-  of  estimable  character,  who 
shares  with  him  the  regard  of  acquaintances. 


ATTHEW  RYAN,  JR.  For  years  closely 
associated  with  the  business  interests  of 
Leavenworth,  Mr.  Ryan  is  remembered  as 
one  of  the  most  capable  and  successful  business 
men  this  city  has  ever  had.  Although  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  only  in  the  prime  of  his 
mental  and  ph}'sical  vigor,  he  had  already  gained 
a  success  not  always  enjoyed  by  men  whose  lives 
are  prolonged  to  three  score  and  ten  years.  In 
his  character  were  combined  qualities  which 
almost  invariably  bring  their  possessor  prosperi- 
ty— wise  judgment,  energy',  determination  and 
keen  foresight.  These  qualities,  however,  depict 
only  one  side  of  his  nature.  In  disposition  he  was 
large-hearted  and  sympathetic,  helpful  to  those 
less  fortunate,  and  genial  and  companionable. 
His  partner,  George  C.  Richardson,  described 
him  as  a  very  magnanimous  man,  and  certainly 
this  quality  of  magnanimity  was  one  of  his  most 
striking  characteristics. 


The  history  of  the  Ryan  family  appears  in  Ihe 
sketch  of  Matthew  Ryaii,  Sr. ,  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  It  was  in  1857  that  the  fam- 
ily became  established  among  the  pioneers  of 
Leavenworth,  and  from  that  day  to  this  its  mem- 
bers have  been  prominent  in  business  and  in  pub- 
lic life.  Matthew,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  November  13,  1851.  When  he  was  a  boy 
of  fourteen  he  began  to  assist  his  father  and  soon 
was  given  full  charge  of  the  cattle  business.  In 
partnership  with  George  C.  Richardson  he  es- 
tablished the  largest  cold  storage  plant  in  Leaven- 
worth, this  being  located  at  No.  519  Cherokee 
street.  He  also  became  identified  with  other 
local  industries.  As  a  director  in  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  he  was  associated  with  one  of  the 
foremost  financial  institutions  in  the  west.  He 
was  president  of  the  Leavenworth  Coal  Company 
and  the  Ryan  Brothers  Cattle  Company  for  years, 
and  until  his  death.  His  time  was  so  closely 
given  to  his  varied  business  interests  that  he  had 
no  leisure,  even  had  he  the  inclination,  to  engage 
in  public  affairs,  and,  aside  from  voting  the  Dem- 
ocratic ticket,  he  took  no  part  in  politics. 

In  Leavenworth  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
R3'an  to  Miss  Dacotah  Skinner,  who  was  born  in 
Prairie  du  Chien,  Wis.,  a  daughter  of  Archibald 
and  Anna  E.  (Swinehart)  Skinner,  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  Morris  Skinner,  a  farmer  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Her  father  was  born  in  western  Penn- 
sylvania and  became  a  pioneer  of  Prairie  du 
Chien,  and  later  of  Kansas.  In  1864  he  settled 
in  Lawrence,  Kans.,  where  he  engaged  in  ihe 
hotel  business  and  also  had  charge  of  his  farm 
near  the  town.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two.  He  was  of  remote  Scotch  descent,  and 
traced  his  ancestry  to  Revolutionary  soldiers. 
His  widow  is  still  living  and  makes  her  home 
with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Ryan,  besides  whom 
she  has  two  children,  P.  N.,  of  Portland,  Ore.; 
and  Mrs.  S.  M.  Kelsey,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 
Mrs.  Ryan  was  reared  and  educated  in  Lawrence 
and  received  her  education  in  the  university  there 
and  in  St.  Mary's  Convent  at  Leavenworth.  She 
is  the  mother  of  four  children,  namely:  Grace, 
wife  of  Eugene  Burr,  of  Leavenworth;  Mary  L. , 
who  is  attending  a  seminary  in  Chicago;  Clarence 


264 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


R.   and  Anna  Florence.     Mrs.  Rjan  is  actively 
identified  with  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

While  in  the  midst  of  his  business  activities, 
when  fortune  had  rewarded  his  efforts  and  domes- 
tic happiness  and  warm  friendships  blessed  his 
life,  Mr.  Ryan  was  suddenly  called  from  earth. 
When  riding,  November  29,  1897,  his  horse 
.stumbled  and  threw  him,  injuring  him  in  such  a 
way  as  to  cause  death.  This  sudden  catastrophe 
was  mourned  as  a  heavy  loss  to  the  citizenship 
and  business  circles  of  Leavenworth,  and  the 
sympathies  of  a  host  of  warm  personal  friends 
were  extended  to  the  family,  thus  suddenly  be- 
reaved of  husband  and  father. 


(Tames  gray,  clerk  of  the  first  judicial  dis- 
I  trict  of  Kansas,  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
O  citizens  of  Leavenworth,  and  also  one  of  its 
leading  politicians.  While  he  was  born  near 
Woodstock,  Canada,  his  life  has  been  almost 
wholly  passed  in  Leavenworth  County,  where  his 
parents  settled  in  his  very  early  childhood.  His 
father  and  grandfather,  both  of  whom  were  named 
Andrew  Gra}',  were  natives  of  Kilmarnock,  a 
town  twelve  miles  from  Ayr,  in  Ayrshire,  Scot- 
land, and  both  came  to  America,  settling  in  Can- 
ada. The  former,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  Kansas,  and  in  1858  settled 
in  Kickapoo  Township,  Leavenworth  County. 
After  a  time  he  removed  to  the  James  Stone 
farm,  three  miles  south  of  Leavenworth.  In 
1869  he  purchased  property  on  the  Delaware  res- 
ervation in  Stranger  Township,  and  here  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  He  is  now  (1899)  sixty- 
seven  years  of  age.  He  has  always  been  a  stanch 
patriot,  devoted  to  the  Union,  and  during  the 
Civil  war  he  joined  the  army  that  defended  the 
state  in  the  Price  raid.  By  his  marriage  to  Mar- 
garet Robertson,  who  was  born  in  Scotland,  he 
had  seven  children.  Five  are  still  living,  viz. : 
Matthew  G.,  who  lives  in  Stranger  Township; 
William,  who  lives  near  Woodstock,  Canada; 
James;  Alexander,  a  stock-dealer  and  merchant 
at  Ordway,  Colo.;  and  Mrs.  James  P.  Dillon, 
who  occupies  the  old  homestead  in  Stranger 
Township. 


James  Gray  was  two  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Kan.sas,  and  he  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Leavenworth  Count}-,  meantime  attend- 
ind  district  schools  in  High  Prairie  and  Stranger 
Townships,  and,  in  1879,  graduating  from  Skill- 
man's  Commercial  College.  During  the  time  of 
the  great  Leadville  boom  he  went  to  that  city, 
and  for  two  years  engaged  in  prospecting  in  Col- 
orado. After  his  marriage  he  went  to  Wichita, 
Kans.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business, 
remaining  for  two  years.  His  connection  with 
politics  dates  from  1888.  During  that  year  he 
was  appointed  under-sheriff,  a  position  that  he 
filled  for  a  period  of  four  years.  From  S.  F. 
Neeley  he  received  an  appointment  as  traveling 
deputy  United  States  marshal,  with  headquarters 
in  Leavenworth.  During  his  term  of  service  in 
this  office  he  participated  in  settling  the  Coxey 
strikes  and  the  railroad  strikes  on  the  Santa  Fe. 
While  holding  the  position,  in  1895,  he  was  nom- 
inated for  citj-  clerk  and  was  the  only  candidate 
on  the  Democratic  ticket  who  was  elected.  He 
served  for  two  years,  and  during  his  last  year  in 
office  he  was  nominated  for  district  clerk  and  was 
elected  by  a  fair  majority.  January  11,  1897,  he 
took  the  oath  of  office  as  district  clerk,  and  the 
following  year  was  re-elected  by  a  good  majority, 
to  serve  until  January,  1901.  He  is  one  of  the 
leading  Democrats  of  the  county,  and  has  wielded 
a  large  influence  in  the  ranks  of  his  part}-.  March 
2,  1881,  he  married  Miss  Gretta  Hazlewood,  who 
was  born  in  St.  Clairsville,  Ohio,  and  died  in 
Leavenw-orth,  November  5,  1897,  leaving  one 
son,  Malcolm  Melville. 


(lOSEPH  B.  CUNNINGHAM.  A  position 
I  among  the  leading  farmers  of  Douglas  Coun- 
Q)  ty  is  held  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who 
for  years  has  owned  and  occupied  a  valuable 
farm  in  Lecompton  Township.  While  he  has 
engaged  in  general  farming  he  has  devoted  his 
attention  principally  to  the  stock  business,  his 
specialty  being  the  breeding  of  thoroughbred 
swine,  and  through  his  judicious  management  of 
affairs  he  has  become  comfortably  well  off.  A 
man    of  vigorous   constitution,    he   is   fitted  by 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


265 


nature,  as  well  as  by  inclination,  for  the  arduous 
duties  of  farm  life.  In  the  educational,  religious 
and  business  affairs  of  his  township  he  has  been 
active,  and,  being  a  man  of  sterling  integrity-, 
has  won  the  confidence  of  his  associates. 

Born  in  Tuscarawas  Count}-,  Ohio,  October  18, 
1839,  ^It"-  Cunningham  earlj-  began  to  make  his 
wa3'  in  the  world.  In  1856  he  settled  in  Johnson 
County,  Iowa,  where  he  married  and  engaged  in 
farming.  After  eight  years  in  that  state  he  came 
to  Kansas,  spending  a  short  time  in  Lawrence, 
and  thence  removing  to  Lecompton  Township. 
For  years  he  has  been  deeply  interested  in  Lane 
University,  and  at  this  writing  he  is  chairman  of 
its  executive  board,  in  which  position  he  is 
largely  responsible  for  its  management.  His 
name  appears  prominently  on  the  honorary  mem- 
bership roll  of  Zetgathean  Literary  Societ}',  the 
continued  prosperity  of  which  is  due  in  no  small 
measure  to  his  encouragement.  When  its  days 
were  less  sunny  than  now,  he  opened  his  purse 
to  tide  it  over  difficulties.  The  society  library  is 
largely  made  up  of  books  presented  by  him,  and 
it  was  principally  through  his  efforts  that  its 
spacious  hall  was  finished  and  furnished.  Each 
of  his  four  sons  was  for  years  influential  in  its 
councils. 

Of  the  children  of  Mr.  Cunningham,  F.  M.  is 
deceased.  The  others  are  as  follows:  Lester  B.,  a 
farmer  in  Wabaunsee  and  Pratt  Counties;  H.  L. , 
who  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at 
Ottawa;  F.  B.,  a  farmer  in  Douglas  County; 
MaryE.,  wife  of  William  Zellers,  a  farmer  of 
Wabaunsee  County;  and  Katie  V.,  who  is  at 
home. 


HON.  JOHN  McKEE  is  one  of  the  oldest 
settlers  of  Leavenworth,  having  come  here 
in  the  spring  of  1855.  He  was  born  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  August  31,  1827.  His  father,  Stew- 
art McKee,  came  from  Belfast,  Ireland,  to 
America  when  about  twenty-two  years  of  age, 
landing  in  New  York  and  going  from  there  to 
New  Jersey,  but  worked  his  way  we.st  until  he 
reached  St.  Louis,  where  he  followed  the  mill- 
wright's trade.  In  1834  he  removed  to  Grant 
County,  Wis.,   and  built  a   mill   there.      Politic- 


ally he  was  a  Democrat.  By  his  marriage  to 
Miss  Fine,  of  St.  Louis,  he  had  seven  sons,  of 
whom  two  are  now  living,  John  and  Henry  E. 
The  boys  were  reared  on  the  farm  and  worked  in 
the  mill  and  lead  mines  in  the  vicinity.  They 
were  educated  at  St.  Louis  University. 

In  1852  the  subject  of  this  sketch  returned  to 
St.  Louis,  and  in  the  spring  of  1855  came  to 
Leavenworth,  and  with  his  brother  Henry  en- 
gaged in  surveying  and  civil  engineering.  In  the 
fall  of  1857  he  was  appointed  city  treasurer  of 
Leavenworth,  and  the  next  year  was  elected 
to  the  position,  serving  for  two  terms.  In  the 
fall  of  i860  he  was  chosen  city  marshal,  filling 
the  office  for  a  year,  after  which  he  was  deputy 
county  treasurer  for  two  years.  In  1863  he  was 
elected  sheriff,  which  office  he  filled  for  four  years, 
from  January,  1864,  to  January,  1868.  In  the 
fall  of  the  latter  year  he  was  elected  state  senator, 
and  during  his  term  introduced  the  present  reg- 
istration law  for  cities  of  the  first  class,  which 
became  a  law  at  that  session  of  the  legislature, 
and  which,  with  slight  modifications,  remains  in 
force  at  this  time.  He  is  a  Republican,  with 
which  political  party  he  has  been  identified  since 
the  commencement  of  its  existence,  having  pre- 
viously been  an  active  Jree-state  man  when  that 
was  the  vital  issue  in  Kansas  and  the  country. 

In  1868  Mr.  McKee  was  appointed  receiver  for 
Carney  &  Stevens,  and  conducted  their  business 
until  it  was  closed  out.  For  three  years  he  was 
city  treasurer  under  Mayor  Fortesque,  after 
which  he  was  postmaster  under  President  Ar- 
thur, serving  from  April,  1883,  until  the  election 
of  President  Cleveland,  and  for  six  months  after 
his  inauguration.  Later  he  was  interested  in  the 
manufacturing  business  in  Leavenworth  until  he 
retired  in  1892.  In  1858  he  built  the  residence 
at  No.  517  Chestnut  street,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home,  and  he  also  erected  in  1868  a 
business  house  on  Delaware  street  that  at  the 
time  of  its  erection  was  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
town.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Leaven- 
worth Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Leaven- 
worth Chapter  No.  2,  R.  A.  M.;  Leavenworth 
Commandery  No.  i,  K.  T.;  and  Abdallah  Tem- 
ple, N.    M.   S.     October  7,  1858,  he  married  Jo- 


266 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sepbine  E.  S.  Lewis,  of  Potosi,  Wis.  The}-  had 
teu  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancj-. 
The  others  are:  Stewart  (a  practicing  physician 
in  Leavenworth),  Syrena  (who  served  as  deputy 
city  treasurer  for  about  ten  years  continuously 
under  Mayors  Hacker,  Dodsworth,  Hook  and  Ed- 
mond),  Josephine  Eugenia,  Madge,  Rose T.,  John 
and  Lydia. 

GlUGUSTUS  H.  GRIESA,  proprietor  of  the 
LI  Kansas  home  nursery,  in  Wakarusa  Town- 
I  I  ship,  Douglas  County,  was  born  in  Biele- 
feld, Germany,  in  January,  1845,  a  son  of  Charles 
and  Henrietta  (Schall)  Griesa.  His  father,  who 
was  a  cabinet-maker,  brought  the  family  to 
America  in  1853  and  settled  in  Lima,  N.  Y., 
thence  removed  to  Naples,  and  later  to  Cohoc- 
ton,  where  he  remained  until  his  death.  Of  his 
eleven  children  one  died  in  Germany  and  one 
when  crossing  the  ocean.  Seven  are  now  living, 
three  being  in  western  New  York  and  four  in 
Kansas.  The  education  of  our  subject  was  be- 
gun in  Germany  and  completed  in  New  York. 
For  a  time  he  taught  German  in  a  select  school 
in  Naples.  He  remained  with  his  parents  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  From  1857  to  1867  he 
worked  in  a  nursery  in  Naples,  from  which  place 
he  came  to  Kan.sas,  being  the  first  of  the  family 
to  seek  a  home  in  this  state.  He  brought  with 
him  some  nursery  stock,  which  he  planted  in 
Kanwaka  Township,  four  miles  west  of  his  pres- 
ent homestead.  He  bought  forty  acres  of  slightly 
improved  land,  with  a  small  log  cabin.  Later 
one  of  his  brothers  joined  him  and  remained  in 
partnership  with  him  for  ten  years. 

In  18S0  Mr.  Griesa  purchased  property  at  the 
northwestern  limits  of  Lawrence,  to  which  he 
moved  his  nursery  and  on  which  he  has  since 
resided.  The  land  had  been  used  previously  for 
raising  corn  and  wheat.  Since  his  partnership 
with  his  brother  was  dissolved,  in  1879,  he  has 
been  alone.  In  1880  he  commenced  to  erect  the 
nursery  buildings  now  on  the  place.  His  nur- 
sery covers  over  one  hundred  acres  of  his  own 
land,  besides  what  he  leases.  Of  late  years  he 
has  made  a  specialty  of  experimenting  in  new 
fruits.     He  has  originated  the  Kansas,  Lawrence 


and  Cardinal  raspberries,  the  Mele  strawberry, 
Catalpa  umbrella  tree,  and  the  Superb  apricot. 
In  the  growth  of  the  latter  he  has  been  remark- 
ably successful.  Many  horticulturists  have  de- 
clared it  to  be  the  choicest  fruit  they  ever  tasted, 
and  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society  ten- 
dered him  a  first-class  certificate  on  it.  All  of 
the  brands  are  recognized  by  his  competitors  gen- 
erally as  being  of  the  highest  order.  The  Kansas 
raspberry  is  recognized  from  New  Mexico  to 
Minnesota  and  from  Oregon  to  Maine  as  the 
hardiest  varietj'  of  that  fruit  grown.  The  Cardi- 
nal, which  is  not  so  well  known,  is  even  hardier 
than  the  Kansas,  and,  having  passed  through  the 
extremely  hard  winter  of  1898-99  without  the 
least  injurj^,  may  be  said  to  be  able  to  stand  the 
coldest  weather.  He  cultivates  only  the  best 
varieties  of  peaches  and  apples,  discarding  all  that 
are  not  up  to  the  high  standard  he  has  established. 
While  this  plan  has  entailed  heavy  expense,  yet 
he  adheres  to  the  plan  of  maintaining,  notwith- 
standing expense,  a  high  standard  of  fruit.  He 
grows  all  kinds  of  trees  and  shrubbery  adapted 
to  this  climate.  One  of  the  finest  of  his  trees  is 
the  umbrella  catalpa,  which  he  originated,  and 
shipments  of  which  are  made  to  distant  states. 
His  sales  are  mostly  in  wholesale  lots,  through 
agencies,  selections  being  made  from  the  cata- 
logues which  he  issues  annually. 

In  1880  Mr.  Griesa  built  a  substantial  farm 
house.  In  1S92  he  remodeled  and  enlarged  the 
residence,  making  of  it  a  comfortable  home.  He 
also  has  three  tenant  houses,  occupied  by  his 
men.  He  furnishes  steady  employment  to  five 
men,  besides  which  he  hires  from  thirty  to  forty 
men  by  the  season.  To  aid  in  the  work  he  has 
six  horses  of  his  own,  and  in  the  spring  hires  a 
number  of  others.  In  addition  to  his  chosen  oc- 
cupation he  is  a  taxidermist  of  no  mean  skill, 
and  his  collection  of  mounted  birds  is  worthy  of 
study  by  all  interested  in  ornithology.  Among 
other  rare  specimens  he  has  one  eagle  measuring 
seven  and  one-half  feet  from  tip  to  tip  of  wings. 

Mr.  Griesa  was  formerly  a  Republican,  but  is 
now  a  Prohibitionist.  He  attended  the  national 
Prohibition  convention  at  Pittsburgh,  where  Mr. 
Levering  was  nominated  for  president,  but  as  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


267 


platform  adopted  by  that  convention  did  not  en- 
tirely represent  his  views,  he  gave  his  support  to 
George  Bently,  whose  platform  stood  for  woman 
siifiFrage  as  well  as  the  remonetization  of  silver. 
He  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  his  township,  in  which  he  was 
for  years  Sunday-school  superintendent,  and  is 
still  a  leading  worker.  In  July,  1869,  he  married 
Amelia,  daughter  of  Lewis  Beebee,  of  Lima, 
N.  Y.,  who  was  identified  with  the  establishment 
of  the  Lima  Seminary  as  one  of  its  founders.  In 
that  institution  the  members  of  his  family  wei^ 
educated. 

At  the  silver  wedding  anniversary  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Griesa  the  following  poem  was  read  by 
Rev.  A.  M.  Richardson: 

Once  on  a  time,  when  skies  were  bright, 
And  Cupid's  wings  were  plumed  for  flight, 
A  youth  and  maiden,  blithe  and  fair. 
Became  a  happy,  wedded  pair. 

They  made  their  home  on  Kansas  .soil 
Resolved  to  test  the  fruits  of  toil. 
An  humble  home— no  outward  sign 
Proclaimed  the  wealth  within  enshrined. 

With  patient  hearts  and  willing  hands, 
They  labored  long  on  house  and  lands. 
The  heavens  smiled,  the  earth,  caressed, 
Gave  forth  the  treasures  she  posse.ssed. 

Rare  fruits  and  flowers  and  golden  grain 
Bedecked  the  hills,  adorned  the  plain. 
The  social  board  with  plenty  spread, 
Gave  ample  proof  of  daily  bread. 

But,  strange  to  tell,  there  came  a  day 
Its  inmates  longed  to  hie  away 
To  broader  fields,  and  settle  down 
Anear  to  market  and  the  town. 

Hither  they  came— before  our  eyes. 
Behold  this  stately  mansion  rise! 
Its  pleasant  rooms,  in  bright  array, 
The  mistress'  taste  and  skill  display. 

While  trees  and  shrubs  and  fruitful  fields. 
Show  what  the  master's  labor  yields. 
A  bonnie  home!  whose  peace  and  love 
Give  foretaste  of  the  Home  above! 

How  swift  the  years  have  flown  away, 
That  bring  this  silver  wedding  day! 
We  give  you  joy — that  all  these  years — 
'Mid  sun  and  storm,  'mid  smiles  and  tears  — 


The  chain  of  love  has  stronger  grown 
Binding  each  heart  fast  to  its  own. 
No  changes  can  your  souls  divide! 
You  still  are  bridegroom  and  his  bride! 

The  echoes  of  your  marriage  bells. 

In  richer,  sweeter  music  swells. 

Than  when  in  youth's  fair  bridal  morn. 

They  chimed  the  vows  that  made  you  one! 

The  silver  threads  that  crown  your  brows, 
Like  silken  ties,  hold  fast  those  vows, 
More  sacred  still,  as  life  moves  on, 
Until  tlie  heavenly  home  is  won. 

We  wish  you  joy!  dear,  precious  friends! 
What  e'er  the  lot  our  Father  sends. 
May  coming  years  bring  peace  and  rest. 
And  all  that  makes  life  rich  and  blest. 

While  gifts  of  boundless  love  and  grace 
Find  in  your  hearts  a  larger  place. 
May  this,  your  silver  wedding's  date 
Its  golden  glory  celebrate. 

L.-iWRENCE,  July  21),  1894. 


ITDWARD  E.  MURPHY,  member  of  the 
1^  board  of  directors  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
L_  of  America  for  Kansas,  was  appointed  to 
this  position  in  July,  1899,  and  in  addition  has 
also  officiated  as  assistant  head  counsel  of  the 
order,  and  from  July,  1895,  to  July,  1899,  served 
as  state  deputy.  Under  his  supervision  the  work 
was  greatly  promoted  and  its  success  enhanced. 
He  has  traveled  over  the  entire  district,  deliver- 
ing addresses,  organizing  camps  and  forwarding 
the  work  of  the  fraternitj\  When  he  became 
state  deputy  in  1895  the  order  had  eleven  thou- 
sand members  in  Kansas;  now  there  are  more 
than  forty-three  thousand,  which  remarkable 
growth  is  largely  due  to  his  wise  management. 
He  was  a  charter  member  of  Leavenworth  Camp 
No.  367,  in  which  he  has  held  the  various  offi- 
ces, and  at  the  head  of  which  he  stood  for  eight 
years.  His  home  is  at  No.  411  Chestnut  street, 
Leavenworth. 

The  grandfather  of  Mr.  Murphy  was  Arthur 
Murphy,  a  native  of  County  Kerry,  Ireland,  who 
brought  his  family  to  America  and  settled  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, where  he  died.  He  had  two  sons  in 
the  Civil  war.     One,   Thomas,  was  on  board  the 


268 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


"Monitor"  during  its  celebrated  battle  with  the 
'  'Merrimac;' '  the  other  served  in  the  army.  The 
father  of  our  subject,  Hon.  John  C.  Murphj', 
was  born  in  County  Kerry,  Ireland,  and  learned 
the  trade  of  plasterer  and  bricklayer  in  Worcester, 
Mass. ,  where  he  carried  on  a  large  business.  In 
1858  he  came  to  Leavenworth  and  began  con- 
tracting and  building.  For  many  years  he  was 
foreman  for  the  government  at  Forts  Sill  and 
Lyon,  and  in  the  state  penitentiary  at  Leaven- 
worth. In  188 1  he  went  to  Denver,  Colo.,  later 
engaged  in  cattle-raising  in  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona.  During  the  Cleveland  administration 
he  was  postmaster  at  Duncan,  Ariz.  In  1897  he 
returned  to  Leavenworth,  where  he  died  in  Au- 
gust, 1898,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  For  one 
term  he  was  a  member  of  the  Kansas  state  legis- 
lature, and  was  the  author  of  the  mechanics'  lien 
law.  During  the  war  he  was  a  commissary  ser- 
geant in  the  militia.  His  wife,  Margaret  (born 
in  Connecticut,  and  died  in  Leavenworth  in 
1S79),  was  a  daughter  of  Edward  Costello,  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland,  who  settled  in  Connecticut  and 
later  was  employed  as  a  corder  in  Fox's  woolen 
mills  at  Worcester,  Mass.  He  died  at  seventy- 
two  years,  while  visiting  in  Leavenworth. 

The  family  of  Hon.  John  C.  and  Margaret 
Murphy  consisted  of  the  following-named  chil- 
dren: Edward  E.;  Winnifred,  who  died  in  Leav- 
enworth; Fannie,  of  this  city;  Henry,  who  was 
connected  with  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas 
Railroad  at  Sedalia,  Mo.,  and  died  therein  1890, 
when  twenty-six  years  of  age;  Maggie,  Mrs.  R. 
Springer,  of  Leavenworth;  Mrs.  Mollie  Williams, 
of  this  city;  Hampton,  who  died  in  infancy;  and 
John  C,  who  is  second  lieutenant  of  Company  C, 
Twentieth  Kansas  Volunteers,  now  in  service  at 
Manila,  Philippine  Islands.  The  eldest  of  the 
family,  our  subject,  was  born  in  Worcester,  Mass., 
May  14,  1853.  In  1859  he  was  brought  to 
Leavenworth,  the  family  traveling  from  St.  Louis 
on  the  Steamer  '  'Sky  Lark. ' '  When  he  was 
fourteen  his  father  removed  to  a  farm  six  miles 
south  of  Leavenworth, in  Delaware  Township,and 
there  he  remained  until  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
After  returning  to  Leavenworth  in  1874,  he  was 
employed  by  different  business  houses,  also  was 


for  nine  months  on  a  government  survey  in  the 
Indian  Territory.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  let- 
ter-carriers in  Leavenworth,  there  being  but  five 
carriers  in  the  town  at  the  time  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  postofEce.  After  holding  the  po- 
sition for  seven  years  he  resigned  and  accepted  a 
situation  as  city  circulator  of  the  Leavenworth 
Slaiidard.  In  1883  and  1884  he  was  weigh  clerk 
at  the  penitentiarj'  coal  shaft,  under  Governor 
Glick.  In  1884  he  obtained  a  contract  for  an 
output  of  coal  and  traveled  through  Kansas,  sell- 
ing to  local  dealers.  In  1887  he  became  a  deputy 
under  John  J.  Roche  in  the  ofRce  of  register  of 
deeds,  after  which  he  was  deputy  to  Sheriff 
Churchill,  later  turning  his  attention  to  the  insur- 
ance business.  In  1893  he  was  appointed  deputy 
revenue  collector  of  the  first  division  under  R.  B. 
Morris,  and  served  for  almost  four  years,  resign- 
ing to  accept  the  position  of  state  deputy  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

In  Leavenworth  Mr.  Murphy  married  Agnes, 
daughter  of  Col.  Thomas  Moonlight.  She  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Leavenworth  high  school  and  an 
intelligent  and  refined  woman,  with  artistic  abil- 
ity. She  has  filled  the  office  of  secretary  of  the 
Art  League  and  of  the  Orphan  Asylum,  and  is  a 
director  in  the  Leavenworth  Hospital  Associa- 
tion. The  four  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mur- 
phy are:  Thomas  Moonlight,  Edward  Eramett, 
Jr.,  Margaret  and  Bryan. 

Mr.  Murphy  is  past  master  workman  of  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen  and  has  six  times 
been  elected  to  the  supreme  lodge  of  the  order. 
He  is  grand  vice-chancellor  of  the  Knights  of  Py- 
thias of  Kansas,  past  grand  of  Lodge  No.  27, 
I.  O.  O.  F. ,  past  chief  of  the  Degree  of  Honor, 
member  of  the  Royal  Neighbors,  Leavenworth 
Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &A.  M.,  Knights  and  Ladies 
of  Security,  Fraternal  Aid  Association,  Select 
Knights,  Code  of  Honor,  Royal  Fraternity  and 
United  Commercial  Travelers.  With  his  wife 
he  holds  membership  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  of 
which  he  is  a  vestryman.  He  is  one  of  the  local 
leaders  of  the  Democracy,  and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  central  committee,  the  executive 
committee  of  the  state  central  committee,  the 
county  central  committee  (of  which  he  has  been 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


269 


chairman)  and  the  city  central  committee  (of 
which  he  is  now  chairman).  He  has  also  served 
as  chairman  of  the  congressional  committee  of  his 
party.  Though  active  in  politics,  he  has  never 
sought  office  for  himself.  He  is  an  energetic, 
enterprising  man,  and  the  success  which  he  has 
gained  in  life  is  due  entirely  to  his  own  unaided 
efforts. 


HENRY  WILLIAM  WULFEKUHLER. 
From  the  time  that  he  came  to  Leavenworth 
(April,  1S58),  Mr.  Wulfekuhler  has  been 
identified  with  the  business  interests  of  the  city 
and  has  assisted  in  developing  its  commercial  re- 
sources. Quietly  but  energetically  he  has  pur- 
sued his  chosen  business  calling,  and  by  judg- 
ment and  energy  he  has  acquired  a  competence. 
He  has  made  many  friends  during  the  more  than 
forty  years  of  his  residence  in  Leavenworth,  and 
has  gained  the  confidence  of  his  business  asso- 
ciates through  the  reliability  of  his  transactions. 
With  his  brother,  Frederick  William,  he  is  pro- 
prietor of  the  wholesale  grocery  house  of  Rohlf- 
ing  &  Co.,  which  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  largest 
concerns  of  its  kind  in  Leavenworth. 

The  house  in  which^  Mr.  Wulfekuhler  was 
born,  August  9,  1834,  stood  in  Osnabriick,  prov- 
ince of  Hanover,  Germany,  and  was  built  genera- 
tions ago  by  one  of  his  ancestors;  it  is  still  stand- 
ing, and  is  the  property  of  one  of  the  family. 
His  father  and  grandfather,  both  of  whom  bore 
the  name  of  Christopher,  occupied  the  old  home- 
stead, and  were  well  known  in  their  part  of  the 
province.  Christopher  Wulfekuhler,  Jr.,  mar- 
ried Charlotta  Wissman,  a  native  of  Versraold, 
Prussia,  and  a  daughter  of  William  Wissman. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  of  whom  the  two  surviving  sons  are 
Henry  William  and  Frederick  William,  and  the 
two  surviving  daughters  still  reside  in  Germany. 

In  1854,  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  our  sub- 
ject came  to  America  on  the  sailing  vessel  "Her- 
man," which  crossed  from  Bremen  to  New  Or- 
leans in  forty-two  days.  He  was  the  first  of  the 
family  to  settle  in  the  United  vStates.  He  trav- 
eled up  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis,  where  he 
clerked  until   1858.     On  coming  to  Leavenworth 


he  started  in  business  on  Cherokee  street  with 
Mr.  Rohlfing  as  Rohlfing  &  Wulfekuhler.  In 
i860  he  bought  out  Mr.  Rohlfing,  who  went  to 
Denver,  Colo.,  and  opened  a  wholesale  and  retail 
grocery,  but  died  in  that  city  in  September  of  the 
same  year.  The  business  at  Leavenworth  has 
since  been  owned  and  conducted  b)-  our  subject 
and  his  brother,  and  they  also  freighted  with  mule 
and  ox-trains  across  the  plains  until  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  The  grocery 
business  is  a  large  one,  and  the  trade  extends 
throughout  Kansas  and  Missouri,  the  stock  of 
goods  occupying  three  large  buildings. 

In  addition  to  his  interest  in  the  grocery,  Mr. 
Wulfekuhler  owns  stock  in  the  Globe  Canning 
Company,  and  is  interested  in  the  Leavenworth 
National  Bank,  the  Manufacturers  National  Bank 
and  the  Union  Savings  Bank,  and  he  also  owns 
numerous  farms  in  this  state.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  was  a  member  of  the  home  militia.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  old  home 
in  Germany  and  spent  two  years  there.  While 
abroad  he  also  visited  the  exposition  at  Paris. 
He  adheres  to  the  Lutheran  faith,  which  was  the 
religious  belief  of  his  ancestors.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican.  The  residence  which  he  owns  at 
No.  722  Oak  street  was  built  by  himself  in  1868. 
He  was  married  in  Leavenworth  to  Miss  Louisa 
Rohlfing,  a  native  of  Prussia.  The  children  born 
of  their  union  are  named  as  follows:  Otto  and 
Albert,  who  assist  their  father  in  business;  Eu- 
gene, who  was  connected  with  the  Manufactur- 
ers' National  Bank  of  Leavenworth,  and  died  in 
this  city  in  1897,  at  twenty-seven  years  of  age; 
and  Louis  H.,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Kansas  and  the  Columbian  Law  School  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. ,  and  now  a  member  of  a  prominent 
law  firm  of  Leavenworth. 


0ANIEL  R.  ANTHONY,  JR.,  postmaster  of 
Leavenworth,  was  born  in  this  city  August 
22,1870,  and  is  a  son  of  Col.  D.  R.  Anthony, 
Sr.  After  having  acquired  the  rudiments  of  his 
education  in  local  public  schools,  he  entered 
Michigan  Military  Academy  at  Orchard  Lake, 
Mich.,  from  which  he  graduated  on  the  coniple- 


270 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tion  of  the  regular  course.  In  1 891  he  graduated 
from  the  State  University  of  Michigan.  Upon 
his  return  home  he  became  connected  with  the 
Leavenworth  Times,  and  has  since  held  the  posi- 
tion of  business  manager. 

Reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Republican  party, 
Mr.  Anthony  has  always  adhered  to  its  princi- 
ples and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  its  affairs. 
As  a  delegate  to  county  and  state  conventions 
he  has  rendered  good  service,  and  he  is  now 
state  committeeman  for  his  district.  In  recogni- 
tion of  his  service  for  his  party,  as  well  as  his 
ability  to  fill  a  responsible  position  with  honor 
and  efficiency.  President  ]\IcKinley  appointed 
him  postmaster  of  Leavenworth  July  8,  1898, 
and  this  office  he  has  since  held,  filling  it  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  people  of  the  city.  His  double 
duties  as  postmaster  and  as  business  manager  of 
the  paper  make  his  life  a  very  busy  and  active 
one,  and  leave  him  little  leisure  for  outside  mat- 
ters. However,  he  is  always  foremost  in  enter- 
prises for  the  benefit  of  the  city  and  the  promotion 
of  the  welfare  of  the  people. 

In  June,  1897,  Mr.  Anthony  married  Bessie, 
daughter  of  Paul  E.  Havens,  of  Leavenworth. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Eleanor. 


[ILLIAM  SMALL.  The  prominent  posi- 
tion held  by  Mr.  Small  in  the  business 
circles  of  Leavenworth  and  of  Kansas 
has  come  to  him  as  the  result  of  his  excellent 
judgment  and  great  energy.  During  the  long 
period  of  his  connection  with  the  business  inter- 
ests of  Leavenworth  he  has  built  up  a  mer- 
cantile establishment  that  is  one  of  the  most 
complete  in  the  entire  state;  and,  at  the  same 
time,  he  has  gained  an  enviable  reputation 
for  accuracy  of  business  methods  and  sagacity  of 
judgment.  The  firm  of  William  Small  &  Co. 
occupies  a  four-story  building,  48x125,  at  Nos. 
413-415  Delaware  street,  where  a  large  trade  in 
dry  goods  has  been  successfully  conducted. 

In  addition  to  his  identification  with  the  dry- 
goods  business,  Mr.  Small  was  one  of  the 
organizers,  and  is  now  president  of,  the  Leaven- 
worth &  Mexico   Agricultural  Company,  which 


owns  eleven  hundred  acres  in  the  Isthmus  of  Te- 
hauntepec.  The  company  has  improved,  from 
the  forest  primeval,  a  coffee  plantation  on  which 
is  raised  coffee,  besides  other  tropical  productions. 
The  superintendent  of  the  plantation  is  a  practical 
man,  and  his  successful  management  of  the  place 
has  greatly  increased  its  value.  The  headquar- 
ters of  the  company  are  in  Leavenworth. 

Mr.  Small  was  born  and  reared  in  Hamilton, 
Ontario.  His  parents,  William  and  Mary  J. 
(Harkness)  Small,  were  natives  respectively  of 
Dundee,  Scotland,  and  County  Tyrone,  Ireland, 
but  spent  their  lives  principally  in  Canada,  where 
he  was  employed  as  a  bookkeeper  in  Hamilton. 
They  had  only  two  children,  and  the  younger  of 
these,  James,  died  in  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  so  that 
William  is  now  the  sole  survivor  of  the  family. 
When  he  was  thirteen  he  became  an  apprentice 
to  the  dry-goods  trade,  at  which  he  served  for 
three  years.  In  1866  he  removed  from  Hamil- 
ton to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  was  employed 
as  a  wholesale  and  retail  dry-goods  clerk,  being 
for  some  time  with  what  is  now  the  William 
Barr  Dry-Goods  Company. 

Coming  to  Leavenworth  in  1871,  Mr.  Small 
filled  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  dry-goods  store  of 
Leibenstein  Company  and  after  the  failure  of  that 
firm  he  was  with  H.  Saunders,  later  Wea\'er  & 
Saunders.  About  1880  he  became  a  partner  in 
the  firm  of  Weaver  &  Small.  Three  years  later 
the  firm  was  changed  to  Small,  Ram.say  &  Vories, 
and  afterward  to  Small  &  Vories,  finally  Mr. 
Small  became  the  sole  proprietor.  He  conducted 
the  business  alone  for  two  years.  In  August, 
1893,  the  admission  of  others  to  the  business 
caused  the  name  to  be  changed  to  William 
Small  &  Co. 

While  in  Canada  Mr.  Small  married  Miss 
Zephy  Steele,  who  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Scot- 
land. Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows;  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America;  Knights  of  Pythias,  in  which  he 
is  past  chancellor;  and  Knights  of  Honor,  in 
which  he  was  formerly  dictator.  In  matters  po- 
litical he  has  been  allied  with  the  Republican 
partj'.  He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Leavenworth.     In  conclusion  it 


c^C^. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


273 


may  be  said  of  him  that  he  is  a  man  whose 
success  has  been  gained  by  perseverance,  deter- 
mination and  tireless  energy.  In  youth  he  was 
taught  habits  of  self-reliance,  which  afterward 
proved  invaluable  to  him.  By  his  apprenticeship 
to  the  dry-goods  business  he  was  grounded  in 
the  fundamental  principles  of  the  business.  He 
is  known  for  sound  and  careful  judgment  as  a 
business  man  and  for  a  progressive  spirit  as  a 
citizen. 


EOL.  HORACE  L.  MOORE.  The  Moore 
family  was  founded  in  America  by  Andrew 
Moore,  who  came  from  England  and  settled 
in  Poquonock,  Conn.,  being  married  there  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1671,  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Phelps,  and  granddaughter  of  William  Phelps, 
the  first  representative  of  the  Phelps  family  in 
America.  He  continued  to  reside  in  Connecticut 
and  died  at  Windsor  November  29,  1719.  In 
his  family  the  eighth  child  was  Benjamin,  who 
was  born  in  Windsor,  Decembers,  1693,  and  died 
at  Poquonock,  February  23,  1732.  His  marriage 
united  him  with  Emma,  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
Phelps,  whose  father,  George  Phelps,  came  to 
this  country  in  an  early  day. 

Next  in  line  of  descent  was  Lieut.  Joseph 
Moore,  who  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  July 
21,  1720,  and  during  the  Revolutionary  war 
served  as  lieutenant  in  Captain  Buttolph's  Eight- 
eenth Connecticut  Troops.  During  the  battle  of 
Long  Island  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  confined 
in  the  prison  ship  "Jersey,"  in  New  York  Har- 
bor, where  he  died  November  3,  1776.  He  had 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Miriam 
(Buell)  Stevens,  and  granddaughter  of  Peter 
Buell,  whose  father,  William  Buell,  came  to 
America  at  an  early  date.  Gen.  Don  Carlos 
Buell,  of  Civil  war  fame,  belonged  to  the  same 
family. 

Samuel,  son  of  Lieutenant  Moore,  was  born  in 
Simsbury,  Conn.,  May  24,  1764,  and  died  in 
Portage  County,  Ohio,  November  3,  1816,  he 
having  been  a  farmer  in  Ohio  from  1806  until  his 
death.  He  married  Eunice,  daughter  of  Capt. 
Isaac  and  Susanna  (Root)  Gillett.  The  captain 
was  born  March  5,  1744,  and  served  in  the  Revo- 


lutionary army  as  a  captain.  He  was  a  son  of 
Deacon  Isaac,  son  of  Isaac,  son  of  Nathan,  whose 
father,  Nathan  Gillett,  Sr.,  settled  in  Dorchester, 
Mass.,  in  1630  and  afterward  served  in  the 
Pequod  war. 

Samuel,  son  of  Samuel  Moore,  Sr. ,  was  born 
in  Granby,  Conn.,  and  served  in  the  war  of  1812, 
he  being  then  eighteen  years  of  age.  In  1806  he 
had  accompanied  his  parents  to  Portage  County, 
Ohio.  He  was  the  third  among  his  parents' 
children.  His  brother,  Mark,  was  one  of  the 
first  to  enlist  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  sent  to 
Detroit,  where  he  was  taken  prisoner.  Later  he 
was  exchanged  and  returned  home,  but  died  one 
month  later  as  a  result  of  exposure.  Samuel 
Moore,  Jr.,  improved  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  acres  on  the  western  reserve,  and 
there  resided  until  his  death,  meantime  frequent- 
ly serving  as  an  oSicial. 

On  Christmas  day  of  18 17  Samuel  Moore,  Jr., 
married  Elizabeth  Keyes,  who  was  born  in  Mid- 
dlesex, N.  Y.,  a  daughter  of  Amaziah  and  Nancy 
(Crafts)  Keyes.  Her  father  was  born  in  Ply- 
mouth, Mass.,  August  13,  1771,  and  married  a 
daughter  of  Maj.  Edward  Crafts,  who  was  born 
in  Boston  October  12,  1746,  and  served  through- 
out the  Revolutionary  war  as  a  major.  In  1763 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Paddock's  artillery 
company  of  Boston.  His  brother,  Thomas,  was 
first  a  lieutenant  and  afterward  colonel  of  a  regi- 
ment of  which  Paul  Revere  was  lieutenant-col- 
onel. Just  before  the  Revolution  Edward  Crafts 
entered  the  continental  service,  enlisting  at  Wor- 
cester April  19,  1775,  as  a  private.  He  took  part 
in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  after  which  he  was 
made  captain  in  Colonel  Gridley's  regiment,  and 
at  the  close  of  the  war  was  breveted  major. 
From  Worcester  he  removed  to  Murrayfield  (now 
Chester),  Hampden  County,  Mass.,  where  he  be- 
came a  large  farmer.  In  1792  he  settled  in  Mid- 
dlesex, Ontario  County,  N.  Y.  During  the  jour- 
ney his  daughter,  Hannah,  fourteen  years  of  age, 
was  captured  by  Indians.  As  soon  as  she  was 
missed,  her  brother,  Edward,  twenty-three  years 
of  age,  started  in  pursuit  and  after  following  the 
Indians  for  more  than  a  week  succeeded  in  rescu- 
ing her.     Major  Crafts  died  in  New  York  April 


274 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


II,  1806.  His  wife  died  in  Auburn,  Ohio,  De- 
cember 17,  1832.  She  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Eliot  Winship,  and  was  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Bethia  Winship,  and  a  granddaughter  of 
Edward  and  Rebecca  (Barshaw)  Winship.  She 
was  named  for  the  "apostle"  EHot, the  missionary- 
among  the  Indians. 

Amaziah  Kej-es  was  a  son  of  Abijah  Keyes, 
who  was  born  September  17,  1746,  a  son  of 
Oliver  and  Rebecca  (Patterson)  Keyes,  and  a 
grandson  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Howe) 
Keyes.  Thomas  Keyes  was  a  son  of  Elias  and 
Sarah  (Blanford)  Keyes,  and  a  grandson  of 
Robert  Keyes,  who  with  his  wife,  Sarah,  resided 
at  Watertown,  Mass.,  in   1633. 

The  family  of  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  a  member  consisted  of  nine  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter. Of  these,  Mark  M.,  M.  D.,  who  was  the 
oldest  of  the  family,  is  living  in  Wesley ville.  Pa. ; 
Homer  H.,  D.  D.,  who  was  chaplain  of  the 
Third  Kansas  Infantry  during  the  Civil  war,  now 
resides  at  Chautauqua,  N.  Y.,  and  is  a  noted 
Methodist  divine.  Amaziah,  M.  D.,  deceased, 
was  captain  of  Company  D,  Second  Kansas 
Cavalry;  Samuel  died  in  Mantua,  Ohio;  Halsey 
G.  died  in  Mantua  when  twenty-two  years  of 
age;  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  George  H.  Fair- 
banks, a  minister  of  the  Congregational  Church 
in  Cleveland;  Francis  died  in  Kansas;  Mortimer 
G.,  M.  D.,  deceased,  was  a  physician  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio;  Walter  Watson  resides  on  the  old 
homestead.  Horace  Ladd  Moore,  who  was  next 
to  the  youngest  of  the  ten  children,  was  born  in 
Mantua,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  February  25, 
1837.  He  was  educated  in  Hiram  College  when 
James  A.  Garfield  was  a  teacher  there  and  was 
ever  afterward  a  firm  friend  and  admirer  of  that 
great  statesman.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he 
began  to  teach  school. 

In  June,  1858,  Mr.  Moore  came  to  Kansas, 
and  after  a  short  time  in  Atchison  County  came 
to  Lawrence,  where  he  studied  law  in  the  ofiBce 
of  Christian  &  Lane,  the  latter  one  of  the  most 
prominent  men  of  Kansas.  He  would  have  been 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  June,  1861,  but  on  the 
14th  of  May  prior  to  this  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  Company  D,  Second  Kansas  Infantry,  and  was 


mustered  in  at  Kansas  City  for  three  months. 
He  joined  General  Lyon  at  Springfield,  Mo.,  and 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  Forsythe,  Wilson's 
Creek  and  Shelbina.  He  was  mustered  out  at 
Leavenworth  as  corporal,  October  31,  1861.  The 
following  day  he  re- enlisted  and  assisted  in  rais- 
ing Company  D,  Second  Kansas  Cavalry,  of 
which  he  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant 
December  11,  1861.  He  was  promoted  to  be 
first  lieutenant  May  i,  1862,  and  was  commis- 
sioned lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Fourth  Arkansas 
Cavalry  by  Secretary  of  War  Stanton,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1864.  He  was  mustered  out  June  30, 
1865,  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.  While  a  member  of 
the  Second  Kansas  he  took  part  in  the  battles  of 
Cane  Hill,  Prairie  Grove,  Van  Buren,  Reed's 
Hill,  Fort  Smith  and  Devil's  Backbone. 

In  1867  a  battalion  of  four  companies  of  the 
Eighteenth  Kansas  Cavalry  organized  for  service 
on  the  plains  against  the  Indians,  and  he  was 
commissioned  major.  The  campaign  lasted  about 
four  months  and  included  one  battle  on  Prairie 
Dog  Creek  with  the  Cheyennes  in  northwestern 
Kansas.  In  the  fall  of  1868  a  regiment  known 
as  the  Nineteenth  Cavalry,  consisting  of  twelve 
companies,  was  organized  by  order  of  the  secretary 
of  war.  Gov.  S.  J.  Crawford  resigned  his  office 
to  take  command  of  the  regiment  and  Mr.  Moore 
was  mustered  in  as  lieutenant-colonel.  Upon  the 
resignation  of  Governor  Crawford  in  Januarj', 
1869,  our  subject  was  made  colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment and  commanded  the  last  Indian  campaign 
for  Kansas.  A  winter  campaign  was  conducted 
and  the  plains  Indians  forced  back  to  their  reser- 
vations. 

After  the  war  Colonel  Moore  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business,  having  charge  of  a  grocery 
in  Lawrence  until  1876,  when  he  embarked  in  a 
similar  business  at  Trinidad,  Colo.  As  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Moore,  Bennett  &  Co.,  he  was 
connected  with  stores  in  Las  Vegas,  Otero, 
Trinidad,  Albuquerque  and  San  Marcial,  mak- 
ing his  home  part  of  the  time  in  Las  Vegas  and 
for  a  time  in  Albuquerque.  In  1882  he  sold  out 
and  returned  to  Lawrence.  For  two  years  he 
served  as  county  treasurer.  In  1892  he  was 
Funston's  opponent  for  congress,  being  the  candi- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


275 


date  of  the  Democratic  and  People's  parties.  The 
election  was  in  doubt,  and  was  contested  by 
Colonel  Moore.  After  a  long  contest  he  was 
seated,  in  August,  1894,  and  served  in  the  Fiftj'- 
third  Congress,  after  which  he  was  not  a  candi- 
date for  re-election.  Since  then  he  has  been  re- 
tired from  business,  though  still  superintending 
his  various  interests.  Politically  he  was  a  Re- 
publican until  the  candidacy  of  Horace  Greeley, 
after  which  he  allied  himself  with  the  Democrats; 
but  at  the  time  of  Garfield's  candidacy  he  sup- 
ported him  for  personal  reasons.  He  is  a  Knight 
Templar  Mason,  is  a  member  of  Washington 
Post,  G.  A.  R.,  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution  and 
contributes  to  the  Congregational  Church,  of 
which  his  family  are  members. 

At  Mantua,  Ohio,  September  16,  1864,  Colonel 
Moore  married  Esther  Amelia,  daughter  of  Capt. 
Samuel  and  Jane  (Deming)  Harmon.  Her  fa- 
ther, who  was  born  in  Suffield,  Conn.,  in  1808, 
was  a  son  of  Alexander,  and  grandson  of  Deacon 
Samuel  Harmon,  whose  father,  Samuel,  was  an 
early  settler  of  Connecticut.  Colonel  and  Mrs. 
Moore  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  living. 
Samuel  A.,  who  was  educated  in  the  University 
of  Kansas,  is  engaged  in  the  shoe  business  in 
Atchison.  Frank  H.,  a  graduate  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Kansas  and  Columbia  College,  D.  C, 
is  a  practicing  attorney  of  Kansas  City.  During 
the  summer  of  1899  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Moore 
made  a  tour  of  Europe. 


(TOSEPH  M.  RAYMOND,  a  prosperous  farmer 
I  of  Douglas  County,  is  engaged  in  cultivat- 
(2/  ing  three  hundred  acres  in  Kanwaka  Town- 
ship and  is  known  as  one  of  the  enterprising 
farmers  of  this  region.  In  former  years  he  made 
a  specialty  of  the  fruit  business,  but  now  gives  his 
attention  largely  to  general  farming.  One  of 
the  most  noticeable  improvements  of  his  farm  is 
the  substantial  barn,  which  is  the  work  of  his 
own  hands.  In  1896  he  cut  timber  in  the  woods 
and  with  the  help  of  a  hired  man  erected  a  frame 
barn,  with  a  stone  basement,  which,  when  com- 
pleted, made  one  of  the  best  buildings  of  the  kind 
in  the  township . 


In  Reed  Township,  Seneca  County,  Ohio,  Oc- 
tober 6,  1837,  our  subject  was  born,  a  son  of 
William  and  Alatha  (Murray)  Raymond,  natives 
respectively  of  Steuben  County,  N.  Y.,  and  Fair- 
field County,  Ohio.  His  father,  who  was  a  son  of 
George,  and  a  grandson  of  Daniel  (son  of  Daniel, 
Sr. ,)  had  very  few  educational  opportunities, 
and  never  attended  school  but  nineteen  days  in 
his  life.  He  was  seventeen  years  of  age  when 
the  family  settled  in  Ohio,  they  being  the  third 
family  to  settle  in  Reed  Township,  where  they 
improved  land  from  the  dense  forest.  He  was 
there  at  the  time  the  Chippewa  and  Delaware 
Indians  started  west.  From  his  youth  he  was 
an  active  worker  in  the  Methodist  Church.  In 
politics  he  was  first  a  Whig,  later  a  Republican. 
He  had  three  brothers  (triplets),  Abraham,  Isaac 
and  Jacob,  who  became  large,  robust  men,  Abra- 
ham being,  in  manhood,  six  feet  tall;  Isaac,  five 
feet  eleven  and  three-fourths  iiiclies;  and  Jacob, 
five  feet  eleven  and  one-half  inches. 

By  the  marriage  of  William  Raymond  to  Miss 
Murray,  which  was  solemnized  near  Tiffin,  Seneca 
County,  seven  children  were  born,  namely: 
Henrietta,  who  died  at  two  years;  George,  of 
Gibsonburg,  Ohio;  Joseph  M.;  James,  a  farmer 
living  on  the  old  homestead;  Susannah,  who  died 
at  eighteen  years;  William  Jepperson,  a  traveling 
salesman  with  headquarters  in  Topeka;  and  Han- 
nah A.,  wife  of  Frederick  Pfeiffer,  of  Paulding 
County,  Ohio. 

The  schools  in  our  subject's  boyhood  days  were 
not  graded  as  now,  and  the  instruction  was  mea- 
gre and  crude,  but  he  obtained  sufficient  educa- 
tion to  enable  him  to  successfully  teach  several 
terms  of  boarding  school,  "boarding  round"  as 
was  the  custom  then.  August  13,  1862,  he  en- 
listed in  the  Union  army,  becoming  a  member  of 
Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio  Infan- 
try, which  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Perryville, 
Ky.,  October  8,  1862;  Liberty  Gap,  Tenn.; 
Chickamauga  (where  he  was  taken  prisoner,  but 
soon  paroled) ;  and  all  the  engagements  of  the 
Atlanta  campaign  from  June  10,  when  he  rejoined 
his  regiment,  to  its  close,  including  Jonesboro 
and  Lovejoy.  From  the  loth  of  June  to  the  27th 
there  was  not  a  moment,  night  or  day,  when  the 


276 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


whistle  of  bullets  through  the  air  could  not  be 
heard.  On  the  27th,  in  a  charge,  the  Union 
forces  lost  two  thousand  men  in  one  hour.  Al- 
though he  was  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  he  did 
not  receive  a  scratch.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  General  Sherman  arranged 
his  army  for  the  march  to  the  sea,  sending  a 
detachment  (including  the  One  Hundred  and 
First  Ohio  Infantrj')  to  join  General  Thomas  at 
Nashville.  This  small  force  successfully  with- 
stood Hood's  whole  army  at  Franklin,  Tenn. 
(where  Crockett  was  killed  November  30,  1864), 
taking  many  prisoners,  killing  and  wounding 
thirteen  of  the  rebel  generals  and  safely  joining 
General  Thomas  at  Nashville  the  next  day. 
Mr.  Raymond  was  introduced  to  Presideut  Hayes 
as  a  soldier  of  the  Cumberland  army,  and  he  asked 
him  at  once  if  he  was  in  the  battle  of  Franklin. 
He  answered  that  he  was,  and  President  Hayes 
promptly  said,  "I  consider  that  the  hardest- fought 
battle  of  the  war. ' '  December  1 5  General  Thomas 
demoralized  Hood's  army.  Mr.  Raymond  was 
honorably  discharged  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  June 
13,  1865.  Returning  home  he  carried  on  the  farm 
for  two  years. 

In  1854  Knott  Crockett  came  to  Kansas,  and, 
by  pre-emption  and  purchase,  secured  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  in  Douglas  County.  At  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  determined  to  offer 
his  services  to  his  country.  He  returned  to  his 
father's  home  in  Ohio  and  enlisted  with  Mr.  Ray- 
mond in  the  same  company.  During  the  war  he 
was  killed.  Having  been  a  great  friend  of  Mr. 
Raymond,  the  latter  came  to  Kansas  and  took  Up 
the  work  where  his  comrade  had  left  off.  He 
broke  ground,  planted  crops,  erected  buildings 
and  planted  the  seeds  from  which  sprang  all  the 
trees  now  on  the  place.  In  1874  he  was  eaten 
out  by  the  grasshoppers  and  returned  to  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  for  six  years.  In  188 1  he 
came  back  to  Kansas,  but  soon  went  to  Missouri 
and  started  a  lumber  yard  at  Bolivar,  where  he 
remained  for  five  years.  On  again  coming  to 
Kansas  he  completed  the  improvements  on  his 
place. 

Ardently  supporting  the  Republican  party,  Mr. 
Raymond  has  been  a  delegate  to  its  conventions 


and  has  served  as  township  clerk  and  in  other 
positions.  As  chairman  of  the  building  commit- 
tee he  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  securing 
the  erection  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  his 
vicinitj'.  He  has  been  chairman  of  the  board  of 
trustees  and  is  now  officiating  as  deacon.  At 
different  times  he  has  been  Sunday-school  super- 
intendent. Prior  to  coming  to  Kansas  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  but  since  then 
has  been  an  active  Congregationalist.  At  one 
time  he  was  master  of  the  Grange  in  his  town- 
ship. In  Masonry  he  has  attained  the  rank  of 
Knight  Templar.  He  was  instrumental  in  the 
organization  of  the  Good  Templars  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Raymond,  in  Seneca 
County,  Ohio,  solemnized  at  the  homestead  of 
his  grandfather,  April  7,  1868,  united  him  with 
Miss  Hila  K.  Bennett,  daughter  of  Abraham 
Bennett,  a  native  of  Steuben  County,  N.  Y. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  sons  now  living, 
and  lost  two  children  in  infancy.  William  Mur- 
ray, who  took  the  complete  course  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Kansas,  is  now  in  charge  of  the  adver- 
tising department  of  the  Sedalia  Democrat.  Fred- 
erick Newton,  who  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  state 
university,  is  city  passenger  agent  in  New  York 
for  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad. 


EAPT.  ROBERT  CARPENTER.  Of  the 
many  thousands  who  responded  to  the  call 
for  men  to  defend  the  Union  none  has  a 
record  more  honorable  than  that  of  Captain  Car- 
penter. In  the  warfare  against  the  guerillas  on 
the  frontier  he  accomplished  some  brave  and  dar- 
ing feats.  When  men  were  called  upon  for  some 
achievement  more  than  ordinarily  hazardous  he 
was  always  the  first  to  respond  and  was  always 
to  be  found,  in  the  front,  leading  his  men  on  to 
gallant  victory.  As  a  cavalry  officer  he  was  un- 
surpassed, often  defeating  from  five  to  ten  times  his 
own  number,  and  apparently  with  little  loss  to 
his  command.  Though  taken  ill  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  Price  raid  he  recovered  sufficiently  to 
continue  on  the  frontier  until  the  close  of  the 
war. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


277 


A  resident  and  business  man  of  Lawrence,  Cap- 
tain Carpenter  was  born  in  Portage,  W3'omiug 
County,  N.  Y.,  October  20,  1828,  a  son  of  Nicho- 
las C.  and  Miranda  (Boggs)  Carpenter.  His 
grandfather,  Zachariah  Carpenter,  was  born  of 
English  parentage  and  served  as  an  officer  under 
Washington  in  the  Revolution.  He  was  a  black- 
smith and  died  in  Orange  County,  N.  Y.  In 
that  county,  near  Goshen,  occurred  the  birth  of 
Nicholas  C.  Carpenter,  who  became  a  pioneer  of 
the  Genesee  Valley,  but  was  twice  driven  from 
there  by  the  Indians.  When  his  son,  Robert, 
was  three  years  of  age  he  settled  in  Farmersville. 
His  last  years  were  spent  in  Lawrence  and  he 
died  in  his  son's  home  at  eighty  years  of  age. 
His  wife,  who  was  a  member  of  the  family  to 
which  belonged  Governor  Boggs,  of  Missouri, 
was  born  in  New  York,  daughter  of  Robert 
Boggs,  a  farmer  of  Cattaraugus  County.  Of  her 
three  children  (all  sons),  our  subject  was  the 
only  one  that  lived  to  maturity.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  in  Cattaraugus  County  and 
Sandusky  Seminary.  From  sixteen  to  twenty- 
four  years  of  age  he  taught  school.  In  October, 
1855,  he  settled  in  Sparta,  Monroe  County,  Wis., 
where  he  engaged  in  lumbering.  He  also  built 
and  operated  a  tannery  in  that  town,  and  carried 
on  a  real-estate  business. 

In  October,  1861,  our  subject  was  commis- 
sioned first  lieutentant  of  Company  A,  Third 
Wisconsin  Infantry,  which  company  he  assisted 
in  raising,  but  refused  to  accept  the  captaincy. 
He  was  assigned  first  to  the  department  of  Mis- 
souri, then  to  that  of  Kansas,  and  served  as 
provost-marshal  at  Tro}',  Doniphan  County, 
Kans.,  until  August  15,  1862,  after  which  he  was 
ordered  to  Leavenworth  and  the  field.  His  first 
battle  was  at  Plattsburg,  but  he  had  previously 
participated  in  many  skirmishes.  He  joined  the 
army  in  the  field  just  after  the  battle  of  Newtonia, 
in  October,  1862,  was  at  Cane  Hill,  November 
28,  Prairie  Grove,  December  7,  1862,  and  March 
3,  1863,  was  commissioned  captain,  after  which 
he  served  as  such,  although  most  of  the  time  he 
had  seven  companies  under  him.  During  the 
Price  campaign,  in  October  and  November,  1864, 
he  had  some  exhausting  marches  and  his  health 


was  seriously  impaired  by  hardships  and  exposure. 
Soon  after  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the  post 
at  Fort  Scott.  In  addition  to  the  impairment 
of  his  general  health,  his  eyes  were  so  seriously 
affected  that,  while  commanding  at  Fort  Scott, 
he  had  to  be  led  to  and  from  the  post.  While 
there  he  found  things  in  an  unfortunate  con- 
dition, but  as  soon  as  his  eyes  grew  better,  with 
the  aid  of  his  company  he  caused  a  revolution  in 
matters  and  brought  about  peace  and  order. 
Absolutely  without  fear  he  was  always  at  the 
front  in  every  desperate  undertaking;  he  was  the 
leader  of  his  men  and  inspired  them  with  much  of 
his  own  enthusiasm  and  courage.  For  weeks  he 
went  without  rest  and  sleep,  and  in  1865  he  ap- 
plied for  a  discharge.  Without  any  order  but  his 
own  request.  Governor  Solomon  mustered  him 
out,  but  the  department  would  not  let  him  go, 
General  Dodge  stating,  in  a  personal  interview, 
that  he  could  not  spare  him,  and  promising  his 
work  would  be  limited  to  a  general  superintend- 
ence. He  was  stationed  at  Marysville,  Marshall 
County,  and  had  charge  of  the  escorting  of  trains 
across  the  plains,  between  the  Missouri  River 
and  Denver.  March  9,  1865,  he  was  commis- 
sioned captain  of  Company  L,  Third  Wisconsin 
Cavalry,  by  Governor  Lewis.  However,  his 
health  continued  to  grow  worse,  and  his  second 
resignation,  August  11,  1865,  was  accepted  by 
General  Sherman.  His  colonel  spoke  of  him  in 
the  highest  terms,  saying  that  he  was  the  peer  of 
any  soldier  for  courage,  fidelity  and  skill. 

After  leaving  the  army  Captain  Carpenter 
.spent  months  in  the  hospital  at  St.  Louis  and 
for  two  years  he  was  unable  to  do  work  of  any 
kind.  He  had  come  for  the  first  time  to  Law- 
rence in  August,  1865,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  able 
to  engage  in  work  once  more  he  returned  to  this 
city.  He  followed  various  lines  of  business,  in- 
cluding that  of  dealer  in  hides  and  leather,  from 
which  he  drifted  into  the  manufacture  of  harness. 
From  1870  he  was  in  partnership  with  Adam 
Brueggen  until  the  latter's  death  in  1877,  after 
which  he  was  in  partnership  with  F.  Gnef  kow 
until  February,  1887.  Since  then  he  has  con- 
tinued the  manufacture  of  harness,  the  sale  of 
saddlery,   hides  and  furs,  his  location  being  on 


278 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Massachusetts  street.  From  1882  to  1898  he  was 
treasurer  of  the  Kansas  Fruit  Vinegar  Compan)-, 
which  had  a  large  business  here.  In  religion  he 
is  a  Presbyterian. 

In  Missouri  Captain  Carpenter  married  Miss 
Mary  E.  Dodge,  who  was  born  in  Papinsville, 
that  state.  She  was  an  eye  witness  of  the  first 
fight  with  the  guerillas  and  some  of  the  bullets 
struck  the  house  where  she  lived.  Her  father, 
Jonathan,  who  was  from  Vermont,  went  to  the 
gold  fields  of  California  and  died  there.  Her 
mother  v»'as  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Dr.  Austin,  a 
Presbyterian  minister  and  a  relative  of  Dr.  Storrs, 
of  New  York.  The  family  was  among  the  first 
to  establish  the  mission  at  Papinsville,  settling 
among  the  Osage  Indians  there.  Her  mother 
died  in  1896.  Her  uncle.  Dr.  Leonard  Dodge, 
makes  his  home  in  Papinsville  and  is  the  most 
influential  citizen  of  the  town.  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Carpenter  have  two  sons,  namely:  James  R.  and 
Walter  Storrs,  both  graduates  of  the  Lawrence 
high  school.  The  older  son  is  with  his  father  in 
business,  and  the  younger  is  traveling  salesman 
for  the  American  Tobacco  Company. 


HON.  P.  P.  ELDER,  vice-president  of  the 
Ottawa  Publishing  Company  and  a  pioneer 
of  1857  in  Franklin  County,  was  born  in 
Somerset  County,  Me.,  September  30,  1823,  a 
son  of  Isaac  and  Mary  (Quint)  Elder.  The  El- 
der family  is  of  Scotch- Irish  lineage.  In  an  earlj' 
day  some  of  that  name  crossed  the  ocean  from 
the  north  of  Ireland.  From  1717  they  were 
identified  with  the  history  of  Cumberland  County, 
Me.  There  the  paternal  grandfather  was  bom 
and  reared,  and  from  there  he  accompanied  a 
company  of  soldiers  to  engage  in  the  service  of 
his  country  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  As  a 
private  in  General  Stark's  army  he  endured  all 
the  hardships  and  perils  incident  to  that  memora- 
ble struggle.  In  the  battle  of  Bennington  he  was 
wounded  in  one  eye,  but  with  that  exception  es- 
caped unharmed. 

Born  and  reared  in  Cumberland  County,  Isaac 
Elder  removed  from  there  to  Somerset  County 
and  cleared  a  farm  in  the  midst  of  the  woods.     In 


addition  to  agricultural  pursuits  he  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business  for  many  years.  He  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  in  Maine  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  18 48,  at  seventy  years  of  age. 
His  wife,  who  also  spent  her  entire  life  in  Maine, 
was  the  daughter  of  a  Revolutionary  hero,  who 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Bennington  and  other 
engagements.  In  a  family  of  eight  children,  all 
of  whom  reached  mature  years,  the  subject  of 
this  article  is  the  only  one  now  living.  One  of 
his  brothers,  Alva,  who  was  a  soldier  in  a  Maine 
regiment  during  the  Civil  war,  came  to  Kansas  in 
1868  and  died  in  Franklin  County  in  July,    1898. 

The  first  thirty  j'ears"  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Elder 
were  passed  in  Maine.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained in  Farmington  Academy  and  Maine  Wes- 
leyan  University  at  Reedfield.  From  sixteen  un- 
til twenty-four  years  of  age  he  taught  school,  af- 
ter which  he  bought  a  farm  near  his  old  home 
place  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  While 
he  had  never  traveled  to  any  extent,  his- mind 
had  broadened  by  reading,  and  he  kept  posfed 
concerning  the  issues  before  the  people. ;,  Not 
everyone  who  had  tra\^el^d  the  length  and  brealdth 
of  our  country  was^aJamiliar  with  its  problems 
as  he,  althouglx^^rfiiad*  never  been  out  of  New 
England.  H^svag'ajways  opposed  to  the  institu- 
tion of  slavgry',.  wljfch  he  regarded  as  a  menace  to 
the  prosperity 'of  a  nation.  In  1844,  upon  attain- 
ing his  majority,  he  began  to  identify  himself  with 
publi^'Saifs,  and  cast  one  of  the  sixteen  votes 
foi;,^bolition  principles  in  the  old  town.  From 
tlj^t'time  onward  he  was  pledged  to  the  abolition 
of  slavery  and  gave  his  support  to  men  of  similar 
belief.  When  the  question  arose  as  to  whether 
Kansas  should  be  a  free  or  slave  state  he  decided 
to  come  west  and  cast  in  his  fortunes  with  the 
free-state  people.  Coming  to  Franklin  County 
in  1857,  he  took  up  a  claim  and  at  the  same  time 
became  a  member  of  the  state  militia.  Eighteen 
months  later  he  brought  his  family  to  the  west. 
The  family  settled  on  the  farm  near  Ohio  City, 
which  he  had  entered  for  $1.25  an  acre. 

Shortly  after  Abraham  Lincoln  became  presi- 
dent he  appointed  Mr.  Elder  agent  to  the  Osage 
and  Seneca  Indians  at  Fort  Scott,  a  position  that 
he  filled  for  four  years.     Meantime  he  recruited  a 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


279 


regiment  of  Osage  Indians  and  kept  that  tribe 
and  other  Indian  nations  on  the  side  of  the  Union, 
his  work  in  that  line  being  invaluable.  He  re- 
signed as  agent  April  30,  1865.  On  his  return  to 
Franklin  County  he  settled  in  Ottawa,  which 
had  recently  been  organized  and  in  which  he 
built  the  first  substantial  house  in  1865-66,  haul- 
ing the  material  for  the  residence  from  Kansas 
City  and  Lawrence.  In  1866  he  established  the 
banking  firm  of  P.  P.  Elder  &  Co. ,  which  con- 
tinued in  business  for  five  years.  In  the  fall  of 
1871  he  organized  the  First  National  Bank  of  Ot- 
tawa, of  which  he  was  president  for  two  years, 
and  then  sold  his  interest.  Since  then  he  has  de- 
voted himself  largely  to  the  cattle  business.  For 
more  than  thirty  years  he  handled  and  fed  more 
cattle  than  anyone  in  the  county,  and  at  onetime 
he  owned  twelve  hundred  acres  of  land,  the  most 
of  which  was  in  one  body. 

Mr.  Elder  has  been  closely  identified  with  terri- 
torial and  state  politics.  In  1859  he  was  elected 
clerk  of  the  territorial  house.  The  following  year 
he  was  elected  to  the  territorial  council,  which 
met  at  Lecompton  and  adjourned  to  Lawrence, 
where  the  session  was  held.  The  second  session 
opened  at  Lecompton  January  i,  1861,  and  ad- 
journed to  Lawrence  as  usual.  Under  the  Wyan- 
dotte constitution  Mr.  Elder  was  elected  to  the 
state  senate  and  served  in  the  first  session  that 
met  at  Topeka,  under  the  proclamation  of  Gov- 
ernor Robinson,  in  March,  1861.  In  1868  he 
was  chosen  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  state  senate. 
In  1875,  1876  and  1877  he  served  as  a  member  of 
the  house,  in  which  he  was  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  ways  and  means,  and  was  elected 
speaker  in  January,  1878.  In  1870  he  held  the 
chairmanship  of  the  Republican  state  central 
committee.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  j-ear  he  was 
elected  lieutenant-governor  of  Kansas  and  served 
as  president  of  the  senate  for  two  years.  While 
he  was  serving  as  a  member  of  the  house  of 
representatives  in  1883  the  first  railroad  bill  be- 
came a  law,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  last  con- 
ference committee.  In  189 1  he  was  elected  to 
the  "alliance"  house  of  representatives,  and  was 
unanimously  chosen  to  act  as  speaker. 

While  identified  closely  with  the  history  of  the 


.state.  Governor  Elder  (for  by  this  title  he  is  best 
known)  has  never  neglected  or  been  indifferent  to 
the  welfare  of  Ottawa,  his  home  city.  From  the 
time  of  its  start  to  the  present  he  has  been  one  of 
its  most  progressive  citizens.  Its  progress  has 
been  ever  near  to  his  heart.  Measures  for  the 
advancement  of  the  city  or  the  prosperity  of  the 
people  have  always  been  given  his  aid  and  sym- 
pathy. As  mayor  of  the  city  he  labored  to  pro- 
mote its  prosperity  and  enlarge  its  business 
interests.  Largely  to  his  efforts  was  due  the 
building  of  the  first  railroad  to  Ottawa.  He 
organized  a  company,  of  which  he  was  president, 
and  which  built  a  railroad  (now  a  part  of  the 
Santa  Fe  system)  from  Ottawa  to  Olathe,  thus 
making  a  short  cut  to  Kansas  City.  Through 
his  negotiations  the  machine  shops  were  located 
in  Ottawa.  He  is  interested  in  the  gas  company 
here  and  in  other  enterprises  calculated  to  pro- 
mote the  prosperity  of  the  place.  In  1896  he 
founded  the  Ottawa  Times,  of  which  he  was  editor 
and  proprietor,  but  after  two  years,  by  consolida- 
tion, Xhe.  Republican- Times  was  tsiahlished.  This 
paper  is  owned  by  the  Ottawa  PubUshing  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  is  vice-president.  It  is  one 
of  the  leading  daily  papers  of  the  state,  and  much 
of  its  popularity  is  due  to  his  concise,  keen  and 
pointed  editorials,  which  frequently  appear  in  its 
columns. 

During  his  residence  in  Maine,  in  1845,  Gov- 
ernor Elder  married  Catharine,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Felker,  a  farmer  of  that  state.  They  are 
the  parents  of  two  children:  Aldama  P.,  who  is 
engaged  in  business  in  Ottawa;  and  Lena  E., 
wife  of  E.  E.  Fuller,  also  of  this  city. 


^LBERT  A.  ALLEN,  M.  D.,  D.  D.  S.,  of 
LJ  Ottawa,  was  born  in  Jerseyville,  Jersey 
n  County,  111.,  a  son  of  A.  A.  and  Elizabeth 
(Close)  Allen,  natives  respectively  of  New  Jer- 
sey and  Jersey  County,  111.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, who  was  a  member  of  an  old  family  of  New 
Jersey,  became  a  pioneer  of  Michigan,  settling  in 
Oakland,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of  tanner 
and  currier  until  his  death.  The  maternal  grand- 
father, George  Close,  owned  boats  that  plied  the 


28o 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  engaged  in  the 
steamboat  business  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  Illinois. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  physician 
whose  skill  and  knowledge  brought  him  a  large 
practice.  He  practiced  in  Janesville,  Wis. ,  and 
Jersej'ville,  111.,  and  from  the  latter  place,  in 
April,  1859,  brought  his  family  to  Kansas,  set- 
tling on-  a  claim  in  Allen  County  near  what  is 
now  the  village  of  Kincaid.  There,  in  addition  to 
farming,  he  practiced  his  profession.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  offered  his  services  to  the  Union  army, 
but  at  the  earnest  request  of  his  neighbors,  who 
felt  the  county  could  ill  afford  to  lose  his  services 
as  a  physician,  he  gave  up  his  plan  of  entering  the 
army.  In  religion  he  was  a  Baptist  and  fraternal- 
ly was  connected  with  the  Masons.  He  continued 
to  reside  near  Kincaid  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1893,  at  sixty-four  years  of  age.  His 
widow  is  still  living  on  the  homestead.  Of  their 
four  children  two  are  living.  Our  subject,  who 
was  the  eldest  of  the  four,  was  born  July  31 ,  1852, 
and  was  less  than  seven  years  of  age  when  the 
family  moved  to  Kansas.  Hence  his  life  has  been 
identified  almost  wholly  with  this  state.  He  at- 
tended the  academy  at  Geneva,  Kans.,  after 
which  he  taught  one  term  of  school.  For  his 
life  calling  he  first  selected  dentistry,  which  he 
studied  in  Leavenworth  under  Dr.  J.  K.  Merrick. 
In  1879  he  opened  an  office  in  Osborne,  of  which 
place  he  was  the  first  regular  practicing  dentist. 
After  two  years  he  removed  to  Linn  County,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  to  put  up  a  business  block  in 
Blue  Mound,  where  he  erected  a  large  double 
store,  with  the  intention  of  using  a  part  of  the 
building  as  a  drug  store. 

In  the  mean  time  Dr.  Allen  had  become  inter- 
ested in  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he  carried 
on  in  the  Kansas  City  Homeopathic  Medical  Col- 
lege, taking  two  full  courses  of  lectures.  He  then 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Lincoln 
Center,  Lincoln  County,  where  he  remained  for 
three  years.  In  1889  he  came  to  Ottawa  and  has 
since  given  his  attention  principally  to  the  medical 
profession,  although  to  some  extent  he  practices 
dentistry.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  has 
never  been  active  in  party  affairs.     He  was  mar- 


ried in  Allen  Count}'  to  Miss  Hattie  C.  Martin, 
who  was  born  in  Ogle  County,  111.,  a  daughter  of 
Freeman  Martin,  a  wealthy  farmer  now  residing 
in  Allen  County,  Kans.  They  are  the  parents 
of  three  daughters,  Elizabeth  Mathilda,  Lillian 
Frances  and  Bessie  Lou,  all  of  whom  possess 
musical  ability  and  are  being  given  excellent  ad- 
vantages in  that  art. 


r"  RANK  P.  FITZ  WILLIAM,  a  practicing  at- 
ry  torney  of  Leavenworth,  has  spent  his  life  in 
I  this  city,  where  he  was  born  June  7,  1873. 
He  was  reared  here  and  his  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  public  schools.  After  graduating 
from  the  high  school  in  189 1  he  began  the  study 
of  law  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Wheat,  where  he  con- 
tinued until  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  June, 
1894.  From  his  father,  the  late  ex-Senator 
FitzWilliam,  he  inherited  powers  of  mind  that 
enable  him  to  master  the  most  intricate  problems 
connected  with  the  law.  He  is  well  posted  in 
everything  that  pertains  to  the  profession.  His 
studies  did  not  cease  with  his  admission  to  the 
bar;  he  has  been  a  constant  student,  ever  eager 
to  broaden  his  knowledge  of  law  in  its  many 
branches. 

Upon  the  Democratic  ticket,  in  April,  1896, 
Mr.  FitzWilliam  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  served  for  two  years  in  that  capacit)',  after 
which  he  was  not  a  candidate  for  re-election,  but 
resumed  the  practice  of  law.  In  the  fall  of  1898 
he  was  nominated  for  representative  of  the 
seventh  district  in  the  legislature  on  the  straight 
Democratic  ticket.  Notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  the  district  is  largely  Republican,  he  re- 
ceived such  stanch  support  that  he  tied  his  op- 
ponent, F.  B.  Dawes.  However,  the  vote  of  the 
few  soldiers  in  Cuba  enabled  Mr.  Dawes  to  se- 
cure the  seat.  In  a  subsequent  contest  at  the 
same  election  for  prosecuting  attorney  it  was 
shown  that  eighty  votes  had  not  been  counted, 
which  mistake  would  have  elected  Mr.  FitzWil- 
liam by  over  twenty-five  votes.  The  record 
made  by  Mr.  FitzWilliam  was  the  best  ever  made 
in  this  district  by  a  Democrat.  He  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  city  and  county  committees  of 


BENJAMIN  B.  MOORE. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


283 


his  party  and  in  other  wajs  has  promoted  Demo- 
cratic principles.  In  religion  he  is  a  member  of 
the  First  Presbj'terian  Church. 


gENJAMIN  B.  MOORE,  deceased,  was  a 
pioneer  of  1S54  in  Leavenworth  County, 
and  long  held  a  position  among  the  most 
honored  and  influential  business  men  of  Alex- 
andria Township.  His  early  years  were  spent 
in  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  where  he  was  born 
August  2,  1820,  and  where  for  a  time  he  was 
employed  as  an  overseer,  but,  foreseeing  the 
development  of  the  great  western  plains,  he  early 
came  to  Kansas.  The  first  employment  he  se- 
cured was  with  Mr.  Russell  in  freighting  across 
the  plains,  and  he  was  given  charge  of  the  out- 
fitting and  starting  of  trains  running  to  Salt  Lake 
City.  Later  he  came  to  Alexandria  Township 
and  superintended  Mr.  Russell's  large  sawmill 
on  the  Big  Stranger,  where  he  often  had  as  many 
as  one  hundred  men  under  him.  An  excellent 
judge  of  timber,  he  could  estimate  very  closely 
the  quantity  in  any  tree,  and  was  equally  expert 
in  judging  as  to  quality.  He  took  up  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  the  finest  bottom  land 
here,  and  then  began  the  improvement  of  the 
property.  In  this  work  he  was  aided  by  the 
sympathy  and  appreciation  of  Mr.  Russell,  who 
assisted  him  both  materially  and  by  advice.  He 
continued  in  the  employ  of  Russell,  Majors, 
Waddell  &  Co. ,  until  their  partnership  was  dis- 
solved in  the  spring  of  iS6i,  after  which  he  gave 
all  of  his  time  to  the  cultivation  of  his  land  and 
to  the  buying  and  selling  of  farm  property.  From 
the  beginning  of  his  agricultural  ventures  he 
invested  in  stock.  Aided  by  his  industrious  and 
energetic  wife  he  prospered  as  a  farmer,  and 
while  he  was  managing  his  landed  investments 
his  wife  took  care  of  the  chickens  and  the  cows, 
thus  assisting  him  greatly  in  getting  a  start. 
Unlike  many  men  he  made  his  brains  earn  more 
than  his  hands,  and  used  intelligence  in  every 
business  enterprise.  Not  only  was  he  energetic 
and  persevering,  but  economical  as  well,  and  in 
all  his  dealings  he  was  strictly  honest  and  fair. 
Generosity  was  one  of  his  leading  attributes  of 


character.  As  an  instance  of  his  kindness  of 
heart,  it  may  be  stated  that,  meeting  his  former 
employer,  Mr.  Russell,  when  on  a  visit  to  New 
York,  he  learned  that  Mr.  Russell  had  lost  ever>'- 
thing  and  was  almost  destitute,  but  thought  he 
saw  a  favorable  opening,  and  stated  that  if  he 
had  $400  or  $500  he  could  make  another  start. 
Immediately  upon  his  return  home  Mr.  Moore 
sent  him  $500  as  a  gift. 

Actively  interested  in  local  politics  as  a  Demo- 
crat Mr.  Moore  cared  nothing  for  ofiice,  but  con- 
sented to  serve  as  one  of  the  county  commission- 
ers. He  was  a  member  first  of  High  Prairie 
Lodge  No.  25,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  later  of 
Easton  Lodge  No.  45.  His  death  occurred 
August  19,  1898,  and  his  funeral  was  attended 
by  members  of  the  Masonic  lodges  of  Leaven- 
worth and  Easton.  He  was  twice  married; 
first,  January  10,  1850,  to  Cecelia  A.  Tansell, 
who  died  February  27,  1854.  Three  children 
were  born  of  their  union:  Susan  C,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Rev.  J.  O.  Forsman;  Robert  W.,  de- 
ceased; and  Mary  Frances,  Mrs.  Alfred  Rhodes. 
February  9,  1857,  Mr.  Moore  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Caroline  Aldridge,  of  Muskingum 
County,  Ohio.  Her  father,  Azel  Aldridge,  was 
born  in  Baltimore  of  English  parentage,  and  was 
a  millwright  by  trade.  He  married  Catherine 
Flesher,  whose  father  came  from  Germany,  and 
settled  in  Ohio  when  the  Indians  were  still 
numerous  there.  Mrs.  Moore  was  one  of  seven 
children,  and  the  youngest  of  three  now  living. 
To  her  marriage  three  children  were  born,  name- 
ly: Charles  O.,  a  farmer  in  Alexandria  Town- 
ship; Henry  S.,  deceased;  and  Virginia  Louise, 
wife  of  Dr.  W.  B.  Wood,  formerly  of  Leaven- 
worth County,  but  now  living  in  California. 


EHARLES  O.  MOORE,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Alexandria  Township,  Leaven- 
worth County,  was  born  in  the  township 
where  he  now  resides,  March  30,  1859,  and  is  a 
son  of  Benjamin  B.  and  Caroline  Moore.  He 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools  here,  and 
also  attended  school  in  Platte  City,  Mo.  When 
his  education   was  completed  he  began  to  assist 


284 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  the  cultivation  of  the  home  farm,  and  has 
since  been  connected  with  agricultural  interests. 
When  about  twenty-one  he  settled  upon  a  farm 
in  High  Prairie  Township,  but  later  returned  to 
Alexandria  Township,  and  settled  upon  the 
place  which  he  now  occupies.  He  cultivates 
eighty  acres  in  his  home  place,  and  also  rents 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  High  Prairie 
Township. 

In  political  views  Mr.  Moore  is  a  supporter  of 
Democratic  principles.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  Easton  Lodge  No.  45,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  ; 
Topeka  Consistory  No.  i,  Scottish  Rite,  and 
Abdallah  Temple,  N.  M.  S.,  of  Leavenworth. 
As  a  citizen  he  favors  all  measures  for  the  benefit 
of  the  people  of  his  county,  and  is  actively  iden- 
tified with  various  enterprises  calculated  to  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  his  township.  His  first 
marriage  took  place  October  3,  1881,  and  united 
him  with  Miss  Ida  McCune,  daughter  of  Adam 
McCune.  Two  sons  were  born  of  that  marriage, 
Claude  L-  and  Raymond  A.  His  second  mar- 
riage occurred  January  3,  1893,  and  united  him 
with  Octavia  Adams,  daughter  of  Ross  Adams, 
of  Leavenworth  County.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  by  two  children,  Ernest  M.  and  Caro- 
line L- 


HON.  F.  P.  FITZ  WILLIAM,  deceased,  for- 
merly a  well-known  citizen  of  Leavenworth 
and  a  member  of  both  the  lower  and  the 
upper  houses  of  the  legislature,  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  Pa.  He  was  a  son  of 
Francis  FitzWilliam,  who  descended  from  Earl 
Fitz William  of  England,  and  was  a  farmer  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  took  part  in  the  early 
whisky  riots  of  that  state.  In  Washington  and 
Jefferson  College  (the  college  which  James  G. 
Blaine  attended)  our  subject  received  his  classi- 
cal education,  and  afterward  he  read  law  with 
Judge  Montgomery,  of  Washington,  Pa.  Ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1855,  he  remained  in  his 
home  state  for  two  years.  At  that  time  consid- 
erable excitement  was  being  aroused  in  behalf  of 
Kansas.  Its  destiny,  as  free  or  slave  .state,  lay 
in  the  hands  of  its  people;  consequently  thou- 
sands from  both  north  and   south  cast  their  for- 


tunes in  with  the  territory,  hoping  their  influ- 
ence might  count  for  the  cause  they  espoused. 
In  1855  a  free  state  constitution  was  framed  at 
Topeka  and  in  1857  a  pro-slavery  constitution 
was  drawn  up  at  Lecompton,  but  neither  became 
operative.  The  struggle  between  free-soilers 
and  slave-state  supporters  continued  until  finally 
the  war  settled,  forever,  the  great  problem  that 
had  so  long  confronted  our  country. 

It  was  during  the  height  of  the  political  agita- 
tion, in  1857,  that  Mr.  FitzWilliam  came  to 
Kansas.  He  opened  an  ofiice  in  Leavenworth, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  for  twenty  years, 
or  until  his  death,  in  1877.  ^^  1865  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Governor  Carney's  staff,  with  the  rank  of 
lieutenant-colonel.  In  politics  he  supported  the 
Democratic  party.  He  was  a  member  of  one  of 
the  first  senates  that  met  after  the  admission  of 
Kansas  into  the  Union,  and  he  also  served  in  the 
assembly,  besides  holding  the  local  offices  of 
county  and  city  attorney. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  FitzWilliam  in  June,  1868, 
united  him  with  Eliza  Clay  Jackson,  who  was 
born  in  Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  a  daughter  of  John 
Jackson,  and  a  member  of  a  Virginian  family  to 
which  belonged  General  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson. 
She  was  reared  in  Kentucky  and  graduated  from 
the  seminary  in  that  state.  She  is  now  living  at 
the  family  residence,  where  her  son  F.  P.,  and 
daughter.  Miss  Elizabeth,  also  reside.  Her  other 
daughters  are,  Mrs.  E.  L.  Carney  and  Mrs.  Omar 
M.   Abernathy,  both  of  Leavenworth. 


(]  OHN  W.  CRANCER.  Not  only  as  a  pioneer 
I  of  Leavenworth,  but  also  as  one  of  its  pro- 
(2/  gressive  and  enterprising  business  men,  Mr. 
Crancer  is  well  known  in  the  business  circles  of 
this  city.  Since  he  arrived  in  Leavenworth, 
February  22,  1857,  he  has  witnessed  many 
changes  in  the  town  and  has  been  personally 
interested  in  its  development.  Through  his 
efficiency  as  a  business  man  he  has  not  only 
promoted  his  own  success,  but  the  prosperity  of 
the  city  as  well.  Since  1884  he  has  been  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  large  wholesale  hardware  establish- 
ment,   and   has   built   up   a   trade  that  extends 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


285 


through  this  state  and  into  Colorado  and  Okla- 
homa. On  the  corner  of  Delaware  and  Third 
streets  he  has  a  building  with  a  frontage  of  fort)'- 
eight  feet  and  three  stories  in  height,  besides 
which  he  has  two  warehouses  of  four  floors  each, 
on  Delaware  and  Cherokee  streets  respectively, 
the  total  floor  space  aggregating  thirty-two 
thousand  feet. 

John  W.  Crancer  was  reared  in  St.  Louis  and 
when  fifteen  years  of  age  was  apprenticed  to  the 
tinner's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  some  years 
in  that  city.  For  a  time  he  was  employed  as 
bookkeeper  with  the  firm  of  L.  F.  Hastings  & 
Co.,  and  it  was  while  in  this  position  he  decided 
to  engage  in  business  in  Leavenworth  with 
Stewart  Hastings,  firm  of  Crancer  &  Hastings. 
With  a  capital  of  $700  he  embarked  in  business 
here.  They  opened  a  small  shop  on  Cherokee 
street,  between  Main  and  Second,  and  began 
to  manufacture  tinware  in  a  building  eighteen 
feet  square.  They  also  sold  stoves  and  house 
furnishing  goods. 

One  year  after  coming  to  Leavenworth  Crancer 
&  Hastings  built  a  two-story  structure  24  x  75, 
on  Delaware,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth,  and  in 
that  building  the  firm  of  Crancer  &  Hastings 
carried  on  business.  In  1861  he  bought  his 
partner's  interest  and  continued  alone.  After  a 
time  he  built  a  store  across  the  street  from  his 
former  location.  In  the  meantime  he  became 
interested  in  a  business  of  which  he  had  pre- 
viously known  nothing.  He  was  asked  to  make 
a  cornice  for  which  he  was  furnished  plans.  At 
once  giving  his  attention  to  the  work,  within  a 
day  he  had  put  himself  in  possession  of  the  de- 
tails. Soon  he  had  the  cornice  completed.  His 
estimate  of  the  first  cost  was  within  a  few  dollars 
of  the  exact  amount,  and  the  work  still  stands, 
although  more  than  thirty-five  years  have  passed 
since  its  completion.  Afterward  he  was  given 
work  of  a  similar  nature  throughout  the  state, 
including  some  important  contracts  in  Leaven- 
worth and  throughout  the  state.  In  order  to 
carry  on  the  business  with  a  better  understand- 
ing he  went  to  New  York  City,  where  he  found 
two  cornices.  These  were  the  only  shops  in  the 
entire  country   besides   his  own.      While  con- 


ducting this  business  he  continued  the  manu- 
facture of  tinware  and  also  had  contracts  for 
roofing,  etc.  When  he  first  settled  in  Leaven- 
worth there  were  more  than  seventy-five  tinners  in 
the  town,  but  the  business  changed  in  subsequent 
years,  by  the  introduction  of  machinery,  etc., 
and  now  there  are  only  about  six,  these  being  em- 
ployed simply  for  repair  work.  It  was  this  fact 
that  caused  him  to  turn  his  attention  to  the  hard- 
ware business.  He  bought  out  John  F.  Richards 
and  has  since  built  up  a  large  wholesale  trade, 
which  is  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  J.  W. 
Crancer  &  Co.,  the  other  member  being  his  son, 
Edwin  W.,  who  is  general  manager  of  the  busi- 
ness. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Crancer,  in  St.  Louis, 
united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Nichols,  who  was 
born  in  Manchester,  England,  and  is  an  estimable 
lady,  and  an  active  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  Five  children  were  born  of  this  union, 
four  girls  and  Edwin  W.  In  addition  to  his 
business  interests  Mr.  Crancer  has  been  con- 
nected with  mining  enterprises  in  Colorado,  and 
is  also  the  owner  of  a  stock  farm  of  eleven 
hundred  acres  in  Tonganoxie  Township.  The 
only  offices  he  has  ever  consented  to  hold  have 
been  those  of  an  educational  nature,  and  as  school 
director  he  was  instrumental  in  promoting  the 
welfare  of  the  city  schools.  Prior  to  the  presi- 
dential campaign  of  1896  he  was  a  Democrat,  but 
when  that  party  declared  for  free  silver  in  its 
platform  he  left  it  and  has  since  been  independent. 


Gl  LFRED  H.  SLATER  is  one  of  the  enter- 
Ll  prising  business  men  of  Franklin  County. 
/  I  In  1895  he  opened  a  general  store  at  Nor- 
wood, Hayes  Township,  and  has  since  built  up  a 
large  trade,  having  by  fair  dealings  and  courteous 
manners  won  the  confidence  of  the  people  of  his 
locality.  His  sales  amount  to  about  $7,000  per 
annum,  and  his  trade  extends  all  through  the 
surrounding  country.  The  store  and  residence 
which  he  occupies  were  erected  on  property  that 
he  purchased  after  coming  here.  He  is  also  the 
owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  pasture 
land,  which  he  uses  for  the  grazing  of  stock.     In 


286 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


addition  to  the  management  of  his  store  he  buys 
Uve  stock,  which  he  feeds  and  then  ships,  having 
been  engaged  in  the  shipping  business  since 
1883.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Ottawa  Re- 
publica7i  ajid  Times,  and  is  interested  in  all 
enterprises  aiming  at  the  promotion  of  the  coun- 
ty's welfare. 

William  Slater,  our  subject's  father,  was  born, 
reared  and  educated  in  England,  and  engaged  in 
farming  there.  At  thirty  years  of  age  he  came 
to  America  and  settled  in  Putnam  County,  111., 
thence  removed  to  Grundy  Count}-,  the  same 
state,  where  his  son,  Alfred,  was  born  June  30, 
1857.  In  religion  he  was  a  Baptist.  Until  the 
time  of  Horace  Greeley's  candidacy  he  was  a 
Republican,  but  after  that  he  adhered  to  Demo- 
cratic principles.  His  first  wife  died  in  England, 
leaving  a  son,  John.  After  settling  in  Illinois  he 
married  Hypatia  Hume,  by  whom  he  had  three 
sons,  Alfred  H.,  William  and  Edward  H.,  all 
residents  of  Hayes  Township.  In  the  spring  of 
1882  the  father  came  to  Kansas  and  settled  in 
Franklin  County,  where  he  died.  In  financial 
matters  he  was  successful,  and  on  leaving  Illinois 
sold  his  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  for  $75  an 
acre,  investing  some  of  this  money  in  the  pur- 
chase of  five  hundred  acres  in  Hayes  Township. 

After  leaving  grammar  school  our  subject 
attended  a  normal  school  for  four  years.  After 
coming  to  Kansas  his  father  gave  into  his  charge 
the  care  of  the  farm  property,  and  he  engaged  in 
stock-raising  there,  buying  and  feeding  on  a 
large  scale.  Since  1895  he  has  also  been  pro- 
prietor of  a_  store.  As  clerk  of  the  school  board 
he  has  done  all  within  his  power  to  advance  edu- 
cational matters  in  his  locality,  and  was  one  of 
those  who  succeeded  in  having  district  No.  97 
established.  Active  in  the  Democratic  party,  he 
has  served  as  delegate  to  county  and  congres- 
sional conventions.  His  business  has  been  such 
as  to  prevent  his  attendance  at  the  state  conven- 
tions. For  seven  years  he  served  as  township 
trustee,  and  for  two  years  each  he  filled  the  ofiice 
of  treasurer  and  clerk.  Had  he  the  time  to  en- 
gage in  politics  actively  he  would  undoubtedly 
be  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  in  the  county. 
In  the  Christian  Church  he  has  served  as  clerk  and 


deacon,  and  he  assisted  largely  in  the  erection  of 
the  house  of  worship  owned  by  this  congregation 
in  Norwood.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal 
Aid  Association.  September  2,  1884,  he  married 
Alice  Dell  Halej',  by  whom  he  has  two  children, 
Walter  Gay  and  Gertrude. 


pGJlLUAM  W.  ERASER,  a  hero  of  the  Civil 
lAi  war,  and  since  1869  a  resident  of  Ottawa, 
VV  was  born  in  Ayr,  Ayrshire,  Scotland, 
March  7,  1844,  a  son  of  James  and  Jean  (Doug- 
las) Eraser.  His  grandfather,  Simon  Eraser, 
was  born  in  the  highlands  of  Scotland,  and  was 
a  direct  descendant  of  one  of  the  same  name 
who  fought  under  Wallace.  He  had  a  brother 
who  was  killed  at  Montreal  while  serving  in  the 
French  and  Indian  war.  After  having  been  for 
some  years  superintendent  of  a  coal  mine  in 
Ayrshire,  in  1858  James  Eraser  brought  his  fam- 
ily to  America  and  settled  in  Alton,  111.,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  His 
wife,  who  died  in  the  same  city  at  fifty-five  years, 
was  the  daughter  of  a  Scotchman  who  served  in 
the  British  army  and  died  in  India.  James  and 
Jean  Fraser  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  our  subject  was  sixth  in  order  of  birth. 
One  son,  James,  who  was  a  sergeant  in  Company 
I,  Ninety-seventh  Illinois  Infantry,  was  killed  at 
Vicksburg.  Three  sons  are  now  living,  one  of 
these  being  John,  of  Milwaukee,  who  served  iu 
Company  G,  Ninety-seventh  Illinois  Infantry, 
during  the  Civil  war. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  accompanied  the 
other  members  of  the  family  to  America  in  1858, 
taking  passage  at  Liverpool  on  the  sailing  vessel 
"Richard  Robinson,"  and  arriving  in  New  York 
after  a  voyage  of  twenty-one  days.  Afterward 
he  attended  school  in  winters  and  worked  on  a 
farm  during  summer  months.  August  4,  1864, 
he  enlisted  in  what  was  afterward  known  as 
Company  I,  Ninety-seventh  Illinois  Infantry; 
was  mustered  into  service  at  Camp  Butler,  near 
Springfield,  111.,  October  8,  and  from  there 
marched  to  Covington,  Ky.,  Lexington,  Cynthi- 
ana,  Nicholasville  and  Louisville,  and  thence  by 
boat  to  Memphis.      December    20   the  company 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


287 


left  Memphis  for  Vicksbiirg.  He  took  part  in 
the  charge  at  Haines'  Bluff  under  General  Sher- 
man, December  30-January  i,  where  the  Thir- 
teenth army  corps  was  repulsed.  At  Arkansas 
Post  his  regiment  occupied  the  extreme  left,  and 
was  the  first  regiment  to  place  its  colors  on  Fort 
Hindman.  The  regiment  went  down  the  river 
to  Young's  Point,  opposite  Vicksburg,  and  was 
for  three  days  engaged  in  digging  on  the  canal 
across  the  point  where  the  Mississippi  now  flows. 
The  active  campaign  against  Vicksburg  com- 
menced April  16,  1863,  with  the  corps  under 
Gen.  John  A.  McCleruand  in  the  advance,  and 
crossed  the  Mississippi  at  Bruinsburg,  reaching 
Port  Gibson,  Miss.,  on  the  morning  of  May  i. 
The  Ninety-seventh  made  two  charges.  In  the 
first  they  captured  two  pieces  of  artillery;  in  the 
second  they  were  repulsed.  The  battle  of  Cham- 
pion Hills  occurred  May  16,  and  the  next  day 
was  the  battle  of  Big  Black  River,  where  the 
Ninety-seventh  Illinois  and  the  Nineteenth  Ken- 
tucky, supported  by  the  Forty-eighth  Ohio, 
captured  three  regiments  and  their  colors,  two 
batteries,  one  of  four  guns  and  one  of  five  guns. 
The  battle  of  Vicksburg  commenced  May  ig.  In 
the  first  charge  twenty-seven  of  Mr.  Fraser's 
regiment  were  killed  and  wounded,  among  the 
killed  being  his  brother,  James.  May  22,  two 
men  from  each  company  volunteered  to  make  an 
assault,  as  a  forlorn  hope,  on  a  certain  point  of 
the  enemy's  works.  They  were  ordered  to  leave 
their  money  and  watches,  if  they  had  any,  with 
their  comrades.  John  G.  Miller  and  W.  W. 
Fraser  volunteered  from  Company  I,  and  with 
Edwin  Lowe,  of  Company  K,  succeeded  in 
reaching  a  point  so  close  as  to  prevent  the  Con- 
federates from  having  a  flank  fire  on  the  charg- 
ing column,  and  made  it  possible  for  the  Union 
men  to  take  and  hold  the  fort  for  three  hours. 
General  Lawler,  commander  of  the  brigade,  and 
Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  commander  of  the  division, 
wrote  to  Secretary  Staunton  in  regard  to  the 
three  men  who  showed  such  remarkable  bravery, 
and  the  secretarj-  granted  them  three  months' 
furlough  with  six  months'  pay.  Lowe  was  pro- 
moted to  sergeant  and  color  bearer,  while  our 
subject    was   promoted   to   corporal   and  one  of 


eight  color  guards.  John  G.  Miller  was  killed 
November  i,  1864,  while  Edwin  Lowe  fell  in  a 
charge  that  resulted  in  the  capture  of  Mobile. 

Thirty-two  years  after  the  battle  of  Vicksburg 
Mr.  Fraser  received  the  following  letter  from  the 
record  and  pension  office  in  Washington  City: 

"S/'r:  I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that,  by 
direction  of  the  president  and  in  accordance  with 
the  act  of  congress  approved  March  3,  1863, 
providing  for  the  presentation  of  medals  of  honor 
to  such  oHicers,  non-commissioned  officers  and 
privates  as  have  most  distinguished  themselves  in 
action,  the  assistant  secretary  of  war  has  awarded 
you  a  medal  of  honor  for  most  distinguished  gal- 
lantry in  action  at  the  battle  of  Vicksburg,  Miss., 
May  22,  1863,  while  a  member  of  a  volunteer 
storming  party  upon  the  enemy's  works.  The 
medal  has  been  forwarded  to  you  to-day  by  regis- 
tered mail.  Upon  receipt  of  it,  please  advise  this 
office  thereof. 

"Very  respectfully, 

(Signed)     "W.  C.  Ainsworth, 
"Col.  U.  S.  A.,  ChiefRecord  and  Pension  Office." 

In  addition  to  the  medal  of  honor  Mr.  Fraser 
was  also  awarded  a  ribbon  of  the  pattern  pre- 
scribed and  established  by  the  president  under 
the  provision  of  the  joint  resolution  of  congress, 
approved  May  2,  1896,  to  replace  the  ribbon  to 
which  the  medal  of  honor  was  attached,  and  a 
knot  to  be  worn  in  lieu  of  the  medal.  He  also 
received  from  Washington  a  certificate  of  mem- 
bership of  the  Medal  of  Honor  Legion  of  the 
United  States.  This  certificate  is  highly  artistic, 
having  on  the  left  the  army  medal  of  honor  in 
perfect  colors  of  the  medal,  and  underneath  a 
battle  scene  on  land.  On  the  right  is  the  naval 
medal  of  honor  in  colors  and  underneath  a  naval 
engagement,  while  above  is  a  fac-simile  of  the 
knot  of  ribbon  to  be  worn  in  lieu  of  the  medal. 
At  the  bottom  is  the  seal  of  the  legion.  The 
document  reads  as  follows.  "In  the  name  and  by 
the  authority  of  the  Medal  of  Honor  Legion  of 
the  United  States,  to  all  whom  these  presents 
shall  come,  greeting:  Know  ye  that  William  W. 
Fraser,  having  received  a  medal  of  honor  for  dis- 
tinguished gallantry  in  action,  in  accordance 
with  the  act  of  congress,  and  having  rendered 


288 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


faithful  service  in  maintaining  the  honor,  integ- 
rity and  supremacy  of  the  United  States,  was  re- 
ceived as  a  companion  of  the  first  class  of  the 
Medal  of  Honor  Legion  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  on  the  second  day  of  May,  Anno 
Domini,  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety-six. 

"In  testimony  whereof,  the  names  of  the  com- 
mander and  adjutant  and  the  seal  of  the  order 
are  hereunto  affixed.  Given  at  Washington, 
D.  C. ,  this  ninth  day  of  June,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord,  1897." 

(Signed)     Nelson  A.  Miles,  Commander. 
John  Tweedale,  Adjutant. 

There  being  only  five  other  medals  of  the  kind 
in  the  state,  the  honor  conferred  upon  Mr.  Fraser 
is  no  common  one,  and  it  is  natural  that  he 
should  prize  his  medal  of  honor  above  any  other 
earthly  possession.  Just  before  his  furlough  of 
three  months  he  took  part  in  the  battles  along 
the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans,  and  accom- 
panied General  Banks  on  the  Red  River  expedi- 
tion. After  the  surrender  of  General  Lee  his 
regiment  was  sent  with  others  along  the  gulf 
coast  to  the  Rio  Grande  River  to  menace  the 
French  usurpation  under  Maximilian.  He  was 
mustered  out  at  Galveston,  Tex.,  and  honorably 
discharged  at  Camp  Butler,  August  19,  1865. 
Afterward  he  attended  Shurtleff  College  in  Alton, 
111.,  for  six  months,  and  then  clerked  in  a  cloth- 
ing store  in  that  city.  In  the  spring  of  1869  he 
settled  in  Ottawa,  where  for  sixteen  years  he 
conducted  a  grocery  business.  In  1885  he  built 
a  brick  store,  two  stories,  25x80,  and  in  1886  he 
opened  a  dry-goods  business  here,  which  he  has 
since  carried  on  successfully.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Veterans' 
Association  of  the  Ninety-seventh  Illinois  In- 
fantry and  George  H.  Thomas  Post  No.  18, 
G.  A.  R.  He  is  past  commander  of  the  Select 
Knights,  past  master  workman  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  a  past  officer  in  the 
lodge  and  encampment  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  a 
member  of  Franklin  Lodge  No.  18,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
at  Ottawa,  having  been  made  a  Mason  in  Alton 
more  than  thirty  years  ago.  He  was  married  in 
Alton  to  Miss  Jennie  Rutledge,  who  was  born  in 
Durham,  England,  and    came   to    America  with 


her  father,  John  Rutledge,  settling  in  Alton. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fraser  have  two  children:  Mrs. 
Ethel  Woodlief,  of  Brookfield,  Mo.;  and  Jean, 
at  home. 


ELAUDE  L.  COWDERY,  M.  D.  The  fam- 
ily represented  by  this  prominent  business 
man  of  Ottawa  is  of  English  descent,  but 
was  identified  with  the  early  history  of  New 
England,  and  some  of  its  members  took  part  in 
the  Indian  and  Revolutionary  wars.  From  its 
original  form  of  Coudray  the  name  was  changed 
to  its  present  spelling.  Elijah  Cowdery  was  born 
in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  moved  to  Trumbull 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  spent  his  remaining 
years  upon  a  farm.  His  son,  Lyman,  a  native 
of  Trumbull  County,  went  south  in  early  man- 
hood, driving  in  a  two-wheeled  gig  from  Ohio 
to  Columbus,  Ga.  There  he  opened  a  general 
store,  his  goods  having  been  shipped  from  the 
north  to  Savannah  and  from  there  conveyed  by 
teams  to  Columbus,  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
distant.  He  was  the  youngest  of  thirteen  sons, 
the  eldest  of  whom,  Lester,  had  in  youth  gone 
south  and  settled  at  Columbus,  so  that  the  two 
brothers  never  met  until  the  youngest  arrived  in 
Columbus. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  Lyman  Cow- 
dery was  drafted  into  the  Confederate  army;  but 
he  refused  to  take  up  arms  against  the  people  of 
the  north,  with  whom  he  was  in  sympathy,  so  he 
was  assigned  to  the  commissary  department.  As 
soon  as  possible  he  left  the  south  and  went  to 
New  York  City,  where  he  engaged  in  business 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  When  peace  was  de- 
clared, in  1865,  he  returned  to  Georgia  by  the 
first  steamer  that  sailed  for  Savannah.  When  off 
Cape  Hatteras  this  ship  was  wrecked  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty-six  persons  were  drowned.  He 
was  among  those  who  perished  in  the  wreck.  At 
that  time  he  was  forty-five  years  of  age.  Twice 
married,  his  first  wife  was  Sarah  Lewis,  daughter 
of  Judge  Ulysses  Lewis,  who  was  born  in  Mil- 
ledgeville,  Ga.,  and  removed  to  Russell  County, 
Ala. ,  where  he  was  district  attorney.  He  was  a 
descendant  of  Welsh  ancestors  who  settled  in 
Virginia.      His  daughter,  Sarah,  was  born  in 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


289 


Alabama  and  died  there  prior  to  the  war.  After- 
ward her  sister,  Jennie,  became  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Cowderj',  and  some  years  after  his  death  was 
married  to  Mr.  Murdock,  a  large  and  prominent 
planter;  she  died  in  Alabama  in  1880. 

The  two  children  of  Lyman  Cowdery  were  born 
of  his  first  marriage.  The  danghter,  Mrs.  Sallie 
Freeny,  resides  in  Columbus,  Ga.  The  son,  who 
forms  the  subject  of  this  article,  was  born  in 
Columbus  in  April,  1856.  After  his  father's 
death  he  was  sent  north  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  Warren  Academy,  in  Warren,  Ohio,  re- 
turning to  Columbus  after  a  few  years,  and  grad- 
uating from  the  Columbus  high  school  in  1S74. 
Two  years  later  he  graduated  from  the  Atlanta 
Medical  College,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  His 
health  being  poor  he  went  to  Denver,  Colo., 
hoping  that  the  change  of  climate  might  prove 
beneficial.  After  a  year  he  returned  to  Alabama, 
and  married  Ida  Lucas,  daughter  of  William 
Lucas,  who  was  a  prominent  planter  near  Mont- 
gomery and  died  during  a  visit  in  Ottawa. 

In  1877  Dr.  Cowdery  settled  in  Ottawa,  and  as 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Becker  &  Cowdery  em- 
barked in  the  drug  business.  In  1890  he  sold 
out  to  his  partner  and  opened  a  drug  store  on 
the  north  side,  where  he  owns  his  store  building 
and  has  built  up  a  fine  trade.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  board  of  health  and  formerly  served  upon 
the  school  board.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern  Woodmen, 
Lodge  No.  128,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Chapter  No. 
7,  R.  A.  M.  In  the  Episcopal  Church  he  is  an 
active  worker  and  a  member  of  the  vestry.  He 
is  a  charter  member  of  the  Kansas  Pharmaceuti- 
cal Association  and  a  member  of  the  Chautauqua 
Association.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  he  has 
served  on  the  city  central  committee  and  as  a 
member  of  the  county  committee.  His  first  wife 
died  in  Ottawa,  leaving  two  sons,  Claude  L.  and 
Clifford  M.,  both  at  home.  Afterward  he  was 
married  in  this  city  to  Alice,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Barnett,  who  was  twice  elected  treasurer  of 
Franklin  County  and  was  a  prominent  farmer  of 
this  county,  where  he  died  in  1897.  Mrs.  Cow- 
dery was  born  in  Ottawa  and  received  her  educa- 
tion in  the  high  school  of   this  city,  from  which 


she  graduated.  Both  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Cowdery 
have  many  friends  among  their  acquaintances 
and  are  respected  for  their  worth  of  character 
and  for  their  interest  in  all  enterprises  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  Ottawa. 


I^EORGE  C.  RICHARDSON,  oneof  Leaven- 
\y^  worth's  influential  business  men,  is  a  mem- 
vU  ber  of  the  firm  of  Ryan  &  Richardson, 
wholesale  dealers  in  fruits.  Matthew  Ryan,  Jr., 
his  partner,  to  whose  keen  business  acumen  and 
untiring  energy  their  success  was  in  no  small 
degree  due,  is  now  deceased,  so  that  the  responsi- 
bility of  managing  and  carrying  forward  the 
large  business  lies  entirely  with  the  junior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm.  That  he  has  proved  equal  to  the 
emergency  the  continued  success  of  the  enter- 
prise indicates.  In  the  firm's  cold  storage  house 
at  Nos.  515-521  Cherokee  street  there  is  a  stor- 
age capacity  of  two  hundred  cars  or  thirty-five 
thousand  barrels,  it  being  the  largest  cold  stor- 
age plant  in  the  city.  One  hundred  thousand 
barrels  of  apples  are  handled  annually,  the  busi- 
ness extending  through  all  the  northern  and 
southern  states;  for  many  years  the  apples  have 
been  marketed  in  New  York  City  and  exported  to 
London,  Liverpool  and  Hamburg. 

In  1897,  in  partnership  with  Mrs.  Dacotah  S. 
Ryan,  the  widow  of  Matthew  Ryan,  Jr.,  Mr. 
Richardson  organized  the  Missouri  Valley  Or- 
chard Company,  of  which  he  is  president  and 
manager,  and  Mrs.  Ryan  secretary  and  treasurer. 
The  company  purchased  eight  hundred  acres  of 
land  twenty-two  miles  southwest  of  Leaven- 
worth, on  the  Kansas  City  &  Northwestern 
Railroad,  and  here  they  have  planted  forty  thou- 
sand apple  trees,  which,  as  soon  as  they  are  in 
bearing  condition,  will  prove  a  very  profitable  in- 
vestment for  the  owners.  In  1896  Mr.  Richard- 
son erected  in  South  Leavenworth  an  ice  manu- 
facturing plant,  with  a  capacity  of  sixty  tons, 
about  one-half  of  whose  product  is  distributed 
through  central  and  southern  Kansas.  In  1897 
he  built  a  pork-packing  house  and  leased  it  to 
Wilke  &  Co. ,  who  have  since  carried  on  business 
there. 


290 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mr.  Richardson  was  born  in  Leavenworth 
November  14,  1856,  and  was  the  second  white 
child  born  in  this  city,  and  now  the  oldest  native- 
born  citizen  here.  His  parents  were  Jason  P. 
and  Mary  (King)  Richardson,  who  came  to 
Leavenworth  in  1855.  Mr.  Richardson  engaged 
in  the  general  merchandise  business  and  resided 
here  until  his  death;  his  widow  is  still  living,  in 
Leavenworth.  In  1876  our  subject  entered  Barre 
(Vt.)  Academy,  where  he  was  a  student  for  two 
years.  On  his  return  to  Leavenworth  he  gradu- 
ated from  Skillman's  Business  College.  In  1878 
he  was  given  employment  at  $1.56  a  day  with 
Havens  &  Co.,  of  Leavenworth.  After  about 
two  years  he  was  taken  into  the  firm,  being  given 
a  one-third  interest  in  the  business.  In  1882 
their  mill  was  destroyed  by  a  mill-dust  explosion 
and  burned  to  the  ground.  Afterward,  with 
A.  B.  Havens,  as  Havens  &  Richardson,  he 
started  a  canning  factory,  which  he  conducted  for 
a  year.  His  next  venture  was  the  purchase  of  a 
flour  mill  at  Waldron,  Mo.,  but  the  high  water 
in  1883  damaged  the  mill  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
impair  its  usefulness. 

In  1886  the  firm  of  Richardson,  Simon  &  Co. 
embarked  in  the  fruit  business  in  Leavenworth, 
also  established  a  branch  at  Wichita,  Kans.,  and 
handled  and  packed  all  kinds  of  domestic  and 
foreign  fruits.  In  1891  Mr.  Ryan  and  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson entered  into  partnership,  and  the  firm  of 
Ryan  &  Richardson  afterward  carried  on  a  whole- 
sale apple  business.  As  Mr.  Ryan  was  occupied 
with  his  extensive  cattle  interests  in  Arizona, 
Montana  and  other  western  points,  and  also  had 
important  coal  interests,  much  of  the  management 
of  the  business  fell  upon  Mr.  Richardson.  How- 
ever, in  spite  of  the  many  other  enterprises  that 
demanded  Mr.  Ryan's  time  he  was  ever  ready  to 
counsel  and  assist  Mr.  Richardson,  who  feels  that 
he  owes  much  to  his  partner's  excellent  judg- 
ment and  shrewd  foresight.  November  26,  1897, 
Mr.  Ryan  met  with  an  accident  that  resulted  in 
his  death  three  days  later.  According  to  the 
terms  of  the  will,  his  wife  was  the  sole  legatee 
and  the  business  was  continued  the  same  as  before. 

Mr.  Richardson  is  a  Republican  in  his  views, 
but  has  always  been  averse  to  politics  and  takes 


no  part  in  public  affairs.  He  is  connected  with 
the  Knights  of  Honor  and  the  Catholic  Mutual 
Benefit  Association.  On  the  3d  of  August,  1899, 
at  the  fifth  annual  convention  held  at  Detroit, 
Mich. ,  he  was  elected  president  of  the  National 
Apple  Shippers'  Association,  besides  which  he  is 
active  in  the  work  of  the  Kansas  State  Horti- 
cultural Society.  His  marriage,  which  took  place 
in  Leavenworth,  united  him  with  Miss  Anna 
Draper,  who  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Mary  (Ryan)  Draper, 
and  a  niece  of  Matthew  Ryan,  Sr.  Five  children 
were  born  of  this  union,  but  one  son,  George, 
died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  months.  The  others 
are:  Helen  May,  Mabel  Draper,  Matthew  Ryan, 
Jr.,  and  Amanda  Parker.  The  family  occupy  an 
attractive  residence  on  North  Broadway. 


gEORGE  W.  SNYDER,  who  is  one  of  the 
energetic  and  capable  farmers  of  South 
Centropolis  Township,  Franklin  County, 
was  born  in  Richland  County,  Ohio,  June  12, 
1838.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Mag- 
ner)  Snyder,  natives  respectively  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Ohio,  and  the  parents  of  six  children,  all 
living.  About  1830  his  father  settled  in  Ohio, 
and  afterward  was  extensively  engaged  in  farm 
pursuits  in  that  state.  The  years  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth  our  subject  spent  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
birthplace.  His  education  was  such  as  common 
schools  afforded,  and  gave  him  the  necessary 
knowledge  which  is  fundamental  to  all  success. 

When  thirty  years  of  age  Mr.  Snyder  deter- 
mined to  seek  a  home  in  the  west,  believing  that, 
with  cheaper  land,  he  might  be  better  able  to  get 
a  start  in  the  world.  Accordingly  in  1868  he 
came  to  Kansas  and  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  raw  prairie  land  in  Franklin 
County.  At  once  he  commenced  the  work  of 
improving  the  place.  After  a  time  he  brought 
the  land  into  good  condition.  On  this  place  he 
has  engaged  in  raising  farm  products  and  stock. 
By  adding  to  his  original  purchase  he  has  be- 
come the  owner  of  four  hundred  acres,  half  of 
which  is  planted  in  corn.  As  a  farmer  he  has 
prospered,   and   the   fine   improvements   on   his 


C^rec^uc^  Oz,   (/^'-i^'cr-cr/Uf 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


293 


farm  speak  volumes  for  his  thrift  and  energy. 
He  is  never  happier  than  when  at  work,  and 
may  be  seen  daily  busying  himself  in  the  various 
details  of  farm  management,  superintending  his 
property,  planning  improvements  and  looking 
after  the  crops  and  the  stock. 

September  29,  1864,  Mr.  Snyder  married  Miss 
Martha  J.  Billow,  by  whom  he  has  four  children: 
Harry  C;  Irvin  W. ;  Maude,  wife  of  Levi  Burns; 
and  Lillie,  at  home.  The  family  stand  high  in 
social  circles  in  their  part  of  the  county,  and 
have  many  friends,  who  have  been  won  bj'  their 
refinement  and  genial  dispositions.  They  hold 
membership  in  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Ottawa. 
In  educational  matters  Mr.  Snyder  has  always 
been  interested,  desiring  to  aid  the  public  schools 
in  every  way  possible,  and  his  school  tax  is 
larger  than  that  of  any  other  man  in  the 
township. 


HON.  PAUL  R.  BROOKS,  a  pioneer  of  1854 
in  Lawrence,  is  one  of  the  most  prominent 
men  of  the  city.  On  the  organization  of  the 
Watkins  National  Bank,  in  April,  1888,  he  was 
elected  cashier  and  a  director,  in  which  capacities 
he  has  since  officiated.  The  bank  has  a  capital 
stock  of  $150,000  and  occupies  one  of  the  finest 
bank  buildings  in  the  entire  state.  Under  his 
conservative  yet  energetic  management  a  profit- 
able financial  system  has  been  established  and 
safe  investments  have  been  made.  In  addition  to 
his  responsible  position  as  cashier  and  manager 
of  the  bank  he  acts  as  trustee  for  the  Jewett  es- 
tate in  Lawrence,  and  as  administrator  and  ex- 
ecutor for  several  valuable  estates. 

Between  1630  and  1640  Thomas  Brooks,  a 
Puritan,  came  from  England  and  settled  in  Con- 
cord, Mass.  From  him  descended  Solomon 
Brooks,  who  was  born  in  Lincoln,  Mass.,  and 
served  as  a  minute  man  at  Concord  and  Lexing- 
ton, also  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 
He  filled  three  different  terms  of  enlistment  in 
the  American  army.  Afterward  he  removed  to 
Temple,  N.  H.,  thence  to  New  Ipswich,  N.  H., 
and  later  joined  his  children  in  York  County, 
Me.,  where  he  died  at  eighty-five  years.  His 
10 


son,  Jeremiah,  who  was  born  at  Temple,  N.  H., 
served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  later  engaged  in 
merchandising  in  York,  Me.,  where  he  died  in 
1881,  at  the  age  of  ninety.  He  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  His 
wife,  Eveline,  was  born  in  York,  a  daughter 
of  Theodore  Parsons,  who  it  is  thought  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  By  occupation  he 
was  a  farmer;  he  died  in  Maine  at  seventy-five 
years,  and  his  daughter  passed  away  in  1893,  at 
ninety  years.  They  were  descendants  of  English 
ancestors  who  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of 
what  is  now  York  County,  Me. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  York, 
Me.,  July  22,  1834.  He  was  one  of  twelve  chil- 
dren who  attained  mature  years,  of  whom  three 
sons  and  five  daughters  survive.  One  son,  Al- 
bert G.,  who  came  to  Kansas  in  i860  and  served 
in  the  Second  Kansas  Infantry  during  the  Civil 
war,  is  now  connected  with  the  Gulf  Railroad  in 
Denver,  Colo.  Another  son,  Jeremiah,  came  to 
Lawrence  in  1872  and  still  lives  in  this  city. 

After  completing  an  academic  education,  in 
1851,  our  subject  went  to  Boston,  where  he 
clerked  in  a  dry  goods  store  for  three  years.  In 
September,  1854,  he  came  to  Kansas,  making  his 
way  to  Leavenworth  by  boat.  As  there  was  then 
no  road  across  to  Lawrence  he  returned  to  Kan- 
sas City  by  boat,  and  from  there  made  his  way 
to  Lawrence,  arriving  here  in  September.  He 
and  his  cousin,  Daniel  H.  Brooks  (who  died  here 
in  the  spring  of  1855)  had  heard  of  this  place  as 
"Yankeetown,"  so  were  led  by  curiosity  to  in- 
vestigate the  town.  The  two  opened  the  first 
store  in  the  first  building  erected  in  Lawrence, 
this  being  a  log  cabin  on  Massachusetts  street. 
During  the  winter  they  bought  goods  in  Kansas 
City  and  hauled  them  to  Lawrence.  In  1855, 
when  near  what  was  known  as  the  Quaker  mission, 
the  cousin  lost  the  trail  and  from  exposure  caugh 
a  cold  that  resulted  in  his  death.  Our  subject 
then  continued  the  business  alone.  Several  times 
he  went  to  St.  Louis  for  goods.  He  soon  moved 
into  a  log  building  which  was  the  first  postoffice 
and  which  stood  on  Massachusetts,  across  the 
street  from  the  old  building.  He  was  appointed 
deputy -postmaster.     In  1857  ^^  embarked  in  the 


294 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


boot  and  shoe  business  and  located  in  a  frame 
luilding,  where  he  remained  until  i860. 

Before  a  charter  had  been  secured  for  Lawrence 
a  city  government  was  organized  in  1856  and  Mr. 
Brooks  was  elected  a  member  of  the  citj-  council. 
Governor  Walker,  objecting  to  the  establishment 
of  a  city  government  without  his  consent,  brought 
troops  here  from  Leavenworth  with  the  avowed 
purpose  of  dispersing  the  council,  but  nothing  fur- 
ther came  of  it.  After  a  year  the  charter  was  se- 
cured and  the  first  regular  city  council  was  chosen. 
In  the  fall  of  1858  Mr.  Brooks  was  elected  to  the 
territorial  legislature  on  the  free  state  ticket. 
The  legislature  first  met  at  Lecompton,  but  ad- 
journed to  Lawrence.  It  was  again  called  to  Le- 
compton by  the  governor,  but  again  adjourned  to 
Lawrence,  and  here  the  session  was  held  which 
declared  for  the  abolishment  of  slavery  in  Kansas. 
From  i860  until  after  the  Ouantrell  raid  Mr. 
Brooks  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business.  Dur- 
ing the  war  he  was  quartermaster  of  the  Third 
Kansas  Regiment,  which  was  mustered  into 
service  for  defense  against  Price,  and  in  the  field 
he  was  brigade  quartermaster.  In  September, 
1863,  he  was  appointed  city  clerk,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing November  was  elected  to  fill  a  vacancy. 
By  re-election  he  served  five  full  terms,  and  was 
renominated  for  a  sixth  term,  but  declined.  At 
the  time  of  the  Quantrell  raid  his  home  on  Ken- 
tucky street  was  burned,  August  21,  1863.  He 
and  his  wife  were  visiting  in  Maine;  had  he  been 
at  home  he  would  probabh-  have  lost  his  life,  as 
he  was  one  of  the  first  men  for  whom  the  gang  in- 
quired. The  county  clerk  was  killed  in  the  raid, 
and  Mr.  Brooks,  returning  at  once  to  Lawrence, 
was  appointed  county  clerk,  which  office  he  held 
until  1874.  For  three  years  afterward  he  was 
agent  of  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston 
Railroad,  and  later  was  for  four  years  deputy 
county  treasurer.  In  the  fall  of  188 1  he  was 
elected  couuty  treasurer  on  the  Republican  ticket 
and  was  re-elected  in  1883,  being  nominated  b}- 
both  the  Republicans  and  the  Democrats,  at  the 
same  hour,  on  the  same  day.  In  October,  1886, 
he  retired  from  the  treasurer's  oflBce, after  which  he 
was  deputy  under  his  successor,  Col.  H.  L.  Moore. 


Since  then  he  has  had  the  management  of  the 
Watkins  National  Bank.  He  has  always  been  a 
leader  among  the  Republicans  of  Lawrence  and 
has  frequently  served  as  chairman  of  the  Douglas 
County  central  committee.  He  was  married  in 
this  city,  October  3,  1858,  to  Mary  A.,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Alanson  Boughton,  a  Baptist  minister  of 
New  York.  She  was  born  in  Cayuga  County, 
that  state,  and  came  to  Lawrence  in  1857  with  a 
married  sister. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Brooks  is  connected  with  the 
blue  lodge  and  chapter  of  Masonry  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.  He  is 
familiar  with  the  history  of  Lawrence  from  its 
earliest  days.  There  are  only  five  persons  in  the 
cit}'  who  came  here  before  he  did.  All  of  the 
early  movements  for  the  advancement  of  the  town 
received  his  co-operation.  He  aided  in  securing 
the  location  of  the  University  of  Kansas  and  the 
Haskell  Institute  in  this  city.  All  educational 
and  philanthropic  movements  have  received  the 
impetus  of  his  encouragement.  Few  now  living 
in  Lawrence  are  as  familiar  with  its  history  as  he, 
and  certainly  no  one  takes  a  more  vital  interest  in 
its  progress.  Some  years  before  the  war  he  be- 
came identified  with  a  militia  organized  by  Gen- 
erals Robinson  and  Lane,  for  the  purpose  of 
building  the  forts  to  defend  Lawrence  in  case  of 
attack,  and  he  was  chosen  first  lieutenant  of  a 
company.  When  the  first  raid  was  made  on 
Lawrence  his  store  was  robbed,  and  two  loads  of 
goods  on  the  way  here  from  Kansas  City  were 
captured.  At  that  time,  when  the  forces  were  in 
forts  here,  they  were  accustomed  to  call  on  him 
for  requisitions  of  coffee  and  sugar,  and  in  return 
provided  him  with  what  was  known  as  protection 
scrip,  but  the  value  of  the  goods,  amounting  to 
about  $600,  he  never  received.  He  remembers 
vividly  the  struggles  of  pioneer  days  and  the 
perils  of  border  warfare  and  pro- slavery  raids,  and 
often  contrasts  with  pleasure  those  times  with  the 
present  day,  when  Lawrence  is  one  of  the  educa- 
tional centers  of  the  west,  a  city  beautiful  in  ap- 
pearance, active  in  commerce,  substantial  in 
finances,  and  elevated  in  the  character  of  its 
citizenship. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


295 


r\AUL  E.  HAVENS.  The  family  represented 
ly  by  this  influential  citizen  of  Leavenworth 
jkj)  was  founded  in  America  by  William  Havens 
of  Wales,  who  crossed  the  ocean  and  settled  at 
Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  in  1636.  Capt.  Daniel 
Havens,  the  great-grandfather  of  Paul  E.,  was 
born  on  Long  Island  February  5,  1750,  and  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Bostwick,  whose  birth  occurred 
March  26,  1755.  During  his  active  life  he  fol- 
lowed the  sea.  He  died  at  Sag  Harbor,  N.  Y. , 
while  still  a  young  man.  His  son,  Paul  Havens, 
was  born  at  Sag  Harbor  October  7,  1777,  and 
married  Anne  Kennedy,  who  was  born  December 
2,  1778;  she  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  Kenned}', 
a  Revolutionary  soldier,  born  September  18, 
1748.  C.  D.  P.  Havens,  son  of  Paul  and  Anne 
Havens,  was  born  November  3,  1808.  In  1832 
he  married  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Philip  R.  Frey, 
and  a  descendant  of  Swiss  ancestry. 

In  1688  Henry  Frey,  a  native  of  Switzerland, 
settled  on  the  present  site  of  Palatine  Bridge, 
New  York,  becoming  the  first  settler  in  that 
region  of  the  Mohawk  Valley.  His  son,  Henry, 
was  born  September  15,  1712,  and  had  a  son.  Col. 
Henry  Frey,  whose  birth  occurred  September  23, 
1735.  The  last-named  was  an  officer  in  the 
French  and  Indian  war,  serving  under  Sir  William 
Johnson.  He  married  Elizabeth,  a  sister  of  Gen. 
Nicholas  Herkimer,  and  their  only  daughter  was 
the  mother  of  Eliza  Cockburn,  the  wife  of  Judge 
Alfred  Conkling;  their  only  son  was  Philip 
Rockell  Frey,  father  of  Mrs.  Eleanor  Havens. 

Paul  E.  Havens  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Ephrata,  Fulton  County,  N.  Y.,  May  4,  1839. 
When  he  was  eight  years  old  his  father  died.  Six 
years  later  he  became  clerk  in  a  store  at  Elmira, 
N.  Y. ,  and  continued  there  until  1856,  when  he 
came  as  far  west  as  Iowa .  For  two  years  he  was 
employed  in  Davenport.  In  July,  1858,  he  came 
to  Leavenworth.  About  that  time  the  territorial 
judges  appointed  terms  of  their  courts  to  be  held 
in  each  settled  county,  and  he  was  appointed  a 
deputy  clerk  of  the  court  for  Jefferson  County, 
under  Judge  Samuel  D.  Lecompte,  the  chief 
justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  territory  and 
judge  of  the  first  judicial  district.  On  the 
adoption  of  the  state  constitution  he  was  elected 


clerk  of  the  district  court  for  Jefferson  County. 
At  the  next  general  election  he  was  chosen  to 
succeed  himself  in  the  office.  In  1861  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives 
from  the  eighth  district,  comprising  the  counties 
of  Shawnee,  Jefferson  and  Jackson. 

During  1863  Mr.  Havens  established  his  per- 
manent home  in  Leavenworth.  Here  he  at  first 
engaged  in  the  insurance  business  as  local  agent 
and  as  secretary  of  a  local  marine  insurance  com- 
pany, which  carried  on  a  prosperous  business 
until  traffic  was  transferred  from  the  Missouri 
River  to  the  railroads,  which  reached  Leaven- 
worth in  1866.  In  1868  he  became  a.ssociated 
with  H.  L.  Newman  in  the  banking  business, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Newman  &  Havens. 
This  business  was  discontinued  by  limitation  in 
1874,  Mr.  Newman  removing  to  St.  Louis.  Mr. 
Havens  was  one  of  the  projectors  of  the  Kansas 
Central  Railway,  an  enterprise  inaugurated  by 
local  capital,  for  the  building  of  a  railroad  to 
Denver,  and  he  served  as  a  director  and  as  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  company  until  the  road 
was  sold  to  Jay  Gould  in  1883.  He  was  also 
interested  in  the  construction  of  the  railroad 
between  Leavenworth  and  Atchison,  now  a  part 
of  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railway.  In  connection 
with  his  brother,  A.  B.  Havens,  in  1876  he  em- 
barked in  the  milling  business,  which  was  suc- 
cessfully conducted  until  the  property  was  totally 
destroyed  by  fire  in  March,  1882. 

In  the  organization  of  the  Leavenworth  Na- 
tional Bank  in  1S83  Mr.  Havens  took  a  warm 
interest  and  active  part,  and  he  has  served  as  its 
president  from  the  date  of  its  organization.  The 
capital  of  the  bank  was  originally  $100,000,  but 
after  a  year  was  increased  to  $150,000.  Its 
career  has  been  very  prosperous.  It  has  paid 
regular  dividends  of  ten  per  cent. -per  annum 
and  accumulated,  in  addition,  a  surplus  and  un- 
divided profits  aggregating  over  $200,000.  This 
highly  gratifying  result  is  largely  due  to  the 
wisdom  and  business  ability  of  its  able  officials, 
who  have  guided  the  finances  of  the  bank  in  safe 
channels  that  have  proved  profitable. 

From  1887  to  1897  Mr.  Havens  was  vice- 
president  of  the  Leavenworth  Light  &  Heating 


296 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Company,  but  duriug  the  latter  year  he  disposed 
of  his  interest  in  the  company.  In  1890  he  was 
elected  vice-president  of  the  Leavenworth  Citj' 
and  Fort  Leavenworth  Water  Company,  and  on 
the  death  of  L.  T.  Smith  was  chosen  his  suc- 
cessor in  the  presidency,  which  position  he  still 
holds.  Enterprises  for  the  benefit  of  the  city 
have  always  received  his  supportand  co-operation. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

In  December,  1S60,  Mr.  Havens  married  Miss 
Matilda  Moore,  of  Wooster,  Ohio.  Their  sur- 
viving children  are  Eleanor  and  Elizabeth,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Daniel  R.  Anthony,  Jr.,  the  present 
postmaster  of  Leavenworth  and  business  manager 
of  the  Leavenworth  Times. 


(lOHN  NAVARRE  MACOMB,  of  Lawrence, 
I  is  the  oldest  living  representative,  in  the 
O  direct  line  of  descent,  of  a  prominent  pioneer 
family  of  America.  He  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  22  September,  1843.  His  father.  Col. 
John  N.  Macomb,  was  born  in  New  York  City  9 
April,  18 1 1 ,  and  passed  the  years  of  his  boyhood 
in  Newark,  N.  J.,  where  he  received  his  early 
education.  Later  he  spent  one  year  in  Hobart 
(then  Geneva)  College,  in  New  York.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  United  States  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point  i  July,  1832.  His 
whole  life,  from  his  appointment  as  a  cadet  in 
September,  1S28,  was  spent  in  the  army.  He 
was  a  lieutenant  in  the  Fourth  Artillery  and  for 
some  years  aide-de-camp  to  his  uncle,  Maj.-Gen. 
Alexander  Macomb.  In  the  year  1838  he  was 
transferred  to  the  corps  of  Topographical  Engi- 
neers, of  which  he  remained  a  member  until  it 
was  merged  into  the  Corps  of  Engineers  in  1863. 
Afterward  he  continued  with  the  enlarged  corps 
until  I  July,  1882,  when  he  was  placed  upon  the 
retired  list,  fifty  years  from  the  day  he  was 
graduated  from  West  Point.  For  eighteen  years, 
from  1838,  he  was  connected  with  the  topograph- 
ical survey  of  the  great  lakes,  having  charge  of 
that  work  a  large  part  of  the  time.  In  1856  he 
was  placed  in  charge  of  surveys  in  New  Mexico 
and  adjacent  country,  having  for  their  object  the 
building  of  a  transcontinental  railroad.     During 


the  first  two  years  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  one  of 
the  engineers  connected  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  Afterward  he  was  in  charge  of  fortifi- 
cations at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  the  improve- 
ment of  the  western  rivers,  with  headquarters  at 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  later  at  Rock  Island,  111. 
In  1877  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  river  improve- 
ments in  New  Jersey,  with  headquarters  at  Phila- 
delphia, and  remained  in  charge  of  this  work 
until  his  retirement  in  1882.  He  was  frequently 
selected  to  serve  as  a  member  of  boards  appointed 
to  examine  and  report  upon  engineering  works. 

Colonel  Macomb  received  several  substantial 
tokens  of  the  appreciation  in  which  his  services 
were  held  by  the  residents  ^of  Detroit,  Buffalo, 
Cleveland  and  other  cities,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned  a  very  handsome  silver  service  and  a 
Jurgeusen  watch. 

On  7  March,  1838,  Colonel  Macomb  married 
Czarina  Macomb,  who  was  born  at  Fort  Johnson, 
Charleston  Harbor,  S.  C,  21  October,  1810,  and 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  only  living  child 
of  that  marriage. 

In  1850  Colonel  Macomb  married  Nanny, 
daughter  of  Commodore  John  Rodgers,  and  they 
had  five  children,  viz.:  Montgomerj'  Meigs,  ot 
the  Seventh  Artillery;  Augustus  Canfield,  of  the 
Fifth  Cavalry,  both  now  in  Porto  Rico;  Mrs. 
Thomas  W.  Peters,  Christina  and  Nanny.  He 
made  his  home  after  his  retirement  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  in  which  city  he  died  16  March, 
1889. 

John  Navarre  Macomb,  the  colonel's  father,  and 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  7  March,  1774,  and  was 
a  merchant  in  New  York  City  for  several  years. 
In  November,  1810,  he  was  traveling  from  Lisbon 
to  London  on  the  English  packet  "  Princess  Char- 
lotte," when  the  ship  was  attacked  by  a  French 
privateer.  The  captain  requested  all  passengers 
to  go  below,  but  Mr.  Macomb  asked  permission  to 
remain  on  deck  and  assist  in  defending  the  ship. 
While  working  a  gun  he  was  struck  by  a  ball  and 
died  soon  afterward  in  Falmouth  Harbor,  9 
November,  1810.  He  was  buried  in  the  church- 
yard at  that  place.  He  left  a  wife  and  seven 
children,    of   whom    Colonel    Macomb   was   the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


297 


youngest.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Christina  Livingston,  was  born  in  New  York 
City  26  September,  1774,  and  grew  to  woman- 
hood in  that  city,  where  she  was  married  to  Mr. 
Macomb  29  March,  1797.  After  she  became  a 
widow  she  made  her  home  in  Newark,  N.  J., 
where  she  reared  her  children.  She  died  at 
Esperanza,  N.  Y.,  at  the  home  of  her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Jane  E.  Rose,  24  August,  1841. 

Alexander  Macomb,  great-grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Ireland  27 
July,  1748,  and  was  brought  to  America  by  his 
father  in  1752.  His  early  life  was  spent  in 
Albany,  N.  Y.  About  1769  his  father,  John 
Macomb,  moved  to  Detroit,  accompanied  by  the 
family.  The  sons  were  engaged  principally  in 
merchandise  and  real-estate  transactions.  On  4 
May,  1773,  Alexander  Macomb  married  Catherine 
de  Navarre,  daughter  of  Robert  de  Navarre  and 
Marie  Lothman  dit  Barrois.  Of  their  ten  chil- 
dren John  Navarre  Macomb  was  the  oldest  and 
Gen.  Alexander  Macomb  the  seventh.  Alex- 
ander Macomb  lived  in  Detroit  until  1786,  when 
he  moved  to  New  York  City.  He  owned  and 
resided  in  the  house  at  No.  47  Broadway  that 
was  occupied  by  General  Washington  at  the  time 
of  his  inauguration.  He  and  his  family  were 
present  at  the  inauguration  ball,  and  some  of  the 
articles  of  dress  and  ornamentation  worn  on  that 
occasion  are  now  in  the  possession  of  their  de- 
scendants. In  1788-89  he  was  a  member  of  the 
New  York  legislature.  A  merchant  by  occupa- 
tion, the  fluctuations  caused  by  the  war  of  18 12 
and  losses  of  vessels  and  cargoes  wrecked  him 
financially.  After  his  death  congress  granted  his 
widow  about  $30,000  in  consideration  of  these 
losses.  About  1792  he  bought  from  the  State  of 
New  York  the  large  tract  of  land  in  the  Adiron- 
dack region  known  as  Macomb's  purchase,  con- 
taining nearly  four  millions  of  acres.  In  1820  he 
moved  to  Georgetown,  D.  C,  where  he  died  19 
January,  1831.  His  first  wife  died  in  New  York 
City  17  November,  1789.  In  1791  he  married 
Mrs.  Jane  Rucker,  ncc  Mar.shall,  by  whom  he 
had  seven  children. 

The  father  of  Alexander  Macomb  was  John 
Macomb,  who  came  from  Ireland  in  1742  and 


established  himself  in  New  York,  where  he  held 
an  official  position  under  the  colonial  govern- 
ment. From  1755  to  1769  he  made  his  home  in 
Albany,  and  thence  moved  to  Detroit.  He  was 
descended  from  the  MacCoonibies  of  Scotland,  an 
ancient  and  honorable  family  who  moved  from 
that  country  to  Ireland  during  the  early  part  of 
the  seventeenth  century. 

Gen.  Alexander  Macomb,  the  maternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Detroit  3  April, 
1782.  He  married  at  Belleville,  N.  J.,  18  July, 
1803,  Catherine  Macomb,  who  was  born  in 
Detroit  30  October,  1787,  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Sarah  Jane  (Dring)  Macomb.  She  died  at 
Georgetown,  D.  C,  10  September,  1822.  After- 
ward General  Macomb  married  in  Georgetown, 
26  May,  1826,  Mrs.  Harrie't  Wilson,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Stephen  B.  Balch,  D.  D. 

The  military  career  of  General  Macomb  was 
very  brilliant.  In  1798  he  entered  the  militia, 
but,  desiring  more  active  service,  he  entered  a 
regiment  of  New  York  cavalry  in  1799.  Ability, 
a  fine  physique  and  prepossessing  manners  ad- 
vanced him  rapidly.  He  was  appointed  lieu- 
tenant of  dragoons  and  assigned  to  Philadelphia 
on  recruiting  service.  With  the  recruits  he  went 
to  the  southwestern  country  and  joined  General 
Wilkinson's  expedition  into  the  Cherokee  coun- 
try, remaining  for  one  year.  When  the  corps  of 
dragoons  disbanded  a  corps  of  engineers  was 
formed  and  he  was  made  first  lieutenant,  after 
which  he  returned  to  West  Point.  He  was  ap- 
pointed judge  advocate  in  the  trial  of  Colonel 
Butler,  and  in  the  handling  of  that  case  exhibited 
marked  ability.  In  1805  he  was  made  captain  of 
engineers  and  had  charge  of  the  erection  and 
repairing  of  fortifications  on  seaboard.  In  recog- 
nition of  meritorious  service,  in  1808  he  was  pro- 
moted to  be  major.  When  the  second  war  with 
England  broke  out  he  was  made  lieutenant- 
colonel  and  engaged  in  the  organization  of  the 
army.  Soon  after  his  promotion  to  the  rank  of 
colonel  he  took  command  of  the  third  regiment 
of  artillery  and  marched  to  the  frontier.  In 
active  service  he  displayed  his  ability  as  a  com- 
mander and  realized  the  fullest  confidence  of  his 
superiors.     When  England  decided  to  put  an  end 


igB 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


to  the  war  by  a  decisive  campaign  General 
Macomb  was  in  command  of  a  small  force  at 
Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  where  he  met  and  put  to  flight 
the  newly  re-enforced  army  of  experienced  men, 
consisting  of  fourteen  thousand  regulars  and 
many  others  who  had  served  under  Wellington. 
To  meet  these  soldiers  he  had  only  fifteen  hun- 
dred regulars,  and  some  scattering  militiamen 
hastily  gathered  from  the  neighborhood.  His 
force  was  unable  to  cope  successfully  with  the 
whole  strength  of  the  enemy,  but  by  good 
generalship  he  diverted  a  large  part  of  the  English 
forces  and  completely  routed  the  others,  taking 
more  prisoners  than  he  had  men.  His  signal 
victory  caused  the  greatest  rejoicing  and  led  to 
his  promotion  to  be  major-general.  He  was 
awarded  a  gold  medal  commemorative  of  the 
battle  of  Plattsburg,  the  thanks  of  congress,  and 
was  presented  with  a  handsome  sword  by  the 
state  of  New  York. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812  General  Ma- . 
comb  was  given  command  of  the  troops  at  Detroit. 
In  1 82 1  he  was  called  by  President  Monroe  to 
Washington,  D.  C,  and  was  made  chief  of  the 
corps  of  engineers.  Upon  the  death  of  General 
Brown,  in  February,  1828,  he  was  appointed 
commanding  general,  and  filled  the  office  to  the 
day  of  his  death,  25  June,  1841. 

The  father  of  Catherine,  wife  of  Gen.  Alex- 
ander Macomb,  was  William  Macomb,  a  brother 
of  the  first  Alexander.  He  was  born  in  Ireland 
in  1 75 1  and  was  brought  to  America  by  his 
father,  living  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  until  1769,  when 
he  went  to  Detroit  with  the  family.  He  was  a 
partner  in  business  with  his  brother,  Alexander. 
He  purchased  from  the  Indians  the  principal 
islands  in  the  Detroit  River.  The  original  deed 
is  still  in  possession  of  his  descendants.  It  is  on 
parchment,  and  signed  by  sixteen  of  the  chiefs, 
among  them  the  celebrated  Tecumseh.  Portions 
of  Grosse  Isle,  the  larger  of  the  group,  remain 
in  possession  of  and  are  occupied  by  some  mem- 
bers of  the  family  at  the  present  day.  One 
island,  Belle  Isle,  is  part  of  the  City  park  of 
Detroit  and  is  noted  for  its  beautiful  scenery.  He 
also  owned  the  farm  afterward  conveyed  by  his 
widow  and  her  children  to  General  Cass,  upon 


which  a  large  portion  of  the  city  of  Detroit  is 
now  situated.  William  married  Sarah  Jane  Dring 
in  1780.  She  was  a  descendant  of  a  Huguenot 
family  driven  out  of  France  by  the  revocation  of 
the  Edict  of  Nantes.  His  death  occurred  in 
1796. 

Robert  de  Navarre,  the  father  of  Catherine  de 
Navarre,  was  born  in  Villeroy,  Brittany,  France, 
in  1709.  He  was  sent  by  the  French  government 
as  sub-intendant  and  royal  notary  to  Fort  Pont- 
chartrain  in  Detroit,  where  he  arrived  in  1730, 
and  took  charge  of  his  office.  From  him  are  de- 
scended the  numerous  and  illustrious  members 
of  the  Navarre  family  in  America.  In  Detroit, 
10  February  ,  1734,  he  married  Marie  L,othman 
dit  Barrois,  daughter  of  Francis  and  Mary  Ann 
(Sauvage)  Lothman  dit  Barrois.  He  died  in 
Detroit,  24  November,  1791.  His  wife  died  20 
December,  1799. 

The  Lothman  family  originated  in  Holland, 
but  moved  from  there  to  the  province  of  Berry, 
France;  hence  the  name  Barrois,  a  corruption  of 
Berrois.  Willibrord  Lothman,  the  grandfather 
of  Marie  Lothman  dit  Barrois,  was  sent  to 
Canada  in  1665  as  secretary,  counselor  and 
general  agent  of  the  East  India  Company.  He 
was  a  great  linguist  and  official  interpreter  of  the 
Portugese  language. 

Robert  de  Navarre  was  a  son  of  Francois  de 
Navarre,  who  in  1695  married  Jeanne  Pluyette. 
They  resided  in  the  parish  of  Villeroy,  diocese  of 
Meaux,  in  Brittany,  France.  Francois  was  a 
son  of  Antoine  de  Navarre,  who  in  1665  married 
Marie  Lallemant.  Antoine  was  a  son  of  Jean  de 
Navarre,  who  in  1623  married  Susanna  le  Clef. 
Martin,  father  of  Jean,  married  in  1593  Jeanne 
Lefebre.  The  father  of  Martin  was  Jean,  who 
married  Perette  Barat.  Jean  was  a  son  of 
Antoine  de  Bourbon,  Due  de  Vendome,  who  be- 
came king  of  Navarre  in  1554.  The  son  of 
Antoine  de  Bourbon,  Henry  III.  of  Navarre,  was 
crowned  king  of  France  in  1589,  under  the  title  of 
Henry  IV.  The  noble  family  of  Bourbon,  which 
became  a  royal  family  of  France,  was  descended 
from  the  Baron  of  Bourbonnais  Adhemar,  or 
Aimar,  who  was  invested  with  that  barony  in  the 
latter  part   of  the   ninth  century.     The  barony 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


299 


was  a  rich  district,  located  in  the  center  of  France. 
In  1272  Beatrix  (of  Bourbon)  of  Burgundy, 
daughter  of  John  of  Burgundy  and  Agnes  of 
Bourbon,  heiress  of  the  Bourbon  barony,  married 
Robert,  count  of  Clermont,  the  sixth  son  of  Louis 
IX.  (St.  Louis)  of  France.  Their  son,  Louis, 
became  duke  of  Bourbon  in  1372.  In  1488,  by 
the  death  of  John  II.,  the  direct  line  of  Bourbon 
ended;  the  collateral  line  began  with  John's 
brother,  Peter,  lord  of  Beaujeu,  who  married 
Anne,  sister  of  Louis  XL  Peter  died  in  1503, 
leaving  only  a  daughter,  Susanne,  who  in  1505 
married  Charles  of  Montpensier.  At  his  mar- 
riage Charles  took  the  title  of  Duke  of  Bourbon. 
He  was  killed  in  an  assault  upon  Rome  in  1527. 
The  fourth  in  descent  from  Peter's  brother  James 
was  Louis,  count  of  Vendome.  His  great-great- 
grandson,  Antoine  de  Bourbon,  in  154S  married 
Jeanne  D'Albret,  heiress  of  Navarre,  and  became 
king  of  Navarre  in  1554,  as  before  stated. 

Philip  Philip  Livingston,  father  of  the  wife  of 
the  first  John  Navarre  Macomb,  was  born  in  New 
York  City  8  June,  1741,  and  died  in  1781.  He 
was  a  son  of  Philip  Livingston  (1716-1778),  a 
signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  a 
member  of  the  continental  congress.  Philip 
Philip  Livingston  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
the  Cincinnati.  Tracing  this  branch  of  the 
family,  Robert,  the  first  lord  of  the  American 
manor,  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1654  and  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  where  he  died  in 
1728.  His  son,  Philip,  was  father  of  Philip,  the 
signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  While 
of  immediate  Scotch  descent,  the  family  traces 
its  lineage  to  Livingius,  a  Hungarian  nobleman, 
who  came  to  Scotland  in  the  suite  of  Margaret, 
queen  of  King  Malconi  III.,  about  1068.  The 
genealogy  can  be  traced  direct  to  King  Edward 
III.  of  England  and  James  I.  of  Scotland,  prior 
to  which  it  is  a  matter  of  history. 

On  the  death  of  James  I.  of  Scotland,  in  1437, 
Sir  Alexander  Livingstone  of  Calendar  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  estate  of  the  kingdom  one  of  two 
joint  regents  during  the  minority  of  James  II., 
being  himself  made  keeper  of  the  king's  person, 
while  his  associate,  Crichton,  received  the  office 


of  chancellor.  Later  he  was  appointed  to  the 
judiciary  of  Scotland  and  ambassador  to  England. 
He  died  in  1449.  He  was  the  ancestor  of  a 
numerous  race.  His  son,  James,  became  the 
first  Lord  Livingstone.  Alexander,  the  fifth 
lord,  through  whom  the  New  York  branch  of  the 
family  was  descended,  was  one  of  the  guardians 
of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  being  appointed  to  that 
ofiicein  1543.  In  1548  he  accompanied  his  royal 
ward  to  France  and  died  there  in  1553.  His 
daughter,  Mary,  was  one  of  four  Marys  who 
were  playmates  and  maids  of  honor  to  the  queen. 
In  1600  Alexander,  the  seventh  Lord  Livingstone, 
was  created  the  first  earl  of  Linlithgow,  a  title 
which  descended  to  the  fifth  earl,  who  in  1713 
was  made  an  earl  of  the  United  Kingdom.  Two 
years  later  he  joined  with  the  earl  of  Mar  in  sup- 
porting the  cause  of  the  first  pretender,  for  which 
he  lost  his  earldom,  and  it  has  not  since  been 
restored  to  his  descendants. 

The  first  earl  of  Linlithgow  had  four  brothers, 
the  third  of  whom,  in  1625,  was  made  a  baron  of 
Nova  Scotia,  which  title  descended  to  the  eleventh 
baron,  Sir  Alexander  Livingstone,  in  1853. 
Three  other  titles,  with  estates,  were  conferred 
upon  enterprising  young  sons  of  the  house  of 
Livingstone:  the  earldom  of  Calendar  in  1641, 
which  in  the  course  of  descent  became  merged 
with  that  of  Linlithgow;  the  earldom  of  New- 
burgh  in  1660,  which  is  now  extinct,  and  the 
viscountship  of  Kilsythe  in  1661,  which  was 
forfeited  by  the  heir  in  the  rebellion  of  1715. 
John  Livingstone,  son  of  the  fifth  Lord  Living- 
stone, guardian  of  Mary  of  Scots,  was  slain  in 
the  battle  of  Pinkiefield  in  1547.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  a  son,  Alexander,  the  first  of  three 
generations  of  ministers  of  the  Scottish  church. 
The  second  was  William,  whose  son.  Rev.  John, 
was  the  father  of  Robert,  the  first  lord.  The  last- 
named  emigrated  to  America  about  1675  and  in 
1686  received  from  Governor  Dongan  a  grant  of 
a  large  tract  of  land,  which  in  1715  was  con- 
firmed by  royal  charter  of  George  I.,  erecting 
the  manor  of  Liviugstoa,  embracing  a  portion 
of  the  present  counties  of  Dutchess  and  Columbia, 
in  New  York,     This  tract  is  still  known  as  the 


366 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


I,ivingston  manor.  Robert  Livingston,  the  first 
lord  of  the  manor,  married  Alida,  daughter  of 
Philip  Pietersen  Schuyler. 

The  family  of  Livingston  was  very  prominent 
in  the  founding  and  development  of  the  United 
States,  from  the  early  colonial  days  to  the  period 
of  quiet  prosperity  after  the  war  of  1812.  Its 
members  occupied  high  positions  in  the  various 
legislative  bodies  and  in  the  army.  They  con- 
tributed greatly  to  the  success  of  the  struggle  of 
the  colonies  with  the  mother  country.  They 
were  first  among  the  jurists  and  clergymen. 
They  were  successful  business  men.  They  pro- 
moted the  development  of  commerce,  agriculture 
and  manufactures,  and  their  influence  was  always 
exerted  for  the  amelioration  and  betterment  of 
the  condition  of  the  people. 

Having  carried  the  three  principal  lines  of 
ancestry  of  the  family  back  to  noble  and  royal 
origin,  where  it  is,  of  course,  a  matter  of  historj', 
we  will  take  up  the  life  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  John  Navarre  Macomb,  the  third  of  the 
name,  was  but  two  and  one-half  years  of  age 
when  he  lost  his  mother.  His  father's  sister, 
Mrs.  Jane  E.  Rose,  who  resided  at  Esperanza, 
N.  Y.,  took  charge  of  him.  His  education  was 
begun  in  private  schools  and  completed  in  Hobart 
College  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  in  1861.  Returning  to  the 
farm,  he  spent  the  next  ten  years  there  in  the 
routine  of  farm  work.  In  the  autumn  of  1870 
his  aunt  lost  her  husband  by  death  and  the  next 
summer  the  aunt  and  nephew  moved  from 
Esperanza  to  Branchport,  a  small  village  a  mile 
distant,  in  Yates  County,  where  he  resided  until 
1892.  In  1892  he  came  to  Kansas  and  settled  in 
Cofieyville,  but  the  next  year  removed  to  Law- 
rence, in  order  that  his  only  child,  John  Navarre 
Macomb,  might  have  university  advantages.  He 
purchased  a  fine  residence  on  the  corner  of  Ken- 
tucky and  Adams  streets,  and  here  he  has  since 
made  his  home. 

Mr.  Macomb's  political  afiBliations have  always 
been  with  the  Republican  party.  His  first  vote 
was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  In  Masonic  circles 
he  has  been  very  active.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber and  the  presiding  ofiicer  of  Milo  Lodge,  No. 


108,  F.  &  A.  M.;  of  Penn  Yan  Chapter,  No.  100, 
R.  A.  M.;  of  Ontario  Council,  No.  23,  R.  &  S. 
M.,  and  of  Jerusalem  Commandery,  No.  17, 
K.  T. ,  all  of  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y. ;  also  a  member  of 
Zabud  Council,  No.  4,  of  Topeka,  Kans.  He  is  a 
life  member  of  the  Scottish  Rite  bodies  of  the 
Valley  of  the  Genesee,  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and 
a  member  of  those  of  the  Valley  of  Lawrence, 
and  a  member  of  Topeka  Consistory,  No.  i,  of 
Topeka,  Kans.  He  was  created  a  Sovereign 
Grand  Inspector  General  and  made  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Supreme  Council  of  the  thirty- 
third  degree  of  the  Northern  Masonic  Jurisdiction 
of  the  United  States  on  19  September,  1882. 
From  1889  to  1891  he  was  Grand  Master  of  the 
Grand  Council  of  R.  &  S.  M.  of  New  York. 
For  four  years  he  was  District  Deputy  Grand 
Master  of  the  twenty-first  Masonic  district  in  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  New  York.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Order  of  the  Palm  and  Shell.  He 
was  an  earnest  worker  in  the  Order  of  Patrons 
of  Husbandry,  having  been  master  of  the  Grange 
at  Branchport,  N.  Y.,  as  well  as  of  the  Grange  of 
Yates  County,  N.  Y.  For  several  years  he  has 
served  as  president  of  the  Douglas  Count}'  Hor- 
ticultural Society.  He  is  a  member  of  Lawrence 
Chapter,  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

Mr.  Macomb  is  an  active  and  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  He 
was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  St.  Luke' s  Church 
at  Branchport,  N.  Y.,  a  vestryman  and  warden 
from  its  organization  in  1866  to  1893,  and  always 
during  that  period  a  lay  delegate,  representing 
that  church  in  the  convention  of  the  diocese  of 
Western  New  York.  He  was  a  lay  deputy  from 
that  diocese  to  the  general  convention  in  1880 
and  18S3.  Since  coming  to  Kansas  he  has  been 
a  vestryman  of  Trinity  Church,  Lawrence,  and 
has  represented  that  and  St.  Paul's  Church, 
Cofieyville,  in  the  diocesan  convention. 

He  has  been  for  many  years  a  trustee  of  the 
General  Theological  Seminary  in  New  York  City, 
and  in  1892  and  1893  served  in  the  same  capacity 
in  DeVeaux  College  at  Suspension  Bridge,  N.  Y. 

20  Maj',  1874,  Mr.  Macomb  married  Mrs.  Julia 
Louisa  Wheeler,  widow  of  B.  H.  Wheeler,  of 
Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  and  daughter  of  Peter 


HON.  SHERMAN    MEDILL. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


303 


Righter,  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  where  she  was 
born.  Their  only  child,  John  Navarre  Macomb, 
the  fourth  of  the  name,  was  born  at  Branch- 
port,  N.  Y.,  24  Januar}',  1877. 

John  Navarre  Macomb,  Jr. ,  the  fourth  of  the 
name,  spent  the  first  sixteen  years  of  his  life 
in  Branchport,  N.  Y.  In  1893  he  was  graduated 
from  the  Coffeyville  (Kans.)  high  school  and  the 
same  autumn  entered  the  Kansas  State  University 
at  Lawrence.  He  was  graduated  in  189S,  receiv- 
ing the  degrees  of  B.  S.  and  M.  S.  at  the  same 
time.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  in 
mining  and  railroad  engineering  in  southeastern 
Kansas  and  Oklahoma.  He  represented  the 
diocese  of  Kansas  in  the  general  convention  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  Washington, 
D.  C,  in  1898.  He  is  a  member  of  Lawrence 
Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  the  Scottish 
Rite  bodies  in  Lawrence,  Kans. 


HON.  SHERMAN  MEDILL.  One  of  the 
prominent  property  owners  and  public  men 
of  Leavenworth  County  is  Mr.  Medill,  who 
is  the  representative  of  the  sixth  district  in  the 
state  legislature.  He  has  for  years  been  an  active 
worker  in  the  Republican  party  and  has  taken  an 
interest  in  its  legislation  and  served  as  delegate 
to  many  of  its  conventions,  but  he  never  accepted 
candidacy  for  office  until  1898.  At  that  time, 
without  solicitation  on  his  part,  he  was  nomi- 
nated for  representative.  The  fact  that  the  party 
had  a  close  fight  on  its  hands  induced  him  to  ac- 
cept the  nomination,  in  the  hope  that  he  might 
help  snatch  a  victory  from  the  Democrats.  Al- 
though under  ordinary  circumstances  the  Demo- 
crats would  have  won  by  four  hundred  majority, 
he  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  two  hundred  and 
forty,  running  six  hundred  ahead  of  his  ticket, 
a  fact  which  shows  his  high  standing  in  the  lo- 
cality. He  was  successful  in  carrying  three  town- 
ships that  usually  gave  Democratic  majorities. 
As  representative  he  has  served  as  a  member  of 
four  committees  of  importance,  being  on  the  ju- 
diciary, mines  and  mining,  roads  and  highway 
and  labor  committees,  and  has  taken  a  special 
interest  in  matters  pertaining  to  his  home  county. 


In  the  house  in  Alexandria  Township  where 
he  now  resides,  Mr.  Medill  was  born  December 
27,  1865.  The  Medill  family  descended  from 
three  brother  who  emigrated  to  America,  two  of 
whom  settled  in  Canada,  while  Joseph  located  in 
Ohio.  They  come  from  the  same  family  as  the 
late  Joseph  Medill  of  the  Chicago  Tribune. 
James,  our  subject's  father,  was  born  in  Ohio  in 
1824.  He  continued  to  reside  in  Jefferson  County 
until  1853,  after  which  he  spent  four  years  trad- 
ing on  the  Mississippi.  In  1857  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  for  seven  years  made  his  home  in  Leav- 
enworth. He  then  settled  upon  a  farm  in  Alex- 
andria Township,  where  he  successfully  followed 
agricultural  pursuits.  In  1894  he  retired  and  re- 
turned to  Leavenworth,  where  he  remained  until 
his  death,  July  3  of  that  year.  Politically  he 
was  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  a  Knight 
Templar  Mason.  In  religion  he  was  connected 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

In  the  public  schools  and  Lawrence  Business 
College  our  subject  obtained  an  excellent  educa- 
tion. He  afterward  spent  two  years  in  Colorado. 
Upon  his  return  to  Leavenworth  County  he  re- 
sumed work  on  the  home  farm,  and  in  1889  as- 
sumed the  entire  control  of  the  property,  which 
he  has  since  conducted.  His  specialty  is  the 
stock  business,  and  the  farm  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  is  in  pasture  for  the  stock  or  for  the 
raising  of  grain  to  be  used  as  feed.  During  the 
winter  he  feeds  large  numbers  of  cattle,  princi- 
pally Shorthorn  Durhams.  As  a  stock-raiser  he 
has  been  unusually  successful,  and  is  considered 
an  authority  in  this  business.  He  owns  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  in  Stranger  Township, 
within  a  mile  of  Tonganoxie,  also  farmland  in 
High  Prairie  Township  and  real  estate  in  Leav- 
enworth, his  total  possessions  aggregating  seven 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  most  of  which  is 
rented.  He  has  large  and  important  investments, 
which  require  his  close  attention.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  blue  lodge  of  Masonry. 

June  4,  1890,  Mr.  Medill  married  Monica, 
daughter  of  James  Morgan,  of  Leavenworth. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children:  James 
Sherman,  William  Harold,  George  Tabor  and 


304 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Joseph  McKee.  Prior  to  her  marriage  Mrs.  Me- 
dill  was  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Leavenworth 
Count}',  and  her  intimate  knowledge  of  educa- 
tional matters  has  led  to  her  election  twice  to 
serve  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  her  dis- 
trict, in  which  capacitj-  she  has  given  efficient 
service. 


(lOHN  LEANDER  STRATTON,  a  promi- 
I  nent  stockman  of  Lincoln  Township,  Frank- 
Qj  lin  Count}',  residing  in  the  suburbs  of  Ot- 
tawa, was  born  near  Princeton,  Bureau  County, 
111.,  August  3,  1848,  a  son  of  Abram  and  Sarah 
(Baggs)  Stratton.  He  was  one  of  six  children, 
four  of  whom  are  living.  Of  these,  Eliza  is  the 
wife  of  Sylvester  S.  Newton,  police  judge  of 
Wyanet,  111.,  and  the  owner  of  large  farm  hold- 
ings in  Bureau  County.  The  oldest  son,  Lemuel 
N.  Stratton,  D.  D.,  for  many  years  held  pastor- 
ates in  New  York  and  Illinois,  also  officiated  as 
president  of  Wheaton  Theological  Training 
School,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  work  of 
the  Congregational  denomination;  he  is  now  liv- 
ing retired  from  the  ministry  at  Wheaton,  111. 
The  youngest  son,  Abram  M.,  is  a  farmer  and 
fruit-grower  of  Carlton,  Ore.  Samuel  Fay  Strat- 
ton, deceased,  was  for  years  professor  of  natural 
science  and  chemistry  in  Wheaton  College  and 
also  labored  in  the  Congregational  ministry. 

Abram  Stratton,  Sr. ,  was  born  in  Dutchess 
County,  N.  Y.,  February  18,  1805,  a  son  of  Ab- 
raham and  Eunice  (Mann)  Stratton,  and  died  in 
Bureau  County,  111.,  August  28,  1877.  The  J?ec- 
ord  of  Bureau  County,  111. ,  speaks  of  him  as  fol- 
lows: "At  a  large  meeting  of  old  settlers  of  Bu- 
reau County  in  1865,  the  oldest  settler  was  called 
for  and  requested  to  come  forward  and  take  a  seat 
on  the  platform;  and  Mr.  Stratton  responded,  a 
hale,  hearty  man  of  some  sixty  or  sixty-five 
years."  The  mother  of  Mr.  Stratton  died  when 
he  was  five  and  his  father,  a  farmer,  passed  away 
nine  years  later.  When  nearly  grown  he  left  the 
Hudson  Valley.  In  1829  he  traveled  on  foot, 
with  his  knapsack  on  his  back,  in  this  way  mak- 
ing the  long  journey  west  to  Illinois,  guided, 
after  he  left  Detroit,  by  nothing  except  Indian 
trails.     Between  Detroit  and  Chicago  he  met  the 


pony  mail  carrier  who  made  trips  once  in  two 
months,  carrying  the  mail  between  the  two  front- 
ier towns.  At  that  time  Chicago  was  known  as 
Fort  Dearborn,  and  was  garrisoned  by  troops 
that  guarded  the  trading  post  and  the  annuity 
office  established  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians, 
who  were  very  numerous  in  that  locality. 

After  staking  a  claim  in  Bureau  County  Mr. 
Stratton  spent  the  winter  of  1829-30  in  Peoria. 
In  the  summer  of  1830,  from  some  point  near  St. 
Louis,  guided  by  a  pocket  compass,  he  started  to 
return  to  New  York,  and  eventually  reached  his 
old  home.  After  a  short  visit  he  came  west  via 
the  Erie  Canal  to  BuSalo,  then  by  the  lakes  to 
the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  River  in  Michigan 
(for  at  that  time  boats  were  seldom  run  to  Fort 
Dearborn).  Patiently  he  towed  his  goods  around 
the  lake  during  a  stormy  November,  and  finally, 
buying  an  ox-team  and  making  a  sled,  he  started 
from  Chicago  in  a  December  snowstorm  over  the 
trackless  prairies  and  through  pathless  woods, 
disturbed  by  packs  of  wolves  or  wandering  Indi- 
ans, but  buoyed  up  by  high  hopes  and  firm  re- 
solves. In  the  courage  he  exhibited  there  is  a 
lesson  well  worthy  of  emulation  by  the  present 
generation  who,  though  never  called  upon  to  en- 
dure the  hardships  he  passed  through  as  a  pio- 
neer, may  nevertheless  learn  from  him  lessons  of 
determination  and  perseverance  in  the  midst  of 
adversity.  And,  indeed,  no  one  but  a  man  of 
great  courage  would  have  penetrated,  as  he  did, 
the  depths  of  the  forests  where  the  foot  of  white 
men  had  seldom  trod,  and  the  prairies  buried  be- 
neath snow  where  cold  and  exhaustion  and  peril 
waited  upon  the  intrepid  traveler.  The  one  who 
plunged  into  those  deep  wastes  of  dreariness 
could  hope  to  hear  few  sounds  save  the  fierce 
howling  of  hungry  wolves,  and  he  could  hope  to 
see  few  faces  except  those  of  savage  Indians.  The 
conscious  sympathy  of  comrade  and  fellow-worker 
was  not  for  him  during  those  long  trips  between 
his  old  and  his  new  home. 

Shortly  after  his  settlement  in  Bureau  County 
Mr.  Stratton  established  a  home  of  his  own.  Oc- 
tober 16,  1831,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Baggs, 
this  being  the  second  marriage  in  the  then  coun- 
ty of  Putnam,  of  which  Bureau  was  a  part.     In 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


305 


the  first  list  of  jurors  drawn  at  Hennepin,  the 
county  seat,  his  name  appears.  During  the  early 
days  of  the  county  (which  was  settled  by  three 
New  England  colonies)  all  disputes  were  settled 
by  arbitration,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  arbitrators.  So  honorable  was  he,  so  upright 
in  life,  so  genial  in  association,  so  hospitable  to 
visitors,  and  so  kind  in  his  home,  that  he  won 
universal  affection.  For  years  he  was  one  of  the 
county's  most  prominent  men.  In  the  latter  part 
of  1876  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis  and  sank 
into  a  dreamless  sleep.  He  was  buried  in  Forest 
Hill  Cemetery  at  Wyanet.  The  funeral  was  at- 
tended by  a  vast  throng  of  frieuds,  for  no  man 
ever  lived  in  the  county  who  was  more  widely 
known  or  sincerely  loved.  His  name  and  his 
memory  are  inseparablj'  associated  with  the  an- 
nals of  Bureau  County.  Standing  at  the  head  of 
his  newmade  grave,  Rev.  T.  J.  Pomeroj',  of 
Wyanet,  said.  "Kind-hearted  and  genial,  faith- 
ful and  resolute,  he  had  many  friends  and  warm 
friends.  Of  a  judicial  turn  of  mind,  he  carefully 
turned  all  facts  over  before  deciding  any  case, 
and  his  conclusions  were  generally  so  accurate 
that  his  opinions  had  great  weight  with  his  fel- 
lowmen.  He  was  a  man  of  fidelity.  He  de- 
lighted to  show  how  accurately  he  could  keep  his 
promises.  Integrity  and  honesty  are  the  words 
that  best  describe  his  modest  and  unobtrusive 
life." 

In  the  early  settlement  of  America  two  Strat- 
ton  brothers  arrived  in  New  England  in  1730. 
They  were  Scotch  Presbyterian  ministers.  The 
one  from  whom  this  branch  descends  went  to 
Long  Island  and  the  records  of  the  church  there 
show  a  faithful  pastorate.  He  is  said  to  have 
had  two  children,  a  son  and  daughter.  The  son, 
Abraham  (our  subject's  great-grandfather), 
moved  to  New  Jersey,  but  did  not  remain  in  that 
state  permanently.  He  settled  in  Schoharie 
County,  N.  Y.,  but  soon  afterward  was  drowned 
in  Schoharie  Creek,  September  11,  1797,  while 
attempting  to  cross  on  horseback. 

The  wife  of  Abram  Stratton  was  in  every  way 
fitted  to  endure  with  him  the  hardships  of  front- 
ier life,  for  she  was  a  woman  of  wonderful  cour- 
age, and  never  evinced  the  least  fear,  even  in  the 


midst  of  exciting  encounters  with  Indians.  She 
was  born  in  Urbana,  Ohio,  April  19,  1814,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Rebecca  (Thomas)  Baggs. 
Her  grandfather.  Rev.  John  Thomas,  was  said  to 
be  one  of  the  mo.st  eloquent  ministers  of  the  Bap- 
tist denomination  in  his  day;  he  removed  from 
Ohio  to  Illinois,  where  he  amassed  considerable 
property.  In  religion  Mrs.  Stratton  was  first 
connected  with  the  Methodist  Church,  but  not 
feeling  satisfied  with  the  lack  of  firmness  shown 
by  the  church  at  the  time  of  the  slavery  agita- 
tion, she  affiliated  with  the  Wesleyan  Church,  to 
which  she  afterward  belonged.  For  some  years 
she  was  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school,  having 
about  twenty-five  in  her  Bible  class.  When  ad- 
vanced in  years  she  was  afflicted  with  paralysis, 
and  for  many  years  she  was  helpless,  but  she  en- 
dured this  affliction  with  the  same  cheerful  equa- 
nimity she  had  displayed  in  the  days  of  her  pio- 
neer privations.  Her  death  occurred  September 
18,  1898. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  acquired  at 
Oberlin  (Ohio)  College,  Carlton  College,  in 
Northfield,  Minn.,  and  Wheaton  (111.)  College, 
from  the  last  of  which  he  graduated  in  June,  1876. 
After  his  graduation  he  purchased  an  interest  in 
a  hardware  and  farm  implement  business  at 
Wyanet,  where  he  remained  for  four  years.  On 
selling  his  business  interests  in  that  town  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hudson  &  Strat- 
ton, dealers  in  hardwood  lumber  at  Kalamazoo, 
Mich.,  where  he  did  a  successful  business  for 
eight  years.  Following  this  he  went  to  the  Wil- 
lamette Valley  in  Oregon,  and  for  four  years  was 
cashier  of  the  McMinnville  National  Bank.  At 
the  expiration  of  four  years  he  was  obliged  to 
come  to  Kansas  to  superintend  his  real-estate  in- 
terests, he  having  acquired  farm  lands  in  central 
Kansas  while  he  was  living  in  Kalamazoo.  Re- 
signing his  position  in  the  bank  he  settled  in 
Rush  County,  Kans.  After  two  years  he  re- 
moved to  Franklin  County  in  order  that  his  chil- 
dren might  have  the  benefit  of  the  Ottawa 
schools.  He  is  engaged  in  raising  registered 
Jersey  and  Shorthorn  cattle  and  Poland-China 
hogs.  On  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  stock 
business  he  is  well  informed.     In  politics  he  is  a 


3o6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Republican.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  and  holds  office  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday-school. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Stratton  to  Miss  Calista 
L.  Thompson  occurred  May  13,  1884.  She  is  a 
member  of  an  Illinois  family,  and  a  daughter  of 
Lucius  G.  Thompson,  M.  D.,  a  retired  physician 
of  Lacon,  Marshall  County,  111.,  who  was  for 
more  than  fifty  years  engaged  in  practice  in  that 
place.  He  had  three  brothers,  Corwin  C,  Bur- 
ton and  Charles,  all  of  whom  were  prominent 
lumber  dealers;  the  first-named  was  for  years  one 
of  the  largest  wholesale  lumber  merchants  in 
Chicago.  Two  children  comprise  the  family  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stratton:  Baird  L.,  born  April  4, 
1885;  and  Grace  Marion,  December  21,  1886. 


/HHARLES  FRANKLIN  WOLF.  In  the 
Ir  spring  of  1887  Mr.  Wolf  came  to  Franklin 
U  County  and  purchased  two  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  acres  of  land  in  Lincoln  Township. 
By  subsequent  purchases  he  has  become  the 
owner  of  a  farm  of  four  hundred  and  fifty-five 
acres,  where  he  has  made  a  specialty  of  raising 
registered  stock.  To-day  he  is  one  of  the  best- 
known  breeders  of  Shorthorn  cattle  in  his  part  of 
Kansas,  and  he  owns  one  of  the  most  valuable 
farms  in  his  county,  bearing,  among  other  im- 
provements, a  comfortable  residence  and  the 
finest  barn  in  the  state.  He  is  connected  with 
Star  Lodge  No.  27,  Select  Knights  of  Ottawa. 
In  religion  he  is  a  Methodist,  and  has  served  his 
church  as  steward  and  trustee,  also  for  a  number 
of  years  held  the  ofiice  of  Sunday-school  superin- 
tendent. 

In  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born  July  12,  1851,  a  son  of  Ezra  and 
Barbara  (Spangler)  Wolf.  He  was  one  of  twelve 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Salem, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  drug  and  hardware  busi- 
ness in  Adelphi,  Ross  County,  and  has  served 
his  district  in  the  lower  house  of  the  Ohio  legis- 
lature; Samuel,  a  farmer  of  Fairfield  County; 
William,  who  is  a  retired  farmer  in  Baldwin, 
Kans. ;  Morris,  a  dentist  in  Parsons,  Kans.;  John, 
who  is   engaged    in    farming   in  Allen    County, 


Kans. ;  and  Charles  Franklin.  Ezra  Wolf  was 
born  in  Frederickstown,  Pa.,  January  i,  1804. 
When  he  was  a  boy  he  accompanied  his  father  to 
Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  where  the  latter  entered 
land  and  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade.  Here 
the  youth  grew  to  manhood,  married  and  settled 
upon  a  farm.  His  education  was  largely  self- 
acquired,  but,  being  a  broad  reader,  he  became  a 
well  informed  man.  In  politics  he  supported  the 
Democratic  party.  He  filled  a  number  of  count}' 
and  township  offices  and  was  frequently  selected 
as  delegate  to  county  conventions.  For  years  he 
was  trustee,  class-leader  and  steward  in  the 
Methodist  Church.  Much  of  his  time  was  given 
to  the  stock  business,  in  which  he  was  successful. 
He  remained  on  the  home  place  up  to  his  death, 
in  1876. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Fair- 
field County,  Ohio,  September  6, 1810.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Col.  Salem  Spangler,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Fairfield  County,  having  come  there 
from  New  England  and  entered  land  in  early 
days.  His  ability  as  a  leader  brought  him  to  the 
front.  Several  times  he  was  elected  to  the  legis- 
lature, and  he  was  asked  to  accept  the  nomination 
for  governor  of  Ohio,  but,  as  he  was  advancing 
in  years,  he  decided  it  would  be  unwise  to  permit 
his  name  to  be  used.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
building  committee  that  built  the  Ohio  state 
house.  Other  matters  pertaining  to  his  county 
and  state  received  his  stanch  support,  and  he  was 
easily  recognized  as  one  of  the  eminent  men  of 
his  day.  During  the  Revolutionary  war  he  bore 
the  rank  of  colonel. 

When  sixteen  years  of  age  our  subject  began 
to  teach  school.  He  had  previously  attended 
common  schools,  but  later,  feeling  the  need  of 
more  advanced  studies,  he  entered  the  academy 
at  Pleasantville,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  a 
time.  He  continued  to  teach  until  1878.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Abbott, 
the  ceremony  being  performed  August  26,  1873. 
Mrs.  Wolf's  father,  John  Abbott,  is  a  descendant 
of  one  of  the  oldest  American  families,  and  traces 
his  lineage  to  Morris  Abbott,  who  was  lord  mayor 
of  London  in  1638.  For  many  years  John  Abbott 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Clearport, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


307 


Ohio,  but  some  years  since  he  removed  to  a  farm 
in  Fairfield  County,  where  he  is  now  living  re- 
tired. His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Ellen 
White. 

From  1873  to  1878  Mr.  Wolf  devoted  his  win- 
ters to  teaching  and  his  summers  to  farming  in 
Allen  County.  He  then  returned  to  Fairfield 
County,  where  he  was  employed  as  salesman  in 
a  general  store  in  Clearport.  In  1884  he  deter- 
mined to  come  west  and  the  fall  of  the  year  found 
him  settled  at  Humboldt,  Allen  County,  Kans. , 
where  he  became  interested  in  the  stock  business. 
From  there  he  came  to  Franklin  County  and  es- 
tablished his  home  on  his  present  farm.  He  and 
his  wife  have  four  children:  Ortho  Olden,  who 
was  born  June  4,  1874,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Chicago  Veterinary  College;  Frank  E.,  who  was 
born  January  9,  1876,  and  is  now  an  instructor 
in  the  Baldwin  (Kans.)  Commercial  College; 
Retta  E.,  born  March  7,  1882,  and  Max  A., 
August  19,  1887. 

[""RANK  O.  HETRICK,  mayor  of  Ottawa,  and 
r3  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Ottawa 
I  '  University,  is  one  of  the  successful  profes- 
sional men  of  his  city.  He  was  born  in  Mans- 
field, Ohio,  October  5,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  the 
late  Isaac  Hetrick,  the  loved  and  honored  pioneer 
Baptist  preacher  of  Franklin  County.  From  1867 
he  has  made  his  home  in  Kansas.  In  1878  he 
graduated  from  the  Ottawa  high  school,  after 
which  he  took  up  the  study  of  dentistry  under 
Dr.  W.  J.  Newton,  gaining  an  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  the  profession  in  this  way.  He  started  in 
business  for  himself  in  1880,  since  which  time  he 
has  taken  special  courses  in  dentistry  and  has 
made  it  his  aim  to  keep  abreast  with  every  devel- 
opment made  in  the  profession.  His  marriage,  in 
Appanoose,  this  county,  united  him  with  Miss 
Hattie  St.  John,  who  was  born  in  Franklin 
County  in  i860, being  a  daughter  of  M.  St.  John, 
of  Ottawa. 

Interested  in  all  public  enterprises.  Dr.  Het- 
rick has  always  supported  plans  for  the  benefit  of 
his  home  town  and  county.  In  April,  1899,  he 
was  elected  mayor,  for  a  term  of  two  years.  In 
this  position  he  has  ably  guided  the  affairs  of  the 


city,  advancing  its  interests  and  striving  to 
increase  its  commercial  importance.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Ottawa  Gun  Club,  and,  when  his 
business  duties  permit,  he  is  fond  of  taking  an 
outing  where  he  may  enjoy  hunting  and  other 
sports.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

At  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  Baptist 
Church  Dr.  Hetrick  was  chairman  of  the  build- 
ing committee,  and  since  1894  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees.  For  twelve 
years  he  was  connected  with  the  primary  depart- 
ment of  the  Sunday-school,  in  which  work  he 
was  peculiarly  successful  and  which  he  greatlj' 
enjoyed.  At  this  writing  he  is  Sunday-school 
superintendent.  He  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  first-formed  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  atone  time  offi- 
ciated as  its  president.  Everything  pertaining 
to  his  profession  enlists  his  sympathy  and  atten- 
tion. For  many  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  State  Dental  Association,  of  which  he  was 
elected  president  in  1892  and  also  served  as  treas- 
urer for  six  years.  The  National  Dental  Asso- 
ciation numbers  him  among  its  members.  Fre- 
quently he  has  contributed  articles  to  the  dental 
journals,  and  in  other  ways  he  has  promoted  pro- 
fessional progress. 

REV.  ISAAC  HETRICK  was  born  in  the 
suburbs  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  June  15,  1810, 
a  son  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Lemon)  Hetrick, 
natives  respectively  of  Germany  and  England. 
His  father  for  some  years  engaged  in  farming 
near  Baltimore,  but  in  1S12  removed  to  Richland 
County,  Ohio,  settling  ten  miles  from  Mansfield, 
where  he  improved  a  farm  and  remained  until 
his  death  at  eighty-six  j'ears.  His  wife  was  a 
member  of  a  prominent  English  family,  her  father 
having  been  for  many  years  a  member  of  the 
house  of  commons  in  England,  of  which  he  was 
speaker  for  sixteen  years. 

From  the  age  of  two  years  Isaac  Hetrick  was 
reared  in  Ohio.  During  his  early  years  of  man- 
hood he  was  a  farmer  in  Ohio  and  for  twenty 
years  he  held  office  as  justice  of  the  peace,  also 
served  for  two  terms  as  a  member  of  the  Ohio  leg- 
islature at  the  time  that  James  A.  Garfield  be- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


longed  to  the  state  senate.  When  thirtj'-five 
years  of  age  he  moved  into  the  city  of  Mansfield, 
where  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  and  ac- 
cumulated a  competency.  He  was  converted  when 
forty  years  of  age  and  became  a  member  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Mansfield.  Five  years 
later  he  began  to  preach,  and  in  time  devoted 
himself  almost  exclusively  to  Christian  work.  In 
1865  he  was  regularly  ordained  to  the  ministr)- 
of  the  Baptist  denomination.  To  this  work  he 
devoted  himself  with  zeal  and  fidelity.  Believing 
thoroughly  that  the  Lord  had  called  him  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  he  gave  himself  wholly  to  it,  and 
was  the  means  of  helping  hundreds  of  men  and 
women  in  their  Christian  experiences.  Much  ot 
his  means  was  given  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel. 
His  work  was  of  a  most  self-sacrificing  nature. 
He  gave  no  thought  to  himself  nor  to  any  remu- 
neration for  his  work,  but  labored  tirelessly  in  the 
cause  of  Christ,  content  if  he  could  help  the  lives 
of  his  associates  and  lead  them  into  higher  spirit- 
ual joys.  In  September,  1867,  he  came  to  Kansas, 
where  he  was  instrumental  in  organizing  congre- 
gations at  Greenwood,  Rehamah,  Antioch,  Appa- 
noose, Centropolis  and  Maple  Grove,  and  at  four 
of  these  places  he  erected  church  buildings.  For 
twenty  years  he  was  pastor  of  the  churches  at 
Appanoose  and  Greenwood,  preaching  at  Green- 
wood until  within  two  months  of  his  death  and 
at  Appanoose  until  two  years  before  he  died.  No 
record  was  kept  of  the  number  of  baptisms  or 
weddings  at  which  he  officiated,  but  it  is  known 
that  during  one  year  he  had  more  than  two  hun- 
dred baptisms.  Though  offered  $1,000  in  an- 
other pastorate,  he  steadfastly  clung  to  his  two 
country  churches,  although  they  were  able  to  pay 
him  only  $400  a  year.  He  was  the  most  sacri- 
ficing of  men,  generous  to  a  fault,  always  thinking 
of  others  before  himself.  In  mind  he  was  origi- 
nal, having  firm  convictions  of  his  own  and 
thinking  for  himself.  His  most  successful  work 
was  in  the  building  up  of  weak  congregations  and 
in  evangelizing.  He  was  chosen  to  act  as  mod- 
erator of  the  Miami  Baptist  Association.  His 
last  years  were  spent  in  Ottawa,  where  he  died  in 
1 89 1,  aged  eighty-two  years  and  six  months. 
The   first   wife    of  Isaac    Hetrick    was  Sarah 


Zeigler  and  his  second  wife  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Peter  Black,  of  Indiana.  She  died  when  her 
son,  Dr.  F.  O.  Hetrick,  was  two  years  of  age, 
and  of  her  seven  children  four  are  now  living, 
two  being  in  Greenwood,  Franklin  County,  and 
one  in  Ottawa.  The  third  marriage  of  Mr.  Het- 
rick united  him  with  Mrs.  Elizabeth  CParamore) 
Rowland,  who  was  born  in  Ohio.  This  union 
was  childless,  Mr.  Hetrick's  twelve  children  hav- 
ing been  born  of  his  first  two  marriages.  He  had 
two  sons  in  the  Civil  war.  One  of  these,  Michael, 
a  member  of  an  Ohio  regiment,  was  captured  by 
the  Confederates  and  starved  to  death  in  Ander- 
sonville.  The  other,  Samuel,  served  from  the 
opening  to  the  close  of  the  war,  and  afterward 
died  in  Texas. 


ARCENA  ST.  JOHN,  who  came  to  Kan- 
sas in  1856,  was  born  at  Linden  Hill,  Cat- 
taraugus County,  N.  Y.,  a  son  of  Jasper 
and  Julia  A.  (Reynolds)  St.  John,  natives  re- 
spectively of  Saratoga  and  Dutchess  Counties, 
N.  Y.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Marcena  St. 
John,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut,  became  an 
early  settler  of  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  and 
thence  removed  to  Yates  Count}',  where  he  made 
his  home  upon  a  farm  until  his  death.  He  was 
the  descendant  of  French  ancestors  who  emigra- 
ted to  England  and  at  the  time  of  the  "May- 
flower" settled  in  New  England.  Jasper  St. 
John,  who  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  built  a  tannery 
in  Cattaraugus  County,  and  remained  there  until 
1S46.  He  then  removed  to  East  Townsend,  Hu- 
ron County,  Ohio,  and  built  a  tannery,  which  he 
ran  for  ten  years.  Afterward  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes,  in  connection 
with  the  tanning  business.  In  1859  he  came  to 
Kansas  and  settled  at  Centropolis,  where  he  prob- 
ably tanned  the  first  leather  ever  tanned  in 
Franklin  County.  He  manufactured  shoes  to  be 
used  in  the  Pike's  Peak  region,  also  tanned  a  very 
fine  grade  of  harness  leather.  In  later  years  he 
turned  his  attention  to  farm  pursuits.  During 
1864  he  established  his  home  in  Centropolis, 
where  he  acted  as  postmaster.  At  the  time  of 
Price's  raid  he  served  in  the  state  militia.  In  re- 
ligion he  was  a  Baptist,    and   in   that  faith  died 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


309 


when  eighty-five  years  of  age.  His  wife,  who, 
at  eighty-six  years,  is  Hving  at  Centropolis,  is  a 
daughter  of  William  Reynolds,  who  was  born  on 
the  Hudson  in  New  York  and  served  in  the  war 
of  1812.  The  Reynolds  family  is  of  English 
descent.  Of  eight  children  (five  now  living)  our 
subject  is  the  eldest.  He  had  two  brothers,  An- 
drew and  Henry  H.,  who  served  in  the  Civil 
war,  the  former  being  sergeant  in  the  First  Kan- 
sas Battery,  the  latter  a  member  of  the  Eleventh 
Kansas  Infantry. 

On  the  homestead  where  he  was  born  April 
20,1831,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  passed  the 
years  of  early  boyhood.  He  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Ohio  in  1846,  where  he  learned  the 
shoemaker's  trade.  When  he  became  of  age  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  his  father.  In 
April,  1856,  he  came  to  Kansas,  with  Col.  S.  N. 
Woods,  but  after  a  few  months  in  Lawrence  re- 
turned to  Ohio.  Again,  in  April,  1858,  became 
to  Kansas,  settling  on  a  claim  in  what  is  now 
Appanoose  Township,  Franklin  County,  and  im- 
proving one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  In  1862 
he  entered  the  state  militia  as  lieutenant,  and  re- 
mained with  it  until  the  militia  refused  to  leave 
the  state.  He  then  enlisted  in  Company  M, 
Eleventh  Kansas  Cavalry,  in  which  he  served  as 
a  corporal.  Among  the  battles  in  which  he  took 
part  were  those  at  Lexington,  Little  Blue,  Big 
Blue,  Westport,  Newtonia  and  Weber's  Falls. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  his  regiment  was  sent 
against  the  Indians  on  the  frontier,  and  contin- 
ued in  the  service  until  November,  1865,  when 
he  was  mustered  out  as  sergeant. 

Returning  to  Centropolis,  Mr.  St.  John  re- 
sumed farming.  He  remained  on  his  home  place 
until  1884,  when  he  came  to  Ottawa  and  became 
interested  in  dental  work  with  his  son-in-law, 
Dr.  Hetrick,  having  charge  of  plate  work  and  the 
mechanical  part  of  dentistry  for  the  latter.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
A  Baptist  in  religion,  he  was  prominent  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  Sunday-school  and  church  at 
Appanoose.  For  many  years  he  was  secretary 
of  the  County  Sundaj'-school  Association,  to 
which  he  devoted  much  time  and  thought.  At 
this  writing  he  is  deacon  of  the  Ottawa  church. 


He  was  married  in  Huron  County,  Ohio,  to  Miss 
Viola  A.  Stanton,  who  was  born  in  Cattaraugus 
County,  N.  Y.,  a  daughter  of  G.  R.  Stanton, 
M.  D.  Of  the  five  children  born  to  their  union, 
two  daughters  are  living,  one  of  whom  is  with 
her  parents,  while  the  other  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  F. 
O.  Hetrick. 

ITdWIN  M.  SHELDON,  who  for  some  years 
r3  has  been  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  im- 
|_  portant  enterprises  of  Ottawa,  came  to  this 
city  in  January,  1870,  and  for  two  years  held  a 
position  as  deputy  register  of  deeds  under  his 
brother,  Herbert  F.  Sheldon.  During  the  sena- 
torial session  of  1872  he  was  journal  clerk  of  the 
state  senate.  On  the  Republican  ticket,  in  the 
fall  of  1872,  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  district 
court,  which  office  he  filled  from  January,  1873, 
to  January,  1875.  Upon  retiring  from  office  he 
bought  a  soap  factory  which  had  been  started  in 
the  spring  of  1874  and  which  he  has  since  con- 
ducted, manufacturing  both  laundry  and  toilet 
soaps.  He  is  also  to  some  extent  interested  in 
farming.  For  some  years  he  has  affiliated  with 
the  Populists,  being  in  sympathy  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  this  party.  In  1885-86  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  city  council,  in  which  capacity  he 
aided  in  promoting  projects  for  the  benefit  of  the 
city.  He  is  president  of  the  Ottawa  Mutual 
Loan  and  Savings  Institution  and  secretary  of 
the  Franklin  County  Fair  Association,  with 
which  for  fifteen  years  he  has  been  connected  as 
secretary  or  assistant  secretary. 

When  in  middle  life  Seth  Sheldon  removed 
from  his  farm  near  Pawlet,  Vt.,  to  Chautauqua 
County,  N.  Y.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  son, 
Tichenor,  who  afterward  engaged  in  farming 
near  Sherman  and  died  there  at  seventy-seven 
years  of  age;  he  married  Lucinda  Brown,  who 
was  born  near  Boston  and  died  at  Sinclairville, 
N.  Y.  She  was  a  descendant  of  a  New  England 
family  that  was  represented  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  The  subject  of  this  article  was  born  in 
Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y. ,  March  18,  1847, 
and  was  the  youngest  of  five  children,  the  others 
being  as  follows:  Milton  Brown,  who  died  in 
New   York;    Hon.    Herbert    F.    Sheldon,    state 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


senator  from  this  district;  Roj-alE.,  a  merchant 
in  Chautauqua  County;  and  Fannie,  who  died  in 
Ottawa  in  1871. 

In  local  schools  and  Westfield  Academy  our 
subject  obtained  an  excellent  education.  When 
he  left  home  it  was  to  join  his  older  brother  in 
Kansas,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
Since  coming  to  Ottawa  he  married  Miss  Emma 
A.  Elder,  who  was  born  in  North  New  Portland, 
Me.,  and  in  1868  came  to  Ottawa  with  her  father, 
Alva.  Mrs.  Sheldon  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  Mr.  Sheldon  has  also  been  an 
active  worker  in  this  denomination,  having 
served  as  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  for 
ten  years,  and  as  chairman  of  the  building  com- 
mittee at  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  house  of 
worship.  They  are  highly  respected  by  the 
members  of  the  church,  and  also  stand  high  in 
social  circles  of  the  city.  Their  only  son.  Royal 
E.,  is  engaged  in  business  in  Ottawa,  being  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Sheldon  &  Williams, 
jobbers.  Fraternally  Mr.  Sheldon  is  connected 
with  Ottawa  Lodge  No.  128,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in 
which  he  is  past  secretary. 


(Tames  H.  ransom,  who  has  been  a  suc- 
I  cessful  business  man,  came  to  Kansas  in 
O  1868  and  has  since  been  identified  with  the 
growing  interests  of  this  state,  his  home  having 
been  in  Ottawa  for  some  years  past.  He  is  a 
member  of  a  pioneer  family  of  New  England. 
His  great-grandfather  Ransom,  who  was  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  removed  to  New  York  and  set- 
tled in  Otsego  County.  From  there  the  grandfather 
went  to  Chautauqua  County,  settling  upon  a 
farm.  The  father,  Willard  Ransom,  was  born  in 
Otsego  County,  graduated  from  the  Cincinnati 
Eclectic  Medical  College,  and  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  Chautauqua  County  until  he  died,  at 
eighty-two  years.  Like  his  father  he  held  mem- 
bership in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
married  Marietta  Briggs,  who  was  born  in  Chau- 
tauqua County,  her  father,  James  Briggs,  having 
moved  there  from  Vermont;  her  entire  life  was 
spent  in  that  county,  where  she  died  in  advanced 
years.     Of  the   four   children  of  her  marriage. 


James  H.,  the  eldest,  was  born  in  Harmony 
Township,  Chautauqua  County,  in  November, 
1836;  Miranda  is  the  wife  of  A.  L-  Lewis,  of  New 
York;  John  lives  in  Toledo,  Ohio;  and  Mary 
married  H.  J.  Cook,  of  New  York. 

In  1856  the  subject  of  this  sketch  left  home 
and  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  taught  school  and 
traveled  through  different  parts  of  the  state.  He 
then  returned  to  New  York,  from  there  went  to 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  1862  found  employment  in 
the  oil  regions.  For  a  time  he  engaged  in  freight- 
ing and  boating  at  Pithole  City,  after  which  he 
took  contracts  for  sinking  wells,  and  also  carried 
on  a  hardware  business  in  Pithole  City.  In  1868 
he  left  the  east  and  settled  in  Kansas.  For  a  year 
he  conducted  a  business  at  Burlington,  after 
which  for  several  years  he  ran  a  flour  and  saw 
mill  in  Clinton, Douglas  County,  and  subsequently 
settled  on  a  farm  north  of  Clinton.  At  the  time 
of  the  building  of  the  Lawrence  &  Carbondale 
Railroad  he  furnished  all  of  the  timber  for 
bridges  and  all  the  ties  used  on  the  road.  Later 
he  became  interested  in  the  coal  business  at  Car- 
bondale, where  he  owned  and  operated  two  coal 
mines,  and  supplied  the  railroad  with  coal. 

Removing  to  Lawrence  in  1875,  Mr.  Ransom 
opened  a  wholesale  and  retail  coal  business. 
After  three  years  he  located  in  Williamsburg  and 
bought  the  mines  of  the  Williamsburg  Coal  Min- 
ing Company,  which  he  afterward  operated  for 
some  years.  In  the  fall  of  1886  he  moved  to  Ot- 
tawa and  started  a  retail  coal  business,  later  ad- 
ding the  ice  business,  and  continuing  both  until 
he  sold  to  Mr.  Bennett.  His  interest  in  the  mines 
has  been  continued  to  the  present,  and  he  owns 
one  thousand  acres  of  coal  land,  with  a  shaft  and 
twenty-inch  vein.  About  1880  he  started  the 
town  of  Ransomville,  three  miles  from  Williams- 
burg, and  was  appointed  the  first  postmaster  of 
the  place,  besides  which  he  carried  on  a  general 
mercantile  store  and  engaged  in  shipping  grain 
and  stock  from  the  town.  He  has  continued  rail- 
road contracting,  his  principal  contracts  being 
on  the  Santa  Fe  and  its  branches.  Besides  his 
other  property  he  owns  a  farm  of  more  than  two 
hundred  acres  near  Princeton.  Politically  a  Re- 
publican, he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  coun- 


OLIVER  J.  FARNSWORTH. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


313 


ty  and  state  central  committees,  and  has  been  in- 
fluential in  the  work  of  his  partj-. 

In  Chautauqua  Count}',  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Ransom 
married  Miss  Eunice  Glidden,  daughter  of  Dan- 
iel Glidden,  who  was  born  in  Vermont  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  near  Harmony,  Chautauqua 
County.  She  was  born  and  reared  there  and  died 
in  Ottawa,  leaving  a  son  and  daughter.  The 
former,  Willard  Ransom,  graduated  from  Cornell 
in  1899  with  the  degree  of  M.  E.  The  daughter, 
Myra,  is  the  wife  of  B.  D.  Bennett,  of  Ottawa. 


0 LIVER  J.  FARNSWORTH.  In  reviewing 
the  life  of  Mr.  Farnsworth  we  find  in  him 
one  of  the  best-known  stock-raisers  and 
dairymen  of  Leavenworth  County.  When  he 
came  to  Kansas  in  1872  he  bought  the  property, 
consisting  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  on 
section  18,  High  Prairie  Township,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  At  that  time  the  land  was 
fenced,  but  bore  no  other  improvement.  Under 
his  personal  supervision  it  has  been  transformed 
into  a  finely  improved  estate,  with  a  substantial 
residence  and  first-class  farm  buildings.  Stock- 
raising  is  the  principal  business,  and  the  grain 
and  hay  raised  are  used  entirely  for  feed.  The 
herd  of  one  hundred  head  of  cattle  includes  Short- 
horns and  Herefords,  among  them  some  fine 
milch  cows.  Shipments  of  milk  are  made  regu- 
larly to  Kansas  City.  The  entire  place  is  man- 
aged in  a  manner  that  proves  the  thrift  and 
energy  of  the  owner,  and  no  detail  is  so  small  as 
to  be  neglected  or  overlooked  by  him. 

The  first  member  of  the  Farnsworth  family  of 
whom  there  is  a  record  was  Roger  de  Farnsworth, 
1297,  who  lived  in  Lancashire,  near  Liverpool, 
England.  Joseph,  of  Dorchester,  Mass.,  came 
to  this  country  in  the  Dorchester  company  in 
1628,  and  died  in  1659.  He  had  ten  children. 
The  first  generation  in  America  was  represented 
by  Matthias,  a  farmer  of  Lynn,  Mass.  By  his 
marriage  to  Mary  Farr,  of  Lynn,  he  had,  among 
his  children,  a  son,  Matthias,  Jr.,  born  in  1649, 
who  married  Sarah  Mutting  and  died  in  the  In- 
dian war  in  1693.  The  representative  of  the 
third  generation  in  America   was  Josiah,  born 


February  24,  1687.  He  was  taken  prisoner  by 
Indians  and  carried  to  Canada.  By  his  marriage 
to  Mary  Pierce  he  had  ten  children,  of  whom  the 
seventh,  Thomas,  born  April  i,  1731,  married 
Elizabeth  Tuttle,  in  1753,  and  served  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Lexington  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 
It  is  thought  that  he  was  a  minister.  He  was 
twice  married  and  had  eleven  children.  The 
fifth  generation  was  represented  by  Thomas,  Jr. , 
who  was  born  at  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  May  29, 
1768,  and  married  Demis  Ladd,  who  was  born  in 
New  Hampshire  in  1769.  Both  died  at  Alden, 
N.  Y.,  he  in  1852  and  she  in  1863.  Their  chil- 
dren were  as  follows:  Jerry,  who  was  born  in 
September,  1791,  and  died  in  1792;  Laura,  who 
was  born  February  6,  1793,  and  married  Paul 
White,  by  whom  .she  had  ten  children;  Linda, 
who  married  David  Robinson  and  had  nine  chil- 
dren; Thomas,  Jr.,  who  was  born  at  Williams- 
town,  Vt. ,  May  20,  1797;  Rachel,  who  married 
Dr.  Martin  and  died  in  1840;  Jerry  (2d),  who 
was  born  in  1801,  and  married  Eliza  Bassett; 
Ozel  and  Ozel  (2d);  Lemuel,  born  in  1809; 
Alonzo,  1811;  Alvira,  1813;  and  Marshall,  1815. 
The  sons  became  farmers  and  were  good  citizens 
and  prosperous  men.  The  greater  number  of 
them  lived  to  old  age. 

Thomas  Farnsworth,  the  third  of  that  name, 
married  Sophia  Udell,  who  was  born  at  Stratford, 
Vt.,  October  8,  1803,  a  daughter  of  Oliver  Udell. 
They  had  five  children,  viz.:  Louisa,  born  Jan- 
uary 22,  1825;  Eleanor  Maria,  September  i,  1827; 
Homer  L.,  1831;  OHver  J.,  1837;  and  Carrie, 
July  30,  1840.  The  eldest,  Louisa,  became  the 
wife  of  Mathew  Patterson,  who  was  born  in  181 2; 
their  daughter,  Lucy  Harriet,  who  was  born  in 
1863,  was  married  in  1888  to  Merton  Minot,  and 
their  marriage  resulted  in  the  birth  of  two  sons, 
Brewster  (deceased),  and  George.  The  second 
daughter,  Eleanor  Maria,  was  married  in  1850  to 
Dr.  John  Dennison,  who  was  born  in  181 9;  their 
daughter,  Flora  Ellen,  born  in  June,  1852,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Christopher  Dunhart,  who  was 
born  in  1843,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Clarence,  born  in  April,  1878,  and  Flen- 
nie,  born  in  1889,  the  latter  representing  the  ninth 
generation  of  the  family  in  America.     The  third 


314 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


member  of  the  family,  Homer  I,. ,  was  born  at 
Alden,  N.  Y.,  in  1831,  and  died  at  Sweetland, 
Iowa,  in  1862.  The  5'oungest  of  the  family, 
Carrie,  was  married  July  7,  1863,  at  Alden,  N.Y., 
to  Joseph  E.  Ewell,  who  was  born  January  16, 
1839;  they  have  one  child,  Florence  Josephine, 
born  August  7,  1871. 

When  twentj'-one  j'ears  of  age  Thomas  Farns- 
worth  (_3d)  drove  from  Vermont  to  the  Erie  canal 
in  New  York.  For  nineteen  years  he  followed 
the  tanner's  trade,  but  defective  hearing  caused 
him  to  retire  from  that  occupation,  after  which 
he  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  an  old-line 
Whig  and  active  in  local  politics.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  was  ninety-seven  years  of  age. 

In  Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born  in 
1837,  our  subject  received  his  education.  At 
twenty  years  of  age  he  went  to  Columbus,  Ohio, 
and  remained  there  for  four  years,  engaging  in 
mercantile  pursuits.  On  his  return  to  the  home 
place  in  New  York  he  a.ssumed  its  management, 
and  remained  there  for  nine  years.  In  1868  he 
went  to  Clifton,  W.  Va.,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  salt;  but  not  finding  the  busi- 
ness profitable  he  traded  for  a  stock  of  dry  goods 
and  groceries,  and  started  in  business  at  Middle- 
port,  Ohio,  just  across  the  river  from  West  Vir- 
ginia. In  1872  he  sold  his  store  and  came  to 
Kansas,  since  which  time  he  has  resided  on  his 
present  farm.  He  has  been  interested  in  Repub- 
lican politics  and  has  attended  county  and  state 
conventions  of  his  party.  While  he  has  never 
accepted  nomination  for  political  office  he  has  al- 
ways been  willing  to  work  in  the  interests  of  the 
schools,  and  for  twenty  years  has  been  a  member 
of  the  school  board,  of  which  he  is  the  present 
treasurer.  He  has  been  interested  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  school  in  the  eighth  district,  which  is 
one  of  the  best  school  houses  in  the  county;  the 
interior  of  the  building  is  made  attractive  by 
painted  walls  and  wainscoting,  and  everything  is 
done  to  make  the  surroundings  pleasant  and  com- 
fortable for  the  children. 

Twice  married,  Mr.  Farnsworth's  first  wife 
was  Malvina  Mountz.  After  her  death  he  was 
married,  in  April,  1871,  to  Elizabeth  Nichols, 
and  they  have  four  children,  John  T.,  Nellie  F., 


Pearl  and  Myrtle.  Their  daughter  Pearl  was 
married  to  Clarence  L.  Faulkner  April  14,  1897, 
and  they  have  one  son,  Oliver  K.,  born  Decem- 
ber 17,  1898.  In  religious  belief  Mr.  Farnsworth 
is  a  firm  believer  in  Christian  Science.  He  is  a 
very  conscientious  man,  honest  in  every  transac- 
tion and  striving  in  his  life  to  carry  out  the 
teachings  of  the  golden  rule. 


HON.  GEORGE  J.  BARKER,  ex-member  of 
the  senate  and  legislature  of  Kansas,  is  one 
of  the  most  prominent  attorneys  of  Law- 
rence. He  is  of  New  England  birth  and  lineage, 
and  a  descendant  of  "Mayflower"  ancestry.  His 
father,  Hon.  Cyrus  G.  Barker,  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut and  reared  in  Hampden  County,  Mass., 
where  he  engaged  in  farm  pursuits  for  some  years. 
About  1844  he  removed  to  Rock  County,  Wis., 
and  settled  at  Somerville,  but  later  went  to  Clin- 
ton Junction  and  continued  agricultural  pursuits, 
djdng  there  in  1868.  He  was  one  of  the  largest 
land  owners  of  his  county  and  much  of  his  prop- 
erty is  now  owned  by  his  son,  J.  C.  Barker,  who 
is  mayor  of  Clinton  Junction.  A  pioneer  of  that 
section,  he  was  known  among  all  the  people  for 
miles  around  and  stood  high  as  a  citizen.  At 
various  times  he  was  elected  to  local  offices  and 
also  served  in  the  legislature.  He  married  Eliza 
King,  whose  father  removed  from  Connecticut  to 
Massachusetts,  where  she  was  born.  Her  ances- 
tors were  Congregationalists  and  pioneers  of  New 
England.  Of  her  four  children,  one  daughter 
died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  and  another  after  mar- 
riage. The  youngest  of  the  family,  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Hampden  County,  Mass.,  November 
6,  1842.  He  was  educated  at  Allen's  Grove  Acad- 
emy, where  he  prepared  for  Beloit  College.  In- 
stead, however,  of  taking  a  course  in  college  he 
became  a  student  of  law  in  the  Chicago  Law 
School,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1865,  with 
the  degree  of  LL-B.  He  remained  in  Chicago 
until  1867,  when  he  came  to  Lawrence  and  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm  of  Akin  &  Barker. 
Later  he  was  with  other  attorneys,  being  for 
a  time  identified  with  the  law  firm  of  Barker, 
Gleed  &  Gleed,  with  offices  in  Topeka  and  Law- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


315 


rence.  He  was  afterward  a  member  of  the  firms, 
Barker  &  Poehler,  and  Barker,  Poehler  &  Pearse, 
since  which  he  has  been  alone. 

As  attorney  for  the  Western  Farm  Mortgage 
Trust  Company  of  Lawrence,  operating  in  Col- 
orado, Mr.  Barker  had  an  office  on  Curtis  street, 
Denver,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  mean- 
time becoming  president  of  the  company.  Besides 
his  private  practice  he  has  been  attorney  for  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad.  For  two  terms  he  held  the 
office  of  prosecuting  attorney,  during  the  exist- 
ence of  the  prohibition  law,  and  he  made  it  his 
business  to  see  that  the  law  was  enforced.  In  the 
celebrated  Kunkle  case  he  was  attorney  for  the 
defendant,  who  was  acquitted.  For  twenty  years 
he  has  been  connected  with  the  Hillman  case, 
one  of  the  most  interesting  in  the  civil  history  of 
the  United  States,  and  a  case  that  has  been  pro- 
tracted for  a  longer  period  than  any  other,  in 
which  the  widow  sued  the  insurance  companies 
for  the  recovery  of  insurance  money.  The  al- 
leged killing  took  place  March  17,  1879,  after 
which  there  were  six  trials,  one  of  these  lasting 
sixty  days.  He  was  one  of  the  original  attorneys 
when  the  case  was  brought  into  court  in  18S0, 
and  mastered  its  many  intricacies  and  the  count- 
less points  of  law  involved. 

The  first  vote  of  Mr.  Barker  was  cast  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  and  he  has  since  continued  to  sup- 
port Republican  principles.  He  has  attended  the 
state  conventions  of  the  party  and  has  served  on 
the  executive  committee  of  the  state  central  com- 
mittee. For  one  term  he  was  mayor  of  Lawrence, 
for  several  years  city  and  county  attorney,  also 
served  as  president  of  the  city  council,  and  as 
state  senator  from  1886  to  1890.  During  his 
term  in  the  senate  he  secured  the  passing  of  the 
Quantrell  raid  bill,  which  secured  to  the  citizens 
of  the  county  $,-^00,000  for  the  sufferers  from  that 
raid.  In  1896  he  was  elected  to  represent  the 
fourteenth  district  in  the  state  legislature  and 
served  in  the  session  of  .1897  and  the  special  ses- 
sion of iSgS. 

In  Allen's  Grove,  Wis.,  Mr.  Barker  married 
Lucena,  daughter  of  Sidney  Allen,  the  first  set- 
tler of  that  place.  She  was  born  in  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  and  died  in  Lawrence,  Kans.,  in  1886, 


leaving  three  daughters,  Mrs.  Ann  E.  Spencer, 
oflola,  Kans.,  Lucena  Allen  and  Fannie,  The 
present  wife  of  Mr.  Barker  was  Mrs.  Emma  (De- 
land)  Dinsmore,  widow  of  Frank  Dinsmore  (who 
was  superintendent  of  schools  in  Lawrence,  and 
a  daughter  of  B.  F.  and  Harriet  (Bowen)  Deland, 
natives  of  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y.  Her  fa- 
ther was  for  some  years  a  farmer  in  New  York, 
but  removed  to  the  copper  regions  of  Michigan. 
She  is  a  graduate  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  College 
and  is  a  woman  of  culture  and  broad  knowledge. 
She  is  the  only  woman  who  has  ever  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  in  Lawrence.  By  her 
marriage  to  Mr.  Dinsmore  she  had  four  children, 
Paul,  Kate,  Edna  and  Frances.  In  religious  be- 
lief she  is  a  Presbyterian  and  takes  a  warm  inter- 
est in  the  work  of  that  church,  which  Mr.  Barker 
also  attends.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
Lawrence  Lodge  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Law- 
rence Chapter  No.  4,  R^  A.  M.,  and  DeMolay 
Commandery,  K.  T. 


I  AFAYETTE  P.  BALDWIN,  who  is  one  of 
It  the  well-known  farmers  and  stock-raisers 
li2f  of  Douglas  County,  residing  in  Kanwaka 
Township,  was  born  in  Delaware  County,  Ohio, 
September  6,  1850,  a  son  of  Israel  C.  and  Lucy 
J.  (Preston)  Baldwin.  He  was  one  of  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  he  and  his  brother,  Alvah  S.,  of 
Delaware  County,  Ohio,  are  the  only  survivors. 
His  father,  who  was  a  native  of  New  York  state, 
born  in  1806,  while  still  a  young  man  removed 
to  Ohio,  settling  in  Delaware  Count}',  where  he 
married  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  the  fall  of 
1859  he  came  to  Kansas  and  established  his  home 
in  Douglas  County,  five  miles  west  of  Lawrence, 
where  he  bought  a  section  of  land.  He  gave  his 
attention  closely  to  the  development  of  his  land 
and  made  of  it  a  valuable  farm.  Engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  his  last  years  were  passed 
busily  and  prosperously.  His  death  occurred 
upon  the  old  homestead  in  1881. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  obtained  in 
common  schools.  On  approaching  manhood  the 
management  of  the  homestead  devolved  largely 
upon  him,  and  thus  qualities   of  industry,  self- 


3i6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


reliance  and  perseverance  were  early  developed  in 
his  character.  In  1874  he  married  Miss  Marga- 
ret Pierson,  who  was  born  in  Indiana  and  came 
to  Kansas  in  1854  with  her  father,  Thomas  Pier- 
son,  settling  in  Kanwaka  Township,  Douglas 
County.  The  four  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Baldwin  are  named:  L,aetta,  Thomas,  Earl  and 
Eugene  (deceased).  After  our  subject'smarriage 
he  was  given  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  by  his  father.  To  the  cultivation  of  this 
property  he  gave  his  attention,  increasing  its 
value  by  the  erection  of  a  substantial  farm  house. 
He  continued  to  reside  there  until  after  the  death 
of  his  father,  when  he  purchased  the  home  resi- 
dence and  one  hundred  and  twentj-  acres  of  the 
place.  Removing  to  it,  he  has  since  resided  here. 
He  has  given  his  time  largely  to  the  cattle  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  has  been  exceptionally  suc- 
cessful. In  his  labors  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  and 
as  a  stock-raiser  he  has  displayed  practical  com- 
mon sense,  discrimination  and  an  ability  to  work 
to  a  good  advantage,  and  the  success  that  has 
followed  his  efforts  proves  that  he  was  fortunate 
iu  the  selection  of  an  occupation.  His  forefathers 
were  Democrats,  and  he  is  equally  stanch  in  his 
allegiance  to  this  party. 


I  EVI  RUSSELL  CRAWFORD,  who  settled 
I  C  in  Ottawa  in  1867,  was  identified  with  the 
[2  growing  interests  of  this  city  from  that  time 
until  his  death.  He  was  a  descendant  of  Deacon 
John  and  Sarah  (Fisher)  Crawford,  who  came  to 
the  new  world  in  1754  and  settled  upon  a  farm  in 
Warren,  Knox  County,  Me.  Although  unfamiliar 
with  general  farming  (having  been  a  shepherd  in 
his  native  land)  he  was  industrious  and  met  with 
considerable  success.  For  years  he  served  as  a 
deacon  in  the  Baptist  Church.  His  son,  Capt. 
James  Crawford,  was  a  sea  captaiu  and  part 
owner  of  the  steamer  "Speedwell,"  which  was 
seized  by  the  French.  John  Crawford,  son  of 
Capt.  James  and  Margaret  (Rivers)  Crawford, 
was  born  in  Warren  in  1803  and  engaged  in 
farming  iu  his  native  county  until  he  died  in 
1870.  He  married  Mahala  Russell,  a  native  of 
Warren,   and    a   daughter   of  Rufus  and    Mary 


(Fisher)  Russell,  both  of  whom  died  in  1819. 
Levi  Russell,  father  of  Rufus  Russell,  was  of 
English  descent  and  a  member  of  a  Puritan  fam- 
ily. He  moved  from  Plymouth,  Mass.,  to  Maine, 
where  he  died.  During  the  Revolutionary  war 
he  served  in  the  colonial  army.  His  wife  was 
Hannah  Simmons,  of  Duxburj^  Mass.  The 
grandfather  of  Mary  (Fisher)  Russell,  James 
Fisher,  was  born  in  1760  and  died  in  1834.  Dur- 
ing the  Revolution  he  was  sent  to  America  as  a 
British  soldier,  but  deserted  and  joined  the 
American  ranks;  for,  being  from  Scotland,  his 
sympathies  were  on  the  side  of  the  struggling 
colonies.  After  the  war  ended  he  settled  in  War- 
ren, Me.,  and  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Archibald  Robinson,  a  son  of  Dr.  Moses  Robin- 
son ,  who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage  and  settled 
first  in  Cushing,  Me.,  but  later  became  a  pioneer 
of  Warren.  Archibald  Robinson  married  Mar- 
garet Watson. 

The  family  of  which  our  subject  was  a  mem- 
ber consisted  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Luella  Burdett  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Colbath  (both 
of  New  Hampshire)  alone  survive.  Levi  Rus- 
sell, who  was  the  third  of  the  family,  was  born  in 
Warren,  Me.,  June  6,  1834,  and  was  reared  on 
the  home  farm,  attending  Warren  Academy  and 
afterward  teaching.  In  Thomaston,  Me.,  he  was 
apprenticed  to  house  and  ship  carpentering,  and 
for  three  years  was  employed  on  a  ship  plying 
between  New  York  and  Liverpool.  During  this 
time  he  had  several  dangerous  trips,  once  being 
nearly  shipwrecked  in  a  storm.  During  one  win- 
ter he  visited  Cuba  and  frequently  his  ship 
anchored  in  New  York  and  New  Orleans.  After 
the  Portland  fire  he  engaged  in  building  there 
for  a  year.  In  the  fall  of  1 867  he  came  to  Ottawa, 
where  he  engaged  in  contracting  and  building, 
among  his  contracts  having  those  for  the  Baptist 
Church,  second  ward  school,  Horace  J.  Smith's 
block,  the  new  building  of  the  Ottawa  Uni- 
versity and  some  of  the  finest  blocks  and  houses 
in  the  city.  After  the  Chicago  fire  he  engaged 
in  contracting  in  that  city  in  1871-72,  but  with 
that  exception  continued  to  make  Ottawa  his 
home  until  his  death.  He  built  several  houses 
in  the  city  and  became  the  owner  of  farm  lands 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


317 


near  by.  For  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  education  and  the  city  council.  In  1872 
he  was  made  a  trustee  of  Ottawa  University, 
which  position  he  held  continuously  (except  one 
year  when  away)  until  1896,  and  for  fourteen 
years  he  served  as  secretary  of  the  board.  At 
the  same  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  executive 
committee.  Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason.  Dur- 
ing almost  his  entire  life  he  was  a  trustee  and 
deacon  in  the  Baptist  Church.  In  addition  to  his 
constant  work  for  the  university  and  church  he 
was  also  foremost  in  the  temperance  cause,  and 
it  was  largely  due  to  his  efforts  that  Ottawa  was 
able  to  have  prohibition  several  years  before  it 
was  made  a  state  law.  In  the  temperance  cause 
he  was  an  indefatigable  worker  and  he  was  also 
active  in  the  p'-osecution  of  the  violators  of  the 
law.  Through  this  means  he  did  not  a  little 
toward  making  Ottawa  one  of  the  most  desirable 
residence  towns  in  the  state.  For  years  he  taught 
a  Sunday-school  class,  and  in  other  ways  he  did 
all  within  his  power  to  promote  the  cause  of  the 
church.  When  the  new  building  at  the  university 
was  erected  he  was  one  of  the  most  generous  con- 
tributors toward  it,  and  at  other  times  the  uni- 
versity received  other  benefactions  from  him.  He 
was  a  thoughtful  reader  and  thinker,  and  pos- 
sessed clear-cut  convictions  upon  all  important 
questions.  Politically  he  was  a  stanch  Republi- 
can (casting  his  first  vote  for  Fremont  and  Day- 
ton) and  always  remained  steadfast  to  those  prin- 
ciples. His  death  occurred  April  18,  1897,  in 
the  city  where  for  so  long  he  had  been  an  hon- 
ored and  influential  citizen. 

September  26,  1866,  Mr.  Crawford  married,  in 
Warren,  Me.,  Miss  Inez  J.  Kalloch,  who  was 
born  in  that  town,  a  daughter  of  I,ermond  and 
Sarah  (Robinson)  Kalloch.  Her  grandfather, 
Benjamin  Kalloch,  who  was  born  in  1785,  served 
in  the  war  of  18 12,  and  died  in  1838;  he  married 
Esther  Libby,  who  was  born  in  1787  and  died  in 
1832.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Eliza- 
beth (L,ermond)  lyibby,  the  former  born  in  1761, 
and  died  in  1837.  Nathan  was  a  son  of  Maj. 
Hatevil  Libby,  who  was  a  major  of  militia  in  the 
Revolutionary  war;  he  was  born  in  1737  and  died 
in    1820.     His  wife,  who  was    Jane   (Watson) 


Libby,  was  born  in  1735  and  died  in  1819.  Ben- 
jamin Kalloch  was  a  son  of  Alexander  Kalloch, 
who  was  born  in  1740,  served  as  a  lieutenant  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  the  first  to  raise 
the  stars  and  stripes  over  Warren,  where  he  died 
in  1826.  His  forefathers  were  Scotch-Irish;  his 
father,  Finlay  Kalloch,  came  to  America  from  the 
north  of  Ireland  about  17 19  and  after  his  mar- 
riage to  Mary  Young  removed  to  Portsmouth, 
N.  H.,  thence  to  Warren,  Me.,  in  1735.  Eliza- 
beth Lermond  was  a  daughter  of  Alexander  and 
Mary  (Harkness)  Lermond,  the  latter  of  Welsh 
descent.  The  former,  who  was  born  in  London- 
derry in  1707,  came  to  America  with  his  parents 
in  1 7 1 9 ;  he  owned  mills  at  Warren,  where  he  died 
in  1790.  Lermond  Kalloch  was  born  in  18 10 
and  died  in  1893;  his  wife  was  born  in  18 16  and 
died  in  1863.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Lewis  and 
Eunice  (Fairbanks)  Robinson,  the  latter  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Eunice  (Payson)  Fairbanks  and 
a  granddaughter  of  Capt.  Samuel  Payson,  of 
Revolutionary  fame.  John  Fairbanks  was  also 
an  officer  in  the  colonial  army.  Lewis  Robinson 
was  a  son  of  Andrew  Robinson,  of  Scotch  de- 
scent. Lermond  Kalloch  was  a  prominent  farmer 
living  in  Warren  and  was  active  in  religious 
affairs,  being  for  many  years  a  deacon  in  the 
Baptist  Church.  He  had  only  two  children,  Mrs. 
Crawford  (the  wife  of  the  subject  of  our  sketch) 
and  Elmus  N.  The  latter,  who  was  a  sergeant 
in  Company  I,  Twentieth  Maine  Infantry,  during 
the  Civil  war,  and  remained  in  the  army  until 
peace  was  declared,  died  in  Fort  Scott,  Kans.,  in 
August,  1887. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crawford  were  the  parents  of 
three  children.  Clarence  Buck,  who  graduated 
from  Brown  University  in  June,  1887,  died  in 
October  of  the  same  year,  when  twenty  years  of 
age,  being  accidentally  killed  while  boarding  a 
train  at  Auburudale,  Mass.  His  death,  in  the 
dawn  of  manhood,  when  every  prospect  was 
bright  and  his  future  seemed  rich  with  hope,  was 
a  severe  blow  to  the  family.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  and  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon. 
The  only  daughter,  Inez  Mabel,  graduated  from 
Ottawa  University  in  1892  with  the  degree  of 
A.   B.,  and  afterward  taught  in  Grand  Island 


3i8 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


(Neb.)  College  for  some  time,  but  is  now  agent 
for  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Compan}-  of  New 
York  in  Ottawa.  Prominent  in  social  life,  she 
was  the  leader  in  organizing  the  local  chapter  of 
Daughters  of  the  Revolution  and  was  for  two 
years  president  of  the  M.  P.  M.  Club,  the  oldest 
ladies'  literary  club  here.  The  only  living  son, 
Ralph  Kalloch,  is  a  member  of  the  class  of  1901, 
Ottawa  University. 


pQlLLIAM  H.  WILLIAMS,  who  is  the 
\  A  /  owner  of  fourteen  hundred  acres,  is  recog- 
V  Y  nized  as  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  suc- 
cessful stockmen  of  Harrison  Township,  Frank- 
lin County.  He  was  born  in  Phoenixville,  Pa., 
December  2,  1845,  ^  son  of  William  and  Ellen 
(Cohn)  Williams,  natives  respectively  of  Wales 
and  England.  His  father  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1S44  and  twelve  years  later  established 
his  home  in  Kansas,  taking  up  a  claim  in  Cen- 
tropolis  Township,  Franklin  County,  and  in 
March,  1857,  moving  his  family  to  the  place. 
There  he  built  up  a  large  and  important  stock 
business,  and  in  time  came  to  be  one  of  the 
largest  shippers  in  the  county.  His  shipments 
were  not  limited  to  this  country  alone,  but  he 
also  .shipped  beef  cattle  to  Liverpool,  England, 
although  the  most  of  the  shipments  were  made 
to  Buffalo  and  New  York  City.  For  years  he 
raised  horses,  mules  and  cattle  on  a  large  scale, 
and  there  was  no  branch  of  the  stock  business 
with  which  he  was  unfamiliar.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  he  owned  five  hundred  acres  of  land, 
all  of  which  he  had  improved  and  increased  in 
value.  He  died  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  when  fifty-two 
years  of  age.  They  left  three  sons,  William  H., 
M.  T.  and  Richard. 

Coming  to  Kansas  in  1855,  our  subject  settled 
with  his  parents  in  Centropolis  Township  in  1857, 
and  he  has  since  been  interested  in  farming  and 
stock-raising.  In  1879  he  began  feeding  cattle 
on  a  farm  of  his  own  in  Centropolis  Township, 
and  in  this  way  he  secured  a  start  in  the  stock 
business.  In  1885  he  sold  that  farm  and  moved 
to   Cutler  Township,    where   he   bought  twenty 


hundred  and  seventy  acres,  formerly  owned  by 
C.  C.  Cole,  and  on  it  he  engaged  in  the  stock 
business  imtil  his  removal  to  Harrison  Township 
in  1893.  He  is  one  of  the  large  land  owners  of 
this  township.  His  attention  is  given  closely  to 
the  buying,  feeding  and  shipping  of  cattle  and 
hogs,  and  he  is  considered  a  thoroughly  ex- 
perienced and  successful  stockman.  He  is  inter- 
ested in  movements  beneficial  to  his  township. 
From  the  age  of  twenty-one  until  the  Chicago 
convention  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  when  the 
Democrats  inserted  in  their  platform  a  plank  ad- 
vocating the  free  coinage  of  silver  he  left  the 
ranks  of  that  party  and  has  since  affiliated  with 
the  Republicans.  He  has  never  been  active  in 
local  elections,  nor  has  he  sought  official  positions. 
In  1871  Mr.  Williams  married  Miss  Phoebe  E. 
Foster,  who  died,  leaving  three  children:  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  W.  L.  McCandless;  William,  who 
is  married  and  lives  in  Peoria  Township,  and 
Alice.  His  present  wife  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Eva  Randall  and  was  born  in  Indiana. 


j  YMAN  REID.  On  the  corner  of  Elm  and 
It  Third  streets  stands  what  is  without  doubt 
li2f  the  finest  residence  in  Ottawa.  It  was 
erected  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reid  in  1898-99  and  is 
constructed  of  buff  colored  brick,  of  a  style  of 
architecture  that  is  modern  and  imposing.  With- 
in may  be  found  every  modern  convenience  and 
improvement,  while  the  whole  is  furnished  with 
an  elegance  and  harmony  that  reflect  the  tastes 
of  the  inmates.  The  charming  eSect  is  height- 
ened by  well-kept  grounds  and  the  various  ap- 
purtenances of  a  model  home.  Indeed,  it  may  be 
safely  said  that  few  places  in  eastern  Kansas  are 
more  beautiful  than  this. 

A  citizen  of  Ottawa  since  October  i,  1875,  Mr. 
Reid  was  born  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Jefferson 
County,  Ohio,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1852.  His 
father,  William,  who  was  born  at  Reidville,  Pa. , 
moved  by  wagons  to  Ohio,  and  became  a  manu- 
facturer at  Mount  Pleasant,  where  he  met  with 
large  success.  For  years  he  served  as  school  di- 
rector and  justice  of  the  peace,  and  was  also  a 
director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Mount 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


319 


Pleasant.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and 
an  Abolitionist,  and  in  religion  adhered  to  Pres- 
byterian doctrines.  He  married  Rachel  S. 
Mitchell,  who  was  born  at  Scott's  Ridge,  Bel- 
mont Count}',  Ohio,  the  daughter  of  a  farmer 
and  pioneer  of  that  count}',  and  a  sister  of  J.  J. 
Mitchell,  who  is  prominently  connected  with  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  in  St.  Louis;  and  also 
of  William  H.  Mitchell,  vice-president  of  the  Illi- 
nois Trust  and  Savings  Bank  of  Chicago  (whose 
son,  John  J.  Mitchell,  is  president  of  that  famous 
banking  institution). 

The  family  of  William  and  Rachel  S.  Reid  con- 
sisted of  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom 
two  sons  and  three  daughters  are  living.  One  of 
the  sons,  G.W.,  died  in  Baltimore,  Md.;  another, 
William  H.,  is  second  vice-president  of  the  Illi- 
nois Trust  and  Savings  Company  of  Chicago. 
The  youngest  son,  Lyman,  was  born  and  reared 
at  Mount  Pleasant,  where  he  obtained  his  rudi- 
mentary education.  Afterward  he  attended 
Mount  Union  College  for  two  years  and  the  Pitts- 
burgh (Pa.)  Commercial  College.  The  years  1871 
and  1872  he  spent  in  Chicago  in  business,  after 
which  he  returned  to  college.  For  some  3'ears 
his  health  was  poor,  and,  hoping  that  travel 
might  prove  beneficial,  he  came  west  in  1875, 
visiting  his  sister,  wife  of  Rev.  D.  C.  Milner,  in 
Ottawa.  He  gained  in  health  so  rapidly  that  he 
decided  to  remain  in  that  city.  He  accepted  a 
position  as  bookkeeper  for  the  Forest  mills, 
which  during  that  year  (1875)  carried  on  an  im- 
mense business  in  the  purchase  and  shipment  of 
castor  beans.  During  1875  Franklin  County 
was  the  banner  county  in  the  United  States  in  the 
size  of  its  castor  bean  crop,  there  being  about  two 
hundred  thousand  bushels  raised  here,  which 
sold  at  $2.50  a  bushel.  Almost  all  of  that  enor- 
mous crop  was  bought  by  the  Forest  mills,  and 
Mr.  Reid  had  charge  of  its  purchase  and  ship- 
ment. After  having  remained  in  the  same  posi- 
tion for  two  years  he  engaged  in  the  hardware 
business  on  Main  street,  being  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Robinson  &  Reid  for  three  years  and  Reid 
&  Holliday  for  two  years,  after  which  he  sold  his 
interest  in  the  store.  In  1884  he  became  book- 
keeper at  the  Excelsior  mills  and  continued  in 


that  capacity  until  June  i,  1898,  when  he  re- 
signed. In  politics  he  favors  the  principles  for 
which  the  Republican  party  .stands.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  lodge  and  encampment 
of  Odd  Fellows. 

In  Freeport,  Pa.,  Mr.  Reid  married  Miss  Ida 
M.  Warden,  who  was  born  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
and  received  her  education  in  Mount  Union  Col- 
lege. Her  father,  Joseph  L.  Warden,  was  for 
years  an  oil  refiner  in  Freeport,  but  retired  from 
business  in  favor  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company. 
He  died  in  Philadelphia.  His  brother,  William 
Warden,  was  associated  with  William  Rockefeller 
in  the  starting  of  the  now  famous  Standard  Oil 
Company.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reid  are  identified 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  the  work  of 
which  they  take  a  warm  interest.  They  became 
the  parents  of  two  children,  but  only  one  is  now 
living,  Joseph  Warden  Reid,  who  is  a  student  in 
Phillips  Academy  at  Andover,  Mass.,  prepara- 
tory to  a  course  in  Yale  College.  As  a  pianist 
and  vocalist  Mrs.  Reid  has  exhibited  superior 
talent,  and  her  voice,  often  heard  in  solos,  has 
won  the  admiration  of  all  for  its  sweet  and  pure 
tones,  as  well  as  for  the  thorough  knowledge  of 
music  displayed. 

HON.  WILLIAM  H.  WOODLIEF.  The 
stock  and  farm  interests  of  Franklin  County 
have  a  prominent  representative  in  Mr. 
Woodlief,  who  has  resided  in  Ottawa  Township 
since  1877.  Previously  a  resident  of  large  cities, 
but  tiring  of  metropolitan  life,  became  to  Kansas 
during  the  year  named,  with  a  view  to  purchasing 
a  homestead.  He  visited  his  present  place  for 
the  first  time  by  night  and  was  taken  through 
the  house,  but  it  was  impossible  to  make  a  thor- 
ough investigation  of  the  property  by  lamp 
light.  However,  he  saw  enough  to  convince 
him  this  was  the  place  he  wanted,  and  in  about 
twenty  minutes  he  decided  to  buy.  Returning 
to  town,  he  closed  the  transaction.  The  place 
not  only  possesses  scenic  attractions,  but  is  also  of 
historical  interest,  as  it  was  here  that  the  bor- 
der ruffians  commenced  their  depredations. 
They  robbed  J.  T.  Jones  (then  the  owner  of  the 
place)  and  burned  the  dwelling.     Afterward  Mr. 


320 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Jones  erected  the  present  commodious  stone  resi- 
dence, in  which  have  been  entertained  many  of 
the  noted  men  of  the  past  forty  years,  among 
them  Horace  Greeley  and  Abraham  Lincohi. 
The  land  lies  on  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail  and  of  re- 
cent years  a  pbstofEce  and  station  named  Wood- 
lief  have  been  established  on  the  farm  on  the  line 
of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 

In  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  Mr.  Woodlief  was 
born  December  27,  1839.  His  father  and  grand- 
father, both  named  R.  Y.  Woodlief,  were  natives 
of  Virginia  and  farmers  there,  owning  land  near 
Richmond.  Their  ancestors  came  to  Virginia 
from  England  early  in  the  eighteenth  century 
and  were  planters.  They  are  descended  from  a 
long  line  of  English  ancestry.  The  father,  who 
was  an  old-line  Whig  and  later  a  Republican, 
served  as  constable  and  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  was  a  class-leader  and  trustee  in  the  Method- 
ist Church.  Near  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  he  married 
Susan  Sanders,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children, 
five  now  living,  William  H.  being  the  fifth  and 
the  only  one  in  Kansas.  The  last  years  of  the 
father's  life  were  spent  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

In  public  schools,  Milford  Seminary  and  the 
Ohio  State  University  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  our 
subject  obtained  his  education.  In  Cincinnati  he 
learned  the  painter's  trade.  Subsequently  secur- 
ing a  position  as  teacher  in  Hamilton  County,  he 
successfully  passed  the  required  examination  and 
was  given  a  first-class  certificate  in  Cincinnati, 
after  which  he  taught  for  eight  months.  The 
war  then  broke  out  and  his  school  was  selected  as 
headquarters  for  the  ofiicers  of  Camp  Dennison. 
August  6,  186 1,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  First 
Ohio  Cavalry,  and  saw  active  service  with  the 
army  of  the  Cumberland,  taking  part  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Champion  Hills,  Stone 
River,  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain,  and  the 
march  to  and  siege  of  Atlanta.  He  also  took  part 
in  Kilpatrick's  raid  around  Atlanta  and  other  im- 
portant engagements.  He  received  a  few  wounds, 
though  none  of  which  was  serious.  After  a  short 
time  in  the  ranks  he  was  made  orderly  sergeant, 
four  or  five  months  later  became  second  lieutenant 
and  in  a  year  was  promoted  to  the  captaincy, 
which  position  he  held  until  his  resignation  in 


October,  1864.  He  resigned  owing  to  the  fact 
that  he  had  been  assigned  to  another  company 
than  his  own  and  he  felt  that  to  be  an  injustice 
to  the  company.  The  company  had  been  poorly 
officered  and  suffered  misfortune,  but  he  put 
them  into  shape,  and,  as  the  first  lieutenant  de- 
veloped into  an  excellent  commissioned  officer, 
he  desired  to  give  him  an  opportunity  to  prove 
his  ability. 

Returning  to  Ohio,  Captain  Woodlief  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  at  Withamsville  and 
in  farming  and  in  contracting.  Later  for  five 
years  he  carried  on  a  cigar  factory  at  the  above 
place  and  Miamiville.  In  1873  he  took  a  mail 
contract,  which  business  he  has  continued  to 
some  extent  ever  since,  having  done  city  work  in 
all  of  the  larger  cities  except  Chicago  and  New 
York.  In  1877  he  came  to  Kansas  and  bought 
nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Franklin  County, 
and  now  owns  a  thousand  and  forty  acres  in  one 
body,  besides  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  near  by.  The  most  of  this  land  is  now 
in  tame  grass.  The  stock  industry  has  been  his 
principal  business.  He  keeps  on  his  place  from 
one  to  three  hundred  head  of  Shorthorn  cattle. 
He  keeps  on  hand  about  two  thousand  head  of 
Angora  goats  for  sale  and  breeding  purposes. 
At  one  time  he  kept  from  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  head  of  horses  and  mules,  but 
at  present  does  not  handle  many. 

A  prominent  Republican,  Mr.  Woodlief  has 
been  township  trustee  and  served  one  term  in  the 
state  legislature,  where  he  was  interested  in  se- 
curing the  passage  of  the  bill  to  build  the  Locust 
street  bridge  in  Ottawa  and  also  aided  other 
needed  legislation.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  having  attained  the  Royal  Arch  de- 
gree, and  George  H.  Thomas  Post,  G.  A.  R., 
of  Ottawa.  In  the  year  1864,  in  Ohio,  he  mar- 
ried Rose,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Archer,  a  farmer 
and  at  one  time  county  treasurer  of  Clermont 
County,  Ohio.  They  have  five  children:  Maude, 
wife  of  James  Brazier,  residing  on  the  home 
farm;  Benjamin,  an  engineer  on  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Ouincy  Railroad,  living  in  Brook- 
field,  Mo.;  William,  who  spends  his  time  largely 
in  the  buying  and  selling  of  stock  and  is  now  in 


BEEN  BALDWIN. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


323 


Nebraska;  Archer,  who  is  engaged  in  railroading 
in  Brookfield;  and  Cassie,  who  is  the  only  mem- 
ber of  the  family  born  in  Kansas.  Mrs.  Wood- 
lief  died  in  1883,  and  he  married  his  present  wife, 
Mrs.  Lulu  (Allen)  Riggs,  October  13,  1892. 


JTbEN  BALDWIN.  The  success  which  has 
1^  attended  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Baldwin  since  he 
L.  came  to  Douglas  County  proves  that  this 
section  of  Kansas  offers  abundant  opportunities 
to  an  energetic,  progressive  man.  In  the  summer 
of  1867  he  bought  a  farm  in  Kanwaka  Township, 
but  soon  sold  the  property,  and  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  ?■  .ty  acres  in  Wakarusa  Township, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  The  place  was  but 
slightly  improved  and  it  required  constant  labor 
on  his  part  to  effect  the  improvements  desired. 
From  the  first  he  was  interested  in  the  stock  bus- 
iness, beginning  on  a  very  small  scale  and  grad- 
ually adding  to  his  herd,  at  the  same  time  im- 
proving the  grade  of  his  stock.  He  now  manages 
over  eight  hundred  acres,  almost  all  of  which  is 
in  the  Kaw  bottom,  and  about  six  hundred  acres 
are  devoted  to  cereals.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
Galloway  cattle,  twenty  of  which  are  eligible  to 
registry.  He  has  also  engaged  in  the  breeding 
of  Clydesdale  horses,  and  carries  thirty  or  forty 
head  of  mules  which  are  used  in  his  contracts  for 
railroad  grading.  On  his  farm  are  situated  the 
club  house  and  lake  owned  by  the  Lake  View 
Fishing  and  Shooting  Association.  Through  his 
efforts  he  has  had  established  the  station  of  Lake 
View,  which  has  a  store  and  a  telegraph,  express 
and  post-office. 

Mr.  Baldwin  was  born  in  Woodville,  Sandusky 
County,  Ohio,  March  15,  1842.  His  father, 
William,  a  native  of  New  York,  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade  in  youth  and  when  a  young 
man  went  to  Ohio,  where  at  first  he  followed  his 
trade,  but  later  cleared  and  improved  a  farm,  also 
conducted  a  hotel.  He  was  a  Democrat  of  the 
Jacksonian  t3-pe  and  took  an  interest  in  local  af- 
fairs. In  religion  he  was  connected  with  the 
United  Brethren  Church.  By  his  marriage,  in 
Ohio,  to  Caroline  Kelsey,  he  had  four  children: 
Elizabeth,    who  married  Joseph  A.    Harpel,  of 


Olympia,  Ore.;  Eben;  Helen,  wife  of  R.  W.  Gor- 
rill,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume; and  Virginia,  wife  of  Charles  H.  Taylor,  a 
farmer  at  Eskridge,  Wabaunsee  County. 

After  attending  Elm  Grove  Institute  for  three 
years  our  subject  assumed  the  management  of  the 
home  place;  his  father  having  died  when  he  was 
a  boy  of  eight  years,  the  responsibilities  of  life 
were  early  thrust  upon  him.  He  remained  at 
home  until  August,  1867,  when  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  settled  in  Douglas  County.  His  means 
were  limited  at  the  time,  but  through  his  judi- 
cious management  he  has  become  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  men  of  his  county.  In  addition  to 
farming  and  stock-raising  he  has  also  engaged 
extensively  in  railroad  contracting.  In  1886  he 
began  railroad  tax  work  for  the  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
road and  has  since  done  all  of  the  work  of  that 
kind  for  the  road  in  Kansas,  except  on  its  branch 
in  southern  Kansas.  He  has  also  had  charge  of 
the  grading  for  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pa- 
cific road  in  this  state,  being  associated  in  these 
contracts  with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Gorrill, 
and  employing  four  gangs  of  men. 

In  1887  Mr.  Baldwin  erected  the  fine  residence 
which  he  now  occupies.  About  the  same  time  he 
built  a  granary  for  corn  and  hay,  which  utilized 
twenty-eight  thousand  feet  of  lumber  in  its  build- 
ing. His  stone  barn,  built  in  1879,  has  a  capac- 
ity of  eighty  tons  of  hay,  and  contains  in  the 
basement  a  stable  with  stalls  for  thirty  head  of 
horses.  All  the  modern  improvements  may  be 
found  on  his  farm  and  in  his  house.  From  his 
private  gas  plant  the  gas  is  generated  for  lighting 
the  residence  and  also  for  cooking  purposes.  He 
is  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Merchants 
National  Bank,  at  Lawrence,  and  in  the  Lawrence 
Vitrified  Brick  and  Tile  Company.  In  earlier 
life  a  Republican,  he  is  now  independent  in  poli- 
tics. For  six  years  he  served  as  township  trustee 
and  for  two  years,  under  appointment  by  Gover- 
nor Humphrey,  he  held  the  position  of  state  house 
commissioner.  In  religion  he  is  connected  with 
the  Baptist  Church.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member 
of  Lawrence  Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Law- 
rence Chapter  No.  4,  R.  A.  M. ;  DeMolay  Com- 
mandery  No.  4,  K.  T. ;  Topeka  Council;   Abdal- 


324 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lah  Shrine,  N.  M.  S.,  of  Leavenworth,  and  is  also 
associated  with  the  Commercial,  Athletic  and 
Topeka  Clubs. 

At  Sandusky,  Ohio,  Mr.  Baldwin  married  Ette, 
daughter  of  Enoch  and  Catharine  Nichols,  of 
Erie  County,  Ohio.  To  this  marriage  were  born 
fivechildren:  William  E.,  deceased;  Helen  M., 
wife  of  Alexander  C.  Mitchell,  of  Lawrence; 
Carrie,  who  died  in  infancy;  Virginia,  wife  of 
James  Mitchell,  of  Lawrence;  and  Carrie  (2d) 
deceased.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Baldwin 
united  him  with  Grace  Herning,  daughter  of 
Michael  and  Sarah  A.  Herning,  of  Lawrence. 
They  have  a  daughter,  Mary. 


nUDGE  CHARLES  L.  ROBBINS.  There 
I  are  very  few  of  the  residents  of  Franklin 
(2/  County  who  have  been  identified  with  its 
history  for  a  longer  period  than  the  subject  of 
this  article;  nor  are  there  many  who  have  been 
more  intimately  identified  with  public  aflTairs. 
In  April,  1856,  he  came  to  Kansas.  His  first  lo- 
cation in  Franklin  County  was  at  Centropolis, 
but  he  soon  removed  to  Minneola,  one  mile  dis- 
tant, which  was  subsequently  for  a  time  the 
county  seat.  In  the  spring  of  1862  he  established 
his  headquarters  at  Ohio  City.  When  Ottawa 
was  started,  in  August,  1864,  he  was  one  of  its 
first  settlers,  and  from  that  day  to  this  has  been 
connected  with  the  advancement  of  the  city. 

The  Robbins  family  is  of  German  extraction. 
Benjamin  Robbins,  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  a 
pioneer  of  Ohio,  served  with  valor  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  His  son,  Joseph  Robbins,  also  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  served  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  afterward  devoted  himself  to  farm  pursuits 
in  Ohio,  where  he  died  at  ninety-one  years  of 
age.  He  married  Mehitable  Hurlburt,  who  was 
born  in  Massachusetts  and  died  in  Ohio.  They 
became  the  parents  of  seven  sons  and  three 
daughters,  of  whom  all  but  one  son  attained  ma- 
turity, and  six  sons  and  one  daughter  are  still 
living.  Three  sons  took  part  in  the  Civil  war, 
James  M.,  Theodore  and  Charles  L.  The  first 
named,  who  was  a  member  of  the  First  Kansas 
Battery,  came  to  Kansas  in   1856  and  is  now  a 


farmer  in  Franklin  County;  Theodore,  who  was 
a  member  of  an  Ohio  regiment,  is  now  living  in 
Seneca  County,  Ohio. 

The  seventh  in  order  of  birth  among  the  ten 
children  was  Charles  L. ,  who  was  born  in  La- 
Grange,  Ohio,  June  22,  1833.  In  youth 
he  went  to  Michigan  and  from  there  to  McHenry 
Countj',  111.,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm  for  a 
year.  After  spending  six  months  in  Kenosha, 
Wis. ,  he  came  to  Kansas,  arriving  in  Lawrence 
April  18,  1856,  having  made  the  trip  from  Wis- 
consin to  Ohio,  then  by  boat  from  Cincinnati  to 
St.  Louis,  and  from  there  to  Kansas  City  also  by 
boat.  The  party  of  which  he  was  a  member  was 
led  by  Colonel  Wood,  who  had  gathered  the 
company  in  Ohio.  At  St.  Louis  they  met  a 
Rhode  Island  company  who  accompanied  them, 
increasing  their  number  to  one  hundred  and 
forty.  On  reaching  Kansas  City  they  hired 
teams  and  wagons  to  convey  the  women  and 
children  to  Lawrence,  while  the  men  walked. 

Desiring  to  secure  a  timber  claim,  Mr.  Rob- 
bins came  into  Franklin  County  and  located  land. 
He  returned  to  Lawrence  on  the  night  Sheriff 
Jones  was  shot.  Coming  back  to  Centropolis,  he 
began  to  make  improvements  on  his  property, 
but  soon  enlisted  in  Captain  Shore's  company,  in 
which  he  served  until  October,  1856,  taking  part 
in  the  battles  of  Franklin,  Fort  Titus,  Prairie 
City,  Bull  Creek  and  Middle  Creek.  Governor 
Geary,  when  appointed,  disbanded  the  company. 
Mr.  Robbins  then  returned  to  Centropolis,  but 
was  ill  for  several  months,  as  a  result  of  the 
campaigning.  In  January,  1858,  the  governor  of 
Kansas  appointed  him  sheriff  of  Franklin  Coun- 
ty, which  position  he  filled  until  January,  i860, 
being  the  first  man  in  the  office.  Having  made 
several  arrests  which  incurred  the  displeasure  of 
certain  parties,  he  was  defeated  for  the  nomina- 
tion in  1859.  During  the  fir.st  term  of  court  held 
in  the  county  (1858)  there  were  forty  indict- 
ments and  he  had  to  make  all  the  arrests.  Soon 
after  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  was  appointed 
deputy  sheriff.  In  the  fall  of  1S61  he  was  nomi- 
nated and  elected  sheriff,  and  by  re-election 
served  until  1866,  holding  the  office  during  the 
perilous  times  of  the  Civil  war.     He  was  a  mem- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


325 


ber  of  the  Tenth  Kansas  State  Militia,  belonging 
first  to  Company  A  and  later  to  Company  C  and 
Company  K,  and  at  the  battle  of  Westport  served 
as  sergeant.  From  1866  to  1870  he  engaged  in  the 
livery  business  and  during  two  years  of  this  time 
was  county  assessor.  In  1869  he  was  re-elected 
sheriff  and  served  for  one  term.  In  1870  he 
opened  a  grocery  in  Ottawa,  which  he  conducted 
until  the  spring  of  1889,  and  during  ten  years  of 
that  time  served  as  county  commissioner,  hold- 
ing the  ofSce  longer  than  anyone  else  had  ever 
occupied  it.  Since  1889  he  has  served,  by  suc- 
cessive re-elections,  as  justice  of  the  peace.  In 
the  various  positions  he  has  held  his  service  has 
been  characterized  by  integrity',  energy  and  faith- 
fulness to  every  duty,  and  has  won  him  an  enviable 
reputation  as  an  official.  He  has  always  been 
active  in  the  Republican  party  and  has  led  in  its 
councils  in  his  home  city.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  has  been  noble  grand  of  the  lodge  and 
an  officer  in  the  encampment. 

In  Centropolis  Judge  Robbins  married  Miss 
Mary  Brundage,  October  4,  1858,  who  was  born 
in  Westmoreland  County,  Pa.,  and  in  1856  ac- 
companied her  father,  Aaron  Brundage,  to  Doug- 
las County,  Kans.  She  died  at  Ohio  City  in  1869. 
Of  her  three  children,  Emma  died  at  fourteen 
years;  Milton  is  engaged  in  business  in  Los 
Angeles,  Cal.,  and  Fannie  is  the  wife  of  M.  T. 
Ferguson  and  lives  in  Ottawa. 


Gl  MASA  T.  SHARPE.  During  the  period  of 
LI  his  connection  with  the  history  of  Ottawa, 
/  I  Mr.  Sharpe  acquired  a  reputation  that  was 
not  limited  to  his  city  or  county,  but  extended 
throughout  the  state.  With  his  interests  politi- 
cally centered  in  the  Republican,  he  gave  his 
time,  his  thought  and  his  influence  to  advance  its 
welfare  and  promote  its  progress  in  the  state 
where  he  lived.  Both  personally  and  through 
the  medium  of  his  paper  he  did  much  to  secure 
the  success  of  his  party.  However,  he  was  not  a 
narrow  partisan,  but  a  man  of  broad  views,  ever 
conceding  to  others  that  liberality  and  freedom  of 
opinion  which  he  demanded  for  himself.     One  of 


his  most  important  works  was  in  connection  with 
the  State  Board  of  Charities,  of  which  he  was 
appointed  a  member  by  Governor  Anthony  and 
re-appointed  by  each  governor  until  failing  health 
forced  him  to  resign  in  1889.  His  service  in  this 
appointment  was  most  valuable  and  reflected 
credit  upon  his  intelligence  and  wise  judgment. 
He  assisted  in  the  building  up  of  all  the  state 
charitable  institutions  except  the  Osawatomie 
Asylum.  After  fifteen  years  of  constant  service 
as  treasurer  of  the  board,  when  his  accounts  were 
balanced  and  audited,  they  were  not  even  one 
cent  out,  which  fact  goes  to  show  that  he  was  a 
methodical  and  accurate  business  man. 

Mr.  Sharpe  was  born  in  Watertown,  N.  Y., 
December  16,  1843.  His  father,  Artemus  Trow- 
bridge Sharpe,  was  born  in  Pomfret,  Conn.,  in 
18 12,  and  removed  to  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  was  a  teacher  of  the  violin  and  voice  culture. 
From  there  he  went  to  Wabasha,  Minn.,  where 
he  was  a  pioneer  farmer.  In  1873  he  settled  in 
Ottawa,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  in  1895. 
During  his  residence  in  Watertown  he  married 
Helen  May  Trowbridge,  who  was  born  in  that 
city  in  1822  and  died  in  Minnesota.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children  who  attained  matur- 
ity. One  of  these,  Edward,  was  a  soldier  in  a 
Minnesota  regiment  during  the  Rebellion,  and 
now  resides  in  Franklin  County,  Kans.  The 
next  to  the  youngest  of  the  family,  our  subject, 
was  educated  in  New  York  and  Minnesota  and 
studied  law  in  St.  Paul.  For  a  time  he  was  mail 
agent  for  the  Northern  Packet  Companj^  on  the 
"City  of  St.  Paul"  and  the  "Phil  Sheridan," 
which  ran  between  St.  Paul  and  Dubuque.  From 
187 1  to  1873  he  edited  the  Wabasha  Herald,  after 
which  he  sold  out.  In  1873  he  came  to  Ottawa 
and  established  the  Republican,  in  the  publication 
of  which  he  became  known  as  one  of  the  most 
prominent  journalists  in  the  state.  He  built  the 
Republican  block,  which  has  a  frontage  of  twen- 
ty-five feet.  In  addition  to  his  city  property  he 
owned  an  eighty- acre  farm  three  miles  northwest 
of  Ottawa.  He  was  a  man  of  sincere  Christian 
life  and  a  faithful  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  When  he  passed  away,  August  18, 
1890,   it  was   recognized   that    his   church,    his 


326 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


part}'  and  his  home  town  had  met  with  a  great 
loss,  and  his  fellow-citizens  united  in  testifying 
to  his  worth  as  a  man  and  his  kindness  as  a 
friend. 

For  more  than  twentj'  years  Mr.  Sharpe  was 
blessed  by  the  companionship  of  a  lady  of  noble 
character,  one  whose  admirable  qualities  make 
her  much  beloved  by  her  friends.  Miss  H.  Ro- 
sella  Moon  was  born  in  Gerry,  Chautauqua 
County,  N.  Y.,  adaughter  of  John  B.  and  Alzina 
(Babcock)  Moon,  natives,  respectively,  of  Troy 
and  Black  River  Falls,  N.  Y.  Her  grandfather, 
John  Moon,  was  born  in  York  state,  member 
of  an  old  family  of  New  England  and  of  English 
descent,  and  for  some  years  he  cultivated  a  farm 
in  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died. 
Her  father,  John  B.,  moved  in  1849  to  Janesville, 
Wis.,  and  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  in  Rock 
County.  He  is  now  living  in  Chicago.  His 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Babcock,  a  farmer 
in  New  York;  she  died  in  Janesville,  leaving  five 
children.  Mrs.  Sharpe,  who  was  next  to  the 
oldest  of  the  family,  was  reared  in  Janesville  and 
was  one  of  the  first  graduates  from  the  high 
school  in  that  city.  Afterward  she  taught  for 
eight  years,  becoming  principal  of  a  school  and 
gaining  a  high  rank  among  the  teachers  of  her 
locality.  At  one  time  she  accompanied  a  num- 
ber of  teachers  on  the  "Phil  Sheridan"  to  the 
Teachers'  Association  convention  in  St.  Paul, 
and  it  was  while  on  this  boat  that  she  first  met 
Mr.  Sharpe.  They  were  married  in  Janesville 
on  the  1st  of  December,  1869,  and  their  mar- 
riage was  blessed  by  five  children,  but  the  eld- 
est, Artemus  A.,  and  the  youngest,  John  Moon, 
died  in  1886,  when  thirteen  and  two  years  of 
age,  respectively.  Frances  Louise  has  made  a 
specialty  of  the  violin,  which  she  studied  under 
the  celebrated  Jacobson  of  the  Chicago  Conserva- 
tory of  Music;  she  is  now  engaged  in  teaching 
music,  in  which  she  has  been  very  successful. 
The  two  living  sons  are  Amasa  Trowbridge,  of 
New  Orleans,  and  George  Anthony,  of  Ottawa. 
Mrs.  Sharpe  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church 
and  is  an  active  worker  in  various  societies  con- 
nected with  that  denomination.  She  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Woman's  Columbian  Club.    Hav- 


ing associated  for  so  many  years  with  her  hus- 
band in  his  plans  and  hopes,  and  having  gained 
from  him  a  broad  knowledge  of  public  affairs, 
which  knowledge  she  has  enlarged  by  general 
reading,  it  is  but  natural  that  she  should  continue 
her  interest  in  matters  relating  to  the  progress  of 
the  state  and  nation,  and  should  keep  well  in- 
formed concerning  the  problems  confronting  our 
country  to-day. 

GlLVIN  H.  WRIGHT,  M.  D.,  general  sur- 
LA  geon  in  charge  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
I  I  Santa  Fe  Railroad  hospital  at  Ottawa,  was 
born  in  Brookline,  N.  H.,  March  23,  1867,  a  son 
of  Moses  and  Etta  (Gardner)  Wright,  natives  of 
New  Hampshire.  He  is  descended  from  a 
colonial  family  of  New  England.  His  great- 
grandfather, Timoth}'  Wright,  served  with  valor 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  afterward  made  his 
home  in  New  Hampshire  until  his  death,  when 
ninety-eight  years  of  age.  Timothy  Wright,  Jr., 
son  of  this  Revolutionary  soldier,  was  a  large 
owner  of  city  propertj'  and  country  estates,  and 
made  his  home  in  New  Hampshire.  In  the  state 
where  he  was  reared  Moses  Wright  followed  the 
trade  of  mechanic  and  woodworker,  living  the 
quiet  and  useful  life  of  a  private  citizen. 

The  eldest  of  four  children  born  of  the  two 
marriages  of  his  father.  Dr.  Wright  grew  to  man- 
hood amid  the  surroundings  familiar  to  his 
ancestors  for  several  generations.  From  an  early 
age  he  was  interested  in  hospital  work,  and 
through  his  employment  as  nurse  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  his  subsequent  professional  experience 
and  knowledge.  It  was  his  ambition  in  boy- 
hood to  become  a  physician  and  surgeon.  The 
study  of  anatomy,  and  physiology  was  his  favorite 
among  those  comprising  his  curriculum.  As 
soon  as  circumstances  permitted  he  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Vermont, 
and  there  he  took  the  complete  course  of  lectures, 
graduating  in  1890  with  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
He  has  since  taken  two  post-graduate  courses, 
one  of  these  being  in  New  York. 

In  1890  Dr.  Wright  entered  the  service  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company, 
with  which  he  has  since  been  connected.     He  was 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


327 


first  assigned  to  the  Carthage  mines  in  New 
Mexico,  but  in  the  fall  of  189 1  was  transferred  to 
the  Ottawa  hospital  as  surgeon,  which  position 
he  has  since  successfully  filled,  having  entire 
charge  of  the  hospital.  Surgery  is  his  specialty 
and  in  it  he  is  well  grounded  and  thoroughly  in- 
formed concerning  every  detail.  His  study  of 
two  years  under  Maj.  J.  M.  Banister,  M.  D.,  of 
Fort  Leavenworth,  was  of  great  assistance  to 
him  in  the  broadening  of  his  surgical  knowledge. 
Besides  his  hospital  work  he  has  built  up  a  gen- 
eral professional  practice,  which  extends  through 
this  part  of  Franklin  County.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Kansas  State  and  American  Medical 
Associations,  and  keeps  in  touch  with  every 
organization  and  movement  connected  with  the 
profession. 

Prior  to  leaving  New  England  Dr.  Wright  was 
married  in  Burlington,  Vt.,  to  Miss  Olive  San- 
born, who  was  born  in  Amesbury,  Mass.,  and  by 
whom  he  has  two  children.  Fay  and  Alvin. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  in  Masonry  is  identified  with  Frank- 
lin Lodge  No.  18,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Chapter  No. 
7,  R.  A.  M.;  Tancred  Commandery,  K.  T.; 
Topeka  Consistory,  and  Abdallah  Temple, 
N.  M.  S.  In  politics  he  is  not  active,  but  he 
keeps  informed  concerning  the  principles  adopted 
by  various  political  organizations,  and  votes  with 
the  Republican  party.  In  religion  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Congregational  Church. 


(S\  MBROSE  BIGSBY.  Of  the  farms  on  the 
f  I  California  road  there  is  none  that  attracts 
/  I  more  attention  than  does  the  homestead 
owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Bigsby.  It  is  situ- 
ated on  section  28,  Wakarusa  Township,  Douglas 
County.  Noticeable  among  its  improvements 
are  the  commodious  brick  residence  erected  in 
1894  and  the  substantial  barn,  40x50,  built  in 
1S98.  From  a  large  windmill  water  is  pumped 
into  tanks  to  be  used  in  the  barn,  while  the  water 
used  in  the  house  is  supplied  by  a  pump  fifty- 
three  feet  deep.  The  appearance  of  the  property 
proves  the,  owner  to  be  a  man  of  energy  and 
thrifty  qualities.    While  he  had  many  difficulties 


to  overcome  during  the  first  ten  years  of  his  life 
in  Kansas,  being  a  practical  farmer  he  finally 
gained  success,  and  his  life  is  an  example  of  what 
may  be  accomplished  by  energy  and  ability. 

In  Montgomery  County,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Bigsby 
was  born  November  17,  1839.  His  father,  Will- 
iam, a  native  of  York  state,  engaged  in  farming 
there  until  1844,  when  he  moved  to  Hartford, 
Wis.,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  busi- 
ness. He  continued  there  until  his  death,  in 
1875.  During  the  existence  of  the  Whig  party 
he  voted  for  its  principles,  and  afterward  became 
a  Republican.  He  was  an  upright,  honorable 
man,  and  stood  high  in  his  community.  By  his 
marriage  to  Sarah  Lighthall,  who  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  and  reared  in  New  York,  he  had 
four  children,  of  whom  our  subject,  the  oldest, 
was  the  only  one  who  attained  maturity.  He 
had  few  opportunities  to  obtain  an  education, 
and  the  information  he  now  possesses  was  mostly 
acquired  by  experience.  When  twenty  5-ears  of 
age  he  became  brakeman  on  a  construction  train. 
Nine  months  later  he  was  made  conductor  and 
ran  on  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  road 
for  nine  years. 

Coming  to  Kansas  in  i868,  Mr.  Bigsby  and  his 
father-in-law  bought  two  hundred  acres  of  land 
on  section  28,  but  they  could  not  agree  as  to  the 
best  method  of  operating  the  land  and  after  a  year 
divided  the  property,  our  subject  taking  forty 
acres  where  his  house  now  stands.  Until  he 
could  get  a  start  he  followed  other  occupations 
in  addition  to  farming.  As  he  succeeded  he 
added  to  his  land  until  he  now  has  two  hundred 
acres,  all  of  which  (except  twentj-  acres  of  timber) 
is  excellently  adapted  for  farming.  He  bought 
a  half  interest  in  a  threshing  machine,  which  he 
ran  successfully  for  a  number  of  years.  After- 
ward he  turned  his  attention  to  raising  cattle  and 
hogs,  in  which  he  was  at  one  time  engaged  ex- 
tensively, but  now  has  only  about  forty  head  of 
cattle  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  hogs.  For  three 
years  after  coming  here  his  home  was  a  building 
12x12,  but  as  soon  as  possible  he  erected  a  resi- 
dence that  was  better  adapted  to  the  comfort  of 
the  family. 

April  13,    1861,  Mr.   Bigsby  enlisted   in  Com- 


328 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


pan}'  B,  First  Wisconsin  Infantrj',  which  was  one 
of  the  first  to  respond  to  the  call  for  seventy-five 
thousand  men.  Later  he  re-enlisted,  but  was 
taken  ill  with  typhoid  fever  and  honorably  dis- 
charged. He  is  now  a  member  of  Washington 
Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Lawrence.  In  politics 
he  votes  with  the  Republicans.  His  marriage. 
May  3,  1863,  united  him  with  Lucretia  Conant, 
of  Hartford,  Wis.  They  have  four  children: 
George  William,  a  carpenter  in  Lawrence;  Guy 
Ambrose,  a  farmer  of  Kanwaka  Township;  Sarah 
Belle,  and  Sarah  Abigail. 


r^P.V  JOHN  W  TTDTTT-JgRnr),  who  resides 
MT  in  Wellsville,  Franklin  County,  was  born  in 
y\  Pike  County,  Pa.,  February  18,  1S55,  a  son 
of  George  W.  and  Florence  R.  (Edwards)  Foulk- 
rod,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  On  the  paternal 
side  he  descends  from  Adam  Foulkrod,  who  in 
1734  came  from  Strasburg,  Germany,  to  eastern 
Pennsylvania  and  whose  descendants  were  sub- 
sequently prominent  in  that  state.  At  the  open- 
ing of  the  Civil  war  George  W.  Foulkrod  offered 
his  services  to  defend  the  Union,  enlisting  in 
Company  G,  Fifty-sixth  Pennsylvania  Infantry. 
He  served  with  valor  on  sharply  contested  battle- 
fields, strewn  with  the  dead  bodies  of  thousands 
who  were  loyal  unto  death  to  the  convictions 
which  they  cherished.  At  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg he  was  shot,  but  further  information  than 
that  the  family  were  never  able  to  secure,  and  his 
body  fills  an  unknown  grave.  His  wife  died  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  1868,  leaving  three  sons, 
Walter,  John  W.  and  George  Eugene,  who  were 
between  ten  and  fifteen  years  of  age. 

In  1870,  while  in  Indiana,  our  subject  took  ad- 
vantage of  an  opportunity  to  drive  a  team 
through  to  Kansas.  Arriving  at  Rantoul,  Frank- 
lin County,  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  several 
months.  He  then  went  to  Pomona  and  broke 
prairie  land.  In  the  fall  he  drove  a  team  through 
to  Texas,  and  after  a  short  time  started  to  walk 
back  to  Kansas.  He  spent  the  winter  in  the 
Indian  Territory  and  in  the  spring  returned  to 
Franklin  County,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm 
hand   until    1876.     He   then    rented    a    farm    at 


Greenwood  for  a  year.  While  there  he  united 
with  the  Baptist  Church.  Returning  to  Rantoul, 
he  rented  a  farm  and  for  three  years  engaged  in 
feeding  cattle.  Selling  out  in  1879,  he  began  to 
preach,  but  did  not  engage  in  regular  pastoral 
work  until  after  he  studied  in  the  Baptist  Univer- 
sity at  Ottawa.  For  two  years  he  was  a  student 
in  that  institution,  but  lack  of  means  prevented 
him  from  completing  the  course  of  study.  He 
began  to  teach  school,  in  which  work  he  con- 
tinued for  twelve  years,  meantime  preaching  as 
opportunity  offered.  He  finally  gave  up  teaching 
in  order  to  devote  himself  entirely  to  ministerial 
work.  In  1881  he  accepted  the  pastorates  at 
Wellsville,  New  Hope  and  Bethel,  to  which  he 
ministered  for  four  years.  Next  he  accepted  a 
call  to  North  Ottawa.  In  1894  and  1895  he 
preached  in  Canton,  S.  Dak.  He  then  returned 
to  Wellsville  and  has  since  made  his  home  here, 
meantime  preaching  at  Gardner,  Johnson  County, 
seventeen  miles  east  of  this  town. 

After  coming  to  Kan.sas  Mr.  Foulkrod  married 
Miss  Mattie  Curtis,  a  native  of  Indiana,  who  was 
brought  to  Kansas  by  her  parents  in  childhood. 
Seven  children  were  born  of  their  marriage,  four 
of  whom  are  living:  Florence,  Laura,  Lulu  and 
John  E.,  the  daughters  being  students  in  the  local 
schools,  while  the  son  is  a  bright  and  promising 
boy  of  five  years. 

As  a  Republican  Mr.  Foulkrod  has  maintained 
an  interest  and  taken  a  part  in  local  affairs.  He 
has  served  as  clerk  of  the  village.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  Wellsville  Lodge  No.  356, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Wellsville  Lodge  No.  135, 
I.  O.  O.  F. 


QHARLES  L.  CONGER,  who  is  a  general 
I  C  merchant  of  Hesper,  Douglas  County,  was 
Vj  born  at  this  place  in  1862,  a  descendant  of 
an  early  family  of  New  York,  and  a  son  of  John 
and  Eliza  (Cole)  Conger,  natives  of  the  latter 
state.  His  father,  who  was  born  near  Rochester, 
made  his  home  there  for  years,  engaging  in  a 
general  mercantile  business,  although  in  youth 
he  had  followed  the  weaver's  trade.  In  1858  he 
moved  his  stock  of  dry  goods  to  Kansas,  and  tak- 
ing up  a  claim  at  what  is  now  Hesper,  he  sold 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


329 


his  goods  here.  After  a  time  he  embarked  in 
the  dairy  business,  in  which  he  continued  until 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  owned  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  land  and  was  one  of  the  most 
extensive  farmers  of  Eudora  Township.  Fratern- 
ally he  was  a  charter  member  of  Eudora  Lodge 
No.  42,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in  which  he  served  as  treas- 
urer for  some  years.  His  death  occurred  on  his 
farm  in  January,  1872,  when  he  was  fifty-two 
years  of  age.  He  was  survived  by  his  wife  for 
many  years,  her  death  taking  place  on  the  home- 
stead in  1897,  when  she  was  seventy-six  years  of 
age.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children, 
namely:  George,  deceased;  Theron,  who  lives  in 
Oklahoma;  Mary,  whose  home  is  in  Colorado; 
and  Charles  L. 

Within  a  mile  of  his  present  home  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  educated,  gaining  a 
common-school  education  in  the  district  schools, 
while  he  afterward  fitted  for  business  life  in  the 
Lawrence  Business  College.  At  eighteen  years 
of  age  he  began  the  cultivation  of  a  farm  near 
Hesper,  where  he  remained  for  eighteen  years. 
In  1898  he  purchased  the  store  and  stock  of  A. 
B.  Nicol,  at  Hesper,  since  which  time  he  has 
carried  on  a  general  mercantile  business,  and  at 
the  same  time  he  holds  the  office  of  postmaster  at 
Hesper.  In  politics  he  is  inclined  to  be  inde- 
pendent, giving  his  support  rather  to  the  man 
than  the  party.  For  some  time  he  was  active  in 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  belong- 
ing to  the  lodge  at  Eudora.  Like  his  father  he 
has  assisted  in  building  up  this  part  of  the  coun- 
ty and  in  extending  its  business  interests.  He 
was  married  in  1881  to  Minerva,  daughter  of 
William  Coate,  of  Eudora,  and  they  have  two 
children  living,  Evelyn  and  Erie. 


HENRY  H.  RODGERS,  a  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  residing  on  section  22,  Ottawa  Town- 
ship, Franklin  County,  was  born  in  Fay- 
ette County,  Ohio,  March  29,  1841,  a  son  of 
William  H.  and  Lucinda  (Miners)  Rodgers. 
His  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  re- 
moved to  Ohio  in  boyhood  and  there  for  years 
engaged  extensively  in  farm   pursuits.     During 


1849  ^^  settled  in  Shelby  County,  111.,  where  he 
became  the  owner  of  a  valuable  farm  and  contin- 
ued to  reside  until  his  death,  in  1895.  During 
the  existence  of  the  Whig  party  he  advocated  its 
principles  and  later  voted  with  the  Republicans. 
In  religion  he  was  a  Presbyterian.  He  was  twice 
married,  both  times  in  Ohio.  By  his  first  wife 
he  had  six  children,  namely:  W.  R.,  of  Ottawa, 
Kans. ;  Henry  H.;  Harvey,  a  farmer  of  Ottawa 
Township;  James,  deceased;  Sadie  E.;  and  Har- 
din, of  Ottawa  Township. 

At  the  age  of  eight  years  our  subject  accom- 
panied the  family  to  Illinois.  His  educational 
advantages  were  limited  and  his  present  knowl- 
edge has  been  largely  acquired  by  experience 
and  observation.  When  twenty-two  years  of  age 
he  started  out  for  himself,  since  which  time  he 
has  engaged  in  farming.  At  first  he  cultivated 
land  in  Illinois,  but  in  1867  he  came  to  Kansas 
and  was  among  the  first  to  settle  on  the  Ottawa 
reservation,  where  he  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  from  the  Indians.  Of  this  tract  only 
twelve  acres  had  been  broken,  the  remainder 
being  timber  or  prairie  land.  On  the  place  stood 
a  small  cabin  that  had  been  occupied  by  Indians; 
no  other  improvement  had  been  made.  It  re- 
quired great  effort  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Rodgers  to 
get  the  place  under  cultivation,  and  only  those 
who  have  had  similar  experiences  can  appreciate 
his  struggle.  However,  he  gradually  put  his 
plans  into  operation,  and,  as  time  went  by,  met 
with  an  increasing  prosperity.  He  added  to  his 
property  until  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  in  one  body  and  well  watered,  which 
adapts  it  for  stock  purposes.  When  horses 
brought  good  prices  he  gave  considerable  atten- 
tion to  raising  them,  but  now  devotes  himself 
principally  to  raising  good  graded  cattle.  In- 
stead of  raising  general  farm  products,  his  land  is 
in  grass  and  grain  for  feed. 

In  politics  Mr.  Rodgers  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  served  as  road  overseer  and  school  director, 
and  gives  thoughtful  attention  to  educational 
matters,  desiring  that  his  district  shall  have  as 
good  a  school  as  possible.  His  religious  connec- 
tions are  with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Octo- 
ber 16,  1862,  he  married  Hannah  C.  Tull,  of  111- 


330 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


inois,  who  was  reared  on  a  farm  adjoining  the 
one  owned  by  the  father  of  Mr.  Rodgers.  Con- 
sequently the  two  were  acquainted  from  child- 
hood. They  became  the  parents  of  four  children 
namely:  Annie,  wife  of  H.  A.  Davis,  a  farmer  of 
Green wood^Township,  Franklin  County;  William 
M.,  who  lives  in  Piatt  County,  111.;  John,  who 
resides  in  Waverly,  Coffey  County,  Kans.;  and 
Nettie  B.,  who  married  J.  W.  Ferris,  of  Waver- 
ly, Kans.  Mrs.  Hannah  Rodgers  died  in  1890. 
Not  wishing  to  remain  on  the  home  farm  after 
she  had  passed  away,  he  rented  the  place  and 
went  to  Waverly,  Kans.,  where  he  still  owns 
property.  Later  he  was  married  in  that  place  to 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Blair)  Williams,  formerly  of 
Ohio.  However,  he  had  always  been  actively 
employed,  and  life  in  Waverly  did  not  suit  one 
of  his  energetic  nature,  so  after  four  years  there 
he  returned  to  his  farm,  since  which  time  he  has 
superintended  the  property. 


0AVID  E.  MUNDEY,  who  has  been  one  of 
the  leading  citizens  of  Linwood  for  years, 
has  been  especially  active  in  local  Republi- 
can politics  and  has  been  one  of  the  influential 
workers  in  his  party.  At  various  times,  notably 
in  1884  and  1898,  he  has  "stumped"  Leaven- 
worth County  in  the  interests  of  the  party  ticket. 
Frequently  he  has  been  selected  to  serve  as  a 
member  of  the  county  central  and  other  commit- 
tees, and  he  has  been  a  delegate  to  county,  con- 
gressional and  state  conventions.  In  1884  he 
was  his  party's  candidate  for  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  and,  although  not  elected,  he 
ran  ahead  of  his  ticket.  He  was  nominated  for 
the  legislature  in  the  fall  of  1898,  but  was  defeated 
by  eleven  votes.  Upon  the  incorporation  of  Lin- 
wood  as  a  city  of  the  third  class,  in  1897,  li^  was 
chosen  to  act  as  the  first  mayor,  and  in  1898  was 
made  a  member  of  the  city  council.  In  the 
spring  of  1899  he  was  elected  mayor  for  the  sec- 
ond time,  and  is  now  the  incumbent  of  this  office. 
He  was  a  warm  adherent  of  the  plan  of  incorpor- 
ating the  town  and  has  favored  all  other  meas- 
ures which  he  believed  would  benefit  the  place. 
As  a  result  he  has  won  a  reputation   as  a  public- 


spirited  citizen,  whose  loyalty  to  his  home  town 
no  one  doubts.  Realizing  the  value  of  excellent 
educational  facilities  he  has  labored  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  schools.  At  one  time  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  county  examining  board  and  also 
president  of  the  Teachers'  Association. 

Mr.  Mundey  is  of  French  descent.  His  pa- 
ternal grandfather  came  from  France  and  settled 
in  Hagerstown,  Md.,  where  he  taught  school  for 
several  years.  His  last  years  were  spent  in 
Mansfield,  Ohio,  where  he  died.  His  son,  Henry 
Mundey,  followed  the  merchant  tailoring  busi- 
ness in  Shelby,  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1864,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-two  years.  By  his  marriage  to 
Sarah  Livensparger  he  had  eight  children,  of 
whom  five  are  now  living,  namely:  Joseph, 
Frank,  John,  David  E.  and  Thaddeus.  Our  sub- 
ject was  born  in  Seneca  County,  Ohio,  in  1854, 
and  was  educated  in  Richland  County,  the  same 
state,  where  he  attended  the  Shelby  high  school. 
After  completing  his  studies  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school  for  nine  years.  In  1879  he  came  to 
Kansas  and  for  one  year  he  taught  in  Lyon 
County.  He  then  came  to  Leavenworth  as  a 
teacher  in  the  schools  of  the  county,  in  which 
work  he  continued  for  fifteen  years.  In  1881  he 
became  a  teacher  in  Linwood,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed for  eight  years.  Poor  health  finally 
obliged  him,  in  1894,  to  retire  from  his  work  as 
teacher,  and  he  then  settled  on  a  small  farm  in 
the  city  limits,  where  he  has  since  resided,  devot- 
ing his  time  largely  to  market  gardening  and  the 
raising  of  fruits.  He  has  set  out  about  two  hundred 
trees  and  is  making  his  occupation  a  profitable 
one.  Besides  his  gardening  interests  he  acts  as 
agent  for  a  number  of  well-known  fire  insurance 
companies,  having  all  of  the  local  business  in  this 
line.  Fraternally  he  is  chancellor  of  Linwood 
Lodge  No.  108,  K.  of  P.,  and  served  as  its  first 
representative  to  the  grand  lodge  of  the  state. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Asso- 
ciation. August  I,  1899,  Mr.  Mundey  assumed 
the  duties  of  deputy  United  States  internal  rev- 
enue collector  for  the  northern  half  of  eastern 
Kansas,  to  which  he  was  appointed  in  July. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Mundey  in  1881  united 
him  with  Nellie,  daughter   of  James  A.  Adams, 


J 


COL.  JOHN  J.  BAKER. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


333 


who  settled  in  Lawrence  in  1858  and  afterward 
became  a  prominent  farmer  of  Reno  Township, 
Leavenworth  County.  Mrs.  Mundey  was  born 
in  Lawrence  and  grew  to  womanhood  in  Reno 
Township,  where  she  was  educated.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mundey  are:  Harry  D., 
Clarence  Leroy,  Eva  Alice  and  William  Arthur. 


ClOL.  JOHN  J.  BAKER.  During  the  spring 
\C  of  1868  Colonel  Baker  came  to  Kansas  and 
\J  purchased  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  the  Delaware  Indian  reserve  land,  in  what  is 
now  Sherman  Township,  Leavenworth  County. 
His  means  being  limited,  at  first  he  farmed  on  a 
very  small  scale,  but  gradually,  as  his  means  in- 
creased, he  bought  stock,  made  improvements 
and  built  necessary  buildings.  He  is  still  living 
on  the  same  place,  which  comprises  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  bears  all  the  improve- 
ments of  a  modern  estate.  He  took  an  active 
part  in  the  organization  of  the  Farmers'  Grange 
and  for  some  time  served  as  its  president. 

The  Baker  family  originated  in  Germany, 
where  the  name  was  Becker.  About  1721  Jacob 
Becker  emigrated  from  Germany  to  America  and 
settled  in  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  where  he  died 
in  1801.  The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  his 
great-uncle,  Henry  Becker,  was  a  colonel  in  the 
continental  army  during  the  same  conflict. 
With  Jacob  Becker  came  three  brothers  and  one 
sister  to  America,  all  of  whom  settled  upon  farms 
in  Pennsylvania.  His  grandson,  Benjamin 
Baker,  was  born  in  Lanca.ster  County,  Pa.,  in 
1794,  and  at  one  year  of  age  was  taken  to  Canada 
by  his  parents,  afterward  remaining  in  that  coun- 
try until  1826,  when  he  returned  to  the  States. 
For  a  time  he  made  his  home  in  Erie  County, 
N.  Y.,  but  later  removed  to  Michigan,  where  he 
died  in  1861.  By  trade  a  tanner,  he  built  up  a 
large  business  in  Erie  County  and  became  well- 
to-do.  He  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  Baker,  Sr., 
who  removed  from  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  to 
Canada  in  1795  and  there  engaged  extensive! j^ 
in  farming.  He  died  in  Canada  in  1852,  when 
eighty-nine  years  of  age.     Benjamin  Baker,  Jr. 


married  Nancy  Hershey,  who  was  born  near 
Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  died  in  Sturgis,  Mich., 
August  20,  1878,  aged  eighty-seven.  Of  their 
nine  children,  one  son  and  three  daughters  are 
now  living,  the  latter  being  Melinda,  Anna  M. 
and  Sophia. 

Colonel  Baker  was  born  in  Markham,  a  suburb 
of  Toronto,  Canada,  January  29,  1824.  When  a 
very  small  child  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to 
Clarence,  Erie. County,  N.  Y.,  where  later  he 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  years  he  began  to  learn  the  tan- 
ner's trade,  which  he  followed  for  eight  years. 
In  1848  he  opened  a  retail  boot  and  shoe  store  at 
Waukau,  Wis.,  and  he  continued  in  that  place 
until  1854,  when  he  went  to  Sturgis,  Mich.,  the 
home  of  his  parents.  There  he  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming.  In  1862  he  organized  a  company 
of  infantry  at  Sturgis  and  July  28  was  made  cap- 
tain of  Company  E,  Nineteenth  Michigan  Infan- 
try, with  which  he  went  to  the  front.  He  was 
promoted  to  be  major  of  his  regiment  June  27, 
1864,  and  was  made  lieutenant-colonel  October 
28,  1864,  which  office  he  held  until  his  honorable 
discharge,  aftertwo  years  and  ten  months  of  serv- 
ice. He  took  command  of  the  regiment  May 
25,  1864.  His  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  sec- 
ond division,  third  brigade,  twentieth  army 
corps,  under  Gen.  Joseph  Hooker,  and  accompa- 
nied Sherman  on  the  Atlanta  campaign  from 
Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  thence  marched  with 
him  to  the  sea,  taking  part  in  the  memorable  en- 
gagements of  that  time.  July  20,  1864,  he  was 
wounded  at  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Ga.,  and  at 
Thompson's  Station,  Tenn.,  was  taken  prisoner 
March  5,  1863,  with  most  of  his  regiment. 
He  was  confined  in  Libby  prison  for  nearly  three 
months,  after  which  he  was  exchanged  and  sent 
to  Columbus,  Ohio.  In  that  city  the  regiment 
was  re-organized  during  the  latter  part  of  May, 
1863,  and  from  there  was  ordered  to  the  front, 
joining  the  old  corps.  For  disability  and  by  rea- 
son of  his  services  being  no  longer  required  he 
was  mustered  out  May  15,  1865.  Returning  to 
Sturgis  he  resumed  farm  pursuits. 

From  Michigan  Colonel  Baker  came  to  Kansas 
in  the  spring  of  1S68  and  has  since  resided  upon 


334 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  farm  in  Sherman  Township,  Leavenworth 
County.  He  takes  an  interest  in  public  affairs 
and  alwa5-s  votes  the  Republican  ticket.  At  one 
time  he  was  identified  with  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity. He  is  a  member  of  McDaniel  Post  No. 
256,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Bonner  Springs,  and  was  at 
one  time  its  commander.  In  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
June  3,  1847,  he  married  Ann  M.,  daughter  of 
John  and  Eliza  Beam,  of  Willoughby,  Black 
Creek,  Canada.  They  had  three  children, 
Theoda,  Orpha  (deceased)  and  Hervey  J.  The 
last  named,  who  has  a  farm  near  the  old  home- 
stead, married  Lulu  Armstrong,  by  whom  he  has 
three  children,  Orpha,  Nannie  and  John  J.,  the 
latter  named  in  honor  of  his  grandfather. 


RICHARD  STEPHENS,  who  was  for  twenty 
years  prior  to  his  death  an  influential  citizen 
of  Baldwin,  Douglas  County,  was  born  at 
St.  Agnes,  Cornwall,  England,  June  30,  1S20. 
He  was  reared  in  a  mining  community  and  early 
became  familiar  with  a  miner's  work.  When 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  but  after  a 
time  removed  to  Illinois  and  engaged  in  mining 
near  Galena.  His  next  location  was  at  Eagle 
River,  Wis.,  which  at  that  time  was  a  small  vil- 
lage. After  a  year  he  went  back  to  Illinois.  In 
1849  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California,  where 
he  engaged  in  mining  and  met  with  success.  Re- 
turning a  year  later  to  Illinois,  in  185 1  he  again 
went  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  He  shipped  as  a  pas- 
senger on  the  "North  America,"  which  was 
wrecked  on  the  ocean.  However,  he  managed 
to  save  his  life  and  a  portion  of  his  effects,  and 
reaching  the  shore,  hired  a  Mexican  with  a  mule 
to  convey  his  luggage  sixty  miles  to  Acapulco. 
On  arriving  in  that  city  he  was  entertained  by 
the  Spaniards,  who,  won  by  his  excellent  sing- 
ing, showed  the  utmost  friendliness  toward  him. 
He  remained  with  them  until  another  steamer 
came  along,  when  he  proceeded  to  California  and 
resumed  mining,  with,  however,  less  success  than 
on  his  former  visit.  After  two  years  he  decided 
to  return  home  and  accordingly  made  his  way 
back  to  the  east. 


In  the  fall  of  1857  Mr.  Stephens  came  to  Kan- 
sas. At  old  Palmyra  (now  Baldwin)  he  opened 
a  small  hotel,  which  he  conducted  for  several 
years.  In  1861  he  retired  from  the  hotel  busi- 
ness and  began  to  deal  in  real  estate,  also  en- 
gaged in  loaning  money,  following  the  two  lines 
of  business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  De- 
cember 28,  1879.  His  marriage,  which  took 
place  June  9,  1845,  united  him  with  Miss  Sophia, 
sister  of  William  H.  Gill,  in  whose  sketch  the 
family  history  appears.  She  was  born  in  Eng- 
land October  12,  1825,  and  is  a  sincere  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  which  her 
husband  also  belonged.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eleven  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  others  are  named  as  follows:  Thomas  C, 
who  died  at  twenty-six  years;  Mary  E.,  wife  of 
John  P.  Brown,  of  Indiana;  Sophia,  who  resides 
with  her  mother;  Elizabeth  J.,  wife  of  John  C. 
Henderson,  of  British  Columbia;  Emma,  who 
married  William  H.  Reed,  of  Council  Grove, 
Kans.;  John  R.,  a  farmer  in  Oklahoma;  William 
A.,  an  undertaker  and  furniture  dealer  of  El 
Dorado  Springs,  Mo. ;  Charles  E. ,  who  is  a  prac- 
ticing physician  in  Elmo,  Kans.;  James  H.,  pro- 
prietor of  a  mercantile  establishment  in  Pierce 
City,  Mo.;  and  Kathlene,  who  married  W.  O. 
Fuller,  a  journalist  in  Rockland,  Me.  In  the 
various  communities  where  they  reside  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family  have  gained  a  high  standing 
and  the  esteem  of  their  associates. 


WALTER  H.  OLIN,  superintendent  of  the 
city  schools  at  Ottawa,  was  born  at  Wal- 
nut Grove,  on  the  banks  of  the  Sacramento 
River,  in  California,  August  7,  1862.  He  de- 
scends in  a  direct  line  from  John  Olin,  of  Wales, 
who  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  about  four- 
teen, and  three  years  later  settled  in  the  vicinity 
of  East  Greenwich,  R.  I.  His  son,  John,  and 
grandson,  also  named  John,  were  born  in  Rhode 
Island,  whence  the  latter  moved  to  Shaftsbury, 
Vt.  Ezra,  son  of  the  third  John,  was  born  in 
Rhode  Island  March  23,  1772,  and  at  the  age  of 
three  and  one-half  years  removed  with  his  par- 
ents to  Vermont,  his  later  years  being  spent  on  a 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


335 


large  farm  near  Sliaftsbury,  where,  during  the 
Revolution,  General  Stark  defeated  the  British. 
Arvin,  son  of  Ezra,  was  born  at  Shaftsburj'  Julj' 
13.  i797>  and  taught  school  in  Vermont.  At 
the  close  of  his  first  term  he  married  one  of  his 
pupils,  Betsey  Bennett,  daughter  of  a  farmer. 
Afterward  he  walked  to  York  state,  took  up  a 
tract  of  land,  cut  logs  for  a  house,  and  sent  for 
his  wife.  She  was  given  $20  by  her  father,  and, 
accompanied  by  her  brothers,  made  the  trip 
through  the  forests  to  her  new  home,  where,  with 
her  husband,  she  endured  all  the  hardships  of 
frontier  life,  far  from  the  refining  influences  of 
civilization.  In  time  they  met  with  remarkable 
success,  and  their  farm  became  one  of  the  finest 
in  that  section  of  country.  Late  in  life  they 
moved  from  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  to  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  where  they  bought  farm  property. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  more  than 
seventy  years  of  age. 

Nelson,  son  of  Arvin  Olin,  was  born  in  Gene- 
see County,  N.  Y.,  and  at  an  early  age  began 
farming  near  the  homestead  in  Portage  County, 
Ohio,  but,  being  seized  with  the  western  fever, 
in  1850  he  went  to  Clinton  County,  Iowa,  where 
he  improved  a  section  of  land.  June  3,1860,  a 
cyclone  swept  over  that  part  of  Iowa,  destroying 
crops,  buildings  and  fences,  and  sweeping  ruin 
and  death  over  a  strip  of  country  two  and  one- 
half  miles  wide  and  forty  miles  long.  His  house 
was  blown  away,  and  of  everything  within  it 
all  that  was  left  was  a  salt  cellar  and  pepper 
box,  which  are  now  cherished  as  mementoes  of 
the  disaster. 

Fortunately,  the  family  sought  refuge  in  the 
cellar,  and  so  escaped  with  their  lives.  The 
mother's  health  being  affected  by  the  catastrophe, 
the  father  decided  to  remove  to  California.  Ac- 
cordingly he  made  the  trip  via  New  York  and 
Panama,  and  settled  at  the  fork  of  the  American 
River,  near  Sacramento.  In  those  days  each 
township  had  its  vigilance  committee,  and  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  one  in  his  township. 
Through  the  determination  of  himself  and  asso- 
ciates the  confederacy  was  prevented  from  show- 
ing its  colors,  and  the  state  was  held  for  the 
Union.     Often    his   life   was   in    danger,  but  he 


continued  to  uphold  the  Union  without  thought 
of  results,  led  simply  by  a  desire  to  support  the 
cause  of  justice.  During  his  residence  in  the 
west  he  suffered  from  the  Sacramento  River 
flood.  In  1866  he  returned  east,  settling  on  the 
old  home  place  near  Kent,  Ohio,  where  his  wife 
died  the  same  year.  In  1S70  he  again  started 
west.  He  spent  one  season  in  Galesburg,  Kala- 
mazoo County,  Mich.,  and  in  1871  settled  in 
Douglas  County,  Kans.,  where  he  bought  a 
farm.  During  1874  he  embarked  in  the  cheese 
business,  but  the  grasshoppers  destroyed  the 
crop,  and  the  experiment  was  a  failure.  In  1877 
he  removed  to  a  new  farm  near  Eldorado,  Butler 
County,  and  later  settled  on  his  present  farm, 
near  Eudora,  Douglas  County. 

The  first  wife  of  Nelson  Olin  was  Harriet 
Holley,  who  was  born  at  Gainesville,  Wyoming 
County,  N.  Y.,  December  18,  1827,  a  member  of 
an  old  family  of  New  England,  some  of  whom 
(among  them.  Marietta  Holley  "Josiah  Allen's 
wife,"  and  the  inventor  of  the  present  water  sys- 
tem) have  acquired  national  reputation.  Her 
father,  Solomon  Holley,  was  born  in  Vermont, 
became  a  pioneer  of  Wyoming  County,  N.  Y., 
and  Brimfield,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  later 
moved  to  Lowmoor,  Iowa,  and  thence  to  Rock- 
ford,  111.,  where  he  died.  The  family  of  Nelson 
and  Harriet  Olin  consisted  of  four  children: 
N.  E. ,  a  dealer  in  musical  merchandise  at  Kent, 
Ohio;  Oscar  E.,  principal  of  the  academic  de- 
partment in  Buchtel  College,  at  Akron,  Ohio; 
Arvin  S.,  who  occupies  the  chair  of  pedagogy  in 
the  State  University  of  Kansas;  and  Walter  H., 
of  this  sketch.  By  the  second  marriage  of  Nel- 
son Olin  eight  children  were  born,  five  of  whom 
are  living,  viz.:  C.  F.,  who  is  yard  inspector  for 
the  Santa  Fe  road  at  Dodge  City,  Kans.;  Pearl, 
a  student  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  Mary,  Anson  and 
Lorena. 

When  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  four  years 
of  age  the  family  returned  east  from  California 
to  Ohio.  The  year  1870  was  spent  in  Michigan, 
and  in  187 1  he  arrived  in  Kansas.  For  some 
years  he  attended  school  near  Vinland,  and 
afterward  studied  in  Butler  County.  His  first 
^.xperience  as  a  teacher  was  when  eighteen  years 


336 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  age.  Desirous  of  more  extended  information 
than  he  could  obtain  in  grammar  schools  he  left 
no  stone  unturned  in  his  efforts  to  gain  an  educa- 
tion. By  cutting  corn  he  earned  money  with 
which  to  buy  high  school  books,  and  entered  the 
high  school  at  Eldorado.  Two  weeks  later  the 
county  superintendent  prevailed  upon  him  to 
take  a  six  months'  school  ten  miles  from  town. 
He  consented,  and  while  teaching  continued  to 
study,  and  graduated  with  the  high  school  class 
of  1884.  Afterward  he  resumed  teaching.  In 
the  spring  of  1886  he  entered  the  Agricultural 
College  at  Manhattan,  where  he  completed  the 
four  years'  course  in  three  j'cars,  and  graduated 
in  1889  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  The  money 
necessary  for  his  college  course  he  had  earned 
unaided.  Afterward  he  was  principal  of  the 
Wabaunsee  school  and  instructor  in  the  normal 
institute.  In  the  fall  of  1890  he  was  elected 
principal  of  Waverly  school  in  Coffey  County, 
and  while  there  married  the  primary  teacher  in 
the  school,  Miss  Winnie  E.  Cotton.  In  the 
summer  of  1891  he  carried  on  graduate  work  at 
the  Agricultural  College,  and  continued  each 
summer  until  1894,  when  he  received  the  degree 
of  M.  S.  In  1891  he  accepted  the  superintend- 
ency  of  the  Osborne  school,  where  he  remained 
for  five  years,  and  after  1894  he  began  to  take 
charge  of  normal  institutes  as  instructor  and 
conductor.  In  1896  he  was  elected  principal  of 
the  Ottawa  high  school,  and  two  years  later  was 
promoted  to  be  superintendent  of  the  cit)'  schools, 
with  thirty  teachers  and  sixteen  hundred  and 
fifty  enrolled  pupils  under  his  charge.  He  is 
thoroughly  prepared  for  successful  work  as  in- 
structor. His  knowledge  of  pedagogy  is  broad 
and  profound,  and  he  has  made  of  it  a  science. 
Few  educators  have  a  more  thorough  grasp  of 
their  work  than  he.  After  graduating  from  col- 
lege he  was  undecided  as  to  whether  to  enter 
normal  school  or  take  the  state  examination.  In 
order  to  test  his  ability  he  tried  the  latter,  and 
was  successful,  receiving  a  certificate,  and  pass- 
ing a  most  creditable  examination.  In  1898  he 
was  given  a  state  certificate  for  life. 

At  Wabaunsee,    Kans.,    November   27,   1890, 
Professor  Olin  married  Miss  Winnie  E.  Cotton, 


who  was  born  in  that  town,  and  was  educated 
there  and  in  Manhattan  Agricultural  College, 
afterward  engaging  in  educational  work  until 
her  marriage.  She  is  a  fine  musician,  and  has 
made  a  specialty  of  the  study  of  this  science.  In 
social  and  musical  circles  she  occupies  an  influ- 
ential position.  She  is  identified  with  the 
M.  P.  M.  Club  and  the  Baptist  Church.  Be- 
sides her  two  children,  Winnifred  Helen  and 
Walter  Eugene,  she  cares  for  an  adopted  nephew, 
Josie  Cotton  Olin.  Her  father,  William  F.  Cot- 
ton, was  born  in  Rutland,  Vt. ,  a  son  of  William 
Cotton,  who  traces  his  ancestry  to  Cotton  Mather 
and  John  Cotton,  of  "Mayflower"  fame,  and  in 
whose  honor  Boston  was  named.  In  1856  W. 
F.  Cotton  settled  on  a  claim  near  Wabaunsee, 
Kans.,  where  he  has  since  engaged  in  farming. 
For  two  terms  he  was  a  member  of  the  state  leg- 
islature, and  during  the  Civil  war  he  served  in 
the  Kansas  militia.  For  some  years  he  was  an 
attorney,  but,  preferring  outdoor  work,  he  gave 
up  his  practice  in  favor  of  agricultural  pursuits. 
His  wife,  Ellen  M.  Genn,  was  born  in  Foxcroft, 
Me.,  a  daughter  of  a  sea  captain  who  engaged  in 
tke  whaling  business.  The  Genn  family  descends 
from  "Mayflower"  ancestors.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cotton  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  four  of 
whom  are  living:  Mrs.  Kate  Brown,  of  Tongan- 
oxie,  Kans.;  William  Lincoln,  on  the  old  home- 
stead; Mrs.  Olin;  and  Mrs.  Mabel  Smith,  of 
Manhattan. 


[~REEMAN  TYLER,  who  for  years  cultivated 
ly  a  farm  in  Hayes  Township, Franklin  County, 
I  ^  is  now  living  in  Ottawa,  retired  from  active 
labors.  He  was  born  in  Lawrenceville,  St.  Law- 
rence County,  N.  Y. ,  in  18 19,  a  son  of  Asa  and 
Fannie  (Tupper)  Tyler.  He  descends  from  one 
of  three  brothers  who  came  to  America  in  a  very 
early  day,  one  of  whom  settled  in  Portsmouth, 
N.  H. ,  while  the  others  went  further  south.  His 
father,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  removed  to 
New  York  and  there  engaged  in  farming  and 
coopering.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  served  in 
the  American  army.  Of  his  six  children  the 
eldest,  Freeman,  was  educated  in  New  York  and 
Ohio.     He  was  thirteen  years  of  age  when  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


337 


family  established  a  home  in  Ohio,  where,  schools 
being  poor  and  few,  he  had  very  meagre  advan- 
tages. His  time  was  almost  wholly  given  to 
farm  work  and  he  assisted  in  clearing  a  large 
tract  of  land.  When  he  was  fifteen  his  father  be- 
gan to  manufacture  barrels  to  hold  tallow,  and  in 
this  work  he  helped  during  the  winter  months, 
when  little  could  be  done  in  the  field.  As  there 
was  a  demand  for  flour  barrels  they  also  manu- 
factured these,  going  into  the  woods  and  cutting 
the  timber,  from  which  they  shaved  the  staves 
by  hand.  At  one  time  they  took  a  contract  to 
furnish  one  thousand  barrels;  soon  afterward 
their  cooper  was  taken  sick  and  the  father  fa- 
vored abandoning  the  contract  entirely,  but  our 
subject  insisted  that  the  work  must  be  completed, 
so  he  made  the  barrels  himself  and  filled  the  con- 
tract. That  was  his  first  experience  in  manufac- 
turing flour  barrels  alone.  From  that  time  he 
followed  coopering  for  thirty  years. 

In  1845  Mr.  Tyler  settled  in  Illinois.  After 
some  years  there  he  moved  to  Wisconsin  in  order 
that  his  children  might  have  the  advantage  of  the 
schools  at  Beloit.  Upon  his  return  to  Illinois, 
after  six  years  in  Beloit,  he  turned  his  attention 
from  coopering  to  farming,  believing  the  latter 
occupation  would  be  more  beneficial  to  his  health, 
then  by  no  means  good.  From  Illinois  he  came 
to  Kansas  in  the  fall  of  1880  and  bought  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  in  Franklin  County,  where 
he  made  valuable  improvements  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising.  On  that  place  he 
made  his  home  until  the  fall  of  1899,  when,  hav- 
ing disposed  of  the  property,  he  removed  to  Ot- 
tawa. In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  Though 
eighty  years  of  age  he  is  strong  and  robust,  and, 
were  his  sight  good,  would  show  little  signs  of 
his  advancing  years,  but  an  attack  of  la  grippe 
greatly  impaired  his  sight  and  left  his  eyes  in 
weak  condition. 

While  in  Ohio  Mr.  Tyler  married  Harriet  Sex- 
ton. They  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  all 
living,  namely:  Albert,  a  farmer  of  Franklin 
County;  Frank  A.,  who  lives  in  Rockford,  111.; 
Anna  E.,  widow  of  Francis  Waid;  D.  C,  a  phy- 
sician at  Clifton,  Washington  County,  Kans. ; 
Rovelle  P. ;  and  Hattie,  widow  of  Frank  Ringer. 


The  youngest  son,  Rovelle  P.,  who  conducted 
the  home  farm  from  1887  to  1899,  was  born  in 
Roscoe,  Winnebago  County,  111.,  in  1854,  and 
was  reared  to  farm  pursuits,  which  he  has  always 
followed.  In  1880  he  accompanied  his  father  to 
Kansas.  He  settled  in  Lyon  Count}-,  where  he 
cultivated  two  hundred  acres  that  he  still  owns, 
but  now  rents.  In  18S7  he  came  to  Franklin 
County  to  take  charge  of  the  home  place,  and 
afterward  engaged  in  general  farming  and  feed- 
ing cattle  and  hogs.  Like  all  of  the  family  he 
is  a  Democrat.  He  has  served  as  delegate  to 
county  and  state  conventions,  has  served  as  treas- 
urer of  the  school  board  and  now  holds  the  oflice 
of  township  treasurer. 


QOHN  W.  SCOTT,  a  contractor  and  builder, 
I  has  his  ofiice  at  No.  407  South  Main  street, 
(2/  Ottawa.  Not  onlj'  is  he  an  expert  carpen- 
ter, but  a  fine  cabinet-maker  as  well,  his  work  in 
both  departments  exhibiting  a  cultivated  taste 
and  wise  judgment.  The  various  residences  and 
public  buildings  for  which  he  has  held  the  con- 
tract have  been  completed  in  a  manner  satisfac- 
tory to  all  concerned,  and  have  given  him  a  posi- 
tion among  the  leading  men  in  his  occupation  in 
this  city. 

A  son  of  Cyrus  and  Elizabeth  (Metcalf)  Scott, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  McCon- 
nellsville,  Morgan  County,  Ohio,  October  7,  1850. 
His  grandfather,  John  Scott,  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Morgan  County,  where  Cyrus  Scott 
engaged  in  farm  pursuits  until  his  death,  at  the 
age  of  seventy.  Elizabeth  Metcalf  was  born  in 
Morgan  County,  to  which  her  father,  Abraham, 
had  removed  from  New  England.  She  is  still 
living  and  makes  her  home  in  Ohio.  Of  her  ten 
children  seven  grew  to  mature  years  and  three 
sons  and  one  daughter  still  survive.  The  oldest 
of  the  family  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He 
was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  went  to  Min- 
nesota and  took  a  claim  in  Cottonwood  County, 
remaining  there  for  two  years,  when  the  grass- 
hoppers ruined  his  crops.     Afterward  he  worked 


338 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


at  his  trade  for  two  years  in  that  county,  and 
then  went  to  Norwalk,  Iowa,  where  he  was  sim- 
ilarly employed.  For  seven  years  he  engaged  in 
carpentering  and  cabinet-making  in  Trenton, 
Mo.  In  1884  he  came  to  Ottawa, where,  after 
one  year  as  an  employe,  he  began  to  take  con- 
tracts of  his  own. 

In  Morgan  County  Mr.  Scott  married  Frances 
Murduck,  who  was  born  there  and  died  in  Otta- 
wa in  August,  1897,  leaving  three  children, 
Mabel,  Gertrude  and  Earl.  Hoping  that  a  change 
of  climate  might  benefit  his  wife,  whose  health 
was  delicate,  in  1888  Mr.  Scott  went  to  Califor- 
nia and  settled  in  the  San  Gabriel  Valley,  where 
he  engaged  in  contracting,  erecting  some  of  the 
finest  buildings  in  that  vicinity.  In  1896  he  re- 
turned to  Ottawa,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  Among  his  contracts  have  been  thoseforthe' 
First  National  Bank  building,  residenceof  A.  M. 
Blair,  Santa  Fe  hospital,  the  residences  of  H.  A. 
Dunn,  W.  B.  Kiler  and  others  that  are  among 
the  most  substantial  in  the  city.  In  politics  he 
always  votes  the  Republican  ticket.  At  one  time 
he  was  active  in  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  but  his  membership  has  been  allowed  to 
lapse.  He  is  connected  with  Franklin  Lodge 
No.  18,  .\.   F.  &  A.   M.,  of  Ottawa. 


EHARLES  W.  OLDROYD,  who  has  served 
acceptably  as  county  treasurer  of  Franklin 
County  and  city  assessor  of  Ottawa,  came  to 
Kansas  in  1880  and  has  made  his  home  in  Ottawa 
since  1881.  He  was  born  in  Shreve,  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  September  17,  1838,  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Hannah  K.  (Ebright)  Oldroyd.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Charles  Oldroyd,  was  born 
near  Huddersfield,  England,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  woolen  cloth.  Nine  years 
after  the  birth  of  his  son,  Henry,  he  brought  his 
family  to  America  and  settled  near  Harrisburg, 
Pa.,  where  he  resumed  the  manufacture  of  wool- 
ens. After  settling  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  he 
engaged  in  farming,  remaining  there  until  his 
death  at  the  age  of  almost  seventy. 

The  active  years  of  Henry  Oldroyd  were  passed 
in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  where  he  carried  on  a 


farm.  He  died  there  in  1892,  when  eighty-three 
years  of  age.  From  boyhood  he  was  identified 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  took 
a  warm  interest  in  building  up  missions  and  es- 
tablishing churches,  and  was  one  of  the  leaders 
in  his  own  congregation.  During  the  existence 
of  the  Whig  party  he  voted  that  ticket.  After- 
ward he  became  a  Republican.  His  wife,  who 
was  born  near  Harrisburg,  Pa. ,  was  a  daughter 
of  George  Ebright,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
of  German  descent;  late  in  life  he  removed,  via 
team  and  wagon,  over  the  mountains  to  Ohio, 
where  he  died.  Mrs.  Oldroyd  is  still  living  in 
Shreve  and  is  now  eighty-eight  years  of  age.  Of 
her  five  sons  that  attained  mature  years,  E.  G. , 
who  resides  in  Shreve,  was  a  member  of  the 
Fourteenth  Iowa  Infantry  in  the  Civil  war  and 
was  seriously  wounded  in  the  head  at  Shiloh, 
but  soon  recovered  and  returned  to  his  regiment. 
A.  B. ,  who  lives  near  Shreve,  was  a  member  of 
the  same  company  and  regiment  as  his  older 
brother,  Charles  W.  W.  F. ,  who  belonged  to 
the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty  sixth  Ohio  Infan- 
try, died  in  Ohio.  The  youngest  son,  T.  B.,  is 
engaged  in  the  furniture  business  in  Arkansas 
City,  Kans. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  our  subject  attended 
a  neighboring  school,  which  was  held  in  a  log 
building  fitted  up  in  pioneer  style.  In  1858  he 
began  to  learn  pharmacy  in  Wooster,  Ohio.  At 
the  first  call  for  volunteers,  in  April,  1861,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  C,  Sixteenth  Ohio  Infantry, 
being  mustered  in  as  corporal  for  three  months. 
Ordered  to  West  Virginia,  he  there  took  part  in 
skirmishes  with  the  enemy.  He  was  mustered 
out  August  18,  and  on  the  2d  of  September  en- 
listed in  the  same  company  and  regiment  for 
three  years,  being  made  first  sergeant,  later  pro- 
moted to  be  second  and  then  first  lieutenant.  His 
service  was  principally  in  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see. At  a  battle  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg,  in  the 
winter  of  1862-63,  a  brigade  made  a  charge  on 
that  city,  and  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  con- 
veyed to  Jackson,  Miss.,  where  he  was  kept  for 
three  months.  When  finally  released  he  returned 
to  Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  and  remained  there  for  one 
year  on  parole.    On  being  exchanged  he  rejoined 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


339 


his  regiment  at  Matagorda  Ba3%  Tex.,  thence 
went  to  New  Orleans,  from  there  up  the  Red 
River  after  Banks'  expedition,  and  late  in  the 
fall  of  1864  was  mustered  out  at  Columbus,  Ohio. 

Settling  in  the  last-named  city,  Mr.  Oldroj'd 
engaged  in  the  sale  of  photographic  supplies.  In 
1868  he  returned  to  Wayne  County,  where  he 
carried  on  a  farm  for  ten  years.  During  1880  he 
settled  in  Franklin  County,  Kans. ,  on  a  farm  two 
and  one-half  miles  south  of  Ottawa,  but  the  fol- 
lowing year  established  his  home  in  the  city. 
Here  he  opened  a  coal,  feed  and  wood  business, 
and  also  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping  grain. 
In  1890  he  became  deputy  county  treasurer  under 
D.  C.  Hanes.  The  latter  dying  during  the  first 
year  of  office,  the  county  commissioners  appointed 
Mr.  Oldroyd  to  fill  the  vacancy  that  year.  He 
then  continued  as  deputy  under  John  F.  Lamb 
for  one  year  and  J.  L-  Henderson  for  four  years. 
In  the  fall  of  1895  he  was  nominated  for  the  office 
on  the  Republican  ticket  and  was  elected,  serving 
from  October,  1896,  to  1898.  Since  then  he  has 
been  city  assessor.  In  1883  he  established  his 
home  on  the  raw  prairie,  which  he  has  since 
transformed  into  a  beautiful  place,  with  fine  trees 
and  gardens.  The  location  is  No.  623  West 
Second  street. 

In  Wooster,  Ohio,  in  1865,  Mr.  Oldroyd  mar- 
ried Miss  S.  C.  Wilhelm,  who  was  born  in  that 
city,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Rachel  (Heplar) 
Wilhelm,  natives  of  Northumberland  County, 
Pa.  Her  father,  who  was  a  carriage  manufac- 
turer, was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Wooster  and 
was  interested  in  its  early  start.  He  died  there 
when  seventy-four  years  of  age.  In  religion  he 
wasconnected  with  the  German  Reformed  Church. 
He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  often  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living.  Three  of  their  sons  took 
part  in  the  Civil  war  as  members  of  an  Ohio  regi- 
ment. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oldroyd  have  a  son  and 
daughter  now  living:  John  H.,  who  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  insurance  firm  of  Miller  &  Oldroyd; 
and  Gertrude  N.,  a  graduate  of  Ottawa  high 
school  and  in  1898  of  Ottawa  University.  The 
younger  son,  Elmer  G.,  died  at  seventeen  years 
of  age. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Oldroyd  has  been 


secretary  of  the  county  central  committee.  He 
is  serving  his  second  term  as  vice-president  of  the 
school  board.  Fraternally  he  is  past  officer  in 
Franklin  Lodge  No.  18,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  past 
officer  in  Lodge  No.  203,  A.  O.  U.  W. ;  member 
of  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security;  and  for 
two  terms  commander  of  George  H.  Thomas 
Post  No.  18,  G.  A.  R.;  also  a  member  of  the 
Sixteenth  Ohio  Veterans'  Association.  In  re- 
ligion he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

ROBERT  H.  PEARSON,  a  pioneer  of  Doug- 
las County,  owns  and  occupies  a  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Palmyra  Town- 
ship. He  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England, 
April  I,  1828,  ason  of  William  and  Fannie  (Hall) 
Pearson,  natives  of  England.  When  a  young 
man  his  father  learned  the  cabinet-maker's  trade. 
In  1832  he  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Alle- 
gheny, Pa.,  where  he  was  employed  at  carpen- 
tering and  finishing  work  in  a  shop.  He  re- 
mained there  until  1S65,  when  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  built  a  residence  in  Baldwin.  During 
the  existence  of  the  Whig  party  he  upheld  its 
principles,  and  afterward  took  an  active  part  in 
the  Republican  party.  For  many  years  he  was 
connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Although  he  lived  to  be  eighty-four  years  of  age 
he  was  active  up  to  the  day  before  his  death.  He 
had  a  brother,  James,  who  served  under  Welling- 
ton at  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  He  was  the  father 
often  children,  but  six  of  these  died  at  an  early 
age.  The  four  who  attained  maturity  were 
named  as  follows:  Ann,  Mrs.  George  Lovett,  de- 
ceased (born  October  18,  1826);  Robert  H.; 
Richard  (April  17,  1830),  who  died  in  Franklin 
County  at  the  age  of  sixtj'-six  years;  and  Eliza 
(February  23,  1839),  who  is  the  wife  of  William 
Feltwell  and  lives  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.  The 
younger  of  the  two  sons  came  to  Kansas  in  1855, 
settled  in  Douglas  County  and  afterward  resided 
here.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served  in  the 
Union  army,  being  connected,  at  different  times, 
with   Illinois  and   Kansas  regiments. 

When  a  young  man  our  subject  learned  the 
trade  of  a  coach-body  builder.     For  a  short  time 


340 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  worked  at  his  trade  in  Milwaukee,  later  was 
employed  in  St.  Louis  and  in  Keokuk,  Iowa.  In 
the  winter  of  1851-52  he  went  to  California  and 
engaged  in  placer  mining  in  the  southern  mines, 
meeting  with  fair  success.  In  April,  1854,  ^^ 
started  back  east.  Having  heard  of  Kansas  and 
learning  that  lands  here  were  coming  into  the 
market,  he  decided  to  seek  a  home  in  this  then 
territory.  Near  where  Baldwin  now  stands  he 
secured  a  claim,  May  15,  1854.  It  was  by  no 
means  easy  to  hold  the  claim,  as  pro-slavery  men 
made  repeated  efforts  to  drive  him  away;  how- 
ever, he  had  as  much  courage  and  more  determi- 
nation than  they,  so  succeeded  in  holding  the 
property  until  i860,  when  he  sold  it.  About  the 
same  time  he  purchased  his  present  property, 
which  he  has  since  placed  under  cultivation.  In 
early  days  he  belonged  to  Shore's  Rough  and 
Ready  Pioneer  Company  and  took  an  active  part 
(1855)  in  defending  the  city  of  Lawrence  from 
demolition  by  foreign  invaders.  The  battle  of 
Black  Jack  was  fought  on  his  farm  and  he  took 
part  in  it,  as  well  as  participating  in  other  skir- 
mishes. For  a  time  he  was  a  member  of  Nugent's 
Regiment,  Missouri  Home  Guard,  but  was  trans- 
ferred from  it  to  the  Ninth  Kansas  Infantry, 
where  he  served  for  several  months,  when  by 
reason  of  the  muster  out  of  the  company  and  by 
way  of  favor  no  objection  to  his  being  re-enlisted 
is  known  to  exist. 

In  spite  of  obstacles  Mr.  Pearson  has  had  more 
than  ordinary  success.  The  task  that  lay  before 
him  when  he  came  to  Kansas  was  not  an  easy 
one.  He  took  up  a  timber  and  a  squatter's 
claim,  and  was  forced  to  defend  his  rights  by  the 
aid  of  his  gun,  against  as  many  as  five  or  six  men 
at  one  time.  In  the  end,  however,  troubles  of 
that  kind  gave  way  to  prosperity.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  The 
Republican  party  receives  his  vote  and  influence. 
He  has  never  cared  for  office  and  has  held  none 
excepting  that  of  school  director  or  road  overseer. 
For  thirty  years  or  more  he  has  been  a  member 
of  Baldwin  City  Lodge  No.  31,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in 
which  he  has  passed  all  of  the  chairs.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  Post  at  Baldwin. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Pearson,  September 


23,  1855,  united  him  with  Miss  Catherine  Ann 
Basinger.  Their  wedding  was  the  first  ever  sol- 
emnized in  Palmyra  Township,  and  their  oldest 
son,  William  F.,  was  the  first  white  child  born 
there.  Mrs.  Pearson  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
February  27,  1837,  but  resided  in  Kansas  from 
the  fall  of  1854,  and  died  here  December  4,  1878, 
when  about  forty  years  old.  Of  the  children 
born  to  this  union,  three  died  at  an  early  age. 
The  others  are  as  follows:  William  F.  (born 
August  10,  1856),  a  machinist  in  Wellsville, 
Kans. ;  George  Arthur  (March  22,  1859),  who  is 
engaged  in  farming  in  Oklahoma;  Ann  Jane  (Oc- 
tober 4,  i860),  now  Mrs.  Charles  Stover;  R. 
Siegel  (March  31,  1862),  a  farmer  of  Pomona, 
Kans.;  Edward  (August  2,  1865),  who  resides  on 
the  home  farm;  Fannie  (October  22,  1867),  wife 
of  Hardin  Cavender;  Elizabeth  (March  22,  1869), 
a  nurse  in  Topeka,  Kans. ;  Nettie  (February  24, 
1871),  wife  of  Walter  Scott;  and  Fred  H.  (Octo- 
ber 3,  1873),  a  farmer  in  Palmyra  Township. 
February  7,  1884,  Mr.  Pearson  married  Rosella 
Harris,  of  Palmyra  Township.  She  was  born  in 
Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  and  has  resided  in 
Kansas  since  1880. 


r~  DWARD  B.  MERRITT.  Few  residents  of 
rp  Lansing  have  been  more  closely  identified 
L  with  its  business  interests  than  has  Mr. 
Merritt,  who  is  the  proprietor  of  a  general  mer- 
cantile store  and  has  built  up  a  large  trade  in  this 
place.  A  man  of  great  industrj',  undoubted  in- 
tegrity, and  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  he 
has  become  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  bus- 
iness men  of  his  town,  and  the  store  which  he 
owns  and  conducts  is  the  largest  in  Leavenworth 
County,  outside  of  the  city  of  Leavenworth. 

Mr.  Merritt  was  born  in  Platte  County,  Mo., 
April  25,  1857,  a  son  of  Charles  and  Jane  (More- 
lock)  Merritt.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  country  schools.  In  1877 
he  came  to  Leavenworth,  where  he  secured  em- 
ployment as  a  clerk,  but  after  a  short  time  he 
became  interested  in  farming  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county.  In  the  fall  of  1878  he  en- 
tered Whittier  College  at  Salem,  Iowa,  where  he 


NICHOLAS  GENTRY. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


343 


took  the  studies  of  the  fall  and  winter  terms. 
Later  he  taught  school  for  three  years  in  Leaven- 
worth and  Wyandotte  Counties. 

In  1882  he  opened  a  general  store  in  Lansing, 
beginning  on  a  very  small  scale,  but  increasing 
his  stock  from  time  to  time  as  his  enlarging  trade 
rendered  advisable.  In  1895  he  established  a 
branch  at  Soldier,  Kans.,  where  he  built  up  a 
large  trade.  He  owns  a  fine  residence  in  Lansing 
and  is  one  of  the  most  prosperous  business  men 
of  the  town.  In  politics  a  Republican,  he  has 
been  actively  connected  with  local  affairs,  has 
been  one  of  the  political  leaders  of  the  village, 
and  under  the  Harrison  administration  filled  the 
ofiice  of  postmaster.  Personally  he  is  a  man  of 
very  independent  character,  never  afraid  to  speak 
his  convictions,  but  possessing  under  all  circum- 
stances the  courage  of  his  opinions.  November 
4,  1885,  he  married  Miss  Verlena  Timberlake, 
daughter  of  J.  Harvey  and  Lavina  (Holdon)  Tim- 
berlake, of  Lansing,  Mich.  They  have  three 
children:  Delia  T.,  Ollie  T.  and  Edna  T. 
■  In  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Merritt  is  connected 
with  Nine  Mile  Lodge  No.  49,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
Leavenworth  Chapter  No.  2,  R.  A.  M.;  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Fraternal 
Aid  Association.  For  six  years  he  was  master  in 
the  blue  lodge  of  Masonry  and  he  has  also  been 
chancellor  commander  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 


P^ICHOLAS  GENTRY,  a  farmer  and  stock- 
ry  raiser  of  Wakarusa  Township,  Douglas 
lis  County,  was  born  in  Boone  County,  Mo., 
August  31,  1840,  a  son  of  Beverly  and  Olive 
(Hern)  Gentry.  His  paternal  great-grandfather, 
a  native  of  England,  came  to  this  country  and 
settled  in  Kentucky,  where  succeeding  genera- 
tions resided.  From  that  state  at  an  early  age 
Beverly  Gentry  moved  to  Mis.souri  and  improved 
a  farm  in  Boone  County,  where  he  married.  In 
politics  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Demo- 
crat. Of  his  ten  children  five  are  living,  viz.: 
Eliza,  widow  of  Green  Sweezer,  of  Wakarusa 
Township;  Susan,  widow  of  Daniel  Farmer  and  a 
resident  of  Jefferson   County,  Kans.;  Elizabeth, 


who  married  J.  J.  Allen,  then  of  Douglas  County, 
but  now  a  resident  of  Jefferson  County;  Nicholas; 
and  Eveline,  who  married  Madison  Thompson 
and  now  lives  in  Wichita. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  acquired 
principally  by  self-culture.  He  was  about  six- 
teen when  his  parents  removed  from  Missouri  to 
Kansas  and  he  was  afterward  connected  with  the 
freighting  across  the  plains.  When  with  his 
father  he  freighted  for  him  to  all  of  the  old  towns 
along  the  trail.  He  crossed  the  plains  six  times, 
made  five  trips  as  far  west  as  Pike's  Peak,  and  has 
been  all  through  New  Mexico.  At  the  opening 
of  the  Civil  war  he  went  to  Fort  Leavenworth 
for  the  purpose  of  enlisting  in  the  army,  but  as 
the  government  needed  teamsters  he  was  placed 
in  the  quartermaster's  department  and  sent  to 
New  Mexico.  For  three  months  he  drove  a 
company  wagon  in  the  regular  army,  being  with 
the  Second  Dragoons.  After  his  return  to  Kan- 
sas he  began  freighting  for  the  government,  in 
which  he  continued  until  1866.  He  then  settled 
upon  a  farm  in  Lecompton  Township,  Douglas 
County.  About  1887  he  purchased  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  where  he  has  since  resided,  on 
section  22,  Wakarusa  Tovi'nship.  He  has  added 
to  his  residence  and  in  1898  erected  a  large  barn. 
His  specialty  has  been  the  raising  of  wheat  and 
he  also  has  some  stock.  During  the  existence  of 
the  Grange  he  was  one  of  its  active  members  and 
he  is  now  connected  with  the  Fraternal  Aid 
Association.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

In  Douglas  County,  August  10,  1865,  Mr. 
Gentry  married  Catherine  Shafer,  by  whom  he 
has  five  children,  viz. :  Laura,  wife  of  Eli  Wilson, 
of  Grant  Township,  Douglas  County;  LiHie 
Elizabeth,  who  married  David  McCreath  and  oc- 
cupies a  farm  adjoining  her  father's;  Nettie,  wife 
of  Walter  Kennedy,  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.;Mathias 
Shipley,  who  is  married  and  lives  on  a  farm  west 
of  the  home  place:  and  Seymour  Otto,  who 
assists  on  the  home  farm.  It  has  been  the  aim  of 
the  parents  to  give  the  children  good  educations 
and  they  spared  no  pains  to  fit  them  for  the  re- 
sponsibilites  of  life.  The  daughters  are  gradu- 
ates of  the  high  school  at  Lawrence  and  two 
have  been  schoolteachers. 


344 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mrs.  Gentry  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Anna 
Maria  (Baker)  Shafer,  natives  of  German3\  Her 
father  came  to  America  in  earlj'  manhood,  cross- 
ing the  ocean  in  a  sailing  vessel  that  landed  in 
New  Orleans.  There  he  followed  his  trades  of 
blacksmith  and  boiler-maker.  At  the  opening  of 
the  Civil  war  he  joined  Company  H,  First  Louisi- 
ana Regiment,  C.  S.  A.,  and  died  while  in  the 
army,  in  the  fall  of  1861.  His  wife  came  from 
Havre  to  America  in  1845,  when  twenty -three 
years  of  age.  On  the  ocean  the  ship  was  wrecked 
and  the  passengers  endured  great  hardship  until 
they  were  picked  up  by  a  passing  vessel.  Mrs. 
Gentry  was  the  only  child  of  her  parents.  She 
was  ten  when  her  father  died  and  three  years 
later  her  mother  passed  away.  Immediately 
afterward  she  came  to  Kansas,  where  she  was 
married  to  Mr.  Gentrj-  prior  to  the  fifteenth  an- 
niversary of  her  birth. 


lALCOM  F.  SMITH,  deceased,  was  born 
and  reared  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  his 
father.  Dr.  Alva  Smith,  a  graduate  of  the 
Cincinnati  Eclectic  College,  was  a  practicing 
physician.  His  paternal  grandfather,  when  a 
boy  of  sixteen,  enlisted  in  the  continental  arni}^, 
for  service  against  England,  and  afterward  en- 
dured all  the  hardships  of  that  long  and  bloody 
war,  spending  one  winter  at  Valley  Forge,  where 
food  was  so  scarce  that  starving  men  fought  for  a 
grain  of  corn  and  clothing  so  difficult  to  secure 
that  men  walked,  barefooted,  through  the  deep 
snow.  While  he  was  in  the  thickest  of  the 
fights  he  was  never  injured,  although  at  one 
time  a  bullet  grazed  his  head. 

At  the  time  that  James  A.  Garfield  was  a  stu- 
dent in  Hiram  College,  Ohio,  Malcom  F.Smith 
also  attended  that  institution.  After  graduating 
he  attended  a  dental  college,  where  he  gained  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  profession.  While 
practicing  at  Barrington,  111.,  he  enlisted,  August 
I,  1862,  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  Illi- 
nois Infantry,  and  was  afterward  made  sergeant- 
major,  September  7,  1863.  Januar}'  20,  1864, 
at  Memphis,  he  was  commissioned  second  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  E,   First   Alabama  Artillery. 


On  the  5th  of  March,  the  same  year,  he  was 
made  first  lieutenant.  His  regiment  was  merged 
into  the  Third  United  States  Colored  Infantry, 
later  the  Seventh  United  States  Heavy  Artillerj-, 
and  finally  was  made  the  Eleventh  United  States 
Colored  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  until  Octo- 
ber, 1865.  Among  the  battles  in  which  he  bore 
a  part  were  those  at  Holly  Springs,  Tallahatchie, 
Chickasaw  Bluff  ou  the  Yazoo  River,  Arkansas 
Post,  the  relief  of  Porter's  squadron,  and  what 
was  known  as  the  Rolling  Fork  expedition,  in 
which  he  traveled  for  nine  days  on  four  days'  ra- 
tions, and  without  ever  taking  his  boots  off. 
Twice  he  narrowly  escaped  death.  A  bullet 
grazing  his  neck  left  a  scar;  another  passed  be- 
tween his  fingers  while  he  was  charging  over  a 
fence  in  a  skirmish.  He  took  part  in  the  opera- 
tions around  Vicksburg,  the  battle  of  Richmond, 
La.,  was  also  at  Grand  Gulf,  Canton,  Raymond, 
Champion  Hills,  Edwards'  depot,  Black  River 
Bridge,  Jackson,  Miss.,  and  the  assault  on  Vicks- 
burg, May  19-21,  1863.  General  Grant  called 
for  volunteers  and  Mr.  Smith  was  one  who 
promptly  responded  to  the  call  and  participated 
in  that  memorable  assault.  While  in  the  Elev- 
enth Infantry  he  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Cane 
Hill,  Holly  Springs  and  Guntown.  Later  he  was 
detailed  as  adjutant  and  quartermaster  of  his  reg- 
iment at  Soldiers'  Home,  Memphis,  Tenn.  His 
health  became  broken  by  reason  of  the  hardships 
of  army  life  and  he  was  honorably  discharged,  on 
account  of  disability,  October  i,  1865.  From  the 
effects  of  his  service  he  ever  afterward  suffered. 
He  had  been  weakened  especially  by  his  work 
after  the  blowing  up  of  the  "Sultana,"  when  he 
labored  day  and  night  to  aid  the  survivors  of  the 
catastrophe. 

Not  being  able  to  continue  at  his  profession  on 
account  of  poor  health,  Mr.  Smith  became  a  busi- 
ness man.  For  a  time  he  was  bookkeeper  and 
cashier  in  a  bank  and  clerk  in  a  postoffice.  In 
1869  he  settled  in  Burlingame,  Kans.,  andin  1887 
established  his  home  in  Ottawa,  where  he  lived, 
in  retirement,  until  his  death,  February  10,  1896. 
He  had  been  identified  with  the  Grand  Army 
from  the  time  of  its  organization  and  always 
maintained  an  interest  in  the  meetings  of  the  army 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


345 


veterans.  For  man)'  years  he  was  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  Church  and  in  that  faith  he 
died,  looking  forward  to  a  future  of  happiness 
and  a  reunion  with  his  loved  ones  in  the  world 
to  come. 

RS.  LURENDA  B.  SMITH  has  been  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  work  of  the  Wo- 
man's Christian  Temperance  Union  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  As  president  of  the  state 
organization  she  traveled  through  every  part  of 
Kansas,  organizing  local  societies,  reviving  weak 
ones,  and  strengthening  the  movement  in  behalf 
of  prohibition.  For  three  years  much  of  her  time 
was  spent  in  the  field,  and,  while  the  constant 
travel  was  fatiguing,  yet  she  was  more  than  re- 
paid in  the  good  accomplished  and  in  the  seed 
sown  that  has  since  borne  fruit.  In  this  work  she 
received  the  sympathy  and  assistance  of  her  hus- 
band, M.  F.  Smith,  who  was  proud  of  her  success 
and  delighted  in  the  promotion  of  the  temperance 
movement.  At  his  death,  desiring  to  remain  at 
home  with  her  daughter,  she  resigned  as  presi- 
dent, but  accepted  the  oflSce  of  corresponding  sec- 
retary, which  does  not  require  travel,  but  never- 
theless takes  almost  her  entire  time. 

Mrs.  Smith  was  born  at  South  Bolivar,  Alle- 
gany County,  N.  Y.  Her  father,  Philetus  Bev- 
erly, a  native  of  that  county,  removed  in  1844  ^ 
Barrington,  Cook  County,  111.,  where  he  farmed 
and  also  preached,  joining  the  Rock  River  con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In 
1868  he  came  to  Kansas,  settling  in  Burlingame 
Township,  Osage  County,  where  he  became  one 
of  the  pioneer  prohibition  workers  and  also 
preached  occasionally.  The  infirmities  of  advan- 
cing j^ears,  however,  prevent  him  now  from  be- 
ing active  in  public  affairs.  His  wife  was  Eovisa 
Mix,  who  was  born  in  Vermont  in  18 14,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Ira  Mix,  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812  and 
for  years  a  farmer  in  Allegany  County.  In  the 
family  of  Philetus  and  Lovisa  Beverly  there  were 
nine  children,  seven  of  whom  attained  their  ma- 
jority and  four  are  living.  Two  sons,  Dwight  C. 
and  Cassius  E.,  who  enlisted  in  the  army,  served 
as  members  of  a  regiment  of  light  artillery,  and 
the  latter  died  at  Fort  Donelson  as  a  result  of 


exposure  while  on  picket  duty.  Mrs.  Smith  was 
fourth  in  order  of  birth  among  the  children  of 
the  family.  She  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Cook  County  and  taught  three  terms  of  school. 
In  1862  she  became  the  wife  of  M.  F.  Smith  at 
Barrington,  111.  Of  the  five  children  born  to 
them,  two  are  living,  viz.:  Waldo  C,  who  is  in 
the  employ  of  the  Wells-Fargo  Express  Company 
in  Ottawa;  and  Winn ifred  L.,  a  graduate  of  the 
Ottawa  high  school,  class  of  1899.  Much  of  her 
active  life  Mrs.  Smith  has  given  to  Christian  edu- 
cational and  temperance  work,  for  which  she  is 
fitted  by  natural  gifts  and  education.  In  the  va- 
rious societies  of  the  Christian  Church  she  has 
been  an  interested  worker  and  during  her  long 
connection  with  this  denomination  has  been  fore- 
most in  its  enterprises.  She  is  connected  with 
the  Eadies  Circle  G.  A.  R.,  and  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Columbian  Literary  Club. 


gHARLES  D.  CRANE,  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful business  men  of  Ottawa,  has  made 
his  home  in  this  city  since  1869,  and,  in 
point  of  actual  years  of  business  experience,  is  one 
of  the  oldest  merchants  here.  His  first  undertak- 
ing in  the  west  was  the  purchase  of  the  old 
Ottawa  mill,  which  he  remodeled,  doubling  its 
capacity,  and  superintending  its  management. 
In  1871  he  traded  his  share  in  the  mill  for  a  stock 
of  goods,  and  for  two  years  he  made  no  effort  to 
learn  the  dry-goods  business,  hoping  to  have  an 
opportunity  to  trade  his  goods  for  a  mill;  but,  no 
opportunity  presenting  itself,  he  determined  to 
put  all  of  his  energy  into  the  mercantile  business 
and  acquire  a  practical  knowledge  of  it.  Since 
then  his  attention  has  been  given  very  closely  to 
the  management  of  his  store.  He  rented  the 
building  which  he  now  occupies,  25x1 10  feet  in 
dimensions,  and  afterward  used  an  adjoining 
room,  25x110,  in  which  to  place  the  remainder 
of  his  large  stock.  During  the  time  of  the  fi- 
nancial depression,  when  many  merchants  were 
succumbing  to  the  panic,  he  not  only  held  his 
own  financially,  but  increased  his  quarters  by  fit- 
ting up  a  room  on  the  second  floor,  25x90,  where 
he  has  since  kept  his  stock   of  carpets,   cloaks, 


346 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


etc.  His  business  is  almost  wholly  retail,  al- 
though he  has  carried  on  a  jobbing  business  with 
a  few  adjacent  towns.  As  a  merchant  he  is  a 
man  of  fine  judgment,  great  enterprise  and  keen 
foresight,  and  these  qualities  have  assisted  him  in 
the  attainment  of  success.  His  influence,  both  in 
business  circles  and  socially,  is  large,  and  is  the 
result  of  his  known  integrity  and  genial  disposi- 
tion. 

Born  in  Batavia,  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  Nov- 
ember 28,  1833,  Mr.  Crane  is  a  brother  of  H.  D. 
Crane,  in  whose  sketch  appears  the  family  his- 
tory. In  1843  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Illi- 
nois, where  he  spent  five  years,  meantime  attend- 
ing school  in  a  building  primitive  in  appearance 
and  crude  in  its  appointments.  He  assisted  iu  cul- 
tivating and  improving  the  home  farm,  and  drove 
five  yoke  of  oxen  with  which  to  break  the  prairie 
land.  After  going  to  Iowa  in  1843  he  continued 
to  work  on  a  farm  until  1855,  when  he  secured 
work  in  a  mill  at  Cedar  Rapids.  In  1857  he  went 
to  West  Union,  Fayette  County,  Iowa.  In  1859 
he  took  the  overland  trip  to  California,  going  via 
Omaha,  Fort  Kearney,  Fort  Hall,  over  Goose 
Creek  Mountain,  and  down  the  Humboldt  River, 
and  arriving  in  California  after  a  journey  of  four 
months.  The  trip  was  taken  with  the  hope  of  re- 
gaining his  health,  which  was  very  poor.  He 
had  agreed  to  return  in  1861,  so,  during  that 
year,  with  health  improved  and  with  the  money 
he  had  saved,  he  journeyed  via  Panama  to  New 
York  City.  Having  seen  much  of  the  country 
he  was  glad  to  settle  down  into  the  quiet  routine 
of  business.  He  had  traveled  from  Batavia, N.  Y., 
to  Sacramento,  Cal.,  via  wagon,  and  had  en- 
dured all  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life,  but  the  re- 
sults were  beneficial  to  him,  as  he  acquired  self- 
reliance  and  habits  of  perseverance.  After  his 
return  he  operated  a  mill  on  Turkey  River  for 
two  years  alone,  then  took  his  brother,  H.  D., 
into  partnership  and  they  improved  a  mill  at  Cas- 
cade, Iowa,  which  they  ran  until  coming  to  Kan- 
sas in  1869.  Since  then  his  life  has  been  insep- 
arably identified  with  the  history  of  Ottawa, 
among  whose  business  men  he  holds  a  foremost 
position.  At  the  organization  of  the  People's 
National  Bank  he  was  chosen  a  director  and  con- 


tinued to  serve  in  that  capacity  until  he  sold  his 
stock.  He  was  also  interested  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Ottawa  Building  and  Loan  As.socia- 
tion,  and  for  two  years  served  as  treasurer  and  a 
director,  but  then  disposed  of  his  shares  aud  re- 
tired from  the  society. 

In  Cascade,  Iowa,  Mr.  Crane  married  Miss 
Angelica  Anderson,  who  was  born  in  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  being  a  daughter  of  Alexander  Anderson, 
a  surveyor  in  the  early  days  of  Iowa.  They  have 
one  child,  Ada,  who  graduated  from  the  Ottawa 
high  school  and  the  New  England  conservatory 
of  music  at  Boston;  she  is  now  the  wife  ofC.  F. 
Dennee,  professor  of  pianoforte  and  composition 
iu  the  conservatory  from  which  she  graduated. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  party  Mr.  Crane 
has  been  a  Republican.  While  in  Dubuque 
County,  Iowa,  during  the  bitter  fight  regarding 
Allison,  he  performed  great  service  in  behalf  of 
that  gentleman,  aiding  in  securing  his  nomina- 
tion at  West  Union,  and  during  the  following 
winter  Allison  was  for  the  first  time  elected  to 
the  United  States  senate,  of  which  he  has  since 
been  a  leader.  Mr.  Crane  was  elected  to  the 
council  of  Ottawa,  but  refused  to  qualify,  not  de- 
siring to  hold  oflBce.  Fraternally  he  is  connec- 
ted with  Ottawa  Lodge  No.  128,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
Ottawa  Chapter  No.  7,  R.  A.M.,  and  Tancred 
Commandery  No.  11,  K.  T. 


HON.  JOHIEL  H.  BONEBRAKE,  M.  D. 
During  the  long  period  of  his  residence  in 
Lecompton,  Dr.  Bonebrake  has  been  inti- 
mately associated  with  the  interests  of  the  town. 
Coming  here  at  the  close  of  the  war,  when  the 
prominence  of  pro-slavery  days  had  departed, 
when  real-estate  values  had  depreciated  and  the 
place  resembled  some  "deserted  village,"  he 
aided  other  citizens  in  re-establishing  business, 
and  was  especially  active  in  the  founding  of  Lane 
University,  which,  in  January,  1865,  became  the 
property  of  the  United  Brethren  denomination, 
and  of  which  he  was  treasurer  for  nineteen  years. 
He  has  also  oflBciated  as  a  local  preacher  in  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  and  has  been  very 
prominent  in  its  work  in  this  localit3'. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


347 


A  son  of  George  and  Eliza  (Adams)  Bone- 
brake,  our  subject  was  born  in  Preble  County, 
Ohio,  June  21,  1830,  being  the  second  of  three 
children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Jane,  is  the  wife  of 
Joseph  Manning,  of  Jefferson,  Iowa,  and  the 
youngest,  Parkison  I.,  is  president  of  the  Central 
National  Bank,  of  Topeka,  Kans.  The  father, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1799,  was  a 
boy  of  eight  years  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Preble  County,  Ohio,  and  there  he  grew  to  man- 
hood. For  years  he  was  an  itinerant  preacher  in 
the  United  Brethren  Church.  In  1848  he  re- 
moved to  Wayne  County,  Ind.,  but  after  four 
years  established  his  home  in  Fountain  County, 
that  state,  and  two  years  later  went  to  Marion 
County,  Iowa,  where  he  resided  up  to  i860. 
During  the  latter  year  he  came  to  Kansas,  set- 
tling in  Lecompton,  and  in  this  town  he  died,  in 
1866,  in  the  home  of  his  son.  His  wife,  who 
was  born  in  New  Jersey  in  1806,  and  died  in 
Indiana  in  1848,  was,  like  himself,  a  sincere 
Christian  and  a  faithful  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church. 

On  reaching  manhood  our  subject  taught  for 
two  years  in  the  public  schools  of  Marion  County, 
Iowa.  Following  this  he  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  in  Fountain  County,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  years.  On  his  arrival  in  Iowa 
he  took  up  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he  read 
under  the  tutorship  of  Dr.  Roberts,  in  Attica,  for 
six  months.  He  then  entered  the  Keokuk  (Iowa) 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  where  he 
took  a  course  of  lectures  in  1854-55.  The  next 
year  he  attended  the  Cincinnati  (Ohio)  Eclectic 
Medical  Institute.  Just  prior  to  his  graduation 
the  sickness  of  his  brother  called  him  home.  He 
established  himself  in  practice  in  Attica,  from 
which  town,  in  i860,  he  removed  to  Auburn, 
Shawnee  County,  Kans.,  and  five  years  later 
opened  an  office  in  Lecompton,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  From  the  time  of  his  settlement  here 
he  has  been  active  in  local  affairs  and  has  proved 
himself  a  public-spirited  citizen.  In  i866hewas 
elected  to  the  state  legislature  and  again,  in  1885, 
was  returned  to  the  lower  house.  For  thirty  )-ears 
he  held  office  as  city  clerk  of  Lecompton.  June 
I,  1897,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Lecomp- 


ton, which  ofiSce  he  has  since  filled  with  efficiency. 
He  has  always  been  a  stanch  Republican  and 
has  supported  the  principles  of  his  party. 

April  15,  1858,  Dr.  Bonebrake  married  Miss 
Sarah  Witt,  who  was  born  in  Wayne  County, 
Ind.,  but  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  was  living 
in  Bedford,  Iowa.  Five  children  were  born  of 
their  union,  but  only  two  are  living.  The  older 
daughter,  EvaB.,  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  A.  J.  May, 
of  Cambria,  Kans.,  and  the  younger,  Cora  W., 
married  Dr.  S.  J.  Hampshire,  of  Overbrook, 
Kans. 


I  OUIS  CASS  STINE,  of  Ottawa,  was  born 
It  in  New  Market,  Highland  County,  Ohio, 
U  July  31,  1847,  a  son  of  Jacob  Crawford  and 
Rebecca  (Mathewson)  Stine,  natives  respectively 
of  Washington  County,  Pa.,  and  Highland 
County,  Ohio.  His  paternal  grandfather,  who 
was  of  German  descent,  moved  from  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Greensburg,  Ind.,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing near  that  town  until  he  died.  Reared  in 
Greensburg,  where  he  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade,  Jacob  C.  Stine  removed  from  there  to  Ohio, 
where  he  married  and  became  a  practicing  attor- 
ney in  New  Market.  For  manj'  years  he  .served 
as  justice  of  the  peace.  A  local  leader  of  the 
Democratic  party,  he  served  as  a  delegate  to 
national  conventions  and  took  a  prominent  part 
in  the  councils  of  his  party.  In  religion  he  was 
a  Methodist.  Uprightness  marked  all  his  actions, 
and  generosity  was  shown  in  his  helpful  aid  to 
the  poor  and  needy.  He  continued  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law  until  he  was  fifty-nine  years  of  age, 
when  he  retired,  and  two  years  later  he  died. 
His  wife,  who  also  died  in  Ohio,  was  a  daughter 
of  Ira  Mathewson,  a  native  of  Virginia  and  an 
early  settler  of  Highland  County,  Ohio,  removing 
thence  to  Bond  County,  111.,  where  he  died.  He 
was  a  member  of  a  pioneer  family  of  New  Eng- 
land, of  Scotch  descent  and  Presbyterian  faith. 

The  subject  of  this  article  was  one  of  six  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  living,  A.  Jackson  being 
a  farmer  in  Coffey  County,  Kans.,  and  Isaac  a 
resident  of  Dallas,  Tex.  Louis  Cass,  who  is  the 
second  of  the  sons,  spent  the  first  eighteen  years 
of  his  life  in  New  Market.     In  March,  1865,  he 


348 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


removed  to  Kansas  Township,  Edgar  County, 
111.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  but,  being 
troubled  with  ague  there,  he  returned  to  Ohio  the 
following  year.  In  1868  he  went  to  Wapello, 
Iowa,  where  he  was  employed  by  a  manufacturer 
of  pumps  for  one  year.  In  1869  he  visited  east- 
ern and  south  central  Kansas,  spending  a  short 
time  with  a  brother  in  Johnson  County.  Return- 
ing to  Wapello,  he  remained  there  until  1872,  but 
meantime  traveled  extensively  in  Iowa  and 
western  Illinois. 

In  the  year  1872  he  settled  in  Charleston,  Coles 
County,  111.  Subsequently  he  removed  to  Spring- 
field, where  he  was  engaged  in  business.  He 
was  married  in  Muscatine,  Iowa,  in  1S76,  his  wife 
being  Mary  Williams,  who  was  born  in  New 
Market,  Ohio.,  In  1864  she  accompanied  her 
father,  Rev.  Nathaniel  Williams,  to  Illinois,  later 
going  to  Iowa,  and  in  1884  he  came  to  Kansas, 
settling  in  Clinton,  where  he  died  in  1887. 

Intending  to  study  law,  Mr.  Stine  went  to 
Wilton,  Iowa,  in  1877,  but  after  a  year,  on 
account  of  trouble  with  his  eyes,  he  abandoned 
its  study.  In  1879  he  came  to  Franklin  County, 
Kaus.,  and  bought  a  farm  on  the  present  site  of 
Richter,  but  a  year  later  removed  to  Williams- 
burg, this  county,  and  opened  the  Williamsburg 
Bank,  which  was  the  first  bank  started  in  the 
town.  As  his  partner  he  had  C.  W.  Goodin. 
After  a  year  he  removed  to  Ottawa  and  with  Mr. 
Goodin,  in  January,  1882,  organized  the  Goodin 
Bank,  of  which  he  continued  as  cashier  until 
1887.  He  then  purchased  his  partner's  interest 
and  organized  the  Ottawa  State  Bank,  of  which 
he  became  president.  In  1893  '^le  sold  his  bank- 
ing interests  in  order  to  devote  his  attention  to  the 
large  Silkville  property  entrusted  to  his  care,  he 
being  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Odd  Fellows'  Orphans'  Home  at  Silkville. 

About  1870  Earnest  Valeton  de  Boissiere,  a 
philanthropic  French  gentleman,  who  was  a 
graduate  of  the  Polytechnic  school  of  Paris  and 
a  gentleman  of  large  means,  purchased  and 
settled  upon  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the  south- 
western part  of  Franklin  County.  His  property 
contained  over  three  thousand  acres,  and  he  built 
a   residence   of  sixty  rooms.     It  was  his  hope  to 


establish  a  co-operative  farm,  but  the  hope  was 
destined  to  disappointment.  He  then  began  to 
raise  silkworms,  having  large  mulberry  orchards, 
and  engaging  in  the  manufacture  of  silk.  The 
qualit}'  of  the  silk  was  so  superior  that  it  was 
given  a  premium  at  the  Centennial  of  1876. 
Although  the  venture  did  not  prove  a  financial 
success,  he,  being  fond  of  experiment,  continued 
there.  Being  philanthropic,  he  gave  all  of  his 
property  in  France  for  charitable  purposes,  and 
contemplated  donating  his  Kansas  lands  for  the 
same  purpose.  His  desire  to  give  his  property  to 
some  worthy  institution  came  to  the  knowledge 
of  Mr.  Stine  in  1892.  Being  an  ardent  Odd 
Fellows,  he  at  once  realized  that  an  orphans'  home 
would  carry  out  the  principles  of  Odd  Fellowship 
and  accomplish  great  good.  He  called  on  Mon- 
sieur de  Boissiere  and  laid  his  plans  before  him. 
The  Frenchman  was  at  once  charmed  with  the 
idea,  believing  it  more  practicable  than  other 
schemes  that  had  been  laid  before  him.  In  May, 
1892,  the  property  was  deeded  to  a  board  of  trus- 
tees, of  which  Mr.  Stine  was  appointed  president. 
In  October  of  the  same  year,  when  the  grand 
lodge  of  Kansas  met,  he  presented  the  arrange- 
ments in  detail,  and  after  deliberation  the  grand 
lodge  accepted  the  property,  under  the  conditions 
laid  down  b3'  the  owner,  and  provided  for  the  im- 
provement and  building  up  of  the  place.  It 
comprised  three  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
six  acres  of  land,  with  stock  and  machinery. 

Being  elected  president  of  the  board,  with  the 
entire  management  of  the  home,  Mr.  Stine  sold 
his  bank  in  order  to  devote  all  of  his  time  to  the 
work  in  which  he  was  so  deeply  interested.  In 
1892  he  accompanied  De  Boissiere  to  New  York 
upon  his  return  to  France,  he  having  promised 
to  return  in  1894  on  the  opening  of  the  school, 
but  he  died  in  January,  1894.  The  home  was 
opened  in  June  of  that  year.  In  the  building  up 
of  the  school  an  assessment  was  made  and  some 
dissatisfaction  arose,  the  matter  finally  coming 
into  the  hands  of  the  grand  lodge  and  the 
sovereign  grand  lodge,  where  Mr.  Stine  won  a 
victory.  The  dissatisfaction  no  doubt  arose  from 
the  fact  that  certain  parties,  using  their  influence 
in  what  might  be  called  the  politics  of  the  order. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


349 


endeavored  to  handicap  him  in  his  work;  and 
objection  was  made  because  the  Frenchman  had 
insisted  on  the  property  being  in  the  hands  of 
trustees  appointed  independently  of  the  grand 
lodge,  in  which  he  showed  discretion,  for  the 
board  is  thus  left  free  from  any  changes  made  in 
the  order.  However,  some  were  not  pleased 
with  it  and  made  such  strong  objections  that  of 
late  it  has  been  necessary  to  abandon  the  in- 
dustrial school.  This  school  had  done  much 
good,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  some  of  its 
pupils  are  now  occupying  positions  of  trust  in 
various  places;  but  the  grand  lodge,  repudiating 
its  former  action,  the  school  was  closed.  For 
this  reason  the  good  work  has  been  retarded,  but 
it  is  the  hope  that  it  can  be  taken  up  again  soon, 
and  the  charitable  plans  of  its  originator  carried 
out. 

Mr.  Stine  was  made  an  Odd  Fellow  in  Mattoon, 
111.,  in  1873,  but  lie  did  not  take  an  active  part  in 
the  order  until  he  came  to  Kansas.  He  is  now  a 
member  of  Ottawa  Lodge  and  has  been  connected 
with  the  grand  lodge  since  1S81,  having  been  its 
treasurer  from  1883  to  1894.  For  the  same 
period  he  also  served  as  treasurer  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  the  Fraternal  Benefit  Association 
of  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Rebekahs,  Encampment,  Canton  and  Muscovites. 
At  the  time  of  the  meeting  of  the  sovereign  grand 
lodge  in  California  he  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee of  escort.  He  was  one  of  the  committee 
of  fifteen  that  went  from  this  grand  lodge  to 
Columbus,  Ohio,  in  order  to  invite  the  grand 
lodge  to  Kansas;  their  invitation  was  accepted 
and  the  convention  was  held  in  Topeka.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  the  Fraternal  Aid,  of  which 
he  was  general  treasurer  for  many  years.  He  is 
also  connected  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  with  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of 
Security. 

In  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stine  there  are 
a  son,  Nathaniel  True,  and  a  daughter,  Louis 
Fay.  The  son  is  a  graduate  of  Wentworth 
Military  Academy  at  Lexington,  Mo.,  and  the 
daughter  is  a  student  in  the  public  schools  of 
Ottawa.  The  family  are  members  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church. 


For  years  Mr.  Stine  has  been  chairman  of  the 
county  Democratic  central  committee.  In  1896 
he  was  a  delegate  from  the  second  congressional 
district  to  the  national  convention  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  Chicago,  where  W.  J.  Bryan  was 
nominated  for  president.  He  is  personally 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Bryan,  whom  he  had  the 
honor  of  entertaining  in  his  home  on  South  Main 
street.  He  aided  in  the  organization,  and  is  now 
president,  of  the  Ottawa  Publishing  Company, 
publishers  of  the  Daily  Republican,  which  is  now 
a  Democratic  paper  in  its  politics.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Commercial  Club. 


ROBERT  L.  WOOD,  M.  D.,  a  resident  of 
Kansas  since  1858,  is  the  oldest  physician  of 
Leavenworth  County.  When  he  came  to 
this  state  he  purchased  a  farm  ten  miles  southwest 
of  Leavenworth  and,  in  connection  with  his  pro- 
fessional work,  superintended  the  cultivation  of 
his  land.  He  continued  an  active  and  busy  life, 
devoted  to  his  professional  duties  and  agricultu- 
ral pursuits,  but  after  years  of  activity  he  retired 
in  1887  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Leavenworth. 
Upon  every  topic  connected  with  the  science  of 
medicine  and  also  upon  all  subjects  of  political 
importance  he  keeps  posted  and  is  well  informed. 
Dr.  Wood  was  born  in  Stokes  County,  N.  C. , 
in  1821.  The  ancestors  of  the  family  in  this 
country  came  from  England  and  settled  in  North 
Carolina.  Joseph  Wood,  the  doctor's  father,  was 
a  leading  physician  of  Randolph  County,  N.  C, 
and  also  carried  on  a  large  farm.  He  died  in 
Texas,  while  on  a  visit  in  that  state.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  was  eighty  years  of  age.  B}'  his 
marriage  to  Susan  Lindsay,  who  was  born  in 
North  Carolina,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  he  had 
seven  children,  three  now  living,  viz. :  Robert  L. ; 
Sidneys.,  M.  D.,  of  Orange,  Cal. ;  and  Sarah, 
wife  of  William  Yohe.  The  wife  and  mother 
died  at  seventy-six  years  of  age. 

The  medical  education  of  our  subject  was  ob- 
tained in  the  Louisville  (Ky.)  Medical  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1846.  During  that 
year  he  located  in  St.  Joe,  Mo.,  where  he  engaged 
in  practice  for  twelve  years,  coming  from  there  to 


350 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Leavenworth  County  in  1858.  He  has  always 
been  an  adherent  of  the-  Democratic  party,  but 
has  not  been  active  in  politics.  His  first  mar- 
riage was  in  1849  to  Georgia  Allen,  of  Kentucky, 
who  died  in  1859,  leaving  three  children,  viz.: 
William  B.,  a  physician  in  Orange,  Cal.;  Ella, 
wife  of  John  Keller;  and  Minnie,  who  married 
John  Hutchinson,  of  California.  By  his  second 
wife,  who  was  Mary  Black,  Dr.  Wood  had  three 
children:  Leila,  widow  of  Robert  Melvin;  Henry 
and  Jesse.  His  third  wife  was  Catherine  Bux- 
ton, a  native  of  Missouri,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children:  Edwin  S.,  Blanche  and  Estella. 


ITDWIN  S.  wood,  M.  D.,  police  surgeon  and 
j^  secretary  of  the  board  of  health  of  Leaven- 
^_  worth,  also  health  officer  of  Leavenworth 
County,  was  born  in  High  Prairie  Township, 
October  25,  1872,  a  son  of  Dr.  Robert  L.  and 
Sarah  (Buxton)  Wood,  natives  respectively  of 
Stokes  County,  N.  C,  and  Clay  County,  Mo. 
The  family  of  which  he  is  a  member  has  given 
many  eminent  men  to  the  medical  profession. 
Its  members  have  been  unusually  successful  as 
physicians  and  surgeons,  possessing  the  peculiar 
mental  traits  and  talents  requisite  for  a  successful 
professional  career.  His  grandfather  and  father 
both  devoted  the  active  years  of  their  lives  to  the 
science  of  medicine  and  were  skillful  practition- 
ers. An  uncle  and  a  brother  are  now  success- 
fully practicing  in  Orange,  Cal.,  and  other  rela- 
tives have  also  entered  this  profession. 

It  is  not  strange  therefore  that  Dr.  Wood  se- 
lected therapeutics  as  the  science  to  which  his 
life  should  be  devoted.  His  preliminary  profes- 
sional studies  were  conducted  under  his  father's 
oversight.  After  one  year  with  him,  in  1893  he 
entered  Rush  Medical  College  in  Chicago,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1896,  with  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  Returning  to  Leavenworth,  he  opened  an 
ofiice  and  has  since  carried  on  a  general  practice. 
In  the  spring  of  1897  he  was  appointed  police 
surgeon  and  secretary  of  the  board  of  health, 
which  positions  he  has  since  filled  efficiently. 
Since  January,  1899,  he  has  also  held  the  office 
of  county  health  officer,  to  which  he  was  appoint- 
ed by  the  county  commissioners. 


Dr.  Wood  is  a  member  of  the  Leavenworth 
County  Medical  Society  and  the  Alumni  Associ- 
ation of  Rush  Medical  College,  also  the  Phi  Rho 
Sigma  Fraternity.  He  votes  the  Democratic 
ticket  at  local  and  national  elections.  Fratern- 
ally he  is  a  member  of  King  Solomon  Lodge  No. 
ID,  A.  F.  &  A.  M 


ELARK  WILBER,  who  owns  and  cultivates 
a  valuable  farm  in  Sherman  Township, 
Leavenworth  County,  was  born  in  Erie 
County,  Ohio,  June  21,  1853,  being  a  son  of 
Thomas  G.  and  Abigail  (Mason)  Wilber.  His 
father,  a  native  of  New  York  state,  removed  to 
Ohio  in  early  manhood  and  there  followed  the 
blacksmith's  trade  and  general  farming  until  his 
retirement  from  business.  He  was  a  man  who 
stood  high  in  his  community.  In  politics,  though 
not  active,  he  was  interested,  and  always  sup- 
ported Democratic  principles.  He  died  in  1887, 
when  sixty -two  years  of  age.  He  had  long  sur- 
vived his  wife,  who  passed  away  in  1868.  Of 
their  nine  children  all  but  one  are  living.  Rich- 
ard and  Amos  are  farmers  respectively  in  Fair- 
mount  and  Sherman  Townships,  Leavenworth 
County.  The  others  are:  Clark,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Charles  and  Mar}',  of  Ohio;  Ira,  of 
Sherman  Township;  Ezra  and  Jessie,  of  Ohio. 
The  Wilber  family  was  represented  in  New  Eng- 
land in  a  very  early  day,  and  Brownell  Wilber, 
our  subject's  grandfather,  removed  from  Massa- 
chusetts to  New  York. 

The  third  son  of  his  parents,  our  subject 
received  such  educational  advantages  as  his 
neighborhood  school  afforded.  At  an  early  age 
he  became  familiar  with  farm  work,  in  all  of  its 
details.  When  nineteen  he  began  to  learn  the 
mason's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  a  few  years, 
and  afterward  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Lorain 
County,  Ohio.  In  1881,  at  the  time  of  the  great 
flood,  he  first  came  to  Kansas  and  after  a  short 
visit  returned  to  Ohio,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  for  a  j'ear.  The  year  1883  found  him  a 
permanent  settler  of  Kansas,  where  he  bought 
forty  acres  in  Sherman  Township,  Leavenworth 
County.     He  is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred 


T^J^^VhOJ. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


353 


and  sixty  acres,  where  he  follows  general  farming 
and  stock-raising,  and  besides  his  home  place  he 
rents  considerable  land  which  he  devotes  to  farm 
purposes. 

Reared  under  Democratic  influences,  Mr.  Wil- 
ber  voted  that  ticket  for  some  years,  but  is  now 
inclined  to  be  independent.  As  road  overseer 
he  has  worked  in  the  interests  of  his  township. 
It  was  largely  through  his  influence  that  stone 
arch  bridges  have  been  built  in  the  roads  of  this 
section.  He  was  a  promoter  of  the  Kaw  River 
bridge  movement  and  endeavored  to  stir  up  popu- 
lar enthusiasm  in  behalf  of  this  needed  improve- 
ment. In  1873  he  married  Miss  Rachel  Aurilla 
Powell,  a  daughter  of  Philander  and  Lavina 
Powell,  who  was  born  in  Ohio.  They  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  namely;  Abbie  M., 
wife  of  Arthur  Taylor,  of  Carlinville,  111;  Minnie, 
Roy  and  Pearl.  Mr.  Wilber  has  given  his  chil- 
dren good  advantages,  in  order  to  fit  them  for  po- 
sitions of  usefulness  and  honor  in  the  world.  Re- 
alizing the  advantages  of  a  good  education,  he  has 
striven  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his  school  dis- 
trict and  has  been  much  interested  in  the  progress 
of  the  school.  For  three  years  he  was  a  member 
of  the  school  board,  of  which  he  served  as  the 
treasurer. 


[5)  EN.  WILLIAM  HENRY  SEARS,  attor- 
l_  ney-at-law,  of  Lawrence,  and  private  secre- 
VU  tary  to  United  States  Senator  W.  A.  Harris, 
was  born  in  Iowa  March  7,  1S58.  The  family 
has  been  represented  in  America  since  1630,  when 
Richard  Sears  crossed  the  ocean  in  company  with 
the  first  governor  of  Massachusetts.  Successive 
generations  resided  in  Massachusetts  and  were 
engaged  in  mercantile  and  shipping  pursuits. 
Col.  Isaac  Sears  was  the  founder  of  the  Sons  of 
Liberty  and  organized  the  movement  in  all  of  the 
colonies  from  Maine  to  Georgia.  It  was  the 
members  of  this  society  to  whose  influence  was 
due  the  primary  agitation  that  led  to  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  he  served  in  the  war  as  colonel.  It  is 
said  that  a  suggestion  from  him  led  to  the  forma- 
tion of  the  first  continental  congress.  He  had 
charge  of  the  party  that  pulled  down  the  statue  of 
King  George  III.  in  Bowling  Green  Park,  Ntw 
13 


York,  and  from  this  statue,  which  was  made  of 
lead,  he  moulded  forty-two  thousand  bullets, 
with  the  boast  that  he  "would  hurl  leaden  maj- 
esty at  King  George  III."  In  Connecticut  he 
organized  a  company  of  horsemen  who  went  to 
New  York  and  demolished  the  printing  ofiice  of 
James  Rivington,  publisher  of  the  Royal  Gazet- 
teer, in  the  interests  of  the  Royalists.  The  presses 
were  thrown  into  the  river,  and  bullets  were 
made  from  the  type.  At  the  time  he  and  his  men 
were  destroying  British  efi'ects,  Alexander  Ham- 
ilton made  an  earnest  appeal  to  the  people  to  rise 
up  and  stop  him,  but  he  was  not  interfered  with. 
Owing  to  his  prominence  he  was  known  as 
"King"  Sears.  The  family  have  in  their  pos- 
session an  autograph  letter  from  General  Wash- 
ington to  Major-General  Lee,  stating  that  if  he 
needed  a  man  of  intrepid  daring  and  courage  he 
should  call  upon  Col.  Isaac  Sears.  During  the 
war  he  was  elected  to  the  New  York  assembly, 
and  as  he  was  needed  there,  he  resigned  from  the 
army  and  gave  his  services  in  the  legislature. 
Being  wealthy  for  that  day,  he  was  enabled  to 
assist  the  movement  looking  toward  independ- 
ence, and,  indeed,  was  so  liberal  that  he  was  left 
penniless  at  the  close  of  the  war.  Having  a  good 
name  and  credit,  he  chartered  a  ship  and  engaged 
in  the  China  trade,  and  while  in  the  Orient  he 
died.  A  monument  was  erected  above  his  re- 
mains on  French  Island,  near  Canton.  Others 
of  the  family  were  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  but 
none  took  so  prominent  a  part  as  he.  To  his 
patriotism,  energy  and  determination  is  traced 
the  organization  which  in  the  end  started  the 
movement  for  the  organization  of  the  colonies, 
resulting  in  the  memorable  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. His  martial  spirit  has  been  inherited 
by  his  descendants,  some  of  whom  have  served 
in  all  our  country's  wars. 

Charles  M.  Sears,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Port  Leyden,  Lewis  County,  N.  Y., 
and  settled  in  Kansas  during  territorial  days, 
taking  up  a  claim  in  Eudora  Township,  Douglas 
County,  and  building  a  house  that  still  stands. 
He  resided  here  until  1880,  when  he  went  back 
east  and  established  his  home  in  Chillicothe, 
Ohio.     Since  his  return  east  he  has  engaged  in 


354 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  canning  business,  and  now  owns  the  largest 
factorj-  of  its  kind  in  Ohio.  In  proof  of  this 
statement,  it  maybe  said  that  in  Ma}',  1899,  he 
had  sold  five  million  cans  of  the  future  crop. 
During  his  residence  in  Kansas  he  was  not  active  in 
politics,  although  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
legislature,  county  commissioner  and  justice  of 
the  peace.  In  the  latter  position  he  gained  a 
reputation  for  ability.  At  the  time  of  the  Price 
raid  he  joined  the  Kansas  state  militia  and  served 
as  captain  of  his  company.  When  in  pursuit  of 
Ouantrell  during  the  celebrated  raid,  he  was 
wounded  in  the  neck.  At  this  writing  he  is 
commander  of  his  Grand  Army  post.  By  his 
marriage  to  Mary  Ann  Hayes-Smith,  of  New 
York,  he  had  nine  children,  of  whom  four  sons 
and  one  daughter  are  living,  our  subject  being 
the  only  one  in  Kansas. 

Both  in  the  arts  and  in  law  our  subject  re- 
ceived excellent  advantages.  He  graduated  from 
the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Kansas 
June  12,  1890,  and  the  post-graduate  law  depart- 
ment University  of  Michigan  June  30,  1892. 
Since  completing  his  studies  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  practice  in  Lawrence.  From  the  time 
of  the  organization  of  the  National  Guard  in  1885, 
up  to  the  spring  of  1899,  he  was  connected  with 
it.  For  two  years  before  he  had  been  captain  of 
an  independent  company,  the  Robinson  Rifles. 
He  organized  the  military  system  at  the  Haskell 
Institute  and  formed  a  regiment  of  eight  compa- 
nies, which  he  drilled.  Enlisting  as  a  private 
in  the  National  Guard,  he  worked  his  way  up  to 
the  rank  of  senior  brigadier-general.  He  con- 
ceived and  carried  out  an  idea  which  resulted  in 
the  starting  of  the  first  camp  of  observation  and 
school  of  instruction  in  the  state  and,  indeed,  in 
the  entire  country.  At  their  meeting,  held  in 
Fort  Leavenworth,  they  not  only  had  the  benefit  of 
the  best  instruction  of  the  regular  army,  but  also 
the  benefit  of  seeing  the  actual  drill  of  the  regu- 
lar army  in  all  of  its  branches.  Upon  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  war  with  Spain  he  ofiered  his 
services  to  Governor  Leedy,  having  the  endorse- 
ment of  every  representative  and  both  senators 
of  the  state,  but  as  he  had  supported  Hon.  W.  A. 
Harris  when  the  latter  was  a  candidate  for  gover- 


nor, he  was  ignored,  although  without  doubt  the 
National  Guard  in  Kansas  had  no  man  more  able 
or  better  posted  than  he.  It  is  said  that  he  has  the 
finest  military  library  of  any  citizen-soldier  in 
the  state.  During  the  legislative  trouble  at  To- 
peka  in  1893  he  served  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
elicit  the  praise  of  Governor  Llewelliiig,  who  be- 
lieved that  he  had  been  saved  from  '  'humiliation 
and  disgrace  and  possibly  assassination' '  by  the 
general's  promptness.  At  the  time  of  the  famous 
coal  strike,  he  commanded  two  regiments  and 
was  under  arms  for  three  days. 

At  the  time  of  Senator  Harris'  campaign,  Gen- 
eral Sears  was  one  of  his  lieutenants,  and  did 
such  valuable  work  in  his  behalf  that  he  was 
chosen  private  secretary  upon  the  election  of  Mr. 
Harris  to  the  senate.  In  politics  he  is  an  ardent 
Populist,  and  is  prominent  in  the  councils  of  his 
partj-,  but  has  worked  less  for  himself  than  for 
others.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Phi  Delta  Pi  and 
Sigma  Nu  of  his  alma  mater.  June  25,  1S84,  he 
married  Alice  H.  Peabody,  daughter  of  Maj. 
David  G.  Peabody,  of  Lawrence.  They  have  a 
son,  Burton  Winthrop  Sears. 


HON.  CARMI  W.  BABCOCK.  For  many 
years  General  Babcock  was  one  of  the  most 
influential  citizens  of  Lawrence,  to  which 
city  he  came  in  September,  1854,  wben  it  con- 
tained only  a  few  houses  and  gave  little  indication 
of  its  present  importance  and  commercial  stand- 
ing. From  that  time  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  October,  1890,  he  was  active  in  pro- 
moting the  interests  of  the  town  and  prominent 
also  in  political  circles  throughout  the  state.  As 
a  citizen  he  gave  his  support  to  measures  of  un- 
doubted value,  and  his  co  operation  was  always 
relied  upon  in  the  perfecting  of  progressive  plans. 
A  son  of  Elias  and  Clara  (Olmsted)  Babcock, 
natives  of  Vermont  and  members  of  prominent 
families  of  that  state,  the  subject  of  this  article 
was  born  in  Franklin  Count}-,  Vt.,  April  21, 
1830.  He  was  a  brother  of  Gen.  O.  E.  Babcock, 
who  served  on  the  staff  of  General  Grant;  Myron 
Babcock,  M.  D.,  a  prominent  physician  of  Sara- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


355 


toga  Springs,  N.  Y.,  and  Hon.  L.  A.  Babcock, 
who  was  the  first  attornej'-general  of  Minnesota. 
His  education  was  obtained  principally  in  Bakers- 
field  Academy,  after  which  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing. In  1850  he  went  to  Minnesota  and  studied 
law  in  the  office  of  Babcock  &  Wilkinson,  of  St. 
Paul.  In  1853  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
the  following  year  came  to  Kansas,  where  he  took 
up  a  claim  on  the  south  end  of  Massachusetts 
street,  in  Lawrence.  This  property  was  after- 
ward laid  off  in  town  lots  as  Babcock's  addition. 
After  devoting  a  short  time  to  the  practice  of  law 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  another  gentleman, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Babcock  &  Lykins,  and 
the  two  opened  on  Massachusetts  street  what  was 
the  first  banking  institution  in  the  city.  At  the 
time  of  Quantrell's  raid  their  bank  was  burned 
and  they  suffered  a  heavy  loss. 

In  the  winter  of  1854-55  Mr.  Babcock  was  ap- 
pointed the  first  postmaster  of  Lawrence,  an 
office  which  he  held  for  four  years.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  first  mayors  of  the  city  and  served  for 
several  terms  as  a  member  of  the  city  council. 
In  1856  he  was  elected  to  the  free  state  legisla- 
ture, and  he  was  honored  by  being  chosen  presi- 
dent of  the  first  state  senate.  He  built  the  Law- 
rence bridge  and  owned  it  for  twenty  years.  In 
1869  he  was  appointed  by  President  Grant  sur- 
veyor-general for  the  state  of  Kansas,  and  in 
1873  was  again  appointed  to  the  position.  While 
acting  in  that  capacity  he  finished  the  survey  of 
the  public  lands  and  the  office  was  then  abolished. 

From  1877  Mr.  Babcock  was  a  contractor,  and 
one  of  his  contracts  was  that  for  the  east  wing  of 
the  state  capitol.  Later,  and  until  his  death,  he 
was  secretary  of  the  Kansas  Basket  Manufactur- 
ing Company.  Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason.  He 
was  a  vestryman  and  senior  warden  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  and  a  generous  contributor  to 
its  maintenance. 

January  17,  1866,  in  LaCrosse,  Wis.,  General 
Babcock  married  Miss  Martha  C.  Gillette,  who 
was  born  in  Cleveland,  and  whose  first  teacher 
was  the  lady  who  afterward  married  President 
Garfield.  Her  father,  Seth  A.  Gillette,  was  born 
in  Ohio,  a  son  of  Griswold  Gillette,  who  was  an 
early  settler  on  the  western  reserve,   and  whose 


wife  was  the  oldest  daughter  of  Colonel  Tracy, 
of  Revolutionary  fame.  From  Ohio  Seth  A. 
Gillette  moved  to  Wisconsin  and  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber  in  LaCrosse,  where  he 
was  successful,  retrieving  the  losses  he  had  ex- 
perienced in  Ohio.  His  last  years  were  spent  in 
Lawrence.  He  married  Belinda  Peas,  who  was 
born  in  Ohio,  the  youngest  of  a  large  family  of 
children  whose  father  was  a  captain  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  She  spent  her  last  years  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Babcock.  Of  her  five  children 
Mrs.  Babcock  was  the  youngest  and  is  the  only 
one  now  living.  She  was  educated  in  LaCrosse 
Seminary  and  a  private  .school,  and  is  a  lady  of 
refinement  and  culture.  General  and  Mrs.  Bab- 
cock were  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely: 
Mrs.  Martha  Gillette  Pierson,  of  Lawrence; 
Clifford  Gillette,  who  is  connected  with  the  Santa 
Fe  road  in  Argentine,  Kans.;  and  Frances 
Adelaide,  who  graduated  in  the  department  of 
fine  arts.  University  of  Kansas,  in  the  class  of 
1899-  

IILLIAM  FRANKLIN  SPENCER,  who  is 
engaged  in  business  in  Leavenworth,  was 
born  in  Buchanan  County,  Mo.,  in  1843, 
a  son  of  Obadiah  M.  and  Nancy  (Wilhams) 
Spencer,  and  a  descendant,  on  the  paternal  side, 
of  English  ancestors  who  settled  in  the  south  in 
a  very  early  day.  His  father,  who  was  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  removed  to  Missouri  in  1837 
and  engaged  in  farming  there  for  years,  meeting 
with  fair  success  in  his  work.  During  1870  he 
came  to  Leavenworth  County,  Kans.,  and  pur- 
chased the  old  land  office  farm  in  Kickapoo 
Township.  Here  he  carried  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits, becoming  an  extensive  and  prosperous 
farmer.  His  death  occurred  in  1886,  when  he 
was  seventj'-seven  years  of  age,  and  his  wife  also 
died  in  this  township. 

Of  five  sons  and  five  daughters  comprising  the 
family  our  subject  was  the  second  son  in  order 
of  birth.  He  was  educated  in  Missouri  in  coun- 
try schools.  During  the  Civil  war  he  engaged  in 
freighting  across  the  plains  from  the  Missouri 
River  to  Denver,  Colo.,  and,  with  his  ox-teams, 
did  a  large  amount  of  hauling.     He  continued 


356 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  the  business  for  three  years,  after  which  he 
turned  his  attention  to  farming.  The  5'ear  1870 
found  him  in  Kansas.  In  Leavenworth  County 
he  bought  from  Eli  McCullough  one  hundred 
acres  of  farming  land,  to  which  he  afterward 
added  from  time  to  time,  until  his  lauded  posses- 
sions now  aggregate  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  acres,  the  property  being  used  as  a  stock 
farm  for  the  raising  of  fine  horses  and  cattle.  He 
now  owns  the  old  homestead,  where  his  father 
and  mother  spent  their  last  days.  In  1898  he 
bought  the  old  Cook  liver}^  stable  on  Miami 
street  and  at  once  built  new  barns,  where  he  has 
since  conducted  a  general  livery  business. 

In  principles  a  stanch  Democrat,  Mr.  Spencer 
has  always  been  interested  in  the  work  of  his 
party.  In  1898  he  was  a  candidate  for  county 
treasurer.  He  served  as  township  trustee  for  one 
}'ear  and  has  filled  other  ofiices  of  responsibilitj-, 
in  all  of  which  he  has  worked  for  the  benefit  of 
local  interests.  In  Kickapoo  Lodge  No.  61,  K. 
of  P.,  he  has  held  the  office  of  chancellor.  He 
is  also  connected  with  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of 
Security  in  Kickapoo.  In  1S99  he  rented  his 
farm  property  and  took  up  his  residence  in  town, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home  on  Fourth 
and  Walnut  streets,  opposite  the  court  house. 
By  his  marriage  in  1872  to  Miss  Laura  Jennison, 
he  has  six  children,  Oliver  Martin,  Phoebe, 
Alonzo,  Nancy,  Ella  and  William  F.,  Jr. 


NENRY  C.  F.  HACKBUSCH,  of  Leaven- 
worth, was  born  in  Marnitz,  Germany,  Sep- 
tember II,  1832,  a  son  of  Henry  J.  F.  and 
Dorothea  (Schroeder)  Hackbusch,  the  latter  of 
whom  died  when  he  was  only  four  years  of  age. 
He  was  given  good  educational  advantages  by  his 
father  and  attended  Frederick  Franz  College  at 
Parchim,  in  the  grand  duchy  of  Mecklenburg- 
Schwerin.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  immi- 
grated to  America  and  settled  in  Dubuque,  Iowa, 
where  he  made  his  home  from  1851  to  1857. 
While  there  he  engaged  in  various  occupations. 
For  three  winters  he  worked  in  a  printing  office 
and  during  several  summers  engaged  in  survey- 
ing public  lands  in  Wisconsin,  Iowa  and  Minne- 


sota. In  1855  he  was  given  a  position  in  the 
engineer's  department  of  the  Dubuque  Harbor 
Improvement  Company,  where  he  remained 
until  he  came  to  Leavenworth  two  years  later. 
During  his  first  year  here  he  followed  surveying, 
after  which  for  six  months  he  was  in  the  office  of 
the  United  States  surveyor-general  of  Kansas  and 
Nebraska,  as  draughtsman,  and  then  became  a 
surveyor  of  public  lands  on  the  plains.  In  the 
spring  of  1861  he  entered  the  surveyor  general's 
office  as  principal  draughtsman,  in  which  capac- 
ity he  was  employed  for  two  and  one-half  years. 
In  the  fall  of  1863  he  was  promoted  to  be  chief 
clerk  and  continued  in  that  position  until  August, 
1864,  when  he  resigned  in  order  to  engage  in 
field  work. 

In  the  summer  of  1869  Hon.  C.  W.  Babcock 
appointed  Mr.  Hackbusch  chief  clerk  in  the  of- 
fice of  the  surveyor-general  of  Kansas,  and  this 
position  he  held  for  four  years,  but  resigned  in 
1873  in  order  to  accept  an  appointment  from  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  as  United  States  sur- 
veyor of  Indian  lands  in  the  Indian  Territory. 
He  continued  in  the  position  until  1875,  when 
the  office  was  temporarilj'  discontinued  by  the 
government.  The  work  in  which  he  has  en- 
gaged has  brought  him  in  contact  with  various 
Indian  tribes,  the  Sioux  in  Minnesota,  the 
Pawnees,  Omahas  and  Otoes  in  Nebraska,  etc., 
and  during  all  of  his  intercourse  with  them  he 
had  no  trouble  of  a  serious  nature,  but  won  their 
confidence  by  his  fair  dealings.  During  the  ex- 
istence of  the  Whig  party  he  voted  with  it,  and 
since  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  he 
has  voted  for  his  principles. 

During  1895,  1896  and  1897  ^^-  Hackbusch 
was  with  a  geological  surveying  party  in  the 
Indian  Territory.  He  was  then  sent  to  Wyom- 
ing by  the  commissioner  of  the  general  land  office 
for  the  purpose  of  examining  government  sur- 
veys, in  which  he  was  engaged  for  five  months. 
During  the  summer  of  1899  he  was  connected 
with  the  Dawes  commission  and  worked  in  the 
Indian  Territory.  In  1893  he  was  elected  to  the 
legislature  from  Leavenworth,  and  in  1S95  and 
1897  was  re-elected  to  the  office,  serving  as  a 
member  of  the  committees  on  mines  and  mining, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


557 


rail  roads  and  insurance.  In  1S84  and  1S85  he 
held  the  office  of  county  treasurer.  He  and  his 
wife,  who  was  Anna  Mathonet,  of  Leavenworth, 
are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Florentine, 
Dorothea  and  Frederick.  Bj'  a  former  marriage 
he  has  a  son,  Henr}',  who  is  a  railroad  engineer. 
Fraternallj-  Mr.  Hackbusch  is  a  member  of 
Lodge  No.  26,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
He  is  also  connected  with  the  blue  lodge,  chap- 
ter, commandery.  Mystic  Shrine  in  Masonrj-. 
In  his  business  he  has  met  with  success.  Com- 
ing to  America  without  means,  he  has  built  up  a 
fine  reputation  for  proficiency  in  surveying  and 
in  this  occupation  has  become  well  known 
throughout  the  west.  The  United  States  Gen- 
eral Land  Office  consider  him  one  of  their  most 
competent  and  experienced  surveyors. 


30HN  M.  PHILLIPS,  M.  D.,  of  Linwood, 
is  a  descendant  of  an  English  family  that  set- 
tled in  North  Carolina  in  a  very  early  day. 
His  grandfather,  Absalom,  and  great-grand- 
father, Capt.  Josiah  Phillips  (who  was  an  officer 
in  the  colonial  army  during  the  Revolutionary 
war),  were  planters  in  North  Carolina;  but,  in 
1836  the  former,  accompanied  by  his  famil}',  re- 
moved to  Indiana  and  settled  in  Martinsville, 
Morgan  County.  The  doctor's  father,  the  Rev.  . 
James  S.  Phillips,  was  a  young  man  at  the  time 
of  the  removal  to  the  north,  and  much  of  his  sub- 
sequent active  life  was  spent  in  that  state.  While 
farming  was  his  occupation,  his  time  was  largely 
given  to  ministerial  work,  and  his  services  were 
given  gratuitously  for  the  good  of  the  cause. 
About  1884  he  retired  from  active  labors,  and 
now,  at  eighty-four  years  of  age,  he  is  making 
his  home  with  his  son,  Isaac  Q. ,  in  Douglas 
County,  Kans.  His  wife,  Sarah  M.,  daughter  of 
Nathan  and  Nancy  (Dickinson)  Edwards,  na- 
tives respectively  of  the  north  of  Ireland  and 
Scotland,  was  born  in  Chatham  County,  N.  C, 
and  died  in  Arkansas  in  1S95,  at  eighty-one  years 
of  age.  The  first  member  of  the  Edwards  family 
to  come  to  America  was  her  grandfather,  Noah 
Edwards,  who  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland, 
of  Scotch  extraction,  and  who,  settling  in  North 


Carolina,  became  a  planter  in  that  state.  From 
there  his  son,  Nathan,  removed  to  Indiana  dur- 
ing the  early  settlement  of  that  state,  and,  secur- 
ing a  tract  of  unimproved  land,  developed  a  fine 
farm. 

Of  a  family  of  nine  children,  four  sons  are  now 
living,  namely:  Edwin  D.  F.  Phillips,  M.  D.,  of 
Lawrence;  Charles  W.,  of  Leavenworth  County; 
Isaac  Q.,  of  Douglas  County;  and  John  M.,  who 
was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth.  The  decea.sed 
are  Thomas  A.,  Nancy  A.,  Mary  F.,  Nathan  E. 
and  William  B.  Our  subject  was  born  in  Ham- 
ilton County,  Ind.,  July  18,  1852,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Indiana.  At  nine- 
teen years  of  age  he  came  to  Kansas  and  settled 
in  Tonganoxie,  where  he  became  familiar  with 
the  drug  business  under  the  instruction  of  his 
brother.  Dr.  E.  D.  F.  Phillips.  For  seven  years 
he  engaged  in  the  drug  business  at  Tonganoxie 
and  for  two  years  in  Lawrence.  Meantime  he 
carried  on  the  study  of  medicine.  In  187S  he  en- 
tered the  Kansas  City  Medical  College,  where  he 
took  the  complete  course  of  lectures  and  gradu- 
ated March  4,  1881,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
He  opened  an  office  in  Johnson  County,  but  after 
a  very  short  time,  in  the  fall  of  1 881,  he  came  to 
Linwood,  and  here  he  has  since  carried  on  a  gen- 
eral practice.  As  far  as  his  opportunities  per- 
mit ne  has  made  a  specialty  of  surgery,  in  which 
department  of  his  profession  he  is  intensely  inter- 
ested. It  is  his  aim  to  keep  in  touch  with  every 
development  in  the  medical  science,  and  he 
studies  professional  works  and  current  medical 
literature  with  the  thoughtfulness  of  one  who 
aims  to  keep  abreast  with  the  times. 

As  a  Republican  Dr.  Phillips  has  been  identi- 
fied with  local  politics.  For  some  time  he  served 
as  clerk  of  the  school  board  and  took  a  part  in 
the  building  of  the  schoolhouse  in  Linwood.  For 
one  term  he  held  the  office  of  township  clerk.  In 
Linwood  Lodge  No.  108,  K.  P.,  he  is  past  chan- 
cellor, and  he  is  al.so  connected  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Fraternal  Aid  So- 
ciety. Professionally  he  is  identified  with  the 
Eastern  District  Medical  Society.  To  the  work 
of  the  Congregational  Church  he  has  been  a  gen- 
erous contributor,  and  as  a  member  of  its  board 


358 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  trustees  he  has  been  instrumental  in  promot- 
ing its  welfare.  All  objects  for  the  benefit  of  the 
people,  commercially,  educationally  or  morally, 
receive  his  hearty  sympathy.  He  was  deeply  in- 
terested in  the  attempt  to  secure  a  bridge  over 
the  Kaw  River  between  Linwood  and  Johnson 
County,  and  still  cherishes  hopes  that  this  needed 
improvement  will  in  time  be  made.  December 
24,  1881,  he  married  Ida  F.,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam J.  Dawson,  of  Linwood.  They  and  their 
children.  Birdie  E.,  William  S.,  Kittie  I.  and 
Nellie  M. ,  occupy  the  residence  which  the  doctor 
erected  in  1888. 


^EORGE  D.  STINEBAUGH.  As  a  valiant 
l_  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  and  as  a  capable 
vU  business  man  of  Ottawa,  where  he  has  made 
his  home  since  March  24,  1866,  Mr.  Stinebaugh 
is  well  known  to  the  people  of  eastern  Kansas. 
He  was  born  near  Gallon,  Crawford  County, 
Ohio,  August  13,  1840,  a  descendant  of  ancestors 
of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  ancestry  represented 
among  the  pioneers  of  Pennsylvania.  His  grand- 
father, John,  son  of  Adam  Stinebaugh,  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
served  in  the  war  of  1812.  When  his  son,  Jacob 
(who  was  born  in  Hagerstown,  Md.,  in  1806), 
was  a  child  of  two  years,  he  moved  to  Horseshoe 
bottoms  on  Cheat  River  near  Beverly,  W.  Va., 
and  there  carried  on  a  blacksmith's  shop  and  en- 
gaged in  the  cattle  business.  He  died  during  a 
visit  to  Maryland  when  his  son  was  a  5'oung  man 
of  twenty-four.  The  latter  soon  afterward  moved 
to  Crawford  County,  Ohio,  married  and  engaged 
in  farming.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Williams 
County,  Ohio,  and  there  made  his  home  until 
1866,  when  the  entire  family  settled  in  Kansas. 
Buying  a  farm  in  Franklin  County,  near  the  now 
extinct  town  of  Ohio  City,  he  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  there  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1869,  at  sixty-three  years  of  age.  He 
was  a  man  of  considerable  ability;  reared  under 
the  judicious  oversight  of  his  father,  who  was  a 
man  of  prominence,  he  was  fitted  for  life's  re- 
sponsibilities, and  during  his  long  career  he 
proved  himself  to  be  a  man  of  integrity  and  intel- 
ligence.    Though  he  learned   the   blacksmith's 


trade  he  gave  little  attention  to  it,  but  devoted 
himself  to  farming.  While  in  Ohio  he  also  had 
mail  contracts  for  four  routes.  In  religion  he 
was  a  Lutheran. 

The  wife  of  Jacob  Stinebaugh  was  Helena 
Hershner,  who  was  born  in  York  County,  Pa.,  of 
German  descent,  and  about  1822  accompanied 
her  father  to  Ohio,  where  her  marriage  occurred. 
She  died  in  Kansas  March  4,  18S9,  when  eighty- 
three  years  of  age.  Of  her  ten  children  all  but 
one  attained  maturity  and  six  are  now  living. 
John,  who  was  a  member  of  Company  C,  One 
Hundredth  Ohio  Infantry,  in  the  Civil  war,  is  now 
living  in  St.  Joe,  ;Mo.;  Henrj',  who  was  a  ser- 
geant in  the  Thirty-eighth  Ohio  Infantry,  died 
in  Ohio  from  the  effects  of  his  arm)'  service;  An- 
drew, who  was  a  member  of  the  Tenth  Kansas 
militia,  is  now  in  California;  Jacob,  who  enlisted 
in  the  Thirty-eighth  Ohio  Infantry  and  was 
wounded  in  front  of  Atlanta,  now  makes  his 
home  in  Ottawa;  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  H. 
Towney,  living  near  Princeton,  Franklin  Coun- 
ty; George  D.  was  sixth  in  order  of  birth;  Mary 
died  in  childhood,  Mrs.  Ellen  Goodrich  died  in 
Ottawa;  Lydia  lives  in  Franklin  County;  and 
Mrs.  Anna  Campbell  resides  in  North  Dakota. 

When  fourteen  years  of  age  our  subject  accom- 
panied the  family  from  Gallon  to  Williams  Coun- 
ty. At  the  first  call  for  volunteers  in  the  Civil 
war  he  determined  to  enlist.  April  19,  1861,  he 
volunteered  in  Company  C,  Fourteenth  Ohio  In- 
fantry, and  was  mustered  in  at  Cleveland  for 
three  months.  Among  his  first  engagements 
where  those  at  Philippi,  Laurel  Hill  or  Beeling- 
ton,  Carricks  Ford  and  Cheat  River  (which  was 
almost  on  the  same  ground  where  his  father  was 
reared) .  He  was  mustered  out  at  Toledo,  Ohio, 
August  13,  1 86 1.  In  company  with  his  brother 
Henry  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Thirty-eighth 
Ohio  Infantry,  and  in  1864  they  were  joined  by  a 
third  brother,  Jacob.  Among  the  engagements 
of  his  second  term  of  service  were  Mill  Spring, 
Stone  River,  Perryville,  Chickamauga,  Mission 
Ridge,  Chattanooga,  Resaca,  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain, Snake  Creek  Gap,  and  all  the  battles  of  the 
Atlanta  siege.  In  the  battle  of  Jonesboro,  at  the 
first  volley,  every  man  within  ten  feet  of  him  was 


P0R1*RA1T  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


359 


struck.  And  in  the  second  volley  two  shots 
passed  through  his  left  leg,  another  grazed  the 
left  side,  while  one  grazed  the  top  of  his  head. 
About  sundown  he  was  carried  to  the  rear  and  at 
midnight  his  leg  was  amputated  on  the  field.  He 
was  sent  to  a  field  hospital,  where  he  remained 
three  days — then  was  transferred  to  the  hospital 
at  Atlanta,  then  to  Chattanooga,  afterwards  to 
Nashville,  Tenn. ,  thence  to  New  Albany,  Ind., 
later  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  he  was  dis- 
charged. As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  get  around 
he  was  given  the  head  clerkship  at  the  hospital, 
and  continued  in  that  capacity  until  July  14, 
1S65,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged  at  Lou- 
isville, Ky. 

Returning  home  Mr.  Stiuebaugh  took  a  course 
in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College  at  To- 
ledo, Ohio,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1866. 
He  then  came  to  Kansas,  where  he  was  employed 
as  deputy  recorder  of  deeds  of  Franklin  County. 
In  the  session  of  1866-67  he  served  as  enrolling 
clerk  of  the  house  of  representatives.  In  the  fall 
of  1867  he  was  elected  county  clerk  on  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  and  by  re-election  each  two 
years,  held  the  office  from  1868  to  1880.  While 
acting  as  county  clerk  he  had  become  interested 
in  the  real-estate  business,  and  in  this  he  has 
since  engaged.  In  1890  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  the  interior  department  and  has  since  been 
a  pension  attorney.  He  represents  six  of  the 
old-line  fire  insurance  companies.  For  two  years 
he  was  a  member  of  the  city  council  and  served 
on  the  school  board  at  the  time  of  .the  building  of 
Central  school.  For  some  time  he  served  as  city 
clerk.  He  is  a  member  of  George  H.  Thomas 
Post  No.  18,  G.  A.  R.,  and  his  wife  is  connected 
with  the  ladies  of  the  G.  A.  R.  For  several  years 
he  was  treasurer  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

The  residence  owned  by  Mr.  Stiuebaugh  stands 
at  No.  623  West  Fifth  street.  He  was  married 
September  13,  1868,  near  Ohio  City,  Kans.,  to 
Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy  (An- 
derson) Reese,  and  a  native  of  Lafayette,  Ind. 
Her  grandfather,  John  Reese,  who  was  of  Welsh 
descent,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  where  he  op- 
erated a  grist  mill.  He  served  in  the  Indian 
wars.     From  Virginia  James  Reese  moved  to  In- 


diana, settling  in  Boone  County,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  milling,  then  for  a  short  time  lived  in 
Lafayette.  Afterward  he  moved  to  the  vicinity 
of  Danville,  Vermilion  County,  111.,  and  there 
resided  until  his  death.  His  wife  was  born  in 
Pulaski  County,  Ky.,  a  daughter  of  Vardsman 
Anderson.  Mrs.  Reese  died  in  Indiana.  Of  her 
five  children  that  attained  maturity,  Lewis  A. 
served  in  the  Mexican  war,  then  was  in  the  regu- 
lar army  for  eight  years,  and  later  took  part  in 
the  Civil  war;  he  died  in  Neosho  County,  Kans. 
Samuel,  who  was  sergeant  in  Company  C,  Seven- 
ty-second Indiana  Infantry,  died  in  Oakwood, 
111.  Jesse  A.,  who  was  in  the  Fourth  United 
States  Cavalry  during  the  war  with  Mexico,  aft- 
erward served  for  fifteen  years  in  the  regular 
army,  and  in  the  Civil  war  was  a  member  of  the 
Seventh  Kansas  Regiment;  he  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Little  Blue  in  November,  1861,  the  first 
engagement  after  he  enlisted.  Elizabeth  J.  is  liv- 
ing in  Indianapolis,  Ind.  Marj'  A.,  who  was 
reared  in  Indiana,  came  to  Kansas  in  1867,  and 
September  13,  1868,  became  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Stiuebaugh,  by  whom  she  had  an  only  child,  Al- 
lie  E.,  deceased  at  fourteen  months.  After  the 
death  of  their  child  they  adopted  a  daughter, 
Matie  E.  Goodrich,  who  married  Frank  Illk,  and 
makes  her  home  near  Oakwood,  111. 


RS.  CLARINDA  L.  RUSSELL,  who  was 
born  in  Leavenworth  on  the  present  site  of 
the  Union  depot,  Delaware  and  Main 
streets,  in  May,  1856,  is  the  oldest  surviving 
resident  of  the  city  who  was  born  here.  She 
occupies  a  comfortable  residence,  a  part  of  which 
was  built  by  her  father,  Thomas  Cass,  in  1857, 
the  material  used  in  its  construction  being  native 
sawed  Cottonwood  lumber.  The  location  of  the 
residence  is  No.  718  Shawnee  street. 

Thomas  Cass  was  born  in  Kilkenny,  Ireland, 
October  11,  1823,  a  son  of  John  and  Bridget 
(Carey)  Cass,  also  natives  of  Ireland.  His 
father  died  on  the  ocean  when  he  was  bringing 
the  family  to  America,  and  the  mother  died  in 
New  York  City  the  same  year.  After  having 
spent  the  first  seven  years  of  his  American  life  in 


36o 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


different  places,  in  1853  Mr.  Cass  settled  in 
Leavenworth  and  entered  the  government  em- 
ploy, having  charge  of  trains  that  crossed  the 
plains.  He  was  such  a  stanch  free-state  man  that 
he  aroused  the  enmity  of  the  southern  adherents 
and  was  once  attacked  by  them  and  his  life  put  in 
the  greatest  peril,  but  he  managed  to  escape.  In 
1867  he  opened  a  store  that  was  known  as  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin.  He  was  interested  in  the  improve- 
ment of  the  city  and  built  both  residence  and  busi- 
ness houses.  At  the  time  he  built  on  Shawnee 
street  it  was  then  in  the  midst  of  the  woods,  and 
few  believed  that  the  city  would  ever  extend  such  a 
distance  from  Main  street.  In  politics  he  was  a 
stanch  Democrat. 

While  in  Chester,  111. ,  Thomas  Cass  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  Mary  Jones,  whom  he  mar- 
ried at  Weston,  Mo.,  in  1854.  She  was  born  in 
Allegheny,  Pa.,  and  died  in  Leavenworth,  Kans., 
in  February,  1859.  Her  parents,  John  and  Mary 
Jones,  were  Pennsylvanians  by  birth,  and  in  1832 
removed  to  Chester,  111.,  near  which  town  he 
cleared  and  improved  a  farm,  remaining  there 
until  his  death,  in  1871,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one 
years.  His  wife  died  in  1866.  His  father, 
Charles  Jones,  was  born  in  Wales  and  settled  in 
Pennsylvania,  being  a  resident  of  Allegheny  City 
at  the  time  of  his  death. 

When  our  subject's  mother  died  she  was  a 
small  child,  and  was  then  taken  by  her  father  to 
the  home  of  her  grandmother  Jones.  In  July, 
1865,  she  was  placed  in  Mount  St.  Mary's 
Academy,  at  Leavenworth,  where  she  was  a  pupil 
for  some  time.  She  also  attended  the  high  school 
of  Leavenworth.  Her  marriage,  which  took 
place  in  Leavenworth  June  i,  1876,  united  her 
with  Ephraim  Russell,  who  was  born  in  Paisley, 
Scotland.  His  father,  Joseph  Russell,  brought 
the  family  to  America  and  settled  in  Leaven- 
worth, Kans.,  where  he  died;  the  wife  and 
mother  is  now  making  her  home  in  Salt  Lake 
City.  Mr.  Russell  was  a  bricklayer  by  trade. 
He  followed  that  occupation  industriously  and 
successfully,  remaining  in  Leavenworth  until  his 
death,  in  1878.  Since  then  Mrs.  Russell  has 
given  her  attention  to  the  management  of  the 
property  she  inherited  from  her  father  and  to  the 


training  of  her  accomplished  daughters.  Birdie 
and  Ethel,  of  whose  talents  she  is  justly  proud. 
She  po.ssesses  genuine  business  ability,  with  the 
energy  and  determination  to  succeed,  and  has 
managed  her  property  interests  in  a  manner  that 
reflects  the  highest  credit  upon  her.  In  religion 
she  is  a  Roman  Catholic  and  holds  membership 
in  the  Cathedral.  Her  sympathies,  politically, 
have  always  been  with  the  Democratic  party. 


IOELSON  a.  CHAMBERS,  who  is  engaged 
nV  in  farming  and  stock-raising  in  Franklin 
1^  Township,  Franklin  County,  was  born  in 
North  Carolina  in  1833,  a  son  of  Joshua  and 
Nancy  (Powell)  Chambers.  He  was  the  oldest 
of  ten  children  born  to  the  first  marriage  of  his 
father.  The  latter,  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
engaged  in  farm  pursuits  there  until  very  shortly 
before  the  Civil  war,  when  he  moved  to  Indiana. 
After  having  made  his  home  in  that  state  for 
more  than  ten  years  he  removed  to  Iowa  and  there 
spent  the  remaining  years  of  his  life.  Politically 
he  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  first  married  in 
North  Carolina,  that  wife  dying  in  Indiana,  and 
afterward  he  married  a  second  time  in  Iowa. 

When  only  fifteen  years  of  age  our  subject 
went  to  Indiana,  preceding  his  father  to  that  state 
and  working  on  a  farm  there  from  1851  to  1866. 
During  the  latter  year  he  moved  to  Iowa,  settling 
upon  a  farm  in  Polk  County  and  actively  identi- 
fying himself  with  the  agricultural  interests  of 
that  section.  He  remained  there  until  1872,  and 
in  the  spring  of  the  latter  year  came  to  Kansas, 
first  settling  in  the  northern  part  of  Peoria  Town- 
ship, Franklin  County.  There  he  engaged  in 
farming  until  1877.  He  then  bought  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  raw  land  immediately 
south  of  where  he  now  lives.  He  broke  the  land, 
put  up  fences,  and  placed  the  property  under  ex- 
cellent improvement.  On  selling  that  tract  he 
bought  what  was  known  as  the  Wadsworth  farm 
adjoining  his  present  place  on  the  northeast.  He 
continued  to  reside  there  until  1896,  when  he 
bought  his  present  place  of  one  hundred  acres, 
where  he  raises  thoroughbred  Shorthorn  cattle 
and  Poland-China  hogs.     The  property  which  he 


^\ 

•! 

"^'""-^imII^l 

m 

w^ 

W' 

GUSTAVE  JULIUS  WOLFSPERGER. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


363 


now  owns  has  been  acquired  by  his  own  energy 
and  industry  since  coming  to  Kansas,  and  he  has 
no  reason  to  regret  his  decision  as  to  settling  in 
this  state. 

Since  1863  Mr.  Chambers  has  been  connected 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His 
first  vote  was  cast  for  John  C.  Fremont  for  presi- 
dent, and  since  then  he  has  always  been  a  Re- 
publican. In  Indiana,  July  2,  1855,  he  married 
Rhoda  E.  Nugent,  by  whom  he  had  five  children. 
Four  of  the  familj^are  now  living,  viz.:  John  O., 
who  married  Minnie  Cole  and  farms  in  partner- 
ship with  his  father;  Nancy  J.,  wife  of  John  L. 
Baker,  of  Franklin  County;  Amanda  E.,  who 
married  C.  W.  Badorf,  and  lives  in  Cowley, 
Kans. ;  and  Isabel,  wife  of  A.  J.  Steen,  of  Wells- 
ville. 


jcJUSTAVE  JULIUS  WOLFSPERGER,  de- 
l_  ceased,  was  for  some  years  before  his  death 
\^  successfully  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in 
Leavenworth,  being  proprietor  of  the  Kansas 
Central  hotel.  He  was  born  in  this  city  June  15, 
1 860, a  son  of  Mathias  and  Catherine  Wolfsperger, 
natives  of  Germanj'.  His  father  came  to  the 
United  States  when  twenty-two  years  of  age  and, 
after  a  short  time  in  New  York,  proceeded  to 
Kansas,  settling  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  built 
up  a  large  and  profitable  business  in  the  line  of 
staple  and  fancy  groceries.  He  came  from  an 
ancestry  that  was  noted  for  activity  in  the  busi- 
ness pursuits  of  life.  By  industry  and  judicious 
application  to  business  he  acquired  a  compe- 
tency. Throughout  life  he  was  connected  with 
the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  had  been  con- 
firmed in  boyhood.  His  death  occurred  in 
Leavenworth  May  3,  1898,  when  he  was  sixty- 
seven  years  of  age.  He  and  his  wife  had  three 
children,  but  all  are  now  deceased. 

When  seventeen  years  of  age  our  subject  went 
to  California,  where  he  remained  for  three  years. 
On  his  return  home  he  embarked  in  the  hotel 
business,  and  in  this  he  continued  until  about  a 
year  before  his  death,  January  14,1898.  In  the 
management  of  business  he  showed  an  intelli- 
gence and  honesty  of  purpose  that,  in  the  end, 
brought  its  own  reward.   Had  his  life  been  spared 


to  old  age  he  would  undoubtedly  have  become 
wealthy;  and,  while  he  was  still  a  young  man 
when  he  died,  he  nevertheless  left  his  family  in 
comfortable  circumstances.  His  energy  was  one 
of  the  noticeable  traits  of  his  character.  He 
was  constantly  occupied  with  plans  for  business 
and  for  the  extension  of  his  interests,  and  these 
plans  his  superior  executive  ability  enabled  him 
to  carry  out. 

October  12,  1882,  Mr.  Wolfsperger  married 
Miss  Alice  Jesson,  who  was  born  iu  Frankfort, 
Kans.,  and  was  reared  in  California.  Her 
father,  Soren  Jesson,  a  native  of  Denmark,  came 
to  America  when  a  young  man  and  settled  in 
Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  several 
years.  From  this  state  he  removed  to  California 
and  embarked  in  the  transfer  business.  He  now 
makes  his  home  in  San  Francisco,  but  at  this 
writing  is  in  Alaska.  He  married  Margaret 
Wright,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  of  English  ex- 
traction, and  died  at  middle  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wolfsperger  became  the  parents  of  two  daughters, 
Lela  Faj'  and  Alice  Gertrude,  both  of  whom  are 
with  their  mother.  The  family  are  connected 
with  the  Lutheran  Church.  A  capable  business 
woman,  Mrs.  Wolfsperger  superintends  the  in- 
terests left  by  her  husband  and  displays  resources 
of  mind,  as  well  as  a  genial  disposition,  that  make 
her  popular  in  society.  Mr.  Wolfsperger  was 
identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  in  politics  was  a  Democrat,  but  not 
actively  connected  with  partisan  affairs. 


0 LIVER  F.  SHORT,  a  pioneer  of  '57,  was 
born  in  Indiana,  where  for  some  years  his 
father  officiated  as  pastor  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  denomination,  later  being  similarly  en- 
gaged in  Springfield  and  Bloomington,  111.  The 
son  was  given  good  educational  advantages  and 
graduated  from  an  Illinois  college,  after  which 
he  gave  his  attention  to  civil  engineering  and  sur- 
veying. In  1857  he  came  west  on  the  govern- 
ment survey  of  Kansas  and  assisted  in  the  .survey 
of  the  greater  part  of  the  state.  He  continued  to 
follow  engineering  and  surveying  until  his  tragic 
death. 


3^4 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


In  August,  1874,  Mr.  Short  was  a  member  of 
a  party  of  twenty-two  who  were  engaged  in  sur- 
veying Meade  County,  near  where  the  county- 
seat  of  Meade  now  stands.  With  him  were  his 
two  sons,  Harold  C.  and  Truman.  The  party 
divided  up  into  three  smaller  parties,  besides 
four  men  who  remained  in  camp.  In  one  of  the 
parties  were  Mr.  Short,  his  son  Truman,  and  four 
others.  They  left  the  camp,  intending  to  remain 
absent  engaged  in  surveying  for  a  week.  He 
had  frequently  before  been  attacked  by  Indians, 
but  had  always  managed  to  escape.  It  had  been 
agreed  that  if  any  of  the  men  were  attacked  by 
Indians  they  should  set  the  prairie  grass  on  fire 
as  a  signal  to  the  men  at  the  camp  and  other  par- 
ties of  surveyors.  Unfortunately,  in  the  spot 
where  they  were  surveying  the  grass  had  verj' 
recently  been  burned.  When  seven  miles  from 
the  camp  they  were  attacked  by  the  savages.  It 
is  probable  that  the  Indians  were  ambushed  and 
unseen  by  the  white  men  until  they  began  to  fire. 
Mr.  Short  was  killed  instantlj'.  The  other  men 
started  to  run  back  toward  the  camp,  but  were 
pursued  by  the  Indians  and  shot  one  by  one,  the 
last  to  fall  being  within  three  miles  of  camp  when 
he  was  shot.  Their  wagon  was  also  shot  in  many 
different  places. 

The  lady  whom  Mr.  Short  had  married  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Celia  Catlin,  and  was  de- 
scended from  English  ancestors  who  were  early 
settlers  of  Connecticut.  Her  father,  T.  M.  Cat- 
lin, was  born  in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  and  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  Springfield, 
111.,  where  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm 
nine  miles  west  of  town.  For  years  he  engaged 
in  farming  and  the  stock  business  upon  that 
place,  and  there  his  daughter,  Celia,  was  born. 
When  advanced  in  years  he  came  to  Kansas,  and 
his  last  days  were  spent  in  the  home  of  his 
daughter;  he  died  in  May,  1895,  at  ninety-two 
years  of  age.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Short  was  blessed .  with  five  children,  one  of 
whom,  Truman,  has  already  been  mentioned, 
while  the  oldest,  Harold  C,  is  represented  in  the 
following  sketch;  O.  F. ,  Jr.,  is  engaged  in  the 
cattle  business  near  Boise  City, Idaho;  Leonard  re- 
sides in  Chicago,  and  Metella  C.  is  living  in  Colo- 


rado. After  the  death  of  our  subject  his  widow 
was  married  to  D.  C.  Hawthorne,  then  of  Leav- 
enworth, but  now  living  on  a  fruit  farm  near 
Grand  Junction,  Colo.,  where  Mrs.  Hawthorne 
has  made  her  home  for  some  years. 


NAROLD  C.  SHORT  was  born  in  Atchison, 
Kans.,  September  17,  185S.  His  early 
childhood  years  were  spent  in  that  city,  at  a 
time  when  it  and  the  surrounding  country  were 
in  the  midst  of  the  excitement  occasioned  by  bor- 
der warfare  and  civil  strife.  In  1865  his  parents 
removed  to  Leavenworth,  and  he  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  this  city.  During  his 
vacations  he  always  accompanied  his  father  on 
surveying  expeditions,  and  in  that  way  became 
familiar  with  the  work.  These  surveys  were 
principally  in  Kansas,  although  some  of  them 
were  in  the  Indian  Territory.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  expedition  in  1874,  when  his  father  and 
brother  were  killed,  and  only  escaped  through 
being  with  another  party. 

In  the  fall  of  1874  Mr.  Short  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  Kansas,  and  there  he  took  the  regular 
four  years'  course  of  study,  receiving  a  degree  on 
the  conclusion  of  his  course.  In  1878  he  went  to 
Boise  City,  Idaho,  where  a  brother  of  his  mother 
lived,  and  with  him  he  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness, but  in  1885  returned  to  Leavenworth.  He 
entered  the  employ  of  S.  F.  At  wood,  who  had  been 
in  charge  of  the  abstract  books  since  1857.  Upon 
the  death  of  Mr.  Atwood  in  1886  Mr.  Short 
bought  the  abstract  books  and  has  since  con- 
tinued the  business.  He  has  the  oldest  set  of  ab- 
stract books  in  Leavenworth  County.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  work  he  is  also  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  and  loan  business.  His  office  is  in  the 
Manufacturers'  National  Bank  building. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Short  took  place  in  Leav- 
enworth, and  united  him  with  Miss  Emma  Neu- 
bauer,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  and  was 
brought  in  childhood  to  Leavenworth  by  her 
parents.  The  two  children  born  of  this  union 
are:  Harold  C,  Jr.,  and  Helen.  The  family  are 
connected  with  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  to 


POR'TRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


365 


the  support  of  which  Mr.  Short  contributes.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association  of 
Leavenworth.  In  pohtics  he  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican. 


IT  DMUND  LISTER,  proprietor  of  the  Lister 
j^  stock  farm  in  Peoria  Township,  Franklin 
|_  County,  came  to  Kansas  in  September, 
1859,  with  the  intention  of  selecting  a  suitable 
location  for  a  home.  He  bought  a  horse  in  Leav- 
enworth and  rode  over  much  of  the  country,  fin- 
ally coming  to  the  place  where  he  now  lives. 
Being  pleased  with  the  location  and  advantages, 
he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  at 
once  began  its  improvement.  He  now  farms 
about  two  hundred  acres,  which  is  mostly  in  corn 
to  be  used  for  feed  for  stock.  The  remainder  of 
the  land  which  he  has  acquired  is  in  grass  for 
pasturage.  While  he  buys  cattle  of  various 
grades,  his  specialty  is  the  Shorthorn  breed.  At 
one  time  he  had  many  draft  horses  on  his  place, 
but  since  the  depreciation  in  prices  he  has  given 
little  attention  to  raising  horses.  Besides  his 
other  stock  he  has  one  hundred  or  more  head  of 
hogs.  At  this  writing  his  landed  possessions  ag- 
gregate eight  hundred  acres  in  his  home  farm 
and  other  farms  in  different  localities,  besides  two 
hundred  acres  in  Missouri  in  the  mineral  belt 
just  east  of  Joplin.  This  success  is  remarkable 
when  it  is  considered  that  he  started  without 
capital,  and  all  that  he  has  acquired  is  the  result 
of  his  industry  and  abilitj-. 

In  Lincolnshire  England,  Mr.  Lister  was  born 
February  18,  1831,  a  son  of  Robert  and  Mary 
(Wray)  Lister,  both  of  whom  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  England.  He  was  one  of  nine  children, 
of  whom  two  sons  and  three  daughters  came  to 
America.  His  father,  who  was  a  druggist  and 
farmer,  held  some  official  positions,  and  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Church  of  England.  When 
a  boy  our  subject  had  few  advantages,  and  the 
education  he  possesses  has  been  acquired  by  his 
own  efforts,  not  in  schools.  Reared  on  a  farm,  he 
learned  thoroughly  all  that  pertained  to  agricult- 
ure. Realizing  that  he  must  make  his  own  way 
in  the  world,  he  decided  to  come  to  the  United 
States.     While  his  parents  were  not   in  favor  of 


this  step  his  mind  was  made  up,  and  in  1850  he 
crossed  the  ocean  in  a  sailing  vessel  that  con- 
sumed thirty-four  days  in  the  voyage.  Landing 
in  New  York  he  proceeded  to  Chicago,  and  then 
went  to  Joliet,  111.,  where  he  remained  for  three 
years.  Next  he  went  to  California,  spending 
five  years  there  and  in  Washington.  He  was 
successful  in  mining  and  also  acted  as  manager 
of  a  ditch  company.  On  his  return  to  Illinois  he 
remained  only  a  few  months  and  then  came  to 
Kansas,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He 
is  one  of  the  largest  stock-dealers  in  Franklin 
County  and  has  met  with  unusual  success  in  his 
work.  He  was  one  of  the  first  who  became  in- 
terested in  the  Fair  association,  of  which  he  is  a 
life  member.  Until  about  1890  he  affiliated  with 
the  Democrats,  but  now  votes  with  the  Repub- 
licans. He  was  reared  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land and  has  always  adhered  to  that  faith. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Lister,  April  5,  i860, 
united  him  with  Miss  Mary  N.  Graham,  by 
whom  he  has  nine  children,  namely:  Mary 
Louisa;  Martha  Matilda,  who  is  married  and 
lives  in  Indianapolis,  Ind. ;  Ann;  Caldonia,  a 
teacher;  Jane;  Nora  Rebecca,  who  occupies  the 
chair  of  mathematics  in  St.  Mary's  hall,  an  Epis- 
copal seminary  at  Faribault,  Minn.;  Edmund, 
who  assists  in  the  management  of  the  home  place; 
Creanor  T.  and  Robert  H. 


^HOMAS  CLARK  RYAN  is  superintendent 
I  C  and  treasurer  of  the  Leavenworth  Coal 
vJ/  Company,  also  a  member  of  its  board  of  di- 
rectors. The  mine  owned  by  this  company  was 
opened  in  1863  and  is  not  only  the  oldest,  but  al- 
so the  largest,  coal  mine  in  Kansas.  Under  the 
management  of  Mr.  Ryan,  who  has  held  his  pres- 
ent position  since  January,  1899,  the  high  stand- 
ard of  the  mine  has  been  maintained  and  the 
company's  interests  well  protected.  He  is  a 
genial  and  acconnnodating  man,  yet  withal  de- 
termined and  energetic,  and  has  acquired  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  both  of  the  mining  of  coal  and 
of  gold  and  is  considered  an  expert  assayer. 

The  city  where  he  now  resides  is  his  native 
home,  and  here  he   was  born  August  26,  1866. 


366 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


He  is  a  son  of  Matthew  Ryan,  of  whom  mention 
is  made  upon  another  page.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Leavenworth  until  thirteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  was  sent  to  Notre  Dame  University 
in  Indiana,  and  there  carried  on  the  studies  of 
the  scientific  course  until  the  close  of  the  junior 
year.  From  the  time  he  was  twelve  years  of  age 
he  spent  his  vacations  in  Montana,  and  in  this 
way  he  early  became  interested  in  trailing  cattle 
and  in  ranching.  In  1880  he  embarked  in  the 
cattle  business,  and  six  years  later  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  cattle  owned  by  Ryan  Brothers 
Cattle  Company,  feeding  them  at  the  glucose 
works  in  Leavenworth.  In  1887  he  went  to  Den- 
ver and  for  five  years  was  connected  with  the 
Globe  smelter  there.  During  his  course  of  study 
at  Notre  Dame  he  had  gained  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  engineering,  chemistry,  assaying  and 
surveying,  and  this  knowledge  was  of  great  as- 
sistance to  him  in  his  work  at  the  smelter.  For 
two  years  he  was  assistant  assayer,  after  which 
he  was  chief  assayer,  holding  the  latter  position 
for  three  years  and  resigning  in  1892.  His  next 
work  was  at  Baker  City,  Ore.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  cattle  business  with  M.  C.  Harvey, 
shipping  cattle  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  continu- 
ing for  three  months  in  the  business. 

The  next  enterprise  in  which  Mr.  Ryan  be- 
came interested  was  the  Lost  Horse  mine,  which 
is  situated  in  the  San  Bernardino  range  of  moun- 
tains in  Riverside  County,  Cal.,  and  which  he 
purchased  from  George  W.  Lang.  He  took  the 
mine  as  a  prospect  and  spent  one  year  in  its  de- 
velopment, developing  it  to  a  depth  of  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  and  finding  ore  in  workable 
quantities,  with  a  four-foot  vein  that  gave  large 
assays.  The  indications  being  favorable,  he  or- 
ganized the  Lost  Horse  Mining  and  Milling 
Company,  of  which  he  has  since  been  president 
and  general  manager.  Under  his  supervision  a 
ten-stamp  mill  was  erected  and  equipped.  In 
December,  1898,  his  services  were  required  in 
Leavenworth  in  connection  with  the  coal  com- 
pany in  which  he  owned  large  interests.  It 
therefore  became  necessary  for  him  to  leave  Cali- 
fornia and  return  to  Kansas.  However  he  still 
owns  his  interest  in  the  mine,  which  is  operated 


under  the  management  of  a  superintendent. 
Since  1893  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Ryan  Brothers  Cattle  Company,  which  owns  large 
cattle  interests  in  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Indian 
Territory  and  Kansas. 

In  Leavenworth  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Ryan  to  Miss  Frances  O'Doniiell,  who  was  born 
in  Atchison,  Kans. ,  and  graduated  from  the 
Leavenworth  high  school  and  St.  Mary's  Acade- 
my. She  is  a  daughter  of  Frank  O'Donnell,  now 
a  resident  of  Leavenworth  and  president  of  the 
board  of  county  commissioners  of  Leavenworth 
County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ryaii  have  two  children, 
Katherine  Sheedy  and  Thomas  C,  Jr. 


K^IS  H.  SKOURUP,  proprietor  of  the  Ottawa 
ry  creamery,  is  a  Dane  by  birth  and  descent. 
l/g  His  parents,  Hans  J.  and  Catherine 
(Bugvraa)  Skourup,  were  born  in  Denmark,  the 
latter  a  daughter  of  Henrik  C.  Bugvraa,  and  the 
former  a  son  of  Jorgen  H.  Skourup.  In  religious 
belief  both  were  reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith  and 
became  identified  with  that  church.  The  father, 
who  is  now  seventy-five  years  of  age,  makes 
his  home  on  the  place  that  has  been  in  the  family 
for  more  than  three  hundred  years.  Of  his  twelve 
children  all  but  three  attained  maturity  and  eight 
are  living,  all  being  in  Denmark  except  N.  H. 
and  J.  H.,  the  latter  a  farmer  of  Grundj'  County, 
Iowa. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Jolland, 
Denmark,  May  28",  1868,  and  was  reared  on  the 
old  homestead,  attending  public  and  high  schools. 
In  youth  he  served  an  apprenticeship  in  a  cream- 
ery and  cheese  factory.  In  1S8S  he  entered  the 
Danish  army  and  served  for  a  year  in  the  king's 
life  and  body  guard.  Crossing  the  Atlantic  in 
1889,  he  joined  his  brother  in  Grundy  County, 
.  Iowa,  and  secured  employment  as  buttermaker  in 
a  creamery  at  Morrison,  where  he  remained  for 
two  years.  He  then  attended  the  Waterloo  Com- 
mercial College,  graduating  in  1892.  In  order 
to  become  acquainted  with  American  customs  he 
spent  one  summer  in  traveling  as  a  salesman.  In 
the  fall  of  1892  he  became  manager  of  the  cream- 
ery at  Reinbeck,  Iowa,  and  from  there  came  to 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


367 


Kansas  in  the  spring  of  1893.  The  Richmond 
Creamery  Company  had  recently  been  established 
and  its  building  completed.  He  accepted  the 
management  of  the  business,  in  which  he  later 
also  became  secretary  and  a  stockholder  and  di- 
rector. When  the  building  was  burned  down  in 
1S94  he  superintended  the  rebuilding  on  a  larger 
scale  than  before.  In  1896  he  sold  his  interest  in 
the  business  and  came  to  Ottawa,  building  the 
Ottawa  creamery,  of  which  he  is  the  sole  propri- 
etor. He  has  established  four  .skimming  sta- 
tions, located  at  Homewood,  Rantoul,  Norwood 
and  Pomona.  Twenty-five  thousaJid  pounds  of 
milk  are  handled  daily.  The  plant  is  modern 
and  substantial,  and  is  operated  by  an  engine  of 
ten- horse  and  a  boiler  of  twenty-horse  power. 
One  thousand  pounds  of  butter  are  manufactured 
per  day,  and  shipments  of  the  Ottawa  creamery 
brand  are  made  throughout  this  entire  region, 
where  the  superior  quality  of  the  butter  brings  a 
steady  demand,  at  good  prices. 

Mr.  Skourup  is  a  member  of  the  State  Dairy 
Association  and  the  National  Butter  Makers'  As- 
sociation. He  takes  an  interest  in  everything 
connected  with  his  chosen  occupation,  and  is  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  most  proficient  and  success- 
ful creamery  men  in  the  state.  In  politics  he 
affiliates  with  the  People's  party,  and  fraternally 
is  connected  with  Ottawa  Lodge  No.  24, 
I.  O.  O.  F.  He  was  married  in  this  city  to  Miss 
Annie  Greischar,  who  was  born  in  Richmond, 
Kans. ,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  Greischar,  of 
Richmond. 


(TOHN  A.  PORTER,  of  Williamsburg,  Frank- 
I  lin  County,  was  born  in  Mercer  County,  Pa., 
Q)  May  I,  1837,  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Mary 
E.  (Alexander)  Porter.  Both  of  his  grandfathers, 
George  W.  Porter  and  John  Alexander,  enlisted 
from  Pennsylvania  in  the  war  of  181 2,  and  the 
former  served  as  sergeant  of  his  company.  Great- 
grandfather Alexander  Porter,  who  it  is  thought 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  was  captured  by  the 
Indians  at  the  age  of  seven  years  and  was  kept 
until  he  was  twenty-one,  when  he  was  given  his 
liberty  and  returned  home  to  his  parents.  George 
W.    Porter,    who   was  a  native   of  Washington 


County,  Pa.,  was  for  many  years  a  resident  of 
Mercer  County,  that  state;  in  early  life  he  followed 
the  hatter's  trade,  but  afterward  opened  a  gro- 
cery in  Sharon,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  in  busi- 
ness for  many  years,  dying  in  that  town  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five.  A  native  of  Mercer  County, 
Alexander  Porter,  Jr.,  remained  during  his  en- 
tire life  in  that  county  and  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture and  sale  of  hats.  During  much  of  the 
time  his  home  was  in  Sharon,  of  which  place  he 
was  one  of  the  "fathers,"  and  a  member  of  its 
first  town  council.  His  political  affiliations  were 
first  with  the  Jeffersonian  Democrats,  but  later  he 
became  a  Republican,  and  as  such  took  an  active 
part  in  local  affairs.  A  lifelong  Presbyterian,  he 
was  for  several  years  an  elder  in  the  church.  He 
died  in  Sharon  in  1885,  when  eighty-four  years 
of  age,  and  his  wife  died  in  the  same  place  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five.  Of  their  six  children  three 
are  now  living,  namely:  Joseph  S.,  of  Sharon; 
Rachel,  Mrs.  Williams,  a  widow;  and  John  A. 

Until  nineteen  years  of  age  our  subject  remained 
in  Sharon.  He  then  traveled  for  two  years,  after 
which  he  settled  in  Warren,  Ohio,  and  learned 
the  tanning  business,  remaining  there  for  four 
years.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Sev- 
enty-sixth Pennsylvania  Infantry,  a  company 
whose  members  were  Sharon  boys.  He  was  as- 
signed to  the  Eighteenth  Army  Corps,  depart- 
ment of  the  south,  in  which  he  served  for  three 
years  and  eleven  months.  With  his  corps  he 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  James  Island,  June  10, 
1862;  Pocotaligo,  October  22,  1862,  Morris  Island, 
Fort  Wagoner,  etc.  In  the  spring  of  1864  the 
corps  was  consolidated  with  the  array  of  the 
James  River,  with  which  he  remained  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  meantime  taking  part  in  the 
battles  of  Chester  Heights,  Strawberry  Plains, 
Drury's  Bluff,  in  front  of  Petersburg  (where  he 
remained  in  the  entrenchments  six  weeks),  Chap- 
in's  Farm  (a  desperately  fought  engagement), 
and  Darbytown  Road.  In  the  last-named  battle, 
October  27,  1864,  he  lost  his  left  leg,  and  at  the 
battle  of  Pocotaligo  a  rifle  ball  passed  through 
his  ear  and  fractured  his  skull. 

Returning  from  the  war  to  his  native  town,  Mr. 
Porter  resided   there  until  i88o,   with  the  excep- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tion  of  a  short  time.  During  1880  he  came  to 
Kansas  and  took  charge  of  the  tinning  depart- 
ment in  the  shop  of  W.  C.  White,  a  former  Penn- 
sylvania man  who  had  embarked  in  business  at 
Williamsburg.  With  him  he  remained  for  six 
years,  after  which  he  followed  the  tinner's  trade 
until  he  retired  in  1895.  A  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, he  was  justice  of  the  peace  while  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  was  elected  to  the  same  office  in 
Kansas,  but  did  not  serve.  For  several  years  he 
has  served  as  a  class- leader  and  a  trustee  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  is  past  com- 
mander of  Post  No.  180,  G.  A.  R.,  and  past  no- 
ble grand  of  Williamsburg  Lodge  No.  302,  I.  (3. 
O.  F.,  also,  with  his  wife,  belongs  to  the  Circle  of 
Rebekahs. 

In  1866  Mr.  Porter  married  Elvira,  daughter 
of  Silas  Bennett,  who  for  forty-five  years,  com- 
mencing in  1837,  was  identified  with  the  tin  and 
hardware  business  in  New  Castle,  Pa.,  and  for 
fifty  years  was  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Mrs.  Bennett  bore  the  maid- 
en name  of  Catherine  Nichols  and,  like  her  hus- 
band, was  a  devoted  Methodist.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  ten  now  living,  name- 
ly: Ebenezer  F.,  William  Henry  Harrison,  El- 
vira, Silas  A.,  George  W.,  Adeline,  Rebecca, 
Albert  N.,  Charles  W.,  Mary  E.  and  Horatio  S. 
The  three  oldest  sons,  Ebenezer  F.,  William  H. 
H.  and  Silas  A.,  enlisted  in  the  Union  army. 
Ebenezer,  who  was  in  the  Seventy-sixth  Penn- 
sylvania Infantry,  was  shot  in  the  ankle  at  the 
siege  of  Fort  Wagoner,  in  July,  1863,  and,  after 
being  wounded,  was  captured  by  the  enemy,  who 
amputated  his  foot  and  exchanged  him  a  few  days 
later.  William  H.  H.,  who  was  a  member  of 
Company  H,  Seventh  Ohio  Infantry,  was  killed 
in  the  battle  of  Ringgold,  Ga.,  November  27, 
1863.  Silas  Andrew,  who  enlisted  from  New 
Castle,  Pa.,  in  the  Seventy-seventh  Pennsylva- 
nia Infantry,  served  first  for  three  months  and 
then  for  nine  months,  being  on  duty  in  Texas 
during  most  of  the  time.  Charles  Wesley  Ben- 
nett, for  ten  years  prior  to  the  loss  of  both  feet 
in  a  railroad  accident,  January  10',  1894,  at 
Wellsville,  Kans.,  was  the  champion  catcher  of 
the  national  base  ball  league.     George  W.,  Al- 


bert N.  and  Horatio  S.  reside  in  Cleveland,  Ohio; 
Adeline  lives  in  Erie,  Pa.,  and  Rebecca  and  Mary 
E.  in  New  Castle,  Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porter 
became  the  parents  of  four  children:  Silas  B., 
deceased;  John  M.,  who  is  at  home;  George  W., 
a  bookkeeper  for  F.  K.  Stearns  &  Co.,  in  De- 
troit, Mich.;  and  Adda  B.,  wife  of  Edgar  C. 
Hope,  ofTopeka,  Kans. 


(Tames  R.  TPIORNBURY,  M.  D.,  of  Prince- 
I  ton,  Franklin  County,  was  born  in  Jackson- 
(2/  ville,  Morgan  County,  111.,  July  20,  1842,  a 
son  of  Benjamin  and  Emily  (Chrisman)  Thorn- 
bury.  He  was  one  of  nine  children,  six  of  whom 
are  living,  these  besides  himself  being  as  follows: 
Alfred,  a  farmer  in  Dallas  County,  Iowa;  Harriet, 
wife  of  Tillman  Smith,  of  Panther,  Iowa;  Benja- 
min, who  is  engaged  in  farming  near  Granger, 
Iowa;  Mary  J.,  who  married  Louis  Murraj-,  a 
farmer  of  Dallas  County;  and  Willis,  also  a  farmer 
of  that  county.  The  father,  who  was  born  in 
Virginia  in  18 18,  was  taken  to  Kentucky  in  in- 
fancy by  his  parents,  and  ten  years  later  accom- 
panied them  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Springfield 
when  that  city  contained  only  two  houses.  He 
was  married  in  Jacksonville  and  settled  upon  a 
farm  in  Morgan  County,  where  he  remained  until 
1866.  From  that  county  he  removed  to  Chari- 
ton County,  Mo.,  and  two  years  later  settled  in 
Polk  County,  Iowa,  twenty  miles  north  of  Des 
Moines.  In  that  place  he  made  his  home  up  to 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1889.  An  active 
worker  in  the  Democratic  ranks,  he  was  fre- 
quently selected  to  serve  as  delegate  to  county 
conventions  and  was  active  in  all  the  local  work 
of  the  party.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  charac- 
ter, the  influence  of  whose  life  was  apparent  for 
good  among  all  with  whom  he  associated. 

Benjamin  Thornbury  was  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Harriet  (Chatman)  Thornbury,  the  latter  a  mem- 
ber of  a  wealthy  family  of  planters.  The  former, 
who  descended  from  old  Virginian  stock,  was  a 
commercial  man,  and  while  in  Charleston,  S.  C. , 
contracted  yellow  fever,  which  was  the  cause  of 
his  death  soon  afterward.  The  maternal  grand- 
parents of  our  subject  were  John  and   Nancy 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


369 


(Bobbitt)  Clirisman.  The  former  was  born  June 
6,  1791,111  Kentucky,  to  which  state  his  father, 
John,  St.,  had  come  from  Germany  in  an  early 
day  via  North  CaroHna,  stopping  in  the  latter 
state  for  a  very  short  time  only.  John  Chrisman 
was  a  fine  mechanic  and  devoted  much  of  his 
time  to  woodworking  and  blacksmithing,  although 
he  owned  and  occupied  a  farm  which  he  im- 
proved. His  wife,  who  was  born  October  31, 
1796,  was  a  daughter  of  Isom  Bobbitt,  a  native  of 
Virginia  and  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Cowpens,  Vetaw 
Springs  and  other  noted  battles. 

Shortly  after  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  our 
subject  determined  to  enlist  and  began  making 
preparations  to  enter  the  arm)'.  August  2,  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  Battery  F,  First  Illinois  Light 
Artillery,  and  later  was  transferred  to  Company 
A,  of  the  same  regiment,  from  which  he  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service  July  10,  1865.  He 
took  part  in  the  following  engagements:  Pitts- 
burg Landing,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Black  River,  Missionary  Ridge,  siege  of  Knox- 
ville,  Resaca,  Dallas,  New  Hope  Church,  Kene- 
saw  Mountain,  Atlanta,  Jone.sboro,  Lovejoy  Sta- 
tion and  Nashville.  After  he  was  mustered  out 
he  returned  to  his  home.  In  1866  he  went  to 
Missouri,  and  during  the  six  following  years  he 
taught  district  schools.  Meantime  he  took  up 
the  study  of  medicine,  to  which  he  devoted  his 
leisure  hours.  In  the  spring  of  1878  he  gradu- 
ated from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
in  Keokuk,  Iowa.  After  he  had  ceased  teach- 
ing, in  1872,  he  came  to  Kansas  and  settled  in 
Princeton,  where  he  practiced  as  an  undergradu- 
ate until  1877,  when  he  entered  college  and  com- 
pleted his  studies.  Since  then  he  has  continued 
to  practice  in  Princeton,  and  through  his  skill  in 
the  diagnosis  of  disease  and  his  ability  in  select- 
ing helpful  remedial  agencies  he  has  won  the 
confidence  of  the  people. 

August  5,  1862,  Dr.  Thornbury  married  Miss 
Emma  Leeds,  whose  father,  Absalom  Leeds,  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  removed  to  Morgan  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  in  early  life  and  for  j'ears  was  one  of  the 
foremost  fanners  of  that  county,  but  in  1876  set- 
tled in   Princeton,    Kans.,   where   he  still  makes 


his  home.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Thornbury  are  the 
parents  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living. 
The  eldest,  Ada,  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Caldwell,  a 
farmer  of  Franklin  County ;  Clara  married  Jean 
Masters,  a  farmer  of  this  county;  Emma  is  at 
home;  and  James  G.  is  connected  with  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  Company. 

From  1874  to  1878  Dr.  Thornbury  was  post- 
master at  Princeton,  and  he  is  now  serving  his 
second  term  as  member  of  the  board  of  pension 
examiners.  Active  in  Republican  ranks,  he  has 
served  his  party  as  delegate  to  county  and  state 
conventions,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  state  con- 
vention that  nominated  the  "Big  four."  In  the 
work  of  the  Christian  Church  he  has  been  inter- 
ested ever  since,  years  ago,  he  united  with  that 
denomination,  and  both  in  church  and  Sunday- 
school  activities  he  has  aided.  He  is  a  member 
of  Ottawa  Lodge  No.  18,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  also 
of  Princeton  Post  No.  in,  G.  A.  R.,  in  which  he 
has  officiated  for  three  terms  as  commander. 


Gl  NDREW  T.  KYLE,  who  is  a  retired  busi- 
U  iiess  man  living  in  Lansing,  Leavenworth 
I  1  County,  was  born  in  Davis  County,  Ind., 
February  8,  1830,  a  son  of  Matthew  W.  and 
Elizabeth  (Burris)  Kyle.  His  father,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  Mercer  County,  Ky.,  moved 
to  Indiana  in  1828  and  from  there,  in  1837,  went 
to  Platte  County,  Mo.,  where  he  was  a  pioneer 
and  one  of  the  first  schoolteachers  in  that  part  of 
the  state.  He  died  in  Platte  County  in  1856,  and 
his  wife  also  passed  away  there,  surviving  him 
for  many  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
sons,  four  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  Andrew  T., 
William,  who  occupies  the  old  homestead  in 
Platte  County,  Mo.;  James,  who  resides  in  Jeffer- 
son County,  Kans.;  and  George  \V.,  of  Platte 
County. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  our  subject  volunteered 
in  the  army  for  service  in  the  Mexican  war  and 
continued  at  the  front  during  the  remainder  of 
the  war,  the  entire  period  of  his  .service  covering 
sixteen  months.  He  was  mustered  out  iu  the 
fall  of  1S48.  In  1849  he  married  Miss  Sarah  A. 
Keller,   and  the  following  year  he  made  a  trip 


370 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


across  the  plains  to  the  gold  fields  of  California, 
where  he  remained  for  almost  four  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1854  he  was  one  of  the  thirty-two  men 
who  organized  Platte  County's  well-known  town, 
Weston,  and  also  crossed  the  river  into  Kansas, 
and  assisted  in  laying  out  the  town  site  of  Leav- 
enworth. He  acted  as  superintendent  in  the 
clearing  of  the  tract  and  the  laying  out  of  one- 
half  section  into  building  lots,  after  which  he 
settled  upon  four  lots  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
Delaware  and  Main  streets,  and  there  built  the 
first  hotel  in  Leavenworth.  In  that  hotel,  De- 
cember 5,  1854,  occurred  the  birth  of  his  daugh- 
ter, Cora,  who  was  the  first  child  born  in  Leav- 
enworth and  who  afterward  became  the  wife  of 
James  M.  Allen,  but  is  now  deceased. 

After  having  managed  the  hotel  for  some  years 
Mr.  Kyle  gave  his  attention  to  the  buying  and 
selling  of  real  estate  and  stock.  In  1859  he  set- 
tled upon  a  farm  five  miles  south  of  town,  where 
he  remained  for  five  years,  engaging  in  general 
agricultural  pursuits.  In  1864  he  returned  to  the 
city,  but  shortly  afterward  crossed  into  Platte 
County,  Mo.,  where  he  carried  on  a  mercantile 
business  for  four  years.  About  1870  he  came 
back  to  Leavenworth  and  opened  a  livery  stable, 
which  he  conducted  for  a  few  years.  In  1873  the 
property  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Two  years  later 
he  removed  to  Lansing,  accepting  a  position  as 
an  official  in  the  state  penitentiary,  and  for  eight- 
een years  he  continued  in  the  .state  employ.  Upon 
retiring  from  his  position,  in  1893,  he  established 
his  home  in  a  house  that  he  had  purchased  in 
Lansing  and  here  he  has  since  lived  in  retire- 
ment. He  has  always  been  a  stanch  believer  in 
Republican  principles  and  has  borne  a  share  in 
the  work  of  his  party,  but  has  never  sought  office 
for  himself.  Personally  he  is  a  man  of  firm  de- 
cision and  strong  character,  and  his  life  has  been 
individualized  by  his  will  power  and  determina- 
tion. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kyle  became  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  whom  Cora,  before  mentioned,  was 
the  eldest;  William  died  in  infancy.  The  others 
are  Andrew  T. ,  Jr.;  Ida,  who  married  R.  W. 
Reynolds,  and  resides  in  McLouth,  Kans.,  and 
George  H.     The  older  son  is  one  of  the  leading 


citizens  of  Great  Falls,  Mont.,  where  he  carries 
on  a  real-estate  and  brokerage  business.  Mrs. 
Kyle  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


(TOHN  M.  HUND,  who  is  engaged  in  farm- 
I  ing  and  stock-raising  in  Kickapoo  Town- 
Qj  ship,  Leavenworth  County,  was  born  August 
29.  1857,  upon  the  farm  still  owned  and  occupied 
by  his  father,  Wendlin  Hund.  Here  he  grew  to 
manhood,  meantime  receiving  such  advantages 
as  the  public  schools  of  the  district  afforded. 
Being  of  an  industrious  disposition  he  began  to 
assist  in  the  cultivation  of  the  home  place  at  an 
early  age.  Through  experience  and  observation 
he  gained,  while  young,  a  thorough  familiarity 
with  every  detail  of  farming. 

With  the  money  he  had  saved  in  previous 
years  Mr.  Hund  bought  a  farm  in  1881.  He 
purchased  the  Joel  Hiatt  place  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty-six  acres,  and  here  began  to  cultivate 
the  land,  making  a  specialty  of  wheat  for  a  few 
years.  Since  1896,  however,  he  has  given  his 
attention  principally  to  the  raising  of  cattle,  hav- 
ing on  his  place  a  number  of  fine  Durhams.  He 
also  has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  Poland- 
China  hogs  and  the  Plymouth  Rock  breed  of 
fowls.  Since  1893  he  has  furnished  many  of  the 
families  of  Leavenworth  with  milk  and  creamery 
butter.  On  his  farm  he  has  made  a  number  of 
improvements  which  greatly  add  to  the  value  of 
the  place,  the  mo.st  noticeable  of  these  improve- 
ments being  a  handsome  residence,  neatly  and 
comfortably  furnished. 

The  political  aff'airs  of  his  township  receive  due 
attention  from  Mr.  Hund.  In  politics  he  is  a  be- 
liever in  Republican  principles.  For  several 
terms  he  has  acted  as  township  clerk  and  treas- 
urer, which  offices  he  has  filled  with  efficiency. 
He  has  also  been  active  in  educational  matters, 
and  since  1877  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board  of  district  No.  40,  being  the  secre- 
tary of  the  board  at  this  writing.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Leavenworth  camp, 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Associa- 
tion, in  the  work  of  which  he  has  been  interested. 


WENDLIN  HUND. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


373 


By  his  marriage,  May  ii,  1881,  to  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Aaron,  of  Leavenworth,  he  has  six 
children,  viz.:  Francis  C,  John  A.,  Mary  K., 
Grace  R.,  Clara  G.  and  Frances. 


pCjENDLIN  HUND.  The  character  and 
\  A  /  standing  of  a  man  are  usually  determined 
Y  V  by  what  he  has  accomplished.  The  life 
work  of  Mr.  Hund  is  illustrated  by  the  amount 
of  property  he  has  accumulated,  the  large  busi- 
ne.ss  he  has  built  up,  and  the  comforts  by  which 
his  family  are  surrounded.  He  has  one  of  the 
most  attractive  homesteads  in  Leavenworth 
Country,  embracing  a  section  of  land  in  Kickapoo 
Township.  His  farm  is  supplied  with  first-class 
buildings,  suitable  for  the  successful  manage- 
ment of  the  wine  business,  in  which  the  owner  is 
largely  engaged.  Considerable  attention  is  also 
given  to  the  manufacture  of  cider  and  to  the  rais- 
ing of  cattle  and  the  carrying  on  of  a  dairy. 
The  many  conveniences  which  Mr.  Hund  has 
gathered  about  himself  and  his  family  indicate 
his  progressive  character  and  untiring  energy. 
The  leading  traits  in  his  character  are  his  strict 
attention  to  business,  his  promptness  in  meeting 
all  obligations,  and  his  excellent  understanding 
of  every  phase  of  the  lines  of  business  in  which 
he  engages. 

Mr.  Hund  was  born  in  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  Sep- 
tember 2,  1834,  being  a  son  of  Maurice  and  Mag- 
dalene (Hodapp)  Hund.  His  father  came  to  the 
United  States  with  two  sons  in  1832  and  settled 
in  St.  Charles,  Mo.  The  oldest  son,  John, 
moved  to  Iowa  in  1844,  and  in  1857  came  to  Kan- 
sas, settling  in  Kickapoo  Township,  Leaven- 
worth County,  where  he  made  his  home  until 
1886.  Afterward  he  lived,  retired,  in  Ventura, 
Cal.,  but  frequently  returned  to  Kansas  to  look 
after  his  business  interests.  In  1891  he  and  his 
wife  celebrated  their  golden  wedding.  He  died 
in  1898,  at  the  age  of  almost  eighty  years.  The 
father  celebrated  his  golden  wedding  in  Kicka- 
poo Township  in  1866.  He  had  settled  in  this 
township  two  years  before,  and  afterward  resided 
here  until  he  died  at  eighty-four  years.  He  was 
a  member  of  a  long-lived  family,  and  his  mother 


was  over  ninety  when  she  died.  His  wife  died 
in  Kansas  when  seventy-nine  years  of  age. 
Their  son,  Michael,  came  to  Kansas  in  1872, 
settling  in  Wabaunsee  County,  where  he  carried 
on  farm  pursuits  until  his  death,  in  June,  1898, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 

Of  the  three  sons  comprising  the  family  our 
subject  is  now  the  sole  survivor.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  district  schools  and  the  Jesuit  school 
near  his  home.  In  1856  he  came  to  Kansas  and 
took  up  a  quarter-section  of  land,  comprising  a 
portion  of  his  present  farm.  At  first  he  confined 
his  attention  to  farming,  but  afterward  he  be- 
came interested  in  stock-raising.  In  1872  he  be- 
gan to  raise  grapes  and  manufacture  wine,  and 
from  time  to  time  he  increased  his  vineyard  until 
he  now  has  sixty  acres  planted  to  grapes.  He 
manufactures  about  thirty  thousand  gallons  per 
year,  which  he  sells  at  fair  prices.  He  is  also 
the  owner  of  one-hundred  and  thirty  head  of  cat- 
tle and  carries  on  a  large  dairy  business.  He  is 
one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  Leavenworth  County 
and  has  resided  in  Salt  Creek  Valley  for  more 
than  forty-two  years.  He  is  the  largest  wine 
grower  in  the  state  and  has  built  up  a  busi- 
ness that  is  important  and  extensive.  In  politics 
he  is  independent.  At  one  time  he  served  as 
township  treasurer,  but  he  prefers  to  give  his 
time  to  business  rather  than  public  office. 

In  October,  1853,  Mr.  Hund  married  Genevieve 
Snyder,  who  died  in  1872.  The  children  of  that 
union  are:  John  M.,  a  farmer  of  Leavenworth 
County;  Joseph;  George;  Frederick,  also  of  this 
county;  Mary,  Helena  and  Annie,  all  of  whom 
are  married.  Mary  and  Annie  reside  in  Jeffer- 
son County  and  Helena  in  Leavenworth.  By 
his  second  wife,  who  was  Josephine  Rogg,  Mr. 
Hund  had  four  children:  Katie,  wife  'of  Frank 
Phillips;  Charles,  who  served  in  the  Twentieth 
Kansas  Infantry  during  the  Spanish-American 
war;  Henry  and  Genevieve,  at  home.  Mrs. 
Josephine  Hund  died  November  25,  1884,  and 
afterward  our  subject  married  Dora  D.  Gast,  a 
native  of  Germany.  They  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  namely:  Josephine,  Otto,  Peter 
W.  and  P.ernard.  The  family  are  Roman  Catho- 
lics in    religious  belief.     Mr.   Hund  has  been  a 


374 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


member  of  the  school  board  of  District  No.  40 
and  was  the  principal  organizer  of  the  school,  in 
which  work  he  met  with  considerable  opposition. 
For  twent3'-three  years  after  its  organization  he 
served  on  the  school  board  and  was  treasurer  of 
the  district,  meantime  doing  much  to  promote 
the  educational  interests  of  the  district. 


r~RANK  H.  STANNARD.  Among  those 
rft  who  have  been  active  in  promoting  the  ad- 
I  '  vancement  of  horticulture  in  Kansas  men- 
tion belongs  to  Mr.  Stannard,  of  the  firm  of 
Brewer  &  Stannard,  proprietors  of  the  Ottawa 
Star  Nurseries.  Upon  coming  to  Ottawa  in  1879 
Mr.  Stannard  at  once  embarked  in  the  nursery 
business,  beginning  on  a  small  scale,  but  gradu- 
ally building  up  the  large  business  of  to-day.  The 
firm  owns  one  thousand  acres  planted  to  fruit 
trees  and  nursery  stock.  Of  this  land  five  hun- 
dred acres  is  situated  at  Manzanola,  near  Rocky 
Ford,  Colo.,  while  a  similar  acreage  lies  near 
Ottawa,  forming  the  largest  nursery  in  Kansas. 
Upon  the  land  are  to  be  found  trees  of  all  varie- 
ties, both  fruit  and  ornamental,  as  well  as  the 
other  products  of  a  nursery.  A  large  trade  has 
been  built  up,  both  in  the  sale  of  seeds  and 
plants,  and  shipments  are  made  to  almost  every 
state  in  the  Union,  but  principally  to  Missouri, 
Iowa,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  Colorado,  Oklahoma 
and  Texas.  The  office  of  the  firm  is  in  the  First 
National  Bank  building  in  Ottawa. 

Mr.  Stannard  was  born  near  Aurora,  111.,  on 
Christmas  day  of  1857,  and  was  the  second  of  six 
children  (five  now  living)  comprising  the  family 
of  Charles  H.  and  Maria  (Kempster)  Stannard, 
natives  respectively  of  Cattaraugus  County,  N.  Y., 
and  London,  England.  His  father,  who  was  a 
sonof  Alvin  Stannard,  a  farmer  of  New  York, 
was  a  machinist  by  trade,  but  devoted  himself 
largely  to  farming.  When  a  young  man  he  went 
to  Illinois,  where  he  was  employed  for  a  time  in 
a  machine  shop  at  Aurora,  but  later  removed  to 
Warren  County,  Pa.,  and  carried  on  a  farm  until 
his  death,  when  less  than  fifty  years  of  age.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  frater- 
nally was  identified  with  the  Odd  Fellows.     His 


wife,  who  makes  her  home  with  our  subject,  was 
a  daughter  of  Christopher  Kempster,  who  came 
from  England  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

At  the  time  the  family  settled  in  Warren  Coun- 
ty, Pa.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  eight  years 
of  age.  He  attended  public  schools  there  and  in 
Jamestown,  N.  Y.  In  1879  he  left  home  and 
came  to  Ottawa,  where  he  was  the  first  to  set  out 
nursery  stock.  Since  then  he  has  risen  to  a 
prominent  rank  among  the  horticulturists  of 
Kansas.  He  is  identified  with  the  Western  Nur- 
serymen's Association  and  the  American  Associ- 
ation of  Nurserymen  and  is  a  member  of  the  ex- 
ecutive committee  of  the  latter  organization. 
Politically  the  Republican  party  has  always  re- 
ceived his  support.  For  one  term  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council.  In  1896  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Ottawa  Uni- 
versity and  also  served  as  secretary  of  its  execu- 
tive committee.  In  the  Baptist  Church,  of  which 
he  is  a  member,  he  holds  office  as  chairman  of 
the  board  of  trustees. 

In  Kansas  City  Mr.  Stannard  married  Luceba, 
daughter  of  Hiram  A.  Stannard,  who  in  1878  re- 
moved from  Illinois  to  Ottawa,  Kans.,  and  some 
years  later  died  in  Harvey  County,  this  state. 
Mrs.  Stannard  was  born  near  Lamoille,  Bureau 
County,  111.,  and  was  a  member  of  the  first  grad- 
uating class  of  Ottawa  University,  from  which 
she  received  the  degree  of  A.  B.  Of  her  four 
children  three  are  living,  George  A.,  Mabel  Fay 
and  Pearl  M. 


(Tames  LINGARD,  a  farmer  and  stock- 
I  raiser  in  Homewood  Township,  Franklin 
(2)  County,  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England, 
in  1823,  and  in  youth  followed  farming  and  car- 
pentering in  his  native  place.  In  1862  he  came  to 
the  United  States,  settling  first  in  Will  County, 
111.,  where  he  engaged  in  stock-raising  and  farm- 
ing. Four  years  later  he  came  to  Kansas  and 
purchased  a  farm  northeast  of  Ottawa,  but  never 
made  his  home  on  that  land.  In  1867  he  bought 
two  hundred  and  seven  acres  of  his  present  farm, 
and  has  since  carried  on  an  extensive  stock  busi- 
ness.    He   is    now   the   owner  of  on^  thousand 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


375 


acres  in  Franklin  Count}-,  and  makes  a  specialty 
feeding  Hereford  and  Durham  cattle  and  Poland- 
China  hogs,  handling  more  stock  than  anj'  other 
man  in  the  township.  The  land  has  been  trans- 
formed from  raw  prairie  to  a  valuable  farm,  bear- 
ing first-class  improvements  and  in  excellent  con- 
dition for  stock-raising.  Besides  this  place  he  is 
interested  in  property  in  Ottawa  and  Williams- 
burg. It  has  been  his  aim  to  place  his  farm  in 
fine  condition,  that  it  may  rank  among  the  finest 
in  the  county.  The  trees  that  stand  in  his  yard 
were  brought  by  him,  on  horseback,  from 
Garnett  twenty- eight  years  ago.  From  time  to 
time  he  has  erected  farm  buildings,  as  needed. 

In  politics  Mr.  Lingard  is  a  Populist.  Several 
times  he  has  served  as  treasurer  of  the  township. 
He  is  liberal  in  support  of  schools  and  churches, 
and  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  for  several  years.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  active  in  the  work  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 
In  1S44  he  married  Miss  Ann  Lister,  a  native  of 
England,  who  died  in  Kansas  May  28,  1899,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 


In  1872  Mr.  Lingard  married  Miss  Eliza  J. 
Baker,  by  whom  he  has  eight  children,  namely: 
Lizzie,  wife  of  John  Scott,  agent  for  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  Railroad  at  Ottawa;  Annie;  Jennie, 
wife  of  Edward  Pendleton;  James,  Maude,  Amos 
L.,  Jr.,  Eula  and  Eleanor. 


Gl  MOS  L.  LINGARD,  the  only  son  of  James 
U  and  Ann  (Lister)  Lingard,  was  born  in 
I  I  England  and  accompanied  his  parents  to  the 
United  States,  settling  with  them  in  Illinois. 
Two  years  later,  in  1864,  he  came  to  Kansas, 
where  later  he  was  joined  by  his  father.  In  1S73 
he  purchased  his  present  farm,  on  which  he  has 
since  engaged  in  feeding  and  raising  cattle. 
From  time  to  time  he  has  bought  additional 
land,  and  now  owns  two  thousand  acres,  situated 
in  Cutler  Township,  Franklin  County.  On  his 
farm  he  has  between  four  and  five  hundred  head 
of  cattle.  He  is  one  of  the  most  practical  and 
experienced  cattlemen  of  his  township,  and  is 
thoroughly  informed  in  every  detail  of  the  stock 
business.  Under  his  careful  supervision  his  land 
has  been  transformed  from  raw  prairie  into  a 
valuable  estate.  On  the  Republican  ticket  he  has 
been  elected  to  several  town.ship  offices,  includ- 
ing that  of  trustee,  which  he  has  filled  for  several 
years.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board.  In  religion  he  is  an 
Episcopalian. 


0 LIVER  DENTON.  It  is  conceded  that  Mr. 
Denton  occupies  a  high  place  among  the 
business  men  of  Leavenworth.  His  life  has 
shown  how  a  laudable  ambition  may  be  gratified 
when  that  ambition  is  accompanied  by  energy, 
integrit}',  perseverance  and  business  ability.  The 
firm  of  Denton  Brothers,  composed  of  himself 
and  his  brother  Winfield  W.,  embarked  in  the 
grain  business  in  Leavenworth  in  1891,  occupy- 
ing an  elevator  with  a  capacity  of  two  hundred 
thousand  bushels.  In  the  fall  of  1897  they  began 
the  exporting  of  grain,  shipping  cereals  of  all 
kinds  and  having  Mobile,  Ala.,  for  their  prin- 
cipal market.  The  business  is  the  largest  of  its 
kind  in  the  state  and  owes  its  growth  largely  to 
the  sound  judgment  of  its  projectors.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  original  members  of  the  firm,  Robert 
and  Louis  Denton,  sons  of  Winfield  W.  Denton, 
have  since  been  admitted  to  the  partnership. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Genoa, 
Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  February  11,  1852,  a  son 
of  Robert  and  Abbie  (Ward)  Denton,  natives 
respectively  of  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  and 
Newark,  N.  J.  His  paternal  grandfather,  James 
Denton,  a  farmer,  removed  from  Orange  to 
Cayuga  County,  but  later  removed  to  Ohio, 
settling  near  Painesville,  where  he  bought  a  farm 
and  remained  until  death;  his  wife  was  Martha 
Lewis,  of  Orange  County.  The  maternal  grand- 
father, Abner  Ward,  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and 
a  farmer  there,  removed  to  Genoa,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  died;  his  wife,  Mary  (Rogens)  Ward,  was 
also  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  died  in  Genoa. 
Robert  Denton  was  third  among  seven  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom,  Oliver,  started  for  California 
at  the  time  of  the  gold  excitement,  but  died  on 
the  way.  Robert  Denton  was  a  farmer  near 
Genoa,  but  about  1856  removed  west  to  Iowa, 
setthng  near  Iowa  City  upon  a  farm.     He  was 


376 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


born  March  15,  1822,  and  is  still  living.  His 
wife,  who  was  born  Julj'  7,  1820,  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church  since 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  She  was  one  of  thir- 
teen children,  all  of  whom  are  dead  except  her 
two  brothers.  To  her  marriage  seven  children 
were  born,  viz.:  Winfield  W.;  Caroline,  Mrs. 
Ivucius  Platte,  who  died  in  Lake  Forest,  111.,  in 
April,  1898;  Oliver;  Horace,  who  died  in  Leaven- 
worth in  1892;  Harvej%  who  died  at  five  years 
of  age;  Mary,  who  died  when  seven  months  old; 
and  Abner  J.  Mrs.  Abbie  Ward  Denton  died  at 
Centralia,  Kans.,  June  23,  1899. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  obtained  in 
public  schools  and  Iowa  City  Commercial  College. 
He  began  as  a  farmer  in  Iowa.  In  1879  he  came 
to  Kansas,  settling  in  Downs  and  embarking  in 
the  grain  and  stock  business  at  the  time  of  the 
completion  of  the  central  branch  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad.  He  built  the  first  elevator  in  the 
town,  and  continued  in  the  grain  and  stock  busi- 
ness for  twenty-two  years,  at  the  same  time 
operating  a  farm.  In  1891  he  removed  to 
Leavenworth,  of  which  city  he  has  since  been  an 
active  business  man.  He  is  a  Republican  in  his 
political  views,  but  has  never  been  active  in 
public  affairs  nor  cared  for  official  positions. 
Before  coming  to  Kansas  he  married  Miss  Dora 
Crum,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  by  whom 
he  has  two  children,  Mamie  and  Alpheus  Penn. 


G\  UGUST  KROLL,  who  is  engaged  in  farm- 
Li  ing  in  Kickapoo  Township,  Leavenworth 
I  \  County,  is  one  of  the  prosperous  agricultur- 
ists of  Salt  Creek  Valley,  and  since  1SS5  has 
owned  and  occupied  the  John  Hund  farm  of 
eighty  acres,  where  heis  engaged  in  raising  stock, 
also  in  the  fruit  business  and  general  farm  pur- 
suits. He  was  born  in  West  Prussia,  Germany, 
September  4,  1847,  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Eliza- 
beth (Shrader)  KroU.  In  1862  the  family  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  landing  in  Balti- 
more, Md.,  where  they  remained  for  three  months. 
They  then  came  to  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  where 
the  father  died  in  1865,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years, 
and  the  mother  when  eighty  years  old.     They 


were  the  parents  of  five  children,  viz.:  Jacob,  of 
Leavenworth;  Frank,  who  is  in  Gunnison,  Colo. ; 
August;  Albert,  deceased;  and  Josephine,  wife 
of  M.  A.  Wohlfrom,  of  Leavenworth.  A  brother 
of  Andrew  KroU,  John  by  name,  came  to  America 
in  1862  and  settled  near  Bloomington,  111.,  where 
he  has  since  engaged  in  farming.  A  brother  of 
Mrs.  Kroll,  Andrew  Shrader,  brought  the  family 
to  the  United  States  in  1862  and  afterward  became 
drill  master  for  the  United  States  Volunteers  at 
Baltimore. 

At  the  time  of  coming  to  this  country  August 
Kroll  was  a  youth  of  fifteen  years.  His  educa- 
tion was  obtained  in  Germany  and  in  Kansas. 
Under  his  father's  instruction  he  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade.  Whilehe  was  in  Baltimore 
he  worked  for  a  butcher,  receiving  I4  the  first 
month  and  afterward  $15  a  month.  Upon  set- 
tling in  Leavenworth  he  began  blacksmithing, 
and  in  1864  became  blacksmith  for  the  quarter- 
master's department  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  In 
October,  1865,  he  was  appointed  blacksmith  for 
General  Curtis  and  staff,  whom  he  accompanied 
in  their  campaign  against  General  Price,  being 
present  in  all  the  battles  of  that  campaign.  He 
was  wounded  in  the  second  battle  of  the  Blue, 
being  shot  through  the  arm,  but  refused  to  go  to 
the  hospital.  During  the  day  he  was  employed 
at  repairing  and  blacksmithing,  while  often  at 
night  he  was  engaged  at  picket  duty  outside  of 
the  company's  lines. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  Price  campaign  Mr. 
Kroll  returned  to  his  work  at  the  post.  In  1866 
he  went  as  blacksmith  with  the  cavalry  to  New 
Mexico,  spending  the  winter  at  Fort  Union,  and 
returning  in  the  spring  to  Fort  Leavenworth, 
where  for  a  year  rheumatism  prevented  him  from 
following  his  trade.  In  1868  he  began  to  work 
for  himself  at  his  trade.  Soon  afterward  he  built 
a  shop  at  Valley  Falls,  Jefferson  County,  where 
he  followed  general  blacksmithing  in  partnership 
with  Vincent  P.  Newman.  Returning  in  the  fall 
of  1869  he  resumed  work  in  the  quartermaster's 
department  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  In  the  spring 
of  1870  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Supply  in  the  In- 
dian Territory,  where  he  remained  for  six  months 
as  blacksmith.     During  that  time  he  returned  to 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


377 


Leavenworth  on  a  thirty  days'  furlough,  and  on 
his  way  stopped  at  the  government  mail  ranch, 
where  he  found  the  soldiers  had  been  killed  and 
scalped  by  the  Indians.  In  January,  1871,  he  re- 
turned to  Leavenworth  and  bought  a  shop,  where 
he  carried  on  business  for  himself.  In  1873  he 
went  to  Houlton,  Jackson  County,  Kans. ,  where 
he  carried  on  a  general  blacksmith  shop  until 
1885,  and  then  returned  to  Leavenworth  County 
and  purchased  the  farm  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. He  is  a  Republican,  but  has  never  taken 
an  active  part  in  politics.  In  religion  he  and  his 
family  are  members  of  St.  Joseph's  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church. 

April  17,  1S71,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
KroU  to  Christina,  daughter  of  John  Hund,  a 
brother  of  Wendlin  Hund,  of  Kickapoo  Town- 
ship. They  are  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
namely:  Annie,  wife  of  John  Brosier;  Mary  M., 
John  B,,  Frank  A.,  Katie  T.,  Henry  A.,  Jose- 
phine H.,  Fred  A.,  Rosie  A.  and  LiHie  E. 


REV.  ROBERT  ATKINSON.  There  is  no 
name  more  intimately  associated  with  the 
history  of  Ottawa  University  than  that  of 
Mr.  Atkinson.  From  1868  until  his  death,  Jan- 
uary 17,  1899,  he  was  identified  with  this  insti- 
tution of  learning,  which  owes  its  existence,  in 
fact,  more  to  his  judicious  management  than  to 
the  efforts  of  any  other  one  man.  A  record  of 
his  life  will,  therefore,  possess  more  than  ordi- 
nary interest  for  the  readers  of  this  volume.  He 
was  born,  of  Scotch  parentage,  in  Toronto,  Can- 
ada, August  24,  1824.  His  early  life  was  passed 
in  his  native  city.  In  youth  he  became  identi- 
fied with  the  Baptist  Church  and  determined  to 
enter  the  ministr}'.  With  this  object  in  view, 
(although  hindered  by  being  compelled  to  work 
his  own  way)  he  diligently  applied  himself  to  the 
necessary  studies.  His  early  college  work  was 
done  in  Bucknell.  Later  he  entered  Madison 
(now  Colgate)  University,  from  the  collegiate 
and  theological  departments  of  which  he  gradu- 
ated, a  member  of  a  classof  twenty-.seven,  among 
whom  were  Prof.  James  R.  Eaton,  of  William 
Jewell    College    in    Liberty,    Mo.,    Rev.    T.    R. 


Howlett,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  Judge  D.  P. 
Baldwin,  of  Logansport,  Ind.,  and  C.  C.  Osborne, 
of  Benedict  College.  Afterward,  while  study- 
ing in  Union  Seminary,  he  engaged  in  missionarj- 
work  in  New  York  City.  At  one  time  he  di- 
rected the  corps  of  students  engaged  in  colporteur 
work  for  the  publication  society.  Through  his 
several  lines  of  work  he  became  acquainted  with 
leading  men  of  his  denomination  and  also  gained 
valuable  experience  in  evangelistic  work. 

The  first  and  only  pastorate  ever  held  by  Mr. 
Atkinson  was  with  the  North  Church  of  New- 
ark, N.  J.,  a  mission  of  the  First  Church.  There 
he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  and  labored  for 
eleven  years.  Under  his  leadership  the  mission 
became  a  strong  church,  owning  valuable 
property.  To  aid  in  the  erection  of  a  house  of 
worship  he  secured  $65,000  outside  of  the  mem- 
bership. Other  worthy  movements  received  his 
aid.  .  He  was  closely  connected  with  the  temper- 
ance work  that  proved  such  a  blessing  to  the 
town.  At  the  time  of  the  war  he  assisted  re- 
cruiting officers  in  securing  the  enlistment  of 
members  of  his  congregation  and  rendered  valu- 
able service  personally  upon  the  battlefield.  His 
activity  in  city  mission  work  led  to  his  selection 
as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  the  Home  Missionary 
Society.  It  was  in  this  capacity  that  he  was  sent 
west  in  1868  to  investigate  the  condition  of  Ot- 
tawa University  and  to  report  as  to  its  difficulties. 
He  found  affairs  in  a  most  discouraging  condi- 
tion. A  man  of  less  courage  than  he  would  have 
abandoned  the  work  in  despair.  The  condition 
of  the  university  was  so  critical  that  prompt  and 
sagacious  action  was  necessary.  The  govern- 
ment, by  treaty  with  the  Ottawa  Indians,  had 
secured  a  large  and  valuable  tract  of  land  for 
educational  purposes,  the  sole  condition  being 
that  the  children  of  the  Indians  should  be  cared 
for  and  educated  in  the  arts  of  civilization.  The 
board  of  trustees  had  undertaken  to  carry 
out  the  treaty  for  the  government.  The  plan 
was  to  engage  the  Indians  in  tilling  the  soil 
while  they  carried  on  their  studies,  but  the 
scheme  proved  impracticable.  The  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society,  finding  that  the  affairs  of  the 
school    were    daily    growing    more  complicated, 


378 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


realized  that  a  master  mind  must  take  affairs  in 
hand;  therefore  thej'  deputed  Mr.  Atkinson  for 
the  task.  The  insight  he  soon  gained  into  af- 
fairs led  to  his  appointment  as  secretary. 
Through  personal  solicitation  in  the  east  he 
raised  $44,000  to  defray  the  indebtedness  of  the 
university.  He  was  also  obliged  to  conduct  a 
fiercely  contested  legal  battle  in  order  to  protect 
the  property  of  the  institution.  During  this 
time  it  became  necessary  to  secure  the  personal 
action  of  the  president  to  stay  execution  of  a  con- 
gressional order,  and  Mr.  Atkinson  went  to  Gen- 
eral Grant's  private  residence  at  Long  Branch, 
where  he  secured  the  desired  order.  As  a  re- 
sult of  his  energy  and  sagacity  the  institution 
was  saved  and  its  property  protected.  The 
building,  erected  in  1869,  was  destroyed  by  fire 
January  9,  1875,  and  through  his  energy  funds 
were  secured  to  replace  the  original  structure. 

The  Indians  retained  their  interests  in  the  uni- 
versity until  1873,  when,  having  moved  to  the 
Indian  Territory,  a  separation  of  their  interests 
was  effected.  Of  the  fifteen  thousand  acres  left 
from  the  original  twenty  thousand,  about  three 
thousand  were  sold  for  $16,000,  and  twelve 
hundred  and  eighty  were  allowed  to  the  trustees 
to  meet  their  liabilities.  The  balance  of  the 
lands,  together  with  the  $16,000,  were  returned 
to  the  Indians. 

When  the  finances  of  the  university  had  been 
placed  upon  a  solid  footing  Mr.  Atkinson  de- 
voted himself  to  private  business  enterprises,  in 
which  he  was  successful.  While  in  Newark  he 
had  been  connected  with  a  large  braid  manufac- 
tory, started  in  Passaic,  N.  J.,  and  had  acted  as 
its  manager,  through  his  judgment  and  ability 
bringing  a  large  degree  of  success  to  the  enter- 
prise. In  everything  that  he  undertook  he 
proved  himself  a  successful  financier.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  owned  considerable  real- 
estate  and  valuable  live-stock  interests. 

During  the  time  he  was  secretary  of  the  uni- 
versity Mr.  Atkinson  served  as  general  mis- 
sionary for  Kansas  and  adjoining  territories,  se- 
curing sites  for  buildings  and  locating  pastors  in 
the  new  and  growing  country.  In  the  Baptist 
denomination  in  Kansas  he  was  one  of  the  lead- 


ers. As  president  of  the  state  convention  he 
took  an  active  part  in  the  enlargement  of  denomi- 
national work  in  Kansas.  He  was  long  a  faith- 
ful member  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Ottawa,  a  church  that  dates  its  origin  as  far  back 
as  1837,  when  Rev.  J.  Meeker  began  his  labors 
as  missionary  among  the  Ottawa  Indians.  From 
1875  to  the  date  of  his  death  he  was  the  leader 
of  the  Bible  class,  a  work  in  which  he  was  pe- 
culiarly successful.  He  was  a  life  member  of  all 
the  missionary  societies  of  the  denomination,  and 
his  contributions  to  religious  enterprises  were 
generous.  Ottawa  University,  too,  often  re- 
ceived his  financial  aid;  he  was  an  almost  con- 
stant giver  to  the  institution,  in  whose  work  he 
never  lost  a  deep  interest.  The  aggregate  of  his 
gifts,  through  his  long  life,  was  very  great. 

Though  a  stanch  Republican  Mr.  Atkinson 
had  no  desire  to  identify  himself  with  politics, 
and  steadfastly  refused  to  occupy  all  positions  ex- 
cept those  of  an  educational  or  local  nature.  The 
three  times  that  he  was  elected  to  the  city  coun- 
cil, it  was  without  opposition.  Few  residents  of 
Ottawa  were  more  widely  known.  He  was  rec- 
ognized as  a  man  of  spotless  integrity,  one  who, 
in  the  midst  of  large  financial  transactions,  was 
ever  characterized  by  a  strict  regard  for  honesty. 
Possessing  firm  convictions,  when  once  he  was 
convinced  of  the  justice  of  a  cause,  no  amount  of 
persuasion  ever  swerved  him  from  the  stand  he 
took. 

In  1858  Mr.  Atkinson  married  Miss  Margaret 
Northrup,  who  was  born  in  Sussex  County,  N.  J. , 
a  descendant  of  an  English  family  that  had  rep- 
resentatives in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  the 
war  of  18 1 2.  Her  father,  Moses  Northrup,  was 
an  extensive  farmer  in  Sussex  County,  to  which 
locality  his  ancestors  had  come  from  Orange 
County,  N.  Y.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atkinson  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  Mrs.  Hudson  B. 
Topping,  who  is  a  graduate  of  Ogontz  College 
and  now  resides  in  Ottawa;  Mrs.  Harry  Brown, 
a  graduate  of  Monticello  Female  Seminary,  now 
living  in  Kansas  City;  Robert,  Jr.,  who  gradu- 
ated from  the  Wentworth  Military  Academy  in 
Missouri  and  the  Lawrence  Business  College,  and 
who   succeeded   his  father    as  secretary    of   the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


379 


Western  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Companj-,  and 
James  Northrup,  who  is  administrator  and  man- 
ager of  the  famil5'  estate.  The  j'ounger  son 
graduated  from  Ottawa  University  in  1898,  after 
which  he  spent  some  months  in  the  Universitj-  of 
Chicago,  and  in  the  fall  of  1898  entered  Johns 
Hopkins  University  in  Baltimore,  where  he 
studied  politics,  economics  and  history.  His 
mother  went  to  Baltimore  to  spend  the  holidays 
with  him,  and  returned  to  Ottawa  only  three 
days  before  the  sudden  death  of  Mr.  Atkinson. 
Surrounded  in  his  last  moments  by  his  wife  and 
all  of  his  children,  our  subject  passed  peacefully 
from  earth.  His  death  was  universally  mourned 
as  a  loss  to  his  town  and  state.  The  city  council, 
board  of  trustees  of  Ottawa  University,  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  Ottawa  Chautauqua  Assembly, 
tlie  board  of  directors  of  the  Western  Fire  Insur- 
ance Company  and  the  Kansas  Baptist  Conven- 
tion passed  resolutions  of  respect,  and  private 
citizens  also  joined  with  them  in  expressing  to 
the  family  their  deepest  sympathy. 


©IMON  B.  LANGWORTHY,  M.  D.,  a  resi- 
r\  dent  of  Kansas  since  1878,  is  engaged  in  the 
\Z/  general  practice  of  his  profession  in  Leaven- 
worth, where  he  has  his  office  in  the  Ryan  block. 
Besides  his  private  practice  he  acts  as  examining 
physician  for  a  number  of  insurance  companies, 
is  a  member  of  the  medical  staff  of  Cushing 
Hospital,  and  has  filled  the  position  of  lecturer 
on  therapeutics  in  the  Leavenworth  Training 
School  for  Nurses,  of  which  institution  he  was 
among  the  original  promoters.  Under  the  ad- 
ministration of  President  Cleveland,  in  1895  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  first  board  of 
United  States  examining  surgeons  for  pensions, 
and  was  chosen  secretary  of  the  board,  which 
position  he  filled  with  ability.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  health  of 
Leavenworth,  and  from  1896  to  1899  he  served  as 
county  health  officer.  In  every  plan  for  the 
development  of  his  profession,  in  every  matter 
pertaining  to  its  advancement,  he  maintains  a 
warm  interest.  He  has  been  a  contributor  of 
articles  to  various  medical  journals  and  has  read 


a  number  of  papers  before  conventions  of  the 
medical  fraternity,  all  of  which  have  indicated 
his  deep  professional  knowledge  and  the  accuracy 
of  his  diagnosis  of  disease  in  its  manifold  forms. 
At  one  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  Jackson 
County  (Mo.)  Medical  Society.  In  1898  he 
served  as  a  delegate  to  the  convention  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  of  which  body  he 
is  a  member.  He  is  also  connected  with  the 
Western  Surgical  and  Gynecological  Association, 
the  Eastern  District  Medical  Society,  and  the 
Leavenworth  County  Medical  Society,  of  which 
he  was  secretary  for  three  years. 

On  Langworth}'  Ridge,  near  Riceville,  Craw- 
ford County,  Pa.,  the  subject  of  this  .sketch  was 
born  April  29,  1859,  a  son  of  Joseph  A.  and 
Mindwell  (Burton)  Langworthy,  the  former  a 
native  of  Vermont,  the  latter  born  near  Brocton, 
N.  Y.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Asher  Lang- 
worth}',  was  of  remote  English  descent,  two 
brothers  having  in  an  early  day  come  from 
England  to  Martha's  Vineyard.  He  was  a 
farmer  in  Vermont  and  later  in  Crawford  County, 
Pa.  Joseph  A.  Langworthy  was  a  fruit  farmer 
and  local  Methodist  minister;  in  i860  he  settled 
in  Brocton,  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
became  owner  of  a  large  fruit  farm.  There  he 
died  at  sixty-one  years  of  age.  His  wife,  who  is 
now  living  with  our  subject's  family,  is  seventy- 
eight  years  of  age.  Her  father,  Simon  Burton, 
was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  of  English  descent, 
and  removed  thence  to  Chautauqua  County, 
N.  Y. ,  where  he  and  his  son-in-law  built  one  of 
the  first  grist  mills  in  that  section.  He  served  in 
the  war  of  18 12  and  was  slightly  wounded  in 
battle.  He  died  at  eighty-five  years,  while  visit- 
ing his  grandson.  Dr.  Langworthy.  His  father, 
Simon  Burton,  Sr. ,  and  three  of  his  brothers, 
together  with  himself,  were  soldiers  in  the  second 
war  with  England. 

Twice  married,  Joseph  A.  Langworthy  had 
two  daughters  and  one  son  (now  living)  by  his 
first  marriage,  and  by  his  second  marriage  two 
sons,  one  of  whom,  the  younger,  A.  E.,  a  drug- 
gist in  Atchison,  has  recently  been  elected  as 
assistant  to  the  chair  of  chemi.stry  in  the  State 
University    of    Kansas.     The    elder  son    of   the 


38o 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIO(>RAPHICAL  RECORD. 


second  marriage,  Simon  Burton  Langworthy, 
forms  the  subject  of  this  article.  He  was  reared, 
after  one  year  of  age,  near  Brocton,  N.  Y.,  and 
attended  the  schools  there  and  the  State  Normal 
School  in  Fredonia,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1878.  Very  soon 
afterward  he  came  to  Kansas,  where  he  taught  in 
Cherokee  County  for  a  year.  In  1879  he  came 
to  Leavenworth  County  and  was  for  two  years 
principal  of  the  Fairmount  school,  then  for  two 
years  a  teacher  in  the  Leavenworth  city  schools. 
Afterward  he  engaged  in  fruit  farming  on  the 
Golden  Hill  fruit  farm,  in  the  city  limits,  oper- 
ating this  place  while  he  carried  on  his  medical 
studies.  In  1887  he  graduated  from  the  Kansas 
City  Medical  College  with  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
He  then  practiced  in  Leavenworth  for  two  years. 
For  four  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  medical 
staff  of  the  dispensary  connected  with  the  Kansas 
City  Medical  College,  and  for  one  year  was 
demonstrator  of  chemistry  in  the  Kansas  City 
Medical  College.  At  the  same  time  he  engaged 
in  general  practice  in  Kansas  City.  In  1892  he 
returned  to  Leavenworth,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  Frater- 
nally he  is  connected  with  King  Solomon  Lodge 
No.  10,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  this  city. 

In  New  York,  in  1878,  Dr.  Langworthy  mar- 
ried Miss  May  H.  Moore,  who  was  born  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  state  on  the  Hudson  River, 
and  in  1878  graduated  from  the  State  Normal 
School  of  Fredonia.  The  four  children  born  of 
their  union  are  named  as  follows:  Joseph  Howard, 
who  graduated  from  the  Leavenworth  high 
school  in  1898;  Herman  Moore,  also  a  high 
school  graduate;  Amy  E.  and  William  J. 


HENRY  W.  RHEA  is  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Sherman  Township,  Leavenworth  County, 
and  has  been  active  in  matters  pertaining 
to  the  development  of  local  resources.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Bonner  Springs 
creamery,  which  has  proved  of  value  to  the  com- 
munit}'.  In  the  building  of  bridges  and  roads  he 
has  always  maintained  a  ready  interest,  believing 
that  no  county  can  take  a  high  rank  in  a  state 


until  its  transportation  facilities  have  been  im- 
proved as  much  as  possible.  He  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Tri-State  Telephone  Company. 

Mr.  Rhea  was  born  in  Hamilton  Count}',  Tenn., 
in  1839,  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Eleauor  (Millikin) 
Rhea,  natives  of  Tennessee,  where  the  former 
carried  on  blacksmithing  until  his  death  in  1852. 
Politically  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat.  His 
father,  John  Rhea,  who  migrated  from  Virginia 
to  Tennessee,  was  of  Scotch  descent,  whose  fam- 
ily settled  in  Virginia  at  an  early  age.  John 
Rhea  married  Mary  Northcross,  who  was  a  de- 
scendant of  Lord  Northcross,  of  England.  Our 
subject's  mother  was  of  German  parentage  and 
spent  her  entire  life  in  Tennessee,  where  she  died 
in  1862.  Of  her  nine  children  four  are  living, 
namely:  Elbert  A.,  Benjamin  M.,  Henry  W.  and 
Mary  A. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  Civil  war  our  sub- 
ject enlisted  in  the  Second  Tennessee  Volunteer 
Infantry  and  was  made  sergeant  of  Company  F, 
and  assigned  to  the  department  of  the  Cumber- 
land under  General  Rosecrans.  Upon  being  dis- 
charged in  1864  he  entered  the  quartermaster's 
department  as  its  agent  at  Knoxville,  Tenn., 
where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In 
1867  he  came  to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Brown 
County,  where  he  remained  for  two  years.  After- 
ward he  traveled  through  different  parts  of  the 
state  and  the  west.  In  1873  he  engaged  in  the 
mining  and  mercantile  business  at  Joplin,  Mo., 
where  he  remained  for  four  years,  selling  out  in 
1877.  He  then  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  the  Delaware  reserve  on  the  Kaw  bot- 
tom, and  since  that  time  he  has  carried  on  stock- 
raising  and  farming,  making  a  specialty  of  rais- 
ing potatoes.  In  1880  he  erected  a  fine  residence 
at  Loring  Station,  on  the  heights  overlooking  the 
Kaw  valley,  one  of  the  most  attractive  parts  of 
Sherman  Township.  A  railroad  station  has  been 
built  on  his  land,  which  facilitates  the  shipment 
of  produce  and  travel.  He  plants  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  potatoes  and  raises 
large  crops. 

Having  given  his  attention  very  closely  to  the 
various  duties  connected  with  the  cultivation  of 
his  land,  Mr.  Rhea  has  never  had  the  leisure  to 


II 


FRANCIS  XAVIER  JARDON. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


383 


I 


cultivate  a  taste  for  public  affairs  that  he  might 
have  desired.  He  has  never  sought  office  and 
has  not  identified  himself  with  any  political  partj^ 
but  has  been  independent  in  his  politics.  He  is 
especially  interested  in  educational  matters  and 
has  aided  in  securing  good  schools  for  his  district. 
He  and  his  wife,  who  was  Louisa  McCaleb,  of 
Tennessee,  have  many  friends  among  the  people 
of  Sherman  Township  and  are  respected  wherever 
known. 

I"  RANCIS  XAVIER  JARDON.  Few  among 
ry  the  farmers  of  Douglas  County  have  been 
I  ^  more  successful  than  this  enterprising  agri- 
culturist of  Willow  Springs  Township.  Through 
his  energy  and  industry  he  has  acquired  valuable 
possessions,  including  the  ownership  of  one  of 
the  finest  farms  in  eastern  Kansas.  His  total 
possessions  in  this  county  aggregate  ten  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  all  of  which  represents  his  own 
earnings.  The  farm  upon  which  he  resides  con- 
sists of  four  hundred  acres,  with  fine  improve- 
ments, including  one  of  the  handsomest  country 
residences  in  the  state  and  the  most  substantial 
barn  in  the  locality.  Besides  this  place  he  owns 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  improved  laud  in 
Palmyra  Township  and  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  comprising  a  stock  farm  in  Marion  Town- 
ship. Besides  his  farming  operations,  in  the  fall 
of  1889  he  engaged  in  the  live-stock  commission 
business  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Burnside,  Jardon  &  Co.,  and  for  five 
years  gave  his  personal  attention  to  that  busi- 
ness, since  which  time  he  has  remained  on  the 
farm,  hiring  men  to  attend  to  the  commission 
business  in  the  city.  He  has  been  unusually  suc- 
cessful as  a  farmer.  While  he  gives  much  time 
to  general  farm  pursuits,  he  is  also  interested  in 
stock-raising  and  has  on  his  place  from  two  to 
three  hundred  head  of  cattle. 

Near  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  our  subject  was  born 
April  1 1,  1858.  He  is  a  brother  of  Augustus  M. 
Jardon,  in  who.se  sketch  the  family  history  will 
be  found.  When  he  was  only  about  one  month 
old  his  parents  came  to  Kansas,  hence  he  remem- 
bers no  other  home  than  this.  When  twenty- 
three  years  of  age  he  rented  a  farm,  and  in  this 


way  secured  a  start  in  life.  In  the  spring  of 
1882  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
that  he  still  owns,  and  to  it  he  has  from  time  to 
time  added  as  circumstances  permitted.  Decem- 
ber 3,  1883,  he  married  Adelia  Miller,  who  died 
April  8,  18S9.  His  second  marriage  took  place 
April  15,  1893,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Vir- 
ginia T.  Elliott,  of  Topeka,  Kans.,  by  whom  he 
has  two  children,  Francis  and  Irene.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat  with  liberal  views,  and  in  local 
elections  supports  the  best  men  for  offices  of 
trust.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Palmyra 
Lodge  No.  43,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Baldwin. 
■  Mrs.  Jardon  is  the  daughter  of  John  Y.  and 
Louise  (Collins)  Elliott,  natives  respectively  of 
Petersburg,  Va.,  and  Rheatown,  Tenn.  The 
former  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  manufac- 
turer of  wagons  and  carriages.  A  leading  Dem- 
ocrat he  held  the  office  of  mayor  of  Rheatown, 
where  his  extensive  factory  was  located.  In  Ma- 
sonry he  passed  through  the  various  chairs  to 
that  of  Master  Mason  in  the  chapter.  Mr.  Elliott 
continued  in  business  at  Rheatown  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  May  3,  1883.  Of  the  fam- 
ily of  seven  daughters  and  two  sons  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Elliott  only  three  are  living,  viz.:  Mrs. 
Jardon;  Miss  Jo  Elliott,  who  makes  her  home 
with  her  sister  in  Willow  Springs  Township; 
and  Emma,  wife  of  Joseph  Dickinson,  of  Rhea- 
town, Tenn. 

REV.  WILLIAM  ROBERT  WOOD,  Ph.  D. 
There  is  no  profession  or  occupation  afford- 
ing a  wider  field  for  usefulness  than  that  of 
the  ministry.  Among  the  men  who  have  hon- 
ored this  profession  and  who,  in  turn,  have  been 
honored  by  it,  conspicuous  mention  belongs  to 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  pastor  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Ottawa.  Dr.  Wood  is  a 
man  of  clear  intellect  and  logical  reasoning  fac- 
ulties, an  earnest  speaker  and  a  successful  leader. 
When  he  first  came  to  Ottawa  he  found  a  church 
of  four  hundred  and  fifty  members,  and  when  he 
left,  after  a  pastorate  of  two  and  one-half  years, 
the  membership  had  been  increased  to  six  hun- 
dred. So  high  was  the  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held  that,   some  years  later,  while  carrying  on 


384 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  degree  studies  in  the  University  of  Chicago 
and  at  the  same  time  acting  as  pastor  of  a  grow- 
ing church  in  that  cit}',  he  was  again  called  to 
Ottawa,  and,  accepting  the  call,  he  has  since 
ministered  to  the  congregation  here. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Ottawa  was  organ- 
ized May  4,  1864,  by  a  company  of  Baptists,  of 
whom  I.  S.  Kalloch  served  as  chairman  and  C.  C. 
Hutchinson  as  secretary.  At  that  time  a  Bap- 
tist church  was  already  in  existence  here,  having 
been  planted  through  the  faithful  labors  of  Rev. 
J.  Meeker,  missionary  to  the  Ottawa  Indians. 
Accordingly  the  new  organization  was  given  the 
name  of  the  Second  Church,  but  when  the  In- 
dians were  transferred  to  other  sections  of  the 
country  and  their  mission  therefore  disbanded, 
the  Second  then  became  the  First  Church.  A 
building  was  erected  in  1865  and  remodeled  in 
1880.  When  it  became  too  small  for  the  needs 
of  the  growing  congregation  a  new  house  of 
worship  was  erected,  which  is  the  finest  and  one 
of  the  largest  church  buildings  in  Kansas.  There 
has  been  a  steady  growth  in  the  membership, 
which  now  numbers  more  than  seven  hundred. 
Every  department  of  the  church  is  in  excellent 
condition  and  the  various  societies  are  accom- 
plishing much  for  the  cause  of  Christ  in  this  city. 

Dr.  Wood  was  born  in  London,  Canada,  April 
21,  i860,  a  son  of  Matthew  and  Elizabeth  (Bell) 
Wood,  natives  respectively  of  Glasgow,  Scotland, 
and  Montreal,  Canada.  His  grandfather,  William 
Wood,  who  was  probably  of  English  descent, 
was  born  in  Scotland  and  prepared  for  the  Pres- 
byterian ministry,  but  ill  health  caused  him  to 
come  to  America,  where  he  engaged  in  farming. 
He  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  London,  Canada.  Matthew  Wood,  being  the 
only  son,  succeeded  to  the  old  homestead,  where 
he  resided  for  years,  but  now  makes  his  home  at 
Luther,  Mich.  He  has  served  as  school  director 
and  has  been  interested  in  the  building  of 
schools.  While  in  Canada  he  served  as  county 
commissioner  for  some  j^ears.  His  wife  was  a 
daughter  of  Archibald  Bell,  a  native  of  Paislej', 
Scotland,  and  a  descendant  of  a  Highland  family. 
He  was  a  pioneer  contractor  in  Toronto,  but 
after  years  in  that  city  removed  to  a  farm   near 


London,  and  finally  died  at  Strathroy.  He  was 
the  first  elder  in  the  old  Knox  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Toronto. 

In  the  family  of  Matthew  Wood  were  seven 
children,  all  but  one  of  whom  are  living.  John 
M.  is  a  fruit  grower  in  Mexico;  Archibald  B.  is  a 
merchant  in  Dumout,  S.  Dak.;  Mary  W.,  Mrs. 
Beatty,  lives  in  Sterling,  111.;  Thomas  C.  is  con- 
nected with  the  Miners'  supply  house  in  Rhine- 
lander,  Wis.;  and  Harriet  W.,  a  teacher,  resides 
with  her  parents. 

Until  twenty-two  years  of  age  the  subject  of 
this  article  remained  on  the  home  farm,  of  which 
for  some  years  he  had  charge.  In  1882  he  en- 
tered Woodstock  (Ontario)  College,  and  attended 
until  the  senior  year,  when  failing  health  obliged 
him  to  leave.  From  18S2  he  was  engaged  in 
preaching,  although  not  holding  a  regular  pas- 
torate. He  had  identified  himself  with  the  Bap- 
tist Church  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  although  both 
of  his  parents  were  Presbyterians.  In  1885  he 
went  to  Colorado,  where  he  was  ordained  Sep- 
tember 29,  and  became  pastor  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church  of  Boulder.  At  the  same  time  he 
continued  his  studies  in  the  University  of  Colo- 
rado, from  which  he  graduated  in  1888,  with  the 
degree  of  Ph.  B.  His  second  pastorate  in  Colo- 
rado was  with  the  Judson  Baptist  Church  in  Den- 
ver, where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1890. 
At  the  same  time  he  was  secretary  of  the  Baptist 
state  convention  and  had  charge  of  missionary 
work  in  Colorado,  having  the  supervision  of 
about  forty  missionaries  scattered  throughout  the 
state.  The  duties  of  his  position  made  it  neces- 
sary for  him  to  travel  considerably,  in  order  to 
understand  thoroughly  the  needs  of  each  mission 
post.  Frequently  he  preached  in  mountain  and 
mining  towns.  In  May,  1890,  he  accepted  the 
Ottawa  pastorate,  which  he  held  until  Septem- 
ber, 1892,  and  then  went  to  Chicago,  where  he 
attended  the  Universitj'  of  Chicago,  and  received 
the  degrees  of  B.  D.  and  Ph.  D.  He  also  took 
charge  of  a  newly  organized  church  of  thirty-five 
members,  from  which  he  built  up  the  Lexington 
Avenue  Baptist  Church,  located  three  blocks 
from  the  University  and  containing  a  member- 
ship of  two  hundred.     Since  his  return  to  Kansas 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


385 


he  has  acted  as  a  member  of  the  ministerial  com- 
mittee of  the  Ottawa  University  and  chairman  of 
the  executive  committee  of  the  state  convention 
of  Baptist  societies  in  Kansas.  In  every  place 
where  he  has  labored  he  has  been  successful  in 
strengthening  congregations  and  in  increasing 
membership.  Weak  churches  and  congrega- 
tions broken  down  by  dissensions  have*  been 
helped  by  his  labors  and  brought  into  harmony 
and  good  fellowship.  Among  young  people  his 
work  has  been  remarkably  successful,  and  while 
in  Boulder  it  was  through  his  efforts  the  young 
people's  society  was  organized  that  afterward 
became  a  power  for  good  in  that  county  and 
state. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Wood  united  him  with 
Miss  Mary  Ethel  Eldridge,  who  was  born  in 
New  York  state  and  received  her  education  in  a 
high  school  and  business  college  in  Chicago.  For 
ten  years  she  was  private  secretary  to  Isaac  E. 
Blake,  president  of  the  Continental  Oil  and 
Transportation  Company,  with  headquarters  in 
Denver,  Colo.  While  in  that  city  she  was  inter- 
ested in  the  real-estate  business  and  also  in  min- 
ing in  Colorado,  Utah  and  Idaho.  She  drew  the 
original  specifications  for  the  magnificent  $30,000 
organ  which  Mr.  Blake  presented  to  the  Trinity 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Denver.  As  a 
financier  she  has  few  equals  among  women, 
while  her  culture  brings  her  into  social  promi- 
nence. Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wood  have  two  children, 
Gordon  Blake  and  Roberta  Virginia. 


EOL.  JOHN  KNOX  RANKIN.  The  first 
representative  of  this  branch  of  the  Rankin 
family  in  America  was  John  Rankin,  who 
was  born  in  County  Donegal,  Ireland,  of  Scotch 
descent,  and  emigrated  to  the  new  world  in  1727, 
settling  on  the  Juniata  River  in  Pennsylvania. 
At  a  somewhat  later  date  he  moved  to  the  vicinity 
of  Carlisle.  He  was  the  father  of  two  sons  and 
eight  daughters,  the  sons  being  Thomas  and 
Richard.  Thomas  was  an  elder  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church  and  a  leading  man  in  his  commu- 
nity.    Among    his   family    of  six  sous  and   six 


daughters  was  Richard,  who  was  born  near  Car- 
lisle in  1756  and  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade 
in  conjunction  with  farming.  During  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  he  was  one  of  the  brave  patriots 
who  fought  for  the  freedom  of  our  country.  Af- 
ter the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  Penn- 
sylvania home,  but  in  1786  settled  in  Tennessee. 
By  his  marriage  to  Jane  Steele  he  had  eleven  sons 
and  one  daughter. 

Among  these  sons  were  four  Presbyterian  cler- 
gymen, all  of  whom  were  prominent  in  the  anti- 
slavery  movement.  One  of  them.  Rev.  John 
Rankin,  almost  suffered  martydom  on  account  of 
his  outspoken  opposition  to  slavery,  being  several 
times  mobbed.  Another  of  the  brothers.  Rev. 
Robert  Rankin,  was  born  in  Jefferson  County, 
Tenn.,  and  attended  for  some  years  Murray 
Academy  in  Dandridge,  finishing  his  education 
under  his  brother  John,  at  Ripley,  Brown  County, 
Ohio.  Upon  being  licensed  to  preach  he  ac- 
cepted a  charge  in  Huntingdon,  Ohio,  and  from 
there  went  to  Cass  County  near  Logansport,  Ind. , 
to  labor  as  a  home  missionary,  near  which  town 
he  died  in  1840,  when  his  son,  our  subject,  was 
only  three  years  of  age.  Besides  him,  he  left 
two  other  children:  Mary,  who  is  married  and 
lives  at  Ouenemo,  Kans.,  and  Alexander,  a  Kan- 
sas pioneer  of  1857,  now  living  in  Lawrence. 

The  wife  of  Rev.  Robert  Rankin  was  Eliza 
Rowe  Lowry,  who  was  born  in  Greene  Count}', 
East  Tennessee,  a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Julia 
Lowry,  who  sailed  for  America  from  London- 
derry, Ireland.  Her  father  was  a  pioneer  miller 
and  farmer  and  also  flat-boated  on  the  Tennessee 
River.  The  family  were  all  stanch  believers  in 
the  Union  cause,  and  twenty-two  of  them  were 
captured  at  one  time,  in  Tennessee,  in  a  crowd  of 
three  hundred.  After  the  death  of  Rev.  Robert 
Rankin  his  widow  was  again  married.  Her  last 
3'ears  were  spent  in  Kansas  and  she  died  at  Que- 
nemo  November  29,1898.  She  was  a  woman  of  no- 
ble character  and  great  patience  in  the  midst  of  ad- 
verse circumstances,  and  to  her  influence  our  sub- 
ject undoubtedly  owes  the  firm  principles  of  honor 
implanted  in  his  nature.  Deprived  of  his  father's 
care  when  too  small  to  realize  his  loss,  his  mother 
thereafter  cared    for  him  and   watched   over  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


education  and  training,  doing  everything  for  him 
that  her  limited  circumstances  rendered  possible. 

The  first  college  in  which  our  subject  studied 
was  at  Wabash,  Ind.,  but  on  account  of  his  anti- 
slavery  views  he  left  that  institution  and  entered 
a  college  at  Iberia,  Ohio.  That  school  had  been 
established  under  the  care  and  patronage  of  the 
Free  Presbyterian  Church,  a  denomination  which 
seceded  from  the  old  and  new  schools  of  the 
Presbyterian  body  on  account  of  the  slavery 
question.  Both  men  and  women  were  admitted 
to  its  classes,  and  also  both  black  and  white  stu- 
dents. It  was  under  the  supervision,  as  presi- 
dent, of  a  scholarly  man  (uncle  of  the  lady  whom 
Colonel  Rankin  afterward  married) ,  who  was  the 
last  victim  of  the  fugitive-slave  law,  having  been 
convicted  under  the  fugitive-slave  law  and  sent  to 
the  penitentiary  on  the  charge  of  aiding  fugitives 
in  securing  their  freedom;  and  he  remained  in 
prison  until  pardoned  by  President  lyincoln. 
Rev.  John  Rankin  was  also  active  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Free  Presbyterian  Church  and  the 
founding  of  the  college  at  Iberia. 

May  I,  1859,  our  subject  arrived  in  Lawrence, 
joining  his  brother,  who  had  come  to  Douglas 
County  in  1857.  In  'he  spring  of  i860  he  re- 
turned to  Iberia,  where  he  graduated  in  i860. 
During  his  first  sojourn  in  the  west  he  was  door- 
keeper for  the  territorial  council  of  1859.  On  his 
return  to  Lawrence  in  i860  he  took  an  ox-team 
and  went  to  Iowa,  bringing  back  a  load  of  wheat 
ground.  During  the  winter  of  1860-61  he  was 
enrolling  clerk  in  the  last  territorial  legislature. 
When  the  first  state  legislature  met  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  journal  clerk  and  at  the  close  of  the 
session  enlisted  in  the  Union  army.  In  May, 
1861,  he  was  elected  second  lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany C,  Second  Kansas  Infautrj-,  which  was 
composed  of  Johnson  County  boys.  Going  to 
Missouri,  he  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Forsyth, 
Dug  Spring  and  Wilson  Creek,  where  Lyon  was 
killed  and  the  regiment  cut  to  pieces.  In  the 
fall  of  1 86 1  he  was  mustered  out  with  his  regi- 
ment, and  on  the  re-organization  of  the  regiment 
as  cavalry  was  commissioned  lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany H,  Second  Kansas  Cavalry.  During  that 
year  he  and  others  were  detached  to  form  a  bat- 


tery, which  was  sent  south  to  Corinth,  but,  there 
being  an  oversupply  of  artillery  in  Rosecrans' 
corps,  the  men  were  remounted  as  cavalrj-.  The 
other  officers  returned  to  Kansas  and  our  subject 
remained  in  command  of  the  men,  as  body  guard 
for  Gen.  Robert  B.  Mitchell.  He  took  part  in 
the  movement  of  Buell's  army  back  to  Louisville, 
the  battle  of  Perry ville,  Ky.,  and  until  the  pur- 
suit of  Bragg's  army  was  abandoned,  after  which 
the  detachment  was  returned  to  the  Second  Kan- 
sas. He  was  detached  as  aide-de-camp  to  Gen- 
eral Mitchell,  on  whose  staff  he  remained  until  the 
expiration  of  his  time,  in  the  meantime  taking 
part  in  the  battles  of  Stone  River,  Rover,  Triune, 
Shelby  ville  and  Chickamauga,  after  which  Mitch- 
ell was  transferred  to  the  department  of  the 
west,  with  headquarters  in  Omaha. 

During  the  Quantrell  raid  our  subject  and  his 
cousin  were  the  only  men  in  Lawrence  who  re- 
sisted the  raiders  with  arms,  an  account  of  which 
is  given  in  Cordley's  History  of  Lawrence  and 
Speer's  History  of  "Jim"  Lane,  in  pursuit  of 
Quantrell.  On  that  day,  August  21,  1863,  the 
two  men  had  a  contest  with  six  raiders  in  the 
street  and  wounded  two  and  drove  the  others 
away.  In  June,  1865,  upon  being  mustered  out, 
our  subject  was  commissioned  colonel  and  given 
a  position  as  paymaster  and  inspector-general, 
which  he  filled  four  years,  until  it  was  abolished 
by  law.  In  1866  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
house  of  representatives,  from  1867  to  187 1  served 
as  postmaster  at  Lawrence,  in  1874  and  1875  was 
honored  with  the  office  of  mayor,  in  1889  was 
again  chosen  for  the  legislature,  held  the  office  of 
assistant  superintendent  of  Haskell  Institute, 
and  in  1890  was  appointed  special  agent  in, the 
Indian  service  under  Benjamin  Harrison,  a  po- 
sition which  he  has  since  filled  with  the  greatest 
efficiency.  At  different  times  he  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  of  Lawrence.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Lawrence  Land  and  Water  Power  Company,  and 
was  treasurer  and  a  director  of  the  St.  Louis, 
Lawrence  &  Southwestern  Railroad.  In  politics 
he  has  always  been  stanch  in  his  adherence  to 
Republican  principles,  and  has  exerted  a  wide 
influence  among  the  members  of  his  party.     His 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


387 


religious  faith  is  that  of  his  forefathers,  the  Pres- 
byterian. Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  and  the 
Kansas  Commandery  of  the  Loyal  Legion.  In 
former  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business,  but  the  duties  of  his  position  as  Indian 
agent  have  for  some  years  engrossed  his  entire 
time  and  given  him  little  leisure  for  other  pur- 
suits. 

March  21,  1866,  in  Terryville,  Conn.,  Colonel 
Rankin  married  Laura,  daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas 
Finney,  a  prominent  minister  in  the  Free  Presby- 
terian Church.  She  was  born  in  New  Philadel- 
phia, Ohio,  and  died  in  Lawrence  in  1875,  leav- 
ing two  sous.  The  older  of  these  sons,  Robert 
C,  is  living  in  East  Las  Vegas,  N.  M.  The 
younger,  Herbert  J.,  who  enlisted  as  a  rough 
rider  in  the  Spanish -American  war,  served  during 
the  Santiago  campaign  and  was  mustered  out  at 
the  close  of  the  war.  The  second  marriage  of 
Colonel  Rankin  took  place  September  5,  1878,  in 
Lawrence,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Augusta 
Fischer,  who  was  born  in  Cherzt,  Prussia,  and 
by  whom  he  has  four  children:  Carl,  Anna  L., 
Alice  M.  and  Margaret  A. 


MAMUEL  R.  DICKEY,  proprietor  of  County 
2\  Line  farm,  in  Delaware  Township,  Leaven- 
Cy/  worth  County,  is  one  of  the  best-known 
stockmen  in  this  part  of  the  state.  A  resident 
of  this  county  since  1865,  he  was  among  the  first 
to  begin  the  breeding  of  fine  stock  in  the  state  of 
Kansas  and  has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  Ham- 
bletonian  horses,  of  which  he  usually  has  from 
twenty-five  to  fifty  head  on  his  farm.  His  trot- 
ting horses  are  among  the  finest  in  the  state  and 
on  his  place  he  has  a  good  trotting  track.  Fre- 
quently he  has  made  shipments  of  fine  driving 
stock  to  Philadelphia  and  other  eastern  points. 
Upon  his  farm,  which  consists  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres,  he  also  carries  on  general 
farm  pursuits. 

Mr.  Dickey  was  born  in  Chester  County,  Pa., 
June  23,  1844,  a  son  of  James  R.  and  Jane  (Cum- 
mings)  Dickey.  Earl)-  in  the  eighteenth  century 
Samuel  Dickey  came  from  the  north  of  Ireland. 


His  son,  Samuel,  married  Mary  Jackson  in  1759 
and  they  had  four  sons:  John,  Samuel,  Ebenezer 
and  David.  John  was  the  father  of  James  R., 
whose  son,  Samuel  R. ,  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Several  of  the  name  took  part  in  the 
struggle  for  national  independence.  Our  sub- 
ject's paternal  grandfather,  John  Dickey,  a  native 
of  Chester  County,  spent  his  entire  life  there,  and 
was  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  his  locality. 
The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  John 
Cummings,  owned  large  estates  and  several  lime 
kilns  near  Philadelphia,  where  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  Dickey,  was  born  and  reared,  and  where 
she  died;  she  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at 
Oxford,    Pa. 

In  1865  James  R.  Dickey  brought  his  family  to 
Kansas  and  settled  in  Brown  County,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming.  Agriculture  was  his  life 
occupation,  although,  at  different  times,  he  also 
had  other  iuterests.  At  one  time  he  operated  a 
cotton  factory  in  Chester  County  and  for  a  year 
he  also  carried  on  a  woolen  mill  in  Kentucky. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and  during  war 
times  was  a  stanch  Abolitionist  and  supporter  of 
the  Union.  He  was  drowned  in  1867,  when  fifty- 
four  years  of  age.  His  oldest  son,  John,  who 
went  to  Colorado  in  i860,  enlisted  in  the  First 
Colorado  Infantry  in  the  Civil  war  and  was  never 
heard  of  after  the  battle  of  Apache  Canon.  The 
other  children  were  as  follows:  Sarah,  deceased; 
Samuel  R. ;  and  Jane,  wife  of  Theophilus  Barnhart ; 
formerly  of  Texas,  now  of  Chickasha,  I.  T. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  near  Ox- 
ford, Chester  County,  Pa.,  and  was  educated  in 
common  schools.  He  accompanied  his  parents 
to  York  County,  Pa.,  and  Geneseo,  111.  In  1865 
he  came  with  them  to  Kansas,  settling  in  Leaven- 
worth County.  Two  years  later  he  purchased 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  here,  since 
1878,  he  has  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  trotting 
horses,  also  in  general  agricultural  pursuits.  Po- 
litically he  has  always  been  a  Republican,  but  is  a 
strong  supporter  of  the  silver  standard.  He  has 
served  as  clerk  of  the  school  board,  but,  as  a  rule, 
prefers  not  to  hold  official  positions. 

April  7,  1S69,  Mr.  Dickey  married  Miss  Family 
A.  Carpenter,    by  whom  he  has  five  children: 


388 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mary  E.,  who  is  in  New  York;  James  H.,  who  is 
with  his  parents;  Charles  F.,  a  graduate  of  the 
New  York  College  of  Pharmac}^  class  of  1899, 
and  winner  of  a  prize  of  $100  for  the  best  ex- 
amination in  materia  medica  and  pharmacognosy; 
Harry  C,  a  student  in  the  same  school;  and 
Jennie.  The  children  have  been  given  excellent 
educational  advantages  and  are  unusually  intelli- 
gent and  cultured.  Mrs.  Dickey  is  a  daughter  of 
Charles  K.  Carpenter,  who  at  one  time  was  a 
merchant  in  New  York  City,  but  in  i860  re- 
moved to  Kansas.  He  made  the  acquaintance 
of  the  law  firm  of  Ewing,  Sherman  &  McCook, 
all  of  whom  became  generals  in  the  Civil  war. 
He  purchased  the  Sherman  farm  near  North  To- 
peka,  and  there  made  his  home  for  four  years. 
In  1864  he  came  to  Leavenworth  County  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  on  the  Indian  reservation  line, 
after  which  he  returned  to  New  York  City.  His 
last  days  were  spent  in  that  place,  where  he  died 
in  1883.  He  had  a  brother,  George  Carpenter, 
who  was  post  quartermaster  at  Fort  Leavenworth 
for  some  time  during  the  Civil  war,  holding  the 
rank  of  captain. 

PJ  ELSON  MERCHANT.  At  the  time  of  the 
I  /  excitement  concerning  the  free-state  or  slav- 
1^  ery  triumph  in  Kansas,  Mr.  Merchant  was 
one  of  the  men  who  were  attracted  to  the  west 
and  cast  in  his  fortunes  with  the  men  of  the  north 
in  an  endeavor  to  crush  out  slavery  from  their 
midst.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  came  to  Frank- 
lin County  and  preempted  one  hundred  and  six- 
ty acres  in  Hayes  Township.  He  experienced 
all  the  excitement  and  danger  incident  to  life  in 
a  new  country  where  opposing  forces  were  striv- 
ing for  the  mastery.  Sometimes  when  border 
ruffians  were  creating  devastation  in  the  neigh- 
borhood and  leaving  death  in  their  trail,  he  was 
forced,  for  safety,  to  spend  whole  nights  in  the 
brush.  On  one  night  Ouantrell  slept  in  his  house, 
but  he  was  not  aware  of  the  fact  until  after  the 
famous  raider  had  gone.  In  December,  1857, 
his  family  joined  him  in  his  new  home,  and  here 
they  have  since  resided,  he  giving  his  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits. 

In   Lyons,  Wayne    County,  N.    Y.,  Mr.   Mer- 


chant was  born  May  24,  1830.  His  father, 
Rensselaer  Merchant,  was  a  native  of  Washing- 
ton County,  that  state,  born  November  30,  1804, 
and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Lyons.  The  remainder  of  his  life  was 
spent  in  that  place,  where  he  died  January  27, 
1849,  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years.  Through  his 
service  in  the  militia  he  was  always  known  as 
captain.  In  connection  with  farming  he  engaged 
in  teaching  school.  His  father,  John  Merchant, 
was  born  in  Washington  County  April  11,  1776, 
and  died  in  Wayne  County  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
one  years.  His  life  work  was  that  of  an  agricult- 
urist.    In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Lydia  Lane,  was  born  in  Wayne 
County  June  23,  1812,  and  died  there  May  30, 
1874.  In  religion  she  was  connected  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Ziba  and  Frances  (Dennis)  Lane,  the 
former  born  January  31,  1783,  and  died  January 
20,  1866;  the  latter  born  in  Maine  January  20, 
1784,  and  died  in  New  York  January  11,  1868. 
By  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Merchant  she  had  one 
son  and  two  daughters.  The  oldest  daughter, 
Eleanor,  was  born  October  29,  1834,  and  became 
the  wife  of  E.  A.  Gridley.  The  younger  daugh- 
ter, Lydia,  born  January  5,  1839,  is  the  widow  of 
John  H.  Munn,  and  lives  in  New  York.  The 
oldest  of  the  three  children  was  Nelson.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  home 
neighborhood  and  grew  to  manhood  with  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  agriculture. 

January  29,  1851,  our  subject  married  Miss 
Julia  A.  Griffith,  who  was  born  in  Bridgeport, 
Conn.,  February  9,  1831,  and  at  the  age  of  one 
year  was  taken  by  her  parents,  David  and  Pollie 
(Piatt)  Griffith,  to  Wayne  County,  N,  Y.,  where 
she  was  reared,  educated  and  married.  Her 
father,  a  native  of  Wales,  crossed  the  ocean  five 
times.  In  early  life  he  followed  the  hatter's  trade 
in  New  York  and  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  for  perhaps 
ten  years,  and  later  he  engaged  in  farming.  His 
death  occurred  when  he  was  seventy-seven  years 
of  age.  Influential  in  the  Republican  party  he 
was  offered  some  important  state  offices,  but  re- 
fused to  accept  them.     His  wife  was  born  in  Con- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


389 


necticut  and  died  in  New  York  at  thirty-three 
years  of  age.  Of  their  four  children  two  are  de- 
ceased. Six  children  were  born  to  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merchant,  namely:  Herschel,  a 
fanner  of  Hayes  Township;  Lydia  E.,  wife  of 
H.  F.  Ellis,  of  Ottawa,  Kans.;  Nettie  L.,  who 
died  in  September,  1889,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six 
years;  Foster  P.,  who  is  a  farmer  of  the  home 
neighborhood;  Clarence,  who  died  January  7, 
1886,  at  eighteen  years  of  age;  and  Charles,  who 
manages  the  home  farm. 

Until  1897  a  Republican,  Mr.  Merchant  in  that 
year  identified  himself  with  the  Prohibition  party, 
with  the  principles  of  which  he  had  always  been 
in  sympathy.  For  sixteen  years  he  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  for  several  years  was  as- 
sistant county  assessor  of  Franklin  County.  In 
1868  he  was  engrossing  clerk  of  the  state  legisla- 
ture, and  in  1869-70  served  as  sergeant-at-arms 
in  the  state  senate.  With  his  family  he  holds 
membership  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  is 
identified  with  Palmyra  I/odge  No.  23,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  Baldwin,  in  which  he  has  ofiSciated  as 
junior  deacon  and  master. 


'8' 


|L,IN  BELL  is  one  of  the  successful  business 
men  of  Lawrence,  where  he  has  made  his 
home  since  1S85.  He  has  built  up  what  is 
now  the  largest  music  business  in  Kansas,  and 
with  his  brother  John  as  partner  has  established 
a  valuable  trade  extending  through  the  state. 
When  he  came  to  this  city  he  was  without  means. 
His  brother  had  settled  here  in  1S84  and  had 
started  in  business  as  a  piano  tuner  and  repairer. 
In  1 886  they  opened  a  music  store  in  a  building 
ten  feet  square,  with  a  capital  of  only  $25.  Such 
a  start  might  not  seem  encouraging,  but  they 
were  energetic  and  determined  to  succeed,  and  it 
was  not  long  until  they  had  established  them- 
selves upon  a  sound  financial  basis.  When  the 
brother  went  to  Chicago  the  firm  of  Bell  Brothers 
dissolved  and  our  subject  continued  alone,  but 
after  three  years  his  brother  returned  and  the  old 
business  relations  were  resumed.  In  1S92  they 
removed  to  their  present  location.  No.  845  Massa- 
chusetts  street,    where   they   occupy    the  larger 


part  of  two  floors,  carrying  in  stock  all  kinds  of 
musical  instruments  and  acting  as  distributing 
agents  for  the  Shaw  and  Marshall  and  Wendell 
pianos.  The  brothers  are  interested  in  the 
Russell-Lane  Piano  Company  of  Chicago,  for 
whom  they  are  the  sole  western  agents.  'Olin 
was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  company  and 
was  chosen  a  director,  also  secretary,  in  which 
capacities  he  has  since  been  retained,  besides 
which,  since  January,  1899,  he  has  also  been 
treasurer.  The  factory  owned  by  the  company  is 
a  five-story  building  at  Nos.  37-39-41  and  43 
Coventry  street,  but  even  the  immense  capacity 
furnished  by  that  building  is  severely  taxed,  so 
rapidly  has  the  business  grown.  In  spite  of  a 
large  number  of  hands  being  furnished  constant 
employment  the  pianos  cannot  be  manufactured 
rapidly  enough  to  supply  the  great  demand. 
The  company  is  the  successor  to  the  old  Russell 
Piano  Company,  once  so  well  known  throughout 
the  country. 

The  Bells  are  an  old  eastern  family.  Our  sub- 
ject's father,  Robert,  a  native  of  York  state,  was 
a  son  of  William  Bell,  who  moved  west  to  Wis- 
consin, thence  to  Kansas  and  died  in  Lawrence. 
From  Wisconsin  Robert  went  to  Indiana,  and 
during  his  residence  at  Mishawaka,  St.  Joseph 
County,  his  son,  Leolin  (known  as  'Olin)  was 
born,  February  20,  1865.  When  the  latter  was 
fifteen  years  of  age  the  father  took  the  family  to 
Iowa  and  settled  in  Shenandoah,  where  he  died. 
He  had  married  Eliza  DeMott,  who  was  born  in 
Mineola,  Long  Island,  a  member  of  an  old  Revo- 
lutionary family  that  originally  came  from 
France.  She  is  still  living  and  makes  her  home 
in  Clarinda,  Iowa.  Of  her  four  children,  John 
H.  is  in  Lawrence;  Mrs.  Clara  Houson  resides  in 
Kansas  City;  and  W.  J.  is  engaged  in  the  music 
business  in  Texas.  When  ten  years  of  age  our 
subject  secured  employment  on  a  farm  near  South 
Bend,  Ind.,  and  from  that  time  he  lias  been  self- 
supporting.  He  was  only  six  when  he  began  to 
play  on  the  cornet,  having  inherited  from  his 
father  a  talent  for  music.  However,  while  he 
worked  on  the  farm  his  talent  was  not  developed. 
After  coming  west  as  far  as  Iowa  he  remained  in 
Shenandoah  until   1882  and  then  spent  a  year  in 


390 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  preparatory  department  of  the  University'  of 
Kansas.  Returning  to  Iowa,  after  a  year  he 
went  back  to  Indiana  and  continued  there  until 
February,  1885,  when  he  joined  his  brother  in 
Lawrence.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Music  Club 
of  Lawrence.  His  brother  organized  and  is 
leader  of  Bell's  Military  Band,  in  which  he  plays 
B  flat  cornet. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bell  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Pl3'mouth  Congregational  Church, 
also  belongs  to  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association  and 
the  United  Commercial  Travelers.  His  mar- 
riage, which  took  place  in  Lawrence,  united  him 
with  Miss  Ida  R.  Burr,  who  was  born  in  Massa- 
chusetts and  came  west  with  her  father,  Fred  P. 
Burr.  She  is  a  talented  musician  and  a  graduate 
of  the  musical  department  of  the  University  of 
Kansas^  The  two  children  born  of  this  union  are 
Grace  Adelaide  and  Ida  Dorothj'. 


r~lTCH  REED,  deceased,  formerly  one  of  the 
1^  prominent  men  of  Douglas  County,  was 
I  ^  born  in  the  town  of  Richmond,  Ontario 
County,  N.  Y.,  July  28,  18 14,  a  son  of  Wheeler 
and  Olive  (Risdon)  Reed.  His  father  was  twice 
married  and  by  his  first  wife,  our  subject's  moth- 
er, had  five  children,  none  of  whom  is  now  liv- 
ing. For  his  second  wife  he  chose  Miss  Hannah 
Risdon,  a  sister  of  the  first  wife.  To  their  union 
fifteen  children  were  born,  of  whom  the  follow- 
ing survive:  George,  of  Coldwater,  Mich.;  Emily, 
wife  of  Solomon  Longyear,  of  Seattle,  Wash.; 
Almira,  who  married  Warren  Gilbert,  of  Le- 
nawee County,  Mich.;  Byron,  also  of  Lenawee 
County;  and  Henry,  who  lives  in  Grand  Rapids, 
Mich. 

A  native  of  Vermont,  Wheeler  Reed  accompa- 
nied his  parents  to  New  York  in  boyhood  and 
settled  in  Ontario  County,  where  his  father  ac- 
quired large  possessions,  each  of  the  five  sons  be- 
ing given  a  farm  upon  settling  in  life.  The  fam- 
ily became  numerous  and  influential.  Fifty  chil- 
dren, descendants  of  the  first  settler,  attended 
the  same  school  and  formed  almost  the  entire  list 
of  scholars.  They  were  also  leaders  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  and  operated  a  woolen  and  flour- 


ing mill  in  the  same  locality.  The  education  of 
our  subject  was  obtained  in  common  schools  and 
the  academy  at  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  after  which 
he  taught  two  terms  in  New  York,  and  then 
went  to  Oakland  County,  Mich.,  where  he  taught 
for  two  3'ears.  He  returned  to  New  York,  but 
his  services  in  Michigan  had  been  so  satisfactory 
that  they  wrote  for  him  to  return  and  teach  the 
following  winter;  however,  having  already  ac- 
cepted a  school  for  that  term  he  could  not  com- 
ply with  the  request.  He  taught  one  term  in 
New  York,  and  during  that  time  was  married. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  went  back  to 
Michigan  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Lenawee  Coun- 
ty which  he  had  acquired  some  time  before. 
There  he  engaged  in  farming,  by  his  energy  and 
good  judgment  obtaining  large  and  valuable  pos- 
sessions. 

In  1865  Mr.  Reed  moved  to  the  town  of  Adrian 
intending  to  spend  his  remaining  years  in  retire- 
ment. However,  two  of  his  daughters  removing 
to  Kansas,  in  1869  he  determined  to  locate  in  the 
west,  and  July  of  that  year  found  him  with  his 
family  in  Douglas  County.  He  settled  in  Waka- 
rusa  Township,  six  miles  south  of  Lawrence, 
where  he  developed  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the 
county.  Here  he  quietly,  but  busily,  passed  the 
latter  part  of  his  life,  dying  on  the  old  homestead 
January  10,  1897.  For  many  years  during  his 
residence  in  Michigan  he  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  From  youth  he  was  an  earnest  Christian, 
seeking  to  carry  out  in  his  life  the  glorious  prin- 
ciples of  Christianity,  and  after  coming  to  Kan- 
sas he  identified  himself  with  the  Methodist 
Church,  although  he  had  previously  been  con- 
nected with  the  Presbyterians. 

February  20,  1840,  Mr.  Reed  married  Miss 
Ann  Draper,  a  lady  of  estimable  character,  to 
whose  sympathy  and  co-operation  he  owed  not  a 
little  of  his  success.  She  was  born  near  the  city 
of  Hull,  in  Yorkshire,  England,  May  i,  1816,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (White)  Draper. 
Her  father,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Lincoln- 
shire, England,  moved  to  Yorkshire  in  early 
manhood  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter, 
which  he  followed  for  some  years  in  that  shire, 
jn  1 83 1  he  emigrated  from  England  to  America 


STEPHAN  NAEHER. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


393 


and  settled  in  Farmington,  Mich.,  where  many 
years  of  his  life  were  passed.  He  removed  to 
Wakarusa  Township  in  1869,  and  died  here  a 
few  years  later.  To  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Reed  were  born  five  children,  three  of  whom  are 
deceased,  namely:  Marshall  and  Marcia  (twins), 
and  Mary  C.  Elizabeth  D.  is  the  wife  of  A.  F. 
Allen,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Vinland,  Kans. 
Ellen  M.  married  Dr.  George  Leary,  who  resides 
in  Wakarusa  Township,  Douglas  County. 


^TEPHAN  NAEHER,  an  enterprising  busi- 
/\  ness  man  of  Leavenworth,  was  born  in 
ilJ/  Frickingen,  Baden,  Germany,  December  24, 
1855,  the  only  child  born  to  the  union  of  John 
and  Mary  Ann  (Andelfinger)  Naeher,  natives  of 
Baden.  His  father,  who  was  the  son  of  John 
Naeher,  Sr. ,  and  a  member  of  an  old  familj-  of 
his  locality,  was  for  years  employed  as  an  assistant 
to  the  chief  forester,  continuing  in  that  position 
until  he  retired  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  A 
year  later  he  died.  His  first  wife,  who  was  the 
daughter  of  a  farmer  of  Heiligenburg,  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-seven  years,  when  her  son,  Stephan, 
was  five  days  old.  Afterward  the  father  was 
again  married,  having  by  the  union  a  son, 
Thomas,  who  is  a  tinsmith  in  Leavenworth. 

When  a  boy  our  subject  worked  for  two  and  a- 
half  years  in  the  botanical  gardens  of  one  of  the 
princes  of  Baden,  where  he  learned  the  forester's 
business.  Determining  to  try  his  fortune  in 
America,  in  1872  he  crossed  from  Hamburg  via 
Havre  to  New  York  on  the  packet-steamer 
"Holsatia,"  which  was  on  the  ocean  for  thirteen 
days.  From  New  York  he  came  west  to  Leaven- 
worth, where  he  worked  as  a  gardener  for  two 
months.  Later  he  secured  a  clerkship  in  Henry 
Krezdorn's  store,  remaining  in  that  position 
until  1878.  From  June,  1878,  to  September, 
1879,  he  was  employed  by  Rohlfing  &  Co.,  whole- 
sale grocers.  When  Thomas  Morgan  opened  a 
store  he  was  engaged  as  clerk  with  him.  May  i , 
1881,  he  bought  Mr.  Morgan  out  and  has  since 
continued  the  business  alone.  Later  he  bought 
the  property  on  which  the  store  and  residence 
stand.  The  lot  is  90  x  140  feet  in  dimensions,  of 
15 


which  ground  the  brick  store  occupies  24x60, 
and  the  warehouse,  for  grain,  hay  and  storage, 
70X  20.  The  location  is  No.  1300  South  Fourth 
street.  He  has  built  up  an  excellent  trade  in  the 
retail  grocery  business,  and  is  known  for  the 
reliability  of  his  dealings  and  his  honesty  in 
every  transaction. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Naeher  took  place  in 
Leavenworth  and  united  him  with  Miss  Rosa 
Rapp,  who  was  born  in  Lexington,  Mo.,  but  was 
reared  in  Leavenworth  from  the  age  of  one  year. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Rapp,  who  was  born 
in  Baden  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States, 
settling  in  Lexington,  Mo.,  and  there  following 
the  shoemaker's  trade.  During  the  Civil  war  he 
was  a  member  of  a  Missouri  regiment  that  en- 
listed from  St.  Louis.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
he  came  to  Leavenworth  and  opened  a  shoe  store, 
but  later  turned  his  attention  to  the  grocery  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  has  since  engaged.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Naeher  are  Amelia, 
Stephen  A.,  Annie,  Katie,  Frances  and  Josephine. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Naeher  is  a  stanch 
Republican.  He  is  interested  in  the  work  of  the 
Turn  Verein,  to  which  he  belongs.  He  was  at 
one  time  chancellor  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  a 
member  of  the  grand  lodge  and  a  charter  member 
of  the  Uniform  Rank.  The  Woodmen  of  the 
World  numbers  him  among  the  members  of  its 
Leavenworth  camp,  and  he  is  also  connected 
with  Delaware  Tribe  No.  3,  I.  O.  R.  M. 


QENJAMIN  J.  DONOVAN,  who  first  came 
f^  to  Leavenworth  in  1853  and  settled  perma- 
\}  nently  in  this  city  three  years  later,  was  born 
in  Cork,  Ireland,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm  near 
Chillicothe,  111.,  and  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  Don- 
ovan, Sr.  After  establishing  his  home  in  Leav- 
enworth he  became  interested  in  the  transfer 
business  for  Durfee  &  Peck,  and  continued  with 
them  until  he  died,  being  at  the  time  of  his  death 
the  oldest  transfer  man  in  the  town.  During  ter- 
ritorial days  he  served  as  a  magistrate.  How- 
ever, he  preferred  to  give  his  attention  to  private 
business  matters  rather  than  public  affairs,  and 
had  no  desire  to  hold  office. 


394 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


The  marriage  of  Benjamin  Donovan  united  him 
with  Catherine  A.  Heme,  daughter  of  Philip 
Heme,  who  died  in  Providence,  R.  I.  She  is 
still  living,  and  makes  her  home  with  her  son, 
Martin  B.  Mr.  Donovan  died  in  1873,  at  the 
age  of  forty  3'ears.  Of  their  ten  children  only 
three  are  living,  viz.:  Martin  B. ;  Mrs.  Joseph 
Farrell,  of  Kansas  City;  and  John  H.,  who  is  in 
charge  of  the  transfer  department  of  the  Donovan 
Coal,  Ice  &  Transfer  Company. 


ARTIN  B.  DONOVAN,  proprietor  of  the 
Donovan  Coal,  Ice  &  Transfer  Company  of 
Leavenworth  and  the  Leavenworth  Coal, 
Feed  &  Commission  Company,  also  manager  of 
the  Crawford  Grand  Opera  House,  has  spent  his 
entire  life  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  was  born 
July  15,  1859.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father  in 
1873  he  succeeded  to  the  management  of  the 
transfer  business,  which  were  then  so  small  that 
only  one  horse  and  one  dray  were  needed.  Under 
his  efficient  management  a  large  business  was 
built  up.  He  added  coal  and  wood  to  the  trans- 
fer business,  and  in  1897  P^^  ^^  ^^  ^^^  plant  and 
a  general  and  cold  storage  warehouse,  with  good 
capacity.  The  office  and  warehouses  are  at  No.  107 
Main  street,  and  the  ice  house  is  on  Seneca  street. 
From  here  shipments  of  manufactured  ice  are 
made  to  the  wholesale  houses  of  Kansas  City  and 
other  points. 

In  addition  to  the  Donovan  Coal,  Ice  &  Trans- 
fer Company,  whose  large  business  is  the  result  of 
hisexecutiveability  and  wise  judgment,  Mr.  Don- 
ovan is  interested  as  a  partner  in  the  livery  firm 
of  Keller  &  Co.,  at  No.  312  South  Fourth  street, 
proprietors  of  the  finest  livery  barns  in  the  city. 
He  is  also  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Hiatt  &  Dono- 
van, successors  to  the  Osage  Indian  Traders  at 
Pawhuska,  Okla.  This  business  has  had  a  phe- 
nomenal growth,  necessitating  the  rebuilding  of 
the  store  to  three  times  its  former  capacity.  The 
town  of  Pawhuska  is  thirty  miles  from  the  rail- 
road, the  nearest  station  being  Elgin,  Kans. 

Under  the  management  of  Mr.  Donovan  the 
Crawford  Grand  Opera  House  has  enjoyed  an  un- 
precedented prosperity   for  several  years.     The 


house  has  a  seating  capacity  of  one  thousand  and 
has,  during  the  season,  the  best  attractions  on  the 
road.  Mr.  Donovan  is  the  possessor  of  a  fine 
voice  and  for  eleven  years  he  was  first  tenor  in 
the  cathedral.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat  and 
actively  interested  in  local  affairs.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hiber- 
nians, the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen,  Tent  of  Maccabees,  and 
Catholic  Knights  of  America. 

When  the  Leavenworth  Coal,  Feed  &  Commis- 
sion Company  was  organized  Mr.  Donovan 
became  interested  in  it  and  is  now  the  sole  pro- 
prietor, Ben  Perry  being  the  manager.  The  office 
of  the  company  is  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and 
Choctaw  streets,  and  the  firm  deals  in  all  kinds 
of  coal,  feed  and  grain.  Mr.  Donovan  is  a  large 
property  owner.  Besides  his  fine  residence  on 
Miami  street  he  owns  a  farm  three  miles  south- 
west of  Tonganoxie,  where  he  is  raising  fine  thor- 
oughbred horses,  and  in  the  Osage  Indian  Reser- 
vation he  also  has  a  large  ranch,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  breeding  horses,  mules  and  hogs. 

In  Leavenworth  Mr.  Donovan  married  Agnes, 
daughter  of  Paul  Rohr,  who  came  to  Kansas  in 
1856  and  was  engaged  in  the  harness  business  in 
Leavenworth.  Mrs.  Agnes  Donovan  was  born 
in  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ,  and  died  in  Leavenworth  in 
1891,  leavinga  son,  Martin  B.,  Jr.,  now  a  stu- 
dent in  St.  Benedict's  College  at  Atchison.  A 
daughter,  MaryC,  was  born  of  this  union,  but 
died  in  childhood.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr. 
Donovan  united  him  with  Miss  Theresa  Mesel, 
daughter  of  John  and  Theresa  Mesel,  pioneers  of 
Leavenworth  County.  By  this  union  were  born 
two  sons,  George  Eddy,  and  John  Joseph,  who 
died  in  1899. 

HON.  GEORGE  A.  FISHER,  proprietor  of 
the  Fisher  machine  works  of  Leavenworth, 
is  a  pioneer  of  the  west  and  a  leading  busi- 
ness man  of  the  city  which  for  years  has  been 
his  home.  In  December,  1896,  he  and  his  four 
sons  started  the  works  which  they  now  conduct, 
building  a  two-story  shop,  24x125  feet  in  dimen- 
sions, at  Nos.  206-208  Cherokee  street.  In  the 
shop  are  manufactured  tools  and  machinery  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


395 


all  kinds.  All  of  the  equipments  are  modem  and 
the  products  first-class  in  every  respect.  The 
special  feature  of  the  works  is  the  Portable  Boring 
machine  invented  by  George  H.  Fisher,  for  the 
re-boring  of  cylinders  and  Corliss  valve  seats, 
which  is  the  only  worm-geared  and  automatic 
feed-boring  mill  in  the  west.  The  advantage  of 
this  machine  is  the  fact  that  cylinders  may  be 
bored  without  change  of  position,  which  enables 
the  owner  to  avoid  loss  of  time.  In  most  cases 
the  cylinders  are  bored  without  shutting  down 
the  plant  for  more  than  ten  or  twelve  hours  at 
a  time. 

The  Fisher  family,  in  past  as  well  as  the  present 
generations,  has  had  many  expert  machinists 
among  its  members.  Our  subject's  father,  whose 
name  was  the  same  as  his  own,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, and  in  early  life  settled  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
where  he  followed  the  trade  of  a  boiler-maker. 
He  died  in  that  city  when  ninety-eight  years  of 
age.  His  wife,  Mary  Ann  Gary,  was  born  in 
Scotland,  and  died  in  Pittsburgh.  Of  their  nine 
children,  three  are  living,  a  sister  and  a  brother 
(the  latter,  Moses,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war) 
being  residents  of  Pittsburgh.  George  A.  was 
born  in  that  city  December  14,  1832,  and  re- 
ceived a  public-school  education.  From  the  age 
of  sixteen  until  twenty-one  he  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  machinist's  trade.  In  1853  he 
crossed  the  plains  to  California,  outfitting  at  Leav- 
enworth with  an  ox-team  and  then  going,  with  a 
Mormon  train  to  Fort  Laramie,  from  there  with 
another  train  via  South  Pass  to  California,  where 
he  arrived  after  a  trip  of  four  months.  Three 
months  later  he  returned  across  the  plains  with 
an  ox-team,  going  with  a  party  to  what  is  now 
Denver  (then  Cherry  Creek).  In  that  place  he 
met  Green  Rus.sell,  who,  accompanied  by  a  party, 
was  en  route  to  California,  but  found  gold  in 
Colorado  and  decided  to  remain;  later  he  laid  out 
the  town  of  Aurora,  now  the  west  part  of  Denver. 
Mr.  Fisher  remained  with  Mr.  Russell  for  more 
than  half  a  year,  after  which  he  returned  to  Fort 
Leavenworth.  During  the  territorial  strife  he 
was  employed  by  the  government  in  carrying  dis- 
patches between  Lawrence  and  Leavenworth, 
then  joined  an  expedition  against   the  Sioux    In- 


dians and  took  part  in  a  fight  with  the  savages  at 
Ash  Hollow,  eighty  miles  from  Sumner.  From 
there  the  company  went  to  Dakota.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  trading  with  the  Indians,  and  with  his 
wagon  and  four-yoke  team  traveled  from  one  set- 
tlement to  another.  In  i860  he  joined  General 
Sully  as  a  guide,  his  abilty  to  speak  the  Sioux 
language  making  his  services  especially  valuable. 
He  took  part  in  the  battle  at  White  Stone  Lake 
and  was  twice  wounded  there.  Afterward  he  re- 
sumed Indian  trading  among  the  Sioux.  Twice 
he  was  attacked  by  savages  and  .seriously  injured, 
once  his  horse  being  shot  under  him,  leaving  him 
to  nfake  his  way,  as  best  he  could,  to  Fort  Look- 
out, one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  away.  He  res- 
cued and  returned  to  her  home  Mrs.  Kelly,  who 
was  kidnapped  by  Comanche  Indians  in  1862  and 
sold  to  the  Sioux  in  Dakota. 

Returning  to  Pittsburgh  in  1863,  Mr.  Fisher 
married  Miss  Anna  B.  Claus,  daughter  of  John 
and  Barbara  Claus,  of  that  city.  With  his  wife 
he  went  back  to  Dakota  and  settled  upon  a  ranch 
at  Bonham,  but  Indians  were  numerous  and  white 
settlers  scarce;  and  his  wife  not  liking  the  place, 
he  removed  to  St.  Joe,  where  he  was  employed 
as  a  machinist.  In  1869  he  came  to  Leavenworth, 
and  for  twenty-one  years  afterward  was  employed 
by  the  same  firm  as  machinist,  a  record  which 
proves  the  value  of  his  services  better  than  mere 
words  could  do.  Upon  resigning  his  position  he 
engaged  in  the  dairy  business  on  his  farm  of  fif- 
teen acres  in  the  suburbs,  and  continued  thus  en- 
gaged until  he  opened  his  machine  shop. 

Mr.  Fisher  has  had  considerable  experience  in 
frontier  life.  He  has  many  relics,  including  a 
pipe,  from  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  for  securing 
horses  that  had  been  .stolen,  and  a  gold-headed 
cane  from  the  Dakota  territorial  legislature. 
During  the  ten  years  that  he  traveled  in  Dakota 
trading  among  the  Indians  he  never  slept  in  a 
house,  his  only  bed  being  an  improvised  one  in 
tent  or  on  the  ground.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  first  territorial  legislature  of  Dakota,  to  which 
he  was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket.  He 
also  served  as  postmaster  at  Bonham.  He  and 
his  wife  are  the  parents  of  eleven  children, 
namely;  Anna  B.;  Mrs.  Minnie  Belle  Biddle,  of 


596 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Leavenworth;  George  H.,  a  partner  of  his  father 
and  a  young  man  of  inventive  ability;  Cora  C; 
Harry,  Arthur  and  Walter  (partners  with  their 
father);  Grace,  Ernest,  Clara  and  Richard. 


^  EDWARD  BRUNE,  secretary  and  man" 
?\  ager  of  the  Douglas  County  Creamery  Com- 
Q),  pany,  is  in  charge  of  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant business  concerns  of  Lawrence.  In  June, 
1895,  he  was  elected  to  the  position  which  he  has 
since  filled  with  the  greatest  efficiency,  and  he  is 
also  a  stockholder  and  director  of  the  company. 
The  creamery  was  opened  April  10,  1S95,  but 
was  not  operated  under  any  system  until  he  as- 
sumed its  management,  since  which  time  it  has 
been  made  a  most  successful  investment  for  its 
stockholders.  The  company  has  a  paid-up  capi- 
tal of  $4,700,  with  an  authorized  capital  of  $10,- 
000.  The  plant  has  a  capacity  of  fifteen  hundred 
pounds  of  butter  a  day,  and  a  specialty  is  made 
of  the  fine!5t  grade  of  table  butter,  shipments  of 
which  are  made  as  far  east  as  Philadelphia,  al- 
though Kansas  City  furnishes  the  principal  mar- 
ket for  the  product.  Every  modern  equipment 
may  be  found  in  the  creamery,  including  two  sep- 
arators and  a  combined  churn  and  worker.  The 
plant  is  operated  by  a  boiler  of  fifteen-horse  power 
and  an  engine  of  ten-horse  power.  At  Lecomp- 
ton  and  Belvoir  well-equipped  skimming  sta- 
tions have  been  established.  To  aid  in  the  op- 
erating of  the  creamery  Mr.  Brune  has  invented 
a  number  of  devices,  one  of  these  being  an  auto- 
matic belt  shift  on  the  feed  pump  of  the  separa- 
tor. He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Kansas  State 
Dairy  Association  and  the  National  Creamery 
Buttermakers'  Association,  in  the  latter  of  which 
he  has  officiated  as  vice-president. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Rev.  John  Henry 
Brune,  was  born  near  Halle,  Germany,  and  was 
reared  on  the  home  farm,  but  in  early  manhood 
came  to  America.  He  was  educated  for  the  min- 
istry and  was  ordained  a  minister  in  the  German 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  For  a  time  he 
preached  at  Warrenton,  Warren  County,  Mo., 
where  his  son  S.  Edward  was  born  May  19,  i860. 
Thence  he  went  to  Golconda,  111.,  later   was  in 


charge  of  a  church  in  Missouri.  In  1866  he 
came  to  Lawrence  as  pastor  of  the  Lawrence 
Church,  but  a  year  later,  while  holding  this  pas- 
torate, he  died  at  thirty-three  years  of  age.  He 
had  married  Wilhelmina  Bromelsick,  who  was 
born  in  Germany  and  came  to  America  in  an 
early  day,  settling  in  Hermann,  Mo.  About  1857 
he  came  to  Kansas,  and  here  he  died  forty  years 
afterward.  After  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs. 
Brune  was  again  married,  and  now  makes  her 
home  at  Eudora,  this  state.  By  her  first  mar- 
riage she  had  five  children,  two  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, S.  Edward  and  George  C,  the  latter  being 
editor  of  the  Eudora  N'ezcs. 

When  our  subject  was  six  years  of  age  he  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Lawrence.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  in  this  city  and  also 
spent  one  year  in  the  University  of  Kansas.  In 
1879  he  accompanied  the  family  to  Eudora  and 
settled  on  a  farm,  where  he  remained  for  three 
years  with  them.  Afterward  he  bought  the  forty- 
acre  place  from  them  and  continued  farming 
alone  until  1889,  when  he  sold  the  property  and 
bought  the  Eudora  House.  For  four  years  he 
continued  at  the  head  of  this  hotel  until  it  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1893.  His  next  business 
venture  was  as  secretary  of  the  Eudora  cream- 
er}'. In  1894  he  went  to  Iowa  and  took  a  course 
in  the  Ames  creamery  .school,  where  he  completed 
the  regular  studies.  Returning  to  Eudora  he 
took  charge  of  the  buttermaking  department  in 
the  creamery,  and  after  six  months  succeeded  to 
the  management  of  the  plant.  On  resigning  that 
position  and  selling  his  interestr  in  the  business 
he  came  to  Lawrence,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home.  While  in  Eudora  he  served  for  one  year 
as  a  member  of  the  city  council,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  removal  from  that  place  he  held  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  a  believer  in  the  doctrine  of  the  denomina- 
tion in  which  his  father  was  a  minister.  In  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  he  is  past  mas- 
ter workman  of  the  local  lodge.  While  in  Eu- 
dora he  was  made  a  Mason,  and  is  now  a  member 
of  Lawrence  Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He 
was  a  charter  member  of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Asso- 
ciation at  Eudora,  of  which  he  was  president,  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOCRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


397 


since  his  removal  to  Lawrence  he  has  become  as- 
sociated with  that  organization  here.  He  is  a 
member  of  Bell's  military  band,  in  which  he 
plays  the  first  clarinet.  During  his  residence  in 
Eudora  he  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Albright,  who 
was  born  in  Eee  County,  111.,  and  about  1870  ac- 
companied her  father,  Charles  Albright,  to  a 
farm  near  Eudora.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brune  have 
two  children,  Clarence  E.  and  George  W. 


pCjILLIAM  LAMBERT,  secretary,  treasurer 
I A  /  and  manager  of  the  Leavenworth  Fruit 
YY  and  Commission  Company,  is  one  of  the 
enterprising  business  men  of  Leavenworth.  In 
October,  1897,  he  began  in  the  fruit  commission 
business  in  partnership  with  Henry  L-  Roden- 
burg,  under  the  company  name  of  the  Leaven- 
worth Fruit  and  Commission  Company.  The  busi- 
ness was  incorporated  in  November,  1898,  with 
Mr.  Rodenburg  as  president,  George  C.  Richard- 
son, vice-president,  and  Mr.  Lambert  secretary, 
treasurer  and  manager.  The  commission  house  is 
located  at  No.  511  Cherokee  street,  where  foreign 
and  domestic  fruits  and  vegetables  are  handled,  a 
specialty  being  made  of  apples  and  potatoes  in 
car  lots.  The  business  is  the  largest  in  the  com- 
mission line  in  the  city,  and  its  success  is  due  to 
the  enterprise  and  ability  of  its  officers. 

Mr.  Lambert  was  born  in  Loudonville,  Ash- 
land County,  Ohio,  February  19,  1861,  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Catherine  (Zider)  Lambert,  natives 
respectively  of  Holmes  County,  Ohio,  and  Ger- 
many. His  father,  who  was  for  some  years  a 
farmer,  afterward  carried  on  a  general  store 
in  Loudonville.  In  1878  he  removed  to  Hot 
Springs,  Ark.,  but  after  four  months  there,  dur- 
ing the  same  year  he  settled  in  Leavenworth, 
and  afterward  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
in  Delaware  Township,  this  county.  In  1897  ^^ 
rented  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
and  has  since  lived  retired  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 
His  wife  died  in  1881,  leaving  four  sons  and  two 
daughters,  who  are  now  living. 

Of  these,  William  was  next  to  the  oldest.  He 
remained  with  his  father  in  Loudonville  until 
1878,  when  he  came  to  Leavenworth  and  entered 


the  employ  of  James  H.  Foster  in  the  dry-goods 
department,  afterward  being  for  thirteen  years  in 
charge  of  the  woolen  department  with  Ettenson, 
Woolfe  &  Co.  He  resigned  his  position  in  order 
to  give  his  attention  to  the  fruit  commission  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  has  since  successfully  engaged. 
As  a  business  man  he  is  keen,  capable,  efficient 
and  honorable,  and  has  won  many  friends  in  the 
business  circles  of  Leavenworth.  In  national 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  his  time  is  so  closely 
given  to  his  business  affairs  that  he  has  little 
leisure  for  participation  in  local  matters.  In 
religion  he  is  connected  with  the  Christian 
Church.  Fraternally  he  is  past  grand  of  Leaven- 
worth Lodge  No.  2,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  also  a  member 
of  the  encampment,  and  past  master  of  American 
Lodge  No.  122,  A.  O.  U.  W.  The  Leavenworth 
Council,  United  Commercial  Travelers,  numbers 
him  among  its  members.  His  marriage  took 
place  in  this  city  and  united  him  with  Noda  O., 
daughter  of  Samuel  Merchant  and  a  native  of 
Camden  Point,  Mo.  The  four  children  com- 
prising their  family  are  Dottie,  Edna  May,  Jacob 
William  and  Verner. 


QQlLLIAM  BROMELSICK.  At  the  time  of 
\KI  the Ouantrell  raid,  August  21,  1863,  Mr. 
YY  Bromelsick  was  a  child  of  eleven  years, 
and  was  living  with  his  parents  on  a  farm  four 
miles  southeast  of  Eudora,  Douglas  County. 
When  the  raiders  marched  toward  Lawrence  they 
made  only  two  or  three  stops  after  leaving  Kan- 
sas City.  One  of  these  was  at  the  Bromelsick 
farm.  They  also  stopped  at  the  Bentley  house, 
one-half  mile  east,  where  they  killed  two  soldiers 
who  were  stopping  there.  Coming  on  to  the 
Bromelsick  farm,  they  arrived  there  about  eleven 
o'clock.  The  family  were  all  asleep,  but  were 
awakened  by  the  conmiand  to  surround  the  house. 
The  father  hastened  to  the  cellar  to  hide,  know- 
ing that  his  life  was  in  danger.  Some  one 
knocked  on  the  door  with  the  butt  end  of  a  gun. 
The  mother  answered  the  knock  and  tried  to  con- 
vince the  raiders  that  there  were  no  men  on  the 
place, but  they  .searched  and  soon  found  the  father 
and  the  hired  man.     The  latter,  who  was  the  first 


398 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECOfet). 


one  caught,  was  taken  outside,  but  being  strong, 
knocked  his  two  captors  down  and  escaped  to  the 
cornfield.  When  they  found  Mr.  Bromelsick, 
they  made  him  dress,  and  as  he  was  tying  his 
shoes,  the  wind  blew  the  light  out.  The  darkness 
saved  his  life.  He  slipped  away,  escaped  through 
the  back  door  and  fled  to  the  field.  As  the  raid- 
ers searched  through  the  house  they  found  the 
eleven-year-old  son,  whom  they  jerked  out  of 
bed,  to  see  if  he  was  large  enough  to  kill,  but 
finding  him  so  small,  left  him  alone.  Meantime 
the  father  had  fled  to  a  neighbor,  whom  he  en- 
deavored to  persuade  to  hasten  to  Lawrence  with 
the  alarm,  he  himself  being  too  old  to  undertake 
the  trip;  but  the  neighbor  was  thoroughly  fright- 
ened and  feared  to  venture  out.  The  raiders  left, 
carrying  with  them  nothing  but  a  double-barreled 
shotgun.  About  daylight  Mr.  Bromelsick  and  his 
hired  man  ventured  back  to  the  house,  and  it  was 
not  until  they  arrived  that  the  family  were  sure 
they  had  not  been  killed  in  the  night. 

August  Bromelsick  was  born  in  Borgholthau- 
sen,  Prussia,  the  son  of  a  farmer.  He  married 
Francisca  Vosz,  who  was  born  in  the  same  place 
as  himself.  They  had  five  children,  viz. :  Henry, 
who  lives  near  Hermann,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Wilhelmina 
Walters,  of  Eudora,  Kans. ;  Mrs.  Charlotte  Fem- 
mer,  who  died  in  Eudora;  Mrs.  Anna  Miiller,  of 
St.  Joe,  Mo.;  and  William,  the  youngest,  who 
was  born  near  Hermann,  Mo.,  April  i8,  1852. 
The  father  brought  his  family  to  America  and 
became  a  pioneer  of  Hermann,  Mo.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming.  In  i860  he  came  to  Douglas 
County,  Kans.,  where  he  improved  a  half-section 
of  land.  Late  in  life  he  retired  from  active  labor 
and  settled  in  Lawrence,  where  he  died  in  1895, at 
the  age  of  ninety-three.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
publican. He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  Ger- 
man Methodi.st  Church,  in  which  he  was  a  class- 
leader.  His  wife  died  while  visiting  a  daughter 
in  Warrenton,  Mo.,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  obtained  in 
the  grammar  school  of  Eudora  and  the  high 
school  of  Lawrence.  For  seven  years  he  clerked 
in  a  dry-goods  store  in  this  city,  after  which  he 
entered  the  firm  of  H.  A.  Kendall  &  Co. ,  dealers 


in  gents'  furnishing  goods,  and  successors  to 
Wilder  Brothers.  They  first  occupied  a  small 
store,  but  in  1877  Mr.  Bromelsick  bought  out  his 
partner  and  has  since  bought  the  building  at  No. 
807  Massachusetts  street,  which  he  has  occupied 
since  1893.  His  store  is  as  complete  in  details 
and  perfect  in  arrangement  as  any  of  the  kind  in 
Kansas.  Two  floors  are  utilized  for  the  stock, 
the  most  of  which  is  sold  at  retail,  although  some 
jobbing  is  done.  His  stock  of  hats  is  the  largest 
in  the  city,  and  in  style  and  price  the  utmost  sat- 
isfaction is  given.  In  addition  to  the  business 
here  he  is  a  director  of  the  Atlas  Building  and 
Loan  Association  of  Lawrence,  which  he  assisted 
in  incorporating.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
For  two  years  he  was  a  councilman  from  the 
third  ward.  He  is  a  member  of  Lawrence  Lodge 
No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.M.,  and  Lawrence  Chapter 
No.  4,  R.  A.  M. 

In  Trenton,  111.,  Mr.  Bromelsick  married  Miss 
Louisa  Eisenmayer,  who  was  born  in  Mascou- 
tah,  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  daughter  of  an  early 
settler  of  Illinois  who  is  now  president  of  the  Eis- 
enmayer Milling  Company.  She  received  a  good 
education  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Illinois  Female 
College  at  Jacksonville,  111.  In  religion  she  is 
identified  with  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bromelsick  have  two 
.sons,  Walter  and  Alfred.  Their  older  son  is  a 
graduate  of  the  high  school  and  is  now  connected 
with  the  mill  in  Springfield,  Mo. 


<^HEODORE  H.  RUEDIGER,  deceased,  who 
f  C  was  one  of  the  highly  esteemed  citizens  of 
v2/  Wakarusa  Township,  Douglas  County,  con- 
ducted a  farm  on  section  33,  and  was  also  identi- 
fied with  mercantile  interests  in  Lawrence.  He 
was  born  in  Germany  September  6,  1841.  When 
seven  years  of  age  he  was  brought  by  his  parents 
to  America,  they  settling  on  Staten  Island.  He 
was  educated  in  Alfred  Universit}',  New  York 
City,  under  Dr.  Kenyon,  and  took  a  business 
course  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.  When  the  Civil  war 
broke  out  he  enlisted,  but  he  was  under  his  ma- 
jority and  his  mother  refused  to  permit  him  to 
join  the  army.     He  then  went  to  Germany,  where 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


399 


he  traveled  for  his  brothers  who  were  engaged  in 
the  manufacturing  business.  After  five  years 
spent  abroad  he  came  again  to  the  United  States, 
this  time  engaging  in  business  in  Salina,  Kans. , 
as  a  member  of  a  dr3--goods  firm.  Later  he  was 
interested  in  farming  with  a  brother  in  Osage 
County.  About  1868  he  came  to  Lawrence  and 
formed  a  business  partnership  with  Henry  Rest- 
ing, which  continued  for  some  years.  But  the 
confinement  was  not  congenial  to  one  of  his  na- 
ture, and,  selling  out,  in  18S5  he  came  to  the 
farm  in  Wakarusa  Township  where  his  widow 
now  resides,  and  in  which  he  had  previously  be- 
come interested.  While  in  Lawrence  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  Watkins  Loan  Company,  in 
which  he  held  a  responsible  position.  Upon  com- 
ing to  the  farm,  which  is  situated  four  miles  west 
of  Lawrence,  he  devoted  his  time  to  raising 
stock. 

Mr.  Ruediger  was  one  of  the  originators  of 
the  Douglas  County  creamery,  in  which  he  served 
as  a  director  and  for  two  years  was  president. 
On  his  farm  he  had  a  number  of  Holstein  and 
Jersey  cows,  and  he  engaged  quite  extensively  in 
dairying.  When  horses  were  of  more  value  than 
now  he  did  considerable  in  that  business.  He 
was  a  progressive  farmer,  using  sensible  methods 
in  all  of  his  work.  The  grain  raised  on  his  place 
he  used  almost  wholly  for  feeding  his  stock, 
.seldom  selling  any.  In  addition  to  the  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  in  his  home  place  he  had 
charge  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  belonging 
to  his  wife's  brother.  All  of  the  improvements  on 
his  place  were  made  under  his  immediate  super- 
vision. He  built  a  fine  residence  on  the  side  of 
the  hill  and  named  it  "Grand  View,"  which 
name  the  beautiful  prospect  rendered  very  ap- 
propriate. 

Prior  to  the  Greeley  presidential  campaign  Mr. 
Ruediger  was  a  Republican,  but  afterward  he 
affiliated  usually  with  the  Democrats,  although 
inclined  to  be  independent  in  his  views.  He 
steadfastly  refused  to  enter  the  field  of  politics, 
and  although  urged  to  become  a  candidate  for 
state  treasurer,  he  declined  the  honor.  He  was 
not  a  member  of  any  church,  although  he  fre- 
quently wonshiped    with  the  Congregationalists. 


During  the  early  part  of  his  life  he  was  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Melville  Mining  Company, 
which  owns  property  at  Silverton,  Colo.  So- 
cially he  was  highly  esteemed,  yet  he  cared  little 
for  fashionable  entertainments,  his  tastes  being 
toward  home  life  and  domestic  enjoyment,  and 
his  home  was  an  ideal  one,  in  which  each  mem- 
ber of  the  family  sought  to  promote  the  other's 
happiness. 

October  10,  iSyijMr.  Ruediger  married  Bertha, 
daughter  of  August  Poehler,  of  Lawrence.  They 
had  three  children:  Alfred  Poehler,  a  graduate 
of  the  University  of  Kansas,  now  engaged  in  the 
drug  business  in  Lawrence;  Paul  Theodore,  who 
manages  the  home  farm;  and  Aimee  Marie,  who 
is  a  student  in  the  University  of  Kansas.  Mrs. 
Ruediger  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  and  re- 
ceived an  excellent  education,  both,  in  German 
and  English.  Her  father  was  an  early  settler 
of  Lawrence  and  is  now  in  German3^  He  was 
born  in  Detmold,  Germany,  and  at  twenty-one 
years  of  age  came  to  America,  settling  in  Boston, 
where  he  was  connected  with  the  firm  of  Chicker- 
ing  &  Co.  About  1854  he  removed  to  Burlington, 
Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  business  with  his 
brother,  Theodore.  From  there  he  and  his  brother 
came  to  Lawrence  in  1864. 

On  his  home  farm  Mr.  Ruediger  died  October 
27,  1898,  after  a  long  illness,  caused  by  cancer  of 
the  stomach.  He  was  laid  to  rest  not  far  from 
the  scenes  so  familiar  to  him  and  amid  the  sur- 
roundings that  associations  had  rendered  dear. 


I  A  FAYETTE  MILLS,  who  came  to  Leaven- 
I  C  worth  in  January,  1853,  was  from  that  time 
l_2^  until  his  death  intimately  associated  with 
the  growth  and  development  of  the  city,  among 
whose  citizens  he  held  a  high  position  as  a  man 
of  integrity  and  worth.  He  was  born  in  what  is 
now  Schuyler  County,  N.  Y. ,  May  3,  1827,  and 
was  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Bennett 
Mills,  both  natives  of  New  York.  His  father  was 
the  son  of  George  Mills,  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 
He  studied  law  in  youth,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  New  York,  where  he  engaged  in  practice. 
Later  in  life  he  removed  to   St.   Joseph,    Mo.,  of 


400 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


which  city  he  was  the  first  mayor.  He  settled  on 
a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  where  the 
Patee  house  now  stands.  In  1852  he  went  to 
California,  but  returned  a  few  years  later  and 
died  in  Leavenworth. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  next  to  the 
youngest  of  eight  children.  When  his  mother 
died  he  was  taken  to  the  home  of  his  grandfather, 
George  Mills,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  New  York, 
and  came  to  the  Seneca  Lake  valley  from  Penn- 
sylvania when  but  two  families  resided  there,  lo- 
cating upon  a  portion  of  the  L'Hommidieu 
Patent,  on  the  eastern  bank  of  Catharine  Creek. 
Here  in  his  humble  house  of  logs,  in  1797,  he  en- 
tertained the  Duke  of  Orleans,  who  afterward 
became  Louis  Philippe  of  France. 

In  his  Indian  bateau  he  navigated  the  waters 
of  the  Seneca  long  before  a  sloop  or  schooner  had 
rested  upon  its  surface.  He  was  one  of  the  old- 
est Free  Masons  in  the  state,  having  become  a 
member  of  that  fraternity  in  1800.  This  enter- 
prising and  hardy  pioneer  was  the  first  post- 
master in  that  region.  The  receipts  of  the  first 
quarter  were  thirty-seven  and  a-half  cents,  of 
which  the  general  government  received  one-half. 

Mr.  Mills  was  married  May  26,  1847,  to  Cath- 
arine, daughter  of  Phineas  and  Catharine  Casper 
Mills,  of  New  York.  Her  great-grandfather, 
John  Casper,  was  a  native  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Saxony.  He  emigrated  to  America  in  1745,  and 
fought  in  the  Revolution.  His  sou,  David,  the 
grandfather  of  Catharine  Mills,  fought  in  the  war 
of  18 1 2,  and  was  wounded.  The  Casper  and 
Mills  families  were  both  of  Holland-Dutch  de- 
scent, the  name  of  Mills  being  originally  Von 
Mehl.  Both  families  have  been  intensely  loyal 
to  their  adopted  land.  David  Casper,  who  served 
in  the  war  of  18 12,  was  represented  in  the  Civil 
war  by  one  son  (who  was  also  in  the  Mexican 
war)  and  twenty  grand-sons  and  grand-sons-in- 
law. 

Mr.  Mills  first  settled  in  Lake  County,  111., 
where  he  remained  three  years.  From  there  he 
went  to  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  in  January,  1853, 
went  to  Fort  Leavenworth  as  clerk  in  the  pay- 
master's department.  Later  he  was  transferred 
to  the  quartermaster's  department  as  chief  clerk, 


holding  that  position  until  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war.  In  1857  he  built  a  house  on  Shawnee  and 
Thirteenth  streets,  which  was  the  first  house  in 
that  part  of  the  city.  There  he  remained  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  October  i,  1S73.  Politic- 
ally he  was  a  Union  Democrat,  and  fraternally 
was  a  Knight  Templar  and  Scottish  Rite  Mason, 
having  attained  the  thirty-second  degree. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  have  had  three  children, 
Virginia,  Katie  and  Fayette  Maclin,  of  whom 
the  first  named  is  the  sole  survivor.  She  was 
married  in  1881  to  Captain  Frank  H.  Mills, 
U.  S.  A.,  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Infantry,  which 
won  such  fame  during  the  Santiago  campaign. 
Captain  Mills  was  retired  a  few  years  since  on 
account  of  disability.  He  was  the  son  of  Surgeon 
Madison  Mills,  U.  S.  A.,  who  served  over  forty 
years,  and  died  at  Governor's  Island  in  1873. 
Captain  Mills  died  July  29,  1899.  Besides  his 
son.  Dr.  Mills  has  had  two  sons-in-law  and  four 
grandsons  in  the  army. 

Mrs.  Mills  is  an  Episcopalian;  at  an  early  day, 
in  conjunction  with  two  others,  she  assisted  in 
starting  a  mission,  which  has  grown  to  be  a  large 
church  (St.  Paul's).  Of  the  three  original  mem- 
bers she  alone  survives.  Among  the  people  of 
Leavenworth,  where  for  so  long  a  time  she  has 
made  her  home,  she  has  a  host  of  warm  friends. 


CjrSAlAH  N.  BARLEY,  who  is  a  farmer  in 
I  Grant  Township,  Douglas  County,  was  born 
X,  in  Champaign  County,  Ohio,  near  Urbana, 
in  1840,  a  son  of  George  and  Julia  (Spigman) 
Barley,  who  were  born,  reared  and  married  in 
Virginia.  His  grandfather,  John  Barley,  also  a 
native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  followed  agricultural 
pursuits  there,  owning  a  large  tract  of  land.  Of 
his  children,  the  third,  George,  received  a  pub- 
lic-school education  and  at  the  age  of  about  twen- 
ty-six settled  in  Ohio,  where  he  improved  land 
and  carried  on  farm  pursuits.  At  the  same  time 
he  was  also  interested  in  stock-raising.  Upon 
the  Democratic  ticket  he  was  elected  to  a  number 
of  offices  in  his  township.  When  he  went  to 
Champaign  County  he  and  his  wife  brought  with 
them  the  first  cradle  ever  taken  into  that  county. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


401 


They  were  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  three 
daughters,  of  whom  two  sons  are  the  only  mem- 
bers of  the  family  in  Kansas. 

Remaining  with  his  father  on  the  home  farm 
until  twenty-four  years  of  age,  Mr.  Barley  then 
enlisted  in  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and  Thir- 
ty-fourth Ohio  Infantry.  He  was  at  once  sent 
to  the  front  and  stationed  in  front  of  Petersburg 
and  Appomattox.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
was  mustered  out  in  Columbus,  Ohio.  After  a 
short  stop  in  Illinois  he  came  to  Kansas  in  1S65. 
Here  he  farmed  and  freighted  until  1870,  when 
he  bought  his  present  farm.  The  land  had  been 
but  slightly  broken  and  he  at  once  set  about  its 
improvement.  In  1884  he  erected  the  residence 
he  has  since  occupied.  He  has  engaged  in  rais- 
ing corn,  wheat  and  potatoes,  making  a  specialty 
of  the  latter.  About  188 1  he  became  interested 
in  raising  horses.  Three  years  later  he  bought 
an  imported  stallion  and  two  imported  mares, 
since  which  time  he  has  raised  a  number  of  full 
bred  horses. 

As  a  member  of  the  Republican  party  Mr. 
Barley  has  been  active  in  local  politics,  and  he 
usually  attends  the  county  conventions  of  his 
party.  Several  times  he  has  been  elected  to 
township  offices,  and  for  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  school  board.  In  1870  he  married 
Miss  Mary  Gaskell,  who  was  born  in  New  Jer- 
sey, but  at  the  time  of  their  marriage  was  living 
in  Kansas.  They  have  an  only  son,  Charles  E. , 
in  whose  education  they  have  been  deeply  inter- 
ested, being  desirous  to  fit  him  for  the  responsi- 
bilities of  life.  He  is  now  a  student  in  Went- 
worth  Military  Academy. 


JcJEORGE  H.  DAVIS,  superintendent  of  the 
li^  Great  Western  Manufacturing  Company,  is 
\ji  one  of  Leavenworth's  most  progressive  citi- 
zens. Intensely  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to 
the  development  of  the  town,  he  is  especially 
alive  to  the  importance  of  a  thorough  and  mod- 
ern educational  system;  and,  while  he  has  re- 
fused other  public  offices,  he  has  given  much 
time  and  thought  to  his  work  upon  the  board  of 
education.      He  believes  that  by  giving  to  the 


children  elevating  educational  influences  and  en- 
vironments they  will  be  prepared  for  even  the 
highest  spheres  of  activity,  and  will  be  made 
honest,  capable  and  public-spirited  citizens. 

A  member  of  the  school  board  for  ten  years, 
during  six  years  of  that  time  Mr.  Davis  has  been 
its  president.  He  has  been  instrumental  in  in- 
troducing many  improvements  in  the  schools  and 
has  aided  in  the  improvements  (to  the  amount  of 
$50,000)  that  have  been  made  during  his  time  of 
service.  He  originated  a  plan  for  keeping  a  sys- 
tematic account,  in  brief  form,  of  every  item  of 
expense,  and  issues  an  annual  report,  showing 
how  the  money  has  been  expended,  also  present- 
ing statistics  regarding  the  attendance  upon  the 
schools,  cost  of  supplies,  collections,  etc.  During 
1898  there  was  an  average  daily  attendance,  at 
the  eleven  city  schools,  of  almost  three  thousand, 
the  largest  attendance  ever  recorded  during  any 
year  of  the  city's  history.  By  an  increase  of  ac- 
commodations and  teachers,  the  average  number 
of  pupils  in  each  room  had  been  reduced  to  thir- 
ty-eight from  forty-four  the  previous  year;  and 
the  valuation  of  school  property  had  been  raised 
from  $84,000  to  $94,000,  while  the  valuation  of 
furniture  was  more  than  $16,000. 

Mr.  Davis  is  of  eastern  birth  and  parentage. 
His  grandfather,  James  Davis,  who  was  of  Welsh 
descent,  was  born  in  Farmington,  N.  H.,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising  there.  The 
family  was  founded  in  America  soon  after  the  ar- 
rival of  the  "Mayflower."  The  grandfather's 
death  occurred  in  Beverly,  Mass.,  at  seventy-nine 
years.  His  son,  James  P.,  was  born  in  Dover, 
N.  H.,  and  was  an  own  cousin  of  Governor  Frank 
Davis  of  Massachusetts.  He  became  a  pork  packer 
and  stock  dealer  at  Farmington  and  Dover,  and 
later  in  Cambridge  and  Beverly,  Mass.  In  1847  he 
settled  in  Alton,  111.,  where  he  was  superinten- 
dent of  a  packing  house  until  his  death,  1858. 
He  married  Elizabeth  W.  Webber,  who  was 
born  in  Beverly,  Mass.,  the  daughter  of  John  P. 
Webber,  a  farmer  and  .stock-trader,  also  a  manu- 
facturer of  and  dealer  in  cotton  goods,  and  later 
a  manufacturer  of  mustard;  her  mother  was 
Desire  Wellman,  member  of  an  old  and  promi- 
nent  family  of  Massachusetts.     Mrs.  Elizabeth 


402 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Davis  died  in  Massachusetts,  December  2,  1898. 
Of  her  seven  children  all  but  two  are  living,  our 
subject  being  the  oldest  and  the  only  one  in  the 
west.  One  son,  James  E.,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fort}'-fourth  Illinois  In- 
fantry during  the  Civil  war,  afterward  died  in 
Illinois. 

In  Cambridge,  Mass.,  where  he  was  born 
April  16,  1838,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  received 
his  primary  education.  Later  he  attended  school 
iu  Beverly.  In  185 1  he  joined  his  father  in 
Alton,  111.,  where  he  attended  school  during  the 
spring  and  fall,  and  in  winter  worked  in  the  pack- 
ing house.  In  1855  he  was  apprenticed  to  the 
machinist's  trade  in  a  foundry  in  Alton,  where 
were  manufactured  engines  and  saw-mill  ma- 
chinery. After  three  years  he  completed  his 
trade.  Afterward  he  worked  with  his  father  in 
the  pork-packing  business  and  when  his  father 
died  he  became  superintendent  of  the  packing 
house,  continuing  in  the  position  until  he  came 
west  in  February,  i860.  In  1859  his  mother 
and  the  other  children  had  returned  east,  and  iu 
the  summer  he  joined  them  in  Massachusetts, 
and  for  a  short  time  worked  in  George  Fox's 
shops  in  Boston,  but  soon  returned  to  Alton. 

On  coming  to  Leavenworth  Mr.  Davis  secured 
employment  in  the  Great  Western  shops.  After 
one  month  he  was  made  foreman.  While  his 
time  was  principally  given  to  his  work  he  was 
also  active  in  the  various  movements  resulting  in 
the  Civil  war.  In  i860  a  mob  attempted  to  hang 
a  murderer;  the  sheriff  appealed  to  Mr.  Davis  for 
assistance  to  prevent  the  mob  from  capturing  the 
man,  and  Mr.  Davis  with  a  few  others  saved  the 
man's  life,  but  later  the  same  man  was  condemned 
to  death  and  hanged  in  Denver.  After  a  short 
time  in  Leavenworth  Mr.  Davis  went  back  to 
Alton  and  resumed  his  former  position  as  super- 
intendent. In  the  spring  of  186 1  he  became  su- 
perintendent of  bridges  for  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroad.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  went 
to  Springfield,  as  superintendent  of  James 
Lamb's  packing  house.  In  the  spring  of  1862  he 
engaged  at  his  trade  in  Litchfield,  111.,  for  the 
Terre  Haute  Railroad.  After  three  months  he 
returned  to  Alton,  where  he  was  superintendent 


of  Walker's  packing  house.  December  14,  1862, 
in  Alton,  he  married  Annie  S.,  daughter  of  An- 
drew Mather,  a  native  of  Scotland  and  an  early 
settler  of  Alton,  where  she  was  born.  The  two 
children  born  of  this  union,  James  A.  and  George 
H.,  Jr.,  died  in  infancy. 

From  the  spring  until  the  fall  of  1863  Mr. 
Davis  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Patterson  Iron 
Works  Company  of  Alton,  after  which  he  was 
superintendent  of  Wetherbee's  packing  house. 
Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Wetherbee  he  went  east 
for  a  short  time,  and  on  his  return  became  con- 
nected with  John  Smith's  pork-packing  establish- 
ment in  Alton,  but  failing  health  forced  him  to 
resign.  Afterward  he  was  assistant  foreman  in 
a  machine  shop,  of  which,  in  1866,  he  became  a 
part  owner,  continuing  until  the  spring  of  1868, 
when  the  firm  of  Dumford  St  Davis  was  dissolved. 
He  then  again  came  to  Leavenworth,  where  he 
was  foreman  of  the  Great  Western  Manufactur- 
ing Company  until  1873  and  since  then  has  been 
superintendent  of  the  works. 

In  Alton  in  1859  Mr.  Davis  was  made  an  Odd 
Fellow.  He  is  now  a  past  officer  in  Mechanics 
Lodge  No.  89,  and  its  representative  in  the  grand 
lodge.  He  has  also  been  connected  with  the  en- 
campment, and  in  former  years  was  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Honor.  He  is  now  first  chief 
patriarch  in  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
In  national  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  in  local 
matters  is  liberal,  believing  in  the  best  man  for 
the  place,  irrespective  of  political  affiliations. 
With  his  wife,  he  holds  membership  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Leavenworth. 


ITDWIN  T.  REES,  grand  scribe  of  the  Grand 
j^  Encampment  of  Kansas,  is  one  of  the  most 
|__,  prominent  members  of  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows  in  the  state.  His  connection 
with  this  order  began  in  1875,  when  he  was  made 
a  member  of  Metropolitan  Lodge  No.  27,  in  which 
he  afterward  served  as  noble  grand,  and  which 
he  represented  in  the  grand  lodge.  Later  he  be- 
came identified  with  Far  West  Encampment  No. 
I ,  in  which  he  passed  all  of  the  chairs  and  was 
chosen  grand  scribe  in   1891.     In   1893  he  was 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


403 


appointed  grand  representative  to  the  Sovereign 
Grand  Lodge  held  in  Milwaukee,  Wis.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  Canton  Leavenworth,  in  which 
he  has  held  various  ofiBcial  positions  and  is  now 
clerk.  In  1866  the  headquarters  of  the  Grand 
Encampment  of  Kansas  were  established  in  Leav- 
enworth and  Samuel  F.  Burdette  was  chosen 
grand  scribe,  a  position  which  he  i511ed  continu- 
ously until  1 89 1,  when  he  was  succeeded  b}'  Mr. 
Rees,  the  present  incumbent. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Rees  is  in  Leavenworth,  of 
which  city  his  father,  Amos,  was  one  of  the  earli- 
est settlers.  The  latter,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
removed  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  Missouri  in 
boyhood  with  his  parents,  the  family  home  being 
established  in  Chariton  County,  where  he  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Afterward  he 
engaged  in  practice  and  for  a  number  of  years 
served  as  prosecuting  attorney  for  a  district  that 
included  all  of  northwestern  Missouri.  For  some 
years  his  home  was  in  Platte  City.  He  was  one 
of  the  thirty-two  men  who  laid  out  the  city  of 
Leavenworth.  In  1855  he  established  his  home 
in  this  place  and  built  a  residence  on  South  Sec- 
ond street.  From  that  time  he  was  extensively 
and  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law. 
He  was  born  December  2,  1800,  and  died  in  18S6, 
when  about  eighty-six  years  of  age.  Fraternally 
he  was  a  Mason.  His  wife,  Judith  C.  (Trigg) 
Rees,  was  born  in  1809  and  died  in  March,  1895, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  They  were  the  parents 
of  four  children,  namely:  Sarah  E.,  who  died  in 
Leavenworth,  in  March,  1895;  Lewis  T.,  a  trav- 
eling salesman  whose  home  is  in  Leavenworth; 
Mary  M.  and  Edwin  T. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Platte 
City,  Mo.,  August  8,  1852.  His  education  was 
obtained  in  the  grammar  and  high  schools  of 
Leavenworth.  The  first  knowledge  of  business 
that  he  obtained  was  when  employed  as  clerk  for 
Lewis  Mayo  of  this  city,  and  later  he  was  em- 
ployed by  other  business  men  here.  For  some 
years  he  carried  on  a  coal  business  of  his  own, 
continuing  thus  engaged  until  he  was  elected 
grand  scribe  in  1S91.  Since  then  his  attention 
has  been  given  closely  to  the  duties  of  his  office, 
and  he  has  been  very  successful  in  the  work  to 


which  he  now  devotes  himself.  Besides  his  con- 
nection with  the  Odd  Fellows,  he  is  also  identi- 
fied with  the  Muscovites  at  Topeka.  In  matters 
political  he  gives  his  support  to  the  Democratic 
party. 


EHARLES  HOWARD  RIDGWAY.  It  is 
doubtful  if  Ottawa  has  any  citizen  who  of 
recent  years  has  done  more  to  promote  its 
material  progress  than  the  subject  of  this  article. 
Since  he  came  here  in  1889  he  has  not  limited 
his  attention  to  his  chosen  occupation,  the  insur- 
ance business,  but  has  been  identified  with  local 
enterprises  of  various  kinds  and  has  been  especial- 
ly helpful  in  advancing  measures  for  the  benefit 
of  the  city.  He  acted  as  manager  of  the  old 
Auditorium  and  assisted  in  securing  the  funds 
for  the  building  of  the  Rohrbaugh,  which  he 
opened  and  managed  until  the  pressure  of  other 
interests  necessitated  his  resignation.  Realizing 
the  need  of  an  organization  among  the  business 
men  of  Ottawa,  he  took  an  active  part  in  start- 
ing the  Commercial  Club  and  has  since  been  one 
of  its  leading  members.  An  idea  of  his  energy 
may  be  gained  from  the  statement  that  the  two 
largest  and  finest  Fourth  of  July  celebrations 
ever  held  in  Ottawa  were  under  his  auspices.  He 
also  became  interested  in  the  Franklin  County 
fair,  which  had  run  down  and  was  burdened  with 
a  heavy  debt.  During  the  seven  years  that  he 
served  as  secretary  of  the  association  a  fair  was 
held  each  year,  premiums  and  all  expenses  were 
paid,  and  a  large  indebtedness  was  also  wiped 
out.  As  an  insurance  agent  he  built  up  one  of 
the  largest  local  agencies  in  the  west,  having  his 
office  at  No.  232  Main  street,  where  he  repre- 
sented ten  of  the  old-line  fire  insurance  compa- 
nies. February  9,  1899,  the  state  insurance  com- 
missioner, Mr.  Church,  appointed  him  assistant 
insurance  commissioner,  and  he  sold  his  local  in- 
surance business  in  order  to  take  active  charge 
of  his  office.  In  this  position  he  has  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  companies  under  his  su- 
pervision. His  work  entails  great  responsibility, 
but  he  is  fully  equal  to  every  emergency,  and  has 
won  merited  praise  for  his  wise  management  of 
affairs. 


404 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mr.  Ridgway  was  born  in  Ripley,  Brown 
County,  Ohio,  August  17,  1865.  His  father,  Alex- 
ander McClain  Ridgwaj',  also  a  native  of  Ripley, 
was  a  son  of  Charles  Ridgway,  who  was  born 
near  Philadelphia,  a  descendant  of  one  of  two 
brothers,  Jacob  and  Amos  Ridgway,  who  came 
from  Switzerland  to  Philadelphia.  Charles  be- 
came a  pioneer  in  the  pork  packing  industry  on 
the  Ohio  River  and  for  years  had  flatboats  run- 
ning as  far  south  as  New  Orleans.  He  attained 
remarkable  success  and  was  one  of  the  wealthi- 
est men  of  Ripley.  A  man  of  versatile  ability, 
he  worked  as  merchant,  cooper,  manufacturer 
and  farmer.  The  citizens  of  Maysville,  Ky., 
offered  him  a  large  bonus  if  he  would  bring  his 
plant  to  their  town.  He  was  a  prominent  busi- 
ness man  and  was  known  all  along  the  river. 
Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason.  He  was  very  active 
in  the  founding  of  Antioch  College,  and  built  a 
church  at  Ripley,  besides  doing  other  philan- 
thropic and  religious  work. 

Alexander  McClain  Ridgway  became  superin- 
tendent of  his  father's  mercantile  establishment 
in  Ripley.  He  was  accustomed,  at  an  early  age, 
to  go  across  the  mountains  to  Philadelphia  and 
from  there  ship  trunks  full  of  merchandise  to 
Ohio.  He  graduated  from  Antioch  under  Prof. 
Horace  Mann  as  A.  B.,  then  entered  Yale, 
where  he  remained  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war.  June  18,  1861,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  years,  he  enlisted  as  second  lieutenant  of 
Company  C,  Twelfth  Ohio  Infantry,  but  soon 
was  made  iirst  lieutenant  of  Company  C,  Thir- 
teenth Regiment,  under  Colonel  L,owe.  He  was 
seriously  wounded  at  Carnifax  Ferry  and  was 
brought  back  to  Ripley  on  the  steamer  "Mary 
Cook."  Upon  being  mustered  out  he  gave  his 
attention  to  the  shoe  business  in  Cincinnati, 
where  he  died  February  10,  1868,  from  the  ef- 
fects of  his  wound.  He  married  Mary  Maxwell 
Gaddis,  who  was  born  in  Ripley,  Ohio,  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Jane  (Easton)  Gaddis,  natives 
respectively  of  Pennsylvania  and  England.  Her 
father,  who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  was  a 
contractor  and  builder  in  Ripley,  where  he  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He  was  a  devoted 
Methodist  and  helped  to  build  the  church  of  this 


denomination  in  Ripley.  He  had  a  brother,  John, 
in  the  war  of  1812.  Mrs.  Ridgway  was  given  a 
fine  musical  education  and  studied  both  in  Cin- 
cinnati and  Philadelphia.  For  ten  years  she  was 
a  teacher  of  vocal  music  in  the  Cincinnati  con- 
servatory of  music.  She  now  resides  in  Ottawa 
with  her  only  child,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

When  only  fifteen  years  of  age  our  subject  had 
charge  of  a  mercantile  establishment.  Two 
years  later  he  entered  Antioch  College  and  there 
he  occupied  the  room  which  had  been  his  father's 
tweut3^-five  years  before,  and  the  name  of  "Alex. 
Ridgway"  was  still  to  be  found  on  the  door, 
where  it  had  been  cut  by  a  hand  long  since  stilled 
in  death.  After  two  years  in  college  our  subject 
in  1884  came  to  Kansas  and  entered  Baker  Uni- 
versity, working  his  way  through  that  institu- 
tion. He  spent  a  year  in  South  Dakota,  then  re- 
turned to  the  university.  For  a  time  he  was  em- 
ployed as  traveling  salesman  for  the  wholesale 
house  of  G.  E.  Weikert  &  Co.,  stationers.  On 
resigning  that  position  he  opened  an  insurance 
agency  in  Ottawa.  He  was  married  in  Baldwin 
City  to  Susie  E.  Schnebly,  who  was  born  in 
Glasgow,  Mo.,  and  received  her  education  at 
Baker  Universitj^  They  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Wayne  and  Helen.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Ridgwaj'  is  past  officer  both  in  the  lodge  and  en- 
campment of  Odd  Fellows. 


30SEPH  G.  SCHNEBLY,  M.  D.,  deceased, 
was  born  on  a  farm  near  Xenia,  Greene 
County,  Ohio.  After  completing  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Delaware  (Ohio)  University  he 
taught  school,  being  for  several  years  principal 
of  the  Franklin  school  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where 
he  had  twenty-three  teachers  under  him.  At  the 
same  time  he  began  the  study  of  medicine.  He 
attended  the  old  Pope  Medical  Institute  of  St. 
Louis,  and  afterward  took  a  course  of  lectures 
in  the  Keokuk  (Iowa)  Medical  College,  where 
he  graduated  in  1866.  Before  Kansas  had  been 
covered  with  a  net  work  of  railroads  as  at  pres- 
ent, he  came  to  this  state,  and  journeyed  by 
stage  from  Topeka  to  Manhattan,  where  he  be- 
came a  professor  in   the   Kansas   Agricultural 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


405 


College.  After  some  years  in  that  institution 
he  removed  to  Baldwin  and  accepted  a  position 
as  professor  of  mathematics  and  chemistry  in 
Baker  University,  then  a  new  and  small  insti- 
tution. 

Some  years  later  Dr.  Schnebly  purchased  a 
drug  store  in  Baldwin,  and  while  managing  the 
business  he  also  practiced  medicine.  His  last 
years  were  spent  in  retirement,  and  he  died  in 
Baldwin  April  25,  1895.  Fraternally  he  was 
connected  with  the  blue  lodge  of  Masons.  He 
raised  and  organized  a  company  for  service  in  the 
Civil  war,  but,  not  being  strong  enough  to  enter 
the  service  himself,  he  was  obliged  to  turn  the 
command  over  to  another.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican.  In  1S81  he  was  elected  to  the  state 
legislature  and  in  1883  was  re-elected. 


(Joseph  S.  BOUGHTON,  who  has  long  been 
I  numbered  among  the  progressive  citizens  of 
(2)  Lawrence,  is  the  member  of  an  old  Connecti- 
cut family.  The  genealogy  of  the  family  in  this 
country  is  traced  back  to  the  early  settlement  of 
New  England.  His  grandfather,  John  Bough- 
ton,  who  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  joined  the 
tide  of  emigration  that  had  started  toward  the 
west  and,  crossing  the  Hudson,  he  established 
his  home  upon  a  farm  in  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y. 
The  father.  Rev.  A.  Bough  ton,  was  born  and 
reared  in  Cayuga  County,  and  became  a  pioneer 
Baptist  minister  in  that  part  of  the  state,  where 
he  preached  for  about  forty  years.  He  died  at 
Moravia  when  seventy-twoyears  of  age.  His  wife, 
Hannah,  was  a  member  of  the  Squires  family, 
well  known  among  early  settlers  along  the  Hud- 
son River,  and  of  Holland-Dutch  and  Scotch 
descent.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  181 2.  At  this  writing  she  makes  her 
home  with  her  daughter  in  Lawrence,  besides 
whom  she  has  three  children,  her  other  son, 
George,  being  in  a  New  York  regiment  during 
the  Civil  war. 

Born  in  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  March  2,  1839,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in  Cayuga 
County,  and  attended  Cortland  Academy.  At 
the   age   of  seventeen    he   began  to   teach.     In 


i860  he  went  to  Pipestone,  Berrien  County, 
Mich.,  where  he  engaged  in  teaching  for  a  year. 
In  August,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B, 
Sixth  Michigan  Infantry,  being  mustered  in  as 
corporal  at  Kalamazoo.  He  was  sent  to  Balti- 
more and  joined  the  Butler  expedition  to  New 
Orleans,  after  which,  during  the  summer  of  1862, 
he  was  in  that  city  and  on  the  Mississippi.  The 
only  important  engagement  in  which  he  took 
part  was  the  battle  of  Baton  Rouge.  In  October, 
1862,  he  was  honorably  discharged  at  New 
Orleans  on  account  of  physical  disability.  Re- 
turning to  Moravia,  N.  Y.,  as  soon  as  able  he 
secured  a  clerkship  in  the  quartermaster's  de- 
partment, and  was  with  Sherman's  army  from 
Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  and  was  discharged  at 
Nashville  in  the  fall  of  1864.  At  once  became 
to  Lawrence,  joining  a  sister,  Mrs.  Paul  R. 
Brooks,  who  had  come  here  in  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  town  with  a  half-sister,  Mrs.  Clark. 

Shortly  after  he  came  to  Lawrence  Mr.  Bough- 
ton  selected  and  purchased  a  number  of  books 
and  started  a  circulating  library.  The  move- 
ment proved  so  successful  and  popular  that  it  be- 
came the  foundation  of  and  was  merged  into  the 
Lawrence  city  library,  which  is  owned  and  sup- 
ported by  the  city  and  is  a  permanent  institution. 
For  his  connection  with  a  movement  so  elevat- 
ing he  deserves  great  praise.  For  two  years  he 
published  the  Kaw  Valley  Conner,  a  weekly  Re- 
publican paper,  which  he  sold  to  John  Speer, 
editor  of  the  Tribune.  Afterward  he  traveled 
for  the  Tribune,  securing  subscriptions  and  acting 
as  correspondent  to  the  paper.  In  1S78  he  began 
the  printing  of  legal  blanks  and  blank  books  for 
the  use  of  banks,  real-estate  agents,  attorneys, 
city  and  township  officers,  etc.  During  the  years 
that  have  since  followed  he  has  built  up  a  large 
and  valuable  business  and  has  become  known 
through  the  entire  state,  from  all  points  of  which 
he  receives  orders.  Besides  keeping  in  stock  every- 
kind  of  legal  blank  and  blank  book,  he  carries 
office  stationery,  and  is  prepared  to  furnish  circu- 
lars of  every  kind.  His  office  is  at  No.  639  Massa- 
chusetts street. 

In  Lawrence  Mr.  Boughton  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Gill,  who  was  born  in  England,  and  iq 


4o6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


infancy  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  the  United 
States,  they  settling  first  in  Wisconsin,  but  sub- 
sequently coming  to  Kansas.  The  four  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boughton  are:  Arthur  C,  who 
is  in  the  general  office  of  Swift  &  Co.,  Chicago; 
Paul  G.,  who  is  with  the  Hall  Lithographing 
Company  in  Topeka;  Gertrude  H.,  a  student  in 
the  University  of  Kansas;  and  Sydney  A.,  who 
is  in  business  with  his  father. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Boughton  is  connected  with 
Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  in  religion 
he  is  identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Select  Friends  Order  and  is  the 
editor  and  publisher  of  the  Select  Friend  Maga- 
zine, the  official  organ  of  the  fraternity. 


fljAPT.  HENRY  B.  DICKS,  of  Leavenworth, 
\C  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  April  4,  1843,  ^ 
\J  son  of  John  R.  and  Mary  (Harmon)  Dicks, 
natives  respectively  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylva- 
nia. His  father,  who  was  reared  on  a  farm,  went 
to  Philadelphia  and  learned  the  tailor's  trade. 
From  there  he  proceeded  to  St.  Louis,  where  for 
many  years  he  engaged  in  merchant  tailoring, 
and  met  with  fair  success  in  his  work.  He  was 
a  man  of  genial  disposition,  kind-hearted  and 
generous,  and  had  many  friends  in  St.  Louis. 
His  death  occurred  in  that  city  when  he  was  fifty- 
five.  His  wife  passed  away  when  sixty-two  years 
of  age.  Of  their  five  children,  three  sons  are 
now  living,  two  of  whom,  Samuel  W.  and  William 
L-,  reside  in  St.  Louis,  the  latter  being  connected 
with  William  Barr's  dry-goods  house.  Another 
son,  George  W.,who  was  foreman  of  a  cracker  fac- 
tory in  Leavenworth  for  eleven  years,  died  here 
when  forty-seven  years  of  age.  Ellen,  the  only 
daughter,  married  Harry  O.  Gorman,  ofSt.  Paul, 
and  died  at  thirty-five  years  of  age. 

The  second  of  the  sons  was  Henry  B.,  our 
subject.  He  was  educated  in  public  and  Catho- 
lic schools  in  St.  Louis.  In  April,  1 861,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  C  of  the  Dixie  guard.  A 
month  later  he  was  captured  at  Camp  Jackson 
and  in  October  was  paroled,  going  to  Memphis, 
Tenn.,    where  he  joined   a   battery.     Next   he 


went  to  Springfield,  Mo.,  and  soon  afterward 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Elkhorn.  Returning 
to  Memphis  with  his  company,  he  remained  in 
Tennessee  for  some  time,  and  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Corinth.  He  held  the  rank  of  sergeant 
of  his  company.  At  Brook  Haven,  Miss.,  he 
was  captured,  but  was  at  once  paroled  and  went 
to  Jackson,  thence  to  Lauderdale,  Miss.,  where 
for  several  months  he  was  on  guard  duty  in  a 
hospital.  Returning  to  his  command,  he  spent 
a  short  time  with  it,  later  went  back  to  Lauder- 
dale, thence  proceeded  to  Enterprise,  where  he 
clerked  for  the  provost-marshal  for  six  months. 
He  was  then  detailed  with  the  lieutenant  of  his 
company,  who  was  provost-marshal. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Captain  Dicks  went  to 
New  Orleans,  and  a  week  later  returned  to  his 
home  in  St.  Louis.  For  two  years  he  clerked  in 
a  fish  store  on  Olive  street,  after  which  he  col- 
lected for  large  stores  for  several  years.  His 
next  enterprise  was  in  the  tobacco  business,  buy- 
ing crops  and  selling  the  same  to  the  manufac- 
turers. Three  years  were  spent  in  that  business. 
When  Granite  Mountain  mining  stock  was  low 
in  St.  Louis  he  invested  heavily,  and  the  subse- 
quent rise  in  prices  brought  him  a  fortune.  Since 
then  he  has  invested  his  money  in  loans  and 
property  and  has  devoted  himself  to  the  manage- 
ment of  his  interests,  engaging  in  no  active  busi- 
ness. In  1897,  in  company  with  Mr.  Edison, 
Mr.  Hunt  and  M.  B.  Donovan,  he  purchased  the 
Excelsior  Springs  hotel  property,  at  Excelsior 
Springs,  Mo.,  and  just  before  the  fire  he  sold  his 
interests  there. 

While  in  St.  Louis  he  married  Miss  Catherine 
Brennan,  who  died  in  Leavenworth.  Of  the 
three  children  born  to  their  union,  Lillian  died 
when  sixteen  and  William  O.  when  twenty-five 
years  of  age.  Anita,  the  youngest  of  the  three, 
makes  her  home  with  her  aunt  in  Leavenworth, 
Captain  Dicks  occupying  rooms  in  the  Ryan 
block.  For  several  years  he  was  a  notary  public 
in  St.  Louis. 

While  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  he  never 
sought  office  nor  has  he  any  taste  for  party  af- 
fairs, although  he  is  always  willing  to  help  his 
friends  who  are  candidates  for  office.  Fraternally 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


407 


he  is  connected  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  While  he  is  not  engaged  in  busi- 
ness, he  finds  sufficient  to  occupj'  his  atten- 
tion in  the  oversight  of  his  mouej'ed  interests. 
He  is  fond  of  sports,  especially  of  fishing, 
and  was  one  of  the  principal  movers  in  the 
organization  of  the  Leavenworth  Anglers'  Asso- 
ciation. His  health,  however,  being  far  from 
good,  he  is  unable  to  devote  as  much  time  to 
active  sports  as  he  would  enjoy,  but  he  has  not  in 
consequence  lost  his  interest  in  them.  He  is  a 
kind-hearted  man,  and  many  poor  persons  have 
been  the  recipients  of  his  help  and  practical 
sympathy. 


pCJlLLIAM  W.  BROWN,  who  has  made  his 
I  A  /  home  in  Douglas  County  since  boyhood, 
VV  was  born  in  Mount  Pleasant,  Ind.,  Octo- 
ber 19,  1844,  a  son  of  John  and  Magdalen  (Rapp) 
Brown.  He  was  one  of  seven  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  Caroline,  John  C, 
William  W.,  Joseph  A.  and  Mary  L.  His  father, 
a  native  of  Baden-Baden,  Germany,  born  in  1S08, 
learned  the  trade  of  a  tailor  in  youth  and  after- 
ward came  to  America,  arriving  in  this  country 
after  a  voyage  of  three  months.  He  spent  some 
time  in  looking  for  a  suitable  location.  After  his 
marriage,  which  took  place  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
he  settled  in  Mount  Pleasant,  Ind.,  where  he  es- 
tablished a  tailoring  business  and  built  up  a  lu- 
crative trade.  In  1854,  leaving  his  family  in 
that  town,  he  took  a  trip  through  Nebraska,  Mis- 
souri and  Iowa,  seeking  a  new  location,  and 
finally  selected  a  place  in  Iowa,  where  he  bought 
some  town  lots.  Returning  to  Indiana,  in  the 
fall  of  1855  he  started  with  his  family  for  Iowa, 
going  via  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  In  that  city  he  was 
compelled  to  remain  for  the  winter,  and  while 
waiting  for  spring  he  and  his  son-in-law,  Mr. 
Munzer,  opened  a  tailoring  establishment.  When 
spring  came  he  abandoned  his  intention  of  set- 
tling in  Iowa.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  came  to 
Kansas,  settling  in  Lecompton,  where  he  and 
his  son-in-law  opened  a  clothing  store  and  mer- 
chant tailoring  establishment.  In  1859  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  four  miles  southwest  of  Lecompton 


and  two  years  later  disposed  of  his  business  and 
removed  to  his  farm,  where  he  continued  to  re- 
side until  his  death,  in  1876. 

The  first  experience  of  our  subject  in  farm 
work  was  in  i860.  During  the  Civil  war,  in 
1863,  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Fifteenth  Kan- 
sas Cavalry,  and  immediately  afterward  was  sent 
on  detached  duty  to  St.  Joe,  Mo. ,  where  he  was 
engaged  first  in  picket  duty,  and  afterward  de- 
tailed on  scout  duty.  This  occupied  his  time 
during  the  greater  part  of  1864.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  at  Leavenworth,  October 
19,  1865.  Returning  home  after  his  discharge 
he  continued  on  the  farm  for  eighteen  months, 
when  he  purchased  eighty  acres  adjoining  the 
homestead.  At  a  later  date  he  purchased  an- 
other eighty,  and  now  owns  one  hundred  and 
sixty.  While  he  carries  on  general  farming,  he 
has  given  much  of  his  attention  to  stock-raising, 
and  has  become  known  as  one  of  the  substantial 
agriculturists  of  the  county.  Although  not  a 
partisan  he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  His  wife  is 
connected  with  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and 
while  he  is  not  identified  with  it  or  any  other  de- 
nomination he  is  in  sympathy  with  Christian 
work  and  has  been  a  generous  contributor  to 
worthy  causes. 

December  15,  1870,  Mr.  Brown  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Shirley,  daughter  of  Isaac  Shirley,  a 
native  of  Missouri.  Her  father  came  to  Kansas 
in  1855  and  settled  near  Lecompton  upon  a  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death.  Three  chil- 
dren were  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brown.  Of  these  two  are  living,  namely:  Charles 
F.,  who  was  born  March  24,  1879;  and  Beulah 
G.,  March  10,  1891. 


(pILAS  BENTLEY  MEEKER.  Franklin 
/\  County  is  the  home  of  many  men  who  were 
\~J  early  thrown  upon  their  own  resources  and 
whose  natural  aptness  was  developed  by  contact 
with  the  world,  resulting  in  making  them  more 
successful  perhaps  than  they  would  have  been 
had  they  beeu  reared  in  wealth.  Among  this 
number  is  Mr.  Meeker,  who  has  resided  in  Kan- 
sas since  1870,  having  settled  in  Ottawa  during 


4oS 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


that  year.  After  twelve  years  in  this  city  en- 
gaged in  following  the  trade  of  a  carriage  painter 
and  trimmer  he  purchased  an  eighty-acre  farm 
in  Ohio  Township,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  is  now  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  sixtj' 
acres  in  one  body,  and  gives  his  attention  princi- 
pally to  buying  and  feeding  cattle. 

In  Livingston  Township,  Essex  County, 
N.  J.,  Mr.  Meeker  was  born  July  14,  1836.  His 
father,  Abijah,  who  was  born  in  Essex  County 
in  1802,  resided  on  a  farm  until  1854,  when  he 
removed  to  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  embarked  in  the 
grocery  business.  As  a  business  man  he  was 
fairly  successful.  A  Whig  in  early  life,  he  was 
later  identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
held  various  oflBces,  such  as  member  of  the  town- 
ship committee,  etc.  In  religion  he  was  a  Bap- 
tist. His  death  occurred  in  Newark  wheu  he 
was  fifty-three  years  of  age.  His  father,  Jeph- 
tha,  a  native  of  the  same  county  and  a  lifelong 
farmer,  was  a  son  of  one  of  the  eleven  sons 
of  Timothy  Meeker,  Sr.  It  is  a  remarkable 
fact  that  all  of  these  sons,  together  with  their 
father,  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  the 
father  of  Jephtha,  Timothy,  Jr.,  being  a  minute 
man,  while  his  father  was  a  sergeant  and  ser\'ed 
during  the  entire  war.  All  were  natives  of  New 
Jersey.  Our  subject's  mother,  JuHa  (Wade) 
Meeker,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  but  spent 
almost  her  whole  life  in  Essex  County,  N.  J., 
and  died  in  Kansas  when  eighty-two  years  of 
age.  Of  her  five  children,  two  are  living,  Silas 
B.  and  Jennie,  wife  of  Prof.  M.  L.  Ward,  of 
Ottawa,  Kans. 

When  seventeen  years  of  age  our  subject  was 
apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  a  carriage  trimmer  in 
Newark,  N.  J.,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his 
time  (four  years)  he  began  working  at  his  trade 
in  Newark  and  Warren  County,  N.  J.  Later  he 
engaged  in  the  carriage  business  in  Franklin. 
N.  Y.,  for  eight  years,  but  sold  out  in  1870, 
having  decided  to  settle  in  Kansas.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  but  always  refuses  to  accept 
nomination  for  ofiice.  During  his  residence  in 
New  Jersey  he  married  Miss  Eliza  Squier,  of 
Essex  County,  who  died  in  Franklin,  N.  Y. 
Five  children  had  been  born  to  their  union,  but 


two  of  these  died  in  infancy.  Julian  L.,  the 
oldest  of  the  three  now  living,  is  a  farmer  in 
Oklahoma.  William  S.  also  lives  in  that  terri- 
tory. Grace  R.,  who  resides  with  her  father,  is 
a  member  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Revolution, 
(Topeka  Chapter;  by  virtue  of  seven  ancestors 
who  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  the  family 
having  been  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  promi- 
nent among  the  pioneers  of  New  Jersey.  The 
second  marriage  of  Mr.  Meeker  united  him  with 
Emily  J.  Squier,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  She 
died  in  June,  1891,  leaving  two  children,  Roy  S. 
and  Jennie  E. 

HENRY  ANTHONY,  who  owns  one  of  the 
good  farms  of  Peoria  Township,  Franklin 
County,  was  born  May  12,  i860,  on  the 
place  where  he  now  resides,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Margaret  (Hammel)  Anthony.  He  had  only 
such  educational  opportunities  as  the  common 
schools  of  the  neighborhood  afforded.  When 
twenty-two  years  of  age  he  started  out  for  him- 
self, renting  and  operating  the  homestead  of  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  now  has  four  hun- 
dred acres  under  cultivation,  and  raises  corn  and 
hay  principally,  but  never  sells  any  grain  or  feed, 
using  it  for  his  stock.  He  keeps  on  his  place 
from  one  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  Durham 
cattle  and  about  three  hundred  head  of  Poland-  Chi- 
na hogs.  At  this  writing  he  is  the  owner  of  three 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  acres,  a  part  of  the 
homestead,  and  a  quarter-section  of  other  land. 

Political  matters  have  received  considerable 
attention  from  Mr.  Anthony,  who  is  a  stanch 
Democrat  in  national  issues,  but  in  local  elections 
supports  the  men  whom  he  considers  best  quali- 
fied to  represent  the  people.  He  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  Wellsville  Lodge  No.  356,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  Select  Knights,  A.  O.  U.  W.  A 
Baptist  in  religion,  he  was  one  of  those  who  as- 
sisted largely  in  the  building  of  the  house  of 
worship  now  occupied  by  this  congregation,  as 
well  as  the  former  edifice  which  was  burned. 
His  attention  is  given  closely  to  the  management 
of  his  farm.  He  is  an  energetic,  hard-working 
man,  and  may  usually  be  found  working  on  his 


WILLIAM  S.  FINLEY. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


land.  The  location  of  his  place  is  excellent,  be- 
ing on  section  33,  seven  and  one-half  miles  south 
of  Wellsville  and  ten  miles  east  of  Ottawa.  In 
1896  he  built  a  large  crib  and  barn,  34x60  feet, 
which  has  room  for  two  wagons  to  drive  in  side 
by  side. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Anthony  took  place  Jan- 
uary I,  1888,  and  united  him  with  Mary  O. 
Sumstine,  of  Franklin  County.  They  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  Victoria  Lynn,  Lena 
Dell,  Walter  Clyde  and  Laura  Gladys. 


©QlLLlAM  S.  FINLEY,  president  of  the 
I  A/  Williamsburg  State  Bank,  is  one  of  the 
V  V  best-known  men  in  Franklin  County, 
among  whose  citizens  he  wields  an  influence  that 
is  apparent  in  the  promotion  of  helpful  enter- 
prises. He  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  progressive 
plans,  who  is  interested  in  education  and  every 
good  work,  and  who,  in  the  line  of  financiering, 
exhibits  a  keenness  of  perception  and  an  accurate 
judgment  that  proves  him  to  be  adapted  to  the 
banking  business. 

A  son  of  James  R.  and  Elizabeth  (Feaster) 
Finley,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
Crawford  County,  Pa.,  in  1831.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  common  schools  and  in  Duff's  Com- 
mercial College  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  after  which  he 
was  employed  in  clerical  positions,  and  also,  for 
two  years,  followed  the  carriage-maker's  trade. 
In  1857  he  went  to  Kewaunee,  Wis.,  where  he 
carried  on  a  lumber  business  as  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Kelly,  Finley  &  Co.,  later  Taylor,  Finley 
&  Co.  For  ten  years  he  was  one  of  the  most 
active  business  men  of  Kewaunee.  In  1867  he 
went  to  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  where  for  a  short 
time  he  was  interested  in  a  drug  business,  but 
later  became  a  member  of  the  lumber  firm  of 
Hamilton,  Finley  &  Co.,  remaining  in  the  town 
for  eleven  years. 

Severing  his  connection  with  business  interests 
in  Wisconsin,  in  1878  Mr.  Finley  came  to  Kansas 
and  settled  on  a  stock  farm  south  of  Ottawa,  in 
Ohio  Township,  where  he  engaged  in  stock  farm- 
ing for  four  3'ears.  In  1882  he  sold  the  farm  and 
came  to  Williamsburg,  where  he  purchased  the 
16 


private  bank  of  Mr.  Bartholow,  and  this  he  con- 
tinued as  a  private  institution  for  sixteen  years. 
The  Williamsburg  State  Bank  was  organized  in 
1898,  with  him  as  president  and  his  son,  James 
R.,  as  cashier,  since  which  time  the  bank  has  en- 
joyed a  steady  growth  in  deposits.  Besides  the 
bank  he  is  interested  in  the  feed  mill  and  elevator 
at  Williamsburg,  and  is  also  the  owner  of  farm- 
ing land  and  town  property. 

While  in  Wisconsin  Mr.  Finley  was  a  member 
of  the  state  legislature  in  i860  and  1861,  being 
elected  on  the  Republican  ticket.  For  one  term 
he  also  served  as  treasurer  of  Kewaunee  County. 
Since  coming  to  Kansas  he  has  been  prominent  in 
the  Republican  party  in  Franklin  County.  In 
1S98  he  was  elected  to  represent  the  fifteenth  dis- 
trict in  the  state  legislature,  and  during  his  term 
in  the  lower  house  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee on  banks  and  banking,  also  the  committee 
on  assessment  and  taxation.  Both  in  Wisconsin 
and  in  Kansas  he  has  attended  state  conventions 
of  the  Republican  party.  For  fifteen  years  he 
has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  the  governor  of 
Wisconsin  commissioned  him  draft  commissioner 
for  Kewaunee  Countj^  and  he  completed  the  draft. 
Fraternally  he  is  associated  with  the  Knights  of 
Honor. 

By  his  marriage,  in  1851,  to  Miss  Laura  A. 
Swift,  Mr.  Finley  has  one  son,  James  R.,  who 
was  born  in  1869.  He  received  his  education  in 
local  schools  and  is  also  a  graduate  of  Sprague's 
Correspondence  School  of  Law,  at  Detroit,  Mich. 
Since  completing  his  studies  he  has  been  asso- 
ciated with  his  father,  and  is  filling  the  position  of 
bank  cashier  with  efficiency.  He  married  Miss 
Mary  Pearson,  of  Williamsburg,  where  they  now 
reside. 

EHARLES  F.  W.  DASSLER,  attorney-at- 
law,  of  Leavenworth,  is  well  known,  not 
only  in  the  city  where  he  resides,  but 
through  the  authorship  of  law  works  that  are 
accepted  authorities  in  the  various  matters  of 
which  they  treat  he  has  become  known  through- 
out the  entire  country,  and  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  most  accurate  law  writers  of  the  nineteenth 


412 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


centur}'.  The  following  list  of  his  works  proves 
that  his  life  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century 
has  been  a  busy  and  useful  one,  honorable  and 
creditable  to  himself  and  helpful  to  his  profession : 

187-1.     Dassler's   Kansas   Digest,    1    volume;   publisher, 

W.  J.  Gilbert. 
1876.     Dassler's  Kansas  Statutes,  2  volumes;    publisher, 

W.  J.  Gilbert. 

1879.  Compiled  Laws  of  Kansas,  1  volume  (under  act  of 
legislature);  publisher,  W.  J.  Gilbert. 

1880.  Dassler's  Kansas  Digest,  1  volume;  publishers. 
Mills  &  Co. 

1881.  Compiled  Laws  of  Kansas,  1  volume;  publishers, 
Geo.  W.  Crane  &  Co. 

1881.  Kansas  Addendum,  Green's  Pleading  and  Practice, 
1  volume;  publisher,  W.  J.  Gilbert. 

1881.  Reprint  of  McCahon's  R.  and  1  Kansas  R.,  with 
notes  and  additional  cases,  1  volume;  publishers, 
F.  P.  Baker  &  Sons. 

1882.  Reprint  of  Vols.  2  and  3,  Kansas  Reports,  with 
notes,  2  volumes;  publishers.  Mills  &  Co. 

1883.  Reprint  of  Vol.  4,  Kansas  Reports,  with  notes,  1 
volume;  publishers,  Mills  &  Co. 

1883.  Leavenworth  City  Ordinances,  1  volume;  pub- 
lishers, Dassler  &  Shafer. 

1884.  Reprint  Vols.  5,  6  and  7,  Kansas  Reports,  with 
notes,  3  volumes;  West  Publishing  Co. 

1885.  Compiled  Laws  of  Kansas,  1  volume;  Geo.  \V. 
Crane  &  Co. 

1885.  Reprint  Vols.  8,  9,  10  and  11,  Kansas  Reports, 
with  notes,  4  volumes;  West  Publishing  Co. 

1886.  Reprint  Vols.  12,  13,  14,  15,  21  and  22,  Kansas 
Reports,  with  notes,  6  volumes;  West  Publishing 
Co. 

1SS6.  Kansas  Addendum,  Green's  Pleading  and  Prac- 
tice (2d  edition),  1  volume;  Gilbert  Book  Co. 

1887.  Reprint  Vols.  23,  24,  25,  26,  27,  28  and  29  Kansas 
Reports,  with  notes,  7  volumes;  West  Publishing 
Co. 

1893.  Kansas  Form  Book,  1  volume;  Crane  &  Co. 

1894.  Kansas  Dijjest  (new  volume  2),  1  volume;  Crane 
&Co. 

1899.  Compiled  Laws  of  Kansas,  1  volume;  Crane  &  Co. 
Mr.  Dassler  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  April 
3,  1852,  a  son  of  John  G.  and  Mary  (Hintze) 
Dassler,  natives  of  Germany  and  Lutherans  iu 
religion.  They  resided  for  years,  and  until  their 
death,  in  St.  Louis,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business.  Of  their  five  children  now 
living  Charles  is  the  eldest  and  the  only  one  in 
Kansas.  It  was  in  1868  that  he  came  to  this 
state.  At  first  he  made  Salina  his  home  and  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  there.     With  a  desire  to  fit 


himself  for  the  profession  of  law  he  returned  to 
St.  Louis  and  entered  Washington  University, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1873  with  the  degree 
of  LL.  B.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Missouri  bar, 
but  at  once  came  to  Leavenworth,  and  in  July  of 
the  same  year  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Kansas. 
Since  then  he  has  given  his  attention  to  the  gen- 
eral practice  of  his  profession  and  to  the  compila- 
tion and  editing  of  the  various  law  books  with 
which  his  name  is  identified.  He  was  married 
in  this  city  to  Miss  Lee  L.  Marsh,  who  was  born 
in  Ohio  and  by  whom  he  has  a  son,  John  Carl. 

In  politics  Mr.  Dassler  is  a  Democrat.  He  has 
twice  been  elected  city  attorney,  which  position 
he  filled  creditably.  For  four  years  he  repre- 
sented the  second'  ward  in  the  city  council,  of 
which  he  was  president  during  two  years  of  the 
time.  In  1880  he  was  his  party's  candidate  for 
the  state  senate,  and,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  this  district  was  largely  Republican,  he  was 
defeated  by  less  than  thirty  votes. 


^HOMAS  J.  HINES.  From  the  close  of  the 
f  C  Civil  war  until  his  death,  Mr.  Hines  was 
VJy  identified  with  the  business  and  agricult- 
ural interests  of  Leavenworth  County.  During 
the  first  seven  years  of  his  residence  here  he  con- 
ducted a  country  store  in  Salt  Creek  Valley. 
Meanwhile  he  purchased  a  farm  in  the  southern 
part  of  Easton  Township  and  in  1872  he  turned 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was 
the  owner  of  seven  hundred  and  fiftj'  acres,  and 
was  recognized  as  one  of  the  largest  land  owners 
in  the  township  of  Easton.  Much  of  his  time 
was  given  to  the  raising  of  horses,  cattle  and 
mules,  which  he  shipped  to  eastern  markets.  He 
continued  actively  engaged  in  the  stock  business 
and  general  farm  pursuits  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  his  homestead  in  1S92,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six  years. 

A  son  of  James  and  Anna  (Butler)  Hines,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
1826.  Three  years  later  his  parents,  leaving 
him  in  Ireland,  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
New  York  state.  Shortly  afterward  his  father 
returned  to    Ireland,  and    there  died.      A  few 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


413 


years  later  tbe  mother  moved  to  Ohio,  where  her 
death  occurred.  When  fifteen  3ears  of  age  our 
subject  crossed  the  ocean,  landing  in  New 
Orleans,  where  he  spent  some  time.  Later  he 
visited  his  mother  in  Ohio.  In  1849  he  went  to 
California  b}'  water  and  for  three  years  he  suc- 
cessfuUj'  engaged  in  mining,  but,  unfortunatelj', 
a  bank  failure  caused  the  entire  loss  of  his  earn- 
ings. Returning  east,  he  was  for  three  years 
employed  on  a  farm  in  Knox  County,  Ohio.  In 
1855  ^^  removed  to  southern  Iowa,  and  there  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  seven  years,  at  the  same 
time  being  proprietor  of  a  hotel  in  Bloomfield. 
During  the  Mexican  war  he  enlisted  for  service, 
but  the  war  ended  before  his  regiment  was 
ordered  to  the  front.  During  the  Civil  war  his 
sympathies  were  with  the  north,  but  the  care  of 
his  large  family  rendered  it  necessary  for  him  to 
remain  at  home.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  es- 
tablished his  home  in  Leavenworth  County,  with 
whose  interests  in  agriculture  and  business  he 
was  afterward  identified.  Fraternally  Mr.  Hines 
was  connected  with  the  Masons.  In  religion  he 
was  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  as  is  his  family. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  local  politics  and 
aided  the  Democratic  part}'.  For  three  years  he 
held  the  ofiice  of  poor  commissioner.  He  was  a 
man  of  sound  judgment  and  his  advice  was  fre- 
quently sought  by  others  in  his  community, 
among  whom  he  had  a  high  reputation  for  intel- 
ligence, integrity  and  discretion.  Three  times 
he  returned  to  Europe,  in  order  to  visit  his 
friends  in  Ireland  and  also  for  the  purpose  of  at- 
tending to  business  matters  there.  While  in 
Ohio,  August  5,  1S49,  he  married  Catharine, 
daughter  of  Adam  Stephan,  member  of  an  old 
family  of  that  state  and  New  York.  Mrs. 
Hines  was  born  in  Onedia  County,  N.  Y.  The 
children  born  of  their  union  are  as  follows: 
Mary,  who  became  the  wife  of  Peter  Moahan; 
John  D.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  at 
Winchester;  James,  of  Denver,  Colo.;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Dr.  T.  C.  Craig,  of  Easton;  Katie;  Will- 
iam, a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hines  Brothers; 
Ella,  who  is  Mrs.  Christopher  Higgins;  Anna, 
who  married  Paul  Sieben;  and  Charles,  of  the 
firm  of  Hines  Brothers.     Mrs.  Hines  continues 


to  reside  in  the  village  of  Easton,  where  she  has 
a  host  of  warm  personal  friends  among  the  peo- 
ple of  this  community.  Her  daughter  Mary  and 
the  latter' s  husband  are  deceased,  and  they 
left  two  daughters  and  two  sons,  one  of  the 
latter  being  deceased.  The  grandchildren  make 
their  home  with  Mrs.  Hines. 


30HN  W.  BUNN,  oil  inspector  for  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad  and  also  one  of  the  oldest 
employes  in  the  expert  department  of  the 
Galena  oil  works,  was  born  in  Allegheny,  Pa., 
July  25,  1851,  a  son  of  John  and  Selina  (Berk- 
heimer)  Bunu,  natives  respectively  of  Salem, 
N.  J.,  and  Pennsylvania.  Concerning  our  sub- 
ject's father,  we  quote  the  following  from  a  local 
paper:  "John  Bunn,  a  nonagenarian,  and  for 
twenty  years  a  resident  of  this  state,  died  at  the 
home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Barackman,  No. 
32  Porter  street,  Kansas  City,  Kans.,  on  the  even- 
ing of  May  6,  1899.  The  funeral  was  held  on 
Monday,  May  8,  at  2  p.  m.,  from  the  Highland 
Park  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  interment 
made  in  the  Oak  Grove  cemetery. 

"Mr.  Bunu  was  born  in  Alloway's  Town,  Sa- 
lem County,  N.  J.,  August  17,  1808,  and  was 
therefore  ninety  years,  eight  months  and  nine- 
teen days  old  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

"Thrown  upon  his  own  resources  when  but 
eight  years  of  age,  by  the  death  of  his  father,  for 
a  number  of  years  he  followed  the  life  of  a  sailor 
boy  along  the  Atlantic  coast.  In  1824,  when  but 
a  lad  of  sixteen,  he  saw  General  LaFayette.  To 
make  sure  of  doing  this  he  resorted  to  the  same 
artifice  used  by  Zaccheus  of  old,  climbing — not  a 
fig  tree  but  a  gas  post  in  front  of  Liberty  Hall, 
Philadelphia,  and  so  dense  was  the  throng  that 
as  he  related  it,  he  "had  to  stay  there  three  mor- 
tal hours"  before  he  could  find  room  to  descend. 
About  this  time  he  was  an  apprentice  in  the 
largest  shipyard  on  the  Delaware  river,  .serving 
seven  years  to  thoroughly  learn  his  trade.  After 
getting  his  papers  as  a  master  ship  builder  he 
started  for  the  west,  crossing  the  Alleghany 
mountains  before  there  were  any  railroads  west 
of  them.     He  descended  their  western  slope  ou 


414 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  inclined  plane  railroad  that  was  then  oper- 
ated with  rope  from  HoUidaysburg  to  Cone- 
maugh.  He  had  charge  of  the  first  dry  dock  at 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.  He  built  steamboats  at  Pitts- 
burgh and  Brownsville,  Pa.,  also  barges  and  flat 
boats  at  a  number  of  towns  near  the  head  of  the 
Ohio  river.  He  was  well  known  among  river 
men  from  Pittsburgh  to  New  Orleans  when  the 
river  was  the  great  highway  of  commerce  in  the 
west. 

"In  i855he,  with  his  family,  moved  from  Pitts- 
burgh to  Wetzel  County,  Va. ,  where  he  lived 
until  the  fall  of  1861.  Having  been  reared 
among  the  Quakers  he  had  imbibed  many  of  their 
ideas  and  had  strong  convictions  against  slavery. 
Once  while  reading  his  paper,  the  New  York 
Tribune,  in  the  town  postoflice,  it  was  snatched 
from  his  hand  by  a  man  who  afterward  became  a 
colonel  in  the  Confederate  army.  This  same  man , 
Robert  T.  McEldowney,  after  the  Rebellion  came 
to  Mr.  Bunn  and  apologized  for  the  act,  Mr. 
Bunn's  eldest  son,  B.  H.  Bunn,  with  others, 
having  furnished  Colonel  McEldowney  money 
with  which  to  get  home  in  a  respectable  manner. 

"Mr.  Bunn  was  the  only  man  in  the  county  in 
which  he  lived  who  voted  for  Abraham  Eincoln 
in  i860.  This  was  before  the  ballot  system  was 
a  law  in  Virginia,  when  every  man  walked  up 
to  the  window  and  announced  the  names  of  those 
for  whom  he  wished  to  vote.  This  vote  of  Mr. 
Bunn's  aroused  a  bitter  feeling  against  him,  and 
resulted  in  the  burning  down  of  his  steam  saw 
and  grist  mill,  at  New  Martinsville. 

"He  soon  after  moved  onto  his  farm  across  the 
river  in  Ohio.  Coming  of  "fighting  stock"  his 
father  a  veteran  of  1812,  and  his  grandfather  a 
noted  Indian  fighter,  he  could  do  no  less  than 
seek  to  enter  the  Union  army.  This  he  did  but 
was  rejected  on  account  of  his  age.  However, 
his  two  eldest  sons  entered  the  service  long  before 
either  had  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  all 
three  of  his  sons-in-law  were  Union  veterans. 

"  Mr.  Bunn  was  married  to  Salina  E.  Berkheim- 
er,  March  12,  1827,  and  was  the  father  of  eleven 
children;  seven  of  these  grew  up  to  have  families 
of  their  own.  Six  children,  four  sons  and  two 
daughters,  are  still  living  and  are  all  residents  of 


Kansas.  These  are:  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Barackman 
and  William  M.  Bunn,  of  Kansas  City;  Thomas 
Bunn,  of  Fort  Scott;  John  W.  Bunn,  of  Ottawa; 
Burris  H.  Bunn  and  Mrs.  Lina  Lyman,  of  Rush 
Center.  There  are  also  living  twenty- seven 
grandchildren    and  fifteen  great-grandchildren. 

"Mr.  Bunn  in  1868  moved  to  Tennessee,  living 
there  several  years  during  the  troublous  times  of 
the  reconstructionary  period,  then  returned  to 
Ohio,  where  his  wife  died  in  1877.  In  the  fall 
of  1878,  four  of  his  children  having  located  in 
Rush  County,  he  with  his  other  three  children 
also  came  to  Kansas. 

"He  resided  in  Center  Township,  this  county, 
from  the  fall  of  1878  to  the  summer  of  1882,  when 
he  removed  to  Ottawa,  living  with  his  widowed 
daughter,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Williams,  up  to  the  time 
of  her  death  in  the  fall  of  1886.  He  then  made 
his  home  with  his  son  John  W. ,  but  for  the  past 
year  or  more,  since  his.  health  became  so  poor, 
he  has  lived  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Barackman. 

' '  Mr.  Bunn  was  a  strong  party  man  and  a  strong 
Republican  from  the  party's  organization  until 
his  death.  He  voted  at  every  presidential  elec- 
tion since  he  became  of  age,  except  in  the  fall  of 
1856,  then  not  being  a  resident  of  the  state  long 
enough  to  gain  citizenship. 

"He  was  ever  religiously  inclined,  being  a  firm 
believer  in  the  truths  of  the  Bible,  while  not  at 
all  sectarian.  Himself  a  man  of  the  strictest  in- 
tegrity, he  deemed  it  a  crime  to  repudiate  honest 
debts.  He  was  one  of  those  of  whom  it  was  truly 
said,  "His  word  is  as  good  as  his  note."  To  his 
children  he  has  bequeathed  that  best  of  legacies, 
the  memory  of  a  life  well  spent  in  honorable  la- 
bor, faithfully  done. 

"It  had  been  known  for  a  short  time  that  the  end 
of  his  existence  was  drawing  near.  Graduall}^ 
his  vital  powers  ceased  to  exert  themselves,  and 
death  came  calmly  and  peacefully  to  the  life 
which  had  spanned  nearly  across  the  century." 

The  early  years  of  our  subject's  life  were  spent 
in  Allegheny,  Pa.,  and  Wetzel  County,  W.  Va. 
Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  he  went  to  Frank- 
lin County,  Tenn.,  and  later  made  his  home  on 
a  plantation  in  Mississippi.  In  1874  he  came  to 
Kansas  and  settled  on  a  claim  near  Rush  Center, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


415 


Rush  Count}'.  As  time  passed  by  he  transformed 
the  place  into  a  valuable  farm,  on  which  he  en- 
gaged in  raising  broom  corn  and  various  grains. 
In  1880  he  went  to  Kansas  Cit}'  and  soon  after- 
ward received  appointment  as  oil  inspector  on  the 
Kansas  Pacific  division  of  the  Union  Pacific  road. 
After  two  years  he  was  appointed  inspector  of  the 
whole  system,  his  headquarters  being  in  Omaha, 
from  which  place  he  traveled  over  the  whole  line 
of  the  railroad.  In  1890  he  established  his  home 
in  Ottawa,  where  he  now  resides.  Since  his  first 
connection  with  the  railroad  there  has  been  a 
radical  change  in  the  oil  business,  and  this  road 
was  the  first  to  contract  with  the  Standard  Oil 
Company  for  oil  on  a  mileage  basis.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  expert  department  of  the  Galena 
oil  works,  with  whom  he  meets  annually  at 
Franklin,  Pa.,  and  he  has  served  as  a  member  of 
various  of  its  committees. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bunn  is  a  Republican.  He  is 
identified  with  the  Congregational  Church,  in 
which  he  has  officiated  as  treasurer  and  deacon. 
He  was  married  in  Rice  County,  Kans.,  to  Miss 
Mary  Crusan,  who  was  born  in  Indiana  County, 
Pa.  They  are  the  parents  of  five  children, 
namely:  Elizabeth  Maxwell  and  Gertrude  E.,  who 
are  graduates  of  the  high  school  and  are  now  at- 
tending Ottawa  University;  John  J.,  Charles  M. 
and  Frank  Luin. 


0AMUEL  F.  FEW,  M.  D.,  was  born  in 
?\  Woodstock,  Va. ,  May  26,  1820,  a  son  of 
\yj  Samuel  and  Mary  (Prichard)  Few,  natives 
respectively  of  Chester  County,  Pa.,  and  Win- 
chester, Va.  His  father,  who  was  for  years,  and 
until  his  death,  a  merchant  tailor  in  Woodstock, 
was  descended  from  one  of  three  brothers,  who 
came  to  America  from  Wales,  one  of  whom  set- 
tled in  Pennsylvania,  another  in  Ohio  and  the 
third  in  Georgia.  The  one  who  .settled  in 
Georgia  was  William  Few,  one  of  the  signers  of 
the  constitution  of  the  United  States  and  a  man 
of  great  prominence  in  colonial  affairs.  The 
family  were  Friends  in  religious  belief.  The 
Prichard  family  were  early  settlers  of  Virginia 
and  were  prominent  in  the  history  of  that  com- 
monwealth. 


In  the  family  of  Samuel  and  Mary  Few  there 
were  three  sons,  the  oldest  and  youngest  of  whom 
were  Stephen  and  William,  both  of  whom  died 
in  Virginia.  The  second  son,  Samuel  F.,  gradu- 
ated from  the  University  of  Virginia  with  the 
degree  of  A.  B.,  and  in  1846  graduated  from  Jef- 
ferson Medical  College  of  Philadelphia,  with  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  Afterward  he  opened  an  office 
in  Covington,  Va.  In  1854  he  removed  west  to 
Independence,  Mo.  Shortly  afterward  he  be- 
came connected  with  the  Leavenworth  Town 
Company  and  assisted  in  laying  out  this  city, 
spending  his  time  between  this  place  and  Inde- 
pendence, but  in  1855  he  located  permanently  in 
Leavenworth.  Having  considerable  means  he 
invested  in  property  and  laid  out  an  addition  to 
the  city.  During  the  boom  days  he  was  wealthy, 
but  the  subsequent  depreciation  in  real-estate 
values  affected  him  considerably.  He  was 
assistant  surgeon  at  Jefferson  Barracks  and  dur- 
ing the  war,  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  After  the 
war  he  became  a  member  of  the  pension  board, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  until  his  death,  De- 
cember 3,  1892.  He  was  a  stanch  supporter  of 
the  Union  and  a  free-state  man.  After  the  dis- 
integration of  the  Whig  party,  to  which  he  be- 
longed, the  Republican  party  received  his  sup- 
port. During  early  days  he  was  one  of  the  offi- 
cers of  the  court  and  for  years  he  was  city  physi- 
cian. Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason  and  in  relig- 
ion held  to  the  faith  of  the  Friends. 

In  Covington,  Va.,  March  8,  1850,  occurred 
the  marriage  of  Dr.  Few  to  Miss  Annie  E.  Callag- 
han,  who  was  born  in  that  town.  Her  father, 
John  Callaghan,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1787  and 
in  childhood  came  to  the  United  States  with  his 
father,  Dennis  O' Callaghan,  who  became  a  planter 
of  Virginia  and  a  man  of  considerable  wealth. 
For  many  years  he  served  as  sheriff  of  Alleghany 
County.  The  O' Callaghan  family  was  original- 
ly from  Scotland  and  was  of  the  Scotch  Presby- 
terian faith.  The  wife  of  Dennis  O'Callaghan 
was  Margaret  Pierson,  also  the  descendant  of 
Scotch  ancestors.  John  Callaghan  dropped  from 
his  name  the  prefix  O'  which  had  been  used  by 
his  ancestors.  He  married  Maria  Pulliam,  who 
was  born   in  Fredericksburg,  Va.,   and  died  in 


4i6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  Old  Dominion  about  i860.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Richard  PuUiam,  a  planter  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  a  descendant  of  English  ancestry. 
Six  children  comprised  the  family  of  John  and 
Maria  Callaghan,  viz.:  William,  who  died  in  Vir- 
ginia; Annie  E. ,  Mrs.  Few;  Robert,  who  died  in 
Leavenworth;  Thomas  and  Edwin,  planters  in 
Virginia;  and  John,  a  farmer  in  Texas.  Mrs. 
Few  is  still  living  at  the  old  Leavenworth  home- 
stead, No.  712  South  Fifth  street. 


|AJ.  A.  G.  ABDELAL,  M.  D.,  who  has 
made  his  home  in  Lawrence  since  1869, 
was  born  in  Marseilles,  France,  February 
7,  1832,  and  is  a  member  of  a  family  whose 
original  name,  Abdallah  (meaning  slave  of  God) 
was  changed  to  its  present  form  after  settlement 
in  France.  As  far  back  as  1500  the  office  of  aga 
(commander-in-chief)  of  theMamalucts,  a  cavalry 
force  twenty  thousand  strong,  was  held  by  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  descending  from  one  genera- 
tion to  another,  in  unbroken  line,  until  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject  held  the  office.  The  latter 
was  appointed  mayor  of  Cairo,  as  a  means  of  con- 
ciliating the  inhabitants  of  that  town,  recentlj- 
captured  by  Napoleon.  When  Napoleon  had 
evacuated  Cairo  and  returned  to  France  the  aga 
followed  him  to  that  country,  where  he  was  by 
him  made  general  of  the  Mamalucts  of  the  Im- 
perial Guard.  He  remained  in  the  office  from 
about  1790  to  1800,  and  died  in  Marseilles  when 
advanced  in  years. 

Joseph  Abdelal,  the  doctor's  father,  was  born 
in  Alexandria,  Egypt,  and  was  employed  as  ad- 
ministrator of  a  line  of  steamers  between  Marseil- 
les and  Alexandria.  After  forty  years  of  active 
life  he  retired  from  business  and  his  last  years 
were  spent  quietly  in  his  home  town,  Marseilles. 
He  married  Ellen  Agaub,  who  was  born  in  Tur- 
key, but  was  reared  in  France  and  continued  to 
reside  in  the  latter  country  until  her  death.  Her 
father,  Pierre  Agaub,  was  a  Frenchman  and  was 
engaged  in  diplomatic  service  in  Turkey  and 
other  countries,  discharging  his  duties  so  faith- 
fully that  the  French  government  made  him  a 
knight  of  the  Legion  of  Honor. 


In  the  family  of  which  the  doctor  was  a  mem- 
ber there  were  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  but 
he  and  a  sister  in  France  alone  survive.  His 
brother.  Gen.  Louis  Abdelal,  was  one  of  the  of- 
ficers who  won  renown  in  the  French  army,  serv- 
ing through  the  Franco-Prussian  war  as  com- 
mander of  the  Eighteenth  Army  Corps.  As 
major  he  led  the  heroic  charge  at  Balaklava, 
where  he  saved  the  English  army  from  destruc- 
tion. After  the  charge  he  was  made  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  First  Hussars  and  an  officer  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor,  also  served  as  ordnance  officer 
to  the  son  of  King  Louis  Phillipe.  He  died  in 
France  in  1890  at  sixty-one  years  of  age.  His 
son,  Alfred,  is  now  captain  of  the  Ninth  Regular 
Dragoons. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  graduated  from  the 
Royal  College  of  Marseilles  in  1852,  and  by 
special  dispensation  received  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
He  entered  the  French  army  as  assistant  surgeon 
of  the  First  Regular  Algerian  Sharpshooters,  and 
served  in  Algeria  until  the  war  with  Russia, 
when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Black  Sea  region. 
For  three  months  he  was  detached  in  hospital 
service.  At  the  taking  of  Sebastopol  he  was  at 
the  front.  Upon  the  declaration  of  peace  his 
regiment  was  sent  to  Paris,  where  they  were 
stationed  for  seven  months.  Returning  to  Algeria 
he  was  on  detached  duty  at  Arab  Bureau  for  two 
years,  being  assistant  surgeon  of  the  first  class, 
and  afterward  rejoined  the  regiment.  In  1859 
he  was  sent  to  Italy  and  participated  in  the 
campaign  of  1859  60  in  that  country,  taking  part 
in  various  battles.  When  the  war  closed  he  re- 
turned to  Algeria  with  the  regiment.  Upon  the 
declaration  of  war  between  France,  England  and 
Spain  against  Mexico,  the  regiment  was  ordered 
to  Vera  Cruz,  Mexico,  remaining  there  until  the 
fall  of  1862.  After  some  time  Napoleon  III. 
i-ssued  a  proclamation  permitting  officers  and 
soldiers  of  the  French  army  to  pass  from  there 
into  Maximilian's  army.  He  availed  himself  of 
the  privilege  and  became  a  surgeon-major  in  a 
Mexican  regiment,  where  he  remained  until 
Maximilian  was  captured. 

On  resigning  his  commission  Dr.  Abdelal  en- 
gaged in  private  practice  in    different  cities   of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


■17 


Mexico  and  the  south.  In  186S  he  came  to 
Lawrence,  where  he  has  since  carried  on  a  gen- 
eral practice  and  for  two  terms,  under  Cleveland, 
was  chairman  of  the  board  of  pension  examiners, 
also  served  as  coroner  of  Douglas  County  from 
1870  to  1872.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Douglas 
County,  State,  Eastern  District  and  American 
Medical  Associations.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Lodge  No.  6,  in 
Lawrence,  and  has  attained  the  Scottish  Rite  de- 
gree. He  is  also  connected  with  the  Turn  Verein, 
Odd  Fellows,  National  Union  and  Sons  of  Her- 
man. 

The  facility  with  which  Dr.  Abdelal  speaks 
French,  English,  Turkish,  Spanish,  Italian, 
Greek  and  Latin,  makes  him  at  home  in  almost 
every  part  of  the  world  except  China,  which  is 
one  of  the  very  few  countries  he  has  never  visited. 
His  life  has  been  a  very  active  one,  and  his  serv- 
ice in  the  army  reflected  the  highest  credit  upon 
his  ability.  He  was  married  in  Baltimore,  Md., 
in  1868,  to  Miss  Marie  LaFevre,  who  was  born 
and  educated  in  Paris  and  died  in  Lawrence  in 
1870. 

|~RANCIS  M.  JENKINS,  a  veteran  of  the 
r?)  Civil  war  and  a  farmer  of  Marion  Township, 
I  Douglas  County,  was  born  in  Rappahan- 
nock County,  Va.,  January  15,  1833,  ^  son  of 
Newman  and  Maria  (Weekly)  Jenkins,  of  whose 
twelve  children  eight  survive.  They  are:  Har- 
rison, a  farmer  in  Osage  County,  Kans. ;  Francis 
M.;  Nancy,  who  married  Cyrus  Beadles,  and 
lives  in  Champaign  County,  Ohio;  Mary,  wife  of 
Henry  Arnold,  of  Overbrook,  Kans.;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Peter  Berry,  of  Champaign  County,  Ohio; 
Washington,  who  is  engaged  in  carpentering  in 
Champaign  County;  Margaret,  wife  of  Stephen 
Dixon,  of  Jay  County,  Ind. ;  and  William,  a 
farmer  of  Mercer  County,  Ohio. 

The  Jenkins  family  was  established  in  Virginia 
in  a  very  early  day.  Newman  Jenkins  was  born 
in  Rappahannock  County,  where  he  married  and 
settled  upon  a  farm.  In  1837  he  removed  to 
Ohio  and  established  his  home  in  Licking  Coun- 
ty. Later  he  made  several  removals  to  adjoining 
counties,  and  died  in   Mercer  County  at  the  age 


of  seventy-two  years.  His  father,  Timothy  Jen- 
kins, was  born  in  Rappahannock  County  and 
spent  his  entire  life  upon  a  farm  there.  His 
father-in-law,  Frank  Weekly,  also  a  native  of 
Virginia  and  a  member  of  a  well-known  family 
there,  served  in  the  war  of  181 2,  and  died  at  the 
advanced  age  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years. 

In  the  subscription  schools  of  the  early  half  of 
the  nineteenth  century  our  subject  acquired  his 
education.  In  1855  he  left  the  parental  roof  and 
began  life  for  himself,  his  first  year's  experience 
being  as  a  farm  hand  in  diflferent  parts  of  Ohio. 
In  1856  he  married  Miss  Mary  C.  Saffle,  who 
was  born  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Louise  (Shaw)  Saffle.  Her 
father,  a  native  of  Virginia,  moved  to  Ohio  prior 
to  his  marriage  and  settled  in  Muskingum  Coun- 
ty, where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  resided 
until  his  death.  After  his  marriage  our  subject 
purchased  a  farm  of  forty  acres  in  Muskingum 
County,  where  he  settled  down  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  During  his  residence  there.  May  2, 
1864,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  One  Hundred 
and  Sixtieth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  was  sent  with 
his  command  to  the  front,  doing  service  in  the 
Shenandoah  Valley.  While  there  he  took  part 
in  the  engagements  at  Middletown  and  Harper's 
Ferry,  besides  numerous  skirmishes.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  service  he  was  must^ed 
out  at  Zanesville,  Ohio,  September  7,  1864. 

In  the  fall  of  1865  Mr.  Jenkins  removed  to 
Moultrie  County,  111.,  and  one  year  later  came 
to  Kansas,  arriving  in  Douglas  County  Novem- 
ber 27,  1866.  While  living  in  Illinois  he  had 
traded  for  his  present  farm  in  Marion  Township, 
and  here  he  has  since  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing. Since  1858  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church  and  an  active  worker  in  its 
various  enterprises.  Believing  thoroughly  in 
public  schools,  he  has  done  all  in  his  power  to 
advance  the  schools  of  his  district,  and  for  many 
years  rendered  efficient  service  as  treasurer  of  the 
school  board.  In  politics  he  is  a  firm  Republican, 
always  voting  for  party  principles.  Since  1S70 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  blue  lodge, 
and  he  is  also  connected  with  Richland  Post  No. 
370,  G.  A.  R. 


4i8 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Of  the  seven  children  born  to  the  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Jenkins  five  are  living,  namely:  Hiram, 
who  cultivates  the  home  farm;  Louise,  wife  of 
M.  T.  Harding,  a  farmer  of  Douglas  County; 
Salome,  who  married  Sanford  Owens,  a  farmer  of 
Osage  County,  Kans. ;  Carrie,  wife  of  Edward 
Dodder,  a  farmer  of  Osage  County;  and  Mary, 
who  married  Jacob  Wright  and  also  makes  her 
home  in  Osage  County. 


RS.  MARY  (GILL)  ELWELE,  who  is  one 
of  the  most  highly  respected  ladies  of  Pal- 
myra Township,  Douglas  County,  was  born 
in  Cornwall,  England,  October  27, 1827,  and  came 
to  America  with  her  parents  when  she  was  four- 
teen years  of  age.  She  is  a  sister  of  William  H. 
Gill,  in  whose  sketch  the  family  history  appears. 
Her  education  was  obtained  in  Galena  Seminary, 
at  Galena,  111.,  where  she  afterward  taught  until 
the  time  of  her  first  marriage.  In  1853  she  be- 
came the  wife  of  Samuel  Nye,  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  Massachusetts,  thence  went  to 
Helena,  Ark.,  and  engaged  in  business  as  a  com- 
mission merchant,  also  was  in  St.  Louis  for  a 
time.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  was  liv- 
ing in  Elizabeth,  111.,  where  for  years  he  car- 
ried on  a  mercantile  business  and  also  had  min- 
ing'interests.  A  man  of  high  character,  kind 
heart,  liberal  disposition  and  great  energy,  he 
won  many  friends  and  met  with  fair  success  in 
business.  Had  he  chosen,  he  might  have  been  a 
leader  in  politics,  but  his  tastes  did  not  lie  in  that 
direction,  although  he  was  a  stanch  believer  first 
in  Whig  principles,  and  afterward  a  Republican. 
He  died  in  Elizabeth  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years, 
leaving  two  children,  Julia,  who  married  Joseph 
Buttrick,  of  Michigan;  and  Samuel  W.  Nye,  a 
farmer  owning  a  good  farm  adjoining  his  moth- 
er's homestead  in  Kansas.  In  1884  Samuel  W. 
married  Miss  Olive  G.  Hays,  from  Ohio;  he  is 
now  the  father  of  three  daughters:  Mary  Hope, 
Lucile  and  Esther. 

In  October,  1859,  Mrs.  Mary  G.  Nye  was  mar- 
ried to  Stephen  E.  Elwell,  of  Elizabeth,  111.  Mr. 
Elwell  was  born  in  Warren,  Ohio,  and  in  youth 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  but  later  engaged 


principally  in  mining.  In  1867  Mrs.  Elwell  came 
to  Kansas  and  settled  on  a  claim  in  Douglas 
County  that  was  a  gift  to  her  from  her  brother 
John.  At  the  same  time  Mr.  Elwell  went  to 
Montana,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  for  ten 
years  but  did  not  meet  with  special  success.  Dur- 
ing his  stay  in  Montana  he  was  a  member  of  the 
territorial  legislature.  Finally  he  returned  to 
Kansas  and  his  la.st  years  were  spent  on  his  wife's 
farm.  Politically  he  was  an  active  Democrat  and 
a  leading  politician,  but  never  sought  office  for 
himself.  He  was  thrown  from  a  wagon  and  killed, 
November  17,  1886,  when  sixty-nine  years  of  age. 
John  K.,  the  elder,  attended  for  two  years  the 
Kansas  State  University,  but  graduated  from 
Baker  University,  Baldwin,  Kans.  Soon  after 
graduating  he  went  to  Buenos  Ayres, South  Amer- 
ica, where  he  was  employed  as  auditing  clerk  on 
the  railroad  across  the  continent  from  Buenos 
Ayres  to  Chili,  and  made  one  trip  to  the  end  of 
the  unfinished  road  at  the  base  of  the  Andes.  He 
left  Buenos  Ayres  on  account  of  the  revolution 
of  1892.  His  next  scene  ofoperations  was  Cuba, 
where  he  was  bookkeeper  for  an  iron  mining 
company  near  Santiago.  Later  he  was  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  and  acted  as  manager  for 
a  steamboat  company.  At  the  time  of  the  war 
with  Spain  President  McKinley  appointed  him 
interpreter  and  assistant  to  Miss  Clara  Barton 
and  the  committee  of  investigation  in  Cuba.  After 
she  had  given  up  the  Red  Cross  work  of  relief  in 
Cuba  he  took  a  vessel  loaded  with  provisions  to 
Havana  and  Matanzas.  He  also  assisted  General 
Lee  in  his  work  as  United  States  Consul.  Since 
the  close  of  the  war  he  has  been  president,  treas- 
urer and  manager  ofthe  Elwell  Mercantile  Com- 
pany at  Santiago  de  Cuba,  which  company  is  a 
very  large  one  and  makes  important  shipments 
of  lumber,  fruit  etc.  He  also  has  important  real- 
estate  interests  on  that  island.  The  younger  son, 
Charles,  who  was  educated  at  Baldwin  and  the 
University  of  Kansas,  at  Lawrence,  was  for  a 
time  local  editor  of  the  Lawrence  Journal  and  af- 
terward ticket  agent  at  Lawrence  for  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad.  Later  he  was  for  two  years  city 
ticket  agent  in  Denver,  Colo.,  but  resigned  the 
position  to   go    to   Cuba,    in  order   to  assist    his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


421 


brother,  with  whom  he  has  since  been  associated 
in  the  real-estate  business.  At  the  time  of  this 
writing  he  is  foreign  war  correspondent  for  the 
associated  press  and  is  now  at  San  Domingo  with 
Jiniinez,  president  of  the  new  repubhc. 


(lAMES  LEIBEY,  M.  D.,  deceased,  was  born 
I  in  Hamburg,  Germany,  and  in  boyhood  ac- 
(2/  companied  his  father,  Frederick,  to  America, 
settling  first  in  Philadelphia,  but  soon  going  to 
the  Cumberland  Valley,  where  he  was  reared  and 
educated.  He  then  went  to  New  Orleans,  where 
he  studied  medicine  and  began  its  practice.  Re- 
turning north  in  1848  he  left  New  York  for  Cali- 
fornia via  Cape  Horn  on  the  ship  "Columbus," 
and  after  a  monotonous  voyage  landed  in  San 
Francisco.  Going  inland,  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing. In  1852  he  returned  east,  bringing  with 
him  a  considerable  amount  of  gold-dust.  For  a 
time  he  made  his  home  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
where  he  owned  property,  but  later  went  back 
to  New  Orleans  and  embarked  in  the  sugar  refin- 
ing business,  making  shipments  of  sugar  to  the 
north  by  boat. 

In  Logansport,  Ind.,  in  May,  1856,  Dr.  Leibey 
married  Miss  Nancy  A.  Graham.  Their  wed- 
ding tour  was  a  trip  to  Leavenworth,  Kans. , 
where  they  arrived  on  the  30th  of  the  same 
month.  On  the  3d  of  October,  1856,  they  came 
to  Lawrence  in  a  stage  with  nine  passen- 
gers, guarded  by  twenty-six  dragoons,  whose 
presence  the  border  warfare  rendered  necessary. 
Crossing  the  Kaw  by  means  of  a  rope  ferry,  they 
entered  the  town  that  was  to  be  their  future 
home.  Both  being  ardent  free-state  advocates 
and  stanch  Republicans,  they  incurred  the  hatred 
of  pro-slavery  sympathizers,  whose  malice  they 
suffered  more  than  once.  They  were  living  in 
Lawrence  at  the  time  of  the  Quantrell  raid  and 
lost  their  residence  and  business  property  by  fire. 
Dr.  Leibey  was  taken  a  prisoner  and  locked  in  a 
room  above  the  hardware  store,  it  being  the  in- 
tention to  fire  the  building  with  him  in  it.  A 
guard  was  placed  before  the  store  to  prevent  his 
escape.  Mrs.  Leibey  was  driven  out  of  her  house 
by  the  gang.     Learning    her   husband's  where- 


abouts, .she  went  to  the  guard  and  appealed  to 
him  for  the  doctor's  release,  but  in  vain.  After- 
ward another  ruffian  was  put  on  guard  and  she 
made  her  appeal  to  him,  but  of  course  without 
avail.  As  she  stood  watching,  she  saw  the 
guard  hurry  across  to  a  saloon.  At  once  she  ran 
upstairs,  took  her  husband  down  the  rear  stairs 
and  hastened  with  him  to  the  river,  where  they 
escaped  in  safety. 

After  the  raid.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Leibey  returned 
to  Leavenworth  and  remained  thereuntil  a  house 
was  built  for  them  in  Lawrence.  From  the 
shock  and  danger  of  the  raid  Mrs.  Leibey  suf- 
fered a  long  illness  and  it  was  some  time  before 
she  regained  her  former  strength.  In  October 
they  returned  to  Lawrence  and  took  up  their  res- 
idence in  a  frame  house  that  had  been  built  for 
them.  Soon  afterward  they  erected  the  residence 
in  which  Mrs.  Leibey  and  her  daughter  now 
make  their  home.  The  latter,  Lily  Graham 
Leibey,  is  an  accomplished  musician,  highly  edu- 
cated, well  informed  in  arts,  music  and  science, 
and  is  her  mother's  companion  both  in  domestic 
interests  and  the  broader  field  of  knowledge  and 
culture.  Dr.  Leibey  was  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  ability.  His  education  was  broad  and 
he  was  familiar  with  several  languages,  besides 
being  a  musician,  a  performer  on  various  instru- 
ments and  a  vocalist.  From  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  his  life  was  that  of  an  earnest  Chris- 
tian. Fraternally  he  was  identified  with  the 
Masons.  His  death  occurred  in  1S68,  when  he 
was  fifty-six  years  and  ten  months  old. 


I  RS.  NANCY  A.  (GRAHAM)  LEIBEY  is  one 
of  the  pioneer  women  of  Lawrence,  to  whose 
patriotic  devotion  and  sterling  judgment 
much  of  the  early  growth  of  this  city  was  due. 
Much  has  been  written  and  much  said  concern- 
ing the  men  who  came  to  Kansas  in  early  days 
with  the  hope  of  making  this  a  free  .state,  and 
certainly  too  much  cannot  be  said  in  their  praise; 
but  little  has  been  written  regarding  the  women 
who  came  west  in  the  '50s,  who  endured  all  the 
horrors  and  suffered  the  hardships  of  border  war- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


fare,  and  who,  in  spite  of  all  perils,  remained 
true,  faithful  and  steadfast  to  the  end.  Such,  in 
brief,  is  the  story  of  Mrs.  Leibey'slife.  Shecame 
west  a  bride,  leaving  a  home  where  every  comfort 
had  been  found  and  a  .state  where  peace  reigned; 
from  such  a  place  she  was  brought  to  a  state  rent 
with  dissension  and  stained  with  the  blood  of 
martyred  citizens.  Like  her  husband,  she  was  a 
radical  Abolitionist  and  was  determined  to  do  all 
within  her  power  to  advance  the  free-state  cause. 
In  early  days  she  became  acquainted  with  all  the 
noted  men  of  Kansas  and  was  an  ardent  admirer 
and  personal  friend  of  "Jim"  Lane  and  other 
Abolitionists. 

In  an  early  day  the  Grahams  came  from  Scot- 
land to  Delaware,  where  Mrs.  Leibey's  father  and 
grandfather  (both  named  Israel)  were  born.  The 
former  grew  to  manhood  on  the  large  homestead 
and  had  every  advantage  which  ample  means 
could  provide.  His  father,  who  was  a  remarka- 
ble man  in  many  respects,  was  a  man  of  thought 
and  high  honor.  Becoming  convinced  that 
slavery  was  unjust,  he  freed  his  slaves,  removed 
to  Pennsylvania,  and  bought  for  each  slave  a 
small  farm  there,  helping  them  to  get  a  start  in 
the  world.  He  had  twenty-one  children  by  one 
wife  and  all  attained  mature  years  and  married, 
afterward  scattering  into  different  parts  of  the 
country. 

The  mother  of  Mrs.  Leibey  was  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  Bowen,  both  natives  of  Kent  Coun- 
ty, Del.  Her  father,  who  was  a  large  farmer, 
enlisted  in  a  cavalry  company  during  the  Revo- 
lution and  served  under  LaFayette  at  the  battle 
of  Brandywine,  where  he  was  wounded.  He  re- 
turned home  for  a  short  time,  but  as  soon  as  able 
went  back  to  the  army  and  witnessed  the  surren- 
der of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown.  He  died  in  Del- 
aware. 

In  1835  Israel  Graham,  Jr. ,  and  his  wife  moved, 
by  wagon,  to  western  Pennsylvania,  settling  near 
Pittsburgh.  While  they  were  crossing  the  Alle- 
ganies,  and  were  nearUniontown,  Fayette  Coun- 
ty, Pa.,  a  daughter  was  born  to  them,  in  a 
hunter's  lodge  high  up  on  the  mountains.  For  a 
cradle  they  used  a  sugar  trough.  It  was  this 
daughter,  born  amid  strange  surroundings,  who 


was  destined  to  become  one  of  the  pioneers  of  a 
state  that  was  then  unknown.  The  family  pro- 
ceeded to  the  vicinity  of  Pittsburgh,  where  Mr. 
Graham  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  salt  for 
six  years.  Next  he  moved  to  Springfield,  Ohio, 
where  he  took  contracts  for  the  building  of  canals 
and  roads.  In  1850  he  .settled  on  a  large  farm 
near  Logansport,  and  in  time  became  the  owner 
of  additional  land  and  engaged  extensively  in 
stock-raising.  He  was  a  man  of  broad  ideas, 
natural  talent,  strong  character  and  firm  princi- 
ples, was  generous  to  the  needy,  and  kind  to  all. 
Had  fate  brought  him  into  public  life  he  would 
have  been  a  power  for  good  throughout  his  na- 
tion. He  possessed  a  stalwart  frame,  was  never 
ill,  and  in  physique  was  well  proportioned,  being 
six  feet  and  two  inches  in  height.  His  wife  died 
in  Ohio  when  thirty-three  years  old  and  he  passed 
away  in  1879,  when  almost  seventy-five.  They 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  the  eldest  of 
whom  is  our  subject.  The  othersare:  Mrs.  Hes- 
ter Toner,  of  Kewana,  Ind! ;  Mrs.  Cassie  Reighter, 
of  Logansport,  Ind. ;  Mrs.  Sarah  Coppic,  of 
Brownwood,  Tex.;  and  France,  of  Fulton,  Ind. 

From  the  age  of  seven  until  fifteen  our  subject 
lived  in  Springfield,  Ohio,  where  she  attended 
the  public  schools  and  academy.  When  seven- 
teen she  began  to  teach  in  Logansport  and  con- 
tinued until  her  marriage  three  years  later.  She 
then  came  to  Kansas  with  Dr.  Leibey  and  has 
since  made  this  state  her  home  and  has  main- 
tained the  deepest  interest  in  its  welfare.  While 
in  Leavenworth  a  body  of  men  came  from  Platte 
County,  Mo.,  to  terrify  the  free-state  people. 
She  was  sitting  on  the  porch  at  the  Phillips  house 
as  they  passed  by.  The  next  morning  another 
company  appeared  and  surrounding  the  house, 
sent  some  of  their  men  into  the  house.  Several 
free- state  men  were  shot  in  the  hall,  and  William 
Phillips  was  killed  and  his  brother  wounded. 
Fearing  the  seizure  of  their  possessions,  she  had 
the  trunks  taken  into  a  building  in  the  rear  of  a 
neighboring  house  and  there  locked.  All  free- 
state  workers  were  ordered  by  the  pro-slavery 
invaders  to  leave,  and  many,  fearing  for  their 
lives,  hastened  away,  some  going  on  the  boat 
"Emma."     Dr.  and  Mrs.   Leibey  were  boarding 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


with  Colonel  Sharpe,  a  pro-slavery  man.  A  mob 
from  Alabama  swamp  ordered  them  to  leave,  and 
they  went  to  Richland  Landing,  then  down  the 
river  by  boat.  During  the  passage  they  met  the 
"Old  Emigrant,"  and  boarded  it,  finding  among 
its  passengers  Mr.  Geary,  the  new  governor  of 
Kansas,  who  had  been  a  friend  of  the  doctor  in 
California.  They  returned  with  him  to  Fort 
Leavenworth  and  remained  in  the  colonel's  home 
for  twenty-one  days.  Afterward  they  experi- 
enced all  the  perils  of  war  times  in  Lawrence  and 
more  than  once  escaped  as  by  miracle. 

Since  Dr.  Leibey's  death  Mrs.  Leibey  has 
given  her  attention  to  the  management  of  her 
property  and  moneyed  interests,  in  which,  being 
a  thorough  business  woman,  she  has  been  quite 
successful.  She  has  never  lost  her  love  for  Kan- 
sas and  no  one  rejoices  in  its  prosperity  more 
than  does  she. 


ROBERT  M.  BRUCE,  owner  of  the  Lawrence 
lumber  yard,  is  a  son  of  Charles  Bruce, 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  Kansas.  His  grand- 
father, Lawson  Bruce,  who  was  a  prosperous 
New  England  farmer,  was  a  son  of  Rev.  Rufus 
Bruce,  a  minister,  who  during  the  Revolution 
fought  in  defense  of  American  liberty.  The 
family  is  of  Scotch  extraction.  Charles  Bruce 
received  an  academic  education  and  for  four  years 
engaged  in  teaching.  After  his  marriage  he  car- 
ried on  a  drug  business  in  Logansport,  Ind. ,  for 
ten  years.  Coming  to  Kansas  in  1S58,  he  took 
up  a  claim  in  Douglas  County,  near  Blue  Mound, 
and  for  three  years  devoted  his  time  to  its  im- 
provement. In  1861  he  opened  a  lumber  yard 
in  Lawrence,  later  also  had  a  yard  in  North 
Lawrence.  During  the  Civil  war  he  went  to'the 
front  to  defend  the  state  against  Price  and  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  Westport,  Little  Blue  and 
others  along  the  border  of  Missouri.  He  was  an 
ardent  free-state  man  and  in  politics  supported 
Republican  principles.  For  two  terms  he  held 
the  office  of  councilman,  and  he  also  served  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board.  Fraternally  he  was 
connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows. 

At    the   time   of   the   Quantrell    raid    Charles 
Bruce,  in  common    with    all   free-state   men,  ex- 


perienced all  the  dangers  incident  to  an  indis- 
criminate massacre  of  men  and  destruction  of 
property.  He  was  in  the  field  milking  his  cows 
when  he  saw  the  raiders  approaching.  At  once 
he  hastened  to  alarm  his  neighbors.  He  then 
turned  his  horses  loose  and,  jumping  on  one, 
started  toward  Mount  Oread.  He  was  inter- 
cepted by  three  of  the  band.  They  inquired  who 
he  was,  but  he  parleyed  with  them,  evading  a 
direct  answer.  Finally  they  compelled  him  to 
jump  from  his  horse  and  were  going  to  kill  him, 
when  the  leader  interfered  and  told  him  to  run 
for  his  life.  He  escaped  into  a  cornfield.  He 
lived  to  see  the  downfall  of  slavery,  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  Union  and  its  subsequent  magnificent 
progress.     He  died  in  Lawrence  May  4,  1890. 

In  Niles,  Mich.,  January  6,  1S52,  Charles 
Bruce  married  Miss  Julia  A.  Pettibone,  who  died 
May  5,  1873.  Of  the  Pettibone  family  the  only 
survivor  is  Capt.  Milton  Pettibone,  who  is  rep- 
resented in  this  work.  Her  father,  John  R.,  a 
native  of  New  York  state,  settled  near  Ypsilanti, 
Mich.,  and  while  rowing  two  ladies  across  the 
river  there,  was  accidentally  drowned.  To  this 
family  belonged  Roswell  Pettibone,  for  whom 
ex-Governor  Roswell  P.  Flower,  of  New  York, 
was  named.  Charles  and  Julia  A.  Bruce  were 
the  parents  of  three  children  who  grew  to  ma- 
turity. Edwin  Lawson  Bruce,  the  oldest,  is 
proprietor  of  a  large  wholesale  and  retail  lumber 
business  in  Kansas  City.  The  daughter,  Mrs. 
Addie  Petrie,  lives  in  Wichita,  Kans.  The  sec- 
ond son,  Robert  M.,  was  born  on  the  claim  at  the 
edge  of  Miami  County,  Kans.,  January  16,  1862, 
and  was  reared  in  Lawrence,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  the  grammar  and  high  schools  and  also 
graduating  from  the  Lawrence  Business  College. 
From  boyhood  he  was  interested  in  the  lumber 
business  and  early  became  familiar  with  every 
detail.  When  his  brother  went  to  Kansas  City 
the  firm  title  became  C.  Bruce  &  Son,  and  the 
two  yards  were  consolidated  at  No.  627  Massa- 
chusetts street.  After  the  death  of  the  father  in 
1890  our  subject  con.solidated  the  Lawrence  and 
Kansas  City  yards,  and  the  firm  became  the  Bruce 
Lumber  Company,  incorporated.  In  1898  he 
sold    his   interest   in  the  company    and   bought 


424 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  Lawrence  j^ard,  where  he  has  a  frontage  of 
seventy-five  feet  on  Massachusetts  street  and  two 
hundred  feet  on  Vermont  street,  with  a  large 
yard  containing  all  kinds  of  lumber  and  build- 
ing material.  This  is  the  oldest  yard  in  the 
city  and  is  one  of  the  most  successful  as  well. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Bruce  is  connected  with  the 
Uniform  Rank,  K.  P.,  and  in  politics  is  a  Re- 
publican. He  is  a  member  of  the  Hoo  Hoos 
Lumberman's  Association.  His  residence  stands 
at  No.  275  Walnut  street.  He  was  married  in 
Kansas  City  to  Miss  Hattie  Rollins,  who  was 
born  in  Jefferson  County,  Kans.,  and  by  whom 
he  has  two  daughters,  Addie  and  Marie.  Mrs. 
Bruce  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  D.  Rollins,  who 
settled  in  Lawrence  in  1856,  became  a  large  con- 
tractor and  builder  here,  but  was  burned  out  at 
the  time  of  the  Ouantrell  raid,  losing  everything 
he  had.  Afterward  he  engaged  in  stock-raising 
in  Rural  Township,  also  for  a  few  years  engaged 
in  mining  at  Silverton,  Colo.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  took  part  in  the  campaign  against  Price. 
He  now  makes  his  home  with  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  Bruce. 


ICHAEL  REEDY,  deceased,  was  for  some 
years  engaged  in  business  in  Lawrence. 
He  was  a  member  of  an  old  eastern  family. 
His  grandfather,  Michael  Reedy,  Sr.,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  and  in  18 12  removed  to  Ohio, 
where,  after  having  served  in  the  second  war  with 
England,  he  devoted  himself  to  the  clearing  and 
improvement  of  a  farm  in  Ross  CountJ^  He  was 
a  son  of  Conrad  Reedy,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, who  died  in  Buffalo  Township,  Northamp- 
ton (now  Union)  County,  Pa.,  August  3,  1859; 
his  wife  died  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  March  28, 
1818. 

The  Reedy  family  trace  their  lineage  to  the 
Webbers  of  Holland.  In  16 10  Walfort  Webber, 
of  Holland,  married  Anna  Cook,  and  their  son, 
Walfort,  was  married  in  1630  to  Anna  Wallis. 
Next  in  line  of  descent  was  Armant  Webber,  who 
married  Jainetta  Comilus  in  1675,  and  their  son, 
Walfort  (3d),  married  Gratzie  Jacob  in  1697. 
The  daughter  of  the  latter  couple,  Catherine 
Webber,  in  1743  became  the  wife  of  John  Francis 


Geltner,  and  their  daughter,  also  named  Cather-        \ 
ine,  in  1765  was  married  to  Conrad  Reedy.     In        | 
September,  181 1,   their  son,  Michael  Reedy,  was        \ 
united    with  Mary  Magdalene  Davis.     In    1849        { 
their  son  Conrad  (our  subject's  father),  married 
Caroline  Deloug,  who  was  born  in  Berks  County,         j 
Pa.,  accompanied  her  parents   to  Ross  County,         | 
Ohio,  at  an  early  date,  and  died   in  1893,  at  the         1 
age  of  sixty-nine  years.     The  first  Walfort  Web- 
ber settled  on  the  Isle  of  Manhattan  and  accumu- 
lated a  large   fortune,  becoming  the  owner  of  a 
vast   estate  there.     In    his   native    land  he  had 
fallen  in   love  with   Anna  Cook,  a  member  of  a 
noble  famil}'.     His   social  position  being  inferior 
to  hers,  her  family  refused  their  consent  to  the 
marriage,  so  the   young  couple  ran   away  from 
home  and  were  married.     Thus  it  was  that  the 
family  became  established  in  America. 

Near  Chillicothe,  Ross  County,  Ohio,  Conrad 
Reedy  was  born  and  reared.  He  became  a  farmer 
in  Colerain  Township,  that  county.  In  1870  he 
brought  his  family  to  Lawrence,  Kans.,  where 
he  invested  in  real  estate,  and  later  he  engaged 
in  business  with  his  sons.  He  died  May  12,1897, 
at  eighty-one  years  of  age.  He  and  his  wife  were 
Lutherans  in  religious  faith.  Thej'  had  five  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Catherine,  Byron  and  Cleary,  all  de- 
ceased; Lewis,  who  is  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  in  Lawrence;  and  Michael.  The  last- 
named  was  born  in  Colerain  Township,  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  February  4,  1863,  and  was  seven 
years  of  age  at  the  time  the  family  settled  in 
Kansas.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the 
grammar  and  high  school  of  Lawrence.  In  1882 
he  entered  into  partnership  with  his  father  in  the 
grocery  business,  and  his  brother  also  became 
connected  with  the  firm,  which  was  dissolved  in 
1897,  our  subject  taking  the  vinegar  and  cider 
business,  which  had  been  started  in  1891.  His 
steam  hydraulic  cider  mill  had  a  capacity  of  sev- 
enty-five barrels  a  day,  and  the  output,  a  fine 
quality  of  cider  vinegar,  he  sold  throughout  the 
state  of  Kan.sas.  In  1898  he  also  became  inter- 
ested in  the  fuel  business. 

In  Eudora,  Kans.,  June  19,  1894,  Mr.  Reedy 
married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Jacob  Strobel,  a  pio- 
neer  farmer  of  that  section,  having  gone   there 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


425 


when  Indians  still  roamed  over  the  prairies.  One 
child,  Howard  Lester,  was  born  of  their  union. 
Politically  Mr.  Reedy  was  a  Democrat  and  served 
on  committees  and  attended  conventions  of  his 
party.  He  was  connected  with  the  lodge  and 
encampment  of  Odd  Fellows,  was  a  member  of 
the  Turn  Verein,  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association. 
His  death  occurred  September  3,  1899. 


ELARENCE  CASE  GODDARD,  M.  D.  The 
Evergreen  Hospital,  which  was  established 
in  1890  for  the  treatment  of  nervous  dis- 
eases, is  situated  on  the  corner  of  Limit  .street 
and  Maple  avenue,  Leavenworth,  and  is  the 
largest  private  ho.spital  in  the  state.  The  insti- 
tution was  established  and  has  since  been  con- 
ducted under  the  efficient  supervision  of  Dr. 
Goddard,  who  organized  and  is  president  of  the 
Evergreen  Place  Hospital  Company,  and  whose 
business  ability  and  professional  skill  have  been 
apparent  in  the  systematic  management  of  the 
hospital.  lu  March,  1898,  the  building  burned 
to  the  ground.  He  immediately  began  rebuild- 
ing, aud  now  has  one  large  main  building,  be- 
sides a  smaller  structure,  with  twelve  acres  of 
lawn  whose  well-kept  appearance  adds  to  the 
general  effect.  Having  made  a  special  study  of 
nervous  diseases,  also  of  diseases  of  the  eye  and 
ear,  the  doctor  is  admirably  qualified  to  stand  at 
the  head  of  a  large  institution  of  this  kind,  and 
the  success  with  which  he  is  meeting  proves  that 
he  possesses  the  confidence  of  the  people. 

The  Goddard  family  is  of  English  extraction 
and  was  early  identified  with  the  history  of  New 
England.  Marcellus  Goddard,  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  married  a  Miss  Case,  who  de- 
scended from  an  old  eastern  family;  he  was  a  life- 
long resident  of  Connecticut.  His  son,  Edwin 
Pinney  Goddard,  was  born  in  Connecticut  and 
removed  to  Ontario  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
was  a  merchant  and  receiver  of  the  port  of  Canau- 
daigua  on  the  canal.  He  was  a  successful  busi- 
ness man,  and  the  proprietor  of  large  mills  and 
packing  hon.ses.  In  1856  he  came  west  to  Illinois 
and  opened  a  store  at  Abingdon,  Knox  County. 


Four  years  later  he  settled  in  Leavenworth, where 
he  established  the  first  large  nursery  in  the  city, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  E.  L.  Wheeler  & 
Co.,  was  actively  interested  in  the  horticultural 
business,  having  a  nursery  on  Maple  avenue  and 
Thornton  street.  His  death  occurred  in  this  city 
in  the  spring  of  1867. 

The  marriage  of  Edwin  P.  Goddard  united  him 
with  Maria  Fillmore,  who  was  born  in  Wayne 
County,  N.  Y.,  February  9,  1812,  and  is  now 
making  her  home  with  her  son,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Her  father,  Luther  Fillmore,  a  tan- 
ner in  Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  was  a  nephew  of 
William  Fillmore,  the  father  of  the  thirteenth 
president  of  the  United  States.  Eight  children 
born  to  Edwin  P.  and  Maria  Goddard  grew  to 
maturity,  and  six  of  these  are  still  living.  One 
of  the  sons.  Judge  Luther  Marcellus  Goddard, 
was  county  attorney  of  Leavenworth  County  in 
early  days,  but  afterward  removed  to  Denver, 
Colo.,  and  is  now  associate  justice  of  the  supreme 
court  of  Colorado.  The  other  sons  are:  George 
Washington,  a  mine  operator  at  Eldora,  Colo. ; 
Cyrus  Fillmore,  also  of  Eldora;  Byron  Strong,  a 
farmer  of  Leavenworth  County;  and  Clarence 
Case,  of  this  sketch.  The  last  named  was  born 
at  Gorham,  Ontario  County,  N.  Y.,  March  21, 
1849,  and  was  reared  at  Walworth,  Wayne  Coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  Abingdon,  111.,  and  Leavenworth, 
Kans. ,  having  made  this  city  his  home  after 
i860.  After  the  death  of  his  father  he  began  to 
study  medicine  under  Dr.  J.  W.  Brock,  and  later 
entered  McDowell  College,  where  he  studied  for 
a  term.  In  1873  he  graduated  from  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College,  New  York,  with  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  The  following  year  he  took  a 
special  course  in  eye  and  ear  work  at  the  college 
and  hospital.  From  1875  until  1887  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  United  States  army  as  physician 
and  surgeon,  and  during  these  twelve  years  he 
was  stationed  successively  at  Forts  Sill,  Elliott, 
Tex.;  Riley,  Kans.;  Lyon,  Garland  and  Craw- 
ford (the  three  last  in  Colorado)  and  Leaven- 
worth. 

Upon  retiring  from  the  army  Dr.  Goddard 
turned  his  attention  to  civil  practice,  making  a 
specialty  of  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear.     Since 


426 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


iSgo  his  attention  has  been  given  largely  to  the 
management  of  the  hospital,  but  he  also  engages 
in  private  practice,  and  has  his  office  on  the 
corner  of  Fifth  and  Delaware  streets.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Leavenworth  County,  Kansas 
State,  Missouri  Valley,  Eastern  Kansas  Medical 
Associations;  also  the  State  Sanitary  Associa- 
tion and  American  Medical  Association.  From 
1889  to  1 89 1  he  served  as  county  physician.  In 
the  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  member, 
he  has  been  senior  warden  and  is  now  a  vestry- 
man. Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Leaven- 
worth Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he 
is  past  master;  Leavenworth  Chapter  No.  2,  R. 
A.  M.;  Leavenworth  Commandery  No.  i,  K.  T. , 
of  which  he  is  eminent  commander;  and  Abdal- 
lah  Temple,  N.  M.  S.,  of  which  he  is  chief 
rabban. 

The  residence  of  Dr.  Goddard  stands  on  the 
corner  of  Middle  and  Fifth  avenues.  He  was 
married  in  Platte  County,  Mo.,  to  Miss  Clara  C. 
Weibling,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  in  1857 
came  to  Leavenworth  with  her  father,  Harmon 
Weibling,  who  opened  up  the  first  mail  route  to 
Denver,  also  a  coach  line  to  Denver,  and  was  for 
years  a  mail  contractor,  dying  in  Leavenworth 
in  1872.  The  only  child  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  God- 
dard is  Clarence  Brock  Goddard. 


^OHN  HERRIES.  Since  he  first  came  to Kan- 
I  sas,  in  the  fall  of  1856,  Mr.  Herries  has  wit- 
(2/  nessed  the  growth  and  development  of  this 
part  of  the  great  west,  and  has  himself  been  inti- 
mately connected  therewith.  Asa  pioneer  he  was 
well  known  among  other  early  settlers,  while  as  a 
farmer  he  has  been  more  than  ordinarilj'  success- 
ful. The  place  which  he  owns  lies  on  sections  i 
and  2,  in  Alexandria  Township,  Leavenworth 
County,  and  consists  of  three  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres,  the  most  of  which  he  now  rents.  The 
house  stands  on  section  2,  and  near  it  is  a  fine 
orchard  of  fruit  trees  in  good  bearing  condition. 
After  years  of  activity  he  is  to  some  extent  re- 
tired from  farming,  and  is  enjoying  the  comforts 
gained  by  his  industry  and  good  judgment. 
Mr.  Herries  was  born  in  Scotland  January  12, 


1830,  and  was  reared  on  the  farm  owned  by  his 
father,  James  Herries.  When  sixteen  years  of 
age  he  came  to  America  and  settled  near  Hamil- 
ton, Ontario,  where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business.  However,  not  meeting  with  the  suc- 
cess he  desired,  he  came  to  the  States,  settling  in 
Iowa  in  the  spring  of  1856.  In  the  fall  of  the 
same  j^ear  he  came  to  Kansas,  and  after  two 
months  in  Leavenworth  he  settled  in  Coffey  Coun- 
ty, taking  up  a  quarter-section  of  land  near  Bur- 
lington. The  land  was  raw  and  its  improvement 
occupied  his  attention  for  some  years.  In  the  fall 
of  1861  he  went  to  the  southwestern  part  of  Kan- 
sas and  engaged  in  hunting  wolves  for  the  hides. 
During  the  winter  he  secured  three  hundred 
hides.  Early  in  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  Fifth 
Kansas  Infantry  as  a  private  in  Company  E,  and 
served  throughout  the  war,  taking  part  in  the 
battles  of  Helena  and  Pine  Bluff,  where,  with 
only  six  thousand  men,  the  Union  forces  held  off 
Price  with  fifteen  thousand. 

On  being  discharged  from  the  army  in  Novem- 
ber, 1865,  Mr.  Herries  sold  his  place  in  Coffey 
County  and  removed  to  Leavenworth  County, 
where  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Alexandria  Township.  Of  the  property  less  than 
fifty  acres  had  been  improved.  He  at  once  began 
the  work  of  getting  the  land  in  good  shape.  In 
this  he  has  been  successful,  and  the  farm  now 
ranks  among  the  best  in  the  township.  He  has 
also  added  to  its  acreage  until  it  is  double  its 
original  size.  During  the  years  of  his  life  in  Kan- 
sas he  has  experienced  all  the  trials  and  hard- 
ships incident  to  starting  in  a  new  country,  where 
there  were  no  improvements  and  few  settlers.  He 
also  experienced  the  perils  connected  with  the 
free-state  movement.  He  was  one  of  the  few 
who  did  not  need  aid  when  Pomeroy  came 
through  in  186 1 ;  on  the  other  hand,  he  was  able 
to  help  others  who  had  been  starved  out.  In  the 
stock  business,  particularly  in  the  raising  of 
Shorthorn  cattle,  he  has  been  quite  successful, 
and  he  still  owns  a  large  number  of  head. 

Politically  Mr.  Herries  is  a  Republican.  While 
in  Coffey  County  he  was  the  first  judge  of  the 
county,  but  has  since  refused  nominations  for  all 
offices.     During  the  existence  of  the  Grange  he 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  one  of  its  members.  In  religion  he  is  of  the 
Presbyterian  faith.  In  1865  he  married  Mrs. 
Sarah  (Johnson)  Dillon,  a  sister  of  Col.  H.  P. 
Johnson.  Thej'  are  the  parents  of  two  sons  and 
two  daughters,  namelj':  Henry,  who  is  a  farmer 
in  Alexandria  Township;  Mollie;  John  P.,  agent 
for  the  Northwestern  Railroad  at  McLouth;  and 
Nettie,  wife  of  Robert  B.  Kessinger. 


nOHN  DUFFIN,  who  is  one  of  the  oldest  set- 
I  tiers  of  Salt  Creek  Valley,  was  born  in  Bal- 
Q)  lysuUiu,  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  February 
2,  1831.  During  his  boyhood  and  youth  he  re- 
mained in  his  native  land,  where  he  learned  the 
weaver's  trade,  and  also  became  familiar  with 
farm  pursuits.  In  1851  he  came  to  America, 
and  for  six  months  was  employed  in  New  York 
City.  July  7,  1S52,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
the  regular  army  and  was  assigned  to  the  First 
Regiment  of  Mounted  Riflemen.  His  service 
was  principally  in  Texas  and  New  Mexico,  and 
he  was  stationed  at  Fort  Union,  N.  M. ,  for  some 
time.  He  fought  in  a  number  of  battles  with 
Indians  and  was  obliged  to  be  constantlj'  on  the 
alert  for  these  treacherous  foes.  During  the  early 
part  of  the  Civil  war  his  regiment  was  ordered 
east  to  report  to  General  McClellan,  but  after 
traveling  about  one-half  the  distance  over  the 
plains  was  ordered  back  to  Fort  Union  to  protect 
the  frontier.  Ten  j'ears  of  service  in  the  regular 
army  impaired  his  health  to  such  an  extent  that 
he  was  unable  to  continue  longer  as  a  soldier. 
For  this  reason  he  was  honorably  discharged. 
He  then  sought  an  occupation  and  climate  in 
which  he  might  reasonably  hope  to  regain  his 
strength. 

Coming  to  Leavenworth  County  in  1862,  Mr. 
Duffin  bought  a  homestead  claim  in  Kickapoo 
Township,  and  on  this  place  he  has  since  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  gardening.  In  addition  to 
the  raising  of  grain  and  .some  stock,  for  several 
years  he  kept  a  road  house,  his  property  lying 
on  the  military  road.  For  twenty  years  he  also 
carried  on  a  large  dairy  business,  in  which  he 
built  up  an  extensive  trade.  Since  coming  to  this 
region  he  has  not  only  been  in  better  health,  but 


has  also  been  fairly  prosperous.  He  has  been  in- 
terested in  local  matters  and  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party.  October  i,  1859,  at  Taos, 
N.  M.,  he  was  granted  his  final  papers  of  full 
American  citizenship.  In  religion  he  adheres  to 
the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  in  which  he  was 
reared,  and  he  now  holds  membership  in  the 
Fort  Leavenworth  Church.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  Custer  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

In  Taos,  N.  M.,  August  28,  1859,  Mr.  Duffin 
married  Margaret  Ryan,  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Mary  (Griffin)  Ryan,  natives  of  Ireland.  She 
died  January  16,  1897,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five 
years.  Of  their  ten  children  eight  are  now  liv- 
ing, viz.:  Rose,  wife  of  Charles  Ferguson;  John, 
in  San  Antonio,  Tex.;  Daniel,  a  farmer  in  Leav- 
enworth County;  Edward,  who  served  in  the 
war  with  Spain;  Mary,  wife  of  John  Luce;  Mur- 
tha  C. ;  Bernard,  now  in  North  Platte,  Neb.;  and 
Agnes  G. ,  who  is  at  home  with  her  father. 


pCjlLLIAM  G.  HESSE.  One  of  the  most 
\  A  /  important  business  industries  of  Kansas  is 
YV  conducted  by  the  William  G.  Hesse  &  Son 
Manufacturing  Company,  of  Leavenworth,  who 
own  the  largest  manufacturing  establishment  of 
the  kind  in  the  state  and  make  shipments  through- 
out the  entire  western  country.  The  company 
was  incorporated  in  1892,  with  W.  G.  Hesse  as 
president  and  O.  H.  Hesse  vice-president  and 
secretary.  In  July,  1899,  Alexander  Pieper  was 
admitted  as  a  member  of  the  firm.  The  products 
include  vehicles  of  every  kind.  In  the  various 
buildings  connected  with  the  business,  which 
have  a  combined  floor  space  of  seventj'-seven 
thousand  and  two  hundred  square  feet,  ma}'  be 
found  all  the  modern  machinery  for  the  manu- 
facture of  different  parts  of  woodwork  of  wagons, 
carriages  and  buggies.  One  of  the  specialties  of 
the  firm  is  the  manufacture  of  the  patent  short- 
turn  Ludlow  wagon,  which  can  turn  on  six-foot 
circle  high  wheels. 

A  resident  of  Leavenworth  since  1857,  Mr. 
Hesse,  the  president  of  this  company,  was  born 
in  Saxony,  Germany,  July  5,  1838,  a  son  of 
Henry    and  Anna  (Wartmau)  Hesse,  natives  of 


428 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  same  province.  His  grandfather,  William 
Hesse,  came  to  Saxony  during  the  Napoleonic 
wars,  and  continued  to  live  thereuntil  his  death, 
in  1846.  At  first  he  followed  the  harness- 
maker's  trade,  but  afterward  carried  on  a  starch 
factory  and  brewery.  Henry  Hesse  was  a  black- 
smith by  trade  and  built  up  a  large  trade  in  his 
chosen  occupation.  He  died  in  Saxony  when 
seventy-six  years  of  age.  In  his  family  there 
were  three  children:  William  George;  Frederick 
Henry,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  German  army 
and  has  since  carried  on  a  blacksmith's  business 
at  his  father's  old  stand;  and  Anna  Sophia. 

The  boyhood  days  of  our  subject  were  passed  in 
L,angensalza,  his  native  town,  where  he  followed 
the  carriage-maker's  trade.  When  fifteen  he 
came  to  America,  leaving  Bremen  on  a  sailer  that 
arrived  in  New  York  City  after  a  voyage  of 
forty- two  days.  Afterward  he  worked  in  New 
York  City,  Philadelphia,  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  for  two  years  in  St.  Louis.  In  1857  he  came 
to  Leavenworth  and  soon  afterward  started  a 
shop  here,  his  location  being  on  Shawnee  street, 
between  Third  and  Fourth  streets.  During  the 
war  he  started  a  shop  on  the  corner  of  Seventh 
and  Sioux  streets,  where  he  outfitted  freighters 
with  large  wagons.  There  he  continued  until 
187 1.  During  the  latter  year  his  shop  was 
burned,  entailing  a  heavy  loss.  His  next  ven- 
ture was  the  purchase  of  property  on  Cherokee, 
between  Fourth  and  Fifth  streets,  where  he  built 
up  a  business.  In  1883  he  built  the  carriage 
factory  on  Pawnee  street,  and  this  he  has  since 
operated.  At  this  writing  he  has  two  buildings 
and  a  lumber  yard  on  Pawnee  street.  The 
buildings  are  60  x  60  and  60  x  80  respectively, 
with  four  floors;  and  the  lumber  yard  is  56  x  125. 
On  Cherokee  street  is  a  repository  and  hardware 
store  built  by  Mr.  Hesse,  with  three  stories  and 
basement,  48x125  feet  iu  dimensions.  In  the  same 
block  is  a  factory  where  tops  are  manufactured. 
The  business  has  been  built  up  almost  wholly 
through  the  energy  and  business  ability  of  the 
company's  president,  who  is  a  man  of  wise  judg- 
ment, force  of  character  and  discriminating  in- 
sight into  business  details.  While  carrying 
under   his   supervision   all  weighty  affairs   con- 


nected with  the  business,  he  at  the  same  time 
does  not  lose  sight  of  those  apparently  trivial 
matters  which,  though  seeming  small,  neverthe- 
less affect  the  profits  of  an  enterprise  to  a  great 
extent.  With  a  keen  judgment  he  superintends 
every  detail,  directs  his  employes  (both  those  in 
the  factory  and  those  on  the  road),  and  carries 
into  every  matter  the  shrewd  discrimination  that 
has  always  been  one  of  his  leading  characteristics. 
In  this  city  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Hesse  to  Miss  Selina  Stauber,  who  was  born  in 
Zurich,  Switzerland,  and  accompanied  her  par- 
ents to  St.  Louis.  Of  the  seven  children  born  of 
this  union  four  are  living,  viz.:  Amelia,  Mrs. 
A.  L.  Ruhl,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Sophia,  Mrs. 
James, McGuire,  of  Kansas  City;  OttoH. ,  vice- 
president  and  secretary  of  the  manufacturing 
company;  and  Louise,  at  home. 


ISS  MARY  E.  DOLPHIN.  No  state  is 
more  advanced  than  Kansas  in  the  attention 
paid  to  the  education  of  the  young.  Not 
only  has  it  a  magnificently  equipped  state  uni- 
versity, but  its  public  schools  too  are  unsur- 
passed in  thoroughness  and  in  the  high  character 
of  their  teachers.  All  over  the  state  there  are 
men  and  women  who  devote  their  lives  to  the 
progress  of  the  coming  generation,  and  whose 
highest  reward  is  to  see  the  intellectual  advance- 
ment of  the  race.  In  this  good  work  no  one  has 
taken  greater  interest  than  the  superintendent  of 
the  schools  of  the  city  of  Leavenworth,  Miss 
Dolphin,  who  has  been  connected  with  the  edu- 
cational interests  of  this  city  since  1889.  Her 
education  was  acquired  in  Susquehanna  County, 
Pa.,  and  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  where 
she  took  a  special  course  in  mathematics.  In 
1883  she  graduated  in  President  Taylor's  first 
class  from  the  state  normal  of  Kansas.  After 
teaching  for  six  years  in  Emporia  she  took 
charge  of  mathematics  in  the  Leavenworth  high 
school  and  also  acted  as  assistant  principal.  In 
1896  she  was  elected  by  the  school  board  to  the 
responsible  position  she  has  since  filled  by  annual 
re-election.  Her  continuance  in  office  is  the  best 
evidence   of  her  fitness   for   the   position.     Her 


JULIUS  S.  EDWARDS. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


431 


duties  are  many  and  of  great  responsibilt3\  In 
the  city  schools  she  has  sixty-eight  teachers,  be- 
sides which  she  also  has  a  training  class  of  twenty 
who  act  as  substitutes  and  assistants.  In  count- 
less ways  her  influence  has  been  felt  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  schools.  Imbued  with  a  love 
for  her  work,  she  enters  with  enthusiasm  into 
everything  calculated  to  raise  the  standard  of 
education.  She  keeps  in  touch  with  every  ad- 
vance made  in  the  educational  world  and  adopts 
in  her  work  every  suggestion  which  she  believes 
will  be  of  practical  assistance  in  the  conduct  of 
the  schools. 

In  February,  1899,  Miss  Dolphin  attended  the 
convention  of  national  superintendents  at  Col- 
umbus, Ohio,  and  had  the  distinction  of  being 
one  of  four  lady  superintendents  present.  She  is 
a  member  of  the  State  Social  Science  Federation, 
also  of  the  Saturday  Club,  the  oldest  club  for 
ladies  in  Leavenworth.  Socially  she  is  held  in 
the  highest  esteem  by  the  people  of  Leavenworth 
and  is  a  welcomed  guest  in  the  best  homes, 
where  her  high  intellectual  attainments  are  recog- 
nized and  admired. 


3ULIUS  S.  EDWARDS,  treasurer  and  an  or- 
ganizer of  the  Citizens'  Mutual  Building  and 
Loan  Association  of  Leavenworth,  has  been 
connected  with  this  flourishing  organization  since 
it  was  started  and  holds  certificate  No.  i,  the  first 
issued  by  the  company.  The  officers  of  the  asso- 
ciation, other  than  himself,  are  L-  Hawn,  presi- 
dent; J.  Hannon,  vice-president;  C.  S.  Hartough, 
secretary;  and  L.  G.  Hopkins,  attorney.  With 
a  capital  stock  of  $1,500,000,  the  company  is  pre- 
pared to  carry  on  its  business  successfully  and 
profitably  for  all  concerned.  During  fifteen  years 
of  business  there  has  not  been  a  loss  or  a  fore- 
closure, and  the  reports,  duly  audited,  reveal  a 
most  satisfactory  condition  of  the  finances,  which 
may  justly  be  attributed  to  the  efSciency  of  the 
official  corps. 

In  Bridgeton,  N.  J.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born  June  29,  1S49.  His  father,  vSteen  Ed- 
wards (or,  Edward  Steen,  ashe  was  known  in  his 
native  land)  was  born  December  24,  18 10,  in  Co- 
penhagen, Denmark,  and  was  reared  in  the  home 

'7 


of  his  grandfather  Langeland.  At  fifteen  years 
of  age  he  was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church. 
His  education  was  received  in  a  naval  academy, 
and  from  1825  to  1840  he  was  employed  in  a  navy 
yard.  Then,  with  a  number  of  other  men,  he 
bought  a  vessel  and  planned  to  come  to  America 
in  it,  but  the  ship  was  wrecked  off  the  coast  of 
Spain  and  all  on  board  came  nearly  being  lost. 
They  landed  in  Bayonne,  France,  and  sold  the 
wreck  for  a  small  sum.  Of  all  the  men  Mr.  Ed- 
wards was  the  only  one  who  had  enough  money 
to  pursue  his  way  to  the  United  States.  He  set- 
tled in  St.  Louis,  but  after  a  year  went  to  Natchez, 
where  he  lay  ill  with  fever  for  six  months.  He 
then  went  to  Florida  as  a  volunteer  in  the  Indian 
war,  and  after  six  months  in  active  service  was 
made  an  assistant  in  a  hospital,  for  which  work 
his  knowledge  of  medicine  fitted  him.  Later,  for 
two  years,  he  served  as  a  physician  in  the  army, 
and  during  the  time  he  had  charge  of  a  small  hos- 
pital. On  retiring  from  the  army  he  practiced 
medicine  in  northern  Florida  for  a  year,  then 
spent  five  months  in  Havana,  Cuba,  after  whicn 
he  traveled  through  the  southern  states  as  physi- 
cian and  dentist. 

In  1846  Mr.  Edwards  settled  in  Bridgeton, 
N.J.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  1857, 
and  afterward  give  his  attention  for  four  j'ears  to 
the  canning  of  vegetables  and  fruits.  In  1871  he 
built  a  greenhouse  and  engaged  in  business  as  a 
florist,  building  up  a  large  business  that  is  now 
carried  on  by  his  sons.  In  1883  he  took  into 
partnership  his  second  son,  Theodore  E.,  the  firm 
name  becoming  S.  Edwards  &  Son.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1896,  he  gave  up  his  interest  to  his  son, 
Adolph  E. ,  when  the  title  was  changed  to  T.  E. 
Edwards  &  Bro.  Since  then  he  has  lived  in  re- 
tirement on  his  farm  near  Bridgeton.  For  one 
of  his  age  (eighty-nine)  he  is  active  and  strong. 
He  is  a  member  of  an  old  and  honorable  family 
in  Denmark,  whose  genealogy  appears  in  the 
"  Family  Tree  of  a  family  Steen  in  Denmark, 
Norway  and  the  United  States,"  prepared  by  H. 
H.  Steen  in  1896. 

The  marriage  of  Steen  Edwards,  in  1848,  uni- 
ted him  with  Miss  Mary  Ann  Dare;  she  was  born 
in  Bridgeton,  N.  J.,    March  3,    1S25,  a  daughter 


432 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  Eli  and  Zelika  (Seel}')  Dare,  and  has  always 
lived  on  the  homestead  where  she  was  born. 
November  i6,  1898,  they  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding.  All  of  their  sons  (eight  in  number) 
are  still  living.  They  are  as  follows:  Julius Steen, 
of  this  sketch;  Theodore  Edward,  born  June  22, 
1852,  now  in  business  at  Bridgeton;  Odin  Ru- 
dolph, who  was  born  June  21,  1855,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  was  a  merchant  in  Philadelphia,  but  is 
now  superintendent  of  the  Medico-Chirurgical 
Hospital  in  that  city;  Leslie  Sherwood,  who  was 
born  October  20,  1857,  and  is  engaged  in  the 
nursery  business  at  Glendora  Springs,  Los  Gatos, 
Cal.;  Adolph  Eugene,  who  was  born  September 
6,  1 86 1,  and  is  a  florist  at  Bridgeton;  Devoux 
Bard,  who  was  born  May  13,  1864,  and  has  en- 
gaged in  the  florist's  business  at  Atlantic  City, 
N.  J.,  since  1884;  Otto  William,  who  was  born 
September  7,  1867,  and  is  a  machinist  in  Camden, 
N.J. ;  and  Valdemar  Emile,who  was  born  Sep- 
tember 14,  1871,  and  is  superintendent  of  an  in- 
surance company  at  Bridgeton,  N.  J. 

The  boyhood  days  of  our  subject  were  spent  in 
Bridgeton,  where  he  and  all  of  his  brothers  were 
born.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  in  a  commercial  college  in  Philadelphia.  For  a 
time  he  was  employed  as  a  bookkeeper  in  Philadel- 
phia. From  there,  in  April,  1 88 1  ,he  came  to  Leav- 
enworth, where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  For 
several  years  he  was  manager  for  a  canning  com- 
pany, and  now  holds  a  similar  position  with  the 
Globe  Canning  Company,  in  which  he  holds  an 
interest.  At  the  organization  of  the  Citizens' 
Building-  and  Loan  Association  he  was  made  pres- 
ident and  served  as  such  for  four  years,  after  which 
he  was  chosen  treasurer,  and  he  is  now  serving 
his  twelfth  year  in  the  latter  capacity.  The 
greater  part  of  his  time  is  devoted  to  the  manage- 
ment of  the  finances  of  the  association,  in  which 
he  has  been  unusually  successful.  In  national 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  in  local  matters  lib- 
eral. In  1886-87  he  was  a  member  of  the  city 
council.  A  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
he  officiates  as  a  trustee  of  the  same.  Besides 
his  other  interests  he  is  engaged  with  W.  E. 
Fletcher  in  the  insurance  business,  and  with  C.  S. 
Hartough  in  the  real-estate  business. 


In  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  December  25,  1876,  Mr. 
Edwards  married  Lizzie  Drew  Patterson,  who 
was  born  there  May  29,  1849.  Her  father,  Cal- 
lender  Patterson,  was  born  in  Perry ville,  Md., 
May  6,  1820,  and  is  now  a  dentist  in  Philadel- 
phia; her  mother,  Lizzie  Pierce  Drew,  was  born 
in  Providence,  R.  L,  May  i,  1816,  and  died  in 
Philadelphia  August  22,  1887.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Edwards  are  the  parents  of  two  children.  The 
son,  Aubrey  St.  Clair,  was  born  in  Philadelphia 
January  19,  1879,  and  is  a  sergeant  in  Company 
C,  Twentieth  Kansas  Infantry,  now  stationed  at 
Manila.  The  daughter,  Lillian  Irene,  was  born 
in  Leavenworth  June  23,  1884,  and  is  now  com- 
pleting her  education.  The  family  stands  high 
socially  and  its  members  are  esteemed  wherever 
known. 


EHAUNCEY  FLORA,  who  is  a  pioneer  of 
1857,  is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising  on  section  10,  Delaware  Township, 
Leavenworth  County.  In  1894  ^^  bought  Green- 
wood cemetery  and  the  fruit  farm  adjoining,  con- 
sisting of  thirty  acres.  The  land  is  planted  in 
fruits  of  all  kinds,  mostly  berries  and  grapes. 
He  is  making  a  specialty  of  fine  horses,  and  owns 
Chauncey  F.  (formerl}^  Black  Rover),  with  a 
record  of  2:21,  sired  by  Pretender,  who  was  by 
Dictator;  dam  sired  by  Bourbon  Wilkes,  son  of 
George  Wilkes.  This  fine  horse  he  keeps  at  the 
head  of  his  stable.  Among  his  colts  is  Free 
Silver,  standard  bred,  by  the  sire  of  Falmouth 
(which  has  the  best  three-year  old  record);  dam 
by  Delbrino.  On  the  farm  is  a  large  stable  with 
twenty-three  stalls,  while  all  the  other  con- 
veniences of  a  stock  farm  may  be  seen  here. 

Mr.  Flora  was  born  in  Logansport,  Ind.,  June 
4,  1848,  a  son  of  Hon.  R.  V.  and  Mary  (Ross) 
Flora,  and  a  grandson  of  Adam  Flora  and  John 
Ross.  His  paternal  grandfather,  who  was  the 
son  of  a  German  pioneer  of  Virginia,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  18 12  and  afterward,  with  his 
family,  removed  from  the  Old  Dominion  to  Ohio, 
settling  upon  a  farm  near  Cincinnati,  where  he 
died.  One  of  his  sons,  Jacob,  a  soldier  in  the 
Mexican  war,  settled  in  Kansas  in  1867  and  died 
in  McPherson  County.     R.   V.  Flora  was  a  con- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


433 


tractor  and  builder  in  Indiana,  and  had  the 
original  contract  for  the  Wabash  Railroad  from 
Delphi  to  Indianapolis,  but,  the  company  chang- 
ing hands,  he  was  defrauded  of  $100,000,  the 
judgment  for  which  is  still  preserved.  In  1856 
he  settled  in  Kansas,  where  he  was  a  contractor 
and  builder,  building  the  state  penitentiary,  as 
well  as  store  rooms  and  residences.  About  1878 
he  retired  from  business.  He  died  in  1895,  when 
eighty-one  years  of  age.  Politically  a  Democrat, 
he  served  as  sheriff  and  member  of  the  legisla- 
ture for  one  term  each  and  for  several  terms  was 
a  member  of  the  city  council.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  the  oldest  Mason  in  Kansas, 
where  he  was  connected  with  the  blue  lodge, 
chapter  and  commandery.  His  first  wife  died  in 
1855,  leaving  a  son,  Chauncey,  and  two  daugh- 
ters, one  of  whom  resides  in  Chicago,  the  other  in 
Lincoln,  Neb.  His  second  marriage  was  child- 
less; by  his  third  wife  he  had  two  sons,  Horace 
P.  and  George  V.,  both  of  whom  are  traveling 
salesmen. 

When  a  boy  our  subject  worked  at  brick- 
laying about  eighteen  months,  while  his  father 
was  putting  up  the  Fort  Leavenworth  buildings. 
In  1S64  he  and  his  father  crossed  the  plains  with 
two  wagons  and  four  yoke  of  oxen  each,  driving 
to  Virginia  City,  Nev.  Indians  were  trouble- 
some and  they  lost  one  of  the  men  in  their  party 
on  the  return  journey  in  1865.  After  returning 
to  Leavenworth  our  subject  was  for  five  years  in 
the  employ  of  Leibenstein  &  Co. ,  then  was  with 
James  Wilson  in  the  dress  goods  department  of 
his  store  for  a  year.  As  traveling  salesman  for 
Haas  &  Co.,  of  Leavenworth,  he  spent  some 
years  on  the  road  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  He 
then  entered  the  railway  mail  service  as  postal 
clerk  between  Kansas  City  and  Kiowa,  Kans.,  on 
the  Santa  Fe,  but,  at  his  request,  his  run  was 
changed  to  the  Kansas  Central,  between  Leaven- 
worth aud  Miltonvale. 

On  the  Democratic  ticket,  in  the  fall  of  1889, 
Mr.  Flora  was  elected  sheriff  of  Leavenworth 
County,  at  first  being  chosen  to  fill  a  vacancy  in 
the  office,  then  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  seven 
hundred  and  ninetj-nine.  In  1891  he  was  nomi- 
nated again,  but  as  it  was  illegal  for  a  sheriff  to 


serve  more  than  two  terms,  and  as  his  election  to 
fill  a  vacancy  was  considered  one  term,  he  did 
not  become  a  candidate  again.  His  father  was 
placed  on  the  ticket  in  his  stead  and  was  elected, 
he  serving  as  undersheriff  from  1892  to  1894. 
He  was  a  very  efiBcient  oflBcer,  and  captured 
many  well-known  crooks.  Several  murders  were 
committed  during  his  term  of  office,  but  only  one 
murderer  escaped  him,  aud  this  man  was  located 
in  Mexico,  but  the  authorities  refused  to  give 
him  up.  While  serving  as  undersheriff  Mr. 
Flora  was  a  prominent  candidate  for  United  States 
marshal  and  had  endorsements  from  every  part 
of  the  state.  During  the  strike  at  the  Home 
mine  he  appointed  twelve  of  the  strikers  deputies, 
and,  knowing  all  the  men,  he  soon  quelled  the 
riot;  but  his  opponent  took  advantage  of  this  fact 
and  succeeded  in  turning  enough  votes  to  defeat 
him  for  marshal. 

In  Leavenworth  Mr.  Flora  married  Jennie 
Fisher,  who  was  born  on  the  place  where  she  still 
lives.  Her  father,  George  M.  Fisher,  came  from 
Virginia  to  Kansas  in  1855  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Leavenworth  County  until  his  death.  Mr. 
Flora  has  one  son,  Lawson.  He  is  identified 
with  the  Red  Men  and  his  wife  is  also  a  member 
of  Pocahontas  Tribe.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in 
King  Solomon  Lodge  No.  10,  and  is  now  con- 
nected with  the  chapter  and  commandery  also, 
while  his  wife  is  identified  with  the  Eastern  Star. 
In  the  Knights  of  Pythias  he  has  served  as 
chancellor. 

r"REDERICK  W.  HARTMAN.  There  are 
1^  few  of  the  farmers  of  Douglas  Countj-  who 
I  have  been  more  successful  than  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  In  1870  he  purchased  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  Marion  Township.  From 
this  as  a  nucleus  he  has  built  up  a  large  and 
finely  improved  farm,  adding  to  the  original 
acreage  from  time  to  time  as  his  means  permitted 
or  the  opportunity  was  presented.  His  total 
landed  possessions  now  aggregate  about  twenty- 
two  hundred  acres  in  Franklin,  Douglas  and 
Osage  Counties,  to  all  of  which  property  he 
gives  personal  supervision.  On  his  home  farm 
he  has  erected  a  residence  that  rivals  many  an 


434 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


elegant  city  home.  The  land,  too,  has  been 
brought  under  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation. 
From  1885  to  188S  he  rented  his  farm  and  moved 
to  Baldwin  Cit}',  but  returned  in  1889,  and  has 
since  resided  here.  For  some  years  he  has  been 
a  director  in  the  Kansas  State  Bank  at  Overbrook, 
Osage  County,  and  since  1897  has  officiated  as 
president  of  the  institution. 

Born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  July  8,  1836,  Mr. 
Hartman  was  a  boy  of  twelve  when  his  parents, 
Frederick  M.  and  Jane  (Burd)  Hartman,  crossed 
the  ocean  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in 
Sheboygan,  Wis.  There  his  father  died  in  1865, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five,  and  his  mother  when 
eighty-eight  years  of  age.  There  were  four 
children  in  the  family:  Henry,  who  died  in  She- 
boygan, Wis.;  Minnie,  Mrs.  Anton  Meyer; 
Hannah,  wife  of  Jacob  Dingle;  and  Frederick 
W.  The  last  named  grew  to  manhood  in  Wis- 
consin, and  in  1859  went  to  Sangamon  County, 
111. ,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm  for  a  few  years. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Seventy-third 
Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  assigned  to  Sheridan's 
division,  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  in  whose 
engagements  he  participated  until  the  close  of  the 
war. 

After  a  short  visit  in  Illinois  Mr.  Hartman 
came  to  Kansas,  in  October,  1865,  and  settled  in 
Ottawa.  In  the  spring  of  1866  he  went  to  the 
Indian  Territory  and  bought  cattle,  which  he 
drove  to  Ottawa.  In  1867  he  purchased  eighty 
acres  in  Franklin  County  and  there  engaged  in 
farming  for  three  years.  He  then  sold  the  prop- 
erty and  bought  his  present  farm  in  Marion 
Township,  Douglas  County.  Since  coming  to 
Kansas  he  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world, 
and  his  success  is  worthy  of  commendation,  for 
it  has  been  acquired  without  outside  assistance, 
but  solely  through  his  own  and  his  wife's  energy 
and  determination.  For  several  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  and  he  has  aided  in 
the  erection  of  schoolhouses  and  also  of  churches. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  His  marriage,  in 
1868,  united  him  with  Cloey  Etta  Dial,  who  was 
born  in  West  Virginia,  and  by  whom  he  has 
three  children:  Frederick  M. ;  Ida,  wife  of  Robert 
Walker;    and   Henry   F.     Mrs.    Hartman   is    a 


daughter  of  Thomas  Dial,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  who  migrated  to  West  Virginia  in  boy- 
hood and  in  later  years  became  a  large  and  pros- 
perous farmer  there. 


3AC0B  PLANZ,  of  Lawrence,  was  born  in 
the  city  of  Alsfeld,  Hesse- Darmstadt,  Ger- 
many, October  10,  1842,  a  son  of  Eberhart 
and  Elenore  (Koch)  Planz,  natives  of  the  same 
place.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Werner  Planz, 
was  a  baker  in  Alsfeld  and  a  member  of  an  old 
family  that  had  been  Lutherans  since  the  days  of 
the  reformation.  He  had  two  children,  a  son 
and  daughter.  The  former  was  an  industrious, 
persevering  man,  and  doubtless  would  have  be- 
come well-to-do  had  he  not  died  at  middle  age. 
He  married  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Koch,  a  butcher 
in  Alsfeld,  and  a  member  of  an  old  familj'  there. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  daughters  and 
one  son,  all  of  whom  came  to  America.  Their 
youngest  child,  Jacob,  was  reared  in  his  native 
town  and  attended  school  until  his  confirmation 
at  fourteen  3'ears  of  age.  In  boj'hood  be  became 
famiUar  with  the  baker's  trade,  through  having 
helped  an  uncle  in  his  shop. 

Desiring  to  escape  military  oppression  our  sub- 
ject came  to  the  United  States  in  the  fall  of  1859. 
He  left  Bremenhaven  in  September  on  the  sailer 
"  Theresa,"  which  landed  in  Baltimore  after  an 
uneventful  voyage  of  six  weeks.  Stopping  in 
that  city  he  secured  work  as  a  baker  on  South 
St.  Charles  street,  where  he  remained  about  two 
and  one-half  3'ears.  He  then  went  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo. ,  where  he  first  worked  as  a  baker  and  later 
as  a  brewer.  While  there  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  militia.  In  1865  he  came  to 
Kansas.  For  a  time  he  worked  at  his  trade  in 
Leavenworth,  but  on  the  9th  of  September  of 
the  same  year  he  came  to  Lawrence,  where  for 
almost  five  years  he  was  employed  as  first  hand 
in  the  Lawrence  bakery.  He  then  started  the 
Kansas  bakery.  In  1872  he  bought  the  lot  at 
No.  1 1 12  Pennsylvania  street,  and  here  he  built 
the  bakery  which  he  still  occupies.  He  has 
built  up  a  very  large  business  that  is  not  limited 
to  the  city,  but  extends  through  the  surrounding 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


435 


country  and  adjoining  towns.  Besides  his  busi- 
ness block  he  owns  four  houses  here,  his  prop- 
erty holdings  being  quite  valuable. 

In  the  city  of  Lawrence  occurred  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  Planz  to  Miss  Mary  Stoebener,  who  was 
born  in  Germany  and  came  to  this  country  in 
company  with  her  father,  Marx  Stoebener,  settling 
upon  a  farm  near  Willow  Springs,  Douglas 
County,  in  1866.  Five  children  comprise  the 
family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Planz,  namely:  Mrs. 
Mary  Willmann,  of  Lawrence;  Mrs.  Louisa 
Sellers,  of  Scottsburg,  Ind.;  Gerhard,  Berthold 
and  Arthur  Jacob,  all  of  whom  are  bakers  by 
trade  and  assist  their  father  in  the  management 
of  the  bakery.  In  religion  the  family  are  of  the 
Lutheran  faith. 


I 


(Samuel  DODSWORTH,  deceased,  formerly 
/\  mayor  of  Leavenworth,  member  of  the  city 
\yj  council  and  the  board  of  education,  was 
prominently  identified  with  many  important  in- 
terests of  his  home  town,  and  held  a  position 
among  its  most  successful  business  men.  Al- 
though almost  his  entire  life  was  passed  in  Kan- 
sas, he  was  of  eastern  birth  and  parentage,  and 
was  born  iu  New  York  City  March  16,  1846.  The 
Dodsworth  family  is  of  English  lineage.  His 
grandfather,  Samuel  Dodsworth,  was  a  builder 
in  England,  while  his  father,  John,  also  a  native 
of  that  country,  was  reared  in  his  native  town, 
Birmingham,  and  in  1845  crossed  the  ocean,  set- 
tling in  New  York  City,  where  he  worked  at  the 
bookbinder's  trade.  Later  he  was  similarly  en- 
gaged in  Philadelphia.  In  1855  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  at  Lawrence  opened  the  first  bookbind- 
ing business  in  the  entire  territory.  Among  the 
contracts  awarded  him  were  those  for  the  binding 
of  the  territorial  and  later  of  the  state  laws.  He 
spent  a  short  time  in  Iowa  City,  but  returned  to 
Lawrence,  and  in  1857  settled  in  Leavenworth. 
From  that  time  he  engaged  in  the  stationery  and 
book  business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1862,  at  forty-one  years  of  age. 

Just  before  leaving  England,  in  1845,  John 
Dodsworth  married  Miss  Charlotte  Richardson, 
who  was  born  in  Birmingham.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Richardson,  a  gunsmith  by  trade, 


and  a  soldier  in  the  English  army  during  the  Na- 
poleonic wars  of  181 2- 15.  Of  the  children  born 
to  John  and  Charlotte  Dodsworth  two  died 
young;  Mrs.  Annie  M.  Shoemaker  resides  in 
Leavenworth;  and  the  only  son,  Samuel,  is  de- 
ceased. The  last-named,  on  the  death  of  his 
father,  succeeded  to  the  management  of  the  sta- 
tionery and  book  business,  and  this  he  afterward 
successfully  conducted.  In  addition  to  the  man- 
agement of  his  business  interests  he  was  for  two 
terms  a  member  of  the  city  council,  and  from 
1893  to  1895  served  as  mayor  of  Leavenworth, 
discharging  the  duties  of  that  ofiBce  with  the 
fidelity  and  efficiency  noticeable  in  every  position 
that  he  occupied.  Politically  he  was  always  a 
stanch  Republican  and  always  upheld  party  prin- 
ciples.    His  death  occurred  June  10,  1896. 

In  Leavenworth,  October  16,  1872,  Samuel 
Dodsworth  and  Miss  Annie  Few  were  united  in 
marriage.  Mrs.  Dodsworth  was  born  in  Inde- 
pendence, Mo.,  where  her  parents.  Dr.  Samuel  F. 
and  Annie  E.  Few,  were  at  the  time  residing. 
However,  she  was  reared  in  Leavenworth,  and 
has  known  no  other  home  save  this  city.  Her 
educational  advantages  were  of  a  superior  char- 
acter and  admirably  qualified  her  for  the  high 
position  in  society  that  she  now  holds.  In  relig- 
ion she  is  connected  with  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  and  closely  identified  with  many  of  its 
activities.  Her  family  consists  of  five  children: 
Lottie,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school; 
Walter,  who  has  succeeded  his  father  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  Samuel  Dodsworth  Book  Com- 
pany on  Delaware  street;  Marie,  John  and  Helen, 
all  at  home. 

EHARLES  A.  ASHBY,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Douglas  County,  was  born  upon 
the  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  operates. 
Through  his  paternal  ancestors  he  descends  from 
an  old  family  of  Virginia.  His  father,  James  C. 
Ashby,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  at  an  early 
age  accompanied  his  parents  to  Indiana,  where 
he  was  reared  upon  a  farm,  early  becoming  fa- 
miliar with  agricultural  pursuits.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  engaged  in  farming  in  that  state  until 
1857,  when  he  and  his  brother  came  to  Kansas 


436 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  pre-empted  claims,  he  settling  in  Douglas 
County,  and  his  brother  locating  directly  across 
the  line  in  Franklin  County.  Politically  he 
was  a  Republican  and  always  voted  with  his 
party,  but  took  little  part  in  public  affairs. 
He  was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  and  a  man  of  upright  life, 
who  won  many  friends  in  his  locality.  Through 
his  energetic  management  he  became  the  owner 
of  three  hundred  and  seventy  acres,  representing 
his  unaided  efforts.  Upon  the  farm  where  he 
had  resided  for  eleven  years  he  died  November 
30,  1868,  aged  forty-four  years. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Mary  F.  Foster  and  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, whence  in  1829  she  accompanied  her  par- 
ents to  Indiana,  settling  in  Putnam  County,  near 
the  Ashby  homestead.  There  she  was  reared, 
educated  and  married.  Her  father,  Henry 
Foster,  was  born  in  Virginia  near  the  Maryland 
state  line,  and  was  reared  in  Kentucky,  where 
he  learned  the  cabinet-maker's  trade.  In  the 
early  days  of  Indiana  he  entered  land  in  that 
state,  and  there  he  resided  until  he  died,  at  sixty- 
five  years.  He  was  of  Scotch  lineage.  His 
wife,  Jane  (Nelson)  Foster,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1803,  of  Irish  parentage.  In  1866  she 
accompanied  a  son  to  Kansas  and  afterward  re- 
mained in  Baldwin  until  her  death,  at  sixty-four 
years.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Ashby,  in  1868, 
his  widow  took  up  the  management  of  the  home 
farm,  and  upon  it  she  afterward  continued  to 
reside.  At  an  early  age  she  became  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  that  de- 
nomination represented  her  religious  views  dur- 
ing her  entire  life.  In  its  faith  she  passed  from 
earth  August  4,  1894,  aged  sixty-six  years.  In 
her  family  there  were  six  children,  Henry, 
Charles,  Jennie,  Alice,  Mary  and  Rose. 

At  the  time  of  his  father's  death  our  subject 
was  nearly  ten  years  of  age,  he  having  been  born 
Decembers,  1858.  He  continued  on  the  home- 
stead with  his  mother,  upon  whose  death  he  in- 
herited a  portion  of  the  estate.  Desiring  to  pos- 
sess the  entire  property  he  bought  the  interests 
of  the  other  heirs,  and  now  owns  one  hundred 
and    sixty    acres    of    valuable   land.     Upon  his 


place  he  engages  in  general  farm  pursuits  and 
has  also  commenced  to  raise  Durham  cattle.  He 
gives  his  attention  quite  clo.sely  to  the  manage- 
ment of  his  land,  and  does  not  mingle  in  political 
affairs  any  further  than  to  cast  a  Republican 
vote  at  elections. 

nOHN  F.  FAUCETT.  When  the  tide  of 
I  emigration  began  to  turn  toward  Kansas, 
(2/  among  those  who  decided  to  come  west  was 
Mr.  Faucett,  then  a  young  man  living  in  Indiana. 
In  1856  he  started  west  by  team.  He  spent  the 
winter  in  Iowa  and  early  in  the  spring  resumed 
his  journey,  having  traded  his  horses  for  two 
yoke  of  oxen,  with  which  he  drove  through  to 
Douglas  County.  In  what  was  then  a  part  of  the 
Shawnee  Indian  reservation  (now  included  in 
Palmyra  Township),  he  entered  a  claim,  March 
18,  1857.  Settling  on  the  place  he  put  up  a 
shanty  and  began  the  improvement  of  the  land. 
Here  he  has  since  made  his  home.  While 
serving  in  the  army  he  sold  a  portion  of  his 
claim,  in  order  to  secure  needed  money  for  the 
support  of  his  family,  and  he  now  occupies  eighty 
acres,  all  of  which  is  under  cultivation. 

Mr.  Faucett  was  born  August  12,  1825,  in 
Hendricks  County,  Ind.,  the  year  after  it  was 
organized  as  a  county.  He  is  a  member  of  an  old 
Virginia  family.  His  grandfather,  John  Faucett, 
a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  was  a  boy  of  nine 
years  when  he,  a  brother  and  sister,  and  their 
mother,  were  taken  prisoners  by  the  Indians. 
The  savages  promised  his  mother  that  she  could 
return  home,  but  her  son  never  heard  of  her 
again.  He  was  held  a  captive  for  three  years, 
and  afterward  was  taken  by  a  chief  as  his  son, 
being  kindly  treated  in  every  way.  Finally  a 
white  man  bought  him  from  the  chief,  giving  a 
horse  in  exchange.  He  was  taken  into  his 
benefactor's  home  and  lived  with  him  on  a  farm 
for  some  years.  At  the  opening  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  he  enlisted  as  a  private  and  continued 
in  the  service  until  the  close  of  the  conflict.  In 
later  years  he  was  given  a  pension  by  the  govern- 
ment. He  moved  from  Virginia  to  Ohio  and 
later  to  Indiana,  where  he  died  at  eighty-six 
years.     In   politics  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


437 


He  married  Ev-a  Fr)-,  who  was  bom  in  Virginia 
and  died  in  Indiana  at  eightj'-six  years.  Both 
were  faithful  members  of  the  Methodist  Epi.scopal 
Church. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Joseph  Faucett,  was 
born  on  the  Ohio  River  when  his  parents  were 
moving  from  Virginia  to  Ohio.  He  was  reared 
in  the  latter  state  and  learned  the  tailor's  trade  in 
Franklin,  afterward  following  that  occupation  for 
several  years.  From  Ohio  he  removed  to  Hen- 
dricks County,  Ind. ,  and  bought  a  tract  of  tim- 
ber land,  which  he  cleared  and  improved,  and 
upon  which  he  remained  until  his  death  at 
seventy-three  years.  During  the  winter  months, 
when  it  was  impossible  to  do  much  on  the  farm, 
he  worked  at  his  trade,  and  at  one  time,  while  an 
apprentice,  he  had  an  order  for  an  overcoat  for 
General  Harrison.  He  was  an  earnest  Christian, 
holding  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Politically  he  voted  with  the  Demo- 
crats, and  upon  his  party  ticket  was  elected  to 
various  local  offices.  He  married  Rebecca  M. 
Huron,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and  died  in  In- 
diana, January  i8,  1873,  when  about  sixty-nine, 
her  death  occurring  the  same  year  as  that  of  her 
husband.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  sons 
and  seven  daughters,  of  whom  six  are  now  living. 

When  a  boy  our  subject  assisted  his  father  in 
clearing  the  home  farm.  His  education  was 
limited  to  about  three  months'  attendance  at  the 
subscription  school  each  winter.  When  he  was 
twenty-one  he  began  to  work  by  the  month. 
Seven  years  later  he  married  and  settled  on  a 
rented  farm,  where  he  remained  until  his  re- 
moval to  Kansas.  He  has  been  a  hard-working, 
persevering  man,  and  is  deserving  of  success. 
August  28,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  H, 
Second  Kansas  Cavalry,  and  served  as  a  private, 
taking  part  in  various  engagements.  From 
January  until  July,  1863,  he  was  stationed  at 
Springfield,  Mo.,  after  which  he  went  to  Fort 
Smith,  Ark.  During  the  next  winter  he  was  at 
the  outposts  near  that  fort,  and  in  March  was  sent 
south  after  Price,  to  prevent  the  latter  from  re- 
enforcing  Smith  on  the  Red  River.  Later  he  re- 
turned to  Fort  Smith  and  Van  Buren.  While  he 
was  never  wounded  in  battle  nor  taken  prisoner. 


he  sustained  an  injury  from  a  horse  falling  upon 
him,  and  he  had  many  narrow  escapes  during  his 
three  years  of  service.  His  time  was  principally 
given  to  scouting  and  skirmishing.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  was  mustered  out  at  Fort  Gibson, 
in  July,  1865. 

By  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Faucett  to  Miss  Mary 
E.  Poe,  of  Hendricks  County,  Ind.,  three  daugh- 
ters were  born.  They  are:  Ella,  wife  of  Fred- 
erick Sturdy,  of  Galena,  Kans. ;  Effie,  who  mar- 
ried William  Reed,  of  San  Francisco,  Cal. ;  and 
Alma,  wik  of  J.  F.  Keefer,  a  farmer  of  Douglas 
County,  Kans.  The  family  are  connected  with 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which  Mr.  Faucett 
has  contributed  for  years.  Active  in  local  affairs, 
he  has  always  given  his  support  to  the  Republican 
party.  He  is  interested  in  Grand  Army  matters 
and  belongs  to  Seth  Kelley  Post  No.  410,  at 
Vinland. 


GlMBROSE  P.  EGGLESTON.  The  pages  of 
LA  this  work  would  not  be  complete  without 
I  I  appropriate  mention  of  the  gentleman  whose 
name  introduces  this  sketch.  He  is  a  pioneer  of 
Tonganoxie  Township,  Leavenworth  County. 
To  his  energy  and  industry  the  native  soil  was 
made  to  yield  an  abundant  harvest,  and  the  wild 
stretch  of  land,  covered  with  brush,  has  given 
way  to  cultivated  farm  land.  Taking  up  two 
quarter-sections  of  land  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  township  he  erected  a  house  and  there  he 
continued  to  reside  for  years.  In  1896  he  retired 
from  active  work  and  now  makes  his  home  across 
the  county  line  in  McLouth. 

Several  generations  of  the  Eggleston  family 
have  resided  in  America.  The  first  to  come  was 
Biggett  Eggleston,  who  emigrated  from  England 
and  whose  wife  was  from  Scotland.  The  family 
was  worthily  represented  in  the  Revolution. 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  was  their  home  from  an 
early  day,  and  there  our  subject's  father,  Truman 
Eggleston,  was  born  and  reared,  and  spent  his 
entire  life  engaged  in  farming.  By  his  marriage 
to  Lorinda  Paine,  three  sons  and  four  daughters 
were  born,  of  whom  our  subject  and  two  sisters 
alone  survive.  He  was  born  in  Dutchess  Coun- 
ty, N.  Y. ,  April  25,  1826,  and  was  next  to  the 


43^ 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


oldest  of  the  family.  His  education  was  obtained 
in  district  schools.  At  an  early  age  he  began  to 
cultivate  one  of  his  father's  farms.  In  1849  he 
moved  west  as  far  as  Ohio.  He  was  the  first  of 
the  family  to  seek  a  western  home  and  was  not  a 
little  criticised  for  so  doing,  but  the  after  years 
proved  the  wisdom  of  the  move.  He  taught 
school  in  and  later  near  Toledo,  and  also  bought 
a  tract  of  timber  land,  which  he  cleared.  In  1868 
he  moved  from  Ohio  to  Kansas,  where  he  after- 
ward engaged  in  stock-raising  and  farming.  For 
many  years  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  an 
office  that  he  filled  worthily.  In  religion  he  is  a 
Universalist. 

Before  he  was  twenty-one  Mr.  Eggleston  mar- 
ried Armilla  Hayward,  but  she  died  two  years 
later.  In  1858  he  married  Catherine  Johnson, 
who  died  in  the  summer  of  1867.  September  17, 
1868,  he  was  united  with  Lida  Phelps,  of  Michi- 
gan. Of  their  three  children,  two  are  living: 
Murray  Chapin,  who  conducts  the  old  home- 
stead; and  Ivorinda  M.,  wife  of  John  F.  Harding, 
who  lives  near  Mct,outh,  Jefferson  County. 


P  CjlLLIAM  FEVURLY  owns  seven  hundred 

\  A  /  and  twenty  acres  in  Leavenworth  County 
V  V  and  is  numbered  among  the  most  success- 
ful farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Alexandria  Town- 
ship. He  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  April 
I,  1835,  a  son  of  Michael  and  Catherine  Fevurly, 
also  natives  of  Baden.  His  father  brought  the 
family  to  America  in  1841  and  settled  in  Phila- 
delphia, but  after  five  years  removed  to  Elk 
County,  Pa.,  and  bought  a  farm  near  St.  Mary's, 
remaining  there  for  several  years.  In  1847 
the  wife  and  mother  died  and  the  family  then  be- 
came scattered.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
fifty  years  of  age.  He  had  the  religious  belief  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  His  children  are 
named  as  follows:  Sarah,  wife  of  Mathias  Hon- 
atte,  of  Pennsylvania;  Rosie  A.,  who  has  been 
twice  married  and  is  now  a  widow;  William; 
Robert,  a  farmer  and  stock-dealer  in  Leaven- 
worth County;  Mrs.  Kate  Schultz,  of  Leaven- 
worth; and  Hannah,  who  is  mother  superior  of  a 
convent  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


When  our  subject  was  fifteen  years  of  age  he 
secured  work  on  a  farm,  for  which  he  was  paid 
$3  per  month.  After  a  year  he  went  to  Brook- 
ville.  Pa.,  and  worked  at  odd  jobs  there; 
later  learned  photography,  which  he  followed  in 
different  cities  and  towns  of  the  west,  staying  a 
short  time  in  each  place.  Having  saved  $2,000 
in  the  business,  he  stopped  after  twelve  years  and 
engaged  in  the  brewery  business,  but  lost  all  of 
his  hard-earned  savings.  In  1857  he  took  up  a 
claim  in  Minnesota.  In  the  spring  of  the  follow- 
ing year  he  settled  in  Weston,  Kans.,  where  he 
worked  by  the  day  in  a  pork-packing  house. 
After  a  short  time  he  went  with  a  government 
surveying  party  to  the  Little  Blue,  where  he  re- 
mained for  nine  months.  Afterward  he  traveled 
through  Iowa  and  Minnesota,  engaging  in  the 
picture  business.  In  the  spring  of  i860  he  drove 
six  yoke  of  oxen  across  the  plains  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  for  which  he  was  paid  at  the  rate  of  $40 
a  month  and  board.  From  there  he  went  to 
California,  where  he  engaged  in  mining,  and 
became  the  owner  of  eighty  feet  in  the  Yellow 
Jacket.  In  the  fall  of  1863  he  came  to  Leaven- 
worth County,  having  $7,000  which  he  invested 
in  land,  and  here  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
Though  he  is  now  past  middle  life,  he  can  do  as 
much  work  in  one  day  as  any  one  in  his  town- 
ship, and  is  robust  and  hearty. 

By  his  marriage  to  Miss  Effie  M.  CoSin,  of 
Minnesota,  Mr.  Fevurly  had  one  son,  Albert,  who 
is  now  a  wagonmaker  in  Easton,  Leavenworth 
County.  March  20,  1864,  Mr.  Fevurly  was  a 
second  time  married,  his  wife  being  Elizabeth  J. 
McCarty,  of  Leavenworth  County.  They  have 
six  children,  viz.:  James  F.  and  Robert,  farmers 
in  Alexandria  Township;  MoUie,  wife  of  Milton 
Coates,  of  California;  Fannie,  who  married  James 
Alexander,  a  farmer  and  schoolteacher  in  this 
township;  William  Moses,  and  Lee,  both  at  home. 
For  fourteen  years  our  subject  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board.  He  has  also  filled  the 
office  of  road  overseer.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat, but  independent  in  his  views,  especially  in 
local  affairs,  as  he  believes  in  voting  for  the  best 
qualified  men,  no  matter  what  their  politics  may 
be. 


WILLIAM  PATTERSON. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


441 


pQILLIAM  PATTERSON,  chief  superin- 
\  A  /  tendeut  of  construction  at  the  Kansas 
y  y  state  penitentiary  in  Lansing,  is  one  of 
the  few  men  who  have  made  the  art  of  building 
and  constructing  a  life  study,  and  his  chief  aim 
has  been  to  thoroughly  master  his  chosen  occu- 
pation. It  may  rightly  be  said  that  he  has  won 
for  himself  the  name  of  one  of  the  best  building 
constructors  and  master  mechanics  in  the  coun- 
try. A  man  of  quiet  tastes,  caring  nothing  for 
publicity,  be  is  rarely  seen  in  public  assemblies, 
but  prefers  to  spend  his  leisure  hours  in  his 
home,  to  which  he  is  devoted. 

Mr.  Patterson  was  born  in  January,  1824,  in 
Northumberland,  England,  his  home  being  on 
the  Scottish  border.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
mechanic  under  his  father,  William  Patterson,  Sr. , 
who  was  an  expert  master  mechanic  and  had 
charge  of  the  construction  of  the  county-seat  of 
Chittingham.  When  he  became  a  young  man 
he  left  home  and  went  to  Newcastle,  where  he 
followed  his  trade  four  years.  In  1850  he  sailed 
for  America  in  a  ship  on  the  Black  Star  line,  and 
landed  in  New  York  after  a  voyage  of  thirty 
days.  He  remained  in  that  city  for  three  years 
and  then  went  to  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  where  he 
assisted  in  building  the  dam  on  the  Rappahan- 
nock River.  Afterward  he  began  building  rail- 
roads and  bridges  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and 
many  bridges  that  he  built  are  still  standing. 
For  a  time  he  worked  at  his  trade  on  the  south 
wing  of  the  capitol  in  Washington.  When  the 
war  broke  out  he  was  working  in  West  Virginia 
and  was  obliged  to  remain  there  for  a  year.  Fin- 
ally he  secured  a  pass  through  the  lines  and  went 
to  Ohio,  and  from  there  in  1866  to  Kansas, 
reaching  Leavenworth  in  the  fall  of  that   year. 

When  the  foundation  of  the  state  penitentiary 
was  laid,  the  state  warden  appointed  Mr.  Patter- 
son master  mechanic  and  he  had  full  charge  of 
the  construction  of  the  left  wing  of  the  main 
building  and  the  warden's  home.  In  1874  he 
was  made  general  superintendent  of  construction. 
He  had  charge  of  the  erection  of  the  outer  build- 
ings and  the  water  plant.  Through  all  the 
changes  that  have  been  made  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  penitentiary  he  has  remained  in  his 


position,  a  fact  which  speaks  well  for  him.  He 
is  now  one  of  the  oldest  officers  in  the  institution, 
and  also  one  of  the  most  highly  respected  men 
connected  with  it.  In  religion  he  and  his  family 
are  identified  with  the  Baptist  Church. 

In  1848  Mr.  Patterson  married  Miss  Sarah 
Parker,  who  died  in  May,  1897.  They  were  the 
parents  of  two  daughters,  namely :  Isabelle,  the 
widow  of  John  Dodds,  of  Kansas  City;  and 
Euphemia,  wife  of  William  Bardthold.  There 
are  six  grandchildren,  to  whose  welfare  their 
grandfather  is  deeply  devoted.  They  are  Will- 
iam and  Clara  Dodds,  and  Clarence,  Edwin, 
Sarah  and  Nina  Belle  Bardthold. 


(31  RNOLD  FLINTJER,  who  is  proprietor  of  an 
LA  insurance,  loan  and  real-estate  agency  in 
/  I  Leavenworth,  owns  and  occupies  a  neat 
homestead  of  six  acres  near  the  city.  He  pos- 
sesses in  a  notable  degree  those  qualities  which 
are  essential  factors  to  success  in  any  department 
of  business  life,  namely:  industry,  perseverance, 
sagacious  judgment  and  determination.  In  the 
possession  of  these  sterling  qualities  he  may  rea- 
sonably hope  for  a  large  share  of  business  suc- 
cess. A  courteous  and  affable  gentleman,  his 
genial  manner  and  recognized  uprightness  have 
won  for  him  many  friends  in  his  home  town  and 
county. 

In  Hanover,  Germany,  where  he  was  born  May 
7,  1857,  Mr.  Flintjer  passed  his  boyhood  days  on 
a  farm,  attending  school  during  the  winter  months 
and  helping  at  home  in  the  summer.  In  1870  he 
accompanied  the  family  to  America  and  settled  in 
Grundy  County,  Iowa,  where  he  assisted  in  im- 
proving a  farm.  After  seven  years  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  Kansas, settling  in  Osborne  County, 
where  they  acquired  title  to  eleven  hundred  acres. 
In  1888  his  father,  Dade  J-  FUntjer,  brought  the 
family  to  Leavenworth  County,  and  purchased  a 
farm  near  the  city  of  Leavenworth,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  reside  until  his  death,  April  14,  1895, 
at  seventy-seven  years  of  age.  He  had  been  a 
hard-working  man,  and  for  thirty-six  years  fol- 
lowed a  seafaring  life,  but  afterward  engaged  in 
farming.     He  was  a  man  of  religious  character 


442 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  worshiped  with  the  Lutherans.  In  politics 
he  voted  the  Democratic  ticket.  His  wife,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Margaretta  Brons,  was 
born  in  Germany  and  died  in  Leavenworth  Coun- 
ty, in  August,  1897,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years.  Like  her  husband  she  was  a  sincere 
Christian  and  a  devoted  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  Of  the  six  children  in  their  family, 
John  D.,  the  eldest,  is  adjuster  for  an  insur- 
ance company  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  Daniel 
J.  follows  the  same  business  in  that  city;  Arnold 
was  the  third  in  order  of  birth;  Everett  is  a  gro- 
cer in  Houston,  Tex.;  Maggie  R.  married  Joseph 
Borchley  and  lives  on  the  home  farm;  and  Anton 
D.  is  connected  with  his  brother  in  the  grocery 
business  at  Houston. 

After  the  removal  of  the  family  to  Leavenworth 
County  our  subject  continued  on  the  home  farm 
until  1 89 1.  He  then  came  to  Leavenworth  and 
opened  the  agency  which  he  has  since  conducted. 
Reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith,  he  still  adheres  to 
its  doctrines.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  but 
not  active  in  partisan  matters. 

His  first  wife  was  Augusta  Albright,  a  native 
of  Germany.  She  died  in  July,  1892,  leaving  five 
sons,  Harry,  Myron,  Walter,  Irving  and  William. 
Afterward  he  married  Mrs.  Bertha  Herrwald,  of 
Bonner  Springs,  Kans.,  who  by  her  former  mar- 
riage has  a  son,  Henrj-. 


pQlLLIAM  FREIENMUTH,  head  miller  for 
\A/  the  Tonganoxie  Milling  Company,  is  also 
YV  extensively  engaged  in  the  fruit  business. 
He  owns  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  Tongan- 
oxie Township,  Leavenworth  County,  of  which 
he  has  seventy  acres  planted  in  fruit  trees,  all  set 
out  by  himself.  While  he  superintends  the  man- 
agement of  the  fruit  orchard,  he  hires  the  labor 
done  and  makes  the  raising  of  fruit  the  principal 
industry  on  the  place.  In  the  management  of 
his  varied  business  interests  he  is  keen  and  alert, 
quick  to  see  an  advantage,  and  equally  quick  to 
avail  himself  of  it. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Switzer- 
land June  23,  1849.  His  father,  whose  name  was 
the   same   as  his  own,  emigrated    from   Switzer- 


land to  South  America  and  later  settled  in  the 
United  States.  When  a  boy  our  subject  worked 
in  his  father's  mill.  At  twenty-five  years  of  age 
he  left  his  native  land  with  his  father  and  crossed 
the  ocean  to  the  Argentine  Republic,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming.  At  that  time  wheat  was 
just  being  started  and  he  engaged  in  raising  it,  in 
connection  with  other  cereals.  After  one  year 
devoted  to  farming  he  turned  his  attention  to  mill- 
ing, in  which  work  he  was  occupied  for  two  years. 
He  then  came  to  the  United  States  and  for  a  year 
was  employed  in  St.  Louis,  later  spent  a  year  in 
a  mill  at  Lawrence,  Tex.,  also  was  in  Dallas  and 
Houston.  In  1879  he  settled  in  Kansas.  Atfirst 
he  was  employed  in  Bowersock's  mill  in  Law- 
rence, later  was  appointed  head  miller  in  the  Pa- 
cific mill,  where  he  remained  until  1889,  and  from 
there  came  to  Tonganoxie.  Since  then  he  has 
been  connected  with  the  Tonganoxie  Milling 
Company.  The  mill  was  built  with  a  capacity  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  barrels.  It  has  been  man- 
aged so  carefully  that  it  has  gained  a  wide  repu- 
tation for  the  excellence  of  its  products.  Eight 
men  are  employed  outside  of  the  ofiice.  In  May, 
1899,  ^  decided  change  was  made  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  mill,  by  means  of  which  it  is  now 
possible  to  grind  hard  wheat  and  also  to  econo- 
mize in  power. 

In  politics  Mr.  Freienmuth  is  independent, 
never  having  allied  himself  with  anj'  party.  He 
is  quiet  and  retiring  by  disposition,  but  genial 
and  companionable  with  friends,  and  has  gained  a 
high  place  in  the  regard  of  those  with  whom  he 
has  had  business  relations.  In  Lawrence,  Kans., 
in  1885,  he  married  Miss  Eda  Fischer,  of  that 
city.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Ed- 
ward Otto,  Alma  and  William  Hans. 


I  AJ.CLARKSON  REYNOLDS,  who  is  a  pio- 
neer and  representative  citizen  of  Palmyra 
Township,  Douglas  County,  was  born  at 
Reynolds  Mills,  Randolph  County,  N.  C,  July 
7,  1828.  His  father,  Isaac,  also  a  native  of  that 
place,  was  in  early  life  employed  in  a  saw  and 
grist  mill  and  upon  a  farm  there.  When  thirty 
years  of  age  he  removed  to  Parke  County,  Ind., 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


443 


where  he  spent  two  years  upon  a  farm.  His 
next  location  was  in  Waj'ne  County,  Ind.,  where 
he  built  one  of  the  first  steam  mills  in  the  state. 
After  conducting  this  mill  for  thirteen  years  he 
removed  to  another  point  in  the  same  county 
and  bought  a  mill,  which  he  conducted  until  a 
short  time  before  his  death.  In  politics  he  was 
first  a  Whig,  later  a  free-soiler  and  Abolitionist, 
and  finally  a  Republican,  and  he  took  an  active 
part  in  local  and  national  affairs.  In  religion  he 
was  a  Quaker.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Francis  Rey- 
nolds, was  born  in  North  Carolina  and  resided 
there  until  seventy-five  years  of  age,  when  he 
went  to  Indiana,  remaining  there  until  his  death, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  Reared  in  the 
Quaker  faith,  he  always  adhered  to  that  religion. 
His  grandfather,  a  native  of  England,  came  to 
America  for  the  purpose  of  seeking  a  home,  and 
selected  a  location  now  occupied  by  the  city  of 
Philadelphia.  He  started  back  to  England  for 
his  family,  but  was  drowned  at  sea.  Later  his 
wife  and  children  crossed  the  ocean  and  settled 
on  land  that  he  had  selected.  At  that  time, 
John,  father  of  Francis  Reynolds,  was  a  mere 
child.  The  Reynolds  family  originated  in  France, 
but  left  that  country  for  England  on  account  of 
religious  persecutions. 

Our  subject's  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Sarah  Hinshaw,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  and  died  in  Indiana  when  thirty  years 
of  age.  She  left  four  children,  the  youngest  of 
whom  was  only  ten  days  old.  Only  two  are  now 
living,  Edwin,  of  Henry  County,  Ind.,  and 
Clarkson.  The  last-named  spent  his  boyhood 
days  in  Indiana,  where  his  parents  settled  in 
1832.  He  learned  the  trades  of  carpenter  and 
millwright,  at  which  he  was  employed  until  1850. 
Led  by  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  he 
started  west  March  29,  1850,  and  crossed  the 
plains,  arriving  at  his  destination  September  15. 
After  a  year  in  the  mines  he  went  back  to  Indi- 
ana. In  1 855  he  settled  upon  a  tract  of  wild  land 
in  Jo  Daviess  County,  111.,  but  in  the  spring  of 
1857  came  via  ox-team  to  Kansas,  .spending  five 
weeks  and  two   days  on  the  way.     Arriving  in 


Douglas  County,  he  settled  on  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Palmyra  Township, 
and  there  he  remained  until  1872,  when  he  sold 
the  place.  Next  he  went  to  Linn  County,  bought 
wild  land  and  engaged  in  bringing  it  under  culti- 
vation. In  1878  he  sold  out  there  and  bought 
his  present  farm,  desiring  to  be  near  a  good 
school,  where  his  children  might  have  desired 
educational  advantages. 

May  23,  1852,  Major  Reynolds  married  Miss 
Olinda  B.  Routh,  who  was  born  in  Wayne  County, 
Ind.,  January  16,  1832,  and  spent  her  girlhood 
years  in  the  house  where  she  was  born  and  mar- 
ried. Her  father,  Joseph  Routh,  a  native  of  East 
Tennessee,  went  to  Indiana  in  youth  and  settled 
on  a  farm,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  years. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  sixty  years  of 
age.  During  the  Civil  war  he  had  four  sons  and 
two  sons-in-law  in  the  Union  army.  He  married 
Letitia  Burroughs,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and 
accompanied  her  parents  to  Indiana  in  girlhood, 
the  country  at  that  time  being  new  and  unim- 
proved and  Indians  still  roaming  through  the 
forests.  She  died  there  at  fifty  years  of  age. 
Major  Reynolds  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  five 
children:  Dora  J.,  wife  of  Marion  Hathaway, 
of  Muncie,  Ind.;  Sarah  Letitia,  who  was  born  in 
Illinois  and  is  the  wife  of  William  H.  Riggs,  of 
Osage  County,  Kans. ;  Thomas  Arthur,  who 
was  born  in  Kansas  during  the  territorial  days, 
and  is  now  president  of  the  Kanask  Mining  Com- 
pany of  Arkansas,  chief  of  the  Cofifey  ville  (Kans. ) 
fire  department,  and  connected  with  a  store  in 
the  latter  city;  Mattie  Alice,  who  married  Will- 
iam A.  Stephens  and  resides  in  Eldorado  Springs, 
Mo.;  and  Charles  Edwin,  who  is  clerking  in  a 
hardware  store  in  Cofifeyville. 

Active  in  the  Republican  party.  Major  Rey- 
nolds was  in  1859  elected  the  first  assessor  of  his 
township.  Since  then  he  has  frequentlj-  served 
as  trustee  and  assessor.  For  nineteen  years  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  October 
10,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  B, 
Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry,  and  .served  in  the  ranks 
for  eighteen  months,  being  mustered  out  April  i, 
1863.  He  then  returned  to  Douglas  County  and 
in  the  fall  of  1863  was  elected  to  the  legislature, 


444 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


serving'in  the  session  of  1864.  During  the  latter 
year  he  assisted  in  raising  the  Sixteenth  Kansas 
Cavalry,  and  in  October  was  commissioned  major 
of  the  regiment,  which  was  ordered  to  Colorado 
to  protect  the  people  from  the  Indians.  He  was 
mustered  out  in  Leavenworth  December  6,  1865. 
His  interest  in  army  matters  led  him  to  ally 
himself  with  the  Grand  Army.  He  belongs  to 
E.  D.  Baker  Post  No.  40,  at  Baldwin,  of  which  he 
was  adjutant  for  two  years  and  commander  one 
year.  In  1853  he  was  made  a  Mason  at  Economy, 
Ind.  He  is  the  only  living  charter  member  of 
Palmyra  Lodge  No.  23,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in 
Baldwin,  which  he  assisted  in  founding  and  of 
which  he  was  master  for  eighteen  years.  He 
was  reared  in  the  Quaker  faith,  but  marrying 
outside  of  the  sect  has  not  since  been  identified 
with  it.  He  has  been  prospered  financially 
and  now  owns  one  hundred  acres  of  as  good  land 
as  may  be  found  in  Palmyra  Township. 


(JOSEPH  H.  DREISBACH.  ■  The  position 
I  occupied  by  Mr.  Dreisbach  in  Tonganoxie  is 
C)  that  of  one  of  its  most  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful business  men.  With  many  of  the  best 
known  enterprises  of  the  town  he  is  intimately 
identified.  His  reputation  is  that  of  a  successful 
business  man,  who,  while  aggressive  and  push- 
ing, is  yet  guided  by  a  conservative  judgment 
and  shrewd  common  sense,  and  who  uses  sound 
judgment  in  all  of  his  business  transactions.  In 
1892,  with  his  father  and  brothers,  he  opened  a 
general  mercantile  store,  and  thus  was  founded 
the  large  establishment  he  now  conducts.  He 
built  up  a  large  and  profitable  trade,  occupying  a 
three-story  building  30  x  100  feet  in  dimensions, 
and  stocking  it  with  a  complete  line  of  mer- 
chandise; but  in  1899  he  closed  out  his  stock  of 
dry  goods  and  boots  and  shoes  and  has  since 
made  a  specialty  of  hardware  and  agricultural 
implements,  handling  the  McCormick  reapers, 
Nichols  and  Shepherd  threshers,  Studebaker 
wagons,  the  Bradley,  Wheeler  and  J.  I.  Case 
machinery,  etc.  Besides  this  business  he  has 
other  interests.  In  i8g8,  with  Whitsed  Laming 
and  W.  C.  Phenicie,  he  bought  the  mill  property, 


introduced  a  new  rotary  sifting  process  and 
organized  the  Tonganoxie  Milling  Company,  of 
which  he  is  president.  The  mill  has  a  capacity 
of  two  hundred  barrels  a  day,  and  has  proved 
one  of  the  most  important  industries  in  the  town. 
He  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Tonganoxie 
Creamery  Company  and  the  Tonganoxie  Building 
and  Loan  Association.  In  1898  he  built  a  corn 
elevator  with  a  capacity  of  five  thousand  bushels, 
and  he  has  also  operated  acorn  mill  since  1892. 

Mr.  Dreisbach  was  born  in  Franklin  Township, 
Carbon  County,  Pa.,  August  24,  1862,  a  son  of 
D.  H.  and  Mary  E.  (Benner)  Dreisbach.  His 
grandfather,  Daniel  Dreisbach,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  a  farmer  by  calling,  was  a  son  of 
Gustavus  Dreisbach,  who  was  born  in  North- 
ampton County,  of  French  and  German  descent, 
and  married  Rebecca  Solt,  who  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  of  French  descent,  and  was  the 
daughter  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  All  the 
ancestors  were  Lutherans.  H.  D.  Dreisbach  was 
born  in  what  is  now  Carbon  County  July  21, 
1831,  and  was  the  oldest  son  in  a  family  of  ten 
children.  At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  went  to 
AUentown,  where  he  learned  the  wagon-maker's 
trade,  and  then  returned  home  and  opened  a 
shop.  Later  he  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness at  Pine  Run,  Carbon  County,  and  afterward 
was  employed  at  Maria  Furnace.  After  having 
carried  on  a  store  of  his  own  in  fronton.  Pa.,  he 
spent  several  years  on  a  farm  in  Carbon  County, 
and  then  put  down  two  wells  in  Venango  County. 
At  Milton,  Pa.,  he  was  for  three  years  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Balliet,  Dreisbach  &  Klinger,  pro- 
prietors of  a  lumber  business  and  planing  mill. 
In  1868  he  came  to  Kansas  and  settled  on  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  acres  in  Sher- 
man Township,  Leavenworth  County,  which 
property  he  still  owns.  In  the  fall  of  1892  he 
settled  in  Tonganoxie,  where  the  firm  of  J.  H. 
Dreisbach  &  Co.  began  in  business,  its  members 
being  himself  and  his  sons,  J.  H.,  L.  K.  and  A.  J. 
L.  K.  Dreisbach  has  since  retired  from  the  firm. 
In  January,  1897,  he  assisted  in  organizing  the 
Tonganoxie  Creamery  Company,  of  which  he  is 
treasurer  and  a  director. 

September  5,  1854,    at   AUentown,    Pa.,    Mr. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


445 


Dreisbach  married  Mary  E.  Benner,  daughter  of 
Jesse  and  Harriet  (Balliet)  Benner.  Her  father 
died  in  early  manhood  and  her  mother  afterward 
became  the  wife  of  Samuel  Lewis,  a  prominent 
man  of  Allentown,  who  died  in  1897.  Mrs. 
Lewis  is  still  living  in  that  city.  Her  ancestors 
came  to  Pennsylvania  from  France  at  the  time  of 
the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  and  their 
ancestry  can  be  traced,  in  unbroken  line,  to  a 
great  warrior  of  France  in  the  sixth  century. 
The  first  of  the  family  in  this  country  was 
•  Paulus  Balliet.  In  earlj'  days  the  name  was 
spelled  Ballyard.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dreisbach  were  eight  in  number,  viz.:  Emma, 
who  died  at  sixteen  years;  Susan  and  Delia,  of 
Leavenworth  County;  Mrs.  Harriet  Baker,  of 
Kansas  City;  Asa,  who  is  with  our  subject  in 
business;  Mrs.  Mary  Cheesman,  of  Tonganoxie; 
Joseph  H.  and  Lawrence  K.  The  father  is  a 
member  of  the  People's  party  and  was  its  candi- 
date for  county  treasurer  in  1894.  In  religion  he 
is  identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Masons. 

Since  the  age  of  six  years  our  subject  has 
made  his  home  in  Leavenworth  County.  He 
remained  on  his  father's  farm  until  1888,  when 
he  married  and  bought  a  farm  in  Reno  Township, 
remaining  there  for  four  years  and  engaging  in 
the  stock  business.  The  farm  consisted  of  nine 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  was  situated  four 
miles  south  of  Tonganoxie.  In  politics  he  votes 
with  the  Populists  at  national  elections,  but  in 
local  matters  favors  the  best  man,  irrespective  of 
party.  His  marriage  took  place  in  Reno  Town- 
ship and  united  him  with  Mrs.  Madeline  (Jee) 
Davis,  who  was  born  in  England,  a  daughter  of 
Alfred  Jee,  of  that  country. 


RETER  EVERHARDY,  sheriff  of  Leaven- 
y<  worth  County,  and  a  resident  of  the  city  of 
f^  Leavenworth  since  September  22,  1866,  was 
born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  a  son  of  Matthew  and 
Margaret  (Conner)  Everhardy,  natives  of  Prus- 
sia. His  father,  who  came  to  America  in  1833, 
settled  in  Cincinnati  when  that  pow  large  and 


prosperous  city  was  a  broad  stretch  of  hazel 
brush,  with  a  very  few  houses,  these  built  of  logs. 
He  became  a  gardener  in  Cummingsville,  now  a 
part  of  Cincinnati,  and  there  he  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty-five  years,  when  our  subject  was  a  small 
child.  He  had  been  twice  married,  and  by  his 
first  wife,  who  died  in  1853,  he  had  eight  chil- 
dren, four  now  living,  viz.:  Josephine  Poff  and 
Agnes  Haag,  in  Leavenworth;  Jacob,  in  Califor- 
nia; and  Peter.  Of  the  second  marriage  one 
child  was  born,  a  daughter,  Mary,  now  living  in 
Ohio. 

In  Cincinnati,  where  he  was  born  October  27, 
1847,  the  boyhood  days  of  our  subject  were 
passed.  He  assisted  his  father  in  their  market 
garden.  In  1858  his  older  brother,  Jacob,  who 
had  learned  the  butcher's  trade,  established  his 
home  in  Leavenworth,  and  in  1866  our  subject 
joined  him  here.  He  learned  the  butcher's  trade 
under  his  brother,  with  whom  he  remained  until 
1S73  as  an  employe,  and  afterward  the  two  were 
associated  together  under  the  firm  name  of  Ever- 
hardy  Brothers,  their  place  of  business  being  No. 
205  North  Fifth  street.  About  1875  our  subject 
bought  his  brother's  interest  in  the  business, 
which  he  conducted  alone,  occupj'ing  a  brick 
business  house,  which  he  had  purchased.  For 
years  he  has  been  at  the  head  of  this  business, 
which  is  known  as  the  Central  Meat  Market.  In 
addition  to  his  business  property  he  is  the  owner 
of  two  houses  on  Seneca  street. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Everhardy,  in  Leaven- 
worth, united  him  with  Miss  Lizzie  Nagle,  who 
was  born  in  Cincinnati.  They  are  the  parents 
of  five  children.  Their  son,  Jacob,  graduated 
from  the  Jesuit  College  at  St.  Mary's,  Kans., 
with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  and  afterward  gradu- 
ated from  the  Kansas  City  University  Medical 
College  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  since  which 
time  he  has  practiced  his  profession  in  Leaven- 
worth. The  daughters  are  Mary,  Clara,  Blanche 
and  Louise. 

The  Democratic  party  has  always  received  the 
stanch  allegiance  of  Mr.  Everhardy,  and  he  has 
been  prominent  in  its  local  councils.  In  1893  he 
was  nominated  for  mayor,  but  the  nomination 
was  against  his  wishes  and  he  declined  to  accept 


446 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  candidacy.  In  the  fall  of  1897  he  accepted 
the  Democratic  nomination  for  sheriff  of  Leaven- 
worth Count}'  and  was  elected  by  a  majority  of 
six  hundred  and  six.  He  took  the  oath  of  office 
January  10,  1898,  for  a  term  of  two  years.  This 
position  he  has  filled  with  efficiency  and  fidelity, 
his  service  giving  satisfaction  to  all  concerned. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  identified  with  St. 
Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  is  con- 
nected with  Branch  No.  i,  C.  M.  B.  A.,  of  which 
he  is  a  trustee. 

(IGHN  FLINNER.  One  of  the  fine  farms  of 
I  Leavenworth  County  lies  in  High  Prairie 
Qj  Township  and  is  owned  by  Mr.  Flinner,  to 
whose  perseverance  and  energy  its  thrifty  appear- 
ance is  due.  His  landed  possessions  aggregate 
three  hundred  and  thirty  acres,  upon  which  he 
has  made  improvements  that  greatly  increase  the 
value  of  the  property.  In  all  of  his  work  he  uses 
sound  judgment  and  business  sense,  hence  he  has 
been  more  than  ordinarily  successful,  both  in  the 
raising  of  cereals  and  in  stock-dealing.  On  his 
place  may  be  seen  draft  horses,  Shorthorn  cattle 
and  Poland-China  hogs,  and  as  a  stock-farmer 
he  is  second  to  no  one  in  his  township.  The  usual 
improvements  of  a  model  estate  may  be  seen  on 
his  farm,  including  a  neat  residence,  good  fencing, 
shade  and  fruit  trees,  etc.  In  1893  he  erected  a 
barn  which  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  county,  con- 
taining, as  it  does,  every  modern  equipment  and 
convenience  for  the  shelter  of  stock  or  the  storage 
of  grain. 

Mr.  Flinner  was  born  at  Neuengronau,  near 
Frankfort-on-the-Main,  Germany,  January  3, 
1852.  He  was  educated  in  common  schools  and 
was  employed  as  a  sheep  herder  and  also  in  roof- 
tiling  works.  December  26,  1867,  he  arrived  in 
New  York  from  his  native  land.  After  two  weeks 
he  went  to  Millersburg,  Ohio,  and  near  there  he 
worked  on  a  farm  by  the  month  for  four  years. 
Afterward  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  for 
eight  years.  In  the  spring  of  1882  he  came  to 
Leavenworth  County  and  bought  one  hundred 
and  ninety  acres  of  unimproved  land.  Here  he 
has  since  made  his  home.   Possessing  inventive 


ability,  he  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the 
invention  of  useful  articles.  In  1880  he  patented 
a  gate,  and  in  188 1  and  1888  patented  improve- 
ments to  the  same;  from  the  sale  of  these  gates 
he  has  made  considerable  money.  He  is  the  pat- 
entee of  the  conductor's  magnetic  check-holder, 
used  on  passenger  cars  to  hold  checks,  etc.  (pat- 
ented July  18,  1899);  also  invented,  in  1883,  but 
did  not  patent,  a  rotary  engine;  and  invented  a 
fence  weaving  machine  for  the  weaving  of  wire 
fence.  Some  twenty  years  ago  he  put  up  a  small 
telephone,  but  never  took  out  a  patent  for  it. 

In  politics  Mr.  Flinner  is  liberal,  but  inclines 
toward  the  Democratic  party,  being  a  supporter 
of  free  trade.  He  has  served  as  delegate  to  local 
conventions  and  for  two  terms  held  the  office  of 
township  treasurer.  December  27,  1873, he  mar- 
ried Miss  Emma  Sommer  Manichwalde,  who  was 
born  in  Crimmitshau,  Germany,  and  came  to 
America  in  girlhood.  They  have  five  children: 
Louis,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  this  county; 
William,  John,  Laura  and  Max, at  home.  In  the 
spring  of  1896  Mr.  Flinner  and  his  wife  went  to 
Europe,  where  they  remained  for  five  months. 


^  DOLPHUS  D.  BUTELL.  In  the  occupa- 
Ll  tion  of  buying  and  feeding  cattle  and  raising 
I  I  sheep,  Mr.  Butell  has  been  more  than  or- 
dinarily successful,  and  he  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  leading  stock  dealers  of  Douglas  County. 
He  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  in  Palmyra  Township 
comprising  three  hundred  and  fifteen  acres,  the 
most  of  which  is  in  grass  and  pasture,  as  the 
owner  believes  stock-farming  to  be  more  profit- 
able than  the  raising  of  grain.  His  place  ad- 
joins the  old  family  homestead  and  is  improved 
with  substantial  buildings  and  other  accessories 
of  a  first-class  estate.  In  addition  to  the  super- 
vision of  these  interests  he  is  also  president  of 
the  State  Bank  of  Baldwin. 

Near  where  he  now  lives,  in  Palmyra  Town- 
ship, Mr.  Butell  was  born  November  2,  1858. 
His  father,  Charles  Butell,  was  a  native  of 
France,  and  after  his  marriage  to  Rose  Stickle 
followed  the  brick  and  lime  business  for  a  short 
time.    In  1853  he  crossed  the  oce^n  and  settled  in 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


447 


Kankakee,  111.,  remaining  there  until  the  fall  of 
1855,  when  he  came  to  Kansas  and  took  up  land 
still  owned  by  the  familj'.  He  was  one  of  the 
very  first  permanent  settlers  in  Palmyra  Town- 
ship, where  he  improved  a  farm  and  gave  his  at- 
tention to  agricultural  pursuits.  Here  he  died 
September  13,  1871,  at  the  age  of  forty-three 
years  and  six  months.  He  was  fairly  successful 
in  life  and  left  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land,  besides  other  realty,  all  of  which  repre- 
sented his  unaided  efforts.  During  the  Price 
raid  he  served  in  the  state  militia.  He  was  a 
firm  Democrat  and  active  in  party  affairs,  but 
never  sought  oflace.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in 
France  in  1828,  is  still  living  on  the  old  home- 
stead. Both  were  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  from  childhood  and  in  that  faith  reared 
their  children.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
sons  and  two  daughters,  viz.:  Joseph,  a  farmer 
in  Franklin  County,  Kans. ;  Mary,  wife  of  Nar- 
cissa  Averill,  a  Frenchman,  living  in  Franklin 
Count}';  James,  a  farmer  of  Douglas  County; 
Ira  S.,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Osage 
County;  Ernestine,  wife  of  Thomas  Dyer,  of 
Douglas  County;  and  Adolphus  D. 

Continuing  to  live  at  the  old  homestead  until 
thirty-five  years  of  age,  our  subject  then  married 
and  established  his  home  on  his  present  farm, 
which  he  had  previously  purchased.  He  has  al- 
ways resided  in  the  same  neighborhood  and  has 
many  friends  among  the  people  of  the  township. 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  is  liberal  in 
his  ideas,  and  never  shows  a  partisan  spirit  in 
his  views.  By  his  marriage  to  Miss  Victoria 
Jardon,  who  has  always  lived  in  this  township, 
he  has   three  children,  Ernest,  Helen  and  Carl. 


ROBERT  GARRETT.  Prominent  among 
the  pioneer  business  men  of  Leavenworth  is 
the  subject  of  this  article.  His  life  history 
illustrates  what  may  be  attained  by  faithful  and 
continued  effort  in  carrying  out  an  honest  pur- 
pose. From  the  age  of  fifteen,  when  he  began 
an  apprenticeship  to  the  dry-goods  trade,  he  has 
been  constantly  identified  with  the  mercantile 
business.     Activity,  integrity  and  energy  have 


brought  him  success,  and  his  connection  with 
various  industries  has  been  a  decided  advantage 
to  his  home  city,  promoting  its  material  wel- 
fare in  no  small  degree. 

Among  those  who  are  now  conspicuous  in  the 
commercial  enterprises  of  Leavenworth  there  are 
very  few  who  were  associated  with  its  history 
during  the  stirring  days  of  the  '50s  and  who 
participated  in  its  growth  at  a  time  when  the 
pros  and  cons  of  the  slavery  excitement  ran  high. 
In  this  list  of  pioneers  belongs  the  name  of  Mr. 
Garrett.  It  was  in  1857  that  he  came  to  Leaven- 
worth, then  a  small  frontier  village  nearly  three 
hundred  miles  below  Omaha.  The  town  had 
small  claim  to  consideration,  except  for  the  rea- 
son that  a  government  military  post  was  near  by. 
From  that  time  to  this  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  place,  has  witnessed  its  growth  to  the  most 
populous  city  of  Kansas,  and  has  himself  con- 
tributed his  quota  to  the  advancement  of  its  busi- 
ness interests. 

The  Garrett  family  originated  in  Scotland. 
Jack  Garrett,  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  an  elder 
in  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church,  removed 
from  his  native  land  to  County  Down,  Ireland, 
where  he  died  at  almost  eighty  years  of  age. 
His  son,  John,  who  was  born  in  County  Down, 
engaged  in  farming  there  until  his  death,  at  for- 
ty-three years  of  age;  he  married  Eliza  Urey,  who 
was  born  in  County  Down,  of  Scotch  descent, 
and  who  died  in  1S77,  at  the  age  of  almost  ninety 
years.  Both  were  Presbyterians  in  religious  be- 
lief. They  were  the  parents  of  eight  sons  and 
one  daughter,  viz.:  James,  who  died  in  Ireland; 
Mrs.  Susanna  Hammond,  a  widow  living  in  Ire- 
land; William,  who  engaged  in  business  for  some 
time  in  the  United  States,  but  died  in  his  native 
country;  Samuel,  who  died  in  Kentucky  in  1S95; 
Robert;  Alexander,  who  came  to  Kansas  with 
Robert  in  1857,  but  returned  east  in  1874  and 
died  in  North  Carolina  in  1894;  John,  who  died 
in  Kentucky;  Frank,  whose  death  occurred  in 
Ireland;  and  Joseph,  who  died  in  Kentucky. 

Born  in  County  Down  in  1823,  Mr.  Garrett 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1847  on  the 
sailer  "Glenmore,"  which  anchored  in  New  York 
after  a  voyage  of  eight  weeks.      He   settled  at 


448 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Princeton,  Caldwell  Count}',  Ky.,  where  for  ten 
j'ears  he  engaged  in  merchandising.  From  that 
state  he  came  to  Kansas  in  1857  ^"^  opened  a 
grocery  on  Third  and  Cherokee  streets,  Leaven- 
worth, where  he  built  up  a  wholesale  trade  that 
extended  throughout  the  entire  state.  During 
the  war  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Leaven- 
worth National  Guard.  He  continued  as  a  gro- 
cer until  1867,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to 
the  lumber  business,  opening  a  yard  and  estab- 
lishing a  trade  that  has  since  grown  to  large  pro- 
portions. He  now  has  his  office  and  yard  on 
Sixth  and  Cherokee  streets,  and  is  the  oldest 
lumber  merchant  in  the  city.  Until  1872  the 
business  was  carried  on  under  the  firm  title  of 
Garrett  &  Rush,  but  afterward  the  firm  name 
was  Robert  Garrett  &  Co.,  and  in  1880  his  son, 
John  R.,  was  admitted  as  a  partner,  the  title, 
however,  remaining  unchanged.  During  the 
spring  of  1880  a  branch  lumber  business  was  es- 
tablished in  Kansas  City,  Kans.,  where  the  firm 
of  Garrett  &  Griest  have  established  a  growing 
and  profitable  trade. 

During  his  residence  in  Kentucky  Mr.  Garrett 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ellen  Cobb, 
who  was  born  there.  Five  children  comprise 
their  family,  namely:  Mary,  who  graduated  from 
the  high  school  of  Leavenworth,  and  is  now  the 
wife  of  Joseph  S.  Keith,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.; 
John  R.,  who  is  his  father's  business  partner; 
Samuel  C,  a  graduate  of  the  business  college  of 
this  city  and  now  bookkeeper  for  his  father; 
Frank,  who  graduated  from  the  high  school, 
Hamilton  College,  and  the  law  department  of  the 
Michigan  State  University,  and  is  now  an  attor- 
ney in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.;  and  Joseph  H.,  who 
resides  in  Leavenworth. 

In  political  views  Mr.  Garrett  supports  Demo- 
cratic principles,  but  has  never  been  active  in 
politics,  nor  desired  offices  of  a  public  nature, 
preferring  to  devote  himself  to  his  business  af- 
fairs. He  assisted  in  organizing  the  Manufac- 
turers' National  Bank,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  until  he  severed  his  connection 
with  the  bank.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  surviving 
members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  in 
which  he  has  long  officiated  as  a  deacon,     A  man 


of  known  reliability  and  excellent  judgment,  he 
has  prospered  in  his  undertakings,  and  is  now 
the  owner  of  property  in  the  city,  of  whose  busi- 
ness men  he  is  among  the  most  progressive  and 
enterprising.  In  the  midst  of  his  busy  life  and 
his  pleasant  surroundings  he  has  never  forgotten 
his  old  home  beyond  the  seas,  and  in  1871,  a  few 
years  before  the  death  of  his  aged  mother,  he  re- 
turned to  Ireland  to  visit  her,  at  the  same  time 
renewing  the  associations  of  his  boyhood's  home. 


REAZIN  V.  FLORA.  The  year  1857  was  a 
momentous  one  in  the  history  of  Kansas, 
for  it  was  then  that  hundreds  of  men  came  to 
the  state  in  order  to  assist  in  deciding  its  fate  as 
a  free  or  slave  state,  and  many  of  these  men  in 
after  days  were  intimately  identified  with  the  prog- 
ress of  the  commonwealth.  Among  these  pio- 
neers was  Mr.  Flora,  a  contractor  and  builder, 
who  had  followed  that  occupation  successfully 
in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  Logansport,  Ind.  He 
came  west  at  a  time  of  great  excitement,  when 
the  dark  clouds  of  civil  strife  were  hovering 
over  the  state  and  when  the  storm  was  almost 
ready  to  sweep  over  a  whole  nation.  His  after 
life  was  connected  with  the  history  of  Leaven- 
worth, of  which  he  was  a  pioneer  and  prominent 
citizen.  Like  all  pioneers,  he  was  hospitable  and 
generous;  yet  he  possessed  decided  opinions,  in  the 
expression  of  which  he  was  frank.  He  was  a 
man  of  quiet  tastes,  and  the  positions  of  official 
prominence  which  he  held  were  not  of  his  seek- 
ing; but,  when  elected  to  them,  he  was  faithful 
in  the  discharge  of  the  trust. 

A  native  of  West  Virginia,  born  in  Wirt  County 
in  18 1 3,  Mr.  Flora  was  a  son  of  Adam  Flora,  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  His  ancestors  were 
colonial  settlers  of  Virginia  and  a  number  of  the 
family  took  part  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  At 
the  time  he  settled  in  Leavenworth  he  was  a 
man  of  middle  age.  Being  an  efficient  con- 
tractor he  was  given  many  important  contracts 
and  furnished  employment  for  hundreds  of  work- 
men. He  held  a  number  of  contracts  with  the 
government,  and  erected  several  buildings  for  the 
government  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  he  also  had 


DELOS  N.  BARNES. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


451 


a  contract  with  the  state  to  erect  the  first  wing  of 
the  state  penitentiarj-  at  Lansing.  Many  sub- 
stantial business  blocks  in  Leavenworth  were 
erected  under  his  supervision,  and  he  continued 
actively  engaged  in  business  until  his  retirement 
in  1880. 

In  politics  Mr.  Flora  was  a  Jacksonian  Demo- 
crat of  the  original  type.  He  always  held  to  the 
principles  of  his  party  and  voted  the  ticket  at  lo- 
cal and  general  elections.  During  the  border 
warfare  days  he  was  a  member  of  the  city  coun- 
cil, at  the  time  that  D.  R.  Anthony  was  mayor. 
For  two  years  he  held  ofSce  as  sheriff  of  Leaven- 
worth County,  a  position  of  great  responsibility,  but 
which  he  filled  efficiently.  In  1869  he  was  elected 
to  the  state  legislature  and  served  in  that  body 
for  one  term.  Fraternally  he  was  interested  in 
Masonry  and  held  membership  in  the  blue  lodge, 
chapter  and  commandery,  being  a  Knight  Temp- 
lar. He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife, 
who  was  Jane  McCoy,  died  in  Logansport,  Ind., 
leaving  three  children:  Chauncey ,  of  Leaven  worth; 
Mary,  wife  of  Charles  J.  Smith,  of  Chicago;  and 
Annabel,  who  married  J.  A.  Stiner,  of  Lincoln, 
Neb.  During  the  year  of  his  removal  to  Leaven- 
worth he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs. 
Margaret  (Bell)  Strait,  by  whom  he  had  two 
sons,  Horace  P.  and  George  V..  both  traveling 
salesmen,  with  headquarters  in  Leavenworth. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Flora  occurred  in  this  city 
March  15,  1895. 

0ELOS  N.  BARNES,  of  Leavenworth,  a  pio- 
neer of  '59  in  Kansas,  is  a  member  of  a 
family  that  has  been  represented  in  America 
since  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  or 
early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The  line  of 
genealog}'  and  the  various  generations  cannot  be 
definitely  traced,  however,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
his  father,  James  Barnes,  was  left  an  orphan  in 
childhood  and  hence  never  learned  the  family 
history.  But  it  may  be  inferred  from  the  record 
made  by  nineteenth  century  representatives  that 
preceding  generations  were  loyally  devoted  to 
the  welfare  of  our  country  and  large  contributors 
to  its  development. 

Reared  by  an  uncle  in  Oneida  County,  N.  Y. , 


James  Barnes  made  agriculture  his  life  work. 
During  the  war  of  1812  he  was  the  first  man  to 
respond  to  the  call  for  volunteers  to  defend 
Sacket's  Harbor,  and  enlisted  at  Rome,  N.  Y. 
When  Chautauqua  County  was  virtually  a  wilder- 
ness, ere  yet  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  reclaim 
its  forests  from  their  primitive  wildness,  he  set- 
tled there  and  cleared  a  tract  of  land,  on  which 
he  made  many  valuable  improvements.  Starting 
in  as  a  farmer  on  a  small  scale,  he  gradually  added 
to  his  possessions,  and  in  time  became  the  owner 
of  four  hundred  acres.  He  experienced  the  hard- 
ships and  deprivations  incident  to  pioneer  life, 
but,  unlike  many  pioneers,  was  spared  to  see 
much  of  the  result  of  his  work  and  to  enjoy  the 
comforts  his  years  of  toil  rendered  possible.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Whig  until  the  formation  of  the 
Republican  party,  which  party,  after  1856,  he 
supported  with  his  vote.  His  marriage  united 
him  with  Amanda,  daughter  of  Solomon  Noble, 
of  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  and  a  descendant  of  a 
family  that  was  represented  among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Virginia;  her  great-grandmother  was  a 
member  of  the  well-known  Loudoun  County 
family  of  Lees. 

Of  a  family  of  four  children,  the  subject  of  this 
article  is  the  sole  survivor.  His  primary  educa- 
tion was  obtained  in  a  school  kept  in  a  log  house 
that  had  been  built  by  the  people  of  the  immedi- 
ate neighborhood.  Afterward  he  attended  an 
academy  in  Westfield,  and  later  was  a  student  in 
Union  College  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  Meantime, 
during  vacations,  he  assisted  his  father  in  making 
improvements  on  the  home  place;  but  upon  the 
completion  of  his  college  course  he  left  New 
York  and  went  to  Chicago,  where,  as  civil 
engineer,  he  was  connected  with  the  building  of 
the  Chicago  &  Galena  Railroad.  In  1853  he  lo- 
cated and  had  charge  of  the  building  of  a  divis- 
ion of  the  Chicago  &  Milwaukee  road,  and  was 
connected  with  the  Illinois  &  Wisconsin. 
These  various  lines  were  soon  consolidated  with 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  into 
which  they  were  merged. 

When  making  explorations  from  Fond  du  Lac 
to  strike  the  iron  region,  Mr.  Barnes  spent  the 
sunnner  of  1857   in   preliminary  surveys  for  the 


452 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


road,  and  in  this  work  had  Indians  as  his  guides. 
However,  the  panic  of  1857  put  an  end  to  further 
operations  in  that  localit)'.  For  two  years  he  was 
employed  as  chief  engineer  for  the  road  running 
southwest  from  Oshkosh,  Wis.  In  1859  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  chief  engineer  of  the  Park- 
ville  &  Grand  River  road,  and  had  charge  of  the 
building  of  the  roadbed  from  Parkville  to  Cam- 
eron. The  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  prevented 
the  completion  of  the  road.  In  1861  he  bought 
a  flock  of  sheep  in  New  York  and  shipped  them 
to  Burlington;  Iowa,  from  which  point  he  had 
them  driven  to  Kansas;  this  was  the  first  flock  of 
any  size  brought  into  the  state. 

Owing  to  physical  disability,  Mr.  Barnes  was 
not  eligible  to  enlistment  in  the  army,  but  he  en- 
tered the  government  service  as  master  of  trans- 
portation in  the  Second  Cavalry,  acting  generally 
as  agent  for  the  quartermaster,  looking  after 
trains  and  providing  forage  for  the  regiment 
while  on  the  march.  In  1863-64  he  was  princi- 
pally engaged  in  providing  supplies  for  the  post 
at  Fort  Leavenworth.  In  the  fall  of  the  latter 
year  he  was  sent  by  Quartermaster  Durbin  to 
gather  the  transportation  property  on  the  route 
between  Forts  Leavenworth  and  Smith,  and  take 
it  out  of  the  reach  of  Price's  men,  then  raiding 
in  this  country.  This  difficult  task  he  accom- 
plished successfully,  without  the  loss  of  any  of 
the  government  property,  which  he  removed  thirty 
or  forty  miles  from  the  border  and  retained  it 
there  until  the  fight  was  over. 

In  1859  Mr.  Barnes  had  taken  up  land  in  Kan- 
sas, and  three  years  later  he  purchased  a  farm 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  High 
Prairie  Township,  upon  which  he  placed  his 
family.  After  the  surrender  of  Lee  and  the  fall 
of  the  Confederacy  he  took  up  his  residence  on 
this  farm  and  remained  on  the  place  until  1878, 
meanwhile  operating  eight  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  as  a  stock  and  dairy  farm.  Removing  into 
town  in  1878,  he  was  for  several  years  engaged  in 
building  the  Leavenworth,  Topeka  &  Southwest- 
ern Railroad  and  the  Topeka,  Salina  &  West- 
ern Railroad.  Afterward  he  became  interested 
in  building  a  part  of  the  sewerage  system  of 
Kansas    City.       Of  recent   years  he  has  given 


his  attention  to  various  industries,  the  manufac- 
ture of  furniture  and  other  mercantile  enterprises, 
but  lately  chiefly  to  the  oversight  of  his  farms  in 
this  county,  as  well  as  two  farms  he  owns  in  Mis- 
souri. Besides  these  properties  he  owns  consid- 
erable real  estate  in  Kansas  City  and  Leaven- 
worth and  has  a  comfortable  home  at  No.  613 
Chestnut  street,  Leavenworth,  built  by  himself 
in  1882-83. 

While  not  active  in  politics,  Mr.  Barnes  has  al- 
ways supported  Republican  principles.  During 
the  trying  times  prior  to  the  war  he  did  much 
by  his  influence  to  maintain  law  and  justice  in 
Kansas,  and  his  conservative  judgment  acted  as 
a  wise  check  to  men  whose  impulses  were  rasher 
than  his.  The  Union  had  in  him  a  stanch  sup- 
porter. For  twenty  years  he  served  as  county 
engineer,  for  four  years  was  county  surveyor  and 
for  a  similar  period  held  the  position  of  city  en- 
gineer, being  in  charge  of  the  latter  oflBce  at  the 
time  the  Leavenworth,  Topeka  &  Southwestern 
road  was  building.  It  has  been  his  steadfast 
policy  to  refuse  nomination  for  political  offices, 
and  when  nominated  at  one  time  for  representa- 
tive he  refused  the  nomination.  For  four  j-ears, 
under  Governor  Martin,  he  had  the  contract  for 
handling  the  product  of  the  state  coal  mine,  and 
was  the  only  one  ever  holding  the  contract  who 
carried  it  out  successfully.  In  fraternal  relations 
he  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason. 

February  2,  1859,  Mr.  Barnes  married  Caro- 
line M.  Wilson,  of  Westfield,  Chautauqua 
County,  N.  Y.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Wilson,  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  Scotch  Stuarts, 
and  the  youngest  of  a  large  family  of  children 
whose  parents  emigrated  from  Scotland  and  set- 
tled in  the  eastern  part  of  New  York.  He 
was  the  only  one  of  the  children  born  in  the 
United  States.  His  occupation  was  that  of  farm- 
ing. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnes  became  the  parents  of 
four  children:  Hiram  Wilson,  a  farmer  of  Leav- 
enworth County;  Jennie,  wife  of  Thomas  With- 
ers, a  civil  and  mining  engineer  of  Denver, 
Colo.;  Jessie  and  Caroline  A.,  accomplished  and 
popular  young  ladies,  who  are  taking  care  of  the 
home  since  the  death  of  their  mother.  The 
young  ladies  are  members  of  the  Whittier  Club, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


453 


the  oldest  and  best-known  young  ladies'  club  of 
Leavenworth,  of  which  Miss  Jessie  is  now  presi- 
dent, she  being  the  thirteenth  who  has  held  the 
oflSce.  Mr.  Barnes  suffered  the  loss  of  his  wife, 
who  departed  this  life  February  ii,  1S93,  deeply 
mourned,  not  only  by  the  family,  who  were  de- 
prived of  her  loving  care,  but  also  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances.  She  was 
connected  with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  was  a 
charter  member  of  the  Art  League,  and  for  many 
years  one  of  the  most  active  members  of  the  Or- 
phan Asylum  board  of  trustees.  She  was  a  lady 
of  charitable  disposition,  kind  to  the  unfortunate 
and  sympathetic  with  the  sorrowing,  and  had 
many  warm  friends  among  the  people  of  this 
neighborhood. 

I  ORENZO  W.  HINDMAN,  the  owner  of  a 
I  C  valuable  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
li2?  situated  in  Palmyra  Township,  Douglas 
County,  was  born  in  Sardinia,  Brown  County, 
Ohio,  June  9,  1841.  His  father,  Samuel,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  Ohio,  learned  the  cabinet- 
maker's trade,  which  he  followed  in  that  state  for 
some  years.  In  May,  1857,  he  came  to  Kansas, 
selected  Douglas  County  as  his  future  home  and 
pre-empted  a  claim  in  Willow  Springs  Township, 
near  the  present  property  of  his  son.  The  sur- 
rounding country  was  wild  and  unimproved,  re- 
taining the  appearance  of  primeval  nature,  and  it 
required  constant  eflFort  through  many  years  to 
bring  the  land  under  excellent  cultivation,  but  he 
was  determined  and  persevering,  and  in  the  end 
met  with  considerable  success.  After  about 
twenty-five  years  on  the  same  place  he  sold  the 
property  and  removed  to  Carthage,  111.,  where 
he  lived  retired  until  his  death,  at  seventy-seven 
years.  A  stanch  Republican,  he  was  frequently 
elected  to  office  by  his  party.  During  the  '60s 
he  represented  the  district  in  the  state  legislature 
for  one  term,  and  for  several  years  served  as 
county  commissioner. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  William  Hind- 
man,  was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  and  at 
an  early  age  accompanied  his  parents  to  Ken- 
tucky. When  eighteen  he  went  with  them  to 
Highland  County,  Ohio,  where  and  in  the  adr 


joining  county  of  Brown  he  spent  the  remaining 
years  of  his  life,  dying  at  the  age  of  eighty-five. 
During  the  war  of  18 12  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
and  at  the  expiration  of  his  time  re-enlisted  and 
was  made  first  lieutenant  of  his  company.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Whig  and  in  religion  a  Presby- 
terian. His  father,  Samuel,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
came  to  America  at  sixteen  years  of  age,  settled 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  followed  the  weaver's  trade 
in  addition  to  farm  pursuits.  At  the  opening  of 
the  Revolutionary  war  he  was  commissioned 
lieutenant,  later  served  as  adjutant  for  a  year, 
and  on  the  reorganization  of  the  company  was 
assigned  to  duty  on  General  Washington's  staff. 
Unfortunately,  a  few  days  later,  when  General 
Washington  shot  a  beef,  Mr.  Hindman,  who  was 
near  and  attempted  to  hold  the  cow  down,  was 
kicked  by  it  so  severely  that  he  was  disabled.  As 
soon  as  he  had  recovered  sufficiently  to  resume 
work  he  secured  three  yoke  of  oxen  and  engaged 
in  hauling  supplies  for  the  colonial  army,  in 
which  work  he  continued  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  a  stanch  Whig  and  a  personal 
friend  of  Washington.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  ninety-nine  years  of  age. 

.Our  subject's  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Narcissa  Gilliland.  She  was  born  in  Ohio  and 
is  still  living,  being  now  seventy-eight  years  of 
age.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  public  and 
private  schools.  While  his  parents  were  on  the 
frontier  in  Kansas  they  sent  him  back  to  Ohio, 
desiring  that  he  should  have  better  advantages 
than  were  then  possible  in  the  west,  but  he  failed 
to  realize  the  privilege  and  ran  away,  returning 
to  his  frontier  home.  March  6,  1862,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  C,  Third  Kansas  Infantry,  and  later 
was  transferred  to  the  Ninth  Regiment,  serving 
for  three  years.  During  most  of  the  time  he  was 
engaged  in  bushwhacking  on  the  border  or  in 
scout  duty,  and  was  neither  wounded  nor  taken 
prisoner.  On  his  return  home  he  bought  a  farm 
adjoining  his  father's  place.  In  1881  he  rented 
the  farm  that  he  purchased  two  years  later  and 
upon  which  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He 
married  Lizzie  Taylor,  of  this  county,  and  they 
have  twelve  children. 

As  a  Republican,  Mr.  Hindman  has  been  act- 


454 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ive  in  local  politics.  In  1891  he  was  elected 
sheriff  and  served,  by  re-election,  for  four  j-ears, 
which  is  the  limit  of  the  office  in  Kansas.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  ever  since 
he  attained  his  majority,  and  like  his  father  has 
always  been  influential  in  school  work.  Fre- 
quently he  has  served  as  a  delegate  to  county 
conventions,  where  his  influence  is  always  given 
in  behalf  of  a  vigorous  policy  on  the  part  of  the 
party.  He  is  one  of  the  charter  members  of 
E.  D.  Baker  Post  No.  40,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Baldwin. 


r^  D.  STOKELY,  who  is  engaged  in  farming 
L/^  and  stock-raising  on  section  8,  Harrison 
^5  Township,  Franklin  County,  was  born  in 
Mercer  County,  Pa.,  in  1847,  a  son  of  James  A. 
and  Hannah  (McEwen)  Stokely.  His  father, 
who  was  a  native  of  Mercer  County,  left  there  in 
1856,  accompanying  a  surveying  party  to  Kansas, 
where  he  assisted  in  surveying  parts  of  eastern 
Kansas,  laying  out  county  and  township  lines, 
and  continuing  for  some  time  in  the  government 
employ.  From  Kansas  he  made  a  trip  overland 
to  California,  remaining  in  Marysville  for  two 
years.  On  his  return  east  he  brought  his  family 
from  Pennsylvania  to  Marion  County,  111.,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  there.  From  1859  to  1874  he 
carried  on  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  also  en- 
gaged in  cutting  down  timber,  operating  a  saw- 
mill and  contracting  and  building.  In  1879  he 
again  came  to  Kansas,  this  time  as  a  settler  in 
Marshall  County.  In  1883  he  removed  to  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo.,  and  retired  from  active  cares.  His 
death  occurred  in  that  city  in  1898,  when  he  was 
seventy-nine^  years  of  age.  At  the  time  of  his 
first  trip  to  Kansas  he  stopped  in  Kansas  City, 
where  only  one  house  then  stood.  However, 
other  houses  soon  sprang  up  and  he  assisted  in 
doing  some  building  there.  From  youth  he  was 
a  believer  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  and  took  an  active  part  in  its  work. 
The  Republican  party,  from  the  time  of  its  or- 
ganization until  his  death,  received  his  stanch 
support. 

The  Stokely  family  was  founded  in  America  by 
John  Stokely,  a  native  of  Scotland,  who  ^crossed 


the  ocean  years  before  the  Revolutionarj'  war  and 
settled  in  Maryland,  where  it  is  supposed  that  he 
died.  His  son,  Benjamin  F.  (fatherof  James  A.), 
was  born  in  Maryland  near  the  Pennsylvania 
line.  He  was  a  man  of  far  more  than  ordinary 
ability  and  wielded  a  large  influence  upon  his 
fellow-citizens.  Going  to  Mercer  County,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-seven  he  laid  out  the  county 
for  the  government  and  was  the  first  man  to  per- 
manently settle  there,  the  date  of  his  location  be- 
ing October  15,  1795.  The  remainder  of  his  life 
was  spent  in  that  then  new  county,  and  he  be- 
came the  owner  of  about  two  thousand  acres 
there,  almost  all  of  which  was  given  him  in  pay- 
ment for  his  services  as  surveyor.  Not  only  was 
he  a  large  farmer,  but  a  successful  one  as  well. 
His  talents  were  varied.  He  seemed  fitted  not 
only  for  farming,  but  also  for  public  life,  and  the 
offices  which  he  held  were  filled  with  the  greatest 
efficiency.  Politically  he  was  an  old-line  Whig. 
For  years  he  was  the  leading  man  of  the  county, 
in  the  early  history  of  which  he  was  prominent. 
His  long  and  intimate  connection  with  local  af- 
fairs made  it  appropriate  that  he  should  prepare 
and  compile  a  history  of  the  county,  and  cer- 
tainly no  one  was  better  fitted  for  the  task  than  he. 
He  died  in  Mercer  County  when  eighty  years  of 
age. 

During  his  residence  in  Mercer  County  James 
A.  Stokely  married  Miss  McEwen,  who  was 
born  there  and  who  is  now  (at  seventy-seven 
years)  making  her  home  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
In  the  latter  city  her  oldest  and  youngest  sons, 
Samuel  B.  and  James  A.,  also  reside.  Her 
father,  Samuel  B.  McEwen,  was  a  native  of  Scot- 
land and  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  died. 
When  our  subject  was  eleven  years  of  age  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Illinois,  where  he 
grew  to  manhood.  In  1881  he  came  to  Kansas 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Marshall  County,  where 
he  made  his  home  for  almost  nine  years,  mean- 
time not  only  farming,  but  also  traveling  for  the 
Keystone  Manufacturing  Company.  In  1890  he 
established  his  home  in  Kansas  City,  but  con- 
tinued to  travel  for  the  firm  until  1892,  when  he 
bought  the  old  Whipple  farm  in  Harrison  Town- 
ship, Franklin  County.     Since   then    he  has  re- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


4S5 


sided  on  this  place,  engaging  principally  in  rais- 
ing and  feeding  stock,  and  using  much  of  his 
farm  (one-quarter  of  a  section  in  size)  for  pastur- 
age of  stock.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  A 
believer  in  good  schools,  while  serving  on  the 
school  board  for  several  years  he  labored  to  se- 
cure for  the  children  of  the  district  all  the  ad- 
vantages of  good  schools. 

March  23,  1879,  Mr.  Stokelj' married  Florence 
N.  Edwards,  who  was  born  in  Clark  County,  111., 
a  great-granddaughter  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
and  a  member  of  a  prominent  family,  long  influ- 
ential in  the  south,  one  of  whose  most  noted  rep- 
resentatives was  General  Morgan,  of  the  Confed- 
erate army.  Her  father,  William  Morgan  Ed- 
wards, M.  D.,  was  born  near  Charle.ston,  S.  C, 
and  practiced  medicine  for  some  years  in  Mar- 
shall County,  Kans.,  where  he  settled  in  i860. 
Later  he  spent  ten  years  in  Pawnee  City,  Neb. 
His  death  occurred  in  Thomas  County,  Kans. 
During  a  portion  of  his  residence  here  he  served 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  medical  examiners 
for  pensions.  One  of  his  brothers,  Albert  Ed- 
wards, M.  D.,  is  now  engaged  in  practice  at 
Marysville,  Kans.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stokely  are 
identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  are  worthy  citizens  of  their  community. 
They  have  four  children,  all  at  home:  Edna  B., 
Mabel  A.,  Delma  E.  and  Oeber  G. 


HUGH  SHANNON,  a  retired  farmer  residing 
in  Lenape,  Leavenworth  County,  was  born 
in  ea.slern  Tennessee  in  1836,  a  son  of  Hugh 
and  Susan  (Henry)Shannon.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  banished  from  Ireland  and  came  to 
America  before  the  Revolutionary  war,  settling 
in  Virginia.  His  maternal  ancestors  were  exiles 
from  England  in  an  early  day  and  settled  as  pio- 
neers in  Cocke  County,  Tenn.  Hugh  Shannon, 
Sr.,  was  born  in  the  Old  Dominion  in  1801  and 
when  small  accompanied  his  parents  to  eastern 
Tennessee,  where  he  resided  until  forty-five  years 
of  age.  He  then  removed  to  Murray  County,  Ga., 
and  there  made  his  home  until  1870,  the  year 
of  his  settlement  in  Kansas.  His  last  years 
were  spent  in  retirement    upon  his  son's  farm  in 


Leavenworth  County,  where  he  died  in  1877, 
aged  seventy-six.  While  in  Tennessee  and 
Georgia  he  took  an  active  part  in  local  affairs  and 
was  a  prominent  Democrat,  although  during  war 
times  he  sided  with  the  Union,  being  opposed  to 
the  institution  of  slavery.  For  many  years  he 
was  a  tax  collector  in  Georgia  and  he  also  held 
the  oiBce  of  justice.  His  wife  died  in  Leaven- 
worth County  when  eighty  years  of  age.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living,  viz.:  John,  of  Murray  County,  Ga.; 
Robert,  of  Leavenworth  County,  Kans. ;  Hugh; 
William,  also  of  Leavenworth  County;  and 
George,  who  is  living  in  the  Indian  Territory. 

Upon  a  farm  in  Murray  County,  Ga.,  the  boy- 
hood years  of  our  subject  were  quietly  passed  until 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war.  In  1862  he 
was  drafted  into  the  Confederate  army,  but  only 
served  for  one  year.  As  soon  as  he  left  the  army 
he  went  to  New  York.  For  six  years  he  was 
employed  on  the  steamboat  "Thomas  Cornell," 
plying  on  the  Hudson  River  between  New  York 
and  Kingston.  In  1869  he  returned  to  Georgia, 
where  he  visited  his  parents  and  friends.  In  the 
spring  of  1870  he  brought  his  parents  to  Kansas 
and  settled  in  Lenape.  Soon  afterward  he  bought 
an  eighty-acre  tract  in  the  Delaware  reserve. 
This  property  he  still  owns.  During  the  years 
that  have  intervened  he  has  bought,  improved 
and  sold  considerable  farming  land,  and  has  been 
successful  in  his  enterprises.  The  farm  which  he 
cultivated  adjoins  the  village  line  and  he  has  al- 
ways made  his  home  in  town.  He  has  made 
a  specialty  of  raising  potatoes  and  has  also  en- 
gaged extensively  in  raising  hogs.  For  some 
years  he  also  carried  on  a  grocery,  building  up  a 
trade  among  the  people  of  the  village  and  sur- 
rounding country.  He  also  bought  and  shipped 
grain  and  stock.  Altogether  he  was  for  years  one 
of  the  active  business  men  of  his  section  of  the 
county ,  but  more  recently  he  has  been  to  a  large  ex  - 
tent  retired  from  business  cares,  although  he  still 
maintains  an  oversight  of  his  property  interests. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  for  nearly 
twent}'  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  county 
central  committee,  has  also  served  for  two  terms 
as  treasurer  and  trustee   of  Sherman  Township, 


456 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  for  twenty  years  has  acted  as  treasurer  of  the 
Lenape  school  board.  He  is  now  filling  the 
position  of  notary  public,  to  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed in  1887  by  Governor  Martin.  In  1877, 
under  President  Hayes,  he  was  appointed  post- 
master at  Lenape,  which  office  he  held  during 
that  administration  and  also  during  the  adminis- 
tration of  President  Harrison.  During  the  long 
period  of  his  residence  in  Lenape  he  has  become 
well  known  among  the  people  of  Leavenworth 
County  and  by  his  uprightness  of  character  has 
won  a  host  of  warm  personal  friends. 


G]  UGUST  GATES,  a  pioneer  of  Leavenworth, 
U  now  deceased,  was  born  in  Darmstadt  ,Ger- 
/  I  many,  July  2,  1826,  and  in  1845  came  alone 
to  America,  where  he  worked  at  any  honest  oc- 
cupation he  could  find.  At  the  opening  of  the 
war  with  Mexico  he  enlisted  in  the  armj-  and  re- 
mained at  the  front  until  its  close.  At  the  time 
Leavenworth  was  being  started  he  came  here  and 
at  once  identified  himself  with  the  young  town. 
In  1856  he  erected  a  building  on  the  corner  of 
Second  and  Delaware  streets,  which  is  still  stand- 
ing. Investing  largely  in  real  estate,  both  city  and 
country,  with  the  rise  in  values  he  became  well- 
to-do.  In  1866  he  bought  the  lot  and  erected 
the  residence  where  his  family  now  resides.  The 
place  was  whollj'  unimproved,  and  he  set  out  a 
number  of  shade  trees  that  now  add  greatly  to  the 
attractiveness  of  the  homestead.  While  he  al- 
ways made  his  home  in  town,  he  continued  to  su- 
perintend the  management  of  his  farms.  During 
the  days  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  stanch  in  his 
adherence  to  the  Union  cause.  Politically  he  al- 
ways favored  the  Republican  party  in  national 
affairs,  but  in  local  matters  voted  for  the  best 
man.  During  1863  and  1864  he  held  the  office 
of  county  clerk.  Fraternally  he  was  connected 
with  the  Masonic  order  and  in  religion  was  a 
Presbyterian.  After  years  of  residence  in  Leav- 
enworth he  died,  January  21,  1894,  and  was 
mourned  as  a  good  citizen  and  upright  man. 

March  19,  1865,  Mr.  Gates  married  Johanna  F. 
Elbert,  a  lady  of  noble  character.  Of  the  five 
children  born  to  their  union,  three   are  living: 


William  D.,  a  contractor;  Minnie,  and  Olga,  a 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Leavenworth. 
Mrs.  Gates  was  a  daughter  of  George  P.  Elbert, 
who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  this  city.  He 
was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  and 
emigrated  to  America  in  1843,  spending  some 
time  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  St.  Joseph,  Mo., 
where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business. 
In  1854  he  settled  in  Leavenworth,  where  he 
started  the  first  store  in  the  town.  He  erected 
the  frame  building  on  Second  near  Delaware, 
which  is  the  oldest  building  now  standing  in  the 
city.  Much  of  his  time  was  given  to  the  devel- 
opment of  his  real-estate  interests.  His  age  pro- 
hibited him  from  being  admitted  into  the  state 
militia,  but  he  served  in  the  home  guard.  In 
disposition  he  was  quiet  and  retiring.  He  died 
in  1885,  when  seventy-five  years  of  age. 


EHARLES  C.  SPENCER,  who  is  one  of  the 
well-known  farmers  of  the  southern  part  of 
Leavenworth  County,  was  born  in  Buchanan 
County,  Mo.,  in  1847,  being  a  son  of  Obadiah  M. 
and  Nancy  (Williams)  Spencer,  and  a  brother  of 
W.  F.  Spencer,  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume. He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  re- 
ceived such  educational  advantages  as  the  com- 
mon schools  aSbrded.  When  his  parents  removed 
to  Kansas  he  remained  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Buchanan  County,  and  carried  on  a  general  line 
of  farming  there  for  five  years.  In  1878  he  fol- 
lowed his  parents  and  brothers  into  Leavenworth 
County,  Kans.,  where  he  bought  property  in 
Sherman  Township  and  at  once  began  the  im- 
provement and  cultivation  of  his  new  place.  In 
the  years  that  followed  he  transformed  the  farm 
into  one  of  the  best  in  the  neighborhood.  In 
1890  he  purchased  his  present  property,  compris- 
ing one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  where  he  has 
since  engaged  in  raising  the  cereals  to  which  the 
soil  is  adapted,  and  has  also  conducted  a  stock 
business. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Spencer  is  a  stanch 
Democrat  and  always  votes  the  party  ticket.  He 
has  taken  an  interest  in  local  matters  and  has  en- 
deavored to   discharge   every  duty    as  a  public- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


457 


spirited,  patriotic  citizen.  In  the  office  of  trus- 
tee of  Sherman  Township,  which  he  filled  for  four 
years,  his  service  was  most  satisfactory  to  the 
people  of  the  township.  He  is  a  believer  in  pub- 
lic schools  and  no  one  takes  a  deeper  interest  than 
he  in  every  movement  calculated  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  our  schools.  For  eighteen  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  district  No. 
58,  and  during  almost  that  entire  time  he  served 
as  president  of  the  board.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  Lin  wood  Lodge  No.  24i,A.F.&  A.M., 
and  Liuwood  Lodge  No.  108,  K.  P. 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Spencer  was  Mollie  Beagle, 
of  Kickapoo  Township.  She  died  leaving  one 
son,  Frank  L-  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Spen- 
cer took  place  in  1887  and  united  him  with  Miss 
Lottie  Moore,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter, 
Nannie  May. 

(fOHN  C.  HINDMAN.  The  southern  part 
I  of  Leavenworth  County,  while  it  was  settled 
(2/  somewhat  later  than  the  central  and  northern 
parts,  is  none  the  less  fertile.  Among  those  who 
have  spent  a  considerable  portion  of  their  lives 
in  Sherman  Township  and  who  have  assisted 
in  the  development  of  its  agricultural  resources 
may  be  mentioned  Mr.  Hindman.  In  1882  he 
purchased  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
and  afterward,  from  time  to  time,  he  added  to  his 
property  until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty-two  acres.  His  farm  is  one  of  the 
finest  of  those  lying  along  Stranger  Creek. 
While  he  has  engaged  in  raising  the  various 
cereals,  his  specialty  has  been  potatoes,  and  he 
has  between  fifty  and  sixty  acres  planted  to  these, 
in  the  raising  of  which  he  has  been  quite  suc- 
cessful. 

William  T.  Hindman,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio,  December  20, 
1825,  and  made  his  home  there  until  1851,  when 
he  settled  in  Galesburg,  111.  Seven  years  later 
he  came  to  Douglas  County,  Kans.,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  Law- 
rence and  of  Douglas  County,  where  he  was  for 
a  time  in  the  government  employ  and  also  car- 
ried on  farm  pursuits.  After  ten  years  there,  in 
1868  he  purchased  land  on  the  Delaware  reserva- 


tion, the  property  having  once  been  a  favorite 
stamping  ground  of  the  Indians,  and  on  the  farm 
still  stood  an  Indian  council  house.  He  began 
to  improve  the  land  and  after  a  time,  through  his 
industry,  the  place  became  quite  valuable.  In 
1889  he  retired  from  general  farming  and  re- 
turned to  Lawrence,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  Sherman  Township  he  held  a  number 
of  local  offices  and  was  an  active  worker  in  Re- 
publican ranks.  He  is  one  of  the  survivors  of 
the  Lawrence  massacre,  August  21,  1863.  His 
father,  William  Hindman,  Sr.,  was  a  lifelong 
resident  of  Ohio.  The  latter's  father,  Samuel 
Hindman,  who  was  a  descendant  of  Scotch-Irish 
ancestors,  emigrated  from  Ireland  to  Lancaster 
County,  Pa.,  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war. 

By  the  marriage  of  William  T.  Hindman,  Jr., 
and  Amanda  Gaddis  six  children  were  born. 
The  following  lived  to  maturity:  Susan,  wife  of 
E.  W.  Lucas;  John  C;  and  Lizzie,  who  married 
W.  C.  Bigger,  of  Lawrence.  Those  deceased 
were:  Caroline,  Emma  and  Daisy.  The  only 
son  was  born  in  Knox  County,  111.,  January  7, 
1856,  and  was  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
settled  in  Kansas,  so  he  remembers  no  other 
home  than  this.  He  received  his  primary  educa- 
tion in  the  Lawrence  public  schools  and  after 
removing  to  Leavenworth  Count}',  at  twelve 
years  of  age,  attended  for  some  time  the  schools 
of  Sherman  Township.  Upon  the  retirement  of 
his  father,  in  1889,  he  succeeded  to  the  manage- 
ment of  the  farm.  A  visitor  to  his  farm  will  see 
that  good  buildings  have  been  erected,  modern 
machinery  has  been  introduced,  the  land  has  been 
subdivided  into  pastures  and  fields  of  convenient 
size  by  an  excellent  system  of  fencing,  and  all 
the  improvements  of  a  model  farm  have  been  in- 
troduced. Farming  has  been  Mr.  Hindman's 
life  occupation,  and  the  energetic  manner  in 
which  he  has  taken  hold  of  all  ideas  tending  to 
enhance  the  value  of  his  property  has  had  much 
to  do  with  his  success  as  an  agriculturist.  On 
his  place  he  has  everything  necessary  to  make  a 
comfortable  rural  home. 

Mr.  Hindman  enjoys  a  reputation  not  only  as 


458 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  substantial  farmer,  but  also  £-3  an  intelligent 
citizen  and  a  man  thoroughly  posted  concerning 
public  affairs.  No  matter  how  engrossing  he 
finds  his  farm  duties,  he  alwa}-s  spares  time  to 
keep  conversant  with  the  problems  confronting 
our  nation,  and  is  an  intelligent  reader  and 
thinker.  His  vote  is  given  to  the  Republican 
party.  For  three  years,  as  township  treasurer, 
he  served  faithfullj^  and  well,  and  he  has  also  been 
a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  is  a  member 
of  Linwood  Lodge  No.  242,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
November  14,  1888,  he  married  Regena  Friden- 
stine,  who  was  born  in  Erie  County,  Ohio,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Angeline  (Curth)  Friden- 
stine.  They  have  three  children,  Olive  May, 
Jennie  Belle  and  Grace  Faj'.  The  family  are 
identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
in  which  for  several  years  Mr.  Hindman  has  been 
one  of  the  stewards  and  he  and  his  wife  are 
teachers  in  the  Sunday-school. 


I  UTHER  P.  KINDRED.  During  the  year 
It  1890  Mr.  Kindred  came  to  Leavenworth 
L^  County  and  purchased  a  farm  on  the  Kaw 
bottom  in  Sherman  Town.ship,  near  the  village  of 
Lenape.  Here  he  has  one  hundred  and  ten  acres 
planted  to  potatoes,  in  the  raising  of  which  he  has 
met  with  success  and  which  he  makes  the  special 
feature  of  his  farm  work.  He  has  found  the  river 
bottom  to  be  splendidly  adapted  for  the  raising 
of  potatoes  and  the  large  crops  which  are  raised 
he  ships  to  markets  in  this  and  other  states.  He 
was  active  in  the  organization  of  the  association 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  growing  and  shipping 
potatoes  from  this  neighborhood,  for  several  years 
held  membership  in  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  served 
as  president  of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Benefit  As- 
sociation and  other  societies  formed  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  citizens  of  this  locality. 

Prior  to  the  first  war  with  England  William 
Kindred  left  that  country  and  settled  upon  Amer- 
ican soil.  When  the  war  began  he  enlisted  under 
General  Washington  and  remained  at  the  front 
until  liberty  was  gained  and  the  British  troops 
had  retreated  from  our  country.  Afterward  he 
settled  in  Madison  County,  Ky.     At  that  period 


Kentucky  was  considered  in  the  remote  west, 
and  men  who  settled  there  were  forced  to  endure 
all  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life.  Bears  were 
abundant  and  no  meat  was  so  plentiful  as  this, 
the  early  settlers  living  more  upon  the  spoils  of 
their  gun  than  upon  manufactured  or  imported 
articles.  William,  Jr. ,  son  of  the  Revolutionary 
soldier,  served  in  the  war  of  18 12,  and  afterward 
gave  his  attention  to  farming  in  Kentucky,  hav- 
ing in  connection  with  his  farm  a  large  apiar}'. 
By  his  marriage  to  Mary  Garland  he  had  twelve 
children,  of  whom  five  are  now  living,  namely: 
Garland,  of  Madison  County,  Ky. ;  Sarilda,  of 
Estill  County,  that  state;  Fields,  father  of  our 
subject;  Sylvester,  who  is  living  in  Clark  Count}-, 
Mo.,  and  Joshua,  of  Platte  County,  Mo. 

When  a  young  man.  Fields  Kindred  left  Ken- 
tucky and  moved  to  Clay  County,  Mo.,  but  seven 
j^ears  later  he  came  to  Kansas,  where  he  has 
since  engaged  in  the  stock  business  and  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  making  his  home  in  Wyandotte 
County.  He  married  Margaret  Prather,  by  whom 
he  has  five  children:  Mollie,  wife  of  Joseph  Wil- 
son; Mildred,  who  married  Richard  Sanders; 
John  W.,  of  John.son  Count}',  this  state;  Charles 
L.  and  Luther  P.  During  the  residence  of  the 
family  in  Clay  County,  Mo.,  our  subject  was  born 
May  24,  1865.  Almost  his  entire  life  has  been 
spent  in  Kansas,  and  his  education  was  received 
in  the  public  schools  of  Wyandotte  County.  His 
first  experience  in  farming  was  gained  in  his 
home  country,  from  which  he  went  to  Allen 
Count}',  this  state,  and  for  four  years  carried  on 
a  potato  farm.  Since  1890  he  has  made  his  home 
in  Leavenworth  County,  among  whose  farmers 
he  and  his  brother,  Charles  L. ,  hold  a  high  po- 
sition, being  respected  for  their  worth  as  men 
and  for  their  energy  as  farmers.  For  several 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
He  believes  in  aiding  any  enterprise  for  the  ben- 
efit of  his  community,  hence  he  has  been  active 
in  the  movement  for  the  erection  of  a  bridge  over 
the  Kaw  River  here.  June  25,  18S7,  he  married 
Miss  Laura  Brougham,  who  was  born  near  De- 
troit, Mich. ,  a  daughter  of  Lawrence  and  Cornelia 
(Mosher)  Brougham.  When  she  was  two  years 
of  age  her  parents  removed  to  Wyandotte  Coun- 


^uocy 


t 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


459 


ty,  Kans.  Mr.  Brougham  was  a  native  of  Ire- 
land and  came  to  America  when  he  was  about 
twelve  years  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kindred  have 
three  living  children,  Herbert,  Hazel  and  Cornelia. 


REV.  LOUIS  GUENTHER,  pastor  of  St. 
Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  at  No. 
306  North  Broadway,  Leavenworth,  was 
born  in  Hoerstein,  Kreis  Unterfranken,  Bavaria, 
July  I,  1837,  the  youngest  of  the  four  sons  of 
Sebastian  and  Susanna  (Lutz)  Guenther,  the 
former  a  shoemaker  and  farmer  and,  for  a  time,  a 
soldier  in  the  Bavarian  army.  The  older  sons 
were  Rudolph,  of  Leavenworth;  John,  who  died 
in  this  city  November  30,  1898;  and  Adam,  who 
is  living  retired  in  Leavenworth. 

The  boyhood  days  of  Father  Guenther  were 
passed  in  parochial  schools  and  a  gymnasium, 
after  which  he  took  a  six  years'  course  in  classics 
in  Aschaffenburg.  In  December,  1855,  he  came 
to  America  on  a  sailing  vessel  that  reached  New 
York  harbor  after  a  voyage  of  forty-nine  days 
from  Antwerp.  Going  west,  he  joined  his 
brother  Rudolph  in  Keokuk,  Iowa.  March  28, 
1858,  he  arrived  in  Leavenworth.  At  first  he 
was  employed  by  the  firm  of  Russell,  Major  & 
Waddell.  In  1859,  in  this  city,  he  taught  the 
first  German  school  established  west  of  the  Mis- 
souri. In  September,  i860,  he  went  to  St.  Louis 
and  entered  the  college  conducted  by  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  at  Florissant,  where  he  studied  for  seven 
months.  In  March,  1861,  he  became  one  of  the 
first  students  in  the  recently  established  St. 
Benedict's  College  at  Atchison,  Kans.,  where  he 
completed  his  pl^ilosophical  course  the  next  year. 
Afterward  he  studied  theology  in  St.  Vincent's 
Abbey,  Westmoreland  County,  Pa. 

August  25,  1864,  Father  Guenther  was  or- 
dained to  the  priesthood  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  the  ordination  ceremony  occurring  in  the 
old  frame  Catholic  Church,  under  the  charge  of 
Bishop  John  B.  Miege.  With  his  headquarters 
in  Lawrence  he  began  missionary  work,  travel- 
ing through  the  counties  of  Shawnee,  Douglas, 
Franklin,  Anderson,  Lyon  and  Pottawatomie, 
and  riding  on  horseback  from  one  frontier  town 


to  another.  In  1865  he  came  to  Leavenworth  to 
prepare  himself  for  his  work  in  the  Order  of 
Carmelites.  For  a  time  he  taught  school  in  St. 
Joseph's  parish.  After  nine  months  he  returned 
to  mission  work  in  southern  Kansas,  making  his 
home  on  Pottawatomie  Creek,  in  what  is  now 
Scipio,  Anderson  County,  and  organizing  con- 
gregations throughout  that  entire  section  of 
country.  The  parish  of  Garnett,  Anderson 
County,  was  organized  through  his  efforts,  also 
those  at  Burlington,  Coifey  County,  and  Piqua, 
Woodson  County.  He  was  the  first  priest  who 
said  mass  in  the  city  of  Ottawa,  and  held  similar 
services  in  different  parts  of  Franklin  County. 
He  organized  congregations  at  Mineral  Point, 
Holy  Cross  and  Westphalia,  and  at  several  places 
had  charge  of  the  building  of  churches.  From 
Anderson  County  he  was  ordered  east  to  Cumber- 
land, Md.,  and  assigned  to  the  diocese  of  Balti- 
more, having  charge  of  missions  in  the  western 
part  of  Maryland  and  establishing  congregations 
that  are  now  large  and  prosperous. 

After  fourteen  months  Father  Guenther  re- 
turned to  Anderson  County  and  resumed  his 
former  work.  He  extended  his  mission  work 
into  other  sections  of  the  country  and  was  most 
helpful  in  promoting  the  cause  which  he  served. 
In  September,  1871,  he  was  made  pastor  of  St. 
Joseph's  Church  at  Leavenworth.  The  church 
had  just  been  completed,  under  the  supervision 
of  Father  Heimann,  and  the  work  has  been  estab- 
lished upon  a  broad  basis.  He  has  since  given 
his  attention  to  its  upbuilding.  In  1882  the 
parochial  residence  was  built,  and  when  he  left 
much  of  the  church  debt  had  been  paid.  In  1882 
he  was  transferred  to  Canada,  to  take  charge  of  a 
German  congregation,  and  he  made  his  home  at 
Niagara  Falls  for  four  years.  His  next  location 
was  at  New  Baltimore,  Somerset  County,  Pa., 
where  he  organized  a  home  for  clerical  students, 
and  for  fourteen  mouths  he  had  charge  of  the 
students  until  they  were  ordained  to  the  priest- 
hood. Returning  to  Canada,  he  was  given 
charge  of  junior  students,  but  was  taken  ill  and 
obliged  to  rest  for  a  year. 

August  25,  1889,  Father  Guenther  celebrated 
his  silver  jubilee  as  a  priest  in  St.  Joseph's  Church, 


460 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lyCavenworth,  in  the  presence  of  the  bishop  and 
many  prominent  priests.  The  occasion  was  a 
memorable  one,  and  the  honors  bestowed  upon 
him  showed  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held  by  his  associates.  Returning  to  Pittsburgh, 
Pa. ,  as  superior  of  the  Carmelite  Monastery,  he 
built  Holy  Trinity  Church  on  Center  avenue  and 
Crawford  street,  which  is  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful edifices  in  Pittsburgh  and  an  ornament  to  the 
city.  November  11,  1895,  he  returned  to  Leav- 
enworth as  pastor  of  St.  Joseph's  Church.  At 
once  he  began  to  build  a  parochial  school.  The 
corner  stone  of  the  building  was  laid  April  26, 
1896,  and  the  structure  was  completed  the  same 
year,  at  a  cost  of  $9,000.  The  school  was 
opened  in  September.  It  is  in  charge  of  four 
sisters  of  charity  and  one  male  teacher,  and  is 
attended  by  two  hundred  and  fifty  pupils,  for 
whom  the  best  educational  facilities  are  provided. 
The  parish  contains  more  than  two  hundred 
families,  the  oversight  of  whom  makes  the  priest's 
life  a  busy  one.  He  is  a  man  of  warm  heart, 
kindly  nature,  one  who  sympathizes  with  the  suf- 
fering and  sorrowing  of  his  parishioners,  and 
whose  sound  judgment  is  helpful  to  those  who 
seek  his  counsel. 


from  his  pastorate  in  Leavenworth,  Father  Hei- 
mann  returned  to  the  east  and  some  years  after- 
ward died  at  New  Baltimore,  Somerset  County, 
Pa.,  at  the  House  of  Studies  of  the  Carmelite 
Order. 


|~ATHER  ALBERT  HEIMANN,  who  came 
rft  to  Kansas  in  1846  and  was  one  of  the 
I  ^  earliest  Roman  Catholic  priests  in  this  part 
of  the  country,  was  ordained  to  the  holy  priest- 
hood in  Kentucky  by  Bishop  Flaget.  After 
coming  west  he  was  engaged  in  mission  work 
among  the  Indians.  In  the  fall  of  1864  he  en- 
tered the  Carmelite  Order,  he  and  Father  Guen- 
ther  being  the  first  Carmelites  to  receive  the 
costume  of  the  order  in  the  United  States. 

St.  Joseph's  parish  in  Leavenworth  was  started 
in  1857  by  Father  Seitz.  The  first  church  build- 
ing erected  was  dedicated  in  1859,  on  the  first 
Sunday  in  July.  It  was  a  frame  building,  and 
was  utilized  as  a  school.  Father  Guenther  being 
the  first  teacher.  The  first  pastor  was  Father 
Fish.  He  was  followed  in  turn  by  Fathers 
Anthony  Kuhls,  Cyril  Knoll  and  Heimann,  the 
latter  being  the  fifth  pastor.  He  in  turn  was 
succeeded  by  Father  Guenther.     Upon  resigning 


(TOHN  HITZEMANN.  Not  a  few  of  the  best 
I  citizens  of  Leavenworth  County  are  of  Ger- 
(2/  man  birth.  To  this  class  belongs  Mr.  Hitze- 
mann,  a  retired  farmer  of  Stranger  Township,  and 
a  native  of  the  state  of  Scaumburg-Lippe,  Ger- 
man3\  He  was  born  September  14,  1840,  a  son 
of  Gottlieb  and  Mary  Hitzemann.  In  the  spring 
of  1857  the  family  came  to  America,  crossing  the 
ocean  in  a  sailing  vessel  that  made  the  trip  in 
twenty-one  days.  After  landing  in  New  York 
they  proceeded  to  Illinois.  During  the  war  the 
parents  removed  to  Iowa  and  settled  near  Wa- 
verl}',  where  they  died. 

In  the  spring  of  i860  our  subject  left  Illinois 
and  came  to  Kansas,  where  he  worked  in  a  brew- 
ery in  Leavenworth.  Shortly  after  the  war  be- 
gan he  enlisted.  May  15,  1861,  in  Company  I, 
First  Kansas  Infantry,  and  served  for  three  years, 
being  finally  discharged  at  Fort  Leavenworth. 
He  took  part  in  a  number  of  engagements,among 
them  that  at  Springfield,  Mo.,  August  10,  1861. 
Later  he  was  transferred  to  a  scouting  regiment 
that  also  participated  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg. 
The  last  battle  in  which  he  took  part  was  that  of 
Corinth,  Miss.  Several  times  during  battles  shots 
passed  through  his  clothes  and  canteen,  but  he 
was  never  wounded.  In  the  fall  of  1864  he  took 
up  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Douglas  County.  The  land  was  raw  and  he 
fenced  and  improved  it.  A  year  later  he  sold 
the  claim  and  went  to  Ottawa,  Franklin  County, 
where  he  improved  land  and  also  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  walnut  shingles.  After  a  little 
more  than  a  year  he  returned  to  Leavenworth 
County. 

Eighty  acres,  bought  in  1870,  and  situated  on 
section  12,  Stranger  Township,  formed  the  nu- 
cleus of  Mr.  Hitzemann's  possessions.  At  the 
time  of  purchase  nothing  could  be  seen  but  a  na- 
ked stretch  of  prairie,  without  even  so  much  as  a 
riding  switch  on  it.     The  fine  maples  that  now 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


461 


adorn  his  yard  he  raised  from  the  seed.  He  turned 
the  first  furrows  in  the  soil,  planted  the  first  seed 
and  harvested  the  first  grain.  All  the  improve- 
ments on  the  place  are  the  fruits  of  his  industry. 
As  he  prospered  he  added  to  his  land  and  now 
owns  six  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres.  Wheat 
is  his  specialty  among  grains,  and  Poland-China 
hogs  among  stock.  He  continued  at  the  head  of 
the  farm  '  until  1893,  when  he  retired,  and  the 
property  is  now  managed  by  his  children. 

Interested  in  local  politics,  Mr.  Hitzemann  votes 
the  Democratic  ticket  and  works  for  the  success  of 
his  party.  Several  times  he  has  been  chosen  to 
serve  on  the  school  board,  and  he  has  also  held 
the  oflSceof  road  overseer.  In  religion  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Lutheran  Church.  His  marriage 
occurred  in  Leavenworth  July  3,  1S64,  and  united 
him  with  Mary  Pappenhausen,  of  this  county. 
They  have  five  children,  viz. :  John  Henry,  Will- 
iam G.,  Julius  C.  and  Otto,  who  are  farmers  of 
Stranger  Township;  and  Ida,  the  wife  of  J.  C. 
Peters,  also  of  this  township. 


0AVID  W.  LITTELL.  To  read  of  a  man 
who  has  won  influence  and  honor  under  ad- 
verse circumstances  and  in  the  face  of  dis- 
couragements inspires  us  to  greater  efforts  in  the 
battle  of  life.  Such  a  man  is  Mr.  Littell,  an  hon- 
ored representative  of  a  grand  old  race.  He  is  a 
gentleman  of  untarnished  name  and  character, 
known  for  his  integrity,  honesty  and  uprightness. 
Through  an  unfortunate  accident  when  he  was  a 
young  man  he  lost  his  left  hand,  and,  having 
always  used  that  hand  for  writing,  he  was  left 
almost  helpless.  However,  he  began  with  a  de- 
termination to  learn  to  use  his  right  hand  and 
was  so  successful  that  to-day  few  can  show  a  finer 
penmanship  than  his. 

The  Littell  family  descends  from  William  Lit- 
tell, of  Dublin,  Ireland,  who  left  a  vast  estate  to 
which  his  American  descendants  are  legal  heirs. 
The  first  in  America  was  another  William,  who 
was  born  in  Ireland,  of  Scotch  lineage,  and  set- 
tled in  Beaver  County,  Pa.,  where  he  died.  It  is 
probable  that  he  served  in  the  Revolution.  His 
son,    William,  Jr.,  was  born   in   Pennsylvania, 


served  as  a  private  in  the  war  of  18 12,  and  became 
the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  near  Beaver,  where  he  died  in  1853.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  in  politics  was  an  old-line  Whig.  He  married 
Cynthia,  daughter  of  John  Smith,  who  settled 
upon  a  large  farm  in  Beaver  County,  coming  there 
from  the  eastern  part  of  the  state.  He  was  of 
Scotch  ancestry.  Mrs.  Littell  died  in  1852.  She 
was  the  mother  of  seven  sons  and  five  daughters, 
comprising,  in  many  respects,  a  very  remarkable 
family.  Six  of  her  sons  and  four  of  her  sons-in- 
law,  also  two  of  her  grandsons,  served  in  the  Civil 
war,  every  one  serving  with  conspicuous  bravery 
and  endurance.  Of  all  of  them,  the  oldest  gained 
the  greatest  distinction.  Gen.  John  Littell  was 
commissioned  colonel  of  the  Seventy-sixth  Penn- 
sylvania Infantry,  and  after  the  battle  of  Fort 
Fi.sher  he  was  promoted  to  be  brigadier-general 
in  recognition  of  gallantry.  He  was  twice  wound- 
ed in  the  service.  He  is  now  one  of  the  promi- 
nent men  of  Beaver  Falls,  Pa.  The  second  son, 
William,  was  captain  of  Company  D,  Twenty- 
third  Iowa  Infantry,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the 
real-estate  and  loan  business  in  Wayne  County, 
Iowa.  In  1899  President  McKinley  appointed 
him  a  member  of  the  Dawes  Commission  in  Indi- 
an Territory.  David,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  the  third  in  order  of  birth.  Morgan  died  in 
childhood.  G.  Washington,  who  was  chief  mu- 
sician in  the  Sixteenth  Ohio  Infantry,  graduated 
from  the  Cleveland  Medical  College  and  is  now  a 
practicing  physician  at  Creston,  Wayne  County, 
Ohio.  James  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Fourth 
Iowa  Infantry,  and  died  while  in  winter  quarters 
at  RoUa,  Mo.  Henry,  who  was  a  private  in  the 
Sixteenth  Ohio  Infantry,  died  after  the  war  from 
the  results  oi  exposure  and  hardships  in  the  army. 
Mrs.  Eliza  Robinson  died  in  Beaver  County,  Pa., 
in  1898.  Mrs.  Rebecca  A.  Calhoun  lives  in  that 
county,  as  does  also  Mrs.  Maria  Ewing.  Mrs. 
Nancy  Ewing  makes  her  home  in  Lawrence. 
Mrs.  Cynthia  J.  McHenry  died  in  Beaver  County, 
Pa.,  in  1898. 

At  the  family  homestead  near  Hookstown, 
Beaver  County,  Pa.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born  June  29,  1838.     In  youth  he   learned 


462 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  carpenter's  trade.  With  a  desire  to  see  the 
west  he  came  to  Kansas  in  1S59,  and  was  so 
pleased  that  he  began  in  the  building  business  at 
Leroy,  Coffey  County,  where  he  also  opened  a 
furniture  and  undertaking  establishment.  He 
had  the  first  business  of  the  kind  in  the  town, 
where  he  continued  until  the  fall  of  1865.  Mean- 
time, during  the  early  part  of  the  Civil  war,  the 
governor  commissioned  him  an  ensign  bearer  in 
the  Kansas  cavalry,  and  he  engaged  in  fighting 
bushwhackers  in  southeastern  Kansas  and  south- 
western Missouri.  In  1864  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Seventh  Kansas  Militia,  that  was  ordered  out 
from  Fort  Leavenworth  at  the  time  of  the  Price 
raid. 

Coming  to  Lawrence  in  1865,  Mr.  Littell  en- 
gaged in  building.  Soon  he  began  to  take  con- 
tracts for  making  ties  and  bridge  timber  on  the 
Union  Pacific  road.  While  he  was  erecting  a 
sawmill  at  Williamstown,  Jefferson  County,  the 
unfortunate  accident  occurred  that  caused  the  loss 
of  his  left  hand.  Afterward  he  was  unable  to  do 
any  work  for  a  j^ear.  He  then  attended  common 
school  for  a  year,  and  later  for  seven  years  was 
market  master  in  Lawrence,  during  which  time 
he  turned  in  $2,500  a  year,  something  which  had 
never  been  done  before,  nor  has  it  been  repeated 
since.  In  1874  he  was  elected  register  of  the 
deeds  for  the  first  time.  In  1S76  and  1878  he  was 
re-elected  by  majorities  of  from  one  thousand  to 
fifteen  hundred.  He  served  from  January,  1875, 
to  January,  1881.  Next,  entering  the  real-estate 
business  in  Lawrence,  he  continued  for  three 
years,  until  he  was  elected  constable,  an  office 
which  he  has  since  held,  being  elected  the  last 
time  in  the  spring  of  1899.  For  this  office  he 
has  never  had  any  opposition. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Littell,  built  by  himself,  is  a 
beautiful  residence  at  No.  1617  New  Hampshire 
street.  He  was  married  in  Leroj-  on  the  4th  of 
July,  1865,  to  Miss  Martha  E.  Ringle,  who  was 
born  in  Indiana  February  4,  1844,  a  daughter  of 
Simon  and  Nancy  (Yackey)  Ringle.  In  1858 
her  father  settled  upon  a  farm  near  Leroy,  Kans., 
and  there  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death, 
in  the  spring  of  1898.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Littell  had 
a  daughter  and  son.     The  former,  born  in   1866, 


became  the  wife  of  George  Dick,  who  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Kansas  and  from  the  Alle- 
gheny (Pa.)  Theological  Seminary,  but  died 
immediately  after  his  return  home  from  the  sem- 
inary; his  wife  had  died  two  years  before,  January 
29,  1892.  Their  only  son,  George  L.  Dick, 
makes  his  home  with  Mr.  Littell.  The  son  of 
Mr.  Littell,  Mortimer  Clair,  was  born  January  i, 
1 87 1,  and  is  now  engaged  in  clerking  in  Law- 
rence, from  the  high  school  of  which  he  graduated. 
In  politics  Mr.  Littell  is  a  Republican.  For 
five  years  he  has  been  adjutant  of  Washington 
Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.  He  is  identified  with  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Lawrence. 
Since  1867  he  has  been  a  member  of  Halcyon 
Lodge  No.  18,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  which  he  has  been 
secretary  for  twenty-five  years,  also  has  held  the 
office  of  noble  grand,  is  past  officer  in  Oread  En- 
campment, a  member  of  the  canton,  and  besides, 
holds  membership  with  the  Knights  of  Honor. 


(p  AMUEL  REYNOLDS,  who  came  to  Kansas, 
^\  in  the  spring  of  1855,  has  for  many  years 
V*J/  been  secretary  of  the  Douglas  County  Hor- 
ticultural Societ}',  and  is  a  well-known  fruit- 
grower of  Wakarusa  Township.  The  record 
places  the  date  of  his  birth  April  12,  1823.  He 
was  born  in  the  western  part  of  England  and  at 
an  early  age  gained  a  knowledge  of  horticulture 
under  the  instruction  of  his  father,  Samuel,  a 
successful  fruit-grower.  When  seventeen  years 
of  age  he  came  to  America  and  for  a  few  years 
taught  in  Canada,  after  which  he  taught  for 
seven  years  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  During  the 
last  three  years  of  his  residence  in  the  latter  city, 
in  addition  to  keeping  up  his  school  work  he 
compiled  and  published  the  North  Brooklyn 
directory,  which  contained  fifty  thousand  names. 
Hoping  that  a  change  of  climate  might  relieve 
him  of  a  chronic  throat  trouble  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas in  March,  1855,  before  the  completion  of  the 
government  survey.  He  was  fortunate  in  secur- 
ing for  $200  a  claim  one  and  one-half  miles  south 
of  his  present  residence.  Buying  teams,  he  be- 
gan to  haul  freight  from  Kansas  City,  for  which 
he  was  paid  $1  per  hundred.     At  the  same  time 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


¥->3 


he  also  had  the  mail  contracts  from  Lecompton  to 
Osawatomie,  and  from  Lawrence  to  Burlington. 
In  185S  he  began  to  set  out  fruit  trees  and  ever 
since  then  he  has  made  a  specialty  of  horticult- 
ure, now  owning  what  is  said  to  be  one  of  the 
largest  apple  orchards  in  the  county.  The 
original  orchard  which  he  planted  is  still  in 
bearing  condition.  While  he  has  not  neglected 
general  farm  pursuits,  he  has  made  horticulture 
his  chief  vocation,  and  has  gained  recognition 
for  his  thorough  knowledge  of  this  occupation. 

In  i860  Mr.  Rej'nolds  erected  a  two-stor5'  stone 
residence  on  his  farm.  Three  years  later,  when 
Quantrell  came  through  this  county,  on  passing 
the  farm  he  burned  the  house,  barn,  carriage, 
etc.;  Mr.  Reynolds  and  his  family  saved  their 
lives  by  hiding  in  the  corn  fields.  The  house  which 
he  now  occupies,  at  No.  1905  Louisiana  street, 
Lawrence,  was  then  in  course  of  construction,  but 
the  parties  who  were  building  it  became  so  fright- 
ened that  they  left  Kansas.  Thereupon  Mr. 
Reynolds  purchased  the  property  and  completed 
the  house,  which  he  has  since  occupied.  There 
are  seven  acres  in  the  place,  all  of  which  is  under 
improvement.  At  the  time  he  settled  here 
there  was  not  a  tree  between  tlie  Kansas  and 
Wakarusa  Rivers.  On  his  home  place  he  has  a 
large  garden  and  an  orchard,  with  apples  of  the 
winesap,  Ben  Davis,  new  pippin  and  York  im- 
perial varieties.  Up  to  1SS7  he  had  a  dairy  here, 
but  at  that  time  it  was  removed  to  his  farm, 
where  he  has  about  thirty  cows;  his  son  is 
interested  with  him  in  the  dairy  business. 

From  the  time  of  attaining  his  majority  Mr. 
Reynolds  voted  the  Republican  ticket,  supporting 
every  presidential  candidate  of  that  party  until 
the  campaign  of  President  Harrison  in  1888,  when, 
owing  to  the  change  of  party  principles,  he  left 
the  party,  which  he  considered  had  deserted  the 
people  in  favor  of  the  capitalists.  He  is  now 
chairman  of  the  county  central  committee  of  the 
people's  party  and  is  very  active  in  local  affairs. 
In  religion  an  Episcopalian,  he  was  instrumental 
in  starting  the  parish  in  his  neighborhood  in 
1858.  From  the  organization  of  the  congregation 
he  has  served  as  warden  or  as  vestryman.  Hav- 
ing had  excellent  musical  advantages  while  in 


Brooklyn,  he  has  given  his  church  the  benefit  of 
these  and  for  years  has  had  charge  of  the  music 
and  for  many  years  was  a  member  of  the  quar- 
tette choir.  In  earlier  life  he  was  also  connected 
with  the  Sunday-school. 

The  year  before  he  came  to  Kansas  Mr.  Rey- 
nolds was  married,  in  Brooklyn,  to  Mary  S. 
Heasler,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Ed- 
ward, who  operates  his  father's  farm;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Homer  Whitne)',  who  lives  near  Topeka; 
and  George,  of  Lawrence.  The  wife  and  mother 
died  in  187 1,  and  three  years  later  Mr.  Reynolds 
married  Elizabeth  Wheeler,  who  was  born  in 
Maine,  but  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  was  liv- 
ing in  Douglas  County.  The  children  born  of 
their  union  are  Grace,  Mabel,  Frederick,  Cora, 
Roy  Samuel  and  Clarence. 


pQlLLIAMM.  SHIRAS  is  a  member  of  the 
\A/  firm  of  Crane  &  Shiras,  proprietors  of  the 
VV  Excelsior  Mill,  in  Ottawa.  He  is  an  en- 
ergetic business  man,  possessing  not  only  a  great 
deal  of  enterprise,  but  also  a  sound  judgment  and 
quick  discrimination.  Since  coming  to  Ottawa 
in  1875  he  has  been  identified  with  this  flour- 
ishing city  and  has  done  much  to  promote  its 
interests.  Identified  with  the  board  of  trustees 
of  Ottawa  University,  as  a  member  of  the  ex- 
ecutive committee  of  the  board  he  has  done  much 
to  aid  this  worthy  institution  of  learning,  which 
enables  the  young  men  and  women  of  Ottawa 
and  vicinit}'  to  obtain  classical  advantages  at  a 
minimum  cost.  While  his  life  is  a  busy  one 
and  necessarily  is  devoted  closely  to  business 
matters,  betakes  time  for  recreation,  and  is  very 
fond  of  his  guns  and  dogs.  He  owns  Ben  Bo  or 
Tycho,  one  of  the  finest-bred  English  setters  in 
America,  and  also  owns  Beauty,  of  the  same 
strand.  In  the  organization  of  the  Ottawa  Gun 
Club  he  took  an  active  part  and  now  serves  as  a 
director  of  the  same.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Kansas  State  Tournament  Association,  which 
met  in  Ottawa  in  1898.  In  other  ways  he  has 
shown  his  interest  in  sporting  and  athletics. 

The    first   members    of  the   Shiras  family   in 
America   came   from   Scotland   to    New  Jersey, 


464 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


thence  to  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  William  M.  Shiras,  Sr., 
was  a  native  of  Pittsburgh,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  iron,  later  removing  to  Iron- 
ton,  Ohio,  and  thence  to  Cincinnati,  where  he 
carried  on  a  real-estate  and  brokerage  business 
until  his  death  in  1863.  He  married  Ellen  Ennis, 
who  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  and  died  there  in 
1890.  She  was  a  daughter  of  William  Ennis,  who 
died  in  Manchester,  Ohio,  Of  her  four  children, 
Peter,  who  served  through  the  entire  Civil  war, 
is  now  a  banker  in  Ottawa;  James  O.  is  in  New 
York  City;  Charles  E.  died  in  Cedar  Rapids; 
William  M.,  the  j-oungest  of  the  sons,  was  born 
in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  May  21,  1859.  When  eleven 
years  of  age  he  accompanied  the  family  to  Racine, 
Wis.,  and  there  attended  Racine  College.  In  the 
spring  of  1 875  he  came  to  Ottawa  and  entered  the 
People's  National  Bank  as  assistant  cashier,  in 
time  becoming  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the 
institution.  He  continued  with  the  bank  until 
188 1,  when  he  bought  an  interest  in  the  Excel- 
sior mill,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  proprietors 
and  which  is  the  largest  mill  in  the  city.  He  is 
also  interested  in  a  gas  company  which  is  pros- 
pecting for  gas.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  fraternally  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of 
Honor. 

In  Cleveland,  Ohio,  Mr.  Shiras  married  Cor- 
nelia B.,  daughter  of  Seymour  A.  and  Elizabeth 
(Hoyt)  Adams.  .  Her  father,  a  native  of  New 
York,  was  for  twenty-five  years  pastor  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  in  Cleveland,  and  she  was 
born  during  the  family's  residence  in  that  city. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  spent  some  time  in  New 
Orleans  in  the  service  of  the  Union  and  while 
there  fell  a  victim  to  the  disease  from  which  he 
later  died  in  Cleveland.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
influential  ministers  of  Cleveland  and  for  upright- 
ness of  life  and  power  as  a  preacher  stood  very 
high  among  his  fellow-citizens.  His  wife,  who 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  is  now  living  in  Cleve- 
land. Mrs.  Shiras  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  with  which  she  became  identified 
in  girlhood  and  to  which  she  has  since  belonged. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shiras  have  four  children,  namely: 
William M.,  Jr.,  a  graduate  of  the  Ottawa  high 
school,  and  now  employed  as  bookkeeper  in  this 


city;  Ralph  A.,  also  a  graduate  of  the  high 
school,  and  now  a  student  in  the  Ottawa  Univer- 
sity; Howard  Hoyt,  a  member  of  the  high  school 
class  of  1903;  and  Eleanor. 


GlNDREW  P.  NELSON,  who  is  engaged  in 
LI  general  farm  pursuits  in  Sherman  Township, 
I  I  Leavenworth  County,  was  born  in  Sweden 
in  1841  and  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  coun- 
try. In  1868  he  crossed  the  ocean  to  seek  a 
home  in  the  United  States.  Believing  that  the 
west  afforded  the  best  opportunities  for  a  young 
man  without  capital,  he  settled  in  the  then  new 
town  of  Kansas  City,  and  there  for  eleven  years 
he  was  employed  in  packing  houses.  With  the 
money  saved  during  that  period,  in  1879  he 
bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  near  Eudora.Kans., 
and  there  for  five  years  he  engaged  in  tilling  the 
soil.  In  1884  he  purchased  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  the  southern  part  of  Leavenworth 
County,  and  here  he  has  since  followed  general 
farm  pursuits.  Besides  the  raising  ol  corn  and 
wheat  he  has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  fruit,  in 
which  he  is  meeting  with  success;  and  is  also  en- 
gaged in  the  stock  business,  raising  horses  and 
hogs.  The  farm  is  improved  with  a  neat  resi- 
dence and  the  various  buildings  necessary  for 
the  storage  of  grain  and  shelter  of  stock.  The 
neat  appearance  of  the  buildings  and  land  indi- 
cates the  thrifty  character  of  the  owmer.  He  has 
every  reason  to  be  glad  that  he  came  to  America, 
for  he  has  gained  a  success  here  that  would  not 
have  been  possible  in  his  native  land. 

Since  becoming  a  naturalized  citizen  of  the 
United  States  Mr.  Nelson  has  always  voted 
the  Republican  ticket.  He  takes  an  interest  in 
local  elections,  but  has  never  sought  office  for 
himself.  While  living  in  Kansas  City  he  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  first  city  council,  upon 
the  incorporation  of  the  city,  and  assisted  in 
inaugurating  many  movements  for  the  benefit  of 
the  place  during  its  early  history.  The  year  be- 
fore he  left  Sweden  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen 
Peterson.  They  became  the  parents  of  six  sons 
and  two  daughters,  named  as  follows:  Bernard,  a 
grocer  in  Kansas  City;  Alma,  wife  of  John  Shee- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


465 


han;  Albert,  at  home;  Charles,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business  in  Kansas  Cit5-;  Hattie, 
Andrew  P.,  Jr.,  Otto  and  Walter.  The  familj^ 
attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  Mr. 
Nelson  still  clings  to  the  Lutheran  faith,  in  which 
he  was  reared. 


(John  W.  ROBERTSON,  proprietor  of  a  fur- 
I  niture  and  undertaking  establishment  in 
(2/  Lawrence,  was  born  in  Doylesburg,  Frank- 
lin Count}',  Pa.,  August  7,  1847,  and  was  the 
oldest  son  and  second  child  among  a  family  of 
nine,  all  but  one  of  whom  are  still  living,  five 
being  in  Pennsylvania,  one  in  Iowa,  and  two  in 
Kansas.  His  parents,  John  and  Eliza  (Mont- 
gomery) Robertson,  were  natives  of  Franklin 
County,  and  the  latter  is  still  living  on  the  old 
homestead  where  the  former  died.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  William  Robertson,  was  born  in 
England,  and  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania,  settling 
on  a  farm  in  Franklin  County,  where  he  died,  an 
aged  man.  The  maternal  grandfather,  John 
Montgomery,  was  born  in  eastern  Pennsylvania 
and  became  an  early  settler  of  Franklin  County, 
where  he  manufactured  furniture  of  all  kind  and 
also  carried  on  an  undertaking  business. 

At  sixteen  years  of  age  our  subject  was  ap- 
prenticed to  the  trades  of  cabinet-maker,  finisher 
and  undertaker  in  Mifflintown,  Juniata  County, 
Pa.  In  1866  he  went  to  Decatur,  111.,  where  he 
followed  his  trade  as  a  journeyman.  In  April, 
1868,  he  arrived  in  Lawrence,  where  he  secured 
employment  at  his  trade,  and  in  1869  was  made 
foreman  of  the  business  occupying  the  building 
which  he  now  occupies.  For  fourteen  years  he 
continued  with  Bailey  &  Smith,  meantime  spend- 
ing a  short  time  in  California.  In  i88g  he  bought 
out  T.  O.  Irvin&  Co.,  and  engaged  in  the  under- 
taking business.  Two  years  later  he  took  his 
brother,  E.  M.,  into  partnership,  under  the  title 
of  Robertson  Brothers.  Their  accommodations 
being  inadequate,  and  his  old  location,  Nos. 
808-810  Massachusetts  street,  being  vacant,  he 
removed  here,  where  he  has  three  floors,  50x100 
feet.  He  is  a  graduate  of  different  schools  of 
embalming,  and  acts  as  funeral  director  and  man- 
ager.    He  enjoys  the  reputation  of  having  the 


finest  furniture  store  in  Kansas;  certainly  it  is 
true  that  one  seldom  sees  in  any  city  a  stock 
more  complete  or  more  elegant.  His  accurate 
and  honorable  method  of  conducting  business  has 
brought  him  the  confidence  of  the  people  and  has 
brought  him  a  large  and  growing  trade. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Robertson  took  place  in 
Lawrence  in  1872  and  united  him  with  MissTin- 
nie  I.  Bowker,  who  was  born  near  West  Brook- 
field,  Mass.  They  have  two  sous,  Frank  H.  and 
John  W. ,  Jr.  The  older,  who  is  a  young  man  of 
splendid  education  and  fine  musical  talent,  is  a 
teacher  in  the  Chicago  Conservatory  of  Music. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Robertson  is  a  member  of 
Lawrence  Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Law- 
rence Chapter  No.  4,  R.  A.  M. ;  and  DeMolaj' 
Commandery  No.  4,  K.  T. ;  also  Lodge  No.  4, 
I.  O.  O.  F.;  Lodge  No.  7,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  Degree 
of  Honor  No.  8;  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security; 
Ancient  Order  of  Pyramids  No.  188,  in  which  he 
is  noble  prophet;  and  No.  3,  Fraternal  Aid,  in 
which  he  is  a  charter  member  and  of  which  he 
has  been  president  for  three  terms.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Merchants'  Athletic  Club  and  is 
also  identified  with  the  Commercial  Club.  Polit- 
ically he  votes  for  Republican  men  and  measures. 
In  1875  he  became  a  member  of  Plymouth  Con- 
gregational Church  and  has  since  been  an  attend- 
ant upon  its  services  and  a  contributor  to  its 
movements. 


AJ.  CHARLES  L.  EDWARDS.  As  one 
of  the  pioneer  and  prominent  educators  of 
Kansas,  and  as  the  principal  of  the  first 
public  schools  in  Lawrence  and  the  founder  of  the 
first  academy  in  this  city.  Major  Edwards  is  de- 
serving of  rank  among  the  citizens  whose  energy 
and  intelligence  built  up  what  is  now  one  of  the 
leading  cities  of  the  state.  March  30,  1857,  he 
opened  the  Quincy  high  school  in  the  Emigrant 
Aid  building,  but  on  the  2d  of  April  removed  to 
the  basement  of  the  Unitarian  Church  then  being 
completed.  In  the  winter  of  1857-58  he  was  prin- 
cipal of  a  public  school,  with  Misses  Lucy  M. 
Wilder,  Sarah  A.  Brown,  Mary  Boughton  and 
Isabella  G.  Oakley  as  assistants.  He  continued 
at  the  head  of  the  schools  until  February  7.  1859, 


466 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


when,  having  been  elected  county  superintendent 
of  schools  the  preceding  November,  he  resigned 
the  principalship.  When  he  first  began  to  teach, 
the  management  of  Lawrence  Universitj-  proposed 
to  make  his  institute  the  preparatory  department 
of  the  university,  and  this  plan  was  carried  out, 
the  fees  remaining  the  same;  the  institute  was 
opened  September  19,  1859,  and  continued  about 
three  months,  when  it  closed.  Since  the  war  he 
has  not  engaged  in  educational  work,  but  his  in- 
terest in  it  never  ceased,  and  many  men  afterward 
prominent  in  the  state  (among  them  ex-Congress- 
man Haskell)  attributed  not  a  little  of  their  suc- 
cess to  the  painstaking  care  of  their  early  in- 
structor. 

The  Edwards  family  settled  in  Massachusetts 
from  Wales.  Samuel  Edwards,  a  native  of  North- 
ampton, Mass.,  settled  upon  a  farm  near  South- 
ampton, where  he  also  taught  school  for  forty 
winter  terms.  During  the  Revolution  he  served 
in  the  American  army.  His  son,  Elisha,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  followed  in  his 
father' s footsteps  as  farmer  and  teacher.  Elisha,  Jr. , 
who  was  born  at  Southampton,  and  also  taught 
there  as  well  as  engaged  in  farm  pursuits,  took 
part  in  the  war  of  1 8 1 2 ,  and  died  in  Massachusetts 
at  seventy-four  years.  He  married  Julia  King, 
who  was  born  in  Sufiield,  Conn.,  was  orphaned 
at  an  early  age,  and  died  when  forty  years  old. 
Her  oldest  child,  Horace  L.,  died  in  1846,  at 
twenty-four  years.  The  second- born,  Elisha  A., 
who  was  a  captain  in  the  Thirty-first  Massachu- 
setts Infantry,  died  at  the  old  homestead  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1898.  The  youngest  of  the  family,  George 
K.,  who  was  a  sergeant  in  the  Thirty-first  Massa- 
chusetts, was  accidentally  injured  on  Butler's 
expedition  and  was  discharged  for  disability,  but 
later  became  second  lieutenant  in  the  Second 
District  of  Columbia  Regiment.  The  oldest 
daughter,  Mrs.  Julia  Taylor,  died  in  Alton,  111. 
Those  of  the  family  now  living  are:  Charles  L. ; 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  M.  L.  Gaylord,  of  East- 
hampton,  Mass.;  Caroline,  of  Southampton;  and 
Eunice,  whomarried  Louis  Gaylord,  of  Colorado, 
though  an  early  settler  of  Kansas. 

In  Southampton,  where  he  was  born  October 
19,  1828,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  pub- 


lic school  and  Southampton  Academy.  He  also 
studied  in  Westfield  Academy,  Williston  Semina- 
ry and  Phillips  Academy  at  Andover,  and  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  began  to  teach  near  home.  In 
1852  he  graduated  from  Westfield  Normal  School. 
Later  he  taught  at  West  Springfield,  Gloucester, 
North  Hadley  and  Wenham,  having  a  private 
school  in  the  latter  town.  In  November,  1855, 
he  started  for  Kansas,  landing  at  Kansas  City  on 
the  26th,  and  remaining  in  the  west  during  the 
winter  as  clerk  for  the  New  England  Emigrant 
Aid  Society.  The  office  of  the  society  was 
moved  to  Lawrence  and  he  was  the  second 
clerk  of  the  bureau  here.  He  first  visited 
Lawrence  in  January,  1856,  and  came  again 
on  the  2 1  St  of  May,  at  the  time  of  the  burn- 
ing of  the  Eldredge  House  and  printing  office 
by  Sheriff  Jones  and  his  men.  He  remained  as 
clerk  here  until  October,  1856,  when  he  turned 
his  attention  to  teaching.  When  he  became 
county  superintendent  he  organized  the  county 
into  school  districts,  these  increasing  from  five  to 
thirty-five  in  three  months,  and  he  had  thirty 
schools  in  operation.  In  the  spring  of  i860  he 
was  deputy  postmaster  under  Dr.  Samuel  Huson. 
With  the  intention  of  returning  west  in  a  short 
time,  Mr.  Edwards  went  back  to  Massachusetts 
in  the  summer  of  i860.  He  taught  the  village 
academy  at  Southampton  in  1860-61  and  1861-62. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  a  company  of  home 
guard  was  formed,  of  which  his  brother  was  cap- 
tain and  he  sergeant  for  a  time,  but  later  captain. 
In  August,  1862,  he  was  commissioned  first  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  D,  Thirty-seventh  Massachu- 
setts Infantry,  and  was  sent  south,  joining  the 
main  army  after  Antietam.  He  took  part  in  the 
following  engagements:  Fredericksburg,  Decem- 
ber II,  1862;  MaryeHeights,  May  3,  1863;  Salem 
Church,  May  4,  1863;  Franklin's  Crossing,  June, 
1863;  Gettysburg,  July  2-3,  1863;  Mine  Run,  No- 
vember 30,  1863;  Wilderness,  May  5-6,  1864;  Lau- 
rel Hill,  May  8-9,  1864;  the  "Angle,"  May  12, 
1864;  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  May,  1864; 
North  Anna,  May  24,  1864;  Cold  Harbor,  June  i- 
12,  1864;  Petersburg,  June  18,  1864;  Fort  Stevens, 
July  12,  1864;  Charleston,  August  21,  1864; 
Opequan,  September  19,    1S64;   Hatcher's  Run, 


WILLIAM  KAHN. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


469 


February  5,  1865;  Fort  Steadman,  March  25, 
1865;  fall  of  Petersburg,  April  2,  1865;  Sailor's 
Creek,  April  6,  1865.  He  was  commissioned 
captain  Aprils,  1864,  and  major  June  26,  1865, 
and  was  mustered  out  Jul.v  3,  1865. 

In  May,  1866,  Major  Edwards  returned  to 
Lawrence.  Here  he  was  local  editor  of  the  Law- 
rence Republican,  and  continued  with  the  paper 
after  it  was  consolidated  with  the  Journal.  On 
the  opening  of  the  Carbondale  road  he  embarked 
in  the  coal  business,  which  he  has  since  conducted. 
About  1S90  he  started  in  the  insurance  business 
and  has  since  represented  several  old-line  compa- 
nies. He  was  married  in  Massachusetts  in  i860 
to  Miss  Susan  Powers,  who  was  born  in  Hadley, 
Mass.,  and  by  whom  he  has  a  daughter,  Virginia 
Sedgewick.  For  some  years  Major  Edwards  has 
held  the  oflRce  of  township  clerk.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R. ,  and 
the  Thirty-seventh  Massachusetts  Veterans'  As- 
sociation. In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  firm 
Republican.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Odd  Fellows  and  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  He  holds  membership  with  the  Sons 
of  the  Revolution.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has 
been  treasurer  of  the  Plymouth  Congregational 
Church,  of  which  he  was  the  twenty-sixth  person 
to  become  a  member  and  is  now  fifth  oldest  of  the 
surviving  early  workers  in  the  church.  His  ac- 
quaintance extends  among  the  best  men  of  his 
county  and  state,  and  he  holds  a  position  high  in 
the  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 


|ILLIAM  KAHN.  No  country  has  afforded 
greater  opportunities  to  the  poor  man  than 
our  own.  Here  an  industrious  man  has 
an  opportunity  to  gain  a  competence.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  had  every  reason  to  be  grateful 
that  he  left  his  German  home  and  emigrated  to 
the  United  States,  for,  though  without  means 
when  he  landed  here,  in  time  he  acquired  ample 
means.  During  the  last  years  of  his  life  he  was 
one  of  the  prosperous  business  men  and  farmers 
of  Leavenworth  County.  By  his  own  determina- 
tion and  energy  he  rose  from  poverty  to  prosper- 
19 


ity .  His  industry  was  great  and  he  w^as  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  active  men  of  Reno  Township, 
where  he  resided. 

Mr.  Kahn  was  born  in  Osnabriick,  Germany, 
March  12,  1841,  a  son  of  August  Kahn,  who  was 
a  lifelong  resident  of  that  country.  When  he  was 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  landing  in  New  York,  where  he  followed 
the  baker's  trade  for  a  short  time.  Next  he  went 
to  St.  Louis.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
war  he  enlisted  in  the  Third  Missouri  Infantry 
and  soon  afterward  was  detailed  as  regimental 
baker,  but  when  he  had  been  in  the  service  for 
three  months  he  was  honorably  discharged  on 
account  of  disability  caused  by  an  accident.  He 
then  returned  to  New  York  City,  where  he  worked 
at  his  trade  for  a  few  mouths.  After  his  marriage 
to  Helena  Smith,  a  native  of  Germany,  he  moved 
to  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  and  engaged  in  the  grocery 
and  bakery  business  for  a  year,  later  removing  to 
Hackensack,  where  he  was  foreman  on  a  large 
farm.  His  next  location  was  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
where  he  carried  on  a  bakery  for  one  year,  then 
for  a  year  he  had  a  grocery  and  bakery  at  Hunt- 
ington, Long  Island,  N.  Y.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  became 
interested  in  the  real-estate  business,  which  he 
followed  until  1881,  meantime  being  connected 
with  important  property  transactions  not  only  in 
that  city,  but  also  in  Chicago. 

On  selling  out  his  interests  in  the  east,  in  188 1, 
Mr.  Kahn  came  to  Kansas.  Shortly  afterward  he 
bought  a  farm  in  Leavenworth  County,  and  upon 
this  place  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  passed. 
At  the  time  of  purchase  the  farm  comprised  one 
hundred  and  seventy  acres.  From  time  to  time 
he  bought  additional  property,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and 
twenty  acres.  The  land  was  placed  under  excel- 
lent cultivation  and  improved  with  good  farm 
buildings,  substantial  fencing,  and  modern  ma- 
chinery'of  all  kinds  aided  in  the  work  of  plowing, 
reaping,  threshing  and  harvesting.  In  1893  he 
became  interested  in  the  dairy  business,  begin- 
ning on  a  small  scale,  and  gradually  building  up 
a  large  business.  His  dairj'  plant  was  equipped 
with  modern  machinery.     In  the  fall  of  1898  he 


470 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


purchased  a  creamery  at  Bonner  Springs,  Kans., 
which  his  family  still  own.  He  was  unable, 
however,  to  carry  out  the  improvements  that  he 
had  planned,  for  very  soon  after  he  had  purchased 
the  creamery  his  death  occurred. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Kahn  was  connected  with  the 
Order  of  Foresters.  He  was  reared  in  the  faith 
of  the  German  Lutheran  Church,  and  always  re- 
mained true  to  its  teachings.  During  the  early 
part  of  his  residence  in  the  United  States  he  affil- 
iated with  the  Democrats,  but  after  1884  he  voted 
the  Republican  ticket.  For  four  terms  he  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace  at  Reno.  Actively  inter- 
ested in  local  matters,  he  aided  in  enterprises 
calculated  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his  fellow- 
citizens;  and  while  his  private  business  interests 
were  large  and  important,  he  never  allowed  them 
to  absorb  his  entire  time.  His  death,  the  result 
of  a  runaway,  took  place  November  21,  1898, 
when  he  was  fifty-seven  years  of  age.  He  left, 
besides  his  wife,  six  children,  namely:  Anna,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Otto  Luckan;  Anton,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  has  three  children,  Frederick,  Alfred  and 
Anna;  William,  who  is  manager  of  the  creamery 
and  farm,  and  superintends  the  estate;  Minnie, 
wife  of  Paul  Luckan;  Henry  and  Frederick,  who 
reside  with  their  mother. 


GlRTHUR  WILLIS.  From  an  early  period 
Ll  in  the  history  of  Ottawa  Mr.  Willis  has 
I  I  been  identified  with  the  nursery  interests  of 
this  city.  Of  those  who  engaged  in  the  business 
at  the  time  he  came  none  was  left  five  years  later, 
and  he  is  now  the  oldest  man  following  the  occu- 
pation here.  Not  only  is  he  the  oldest,  but  one 
of  the  most  successful  as  well.  When  he  came 
to  Ottawa,  in  the  spring  of  1871,  the  Ottawa 
University  nursery,  started  by  H.  T.  Kelsey 
about  1866,  was  the  leading  nursery  of  the  county, 
besides  which  there  were  a  few  gardens  of  smaller 
size  and  minor  importance.  Shortly  after  his 
arrival  he  planted  two  hundred  thousand  apple 
trees  and  grafts,  as  well  as  other  fruits,  but  the 
experiment  proved  a  failure.  In  the  spring  of 
1873  he  planted  considerable  nursery  stock, 
which  he  sold  at  retail  two  years  later.     In  1876 


he  leased  a  tract  of  university  land  and  started  a  | 

nursery,  which,  to  accommodate  the  college  in-  I 

terests,  he  called  the  Ottawa  University  nursery.  I 

His  present  nursery  was  started  in  the  spring  of 
1877,  with  seventy-seven    hundred  apple  grafts  1 

and  three  bushels  of  hedge  seeds.     Afterward  he  { 

made  larger  plantings  and  constantly  increased  j 

the   business.     Competition  increased    with    en-  I 

suing  years.     In  1879  Brewer  &  Stannard  began  | 

on   a  small  scale;  in   1885  T.   P.  Way  started  a  j 

nursery,  and  in  1890  Mr.  Taylor  became  inter-  ] 

ested  in  the  nursery  business.  ■ 

From  1877  to  the  present  time  Mr.  Willis  has  ] 

set  out   over   two   hundred    and   fifty  thousand  1 

apple   grafts  each    year.     In    1883    he   sold   his  1 

university  lease  and  started  on  land  of  his  own,  | 

again  taking   the   name   of  the  Willis   Nursery  I 

Company.     His  office  and  sale  ground  are  at  the  | 

east  end  of  Fifth  street  on  Cherry  street.     He  has  j 

fifty  acres  in  nursery,  of  which  four  and  three-  1 

quarters   acres   are  in   town.     Besides  his  stock  | 

here    he  has  nursery  stock  growing  in  Vinland  j 

and  New  York  state,  and  is  interested  in 
orchards  in  Kansas  and  Missouri.  In  1882  he 
purchased  his  present  residence  and  subsequently 
he  built  the  office  and  packing  house  that  now 
form  valuable  features  of  his  property.  There 
are  few  nurserymen  in  the  state  who  are  as 
familiar  with  the  business  as  he,  and  certainly 
few  have  met  with  greater  success. 

Mr.  Willis  was  born  three  miles  from  Geneva 
Lake,  in  Walworth  County,  Wis.,  March  17, 
1843.  His  paternal  great-grandfather  settled  in 
York  state,  going  there  from  Nova  Scotia,,  and 
the  grandfather  was  reared  in  the  east,  but  in 
1843  established  his  home  in  Rock  County,  Wis., 
near  the  Walworth  line.  There  he  lived  on  a 
farm  until  his  death,  in  1845.  The  father,  L.  H. 
Willis,  who  was  born  near  Danville,  Livingston 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1817,  removed  to  Walworth 
County,  Wis.,  in  1840  and  bought  eighty  acres, 
after  which  he  returned  to  New  York  and  married 
Mary  Bowers.  In  1842  he  settled  upon  his  farm, 
which  he  improved,  and  to  which  he  added  until 
he  owned  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He 
continued  to  reside  on  the  same  farm  until  he 
died,  in  1896.     For  twenty  years  he  served  as 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


471 


justice  of  the  peace,  and  he  also  served  as  school 
director  and  in  other  local  offices.  In  religion  he 
was  a  Baptist.  His  wife  was  born  in  western 
New  York  and  was  reared  in  Pennsylvania, 
whence  she  accompanied  her  parents  to  Wis- 
consin. She  died  in  1871.  Of  their  five  sons 
and  two  daughters  all  but  one  son  attained  ma- 
ture years,  and  three  sons  are  now  living.  Our 
subject  was  the  oldest  of  all.  He  attended  school 
in  the  country  and  at  Delavan,  and  remained  at 
home  until  twenty  years  of  age.  In  the  spring 
of  1864  he  went  to  Rockford,  111.,  and  worked  in 
a  nursery  owned  by  J.  S.  Sherman,  where  he 
cared  for  trees  and  gained  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  business.  After  two  years  and  three 
months  with  the  same  employer  he  went  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  spent  most  of  his  time  until  com- 
ing to  Kansas.  He  was  married  in  Ottawa  to 
Amelia  Esterly,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  by 
whom  he  has  four  children:  Ola,  who  graduated 
from  Ottawa  University  and  is  now  her  father's 
stenographer;  Blanche,  a  graduate  of  the  Ottawa 
University  and  for  a  time  was  a  teacher  in  the  In- 
dian Territory;  Arthur  E.  and  Fern. 

In  1885  Mr.  Willis  was  chosen  a  trustee  of 
Ottawa  University  and  since  1890  he  has  been 
secretary  of  the  board  of  trustees  and  a  member 
of  the  executive  committee.  Both  by  his  means 
and  his  influence  he  has  proved  himself  a  true 
friend  of  the  institution,  one  who  desires  to  pro- 
mote its  success.  From  early  manhood  he  has 
been  connected  with  the  Baptist  Church.  For 
some  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees,  and  is  now  deacon.  At  the  time  of  the 
erection  of  the  house  of  worship  he  served  as 
a  member  of  the  building  committee.  In  Sunday- 
school  work  he  has  always  been  interested  and 
has  taken  an  active  part.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican.  For  two  terms  he  represented  the 
second  ward  in  the  city  council  and  during  three 
years  of  that  time  officiated  as  president  of  the 
board. 

His  thorough  knowledge  of  the  nursery  busi- 
ness and  his  long  identification  therewith  has 
made  Mr.  Willis  a  conspicuous  figure  among  the 
men  following  this  occupation.  He  has  been 
honored  with  election  as  state  vice-president  for 


Kansas  of  the  American  Association  of  Nursery- 
men. He  is  also  chairman  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Western  Nurserymen's  Association. 
Whenever  possible  he  attends  the  meetings  of 
these  associations,  and  his  influence  has  been  felt 
in  the  extension  of  their  interests.  However,  his 
attention  is  necessarily  given  to  his  business, 
primarily,  and  its  demands  are  such  that  he  has 
little  leisure  either  for  vacations  or  for  outside 
matters.  He  superintends  his  fifty  salesmen, 
who  represent  his  nursery  in  different  parts  of  the 
west,  and  in  addition  he  also  manages  his  large 
mail  orders,  which  come  to  him  from  every  part 
of  the  Union. 

While  leading  a  quiet  life,  and  one  that  is  de- 
voted to  business  affairs,  Mr.  Willis  has  never- 
theless exerted  an  influence  for  the  betterment  of 
the  moral,  educational  and  religious  welfare  of 
his  city.  It  has  been  his  aim  to  make  the  world 
better  for  his  having  lived  in  it.  His  influence 
has  been  directed  toward  and  felt  for  good.  In 
spite  of  a  limited  education  and  lack  of  early  ad- 
vantages, he  has  become  well  informed  and  has 
been  enabled  to  take  his  place  among  the  capable 
and  worthy  citizens  of  Ottawa.  His  has  been  a 
busy,  useful,  happy  life,  and  as  he  looks  back 
gratefully  over  the  past,  there  is  nothing  in  it 
that  he  would  change  if  he  could.  To  such  as 
he  the  commonwealth  of  Kansas  owes  the  progress 
it  has  made  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century. 


I  OUIS  C.  MEHL,  who  is  engaged  in  con- 
I  C  tracting  and  building  in  Leavenworth,  was 
|2  born  in  this  city  February  22,  1863,  a  son 
of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Kunzig")  Mehl.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Peter  Mehl,  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  member  of  an  old  family  of  that 
country,  served  in  the  German  army  and  after- 
ward engaged  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  The 
maternal  grandfather,  Peter  Kunzig,  who  was 
also  a  contractor  and  builder  by  occupation,  came 
to  America  in  1854  and  settled  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  engaged  in  business  as  an  undertaker. 
During  the  year  that  he  crossed  the  ocean  Henry 
Mehl  also  sought  a  home  in  the  United  States  and 
he,  too,'' .settled 'in    Philadelphia,  where   he  was 


472 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


employed  as  a  cabinet-maker.  In  1859  he  set- 
tled in  Leavenworth,  where  he  engaged  in  car- 
pentering and  erected  many  of  the  early  build- 
ings in  the  town.  In  1863  he  enlisted  as  captain 
of  an  artillery  company  in  the  militia  and  as 
such  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  this 
city  be  married  Miss  Kunzig,  by  whom  he  has 
four  children,  viz.:  Henry  W.,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  in  this  city;  Louis;  Albert,  a 
druggist  of  Kansas  City;  and  Ida,  who  resides 
with  her  parents  at  No.  511   Miami  street. 

Under  his  father's  instructions  Mr.  Mehl 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  in  time  he  be- 
came a  partner  in  the  contracting  business. 
About  1 89 1  his  father  retired,  since  which  time 
he  has  continued  the  contracting  and  building 
business.  Among  his  contracts  were  those 
for  Turner  Hall  and  numerous  dwellings  and 
business  houses  in  Leavenworth,  as  well  as  resi- 
dences in  other  towns  in  Kansas.  He  gives  his 
attention  quite  closely  to  his  business  interests, 
and  devotes  little  time  to  politics,  although  he 
is  a  stanch  Democrat.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Turn  Verein,  in 
which  latter  he  has  been  a  trustee.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Leavenworth  January  16,  1894,  to  Miss 
Gretchen  Titel,  who  was  born  in  this  city  and  by 
whom  he  has  two  children,  Hilda  and  Louis,  Jr. 


EHARLES  W.  INGLE.  Through  the  ener- 
getic manner  in  which  he  has  conducted  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  Mr.  Ingle  has  amassed  a 
competency  which  places  him  among  the  most 
prosperous  farmers  of  Douglas  County.  He  is 
the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  valu- 
able land  lying  in  Willow  Springs  Township, 
where  he  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  On  his  farm  may  be  seen  a  fine  grade  of 
Hereford  and  Durham  cattle,  and  he  also  owns  a 
draft  Clyde  stallion  which  is  quite  valuable. 

The  ancestors  of  Mr.  Ingle  were  Virginians. 
His  grandfather,  John  Ingle,  removed  from  Vir- 
ginia to  Ohio  about  1825  and  there  resided  until 
his  death  at  sixty -two  years  of  age.  He  married 
a  Miss  Kaiser,  who  was  born  in  Virginia,  of  Ger- 


man descent,  and  died  in  Ohio  at  the  age  of  sixty. 
Their  son,  John,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Hampshire 
County,  Va.,  and  was  fourteen  years  of  age 
when  the  family  settled  in  Seneca  County,  Ohio, 
at  the  time  that  the  Seneca  purchase  was  opened 
to  settlement.  In  that  county  he  took  up  a  forty- 
acre  claim,  which  he  pre-empted,  paying  for  the 
pre-emption  by  working  at  twenty-five  cents  a 
day.  In  1838  he  removed  from  there  to  Vermil- 
ion County,  Ind.,  and  bought  a  farm,  where  he 
remained  until  1857.  He  then  accompanied  our 
subject  to  Kansas  and  pre-empted  the  claim  now 
occupied  by  the  latter,  paying  $750  for  the  prop- 
erty. Only  about  seven  acres  had  been  fenced 
and  there  was  no  building  except  a  log  house, 
but  the  property  was  considered  valuable  on  ac- 
count of  its  proximity  to  Middle  Tawy  Creek 
and  also  because  it  contained  considerable  tim- 
ber. Here  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  when  he  was  seventy-six  years  of 
age.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig  until  the  disin- 
tegration of  that  party,  after  which  he  voted 
with  the  Republicans.  Though  active  in  public 
affairs  he  never  sought  office  for  himself.  For 
years  he  was  a  local  preacher  in  the  United 
Brethren  Church  and  assisted  in  the  singing, being 
both  a  good  speaker  and  a  fine  singer.  He  was 
a  man  whose  genial  nature  won  many  warm 
friends  among  his  associates.  He  married  Nancy 
Dennis,  who  was  born  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
Maryland  and  was  orphaned  at  an  early  age,  after 
which  she  was  taken  to  the  home  of  a  wealthy 
planter.  Her  father  served  during  the  entire 
period  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  in  the 
army  at  the  time  of  her  birth.  In  religion  she 
was  connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  At  the  time  of  her  death,  in  Indiana, 
she  was  sixty-three  years  of  age.  In  her  family 
there  were  two  sons,  one  of  whom,  Isaac  K., 
died  at  the  age  of  fifteen. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  our  subject  started 
out  in  life  for  himself.  His  boyhood  years  had 
been  passed  in  Seneca  County,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  born  September  11,1831.  There,  Novem- 
ber 3,  1852,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Margaret  Hamill,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children,  viz.:  Fannie   E.,  who    died  at  twenty- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


473 


five  years;  John,  who  was  born  in  Willow  Springs 
Township  in  1859  and  is  still  living  in  this  part 
of  the  county;  Emory  B.,  a  prosperous  farmer  in 
Osage  County,  Kans. ;  Rose,  wife  of  Malcolm 
Swinley,  of  Franklin  County;  Edward  and  Grant, 
who  assist  in  the  cultivation  of  the  home  farm ; 
and  Helen,  also  at  home. 

After  his  marriage,  in  1852,  Mr.  Ingle  settled 
iu  Vermilion  County,  Ind.  From  there,  late  in 
the  fall  of  1857,  ^^  moved  to  Kansas  by  team  and 
pre-empted  a  claim  in  Douglas  County,  two  miles 
from  his  present  home.  He  improved  the  land, 
building  needed  structures,  placing  the  soil  under 
cultivation  and  planting  a  large  orchard.  There 
he  made  his  home  for  twenty-five  years,  after 
which  he  traded  the  land  for  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  adjoining  his  present  property,  the  lat- 
ter being  his  father's  estate,  which  he  acquired 
by  inheritance  and  purchase.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Republican  for  years,  but  finally  left  the  party 
on  account  of  the  money  question,  he  being  a  be- 
liever in  the  greenback  theor5'.  In  1871  he  was 
elected  to  the  legislature,  where  his  services  were 
most  helpful  to  his  constituents.  He  also  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace  for  some  time,  township 
trustee  for  five  years,  and  held  other  offices. 
When  twenty-eight  years  of  age  he  became  a 
local  preacher  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  continued  as  such  for  several  years,  but,  not 
believing  in  infant  baptism,  for  this  reason  his 
license  was  revoked,  upon  which  he  withdrew 
from  the  church.  But,  though  not  identified  with 
any  congregation,  he  is  a  sincere  Christian  and  in 
his  life  upholds  the  teachings  of  Christianity. 


lARCELMUS  B.  RAY,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Kanwaka  Township,  Douglas 
County,  was  born  in  Jefferson  City,  Mo., 
April  8,  1852,  a  son  of  Luke  E.  and  Marietta 
(Drown)  Ray,  natives  of  Cabell  County,  W.  Va. 
His  father,  who  was  born  in  181 7,  of  Scotch  par- 
entage, learned  the  carpenter's  trade  in  youth. 
He  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busine.ss  at  Jeffer- 
son City  and  at  Carthage,  Mo.,  and  built  the  vil- 
lage of  Preston,  eight  miles  from  Carthage,  where 
he  remained  until  the  time  of  the  Civil  war.     Be- 


ing in  sympathy  with  the  Union  and  living  in 
Confederate  territory,  his  surroundings  became 
unpleasant  and,  indeed,  dangerous.  The  bush- 
whackers stole  all  of  the  cattle  and  horses  on  his 
farm,  and  later  burned  the  dwellings  and  other 
properties.  Thereupon  he  took  his  family  to 
Marysville,  Kans.,  and  in  1862  settled  in  Doug- 
las County,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  in 
Kanwaka  Township,  later  adding  another  tract 
of  similar  size.  During  the  first  years  of  his  res- 
idence here  he  was  a  member  of  the  home  guard. 
He  employed  agents  to  manage  the  farms  in  Mis- 
souri, but  never  realized  anything  from  the  prop- 
ert}'.  He  became  one  of  the  well-known  farmers 
of  this  township,  and  was  a  leader  in  local  ranks 
of  the  Republican  party.  Since  his  death, in  1894, 
his  widow  has  resided  on  the  old  homestead, 
which  is  managed  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
The  family  comprised  the  following-named  chil- 
dren: Eliza  A.,  wife  of  Dr.  G.  W.  Williams;  Para 
Lee,  who  married  John  Maloy;  Sarah,  Mrs.  Le- 
roy  J.  Bean;  Henry  B.,  George  W.,  Henry  S.  G., 
Marcelmus  B.,  Luke  E.,  deceased;  Romaine  F., 
wife  of  Joseph  Howell;  Brunie,  deceased;  and 
Grant,  who  died  in  infancy. 

In  infancy  our  subject  was  taken  by  his  parents 
from  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  to  Carthage,  where  the 
family  remained  a  year,  thence  going  to  Preston. 
He  accompanied  his  parents  to  Kansas,  mak- 
ing the  trip  in  a  wagon  which  was  drawn  by  a 
team  of  oxen  and  in  which  were  placed  all  of  the 
household  effects.  After  settling  in  Douglas 
County  he  assisted  his  father  iu  clearing  a  farm. 
At  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  bought  eighty- 
five  acres,  and  there  he  resided  until  his  father's 
death,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  on  the  old 
homestead,  and  conducts  both  farms.  While  he 
is  not  a  member  of  any  denomination,  he  is  in 
sympathy  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Active  in  politics  as  a  Republican,  he  has  served 
as  delegate  to  various  conventions  and  has  kept 
posted  concerning  all  public  issues;  had  he  .so  de- 
sired he  might  have  held  almost  any  local  office, 
but  his  inclinations  are  not  toward  positions  of 
prominence.  He  is  interested  in  educational  mat- 
ters and  has  rendered  excellent  service  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board. 


474 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


November  25,  1872,  Mr.  Ray  married  Anna 
McDonald,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  La  Porte, 
Ind.,  and  was  of  Scotch  descent.  In  the  '70s 
she  accompanied  her  parents  to  Kansas,  and  was 
married  in  Independence,  this  state.  Later  her 
parents  removed  to  Florida.  The  oldest  son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ray  was  George,  who  died  at  four 
years  of  age.  Their  other  children  are  Ernest  D., 
Nellie  G.  and  Luke  Elmer. 


QAMUEL  a.  STONEBRAKER  owns  eighty 
?\  acres  comprising  a  valuable  farm  in  Pal- 
yyJ  myra  Township,  Douglas  County,  and  fifty- 
two  acres  on  which  the  village  of  Black  Jack  was 
built.  Of  this  town,  lying  on  the  old  Santa  Fe 
stage  route,  he  was  the  founder,  and  for  years 
carried  on  a  general  store  and  hotel  there,  but  the 
building  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  through  the 
count}^  caused  the  village  to  be  abandoned.  In 
early  days  he  was  one  of  the  prominent  Republi- 
cans in  his  locality  and  still  retains  a  deep  inter- 
est in  politics.  For  forty  years  he  has  not  been 
absent  from  any  conventions  of  Douglas  County. 
In  1866-67  ^^  served  as  clerk  of  the  district 
court,  and  for  twenty  years  he  was  justice  of  the 
peace  and  notary  public. 

At  Warrior's  Mark,  Huntingdon  County,  Pa., 
Mr.  Stonebraker  was  born  July  17,  1832.  His 
father,  Samuel  Washington  Stonebraker,  was  a 
native  of  Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  in  youth  learned 
the  tailor's  trade  in  Baltimore,  after  which  he  re- 
moved to  Huntingdon  County,  Pa.,  and  secured 
employment  at  his  trade.  Later  he  became  pro- 
prietor of  a  furnishing  store.  In  1846  he  removed 
to  Williamsburg,  Blair  County,  Pa. ,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  until  his  death, 
February  23,  1873,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years,  one  month  and  twenty-three  days.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  class-leader  in  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church.  For  fourteen  years  he 
served  as  postmaster,  to  which  oiEce  he  was  ap- 
pointed in  recognition  of  his  services  to  the  Re- 
publican party. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  John  Stone- 
braker, was  born,  reared  and  married  in  Hagers- 
town, Md. ,  and  was  a   potter   by  trade.     About 


18 1 8  he  removed  to  Huntingdon  County,  Pa., 
and  purchased  a  farm  near  Colerain  Forges.  On 
his  place  was  the  dam  that  held  the  water  to  run 
the  forges.  He  remained  on  that  farm  until  his 
death,  at  ninety  years  of  age.  During  the  Revo- 
lution he  served  in  the  colonial  army.  He  was  a 
man  of  upright  character  and  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Hutchinson,  who  was  born  in  Hagerstown, 
of  German  extraction,  and  who  died  at  eighty- 
four  years  of  age. 

Our  subject's  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Elizabeth  Robinson,  was  born  near  Al- 
toona,  Blair  County,  Pa.,  and  died  in  June,  1842, 
at  thirty-five  years  of  age.  She  left  four  sons 
and  one  daughter.  The  eldest,  John  A. ,  died  in 
Missouri  at  the  age  of  sixty-six,  and  David  T. 
died  in  Osage  County,  Kans.,  at  sixty  years  of 
age.  Samuel  A.  was  third  in  order  of  birth. 
Austin  F.,  who  participated  in  the  early  strug- 
gles in  Kansas,  served  through  the  Civil  war  and 
later  was  chief  of  police  in  Memphis,  Tenn. 
While  filling  that  office  he  was  shot  by  a  man 
whom  he  was  attempting  to  arrest,  but  recovered, 
and  is  now  living  in  Iowa.  The  only  daughter, 
Cordelia  Jane,  is  the  widow  of  William  Moore 
and  resides  in  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

When  only  seven  years  of  age  our  subject  was 
made  a  cripple  by  hip  disease.  Three  years  later 
his  mother  died.  He  continued  at  home  for  five 
more  years,  after  which  he  became  a  traveling 
salesman  for  a  Philadelphia  firm,  whom  he  repre- 
sented in  Huntingdon,  Blair  and  Clinton  Coun- 
ties for  four  years.  On  his  return  home  he 
clerked  in  the  store  for  his  father.  In  1854  he  be- 
gan to  clerk  for  a  Mr.  Allison.  After  a  year  he 
was  chosen  clerk  of  the  election  board.  Later  he 
taught  one  term  of  school.  When  he  arrived  in 
Kansas,  May  23,  1856,  he  had  only  $3.65  in  his 
possession.  The  next  day  he  went  to  a  land  sale 
and  took  a  claim  one  mile  north  of  Black  Jack, 
but  after  holding  this  property  until  1858  he 
gave  it  away.  In  January,  1858,  he  opened  a 
small  store  at  Black  Jack.  Doubtless  few  men 
have  ever  begun  in  business  with  less  capital  than 
he  then  had,  for  his  cash  in  hand  consisted  of  only 
fortj'  cents.     However,  in  spite  of  this  small  be- 


J 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


475 


ginning,  lie  gradually  built  up  a  good  trade.  The 
building  of  the  railroad  through  the  county 
turned  the  trade  into  another  direction,  but  he 
continued  to  conduct  the  store  until  1897.  In 
1857  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  pro-slavery  men 
and  carried  to  Lecompton,  but  was  soon  released. 
Twice  during  the  Rebellion  his  store  was  robbed. 
He  has  always  been  a  friend  to  the  government 
and  a  patriotic  citizen.  He  is  interested  in  edu- 
cational matters  and  served  on  the  school  board 
for  several  years. 

In  1854  Mr.  Stonebraker  married  Susan  D. 
Strunk,  of  Center  County,  Pa.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  eight  children  now  living,  namely:  Will- 
iam Anderson,  a  farmer  in  Lyon  County,  Kans.; 
Dora,  wife  of  John  Lathen;  Olive  B.,  Mrs.  Ben- 
jamin Oglesby,  of  Montana;  David  O.,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  livery  business;  Julia  Pearl,  wife 
of  Newton  Snyder;  Ira  O.,  a  farmer  of  Lyon 
County;  Linne,  wife  of  Oliver  P.  Shannon;  and 
Harry  Clay,  at  home. 


61  UGUSTUS  M.  JARDON,  vice-president  of 
LA  the  State  Bank  of  Baldwin,  is  one  of  the  rep- 
I  I  resentative  residents  of  Douglas  County. 
He  is  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and  sixty-five 
acres  of  valuable  land  lying  in  Willow  Springs 
Township,  where  he  carries  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits. For  some  years  he  has  made  a  specialty 
of  breeding  thoroughbred  Hereford  cattle,  and 
usually  feeds  from  one  to  two  hundred  head  of 
cattle  each  year.  The  success  that  has  met  his 
efforts  places  him  among  the  most  prosperous 
men  of  his  township  and  gives  him  a  position  as 
a  leading  stockman  and  farmer  in  his  locality. 

In  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  our  subject  was  born  Au- 
gust 17,  1854.  His  father,  Xavier  Jardon,  was 
born  and  reared  on  a  farm  in  France,  and  at  an 
early  age  (his  father  being  the  owner  of  a  pack- 
ing house)  he  learned  the  manufacture  of  char- 
coal. When  about  twenty-eight  years  of  age  he 
came  to  America  and  .settled  in  Massachusetts, 
where  he  married  Eliza  Beuchat,  a  native  of 
Switzerland,  but  a  resident  of  America  from  the 
age  of  twenty  years.  In  1858  he  came  to  Kansas 
and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  raw 


land  in  Palmyra  Township,  Douglas  County, 
where  he  passed  the  remaining  years  of  his  life. 
At  the  time  of  the  Quantrell  raid  in  1863,  after 
the  city  of  Lawrence  had  been  burned,  Quantrell 
and  his  men  left  for  more  congenial  quarters. 
They  pa.ssed  through  the  Jardon  farm  and  ordered 
Mr.  Jardon  to  open  the  gate  for  them.  Not  un- 
derstanding the  English  language,  he  did  not  do 
as  they  requested,  which  so  angered  them  that 
they  threatened  to  shoot  him.  Mrs.  Jardon  drew 
the  water  for  their  horses,  using  the  entire  sup- 
ply in  their  well,  and  was  paid  $5  by  the  men  for 
her  trouble.  In  the  work  of  pumping  she  was 
assisted  by  her  nine-year-old  son,  who  distinctly 
remembers  the  whole  occurrence. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  Xavier  Jardon  was 
sixty-five  years  of  age.  He  had  been  very  suc- 
cessful, and  not  only  owned  three  hundred  acres 
of  land  in  his  own  name,  but  had  aided  his  chil- 
dren in  the  purchase  of  farms.  In  religion  he 
was  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  in  politics  voted  with 
the  Democrats.  His  wife  is  now  seventy  years 
of  age  and  still  occupies  the  old  farm.  Of  their 
twelve  children  three  died  in  childhood,  Augus- 
tus being  the  oldest  of  the  survivors.  Of  the  oth- 
ers, Alfred  is  a  farmer  in  Colorado;  Xavier  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  is  also  connected  with  a 
cattle  commission  firm  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  So- 
phia is  the  wife  of  Horace  T.  Butell,  of  Osage 
County,  Kans.;  Martin  is  a  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  in  Willow  Springs  Township,  Douglas 
County;  Julia  married  Walter  Ford,  of  Oklahoma; 
Victoria  is  the  wife  of  A.  D.  Butell,  whose  sketch 
appears  on  another  page;  Adolphus  D.  resides 
with  his  mother  on  the  homestead;  and  Edmund 
is  a  farmer  in  Palmyra  Township,  this  county. 

At  the  time  of  coming  to  Kansas  our  subject 
was  a  small  child  and  his  entire  life,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  few  first  years,  has  been  passed  in 
this  locality.  He  remained  at  home  until  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  and  then,  with  his  father's 
assistance,  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  comprising  a  part  of  his  present  property. 
Here  he  has  since  made  his  home,  actively  en- 
gaging in  stock-raising  and  farming.  By  his  mar- 
riage, January  9,  1883,  to  Rosalie  Gormont,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,    he  has  one  daughter, 


476 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Lola,  who  is  still  at  home.  While  he  is  a  stanch 
Democrat,  he  has  never  cared  for  political  offices, 
nor  has  he  been  prominent  in  public  affairs.  Like 
his  parents,  he  is  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith. 


pQlLLIAM  A.  PARDEE,  who  is  a  well- 
\  A  /  known  farmer  of  Willow  Springs  Town- 
Y  Y  ship,  Douglas  County,  was  born  in  Ulster 
County,  N.  Y.,  October  22,  1835,  a  son  of  Levi 
and  Nellie  (Trumper)  Pardee.  The  first  of  the 
Pardee  family  in  America  was  his  grandfather, 
Levi,  who  came  from  France  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  to  serve  as  a  soldier  under  Lafayette 
and  assist  the  colonies  in  establishing  their  inde- 
pendence. Born  and  reared  in  Maine,  Levi  Par- 
dee at  an  early  age  became  captain  of  a  sailing 
vessel  on  the  Hudson  River.  He  made  his  home 
in  Westcamp,  Ulster  County,  and  besides  his  prop- 
erty there  owned  a  farm  in  Orange  County.  He 
died  when  forty-five  years  of  age,  of  hemorrhage 
of  the  lungs,  and  was  buried  at  Westcamp.  His 
wife,  who  was  born  in  Ulster  County,  in  1798, 
was  the  daughter  of  James  Valentine  Trumper, 
a  German,  who  came  to  this  country  and  held  offi- 
cial rank  as  a  colonel  in  Washington's  army  dur- 
ing the  Revolution. 

Of  a  family  of  four  children,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  the  sole  survivor.  His  boyhood  days 
were  spent  in  Ulster  and  Greene  Counties.  After 
his  father's  death  his  mother  became  the  wife  of 
William  Richardson.  The  latter,  in  1849,  started 
for  California,  but  was  taken  ill  en  route  and  his 
family  joined  him  in  Missouri,  where  they  arrived 
July  5, 1S50.  Afterward  he  settled  on  a  farm  of  six 
hundred  and  eighty  acres, occupying  what  is  now 
Morristown,  Cass  County,  Mo.,  and  there  he  died 
in  1857.  On  account  of  the  danger  incident  to 
border  warfare  that  locality  became  unpleasant, 
and  the  familj^  in  1861  crossed  the  state  line  into 
Kansas.  Four  years  later  the  mother  died,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  She  was  a  devoted 
wife  and  mother,  and  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

During  the  Civil  war  our  subject  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  the  Blue  at  the  time  of  the  Price  raid. 
February  25,  1864,    he   married    Miss  Agnes  D. 


Jameson,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Her 
father,  John  Jameson,  came  to  Kansas  in  1858 
and  entered  the  land  now  owned  by  our  subject. 
He  was  an  active  Republican  and  served  on  de- 
tached duty  during  Price's  raid.  He  was  not 
spared  to  witness  the  triumph  of  the  Union  and 
the  extinction  of  slavery,  but  died  December  4, 
1864,  at  fifty-four  years  of  age.  Nine  children 
were  born  to  the  union  of  our  subject  and  his 
wife,  but  two  of  these  died  in  infancy.  Those 
now  living  are:  James  V. ,  a  plumber  in  Kansas 
City,  Mo. ;  Edward  E. ,  a  farmer  in  Willow  Springs 
Township;  Harry  E.,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
plumbing  business  in  Kansas  City;  Robert  and 
Rosie  (twins),  William  H.  and  Bessie  D.,  who  are 
with  their  parents.  The  family  are  identified 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  politics  Mr. 
Pardee  was  formerly  a  Republican,  but  now  affil- 
iates with  the  Populists.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  Baldwin  City  Lodge  No.  31,  1. 0.0. F. 
He  has  had  no  reason  to  regret  his  settlement  in 
Kansas,  for,  although  he  had  only  $2  when  he 
came  to  the  state,  he  has  been  prospered  and  is 
now  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
representing  his  own  earnings. 


PI  AVID  HERRIES.  Since  coming  to  Kan- 
Inl  sas  Mr.  Herries  has  been  engaged  in  agri- 
IcJ  cultural  pursuits  in  Leavenworth  County. 
Coming  here  a  j-oung  man,  without  means,  he 
was  so  pleased  with  the  opportunities  offered  that 
he  decided  to  remain,  and  for  two  years  he 
worked  with  his  brother.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  bought  his  present  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  in  the  northern  limits  of 
Tonganoxie  Township.  Settlers  were  few  in 
this  part  of  the  county,  and  scarcely  any  attempt 
had  been  made  at  improvement.  Between  his 
brother's  place  and  Lawrence  nothing  but  an 
occasional  fence  could  be  seen  to  show  that 
the  land  had  ever  been  visited  by  white  men. 
His  own  property,  at  the  time  of  purchase,  was 
new  and  entirely  destitute  of  improvements;  he 
has  done  all  of  the  work  necessary  to  bring  the 
place  to  its  present  state  of  cultivation.  He  gives 
considerable  attention  to  stock-raising,  and  while 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


477 


he  has  not  a  large  herd,  those  that  he  owns  are 
in  the  best  condition  and  are  mostly  graded 
Shorthorn  cattle. 

A  native  of  Scotland,  born  in  November,  1837, 
Mr.  Herries  is  a  member  of  a  family  to  which 
reference  is  made  in  his  brother's  sketch.  When 
he  was  ten  years  of  age  the  family  emigrated  to 
Canada,  and  there  his  education  was  obtained. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  began  to  clerk  for  a 
brother,  with  whom  he  remained  for  three  years, 
and  later  followed  carpentering  and  farming. 
During  his  last  three  years  in  Canada  he  worked 
the  home  place  for  his  father  on  shares.  When 
he  was  twenty-eight  he  joined  his  brother 
in  Kansas,  expecting  to  return  to  Canada,  but 
was  so  pleased  with  the  west  that  he  established 
his  home  here.  In  religion  he  is  of  the  Scotch 
Presbyterian  faith,  but  there  being  no  church  of 
that  denomination  in  his  locality  he  has  allied 
himself  with  the  Methodists.  In  national  mat- 
ters he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Grange  at  McLouth. 

In  1870  Mr.  Herries  married  Margaret  Gat- 
chell,  who  was  born  in  Wyandot  County,  Ohio. 
They  became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  six 
of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  Sarah  Myrtle,  who 
married  Herman  Eggett  and  lives  on  the  home 
farm;  Mr.s.  Isabelle  Eggleston,  William  G., 
Emma,  James  and  Hiram. 


0AVID  EVANS,  who  dates  his  residence  in 
Lawrence  from  March  23,  1857,  experienced 
all  the  hardships  and  dangers  incident  to 
life  in  Kansas  during  the  slavery  conflict.  At 
the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  engaged  in 
teaming  with  a  span  of  mules  worth  $400,  which 
had  taken  premiums  at  fairs  and  were  the  finest 
in  the  state.  The  work,  however,  necessitated 
constant  sleeping  out  of  doors,  which  resulted  in 
ague,  and  he  was  therefore  advised  to  seek  an- 
other occupation.  Selling  out,  he  engaged  in 
farming,  but  was  not  successful  and  returned  to 
Lawrence.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  bought  a 
dray  and  began  hauling.  At  the  time  the  Quan- 
trell  raiders  came  into  the  town  he  had  a  shot- 
gun but  no  ammunition.     Some  of  the  raiders 


came  to  his  place,  took  his  horse,  burned  the 
barn  with  all  the  feed,  tools,  etc.,  leaving  him 
nothing.  He  undertook  to  stealthily  crawl  to  a 
neighbor's  house  for  ammunition.  The  neighbor 
ran  to  a  cowshed  and  Mr.  Evans  also  went  in 
there,  but  the  raiders  surrounded  the  building 
and  shot  repeatedly  at  him.  To  save  his  neigh- 
bor's life  he  came  out  and  talked  to  the  men. 
They  demanded  his  money  and  when  he  declared 
he  had  none,  they  replied  that  they  knew  better 
and  shot  at  him  again.  He  gave  them  one  of  his 
pocketbooks  and  they  then  wheeled  away.  Re- 
terninghome,  his  wife  urged  him  to  flee  at  once 
for  his  life,  and  so  he  hastened  to  the  banks  of 
the  river.  When  the  raid  was  over  he  found 
himself  with  nothing  excepting  one  pocketbook 
containing  $go.  With  this  money  he  bought  a 
horse,  fixed  up  his  dray  and  continued  in  the 
drayage  business  for  many  years,  finally  building 
up  the  largest  transfer  business  in  the  city.  He 
now  has  eight  teams,  with  a  transfer  line  to  the 
Santa  Fe,  and  has  large  barns,  etc.  He  built  his 
residence  at  No.  715  New  York  .street,  also  owns 
a  block  on  Massachusetts  street,  is  a  stockholder 
and  director  in  the  Lawrence  Gas  and  Electric 
Light  Company  and  a  stockholder  in  the  Watkins 
National  Bank. 

A  native  of  Pembrokeshire,  Wales,  Mr.  Evans 
was  born  October  6,  1833.  His  father,  John 
Evans,  was  a  cabinet-maker  by  trade,  but  died  in 
middle  life,  when  his  son,  David,  was  only  two 
years  of  age.  The  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Margaret  Harris,  was  born  in  Pembroke- 
shire, a  daughter  of  David  Harris,  a  farmer.  She 
had  only  one  child  by  her  first  husband,  John 
Evans,  but  after  his  death  she  was  again  married, 
and  became  the  mother  of  six  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, all  of  whom  attained  matureyears,  and  three 
of  the  sons  came  to  the  United  States.  She  died 
in  Wales  when  seventy-three  years  of  age. 

When  our  subject  was  fourteen  years  of  age 
his  mother  and  step-father  moved  from  town  to  a 
farm  near  Haverford  West.  When  he  was  nine- 
teen years  of  age  he  left  there,  to  try  his  fortune 
in  America.  It  had  been  his  original  intention  to 
settle  in  Australia,  but  changing  his  plans  he  de- 
cided to  sail  for  America.     May   10,  1853,  he  left 


478 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Liverpool  on  the  sailer  "Kossuth,"  Capt.  J.  J. 
Bell,  and  landed  in  New  York  on  the  loth  of  June. 
Going  to  Centerville,  Allegany  County,  N.  Y., 
hewasengaged  in  farming  until  1857,  when  he 
came  to  Kansas.  Here  he  took  a  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Franklin  County, 
but  made  Lawrence  his  headquarters.  He  proved 
up  on  the  place,  but  afterward  sold  it.  In  the 
summer  of  1859  he  was  married  in  Lawrence  to 
Miss  Mary  Edwards,  a  native  of  Wales.  About 
the  same  time  he  began  to  work  for  a  man,  but 
his  employer  failed  and  he  received  his  pay  in  a 
span  of  mules,  with  which  he  started  teaming. 
During  the  Price  raid  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Third  Kansas  Militia,  which  was  called  out  to- 
ward Kansas  City  to  assist  in  driving  the  Confed- 
erate general  out  of  the  state.  He  is  a  member 
of  Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  in  politics 
is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  belongs  to  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  In  the  Bap- 
tist Church  he  has  served  as  a  trustee  for  twenty- 
five  years.  He  lost  his  wife  and  four  of  their 
children  by  death,  and  has  seven  children  now 
living.  The  names  of  his  children  are  as  follows: 
Mrs.  Laura  Quick,  of  Lawrence;  John,  who  died 
at  eighteen  months;  Emily  E.,  of  Denver,  Colo.; 
William,  who  died  at  twenty  months;  Mrs.  Agnes 
Leach,  who  died  in  Kansas  City;  Mrs.  Alice  Ro- 
ber,  of  Lawrence;  Frank,  who  assists  his  father  in 
business;  Mrs.  Carrie  Stanford,  of  this  city,  and 
Nellie  and  Elsie,  who  are  with  their  father. 


gAPT.  JULIUS  FISCHER,  a  pioneer  of  '57 
at  Eudora,  Douglas  County,  and  ever  since 
1868  a  resident  of  Lawrence,  was  born  in 
Flatow,  Marein  Verder,  West  Prussia,  May  23, 
1827.  Hisfather,  Johan,  a  native  of  Saxony  and 
a  brewer  by  occupation,  married  in  Berlin,  and 
there  also  worked  at  his  trade.  Later  he  built  a 
brewery  at  Flatow,  but  through  misfortune  lost 
the  entire  property.  He  died  in  Prussia  in  June, 
1857.  His  wife  was  Caroline  Winkelmann,  a 
native  of  Berlin  and  daughter  of  a  prosperous 
government  official;  she  died  in  1852.  Their 
family  consisted  of  twelve  children,  but  only 
three  sons  and    one  daughter   attained   mature 


years.  Of  these  Carl  is  living  in  Lawrence; 
Heinrich,  who  was  in  the  pontoon  corps  during 
the  Civil  war,  is  in  St.  Louis;  and  Julius  forms 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  our  subject  was  ap- 
prenticed to  the  trade  of  a  cabinet-maker  in  his 
native  town.  After  his  three  years'  apprentice- 
ship he  was  employed  as  a  journeyman.  In 
1848  he  enlisted  in  the  Prussian  army  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  Twelfth  Company,  Twenty-first  Regi- 
ment of  Sharpshooters,  and  served  for  two  years 
and  ten  months,  at  the  expiration  of  which  he 
was  discharged.  After  working  at  his  trade  for 
some  years  he  started  for  the  new  world.  He 
left  Hamburg  on  the  sailing  vessel  "  Oder  "  and 
after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks  landed  in  New  York, 
August  24,  1856.  He  spent  two  weeks  in  New 
York,  then  bought  a  ticket  to  Chicago,  and  after 
paying  for  the  ticket  had  only  seventy-five  cents 
left.  Ten  days  were  spent  on  the  emigrant  train 
and  when  he  arrived  in  Chicago  he  had  only  a 
nickel.  Fortunately,  his  clothes  were  good,  but, 
unfortunately,  he  had  no  tools.  He  secured 
lodgings  in  a  State  street  boarding  house,  and 
began  a  long  and  weary  effort  to  secure  employ- 
ment. After  two  weeks,  through  the  influence 
of  a  Russian,  he  was  given  work  in  a  lounge- 
frame  factory  at  $9  a  week.  Later  he  worked  at 
the  carpenter's  trade,  and  then  was  in  Wright's 
mower  and  reaper  works. 

In  the  spring  of  1857  M^-  Fischer  became  a 
member  of  the  Kansas  Town  Company.  In 
April  twenty-one  men  started  for  Kansas  and  ar- 
riving in  Douglas  County  laid  out  Eudora, 
which  was  so  named  in  accordance  with  the  re- 
quest of  the  Indian,  Pascal  Fish,  who  wished  it 
named  for  his  daughter.  Mr.  Fischer  assisted 
in  starting  a  sawmill,  and  in  it  he  worked,  re- 
ceiving $2.50  per  day.  These  wages  seemed 
very  large  to  him  then,  as  he  had  been  through 
so  many  trying  experiences  in  Chicago  that  he 
had  learned  to  value  money.  However,  his 
prosperity  was  soon  terminated.  Hard  times 
came  on;  he  lost  his  position.  Every  one  was 
financially  distressed,  and  work  was  exceedingly 
difficult  to  secure.  He  manufactured  stirrups 
for  saddles  and,  with  these  fastened  on  his  back, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


479 


he  walked  to  Lawrence,  where  he  sold  them. 
Later,  with  a  partner,  he  started  a  sawmill  and 
manufactured  native  lumber  at  Eudora  for  four 
years.  During  this  time  they  cut  two  hundred 
acres  of  timber,  besides  what  they  bought  from 
loggers. 

During  the  Civil  war  our  subject  raised  Com- 
pany M,  Twenty-first  Kansas  Militia,  and  was 
commissioned  its  captain  by  Governer  Carney. 
His  was  the  only  infantry  company  in  the  regi- 
ment. He  participated  in  the  battles  during  the 
Price  raid  in  Missouri.  On  the  expiration  of  the 
term  of  service  he  returned  to  Eudora.  In  1868 
he  settled  in  Lawrence,  where  he  built  an  ice 
house  and  engaged  in  a  retail  ice  business,  con- 
tinuing in  this  until  his  retirement  in  1893.  In 
January,  1894,  he  became  interested  in  a  shoe 
business  which  his  son  had  started  five  years  be- 
fore. January  14,  1894,  the  Menger  Shoe  Com- 
pany was  incorporated,  with  Mr.  Fischer  as 
president.  Otto  Fischer  as  secretary,  treasurer 
and  manager.  The  following  year  the  firm  title 
was  changed  to  Fischer  &  Son.  The  location  of 
the  firm  is  No.  742  Massachusetts  street.  By 
his  connection  with  business  aflFairs  and  by  his 
improvement  of  business  and  residence  property, 
Captain  Fischer  has  done  much  to  develop  the 
interests  and  enlarge  the  resources  of  Lawrence. 
He  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  an  admirer  of  Bryan,  a 
believer  in  the  silver  standard  and  the  income 
tax,  and  an  enemy  to  the  trusts  and  monopolies 
that  have  gained  such  power  in  our  country. 
While  in  Eudora  he  served  for  a  term  in  the 
town  council  and  after  coming  to  Lawrence  he 
served  two  years  in  the  city  council,  representing 
the  fourth  ward.  He  is  a  member  of  Washing- 
ton Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R. 

In  Lawrence  Captain  Fischer  married  Miss 
Tekla  Menger,  who  was  born  in  Rudolphstadt, 
Saxony,  Germany,  a  daughter  of  Frederick  Men- 
ger, who  coming  to  America,  spent  a  short  time 
in  Philadelphia,  and  in  1857  settled  in  Douglas 
County,  Kans.  His  son,  Adolph,  who  was  in 
the  regular  army  for  five  years  and  took  part  in 
the  Civil  war,  later  engaged  in  the  real-estate 
business  in  Lawrence.  Another  son,  Ottomar, 
lives  in  Philadelphia;  a  third  son,   A.  G.  Men- 


ger, began  in  the  shoe  business  in  Lawrence  in 
1865  after  the  Quantrell  raid  and  with  his 
brother,  Herman,  became  the  proprietor  of  a 
large  store.  The  children  of  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Fischer  are  as  follows:  Otto,  his  father's  partner, 
and  councilman  from  the  fourth  ward,  also  a 
prominent  Knight  Templar  Mason,  married  Mi.ss 
Agnes  Jadiecke,  of  Lawrence,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Erna  and  Elfreda;  Eda  is  married 
and  lives  in  Tonganoxie,  Kans.;  Carl  assists  his 
father  in  the  store;  and  Anna,  the  youngest  of 
the  family,  is  at  home. 


HORATIO  TAWNEY.  A  stage  coach  from 
Douglas  to  Franklin  County  had  among  its 
passengers  in  December,  1864,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  At  that  time  Ottawa  was  a  small 
hamlet  and  settlers  were  few  throughout  the  sur- 
rounding country;  but  foreseeing  possibilities  for 
good  in  the  region,  he  bought  a  farm  in  Ohio 
Township,  and  here  he  has  since  made  his  home, 
cultivating  the  one  hundred  and  four  acres  that 
comprise  the  place.  As  a  Republican  he  has 
been  a  local  leader  of  political  afiairs.  For  five 
years  he  served  as  township  assessor,  and  for 
twenty  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  besides  which  he  served  as  township 
clerk.  With  his  family  he  is  identified  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  while  fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  Princeton  Post  No.  iii, 
G.  A.  R. 

A  son  of  Frederick  and  Anna  (Myers)  Taw- 
ney,  our  subject  was  born  in  Richland  County, 
Ohio,  June  7,  1834.  His  father,  who  was  born 
near  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Ohio  in  boyhood  and  there  he  learned  the 
wagon-maker's  trade,  at  which  he  was  employed 
for  several  years.  Later  he  bought  a  farm,  which 
he  carried  on,  at  the  same  time  operating  a  saw 
mill.  In  1875  he  sold  the  place  and  came  to  Kan- 
sas, buying  a  farm  near  Ottawa  and  residing 
there  until  the  death  of  his  wife  in  18S6.  After- 
ward he  made  his  home  with  his  son  Horatio. 
During  the  lifetime  of  the  Whig  party  he  sup- 
ported its  principles,  and  when  the  Republican 
party  was  organized  became  an   adherent  of  its 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


platform.  In  religion  he  was  a  Methodist.  He 
was  born  March  lo,  1808,  and  died  Januar}'  7, 
1899.  His  father,  Henry  Tawnej-,  who,  it  is 
thought,  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  spent  his  life 
principally  in  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  following 
the  blacksmith's  trade  and  dying  at  an  advanced 
age. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Adams 
County,  Pa.,  and  died  in  Franklin  County, 
Kans.,  in  1886.  Her  father,  Henry  Myers,  who 
was  of  German  extraction,  moved  from  P.ennsyl- 
vania  to  Richland  County,  Ohio,  and  died  there 
at  an  advanced  age.  In  religion  she  was  of  the 
Lutheran  faith.  Of  her  seven  sons  and  two 
daughters  the  following  survive:  Henry,  a  resi- 
dent of  Franklin  County;  Horatio;  Caroline,  who 
is  in  Texas;  Francis  James;  David,  a  farmer  in 
Cutler  Township,  Franklin  County;  Harriet  Ma- 
ria, wife  of  William  K.  Easterly,  of  Williams 
County,  Ohio;  and  Hiram  W.,  of  this  county. 
Cornelius  was  killed  by  a  horse  when  thirty- 
five  years  of  age.  Until  he  was  of  age  our  sub- 
ject remained  on  the  home  farm.  He  then  bought 
forty  acres  of  timber  land,  some  of  which  he 
cleared  before  entering  the  armj'.  Julj' 29,  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  One  Hundredth  Ohio 
Infantry,  and  was  assigned  to  the  Twenty-third 
Army  Corps.  In  1864  he  was  promoted  from 
the  ranks  to  be  corporal,  in  which  capacity  he 
continued  until  he  was  honorably  discharged. 
For  some  months  during  the  war  he  was  held  a 
prisoner  by  the  Confederates.  September  3,1863, 
while  in  Texas,  he  was  captured  by  General  Jack- 
son's men,  and  from  that  time  until    March   13, 

1864,  he  was  held  at  Libby  prison  and  Belle  Isle. 
Finally  he  was  exchanged  and  returned  to  his 
command.  Among  the  battles  in  which  he  took 
part  were  those  at  Franklin,  Nashville,  Atlanta, 
Columbia,  Limestone  Station,  Town  Creek  and 
the  various  engagements  of  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign.    He   was  honorably  discharged   July  2, 

1865.  His  brother  Francis  James  served  in 
Company  E,  Thirty-eighth  Ohio  Infantry,  and 
their  uncle,  Abraham,  who  served  in  an  Indiana 
regiment,  died  of  wounds  received  in  battle. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Tawney  returned  to  his 
Ohio  home,  but  soon  sold  his  place  and  moved  to 


Kansas,  where  for  a  time  he  worked  at  the  car- 
penter's trade,  in  addition  to  clearing  his  land. 
He  was  married  October  16,  1856,  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth A.  Stinebaugh,  who  was  born  near  Gallon, 
Ohio,  September  23,  1838,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Ellen  (Hershier)  Stinebaugh.  During  the 
Civil  war  she  had  four  brothers,  George  D., 
Henry,  Jacob  B.  and  John,  who  served  in  the 
Union  army,  Henry  and  Jacob  being  members  of 
Company  E,  Thirty-eighth  Ohio  Infantry,  and 
John,  of  Company  C,  One  Hundredth  Ohio  In- 
fantry. Three  of  the  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tawney  died  in  childhood.  Those  living  are: 
William  A.,  who  is  station  agent  for  the  Union 
Pacific  Railway  at  Lincoln  Centre,  Kans.;  Fran- 
cis G.,  a  farmer  in  Ohio  Township;  Sylvia  A., 
wife  of  E.  J.  Murphy;  Horatio  H.,  a  farmer  and 
cattle-dealer  in  Ohio  Township;  Annie  E.,  who 
married  Frederick  Smith;  Charles  S.,  a  farmer  of 
Franklin  County;  Hattie  B.,  a  stenographer  in 
Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Oliver,  who  is  station  agent 
for  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  at  Palco,  Rooks 
County,  Kans.;  Minnie  M.  and  James  A.  G.,  at 
home. 


(TUDGE  JOHN  FERRIS.  There  is  no  citi- 
I  zen  of  Lecompton  who  has  been  more  active 
Q)  in  its  educational  interests  than  Judge  Ferris. 
Having  had  few  advantages  when  he  was  a  boy, 
and  being  obliged  to  acquire  his  education  wholly 
by  self -culture,  he  realizes  more  than  many  the 
advantages  of  a  good  education,  and  has  done  all 
within  his  power  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the 
schools  of  his  town.  For  ten  years  he  acted  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Lane  Universi- 
ty, and  during  the  greater  part  of  this  time  served 
upon  its  executive  committee.  Since  1882  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Lecompton, 
and  has  been  instrumental  in  promoting  the  in- 
terests of  the  schools  and  advancing  the  standard 
of  education. 

In  County  Down,  Ireland,  our  subject  was 
born  July  13,  1830,  a  son  of  John  and  Nancj' 
(Campbell)  Ferris.  He  and  his  sister,  Sarah  J., 
who  resides  on  the  homestead  in  Ohio,  are  the 
only  survivors  of  seven  children  comprising  the 
family.     His   father,  who   followed  the  weaver's 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


48 1 


trade  in  his  native  land,  emigrated  to  America  in 
183 1.  After  two  j-ears  in  New  York  Citj-,  the 
prevalence  of  that  dread  disease,  cholera,  deter- 
mined him  to  leave  there.  With  his  family  he 
removed  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Tuscarawas  Coun- 
ty. After  a  short  time  on  a  farm  he  went  to  the 
county  seat,  where  he  made  his  home  until  his 
death.  His  wife,  who  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
accompanied  her  parents  to  Ireland  when  she  was 
a  girl.  Twenty  years  after  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ferris 
settled  in  America  they  induced  her  father,  Mr. 
Campbell,  to  seek  his  home  in  this  country,  and 
our  subject  remembers  that  after  he  had  crossed 
the  ocean  and  joined  the  family  in  Ohio  he  said 
that  he  had  never  been  ill  in  bed  a  whole  day  in 
his  life,  although  he  was  then  ninety-five  years 
of  age.     He  died  three  years  later. 

His  parents  being  poor,  our  subject  was  early 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  and  was  also 
largely  responsible  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
family.  At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  ran  a  boat  on 
the  Ohio  canal,  and  during  the  two  following 
years  he  was  an  intimate  acquaintance  of  James 
A.  Garfield,  who  was  employed  at  the  same  w-ork. 
After  two  years  he  apprenticed  himself  to  the 
blacksmith's  trade  in  Akron,  Ohio,  and  upon  the 
completion  of  his  time  he  went  to  New  Philadel- 
phia, Ohio,  where  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  for 
nine  years.  During  this  time,  in  1853,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ellen  Cunning- 
ham, a  native  of  Tuscarawas  Count}-,  Ohio.  In 
1857,  having  lost  his  health  through  overappli- 
cation  to  his  trade,  he  was  advised  by  physicians 
to  give  up  blacksmithing  and  devote  himself  to 
outdoor  work.  With  this  object  in  view  he  mi- 
grated to  Indiana  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Or- 
ange County.  During  the  summer  months  he 
cultivated  his  land  and  in  winter  taught  school. 
In  this  way  he  continued  for  twelve  years,  with 
the  exception  of  the  time  spent  in  the  service  of 
his  country.  In  February,  1864,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  M,  Thirteenth  Indiana  Cavalry,  and 
engaged  in  fighting  the  guerillas,  taking  part  in 
many  skirmishes.  His  original  enlistment  had 
been  in  Company  F,  composed  of  friends  and 
those  who  had  been  his  pupils  in  school.  But 
owing  to  sickness  he  was  unable  to  be  mustered 


into  the  service  with  the  others,  and  when  he 
joined  them  he  found  his  company  full,  so  he  was 
assigned  to  Company  M,  composed  of  strangers. 
He  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Nashville  and 
Franklin,  the  Davis  raid  and  the  capture  of  Mo- 
bile. He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at 
Vicksburg  in  November,  1865,  and  was  honora- 
bly discharged  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.  On  his  re- 
turn to  Indiana  he  resumed  farming  and  teach- 
ing. 

In  1869  he  came  to  Kansas  and  settled  one 
mile  southeast  of  Leconipton,  where  he  leased 
land  from  Col.  William  M.  Nace,  residing  there 
for  two  years.  He  then  removed  to  the  home  in 
Leconipton  where  he  has  since  resided.  Shortly 
after  settling  here  he  was  elected  justice  of  the 
peace  and  served  in  the  office  for  six  years.  For 
four  years  after  coming  to  town  he  continued 
farming,  but  the  grasshopper  scourge  of  1874  and 
1875  destroyed  his  crops  and  discouraged  him 
completely  with  farming.  After  losing  his  sec- 
ond crop  in  1875  he  was  left  with  a  debt  on  his 
home  and  no  means.  For  two  years  he  engaged 
in  railroading,  working  as  a  section  hand,  after 
which  he  was  made  foreman  of  the  section,  and 
worked  in  this  capacity  for  five  years.  He  re- 
signed when  he  was  offered  a  position  in  the 
water  service  at  Lecompton,  a  position  which  he 
filled  one  year,  but  being  crippled  through  an 
accident,  was  obliged  to  resign.  Since  then  he 
has  not  been  able  to  actively  engage  in  any  busi- 
ness. After  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  ju.stice 
of  the  peace  he  was  elected  police  magistrate  of 
Lecompton  and  served  in  this  office  for  nine 
years.  Upon  refusing  to  serve  longer  he  was 
elected  city  attorney,  which  position  he  still 
holds. 

Politically  Judge  Ferris  has  always  been  an 
ardent  supporter  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
is  a  man  of  earnest  Christian  character,  and  has 
from  youth  been  interested  in  church  and  Sun- 
day-school work,  being  an  active  member  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church.  He  has  often  acted  as 
arbiter  in  disputes  between  his  neighbors,  and  in 
frequent  instances  has  been  the  confidant  of  both 
parties  involved.  His  known  integrity  and  jus- 
tice of  character  have  made  him  respected  among 


482 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  associates.  He  and  his  wife  became  the  par- 
ents of  nine  children,  but  only  four  are  now  liv- 
ing, namel}':  Mary  E. ,  wife  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Packer, 
of  Osage  City,  Kans.;  Ellen,  who  married  Dr. 
R.  O.  Loggau,  of  Philomath,  Ore.;  William  L,., 
who  is  connected  with  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad; 
and  Joseph  H.,  who  is  engaged  in  railroading  in 
Colorado. 


0EORGE  P.  WASHBURN,  of  Ottawa,  is  a 
|_  member  of  a  family  that  made  a  record  for 
\^  valor  and  devotion  to  the  Union  during  the 
Civil  war.  At  the  opening  of  that  conflict  his 
father,  P.  S.  Washburn,  raised  a  company  of 
volunteers  and  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant 
of  Company  H,  Twenty-first  Missouri  Infantry, 
after  which  he  served  with  recognized  bravery 
until  he  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh, 
April  6,  1862.  The  efiects  of  the  wound  were  so 
serious  that  he  was  disabled  for  further  service 
and  obliged  to  resign.  He  never  recovered  from 
the  injury,  but  after  twenty  years  of  sufi"ering, 
died  in  1882.  The  oldest  son,  A.  M.  Washburn, 
with  a  patriotic  loyalty  that  belonged  to  him  by 
inheritance  and  training,  enlisted  in  Company  H, 
Twenty-first  Missouri  Infantr}-,  of  which  his  fa- 
ther was  a  commissioned  ofiBcer.  During  Price's 
raid,  in  the  fall  of  1864,  he  was  killed  by  the 
Confederates  near  Lexington,  Mo.,  and  now  rests 
in  an  unknown  grave.  The  second  son,  who 
forms  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  accompanied  his 
father,  whom  he  assisted  in  the  management  of 
his  affairs  and  outfit  while  at  the  front.  When 
his  father  was  wounded  at  Shiloh  he  brought  him 
to  St.  Louis,  where,  in  August,  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged.  In  the  fall  of  1863  the  young 
man  had  his  first  experience  as  an  enlisted  soldier. 
At  that  time  he  volunteered  in  the  company  of 
which  his  father  had  been  an  oificer,  and  joined 
his  regiment  at  Vicksburg,  later  taking  part  in 
the  expedition  up  the  Red  River  under  General 
Banks,  and  participating  in  the  battle  of  Sabine 
Cross  Roads  and  other  engagements  on  the  home- 
ward route.  His  next  expedition  was  into  Mis- 
sissippi, for  the  re-inforcement  of  General  Sturgis 
against  General  Forrest  in  the  battle  of  Guntown. 


'After  his  return  to  Memphis  he  again  accom- 
panied an  expedition  to  Mississippi  and  took  part 
in  the  battle  of  Tupelo.  In  September  he  was 
ordered  to  St.  Louis,  and  from  there  went  to  de- 
fend the  west  against  Price.  He  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  the  Big  Blue  and  various  skirmishes. 
It  was  during  this  raid  that  his  brother  was  killed 
from  ambush.  After  Price  retreated  he  was 
ordered  to  St.  Louis  and  thence  to  Nashville, 
where  he  arrived  about  the  same  time  with  Gen- 
eral Thomas.  He  was  present  at  the  battle  of 
Nashville  and  the  siege  of  Mobile,  Ala.,  also 
witnessed  the  taking  of  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort 
Blakely,  together  with  other  fortifications.  After 
the  fall  of  Mobile  his  command  under  Gen.  A.  J. 
Smith  started  for  Montgomery,  Ala.,  but  when 
halfway  to  that  city  received  word  of  Lee's  sur- 
render, and  on  that  account  were  ordered  back 
to  Mobile,  thence  detailed  to  go  to  Fort  Morgan 
for  the  winter.  He  was  mustered  out  of  service 
at  St.  Louis,  in  April,  1866.  Nor  were  he,  his 
brother  and  father  the  only  members  of  the  fam- 
ily in  this  company.  His  uncle,  Wilbur  Davis, 
was  a  sergeant  and  served  actively  until  he  was 
killed  at  Nashville. 

George  Washburn  removed  from  Brown  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  to  Ripley  County,  Ind.,  in  an  early 
day.  He  was  of  German  parentage  and  spoke 
no  language  but  German.  His  son,  Cornelius 
Washburn,  died  on  the  farm  on  White  Oak  Creek, 
twenty  miles  northeast  of  Ripley,  Brown  County, 
in  1821,  at  thirty-six  years;  his  wife  died  at  Cov- 
ington, Ky.,  in  1856,  aged  sixty-seven,  her  death 
resulting  from  an  accidental  fall  down  the  stairs 
of  her  home.  P.  S.,  son  of  Cornelius  Washburn, 
was  a  leading  architect  and  contractor  in  Coving- 
ton, Ky.,  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  October  20, 
1840,  he  married  Hannah  C.  Boyce,  who  died  at 
Fairmont,  Clark  County,  Mo.,  May  5,  1858. 
Becoming  the  owner  of  large  tracts  of  land  in 
Clark  County,  Mo.,  he  removed  there  in  1857, 
and  continued  to  reside  there  until  his  death. 
He  had  six  children,  viz.:  Ellen,  who  died  in 
i860;  A.M.;  George  P. ;  Charles  C. ,  a  contractor, 
of  Mount  Pulaski,  111.;  Belle,  who  died  in  1870; 
and  Mrs.  Tillie  Thompson,  of  Ottawa,  Kans. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Brown 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


4?3 


County,  Ohio,  March  21,  1846,  and  was  reared 
in  Covington,  Ky.,  until  1857,  after  which  he 
lived  on  a  farm  in  Missouri.  After  his  return 
from  the  war  he  attended  school  in  Fairmont  one 
year,  and  then  spent  two  years  in  Quincy,  111., 
learning  the  carpenter's  trade.  Meantime  he 
.studied  mathematics,  drawing  and  architecture 
in  the  evening  school  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's 
Commercial  College,  from  which  he  graduated. 
He  was  employed  as  journeyman  in  central  Illi- 
nois and  finally  settled  at  Mount  Pulaski,  where 
he  engaged  in  contracting  and  building.  In  1S78 
he  removed  to  Kansas  City,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed as  architect  and  superintendent  for  Cross 
&  Taylor.  He  had  charge  of  the  building  of 
the  Atchison  Union  depot,  the  Denver  Union  de- 
pot, the  union  depot  at  Peoria,  111.,  and  other  im- 
portant railroad  buildings.  On  the  death  of  Mr. 
Taylor  he  returned  to  the  main  office  of  the  firm 
in  Kansas  City,  and  continued  there  until  the 
spring  of  1882,  when  he  came  to  Ottawa.  Under 
Governors  Martin  and  Humphrey  he  was  for  six 
years  architect  for  the  state  board  of  charities,  and 
built  several  state  institutions,  among  them  the 
industrial  school  for  girls,  additions  to  the  reform 
school  at  Topeka  and  blind  institution  at  Kansas 
City.  Meantime  he  continued  his  business  at 
Ottawa.  He  was  architect  and  had  charge  of 
the  building  of  the  court  house  at  Ottawa,  which 
is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  state.  He  was  architect 
of  the  court  house  at  Atchison,  which  cost  $100,- 
000;  the  court  house,  county  infirmary  and  jail 
in  Johnson  County;  the  court  house  in  Miami 
County,  Kans.;  and  the  court  house  and  jail  in 
Woodson  County.  Besides  these  Kansas  build- 
ings he  built  the  court  house  in  Pittsfield,  111., 
and  a  $40,000  jail  at  Logansport,  Ind.  Many  of 
the  finest  business  blocks  and  residences  in  the 
state  have  been  erected  under  his  superintend- 
ence. He  was  architect  for  the  Baptist  Church, 
First  National  Bank  and  all  the  school  buildings 
in  Ottawa,  also  the  Baker  University  buildings  in 
Baldwin.  His  contracts  have  always  been  carried 
out  in  a  business-like  and  trustworthy  manner, 
and  no  architect  in  the  state  stands  higher  than 
he.  Since  1885  he  has  been  a  fellow  of  the 
American  Institute  of   Architects,   and  has  at- 


tended all  of  their  annual  conventions  since  that 
time.  He  has  his  office  at  No.  413  South  Main 
street,  Ottawa. 

In  February,  1S70,  at  Niantic,  111.,  Mr.  Wash- 
burn married  Alice,  daughter  of  C.  A.  Sponsler, 
who  removed  from  her  native  city,  Springfield, 
111.,  to  Ottawa,  Kans.,  where  he  followed  the 
architectural  business.  They  are  the  parents  of 
four  children.  The  oldest.  Pearl,  is  a  fine  musi- 
cian and  well-educated  lady;  she  is  now  the  wife 
of  Rev.  J.  C.  Coggins,  pastor  of  the  Christian 
Church  at  Independence,  Kans.,  and  a  fine  scholar 
and  excellent  speaker.  The  older  son,  C.  A., 
is  studying  architecture  under  his  father.  The 
youngest  children  are  named  Hazel  and  George 
Thomas. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Washburn  is  connected  with 
the  Masons  and  the  lodge  and  encampment  of 
Odd  Fellows.  He  is  active  in  the  work  of  the 
George  H.  Thomas  Post  No.  18,  G.  A.  R.,  in 
Ottawa,  and  has  represented  it  in  the  state  en- 
campment, also  in  the  national  encampment  at 
Milwaukee.  He  is  also  connected  with  the  Kan- 
sas Commandery  of  L,oyal  I,egion.  In  religion 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church.  Politi- 
cally he  has  always  supported  Republican  prin- 
ciples, and  has  represented  his  party  in  local 
committees  and  state  conventions.  He  stands 
high  among  the  citizens  of  Ottawa,  where  he  has 
a  reputation  for  liberality  and  enterprise,  as  well 
as  for  success  in  his  chosen  business. 


gHARLES  F.  GREEVER,  of  Leavenworth, 
city  engineer,  was  born  four  miles  north  of 
Savannah,  Andrew  County,  Mo.,  August 
10,  1864,  a  sou  of  George  W.  and  Sarah  (Porter- 
field)  Greever,  natives  of  Virginia.  His  mater- 
nal grandfather,  John  Porterfield,  was  the  son  of 
a  Revolutionary  soldier,  of  English  descent,  and 
was  a  planter  in  Virginia.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Leonidas  Greever,  also  a  planter  in  the 
Old  Dominion,  was  the  son  of  Hiram  Greever,  a 
native  of  Scotland,  who  was  a  colonial  settler  of 
Virginia,  a  planter  by  occupation,  and  in  religion 
a  Presbyterian.  During  the  Revolution  he  served 
in  the  American  army. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


The  boyhood  da3's  of  George  W.  Greever  were 
spent  in  the  home  of  his  uncle,  Hon.  Hiram 
Greever,  who  was  for  eighteen  years  a  member 
of  the  state  senate  of  Virginia  and  was  strong  in 
opposing  the  secession  of  the  southern  states. 
When  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  re- 
moved to  Ohio  and  was  employed  as  a  book- 
keeper in  Dayton.  He  returned  to  Virginia  to 
marry  Miss  Porterfield.  In  1854  he  settled  upon 
a  farm  in  Andrew  County,  Mo.,  and  afterward 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Greever  &  Beaty , 
who  were  the  first  to  establish  a  pork-packing 
business  in  Savannah.  He  was  opposed  to  slavery 
and  stanch  in  his  adherence  to  the  Union.  His 
younger  brother,  Addison,  was  lieutenant-colonel 
on  General  Lee's  staff,  but  he  cast  his  fortunes 
in  with  the  Union  army,  raising  a  company  for 
the  Eleventh  Missouri  Infantry.  He  served  for 
four  years  in  the  west  and  southwest  as  captain 
of  his  company.  When  his  brother,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Greever,  was  imprisoned  at  Columbus 
he  went  there,  secured  his  release  and  brought 
him  to  Missouri,  where  he  kept  him  until  the 
war  was  over.  Being  thoroughly  opposed  to 
slavery,  he  had  set  his  slaves  free  at  the  opening 
of  the  war  and  employed  help  whom  he  paid  by 
the  day. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Captain  Greever  bought 
a  farm  near  Newmarket,  Mo. ,  which  he  operated 
until  1868,  and  then  removed  to  Wyandotte 
County,  Kans.,  twelve  miles  south  of  Leaven- 
worth, where  he  cultivated  a  farm.  In  1882  he 
moved  to  Tonganoxie  Township,  Leavenworth 
County,  and  there  he  died  July  3,  1891,  at  sixty- 
three  years  of  age.  For  eight  years  he  had  been 
a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  Kansas  legis- 
lature, elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He 
organized  and  was  president  of  the  Kansas  Trot- 
ting Horse  Breeders'  Association.  He  brought 
from  Lexington,  Ky.,  the  first  standard- bred 
horses  that  were  ever  in  Wyandotte  County,  and 
these  he  continued  to  raise  on  his  farm  as  long  as 
he  lived.  Some  of  them  acquired  a  wide  reputa- 
tion in  racing  circles.  In  1888  he  brought  out 
three  head  of  the  best  breed  from  Kentucky. 
One  of  these  he  was  driving  when  he  met  his 
death.     The  horse  turned  a  corner  so   rapidly 


that  he  was  thrown  into  a  wire  fence  and  received 
injuries  from  which  he  died  two  hours  later. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Greever  died  in  Wyandotte  County 
in  1875.  She  was  the  mother  of  five  children, 
viz.:  William  S.,  a  farmer  of  Cowley  County, 
Kans.;  James  P.,  who  died  in  Wyandotte  Coun- 
ty; John  B.,  a  farmer  in  Leavenworth  County; 
Charles  F. ;  and  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Allan,  of  Reno, 
Leavenworth  County.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
grew  to  manhood  in  Kansas.  In  1882  he  at- 
tended the  Palmer  Academy,  and  a  year  later 
became  a  student  in  the  Friends'  Academy  in 
Tonganoxie.  During  1884-89  he  attended  Camp- 
bell University  at  Holton,  where  he  completed 
the  regular  university  course.  Meantime  he  had 
spent  a  year  with  an  engineering  corps  of  Kansas 
City.  In  April,  1889,  he  went  to  Oklahoma  with 
the  engineering  department  of  the  Denison  & 
Washetaw  Valley  Railroad  Company,  with  whom 
he  remained  until  the  surveying  had  been  com- 
pleted. Returning  home  in  July,  1889,  he  spent 
four  months  there,  and  then  went  to  Denison, 
Tex.,  where  he  was  first  assistant  engineer  in 
charge  of  construction  of  sewer  work  of  twelve 
miles  in  Denison.  He  also  completed  the  rapid 
transit  railway  of  Denison,  later  had  charge  of 
the  construction  of  a  wagon  bridge  across  the 
Red  River  at  Denison.  Returning  home  in  April, 
1891,  he  took  charge  of  his  father's  affairs  from 
that  time  until  January,  1892,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed county  engineer  of  Leavenworth  County 
by  the  board  of  commissioners.  He  continued 
to  hold  the  position  constantly  until  August  i, 
1897,  when  his  resignation  was  accepted,  but  on 
the  ist  of  Januar3%  1898,  he  was  again  appointed 
to  the  office.  From  1893  to  1895  he  served  as 
county  surveyor,  to  which  ofiice  he  was  elected 
on  the  Democratic  ticket.  April  21,  1897,  the 
mayor  appointed  him  city  engineer,  and  since 
that  year  he  has  also  been  chief  engineer  of  the 
Leavenworth  &  Lansing  Electric  Railway  Com- 
pany, in  the  laying  out  of  which  road  he  was  in- 
terested from  the  start.  With  his  brother  he  is 
interested  in  farming  and  the  breeding  of  fine 
horses,  and  at  the  head  of  his  stable  has  Owray, 
by  Onward. 

Fraternally  Mr.   Greever  is  a  member  of  the 


JACOB  H.  ROTHENBERGER. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


487 


Masonic  lodge  in  Leavenworth.  He  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Henr}-  Lodge  No.  190,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
at  Tonganoxie,  and  had  the  distinction  of  being 
the  youngest  master  of  that  lodge.  He  is  also 
connected  with  the  chapter  Masons.  In  politics 
he  has  always  been  firm  in  his  allegiance  to  the 
Democratic  party.  He  has  frequently  been  a 
member  of  the  county  central  committee.  In 
1896  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  state  central 
committee,  and  he  has  been  a  delegate  to  state, 
congressional  and  county  conventions.  He  is  a 
warm  admirer  of  Senator  W.  A.  Harris,  of  Leav- 
enworth County,  whose  candidacy  for  the  senate 
he  actively  promoted  in  1S97. 


(TACOB  H.  ROTHENBERGER,  proprietor 
I  of  the  Pioneer  Cooper  Works,  is  one  of  the 
G/  oldest  business  men  of  Leavenworth.  July 
I,  1859,  he  opened  a  shop  on  the  corner  of  Main 
anr.  Choctaw  streets,  where  he  remained  for 
eig'iteen  months,  later  removing  to  Choctaw 
street,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth.  In  1864  he 
bought  property  on  Sixth  street  and  built  the 
works  which  now  extend  from  Short  to  Oak 
street,  a  depth  of  two  hundred  and  twenty -five 
feet,  and  a  frontage  of  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  feet.  Not  only  is  this  the  oldest,  but  also  one 
of  the  largest  cooper  shops  in  Kansas.  During 
early  days  he  manufactured  barrels  out  of  rough 
lumber,  but  now  uses  the  machinery  process. 
Besides  his  shop  he  owns  other  property,  includ- 
ing farm  land  in  Alexandria  Township,  Leaven- 
worth County,  and  is  also  interested  in  other  en- 
terprises. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Rothenberger 
was  for  three  terms  councilman  from  the  third 
ward,  and  for  one  term  served  as  president  of  the 
council,  being  acting  mayor  during  the  absence 
of  the  mayor.  During  1891  and  1892  he  served 
for  nineteen  months  as  chief  of  police  of  Leaven- 
worth. In  1893  he  was  elected  county  sherifi"  on 
the  Republican  ticket,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
his  term  was  re-elected  by  a  large  majority,  serv- 
ing from  January,  1894,  to  January,  1898.  Dur- 
ing his  service  he  quelled  a  mob  of  striking  min- 
ers who  had  come  from  Rich  Hill,  Mo.,  intending 


to  force  the  Leavenworth  mines  to  stop  work. 
Through  his  wise  management  trouble  was 
averted  and  the  miners  were  sent  home  to  their 
side  of  the  river.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was 
a  member  of  a  militia  company  that  was  called 
out  during  the  Price  raid.  In  1861,  when  Leav- 
enworth was  threatened,  he  took  thirteen  men 
from  the  Turner's  Society  to  Fort  Leavenworth 
for  enlistment;  the  first  company  raised  here  for 
service  was  composed  of  Germans,  but  by  mistake 
it  was  made  Company  I  in  the  First  Kansas  In- 
fantry. 

Mr.  Rothenberger  was  born  in  Rheinpfalz,  Ba- 
varia, Germany,  August  8,  1S33,  a  son  of  Henry 
Lawrence  and  Elizabeth  (Schumacher)  Rothen- 
berger, also  natives  of  Bavaria.  His  father,  who 
was  a  guide  in  the  French  army,  had  been  cap- 
tured by  the  French  and  forced  to  serve  in  that 
capacity.  By  trade  he  was  a  cooper  and  brewer. 
In  1857  he  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Des 
Moines  County,  Iowa,  thence  came  to  Leaven- 
worth, where  he  died.  His  wife  also  died  here. 
Of  their  three  children,  two  sons,  Jacob  H.  and 
John,  are  living.  The  latter,  who  was  a  soldier 
in  the  First  Iowa  Infantry,  is  now  a  farmer  in 
Delaware  Township. 

When  a  boy  our  subject  learned  the  cooper's 
trade  under  his  father.  In  1851  he  left  Havre  in 
the  sailer  "Bavaria,"  which  anchored  in  New 
York  after  a  voyage  of  thirty-five  days.  For 
three  years  he  was  employed  at  the  cooper's  trade 
in  New  York.  In  1854  he  settled  in  Burlington, 
Iowa.  At  the  time  of  the  Pike's  Peak  excitement, 
in  1859,  he  started  west  with  a  party,  traveling 
via  ox-team  to  Kearney,  but  they  met  so  many 
people  returning  and  the  reports  were  so  discour- 
aging, that  he  became  discouraged  and  went  to 
Nebraska  City.  Thence  became  to  Leavenworth, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  a  short  time, 
and  then  opened  a  shop  of  his  own.  In  this  city 
he  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  Theodore 
Herboldsheimer,  and  a  native  of  Bavaria;  she 
came  to  America  with  her  father,  who  settled  at 
Junction  City,  Kans.,  but  later  removed  to  To- 
peka.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rothenberger  became  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  the  following 
survive:  Ida,  wife  of  George  W.    Kaufmann,  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lyeavenworth;  Agnes,  Catherine,  Elizabeth,  Ed- 
ward and  Otto;  Mary  died  in  1895;  Charles  in 
1892;  and  three  died  in  infancy. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Rothenberger  was  presi- 
dent of  the  German- English  school  board;  about 
twelve  years  he  was  president  of  the  Turners' 
Society  of  this  city,  and  for  four  years  he  was 
president  of  the  German-American  Publishing 
Company,  which  published  the  Leavenworth 
Frcie  Piessc.  Fraternally  he  is  a  past  officer  in 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows;  was  for 
fourteen  years  master  of  exchequer  in  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  a  member  of  the  Uniform 
Rank;  is  past  president  of  the  Order  of  Foresters 
and  the  Sons  of  Herman;  and  is  financier  in  the 
lodge  of  United  Workmen,  which  he  has  repre- 
sented in  the  grand  lodge  at  different  times. 


WILLIAM  H.  GILL,  who  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Kansas,  owns  three  hun- 
dred acres  of  farming  land  in  Douglas 
County  and  resides  in  Palmyra  Township.  He 
was  born  in  Cornwall,  England,  July  i,  1832, 
and  was  ten  years  of  age  when,  in  1842,  his 
father,  Richard  Gill,  crossed  the  ocean  to  estab- 
lish his  home  in  America.  The  family  settled  in 
Missouri,  but  in  two  years  removed  to  Galena, 
111.,  and  there  the  father  was  interested  in  lead 
mines  until  1867.  During  the  latter  year  he 
brought  the  family  to  Kansas,  and  bought  a 
house  and  lot  in  Baldwin,  where  he  settled  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  retirement  from 
business  cares.  In  religion  he  was  identified 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  in  poli- 
tics voted  with  the  Republican  party,  but,  being 
a  man  of  quiet,  retiring  disposition,  never  took 
an  active  part  either  in  religious  or  political  af- 
fairs. His  death  occurred  when  he  was  eighty 
years  of  age.  In  early  manhood  he  married 
Mary  Glanville,  who  was  born  in  England  and 
traced  her  ancestry  back  to  the  early  days  of  that 
country.  She  died  in  Baldwin  when  seventy- 
eight  years  of  age. 

The  family  of  which  our  subject  was  the 
third  consisted  of  eight  children.  The  eldest, 
Sophia,  is  the  widow  of   Richard  Stephens,   of 


Palmyra  Township.  Mary  G.  is  the  widow  of 
Stephen  R.  Elwell,  also  of  this  township.  Eliza- 
beth Ann  married  Brazilla  Dunn  and  lives  in 
Oregon.  Richard  G.,  who  came  to  Kansas  in 
1856  to  ascertain  the  whereabouts  of  our  subject, 
then  a  prisoner,  took  up  a  pre-emption  claim  in 
Douglas  County  and  resided  here  for  several 
years.  During  the  war  he  was  pressed  into  the 
Confederate  army,  but  deserted  at  the  first  oppor- 
tunity, not  being  in  sympathy  with  that  cause. 
His  last  years  were  spent  in  Arkansas,  where  he 
died  at  fifty-two  years.  John  G.  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Franklin  County,  Kans.  Emma  was 
first  married  to  Charles  Chetlan,  and  after  his 
death  became  the  wife  of  Col.  Charles  Adams. 
Katie  married  Lorenzo  Graves  and  died  at  forty 
years  of  age. 

When  seventeen  years  of  age  our  subject  left 
the  home  of  his  parents  and  went  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.  He  attended  the  Desperes  Academy  twelve 
miles  from  that  city  for  a  time  and  also  taught  a 
school  near  there.  Later  he  taught  in  Iowa 
County,  Wis. ,  for  three  years,  after  which  he  was 
a  student  in  the  Lawrence  University  at  Apple- 
ton,  Wis.  However,  on  account  of  trouble  with 
his  eyes,  he  was  obliged  to  discontinue  his  studies. 
During  the  border  ruffian  excitement  he  came  to 
Kansas,  in  July,  1856,  via  Nebraska  City,  where 
he  met  a  company  of  emigrants  under  Colonel 
Eldridge,  and  with  them  he  proceeded  as  far  as 
Topeka.  While  he  was  there  he  responded  to  a 
call  for  volunteers  and  on  the  same  day  started 
to  hunt  a  gang  of  ruffians,  overtook  and  fought 
them,  then  went  to  Lecompton.  Next  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Lawrence,  where  he  was  stationed  for 
some  time.  He  took  part  in  the  Hickory  Point 
fight  with  the  border  ruffians,  and  the  next  day, 
while  returning  to  Lawrence,  he  and  the  other 
members  of  his  company  were  captured  by  a  com- 
pany of  United  States  troops  and  held  prisoners 
for  about  three  months.  On  being  released  he 
returned  to  Lawrence,  where  he  was  employed  in 
putting  up  ice  and  in  operating  a  shingle 
machine. 

In  February,  1857,  Mr.  Gill  pre-empted  a  claim 
and  began  the  improvement  of  the  land.  He  re- 
tained the  property  for  several  years,  not  dispos- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


489 


ing  of  it  until  after  his  marriage.  In  1858  he  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  where  he  taught  two  terms  of 
school.  Later  he  taught  again  in  Wisconsin. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  B, 
Thirtieth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  was  mustered 
in  as  first  lieutenant.  The  captain  of  the  com- 
pany being  always  on  detached  duty,  our  sub- 
ject had  command  of  the  company  the  greater 
part  of  the  time.  At  Frankfort,  Ky.,  he  served 
as  post  commandant.  Quantrell  was  captured 
by  his  regiment  and  died  while  held  a  prisoner 
by  it  in  Louisville,  Ky.  After  a  service  of  three 
years  and  three  months  our  subject  was  honor- 
ably discharged,  the  war  having  closed.  Upon 
being  discharged  he  returned  to  Kansas  and  has 
since  made  his  home  in  Douglas  County.  Po- 
litically he  always  supports  Republican  prin- 
ciples. He  is  a  member  of  the  Grange  and  also 
belongs  to  Seth  Kelley  Post  No.  410,  G.  A.  R., 
ofVinland. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Gill  united  him  with  Mrs. 
Mattie  V.  (Cutter)  Kelley,  widow  of  Seth  Kelley. 
She  was  born  in  Massachusetts  and  came  to  Kan- 
sas in  an  early  day.  By  her  first  marriage  she 
has  one  son,  George  Kelley.  The  two  daughters 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gill  are  Helen  Gertrude  and 
Mary  Glanville.  Mrs.  Gill  is  a  lady  of  culture 
and  took  an  active  part  in  the  establishment  of  a 
public  library  at  Vinland.  In  religious  connec- 
tions she  and  her  son  and  the  two  daughters  are 
Presbyterians,  while  Mr.  Gill  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


IT  LBERT  BALES.  The  character  of  the  soil 
j^  of  Leavenworth  County  is  such  that  various 
L_  branches  of  agriculture  may  be  followed 
with  a  reasonable  hope  of  success.  Accordingly, 
some  men  have  interested  themselves  in  the 
stock  business,  for  which  the  fine  pasture  lands 
afford  an  excellent  opening;  some  have  engaged 
in  raising  corn  and  wheat;  some  have  made  a 
specialty  of  the  apple  business,  and  others  have 
given  attention  to  the  raising  of  small  fruits. 
Mr.  Bales  has  made  the  potato  business  his  spe- 
cialty, and  the  remarkable  success  with  which  he 
has   met  proves   that  he  did   not   err   in  judg- 


ment in  taking  up  this  line  of  work.  In 
1890  he  purchased  a  farm  in  the  Kaw  bottom  in 
Sherman  Township.  The  place  consisted  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy  acres,  which  he  at  once 
planted  to  potatoes.  Since  then  he  has  made 
many  improvements  on  the  farm,  among  them 
being  the  erection  of  a  .substantial  country  home. 
He  has  also  added  to  his  property  and  now  owns 
two  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  of  which  about 
one  hundred  acres  are  planted  in  potatoes.  Dur- 
ing the  season  he  makes  large  shipments  to  the 
markets.  His  success  has  encouraged  others  to 
engage  in  the  business.  Realizing  the  value  of 
concerted  action,  he  has  labored  to  secure  an  or- 
ganization of  potato  growers  in  this  locality. 
Largely  through  his  influence  the  Kansas  Produce 
Growers'  and  Dealers'  Association  was  organ- 
ized, the  object  of  which  is  to  encourage  the 
growing  of  better  crops  and  the  securing  of  more 
satisfactory  arrangements  for  marketing;  and  he 
has  served  as  president  of  the  society. 

Mr.  Bales  was  born  in  Greene  County,  Tenn., 
in  1856,  a  son  of  Abner  and  Cerena  (Pierce) 
Bales.  His  grandfather,  Jacob  Bales,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Sullivan  County,  Tenn.,  and  a  life-long 
resident  and  farmer  in  that  county,  where  he  was 
a  man  of  considerable  prominence.  In  religion 
he  was  of  the  Quaker  faith.  He  died  in  1875, 
when  eighty-seven  years  of  age.  He  was  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  three  brothers  who  came  to- 
gether from  England  and  settled  in  Virginia. 
Abner  Bales  was  a  farmer  of  Greene  County  and 
also,  prior  to  the  Civil  war,  engaged  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  linseed  oil  and  of  boots  and  shoes. 
Reared  in  the  Quaker  religion,  and  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  doctrines  of  that  society,  he  believed 
wars  to  be  wicked  and  Godless;  hence  he  refused 
to  take  any  part  in  the  Civif  war.  However,  his 
sympathies  were  with  the  Union.  He  died  at  his 
home  in  Greene  County  in  1863,  when  fifty  years 
of  age.  His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-two. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  all  but 
two  of  whom  are  still  living.  They  are:  Mary, 
widow  of  Frank  Patterson;  Louisa,  the  wife  of 
Robert  Corder;  Newton;  Jacob;  George;  Caro- 
line, who  married  Jacob  Grimm;  Thomas,  Elbert 
and  Nathan. 


490 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


In  1873  the  subject  of  this  sketch  left  his  home 
ill  Tennessee  and  moved  to  Grant  County,  Ind. 
In  the  fall  of  1877  he  settled  in  Kansas  City, 
Kans.,  where  he  was  employed  for  four  years. 
In  the  spring  of  1882  he  began  growing  potatoes 
in  Wilder,  Kans.,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years,  and  afterward  he  spent  seven  years  in  the 
same  business  at  Edwardsville.  In  1890  he  pur- 
chased the  property  which,  with  its  subsequent 
additions  of  land,  comprises  his  present  home. 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  keeps  well 
posted  concerning  public  questions.  For  several 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board 
and  one  of  the  active  workers  in  promoting  the 
interests  of  his  district  school.  He  is  identified 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  a  con- 
tributor to  its  support.  His  first  wife,  whom  he 
married  in  1884,  bore  the  maiden  name  of  L,aura 
Wilson;  she  died  in  January,  1886.  Afterward 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Letha  Olive 
Pipes,  by  whom  he  has  four  children:  Lennie, 
Beulah,  Florence  and  Helen. 


CySAAC  F.  HUGHES,  chairman  of  the  board 
I  of  county  commissioners  and  a  successful 
X  merchant  of  Lawrence,  was  born  in  Glou- 
cester County,  N.  J.,  July  29,  1861,  a  son  of  Will- 
iam M.  and  Sarah  S.  (Abraham)  Hughes, 
natives  of  New  Jersey.  His  father,  who  was  a 
member  of  an  old  family  of  that  state,  engaged  in 
farming  there  until  1868,  when  he  settled  upon  a 
farm  in  Reno  Township,  Leavenworth  County, 
Kans.,  and  there  he  made  his  home  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  While  on  a  visit  to  the 
Centennial  Exposition  he  died  at  the  Hughes 
home  in  Philadelphia.  He  was  then  sixty-eight 
years  of  age.  His  wife  died  at  North  Lawrence, 
April  I,  1898,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  viz.: 
Robert  W. ,  who  was  a  member  of  a  New  Jersey 
regiment  during  the  Civil  war,  and  is  now  con- 
nected with  the  Santa  Fe  road  in  Newton,  Kans.; 
Mrs.  Mary  K.  Southern,  of  Manchester,  Eng- 
land; William  A.,  who  was  an  engineer  on  a 
ferry  running  between  Philadelphia  and  Camden, 
and  died  in  the  latter  city  in  1895;  Mrs.  Emma 


Hogbin,  of  Hamilton  County,  Kans.;  G.  C,  who 
is  in  his  brother's  store  in  Lawrence;  James  J., 
of  Tehama  County,  Cal.;  Charles  W. ,  who  re- 
sides in  Portland,  Ore.;  and  Isaac  F. 

The  last-named  was  seven  years  of  age  at  the 
time  the  family  settled  in  Kansas.  He  attended 
a  school  in  Reno  Township,  also  spent  four  win- 
ters in  the  Lawrence  school  and  in  the  business 
college.  In  1879  he  entered  the  employ  of  S.  B. 
Pierson  in  order  to  learn  the  milling  business, 
and  remained  in  the  same  place  for  more  than 
six  years,  meantime  thoroughly  learning  the 
trade.  He  then  became  manager  and  head  miller 
in  Babcock's  mill  in  North  Lawrence,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  same  place  after  it  become  the  prop- 
erty of  another  gentleman  and  was  transformed 
into  a  flour  mill.  In  February,  1893,  he  era- 
barked  in  the  grocery  business,  beginning  on  a 
small  scale  on  Locust  street.  In  June  of  the 
same  year  he  took  in  Edward  B.  Pine  as  a  part- 
ner and  enlarged  the  business.  Since  June,  1894, 
he  has  occupied  the  building  at  No.  187  Bridge 
street,  to  which,  in  1896,  he  built  an  addition  at 
the  north  end,  and  began  to  deal  also  in  meats 
and  provisions.  In  January,  1899,  he  invested 
$1,600  in  groceries,  flour  and  feed,  and  also  added 
fresh  and  salt  meats  and  market  produce  to  his 
stock.  His  success  has  been  remarkable,  espec- 
ially when  it  is  considered  that  at  eighteen  he 
began  to  work  at  $4  a  week,  and  had  not  a  dollar 
besides  what  he  earned.  His  industry  and  in- 
telligence, however,  soon  made  him  a  valuable 
workman,  and  at  the  time  he  began  in  business 
for  himself  he  had  been  able  to  save  a  nice  little 
capital  to  invest  in  business.  He  is  popular 
among  his  customers  and  by  energy  and  accu- 
racy has  built  up  a  large  trade. 

Mr.  Hughes  was  married  in  Trenton,  Mo., 
October  17,  1 891,  to  Miss  Lizzie  Griffitts,  who 
was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Kans.,  the  daugh- 
ter of  an  old  settler  of  that  county.  They  have 
four  children:  Herbert;  Earl,  who  is  the  young- 
est boy  in  the  Lawrence  high  school;  Ray  and 
Fay  (twins),  four  years  of  age.  The  family  are 
connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
in  which  Mr.  Hughes  is  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.     In 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


491 


the  fall  of  1893  he  was  elected  to  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  of  Douglas  County  and 
was  re-elected  in  1896,  to  serve  until  January, 
1900.  He  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as 
chairman  of  the  board.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Lawrence  Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.M.; 
charter  member  and  past  officer  in  the  local 
lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  in  which  he  has  been  finan- 
cier for  years;  a  charter  member  of  the  Fraternal 
Aid,  Modern  Woodmen  and  Order  of  Pyramids, 
and  is  also  identified  with  the  Degree  of  Honor. 


0EORGE  WASHINGTON  SEYMOUR. 
I—  Throughout  a  long  and  active  life,  much 
\ji  of  which  was  passed  in  Leavenworth  Coun- 
ty, Mr.  Seymour  maintained  a  reputation  for  in- 
tegrity and  manly  worth,  as  well  as  for  energy 
in  his  chosen  occupation  of  farming.  In  1861  he 
settled  permanently  in  Kansas,  establishing  his 
home  on  land  in  Kickapoo  Township,  which  he 
had  purchased  in  1857.  I"  1866  he  sold  that 
place  and  bought  eighty  acres  where  his  family 
still  reside.  Here  he  engaged  in  raising  grain  and 
stock,  adding  to  his  land  until  his  possessions  ag- 
gregated one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He 
erected  the  first  store  building  at  Boling  Station 
and  put  in  a  stock  of  merchandise.  The  old 
house  that  stood  on  his  farm  he  replaced  with  a 
commodious  residence,  containing  all  the  modern 
improvements.  Always  interested  in  local  affairs 
he  did  his  part  toward  the  advancement  of  his 
township  and  county.  For  eighteen  years  he 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  to  which  office  he 
was  first  appointed  to  fill  a  vacancy  and  which  he 
continued  to  fill  by  election.  His  decisions  as 
justice  were  thoughtfully  and  wisely  rendered 
and  very  few  of  them  were  ever  reversed  in  the 
higher  courts.  For  years  he  was  identified  with 
the  Masonic  order.  In  religion  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Christian  Church  and  a  contributor  to  its 
maintenance. 

Mr.  Seymour  was  born  in  Granger  County, 
Tenn.,  February  25,  1813,  and  died  in  Leaven- 
worth County,  Kans.,  August  17,  1895,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-two  years.  He  engaged  in  farming 
there  until    1838,   when  he  removed  to  Missouri 


and  took  up  a  claim  near  St.  Joseph.  During 
that  year  he  visited  Kansas,  stopping  at  Fort 
Leavenworth  for  a  short  time.  In  1853  he  sold 
his  Missouri  claim  and  went  to  Williamson  Coun- 
ty, Tex.,  where  he  gave  his  attention  to  the  stock 
business.  In  1857  he  brought  a  drove  of  mules 
to  Kansas  and  at  that  time  he  bought  land  in 
Kickapoo  Township.  Returning  to  Texas  the 
next  year  he  remained  there  until  1861,  when,  on 
account  of  his  sympathies  with  the  Union,  that 
section  of  country  became  undesirable  for  a  resi- 
dence. He  then  came  to  Kansas  and  established 
his  home  permanently  in  Leavenworth  County. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  he  favored 
the  Civil  war  and  the  abolition  of  slavery. 

By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Seymour  had  six 
children,  all  but  two  of  whom  are  still  living. 
June  28,  1845,  he  married  Mrs.  Susan  M.  Rus- 
sell, daughter  of  Isaac  Gann,  and  a  native  of 
Washington  County,  Tenn.  Of  the  nine  chil- 
dren born  to  them,  seven  are  living,  viz. :  Mar- 
garet, who  is  married  and  lives  in  St.  Louis; 
Samuel  A.,  who  is  a  farmer  in  High  Prairie 
Township;  Ann  Eliza,  who  is  married  and  lives 
in  Wyandotte  County,  Kans.;  George  W.,  a  cat- 
tleman in  the  Indian  Territory;  William  A.,  a 
farmer  of  Leavenworth  County;  Albert  J.,  of 
Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  and  Robert  L.,  who  has  charge 
of  the  home  farm  and  the  store  at  Boling. 


nOHN  GILMORE  first  came  to  Kansas  in 
I  1855,  traveling  through  the  territory  with 
(2)  Governor  Robinson  and  Messrs.  Hill  and 
Whitman  on  a  tour  of  inspection.  The  following 
year  he  spent  a  short  time  in  Duluth,  Minn., 
with  a  view  to  locating  there,  but  decided  that 
Kansas  offered  greater  inducements.  In  1857  he 
came  to  Lawrence  for  the  second  time,  and  here 
he  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  tinware  business 
with  a  partner  under  the  firm  name  of  Allen  & 
Gilmore,  their  connection  continuing  until  i860. 
On  dissolving  the  partnership  he  went  to  Colo- 
rado, and  from  there  in  the  fall  of  i860  returned 
east,  spending  the  winter  in  Indiana.  In  the 
spring  of  1861  he  returned  to  Douglas  County, 
Kans.,    and   purchased  one   hundred  and   sixty 


492 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


acres  on  the  Kaw  bottom,  five  miles  east  of  Law- 
rence, where  he  has  since  engaged  in  the  stock 
and  farming  business.  He  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent agriculturists  of  Eudora  Township,  and  is 
making  a  specialty  of  raising  fine  cattle  and 
horses.  Since  he  first  came  here  he  has  added  to 
his  property  until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  one 
thousand  acres  of  rich  bottom  land,  on  which  he 
raises  various  cereals  and  potatoes.  In  1874  he 
was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Lawrence 
packing  house,  in  which  he  continued  to  be  a 
stockholder  for  some  time. 

In  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  our  subject  was 
born  November  27,  1832,  a  son  of  James  Gilmore, 
who  was  a  native  of  Washington  County,  N.  Y., 
and  spent  his  entire  active  life  as  a  farmer  in  the 
Empire  state.  He  made  a  specialty  of  stock- 
raising,  in  which  he  was  extensively  engaged  for 
that  day.  In  politics  he  was  an  old-line  Whig 
and  took  an  active  part  in  local  afi"airs.  His  death 
occurred  in  Livingston  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1882, 
when  he  was  eighty-six  years  old.  He  was  a 
son  of  James  Gilmore,  Sr.,  who  was  born  in 
Washington  County  and  for  years  successfully 
carried  on  farm  pursuits  there.  The  family  de- 
scended from  Colonel  Gilmore,  an  officer  under 
General  Washington.  The  first  of  the  name  in 
this  country  came  from  England  or  Scotland  and 
settled  in  New  York  prior  to  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

By  the  marriage  of  James  Gilmore,  Jr. ,  to  Mary 
Green,  who  was  born  in  New  York  and  died  there 
in  1853,  ^t  the  age  of  fifty-three,  there  were  born 
five  children,  three  of  whom  survive,  viz. :  Thom- 
as, of  Livingston  County,  N.  Y.;  Sarah  Mar}', 
widow  of  Judge  S.  O.  Thatcher,  of  Lawrence; 
and  John.  The  last-named  was  reared  on  a  farm 
in  Livingston  County  and  was  educated  in  com- 
mon schools  and  Alfred  College  at  Baker's  Bridge, 
N.  Y.  In  1847-48  he  spent  some  time  with  his 
grandfather  in  Indiana.  From  there  he  came  to 
Kansas.  During  the  long  period  of  his  residence 
in  the  same  locality  he  has  witnessed  many 
changes  and  has  been  a  contributor  to  enterprises 
for  the  benefit  of  the  people  of  his  township  and 
county.  While  he  has  never  cared  for  political 
prominence,  he  has  always  kept  posted  concern- 


ing national  problems  and  has  been  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  Republican  principles.  In  1856  he 
married  Miss  Susannah  C.  Odell,  of  Indiana. 
Thej'  have  five  children,  namely:  Annie  O.,  who 
is  with  her  parents;  Solon  T.,  an  attorney  in 
Kansas  City;  Mary  G.,  a  teacher  in  the  Colorado 
Springs  schools;  Josephine,  a  teacher  in  Eudora; 
and  Nydia,  wife  of  Thomas  J.  Hughes,  of  Okla- 
homa. 


<^HOMAS  DYER.  The  farming  interests  of 
f  C  Mr.  Dyer  are  mainl}'  connected  with  the 
V2/  county  of  Douglas.  He  is  the  owner  of  a 
valuable  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
in  Willow  Springs  Township,  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  which  was  the  homestead  of  his 
father.  Besides  this  he  has  three  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Franklin  County,  across  the  line 
from  Douglas,  all  of  which  is  improved;  and  he 
also  owns  an  eighty-acre  tract  of  valuable  land 
near  Baldwin.  His  attention  is  divided  between 
stock-raising  and  cereals,  in  both  of  which  lines 
he  has  had  good  success. 

Near  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  Mr.  Dyer  was  born 
March  23,  1849.  His  father,  John  Dyer,  a  na- 
tive of  County  Sligo,  Ireland,  was  reared  upon  a 
farm  and  married  Bridget  Doyle,  a  native  of  the 
same  county  as  himself.  After  having  devoted 
some  years  to  farming  in  Ireland  he  decided  that 
the  new  world  offered  him  greater  advantages 
than  his  own  land,  and  therefore  determined  to 
seek  a  home  across  the  ocean.  In  1834  he  came 
to  America,  first  settling  in  New  York,  and  in 
1840  removing  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  took  up  a 
tract  of  wild  land.  The  country  was  new  and 
the  city  of  Milwaukee  was  as  yet  unknown.  In 
the  spring  of  1857  he  removed  from  thereto  Kan- 
sas, settling  in  Douglas  County  and  entering  a 
claim  to  land  in  Willow  Springs  Township. 
From  that  time  he  continued  to  reside  here  and 
met  with  fair  success  as  a  farmer.  In  early  days 
he  was  active  in  the  Democratic  party  and  held 
numerous  local  offices.  In  religion  he  was  a  Ro- 
man Catholic.  His  death  occurred  Januar}-  6, 
1884,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  He  was 
survived  for  some  years  by  his  wife,  who  passed 
away  October  11,  1898,  at  eighty-nine  years.    Of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


493 


their  eleven  children,  seven  are  still  living, 
namely:  Mrs.  Margaret  Gormaly,  a  widow  liv- 
ing in  Kansas  City;  John,  a  farmer  of  Willow 
Springs  Township;  Michael,  who  is  also  engaged 
in  farming  here;  Lizzie,  who  married  George  W. 
Hayslett,  of  Lawrence;  Martin,  a  farmer  of 
Franklin  County;  Thomas,  and  James,  of  Willow 
Springs  Township. 

At  the  time  the  family  .settled  in  Kansas  our 
subject  was  seven  years  of  age.  He  continued 
with  his  parents  until  their  death,  caring  for  them 
in  their  old  age  and  helplessness,  and  in  return 
was  given  the  old  homestead  when  thej'  died. 
January  9,  i877,he  married  Miss  Ernestine  Butell, 
of  Douglas  County.  They  are  the  parents  of  four 
children,  William  F.,  Joseph  H.,  Charles  H.  and 
Rosie,  all  at  home.  In  election  matters  Mr.  Dyer 
is  more  for  the  man  than  the  party,  and  always 
endeavors  to  support  only  such  men  as  will  faith- 
fully and  intelligently  conserve  the  interests  of 
the  people.  In  national  elections  his  sympathies 
are  toward  Democratic  candidates.  He  and  his 
wife  were  reared  in  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  An 
efficient  farmer  and  accommodating  friend,  he  has 
won  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  of  his  business 
and  social  acquaintances. 


0R.  JOSEPH  STAYMAN,  the  pioneer  fruit 
grower  of  Leavenworth  County,  has  resided 
on  his  present  homestead,  within  the  limits 
of  the  city  of  Leavenworth,  since  i860.  At  once 
after  settling  here  he  began  to  plant  fruit  trees 
and  made  many  experiments  in  order  to  learn 
what  varieties  are  best  adapted  to  the  soil  and 
climate.  Horticulture  has  been  his  life  study 
and  there  is  no  detail  of  the  business  with  which 
he  is  not  familiar.  He  introduced  the  leading 
varieties  of  apples  now  grown  in  the  state  of 
Kansas,  and  is  now  engaged  in  producing  what 
is  known  as  the  Stayman  apple  to  take  the  place 
of  the  common  apples,  also  raises  Ben  Davis  and 
Missouri  pippin  varieties.  The  two  orchards  that 
he  owns  comprise  a  large  tract  of  land,  with 
about  three  thousand  trees. 

The  Stayman  family  are  of  German  descent  and 
were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Lanca.ster  and 


Cumberland  Counties,  Pa.,  where  they  identified 
themselves  with  the  Mennonites.  Joseph  Stay- 
man,  Sr. ,  a  native  of  Cumberland  County,  moved 
to  Ohio  in  1839  ^nd  there  died  in  1848.  By  oc- 
cupation he  was  a  farmer  and  fruit  grower.  In 
politics  he  was  an  old-line  Whig  and  one  of  the 
earliest  Abolitionists  in  the  United  States.  It 
was  characteristic  of  the  family  that  its  members 
were  patriotic,  loyal  citizens,  who  always  took  a 
stand  on  the  side  of  the  right  because  it  was 
right,  whether  or  not  it  might  be  policy  to  do  so. 
He  married  Barbara  Myers,  who  was  born  in 
Pennsj'lvania,  daughter  of  John  Mj'ers,  a  preach- 
er in  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  German  ancestry.  Nine  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  but  only  two  are  now 
living:  Joseph;  and  John  W.,  of  Springfield, 
Ohio.  The  mother  died  in  Ohio  at  seventy-three 
years  of  age. 

In  Cumberland  County,  Pa.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born  October  7,  1817.  Hewas  reared 
on  the  home  farm  and  under  the  instruction  of 
his  father,  who  was  a  fine  mathematician,  and  in 
the  schools  held  in  log  buildings  he  obtained  his 
education.  In  j'outh  he  assisted  his  father  in 
the  milling  business.  In  1839  he  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Ohio,  where  for  five  years  he  was 
interested  in  the  milling  business  with  his  father. 
During  this  time  he  was  a  student  of  phrenology, 
psychology  and  medicine.  In  1846  he  began  to 
deliver  lectures  on  these  subjects  throughout  the 
country,  and  also  dwelt  much  upon  scientific 
topics,  notably  electricity.  For  nine  years  much 
of  his  time  was  spent  in  the  lecture  field.  Mean- 
time, in  1849,  he  married  and  established  his 
home  in  Carlisle,  Pa.  In  185 1  he  removed  to 
Abingdon,  111.,  where  for  several  years  he  prac- 
ticed medicine,  but  in  1858  purchased  a  nursery 
business,  which  was  the  beginning  of  his  connec- 
tion with  the  fruit  business.  From  Illinois  he 
removed  to  Kansas,  where  he  has  since  been  a 
prominent  horticulturist. 

In  1876  Dr.  Stayman  sent  fruit  to  the  Centen- 
nial Exposition  at  Philadelphia  and  received  a 
premium  for  excellence  of  display.  It  is  a  fact 
worthy  of  mention  that  there  were  over  two  hun- 
dred  varieties  of  fruit  exhibited   from   Leaven- 


494 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


worth  County  at  this  exposition.  He  was  one  of 
the  county's  delegates  to  Philadelphia.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  part  he  took  in  sending  fruit  from  his 
home  town  and  county  he  enlisted  the  interest 
of  people  in  dififerent  parts  of  the  state  and 
through  his  influence  they  sent  fruit  to  the  Cen- 
tennial Exposition,  where  he  took  a  premium. 

Dr.  Stayman  is  the  originator  of  the  Clyde 
strawberry,  also  of  different  varieties  of  grapes 
and  raspberries.  He  has  made  a  study  of  draw- 
ing and  designing  cuts  of  varieties  of  fruits,  and 
these  are  considered  very  accurate.  Through 
his  influence  in  1866  the  Kansas  State  Horticult- 
ural Society  was  organized.  The  papers  of  or- 
ganization were  drawn  up  in  his  house  by  him- 
self and  William  Tanner.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Leavenworth  County  Horticult- 
ural Society,  of  which  he  served  as  secretarj^  for 
twenty  years.  At  one  time  he  was  connected 
with  the  Grange  and  he  has  also  been  active  in 
the  Leavenworth  County  Agricultural  Society. 

Always  interested  in  questions  of  public  im- 
portance, Dr.  Stayman  is  a  Republican  in  his  po- 
litical belief.  While  he  takes  a  part  in  local 
matters  he  has  never  sought  office  and  his  con- 
nection with  municipal  affairs  has  been  of  a  gen- 
eral, rather  than  a  personal,  nature.  He  possesses 
inventive  ability  and  has  devised  a  number  of  ar- 
ticles of  undoubted  utility.  In  1856  he  invented 
an  electrical  magnetic  engine,  which  has  since 
been  adopted  by  street  car  companies  in  all  parts 
of  the  United  States;  but,  not  having  sufficient 
funds  to  advertise  and  manufacture  the  engines 
himself,  he  failed  to  realize  any  personal  gain 
from  his  invention.  He  and  his  wife,  who  was 
Susan  M.  Black,  of  Cumberland  County,  Pa., 
are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  their  acquaint- 
ances and  have  made  many  warm  personal 
friends  during  the  long  period  of  their  residence 
in  Leavenworth. 

He  is  one  of  the  most  noted  checker  players 
in  the  United  States,  and  he  corrected  the 
"Black  Doctor"  game,  which  had  been  before 
the  public  for  over  one  hundred  and  fiftj-  years. 
He  played  the  game  with  the  champion  checker 
player  of  the  "Black  Doctor,"  J.  D.  Janvier,  to 
prove  the  correctness  of  the  position  taken,  beat- 


ing him  eleven  out  of  twelve  games,  the  twelfth 
being  a  draw  game.  The  series  of  games  occu- 
pied a  year  and  was  done  by  correspondence. 
The  doctor  accepted  his  challenge  and  sustained 
his  ground. 

Gl  NTON  GETKER,  who  came  to  Kansas  in  a 
LI  very  early  day  and  has  since  made  his  home 
I  I  in  Douglas  County,  settled  in  Eudora  Town- 
ship in  1857  and  assisted  in  laying  out  the  village 
of  Eudora.  He  was  a  member  of  the  original 
town  company,  in  which  he  owned  two  shares. 
At  once  after  settling  here  he  began  to  follow  the 
cabinetmaker's  trade,  in  which,  by  reliable  work 
and  fair  dealings,  he  soon  won  a  reputation 
throughout  this  part  of  the  county.  In  i860  he 
purchased  one  hundred  acres  on  the  Shawnee 
reservation,  which  he  improved  and  still  owns, 
but  he  has  never  resided  on  the  farm,  preferring, 
in  the  interests  of  his  business,  to  make  his  home 
in  the  village.  He  owns  several  buildings  in 
Eudora  and  has  built  up  a  good  trade  in  cabinet- 
making,  besides  which  he  carries  on  an  under- 
taking business. 

Born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  in  1824,  Mr.  Get- 
ker  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  prov- 
ince, where  he  gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  trade  which  he  has  since  followed.  Believ- 
ing that  better  opportunities  awaited  him  in  the 
new  world,  in  1856  he  came  to  America,  arriving 
in  New  York  after  a  voyage  of  seven  weeks  in  a 
sailing  vessel.  He  spent  three  weeks  in  New 
York  and  then  proceeded  toward  the  great  west. 
For  a  time  he  followed  his  trade  in  Indianapolis, 
Ind.  Thence  he  went  to  Chicago,  'where  he  se- 
cured employment.  Verj-  soon,  however,  he 
decided  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  people  in  Kan- 
sas, which  was  then  attracting  wide  attention  by 
the  opportunities  it  offered  settlerS.  During  the 
latter  part  of  1857  he  found  his  way  to  Douglas 
Countj'  and  here  he  has  since  made  his  home, 
working  industriously  and  patiently  in  the  accu- 
mulation of  his  valuable  property.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  was  a  member  of  the  state  militia 
and  went  out  with  his  company  against  General 
Price  at  Westport. 

The   marriage  of  Mr.  Getker,  in  1882,  united 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


him  with  Miss  Rebecca  Baker,  of  Chicago.  They 
have  three  children,  namelj':  William,  whoisnow 
in  Leavenworth;  Albert  and  Alice,  at  home.  The 
family  are  identified  with  the  Catholic  Church. 


I  LOYD  DUFFEE,  surveyor  of  Douglas 
It  County,  and  a  resident  of  Lawrence,  was 
U  born  five  miles  west  of  this  city,  in  Kan- 
waka  Township,  October  30,  1869,  the  only  child 
of  Lewis  and  Margaret  (Sowash)  DufFee.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  John  Duffee,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  was  descended  from  a  pioneer  farmer 
of  that  state  who  came  to  this  countrj'  either  from 
England  or  Scotland.  Lewis  Dufifee  was  born  in 
old  Chester,  Chester  County,  Pa.,  in  1834,  and 
was  nine  years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed 
to  Wayne  County,  Ind.  There  his  youthful 
years  were  passed  upon  a  farm.  When  sixteen 
he  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  at  which 
he  worked  for  five  years.  In  1855  he  came  to 
Douglas  County,  Kans.,  and  took  up  the  claim 
where  he  now  resides,  section  6,  township  13, 
range  19.  From  the  wild  land  he  evolved  a  finely 
improved  farm.  At  first  he  made  his  home  in  a 
log  cabin,  10x12  feet;  and,  in  order  to  support 
himself  until  his  farm  became  productive,  he  en- 
gaged in  carpentering.  During  the  pro-slavery 
and  free-state  troubles  of  the. '50s  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  old  artillery  company,  and  at  the  time 
Price  made  his  raid  into  Kansas  he  joined  the 
militia  and  aided  in  driving  the  southern  general 
back.  Politically  he  has  always  been  an  advo- 
cate of  Republican  principles  and  has  voted  that 
ticket  both  in  general  and  local  elections.  He 
is  now  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  which  owes  its  productive  condi- 
tion entirely  to  his  intelligent  oversight.  His 
wife  was  born  in  Westmoreland  County,  Pa.,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Sowash,  who  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  and  engaged  in  boring  salt  wells  in 
that  state,  but  after  his  removal  to  Henry  County, 
Ind.,  devoted  himself  principally  to  farming.  He 
was  a  mechanic  and  possessed  inventive  genius. 

Having  completed  the  studies  of  the  schools  of 
Kanwaka  Township,  in  1887  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  entered  the  preparatorj-^  department  of  the 


University  of  Kansas,  where  he  gave  his  atten- 
tion to  the  study  of  engineering  and  surveying. 
In  1894  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of  B.  S. 
Returning  home,  he  engaged  in  farming  until 
1897,  when  he  was  elected  county  surveyor  by  a 
fair  majority.  He  took  the  oath  of  office  in  Jan- 
uary, 1898,  to  serve  for  two  years.  In  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  he  has  proved  himself  to  be 
a  competent  and  efficient  surveyor  and  engineer, 
and  has  won  the  confidence  of  the  people  whom 
he  represents.  In  politics  he  has  always  sup- 
ported Republican  candidates,  having  been  reared 
in  the  faith  of  that  party  and  being  in  .sympathy 
with  its  platform  regarding  protection,  currency 
and  expansion. 


IILLIAM  SHEPHERD  was  a  resident  of 
Kansas  for  forty  years.  Long  a  public 
official  and  business  man,  he  is  remem- 
bered for  his  spotless  integrity  and  accuracy  of 
his  accounts.  Coming  to  Kansas  in  1857  he  en- 
gaged in  the  hardware  business  in  Wyandotte 
and  built  up  a  large  trade  among  the  people  here. 
At  the  same  time  he  interested  himself  in  public 
affairs.  In  politics  he  was  always  an  adherent  of 
the  Democratic  party.  He  served  as  county 
treasurer  for  one  term  and  as  city  clerk  for  four- 
teen years,  also  held  the  office  of  clerk  of  the 
district  court.  Frequently  he  represented  his 
party  in  county  and  state  conventions  and  upon 
various  committees. 

The  Shepherd  family  is  of  English  descent,  but 
has  resided  in  America  for  some  generations.  Mr. 
Shepherd  was  born  in  New  York  City  March  6, 
1830,  but  spent  his  boyhood  in  Albany,  to  which 
city  his  father,  Alexander  Shepherd,  removed  in 
1830,  engaging  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking 
business  there.  Upon  completing  his  education 
he  became  private  secretary  to  Erastus  Corning. 
For  a  time  he  also  carried  on  a  hardware  busi- 
ness in  the  east.  In  1857  he  established  his 
home  in  Kansas,  during  the  days  of  the  free-state 
excitement.  During  the  following  years,  as  Leav- 
enworth grew  in  population,  he  became  more 
prosperous  and  his  influence  increased.  In  the 
citizenship  of  his  town  he  held  a  high  rank,  and 


496 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  death,  which  occurred  March  17,  1897,  was 
deeply  mourned.  Fraternally  he  was  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Masons. 

In  August,  1856,  Mr.  Shepherd  married  Mar- 
garet Gardiner,  of  Albany,  N.  Y.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  John  Gardiner,  who  was  a  native  of 
Perth,  Scotland,  but  came  to  America  at  thirteen 
years  of  age  and  for  some  years  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, but  afterward  was  employed  as  maltster  in 
Albany.  He  married  Mary  Topping,  a  native 
of  England.  In  religion  he  was  of  the  Scotch 
Presbyterian  faith.  Eight  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shepherd,  and  of  these  six  are 
still  living.  All  were  reared  to  lives  of  useful- 
ness and  from  an  early  age  were  accustomed  to 
responsibilities.  They  are  as  follows:  Carrie; 
Henry;  Frank;  Jennie,  wife  of  John  Gable; 
Charles  Edward;  and  William. 


0AVID  H.  ANDERSON,  who  is  engaged  in 
stock-raising  and  farming  on  section  26, 
Kanwaka  Township,  Douglas  County,  was 
born  in'  Sangamon  County,  111.,  August  16, 
1 845,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Anderson  (see  sketch 
elsewhere  in  this  volume).  When  eight  years  of 
age  he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Douglas 
County  and  settled  with  them  on  a  farm  four 
miles  south  of  Lecompton.  He  attended  school 
in  that  village  and  many  a  day  rode  to  and  from 
the  schoolhouse  with  "Jim"  Lane,  who  always 
carried  several  old  pistols  in  his  buggy.  Being 
the  oldest  of  the  children,  he  early  began  to  assist 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  farm  and  attended  school 
only  at  such  times  as  he  was  not  needed  at  home. 
During  the  war  he  was  an  employe  of  the  quar- 
termaster's department  and  engaged  in  teaming 
from  Fort  Scott  south.  After  the  close  of  the  war 
he  freighted  from  Leavenworth  across  the  plains. 
Afterward  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Jefferson 
County  for  a  number  of  years,  and  then  settled 
just  west  of  his  present  home.  For  a  year  or 
more  he  farmed  in  Butler  and  Osage  Counties, 
and  for  fifteen  years  cultivated  farms  in  Jasper 
and  Platte  Counties,  Mo.,  and  Jefferson  County, 
Kans. ,  where  he  was  quite  successful. 

In  April,    1899,    Mr.  Anderson  settled  on  his 


present  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  and  here  he  has  since  engaged  in  raising 
cattle  and  general  farm  products.  The  farm  has 
running  water,  which  adapts  it  excellently  for 
the  stock  business.  He  is  a  persevering,  indus- 
trious man,  and  is  familiar  with  the  occupation 
which  he  has  followed  from  his  earliest  recollec- 
tions. While  he  is  somewhat  in  sympathy  with 
Democratic  principles,  he  has  never  identified 
himself  with  the  party,  but  has  remained  indepen- 
dent in  his  views.  At  this  writing  he  is  a  member 
of  the  school  board. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Anderson,  August  24, 
1867,  united  him  with  Mary,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Joseph  Doughty.  They  are  the  parents  of  six 
children,  viz.:  Thomas,  who  is  mining  in  south- 
western Missouri;  Ada,  wife  of  William  Narra- 
more,  also  of  southwestern  Missouri;  Ora,  who 
married  Oscar  Palmer,  and  lives  in  Granby, New- 
ton County,  Mo.;  John,  a  farmer  of  Kanwaka 
Township,  Douglas  County,  Kans.;  Eben  and 
William,  at  home. 

p6J  STANLEY  WILLIAMS,  proprietor  of 
\  A  /  the  Pacific  elevator  in  Ottawa,  is  one  of 
V  V  the  successful  business  men  of  this  city. 
In  1893  he  bought  the  elevator  and  plant  and  has 
since  engaged  in  the  bu3'ing  and  shipping  of 
grain,  also  has  carried  on  a  wholesale  and  retail 
business  in  feed  and  hay,  having  built  a  plant  for 
the  grinding  of  feed.  Under  his  supervision  the 
elevator  has  been  enlarged  to  a  capacity  of  twenty 
thousand  bushels.  It  is  connected  with  the  tracks 
of  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad,  which  renders 
the  transportation  facilities  excellent.  The  plant 
is  operated  by  steam  power,  and  has  a  boiler  and 
engine  of  thirty-five  horse  power.  He  has  also 
added  a  store  to  the  warehouse  in  which  the  flax 
seed  is  cleaned, 'and  has  made  a  specialty  of  ship- 
ping this  seed  to  Chicago  and  St.  Louis.  Branch 
stations  have  been  established  at  Richter,  Po- 
mona, Homewood,  Michigan  Valley,  Lyndon, 
Quenemo,  Bushong,  Allen  and  Imes.  The  re- 
markable success  of  the  enterprise  is  due  to  the 
ability  and  shrewd  judgment  of  its  owner,  who  is 
a  man  of  determination,  perseverance  and  wise 
discrimination. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


497 


Benjamin  F.  Williams,  our  subject's  father, 
was  born  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  his  father 
having  removed  there  from  Pennsylvania.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  he  served  in  an  Ohio  regiment. 
In  1866  he  settled  near  Mexico, Audrain  County, 
Mo. ,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  From  there, 
in  1877,  he  removed  to  Lacygne,  L,inn  County, 
Kans.,  where  he  carried  on  a  lumber  business. 
In  1880  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Ottawa,  where 
be  engaged  in  the  stock  business  and  farming. 
He  died  in  1882,  when  fifty-one  years  of  age.  His 
wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Hannah 
Rheem,  was  born  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio, and 
died  in  Ottawa  in  1892.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Daniel  Rheem,  who  moved  from  Ohio  to  Missouri, 
settling  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Cass  County,  and  there 
carrying  on  a  farm  until  he  died.  Of  three  chil- 
dren (two  of  whom  attained  maturity)  our  sub- 
ject was  the  oldest  and  is  now  the  sole  survivor, 
his  brother,  Frank  R.,  who  was  teller  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Ottawa  for  ten  years,  being  de- 
ceased. He  was  born  near  Lancaster,  Fairfield 
County,  Ohio,  August  25,  1862,  and  was  three 
years  of  age  when  the  family  settled  in  Missouri. 
His  education  was  completed  in  the  high  school 
at  Ottawa  and  Kansas  State  University  in  Law- 
rence, while  he  also  had  the  advantage  of  a  com- 
mercial course  in  Spaulding's  Business  College  in 
Kansas  City,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1884. 
For  one  year  he  was  employed  as  bookkeeper  for 
Fuller  &  Cobb's  mill  in  Ottawa,  after  which  he 
carried  on  a  grocery  for  three  years  on  Main 
street,  and  then  became  agent  forS.  A.  Brown  & 
Co.,  owners  of  the  Pacific  elevator.  He  contin- 
ued the  management  of  the  busine.ss  until  he  pur- 
chased it,  since  which  time  he  has  been  sole  pro- 
prietor. 

At  No.  411  South  Hickory  street,  Ottawa, 
stands  a  handsome  residence,  built  of  buff-colored 
brick,  and  modern  in  architecture  and  improve- 
ments. Here  reside  Mr.  Williams  and  his  wife, 
who  was  formerly  Nora  Haley,  and  was  born  in 
Ohio,  but  accompanied  her  father,  Richard  Haley, 
to  Kansas  in  her  girlhood.  In  politics  Mr.  Will- 
iams is  a  Republican  and  on  this  ticket  he  was 
elected  to  represent  the  second  ward  in  the  city 
council.     He  is  connected   with   Franklin  Lodge 


No.  18,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  Modern  Woodmen, 
and  is  also  a  member  of  the  State  Grain  Dealers' 
Association.  In  the  work  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  he  has  been  deeply  interested,  and 
served  as  recorder  of  the  board  of  stewards  and 
was  also  the  first  president  of  the  Epworth 
League. 


pGJiLLIAM  NEELY  TODD.      The    family 

\  A  /  represented  by  this  enterprising  business 
V  Y  man  of  Leavenworth  is  of  southern  lineage 
and  Scotch-Irish  extraction.  His  father,  Thomas 
Todd.was  born  in WestVirginia,whitherthe  family 
had  come  from  the  north  of  Ireland  in  his  father's 
youthful  years.  He  was  reared  in  his  native 
place  and  early  became  familiar  with  life  upon  a 
plantation.  Though  all  of  his  surroundings  were 
those  of  slavery  and  the  sympathies  of  the  people 
were  with  this  institution,  he  always  believed  it 
to  be  a  crime  against  the  negro  race.  When 
there  arose  agitation  concerning  the  admission  of 
Kansas  as  a  free  state,  he,  desiring  to  remove 
from  a  locality  distasteful  to  him,  and  wishing  to 
cast  his  lot  in  with  the  free-state  adherents  in  the 
west,  came  to  Leavenworth  in  1855,  making  the 
trip  by  boat  from  Wheeling  to  St.  Louis,  and 
thence  by  another  boat  to  Leavenworth.  Open- 
ing a  private  school  in  this  city  he  gave  his  at- 
tention to  educational  work.  In  1857  his  family 
joined  him  here,  and  at  that  time  he  settled  upon 
a  farm  on  Pilot  Knob,  where  he  engaged  in  rais- 
ing grain  and  fruit.  From  the  first  of  his  con- 
nection with  the  history  of  Leavenworth  Countj- 
he  was  active  in  local  affairs,  and  was  stanch  in 
his  adherence  to  the  free-state  movement.  When 
the  war  clouds  began  to  darken  the  sky  he  sup- 
ported the  Union  and  was  loyal  to  its  interests. 
When  he  was  very  ill  the  memorable  election  of 
i860  occurred,  and,  determined  to  cast  a  ballot 
for  Abraham  Lincoln,  he  rose  from  bed  and  was 
hauled  in  a  wagon  to  the  polls.  It  was  the  last 
act  of  his  life.  The  next  day  he  died.  He  was 
then  forty-one  years  of  age.  His  wife,  Susan, 
was  a  daughter  of  John  Smith,  both  natives  of 
West  Virginia,  while  his  mother,  Mary  (Neely) 
Smith,  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland.  The 
Smiths  were  prominent  in  Revolutionary  times, 


498 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  during  the  Civil  war  were  stanch  support- 
ers of  the  Union.  In  religion  they  were  Presby- 
terians. 

In  the  family  of  Thomas  Todd  there  were 
three  sons.  Of  these,  John  L.,  who  was  associ- 
ated with  our  subject,  died  at  thirty-one  years  of 
age;  and  Thomas  J.  has  for  more  than  twenty 
years  been  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Fort  Benton,  Mont.  The  oldest  of  the  three 
sons,  our  subject,  was  born  in  West  Virginia 
December  I,  1850.  He  arrived  in  Leavenworth 
Julys,  1857.  After  the  death  of  his  father  the 
family  left  the  farm  and  came  to  town,  where  his 
mother  gave  her  time  and  thought  to  the  careful 
training  of  the  boys.  In  March,  1867,  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Cochran,  Bittman  &  Taylor, 
beginning  with  a  small  salary.  About  1871  he 
became  a  traveling  salesman  for  the  house,  his 
territory  extending  from  northwestern  Missouri 
to  southwestern  Kansas.  Quitting  the  road  in 
1879  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm,  the  name 
of  which  was  changed  to  Bittman,  Taylor  &  Co., 
and  he  has  since  been  connected  with  this  busi- 
ness. In  1 89 1  the  Bittman-Todd  Grocer  Com- 
pany was  incorporated,  with  Mr.  Bittman  as 
president,  Mr.  Todd  vice-president  and  manager, 
and  J.  M.  Gable  secretary  and  treasurer.  For  a 
time  the  firm  was  on  Delaware  street,  but  since 
1867  the  location  has  been  at  Nos.  117-119 
Shawnee  street,  where  the  company  now  occcu- 
pies  three  floors,  52x125  feet.  They  also  have  a 
large  warehouse  on  Main  street,  Leavenworth, 
and  warehouses  in  Salina  and  Hutchinson, Kans. 
Ten  men  are  employed  to  represent  them  on  the 
road,  traveling  in  this  state,  and  in  Missouri  and 
Nebraska. 

Besides  his  intimate  connection  with  the  Bitt- 
man-Todd Grocer  Company,  the  success  of  which 
is  to  no  small  degree  due  to  his  abilit3',  Mr.  Todd 
is  connected  with  other  important  enterprises  of 
his  home  town.  He  is  a  director  in  the  Globe 
Canning  Company.  During  the  existence  of  the 
board  of  trade  he  was  for  a  time  its  president. 
He  assisted  in  the  incorporation  of  the  Leaven- 
worth Bridge  Terminal  Company,  was  a  member 
of  its  first  board  of  directors,  and  is  still  a  director 
and  stockholder.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 


and  upon  that  ticket  was  elected  to  the  city  coun- 
cil from  the  second  ward,  a  position  that  he  filled 
efficiently.  However,  his  tastes  are  not  in  the 
line  of  office-holding,  and  it  is  his  preference  to 
devote  himself  closely  to  his  important  business 
interests.  Fraternally  he  is  associated  with 
Leavenworth  Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
Leavenworth  Chapter  No.  2,  R.  A.  M.;  Leaven- 
worth Commandery  No.  I,  K.  T.,  and  Abdallah 
Temple,  N.  M.  S.  Like  his  father  he  has  al- 
ways been  stanch  in  his  adherence  to  whatever 
he  believes  will  conduce  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
nation.  While  he  was  too  young  at  the  time  of 
the  free-state  agitation  to  fully  enter  into  its  im- 
portance, yet  he  took  an  enthusiastic  part  in  all 
the  exciting  discussions  of  those  days,  and  when 
the  war  came  on  he  was  a  .stanch  Union  patriot, 
though  only  a  child  of  eleven  years.  His  father 
had  a  brother.  Rev.  Joseph  Todd,  who  was  strong 
in  his  adherence  to  the  Confederacy,  and  who 
settled  in  Missouri  in  an  early  day,  later  being 
interested  in  the  location  and  founding  of  Leaven- 
worth.    He  now  resides  in  Shelby ville.   Mo. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Todd,  in  Leavenworth, 
united  him  with  Miss  Hattie  Aller,  who  was  born 
in  New  York  state,  and  during  war  days  accom- 
panied her  father,  H.  M.  Aller,  to  Missouri.  She 
is  a  lady  of  estimable  character,  and  an  earnest 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Todd  are:  Thomas  L. , 
Henry  Aller,  Sue  Aller,  Josephine  H.  and 
William  N.,  Jr. 

ROBERT  SWISHER.  In  the  list  of  success- 
ful farmers  of  Leavenworth  County,  who 
through  their  unaided  exertions  and  the 
exercise  of  perseverance  and  sound  judgment, 
without  capital  to  aid  them  in  starting,  have 
nevertherless  risen  to  positions  of  influence  and 
prosperity,  mention  belongs  to  Mr.  Swisher. 
While  he  has  for  some  time  made  his  home  in 
the  city  of  Leavenworth,  and  is  now  to  some  ex- 
tent retired  from  farming,  he  still  superintends 
his  estate  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  three 
miles  from  the  city.  As  an  agriculturist  he  has 
made  a  specialty  of  raising  fine  horses,  hogs  and 
mules,  which  business  he  has  found  profitable. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


499 


He  has  also  cut  and  sold  several  hundred  cords 
of  wood.  At  this  writing  he  not  onl}- owns  his 
farm,  but  also  his  city  home  on  Ottawa  street, 
and  a  number  of  building  lots  in  the  citj-. 

The  Swisher  family  was  founded  in  America 
in  colonial  days  by  a  native  of  Germany,  who 
settled  in  Virginia.  Jacob,  a  son  of  the  original 
emigrant,  had  a  son,  John  Swisher,  who  was  a 
native  of  Rockbridge  County,  Va.,  and  there 
spent  his  entire  life.  He  and  his  wife,  Mary, 
had  six  children,  all  of  whom  but  Robert  reside 
in  either  Ohio  or  Virginia.  Robert  was  born  in 
Rockbridge  County  July  15,  1824,  and  was  reared 
on  the  home  farm,  receiving  but  limited  educa- 
tional advantages.  In  1845  he  left  home  and 
went  to  Gallia  County,  Ohio,  where  he  secured 
work  on  a  farm.  As  soon  as  practicable  he  began 
farming  for  himself,  and  for  six  years  he  success- 
fully operated  a  leased  farm.  At  the  time  of  the 
free-state  agitation  in  Kansas  he  sold  his  inter- 
ests in  Ohio  and  came  west,  crossing  the  Missouri 
River  with  his  two  teams  and  landing  on  the 
Kansas  side  in  November,  1856.  Settling  in 
Leavenworth  County,  he  purchased,  for  $450,  a 
claim  to  a  quarter-section  of  land  five  miles  west 
of  Leavenworth.  Upon  that  place  he  established 
his  home.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  entered  his 
land,  and  began  the  work  of  cultivating  the  soil. 
At  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  he  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  three  miles  from  the  city, 
and  later  sold  his  first  farm. 

Mr.  Swisher  has  always  been  interested  in 
local  affairs,  and  keeps  posted  concerning  im- 
portant measures  brought  before  the  people.  In 
politics  he  votes  the  Democratic  ticket.  His 
time  has  been  so  closely  given  to  farming  that  he 
has  had  no  leisure  to  participate  in  political  af- 
fairs, nor  has  he  had  any  desire  to  hold  office. 
When  he  began  as  a  farmer  he  had  but  little 
means.  His  success  shows  that  he  is  a  man  of 
good  business  ability.  He  has  had  two  mottoes 
which  he  has  always  aimed  to  live  up  to,  and  they 
are:  "Never  put  off  until  to-morrow  what  can  be 
done  to-day,"  and  "Always  pay  as  you  go," 
mottoes  which  might  be  adopted  by  everyone  to 
their  advantage.  In  1845  he  married  Miss  Mary 
Trout,  and  they  have  six  children:  Givins  B., 


who  is  in  California;  Melzo  A.,who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Missouri;  Mrs.  Sophia  V.  Finski,  in 
Leavenworth;  Mrs.  Jane  Sanders,  in  Kansas 
City;  Mrs.  Augusta  Hunter,  in  Kansas  City;  and 
Alonzo,  who  has  charge  of  the  old  homestead. 


gEORGE  WELLS.  One  of  the  attractive 
places  in  Leavenworth  County  is  the  farm 
owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Wells.  It 
comprises  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  situated 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  city  of  Leavenworth, 
and  within  easy  means  of  access  via  electric  cars. 
Since  he  purchased  the  property  in  1881  he  has 
made  many  improvements,  chief  among  which  is 
the  laying  out  of  forty  acres  in  what  he  calls 
Mound  Park  (better  known  as  Wells  Park). 
This  park  is  a  favorite  resort  of  city  people  in  the 
summer,  and  contains  a  lake,  with  boats,  and 
also  other  improvements  that  make  it  a  desirable 
place  for  recreation  and  pleasure. 

Mr.  Wells  was  born  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  Octo- 
ber 8,  1832,  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Zilpha  (Sal- 
mon) Wells,  also  natives  of  that  city.  His 
grandfather,  James  Wells,  was  a  millwright  of 
Syracuse  and  an  exceptionally  fine  machinist. 
Benjamin,  the  eldest  son  of  the  family,  was  a 
builder  and  millwright.  In  politics  he  was  first 
a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican.  In  religion  he 
was  a  Methodist.  He  and  his  wife  had  five  chil- 
dren: Caroline,  who  is  married  and  lives  in  South 
Bend,  Ind.;  Alva,  a  builder  and  manufacturer  in 
South  Bend;  Mrs.  Emeline  Webb,  of  Naples, 
N.  Y. ;  Nancy,  deceased;  and  George.  The  last- 
named  was  educated  in  the  Syracuse  schools, 
and  during  vacations  worked  with  his  father. 
When  sixteen  he  was  able  to  take  contracts  for 
building,  and  his  ability  won  ready  recognition. 
During  his  father's  absences  in  millwright  work 
he  took  charge  of  the  building  of  some  large 
houses,  and  when  he  was  twenty-two  he  built 
one  of  the  finest  residences  in  that  section.  At 
thirty-five  years  of  age  he  settled  on  a  farm  near 
Lawrence,  Kans.,  and,  while  managing  his 
place,  also  built  many  residences  and  business 
houses  in  Lawrence.  His  ability  becoming 
known,  he  was  given  contracts  for  the  building 


500 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  residences  and  public  buildings  in  Kansas  City, 
as  well  as  in  smaller  cities  in  this  section.  In 
1882  he  established  his  home  in  Leavenworth, 
where  he  has  had  the  contract  for  the  Federal 
building,  Goddard  Sanitarium  and  many  busi- 
ness blocks,  the  aggregate  value  of  his  contracts 
reaching  a  large  sum. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Wells  voted  with  the 
Republicans,  but  some  ten  years  ago  he  trans- 
ferred his  allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party. 
In  local  elections  he  is  independent,  voting  for 
the  man  rather  than  the  party.  He  has  always 
refused  to  accept  offices  other  than  membership 
on  the  school  board.  Formerly  he  was  active  in 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  now 
belongs  to  the  blue  lodge  of  Masonry.  His  mar- 
riage, January  18,  1866,  united  him  with  Miss 
Amanda  Ellen  Dawson,  daughter  of  Mathias 
Dawson,  a  pioneer  and  wealthy  citizen  of  In- 
dianapolis. They  have  two  children,  Annie  Lou 
and  Frank  H. 


j  E  ROY  TRACKWELL,  one  of  the  represen- 
I  C  tative  farmers  and  stock-raisers  in  Tonga- 
It)  noxie  Township,  Leavenworth  County,  was 
born  in  Shelby  County,  Ind.,  March  18,  1845. 
His  father,  WiUiam,  was  born  in  Cabell  County, 
W.  Va.,  in  1801,  a  descendant  of  an  Englishman 
who  settled  in  Maryland,  and  a  son  of  Joshua 
Trackwell,  a  slave-owner  and  planter  of  West 
Virginia,  and  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  After 
completing  his  education,  William  Trackwell  for 
many  years  engaged  in  teaching  school.  Later 
he  was  a  pilot  on  the  Ohio  River,  running  flat- 
boats  to  New  Orleans  long  before  there  were 
any  steamers  on  the  river.  In  1825  he  settled 
in  Shelby  County,  Ind.,  where  he  was  afterward 
joined  by  his  family.  Clearing  a  tract  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  he  improved  a  fine 
farm.  In  1857  he  sold  that  place  and  came  to 
Kansas,  which  he  had  visited  during  the  previous 
year.  He  bought  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
where  Benjamin  F.  Trackwell  now  lives,  also 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Franklin 
County,  and  afterward  improved  the  property. 
Politically  he  was  an  ardent  Democrat.  A  man 
of  strong  convictions,   he   took  no  back  seat  in 


political  matters,  but  stood  out  squarely  on  the 
side  which  he  believed  to  be  right.  About  three 
years  after  coming  here  he  was  killed  by  a  boiler 
explosion  in  a  mill. 

By  his  first  wife  William  Trackwell  had  five 
children,  Venila,  Rhoda,  Joshua,  Lavinia  and 
Buel.  His  second  wife  was  Margaret  Randall, 
who  bore  him  three  daughters  and  three  sons, 
viz.:  Mary  E.,  who  is  married  and  lives  in  the 
state  of  Washington;  Miranda,  deceased;  Le  Roy, 
of  this  sketch;  Benjamin  F.;  James,  who  is  in 
California;  and  Alice,  wife  of  James  Warren,  of 
Butte,  Mont.  The  early  years  of  our  subject's 
life  were  spent  in  Shelby  County,  Ind.  He  was 
twelve  years  of  age  when  brought  to  Leaven- 
worth County,  Kans.,  and  for  some  years  after- 
ward his  home  was  in  Alexandria  Township, 
where  he  attended  subscription  schools.  In  1863 
he  was  employed  by  the  government  in  herding 
mules  and  driving  teams  between  Fort  Leaven- 
worth and  New  Mexico  and  Texas.  During  the 
seven  years  he  continued  in  the  government 
employ  he  had  no  serious  trouble  with  the 
Indians,  although  the  latter  were  exceedingly 
hostile  at  the  time.  In  1870  he  purchased  an 
eighty-acre  farm  in  Tonganoxie  Township, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  In  addition 
to  this  place  he  has  entire  supervision  of  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  owned  by  his 
father-in-law.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  raising 
Shorthorn  cattle,  and  much  of  the  grain  raised 
on  his  farm  is  used  for  winter  feed  for  his  stock. 

In  his  marriage  Mr.  Trackwell  was  very  fortu- 
nate, as  his  wife  was  a  woman  of  great  capability 
and  amiable  disposition.  She  was  Sarah  Rose, 
daughter  of  Remus  McArdle,  who  is  now  living 
retired  at  Jarbalo,  Leavenworth  County.  She 
was  born  in  Vermilion  County,  111.,  and  died  in 
Leavenworth  County,  May  20,  1895.  In  religion, 
as  was  her  husband,  she  was  a  member  of  the 
Adventist  Church  and  a  faithful  follower  of  its 
tenets.  She  left  seven  children,  named  as 
follows:  William  and  Charles,  who  are  farmers 
of  Tonganoxie  Township;  Josie,  who  married 
William  A.  Wilkes,  a  farmer  of  this  township; 
James,  Maude  and  Remus,  who  are  at  home;  and 
Gladys,    who   resides    with    her   grand-parents. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


501 


McArdle.  Fraternally  Mr.  Trackwell  lias  been 
actively  connected  with  the  Fraternal  Aid  Asso- 
ciation. In  politics  he  is  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  the  Democratic  party  and  votes  its  tickets  both 
in  national  and  local  elections. 


HON.  MATT  W.  EDMONDS,  not  only  as  a 
farmer,  but  also  as  the  incumbent  of  a  posi- 
tion of  trust  and  responsibility,  has  been 
successful  in  life.  In  1898  he  was  elected  to 
represent  the  eighth  district  in  the  state  legis- 
lature, and  entered  upon  his  duties  as  legislator 
January  9,  1899.  In  his  office  he  has  given  es- 
pecial attention  to  local  legislation.  He  was  the 
author  of  the  bill,  the  passage  of  which  he  se- 
cured, authorizing  the  county  to  organize  and 
disband  any  school  district,  subject  to  the  ap- 
proval of  the  county  commissioners;  also  the  bill 
that  gave  to  the  Lansing  school  district  a  $15,000 
schoolhouse  and  an  appropriation  of  $600  a  year 
for  partial  pay  for  teachers'  hire.  Mainly  through 
his  instrumentality  an  appropriation  was  made, 
providing  for  the  payment  of  back  salaries  of 
employes  of  the  state  institutions,  twenty  per  cent 
of  whose  salaries  had  been  withheld  for  two  years, 
owing  to  insufficient  appropriation.  Among  the 
committees  upon  which  he  has  served  are  those 
on  federal  relations,  mines  and  mining,  state 
library  and  cities  of  the  second  and  third  class. 

Mr.  Edmonds  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. , 
November  9,  1864,  a  son  of  Robert  and  Susan 
(Walker)  Edmonds.  His  father  came  from  Coun- 
ty Cork,  Ireland  to  America  in  1847  and  settled 
in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  he  lived  for  twenty- 
seven  years.  On  coming  west  he  spent  two  years 
in  Leavenworth,  after  which  he  purchased  the 
farm  in  High  Prairie  Township  now  occupied  by 
our  subject.  Throughout  life  he  engaged  in  the 
pork-packing  business.  After  coming  to  Kansas, 
there  being  no  railroad  to  southern  Kansas, 
where  he  made  his  sales,  he  shipped  the  products 
of  his  packing  house  by  wagon.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Democrat.  He  died  on  his  farm  December 
23,  i8Si.  Of  his  ten  children  only  two  are  liv- 
ing, Robert  C.  and  Matt  W. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  begun  in  pub- 


lic schools  and  completed  in  a  college  at  Pied- 
mont, Mo.,  and  in  Campbell  University,  Holton, 
Kans.  For  two  years  he  taught  school  in  Mis- 
souri, but  owing  to  the  death  of  his  father  re- 
turned home,  and  with  his  brother,  succeeded  to 
the  management  of  the  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres.  The  old  homestead  has  never  been 
divided,  but  is  owned  jointly  by  his  mother,  his 
brother  and  himself.  In  1888  they  erected  the 
residence  in  which  they  have  since  made  their 
home. 

Mr.  Edmonds  is  a  local  leader  of  the  People's 
party.  In  1892  he  was  chosen  chairman  of  the 
county  committee  and  chairman  of  the  first  judi- 
cial district  committee  which  elected  Hon.  L.  A. 
Meyers  judge.  Of  the  latter  committee  he  is 
still  chaiirman.  Under  Governor  Lewelling  he 
served  as  deputy  coal  oil  inspector.  On  receiv- 
ing the  nomination  as  representative  he  resigned 
the  chairmanship  of  the  county  committee.  He 
stands  high  among  the  members  of  his  party  in 
Leavenworth  County,  and  in  the  halls  of  legis- 
lature has  also  gained  a  reputation  for  intel- 
ligence and  integrity.  During  the  existence  of 
the  Farmers'  Alliance  he  was  one  of  its  members, 
and  during  much  of  the  time  served  as  its  secre- 
tary. 

gEATTY  ARMSTRONG.  During  the  year 
188 1  Mr.  Armstrong  came  to  Lecompton 
Township,  Douglas  County,  and  purchased 
a  farm  eight  miles  northwest  of  Lawrence.  Here 
he  has  since  resided,  prosperously  engaging  in 
farm  pursuits.  He  is  one  of  the  enterprising  cit- 
izens of  the  community  and  favors  all  progressive 
plans  whereby  the  people  will  be  benefited.  He 
is  a  friend  of  the  public  school  system  and  for  six 
j^ears  has  served  as  school  treasurer,  also  for  two 
years  as  director  of  the  school  board .  The  Grange 
and  the  Farmers'  Alliance  number  him  among 
their  members.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
Lawrence  Lodge  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Le- 
compton Council  No.  155,  Fraternal  Aid  Asso- 
ciation. 

In  Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  Mr.  Armstrong  was 
born  August  i,  1849,  a  son  of  Robert  and  Ann 
(Ekey)  Armstrong.     He  was  one  of  seven  chil- 


502 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


dren,  of  whom  two  besides  himself  are  now  liv- 
ing, namely:  John  G.,  who  lives  in  Wood  Coun- 
ty, Ohio;  and  Mary  J.  The  grandfather,  Charles 
Armstrong,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Jef- 
ferson County,  Ohio,  having  settled  there  when 
his  township  contained  only  three  houses.  He 
was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  in  early  life  was  em- 
ployed as  a  shoemaker,  but  after  settling  in 
America  became  a  farmer.  He  married  a  Miss 
Jackmond,  who  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  who, 
three  years  after  Mr.  Armstrong  had  crossed  the 
ocean,  came  to  America  in  the  same  ship  in  which 
he  had  sailed  to  the  new  world. 

Robert  Armstrong  was  born  in  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  in  1799,  and  at  an  early  age  assumed 
the  management  of  the  home  farm,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  cultivate  until  1866.  He  then  removed 
to  Seneca  County,  where  he  purchased  land  and 
resided  until  his  death.  He  was  one  of  the  lead- 
ers in  the  capture  of  General  Morgan  at  the  time 
of  the  latter's  celebrated  raid  through  Ohio. 
Some  three  days  prior  to  the  capture  of  the  gen- 
eral, Mr.  Armstrong  was  chosen  by  Colonel 
Shackelford  to  assist  him  in  locating  the  Confed- 
erate leader,  and  he  finally  located  the  camp, 
crept  cautiously  up,  seized  the  gun  of  one  of  the 
men  on  picket  duty,  captured  the  man,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  taking  him  away  a  prisoner  without 
arousing  the  camp.  For  thirty  years  he  was  a 
faithful  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  He 
was  a  public-spirited  man,  liberal  to  a  fault,  and 
a  contributor  to  all  charities  and  churches  in  his 
home  neighborhood.  His  death  occurred  April 
7,  1876. 

On  reaching  manhood  our  subject  apprenticed 
himself  to  the  trade  of  a  stone  mason  and  brick 
mason,  and  from  that  time  until  1878  he  gave 
his  time  largely  to  his  trade  in  Ohio.  In  1878 
he  determined  to  come  west.  In  March  of  that 
year  he  arrived  in  Kansas.  Choosing  Douglas 
County  as  his  home,  he  settled  in  Kanwaka 
Township.  For  three  years  he  farmed  as  a  renter 
there.  In  1881  he  came  to  Lecompton  Town- 
ship, where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  In  1873 
he  married  Miss  Mary  A.  McClung,  daughter  of 
John  McClung,  whose  ancestors  were  early  set- 
tlers of  Ohio.     They  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 


dren namely:  Ethelyn  I.,  wife  of  George  Banks, 
a  farmer  near  Garden  Grove,  Iowa;  Harley  C, 
who  is  also  engaged  in  farming  near  Garden 
Grove;  Edith  C,  wife  of  Frank  Miller,  who  as- 
sists his  father-in-law  in  farming;  and  A.  I.  Del- 
bert,  a  farmer  in  Kanwaka  Township. 


gALVIN  F.  EATON,  deceased,  one  of  the 
first  settlers  on  the  Kaw  bottom,  near  Law- 
rence, was  born  in  Lowell,  Ohio,  in  1833, 
the  son  of  William  and  Jane  (Barclay)  Eaton, 
natives  respectively  of  Vermont  and  Ohio.  He 
descended,  on  the  paternal  side,  from  English 
ancestors  who  settled  in  Vermont  early  in  the 
history  of  that  state.  His  father  migrated  from 
that  state,  settling  in  Ohio,  where  he  married 
and  made  his  home  for  some  years.  About  i860 
he  removed  west  to  Kansas,  but  soon  afterward 
returned  to  Ohio  and  enlisted  in  the  Union  army. 
When  a  young  man  he  engaged  in  teaching 
school  and  the  money  thus  earned  was  used  for 
defraying  his  expenses  while  he  studied  law. 
Much  of  his  active  life  was  devoted  to  the  practice 
of  law,  in  which  he  was  successful.  His  mental 
gifts  were  such  as  to  place  him  in  the  front  ranks 
of  the  citizenship  of  his  community.  He  died 
when  seventy  years  of  age.  Of  his  children 
Samantha  and  Calvin  F.  are  deceased,  and  Frank 
makes  his  home  in  Kansas. 

The  early  years  of  the  life  of  our  subject  were 
spent  in  Lowell,  Ohio.  In  1852  he  started  over- 
land for  California  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  gold 
fields  of  the  far  west.  After  remaining  there  for 
several  years,  in  1859  he  returned  to  his  native 
place.  In  the  spring  of  i860  he  came  to  Kansas 
and  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on 
the  Kaw  bottom,  in  Eudora  Township,  Douglas 
County,  where  he  afterward  made  his  home. 
However,  he  did  not  cultivate  the  farm  himself, 
but  rented  it  to  other  parties,  and  went  again  to 
California  to  engage  in  mining  there.  Meeting 
with  little  success  he  returned  and  took  up  the 
management  of  his  farm  in  1864.  On  the  place 
he  made  a  number  of  improvements.  Just  as  he 
was  getting  the  land  in  condition  for  cultivation, 
death  closed  his  earthly  career,  in  1868,  when  he 


WILLIAM  GARDNER. 


WIXSLOW    DAVIS. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


507 


was  thirtj'-five  years  of  age.  He  was  a  man  of 
quiet,  retiring  disposition,  and  was  best  loved  by 
those  to  whom  he  was  best  known,  having  those 
qualities  of  heart  and  mind  which  win  affection 
and  esteem.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a 
member  of  the  state  militia,  in  which  he  rendered 
service  at  the  battle  of  Westport  and  during 
Price's  campaign. 

January  29,  1864,  Mr.  Eaton  married  Miss 
Rebecca  Blond,  a  native  of  Quebec,  Canada,  but 
a  resident  of  the  States  from  early  childhood, 
having  accompanied  her  parents,  Isaac  and  Mary 
(Sanderson)  Blond,  first  to  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and 
thence  to  Ohio.  She  is  a  lady  of  executive  ability, 
and  since  the  death  of  Mr.  Eaton  has  superin- 
tended the  home  farm,  showing  judgment  in  its 
management.  In  1894  her  residence  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  but  during  the  same  year  she 
built  another  house  with  modern  appointments. 
She  is  the  mother  of  two  children  by  her  first 
husband,  Ella,  and  Harry  C,  who  assists  in  tak- 
ing charge  of  the  old  homestead.  In  May,  1876, 
Mrs.  Eaton  married  Sino  Stanley  and  they  had 
one  daughter,  Florence  May  Stanley. 


p  GjlLLIAM  GARDNER,  deceased,  who  was 
\  A  /  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Hesper,  Douglas 
Y  Y  County, was  born  in  Guilford  County,  N.C., 
January  19,  1807,  a  son  of  Thaddeus  and  Eunice 
(Starbuck}  Gardner,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Nantucket  I.sland.  Growing  to  manhood  in  his 
native  place,  he  early  learned  lessons  of  self-reli- 
ance, industry  and  perseverance,  which  stood  him 
in  good  stead  during  the  vicissitudes  of  an  active 
life.  It  was  difficult  for  him  to  gain  a  substantial 
footing  in  the  south,  where  the  surroundings  and 
conditions  were  such  as  to  prevent  prosperity. 
At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war,  in  1861,  he  re- 
moved to  Kansas  and  purchased  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  near  the  present  village 
of  Hesper,  in  Eudora  Township,  Douglas  County. 
Here,  busily  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  he 
passed  the  remaining  years  of  his  life,  and  here 
death  came  to  him,  in  1881,  atthe  age  of  seventy- 
three  years. 

By    birth    and    training    Mr,   Gardner  was    a 


member  of  the  Friends'  Church.  In  character 
he  possessed  those  attributes  usually  noticeable  in 
members  of  that  sect,  being  modest,  una.ssuming, 
strictly  honest  and  peace-loving.  When  Quan- 
trell  made  his  famous  raid  to  Lawrence  he  passed 
Mr.  Gardner's  home  and  killed  a  man  one  mile 
west,  but  he  said  that,  while  he  would  like  to 
have  another  man  he  did  not  wish  to  disturb  a 
people  so  peaceful  as  that  of  the  Quakers.  The 
fact  that  his  religious  views  prevented  him  from 
taking  part  in  the  Civil  war  did  not  prevent  Mr. 
Gardner  from  supporting  the  cause  of  the  Union 
in  such  other  ways  as  were  possible.  Believing 
that  slavery  should  not  exist  he  removed  from 
the  south,  although  by  doing  so  he  sacrificed 
almost  all  of  his  property  and  the  mercantile 
business  which  he  conducted  at  Florence,  N.  C. 
While  living  in  the  south.  May  6,  1841,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Penelope  Hill,  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  who  is  still  living.  She  is  a  lady  of 
gentle  demeanor,  with  a  heart  full  of  kindness 
toward  the  suffering  and  distressed  and  a  ready 
sympathy  that  wins  friends  among  her  acquaint- 
ances. 


p  QlNSLOW  DAVIS.  During  the  period  of 
\  A  /  his  residence  in  Eudora  Township,  which 
Y  Y  covered  twenty-three  years,  Mr.  Davis  won 
and  retained  a  high  position  among  his  fellow- 
citizens,  and  became  known  as  one  of  the  honor- 
able, industrious  farmers  of  Douglas  County. 
He  was  born  in  Randolph  County,  N.  C,  in 
1813,  a  son  of  James  and  Caroline  (Winslow) 
Davis,  both  natives  of  North  Carolina.  When 
a  boy  he  received  fair  advantages  and  for  a  time, 
in  early  manhood,  he  engaged  in  teaching  school. 
However, agriculture  was  his  occupation  through- 
out the  greater  period  of  his  life. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Davis, 
finding  surroundings  unpleasant  in  the  south,  de- 
termined to  settle  in  Kansas.  Accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  two  children  they  had  adopted  he 
made  the  trip,  overland,  from  Guilford  County, 
N.  C,  to  Douglas  County,  Kans.  After  a  long 
and  weary  journey,  which  was  made  in  a  covered 
wagon,  he  finally  arrived  at  his  destination,  and 
settled  near  what  is  iipw  Hesper,  on  an  eighty-acre 


5o8 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tract.  At  the  same  time  he  entered  a  quarter-sec- 
tion in  Chase  County  and  another  quarter  in  Lyon 
County,  but  made  his  home  in  Douglas  County, 
where  he  followed  general  farming. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Davis  was  a  prominent 
worker  in  the  Society  of  Friends,  in  which  he 
long  officiated  as  an  elder.  At  the  time  of  the 
building  of  Hesper  Academy  he  was  one  of  the 
most  liberal  contributors  to  the  movement.  His 
life  was  unmarked  by  great  changes  or  adventur- 
ous incidents.  He  pursued  the  quiet,  even  tenor 
of  his  way  as  a  peace-loving  Quaker,  striving  in 
word  and  deed  to  exemplify  the  teachings  of  that 
sect,  and  in  its  faith  he  passed  away,  in  1884,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  He  had  been  mar- 
ried in  1837  to  Margaret  Hill,  who,  since  his 
death,  has  resided  in  the  home  that  she  built  at 
Hesper,  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Gardner. 


^EORGE  F.  GODDING,  member  of  the  firm 
I—  of  Beal  &  Godding,  at  No.  812  Vermont 
y^  street,  Lawrence,  was  born  in  Worcester 
County,  Mass.,  February  21,  1855,  a  son  of 
George  G.  and  Masylvia  (Wetherbee)  Godding, 
natives  respectively  of  New  Ipswich  and  Rindge, 
N.  H.  His  maternal  ancestors  were  pioneers  of 
New  England  and  served  with  honor  in  the  In- 
dian and  Revolutionary  wars.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Ariel  Godding  (the  son  of  a  Scotch- 
man who  took  part  in  the  Revolution) ,  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  in  New  Hampshire,  where 
he  owned  three  hundred  acres  stocked  with  cattle 
and  sheep.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  New  Hamp- 
shire militia  and  was  a  man  of  much  influence 
among  his  associates. 

When  twenty  years  of  age  our  subject's  father 
began  to  learn  the  trades  of  mason  and  carpenter. 
Later  he  took  up  millwright  work  and  built  both 
mills  and  flumes.  Afterward  he  engaged  in 
farming  at  Ashby,  Middlesex  County,  Mass.  In 
politics  he  was  for  some  time  a  Republican.  He 
was  one  of  the  men  who  originated  the  Know 
Nothing  party,  in  the  councils  of  which  he  was 
afterward  prominent.  Of  his  six  children  five 
reside  at  Ashby,  where  his  widow  still  makes  her 
h)me  and  where  his  closing  years  were  spent. 


The  oldest  son  and  third  child  in  the  family  was 
George  F.  He  was  only  twelve  years  of  age 
when  he  began  to  work  in  a  mill  and,  his  father 
being  helpless  from  an  injury  at  that  time,  his 
earnings  were  the  support  of  a  family  of  eight. 
For  eight  years  he  continued  in  the  mill,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  lumbering,  hewing  timber, 
which  he  hauled  to  the  sawmill  and  then  sold  to 
the  manufacturing  plants.  His  wages  were 
steadily  increased,  so  that  he  was  able  to  give  his 
sisters  academic  educations.  At  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-three he  came  west  and  joined  a  surveying 
party  which  laid  out  the  Santa  Fe  road  from 
La  Junta  into  New  Mexico.  After  working  at 
the  grading  of  the  tracks  he  engaged  in  building 
irrigation  ditches.  Returning  to  Massachusetts 
in  1880  he  carried  on  a  commission  and  shipping 
business  in  Boston  for  a  year,  and  then  worked 
for  three  3^ears  in  the  city's  employ. 

In  the  spring  of  1885  Mr.  Godding  came  to 
Kansas  and  settled  in  Lawrence,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  hay  business  and  in  buying  and 
selling  Jersey  cattle.  In  March,  1891 ,  he  became 
interested  in  the  livery  business,  having  as  a 
partner  William  Beal,  who  came  to  this  city 
from  London  in  1874.  The  two  purchased  Mr. 
Taylor's  barn  and  have  since  engaged  in  busi- 
ness, giving  their  time  to  the  building  up  of  a 
large  trade.  They  have  about  twenty-five  head 
of  horses,  besides  boarding  about  thirty  head  for 
others.  In  1890  Mr.  Godding  purchased  eighty 
acres  in  Kanwaka  Township,  this  tract  being 
one-half  of  the  old  Cleland  farm,  patented  from 
the  government.  As  his  attention  is  consumed  by 
his  business  he  rents  the  land  to  other  parties. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  connected 
with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  the  Fra- 
ternal Aid  Association  and  the  Order  of  Pyra- 
mids. Since  nineteen  years  of  age  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church,  and 
formerly  was  active  in  Sunday-school  work. 

May  15,  1885,  Mr.  Godding  married  Susie  F. 
Platts,  daughter  of  Aaron  E.  Platts,  and  they 
have  three  sons,  Roy,  Arthur  and  Frank.  Mr. 
Platts,  who  is  living  retired  in  Lawrence,  was 
born  in  Rindge,  N.  H.,  a  son  of  John  V.  Platts, 
who  was  born  in  the  same  place,   engaged  in 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


509 


farming  there  and  was  a  captain  in  the  militia. 
Hi.s  ancestors  came  from  England  prior  to  the 
Revolutionary  war,  in  which  both  of  Mr.  Platts' 
grandfathers  served,  and  one  of  his  great-grand- 
fathers was  a  noted  Indian  fighter.  Aaron  E. 
Platts  was  educated  in  public  schools  and  the 
academj'  at  New  Ipswich  and  grew  to  manhood 
on  a  farm.  Afterward  he  made  agriculture  his 
principal  occupation.  In  1855  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Kanwaka  Township,  where  he  improved  a  good 
farm  and  engaged  in  stock-raising  and  dairying. 
A  Republican  in  politics,  he  served  as  township 
trustee  for  several  years,  and  as  county  commis- 
sioner, 1869-70.  While  living  in  New  Hamp- 
shire he  was  married,  October  13,  1853,  to 
Susan  R.  Wetherbee,  by  whom  he  had  only  one 
child,  Susie  F.,  who  attained  years  of  maturity. 


(T  OHN  ROBSON  AITCHISON.  Among  the 
I  early  settlers  of  Kansas,  who  experienced 
G/  all  the  hardships  of  pioneer  times  and  proved 
to  be  useful  citizens  during  the  days  of  border 
warfare,  mention  should  be  made  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  He  was  born  near  Madrid,  St. 
Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  July  14,  1834,  a  son  of 
James  and  Ellen  (Robson)  Aitchison,  natives 
respectively  of  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land. His  parents  came  to  America  shortly 
after  their  marriage  and  settled  in  St.  Lawrence 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  they  made  their  home  on  a 
farm.  They  had  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  of 
whom  two  sons  survive,  Robert  and  John  Robson. 
The  father  died  when  his  children  were  small, 
but  the  mother  lived  to  be  eighty-four  years  of 
age. 

Since  he  was  a  child  of  eight  years  our  subject 
has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world.  His  educa- 
tion was  very  limited,  for  his  attention  had  to  be 
given  closely  to  self- support.  In  the  fall  of  1856 
he  went  to  Hudson,  Wis.,  where  he  was  employed 
until  he  started  for  Kansas,  in  July,  1857.  He 
arrived  in  Lawrence  on  the  21st  of  August,  and 
here  he  secured  work  in  a  brickyard.  Later, 
going  to  Topeka,  he  put  up  a  kiln  of  brick  and 
remained  about  two  months.     His  employer  was 


unable  to  pay  for  the  job,  and  he  then  returned 
to  Lawrence,  but  it  was  difficult  to  secure  em- 
ployment of  any  kind.  Finally  he  secured  work 
with  Lyman  Allen,  a  farmer  and  hardware  mer- 
chant, and  a  man  of  fine  character.  For  him  he 
worked  four  years,  receiving  $300  a  year. 

During  the  war  Mr.  Aitchison  aided  in  protect- 
ing the  interests  of  the  state.  At  the  time  of 
Price's  raid  he  was  in  a  battery  attached  to  the 
Third  Kansas  Infantry,  and  was  detailed  as  a 
scout  and  dispatch  carrier  at  Blue  Mound.  At 
one  time  he  was  detailed  with  a  company  of 
twenty-five  to  go  to  the  Sac  and  Fox  agency,  and 
afterward  he  was  sent  to  the  border  with  Colonel 
Blood,  having  a  number  of  skirmishes  with 
Missouri  ruflBans.  He  took  up  surveying  and 
assisted  in  surveying  for  railroads  and  towns, 
helping  to  lay  out  the  towns  of  Vinlaud,  Lin- 
wood,  Norwood,  Williamstown,  a  part  of  Wyan- 
dotte, and  Babcock's  and  Lane  additions  to  Law- 
rence. For  five  years  he  was  with  Thomas  Stern- 
bergh,  the  city  engineer.  During  early  days  he 
did  considerable  freighting  and  slept  outdoors 
both  winter  and  summer,  but  the  life,  though  a 
hard  one,  was  congenial  to  him.  In  1865  he 
built  a  store  on  the  corner  of  Massachusetts  and 
Warren  streets,  and  this  he  still  owns. 

September  5,  1865,  Mr.  Aitchison  was  mar- 
ried, in  Lawrence,  to  Miss  Amanda  Waters,  who 
was  born  in  Kalamazoo  County,  Mich.,  and  in 
1863  came  to  Kansas  with  George  Sweitzer,  a 
resident  of  Lawrence  from  territorial  days.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  this 
city,  to  which  her  husband  has  been  a  contributor. 
They  have  two  children.  Bertha  and  Ralph.  Mrs. 
Aitchison  is  a  daughter  of  Freeman  Waters,  a 
native  of  New  York  and  a  cooper  by  trade,  who 
removed  to  Michigan  and  during  the  war  enlisted 
in  a  regiment  from  that  state.  While  at  the  front 
he  was  wounded  and  his  death  occurred  soon 
afterward  in  Detroit.  He  married  Susan  Birdsell, 
who  was  born  in  New  York,  and  died  in  Michi- 
gan in  i860;  she  was  a  daughter  of  John  Bird- 
sell,  a  farmer  and  pioneer  of  Kalamazoo  County, 
Mich.  In  the  family  of  Freeman  and  Susan 
Waters  there  were  four  daughters  and  one  son, 
of  whom  three  are  now  living. 


5IO 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Under  Mayors  Ludingtoii  and  Woodward  Mr. 
Aitchison  served  as  street  commissioner.  He 
was  offered,  but  refused,  the  position  of  deputy 
United  States  marshal.  He  is  a  member  of 
Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.  In  national 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  is  not  radical  in  his 
views,  and  concedes  to  others  the  same  liberty  of 
thought  and  opinion  which  he  claims  as  his  own 
right.  During  his  long  residence  in  the  state  he 
has  witnessed  many  changes  in  the  state,  has  seen 
the  development  of  Lawrence,  the  extension  of  its 
educational  and  commercial  interests  and  the  in- 
crease of  its  population,  and  to  its  advancement 
he  has  contributed  his  quota. 


gAPT.  STEPHEN  H.  ANDREWS.  At  the 
time  of  the  slavery  agitation  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  came  to  Kansas  to  cast  his  for- 
tunes in  with  the  free-state  party.  In  March, 
1857,  he  arrived  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  and 
three  others  bought  a  team  and  wagon  and  started 
for  the  Smoky  Hill,  seven  miles  above  Fort  Riley. 
His  companions  returned  east  after  some  months, 
but  he  remained,  and  was  the  first  to  take  up  a 
claim  on  the  hill.  He  cleared  the  timber,  built  a 
cabin  and  began  the  improvement  of  the  land, 
making  his  home  alternately  on  that  place  and  at 
Junction  Cit}'.  His  sympathies  were  so  strong 
on  the  side  of  the  Union  that  at  the  opening  of 
the  Civil  war  he  seized  the  first  opportunity  to 
offer  his  services  to  the  government.  In  May, 
186 1,  he  enli.sted  in  Company  B,  Second  Kansas 
Infantry,  which  was  mustered  in  at  Wyandotte, 
he  being  first  sergeant.  He  was  sent  to  Missouri 
and  joined  General  L)'on  at  Springfield.  After  a 
number  of  skirmishes,  his  first  experience  of  an 
important  battle  was  at  Wilson's  Creek,  August 
10,  1861.  Thence  he  was  ordered  to  Rolla,  Mo., 
and  returned  to  Fort  Leavenworth  in  September, 
by  order  of  General  Fremont.  There  he  was 
mustered  out  October  31,  and  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  army.  In  December  of  the 
same  year  he  returned  to  Massachusetts  and 
opened  a  recruiting  office,  his  intention  being  to 
bring  men  out  to  Kansas  to  join  the  Second 
Kansas  Cavalry,  but  during  the  time  the  legisla- 


ture was  in  session  and  passed  a  bill  prohibiting 
the  paying  of  bounty  to  married  men  residing  in 
Massachusetts  and  enlisting  elsewhere.  This 
changed  his  plans.  He  was  then  authorized  by 
the  governor  of  Massachusetts  to  raise  a  company 
and  became  captain  of  Company  A,  Thirty-fifth 
Massachusetts  Infantry,  his  commission  dating 
from  August  i,  1862.  With  his  men  he  marched 
south  and  took  part,  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  in  the  battles  of  South  Mountain,  An- 
tietam  and  Fredericksburg.  In  the  spring  of 
1863  he  was  ordered  west  with  the  ninth  corps  to 
join  Burnside's  troops,  and  took  part  in  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg,  after  which  his  company  went  to 
Knoxville,  Tenn.,  and  from  there  rejoined  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  Immediateh'  before  this, 
April  24,  1863,  he  resigned  his  commission, 
owing  to  the  impairment  of  health  by  the  hard- 
ships of  army  life.  After  his  return  to  Kansas, 
during  the  Price  raid  his  company  of  militia  was 
ordered  into  service  by  Major-General  Curtis, 
who  commanded  the  western  department.  He 
was  first  lieutenant  of  the  Black  Hawks,  attached 
to  the  Third  Kansas  militia,  and  commanded  the 
company  at  the  time  of  the  raid. 

Captain  Andrews  was  born  in  North  Scituate, 
Plymouth  County,  Mass.,  November  16,  1835. 
His  father,  Stephen  Snow  Andrews,  was  born  in 
Boston,  and  was  a  son  of  Rev.  William  Andrews, 
a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of 
Cape  Cod.  The  father,  who  died  when  his  chil- 
dren were  small,  married  Rebecca  Farrow,  who 
was  born  in  Roxburj%  Mass. ,  and  died  in  Law- 
rence, Kans.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Allen 
Farrow,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut,  of  French 
descent,  and  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  farming  at  North  Scituate. 
Our  subject  was  one  of  three  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living,  his  sister,  Mrs.  Rudencia 
Lamb,  who  came  to  Kansas  in  the  fall  of  1857, 
being  now  a  resident  of  Wilson  County.  On 
account  of  his  father's  death  he  was  obliged  to 
become  self-supporting  at  an  early  age,  and  for 
some  j'ears  clerked  in  stores.  From  his  home 
state  he  came  west  in  1857,  and  he  has  since 
(except   during   his   absence   in    the  v^^ar)  been 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


511 


ideutified  with  Kansas.  From  1864  to  1S66  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick,  after  which 
he  became  a  grocer  and  shipper  of  produce, 
making  shipments  to  Denver  and  the  mountains. 
In  1895  he  sold  out  and  retired  from  business. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  was  chosen 
city  assessor  for  1900.  He  is  a  charter  member 
of  Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  in  which 
he  has  held  all  the  official  positions  and  is  past 
commander.  Under  Commander  Green  he  served 
as  assistant  quartermaster-general  of  the  depart- 
ment of  Kansas,  with  the  rank  of  colonel.  He 
was  married,  in  Lynn,  Mass.,  to  Miss  Martha  A. 
Sticknej',  member  of  an  old  family  of  that  city. 


qOHN  HASKELL  GILLHAM,  a  veteran  of 
I  the  Civil  war,  was  born  near  Edwardsville, 
O  Madison  County,  111.,  February  12,  1836,  a 
son  of  S.  P.  and  Louisa  (Gillham)  Gillham.  The 
family  of  which  he  is  a  member  was  founded  in 
America  by  John  Gillham,  an  emigrant  from  Ire- 
land to  South  Carolina,  who  brought  with  him 
his  wife  and  two  children.  Afterward  his  wife 
died  and  he  married  a  German  lady,  by  whom  he 
had  five  sons  and  two  daughters.  It  is  a  remark- 
able fact  that  all  of  his  seven  sons  and  his  four 
sons-in-law  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
One  of  these  sons,  John,  was  born  in  South  Car- 
olina and  was  reared  in  the  south;  but,  being  op- 
posed to  slavery  and  finding  he  could  not  remain 
at  the  old  home  without  being  looked  down  upon 
because  of  his  views,  he  decided  to  settle  in  the 
north.  Accordingly  he  brought  his  family  to  the 
American  bottoms  of  Illinois,  where  he  was  a 
pioneer.  At  the  time  of  the  removal  his  son, 
Ryderus  Clark  Gillham,  was  a  youth  of  nineteen 
years,  and  he  aiterward  engaged  in  farming  in 
Madison  County.  His  son,  S.  P.,  was  born  in 
that  county  and  served  iu  the  Black  Hawk  war, 
after  which  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming 
near  the  old  homestead.  When  he  was  seventy- 
six  years  of  age  he  was  accidentally  killed  by  be- 
ing thrown  from  his  horse.  His  wife,  who  was 
born  near  Edwardsville,  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Gillham,  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  Revolutionary  soldier-sons 


of  John  Gillham.  Another  of  these  sons,  Isaac, 
was  very  seriously  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Cowpens.  He  was  then  only  sixteen  years  of 
age,  but  he  recovered  and  lived  to  be  ninety- 
three.  Samuel  Gillham  came  from  South  Caro- 
lina in  an  early  day  and  served  as  a  captain  in 
the  Black  Hawk  war,  later  engaging  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits. 

By  the  first  marriage  of  S.  P.  Gillham  ten  chil- 
dren were  born,  of  whom  three  are  living,  our 
subject  being  the  oldest  son  and  second  child. 
By  the  second  marriage  three  children  were  born, 
of  whom  two  are  living.  One  brother,  Samuel  C. , 
now  of  Springfield,  Mo.,  was  a  member  of  the 
same  regiment  to  which  our  subject  belonged. 
The  latter  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  at- 
tended the  public  schools  and  McKendree  College 
at  Lebanon,  111.,  spending  two  and  one-half 
years  in  the  latter  institution.  In  August,  1862, 
he  volunteered  in  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and 
Seventeenth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  mustered 
in  at  Springfield  on  the  9th  of  September.  He 
was  sent  to  Memphis  under  General  Hurlbert, 
thence  to  Meridian,  Miss.,  under  General  Sher- 
man, up  the  Red  River  under  Banks,  thence  to 
Tennessee,  later  under  Rosecrans  following  Price 
in  Missouri,  from  there  back  to  Nashville  under 
General  Thomas,  taking  part  in  the  battle  in  that 
city,  and  then  going  into  winter  quarters.  Under 
General  Canby  he  was  sent  to  New  Orleans,  then 
at  Fort  Blakely,  and  after  the  battle  of  Red  River 
was  in  constant  action,  never  eating  dinner  in  the 
same  place  two  successive  Sundays.  He  was 
mustered  out  as  fifth  sergeant  at  Springfield, 
111.,  September  6,  1865.  During  his  entire  serv- 
ice he  never  lost  a  day  on  account  of  illness,  but 
he  returned  home  with  health  greatly  impaired, 
and  has  never  recovered  from  the  effects  of  his 
army  life. 

September  23,  1867,  Mr.  Gillham  came  to 
Lawrence,  Kans.,  and  for  four  years  and  seven 
months  was  employed  by  J.  J.  Reeser,  on  Massa- 
chusetts street.  Under  him  he  gained  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  horseshoeing.  On  leaving 
his  employ  he  started  out  for  himself,  having  a 
partner  for  two  years,  and  then  beginning  alone. 
In  1873  he  opened  his  shop  at  No.  713  Vermont 


512 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


street,  and  here  he  has  since  continued,  being  the 
oldest  blacksmith  and  horseshoer  in  the  city, 
and  having  a  reputation  for  expertness  and  skill 
in  his  occupation.  He  is  very  active  in  the  work 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  served  as 
a  trustee  during  the  building  of  the  new  house  of 
worship.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Re- 
publican. He  is  identified  with  the  Select 
Friends  and  Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R., 
and  is  a  demitted  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  residence  is  at 
No.  827  Tennessee  street.  He  was  married  in 
Illinois  the  first  time,  but  his  wife  died  there  soon 
afterward.  His  second  marriage  united  him  with 
Miss  Mary  E.  Ware,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
but  who,  at  the  time  of  their  marriage,  was  resid- 
ing in  lyOgan  County,  111.  They  are  the  parents 
of  two  sons,  Harry  N.,  who  is  in  business  in 
lyawrence;  and  Arthur  W.,  also  a  blacksmith  by 
trade. 


30SEPH  POITREY,  who  came  to  Leaven- 
worth in  1857,  is  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising  on  section  30,  High  Prairie 
Township.  The  nucleus  of  his  present  property 
consisted  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  bought 
in  1869.  To  it  he  added  from  year  to  year  and 
now  owns  two  hundred  acres,  much  of  which  is 
used  for  pasturage,  while  in  other  fields  hay  is 
raised  for  winter  feed.  When  he  came  here  he 
was  $130  in  debt,  and  the  payment  of  this  debt 
(for  which  his  father  was  security)  was  the  first 
work  to  which  he  applied  himself  After  that 
had  been  paid  he  commenced  to  save,  and  by  fru- 
gality and  industry  secured  a  modest  competency. 
Mr.  Poitrey  was  born  in  France  November  1 1 , 
1830,  being  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Josephine 
(Delphis)  Poitrey.  Of  eight  children  he  and  his 
brother,  John,  now  a  retired  cattleman  living  in 
Trinidad,  Colo.,  are  the  only  ones  who  came  to 
the  United  States.  His  education  was  obtained 
in  his  native  land.  When  twenty-four  years  of 
age  he  crossed  the  ocean,  coming  from  Paris, 
where  he  had  made  his  home  for  five  years.  The 
sailing  vessel  "Princeton"  brought-  him  from 
Liverpool  to  New  York  in  twenty-four  days. 
After  a  short  sojourn  in  New  York  and  six  months 


in  Philadelphia  he  went  to  Delaware,  where  he 
worked  during  one  winter.  He  then  went  to 
Reading,  Pa.,  and  for  three  years  was  employed 
in  railroad  shops  or  as  brakeman. 

On  coming  to  Kansas  in  1857  Mr.  Poitrey 
joined  his  brother  in  Marshall  County,  thence 
went  to  Shawnee  County  and  soon  came  to 
Leavenworth.  A  month  later  he  started  out  on 
his  own  account,  taking  up  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Chase  County,  on  which  he  made 
some  improvements.  In  1 860  he  sold  that  tract  and 
returned  to  Leavenworth  County,  taking  up  land 
in  Kickapoo  Township.  During  the  war  he  was 
engaged  as  teamster  in  the  quartermaster's  depart- 
ment, working  at  Forts  Leavenworth  and  Scott 
and  in  a  part  of  Arkansas.  From  November,  1862, 
to  March,  1863,  he  was  on  the  road  every  day,  no 
matter  what  the  weather  might  be.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  farm  in  Kickapoo 
Township  and  continued  there  until  1869,  when 
he  sold  and  bought  his  present  property.  About 
twenty-five  acres  had  been  cleared,  but  no  other 
improvement  had  been  made.  He  broke  the  re- 
mainder of  the  land,  fenced  the  place,  built  a 
house  and  barns,  and  introduced  the  various  con- 
veniences of  a  model  country  home. 

Politically  Mr.  Poitrey  is  a  Republican.  He 
favors  good  educational  advantages,  and  for 
eighteen  years  he  has  been  treasurer  of  the  school 
board.  In  1864  he  married  Josephine  Hanequin, 
who  was  born  in  Lorraine,  but  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage  was  living  in  St.  Louis.  She  died  in 
April,  1882.  Of  the  twelve  children  born  to 
their  marriage  five  are  now  living.  They  are: 
Alice,  who  married  Paul  Chmidling,  a  farmer 
near  Leavenworth;  Joseph,  in  Trinidad,  Colo.; 
Josephine,  who  is  her  father's  housekeeper  and  is 
a  popular  young  lady;  Louis,  at  home;  and  Orrie. 


WALTER  F.  SWIFT  came  to  Ottawa  in 
June,  1866,  when  the  town  was  new.  He 
bought  an  interest  in  a  dry-goods  store, 
but  after  a  few  months  sold  out  and  started  in  the 
cattle  business,  which  he  continued  until  the 
country  became  settled.  Afterward  he  clerked 
for  a  few  mouths  in  the  store  of  Horace  J.  Smith, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGHAPHICAL  RECORD. 


513 


with  whom  he  formed  a  partnership  in  1868  as 
Smith  &  Swift.  When  the  partnership  was  dis- 
solved in  1 87 1  he  began  in  the  loan  business,  but 
in  1874  again  bought  a  hardware  store,  which  he 
conducted  for  sixteen  years.  During  this  time 
he  built  the  Swift  block  and  also  the  warehouses 
occupied  by  the  Topping  Hardware  Company. 
After  he  retired  from  the  hardware  business  he 
resumed  the  loaning  of  money  and  in  1890  be- 
came interested  in  the  life  insurance  business,  in 
which  he  was  successful  from  the  [first.  During 
•  the  years  that  have  since  elapsed  he  has  written 
$1,500,000  in  insurance,  as  the  representative  of 
the  Northwestern  Mutual  lyife  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  Milwaukee,  and  has  gained  a  position  as 
one  of  the  leading  insurance  agents  in  the  state. 

The  Swift  family  was  represented  among  the 
early  settlers  of  New  England.  Job  Swift  was 
master  of  a  coasting  vessel,  and  his  son,  Charles  D. , 
who  was  born  at  Cape  Cod,  was  only  eight  years 
of  age  when  he  began  to  go  to  sea.  I,ater  he  be- 
came master  of  a  whaling  vessel  and  was  inter- 
ested at  one  time  in  twenty  whalers,  but  when 
the  introduction  of  kerosene  lessened  the  demand 
for  whale  oil  he  retired  from  the  business.  He 
had  sailed  in  every  ocean  and  had  rounded  Cape 
Horn  many  times.  After  his  retirement  at  thir- 
ty-five years  he  became  interested  in  banks  and 
insurance  companies.  He  died  in  New  Bedford, 
Mass.,  when  seventy  years  of  age.  He  married 
Mary  Howe  Crane,  who  was  born  in  Dorchester, 
Mass.,  and  died  at  seventy  years.  Her  sister 
married  John  Preston,  who  manufactured  the 
first  chocolate  in  America,  but  sold  his  business 
to  the  now  celebrated  firm  of  Walter  Baker  &  Co. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  one  of  the 
eleven  children  of  Charles  D.  and  Mary  H. 
Swift.  Of  these,  the  eldest,  William  J.,  is  a  re- 
tired druggist  of  New  Bedford.  Charles  D.,  Jr. , 
who  was  first  mate  of  a  vessel  engaged  in  Bra- 
zilian trade,  was  lost  at  sea,  his  ship  being 
wrecked  off  Cape  Hatteras.  Albert  H.,  who 
was  with  the  Corliss  Engine  Company  for  twelve 
years,  died  in  New  Bedford.  John  P.,  who  was 
a  seafaring  man  in  early  life  and  served  in  the 
United  States  navy  during  the  Civil  war,  is  now 
living  retired  in  New  Bedford.     Walter  F. ,  the 


seventh  in  order  of  birth,  was  born  in  New  Bed- 
ford, March  25,  1845.  Arthur  Dean  is  employed 
in  the  postoSice  in  New  Bedford.  Elizabeth  A., 
a  graduate  of  the  Greenwich  (R.  I.)  University, 
married  Hon.  George  B.  Richmond,  member  of 
one  of  the  oldest  families  of  New  Bedford,  and 
himself  a  man  of  prominence,  having  served  as 
mayor  for  many  years,  also  as  member  of  the 
legislature,  and  for  the  past  fifteen  years  as  re- 
corder of  deeds.  Mrs.  Mary  H.  Hewins  is  the 
wife  of  the  agent  of  an  eastern  railroad.  Ida  C. 
lives  in  New  Bedford. 

When  fourteen  years  of  age  our  subject  started 
out  in  the  world  for  himself.  He  began  as  clerk 
in  a  store  in  New  Arlington,  Mass.,  where  he 
was  paid  $50  and  his  board  the  first  year,  $75 
and  board  the  second  year,  and  $100  and  board 
the  third  year.  In  1861  he  was  made  assistant 
postmaster,  the  postoffice  being  in  the  store  where 
he  worked.  In  the  spring  of  1862  he  resigned 
his  position  and  went  to  Warren,  R.  I.,  later  to 
Boston,  thence  to  Reading,  Mass.,  where  he  was 
employed  as  clerk.  While  in  Reading  a  shoe 
merchant  from  Leavenworth  came  east  to  buy  his 
goods,  and  each  summer  for  three  successive 
3^ears  he  made  Mr.  Swift  an  offer,  but  each  time 
the  offer  was  refused  until  the  third  year,  when 
he  accepted  an  offer  of  $100  a  month.  In  the 
spring  of  1866  he  came  to  Kansas,  spending  one 
week  from  Boston  to  Leavenworth,  but  after  re- 
maining with  his  Leavenworth  employer  for  two 
months  he  came  to  Ottawa,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. He  is  still  interested  in  property  in  Massa- 
chusetts, where  he  spends  his  summers  in  pleas- 
ant and  invigorating  vacations. 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Swift,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Amanda  P.  Pickrell,  was  born  in  Spring- 
field, 111.,  and  died  at  Ottawa  in  1872.  His  sec- 
ond marriage  also  united  him  with  a  Springfield 
lady.  Miss  Bertha  Burkhardt,  daughter  of  James 
Burkhardt.  He  is  the  father  of  two  sons, 
Charles  Delano  and  William  A.  The  older  son, 
who  has  traveled  extensively  in  Europe,  enlisted 
in  the  Spanish-American  war  in  the  spring  of 
1898  and  was  assigned  to  Troop  G,  Second 
United  States  Cavalry,  and  remained  in  .service 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was  nui.stered 


514 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


out.  Mrs.  Swift  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  Mr.  Swift  has  been  most  liberal  to- 
ward that  church,  taking  an  active  part  in  its 
work.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  building 
committee  that  had  in  charge  the  erection  of  the 
new  house  of  worship.  Toward  all  charitable 
and  religious  enterprises  he  has  displayed  the  ut- 
most generosity,  and  his  co-operation  is  always 
relied  upon  in  measures  for  the  benefit  of  his 
town.  It  has  been  contrary  to  his  principles  to 
serve  in  any  public  or  political  office,  and  the 
only  exception  to  this  rule  was  when  his  intimate 
friends  induced  him  to  accept  a  position  on  the 
school  board.  He  is  a  man  of  high  character, 
possessing  qualities  that  win  him  success  in  busi- 
ness and  the  friendship  of  his  associates,  and  is  a 
worthy  representative  of  a  family  that  gave  to 
the  world  Dean  Swift,  one  of  the  greatest  of  Eng- 
lish humorists  and  satirists. 


(lOHN  M.  DYER,  who  was  the  pioneer  coal 
I  operator  in  the  vicinity  of  Pomona,  Franklin 
(z)  County,  was  born  in  Clinton  County,  Ohio, 
July  13,  1841,  a  son  of  Lawson  B.  and  Mary 
(Davis)  Dyer,  natives  respectively  of  Virginia 
and  Ohio.  When  about  ten  years  of  age  his 
father  removed  to  Jackson,  Jackson  County,  Ohio, 
with  his  widowed  mother,  and  there  he  grew  to 
manhood,  married  and  carried  on  a  farm  for 
some  years.  In  the  fall  of  1851  he  settled  in 
Illinois,  and  from  there,  in  1868,  he  came  to 
Kansas,  locating  in  Greenwood  Township,  Frank- 
lin County,  and  improving  a  valuable  farm  from 
a  tract  of  raw  land.  On  retiring  from  active 
labors  he  returned  to  Illinois,  where  he  died  at 
eighty-two  years  of  age.  As  a  pioneer,  both  in 
Illinois  and  Kansas,  he  did  his  part  toward 
developing  local  resources.  For  several  months 
he  acted  as  agent  for  Whetstone  &  Baniett  in  the 
sale  of  their  large  tract  of  land  south  of  the 
Marais  des  Cygnes  River.  His  wife  is  still  living 
and  makes  her  home  with  a  daughter  in  Illinois. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  five  of 
whom  are  still  living. 

When  twenty-two  years  of  age  Mr.  Dyer  began 
independent  farming.     In  1868  he  accompanied 


his  father  to  Kansas  and  bought  eighty-six  acres 
south  of  the  Marais  des  Cygnes  River,  which 
property  he  at  once  commenced  to  improve.  He 
still  owns  his  first  purchase  as  well  as  eighty-six 
acres  adjoining,  making  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
two  acres  in  all.  After  engaging  in  general  farm 
pursuits  until  1883  he  then  moved  to  Melvern, 
Osage  County,  Kans.,  and  embarked  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  which  he  carried  on  for  five 
years.  Next,  returning  to  his  farm,  he  remained 
there  for  a  short  time,  after  which  he  moved  to 
Pomona  and  built  a  residence.  During  the  first 
year  he  resided  on  the  farm,  while  digging  a 
foundation  for  a  stable  he  struck  a  vein  of  coal. 
This  led  him  to  investigate,  and  he  found  the 
earth  was  underlaid  with  workable  deposits  of 
coal.  In  1873  he  began  to  dig  out  the  coal, 
which  he  supplied  to  the  Topping  mill.  Since 
then  he  has  opened  other  coal  mines.  He  has 
taken  out  thousands  of  tons  from  his  land,  and 
supplies  Ottawa  and  other  cities  and  towns  of  this 
locality.  He  owns  one  hundred  and  forty  acres 
(all  underlaid  with  coal),  but  has  only  taken  out 
about  fifteen  acres  as  yet.  He  was  the  first  man 
to  open  coal  mines  south  of  the  river  and  is  the 
pioneer  of  the  business  in  his  vicinity.  The 
product  is  a  fine  quality  of  soft  coal,  which  com- 
mands a  readj'  sale  at  good  prices. 

Besides  his  other  interests  Mr.  Dyer  was  for 
three  years  a  partner  with  Dr.  Pasley  in  the  drug 
business  in  Pomona.  He  owns  ten  acres,  com- 
prising his  home,  situated  within  the  limits  of 
Pomona,  and  is  also  the  owner  of  other  property 
A  successful  man,  he  has  labored  not  only  for  his 
personal  prosperity,  but  has  at  the  same  time  con 
tributed  to  the  advancement  of  local  interests 
and  has  aided  in  the  erection  of  churches  and 
schoolhouses  and  in  other  movements  of  un- 
doubted value.  For  many  years  he  was  a  Re 
publican,  but  has  recently  allied  himself  with  the 
advocates  of  free  silver.  For  three  years  he  was 
trustee  of  Greenwood  Township  and  for  one  year 
held  a  similar  position  in  Pomona.  In  1894  he 
was  his  party's  candidate  for  representative  to 
the  legislature.  As  a  member  of  the  school 
board  he  has  promoted  the  welfare  of  the  common 
schools.     Since  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  has 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


515 


been  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
is  a  charter  member  of  Pomona  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  in  which  he  has  served  as  master.  He  is 
past  noble  grand  of  Pomona  Lodge  of  Odd 
Fellows.  For  years  he  has  been  trustee  and 
steward  and  an  active  worker  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

In  Illinois,  April  2,  1863,  Mr.  Dyer  married 
Martha  J.  Shreeves,  by  whom  he  has  three 
daughters  and  one  son,  viz.:  Viola,  wife  of 
Porter  Groves;  Frank  E. ,  who  is  in  Wyoming; 
Rachel  M.,  wife  of  S.  E.  Richardson;  and  Lillian 
B.,  wife  of  J.  M.  Dailey. 


(3  AMUEL  A.HOUSTON.  For  ten  years  Mr. 
?Sk  Houston  was  connected  with  either  the  regu- 
Q)  lar  or  the  volunteer  army.  In  1855,  at 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  he  enlisted  in  what  is  now  the 
Fourth  (then  the  First)  United  States  Cavalry, 
serving  under  Capt.  George  H.  Stewart  in  Com- 
pany K.  On  the  12th  of  March,  1856,  he  arrived 
with  his  company  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kans. , 
and  it  was  then  that  he  saw  for  the  first  time  the 
state  that  for  so  many  years  has  been  his  head- 
quarters and  his  home.  For  some  subsequent 
years  his  time  was  mostly  spent  on  the  plains  or 
in  the  mountains,  where  he  encountered  the  In- 
dians in  numerous  skirmishes.  Those  were  days 
of  hard  fighting,  long  rides,  dangers,  hardships 
and  exposure,  yet,  across  the  chasm  of  the  fleet- 
ing years  he  looks  back  upon  them  as  the  hap- 
piest days  of  all  his  life.  Finally  he  was  caught 
in  a  blizzard  west  of  Fort  Riley  and  almost  per- 
ished. It  was  during  the  winter  of  1859-60,  and 
he  was  one  of  a  party  of  forty-eight  men  who 
were  caught  in  the  norther  and  injured  to  such  an 
extent  by  the  cold  that  forty-two  of  the  number 
were  sent  to  the  hospital.  It  was  this  catastrophe 
that  caused  the  loss  of  his  right  eye.  Shortly 
afterward  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at 
Fort  Leavenworth. 

When  the  Civil  war  began  Mr.  Houston  raised 
forty  men  at  Burlington  and  brought  them  to 
Lawrence,  where  they  were  mustered  into  Com- 
pany D,  Second  Kansas  Infantry,  he  being  com- 
missioned second  sergeant.     He  took  part  in  the 


battles  of  Forsythe,  Dug  Springs,  Prairie  de 
Anna  Mountains,  Backbone,  Wilson  Creek,  Prai- 
rie Grove,  etc.  The  original  enlistment  was  for 
three  months,  but  the  time  was  extended  to  five 
months.  He  then,  in  October,  1861,  enlisted 
for  three  years,  but  served  for  a  longer  time,  his 
entire  term  of  service  being  forty-four  months. 
In  the  spring  of  1865  he  was  mustered  out  and 
honorably  discharged.  He  then  became  foreman 
for  Van  Light  &  Co.  on  the  plains,  continuing 
with  them  until  1870,  when  he  began  railroading. 
In  1876  he  established  his  permanent  home  in 
North  Lawrence,  where  he  has  a  comfortable, 
attractive  residence  at  No.  431  Locust  street.  He 
was  married  in  Green  Valley,  111.,  in  1875,  to 
Miss  Ellen  Z.  Oswald,  who  was  born  in  Mary- 
land. They  became  the  parents  of  three  sons, 
Edward  T.,  who  died  at  twenty  years;  William, 
who  is  connected  with  the  Maple  Leaf  Railroad  at 
Oelwein,  Iowa;  and  Charles. 

Mr.  Houston  is  past  commander  of  Washing- 
ton Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.;  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and  the  De- 
gree of  Honor  Pyramids;  a  charter  member  of 
J.  M.  Taylor  Camp  No.  78,  Sons  of  Veterans,  of 
which  he  was  division  chaplain,  with  the  rank  of 
major,  in  1898-99;  and  secretary  of  the  Kansas 
State  Veterans'  Association,  of  which  he  is  a 
charter  member.  In  politics  he  is  an  uncompro- 
mising Republican. 


IILLIAM  H.  ARMSTRONG.  On  coming 
to  Kansas  in  1875  Mr.  Armstrong  settled 
in  Osage  County,  where  he  purchased  land 
and  spent  one  year.  In  1876  he  removed  to  Law- 
rence, where  he  had  bought  a  small  place  on  his 
arrival  in  the  state.  Beginning  as  a  dealer  in 
cattle,  he  gradually  developed  an  important  and 
profitable  business,  and  from  time  to  time  has 
been  enabled  to  increase  his  possessions,  which 
now  aggregate  five  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  In 
1898  he  removed  from  his  city  home  to  his  farm 
three  miles  southwest  of  Lawrence,  in  Wakarusa 
Township,  where  he  has  since  resided,  and  is 
making  a  specialty  of  raising  hay. 

A  son  of  John   and   Elizabeth  (Warren)  Arm- 


5i6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


strong,  our  subject  was  born  in  Madison  County, 
Ohio,  January  28,  1842.  He  was  one  of  eleven 
children,  the  following  being  the  survivors:  Eliza, 
widow  of  Andrew  Jackson,  of  Madison  Countj', 
Ohio;  Warren,  a  retired  farmer  and  capitalist  of 
Madison  County;  Samuel,  a  cattle  dealer;  and 
Frances,  both  of  whom  reside  in  that  county; 
William  H. ;  and  John  F. ,  a  retired  stockman  and 
farmer  of  Madison  County.  The  father  was  born 
in  Virginia  in  1790  and  while  still  a  boy  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  where  he 
grew  to  manhood.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war  of  18 1 2  he  enlisted  in  the  service  and  re- 
mained until  the  close  of  the  war.  A  short  time 
after  his  marriage  he  settled  in  Madison  County, 
where  he  bought  a  timbered  tract  and  from  the 
woods  evolved  a  finely  improved  farm.  The 
active  part  of  his  life  was  spent  upon  that  place, 
engaging  in  general  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
politics  he  was  a  strong  supporter  of  the  Whig 
party,  and  upon  its  disintegration  became  a  Re- 
publican, but,  while  he  was  influential  in  political 
matters,  he  was  not  an  office  seeker  and  never 
held  office.     His  death  occurred  in  1862. 

Being  afflicted  with  asthma  when  a  boy,  our 
subject  was  not  able  to  attend  school  regularly, 
nevertheless  he  gained  a  good  education  by  self- 
culture.  During  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in 
Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Ohio 
Infantry,  and  during  his  service  of  one  hundred 
days,  took  part  in  the  battle  of  New  Creek  Sta- 
tion. After  his  father's  death  in  1862  he  and  his 
brother  Warren  took  charge  of  the  home  farm, 
which  they  continued  to  manage  for  some  time, 
purchasing  after  some  years  the  interests  of  the 
other  heirs.  In  the  spring  of  1875  they  sold  the 
place,  and  our  subject  decided  to  come  west  and 
engage  in  farming  in  Kansas.  He  has  never  had 
occasion  to  regret  this  decision,  as  he  has  been 
very  fortunate  in  his  undertakings  in  this  state 
and  has  gradually  built  up  a  farm  that  is  sur- 
passed by  few  in  Douglas  County.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  but  has  been  too  much  en- 
grossed with  his  personal  afi^airs  to  devote  atten- 
tion to  public  matters  and  has  never  cared  for 
official  positions. 

February    9,    1875,    Mr.    Armstrong   married 


Miss  Anna  M.  Paine,  who  was  born  in  Madison 
County,  Ohio,  her  father,  Zadock  Paine,  being  a 
prominent  farmer  there.  Two  sons  comprise  the 
family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Armstrong:  Earl  W.,  who 
is  in  charge  of  one  of  his  father's  farms;  and 
Frank  M.,  who  assists  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
home  place. 

RS.  HANORA  (HICKEY)  ANDERSON, 
who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  both  of 
Illinois  and  Kansas,  and  is  now  living  on 
a  farm  four  miles  south  of  Lecompton,  Douglas 
County,  was  born  in  the  city  of  lyimerick,  Ireland, 
in  1816,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Margaret 
(Ryan)  Hickey.  She  was  one  of  eight  children, 
five  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely:  Mary, 
widow  of  Daniel  Mahoney,  of  Osage  County, 
Kans.;  EUen,  wife  of  Michael  Ryan,  of  St. 
Louis,  Mo.;  Hanora;  David,  who  lives  in  Spring- 
field, 111.;  and  Ann,  widow  of  Michael  Murphy, 
of  Douglas  County,  Kans.  The  parents  were 
born,  reared  and  married  in  County  Limerick, 
Ireland,  where  the  father  engaged  in  farm  pur- 
suits until  his  death,  in  1831,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
five  years. 

When  seventeen  years  of  age,  in  1833,  our 
subject  became  the  wife  of  Thomas  Anderson, 
who  was  born  and  reared  upon  a  farm  adjoining 
the  one  owned  by  Mr.  Hickey.  He  was  one  of 
the  five  children  (all  now  deceased)  of  Thomas 
and  Bridget  (McQueney)  Anderson,  natives  of 
Counties  Limerick  and  Clare.  After  their  mar- 
riage Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  settled  upon  a 
farm  in  County  Limerick  and  there  they  re- 
mained until  1841,  when  they  crossed  the  ocean 
to  America.  After  a  voyage  of  ten  weeks  and 
three  days  they  landed  in  New  Orleans  in  the 
fall  of  that  year.  From  there  they  traveled  via 
steamer  to  St.  Louis,  and  then  took  a  stage  for 
Springfield,  111.  Mr.  Anderson  bought  a  tract  of 
land  and  settled  down  upon  a  farm,  which  he 
cultivated  for  fourteen  years,  and  which  now 
forms  the  site  for  the  railroad  depot  in  that  city. 
While  living  there  he  and  his  wife  saw  the  first 
railroad  laid  into  Illinois  and  witnessed  the  rapid 
development  of  the  state. 

At  the  time  the  tide  of  emigration  began  to 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


517 


turn  toward  Kansas  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson 
came  to  this  state  in  the  spring  of  1857  and  set- 
tled four  miles  south  of  Lecompton,  in  Kanwaka 
Township,  Douglas  County.  In  time  Mr.  An- 
derson became  one  of  the  prominent  and  pros- 
perous farmers  of  the  county.  He  was  spared  to 
a  venerable  age,  passing  away  May  24,  18S9, 
when  in  his  ninety-eighth  year.  From  child- 
hood he  was  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  to  which  his  wife  also  belongs. 

In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  Coming  to 
Kansas  at  the  time  of  the  border  warfare,  he  gave 
his  sympathy  and  support  to  the  free-state  party 
and  favored  the  abolition  of  slavery.  He  was  too 
old  to  enlist  in  the  service  during  the  Civil  war, 
but  he  and  his  wife  both  felt  the  keenest  interest 
in  the  preservation  of  the  Union  and  the  ex- 
tinction of  slaverj'.  They  were  the  parents  of 
fourteen  children,  seven  of  whom  survive,  viz. : 
Bridget,  who  is  the  wife  of  Patrick  Cummings, 
of  Douglas  County;  David,  a  farmer  of  Kanwaka 
Township;  John  and  William,  who  are  also  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  this  township;  Margaret, 
wife  of  Patrick  Brown,  a  farmer  of  Jackson 
County,  Kans.;  George  and  Alexander,  who  cul- 
tivate farms  near  their  mother's  homestead. 


REUBEN  R.  DOOLITTLE,  a  retired  farmer 
of  Wakarusa  Township,  Douglas  County, 
was  born  in  Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  May 
22,  1827.  His  father.  Rev.  Orin  Doolittle,  a 
native  of  New  York,  was  for  many  years  a  minis- 
ter in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  owing 
to  the  stand  taken  by  the  denomination  at  the 
time  the  slave  question  was  being  agitated,  he 
withdrew  from  the  ministry  and  devoted  his  at- 
tention to  lecturing  in  behalf  of  the  abolition  of 
slaves.  It  was  his  privilege  to  live  to  see  the 
slaves  emancipated  and  our  nation  the  home  of  a 
people  all  of  whom  were  free.  Later  he  became 
an  advocate  of  the  Republican  party.  By  his 
marriage  to  Elizabeth  Randolph  he  had  nine 
children,  of  whom  our  subject  was  the  fifth  and  is 
the  only  one  in  Kansas. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Reuben 
Randolph  Doolittle,  was  born  in  Culpepper,  Va., 


where  he  attained  maturity,  but  afterward  he 
removed  to  New  York  and  settled  upon  a  farm. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolutionary  war  he  was 
about  seventeen  years  of  age.  During  the  war  he 
was  employed  as  dispatch  bearer  for  General 
Washington,  a  position  that  required  great  cour- 
age. 

When  our  subject  was  about  nine  years  of  age 
the  family  settled  in  Michigan,  then  a  new  coun- 
try, and  afterward  he  helped  to  clear  a  farm.  In 
1852  he  went  via  water  to  California,  crossing  the 
isthmus  of  Panama  and  reaching  the  Pacific  coast 
after  a  long  voyage.  For  two  years  and  four 
months  he  engaged  in  mining.  At  the  time  of 
his  return  the  railroad  across  the  isthmus  was 
completed  with  the  exception  of  eight  or  ten 
miles.  He  resumed  farming  in  Michigan,  but 
soon  became  restless  again,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1859  started  for  Pike's  Peak.  However,  when 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  west  of  Oma- 
ha he  met  so  many  returning  that  he  decided  not 
to  go  further.  Consequently  he  drove  down  to 
Douglas  County  and  bought  a  claim  where  he 
now  resides,  afterward  securing  from  the  govern- 
ment a  deed,  bearing  the  signature  of  Andrew 
Johnson,  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land. 
Of  the  entire  tract,  only  ten  acres  had  been  im- 
proved. He  set  to  work  to  break  the  land,  fence 
it,  and  put  up  necessary  buildings.  His  first 
house  was  a  log  cabin,  in  which  he  lived  for 
about  eight  years.  At  first  he  raised  principally 
corn  and  wheat.  It  was  difiicult  to  dispose  of  his 
crops,  as  there  was  no  railroad  even  to  Lawrence 
and  it  was  then  quite  a  small  town.  At  the  time 
of  the  war  he  was  a  member  of  the  state  militia, 
but  did  not  see  active  service,  as  he  was  placed  on 
detached  duty. 

As  he  prospered,  Mr.  Doolittle  added  to  his 
possessions  until  he  became  the  owner  of  two 
hundred  acres.  In  1885  he  erected  a  comfortable 
house  from  plans  designed  by  his  wife,  and  here 
he  has  since  resided.  While  his  attention  has 
been  given  mostly  to  farming,  he  has  also  en- 
gaged in  dairying  to  some  extent  and  at  one  time 
also  raised  fowls  and  sold  eggs  and  chickens.  His 
wife  gained  a  reputation  throughout  the  county 
as  a  skillful  buttermaker,  and  at  no  time  was  a 


518 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


pound  of  her  butter  ever  sold  for  less  than  twenty- 
five  cents,  while  at  times  it  commanded  as  much 
as  fifty  cents.  In  addition  to  the  residence  there 
are  other  good  buildings  on  the  place,  including 
a  substantial  barn,  and  there  is  also  a  complete 
equipment  of  machinery. 

In  politics  Mr.  Doolittle  was  a  Republican  un- 
til 1892,  when  he  transferred  his  allegiance  to 
the  Democratic  party.  He  would  never  accept 
any  oflBce,  but  has  devoted  all  of  his  energy  to  the 
proper  management  of  his  place  and,  as  a  farmer, 
has  acquired  a  reputation  second  to  none  in  his 
locality.  Interested  in  the  fruit  business,  he 
brought  some  peach  pits  from  Michigan  to  Kan- 
sas and  the  fruit  he  raised  was  as  fine  as  any 
grown  in  the  county.  At  the  Columbian  Expo- 
sition in  Chicago,  some  of  his  peaches  were  sent 
for  exhibition,  but  were  rejected,  as  the  commit- 
tee could  not  be  convinced  they  were  seedlings. 
During  the  lifetime  of  his  wife  thej-  traveled  con- 
siderable, both  being  fond  of  studying  customs 
and  habits,  as  well  as  viewing  scenerj-  in  different 
parts  of  the  country.  Several  times  they  visited 
California  and  the  east,  and  also  visited  the  Cen- 
tennial in  Philadelphia,  the  World's  Fair  in  Chi- 
cago and  the  Trans-Continental  Exposition  iu 
Omaha;  having  by  intelligent  labor  earned  the 
right  to  independence,  they  enjoyed  life  to  the  ut- 
most, without  a  break  in  their  happiness  until 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Doolittle,  in  March,  1899.  Prior 
to  her  marriage,  in  Michigan,  in  1852,  she  was 
Jeannette  VanVleet.  Her  father  was  a  justice  of 
the  peace  and  for  thirty  years  served  as  post- 
master at  Wheatland,  Hillsdale  County,  Mich. 

The  only  son  of  our  subject  and  his  wife  is 
Randall  Doolittle,  who  was  born  in  Michigan  in 
December,  1857.  He  was  two  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  brought  him  to  Kansas.  His  educa- 
tion was  received  in  district  schools  and  the  busi- 
ness college  at  Lawrence,  after  which  he  took  a 
course  in  telegraph}'.  For  two  years  he  was  em- 
ployed as  an  operator  on  the  Santa  Fe  road,  but, 
being  the  only  child,  he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to 
help  in  the  management  of  the  home  farm,  of 
which  he  now  has  entire  control.  Active  in  po- 
litical matters,  he  has  been  a  delegate  to  many 
conventions.     In  1895  ^^  "was   elected  township 


trustee  and  served  for  two  terms,  being  the  only 
Democrat  elected  to  any  ofiice  in  Wakarusa  Town- 
ship. November  29,  1882,  he  married  Ella  Wal- 
ton, of  this  township.  They  have  four  children, 
Charles,  Faith,  Jeannette  and  Walton  Randall. 


HENRY  CHRISTIAN  PRANG.  The  life  of 
this  pioneer  was  for  years  intimately  iden- 
tified with  the  growth  and  progress  of 
Leavenworth  County.  He  lived  to  enjoy  the 
comforts  secured  by  the  toil  of  early  days,  and  to 
witness  the  growing  importance  of  the  citj'  of 
Leavenworth,  with  whose  history  he  was  familiar 
from  the  time  of  its  start.  A  native  of  Germany, 
he  made  his  home  in  America  after  eight  years 
of  age,  his  parents  settling  near  Burlington,  Iowa, 
where  he  was  reared.  The  year  1S54  found  him 
in  Leavenworth.  Soon  afterward  he  went  to 
Kickapoo,  where  he  opened  a  blacksmith's  shop, 
and  for  two  years  followed  his  trade.  He  then 
returned  to  Leavenworth  and  engaged  in  general 
blacksmithing  until  1872. 

On  retiring  from  blacksmithing  he  opened  a 
plow  factory  with  Mr.  Howell,  organizing  the 
firm  of  Howell  &  Prang,  and  continuing  in  the 
business  for  five  years.  In  1875  he  became  fore- 
man for  the  Caldwell  Manufacturing  Company, 
manufacturers  of  wagons  at  the  Kansas  state 
penitentiary,  where  he  remained  for  four  years. 
In  1883  he  formed  a  partnership  with  August 
Schanze  in  the  implement  business,  the  two  con- 
tinuing together  for  a  few  years.  From  that  time 
he  followed  his  trade  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred July  23,  1886,  at  the  age  of  forty-nine 
years.  His  life  was  an  active  and  busy  one,  and 
by  industry  and  economy  he  gained  a  com- 
petency. 

The  Republican  party  received  the  support  of 
Mr.  Prang.  He  never  sought  office,  but  was 
once  nominated,  without  his  consent,  for  council- 
man from  the  third  ward.  He  was  willing  to 
assist  his  friends  who  desired  office,  but  preferred 
to  give  his  attention  to  business  affairs  rather 
than  to  official  duties.  In  the  blue  lodge  of 
Masonry  he  held  the  office  of  master  for  several 
successive  years.    In  religion  he  was  a  Method- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


519 


ist.  By  his  marriage  to  Jane  Waddell  he  had 
three  children:  Charles  H.,  a  grocer,  and  George 
W.,  a  horseshoer,  both  residing  in  Leavenworth, 
and  Ellen,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two. 
George  W.  was  a  member  of  the  council  from 
the  third  ward  for  one  term,  and  fraternally  he  is 
active  in  the  Modern  Woodmen  and  Odd  Fel- 
lows' Orders. 


n  H.  JACOBS,  manager  of  the  Kansas  Water 
I  and  Light  Company,  of  Lawrence,  came  to 
G)  this  state  in  the  spring  of  1857  and  settled  in 
Douglas  County.  He  assisted  in  laying  out  the 
village  of  Eudora,  and  there  he  opened  a  general 
mercantile  store.  However,  the  following  year 
he  removed  to  Johnson  County  and  started  in 
business  at  DeSoto,  remaining  there  for  six 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1864  he  disposed  of  his 
store  there  and  came  to  Lawrence,  becoming  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Summerfield  &  Jacobs, 
and  opening  a  wholesale  and  retail  grocery.  The 
partnership  continued  successfully  until  the 
death  of  Mr.  Summerfield,  after  which  Mr.  Jacobs 
carried  on  the  business  alone  for  fourteen  years, 
retiring  in  1894,  after  thirty  years  of  business  life 
in  the  same  city.  Meantime,  after  retiring  from 
the  wholesale  trade,  he  gave  some  attention  to  a 
baking  business,  in  which  he  built  up  a  large 
trade.  As  a  business  man  he  was  known  as  a 
hard  worker,  and  one  who  in  all  of  his  transac- 
tions was  just,  honest  and  fair.  In  1894  he  was 
made  superintendent  of  the  water  works  in  Law- 
rence, which  position  he  has  since  held,  giving 
careful  attention  to  the  management  of  the  plant. 
The  water  works  are  built  according  to  modern 
plans  and  have  proved  satisfactory,  the  supply  of 
water  being  ample  and  the  quality  excellent. 
The  water  is  carried  by  a  system  of  basins  to  a 
standpipe,  which  gives  the  desired  pressure. 

Mr.  Jacobs  was  born  in  Nowowiesz,  province 
of  Plock,  Poland,  in  December,  1829,  and  was 
next  to  the  youngest  of  twelve  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living,  two  in  America,  the  others  in 
the  old  country.  His  parents,  Jacob  and  Rika 
Jacobs,  were  born  in  Poland,  where  his  father 
was  a  merchant  and  farmer  until  his  death  at 
sixty-eight  years.    Our  subject  remained  at  home 


until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  migrated 
to  Germany,  and  for  three  years  taught  school 
there.  He  then  went  to  Newcastle,  England, 
where  he  learned  the  trade  of  painter  and  glazier. 
In  the  fall  of  1853  he  came  to  America  on  the 
sailer,  "Coustantine,"  which  anchored  in  New 
York  City  after  a  voyage  of  seven  weeks.  He 
remained  in  New  York  until  1855,  when  he  went 
to  Chicago  and  began  in  the  fruit  and  confection- 
ery business  on  the  corner  of  Wells  and  Ran- 
dolph streets.  From  there  he  came  to  Kansas  in 
1857,  and  his  subsequent  history  has  been  identi- 
fied principally  with  that  of  Douglas  County. 
He  was  married  in  Eudora,  this  county,  to  Miss 
Mina  Summerfield,  who  was  born  in  Germany, 
and  died  in  Lawrence  in  1898.  They  were  the 
parents  of  three  children:  Benjamin,  who  gradu- 
ated from  the  Kansas  City  Medical  College  and 
is  now  practicing  in  that  city;  Solon,  who  is  so- 
licitor for  the  Georgia  Central  Railroad  in  Ala- 
bama; and  Mrs.  Bertha  Tilles,of  Fort  Smith,  Ark. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Jacobs  is  connected  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen  and  is  a  Master  Mason. 
During  the  Price  raid  he  was  called  out  as  a 
member  of  the  state  militia,  and  assisted  in  driv- 
ing the  Confederates  out  of  Kansas.  In  politics 
he  has  always  been  a  Republican,  but  is  not 
radical  in  his  views. 


GlRTHUR  J.  ANDERSON,  M.  D.,  general 
M  medical  examiner  for  the  Fraternal  Aid 
/I  Association  and  one  of  the  popular  physi- 
cians of  Lawrence,  was  born  in  Greenfield,  Ohio, 
June  19,  1863,  and  has  made  his  home  in  Lawrence 
since  the  fall  of  1868.  His  father,  S.  B.  Anderson, 
M.  D.,  was  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Brooks) 
Anderson,  natives  of  Scotland,  who  lived  for  some 
years  in  Penn.sylvania,  but  later  settled  in  Green- 
field, Highland  County,  Ohio.  Born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  reared  in  Ohio,  S.  B.  Ander.son  gradu- 
ated from  a  medical  college  in  Cincinnati,  and  for 
some  years  practiced  in  Greenfield,  but  in  1868 
settled  in  Lawrence,  Kans.,  where  he  built  up  a 
large  practice.  He  served  both  as  president  and 
vice-president  of  the  State  Homeopathic  Medical 


520 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Society.  Since  his  retirement  from  practice  he 
has  made  his  home  in  Denver,  Colo.  At  Green- 
field, Ohio,  August  9,  1849,  he  married  Miss 
Nancy  L.  Davis,  daughter  of  Dr.  Jephtha  Davis, 
who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  but  removed  to  Ohio 
and  engaged  in  medical  practice  at  Circleville 
until  his  death.  In  the  family  of  Dr.  S.  B.  and 
Nancy  Anderson  there  were  seven  children, 
namely:  Samuel  H.,  who  graduated  from  the  St. 
Louis  Homeopathic  Medical  College  and  is  now 
engaged  in  practice  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Mary 
A.,  wife  of  S.  D.  Coffin,  of  Denver,  Colo.;  John 
Frank,  who  owns  and  conducts  a  stock  ranch  in 
Monte  Vista,  Colo.;  William  J.,  who  died  in 
Kansas  City;  Nannie,  who  died  in  childhood; 
George  D.,  who  died  in  Denver,  Colo.,  in  1899; 
and  Arthur  J. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  studied  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Kansas  with  the  class  of  1885  until  the 
close  of  the  junior  year,  making  a  specialty  of 
chemistry  and  anatomy.  On  leaving  school  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine  with  his  father.  In 
1S84  he  entered  the  St.  Louis  Homeopathic  Med- 
ical College.  One  year  later  he  matriculated  in 
the  Hahnemann  Medical  College  of  Chicago, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1887,  with  the  degree 
of  M.  D.  The  confinement  of  college  work  had 
impaired  his  health  greatly,  but  after  a  year  de- 
voted to  recuperation  he  was  as  rugged  as  before. 
He  practiced  with  his  father  until  1895,  and  since 
the  latter '  s  retirement  has  been  alone.  In  1893-94 
he  held  the  chair  of  sanitary  science  and  hygiene 
in  the  Kansas  City  Homeopathic  Medical  College. 
In  1893  he  received  from  the  governor  appoint- 
ment as  a  member  of  the  state  board  of  health, 
which  position  he  filled  for  two  years. 

Dr.  Anderson  was  married  in  Lawrence  to  Eva 
B.,  daughter  of  E.  A.  Smith,  who  was  the  first 
cashier  of  the  first  bank  established  in  this  city 
and  is  now  engaged  in  the  raising  of  standard- 
bred  horses.  Mrs.  Anderson  was  educated  at 
Bethany  College  and  is  a  lady  of  refinement, 
holding  a  high  position  in  society.  Their  three 
children  are  Bessie,  Eva  and  Arthur. 

Fraternally  Dr.  Anderson  is  connected  with 
Acacia  Lodge  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Scottish 
Rite  and  Topeka  Consistory.     He  is  past  chan- 


cellor in  the  Order  of  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  the 
organization  of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association  he 
took  an  active  part  and  has  been  one  of  its  active 
members.  In  1897  he  was  elected  general  med- 
ical examiner  for  the  association,  his  district  cov- 
ering eleven  states  and  two  territories.  So  ably 
did  he  fill  the  office  that  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  he  was  re-elected,  in  1899,  against  thirteen 
candidates.  He  is  local  examiner  for  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  examiner  for  the 
Modern  Woodmen,  Woodmen  of  the  World,  Se- 
lect Friends,  National  Reserve  and  Ancient  Or- 
der of  Pyramids.  A  charter  member  of  the 
Douglas  County  Homeopathic  Medical  Society, 
he  has  been  one  of  the  officials  since  its  organiza- 
tion and  is  now  its  vice-president.  He  is  also 
connected  with  the  Kansas  State  Homeopathic 
Medical  Society  and  the  American  Institute  of 
Homeopathy.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 


HARRY  RABINOVITZ,  of  Leavenworth, 
was  born  near  Kovina,  Russia,  a  son  of  Zus- 
man  and  Rachael  (Hernburg)  Rabinovitz, 
and  a  descendant,  on  his  father's  side,  of  a  family 
of  noted  Jewish  rabbis,  while  through  his  mother 
he  traced  his  lineage  to  an  old  and  prominent 
family  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  He 
was  the  youngest  of  five  children,  of  whom  two 
sons  and  one  daughter  are  in  the  United  States, 
his  brother,  Frank,  being  a  merchant  in  Kansas 
City.  He  was  born  January  18,  1871.  Until 
fourteen  years  of  age  he  attended  the  national 
schools  in  Russia.  When  a  boy  he  traveled 
through  Russia,  France,  Germany  and  England. 
In  1885  he  came"  to  America,  reaching  Philadel- 
phia a  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  with  whose 
customs  and  language  he  was  not  familiar,  and 
with  no  money  in  his  possession  except  sixty- 
five  cents.  For  four  months  he  engaged  in  sell- 
ing matches  to  such  customers  as  he  could  find 
on  the  street  or  in  offices.  In  this  way  he  earned 
$9.  With  this  money  he  purchased  a  small  out- 
fit of  goods  and  began  peddling  through  difierent 
parts  of  Pennsylvania,  making  his  headquarters 
in  Allentown. 

After  three  years  as  a  peddler  he  went  to  Chi- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cago  and  from  there  to  Kansas  Cit}-  in  1889, 
spending  three  months  as  a  clerk.  His  next  lo- 
cation was  at  Lee  Summit,  Mo.  .where  he  attended 
school  two  winters  and  also  studied  under  private 
instruction  in  the  summer.  At  the  same  time  he 
carried  on  business  as  a  peddler.  On  his  return 
to  Kansas  City  he  engaged  in  the  restaurant 
business.  In  1894  he  came  to  Leavenworth, 
where  he  bought  a  wholesale  liquor  business,  and 
this  he  carried  on  for  one  year.  In  1S95  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  agent  in  Leavenworth  for 
Val  Blatz  Brewing  Company  of  Milwaukee, Wis., 
and  has  since  filled  this  position.  The  company 
has  recently  completed  a  large  plant,  with  office, 
warehouse,  ice  house  and  storage  rooms,  on 
Broadway  and  Seneca  street.  The  ice  house  has 
a  capacity  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  and  the 
warehouse  a  capacity  of  three  car  loads. 

In  1893  Mr.  Rabinovitz  returned  to  his  native 
land,  where  he  visited  relatives  and  old  friends. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  is  a  Republican  in  national  poli- 
tics, but  in  local  elections  votes  independently. 


|q)EORGE  UMMETHUN,  who  was  one  of 
|_  the  leading  business  men  and  well-known 
V_J  pioneers  of  Leavenworth,  was  born  in  Furst- 
nau,  Hanover,  Germany,  December  15,  1835,  and 
was  educated  in  his  native  province.  In  1851  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  America  and  settled 
with  them  iu  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  secured 
work  in  a  drug  store,  and  remained  in  the  same 
position  until  he  left  the  city.  In  the  spring  of 
1S59  he  came  to  Leavenworth  and  opened  a  drug 
store  under  the  firm  name  of  Coolidge  &  Um- 
methun,  having  as  a  partner  his  former  employer 
in  Cincinnati.  After  the  building  burned  in 
which  he  had  carried  on  business  he  erected 
what  was  then  known  as  the  Ummethun  opera 
house,  a  two-story  brick  building  on  the  corner 
of  Delaware  and  Fourth  streets.  Here,  in  the 
corner  room  of  the  ground  floor,  he  conducted 
the  leading  drug  business  in  the  city.  For 
several  years  he  rented  the  upper  part  of  the 
building  as  an  opera  house,  but  afterward  it  was 
remodeled  into  a  business  block,  and  the  Leaven- 


worth National  Bank  now  occupies  the  rooms  iu 
which  he  had  his  drug  store.  He  then  opened  a 
drug  store  in  another  part  of  the  town,  where  he 
continued  in  business  until  his  death. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  German  Savings 
Bank  Mr.  Ummethun  was  chosen  its  president 
and  served  as  such  during  the  first  three  years  of 
its  existence,  after  which  he  was  a  director  and 
stockholder  in  the  institution  until  its  consolida- 
tion with  the  First  National  Bank.  In  187S  he 
was  elected  mayor  of  Leavenworth,  being  the 
first  Democrat  to  hold  that  office  for  some  years. 
It  was  the  wish  of  both  parties  that  he  serve  a 
second  term,  but  he  refused.  In  1889,  at  the 
Democratic  state  convention  held  in  Leavenworth, 
he  was  unanimously  nominated  for  lieutenant- 
governor,  but  was  defeated  with  his  party.  In 
1863-64  he  was  a  member  of  the  city  council. 
His  interest  in  local  aSairs  was  less  that  of  a 
partisan  than  of  a  public-.spirited  citizen,  who 
desired  the  advancement  of  his  city  and  its  in- 
creasing prosperity.  Fraternally  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  reared  in 
the  Lutheran  faith  and  always  inclined  toward 
that  church.  His  disposition  was  genial,  accom- 
modating and  generous;  he  was  a  man  of  domestic 
tastes,  and  his  happiest  hours  were  those  spent  in 
the  midst  of  hi's  family,  to  whom  he  was  intensely 
devoted.  He  died  January  30,  1890,  while  he 
was  still  in  the  prime  of  life  and  business  activity. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Ummethun  to  Miss  Martha 
Augusta  Austin  occurred  October  4,  1865.  She 
was  born  in  Huron  County,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of 
Homer  and  Adaline  (Cherry)  Austin,  natives 
respectively  of  Berkshire  County,  Mass.,  and 
New  York.  Her  father  went  to  Ohio  when  a 
young  man  and  assisted  in  clearing  and  improving 
a  farm  there.  From  1849  to  185 1  he  was  with 
the  gold-seekers  in  California  and  met  with  fair 
success.  After  his  return  to  Ohio  he  remained 
for  some  years  on  the  home  farm,  which  had  been 
given  to  him  by  his  father.  In  the  spring  of 
1863  he  sold  that  place  and  came  to  Leavenworth, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  grocerj-  business  for 
three  years.  Later  he  settled  upon  a  farm  twelve 
miles  from  the  city  and  there  he  has  since  made 
his  home.     At  the  lime  of  Price's  raid  he  served 


522- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  the  home  guard.  During  his  residence  in 
Ohio  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  several 
years.  Notwithstanding  his  eight3f-four  busy 
years,  he  is  still  active  for  one  of  that  age.  His 
wife  is  also  living  and  is  seventy-five  years  of  age. 
Of  their  four  children,  Martha  Augusta  is  the 
eldest.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ummethun  have  two 
daughters,  Josephine,  at  home;  and  Linnie  Leona, 
wife  of  Dr.  C.  C.  Allen,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. 


ROBERT  M.  FERGUSON,  who  is  proprietor 
of  a  mercantile  store  in  Leloup,  Franklin 
County,  was  born  in  Plainfield,  111.,  June  12, 
1853,  and  represents  the  third  generation  of  his 
family  in  America.  His  father,  Robert,  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1849  and  after  one  year  in 
eastern  Pennsylvania,  where  he  married,  he 
settled  in  Illinois,  becoming  identified  with  agri- 
cultural matters  in  that  state.  By  his  marriage 
to  Nancy  McDougal,  he  had  eight  children,  of 
whom  Robert  is  the  oldest  now  living.  His  edu- 
cation was  begun  in  the  common  schools  of 
Illinois  and  carried  on  later  in  Northwestern  Col- 
lege at  Plainfield,  a  business  college  at  Joliet,  and 
Northwestern  University  in  Evanston,  111.,  but 
he  left  the  last-named  institution  before  gradu- 
ating. 

In  the  spring  of  1876  Mr.  Ferguson  came  to 
Franklin  County  to  take  charge  of  his  father's 
farm  here,  and,  besides  its  management,  he  en- 
gaged in  shipping  grain  and  cattle.  After  a  time 
he  began  to  raise  stock,  and  he  continued  buying, 
raising,  feeding  and  shipping,  until  1887,  when 
he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business.  In  the 
meantime  he  also  engaged  in  the  lumber  business, 
in  which  he  was  interested  for  four  years.  Since 
beginning  as  a  merchant  he  has  dropped  all  out- 
side matters  and  enterprises  except  the  shipment 
of  grain  and  the  supervision  of  his  farm.  He 
is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres 
which  he  cultivates,  in  addition  to  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  that  he  rents.  In  raising  farm 
produce  he  makes  a  specialty  of  corn.  His  various 
interests  combine  to  make  him  a  very  busy  man. 
He  has  the  leading  business  in  I^eloup,  his  sales 
aggregating  $6,000  per  annum,  outside  of  his  grain 


business,  which  is  also  large.  Having  to  devote 
himself  closely  to  the  management  of  his  private 
affairs,  he  has  no  leisure  for  participation  in  public 
aifairs,  but  he  seeks  to  do  his  duty  as  a  citizen 
and  keeps  posted  concerning  national  issues.  The 
Democratic  party  represents  his  views  upon  the 
problems  before  our  country,  and  he  gives  his 
vote  to  his  party's  candidates.  Three  times  he 
was  chosen  to  act  as  postmaster  (during  the  ad- 
ministrations of  Hayes,  Cleveland  and  Harrison), 
and  he  had  the  ofiice  in  his  store. 

Mr.  Ferguson's  family  consists  of  his  wife  and 
two  children,  Henry,  aged  sixteen,  and  Robert, 
aged  two  years. 


^EORGE  A.  ANDERSON,  a  prosperous  cat- 
l_  tleman  and  farmer  of  Kanwaka  Township, 
\^  Douglas  County,  was  born  in  this  county 
March  15,  i860,  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Hanora 
(Hickey)  Anderson,  to  whose  sketch  upon  an- 
other page  the  reader  is  referred  for  the  family 
history.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm 
and  was  given  such  advantages  as  local  schools 
afforded.  Reared  under  the  most  careful  home 
influences,  and  trained  to  habits  of  industry, 
perseverance  and  integrity,  he  was  well  fitted  for 
the  responsibilities  which  awaited  him  in  life. 
At  an  early  age  he  became  familiar  with  agri- 
culture, and  it  was  natural  that,  when  selecting 
an  occupation,  he  should  choose  the  one  with 
which  he  was  most  familiar  and  in  which  he 
might  reasonably  hope  to  gain  exceptional  suc- 
cess. 

In  1885  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Ander- 
son to  Miss  Maggie  J.  Fawl,  who  was  born  in 
Douglas  County.  Her  father,  Patrick  Fawl,  was 
among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Kansas  and  is  still 
living  at  the  homestead  in  Marion  Township, 
Douglas  County,  where  he  settled  upon  coming 
west.  After  our  subject's  marriage  he  settled 
upon  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Kanwaka  Township,  which  place  had  been  deeded 
to  him  by  his  father.  Upon  this  place  he  began 
farming  for  himself.  Working  industriously  he 
was  rewarded  by  a  commendable  degree  of  suc- 
cess. Realizing  the  possibilitj'  of  large  profits  in 
the  cattle  business  he  devoted  considerable  atten- 


WII.LIAM  SERVATUS. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


525 


tion  to  this  branch  of  agriculture.  In  the  fall  of 
1 89 1  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
additional,  and  removed  to  his  new  home.  Be- 
sides these  two  properties,  comprising  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  he  owns  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  which  he  uses  for  the  pasturage  of  his 
cattle.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  seven  now  living,  viz.:  Mary,  Maggie, 
George,  Thomas,  Frank,  Rosie  and  William. 

The  political  affiliations  of  Mr.  Anderson  are 
with  the  Democratic  party.  In  1895  he  was 
elected  clerk  of  the  township,  which  office  he 
filled  for  three  years.  In  religion  he  is  a  Roman 
Catholic.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  L,aw- 
rence  Camp  No.  798,  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica. He  is  respected  as  one  of  the  enterprising 
farmers  and  honorable  citizens  of  his  township. 


ly  >|  RS.  DELIA  F.  SERVATUS,  who  is  a  pio- 

I  y  I  neer  of  Franklin  County,  has  for  more  than 
\\S\  forty  years  made  her  home  on  a  farm  ten 
miles  southwest  of  Ottawa,  in  Homewood  Town- 
ship. She  was  born  in  Bucks  County,  Pa.,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Anna  Catherine  (Hoffman) 
Matts,  of  whose  ten  children  eight  are  still  living. 
The  three  oldest  sons,  Peter,  Alexander  and 
Elias,  are  retired  from  active  cares,  the  first- 
named  living  in  Dane  County,  Wis.,  the  second 
in  Coopersburg,  Pa.,  and  the  third  in  Richland- 
town,  Pa.  John  lives  in  Dane  County,  Wis. ; 
Nicholas  is  a  farmer  in  Franklin  County,  Kans. ; 
Jackson  F.  carries  on  farm  pursuits  in  Bucks 
County,  Pa.;  and  Catherine  Amelia  makes  her 
home  in  Bucks  County,  Pa. 

The  Matts  family  was  founded  in  America  by 
John  Mich  Metz  (as  the  name  was  then  spelled), 
a  native  of  Germany,  who  settled  in  this  country 
in  early  life.  His  wife,  Barbara,  was  born  on 
the  ocean  when  her  parents  were  crossing  from 
Germany  to  the  United  States.  Born  in  Phila- 
delphia, John  Matts  was  a  boy  when  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Bucks  County,  Pa.,  and 
there  he  learned  the  tanner's  trade  under  his 
father,  with  whom  he  worked  in  the  tanning 
business  until  the  father's  death,  when,  he  being 
the  only  son,  the  responsibility  of  managing  the 


business  fell  entirely  upon  him.  After  some 
years  of  successful  work  he  retired  from  the  busi- 
ness and  settled  upon  a  farm,  where  the  remain- 
ing years  of  his  life  were  spent.  He  was  a 
prominent  figure  in  local  politics  and  took  a  lead- 
ing part  in  district  affairs.  For  four  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  state  legislature,  and  at 
other  times  he  held  local  positions  of  honor  and 
trust.  In  early  life  he  voted  with  the  Democrats, 
but  at  the  time  of  Andrew  Jackson's  veto  of  the 
national  bank  bill,  which  did  not  meet  with  his 
approval,  he  allied  himself  with  the  Whig  party 
A  successful  business  man,  he  amassed  a  consid- 
erable fortune.  While  he  was  not  connected  with 
any  church,  he  was  a  man  of  Christian  belief  and 
exemplary  life.  During  the  war  of  18 12  he  went 
to  the  front  in  the  American  army. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of 
Northampton  County,  Pa.,  and  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Margaret  Hoffman,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  owners  of  a  valuable  farm  in  Bucks 
County.  Mr.  Hoffman  was  a  soldier  during  the 
entire  period  of  the  Revolutionary  war  and  was 
with  Washington  when  he  crossed  the  Delaware 
on  that  stormy  night  in  winter.  Often,  in  later 
years,  he  told  his  children  and  grandchildren  of 
those  days  of  suffering,  when  the  soldiers,  illy 
clad  and  barefooted,  pushed  their  way  through 
ice  and  snow,  leaving  behind  them  the  bloody 
footprints  made   by  their  bare  and  lacerated  feet. 

When  eighteen  years  of  age  our  subject  went 
to  Wisconsin  and  made  her  home  with  her  four 
brothers  who  had  preceded  her  to  that  state.  In 
1856  she  became  the  wife  of  William  Servatus, 
who  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  in  1830,  and 
came  to  America  late  in  the  '40s.  For  some 
years  he  followed  the  painter's  trade  in  Utica, 
N.  Y.  Later  he  settled  in  Dane  County,  Wis., 
where  he  met  and  married  Miss  Matts.  Shortly 
after  his  marriage,  in  the  winter  of  1856-57,  he 
came  to  Kansas  and  pre-empted  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Franklin  County,  on  which  he 
built  a  small  cabin.  Returning  to  Wisconsin,  he 
brought  his  wife  back  with  him  and  settled  in 
his  new  home,  where  they  arrived  June  6,  1857. 
Settlers  were  few  at  that  time,  their  nearest 
neighbors  being  a  few  families  who  had  settled 


526 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


on  Middle  Creek.  In  time  they  were  prospered 
and  were  able  to  replace  their  cabin  with  a 
neat  house,  while  other  improvements  were  con- 
stantly being  made  also.  Mr.  Servatus  died  here 
February  4,  1881,  since  which  time  his  widow 
has  continued  to  live  here,  managing  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  land  and  actively  superintending  all 
of  the  work.  In  religion  she  is  identified  with 
the  Christian  Church,  while  Mr.  Servatus  was  a 
Roman  Catholic. 


m 


ICHAEL  A.  PRZYBYLOWICZ,  city  clerk 
Leavenworth,  was  born  in  this  city  June 
[865,  a  son  of  Hon.  Michael  A.  and 
Johanna  (Geschnecher)  Przybylowicz,  natives 
respectively  of  Poland  and  Germany.  His  father, 
who  was  the  son  of  a  soldier  in  the  Russian  army, 
learned  the  butcher's  trade  in  youth,  and  after 
coming  to  America  spent  some  time  in  the  east, 
but  about  1847  traveled  through  Kansas  and 
Missouri,  settling  in  St.  Joe.  About  1850  he 
crossed  the  plains  to  California  and  engaged  in  the 
restaurant  business  in  San  Francisco.  Later  he 
took  up  a  claim  in  what  is  now  Portland,  Ore., 
and  engaged  in  business  there,  but  soon  gave  up 
all  of  his  interests  in  that  place,  and  returning 
east  settled  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  embarked 
in  the  grain  and  commission  business.  During 
the  Civil  war  he  was  a  member  of  a  Kansas  regi- 
ment of  volunteers.  In  1869  he  started  the  Con- 
tinental hotel  and  this  he  conducted,  building  up 
a  large  business,  and  becoming  well  known  as  an 
accommodating,  genial  landlord.  From  1883  to 
1890  he  rented  the  hotel  toothers,  but  in  the  lat- 
ter year  again  assumed  its  management,  and  car- 
ried it  on  until  his  retirement  from  business  in 
1895.  During  his  active  business  life  he  made 
several  trips  across  the  plains.  In  local  affairs  he 
took  an  active  part,  being  a  leading  Democrat. 
Several  times  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
city  council  and  for  two  terms  he  was  a  member 
of  the  state  legislature  of  Kansas.  Of  his  eleven 
children,  six  are  now  living. 

The  oldest  son  and  next  to  the  oldest  child  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  In  1884  he  gradu- 
ated from  the  high  school.  Shortl}'  afterward  he 
entered  the  First  National  Bank  as  a  messenger 


boy,  and  later  was  promoted,  bj'  successive  steps, 
until  he  became  a  bookkeeper.  After  four  and 
one-half  years  in  the  bank  he  resigned  in  order 
to  engage  in  the  hotel  business  with  his  father, 
and  for  four  years  he  continued  with  the  latter. 
When  his  connection  with  the  Continental  hotel 
was  severed  he  went  to  Kansas  City  and  for  a 
short  time  was  bookkeeper  for  the  Weston  Brew- 
ing Company.  On  his  return  to  Leavenworth  he 
became  night  clerk  in  the  Imperial  hotel.  April 
6,  1897,  iis  was  elected  city  clerk  on  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket  and  on  the  14th  of  the  same  month 
he  took  the  oath  of  office.  Since  then  he  has 
given  his  attention  to  official  duties,  in  the  dis- 
charge of  which  he  has  shown  efficiency  and 
energy.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Select  Knights. 

(TAMES  L.  TURNER,  of  Ottawa,  was  born 
I  in  Marysville,  Union  County,  Ohio,  March 
(2/  14,  1857,  a  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Gibson)  Turner,  natives  respectively  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  Virginia.  His  grandparents  came 
from  their  respective  localities  to  Ohio  and  settled 
upon  farms  in  Union  Count}'.  For  many  years 
James  Turner  held  oflSce  as  probate  judge  in 
Union  County,  where  he  died  in  1859;  five  years 
later  his  wife  died.  Of  their  twelve  children  all 
but  three  grew  to  mature  years,  and  five  sons 
and  one  daughter  are  now  living.  One  of  the 
sons,  Taj'lor,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and 
died  in  Pennsylvania.  Another  son,  Emory, 
lives  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. ,  while  Allen  and  James 
L.  reside  in  Ottawa,  Kans. 

The  youngest  of  the  sons,  our  subject  was  de- 
prived by  death  of  his  parents  while  he  was  .still 
too  young  to  realize  his  loss.  He  remained  with 
an  older  sister  on  the  home  farm  and  when  she 
died,  in  1876,  he  started  out  for  himself.  After- 
ward he  was  employed  on  farms  in  the  same 
neighborhood  until  December,  1878,  when  he 
and  his  brother  Allen  came  to  Ottawa.  At  first 
he  rented  land  in  Ottawa  and  carried  on  farm 
pursuits,  but  in  1893  he  settled  in  the  city  and 
started  a  livery  business  on  Second  street.  Here 
he  has  since  built  up  a  large  business.  He  is  the 
owner  of  two  fine  draft  horses,    "Moscow"   and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


527 


"Thumper."  "Moscow,"  No.  14,282,  is  a  black 
Percheron  stallion,  bred  by  F.  J.  Jolidan  &  Son, 
of  Elvaston,  111.  Sired  by  Isidore,  S018,  he  by 
Bayard  II  (5612),  he  by  Picadore  I  (7330),  he 
by  Ba5'ard  (9495),  he  by  Estrabia,  187  (796),  he 
by  a  son  of  Jean-le-Blanc  (739).  Dam,  Rosette 
7998(12121)  by  Mignon  (11216),  by  Favori,  be- 
longing to  Madam  Marchand;  second  dam  Co- 
cotte  (121 20)  by  Bayard,  belonging  to  M.  Le- 
feuvre.  He  is  coal-black,  with  star  on  forehead, 
sixteen  and  one-half  hands  high,  and  won  the  first 
prize  at  the  Franklin  County  fair  of  1896,  while 
one  of  his  colts  won  first  prize  at  both  the  Doug- 
las and  Franklin  County  fairs. 

In  politics  Mr.  Turner  is  ajRepublican.  He  is 
past  officer  in  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men and  a  member  of  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of 
Security  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  He  was  married  in  Ohio  to  Miss  Lou 
Coon,  who  was  born  in  Sidney,  Shelby  County, 
that  state,  and  is  a  lady  of  refinement  and  pleas- 
ing manners  and  an  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


EHARLES  C.  EMERY,  who  is  one  of  the  old- 
est surviving  residents  of  Kanwaka  Town- 
ship, Douglas  County,  now  makes  his  home 
in  Lawrence,  where,  in  March,  1895,  he  pur- 
chased a  residence  at  No.  504  Louisiana  street, 
with  the  intention  of  spending  his  remaining 
days  here,  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  competency 
acquired  by  his  industrious  efforts  in  earlier  days. 
He  was  born  in  Saco,  Me.,  May  31,  1830,  a  son 
of  Moses  Emery,  who  was  an  attorney  and  farmer, 
a  man  of  high  standing  and  a  prominent  factor  in 
church  and  educational  matters.  The  family  is 
descended  from  John  Emerj',  who  with  his  broth- 
ers, Anthony  and  another  whose  name  is  un- 
known, crossed  the  ocean  from  England  in  1635, 
one  settling  in  Pennsylvania,  while  Anthony  and 
John  became  pioneers  of  Newburg,  Me.  In 
1836-37  Moses  Emery,  then  a  member  of  the 
Maine  legislature,  successfully  engineered  the 
enactment  of  the  charter  of  the  Portland,  Saco 
and  Portsmouth  Railroad  Company  in  the  face  of 
a  powerful  opposition.     Of  the  cause  of  education 


he  was  a  prominent  champion,  and  for  a  long 
period  was  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
Thornton  Academy  at  Saco,  named  after  Mar- 
shall Thornton,  one  of  its  founders  and  a  leading 
contributor  to  its  support.  Our  subject's  mother, 
Sarah  C.  Thornton,  was  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
Thomas  Thornton,  a  minister  sent  by  the  English 
government  to  act  as  marshal  of  the  province. 

Prior  to  the  age  of  nineteen  our  subject  started 
for  California.  Sailing  to  Boston,  he  there  took 
passage  on  a  boat  and  journeyed  to  the  isthmus 
of  Panama,  where  he  spent  three  months.  From 
there  he  took  a  whaling  vessel  to  California,  where 
he  arrived  after  a  voyage  of  seventy-eight  days. 
For  three  weeks  he  worked  in  San  Francisco, 
living  with  a  Mormon  family.  He  then  went  to 
the  mountains  and  engaged  in  mining.  For  a 
time  he  worked  with  a  Mr.  Bowie,  a  cousin  of 
the  inventor  of  the  bowie  knife.  While  there  he 
met  Nathaniel  Gordon,  a  man  from  Maine,  who 
was  hanged  in  New  York  in  1862  and  was  the 
first  man  to  suffer  capital  punishment  in  the 
United  States  on  account  of  bringing  negroes 
from  the  coast  of  Africa  to  our  country.  Finally 
our  subject  sold  out  to  his  brother  and  returned 
to  Maine.  Since  his  first  trip  a  railroad  had  been 
built  across  the  isthmus,  and  he  crossed  on  it,  the 
fare  being  $25  for  a  ticket  and  fifteen  cents  for 
every  pound  of  baggage  taken  across. 

On  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  his  birth 
our  subject  arrived  in  Kansas.  He  bought  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  unsurveyed  land  in 
what  is  now  Kanwaka  Township.  The  land 
was  raw  and  no  attempt  had  been  made  to  clear 
it  of  the  timber  growth  or  break  the  prairie.  He 
at  once  settled  upon  it  and  began  the  work  of  im- 
provement. Afterward  he  engaged  in  raising 
horses  and  cattle,  and  also  carried  on  general 
farm  pursuits.  He  continued  to  live  there  until 
March,  1S92,  when  he  removed  to  Kansas  City. 
From  there  became  to  Lawrence  in  1895. 

He  never  sought  for  office,  but,  at  the  solici- 
tation of  the  members  of  the  Republican  party  in 
his  locality  consented  to  serve  as  road  overseer, 
which  office  he  filled  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
was  also  one  of  the  board  of  directors  of  school 
district  No.  20.     In   religion   he  is  of  the  Uni- 


52? 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tarian  faith.  September  9,  1857,  he  married 
Anna  Caldwell,  of  Saco,  Me.,  an  estimable  lady, 
whose  death  February  27,  1897,  was  a  heavy 
blow  to  the  family.  They  were  the  parents  of 
three  sons,  namely:  John  C,  who  died  at  Rico, 
Colo.,  of  pneumonia,  at  thirty-one  years  of  age; 
Frank  W.,  a  physician  in  Winfield,  Kans. ;  and 
Eugene  T.,  who  conducts  the  home  farm.  Be- 
sides his  property  possessions  in  the  west  our 
subject  is  interested  in  a  cotton  factory  at  Bidde- 
ford,  Me. 

(pi  NDREW  SCHWARTZ,  who  is  a  prosper- 
Lj  ous  German-American  farmer  of  Alexandria 
l\  Township,  Leavenworth  County,  was  born 
at  Schwegenheim  by  Speyer,  Rhine  Province, 
Germany,  January  9,  1845.  He  was  the  second 
child  and  oldest  son  among  seven  children  (two 
now  deceased)  born  to  the  union  of  Philip  and 
Katharine  (Reichert)  Schwartz,  who  were  far- 
mers. When  a  boy  he  attended  the  schools  of  his 
native  land  and  afterward  learned  the  wagon- 
maker's  trade.  When  twenty-one  years  old  he 
came  to  America,  with  the  intention  of  returning 
to  Germany,  but,  liking  this  country,  he  decided 
to  remain.  From  New  York,  where  he  landed, 
he  went  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  secured  work 
at  his  trade.  Two  years  later  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  for  a  time  stopped  in  Leavenworth,  but 
later  settled  in  the  village  of  Springdale  in  the 
fall  of  1870.  After  two  months  as  an  employe  he 
bought  out  his  employer  and  carried  on  the  shop 
alone.  With  a  short  intermission  he  continued 
the  business  until  1888,  when  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  farming.  From  the  proceeds  of  his 
business  he  secured  the  money  necessary  for  the 
purchase  of  farm  land.  From  time  to  time  he 
made  investments  in  land,  and  now  owns  one 
hundred  and  thirty  acres,  all  lying  near  Spring- 
dale.  Stock-raising  has  been  his  specialty.  He 
understands  stock  thoroughly  and  gives  them 
the  best  of  care.  On  his  place  may  be  seen  Short- 
horn cattle  and  Poland-China  hogs.  The  fact 
that  he  has  running  water  on  his  place  greatly 
increases  its  value.  Everything  is  arranged  in 
the  best  manner  possible,  and  there  is  plenty  of 
shelter  for  the  stock.  He  has  always  been  a  lover 


of  a  good  horse,  and  those  on  his  place,  both 
work  and  carriage  horses,  are  of  the  best.  The 
larger  part  of  the  land  is  used  for  pasturage,  but 
some  is  planted  to  grain,  which  is  used  for  feed 
for  the  stock.  He  has  been  prospered  and  has 
secured  a  competency. 

Politically  Mr.  Schwartz  votes  the  Republican 
ticket  and  attends  the  county  conventions  of  his 
party,  as  well  as  some  of  the  congressional  and 
state  conventions.  In  1889  he  drove  out  to  Colo- 
rado with  a  four-mule  team  and  was  engaged  in 
railroad  work  there  during  the  summer,  but  in 
the  fall  sold  his  outfit  for  $700  and  returned  to 
Kansas,  preferring  this  state  to  Colorado.  As  he 
had  rented  his  place  for  three  years  he  opened 
a  hotel  at  Brighton,  Leavenworth  County,  and 
continued  there  until  the  lease  on  his  place  had 
expired.  He  then  returned  to  his  farm,  where 
he  has  since  devoted  himself  closely  to  the  stock 
business.  He  is  a  genial, companionable  man,  fond 
of  good  company,  but  never  neglecting  his  busi- 
ness affairs,  which  he  manages  with  shrewdness 
and  in  an  economical  manner.  On  his  farm 
stands  a  Quaker  Church,  and  he  is  a  member  of 
the  congregation,  though  his  wife  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  August  9,  1882,  he  mar- 
ried Annie  Mohan,  who  has  resided  in  Leaven- 
worth County  since  1861.  They  became  the  par- 
ents of  three  children,  but  all  are  deceased.  They 
have  reared  a  nephew  of  Mr.  Schwartz,  who  is 
now  in  Denver,  Colo. 


EHARLES  APITZ,  proprietor  of  the  Central 
Hotel  of  Lawrence,  was  born  in  Halle, 
Saxony,  Germany,  a  son  of  August  and 
Maria  (Spott)  Apitz,  also  natives  of  Saxony. 
Both  of  his  grandfathers  took  part  in  the  wars  of 
the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century ;  his  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  who  was  forced  to  take  part 
in  the  Napoleonic  march  to  Moscow,  perished 
during  the  trip.  August  Apitz  was  a  harness- 
maker  and  upholster  and  engaged  in  the  leather 
business.  He  died  in  1872,  having  survived  his 
wife  twelve  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  all  but  three  of  whom  attained 
mature  years.     Of  those   who  were   spared    to 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


529 


manhood  and  womanhood,  Henrietta  and  Frede- 
ricka  died  in  Germany,  and  Frederick,  who  came 
to  Kansas  in  1865  and  was  a  large  and  prosper- 
ous harness  manufacturer,  died  in  Lawrence,  on 
the  4th  of  July,  1894.  The  three  now  living  are: 
Charles,  of  Lawrence;  and  Albert  and  Franz,  of 
Germany. 

In  the  village  where  he  was  born  October  28, 
1837,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and 
there  he  learned  the  trades  which  his  father  fol- 
lowed. Afterward  he  was  employed  as  a  jour- 
neyman in  the  different  kingdoms  of  Germany, 
also  in  Switzerland,  Austria  and  Hungary'.  In 
1863  he  left  Bremen  on  thesailer  "Peter  Roland" 
and,  after  a  voyage  of  forty-six  days,  landed  in 
New  York,  where  he  worked  at  the  upholster's 
trade.  September  28,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany A,  Eleventh  New  Jersey  Infantry,  Second 
Army  Corps,  being  mustered  in  as  a  private  at 
Elizabethtown,  and  thence  sent  to  the  front  at 
Petersburg,  arriving  there  three  days  after  his 
muster-in.  The  company  was  not  provided 
with  muskets  until  after  reaching  the  battle-field. 
On  the  28th  of  October  they  went  into  the  battle, 
being  stationed  near  the  front  on  the  left  flank  of 
the  army.  When  the  day  was  ended  fifteen  hun- 
dred were  dead,  wounded  or  captured.  He  was 
one  of  the  prisoners,  and  was  taken  to  Libby 
prison  at  Richmond,  where  he  remained  for  four 
months  lacking  four  days,  after  which,  at  the 
time  of  the  grand  exchange,  February  26,  1865, 
he  was  returned  to  the  northern  ranks.  His  ex- 
periences in  prison  were  exceedingly  trying,  for 
he  suffered  not  only  from  hunger,  but  also  from 
the  cold,  and  at  times  it  seemed  as  if  he  would 
die  of  .starvation  or  freeze  to  death. 

On  being  released  from  prison,  Mr.  Apitz  was 
given  a  furlough  of  thirty  days,  at  the  expiration 
of  which  he  accompanied  his  regiment  to  the 
south,  witnessed  the  final  surrender  of  Lee  and 
then  took  part  iu  the'review  at  Washington.  On 
being  discharged  he  returned  to  New  York  City, 
and  there  found  a  letter  from  his  brother  stating 
that  he  was  in  Canton,  111.  Desiring  to  join 
him,  our  subject  came  west,  but  on  arriving  at 
Canton  found  his  brother  had  gone  to  Lawrence, 
Kans.     Accordingly    he   came   to   this  city,    in 


August,  1865.  He  was  the  first  upholsterer  in 
Lawrence,  starting  a  shop  on  Massachusetts 
street  which  he  conducted  for  three  years  suc- 
cessfully. However,  the  dust  injured  his  health 
and  he  was  obliged  to  quit.  Going  to  Leaven- 
worth, he  bought  the  City  hotel,  which  he  con- 
ducted until  1870,  but  the  venture  was  not  suc- 
cessful. His  next  undertaking  was  the  building 
of  the  Tremont  house  at  Humboldt,  Kans. ,  which 
he  conducted  for  six  years.  In  1876  he  traded  it 
for  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land  in 
Shelby  County,  Mo.  He  went  to  Macon  City, 
Mo. ,  where  he  carried  on  the  Macon  house  until 
1880,  when  the  building  was  burned  down. 
Then,  going  to  Moberly,  Mo.,  he  ran  a  hotel  and 
was  so  successful  that  after  a  year  he  bought  a 
place,  selling  this  at  a  great  profit  a  year  later. 
In  1882  he  returned  to  Lawrence  and  bought  the 
old  Union  (now  the  Central)  hotel,  corner  of 
Vermont  and  Warren  streets,  where  he  has  a 
large  building  covering  three  lots  and  equipped 
with  all  of  the  modern  improvements.  Of  this 
hotel  he  is  the  popular  landlord. 

In  national  politics  Mr.  Apitz  is  a  Republican, 
but  is  independent  in  local  politics.  He  has  been 
trustee  of  the  Turn  Verein  and  is  a  member  of 
Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.  In  Lawrence 
he  married  Miss  Mary  Stadler,  who  was  born  in 
Germany,  and  in  childhood  accompanied  her 
parents  to  Missouri.  They  have  three  children: 
Amelia,  William  F.  and  Bertha.  The  older 
daughter  is  the  wife  of  Albert  Krause,  who  is 
first  lieutenant  of  Company  H,  Twentieth  Kansas 
Infantry,  that  won  fame  in  the  Philippines;  Will- 
iam F.,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Sixth  United 
States  Infantry,  was  shot  and  seriously  wounded 
in  the  right  hand  at  Santiago,  during  the  Spanish- 
American  war. 


n  CASS  RATHBONE.  The  family  repre- 
I  sented  by  this  gentleman  has  been  identified 
(2)  with  American  history  since  the  days  of  the 
"  Mayflower"  and  the  settlement  of  Mas.sachu- 
setts.  Subsequent  generations  removed  further 
south.  J.  Castelli  Rathbone,  who  was  born  in 
New  Jersey  and  educated  in  New  York  City, 
moved  to  West  Virginia  in  young  manhood  and 


53° 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD, 


bought  property  on  which  afterward  oil  was  first 
discovered  in  that  state.  His  landed  posses- 
sions aggregated  several  thousand  acres,  which 
he  superintended,  in  addition  to  engaging  in  mill- 
ing and  merchandising.  For  many  years  he 
served  as  county  surveyor.  He  was  a  man  of 
superior  ability  and  intelligence,  and  wielded  a 
large  influence  in  his  community.  At  the  open- 
ing of  the  Civil  war  the  government  called  upon 
him  to  raise  a  company  for  the  Union  army,  and 
this  he  did,  receiving  a  colonel's  commission  in 
recognition  of  his  services.  Oil  had  been  discov- 
ered on  his  land  just  prior  to  the  war,  and  after 
its  close  he  returned  home  and  gave  his  attention 
to  the  development  of  that  industry.  He  has 
always  been  a_  very  active  man,  and  now,  at 
eighty-one  years  of  age,  is  still  hearty  and  robust. 
His  home  is  now  with  his  son  in  Leavenworth 
County,  but  he  retains  some  interests  in  the  east. 
In  earlier  life  he  was  active  in  the  Democratic 
party,  and  took  a  leading  part  in  local  affairs  as 
a  member  of  the  town  council  and  in  other  capaci- 
ties. In  religion  he  is  of  the  Catholic  faith.  By 
his  marriage  to  Eliza  Vanderbeek,  of  New  Jersey, 
he  had  ten  children,  only  four  of  whom  are  now 
living,  namely:  Abram,  of  Lawrence,  Kans. ; 
William,  who  remains  in  Parkersburg,  W.  Va. ; 
F.  W.,  M.  D.,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  and  J.  Cass, 
of  this  sketch. 

During  the  residence  of  the  family  in  Parkers- 
burg, W.  Va.,  our  subject  was  born  July  25, 
1858.  He  was  educated  in  Baltimore  and  the 
college  at  Ellicott  City.  In  deference  to  his 
father's  wishes  he  took  up  the  study  of  law, 
which  he  completed  in  1879,  and  afterwards  prac- 
ticed at  St.  Mary's  and  Parkersburg.  However, 
the  profession  was  not  congenial,  and  he  sought 
other  work  more  to  his  taste.  In  1880  he  bought 
a  drug  store  in  Kansas  City  and  with  his  brother 
continued  in  that  business  for  five  years.  He 
then  came  to  Leavenworth  County  and  purchased 
a  country  place  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  Tonganoxie  Township.  At  that  time 
his  health  was  so  poor  that  he  was  told  by  the 
physicians  that  he  would  probably  not  live  more 
than  a  month.  In  the  hope  that  country  life 
might  assist  him  to  regain  his  strength  he  bought 


his  property  here.  The  hope  was  realized  and 
he  has  now  regained  his  strength  and  is  hale  and 
strong.  At  the  time  of  its  purchase  the  farm 
had  a  small  house,  but  he  has  since  erected  a  fine 
residence,  as  well  as  other  farm  buildings.  In 
1897  ^^s  went  to  Missouri  and  bought  a  mill  at 
Pleasant  Hill,  but  not  finding  it  profitable  he 
sold  it  a  year  later.  He  now  gives  considerable 
attention  to  the  stock  business,  making  a  specialty 
of  black  Jerseys.  He  has  never  been  active  in 
politics  nor  has  he  allied  himself  with  any  party, 
but  maintains  an  independence  of  thought  in  such 
matters.  In  religion  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church. 

August  18,  1879,  Mr.  Rathbone  married  Miss 
Eugenia  Chancellor,  daughter  of  Capt.  Edmund 
P.  Chancellor,  who  at  one  time  was  a  well- 
known  river  captain  on  the  Ohio  between  Pitts- 
burgh and  Cincinnati.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rathbone 
have  four  children,  Rhoda,  Mary  Eugenia,  Lu- 
cille and  Edmund  Castelli. 


I  EWIS  SEUFERT  is  engaged  in  farming  and 
It  stock-raising  in  Leavenworth  County  and  is 
U  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Stranger  Township. 
He  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  May  30,  1834, 
and  was  only  one  year  old  when  brought  to 
America  by  his  parents.  Reference  to  his  family 
history  appears  in  the  sketch  of  his  brother, 
George  A.  Seufert,  who  occupies  a  farm  near  his 
own.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he 
settled  on  a  farm  with  his  parents.  In  1854  he 
went  to  California  by  water  and  remained  for 
four  and  one-half  years,  engaged  in  farming  and 
mining.  His  mining  ventures  were  not  very 
successful,  but  in  farming  he  was  more  fortunate. 
After  his  return  to  the  east  he  resumed  work 
on  the  homestead. 

In  1867  Mr.  Seufert  left  New  York  and  settled 
in  Leavenworth  County,  Kans.,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  At  first  he  carried  on 
general  agricultural  pursuits  in  partnership  with 
his  brother,  George  Adam,  but  in  1893  the  estate 
was  divided,  he  taking  the  eastern  half,  and  his 
brother  the  western  tract.     He  has  since  carried 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


531 


on  general  farming  alone.  The  place  consists  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  valuable  land, 
upon  wliich  he  has  made  all  the  improvements  of 
a  first-class  farm.  He  is  an  energetic  and  indus- 
trious man  and  deserves  the  abundant  success  that 
has  rewarded  his  efforts. 

For  some  j'ears  Mr.  Senfert  identified  himself 
with  the  People's  party,  but  when  the  Democrats 
adopted  a  free  silver  plank  in  their  platform  he 
transferred  his  allegiance  to  this  party.  While 
he  has  never  accepted  ofEce,  he  has  been  inter- 
ested in  local  politics  and  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  matters  affecting  the  welfare  of  the  people. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Henry  Lodge 
No.  90,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Tonganoxie.  His 
parents  being  Lutherans,  he  was  reared  in  that 
faith  and  has  always  adhered  to  its  doctrines.  In 
1865  he  married  Miss  Barbara  Leininger,  who 
was  born  in  Alsace,  and  came  to  America  in  girl- 
hood. They  have  had  seven  children,  but  one 
died  in  infancy.  The  others  are:  Charles  L.  and 
Henry,  who  are  in  the  employ  of  a  firm  in  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo.;  Louisa,  William,  Priscilla  and 
George  E. 

(Torn  WILLIAM  alder,  chief  clerk  of  the 
I  Haskell  Institute  at  Lawrence,  and  a  veteran 
Q)  of  the  Civil  war,  was  born  in  Buffalo,  N.Y., 
November  3,  1844,  a  son  of  John  and  Marie 
Antoinette  (Rossenbach)  Alder,  natives  repec- 
tively  of  Burwick  on  the  Tweed,  England,  and 
Alsace,  which  at  that  time  was  a  part  of  France. 
His  father  was  the  only  son  of  William  Alder 
(also  an  only  son).  In  youth  he  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
entered  the  British  army  and  served  in  the  Ber- 
mudas for  seven  years  altogether,  after  which  he 
settled  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  followed  his  trade. 
In  1856  he  removed  west  to  Wisconsin  and  set- 
tled in  the  woods  near  Prairie  du  Chien,  where 
he  cleared  and  cultivated  a  farm.  At  the  opening 
of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Fifth  Wiscon- 
sin Infantry,  and  served  for  four  and  one-half 
years,  until  the  close  of  the  war.  At  the  battle 
of  Antietam  he  was  severely  wounded  in  the  left 
side,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  never  recovered. 
He  died  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six.   In  poli- 


tics he  was  a  strong  Republican  and  was  fre- 
quently elected  on  that  ticket  to  local  offices. 
His  wife,  who  was  of  German  and  French  ex- 
traction, accompanied  her  parents  to  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  in  girlhood,  and  died  in  Wisconsin. 
They  had  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. One  of  the  sons,  Alfred  A.,  enlisted  at  six- 
teen years  in  an  Illinois  battery  and  served  during 
the  last  two  years  of  the  Civil  war;  he  is  now 
living  in  South  Dakota. 

In  August,  1862,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  enrolled  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  Third 
Wisconsin  Cavalrj',  and  was  mustered  into  the 
service  at  Madison,  Wis.,  joining  the  regiment 
at  Fort  Scott  about  thirty  days  after  their  arrival. 
Six  months  later  he  was  made  orderly  to  Major- 
General  Blunt,  with  whom  he  served  at  the 
taking  of  Fort  Smith,  and  the  battles  of  Lexing- 
ton, Little  and  Big  Blue,  Westport,  Mine  Creek 
and  Newtonia.  At  Baxter  Springs,  October  6, 
1863,  eighty  soldiers  were  attacked  by  six  hun- 
dred guerillas  and  met  with  severe  losses. 
He  continued  fighting  bushwhackers  and  engaged 
in  outpost  duty.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was 
honorably  discharged  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  in 
July,  1865,  and  at  once  came  to  Lawrence,  where 
he  clerked  in  a  boot  and  shoe  store.  After  a 
time  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  D.  C. 
Haskell  &  Co.,  continuing  in  this  connection  un- 
til the  business  was  sold  in  1877.  In  January, 
1 8 79,  he  entered  the  Indian  service  at  Pine  Ridge 
Agency,  S.  Dak.,  where  he  remained  as  chief 
clerk  until  the  fall  of  1885.  He  then  came  back 
to  Lawrence,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
In  May,  1890,  he  received  appointment  to  his 
present  position  as  chief  clerk  at  the  Haskell 
Institute. 

In  politics  Mr.  Alder  is  a  Republican,  stanch 
in  his  allegiance  to  his  party.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  Church  and  a  contributor 
to  its  benevolences.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Lawrence  Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.',  to  which 
he  still  belongs,  and  he  is  also  connected  with 
Lawrence  Chapter  No.  4,  R.  A.  M.,  and  DeMo- 
lay  Commandery  No.  4,  K.  T.  Washington 
Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  numbers  him  among  its 
members.    Since  coming  to  Lawrence  he  married 


532 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Miss  Eunice  M.  Pease,  who  was  born  in  New 
Hampshire,  a  daughter  of  C.  A.  Pease,  a  pioneer 
of  1855  in  Lawrence,  and  now  a  retired  business 
man  of  this  citj'.  The  only  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Alder  is  Charles  Eugene,  a  graduate  of  the  high 
school  and  the  Universit}-  of  Kansas,  from  which 
he  received  the  degrees  of  A.  B.  and  A.  M.,  also 
a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  1898.  The 
daughters  are  Louise,  a  graduate  of  the  high 
school  in  1898,  and  Helen,  a  member  of  the  high 
school  class  of  1902. 


(TEREMIAH  H.  GLATHART,  who  was  one 
I  of  the  ver}-  first  men  to  engage  in  business 
Q)  in  Lawrence,  was  born  near  Pekin,  Carroll 
County,  Ohio,  in  May,  1836,  and  when  eighteen 
months  old  was  taken  to  Hancock  County,  the 
same  state,  by  his  parents,  Peter  and  Susanna 
(Kennel)  Glathart,  natives  of  Switzerland.  The 
former,  who  accompanied  his  father  to  America, 
settled  in  Carroll  County  in  1825  and  followed  the 
mason's  trade  and  general  farming.  Early  in 
183S  he  settled  nine  miles  east  of  Findlay,  Ohio, 
where  he  followed  his  two  occupations  of  mason 
and  farmer,  and  where  he  died  at  fifty-six  years. 
His  wife  also  died  in  Ohio,  and  of  their  ten  chil- 
dren onlj'  three  are  living.  There  were  six  sons, 
one  of  whom  died  in  boyhood.  Manassah,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Second  Kansas  Regiment, 
was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Springfield,  Mo.,  early 
in  the  war;  Leon,  who  enlisted  in  Ohio,  died  at 
Chattanooga,  Tenn.;  Aaron,  also  a  member  of  an 
Ohio  infantry  regiment,  was  wounded  in  service, 
but  recovered  and  now  lives  in  Findlay,  Ohio; 
Rudolph  went  to  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  before  the 
war  and  never  returned. 

Among  his  brothers  and  sisters,  of  whom  he 
was  third  from  the  youngest,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  passed  his  boyhood  days  on  a  farm.  He 
assisted  in  clearing  the  land  and  placing  it  under 
cultivation.  His  advantages  were  meagre.  For 
a  short  time  he  was  a  pupil  in  a  log  building, 
furnished  after  the  manner  of  primitive  schools, 
with  a  writing  desk  running  along  the  wall  and 
with  puncheon  floor  and  rough  pine  benches  for 
seats.     He  taught  school   one   winter   and   then 


clerked  in  Findlay.  He  was  the  first  of  the 
family  to  migrate  west.  Having  read  much  con- 
cerning the  history  of  Kansas,  its  struggles  for 
the  abolition  of  slavery  and  its  border  troubles, 
he  became  so  interested  that  he  established  his 
home  here  and  in  1858  assisted  in  voting  it  in  as 
a  free  state.  He  came  from  Cincinnati  by  boat 
to  St.  Louis,  thence  by  boat  to  Kansas  City,  from 
there  walked  to  Paola  and  Osawatomie.from  there 
to  Lawrence.  At  Osawatomie  he  had  staked  a 
claim,  then  another  in  Franklin  County,  and, 
finally,  on  reaching  Lawrence,  was  so  pleased 
with  this  neighborhood  that  he  gave  up  the  first 
two  claims'and  took  one  ten  miles  south  of  Law- 
rence. After  six  months  he  traded  it  for  a  stock 
of  grocery  and  bakerj'  goods  and  embarked  in 
business  in  this  city. 

In  the  spring  of  i860  Mr.  Glathart  started 
with  a  company  of  twelve  and  three  wagons 
drawn  by  mules  and  horses,  and  following  the 
Platte  route,  reached  Denver  after  five  weeks. 
He  spent  a  short  time,  on  a  ranch  and  then  re- 
turned to  Lawrence.  In  the  summer  of  the  same 
year  he  drove  cattle  and  hauled  freight  to  Den- 
ver, and  afterward  freighted  in  the  mountains  as 
far  as  Idaho  Springs,  returning  in  1861,  when  he 
took  another  load  of  freight  to  Denver.  In  the 
summer  of  1861  he  sold  goods  at  Empire  City, 
returning  by  stage  in  the  fall.  While  he  went  to 
Ohio  on  a  visit  he  sent  some  freight  to  Colorado 
in  charge  of  others,  but  they  did  not  follow  out 
his  instructions  and  he  lost  heavily  thereb}'.  He 
then  quit  freighting  and  began  auctioneering  in 
Lawrence,  in  which  line  he  has  had  a  large  busi- 
ness. For  some  years  he  carried  on  the  Old 
Curiosity  Shop,  selling  out  in  1878.  About  1869 
he  started  in  the  wagon  and  carriage  business. 
For  some  years  he  also  had  a  livery  business  on 
North  Hampshire  street,  and  now  has  a  stock  of 
agricultural  implements,  his  location  being  No. 
640  Massachusetts  street.  At  -different  times  he 
has  been  extensively  interested  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness and  has  bought  and  sold  horses  and  mules. 
He  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  Wakarusa  Township,  this  county,  and  two 
farms  of  five  hundred  acres  in  Sarcoxie  Town- 
ship, Jefferson  County.    He  was  a  director  in  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


533 


old  Douglas  Couutj'  Bank  and  had  continued 
as  such  with  its  successor,  the  Lawrence  Na- 
tional Bank.  He  is  also  a  director  in  the  Ameri- 
can Plaster  Cement  Company  and  a  director  in 
the  Sparr-Stubbs  Contracting  Company,  which 
has  had  railroad  contracts,  and  built  the  Physics 
building.  University  of  Kansas.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  a  company  that  bought  Bismarck 
Grove  for  a  public  park. 

In  Lawrence  Mr.  Glathart  married  Miss  Emily 
Thompson,  who  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  but 
has  spent  her  life  principally  in  this  city.  They 
have  two  children  living.  Albert,  who  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Kansas  in  1896  with  the 
degree  of  A.B.,  has  since  been  connected  with 
his  father  in  business;  Emily,  who  is  a  graduate 
of  the  high  school  and  the  conservatory  of  music 
at  Lawrence,  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Charles  Simmons, 
of  this  city.  Mr.  Glathart  is  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  Politically 
he  was  a  Republican  from  i860  to  1870,  when  he 
espoused  the  cause  of  Democracy  and  has  since 
been  a  firm  adherent  of  its  principles. 


[~ELIX  C.  BROWN,  proprietor  of  Brooklawn 
r^  Sanitarium  in  Kickapoo  Township,  Leaven- 
I  worth  County,  was  born  in  Buchanan  Coun- 
ty, Mo.,  August  13,  1843.  He  is  a  son  of  Gideon 
L.  Brown,  who  removed  from  Tennessee  to  Mis- 
souri in  1830  and  became  a  pioneer  farmer  of 
Jackson  County,  and  later  of  Platte,  settling  in 
the  latter  county  in  1837.  A  man  of  enterprise 
and  shrewd  business  judgment,  he  was  considered 
one  of  the  best  and  most  successful  farmers  in  his 
section  of  the  country.  The  most  of  his  active 
life  was  spent  in  Buchanan  County,  where  he  had 
a  host  of  warm  friends.  In  1854  he  visited  Kan- 
sas and  entered  a  tract  of  land  in  High  Prairie 
Township,  Leavenworth  County,  but  never  re- 
moved to  this  state.  Having  come  from  the 
south,  and  being  familiar  with  southern  institu- 
tions, he  sympathized  with  the  Confederacy  at 
the  time  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  himself  a 
large  slave  holder  and  lost  heavily  by  the  war. 
Politically  he  was  active  in  the  Democratic  party 
and  took  a  warm  interest  in  public  affairs.     His 


intelligence  and  high  character  fitted  him  for  po- 
sitions of  honor  and  trust,  but  his  preference  was 
for  private  life,  and  he  devoted  himself  assiduous- 
ly to  his  agricultural  interests.  At  the  time  of 
his  death,  in  1859,  he  was  fifty-nine  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  son  of  Felix  Brown,  of  North  Carolina, 
who  descended  from  Scotch  ancestors  identified 
with  colonial  history  and  active  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary conflict.  By  the  marriage  of  Gideon  L. 
Brown  to  Matilda  Patton,  of  South  Carolina, 
.seven  children  were  born,  four  of  whom  are  now 
living,  namely:  Martha,  wife  of  A.  H.  Squires, 
of  Platte  County,  Mo. ;  Amanda,  widow  of  Sam- 
uel Fulton;  Felix  C;  and  Missouri  T.,  wife  of 
Henry  Turner.  The  mother,  who  is  now  eighty- 
four  years  of  age,  resides  in  Wallace,  about  two 
miles  from  the  old  homestead  in  Buchanan  Coun- 
ty, Mo. 

When  eighteen  years  of  age  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army,  joining 
a  compan}'  of  dragoons  under  Governor  Jackson. 
After  a  short  time  he  became  a  member  of  the 
First  Missouri  Light  Artillery,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  a  skirmish 
near  Newtonia,  Mo.,  and  a  battle  at  Jenkins 
Ferry,  he  was  wounded,  but  neither  time  serious- 
ly. 'He  took  part  in  all  the  battles  west  of  the 
Mississippi  River  in  which  the  department  of  the 
Mississippi  participated,  with  the  single  excep- 
tion of  the  battle  of  Elk  Horn.  After  the  sur- 
render of  General  Lee  and  the  downfall  of  the 
Confederacy,  in  April,  1865,  he  returned  to  his 
native  county.  He  began  farming  on  the  old 
homestead  and  there  remained  for  seven  years. 
In  1872  he  settled  in  Atchison  County,  Kans. 
His  first  visit  to  this  state  had  been  made  in 
company  with  his  father,  when  he  was  a  boy  of 
nine  years,  and  he  well  remembers  the  excite- 
ment caused  by  the  border  warfare  of  those  days. 

After  farming  in  Atchison  County  for  eight 
years  Mr.  Brown  returned  to  Missouri,  and  from 
there,  in  1883,  became  to  Leavenworth  County 
to  take  charge  of  an  asylum  known  as  the  Maple- 
wood  Asylum.  He  remained  at  the  head  of  the 
institution  for  a  year,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  in  Leavenworth  for  four 
years.     In  1S89  he  erected  a  substantial  building 


534 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


south  of  the  city  and  there  he  opened  a  private 
sanitarium,  of  which  he  has  since  been  the  head, 
although,  in  the  spring  of  1898,  he  moved  his. 
institution  from  its  former  location  to  the  old 
militar}'  road,  where  he  now  carries  on  a  private 
asylum  and  sanitarium.  Since  1883  he  has  made 
a  study  of  this  line  of  work  and  is  admirably 
qualified  for  all  of  its  responsibilities,  hence  he 
meets  with  success.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat 
and  takes  a  part  in  public  affairs.  While  in 
Atchison  County  he  served  as  trustee  of  Walnut 
Township  for  two  terms.  Twice  he  was  a  can- 
didate for  alderman  from  the  sixth  ward  of  Leav- 
enworth, but  each  time  was  defeated  by  a  small 
majority.  Fraternally  he  is  past  grand  of  Odd 
Fellows'  Lodge  No.  103.  February  15,  1866,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Jincy  A.  Blakeley, 
of  Platte  County,  Mo.  Thej^  are  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  namely:  Thomas  J. ,  who  is  under- 
sheriflf  of  Leavenworth  County;  Cora  M.,  wife 
of  Arthur  Land;  Maude,  who  married  C.  H. 
Masterson;  Felix  L.,  a  farmer;  Gideon  A. ,  Jesse, 
Ernest  and  Kirby,  at  home. 


GlLEXANDER  G.  GLENN.  Noticeable 
LA  among  the  fine  farms  of  Douglas  Count}'  is 
I  I  the  property  of  Mr.  Glenn,  which  is  situa- 
ted on  the  uplands  of  Lecompton  Township, 
three  miles  west  and  one  mile  south  of  Lecomp- 
ton. Here  he  has  made  his  home  since  1861, 
meantime  making  valuable  improvements  on  the 
place  and  bringing  it  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation. Through  able  management  of  his  farm- 
ing and  stock  interests  he  has  become  one  of  the 
substantial  men  of  his  locality,  and  is  now  the 
owner  of  four  hundred  and  twenty-three  acres  of 
valuable  land. 

In  Boone  County,  Mo.,  our  subject  was  born 
April  27,  1833,  being  a  son  of  A.  W.  and  Nancy 
(Austin)  Glenn,  of  whose  eleven  children  eight 
are  living.  His  father,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
born  about  1800,  was  eight  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  moved  to  Missouri,  settling  at  a  point 
that  is  now  the  heart  of  St.  Louis.  Daniel  Boone 
was  a  justice  of  the  peace  at  the  time  and  made 
out  the  deed  for  the    land.      Indians  still  roamed 


over  the  prairies,  and  the  Spaniards,  too,  caused 
constant  trouble.  After  two  years  the  family  re- 
moved to  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  but  in  a  short  time 
settled  in  Howard  County,  where  the  men  erected 
forts,  manufactured  their  own  powder,  and 
guarded  their  homes  while  the  women  largely  at- 
tended to  the  crops. 

After  his  marriage  A.  W.  Glenn  engaged  in 
farming  in  Boone  County  for  some  years.  Later, 
however,  he  went  to  Linn  County,  Mo.,  where 
he  had  many  exciting  experiences  with  and  es- 
capes from  the  Indians.  In  the  spring  of  1856  he 
came  to  Kansas,  settling  in  Lecompton  Town- 
ship, Douglas  County,,  where  his  son,  our  sub- 
ject, now  resides,  the  latter  having  the  previous 
year  purchased  a  settler's  right  to  a  quarter-sec- 
tion for  $500  in  gold.  During  the  fall  after  the 
father's  arrival,  his  farm  was  the  camping  place 
for  a  thousand  soldiers  who  were  sent  to  protect 
the  citizens  of  this  part  of  Kansas.  He  lived  on 
the  old  homestead  until  within  a  few  days  of  his 
death.  While  visiting  his  son  on  this  farm  he 
was  stricken  with  congestion  of  the  brain  and 
died  in  Januarj',  1898. 

His  youthful  years  spent  upon  the  frontier, 
amid  pioneer  scenes,  had  given  our  subject  a  taste 
for  this  kind  of  life,  and  in  1854  he  started  for 
Kansas,  then  a  sparsely  settled  territory.  Arriv- 
ing in  Douglas  County  in  August  of  the  same 
year,  he  looked  over  the  country  and  was  favora- 
bly impressed  by  the  prospects  offered.  Return- 
ing to  Missouri,  he  spent  the  winter  there,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1855  he  again  came  to  Kansas, 
where  he  pre-empted  one  hundred  and  sixtj'  acres 
of  land  three  miles  from  Lecompton,  upon  which 
tract  he  began  farming.  In  1861  he  exchanged 
his  farm  on  the  river  bottoms  for  his  father's 
place,  and  removed  to  the  latter  property,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  In  politics  he  has  always 
been  a  Republican,  but  has  not  cared  for  public 
offices,  nor  had  a  desire  to  identify  himself  with 
partisan  aS"airs.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the 
Methodist  denomination.  He  is  a  man  of  up- 
right life,  kind  heart  and  great  generositj',  and 
willingly  gives  to  objects  of  an  educational,  reli- 
gious or  charitable  nature. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.    Glenn,    in    1S56,  united 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


535 


him  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Zinn,daughter  of  George 
W.  Zinn,  who  came  to  Kansas  at  an  early  day, 
settled  in  Douglas  County,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  first  territorial  legislature  as  well  as  several 
succeeding  sessions  of  that  body.  Eleven  chil- 
dren were  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Glenn.  Ofthese  ten  are  living, namely:  George 
A.,  William  B.,  John  T.,  Cyrus  and  Grant,  who 
are  farmers  of  L,ecompton  Township;  Jacob,  who 
is  at  home  with  his  parents;  Eliza  A.,  who  is  the 
widow  of  Joseph  Vaughn  and  makes  her  home 
with  her  parents;  Nancy  J.,  at  home;  Mary  E., 
wife  of  Cyrus  McOuisten,  of  Big  Springs;  and 
Alphareta,  at  home. 


r"REDERICK  WEEIvBORG  was  a  resident 
rrf  of  Leavenworth  County  from  the  pioneer 
I  ^  days  of  1S57  until  his  death.  Born  in 
Germany  in  1832,  he  was  reared  in  that  country 
and  received  the  advantages  of  its  schools.  In 
order  to  escape  obligatory  service  in  the  Ger- 
man army  he  came  to  America  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years.  Securing  employment  at  the 
shoemaker's  trade  in  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  he 
remained  in  that  city  for  a  few  years.  In  1857 
the  attention  of  the  people  in  the  United  States 
was  drawn  toward  Kansas  and  strong  efforts  were 
made  to  attract  settlers  there.  Among  the  many 
who  decided  to  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  new 
country  was  Mr.  Weelborg.  He  came  to  Leaven- 
worth when  the  town  was  very  small,  giving 
little  evidence  of  future  prominence  and  pros- 
perity. Opening  a  small  shop  he  devoted  himself 
to  the  shoemaker's  trade.  After  some  time  he 
removed  to  the  country  near  Leavenworth  and 
for  thirteen  years  made  his  home  upon  a  farm, 
the  management  of  which  he  superintended.  The 
latter  part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  retirement  from 
business  cares  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  comforts 
his  early  labors  had  rendered  possible. 

April  23,  1862,  Mr.  Weelborg  married  Sophia 
Schreck,  who  was  born  in  Union  County,  Ind. 
Her  father,  Henry  Schreck,  a  native  of  Prussia, 
was  reared  on  a  farm  in  that  country  and  there 
married  Mary  Baymer,  a  native  of  the  same  place 
as  himself.     About  1848  he  brought  his  family 


to  America,  settling  first  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and 
working  in  mines  in  western  Pennsylvania. 
From  there  he  moved  to  Union  County,  Ind., 
and  rented  a  farm.  Later  he  bought  farm  land 
in  Ripley  County,  Ind.,  where  he  engaged  in 
general  agricultural  pursuits.  As  the  country 
settled  up  he  removed  further  west.  For  a  time 
he  lived  in  Missouri.  In  1862  he  came  to  Kansas 
and  purchased  a  farm  of  forty  acres  five  miles 
south  of  Leavenworth,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death  at  seventy-three  years  of  age.  Politically 
he  was  a  Republican  and  in  religion  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Church.  His  wife,  who,  like 
himself,  was  an  earnest  Methodist,  died  when 
eighty-two  years  of  age. 

Active  in  local  politics,  Mr.  Weelborg  voted 
the  Republican  ticket  and  identified  himself  with 
enterprises  for  the  benefit  of  his  town  and  county. 
His  life  was  that  of  a  conscientious  Christian, 
and  he  and  his  wife  were  active  workers  in  the 
Methodist  Church.  They  had  no  children  of 
their  own,  but  took  three  into  their  home  and 
cared  for  them  as  their  own.  When  Mr.  Weel- 
borg died,  January  2,  1890,  he  was  in  comfort- 
able circumstances.  In  his  estate  was  included 
a  two-story  brick  building  on  Delaware  street, 
with  a  store  room  on  the  first  floor  and  residence 
apartments,  occupied  by  his  widow,  on  the  second 
floor.  He  had  many  friends  among  the  people 
of  this  county  where  for  so  long  he  had  made  his 
home. 


HON.  WALTER  B.  BASS,  deceased,  former- 
ly a  successful  grain  and  stock  farmer  of 
Ottawa  Township,  Franklin  County,  was 
born  in  Williamstown,  Orange  County,  Vt.,  De- 
cember 4,  1828.  Hisfather,  Joel,  wasasonof  Joel 
Bass,  Sr. ,  who  was  a  son  of  one  of  three  brothers 
that  came  to  this  country  from  England  and  settled 
in  the  New  England  states.  The  education  of  our 
subject  was  obtained  in  the  common  schools  and 
Kimball  Union  academy.  In  1850  he  went  to  Ken- 
tucky and  there  he  taught  school  for  two  years, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Will  County, 
111.,  for  about  fifteen  years,  buying  and  improving 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  that  was 
raw  prairie  and  engaging  largely   in  the  stock 


536 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


business.  In  December,  1868,  became  to  Kansas 
and  settled  in  Ottawa  Township,  Franklin  Coun- 
ty, where  his  family  still  resides.  All  around 
this  locality  he  found  the  land  raw  and  destitute 
of  improvements,  not  even  having  fences.  Be- 
ginning with  a  half  section,  he  broke  the  land, 
put  the  best  of  it  under  the  plow,  so  that  one 
hundred  acres  were  in  cultivation.  Most  of  the 
property  was  used  for  hay  and  grazing  purposes. 
He  gave  considerable  attention  to  the  stock  busi- 
ness, raising  cattle  and  handling  other  stock. 

In  public  affairs  Mr.  Bass  was  active,  affiliating 
in  his  earlier  days  with  the  Republican  party,  but 
becoming  somewhat  independent  in  later  life.  He 
was  a  champion  of  the  free  silver  cause.  While 
in  Illinois  he  served  for  some  time  as  township 
supervisor,  a  position  similar  to  that  of  county 
commissioner.  After  coming  to  Kansas  he  was 
township  trustee  for  many  years.  In  the  fall  of 
1880  he  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  on  the 
Republican  ticket.  During  his  term  of  service  he 
was  a  member  of  the  committee  that  drafted  the 
Murray  act  and  gave  considerable  time  to  the  suc- 
cessful carrying  through  of  the  bill.  From  the 
time  of  his  settlement  in  the  west  he  was  identified 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  he  served 
for  several  years  as  an  elder. 

February  26,  1856,  in  Orange  County,  Vt., 
Mr.  Bass  married  Ellen,  daughter  of  John  and 
Dolly  (Smith)  Lynde.  Her  grandfather,  Judge 
Cornelius  Lynde,  who  was  for  many  years  ajudge, 
descended  from  an  English  family  that  settled  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Maiden,  Mass.  John  Lynde, 
a  native  of  Vermont,  was  a  farmer  and  a  man  of 
influence  and  strong  character.  For  years  he 
was  a  director  in  a  bank  at  Northfieldand  another 
in  Barre.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig  and  later  a 
Republican,  and  he  served  ably  in  the  state  legis- 
lature, both  as  representative  and  as  senator.  He 
was  a  strong  supporter  of  the  temperance  cause. 
By  his  marriage  to  Miss  Smith  he  had  twelve 
children,  all  but  one  of  whom  attained  mature 
years,  Mrs.  Bass  being  the  eldest.  She  received 
good  advantages  in  girlhood  and  was  fitted,  both' 
by  natural  gifts  and  by  training,  for  the  responsi- 
bilities of  life.  By  her  marriage  nine  children 
were  born,  but  only  three  attained  maturity.     Of 


these  William  assists  in  the  management  of  the 
home  farm;  John,  who  married  Sarah  Ruth  Tracy, 
also  resides  on  the  old  homestead;  and  Ella,  de- 
ceased, was  the  wife  of  George  Marsh. 

The  latter  part  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Bass  was 
spent  somewhat  in  retirement,  although  he  con- 
tinued to  maintain  an  oversight  of  his  property 
interests  long  after  advancing  years  rendered 
manual  labor  unadvisable.  During  the  existence 
of  the  Grange  he  was  one  of  its  best  known  mem- 
bers. Both  by  principle  and  by  practice  he  ad- 
vocated the  temperance  cause,  regarding  the 
licensing  of  liquor  as  an  evil  to  be  condemned. 
When  in  his  seventieth  year  he  passed  from 
earth,  March  14,  1898. 


61  LFRED  B.  POWELL,  deceased.  This  pio- 
Ll  neer  settler  of  Levenworth  County  was  long 
/  I  numbered  among  the  leading  agriculturists 
of  Alexandria  Township,  with  whose  vital  in- 
terests he  was  intimately  identified.  When  he 
came  to  the  west  the  farming  lands  had  not  been 
brought  under  culivationto  any  great  degree;  the 
soil  was  waiting  for  the  hand  of  the  husbandman. 
He  purchased  raw  land,  which  under  his  skillful 
guidance  rapidly  developed  into  a  cultivated 
farm,  yielding  abundant  harvests.  All  of  the 
surroundings  underwent  a  transformation,  the 
result  of  labor  and  energy.  He  was  interested  in 
the  development  of  his  township  and  did  his  full 
share  in  making  it  a  profitable  farming  region. 

In  Madison  County,  Ind.,  where  he  was  born 
May  17,  1820,  the  subject  of  this  memoir  was 
reared  until  fourteen  years  of  age.  His  mother 
dying  at  that  time,  he  went  to  Virginia  to  make 
his  home  with  an  aunt  in  Loudoun  County,  forty 
miles  from  Washington,  D.  C.  For  several  years 
he  remained  on  a  farm.  April  2,  1842,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Hannah  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Lou- 
doun County  August  15,  1820,  and  was  reared  on 
a  farm  there.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Powell  fol- 
lowed farming  and  the  shoemaker's  trade.  In 
1848  he  went  to  Warren  County,  Ohio,  and  one 
year  later  settled  in  northern  Indiana,  where  he 
worked  as  a  shoemaker.  In  April,  i860,  he 
came  to  Leavenworth   County  and    rented  farm 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


537 


land.  In  1S63  he  bought  the  farm  of  raw  prairie 
land  which,  under  his  management,  was  trans- 
formed into  a  highly  cultivated  place.  It  in- 
cludes three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land 
and  is  now  the  home  of  his  widow.  Here  his 
life  was  brought  to  a  close,  January  2,  1899,  after 
a  busy  and  useful  existence.  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, he  was  active  in  local  affairs  and  held  several 
ofEces.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  while  his  wife  was  a  Quaker 
by  birthright.  Of  his  children  we  note  the  fol- 
lowing: William  is  postmaster  of  the  Soldiers' 
home  at  Leavenworth;  Mary  G.  resides  with 
hermother;  Virginia  is  the  wife  of  M.  S.  Grant, 
of  Leavenworth;  Frank  is  in  Alaska;  Charles  L- 
in  Leavenworth;  Robert  F.  on  the  home  farm; 
and  Mahlon  T.  in  Leavenworth;  Howard,  the 
youngest,  is  a  farmer  in  High  Prairie  Township. 


[Frederick  w.  wulfekuhler,  propri- 

r3  etor  of  the  wholesale  grocery  house  of 
I  Rohlfing  &  Co.,  has  been  identified  with 
the  business  interests  of  Leavenworth  since  the 
fall  of  1 86 1,  and  is  not  only  one  of  the  most 
experienced,  but  also  one  of  the  most  successful 
grocers  in  the  state.  His  establishment  is  situ- 
ated on  the  corner  of  Cherokee  and  Third 
streets.  The  main  building  is  four  stories  in 
height,  50  X  125,  besides  which  there  is  a  three- 
story  building,  25  x  125,  and  also  a  warehouse. 
The  company  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  state 
and  its  trade  extends  throughout  this  entire 
section  of  the  country,  the  business  having 
proved  a  most  successful  investment  for  its 
promoters. 

Mr.  Wulfekuhler  was  born  at  the  family  home- 
stead near  Osnabriick,  Hanover,  Germany,  in 
September,  1841.  Reference  to  the  history  of  his 
father,  Christopher,  may  be  found  in  the  sketch 
of  his  brother,  H.  William.  When  he  was  four- 
teen years  of  age  he  came  to  America,  proceeding 
from  New  York  City  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  was 
apprenticed  to  the  jeweler's  trade.  His  trade 
occupied  his  days  and  in  the  evenings  he  attended 
school.  In  St.  Louis,  in  May,  1861,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  A,  Third  Missouri  Reserves,'  and 


served  in  southwestern  Missouri  for  three  months. 
After  his  muster-out  he  came  to  Leavenworth 
and  entered  the  employ  of  his  brother,  who 
had  established  the  business  of  Rohlfing  &  Co. 
in  1858.  In  1864  he  became  a  partner  in  the 
company. 

During  the  early  days  Rohlfing  &  Co.  were 
engaged  in  freighting  to  Denver  and  established 
a  branch  house  on  Fifteenth  street,  that  city. 
In  1866  the  two  brothers  bought  the  old-estab- 
lished house  of  Henry  &  Garrett  and  continued 
that  business,  which  he  still  owns.  In  1887  he 
bought  the  block  which  he  now  occupies.  He 
was  instrumental  in  the  re-organization  of  the 
Globe  Canning  Company,  of  which  he  has  since 
been  treasurer.  In  the  re- organization  of  the 
Leavenworth  National  Bank  he  took  an  active 
part  and  has  since  been  a  director;  he  is  also  a 
director  in  the  Union  Savings  Bank. 

Politically  Mr.  Wulfekuhler  is  a  Republican. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  He  is  a  member  of  Custer  Post  No.  6, 
G.  A.  R.  His  marriage  took  place  in  Denver  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Sophia  Rohlfing,  who  was 
born  in  Hanover.  Four  children  were  born  of 
their  union,  viz.:  Alma;  Hattie,  who  was  educated 
at  Bethany,  Kans. ;  Adolph,  who  is  bookkeeper 
for  his  father;  and  Frederick,  Jr. 


NENRY  BIEBUSCH,  a  pioneer  of  Lawrence, 
now  deceased,  was  born  in  Prussia,  in  April, 
1 82 1,  and  in  youth  learned  the  builder's 
trade.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  came  to 
America  and  followed  his  trade  in  the  eastern 
states.  In  March,  1857,  he  arrived  in  Lawrence, 
Kans. ,  where  he  took  contracts  for  the  building 
of  houses.  At  the  time  of  the  Quantrell  raid,  in 
August,  1863,  he  had  just  completed  a  building 
on  the  corner  of  Warren  and  New  Hampshire 
streets.  This  the  raiders  burned  to  the  ground. 
They  also  visited  the  family  residence,  but  Mrs. 
Biebusch,  instructing  her  husband  to  hide,  met 
them  at  the  door  and  they  left  the  place  without 
doing  any  harm.  As  a  contractor  he  was  very 
successful,  but  in  1873  he  lost  all  he  had  by  the 
failure    of   the    Home    Insurance  Company   of 


538 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Topeka,  in  which  he  held  stock  and  mortgages. 
About  the  same  time  he  ceased  to  take  contracts 
and  engaged  in  the  hotel  business.  During  his 
residence  in  the  east  he  was  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Turn  Verein.  Fond  of  music  he  was 
himself  a  fine  singer  and  a  good  musician.  He 
organized  the  Turners'  Society  in  Lawrence, 
which  held  its  first  meetings  in  his  yard,  but 
afterward  built  a  hall  of  its  own.  In  the  first 
band  organized  here  he  played  the  trombone. 
During  the  war  he  was  a  member  of  the  Kansas 
militia.  For  many  years  he  was  connected  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity  and  in  religion  he  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  After 
having  been  for  years  successfully  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business  he  died  February  24,  1891. 

The  widow  of  Mr.  Biebusch,  who  has  had 
charge  of  his  property  interests  since  his  death, 
was  Annie  Kaittenberg,  born  in  Bakken,  Schles- 
wig-Holstein.  Her  parents,  Kassen  and  Cecelia 
(Peterson)  Kaittenberg,  were  also  born  there, 
the  former  being  a  brick  manufacturer  and  con- 
tractor. He  joined  his  children  in  America  when 
past  middle  life,  but  died  a  month  after  he 
reached  Davenport,  Iowa.  After  his  death  his 
widow  went  to  California  with  her  sons  and  died 
at  Willow,  that  state,  in  1891,  aged  eighty-one 
years.  She  was  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
named  as  follows:  James,  of  Lawrence,  who  was 
a  member  of  an  Illinois  regiment  during  the  Civil 
war  and  died  at  the  home  of  his  sister,  Mrs. 
Biebusch,  May  18,  1899;  Jasper,  who  is  living 
retired  from  business  in  Dixon,  Cal.;  Anna 
Dorothea,  Mrs.  Biebusch;  Hans  C,  a  ranchman 
at  Willow,  Cal.;  Mrs.  Maria  Brinkman,  of  Inde- 
pendence, Kans. ;  Henry  and  Andrew,  who  are 
engaged  in  ranching  at  Willow,  Cal. 

When  Mrs.  Biebusch  was  a  girl  of  eighteen 
she  came  to  America,  in  the  sailer  "Johanna 
Eliza,"  which  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks  from 
Hamburg  landed  in  New  York.  The  voyage 
proved  an  almost  fatal  one,  for  the  vessel  had  a 
collision  and  was  injured  to  such  an  extent  that 
it  began  to  fill  with  water,  but  by  a  constant  use 
of  the  pumps  the  danger  was  averted.  After 
landing  she  went  to  Rock  Island,  111.,  and  there, 
March    i,    1857,   she  became   the   wife  of  Mr. 


Biebusch.  With  him  she  proceeded  at  once  to 
Kansas.  She  experienced  all  the  hardships  of 
the  days  of  border  warfare  and  the  subsequent 
perils  of  the  Civil  war.  In  1873  she  started  the 
Biebusch  hotel,  which  she  continued  until  1888, 
and  afterward  built  a  house,  100  x  100,  on  New 
Hampshire  street.  Besides  this  property  she 
owns  the  building  occupied  by  the  University 
book  store.  In  religion  she  is  connected  with  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church.  She  is  identified 
with  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  and  has  taken  an 
interest  in  its  work.  To  her  marriage  three 
children  were  born,  Clara,  Cecelia  and  Otto. 
The  two  youngest  died  in  childhood.  Clara 
married  Philip  Weitzenkorn,  of  Lawrence,  and 
died  May  18,  1896,  leaving  two  children,  Leo 
and  Dorothea.  Notwithstanding  all  the  sorrow 
that  has  came  into  the  life  of  Mrs.  Biebusch  in 
the  loss  of  her  husband  and  all  her  children  she 
is  not  sad  or  gloomj-,  but  has  a  cheerful,  pleasant 
disposition  that  wins  the  friendship  of  her  associ- 
ates and  acquaintances. 


r"REDERICK  DEICHMANN,  who  is  living 
r3  retired  at  No.  812  Rhode  Island  street,  Law- 
I  ^  rence,  was  born  in  Hesse-Cassel,  Germany, 
in  1 83 1,  and  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  land.  When  a  young  man  he  came 
to  America,  landing  in  New  York  and  going 
from  there  to  Chicago,  where  he  was  emplo3-ed 
for  some  years.  In  i860  he  settled  in  Douglas 
County,  Kans.,  opening  a  butcher  shop  at  Eu- 
dora,  and  at  the  same  time  engaging  in  farming 
and  stock-raising.  He  was  successful  and  ac- 
quired considerable  property.  After  Quantrell's 
raid  he  moved  to  Lawrence  and  bought  the  lots 
on  which  the  Hub  store  now  stands.  Here  he 
erected  a  building,  which  he  rented  for  two  j'ears. 
The  construction  of  this  building  was  superin- 
tended by  his  wife,  he  meantime  continuing  his 
shop  in  Eudora,  but  on  closing  up  that  business 
he  opened  a  shop  in  Lawrence.  For  many  years 
he  carried  on  business,  building  up  a  large  trade. 
At  Eudora,  in  1861,  Mr.  Deichmann  married 
Mrs.  Henrietta  (Kuffman)  Harbold,  who  was 
born  in  Germany  and  immigrated  to  the  United 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


539 


States  during  the  same  3-ear  that  Mr.  Deichmann 
crossed  the  ocean.  She  was  first  married  to  Carl 
Harbold,  who  died  soon  afterward.  After  her 
marriage  to  our  subject  she  at  once  began  to  as- 
sist him  in  all  of  his  enterprises.  When  she  set- 
tled in  Eudora  she  was  obliged  to  cut  the  bushes 
down  in  order  to  make  the  land  open  to  travel. 
For  years  she  lived  in  a  small  log  hut,  meantime 
working  outdoors  in  the  cultivation  and  clearing 
of  the  land.  Early  and  late  she  toiled  in  the 
fields,  shirking  no  work  that  would  aid  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  place.  Indians  were  numerous 
in  early  days,  and  she  became  familiar  with  their 
language  so  she  could  converse  with  them,  after 
which  she  had  no  trouble  with  them.  To  her 
marriage  with  Mr.  Deichmann  three  children 
were  born:  Mary,  wife  of  A.  M.  Goldstandt,  of 
Wichita,  Kans.;  Frances,  who  married  H.  L- 
Gerson,  of  Oklahoma;  and  Alfred,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  cattle  business  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
At  various  times  Mr.  Deichmann  invested  in 
city  and  farm  property,  much  of  which  he  still 
owns.  For  eight  years  he  was  a  director  in  the 
Lawrence  National  Bank  and  the  Lawrence  Gas 
Company.  An  honest,  upright  man,  his  business 
transactions  were  conducted  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  win  the  confidence  of  those  who  had  dealings 
with  him.  In  1890  he  retired  from  business.  In 
politics  he  early  identified  himself  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  and  on  that  ticket  he  was  twice 
elected  to  the  city  council.  Of  recent  years  he 
has  been  afflicted  with  softening  of  the  brain,  and 
since  this  affliction  has  come  upon  him  his  wife 
has  taken  charge  of  his  business  interests  and 
managed  his  aSairs  successfully. 


nOHN  Q.  ADAMS,  who  owns  and  operates  a 
I  farm  in  Grant  Township,  Douglas  County, 
G)  was  born  in  Brooke  County,  W.  Va.,  July 
27,  1841,  and  is  a  descendant,  in  the  fourth  gen- 
eration, from  one  of  that  name  who  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  later  going 
to  Ohio.  His  father,  James  Adams,  was  a  cabi- 
net-maker by  trade,  which  he  followed  in  West 
Virginia,  but  in  1857  came  to  Kansas  in  order  to 
identify  himself  with  the  free-state  cause.     Set- 


tling in  Franklin  County,  he  took  up  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land,  broke  the  ground 
and  made  the  necessary  improvements.  There 
he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising  until 
1862,  when  he  gave  the  place  to  our  subject  in 
order  to  keep  him  out  of  the  war,  a  plan,  how- 
ever, which  did  not  prove  successful,  as  the  latter 
had  been  in  the  army  before  and  afterward  en- 
listed a  second  time.  Going  to  Lawrence,  James 
Adams  followed  his  trade  there.  Upon  the  death 
of  his  wife,  whom  he  had  married  in  Virginia  and 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Jane  Orr,  he  re- 
moved to  Anderson  County,  Kans.,  and  lived  at 
the  home  of  his  son,  O.  B.  Adams,  and  there  his 
death  occurred  in  1891.  He  was  an  earnest 
Christian  and  a  faithful  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. In  his  family  were  seven  children,  six 
of  whom  are  now  living. 

Educated  in  subscription  schools,  our  subject 
was  reared  to  farm  life  and  early  selected  agri- 
culture for  his  occupation.  He  was  sixteen  years 
of  age  when  the  family  settled  in  Kansas.  At 
the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany F,  Second  Missouri  Battalion,  under  Col- 
onel Nugent,  and  serv^ed  until  he  was  honorably 
discharged  in  January,  1862.  On  his  return 
home  his  father  persuaded  him  to  turn  his  at- 
tention from  military  affairs  to  the  cultivation  of 
the  farm,  and  for  a  time  he  engaged  in  the  plant- 
ing of  a  crop,  but  in  July  he  again  enlisted,  this 
time  becoming  a  member  of  the  Twelfth  Kansas 
Infantry,  in  which  he  remained  until  January, 
1865.  During  most  of  the  time  he  was  engaged 
in  scout  duty,  principally  in  Arkansas,  but  he 
also  took  part  in  a  number  of  engagements, 
among  them  that  of  Jenkins  Ferry  on  the  Saline 
River. 

Returning  to  Lawrence  at  the  close  of  the  war 
Mr.  Adams  secured  employment  at  carpentering. 
After  a  year  he  bought  a  farm  in  Tonganoxie 
Township,  Leavenworth  County,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  cultivation  of  grapes,  continuing 
there  until  1873.  He  then  sold  the  place  and 
bought  his  present  farm  in  Grant  Township, 
Douglas  County,  where  he  has  eighty-six  acres 
devoted   to    general    farm    j^ursuits,    making   a 


540 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


specialty  of  wheat,  corn  and  potatoes.  In  all 
movements  for  the  good  of  the  community'  he 
maintains  an  interest.  His  first  presidential  vote 
was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln  and  he  has  ever 
since  adhered  to  Republican  principles.  In  re- 
ligion he  is  a  Congregationalist.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.  In 
1867  he  married  Miss  Annie  M.  Miller,  daughter 
of  Robert  Miller,  of  Lawrence.  They  have  five 
children,  namely:  Robert  J.,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  Big  Springs;  Mark  O. , 
who  conducts  the  home  farm  for  his  father;  Susie 
M.,  wife  of  George  Ford,  a  farmer  in  Grant 
Township;  Frank,  who  is  engaged  in  business  as 
a  photographer;  and  Eva  V.,  at  home. 


^AMES  DONNELLY,  who  came  to  Lawrence 
I  in  June,  1857,  is  proprietor  of  one  of  the 
(2)  finest  livery  establishments  in  the  entire 
west.  In  1869  he  started  in  the  hack  business 
with  one  hack,  and  from  that  small  business  has 
built  up  his  present  large  and  important  business. 
With  his  brother,  in  1873,  he  bought  a  suitable 
location  for  a  livery,  and  carried  on  a  growing 
business  in  an  old  building  that  stood  there. 
When  that  barn  was  burned  down,  in  1897,  he 
erected  a  two- story  brick  structure,  50x117  feet, 
with  an  adjoining  stable,  75x50,  the  new  part 
containing  an  elevator.  Here  he  has  ample 
accommodations  for  hacks,  carriages,  coupes  and 
surreys,  as  well  as  for  his  roadsters  and  driving 
horses.  Every  modern  improvement  is  to  be 
found  in  the  stables,  including  water  and  sewer 
connections,  electric  bells  and  lights,  etc. 

The  Donnelly  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
Derry.  Our  subject's  father,  Bernard,  who  was 
born  in  that  county,  grew  to  manhood  upon  a 
farm  there  and  was  educated  in  the  national 
schools  of  Ireland.  In  1847,  accompanied  by  his 
wife,  Mary  (Mclver)  Donnelly,  a  native  of  Coun- 
ty Tyrone,  and  with  their  seven  children,  he 
took  passage  on  the  sailer  "Sir  Colin  Campbell," 
which  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks  and  three  days 
from  Belfast  arrived  in  Quebec.     From  there  he 


proceeded  via  the  lakes  to  Chicago  and  thence  to 
a  farm  near  Woodstock,  111.  Two  of  his  broth- 
ers, Neill  and  Andrew,  had  preceded  him,  and 
the  settlement  in  that  vicinity  is  still  known  as 
the  Donnelly  settlement.  In  1S57,  with  all  of 
his  family  except  his  son  Andrew  (who  iu  1849 
had  crossed  the  plains  to  California,  and  re- 
mained there  until  1873,  finally  coming  to  Law- 
rence, where  he  died)  and  his  daughter  Cather- 
ine (who  had  died  in  Illinois  in  1849)  he  started 
for  Kansas,  making  the  trip  via  Jeflferson  City  and 
steamer,  while  his  son,  our  subject,  drove  over- 
land, cro-ssing  the  Mississippi  at  Burlington  and 
the  Missouri  at  Weston.  After  settling  in  Law- 
rence he  built  the  Donnelly  house  and  engaged 
in  keeping  boarders  until  he  died  in  1863.  His 
wife,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Dennis  Mclver,  died 
in  Lawrence  in  1884,  aged  about  eighty  years. 
Of  their  children  who  accompanied  them  to  Kan- 
sas, Mrs.  T.  J.  Collins  and  Mary  reside  in  Law- 
rence; James  was  fifth  in  order  of  birth;  John, 
who  was  our  subject's  partner,  diedin  1892;  and 
Neill  is  in  charge  of  the  Kansas  City  business 
owned  by  himself  and  brother. 

In  Countj'  Derry,  Ireland,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born  in  December,  1840.  He  was 
seven  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  America.  From  an  early  age  he  hired 
out  to  farmers  in  Illinois.  In  1857  he  drove  over- 
land to  Kansas,  and  after  his  arrival  in  Lawrence 
began  working  for  other  parties.  During  the 
war  he  and  his  brother  John  served  in  the  mili- 
tia. In  1864  he  went  to  Leavenworth,  but  re- 
turned to  Lawrence  the  following  year.  Here 
he  married,  in  1872,  Miss  Maggie  McConnell.who 
was  born  in  St.  Catharine's,  Canada,  and  died  in 
1879.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  McConnell, 
who  was  a  merchant  tailor  by  trade  and  settled  in 
Lawrence  about  1868. 

Politically  Mr.  Donnelly  is  a  Democrat  and 
has  been  on  the  county  committee  various  times. 
In  1858  he  voted  for  the  admission  of  Kansas  as 
a  free  state.  In  the  organization  of  the  Commer- 
cial Club  he  took  an  active  part,  and  is  now  one 
of  its  leading  members.  He  is  also  a  member  of, 
and  stockholder  in,  the  Merchants'  Athletic  As- 
sociation, 


A^'    mi 


CLARK  TEFFT. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


543 


ELARK  TEFFT,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
western  country,  now  living  in  Appanoose 
Township,  Franklin  Count}',  was  born  in 
Exeter,  Washington  County,  R.  I.,  in  1827,  a 
son  of  Jonathan  and  Mary  (Gates)  Tefft,  both  of 
Puritan  descent.  His  grandfather,  Sprague 
Tefift,  spent  his  entire  life  in  Washington  County, 
of  which  he  was  a  native,  and  he  was  a  member 
of  a  family  connected  with  the  early  history  of 
Rhode  Island.  Jonathan  Tefft  was  also  a  life- 
long resident  of  Washington  County,  and  died  on 
a  farm  there  at  forty-nine  years  of  age.  A  man 
of  pronounced  views,  he  was  stanch  in  his  anti- 
slavery  beliefs  and  was  also  a  leading  spirit  in 
agitating  reforms  in  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liq- 
uors. He  was  long  survived  by  his  wife,  who 
died  in  Connecticut  at  eighty  years  of  age.  They 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living,  namely:  Israel  G.,  of  Connecticut; 
Clark;  Lyman  B.;  Lucy  A.,  widow  of  Enos 
Munger;  and  Jonathan  E. ,  a  physician  residing 
in  Springfield,  Mo. 

Until  twenty-six  years  of  age  our  subject  re- 
mained in  his  native  county.  He  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade  and  also  worked  in  a  cotton 
mill  for  some  time.  In  1854,  coming  west,  he 
settled  south  of  Lawrence,  pre-empting  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  i ,  Willow  Springs  Town- 
ship, Douglas  County.  The  land  was  wholly 
unimproved  and  it  was  only  after  years  of  toil  on 
his  part  that  the  necessary  improvements  were 
made.  He  made  of  it  a  stock  farm  and  continued 
there  until  1870,  when,  desiring  more  satisfactory 
range  for  his  stock,  he  sold  out  and  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Franklin  County 
where  he  now  lives.  By  subsequent  purchase 
he  has  become  the  owner,  altogether,  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  on  which  he  follows  general 
farming  and  stock-raising.  At  the  time  he  settled 
on  the  place  only  twelve  acres  had  been  im- 
proved. He  has  developed  the  remainder  of  the 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  and  made  the  various 
improvements  now  noticeable  on  the  place. 

Often  members  of  the  Republican  party,  to 
which  he  adheres,  have  asked  Mr.  Tefft  to  become 
a  nominee  for  some  local  oflfice,  but  he  has  always 
refused  political  offices  except  in  Douglas  County, 


where  he  served  three  terms  (six  years)  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  For  several  years  he  served  as 
a  member  of  school  boards  in  Douglas  and  Frank- 
lin Counties,  during  which  time  he  assisted  in 
building  a  schoolhouse  and  in  promoting  the 
standard  of  education  in  the  district.  By  his 
marriage,  in  1846,  to  Clara  A.  Larkin,  he  has  a 
daughter,  Mary  J.,  Mrs.  J.  F.  Patten,  and  a  son, 
Milton  D.,  a  farmer  of  Appanoose  Township. 
At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  member  of 
the  state  militia  and  served  as  captain  of  Company 
A,  Twenty-first  Kansas  Cavalr}-,  with  which  he 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  the  Blue  against  General 
Price.  During  Quantrell's  raid,  in  1863,  he 
started  from  Lawrence  to  Baldwin  to  notify  the 
people  of  Quantrell's  approach.  After  he  had 
left  home,  some  of  the  raiders  surrounded  the 
house  and  said  they  had  orders  to  burn  all  houses. 
Mrs.  Tefft  entreated  them  not  to  burn  the  place 
and  they  promised  not  to  do  it  if  she  would  give 
them  $50.  She  had  only  seventy-five  cents  in 
the  house.  "This  she  gave  them,  but  it  was  of 
course  not  enough  to  appease  their  demands; 
and,  had  they  been  able  to  find  matches,  the  house 
would  undoubtedly  have  been  destroyed,  but 
they  finally  left  without  doing  any  damage.  Mr. 
Tefft  was  always  stanch  in  his  adherence  to  the 
free-state  cause  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  keep 
slavery  out  of  Kan-sas.  He  was  on  duty  during 
the  battle  of  Washington  Creek.  At  all  times  he 
was  found  ready  to  do  his  part.  As  a  citizen  he 
has  shown  a  loyal  devotion  to  his  state  and  his 
nation,  and  has  supported  measures  for  the  bene- 
fit of  each. 


I  ARK  S.  WRIGHT,  who  is  engaged  in  con- 
tracting and  building  in  Leavenworth,  was 
born  in  Roanoke  County,  Va.,  December 
27,  1856.  The  years  of  boyhood  and  youth  he 
spent  upon  the  farm  where  he  was  born,  and 
from  an  early  age  he  assisted  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  land.  His  father  was  interested  in  an 
undertaking  and  furniture  business  and  manu- 
factured furniture  and  coffins.  Under  his  super- 
vision the  son  gained  a  knowledge  of  cabinet- 
making.  From  that  he  drifted  into  carpentering. 
When  about  sixteen  be  secured  employ uunt  9s 


544 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  carpenter  in  the  erection  of  the  buildings  of  the 
Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  at  Blacks- 
burg,  Va.  The  following  season  he  was  emploj'ed 
on  the  Lake  Spring  Hotel  at  Salem,  Va.  When 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  his  father  was 
killed  by  a  runaway  horse;  afterward  he  took 
charge  of  the  home  place  and  remained  there 
until  twenty-four  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Wright  then  left  his  old  Virginia  home 
and  came  west  as  far  as  Decatur,  111.,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  during  one  season.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1883,  he  came  to  Leavenworth  and  for  two 
years  worked  at  carpentering,  but  since  1885  has 
been  taking  contracts.  Much  of  his  work  since 
1894  has  been  in  the  nature  of  contracts  for  the 
government,  including  work  at  Forts  Leaven- 
worth, Reno  and  Root,  Ark. ,  where  he  had  charge 
of  the  building  of  officers'  quarters.  He  was  the 
contractor  and  builder  of  the  Ettenson  block,  one 
of  the  finest  buildings  in  the  west.  Besides  his 
contracting  business  he  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  in  Leavenworth 
County,  which  he  managed  personally  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  but  in  1898  rented  the  land  to  ten- 
ants. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wright  affiliates  with  the  Re- 
publican party  and  votes  its  ticket  at  local  and 
national  elections.  By  his  marriage  to  Miss 
Hannah  Dowdell,  December  31,  1884,  he  has 
four  children,  namely:  Elmer  R. ;  Lawrence  and 
Laura,  twins,  who  are  now  eleven  years  of  age; 
and  Edna. 

EHARLES  C.  CUTLER  came  to  Kansas  in 
1857,  and  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  near  the  claim  which  his  father 
entered,  in  Cutler  Township,  Franklin  County. 
While  improving  his  place  he  remained  with  his 
father,  whom  he  assisted  in  the  general  manage- 
ment of  the  estate.  He  is  now  the  owner  of 
eight  hundred  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  is  en- 
gaged in  raising  stock,  making  a  specialty  of 
Shorthorn  cattle,  of  which  he  has  about  thirty 
head.  He  also  has  a  number  of  Clydesdale 
horses.  A  man  of  progressive  disposition,  he  has 
always  been  interested  in  matters  looking  toward 
the  improvement  of  his  property,  and  is  quick  to 


seize  upon  any  idea  that  promises  to  be  of  practi- 
cal help.  During  the  many  years  of  his  residence  in 
this  one  spot  he  has  maintained  a  constant  inter- 
est in  the  growth  of  the  county.  As  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Fair  Association  he  endeavored  to 
promote  an  enterprise  which  he  believed  would 
prove  advantageous  to  the  people. 

Born  in  Washington  County,  Ohio,  in  1835, 
our  subject  is  a  son  of  Daniel  C.  and  Betsy 
(Larkin)  Cutler.  His  father  was  born  in  Water- 
ford,  Ohio,  in  1799,  when  all  of  that  region  was 
included  in  the  northwestern  territory.  He  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising  there  until 
1857,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  in  Iowa. 
During  1857  he  crossed  the  plains  into  Kansas 
Territory,  and,  settling  in  Franklin  County,  he 
took  up  a  quarter-section  where  his  son  now 
lives.  The  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent  in 
this  place.  In  time  he  accumulated  one  thousand 
acres  of  land.  Much  of  his  attention  was  given 
to  trading  in  land  and  raising  stock,  his  interests 
being  large  and  important.  A  stanch  free-state 
man,  he  was  fearless  in  the  expression  of  his 
opinions  and  firm  in  his  decisions.  On  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Republican  party  he  became  a 
supporter  of  its  principles.  While  in  Ohio  he 
was  a  political  associate  of  Asa  Harris.  It  was 
through  his  effijrts  that  a  postoffice  w-as  estab- 
lished at  Rantoul,  and  he  served  as  postmaster 
for  several  years,  having  the  office  at  his  resi- 
dence during  all  of  the  time.  He  was  the  first 
county  commissioner  under  territorial  govern- 
ment. Throughout  all  of  eastern  Kansas  he  was 
known  and  honored.  His  death  occurred  at  his 
home  in  1887,  aged  eighty-eight  years.  His 
wife,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1806,  died  in 
Kansas  in  1883.  They  were  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Charles  C,  and  Mary  A.,  who  died  in 
1853- 

While  our  subject  did  not  have  good  advan- 
tages when  he  was  a  boy,  he  has  gained  a  broad 
knowledge  through  observation  and  self-culture, 
and  is  a  well-informed  man.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican,  but  he  has  never  cared  for  political 
prominence,  nor  has  he  sought  office,  preferring 
to  give  his  attention  wholly  to  his  private  busi- 
ness affairs.     During  the    war   he   served  in  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


545 


state  militia,  which  was  called  out  to  assist  in 
driving  Price  out  of  the  state,  and  he  took  part 
in  the  battles  of  Westport  and  the  Blue.  Like 
his  father,  he  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  Church.  In  1890  he  married 
Sarah  Friesner,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  and  Eliza  (Shields)  Friesner,  also 
natives  of  that  state.  Her  father,  who  was  for 
)'ears  the  leading  merchant  of  Logan,  Ohio,  died 
in  that  place  in  1859,  at  the  age  of  forty-four 
years.  Strong  in  convictions,  he  supported  the 
old-line  Whig  party  with  all  the  ardor  of  a  man 
who  firmly  believes  in  the  justice  of  his  cause. 
He  was  a  man  of  religious  character,  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Of  his 
family  of  nine  children,  only  three  are  living, 
those  besides  Mrs.  Cutler  being  William  S.,  who 
was  an  ofi5cer  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
Civil  war  and  is  now  living  in  Logan,  Ohio;  and 
John  S.,  a  prominent  attorney  and  ex-judge  of 
the  circuit  court  of  the  Hocking  County  district. 


ber  of  Abdallah  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 
In  1886  he  was  married  to  Amanda  R.  Clough, 
second  daughter  of  William  McNeill  Clough,  a 
former  member  of  the  Leavenworth  bar. 


pCJlLLIAM  A.  PORTER  was  born  in  Gra- 
\  A  /  tiot,  Licking  County,  Ohio,  January  22, 
VV  1852.  His  opportunities  for  securing  an  ed- 
ucation were  meagre,  and  he  is  therefore  a  self- 
made  man.  At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  moved 
with  his  parents  to  central  Illinois  and  settled  in 
DeWitt  County,  where  he  remained  until  1869. 
He  then  came  to  Kansas,  settling  in  Miami 
County,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  in  the 
summer  and  teaching  school  in  the  winter. 
At  the  death  of  his  father,  in  1877,  he  began  the 
study  of  law  at  Paola  under  the  instruction  of 
W.  B.  Brayman,  a  prominent  attorney  of  that 
place.  In  1880  he  graduated  from  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann 
Arbor,  and  in  September  of  the  same  year  he  lo- 
cated at  Leavenworth,  where  he  has  since  resided 
and  practiced  his  profession.  He  is  well  versed 
in  the  science  of  the  law  and  is  strong  before 
courts  and  juries.  He  has  never  held  a  political 
office,  although  an  able  campaigner  and  always 
interested  in  the  election  of  Republican  nominees 
and  always  giving  his  services  freely  to  his  part}'. 
He  is  a  Past  Eminent  Knight  Templar  and  a  ratm- 


HARRY  T.  HUTSON,  proprietor  of  Hutson's 
bakery,  was  for  a  number  of  years  one  of 
the  most  active  and  enterprising  business 
men  of  Lawrence.  He  still  retains  a  general 
supervision  of  his  bakery,  but,  on  account  of  ill- 
ness, is  forced  to  leave  the  active  work  to  others. 
About  1887  he  was  afflicted  with  inflammatory 
rheumatism  and  for  years  suffered  most  severely 
from  that  disease,  which,  in  1894,  left  him  a 
cripple,  with  both  limbs  stiflF  and  useless.  How- 
ever, although  he  is  to  a  large  extent  helpless, 
his  illness  has  not  warped  his  sunny,  genial  dis- 
position, but  he  retains  his  good  nature  and 
cheerful  way  of  looking  at  things. 

Mr.  Hutson  was  born  in  Gosburton,  Lincoln- 
shire, England,  December  31,  1850,  a  son  of 
Charles  and  Annie  (Rice)  Hutson,  also  natives 
of  Lincolnshire.  His  father,  who  was  a  shoe- 
maker by  trade,  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life 
engaged  in  farm  pursuits.  There  were  twelve 
children  in  the  family,  but  only  two  ever  came 
to  America.  Our  subject,  who  was  one  of  the 
youngest,  received  only  limited  advantages,  for, 
the  family  being  large  and  the  parents  people  of 
small  means,  he  was  early  obliged  to  become 
self-supporting.  At  nine  years  of  age  he  began 
to  work  for  his  board  and  clothes,  and  for  some 
years  he  was  employed  on  a  farm.  While  he 
did  well  in  England,  he  was  ambitious  to  gain  a 
larger  success,  so  came  to  America  in  March, 
1872.  Settling  in  Lawrence,  he  was  employed  in 
a  livery  for  almost  two  years,  and  then  worked 
for  a  baker  about  the  .same  time,  after  which  he 
farmed  near  town  for  a  year,  and  then  started  a 
restaurant  on  Massachusetts  street.  From  this 
business  he  drifted  into  the  management  of  a 
bakery  in  1882.  He  bought  a  lot  at  No.  709 
Vermont  street,  built  a  building  suitable  for  resi- 
dence purposes,  also  containing  bake  shops,  of- 
fice, etc.  In  1892  he  sold  out  his  restaurant  in 
order  to  devote  himself  entirely  to  the  bakery, 


546 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


which  has  proved  a  very  successful  enterprise. 
Hutsdn's  bread  is  known  all  over  Lawrence  and 
is  in  steady  demand. 

In  Lawrence,  in  May,  1877,  Mr.  Hutson  mar- 
ried Miss  Anna  Groh,  who  was  born  at  Cape 
Vincent,  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.  Her  father, 
George  Groh,  a  native  of  Frankfort,  Germany, 
came  in  company  with  other  members  of  the 
family  to  America  and  settled  near  Watertown, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood.  Afterward  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Jefferson  Count}'.  In  i860 
he  settled  in  Boonville,  Mo.,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death,  in  1877.  He  married  Susannah 
Lear,  who  was  born  in  Frankfort,  Germanj-,  and 
accompanied  her  parents  to  Lafargeville,  N.  Y. , 
where  she  was  reared  and  married.  Her  death 
occurred  in  Missouri.  Of  her  ten  children,  six 
attained  maturity,  one  of  these,  Jacob,  being  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war.  Mrs.  Hutson  was  born 
in  1 85 1  and  in  i860  accompanied  her  parents  to 
Missouri,  where  she  attended  the  public  school. 
In  1870  she  came  to  Lawrence,  where  she  was 
married  seven  years  later.  She  is  an  energetic, 
capable  woman,  and  has  proved  a  helpmate  to 
her  husband  in  the  truest  sense  of  that  word. 
They  have  two  sons,  George,  who  is  in  Arkansas 
City,  Kans.,  and  William,  who  assists  in  the 
bakery  business.  Mr.  Hutson  is  identified  with 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and  his 
wife  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Fraternal  Aid 
Association  in  this  city. 


QOHN  CRAMER.  Notwithstanding  his  eighty 
I  active  years,  Mr.  Cramer  is  still  a  man  of 
G/  keen  intellectual  powers  and  well-preserved 
bodily  faculties.  A  pioneer  of  Wellsville,  where 
he  still  makes  his  home,  he  is  the  owner  of  a  resi- 
dence and  eight  acres  of  land  in  this  village,  also 
has  eighty  acres  in  Douglas  County,  Kans.,  and 
a  five-acre  tract  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  which  he 
purchased  thirty  years  ago  and  which  has  since 
become  quite  valuable.  For  some  years  he  has 
engaged  in  the  buying,  selling  and  shipping  of 
stock,  and  has  met  with  success  in  the  business. 
Near  Lancaster,  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  Mr. 
Cramer  wasborn  April  25,  1819,  a  son  of  William 


and  Margaret  (Coonfoyer)  Cramer,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  and  of  Dutch  families.  His  father, 
who  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, moved  to  Ohio  when  that  section  of  coun- 
try was  new,  and  there  he  engaged  in  farming 
and  blacksmithing.  From  Fairfield  County  he 
moved  to  Knox  County,  Ohio.  Later  he  bought 
a  farm  in  Florence,  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  where 
he  cultivated  his  land  and  also  engaged  in  black- 
smithing.  Politically  he  voted  with  the  Demo- 
crats. He  died  in  Missouri  when  ninety  years  of 
age.  His  wife  died  when  ninety-five.  When 
only  five  years  of  age  our  subject  was  put  into 
the  home  of  a  man  with  whom  it  was  planned  he 
should  learn  a  trade,  but  when  ten  years  old  he 
returned  to  his  mother,  who  took,  on  a  lease,  a 
tract  of  timber  land.  This  he  helped  to  clear, 
and  afterward  bought.  In  time  he  became  the 
owner  of  over  two  hundred  acres,  which  he  had 
earned  by  his  own  efforts,  in  addition  to  helping 
his  mother. 

In  1 859  Mr.  Cramer  sold  out  in  Ohio  for  about 
$10,000  and  came  to  Kansas,  where  he  bought  a 
half- section  of  land  in  Richland  Township,  Frank- 
lin County.  He  carried  on  farm  pursuits  and 
dealt  in  .stock  until  1882,  when  he  sold  his  farm 
of  six  hundred  acres  for  $17,000.  On  leaving 
that  place  he  settled  in  Wellsville,  where  he  has 
since  bought  and  sold  stock.  For  half  a  century 
he  has  been  an  earnest  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  He  is  a  believer  in  Democratic  prin- 
ciples and  is  deeply  interested  in  public  affairs, 
but  has  never  desired  office,  and  the  only  posi- 
tions he  has  consented  to  hold  are  those  of  school 
director  and  other  local  offices.  For  many  years 
he  has  been  connected  with  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Cramer  was  Maria  Hard- 
ister,  of  Ohio,  who  died  at  forty-five  years  of  age. 
Of  her  nine  children  six  are  still  living,  namely: 
Andrew,  who  served  in  the  Civil  war  and  is  now 
a  farmer  in  Butler  County,  Kans. ;  Frank,  who 
served  in  the  Rebellion  and  is  now  engaged  in  the 
livery  business  in  Wellsville;  Lavina,  Mrs.  Ham- 
ilton; Mary,  who  is  married  and  lives  in  Green- 
wood, Kans.;  Louisa;  and  David,  a  farmer  of 
Osage  County,  Kans.  William  died  from  the  ef- 
fects of  disease  contracted  in  the  army.     The 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


second  marriage  of  Mr.  Cramer  united  Iiim  with 
Lucy  Morgan,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and  died  in 
Kansas  at  thirty-eight  years  of  age.  Of  the 
three  children  born  of  this  union,  John  is  en- 
gaged in  buying  and  shipping  stock  in  Wellsville, 
being  a  partner  of  his  father;  Louisa,  Mrs.  Bev- 
ins,  who.se  husband  is  a  farmer,  lives  in  Iowa; 
Carrie  is  married  and  lives  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
The  present  Mrs.  Cramer  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Anna  Bivens?nd  wa^.born  in  Circleville,  Ohio. 


(lOHN  W.  KINDRED.  The  farm  in  the  Kaw 
I  Valley  which  is  owned  and  operated  by  Mr. 
(2/  Kindred  is  known  as  the  Jacob  Dolosi 
estate,  and  comprises  ninety  acres  of  fine  land 
situated  in  the  Weaver  bottom.  The  soil  is  .so 
excellently  adapted  to  the  raisingof  potatoes  that 
the  owner  is  making  a  specialty  of  them,  and  has 
already  met  with  noteworthy  success  in  this 
branch  of  agriculture.  Besides  his  private  inter- 
ests he  is  general  manager  of  the  Kaw  Valley 
Potato  Growers'  and  Co-operative  Dealers'  Asso- 
ciation of  Weaver,  in  the  organization  of  which 
he  took  a  very  active  part. 

Born  in  Madison  County,  Ky.,  August  lo, 
1858,  our  subject  was  two  years  of  age  when  his 
father.  Fields  Kindred,  moved  to  Clay  County, 
Mo.,  and  there  he  acquired  the  rudiments  of  his 
education.  When  he  was  twelve  he  accompanied 
'  his  parents  to  Edwardsville,  Kans. ,  where  he 
grew  to  manhood,  completing  the  common-school 
studies  in  Wyandotte  County.  He  remained  with 
his  father  until  twenty-six  years  of  age,  when  he 
took  a  farm  four  miles  north  of  Bonner  Springs. 
In  addition  to  operating  this  place,  which  was 
known  as  White  Feather  farm,  he  also  purchased 
and  cultivated  adjoining  land.  In  1894  he  moved 
to  Fall  Leaf,  Leavenworth  County,  where  each 
year  he  planted  between  sixty-five  and  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  in  potatoes.  While  farm- 
ing there  he  made  his  home  in  Eudora,  in  order 
to  secure  educational  advantages  for  his  children. 
Next  he  purchased  two  hundred  and  fifteen 
acres  in  the  Kaw  Valley,  four  miles  west  of 
Eudora,  where  he  engaged  in  raising  potatoes 
quite   extensively.     In    February,  1898,  he  sold 


that  place  and  bought  a  farm  in  Willow  Springs 
Township,  Douglas  County,  from  which  place, 
in  April,  1899,  he  removed  to  his  present  prop- 
erty in  Eudora  Township,  the  same  county. 
This  location  he  considers  the  best  he  has  yet 
found,  and  he  has  energetically  set  about  the 
improvement  of  the  farm,  which  shows  the 
results  of  his  efficient  supervision. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Kindred  is  connected  with 
Bonner  Springs  Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  and  the  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Security  in  Eudora.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Populist.  While  living  in  Wyandotte  County 
he  took  an  active  part  in  local  affairs,  and  in 
1887,  1888  and  1889  he  served  as  trustee  of  Dela- 
ware Township.  While  filling  that  position  he 
was  instrumental  in  securing  good  bridges  for 
the  country  roads,  and  was  appointed  bridge 
commissioner  by  the  county  board.  Other  local 
improvements  also  received  the  impetus  of  his 
assistance.  Believing  that  the  public  school  is 
the  basis  of  the  good  government  of  the  future, 
he  does  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  the  schools  of  his  neighborhood.  For  five 
years  he  was  a  school  director  in  Wyandotte 
County.  December  29,  1 881,  he  married  Miss 
Annie  Morgan,  who  died  April  16,  1883,  leaving 
a  daughter,  Edna,  now  a  student  at  the  Hesper 
Academy.  April  2,  1885,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Eliza  B.  Magee,  who  was  reared 
in  Wyandotte  County,  and  by  whom  he  has  had 
the  following-named  children:  Agnes,  Nora, 
Frank  (deceased),  Grace,  Lena,  Seth,  Byron, 
Ethel  and  Ellis  Lee.  The  family  are  connected 
with  the  Christian  Church,  and  aid  religious 
movements  as  far  as  possible. 


QUNIUS  UNDERWOOD,  member  of  the 
I  wholesale  produce  firm  of  Kumler  &  Under- 
(2/  wood,  and  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Griffin  Ice  Company,  of  Lawrence,  is  a  member 
of  an  old  Pennsylvania  family.  His  father, 
Prescott,  was  a  son  of  Daniel  Underwood,  a  na- 
tive of  Connecticut,  who  removed  to  Pennsyl- 
vania and  engaged  in  lumbering  and  building. 
During  the  Civil  war  Prescott  Underwood  offered 
him.self  for  service,  but  was  rejected.     After  the 


548 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


war  he  settled  upon  a  plantation  in  Georgia,  but 
in  1868  removed  to  Kansas,  settling  in  Lawrence. 
While  making  his  home  in  the  citj'  he  improved 
a  tract  of  seventy-five  acres  adjoining  the  city 
limits,  where  he  engaged  in  raising  fruit  and 
potatoes.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  engage  in 
raising  potatoes  in  this  locality,  and  became  one 
of  the  largest  shippers  and  growers  in  the  county, 
having  nearly  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres 
planted  in  potatoes.  However,  neither  he  nor 
his  wife  had  good  health,  so,  hoping  a  change 
would  prove  beneficial,  he  removed  to  Whatcom 
County,  Wash.,  in  1887.  There  the  climate 
proved  very  helpful,  and  he  has  since  given  his 
attention  to  the  cultivation  of  his  valuable  farm, 
making  a  specialty  of  raising  cherries.  He  has 
frequently  contributed  to  agricultural  papers,  and 
his  success  as  an  agriculturist  and  particularly  as 
a  fruit  and  produce-grower  makes  any  suggestions 
from  him  valuable.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Jane  A.  Niles,  was  born  in 
Wayne  County,  Pa.,  and  died  in  Washington 
February  17,  1889,  leaving  three  children:  Junius; 
Mrs.  Mary  Buswell  and  Hattie,  both  in  Wash- 
ington. 

Born  in  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  March  15,  1865, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in  Kansas, 
and  studied  in  the  Lawrence  high  school  and  the 
University  of  Kansas,  which  he  attended  until 
the  junior  year.  On  account  of  his  father's  poor 
health  he  left  the  university  and  assumed  the 
management  of  the  home  farm,  which  he  super- 
intended for  three  years.  During  that  time  he 
engaged  in  shipping  potatoes  to  different  points 
and  thus  became  acquainted  with  his  present 
partner,  G.  V.  Kumler.  In  1 891  the  firm  of  Bell 
&  Kumler  was  succeeded  by  Kumler  &  Under- 
wood, who  at  first  carried  on  an  exclusive  pro- 
duce business,  but  later  began  to  deal  in  garden 
and  field  seeds,  also  to  handle  potatoes  and  apples 
in  carload  lots.  The  firm  have  a  warehouse, 
25x50,  at  No.  628  Massachusetts  street,  and  a 
seedhouse,  40x80,  three  stories  in  height.  Be- 
sides this  business,  Mr.  Underwood  is  secretary 
and  treasurer  and  a  director  of  the  GriflSn  Ice 
Company,  which  he  assisted  in  incorporating  and 
of  which  A.  J.  Griffin   is  the  manager.     This  is 


the  largest  ice  company  in  Lawrence.  Not  only 
have  they  several  warehouses  in  which  natural 
ice  is  stored,  either  for  home  distribution  or  ship- 
ment  to  other  points,  but  they  also  have  a  plant 
with  a  capacity  of  thirteen  tons  a  day  for  the 
manufacture  of  artificial  ice. 

On  the  Republican  ticket  Mr.  Underwood  was 
elected  to  represent  the  sixth  ward  in  the  city 
council,  where  he  served  for  six  years,  retiring  in 
the  spring  of  1899.  During  his  last  term  he  was 
chairman  of  the  library  committee.  He  is  con- 
nected with  the  Fraternal  Aid,  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen  and  Knights  of  Pythias.  In 
Delmar,  Iowa,  December  15,  1887,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Flora  Hinckley,  who  was 
born  in  that  city,  a  daughter  of  Clark  Hinckley, 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  and  now  manager  of 
a  creamery  at  Wei  ton,  Iowa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Un- 
derwood had  six  children:  Alice,  Addie,  William, 
Hattie,  Fay  and  Prescott.  Hattie  died  June  16, 
1899-  

EHARLES  W.  EWING,  M.  D.,  a  leading 
physician  of  Wellsville,  Franklin  County, 
was  born  in  Marathon,  Clermont  County, 
Ohio,  December  8,  1861,  a  son  of  John  and  Re- 
becca (Birdsall)  Ewing,  and  a  descendant  of  one 
of  three  brothers,  John,  Samuel  and  Alexander, 
who  emigrated  to  Philadelphia  from  Ireland 
about  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  His 
father,  a  native  of  Batavia,  Ohio,  was  reared  and 
educated  in  that  place.  About  i85i  he  went  to 
California,  where  (and  in  Idaho)  he  engaged  in 
mining  for  seven  years.  Like  many  miners,  he 
met  with  both  good  and  bad  luck,  at  times  was 
successful  and  again  unsuccessful.  On  return- 
ing to  Ohio  he  took  up  farm  pursuits  near  Mara- 
thon, where  he  remained  until  his  death,  at  six- 
ty-three years  of  age.  His  wife,  who  was  born 
near  Marathon,  is  still  living,  and  is  now  sixty- 
four  years  of  age.  She  is  a  lad}'  of  noble  Chris- 
tian character,  and  an  earnest  believer  in  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  doctrines.  Of  their  three  chil- 
dren, Edward,  who  is  engaged  in  railroading, 
resides  at  Concordia,  Kans. ;  Elizabeth  is  the  wife 
of  N.  S.  Hazen. 

When  eleven  years  of  age  our  subject  began  to 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


549 


work  upon  a  farm.  From  that  time  on  he  was 
self-supporting.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  came 
to  Kansas,  settling  in  Nemaha  County,  where  he 
secured  work  on  a  farm.  When  not  busy  with 
farm  duties  he  attended  school,  completing  the 
course  in  the  Paola  normal  school  at  Paola,  Mi- 
ami County,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1884. 
He  had  commenced  to  teach  school  in  1880,  hav- 
ing schools  in  Miami  and  Johnson  Counties,  and 
after  his  graduation  he  taught  for  two  winters, 
also  served  as  deputy  county  treasurer  of  John- 
son County.  In  1884  he  took  his  first  readings 
in  medicine,  having  as  preceptor  Dr.  G.  T. 
Goode,  of  Olathe,  Johnson  County.  Later  he 
matriculated  in  Jefferson  Medical  College  at 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1888.  Returning  to  Kansas  he  opened  an  office 
at  Edgerton,  Johnson  County,  and  continued 
thereuntil  July,  1892,  when  he  removed  toWells- 
ville.  He  is  well  informed  regarding  his  profes- 
sion, has  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  various 
forms  of  disease  and  the  best  remedial  agencies 
for  each,  and  his  practice  is  large  and  growing. 

Fraternally  Dr.  Ewing  is  connected  with  the 
blue  lodge  of  Masonry  in  Wellsville,  and  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  religion  he  is 
a  Methodist,  while  his  wife  adheres  to  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Christian  Church.  October  7,  1896, 
he  married  Miss  Minnie  A.  Goode,  of  Olathe, 
Kans. ,  daughter  of  Dr.  G.  T.  and  Virginia  A. 
(Lane)  Goode.  They  have  one  son,  Charles 
W.,Jr. 

r"RANK  P.  SMITH,  A.  B.,  A.  M.,  is  one  of 
r3  the  successful  educators  of  Kansas.  He 
I  *  became  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Ot- 
tawa, Kans.,  in  the  fall  of  1889,  and  the  follow- 
ing year  was  elected  superintendent  of  schools. 
In  that  capacity  he  continued  until  December, 
1894,  when  he  was  elected  to  succeed  Edmund 
Stanley  (state  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion), as  superintendent  of  the  Lawrence  schools, 
which  responsible  position  he  has  filled  with  the 
greatest  intelligence  and  fidelity.  Under  his 
supervision  are  fifty-two  teachers  and  twenty-six 
hundred  pupils,   of  which  enrollment  more  than 


seventeen  per  cent  are  in  the  high  school.  There 
are  seven  grammar  school  and  one  high  school 
buildings.  The  latter  is  thoroughly  equipped 
for  advanced  work,  and  it  is  said  that  no  high 
school  in  the  state  is  higher  in  its  standard  or 
more  thorough  in  its  work  than  this,  which  fact 
proves  the  ability  of  those  who  are  devoting 
themselves  to  the  instruction  of  the  students. 

Professor  Smith  was  born  in  Salem,  Ind.,  July 
9,  1854,  a  son  of  Lewis  N.  and  Nancy  Jane 
(Worrall)  Smith,  natives  respectively  of  Wash- 
ington County,  Ind.,  and  Westport,  Ky.  His 
grandfather,  Richard  Smith,  of  Virginia,  settled 
in  Salem,  Ind.,  about  1822,  and  died  there  in 
1833.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  served  in  the 
American  army.  His  wife,  Hannah,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  Etzler,  who  enlisted  from  Virginia 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Lewis  N.  Smith  has 
been  a  farmer,  and  by  economy  and  judgment  has 
accumulated  a  competency.  He  has  served  sev- 
eral terms  as  county  commissioner.  Of  his  three 
sons  and  one  daughter,  Spencer  W.  is  a  physician 
in  Indiana;  Mrs.  Laura  Maudlin  also  resides  in 
that  state;  and  L.  Newland  occupies  the  old 
homestead.  The  oldest  of  the  family  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
had  few  leisure  moments,  but,  being  studious,  he 
devoted  himself  to  his  books  whenever  possible, 
and  was  in  the  habit  of  plowing  corn  during  the 
day  and  studying  Caesar  and  Virgil  at  night.  In 
1873  he  entered  the  Indiana  State  University  at 
Bloomington,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1878, 
with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  The  degree  of  A.  M. 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  Baker  University  in 

1893. 

In  1878  Professor  Smith  became  principal  of 
the  village  school  at  Fisherville,  Ky.,  and  in 
October  of  that  year  he  was  married,  in  Salem,  to 
Miss  Amanda  E.  Brewer.  In  February,  1879,  a 
disastrous  fire  terminated  his  work  in  Fisherville. 
He  returned  to  Indiana  and  remained  for  some 
months  on  the  home  farm.  Afterward,  for  three 
years,  he  was  principal  of  the  high  .school  at 
Salem,  and  for  two  years  held  a  similar  position 
in  Orleans,  Ind.  For  five  years  he  served  as 
superintendent  of  the  Bedford  city  schools.  His 
wife  died  in  December,  1888,  leaving  a  daughter, 


550 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Dais}'  B.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Lawrence  high 
school  class  of  1899,  and  is  now  a  student  in  the 
Kansas  University.  From  Indiana  he  came  to 
Kansas,  where  he  has  since  won  prominence  as  an 
instructor,  the  energy  with  which  he  carries  on  his 
work  and  the  intelligence  displayed  therein  having 
secured  for  him  the  confidence  of  his  associates. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  state  school  text  book 
commission,  appointed  by  Governor  Stanley,  and 
is  connected  with  the  State  Teachers'  and  the 
National  Education  Association,  of  the  latter  of 
which  he  is  a  vice-president.  Politically  he  ad- 
heres to  Republican  principles.  At  one  .time  he 
was  active  in  the  work  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
He  is  a  past  officer  in  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  a  member  of  Lawrence  Lodge  No. 
6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Lawrence  Chapter  No.  4, 
R.  A.  M.;  DeMolay  Commandery  No.  4,  K.  T., 
and  the  consistory  of  Topeka.  In  religion  he  is 
a  Methodist.  Since  coming  to  Kansas  he  has 
been  a  second  time  married,  his  wife  being  Miss 
Rose  E.  Brock,  who  was  born  in  Leavenworth 
County,  Kans.,  and  was  educated  in  the  Eureka 
high  school. 

30HN  B.  STUMP,  who  resides  near  Baldwin, 
Douglas  County,  was  born  in  Clermont 
County,  Ohio,  May  30,  1834,  a  son  of  Louis 
and  Elizabeth  (Fitzwater)  Stump,  also  natives 
of  that  part  of  Ohio.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
John  Stump,  who  was  of  German  extraction,  was 
born  in  Virginia  and  for  a  short  time  made  his 
home  in  Kentucky,  but  removed  to  Ohio  with 
two  brothers,  settling  upon  a  farm  and  afterward 
devoting  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits  there; 
he  married  Jane  Lowrey,  who  was  a  native  of 
the  Old  Dominion.  Louis  Stump  was  born  on  the 
first  day  of  the  year  1804,  and  spent  his  entire 
life  upon  a  farm  near  Camp  Dennison,  Ohio, 
where  he  met  with  fair  success  as  an  agriculturist. 
During  the  existence  of  the  Whig  party  he  voted 
for  its  principles,  and  afterward  became  identified 
with  the  Republicans.  He  died  when  eighty-one 
years  of  age. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  Fitzwater,  died  in  1836,  when  her 
three  sons   were   small.     In    religion   she  was  a 


faithful  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Of 
her  children,  the  two  eldest  were  Thomas  and 
David,  neither  of  whom  ever  married.  Thomas, 
who  was  a  farmer  in  Illinois,  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-years,  and  David,  who  remained  in  Ohio, 
died  when  sixty-eight  years  of  age.  After  the 
death  of  our  subject's  mother,  his  father  was 
married  to  Matilda  Price.  By  that  union  seven 
children  were  born,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  others  are  as  follows:  Daniel,  a  farmer  of 
Franklin  County,  Kans. ;  Belinda,  who  married 
Jerry  Hussey,  and  died  in  Ohio  in  1885;  Jane; 
Samuel,  a  farmer  and  stockman,  who  died  in 
Kansas  at  the  age  of  fifty  years;  Joel  H.,  who  is 
a  farmer  in  Illinois;  and  Mary,  who  lives  in  Ohio. 

Until  thirty-five  years  of  age  our  subject  re- 
mained at  home  with  his  father  and  step-mother, 
excepting  only  the  period  of  his  service  in  the 
army.  In  March,  1863,  he  enlisted  in  gunboat 
service  on  the  "Covington,"  Captain  Hurd,  and 
after  three  months  was  transferred  to  the  "Ex- 
change" No.  38,  Captain  Gibson,  where  he  re- 
mained for  twenty  months.  The  most  of  this 
time  was  spent  on  the  Tennessee,  Cumberland, 
Yazoo,  Mississippi  and  White  Rivers,  and  he 
participated  in  a  number  of  engagements.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  he  was  honorably  discharged 
and  went  back  to  his  Iowa  home.  In  the  spring 
of  1869  he  came  west  to  Kansas  and  in  the  county 
of  Douglas  purchased  a  tract  of  farm  land  in  Wil- 
low Springs  Township.  There  he  continued  to  re- 
side until  1S95,  when  he  sold  the  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acre  farm  and  bought  a  tract  of  ten  acres 
near  Baldwin,  his  present  home. 

In  political  views  Mr.  Stump  has  always  affili- 
ated with  the  Republican  party;  but  he  has 
never  shown  a  partisan  spirit  in  his  opinions. 
For  five  years  he  served  as  trustee  of  Willow 
Springs  Township  and  discharged  the  duties  of 
the  office  with  the  utmost  fidelity.  With  his 
family  he  holds  membership  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Odd 
Fellows'  Lodge  No.  31,  in  Baldwin,  and  with 
E.  D.  Baker  Post  No.  40.  G.  A.  R.,  also  in  this 
village.  His  marriage,  November  8,  1869,  united 
him  with  Miss  L.  A.  Goodell,  who  was  born  in 
Grafton    County,    N.    H.,    January    3,    1835,  a 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


551 


daughter  of  John  and  Lucy  (Storrs)  Goodell, 
natives  of  the  same  countj',  both  members  of  old 
New  England  families  and  of  Scotch  extraction. 
Her  father  died  at  sixty-five  and  her  mother 
when  sixty-one  years  of  age.  Both  were  adhe- 
rents of  the  Congregational  Church.  She  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New  Hampshire 
and  an  academy  in  Vermont.  After  teaching  for 
a  few  years  in  New  England  she  went  to  Ohio, 
and  was  similarly  engaged  for  four  years,  also 
taught  for  three  years  in  Iroquois  County,  111. 
Two  daughters  were  born  to  the  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stump.  The  older.  Birdie,  is  the  wife 
of  J.  F.  Dole,  a  resident  of  Washington  state. 
The  younger,  Mysie  E. ,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Baldwin  high  school  and  an  accomplished  young 
lady,  who  is  popular  among  the  young  people  of 
the  village. 

ROBERT  A.  KIER,  who  is  one  of  the  enter- 
prising and  progressive  business  men  of 
North  Lawrence,  was  born  in  Clarksburg, 
Indiana  County,  Pa.,  August  28,  1832,  a  son  of 
David  and  Jane  (Lauglin)  Kier,  also  natives  of 
that  county.  His  grandfather,  David  Kier,  Sr., 
was  born  in  Ireland  of  Scotch  ancestry,  and  at  an 
early  age  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  his  death;  in  this  country 
he  married  a  lady  who  was  of  German  descent. 
Upon  a  large  farm  in  Indiana  County  David 
Kier,  Jr.,  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  until 
he  passed  away,  when  forty-five  years  of  age. 
His  wife,  who  was  a  daughter  of  John  Lauglin,  a 
native  of  Westmoreland  County,  Pa.,  and  a  large 
farmer,  was  left  at  the  death  of  her  husband  with 
the  management  of  the  farm  and  the  care  of  the 
children.  She  remained  with  her  children  on  the 
homestead,  and  there  her  death  occurred  when 
advanced  in  years.  Of  her  five  sons  and  three 
daughters,  four  sons  and  one  daughter  are  now 
living,  and  one  of  the  brothers  occupies  the  old 
homestead.  Another  son,  James,  served  in  the 
navy  during  the  Civil  war. 

The  youngest  of  the  children  was  Robert.  He 
attended  the  grammar  and  high  schools,  and  re- 
mained with  his  mother  until  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.     In  the  fall  of  1855  he  settled 


on  a  farm  near  Muscatine,  Iowa,  and  there  he  en- 
gaged in  farming,  superintending  for  four  years 
a  place  owned  by  a  steamboat  captain.  Then 
going  to  Winterset,  Madison  County,  Iowa,  he 
worked  there  for  a  time,  later  was  at  Leon,  Decatur 
County,  that  state,  where  he  carried  on  a  drug 
business  for  seven  years.  In  1880  he  came  to 
Lawrence,  and  during  the  first  year  worked  as  a 
druggist,  but  afterward  engaged  in  contract  paint- 
ing for  three  years.  In  1886  he  began  in  the  coal 
business  and  has  since  built  up  a  large  yard  on 
Rhode  Island  street,  where  he  deals  in  coal  of  all 
varieties,  and  also  has  wood  on  sale.  A  siding 
from  the  Union  Pacific  Road  makes  easy  connec- 
tion with  his  yard,  thus  facilitating  the  work. 
For  a  time  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
wire  fence,  but  now  devotes  himself  exclusively 
to  the  coal  business. 

Besides  his  coal  yard  Mr.  Kier  owns  three 
houses  in  North  Lawrence,  one  of  them,  on  the 
corner  of  New  York  and  Maple  streets,  being  his 
residence,  and  one  of  the  finest  houses  in  this  part 
of  Lawrence.  A  man  of  firm  convictions,  he  has 
never  wavered  in  his  allegience  to  the  Repub- 
lican party,  but  always  supports  its  principles. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  a 
contributor  to  its  maintenance.  Fraternally  he 
is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows.  During  his 
residence  in  Iowa  he  was  married  in  Muscatine 
County  to  Miss  Cordelia  Ritchie,  who  was  a 
member  of  an  old  family  there,  her  father,  John 
D.  Ritchie,  having  been  the  earliest  settler  there. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kier  have  three  daughters,  Ionia, 
May  and  Maude. 

HON.  NOAH  SIMMONS,  M.  D.  For  many 
years  identified  with  the  history  of  Law- 
rence, Dr.  Simmons  did  much  to  promote 
the  prosperity  of  the  city,  among  whose  citizens 
he  held  a  position  of  influence.  His  recognized 
ability  led  to  his  election  to  a  number  of  positions 
of  trust  and  responsibility.  For  two  terms  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  state  legislature,  and 
during  the  legislative  struggles  of  his  second  term 
he  supported  the  Douglas  faction.  Among  the 
other  offices  which  he  filled  were  those  of  mayor 
of  Lawrence,  health  officer  and  coroner  of  Doug- 


552 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


las  County,  member  of  the  state  board  of  health 
and  president  and  secretary  successively  of  the 
Kansas  State  Medical  Association.  While  his  close 
connection  with  public  affairs  brought  him  promi- 
nence in  his  home  county  and  state,  he  became 
best  known  throughout  the  country  as  the  pro- 
prietor of  Simmons'  liver  tablets  or  ginger  snaps, 
which  have  had  a  large  sale,  their  manufacture 
having  become  a  business  of  considerable  mag- 
nitude. 

Dr.  Simmons  was  born  in  Piqua,  Ohio,  March 
21,  1828,  and  died  at  Lawrence,  Kans.,  April  27, 
1898.  He  was  the  youngest  of  thirteen  children, 
whose  father,  Adam  Simmons,  was  a  native  of 
Switzerland,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  German  Reformed  Church.  When  he 
was  entering  upon  manhood  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine  in  Miami  County,  Ohio,  and  after  a 
time  spent  in  study  under  private  preceptorship, 
in  1852  he  entered  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  College, 
and  began  the  course  there,  but  did  not  complete 
his  studies  at  once.  Instead,  he  opened  an  office 
at  Union  City,  Ind. ,  where  he  practiced  steadily 
for  two  years.  He  then  took  another  course  of 
lectures  in  college,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Union  City.  In  1864  he  again  entered  college, 
remaining  this  time  until  his  graduation  February 
15,  1865.  He  continued  actively  engaged  in 
practice  at  Union  City  until  June,  1868,  the  date 
of  his  removal  to  Lawrence,  where  he  afterward 
built  up  a  large  and  remunerative  practice.  He 
also  gave  some  attention  to  the  supervision  of  his 
farm  in  Sarcoxie  Township,  Jefferson  Count}', 
where  he  had  a  fine  fruit  orchard.  Fraternally 
he  was  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  Rebekahs,  Masonic  fraternity 
and  Eastern  Star,  also  the  Independent  Order  of 
Good  Templars.  In  religion  he  was  connected 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Political- 
ly he  was  firm  in  his  allegiance  to  Republican 
principles.  He  was  a  man  who  possessed  far 
more  than  ordinary  literary  ability,  and,  had  he 
not  chosen  medicine  for  his  profession,  he  would 
probably  have  made  a  name  for  himself  in  liter- 
ature. Even  in  the  midstof  his  busy  professional 
career  he  found  time  for  the  preparation  of 
articles  bearing  upon  the  science  of  medicine  or 


upon  historical  or  general  subjects,  and  these 
indicate  his  high  order  of  literary  talent. 

In  Fletcher,  Ohio,  April  9,  1857,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Dr.  Simmons  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Toms, 
who  was  born  near  Dayton,  Montgomery  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Mary 
(Merkel)  Toms,  natives  respectively  of  Frederick, 
Md.,  and  Washington  County,  Pa.  Her  paternal 
grandfather,  Jacob,  was  born  in  Maryland  and 
was  of  English  descent.  Her  maternal  grand- 
father, Daniel  Merkel,  moved  from  Pennsylvania 
to  Miami  County,  Ohio,  where  he  died;  he  was  a 
son  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  Jonathan  Toms, 
though  a  tanner  by  trade,  devoted  himself  prin- 
cipally to  farming  in  the  Miami  Valley.  He  was 
reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith,  but,  on  his  removal 
from  Maryland  to  Ohio,  there  being  no  Lutheran 
Church  in  his  new  home,  he  identified  himself 
with  the  United  Brethren  denomination.  He  was 
an  Abolitionist  in  principle  and  a  Republican  in 
politics.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  ninety- 
two  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  when  she  was 
sixty-two.  Their  ten  children  attained  mature 
years,  and  five  are  now  living,  Mrs.  Simmons  being 
next  to  the  youngest.  She  had  two  brothers  who 
served  in  an  Ohio  regiment  during  the  Civil  war, 
Emanuel  being  sergeant,  and  George  Oliver  cap- 
tain of  his  company. 

The  family  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Simmons  consisted 
of  three  sons.  The  oldest,  Charles  Jefferson 
Simmons,  is  represented  in  the  following  sketch. 
The  second  son,  Frank  Simmons,  is  a  graduate 
of  a  high  school  and  the  commercial  college  of 
Lawrence  and  is  now  connected  with  a  business 
house  in  Lawrence.  Harry,  the  youngest  son,  is 
a  commercial  grain  dealer  in  New  York  City. 
The  younger  sons  are  professional  skaters  and 
have  traveled  over  the  entire  world,  giving  ex- 
hibitions of,  and  lessons  in,  that  art.  Mrs.  Sim- 
mons has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  since  a  girl  of  sixteen  years.  She 
is  connected  with  the  Eastern  Star,  Selected 
Friends  and  Ladies'  Circle  of  the  Grand  Army. 
Since  the  death  of  her  husband  she  has  been  in 
charge  of  the  manufacture  of  the  tablets  and  has 
superintended  their  sale  in  a  way  that  proves  her 
to  be  a  woman  of  exceptional  business  ability. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


553 


Among  the  people  of  Lawrence,  where  for  more 
than  thirty  years  she  has  made  her  home,  she  has 
many  friends  and  well-wishers.  She  has  witnessed 
the  growth  of  this  city  from  an  early  day  and  has 
taken  a  pride  in  its  development  and  progress. 

There  is  connected  with  the  Simmons  family  a 
history  that  is  more  than  usually  interesting.  As 
already  stated,  the  family  is  of  Swiss  origin. 
Phillip  Simmons  with  his  wife  and  only  son,  John, 
settled  in  York  County,  Pa.  After  the  death  of 
his  parents  and  years  after  his  own  marriage, 
John  started  with  his  family  for  Ohio.  On  the 
way  he  met  the  Millhouse  family,  who  had  come 
from  the  same  part  of  Switzerland  as  himself. 
The  two  families  settled  in  the  Miami  Valley. 
John  Simmons,  Jr. ,  a  few  years  later,  married 
Susan  Millhouse.  In  the  latter  part  of  1809 
their  only  son,  David,  was  born.  March  14, 
I  Sic,  John  enlisted  in  the  First  Regiment  of 
United  States  Infantry  and  was  assigned  to  duty 
at  Fort  Dearborn,  on  the  present  site  of  the  city 
of  Chicago.  Soon  afterward  he  arrived  at  the 
fort,  and  was  so  pleased  with  the  prospects  that 
he  frequently  expressed  the  belief  that  a  great 
city  would  in  time  be  built  near  there.  Wishing 
to  have  his  family  with  him  he  walked  back  to 
Ohio,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  March,  181 1,  ac- 
companied by  his  wife  and  son,  started  for  their 
new  home  in  the  west.  They  reached  Chicago  in 
April,  joining  the  little  band  of  soldiers  at  the 
fort.  February  13,  1812,  their  daughter  Susan 
was  born,  the  first  white  child  born  on  the  present 
site  of  Chicago.  Indians  were  treacherous  and 
hostile,  and  the  small  troop  of  soldiers,  with  their 
families,  were  constantly  menaced  by  these  foes. 
August  15,  1812,  occurred  the  dreadful  massacre 
otFort  Dearborn,  the  record  of  which  is  a  part 
of  history.  Near  an  old  cottonwood  tree,  long 
known  as  "Massacre"  tree,  a  wagon  filled  with 
little  children,  fleeing  from  the  Indians,  was  over- 
taken and  every  child  murdered.  Among  these 
children  was  David,  who  was  known  as  the  '  'curly- 
headed  corporal,"  and  about  the  same  time  the 
little  "corporal's"  father.  Corporal  Simmons, 
was  foully  murdered  by  the  savages,  and  his  wife, 
with  her  infant  daughter  in  her  arms,  was  cap- 
tured.    Of  their  long  months  of  captivity,  their 


sufferings,  their  cruel  treatment,  it  is  difficult  to 
conceive.  In  April,  1813,  an  exchange  was  ef- 
fected and  mother  and  daughter  were  once  more 
permitted  to  return  to  the  mother's  old  Ohio 
home.  Nor  did  their  trials  end  with  the  return. 
A  year  afterward  the  mother's  sister  and  brother- 
in-law  were  killed  by  the  Indians.  In  time,  how- 
ever, peace  and  prosperity  came  to  them,  and,  in 
the  happiness  of  the  present,  the  mother  could  to 
some  extent  forget  the  sufferings  of  the  past. 
The  daughter  became  the  wife  of  M.  P.  Winans  and 
moved  from  Ohio  to  Iowa,  thence  to  California. 
During  the  World's  Fair  it  was  the  desire  of 
many  that  she  visit  the  great  city  by  the  lake,  but 
she  had  lived  so  long  in  the  genial  climate  of 
southern  California  that  she  was  averse  to  return- 
ing, even  temporarily,  to  the  east. 


EHARLESJ.  SIMMONS,  M.  D.  In  the  pro- 
fession which  he  selected  for  his  life  work, 
Dr.  Simmons  has  attained  a  success  that  en- 
titles him  to  rank  among  the  foremost  physicians 
of  eastern  Kansas.  A  close  student  of  the  sci- 
ence of  medicine,  his  skill  and  ability  have  won 
for  him  a  high  reputation,  not  only  among  those 
who  have  been  under  his  professional  care,  but 
also  among  other  physicians.  His  reputation 
among  the  people  of  Lawrence,  his  home  town, 
is  that  of  an  able  physician,  who  is  accurate  in 
the  diagnosis  of  disease  and  skillful  in  the  selec- 
tion of  remedial  agencies.  From  year  to  year 
his  practice  has  increased,  and  is  now  of  such 
proportions  that  it  leaves  him  with  little  leisure 
for  social  recreation  or  needed  rest. 

Dr.  Simmons  was  born  in  Union  City,  Ind., 
February  25,  1858,  and  was  ten  years  of  age  when 
brought  to  Lawrence  by  his  father,  Noah  Sim- 
mons, M.  D.  He  was  educated  in  the  gram- 
mar and  high  schools  and  in  the  University  of 
Kansas,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1882,  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.  Immediately  afterward  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine,  of  which  he  had 
gained  a  rudimentary  knowledge  under  his 
father's  instruction.  He  attended  a  course  of 
lectures  in  the  medical  department  of  the  state 
university,  after  which  he  studied  In  Dartmouth 


554 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


(N.  H.)  Medical  College,  and  finally  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Vermont,  with  the  degree 
of  M.  D.  He  also  graduated  from  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College,  New  York,  where 
he  attended  two  sessions;  and  from  the  Eclectic 
Medical  Institute  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he 
took  one  course  of  lectures.  Returning  to  Law- 
rence, he  entered  upon  the  practice  that  has  since 
assumed  large  proportions,  and  in  addition  to  his 
private  practice  he  was  city  physician  for  two 
years.  His  office  is  at  No.  721  Massachusetts 
street. 

The  few  vacations  which  Dr.  Simmons  has  al- 
lowed himself  in  his  busy  life  are  devoted  to 
post-graduate  work  in  eastern  colleges.  In 
1895-96  he  took  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  Post- 
Graduate  Medical  College  of  New  York.  In 
1897-98  he  made  a  special  study  of  surgery  and 
gynecology  in  the  New  York  Polyclinic,  and  in 
1898-99  he  devoted  some  time  to  the  same 
specialties  in  Philadelphia.  Devoted  to  profes- 
sional duties,  he  has  no  desire  to  enter  the  arena 
of  public  affairs  and,  aside  from  voting  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  takes  no  part  in  politics.  How- 
ever, as  a  public-spirited  citizen  he  is  well  in- 
formed concerning  local  and  national  issues. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  and  Knights  of  Pythias.  For  two 
years  he  was  United  States  Pension  Examiner. 
In  his  religious  views  he  favors  the  doctrines  of 
the  Methodist  Church.  His  marriage,  which 
took  place  in  Lawrence,  united  him  with  Emily, 
daughter  of  J.  H.  Glathart,  of  this  city.  They 
have  two  children,  Jerry  and  Stella. 


REV.  JAMES  MURRAY,  a  retired  minister 
residing  in  Baldwin,  was  born  in  Canan- 
daigua,  Ontario  County,  N.  Y.,  on  the  4th 
of  July,  182S.  His  father,  James,  who  was 
probably  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Monroe  County,  N.  Y. ,  in  boy- 
hood, and  later  removed  to  Ontario  County, 
where  he  followed  the  shoemaker's  trade.  Dur- 
ing the  war  of  181 2  he  enlisted  in  the  American 
army,  and  served  until  he  lost  an  eye  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Sacket's  Harbor.      In  politics  he  was  iden- 


tified with  the  Know-Nothing  party  and  later  with 
the  Whigs.  In  religious  belief  he  was  a  Method- 
ist, and  while  he  was  quiet  and  retiring  in  dis- 
position and  not  prominent  in  the  church,  he  was 
a  verj'  earnest  and  faithful  member.  He  died  in 
1855,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years.  His  mother, 
Sarah,  who  was  of  Scotch  birth,  died  October  23, 
1841,  at  seventy-seven  years  of  age.  He  married 
Orpha  Hickox  September  14,  18 14.  ,She  was 
born  in  Ontario  County,  N.  Y.,  and  spent  her 
last  days  in  Michigan  in  the  home  of  her  son, 
James,  where  she  died  at  sixty-four  years  of  age. 
Of  her  seven  children  our  subject  alone  survives. 
She,  like  her  husband,  was  an  earnest  Christian 
and  a  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

In  the  village  of  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  our 
subject  received  his  education,  graduating  from 
the  academy  there  at  nineteen  years  of  age.  He 
then  went  to  Michigan  and  taught  school  for  a 
short  time.  October  5,  1853,  at  Bellevue,  Mich., 
he  married  Miss  Hannah  Perry,  who  was  born  in 
Cortland  County,  N.  Y.,  August  11,  1833,  a 
daughter  of  Joab  and  Jane  (Crawford)  Perry, 
natives  of  New  York.  Her  father,  in  1834,  went 
to  the  then  territory  of  Michigan,  where  he 
cleared  a  homestead  from  the  primeval  wilds, 
and,  as  his  county  became  settled,  acquired 
prominence  among  his  neighbors  by  reason  of 
his  upright  character  and  acknowledged  ability. 
A  Democrat  in  politics  he  was  active  in  local 
affairs,  and  for  many  years  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace.  His  death  occurred  when  he  was 
eighty-five.  His  wife,  who,  like  him,  was  born 
in  New  York  of  old  New  England  stock,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
died  in  18S0,  at  the  age  of  seventy- two  years,  upon 
the  old  homestead,  where  she  and  her  husband 
had  lived  for  many  years. 

In  1857  Mr.  Murray  came  to  Kansas  and  se- 
lected a  claim  in  Johnson  County,  but  was  driven 
away  by  the  troops.  Returning  to  Michigan  he 
devoted  considerable  time  to  the  work  of  a  local 
preacher.  At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  he 
enlisted  as  a  delegate  in  the  Christian  commis- 
sion rooms  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  later  enlisted 
in    Company   E,    Fifteenth  Michigan    Infantry. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


555 


He  was  assigned  to  Sherman's  division,  and  at 
the  time  of  the  march  to  the  sea  was  detailed  and 
left  in  the  rear  to  complete  some  clerical  work  on 
the  muster  rolls.  When  the  work  was  finished 
he  went  via  New  York  to  Goldsboro,  expecting 
to  join  the  command,  but  found  that  Sherman 
had  passed  on  to  the  sea.  He  then  returned  to 
Washington,  where  he  took  part  in  the  grand 
review.  Afterward  he  was  ordered  to  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  and  Helena  and  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  where 
he  was  discharged.  He  was  paid  off  at  Detroit, 
Mich.,  in  September,  1865.  In  October  of  the 
same  year  he  sold  his  property  in  Michigan  and 
removed  to  Kansas,  settling  in  Ottawa,  and  ac- 
cepting a  position  as  agent  for  the  American 
Bible  Company.  In  1869  he  entered  the  minis- 
try, and  was  present  and  answered  every  roll  call 
for  thirty  years  thereafter.  For  three  years  he 
was  superintendent  of  mission  work  in  the  Indian 
Territory,  but  was  then  obliged  to  retire  from  the 
work  on  account  of  poor  health.  During  his 
time  in  this  position  he  had  been  in  twenty-one 
of  the  twenty-three  nations  of  the  Indian  Terri- 
tory, and  has  had  personal  interviews  with  many 
leading  Indians,  including  "Scar- Faced  Charley" 
and  "Steamboat  Frank,"  who  massacred  Custer. 
From  1869  to  1871  Mr.  Murray  held  a  pastor- 
ate in  Mound  City,  Kans. ,  after  which  he  re- 
ceived conference  appointments  to  various  places. 
He  entered  the  town  site  at  Oklahoma  City  and 
was  elected  the  first  mayor  of  the  place,  also 
served  as  president  of  the  Oklahoma  Town  Site 
Company,  that  city  having  been  founded  at  the 
time  that  he  was  superintendent  of  missions  in 
the  Indian  Territory  (1886-89).  In  1889  he 
came  to  Baldwin,  purchased  a  home,  and,  on 
account  of  ill  health,  took  a  superannuated  posi- 
tion in  the  conference.  When  the  president  of 
the  bank  at  Baldwin  died,  in  1891,  the  cashier  of 
the  bank,  iu  behalf  of  the  directors,  offered  Mr. 
Murray  the  presidency.  Although  he  had  no 
experience  in  banking  he  accepted  and  filled  the 
position  with  success,  continuing  until  1898, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  a  director  in  the 
institution.  Twice  he  was  elected  mayor  of 
Baldwin,  and  in  other  ways  the  people  have 
shown  that  they  hold  him  in  the  highest  respect. 


In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  with  prohibition 
sympathies.  Some  years  ago  he  was  asked  to 
act  as  financial  agent  of  Baker  University.  At 
the  time  of  his  appointment  he  was  asked  what 
salary  he  expected.  He  answered  "that  he 
would  give  his  services  and  board  himself," 
which  he  has  continued  to  do,  donating  his  serv- 
ices gratuitously  to  the  college  and  collecting 
considerable  money  for  the  institution.  He  is  a 
member  of  E.  D.  Baker  Post  No.  40,  G.  A.  R., 
and  for  one  year  acted  as  department  chaplain  for 
the  state  association.  He  and  his  wife  have  two 
daughters:  Jennie,  wife  of  R.  N.  Kemp;  and 
Mary,  who  married  James  E.  Hair,  cashier  of 
the  bank  at  Baldwin. 


(lOHN  A.  DAVENPORT,  Sr.,  was  born  in 
I  Belmont  County,  Ohio,  and  was  the  member 
C2)  of  an  old  and  honored  Virginian  family  of 
planters.  His  father  and  grandfather,  both  of 
whom  bore  the  same  name  as  himself,  were  born 
in  the  Old  Dominion,  and  were  extensive  planters 
and  tobacco  merchants,  their  plantations  being 
operated  by  their  slaves.  However,  the  father 
became  convinced  that  the  institution  of  slavery 
was  unjust,  and  in  order  to  free  himself  from  its 
influences  he  removed  to  Ohio,  taking  with  him 
his  eighty  slaves.  Purchasing  large  tracts  of 
land  he  presented  eighty  acres  to  each  colored 
man,  entailing  the  property  to  their  descendants. 
Upon  the  remainder  of  the  tract  he  carried  on, 
through  tenants,  agricultural  pursuits. 

Much  of  the  life  of  our  subject  was  passed  in 
Ohio,  and  for  years  he  carried  on  a  general  store  in 
Woodsfield.  In  187 1  he  came  to  Kansas,  settling 
upon  a  farm  near  Ottawa,  and  during  the  subse- 
quent years  of  his  life  he  identified  himself  closely 
with  the  growing  prosperity  of  Franklin  County, 
among  whose  citizens  he  was  known  and  honored. 
Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason.  He  was  active  in 
the  work  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  served  as  a  member  of  the  official  board. 
He  attained  the  age  of  seventy-nine,  dying  July 
13,  1898.  His  life  was  that  of  an  exemplary  cit- 
izen. He  always  stood  for  measures  to  benefit 
the  people  and  uplift  the  race.     During  the  Civil 


556 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


war  he  served  as  colonel  of  the  state  militia  at  the 
time  of  Morgan's  raid  in  Ohio,  being  one  of 
three  colonels  who  commanded  twenty  thousand 
men. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Davenport  united  him 
with  Margaret  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Ohio;  her 
father,  John  Smith,  having  moved  to  that  state 
from  Pennsj'lvania.  She  is  now  living  in  Ottawa. 
Of  her  six  children  all  but  one  are  still  living, 
one  son,  J.  W.,  being  a  merchant  of  this  city, 
while  another  son,  John  A.,  Jr.,  is  county  clerk. 


nOHN  A.  DAVENPORT,  Jr.,  clerk  of  Frank- 
I  lin  County  and  one  of  the  successful  busi- 
O  ness  men  of  Ottawa,  was  born  in  Woods- 
field,  Monroe  County,  Ohio,  September  30,  1858, 
and  was  fourth  among  the  six  children  of  his 
parents.  When  twelve  years  of  age  he  accom- 
panied the  family  to  Franklin  County  and  his 
education  was  completed  in  the  high  school  of 
Ottawa.  When  thirteen  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  People's  National  Bank  as  a  messenger 
boy,  continuing  in  that  position  for  eighteen 
months,  after  which  he  returned  to  high  school. 
Subsequently  he]clerked  in  a  mercantile  establish- 
ment. In  1 88 1  he  went  to  Des  Moines,  Iowa, 
where  he  engaged  in  coal  operating,  organizing 
the  Standard  Fuel  Company,  which  opened  four 
mines  in  the  vicinity  of  Des  Moines  and  had  its 
ofi&ce  in  that  city,  with  Mr.  Davenport  as  secre- 
tary. 

Selling  out  his  interest  in  the  concern  in  1886, 
Mr.  Davenport  returned  to  Ottawa,  where  he  has 
since  carried  on  the  grocery  business  in  the  same 
block,  his  location  being  No.  320  Main  street. 
He  has  built  up  the  largest  business  of  its  kind  in 
the  cit3'  and  is  known  as  a  reliable  business  man, 
who.se  dealings  are  always  fair  and  honorable. 
From  year  to  year  he  has  increased  his  stock  and 
the  aggregate  amount  of  his  sales,  while  reason- 
able prices  and  fair  dealing  have  brought  the 
store  into  favor  with  all  customers. 

In  politics  Mr.  Davenport  is  in  sympathy  with 
the  silver  wing  of  the  Republican  party,  being  a 
champion  of  the  free  coinage  of  silver  and  at  the 
same  time  a  believer  in  the  protection  of  home 


industries.  For  one  term  he  represented  the 
third  ward  in  the  city  council,  and  during  the 
last  year  of  the  term  he  served  as  president  of  the 
board.  In  1897  he  was  nominated  for  county 
clerk  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  endorsed  by  the 
Populists,  and  was  elected  by  a  large  majority, 
leading  his  ticket.  In  January,  1898,  he  took 
the  oath  of  ofiice,  and  has  since  given  his  time  to 
official  duties.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
Ottawa  Lodge  No.  128,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Franklin 
Chapter  No.  7,  R.  A.  M.,  and  in  religion  he  is 
identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  a  member  of  its  board  of  trustees.  The  Com- 
mercial Club  numbers  him  among  its  members. 
He  was  married  in  Springfield,  111.,  to  Miss  Ida 
Burkhart,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  and  by 
whom  he  has  two  sons,  John  Adrian  (the  fifth  of 
that  name  in  direct  line)  and  Walter. 


QHILIP  M.  lewis,  M.  D.,  who  is  a  success- 
L/'  ful  practicing  physician  of  Lecompton,  was 
[^  born  in  Delaware  County,  Ind.,  Februar}' 
20,  1841,  a  son  of  Ephraim  and  Sarah  (Johnson) 
Lewis.  He  is  one  of  sixteen  children,  of  whom 
the  following  survive:  Julia,  widow  of  David 
Conger,  of  Marshall  Countj',  Kans. ;  Philip  M.; 
Jefferson,  a  minister  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  residing  in  Lecompton;  Caleb,  of  Las 
Animas,  Colo.;  Margaret,  who  married  Archi- 
bald McLaughlin,  of  Nemaha  County,  Kans.; 
Susan,  wife  of  Claudius  McLaughlin,  of  Mar- 
shall County,  this  state;  Nancy  E.,  of  Frankfort, 
Marshall  County;  Ada  J.,  who  married  James 
Smith,  of  Oklahoma;  Sarah,  wife  of  J.  C.  Blair, 
of  Centralia,  Nemaha  County;  and  William, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  at 
Blue  Rapids,  Kans. 

A  native  of  Tennessee,  born  in  1809,  Ephraim 
Lewis  was  only  one  year  old  when  his  parents 
removed  to  Indiana  and  established  their  home 
in  a  blockhouse  in  Dearborn  County.  Some 
years  later  they  removed  to  what  was  known  as 
the  reserve,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state. 
When  Indiana  was  redivided  into  counties  they 
were  in  Delaware  County.  After  his  marriage 
Ephraim  Lewis  settled  upon  a  farm  in  that  coun- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


557 


ty  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  1845  he  re- 
moved to  Decatur  Countj',  where  he  made  his 
home  for  six  years.  Thence  he  went  to  Bartholo- 
mew County.  After  another  six  years  he  estab- 
Hshed  his  home  in  Jennings  County.  In  the 
fall  of  1857  he  came  to  Kansas,  settling  on  Sugar 
Creek  in  Linn  County.  He  experienced  the 
perils  and  riots  of  pro-slavery  and  free-state 
troubles.  In  1858  he  removed  to  Marshall  Coun- 
ty and  there  remained  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1893.  Though  he  was 
reared  a  Democrat,  after  he  settled  on  Kan- 
sas he  became  an  active  worker  in  the  free-soil 
party.  For  two  terms  he  served  as  county  com- 
missioner of  Marshall  County,  where  he  was  a 
very  influential  citizen. 

The  education  of  Dr.  Lewis  was  obtained  in 
public  schools  and  in  Lane  University.  In  1859 
he  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  ofiBce  of 
Dr.  A.  J.  Ockerman,  of  Marshall  County.  Dur- 
ing the  next  year  he  accompanied  his  preceptor, 
who  removed  to  Madison  County,  Iowa,  and 
there  spent  two  years.  On  the  death  of  Dr. 
Ockerman  he  continued  his  studies  under  Dr. 
A.  B.  vSmith.  In  1865-66  he  attended  Rush 
Medical  College  in  Chicago,  after  which  he  began 
to  practice,  as  an  under-graduate,  in  Madison 
County.  Two  years  later  he  returned  to  Kansas 
and  the  yeai"  1868  found  him  located  in  Lecomp- 
ton,  where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1883  he 
entered  Kansas  City  Medical  College,  from  which 
he  graduated  the  following  year.  Prior  to  this 
he  had  built  up  an  extensive  practice,  and  had 
gained  the  confidence  of  his  community  as  a 
skilled  practitioner.  Since  entering  in  partner- 
ship, in  1895,  with  Dr.  H.  L.  Chambers,  a  physi- 
cian and  surgeon  of  exceptional  ability,  he  has 
been  gradually  retiring  from  professional  prac- 
tice and  has  been  devoting  a  part  of  his  time  to 
the  growing  of  fancy  poultry. 

After  the  reorganization  of  the  town  of  Le- 
compton.  Dr.  Lewis  was  the  first  mayor  and  con- 
tinued in  that  office  for  five  years.  For  two 
terms  he  served  as  township  trustee.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  independent,  supporting  the  measures 
he  deems  best  for  the  country,  irrespective  of 
party.     In  1897  he  was  elected  president  of  the 


Kansas  State  Poultry  Association.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  in  re- 
ligion is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church.  By  his  marriage  to  Miss  Martha  J. 
Baird,  of  Warren  County,  Iowa,  three  children 
were  born,  two  of  whom  are  living,  Benjamin  E. 
and  Maggie  B.  The  son,  who  is  a  graduate  of 
Lane  University  and  holds  a  .state  teacher's  cer- 
tificate, is  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Centra- 
lia,  Kans.  Soon  after  graduating  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Hattie  E.  Snyder,  an  ac- 
complished young  lady,  daughter  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Snyder,  of  Lecompton.  The  daughter,  who  is  a 
talented  musician,  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  H.  L. 
Chambers,  of  Lecompton. 


GllvVIN  V.  SHARPE,  B.  S.,  LL.  B.,  attor- 
LJ  ney-at-law  and  justice  of  the  peace  of  Law- 
/  I  rence,  is  a  descendant  of  German  ancestry. 
His  great-grandfather  was  one  of  three  brothers 
who  came  from  Germany  and  settled  in  Ten- 
nessee, where  the  grandfather,  William  Sharpe, 
was  born.  The  latter  removed  to  the  north,  set- 
tling in  Hendricks  County,  Ind.  William  Sharpe, 
Jr.,  our  subject's  father,  was  born  near  Pitts- 
burg, that  county,  and  in  1862  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany C,  Seventieth  Indiana  Infantry,  of  which 
regiment  Col.  Benjamin  Harrison  was  commander. 
Among  the  engagements  in  which  he  took  part 
were  the  battles  of  Chattanooga  and  Missionary 
Ridge  and  those  along  the  line  of  Sherman's 
march  to  the  sea.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  re- 
turned to  Indiana.  A  few  years  later  he  removed 
to  Ringgold  County,  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in 
farm  pursuits.  In  1870  he  came  to  Kansas  and 
settled  upon  a  tract  of  land  near  Vilas,  Wilson 
County,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home, 
transforming  his  property  into  a  well-improved 
farm.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  re- 
ligion a  member  of  the  Christian  Church.  He  is 
interested  in  the  work  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  enjoys  meeting  his  old  comrades 
and  reviewing  with  them  the  events  of  the  Civil 
war  and  those  memorable  engagements  at  Rus- 
sellville,  Resaca,  Cassville,  New  Hope  Church, 
Lost   Mountain,   Kenesaw    Mountain,    Marilla, 


558 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Savannah,  Benton- 
ville,  Averborough,  etc.,  in  which  he  bore  so 
brave  and  gallant  a  part.  Two  of  his  brothers 
also  fought  bravely  in  defense  of  the  Union. 

The  marriage  of  William  Sharpe,  Jr.,  united 
him  with  Miss  Sarah  E.  McAninch,  who  was 
born  in  Hendricks  County,  Ind.,  and  died  in 
Wilson  County,  Kans.,  in  February,  1882.  Her 
father,  Joseph  McAninch,  was  of  Scotch  parent- 
age, and  with  two  of  his  sons  served  in  an  Indi- 
ana regiment  during  the  Civil  war.  He  is  still 
living  and  makes  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Ring- 
gold County,  Iowa.  Of  the  children  of  William 
and  Sarah  Sharpe  four  are  living,  viz.;  Alvin 
v.;  O.  Dayton,  a  practicing  physician  in  Neode- 
sha,  Kans.;  Mrs.  Minnie  Newman,  of  Neodesha; 
and  Mrs.  Etta  Wiggins,  also  of  Wilson  County. 
Our  subject,  who  was  the  oldest  of  the  family, 
was  born  near  Caledonia,  Ringgold  County, 
Iowa,  June  23,  1867.  From  three  years  of  age 
he  was  reared  upon  a  farm  in  Wilson  County, 
Kans.  After  completing  the  studies  of  the  schools 
there,  in  1888  he  entered  Lane  University,  from 
which  he  received  the  degree  of  B.  S.  a  few  years 
afterward.  He  then  entered  the  law  department 
of  the  University  of  Kansas,  where  he  took  the 
regular  course,  graduating  in  1893,  with  the  de- 
gree of  LL-  B.  Previous  to  this,  in  order  to  earn 
the  funds  necessary  for  his  university  course,  he 
had  devoted  some  attention  to  teaching.  In  1893 
he  opened  an  office  at  Yates  Center,  but  in  1895 
returned  to  Lawrence,  where  he  has  since  en- 
gaged in  practice,  with  the  exception  of  a  short 
period  spent  in  travel  as  attorney  and  collector  for 
the  Deeriug  Harvester  Company.  During  this 
time  he  traveled  through  North  Dakota,  Minne- 
sota and  Manitoba,  and  after  his  return  to  Law- 
rence he  represented  the  same  company  in  Kan- 
sas. In  March,  1899,  he  was  appointed  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  on  the  ist  of  April  was  elected 
to  theoflBce. 

June  7,  1S93,  in  Lawrence,  Mr.  Sharpe  mar- 
ried Miss  Linnie  Blakley  Worthington,  who  was 
born  in  New  York  state  and  received  her  educa- 
tion in  the  University  of  Kansas.  They  have  one 
child,  Maud.  The  family  attend  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church   and  are    identified  with    its 


work.  Fraternally  Mr.  Sharpe  is  connected  with 
the  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Sons  of  Veterans. 
In  politics  he  is  stanch  in  his  adherence  to  the 
Republican  party,  and  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Republican  county  central  committee. 


EYRUS  W.  FLORY.  Coming  to  Marion 
Township  in  1876,  Mr.  Flory  settled  on  what 
was  then  known  as  the  Metsker  farm  and 
since  that  time  he  has  been  associated  with  the 
agriculturists  of  his  part  of  Douglas  County. 
His  wife  is  the  owner  of  six  hundred  and  ninety 
acres  of  land  bearing  first-class  improvements,  in- 
cluding the  usual  buildings  found  on  a  first-class 
farm.  Besides  general  farming  he  is  interested 
in  the  stock  business  and  has  made  a  specialty  of 
feeding  cattle,  the  farm  being  admirably  adapted 
for  stock-raising  by  reason  of  the  abundance  of 
water  on  it.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  at  Lone  Star  with  his  brother,  J.  M. 
Flory,  under  the  firm  title  of  Flory  Brothers. 

Born  in  Whitley  County,  Ind.,  in  1852,  Mr. 
Flory  was  a  boy  of  almost  twelve  when  his  father, 
Christopher  Flory,  in  1864  removed  from  Indiana 
to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Willow  Springs  Town- 
ship, Douglas  County,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home  on  a  farm.  In  early  manhood  he  fol- 
lowed carpentering,  but  of  later  years  has  devoted 
himself  to  agriculture.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
received  his  education  principally  in  the  schools 
of  Willow  Springs  Township.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  started  out  for  himself  and,  for  a 
year,  had  charge  of  a  portion  of  the  home  farm. 
At  the  time  of  his  marriage,  February  24,  1876, 
he  moved  to  the  farm  where  he  has  since  resided. 

Taking  an  interest  in  all  local  affairs,  Mr. 
Flory  gives  his  support  to  measures  of  undoubted 
value  to  the  people.  Twice  he  was  the  Republi- 
can candidate  for  township  trustee,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  he  served  as  township  clerk  and  treas- 
urer, also  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  and 
assisted  in  the  building  of  Lone  Star  schoolhouse 
No.  47.  The  people  of  this  township  recognize 
his  moral  worth  and  hold  him  in  the  highest  re- 
gard as  a  man  and  a  citizen.  His  wife,  Sarah  E., 
daughter  of  John  C.  Metsker,  shares  with  him  in 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


559 


the  esteem  of  friends  and  associates.  Immedi- 
ately after  their  marriage  her  father,  Mr.  Metsker, 
gave  her  three  hundred  and  fift)' acres  of  land  and 
this  she  still  owns,  in  addition  to  three  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  they  have  since  bought..  They 
are  the  parents  of  five  children  now  living, 
namely:  Clarence  M.;  Jane  E.,  wife  of  W.  J. 
Anderson;  Leroy,  Wallace 0.,  and  Lola  M.  One 
son,  Claude,  died  of  diphtheria  when  three  years 
and  ten  months  old. 


f^EORGE  ADAM  SEUFERT,  who  is  a  re- 
l_  tired  farmer  and  stock-dealer  of  Stranger 
^_J  Township,  Leavenworth  County,  was  born 
in  Baden,  Germany,  May  i6,  1832,  a  son  of  Lewis 
Florian  and  Catherine  (Roland)  Seufert,  natives 
of  Germany  and  France  respectively.  His  father, 
who  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  came  to  America  in 
1836,  and  stopped  for  two  years  in  Rochester, 
N.  Y.  From  there  he  started  with  his  family 
for  the  west,  but  had  gone  only  as  far  as  Buffalo 
when  his  wife  was  taken  ill  with  fever  and  he  was 
obliged  to  stop.  He  became  interested  in  busi- 
ness in  that  city  and  was  so  successful  that  he 
employed  as  many  as  twenty-five  men.  About 
twenty  years  after  he  settled  in  Bufi"alo,  poor 
health  caused  him  to  retire  from  business  to  a 
farm  where  hecontinued  to  reside  for  twenty-four 
years.  Finally  he  came  to  Kansas  and  two  years 
later  he  died  here,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six. 
Of  his  six  children  three  are  living:  Catherine, 
wife  of  Florian  Seufert  and  a  resident  of  New 
York  state;  G.  Adam,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  Lewis,  a  farmer  in  Stranger  Township. 

When  four  years  of  age  our  subject  was  brought 
by  his  parents  to  America,  spending  forty-two 
days  upon  the  ocean  in  a  sailing  vessel.  He 
was  educated  in  Buffalo  schools.  For  seven  years 
he  worked  for  Holt  &  Palmer,  proprietors  of  a 
line  of  canal  boats.  Later  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. During  the  gold  excitement  of  1859  he 
went  to  California,  where  he  secured  work  as  a 
farm  hand,  remaining  until  the  spring  of  1863. 
On  his  return  to  Buffalo  he  resumed  agricultural 
pursuits  near  that  city.  In  the  fall  of  1867 
he  settled  in  Kansas  and  bought  one  hundred 
24 


and  sixty  acres  of  land,  of  which  twenty  acres 
had  been  broken.  The  only  building  on  the 
place  was  a  small  log  house.  For  twenty-five 
years  he  and  his  brother  operated  the  land  in 
partnership.  During  the  first  seven  months  they 
lived  in  the  log  cabin,  but  as  soon  as  they  had 
money  enough  they  built  a  more  substantial 
house.  From  time  to  time  they  added  to  their 
possessions.  They  were  shrewd,  cautious  and 
conservative  in  their  dealings,  and  never  gave  a 
note  or  mortgaged  their  property,  but  bought  for 
cash  onlj'.  At  the  time  of  the  division  of  their 
property,  in  1891,  they  had  five  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  on  which  they  raised  cattle,  horses 
and  mules,  as  well  as  engaged  in  general  farm 
pursuits. 

After  retiring  from  farming  our  subject  gave 
his  attention  more  closely  to  the  creamery  busi- 
ness, with  which  he  was  identified  until  the  spring 
of  1899.  He  is  still  interested  in  the  creamery 
at  Basehor  and  is  chairman  of  its  board  of  di- 
rectors. In  1S99  he  rented  much  of  his  land  and 
has  since  lived  retired.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church  and  a  contributor  to 
religious  enterprises.  Politically  he  was  reared 
a  Democrat.  For  ten  years  he  has  served  as 
school  director  and  for  twelve  years  has  acted  as 
township  treasurer.  In  1864  he  married  Marga- 
ret Leininger,  whose  home  was  twelve  miles  from 
the  city  of  Buffalo,  in  Erie  County,  N.  Y.  They 
are  the  parents  of  four  children:  George,  a  farmer 
of  Tonganoxie  Township;  Rosie,  who  married 
Harry  Levan,  of  Kansas  City;  John,  now  in  the 
Klondike;  and  Margaret. 


3 AMES  CONNOLLEY  SIMMONS,  former 
representative  of  the  fifteenth  district  in  the 
Kansas  legislature,  is  a  succes.sful  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  of  Franklin  County.  In  1890 
he  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  Franklin  Township 
one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Wellsville.  Prior 
to  that  time  he  had  engaged  in  buying  and  ship- 
ping cattle,  making  his  headquarters  in  Wells- 
ville. He  now  gives  even  more  attention  than 
previously  to  the  stock  business,  making  a  spe- 
cialty of  raising  Polled-Angus  cattle  and  Poland- 


56o 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


China  hogs.  While  he  farms  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  the  grain  raised  is  not  sufficient  to 
provide  feed  for  his  stock,  and  each  winter  he  is 
obliged  to  buy  some. 

In  Warren  County,  Ind.,  Mr.  Simmons  was 
born  December  23,  1850.  His  father,  Frank,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  was  a  seafaring  man  and  served 
on  a  British  man-of-war.  Upon  coming  to  this 
country  he  settled  in  Indiana,  where  he  became 
interested  in  farming  and  the  stock  business.  In 
February,  1856,  he  established  his  home  in  Law- 
rence, Kans.,  and  remained  there,  interested  in 
the  stock  business,  until  his  death.  A  stanch 
free-soiler  he  was  always  loyal  to  the  govern- 
ment, and  in  politics  voted  with  the  Republicans. 
He  was  twice  married,  both  times  in  Ohio,  and 
had  thirteen  children,  four  of  whom  were  born  in 
Indiana,  the  others  in  Kansas.  Of  these  our 
subject  was  next  to  the  eldest.  He  was  five 
years  of  age  when  the  family  settled  in  Kansas. 
His  mother  died  when  he  was  a  child,  and  when 
fourteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Texas,  where 
he  was  employed  as  a  cattle  puncher  on  the  trail 
from  that  time  until  he  was  twenty-one.  In  187 1 
he  returned  to  this  locality  and  began  to  improve 
some  land  in  Richmond  Township,  Miami  Coun- 
ty. All  the  grain  he  raised  was  used  to  feed  his 
stock,  as  even  at  that  time  he  was  interested  in 
the  stock  business.  In  1875  he  went  to  the 
Black  Hills,  but  after  a  year  returned  to  Wells- 
ville,  where  he  remained  until  removing  to  his 
present  farm. 

Active  in  the  Democratic  party  Mr.  Simmons 
attends  all  state  and  county  conventions,  and  has 
served  as  a  delegate  to  all  of  such  meetings  held 
since  1882.  For  six  years  he  was  chairman  of 
the  county  central  committee.  In  1892  he  was 
elected  to  fill  a  vacancy  as  register  of  deeds.  The 
next  year  he  was  elected  for  a  full  term,  being 
the  only  Democrat  in  his  congressional  district 
who  was  successful  in  being  elected.  In  1896  he 
was  elected  to  the  legislature,  receiving  a  major- 
ity of  more  than  five  hundred  and  forty,  although 
the  county  is  Republican.  Under  his  influence 
the  county  was  divided  into  two  districts.  While 
ia  the  house  he  served  as  member  of  the  railroad, 
judiciary,  congressional  and  judicial  apportion- 


ment committees.  During  Cleveland's  first  ad- 
ministration he  held  the  office  of  postmaster  at 
Wellsville.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  Select  Knights  at  Wellsville,  and 
is  also  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows'  lodge 
there. 

By  his  first  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Sarah  A.  Copeland,  Mr.  Simmons  had  one 
child,  now  deceased.  September  7,  188 1,  he 
married  Kate  E.  Nutt,  by  whom  he  has  six 
children,  namely:  Mary  Olive,  John  Francis, 
William  Ross,  Mattie  L.,  Ida  1,.  and  Ray  E. 


pCjlLLIAM  SPURGEON,  who  is  an  enter- 
I  A/  P'''-'''"?  business  man  of  Lawrence,  is  a 
VV  descendant  of  an  old  eastern  family.  His 
father,  Jasper  Spurgeon,  who  was  born  in  Indi- 
ana, removed  from  there  to  Jasper  County,  Mo., 
and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  When  the 
war  broke  out  he  found  that  his  section  of  coun- 
try was  in  the  thickest  of  the  secession  region. 
He  himself  was  a  stanch  Union  man,  yet  he  was 
so  honorable  in  character  and  so  fair-minded  that 
he  retained  the  respect  of  his  Confederate  neigh- 
bors. Feeling,  however,  that  his  family  would 
be  safer  elsewhere,  he  moved  them  to  Fort  Scott, 
Kans.,  and,  after  seeing  that  they  were  provided 
with  needed  comforts-,  started  back  to  his  Mis- 
souri farm.  While  on  the  way  he  was  attacked 
and  killed  by  bushwhackers.  He  was  then  forty 
years  of  age.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Dorcas  Foster,  was  born  in  Indiana, 
and  descended,  through  her  mother,  from  the 
Jackson  family  of  North  Carolina.  She  died  in 
Jasper  County  a  short  time  after  the  death  of  her 
husband,  leaving  five  daughters  and  one  son. 

Born  in  Greencastle,  Ind.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  seven  years  of  age  when  his  father 
was  killed.  His  mother  being  unable  to  continue 
the  management  of  the  two  farms  they  owned, 
sold  them  immediately  after  the  war,  when  prices 
were  low.  They  have  since  become  very  valu- 
able, and  on  one  of  them,  six  miles  southeast  of 
Joplin,  is  a  popular  summer  resort.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  our  subject  came  from  Fort  Scott  to 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


561 


Lawrence,  where  his  sister,  Mrs.  Hyatt,  made 
her  home.  He  sta3-ed  with  her  for  a  time,  and 
was  then  taken  into  the  home  of  his  uncle,  Mar- 
tin Sedgwick,  who  adopted  him.  There  he  grew 
to  manhood.  Early  made  familiar  with  agri- 
cultural pursuits  he  operated  his  uncle's  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixt}'  acres  in  Kanwaka  Town- 
ship, to  which  in  time  he  fell  heir.  In  1893  he 
sold  the  place  and  bought  a  livery  barn  at  No. 
820  Vermont  street,  Lawrence,  where  he  has 
improved  and  enlarged  the  building,  now  40x108 
feet,  two  stories,  and  has  since  carried  on  a  livery 
and  feed  business.  He  has  a  genial  disposition 
that  makes  him  popular  among  his  patrons. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally 
holds  membership  with  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen. 


r 


(pi  LDAMAR  P.  ELDER,  president  of  the  Ot- 
U  tawa  Foundry  Company  and  president  and 
I  I  manager  of  the  Ottawa  Gas  and  Heating 
Company,  is  one  of  the  most  successful  business 
men  of  Ottawa.  He  was  born  in  Kenduskeag, 
Me.,  April  17,  1854,  a  son  of  Gov.  P.  P.  Elder, 
of  Ottawa,  one  of  the  most  eminent  men  of  Kan- 
sas. He  was  four  years  of  age  when  the  family 
came  to  Kansas,  and  his  childhood  years  were 
passed  in  Ohio  City,  Fort  Scott  and  Baldwin 
City  until  1866,  since  which  time  he  has  made 
his  home  in  Ottawa.  From  1871  to  1873  he  con- 
ducted his  studies  in  the  University  of  Kansas. 
When  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Railroad 
was  completed  he  went  to  Texas  and  was  em- 
ployed as  clerk  in  the  grocery  house  of  Fuller  & 
Hyatt  at  Denison.  On  returning  to  Ottawa  in 
January,  1874,  by  special  act  of  the  legislature 
passed  allowing  him  to  exercise  the  rights  of  ma- 
jority, he  bought  the  hardware  stock  of  S.  D. 
Smith,  and  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  at 
No.  126  South  Main  street.  In  1882,  by  consoli- 
dation with  H.  C.  Bronson,  the  Bronson-Elder 
Hardware  Company  was  formed,  this  being  in- 
corporated with  Mr.  Bronson  as  president  and 
Mr.  Elder  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  location 
of  the  business  was  at  No.  216  South  Main,  and 
the  trade  built  up  was  large  and  profitable.  After 
some  years  the  Ottawa  Foundry   Company  was 


organized,  with  Mr.  Elder  as  president.  In  the 
meantime  Mr.  Elder  had  acquired  a  controlling 
interest  in  the  gas  works  and  was  made  superin- 
tendent of  that  plant. 

A  division  of  the  hardware  stock  was  made  in 
1888,  when  Mr.  Elder  took  the  plumbing  and 
gas- fitting  part  of  the  business.  For  some  years 
he  remained  at  No.  220  South  Main,  but  in  1895 
removed  to  No.  208  South  Main,  where  he  has 
three  floors,  25x125.  He  carries  all  the  leading 
lines  of  stoves  and  ranges  in  stock,  and  has  put 
in  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  furnaces  in 
Franklin  and  adjoining  counties.  He  has  had 
the  contracts  for  the  finest  plumbing,  steam  and 
gas-fitting  in  Ottawa,  including  that  for  the 
Rohrbaugh  Opera  House,  Baptist  Church,  Peo- 
ple's National  Bank,  First  National  Bank,  court 
house,  county  infirmary,  the  residences  of  H.  A. 
Dunn,  Lyman  Reid  and  others.  The  contract 
for  the  residence  of  Lyman  Reid  was  one  of  his 
latest  and  most  important.  In  it  the  plumbing  is 
complete  and  modern  in  every  detail.  A  water 
motor  in  the  basement,  operated  b}-  city  water 
pressure,  forces  soft  cistern  water  automatically  to 
the  various  fixtures  throughout  the  house.  Two 
lavatories,  enameled  laundry  tubs,  bath  room 
with  tiled  floor,  enameled  sink  in  photographer's 
dark  room,  etc.,  render  the  house  perfect  as  to 
plumbing;  while  the  heating  is  by  the  hot  water 
single  pipe  system,  with  large  boiler  and  Zenith 
radiators  of  ornamental  design.  No  residence  in 
Kansas  is  more  complete  as  to  plumbing  and 
heating  than  this,  and  Mr.  Elder  received  num- 
erous congratulations  upon  the  success  of  his 
work. 

In  addition  to  his  other  business  Mr.  Elder 
handles  bicycles,  making  a  specialty  of  the  Cres- 
cent, and  he  also  sells  windmills  and  pumps.  He 
has  enlarged  the  gas  plant  to  a  capacity  of  one 
hundred  thousand  feet,  and  has  made  the  enter- 
prise a  profitable  one.  He  is  secretary  of  the 
Master  Plumbers'  Association  of  the  State  of 
Kansas.  For  twenty-five  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  fire  department,  of  which  he  was 
chief  for  ten  years.  For  two  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  school  board.  Politically  he  was 
formerly  a  Populist  but  is  now  a  Democrat.   He  is 


562 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


connected  with  the  blue  lodge  and  chapter  of 
Masonry,  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Fraternal  Aid. 
For  two  j'ears  he  was  president  of  the  State  Fire- 
men's Association,  and  served  on  its  committee 
on  legislation.  He  was  the  author  of  two  laws 
now  on  the  statute  books  of  the  state,  one  of 
which  levies  a  tax  of  two  per  cent  of  gross  pre- 
miums on  fire  insurance  companies  in  cities 
where  organized  fire  departments  are  maintained, 
this  fund  being  for  the  relief  of  firemen  injured  in 
fires  or  for  their  families. 

In  Ottawa,  in  1876,  Mr.  Elder  married  Clara 
M.,  daughter  of  William  H.  Maxwell,  formerly 
a  prominent  attorney  of  Jonesboro,  Tenn.,  but 
later  a  practicing  lawyer  in  Ottawa,  and  finally  a 
resident  of  Paoli,  where  he  died.  Mrs.  Elder 
was  born  in  Jonesboro  and  received  her  educa- 
tion in  the  Ottawa  University.  To  their  marriage 
three  children  were  born:  Raymond  E.,  P.  P., 
Jr.,  and  Clara  D.  The  older  son,  who  assisted 
his  father  in  business,  enlisted  in  May,  1898,  in 
Company  K,  Twentieth  Kansas  Infantry,  and 
served  as  corporal  until  honorably  discharged  at 
San  Francisco  in  October  of  the  same  year. 


r~  RED  RUDER,  a  pioneer  of  1857,  is  still  en- 
r^  gaged  in  business  in  Leavenworth.  In  July, 
I  1884,  he  started  a  harness  shop  at  No.  731 
Shawnee  street,  buying  the  propertj'  which  then 
had  an  old  frame  building  on  it.  He  continued 
in  the  same  shop  until  1895,  when  he  built  a 
two-story  brick  structure,  which  gives  him  a  fine 
store  room  besides  the  rooms  above.  In  addition 
to  the  harness  manufactured  he  carries  a  large 
stock  of  saddles,  and  the  trade  is  so  large  that  he 
and  his  son  are  kept  steadily  employed,  at  times 
other  assistance  being  required.  The  business  is 
carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  Fred  Ruder 
&Son. 

In  Liverpool,  Medina  County,  Ohio,  Mr. 
Ruder  was  born  May  28,  1835.  His  father, 
George,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  and  came 
to  America  in  1833,  crossing  in  a  sailing-vessel 
which  was  wrecked  near  the  coast  of  Ireland. 
Upon  reaching  the  new  world  he  engaged  in 
farming  in  Ohio.     Our  subject's  educational  ad- 


vantages were  meagre,  as  he  was  able  to  attend 
school  onl}'  three  months  in  the  3'ear.  His  time 
was  devoted  principally  to  clearing  the  home  farm. 
When  fourteen  years  of  age  he  began  to  work  in 
Cleveland,  and  three  years  later  he  was  appren- 
ticed to  the  harnessmaker's  trade,  at  which  he 
served  until  twenty-one.  He  then  went  to  Chi- 
cago, and  after  a  short  time  at  his  trade,  in  the 
spring  of  1S57  came  to  Kansas,  arriving  in  Leav- 
enworth April  15.  Here  he  was  employed  as  a 
saddler  in  the  government  ser\dce.  He  made  many 
trips  to  the  west  for  the  government,  being  gone 
from  six  months  to  two  years  at  a  time,  and 
working  at  Forts  Dodge  and  Lyon  and  on  the  Un- 
compahgre.  Much  of  his  time  was  given  to  the 
repairing  of  harness  for  trains.  In  1869  he  bought 
eighty  acres  of  partly  improved  land  in  Leaven- 
worth County  and  established  his  family  in  the 
log  cabin  there,  while  he  engaged  in  clearing  up 
the  land.  During  some  of  his  longer  trips  for  the 
government  the  familj'  remained  on  the  farm. 
During  this  time  he  made  the  equipments  for  the 
cavalry  at  the  arsenal  here  and  also  worked  at 
Rock  Island.  In  February,  1884,  he  brought  his 
family  to  Leavenworth. 

Though  not  active  in  politics,  Mr.  Ruder  has 
served  his  party,  the  Republican,  as  delegate  to 
conventions  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  Reared  a  Lutheran,  he  inclines  toward 
that  faith.  In  1862  he  married  Mary  Helling, 
who  was  born  in  Cleveland,  her  father,  Henry 
Helling,  having  at  one  time  been  a  manufacturer 
there.  The  seven  children  comprising  their  fam- 
ily are  Amelia  (deceased),  Fred  W. ,  Caroline 
M.,  Andrew  G.,  Sarah  J.  (principal  of  the  Ot- 
tawa street  public  school),  Anna  B.,  and  Charles 
H.,  who  works  with  his  father.  The  second  son 
is  superintendent  of  a  factory  at  the  state  peni- 
tentiary. The  oldest  son,  who  is  his  father's 
business  partner,  was  born  at  Fort  Leavenworth 
and  has  been  a  lifelong  resident  of  this  county. 
Having  been  carefully  instructed  in  the  harness 
business  by  his  father,  he  is  well  fitted  to  engage 
successfully  in  the  business.  Since  June,  1896, 
he  has  been  in  partnership  with  his  father.  He 
is  a  thorough  workman  and  gives  his  time  closely 
to  details  of  the  business.     He  is  connected  with 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


563 


the  Leavenworth  Turn  Verein  and  in  politics  is 
a  Republican.  His  marriage  took  place  Decem- 
ber 9,  1896,  and  united  him  with  Ida  Wettig,  of 
this  city. 

EHARLES  BOS  WORTH.  Eleven  miles  east 
of  Ottawa,  and  five  miles  south  of  Wells- 
ville,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Peoria 
Township,  Franklin  County,  lies  one  of  the  finest 
farms  of  this  region.  It  is  the  property  of  Mr. 
Bosworth,  and  lies  on  sections  21,  22,  23,  26  and 
27.  At  the  time  he  came  here  the  land  was  raw 
prairie,  but  he  has  transformed  it  into  a  valuable 
farm.  By  various  purchases  he  became  the 
owner  of  three  thousand  acres,  out  of  which  he 
gave  to  each  of  his  children  a  farm.  He  now 
conducts  twenty-two  hundred  acres,  of  which  one 
thousand  acres  are  in  Barber  County,  Kans.  Of 
his  property  fifteen  hundred  acres  have  been 
under  the  plow,  but  the  land  is  now  mostly  in 
tame  grass  for  the  pasturage  of  stock,  and  the 
corn  raised  is  also  used  for  feed.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  Hereford  cattle,  of  which  he  now 
owns  three  hundred  head.  Without  doubt  he  is 
the  largest  land  owner  and  heaviest  stockman  in 
the  county.  His  farm  bears  all  of  the  modern 
improvements.  The  residence  is  surrounded  by 
large  grounds,  with  shade  trees  that  were  set  out 
by  him.  The  farm  buildings  on  Mr.  Bosworth's 
property  are  the  finest  in  Franklin  County,  and 
among  the  best  and  most  attractive  in  the  state 
of  Kansas.  It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note  that  he 
has  distributed  more  money  in  wages  than  any 
other  farmer  in  Franklin  County. 

The  ancestry  of  the  Bosworth  family  is  traced 
back  to  Bosworth,  England,  a  place  associated 
with  the  celebrated  battle  of  Bosworth  Field, 
where,  in  Augu.st,  1485,  was  fought  a  battle  that, 
with  the  death  of  Richard  III.,  terminated  the 
war  of  the  Roses.  Cyrus  Bosworth,  our  subject's 
father,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  immedi- 
ately after  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  18 12 
migrated  to  Ohio.  It  had  been  his  intention  to 
engage  in  a  seafaring  life,  but  the  boat  he  had  in 
process  of  building  was  burned  by  the  British, 
and  he  then  abandoned  the  plan  and  went  to 
Ohio,  where  he  followed  farming.     In   politics  a 


Whig,  he  served  as  sheriff  and  representative. 
In  religion  he  was  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  in  which  he  preached  often.  His  death 
occurred  about  the  time  of  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  war.  In  his  native  county  of  Plymouth  he 
married  Sina  Strowbridge,  by  whom  he  had 
fourteen  children,  but  eight  died  in  infancy,  and 
only  our  subject  and  a  sister  survive.  By  a  sec- 
ond marriage  he  had  two  children. 

Born  in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  July  27,  1824, 
our  subject  was  educated  in  common  schools  and 
Bethany  College  in  West  Virginia,  which  he  at- 
tended for  one  term.  At  an  early  age  he  became 
familiar  with  the  stock  business.  His  father  was 
one  of  the  first  to  introduce  fine  stock  into  Trum- 
bull County.  He  also  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  with  Granville  W.  Sears,  furni.shing  the 
Cleveland  &  Pittsburg  Railroad  Company  with 
all  the  oak  timber  they  used  during  a  period  of 
three  and  a-half  years.  Both  during  and  imme- 
diately after  the  war  he  was  successful  in  a  finan- 
cial way.  In  July,  1869,  he  arrived  in  Kansas. 
His  father-in-law,  Mr.  Sears,  and  the  latter's 
two  sons,  had  come  herein  1857,  and  had  taken 
up  about  ten  quarter-sections  of  land,  holding  it 
until  1869,  when  our  subject,  who  was  in  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Sears  in  the  sawmill  business, 
traded  his  interest  in  the  sawmill  and  land  for 
the  Kansas  land.  On  this  property  he  settled, 
and  to  it  he  added  from  year  to  year  until  his 
possessions  became  very  large  and  valuable.  He 
votes  with  the  Republicans,  and  in  religion  is 
identified  with  the  Christian  Church. 

In  Ohio,  January  i,  1856,  Mr.  Bosworth  mar- 
ried Mary  E.  Sears,  whose  father  was  born  in 
New  York  and  her  mother  in  New  Jersey.  Of 
their  seven  children  five  are  living,  namely: 
Granville  Sears,  a  farmer  of  Peoria  Township; 
Frances  E.;  Mrs.  Belle  Moherman,  of  Peoria 
Township;  Mrs.  Clara  Castle,  whose  husband  is 
an  instructor  in  Harvard  College;  and  Laura. 

At  the  time  of  the  sale  of  the  lands  in  the 
Peoria  Reservation  in  1857,  Mrs.  Bosworth's 
father,  Granville  W.  Sears,  accompanied  by  his 
two  sons,  John  M.  and  James  M.,  came  to  Kan- 
sas, and  secured,  by  purchase  and  locating  of 
warrants,  ten  quarter-sections  of  land  in  Franklin 


564 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  Miami  Counties.  This  original  acquisition 
subsequently  became  the  property  of  Mr.  Bos- 
worth,  who  has  added  to  it  since  that  time  by  the 
purchase  of  six  quarter- sections.  Of  the  whole 
property  he  has  in  recent  years  deeded  twelve 
hundred  acres  to  his  children. 


(TUDGE  LEWIS  S.  STEELE,  of  Lawrence, 
I  came  to  Kansa.s  June  i,  1857,  and  located  a 
(2/  claim  near  Clinton,  Douglas  County.  He 
was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  September  15 
1833,  a  son  of  Col.  J.  C.  and  Elizabeth  F, 
(McLean)  Steele,  natives  respectively  of  Chilli 
cothe,  Ohio,  and  Pennsylvania.  His  grand 
father,  Robert  Steele,  who  was  born  in  West 
moreland  County,  Pa.,  and  followed  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Chilli 
cothe,  having  gone  there  prior  to  1800,  while  it 
was  still  the  capital  of  the  territory.  With  lum- 
ber that  he  had  sawed  and  nails  that  he  manu- 
factured he  engaged  in  making  furniture  in  that 
city,  and  also  followed  general  building,  erecting 
the  first  capitol  of  Ohio  at  Chillicothe.  Later  he 
settled  on  a  farm  not  far  distant.  He  was  of 
Presbyterian-Scotch  ancestry.  His  death  oc- 
curred when  he  was  eighty-four.  His  wife  was 
a  daughter  of  Dr.  Johnston,  of  Chillicothe. 

By  trade  Col.  J.  C.  Steele  was  a  carpenter,  but 
he  followed  farming  during  much  of  his  life.  In 
1848  he  settled  at  South  Salem,  Ohio.  He  aided 
in  the  construction  of  the  Cincinnati  &  Marietta 
Railroad,  in  which  he  was  a  director.  In  1857 
he  brought  his  family  to  Kansas  and  settled  on  a 
claim  at  Bloomington,  where  he  improved  a  farm 
and  made  his  home  until  he  died,  in  1878,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-eight.  Through  his  having  served 
as  the  commander  of  the  Ohio  state  militia  he 
was  always  known  as  Colonel.  He  was  a  m'em- 
ber  of  the  first  anti-slavery  society  in  the  United 
States,  joining  it  about  1833.  He  was  a  candi- 
date for  congress  in  Ohio  on  the  free-soil  ticket, 
but  was  defeated  with  his  party.  While  in  the 
east  he  was  a  prominent  temperance  worker,  as 
well  as  an  advocate  of  abolition  of  slavery.  In 
1854  a  colony  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  lo- 
cating in   Kansas,   but  complications  arose  and 


the  men  determined  to  locate  in  Iowa.  He  there- 
fore removed  to  Warren  Count j',  that  state,  when 
he  pushed  on  to  Kansas,  and  in  March  located  a 
claim.  From  that  time  he  worked  to  secure  the 
admission  of  Kansas  as  a  free  state.  He  was  a 
loyal  patriot  and  gave  five  of  his  sons  to  the 
Union  service.  In  religion  he  was  a  Presbyterian 
and  served  his  church  as  an  elder. 

October  5,  1826,  Colonel  Steele  married  a 
daughter  of  Alexander  McLean,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  Scotland  and  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Ross 
County,  Ohio.  She  had  an  uncle,  D.  V.  Mc- 
Lean, D.  D.,  of  Princeton,  N.  J.,  who  was  one  of 
the  most  famous  preachers  in  this  country.  Her 
death  occurred  February  3,  1868.  Of  her  chil- 
dren, Mary  v.,  Mrs.  R.  A.  Dean,  resides  in  Law- 
rence. Robert,  who  was  captain  of  a  company 
that  took  part  in  driving  Price  out  of  the  state, 
died  in  Belvoir,  Douglas  County,  Kans. ,  in  1898. 
Lewis  S.  was  third  in  the  family.  Col.  James  M., 
who  was  first  the  captain  of  Company  E,  Twelfth 
Kansas  Infantry,  later  .served  as  lieutenant-colonel 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  United 
States  Colored  Troops,  consisting  of  five  compa- 
nies; he  now  resides  at  Emporia,  Kans.,  and  is 
cashier  of  the  Emporia  National  Bank.  Evaline 
is  the  widow  of  C.  F.  Woodward,  of  Boise  City, 
Idaho.  Amasa  J.,  who  was  captain  of  the  Ninth 
Kansas  Infantry  in  the  Civil  war,  died  in  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  February  11,  1874.  Ira  T.,  who 
took  part  in  the  Price  raid,  is  postmaster  and  a 
merchant  at  Belvoir,  Kans. ,  and  a  large  farmer 
there.  The  youngest  child,  Marcus,  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  acquired 
mainly  in  Salem  Academy,  which  his  father  had 
assisted  in  starting.  After  teaching  one  term  of 
school,  in  1854  he  went  to  Omaha,  Neb.,  and 
spent  one  winter  there,  later  settling  in  Indian- 
ola,  Iowa,  where  he  studied  law  with  R.  W.  Steele, 
an  uncle.  In  1856  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
The  next  year  he  came  to  Kansas  and  settled  at 
Bloomington,  Douglas  County,  where  he  took  up 
a  claim.  In  i860  he  crossed  the  plains  with 
oxen,  following  the  Platte  route,  and  arriving  in 
Denver  after  a  trip  of  forty  days.  From  Denver 
he  went  to  South  Park,  Buckskin  Joe  and  Cali- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


565 


fornia  Gulch,  after  which  he  crossed  the  Snowj' 
range  and  mined  in  Washington  Gulch.  In  the 
fall  of  1862  he  returned  to  the  vicinity  of  Cali- 
fornia Gulch,  thence  went  to  Denver,  where  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  Companj'  C,  Third  Colo- 
rado Infantry,  with  which  he  marched  to  Leav- 
enworth and  Iron  Mountain.  He  took  part  in 
the  capture  of  Camden  Point  and  Liberty,  the 
battles  of  the  Blue,  Independence,  Mares  Des- 
Cyne  and  Newtouia.  At  the  consolidation  of  the 
Second  and  Third  Colorado  Infantries  at  Rolla, 
Mo.,  in  December,  1863,  he  was  assigned  to 
Company  K,  Second  Regiment,  and  remained  in 
it  until  he  was  mustered  out,  September  25,  1865. 
From  the  close  of  the  war  until  his  discharge  he 
was  engaged  on  the  plains  in  protecting  military 
posts,  and  during  that  time  had  several  skirmishes 
with  the  Indians. 

After  leaving  the  array  he  located  at  Clinton, 
Kans.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  milling  business 
until  1872.  During  that  year  he  came  to  Law- 
rence and  began  to  practice  law,  also  embarked 
in  the  real-estate  and  abstract  business,  in  which 
he  has  since  continued.  He  has  subdivided  Earl '  s 
addition  to  the  east  of  the  city,  has  a  complete 
abstract  book  of  the  county,  and  has  dealt  in 
farm  lands  in  this,  Jefferson  and  Leavenworth 
Counties.  From  1878  to  1880  he  was  police 
judge  and  justice  of  the  peace,  and  the  former 
office  he  held  again  from  1895  to  1897.  A  stanch 
Republican  he  assisted  in  organizing  that  party 
in  Iowa  in  1854,  when  its  platform  was  far  from 
popular.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Law- 
rence Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  he  is 
past  master.  He  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Dean,  are 
the  only  survivors  of  the  original  members  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Lawrence,  this  be 
ing  in  1858.  For  years  he  served  as  an  elder 
and  trustee  of  the  church.  In  1870  he  became 
connected  with  the  Grand  Army  and  is  now  a 
member  of  Washington  Post  No.  12. 

The  marriage  of  Judge  Steele  took  place  in 
Lawrence,  February  8,  1866,  and  united  him 
with  Louisa  A.  Blakely,  who  was  born  in  Mari- 
etta, Ohio,  and  died  in  Lawrence  in  1896.  Her 
father.  Rev.  A.  Blakely,  who  descended  from 
"Mayflower"  stock,  was  a  pioneer  Presbyterian 


minister  in  Kansas,  where  he  settled  in  1864. 
He  organized  the  new  school  Presbyterian  Church 
at  Lawrence,  which  is  now  consolidated  with  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  of  which  he  was  pastor 
until  he  died.  Two  of  his  sons,  Charles  and 
John  R.,  were  members  of  the  Ninth  Regiment 
New  York  Artillery.  Charles  was  killed  in  the 
battle  of  Cold  Harbor.  John  R.,  who  was  hon- 
orably discharged  owing  to  physical  disability, 
returned  home  and  died  there  soon  afterward. 
Judge  and  Mrs.  Steele  became  the  parents  of  four 
sons.  Charles  A.,  the  eldest  of  the  family,  resides 
in  Lawrence.  John  M.,  a  newspaper  correspond- 
ent, enlisted  in  Company  H,  Twentieth  Kansas 
Infantry,  and  went  to  the  Philippines,  where  he 
took  part  in  various  battles  and  has  been  editor 
of  the  Manila  American.  James  L. ,  a  graduate 
of  the  University  of  Kansas  in  1895,  is  a  practic- 
ing lawyer  of  Lawrence.  Horace  E. ,  the  young- 
est son,  while  a  student  in  Park  College,  Mo., 
left  to  enlist  in  the  Spanish-American  war,  be- 
coming a  member  of  Company  B,  Third  Missouri 
Infantry,  May  14,  1898.  He  was  stationed  at 
Camp  Alger,  but  finding  his  regiment  would  not 
see  active  service,  he  secured  a  muster-out  by 
special  order,  November  7,  1898.  He  then  has- 
tened to  San  Francisco,  intending  to  enlist  in  the 
Twentieth  Kansas  Infantry,  but  arrived  there  too 
late,  the  troops  having  just  started  for  the  Phil- 
ippines, so  he  returned  to  Park  College.  The 
sons  are  identified  with  the  Sons  of  Veterans  and 
are  bright  and  promising  young  men,  of  whose 
future  it  is  safe  to  predict  that  their  father's 
hopes  will  be  fully  realized. 


30HN  TUDHOPE.  The  life  of  this  success- 
ful farmer  of  Leavenworth  County  furnishes 
an  example  of  what  may  be  accomplished  by 
persistence,  determination  and  energy.  The  fact 
that,  starting  without  means,  he  has  attained  a 
commendable  success  is  an  encouragement  to 
every  young  man  who  starts  now  under  similar 
circumstances.  His  farm  in  the  Kaw  River  bot- 
tom is  one  of  the  finest  in  Sherman  Township, 
and  consists  of  five  hundred  and  twenty-four  and 
a-half  acres.     When  he  purchased  the  nucleus  of 


566 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  propertj-,  in  1869,  the  Delaware  reserve  land 
had  just  been  placed  on  the  market  and  he  bought 
fifty-six  acres,  to  which  he  has  since  added  fre- 
quently. He  is  engaged  in  raising  stock  and 
cereals,  but  makes  a  specialty  of  growing  pota- 
toes, to  which  he  has  planted  from  one  hundred 
and  fifty  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  per  year. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Scotland  April  10, 
1833,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Esther  (Alston)  Tud- 
hope.  His  father,  who  came  to  the  United  States 
about  1848,  settled  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  en- 
gaged in  railroad  contracting.  About  1854  he 
removed  to  Ohio  and  there  remained  until  his 
death,  at  seventy-six  years.  During  the  Rebel- 
lion he  enlisted  from  Allegheny  City  in  the  Sev- 
enty-seventh Pennsylvania  Infantry,  and  contin- 
ued at  the  front  until  the  close  of  the  war,  after 
which  he  accompanied  his  regiment  to  Texas  to 
investigate  the  Mexican  affairs.  When  mustered 
out  he  held  the  rank  of  sergeant.  Returning  to 
his  Ohio  farm  he  resumed  agricultural  pursuits, 
in  which  he  continued  uninterruptedly  until  his 
retirement.  In  politics  he  voted  the  Republican 
ticket.  His  wife  died  in  Ohio  when  eighty-two 
years  of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  John; 
James,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg; William,  now  of  Oregon,  who  enlisted  in 
Pennsylvania  under  Johnson  to  fight  the  Mor- 
mons, and  also  took  part  in  the  Civil  war  as  a 
member  of  the  Fourth  United  States  Cavalry; 
Margaret,  Jane  and  Marion. 

At  the  time  the  family  came  to  America  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  fifteen  years  of  age. 
About  1852  he  secured  employment  at  track-lay- 
ing on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  near  Alle- 
gheny City,  and  afterward  for  many  years  he  was 
interested  in  railroad  work.  For  sixteen  years 
he  made  his  home  in  Nevada,  Wyandot  County, 
Ohio,  meantime  engaging  in  construction  and  re- 
pair work  on  railroads.  In  1867  he  came  to 
Kansas  and  settled  at  what  is  now  Liuwood. 
From  that  time  until  1893  he  was  employed  on 
the  Union  Pacific  Road  and  had  charge  of  repairs 
of  the  tracks  as  roadmaster  from  Kansas  City  to 
Junction  City.  Since  1893  he  has  given  his  at- 
tention wholly  to  agricultural  pursuits.      In  poli- 


tics he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  His  first  vote 
was  cast  for  S.  P.  Chase,  governor  of  Ohio,  and 
his  first  presidential  ballot  for  John  C.  Fremont. 
For  twenty-nine  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  meantime  taking  a  very  active 
part  in  educational  matters;  but,  while  willing  to 
accept  this  position,  he  has  always  refused  polit- 
ical ofiices.  Since  1854  he  has  been  a  Mason. 
He  is  a  member  of  Lawrence  Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M. ;  De  Molay  Commandery  No.  4,  K.  T. , 
and  Lawrence  Chapter  No.  4  at  Lawrence.  He 
has  taken  the  twentieth  degree  in  Scottish  Rite. 
He  is  also  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Honor. 
While  in  Ohio  he  was  connected  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  the  Congre- 
gational Church,  of  which  he  is  a  member,  he 
serves  as  trustee  and  is  an  active  worker. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  took  place  Jul}' 
24,  1854,  a"d  united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Will- 
iamson, of  Ohio,  member  of  a  Quaker  family  of 
that  state.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  John; 
Sarah  Esther,  who  is  the  wife  of  Hugh  Perry; 
Mary,  Mrs.  D.  C.  Harbaugh;  and  James. 


REV.  JOHN  M.  SULLIVAN,  a  retired  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  minister  residing  in  Bald- 
win, Douglas  Count)',  was  born  in  Fayet- 
teville.  Brown  County,  Ohio,  Decembers,  1827. 
His  father,  John,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  removed 
to  Ohio  with  his  parents  in  boyhood  and  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life  in  that  state,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  died  at  forty -seven  years. 
He  married  Sarah  Hull,  who  was  born  in  Ohio 
and  died  there  at  thirty-two  years.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  John  Hull,  probably  an  emigrant 
from  Germany  to  this  country,  where  he  became 
a  man-  of  influence  and  served  under  Washington 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  In  religion  she  was 
identified  with  the  United  Brethren  Church.  At 
her  death  she  left  three  children,  the  eldest  being 
John  M.  The  second  son,  Peter,  who  was  a 
blacksmith  by  trade,  served  in  the  Seventh  Illi- 
nois Infantry  during  the  Civil  war,  and  there 
contracted  the  disease  that  ultimately  caused  his 
death.     He  was  very  popular  among  the  people 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


567 


of  Pittsfield,  111.,  where  he  resided.  A  stanch 
Democrat,  he  was  elected  on  the  part)'  ticket  to 
various  town  and  county  ofEces,  all  of  which  he 
filled  with  credit  to  himself.  The  only  daughter 
in  the  family  is  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Joseph  Baer 
and  a  resident  of  Georgetown,  Ohio.  The  pater- 
nal grandfather  of  our  subject,  Patrick  O.  Sulli- 
van, was  born  near  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  in  boy- 
hood ran  away  from  home  to  become  a  sailor. 
After  some  years  he  abandoned  his  seafaring  life 
and  settled  in  Kentucky,  where  he  followed  farm- 
ing. His  last  years  were  spent  upon  a  farm  in 
Ohio,  where  he  died,  of  paralysis,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years.  He  married  Miss  Rachael  Fritz, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of  German  ex- 
traction, and  died  in  Ohio  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years,  leaving  seven  children.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  Church. 

At  the  time  of  his  mother's  death  our  subject 
was  fifteen  years  of  age.  He  learned  the  shoe- 
maker's trade  afterward  and  followed  it  for  a 
time.  At  the  opening  of  the  Mexican  war  he  en- 
listed as  a  private  in  Company  C,  Second  Ohio 
Infantry,  and  in  a  short  time  was  made  a  non- 
commissioned officer.  After  serving  for  a  year 
he  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  army,  and 
returned  to  Ohio.  Later  he  attended  Oberlin 
College,  then  taught  a  district  school  for  two 
years  and  for  a  similar  period  was  principal  of 
the  Fayetteville  graded  schools.  Meantime  he 
had  determined  to  enter  the  ministry.  With  this 
object  in  view  he  secured  admission  to  the  Cin- 
cinnati conference,  and  was  assigned  as  junior 
preacher  on  the  East  White  Oak  circuit  for  a 
year.  His  first  charge  was  in  Mount  Washing- 
ton, Ohio.  He  continued  in  that  state  until  the 
spring  of  1870,  when  he  came  to  Kansas  and  for 
two  years  was  stationed  in  Manhattan,  for  two 
years  at  Waterville,  three  years  at  Holton  and 
four  years  in  the  Leavenworth  district.  In  1877 
he  moved  his  family  to  Baldwin,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home. 

During  the  war  Mr.  Sullivan  was  for  two  years 
chaplain  of  the  Seventieth  Ohio  Infantry,  and 
he  still  has  in  his  possession  a  splendid  letter  of 
recommendation  received  from  the  colonel  of  the 
regiment.      After  serving  as  chaplain    for    two 


3'ears  the  condition  of  his  health  forced  him  to 
resign.  For  two  years  he  was  chaplain  of  the 
house  of.  representatives  in  Kansas.  For  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  been  a  trustee 
of  Baker  University,  being,  with  the  exception 
of  Dr.  Dennison,  of  Topeka,  Kans. ,  the  only 
trustee  who  has  served  for  so  long  a  period.  In 
1 88 1  he  received  the  appointment  of  agent  for  the 
university  and  had  charge  of  the  financial  manage- 
ment of  the  institution,  raising  $10,000  with 
which  to  pay  its  indebtedness.  Since  188 1  he 
has  also  been  a  trustee  of  the  Chautauqua  as- 
sembly at  Ottawa,  Kans.  For  several  years  he 
was  president  of  the  State  Methodist  Episcopal 
Educational  Association,  and  while  at  Holton  he 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  examiners  and  also 
taught  in  the  teachers'  institute.  Since  his  re- 
tirement from  the  ministry  he  has  had  leisure  for 
participation  in  public  aifairs  and  has  been  active 
in  the  Republican  party. 

July  21,  1853,  Mr.  Sullivan  married  Lucy  M. 
Sweet,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  but  reared  in 
Ohio,  and  is  a  lady  of  intelligence,  amiable  dis- 
position and  refinement  of  character.  They  are 
the  parents  of  four  children  now  living,  namely: 
Benjamin  M.,  a  carpenter  and  builder  in  Topeka, 
Kans.;  Emma  S.,  wife  of  Henry  Siegrist,  cashier 
of  a  wholesale  house  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Sadie, 
wife  of  Rev.  John  S.  Colt,  who  graduated  from 
Baker  University  and  is  now  a  prominent  minister 
of  Allegheny,  Pa.;  and  Lyman,  who  graduated 
from  the  business  department  of  Baker  Uni- 
versity and  is  employed  in  a  store  in  Baldwin. 


IT  W.  ELDRIDGE,  M.  D.,  city  physician  of 
1^  Lawrence,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Cincinnati 
L_  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  from 
which  he  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1879.  For  a  year  afterward  he  was  em- 
ployed as  interne  in  the  Cincinnati  hospital,  after 
which  he  returned  to  his  native  county  of  Elk- 
hart, Ind.  In  188 1  he  opened  an  office  at  Alma, 
Wabaunsee  County,  Kans.,  where,  in  addition 
to  his  general  practice,  he  served  as  county  coro- 
ner for  two  terms  and  as  county  health  officer  for 
five  years,   also  as  local   surgeon   to    the  Rock 


568 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Island  Railroad  for  six  years,  county  physician 
for  one  year,  and  member  of  the  board  of  pension 
examiners  for  two  terms,  under  Presidents  Har- 
rison and  Cleveland.  In  1891  he  removed  to 
Alta  Vista,  and  from  there,  in  April,  1897,  came 
to  Lawrence,  where  he  has  his  ofl&ce  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Massachusetts  and  Henry  streets.  In  May, 
1898,  he  was  appointed  by  Mayor  Gould  to  the 
office  of  city  physician. 

Dr.  Eldridge  was  born  in  Elkhart  County, 
Ind.,  March  19,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  W. 
and  Jerusha  (Walker)  Eldridge,  natives  of  Ohio 
and  Vermont  respectively.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Walter  Eldridge,  was  born  in  Vermont, 
whence  he  removed  to  Ohio,  and  in  1837  settled 
in  Indiana,  where  he  died.  The  maternal  grand- 
father, Lucius  Walker,  also  settled  upon  an 
Indiana  farm  in  1837;  he  was  a  son  of  Elijah 
Walker,  a  Revolutionary  soldier  who  died  in 
Vermont  and  whose  ancestors,  of  English  origin, 
had  removed  from  Connecticut  to  Vermont  in  an 
early  day.  Joseph  W.  Eldridge  was  a  carpenter 
and  cabinet-maker  by  trade.  He  removed  from 
Indiana  to  Iowa,  thence  to  Kansas,  and  assisted 
in  building  all  of  the  depots  on  the  Rock  Island 
Railroad  west  of  the  Missouri.  He  is  now  living 
retired  at  Fremont,  Neb.  His  wife  died  in  1854, 
when  their  younger  son  was  an  infant,  and  left 
two  children,  the  elder  of  whom.  Noble,  is  a 
contractor  in  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa. 

The  boyhood  days  of  Dr.  Eldridge  were  spent 
with  his  grandparents  Walker  on  a  farm.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  high  school  at 
Goshen,  Ind.,  after  which  he  engaged  in  school 
teaching  for  four  years.  The  study  of  medicine 
hecommenced  under  Dr.  F.  M.  Aitken,  of  Elkhart, 
Ind.,  and  later  carried  it  on  in  one  of  the  best 
medical  colleges  of  that  time.  He  gives  careful 
thought  to  every  development  made  in  the  sci- 
ence which  he  has  selected  for  his  life  work  and 
keeps  in  touch  with  the  latest  discoveries  in  ther- 
apeutics. He  is  a  member  of  the  Douglas  Coun- 
ty and  State  Medical  Societies,  in  the  work  of 
which  he  takes  an  interest.  Politically  he  ad- 
heres to  Republican  principles,  and  in  religion  is 
a  Methodist,  while  fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Modern  Woodmen,  Independent  Order 


of  Odd  Fellows  and  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Se- 
curity, of  which  he  is  examiner.  While  living 
in  Wabaunsee  County  he  married  Miss  Lena 
Moggie,  who  was  born  and  reared  there,  and  by 
whom  he  has  two  children,  Jessie  and  Ferris. 


0EORGE  C.  APPLETON,  recorder  of  deeds 
l_  of  Franklin  County,  was  appointed  by  the 
^_>|  board  of  county  commissioners  to  fill  a  va- 
cancy in  this  office,  caused  by  the  death  of  his 
father,  G.  F.  Appleton,  the  former  incumbent. 
While  he  had  previously  been  devoting  himself 
to  an  entirely  diff"erent  line  of  business,  he  has 
nevertheless  discharged  the  duties  of  his  office 
systematically  and  satisfactorily,  and  has  proved 
himself  a  capable  official.  In  disposition  he  is 
genial  and  affable,  and  these  qualities  have  won 
for  him  friends  among  the  best  people  of  his 
county. 

The  Appleton  family  removed  from  Massachu- 
setts to  New  Hampshire  at  an  early  daj'.  S.  S. 
Appleton,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  was  for 
years  general  agent  of  the  Vermont  Central 
Railroad  at  Burlington,  Vt.,  where  he  died.  His 
son,  G.  F. ,  was  with  the  Vermont  Central,  first 
as  city  ticket  agent  in  Burlington  and  later  as  a 
passenger  conductor.  During  the  Civil  war  he 
served  for  almost  three  years  as  captain  of  Com- 
pany D,  Tenth  Vermont  Infantry,  assigned  to 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  but  on  account  of 
physical  disability  he  was  discharged  before  the 
close  of  the  war.  In  1873  he  came  to  Kansas, 
settling  on  a  farm  near  Williamsburg,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  raising  horses  of  the 
Hambletonian  strand.  His  horses  he  brought 
from  the  east  and  some  of  them  were  very  fine. 
On  his  place  of  six  hundred  and  twenty  acres  he 
had  a  race  track,  where  he  trained  his  horses  for 
the  turf.  On  finally  abandoning  the  horse  busi- 
ness he  became  a  conductor  on  the  Missouri  Pa- 
cific Railroad  between  Kansas  City  and  Sedalia, 
where  he  continued  for  some  years.  He  then  re- 
turned to  his  farm  and  was  living  there  when  in 
1895  he  was  elected  register  of  deeds  on  the  fu- 
sion ticket.  Two  years  later  he  was  re-elected 
by  a  large  majority.     He  took  the  oath  of  ofiice 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


569 


January  6,  1896,  and  continued  in  ofEce  until  he 
died,  April  12,  1899.  He  was  a  man  whose 
friends  were  as  numerous  as  his  acquaintances. 
Seen  under  whatever  circumstances  he  might  be, 
he  always  proved  himself  a  gentleman.  Frank- 
lin County  had  few  men  more  popular  or  better 
known  than  he,  and  his  death  was  universally 
regretted. 

The  marriage  of  G.  F.  Appleton  united  him 
with  Miss  Jennie  Abernathy,  who  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  of  English  and  Scotch  descent, 
and  is  now  living  in  Ottawa,  making  her  home 
with  her  only  living  child,  having  lost  her 
daughter  Jennie  in  1897.  I'te  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born  in  Burlington,  Vt.,  May  17, 
1871,  and  was  reared  in  Ottawa,  where  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools.  At  eighteen  years  of 
age  he  secured  a  clerkship  with  Baldwin  &  Stone, 
after  which  he  became  interested  in  railroading, 
being  employed  with  the  Illinois  Central,  Rock 
Island  and  St.  Paul  roads,  both  in  the  yard  and 
the  train  service.  In  January,  1899,  he  returned 
to  Ottawa  and  entered  the  register's  office  as 
clerk.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father  he  succeeded 
to  the  office,  to  serve  until  January,  1900. 


EHARLES  HEMAN  CHAPIN.  Adjoining 
the  village  of  Springdale,  in  Alexandria 
Township,  Leavenworth  County,  lies  the 
farm  where  for  years  Mr.  Chapin  made  his  home. 
He  was  a  man  who  stood  foremost  among  the 
citizens  of  his  county  and  also  wielded  consider- 
able influence  throughout  Kansas,  of  which  he 
was  a  pioneer.  Born  in  Bloomfield,  N.  Y.,  March 
17,  1S22,  he  was  a  son  of  Heman  Chapin,  who 
engaged  in  various  pursuits,  but  made  agriculture 
his  chief  occupation  in  life.  After  completing 
his  education  in  Canandaigua,  N.  Y. ,  he  entered  a 
bank  at  EUicottville,  that  state,  and  continued  in 
the  same  concern  until  1856,  when  he  resigned  a 
lucrative  position  in  order  to  come  west  for  the 
purpose  of  identifying  himself  with  the  free-state 
movement  in  Kansas. 

During  the  troubles  before  the  admission  of 
Kansas  as  a  state  Mr.  Chapin  was  associated 
with  Gov.  Charles  H.  Robinson  and  other  men 


of  prominence.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  First  Kansas  In- 
fantry, and  was  conmissioned  quartermaster  by 
Governor  Robinson.  This  position  he  held  until 
the  disastrous  battle  of  Wilson's  Creek,  Mo., 
September  11,  1861.  In  that  engagement,  when 
General  Lyon  was  shot,  he  was  carried  under  a 
tree  and  left  there  until  the  battle  was  ended. 
Upon  the  withdrawal  of  the  Union  and  Con- 
federate forces  Mr.  Chapin  returned  to  the  battle- 
field with  his  ambulances,  in  order  to  gather  the 
wounded.  He  found  that  the  body  of  General 
Lyon  had  been  put  in  an  ambulance,  but  as  he 
did  not  have  room  for  the  dead  and  the  wounded 
both,  he  gave  orders  that  the  wounded  be  cared 
for  first,  hoping  thus  to  save  many  lives.  One  of 
the  men  exclaimed,  "But  this  is  General  Lyon." 
His  reply  was,  "A  live  soldier  is  better  than  a 
dead  general."  Afterward,  when  the  wounded 
had  been  removed,  he  carried  the  body  of  the 
general  from  the  field. 

Owing  to  ill  health  Mr.  Chapin  resigned  his 
commission  and  returned  home.  He  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising  and  was  one  of 
the  first  to  inaugurate  the  growing  of  fruit  in  this 
locality.  He  took  a  special  interest  in  horticult- 
ure. In  1869-70  he  was  chairman  of  the  board 
of  commissioners,  to  which  board  he  was  elected 
on  the  Democratic  ticket.  Under  Major  Howell, 
of  the  United  States  Engineers,  he  was  employed 
by  the  government  in  the  dredging  of  the  mouth 
of  the  Mississippi  River  in  1874-75.  After  his 
return  to  Leavenworth  County  he  became  an  ex- 
tensive contractor  in  the  erection  of  bridges.  He 
was  intimately  associated  with  the  growth  of  his 
county  and  was  a  man  of  great  public  spirit. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Chapin  united  him 
with  Miss  Abbie  Clark,  who  died,  leaving  a  son, 
Staley  N.  Chapin,  now  a  physician  in  Chicago. 
August  30,  1864,  he  married  Jennie  L.  Day,  by 
whom  he  had  three  children,  namely:  Oliver  C, 
who  is  a  civil  engineer  and  also  has  charge  of 
the  home  estate;  Charles  R. ,  who  is  in  the  elec- 
trical business;  and  Mary  C. ,  who  is  a  graduate 
in  pharmacy.  Mrs.  Chapin  was  born  in  Erie 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  in  early  childhood  was  taken 
to  Wisconsin  by  her  parents,  Stephen  and  Lucy 


57° 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


(Wilder)  Day.  Since  her  husband's  death  she 
has  continued  to  reside  on  the  old  homestead, 
which  comprises  a  half-section  of  land  directly 
west  of  Springdale.  The  property  is  managed 
by  her  son,  Oliver,  a  taan  of  business  enterprise, 
who  has  leased  land  in  the  Osage  Lands,  I.  T. , 
and  expects  to  embark  extensively  in  stock-rais- 
ing. 

After  many  years  devoted  to  farming  and 
bridge-building,  Mr.  Chapin  died  suddenly,  of 
heart  trouble,  October  28,  1889.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  many  testimonials  of  his  worth  were 
given  to  his  family.  Citizens  united  in  admiring 
his  character  and  upright  life.  As  a  soldier  he 
was  faithful  to  every  duty;  as  a  business  man 
conservative  and  judicious;  and  as  a  citizen  pro- 
gressive. 

(TJAMUEL  W.  ABERNATHY,  who  is  one  of 
2\  the  most  enterprising  business  men  of  Otta- 
Q)  wa,  was  born  in  Morrow,  Warren  County, 
Ohio,  December  8,  1857,  a  son  of  James  W.  and 
Abigail  (Thompson)  Abernathy,  natives  respec- 
tively of  Brown  and  Union  Counties,  Ohio.  His 
maternal  grandfather,  Rev.  William  Thompson, 
was  a  minister  in  the  Christian  Church,  while 
his  paternal  grandfather,  Samuel  Abernathy,  a 
native  of  the  north  of  Ireland,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Brown  County.  From  Warren  County, 
where  he  had  owned  a  farm,  James  W.  Abernathy 
moved  to  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  and  there  he 
still  resides.  His  wife  died  in  1891.  Of  their 
eleven  children  five  are  now  living. 

At  the  time  the  family  settled  in  Clermont 
County  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  eight  years 
of  age.  He  received  public  school  advantages 
and  remained  at  home  until  seventeen  years  of 
age,  when  he  secured  work  as  a  clerk.  After- 
ward he  was  employed  as  street  car  conductor  in 
Cincinnati  for  .several  years.  In  1882  he  came  to 
Ottawa,  Kans.,  and  began  in  business  as  collector 
for  the  Singer  Sewing  Machine  Company.  After 
nine  months  he  went  to  Lawrence,  where  he  was 
first  connected  with  a  piano  house  and  later  with 
a  sewing  machine  firm.  He  remained  in  Law- 
rence from  June,  1883  to  1885,  when  he  returned 
to  Ottawa    and    began   in  the  sewing   machine 


business  for  himself  on  Main  street.  Gradually 
his  trade  increased  and  he  began  to  handle  differ- 
ent articles.  In  1887  he  bought  a  stock  of  mu- 
sical instruments.  This  proved  so  profitable  and 
the  business  became  so  large  that  he  finally 
turned  his  whole  attention  to  it,  and  is  now  sole 
proprietor  of  the  Abernathy  Music  Company, 
which  has  several  branch  agencies  and  employs 
from  eight  to  ten  traveling  salesmen  in  south- 
eastern Kansas.  The  original  location  of  the 
business  was  No.  218  Main  street,  but  after  four 
years,  in  May,  1891,  the  headquarters  were 
changed  to  No.  221  Main  street.  The  success  of 
this  enterprise  is  due  almost  wholly  to  the  energy 
of  its  founder,  who  is  a  man  of  business  ability 
and  manages  every  detail  of  the  business  with  a 
keen  eye  and  quick  mind.  His  purchases  of 
pianos  and  organs  are  made  in  the  factory  and 
they  are  shipped  to  Ottawa  in  carload  lots,  thence 
reshipped  to  different  points  as  ordered.  In  stock 
are  carried  not  only  pianos  and  organs  of  the 
principal  makes,  but  also  mandolins,  guitars,  vio- 
lins and  other  popular  instruments. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Abernathy  is  connected  with 
the  uniform  rank  of  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  married  in  Otta- 
wa to  Prudence  S.  Grant,  who  was  born  in  Cler- 
mont County,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  James  Harris 
Grant.  They  are  the  parents  of  six  children, 
Blanche  B.,  Ella  F.,  Francis  F.,  Abbie  E.,  Pru- 
dence M.  and  Samuel  G. 


HENRY  T.  DIESTELHORST,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  furniture  and  undertaking 
business  in  Williamsburg,  Franklin  Coun- 
ty, was  born  at  Polle-Adwah,  province  of  Han- 
over, Germany,  in  1851.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
years,  leaving  school,  he  began  to  learn  the  trade 
of  a  cabinet-maker,  at  which  he  served  for  three 
years,  and  afterward  followed  the  trade  as  a  jour- 
neyman. When  twenty-one  years  old  he  came 
to  the  United  States,  and  after  a  voyage  of  four- 
teen days  on  the  steamship  "Wehser,"  of  the 
Star  line,  he  landed  in  New  York  September  14, 
1852.  After  landing  he  proceeded  to  Hamilton, 
Mo.,  where  his  older  brother  was  engaged  in  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


571 


furniture  business.  Soon  afterward  he  went  to 
St.  Joe,  Mo.,  where  he  secured  emploj-ment  in  the 
furniture  factory  of  Louis  Hex.  His  next  loca- 
tion was  in  Gallatin,  Mo. ,  where  he  remained  for 
a  few  months  with  an  uncle. 

Coming  to  Kansas  in  the  spring  of  1873,  Mr. 
Diestelhorst  worked  in  a  furniture  factory  at 
Leavenworth  for  a  short  time.  In  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  he  removed  to  Ottawa,  where  for  five 
years  he  followed  his  trade.  The  year  1877 
found  him  in  Williamsburg,  which  was  then  a 
small  village.  He  purchased  the  furniture  busi- 
ness owned  by  John  Boston,  and  at  once  began  to 
enlarge  his  trade,  carrying  a  full  line  of  furniture 
and  manufacturing  much  that  he  sold.  Since 
then  he  has  added  an  undertaking  business,  and 
in  both  lines  is  well  and  favorably  known  through 
the  southern  part  of  Franklin  County.  In  1889 
he  erected  on  Main  street  the  business  block 
which  he  has  since  occupied,  and  he  has  also 
built  another  block  and  a  residence  in  the  town. 

For  several  years  Mr.  Diestelhorst  served  as 
township  treasurer,  having  been  elected  to  the 
office  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  is  active  and 
interested  in  local  matters,  and  is  loyal  in  every 
respect  to  his  adopted  country.  He  is  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Fraternal 
Aid  Association.  In  1879  he  married  Matilda 
Reiner,  of  Lawrence,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
five  children:  Ernest  T.,  Ethel  A.,  Herman, 
Luther  and  Mary  H. 


Gl  UGUST  L.  SELIG,  ex-mayor  of  Lawrence, 
U  has  been  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  in 
I  I  this  city  since  1874.  He  aided  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Kansas  Building  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion, of  which  he  has  been  secretary  from  the 
first,  and  which  occupies  offices  in  the  Selig 
building,  a  two-story  brick  structure  erected 
in  1885.  For  three  years  he  was  state  agent  in 
Kan.sas  and  Colorado  for  the  New  York  Under- 
writers' Association,  and  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  traveled  all  through  these  states.  He  rep- 
resents twenty-two  of  the  strongest  old-line  com- 
panies in  fire  insurance,  also  the  Mutual  Benefit 
Life   Insurance   Company  of  New  Jersey,    and 


places  insurance  on  plate  glass,  steam  boilers, 
besides  representing  an  accident  and  a  fidelity 
and  casualty  insurance  company. 

Mr.  Selig  was  born  in  Hamburg,  Germany, 
August  6,  1846,  a  son  of  W.  H.  and  Elizabeth 
(Mackenthum)  Selig,  natives  of  Hanover  and 
Hamburg.  His  father,  who  was  a  builder  in  the 
latter  city,  came  to  America  in  1858  and  settled 
in  Douglas  County,  Kans.  In  the  summer  of 
1 86 1  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Second  Kansas 
Cavalry.  He  was  wounded  at  Poison  Springs, 
Ark.,and  taken  prisoner.  The  Confederates  started 
for  Tyler,  Tex.,  but  on  the  way  he  became  so  ex- 
hausted from  his  wound  that  he  could  proceed 
no  further.  A  guard  was  left  with  him  to  bring 
him  up  to  the  camp  as  soou  as  able,  but  the 
guard  shot  him,  and  no  one  knows  his  burial 
place.  His  wife  died  in  Germany  in  1852,  leav- 
ing four  children:  Bertha,  Mrs.  Lahmer,  of  Law- 
rence; A.  L. ;  Charles,  who  at  thirteen  years 
enlisted  as  a  bugler  in  Company  F,  Second  Kan- 
sas Cavalry,  and  served  until  theclose  of  the  war, 
since  which  he  has  made  his  home  in  Kansas; 
and  Mrs.  Minnie  Gardner,  of  Lawrence. 

The  early  boyhood  years  of  our  subject's  life 
were  spent  in  Hamburg  and  Schleswig-Holstein, 
then  a  part  of  Denmark,  where  his  father  had  a 
large  brick  yard  and  exported  brick  to  the  United 
States.  In  1858  he  and  his  father  left  Hamburg 
on  the  "Harmonia"  and  after  a  voyage  of  two 
weeks,  during  which  time  they  touched  at  South- 
ampton, England,  they  landed  at  Castle  Garden. 
In  September  they  reached  Leavenworth,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1859  came  to  Lawrence,  where  the 
other  children  joined  them.  During  that  year 
he  went  to  Belleville,  111.,  where  he  secured 
work  on  a  farm.  In  September,  1861,  he  wrote 
home  to  say  that  he  had  volunteered  in  the  Union 
army  and  received  word  in  reply  that  his  father 
and  brother  had  also  enlisted.  He  became  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  E,  Forty-ninth  Illinois  Infantry, 
under  Col.  W.  R.  Morrison,  and  was  mustered 
in  at  Camp  Butler.  February  16,  1862,  he  was 
in  the  battle  of  Fort  Donelson,  where  the  Union 
forces  gained  their  first  decisive  victory.  He 
was  also  at  Shiloh,  the  siege  of  Corinth,  the  tak- 
ing of  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  and  the  battle  of  Pleas- 


572 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ant  Hill,  La.  During  the  Red  River  expedi- 
tion the  first  and  second  divisions  were  detached  at 
Vicksburg  from  the  sixteenth  army  corps,  of  which 
his  regiment  formed  a  part,  and  went  to  assist  Gen- 
eral Banks,  arriving  in  tjme  to  save  his  army  from 
annihilation.  Later,  going  to  Memphis,  the  com- 
mand was  sent  into  Mississippi,  in  the  fall  of 
1864,  to  destroy  railroad  lines,  and  drove  Price 
out  of  Missouri.  Returning  to  Nashville,  they 
arrived  there  the  morning  after  the  battle  of  Frank- 
lin had  been  fought.  It  had  been  a  race  between 
General  Schofield  and  General  Hood  as  to  which 
should  reach  Nashville  first,  and  the  two  divis- 
ions to  which  our  subject  belonged  were  thrown 
across  Hood's  front  to  check  his  progress.  Two 
weeks  later  the  battle  of  Nashville  was  fought, 
where  Hood's  army  was  completely  routed. 
During  much  of  his  service  in  war  Mr.  Selig 
was  with  the  first  and  third  divisions  (known  as 
the"Flying  Detachments"of  the  Sixteenth  Army 
Corps,  which  formed  under  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith 
after  leaving  Vicksburg.  He  was  never  wounded 
nor  off  duty  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  an 
attack  of  fever  confined  him  in  a  hospital  at  Pa- 
ducah,  Ky.  He  soon  recovered  and  was  made 
hospital  steward.  He  had  veteranized  at  Mem- 
phis in  1864  and  was  mustered  out  as  first  cor- 
poral in  September,  1865,  after  a  service  of  four 
years  lacking  fourteen  days.  While  in  the  army 
he  had  studied  under  a  Scotch-Irishman,  his  text 
book  being  the  Missouri  Democrat  (now  the  St. 
Louis  Globe  Democrat).  With  the  help  of  his 
friend  he  was  able  in  two  years  to  keep  the 
company's  books. 

On  leaving  the  army  and  returning  to  Law- 
rence Mr.  Selig  served  for  three  years  at  the  tin- 
ner's trade,  and  then  opened  a  hardware  store  in 
Xenia,  Kans.  After  two  and  one-half  years  he 
returned  to  Lawrence  and  resumed  work,  but 
meantime  continued  his  studies  until  he  had  ac- 
quired, by  self-application,  a  good  education. 
He  has  since  been  a  prosperous  business  man  of 
this  city.  Here  he  married  Miss  Mary  F.  Park, 
who  was  born  in  Mitchell,  Ind.,  and  in  1866 
came  to  Lawrence,  with  her  father,  John  Park. 
The  latter  had  been  sergeant  in  an  Ohio  regi- 
ment and  on  coming  to  Lawrence  started  the  in- 


surance business  which  Mr.  Selig  now  conducts. 
Louis  F.,  the  oldest  son  of  Mr.  Selig,  is  interested 
in  business  with  his  father.  John  E.,  the  second 
son,  is  in  charge  of  the  city  trade  of  the  Theodore 
Poehler  Mercantile  Company.  Ernest  T.,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  class  of  1901 ,  University  of 
Kansas,  is  now  electrician  at  the  Insane  Asylum 
atTopeka,  Kans.  Harry  Garfield  left  the  Law- 
rence Business  College  to  enlist  in  Company  H, 
Twentieth  Kansas  Infantry,  which  he  accom- 
panied to  Manila,  taking  part  in  battles  there. 
The  youngest  son,  George  A. ,  is  with  his  parents. 
From  1890  to  1891,  inclusive,  Mr.  Selig  served 
in  the  city  council.  During  his  second  year  as 
councilman  he  was  nominated  for  the  mayor's 
office,  on  the  Republican  ticket,  and  was  elected 
without  opposition.  In  1895  was  again  elected 
without  opposition,  serving  until  May,  1897. 
During  his  first  term  he  was  instrumental  in  se- 
curing a  sewer  system  in  Lawrence,  the  benefits 
of  which,  though  not  at  first  appreciated,  have 
since  been  fully  recognized.  During  his  second 
term  he  inaugurated  street  improvements  that  are 
being  continued.  He  is  a  member  of  Washington 
Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  and  aided  in  organizing 
the  Sons  of  Veterans  in  Lawrence,  with  whom 
he  was  formerly  connected.  Fraternally  he  is 
senior  warden  of  Acacia  Lodge  No.  9,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.;  past  high  priest  of  Lawrence  Chapter  No. 
4,  R.  A.  M.,  and  past  eminent  commander  of 
De  Molay  Commandery  No.  4,  K.  T.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  and  takes  a  warm  interest  in  the 
work  of  this  denomination. 


KEELSON  M.  CHANDLER,  a  pioneer  of 
yl  Franklin  County,  has  been  identified  with 
1 1^  the  history  of  this  part  of  Kansas  for  many 
years,  and  has  been  especially  active  in  Harrison 
Township,  where  he  owns  eighty  acres  of  good 
land.  A  careful  and  close  observer  of  public 
events  and  national  crises,  he  has  always  been 
independent  in  his  views,  supporting  men  rather 
than  parties.  He  was  an  admirer  of  Andrew 
Jackson,  Abraham  Lincoln  and,  later,  of  William 
Jennings  Bryan.      Educational  work   has  been 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


573 


given  his  constant  assistance,  while  as  clerk  of 
the  district  for  four  years  and  as  school  director 
for  some  time  he  was  able  to  be  especially  help- 
ful to  the  local  schools.  For  seven  years  he  was 
township  clerk,  for  one  year  served  as  township 
trustee,  and  for  some  years  he  has  held  the  ofiBce 
of  township  treasurer. 

A  son  of  John  and  Waitstill  (Shaw)  Chandler, 
our  subject  was  born  at  Potsdam,  St.  Lawrence 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  was  one  of  four  children,  of 
whom  one  besides  himself  survives,  the  other  be- 
ing NaomiS.,  wife  of  J.  P.  Perro,  of  California. 
His  father,  who  was  born  at  Barre,  Mass. ,  April 
9,  1783,  accompanied  his  parents  from  that  place 
to  Potsdam,  N.  Y.,  in  1813,  and  there  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  was  devoted  to  farm  work. 
For  several  years  he  served  as  highway  commis- 
sioner and  supervisor,  and  he  also  did  considera- 
ble to  aid  in  the  development  of  the  schools  of  his 
district.  He  was  a  public-spirited  man,  ambi- 
tious not  only  for  his  own  advancement  but  also 
for  the  prosperity  of  his  community.  In  the  work 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  he  was  quite  active. 
Politically  he  voted  with  the  Democrats. 

Stephen,  father  of  John  Chandler,  was  born 
August  23,  1753,  and  settled  in  New  York  in 
18 1 3,  his  later  years  being  spent  in  that  state. 
During  the  entire  period  of  the  Revolutionary 
war  he  served  as  a  member  of  Washington's 
army.  He  was  a  sonof  Josiah  Chandler,  born  at 
Pomfret,  Conn.,  August  2,  1724,  and  a  lifelong 
resident  of  Connecticut,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  Joseph,  father  of  Josiah,  was  born  in 
Roxbury,  Mass.,  June  4,  1683,  and  in  early  life 
removed  to  Pomfret,  Conn.,  where  he  married 
and  afterward  resided.  His  father,  John,  who 
was  born  in  England  in  1636,  was  only  one  year 
old  when  he  was  brought  across  the  ocean  by  his 
father,  William  Chandler  (born  in  England  in 
1598),  who  settled  in  Roxbury,  Mass. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Middle- 
borough,  Mass.,  March  12,  1786,  a  daughter  of 
Daniel  Shaw,  who  was  justice  of  the  peace  in  his 
town  for  years  and  was  active  in  the  Episcopal 
Church.  When  a  young  man  our  subject  taught 
several  terms  in  Potsdam,  N.  Y.  In  1838  he 
went  to  Lenawee  County,  Mich.,  and  worked  by 


the  month  on  a  farm,  also  secured  employment 
as  engineer  in  a  sawmill,  and  later  operated  a 
mill.  In  1841  he  returned  to  Potsdam  and  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  remaining  there  until  1869. 
In  May  of  the  latter  year  he  arrived  in  Ottawa, 
Kans.,  where  he  soon  purchased  the  farm  he  still 
owns  and  occupies.  During  a  portion  of  the  time 
that  has  since  elapsed  he  has  followed  his  trade 
in  Ottawa  and  Topeka,  but  his  later  years  have 
been  spent  quietly  on  his  farm.  He  is  interested 
in  religious  movements  and  supports  them  when 
possible  to  do  so. 

December  29,  1852,  Mr.  Chandler  married  Miss 
Harriet  E.  Wilkinson,  daughter  of  George  Lee 
Wilkinson,  a  native  of  England,  born  in  SheflBeld 
in  1779.  In  his  own  country  he  learned  the  sil- 
versmith's trade,  and  being  a  man  of  inventive 
ability  and  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his  oc- 
cupation, he  made  numerous  improvements, 
among  other  things  inventing  the  German  silver 
process.  He  came  to  America  and  remained  in 
this  country  until  his  death,  in  1842.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Chandler  had  five  children,  but  two  are  de- 
ceased. Three  sons  are  living:  Edwin  W.,  of 
Chicago;  John  Lee,  at  home;  and  William  W.,  a 
skilled  mechanic  living  in  Chicago  Heights,  111. 


I  EWIS  M.  THOMPSON.     The  family  repre- 

I I  sented  by  this  gentleman  originated  in  Scot- 
|_2?  land,  whence  Gideon  Thompson  emigrated 
to  America  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  After 
settling  in  Philadelphia  he  enlisted  in  the  colo- 
nial army  under  General  Morgan,  whose  daugh- 
ter he  afterwards  married.  When  the  war  was 
over  he  established  his  home  in  Pennsylvania, 
at  a  point  not  definitely  known.  From  that  state 
his  son,  Enos,  migrated  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day. 
Andrew  H.,  son  of  Enos,  was  born  in  Athens 
County,  Ohio,  and  grew  to  manhood  upon  a  farm 
there.  Some  years  after  his  marriage  he  sought 
a  home  in  Illinois,  settling  in  Adams  County  in 
1830  and  purchasing  a  tract  of  farm  land  there. 
He  witnessed  the  early  growth  of  that  section  of 
the  state,  which  in  later  days  has  become  one  of 
the  most  prosperous  farming  regions  in  Illinois. 
In  1856  he  removed   from   that  county  to   Mis- 


574 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


souri  and  settled  in  Harrison  County,  where 
he  bought  a  section  of  land.  For  about  ten 
j^ears  he  made  his  home  in  the  southern  part 
of  Missouri.  In  1885  he  came  to  Kansas  and 
spent  his  last  days  in  Linwood,  where  he  died  at 
the  age  of  ninety-eight  years.  The  only  occupa- 
tion which  he  followed  in  life,  aside  from  that  of 
farming,  was  the  trade  of  a  millwright.  By  his 
marriage  to  Elizabeth  Stewart,  who  died  in  Illi- 
nois in  1847,  he  had  eight  children,  of  whom 
Lewis  M.  lives  one  mile  and  a-half  south  of  Lin- 
wood,  and  Enos  lives  in  Linwood. 

When  a  boy  our  subject  learned  the  miller's 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  some  years  in  Illi- 
nois. Born  in  Athens  County,  Ohio,  October 
23,  1828,  he  was  only  two  years  of  age  when  the 
family  settled  in  Illinois,  and  in  that  state  he 
made  his  home  until  1856.  He  then  moved  to 
Davis  County,  Mo.,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  twenty-two  years,  meeting  with  fair  suc- 
cess during  that  time.  The  year  1878  found 
him  in  Leavenworth  County,  where  he  bought 
one  hundred  and  ten  acres  in  the  Delaware  reser- 
vation, in  the  Kaw  River  bottom.  To  this  he 
has  added,  and  now  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  acres,  upon  which  he  has  engaged  in  general 
farm  pursuits. 

Agriculture,  however,  has  not  represented  the 
limit  of  Mr.  Thompson's  activities.  For  ten 
years  he  operated  a  corn  mill  at  Linwood,  where 
he  ground  corn  meal.  For  seventeen  years  he 
ran  a  ferry  over  the  Kaw  River  between  Leaven- 
worth and  Johnson  Counties,  and  for  several 
years  he  carried  on  a  sawmill,  sawing  the  timber 
which  he  cut  from  his  farm,  also  carried  on  the  farm 
and  mills  at  the  same  time.  He  also  conducted  a 
drug  store  in  Linwood  for  five  years.  These  va- 
rious enterprises  he  conducted  with  energy  and 
discretion,  winning  the  confidence  of  the  people 
as  an  intelligent  and  judicious  business  man.  Be- 
sides his  farm  he  is  the  owner  of  three  lots  and 
houses  in  Linwood.  What  he  now  has  repre- 
sents years  of  industrious  application  and  has 
been  acquired  solely  by  his  personal  efibrts.  He 
has  never  allied  himself  with  any  political  party, 
but  at  elections  votes  for  the  men  whom  he  con- 
siders best  qualified    to    represent    the   people. 


While  living  in  Missouri  he  was  elected  to  vari- 
ous township  offices  and  also  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace.  In  1867  he  was  made  a  Mason,  and 
now  belongs  to  Linwood  Lodge  No.  241, A.  F.  & 
A.  M.  His  marriage  September  13,  1867,  united 
him  with  Miss  Isabel  Plily,  who  died  May  25, 
1896,  leaving  four  sons;  John,  who  is  principal 
of  the  high  school  at  Columbus,  Iowa;  Douglas; 
Enos,  who  is  a  farmer  and  operates  a  sawmill  in 
Sherman  Township;  and  Samuel  G. 


PTdWARD  SHIVELY,  a  member  of  one  of 
j^  Douglas  County's  pioneer  families,  is  a  son 
L_  of  Joseph  M.  and  Mary  (Ulrich)  Shively,  to 
whose  sketch  upon  another  page  the  reader  is 
referred  for  the  family  history.  He  was  born  in 
this  county  September  9,  1867,  and  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  home  farm,  acquiring  his  education 
in  the  common  schools.  Early  made  familiar 
with  agriculture,  it  was  not  strange  that  he 
should  select  this  occupation  for  his  life  calling, 
and  the  success  with  which  he  is  meeting  proves 
the  wisdom  of  his  choice.  May  6,  1889,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ella  Stutsman,  a 
native  of  this  county.  Her  father,  the  late  John 
Stutsman,  came  from  Indiana  to  Kansas  about 
i860  and  settled  in  Marion  Township,  where  he 
engaged  in  farm  pursuits  until  his  death. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Shively  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  adjoining  his 
boyhood's  home  in  Marion  Township,  this  tract 
being  a  portion  of  his  father's  property.  Here 
he  began  farming  and  stock-raising.  His  in- 
dustry and  good  management  caused  him  to  pros- 
per. In  1898  he  purchased  an  additional  sev- 
enty acres,  making  his  present  farm  one  of  two 
hundred  and  thirty  acres.  In  addition  to  his 
work  as  a  farmer  he  has  assisted  his  father  in 
inventing  and  patenting  a  corn  harvesting  ma- 
chine, which  in  mechanical  arrangement  presents 
many  remarkable  features  capable  of  construc- 
tion only  by  an  inventive  genius.  The  patent  has 
been  purchased  by  the  Deering  Harvester  Com- 
pany, by  whom  the  machine  is  now  in  process  of 
construction,  and  one  is  now  on  exhibition  at 
Mr.  Shively's  home. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


575 


Politicall)'  Mr.  Shively  has  never  identified 
himself  with  any  organization,  but  votes  inde- 
pendently and  for  the  men  whom  he  considers 
best  qualified  for  office.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
German  Baptist  Church  and  a  contributor  to  its 
various  enterprises.  He  and  his  wife  are  the 
parents  of  five  children,  Myrtle  R.,  Ivy  M., 
Clyde  E.,  Mary  Elizabeth  and  Floyd  H. 


GlUGUST  ZIESENIS,  who  follows  farming 
LA  just  outside  the  limits  of  Eudora,  Douglas 
I  I  County,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany, 
November  22,  1829.  His  parents  died  when  he 
was  a  child.  In  youth  he  served  for  four  years 
at  the  cabinet-maker's  trade  and  at  twenty  he 
was  drafted  into  the  German  army,  but,  not  being 
willing  to  ser\-e,  he  ran  away  and  came  to  the 
United  States  without  passport  or  papers  of  any 
kind.  After  a  voyage  of  thirty-five  days  he 
landed  in  New  York,  in  May,  1850.  Proceeding 
to  Chicago  he  worked  at  his  trade.  From  1853 
to  1855  he  was  employed  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
He  then  became  connected  with  the  quartermas- 
ter's department  of  the  regular  army  as  a  capen- 
ter  and  accompanied  General  Kearney's  expedi- 
tion to  Pierce,  Neb.  After  continuing  in  the 
government  employ  for  a  few  months  he  went  to 
Chicago  and  resumed  work  at  his  trade. 

In  1857  Mr.  Ziesenis  accompanied  the  original 
town  company  to  Eudora,  Kans.,  and  built  the 
first  house  in  the  village,  purchased  .some  lots  and 
assisted  in  laying  out  the  town.  Several  of  the 
early  houses  and  stores  were  erected  under  his 
supervision.  About  1857  he  bought  twenty-nine 
acres  of  land  in  the  Shawnee  reservation  and 
built  a  small  cabin  on  the  site  of  his  present  home. 
At  the  time  of  coming  to  Kansas  the  days  of  the 
border  ruffianism  were  drawing  to  a  close,  but  he 
took  his  part  in  bringing  them  to  an  end,  al- 
though of  course  not  participating  in  the  advent- 
ures of  earlier  days.  He  was  in  Lawrence  when 
the  governor  sent  the  border  ruffians  to  control 
the  election  and  he  was  one  of  the  party  that  cap- 
tured them.  At  this  writing  he  has  in  his  posses- 
sion an  old  musket  captured  during  the  nieke. 
In  1S62  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Twelfth  Kan- 
25 


sas  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  for  three  years, 
being  promoted  to  the  rank  of  corporal  in  recog- 
nition of  his  ability  and  faithfulness  to  duty. 
During  the  entire  time  of  his  service  he  was  with 
the  frontier  department  of  the  army  under  Gen- 
eral Banks,  and  did  considerable  fighting  with 
the  Indians.  On  his  return  to  Eudora,  in  1865, 
he  resumed  agricultural  pursuits,  becoming  the 
owner  of  a  large  stock  farm,  but  he  sold  the  most 
of  the  property  in  1887,  when  the  mineral  spring 
was  discovered  on  his  land. 

November  27,  1855,  he  married  Johanna 
Franken.  They  have  three  children  living: 
Minnie,  widow  of  Thomas  Gray,  of  Oklahoma; 
Augusta;  and  Charles,  who  lives  in  Lawrence. 
For  several  years  our  subject  served  as  a  member 
of  the  school  board.  During  territorial  days  he 
was  appointed  road  overseer  by  the  governor, 
and  holds  a  commission  as  constable  under  Secre- 
tary Welch,  of  the  territory.  He  is  a  member  of 
Eudora  Post  No.  333,  G.A.R.,  and  has  served 
as  post  commander.  In  addition  to  his  home 
farm  he  owns  a  farm  on  the  Kaw  bottom  in  Leav- 
enworth County,  where  he  is  introducing  a  sys- 
tem of  irrigation  by  means  of  water-  from  the 
Kaw  River. 


ARTINP.  HAYS.  During  thetwenty  years 
of  his  residence  in  Kansas  Mr.  Hays  be- 
came known  as  one  of  the  most  energetic 
and  capable  farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Douglas 
County.  On  coming  to  this  county  in  the  spring 
of  1869  he  purchased  farm  property  in  Palmyra 
Township,  and  at  once  turned  his  attention  to  the 
improvement  of  the  property.  In  tirne  he  became 
the  owner  of  land  in  township  15,  range  21,  as 
follows:  section  5,  one  hundred  and  six  acres; 
section  6,  one. hundred  and  sixty;  section  7,  one 
hundred  and  sixty;  section  14,  eighty;  making 
a  total  of  five  hundred  and  six  acres.  This  was 
improved  by  a  substantial  residence,  several 
barns  and  granaries,  and  seven  miles  of  hedge 
fencing.  One  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  the 
place  he  brought  under  cultivation,  a  still  larger 
acreage  was  used  as  a  pasture  for  stock,  while 
on  the  remainder  two  thousand  fruit  trees  were 
planted.    He  made  a  specialty  of  raising  Norman 


576 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


horses,  and  one  of  his  finest  stallions  was  the  im- 
ported thoroughbred  "Condor."  At  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  October  19,  1888,  he 
was  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  his  township. 

Near  Whitestown,  Butler  County,  Pa.,  Mr. 
Haj'S  was  born  November  30,  1838.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  received  a  common  school 
education.  His  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, married  a  lady  from  Ireland,  and  after- 
ward cultivated  a  farm  in  Butler  County.  About 
1878  he  removed  to  Kansas,  where  he  died  at 
seventy  years  of  age.  At  the  opening  of  the 
Civil  war  our  subject  enlisted  in  Company  H, 
Thirteenth  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  and  served  for 
three  years,  participating  in  a  number  of  impor- 
tant battles,  in  one  of  which  he  was  wounded  by 
a  gunshot  in  the  thigh.  Januarj-  11,  1866,  he 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  Myers,  daughter  of  John 
and  Catherine  (Beigley)  Myers,  and  a  native  of 
Butler  County,  Pa.  Her  father,  who  was  a  life- 
long farmer  and  an  active  Republican,  died  at 
eighty-seven  years.  While  Mrs.  Hays  was  visit- 
ing her  old  home  her  mother  died,  September  27, 
1899,  aged  ninety-three  years,  five  months  and 
seventeen  days.  Both  were  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  The  five  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hays  are  named  as  follows:  Harry  H.,  who 
since  his  father's  death  has  had  charge  of  the  home 
farm;  Frank  D.,  whose  home  is  in  Lawrence; 
John  L.,  Veda  Grace  and  Bessie  B.,  at  home. 
The  family  occupy  the  homestead,  which  is  one 
of  the  most  desirable  properties  in  the  township, 
comprising  about  seven  hundred  acres.  In  re- 
ligion they  are  adherents  of  the  Presbyterian 
faith. 

ICHAEL  CONLEY,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising_on  section  28, 
Ottawa  Township,  Franklin  County,  is  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war  who,  though  severely 
wounded  in  the  battle  of  Corinth,  is  still  actively 
engaged  in  conducting  his  farm.  He  was  born 
in  Carroll  County,  Ohio,  July  i,  1837,  ^  son  of 
Charles  and  Margaret  (Bose)  Conley,  the  former 
a  millwright  by  trade,  a  Democrat  in  politics  and 
a  Lutheran  in  religion.  About  1838  he  removed 
to  Stark  County.     There  were  three  children  in 


the  family:  Lydia  Ann,  deceased;  Michael;  and 
Hiram,  who  resides  in  Greenwood  County,  Kans. 
After  the  father's  death  Mrs.  Conley  was  again 
married,  becoming  the  wife  of  Barnard  Brinkman, 
and  she  continued  to  reside  in  Ohio  until  her 
death.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Michael  Bose,  a 
native  of  Maryland  and  a  cabinet-maker  and 
farmer,  who  retained  his  activity  and  physical 
faculties  until  past  eighty  years  of  age. 

With  the  exception  of  four  3'ears  devoted  to  the 
lumber  business  at  Ligonier,  Noble  County,  Ind., 
our  subject  has  spent  his  entire  active  life  in 
farming.  September  7,  1861,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  Nineteenth  Ohio  Infantry,  with 
which  he  went  to  the  front.  Among  the  en- 
gagements in  which  he  participated  were  those 
at  Pittsburg  Landing,  Shiloh  and  Corinth.  After 
the  latter  battle  he  was  confined  to  the  hospital 
for  three  weeks  and  then  was  sent  home  to  Mas- 
sillon,  Ohio,  in  company  with  two  comrades  who 
had  been  wounded  by  the  same  gunshot. 
Twice  he  was  placed  on  furlough  and  when  he 
reported  the  last  time  he  was  discharged  for  dis- 
ability. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Conley  spent  several  j-ears 
in  Indiana.  In  1869  he  started  west,  going 
through  to  San  Francisco  on  the  Union  Pacific 
and  investigating  the  country  through  which  he 
passed.  Concluding  that  Kansas  presented  the 
most  favorable  opening  he  returned  to  this  state 
and  bought  eighty  acres  where  he  now  resides. 
The  land  was  all  prairie  and  he  at  once  began 
the  task  of  breaking  it  and  making  improvements. 
In  1883  he  erected  the  substantial  residence  and 
in  1898  built  a  large  barn.  His  principal  busi- 
ness is  the  stock  industry,  and  the  grain  which 
he  raises  is  used  exclusively  for  feed.  He  keeps 
ou  his  place  a  fine  grade  of  cattle,  making  a  spec- 
ialty of  Shorthorns,  and  he  also  raises  Poland- 
China  hogs. 

As  road  overseer  and  as  member  of  the  school 
board  Mr.  Conley  has  endeavored  to  promote  in- 
terests advantageous  to  his  fellow-citizens.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  During  his  residence 
in  the  east  he  was  identified  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  but  since  coming  to 
Kansas  he  has  allowed  his  membership  to  lapse. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


577 


September  i8,  1879,  he  married  Alice  Card, 
daughter  of  Levi  and  Barbara  (Miller)  Gard,  by 
whom  he  has  five  children  now  living,  namely: 
Algy,  Leland,  Cora,  Howard  and  Harold,  all  at 
home. 


0  LIVER  MERO,  who  has  made  Leavenworth 
his  home  since  1857,  is  a  successful  contrac- 
tor and  builder  of  this  city.  Among  the 
buildings  with  the  erection  of  which  he  has  been 
connected  may  be  mentioned  the  Cathedral,  St. 
Mary's  Academy,  Union  and  Santa  Fe  depots 
(all  in  -this  city),  Omaha  College,  Clayton  Col- 
lege, Denver  depot,  the  general  offices  of  the  Fort 
Scott  &  Gulf  Railroad  in  Kansas  City,  the  gen- 
eral offices  of  the  Santa  Fe  in  Topeka,  one  wing 
of  the  capitol  in  Topeka,  and  many  residences  in 
Leavenworth  and  elsewhere. 

The  Mero  family  is  of  Canadian-French  line 
age.  The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Frank  and 
Margaret  (Peiro)  Mero,  who  were  born  at  Mont- 
real, Canada,  and  their  two  daughters  and  four 
sons  were  natives  of  the  same  city.  Oliver,  who 
was  the  third  of  the  sons,  was  born  about  1832 
and  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  home  place. 
At  fifteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Cohoes,  N.  Y., 
where  he  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  carpen- 
ter's trade.  After  the  expiration  of  his  time  he 
continued  to  work  in  the  same  place.  From  there 
he  went  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  found  em- 
ployment as  a  carpenter.  While  in  that  city,  in 
1856,  he  heard  "Jim"  Lane  deliver  a  lecture 
concerning  Kansas,  in  which  he  earnestly  asked 
the  free-state  supporters  to  cast  in  their  fortunes 
with  the  state  that  was  in  the  midst  of  its  strug- 
gle against  the  slavery  movement.  He  was  so 
interested  and  aroused  that  he  determined  to 
come  west  and  help  to  make  Kansas  a  free  state. 
In  1857  he  established  his  home  in  Leavenworth, 
where  he  had  considerable  experience  in  fighting 
the  border  ruffians  and  in  guarding  the  town  at 
night.  From  the  first  he  was  a  free-state  man 
and  a  Union  Democrat,  and  he  assisted  to  vote 
Kansas  in  as  a  free  state. 

The  first  carpentering  secured  by  Mr.  Mero  in 
Leavenworth  was  in  the  building  of  William  Rus- 
sell's house.     He  became  head  foreman  of  car- 


pentering for  James  A.  McGonigle,  in  which  po- 
sition he  continued  for  thirty-four  years,  mean- 
time having  charge  of  jobs  in  dififerent  parts  of 
Kansas,  Missouri,  Nebraska  and  Colorado.  In 
1888  he  began  contracting  for  himself,  and  in 
1896  took  his  son  Frank  as  a  partner,  since 
which  time  the  firm  of  Mero  &  Son  has  constant- 
ly engaged  in  contracting.  His  residence,  which 
he  built,  stands  on  the  corner  of  Middle  street 
and  Second  avenue.  He  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Sacred  Heart  Roman  Catholic  Church  and  the 
Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Association. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Mero  to  Miss  Sarah  La- 
barta,  a  native  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  took  place  in 
Leavenworth  in  1859.  The  eleven  children  born 
of  their  union  are  named  as  follows:  Mrs.  Amy 
Thompson,  of  Leavenworth;  Frank,  who  is  his 
father's  partner;  Mrs.  Mary  Peters  and  Oliver, 
both  of  Leavenworth;  Mrs.  Annie  Schmelzer  and 
Sophia,  who  live  in  Omaha;  Ellen,  who  resides 
with  her  parents;  Theodore,  living  in  Omaha; 
James,  WiUiam  and  Florence,  of  Leavenworth. 


EALEB  M.  LUTHER  is  one  of  the  well-known 
florists  of  Lawrence.  About  1890  his  wife, 
who  has  always  been  a  lover  of  flowers, 
became  interested  in  raising  them  upon  a  larger 
scale  than  before  and  built  a  small  stone  green- 
house. Less  with  a  desire  to  make  money  than 
to  gratify  her  taste  for  the  beautiful,  she  gave 
considerable  time  to  her  work,  and  finally  the 
business  grew  so  large  that  he  disposed  of  his 
grocery  in  1892  in  order  that  he  might  assist  her 
in  its  management.  Each  year  a  greenhouse  has 
been  erected,  until  their  space  now  includes 
nearly  eight  thousand  feet  of  glass,  their  location 
being  at  No.  1447  Massachusetts  street,  where 
they  have  nine  greenhouses  fifty-five  feet  in 
length.  In  the  spring  of  1899  they  established 
an  uptown  office  near  the  Eldridge  house  on 
Massachusetts  street,  where  orders  are  received 
and  filled,  and  all  kinds  of  cut  flowers  are  kept 
on  sale.  A  special  feature  is  also  made  of  floral 
decorations,  in  which  line  they  have  been  very 
successful. 

Born  in  Beckmantown,  Clinton  County,  N.Y., 


578 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


April  II,  1847,  Mr.  Luther  is  a  son  of  the  Rev. 
Z.  M.  P.  and  Caroline  (Groves)  Luther,  natives 
respectively  of  New  Hampshire  and  Schuyler 
Falls,  N.  Y.  His  father,  who  was  orphaned  at 
an  early  age,  removed  to  Chazy,  Clinton  County, 
N.  Y.,  near  where  he  held  pastorates  in  Presby- 
terian churches  for  some  years.  Finally,  owing 
to  impaired  health,  he  retired  from  the  ministry 
and  went  to  Elmer,  Salem  County,  where  he 
died  in  1865,  at  fifty-two  years.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Harry  Groves,  a  professional  man, 
and  a  deacon  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Schuyler  Falls.  Mrs.  Caroline  Luther  died  at 
Stoughton,  Mass.,  when  seventy-two  years  of 
age.  Of  her  children,  Charlotte  died  in  Vir- 
ginia. Amos,  who  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Com- 
pany H,  Sixtieth  New  York  Infantry,  was 
promoted  to  be  a  lieutenant  and  served  for  four 
years.  He  died  in  Washington,  D.  C.  Henry 
died  in  Virginia  City,  Nev.  Mrs.  Helen  C. 
Hathaway  lives  in  Stoughton,  Mass.;  and  Alice 
died  in  Kansas  City. 

The  fourth  among  the  children  was  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  He  was  fourteen  when  the  fam- 
ily moved  from  Clinton  County,  N.Y.,  to  Salem, 
N.  J.,  and  for  five  years  he  lived  upon  a  farm 
near  the  latter  city.  In  the  spring  of  1870  he 
came  to  Lawrence  and  worked  for  his  brother 
Henry  for  a  few  months,  after  which  he  clerked 
in  a  grocery  and  then  started  for  himself.  From 
1885  to  1892  he  was  proprietor  of  a  store  on 
Massachusetts  street,  but  sold  out  during  the 
latter  year  in  order  to  give  his  attention  to  flori- 
culture. He  was  a  member  of  the  American 
Florists'  Association,  and  takes  an  interest  in 
everything  pertaining  to  this  occupation.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  in  religion  a  Congre- 
gationalist,  and  also  holds  membership  in  the 
Fraternal  Aid  Association. 

In  Elmer,  N.  J.,  December  31,  1868,  Mr. 
Luther  married  Sarah  E.  Lawrence,  who  was 
born  in  Waterloo,  Canada.  Her  father,  Leander, 
was  a  son  of  Zephaniah  Lawrence,  who  was  a 
member  of  an  old  Massachusetts  family,  but 
spent  his  life  as  a  farmer  in  Canada,  where 
Leander  was  born.  At  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war  the  latter  removed  to  New  Jersey,  where  he 


followed  the  cabinet-maker's  business,  and  also 
cultivated  a  small  farm.  He  died  February  23, 
1888,  in  that  state,  aged  seventy-one  years.  He 
had  married  Sarah  Bowker,  who  was  born  in 
Canada,  and  died  in  New  Jersey.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Griffin  Bowker,  an  owner  of  a  saw  and 
grist  mill  in  Canada.  Her  mother  was  descended 
from  the  Van  Dorn  family,  who  were  among  the 
old  and  influential  residents  of  Vermont.  Leander 
and  Sarah  Lawrence  had  three  children:  Sarah 
E. ;  Alice,  who  is  a  widow  and  lives  in  Vinelaud, 
N.  J.;  and  Abbott,  a  farmer  in  Salem  County, 
N.  J.  Mrs.  Luther  was  educated  in  private 
schools  and  an  academy,  from  which  she  gradu- 
ated. She  came  from  New  Jersey  to  Kansas  with 
her  husband  in  1870,  and  has  since  resided  in 
this  city.  They  have  three  children:- Winnifred 
H. ,  a  student  in  the  University  of  Kansas;  Ethel 
M.,  who  is  also  attending  that  institution;  and 
Herbert  L. 


Gl  NDREW  S.  BALDWIN.  During  the  long 
LI  period  that  has  elapsed  since  he  came  to 
/  I  Kansas  Mr.  Baldwin  has  made  Douglas 
County  his  home.  He  arrived  here  in  May,  1855, 
and  took  up  a  claim  at  the  head  of  Rock  Creek, 
in  what  is  now  Marion  Township.  Immediately 
he  began  the  work  of  improving  the  claim  and 
bringing  the  land  under  cultivation.  In  the  fall 
of  1856  he  sold  the  property,  with  the  intention 
of  leaving  this  section  of  country,  but  the  Wak- 
arusa  war  had  broken  out,  and  being  unable  to 
get  away,  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  the 
following  year.  In  the  meantime  he  took  up  his 
present  home  farm,  and  the  prospects  being  good, 
he  decided  to  make  this  his  home.  Going  back 
to  the  east,  he  was  married  and  on  the  3d  of 
April,  1857,  returned  to  his  land  and  began 
housekeeping  on  this  place,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  During  the  early  days  he  passed  through 
all  the  exciting  experiences  of  border  warfare, 
when  life  itself  was  in  danger  and  property  was 
constantly  being  destroyed  or  laid  waste.  At  the 
time  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany I,  Third  Kansas  State  Militia,  under 
General  Curtis,  and  took  part  in  various  engage- 
ments, the  most  important  being  Westport.     In 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


579 


politics  he  is  a  pronounced  Republican.  For  ten 
years  he  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
since  1876  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  being  treasurer  of  the  school  district  at 
this  writing.  For  more  than  thirty  years  he  has 
been  an  officer  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to 
the  support  of  which  he  has  ever  been  a  liberal 
contributor.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
General  Lane  Post  No.  450,  G.  A.  R. 

In  Harwinton,  Conn.,  Mr.  Baldwin  was  born 
June  23,  1829,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Polly  (Smith) 
Baldwin.  He  was  one  of  ten  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living,  viz.:  Luther,  a  retired  farmer 
of  Lee  County,  111. ;  Miner,  a  farmer  who  lives  at 
Harwinton,  Conn.;  Henry  L.,  a  retired  business 
man  of  Denver,  Colo. ;  Andrew  S. ;  Charles  O.,  a 
farmer  of  Harwinton;  and  Mary  E.,  of  Litchfield 
County,  Conn.  The  father,  a  native  of  Branford, 
Conn.,  born  June  16,  1797,  was  a  son  of  Capt. 
Joseph  Baldwin,  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  county. 
New  Haven.  On  reaching  manhood  he  removed 
to  Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  and  there  he  resided 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  February  11, 
1856.  September  20,  1819,  he  married  Miss 
Smith, who  was  born  in  Woodbury,  Conn. ,  June  5, 
1796,  and  died  November  19,  1899.  Both  were 
consistent  members  of  the  Congregational  Church 
and  were  highly  esteemed,  for  the  integritj'  of 
their  lives  and  their  kindness  of  heart. 

At  eighteen  years  of  age  our  subject  .secured 
employment  as  a  farm  hand,  working  by  the 
month  for  wages.  January  24,  1857,  ^^^  married 
Mi.ss  Mary  Burr,  daughter  of  Urial  and  E.sther 
(Curtis)  Burr,  natives  of  Torringford,  Litchfield 
County,  Conn.,  the  father  born  May  19,  1795,  the 
mother  September  13,  1797.  The  father,  who 
was  a  son  of  Reuben  and  Martha  (Wilson)  Burr, 
was  a  man  highly  respected  in  his  community 
and  took  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  He  married  Miss  Curtis 
December  13,  1820,  and  for  almost  thirty-nine 
years  they  lived  together  in  happy  wedded  life, 
until  her  death,  October  16,  1859.  He  survived 
her  for  many  j'ears  and  pa.s.sed  away  June  29, 1882. 

Upon  the  claim  in  Clinton  Town.ship,  where  he 
settled  in  the  fall  of  1856,  Mr.  Baldwin  has  since 


made  his  home.  He  and  his  family  stand  high 
among  the  people  of  this  township  and  have 
many  friends  among  the  best  people  of  their 
neighborhood.  They  have  had  eight  children, 
but  only  four  are  now  living.  Alice  May,  who 
was  bom  August  22,  1858,  married  Adolphus  G. 
Hulce,  a  farmer  of  Leavenworth  County,  Kans. , 
by  whom  she  has  four  children:  Nellie,  C.  Irvin, 
Bessie  J.  and  Earl  S.  Cora  A.,  who  was  born 
October  30,  i860,  became  the  wife  of  G.  W.  Hood, 
by  whom-she  had  a  son,  Harry  I.;  she  died  Nov- 
ember 21,  1893.  Hattie,  who  was  born  March 
4,  1862,  married  A.  J.  Hutcheson,  by  whom  she 
had  four  children :  Maude  M. ,  Grace  E. ,  Albert  S. 
and  O.  Pearl;  she  died  February  20,  1896.  Fisher 
G.  was  born  February  4,  1864,  and  died  January 
27,  1866.  Chester  U.,  who  was  born  July  3,  1866, 
married  Rose  W.  Anderson,  and  has  one  son, 
Fred  M.  Edith  A.,  who  was  born  February  12, 
1869,  is  the  widow  of  Tanner  Price,  and  resides 
with  her  parents.  Frederick  A.  was  born  March 
i5>  18731  and  died  November  17,  1874.  Mary  G., 
who  was  born  October  28,  1877,  is  with  her 
parents. 

EAPT.  O.  C.  McNARY,  first  assistant  sur- 
geon at  the  western  branch  of  the  National 
Military  Home,  in  Leavenworth,  was  born 
in  Washington,  Pa.,  in  1853,  and  is  a  son  of 
Oliver  R.  and  Eleanor  (Grove)  NcNary.  His 
father,  who  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  and  also  had 
large  real-e.state  interests  in  that  state.  At  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the 
Twelfth  Pennsylvania  Infantry  for  three  months 
and  was  made  first  sergeant  of  his  company.  At 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service  he  became 
connected  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Third 
Pennsylvania  Infantry,  of  which  he  was  com- 
missioned quartermaster.  Later  he  was  chief 
quartermaster  on  the  staff  of  Generals  Hunt  and 
Wessells,  with  the  rank  of  captain,  and  as  such 
served  until  the  clo.se  of  the  Rebellion.  He  was 
connected  with  the  army  from  April  21,  1S61, 
until  peace  was  restored.  While  fighting  the 
enemy  at  Plymouth,  N.  C,  he  was  wounded  in 
the  left  leg  and  was  taken  prisoner  by  Confederate 


58o 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD, 


soldiers,  who  conveyed  him  to  Andersonville  and 
confined  him  in  that  dreaded  southern  prison. 
He  was  also  in  prison  at  Macon,  Savannah  and 
Charleston,  and,  while  in  the  jail  j'ard  in  the  lat- 
ter city,  h,e  and  other  prisoners  were  put  under 
fire  during  the  bombardment  of  Charleston. 
During  his  eleven  months  of  prison  life  he  three 
times  effected  an  escape,  but  each  time  he  was 
recaptured  by  the  enemy,  once  when  in  sight  of 
the  stars  and  stripes.  Finally,  by  exchange,  he 
secured  a  release,  after  which  he  was  ill  in  the 
hospital  at  Annapolis  for  several  months.  Upon 
recovering  his  strength  he  was  on  duty  for  a 
time  at  draft  rendezvous  at  Madison,  Wis.,  then 
rejoined  his  regiment,  with  which  he  continued 
until  the  war  closed. 

Shortly  after  his  discharge  from  the  army 
Capt.  O.  R.  McNary  came  to  Leavenworth, 
Kans. ,  and  embarked  in  the  insurance  and  real- 
estate  business,  in  which  he  was  extensively  in- 
terested. Owing  to  ill  health  he  was  finally 
obliged  to  retire  from  active  business  cares,  and 
during  the  last  three  years  of  his  life  he  made  his 
home  with  his  son,  our  subject.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Loyal  Legion  and  Custer  Post  No. 
1 20,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Leavenworth,  of  which  he  was 
twice  elected  commander,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  serving  as  registrar  of  the  Loyal 
Legion.  His  long  and  varied  experience  in  south- 
ern prisons  gave  him  a  vast  amount  of  useful 
knowledge,  which  he  compiled  in  a  work  on 
prison  life,  and  his  MSS.  is  now  in  the  hands  of 
the  National  Association  of  ex-Prisoners  of  War, 
for  publication  in  book  form.  He  died  April  5, 
1895,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  His  wife  is 
still  living  and  makes  her  home  with  her  son. 
The  ancestors  of  the  McNary  family  were  Scotch 
people,  who  settled  among  the  pioneers  of  Lan- 
caster County,  Pa. ,  and  after^vard  became  promi- 
nent in  Washington  County.  They  were  people 
of  upright  characters,  whose  long  lives  were  de- 
voted to  the  welfare  of  their  fellowmen. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  one  of  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  five  are  living.  His  sisters  are: 
Matilda  J.,  wife  of  Rev.  W.  C.  Williamson,  of 
Keokuk,  Iowa;  Eleanor,  wife  of  R.  L.  Munce, 
of  Washington  County,  Pa.;  Maria  J.  and  Hettie. 


He  was  reared  in  Washington  Countj'  and  edu- 
cated in  common  schools  and  Washington  and 
Jefferson  College.  In  1870  he  came  to  Leaven- 
worth, Kans. ,  and  studied  medicine  with  Tiffin 
Sinks,  M.  D.,  but  later  entered  the  Jeiferson 
Medical  College  of  Philadelphia,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  March,  1882.  Entering  the  regular 
army  he  served  as  acting  assistant  surgeon  for 
two  years  at  Fort  Leavenworth  and  for  two  years 
at  Fort  Reno,  I.  T. ,  after  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  surgeon  at  the  western  branch 
of  the  National  Military  Home,  reporting  for  duty 
in  January,  1887.  This  position  he  has  since 
held,  devoting  to  it  his  entire  attention  and 
discharging  its  duties  with  efficiency.  In  1894 
he  married  Laura  L.  Kelly,  daughter  of  W.  D. 
Kelly,  an  old  settler  of  Leavenworth.  They 
have  one  child,  Clarkson  D. 

Through  his  descent  from  Revolutionary  an- 
cestors Captain  McNary  is  eligible  to  member- 
ship in  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  and  Leavenworth 
Camp  Sons  of  Veterans;  also  belongs  to  the 
American  Medical  Association,  Kansas  State  and 
Eastern  District  Medical  Societies,  and  is  vice- 
president  of  the  Leavenworth  County  Medical 
Society. 

r^ETER  LAPTAD,  who  resides  upon  a  valua- 
l/'  ble  farm  in  Grant  Township,  Douglas  County, 
[^  was  born  in  Vermont  September  25,  1842,  a 
son  of  Joseph  and  Margaret  (Lareau)  Laptad. 
His  father,  who  was  a  native  of  France,  was  ed- 
ucated in  that  country.  At  the  time  of  the  polit- 
ical troubles  there,  he,  holding  views  different 
from  those  of  his  kindred,  disagreed  with  them  to 
such  an  extent  that  he  determined  to  seek  a  home 
elsewhere,  and  in  1810  he  settled  in  Canada. 
There  he  married  and  engaged  in  cultivating  a 
farm  as  well  as  teaching  school,  the  two  occupa- 
tions bringing  him  a  good  income.  However, 
there,  as  in  his  native  land,  he  became  involved 
in  political  troubles  and  was  obliged  to  leave. 
Crossing  the  line  into  Vermont,  he  opened  up  a 
farm  there,  but  worked  under  great  disadvan- 
tage, for  he  had  lost  all  in  leaving  Canada  and, 
besides,  he  was   not   familiar   with   the   English 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


581 


language.  His  last  years  were  spent  in  retire- 
ment in  Vermont.  Of  his  three  daughters  and 
four  sons  our  subject  is  the  fourth  in  order  of 
birth,  and  he  and  his  brother  Joseph  (a  farmer 
of  Grant  Township)  are  the  sole  survivors. 

The  family  being  limited  as  to  means,  our  sub- 
ject had  no  advantages  when  a  boy.  In  1861  he 
enlisted  in  the  Fourteenth  Vermont  Infantry, 
and  at  the  expiration  of  his  time  he  again  enlisted, 
this  time  in  the  Second  Vermont  Battery.  Dur- 
ing the  campaign  at  Gettysburg  he  was  for  three 
days  on  the  advance  line,  where  the  danger  was 
greatest,  but  escaped  uninjured.  He  also  took 
part  in  several  small  engagements.  At  the  close 
ofthewarhe  was  honorably  discharged  and  re- 
turned home,  bearing  a  commission  as  sergeant- 
major  of  artillery.  Thinking  the  prospect  better 
in  the  west,  he  came  to  Kansas  and  settled  in 
North  Lawrence,  where  he  carried  on  a  grocery 
in  the  building  now  occupied  by  Hughes  &  Pines. 
Later  he  put  up  a  stone  and  brick  building  at  No. 
21  Bridge  street  and,  taking  a  partner,  carried  on 
a  general  mercantile  establishment.  In  1885  he 
closed  out  the  business  and  settled  upon  the  farm 
in  Grant  Township  which  he  had  purchased  ten 
years  previous  and  which  he  has  operated  since 
by  hired  help.  He  now  controls  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  good  bottom  land,  and  besides 
general  farming  has  a  number  of  Hereford  cattle 
and  Poland-China  hogs,  it  being  his  intention  to 
devote  considerable  attention  to  the  stock  busi- 
ness. 

In  politics  a  Republican,  Mr.  Laptad  has  served 
as  township  trustee  and  assessor  and  as  a  member 
of  the  city  council.  As  assessor  he  carried  the 
township  through  on  an  assessment  of  one  mill, 
which  was  the  cheapest  rate  in  any  of  the  town- 
ships. While  in  town  he  was  active  in  the  Grand 
Army,  but  since  removing  to  his  farm  has  been 
unable  to  attend  the  meetings  of  the  post.  He 
has  also  been  prominent  in  the  Masonic  blue 
lodge.  While  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness he  and  his  partner  started  a  store  in  Lin- 
wood,  which  then  had  a  station  but  no  agent,  and 
this  they  conducted  until  a  short  time  before  clos- 
ing out  the  Lawrence  business. 

In  Lawrence,    February  3,    1867,   Mr.  Laptad 


married  Agnes  Petrie,  and  they  have  five  chil- 
dren: Opal,  wife  of  J.  E.  Hutt,  who  is  an  auditor 
of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  in  Chicago;  Pearl;  Paul, 
who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  building  and  bridge 
department  of  the  Santa  Fe  road;  Coskrie  and 
Evadne. 


EHARLES  W.  McFARLAND,  an  enterpris- 
ing young  business  man  of  Lawrence,  is  the 
junior  member  of  the  McFarland  Planing 
Mill  Company,  proprietors  of  a  planing  mill  on 
Berkeley  near  Delaware  street,  and  manufacturers 
of  sash,  doors  and  blinds.  The  mill  was  started 
in  1887,  with  a  plant  70x50,  besides  a  boiler 
house,  with  a  thirty-five  horse-power  engine. 
Building  material  of  all  kinds  is  turned  out  and  a 
large  trade  has  been  built  up  in  the  firm's  special 
line. 

The  record  of  the  McFarland  family  appears  in 
the  sketch  of  Robert  S.  McFarland.  Our  sub- 
ject's great-grandfather,  Robert,  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  about  1824  moved  to  Ohio.  His  son, 
John,  a  native  of  Virginia,  engaged  in  farming 
near  Mansfield,  Ohio,  and  died  there  in  1898, 
aged  about  ninety-four  years.  J.  N.,son  of  John, 
was  born  in  Mansfield,  Ohio,  in  1833,  and  estab- 
lished his  home  in  Oskaloosa,  Jefferson  County, 
Kans. ,  in  1857,  where  he  engaged  in  the  build- 
ing business.  In  the  fall  of  1863  he  came  to  Law- 
rence, Kans.,  where  he  engaged  in  contracting 
and  building  until  1887,  and  then  started  a  plan- 
ing mill  with  his  son.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Third  Kansas  Militia  that  was  mustered  into 
service  during  the  Price  raid.  He  married  Sa- 
mantha  J.  Barnes,  who  was  born  near  Mansfield, 
Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Wesley  Barnes,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  a  family  to  which  reference  is  made  in  the 
sketch  of  Robert  S.  McFarland.  She  died  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1899,  leaving  three  children:  Charles 
W. ;  Hattie,  wife  of  O.  C.  LeSuer,  of  Lawrence; 
and  Nellie,  at  home. 

At  Kirksville,  Iowa,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born  June  i,  1856.  He  was  reared  princi- 
pally in  Lawrence,  where  he  attended  the  gram- 
mar and  high  schools.  From  1873  to  1876  he 
clerked  for  D.  C.  Haskell  in  the  shoe  business, 
remaining  there  until  Mr.  Haskell  was  elected  to 


582 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


congress.  From  boyhood  he  was  familiar  with 
and  interested  in  carpentering,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  became  his  father's  partner  in  the 
building  business.  The  two  have  since  contin- 
ued together,  either  as  builders  or  as  manufac- 
turers of  building  materials.  Both  are  keen,  en- 
ergetic and  capable  business  men  and  give  close 
attention  to  the  conduct  of  their  mill.  In  politics 
they  are  Republicans,  but  their  interest  in  public 
affairs,  while  constant,  has  never  led  them  into 
political  prominence  nor  caused  them  to  seek 
public  oflSce.  Fraternally  the  father  is  identified 
with  the  Masons.  In  religion  both  are  believers 
in  the  doctrines  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  contributors  to  this  denomination  in 
Lawrence,  the  son  serving  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  stewards  in  the  same. 


(31  LBERT  H.  KING,  superintendent  of  public 
LI  instruction  for  Douglas  County,  is  descended 
/  I  from  a  pioneer  family  of  Kentucky.  His 
grandfather,  J.  W.  King,  who  was  born  in  that 
state  in  1805,  grew  to  manhood  upon  a  farm,  mar- 
ried, and  in  1843  removed  to  Indiana,  settling 
near  Greencastle  and  engaging  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  When  advanced  in  years  he  retired 
from  active  farm  cares.  He  is  now  ninety-four 
years  of  age,  but  is  unusually  vigorous  for  one  so 
advanced  in  life.  His  home  is  in  Roachdale, 
Ind.  In  religion  he  has  for  years  been  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  He  married  a 
Miss  Hendricks,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  of 
Pennsylvaniau  descent,  and  she,  too,  is  still  living. 
The  father  of  our  subject,  George  William 
King,  was  born  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1835.  When  about  eight  years  of  age  he 
was  taken  to  Indiana  by  his  parents  and  was 
reared  upon  a  farm  there.  During  the  Civil  war 
he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and 
Tenth  Indiana  Infantry,  and  was  assigned  to  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  with  which  he  re- 
mained until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service. 
Coming  west  in  1868,  he  settled  in  Bourbon 
County,  Kans.,  purchasing  a  farm  near  Xenia, 
and  carrying  on  general  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  is  now  making  his  home  upon  his  farm  near 


Baldwin,  Kans.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  in  politics  aflSliates 
with  the  Republicans.  In  Indiana  he  married 
Nancy,  daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas  Job,  who  was 
born  in  North  Carolina  in  18 12  and  is  living  at 
New  Maysville,  Ind.  He  was  a  pioneer  Methodist 
Episcopal  minister  in  his  section  of  Indiana  and 
has  accomplished  much  good  for  the  cause  of 
religion. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  third  among 
seven  children,  the  others  of  whom  are  named  as 
follows:  John  S. ,  agent  for  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
at  Yates  Center,  Kans. ;  Wallace,  who  is  engaged 
in  farming  in  Republic  County,  Kans. ;  Mrs.  Alice 
Ulrich,  of  Douglas  County;  Nettie,  who  is 
with  her  parents;  Edward,  a  teacher  in  Douglas 
County,  and  Florence. 

Born  at  New  Maysville,  Ind.,  May  9,  1866, 
Mr.  King  was  only  two  years  of  age  when  the 
famil}'  removed  to  Kansas;  hence  he  knows  no 
other  home  than  this  state.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when  the  fam- 
ily settled  in  Baldwin.  In  1887  he  entered  Baker 
University,  and  during  the  years  that  followed  he 
alternated  teaching  with  attendance  at  the  uni- 
versity, from  which  he  graduated  in  1896.  For 
six  years  he  taught  in  Douglas  County,  where  he 
won  a  record  for  proficiency  as  an  instructor  and 
success  as  a  disciplinarian.  He  rose  to  such 
prominence  among  the  teachers  of  the  county  that 
he  was  selected  as  a  fitting  person  for  the  oflRce  of 
superintendent  of  public  instruction.  In  1898  he 
was  nominated  for  this  ofiSce  on  the  Republican 
ticket  and  received  a  majority  of  twelve  hundred 
and  fifty.  January  9,  1899,  he  took  the  oath  of 
office  for  a  term  of  two  years.  He  has  since  given 
his  attention  to  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  super- 
intendent and  has  maintained  a  careful  oversight 
of  the  schools  of  the  county,  favoring  all  plans  for 
the  promotion  of  their  interests  and  the  advance- 
ment of  the  grade  of  scholarship.  He  has  been 
deeply  interested  in  normal  work,  which  he  be- 
lieves a  most  helpful  auxiliary  in  preparing  teach- 
ers for  successful  careers  in  the  schoolroom.  By 
virtue  of  his  ofBce  he  is  ex-officio  president  of 
the  Douglas  County  Teachers'  Association  and 
he  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  State  Teachers' 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


583 


Association  for  some  years.  He  is  connected  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Lawrence  and 
contributes  to  its  maintenance,  as  well  as  to  other 
worthy  enterprises.  Fraternally  he  is  past  grand 
of  Baldwin  Lodge  No.  30,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is 
now  district  deputy  grand  master,  belonging  to 
the  encampment  at  Lawrence. 


EHARLEs  B.  McClelland,  d.  v.  s.,  of 
Lawrence,  was  born  at  Williamsville,  San- 
gamon County,  111.,  July  22,  1867,  a  son  of 
T.  L.  and  Nancy  J.  (Jones)  McClelland.  His 
grandfather,  James  McClelland,  was  the  son  of  a 
Scotchman  and  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but 
settled  in  Illinois  at  an  early  age.  Several  of 
his  brothers  took  part  in  the  Blackhawk  war. 
T.  L.  McClelland,  a  native  of  Sangamon  County 
and  a  farmer  by  occupation,  settled  in  Chase 
County,  Kans.,  in  1887,  and  became  the  owner 
of  a  large  stock  farm  there.  In  1892  he  settled 
upon  a  large  farm  near  Sibley,  Douglas  County. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fourteenth  Illinois  Infantry  and  was 
captured  at  Guntown,  Miss.,  from  which  place 
he  was  taken  to  Andersonville.  After  being  con- 
fined there  for  six  months  he  was  exchanged 
and  returned  to  his  regiment,  remaining  in  the 
service  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  is  active 
in  the  work  of  the  Grand  Army  and  is  also  iden- 
tified with  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  married 
a  daughter  of  David  G.  Jones,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio  and  about  1854  settled  in  Sangamon  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  where  he  died;  his  father  was  born  in 
Virginia  and  was  the  son  of  an  Englishman  who 
settled  in  the  Old  Dominion. 

Our  subject  was  one  of  three  sons,  the  others 
being,  N.  F.,  a  stockman  at  Giltner,  Neb.;  and 
I.  S.,  at  home.  He  was  reared  in  Illinois  and 
graduated  from  the  high  .school  at  Farmer  City, 
as  .salutatorian  of  his  class.  Afterward  he  taught 
school  for  one  year  in  Illinois.  In  1887  he  came 
to  Kansas,  and  for  three  years  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, being  principal  of  the  school  at  Clements. 
In  1890  he  entered  the  Chicago  Veterinary  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  graduated  in  1892,  with  the 
degree  of  D.  V.  S.     Coming  to  Lawrence  he  has 


since  engaged  in  practice  in  Douglas  and  adjoin- 
ing counties.  He  is  the  only  graduated  veterin- 
nary  in  this  city  and  has  become  known  as  a 
reliable  and  well-informed  man,  to  whose  natural 
ability  has  been  added  the  benefit  of  thorough 
study.  He  has  his  office  at  No.  812  Vermont 
street.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Alumni  Associa- 
tion of  the  Chicago  Veterinary  College,  the  Mis- 
souri Valley  Veterinary  Association  (before 
which  he  has  read  a  number  of  papers)  and  the 
American  Veterinary  Association. 

In  politics  our  subject  is  a  Republican.  He  is 
connected  with  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  the  Modern 
Woodmen,  the  Order  of  Pyramids,  and  the 
Alumni  Association  of  the  Farmer  City  high 
school.  He  was  married  in  Chase  County, 
Kans.,  in  1893,  to  Miss  Maude  Crook,  who  was 
born  near  Saffordville,  that  county,  the  daughter 
of  John  Crook,  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Chase  County 
and  a  soldier  in  an  Illinois  regiment  during  the 
Civil  war.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  daugh- 
ters. May  and  Vera,  who  with  them  reside  at 
No.  828  Mississippi  street. 


QETER  H.  weeks.  Shortly  after  the  close 
LX  of  the  Civil  war,  in  which  he  had  borne  arms 
fS  for  the  govennnent,  Mr.  Weeks  came  to 
Kansas  and  purchased  the  farm  in  Douglas 
County  which  he  has  since  occupied.  He  has  de- 
voted himself  assiduously  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  has  become  known  as  one  of  the  ener- 
getic, efficient  farmers  of  Palmyra  Township. 
His  landed  possessions  now  aggregate  two  hun- 
dred and  ten  acres  in  Douglas  County,  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  in  Logan  County,  this  state,  and 
four  hundred  and  eighty  in  eastern  Colorado.  Of 
recent  years  he  has  given  considerable  attention 
to  the  breeding  of  Durham  cattle,  and  it  is  his 
intention  to  use  much  of  his  land  for  ranching 
purposes.  While  in  the  array  he  saved  $800, 
which,  with  money  received  by  inheritance, 
formed  the  nucleus  of  his  present  property. 

Mr.  Weeks  was  born  in  Peekskill,  N.  Y.,  April 
29,  1842.  His  father,  Samuel,  was  born  and 
reared  in  the  same  state,  and  in  early  life  was 
clerk  on  a  steamboat  and  also  teacher  of  the  offi- 


584 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cers'  children  at  West  Point,  but  resigned  the 
latter  position  in  order  to  enter  the  ministry. 
From  1848  to  1856  he  was  engaged  as  a  Methodist 
Episcopal  preacher  in  Indiana,  after  which  he 
spent  one  year  inWinterset,  Iowa,  thence  went 
to  Mount  Ayr,  Iowa,  where  he  cultivated  a  farm 
and  also  carried  on  a  general  mercantile  store. 
In  the  fall  of  1865  he  sold  out  there  and  moved  to 
Pleasant  Hill,  Mo.,  where  he  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising for  a  year.  Next  he  settled  in  Baldwin, 
Kans.,  where  he  was  proprietor  of  a  general  store 
and  also  preached  occasionally.  In  1875  he  sold 
out  here  and  returned  to  Jeffersonville,  Ind. , 
where  he  died  at  eighty-four  years  of  age.  Po- 
litically he  was  a  Republican.  He  was  a  son  of 
Jesse  Weeks,  a  farmer  of  New  York,  whose 
father,  Thomas,  was  also  a  native  of  that  state. 
The  marriage  of  Samuel  Weeks  united  him  with 
Sarah  Parks,  who  was  born  in  New  York  and 
died  in  Baldwin,  Kans.,  October  i,  1875,  at 
sixty -five  years  of  age.  She  was  connected  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Of  her  three 
children,  Mary  is  a  widow  and  Eyman  is  a  painter 
residing  in  Salida,  Colo.  The  eldest  of  the 
family,  our  subject,  was  educated  in  public 
schools.  In  April,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
I,  Fifth  Missouri  Cavalry,  and  was  mustered  in 
at  St.  Joe  for  three  years.  For  a  time  he  was 
stationed  on  the  border  and  took  part  in  skir- 
mishes with  the  bushwhackers  and  with  Quan- 
trell's  men.  He  was  mustered  out  at  the  end  of 
fourteen  months.  August  22,  1863,  he  enlisted 
a  second  time,  becoming  a  member  of  Company 
D,  Eighth  Iowa  Cavalrj-,  at  Davenport.  With 
his  regiment  he  marched  to  Nashville,  Tenn., 
and  spent  the  winter  in  that  city,  going  from  there 
to  Cleveland,  the  same  state,  and  thence  to  the 
Atlanta  campaign.  During  his  service  he  had 
several  narrow  escapes  but  was  never  wounded  nor 
taken  prisoner.  He  was  mustered  out  at  Macon, 
Ga.,  in  August,  1865. 

Returning  home  our  subject  remained  there 
for  a  short  time,  then  came  to  Kansas  and  settled 
in  Douglas  County,  with  the  subsequent  develop- 
ment of  which  he  has  been  identified.  He  is  a 
member  of  Seth  Kelley  Post  No.  410,  G.  A.  R., 
at  Vinland,  also  belongs  to  Palmyra  Lodge  No. 


23,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Baldwin.  His  family  are 
connected  with  the  Methodist  Church,  and  he  is 
in  sympathy  with,  and  contributes  to,  its  main- 
tenance, but  is  not  identified  with  the  congrega- 
tion. By  his  marriage  to  Miss  Julia  Snyder,  of 
Utica,  Ind.,  he  had  eight  children,  namely: 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  H.  E.  Craig;  Emma,  who 
married  Frank  White  and  died  at  twenty-seven 
years;  Mrs.  P'rances  Williams;  Floyd,  who  has 
charge  of  his  father's  stock  ranch  in  Colorado; 
Birdie,  who  died  at  five  years;  Homer,  Alice  and 
Lyman,  at  home. 

HENRY  MANWARING,  who  is  engaged 
in  gardening  in  Wakarusa  Township, 
Douglas  County,  was  born  in  England, 
February  28,  1839.  His  father  died  before  he 
was  born  and  his  mother  when  he  was  three 
years  of  age.  When  eleven  j'ears  of  age  he  went 
to  make  his  home  with  an  uncle,  whom  he  ac- 
companied to  America  two  years  later,  taking 
passage  on  the  "  Hibernia,"  which  anchored  in 
New  York  after  a  voyage  of  five  weeks  and  three 
days.  For  nineteen  years  he  made  his  home 
in  York  state,  being  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, mixed  gardening  and  farming  in  Seneca 
County.  In  the  spring  of  187 1  he  and  his  uncle 
came  together  to  Kansas  and  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  where  he  now  resides,  about 
four  miles  west  of  Lawrence  on  the  old  California 
road.  The  land  had  been  ploughed,  the  east 
part  of  the  house  and  the  stone  portion  of  the 
barn  erected,  but  no  other  improvements  had 
been  made.  Up  to  the  spring  of  1883  he  operated 
the  land  in  partnership  with  his  uncle,  but  the 
latter  died  at  that  time,  since  which  our  subject 
has  been  alone.  He  has  erected  a  large  green- 
house, enlarged  the  house  and  barn,  and  has 
built  up  a  good  business  as  a  market  gardner,  in 
addition  to  which  he  devotes  some  attention  to 
general  farming.  The  products  of  his  garden  he 
sells  principally  to  dealers  and  shippers,  thus 
avoiding  the  additional  work  caused  by  making 
the  shipments  himself. 

Besides  his  work  as  a  gardner  Mr.  Manwar- 
ing  has  been  connected  with  the  Douglas  County 
creamery,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  incorpora- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


585 


tors.  He  was  for  two  j'ears  president  of  the 
company  and  for  four  years  a  director.  He  has 
always  believed  in  the  principles  advocated  by 
Abraham  Lincoln,  but  the  Republican  party  he 
believes  has  drifted  somewhat  from  its  original 
moorings,  and  he  therefore  allies  himself  with 
the  Populists.  He  is  interested  in  political  mat- 
ters, but  is  not  an  office  seeker.  In  religion  he 
is  an  Episcopalian.  It  is  said  of  him  by  his 
associates  that  no  one  better  exemplifies  the 
principles  of  Christianity  than  he.  While  he  is 
modest  and  retiring,  saying  nothing  in  regard  to 
his  kind  acts,  yet  his  life  has  been  full  of  gener- 
ous deeds  and  helpful  words. 

June  II,  1863,  in  New  York  state,  Mr.  Man- 
waring  married  Esther  Ridley.  They  became 
the  parents  of  three  children,  two  now  living. 
The  older  son,  John  (a  namesake  of  our  sub- 
ject's uncle,)  is  superintendent  of  the  Kanwaka 
Congregational  Sunday-school,  a  position  which 
he  fills  successfully.  He  served  for  one  term  as 
township  clerk,  but  refused  further  nomination 
to  the  office.  He  and  his  brother,  Charles 
Henry,  are  unmarried  and  reside  with  their  par- 
ents, giving  their  attention  to  the  stock  business, 
which  they  conduct  in  partnership. 


^HOMAS  T.  TAYLOR  is  one  of  the  leading 
f  C  farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Reno  Town- 
\*/  ship,  Leavenworth  County.  He  owns  and 
operates  four  hundred  and  ninety  acres  of  fine 
farming  land,  which  he  has  placed  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation  and  improved  with  all  the 
accessories  and  conveniences  of  a  model  estate. 
While  he  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  rais- 
ing of  grain,  he  has  been  making  a  specialty  of 
the  stock  business  and  has  on  his  place  about 
one  hundred  and  thirty  head  of  high-grade  Dur- 
ham cattle,  also  raises  Poland-China  hogs. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  born  in  the  North  of  Ireland 
in  1834,  a  son  of  Anthony  and  Mary  (Lowry) 
Taylor.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to  America 
in  1849.  They  settled  in  Indiana  County,  Pa., 
and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  served  four  years 
and  two  months  as  apprentice  to  the  cabinet-mak- 
ing trade  in  Brooklyn,   N.  Y.     He  farmed  with 


his  father  about  four  years  in  Pennsylvania  and 
then  ten  years  near  Maroa,  Macon  County,  111. 
In  1869  he  moved  to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Reno 
Township,  Leavenworth  County.  Mr.  Taylor 
and  his  brother  Robert  bought  quite  a  tract  of 
land  from  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad,  in  what 
was  called  the  Delaware  reserve.  They  car- 
ried on  general  farming  and  stock-raising  and 
for  several  years,  in  connection  with  farming, 
they  carried  on  a  general  store  at  Reno, 
also  the  station  agency  and  postoffice.  Mr. 
Taylor  has  been  on  the  school  board  for  nine- 
teen years,  as  director  or  treasurer.  He  is  for 
free  silver.  In  religion  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  He  has  three  children, 
Arno,  Emmet  and  Annie  Jane. 


HENRY  S.  DeFORD,  M.  D.  At  the  time  of  the 
revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantes  by  Louis 
XIV.  thousands  of  Huguenots  were  forced  to 
flee  from  France.  Among  those  who  sought  in  the 
new  world  an  asylum  of  refuge  was  Jean  DeFord, 
whose  home  had  been  near  Toulouse.  Escaping 
to  America  with  his  wife,  he  settled  in  Maryland 
in  1686  and  received  from  Lord  Baltimore  a 
grant  of  twelve  hundred  acres  on  the  eastern 
shore,  near  Centerville.  His  son,  John,  was 
born  there  and  succeeded  to  the  ownership  of  the 
estate.  The  latter's  son,  also  named  John,  was 
born  in  Queen  Anne  County  and  moved  to  Kent 
County,  Md.,  thence  to  Pennsylvania.  It  was 
his  intention  to  seek  a  home  in  Virginia  and  with 
that  object  in  view  he  left  his  home  in  eastern 
Maryland  in  1785,  and  traveled  westward,  find- 
ing a  suitable  location  upon  which  he  settled. 
However,  when  the  survey  was  made,  it  proved 
that  he  was  in  Pennsylvania  instead  of  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  a  man  of  great  force  of  character 
and  during  the  Revolutionary  war  served  bravely 
as  captain  of  a  company.  When  about  eighty 
years  of  age  he  was  accidentally  killed.  His  son, 
John,  was  born  in  1768,  and  by  occupation  was  a 
farmer.  At  the  age  of  seventy  he  removed  to 
Carroll  County,  Ohio,  and  there  he  died  when 
four  years  past  the  century  mark. 

Next  in  line  of  descent  was  John  H.  DeFord, 


586 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


our  subject's  father,  who  wasborn  inUniontown, 
Fayette  County,  Pa.,  and  graduated  from  Jeflfer- 
son  College  in  Pennsylvania,  after  which  he 
practiced  law  in  Uniontown  almost  forty  years. 
Possessing  more  than  ordinary  ability,  he  was 
repeatedly  called  to  ofiBces  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. He  served  for  many  terms  in  the  state 
legislature  and  also  was  a  member  of  the  senate 
of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  active  in  Masonry 
and  belonged  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
His  death  occurred  in  1856,  when  he  was  fifty-six 
years  of  age. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  Harriet,  was  born 
in  Fayette  County,  Pa.,  of  which  her  father, 
Isaac  Brownfield,  was  a  lifelong  resident.  Her 
grandfather,  John  Brownfield,  who  was  of  Vir- 
ginian birth  and  English  descent,  settled  in  the 
wilds  of  Pennsylvania  in  an  early  day.  She 
spent  her  active  years  in  the  east,  but  died  in 
Ottawa  in  1898,  when  eighty-seven  years  of  age. 
Her  family  comprised  the  following  children: 
J.  W.,  attorney-at-law  of  Ottawa;  Mrs.  Lydia 
A.  Patton,  who  died  in  New  York  City;  Henry 
S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs.  Frances 
Thompson,  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.;  Daniel,  who 
was  in  the  Civil  war  and  is  now  a  druggist  in 
Ottawa;  Mrs.  Harriet  EmmaDobson,  of  Ottawa; 
and  James  B.,  a  druggist  of  this  city. 

Dr.  DeFord  was  born  in  Uniontown,  Pa.,  De- 
cember 15,  1839.  At  an  early  age  he  began  to 
assist  in  the  cultivation  of  a  farm  owned  by  his 
father.  When  in  the  senior  class  of  Madison 
College  at  Uniontown  the  war  broke  out  and  he 
left  school,  afterward  studying  medicine  in  Jeffer- 
son Medical  College.  He  graduated  in  the  spring 
of  1863  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  and  shortly  af- 
terward passed  a  very  rigid  examination  for  ad- 
mission into  the  navy.  He  was  commissioned 
surgeon  of  the  receiving  ships  in  New  York, 
where  he  examined  recruits  for  the  navy.  Later 
he  was  assigned  to  the  Mississippi  squadron  as 
surgeon,  and  for  eighteen  months  was  on 
board  the  flag  ship  "The  Huntress"  between 
Cairo  and  Vicksburg.  During  this  time  he 
was  with  the  sailors  constantly,  and  promptly 
attended  to  those  who  were  injured  in  ac- 
tion.    His  last  service  was  at  the  mouth  of  the 


Hatchie  River,  to  prevent  the  escape  of  Jefferson 
Davis  should  he  try  to  take  advantage  of  that 
route.  His  constant  and  hard  service  in  the  navy 
completely  ruined  his  health,  and  after  Lincoln's 
death,  the  fleet  surgeon,  seeing  his  critical  con- 
dition, ordered  him  back  to  Pennsylvania.  Since 
then  he  has  been  an  invalid,  able  to  engage  but 
little  in  professional  practice  and  prevented  from 
engaging  in  those  activities  which  would  other- 
wise have  been  a  congenial  outlet  for  his  energies. 
April  30,  1866,  he  arrived  in  Ottawa,  where  he 
was  examiner  for  life  insurance  companies  and 
the  only  member  of  the  pension  board,  also  for  a 
time  was  interested  in  a  drug  business,  but  the 
condition  of  his  health  obliged  him  to  retire  from 
all  business  enterprises.  At  one  time  he  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Medical  Association.  He 
assisted  in  the  building  up  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  George 
H.  Thomas  Post  No.  18,  G.  A.  R.  In  politics  he 
has  always  been  a  Republican. 

In  Ottawa  Dr.  DeFord  married  Miss  Mary  F. 
Cowgill,  of  Indiana,  daughter  of  Dr.  H.  E.  and 
Joanna  N.  (Stevenson)  Cowgill.  Two  children 
were  born  of  their  union.  The  daughter,  Marga- 
ret, is  the  wife  of  Rev.  F.  W.  Simpson,  pastor  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Osceola, 
Mo.  The  son,  Charles  H.,  graduated  from  the 
Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  with  the  de- 
gree of  Ph.G.,  and  is  now  assistant  manager  of 
the  drug  department  of  a  large  pharmacy  in  New 
York  City. 

(lOHN  G.  McCLANAHAN,  oneoftheearH- 
l  est  of  the  Douglas  County  pioneers,  was 
Q)  born  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  June  18,  1826,  a 
son  of  William  S.  and  Elizabeth  T.  (Triplett) 
McCIanahan,  of  whose  eight  children,  one  son 
and  three  daughters,  Amelia,  Mary  and  Eliza- 
beth, survive.  His  father,  who  was  born  in 
Kentucky  about  1800,  went  to  West  Virginia  in 
early  manhood  and  engaged  in  farming  in  con- 
junction with  his  work  as  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools.  After  some  years  he  went  to  Lexing- 
ton, Ky. ,  in  order  that  his  wife,  who  was  not 
strong,  might  have  the  benefit  of  medical  attend- 
ance.    After  her  recovery  he  returned  to  West 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


587 


Virginia,  where  he  remained  until  1S33.  He 
then  removed  to  Boone  County,  Mo.,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  teaching.  In  1S48  he  es- 
tablished his  home  in  Linn  County,  the  same 
state,  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  He  gave 
up  teaching  about  1850  and  was  elected  county 
surveyor,  which  office  he  filled  for  six  years. 
Soon  after  resigning  from  that  position  he  was 
elected  clerk  of  the  county  court,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  for  fourteen  years.  He  was  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  Mission  Baptist  Church.  In 
politics  he  was  first  an  ardent  supporter  of  the 
Whig  party  and  later _  a  stanch  Republican.  In 
character  he  was  upright,  a  man  respected 
wherever  known . 

Under  his  father's  private  tutorship  our  sub- 
ject acquired  an  excellent  education.  From 
eighteen  to  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  worked  in 
a  sawmill.  Afterward  he  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade.  In  1850  he  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Zinn, 
a  native  of  Illinois,  and  daughter  of  George  W. 
Zinn,  who  for  some  years  had  been  a  prominent 
farmer  near  Danville,  that  state,  but  in  1839  re- 
moved to  Linn  County,  Mo.  After  Mr.  McClan- 
ahan's  marriage  he  settled  upon  a  farm  which  he 
purchased  in  Linn  County,  and  there  he  followed 
farming  and  carpentering.  In  the  fall  of  1854  he 
came  to  Kansas,  in  company  with  his  father-in- 
law,  arriving  in  Douglas  County  September  i. 
He  took  up  land  four  miles  west  of  Lecomp- 
ton,  where  he  still  resides.  He  was  the  first  set- 
tler in  this  part  of  Douglas  County.  Upon  his 
property  he  first  built  a  hut,  and  in  the  latter 
part  of  September  returned  to  Missouri  for  his 
family.  November  of  the  same  year  found  them 
domiciled  in  their  new  home,  and  they  have 
since  continued  to  reside  upon  the  same  farm. 

During  the  border  warfare  days  Mr.  McClanahan 
experienced  all  the  excitement  caused  by  the 
slavery  agitation.  In  1856  he  was  a  member  of 
the  grand  jury  and  at  that  time  carried  his  life  in 
his  hand.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  corpo- 
ral in  the  militia  and  was  called  out  to  cut  off 
General  Price  in  his  Kansas  raid.  He  is  a  friend 
of  education  and  has  served  on  the  school  board 
for  twenty-six  years.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  in  religion  a  member  of  the  Mission 


Baptist  Church.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  living 
pioneers  of  Douglas  County,  and  has  witnessed 
the  gradual  development  of  this  county  from 
early  days.  Not  only  did  he  pass  through  all  the 
dangers  and  trials  of  antebellum  days,  but  he  also 
has  witnessed  the  subsequent  growth  of  this  sec- 
tion of  the  state,  and  has  gained  for  himself  a 
place  among  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of 
the  county.  In  this  esteem  his  wife  also  shares. 
Both  recall  the  days  when  Douglas  County  was 
sparsely  populated  and  of  little  importance  in  the 
commercial  life  of  the  state,  and  thej'  have  wit- 
nessed its  prosperity  with  pride  and  have  con- 
tributed not  a  little  to  its  advancement.  They 
became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  seven  of 
whom  survive,  viz. :  Martha  A. ,  wife  of  William 
A.  Duncan,  of  Lyon  County,  Kans. ;  William  S., 
who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Douglas  County 
and  also  operates  a  threshing  machine;  Sarah  E., 
widow  of  Hiram  Gibbons,  of  this  county ;  John  H. 
and  Franklin  A.,  who  are  farmers  of  this  county; 
Mary  Emma,  wife  of  Thomas  Hoog,  of  Shaw- 
nee County;  and  Nancy  E. ,  who  married  John 
Austin,  proprietor  of  a  cheese  factory  in  Douglas 
County. 

WILLIAM  M.  LINDLEY,  who  was  one  of 
the  first  machinists  and  engineers  in  Law- 
rence, was  born  in  New  London,  Howard 
County,  Ind.,  November  11,  1849,  a  son  of  Al- 
fred and  Martha  (Maxwell)  Lindley,  natives  of 
Orange  County,  Ind.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
William  Lindley,  a  native  of  England  and  a  pio- 
neer of  Indiana,  made  farming  his  life  work  and 
cleared  a  fine  homestead  from  a  tract  of  wild 
land.  In  religious  faith  he  was  a  Quaker.  The 
maternal  grandfather,  Joseph  Maxwell,  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation  and  during  the  war  of  18 12 
he  rendered  efficient  service  as  a  soldier;  his  fa- 
ther was  also  a  man  of  great  patriotism  and  with 
the  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  endured  all  the 
hardships  and  privations  incident  to  securing 
liberty  for  our  country.  After  having  farmed 
for  some  years  in  Indiana,  in  1866  Alfred  Lind- 
ley brought  his  family  to  Kansas  and  settled  in 
Lawrence,  where  he  was  connected  with  mer- 
cantile pursuits  until  his  retirement  from  busi- 


588 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ness.  He  died  in  this  city,  and  his  wife,  who  is 
still  living,  now  makes  her  home  in  Wichita. 
They  had  four  children:  George,  a  druggist  in 
Lawrence;  Joseph,  who  is  living  in  Wichita; 
William  M.;  and  Estella,  of  Wichita. 

At  the  time  the  family  settled  in  Kansas  our 
subject  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  for 
a  short  time  afterward  he  attended  the  Eudora 
high  school.  In  1868  he  began  to  learn  the  ma- 
chinist's trade  with  the  Kimball  Iron  Works  Com- 
pany, with  whom  he  remained  for  twenty  years 
or  more,  and  from  1886  to  1889  was  foreman  of 
the  plant.  In  the  latter  year  he  resigned  to  ac- 
cept the  position  of  chief  engineer  at  Haskell  In- 
stitute, where  he  remained  until  February  28, 
1899.  Meantime  he  had  charge  of  the  engine 
work,  the  putting  in  of  piping,  and  the  supervision 
of  the  plant.  While  there,  various  buildings 
were  erected,  among  them  the  auditorium,  store- 
house, shop  buildings,  two  lavatory  buildings  and 
several  residences,  the  boiler  house  was  enlarged, 
waterworks  and  electric  lights  were  introduced, 
and  other  improvements  made.  On  resigning  his 
position  he  retired  to  private  life,  and  has  since 
given  his  attention  to  the  supervision  of  his  home 
on  the  Haskell  road,  where  he  has  five  acres  of 
fruit  land. 

While  he  is  not  active  in  public  afi"airs,  Mr. 
Lindley  keeps  posted  in  politics  and  always  votes 
with  the  Republican  party.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Lawrence  to  Miss  Nettie  Lovell,  who  was 
born  in  Ringgold  County,  Iowa,  and  is  a  lady  of  at- 
tractive personality  and  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, Lora,  Fred  and  Stella. 


HENRY  D.  CRANE  has  been  engaged  in  the 
milling  business  in  Ottawa  for  thirty  years 
and  has  met  with  success.  On  coming  to 
this  city,  in  1869,  with  his  brother,  C.  D.  Crane, 
he  bought  a  one-half  interest  in  the  old  Ottawa 
mills,  and  a  year  later  the  other  one-half  was 
purchased  by  A.  J.  Wightman,  the  firm  be- 
coming Crane  &  Wightman.  After  a  few  years 
his  brother  disposed  of  his  share  and  turned  his 


attention  to  the  mercantile  business.  In  1880  the 
partnership  was  dissolved  and  the  mill  sold  to 
Baldwin  &  Fuller.  The  following  year  he  built 
the  Excelsior  mill  on  Main  street,  and  for  a  time 
used  the  stone  burr  prooess,  but  about  1883 
changed  to  the  roller  system.  For  a  time  Mr. 
Shafier  and  W.  M.  Shiras  were  both  connected 
with  Mr.  Crane,  but  Mr.  Shafi"er  sold  his  interest, 
and  the  firm  is  now  Crane  &  Shiras.  The  mill 
has  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
barrels,  is  50x60  feet  in  dimensions,  with  a  boiler 
and  engine  room  40x35,  and  engine  of  niuety- 
horse  power,  and  a  large  ,corn  elevator,  with  a 
capacity  of  three  hundred  bushels  an  hour.  The 
warehouses  are  34x60,  18x60  and  25x60.  By 
means  of  a  switch  from  the  Santa  Fe  the  products 
of  the  mill  are  easily  loaded  on  cars  for  transporta- 
tion. The  three  leading  varieties  of  flour  manu- 
factured are  High  Patent  No.  7,  O.  K.  Patent 
and  Golden  Gem,  and  corn  meal  is  also  manufac- 
tured in  large  quantities. 

Mr.  Crane  was  born  in  Cattaraugus  County, 
N.  Y. ,  March  11,  1831,  a  son  of  Stevens  and 
Clarinda  (Daw)  Crane.  His  grandfather.  Shad- 
rack  Crane,  a  native  of  New  England,  removed 
to  New  York  in  early  life,  and  there  engaged  first 
in  surveying  and  later  in  farming;  he  died  in 
Cattaraugus  County.  The  maternal  grandfather, 
Peter  F.  Daw,  a  native  of  New  England,  was  a 
pioneer  of  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  settling  at 
Daw's  Corners,  where  he  engaged  in  blacksmith- 
ing;  his  shop  still  stands  at  Daw's  Corners,  three 
miles  north  of  Batavia.  He  had  three  sons. 
Homer,  Henry  and  Ferris  (all  blacksmiths) 
and  two  daughters.  Of  the  sons,  Homer  for 
thirty-five  years  carried  on  the  shop  started  by 
his  father;  Henry  abandoned  blacksmithing  and 
became  a  wealthy  commission  merchant  in  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.;  and  Ferris,  who  was  a  maker  of  edged 
tools,  died  in  Albany. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
removed  to  Winnebago  County,  111.,  in  1842,  and 
settled  near  Rockford,  where  he  was  a  pioneer 
farmer  and  contractor.  In  1848  he  established 
his  home  in  Dubuque  County,  Iowa,  and  there  he 
died  at  fifty-two  years.  His  wife  was  fifty-six  at  the 
time  of  her  death,  which  occurred  in  New  York. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


589 


They  were  the  parents  of  the  following-named 
children:  Peter,  a  provost-marshal  during  the 
war,  who  died  in  Ottawa;  Mrs.  Augusta  McCray, 
who  died  in  Iowa;  Henry  D.;  C.  D.,  a  merchant 
in  Ottawa;  Mrs.  Eliza  Ferguson,  who  died  in 
Iowa;  and  D.  F.,  who  is  head  man  in  our  subject's 
mill. 

When  less  than  twelve  years  of  age  our  subject 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Illinois,  making  the 
trip  in  a  wagon  and  coming  through  Chicago 
when  it  had  less  than  five  thousand  people. 
When  a  boy  he  worked  constantly  to  help  clear 
and  improve  the  farm.  Often  he  hauled  wheat 
eighty  miles  to  Chicago,  receiving  for  it  forty 
cents  a  bushel.  Dressed  pork  he  sold  for  $1.50 
per  hundred.  He  assisted  in  threshing  and 
harvesting  the  grain,  and  was  of  great  help  in  the 
work  of  the  farm.  When  he  could  be  spared  he 
took  great  pleasure  in  hunting  deer,  which  were 
still  abundant.  More  than  once  he  was  called  up- 
on suddenly  to  assist  in  fighting  a  prairie  fire  and 
would  stand  for  hours,  fighting  the  flames  with 
an  old  overcoat  that  had  been  submerged  in  water. 
After  he  went  to  Iowa  in  1848,  he  began  to  drive 
a  team  for  a  miller  at  Cascade.  In  1849  he  was 
apprenticed  to  the  miller's  trade  in  North  Maquo- 
keta,  continuing  there  until  the  mill  was  washed 
away  in  a  flood,  in  1851.  From  1853  to  1855  he 
worked  in  Anamosa  and  Cedar  Rapids.  A  fine 
mill  having  been  erected  in  Cascade,  in  the  fall 
of  1S55  he  returned  there  and  for  fifteen  years 
was  employed  in  it  on  a  salary,  being  head  miller 
most  of  the  time.  Afterward  he  and  his  brother, 
C.  D.,  rented  the  mill  until  they  came  to  Kansas 
in  i86g.  From  Leavenworth  they  proceeded  to 
Ottawa,  then  the  terminus  of  the  Leavenworth, 
Lawrence  &  Galveston  Railroad,  and  here  they 
have  since  resided. 

In  Dubuque,  Iowa,  Mr.  Crane  married  Miss 
Rosella  Wightman,  who  was  born  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  and  by  whom  he  has  one  child. 
Lulu,  wife  of  W.  H.  Becker,  of  Ottawa.  Mrs. 
Crane  was  a  daughter  of  Abel  P.  and  Adelia 
Wightman,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Con- 
necticut, and  removed  to  Ohio.  Her  father  fol- 
lowed the  wagonmaker's  trade  and  served  as  post- 
master of  Granville.     He  was  a  soldier  in  the 


war  of  1812.  In  1854  he  settled  upon  a  farm  in 
Dubuque  County,  Iowa,  where  he  died.  His  son, 
A.  J.,  brother  of  Mrs.  Crane,  established  his  home 
in  Ottawa,  Kans. ,  in  the  fall  of  1869  and  for 
twelve  years  was  a  partner  in  business  with  our 
subject.  Later  he  was  twice  elected  treasurer  of 
Franklin  County.     He  died  in  this  city. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party 
Mr.  Crane  has  upheld  its  principles.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  council  one  term  and  served  as 
mayor  of  Ottawa  in  1883-84,  holding  the  oSice  at 
the  time  of  the  smallpox  epidemic;  this  greatly 
increased  his  responsibilities,  but  by  working 
night  and  day  he  succeeded  with  the  board  of 
health  in  wfping  out  the  disease.  He  was  made 
a  Mason  at  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  in  1854,  and  in 
point  of  membership  is  the  oldest  Mason  in  Otta- 
wa. He  is  now  connected  with  Ottawa  Lodge  No. 
128,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  was  Master  for 
five  years,  and  on  his  retirement  was  presented  b}' 
the  members  with  an  elegant  and  costly  gold  Past- 
Master' s  jewel,  the  same  being  finely  embellished 
and  engraved.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Ottawa 
Chapter  No.  7,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Tancred  Com- 
mandery  No.  11,  K.  T.  In  religious  belief  he  is 
a  Universalist,  but  is  now  serving  as  a  trustee  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  with  which  his  wife  is 
identified.  He  is  a  member  of  the  state  Millers' 
Association.  For  years  he  has  acted  as  vice- 
president  of  the  Kansas  Mutual  Millers'  Insurance 
Company,  now  the  Western  Millers'  Mutual  In- 
surance Company,  the  headquarters  of  which 
were  recently  changed  from  Ottawa  to  Kansas 
City,  Mo. 

HENRY  C.  BRANSON,  secretary,  treasurer 
and  manager  of  the  Ottawa  Foundry  Com- 
panj',  vice-president  of  the  Ottawa  Hard- 
ware Company,  and  chief  of  the  Ottawa  fire  de- 
partment, has  made  his  home  in  the  county-seat 
ofFranklin  County  since  December  28,  1867.  He 
was  born  near  Williamsville,  Sangamon  County, 
111.,  December  2,  1S42,  a  son  of  Benjamin  B.  and 
Mary  E.  (Thompson)  Branson.  On  his  father's 
side  he  is  of  English  lineage,  while  through  his 
mother  he  descends  from  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterian 
ancestors.     His  father,  a  native  of  Ohio,  engaged 


590 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  farming  in  Sangamon  County,  111.,  for  j'ears, 
and  thence  removed  to  Jacksonville,  the  same 
state,  where  he  died  at  seventj^-three  5'ears.  His 
wife,  who  was  born  near  Mount  Sterling,  Ky., 
was  a  daughter  of  John  Thompson,  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  181 2,  who  removed  from  Kentucky  to 
Illinois,  settling  near  Mechanicsburg;  she  died  in 
Taylorville,  111.  Of  her  five  children,  only  two 
are  living,  a  son  and  a  daughter. 

After  completing  public  school  studies  our  sub- 
ject attended  Knox  College  at  Galesburg  and  the 
Illinois  College  in  Jacksonville.  For  some  years 
he  engaged  in  the  stock  business,  making  his 
headquarters  at  Jacksonville.  On  coming  to 
Kansas  he  settled  in  Ottawa  and  started  in  the 
hardware  and  implement  business  with  A.  M. 
Blair,  the  firm  title  being  Blair  &  Branson.  Af- 
ter four  years  the  name  became  Branson  &  Robin- 
son, and  eight  years  later  it  was  changed  to  H. 
C.  Branson  &  Co. ,  then  to  Branson  &  Elder,  and 
finally  the  Branson-Elder  Hardware  Company 
was  organized,  with  himself  as  president,  and 
subseqitently  the  Ottawa  Hardware  Company  was 
established,  of  which  he  has  since  been  vice- 
president  and  a  director.  About  1886  the  Bran- 
son &  Elder  Hardware  Company  became  inter- 
ested in  the  Ottawa  Foundry  Company,  with 
which  Mr.  Branson  is  now  identified  as  secretary, 
treasurer  and  manager.  The  company  manufac- 
tures castings  for  the  Southern  Kansas  division  of 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  also  manufactures  the 
Williams  hay  press,  etc.  The  plant  is  operated 
by  steam  power,  with  a  fifteen-horse  power 
engine,  and  all  the  modern  equipments. 

In  Jacksonville  Mr.  Branson  married  Clara  L. 
Lathrop,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  her  father, 
John  W.  Lathrop,  having  gone  there  from  Con- 
necticut in  1836.  They  have  four  children,  Ed- 
ward L.,  Clara  Belle,  Louise  and  Helen.  The 
son  graduated  from  Cornell  in  1S92  with  the 
degree  of  LL.  B.  Returning  to  Ottawa,  he  began 
the  practice  of  law.  While  serving  his  second 
term  as  justice  of  the  peace  he  resigned  in  order 
to  accept  the  office  of  county  attorney,  which  posi- 
tion he  now  holds,  discharging  its  duties  with 
fidelity. 

For  one  term  Mr.  Branson  was  a  member  of  the 


school  board.  Twice  he  was  elected  to  represent 
the  second  ward  in  the  council,  and  during  one 
year  he  was  president  of  the  board.  He  assisted 
in  the  organization  of  the  fire  department  of  Ot- 
tawa, of  which  he  and  A.  P.  Elder  have  been  the 
only  chiefs,  he  having  served  for  twenty-four 
years  either  as  chief  or  assistant  chief.  His  con- 
nection w-ith  the  department  dates  from  April, 
1872,  and  it  is  due  not  a  little  to  his  efforts  that 
the  service  rendered  bj-  the  department  is  one  of 
the  quickest  and  most  effective  of  any  in  the  state. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  State  Association  of 
Chiefs  of  Fire  Departments.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  Franklin  Lodge  No.  18,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
Ottawa  Chapter  No.  7,  R.  A.  M.;  and  Tancred 
Commandery  No.  1 1 ,  K.  T.  His  first  presidential 
vote  was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln  and  he  has 
since  been  firm  in  his  allegiance  to  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  Republican  party. 


pCJlLLIAM  JACKSON,  acting  captain  of  the 
lAl  S^^^^  ^^  ^^^  United  States  penitentiary, 
Y  V  Fort  Leavenworth,  is,  in  point  of  years  of 
active  service,  the  oldest  employe  in  the  prison, 
and  his  long  and  efficient  service  has  brought  him 
the  esteem  and  regard  of  the  officials  of  the  insti- 
tution. From  his  earliest  recollections  he  has 
been  familiar  with  military  posts  and  government 
service.  He  has  himself  been  employed  by  the 
government  since  1870,  and  during  that  long 
period  has  won  an  enviable  record  for  efficiency 
and  fidelity. 

When  a  young  man  Robert  T.  Jackson  emi- 
grated from  his  native  country,  England,  to 
America,  where  he  soon  entered  the  regular 
army,  in  which  he  spent  thirty-six  years  of  his 
life.  He  was  connected  with  a  regiment  of  dra- 
goons as  band  leader  and  was  also  chief  musician 
for  the  Fourth  Cavalry  and  the  Sixth  Infantry. 
Under  the  administration  of  President  Lincoln 
he  was  appointed  forage  master  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth and  in  this  position  he  continued  to  serve 
until  his  death,  in  1877,  when  sixty-seven  years 
of  age.  He  was  a  man  of  ability  and  stood  high 
among  his  comrades  at  the  fort,  as  well  as  among 
the  people  whom  he  knew  in  civic  life.     By  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


591 


marriage  to  Mary  Ann  Burton,  who  died  in  Leav- 
enworth, he  had  twelve  children.  Of  these  the 
subject  of  our  sketch  was  one,  and  was  born 
while  his  father  was  stationed  at  Fort  Riley, 
Kans.,  in  1856.  When  he  was  five  years  of  age 
his  father  was  transferred  to  Fort  Leavenworth. 
His  education  was  received  in  the  city  schools. 

When  only  fourteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Jackson 
began  to  drive  a  team  in  Fort  Leavenworth, 
under  the  quartermaster's  department.  After- 
ward he  held  an  appointment  as  forage  master  at 
the  United  States  military  prison  under  Maj .  J.  W. 
Pope  for  five  years.  In  1S95  he  was  appointed  a 
guard  at  the  penitentiary  and  has  since  been  con- 
nected with  this  institution.  In  the  position 
which  he  holds  he  is  known  for  his  industry, 
faithfulness  and  intelligence.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  Metropolitan  Lodge  No.  27, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  in  Leavenworth.  By  his  marriage, 
in  1877,  to  Maggie  Connor,  he  has  six  children: 
May,  Norma,  Grace,  Elizabeth,  Eleanor  and  Will- 
iam R. 


HON.  DAVID  JOSIAH  BREWER.  Among 
those  once  resident  in  Leavenworth  who 
have  become  distinguished  in  the  annals  of 
our  country,  conspicuous  stands  the  name  of 
Justice  Brewer.  For  the  following  account  of  his 
career  we  are  indebted  to  an  article  by  Henry 
Macfarland  in  the  Christian  Endeavor  World: 

A  fine  type  of  the  great  Christian  jurist  is  David 
Josiah  Brewer,  associate  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  and  one  of  the  five 
members  of  the  court  of  arbitration  on  the  con- 
troversy over  the  boundary  between  Venezuela 
and  British  Guiana.  Mr.  Justice  Brewer  was 
sixty-two  on  the  20th  of  June,  1899,  a  few 
days  after  the  arbitration  tribunal  met  in  Paris  to 
hear  ex-President  Harrison  and  the  other  counsel 
for  Venezuela  and  Great  Britain. 

He  has  the  unusual  distinction  of  having  spent 
more  than  half  his  life  upon  the  bench,  and,  al- 
though he  is  so  young  and  so  vigorous  in  both 
mind  and  body  that  he  may  well  live  to  become 
chief  justice  of  the  United  States,  he  will  in  De- 
cember complete  ten  years  of  service  in  the  high- 
est court  of  the  United  States,  which  is  the  great- 
26 


est  court  in  the  world.  Now  that  Mr.  Justice 
Brewer's  uncle,  Mr.  Justice  Stephen  J.  Field,  has 
passed  away,  no  other  member  of  the  Supreme 
Court  has  served  as  a  judge  in  state  and  federal 
courts  so  many  years  as  Mr.  Justice  Brewer;  and 
he  bids  fair  to  exceed  the  length  of  service  of  his 
uncle  on  the  Supreme  bench,  as  Mr.  Justice  Field 
exceeded  that  of  Chief  Justice  Marshall. 

Mr.  Justice  Brewer's  place  is  among  the  two  or 
three  ablest  members  of  the  Supreme  Court,  ac- 
cording to  the  estimates  of  his  colleagues  and  of 
the  leading  members  of  the  bar,  many  of  whom 
regard  him  as  the  greatest  lawyer  on  the  bench. 
Although  he  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  President 
Cleveland  made  him  chairman  of  the  United 
States  commission  on  the  Venezuelan  boundary 
line,  while  President  McKinley  appointed  him 
with  Chief  Justice  Fuller  to  represent  the  United 
States  on  the  Venezuelan  arbitration  tribunal. 

Mr.  Justice  Brewer  is  not  more  noted  for  his 
ability  and  attainment  as  a  jurist  than  he  is  for 
his  fine  Christian  character  and  his  devotion  to 
the  work  of  the  church  and  the  Sunday-school. 
Following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father,  Rev.  Josiah 
Brewer,  of  Connecticut,  an  early  missionary  to 
Turkey,  and  of  his  mother,  Emilia  A.  Field,  sister 
of  David  Dudley,  Cyrus  W. ,  Stephen  J.  and  Henry 
M.  Field,  Justice  Brewer  as  a  young  man  joined 
the  Congregational  Church,  and  has  faith- 
fully served  in  it  all  his  life  long.  '  'For  some- 
thing like  thirty  years,"  said  Justice  Brewer,  "my 
intimate  friend,  George  Eddy,  and  I  carried  large- 
ly the  burdens  of  the  First  Congregational  Church 
of  Leavenworth,"  and  besides  all  that  he  did  for 
the  church  proper,  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school  for  a  time,  and  for  many  years 
teacher  of  its  largest  bible  class.  When  he  re- 
moved to  Washington  he  became  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Wash- 
ington, where  he  teaches  every  Sunday  morning 
the  largest  Bible  class  in  the  Sunday-school. 

Mr.  Justice  Brewer's  career  furnishes  a  most 
wholesome  and  inspiring  example  in  this  money- 
making  and  money-spending  time,  for  it  is  one 
long  service  of  God  and  of  country,  rewarded,  it 
is  true,  with  appreciation  and  with  high  honors, 
but   with  small  [return  in  money;   so   that,  be- 


592 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ginning  life  without  a  dollar  and  having  only 
brief  practice  at  the  bar,  Justice  Brewer  has  no 
fortune  to-day  but  what  he  may  have  saved  from 
his  modest  salaries,  sharing  the  glory  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  which  determines  the  disposition 
of  vast  fortunes  on  small  ofScial  incomes  and  above 
suspicion  of  improper  influences. 

It  is  to  his  well-beloved  wife,  who  died  a  year 
ago,  that  Justice  Brewer  attributes  all  his  success, 
under  God.  It  was  most  providential  that,  when 
he  arrived  in  Leavenworth  in  1859,  after  spend- 
ing the  little  money  he  had  brought  from  the 
east  in  a  boyish  dash  for  the  gold  reported  at 
Pike's  Peak,  and  in  debt  for  the  money  he  had 
borrowed,  besides  what  he  had  earned  by  teaching, 
to  carry  him  through  Yale  College  and  the  Albany 
Law  School,  knowing  nobodj'  in  the  bustling 
frontier  town,  and  with  his  genial,  fun-loving 
nature,  he  soon  met  Miss  Landon,  a  charming 
girl  with  a  fine  character,  who  had  come  from 
Burlington,  Vt.,  to  visit  her  sister,  Mrs.  Woods, 
the  wife  of  a  merchant,  and  that  they  became 
such  good  friends  as  to  be  married  at  an  early 
day. 

This,  Justice  Brewer  says,  saved  him  from 
wrecking  his  life,  as  he  might  have  done,  on  the 
rocks  of  "a  good  time,"  which  allured  so  many 
of  the  other  young  lawyers  who  like  himself  were 
just  starting  in  the  new  city  of  the  new  state. 
His  wife,  his  home,  his  church,  at  once  restrained 
him  from  danger,  and  gave  him  motive  and  in- 
spiration to  make  the  most  of  his  life.  Many  of 
the  one  hundred  and  sixteen  lawyers  who  started 
with  him  in  that  town  of  seven  thousand  inhabit- 
ants failed  utterly  through  the  habits  of  idleness, 
or  worse,  which  were  so  easy  to  form  and  so  hard 
to  break.  No  wonder  that  Justice  Brewer  reveres 
the  memory  of  his  wife  with  thankful  heart. 

Then,  too,  his  marriage  placed  him  on  the  first 
stepping-stone  of  professional  succe.ss,  for  it  was 
largely  through  the  advice  and  assistance  of  his 
brother-in-law,  who  was  a  Democrat,  that  before 
he  was  twenty-five  years  old  he  was  elected  judge 
of  the  probate  and  criminal  courts  of  Leavenworth 
County,  to  the  surprise  and  dissatisfaction  of  some 
of  the  older  men,  who  thought  that  a  young  man 
ought  not  to  administer  the  criminal  jurisdiction. 


which  covered  murder  cases,  and  appealed  to  the 
legislature  to  take  it  away.  Before  the  legisla- 
ture got  around  to  doing  it  the  young  judge  had 
conquered  his  critics  by  the  admirable  way  in 
which  he  discharged  his  duties,  and  at  the  end  of 
three  years  was  taade  district  judge  upon  the 
unanimous  request  of  the  bar.  From  that  time 
his  promotion  from  court  to  court  seemed  to  be  a 
matter  of  course.  He  worked  incessantly  as  a 
student  of  law,  as  he  does  to  this  day,  and  the  re- 
sults in  hisjudicial  opinions  brought  him  ever  in- 
creasing opportunities  and  honors. 


EHARLES  B.  STRONG  has  been  a  resident 
of  Kansas  since  1866  and  is  one  of  the  well- 
known  farmers  of  Grant  Township,  Doug- 
las County.  He  was  born  in  Michigan  August 
8,  1848.  His  father,  a  son  of  Hugh  Strong, 
bore  the  name  of  Charles  Fitch  Strong  and  was 
born  in  Massachusetts,  whence  at  fourteen  years 
of  age  he  went  to  New  York  City.  While  Mich- 
igan was  still  a  territory  he  established  his  home 
there  and  pre-empted  land  at  Tecumseh,  where 
he  began  farming.  During  subsequent  years  he 
devoted  his  attention  to  improving  land,  and  as 
he  brought  a  tract  under  cultivation  he  sold  it, 
then  purchased  another  unimproved  farm.  While 
he  never  owned  more  than  twenty-five  hundred 
acres  at  a  time,  he  improved  thousands  of  acres, 
doing  more  work  of  this  kind  than  anj'one  in  his 
locality.  In  1866  he  removed  to  Kansas.  Seven 
years  later  he  settled  in  Lawrence,  where  he 
bought  a  hotel,  also  the  farm  now  owned  by  his 
son,  Charles.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican, 
and  in  religion  was  of  the  Episcopalian  faith. 
While  in  Michigan  he  married  Cornelia  Shoals, 
who  died,  leaving  a  daughter  Cornelia,  now  the 
wife  of  E.  B.  Strickland.  Later  he  married 
Mary  A.  Rice,  by  whom  he  had  a  daughter, 
Mary,  now  the  wife  of  Edward  Prichard,  of  Mich- 
igan. By  his  third  wife,  Martha  (Miller)  Strong, 
he  had  two  sons,  Charles  B.  and  Fred  J.,  the 
latter  of  Leavenworth  County.  The  father  spent 
his  closing  years  in  Douglas  County,  where  he  died 
March  8,  1S97,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
From   an   early  age   our  subject   assisted   his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


593 


father  at  home.  When  less  than  sixteen  years 
of  age,  in  March,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  the  Second 
Michigan  Infantry,  Ninth  Army  Corps,  under 
General  Burnside.  He  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
the  Wilderness,  was  at  Spottsylvania  and  Cold 
Harbor  and  was  wounded  in  the  latter  engage- 
ment. After  taking  part  in  the  grand  review  at 
Washington  he  was  honorably  discharged  in 
that  city.  Returning  to  Michigan  he  made  prep- 
arations to  come  to  Kansas.  In  the  spring  of 
1866  he  accompanied  his  father  west  and  they 
bought  land  in  Easton  Township,  L,eavenworth 
County.  Their  property  was  wholly  unimproved 
and  it  took  them  a  number  of  years  to  place  it  in 
good  condition.  In  addition  to  farm  pursuits 
they  became  largely  interested  in  buying  and 
selling  cattle.  They  planted  as  many  as  five 
hundred  acres  to  wheat  in  a  single  season  and 
were  among  the  first  to  engage  in  raising  this 
cereal  in  large  quantities.  Even  after  his  mar- 
riage our  subject  continued  to  be  interested  with 
his  father,  who,  with  advancing  years,  relied  al- 
most wholly  upon  his  son's  judgment  and  de- 
cisions. 

In  1871  Mr.  Strong  moved  to  Jefferson  County, 
where  he  farmed  until  the  spring  of  1877.  He 
then  purchased  property  in  Grant  Township, 
Douglas  County,  starting  with  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  and  embarking  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising  at  his  new  home.  He  now  farms  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  most  of  which  is  under 
cultivation.  His  father  owned  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  where  our  subject  resides,  and  this 
the  latter  has  also  operated  since  the  year  1886, 
it  being  practically  his  own  property.  He  has 
about  one  hundred  head  of  cattle,  his  specialty 
being  the  Hereford  breed,  and  he  also  raises 
Poland-China  hogs.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he 
has  not  been  active  in  local  affairs  and  he  has  al- 
ways declined  offers  of  official  positions. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Strong,  November  10, 
1871,  united  him  with  Kate  Betsey  Hicks,  daugh- 
ter of  Garrett  Smith  Hicks,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
Her  father  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  and  was 
so  seriously  wounded  in  the  second  battle  of  Bull 
Run  that  he  died  from  the  efiects  of  his  injuries. 
He  had  served  in  the   Twelfth  New  York  In- 


fantry. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Strong  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  namely:  Minnie  A.,  who  married 
Lyman  A.  McCurdy,  of  Lawrence,  and  has  one 
son,  Lyman  C.  McCurdy;  Frank  B.,  a  farmer, 
who  is  married  and  has  one  son,  Charles  Curtis 
Strong;  John  F.,  who  is  a  grocer  in  Lawrence; 
and  Curtis  Hicks,  who  assists  his  father  at  home. 
In  all  his  work  Mr.  Strong  has  had  an  efficient 
helpmate  in  his  wife,  who  is  a  lady  of  great 
energy  and  ability,  as  well  as  personal  beauty. 
In  earlier  days  when  it  was  impossible  to  secure 
help  in  her  kitchen,  she  took  upon  herself  the  en- 
tire responsibility,  not  only  of  caring  for  her  own 
family,  but  also  of  cooking,  each  season,  for 
twenty-five  or  thirty  harvesters,  and  at  one  time 
she  cooked  for  a  week  for  forty  hired  men.  The 
success  which  has  come  to  Mr.  Strong  is  due  not 
a  little  to  her  intelligent  assistance  and  untiring 
energy. 

(John  W.  baker.  The  first  passenger  train 
I  that  came  through  to  Olathe  brought  Mr. 
(2/  Baker  to  Kansas  in  1870.  Selecting  a  place  in 
Franklin  County  he  returned  to  Illinois,  where 
he  closed  out  his  interests,  preparatory  to  re- 
moval. In  1871  he  settled  in  this  county,  pur- 
chasing eighty  acres  on  the  southern  line  of 
Franklin  Township.  The  land  was  raw  prairie, 
destitute  of  improvements,  and  giving  little  in- 
dication of  future  value.  Driving  through  from 
Illinois,  he  at  once  began  the  task  of  placing  the 
land  under  cultivation.  Every  improvement  now 
to  be  seen  is  the  result  of  his  energy  and  industry. 
He  set  out  all  of  the  trees  on  the  place,  erected 
all  of  the  buildings,  put  up  fences,  and  from  time 
to  time  added  to  the  property  until  he  owned  four 
hundred  acres.  Out  of  this  he  has  given  his  sons 
eighty  acres  each,  retaining  two  hundred  and 
forty  for  himself  Here  he  engages  in  raising 
Hereford  cattle  and  also  gives  some  attention  to 
general  farm  produce.  He  has  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  under  the  plow,  rents  eighty  acres, 
and  also  owns  an  orchard  of  four  acres  which 
3'ields  fruits  of  the  choicest  varieties. 

In  Sangamon  County,  111.,  December  13,  1837, 
our  subject  was  born,  a  son  of  John  and  Rachel 
(Biggs)   Baker.     His  father,  a  native  of  Ohio, 


594 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  thirty-five  years  of  age  when  he  settled  in 
Illinois,  in  the  midst  of  a  farming  region  com- 
paratively undeveloped.  He  farmed  in  Sangamon 
County  until  1870,  when  he  came  to  Kansas  and 
settled  in  Ottawa,  dying  in  Nebraska  while  on  a 
visit  in  1883.  Of  his  eight  children  four  are  now 
living,  namely:  Mrs.  Margaret  Staggers,  of  Ot- 
tawa; Thomas  N.,  a  farmer  of  Franklin  Town- 
ship; Reuben,  who  lives  in  Nebraska;  and  John 
W.  The  last-named  became  familiar  with  farm 
work  at  a  very  early  age.  He  had  no  opportu- 
nities to  gain  an  education,  his  entire  attendance 
at  school  being  limited  to  three  months.  He  re- 
sided in  Sangamon  County  until  his  removal  to 
Kansas. 

Formerly  a  Republican,  Mr.  Baker  is  now  a 
firm  believer  in  the  Prohibition  party  and  is  act- 
ive in  temperance  work.  In  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  he  has  served  as  steward  and  has 
been  class-leader  for  many  years.  He  filled  the 
office  of  Sunday-school  superintendent  for  thirty 
years  and  his  son  is  now  serving  in  this  position. 
All  matters  relating  to  church  work  receive  his 
thoughtful  attention  and  he  contributes  to  them, 
both  of  time  and  means,  as  far  as  his  ability 
renders  possible. 

While  in  Illinois,  March  17,  1859,  Mr.  Baker 
married  Sarah  J.  Mahard.  They  are  the  parents 
of  four  children.  The  older  son,  James  E.,  a 
teacher,  is  now  principal  of  the  Wellsville  school. 
Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  Allen  Myers,  of  Franklin 
Township.  Thomas  A.  cultivates  a  farm  adjoin- 
ing the  family  homestead.  Carrie  is  the  wife  of 
Rev.  J.  W.  Reed,  of  Centropolis. 


r"  H.  F.  SCHNEIDER,  who  came  to  Law- 
[O  rence  in  1868,  was  first  employed  as  a  pat- 
I  tern  maker  in  the  shops  of  the  Kansas 
Pacific  Railroad.  Eater  he  was  foreman  of 
buildings  with  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas 
Railroad  Company,  and  during  the  year  he  was 
with  them  built  the  shops  at  Sedalia,  Mo.,  and 
Denison,  Tex.  His  next  position  was  as  su- 
perintendent of  bridges,  buildings  and  cars  with 
the  St.  Louis,  Lawrence  &  Western  Railroad, 
which  had  its  shops  and  headquarters  in  Law- 


rence. He  remained  with  the  company  for  four 
years,  during  the  last  two  of  which  he  was  in 
charge  of  buildings  and  roadbeds.  When  the 
road  was  sold  to  the  Kansas  Pacific  he  turned  his 
attention  to  contracting  and  building,  which  he 
has  since  conducted,  having  his  ofiice  at  No.  9 
West  Blakeley  street.  He  had  charge  of  the 
building  of  the  girls'  dormitory  at  Haskell  Insti- 
tute, also  the  shop,  hospital,  store  and  residences 
there;  put  in  the  heating  plant  at  the  University 
of  Kansas,  built  the  club  rooms  of  the  Merchants' 
Athletic  Club  and  numerous  store  buildings  and 
residences. 

Born  near  Minden,  Westphalia,  Prussia,  June 
9,  1836,  our  subject  was  the  oldest  of  six  children, 
five  of  whom  attained  mature  years  and  two  are 
living.  His  father,  Ernest,  and  grandfather, 
Ernest,  Sr. ,  were  born  near  Minden,  and  the 
latter  was  a  drummer  in  the  Prussian  army  and 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  Ernest,  Jr., 
a  farmer  and  shoemaker,  died  near  Minden  in 
1883,  aged  eighty  years.  He  married  Johanna 
Meier,  who  was  a  farmer's  daughter  and  spent 
her  life  near  Minden,  dying  there  at  thirty-three 
years.  When  a  boy  our  subject  learned  the 
shoemaker's  trade.  In  1853  he  left  Bremen  on 
the  sailer  "Heinrich  von  Gogern,"  and  after  a 
voyage  of  over  two  months  landed  in  New 
Orleans,  thence  proceeded  up  the  Mississippi  and 
Ohio  to  Evansville,  Ind.,  and  from  there  traveled 
to  Fort  Wayne  overland,  joining  a  brother  of  his 
father  in  that  city.  During  the  winter  he  worked 
at  the  shoemaker's  trade,  but  in  the  spring  of 
1854  became  driver  on  the  Wabash  canal,  then 
hired  out  on  a  farm  for  a  year,  and  later  became 
an  apprentice  to  the  cabinet-maker's  trade  in 
Fort  Wayne.  The  firm  failed  after  he  had  been 
with  them  for  eighteen  months,  and  he  then 
began  to  work  for  others,  being  for  a  time  in  the 
car  works  of  a  railroad  and  for  two  years  was 
bridge  builder  in  the  army  of  the  Cumberland, 
in  Georgia,  Tennessee  and  Alabama.  Later  he 
was  detailed  to  work  in  the  locomotive  depart- 
ment in  Nashville,  where  he  remained  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  Returning  to  Indiana  he 
resumed  carpentering  with  the  railroad  company. 
In  1867  he  came  to  Kansas  and  was  employed  in 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


595 


the  mainteiiance-of-way  department  of  the 
Kansas  Pacific  at  Wyandotte.  The  next  year  he 
came  to  Lawrence,  where  he  now  makes  his  home 
at  No.  739  Ohio  street. 

In  Fort  Wayne  Mr.  Schneider  married  Ann 
A.,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Finnemore,  whom  .she 
accompanied  from  Ohio  to  Peru,  Ind.  Later  he 
started  for  California,  overland,  and  reaching  that 
state  engaged  in  mining,  being  one  of  the  men 
who  located  the  Comstock  mine.     He  sold  his 

»  stock  in  the  mine  and  returned  to  San  Francisco, 

where  he  was  lost  track  of.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Schneider  have  seven  children  living,  the  eldest 
of  whom,  George,  is  a  contractor  in  Oregon. 
The  others,  Ella,  Anna,  Charles  W.,  William, 
Nella  and  Carrie,  are  at  home. 

Mr.  .Schneider  is  president  of  the  Democratic 
Club  and  a  member  of  the  county  Democratic 
central  committee.  He  is  past  oflScer  and  ex- rep- 
resentative of  Lodge  No.  4,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  has  also 
been  district  deputy  and  lodge  trustee  and  is  a  past 
officer  in  the  encampment.  Fond  of  music  and 
pos.sessing  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  art  he 
was  one  of  the  members  of  the  old  Lawrence 
band,  some  of  whose  members  are  well  known  in 
the  state.  Later  for  many  years  he  played  in  the 
German  band  and  also  had  the  B  flat  cornet  in 
the  German  orchestra. 


K 


EV.  DEXTER  TUCKER,  who  was  or- 
dained to  the  ministry  of  the  Baptist  Church 
in  i866,  has  often  been  called  to  preach,  not 
only  in  his  own  neighborhood,  but  in  diflferent 
parts  of  Kansas,  and  has  officiated  at  many  mar- 
riages and  funerals.  However,  he  has  gained 
his  livelihood,  not  through  the  ministry  (for  all 
his  work  has  been  done  through  love  of  the  cause, 
and  without  expectation  of  profit) ,  but  in  the 
management  of  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ten 
acres,  situated  in  Palmyra  Township,  Douglas 
County. 

Near  Dunkirk,  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y., 
where  he  was  born  March  21,  1S34,  the  boyhood 
days  of  our  subject  was  passed  on  a  farm.  When 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  began  rail- 
roading, and  for  some  time  was    employed  on 


eastern  roads  in  making  a  change  of  gauge. 
Through  sympathy  with  the  free  state  people  in 
Kansas  he  was  led  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  them. 
March  18,  1857,  ^^  arrived  in  the  then  frontier 
town  of  Leavenworth.  The  next  day  he  started 
out  to  look  up  a  suitable  location,  and  bought  the 
right  to  the  claim  he  now  owns.  Settling  upon  the 
land  he  began  its  improvement,  and  under  his 
oversight  he  brought  the  soil  under  excellent  cul- 
tivation. During  the  Civil  war  he  was  employed 
for  twenty-two  months  as  butcher  in  the  commis- 
sary department  in  Kansas,  Missouri  and  Ar- 
kansas, being  for  a  time  brigade  butcher  under 
General  Lane,  afterward  under  General  Solomon 
and  lastly  with  General  Blount.  For  this  work 
he  was  well  fitted,  having  learned  the  butcher's 
trade  with  his  father  in  youth. 

On  returning  to  his  farm  Mr.  Tucker  gave  his 
attention  again  to  farm  work.  Later,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  militia,  he  was  ordered  to  the 
front  at  the  time  of  Price's  raid,  and  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  the  Blue,  also  in  other  skirmishes 
under  General  Lane.  At  the  time  of  the  Quan- 
trell  raid,  in  1863,  he  was  running  a  threshing 
machine  for  other  parties,  and  was,  therefore, 
away  from  home,  which  fact  probably  saved  his 
life,  as  the  raiders  passed  through  his  farm  and 
destroyed  all  of  his  property  by  fire.  For  five 
years  he  operated  a  threshing  machine,  and  at 
the  same  time  was  frequently  called  upon  to  act 
as  veterinary  surgeon.  His  home  place  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  land,  which 
is  well  improved. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Tucker,  March  23,  1865, 
united  him  with  Miss  Emma  Preston,  who  was 
born  in  Kentucky.  They  became  the  parents  of 
three  sons  and  seven  daughters,  namely:  Louis, 
a  farmer  and  stonemason  living  in  Palmyra 
Township;  Fannie,  wife  of  Frederick  Morton; 
and  Celia,  Mrs.  Bert  Day,  all  of  this  township; 
Ellen,  who  married  George  Ice;  Albert,  who  en- 
listed in  the  First  Texas  Infantry  at  the  time  of 
the  Spanish  war  and  went  with  his  regiment  to 
Jacksonville,  Fla.,  but  was  discharged  on  account 
of  disability;  Addie,  who  married  William  Dow- 
ning, of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  Josiah;  Nettie  May 
and  Nellie  Maude  (twins),  and  Josie,  all  at  home. 


596 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Formerly  a  Republican,  the  money  question 
caused  Mr.  Tucker  to  identify  himself  with  the 
Populists.  He  has  been  quite  active  in  political 
affairs  in  his  township,  but  has  never  sought  of- 
fice for  himself.  However,  the  position  of  school 
treasurer  was  forced  upon  him,  and  while  he  ac- 
cepted it  reluctantly,  he  filled  it  with  efiiciency. 


I ESHACK  SANDERS,  who  owns  and  oc- 
cupies a  farm  at  Twin  Mound,  Marion 
Township,  Douglas  County,  was  born  near 
Shelby ville,  Ky.,  December  9,  1840,  a  son  of 
Meshack  and  lyucy  (Grady)  Sanders,  also  natives 
of  Kentucky.  His  father,  who  was  the  son  of  a 
lifelong  Kentuckian,  grew  to  manhood  near 
Shelbyville,  where  during  his  active  life  he  was 
employed  as  overseer  of  slaves  on  a  large  planta- 
tion. He  died  about  four  months  before  his  son 
and  namesake  was  born,  and  of  his  five  children 
only  this  son  and  William  Thomas,  of  Missouri, 
survive.  In  1849  the  mother  removed  with  her 
children  to  Bartholomew  County,  Ind.,  where 
she  died  at  seventy-two  years  of  age.  At  the 
time  of  the  removal  to  Indiana,  our  subject  was 
a  boy  of  nine  years.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  a 
farm  and  had  few  advantages,  for  he  was  obliged 
to  be  self-supporting  from  an  early  age.  From 
nineteen  to  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  served  an 
apprenticeship  to  the  blacksmith  trade,  after 
which  he  was  employed  as  a  journeyman.  In 
1865  he  came  to  Kansas  and  followed  his  trade  in 
Leavenworth,  also  worked  in  the  government  em- 
ploy at  Fort  Leavenworth.  During  1867  he  went 
to  Fort  Laramie,  Wyo. ,  where  he  worked  for  the 
government.  The  following  year  he  returned  to 
Leavenworth.  In  the  spring  of  1869  he  went  on 
the  plains,  in  the  employ  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  Company,  traveling  through  Nebraska 
and  Wyoming.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he  secured 
work  for  the  government  at  Fort  Steele,  Wyo., 
and  in  the  spring  of  the  next  year  he  went  into 
the  mining  district  at  Sweetwater,  Wyo. ,  where 
he  engaged  in  mining.  Coming  back  to  Kansas, 
he  spent  a  short  time  at  Pond  City,  thence  pro- 
ceeded to  Lawrence,  and  in  1872  opened  a  black- 
smith's shop  in  the  latter  city. 


Selling  his  shop  in  1881,  Mr.  Sanders  pur- 
chased a  farm  at  Twin  Mound  and,  building  a 
shop  on  the  land,  he  followed  his  trade,  besides 
cultivating  his  land  and  engaging  in  feeding  cat- 
tle. In  1892  he  retired  from  his  trade,  since 
which  .time  he  has  devoted  himself  to  superin- 
tending his  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres.  He  still  owns  real  estate  at  Columbus, 
Ind.,  where  he  was  reared.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  During  the  war  he  went  out  with  a 
company  of  independents  for  the  purpose  of  head- 
ing off  General  Morgan  at  the  time  of  the  latter's 
rai  1  into  Ohio  and  Indiana.  At  this  writing  he 
is  a  member  of  the  county  central  committee  of 
his  party.  He  has  served  as  a  director  of  the 
schools  and  as  treasurer  for  five  years.  For 
some  years  he  was  identified  with  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  The  temperance 
cause  has  in  him  an  ardent  champion. 

March  21,  1872,  Mr.  Sanders  married  Fannie 
C.  Faxon,  who  was  born  in  Scituate,  Mass.,  and 
by  whom  he  has  two  daughters,  Minnie  E.  and 
Clare  Corinne.  Mrs.  Sanders  is  a  daughter  of 
William  T.  and  Harriet  (Cook)  Faxon,  natives 
respectively  of  Braintree  and  Scituate,  Cape  Cod, 
Mass.,  her  father  a  man  of  ability  and  intelli- 
gence. For  some  years  he  carried  on  a  mercan- 
tile business  in  Scituate,  but  in  1858  left  the  east 
and  came  to  Lawrence,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
meat  business.  Politically  he  was  a  Democrat. 
He  died  in  Lawrence  in  1889,  when  sixty -four 
years  of  age.  Of  his  seven  children  only  three 
daughters  are  now  living,  those  besides  Mrs. 
Sanders  being  Eunice,  wife  of  Alexander  Marks, 
of  Lawrence;  and  Annie,  wife  of  Harry  King. 


rrUGENE  BREWER,  of  Ottawa,  is  the  sen- 
j^  ior  member  of  the  firm  of  Brewer  &  Stan- 
ly nard,  proprietors  of  the  Ottawa  Star  nur- 
series, and  has  made  his  home  in  this  city  since 
1 87 1.  He  is  a  descendant  of  pioneer  settlers  of 
New  York  state  who  came  to  this  country  from 
Holland.  His  father,  Samuel  M.,  son  of  John 
Brewer,  was  born  in  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y., 
and  for  some  years  engaged  in  farming  near 
Gloversville,    Fulton  County,  that  state,   but  in 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1S65  settled  in  Dekalb  Countjs  111. ,  fifty  miles 
from  Chicago,  where  he  transformed  a  tract  of 
raw  prairie  into  a  well-improved  farm.  In  1871 
he  came  to  Kansas,  settling  in  Cutler  Township, 
Ottawa  County,  where  he  transformed  an  unim- 
proved section  of  land  into  a  fine  farm.  Here  he 
died  in  1897,  when  seventy-nine  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  sincere  Christian  and  a  faithful  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  His  wife, 
Mary,  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  Stoddard,  a  far- 
mer in  New  York.  She  was  born  in  Fulton 
County,  that  state,  and  died  in  Kansas  in  the 
fall  of  1874.  Of  their  four  children,  Samuel  L. 
resides  in  Cutler  Township;  Jerome  is  a  farmer 
in  the  same  township;  and  Mrs.  Alice  Baker  died 
in  Kansas.  Our  subject  was  born  in  Fulton 
County,  N.  Y.,  August  ig,  1S50,  and  was  fifteen 
years  of  age  when  the  family  settled  in  Illinois. 
In  May,  1871,  he  came  to  Kansas  and  engaged 
in  the  produce  business  in  Ottawa,  having  an 
office  on  Main  street.  After  some  years,  his 
health  being  poor,  he  sought  a  change  of  occupa- 
tion and  in  the  fall  of  1877  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Cutler  Township,  where  subsequent  outdoor  ex- 
ercise soon  proved  very  beneficial.  From  a  tract 
of  wild  land  he  improved  a  valuable  farm  of 
eighty  acres  and  this  he  still  owns. 

Associated  with  F.  H.  Stannard,  in  the  spring 
of  1879  Mr.  Brewer  embarked  in  the  nursery  bus- 
iness, and  made  preparations  for  the  establishment 
of  a  growing  nursery.  The  firm  first  planted  a 
variety  of  trees  three  miles  south  of  Ottawa,  and 
they  now  have  over  three  hundred  acres  in  Frank- 
lin County  devoted  to  the  business.  Apple  seed- 
lings are  grown  at  Topeka,  Kans.  (where  they 
have  sixty  acres),  and  are  afterward  brought  to 
Franklin  County,  where  they  are  grown  to  the 
proper  size.  Cherries  and  plums  are  started  in 
their  nursery  at  Humboldt,  Tenn.,  where  the 
soil  and  climate  are  especially  adapted  for  suc- 
cessful work.  Grapes  are  grown  at  Fredonia, 
N.  Y.  (a  section  peculiarly  adapted  for  grapes), 
where  they  have  nearly  a  million  plants.  They 
are  also  largely  interested  in  orchards  in  Colorado, 
having  in  1895  started  an  orchard  of  four  hun- 
dred acres  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  Arkansas 
near  Rocky  Ford  and  irrigated  from  that  river  by 


a  good  ditch.  Besides  the  orchard  of  four  hun- 
dred acres,  they  have  about  the  same  amount  of 
land  planted  to  nursery  stock.  The  products  of 
the  nursery  are  shipped  to  every  part  of  the 
United  States,  at  times  as  much  as  one  train  load 
of  nursery  stock  being  shipped  in  a  day. 

In  Topeka,  Kaus.,  Mr.  Brewer  married  Miss 
Lillie  B.  Mills,  who  was  born  in  St.  Louis, 
and  accompanied  her  father,  Barnett  C.  Mills, 
to  Shawnee  County,  twelve  miles  south  of  To- 
peka. They  have  four  children,  Fred  A.,  Alice 
M.,  Mary  Edna  and  Edith  L.  Politically  Mr. 
Brewer  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  and  the  Western  Nurserymen's  Associ- 
ation. He  is  serving  as  president  of  the  Ottawa 
Gun  Club.  An  expert  marksman,  he  has  cap- 
tured prizes  in  Missouri  and  New  York  as  well 
as  in  his  own  home  state.  Twice  he  has  been 
chosen  to  serve  as  president  of  the  Kansas  State 
Sportsman's  Association,  and  has  been  deeply 
interested  in  the  annual  tournaments  held  in 
Ottawa,  toward  the  success  of  which  he  has  con- 
tributed and  in  which  he  has  received  medals. 


EHRISTIAN  SCHAAKE,  an  enterprising 
farmer  who  resides  in  Eudora  Township, 
Douglas  County,  was  born  near  Cassel,  Ger- 
many, in  1865,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Margaretta 
(Seibel)  Schaake.  He  received  a  fair  education 
in  the  German  language.  In  company  with  two 
older  sisters  he  came  to  the  United  States  and 
settled  in  Edwardsville,  111.,  where  he  attended 
school  for  three  years.  Meantime  he  became 
familiar  with  American  customs  and  our  lan- 
guage. For  a  number  of  years  he  worked  on  a 
farm  owned  by  his  brother,  William,  who  had 
preceded  him  to  this  country. 

July,  1888,  found  Mr.  Schaake  in  Kansas, 
where  he  rented  a  farm  owned  by  his  brother. 
Cultivating  the  land  he  saved  his  earnings  care- 
fully, in  order  that  he  might  apply  them  to  the 
purchase  of  a  place  of  his  own.  In  the  spring  of 
1S98  he  bought  the  old  Thatcher  farm  in  the 
Kaw  bottom.  This  place,  which  he  has  since 
conducted,  consists  of  two  hundred  and  seven- 
teen acres,  in  addition  to  which  he  rents  a  ninety- 


59? 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


acre  tract.  He  cultivates  the  land  carefully, 
making  every  acre  bring  him  fair  returns,  and 
raises  such  cereals  as  he  finds  best  adapted  to  the 
soil.  In  the  raising  of  stock  his  specialty  has 
been  hogs.  He  has  given  his  time  so  closely  to 
farm  pursuits  that  he  has  no  leisure  for  outside 
matters,  even  should  his  taste  incline  him  toward 
politics  and  public  affairs.  Aside  from  voting 
the  Republican  ticket  he  takes  no  part  in  local 
matters.  He  is  said  to  own  one  of  the  neatest 
farms  in  the  bottom,  and  he  spares  no  pains  to 
keep  the  improvements  up  to  the  highest  grade. 
The  marriage  of  Mr.  Schaake  took  place  July 
12,  1888,  just  prior  to  his  removal  to  Kansas,  and 
united  him  with  Louisa,  daughter  of  Charles 
Dude,  of  Madison  County,  111.  They  are  the 
parents  of  five  children,  Albert,  Otilie,  Benjamin, 
Clarence  and  Milton,  who  are  being  given  the 
best  educational  advantages  the  neighborhood 
affords. 


61 UGUST  WULFKUHLE,  of  Lawrence,  has 
LI  met  with  the  success  which  his  industry 
I  1  merits.  When  a  boy  he  learned  the  shoe- 
maker's trade  with  his  father,  and  after  he  was 
confirmed,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  he  con- 
tinued the  trade.  At  fifteen  he  made  his  master- 
piece and  then  began  to  work  for  his  father  at 
wages,  applying  himself  so  closely  that  at  the  end 
of  six  months  he  received  as  large  wages  as  any 
of  the  journeymen.  He  continued  for  some  time 
but  did  not  advance  as  rapidly  as  he  desired. 
As  other  young  men  had  left  the  town  and  were 
doing  well  elsewhere,  and  as  the  brick  business 
at  that  time  was  profitable,  he  went  to  Mecklen- 
burg, where  he  began  to  work  in  a  brick  yard. 
At  the  close  of  the  second  year  he  was  made 
foreman  over  thirty-two  men.  This  position  he 
held  until  Emperor  William  called  for  soldiers 
and  he  volunteered,  serving  from  1857  until 
i860,  when  he  came  to  America.  He  has  been 
a  very  hard-working  man.  During  his  first  ten 
years  in  Kansas  he  did  the  work  of  two  men.  At 
night  he  would  make  a  pair  of  shoes,  working  all 
the  night  until  three  o'clock,  then  sleeping  until 
five  o'clock,  when  he  would  arise  to  begin  the 
day's  work.     In  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  slept 


only  two  hours  a  day  on  every  day  but  Sunday, 
he  did  not  suffer  materially  in  health,  but  was 
able  to  do  more  work  on  a  farm  in  a  day  than 
anyone  else  could,  at  one  time  cultivating  five 
hundred  acres  of  land  without  assistance. 

Mr.  Wulfkuhle  was  born  in  Westphalia,  Ger- 
many, in  a  house  that  stood  three  miles  from  the 
statue  of  Hermann  the  Great.  His  father, 
Christof,  also  a  native  of  the  same  place  and  a 
shoemaker,  served  in  the  German  army  from 
18 12  to  1815  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Waterloo.  At  an  advanced  age  he  joined  his 
children  in  America  and  his  death  occurred  in 
Shawneetown  when  he  was  seventy-eight.  His 
family  name  was  Booker,  but  at  the  time  of  his 
marriage  to  Marie  Wultkuhle,  who  was  the  old- 
est of  six  sisters  and  heiress  to  the  Wulfkuhle 
estate,  by  the  crown  law  he  was  obliged  to  take 
the  name  of  the  property,  so  henceforth  was 
known  as  Christof  Wulfkuhle.  His  wife  died  in 
Germany.  They  had  six  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. One  of  the  daughters  died  in  Germany,  the 
other  in  America.  The  sons  were  named  as  fol- 
lows: Henry,  who  occupies  the  old  homestead  in 
Germany;  Frederick,  who  is  in  Kansas;  Herman, 
who  served  in  the  Mexican  war,  went  to  Califor- 
nia in  1849  and  died  in  Kansas;  Christof,  of  Deer 
Creek  Township,  Douglas  County;  Adolph,  who 
died  in  New  Orleans;  and  August,  who  was  born 
November  23,  1836,  and  was  the  youngest  of  the 
family. 

Coming  to  America  in  i860,  our  subject  ar- 
rived in  New  York  after  a  voyage  of  fourteen 
days  from  Bremen.  He  proceeded  west  to  St. 
Louis,  thence  to  Jefferson  City  by  rail,  from 
there  by  steamer  to  Leavenworth,  where  he  re- 
mained for  fourteen  days.  Then,  coming  to. 
Lawrence,  he  settled  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  with  his  brother  Christof.  Later 
he  sold  his  half  interest  in  that  place  and  bought 
another  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
which  he  improved.  At  this  writing  he  owns 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  all  fenced  and  im- 
proved, besides  which  he  improved  six  other 
farms  between  i860  and  1885.  In  the  spring  of 
1864  he  entered  Company  B,  Thirteenth  Kansas 
Infantry,  and  served  as  sergeant  during  the  cam- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


599 


paign  against  Price,  taking  part  in  the  battle  of 
Big  Blue.  In  1879  he  returned  to  his  old  home, 
where  he  visited  for  three  months.  In  1885  he 
settled  in  Lawrence,  where  he  has  built  and  owns 
three  houses  and  five  stores.  In  religion  he  is  a 
Lutheran.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Turn  Verein, 
in  which  he  has  been  a  trustee.  At  one  time  he 
voted  the  Republican  ticket,  but  is  now  independ- 
ent in  politics. 

February  5,  i860,  Mr.  Wulfkuhle  married 
Miss  Lena  Dreves,  who  was  born  in  the  same 
place  as  himself.  Her  father,  Fred  Kid,  who 
was  a  teamster  in  early  life,  and  took  part  in  the 
war  of  1812-15,  married  Mrs.  Caroline  (Nolte) 
Dreves,  and  took  the  name  of  the  Dreves  estate. 
He  and  his  wife  died  there  and  when  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wullkuhle  were  in  Germany  in  1879  they 
erected  monuments  to  their  memory.  They  had 
two  daughters  and  five  sons,  three  of  whom 
came  to  America,  Mrs.  Wulfkuhle  being  the 
only  survivor  of  them  all.  Our  subject  and  his 
wife  had  ten  children,  three  of  whom  attained 
mature  years,  namely:  Lena,  who  married  Albert 
Walter  and  lives  on  the  old  homestead;  Mrs. 
Sophia  Klock,  of  Lawrence;  and  Mina,  who  died 
at  eighteen  years. 

HON.  C.  N.  BISHOFF,  M.  D.,  is  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  Eudora  Township,  Douglas 
County.  In  1878  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
one  huudred  and  twenty  acres  at  Keystone  Cor- 
ner, since  which  time  he  has  superintended  the 
management  of  the  place  in  addition  to  carrying 
on  a  general  practice  as  physician  and  surgeon 
and  operating  a  grinding  mill  on  his  farm.  He 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  Eudora  State  Bank  and  is 
interested  in  other  enterprises  that  have  proved 
helpful  to  the  community  where  he  resides.  In 
politics  a  Republican,  on  that  ticket  he  was  twice 
elected  township  trustee,  and  filled  the  office  sat- 
i.sfactorily  for  two  terms.  From  1890  to  1894  he 
represented  this  district  in  the  state  legislature, 
(two  sessions),  where  he  took  an  active  part  in 
bills  and  measures  looking  toward  the  benefit  of 
the  people. 

Born  in  Dauphin  County,  Pa.,  in  1838,  Dr. 
Bishoffisa  son  of  William  and  Fannie  (Good) 


BishofF.  His  father  came  from  Prussia  in  boy- 
hood and  was  reared  in  Pennsylvania,  making 
his  home  for  some  years  in  Dauphin  County,  but 
later  going  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods.  He  died  in 
the  latter  city.  His  father,  who  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  some  years  after  his  marriage,  be- 
came a  prominent  manufacturer  of  woolens  and 
met  with  success  in  business.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  a  daughter  of  Christian  Good,  who 
was  a  wealthy  farmer  and  saw-mill  operator,  and 
owned  one  of  the  first  old-style  grist-mills  in  that 
section  of  country.  When  seventy-two  years  of 
age  his  death  occurred. 

The  only  child  of  his  parents,  our  subjet  was 
reared  in  the  home  of  his  maternal  grandparents 
and  grew  to  manhood  in  Dauphin  County.  He 
learned  the  woolen  manufacturing  business,  which 
he  followed  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
war.  In  1862  he  entered  service  as  a  member  of 
Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Seventy-seventh 
Pennsylvania  Infantry,  in  which  he  remained  for 
nine  months,  meantime  acting  as  colonel's  or- 
derly. At  the  expiration  of  his  period  of  service 
he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  the  pre- 
ceptorship  of  a  physician  in  his  native  county. 
Afterward  he  matriculated  in  the  Eclectic  Medi- 
cal College  at  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1871.  He  then  began  in  practice  near 
his  old  home,  and  was  also  for  three  years  engaged 
in  the  drug  business  at  Likens.  Closing  out  his 
business  in  1877,  he  came  to  Kansas,  spending 
the  summer  of  that  year  in  Lawrence,  and  in  the 
fall  settling  at  Hesper,  Douglas  County,  where  he 
made  his  home  for  a  year.  He  then  purchased 
and  settled  on  his  present  farm  in  Eudora  Town- 
ship. Interested  in  his  profession,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Eclectic  Medical  Society  of  Kansas 
and  has  contributed  to  medical  journals  articles 
that  show  deep  research  and  a  profound  knowl- 
edge of  the  subjects  treated.  He  is  a  man  of 
considerable  mechanical  skill  and  no  jeweler  ex- 
cels him  in  the  repairing  of  clocks  and  watches. 

In  1864  Dr.  Bishofif  married  Miss  Mary  Bau- 
man,  of  Pennsylvania.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Mark  L.,  who  is  principal  of  the 
Eudora  school;  Minnie  M.;    and    Roger   W.,  a 


6oo 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


graduate  of  Manhattan  College.  Before  coming 
to  Kansas  Dr.  Bishoff  was  an  active  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  but  since  then  he 
has  not  been  identified  with  an}-  denomination. 
He  is  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. 

0ANIEL  FOGLE,  president  of  the  D.  Fogle 
Mercantile  Companj-,  is  one  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  Franklin  Count}-,  and  has 
done  perhaps  more  than  any  other  citizen  of 
Williamsburg  to  advance  its  interests  and  pro- 
mote its  prosperity.  He  was  born  in  Dauphin 
County,  Pa.,  February  S,  1832,  a  son  of  Chris- 
topher and  Rachel  (Minsker)  Fogle.  His  maternal 
great-grandfather  served  under  Washington  dur- 
ing the  entire  seven  years  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  died  while  returning  from  the  war  to 
his  home  on  the  Susquehanna  River,  in  Dauphin 
County,  about  ten  miles  north  of  Harrisburg. 

A  native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  Chris- 
topher Fogle  came  to  the  United  States  in  1819  in 
company  with  his  father,  Christopher,  Sr. ,  who 
settled  on  the  Brandywine  in  Delaware,  but  later 
settled  in  Dauphin  County,  Pa.,  where  he  re- 
mained from  1825  until  the  time  of  his  death. 
In  1834  the  junior  Christopher  moved  to  Jeffer- 
son County,  Pa.,  and  there  he  remained  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1872.  By  trade  a 
tanner,  he  was  for  some  years  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  leather  and  carried  on  what  was 
for  those  days  a  large  business.  Active  in  local 
affairs  he  served  in  several  offices,  including  that 
of  associate  justice.  Until  1832  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat, but  later  he  affiliated  with  the  Whigs  and 
subsequently  Tie  assisted  in  organizing  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  officiated  as  a  local  preacher 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  all 
of  his  family  also  were  prominent  workers.  His 
death  occurred  in  1872,  when  he  was  seventy- 
two  years  of  age.  Of  his  ten  children  only  two 
are  living:  Daniel  and  Sarah,  the  ktter  Mrs. 
Robert  Steele. 

When  a  boy  our  subject  lived  in  Brookville, 
Jefferson  County,  Pa.,  and,  learning  his  father's 
trade,  succeeded    him  in  business.     In  1S67  he 


purchased  three  thousand  acres  in  Greenwood 
and  Butler  Counties  and  in  1868,  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  adjoining  Williamsburg,  where 
he  followed  farming  and  stock-raising  for  three 
years.  In  1869  he  brought  his  family  to  Will- 
iamsburg. In  1872  he  purchased  a  stock  of 
goods  from  J.  L.  Barnett  and  from  that  time 
until  1892  he  was  steadily  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  in  addition  to  carrying  on  a  cat- 
tle business.  In  1892  he  traded  his  store  for  a 
ranch  of  two  thousand  acres,  but  two  years  later 
he  again  purchased  the  mercantile  business, 
which  he  has  since  conducted.  In  January, 
189S,  the  D.  Fogle  Mercantile  Company  was  in- 
corporated, with  his  son,  William  C. ,  as  a  mem- 
ber and  as  general  manager.  Besides  the  man- 
agement of  his  business  interests  he  owns  five 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Franklin  County,  and 
is  engaged  in  raising  stock,  feeding  about  one 
hundred  head  of  cattle  each  winter. 

In  1856  Mr.  Fogle  married  Elizabeth  Clawson, 
who  died  in  1892.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Mathias 
and  Mar>'  (Williams)  Clawson,  and  was  born  in 
Punxsutawney.  Her  maternal  great-grandfather 
was  a  general  in  Washington's  army.  Thej- 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely:  Mary 
Ellen,  wife  of  C.  N.  Rand,  of  Marshall,  Mo.; 
Ben  C,  a  cattleman  of  Stockton,  Kans. ;  Zilla  B. ; 
Arza  Bracken  Fogle,  A.  M. ,  professor  of  physical 
culture  at  Baldwin  University;  Frank,  who  is  a 
student  in  Chicago  University;  and  William  C,  a 
graduate  of  the  State  University  (Kansas), who  is 
manager  of  the  mercantile  company  and  is  inter- 
ested with  his  father  in  business.  The  lady  who 
is  now  the  wife  of  Mr.  Fogle  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Armina  Cummings,  and  was  born  in 
Iowa,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Gabriel  and 
Julia  A.  (Bemis)  Cummings,  both  descendants  of 
old  and  prominent  families.  She  came  with  her 
parents  to  Kansas  in  1872  and  received  her  edu- 
cation at  the  State  Normal  School  at  Emporia  and 
the  State  University  at  Lawrence. 

When  only  ten  years  of  age  our  subject  was 
converted  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
Brookville,  Pa.  Since  1846  he  has  been  an  offi- 
cial member  of  that  denomination  and  has  con- 
stantly taken  an  active  part  in  religious  work. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


60 1 


For  twenty  j^ears  in  succession  he  has  been  su- 
perintendent of  the  Sunday-school  in  Williams- 
burg. All  movements  looking  toward  the  ad- 
vancement of  Williamsburg  have  received  his 
help.  He  was  one  of  those  who,  in  1876,  took 
an  active  part  in  contributing  of  their  time  and 
means  to  secure  the  building  of  the  Burlington 
branch  of  the  Santa  Fe  road  into  Williamsburg, 
which  has  proved  of  the  greatest  aid  to  the  town. 
The  position  which  he  occupies  is  due  not  alone 
to  his  success  as  a  business  man,  but  also  to  his 
general  intelligence,  his  firm  principles  of  honor 
and  his  irreproachable  character. 


(TACOB  bush.  Among  those  who  have 
I  gained  success  in  their  chosen  fields  of  labor 
(2/  mention  may  very  properly  be  made  of  Mr. 
Bush,  who,  during  the  period  of  his  residence 
in  Franklin  County,  has  become  well  known  and 
highly  esteemed.  He  dates  his  sojourn  in  Kan- 
sas from  1867,  and  the  succeeding  interval  has 
been  busily  employed  in  improving  his  farm  in 
Greenwood  Township  and  bringing  the  naturally 
rich  soil  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  At  first 
he  purchased  four  hundred  acres  in  partnership 
with  his  father-in-law,  and  since  then  he  has  met 
with  such  success  that  he  is  now  the  sole  owner  of 
twelve  hundred  acres,  the  improvements  of  which 
he  has  made  personally,  and  on  which  he  has  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising. 

Born  in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  September  9, 
1846,  Mr.  Bush  is  a  son  of  Conrad  and  Rebecca 
(Foft)  Bush,  natives  respectively  of  Germany 
and  Pennsylvania.  His  father  and  grandfather, 
Peter  Bush,  came  from  Germany  to  this  country 
and  settled  in  Ohio  about  .1801,  being  pioneers  of 
Trumbull  County,  where  they  spent  their  re- 
maining years  engaged  in  farming.  Conrad 
Bush  was  seventy-six  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
Of  his  eleven  children  five  are  living,  viz.:  Con- 
rad, of  Franklin  County;  Peter,  who  lives  near 
the  old  homestead  in  Ohio;  Jacob;  Charles;  and 
Lila,  wife  of  Louis  Harshman.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  our  subject  left  home  and  became  a 
drummer  boy  in  Captain  Smith's  company  from 
his   old  home.     After  serving   as   drummer  for 


three  months  he  became  a  private  in  the  First 
Ohio  Independent  Regiment,  and  was  assigned 
to  garrison  duty  and  scouting,  in  which  he  en- 
gaged until  the  expiration  of  his  time.  After 
three  years  and  three  months  of  service  he  was 
honorably  discharged. 

Returning  to  his  old  home  at  the  close  of  the 
war  Mr.  Bush  remained  there  for  a  year.  In 
1866  he  married  and  the  next  year  came  to  Kan- 
sas, settling  on  the  farm  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. He  has  been  one  of  the  heaviest  dealers 
in  and  raisers  of  cattle  in  the  county,  and  has 
been  unusually  successful  in  all  of  his  ventures. 
Though  not  a  partisan,  he  is  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat. He  is  a  member  of  the  school  board  and 
takes  a  warm  interest  in  educational  aSairs. 
Both  schools  and  churches  have  been  the  recipi- 
ents of  his  bounty  and  have  felt  the  impetus  of 
his  encouragement.  He  is  connected  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  April  3,  1866,  he 
married  Viola  V.,  daughter  of  William  Walker, 
and  a  most  estimable  lady,  whose  death,  October 
2,  1897,  was  a  heavy  blow  to  the  family.  She 
left  three  children,  viz.:  Laura  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  Samuel  Allen;  Myrtie  May,  who  married  Al- 
bert Adams;  and  Charles  J.,  who  resides  at 
home. 


REV.  FRANK  B.  OLDS,  of  Lawrence,  was 
one  of  the  brave  men  who  served  faithfully 
and  well  in  the  defense  of  the  Union  during 
the  Civil  war.  He  was  a  young  man  of  twenty- 
one  years  when  war  was  declared  and  he  at  once 
resolved  to  offer  his  services  to  his  country.  In 
September,  1861,  his  name  was  enrolled  in  Com- 
pany F,  One  Hundred  and  Eleventh  Ohio  In- 
fantry, which  was  mustered  in  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  and  assigned  to  the  army  of  the  Cumber- 
land. Among  the  battles  in  which  he  took  part 
were  those  at  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca,  Hickory 
Creek,  Dallas,  Peach  Tree  Creek  and  Atlanta, 
going  to  Nashville  under  General  Thomas  and 
taking  part  in  the  campaign  after  Hood.  From 
Tennessee  he  went  to  Washington,  thence  via 
ship  to  North  Carolina,  landing  at  Cape  Fear, 
and  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Anderson, 
which  he  assisted  in  capturing.     For  some  time 


6o2 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  was  ill  in  the  hospital  at  Salisbury.  He  was 
honorably  discharged  at  Cleveland  in  1865,  upon 
the  close  of  the  war.  From  the  effects  of  his 
long  army  service,  with  its  exposures,  hardships 
and  forced  marches,  he  has  never  recovered,  but 
for  years  he  has  been  a  constant  sufferer  from  the 
results  of  his  army  life. 

Near  Edgerton,  Defiance  County,  Ohio,  our 
subject  was  born  April  10,  1841,  the  third  among 
eleven  children,  of  whom  five  sons  and  two 
daughters  are  living.  His  father,  Thomas  Olds, 
who  was  born  in  the  east  and  was  the  son  of  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  18 12,  accompanied  the  fam- 
ily to  Ohio  in  childhood,  and  afterward  followed 
farm  pursuits,  the  shoemaker's  trade  and  also 
served  as  a  local  preacher  in  the  United  Brethren 
Church.  In  1862  he  removed  to  a  farm  near  La- 
porte  City,  Iowa,  where  he  died  at  fifty-nine 
years  of  age.  He  married  Lemira  Sprague,  who 
was  born  in  the  east  and  died  in  Kansas  when 
seventy-five  j^ears  of  age. 

Upon  his  return  from  the  army  our  subject  en- 
gaged in  teaching  and  also  took  up  ministerial 
studies.  He  was  ordained  a  deacon  and  elder  in 
the  Central  Ohio  conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  afterward  preached  suc- 
cessively at  Montpelier,  Mount  Victory,  Newton, 
LaRue  and  Middletown,  Ohio.  In  1875  he  went 
to  Michigan  and  identified  himself  with  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  He  held  pastorates  at  Pot- 
terville  and  Bronson,  that  state.  In  1879  became 
to  Kansas  and  for  two  and  one-half  years  was 
pastor  of  Pilgrim  Congregational  Church  of  Law- 
rence, but  ill  health  obliged  him  to  give  up 
ministerial  work  and  resign  his  pastorate.  Since 
then  he  has  given  his  attention  to  the  super\-ision 
of  his  oil  interests  and  has  also  preached  oc- 
casionally. In  political  belief  he  is  stanchly  Re- 
publican. He  is  identified  with  Washington 
Post  No.  12,  and  takes  a  warm  interest  in  Grand 
Army  matters. 

At  Williams  Center,  Ohio,  July  30,  1865,  Mr. 
Olds  was  married  to  Miss  Viola  Palmer,  who  was 
born  in  Portage  County,  near  Ravenna,  Ohio, 
a  daughter  of  Truman  and  Lucina  (Gilbert) 
Palmer.  Her  father  removed  from  Portage  to 
Williams   County,    Ohio,    and   later     settled   in 


Potterville,  Mich.,  where  he  died  at  eighty-three 
years.  His  wife  also  died  there.  Of  their  seven 
children  all  but  two  are  living.  One  son,  Oscar 
Palmer,  was  a  member  of  Company  F,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Eleventh  Ohio  Infantry,  and  after  the 
war  entered  the  Methodist  Episcopal  ministry, 
but  later  changed  to  the  Congregational  denomi- 
nation, and  is  now  preaching  at  Springfield,  Mo. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olds  are  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Mrs.  Lillie  Barnes,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.; 
Delia,  who  graduated  from  the  school  of  fine 
arts,  University  of  Kansas,  and  is  now  connected 
with  an  art  firm  in  St.  Louis;  Lora  E.,  wife  of 
Prof.  Frank  Messenger,  principal  of  the  high 
school  at  Albuquerque,  N.  M.;  Frankie  B.,  who 
is  a  member  of  the  class  of  1902,  University  of 
Kansas;  and  Donald  L. 


P^ARCISSE  N.  AVERILL,  a  pioneer  of 
Py  Franklin  Township,  Franklin  County,  is 
1 1^  the  owner  of  one  thousand  and  forty  acres 
in  the  county  where  he  resides  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  across  the  line  in  Miami  County, 
Kans.  All  of  his  property  is  under  improvement 
and  is  devoted  to  general  farm  pursuits  and  the 
raising  of  stock.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of 
feeding  cattle  and  hogs,  a  branch  of  agriculture 
which  he  has  found  quite  profitable.  The  prop- 
erty which  he  has  accumulated  represents  his 
unaided  exertions,  for  he  started  with  limited 
means,  coming  to  Kansas  in  the  pioneer  days 
when  advantages  were  few  and  hardships  many. 
In  spite  of  discouragements  he  has  steadily 
worked  his  way  forward  to  a  position  of  influence 
among  the  people  of  his  county. 

In  the  northern  part  of  France  Mr.  Averill 
was  born  October  3,  1845,  a  son  of  Pascal  and 
Louisa  (Collins)  Averill,  natives  of  the  same  dis- 
trict. His  father,  who  was  a  farmer,  emigrated 
from  his  native  land  in  1854  ^^'^  settled  in  Kan- 
kakee Count}',  111.,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm 
for  three  years.  In  the  fall  of  1857  he  came  to 
Kansas  and  took  up  a  claim  near  what  is  now 
Black  Jack,  Palmyra  Township,  Douglas  Coun- 
ty. He  was  a  hard-working  man  and  devoted 
himself  assiduously  to  the  improvement  of  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


603 


property,  which,  at  the  time  of  purchase,  was  in 
its  primeval  condition.  In  his  old  age  he  came 
to  make  his  home  with  his  son,  Narcisse,  at 
whose  place  he  died  when  eighty-eight  years  of 
age.  His  wife  had  passed  away  December  29, 
1869,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years.  Both  were 
devout  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  ad- 
hered to  its  teaching  throughout  life.  They  were 
the  parents  of  two  children,  of  whom  the  daugh- 
ter, Mary  Jane,  married  Victor  Henon. 

At  the  time  the  family  settled  in  Kansas  our 
subject  was  twelve  years  of  age.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  until  twenty-three  years  of  age 
and  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
He  then  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  wild  prairie  land,  in  Franklin  Township,  and 
from  this  property  he  has  improved  a  valuable 
homestead.  He  has  devoted  himself  so  closely 
to  agricultural  matters  that  he  has  had  little 
leisure  for  participation  in  politics,  although  he  is 
stanch  in  his  allegiance  to  Democratic  principles. 
February  3,  1869,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Butell, 
a  history  of  whose  family  appears  in  the  sketch 
of  her  brother,  A.  D.  Butell.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Averill  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  viz.: 
Ulyssesl.,  a  farmer  in  Franklin  Township;  Julia, 
wife  of  Charles  Winters,  of  Franklin  Township; 
Louis,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  the  home 
township;  Joseph,  Charles,  Rose  and  Frank 
(twins),  all  of  whom  remain  with  their  parents. 
The  family  are  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 


^HOMAS  N.  BAKER,  of  Franklin  County, 
I  C  is  one  of  the  men  who  gave  his  services  to 
\*J  the  Union  during  the  Civil  war.  In  1862 
he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Seventy-third  Illinois 
Infantry,  and  with  his  regiment  went  to  the 
front.  His  period  of  service  was  a  most  active  one. 
He  took  part  in  sixteen  regular  battles,  also 
numerous  engagements  of  less  importance,  but 
where  the  danger  to  life  was  even  greater.  His 
regiment  formed  a  part  of  the  Fourth  Army  Corps 
belonging  to  the  army  of  the  Cumberland  and 
participated  in  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  the 
battles  with  General  Hood.  At  Chickamauga 
he  was  wounded  on  the  top  of  the  head,  narrow- 


ly escaping  with  his  life,  for,  had  the  bullet 
struck  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  lower  it  would 
have  been  fatal.  After  Sherman  left  in  his 
march  to  the  sea  the  Fourth  Army  Corps  was  left 
to  watch  the  rebel  General  Hood.  They  fought 
him  in  the  battle  of  Franklin  and  in  the  two- 
days'  fight  at  Nashville,  where  the  Union  forces 
almost  annihilated  Hood.  In  June,  1865,  Mr. 
Baker  received  his  honorable  discharge  at  Nash- 
ville, and  then  the  regiment  was  ordered  to 
Camp  Butler,  Springfield,  111.,  where  it  was 
finally  mustered  out. 

Mr.  Baker  was  born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio, 
January  28,  1831,  a  son  of  John  and  Rachel 
(Biggs)  Baker,  and  a  brother  of  John  W.  Baker 
(elsewhere  represented  in  this  work).  When  he 
was  a  small  child  his  father  settled  in  Sangamon 
County,  111.  Working  out  as  a  farm  hand  he 
early  gained  a  thorough  and  practical  knowledge 
of  agriculture.  When  he  was  twenty  he  started 
out  for  himself.  In  1870  he  drove  through  from 
Illinois  to  Kansas  by  team.  Settling  in  Frank- 
lin County,  he  bought  eighty  acres  on  the 
.southern  line  of  Franklin  Township.  The  land 
was  wholly  unimproved.  Not  a  furrow  had 
been  turned  in  the  sod  and  there  was  neither 
vegetation  nor  tree  to  indicate  that  man  had  ever 
lived  here.  He  started  to  break  the  land  and 
fence  it  and  gradually  made  it  one  of  the  valuable 
properties  in  this  region.  As  he  prospered  he 
added  to  the  land  and  now  has  one  hundred  and 
ninety-five  acres  under  cultivation.  Farming  is 
his  principal  business,  although  he  owns  some 
stock  and  occasionally  buys  a  bunch  of  cattle 
for  feeding.  In  the  winter  of  1898-99  he  erected 
his  comfortable  residence.  Some  years  ago  he 
moved  to  Ottawa,  intending  to  retire  from  farm 
work,  but,  being  a  man  of  intensely  active 
nature,  he  was  not  contented  to  be  idle,  and  so 
returned  to  the  farm  as  soon  as  the  parties  left  to 
whom  it  had  been  rented. 

In  politics  Mr.  Baker  is  a  Republican.  Fo: 
many  years  he  has  been  a  trustee  in  the  Method 
ist  Episcopal  Church  and  one  of  its  most  faith 
ful  members.  He  has  done  much  to  advance  re- 
ligious and  educational  interests  in  his  neighbor 
hood,  among  other  things  aiding  in  the  erection 


6o4 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  the  church,  and  also  donating  the  land  for 
both  the  schoolhouse  and  the  church.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
When  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  married 
Frances  Priddy,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children, 
namely:  Sybil,  wife  of  Scott  Gittinger,  of  Ottawa; 
John  L.,  who  cultivates  a  farm  adjoining  his 
father's;  Sarah  Alice,  who  makes  her  home  with 
her  older  brother;  Mary,  who  married  Edward 
Crawford,  and  lives  in  Lyon  County,  Kans. ;  Don 
Carlos,  in  California;  Etta,  wife  of  George  Holt, 
of  Newton,  Kans.;  and  Charles  Oliver,  who 
assists  in  the  management  of  the  home  place. 


(31  LEXANDER  SHAW,  one  of  the  prominent 
LJ  business  men  of  Lawrence,  was  born  Octo- 
/  I  ber  9,  1835,  in  New  York  City,  in  a  house 
that  stood  on  the  corner  of  Tenth  avenue  and 
Thirty- seventh  street,  which  was  then  a  consider- 
able distance  from  the  thickly  settled  part  of  the 
city.  His  father,  James,  and  several  brothers, 
David,  Alexander,  Matthew  and  John,  all  of 
whom  were  born  in  Scotland  near  Edinburgh, 
came  to  this  country  in  early  manhood  and  set- 
tled in  New  York,  where  Matthew  engaged  in 
manufacturing  cloth,  James  and  David  were 
weavers  and  manufacturers,  Alexander  first  de- 
voted himself  to  weaving,  but  later  became  inter- 
ested in  manufacturing,  and  John  was  a  manu- 
facturer also.  All  married  and  had  children  ex- 
cept Matthew,  and  all  are  now  dead.  Prior  to 
leaving  Scotland  James  had  married  Jane  Ander- 
son, and  they  made  their  home  in  New  York 
City  for  some  years,  but  finally  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Fulton  County,  that  state,  where  he  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty.  His  wife  died  in  Iowa  when 
almost  seventy  years  of  age.  Two  of  their  chil- 
dren, born  in  Scotland,  died  in  New  York  City. 
The  other  two  are  Alexander  and  Matthew,  the 
latter  of  whom  came  to  Lawrence  in  March,  1858, 
engaged  in  building  here,  was  captured  during 
the  Ouantrell  raid  but  made  his  escape,  and  after 
some  years  removed  from  the  city;  he  now  makes 
his  home  in  Kansas  City. 

At  the  time  the  family  settled  in  Fulton  County 
our    subject    was   twelve^  years    of    age.       His 


only  school  privileges  consisted  of  three  months' 
attendance  in  a  district  school,  added  to  a  brief 
time  in  a  primary  school  in  New  York  City.  He 
remained  on  the  home  farm  until  1864,  when  he 
sold  out  and  in  March  of  that  year  settled  in 
Kansas.  He  .started  in  the  building  business  as 
the  successor  of  his  brother,  who  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business.  Gradually  he  built  up  a  large 
trade  and  won  the  confidence  of  the  people. 
During  the  time  of  the  Price  raid  he  was  mus- 
tered into  Company  C,  Third  Kansas  Militia, 
and  went  as  far  as  the  Blue,  when,  the  regiment 
not  being  needed,  he  returned  home.  In  1889 
he  began  to  handle  lumber  and  later  started  a 
lumber  yard,  where  he  has  all  kinds  of  building 
material.  His  yard  is  large  and  commodious, 
with  warehouses,  sheds,  etc.  His  oflSce  is  at  Win- 
throp  and  Vermont  streets,  across  the  road  from 
the  yard.  Among  his  contracts  were  those  for 
the  Watkins  building(one  of  the  finest  bank  build- 
ings in  the  west),  the  residences  of  John  Walruf, 
F.  M.  Perkins,  J.  House  and  A.  Henley,  and 
many  store  buildings  on  Massachusetts  street. 
He  built  his  first  residence  in  1865  and  has  since 
built  several  others,  three  being  on  Winthrop 
street. 

In  Fulton  County,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Shaw  married 
Miss  Frances  E.  Hayes,  by  whom  he  has  five 
children,  all  graduates  of  the  high  school.  The 
only  living  son,  James  W.,  is  his  father's  busi- 
ness partner.  Elmer  died  at  eighteen  years  of 
age.  Nettie,  who  was  an  accomplished  and 
popular  young  lady,  died  April  4,  1899;  ^^^ 
death  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  family,  to  whom 
her  noble  character  had  made  her  inestimably 
dear,  while  among  her  many  friends  the  bereave- 
ment was  also  keenly  felt.  The  youngest  daugh- 
ters, Cora  May  and  Julia   are  with  their  parents. 

Much  of  the  time  since  1875  Mr.  Shaw  has 
been  a  member  of  the  city  council,  from  the  first 
ward,  but  in  1899  he  resigned,  refusing  to  serve 
longer.  Several  times  he  was  president  of  the 
council  and  acting  mayor  of  the  city.  He  has 
been  interested  in  the  development  of  the 
town  and  all  of  the  improvements  have  been 
made  during  his  terms  as  alderman.  Originally 
a  Whig,  he  was  one  of  the  first   to  embrace  Re- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


605 


publican  doctrines  and  has  since  voted  with  his 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  Washington  Post  No. 
12,  G.  A.  R.  He  is  past  master  of  Lawrence 
Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  a  member  of 
Lodge  No.  7,  A.  O.  U.  W. 

In  1882  Mr.  Shaw  took  into  partnership  his  son, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Alex.  Shaw  &  Son.  The 
latter  was  born  in  Fulton  County,  N.  Y.,  gradu- 
ated from  the  Lawrence  high  school,  and  early 
became  interested  in  building,  making  a  special 
study  of  architecture.  He  has  become  proficient 
as  an  architect  and  furnishes  plans  and  specifica- 
tions for  buildings.  Since  boyhood  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  fire  department  and  is  now 
its  chief.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Masons  and  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security. 


HOWARD  W.  HENDERSON,  who  is  a  busi- 
ness man  of  Lawrence,  was  born  in  Cattar- 
augus County,  N.  Y. ,  August  29,  1849,  a 
son  of  Samuel  A.  and  Margaret  (Parkman)  Hen- 
derson, and  a  grandson  of  John  Henderson  and 
Benjamin  Parkman.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
a  Scotchman  by  birth,  came  to  America  prior  to 
the  war  of  18 12,  in  which  he  served.  Samuel  A. 
Henderson,  who  was  a  minister  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  moved  to  Minnesota  in  1856 
and  settled  in  St.  Paul,  but  later  went  to  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  and  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  war 
located  at  Muskegon,  Mich.  In  1865  he  went  to 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  where  he  died  two  years  later. 
Of  his  six  children  one  died  in  infancy,  and  two 
sons,  Howard  W.  and  Benjamin  F. ,  reside  in 
Lawrence,  while  one  sister  lives  in  Pittsburgh, 
Kans. ,  and  another  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Reared  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  at  fourteen  years 
of  age  our  subject  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a 
harness-maker.  Two  years  later  he  engaged  in 
the  quartermaster's  department  of  the  army, 
where  he  remained  for  six  mouths,  having  head- 
quarters in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  with  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland.  In  1864  he  moved  with  his 
parents  to  Michigan,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade.  The  next  year  he  settled  in  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  and  in  1867  removed  to  Johnson  County, 
Kans.,  to  take  up  laud.     He  spent  two  and  one- 


half  years  in  Carthage,  Mo.,  following  his  trade. 
In  1S74  he  embarked  in  business  for  himself  at 
Springhill,  Johnson  County,  Kans.  In  1876  he 
came  to  Lawrence  and  began  in  business  here, 
opening  a  shop  in  a  small  building.  He  has  since 
built  up  a  large  trade  in  harness  and  saddlery,  of 
which  he  carries  a  full  line.  His  store  room, 
22x80,  at  No.  635  Massachusetts  street,  is  filled 
with  all  articles  in  his  line,  the  value  of  his  stock 
being  fully  $3,000.  He  has  men  working  the 
5^ear  around  and  manufactures  all  of  his  stock. 
He  also  makes  a  specialty  of  repairing. 

Politically  Mr.  Henderson  is  independent,  with 
Republican  inclinations.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Fraternal  Aid  Association;  Order  of  Pyramids; 
Halcyon  Lodge  No.  18,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  and  Acacia 
Lodge  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Psychic  Club,  for  social  and 
scientific  purposes,  and  has  since  been  a  leading 
member.  His  marriage  took  place  in  Johnson 
County,  Kans.,  in  1875,  his  wife  being  Ada 
Belle  House,  daughter  of  C.  V.  N.  House,  a 
prominent  merchant  and  politician  of  Springhill. 
Mr.  Hendenson  is  identified  with  the  Eastern 
Star  and  has  been  one  of  the  most  active  workers 
of  the  chapter  in  Lawrence,  which  he  represented 
in  the  national  .convention  at  Wichita  in  1899. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henderson  are 
Howard  (of  Denver,  Colo.),  Clarence,  Leroy,  • 
Rosine  and  Lillie.  The  second  son,  Clarence, 
was  married  in  September,  1899,  to  Miss  Mabel 
Smith,  daughter  of  Charles  W.  Smith,  a  leading 
undertaker  of  Lawrence. 


HON.  McCOWN  HUNT,  of  Leavenworth, 
was  born  at  Fort  Polk,  Point  Isabelle,Tex., 
November  11,  1849,  and  was  brought  by  his 
parents  in  the  same  j'ear  to  Fort  Leavenworth, 
then  in  Kansas  Territory.  During  his  boyhood 
he  spent  considerable  time  at  this  fort,  his  father 
being  stationed  here.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained principally  in  the  Polytechnic  Institute  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  He  then  settled  in  the  city  of 
Leavenworth,  Kans.  Later  he  was  in  the  gov- 
ernment employ  in  St.  Louis  and  was  interested 
in  the  old  St.  Louis  Gas  Company.     On  his  re- 


6o6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


turn  to  Leavenworth  for  three  j^ears  he  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business,  and  was  then  elected 
clerk  of  the  district  court.  Since  then  he  has 
been  identified  with  important  interests  in  this 
city.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  directors 
of  the  Leavenworth  Light  and  Heating  Compa- 
ny, in  which  for  years  he  owned  shares.  A  char- 
ter member  and  director  of  the  Leavenworth 
Electric  Light  Company,  he  also  served  as  its  sec- 
retary until  it  was  absorbed  by  the  Leavenworth 
Light  and  Heating  Compan}-,  and  he  was  re- 
tained as  secretary  of  the  latter  organization  until 
he  disposed  of  his  interest  therein.  He  is  the 
owner  of  considerable  real  estate  in  and  near 
Leavenworth,  to  the  improvement  of  which  he 
has  given  much  attention,  and  the  value  of  which 
has  been  enhanced  by  his  judicious  management. 
Active  in  the  Republican  party,  Mr.  Hunt  has 
for  some  years  been  connected  with  political  af- 
fairs. He  served  for  three  3'ears  as  chairman  of 
the  Republican  city  central  committee.  His  first 
candidacy  was  for  the  county  commissioner's  of- 
fice, as  the  representative  of  the  fourth  ward. 
He  was  elected,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  ward 
usually  gave  a  Democratic  majority.  At  the 
time  there  were  seven  commissioners  for  the 
county,  but  when  the  census  was  taken  onl}' 
three  were  allowed,  which  left  his  district  out, 
and  he  therefore  did  not  take  his  seat  as  commis- 
sioner. For  six  years  he  was  clerk  of  the  district 
court.  In  1892  he  was  elected  to  the  house  of 
representatives  and  ser\'ed  during  the  session  of 
1893,  known  as  the  war  session.  In  1894  he 
was  re-elected  to  the  house  of  representatives  for 
the  session  of  1895,  and  in  that  session  he  intro- 
duced a  bill  making  Washington's  birthday  a 
legal  holiday ;  this  bill  passed  and  became  a  law. 
In  i8g6his  name  was  presented  for  state  senator, 
but  he  declined  the  nomination.  During  his 
terms  in  the  legislature  Mr.  Hunt  was  a  member 
of  the  committee  on  ways  and  means,  printing, 
penal  institutions,  judicial  apportionment,  and 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  manufactures.  In 
1893  he  was  successful  in  securing  appropriations 
for  various  charitable  iustitutions  of  Leaven- 
worth. In  that  session  he  supported  Lucien 
Baker  for  the  United  States  senate,  but  did  not 


succeed  in  electing  him.  Two  years  later,  how- 
ever, he  was  more  successful  in  his  champion- 
ship of  the  same  candidate,  to  whose  cause  he 
gave  his  stanch  support,  until  finally  the  victory 
was  won. 

After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  which  occurred 
in  Leavenworth,  Mr.  Hunt  was  united  in  mar- 
riage, June  5,  1889,  with  Miss  Emily  G.  Gorman, 
of  Darlington,  Wis.  He  is  the  father  of  five  chil- 
dren now  living:  Lafayette  Howard,  born  Sep- 
tember 13,  1878;  Maria  Hildegarde,  March  22, 
1S81;  McCown  Nicholas  Devereux,  August  18, 
1883;  Henry  Gorman  William,  September  22, 
1891;  and  Mary  Ann  Emily,  August  7,  1894.  I" 
religion  Mr.  Hunt  is  a  Catholic.  Fond  of  all 
kinds  of  sports,  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Lt"avenworth  Anglers  Association,  the  only 
incorporated  fishing  club  in  the  state.  He  is  now 
president  of  this  association,  and  also  secretary  of 
the  Leavenworth  Boat  Club. 


I  EAVENWORTH  ANGLERS  ASSOCIATION. 
It  In  May,  1896,  a  party  of  gentlemen  met 
|_j  in  a  private  office  in  the  city  of  Leaven- 
worth and  formed  a  fishing  club,  applying  under 
the  laws  of  Kansas  for  a  charter,  and  on  the  13th 
day  of  June,  1896,  a  charter  was  issued  to  the 
Leavenworth  Anglers  Association  as  a  private 
corporation  under  the  laws  of  the  state. 

The  purposes  for  which  the  corporation  was 
formed  were  to  maintain  a  club  for  the  scientific 
investigation  of  Piscatorial  Arts,  and  the  instruc- 
tion of  novices  in  such  arts,  and  for  mutual  pro- 
tection and  benevolence. 

The  term  for  which  this  corporation  is  to  exist 
under  the  charter  is  for  ninety-nine  years,  and 
the  directors  and  trustees  for  the  first  year  were 
as  follows: 

McCown  Hunt,  T.  T.  Reyburn, 

Robert  E.  Davis,  E.  F.  Smith, 

Henrj'  B.  Dicks,  Lucien  Baker, 

W.  A.  Starks,^  E.  S.  Catlin,    ' 

H.  F.  Misselwitz.  Mayer  Shoyer, 

H.  W.  Ide. 
After  receiving  the  articles  of  incorporation  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


607 


charter    the    above-named  gentlemeu    met   and 
elected  officers  for  the  first  year  as  follows: 

McCown  Hunt,  president;  H.  F.  Misselwitz, 
secretary;  W.  A.  Starks,  treasurer.  In  addition 
to  the  above  the  following  officers  were  also 
elected:  H.  B.  Dicks,  captain;  Mayer  Shoyer, 
lieutenant;  T.  T.  Reyburn,  quartermaster. 

The  club  has  taken  two  outings  each  year  since 
its  organization,  going  into  camp  for  ten  days  at 
each  outing.  Having  an  outfit  complete  in  ever}' 
detail,  the  members  are  as  comfortable  in  camp 
as  at  home,  and  the  semi-annual  outings  are 
looked  forward  to  with  great  pleasure  by  all  the 
members. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  active  members  of 
the  association: 

T.  T.  Reyburn,  McCown  Hunt, 

Dr.  Mayer  Shoyer,  E.  F.  Smith, 

H.  B.  Dicks,  Dr.  C.  C.  Goddard, 

H.  F.  Misselwitz,  R.  E.  Davis, 

Wm.  C.  Schott,  F.  W.  Keller, 

E.  E.  Brewster,  W.  W.  Carney, 

O.  M.  Abernathy,  F.  B.  Dawes, 

Dr.  S.  J.  Renz,  H.  S.  Stevenson, 

E.  B.  Merritt,  F.  P.  Harkness. 

The  membership  being  limited,  the  club  is  now 
complete,  and  several  applications  for  member- 
ship are  now  in  the  hands  of  the  secretary  await- 
ing a  vacancy. 

The  present  officers  of  the  club  are  as  follows: 

McCown  Hunt,  president;  O.  M.  Abernathy, 
secretary  and  treasurer;  H.  B.  Dicks,  captain; 
Mayer  Shoyer,  lieutenant;  T.  T.  Reyburn,  quar- 
termaster. 

The  regular  meetings  of  the  club  are  held  on 
the  first  Thursday  of  each  month  at  No.  425 
Delaware  street,  Leavenworth. 


j  GUIS  BEURMANN,  who  owns  and  occupies 
It  a  farm  in  Wakarusa  Township,  Douglas 
L/  County,  was  born  in  the  province  of  Hanover, 
Germany,  a  sou  of  Louis  Beurmanu,  Sr.  His 
birth  occurred  January  7,  1S37,  and  the  following 
year  his  parents  crossed  the  ocean  to  America, 
making  the  voyage  in  a  sailing  vessel,  which  after 
a  long  trip  landed  in  New  Orleans.  The  father 
27 


selected  a  home  in  Gasconade  County,  Mo.,  but 
later  removed  to  Kansas,  and  here  resided  until 
his  death.  Our  subject  was  reared  in  Missouri 
and  received  such  advantages  as  neighboring 
country  schools  afforded.  He  was  twenty-nine 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  coming  to  Kansas,  and 
here  he  has  since  resided,  being  identified  with 
the  farm  interests  of  Douglas  County.  His  first 
purchase  comprised  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  one-half  mile  north  of  his  present  home. 
The  land  was  mostly  in  timber,  and  few  eSbrts 
had  been  made  to  place  it  under  improvement. 
He  began  the  clearing  of  the  place,  and  as  soon 
as  he  had  it  in  condition  for  cultivation,  planted 
a  crop  of  potatoes  and  corn.  Each  year  he  in- 
creased the  amount  of  land  cultivated  and  soon 
gained  a  foothold  as  a  farmer. 

Selling  that  property  in  1883  Mr.  Beurmann 
bought  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres  where 
he  now  lives,  and  has  ninety  acres  of  rich  bottom 
land,  all  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  Besides 
the  raising  of  cereals  and  vegetables  he  gives 
some  attention  to  the  stock  business,  especially  to 
the  raising  of  hogs.  He  is  a  thorough,  practical 
farmer,  and,  although  he  had  no  means  when  he 
came  here,  he  has  acquired  by  hard  work  and 
good  judgment  a  farm  that  is  well  improved  and 
valuable.  In  local  affairs  he  votes  for  the  men  he 
considers  best  qualified  for  office,  and  in  national 
elections  casts  his  ballot  for  Democratic  candi- 
dates. In  the  spring  of  1861  he  enlisted  in  the 
Fourth  Missouri  Volunteers,  and  was  assigned 
to  duty  in  the  guarding  of  bridges  from  Gasconade 
to  St.  Louis,  serving  for  eighteen  months  in  the 
army,  after  which  he  was  honorably  discharged. 

In  Missouri,  in  1861,  Mr.  Beurmann  married 
Dorothy  Mengelsdorf,  daughter  of  Christopher 
Mengelsdon',  a  farmer  in  that  state.  They  are 
the  parents  of  six  children,  viz.:  Sophia,  wife 
of  Wilson  Agle,  of  Lawrence;  Albert,  a  farmer, 
who  lives  on  the  home  place;  Julius,  Louise, 
Minnie  and  Louis,  all  at  home.  The  family 
occupy  a  neat  house  built  by  Mr.  Beurmann, 
who  has  also  built  a  substantial  barn  and  other 
buildings  as  needed.  He  has  taken  some  interest 
in  bee  culture  and  has  a  number  of  hives,  but 
reserves  the  honey  for  home  use,  not  caring  to 


6o8 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sell  any .  On  the  farm  where  he  now  lives  he 
has  a  lake  stocked  with  black  bass,  channel,  cat, 
croppie  and  sun  fish,  and  every  summer  hundreds 
of  people  come  to  the  grounds  to  enjoy  the  fine 
fishing. 

^  AMUEL  SINGER,  who  has  been  engaged  in 
2S  business  in  Leavenworth  since  1865,  was 
tJ/  bornin  Stahlstown,  near  Greensburg,  West- 
moreland County,  Pa.,  July  28,  1823,  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Jane  (Matthews)  Singer,  natives 
respectively  of  Carlisle  and  Westmoreland  County, 
Pa.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Simon  Singer,  a 
native  of  Switzerland,  came  to  the  United  States 
in  early  manhood  and  settled  in  Carlisle,  Pa., 
where  his  later  years  were  passed.  The  maternal 
grandfather,  John  Matthews,  was  of  Scotch-Irish 
lineage  and  a  pioneer  of  Westmoreland  County. 
In  religion  he  was  connected  with  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church.  Samuel  Singer,  Sr. ,  ser\-ed 
in  the  war  of  1812  under  Gen.  William  Henry 
Harrison,  and  afterward  followed  the  black- 
smith's trade  in  Stahlstown,  where  he  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  six  months  and 
fifteen  days.  His  wife  died  when  forty-six  years 
old.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children, 
five  now  living.  The  names  of  the  children  are 
as  follows:  Mrs.  Mary  King,  who  lives  in  Cedar 
Rapids,  Iowa,  and  is  eighty-three  years  old;  Mrs. 
Catherine  Harrison  and  Mrs.  Nancy  Mcllvaine, 
deceased;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Burwell;  Mrs.  Maggie 
Bell,  who  died  in  Cedar  Rapids;  Robert,  who 
was  county  prothonotary  at  Greensburg,  Pa., 
and  died  there;  Samuel;  John  M.,  a  member  of 
the  Ninth  Kansas  Cavalry  in  the  Civil  war,  and 
now  a  blacksmith  in  Fairmount,  Kans.;  and 
Thomas  W.,  in  Pennsylvania. 

When  a  boy  our  subject  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade  under  his  father.  In  1848  he  went 
to  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  where  he  followed  his 
trade.  Iowa  was  a  new  state  then,  and  its  set- 
tlers were  few.  There  was  still  considerable 
sport  for  the  hunter,  and  many  leisure  hours  Mr. 
Singer  spent  with  his  gun  in  the  woods.  In 
1865  he  came  to  Leavenworth  and  opened  a  shop 
on  the  line  of  the  old  road  used  by  teamsters  in 
freighting.       At   first  he   had    much    work    for 


Mexican  freighters.  After  some  years  he  built  a 
new  shop  at  his  present  location,  and  there  for 
some  time  he  not  only  did  blacksmithing,  but 
also  built  wagons.  At  present  he  confines  his 
attention  to  repair  work.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  built  the  residence  on  Lawrence 
street  now  occupied  by  his  family.  He  was 
married  in  Pennsylvania  to  Jennie  Warrick, 
who  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  a  daughter  of 
John  Warrick.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  and  a  lady  of  industrious 
disposition  and  noble  character.  The  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Singer  are  named  as  follows: 
Mrs.  Ella  Munson,  who  died  in  Platte  County, 
Mo.;  Mrs.  Maggie  Bohman,  of  Brattleboro,  Vt.; 
Jennie,  who  died  in  Leavenworth;  Thomas,  a 
machinist,  with  the  Great  Western  Manufacturing 
Company;  James,  a  wagon-maker  employed  with 
his  father;  and  Edwin,  who  is  also  with  his  father. 


EAPT.  NATHANIEL  C.  CRADIT,  who  is 
one  of  the  oldest  surviving  settlers  of  Pal- 
myra Township,  Douglas  County,  is  now 
somewhat  retired  from  active  business  cares,  al- 
though he  still  superintends  the  management  of 
his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  adjoining 
the  village  of  Media.  He  was  born  in  Ithaca, 
Tompkins  County,  N.  Y.,  March  11,  1827.  His 
boyhood  years  were  spent  on  a  farm  near  that  city 
and  he  was  educated  in  countrj-  schools.  In  early 
life  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Michigan  and 
settled  in  Jackson  County.  At  eighteen  years  of 
age  he  left  home  and  began  an  apprenticeship  to 
the  wagon-maker's  trade,  at  which  he  served  for 
three  years.  He  then  went  to  Chicago,  111.,  and 
secured  employment  at  woodwork  carpentering 
on  a  railroad.  He  helped  to  build  the  first  freight 
and  passenger  depot  that  was  erected  on  the 
north  side  of  that  city,  it  being  owned  by  the  old 
Galena  Company,  now  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western. He  continued  with  the  railroad  com- 
pany until  the  road  was  built  to  Freeport,  111., 
after  which  he  worked  on  the  Air  Line  Railroad 
for  seven  years,  taking  charge  of  the  building  of 
the  company's  turn  tables  and  water  tanks. 
In  the  spring  of  1857  Mr.  Cradit  came  to  Kan- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


609 


sas  and  brought  with  him  a  saw-mill  from  Chi- 
cago to  Douglas  County.  This  he  erected  in 
Palmj'ra  Township  and  continued  to  operate  it 
until  1864,  when  he  sold  out.  In  March,  1864, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Sixteenth  Kansas 
Cavalry,  he  having  raised  the  company  in  his  own 
neighborhood.  He  was  commissioned  captain. 
Previous  to  this  the  governor  had  commissioned 
him  captain  of  the  militia  which  had  been  em- 
ployed in  guarding  the  property  of  citizens  at  the 
time  of  the  invasion  of  pro-slavery  men  from 
Missouri.  During  the  Price  raid  he  was  stationed 
in  Missouri.  In  November,  1864,  he  was  ordered 
to  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  he  was  stationed 
during  the  winter.  In  May,  1865,  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  service  on  account  of 
disability,  the  result  of  an  injury  to  his  knee 
during  the  Price  raid.  Among  the  battles  in 
which  he  took  part  were  those  at  Independence 
and  Westport,  the  engagement  at  Newtonia,  and 
various  skirmishes. 

On  his  return  from  the  army  Captain  Cradit 
purchased  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  comprising 
his  present  homestead.  Here  he  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming,  but  gradually  became  especially  in- 
terested in  the  stock  business  and  bought  and  sold 
cattle  and  hogs.  Some  years  since  he  retired 
from  active  farm  cares,  although  he  still  superin- 
tends his  place.  December  21,  1852,  at  Batavia, 
111.,  he  married  Miss  Emily  E.  Pindar,  a  native 
of  Schoharie  County,  N.  Y.,  but  after  1850  a 
resident  of  Illinois.  They  became  the  parents  of 
four  children,  all  daughters.  Of  these,  Helen 
May,  born  in  1854,  died  in  1863.  Harriet,  who 
was  born  in  i860,  was  married  in  1885  to  David 
Wetherby,  of  Iowa.  Emma,  born  in  1866,  is  a 
stenographer  connected  with  the  postofKce  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.  Fannie,  who  was  born  in  1876,  is 
the  wife  of  Elmer  Laughin,  a  merchant  of  Media. 

Coming  here  with  men  of  radical  free-state 
views.  Captain  Cradit  early  imbibed  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party  and  has  always 
adhered  to  them.  He  enjoys  working  to  secure 
offices  for  his  friends  and  has  done  considerable 
campaign  work,  but  has  never  solicited  such 
positions  for  himself,  although  had  he  done  so  he 
would  doubtless  have  been  as  successful  as  he 


has  been  in  electing  his  friends  to  office.  He  is  a 
genial,  popular  man,  whose  circle  of  friends  is 
very  large,  and  whose  position  is  deservedly  high. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Palmyra  Lodge 
No.  45,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Baldwin. 


(TOHN  W.  WRIGHT,  who  is  one  of  the  prom- 
I  inent  contractors  and  builders  of  Leaven- 
Q)  worth,  was  born  in  Roanoke  County,  Va. , 
July  6,  1858.  When  he  was  a  boy  he  gained  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  carpenter's  trade 
under  the  instruction  of  his  father,  E.  A.  Wright. 
When  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  his  father 
was  killed;  for  a  short  time  afterward  our  sub- 
ject continued  to  reside  at  home  with  his  mother, 
but  in  October,  1879,  he  married  and  removed  to 
West  Virginia.  In  1880  he  returned  to  his  na- 
tive county,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  two 
years. 

June  18,  1882,  Mr.  Wright  arrived  in  Leaven- 
worth. As  there  was  considerable  building  in 
the  city  he  had  no  trouble  in  securing  employ- 
ment at  his  trade.  He  continued  to  work  for 
others  until  1889,  when  he  began  to  take  con- 
tracts, and  since  then  he  has  continued  alone, 
having  had  numerous  contracts  for  the  erection 
of  private  and  public  buildings  in  the  citj'.  While 
his  contracts  have  mostly  been  for  cottages,  he 
has  had  some  as  high  as  $5,000.  In  1893  he  did 
over  $33,000  worth  of  business.  In  1890  and 
1891,  during  the  "boom"  in  Wichita,  Kans  ,  he 
went  to  that  city,  where  he  was  kept  steadily  en- 
gaged in  filling  contracts,  one  of  these  being  for 
more  than  $1 1 ,000. 

One  of  the  most  noticeable  characteristics  of 
the  closing  years  of  the  nineteenth  century  is  the 
attention  given  to  building.  It  seems  to  be  real- 
ized, as  never  before,  that  "a  man's  house  is  his 
castle,"  and  health  and  happiness  demand  that 
this  "castle"  be  well  constructed.  The  occupa- 
tion of  contractor  and  builder  is,  therefore,  one  of 
great  importance.  Realizing  this  Mr.  Wright 
has  made  it  his  aim  to  complete  every  contract 
satisfactorily,  honestly  and  faithfully.  He  has 
gained  a  reputation  for  excellence  of  work,  as  well 
as  for   diligence  and  honesty.     He  devotes  him- 


6io 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


self  very  closely  to  business  affairs,  and  has  little 
time  for  politics,  although  he  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican and  keeps  posted  concerning  party  matters. 
In  1879  he  married  Alice  Hall,  of  Roanoke  Coun- 
ty, Va.  They  have  three  sons:  Frank  W.,  a 
student  in  the  Leavenworth  high  school;  Luther 
M.  and  Charles  R. 

ROBERT  S.  McFARLAND,  superintendent 
of  Oak  Hill  cemetery,  Lawrence,  was  born 
near  Mansfield,  Ohio,  June  5,  1834,  and  was 
reared  on  a  farm  in  Washington  Township,  five 
miles  from  town,  making  his  home  there  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  the  only  son 
among  three  children,  his  sisters  being  Sarah, 
Mrs.  William  Stone,  of  Mansfield;  and  Anna, 
wife  of  M.  W.  Worden,  now  of  Pueblo,  Colo., 
who  was  first  captain  of  Company  E,  Thirty- 
second  Ohio  Infantry,  but  through  bravery  rose 
to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel.  The  first  of 
the  McFarland  family  to  come  to  America  was  a 
musician  who  enlisted  under  Lord  Dnnmore,  and 
came  from  Scotland  to  fight  the  Indians,  leading 
the  soldiers  with  his  bagpipe  in  many  a  desperate 
encounter  with  the  savages.  Afterward  he  settled 
in  Virginia  as  superintendent  of  a  plantation. 
His  son,  Robert,  was  born  in  the  Old  Dominion, 
and  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade.  About  1824  he 
settled  near  Mansfield,  Ohio,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  and  also  farmed.  On  account  of  an  in- 
jury he  was  unable  to  enlist  in  the  war  of  1812, 
but  two  of  his  brothers  went  to  the  front.  He 
died  in  1856,  at  eighty-six  years  of  age.  His  son, 
David,  our  subject's  father,  was  born  in  Loudoun 
County,  Va.,  and  became  a  farmer  in  Richland 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  cleared  and  improved  a 
fine  tract  of  land.  On  retiring  from  active  labors 
he  settled  in  Mansfield  and  there  died  in  June, 
1866,  when  sixty-six  years  of  age.  In  early  life 
he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but 
later  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  congregation  in  his  neighborhood,  and 
after  the  war  placed  his  membership  in  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  in  which  he  later  served  as  a 
deacon.  Politically  he  was  first  a  Whig,  then  a 
Republican.  Though  of  southern  birth,  he  op- 
posed  slavery  and   was  one  of  the  earliest  and 


most  ardent  Abolitionists  in  Richland  County. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Schlosser,  who  was  born  in 
Hagerstown,  Md.,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Schlos- 
ser, who  was  of  German  descent,  and  moved  to 
Mansfield,  Ohio,  about  1824.  In  Maryland  he 
had  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade,  but  in  Ohio 
he  gave  his  attention  to  farming.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  seventy-six  years  of  age.  His 
daughter,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  McFarland,  died  in 
Lawrence  in  November,  1897,  aged  eighty  years. 

During  the  war  Mr.  McFarland  was  a  member 
of  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-third 
Regiment  Ohio  National  Guard.  In  1864  he 
was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  at 
Camp  Chase  and,  as  orderly  sergeant,  was  sent 
to  Washington,  where  he  and  others  had  charge 
of  fortifications.  After  two  weeks  he  was  ordered 
to  Whitehouse  Landing,  thence  to  Point  of  Rocks, 
on  the  Appomattox,  and  after  four  days  to  Wil- 
son's Landing,  where  he  remained  until  fall.  He 
was  then  ordered  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  honor- 
ably discharged  September  12,  1864.  In  1870  he 
settled  in  Mansfield,  and,  with  his  father,  bought 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  one  and  one-half 
miles  from  town.  This  property  he  improved 
with  neat  houses  and  then  sold.  He  also  owned 
other  farms  in  the  same  locality.  In  1879  he 
came  to  Lawrence  and  in  the  spring  of  1880  be- 
gan work  at  the  carpenter's  trade. 

June  18,  1884,  Mr.  McFarland  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  Oak  Hill  cemetery  and  every 
year  since  then  he  has  been  re-appointed  to  the 
position,  the  duties  of  which  he  has  discharged 
with  fidelity.  Much  of  the  credit  for  the  beauti- 
ful cemetery  is  due  to  his  taste  and  supervision. 
He  has  planted  elm,  cedar  and  other  trees,  and 
has  given  close  attention  to  the  place,  it  being  his 
pride  that  the  cemetery  is  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful in  the  west.  Here  lie  the  remains  of  the 
victims  of  the  Quantrell  raid,  as  well  as  many 
other  honored  men  and  women  who  have  passed 
away  since.  Oak  Hill  embraces  forty  acres,  all 
of  which  is  laid  out  with  drives  and  improved 
with  shade  trees.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Association  of  American  Cemetery  Superintend- 
ents, and  attended  the  first  and  several  subsequent 
meetings  of  the  organization. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


In  Washington  Township,  Richland  County, 
Ohio,  Mr.  McFarland  married  Miss  Mar}-  Ellen 
Ford,  daughter  of  John  Ford,  who  was  a  farmer 
there.  She  died  in  Ohio  February  7,  1863,  leav- 
ing two  children:  Milton  W.,  in  Mansfield;  and 
Mary  Viola,  Mrs.  E.  F.  Caldwell,  who  died  in 
Lawrence  in  1887.  His  second  marriage,  also  in 
Washington  Township,  was  solemnized  Novem- 
ber 26,  1863,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Mary 
Jane  McBride,  who  was  born  there,  a  daughter  of 
Augustus  and  Martha  A.  (Barnes)  McBride,  na- 
tives respectively  of  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  and  Ohio. 
Her  grandfather,  David  McBride,  was  born  in 
Scotland,  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  but  re- 
moved to  Norwalk,  Ohio,  and  was  editor  of  an 
Abolition  paper  there.  In  religion  he  was  of  the 
Scotch  Presbyterian  faith.  When  ninety  years 
of  age  he  died  at  the  home  of  a  son  in  Wisconsin. 
Augustus  McBride,  who  was  a  builder  and  con- 
tractor in  Washington  Township,  was  a  captain 
of  militia  and  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Mexican 
war,  remaining  at  the  front  until  he  died,  in 
February,  1848.  He  was  buried  in  the  City  of 
Mexico.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Wesley 
Barnes,  who  was  born  in  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  and 
cleared  a  farm  in  Washington  Township,  Rich- 
land County,  Ohio  (this  property  afterward  be- 
coming a  part  of  the  estate  of  our  subject).  His 
father  died  when  he  was  a  boj'  of  fifteen,  but  his 
mother  survived  to  the  great  age  of  one  hundred 
and  four  years.  He  had  an  older  brother  in  the 
war  of  1812.  The  Barnes  family  is  of  English 
descent,  but  has  been  identified  with  American 
history  from  an  early  period.  Mrs.  Martha  A. 
(Barnes)  McBride  died  in  Washington,  Ohio,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  She  had  a 
brother,  T.  N.,  who  served  in  the  Mexican  war, 
and  at  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  was  commis- 
sioned a  captain,  rising  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant- 
colonel.  Four  other  of  her  brothers  also  ser\'ed 
in  the  Union  army.  In  her  family  there  were 
four  children,  Mrs.  McFarland  and  three  sons. 
The  oldest.  Judge  Robert  W.  McBride,  who  was 
a  member  of  Lincoln's  body  guard  during  the 
Civil  war,  afterward  became  an  attorney  and 
judge  in  Indianapolis,  Ind.;  James  N.,  who  was 
in  the  Sixtyrfifth  Ohio  Infantry  and  was  wounded 


in  service,  resides  at  Waterloo,  Ind. ;  and  Thomas 
H.,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Sixty-sixth  Ohio 
Infantry,  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Lookout 
Mountain  and  died  shortly  afterward.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McFarland  are  as  follows: 
Mrs.  Lizzie  Brown,  wife  of  W.  B.  Brown,  of 
Lawrence;  Mrs.  Mattie  R.  Hackman,  wife  of 
George  W.  Hackman,  of  Lawrence;  Mrs.  Edna 
D.  Patterson,  wife  of  W.  A.  Patterson,  of  Chi- 
cago; and  David  F.,  a  student  in  the  University 
of  Kansas,  class  of  1900. 

Since  1867  Mr.  McFarland  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  past  officer  in  Lodge 
No.  18,  a  member  of  the  encampment,  and  past 
oificer  in  Rebekah  Degree  Lodge  No.  4.  In 
Washington  Post  No.  12  he  is  officiating  as  com- 
mander, and  is  keenly  interested  in  all  Grand 
Army  matters.  His  wife  is  past  president  of 
Woman's  Relief  Corps  No.  9,  and  was  an  aide  on 
the  national  president's  staff".  Since  1867  she 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Rebekah  Degree,  and 
has  held  office  as  noble  grand  and  also  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  state  council.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McFarland  are  members  of  the  Fraternal 
Aid  and  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  in 
which  she  is  a  past  officer.  They  are  identified 
with  Plymouth  Congregational  Church  of  Law- 
rence, and  contribute  to  its  various  enterprises. 
Since  casting  his  first  vote  for  John  C.  Fremont 
Mr.  McFarland  has  been  in  touch  with  the  issues 
of  the  age  and  has  given  his  influence  and  ballot 
to  Republican  candidates  and  principles. 


FTTHAN  B.  keck.  Three  miles  northwest 
j^  of  Tonganoxie  lies  a  neat  farm  of  eighty 
|__,  acres,  on  which  have  been  made  improve- 
ments of  a  valuable  nature  and  which  is  one  of 
the  many  comfortable  rural  homes  of  Leaven- 
worth County.  It  is  the  property  of  Mr.  Keck, 
who  came  to  Kansas  in  September,  1868,  and 
purchased  the  place,  then  unimproved  and  uncul- 
tivated. Through  his  eff'orts  it  has  been  trans- 
formed into  its  present  condition,  and  its  neat  ap- 
pearance proves  him  to  be  a  man  of  energy  and 
perseverance.  He  was  born  in  Fulton  County, 
N.  Y.,  October  6,  1840,  a  son  of  John  and  Lany 


6l2 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


(Burns)  Keck,  natives  of  the  same  county.  Dur- 
ing 1840  his  father  removed  to  Kane  County, 
111.,  and  purchased  a  raw  tract  of  land,  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  which  he  afterward  devoted  himself. 
He  was  fairly  successful  as  a  farmer.  In  politics 
he  voted  the  Republican  ticket  and  in  religion 
affiliated  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
His  death  occurred  when  he  was  seventy-three 
years  of  age,  while  his  wife  was  sixty-five  at  the 
time  of  her  demise.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert Burns,  of  Scotland,  and  in  religious  belief 
was  a  Methodist.  Of  her  thirteen  children,  our 
subject  was  the  eldest.  He  was  an  infant  when 
the  family  settled  in  Illinois  and  hence  from  his 
earliest  recollections  he  was  familiar  with  fron- 
tier farming.  Being  industrious,  he  early  learned 
to  make  himself  useful  at  home,  and  in  this  way 
he  gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  agriculture. 

Shortly  after  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war,  in 
August,  1861,  Mr.  Keck  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  as  a  member  of  Company  C,  Thirty -sixth 
Illinois  Infantry.  Enlisting  as  a  private,  he  was 
promoted  to  be  a  sergeant.  His  service  covered 
four  years  and  two  months.  He  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  the  engagements 
of  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  those  at  Franklin 
and  Nashville,  Tenn.  At  the  battle  of  Stone 
River,  Tenn.,  he  received  an  injury  that  frac- 
tured his  skull,  and  for  six  months  he  was  con- 
fined in  hospitals  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  and 
Louisville,  Ky.  He  was  also  wounded  by  a  shell 
in  the  left  shoulder  during  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga,  which  disabled  him  for  three  months  and 
obliged  him  to  remain  in  the  hospital  at  Nash- 
ville. At  Stone  River,  Tenn.,  he  was  captured, 
but  escaped  within  two  hours.  He  was  mustered 
out  October  8,  1865,  and  returned  to  his  home  in 
Illinois.  For  two  years  he  rented  a  farm  in  that 
state.  From  there  he  came  to  Kansas  in  1868 
and  settled  upon  the  place  where  he  now  lives. 

January  24,  1866,  Mr.  Keck  married  Margaret 
Cabeen,  of  Mercer  County,  111.  They  had  seven 
children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased.  Those  liv- 
ing are:  John  Theron,  who  lives  in  Butte,  Mont.; 
Robert  Russell,  in  California;  Richard  C,  who 
is  with  his  parents;  Charlotte  B.,  wife  of  Robert 
A.  Robertson;  and  Ida,  who  married  Henry  To- 


buren,  of  Tonganoxie.  The  family  are  connec- 
ted with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Formerly  a 
Republican,  since  1890  Mr.  Keck  has  affiliated 
with  the  Populists.  He  has  served  as  delegate 
to  county  and  district  conventions  and  has  been 
a  member  of  the  township  committee.  He  is  in- 
terested in  Grand  Army  affairs  and  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  post  at  Tonganoxie. 


3 AMES  McDonald,  who  entered  the  gov- 
ernment employ  in  1859,  is  familiar  with  the 
history  of  the  west  during  its  pioneer  days 
and  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  active  life  in 
accompanying  the  regular  army  upon  its  western 
expeditions.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  come  to 
this  part  of  the  country,  and  during  early  days 
devoted  considerable  attention  to  the  buying  and 
selling  of  squatters'  claims,  particularly  in  Ne- 
maha and  Jackson  Counties,  in  which  line  of 
work  he  was  quite  successful.  He  is  now  prac- 
tically retired  from  active  business  cares,  but  still 
superintends  a  small  place  on  the  reservation 
at  Fort  Leavenworth  and  furnishes  the  families 
at  the  fort  with  milk  and  butter. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1836,  Mr.  McDonald  ac- 
companied his  mother  to  Canada  and  thence  to 
the  United  States  in  1848  and  settled  at  Ogdens- 
burg,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  for  some  years. 
In  company  with  a  brother,  in  1857  he  came  to 
Kansas.  Afterward  he  was  employed  as  team- 
ster for  the  government  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  and 
as  assistant  wagon  master  made  a  number  of 
trips  over  the  plains  to  Fort  Laramie,  Wyo., 
Fort  Union,  N.  M. ,  and  other  points  in  the  west. 
Meantime  he  continued  to  make  his  home  at  the 
reservation.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  era- 
ployed  as  teamster  between  this  fort  and  Scott 
and  Riley,  and  was  a  teamster  in  the  battle  of 
Big  Creek.  While  engaged  in  teaming  he  met 
with  a  number  of  accidents,  but,  fortunately, 
none  of  them  proved  serious.  In  the  work  of  a 
teamster  for  the  government,  accompanying 
troops  of  soldiers  from  fort  to  fort,  and  having 
charge  of  baggage,  etc.,  his  active  years  were 
passed.  Like  others  of  that  day  and  occupation 
he  was  more  than  once  in  peril  from  the  Indians. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


613 


He  has  seen  all  the  changes  made  on  the  frontier, 
where  towns  have  been  built  and  ranches  started, 
and  other  evidences  of  improvements  made  visi- 
ble. In  religion  he  is  identified  with  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  at  the  fort  and  is  also  connected 
with  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Association. 

By  the  marriage  of  Mr.  McDonald,  in  1866,  to 
Nora  Graney,  nine  children  were  born,  viz.: 
Mary;  Wenfred;  James,  who  is  a  teamster  in  the 
government  employ  and  participated  in  the  San- 
tiago campaign  in  1898;  Peter,  Annie,  John, 
Nora,  Katie  and  Thomas. 


G|  LEXANDER  LEWIS.  The  Lewis  family 
U  was  founded  in  America  by  two  brothers, 
I  I  John  and  James,  in  a  very  early  day.  John, 
eldest  son  of  James,  had  a  son  John,  born  October 
13,  1683,  whose  eldest  son,  John,  settled  at  North 
Yarmouth,  Mass.  The  latter' s  second  son,  James, 
was  born  at  North  Yarmouth  December  27,  1724, 
and  married  Lydia  Pratt,  by  whom  he  had  five 
sons  and  five  daughters.  The  oldest  son  and 
second  child,  John,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in 
1754,  and  married  Mary  Phelps,  born  May  27, 
1767.  Of  their  thirteen  children,  all  but  one  at- 
tained maturit}'.  In  early  manhood  he  settled  in 
Sufiield,  Conn.,  where  his  children  were  born 
and  where  his  death  occurred.  During  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  he  served  in  the  American  army. 
Of  his  children  the  sixth  was  Luther,  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  born  in  Suf- 
field.  Conn.,  April  9,  1791,  and  served  in  the  war 
of  18 1 2,  after  which  he  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Jacksonville,  Tompkins  County,  N.Y.,  and  there 
died  at  sixty-nine  years.  When  a  young  man  he 
learned  the  wheelwright's  trade,  but  never  fol- 
lowed it  to  any  extent.  He  married  Mary  Shel- 
don, who  was  born  in  Suffield,  Conn.,  February 
24,  1792,  and  the)'  became  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing named  children:  John,  Mary,  Luther,  and 
Mrs.  Eliza  Carman,  who  died  in  New  York  state; 
Mrs.  Ann  McConnell,  who  resides  in  Elraira, 
N.  Y.;  and  Alexander,  who  was  born  near  Jack- 
sonville, N.  Y.,  November  13,  1830. 

Until  twenty-six  years  of  age   our  subject  re- 
mained on  the  old  homestead.     Becoming  inter- 


ested in  Kansas  at  the  time  of  the  border  warfare, 
he  came  to  Lawrence  in  March,  1857.  At  first  he 
took  up  a  claim,  but  soon  sold  it.  Prior  to  the 
war  he  carried  on  a  grocery  business,  and  during 
the  war  he  engaged  in  buying  supplies  for  the 
army.  In  1863  he  returned  to  New  York,  and  in 
Lansing,  that  state,  married  Miss  Mary  Frances 
North,  daughter  of  Josiah  North,  a  prosperous 
tanner  there.  He  was  returning  to  Lawrence 
with  his  wife  at  the  time  the  Quantrell  raid  oc- 
curred and  was  therefore  in  no  personal  danger, 
but  he  lost  $5,000  by  fire.  On  his  return  he 
was  obliged  to  build  anew.  He  continued  gov- 
ernment contracting  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business. 
In  1868  he  located  on  the  corner  of  Massachu- 
setts and  Quincy  streets,  where  he  has  a  yard 
200x117,  with  sheds,  etc.,  and  carries  in  stock  a 
full  line  of  lumber  and  building  material.  At 
the  time  of  the  Price  raid  he  was  mustered  into 
Rifle  Company,  Third  Kansas  Militia,  Captain 
Swift,  and  served  for  a  short  time.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  and  in  religion  belongs  to  the 
Plymouth  Congregational  Church.  His  wife  died 
August  5,  1898,  leaving  an  only  son,  Luther 
North  Lewis,  who  was  educated  in  the  high 
school  and  University  of  Kansas,  and  is  now  en- 
gaged with  his  father  in  business. 


r~  RED  W.  KELLER,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
1^  livery  business  in  Leavenworth,  was  born 
I  eight  miles  from  Berlin,  Germany,  a  son  of 
William  and  Lisetta  (Gehr)  Keller.  When  he 
was  eleven  years  of  age  the  family  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  Leavenworth,  Kans. , 
where  in  the  public  schools  he  readily  acquired 
a  knowledge  of  the  English  language.  Six  months 
after  his  arrival  in  this  country  he  was  able  to 
speak  English  fluently.  In  1872  he  became  in- 
terested in  dentistry  and  by  careful  study  gained 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business  in  Leav- 
enworth, which  he  followed  until  failing  health 
compelled  a  change  of  occupation.  In  1884  he 
bought  an  interest  in  a  livery  business  in  this 
city,  of  which  he  assumed  charge  the  following 
year.     Since  then   he  has  given  his  entire  time 


6i4 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOaRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  attention  to  the  business  and  has  built  up  a 
large  and  profitable  trade.  He  keeps  twenty-six 
head  of  horses  for  rent,  and  also  has  many  horses 
that  he  boards  for  the  owners.  His  line  of  hacks 
and  carriages  is  complete  and  modern.  In  1897 
the  frame  barn  standing  on  the  lot  was  torn  down 
and  a  brick  two-story  structure,  with  elevators, 
etc.,  was  erected,  in  which  the  business  has  since 
been  conducted. 

In  political  matters  Mr.  Keller  is  independent, 
and  has  never  cared  to  identify  himself  with  pub- 
lic affairs,  nor  has  he  been  willing  to  accept  offi- 
cial positions,  although  he  accepted  nominations 
for  the  council  and  the  school  board.  He  was 
one  of  the  originators  of  the  I^eavenworth  Ang- 
lers' Club,  of  which  he  is  now  a  member,  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Leavenworth  Boat  Club.  He  is 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Leavenworth  Hack 
and  Hearse  Association.  Among  the  people  of 
the  city  he  is  well  known  and  popular.  The  only 
relaxation  from  work  that  he  allows  himself  is 
with  his  gun  or  a  good  horse  or  fishing  tackle, 
for  he  is  an  ardent  sportsman  and  a  successful 
one  besides. 

The  residence  which  Mr.  Keller  owns  and  oc- 
cupies was  built  by  him  in  1881  and  stands  at 
No.  611  Shawnee  street.  He  is  interested  in 
other  real  estate  here.  December  26,  1881,  he 
married  Alice  Weber,  of  this  city.  They  have 
two  children,  Minnie  and  Joseph. 


ARTIN  L.  STIGGLEMAN.  This  well, 
known  farmer  and  stock- rai.ser  of  Alexan- 
dria Township,  Leavenworth  County,  was 
born  in  Wayne  County,  Ind.,  June  3,  1840.  He 
is  a  descendant,  in  the  fourth  generation,  of  John 
Stiggleman,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  settled  in 
Virginia  and  followed  the  millwright's  trade,  also 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  under  Washing- 
ton. His  son,  John,  migrated  to  Indiana  when 
that  section  of  the  country  was  new  and  sparsely 
settled;  he  established  his  home  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  state,  where  he  built  several  mills. 
Under  his  careful  instruction  his  sons  were  taught 
the  millwright's  trade  and  were  also  made  familiar 
with  farm  work.     One  of  these  sons  was  John, 


our  subject's  father,  and  a  native  of  Virginia,  but 
from  infancy  a  resident  of  Indiana.  Schools  be- 
ing few  and  the  instruction  offered  crude,  he  had 
meagre  advantages,  but,  being  a  man  of  bright 
mind  and  habits  of  observation,  he  became  well 
informed.  In  fact,  when  every  circumstance  is 
considered,  it  is  remarkable  that  he  gained  such 
wide  knowledge  as  he  possessed.  He  was  the 
victim  of  two  catastrophes  while  still  very  young. 
When  only  nine  months  old  one  hand  was  burned 
and  at  six  years  of  age  his  right  hand  was  acci- 
dentally cut  off  by  a  brother.  Notwithstanding 
these  afflictions  he  learned  the  millwright's  trade, 
and  also,  from  1844  to  1892,  engaged  in  farm 
work.  Politically  he  was  a  Democrat  and  a  warm 
admirer  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  He  was  not  a 
seeker  after  official  positions  and  held  none  ex- 
cept that  of  road  overseer.  In  religion  he  was  an 
earnest  member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 
By  his  first  wife,  Phoebe  Walters,  he  had  eight 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  our  subject 
and  two  married  daughters  in  Indiana.  His 
second  wife  was  Clementine  Scott,  and  they  had 
four  children,  three  of  whom  survive. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  acquired 
principally  by  his  unaided  efforts,  as  he  had  little 
opportunity  for  schooling.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  served  in  Company  K,  Fifty-seventh 
Indiana  Infantry,  which  was  assigned  to  the  Cum- 
berland valley  under  General  Rosecrans.  He  was 
present  at  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Kenesaw 
Mountain  and  took  part  in  the  Telehama  cam- 
paign, in  which  for  sixteen  days  he  wore  wet 
clothes.  After  three  years  of  service  he  was 
honorably  discharged.  Returning  to  his  home  in 
Indiana  he  remained  on  a  farm  there  until  1S68, 
when  he  came  to  Kansas.  For  eight  years  he 
was  employed  on  the  Lecompton  road  by  two 
parties,  with  the  last  of  whom  he  remained  for 
four  years  lacking  only  one-half  day.  In  1876 
he  bought  forty  acres  adjoining  an  eighty -acre 
tract  purchased  five  years  before,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1877  he  settled  upon  the  place,  starting  out  for 
himself  as  a  farmer.  He  began  in  the  cattle  busi- 
ness on  a  very  small  scale,  having  only  two  cows, 
but  within  ten  years  he  had  raised  one  hundred 
calves.     His  specialty  has  been  Shorthorn  cattle. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


615 


while  in  hogs  he  has  registered  Poland-China 
stock.  The  cattle  industry  takes  almost  his  en- 
tire attention,  and  the  hay  and  grain  raised  on  the 
farm  are  used  solely  for  feed.  In  1895  he  erected 
a  fine  country  home  and  he  also  has  a  large  and 
substantial  barn.  He  has  never  cared  to  hold 
oflSce,  but  has  served  as  road  overseer  and  mem- 
ber of  the  election  board,  and  in  politics  is  a 
Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army 
Post  at  McIyOuth  and  takes  an  interest  in  every- 
thing pertaining  to  it. 

August  6,  1868,  Mr.  Stiggleman  married 
Catherine  Byers,  who  died  the  following  year. 
He  was  again  married,  January  25,  1875,  his  wife 
being  Mary  Robinson,  of  Leavenworth  County, 
daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  Robinson. 
They  became  the  parents  of  six  children:  Eliza- 
beth, deceased;  Viola  V.,  John,  Mabel,  Volney 
and  Bertie. 


RICHARD  H.  KINGSLEY,  chief  engineer  of 
the  United  States  penitentiary  at  Fort  Leav- 
enworth, was  born  at  Niagara,  Canada, 
September  6,  1837,  a  son  of  George  C.  and  Mary 
(Hobbs)  Kingslej',  the  latter  of  Irish  parentage 
and  the  former  of  English  birth  and  descent.  As 
an  ofiicer  in  the  British  army  his  father  was 
ordered  from  England  to  Canada  during  the  re- 
bellion of  1835  and  was  afterward  stationed  in 
this  country  until  his  death,  three  years  later. 
In  the  family  there  were  five  children,  and  all  of 
these  are  still  living,  Richard  H.  being  the 
youngest.  Susan  is  the  wife  of  David  Stewart, 
of  Detroit,  Mich.;  Jane  is  the  widow  of  Judge 
Hubbard,  of  Oakland,  Cal.;  Sarah  married  John 
Hubbard  and  makes  her  home  in  California; 
George  C.  is  living  in  New  Brunswick. 

Reared  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
that  city.  In  185 1  he  commenced  to  learn  the 
machinist's  trade,  which  he  followed  in  his  home 
town  until  1857.  He  then  came  to  Leavenworth, 
Kans.,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Great 
Western  Manufacturing  Company.  Later  he  was 
engaged  as  engineer  on  a  Missouri  River  steam- 
boat, plying  between  Kansas  City  and  Lexington, 
and  for  four  years  he  followed  the  river.     After- 


ward, for  eight  years,  he  was  employed  as  en- 
gineer on  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  and  as 
superintendent  of  the  roundhouse.  Going  to 
California  in  1874,  he  was  employed  in  the  Sierra 
Nevada  mountains,  on  the  Central  Pacific  Rail- 
road. The  following  year  he  returned  to  Kansas 
and  accepted  a  position  as  engineer  on  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad,  in  which  capacity  he  continued 
until  1882.  He  then  resigned  in  order  to  accept 
the  position  of  chief  engineer  of  the  United  States 
penitentiary  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  which  appoint- 
ment was  tendered  him  by  the  secretarj-  of  war, 
Lincoln.  In  1895  the  United  States  civil  govern- 
ment took  charge  of  the  institution.  He  has  re- 
tained his  position  through  the  various  changes 
in  administration,  and  has  won  the  confidence  of 
the  penitentiary  ofiicials,  who  have  the  highest 
regard  for  his  ability  and  thorough  knowledge  of 
his  work.  He  has  full  charge  of  motive  power 
and  construction,  and  at  this  writing  is  superin- 
tending the  erection  of  machinery  at  the  new 
penitentiary,  under  the  direction  of  the  warden. 
Having  made  a  life  study  of  mechanical  engineer- 
ing, he  is  fitted  for  positions  of  responsibility. 
He  has  kept  posted  upon  all  inventions  in  con- 
nection with  engineering,  and  is  thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  occupation  which  he  has  made 
his  life  work.  During  the  entire  period  of  his 
connection  with  engines  and  machinery,  which 
covers  almost  a  half  century,  he  has  met  with  no 
serious  accident,  but  his  intelligent  supervision 
has  prevented  the  catastrophes  that  sometimes 
happen  in  the  management  of  large  plants. 
Since  1882  he  has  made  his  home  on  the  military 
reservation.  During  the  early  '60s,  under  the 
administration  of  Mayor  Carney,  he  was  ap- 
pointed first  chief  engineer  of  the  Leavenworth 
fire  department.  At  another  time  he  was  first 
master  mechanic  of  the  engine  department  of  the 
Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  Railroad, 
between  Lawrence  and  Ottawa.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat,  but  takes  no  part  in  public  affairs. 

September  16,  1861,  Mr.  Kingsley  married 
Mary  Valliant,  who  died,  leaving  four  children. 
The  eldest  of  these,  Clarence  R.,  is  master 
mechanic  on  the  Santa  Fe  road  at  Woodward, 
Okla.     The  second  son,  Joseph,  is  assistant  en- 


6i6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


giueer  at  the  Leavenworth  water  works.  The 
third  son,  Walter,  is  with  his  brother  Clarence. 
The  youngest  of  the  four  children  is  Maude,  wife 
of  Humphrey  O'Leary.  The  second  marriage  of 
Mr.  Kingsley  united  him  with  Mrs.  Mary  Curry, 
who  was  the  mother  of  two  daughters:  Margaret, 
wife  of  John  D.  L-  Sheehan,  of  Washington, 
D.  C. ;  and  Mary. 

Gl  DOLPHUS  G.  OATMAN.  In  order  to  give 
U  his  children  the  advantages  of  a  university 
I  1  education  Mr.  Oatman  settled  in  Lawrence 
in  1880.  He  purchased  ten  and  one-fourth  acres 
of  land  adjoining  the  city  on  the  northwest  and 
upon  that  place  established  a  fruit  farm,  to  which 
he  has  since  given  his  attention.  All  of  the  im- 
provements have  been  made  under  his  supervision 
and  the  neat  appearance  of  the  farm  proves  the 
thrift  of  the  owner.  While  he  is  not  a  politician 
and  has  invariably  declined  to  become  a  candi- 
date for  office,  he  has  always  kept  posted  concern- 
ing problems  affecting  the  prosperity  of  the  peo- 
ple and  has  been  an  active  worker  in  the  Repub- 
lican party. 

In  Dundee,  Kane  County,  111.,  our  subject  was 
born  August  13,  1840,  a  son  of  James  R.  and 
Letitia  (Davidson)  Oatman.  His  grandfather, 
John  Oatman,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  was  a  min- 
ister in  the  Christian  Church  and  also  a  farmer. 
About  1820  he  removed  to  Indiana  and  later  set- 
tled in  Eureka,  111., thence  went  to  Dundee,  the 
same  state,  and  finally  established  his  home  in 
Texas,  where  he  died  at  ninety  years  of  age. 
When  Texas  was  in  an  almost  wild  state  he  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising  there,  but  he  was  con- 
stantly harassed  by  Indians.  At  one  time  the 
savages  stole  considerable  from  him  and  he  and 
his  sons  started  after  them,  and  a  few  days  later 
they  overtook  them,  killed  some  ^f  the  Indians 
and  recovered  most  of  the  property.  Several  of 
bis  sons  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  and  Civil  wars. 

James  R.  Oatman  was  one  of  fifteen  children, 
twelve  sons  and  three  daughters.  He  was  born 
in  Indiana.  When  his  son,  our  subject,  was  three 
years  of  age  he  settled  near  Peoria,  111.  At  the 
time  of  the  Civil  war  he  removed  to  Fort  Scott, 
Kans.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  real-estate  busi- 


ness on  an  extensive  scale.  Owing  to  ill  health 
he  took  his  family  to  Leavenworth,  while  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  traveling  salesman  for  a  soap 
company.  When  the  firm  removed  to  Denver, 
Colo.,  he  accompanied  them,  but,  owing  to 
another  failure  of  health,  he  resigned  and  went  to 
Kansas  City.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  son, 
A.  G.,  in  the  winter  of  1898-99.  At  the  time  of 
the  war  he  was  a  stanch  Abolitionist.  By  his 
marriage  to  Miss  Davidson,  of  Eureka,  111.,  he 
had  seven  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the 
oldest  and  all  are  still  living  but  one. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  acquired 
principally  in  Eureka  College.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  freshman  class  when  the  Civil  war 
broke  out,  and  he  at  once  enlisted,  his  name  be- 
ing enrolled,  in  May,  1861,  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany G,  Seventeenth  Illinois  Infantry.  Later 
he  was  appointed  musician.  After  the  battle  of 
Shiloh  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service.  He 
re-enlisted,  becoming  lieutenant  in  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Eighth  Illinois  Infantry  and  taking  part 
in  about  twelve  engagements  of  his  command,  in- 
cluding Donelson,  the  battles  around  Vicksburg, 
and  Memphis.  In  August,  1865,  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged,  and  joined  the  family  in  Illinois. 
Owing  to  his  father's  ill  health  he  assisted  him 
in  business  and  engaged  in  land  dealing.  In 
1874  he  went  to  Leavenworth  and  for  about  three 
years  was  employed  as  a  clerk,  but  his  eyesight 
troubled  him  to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  forced 
to  resign  his  position.  Going  to  Denver  he  was 
employed  in  the  soap  works  until  his  settlement 
in  Lawrence  in  1880.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Washington  Post 
No.  12,  G.  A.  R. ,  and  in  religious  belief  is  con- 
nected with  the  Christian  Church. 

At  Bennington,  Vt.,  February  4,  1867,  Mr. 
Oatman  married  Mary  A.  Ransom.  They  became 
the  parents  of  five  children.  Eva  is  the  wife  of 
Walter  Harriott,  of  Wakarusa  Township,  Doug- 
las County.  The  oldest  son.  Homer  C.  Oatman, 
M.D.,  is  a  graduate  of  the  pharmacy  department 
of  the  University  of  Kan.sas  and  Hahnemann 
Medical  College  in  Chicago.  For  three  years  he 
practiced  in  Lawrence,  after  which  he  took  a 
medical  course  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  desiring 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


617 


the  advantages  offered  bj'  European  colleges  and 
hospitals.  On  his  return  he  resumed  practice  in 
Lawrence.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  a  company 
that  is  engaged  in  zinc  and  lead  mining  in  Joplin, 
Mo.  The  younger  son,  Arthur  Roy,  is  a  fruit 
farmer  in  Wakarusa  Township.  Helen  Maria  is 
the  wife  of  Alric  G.  Aldrich,  who  is  connected 
with  the/oitr>/a/,  of  Lawrence.  Mary  Josephine, 
the  youngest  of  the  family,  is  deceased. 


3 AMES  P.  LINDSEY,  one  of  the  successful 
farmers  and  coal  operators  in  Franklin  Coun- 
t}^  occupies  and  owns  a  valuable  farm  com- 
prising four  hundred  and  fifty-two  acres  and  sit- 
uated west  of  the  central  part  of  Greenwood 
Township.  Here  he  is  engaged  in  raising  farm 
produce  and  stock.  His  land  is  underlaid  with  a 
fine  quality  of  soft  coal,  and  he  has  taken  out 
hundreds  of  tons,  operating  successfully  in  coal 
mining.  During  almost  the  entire  period  of  his 
residence  in  this  township  he  has  held  the  office 
of  school  director,  and  has  endeavored  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  school  No.  59.  As  a  Repub- 
lican he  is  identified  with  local  politics.  At  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  Company 
A,  Thirty-eighth  Indiana  Infantry,  and  was  as- 
signed to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  Four- 
teenth Army  Corps,  in  which  he  served  three 
years. 

A  son  of  James  and  Charlotte  (Anthony)  Lind- 
sey,  our  subject  was  born  in  Orange  County, 
Ind.,  in  1842.  His  father,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  a  pioneer  of  Indiana,  bought  a  large  tract  of 
congressional  land  in  Orange  County,  where  he 
became  a  leading  and  influential  farmer.  He  died 
there  in  1869,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four.  His  ances- 
tors came  to  America  in  a  very  early  day  and 
were  among  the  first  to  settle  in  Chambersburg, 
Pa.,  whence  James  Lindsey,  Sr.  (our  subject's 
grandfather),  removed  to  Kentucky  with  his 
family.  Our  subject's  mother  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky and  died  in  Indiana  in  1889,  when  seven- 
ty-two years  of  age. 

Coming  to  Kansas  in  1868,  our  subject  at  once 
became  interested  in  this  state.  In  the  fall  of 
1869  he  purchased  eighty  acres  in  Greenwood 


Township,  Franklin  County,  and  began  farming 
on  a  small  scale.  From  time  to  time  he  made 
additional  purchases,  and  now  owns  one  of  the 
largest  farms  for  miles  around.  An  industrious, 
persevering  man,  he  has  met  with  a  success  to 
which  his  labors  entitle  him.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Masonic  blue  lodge  in  Pomona, 
and  in  religion  is  an  active  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church. 

January  14,  1869,  Mr.  Lindsay  married  Miss 
Mary  Moore,  of  Indiana,  who  died  in  1878. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children:  Mary, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Albert  Cole;  Phyllis  T.,  Mrs. 
A.  Sutton;  Susan  M.,  Mrs.  H.  Hettic;  and  James 
W.,  deceased.  The  present  wife  of  Mr.  Lindsey 
was  Mrs.  Clara  (Osgood)  Bannon,  by  whom  he 
has  five  children:  William,  Hattie  E.,  Calvin  B., 
John  P.  and  George  L.,  all  at  home.  Mrs.  Lind- 
sey was  born  in  Green  County,  Wis.,  and  was 
one  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living, 
viz.:  Charles,  of  Washington  state;  Clara;  Belle, 
wife  of  Robert  Ralston;  and  Dora  E.,  who  mar- 
ried John  Emley,  of  Washington.  Her  father, 
Benjamin  F.  Osgood,  was  born  in  New  York 
state  and  in  an  early  day  migrated  to  Wisconsin. 
In  1857  he  settled  in  Marshall  County,  Kans., 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  From  that  coun- 
ty, in  1869,  he  removed  to  Douglas  County,  but 
later  removed  to  Osage  County.  In  1892  he  took 
his  family  to  the  state  of  Washington,  and  there 
he  is  now  living,  at  eighty-two  years  of  age.  His 
wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Rebecca 
Robb,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  died  in 
Washington  May  24,  1899,  aged  seventy-nine 
years. 

(lOSEPH  NEWSOME  is  the  proprietor  of  the 
I  Leavenworth  Steam  Boiler  Works,  which 
(z)  were  established  by  him.self  in  1864,  and  in 
which  are  manufactured  steam  boilers  and  tanks 
of  every  description.  Under  his  supervision  a 
large  business  has  been  built  up,  and  the  works, 
at  Choctaw  street,  between  Second  and  Third, 
have  been  enlarged  to  meet  the  increased  de- 
mands. He  has  been  given  the  principal  busi- 
ness iu  his  line  in  this  city,  including  the  work 
for  the  United  States  prison  and  other  large  insti- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tutious,  and  in  ever}^  instance  the  contracts  have 
been  filled  with  efficiency  and  judgment.  On  ac- 
count of  advancing  years  he  now  desires  to  sell 
his  boiler  works  and  retire  from  business  cares. 
Mr.  Newsome  is  of  English  birth  and  descent. 
He  was  born  near  L,eeds,  Yorkshire,  March  29, 
1828,  a  son  of  William  and  Sarah  (Longbottom) 
Newsome,  natives  respectively  of  Leeds  and  Dews- 
bury,  Yorkshire.  His  father,  who  was  a  cloth 
weaver  bj'  trade,  removed  to  London  and  there 
died  at  forty-five  years.  His  wife  died  in  the 
same  city  when  ninety-two  years  of  age.  They 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  all  but  one  of 
whom  attained  years  of  maturity.  When  Joseph 
left  London  in  1853  he  had  seven  sisters  living  in 
that  city,  but  now  all  are  dead  except  Emma  and 
Maria,  who  still  live  in  London.  When  sixteen 
our  subject  was  apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  a 
boiler-maker,  at  which  he  served  until  twenty- 
one,  and  then  worked  as  a  journeyman.  In  1853 
he  sailed  for  America  on  the  "Queen  of  the 
South,"  a  sailing  vessel,  which  anchored  in  New 
York  after  a  voyage  of  five  weeks  and  two  days. 
Proceeding  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  he  worked  at  his 
trade  until  the  failure  of  his  employers  forced 
him  to  seek  employment  elsewhere.  He  was  a 
foreman  in  the  first  locomotive  shop  established  in 
Louisville.  From  that  city  he  went  to  St.  Louis, 
and  July  3,  1S55,  returned  to  Louisville,  arriving 
there  on  the  night  of  the  great  Know-Nothing 
riot.  He  had  been  promised  a  position  as  fore- 
man, but  on  Monday,  the  day  of  the  riot,  there 
was  so  little  prospect  of  the  shop  being  started 
again  that  he  returned  to  St.  Louis,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade. 

The  spring  of  1S57  found  Mr.  Newsome  fore- 
man in  a  foundry  at  Alton,  111.,  and  there  he  re- 
mained until  the  works  were  closed  in  1861,  after 
which  he  opened  a  shop  of  his  own.  In  1864  he 
came  to  Leavenworth  and  started  the  works 
which  he  has  since  conducted  with  success.  He 
is  an  energetic  business  man,  gives  his  attention 
closely  to  the  management  of  the  works,  and 
allows  nothing  to  interfere  with  his  business 
duties.  While  he  is  a  Democrat  and  a  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows,  neither  politics  nor  fraternal 
associations  take  his  attention  from  his  business. 


In  ever}'  transaction  he  is  frank  and  outspoken, 
and  his  word  is  always  to  be  relied  upon.  Under- 
neath a  stern,  and  at  times  repellant,  exterior, 
beats  a  heart  that  is  large  and  true,  and  it  is  this 
large-heartedness  that  wins  friends  for  him.  He 
is  notably  a  man  of  common  sense  and  sound 
judgment,  and  in  every  business  dealing  no  mat- 
ter, however  weighty,  is  allowed  to  cloud  his 
judgment. 

While  in  St.  Louis  Mr.  Newsome  married  Miss 
Polly  Fontanna,  who  was  born  in  England,  of 
Swiss  and  English  parentage.  The  ten  sons  and 
two  daughters  born  of  this  union  are  living,  viz.: 
William  J.,  George  A.,  Charles  and  Joseph,  of 
Leavenworth;  Grant,  of  Herrington,  Kans. ;  Lee, 
who  lives  in  El  Paso,  Tex.;  Mark  T.,  who  is  in 
Kansas  City;  Ben,  who  assists  his  father  in  busi- 
ness: James,  Grover  Cleveland,  Sadie  and  Ella. 


pGJlLLIAM  DENHOLM,  a  farmer  and  stock- 
\  A/  grower  of  Stranger  Township,  Leaven- 
V  V  worth  County,  was  born  in  Scotland,  Jul}' 
30,  1832,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm,  meantime 
learning  the  carpenter's  trade  under  his  father, 
George  Denholm.  His  mother,  Elizabeth  White, 
died  in  Scotland.  Afterward,  about  1853,  the 
remaining  members  of  the  family  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  New  York  City,  the 
father  becoming  owner  of  a  small  farm  on  Long 
Island.  His  character  was  that  of  a  typical 
Scotchman,  strictly  honest,  industrious  and 
thrifty,  and  in  religion  he  was  a  Presbyterian. 
His  death  occurred  when  he  was  ninety-two 
years  of  age. 

After  settling  in  New  York  our  subject  fol- 
lowed the  carpenter's  trade  for  some  years. 
Then,  coming  west  to  Illinois,  he  worked  in 
Rock  Island,  later  going  to  Clinton  County, 
Iowa.  In  Augu.st,  1S62,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
H,  Twentj'-sixth  Iowa  Infantry,  as  a  private,  and 
served  until  June,  1865,  meantime  taking  part  in  a 
number  of  noted  battles  and  accompanying  Sher- 
man on  his  march  to  the  sea.  In  spite  of  his 
long  and  active  service  he  was  neither  wounded 
nor  taken  prisoner.  On  receiving  his  honorable 
discharge  from  the  army  he  returned  to  Iowa. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


619 


In  the  winter  of  1865-66  he  came  to  Kansas  and 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  unimproved  land,  form- 
ing the  nucleus  of  his  present  property.  Jointly 
with  his  son,  he  now  owns  six  hundred  acres  of 
land.  He  has  been  a  hard-working,  persevering 
man,  and  deserves  prosperity  and  success.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  nar- 
rowly and  rigidly  adhered  to  party  lines,  but  has 
been  liberal  in  his  views. 

September  15,  1859,  Mr.  Denholm  married 
Miss  Nancy  Mitchell,  who  was  born  in  New- 
castle, Pa.,  December  19,  1832,  a  daughter  of 
Andrew  and  Jane  (Dool)  Mitchell,  natives  of 
Ireland.  Her  father  emigrated  to  America  when 
a  young  man  and  afterward  for  a  time  followed 
the  stonemason's  trade  and  taught  school.  In 
1853  he  settled  in  Rock  Island,  111.,  but  after  a 
short  time  bought  a  farm  in  Clinton  County,  Iowa. 
From  there,  in  1864,  he  came  to  L,eavenworth 
County,  Kans.,  and  settled  in  Stranger  Town- 
ship, where  his  death  occurred  in  1S76,  at  sev- 
enty-five years  of  age.  He  was  a  Presbyterian 
in  religion  and  a  Republican  in  politics.  His 
wife,  who  was  also  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  died  in  this  township  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-four years.  The  two  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mr.  Denholm  are  George  A.  and  Jennie  E.,  Mrs. 
L.  J.  Morgan,  of  Montana. 


PlEORGE  A.  DENHOLM  was  born  in  De- 
I—  witt,  Clinton  County,  Iowa,  July  12,  i860. 
y^  When  he  was  five  years  of  age  he  was 
brought  to  Kansas  by  his  parents,  and  from  that 
time  to  this  he  has  made  his  home  in  Stranger 
Township,  Leavenworth  County.  His  education 
was  obtained  in  public  schools,  the  Kansas  State 
University  and  the  Lawrence  Business  College. 
Since  leaving  college  he  has  been  associated  with 
his  father  in  the  management  of  their  farm  and 
has  also  given  considerable  attention  the  dairy 
business,  in  which  he  is  meeting  with  success. 

Matters  pertaining  to  the  business,  agricultural, 
moral  or  educational  welfare  of  Stranger  Town- 
ship receive  the  co-operation  and  assistance  of 
Mr.  Denholm,  who  is  a  progressive  citizen,  thor- 
oughly believing  in  enterprises  calculated  to  pro- 


mote the  interests  of  his  locality.  While  his  at- 
tention is,  of  course,  principally  given  to  his  own 
affairs,  which  demand  constant  thought,  never- 
theless he  finds  time  to  keep  posted  concerning 
the  problems  before  our  country  to-day,  and  has 
intelligent  convictions  upon  all  important  sub- 
jects. He  is  a  believer  in  the  principles  for  which 
the  Republican  party  stands  and  has  supported 
the  national  and  local  tickets  of  his  party.  At 
this  writing  he  is  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
With  his  wife,  he  is  connected  with  the  Congre- 
gational Church,  and  now  holds  theofiBce  of  trus- 
tee of  the  congregation.  January  4,  1895,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Hattie  E. 
Davis,  of  Geneseo,  111. ,  and  they  have  two  sons, 
William  D.  and  Walter  G. 


HON.  ALEXANDER  LOVE  came  to  Kan- 
sas at  the  time  of  the  border  warfare,  ar- 
riving in  Lawrence  April  28,  1857,  with  a 
determination  to  assist  in  making  this  a  free 
state.  He  is  one  of  the  few  survivors  of  the 
Stubbs  military  company,  the  first  organized  in 
this  city.  In  local  affairs  he  took  a  leading  part 
from  the  date  of  his  arrival  in  the  west.  Three 
times  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  city  council 
and  afterward  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
education.  Gov.  John  A.  Martin  appointed  him 
a  member  of  the  board  of  state  house  commission- 
ers that  had  charge  of  the  building  of  the  state 
capitol.  In  1876  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature 
from  Douglas  County,  and  during  his  term  se- 
cured an  appropriation  for  the  University  of 
Kansas.  When  his  term  expired  he  retired,  re- 
fusing further  nomination.  In  1887  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  Douglas  County,  which  office 
he  filled  for  one  term.  During  much  of  his  life 
in  the  west  he  has  engaged  in  contracting,  and  has 
finished  some  of  the  most  expensive  and  durable 
buildings,  both '  public  and  private,  that  have 
been  erected  in  the  state. 

In  Colerain,  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  our  sub- 
ject was  born  November  25,  1835,  the  youngest 
of  five  children  born  to  his  mother's  first  marriage. 
His  father,  Alexander  Love,  Sr.,  was  born  in 
Scotland  and  removed  thence  to  Ireland,  dying 


620 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


there  when  his  son  was  only  fourteen  months  old. 
Of  his  children,  the  oldest,  David,  who  was  a 
soldier  in  the  British  army,  served  all  through 
the  Crimean  war,  then  returning  to  England,  re- 
enlisted,  was  sent  out  and  was  massacred  by  the 
Sepoys.  Mrs.  Mary  Paul  died  in  Pittsburgh  and 
is  buried  at  Oak  Hill,  Lawrence.  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Whiteside  lives  in  Stillwater,  Minn.  James  died 
in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  The  mother  of  these  children 
was  born  near  Belfast,  Ireland,  of  Scotch  descent, 
and  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Agnes  Gilmour. 

After  her  husband's  death  she  brought  the 
children  to  America.  She  was  married  a  second 
time,  and  had  by  that  union  two  sons  and  a 
daughter,  all  deceased  but  George.  She  died  in 
Brooklyn  and  was  buried  in  Greenwood  cemetery. 

When  two  years  of  age  our  subject  was  brought 
to  America  by  his  mother,  making  the  trip  in  a 
sailing  vessel.  He  was  reared  in  Brooklyn, 
where  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  began  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  plasterer  and  brick-mason.  In  1854  he 
started  for  California,  going  by  boat  to  Aspinwall, 
then  across  the  isthmus,  and  again  by  boat  to  San 
Francisco.  Reaching  that  city  without  a  nickel, 
he  was  fortunate  in  at  once  securing  work  at  his 
trade.  Later  he  went  to  the  mines,  but  met  with 
little  success,  and  then  began  contracting  in  Sac- 
ramento. In  1856  he  voted  for  J.  C.  Fremont 
and  has  since  cast  his  ballot  for  Republican 
candidates.  In  December,  1856,  he  started  back 
to  New  York  via  the  Nicaragua  route.  About 
that  time  there  was  considerable  excitement  in  re- 
gard to  Kansas,  and  people  from  both  the  north 
and  south  were  flocking  there,  each  hoping  to 
gain  success  for  their  respective  causes.  He  was 
drawn  hither  in  the  hope  of  aiding  the  free-state 
party.  From  that  time  to  this  he  has  been  keen- 
ly interested  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  prog- 
ress of  the  state.  During  the  war  he  served  as 
.second  lieutenant  of  a  Kansas  battery  of  the  state 
militia  at  the  time  of  the  Price  raid.  When  the 
Quantrell  raiders  came  to  Lawrence,  some  of  them 
pursued  and  shot  at  him,  but  he  succeeded  in  es- 
caping. He  is  a  member  of  Washington  Post 
No.  12,  G.  A.  R.  In  religion  he  is  a  Presby- 
terian. 

One  of  the  popular  young  ladies  in  the  early 


days  of  Lawrence,  Miss  Eliza  McMurray,  became 
the  wife  of  Mr.  Love.  She  was  born  in  the 
north  of  Ireland  and  died  in  Lawrence.  Seven 
children  were  born  of  their  union,  two  of  whom 
(twins)  died  in  infancy.  Those  now  living  are: 
Isabella,  wife  of  Albert  Riffle,  a  prominent  civil 
engineer  whose  home  is  now  near  San  Francisco, 
Cal.;  James  G.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  insurance 
business  in  Nebraska;  Agnes,  wife  of  Brice  Craw- 
ford, an  attorney  in  Omaha;  Theodore,  a  plasterer 
in  Kansas  City;  and  Maggie,  wife  of  Robert  Put- 
ney, of  Albuquerque,  N.  M.  The  second  marriage 
of  Mr.  Love  united  him  with  Mrs.  Nellie  U.  Stev- 
ens, who  was  born  in  New  England  and  descended 
from  "Mayflower"  ancestry.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Love  is  past  master  of  Lodge  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M . ; 
and  one  ofthe  oldest  members  of  the  lodge  and  en- 
campment of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  now  secretary 
of  Lawrence  Lodge  No.  4,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


ITDMUND  H.  cox.  Adjoining  the  village 
1^  of  Tonganoxie  on  the  west  lies  one  of  the 
L_  fine  farms  of  Leavenworth  County.  This 
property,  which  is  owned  and  occupied  by  Mr. 
Cox,  comprises  one  hundred  and  ten  acres,  and 
is  rendered  valuable  by  the  introduction  of  im- 
provements made  by  the  energetic  owner.  The 
principal  industry  to  which  the  land  is  devoted  is 
the  stock  business,  the  specialties  being  Short- 
horn cattle  and  Poland- China  hogs.  For  fifteen 
years  Mr.  Cox  was  engaged  in  raising  jacks,  but 
of  late  3'ears  he  has  given  his  attention  wholly  to 
cattle  and  hogs.  The  land  is  utilized  for  pastur- 
age or  for  the  raising  of  grain  to  be  used  as  feed. 
Mr.  Cox  was  born  in  Henry  County,  Iowa, 
June  4,  1843.  His  father,  Aaron  Cox,  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  went  to  Indiana  in  early  manhood 
and  in  1841  settled  in  Iowa,  where  he  was  a  pio- 
neer. In  1859  he  came  to  Kansas  and  bought  an 
eighty-acre  tract  in  High  Prairie  Township, 
Leavenworth  County,  where  he  was  afterward 
fairly  successful  in  farming  and  stock-raising. 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  Indiana  he  married  Delilah  Hobbs,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  eight  children.  Those 
now  living  are:  Elizabeth,  who  married  Jonathan 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


621 


Knight  and  makes  his  home  in  Lawrence ;William, 
a  farmer  in  Leavenworth  Countj';  James,  of  Okla- 
homa; Deborah,  wife  of  Seth  Hollingsworth,  of 
Arkansas;  and  Edmund  H.  The  father  passed 
away  in  Leavenworth  County  during  the  winter  of 
1898-99.  He  was  a  member  of  a  family  that  came 
to  America  about  the  time  of  the  Revolution  and 
for  years  lived  upon  plantations  in  Kentucky. 

In  the  schools  of  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  our  subject 
completed  his  education.  When  eighteen  years 
of  age  he  started  out  for  himself.  At  first  he 
worked  for  wages,  but  as  soon  as  he  had  saved 
some  money  he  started  out  for  himself,  buying 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  at  Neely,  Leav- 
enworth County.  Afterward  he  added  to  his 
holdings  until  he  owned  three  hundred  and  ten 
acres.  In  1895  he  sold  that  place  and  bought  his 
present  farm  adjoining  Tonganoxie.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  For  eleven  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  in  which  capacity  he 
materially  aided  school  interests.  Fraternally  he 
is  connected  with  the  blue  lodge  of  Masons  in 
Tonganoxie  and  the  chapter  in  Oskaloosa,  Kans. 
In  1867  he  married  Agnes  Carver,  of  Kansas. 
They  have  three  children:  Oska  L.,  who  assists 
on  the  home  farm;  Annie,  wife  of  James  Bell,  of 
Leavenworth  County;  and  Lorena,  who  married 
C.  W.  Mcintosh,  of  Oskaloosa,  Kans. 


(TOHN  H.  ATWOOD.  During  the  period  of 
I  his  residence  in  Leavenworth  Mr.  Atwood 
Q)  has  been  particularly  successful  in  a  profes- 
sional waj^  and  has  established  one  of  the  largest 
law  businesses  in  the  city.  During  the  whole  of 
his  residence  in  Kansas  he  has  been  prominent 
in  politics.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  has  been  act- 
ive and  influential  both  in  the  state  and  national 
councils  of  his  party.  In  1896  he  served  as  a 
delegate-at-large  to  the  national  Democratic  con- 
vention, and  at  that  great  meeting  he  was  chosen 
to  serve  as  chairman  of  one  of  the  most  important 
committees  of  the  convention,  that  on  credentials, 
and  it  was  conceded  by  all  that  it  was  his  happy 
management  of  the  afi"airs  of  that  committee  that 
seated  enough  Bryan  delegates  in  the  convention 
to   make  possible  the  nomination  of  the  great 


Nebraskan  by  a  two-thirds  vote,  which  the  party 
traditions  required.  His  record  in  the  office  of 
county  attorney  demonstrated  his  capacitj'  as  a 
lawyer  and  gave  entire  satisfaction  to  the  people, 
which  fact  is  best  shown  by  the  vote  received  by 
him  the  last  time  he  was  a  candidate  for  that 
office,  when  he  received  more  than  twice  as  many 
votes  as  his  opponent. 

Mr.  Atwood  was  born  in  Phillipston,  Worces- 
ter County,  Mass.,  September  12,  i860.  His 
paternal  ancestors  were  from  Devonshire,  Eng- 
land. His  great-grandfather,  Moses  Atwood, 
was  a  pioneer  builder  of  the  town  of  Warwick, 
Mass.,  and  there  the  grandfather,  Warren,  was 
born  and  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1872.  Andrew,  son  of  War- 
ren Atwood,  was  born  in  Warwick,  and  grew  to 
manhood  upon  the  homestead  farm.  At  one  time 
he  was  a  sub-contractor  under  his  brother,  Har- 
rison Atwood,  a  partner  of  Thomas  Scott,  of 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  fame,  and  as  such  built 
the  great  bridge  over  the  Susquehanna  River. 
Afterward  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
boots  and  shoes  at  Athol  and  Ayer,  Mass.  He 
was  the  organizer  and  first  president  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Ayer  and  this  position  of  trust 
he  held  from  1878  until  his  removal  in  1893  to 
Leavenworth,  where  he  resided  with  his  son  until 
his  death,  in  February,  1899. 

The  maternal  ancestors  of  Mr.  Atwood  were 
members  of  an  old  English  family  which  is  of  a 
remote  Norman  origin.  His  mother,  Mary 
Emma  Holden,  was  born  in  Woonsocket,  R.  L,  a 
daughter  of  Havilla  and  Mary  (Vaux)  Holden, 
the  latter  being  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  gen- 
tleman from  Hertfordshire,  England,  who,  upon 
removing  to  this  country,  settled  in  Woonsocket, 
R.  I.  Andrew  and  Mary  Emma  (Holden)  At- 
wood were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom 
three  are  living:  Warren  H.,  who  resides  in 
Ayer,  Mass.,  and  who  is  a  successful  attorney 
and  judge  of  the  district  court  there;  Gilbert  H., 
who  is  a  farmer  and  cattleman  owning  a  large 
farm  in  Douglas  County,  Kans. ;  while  the  young- 
est, John  H.,  forms  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
He  was  reared  in  Athol  and  Ayer,  and  received 
excellent  educational    advantages,  having   been 


622 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


fitted  for  college  by  Professor  Goldthwait,  who 
afterward  became  famous  in  certain  educational 
circles  as  the  traveling  tutor  of  the  sons  of  Brad- 
ley Martin  of  New  York  and  London.  It  was 
with  this  accomplished  scholar  that  Mr.  Atwood 
spent  nearly  a  year  traveling  in  Europe.  Re- 
turning to  this  country  he  spent  a  year  as  an 
unmatriculated  student  in  the  academic  depart- 
ment of  Harvard  University,  from  which  he  went 
to  the  law  department,  graduating  at  the  end  of 
three  years  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  Shortly 
after  his  graduation  he  was  admitted  to  the  Mid- 
dlesex bar.  About  this  time  he  married  Miss  Nellie 
Wyman,  whocamefrom  an  old  Middlesex  Coun- 
ty family  of  Revolutionary  origin  and  influential 
connections.  One  of  her  sisters  is  the  wife  of 
Professor  Gooch  of  Yale,  the  great  chemical  ex- 
pert and  member  of  the  National  Academy  of 
Science.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atwood  have  three 
daughters,  Ruth,  Helen  and  Dorothy.  Thej'  re- 
side in  a  handsome  home  on  Fourth  avenue  in 
Leavenworth,  Kans. 

Mr.  Atwood  came  to  Leavenworth  in  Januarj', 
1885;  in  three  months  he  was  appointed  deputy 
city  attorney;  in  the  fall  of  1886  he  was  elected 
county  attorney  and  this  office  he  filled  for  three 
terms  in  succession,  which  is  one  more  term  than 
any  one  attorney  has  ever  successively  served. 
Retiring  from  office  in  January,  1892,  he  organ- 
ized the  law  firm  of  Crozier,  Atwood,  Pether- 
bridge  &  Levison,  who  occupied  an  extensive 
suite  of  offices  in  the  Times  building.  Upon  the 
death  of  ex -Judge  and  ex-United  States  Senator 
Crozier,  which  occurred  almost  simultaneously 
with  the  election  of  Hon.  Lucien  Baker  to  the 
United  States  senate,  the  old  firm  was  dissolved 
and  the  new  firm  of  Baker,  Hook  &  Atwood  was 
organized;  this  partnership  continued  until  the 
spring  of  1899, when  theappointment  of  Hon. Will- 
iam C.  Hook  to  the  federal  judgeship  of  Kansas, 
and  Senator  Baker's  retirement  from  the  practice 
of  law.  dissolved  the  firm. 

Mr.  Atwood  is  a  member  of  several  fraternal 
organizations,  but  his  greatest  honors  have  come 
to  him  through  the  Masonic  fraternity.  The 
Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine 
of  North  America  is  an  organization  to  which  no 


one  is  eligible  unless  he  is  a  Knight  Templar  or 
Thirty-second  Scottish  Rite  Mason  and  it  was 
to  the  highest  office  in  this  body  that  Mr.  At- 
wood was  elected  in  June,  1899. 

As  a  public  speaker  Mr.  Atwood  is  perhaps 
more  sought  after  than  any  public  man  in  Kan- 
sas, being  recognized  to  be  without  a  superior 
among  the  campaign  orators  of  his  party  in  the 
west.  The  larger  portion  of  the  manj' invitations 
he  receives  to  speak  he  is  obliged  to  decline,  since 
his  extensive  law  practice  requires  the  major 
part  of  his  time  and  the  best  of  his  energies. 


EAPT.  HENRY  A.  OAKES,  who  was  an 
officer  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil 
war,  is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  forming  one  of  the  best  farms  in  Pal- 
myra Township,  Douglas  County,  and  here  he  is 
engaged  in  general  farming,  dairying  and  stock- 
raising.  He  was  born  at  Haverhill,  Ohio,  March 
18,  1838,  a  son  of  Ephraim  H.  and  Nancy  (Da- 
vidson) Oakes.  His  father,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Kings  County,  Long  Island,  early  be- 
came familiar  with  farm  work,  as  his  boyhood 
days  were  passed  on  a  small  farm  near  Brooklyn. 
For  a  time  he  followed  the  trade  of  a  wagon  and 
plow  manufacturer  in  his  own  state,  but  while 
still  a  young  man  he  removed  to  Ohio  and  settled 
on  a  farm.  During  the  remainder  of  his  life  he 
combined  work  at  his  trade  with  the  cultivation 
of  his  farm.  For  years  he  also  owned  a  ferry  on 
the  Ohio  River.  First  a  Whig,  on  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Republican  party  he  became  identified 
with  it,  and  afterward  voted  for  its  principles. 
At  one  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  state  mili- 
tia. His  death  occurred  when  he  was  ninety- 
two  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  in  1846,  while 
in  middle  life.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
children  that  attained  maturity. 

When  a  boy  our  subject  assisted  in  the  culti- 
vation of  the  home  farm.  His  first  outside  work 
was  on  the  Ohio  River,  where  he  was  employed 
for  two  years.  Later  he  went  to  Scott  County, 
111.,  and  worked  on  a  farm  by  the  month.  Sep- 
tember 5,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Com- 
pany I,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-ninth  Illinois 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


625 


Infantry.  From  the  ranks  he  was  first  promoted  to 
be  sergeant,  six  months  later  was  commissioned 
second  lieutenant,  at  Stone  River  was  made  first 
lieutenant,  and  at  Savannah  was  raised  to  a  cap- 
taincy. He  remained  in  the  service  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  Meantime  he  participated  in 
many  important  engagements,  including  Chatta- 
nooga, Atlanta,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Resaca, 
Jonesboro,  and  marched  with  Sherman  to  the  sea, 
thence  going  through  the  Carolinas,  and  was  at 
Raleigh,  N.  C,  when  Lee  surrendered. 

On  his  return  to  Scott  County,  Captain  Oakes 
rented  a  farm,  which  he  cultivated  for  three 
years.  In  March,  1869,  he  came  to  Kansas  and 
purchased  the  farm  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  He  is  a  member  of  Washington  Post  No. 
12,  at  Lawrence.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, aud  while  never  desiring  office  for  him- 
self, has  been  actively  connected  with  local  af- 
fair.<5.  He  married  Miss  Eleanor  Draper,  who 
was  born  in  England,  and  by  whom  he  has  two 
children,  viz.:  Ellen,  who  married  Richard  Tem- 
ple; and  Charles  Harry,  who  is  a  lumberman  in 
Oregon. 

QAMES  BRUCE  SHEARER.  In  presenting 
I  to  the  readers  of  this  volume  the  biography 
Q)  of  Mr.  Shearer  we  are  perpetuating  the  life 
record  of  one  who  was  for  years  a  resident  of 
Lawrence  and  actively  identified  with  its  business 
interests.  The  success  with  which  he  met  en- 
titles him  to  more  than  passing  mention,  for  it 
proves  that  he  possessed  mental  qualities  of  a 
high  order  and  had  the  determination  of  character 
to  push  to  a  prosperous  termination  whatever  he 
undertook.  He  was  still  a  young  man,  when, 
October  31,  1898,  his  life  work  was  ended,  but 
he  had  already  gained  important  mercantile  and 
real  estate  interests  in  his  home  town. 

Born  in  Prairie  City,  111.,  August  24,  1861,  the 
subject  of  this  article  was  a. son  of  George  and 
Sarah  J.  (Morris)  Shearer,  the  latter  a  sister  of 
Dr.  Morris,  who  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  The  former,  a  son  of  James  Shearer  (who 
died  in  Lawrence),  was  born  in  Illinois  and  after 
his  marriage  settled  in  Lawrence,  then  a  small 
town  on  the  edge  of  the  frontier.  He  had  the 
28 


foresight  to  discern  the  possibilities  of  this  section 
of  the  countr}'.  He  made  investments  in  real 
estate  in  Lawrence  and  in  time  became  the  owner 
of  more  valuable  property  than  any  other  man  in 
Douglas  County.  While  much  of  his  attention 
was  given  to  the  management  of  his  land  hold- 
ings, he  also  carried  on  a  mercantile  business 
with  success  and  was  interested  in  several  banks, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  held  the  position  of 
president  of  the  Ottawa  State  Bank.  He  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  Lawrence  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  January  4,  1890.  His  wife  died 
February  4,  1895.  They  were  the  parents  of  two 
children  who  grew  to  maturity,  their  daughter 
being  Mrs.  L.  O.  Mclntire. 

Almost  the  entire  life  of  James  Bruce  Shearer 
was  passed  in  Lawrence.  In  its  schools  he  re- 
ceived his  education,  and  in  its  stores  his  first 
knowledge  of  business  affairs.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  the  high  school  and  business  college,  after 
which  he  entered  upon  a  mercantile  life.  In 
partnership  with  Mr.  Mclntire  he  engaged  in 
business  in  Lawrence  and  Ottaw^a,  carrying  a  full 
line  of  dry-goods,  clothing,  etc.  When  the 
partnership  was  dissolved,  in  1888,  Mr.  Shearer 
engaged  in  the  drj'-goods  business  at  Ottawa,  and 
there  remained  until  October,  1894,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Lawrence,  in  order  to  look  after  his 
valuable  real-estate  holdings  here.  At  the  same 
time  he  resumed  the  mercantile  business  in  this 
city,  continuing  until  his  death.  He  was  an  un- 
usually energetic  and  successful  business  man 
and  laid  the  foundation  of  the  large  and  important 
business,  which,  in  accordance  with  his  request, 
his  wife  has  conducted  since  his  death. 

In  Topeka,  Kaus.,  Mr.  Shearer  married  Miss 
Maude  Rickard,  who  was  born  in  Seville,  Medina 
County,  Ohio.  One  son  was  born  of  their  union, 
Lawrence  Parker  Shearer,  who  died  April  5, 
1S98,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  Mrs.  Shearer 
has  caused  to  be  placed  in  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  one  of  the  finest  memorial  windows  in 
the  west,  in  memory  of  her  son,  who,  though 
only  thirteen  years  of  age,  was  a  member  of  the 
church.  Mrs.  Shearer  is  the  daughter  of  Ives 
and  Hannah  (Dickey)  Rickard.  The  former,  a 
native  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  settled  in  Ohio  in  his 


626 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


youth  and  became  an  extensive  grain  dealer, 
merchant  and  owner  of  real  estate  in  Seville. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  an  Ohio  regi- 
ment, in  which  he  served  with  valor  and  fidelity. 
Accompanied  by  his  family,  in  1881  he  removed 
to  California  and  established  his  home  at  Ala- 
meda, where  he  died  in  1889.  All  of  his  five 
children  but  Mrs.  Shearer  continue  to  reside  on 
the  Pacific  Coast,  as  does  also  his  widow.  The 
latter  was  a  daughter  of  John  Dickey,  a  soldier 
in  the  war  of  181 2  and  an  active  participant  in 
the  battle  of  Fort  Meigs. 

Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Shearer  his  wife  suc- 
ceeded to  the  business  which  he  had  started. 
For  this  responsible  work  her  fine  business  quali- 
fications admirably  qualify  her.  In  her  store  she 
carries  what  is  conceded  to  be  the  finest  stock  of 
dry  goods  in  Lawrence.  The  large  business 
interests  left  by  her  husband  she  has  ably  man- 
aged, and  enterprises  of  a  charitable  and  benevo- 
lent nature  also  receive  her  support.  George  B. 
Reiueke,  who  was  her  husband's  "right  hand" 
man,  continues  as  business  manager  of  the  store 
and  assists  in  maintaining  the  popularity  of  the 
establishment.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mercial Club  and  a  gentleman  of  acknowledged 
business  ability. 


pCjASHINGTON  D.  KELLY,  deceased,  who 
lAl  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Leaven- 
YV  worth,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
March  23,  1828.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  he 
came  west  as  far  as  Iowa,  settling  in  Keokuk,- a 
growing  town  on  the  Mississippi.  There  he  se- 
cured employment  as  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  estab- 
lishment. His  next  location  was  at  Liberty,  Mo., 
where  he  engaged  in  a  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  partership  with  Eugene  Allen.  In  1855 
he  became  a  resident  of  Leavenworth,  then  an 
insignificant  village  with  little  to  indicate  its 
future  importance.  Here  he  engaged  in  the  dry- 
goods  business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Kelly 
&  Bird,  but  sold  out  his  interest  at  the  opening 
of  the  Civil  war  and  for  a  short  time  furnished 
supplies  for  the  government.  Afterward  he  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  business,  buying  and 
selling  lots,    and  doing   much   to   advance    the 


property  interests  of  the  city.  Owing  to  failing 
health,  in  1895  he  turned  the  business  over  to  his 
sons,  Eugene  A.  and  John  B.,  and  afterward 
lived  retired  until  his  death,  March  i,  1896. 
He  was  connected  with  the  blue  lodge  of 
Masonry,  and  in  politics  was  a  Democrat,  but  not 
narrow  in  his  views;  nor  did  he  ever  seek  ofiice 
or  political  prominence.  His  business  plans  oc- 
cupied his  time  and  absorbed  his  attention.  He 
was  a  public-spirited  citizen;  a  friend  of  the 
city  in  which  forty  years  of  his  life  were  passed, 
and  was  recognized  and  honored,  in  all  his  deal- 
ing, as  a  man  above  reproach.  Intelligently  con- 
versant with  public  affairs,  he  held  it  to  be  the 
duty  of  a  citizen  to  keep  posted  concerning  the 
problems  of  the  age.  He  was  a  man  of  strong 
character,  with  a  discriminating  judgment  that 
detected  and  denounced  wrong  and  advocated 
right. 

July  22,  1857,  Mr.  Kelly  married  Miss  Helen 
Lattin,  who  was  born  in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1856  came  to  Leavenworth  with 
a  brother,  Warren.  The  latter  settled  here  in  the 
spring  of  1855,  was  one  of  the  early  mayors  of 
the  town  and  a  large  land  holder,  but  in  1862 
went  overland  to  California  and  afterward  resided 
there.  Mrs.  Kelly  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian Church  and  has  many  friends  among  the  peo- 
ple of  Leavenworth,  where  for  so  long  she  has 
made  her  home.  Of  her  children,  the  eldest, 
Henry  W.,  is  now  in  Las  Vegas,  N.  M.;  the  sec- 
ond son,  Eugene  A.,  is  cashier  of  the  Union  Sav- 
ings Bank  and  also  with  his  youngest  brother, 
John  B.,  carries^  on  a  real-estate  business;  the 
only  daughter,  Laura  L.,  is  the  wife  of  O.  C. 
McNary,  M.  D.,  who  is  connected  with  the 
Soldiers'  Home  in  Leavenworth. 


WYLIE  G.  WOODRUFF,  M.  D.,  of  Law- 
rence, is  a  member  of  a  pioneer  family  of 
Providence,  R.  I.  His  father,  Louis  H., 
was  born  in  Dimock,  Susquehanna  County,  Pa., 
and  enlisted  in  the  Civil  war  from  Binghamton, 
N.  Y.,  becoming  a  member  of  a  New  York  regi- 
ment and  officiating  as  secretary  of  General 
Slocum.     Later  he  settled  at  Tecumseh,    Neb., 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


627 


where  he  had  a  trading  post  with  the  Sioux 
Indians.  At  that  place  his  son,  Wj'lie  G.,  was 
born,  March  4,  1866,  and  there,  eighteen  months 
later,  occurred  the  death  of  the  wife  and  mother. 
Afterward  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  but  died 
in  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  His  father,  whose  name 
was  the  same  as  his  own,  was  a  man  of  great 
wealth  and  was  "an  educational  philanthropist, 
doing  much  to  aid  schools  and  colleges  in  their 
work  and  founding  and  endowing  Woodruff 
Academy  at  Dimock. 

The  mother  of  Dr.  Woodruff  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Cornelia  Glidden  and  was  born  in  Friends- 
ville,  Pa.  Her  father,  Benjamin,  a  native  of  the 
same  place,  followed  the  profession  of  attorney 
and  was  one  of  the  justices  of  the  peace  there. 
His  father,  Benjamin  Glidden,  Sr.,  was  a 
native  of  Friendsville  and  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812.  He  descended  from  an  English  family  that 
settled  in  Pennsylvania  prior  to  the  Revolutionary 
war,  coming  to  that  state  from  Providence,  R.  I. 
Dr.  Woodruff  was  one  of  three  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living.  His  brother,  George  W., 
graduated  from  Yale  in  1889  and  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  in  1895,  and  is  now  a 
practicing  attorney  in  Philadelphia.  He  has 
been  prominent  and  active  in  football  circles,  and 
has  originated  and  promulgated  ideas  that  have 
completely  revolutionized  that  game. 

The  boyhood  years  of  Dr.  Woodruff  were  spent 
in  the  home  of  his  grandfather  Glidden  in  Friends- 
ville, where  he  attended  the  public  schools. 
From  fourteen  to  sixteen  years  of  age  he  assisted 
in  the  cattle  business  in  Saline  Valley,  Kans.  On 
his  return  east  he  entered  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Normal  School  at  Mansfield,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years.  He  then  became  a  student  in 
Wyoming  Seminary,  at  Kingston,  Pa.,  where  he 
prepared  for  Yale,  but,  on  account  of  lack  of 
finances,  did  not  take  a  university  course.  After 
graduating  from  the  commercial  department  of 
Wyoming  Seminary,  in  1884  he  went  to  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  where  he  was  employed  in  the  manu- 
facturing department  of  White's  Golden  Lubricat- 
ing Company,  and  during  the  two  years  he  was 
in  the  factory  thoroughly  mastered  the  business. 
He  was  then  employed  as  traveling  salesman  for 


the  company  in  Pennsylvania.  On  the  burning 
down  of  the  factory  the  company  retired  from 
business,  and  he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  was 
employed  as  superintendent  of  George  H.  Welton's 
Oil  Company  for  almost  one  year.  In  the  fall  of 
1888  he  came  to  Kansas  and  started  in  the  oil  busi- 
ness for  himself,  continuing  in  it  until  1890,  when 
he  turned  his  attention  to  the  buying  and  selling 
of  real  estate,  and  also  traveled  on  the  road  for  the 
Hawkeye  Preserves  Company,  his  territory  being 
in  the  southwest.  In  the  spring  of  1892  he  be- 
came traveling  representative  in  Kansas  for  the 
Midland  Coffee  Company,  of  St.  Joe,  Mo. 

As  soon  as  it  became  possible  he  determined  to 
secure  a  medical  education.  September  i,  1893, 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  took  the  com- 
plete course  of  four  years,  being  meantime  under 
W.  J.  White,  an  eminent  surgeon,  and  having 
also  special  advantages  in  hospital  and  special 
work.  He  stood  at  the  head  of  his  class  in  surgery. 
During  the  first  year  of  his  university  work  he 
entered  the  football  team,  getting  the  place  of  the 
left  guard,  while  Horton  crowded  the  right  guard 
off.  Both  being  good  sprinters  and  keen  and 
shrewd  young  men,  they  changed  the  entire  sys- 
tem of  football,  making  the  guards  responsible 
for  all  end  runs,  and  introducing  other  valuable 
improvements.  During  his  last  three  years  in  the 
university,  the  university  team  won  in  every  foot- 
ball contest  in  which  it  engaged.  He  graduated 
in  1897,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  and  returned 
to  Lawrence,  where  he  has  built  up  a  general 
practice.  June  14,  1S98,  he  was  appointed  act- 
ing surgeon  at  Fort  Riley,  during  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  and  remained  there  until  Septem- 
ber 22,  1898,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged 
with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant. 

Dr.  Woodruff  has  always  been  fond  of  athletic 
sports.  During  his  last  year  in  college  he  won 
the  amateur  championship  of  America  for  throw- 
ing a  sixteen-pound  hammer.  In  1894-95  he 
pulled  with  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  crew. 
He  was,  however,  especially  interested  in  football 
while  there,  and  without  doubt  the  university  be- 
came more  widely  known  through  the  success  of 
its  football  team  than  for  any  other  reason.     Nor 


628 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


has  he  lost  his  interest  in  this  game  since  he  left 
the  university.  In  the  falls  of  1897  and  1898  he 
was  coacher  for  the  University  of  Kansas  foot- 
ball team,  and  during  that  time  the  team  won 
every  game  but  one.  He  is  a  member  of  the  al- 
umni association  of  the  university.  Politically 
he  votes  with  the  Republicans.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  H.  C.  Wood  Medical  Society  of  Philadel- 
phia and  the  Douglas  County  Medical  Society. 
His  marriage  took  place  at  Beloit,  Kans. ,  Decem- 
ber 26,  1891,  and  united  him  with  Cora  V.  Brag- 
don,  who  was  born  in  Waterville,  111.,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Bragdon. 


HENRY  METZ,  who  has  ably  filled  the  office 
of  postmaster  at  Tonganoxie  and  is  one  -of 
the  most  influential  residents  of  this  town, 
was  born  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  1838,  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Philopena  (Powell)  Metz, 
natives  of  Germany.  His  father,  who  came  to 
the  United  States  in  youth,  spent  some  eight 
years  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  married,  thence 
removing  to  the  northwestern  part  of  Ohio,  and 
settling  upon  a  farm  in  Auglaise  County.  He 
gave  his  attention  closely  to  general  farm  pursuits 
and  had  little  time  for  participation  in  politics, 
although  he  was  always  stanch  in  his  adherence 
to  Republican  principles.  Of  his  children  one 
son  died  in  childhood  and  a  daughter,  Elena,  is 
also  deceased.  The  only  surviving  member  of 
the  family  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  His 
education  was  meagre,  for  schools  were  few  and 
their  facilities  inadequate.  His  surroundings 
were  those  of  the  frontier.  There  were  no  roads 
opened  yet,  and  when  going  to  school  he  found 
his  way  by  means  of  blazed  trees.  The  building 
which  answered  for  a  schoolhouse  was  a  log 
cabin,  the  light  for  which  was  furnished  by 
holes  in  the  logs;  this  plan,  satisfactory  in  sum- 
mer, certainly  had  its  disadvantages  in  cold  or 
rainy  weather,  but  the  children  being  used  to 
privations,  made  the  most  of  their  opportunities 
and  seldom  complained. 

At  twenty-two  years  of  age  our  subject  began 
independent  farming.  In  i860  he  secured  em- 
ployment as   a   carpenter   on   the   canal,  which 


work  he  continued  in  addition  to  farming  for 
three  years.  In  1869  he  sold  out  and  came  to 
Kansas,  where  he  spent  a  few  months  in  Leaven- 
worth, and  then  located  permanently  in  Tongan- 
oxie July  5  of  that  year.  Buying  a  business 
place  and  two  lots,  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business,  beginning  with  a  small  stock  of  groceries 
but  increasing  his  trade  from  year  to  year  until 
he  finally  carried  a  large  stock  of  general  mer- 
chandise. For  nearly  twenty-four  years  he  was 
engaged  in  this  business,  and  also  handled  lum- 
ber, coal,  etc.  After  having  built  up  a  profitable 
and  gratifying  business,  failing  health  forced  him 
to  retire  from  work  so  confining.  In  the  fall  of 
1893  he  sold  out  his  business. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Metz  had  invested  quite 
extensively  in  farm  land,  and  after  retiring  from 
merchandising  he  gave  his  attention  to  the  man- 
agement of  his  property,  which  included  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  three  farms.  As  a 
Republican  he  has  frequently  served  as  delegate 
to  the  county  and  state  conventions  of  his  party. 
While  actively  engaged  in  business,  it  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  accept  office,  but  since  selling 
out  his  store  he  has  held  a  number  of  local  posi- 
tions. He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  town 
council  and  for  two  terms  was  mayor.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1897,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  and 
took  charge  of  the  office  November  21  of  the 
same  year,  since  which  time  he  has  discharged 
his  official  duties  satisfactorilj'.  In  all  matters 
for  the  benefit  of  the  town  he  has  always  taken 
a  warm  interest.  He  was  a  factor  in  securing 
the  start  of  the  cheese  factory  and  the  creamery 
and  was  also  interested  in  the  establishment  of 
the  bank,  of  which  he  was  president  for  three 
years.  All  enterprises  having  for  their  object 
the  good  of  the  town  or  the  increase  of  the  ma- 
terial wealth  have  found  in  him  an  advocate  and 
friend,  ready  to  give  substantial  aid,  and  that, 
too,  without  hope  of  reaping  personal  benefit. 
Every  worthy  enterprise  has  found  in  him  a 
donor  to  the  full  extent  of  his  ability  to  give.  As 
one  of  the  early  residents  of  the  town  and  a  man 
whose  energies  have  been  devoted  to  the  develop- 
ment of  its  business  interests,  his  name  well  de- 
serves mention  in  this  work.     He  is  a  member  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


629 


the  Lutheran  Church  and  a  contributor  to  its 
charities.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
Henry  Lodge  No.  190,  A.  F.  &.  M.,  of  which 
he  was  for  twelve  successive  years  elected  master, 
accepting  the  position  for  ten  years.  August  5, 
i860,  he  married  Charlotte  D.  Powell,  of  Ohio. 
They  had  ten  children,  of  whom  only  four  are 
living:  Jacob,  a  guard  at  the  United  States  peni- 
tentiary at  Fort  Leavenworth;  Christ,  a  farmer 
in  Kansas;  Minnie,  wife  of  Charles  Gilliland,  a 
farmer  of  Leavenworth  County;  and  Gertrude, 
wife  of  Archer  E.  Sherman,  and  the  assistant 
postmaster  at  Tonganoxie. 


3UDGE  SAMUEL  J.  McNAUGHTON,of  Ton- 
ganoxie, is  descended  from  one  of  the  oldest 
Scottish  families  who  were  in  Scotland  prior 
to  the  origin  of  the  clans.  They  were  called 
Necthans  by  the  Celtic  race  and  were  powerful 
long  before  the  introduction  of  surnames  among 
them.  The  heads  of  the  family  for  ages  were  the 
Thanes  of  Loch  Tay  and  possessed  all  the  coun- 
try south  of  Loch  Fyne  and  Lochawe.  Donald 
McNaughton  was  nearly  related  to  the  Mac  Dou- 
gals  of  Lorn  and  joined  with  them  against  Robert 
the  Bruce  in  the  battle  of  Dalre,  1306.  His  son 
and  successor,  Duncan,  was  a  royal  subject  of 
King  David  II,  who,  as  reward,  conferred  on  his 
son,  Alexander,  land  in  the  Isle  of  Lewis,  which 
was  long  held  by  the  family,  and  the  ruins  of 
their  castle  still  stand  there.  Donald,  a  younger 
son  of  the  family,  was  in  1436  elected  bishop  of 
Dunkeld.  The  family  have  a  record  of  the  ances- 
try for  eight  hundred  years  back.  Alexander  of 
Argylshire  landed  in  New  York  in  1738  and  set- 
tled in  New  Windsor,  Orange  County,  where  he 
waited  while  getting  patent  to  a  grant  in  Argyle, 
Washington  County.  The  family  laid  the  foun- 
dation for  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  in 
Argyle,  N.  Y. 

Duncan  McNaugliton,our  subject's  great-great- 
grandfather, was  l)orn  in  Argyle,  Scotland,  and 
married  Margaret  Frisbie,  who,  after  his  death, 
brought  the  family  to  America,  excepting  his 
older  son,  Malcolm,  who  had  accompanied  his 
uncle,  Alexander,  above  mentioned.     The  great- 


grandfather, Malcolm,  eldest  son  of  Duncan, 
came  to  New  York  with  his  uncle;  he  married 
Catherine  Robinson  and  died  between  1823  and 
1826.  The  grandfather,  Finlaj%  third  son  of 
Malcolm,  married  Elizabeth  Murray,  who  died  in 
1849,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  They  had  six 
children,  Duncan,  Archibald,  William,  Malcolm, 
John  M.  and  James.  The  father,  Malcolm,  was 
born  in  Argyle,  Washington  County,  and  re- 
ceived an  excellent  education.  Becoming  an  at- 
torney, he  practiced  in  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y., 
and  served  for  some  years  as  judge  of  the  court 
of  sessions.  He  died  there  in  1876,  when  seventy- 
eight  years  of  age.  His  wife,  Phoebe,  was  born 
in  Washington  County  and  died  there  at  eighty- 
four  years.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Gen.  James 
McDouall,  who  gained  prominence  as  a  general 
in  the  war  of  18 12;  he  married  Sarah  Thomas, 
daughter  of  a  general  of  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  a  descendant  of  Scotch  ancestry. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Schuy- 
lerville,  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  September  9, 
1 85 1,  and  was  next  to  the  youngest  among  eight 
children.  The  eldest  of  the  family,  Elizabeth, 
and  the  second-born,  Annie  (Mrs.  DelcourS.  Pot- 
ter) died  in  New  York.  Charles  H.,  who  served 
in  the  Civil  war  and  lost  an  arm  at  the  battle  of 
Chancellorsville,  was  afterward  a  member  of  the 
legislature  for  many  terms  and  also  acted  as  post- 
master at  Schuylerville. 

William  John,  the  second  son,  resides  in  New 
York  City;  Katherine  B.  (Mrs.  Murray)  lives  at 
Glen  Falls;  Ida  F.  died  in  New  York;  and  Fred 
is  engaged  in  business  at  Fort  Edward,  N.  Y. 

In  public  schools  and  St.  Stephen's  Academy 
our  subject  gained  his  education.  In  1869  he 
graduated  in  law  and  three  years  later  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  At  once  he  came  to  Kansas 
and  began  to  teach  school  in  Reno  Township, 
Leavenworth  County.  For  two  years  he  prac- 
ticed law  in  Lawrence.  In  1872  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  which  office  he  held  for  fif- 
teen years.  While  serving  as  justice  he  also 
cnltivated  his  farm  near  Lawrence.  In  1890  he 
settled  in  Tonganoxie,  where  he  has  since  en- 
gaged in  practice.  When  he  was  elected  police 
judge  in    1892   only  one  vote  was  cast   against 


630 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


him;  he  filled  the  office  efficiently  for  two  years. 
He  is  connected  with  the  Tonganoxie  Building 
and  Loan  Association  and  was  one  of  the  original 
directors  of  the  Tonganoxie  Creamery  Company. 
Fraternally  Judge  McNanghton  is  past  vice- 
commander  of  the  Modern  Woodmen,  past  chan- 
cellor of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  a  member 
of  Tonganoxie  Lodge  No.  190,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
He  is  a  voter  for  Populist  principles.  In  the  fall 
of  189S  he  was  nominated  for  representative  by 
the  Democrats  and  endorsed  by  the  Populists, 
and  at  the  election  received  one  hundred  and 
nineteen  votes  in  this  township,  there  being  only 
two  business  men  in  Tonganoxie  who  voted 
against  him.  For  four  j'ears  he  was  chairman  of 
the  executive  committee  of  the  State  Farmers' 
Alliance.  He  was  married  in  Reno  Township 
to  Anna  A.,  daughter  of  N.  H.  and  Mary  A. 
(Jones)  Eaton,  who  lived  on  a  farm  in  Reno 
Township.  Judge  and  Mrs.  McNanghton  have 
four  children:  Malcolm,  who  graduated  from  the 
Tonganoxie  high  school  and  is  now  attending 
the  academy;  Lucy,  Alicia  and  Gertrude  Mabel. 


Q  OSEPH  YEWDALL.  As  a  florist  and  land- 
I  scape  gardener  Mr.  Yewdall  has  few  supe- 
(2/  riors.  Solely  through  his  determination  he 
has  achieved  prominence  in  his  chosen  calling. 
For  nine  years  he  occupied  a  small  room  on  Del- 
aware street,  but  his  quarters  becoming  too 
small  he  moved  up  the  street,  where  he  rented  a 
place  for  six  years.  He  then  bought  300x117 
feet  at  No.  1205  Delaware  street,  and  at  once  be- 
gan the  task  of  transforming  the  wild  and  barren 
tract  into  an  improved  and  valuable  nurserj'. 
The  splendid  condition  of  the  yards  attests  the 
success  of  his  work.  He  also  owns  150x117  feet  of 
ground,  with  a  residence  across  the  street  on 
Hancock.  On  his  property  he  has  set  out  the 
finest  of  nursery  stock,  including  ornamental 
trees,  hardy  roses  and  plants  of  all  kinds,  and  he 
has  enclosed  the  place  by  a  fine  Hartman  iron 
fence.  In  his  work  he  has  met  with  discourage- 
ments at  times,  but  has  persevered  and  deserves 
the  success  with  which  he  has  met.  One  year 
the  grasshoppers  ate   his   vineyard  almost  to  the 


roots,  but  the  hardy  vines  soon  rallied  and  the 
next  year  bore  an  abundant  crop  of  fine  grapes. 
Besides  his  other  work,  since  1885  he  has  been 
forester  to  the  Kansas  division  of  the  Union  Pa- 
cific road,  and  for  some  years  had  charge  of  all 
the  parks  (fortj^-eight)  between  Kansas  City  and 
Denver,  but  the  division  now  extends  only  to 
Topeka  and  his  son  gives  it  his  personal  super- 
vision. 

Mr.  Yewdall  was  born  in  Bradford,  Yorkshire, 
England,  Friday,  September  26,  1823,  a  son  of 
William  and  Dinah  (Horner)  Yewdall.  His 
grandfather,  John  Yewdall,  a  native  of  the  same 
place,  was  sergeant  in  the  British  armj^  and  .served 
in  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  Afterward  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  marine  cloth  by  the  old- 
fashioned  method,  machinery  and  steam-power 
not  yet  being  introduced.  He  died  on  Kirkgate 
street,  one-half  block  from  the  house  where  he 
was  born.  He  was  a  descendant  of  an  old  York- 
shire family,  whose  successive  generations  were 
christened  in  the  Episcopal  Church  in  Bradford. 
William  Yewdall  was  born  in  1795,  and  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  worsted  merino  until  ma- 
chinery was  introduced,  after  which  he  was  em- 
ployed in  wool-combing.  That  occupation  finally 
was  abandoned  and,  hoping  he  might  secure  em- 
ployment in  America,  he  crossed  the  ocean  in  the 
fall  of  1846,  joining  his  son  Samuel  in  Philadel- 
phia and  securing  work  there.  In  that  city  he 
died  at  seventy-six  years.  His  wife,  who  was 
born  in  Bradford  in  1797  and  was  also  employed 
in  worsted-merino  manufacturing,  died  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  rests  by  the  side  of  her  husband  in 
Laurel  Hill  cemetery.  They  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  viz.:  Benjamin,  who  is  living  re- 
tired in  Vineland,  N.  J.;  Samuel,  a  manufac- 
turer of  worsted-merino,  who  was  killed  by  the 
explosion  of  a  boiler  in  his  house;  Joseph;  Sarah, 
who  died  in  Landenburg,  Chester  County,  Pa. ; 
John,  a  worsted  manufacturer,  now  living  re- 
tired in  Philadelphia;  Dinah  and  Julia,  both  in 
Philadelphia;  William,  who  was  a  partner  of 
John  in  the  manufacture  of  worsteds  in  Phil- 
adelphia and  who  died  there  in  1891;  and  Sol- 
omon, who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years. 

April  I,  1847,  our  subject, with  his  mother  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


631 


the  family  (his  father  having  come  in  the  fall  of 
the  previous  year),  crossed  the  ocean  to  America, 
sailing  from  Liverpool  on  the  "Galena,"  which 
anchored  in  New  York  May  8.  From  that  city 
he  went  to  Philadelphia  and  secured  work  at  $5 
a  month,  with  a  Germantown  nurseryman  and 
florist.  His  wages  being  too  small,  he  left  that 
place  and  was  afterward  employed  in  the  exotic 
gardens  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  learned  land- 
scape gardening  and  the  florist's  business.  After 
a  year  his  wages  were  increased.  In  time  he  be- 
came an  expert  landscape  gardener.  After  the 
third  year  he  was  made  foreman,  which  position 
he  held  for  six  years,  remaining  there  for  nine 
years  altogether.  For  some  time  he  was  in  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Southworth  in  that  city.  His 
whole  heart  and  soul  he  put  into  his  work,  and 
his  enthusiasm  and  earnestness  made  him  quick 
in  gaining  proficiency.  It  was  his  ambition  to 
equal  any  of  the  landscape  gardeners  in  the  state. 
He  studied  botany  and  horticulture,  attending 
lectures  whenever  possible.  He  also  became 
prominent  in  the  work  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hor- 
ticultural Society. 

On  leaving  Philadelphia  Mr.  Yewdall  became 
foreman  of  a  large  nursery  at  Columbia,  Pa.,  but 
this  position  he  afterward  resigned  in  order  to  em- 
bark in  business  as  aflorist  for  himself.  After  work- 
ing on  his  own  account  he  decided  his  prospects 
would  be  better  in  a  town  less  slow  and  dull.  Re- 
movingtoHammonton,N.J.,heboughtabusine.ss, 
but  in  four  years  sold  out  and  returned  to  Phila- 
delphia. After  two  years  he  went  to  Coatesville, 
Pa.,  where  he  remained  for  four  years,  the  last 
year  being  city  landscape  gardener.  April  1 1 , 
1866,  he  arrived  in  Lawrence,  Kans.,  it  being  his 
intention  to  take  up  a  claim.  However,  he  found 
all  the  government  land  taken,  except  one  claim, 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  23,  range  20,  at 
Eudora,  a  tract  of  prairie  land.  This  claim  he 
took  up,  but  was  unable  to  improve  at  the 
time.  During  the  winter  he  worked  at  the 
Barnes  nursery,  and  he  and  his  wife  boarded  the 
hands,  but  the  experiment  was  so  unprofitable  that 
it  took  him  three  years  to  liquidate  the  debt  in- 
curred in  less  than  one  year.  Settling  on  his 
claim,  he  built  a  log  cabin,  and  remained  there 


for  seven  years,  improving  and  cultivating  the 
land.  Meantime  he  engaged  in  horticulture  and 
started  a  small  nursery.  He  also  came  to  town 
frequently  to  do  gardening,  and  planted  all  the 
trees  on  the  Haskell  property.  From  his  claim 
he  moved  to  Loyal  Mitchell's  farm,  to  take  care 
of  his  fruit  on  shares,  but  not  liking  the  position, 
he  left  as  soon  as  possible.  Since  then  he  has  de- 
voted himself  to  the  nursery  and  florist's  busi- 
ness and  has  established  a  reputation  for  superi- 
ority in  his  art.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Douglas 
County  Horticultural  Society  and  takes  a  warm 
interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  fruit  and 
flowers. 

In  Philadelphia  Mr.  Yewdall  married  Miss  Har- 
riet Marshall,  who  was  born  near  London,  Eng- 
land, and  died  in  Lawrence  January  5,  1894. 
The  children  born  of  their  union  are  named  as 
follows:  Joseph,  at  home;  Mrs.  Charlotte  Cant- 
rell,  of  Douglas  County;  Charles,  Sarah,  Viola 
and  Edward.  Charles  and  Edward  are  their 
father's  right  hand  men  and  are  of  the  greatest 
help  to  him  in  his  business.  The  family  are  iden- 
tifie'd  with  the  Episcopal  Church,  in  the  faith  of 
which  Mr.  Yewdall  was  reared.  His  first  vote 
was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln  and  he  has  ever 
since  supported  Republican  candidates. 


HON.  REUBEN  W.  LUDINGTON,  who 
came  to  Lawrence  in  March,  1S57,  was 
prominently  identified  with  the  early  vicis- 
situdes and  troubles  of  this  city,  and  has  since 
been  associated  with  its  growth  and  advancement. 
He  was  born  in  West  Springfield  (now  Holyoke) , 
Mass.,  September  i,  1827,  a  son  of  Harry  and 
Villity  (Winchell)  Ludington.  His  grandfather, 
Capt.  Daniel  Ludington,  who  was  an  ofiicer  in 
the  Revolutionary  war  and  a  large  farmer  at  West 
Springfield,  was  descended  from  a  family  that 
came  to  America  in  an  early  day  from  Ludington, 
near  Stratford-on-the-Avon,  England.  Harry 
Ludington  was  born  at  West  Springfield  August 
6,  1791,  and  served  two  enlistments  in  the  war  of 
18 1 2,  in  which  he  was  orderly  sergeant.  At  one 
time  he  assisted  in  preventing  the  British  from 
effecting  the  capture  of  New  London,  Conn.    For 


632 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


years  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  fur  hats 
at  Chicopee,  Mass.,  and  he  died  in  that  state 
February  4,  1847.  January  11,  1816,  he  married 
Miss  Winchell,  who  was  born  at  Turkey  Hill, 
Granby,  Conn.,  January  29,  1797,  and  died  at 
the  home  of  her  son,  Reuben  W.,  in  Lawrence, 
June  13,  1 88 1.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Elisha 
and  Mindwell  (Hulbert)  Winchell,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  at  Turkey  Hill,  June  29,  1757, 
and  served  as  a  lieutenant  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  after  which  he  engaged  in  cultivating  a  farm 
near  West  Springfield,  Mass. 

The  record  of  the  Winchell  family  can  be 
traced  back  to  1293,  when  Robert  Winchelsen 
was  elected  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  being  the 
tenth  in  succession  from  Thomas  a  Becket. 
The  originator  of  the  family  in  America  was 
Robert  Winchell.  The  published  genealogical 
record  of  the  family  shows  that  among  the  ances- 
tors in  America  seventeen  were  college  gradu- 
ates and  fifty-five  professional  men,  while  many 
were  in  the  legislature,  and  served  in  the  two 
wars  with  England,  the  Florida  war,  the  Mexi- 
can and  Civil  wars.  Robert  Winchell  was  prob- 
ably born  in  the  south  of  England  or  Wales. 
He  settled  in  Dorchester  as  early  as  1624,  re- 
moved to  Windsor,  Conn.,  in  1635,  and  passed 
away  January  21,  1669.  His  son,  Nathaniel, 
born  in  England,  married  Sarah  Porter,  by  whom 
he  had  a  son,  Stephen.  The  latter  married 
Abigail  Marshfield,  and  their  son,  Thomas,  born 
at  Windsor,  Conn.,  married  Mary  Owen  and 
afterward  lived  at  Turkey  Hill.  There  Elisha 
Winchell  was  born  and  reared.  He  was  a  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Indian  wars,  and  by  occupation  was 
a  farmer,  carpenter  and  owner  of  a  saw  and  grist 
mill.  By  his  marriage  to  Mary  Thrall  he  had  a 
son,  Elisha,  who  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  at  nineteen  years  of  age.  For  some  years  he 
was  a  business  man  at  Turkey  Hill,  but  removed  to 
West  Springfield  in  1807.  He  and  his  wife,  Mind- 
well,  often  had  reunions  of  their  family,  when  rela- 
tives from  far  and  near  came  to  enjoy  the  hospital- 
ity of  their  commodious  house  and  generous  hearts. 
It  was  the  custom  to  prepare  for  these  gatherings 
by  roasting  a  quarter  of  beef  before  the  fireplace, 
and   make   other  preparations   upon    as  large  a 


scale.  Afterward,  through  their  daughter,  the 
homestead  became  the  property  of  our  subject. 
The  latter  was  one  of  six  sons,  only  two  of  whom 
attained  their  majority,  himself  and  his  oldest 
brother,  Henry  H.,  who  was  for  years  proprietor 
of  the  Eldridge  House  in  Lawrence,  but  is  now 
living  retired.  Daniel  died  in  1838,  at  nineteen 
years,  Fredus  when  thirteen  years  of  age,  Charles 
and  Charles  Wilbur  at  four  years.  The  father  of 
these  sons  was  a. soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  serv- 
ing from  its  opening  until  peace  was  declared. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  our  subject  went  from 
Holyoke  to  Hartford,  Conn. ,  where  he  was  in  a 
wholesale  dry-goods  house  for  three  years,  work- 
ing for  $50  and  board  per  annum.  There  was 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  accurate  business  habits 
so  profitable  to  him  in  later  years.  Returning  to 
Holyoke,  he  married  and  then  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business,  also  established  a  post- 
ofBce  at  Rock  Valley  and  was  the  first  postmaster. 
After  a  time  he  bought  the  home  formerlj'  owned 
by  his  mother's  father,  and  there  he  continued 
the  family  gatherings  which  had  been  so  notable 
during  his  grandfather's  lifetime.  In  1857  he 
came  to  Kansas.  His  cousins,  the  Eldridges, 
were  in  Lawrence,  and  he  visited  them.  Being 
pleased  with  the  prospects  he  decided  to  remain. 
He  started  a  livery  business  (the  old  Eldridge 
house  stable)  which  he  still  owns,  having  as  a 
partner  Col.  S.  W.  Eldridge,  but  he  soon  sold  to 
his  partner,  and  opened  a  mercantile  store  on 
Massachusetts  street.  At  the  time  of  the  Ouan- 
trell  raid,  August  21,  1863,  his  two  buildings  and 
stock  were  destroyed  by  fire,  entailing  a  loss  of 
$30,000.  An  attack  was  also  made  upon  his 
house,  for  he  was  marked  as  a  free-state  man 
of  too  pronounced  opinions  to  suit  the  pro-slavery 
party.  A  neighbor,  Mr.  Lowe,  saved  his  house. 
Fortunately,  he  and  his  wife  and  children  were 
visiting  in  Massachusetts  at  the  time.  Had  he 
been  in  the  city  he  would  probably  have  lost  his 
life.  On  his  return  he  sold  his  house  and  started 
anew  in  business.  Going  to  old  Franklin,  he 
bought  a  Methodist  Church  building,  which  he 
moved  up  to  Lawrence  and  transformed  into  a 
store.  The  next  year  he  built  a  three-story 
brick  building,  25x80,  at  No.  707  Massachusetts 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


633 


street,  and  there  continued  business  until  1881, 
when  he  retired  from  the  mercantile  business. 
From  1884  to  1893  he  was  a  member  of  the 
wholesale  grocerj'  house  of  A.  D.  Craigue  &  Co., 
on  North  Tejon  street,  Colorado  Springs. 

May  10,  1849,  Mr.  Ludington  married  Miss 
Eunese  B.  Winchell,  who  was  born  in  West 
Springfield,  Mass.,  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Tryon 
Winchell,  and  a  cousin  of  Mr.  Ludington.  They 
have  two  children  now  living  and  lost  one  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Alice  E.  Cory,  who  died  in  Lawrence. 
Their  son,  Wilbur,  resides  with  them,  and  their 
surviving  daughter.  Angle  V.,  is  the  wife  of  Hon. 
Cassius  G.  Foster,  who  was  appointed  United 
States  judge  of  Kansas  by  President  Grant  and 
served  until  March  i,  1899,  since  which  time  he 
lived  retired  in  Topeka,  until  his  death,  June  21, 
1899.     . 

During  the  war,  while  mayor  of  Lawrence,  Mr. 
Ludington  was  a  member  of  Company  E,  Third 
Kansas  Militia,  that  saw  service  during  the  Price 
raid.  He  is  a  member  of  Washington  Post  No. 
12,  G.  A.  R.  Until  recently  he  affiliated  with 
the  Republicans,  but  is  now  a  Democrat.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  Lawrence  Lodge 
No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Lawrence  Chapter  No. 
4,  R.  A.  M.;  DeMolay  Commandery  No.  4, 
K.  T.,  in  which  he  has  held  various  offices.  He 
was  a  stockholder  and  the  last  president  of  the 
Lawrence  Street  Railway  Company,  also  served 
as  a  director  in  the  Second  National  and  Law- 
rence Exchange  Banks,  and  has  been  a  director 
in  the  St.  Louis,  La%vrence  and  Southwestern 
Railroad  Company.  In  educational  work  and 
the  upbuilding  of  the  school  system  he  has  al- 
ways felt  a  deep  interest. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  Mr.  Ludington  was 
elected  mayor,  succeeding  George  W.  Callomore, 
who  had  been  killed  in  the  Quantrell  raid.  In 
his  inaugural  address  he  referred  to  the  past  his- 
tory of  the  city,  its  trials  and  vicissitudes,  and  the 
Icsses  which  all  of  the  citizens  had  experienced, 
but,  at  the  same  time,  he  declared  his  faith  in  the 
future  city,  recommended  the  enlargement  of 
schools,  the  organization  of  a  fire  department  and 
purchase  of  grounds  for  a  cemetery  (which  re- 
sulted in  the  selection  and  beautifying  of  Oak 


Hill  cemetery),  also  recommended  the  improve- 
ment of  streets,  and  a  vigilant  system  of  military 
defense  by  the  erection  of  block  houses.  Five  of 
these  block  houses  were  put  up,  in  order  to  pro- 
tect the  city  against  future  raids.  Under  his  ad- 
ministration good  order  was  restored  and  general 
confidence  inspired.  In  1876  the  city  again  had 
financial  reverses  and  he  was  again  elected  mayor 
and  re-elected  in  1877.  He  succeeded  for  the 
second  time  in  placing  the  city's  finances  on  a 
firm  basis,  and  retired  from  office,  with  the  con- 
fidence of  the  entire  citizenship. 


0ANIEL  LEAHY,  whose  home  is  in  Stranger 
Township,  Leavenworth  County,  was  born 
in  New  York  state,  February  19,  1837. 
When  twenty  years  of  age  he  came  to  Kansas, 
among  the  pioneers  of  1857.  He  secured  em- 
ployment in  a  saw  mill  on  Leavenworth  Island, 
owned  by  D.  W.  Powers,  but  after  a  year  began 
to  cultivate  land  for  himself.  He  also  operated 
a  ferry  boat  for  eighteen  years.  During  the  war 
he  was  often  engaged  with  his  boat  on  trips  for  the 
government,  and  frequently  southern  sympathiz- 
ers attacked  him,  but  he  and  his  boat  always 
escaped  unharmed.  In  those  daj^s  perils  existed 
on  every  hand,  and  daily  the  settlers  took  their 
lives  in  their  hands.  Their  property,  too,  was 
never  safe  from  theft  or  wanton  destruction.  As 
an  instance  of  this,  a  yankee  went  over  into  Mis- 
souri with  two  yoke  of  oxen  after  a  load  of 
apples.  One  yoke  was  beef  cattle  and  they  were 
stolen  from  him.  On  his  return  to  the  fort  he 
entered  complaint,  and  the  commandant  sent 
word  to  prominent  men  across  the  river  that  the 
cattle  must  be  returned  or  they  would  be  held 
re.sponsible.  Instances  of  this  kind  might  be  mul- 
tiplied indefinite!}'. 

While  still  engaged  in  ferrying  Mr.  Leahy 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  the  re- 
serve land,  and  after  a  time  he  turned  his  entire 
attention  to  the  cultivation  of  his  property.  At 
first  he  lived  in  the  old  liou.se  that  was  once  the 
home  of  Chief  Wolf.  Working  steadily,  he  placed 
the  land  under  cultivation,  planted  trees  and 
hedges,  and  in   1884  erected  a  substantial  resi- 


634 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


dence.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of  feeding  cattle, 
and  raises  grain  and  hay  to  use  as  fodder.  As 
he  prospered  he  added  to  his  land,  which  now 
comprises  nine  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  takes  an  inter- 
est in  matters  pertaining  to  the  benefit  of  his 
community,  and  gives  his  support  to  worthy 
projects.  January  i,  1865,  he  married  Hulda 
Vanneman,  of  Missouri.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren: Hattie,  wife  of  Frank  Dodge;  Alice,  wife  of 
Thomas  Mullen;  Frank,  who  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  Texas;  and  Maude,  at  home.  The  two 
married  daughters  reside  near  their  parents. 


[TLI  WESTHEFFER,  who  resides  upon  a 
j^  farm  one-half  mile  west  of  Eudora,  Doug- 
L.  las  County,  was  born  in  Cumberland  Coun- 
ty, Pa.,  in  December,  1842,  a  son  of  Simon  and 
Frances  (Ricer)  Westheffer,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  of  Dutch  descent.  His  paternal  an- 
cestors were  among  the  first  who  came  from 
Holland  to  America  and  settled  near  Manhattan, 
N.  Y.  In  1844  Simon  Westheffer  moved  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Ohio,  and  in  1851  established 
his  home  in  Miami  County,  Ind. ,  where  he  be- 
came the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  raw  land.  While  he  had  previously  followed 
the  tailor's  trade,  after  he  went  to  Indiana  he 
gave  his  time  exclusively  to  the  clearing  of  his 
land,  but  he  did  not  live  to  bring  it  under  culti- 
vation, for  his  death  occurred  in  1853,  when  he 
was  forty-four  years  of  age.  Afterward  his  wife 
was  again  married,  becoming  the  wife  of  Daniel 
Shultzbach.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had  six 
children,  four  now  living,  viz. :  Jacob,  who  lives 
in  Kansas  City;  EH;  David,  of  Colorado;  and 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Lorenzo  Donaldson.  By  her 
second  husband  she  had  three  children,  of  whom 
two  survive,  Charles,  of  Miami  County,  Ind.,  and 
Marion,  also  of  that  county.  The  mother  now 
makes  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Don- 
aldson, in  Indiana. 

By  studying  in  common  schools  our  subject 
obtained  a  fair  education.  In  1862  he  en- 
listed in  Company  H,  Eighty-seventh  Indiana 
Infantry,  and    was    assigned   to  the  Fourteenth 


Army  Corps,  under  Generals  Rosecrans,  Thomas 
and  Sherman,  and  accompanied  the  last-named 
on  the  famous  march  to  the  sea.  During  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga  he  was  severely  wounded 
and  to  this  day  suffers  from  the  effects  of  the 
wound.  In  July,  1865,  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  army,  and  returned  to  Indiana. 
The  spring  of  the  following  year  found  him  in 
Lawrence,  Kans.  Shortly  afterward,  with  his 
brother  Jacob,  he  bought  a  farm  in  the  Kaw  Val- 
ley, his  first  purchase  comprising  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  where  he  carried  on  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  for  thirteen  years.  In 
1S77  he  sold  that  place  and  moved  to  the  farm 
formerly  owned  by  Robert  Peoples,  located  in  the 
Kaw  Valley,  where  he  has  since  cultivated  the 
one  hundred  acres  comprising  the  place.  Oc- 
tober 3,  1877,  he  married  Mrs.  Deborah  E.  Peo- 
ples, the  widow  of  Robert  Peoples,  and  a  lady  of 
estimable  character.  They  are  the  parents  of 
one  son,  Don.  Mrs.  Westheffer  had  two  chil- 
dren by  her  former  husband,  an  infant  deceased, 
and  Jennie,  wife  of  Charles  Starkweather,  of 
Lawrence. 

The  views  held  by  Mr.  Westheffer  upon  na- 
tional problems  bring  him  into  affiliation  with  the 
Republican  party.  For  several  years  he  has  served 
on  the  school  board  and  has  also  frequently  been 
chosen  to  serve  as  township  clerk,  both  of  which 
positions  he  has  filled  efficiently.  In  fraternal 
relations  he  is  connected  with  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen  at  Eudora  and  Eudora  Post 
No.  333,  G.  A.  R. ,  in  which  he  has  been  an  offi- 
cer. Mrs.  Westheffer  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church. 


ROBERT  J.  MINTIER,  who  for  many  years 
has  owned  and  occupied  a  farm  situated 
seven  miles  west  of  Leavenworth,  is  one  of 
the  prominent  and  prosperous  agriculturists  of 
Kickapoo  Township,  and  during  the  long  period 
of  his  residence  here  has  won  many  friends 
among  the  people  of  Salt  Creek  Valley.  It  was 
in  1864  that  he  purchased  eighty  acres  forming 
the  nucleus  of  his  present  property.  To  it  he 
added  from  time  to  time,  until  he  has  become  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


635 


owner  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  divided 
into  fields  for  the  pasturage  of  his  stock  and  the 
raising  of  general  farm  products.  Of  late  3'ears 
he  has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  fine  timothy 
hay  and  has  also  given  considerable  attention  to 
the  raising  of  apples  and  peaches.  He  is  a  leader 
in  all  enterprises  for  the  benefit  of  the  farmers  of 
his  township  or  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  educa- 
tional and  moral  welfare  of  his  community.  For 
years  he  has  served  as  a  director  of  Mount  Olivet 
school,  in  which  position  he  has  worked  faith- 
fully to  secure  good  advantages  for  the  children 
of  his  district.  For  some  years  he  was  a  sup- 
porter of  Populist  principles,  but  now  votes  the 
Republican  ticket.  Under  the  first  administra- 
tion of  President  Cleveland  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  at  Mount  Olivet,  an  office  which  he 
has  since  held. 

In  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  in  1835,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  born  to  the  union  of  Robert 
and  EHzabeth  (Hammond)  Mintier.  His  father, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  settled  in  Ohio  in  early 
manhood  and  in  time  became  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  Harrison  County,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  dying  at  seventy-eight 
years.  His  wife  died  there  when  about  sixty-one 
years  of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.: 
Joseph,  Thomas  and  John,  in  Ohio;  Mary,  wife  of 
John  Hannah;  Eliza,  widow  of  James  Henderson; 
Robert  J.;  Esther,  wife  of  Joseph  Sheppard,  and 
David. 

During  1858  Robert  J.  Mintier  came  west  as 
far  as  Iowa,  and  very  soon  afterward  came  to 
lyeavenworth,  Kans.  Near  this  city  he  secured 
employment  on  a  farm  and  he  continued  to  work 
for  others  until  he  was  able  to  purchase  a  home 
of  his  own,  when,  in  1864,  he  bought  the  farm 
he  has  since  improved  and  cultivated.  Shortly 
after  he  had  settled  on  this  place  he  stopped  his 
work  and  went  with  the  state  militia  to  assist  in 
driving  General  Price  out  of  Kansas,  accompany- 
ing the  militia  to  the  front  and  witnessing  the 
battle  of  Westport.  On  his  return  home  he  re- 
sumed the  task  of  improving  his  property. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Mintier,  February  27, 
1862,  united  him  with  L,ucretia  A.,  daughter  of 


Joshua  and  Ascenath  (Cummings)  Ackley.  Her 
father  came  from  Illinois  to  Kansas  in  1854  and 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  Salt  Creek 
Valley,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
engaged  in  farm  pursuits.  He  died  in  1892,  when 
eighty-eight  years  of  age.  In  his  family  there 
were  twelve  children,  of  whom  five  are  now  liv- 
ing, Mrs.  Mintier  being  the  eldest  of  these.  The 
others  are:  Lydia,  widow  of  Isaac  Edwards;  Uriah, 
Joseph  and  Charlotte.  A  few  years  after  her 
father  had  settled  in  Leavenworth  County  Mrs. 
Mintier  came  here  with  the  other  members  of  the 
family.  Familiar  with  farm  work  from  child- 
hood, she  was  qualified,  by  training  and  tastes, 
to  become  the  wife  of  a  farmer,  and  to  her  ener- 
getic assistance  not  a  little  of  Mr.  Mintier' s  suc- 
cess may  be  justly  ascribed.  Not  only  has  .she 
managed  her  household  afiairs  and  the  dairy  with 
thrift,  but,  during  busy  seasons,  when  it  was  im- 
possible to  secure  help,  she  went  to  the  field  and 
worked  there  as  faithfully  as  she  has  labored  in 
the  house.  It  is  fitting  that  now,  after  years  of 
tireless  labor,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mintier  .should  be 
comfortably  situated  and  able  to  surround  them- 
selves with  all  the  comforts  of  life. 


\& 


AC  C.  BYRD,  proprietor  of  the  Lawrence 
tannery,  and  one  of  the  enterprising  busi- 
ness men  of  this  city,  was  born  and  reared 
in  Wake  County,  N.  C.  When  he  was  a  young 
man  he  learned  the  tanner's  trade,  and  afterward 
found  employment  at  this  occupation  in  Maryland 
and  Virginia.  In  due  time  he  became  the  owner 
of  a  tannery  at  Durham,  N.  C,  which  he  oper- 
ated for  many  years.  Finally,  believing  that 
another  section  of  country  might  offer  greater  in- 
ducements to  a  business  man,  he  removed  to  Kan- 
sas. In  the  fall  of  1889  he  settled  in  Lawrence, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 

For  a  time  after  locating  in  this  city  Mr.  Byrd 
followed  his  trade  in  the  employ  of  others,  but  he 
soon  again  engaged  in  business  for  himself, buying 
the  business  owned  by  his  employer,  and  here  he 
has  since  carried  on  a  large  trade.  His  specialty  is 
the  tanning  of  all  kinds  of  furs,  both  wild  and  do- 
mestic,   and  the   manufacture   of  fur  robes  and 


636 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


rugs,  of  which  he  turns  out  more  than  five  hun- 
dred each  season.  His  location  is  No.  145  Maine 
street.  Managing  his  affairs  with  economy  and 
judgment  he  has  met  with  considerable  success  in 
business. 

Politically  Mr.  Byrd  is  a  Republican,  always 
supporting  the  candidates  and  principles  for 
which  this  party  stands.  In  religion  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  Church.  He  was  married 
September  13,  1877,  to  Miss  Lucy  A.  Steward, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  North  Carolina,  and 
by  whom  he  has  eight  children,  all  living. 


|5^0RRIS  M.  GRIST,  Sr.  Viewed  in  the 
ry  light  of  an  honorable  life  and  successful 
lis  business  career,  Mr.  Grist  may  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  best  citizens  of  Tonganoxie.  Dur- 
ing the  fourteen  years  that  he  has  engaged  in  the 
drug  business  here  he  has  become  well  and 
favorably  known  among  the  people  of  the  town 
and  surrounding  country.  Notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  he  started  in  business  with  a  very  small 
capital  (only  $350),  by  energy,  industry  and  per- 
severance, with  the  exercise  of  tact,  good  judg- 
ment and  sound  common  sense,  he  has  secured  a 
competency,  and  at  the  same  time  has  made  for 
himself  a  name  for  strict  honor  and  integrity, and 
for  graciously  helping  his  fellow-men. 

Through  his  paternal  ancestors  Mr.  Grist  is 
of  Scotch,  German  and  Irish  lineage.  His 
grandfather,  David  Grist,  emigrated  from  Scot- 
land to  Virginia  and  later  settled  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. One  of  his  sons,  AsaiahW.  Grist,  M.  D., 
graduated  from  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Chi- 
cago, and  afterward  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  in  which  he  attained  considerable 
eminence  in  the  east;  but,  owing  to  ill  health, 
he  removed  to  Kansas.  Another  son,  John  S. 
Grist,  our  subject's  father,  was  born  in  Mount 
Pleasant,  Pa.,  and  in  youth  learned  the  trade  of 
carpenter  and  builder.  When  twenty-two  years 
of  age  became  to  Kansas  to  see  the  "wild" 
west,  but  soon  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  married.  In  1868  he  moved  to  Tonganoxie, 
Kans.,  where  he  has  lived  ever  since.  By  his 
marriage    to    Matilda    Buttimore   he    had    four 


children:  Norris  M.,  the  eldest,  who  was  born  in 
Westmoreland  County,  Pa.;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Joseph  Dessary,  of  Tonganoxie;  May  Etta,  who 
is  deputy  postmaster  here;  and  Alice,  who  mar- 
ried Robert  Fairchild  and  lives  in  Kansas  City, 
Kans. 

The  educational  advantages  afforded  by  the 
graded  school  of  Tonganoxie  were  given  to  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  in  his  early  boyhood,  and 
the  information  thus  obtained  was  supplemented 
by  a  course  in  the  Kansas  State  University  at 
Lawrence.  Afterward  he  engaged  in  teaching 
school,  not,  however,  with  the  intention  of  mak- 
ing this  a  permanent  occupation,  but  in  order  to 
gain  the  necessary  means  for  starting  in  business. 
Six  years  were  spent  as  a  teacher,  and  later  for 
eighteen  months  he  was  employed  as  assistant 
clerk  with  the  Caldwell  Manufacturing  Company 
at  the  state  penitentiarj'.  Forming  a  partnership 
with  his  brother-in-law.  Dr.  Dupuy  Snell,  in 
1885  he  embarked  in  the  drug  business.  From 
the  first  he  met  with  success,  and  within  two 
years  from  the  time  of  starting  he  purchased  his 
partner's  interest  in  the  business,  which  he  has 
since  conducted  alone.  Shortly  after  he  became 
the  sole  owner  of  the  business. 

During  the  year  1887  and  1888  Mr.  Grist  took 
a  regular  course  of  pharmacy  in  the  pharmaceu- 
tical department  of  the  Kansas  State  University, 
and  passed  the  state  examination  for  pharma- 
cists with  credit,  thus  gaining  an  assured  posi- 
tion in  his  chosen  occupation.  Having  pur- 
chased the  lot  where  his  store  is  now  located,  in 
1887  he  here  erected  a  substantial  building.  He 
also  purchased  a  residence  containing  four  rooms, 
which,  by  remodeling  and  additions,  he  has 
transformed  into  a  neat  home  of  eight  rooms,  sur- 
rounded by  shade  trees  and  a  number  of  out- 
buildings. Besides  his  drug  business  he  has 
other  important  interests,  among  other  things  be- 
ing a  stockholder  in  the  creamery  and  the  build- 
ing and  loan  association,  also  a  director  in  the 
latter. 

From  boyhood  Mr.  Grist  has  depended  upon 
his  own  exertions,  and  the  large  degree  of  suc- 
cess he  has  attained  speaks  well  for  his  tenacity 
of  purpose.     With  no  desire  to  enter  the  field  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


637 


politics,  and  with  independent  views  upon  the 
si:bject,  he  has  never  allied  himself  with  any  po- 
litical organization;  however,  he  keeps  posted 
concerning  current  events  of  importance  and  is  a 
patriotic  citizen.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Modern  Woodmen,  and  Henry  Lodge 
No.  190,  A.   F.  &  A.   M.,  also  the  Eastern  Star. 

When  at  leisure  from  business  duties  Mr. 
Grist  may  often  be  found  studying  the  Bible, 
history  and  the  sciences.  Few  are  more  familiar 
with  the  Scriptures  than  he.  At  this  writing  he 
is  also  studjing  medicine.  It  is  his  aim  to  keep 
up  with  the  times  in  order  that  he  may  be  able 
to  perform  his  part  in  helping  the  world  upward. 
He  is  a  man  who  studies  thoughtfully  and  rea- 
sons conscientiously.  In  his  life  he  has  en- 
deavored to  live  up  to  the  high  standard  set  for 
a  man.  He  has  been  charitable,  kind-hearted 
and  helpful,  and  the  needy  have  found  in  him  a 
true  friend. 

October  8,  1882,  Mr.  Grist  married  Lula, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Henrietta  Snell,  who 
was  born  in  Kentucky;  her  father,  when  a 
young  man,  moved  to  Missouri,  and  there  mar- 
ried Miss  Henrietta  Phillips,  daughter  of  a  phy- 
sician. Afterward  he  brought  his  family  to 
Kansas,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Grist  are  the  parents  of  four  children:  Net- 
tie Matilda,  who  has  entered  upon  the  first  year's 
studies  of  the  high  school;  Fuchsia  Frances, 
Norris  M.  Jr.,  and  Paul  Dupuy,  who  have 
passed  their  school  grades  with  credit  and  give 
promise  of  bright  futures. 


AJ.  M.  R.  W.  GREBE,  who  is  engaged 
in  dairying,  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising  in  Sherman  Township,  Leaven- 
worth County,  was  born  August  4,  1838,  in  the 
then  kingdom  (now  province)  of  Hanover,  Ger- 
many. He  received  his  education  in  a  Jesuit 
college  and  military  academy.  In  1854  he  was 
given  a  lieutenant's  commission  in  the  German 
army,  in  which  he  served  for  eight  years.  In 
1862  he  was  given  a  leave  of  absence  in  order  to 
come  to  the  United  States  and  take  part  in  the 
Civil   war.     Landing  in  New  York  in   July  of 


that  year,  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and  was  there 
commissioned  first  lieutenant  in  Company  I, 
Fourth  Missouri  Cavalry,  under  the  command  of 
Gen.  George  E.  Waring.  In  1863  he  volun- 
teered to  carry  dispatches  with  thirty-seven 
picked  men  and  one  commissioned  officer,  from 
Columbus,  Ky.,  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  through  the 
lines  of  Rebel  General  Forrest.  On  the  way  he 
and  his  comrades  defeated  two  hundred  and 
thirty-five  Confederate  soldiers  belonging  to  the 
Georgia  militia,  seven  of  whom,  including  a 
captain,  were  captured,  and  two  of  the  wagons 
were  burned.  He  was  obliged  to  attack  them  or 
he  would  have  been  massacred  himself;  so  while 
the  rebels  did  not  know  bis  strength,  he,  with 
impulsive  dash,  attacked  and  defeated  them. 
For  his  bravery  in  the  assault  he  was  made  a 
captain  and  placed  at  the  head  of  Company  F, 
which  he  joined  at  Huntsville,  Ala.,  April  5, 
1864.  Soon  afterward  he  was  appointed  aide-de- 
camp to  Gen.  James  B.  McPherson,  commander 
of  the  army  of  the  Tennessee,  consisting  of  the 
fifteenth,  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  army  corps 
and  a  cavalry  corps.  At  the  first  battle  of  At- 
lanta, July  22,  1864,  he,  as  aide-de-camp,  car- 
ried an  important  dispatch  to  General  Kilpat- 
rick,  on  the  extreme  left  wing  of  the  army  of  the 
Tennessee  toward  Decatur,  Ga.  It  was  there 
that  he  voluntarily  led  a  cavalry  charge  against 
the  advancing  Confederate  line  and  was  twice 
shot  in  the  limbs  (both  being  flesh  wounds). 
Though  bleeding  profusely,  he  refused  to  leave 
the  battlefield,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Generals 
McPherson  and  Logan  requested  him  to  do  so; 
but  remained  in  the  saddle  until  midnight  came 
and  the  victory  was  won.  Later  in  the  same  bat- 
tle, seeing  General  McPherson's  riderless  horse 
come  back  from  a  thickly  wooded  part  of  the  bat- 
tlefield, he  gathered  a  small  body  of  soldiers  and 
charged  into  the  thicket,  not  knowing  whether 
he  would  meet  a  rebel  army  corps  or  a  corporal 
guard.  Encountering  a  company  of  Confederates, 
he  defeated  them,  after  a  desperate  hand-to-hand 
fight,  and  captured  twelve  or  more  men,  also  re- 
covered from  them  the  body  of  Gen.  J.  B.  Mc- 
Pherson, for  which  and  for  other  acts  he  was 
mentioned  favorably  by  Major-General  Logan, 


638 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  was  promoted  to  the  rauk  of  major  and  re- 
ceived the  congressional  medal  of  honor. 

On  the  death  of  General  McPherson,  General 
Logan  succeeded  to  the  command,  and  Major 
Grebe  served  under  him,  proving  of  the  greatest 
assistance,  for  General  Logan  had  come  so  sud- 
denly into  the  command  during  the  battle  of  At- 
lanta that  he  did  not  know  the  disposition  of  the 
troops  in  that  engagement.  At  the  battle  of 
Ezra  Church,  July  28,  1864,  Major  Grebe  saved 
the  life  of  his  orderly,  Sam  Houston,  by  riding 
within  three  hundred  yards  of  the  rebel  line,  and, 
alone  and  unaided,  taking  him  from  under  his 
horse.  The  act  was  one  of  great  bravery,  for  the 
orderly  lay  midway  of  the  two  battle  lines  and 
there  was  a  constant  and  terrific  fire  of  musketry 
and  grape. 

When  Gen.  O.  O.  Howard  succeeded  Gen.  John 
A.  Logan,  Major  Grebe  served  as  an  aide  to  him, 
and  afterward  General  Howard  wrote  him  a  let- 
ter thanking  him  for  eiEcient  service  while  on 
the  staff.  He  also  has  letters  written  in  1864, 
after  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  and  mentioning  his  acts 
of  gallantry,  from  Generals  W.  T.  Sherman,  John 
A.  Logan,  Frank  P.  Blair  and  J.  M.  Schofield. 
He  also  has  in  his  possession  the  following  letter: 
Headquarters  Army  in  the  Field, 

Camp  near  Petersburg,  September  16,  1864. 
Hon.  Williard  P.  Hall, 
Governor  of  Missouri, 

St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Sir: — I  beg  leave  to  submit  to  Your  Honor  as 
an  applicant  for  the  office  of  colonel,  13th  Cav. 
Mo.  Vol.,  Capt.  M.  R.  WiUiam  Grebe,  should 
the  office  be  vacant,  and  at  the  same  time  to  sub- 
mit the  recommendations  of  Generals  Sherman, 
Logan,  Blair  and  Howard. 

I  am  personally  acquainted  with  the  applicant 
and  I  pledge  myself  to  him  to  give  entire  satis- 
faction. Very  respectfully. 

Your  ob't  s'v't, 
(signed)  U.  S.  Grant. 

At  the  battle  of  Jonesboro,  General  Howard 
asked  for  some  one  of  his  staff  to  volunteer  to 
carry  a  dispatch  across  Flint  River  to  a  cavalry 
brigade.  The  mission  was  a  dangerous  one,  for 
the   messenger   would   be  obliged   to  swim    the 


river  and  cross  a  most  dangerous  part  of  the  bat- 
tlefield, exposed  to  a  terrific  musketry  fire  and 
solid  shot  and  shell.  In  his  report  General 
Howard  says,  that  ' '  Captain  Grebe  volunteered 
to  go  where  others  hesitated  to  go." — And  more, 
too,  say  Generals  Howard  and  Logan  both, 
' '  when  he  had  placed  the  reinforcements  in  po- 
sition, seeing  the  enemy  massing  in  front,  he 
jumped  from  his  horse  and  picked  up  the  rifle  of 
a  fallen  comrade  and  took  a  conspicuous  part  in 
repulsing  the  enemy.  After  the  repulse  of  the 
rebels  he  jumped  on  top  of  the  breastworks  and 
rushed  with  the  column  upon  the  fleeing  enemy. 
Coming  into  a  conflict  with  the  color  bearer  he 
struck  him  down,  but  at  the  same  moment  was 
struck  by  a  rebel  sword.  He  fell,  holding  the 
flag,  and  bore  the  rebel  color  bearer  down  with 
him,  capturing  the  flag."  The  wound,  though 
two  and  one-half  inches  long,  was  only  a  flesh 
wound,  the  sabre  glancing  off  on  the  left  collar 
bone.  When  he  recovered  consciousness  Gen- 
eral Logan  was  standing  at  his  side,  while  he 
was  resting  in  the  arms  of  his  orderly,  L.  H. 
Waggoner,  of  Leavenworth,  who  is  now  presi- 
dent of  the  Union  Labor  Council.  Both  Gen- 
erals Logan  and  Howard  stated  in  their  official 
report,  that  it  was  the  carrying  of  the  message  by 
Major  Grebe  (bringing  a  regiment  of  one  thou- 
sand cavalrymen  with  Spencer  repeating  rifles) 
that  saved  the  day  for  the  Union  troops.  For 
this  service  he  was  voted  the  thanks  of  congress 
and  the  congressional  medal  of  honor.  This  is 
the  highest  honor  which  can  be  conferred  upon  a 
soldier,  and  must  be  won  in  action  for  gallantry 
and  the  gallantry  must  be  voluntarily  performed 
and  of  such  high  degree  as  to  clearly  elevate  the 
soldier  over  the  acts  of  bravery  of  his  comrades. 
September  30,  1864,  Governor  Hall  of  Mis- 
souri commissioned  Major  Grebe  colonel  of  the 
Fourteenth  Missouri  Cavalry,  and  he  reported 
for  duty  at  St.  Louis,  but,  the  regiment  not  being 
ready,  he  was  appointed  aide-de-camp  on  the 
governor's  staff,  with  the  rank  of  major.  While 
in  St.  Louis  he  was  one  evening  attending  a 
theatre  as  escort  to  the  daughter  of  a  Missouri 
senator,  when  a  captain  in  his  former  regiment 
insulted  the  lady.     He  at  once  took  her  home. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


639 


returned,  found  the  man,  whom  he  thrashed. 
For  this  he  was  challenged  to  fight  a  duel.  He 
accepted  the  challenge  and  chose  sabres  for 
weapons,  as  both  were  cavalry  officers.  The 
challenging  party,  knowing  the  major's  prowess 
with  the  sabre,  overbid  and  chose  twenty-two 
calibre  revolvers,  and  thirty  yards  distance. 
Major  Grebe,  recognizing  the  fact  that  the  cap- 
tain was  determined  upon  a  mortal  combat,  then 
exercised  his  right  and  chose  forty-five  calibre 
revolvers,  twelve  yards  distance,  firing  until  one 
fell.  Captain  Hansen  fell,  shot  in  the  left 
breast,  and  Major  Grebe  was  shot  through  his 
uniform  and  waist.  Hansen,  after  an  illness  of 
several  months,  recovered.  A  court  martial  fol- 
lowed; all  principals,  seconds  and  referee,  were 
cashiered.  On  account  of  mitigating  circum- 
stances (his  military  education  and  service  in  a 
country  where  dueling  is  permitted  and  his  most 
distinguished  service  in  behalf  of  this,  to  him  a 
foreign  country)  the  court  that  tried  Major  Grebe 
unanimously  recommended  him  for  executive 
clemency,  so  that  his  valuable  services  might  be 
continued,  but  President  Johnson  refused  to  in- 
terfere, and  thus  Major  Grebe's  military  career 
closed.  It  was  not  until  recently  that  the  former 
decision  against  him  was  reversed,  and  he  was 
given  an  honorable  discharge  from  the  army. 

In  1865  Major  Grebe  acted  as  clerk  for  the 
Missouri  constitutional  convention.  Afterward 
the  governor  of  .Missouri  appointed  him  commis- 
sioner for  that  state,  to  go  into  the  field  and  col- 
lect the  soldiers'  votes.  In  December,  1865,  he 
settled  in  Kansas  City,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business.  Shortly  afterward,  while  on  a 
hunting  trip  near  Westport,  he  was  waylaid  by 
the  James  boys  (nine  against  two)  and  was  se- 
verely wounded  by  Jesse  James.  He  had  been 
captain  of  a  posse  that  took  a  leading  part  in 
restoring  order,  and  by  so  doing,  and  bj'  his 
stanch  Republicanism,  he  secured  the  animosity 
of  these  parties.  It  is  supposed  that  the  robbery 
was  largely  the  result  of  the  prominent  part  he 
took  in  suppressing  disorder  and  on  account  of 
his  being  a  very  active  Republican.  For  several 
years,  in  addition  to  the  grocery  business,  he 
conducted  the  Grebe  Union  hotel.     In   1887  he 


bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in 
Leavenworth  County,  to  which  he  removed  and 
upon  which  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  is 
a  man  highly  respected  and  with  many  friends 
throughout  the  west.  In  1867  lie  married  Mrs. 
Felicite  H.  (de  Padrone)  Shannon,  widow  of 
John  Shannon,  and  a  member  of  one  of  the  first 
families  of  New  Orleans.  They  have  a  son,  Will- 
iam, and  a  daughter,  Antoinette. 

The  life  of  Major  Grebe  presents  much  that  is 
of  interest  to  the  student  of  mankind.  Educated 
for  a  military  career  by  the  most  warlike  nation 
in  the  world;  leaving  all  that  was  dear  to  him 
to  come  to  this  country  in  its  hour  of  need  and 
peril;  oflFering  himself,  with  his  military  knowl- 
edge, his  youth  and  his  fine  physique  (he  was 
over  six  feet  tall  and  as  straight  as  the  cedars  of 
Lebanon),  to  help  fight  the  battles  of  a  land 
foreign  to  him;  assisting  through  his  bravery 
and  impulsive  gallantry  to  gain  Union  victories; 
and  winning  from  Generals  Logan,  Blair  and 
Sherman  the  testimony  that  ' '  this  country  owes 
him  gratitude;"  he  was  nevertheless  for  years 
handicapped  by  a  dishonorable  discharge  from 
the  army  for  an  offence,  the  omission  of  which, 
in  the  land  where  he  was  educated,  would  have 
brought  him  into  disgrace.  Notwithstanding  the 
realization  that  he  had  been  wrongly  treated,  he 
remained  a  stanch  Republican  and  a  loyal  citi- 
zen, and  there  are  many  who  will  echo  General 
Sherman's  statement,  in  a  letter  commenting 
upon  Major  Grebe's  loyalty:  "Your  example 
stands  to  remotest  time  as  a  model  of  fidelity." 


(TOHN  C.  ALEXANDER,  a  trustee  of  Ton- 
I  ganoxie  Township,  is  one  of  the  well-known 
Qj  men  of  his  part  of  Leavenworth  County. 
He  arrived  in  Kansas  September  i,  1S78,  and 
soon  afterward  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  raw  prairie  land.  Beginning  the  task 
of  improvement  without  delay,  he  soon  placed 
the  property  in  fine  condition  and  made  of  it  the 
attractive  homestead  it  is  to-day.  He  has  made 
a  specialty  of  raising  graded  Shorthorn  cattle,  in 
which  he  has  been  successful,  and  he  has  also 
carried  on   a   large   dairy    business,  selling  both 


640 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


milk  and  butter.  While  he  has  not  as  much  land 
as  when  he  first  came  here,  that  which  he  owns 
is  under  cultivation  and  its  value  is  considerable. 
In  the  main  he  has  been  successful,  but  met  with 
disaster  in  1895,  when  fire  caused  the  entire  loss 
of  his  farm  buildings.  These  he  has  since  re- 
built, so  that  his  farm  presents  an  appearance  of 
comfort  and  plenty. 

The  Alexander  family  is  of  Scotch  descent. 
Samuel  Alexander,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
in  Scotland,  and,  coming  to  America,  settled  in 
Michigan,  where  he  owned  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land,  devoted  largely  to  fruit 
culture.  In  early  life  a  Whig,  he  became  a  Re- 
publican on  the  organization  of  the  party  and 
afterward  adhered  to  its  principles.  Though 
reared  in  the  Presbyterian  faith,  he  was  a  Uni- 
versalist  in  belief.  He  was  a  student  of  the  Bible 
and  fond  of  general  reading  also.  By  his  mar- 
riage to  Frederica,  daughter  of  John  Oatt,  of 
Monroe  County,  Mich.,  he  had  four  children, 
viz.:  Margaret,  wife  of  David  Kelley,  of  Monroe 
County;  Lucinda,  who  married  J.  K.  Bradford, 
and  lives  in  McLouth,  Kans. ;  Mary  E. ;  and  John 
C. ,  who  was  born  in  Monroe  County,  Mich.,  in 
August,  1849.  He  was  educated  in  grammar  and 
high  .schools.  For  two  years  he  clerked  in  a 
grocery  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  after  which  he  followed 
the  carpenter's  trade,  but  soon  returned  to  Michi- 
gan and  resumed  farm  work,  with  which  he  had 
been  familiar  from  childhood.  His  father  died 
when  he  was  only  twelve  years  old  and  from  that 
time  he  was  self-supporting.  For  four  years  he 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  for  eight  years 
carried  on  a  dairy  business  in  Toledo, Ohio.  From 
there  he  came  to  his  present  home  in  Kansas. 

Politically  a  Republican,  Mr.  Alexander  was 
justice  of  the  peace  for  fifteen  years.  November 
8,  1897,  he  was  elected  town.ship  trustee,  and  he 
then  resigned  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  order 
to  devote  himself  more  closely  to  the  trustee's 
office.  In  1898  he  was  re-elected  trustee  and  is 
now  filling  his  second  term.  Since  twenty-one 
years  of  age  he  has  been  a  Mason.  At  Toledo, 
Ohio,  he  served  as  senior  deacon  and  junior  war- 
den. He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  blue  lodge 
at  Tonganoxie  and  its  first  senior  deacon.     He  is 


now  connected  with  Lyra  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
at  McLouth;  also  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  and  is  secretary  of  the  Grange  in  the 
same  village. 

December  21,  1878,  Mr.  Alexander  married 
Ruby  L.  Muncil,  by  whom  he  has  four  children: 
Olive  N.,  May  Mary,  Grace  L.  and  Samuel  H. 
Mrs.  Alexander's  father,  Horace  H.  Muncil, 
was  a  native  of  Vermont,  whence  in  early  man- 
hood he  removed  to  Michigan,  and  for  many 
years  engaged  in  farming  and  freighting.  From 
Michigan  he  moved  to  Toledo  and  bought  a  farm 
near  that  city.  In  187 1  he  moved  from  Ohio  to 
Kansas  and  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Leavenworth  County,  where  he 
carried  on  farm  pursuits.  From  early  manhood 
he  gave  his  vote  to  the  Democratic  candidates. 
During  his  residence  in  Ohio  he  married  Harriet 
Eggleston,  a  native  of  New  York.  They  became 
the  parents  of  three  children,  of  whom  Hanford 
Muncil  and  Mrs.  Alexander  are  living. 


Gl  LLEN  L.  WILSON,  of  Lawrence,  was  born 
LI  in  Bryan,  Williams  County,  Ohio,  July  14, 
/  I  1869,  a  sonof  A.S.andFrances  M.(Lindsley) 
Wilson,  natives  respectively  of  New  York  state 
and  Stryker,  Ohio.  His  father,  who  for  a  time 
carried  on  a  mercantile  business  in  Michigan,  en- 
listed during  the  Civil  war  in  the  Fourth  Michi- 
gan Cavalry,  and  was  a  member  of  the  squad  that 
captured  Jefferson  Davis.  When  the  war  was 
over  he  settled  in  Ohio  and  opened  a  mercantile 
store  in  Williams  County.  At  this  writing  he  is 
a  merchant  in  Toledo,  where  he  has  been  active 
in  business  affairs  and  also  in  the  Grand  Army. 
He  and  his  wife  have  only  two  children,  a  son 
and  daughter. 

After  graduating  from  the  high  school  in  Stry- 
ker, Ohio,  our  subject  went  to  Poughkeepsie, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  took  a  course  in  Eastman's 
Business  College.  While  in  school  he  became 
familiar  with  the  painter's  trade  through  work- 
ing with  a  cousin  who  was  a  painter.  On  his  re- 
turn from  Poughkeepsie  he  assisted  his  father 
for  a  year  and  then  visited  the  Pacific  coast,  re- 
turning east  as  far  as  Denver,  where  he  engaged 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


641 


as  salesman  with  F.  W.  Fuller.  A  year  later  he 
went  to  Greeley,  Colo.,  where  he  carried  on  busi- 
ness as  a  contracting  painter  for  a  year.  His 
next  location  was  in  Kansas  City,  where  he  se- 
cured employment  with  the  Missouri  Pacific 
Railway  Company  as  baggageman  between  Kan- 
sas City  and  Omaha. 

In  January,  1896,  Mr.  Wilson  came  to  Law- 
rence, where  he  worked  at  the  painter's  trade 
with  A.  H.  Krause.  In  the  spring  of  1898  he 
bought  out  his  employer  and  has  since  continued 
as  a  contracting  painter  and  decorator.  His 
trade  is  the  best  of  the  line  in  the  city.  Through 
his  efficiency  as  a  business  man  and  his  courtesy 
and  honorable  dealings  with  all  he  has  attained 
a  leading  place  among  the  decorators  and  painters 
of  Lawrence,  and  has  met  with  financial  success. 
His  office  and  shop  are  at  No.  701  Vermont 
street.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Ma- 
sons, the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Brotherhood  of  Railroad  Trainmen.  During 
his  residence  in  Kansas  City  he  was  married 
there  to  Miss  Ida  M.  Fenney,  who  was  born  in 
Leavenworth  County,  Kans.,  and  is  a  lady  of 
many  estimable  qualities. 


(3]LEXANDER  KIRK.  Coming  to  Leaven- 
Ll  worth  in  the  spring  of  1864,  at  the  expira- 
I  I  tion  of  his  term  of  service  in  the  Civil  war, 
Mr.  Kirk  has  since  been  identified  with  the  busi- 
ness interests  of  this  city.  For  a  time  he  was  in 
the  employ  of  Henry  &  Garrett,  and  later  held  a 
clerkship  with  their  successors,  Rohlfing  &  Co., 
with  whom  he  remained  until  1868.  In  the 
spring  of  1866  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Helena, 
Mont.,  with  a  stock  of  goods,  which  he  sold 
there,  afterward  making  the  return  journey  by 
skiff  from  Fort  Benton,  a  distance  of  twenty- 
seven  hundred  miles.  On  account  of  the  hostility 
of  the  Indians  the  trip  was  a  dangerous  one,  and 
more  than  once  he  was  fired  upon  by  the  sav- 
ages, but  fortunately  escaped  unhurt.  He 
started  in  business  for  himself  in  1868  and 
after  five  years  in  one  building  moved  across 
the  street  to  his  present  location,  Nos.  428-430 
Cherokee  street.  In  his  store  he  carries  a  full 
29 


line  of  staple  and  fancy  groceries,  making  a  spec- 
ialty of  the  latter,  in  which  he  has  built  up  a  very 
large  trade. 

Mr.  Kirk  was  born  in  County  Down,  Ireland, 
February  28,  1839,  the  youngest  child  of  David 
and  Jane  (Henry)  Kirk,  natives  of  Ireland.  He 
was  a  namesake  of  his  uncle,  Alexander  Kirk, 
who  came  to  America  in  1848,  settling  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  who,  with  his  two  sons,  enlisted  in 
the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Pennsylvania  Infan- 
try at  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war;  one  of  the 
sons,  Capt.  Robert  Kirk,  was  killed  in  the  battle 
of  Chancellorsville,  the  father  and  the  other  son, 
David,  returning  home  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  in  1874  removing  to  Douglas  County,  Kans., 
where  the  father  died.  Our  subject's  mother  was 
a  daughter  of  Alexander  Henry,  a  farmer,  who 
brought  his  family  to  America  in  1849,  settling 
near  Princeton,  Caldwell  County,  Ky.,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming;  he  and  his  wife  died  when 
about  eighty  years  of  age.  Their  daughter,  Mrs. 
Kirk,  was  sixty  at  the  time  of  her  death,  having 
long  survived  her  husband,  who  died  in  Ireland 
in  early  manhood.  Of  her  five  children  all  but 
one  attained  mature  years.  Jennie  and  David 
died  in  Kentucky,  where  the  younger  daughter, 
Nancy,  now  makes  her  home. 

When  our  subject  accompanied  his  mother  to 
America  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  The  trip  on 
the  sailing  vessel  from  Belfast  to  New  York  City 
took  forty-seven  days.  The  family  settled  in 
Kentucky,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm 
with  very  limited  opportunities  for  an  education, 
as  his  time  was  spent  principally  in  the  corn  field 
and  the  tobacco  patch.  In  August,  1S62,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  F,  Fifteenth  Kentucky  Cav- 
alry, and  was  mustered  into  service  as  sergeant. 
His  service  was  principally  in  Tennessee  and 
Kentucky,  where  he  fought  guerillas  and  bush- 
whackers. He  was  mustered  out  in  December, 
1863,  and  honorably  discharged.  In  the  spring 
of  1864  he  came  to  Kansas.  Shortly  afterward 
he  became  a  member  of  Company  A,  Seventh 
Kansas  Militia,  and  served  during  the  Price  raid. 
He  has  always  been  a  Republican  in  national  pol- 
itics, but  in  local  matters  has  been  independent, 
voting  for  the  best  man  for  the  office  in  question. 


642 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Interested  in  the  Grand  Army,  he  holds  member- 
ship in  Custer  Post  No.  6.  He  is  identified  with 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  and  is  one  of  its 
elders  and  an  earnest  worker  in  its  behalf.  Prior 
to  his  removal  from  Kentucky  he  was  married 
there  to  Miss  Elizabeth  J.  Maxwell,  member  of 
an  old  family  of  that  state.  They  became  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Nannie  B.; 
Albert  L,. ,  who  is  connected  with  his  father  in 
business;  Urey,  who  died  in  childhood;  Walter  A. ; 
and  Earl,  who  died  in  boyhood. 


eANlEL  F.  HEASTON.  Since  accepting 
the  position  of  superintendent  of  the  Doug- 
las County  Infirmary  Mr.  Heaston  has 
given  his  entire  attention  to  the  duties  of  his  of- 
fice, and  has  displayed  such  sagacity  and  good 
judgment  in  his  management  of  affairs  that  he 
has  won  the  approval  of  all.  Under  his  able 
supervision  the  property  is  maintained  in  first- 
class  condition,  and  the  land  plainly  shows  the 
oversight  of  a  capable,  industrious  and  energetic 
man.  In  fact  his  service  has  been  so  satisfactory 
that,  since  coming  here  in  March,  1899,  he  has 
been  requested  by  the  commissioners  to  sign  a 
contract  for  five  years  as  superintendent. 

In  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  Mr.  Heaston  was 
born  July  i,  1842,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Catherine 
(Fierbaugh)  Heaston,  of  whose  seven  children 
he  is  the  sole  survivor.  His  father,  a  native  of 
Westmoreland,  Pa.,  born  March  14,  1809,  was  a 
boy  of  nine  years  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Harrison  County,  Ohio,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, married  and  settled  upon  a  farm.  He  con- 
tinued to  reside  upon  the  farm  where  he  first  set- 
tled until  the  time  of  his  death,  in  October,  1864. 
Twice  married,  by  his  first  wife,  who  was  Mary 
Norks,  he  had  two  sons,  Joseph  and  John!  John, 
who  volunteered  his  services  at  the  opening  of 
the  Civil  war,  and  was  a  member  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Ohio  Regiment,  died 
at  Harper's  Ferry  of  typhoid  fever.  Joseph  en- 
listed May  8,  1864,  in  Company  B,  One  Hundred 
and  Seventieth  Ohio  Infantry.  The  second  mar- 
riage of  Joseph  Heaston  united  him  with  Cathe- 
rine Fierbaugh,  who  was  born  October  12,  1820, 


a  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Fierbaugh, 
natives  of  Germany.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Heaston, 
John  and  Mary  Heaston,  were  of  Pennsylvania- 
Dutch  stock. 

During  the  spring  of  1862  our  subject  enlisted 
in  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth 
Ohio  Infantry,  but,  being  under  age,  his  parents 
refused  their  consent  to  his  enlistment  and 
brought  him  back  home.  However,  in  the  fall 
he  joined  the  state  militia,  and  May  8,  1864,  he, 
with  other  members  of  the  state  guard,  entered 
the  government  service,  he  becoming  a  member 
of  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Seventieth 
Ohio  Infantry.  He  was  detailed  with  his  com- 
pany to  guard  duty  at  Fort  Simmons.  On  the 
4th  of  July  he  was  ordered  to  Maryland  Heights, 
overlooking  Harper's  Ferry,  where  for  two 
weeks  he  and  his  regiment  were  surrounded  by 
Hood's  forces.  Finally  Hood  withdrew  his  men 
and  started  to  make  a  raid  through  Pennsylvania, 
but  failed.  While  the  federal  soldiers  were  pur- 
suing Hood  Mr.  Heaston  was  stricken  with  ty- 
phoid fever,  and  was  sent  to  Sandy  Hook  hos- 
pital, but  later  was  transferred  to  Frederick  City, 
thence  to  Baltimore  and  finally  to  Wheeling, 
W.Va.,  and  from  there  sent  home  on  a  furlough. 
After  a  short  time  he  joined  his  regiment  at 
Camp  Denison,  Ohio,  but  the  physician  found 
him  still  so  ill  as  to  be  unfit  for  duty  and  ordered 
him  home  immediately,  stating  that  if  he  wished 
to  see  home  at  all  it  would  be  necessary  to  go  at 
once.  His  discharge  was  sent  to  him  at  the  time 
his  comrades  were  discharged. 

After  some  time  Mr.  Heaston  regained  his 
health  and  was  able  to  resume  farming.  Sep- 
tember 12,  1867,  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Allbaugh,  and  in  the  .spring  of  the  following  year 
they  started  for  Kansas,  arriving  in  Lawrence  on 
the  14th  of  April,  and  going  from  there  to  Willow 
Springs  Township,  where  B.  F.  Hammill,  his 
brother-in-law,  resided.  There  he  visited  for  a 
few  days,  but  the  next  week  bought  a  farm  and 
settled  down  to  agricultural  pursuits  in  Douglas 
County.  In  August,  1869,  he  returned  to  Ohio 
and  resided  in  Harrison  County  until  1876. 
Losing  his  wife  at  this  time  and  his  brother-in- 
law  dying  in  Kansas,   he  returned  to  the  west. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


643 


settled  up  the  estate,  and  has  since  made  Doug- 
las County  his  home.  By  his  first  marriage  he 
had  four  children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  viz.: 
Elmer  E. ,  a  machinist  residing  at  Wilson,  Kans. ; 
Melissa,  wife  of  Isaac  A.  Fierbaugh,  of  Oklaho- 
ma; and  Sarah  C,  who  lives  in  Falls  City,  Neb. 

October  11,  1877,  Mr.  Heaston  married  Miss 
Maria  C.  Allbaugh,  who  died  January  9,  1884. 
Of  the  two  children  born  of  this  union  one  is  liv- 
ing, Edmund  S.,  who  is  with  his  father.  In  1885 
our  subject  was  united  with  Mrs.  Susan  (Berry) 
Heaston,  by  whom  he  had  three  children,  but 
only  one  is  living,  Mabel  I. 

Mr.  Heaston  still  owns  the  farm  where  he  re- 
sided until  he  accepted  the  position  of  superin- 
tendent of  the  Douglas  County  poor  farm.  He 
is  identified  with  Washington  Post  No.  12, 
G.  A.  R.  In  religion  he  is  an  active  worker  in 
the  United  Brethren  Church  and  has  filled  the 
various  offices  in  the  congregation.  At  the  time 
of  the  erection  of  the  first  house  of  worship  of 
this  denomination  in  Willow  Springs  Township 
he  was  a  member  of  the  building  committee. 
For  thirteen  years  he  served  as  super^'isor  of 
Willow  Springs  Township  and  for  seven  years 
he  filled  with  efficiency  the  office  of  township 
clerk. 


n  ENJAMIN  F.  TRACKWELL  is  a  member 
jC\  of  a  prominent  family  of  Leavenworth  Coun- 
C/  ty  and  has,  by  his  own  energetic  effiarts, 
gained  for  himself  a  position  among  the  success- 
ful farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Alexandria 
Township.  He  owns  the  old  family  homestead, 
having  purchased  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs, 
and  here  he  was,  until  recently,  engaged  in  rais- 
ing high-grade  draft  and  driving  horses,  but  he 
now  gives  his  attention  principally  to  Shorthorn 
and  Durham  cattle.  The  land  is  adapted  for 
stock-raising  purposes,  Jaeing  both  upland  and 
bottom  land,  while  running  water  adds  to  the 
value  of  the  place. 

The  first  of  the  Trackwell  family  in  America 
emigrated  from  England  to  Georgia.  Our  sub- 
ject's grandfather,  Joshua  Trackwell,  who  served 
in  the  war  of  1812,  was  a  farmer  in  West  Vir- 
ginia.    His  son,  William  Trackwell,  was  born  in 


Monroe  County,  W.  Va.,in  i8oi,andin  1825 be- 
came a  pioneer  of  Indiana,  settling  in  Shelby 
County,  and  giving  his  attention  to  the  clearing 
of  his  tract  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 
After  having  lived  there  for  many  years,  in  1857 
he  sold  out  and  removed  to  Kansas,  which  state 
he  had  visited  the  previous  year.  He  bought 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Alexandria  Town- 
ship and  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in 
Franklin  County.  Upon  the  former  land  he  made 
his  home  until  he  was  accidentally  killed,  in 
i860,  by  the  explosion  of  a  boiler  in  a  mill.  He 
was  a  man  who  possessed,  under  all  circum- 
stances, the  courage  of  his  convictions  and  stood 
firmly  for  any  principles  which  he  believed  to  be 
right.  In  politics  he  voted  with  the  Democrats. 
Twice  married,  by  his  first  wife,  a  Miss  McDuffie 
of  Shelby  County,  Ind.,  he  had  five  children, 
namely:  Venila,  deceased;  Rhoda,  who  lives  in 
Ottawa,  Kans.;  Joshua,  deceased;  Lavinia;  and 
Buel,  of  Tonganoxie,  Kans.  His  second  wife 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Margaret  Randel,  and 
they  had  six  children,  viz.:  Mary  E.,  Mrs. 
Couch,  who  lives  in  Washington  state;  Miranda, 
deceased;  LeRoy,  whose  sketch  appears  on  an- 
other page;  Benjamin  F.,  of  this  sketch;  James, 
who  is  in  California;  and  Alice,  wife  of  James 
Warren,  of  Butte,  Mont. 

In  Shelby  County,  Ind  ,  the  subject  of  this 
article  was  born  May  6,  1847.  His  education 
was  mostly  self-acquired.  In  1864  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  government  in  the  quartermaster's 
department,  and  in  1868-69  he  was  with  General 
Custer  and  General  Sheridan  in  the  Indian  cam- 
paign, taking  part  in  one  verj-  severe  engage- 
ment with  the  Indians,  who  attempted  to  capture 
the  train.  In  1871  he  left  the  government  serv- 
ice and  went  to  Nevada  and  California.  In  the 
former  place  he  was  for  six  years  engaged  in 
working  in  a  gold  reduction  mill.  Next  he  pros- 
pected for  gold  in  Oregon  and  Washington,  and 
also  spent  one  year  in  farming  in  the  latter  state. 
From  there  he  came  to  Colorado.  In  1879  he 
engaged  in  teaming  and  contracting  in  Leadville. 
Three  years  later  he  located  claims  for  an  eastern 
company,  selecting  seventeen  lode  claims  and 
three  hundred  acres   of    placer  land   near  Twin 


644 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Lakes,  in  Lake  Count3\  For  two  jears  or  more 
he  remained  with  the  companj^  as  superintend- 
ent. Finallj'  he  bought  the  old  homestead  from 
the  other  heirs  and  has  since  engaged  in  the  stock 
business  and  in  farming. 

In  politics  Mr.  Trackwell  is  a  Republican  in 
national  elections,  but  in  local  matters  he  votes 
for  the  best  man.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
Henry  Lodge  190,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in  former 
years  was  connected  with  the  Patriotic  Order 
Sons  of  America.  He  is  not  a  member  of  any  de- 
nomination, but  attends  the  Methodist  Church. 
His  marriage,  September  17,  1888,  united  him 
with  Cora  Kinkaid,  of  Leavenworth  County,  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  TRice)  Kin- 
kaid. Three  children  were  born  of  their  union, 
namely:  Miranda,  deceased;  Randel  L.  and  Em- 
ery Mason. 

qOHN  A.  HENDERSON  is  one  of  the  well- 
I  known  business  men  of  Lawrence.  He  came 
Q)  to  this  city  September  i,  1894,  and  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  paint  on  contract  for  the 
Consolidated  Barb  Wire  Company  for  this  and 
their  Joliet  plants,  manufacturing  at  both  places 
and  dividing  his  time  between  the  two.  In  the 
spring  of  1899  ^'^^  started  in  the  manufacture  of 
hou.se  paints  of  all  kinds,  and  has  since  carried 
on  a  retail  and  wholesale  business,  manufactur- 
ing the  finest  paints  on  the  market  and  selling 
at  prices  that  attract  buyers.  At  his  shop.  No. 
619  Massachusetts  street,  he  manufactures  Hen- 
derson's paints  mixed  ready  for  use. 

Mr.  Henderson  was  born  in  Kearney,  Clay 
County,  Mo.,  May  11,  1863,  a  son  of  J.  B.  and 
Eliza  (Pence)  Henderson,  natives  respectively  of 
Kentucky  and  Missouri.  His  father  accompa- 
nied his  parents  to  Clay  County,  Mo.,  at  an  early 
age  and  there  he  engaged  in  farming  for  many 
years,  finally  retiring  from  all  business  cares.  He 
died  in  Kearney  January  21,  1898,  at  the  age  of 
sixty  years.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a 
member  of  a  Missouri  regiment  of  militia.  His 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  Adam  Pence,  who  re- 
moved from  Kentucky  to  Clay  County,  Mo.,  and 
became  one  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  of  his 
section.     One  of  his  sons  took  part  in  the  Mexi- 


can war  and  also  served  as  a  captain  in  the  Civil 
war.  Mrs.  Eliza  Henderson  died  July  21,  1874. 
Her  three  sons  and  one  daughter  are  still  living, 
John  being  next  to  the  youngest  of  these.  He 
was  reared  on  the  home  farm  until  fourteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  Kansas  City  and  secured 
employment  there.  In  1S81  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Kansas  City  Varnish  Company  and 
learned  the  trade  of  varnish-making.  He  con- 
tinued with  the  company  until  they  retired  from 
business,  after  which  he  became  connected  with 
the  Continental  Varnish  Company  as  a  varnish- 
maker,  having  charge  of  one  of  their  depart- 
ments. He  became  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
business,  having  learned  it  under  D.  G.  Howey, 
who  had  about  fifty  years  of  experience  as  a  var- 
nish-maker. During  the  time  he  was  with  the 
Continental  he  had  charge  of  their  paint  manu- 
facturing department  and  manufactured  paint  for 
wire  manufacturing.  From  Kansas  City  he  came 
to  Lawrence,  where  he  has  since  built  up  a  pros- 
perous business  of  his  own. 

Politically  Mr.  Henderson  is  a  Democrat.  An 
active  worker  in  the  Christian  Church,  he  has  of- 
ficiated as  a  deacon  and  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees,  contributing  both  of  his  time  and  means 
to  assist  in  the  maintenance  of  the  church.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men, Royal  Neighbors  and  Acacia  Lodge  No.  9, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.  During  his  residence  in  Kansas 
City  he  married  there.  He  and  his  wife  have  a 
daughter,  Ruth. 

Gl  UGUST  BERGER.  Through  his  connec- 
LA  tion  with  its  agricultural  interests  Mr.  Ber- 
/  1  ger  is  well  known  in  Stranger  Township, 
Leavenworth  Count}',  where  for  years  he  was 
actively  engaged  in  general  farming,  and  where 
he  still  lives.  For  a  few  years  he  has  not  per- 
sonally engaged  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil,  but  has 
relegated  the  cultivation  of  the  farm  to  others, 
while  he  maintains  its  supervision.  He  is  an 
industrious  and  honorable  man  and  a  good  type 
of  our  German- American  citizens.  Having  spent 
much  of  his  life  in  Germany,  he  is  more  familiar 
with  its  language  and  more  fluent  in  its  use  than 
in  the  English  language. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


645 


In  Hanover,  Germany,  where  he  was  born 
February  5,  1831,  Mr.  Berger  spent  his  younger 
years.  He  is  a  brother  of  Henry  Berger,  repre- 
sented on  another  page  of  this  volume.  Learn- 
ing the  carpenter's  trade  in  youth,  he  followed  it 
for  years  in  his  native  land.  At  the  age  of  thir- 
ty-five he  crossed  the  ocean  in  a  .sailing  vessel, 
"Leona,"  landing  in  New  York  after  a  voyage  of 
five  weeks.  Thence  he  came  direct  to  Kansas, 
arriving  here  in  the  fall  of  1866.  Shortly  after- 
ward he  bought  the  land  where  he  now  resides. 
His  first  purchase  consisted  of  forty  acres  of  raw 
land,  on  which  he  built  a  house  and  cut  the  tim- 
ber. From  the  first  he  met  with  success.  By 
subsequent  purchase  he  now  owns  two  hundred 
acres.  In  farming  he  makes  a  specialty  of  rais- 
ing potatoes,  which  he  sells  at  a  fair  profit.  He 
has  also  raised  cattle  and  hogs  for  some  years.  A 
hard-working,  persevering  man,  he  deserves  suc- 
cess in  his  enterprises. 

Since  coming  to  this  country  and  becoming  a 
naturalized  citizen,  Mr.  Berger  has  been  allied 
with  the  Democratic  party.  In  religion  he  is  of 
the  Lutheran  belief.  When  twenty-eight  years 
of  age  he  married  Carolina  Schmidt,  who  was  born 
in  Germany  and  died  in  Kansas  in  May,  1894. 
Of  their  five  children  only  two  are  living.  Minna 
is  the  wife  of  John  Ayres,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  on  the  home  place.  Anna  married  Jo- 
seph Eble,  also  a  farmer  of  this  neighborhood. 


r"RANCIS  C.  HERR,  M.  D.,  of  Ottawa,  is 
r3  descended  from  ancestors  who  were  promi- 
I  ^  nent  in  the  professional  circles  of  Pennsyl- 
vania during  the  early  days  of  its  settlement. 
The  Herr  family  was  very  prominent  in  the 
Swabish  precinct  in  Germany  and  had  its  coat- 
of-arms  and  other  insignia  of  rank.  During 
the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  some 
of  the  name  came  to  the  United  States  and  set- 
tled at  Lampeter,  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  where 
they  wielded  a  large  influence  in  business  and 
church  afiairs.  Francis  Herr,  who  was  born  in 
Lancaster  County,  married  a  relative  of  Capt. 
Jeff  Neff,  of  Civil  war  fame,  and  their  son,  Amos 
F. ,  was  for   years  a  prosperous  farmer,  actively 


engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  but  he  is  now 
living  retired,  at  his  beautiful  country  place  in 
Lancaster  County.  In  religion  he  is  of  the  Men- 
nonite  faith.  Notwithstanding  his  eighty-two 
useful  years,  he  has  full  possession  of  his  facul- 
ties and  retains  his  interest  in  the  world  of 
thought  and  progress.  He  married  Anna,  the 
daughter  of  Christian  Frantz,  who  was  a  farmer 
at  Eden,  Lancaster  County,  and  descended  from 
an  old  German  family.  She  is  still  living  and  is 
now  seventy-two  years  of  age. 

The  ten  sons  and  daughters  comprising  the 
parental  family  are  as  follows:  Ida  E.,  who  re- 
sides in  York,  Pa. ;  Francis  C. ;  Homer  A. ,  a  me- 
chanical engineer  living  in  Philadelphia;  Horace 
N. ,  who  died  at  thirteen  years;  Mary  C.  and  Anna 
A.,  who  are  living  in  Lancaster  County;  Edith, 
of  Waynesboro,  Pa.;  Lottia,  who  is  with  her 
parents;  Harry,  a  civil  engineer  in  Lancaster; 
and  Willis  N.,  a  commercial  traveler,  living  in 
Strasburg,  Lancaster  County.  The  only  mem- 
ber of  the  family  not  in  Pennsylvania  is  Dr. 
Herr,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  born 
in  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  December  i,  1852, 
and  receiv-ed  his  primary  education  in  a  private 
.school  maintained  by  Herr  Brothers.  After 
spending  a  year  in  Lehigh  University,  in  1875 
he  became  a  student  in  the  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege, Philadelphia,  where  he  took  the  full 
course,  graduating  in  1879,  with  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  After  his  graduation  he  spent  a  year  as 
interne  in  the  Southwestern  hospital  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  then  engaged  in  practice.  In  1884  he 
came  west  and  opened  an  office  in  Ottawa,  where 
he  has  since  successfully  carried  on  a  general 
practice.  In  June,  1897,  ^^  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  United  States  board  of  pension  ex- 
aminers, and  he  is  now  secretary  of  the  board 
and  has  his  headquarters  in  the  ofiice  of  the  pen- 
sion examiner.  At  one  time  he  held  the  ofiice 
of  city  physician.  On  the  Republican  ticket,  in 
1888,  he  was  elected  county  coroner,  and  this  of- 
fice he  held  for  one  term,  after  which  he  declined 
renomination.  His  affiliations  have  always  been 
with  the  Republican  party,  whose  principles  he 
upholds  by  his  ballot.  He  is  identified  with  the 
Kansas  State  Medical  Society  and  takes  an  inter- 


646 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


est  ia  every  movement  connected  with  his  pro- 
fession. In  religion  he  is  connected  with  the 
Episcopal  Church  and  officiates  as  a  vestryman  of 
his  congregation.  He  has  held  office  as  examin- 
ing physician  both  for  the  Modern  Woodmen  and 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

In  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  Dr.  Herr  married  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Jacob  Seller,  ex-sheriff  of 
Dauphin  County,  and  a  sister  of  Prof  Jacob 
Seller,  for  years  principal  of  Harrisburg  Academy . 
She  was  born  in  Harrisburg  and  received  an  ex- 
cellent education  in  a  private  school  in  that  city. 
The  only  child  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Herr,  Parvin  S., 
died  of  smallpox  in  1895,  when  eleven  years  old. 


(lOHN  FRITZEL,  who  is  proprietor  of  the 
I  Jersey  dairy  in  Wakarusa  Township,  Doug- 
Q)  las  County,  has  built  up  a  good  business  in 
Lawrence  and  runs  three  wagons  in  this  city. 
He  is  the  owner  of  eighty-five  acres  on  section  i, 
most  of  which  is  used  for  pasturage,  and  he  also 
controls  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  rented 
land.  His  herd  of  cattle  consists  of  about  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  head,  all  of  the  best  grades, 
and  the  milk  which  he  sells  has  no  superior  in 
the  market.  Besides  his  cattle  he  owns  about 
fifty  head  of  hogs.  Five  wells  and  one  cistern 
furnish  an  abundance  of  water  for  family  use  and 
for  the  stock.  Besides  his  dairy  business  he  de- 
votes some  attention  to  raising  fruit  and  has  an 
orchard  with  both  large  and  small  fruits  and  also 
a  vineyard  with  different  varieties  of  grapes. 

Born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  April  10, 
1858,  our  subject  is  a  son  of  George  and  Mary 
(Weissensee)  Fritzel,  being  the  second  of  five 
children  and  the  only  one  now  in  America.  His 
father  served  in  the  war  with  France,  1870-1871. 
He  was  a  man  of  weight  in  his  community.  For 
fifteen  years  he  held  office  as  postmaster,  in 
addition  to  which  he  was  a  large  farmer,  livery- 
man and  dairyman.  When  twenty-one  years  of 
age  our  subject  came  via  steamer  to  America, 
landing  in  New  York,  thence  proceeding  to 
Kansas,  where  he  secured  employment  on  a 
farm,  remaining  from  August  to  March.  He 
then  rented  a  farm  owned  by  Mr.  Anthony,  which 


he  cultivated  for  two  years.  He  then  sold  his 
stock  and  implements  and  began  to  work  for  the 
seed  firm  of  Barteldis  &  Co.,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained for  six  and  one-half  years.  The  work, 
however,  proved  too  confining  for  him  and  he 
was  advised  to  seek  other  occupation.  Not 
knowing  what  to  turn  his  hand  to,  he  took  a 
position  in  the  street  department  of  the  city  and 
spent  some  months  at  that  work.  Meantime  he 
had  bought  a  house  and  lot  and  a  few  cows,  so, 
upon  leaving  the  city  employ  he  purchased 
other  cows  and  started  in  the  dairy  business.  As 
his  trade  increased  the  need  of  more  room  caused 
him  to  trade  his  house  and  lot  for  part  payment 
on  his  present  place,  consisting  then  of  ten  acres 
of  land  destitute  of  improvements.  Here  he 
began  with  a  house  of  only  two  rooms,  but  to 
this  he  afterward  added,  and  now  has  a  comfort- 
able home.  From  time  to  time  he  has  put  up 
needed  buildings,  and  now  has  three  large  barns. 
Besides  his  sixty-five  milch  cows  he  has  many 
young  cows  and  calves,  and  his  business  is  on  a 
prosperous  basis. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Fritzel  is  connected  with  the 
Sons  of  Herman,  Turner  Society,  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen  and  Acacia  Lodge  No.  9, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In  religion  he  is  a  Lutheran, 
and  in  politics  independent.  August  31,  1879, 
he  married  Miss  Maggie  Snyder,  who  was  born 
in  Germany,  but  at  the  time  of  their  marriage 
was  living  in  Eudora.  They  have  seven  children : 
John,  Charles,  Mary,  Minnie,  Josephine,  Henry 
and  Arthur. 


3AC0B  WINKELMAN  is  one  of  the  reliable 
farmers  of  Leavenworth  County,  and  for 
some  years  has  owned  and  successfully 
operated  a  tract  of  land  in  Sherman  Township. 
When  he  began  for  himself  he  was  entirely  with- 
out means,  but  he  was  energetic  and  determined, 
and  worked  out  by  the  day,  carefully  hoarding 
his  wages  until  he  had  sufficient  to  invest.  He 
is  the  owner  of  sixty-two  acres  of  farm  land,  and 
has  three  blocks  of  city  property  that  was  origin- 
ally a  part  of  the  estate,  but  has  now  been  laid 
off  in  town  lots  in  Linwood. 

In  Union   County,  Pa.,  in  1843,  our   subject 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


647 


was  born,  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Barbara  (Gar- 
man)  Winkelman.  His  father,  who  was  born, 
reared  and  married  in  Union  County,  removed  in 
1845  to  Indiana  and  settled  in  Miami  County, 
where  he  made  his  home  for  five  years.  From 
there  he  removed  to  northern  Missouri.  During 
the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  Kansas  he 
came  to  this  state,  locating  in  Cherokee  County 
in  1859  and  continuing  there  for  four  years.  In 
1863  he  settled  in  Johnson  County,  this  state, 
and  for  several  years  engaged  in  farm  pursuits 
there.  When  seventy  years  of  age  he  came  to 
Leavenworth  County,  and  two  years  later  died  in 
Lenape.  Throughout  his  entire  active  life  he 
engaged  in  farming.  His  wife  died  in  Johnson 
County  when  seventy  years  of  age.  They  were 
the  parents  of  five  children,  namely:  Catherine, 
wife  of  James  Smith,  of  Davis  County,  Mo.;  John, 
of  Oklahoma;  Caroline,  who  married  Wilmer 
Morse;  William,  a  farmer  in  Reno,  Leavenworth 
County;  and  Jacob. 

Accompanying  his  parents  in  their  various  re- 
movals, our  subject  came  with  them  to  Kansas 
in  1859  and  afterward  continued  with  them  until 
his  mother  died  and  his  father  went  to  Lenape. 
He  then  bought  a  farm  adjoining  Linwood,  and 
here  he  has  since  devoted  his  attention  to  farm 
work.  Being  an  industrious  man,  he  is  meeting 
with  success  in  the  cultivation  of  his  place.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association. 
In  1870  he  married  Eliza  Woolley,  and  they  have 
five  children  now  living. 


I  EONARD  T.  SMITH.  Few  men  who  have 
It  lived  in  Leavenworth  have  won  the  un- 
Lr  qualified  esteem  and  warm  friend.ship  of 
their  fellow-citizens  to  so  great  a  degree  as  did 
Mr.  Smith.  Coupled  with  acknowledged  ability 
as  a  business  man  were  traits  of  character  that 
endeared  him  to  all.  He  was  genial  and  com- 
panionable, a  frank  and  honorable  man,  whose 
memory  will  long  be  cherished  in  the  city  to 
whose  welfare  he  was  so  deeply  devoted  and 
whose  progress  he  constantly  promoted.  From 
the  time  that  he  came  to  Leavenworth  until  his 
death  he  was  a  leader  in  movements  for  the  pub- 


lic good.  To  his  public  spirit  and  indomitable 
energy  is  the  city  indebted  for  its  splendid  water 
works,  the  Soldiers'  Home,  the  Union  depot,  and 
the  creditable  structures  erected  by  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company.  He 
was  the  leading  spirit  in  the  following  enter- 
prises: Missouri  River;  Leavenworth,  Atchison  & 
Northwestern;  Kansas  Central  and  Leavenworth 
Northern  and  Southern  Railroad  Companies 
(now  a  part  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
system),  the  Leavenworth  City  &  Fort  Leaven- 
worth Water  Company,  and  the  erection  of  the 
first  bridge  across  the  Missouri  at  Leavenworth. 

A  resident  of  Leavenworth  from  1857,  Mr. 
Smith  was  born  in  Bethany,  Genesee  County, 
N.Y. ,  December  2,  1827.  His  father,  Thomas  G., 
a  member  of  an  old  famib'  of  New  England,  was 
born  in  Connecticut,  January  7,  1789,  was 
orphaned  at  an  early  age,  removed  to  New  York 
and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Bethany,  where  he 
died  December  30,  1867,  at  seventy-nine  years  of 
age.  He  married  Anna  Burroughs,  who  was 
born  at  Skaneateles,  N.  Y.,  and  died  November 
10,  1868,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  Burroughs,  who  started  the 
first  woolen  mills  in  Skaneateles  and  was  high  in 
the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  died  when  almost 
ninety  years  old,  and  his  wife  was  ninety-four 
at  the  time  of  her  death. 

After  having  completed  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Genesee  County  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  turned  his  attention  to  business  pur- 
suits. In  1852  he  removed  to  Kalamazoo,  Mich., 
and  there  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  for  five 
years,  coming  thence  to  Leavenworth  in  1857. 
For  three  months  after  the  opening  of  the  Plant- 
er's Hotel  he  conducted  it  for  the  owners,  after 
which  he  purchased  the  property  and  conducted 
it  successfully  for  seven  years.  Afterward,  with 
Alexander  Caldwell,  he  engaged  in  government 
contracting  and  freighting  across  the  plains.  He 
was  active  in  the  building  of  railroads,  and 
a.ssisted  in  building  what  is  now  the  Missouri  Pa- 
cific from  Kansas  City  to  Leavenworth  and  from 
this  point  to  Atchison.  He  was  also  active  in 
the  building  of  thie  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe   from  Leavenworth    to    Holliday.     In    1880, 


648 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


upon  the  inauguration  of  the  sj'Stem  of  water 
works,  he  became  the  head  of  the  enterprise,  and 
continued  its  proprietor  and  president  of  the  com- 
pany until  his  death.  In  national  politics  he  ad- 
hered to  the  Democratic  party.  In  response  to  the 
urgent  solicitation  of  his  many  political  friends  he 
accepted  the  nomination  and  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  first  legislative  assembly  held  under 
the  state  constitutions,  but  for  himself  he  never 
sought  office,  and  his  only  participation  in  poli- 
tics was  in  the  interests  of  friends  who  were  can- 
didates for  office.  In  1867  he  purchased  the 
property  where  he  afterward  made  his  home  and 
where,  surrounded  by  his  relatives  and  friends, 
many  of  his  happiest  hours  were  spent. 

In  Bethany,  N.  Y.,  November  3,  1853,  Mr. 
Smith  married  Miss  Helen  L,.  Kendall,  who  was 
born  in  that  village.  Her  father,  Charles  Ken- 
dall, a  son  of  Peter  Kendall,  of  Revolutionary  con- 
nection, was  born  in  Thetford,  Vt.,  in  1799,  and 
engaged  in  farming  at  Bethany,  where  he  died  at 
sixty-three  years.  He  was  a  believer  in  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  reared  his 
children  in  that  faith.  His  wife,  Nancy  Dodgson 
Kendall,  was  born  in  Gloversyille,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Smith  died  suddenly  of  heart  failure  at  the 
Iturbide  hotel  in  the  City  of  Mexico,  April  15, 
1 89 1.  But  a  few  days  before  a  party  of  friends 
had  joined  him,  in  a  contemplated  tour  of  the  re- 
public, but  the  trip  was  thus  suddenly  and  sadly 
ended.  His  remains  were  conveyed  to  his  former 
home  and  placed  in  the  family  vault  at  Mount 
Muncie.  The  following  editorial,  which  appeared 
in  the  Kansas  City  Journal  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  shows  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held 
among  the  people  of  this  section  of  country. 
"  Len  Smith  is  dead.  Nobody  ever  knew  him  as 
a  '  Colonel '  or  an  '  Honorable  '  or  anything 
else  than  '  lycn,'  and  that  fact  tells  the  whole 
story.  He  was  one  of  the  most  genial,  congen- 
ial, companionable,  frank,  manly  men  we  ever 
knew.  He  was  an  active  man  in  all  departments 
of  life,  but  not  offensively  so  in  anything.  He 
was  often  active  in  politics,  but  always  for  some 
friend,  never  for  himself  He  had  a  business  fac- 
ulty for  large  affairs,  but  in  everything  he  under- 
took advantage  to  his  locality  and  his  neighbors 


went  hand  in  hand  with  benefit  to  himself.  He 
was  open-hearted,  open-handed,  open-minded, 
one  of  the  salt  of  the  earth  to  one  who  knows 
what  that  sort  of  salt  means.  He  died  away  from 
his  home  in  a  strange  country,  while  engaged  in 
what  to  him  was  second-nature  work,  having 
others  participate  in  enjoyments  and  pleasures 
with  himself.  He  could  not  enjoy  anything 
alone.  He  was  successful  in  two  things  in  this 
life:  making  himself  comfortable  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  good  things  of  living,  and  in 
making  all  who  knew  him  his  friends.  After 
all,  did  not  Len  Smith  live  more  wisely  and 
to  better  purpose  than  if  he  had  been  ambiti- 
ous, for  with  all  his  qualities  of  head  and  heart 
he  would  have  succeeded  in  any  pursuit  in  life  he 
had  chosen.  With  his  life  work  behind  him,  he 
cannot  but  sleep  well  and  wake  to  continue  his 
genial  work  '  over  there.'  " 


0R.  WM.  LEONARD  BIRNEY  (or  Burney), 
of  Rantoul,  Franklin  County,  is  the  eldest 
of  four  children,  sons  and  daughters  of 
Alexander  A.  Burney  (or  Birney)  and  Eliza- 
beth Wakelyn  Hall,  his  first  wife.  The  father 
was  born  near  Huntsville,  Alabama,  February 
3,  1819.  The  family  came  to  America  in  an 
early  day  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  but  is  of 
Scottish  origin.  The  mother  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky July  18,  18 19,  the  only  child  by  his  second 
wife  (Elizabeth  Wakelyn),  of  Mahlon  Hall,  of 
that  state.  Her  family  is  of  English  and  Welsh 
extraction. 

In  the  year  1835  the  parents  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  then  in  their  youth,  found  them- 
selves, with  their  parents,  in  LaFayette  County, 
Mo.,  where  they  were  married  in  1837.  Of  this 
union  Dr.  Birney  was  born  January  19,  1839. 
At  five  years  of  age  his  parents  began  his  educa- 
tion. There  were  no  public  schools  in  Missouri 
then,  but  there  were  private  schools  and  compe- 
tent teachers,  and  to  these  they  kept  him  in 
pretty  steady  attendance.  He  does  not  remem- 
ber to  have  ever  attended  a  free  school  in  his  life. 
When  he  was  seven  years  old  he  was  enrolled  in 
the  primary    department    of    the   Pleasant  Hill 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


649 


Academy,  where  he  attended  until  the  death  of 
his  mother,  which  occurred  Februar}'  18,  1848. 
He  was  then  sent  to  a  select  school  in  Harrison- 
ville  for  one  j'ear.  His  education  was  now  con- 
tinued in  private  schools  until  the  j^ears  1856  and 
1857,  when  he  attended  the  Harrisonville  High 
School. 

In  the  spring  of  1855,  having  an  opportunity 
to  "cross the  plains  "  in  an  easy  position  and  at 
good  wages,  he  availed  himself  of  it,  with  the 
consent  of  his  father,  and  visited  Fort  Union,  Las 
Vegas,  Santa  Fe,  etc.  On  this  trip  the  caravan 
had  some  thrilling  adventures  with  the  wild 
Indians,  but  no  blood  was  shed.  About  this 
time,  like  every  third  youth  of  that  day,  he  had 
a  desire  to  be  a  lawyer;  and  the  winter  of 
1857-58  he  spent  in  the  law  office  of  the  late  Wm. 
McNeil  Clough,  at  Parkville,  with  the  view  of 
getting  some  notion  of  the  study  of  the  law  and 
of  the  law  business.  He  was  favorably  im- 
pressed, and  determined  to  prepare  himself  for 
law  school.  To  this  end  he  purchased  a  set  of 
text  books  and  continued  the  study  of  law, 
meantime  teaching  school  during  the  winters. 

The  political  excitement  which  had  for  several 
years  run  so  high  at  length  brought  about  a 
rupture  between  himself  and  one  of  the  School 
Board,  which,  at  the  close  of  his  second  term, 
terminated  his  connection,  as  teacher,  with  the 
district.  Young  Birney  having  been  brought 
up  a  Free  Soiler,  was  opposed  to  the  introduction 
of  slavery  into  Kansas,  and  could  not  refrain 
from  expressing  his  sentiments  upon  the  ques- 
tions then  agitating  the  country,  and  was  of 
course  at  once  classed  by  the  dominant  political 
party  as  a  "negro-worshiping,  abolition  enemy 
of  our  institutions,"  etc.  On  more  than  one  oc- 
casion did  he  narrowly  escape  with  his  life  dur- 
ing these  hot  discussions.  At  one  time  a  so- 
called  "  Northern  Methodist"  preacher  was  for- 
bidden by  secessionists  to  preach  in  a  church 
which  was  the  joint  property  of  other  denomina- 
tions, and  threatened  with  violence.  They  (the 
secessionists)  had  the  key  to  the  church  and  re- 
fused to  admit  him.  DLsgusted  and  indignant  at 
this  effort  to  thwart  free  speech  even  in  the  pul- 
pit, Birney,  with  one  or  two  friends,  waited  on 


the  debarred  minister  and  bade  him  be  of  good 
cheer,  telling  him  that  a  pulpit  and  a  small  audi- 
ence awaited  him.  They  had  placed  the  pulpit 
and  seats  at  the  "Camp-ground,"  near  by,  in 
order,  and  with  a  few  friends  of  free  speech  were 
resolved  to  hear  the  minister  preach  if  he  so  de- 
sired. He  accepted  the  offer,  and  delivered  a 
most  temperate,  though  pointed  and  scholarly, 
discourse,  considering  the  circumstances.  This 
preacher  was  soon  afterwards  .seized  by  a  mob, 
and  after  suffering  much  personal  violence  was 
ordered,  on  pain  of  death,  to  leave  the  country; 
and  Birney  was  told  that  but  for  his  youth  and 
standing  in  the  community  the  "Committee" 
would  have  treated  him  "  to  the  same  dose." 

In  the  fall  of  1859,  in  quest  of  quiet  in  which 
to  pursue  his  studies,  he  entered  the  law  office  of 
a  relative  in  Otterville,  Mo.,  where  he  remained 
until  the  close  of  the  political  campaign  of  i860. 
He  would  have  supported  Lincoln  if  he  dared; 
but  did  next  best,  supporting  Bell,  and  taking 
editorial  charge  of  the  paper  devoted  to  that 
interest.  After  the  election,  the  vigor  of  his  edi- 
torials having  attracted  the  attention  of  the  own- 
ers of  the  Warsaw  Democrat,  he  was  asked  to 
take  charge  of  that  paper.  After  some  negotia- 
tions the  office  was  offered  to  him  for  sale,  and  a 
most  unlucky  bargain  for  him  was  made;  and  in 
December,  i860,  he  took  charge  of  the  paper. 
The  Southern  States  were  then  in  rapid  succes- 
sion seceding  from  the  Union,  and  the  excitement 
was  very  great. 

Dr.  Birney  had  been  brought  up  a  Democrat 
of  the  school  of  Jefferson,  Jackson  and  Benton, 
and  had  early  adopted  the  latter  as  his  political 
preceptor.  Hence  the  idea  of  a  dissolution  of  the 
Union  was  to  him  the  most  horrible  of  political 
heresies,  and  secession  a  crime  no  less  than  trea- 
son. His  editorials  were  in  strict  accord  with 
this  belief,  and  in  the  innocence  of  unsophisti- 
cated youth  he  published  them  as  fearlessly  in 
the  land  of  the  "slickers"  as  he  would  if  he  had 
been  in  the  heart  of  Kansas.  It  was  not  long, 
however,  before  there  began  to  fall  upon  him  a 
storm  of  indignation,  together  with  a  shower  of 
threatening  letters  from  every  part  of  that  wild 
valley  of  the  Osage.     The  feeling  against  him 


650 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  much  greater  than  he  knew.  One  day  Col- 
onel M.  h.  Means  called  him  into  his  ofiSce  and 
said:  "  Birney,  I  am  a  friend  of  yours,  and  I 
don't  want  to  see  you  killed.  You  seem  to  have 
no  idea  of  the  danger  you  are  in  here.  These 
fellows  will  kill  you  as  certain  as  you  are  stand- 
ing there,  if  you  continue  to  write  and  publish 
such  sentiments  as  yours.  I  will  admit  that  you 
are  right — in  fact  I  know  you  are  right — but 
what   does   that   signify?     I    tell   you,    sir,    this 

country  is  going  to just  as  fast  as  time  can 

carry  it,  and  if  you  don't  stop  your  cant  about 
the  Union  you  will  find  yourself  some  fine  morn- 
ing hanging  to  a  limb,  dead!  Mark  what  I  tell 
you.  I  felt  it  to  be  my  duty,  and  I  warn  you  as 
I  would  a  son."  This  was  not  wholly  a  revela- 
tion to  the  young  Unionist,  but  it  was  so  in  part. 
He  had  not  suspected  that  he  stood  in  peril  of  his 
life.  He  said  to  Colonel  Means:  "You  agree 
that  I  am  right.  If  I  am  right  I  will  take  the 
consequences."  These  were  not  long  delayed. 
A  party  of  secessionists  ' '  waited  on  him  ' '  one 
evening  and  told  him  they  had  resolved  that  he 
should  either  turn  over  the  paper  to  its  former 
owners  and  "  go  North,"  or  advocate  secession. 
He  declined  to  assent  to  either  proposition. 
They  then  ordered  the  printers  to  set  no  more 
type  in  the  office  until  further  orders.  The  next 
morning  he  found  the  office  in  the  hands  of  a 
lawless  mob,  styling  itself  "The  Committee." 
The  printers  were  at  work  at  the  cases,  and  said 
the  paper  had  "  flopped."  Of  course  he  took  in 
the  situation  at  a  glance.  As  he  returned  to  his 
hotel  the  most  unfriendly  expressions  were  made 
in  his  hearing.  That  evening  in  a  room  below 
him  he  plainly  heard  men,  among  whom  were 
several  county  officers,  discussing  the  question 
of  hanging  him.  The  sheriff  said  he  would  will- 
ingly tie  the  rope.  But  they  were  not  all  of  one 
mind.  Tom  Murray,  chief  clerk  of  the  house  of 
representatives,  was  in  the  crowd,  and  strenuous- 
ly opposed  molesting  him  in  any  way  whatever. 
He  urged  that  Birney  had  done  nothing  worse 
than  to  exercise  the  right  of  every  freeman  to  ex- 
press his  own  sentiments;  though  he  admitted 
the  propriety  of  stopping  his  utterances  in  the 
paper.     He  said  it  would  be  a  shame  and  dis- 


grace to  murder  a  mere  boy  for  so  small  an  of- 
fense, though  it  might  not  be  improper  to  keep 
watch  over  him,  and  he  volunteered  to  do  the 
watching  himself.  "Give  him  a  chance,"  he 
said,  "to  collect  his  accounts  and  settle  up  his 
business."  With  a  heart  full  of  gratitude 
toward  that  splendid  young  fellow  did  the  imper- 
iled object  of  the  fireeater's  wrath  note  that  Mur- 
ray's counsel  prevailed.  Thus  was  his  business 
taken  from  him;  and  though  he  was  permitted  to 
live,  and  nominally  permitted  to  collect  what 
was  due  him,  upon  his  first  effiart  to  do  so,  it  was 
pretended  that  he  was  attempting  to  collect  what 
belonged  to  another.  He  was  thus  forced  to 
abandon  all,  glad  to  get  away  from  such  persecu- 
tion. At  8  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  17, 
1861,  at  the  front  door  of  the  Henry  House, 
where  he  boarded,  he  took  a  stage  coach  for  Lex- 
ington, near  which  place,  at  his  maternal  uncle's, 
he  remained  until  September  i.  He  then  made 
his  way  through  a  country  swarming  with  armed 
secessionists  to  Kansas  City,  and  thence  to  Frank- 
lin County,  where  he  remained  at  his  father's 
until  the  next  year. 

In  April,  1S62,  he  began  to  recruit  from 
among  the  Missouri  refugees  then  in  Kansas,  a 
company  for  the  2nd  Batt.  Cav.  M.  S.  M.  On 
April  12  he  received  orders  to  report  with  his 
men,  ig  in  number,  to  be  mustered  in.  At  the 
muster  the  various  skeleton  companies  were  con- 
solidated, and  there  were  not  commissioned 
offices  enough  to  go  around.  Birney  was  mustered 
as  a  First  Sergeant,  Co.  C,  Capt.  Albert  J. 
Briggs,  and  served  with  the  company  until  Aug- 
ust 7,  when  the  Governor  appointed  him  a  Lieu- 
tenant and  assigned  him  to  the  22d  Infantry  Mo. 
Vols.,  Col.  F.  H.  Manter.  He  had  but  just  re- 
ceived his  appointment  when,  while  ascending 
the  stairs  at  his  hotel  in  Kansas  City,  whither  he 
had  gone  under  orders  from  Gen.  B.  F.  Loan, 
he  was  stricken  with  a  functional  disease  of  the 
heart,  developed  by  exposure  and  a  severe  attack 
of  measels,  which  he  had  recently  suffered. 
After  an  illness  of  two  months,  his  recovery  be- 
ing but  imperfect,  on  the  advice  of  his  physician 
and  friends  he  abandoned  active  service,  and 
sought  and  obtained    the  appointment  of    Dep. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


651 


Prov.  Marshal,  6th  Dist.  of  Mo.,  and  was 
assigned  to  Clinton  Co.  for  duty  under  the  En- 
rollment act,  where  he  remained  in  the  service  of 
the  government  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

The  Missouri  State  convention  having  by  or- 
dinance vacated  all  the  offices  of  Clerk  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  in  the  State,  empowering  the  Gover- 
nor to  fill  the  same  by  appointment  until  the 
next  general  election,  Birney  was  appointed 
Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Clinton  County, 
May  9,  1865,  for  an  unexpired  term  of  twenty 
months.  December  8,  1865,  he  issued  the  first 
number  of  the  iVtw  Constitution,  a  newspaper  de- 
voted to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party; 
the  first  paper  of  that  politics  ever  published  in 
that  county.  By  means  of  this  paper  he  organ- 
ized the  Republican  voters  of  his  county  so  ef- 
fectually that  they  carried  the  general  election  of 
November  3,  1866,  the  first  and  only  time  the 
Republicans  were  ever  victorious  in  that  county. 
At  that  election  Birney  was  elected  Clerk  of  the 
Circuit  Court  and  Recorder  of  Deeds  for  four 
years,  from  January  i,  1867.  At  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  ofiice  he  had  already  begun  the 
study  of  medicine.  His  observations  while  clerk 
had  disgusted  him  with  the  practice  of  the  law. 
After  diligent  and  conscientious  study  for  several 
years,  he  entered  the  Missouri  Medical  College  at 
St.  lyouis,  in  September,  1877,  graduating  from 
the  same  March  5,  1879,  with  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  Returning  to  Clinton  County  he  opened 
an  office  in  Plattsburg,  where  he  practiced  his 
profession  for  two  years.  Just  before  he  left 
there  he  was  chosen  professor  of  anatomy  and 
physiology  in  Plattsburg  College. 

In  September,  1881,  he  came  to  Kansas,  and 
settled  in  Rantoul,  where  he  has  since  followed 
his  profession,  building  up  a  good  practice  and 
gaining  a  reputation  as  a  progressive,  reliable 
and  competent  physician.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  county  medical  societj'.  With  his  family  he 
holds  membership  in  the  Cumberland  Presbyter- 
ian Church,  which  he  serves  as  an  elder.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows, 
though  not  a  member  of  a  lodge  at  present,  there 
being  no  lodge  at  Rantoul. 

The  marriage  of   Dr.  Birney,  in  1865,  united 


him  with  Miss  Laura  E.  Maupin,  by  whom  he 
has  two  daughters:  Leonora  W.,  wife  of  John 
W.  Rouse;  and  Ada  A.  Mrs.  Birney  was  born 
in  Richmond,  Missouri,  and  received  a  good  edu- 
cation in  that  state.  Her  father,  Nicholas  Mau- 
pin, was  a  double  cousin  of  Simeon  Maupin,  for 
many  years  chairman  of  the  faculty  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia.  He  was  connected  with  the 
Washington  family  and  traced  his  lineage  to 
people  of  prominence  in  the  pioneer  days  of 
America. 


61  BEL  HENSLE Y.  In  point  of  years  of  busi- 
U  ness  activity  Mr.  Hensley  is  the  oldest 
I  I  merchant  of  Pomona,  and  he  also  ranks 
among  the  influential  citizens  of  the  town.  He 
is  the  senior  member  of  the  mercantile  house  of 
A.  Hensley  &  Son,  besides  which  he  operates  a 
corn  and  feed  mill,  and  carries  on  an  exchange 
bank  for  the  accommodation  of  his  customers  and 
friends.  In  Pomona  Township  he  owns  a  farm 
which  he  rents.  For  some  years  he  conducted  a 
tanner}'  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  har- 
ness and  collars  on  an  extensive  scale,  and  he  is 
now  "proprietor  of  a  harness  shop  in  Pomona,  be- 
sides which  he  carries  on  a  large  livery  business. 
In  1896  he  erected  a  business  block  on  Main 
street,  and  he  has  also  built  several  dwellings, 
stores  and  a  livery  barn  in  this  place. 

A  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Johnson)  Hensley 
(both  of  whom  died  in  Illinois)  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born  in  Clark  County,  111.,  in 
1847.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm  and  at  an 
early  age  became  interested  in  brick  manufactur- 
ing, in  which  he  engaged  for  several  years.  In 
1874  he  went  to  Marysville,  Nodaway  County, 
Mo.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  busi- 
ness. Two  years  later  he  loaded  a  car  of  goods, 
which  he  shipped  to  Newton,  Kans.,  and  opened 
a  store  at  Wellington,  this  state,  for  a  short  time 
selling  goods  and  trading  for  land  and  stock. 
In  December  of  1876  he  came  to  Pomona,  Frank- 
lin County,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother-in-law,  J.  L.  Hatfield,  purchasing  a 
small  stock  of  goods  and  acting  as  business  man- 
ager for  the  firm.  Later  the  title  of  the  firm  was 
changed  to  Paul  &  Hensley,  but  in    1S68    Mr. 


652 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Hatfield  again  became  interested  in  the  business, 
and  the  firm  of  Hensley  &  Hatfield  continued 
until  1893,  when  Mr.  Hensley  purchased  his 
partner's  interest  and  carried  on  the  business 
alone.  In  1896  he  took  his  son  into  partnership, 
and  the  two  have  since  continued  together,  bj- 
energy  and  good  judgment  adding  to  their  busi- 
ness and  establishing  an  enviable  reputation  for 
integrity  and  fair  dealing. 

Interested  in  the  political  questions  of  the  day, 
Mr.  Hensley  adheres  to  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party  and  supports  its  candidates. 
Among  the  local  offices  he  has  filled  are  those  of 
town  treasurer  and  school  director,  in  both  of 
which  he  worked  in  the  interests  of  the  people  of 
his  community.  A  successful  business  man,  his 
success  is  due  not  to  luck,  but  to  steady,  persever- 
ing industry,  and  he  merits  his  present  pros- 
perity. By  his  marriage  to  Matilda  J.  Sprague 
he  has  a  son,  Frank  J.  (his  partner  in  business) 
and  a  daughter,  Rosie  E.,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Hiram  O.  Bird. 


gEORGE  H.  LINCK,  a  talented  musician  of 
Leavenworth,  is  the  leader  of  Linck's 
orchestra,  which  furnishes  the  music  for  the 
opera  house  and  for  the  finest  parties  and  cotil- 
lions in  the  city.  The  orchestra  was  organized 
in  1S97  under  his  personal  supervision  and  con- 
sists of  six  pieces;  the  high  reputation  gained 
and  the  popularity  of  the  orchestra  in  this  part  of 
the  state  is  due  entirely  to  his  excellent  leader- 
ship. He  also  plays  the  B  flat  cornet  in  the 
Mascot  band,  and  is  engaged  as  a  teacher  of  vio- 
lin and  harmony,  in  which  he  has  a  growing 
class. 

Mr.  Linck  was  born  in  Leavenworth  August 
24,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  George  Linck,  of  this 
city.  He  was  educated  in  the  Morris  school. 
From  boyhood  he  has  been  fond  of  music  and  has 
devoted  considerable  time  to  this  art.  He 
studied  first  under  Richard  Schubert,  the  then 
leading  musician  of  Leavenworth.  Afterward 
he  was  a  pupil  of  Geza  von  Dome,  a  celebrated 
Hungarian  musician.  When  the  latter  went  to 
Chicago  during  the  World's  Fair,  Mr.  Linck  de- 
cided to  go  to  Europe,  in  order  that  he  might 


have  the  advantages  of  musical  study  under  the 
best  masters.  In  the  summer  of  1893  he  went 
to  Leipsic  and  entered  the  Royal  Conservatory 
of  Music,  where  he  studied  under  the  celebrated 
teacher,  Robert  Bolland.  He  continued  there 
for  some  time,  devoting  himself  assiduously  to 
his  art  and  becoming  one  of  its  most  proficient 
disciples.  When  he  graduated  from  that  institu- 
tion, in  April,  1896,  he  stood  among  the  highest 
in  his  class  in  violin,  pianoforte  and  harmony. 
After  traveling  in  Germanj-  for  a  short  time  he 
returned  to  America  in  1896  and  has  since  made 
his  home  in  his  native  cit}'.  The  attention 
which  for  yeais  he  has  given  to  his  profession 
and  the  talent  which  he  possesses  in  this  art 
combine  to  place  him  in  a  high  rank  as  a  musi- 
cian, and  he  is  considered  one  of  the  best  teach- 
ers of  music  in  his  state.  For  two  years  he  was 
musical  director  of  the  Turner  Singing  Society. 
He  is  identified  with  St.  Joseph's  Catholic  Church 
of  Leavenworth.  His  marriage,  in  this  city,  Au- 
gust 10,  1898,  united  him  with  Miss  Alma  Retter, 
who  was  born  in  Montana. 


MTANCE  L.  MEYERS,  who  is  under  sheriff 
r\  of  Leavenworth  County,  was  born  in  the  city 
VlJf  of  Leavenworth  JUI3'  16,  1865,  and  is  a 
descendant  of  a  colonial  family  of  Maryland.  His 
father,  John  L.  Meyers,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Baltimore,  and  who  learned  the  plasterer's  trade 
in  youth,  crossed  the  country  to  Kansas  in  1859, 
settling  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  wholesale  tobacco  business,  and  later  in  con- 
tract plastering.  After  many  years  of  active 
connection  with  the  business  interests  of  his 
town  he  retired  from  business  cares  in  1897,  ^^^ 
has  since  lived  quietlj^  in  the  enjoyment  of  those 
comforts  rendered  possible  by  former  industry. 
During  the  Price  raid  he  served  as  a  member  of 
a  Kansas  regiment.  He  married  Mary  Strobel, 
who  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  at  three 
years  of  age  was  brought  to  America  by  her  par- 
ents, settling  in  Baltimore,  where  she  was  reared. 
At  this  writing  (1899)  she  is  fifty-five  years  of 
age,  while  her  husband  is  seventy- two.  The 
children  born  of  their  union  are  named  as  follows: 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


653 


Stance  L. ;  Louis  J. ,  who  graduated  in  medicine 
from  a  college  in  St.  Loui.s,  returned  to  Leaven- 
worth and  here  died ;  Joseph,  who  was  accidentally 
drowned  in  Missouri;  Aloysius,  who  is  traveling 
auditor  for  the  Leavenworth,  Kansas  &  Western 
Railroad;  Frank,  who  graduated  from  St.  Bene- 
dict's, in  Atchison,  and  from  St.  Meinrad  Col- 
lege, in  Indiana,  and  is  now  priest  of  a  Roman 
Catholic  Church  at  Mitchell,  111.;  Charles,  who 
resides  with  his  parents;  and  Minnie,  widow  of 
A.  \V.  Brown,  of  Osage  City,  Kans. 

In  the  Cathedral  parochial  school  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  received  his  education.  While  still 
very  young  he  worked  as  a  newsboy.  In  1878 
he  became  the  regular  carrier  of  the  Leavenworth 
Times,  and  after  filling  that  position  for  two 
years  Colonel  Anthony  appointed  him  mailing 
clerk,  and  he  continued  in  that  capacity  until 
1883.  His  next  position  was  that  of  city  circu- 
lator of  the  Leavenworth  Ti7nes,  and  this  position 
he  held  until  1887,  after  which  he  held  a  similar 
place  with  the  Leavenworth  Evc7ii7ig  Standard. 
October  i,  1897,  he  resigned  the  latter  position, 
and  January  i,  1898,  Sheriff  Everhardy  appointed 
him  as  his  deputy,  which  position  he  has  since 
efiSciently  filled,  having  charge  of  all  of  the  office 
work. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  took  place  in 
Leavenworth,  October  3,  1887,  and  united  him 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  Logan,  who  was  born  in  Fort 
Leavenworth,  and  by  whom  he  has  a  daughter, 
Irene.  Mrs.  Meyers  is  the  daughter  of  P.  Logan, 
one  of  the  territorial  settlers  of  Kansas,  who  came 
here  in  the  government  employ  and  was  for  a 
time  a  soldier  in  the  regular  army. 

Active  in  politics,  our  subject  is  a  well-known 
Democrat  of  Leavenworth  County.  At  different 
times  he  has  been  secretary  of  the  county  and 
city  central  committees,  and  has  also  filled  the 
position  of  treasurer  in  the  same.  He  has  been 
a  delegate  to  county  and  state  conventions  of  his 
party  and  has  taken  a  warm  interest  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  Democracy.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Foresters  and  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Cathedral  and  a  contributor  to  its 
work.     A   member  of  the  Catholic  Knights  of 


America,  he  is  president  of  the  Kansas  branch  of 
the  order,  and  has  also  served  as  supreme  dele- 
gate from  Kansas  to  the  national  convention  of 
the  organization. 

(John  Z.  CLARK,  proprietor  of  the  Ottawa 
I  steam  laundry,  .secretary  and  manager  of 
C2/  the  Chautauqua  Assembly,  and  former  post- 
master of  Ottawa,  has  made  this  city  his  home 
since  1878.  He  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Ohio, 
February  14,  1851,  a  son  of  John  L.  and  Mar- 
garet (McCartney)  Clark.  On  the  paternal  side 
he  descends  from  an  Irishman  who  migrated  to 
Pennsylvania  during  the  latter  part  of  the  seven- 
teenth century.  His  father,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, went  to  Ohio  at  an  early  age  and  there 
learned  the  miller's  trade.  In  1851  he  settled  in 
Monmouth,  Warren  County,  111.,  where  he  im- 
proved a  farm  and  continued  to  reside  until  his 
death,  in  1893.  His  wife,  who  was  a  native  of 
the  north  of  Ireland,  accompanied  her  parents  to 
Ohio  in  girlhood  and  died  in  Illinois  in  1897. 
In  her  family  there  were  seven  sous  and  two 
daughters,  of  whom  all  are  living  except  two 
sons.  Capt.  William  H.  Clark,  who  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  Eighty-third  Illinois  Infantry,  at  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  war,  was  assigned  to  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  for  meritorious 
conduct  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain  in 
June,  1864,  serving  until  May,  1866;  in  1868 
he  settled  in  Ottawa,  where  he  has  since  been  an 
influential  member  of  the  bar  and  for  a  time 
served  in  the  state  legislature.  The  remaining 
members  of  the  family  are:  Henry,  of  Biggsville, 
111.;  Nancy,  who  lives  in  Monmouth;  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Drennan,  of  Armour,  Neb.;  David  M., 
a  business  man  of  Chicago;  John  Z. ;  and  James 
H.,  a  merchant  of  Greeley,  Colo.  The  deceased 
sons  are  Andrew  W.,  who  died  in  Monmouth, 
and  Robert  N. ,  who  died  in  Denver,  Colo. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  obtained  in 
public  schools  and  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Commer- 
cial College  in  Burlington,  Iowa.  Owing  to  ill 
health,  in  1876  he  traveled  in  the  mountains  of 
the  west.  In  1878  he  came  to  Ottawa  and  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm  of  Clark  Brothers, 
dealers  in  books  and  stationery,  with  an  office  on 


654 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Main  street.  In  the  fall  of  1889  President  Har- 
rison appointed  him  postmaster  at  Ottawa,  which 
office  he  held  until  the  fall  of  1894.  He  then 
bought  a  steam  laundry  plant,  which  he  remod- 
eled and  enlarged,  and  from  that  time  he  has  suc- 
cessfully conducted  a  laundry  business.  In  De- 
cember, 1897,  he  moved  to  the  brick  building  at 
No.  113  South  Main  street,  and  refitted  and  en- 
larged the  plant  which  now  has  a  capacity  equal 
to  many  in  large  metropolitan  cities.  In  the  fall 
of  1898  he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  Chautau- 
qua Assembly,  which  he  has  since  managed,  and 
in  connection  with  the  same  he  publishes  the 
Assembly  Herald.  The  Chautauqua  Assembly  is 
one  of  the  most  elevating  and  helpful  enterprises 
ever  inaugurated  in  Ottawa.  Forest  park  is 
utilized  for  assembly  grounds  and  every  effort  is 
made  to  provide  the  best  talent  and  most  uplift- 
ing associations  for  the  Chautauqua  conventions. 
Politically  Mr.  Clark  is  a  Republican.  He  is 
a  ruling  elder  in  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
and  an  active  factor  in  the  progress  of  its  work. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  and 
Ladies  of  Security.  In  Ottawa  occurred  his 
marriage  to  Miss  Carrie  L.  Webb,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  and  came  west  with  her  father, 
Stephen  E.  Webb,  a  railroad  engineer  now  resid- 
ing in  this  city.  They  have  three  children, 
Edith,  Gertrude  and  Margaret. 


j  EWIS  F.  KNAPP.  Since  establishing  his 
It  home  upon  his  present  farm  Mr.  Knapp  has 
LJ  become  known  as  one  of  the  enterprising 
farmers  of  Kickapoo  Township,  Leavenworth 
County.  The  property  which  he  owns  comprises 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres,  upon  which 
he  is  engaged  in  the  raising  of  cereals  (with  a 
specialty  of  wheat)  and  at  the  same  time  he  car- 
ries on  a  stock  business.  As  a  farmer  he  is  meet- 
ing with  success,  and,  having  devoted  his  active 
life  to  this  occupation,  is  familiar  with  everj^  de- 
tail connected  with  agriculture. 

The  subject  of  this  .sketch  is  a  son  of  Adam 
Knapp  and  was  born  January  5,  1856,  upon  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  his  brother,  Thomas  H., 
to  whose   sketch  the  reader  is  referred  for  the 


family  history.  Lewis  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  at  an  early  age  became  familiar 
with  farm  work.  Being  reared  upon  a  farm,  it 
was  natural  that  he  should  select  agriculture  for 
his  calling  in  life.  He  began  farming  for  himself 
when  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  With 
money  he  had  saved,  in  1883  he  purchased  the 
place  where  he  has  since  engaged  in  stock-raising 
and  general  farming. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Knapp  took  place  Oc- 
tober 28,  1878,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Amanda 
Maget.  The  children  born  of  their  union  are 
named  as  follows:  Barbara  E.,  Albert  M., 
Nora  E. ,  Lewis  F.,  Jr.,  Walter  W.  and 
Ethel  Irene.  The  family  are  highly  respected 
by  their  acquaintances.  While  Mr.  Knapp  has 
given  his  attention  quite  closely  to  his  farm  work, 
he  nevertheless  keeps  posted  concerning  matters 
that  affect  the  public  welfare,  and  is  especially 
interested  in  everything  that  will  advance  the 
farming  interests  of  Leavenworth  County.  In 
politics  he  votes  the  Democratic  ticket.  Mrs. 
Knapp  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 


nOHN  W.  LOAR.  There  are  few  of  those 
I  now  living  in  Leavenworth  whose  advent  in 
(2)  this  city  antedated  that  of  Mr.  Loar.  It  was 
in  1853  that  he  crossed  from  Missouri  to  Kansas 
and  settled  near  what  is  now  Leavenworth.  He 
took  up  a  quarter-section  of  land  on  the  Delaware 
reservation,  this  land  being  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  22,  township  9,  range  22,  property 
now  occupied  by  M.  M.  Jewett.  At  once  he  be- 
gan the  improvement  of  farming  land,  and  in 
time  he  transformed  the  place  into  one  of  the  best 
improved  in  the  neighborhood.  In  connection 
with  the  raising  of  cereals  he  engaged  in  the 
stock  business,  and  the  grade  of  horses  raised  on 
his  place  was  so  high  that  he  won  many  prizes  in 
state  and  county  fairs  and  was  considered  one  of 
the  best  exhibitors  of  stock  in  the  state.  In  1896 
he  bought  a  home  in  the  city,  where  he  lived  re- 
tired, except  for  such  duties  as  are  connected  with 
the  supervision  of  his  moneyed  and  property  inter- 
ests. At  this  writing  he  is  living  on  his  farm. 
The  Loar  family  originated  in  Germany  and  was 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


655 


early  represented  in  Maryland,  whence  later  gen- 
erations removed  to  Ohio  and  Kentucky.  Our 
subject's  father,  Nathan  Loar,  had  four  brothers 
who  served  in  the  war  of  18 12.  He  married  Mary 
Taylor,  and  afterward  they  moved  to  Hampshire 
County,  W.  Va.,  settling  there  in  1816,  when 
their  son,  John  W.,  was  four  years  of  age.  The 
latter  afterward  received  common  school  advanta- 
ges. When  of  age  he  went  back  to  his  birthplace 
in  Ohio,  and  there  remained  for  seven  years,  en- 
gaged in  contracting  in  brick  and  stone-mason 
work.  In  1840  he  moved  to  Boone  County,  Ky., 
where  he  followed  his  trade  for  several  years, 
meantime  making  his  home  in  Florence,  where 
he  erected  a  residence.  In  that  town  he  also 
carried  on  a  mercantile  business.  In  1851  he  re- 
moved to  St.  Joe,  Mo.,  and  two  years  later  came 
to  Kansas,  where  he  has  since  resided.  On  his 
farm  he  engaged  in  raising  horses,  cattle  and 
mules;  he  is  known  as  the  best  judge  of  horseflesh 
in  the  state.  During  the  Civil  war  he  rented  his 
farm  and  moved  into  Leavenworth,  while  he  be- 
gan to  take  contracts  with  the  government  to 
furnish  horses  and  mules  for  Forts  Leavenworth 
and  Scott.  While  the  exact  number  of  horses  he 
sold  to  the  government  cannot  be  estimated,  it  is 
probable  there  were  about  two  thousand.  In 
1865  he  built  a  fine  brick  residence  on  his  farm 
and  afterward  made  his  home  there  until  he  re- 
turned to  Leavenworth  in  1896.  He  is  the  owner 
of  a  number  of  business  and  residence  lots  in  the 
city  and  also  has  fifteen  acres  within  the  limits; 
he  also  owns  claims  in  different  parts  of  the  state. 
At  the  time  of  the  dispute  between  Great 
Britain  and  the  United  States  regarding  the 
Canadian  boundary  line,  he  volunteered  for  service 
in  the  regular  army.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat and  takes  an  interest  in  local  affairs.  For 
several  years  he  served  on  the  school  board  of 
district  No.  8.  In  1857,  having  been  ordered  by 
the  court  to  open  a  road  through  his  farm,  he  built 
the  territorial  road  between  Leavenworth  and 
Lawrence.  While  his  membership  is  in  the 
Christian  Church,  other  religious  movements  have 
also  felt  the  impetus  of  his  aid  and  generosity, 
and  progressive  enterprises  have  been  aided  by 
him   to  the  extent  of  his  ability.    ,  In   1849  he 


married  Lucinda,  daughter  of  Joseph  Hoskins,  of 
Ohio;  she  was  an  estimable  lady,  and  her  death, 
February  24,  1895,  was  a  heavy  bereavement  to 
her  husband,  to  whose  welfare  she  had  been  af- 
fectionately devoted  during  their  long  married 
life. 


AJ.  ROBERT  C.  CAMPBELL,  a  resident 
of  Ottawa  and  the  owner  of  Riley  Medium 
No.  2150,  record  2:io>^,  one  of  the  finest- 
bred  horses  in  Kansas,  was  born  on  the  Susque- 
hanna River,  near  Milton,  Union  County,  Pa.,  a 
son  of  William  and  Hannah  (Parks)  Campbell, 
natives  respectively  of  Scotland  and  Pennsylvania. 
When  his  father  was  about  one  year  old  the 
grandfather,  William  Campbell,  Sr. ,  brought  the 
family  to  America  and  afterward  spent  two  years 
in  New  York,  thence  going  to  Union  County, 
Pa.,  and  settling  on  a  farm.  In  addition  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits  William  Campbell,  Jr.,  also 
engaged  in  lumbering.  He  died  in  Union  Coun- 
ty when  sixty-three  years  of  age,  and  his  wife 
died  in  the  same  county.  Of  their  six  children 
three  sons  are  now  living,  one  of  whom,  John,  is 
a  lumberman  on  the  Susquehanna  River.  Will- 
iam, who  is  also  a  farmer  and  lumberman  in 
Union  County,  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  when 
a  mere  lad,  and  was  made  captain  of  a  company 
in  the  Fifty-second  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  in 
which  he  served  until  he  was  wounded  and  cap- 
tured by  the  Confederates;  afterwards  he  was 
confined  in  Libby  prison  for  one  year. 

On  the  farm  where  he  was  born  May  13,  1845, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  passed  his  years  of  early 
boyhood.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  went  to 
make  his  home  with  an  uncle,  Judge  James 
Parks,  of  Fremont  County,  who  was  then  serv- 
ing as  sheriff.  In  youth  he  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade  and  followed  that  occupation.  At 
the  first  call  for  volunteers  he  determined  to  en- 
list in  the  Union  service.  In  April,  1861,  he  was 
made  a  musician  in  Company  D,  Sixty-ninth 
Ohio  Infantry,  and  was  sent  to  the  south,  ser\-ing 
until  the  order  was  issued  to  muster  out  all  regi- 
mental bands,  and  he  was  honorably  discharged 
in  1862.  He  then  became  second  lieutenant  of 
Company    K,    Eighty-sixth   Ohio    Infantry,    in 


656 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


which  he  remained  for  six  months,  meantime  en- 
gaging at  Cumberland  Gap  and  in  other  south- 
ern battles.  He  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  the  spring  of  1864.  His 
next  enlistment  was  in  Company  D,  Thirteenth 
Ohio  Veterans'  Corps,  of  which  he  was  second 
lieutenant  until  honorably  discharged,  in  Au- 
gust, 1865.  He  was  present  at  the  battles  of 
Cold  Harbor,  Whitehouse  Landing,  City  Point, 
Petersburg,  Weldon  Railroad,  took  part  in  the 
siege  of  Petersburg  and  the  surrender  at  Ap- 
pomattox Courthouse.  He  was  wounded  at  Din. 
widdie  Courthouse  while  making  a  charge;  his 
horse  slipped  in  a  sandhole  and  threw  him,  after- 
ward falling  upon  him,  and  while  he  lay  there  the 
whole  brigade  passed  over  him.  When  he  re- 
covered consciousness  he  insisted  on  accompany- 
ing the  troops  in  the  charge,  but  the  injury  was 
such  a  serious  one  that  it  crippled  him  for  life. 
He  was  wounded  also  by  a  sabre  cut  in  the  hand 
and  bullet  in  the  leg.  For  meritorious  service  he 
was  made  captain  and  then  major,  in  command 
of  the  battalion,  and  was  finally  mustered  out  with 
the  rank  of  major.  After  the  war  closed  he 
served  as  provost-marshal  in  Powhattan  County, 
Va.  He  was  honorably  discharged  in  Columbus, 
Ohio. 

From  the  time  of  his  discharge  until  1870 
Major  Campbell  engaged  in  the  livery  business 
in  Oxford.  He  then  came  to  Ottawa,  Kans., 
where  he  has  since  been  proprietor  of  a  livery 
and  has  engaged  in  raising  standard-bred  horses. 
He  is  also  president  and  manager  of  the  Phar- 
macist mine  in  the  Cripple  Creek  district. 

For  some  years  Major  Campbell  was  superin- 
tendent of  the  Driving  Park  Association.  From 
the  start  of  the  Franklin  County  Fair  Associa- 
tion he  was  interested  in  it  and  served  as  an  of- 
ficer until  recently.  He  is  connected  with  George 
H.  Thomas  Post  No.  18,  G.  A.  R.;  Ottawa 
Lodge  No.  128,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In  religious 
belief  he  is  a  Methodist.  Politically  he  always 
supports  Republican  principles.  For  four  years 
he  served  as  councilman  for  the  first  ward  and  he 
has  also  been  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
His  first  wife  was  Helen  M.  Bard,  who  was  born 
in    Butler  County,    Ohio,    and  died  in  Ottawa, 


Kans.,  in  January,  1S96.  The  children  born  of 
their  union  are  named  as  follows:  Frank  E., 
who  is  in  Texas;  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Giller,  of  Den- 
ver, Colo.;  Mrs.  Ida  O.  Luce,  of  Kansas  City; 
and  Mrs.  Lola  M.  Jones,  wife  of  A.  D.  Jones,  of 
Colorado  Springs,  Colo.  The  second  marriage 
of  Major  Campbell  took  place  in  Mishawaha, 
Ind.,  and  united  him  with  Mrs.  Ella  M.  (Laid- 
law)  Mason,  a  native  of  that  state. 

Among  the  horses  now  owned  by  Major  Camp- 
bell is  Icarus,  by  Onward,  first  dam  by  Dicta- 
tor. In  his  stable  at  No.  113  West  Second 
street  he  also  has  Riley  Medium,  a  dark  brown 
horse,  fifteen  and  three-fourths  hands  high,  bred 
by  Gen.  W.  T.  Withers,  at  Lexington,  Ky.; 
sired  by  Happy  Medium  No.  400,  he  sired  by 
Rysdyk's  Hambletonian  No.  10,  first  dam, 
Maud  R.,  by  Mambrino  Patchen,  by  Mambrino 
Chief.  Riley  Medium  is  the  sire  of  Bob  Riley 
2:10,  Kate  Medium  2:io}{,  and  other  horses  that 
have  made  records  for  speed.  He  is  a  horse  of 
beautiful  conformation  and  great  strength  and  is 
one  of  the  finest  of  the  sons  of  Happy  Medium, 
which  has  to  his  credit  ninety-three  trotters,  the 
fastest  being  Nancy  Hanks  2:04,  besides  six 
pacers,  the  fastest  of  which  is  Riley  Medium. 


30HN  Mccormick,  a  pioneer  of  '58  in 
Leavenworth,  was  born  in  County  Longford, 
Ireland,  June  24,  1832,  a  son  of  Andrew  and 
Margaret  (Trimble)  McCormick,  also  natives  of 
that  county.  His  father,  who  followed  farming, 
died  at  seventy  years  of  age,  while  his  mother, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Trimble,  died  in  early 
womanhood.  In  the  family  there  were  two  sons 
and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  came  to  Amer- 
ica and  three  are  living.  John  was  a  youth  of 
seventeen  years  when  he  cros.sed  the  ocean  from 
Liverpool  on  the  sailing-vessel  "Susan  Lord," 
which  anchored  in  New  Orleans  after  a  voyage 
of  seven  weeks  and  three  days.  He  remained  in 
that  city  for  a  month  and  then  came  up  the 
Mississippi  and  Ohio  Rivers  to  Cincinnati,  where 
he  remained  about  eight  years,  meantime  learn- 
ing the  bricklayer's  trade.  He  then  went  to 
Chicago,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


657 


In  April,  1858,  Mr.  McConnick  came  to  Leav- 
enworth. Soon  he  found  employment  at  his 
trade.  For  seven  j^ears  he  was  employed  as  fore- 
man for  others.  In  1873  he  began  contracting 
for  himself,  and  two  years  later  started  a  brick 
yard  in  the  west  part  of  the  town.  Since  then  he 
has  engaged  in  contracting  and  building.  He 
owns  a  yard  of  six  acres,  containing  an  abundance 
of  good  clay,  and  here  he  manufactures  a  good 
quality  of  brick.  He  has  had  the  contracts  for 
some  of  the  most  substantial  public  buildings 
and  private  residences  in  Leavenworth,  among 
them  those  for  the  large  cathedral  school,  the 
Catholic  orphan  asylum,  the  Sacred  Heart 
Church,  the  colored  Catholic  Church,  Peter  Ever- 
hardy's  residence  and  store.  Dr.  Thomas'  build- 
ing, Cribbs  block,  Chrismeyer  building,  two 
buildings  for  O'Rourke  and  two  for  Erhart,  also 
a  number  of  buildings  at  the  Soldiers'  Home  and 
the  fort.  He  built  the  residence  which  he  owns, 
at  No.  819  North  Sixth  street. 

March  7,  1S59,  ^^  Davenport,  Iowa,  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  James 
McCormick,  both  natives  of  Ireland.  Her  father, 
who  was  a  farmer,  brought  his  family  to  the 
United  States  in  1836  and  settled  in  Monmouth 
County,  N.  J.  When  sixty-two  years  of  age 
he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Twenty-ninth  New  Jeceey  Infantrj',  in 
which  he  served  for  nine  months.  Three  days 
after  he  was  honorably  discharged  he  again  en- 
listed and  returned  to  the  front,  serving  about 
two  years.  He  was  wounded  in  the  battle  on 
the  James  and  was  sent  to  a  hospital  in  Wash- 
ington, where  he  died  from  the  effects  of  his 
wounds.  His  wife  was  Mary  Farrell,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  and  who  died  in  New  Jersey.  Their 
six  children  attained  years  of  maturity  and  all 
but  one  are  still  living,  Mrs.  McCormick  being 
next  to  the  oldest.  She  was  reared  in  New  Jer- 
sey and  received  such  advantages  as  di.strict 
schools  afforded.  By  her  marriage  to  our  subject 
there  have  been  born  six  children  now  living, 
namely:  Mary  J.,  a  sister  in  Mount  St.  Mary's 
convent;  Annie  and  Richard,  of  Leavenworth; 
Margaret  and  Louise,  who  are  married  and  live 
in  this  city;  and  William,  now  in  Alaska. 
30 


Politically  Mr.  McCormick  has  always  been  a 
Democrat.  He  has  rendered  acceptable  service 
on  city  and  county  committees  and  has  attended 
county  and  state  conventions  of  his  party.  From 
1887  to  1895  he  represented  the  fourth  ward  in 
the  city  council,  and  during  his  term  of  office 
many  improvements  were  made  that  greatly  pro- 
moted the  welfare  of  the  city.  For  one  term  he 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners. He  is  connected  with  the  cathedral  and 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benevo- 
lent Association,  of  which  he  has  been  treasurer 
for  some  time. 


HENRY  G.  VAN  NESTE.  In  spite  of  the 
fact  that  his  residence  in  Kansas  covers  only 
a  brief  period,  Mr.  Van  Neste  has  already 
gained  an  assured  standing  among  the  stockmen 
of  Leavenworth  County.  He  resides  in  Reno 
Township,  upon  what  was  formerly  known  as 
the  C.  J.  Buckingham  farm,  where  he  has  eight 
hundred  acres  of  land.  While  to  some  extent 
he  engages  in  general  farming,  his  specialty  is 
the  buying  and  selling  of  stock,  and  he  usually 
keeps  on  hand  from  five  to  six  hundred  head, 
many  of  which  are  Polled-Angus  cattle,  and  he 
also  has  a  number  of  fine  horses.  As  a  stock- 
dealer  he  is  a  careful,  judicious  buyer,  and  closely 
watches  the  markets  in  his  sales,  so  that  he  is 
establishing  a  profitable  business. 

As  the  name  indicates,  the  Van  Ncste  family 
is  of  Holland-Dutch  extraction.  They  emi- 
grated to  America  in  an  early  day  and  one  of  the 
family  was  the  first  white  child  born  on  the  pres- 
ent site  of  New  York  City.  George  H.  Van 
Neste,  who  was  a  native  of  the  Mohawk  Valley, 
removed  to  Illinois  in  1854  and  became  a  leading 
farmer  of  Iroquois.  He  is  now  retired  from  active 
cares  and  makes  his  home  in  Onarga,  111.  A  man 
of  local  prominence,  he  has  held  the  various 
township  offices  and  has  contributed  largely  to- 
ward the  development  of  the  resources  of  his 
county.  He  married  Emily  J.  Shottenkirk,  who 
died  at  the  old  homestead  in  1870;  they  became 
the  parents  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are 
living,  namely:  AnnaF.,  wife  of  J.  F.  Schmeltzer, 
of  Manteno,  111.;  Charles  E.,  a  farmer  and  stock- 


658 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


man  of  Brewster,  Neb. ;  Nellie,  wife  of  E.  J.  Viall, 
of  Manteno,  111.;  and  Henry  G.  The  last-named 
was  born  in  Iroquois  County,  111.,  in  1866,  and 
was  educated  in  Grand  Prairie  Seminary  and 
Onarga  Commercial  College. 

From  an  early  age  Mr.  Van  Neste  was  inter- 
ested in  agriculture.  He  bought  his  father's 
homestead  and  there  engaged  in  raising  stock  and 
cereals  until  December,  1897,  when  he  removed 
to  Kansas  and  established  his  home  on  the  farm 
where  he  now  lives.  While  in  Illinois  he  was  an 
active  worker  in  the  Republican  party  in  his  lo- 
cality and  aided  much  in  promoting  local  enter- 
prises. Nor  has  he  been  less  interested  in  town- 
ship and  county  matters  in  his  new  home.  At 
this  writing  he  is  serving  as  committeeman  for 
Reno  Township.  He  became  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  his  native  county, 
and  in  the  lodge  of  the  latter  order  he  passed  all 
of  the  chairs.  He  is  not  identified  with  any  de- 
nomination, but  is  a  Methodist  in  doctrine  and 
faith.  In  1889  he  married  Dora,  daughter  of 
William  B.  Crider,  of  Illinois.  They  are  the 
parents  of  four  children:  George  Crider,  Charles 
Foster,  Nellie  and  Zebulon. 


HUBERT  KNIPE.  Among  those  from  other 
countries  who  have  long  been  identified 
with  the  business  interests  of  Leavenworth, 
and  who  have  labored  to  develop  the  commercial 
welfare  of  the  city,  mention  belongs  to  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  a  pioneer  of  '56.  He  was  one 
of  those  brave  men  who,  at  the  first  call  for  vol- 
unteers during  the  Civil  war,  enlisted  in  the 
Union  service,  and  marching  to  the  front,  fought 
for  the  stars  and  stripes  on  many  a  bloody  battle- 
field. By  his  valiant  service  he  earned  recogni- 
tion as  a  true  citizen  of  his  adopted  country. 

Mr.  Knipe  was  born  in  Cappelen,  Rhine  Prov- 
ince, Prussia,  April  17,  1845,  a  son  of  Dennis 
and  Margaret  (Krohn)  Knipe,  natives  of  the  same 
place  as  himself.  His  maternal  grandfather, 
Andrew  Krohn,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Napole- 
onic wars  and  afterward  carried  on  a  bakery 
business  in  his  home  town.     Dennis  Knipe,  who 


was  a  farmer  bj'  occupation,  crossed  the  ocean  in 
1852  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Weston,  Mo. 
Two  years  later  his  family  joined  him  there.  In 
1856  he  brought  them  to  Leavenworth,  where  he 
participated  in  the  troubles  of  border  warfare. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany B,  Eighth  Kansas  Infantry,  in  which  he 
remained  for  two  years,  and  was  finally  dis- 
charged on  account  of  physical  disability.  He 
was  sixty-three  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  in  1879.  His  wife  is  still  living,  and 
makes  her  home  with  her  only  living  child,  Hu- 
bert. 

When  the  family  came  to  America  Mr.  Knipe 
was  a  boy  of  nine  years.  The  voyage  from 
Havre  to  New  Orleans  on  the  sailer  "Saxony" 
consumed  sixty-one  days.  From  New  Orleans 
the  family  proceeded  on  the  steamer  "Michigan" 
up  to  Cairo;  there  the  ice  was  so  thick  and  dan- 
gerous that  passengers  were  transferred  to  a 
wharf  boat,  which,  burning,  caused  the  loss  of  all 
of  their  property.  They  came  up  the  Missouri 
River  to  Weston,  where  the  father  met  them. 
From  the  farm  there  they  removed  to  Leaven- 
worth May  I,  1856. 

September  12,  1861,  the  -name  of  Hubert 
Knipe  was  enrolled  as  a  member  of  Company  B, 
Eighth  Kansas  Infantry,  which  was  stationed  at 
Leavenworth  for  six  months  and  then  joined 
Buell's  army  in  the  south.  He  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Perryville,  after  which  he  was  under 
Rosecrans  at  Stone  River,  Chickamauga  and 
Chattanooga.  At  the  last-named  place  he  was 
wounded,  November  25,  1863,  being  shot 
through  the  right  hip.  He  fell  on  the  field  and 
was  picked  up  by  two  Confederate  prisoners. 
Unconscious,  he  was  taken  to  the  hospital  at 
Chattanooga,  and  there  he  lay  for  a  month. 
When  at  last  he  left  the  hospital  he  was  obliged 
to  use  crutches.  Returning  to  Leavenworth,  he 
remained  here  until  April,  1864,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  Company  F,  Sixth  Regiment,  Vet- 
erans' Reserve  Corps,  and  was  stationed  at 
Washington  for  three  months.  At  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  service  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged, September  13,  1864. 

On  returning  to  Leavenworth  Mr.  Knipe  se- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


659 


cured  employment  as  clerk  in  a  grocery.  In 
1870  he  opened  a  store  on  the  corner  of  Sixth 
and  Miami  streets,  and  here  he  has  since  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business,  having  built  on  this 
corner  the  store  which  he  occupies,  and  also  four 
residences,  besides  building  in  other  parts  of  the 
city.  He  is  a  believer  in  Republican  principles 
and  votes  the  regular  party  ticket.  Custer  Post 
No.  6,  G.  A.  R.,  numbers  him  among  its  mem- 
bers. Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Hiram 
Lodge  No.  68,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Leavenworth 
Lodge  No.  2,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  of  which  he  is  treas- 
urer, and  also  belongs  to  the  encampment.  His 
marriage  in  Leavenworth  united  him  with  Miss 
Sybilla  Hensler,  who  was  born  in  Baden,  Ger- 
many, a  daughter  of  Bernhart  Hensler,  who 
brought  the  family  to  Leavenworth  in  1865  and 
engaged  ia  the  merchant  tailoring  business  here. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knipe  are  as 
follows:  Hubert,  Jr.,  a  grocer  in  Chicago;  Mar- 
garet, at  home;  Henry  C,  who  assists  his  father 
in  business;  Edith,  Nellie  and  Benjamin  H.,  at 
home. 


NGN.  ACHILLES  B.  WADE,  deceased,  came 
to  what  is  now  Douglas  County  in  March, 
1S54,  before  the  Shawnee  treaty  had  been 
ratified,  and  was  one  of  the  very  earliest  white 
settlers  in  this  section  of  the  state.  He  was  born 
in  Franklin  County,  Mo.,  in  June,  1829,  a  son  of 
John  and  Mary  Wade,  natives  of  Kentucky,  but 
for  years  residents  of  Missouri,  where  they  died. 
He  was  the  fifth  among  eleven  children  and  was 
reared  upon  the  home  farm.  At  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  California  he  determined  to  seek  his  for- 
tune in  the  great  west.  Accordingly  he  crossed 
the  plains,  overland,  with  an  ox-team.  As  he 
passed  through  Kansas  he  noted  with  admiration 
the  fertile  soil  and  broad  prairies,  but  the  Indians 
were  in  possession,  and  settlement  was,  therefore, 
impossible.  He  proceeded  on  his  journey  and  was 
gone  two  years,  returning  to  Missouri  and  settling 
upon  a  farm.  However,  he  did  not  feel  contented 
there, and  again  started  westward.  With  a  cousin, 
Mr.  Kaufman,  he  engaged  in  surveying  the 
country  and  arriving  at  Blue  Mound  they  struck 
for  claims.     The  cousin  staked  a  claim  on  what 


is  now  Massachusetts  street,  Lawrence,  while 
Mr.  Wade  put  his  stake  down  about  one-quarter 
of  a  mile  away,  in  what  is  now  West  Lawrence. 
There  he  broke  the  soil,  planted  a  crop  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  one  season.  Meantime  he 
built  the  first  log  house  in  Lawrence.  After  a 
year  he  and  his  cousin  sold  out  to  the  Lawrence 
Town  Company  and  settled  two  miles  northwest 
of  the  present  site  of  Lawrence.  His  second 
claim  was  for  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  but 
the  adjoining  claims  overlapped  his  so  that  he 
had  only  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  There 
he  built  a  large  brick  house,  a  substantial  barn 
and  other  farm  buildings,  and  placed  the  land 
under  cultivation,  making  of  it  one  of  the  finest 
farms  for  miles  around.  He  continued  to  reside 
on  the  same  place  until  1890,  when  he  rented  the 
farm  and  located  at  No.  1910  Haskell  street, 
where  he  had  fifteen  acres  of  fruit  land.  During 
the  Price  raid  he  enlisted  in  the  Kansas  militia 
and  started  for  the  front  with  his  command,  but 
was  severely  injured  by  being  thrown  from  his 
horse  and  was  obliged  to  return  home.  During 
the  early  days  he  was  sheriff  of  Douglas  County 
and  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  first  territorial 
legislature.  For  many  years  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  and  his  helpful  sugges- 
tions were  of  the  greatest  value  in  promoting 
the  welfare  of  the  schools.  As  a  citizen  he  was 
progressive  and  public-spirited.  His  long-time 
associates  in  Douglas  County  tested  him  by  the 
varying  vicissitudes  of  many  years,  and  had  reason 
to  know  the  manner  of  man  he  was,  the  strength 
of  his  friendship,  the  generosity  of  his  nature, 
the  integrity  of  his  purpose,  and  the  sincerity  of 
his  life.  It  was,  therefore,  with  a  feeling  of  per- 
sonal loss  and  bereavement  that  news  was  received 
of  his  death,  at  his  home  in  Lawrence,  October 
6,  iSgi.  His  passing  from  earth  deprived  the 
city  of  one  who  had  from  earliest  days  been  de- 
voted to  its  welfare  and  interested  in  its  pros- 
perity. 

In  Franklin  County,  Mo.,  February  10,  1847, 
Mr.  Wade  married  Miss  Nancy  Davidson,  who 
was  born  March  13,  1S28,  in  Lancaster  County, 
Ky.,  a  daughter  of  Jordan  and  Sarah  (Naylor) 
Davidson,  natives  respectively  of  Kentucky  and 


66o 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Virginia.  Her  grandfather,  Jesse  Davidson,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  was  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Ken- 
tucky, from  which  state  her  father  moved  to 
Franklin  County,  Mo.,  and  engaged  not  only  in 
farming,  but  also  in  carpentering  and  building. 
In  1855  he  came  to  Kansas  and  took  a  claim  four 
miles  from  the  home  of  his  son-in-law,  continuing 
on  the  farm  until  he  died.  His  wife,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Naylor,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, spent  her  last  years  in  the  home  of  her 
daughter,  where  she  died.  They  were  the  parents 
of  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom  attained  mature 
years,  but  only  two  are  now  living.  Three  of  the 
sons  took  part  in  the  Civil  war  as  members  of  a 
Kansas  regiment,  while  four  of  Mr.  Wade's 
brothers  also  served  in  the  Federal  army.  Like 
her  husband,  Mrs.  Wade  has  been  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination 
since  childhood  and  is  now'identified  with  the  First 
Church  in  Lawrence.  She  was  eight  years  of 
age  when  her  parents  moved  from  Kentucky  to 
Missouri,  and  in  the  latter  state  she  passed  the 
years  of  girlhood.  Since  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band she  has  superintended  their  propert}'  and 
maintained  a  general  oversight  of  their  interests. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  two  of 
whom  died  in  childhood,  and  Nancy  at  the  age  of 
sixteen.  Four  are  living,  viz. :  Mrs.  Mary  Mitch- 
ell, who  graduated  from  Lane  University  and  is 
now  living  in  Rockford,  111.;  Mrs.  Dora  Garrett, 
a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Kansas,  and  now 
residing  on  the  home  farm  near  Lawrence;  Ed- 
ward, of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  and  Franklin,  who 
is  proprietor  and  manager  of  a  theatrical  company. 


rr  C.  SCHULTE,  a  successful  business  man  of 
ly  Leavenworth,  has  been  at  the  head  of  a  re- 
I  ^  tail  grocery  since  January,  1889,  when  he 
bought  the  business  with  which  he  has  since 
been  identified.  A  stanch  Republican  in  politics, 
Mr.  Schulte  has  served  as  delegate  to  local  and 
state  conventions  and  has  been  a  member  of  the 
county  committee,  also  chairman  of  the  city  cen- 
tral and  county  central  committees.  In  1893  he 
was  elected,  on  the  Republican  ticket,  to  repre- 
sent the  third  ward   in    the  city  council.     Two 


years  later  he  was  re-elected,  serving  from  April, 
1893,  to  April,  1897.  During  his  connection  with 
the  council  he  was  active  on  different  committees, 
and  for  one  year  served  as  chairman  on  the  ways 
and  means  committee.  While  he  was  a  member  of 
the  council  the  bridge  across  the  Missouri  River 
and  terminal  improvements  were  built,  the  elec- 
tric street  railway  franchise  was  granted  and  the 
road  completed. 

Mr.  Schulte  was  born  in  Westphalia,  Germany, 
January  2,  1865.  He  was  the  first  of  the  family 
to  come  to  America,  and  crossed  from  Hamburg 
to  New  York  in  September,  1882.  For  two  years 
he  remained  in  New  York,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery.  In  1884  he  came 
to  Leavenworth  and  secured  employment  with 
Rohlfing  &  Co.,  with  whom  he  continued  until 
he  returned  on  a  visit  to  Germany.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Leavenworth  to  Sophia,  daughter  of 
Christian  Meyer,  who  settled  in  this  city  in  terri- 
torial days  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business. 
Mr.  Meyer  died  in  1887  and  two  years  later  Mr. 
Schulte  bought  the  grocery  business  which  he 
had  established. 


eUDLEY  H.  WIGGIN,  a  retired  dairj-man 
of  Wakarusa  Township,  Douglas  County, 
was  born  in  Carroll  County,  N.  H.,  April 
21,  1832,  a  son  of  Mark  Wiggin,  also  a  native  of 
New  Hampshire.  His  paternal  grandfather  was 
one  of  three  brothers  who  emigrated  from  Eng- 
land and  settled  in  the  northeastern  part  of  our 
country.  While  he  was  the  owner  of  a  farm, 
Mark  Wiggin  gave  his  attention  principally  to  the 
mason's  trade  and  was  known  as  one  of  the  best 
workmen  in  his  locality.  In  religion  he  was  a 
Congregationalist,  and,  in  politics,  favored  the 
Democratic  party.  He  died  in  1847,  one  year  be- 
fore his  wife's  death.  Of  their  six  children  two 
died  in  infancy,  Mark  in  1880,  and  George  about 
1875.  Hannah  P.,  who  is  eighty-two  years  of 
age,  and  our  subject  are  the  sole  survivors. 

In  boyhood  our  subject  had  few  advantages. 
He  attended  school  only  eight  weeks  out  of  the 
entire  year.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  went  to 
Salem,  Mass.,  and  learned  the  trade  of  brick- 
layer and  plasterer,  which  he  followed  in  that  city 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


66i 


for  a  year.  Later  he  went  to  Boston,  and  while 
holding  a  responsible  position  there,  as  foreman 
of  twenty  men,  he  determined  to  go  further  west, 
believing  the  change  would  be  beneficial  to  him 
financially.  Accordingly  he  removed  to  Cincin- 
nati. For  a  few  months  he  was  employed  on  the 
fast  mail  train  between  Cincinnati  and  Columbus, 
but,  owing  to  an  injury  to  his  eyes,  he  was  obliged 
to  resign  the  position  and  resume  his  trade.  He 
went  to  Lafayette,  Ind.,  and  from  there,  in  1856, 
removed  to  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  where,  and  in 
Salem,  Iowa,  he  spent  two  years  at  his  trade. 

During  the  spring  of  1858  Mr.  Wiggin  came  to 
Lawrence,  Kans.  Two  months  later  he  went  to 
Kansas  City,  and  there  he  followed  his  trade  un- 
til the  fall  of  1861,  when  he  again  came  to  Kan- 
sas. After  a  year  upon  a  farm  he  settled  in 
Lawrence,  where  he  built  up  a  good  trade  in  his 
chosen  occupation.  Many  of  the  principal  build- 
ings of  early  days  were  erected  under  his  super- 
vision, and  some  of  them  still  stand  on  Massachu- 
setts street;  he  also  built  many  of  the  residences 
of  those  days.  He  was  near  the  city  at  the  time 
of  the  Quantrell  raid,  but  escaped.  With  a  part- 
ner, in  1873,  he  went  to  the  Sac  and  Fox  agency, 
where  he  built  many  of  the  government  build- 
ings. With  others,  he  was  interested  in  erecting 
$40,000  worth  of  buildings  at  the  Cherokee 
agency.  When  that  work  was  completed  he  re- 
turned to  Lawrence.  Owing  to  poor  eyesight  he 
was  obliged  to  give  up  his  trade,  and  he  then 
started  in  the  dairy  business.  However,  his  eyes 
constantly  grew  worse,  and  he  became  threatened 
with  the  entire  loss  of  sight.  At  that  time,  in 
1877,  he  went  to  Iowa  and  took  a  cour.se  of  hy- 
giene treatment,  a  strict  diet  being  rigidly  ad- 
hered to.  While  this  treatment  caused  a  loss  of 
flesh,  it  saved  his  eyesight,  and  when  he  returned 
home  after  four  months  his  eyes  had  materially 
improved. 

In  1882  Mr.  Wiggin  bought  the  Worden  farm 
on  the  California  road,  where  his  son  now  resides. 
This  he  carried  on,  with  the  assistance  of  his  sons, 
until  1892,  when  the  propert}'  was  divided,  and 
his  son,  Frank,  has  since  conducted  the  place. 
He  is  now  living  retired,  on  a  farm  of  fifteen 
acres,  which  he  bought  in  1868.     The  hou.se  has 


been  enlarged  and  various  improvements  made,  so 
that  his  home  is  a  comfortable  one.  Its  location, 
one  mile  west  of  Lawrence,  is  convenient.  Here 
for  some  years  he  carried  on  a  dairy  business,  and 
when  he  closed  out  he  had  about  sixty  head  of 
cows,  besides  young  stock.  He  was  one  of  the 
incorporators  of  the  creamery  and  is  now  a  stock- 
holder in  the  same.  His  first  presidential  vote 
was  cast  for  John  C.  Fremont  and  he  has  since 
voted  the  Republican  ticket  at  all  elections.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  with  which 
his  family  is  also  identified. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Wiggin,  in  Kansas  City, 
April  22,  1859,  united  him  with  Priscilla  Baker, 
a  native  of  Uniontown,  Pa.  They  have  five 
children:  Frank  D. ,  who  was  born  June  7,  i860, 
and  is  engaged  in  the  dairy  business;  Ida  Belle, 
who  was  born  September  14,  1862,  and  is  the  wife 
of  J.  R.  Flasket,  a  farmer  of  this  township;  Bert, 
who  was  born  June  3,  1865,  and  is  now  engaged 
in  the  stock  business;  Henry  C,  who  was  born 
October  11,  1868,  and  is  now  living  in  Michigan; 
and  Alfred,  who  was  born  January  14,  1875,  and 
is  now  connected  with  Wilder  &  Co. ,  in  Lawrence. 


HON.  CHARLES  H.  TUCKER,  clerk  of  the 
district  court,  is  one  of  the  leading  Repub- 
licans of  Lawrence.  For  twentj'  years  or 
more  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  county  Repub- 
lican committee,  of  which  he  has  served  both  as 
chairman  and  secretary,  having  held  the  latter 
position  as  early  as  1878.  Frequently  he  has 
been  a  delegate  to  the  state  convention  of  his 
partj^  where  his  intelligence  and  judgment  have 
been  helpful  in  the  settlement  of  important  de- 
cisions. The  offices  to  which  he  has  been  elected 
have  been  filled  with  accuracj'  and  faithfulness, 
thus  winning  for  him  the  confidence  of  the  peo- 
pie. 

Born  in  County  Cornwall,  England,  May  6, 
1857,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  thirteen  years 
of  age  when  he  came  to  America,  settling  in 
Lawrence  in  September,  1870.  Here  he  spent  a 
year  in  the  public  school  and  was  employed  by 
M.  Newmark  &  Co.,  for  two  years.  From  1875 
to  1890  he  was  engaged  in  the  produce  commis- 


662 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sion  business  in  Lawrence,  the  firm  of  Andrews 
&  Tucker  having  a  store  on  Massachusetts,  and 
dealing  in  Colorado  and  California  fruits.  In 
1890  he  became  clerk  to  the  county  treasurer, 
J.  C.  Walton,  remaining  with  his  successor, 
A.  t,.  Cox,  and  at  the  same  time  for  four  years 
he  was  city  assessor.  In  the  fall  of  1894  he  was 
nominated  to  represent  the  fourteenth  (now  the 
thirteenth)  district  in  the  legislature  and  was 
elected  by  the  largest  majority  ever  given  any 
candidate  for  this  position  in  the  district.  Dur- 
ing the  session  of  1895  he  was  a  member  of  the 
ways  and  means  committee  and  aided  in  securing 
appropriations  for  the  University  of  Kansas,  also 
assisted  in  securing  the  election  of  United  States 
Senator  Baker.  In  1896  he  was  elected  clerk  of 
the  district  court  by  a  large  majority  and  took  . 
office  in  January,  1897.  The  following  year  he 
was  re-elected  by  an  increased  majority,  to  serve 
until  January,  1901. 

In  this  city  Mr.  Tucker  married  Miss  Jessie 
Flinn,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  and 
also  attended  the  university.  They  have  four 
children,  Oliver  Cromwell,  George  William, 
Dorothy  and  John  H.  In  religion  Mr.  Tucker 
adheres  to  the  faith  of  his  father,  who  was  a 
Methodist  minister.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security;  is  past 
officer  in  the  Modern  Woodmen  lodge,  and  past 
master  workman  in  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  in  which  he  has  also  been  a  repre- 
sentative to  the  grand  lodge. 


QENJAMIN  F.  EDWARDS.  The  pioneers 
IC\  of  Leavenworth  County  will  always  be  held 
L^  in  grateful  remembrance.  The  hardships 
and  privations  that  they  endured  in  the  early 
days  of  the  settlement  this  county  are  being  rec- 
ognized now  more  than  ever  before,  as  the  re- 
sults of  their  labors  are  every  year  becoming 
more  apparent.  Among  these  early  settlers  prom- 
inent mention  belongs  to  Benjamin  F.  Edwards, 
of  Kickapoo  Township.  In  the  spring  of  1855 
he  crossed  over  from  Missouri  to  Kansas  and  pre- 
empted a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
where  he  now  lives.     Building  a  cabin,  for  two 


years  or  more  he  kept  ' '  bachelor' s  hall. "  As  the 
years  passed  by  he  made  valuable  improvements 
on  the  place.  At  the  same  time  he  added  to  it  until 
at  this  writing  there  are  three  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  the  farm.  He  has  engaged  in  general 
farm  pursuits  and  in  the  stock  business,  making 
a  specialty  of  raising  Poland-China  hogs. 

In  Washington  County,  Tenn.,  in  1829,  our 
subject  was  born,  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Hop- 
kins) Edwards.  His  paternal  great-grandfather, 
Abel  Edwards,  emigrated  from  England  to  Amer- 
ica prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war  and  settled  in 
Virginia,  from  which  state  he  enlisted  in  the  col- 
onial army.  When  the  war  closed  he  removed 
to  Washington  County,  Tenn.,  and  took  up  large 
tracts  of  land.  About  the  same  time  his  brother, 
John,  settled  in  eastern  Kentucky.  Thomas,  son 
of  Abel  Edwards,  was  born  in  Virginia,  but  spent 
his  life  principally  in  Tennessee,  where  he  died 
in  1S50.  His  son,  John,  was  born  in  Tennessee 
in  1800,  and  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Washing- 
ton County,  where  he  owned  five  thousand  acres 
of  land  and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing. His  stock  grazed  for  miles  in  the  moun- 
tains, and  proved  a  profitable  source  of  revenue. 
During  the  Florida  war  he  was  captain  of  a 
Tennessee  state  company  that  served  under  Gen- 
eral Jackson.  Active  as  a  Whig  in  local  politics, 
he  held  a  number  of  offices,  among  them  those  of 
deputy  sheriff  and  justice  of  the  peace.  During 
the  war  his  sympathies  were  strongly  with  the 
Union,  and  he  was  killed  by  Rebel  soldiers  at  his 
home  in  1864.  His  body  was  laid  to  rest  on  the 
sixty-fourth  anniversary  of  his  birth. 

The  wife  of  Capt.  John  Edwards  was  born  in 
Alabama  and  was  a  granddaughter  of  Stephen 
Hopkins,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence. Benjamin  P.  Hopkins,  her  father,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  18 12,  serving  under  An- 
thony Wayne.  She  died  at  the  home  of  her  son, 
our  subject,  in  1888,  when  eighty-one  years  of 
age.  Her  nine  children  who  attained  maturity 
were  named  as  follows:  William,  of  Martins- 
ville, Ind. ;  Nancy  E.,  deceased;  Benjamin  F. ; 
Thomas,  who  lost  his  life  at  Stone  River,  while 
serving  in  the  Union  army;  Mrs.  Rebecca  Rick- 
man,  of  Nebraska;  John,  who  was  a  captain  in  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


663 


Third  North  Carolina  Infantry  during  the  Civil 
war  and  is  now  living  in  Rush  Count}',  Kans. ; 
Samuel  A.,  of  Carroll  County,  Mo.,  who  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Confederate  array  during  part  of 
the  war;  Sarah,  Mrs.  Henry  Simons;  and  Zachary 
T.,  living  in  Chautauqua  County,  Kans. 

When  eighteen  years  of  age  our  subject  volun- 
teered for  service  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  conflict,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  regular  array.  During  the  five 
years  of  his  service  he  was  stationed  in  different 
parts  of  New  Mexico  and  Colorado  and  assisted 
in  defending  the  western  settlers  from  the  depre- 
dations of  the  Pawnee  Indians.  More  than  once 
the  Indians  attacked  him  and  their  arrows  found 
lodgment  in  his  clothes.  He  was  raustered  out 
August  20,  1852,  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  After  a 
short  visit  to  his  old  home  he  started  for  Califor- 
nia, but  on  reaching  Missouri  settled  in  Bu- 
chanan County  and  engaged  in  farming  there. 
In  the  spring  of  1855  he  removed  to  Kansas,  where 
he  has  since  built  up  a  fine  farm  and  become  a 
prosperous  agriculturist.  Before  his  marriage, 
for  two  years  he  taught  school  during  the  winter 
months  and  farmed  in  summer. 

In  politics  Mr.  Edwards  is  a  Republican.  For 
four  years  he  held  the  office  of  deputy  sheriff  and 
he  has  also  filled  a  number  of  township  offices. 
In  1876  he  was  his  party's  candidate  for  the  leg- 
islature, but  was  defeated.  In  the  exciting  times 
before  the  Civil  war  he  was  outspoken  in  his  sup- 
port of  the  free-state  movement,  and  his  frank- 
ness brought  upon  him  the  enmity  of  pro-slavery 
men.  More  than  once  his  life  was  in  great 
danger  on  account  of  his  opposition  to  slavery, 
but,  while  he  was  aware  of  his  peril,  he  refused 
to  become  silently  acquiescent  to  southern  sym- 
pathizers. A  brave,  outspoken  man,  he  feared 
neither  friend  or  foe.     During  the  war  he  was  a 

■  member  of  Corapany  A,  Seventeenth  Kansas  In- 
fantry, and  also  acted  as  recruiting  officer  for  the 
Seventh  and  Fifteenth  Kansas  Cavalry.  Araong 
the  engagements  in  which  he  bore  a  part  were 
those  at  Westport,  Mo.,  Mine  Creek  and  New- 
tonia.  He  was  slightly  wounded  at  Westport, 
and,   while  in  the  Seventh,  was  disabled  by  the 

■  kick  of  a  horse.     He  is  a  meraber  of  Custer  Post 


No.  6,  G.  A.  R.  In  Kickapoo  Lodge  No.  4, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is  a  member,  he 
has  passed  all  of  the  chairs. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Edwards,  in  1857,  united 
him  with  Sarah  Jane  Dooley,  of  Platte  County, 
Mo.  They  have  ten  children,  namely:  Sarah, 
who  married  Joseph  Cleavinger;  Alice,  wife  of 
O.  T.  Sprong;  John,  a  farmer;  William  Grant, 
who  resides  with  his  parents;  Albert  M.,  a  far- 
mer of  Leavenworth  County;  Ida,  Mrs.  John 
Sprong;  Agnes,  wife  of  George  H.  Faulkner; 
Benjamin  F.,  Jr.;  Myrtle  and  Lyman.  The 
family  attend  the  Christian  Church. 


I  ANSING  VAN  VOORHIS,  a  farmer  of 
I  C  Douglas  County,  came  to  Kansas  in  1880, 
12  hoping  that  the  climate  might  prove  advan- 
tageous to  his  health,  which  had  been  injured  by 
his  service  in  the  Civil  war.  Purchasing  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his  present  farm  in 
Wakarusa  Township  he  has  since  given  his  at- 
tention to  agricultural  pursuits.  At  the  time  of 
his  settlement  here  thirty  acres  of  the  farm  were 
still  covered  with  timber,  and  no  improvements 
had  been  made  in  any  portion  of  the  property. 
At  once  he  set  about  the  task  of  clearing  the  land 
and  preparing  it  for  cultivation.  The  work  re- 
quired constant  effort  and  untiring  labor,  but  it 
was  not  done  in  vain,  for  he  now  has  a  valuable 
homestead.  He  erected  a  residence  and  barn, 
built  fences,  set  out  an  orchard,  and  in  1890  built 
a  tenant  house.  All  the  conveniences  of  a 
modern  farm  may  now  be  found  on  the  place. 
Besides  his  agricultural  interests  he  was  for 
some  time  connected  with  the  Soldiers'  Home  at 
Dodge  City,  Kans.  In  1892  he  was  appointed  a 
raember  of  the  board  of  managers  and  later  was 
chosen  president  of  the  board,  while  for  six 
months  he  also  acted  as  coraniandant  of  the  home, 
which  at  the  time  had  between  four  and  five 
hundred  inmates. 

Maj.  Rowe  Van  Voorhis,  who  founded  this  fam- 
ily in  America,  came  from  Holland  in  1663  and 
settled  in  Fishkill,  N.  Y.,  afterward  taking  an 
active  part  in  the  early  wars  of  the  country.  His 
descendants  served  in  the  Revolution  and  other 


664 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


wars.  They  were  people  of  prominence  and 
held  positions  of  trust  in  New  York  and  other 
states.  Our  subject's  grandfather,  Court  Van 
Voorhis,  a  farmer,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Otsego  County,  N.  Y. ,  where  his  second  son, 
James,  was  a  farmer,  an  active  worker  in  the 
Whig  party  and  the  incumbent  of  local  offices. 
By  the  latter' s  marriage  to  Jane  Magee  ten  chil- 
dren were  born,  nine  of  whom  attained  maturity, 
viz.:  Caroline,  deceased;  L,eroy,  who  lives  at 
Templeton,  S.  Dak.;  Abraham,  formerly  a  physi- 
cian, now  deceased;  Edelmer,  a  farmer  in  Orleans 
County,  N.  Y. ;  Adoniram,  who  died  in  boyhood; 
Lansing,  our  subject,  who  was  born  in  Otsego 
County,  N.  Y.,  January  14,  1839;  Maribah,  Cora 
and  Adelaide.  Our  subject's  great-grandfather 
on  the  maternal  side  established  the  Magee  family 
in  America  and  taught  the  first  English  school  in 
Albany,  N.  Y.  His  son,  John  Magee,  our  sub- 
ject's grandfather,  enlisted  at  sixteen  years  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  after  its  close  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Otsego  County. 

When  nineteen  years  of  age  our  subject  com- 
menced to  teach  school,  which  occupation  he  fol- 
lowed at  intervals  until  he  was  thirty-six.  He 
remained  in  New  York  state  until  his  removal  to 
Kansas.  In  August,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Third  New  York  Cavalry,  being  a  raw  recruit  in 
an  old  regiment  inured  to  hard  marches  and 
fatiguing  experiences.  This  was  the  regiment 
which  led  the  charge  at  Richmond  and  gained 
fame  on  many  a  bloody  battlefield.  His  service, 
however,  was  principally  in  vidette  duty.  Since 
the  organization  of  the  Grand  Array  he  has  been 
identified  with  it.  In  politics  a  Democrat,  he 
has  served  as  delegate  to  many  conventions. 
Although  his  locality  is  Republican,  the  influence 
of  his  personality  was  sufficient  to  secure  his 
election  to  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  He 
is  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Baptist  Church 
and  during  much  of  the  time  since  he  came  west 
he  has  taught  the  Bible  class.  He  is  connected 
with  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution  and  served  as 
vice-president  of  the  state  branch  in  his  congres- 
sional district. 

By  his  marriage  to  Electa  Jane  Brown,  which 
was  solemnized  in  New  York  March  7,  1861,  he 


has  three  daughters.  Lena  A.  is  the  wife  of  Olin 
Templin,  one  of  the  faculty  of  the  University  of 
Kansas;  both  are  graduates  of  this  university  and 
after  their  marriage  spent  two  years  in  study  in 
Germany.  The  second  daughter,  Cora  A.,  re- 
sides with  her  parents.  The  youngest,  Myrtie 
M.,  is  the  wife  of  B.  M.  Gregory,  who  is  a 
farmer  in  Wakarusa  Township,  also  an  active 
politician,  and  at  one  time  served  as  clerk  of  the 
district  court. 


Gj  LBERT  C.  SHINN.  The  farm  and  stock 
LI  interests  of  Franklin  County  have  an  in- 
/  I  fluential  and  prosperous  representative  in 
Mr.  Shinn,  a  well-known  resident  of  Hayes 
Township.  Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war,  in  which  he  served  with  faithfulness,  he 
came  to  Kansas  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  a 
suitable  location  for  a  home.  In  March,  1866, 
he  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Hayes 
Township.  The  land  was  then  raw  and  un- 
broken. He  set  about  the  task  of  improving  the 
place,  which  he  placed  under  good  cultivation. 
From  time  to  time  he  added  to  it  until  he  now 
owns  five  hundred  acres,  all  in  one  body.  Short- 
horn cattle,  Poland-China  hogs  and  standard- 
bred  horses  may  be  seen  upon  his  farm,  with 
descendants  that  have  records  between  2:16  and 
2:14. 

Born  in  Harrison  County,  W.  Va.,  October  12, 
1842,  Mr.  Shinn  is  a  son  of  John  K.  and  Tabitha 
(Ogden)  Shinn,  and  was  one  of  twelve  children, 
of  whom  three  sons  are  in  Kansas.  His  father,  a 
native  of  Harrison  County,  engaged  in  farming 
there,  but  in  1848  removed  to  Illinois,  of  which 
he  was  a  pioneer.  In  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig 
and  later  a  Republican.  When  our  subject  was 
twenty  years  old,  in  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany G,  Twelfth  Illinois  Cavalry,  which  was 
assigned  to  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  and  after 
it  was  veteranized  the  regiment  was  ordered  to 
the  department  of  the  Mississippi.  His  service 
was  such  as  to  reflect  credit  upon  his  valor  and 
his  patriotism.  Since  the  war  he  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Grand  Army. 

In  political  matters  Mr.  Shinn  stands  by  him- 
self,  not  adhering  to  the  lines  of  any  party,  but 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


665 


I 


believing  firmly  in  the  declaration  of  independ- 
ence, the  principles  of  abolition  and  the  free 
coinage  of  silver.  To  the  last-named  cause  he 
has  given  thought,  time  and  attention.  Fond  of 
reading  and  having  a  good  library,  he  has  kept 
well  posted  concerning  the  issues  which  the  peo- 
ple confront,  and  has  never  idly  drifted  with  the 
tide  of  public  opinion,  but  has  been  an  original 
thinker.  Since  the  American  bimetallic  union 
was  organized  in  18S9  he  has  been  one  of  its  act- 
ive members,  and  he  is  still  connected  with  its 
national  committee.  He  was  one  of  the  Weaver 
electors  and  his  name  appeared  on  the  Alliance 
state  ticket  in  1890.  His  influence  has  been  felt 
in  his  community  in  the  promotion  of  local  en- 
terprises and  the  increased  prosperity  of  this  lo- 
cality. During  the  existence  of  the  Grange  and 
the  Alliance  he  bore  prominent  parts  in  both. 

October  7,  1865,  Mr.  Shinn  married  Frances  E. 
Bride,  of  Illinois.  They  are  the  parents  of  five 
children,  namely:  Tabitha  Eveline,  wife  of  O.  E. 
Haley;  Esther  A.,  who  married  John  M.  Conard; 
Phoebe  Clara,  Mrs.  W.  A.  Rodgers;  Jacob  Elwin, 
of  Linn  County,  who  has  built  up  a  business  in 
abstracts  of  title;  and  Clay  Bride,  at  home. 


IlLLIAM  R.  WILLIAMS,  who  came  to 
Lawrence  in  1879,  has  since  made  his 
home  in  this  city.  In  that  year  he  in- 
vented, patented  and  copyrighted  Williams'  per- 
fection tailor  system  of  dress-cutting,  and  since 
then  he  has  added  new  features  and  made  many 
improvements,  which  also  have  been  copyrighted. 
This  system  he  has  introduced  all  over  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  and  even  into  South  Africa 
and  parts  of  Europe.  He  is  a  man  of  inventive 
genius  and  hence  is  deeply  interested  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  invention  and  discovery.  Since 
settling  in  Kansas  he  has  given  some  attention  to 
stock-raising.  He  owns  a  farm  of  four  hundred 
acres  in  Wakarusa  Township,  Douglas  County, 
nine  miles  southwest  of  Lawrence,  on  the  old 
Washington  creek  bottom.  This  property  he 
has  improved  by  substantial  buildings  and  on  it 
he  has  engaged  in  raising  Hereford  cattle  and 


other  fine  stock.  He  also  owns  a  farm  near 
Lawrence  and  considerable  property  in  the  city. 
A  director  in  the  old  Douglas  County  Bank, 
when  it  was  merged  into  the  Lawrence  National 
Bank  he  remained  on  the  directorate  of  the  latter 
institution. 

In  Swansea,  Glamorganshire,  South  Wales, 
our  subject  was  born  July  22,  1848,  and  was  one 
of  five  children,  of  whom  two  besides  himself  are 
living:  Mrs.  Elizabeth  E.  Button,  of  Hastings, 
Neb.,  and  Daniel  T.  (a  member  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Thirty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry  during 
the  Civil  war),  of  Morris,  111.  The  father,  Will- 
iam, son  of  William,  Sr. ,  was  born  near  Cardiff, 
South  Wales,  and  was  employed  on  the  butte 
docks  in  his  native  town.  In  1850  he  brought 
his  family  to  America,  settling  at  Morris,  Grundy 
County,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in  contracting 
and  building  until  his  death,  in  1S65.  He  mar- 
ried Mary,  daughter  of  Richard  Williams,  who 
was  a  shoe  manufacturer  at  Merthyr-Tydvil, 
South  Wales.  She  was  born  there  and  died  in 
Morris,  111.,  in  1884,  at  seventy-four  years  of 
age.  Though  bearing  the  same  family  name, 
she  was  not  related  to  the  gentleman  whose  wife 
she  became. 

When  two  years  of  age  our  subject  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  America  on  a  sailing- 
vessel,  "James  Wright,"  which  spent  six  weeks 
and  two  days  between  Liverpool  and  New  York. 
He  was  educated  in  Mount  Morris  Seminary  and 
in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Normal,  111.,  and 
paid  his  own  expenses  partly  by  teaching  school. 
Upon  leaving  the  normal  he  secured  employ- 
ment as  traveling  salesman,  and  for  several  years 
followed  this  vocation,  his  route  being  in  Illi- 
nois, Indiana  and  Michigan.  Since  then  he  has 
made  Lawrence  his  home,  and  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  business  and  agricultural  inter- 
ests of  Douglas  County.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Hereford  Cattle  Breeders'  Association. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  For  two  terms 
he  served  in  the  city  council  from  the  second 
ward;  and  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
city  property  and  enthusiastically  in  favor  of  the 
plan  of  placing  a  fountain  in  the  city  park.  He 
is  treasurer  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Method- 


666 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ist  Episcopal  Church  and  served  upon  the  build- 
ing committee  at  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the 
new  church. 

In  Wilmington,  Will  County,  111.,  February  3, 
1872,  Mr.  Williams  married  Miss  Martha  A. 
Stowell,  who  was  born  in  that  county;  she  is  a 
daughter  of  Charles  Stowell,  a  farmer,  who  was 
somewhat  versed  in  law  and  was  called  upon  to 
serve  for  several  years  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  namely:  Arthur  R.,  who  graduated 
from  the  department  of  law.  University  of  Kan- 
sas, in  1899;  Roger  M.,  a  student  in  the  high 
school;  and  Rolland  R. 


EHARLES  F.  AVENARIUS.  The  name  of 
this  family  was  originally  Haverman,  but 
about  four  hundred  years  ago,  in  the  time  of 
Luther,  a  learned  professor  of  Leipsic  changed  it 
to  the  Latin  language,  the  Haver  becoming 
Avena,  to  which  was  added  the  Latin  terminal 
'  'ins. ' '  Under  the  Latin  name  his  descendants  have 
since  been  known.  Ernst  Phillip  Avenarius  was 
born  in  Dietz-Nassau,  Germany,  and  was  edu- 
cated for  the  medical  profession  in  his  native 
land,  after  which  he  engaged  in  practice  at 
Dinxperlo,  Holland.  Next  in  line  of  descent 
was  Dr.  Bernard  T.  Avenarius,  who  was  born  in 
Dinxperlo,  Gelderland,  Holland,  in  1777,  and 
married  Hendrina  Luimes.  G.  B.  Avenarius 
was  born  in  18 18  in  Dinxperlo  and  in  boyhood 
learned  the  baker's  trade.  In  1864  he  brought 
his  family  to  America,  and  the  following  year 
settled  in  Waupun.Wis. ,  where  he  carried  on  the 
Exchange  hotel.  In  1870  he  came  to  Kansas 
and  took  up  a  homestead  and  pre-emption  claim 
near  Tescott,  Ottawa  County,  to  which  he  after- 
ward added,  becoming  the  owner  of  about  two 
sections  of  land,  where  he  carried  on  a  cattle  and 
sheep  business.  Now  retired  from  active  cares 
he  is  making  his  home  with  his  son,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  For  two  terms  he  served  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  In  religion  he  is  a  Lutheran. 
He  married  Antoinetta  Kaiser,  who  was  born  in 
Amsterdam,  Holland,  a  daughter  of  Heinrich 
Kaiser,   and    died   in  Tescott,  Ottawa    County, 


March  31,  1894.  There  were  in  the  family  nine 
children,  all  but  two  of  whom  attained  mature 
years  and  six  are  now  living.  The  oldest  son, 
Beuhard  T. ,  died  in  Topeka,  Kans.  Mrs.  Boland 
lives  in  Claflin,  Kans.;  Henry  J.,  in  Catherin, 
Colo.;  Charles  F.;  Mrs.  Thompson  makes  her 
home  in  Tescott,  Kans. ;  Gerrit  A.  is  a  photog- 
rapher in  Ellsworth,  this  state;  and  Mrs.  Allet 
Needham  lives  in  Catherin,  Colo. 

The  third  of  the  sons,  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Gelderland,  Holland,  September  15,  1854.  In 
1864,  with  the  others  of  the  family,  he  left  Rot- 
terdam for  London  by  steamer,  and  from  London 
crossed  the  ocean  in  a  sailing  vessel,  which  ar- 
rived in  New  York  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks. 
In  the  spring  of  1865  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Waupun,  Wis.,  where  he  attended  school.  In 
the  fall  of  1870  the  family  came  overland  to  Kan- 
sas, spending  six  weeks  on  the  road  and  buying 
a  herd  of  cattle  near  St.  Joe,  Mo.  He  at  once 
began  to  assist  in  herding  the  cattle,  in  which 
bu.siness  he  continued  until  1881.  He  then  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business  at  Ellsworth.  In 
March,  1884,  he  came  to  Ottawa,  and  entered 
the  emploj'  of  R.  C.  Campbell,  with  whom  he 
continued  for  eighteen  months,  after  which  he 
spent  a  similar  period  with  William  B.  Kiler. 
The  latter  was  burned  out  in  June,  1887,  and 
shortly'  afterward  the  firm  of  Kiler  &  Avenarius 
was  formed  and  bought  a  livery  barn  on  Second 
and  Hickory  streets.  After  eight  months  Mr. 
Avenarius  sold  out  to  Mr.  Kiler  and  bought  the 
old  Mammoth,  which  he  carried  on  for  a  short 
time.  Next  he  bought  the  Cannon  Ball  stables, 
in  which  he  had  worked  for  $12  a  month  on  com- 
ing to  Ottawa.  On  buying  this  property,  in  the 
spring  of  1896,  he  moved  his  rolling  stock  here, 
refitted  and  painted  the  barn,  and  made  it  the 
finest  in  the  city.  He  is  well  posted  concerning 
horses  and  has  some  fine  ones  in  his  barn. 
Among  them  is  South  Side  Medium,  Reg. 
No.  31284,  who  won  the  three-year-old  trot  of 
Frankhn  County,  and  made  a  trial  record  of  2:28 
at  that  age,  also  won  second  premium  at  Mober- 
ly,  Mo.,  in  the  stallion  roadster  class,  over  a  field 
often  stallions  of  all  ages,  and  has  taken  the  first 
premium  for  best  stallion   roadster  at  the  Frank- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


667 


liii  County  fair  ever  since  he  was  six  months  old, 
also  took  first  premium  in  Miami  County  in  1898. 
This  stallion  is  a  brown  roan,  sixteen  and  one- 
half  hands  high,  and  weighs  one  thousand  and 
one  hundred  pounds.  Without  doubt  no  finer 
stallion  has  ever  been  brought  to  this  section 
His  pedigree  is  as  follows:  Happy  Heir,  bred  by 
B.  J.  Tracy,  of  Lexington,  Ky.,  sire  of  fifteen 
stallions  with  fine  records  for  speed;  and  Amor- 
ette,  registered  in  the  great  brood  mare  list; 
Happy  Heir  sired  by  Happy  Medium  (sire  of 
Nancy  Hanks),  dam  Heiress;  Happy  Medium 
sired  b}'  Hambletonian,  sired  by  Abdallah,  by 
Mambrino.  The  pedigree  is  not  only  noted  for 
speed,  but  also  for  size,  soundness,  high  breeding 
and  other  valuable  qualities.  Among  the  other 
horses  owned  by  Mr.  Avenarius  are  Sunshine 
Wilkes  by  Favorite  Wilkes;  and  Croppy  P. ,  Reg. 
No.  16364,  which  has  a  colt,  Cannon  Ball  Me- 
dium, sired  by  South  Side  Medium,  and  the  fin- 
est colt  in  the  city. 

Politically  Mr.  Avenarius  is  a  Democrat  and  a 
member  of  the  county  committee  of  his  party. 
He  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
Octobers,  1886,  at  Tescott,  Kans. ,  he  married 
Miss  Anna  B.  Zaugg,  who  was  born  in  Berne, 
Switzerland,  and  accompanied  a  brother  to  Kan- 
sas. She  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
to  which  Mr.  Avenarius  contributes.  They  have 
one  child,  Lena  A. 


n  ACOB  RODENHAUS,  who  has  been  identi- 
I  fied  with  the  history  of  Kansas  since  1856,  was 
(2/  born  in  Marlnirg,  Kur-Hessen,  Germany, 
January  20,  1833,  a  son  of  John  and  Margarita 
(Peters)  Rodenhaus,  also  natives  of  Kur-Hessen. 
His  father,  who  was  the  son  of  a  soldier  in  the 
Napoleonic  wars,  engaged  in  farm  pursuits  in  his 
native  place  until  he  died.  In  the  family  there 
were  six  children  who  attained  years  of  maturity 
and  four  of  these  are  now  living,  one  son  being 
in  South  Dakota.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
reared  in  Marburg  and  received  his  education  in 
a  gymnasium.  In  1852  he  went  to  Liverpool, 
where  he  embarked  on  a  sailing  vessel,  and  after 
twenty-three    days  he    arrived    in    New   York. 


Going  to  New  Bremen,  Ohio,  he  joined  an  uncle, 
Mr.  Metz,  and  afterward  clerked  in  a  general 
store  there.  In  1855  he  went  to  Dayton,  Ohio, 
where  he  worked  in  a  grocery  for  a  year. 

May,  1856,  found  Mr.  Rodenhaus  in  Kansas, 
desirous  to  do  his  part  toward  making  it  a  free 
state.  From  Kansas  City  he  came  to  Leaven- 
worth, thence  went  to  the  border  counties  and 
spent  six  months  trying  to  get  hold  of  land,  re- 
turning to  Ohio  in  the  fall.  The  spring  of  1857 
found  him  again  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  was 
employed  as  a  waiter  in  the  Planters'  hotel,  kept 
by  McCarthy  &  McMecken,  remaining  in  that 
position  until  Smith  &  Rice  bought  the  hotel. 
He  then  went  to  the  Osaukee  land  sale  and  bought 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  sold  seven 
days  afterward  at  a  profit  of  $150.  Then,  in 
company  with  a  man  from  Iowa,  he  traveled  by 
team  through  Kansas,  and  in  Anderson  County, 
near  Greeley,  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land.  In  company  with  six  men  he  lo- 
cated claims  and  then  sold  them.  Mount  Gilead, 
one-half  mile  from  Greeley,  was  occupied  by 
General  Blount.  The  men  located  claims  around 
Shannon  City  (now  Garrett)  and  sold  them  at 
good  prices  in  the  fall.  Going  to  Lecompton  in 
the  fall,  Mr.  Rodenhaus  pre-empted  his  land  with 
a  land  warrant  and  engaged  with  Hoyt  in  selling 
land  warrants.  Next  returning  to  Leavenworth, 
he  stopped  at  the  Mansion  house,  the  headquar- 
ters of  General  Lane,  and  whose  proprietor  was 
a  Mr.  Perry,  a  radical  Abolitionist.  In  1858  he 
voted  at  polls  on  the  corner  of  Shawnee  and 
Main  streets.  This  was  the  most  exciting  elec- 
tion he  ever  experienced.  The  climax  between 
the  free-state  and  pro-slaver}'  parties  had  been 
reached,  and,  to  keep  the  peace,  the  town  had 
been  placed  under  the  protection  of  the  military 
from  the  fort.  The  election  brought  victory  to 
the  free-state  party,  but  did  not  end  the  disturb- 
ances between  the  two  factions,  trouble  contin- 
uing until  the  war  closed.  During  the  existence 
of  the  Union  League  Mr.  Rodenhaus  was  one  of 
its  members,  under  Colonel  Clough. 

About  the  time  of  purchasing  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  Johnson  County  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty   acres  in  Pottawatomie   County,  Mr. 


668 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Rodenhaus  also  opened  a  cigar  store  on  Second 
street,  between  Delaware  and  Shawnee,  in  Leav- 
enworth. In  1859  and  i860  he  clerked  in  the 
Leavenworth  house  on  Cherokee  street,  after 
which  he  conducted  a  billiard  hall  on  Delaware 
street  for  two  j'ears.  When  the  war  broke  out 
he  bought  for  $1 75  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  of  land, 
near  Olathe,  from  Captain  Kimball,  who  raised 
a  company  of  volunteers  with  the  monej' he  re- 
ceived; this  property  he  afterward  sold  at  a  good 
profit.  In  1863  he  occupied  what  afterward  be- 
came the  county  poor  farm.  In  1864  he  was  pro- 
prietor of  a  restaurant  on  Delaware  street,  be- 
tween Second  and  Third.  After  nine  months  in 
that  business  he  started  a  store  on  the  corner  of 
Lawrence  street  and  Pennsylvania  avenue,  and 
this,  in  1874,  he  sold  toGusSchmeckel,  who  had 
been  his  clerk  for  years.  In  1871  he  visited  his 
relatives  and  friends  in  Germany,  and  in  1875 
took  a  trip  to  California.  For  nine  months  in 
1876  he  engaged  in  the  hide  business,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1877  he  became  interested  in  the  pork-pack- 
ing business  with  William  Wettig. 

At  the  time  of  the  Deadwood  excitement,  in 
1877,  Mr.  Rodenhaus  shipped  his  pork  to  that 
place,  taking  it  b)^  rail  to  Cheyenne  (by  way  of 
Denver) ,  and  thence  by  team  three  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles  to  Deadwood.  From  1877  to 
1885  he  was  in  partnership  with  his  brother  in  a 
store,  but  in  the  latter  j'ear  sold  out  to  his  brother 
and  started  in  the  cattle  business  in  South  Da- 
kota, having  as  partners  Messrs.  Herman,  Lange, 
Stein  and  Pryzbylowicz.  At  the  same  time  he 
engaged  in  mining  and  in  buying  and  selling 
farms  and  town  property.  Every  year  he  spent 
several  months  in  Deadwood.  This  trip  he  made 
by  stage  from  Cheyenne,  Sidney  and  Fort  Pierre, 
and  later,  via  railroad,  over  the  Elkhorn  and  the 
Burlington  &  Missouri.  These  long  trips  on 
stage  coaches  were  not  only  tedious,  but  even 
dangerous,  owing  to  the  number  of  robbers  who 
laid  in  wait  for  the  coaches.  However,  only  once 
was  the  coach  in  which  Mr.  Rodenhaus  traveled 
held  up  by  road  "agents."  At  that  time  there 
were  nine  passengers,  but  the  men  had  been 
shrewd  enough  to  bring  with  them  only  enough 
monej'  to  pay  for  their   meals,  so  the  robbers  se- 


cured nothing  from  them.  However,  the  onlj' 
lady  passenger  in  the  party  had  $250  which  she 
was  bringing  with  her  from  California  and  this 
mone}'  they  secured. 

The  possessions  of  Mr.  Rodenhaus  include 
farms  in  Delaware  and  High  Prairie  Townships, 
residence  property  in  Leavenworth,  a  store  build- 
ing in  Deadwood  and  a  farm  near  that  town,  also 
stock  in  the  Leavenworth  Mutual  Building  &  Loan 
Association .  He  was  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Ger- 
man Bank  and  the  Plummer  Evaporating  Com- 
pany, which  are  now  out  of  existence,  and  German 
Building  Verein  Association.  In  Leavenworth 
he  married  Miss  Gertrude  Feldhausen,  who  was 
born  in  Germany,  and  accompanied  her  parents 
to  America,  settling  first  in  Green  Bay,  Wis. 
Their  union  has  resulted  in  the  birth  of  seven 
children,  viz.:  Mrs.  Minnie  Sutorius,  of  Kansas 
City,  Mo.;  Mrs.  Annie  Schmeckel,  of  Leaven- 
worth; Jacob  H.,  who  is  a  conductor  on  the  city 
street  railroad;  Mrs.  Lottie  Mueller,  of  St.  Louis, 
Mo.;  Mrs.  Frances  Sutorius,  of  Omaha;  Mrs. 
Etta  Armstead,  of  Leavenworth;  and  Eugene, 
now  at  school  in  St.  Louis. 

In  early  life  Mr.  Rodenhaus  was  a  Whig. 
After  he  came  to  Kansas  he  was  a  free-state  Re- 
publican, and  he  is  proud  of  the  fact  that  he  has 
voted  for  every  Republican  presidential  candidate 
from  the  time  he  had  a  right  to  vote  up  to  the 
present  time.  From  1883  to  1894,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  two  years,  he  was  city  assessor.  In 
1894,  on  the  Republican  ticket,  he  was  elected 
county  commissioner  for  the  second  district,  and 
served  from  January,  1895,  to  Januarj',  1898,  be- 
ing chairman  of  the  committees  and  the  most  ac- 
tive member  of  the  board.  At  the  same  time  he 
was  a  commissioner  of  the  poor  for  the  city.  He 
is  a  director  of  the  Sick  Relief  Societj',  financial 
secretary  and  trustee  of  the  Turn  Verein,  a  past 
grand  officer  in  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  for  twenty  years  a  member  of  the 
volunteer  fire  company  of  Leavenworth,  of  which 
he  served  during  part  of  the  time  as  secretary.  In 
the  early  days  of  his  residence  in  the  west  he  be- 
longed to  a  military  company  under  Captain 
Zesh,  and  was  orderl}'  sergeant,  under  Captain 
Mehle,  at  the  time  the  company  took  part  in  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


669 


march  against  Price,  he  being  assigned  with  Bat- 
tery A  and  three  cannons, to  Shawneetowu.  His 
long  and  intimate  counection  with  the  history  of 
Leavenworth  entitles  him  to  rank  among  its 
foremost  and  honored  pioneers,  to  whose  self- 
sacrificing  efforts  the  present  generation  owes  a 
debt  of  gratitude  that  can  never  be 'paid.  He 
has  proved  himself  a  loyal  citizen  of  his  adopted 
country,  and  is  one  of  the  most  patriotic  citizens 
of  the  great  commonwealth  of  Kansas. 


rr  LI  J.  WHERRY,  a  farmer  of  Eudora  Town- 
rt)  ship,  Douglas  County,  residing  at  No.  1040 
L_,  Vermont  street,  Lawrence,  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  Pa.,  March  i,  1844,  a  son 
of  James  and  Catherine  (Patterson)  Wherry,  na- 
tives of  the  same  county.  The  Wherry  family 
originated  in  Wales,  but  several  generations  re- 
sided in  Switzerland,  from  which  country  one  of 
the  name  emigrated  to  America  prior  to  the  Rev- 
olutionary war,  becoming  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Washington  County.  In  the  latter 
county,  John,  a  son  of  the  emigrant,  was  born, 
reared,  married  and  engaged  in  farm  pursuits 
until  his  death.  James,  who  was  a  son  of  John 
Wherry,  spent  his  entire  life  on  a  farm  which  was 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  county  and  which  he 
successfully  cultivated.  During  the  existence  of 
the  Whig  party  he  supported  its  principles  and 
after  its  disintegration  he  became  a  Republican. 
Though  active  in  politics  he  never  aspired  to 
office.  His  death  occurred  when  he  was  seventy 
years  of  age,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1894,  at 
the  old  homestead,  where  some  of  the  family  still 
live.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  still  living. 

The  third  son  of  the  family  was  Eli  J.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  He  received  such  advan- 
tages as  common  schools  afforded.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-one  he  came  west  to  Kansas  and  set- 
tled in  Douglas  County,  first  following  the  car- 
penter's trade  in  Eudora.  In  1867  he  moved  to 
Johnson  County  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land, 
upon  which  he  made  his  home  for  twenty  years. 
In  1887  he  came  to  Lawrence  in  order  that  his 
children  might  enjoy   the   splendid   educational 


advantages  which  this  city  aflFords.  He  still 
owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Johnson 
County,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  acres  in 
Douglas  County,  and  gives  his  attention  closely 
to  the  supervision  of  his  properties  and  the  rais- 
ing of  stock.  At  one  time  he  was  a  Republican, 
but  now  he  is  active  in  the  Prohibition  party  and 
works  earnestly  in  behalf  of  the  temperance  cause. 
During  almost  the  entire  period  of  his  residence  in 
Kansas  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  Besides  his  property  in  this  state  he  is 
the  owner  of  real  estate  in  Chillicothe,  Mo.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Eudora  Cream- 
ery Company.  Both  he  and  his  family  are  active 
in  the  work  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  he  also  contributes  to  other  worthy  move- 
ments for  the  benefit  of  religion,  education  or 
morality.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 

December  i,  1864,  Mr.  Wherry  married  Fran- 
ces A.,  daughter  of  Henry  Weaver,  to  whom 
reference  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  John  F. 
Weaver.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  by  five 
children,  named  as  foUotvs:  Jennie,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Charles  Jewett;  Curtis  A.,  a  practicing 
physician  of  Ogden,  Utah;  Stiles  W. ,  who  is  a 
dental  graduate  and  now  practices  his  profession 
in  Ogden;  Arthur  C,  a  graduate  of  Lawrence 
high  school;  and  Linley  P.,  the  two  last  named 
being  still  with  their  parents. 


HON.  JOHN  H.  HARRISON,  probate  judge 
of  Franklin  County,  was  born  near  Ladoga, 
Montgomery  County,  Ind.,  February  22, 
1830,  a  son  of  Robert  and  Mary  (Hammer)  Har- 
rison, natives  of  North  Carolina.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Abraham  Harrison,  was  born  in 
North  Carolina,  of  English  descent,  and  be- 
longed to  a  prominent  Quaker  family  of  the 
south.  The  maternal  grandfather,  Isaac  Ham- 
mer, was  also  identified  with  the  Society  of 
Friends  in  North  Carolina  and  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation. 

Near  Guilford  Courthouse,  in  Randolph  Coun- 
ty, N.  C,  Robert  Harrison  was  born  in  1786.  At 
twenty-one  years  of  age  he  removed  to  Ohio  and 


670 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


settled  near  Dayton,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. Next  he  went  to  Indiana,  where  he  culti- 
vated a  farm  and  also  followed  the  cooper's  trade. 
When  a  young  man  he  took  part  in  the  war  of 
181 2.  He  was  a  Baptist  in  religious  belief  and  a 
man  of  philanthropic  spirit  and  kind  heart.  He 
died  in  1839,  and  was  long  survived  by  his  wife, 
who  passed  away  in  1875.  They  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  namely:  Allen,  who  is  living  in 
Montgomery  County,  Ind.;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bald- 
win, who  died  in  Indiana;  Mrs.  Cortney  Hostet- 
ter,  who  died  in  Indiana;  Mrs.  Sarah  Brookshire, 
who  resides  in  that  state;  Robert,  who  died  at 
twenty  seven  years;  and  John  H.  The  last- 
named  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  and  at- 
tended a  subscription  school  held  in  a  log  build- 
ing, with  slab  benches,  puncheon  floor,  and  a 
writing  desk  that  ran  along  the  side  of  the  wall. 
It  was  in  such  a  school  as  this  that  he  taught  for 
a  time.  He  possessed  ability  as  a  mechanic  and 
early  worked  at  that  occupation,  later  devoting 
himself  especially  to  carpentering.  It  was  his 
custom  to  go  into  the  woods,  hew  the  timber, 
haul  it  to  the  saw-mill,  then  take  the  lumber  and 
use  it  in  the  construction  of  bridges,  barns,  etc. 

Coming  to  Kansas  in  1869  Mr.  Harrison  bought 
a  farm  five  miles  south  of  Wellsville,  and  the 
next  year  he  located  his  family  there.  For  a 
time  he  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  the  culti- 
vation of  his  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  and  in  a  few  years  he  bought  other  farm 
property.  After  some  time  he  resumed  contract- 
ing and  building,  and  soon  became  known  as  an 
expert  in  this  business.  On  the  People's  party 
ticket,  in  1894,  he  was  nominated  for  probate 
judge,  but  was  defeated  by  one  hundred  and  fifty 
votes.  Two  years  later  he  was  again  the  nomi- 
nee of  the  Populists  and  fusion  Democrats,  and 
this  time  he  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  almost 
four  hundred.  In  1898  he  was  again  nominated 
and  elected,  his  term  to  expire  January,  1901. 
He  has  bought  property  in  Ottawa,  where  he  ex- 
pects to  make  his  permanent  home. 

In  Indiana  Miss  Nancy  Wilson,  daughter  of 
Henry  Wilson,  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Harrison. 
She  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  died  in  Indiana, 
leaving  six  children,  namely:  Mrs.  Lucy  Gregg, 


of  Kansas  City;  Mrs.  Sarah  Davis,  of  Wellsville, 
Kans. ;  Robert,  who  occupies  the  old  home  farm; 
Allen,  who  is  in  Van  Buren,  Ark.;  Oliver,  a 
contractor  and  builder  in  Wellsville;  and  Eva, 
Mrs.  Binford,  of  Kansas  City.  The  second  wife 
of  Mr.  Harrison  was  Mrs.  Martha  E.  Lamb,  and 
was  born  in  Illinois,  but  at  the  time  of  their  mar- 
riage was  living  in  Wellsville. 

During  his  residence  in  Indiana  Judge  Harri- 
son served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  four  years. 
For  one  term  he  was  mayor  of  Wellsville,  for 
many  years  served  as  town  clerk,  member  of  the 
school  board  and  clerk  of  the  same.  In  former 
years  he  was  very  prominent  in  the  Grange.  In 
1873  he  was  elected,  on  the  Grange  ticket,  to  the 
state  legislature  and  served  for  one  term,  during 
which  time  he  was  a  member  of  various  commit- 
tees and  assisted  in  electing  ex-Governor  Harvey 
to  the  United  States  senate.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows. 


gEORGE  E.  McGILL,  who  has  made  his 
home  in  Leavenworth  since  1865  and  is  one  of 
the  enterprising  business  men  of  this  city,  was 
born  near  Toronto,  Canada,  July  ii,  1840,  a  son 
of  John  and  Mary  Ann  (Learnad)  McGill.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  George  McGill,  a  jeweler 
by  trade,  served  for  a  time  as  sheriff  of  his  native 
town  of  Paisley,  but  during  the  weaver's  rebel- 
lion, in  1814,  he  emigrated  to  America,  settling 
in  Canada  and  starting  in  the  jewelry  business 
in  Oshawa.  Fraternally  he  was  an  active  Mason. 
He  had  several  brothers  who  were  officers  in  the 
British  army  and  all,  upon  retiring  from  the  serv- 
ice, settled  in  Canada,  receiving  grants  to  large 
tracts  of  laud  that  are  still  in  possession  of  the 
family.  At  the  time  the  family  crossed  the  ocean 
John  McGill  was  a  child  of  six  years,  and  he  after- 
ward made  his  home  in  Canada,  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  carpenter's  trade.  His  last  years  were 
spent  upon  a  farm  and  there  he  died  at  eighty- 
three.  His  wife,  who  was  also  eighty-three  at  the 
time  of  her  death,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire, 
member  of  an  old  Revolutionary  family.  Six  chil- 
dren were  born  to  their  union,  and  all  but  one 
are  now  living. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


When  a  youth  of  eighteen  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  began  to  teach  school.  In  1859  he  went 
to  Boston,  where  he  graduated  from  a  commer- 
cial college,  and  afterward  for  one  year  he  studied 
medicine  in  McGill  University  under  his  uncle, 
Dr.  William  McGill.  In  1863  heenlisted  in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Massachusetts  In- 
fantry, but  was  rejected.  Two  years  later  he 
came  to  Leavenworth,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  medicine  for  three  years,  and  after- 
ward traveled  for  a  Leavenworth  firm, later  being 
commercial  traveler  for  H.  W.  King  &  Co.,  of 
Chicago.  He  traveled  for  various  firms  for  fif- 
teen years,  his  territory  comprising  Kansas,  west- 
ern Missouri  and  southern  Nebraska.  In  1886 
he  retired  from  the  road  and  began  to  raise  Jer- 
sey cattle,  also  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  road- 
sters. He  has  since  given  considerable  attention 
to  this  business,  and  has  bred  some  Wilkes  and 
Hambletonian  standards  which  have  been  sold  at 
high  prices.  He  now  has  a  dairy,  with  nearly 
forty  milch  cows,  and  also  owns  a  number  of  fine 
horses,  with  good  records.  His  farm  of  seven 
acres  is  situated  in  the  city,  on  Limit  and  Maple 
avenue,  and  he  also  rents  land  adjoining.  In  the 
fall  of  1897  he  became  interested  in  the  improve- 
ment of  real  estate,  and,  with  Mr.  Jameson,  has 
since  had  charge  of  all  the  additions  to  the  town. 
His  office  is  at  No.  116  South  Fifth  street. 

Politically  a  Republican,  on  this  ticket  Mr. 
McGill  was  elected  to  the  city  council  from  the 
sixth  ward  and  served  for  one  term.  During  that 
time  he  was  a  member  of  the  committees  on 
streets  and  grades,  and  fire  department,  also 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  public  improve- 
ments, and  private  secretary  to  Mayor  Hook. 

In  Leavenworth  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
McGill  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Riley,  who  was  born  in 
Springfield,  111.,  and  came  to  Kansas  during  ter- 
ritorial days.  Two  sons  were  born  to  the  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGill.  The  older,  John  Frank- 
lin McGill,  M.  D.,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Kansas 
City  Medical  College,  class  of  1888,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  practice  at  Galena,  Kans.  The  younger 
son,  D.  Wallace  McGill,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Kansas  Conservatory  of  Music,  in  which  he  is 
now  professor  of  musical  composition  and  theory, 


also  instructor  in  psychology.  He  isalso  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Blind  Institute  at  Kansas  City.  For 
the  last  three  years  he  has  been  recording  secre- 
tary of  the  National  Association  for  the  Higher 
Education  of  the  Blind.  Possessing  a  gifted  mind, 
broadened  by  study  and  observation,  he  is  a 
young  man  of  prominence,  whose  prospects  for 
the  future  are  the  brightest.  As  a  public  lectur- 
er his  services  have  been  in  demand  in  various 
parts  of  the  state. 

(TOHN  M.  CONARD,  an  enterprising  stock- 
I  man  of  Hayes  Township,  Franklin  County, 
(2/  was  born  in  La  Salle  County,  111.,  January 
24,1867.  His  father,  William  Conard,  a  native 
of  Ohio,  was  taken  to  Illinois  at  the  age  of  two 
years,  and  was  reared  and  educated  there.  En- 
tering active  life  as  a  stock-raiser,  he  soon  met 
with  gratifying  success  in  this  industry,  and  also 
engaged  in  selling  and  shipping  stock  as  well. 
For  some  years  he  has  been  to  a  large  degree  re- 
tired from  active  labors.  He  is  an  influential 
citizen  of  La  Salle  County,  where  he  is  living  in 
quiet  retirement  from  the  busy  cares  of  life.  In 
political  matters  he  formerly  advocated  Republi- 
can principles,  but  in  more  recent  years  he  has 
been  in  sympathy  with  Democratic  principles  in 
national  issues.  Frequently  he  has  been  selected 
to  serve  in  local  offices  of  trust,  among  his  most 
important  positions  being  that  of  county  com- 
missioner, w-hich  he  filled  for  many  terms.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  he  was  a  stanch  patriot.  In 
1862  he  enlisted  in  an  Illinois  infantry  regiment, 
in  which  he  continued  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
Twice,  during  engagements,  he  was  wounded, 
but  neither  time  seriously.  By  his  marriage  to 
Sarah  Dominy  he  had  five  children,  of  whom 
John  is  the  eldest  and  the  only  one  in  Kansas. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  obtained  in 
grammar  and  high  schools  and  the  college  at 
Streator,  111.  Until  twenty-one  years  of  age  he 
was  with  his  father  in  the  stock  business,  after 
which  he  came  to  Kansas.  With  his  father  as 
partner  he  bought  eight  hundred  and  fifty  acres, 
partly  in  Hayes  and  partly  in  Ottawa  Townships, 
Franklin  County.  At  the  time  of  settling  here 
he  gave  his  attention  wholly  to  raising  farm  pro- 


672 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


duce,  but  later  he  became  interested  in  the  stock 
business.  In  1890  he  bought  his  father's  inter- 
est in  the  propertj^  and  has  since  been  sole  owner 
and  proprietor.  In  1893  he  leased  the  farm 
and  moved  to  Ottawa,  where  he  lived  for  six 
years.  In  1899  he  erected  on  his  farm  a  resi- 
dence of  pressed  brick  and  frame,  58x36,  which, 
with  its  stained  shingle  trimmings  and  fine  interior 
equipments,  is  one  of  the  finest  farm  houses  in 
eastern  Kansas.  It  is  presided  over  with  grace- 
ful dignity  by  his  wife,  Esther  A. ,  daughter  of 
Albert  C.  Shinn,  a  lady  of  education,  whose  po- 
sition in  social  circles  is  the  highest.  They  were 
married  January  21,  1891,  and  are  the  parents  of 
a  daughter,  Alberta  B. 

While  Mr.  Conard  has  never  cared  to  identify 
himself  with  public  affairs,  he  is  well  informed 
concerning  all  subjects  brought  before  the  people 
to  be  solved  and  in  his  sympathies  is  a  strong 
Democrat. 


^HOMAS  W.  HARRISON,  a  veteran  of  the 
f  C  Civil  war,  came  to  Kansas  in  1866  andpur- 
V2^  chased  his  present  farm  in  Harrison  Town- 
ship, Franklin  County,  since  which  time  he  has 
given  his  attention  to  transforming  its  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  from  raw  prairie  to  a  well-im- 
proved estate.  For  some  years  he  has  filled  the 
ofiBce  of  township  trustee  and  he  has  also  served 
as  a  school  director.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
the  Grange  in  his  township  and  takes  a  warm 
interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  stock 
interests  of  his  locality. 

A  son  of  Wilson  L,.  and  Mary  (Goodbar)  Har- 
rison, our  subject  was  born  in  Porter  County, 
Ind.,  March  31,  1844.  His  father,  a  native  of 
Shelby  County,  Ky.,  moved  to  Indiana  in  1828, 
settling  first  in  Montgomery  County  and  after- 
ward following  the  tanner's  trade  in  different 
parts  of  the  state,  being  for  several  years  in  Rus- 
sell ville,  Putnam  County.  In  1866  he  came  to 
Kansas  and  settled  on  the  Ottawa  Indian  reser- 
vation, purchasing  laud  south  of  Ottawa,  where 
he  followed  farm  pursuits  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  In  1871,  with  another  gentleman, 
he  petitioned  the  board  of  county  commissioners 


to  divide  the  Ottawa  reservation  and  organize  the 
southern  half  in  a  new  township.  The  division 
was  finally  made  and  the  township  was  named 
Harrison  in  his  honor.  He  held  several  local 
oflBces,  such  as  trustee  and  member  of  the  school 
board.  His  death  occurred  in  1893,  when  he  was 
eighty-one  years  of  age. 

Joshua  Harrison,  our  subject's  grandfather, 
moved  from  Shelby  County,  Ky. ,  to  Montgomery 
County,  Ind.,  in  1828,  and  there  he  spent  the  bal- 
ance of  his  life.  He  was  an  early  settler  of  the 
count}^,  among  whose  farmers  he  occupied  a  high 
position.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  enlisted  in 
the  army  and  was  assigned  to  service  on  the  fron- 
tier. He  died  when  ninety-three  years  of  age. 
The  family  of  which  he  was  a  member  was  rep- 
resented among  the  pioneers  of  Kentucky  and  its 
members  were  people  of  unusual  ability  and  in- 
telligence. He  was  an  own  cousin  of  Gen. 
William  Henry  Harrison. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  near 
Wheeling,  in  Hancock  County,  W.  Va.,  and  was 
a  daughter  of  John  Goodbar,  a  Virginian,  who 
moved  to  Kentucky  and  thence  to  Montgomery 
County,  Ind.,  dying  in  the  latter  place  at  ninety- 
one  years  of  age.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Harrison, 
passed  away  in  1885,  when  seventy-five  years  of 
age.  Of  her  children,  Sarah  R.  is  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Scott,  of  Franklin  County;  Nancy  P.  is 
deceased;  Mary  C.  died  in  1895;  and  John  N.  lives 
in  Ottawa.  Our  subject,  who  was  fourth  among 
the  five  children,  was  reared  in  Indiana,  but  has 
made  his  home  in  Kansas  since  early  manhood. 
In  1861  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Fifty-fifth 
Indiana  Infantry,  and  took  part  in  the  battle 
of  Richmond,  Ky.  At  the  expiration  of  three 
months  he  was  honorably  discharged.  In  1863 
he  again  enlisted,  becoming  a  member  of  Company 
K,  Thirty-ninth  Indiana  Infantry,  which  was  af- 
terward mounted  and  became  the  Eighth  Indiana 
Cavalry.  He  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
when  he  was  mustered  out  as  corporal.  During 
his  term  of  service  he  took  part  in  thirty-five  en- 
gagements, but  was  never  wounded  nor  taken 
prisoner.  He  accompanied  General  Sherman  on 
his  famous  march  to  the  sea.  In  his  possession 
he  has  a  piece  of  the  table  on  which  the  terms  of 


JUDGE  JAMES  F.   LEGATE. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


675 


surrender  between  Johnston  and  Sherman  were 
written.  He  is  now  a  member  of  George  H. 
Thomas  Post  No.  18,  G.  A.  R.,  in  Ottawa. 

October  5,  1876,  Mr.  Harrison  married  Miss 
Lillias  Perkins,  daughter  of  Elijah  Perkins,  a 
pioneer  of  Ottawa.  By  their  marriage  they  have 
two  children:  Bertha  Bernice  and  Bruce  Magill. 


(Judge  JAMES  F.  legate,  a  pioneer  of 
I  Kansas,  now  living  retired  in  Leavenworth, 
(2)  was  born  in  Leominster,  Mass.,  November 
23,  1828,  a  son  of  William  M.  and  Nancy  (Had- 
ley)  Legate.  The  family  of  which  he  is  a  mem- 
ber has  been  identified  with  American  history 
since  1659,  and  eight  generations  in  succession 
have  occupied  the  homestead  where  our  subject 
was  born.  His  father,  who  was  born  in  the  same 
house  as  himself,  followed  a  seafaring  life  for 
twenty-seven  years,  and  made  his  home  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, where  his  death  occurred  at  the  age 
of  seventy-eight.  During  the  war  of  18 12  he 
served  as  commander  of  a  vessel  in  the  naval 
service. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Thomas  Leg- 
ate, who  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  as 
a  captain,  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Legate,  Sr.,  who 
was  a  colonel  in  the  same  regiment.  The  father 
of  Col.  Thomas  Legate  bore  the  same  name  as 
himself  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  early  Indian 
wars.  The  latter's  father,  Thomas,  was  born  in 
what  is  now  Boston,  and  was  a  son  of  the  founder 
of  the  family  in  America,  Thomas  Legate  (ist), 
a  native  of  England,  and  the  third  among  the 
four  sons  of  Lord  Hardcastle.  During  his  serv- 
ice as  a  captain  in  the  navy  he  came  to  Boston 
in  charge  of  a  small  squadron.  Again.st  the 
wishes  of  his  family  he  married  a  French  girl, 
and  for  this  was  disinherited;  but  in  1659  the 
family  relented  and  obtained  for  him  a  grant  of 
land  in  Massachu.setts. 

In  the  family  of  William  M.  Legate  there  were 
eleven  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living,  the 
elde.st  being  eighty-five  and  the  youngest  sixty- 

31 


two.  William  M.  is  still  living  in  the  Massachu- 
setts town  where  he  was  born  and  is  in  good  health 
in  spite  of  advanced  years;  Caroline,  Mrs.  James 
W.  French,  died  at  thirty-nine  years;  Clar- 
inda  died  when  sixty-five  years  of  age;  Laura, 
the  widow  of  Thomas  Fisher,  of  Hartford,  has 
four  children,  of  whom  one  son  is  a  preacher  in 
Dakota;  Franklin  resides  on  the  old  homestead; 
Walter  was  twenty -two  at  the  time  of  his  death; 
James  F.  was  seventh  in  order  of  birth;  Sidney 
resides  in  Michigan;  Almira  died  at  twenty-two 
years;  Sarah  is  living  in  the  east;  and  Francena 
is  the  wife  of  Andrew  Smith,  ofStratham,  N.  H. 
The  mother  of  this  family  died  at  seventy-eight 
years. 

When  a  boy  Judge  Legate  received  excellent 
public-school  and  academic  advantages.  Going 
to  Lowell,  Mass.,  he  studied  law  with  Ben  Butler 
for  sixteen  months,  and  then  went  to  Olive  Branch, 
Miss.,  to  a.ssist  a  cousin  in  his  private  school. 
During  the  eight  months  he  remained  in  this  po- 
sition he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Judge  Miller, 
with  whom  he  finished  his  law  studies.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  under  Judge  Smith,  in  Mis- 
sissippi, in  1848,  and  practiced  law  with  Judge 
Miller  until  1854,  when  he  came  to  Kansas,  ar- 
riving in  Fort  Leavenworth  on  the  5th  of  July. 
During  his  residence  in  Mississippi,  in  1852,  he 
canvassed  the  state  in  the  noted  gubernatorial 
campaign  where  Messrs.  Foote  and  Davis  were 
candidates,  espousing  the  cause  of  Foote.  At 
the  session  of  the  legislature  in  1853  Judge  Leg- 
ate made  a  speech  in  the  caucus  of  the  legislature 
favoring  the  return  of  Jefferson  Davis  to  the 
United  States  senate,  and  thereby  gained  the 
friendship  of  Mr.  Davis.  Aftercoming  to  Kansas 
he  spent  two  months  in  Lawrence,  and  then 
went  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  again  met 
Mr.  Davis.  On  his  return  to  Lawrence  he  de- 
clared himself  a  Democrat,  but  opposed  to  slavery 
in  Kansas.  In  1856  he  became  identified  with  the 
Free  State  party;  this  was  merged,  in  1859,  into  the 
Republican  party,  with  which  during  later  years 
he  was  actively  and  prominently  connected.  In 
fact,  for  many  years  the  history  of  his  life  and  of 
the  party  in  Kansas  was  almost  one  and  the  same. 


676 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Recognizing  his  fitness  for  public  service  the 
fellow-citizens  of  Judge  Legate  frequently  chose 
him  to  represent  them  in  offices  of  trust.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  first  legislature  and  has 
since  served  seventeen  terms  as  representative  of 
this  district,  either  in  the  house  or  the  senate.  He 
was  appointed  by  President  Lincoln  United  States 
assessor  of  internal  revenue,  for  the  district  of 
Kansas,  in  1862.  In  1872  he  was  appointed 
governor  of  Washington  Territory  by  President 
Grant,  but  owing  to  the  collapse  of  Senator 
Pomeroy  he  never  went  there.  From  1868  to 
1872  he  was  superintendent  of  the  mail  depart- 
ment in  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Indian  Territory,  New 
Mexico  and  Colorado.  During  both  the  terri- 
torial and  state  history  of  Kansas,  up  to  and  in- 
cluding 1884,  he  was  a  member  of  every  state 
convention  of  his  party,  and  took  a  prominent 
part  in  all.  At  the  close  of  President  Arthur's 
term  of  office,  in  1884,  he  was  made  a  receiver  of 
the  laud  office  in  Coeur  d'Alene,  Idaho,  and  or- 
ganized the  same,  remaining  there  for  three  years. 
In  1889  he  was  returned  to  the  legislature,  where 
his  services  in  behalf  of  his  constituents  were  of 
the  greatest  value.  Being  at  variance  with  the 
Republican  candidate  for  governor  in  1894,  he 
declared  himself  for  Llewellen,  the  Populist  can- 
didate, in  whose  interest  he  made  eighty-four 
campaign  speeches,  assisting  materially  in  secur- 
ing his  election.  Since  then  he  has  been  less  act- 
ive in  politics  than  during  former  years.  How- 
ever, he  has  continued  to  be  interested  in  public 
affairs,  and  assists  in  enterprises  of  undoubted 
public  value.  His  long  and  close  connection 
with  politics  has  made  his  name  one  of  the  best 
known  in  Kansas  and  he  has  ranked  among  the 
leading  politicians  in  the  state. 

Since  1863  Judge  Legate  has  made  Leaven- 
worth his  home.  He  married  Miss  Jane  Phillips, 
who  was  born  in  Keene,  N.  H.  They  have  three 
children  now  living,  namely:  Nellie;  Gertrude, 
wife  of  Albert  H.  Fuller;  and  Harry,  who  is 
storekeeper  at  the  Federal  prison.  Fraternally 
Judge  Legate  is  a  member  of  Leavenworth  Lodge 
No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Leavenworth  Chap- 
ter No.  2,  R.  A.  M.  Mrs.  Legate  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  Church. 


eAPT.  THOMAS  GETCHELL,  deceased, 
formerly  one  of  the  best-known  citizens  of 
Williamsburg,  Franklin  County,  was  born 
in  Wolfboro,  N.  H.,  in  1831.  The  years  of  boy- 
hood he  passed  in  his  native  county  of  Carroll. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  went  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
where  he  secured  employment  at  the  cooper's 
trade.  From  there  he  went  to  Hartstown,  Pa., 
where  he  was  similarly  employed.  He  remained 
in  the  latter  city  until  1876,  when  he  came  to 
Kansas  and  opened  a  lumber  yard  in  Princeton. 
During  the  eight  years  of  his  residence  in  that 
place  he  built  up  a  good  trade  and  became  known 
as  a  reliable  business  man. 

Selling  out  in  1885,  Mr.  Getchell  left  Prince- 
ton and  established  his  home  in  Williamsburg, 
where  he  opened  a  dry-goods  store.  Two  years 
later  he  disposed  of  his  stock  of  goods  and  pur- 
chased the  lumber  business  of  S.  A.  Brown  &Co. 
From  that  time  until  his  death  he  carried  on  a 
lumber  trade,  furnishing  building  material  of 
all  kinds,  and  becoming  known  as  a  reliable, 
honest  and  upright  man.  While  he  was  a  stanch 
Republican  and  a  worker  for  his  party,  he  would 
never  accept  official  positions,  although  always 
willing  to  assist  his  friends  who  were  candidates. 
At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted 
as  first  lieutenant  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fif- 
tieth Pennsylvania  Infantry,  Company  K,  and 
soon  afterward  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
captain.  His  company  was  selected  to  serve  as 
a  body  guard  to  President  Lincoln  in  Washing- 
ton and  in  this  way  the  captain  became  a  warm 
personal  friend  of  the  president,  whose  assassina- 
tion he  witnessed.  He  became  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  Post  in  Princeton  and  served  as  its 
treasurer. 

In  1865  Captain  Getchell  married  Lottie  R. 
Swift,  who  was  born  in  New  York  and  reared  in 
Pennsylvania.  They  became  the  parents  of  one 
son  now  living,  Martin  F.,  who  is  his  father's 
successor  in  the  lumber  business  at  Williams- 
burg. Captain  Getchell  was  a  man  whose  hon- 
esty and  uprightness  commanded  the  respect  of 
all.  Fearless  of  public  opinion,  he  always  pur- 
sued the  course  he  believed  to  be  just  and  right. 
He  was  a  man  of  public   spirit  and  favored  nieas- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


677 


ures  for  the  public  good.  He  was  recognized  as 
a  good  citizen  and  an  exemplary  man  in  every 
respect  both  in  business  and  private  life.  In  all 
of  his  work  he  was  aided  by  his  wife,  whose  coun- 
sel and  sympathy  were  of  the  greatest  assistance 
to  him.  During  the  last  three  years  of  his  life 
his  health  gradually  and  steadily  failed.  He  vis- 
ited Hot  Springs,  Ark.,  hoping  to  be  benefited 
by  the  waters  there,  but  found  no  relief,  and  re- 
turned to  his  Kansas  home,  where  he  died,  Nov- 
ember 19,  1893,  after  sixty-two  useful  years. 


HERMAN  SEIDEL,  who  has  resided  in 
Leavenworth  since  boyhood,  was  born  in 
Nuremberg,  Germany,  November  10,  1864, 
a  sou  of  August  C.  and  Margaret  (Vogel)  Seidel, 
both  natives  of  Germany.  His  father,  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  brought  his  family  to  America  in 
1869  and  settled  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  has 
since  been  employed  at  his  trade.  Of  his  family 
of  eight  children  six  are  now  living,  Herman  be- 
ing the  oldest  of  all.  He  was  five  and  one- half 
years  of  age  when  the  family  embarked  on  a  sail- 
ing vessel  at  Bremen  and  started  for  the  new 
world.  The  voyage  lasted  for  eight  weeks,  and 
finally,  when  the  harbor  was  almost  reached  and 
the  passengers  were  congratulating  themselves 
that  soon  they  would  be  on  land,  smallpox  broke 
out,  and  for  eight  more  weeks  the  ship  was  forced 
to  remain  in  quarantine.  Leaving  Bremen  in 
May,  it  was  on  the  loth  of  September  when  the 
.ship  cast  anchor  at  Castle  Garden,  New  York,  for 
the  debarkation  of  the  passengers. 

At  eleven  years  of  age  Herman  Seidel  was  ap- 
prenticed to  the  butcher's  trade  in  Leavenworth. 
He  was  with  one  man  for  two  years  and  with  an- 
other for  two  and  one-half  years,  after  which  he 
was  employed  by  Edward  and  Herman  Bloch- 
berger  for  five  years  altogether.  In  this  way  he 
gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  meat  busi- 
ness. In  the  summer  of  1886  he  began  in  busi- 
ness for  himself,  opening  a  market  at  No.  800 
South  Seventh  street,  which  is  an  excellent  loca- 
tion, and  there  he  has  since  built  up  a  large  trade. 
His  business  is  exclu-sively  retail,  and  extends 
throughout  his  part  of  the  city.     In  addition  to 


his  business  property  he  built  and  owns  his  resi- 
dence at  No.  106  Fifth  avenue,  and  is  also  a 
stockholder  in  the  Citizens'  Mutual  Building  and 
Loan  Association. 

In  national  politics  Mr.  Seidel  is  a  Republican. 
He  was  made  a  Mason  in  King  Solomon  Lodge 
No.  10,  of  which  he  is  still  a  member;  and  is  also 
connected  with  Leavenworth  Chapter  No.  2, 
R.  A.  M.;  also  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and 
the  Fraternal  Aid  Association.  His  marriage, 
November  24,  1884,  in  Leavenworth,  united  him 
with  Miss  Mathilda  Kinsla,  who  was  born  in  this 
city.  Mrs.  Seidel  is  a  daughter  of  August 
Kinsla,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  meat 
business  in  Leavenworth,  and  during  the  Civil 
war  served  in  the  Second  Kansas  Mounted  In- 
fantry. The  two  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seidel 
are  named  Herman,  Jr.,  and  Lizzie,  of  whom 
the  latter  died  April  3,  1899. 


[qJEORGE  W.  HAMBLIN,  deceased,  formerly 
|_  one  of  Ottawa's  most  enterprising  citizens, 
\^  was  born  in Suifield,  Conn.,  March  17,  1842, 
a  son  of  Peter  and  Cornelia  (Cole)  Hamblin  and 
on  both  sides  of  the  house  traced  his  lineage  to  Hol- 
land. His  maternal  grandmother,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Maria  Bogardus,  was  a  descendant 
of  Anneka  Jans.  His  father,  who  was  born  in 
Catskill,  N.  Y.,  resided  for  some  years  in  Suffield, 
Conn.,  thence  removed  to  Toledo,  Ohio,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cigars,  and  in 
1 87 1  settled  in  Kansas.  He  died  in  Ottawa  in 
1896,  when  eighty  years  of  age.  His  wife,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  a  minister  in  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed Church,  died  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  in  January, 
1899,  aged  eighty  years.  They  are  the  parents 
of  five  children,  two  of  whom  are  living.  George 
W.,  who  was  next  to  the  youngest  in  the  family, 
was  reared  in  Toledo  and  attended  the  public 
schools  in  that  city.  In  1856  he  accompanied  his 
father  to  the  Lake  Superior  region.  His  father 
soon  went  back  to  Toledo,  but  he  remained  in  the 
north,  and  took  charge  of  a  book  store  in  the  cop- 
per mining  district,  at  Negaunee,  Mich.  He  was 
large  for  his  age,  with  the  appearance  and  build 


678 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  a  man  of  mature  years.  When  only  eighteen 
he  was  appointed  postmaster,  and  held  the  office 
for  some  time,  it  not  being  known  that  he  was 
under  legal  age.  From  Michigan  he  went  to 
Indiana,  thence  to  Stryker,  Ohio,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  dry-goods  business  and  acted  as 
postmaster. 

The  year  1869  found  Mr.  Hamblin  starting  in 
the  real-estate  business  in  the  new  town  of  Otta- 
wa. He  laid  out  Hamblin's  college  and  factory 
additions,  also  Hamblin  and  Walton's  addition  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  the  town,  and  was  instru- 
mental in  the  building  up  of  the  north  side.  He 
bought  the  old  hotel  property  on  the  corner  of 
Second  and  Main  streets  and  remodeled  the  build- 
ing, which  was  opened  as  the  Hamblin  house 
and  continued  for  years  to  be  the  leading  hotel  in 
the  city.  Many  residences  were  erected  by  him 
personally,  some  of  them  being  among  the  best  in 
the  city.  He  built  the  Masonic  Temple,  contain- 
ing the  People's  National  Bank,  which  was  one 
of  the  first  large  business  blocks  in  the  city.  He 
has  owned  more  pieces  of  property  and  put  up 
more  buildings  by  far  than  any  other  man  in  Ot- 
tawa, and  a  history'  of  its  material  growth  would 
contain  much  of  his  own  life  record.  Being  ener- 
getic and  full  of  life,  he  carried  forward  his  projects 
with  enthusiasm  and  was  always  active,  pushing 
and  progressive.  Nor  did  his  activity  abate  in  the 
least  until  his  fatal  illness,  which  ended  in  his 
death,  September  26,  1882.  In  political  belief  he 
was  a  Republican  and  fraternally  a  Mason,  but  he 
was  not  identified  closely  with  either  politics  or 
fraternal  organizations,  preferring  to  devote  him- 
self wholly  to  private  enterprises. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hamblin  took  place  in 
Stryker,  Ohio,  in  1868,  and  united  him  with  Miss 
Amelia  L-  Solier,  who  was  born  in  New  York 
City,  and  by  whom  he  had  four  children,  namely: 
Fred  Burroughs,  a  traveling  salesman;  Cornelia 
Bogardus,  a  graduate  of  the  Ottawa  high  school; 
Richard,  and  Marguerite,  also  a  high  school 
graduate.  The  family  are  identified  with  the 
Congregational  Church.  Francis  Solier,  father  of 
Mrs.  Hamblin,  was  born  in  Auvergne,  France, 
and  in  early  manhood  came  to  the  United  States, 
for  a  time  working  as  a  saw- filer  in  New  York 


City.  He  was  an  early  settler  at  Lockport,  on  the 
Tiffin  River  in  Ohio,  where  he  bought  and 
operated  a  saw-mill.  Afterward  he  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  in  Stryker,  where  he  died 
in  1868.  He  married  Catherine  C.  Barbier,  a 
native  of  Valeutign}',  France,  and  daughter  of 
Pierre  Barbier,  whose  farm  lay  on  the  banks  of  the 
Doubs.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solier  were  the  parents  of 
four  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  two  sons 
are  deceased.  Both  of  the  daughters,  Mrs. 
Hamblin  and  Mrs.  Fred  Waddle,  reside  in  Ottawa. 


pQlLSON  McELHENY,  superintendent  of 
I  A/  '■^^^  Eeavenworth  Construction  Company, 
Y  V  ot  Lawrence,  came  to  Kansas  in  the  fall  of 
1859  and  had  many  interesting  experiences  during 
the  early  days  of  his  residence  in  the  west.  He  was 
born  eleven  miles  north  of  Eogansport,  in  Fulton 
County,  Ind.,  April  24,  1840,3  descendant  of  a 
Scotchman  who  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  His 
grandfather  represented  the  first  generation  born 
in  America.  He  moved  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Ohio,  settling  near  Dayton,  where  he  spent  his 
remaining  years.  The  father,  Moses  McElheny, 
was  a  native  of  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  and  set- 
tled on  a  large  farm  in  Indiana,  where  he  cleared 
two  hundred  acres  of  land.  On  selling  that  place 
he  moved  to  Fletcher's  Lake  and  finally  estab- 
lished his  home  on  the  old  Michigan  plank  road, 
where  he  died.  He  was  a  man  of  upright  char- 
acter and  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  belief.  He 
married  Amelia  King,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and 
died  in  Indiana  in  1845.  Of  their  union  seven 
children  were  born,  four  of  whom  are  living, 
Wilson  being  next  to  the  youngest.  Two  of  the 
sons,  Robert  and  Samuel,  enlisted  in  an  Illinois 
regiment  during  the  Civil  war  and  were  killed  in 
battle. 

In  1S54  our  subject  went  to  western  Indiana, 
where  he  worked  on  a  farm.  Two  years  later  he 
removed  to  Illinois,  securing  employment  on  a 
farm  near  Pekin.  With  another  young  man,  in 
1859  he  started  on  horseback  for  Kansas  and  ar- 
rived in  Leavenworth  a  month  later.  He  secured 
work  as  stage  driver  for  the  Missouri  Stage  Com- 
pany, driving  between  Leavenworth  and  Kansas 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


679 


City,  and  later  making  a  trip  to  Pueblo.  In 
1862  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Kansas  Stage 
Company  between  Leavenworth  and  Topeka. 
After  having  been  with  them  for  five  years  he 
became  an  employe  of  the  Southern  Kansas 
Stage  Company  (Parker  &  Tisdale),  for  whom 
he  drove  six  months  and  was  then  made  super- 
intendent of  the  eastern  division  of  the  companj-, 
with  headquarters  in  Ottawa.  For  thirty  years 
he  was  with  this  company,  and  during  that  time 
started  and  operated  a  street-car  line  in  Law- 
rence. From  1878  to  1882  he  was  in  Texas 
in  charge  of  the  company's  stock,  then  moved 
the  herd  to  New  Mexico,  between  Socorro  and 
Whiteoaks  and  Socorro  and  Fort  Stanton.  As 
the  railroad  encroached  he  moved  further  out. 
From  New  Mexico,  after  six  months,  he  went  to 
Lyon  County,  Kans. ,  and  settled  on  a  farm  that 
he  owned,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  sev- 
eral years.  At  that  time  Mr.  Tisdale  wrote  ask- 
ing him  to  take  charge  of  the  omnibus  business 
at  Wellington.  He  went  there  and  spent  two 
years  in  straightening  affairs,  after  which  he  took 
charge  of  the  business  at  Arkansas  City,  re- 
maining there  for  eighteen  months.  In  October, 
1888,  he  came  to  Lawrence  to  take  charge  of  the 
street-car  line  here,  acting  as  manager  of  the 
same  until  the  road  passed  into  the  hands  of 
a  receiver,  in  August,  1896.  He  continued  with 
the  receiver  for  a  time,  after  which  he  accepted  a 
position  with  the  Douglas  County  Land  Invest- 
ment Company.  He  is  still,  however,  manager 
of  the  omnibus  and  street  railway  lines  in  Law- 
rence. 

In  Ozawkie,  Jefferson  County,  Kans.,  Mr. 
McElheny  married  Miss  Mary  Morgan,  daugh- 
ter of  Roland  Morgan,  a  farmer  of  that  county. 
She  died  in  Humboldt,  Kans.,  leaving  one  son, 
George  A.,  a  grocer  of  Humboldt.  By  the  sec- 
ond marriage  of  Mr.  McElheny,  which  united 
him  with  Miss  Ellen  Gardner,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, he  has  two  daughters,  Minnie  Ellen  and 
Ida  May. 

During  the  Price  raid  Mr.  McElheny  was  a 
member  of  the  Third  Kansas  Militia  that  was 
ordered  to  assist  in  driving  the  Confederate  gen- 
eral out  of  Kansas.    He  is  a  member  of  Lawrence 


Lodge  No.  6,  and  was  master  of  Medina  Lodge 
No.  252,  of  Castroville,  Tex.  He  belongs  to  the 
Royal  Arch  chapter  in  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  where 
he  also  joined  San  Antonio  Commaudery  No.  7, 
K.  T.,  in  188 1 ;  he  was  demitted  from  the  Texas 
Commandery  to  the  Arkansas  City  Commandery 
No.  30,  of  which  he  was  a  charter  member. 
From  it  he  was  demitted  to  DeMolay  Com- 
mandery No.  4,  of  which  he  was  prelate  for  two 
years,  and  from  which  he  is  now  demitted.  He 
is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Fra- 
ternal Aid  Association  and  Modern  Woodmen. 
With  his  wife  he  belongs  to  the  Eastern  Star, 
they  being  charter  members  of  the  order  at  Con- 
way Springs,  where  he  was  one  of  the  officials. 
In  religion  he  is  a  spiritualist,  and  his  wife  an 
Episcopalian.  Politicall}-  he  votes  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket. 


GlUGUST  L.  KRIPP.  One  of  the  well-known 
Li  business  houses  of  Leavenworth  is  situated 
I  I  at  the  corner  of  Pennsylvania  street  and 
Tenth  av^enue,  and  is  owned  and  operated  b}^  Mr. 
Kripp,  who  is  a  man  of  business  abilitj-,  qualified 
to  conduct  intelligently  and  successfully  an  im- 
portant enterprise  such  as  this.  In  January,  1893, 
he  started  in  the  grocery  business,  renting  a  store 
building  a  block  from  his  present  site.  The  next 
year  he  built  his  present  store  building  and  resi- 
dence on  Pennsylvania  street  and  Tenth  avenue, 
and  has  since  built  the  two-story  frame  residence 
adjoining  the  store.  In  his  store  he  carries  a  full 
line  of  staple  and  fancy  groceries,  besides  flour, 
feed  and  hay. 

In  Galena,  Jo  Daviess  County,  111.,  Mr.  Kripp 
was  born  August  i,  1S62.  His  father,  B.  H. 
Kripp,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  where  he  was 
reared  and  educated,  and  learned  the  stone-ma- 
son's trade.  Upon  coming  to  the  United  States 
he  settled  in  Galena,  where  he  followed  his  trade 
until  his  death,  in  1877.  He  married  Canada 
Saner,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  and  died  in 
Clay  Center,  Kans.,  in  1889.  Of  their  six  chil- 
dren the  youngest  was  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
He  was  educated  in  common  schools  and  the  nor- 
mal school  at  Galena.  After  traveling  for  a  year 
with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Buche,  he  settled  in 


68o 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Clay  Center,  Kans.  In  1881  he  went  to  Topeka 
and  secured  employment  in  the  bridge  and  civil 
engineering  department  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad, 
covering  the  territory  from  Kansas  City  to  Las 
Vegas.  For  three  years  he  remained  with  the 
company,  after  which  he  came  to  Leavenworth, 
and  was  employed  in  the  painting  department  of 
William  G.  Hesse  &  Sons,  continuing  with  them 
until  he  started  in  business  for  himself. 

The  Democratic  party  received  the  allegiance 
of  Mr.  Kripp.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and  the 
Degree  of  Honor.  He  was  married  May  18, 
1 88 1,  at  Clay  Center,  Kans.,  to  Alice  Morton, 
who  was  born  near  Kirksville,  Mo.  Her  father, 
P.  W.  Morton,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  was  a 
member  of  the  family  to  which  belongs  Levi  P. 
Morton.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Missouri 
and  held  a  position  of  prominence  as  a  citizen. 
For  sixteen  years  he  filled  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace.  In  1879  he  removed  to  Clay  Center, 
from  there  to  Topeka,  thence  to  Lawrence,  and 
in  1887  settled  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  has 
been  employed  as  a  contracting  stone-mason.  He 
is  now  seventy  years  of  age.  He  married  Harri- 
ett Roberson,  who  was  born  in  Iowa,  and  died  in 
Kansas  in  1888.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  all  of  whom  are  still  living.  Mrs. 
Kripp  received  excellent  educational  advantages. 
She  is  a  graduate  of  the  State  Normal  School  in 
Kirksville,  Mo.,  and  at  one  time  was  engaged  in 
educational  work.  In  religion  she  is  identified 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  which  Mr.  Kripp 
also  attends  and  assists  in  supporting. 


r~DWIN  D.  F.  PHILLIPS,  M.D.,  a  leading 
ry  physician  of  Lawrence,  is  a  lineal  descend- 
^_  ant  of  Capt.  Josiah  Phillips,  an  officer  in 
the  Revolution  and  a  planter  in  North  Carolina, 
whither  the  family  had  migrated  from  England. 
The  captain's  son,  Absalom,  who  was  a  planter 
in  the  same  state,  removed  from  there  to  Martins- 
ville, Morgan  County,  Ind.,  where  he  improved 
a  tract  of  wild  land  and  died  at  the  age  of  seven- 
ty-eight. He  married  a  Miss  Thomas,  whose 
parents  settled  in  Virginia  when  she  was  a  girl, 


but  later  removed  to  North  Carolina.  Their  son, 
Rev.  J.  S.  Phillips,  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
was  in  the  Methodist  ministry  all  through  his 
active  life,  but  gave  his  services  gratuitously, 
supporting  his  family  by  the  cultivation  of  his 
farm.  Some  years  ago  he  retired,  and  now,  at 
eighty-four  years  of  age,  is  making  his  home 
with  his  son,  Isaac  Q.  He  married  Sarah  Ed- 
wards, who  was  born  in  Chatham  County,  N.  C, 
a  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Nancy  (Dickinson) 
Edwards,  natives  respectively  of  Ireland  and 
Scotland.  Her  grandfather,  Noah  Edwards,  who 
was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  settled  with  his 
family  in  North  Carolina,  where  he  cultivated  a 
plantation.  He  was  of  Scotch  descent,  and  in 
religion  adhered  to  Presbyterian  doctrines.  His 
son,  Nathan,  removed  to  Indiana  in  early  days 
and  improved  a  farm  there.  Mrs.  Sarah  Phillips 
died  in  1895,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  Of 
her  six  children  four  sons  are  living,  Edwin  D.  F. 
being  the  oldest.  John  M.,  a  graduate  of  a 
Kansas  Citj'  medical  college,  is  a  practicing  phj'- 
sician  in  Linwood,  Kans. ;  Charles  W.,  who  was  a 
lieutenant  in  the  Civil  war,  is  engaged  in  farming 
in  Leavenworth  County;  and  Isaac  Q.  resides  in 
Douglas  County. 

Dr.  Phillips  was  born  in  Martinsville,  Morgan 
County,  Ind.,  August  7,  1841.  In  1846  he  was 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Waverly,  the  same  coun- 
ty, and  from  there,  in  1849,  to  Richland,  Keokuk 
County,  Iowa,  but  after  a  year  his  father  brought 
the  family  back  to  Indiana  and  purchased  a  farm 
in  Hamilton  County.  In  1870  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  bought  a  farm  in  Tonganoxie  Township, 
Leavenworth  County,  but  after  five  years  re- 
turned to  Indiana.  The  education  of  our  subject 
was  acquired  principally  in  the  Union  high  school 
at  Westfield,  Ind.,  where  he  graduated  in  1859. 
The  two  following  years  he  devoted  to  the  studj- 
of  medicine.  October  25,  1861,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  H,  Fiftj'-seventh  Indiana  Infantry. 
Two  mouths  later  he  was  made  hospital  steward 
of  the  regiment  and  continued  as  such  until  1862, 
when  he  was  detached  for  similar  work  at  a  hos- 
pital in  Gallatin,  Tenn.  In  the  fall  of  1863  he 
joined  his  regiment  and  was  present  during  the 
last  day  at  Chickamauga.     In  the  battle  of  Mis- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sionarj'  Ridge  he  took  a  sick  man's  gun  and 
fought  until  its  close.  Afterward  he  was  de- 
tached as  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  adjutant-gen- 
eral of  the  second  division,  fourth  corps,  with 
which  he  remained  until  February,  1865,  when 
he  was  mustered  out  at  Huntsville,  Ala. ,  after 
three  j-ears  and  three  months  of  service. 

Upon  leaving  the  army  Dr.  Phillips  spent  two 
years  in  academic  study  in  Indiana  and  he  then 
began  to  teach  school.  In  the  spring  of  r86g  he 
went  to  Holden,  Mo.,  and  bought  a  drug  store, 
which  he  conducted  until  1S70.  He  then  moved 
the  stock  of  drugs  to  Tonganoxie,  Kans. ,  where 
he  continued  in  the  business  until  1874,  mean- 
time carrying  on  the  study  of  medicine.  In  1874 
he  entered  the  Kansas  City  Medical  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1876,  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  Afterward  he  engaged  in  prac- 
tice in  Tonganoxie  until  1879,  when  he  came  to 
Lawrence,  and  here  he  has  since  engaged  in  gen- 
eral practice,  making  a  specialty  of  gynecology. 
He  is  serving  his  seventeenth  year  as  a  member 
of  the  board  of  education,  of  which  he  has  been 
president  two  diflferent  terms;  he  was  chairman  of 
the  building  committee  that  erected  the  high 
school,  also  aided  in  superintending  the  erection 
of  several  grammar  schools.  When  he  first  be- 
came identified  with  the  school  board,  in  1880, 
there  were  sixty-five  pupils  in  the  high  school 
and  three  teachers;  now  there  are  four  hundred 
students  and  eleven  teachers.  He  is  now  presi- 
dent of  the  board  for  the  third  time.  For  three 
years  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  teach- 
ers and  teachers'  salaries.  Under  President  Har- 
rison, and  now  under  President  McKinley,  he 
has  served  as  president  of  the  United  States 
board  of  pension  examiners.  For  eleven  years 
he  was  local  surgeon  for  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Interna- 
tional Association  of  Railway  Surgeons,  has 
served  as  vice-president  of  the  Eastern  District 
Medical  Association,  and  is  also  a.ssociated  with 
the  State  and  Douglas  County  Medical  Associa- 
tions. For  seven  years  he  held  office  as  county 
physician.  He  is  a  member  of  Washington  Post 
No.  12,  G.  A.  R.     In  religion  he  is  a  Methodist. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Phillips,  in   Peru,  Ind.,' 


united  him  with  Miss  Augusta  E.  Flagg,  who 
was  born  in  New  Waverly,  Ind.,  and  received 
her  education  in  Fort  Wayne.  They  have  four 
children.  The  elde.st,  Carl,  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  Kansas,  1892,  with  the  degree  of 
Ph.  G. ,  was  for  some  time  hospital  steward  in 
the  United  States  hospital  at  Fort  Leavenworth, 
and  is  now  a  student  in  the  Kansas  City  Medi- 
cal College.  Mrs.  Lola  M.  Russell,  the  older 
daughter,  is  a  university  graduate  and  now  lives 
in  Jefferson  County.  Mrs.  Ethel  Harding  re- 
sides in  Kansas  City,  where  her  husband  is  con- 
nected with  the  Carl  Hoffman  music  house.  The 
younger  son,  Fletcher,  is  a  member  of  the  class 
of  1901,  University  of  Kansas. 


r"REDERICK  HAWN  was  for  years  inti- 
ry  mately  connected  with  the  geological  re- 
I  searches  in  Kansas.  He  had  the  reputation 
of  being  the  most  advanced  geologist  in  the  west, 
and  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  no  one  did  more 
than  he  to  advance  this  science  here.  His  re- 
ports were  the  first  that  had  ever  been  made  of 
geology  in  Kansas.  He  discovered  and  reported 
several  new  forms  of  rocks  and  in  other  ways  in- 
creased popular  interest  in,  and  knowledge  of, 
this  department  of  science. 

Of  German  descent,  Mr.  Hawn  was  born  in 
Herkimer  County,  N.  Y.,  a  son  of  Conrad  Hawn, 
who  was  the  son  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 
Our  subject  was  interested  in  civil  engineering 
from  his  boyhood.  For  a  time  he  was  employed 
on  the  New  York  Central  Railroad,  and  after 
coming  west  held  a  position  with  the  Hannibal  & 
St.  Joe  road.  It  was  about  1838  that  he  removed 
to  the  west.  He  located  the  coal  mines  of  north- 
western Missouri  on  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe 
Railroad.  During  the  Civil  war  he  engaged  in 
coal  mining,  developing  some  mines  that  he  had 
located.  He  organized  the  Leavenworth  Coal 
Company  and  located  its  shaft.  This  was  the 
first  of  the  coal  companies  organized  in  this  cit)', 
and  proved  to  be  the  nucleus  of  what  developed 
into  one  of  the  most  important  industries  in  this 
city. 

In  the  midst  of  his  l)usy  life   Mr.  Hawn   never 


682 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lost  his  love  for  geology  and  never  failed  to  im- 
prove every  opportunity  for  making  geological 
researches.  His  reputation  as  a  geologist  was 
not  confined  to  the  United  States,  but  extended 
into  Europe,  and  his  opinion  upon  subjects  per- 
taining to  this  science  was  regarded  as  authorita- 
tive. He  did  much  of  the  early  surveying  in  the 
west,  among  his  contracts  of  this  kind  being  the 
surveying  of  a  part  of  the  city  of  Leavenworth, 
also  the  state  line  between  Kansas  and  Nebraska. 
He  was  an  active  Mason  and  organized  one  of 
the  first  lodges  in  Missouri.  His  acquaintance 
with  men  of  prominence  made  him  a  noticeable 
public  figure.  He  was  a  brother-in-law  of  John 
C.  Calhoun  and  an  intimate  friend  of  Stephen  A. 
Douglas.  In  all  his  friendships  he  was  firm  and 
stanch,  ever  loyal  to  the  interest  of  his  friend, 
and  was  a  man  to  be  trusted  under  every  circum- 
stance. He  had  attained  the  age  of  eighty-eight 
when  he  passed  away,  February  2,  1897. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Hawn  was  Abigail  Cutler,  who 
was  born  in  Springfield,  111.  Her  ancestors 
were  originally  from  Massachusetts,  and  she 
was  a  direct  descendant  of  Gov.  John  Carver. 
From  New  England  they  removed  to  Ohio, 
where  her  grandfather  Cutler  owned  three 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  comprising  the  present 
site  of  Cincinnati.  Her  father  was  a  pioneer  farmer 
of  Illinois,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
six  years.  Mrs.  Abigail  Hawn  passed  from  earth 
when  eighty-two  years  of  age.  She  was  the 
mother  of  two  daughters  and  a  son,  viz.:  Mrs. 
Maria  Hemingway,  of  Louisville,  Ky.;  Mrs. 
Martha  Lamar  ,  of  Leavenworth,  Kans. ;  and 
Laurens. 


(Judge  LAURENS  hawn,  probate  judge 
I  of  Leavenworth  County,  was  born  in 
Q)  Weston,  Mo.,  September  4,  1848.  In  his 
youth  he  was  given  excellent  educational  advan- 
tages. After  having  prepared  for  college  he  en- 
tered Cornell  University  and  there  he  took  the 
regular  course  of  studies,  graduating  in  1875. 
From  boyhood  he  assisted  his  father  in  surveys, 
thus  gaining  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  busi- 
ness. In  1872  he  served  on  a  geological  survey 
of  Leavenworth  County.      Going  to  Salt   Lake 


City  in  1876  he  studied  law  under  Judge  Hem- 
ingway, and  the  following  year  was  admitted 
to  practice  before  the  bar  of  that  territory.  After 
engaging  in  practice  there  for  a  short  time,  in 
1878  he  returned  to  Leavenworth  and  opened  a 
law  office.  His  time  was  given  closely  to  his 
profession  until  1882,  when,  as  the  candidate  of 
the  Democratic  party,  he  was  first  elected  to  the 
office  of  county  probate  j  udge.  He  was  re-elected , 
sometimes  without  opposition,  in  1884,  1886, 
1888,  1890,  1892,  1894,  1896  and  1898.  The 
duties  of  the  position  he  has  discharged  efficiently 
and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all.  His  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  law,  in  the  principles  of  which 
he  is  well  grounded,  enables  him  to  meet  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  his  office  and  acquit  himself  hon- 
orably and  ably. 

The  marriage  of  Judge  Hawn  united  him  with 
Miss  Lilian  Reyburn,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
but  was  reared  in  Leavenworth.  He  is  identified 
with  the  Select  Knights,  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
in  which  he  is  pa.st  chancellor;  and  the  lodge 
and  encampment  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  past 
noble  grand  of  the  lodge. 


pGJHiTSED  LAMING,  Jr.,  cashier  of  the 
\  A  /  Tonganoxie  State  Bank,  and  one  of  the  in- 
VV  fluential  business  men  of  Leavenworth 
County,  was  born  at  Lelant,  near  St.  Ives,  Coun- 
ty Cornwall,  England,  October  20,  1861,  a  son  of 
Whitsed  and  Elizabeth  (Caulton)  Laming,  na- 
tives of  Spaulding,  Lincolnshire,  England.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Henry  C.  Laming,  a  na- 
tive of  Lincolnshire,  and  a  member  of  an  old 
family,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation;  the  mater- 
nal grandfather,  John  C.  Caulton,  was  a  farmer 
and  a  flax-seed  raiser  in  Lincolnshire,  and  became 
quite  wealthy  through  his  energetic  efforts. 

From  Lincolnshire  Whitsed  Laming,  Sr., 
moved  to  Cornwall  and  rented  the  Duchy  farms 
of  twelve  hundred  acres  from  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
for  which  he  paid  $15  per  acre.  After  continu- 
ing there  for  twenty-one  years,  in  1882  he  came 
to  the  United  States  and  settled  on  the  Judge 
Delehay  farm  of  seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
in    Stranger    Township,    Leavenworth    County, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


683 


which  property  he  had  purchased  two  years  be- 
fore. He  had  selected  this  location  because  the 
weak  eyesight  of  one  of  his  sons  required  a  dry 
climate.  At  first  he  confined  his  attention  to 
farming  and  stock-raising.  In  1889  he  and  his 
sons  bought  the  Farmers  and  Merchants'  Bank 
at  Tonganoxie  and  organized  the  Tonganoxie 
State  Bank,  with  himself  as  president,  Whitsed 
Laming,  Jr.,  cashier,  J.  M.  Phenicie,  vice-presi- 
dent, and  J.  C.  Laming  assistant  cashier.  In 
June,  1894,  he  retired  from  business  and  returned 
to  Spaulding,  England,  where  he  is  now  living 
retired  and  robust  and  hearty,  in  spite  of  his  sev- 
enty-two years.  He  still  owns  the  farm  in  Leav- 
enworth County  and  is  also  president  of  the 
bank.  In  religion  he  is  a  member  of  the  Church 
ofEngland. 

There  were  ten  children  in  the  family  who 
passed  years  of  infancy.  Of  these  Samuel  died 
in  Leavenworth  County  at  thirty-nine  years  of 
age;  Polly  is  in  England  and  Lizzie  in  Austra- 
lia; Carrie  married  Henry  Tinsley,  who  rents  a 
crown  farm  in  England;  Mrs.  Sarah  Frier  lives 
at  Spaulding,  England;  Rachel  is  the  wife  of  H. 
Schultz,  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.;  Kate,  who  was  the 
wife  of  Rev.  Burt  Barrel,  died  in  Bombay,  India; 
Henry  Paul  died  in  Cornwall  at  thirteen  years  of 
age;  and  J.  Caulton  is  the  youngest  of  the 
family. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  fourth  in  order 
of  birth  among  the  children  of  the  family.  The 
first  eleven  years  of  his  life  were  spent  on  the 
duchy  farm.  Between  the  years  of  eleven  and 
fourteen  he  studied  in  Bath  College.  He  was 
then  apprenticed  to  the  dry-goods  business  at 
Plymouth,  where  he  remained  for  four  years. 
Later  he  clerked  in  London.  He  came  to 
America  seven  months  before  his  father,  and 
landed  in  New  York  February  22,  1882.  From 
that  time  until  1888  he  remained  on  the  farm 
bought  by  his  father  in  1880,  after  which  he 
spent  a  year  in  Europe.  On  his  return  he  and 
his  father  bought  the  bank,  of  which  he  has  been 
cashier.  In  1890,  while  the  population  of  Ton- 
ganoxie was  still  only  five  hundred,  a  fine  two- 
story  bank  building,  the  first  brick  structure  in 
the  town,  was  erected;  since  that  year  the  popula- 


tion of  the  town  has  more  than  doubled.  In  con- 
nection with  J.  M.  Phenicie  and  J.  H.  Driesbach 
he  bought  the  Tonganoxie  roller  mills,  put  in 
steam  power,  remodeled  the  building,  and  put  in 
a  new  sifter  plant,  so  that  the  mills  are  modern 
in  every  respect.  The  company  operating  the 
mills  is  incorporated  and  he  is  secretary  and 
manager.  There  is  a  capacity  of  two  hundred 
barrels.  In  the  second  story  of  the  bank  build- 
ing an  opera  house  has  been  fitted  up,  provided 
with  large  stage,  scenery,  etc.  Besides  his  other 
interests  Mr.  Laming  owns  four  farms  near  Ton- 
ganoxie, comprising  an  aggregate  of  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five  acres,  and  having  four  farm 
buildings.  One  of  the  farms  consists  of  eighty 
acres  adjoining  the  city  and  is  used  as  a  dairy 
farm.  Through  his  efforts  was  organized  the 
company  that  built  the  creamery,  an  enterprise 
that  has  been  of  inestimable  value,  both  to  farm- 
ers and  to  the  city.  For  two  years  he  operated 
the  creamery  personally  and  brought  it  to  a  high 
degree  of  success,  but  upon  taking  charge  of  the 
mills  he  retired  from  the  management  of  the 
other  enterprise,  although  he  still  owns  his  in- 
terest. The  creamery  supplies  the  fort  at  Leav- 
enworth, also  two  large  hotels  in  Kansas  City, 
and  has  a  standing  order  from  Armour  &  Co.,  of 
Kansas  City,  for  all  the  output  at  Elgin  prices. 
Besides  all  his  other  interests  Mr.  Laming  started 
the  Tonganoxie  Building  and  Loan  Association, 
of  which  he  is  treasurer,  and  his  brother,  J.  C,  a 
director. 

Ill  Leavenworth  Mr.  Laming  married  Martha, 
daughter  of  John  Foster,  who  is  at  the  head  of 
the  Foster  Lumber  Company  at  Kansas  City;  she 
is  a  graduate  of  an  eastern  college  and  is  a  very 
accomplished  lady.  The  two  children  born  of 
this  marriage  are  Foster  and  Edith. 

Since  1893  Mr.  Laming  has  served  as  city 
treasurer.  In  politics  he  votes  with  the  Repub- 
licans. He  has  always  been  deeply  interested  in 
measures  for  the  benefit  of  the  town,  and  no  citi- 
zen has  been  more  active  than  he  in  promoting 
public-spirited  projects.  He  laid  out  Laming's 
addition  to  Tonganoxiej  which  is  platted  in  town 
lots.  He  is  a  member  of  the  State  Bankers'  As- 
sociation.    Fraternally  he   is  past  chancellor  of 


684 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  Kuiglits  of  Pythias,  treasurer  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  a  member  of  Tonga- 
noxie  Lodge  No.  190,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  not 
a  member  of  any  church,  but  contributes  to  the 
maintenance  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  with 
which  his  wife  is  identified. 


30HN  CAULTON  LAMING,  assistant  cash- 
ier of  the  Tonganoxie  State  Bank,  was  born 
at  Lelant,  St.  Ives,  England,  January  12, 
1 870.  When  twelve  years  of  age  he  accompanied 
the  family  to  the  United  States.  His  education 
was  obtained  principally  in  the  Tonganoxie 
Academy,  and  after  leaving  school  he  was  inter- 
ested with  his  father  in  the  management  of  the 
home  farm,  remaining  there  until  1889.  He  then 
entered  the  Tonganoxie  State  Bank  as  assistant 
cashier,  a  position  he  has  since  filled.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  he  has  worked  up  the  largest  farm 
fire  insurance  business  in  Leavenworth  County, 
and  represents  eight  of  the  old-line  American 
insurance  companies,  viz.:  ^tna,  Continental, 
German- American,  Hartford,  Niagara,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Connecticut  and  St.  Paul  Fire  and  Ma- 
rine. 

Mr.  Laming  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Tonga- 
noxie Building  and  Loan  Association  and  in  the 
creamery,  also  is  a  director  in  the  Tonganoxie 
State  Bank,  besides  which  he  has  farm  interests. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of 
Pj'thias  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
In  Milwaukee,  September  12,  1892,  he  married 
Daisy,  daughter  of  Charles  J.  Poetsch,  who  has 
been  city  engineer  of  Milwaukee  since  1882. 
They  have  two  children,  Leonora  and  Charles. 


^INA  A.  MASON,  who  is  a  well-known  far- 
/  mer  of  High  Prairie  Township,  Leaven- 
/*J  worth  County,  came  to  Kansas  in  the  fall 
of  1857  ^iid  for  some  years  worked  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade.  In  the  spring  of  i860  he  went  to 
Colorado  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  year 
operated  a  quartz  mill  at  Central  City,  after  which 
he  returned  to  Kansas  and  resumed  carpentering. 
In  1S70   he  bought    forty    acres   on    section  26, 


where  he  now  resides.  A  few  years  later  he  pur- 
chased an  adjoining  tract  of  eighty  acres  and  later 
forty  acres  more,  so  that  he  now  has  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.  Upon  this  land  he  is  engaged 
in  raising  stock  and  cereals,  his  .specialty  in  stock 
being  horses. 

Mr.  Mason  was  born  in  Summit  County,  Ohio, 
January  19,  1837.  His  grandfather,  who  was 
an  Englishman,  lived  for  some  time  in  New 
Hampshire,  but  finally  returned  to  England  and 
died  in  Southampton.  John  R.  Mason,  our  sub- 
ject's father,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in 
1790,  and  at  fourteen  years  of  age  accompanied 
his  parents  to  England.  Soon  after  he  left  home 
and  went  on  board  ship,  and  for  thirty-three 
years  followed  a  seafaring  life,  the  last  few  years 
being  on  Lake  Erie.  He  was  connected  with  the 
merchant  marine  service  and  visited  many  of 
the  foreign  ports  and  several  times  doubled  Cape 
Horn.  For  some  time  he  was  captain  of  a  coast- 
ing vessel.  Upon  retiring  from  the  sea  he  set- 
tled in  Ohio  and  was  engaged  in  ship-carpenter- 
ing and  farming.  In  1853  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Iowa,  where  he  followed  farming.  In 
1866  he  went  to  Nebraska,  where  four  years  later 
he  died  in  the  home  of  his  oldest  son.  His  wife, 
whom  he  married  in  Connecticut  and  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Eliza  Buell,  was  the  mother 
of  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  viz.: 
Mary,  Mrs.  Latta,  of  Nebraska;  Zina  A.;  Wes- 
ley, of  Texas;  and  Albert,  who  is  in  Nebraska. 

The  advantages  for  an  education  enjoyed  by 
our  subject  in  boyhood  were  very  meagre;  how- 
ever, through  his  own  efforts,  he  acquired  a  thor- 
ough general  knowledge  that  has  been  most  help- 
ful to  him.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he 
started  out  for  himself.  For  one  year  he  farmed 
in  Iowa.  He  then  went  to  Nebraska,  but  after 
one  season,  in  the  fall  of  1857,  became  to  Kan- 
sas. He  is  one  of  the  prominent  and  prosper- 
ous farmers  of  High  Prairie  Township  and  is  a 
highly  respected  citizen.  In  1863  he  enlisted 
in  Company  I,  Fifteenth  Kansas  Cavalry,  and 
served  until  October,  1865,  taking  part  in  the 
fights  against  Price.  At  first  he  was  sergeant, 
but  later  became  lieutenant,  which  position  he 
held  until  he  was  honorably  discharged.      In  pol- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


685 


itics  he  votes  the  Republican  ticket  and  very  fre- 
quently serves  as  delegate  to  conventions,  where 
he  assists  in  selecting  candidates  for  local  offices. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  has  served  as  treasurer 
of  the  school  board,  but  he  has  refused  other  po- 
sitions, preferring  not  to  fill  political  offices.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order. 
During  the  existence  of  the  Grange  he  was  for  a 
time  its  master. 

On  Christmas  eve,  1869,  Mr.  Mason  married 
Mary  J.  Simpson,  of  Leavenworth  County.  This 
estimable  lady  died  May  28,  1S98,  and  was  bur- 
ied May  30,  in  the  High  Prairie  Cemetery.  She 
left  two  daughters,  one  of  whom,  Elizabeth,  is 
the  wife  of  Dr.  R.  L-  Boling,  of  Leavenworth, 
while  the  other,  Mrs.  Clara  M.  Reese,  resides  in 
Whitewater,  Kans. 


QAMUEL  M.  HASTINGS,  a  farmer  of  Leav- 
/\  enworth  Count5',  owns  five  hundred  and 
Sz/  twenty  acres  in  Alexandria  Township.  At 
the  time  of  coming  to  this  place  he  bought  one 
hundred  and  eighty-one  acres,  to  which  from 
time  to  time  he  has  added  until  the  property  has 
reached  its  present  dimensions.  He  is  extensive- 
ly engaged  in  stock-raising,  for  which  the  three 
springs  and  running  water  on  his  land  render  it 
especially  suitable.  At  one  time  he  made  a  spec- 
ialty of  fine  horses,  but  now  confines  his  atten- 
tion to  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep.  The  grain  and 
hay  raised  on  the  farm  are  used  for  feed  in  win- 
ter, while  during  the  summer  the  cattle  and  sheep 
graze  in  the  blue  grass  pasture  that  runs  for  a 
distance  of  one  mile  east  from  the  house.  The 
farm  is  amply  provided  with  buildings  for  the 
shelter  of  stock  and  storage  of  grain,  and  also  has 
the  other  improvements  of  a  model  estate. 

At  the  time  the  Protestants  were  expelled  from 
Ireland  our  subject's  grandfather  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  company  with  other  exiles.  Of  his  three 
sons  the  youngest,  William  Richard,  was  born 
and  reared  near  Whitehouse,  Pa.,  and  followed 
the  blacksmith's  trade  there  for  eighteen  years. 
He  is  still  living  at  his  old  homestead,  but,  at 
eighty-five  years  of  age,  is  living  in  retirement 
from  business  cares.     In  politics  he  has  always 


voted  with  the  Democrats,  and  in  religion  is  a 
Presbyterian.  By  his  marriage  to  Mary  Hissner 
he  had  nine  children,  viz.:  Catherine,  who  mar- 
ried William  Shriver,  a  captain  in  the  Civil  war; 
John,  deceased;  Samuel  M.;  Mary  Frances,  wife 
of  William  Miller,  of  Steelton,  Dauphin  County, 
Pa.;  Ellen  Gilbreath,  who  married  Daniel  Um- 
holtz,  a  merchant  of  Neely,  Kans.,  but  is  now 
deceased;  Jennie,  whose  husband,  William 
McKee,  has  for  eighteen  years  been  with  the  firm 
of  Richards  &  Conover,  in  Kansas  City;  Annie, 
who  married  Harry  Miller,  of  Cumberland  Val- 
ley, Pa.;  William  Frederick,  deceased;  and 
Howard,  a  farmer  in  Cumberland  Valley,  Pa. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Cumber- 
land Valley,  Pa.,  December  18,  1843.  He  was 
educated  in  grammar  and  high  schools.  March  9, 
1866,  found  him  in  Kansas,  where  for  thirteen 
years  he  had  charge  of  the  government  farm  at 
Fort  Leavenworth.  During  that  time  he  also 
freighted  for  the  government  from  Kansas  to 
Cheyenne  and  Santa  Fe.  In  his  work  he  was 
remarkably  successful.  Coming  to  Kansas  with 
only  $10,  at  the  end  of  seven  years  he  had  saved 
up  $7,000.  While  on  the  plains  he  had  several 
skirmishes  with  Indians,  but,  though  there  were 
fatalities  in  his  train,  he  was  never  wounded. 
On  retiring  from  the  government  employ  he 
bought  the  land  which  forms  the  nucleus  of  his 
present  farm,  and  has  since  given  his  attention 
largely  to  agriculture. 

Everyone  who  knows  Mr.  Hastings  knows  that 
he  stands  squarely  for  Democratic  principles. 
For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  central 
committee  of  his  party  and  he  also  attends  the 
local  and  general  conventions.  For  several  terms 
he  was  deputy  sheriff  and  for  two  terms  township 
treasurer.  For  three  years  under  President 
Grant  and  for  a  similar  period  under  President 
Cleveland,  he  served  as  postmaster.  During  the 
three  years  he  was  postmaster  at  Jarbalo  he  con- 
ducted a  mercantile  business,  erecting  the  first 
store  building  in  the  village.  He  also  carried  on 
a  store  while  postmaster  at  Ackerland,  his  present 
home.  He  attends  the  Quaker  Church  at  Spring- 
dale,  of  which  his  family  are  members.  March  5, 
1876,  he  married  Ora  Buxton,  who  was  born  in 


686 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Leavenworth  Countj',  and  is  a  daughter  of  Solo- 
mon and  Martha  (Mason)  Buxton.  They  have 
four  children:  Clara,  wife  of  Jesse  Wood,  of 
Alexandria  Township;  Ora  Edna,  wife  of  Lester 
Markle}',  also  of  this  township;  William  and  Jen- 
nie, who  are  with  their  parents. 


<^HOMAS  H.  KNAPP  was  born  in  Kickapoo 
f  C  Township,  Leavenworth  County,  in  the 
V2?  house  in  which  he  still  resides.  He  is  a  son 
of  Adam  Knapp,  Jr.,  a  pioneer  of  Kansas  and  a 
native  of  Hessen,  Germany,  born  November  i8, 
1820.  When  a  child  of  twelve  years  he  was 
brought  to  the  United  States  by  his  father,  Adam 
Knapp,  Sr. ,  who  spent  some  time  in  New  York 
and  later  became  a  pioneer  resident  of  St.  Louis. 
As  a  youth,  Adam  Knapp,  Jr.,  was  reared  to  farm 
pursuits  and  throughout  life  he  followed  the  oc- 
cupation with  which  he  was  most  familiar.  In 
1854  he  came  to  Kansas  and  bought  a  squatters' 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Plum 
Creek  Valley,  Leavenworth  CountJ^  Upon  that 
place  he  continued  to  reside  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  Through  his  energy  and  persever- 
ance he  was  successful,  and  in  time  he  became 
known  as  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  locality. 
He  was  a  loyal  citizen  of  his  adopted  country  and 
took  an  interest  in  matters  for  the  benefit  of  his 
township  and  county.  His  life,  though  unevent- 
ful, was  a  busy  and  useful  existence,  and  when 
he  died,  January  24,  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two,  there  were  many  to  mourn  the  loss  of  one 
who  had  been  a  good  citizen  and  kind  neighbor. 
He  married  Eva  Barber  Dressell,  who  came  from 
Germany  with  her  parents  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years  and  who  became  his  wife  February  15, 
1844.  Of  their  family,  four  sons  and  three 
daughters  are  now  living,  namely:  Albert,  a 
farmer  of  Jefferson  County;  John,  of  Leavenworth 
County;  Lewis  F. ,  whose  sketch  appears  on 
another  page;  Julia,  wife  of  Hezekiah  Edgell; 
Thomas  H.;  Sophia  E. ,  who  married  John  H. 
Roche;  and  Emma  L-,  wife  of  William  Drews. 
Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Knapp  has 
continued  to  reside  on  the  old  homestead,  which 
her  son,  Thomas  H.,  owns  and  occupies. 


After  completing  the  studies  of  the  country 
schools  our  subject  turned  his  attention  to  farm 
work.  Prior  to  the  death  of  his  father  he  bought 
one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  in  Plum  Creek 
Valley,  where  he  has  always  made  his  home.  He 
also  owns  eighty  acres  adjoining.  Here  he  en- 
gages in  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  He 
raises  large  crops  of  wheat.  It  has  never  been  a 
characteristic  of  the  Knapp  family  to  mingle  in 
politics,  and  in  this  respect  he  is  no  exception. 
He  prefers  to  give  his  attention  to  his  personal 
affairs,  although  he  does  his  duty  as  a  voter  and 
a  citizen,  and  supports  measures  of  undoubted 
benefit  to  his  community.  In  the  work  of  the 
Kickapoo  Baptist  Church,  to  which  he  belongs, 
he  is  deeply  interested,  and  to  it,  as  to  other 
worthy  objects,  he  has  contributed  as  his  means 
have  permitted.  November  20,  1884,  he  married 
Miss  Eva  Maget,  of  Wyandotte  County,  Kans. , 
the  daughter  of  William  and  Polly  Ann  (Roach) 
Maget,  formerly  of  Platte  County,  Mo.,  now  de- 
ceased. They  have  six  children:  Olive,  Michael, 
Sophia,  Laura,  Edna  and  Andrew. 


GlNSON  C.  HARDING,  attorney-at-law  of 
U  Leavenworth,  is  of  southern  parentage.  His 
/  I  father,  Henry  Harding,  and  grandfather, 
William  Harding,  were  born  in  Fairfax  County, 
Va.,  and  descended  from  a  colonial  family  of  the 
Old  Dominion.  The  latter,  who  was  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  18 12,  removed  in  18 15  to  Ohio,  set- 
tling on  a  farm  near  Ripley  and  continuing  to  re- 
side there  until  his  death,  at  about  eighty  years. 
The  father,  who  was  also  an  agriculturist  in 
Brown  County,  died  in  Aberdeen  at  fifty-six 
years  of  age;  he  had  married  Ann  Gash,  who 
was  born  in  Lewis  County,  Ky. ,  and  died  in 
Ohio  in  1854.  The  four  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters comprising  the  family  are  all  living,  but 
none  except  our  subject  is  in  Kansas.  One  son, 
Frank,  now  residing  in  Aberdeen,  enlisted  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  as  a  private  in  the  Seventieth 
Ohio  Infantry,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was 
major  in  command  of  his  regiment.  He  went  out 
with  twelve  hundred  men,  which  number  was  in- 
creased, by  recruiting,  to  twenty-two  hundred. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


687 


Mr.  Harding  was  born  near  Riple)-,  Brown 
Count}',  Ohio,  January  23,  1844.  He  was  reared 
on  the  home  farm,  and  received  his  primarj'  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools.  At  the  opening  of 
the  war  he  responded  to  a  call  made,  in  August, 
1861,  for  three  years'  men.  He  was  then  six- 
teen years  of  age.  He  was  mustered  into  service 
at  Ripley,  becoming  a  member  of  Company  G, 
Seventieth  Ohio  Infantry.  With  his  regiment  he 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  the  siege  of 
Corinth,  but,  becoming  ill,  was  sent  to  a  hospi- 
tal in  Cincinnati,  where  he  remained  until  he 
was  discharged,  August  20,  1862,  on  account  of 
physical  disability.  Returning  home,  he  at- 
tended the  high  school  at  Manchester  for  one 
year.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he  enlisted  in  the 
one  hundred  day  service,  and  was  assigned  to 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-eighth 
Ohio  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  the  time  of  en- 
listment. Shortly  afterward  he  re-enlisted  and 
became  a  member  of  Company  K,  One  Hundred 
and  Eighty-third  Ohio  Infantry,  which  was  as- 
signed to  the  Twenty-third  army  corps  under 
General  Schofield.  He  was  commissioned  orderly 
sergeant,  and,  with  his  command,  took  part 
in  engagements  at  Franklin  and  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  and  Goldsboro,  N.  C.  After  the  surren- 
der of  Johnston's  armj'  at  Raleigh  they  remained 
in  Salisbury  until  July  17,  when  they  were  mus-. 
tered  out  and  honorably  discharged. 

After  his  return  home  Mr.  Harding  assisted  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  farm  for  a  year  and  then 
took  a  course  in  the  National  Normal  School  in 
Lebanon,  Ohio,  after  which  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, being  principal  of  schools  and  also  superin- 
tendent. In  1878  he  entered  the  law  department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1880,  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B. 
Opening  an  office  in  Flora,  111.,  he  began  to  prac- 
tice his  profession.  In  1884  he  was  appointed 
special  examiner  in  the  pension  department  in 
the  field  and  this  position  he  held  for  three  years, 
meantime  traveling  in  Illinois,  Iowa,  Kansas  and 
Minnesota.  Under  the  Cleveland  administration 
he  resigned  his  position,  and,  in  July,  1887,  set- 
tled in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  but  two  years  later  re- 
moved to   Leavenworth,  where  he  has  his  law 


office  at  No.  1 13  South  Third  street,  and,  in  ad- 
dition to  his  law  practice,  also  engages  in  the  real- 
estate  business.  His  political  affiliations  have 
always  been  stanchly  Republican.  He  is  con- 
nected with  the  Union  Veterans'  League  and  Cus- 
ter Post  No.  6,  G.  A.  R.  Fraternally  he  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Masons  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
His  marriage  was  solemnized  in  Kansas  City, Mo., 
in  1887,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Florence 
Webster,  who  was  born  in  Alexander  County,  111. 


qOSEPH  JACKSON  HARTNETT,  agent  for 
I  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  and  trainmaster 
Q)  for  that  road  and  the  Leavenworth,  Kansas 
&  Western  Railroad,  was  born  in  Mount  Pleasant, 
Henry  County,  Iowa,  July  8,  1852,  He  is  a  son 
of  John  Hartnett,  a  native  of  County  Kerry,  Ire- 
land, who  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1848, 
being  led  to  seek  a  home  in  another  country  on 
account  of  his  sympathies  with  the  Smith  and 
O'Brien  insurrectionists.  Settling  in  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, he  began  contracting.  He  remained  in  that 
city  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  middle 
age  during  the  Civil  war.  His  wife,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Johanna  Leahy,  was  married 
a  second  time  and  died  at  seventy-three  years  in 
Iowa.  Her  first  marriage  resulted  in  the  birth  of 
four  children,  now  living.  Of  these  our  subject 
was  next  to  the  youngest.  He  was  reared  in 
Mount  Pleasant  and  had  but  limited  educational 
advantages.  When  about  eighteen  he  studied 
telegraphy  at  Batavia,  Iowa,  and  upon  the  com- 
pletion of  his  studies,  at  Hopkins,  Mo.  (on  what 
is  now  a  part  of  the  Q  road) ,  he  was  employed  as 
operator,  working  in  this  capacity  at  various 
places.  In  the  employ  of  the  Kansas  City,  St. 
Joe  &  Council  Bluffs  (now  the  Q)  Railroad,  he 
went  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  1875,  and  remained 
in  that  city  until  1884,  being  operator  for  two 
years,  cashier  for  five  years,  and  then  chief  clerk 
of  the  Western  Railroad  A.ssociation.  He  was 
also  connected  with  the  Santa  Fe  for  a  short  time 
as  clerk.  In  1884  he  became  connected  with  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad  and  was  first  tracing  clerk 
in  the  Kansas  City  freight  office,  afterward  be- 
coming local  auditor. 


688 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


August  I,  1887,  Mr.  Hartuett  was  appointed 
freight  agent  for  the  Union  Pacific  at  Leaven- 
worth, which  position  he  has  since  held,  mean- 
time becoming  known  to  the  people  of  the  city  for 
his  thorough  familiarity  with  his  duties  and  the 
accuracy  which  is  noticeable  in  even  the  smallest 
details  of  his  work.  August  5,  1893,  the  duties 
of  trainmaster  at  this  point  were  added  to  his 
position,  in  which  capacity  he  has  two  hundred 
men  under  him  and  acts  in  the  capacity  of  division 
operator. 

During  his  residence  in  Kansas  City  Mr.  Hart- 
nett  married  Miss  Minnie  Devine,  who  was  reared 
there.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
Minnie,  Gertrude,  Antoinette,  Joseph  J.,  Jr., 
John  Walter,  Ellener,  Ralph  and  Thomas.  The 
family  are  connected  with  the  Sacred  Heart  Ro- 
man Catholic  Church,  and  Mr.  Hartnett  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Knights  of  America. 
Fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Ancient  Order  of 
Pyramids.  In  political  belief  he  is  a  Jacksonian 
Democrat,  a  stanch  adherent  of  free  trade  and 
also  of  the  gold  standard  of  currency.  As  a  rail- 
road official  he  is  very  accommodating  to  the 
general  public,  accurate  in  discharge  of  every 
duty,  prompt,  reliable  and  faithful,  and  stands 
high  with  the  officials  of  the  road. 


(TOHN  BAUM  started  out  in  life  for  himself 
I  without  means  or  influence,  but  has  worked 
G)  his  way  to  a  front  rank  in  his  special  line  of 
busine.ss,  and,  through  the  exercise  of  sound 
judgment,  has  accumulated  a  valuable  property. 
Coming  to  the  United  States  a  young  man,  with- 
out capital,  a  stranger  in  a  strange  laud,  the  out- 
look might  have  discouraged  some.  However, 
he  had  energy,  perseverance  and  determination, 
and  through  these  qualities  he  has  become  well- 
to-do;  while,  by  his  service  in  the  Civil  war,  he 
also  proved  himself  to  be  a  loyal  citizen  and 
patriot. 

The  youngest  of  five  children,  Mr.  Baum  was 
born  in  Flonheim,  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany, 
April  29,  1840,  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Hoffman)  Baum.      His  parents  and  the  other 


children  continued  to  reside  in  Germany,  he  be- 
ing the  only  member  of  the  family  who  crossed 
the  ocean.  Under  his  father,  with  whom  he 
served  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years,  he 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade.  In  1857  he  set 
sail  from  Havre,  France,  on  the  sailer  "Trum- 
bull," which  after  a  voyage  of  forty-nine  days 
landed  in  New  York.  His  first  work  was  as  a 
blacksmith  in  that  city,  on  Twenty-seventh  street, 
near  Fourth  avenue.  In  1859  he  came  west  as 
far  as  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  and  for  a  time 
was  employed  on  the  steamer  "Chippewa,"  run- 
ning on  the  Missouri  River.  He  was  also  em- 
ployed as  engineer  on  steamers  between  St.  Louis 
and  New  Orleans.  In  January,  186 1,  he  made  a 
trip  from  St.  Louis  up  the  Missouri  to  Fort 
Benton,  returning  to  St.  Louis  after  three  months. 

In  July,  1861,  Mr.  Baum  enlisted  in  Company 
I,  First  Missouri  Light  Artillery  (called  Buell's 
battery),  and  was  mustered  into  service  in  St. 
Louis.  Among  the  important  engagements  in 
which  he  participated  were  the  following:  Forts 
Henry  and  Donelson,  Shiloh,  siege  of  Corinth, 
battle  of  luka,  second  battle  of  Corinth,  Corwin's 
Ferry,  etc.  Several  times  he  was  wounded,  but 
never  seriously.  He  was  mustered  out  of  service 
and  honorably  discharged  in  St.  Louis  in  June, 
1864. 

Returning  to  Leavenworth  in  1865,  Mr.  Baum 
established  his  permanent  home  in  this  city.  For 
some  time  he  was  employed  as  a  traveling  sales- 
man, first  with  Alexander  McDonald  &  Co., 
then  with  Gillett  &  Insley,  and  later  with  Car- 
ney, Fenlon  &  Co.  In  1872  he  formed  a  busi- 
ness partnership  with  John  Hannon,  and  the 
firm  of  Hannon  &  Baum  embarked  in  business  in 
the  old  market  house.  Afterward  they  moved 
across  the  street  and  finally  transferred  their 
plant  to  No.  511  Delaware  street,  between  Fifth 
and  Sixth  streets.  In  1887  Mr.  Baum  bought 
his  partner's  interest  and  removed  to  East  Leav- 
enworth, but  in  1892  returned  to  Leavenworth. 
In  1893  be  built  the  large  brick  block  at  No.  305 
Cherokee  street,  where  he  has  two  stories  and 
basement,  25x125  feet  in  dimensions. 

The  residence  of  Mr.  Baum  stands  on  Maple 
avenue  and  is  one  of  the  fine  homes  of  the  city. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


689 


He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  who 
was  Mary  German,  a  native  of  Hesse-Darmstadt, 
died  in  Leavenworth  in  1875,  leaving  two  sons: 
William,  of  this  city;  and  Otto,  who  is  in  San 
Francisco,  Cal.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr. 
Baum  took  place  in  Leavenworth  and  united  him 
with  Miss  Sophia  Endebrock,  who  was  born  in 
Hanover  and  died  in  Leavenworth  in  1886.  The 
four  children  born  of  this  union  are  as  follows: 
John,  who  graduated  from  the  Leavenworth  high 
school  in  1893,  and  now  assists  his  father  in  busi- 
ness; Henry,  who  died  at  seventeen  years;  Her- 
man, a  graduate  of  the  high  school,  class  of 
1S98,  and  now  assisting  his  father;  and  George, 
who  is  a  member  of  the  high  school  class  of  1901. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Baum  is  one  of  the  early  mem- 
bers of  the  Turn  Verein,  of  whose  board  of  trus- 
tees he  is  a  member.  He  is  also  connected  with 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Germania  Lodge 
No.  123,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Formerly  he  was  connected 
with,  and  commander  of,  Leavenworth  Post 
No.  120,  G.  A.  R.,  but  is  now  a  member  of  Cus- 
ter Post  No.  6. 


|RS.  AFRA  KREZDORN.  The  business 
ability  displayed  by  Mrs.  Krezdorn  in  the 
management  of  her  important  and  valuable 
interests,  and  especially  in  the  supervision  of  the 
store  formerly  owned  by  her  husband,  the  late 
Henry  Krezdorn,  proves  that  she  is  a  lady  of  en- 
terprise and  sagacious  judgment.  For  some  years 
she  has  personally  superintended  the  grocery 
business  at  No.  419  North  Second  street  and  has 
maintained  the  excellent  standing  of  the  store 
established  by  her  husband.  She  is  the  owner 
of  other  valuable  property,  all  of  which  she  man- 
ages personally. 

A  resident  of  Leavenworth  .since  1871,  Mrs. 
Krezdorn  was  born  in  Byrne,  Germany,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Afra  (Daniel)  Kirmeyer,  also 
natives  of  Byrne,  where  the  latter  died  when  her 
daughter  was  ten  years  of  age;  the  former,  who 
was  born  in  1781,  attained  the  age  of  ninety-three 
years.  There  were  twelve  children  in  the  family, 
of  whom  three  sons  are  in  Leavenworth, 
Alois,  Joseph  and  Michael  Kirmeyer,  all  for  some 
years  active  business  men  here.       Mrs.  Krezdorn 


was  reared  in  Germany  and  came  to  America  in 
1869,  settling  in  Leavenworth  two  years  later. 
Here  she  was  married.  May  12,  1S73,  to  Henry 
Krezdorn,  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany. 

In  early  manhood,  in  1833,  Mr.  Krezdorn  came 
to  the  United  States.  At  first  he  engaged  in 
mining  in  Michigan.  At  the  time  of  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California  he  went  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  where  he  successfully  engaged  in  mining 
for  several  years.  He  then  returned  to  Germany 
and  brought  the  other  members  of  the  family 
back  to  this  country  with  him,  settling  in  Lex- 
ington, Mo.,  in  1858,  and  opened  a  mercan- 
tile establishment.  On  account  of  his  sympathy 
with  the  Union  he  came  to  Leavenworth  in  1861 , 
and  here  his  father  died.  For  a  time  he  con- 
ducted a  bakery  in  this  city,  but  afterward  opened 
a  grocery  on  Fifth  and  Miami  streets,  continuing 
in  business  at  that  stand  for  some  years,  and  then 
buying  the  property  on  Second  and  Pottawatomie 
streets,  where  he  continued  until  his  death.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Republican.  Three  times,  with- 
out opposition,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
city  council.  Fraternally  he  was  connected  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Turn  Verein.  One  of  his  brothers,  Carl,  died 
in  Leavenworth;  the  other,  Herman,  is  a  large 
jeweler  at  Saguin,  Tex. 

In  Lexington,  Mo.,  in  1858,  Mr.  Krezdorn 
married  Miss  Agnes  Hensler,  who  was  born  in 
Baden  and  died  in  Leavenworth.  Four  children 
were  born  of  this  union.  Amelia  is  the  wife  of 
Alois  Kirmeyer,  of  Leavenworth.  Ernst  G.  is  an 
attorney-at-law,  notary  public  and  one  of  the 
muster  officers  in  Leavenworth.  Otto,  a  mer- 
chant, died  at  the  age  of  thirty;  and  Bertha  is 
the  wife  of  Robert  Beller,  of  this  city. 

The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Krezdorn  united 
him  with  Miss  Alfra  Kirmeyer,  by  whom  he  had 
five  children:  Emma,  wife  of  J.  C.  Davis,  of 
Leavenworth;  Laura,  wife  of  John  Kirsch,  also  of 
this  city;  Katie,  Dominica  and  Henry,  who  are 
with  their  mother.  The  death  of  Mr.  Krezdorn 
occurred  December  16,  18S3,  when  he  was  fifty- 
one  years  of  age.  His  long  and  active  connec- 
tion with  the  business  interests  of  his  city  had 
brought  him  the  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens. 


690 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


He  was  a  loyal  citizen  of  his  adopted  country, 
and  public- spirited  in  his  support  of  all  pro- 
gressive movements  for  the  benefit  of  the  town. 


HON.  THEODORE  A.  HURD.  During  the 
long  and  intimate  connection  of  Judge 
Hurd  with  the  history  of  jurisprudence  in 
Leavenworth,  he  gained  a  reputation  that  was 
not  limited  to  this  city,  nor  indeed  to  the  state  of 
Kansas.  He  was  fitted,  by  natural  gifts  and  edu- 
cation, for  the  profession  in  which  he  so  long  and 
honorably  engaged.  His  intelligence,  his  method 
of  logical  reasoning,  his  habitual  self-possession, 
whether  in  the  ordinary  walks  of  life  or  in  great 
emergencies,  and  his  acumen  made  him  a  model 
attorney.  Endowed  with  mental  energy,  he  was 
prompt  in  forming  and  resolute  in  carrying  out 
any  purpose  or  plan  of  action  on  which  he  de- 
cided; and  this  habit  of  decision  and  force  of  will 
was  one  of  the  notable  traits  of  his  character.  He 
continued  his  activity  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
and,  spite  of  waning  years,  showed  no  diminution 
of  his  powers.  To  the  last  he  remained  the  dig- 
nified, just,  tactful  and  resourceful  man  he  had 
ever  been. 

Judge  Hurd  was  born  in  Pawling,  Dutchess 
County,  N.  Y.,  December  21,  1819,  a  son  of 
Jarius  Hurd,  a  farmer  of  that  county.  He  ob- 
tained his  education  in  Cazenovia  Academy  and 
afterward  taught  school  for  two  years  in  Virgin- 
ia. He  read  law  in  the  oflSce  of  ex-Governor 
Horatio  Seymour  at  Utica,  later  was  with  B. 
Davis  Noxon,  and  graduated  in  the  class  of  1847 
at  Utica.  For  a  time  he  was  a  partner  of  Judge 
Joshua  A.  Spencer.  While  at  Utica  he  formed  a 
friendship  with  Roscoe  Conkling,  which  was 
terminated  only  by  the  death  of  the  senator.  Dur- 
ing the '50s  business  brought  him  west,  and  he 
was  so  pleased  with  the  prospects  in  Leavenworth 
that  he  decided  to  locate  here.  In  1859  he  set- 
tled in  this  city,  and  during  the  same  year  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  H.  Miles  Moore,  the 
firm  of  Moore  &  Hurd  continuing  until  Mr. 
Moore  entered  the  army  at  the  opening  of  the 
war.     After  that   Judge    Hurd   continued  alone. 


He  made  a  specialty  of  constitutional  and  cor- 
poration law,  in  which  he  was  recognized  as  au- 
thority. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  old  Missouri  Val- 
ley Life  Insurance  Company,  Judge  Hurd  became 
its  attorney,  and  this  position  he  retained  from 
the  incorporation  of  the  company  through  the 
long  litigation  following  the  appointment  of  a  re- 
ceiver and  the  closing  up  of  the  company's  busi- 
ness. When  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  was 
chartered  he  was  chosen  attorney  for  the  com- 
pany, in  which  office  he  continued  long  after  the 
road  was  merged  into  the  Union  Pacific  Railway. 
While  looking  after  the  lands  of  this  company  he 
first  became  associated  with  W.  A.  Harris,  then 
civil  engineer  for  the  company,  now  United 
States  senator.  He  was  also  attorney  for  a  Ken- 
tucky syndicate  that  owned  Fackler's  addition  to 
Leavenworth.  For  many  years  he  acted  as  gen- 
eral attorney  for  the  Great  Western  Manufactur- 
ing Company.  His  ability  as  an  attorney  brought 
him  into  prominence  throughout  Kansas,  and  his 
services  were  brought  into  requisition  in  almost 
every  important  case  in  his  part  of  the  state. 
Nor  did  his  activity  in  the  law  decrease  with  ad- 
vancing years.  Only  a  few  days  before  his  death 
he  had  completed  a  tedius  case  as  referee,  involv- 
ing thousands  of  dollars,  and  had  made  his  report 
to  the  district  court. 

In  politics  Judge  Hurd  was  a  stanch  Democrat, 
but  he  never  held  an  elective  office  except  that 
of  school  •director.  Upon  the  resignation  of  Judge 
Brewer  from  the  supreme  court  bench  to  accept 
an  appointment  on  the  bench  of  the  United  States 
supreme  court,  in  April,  1884,  Governor  Glick 
appointed  Judge  Hurd  to  fill  the  vacancy.  He 
was  a  member  ot  the  Leavenworth  and  Kansas 
State  Bar  Associations,  and  represented  the  latter 
at  a  convention  of  the  national  association,  while 
of  the  former  he  was  once  president.  In  early 
days  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Leavenworth 
Commandery  of  Knights  Templar,  and  was  a 
charter  member  of  Calvary  Lodge  of  Masons,  and 
when  he  died  his  funeral  was  conducted  with  Ma- 
sonic honors. 

August  25,  1862,  Judge  Hurd  married  Miss 
Clara   E.    Moak,    who  was    born    in  Schoharie 


JAMES  L.  BYERS. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


693 


County,  N.  Y.,  a  daughter  of  Reuben  and  Mary 
(Taylor)  Moak.  Her  father,  who  was  of  Ger- 
man extraction,  was  born  in  Schoharie  County 
in  1800,  and  for  several  years  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  in  Sharon,  being  the  leading 
man  of  that  village.  He  died  of  consumption  in 
Wisconsin  in  1866.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in 
Schoharie  County  August  21,1 807 ,  is  still  living, 
and  makes  her  home  with  Mrs.  Hurd.  In  relig- 
ion she  is  a  Baptist.  She  is  very  well  preserved 
for  her  years.  Of  her  twelve  children  all  but 
three  attained  mature  years.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Philothete  (Frary)  Taylor,  na- 
tives of  Massachusetts.  Judge  and  Mrs.  Hurd 
had  three  children,  but  the  only  one  now  living 
is  Clara  May. 

The  death  of  Judge  Hurd  was  sudden  and  un- 
expected. For  some  days  he  had  been  ill  with 
la  grippe,  but  the  illness  was  not  considered  seri- 
ous. Alarming  symptoms,  however,  suddenly 
developed,  and  while  he  was  seated  in  a  chair, 
before  a  physician  had  reached  him,  his  head  fell 
against  the  back  of  the  chair  and  he  passed  quiet- 
ly away,  on  the  morning  of  February  22,  1899. 
Besides  his  immediate  family  there  were  many 
warm  friends  to  mourn  his  loss.  The  citizens 
among  whom  he  had  so  long  made  his  home  had 
come  to  esteem  him  highly  for  his  known  integ- 
rity and  ability,  and,  as  a  unit,  they  paid  to  his 
memory  the  last  tributes  of  respect  and  regard, 
and  tendered  to  his  family  the  heartiest  sympa- 
thy in  their  bereavement. 


3AMFS  L.  BYERS,  who  came  to  Leaven- 
worth in  the  fall  of  1855  and  is  now  one  of 
the  oldest  surviving  settlers  of  this  city,  was 
born  in  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  in  1824,  and 
is  of  Scotch  descent.  His  father,  Robert  Byers, 
emigrated  from  Belfast,  Ireland,  to  America  and 
settled  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  but  soon  removed  to 
Dayton,  Ohio,  and  bought  a  tract  of  land  near 
that  city.  As  soon  as  he  was  permanently  set- 
tled he  sent  for  his  mother  and  brothers  in  Ire- 
land, and  they  joined  him  in  Dayton.  He  became 
a  successful  farmer  and  stock-raiser  and  was  a 
highly  esteemed  citizen  of  his  community.  In 
32 


politics  he  supported  the  Whig  party  and  was  a 
warm  admirer  of  Henry  Clay.  He  was  a  young 
man  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His  wife,  Nancy, 
who  was  a  sister  of  James  and  Alexander  Laugh- 
lin,  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  viz.: 
James  L,.,  Robert,  George,  and  Agnes,  who  is  the 
wife  of  D.  D.  Marquis. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  such  as  the 
common  schools  afforded.  Being  the  oldest  son 
at  home  he  took  charge  of  the  farm  at  an  early 
age,  remaining  with  his  mother  until  the  younger 
sons  were  able  to  assume  the  management  of  the 
place.  In  1851  he  went  to  southern  Illinois  and 
for  a  few  years  was  in  partnership  with  his  broth- 
ers, Alexander  and  Robert,  in  a  general  mercan- 
tile business  in  Olney  and  Louisville,  111.  In 
October,  1855,  he  came  to  Leavenworth,  bringing 
with  him  from  St.  Louis  a  stock  of  goods  and 
opening  a  store  in  the  town.  The  surroundings 
were  unpleasant,  owing  to  border  warfare  be- 
tween the  free-state  and  pro-slavery  parties.  In 
1S57  he  sold  his  grocery,  after  which  he  carried 
on  a  real-estate  business  until  i860.  He  then 
began  freighting  over  the  plains  to  points  in 
Colorado  and  New  Mexico,  continuing  in  this 
occupation  until  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
reached  Denver  in  1868.  At  that  time  he  loaded 
his  wagons  with  goods  purchased  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  and  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  and  drove  through 
to  Salt  Lake,  Utah,  where  he  opened  a  store  and 
sold  his  goods,  cattle  and  wagons.  It  was  dur- 
ing this  time  that  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
was  completed  to  Ogden  and  Salt  Lake  City. 
Later  he  made  a  few  trips  to  Boise  City. 

In  the  spring  of  1869  Mr.  Byers  took  a  stock  of 
goods  from  Kansas  by  boat  up  the  Missouri  River 
to  Fort  Benton  and  then  freighted  the  goods  to 
Helena,  Mont.,  where  he  opened  a  general  store 
and  remained  for  three  years,  successfully  en- 
gaged in  merchandising.  On  his  return  to  Leav- 
enworth he  began  to  improve  the  lots  and  the 
several  acres  of  land  that  he  owned  in  the  city. 
He  built  a  one-story  brick  block  on  Shawnee 
street,  which  a  few  years  later  was  destroyed  by 
fire.     He  then  erected  a  large  block,  which  is  cue 


694 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  the  best  in  the  neighborhood.  At  different  times 
he  has  built  other  business  houses  and  residences, 
some  of  which  he  still  owns.  He  is  also  the 
owner  of  three  hundred  acres  of  farm  land  in 
Stranger  Township.  During  his  younger  days 
he  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  buyers  and  sell- 
ers of  property  in  Leavenworth. 

While  in  the  main  Mr.  Byers  has  been  success- 
ful, yet  he  has  met  with  some  heavy  losses,  but 
he  has  always  managed  to  "keep  his  head  above 
water,"  and  has  never  become  discouraged,  no 
matter  how  dark  the  outlook.  His  success  is 
commendable  when  it  is  remembered  that  in  boy- 
hood he  assisted  in  caring  for  other  members  of 
the  family  and  had  few  opportunities  for  acquir- 
ing an  education.  When  he  started  out  for  him- 
self he  was  without  means,  but  by  industry  and 
honest  dealing  he  has  become  well-to-do.  He 
has  never  cared  for  office,  but,  wherever  located, 
he  has  always  taken  an  interest  in  local  politics, 
and  supports  Republican  principles.  He  is  gen- 
erous in  his  dealings  with  all,  a  man  of  irre- 
proachable character,  kind-hearted  and  whole- 
souled,  with  a  good  word  for  all.  He  has  won 
and  retained  the  confidence  of  the  business  men 
with  whom  he  has  dealt  and  stands  high  among 
his  fellow-citizens.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  Leavenworth  Lodge  No.  2,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in 
which  he  has  passed  all  the  chairs. 


HON.  PERCIVAL  G.  LOWE,  of  Leaven- 
worth, was  born  in  Randolph,  Coos  Coun- 
ty, N.  H.,  September  29,  1828,  a  son  of 
Clovis  and  Alpha  Abigail  (Green)  Lowe.  His 
father,  who  was  a  merchant  and  dealer  in  real 
estate,  took  a  prominent  part  in  local  affairs  and 
was  a  leader  of  the  Democratic  party.  Reserved 
his  county  in  the  legislature  and  for  -years  held 
office  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  died  in  Coos 
County  when  eighty-two  years  of  age.  His  wife, 
who  was  born  in  Shelburne,  N.  H.,  was  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Green,  whose  ancestors 
came  from  Scotland  to  New  England  and  took 
part  in  the  wars  of  the  Revolution  and  18 12.  He 
married  a  Miss  Evans,  who  was  of  Welsh  de- 
scent.    A  man  of  fine  physique,  six  feet  and  two 


inches  in  height,  with  broad  chest  and  stalwart 
frame,  he  withstood  the  ravages  of  time  and  when 
he  died,  at  ninety-seven  years,  was  still  in  posses- 
sion of  his  faculties. 

The  family  of  which  P.  G.  Lowe  was  a  mem- 
ber consisted  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  were 
.sons.  Of  these  Oscar  died  in  Cambridge,  Mass., 
in  1898;  Pembroke,  who  was  in  the  quartermas- 
ter's department  in  the  Civil  war,  is  now  living 
in  Phillips  County,  Kans. ;  and  Thaddeus,  who  is 
the  most  grifted  member  of  the  family,  has  at- 
tained national  renown.  During  the  Civil  war 
he  originated  the  plan  of  signalling  with  balloons, 
also  of  generating  gas  in  the  field,  and  was  placed 
in  charge  of  the  balloon  corps  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  Afterward  he  invented  water  gas  and 
the  refrigerator  process.  Perhaps  his  crowning 
work  was  the  building  of  the  railroad  from  Pasa- 
dena, Cal.  (where  he  makes  his  home),  up  to  the 
top  of  Mount  Lowe,  a  feat  of  engineering  which 
has  seldom  been  surpassed.  The  road  is  operated 
by  electricity  and  is  visited  by  all  of  the  eastern 
tourists  as  one  of  the  greatest  attractions  of  the 
Pacific  coast. 

At  fourteen  years  of  age  our  subject  went  from 
Randolph  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  where  he  worked  as 
a  newsboy  and  later  as  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store. 
When  sixteen  he  went  to  sea,  and  for  two  years 
was  engaged  in  the  coasting  trade.  On  his  re- 
turn to  the  life  of  a  landsman  he  worked  for  six 
months  at  the  daguerreotype  business  in  Boston 
with  a  Mr.  Plumb,  after  which  he  was  with  a 
Mr.  Cannon  for  eight  months.  He  was  very  de- 
sirous of  going  to  California  at  the  time  of  the 
discovery  of  gold  there,  but  had  not  the  $300 
necessary  for  the  voyage,  so  instead  went  on  a 
whaling  voyage.  From  January,  1849,  until  the 
fall  of  the  year  he  was  on  the  whaling  vessel 
"Jane  Howes,"  around  Porto  Rico,  Bermuda,  the 
Azores  and  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  October  17, 
1849,  he  enlisted  in  the  First  United  States 
Dragoons  and  was  sent  to  Carlisle  barracks,  and 
was  afterward  assigned  to  Troop  B.  He  went 
down  the  canal,  over  the  mountains,  on  to  Pitts- 
burgh, from  there  via  steamer  to  St.  Louis,  and 
next  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  When  only  ninety 
miles  above  St.  Louis  the  river  froze  up,  and  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


695 


men  were  forced  to  march  to  Fort  Leavenworth, 
where  they  arrived  on  Christmas  day  of  1849. 

In  April,  1850,  Mr.  Lowe  joined  his  regiment 
at  Fort  Kearney.  There  he  was  mounted  and 
sent  on  a  scouting  expedition  against  the  Paw- 
nees. During  the  ensuing  winter,  which  was 
spent  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  he  was  made  a  cor- 
poral. In  the  spring  of  1851  he  had  charge  of 
the  paymaster's  escort  to  Fort  Laramie,  and  was 
there  when  a  treaty  was  made  with  the  Indians. 
Returning  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  he  remained 
during  the  winter,  and  in  1852  was  made  first 
sergeant  of  the  troop  and  campaigned  after  In- 
dians on  the  Arkansas,  continuing  this  in  1853. 
In  1854  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  New 
Mexico.  Returning  to  Fort  Leavenworth  he  was 
employed  as  wagon  master  in  the  quartermaster's 
department  for  five  3'ears,  being  master  of  trans- 
portation at  Fort  Riley  in  1855;  in  1856  in  charge 
of  transportation  of  supplies  to  troops  in  Kansas, 
and  was  stationed  at  various  points  in  this  state 
during  the  Kansas  war;  in  1857,  master  of  trans- 
portation at  the  time  of  the  Cheyenne  war;  in 
1858,  in  charge  of  trains  to  Utah  during  the  Mor- 
mon war,  going  to  Utah  in  August  with  a  large 
train  and  returning  in  December,  after  a  most 
remarkable  trip,  during  which  they  traveled  from 
Salt  Lake  to  five  hundred  miles  east,  through 
snow  that  was  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  deep 
on  the  trails. 

Going  to  Denver  in  1859,  Mr.  Lowe  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  and  jobbing  business  with 
George  W.  Clayton.  In  1859  and  i860  he  made 
four  trips  from  the  Missouri  River  to  Denver, 
hauling  the  goods  purchased  by  the  firm.  In 
December,  i860,  he  sold  out  to  his  partner,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Leavenworth  and  began 
freighting  for  himself  With  thirteen  eight-mule 
teams  he  traveled  over  the  Platte  route  to  and 
from  the  west.  Indians  were  hostile,  but  he 
avoided  an  encounter  with  them.  In  June,  1S61, 
he  married  and  took  his  wife  to  Denver,  where 
Governor  Gilpin  offered  him  a  commission  as 
lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Second  Colorado  Infan- 
try, but  thinking  the  war  would  soon  be  over  he 
declined.  On  his  return  to  Leavenworth  he 
found  the  national  aspect  so  serious  that  he  sold 


his  train  to  the  quartermaster  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth and  returned  to  Denver  for  his  wife.  Feb- 
ruary I,  1862,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  quar- 
termaster, filling  out  trains  for  the  government. 
In  August,  1862,  he  took  six  hundred  horses  and 
one  hundred  and  thirty  teams  to  Fort  Union, 
N.  M.,  returning  to  Leavenworth.  In  the  spring 
of  1863  he  visited  his  brother  in  the  army  of  the 
Potomac  at  Chancellorsville.  On  his  return  to 
the  west  he  resumed  freighting  and  ran  trains  for 
the  government  to  Colorado,  doing  a  large  busi- 
ness and  continuing,  with  different  partners,  un- 
til the  close  of  the  war.  From  1865  to  1868  he 
handled  horses  and  mules  and  engaged  in  con- 
tracting for  the  government.  In  April,  1S68,  he 
took  a  contract  to  move  all  of  the  government 
freight  from  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  to  New 
Mexico  and  intermediate  points,  which  was  the 
largest  freight  contract  made  in  the  United  States 
up  to  that  time.  During  the  year  that  he  spent 
in  carrying  out  the  contract  the  gross  receipts 
were  nearly  $1,000,000.  The  next  year  he  was 
underbid  by  another  firm,  but  at  the  solicitation 
of  the  parties  interested  Mr.  Lowe  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  new  firm  and  had  charge  of  the  busi- 
ness the  same  as  the  year  before.  In  April,  1870, 
the  route  was  made  shorter  by  reason  of  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  railroad  further  west.  He  se- 
cured the  contract  to  move  freight  from  Baxter 
Springs  and  Fort  Gibson,  to  Forts  Arbuckle  and 
Sill,  in  the  Indian  Territory,  and  this  contract 
consumed  his  time  until  April,  187 1,  while  at  the 
same  time  he  also  had  a  contract  for  furnishing 
beef  to  the  military  post  at  Fort  Leavenworth. 
In  1 87 2  he  obtained  the  beef  contracts  for  Forts 
Leavenworth,  Larned  and  Dodge  and  Camp  Sup- 
ply and  these  contracts  he  filled  successfully.  On 
account  of  ill  health  he  sold  out  his  business  in- 
terests in  Leavenworth,  and  afterward  traveled  in 
Florida  and  Texas  recuperating. 

During  a  trip  he  had  made  from  New  Mexico 
in  1862,  Mr.  Lowe  had  measured  the  military 
road  from  Fort  Union  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  a 
distance  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty-two  miles, 
and  the  estimate  he  then  made  was  afterward 
used  in  paying  contractors  for  moving  freight. 
Afterward,  however,  a  dispute  arose  regarding 


696 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  distance  and  suits  were  instituted.  In  1876 
Mr.  lyOwe  went  as  an  expert  with  a  government 
party  which  chained  the  road  from  Fort  Leaven- 
worth to  Fort  Union.  He  returned  in  October 
and  filed  his  report.  Meantime,  some  of  his 
friends  had  entered  into  a  contract  to  furnish  beef 
for  the  Indians  at  the  time  of  the  Sioux  war. 
Trouble  arose,  and  he  was  urged  to  assist  them. 
At  first  he  refused,  but  afterward  consented  to 
go  for  a  month  at  least.  Going  to  the  Red  Cloud 
agency,  he  investigated  and  made  a  report.  He 
was  kept  there  for  eight  months  and  the  exciting 
events  that  meantime  occurred  would  fill  a  vol- 
ume. He  finally  went  back  to  Leavenworth,  but 
was  induced  to  return  to  the  agency,  where  he 
spent  a  most  trying  winter  and  spring. 

In  the  fall  of  1877  Mr.  Lowe  was  elected  sher- 
iff on  the  Democratic  ticket,  receiving  a  majority 
of  seven  hundred.  At  the  end  of  the  term  he  was 
re-elected  and  served  until  1882.  Afterward  he 
gave  his  attention  to  the  improving  of  his  farms 
in  Kickapoo  Township.  In  the  fall  of  1884  he 
was  elected  to  represent  the  third  district  in  the 
state  senate,  and  served  in  the  session  of  1885, 
the  special  session  of  1886  and  the  session  of 
1887.  During  all  of  these  sessions  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  manufacturing  and  in- 
dustrial pursuits;  he  also  served  as  a  member  of 
the  committees  on  mines  and  mining  and  cities  of 
the  first  class.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  he 
retired  from  office,  not  being  a  candidate  for  re- 
election. From  186S  to  1870  he  was  president  of 
the  city  council.  In  1876  he  was  again  president 
of  the  council.  He  has  always  shown  a  deep  in- 
terest in  educational  matters  and  for  a  time  was  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education.  For  one  year 
and  a-half  he  was  police  commissioner  of  Leaven- 
worth, being  appointed  by  Governor  Humphrey. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Leavenworth 
Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  also  the  chapter, 
commandery  and  mystic  shrine. 

In  Clay  County,  Mo.,  Mr.  Lowe  married  Miss 
Margaret  E.  Gartin,  daughter  of  Andrew  Gartin, 
a  native  of  Virginia,  and  an  early  settler  of  Mis- 
souri, later  a  pioneer  government  contractor  and 
freighter  across  the  plains  to  California.  Four 
children  were  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


Lowe,  namely:  Wilson  G.  S.  and  P.  G. ,  Jr.; 
Jane  E.,  wife  of  Capt.  L.  S.  McConnick,  of  the 
Seventh  United  States  Cavalry;  and  Ellen,  wife 
of  Samuel  H.  Wilson,  who  is  connected  with  the 
Great  Western  Manufacturing  Company  in  Leav- 
enworth. 

fDGJlLSON  G.  S.  LOWE,  who  was  for  some 
\  A  /  years  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in 
VV  Leavenworth,  Kans. ,  but  is  now  an  in- 
structor in  the  Michigan  Military  Academy  at 
Orchard  Lake,  Mich.,  was  born  in  Leavenworth, 
Kans.,  May  7,  1862,  a  son  of  Hon.  P.  G.  and 
Margaret  E.  (Gartin)  Lowe.  He  traces  his  an- 
cestrj'  to  England,  but  the  family  has  been  repre- 
sented in  New  England  from  a  very  early  period, 
and  in  the  various  wars  its  members  have  borne 
an  honorable  part;  The  ancestry  in  this  country 
is  traced  back  to  Peregrine  White,  the  first  white 
child  born  in  New  England,  and  whose  birth  oc- 
curred on  the  "Mayflower"  in  Boston  Harbor  No- 
vember 20,  1620.  Peregrine  White  was  a  son  of 
William  and  Susanna  White,  the  former  of  whom 
died  very  shortly  after  the  boat  landed,  and  the 
latter  afterward  was  married  to  Edward  Winslow. 
It  is  said  that  she  was  the  first  mother,  the  first 
widow  and  one  of  the  first  brides  in  New  England. 
Her  second  husband,  Edward  Winslow,  was  the 
first  provincial  governor  of  Massachusetts,  and 
her  son,  Josiah  Winslow,  was  the  first  native 
governor  of  the  colony.  In  the  writings  of  that 
period  Peregrine  White  is  referred  to  as  of  "vigor- 
ous and  manly  aspect."  He  settled  at  Marsh- 
field,  Mass.,  where  the  court,  in  consideration  of 
his  birth,  presented  him  with  two  hundred  acres 
of  land.     In  that  place  he  died  July  22,  1704. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  begun  in  the 
Leavenworth  public  and  high  schools.  In  1879 
he  entered  the  Pennsylvania  Military'  College  at 
Chester,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1883,  with 
first  honors  and  the  degree  of  C.  E.  He  was 
senior  cadet  captain  and  the  valedictorian  of  his 
class.  After  graduating  he  was  appointed  cap- 
tain of  infantry,  N.  G.  P.,  by  Governor  Pattison 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  adjutant  and  assistant 
instructor  in  mathematics  and  militarj' science  for 
one  year  in  his  alma  mater  at  Chester.     From 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


697 


September,  1885,  to  June,  1886,  he  was  instructor 
of  military  science  and  mathematics  in  the  Michi- 
gan Military  Academy  at  Orchard  Lake,  Mich. 
He  began  the  study  of  law  with  Hon.  L-  B.  and 
S.  E.  Wheat,  of  Leavenworth,  and  in  1888  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  after  which  he  took  the  regu- 
lar course  of  study  in  the  law  department  of 
Washington  University,  St.  Louis,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1891,  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B. 

After  leaving  the  law  school  Mr.  Lowe  spent 
two  years  in  Pasadena  and  Los  Angeles,  Cal., 
associated  with  the  firm  of  Wells,  Monroe  & 
Lee,  of  Los  Angeles.  In  1893  he  returned  to 
Leavenworth,  where  he  engaged  in  the  general 
practice  of  law  and  was  also  attorney  for  the 
Union  Savings  Bank.  He  acted  as  military  in- 
structor and  captain  of  the  Leavenworth  high 
school  cadets  for  two  years.  In  1899  he  accepted 
a  po.sition  with  the  Michigan  Military  Academj' 
at  Orchard  Lake,  Mich.,  as  adjutant  and  tactical 
officer  and  instructor  in  law  and  civics.  While 
at  Chester  he  was  for  two  years  president  of  his 
class,  and  at  St.  Louis  he  was  chancellor  of  the 
Fellows  of  Equity  in  the  university.  On  the  7th 
of  September,  1893,  he  married  Miss  Rosalie 
Clarice  Holrayard,  who  was  born  in  ^Sngland  and 
came  with  her  brother  to  the  United  States  in 
1889.  One  child  blesses  their  union,  Percy  Stuart 
Lowe. 


EAPT.  PERCIVAL  G.  LOWE,  Jr.,  of  Com- 
pany F,  Twenty-fifth  United  States  Infantry, 
now  in  Manila,  was  born  in  Leavenworth, 
Kans.,  November  18,  1863,  the  second  son  of 
Hon.  Percival  Green  Lowe,  Sr.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  Leavenworth.  In  1880  he 
entered  the  Pennsylvania  Military  College  of 
Chester,  Pa.,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1883, 
with  the  degree  of  C.  E.  Returning  to  Leaven- 
worth, he  was  employed  as  assistant  city  engi- 
neer. For  two  seasons  he  made  government  sur- 
veys in  western  Kansas.  September  29,  1885,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  Eighteenth  United  States 
Infantry,  with  which  he  served  at  the  now  aban- 
doned military  post  of  Fort  Hays,  Kans.  In  due 
time  he  was  made  corporal  and  afterward  pro- 
moted  to   be  sergeant.     February   11,    1S89,  he 


was  commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  his  com- 
pany. His  successive  locations  were  Forts  Hays 
and  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  Clark  and  BHss,  Tex., 
Sherman,  Idaho,  and  Sheridan,  near  Chicago, 
111.  In  1895  be  graduated  from  the  infantry  and 
cavalry  school  at  Fort  Leavenworth. 

The  commission  of  first'  lieutenant  was  given 
him  April  22,  1896.  He  was  assigned  to  the 
Fourth  regiment  of  Infantry,  but  after  a  time  was 
transferred,  with  Lieutenant  Gregg,  to  his  old 
regiment.  While  in  command  of  Indian  scouts 
he  saved  one  of  his  men  from  drowning,  and  for 
this  heroic  act  he  was  given  the  government  life- 
saving  medal.  Just  prior  to  the  opening  of  the 
war  with  Spain  he  was  ordered  to  Alaska  on  a 
government  exploring  expedition,  and  made  a 
successful  trip  from  Valdez  inlet  up  Copper  River 
to  Tenna  River,  thence  to  Dawson,  returning  to 
Seattle  in  November,  1898,  after  an  absence  of 
about  seven  months.  In  the  spring  of  1899  he 
was  made  captain  of  Company  F,  Twenty-fifth 
United  States  Infantry,  and  was  sent  to  the  Philip- 
pines. Since  then  he  has  been  selected  by  Gen- 
eral Lawton  as  his  chief  of  scouts  and  is  in  com- 
mand of  a  select  body  of  soldiers  known  as  Lowe's 
scouts. 


nOHN  AARON,  a  retired  farmer  and  stock- 
I  dealer  residing  in  Leavenworth,  was  born 
G)  in  Clarion  County,  Pa.,  April  3,  1828.  His 
father,  George,  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
County,  Pa.,  and  removed  to  Clarion  County 
about  1830,  settling  upon  a  farm,  and  devoting 
the  remainder  of  his  life  to  stock-raising  and  the 
lumber  business.  He  was  one  of  five  brothers 
(the  others  being  Joseph,  Conrad,  Thomas  and 
Daniel),  who  migrated  from  Westmoreland  to 
Clarion  County  and  took  up  government  land, 
becoming  in  time  the  owners  of  extensive  prop- 
erties and  opening  up  valuable  iron  works.  They 
became  so  prominent  that  the  neighborhood  in 
which  they  located  was  known  as  the  Aaron  set- 
tlement. Daniel  and  George  were  the  politicians 
of  the  family,  and  eacli  held  positions  of  trust 
and  responsiljility  within  the  gift  of  their  fellow- 
citizens.  Their  father,  Joseph  Aaron,  was  born 
in  southern  Germany,  and  during  the  battle  of 


698 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Waterloo  served  as  one  of  Bonaparte's  life  guards. 
When  the  struggle  was  over  and  Wellington  had 
won  the  day,  Mr.  Aaron,  for  the  last  time 
saw  his  illustrious  leader,  who  exclaimed  as  they 
met:  "  Oh,  Joe,  I  thought  you  were  among  the 
missing."  Immediately  after  the  battle  Mr. 
Aaron  boarded  a  ship  bound  for  America,  and 
after  a  long  voyage  landed  in  New  York.  Later 
he  settled  in  Westmoreland  County,  Pa.,  where 
he  became  a  prominent  man  and  reared  a  large 
family. 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  George  Aaron  was 
eighty-four  years  of  age.  His  wife,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Rufner,  is  still  living, 
and  makes  her  home  with  a  daughter  in  Pitts- 
burgh, Pa.  She  is  now  ninety-seven  years  of  age. 
Of  their  nine  children,  six  are  living,  namely: 
James,  who  lives  in  Delaware  Township,  Leaven- 
worth County;  Thomas  H.,  of  Illinois;  John; 
Margaret,  who  married  James  Crow;  Joseph,  of 
Pennsylvania;  and  vSabilla,  wife  of  Dr.  Burgoon, 
a  physician  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

In  a  log  schoolhouse  in  Clarion  County,  Pa., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  gained  the  rudiments 
of  his  education,  and  to  the  knowledge  there  ob- 
tained he  afterward  added  by  self-culture.  He 
made  his  start  in  life  by  working  in  the  oil  wells 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  by  taking  small  contracts 
for  boring  wells.  In  1863  he  went  to  Henry 
County,  111.,  and  purchased  a  farm,  upon  which 
he  began  to  raise  cattle  and  hogs,  and  also  en- 
gaged in  raising  cereals.  His  landed  possessions 
aggregated  six  hundred  acres.  In  1875  he  sold 
out  in  Illinois  and  came  to  Kansas,  settling  in 
the  Salt  Creek  Valley  in  Leavenworth  County, 
where  he  purchased  land  to  the  amount  of 
$23,000  in  value.  He  added  to  his  original 
acreage,  and  finally  acquired  five  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  fine  land,  which  he  devoted  to 
stock-raising  and  general  farming.  Associated 
with  J.  F.  Taylor,  he  also  farmed  one  thousand 
acres  of  rented  land.  He  made  a  specialty  of 
raising  Poland-China  hogs  and  Durham  cattle. 
For  twenty-four  years  he  made  his  home  upon 
the  farm,  but,  finally,  having  accumulated  a 
competency  for  his  declining  years,  he  built  a 
comfortable  home  in  Leavenworth  and  retired  to 


private  life.  He  still  finds,  in  the  supervision  of 
his  moneyed  interests,  sufficient  to  occupy  his 
attention.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  number  of  claims 
near  Aspen,  Colo.,  and  has  engaged  in  prospect- 
ing and  mining  quite  extensively. 

January  17,  1849,  Mr.  Aaron  married  Mary 
Newhouse,  the  daughter  of  German  parents. 
They  are  the  parents  of  seven  children:  George, 
a  farmer  in  High  Prairie  Township,  Leavenworth 
County;  Ellen,  wife  of  John  Davitts,  a  merchant 
at  Oak  Mills;  Mary,  who  married  John  Hund,  a 
farmer  of  Salt  Creek  Valley;  Clara,  wife  of  John 
BoUin,  a  prominent  stock-raiser  of  Leavenworth 
County;  John  Augustine,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
breeding  of  fine  stock  on  the  old  homestead; 
Leo,  a  priest  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
now  in  St.  Benedict's  College  in  Atchison;  and 
Sarah,  wife  of  Michael  O'Neill,  a  retired  farmer 
of  Illinois.  In  politics  Mr.  Aaron  has  always 
been  a  Democrat,  and  has  manifested  an  interest 
in  local  affairs,  but  has  never  sought  political 
ofiices. 


RICHARD  J.  WOSSER  has  spent  his  entire 
life  in  Kickapoo  Township,  Leavenworth 
County,  where  he  was  born  February  22, 
1869.  He  is  a  son  of  Richard  Wosser,  who  was 
born  iu  Ireland  in  1808  and  in  early  manhood 
emigrated  to  the  United  States,  spending  some 
years  afterward  in  Ann  Arbor,  Mich. ,  and  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  later  making  his  home  in  Santa 
Fe,  N.  M.  In  the  different  towns  where  he  re- 
sided he  was  engaged  in  contracting  and  build- 
ing. From  New  Mexico  he  came  to  Leavenworth 
about  1853  and  was  a  pioneer  of  this  town,  some 
of  whose  earliest  buildings  were  erected  by  him- 
self. In  1859  he  moved  to  a  farm  six  miles  west 
of  Leavenworth,  and  there  he  continued  to 
reside,  following  his  trade  and  cultivating  his 
land,  until  he  became  too  old  to  engage  in  active 
work.  He  was  not  interested  in  politics  and  never 
accepted  any  offices.  During  the  border  ruffian 
days  he  stood  firmly  for  the  interests  of  his 
county,  state  and  nation,  displaying  the  greatest 
affection  for  the  country  of  his  adoption;  but, 
being  a  cripple,  he  was  excused  from  service  in 
the  army  or  militia.    His  death  occurred  in  1884, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


699 


at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  In  1858  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Anna  Donnelly,  who  is  still  living  on 
the  old  homestead.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  namely:  Mary,  wife  of  Joseph  Heintz- 
elman;  Thomas;  Johanna,  wife  of  Thomas  Cahill; 
Kate,  who  married  Victor  Heintzelman;  Victoria; 
John;  Richard  J.;  Annie,  a  Sister  of  Charity; 
D.  Edward  and  Nellie. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  obtained  in 
district  schools  and  the  normal  school  at  Fort 
Scott.  After  his  education  was  completed  he 
returned  home  and,  with  the  assistance  of  his 
brothers  assumed  the  management  of  the  home 
farm  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  which  they 
have  since  successfully  cultivated.  They  have 
given  much  attention  to  the  raising  of  apples  and 
have  on  the  land  an  orchard  of  four  thousand 
trees  in  good  bearing  condition.  In  the  Horti- 
cultural Society  he  has  been  secretary  and  vice- 
president.  Besides  his  work  as  a  farmer  he  has 
been  salesman  for  a  hardware  company  of  Leaven- 
worth and  has  traveled  in  its  interests  through 
Kansas,  where  he  has  sold  a  large  number  of 
harvesting  machines  and  farm  implements. 

Politically  Mr.  Wosser  is  a  Democrat.  Upon 
that  ticket  he  was  elected  township  clerk  for  two 
years  and  constable  for  one  term,  also  served  as 
township  trustee  for  a  term.  In  1894  he  was  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  the  legislature.  In 
1893  he  served  as  clerk  of  the  legislature  at  To- 
peka,  and  while  filling  this  position  became  well 
known  in  the  political  circles  of  the  state.  As  a 
delegate  from  Leavenworth  County  he  has  at- 
tended a  number  of  state  conventions  of  his  party. 
In  the  early  days  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance  he  was 
one  of  its  first  members,  and  assisted  in  organizing 
a  good  many  lodges  throughout  his  county,  serv- 
ing as  secretary  and  vice-president  at  different 
times.  Was  also  business  agent.  He  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Industrial  Conference  at  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  in  1892,  when  the  People's  party  was  or- 
ganized. Mr.  Wosser  has  also  been  a  frequent 
contributor  to  the  local  press.  He  believes  it  to 
be  his  duty  to  take  an  intelligent  interest  in  pub- 
lic affairs  and  to  keep  posted  concerning  the 
issues  of  the  age.  He  is  a  worthy  representa- 
tive of    one  of  the  pioneer    families   of  Leaven- 


worth County,  and  has  many  warm  personal 
friends  among  the  people  here.  With  his  mother, 
his  brothers,  John  and  Edward,  and  his  sisters, 
Victoria  and  Nellie,  he  occupies  the  old  home- 
stead, which  has  for  so  many  years  belonged  to 
the  family  and  has,  through  their  efforts,  been 
brought  to  so  high  a  degree  of  cultivation. 


GlNDREW  J.  PARNELL,  Sr.,  a  retired 
Lj  farmer,  residing  in  Lawrence,  was  born  in 
/  I  Buchanan  County,  Mo.,  August  8,  1841,  a 
son  of  Andrew  and  Maria  (Wilson)  Parnell.  He 
was  one  of  eleven  children,  six  now  living: 
Pleasant,  a  farmer  of  Douglas  County;  Benjamin 
M.,  of  Jefferson  County;  Martha  J.,  widow  of 
David  Side,  of  Vacaville,  Cal.;  Andrew  J.; 
Nancy  M.,  widow  of  James  N.  Sweeney,  of  Va- 
caville, Cal.;  and  Cynthia,  wife  of  Frederick 
Hartman ,  of  Atchison ,  Kans.  The  father  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  March  i,  1800,  and  when  a  youth 
of  sixteen  accompanied  his  parents  to  Decatur 
County,  Ind.,  where  he  married  and  engaged  in 
farming.  About  1834  he  removed  to  Arkansas, 
but  the  surroundings  being  unpleasant,  after  two 
years  he  went  to  Missouri,  settling  near  Dekalb, 
Buchanan  County.  In  1859  he  established  his 
home  in  Atchison  County,  Kans.,  and  ten  years 
later  settled  in  Jefferson  County,  where  he  died 
in  1 87 2.  In  religion  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church.  He  was  a  Democrat  until  the 
campaign  of  James  Buchanan,  after  which  he 
voted  with  the  Republicans.  His  father,  John 
Parnell,  a  native  of  Ireland,  settled  in  Maryland 
in  an  early  day  and  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

The  schools  of  the  frontier  being  very  poor,  our 
subject  had  few  advantages  in  youth.  February 
13,  1861,  he  married  Miss  Elvira  Thompson, 
who  was  born  in  Platte  County,  Mo.,  daughter 
of  Benjamin  A.  and  Nancy  (Baxter)  Thompson. 
Her  father,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  was  in  early 
life  a  school  teacher  and  later  a  brick  and  stone 
mason.  During  early  days  he  settled  in  Missouri 
and  i860  removed  to  Atchison  County,  Kans., 
where  he  spent  his  last  years.  September  1, 
1862,  our  subject  enlisted    in    Company  F,  Fif- 


700 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


teenth  Kansas  Infantry,  and  saw  service  in  south- 
western Missouri  and  northwestern  Arkansas, 
also  in  the  Cherokee,  Chickasaw  and  Choctaw 
nations,  taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Prairie  Grove 
and  Cain  Hill,  the  capture  of  Van  Buren  and  the 
pursuit  of  Cooper.  He  was  mustered  out  July 
20,  1865.  Afterward  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
Atchison  County,  Kans.,  for  two  years,  then  re- 
moved to  Jefferson  County,  where  he  bought 
farm  land  and  spent  seventeen  years.  In  1884 
he  came  to  Douglas  County,  and  purchased  a 
farm  eight  miles  southwest  of  Lawrence,  in  Wa- 
karusa  Township.  There  he  resided  until  1891, 
when  he  rented  the  place  and  removed  to  Law- 
rence. In  politics  a  Republican,  he  has  several 
times  been  a  delegate  to  county  conventions  of 
his  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church  and  Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R. 
Of  his  eleven  children,  seven  are  now  living,  the 
eldest  being  Andrew  J.,  Jr.,  commissioner  of 
Douglas  County.  The  others  are:  Mary  A., 
wife  of  Addison  M.  Bowen,  a  farmer  of  Wakarusa 
Township;  Clara,  wife  of  Charles  Bunker,  a  taxi- 
dermist connected  with  the  University  of  Kansas; 
Edward  E.,  a  jeweler  of  Kansas  City;  Cynthia,  a 
student  of  the  high  school,  residing  with  her 
father;  Laura  and  Ira  E.,  also  at  home. 


GlNDREW  JACKSON  PARNELL,  Jr.,  a 
LA  prosperous  farmer  of  Clinton  Township,  is 
I  I  one  of  the  well-known  men  of  Douglas 
County.  In  local  affairs  he  has  taken  a  leading 
part,  being  especially  active  in  the  Republican 
party.  In  1894,  1895  and  1896  he  served  as 
township  trustee.  In  1898  he  was  the  successful 
candidate  for  the  ofiBce  of  county  commissioner, 
being  elected  by  a  good  majority,  notwithstand- 
ing the  fact  that  the  district  is  Democratic,  and 
he  was  the  Republican  nominee.  His  election, 
under  such  apparently  adverse  conditions,  is  a 
proof  of  his  popularity  as  a  citizen  and  his  high 
standing  in  the  community.  The  third  district, 
which  he  represents  upon  the  board,  comprises 
the  townships  of  Willow  Springs,  Marion,  Clin- 
ton, Kanwaka  and  Lecorapton.  Besides  his  work 
as  commissioner  he  has  also  been  interested  in 


educational  matters  and  has  rendered  able  service 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  school  directors. 
As  a  trustee  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  he 
has  been  helpful  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  the 
congregation  and  the  general  interests  of  the  de- 
nomination. 

Mr.  Parnell  was  born  in  Atchison  County, 
Kans.,  February  9,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew 
J.  Parnell,  Sr.  In  the  .schools  near  his  home  he 
obtained  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  common  branches 
of  study,  and  since  leaving  school  he  has  in- 
creased his  fund  of  information  by  reading  and 
observation.  September  2,  1886,  he  married 
Miss  Anna  Bowen,  who  was  born  in  Clinton 
Township,  September  i,  1863.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  settled  upon  a  part  of  his  wife's  family 
homestead  in  Clinton  Township.  After  two 
years  he  began  to  cultivate  rented  land,  spending 
one  year  on  the  Hendry  place  and  another  on  the 
Graber  homestead  in  Wakarusa  Township.  In 
1 89 1  he  purchased  a  portion  of  the  Bowen  estate, 
and  here  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  and 
his  wife  have  three  children  living:  Mabel,  born 
May  12,  1890;  Elroy  S.,  October  29,  1894;  and 
Eunice,  August  28,  1898. 


(John  AUGUSTINE  AARON,  who  is  fa- 
I  miliarly  known  as  "  Gus  "  Aaron,  is  one  of 
(2/  the  influential  and  prosperous  agricultur- 
ists of  Kickapoo  Township,  Leavenworth  Coun- 
ty, where  he  occupies  and  manages  the  old 
homestead  for  years  superintended  by  his  father, 
John  Aaron.  Having  made  a  life  study  of  the 
raising  of  cereals  and  breeding  of  stock,  he  is 
admirably  qualified  to  succeed  as  an  agricultur- 
ist. His  specialty  has  been  the  raising  of  fine 
stock,  particularly  hogs,  which  he  keeps  in  a 
healthy  condition,  thus  producing  a  good  quality 
of  pork.  In  the  raising  of  cereals  he  has  adopted 
the  plan  of  rotation  of  crops,  and  about  once  in 
three  years  changes  his  crops,  thus  securing  bet- 
ter and  larger  harvests.  A  progressive  farmer, 
he  keeps  abreast  with  every  improvement  made 
in  agriculture,  and  is  a  leading  representative  of 
the  farming  community  of  Salt  Creek  Valley. 
Mr.  Aaron  was  born  in  Westmoreland  County, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Pa.,  February  iS,  1861.  He  was  reared  in 
Henry  County,  111.,  and  received  common-school 
advantages.  He  was  fifteen  when  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Kansas.  On  the  farm 
where  he  now  lives  he  grew  to  manhood,  and 
about  1888  he  succeeded  to  the  management  of 
the  property,  which  comprises  three  hundred 
and  seventy  acres  of  fine  farming  land.  He  has 
since  given  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  general 
farm  products.  In  stock,  his  specialties  have 
been  Poland-China  hogs  and  Shorthorn  cattle. 
His  attention  has  been  given  to  his  farm  work, 
to  the  exclusion  of  politics  and  public  affairs,  and 
he  has  had  no  inclination  to  seek  ofiBce  or  posi- 
tions of  local  prominence.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
and  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Association,  of 
which  latter  he  was  for  two  years  president  and 
is  now  the  recording  secretary. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Aaron  to  Miss  Josephine 
BoUin  took  place  May  19,  1885.  They  are  the 
parents  of  six  children:  Florence,  Leo,  Benedict, 
Clarence,  Frances  and  Augustine  Michael. 


(John  H.  whetstone,  founder  of  the 
I  town  of  Pomona,  Franklin  County,  was  born 
(2/  in  Hardin  County,  Ky.,  in  1829,  a  descend- 
ant of  German  ancestors  who  settled  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  a  very  early  day,  and  a  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Whetstone)  Whetstone,  members  of 
different  branches  of  the  same  family.  His  father, 
who  was  a  native  of  Bedford  County,  Pa.,  settled 
in  Kentucky  when  that  state  was  still  sparsely 
settled.  During  the  early  '30s  he  moved  to 
Coles  County,  111.,  where  he  followed  the  mechan- 
ic's trade  and  farm  pursuits  until  his  death  at 
fifty  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  in  Pomona  in 
1897,  when  ninety-four  years  old.  They  were  the 
parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  two  daughters 
and  one  son  survive.  The  daughters  are  Cath- 
erine, widow  of  John  Van  Meter,  and  Hannah, 
widow  of  James  Walker. 

When  our  subject  was  four  years  of  age  his 
parents  settled  in  Illinois.  Early  in  life  he  be- 
came familiar  with  frontier  life  on  a  farm.  In- 
dustrious and  capable,  he  was  self-supporting  at 


a  time  when  young  men  are  usually  in  school. 
For  some  years  he  not  only  followed  farm  pur- 
suits, but  also  bought  and  shipped  stock  and 
carried  on  a  mercantile  business  at  Windsor,  111. 
Coming  to  Ottawa  in  1863,  he  settled  where 
Ottawa  now  stands.  There  was  no  town  there 
then,  but  simply  what  was  known  as  the  Ohio 
Crossing  of  the  Marais  des  Cygnes.  He  became 
a  member  of  the  town  company  which  had  just 
been  organized,  and  assisted  in  laying  out  and 
building  up  the  town.  From  1864  to  1874  he 
made  his  home  there,  meantime  engaging  in  the 
real-estate,  building  and  mercantile  business. 
He  assisted  in  building  many  of  the  public  build- 
ings still  in  use,  among  them  the  Occidental  hotel, 
the  county  jail,  and  was  the  prime  mover  in  the 
erection  of  the  old  brick  building  known  as  Cen- 
tral school,  which  was  built  in  spite  of  much 
opposition.  In  1865-66  he  owned  the  principal 
portion  of  the  tract  now  comprising  Forest  Park, 
and  he  assisted  materially  in  improving  and  lay- 
ing out  the  park.  Perhaps  there  is  no  man  now 
living  who  has  done  more  than  he  toward  the 
early  development  of  Ottawa.  Going  to  St. 
Louis,  he  assisted  in  making  the  first  map  of 
Kansas  and  marked  out  all  the  railroads  that  now 
enter  Ottawa. 

In  the  year  1869  Mr.  Whetstone  bought  fifteen 
thousand  acres  of  land  ten  miles  west  of  Ottawa. 
Two  years  later  he  laid  out  the  town  of  Pomona 
on  this  land  and  organized  the  town,  to  which  in 
1S74  he  brought  his  family.  Believing  he  could 
make  a  success  of  the  fruit  business  here,  he  set 
out  thirty  thousand  trees,  and  now  has  four  hun- 
dred acres  in  fruit,  mostly  apples.  He  is  often 
called  the  "apple  king"  of  Franklin  County. 
Through  careful  grafting  he  has  introduced  new 
varieties  of  fruit,  and  he  is  considered  an  author- 
ity on  the  subject  of  horticulture.  His  judgment 
is  often  sought  on  matters  pertaining  to  fruit  rais- 
ing, and  he  has  contributed  many  articles  to  hor- 
ticultural journals.  In  addition  to  the  fruit  busi- 
ness he  is  engaged  in  raising  and  selling  trees, 
and  has  a  large  nursery  on  his  property.  His 
sales  of  fruit  are  not  limited  to  his  own  county  or 
state,  but  he  has  made  shipments  across  the  ocean 
to  Europe.     At  this  writing  he  owns  thirteen 


702 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hundred  acres  of  land,  of  which  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  are  in  corn.  He  is  now  promoting  the 
organization  of  a  Farmers'  Exchange  to  be  estab- 
lished in  Pomona,  which  will  undoubtedly  do 
much  to  benefit  the  town. 

Every  measure  for  the  development  of  material 
resources  of  town  and  county  receives  Mr.  Whet- 
stone's endorsement.  He  is  a  very  frank,  out- 
spoken man,  and  in  the  expression  of  his  opin- 
ions is  always  open.  He  holds  to  the  principles 
of  the  People's  party,  but  he  has  never  cared  for 
political  prominence  or  official  honors,  preferring 
rather  to  devote  himself  wholly  to  his  large  busi- 
ness interests. 

The  Pomona  Fruit  Company  is  one  of  the  most 
flourishing  industries  of  Pomona.  It  was  organ- 
ized in  the  summer  of  1898,  when  Mrs.  J.  J. 
Whetstone  and  Mrs.  Jessie  Maxey  began,  as  an 
experiment,  to  put  up  fruits  and  jellies  for  the 
market.  They  met  with  such  success  that  in  the 
summer  of  1899  they  enlarged  the  business  and 
furnished  employment  to  sixteen  persons.  It  is 
their  intention,  in  1900,  to  double  the  capacity  of 
the  factory. 


IT  DGAR  J.  HUMPHREYS.  The  story  of  the 
1^  life  of  Mr.  Humphreys  is  the  record  of 
|_.  eastern  thrift  grafted  on  western  energy. 
Not  only  was  he  a  pioneer  of  Leavenworth  Coun- 
ty, but  also  one  of  its  honored  citizens  and  suc- 
cessful men.  In  his  early  life  he  did  not  have 
many  advantages,  for  his  parents  were  poor,  and 
he  was  therefore  obliged  to  contribute  toward  his 
own  support  as  soon  as  he  was  physically  able  to 
perform  any  kind  of  manual  labor.  Instead  of 
being  injurious  to  him,  however,  the  trait  of  self- 
reliance  developed  by  his  early  experiences  in  the 
world  was  a  prominent  factor  entering  into  his 
subsequent  success. 

When  about  seven  years  old  Mr.  Humphreys 
was  taken  to  Tennessee  by  his  parents,  so  that  he 
has  little  knowledge  of  Virginia,  where  he  was 
born  in  January,  1825.  When  about  fifteen  he 
went  north  to  Peoria,  111.,  and  there  he  learned 
the  cooper's  trade.  Working  during  the  day,  it 
was  his  custom  to  attend  school  at  night,  and  in 
this  way  he  gained  a  fair  education.     At  the  age 


of  nineteen  he  entered  a  drug  store  and  later 
opened  the  first  exclusive  drug  store  in  the  city, 
which  he  conducted  until  1856.  He  had  no 
capital  with  which  to  start  in  business  and  it  was 
solely  due  to  his  foresight  and  industry  that  he 
secured  a  start.  He  was  a  tireless  worker.  The 
brick  used  in  the  building  of  his  store  in  Peoria 
was  carried  by  himself,  and  there  was  no  work  so 
humble  that  he  refused  to  do  it,  if  hereby  his 
success  might  be  promoted. 

The  year  1856  found  Mr.  Humphreys  in  Leav-  ■ 
enworth.  After  a  short  time  he  pre-empted  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Atchison.  In  the 
fall  of  1857  lis  removed  to  Bloomington,  111.,  and 
there  conducted  a  grocery  for  three  years.  Re- 
turning to  Leavenworth  in  i860,  he  established  a 
drug  store  which  was  operated  successfully  under 
the  successive  titles  ofE.  J.  Humphreys,  Humph- 
reys &  Dillworth,  and  Humphreys  &  Davis. 
This  business  he  conducted  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  November  27,  189 1.  It  is  now  carried 
on  by  his  son,  Sylvester  E. 

In  1869  Mr.  Humphreys  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  that  now  joins  the 
village  of  Fairmount,  in  Leavenworth  County. 
This  he  improved  and  afterward  made  his  home 
as  long  as  he  lived.  At  different  times  he  added 
to  the  property  until  it  consisted  of  eight  hundred 
acres  of  valuable  and  well-improved  land.  This 
property  and  his  extensive  business  formed  the 
larger  part  of  his  estate,  which  at  his  death  was 
divided  among  his  family.  He  was  a  man  whose 
life  was  guided  by  sincere  Christian  principles 
and  who  lived  up  to  the  standard  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
He  never  cared  for  office  and  was  never  prevailed 
upon  to  accept  any  political  position,  his  tastes 
not  being  in  that  direction.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican,  but  liberal  in  his  views  and  believed 
that  in  local  matters  the  best  man  should  always 
be  supported. 

In  1849  Mr.  Humphreys  married  Miss  Marilla 
Decker,  of  New  York  state,  who  died  in  1S71,  at 
the  age  of  forty-one  years.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church  and  a  lady  whose  life  was 
devoted  to  the  welfare  of  her  family.  In  1875  he 
married   Eleanor  E.  Swain,  of  Illinois.     Of  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


703 


children,  the  eldest,  Sylvester  E.,  is  represented 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  John  S.  and  James  W. 
now  own  the  greater  part  of  the  old  homestead, 
which  they  cultivate  and  on  which  they  engage 
in  raising  stock.  They  have  made  a  specialty  of 
the  creamery  business,  and  have  from  forty  to 
fifty  Jersey  milch  cows  on  their  place.  Of  more 
recent  years  they  have  turned  their  attention  to 
the  fruit  business,  and  now  have  an  apple  orchard 
covering  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  contain- 
ing twelve  thousand  trees.  The  other  members 
of  the  family  are  Laura,  wife  of  S.  H.  Holmes,  of 
Leavenworth;  Edwin  J.,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Fairmount  and  also  owns 
an  orchard  of  sixty-five  acres;  and  Lulu  M.,  wife 
of  Nathan  E.  Van  Tuyl,  an  attorney  of  Leaven- 
worth. 


^OTTLIEB  MAIER.  From  a  very  early 
|_  period  in  the  settlement  of  Leavenworth 
\^  until  his  death  Mr.  Maier  was  closely  asso- 
ciated with  the  history  of  Leavenworth  County 
and  particularly  with  Easton  Township,  of  which 
he  was  among  the  most  successful  stock-raisers 
and  general  farmers.  When  he  arrived  in  Leav- 
enworth, in  March,  1858,  the  town  had  only 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  people.  During  the 
later  days,  when  freighting  across  the  plains  was 
a  profitable  source  of  revenue,  he  followed  this 
occupation  in  the  employ  of  the  government. 
Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  he  bought 
eighty  acres  in  Easton  Township,  and  upon  it  he 
began  farming.  He  was  so  successful  that  from 
time  to  time  he  added  to  his  possessions,  which, 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  embraced  four  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.  The  land  which  comprised  his 
home  farm  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-five 
acres,  seventy-five  acres  being  bottom  land.  He 
also  had  a  large  tract  in  blue  grass,  which  was 
used  for  pasture  land,  and  ninety  acres  which  he 
placed  under  cultivation.  The  farm  was  supplied 
by  him  with  modern  machinery,  suitable  build- 
ings, good  fencing,  and  all  the  improvements  of  a 
model  estate.  There  was  planted,  under  his 
supervision,  an  orchard  of  apple,  pear  and  peach 
trees,  and  he  also  had  a  vineyard  of  five  hundred 
or  more  vines.     Through   the  southern   part  of 


the  farm  the  Kansas  City  division  of  the  Union 
Pacific  road  ran.  While  oats,  corn  and  wheat 
were  raised,  the  owner's  specialty  was  the  stock 
business,  and  in  it  he  met  with  gratifying  success. 

Born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  January  13, 
1831,  Mr.  Maier  came  to  the  United  States  in 
early  manhood  and  settled  in  Louisville,  Ind., 
where  he  was  employed  as  section  foreman  in 
railroad  building  for  a  number  of  years.  From 
there  he  came  to  Kansas,  and  was  afterward  one 
of  the  prominent  German-American  residents  of 
Leavenworth  County.  In  politics  a  Democrat, 
he  was  elected  township  treasurer  on  that  ticket 
and  filled  the  office  for  several  years.  He  was  also 
a  member  of  the  school  board.  In  the  work  of 
the  German  Lutheran  Church  he  took  an  active 
part,  contributing  generously  to  its  support.  He 
continued  to  reside  upon  his  farm  in  Easton 
Township  until  his  death,  which  occurred  May 
26,  1892,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years. 

In  1850  Mr.  Maier  married  Johanna  Kimmerle, 
who  died  in  1883,  leaving  three  children:  Lena, 
wife  of  Charles  Gwartney,  a  farmer  of  -Easton 
Township;  Frederick,  of  Texas;  and  Louisa, 
wife  of  John  Wonder.  The  second  marriage  of 
Mr.  Maier,  December  19,  1884,  united  him  with 
Mrs.  Mary  (Walter)  Koehler,  widow  of  Anton 
Koehler,  and  by  her  first  marriage  the  mother  of 
a  daughter,  Louisa  Koehler,  deceased.  The 
three  children  born  of  Mr.  Maier's  second  mar- 
riage are  Annie  M.,  Christian  G.  and  John  F., 
who,  since  the  death  of  their  father,  have  re- 
mained with  their  mother  in  the  village  of  Easton. 
Mrs.  Maier  is  a   member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 


0G.  OLSON.  In  point  of  years  of  business 
activity  Mr.  Olson  is  the  oldest  stone  con- 
tractor in  Lawrence,  and  he  has  also  been 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  successful  as  well. 
He  was  born  in  Westrejotlan,  Sweden,  March  11, 
1841,  a  son  of  O.  P.  and  Anna  Maria  (Foosborg) 
Olson.  His  father,  who  was  born  on  the  same 
farm  as  himself,  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  one 
neighborhood  and  is  now  the  owner  of  the  estate, 
"Haltorp,"  where  he  makes  his  home.  He  mar- 
ried a  lady  who  was  a  native  of  the  same  locality 


704 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  who  was  a  widow  at  the  time  of  their  mar- 
riage. They  became  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  our  subject  was  the  only  one  that 
settled  in  the  United  States.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm  and  received  public  school  advantages.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  was  apprenticed  to  the 
stonecutter's  trade,  remaining  in  the  employ  of  a 
railroad  contractor  for  two  years,  after  which  he 
was  engaged  in  the  construction  of  a  large  rail- 
road tunnel  near  Stockholm.  His  next  work, 
which  occupied  a  year,  was  the  construction  of  a 
stone  fort  at  Waxholm.  In  common  with  the 
custom  in  Sweden,  he  entered  the  army  at  twenty- 
one  3'ears  of  age  and  remained  for  two  years. 

Coming  to  America  in  1868,  Mr.  Olson  settled 
in  Lawrence  in  April  of  that  year,  and  here  he 
engaged  in  stone-cutting.  He  was  first  employed 
by  the  Kansas  City  &  Fort  Scott  Railroad,  after 
which  he  was  on  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas 
road.  In  1870  he  was  made  foreman  of  bridge- 
building  in  the  stone  department  of  the  latter 
road,  where  he  remained  for  over  two  years,  after 
which  he  was  employed  for  a  year  on  a  branch  of 
the  road  from  Sedalia.  He  had  made  Lawrence 
his  headquarters  during  all  this  time  and  on  his 
return  he  resumed  contracting  in  this  city.  He 
was  married  iu  Denver,  Colo.,  in  1874,  to  Miss 
Matilda  Engstrom,  who  was  born  in  Smoland, 
Sweden,  a  daughter  of  Nils  and  Annie  Engstrom, 
both  of  whom  died  within  a  year  of  each  other. 
She  was  the  youngest  of  five  children  and  came 
to  America  in  1869,  settling  in  LaPorte,  Ind.,  but 
soon  removing  to  Lawrence,  Kans.,  and  in  1872 
going  to  Denver,  Colo. 

For  six  months  Mr.  Olson  was  employed  by  the 
Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad  Company  on  its 
eastern  division.  He  then  returned  to  Lawrence 
and  engaged  in  contracting  and  building,  having 
a  stone  yard  on  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad.  He  has 
furnished  the  stone  for  the  Haskell  Institute, 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Watkins  bank, 
several  university  buildings,  and  many  of  the 
finest  residences  in  Lawrence,  and  has  also  had 
contracts  for  curbing  and  furnished  the  cut  stone 
for  the  water  works.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Watkins  National  Bank  and  is  a  successful  busi- 
ness man.     He  and  his  wife  had  four  children, 


namely:  Annie  and  Mamie,  who  died  in  child- 
hood; Emil,  who  is  a  student  in  the  Lawrence 
Business  College;  and  Carl.  At  one  time  Mr. 
Olson  was  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows,  but 
of  late  years  he  has  allowed  his  membership  in 
that  order  to  lapse.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the 
organization  of  the  Swedish  Lutheran  Church  in 
Lawrence,  and  has  served  as  one  of  its  trustees 
and  a  member  of  its  building  committee.  In 
politics  he  has  been  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party  ever  since  becoming  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States. 


(pOLOMON  A.  HESTER,  a  pioneer  of  1857 
^\  in  Kansas,  and  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war, 
\z/  has  made  his  home  in  Ottawa  since  1885, 
during  which  year  he  became  interested  in  a  hack 
business  here.  In  September,  1894,  ^i^  opened  a 
livery  barn  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Kiler,  but  in 
February,  1897,  he  bought  his  partner's  interest 
and  has  since  carried  on  the  business  alone.  He 
originated  the  name  of  Hotel  deHoss  for  his  liv- 
ery barn,  which  is  the  largest  in  the  city,  having 
twenty-three  head  of  horses,  as  well  as  a  baggage 
and  omnibus  line. 

Born  in  Flemingsburg,  Ky.,  February  4,  1834, 
our  subject  is  a  son  of  Christopher  and  Mary 
(Secrist)  Hester,  and  a  grandson  of  John  Hester 
and  Joseph  Secrist.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  removed  to 
Kentuckj',  was  one  of  two  brothers,  the  other  of 
whom  was  captured  by  the  Indians,  and  by  them 
burned  at  the  stake  in  what  is  now  Sandusky, 
Ohio.  Christopher  Hester  was  born  in  Flem- 
ingsburg, Ky.,  in  1808,  and  accompanied  his 
father  to  Montgomery  County,  Ind.,  taking  with 
him  his  wife  and  two  children,  one  of  whom, 
Solomon  A.,  was  six  months  old.  In  1841  he 
settled  in  Jones  Count}',  Iowa,  whence  in  1853 
he  went  to  Tama  County,  the  same  state.  In 
September,  1858,  he  drove  to  Kansas,  and  the 
next  j-ear  he  moved  to  this  state,  buying  a  farm 
in  what  is  now  Cutler  (then  Peoria)  Township, 
Franklin  County.  At  this  writing  he  owns  and 
resides  upon  a  large  farm  in  Anderson  County, 
and,  though  ninety-one  years  of  age,  he  is  in  ex- 
cellent health.     He  was  one  of  a  family  of  nine. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


705 


three  of  whom  are  still  living.  His  wife  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  of  Irish  descent,  and  died  in 
Kansas  in  1874.  Of  their  ten  children  seven  are 
living.  One  of  the  sons,  Joseph  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Sixteenth  Kansas  Infantry  during  the  Civil 
war. 

At  the  time  the  family  removed  to  Iowa  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  seven  years  of  age,  and 
he  remembers  the  trip,  which  was  made  by  ox- 
teams,  crossing  the  Mississippi  at  Burlington. 
He  aided  in  clearing  the  home  farm,  six  miles 
south  of  Anamosa,  and  when  only  eleven  years 
of  age  he  drove  five  yoke  of  cattle  used  in  tilling 
the  soil.  In  1855,  when  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
he  broke  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  of 
prairie  land  in  two  months.  Leaving  Tama 
County  early  in  1857,  he  made  his  way  westward 
via  team,  crossing  the  Missouri  at  Lexington. 
After  a  journey  of  twenty  days  he  reached  Frank- 
lin County  March  21,  and  bought  a  claim  one 
mile  east  of  what  is  Rantoul,  Cutler  Township. 
Here  he  found  the  grass  sod  less  tough  than  the 
soil  of  Iowa,  and  with  two  yoke  of  oxen  he 
broke  the  prairie  and  improved  the  farm.  Dur- 
ing the  first  year  in  the  west  he  raised  both  corn 
and  wheat.  The  land,  which  he  bought  at  an 
Indian  .sale  for  $1.75  an  acre,  he  sold  at  a  fair 
profit  in  i860.  He  then  spent  a  year  in  Palmyra 
Township,  Douglas  County,  after  which  he 
traded  for  a  farm  one  mile  west  of  Rantoul,  and 
comprising  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 

In  1862  Mr.  Hester  enlisted  in  Company  D, 
Second  Kansas  Mounted  Infantry,  and  was  mus- 
tered in  at  Leavenworth,  whence  he  went  with 
four  companies  to  Fort  Union,  N.  M.  Two  years 
later  the  Second  was  mustered  out  of  service  as 
mounted  infantry,  and  he  then  enlisted  in  the 
Second  Kansas  Cavalry  and  was  sent  to  Fort 
Smith,  Ark.  He  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Wil- 
son Creek  and  Westport,  fighting  Price  as  the 
latter  retreated  into  Arkansas.  During  Quan- 
trell'sraid,  in  a  battle  on  Tower  Creek,  Franklin 
County,  a  bullet  grazed  his  jugular  vein,  giving 
him  a  very  narrow  escape.  He  remained  in  the 
service  until  September,  1865,  when  he  was  hon- 
orably discharged  at  Leavenworth.  He  then  re- 
turned to  his  farm,  where  he  afterward  engaged 


in  farm  pursuits  for  twenty  years,  and  during 
that  time,  for  two  years,  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Hester  took  place  in 
Cutler  Township  in  1858,  and  united  him  with 
Mary  E.  Perkins,  who  died  in  1869,  leaving  three 
children,  Mary  E.,  Zoeand  Juda.  He  was  after- 
ward married  in  the  same  township  to  Miss  Olive 
E.  Bartram,  who  was  born  in  Ohio.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  .seven  children,  who  are  as 
follows:  Mrs.  Cora  McCrea,  who  lives  near 
Richmond,  Kans.;  Zetta  Grace,  Elva  and  Clara, 
at  home;  Milo  C,  now  in  Miami  County;  Harry 
A.,  in  lola,  Kans.;  and  Scott  A.,  who  assists  his 
father  in  business. 

From  an  early  age  Mr.  Hester  has  been  a  stal- 
wart Democrat.  For  eleven  years  he  was  a  trus- 
tee of  Cutler  Township,  and  for  two  years  repre- 
sented the  first  ward  of  Ottawa  in  the  city  coun- 
cil, where  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee on  streets  and  alleys.  He  is  connected  with 
the  Degree  of  Honor  and  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  in  which  he  has  been  an  officer. 
While  not  identified  with  any  denomination,  he 
aids  in  the  support  of  the  Baptist  Church,  to 
which  his  wife  belongs. 


HARRY  W.  KOOHLER,  general  manager 
and  a  director  of  the  People's  Telephone 
Company  of  Leavenworth,  and  coroner 
of  Leavenworth  County,  was  born  in  Jonesboro, 
Union  County,  111.,  February  20,  1864,  the  oldest 
child  of  August  and  Caroline  (Rethey)  Koohler, 
natives  respectively  of  Baden  and  Freiburg, 
Germany.  His  father,  who  came  with  his  parents 
to  America  in  boyhood,  settled  in  Union  County, 
111.,  where  he  engaged  in  contracting  and  build- 
ing and  also  had  mercantile  interests.  His 
death  occurred  in  Cobdeu,  Union  County,  when 
he  was  sixty-one  years  of  age.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  offered  his  services  to  the  Union,  but  was 
rejected.  His  wife  is  still  living  and  makes  her 
home  in  Cobden.  Of  their  six  children  three  are 
living. 

From  childhood  the  subject  of  this  sketch  lived 
in  Cobden  and  attended  its  grammar  and  high 


7o6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


schools.  At  seventeen  he  began  to  study  tele- 
graphy in  the  office  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road at  Cobden,  and  after  a  time  he  was  made 
operator  in  that  town,  later  being  transferred  to 
Kensington.  In  1881  he  traveled  through  Kan- 
sas and  Nebraska,  and  afterward  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  Company  in 
the  Indian  Territory  for  a  year.  The  confine- 
ment of  office  work  having  inj  ured  his  health  he 
resigned,  and  afterward  for  two  and  one-half 
years  he  engaged  in  the  construction  of  telegraph 
lines.  As  foreman  of  construction  for  the  General 
Electric  Company  of  Chicago  he  was  employed 
in  putting  up  electric  light  plants  in  different 
parts  of  Kansas,  Missouri  and  Illinois,  remaining 
in  this  position  for  eighteen  months.  After  hav- 
ing put  up  the  electric  light  plant  and  works  at 
Independence,  Mo.,  he  was  made  superintendent 
of  the  same,  and  that  position  he  held  for  some 
time.  Later,  for  three  and  one-half  years  he  was 
assistant  foreman  of  construction  of  the  Kansas 
City  Electric  Light  Company.  In  1891  he  came 
to  Leavenworth  as  foreman  of  construction  of  the 
Leavenworth  Lighting  &  Heating  Company, 
which  position  he  filled  for  a  year,  and  afterward 
had  complete  charge  of  the  works  until  1895. 
Since  then  he  has  been  manager  of  the  People's 
Telephone  Company,  in  which  he  is  also  a  di- 
rector. Under  his  supervision  the  company  has 
been  very  successful.  Over  six  hundred  telephones 
have  been  put  up  in  business  houses  and  resi- 
dences, and  the  enterprise  has  been  conducted  to 
the  satisfaction  of  all.  He  was  formerly  interest- 
ed in  the  factory  where  targets  were  manufactured, 
but  it  is  now  closed. 

Mr.  Koohler  is  very  fond  of  athletic  sports. 
He  is  an  expert  marksman  and  an  unerring  shot. 
On  the  organization  of  the  Leavenworth  Gun 
Club  he  became  a  member  of  it,  and  is  now  its 
secretery.  Frequently  he  has  taken  part  in  vari- 
ous contests  in  different  states. 

As  a  Republican,  and  as  a  member  of  city  and 
county  executive  committees,  he  has  been  prom- 
inent in  politics.  In  the  fall  of  1898,  on  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  he  was  elected  county  coroner  by 
a  majority  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine,  against 
his   opponent,    who  was   the  candidate  of  both 


Democrats  and  Populists.  He  was  the  only  one 
elected  on  the  county  Republican  ticket,  which 
fact  speaks  much  for  his  ability  and  popularity. 
He  took  the  oath  of  office  December  21,  1898, 
and  has  since  filled  the  position  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all  concerned.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and  King 
Solomon's  Lodge  No.  10,  A.  F.  &A.  M.  In 
Sedalia,  Mo.,  he  married  Miss  Ella  Leiter,  by 
whom  he  has  a  daughter,  Nina. 


(TOHN  B.  GREEVER.  Kansas  has  proved  to 
I  be  so  admirably  adapted  to  the  stock  busi- 
(2/  ness  that  it  is  not  surprising  many  men  have 
engaged  in  this  occupation.  Among  the  leading 
stockmen  of  Leavenworth  County  mention  be- 
longs to  Mr.  Greever,  who  owns  a  fine  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  situated  in  Stran- 
ger Township.  While  to  some  extent  he  carries 
on  general  farm  pursuits,  the  stock  business  has 
been  his  principal  industry,  and  in  it  he  has  met 
with  gratifying  success.  He  buys  and  feeds 
cattle  to  be  sold  in  the  markets;  also  breeds  trot- 
ting horses  and  owns  Ouray,  son  of  Onward, 
with  a  record  of  2:28^,  and  Hoke,  a  fine  stand- 
ard-bred trotting  horse. 

Mr.  Greever  was  born  in  Savannah,  Anderson 
County,  Mo.,  October  21,  i860,  and  is  a  brother 
of  Charles  F.  Greever,  in  whose  sketch  the  fam- 
ily history  appears.  When  he  was  eight  years 
of  age  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Leaven- 
worth County.  His  education  was  received  in 
common  schools.  When  twenty-three  years  of 
age  he  left  home  and  secured  employment  as  a 
guard  in  the  state  penitentiary,  where  he  re- 
mained for  twelve  years.  In  1895  he  leased  the 
farm  where  he  now  lives,  and  here  he  has  since 
given  his  attention  largely  to  the  breeding  of 
horses.  His  marriage  took  place  in  1888  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Ranus,  of  Leaven- 
worth County.  They  have  five  children,  George 
D.,  Paul  R.,  John  B. ,  Jr.,  Charles  Francis  and 
Edna. 

Upon  the  Democratic  ticket  Mr.  Greever  has 
been  elected  to  the  various  township  offices,  and 
as  an  official  he  has  been  prompt,  systematic  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


707 


faithful.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which,  as  in 
general  society,  they  are  popular  and  prominent. 
Fraternally  he  is  identified  with  Lansing  Lodge 
No.  49,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  is  past  mas- 
ter. He  is  also  connected  with  Lodge  No.  277, 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  at  Lansing,  and  is  past  chancellor 
of  Tonganoxie  Lodge  No.  125,  K.  of  P.,  in 
Tonganoxie. 

(lOHN  PETER  HUESGEN  was  born  in 
I  Cologne,  Germany,  March  17,  1820.-  A 
(*/  member  of  an  old  family  of  that  country,  he 
was  himself  its  first  representative  in  America, 
crossing  the  ocean  in  young  manhood  and  settling 
in  St.  Louis  during  the  '50s.  There  he  em- 
barked in  the  grocery  business  at  the  corner  of 
Twenty-second  and  Franklin  avenue  and  was 
successful.  In  St.  Louis  he  married  Helena 
Herrig,  who  was  born  in  Trier,  Germany,  and 
who  had  come  to  St.  Louis  with  her  parents  in 
1855.  Four  daughters  and  one  son  were  born  of 
this  union. 

In  1858  Mr.  Huesgen  sold  out  his  business  in 
St.  Louis  and  came  to  Leavenworth  with  his 
family.  Railroads  west  of  St.  Louis  were  then 
not  known  and  all  travel  was  with  the  old-time 
steamboat,  which  is  now  looked  upon  as  very 
slow  in  this  age  of  iron.  Arriving  in  Leaven- 
worth, which  was  then  nothing  but  a  diminutive 
settlement,  he  opened  a  grocery  at  the  corner  of 
Second  and  Pottawatomie  streets,  where  he  pros- 
pered, and  in  1859  moved  to  the  corner  of  Fifth 
and  Miami  streets  (in  what  was  then  the  woods), 
and  conducted  a  grocery,  having  put  up  a  build- 
ing of  his  own.  In  course  of  time  he  erected 
the  Huesgen  block,  a  substantial  structure, 
125x125  in  dimensions.  Leavenworth  was  then 
nothing  but  woods,  and  the  lots  which  he  built 
on  had  to  be  cleared  ot  brush  and  trees.  So  Mr. 
Huesgen  was  in  every  sense  a  pioneer  in  the  set- 
tlement of  Leavenworth  and  watched  its  growth 
with  pride. 

During  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  and  was  com- 
missioned captain  of  a  volunteer  company  which 
was  hastily  organized  at  the  time  of  the  memor- 
able Price  raid,  when  Leavenworth  was  threatened 


and  there  was  a  furore  of  excitement,  such  as  all 
old-timers  will  remember.  In  religion  a  Roman 
Catholic,  he  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of 
St.  Joseph's  Church,  on  Broadway,  and  always 
maintained  the  deepest  interest  in  its  work. 
Though  not  active  in  politics,  he  was  a  stanch 
Democrat  and  never  failed  to  vote  the  party 
ticket.  He  continued  to  make  his  home  in  Leav- 
enworth until  his  death,  which  occurred  March 
2,   1896. 

His  son,  John  Peter  Huesgen,  Jr.,  conducts  a 
drug  store  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Miami 
streets. 

HENRY  KNOLLMANN.  While  Leaven- 
worth owes  a  debt  of  inestimable  gratitude 
to  its  brave  pioneers,  its  early  .settlers,  to 
whose  brave  endurance  of  manifold  hardships  its 
growth  was  almost  wholly  due;  yet,  after  all, 
whatever  success  it  may  have  in  the  future, 
whatever  standing  it  may  attain,  depends  upon 
the  younger  generation,  those  who  have  in  recent 
years  entered  the  field  of  commerce.  As  a  rep- 
resentative of  these  younger  business  men  no 
one  stands  higher  than  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  H.  Knollmann  &  Co. ,  retail  grocers,  and 
dealers  in  meats,  grain,  flour  and  feed.  The  firm, 
which  consists  of  H.  Knollmann  and  H.  R. 
Koch,  occupies  a  building  of  two  stories,  50x100 
feet,  at  No.  200  Chestnut  street,  where,  under  the 
personal  management  of  Mr.  Knollmann,  an  im- 
portant and  growing  business  has  been  estab- 
lished. 

As  the  name  indicates,  Mr.  Knollmann  is 
of  German  ancestry.  His  grandfather,  Henry 
Knollmann,  a  native  of  Hanover,  emigrated  to 
America  and  settled  in  Dearborn  County,  Ind., 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  Fred  H.  Knoll- 
mann, our  subject's  father,  was  born  in  Aurora, 
Dearborn  County,  and  in  early  life  engaged  in 
bridge  contracting  and  in  freighting  on  the  Ohio 
and  Mi-ssissippi  Rivers.  In  1S66  he  settled  in 
Leavenworth  County,  buying  a  farm  at  Mill- 
wood, Easton  Township,  where  he  improved  and 
cultivated  a  quarter-section  of  land.  He  is  still 
living  on  this  place.  In  religion  he  is  connected 
with  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church.  He  mar- 


7o8 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ried  Clara  Niemann,  who  was  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  and  accompanied  her  father,  Conrad 
Niemann,  to  the  United  States,  settling  in  Platte 
Count}',  Mo. ;  her  father  afterward  made  his  home 
with  his  children  until  he  died,  in  1868. 

The  eldest  of  a  family  of  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
Leavenworth  March  17,  1869.  He  was  reared 
on  the  home  farm  and  attended  the  public  schools, 
also  Leavenworth  Business  College,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1887.  For  four  years  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  and  bookkeeper  for  A.  Kir- 
meyer,  then  was  promoted  to  be  manager  of  the 
store,  which  position  he  filled  for  three  years.  In 
November,  1896,  with  H.  R.  Koch,  he  estab- 
lished the  business  which  has  since  been  so  suc- 
cessfully conducted,  and  which  owes  its  develop- 
ment to  his  energy,  ability  and  perseverance. 
He  is  a  man  who  wins  the  confidence  of  the  peo- 
ple and  who  never  abuses  that  confidence.  He 
is  regarded  as  an  honest  and  honorable  business 
man,  one  who,  in  every  transaction,  acts  in  a 
manner  above  reproach.  His  time  has  been  given 
so  closely  to  business  that  he  has  no  time  for  pol- 
itics, even  if  his  inclinations  were  in  the  direction 
of  public  affairs.  In  religion  he  is  connected 
with  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Knollmann  took  place  in 
Leavenworth  in  November,  1896,  and  united  him 
with  Miss  Clara  Koch,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Louisa  Koch,  and  a  native  of  Germany.  A  son, 
Walter,  blesses  their  union. 


HERVEY  B.  PEAIRS,  superintendent  of  Has- 
kell Institute,  has  become  very  prominent  in 
the  Indian  service  of  the  government. 
Original  in  his  plans,  full  of  energy,  with  an 
abundance  of  determination  to  carry  out  his  pro- 
jects, he  has  infused  new  life  in  the  institution  of 
which  he  is  the  head.  Through  Congressman 
Curtis  he  secured  an  appropriation  for  the  up- 
building of  the  school  which  has  rendered  possible 
many  improvements,  notable  among  these  being 
the  erection  of  a  new  auditorium.  Under  his 
supervision  the  course  of  study  has  been  revised 
and  the  industrial  department  has  been  placed  up- 


on an  educational  basis,  a  manual  training  school 
has  been  established  in  which  theltrades  are  taught, 
also  a  domestic  science  department,  in  which  girls 
are  instructed  in  cooking  and  sewing.  When  he 
first  became  connected  with  the  institute,  in  1887, 
there  were  only  three  buildings,  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  pupils;  at 
this  writing  there  are  six  hundred  and  fifty  acres, 
supplied  with  a  full  complement  of  buildings,  in 
which  instruction  is  furnished  to  five  hundred  and 
fifty-two  pupils.  The  institute  was  founded  in 
1883  and  opened  for  students  the  following  year, 
but  its  growth  at  first  was  slow  and  for  a  time 
interest  in  it  lay  dormant.  Now,  however,  its 
usefulness  is  apparent  to  all  and  its  success  has 
been  constantly  increasing.  The  erection  of  the 
large  chapel  in  1898  added  to  the  accommodations, 
while  the  main  building,  erected  in  1889,  with 
superintendent's  residence,  laundry,  shops,  etc., 
constitute  the  other  buildings  utilized  for  institute 
work. 

John  B.,  son  of  John  Peairs,  was  born  in  Mus- 
kingum County,  Ohio,  in  1832,  of  Welsh  descent. 
He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  early  became  famil- 
iar with  agriculture.  In  1876  he  came  to  Kansas 
and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Vinland,  but  after  hav- 
ing cultivated  land  there  for  some  time  he  settled 
in  Lawrence  three  years  before  his  death.  He 
married  Jerusha  H.  Davis,  who  was  born  in 
Philadelphia  and  died  in  Kansas  in  1898.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Emmor  Davis,  who  came  to 
this  country  from  Wales,  settling  first  in  Phila- 
delphia, but  later  removed  to  a  farm  in  Belmont 
County,  Ohio.  The  children  of  John  B.  and 
Jerusha  H.  Peairs  were  named  as  follows:  C.  A., 
formerly  a  teacher,  but  now  cultivating  the  home 
farm  in  Palmyra,  Kans. ;  Mrs.  Anna  E.  Andrews, 
also  of  Palmyra;  H.  A.,  an  attorney  in  Los  Angel- 
es, Cal.;  J.  E.,  who  served  as  superintendent  of 
schools  in  Douglas  County,  Kans.,  for  eight 
years,  retiring  in  January,  1899,  and  is  now  in 
the  Kansas  City  Medical  College;  F.  L.,  attorney- 
at-law  with  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association;  Her- 
vey  B.,  and  Maurice  E. ,  who  is  with  the  Land 
and  Abstract  Company,  of  Portland,  Ore. 

Near  Zanesville,  Muskingum  County,  Ohio, 
our  subject  was  born  May  11,  1866.     He  came 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


709 


to  Kansas  in  1876  and  attended  the  high  school 
at  Vinland  until  188 1,  after  which  he  spent  two 
years  in  the  University  of  Kansas  and  then  taught 
for  two  years  in  Osage  County.  A  course  of  eight- 
een months  in  the  normal  school  at  Emporia  com- 
pleted his  education.  In  1887  he  became  a 
teacher  in  Haskell  Institute,  and  after  one  year 
was  appointed  industrial  teacher,  being  trans- 
ferred from  the  regular  school  department.  His 
next  appointment  was  that  of  assistant  principal. 
For  four  and  one-half  years  he  served  as  discip- 
linarian and  for  five  years  was  principal  teacher, 
after  which  he  was  made  assistant  superintendent. 
In  April,  1897,  he  was  appointed  supervisor  of 
Indian  schools  and  as  such  traveled  for  one  year, 
inspecting  the  schools  in  diiferent  parts  of  the 
United  States.  Returning  to  Haskell  in  April, 
1898,  he  accepted  an  appointment  as  superintend- 
ent, which  position  he  now  fills.  He  has  been 
active  in  the  United  States  Indian  School  Institute 
since  its  start  and  has  served  as  its  chairman. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  National  Educational 
Association.  In  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Lawrence  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
official  board  and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 
school.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Lawrence 
Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In  this  city,  July 
30,  1890,  he  married  Miss  Carrie  E.  Reece,  who 
was  born  here,  her  father,  V.  L.  Reece,  having 
settled  in  Douglas  County  in  1854.  They  are 
the  parents  of  four  children:  Lawrence,  Ruth, 
Helen  and  Gertrude. 


I ICHAEL  McCarthy,  councilman  for  the 
first  ward  of  Ottawa,  was  born  in  County 
Kerry,  Ireland,  August  17,  1856,  a  son  of 
Timothy  and  Margaret  (Shea)  McCarthy.  He 
represented  the  seventeenth  generation  in  direct 
line  that  was  born  on  the  same  old  homestead  in 
Fermoyle,  and  it  is  said  of  all  of  them  that  they 
were  honorable  men,  who  desired  to  live  peace- 
ably with  all.  His  father  died  in  1886,  at  eighty- 
seven  years  of  age,  but  the  wife  and  mother  is 
still  living,  though  now  past  eighty  years  of  age. 
The  two  grandfathers,  Mathew  McCarthy  and 
Daniel  Shea,  were  farmers  by  occupation.  Our 
33 


subject  was  the  eighth  among  eleven  children, 
named  as  follows:  John,  who  occupies  the  old 
homestead  in  Ireland;  Cornelius,  a  teacher  in 
Australia;  Daniel,  who  is  in  Burnside,  Conn. ; 
Jerry,  also  a  teacher  in  Australia;  Mrs.  Ellen 
Fitzpatrick,  of  Ireland;  Mrs.  Margaret  Shea, 
also  living  in  Ireland;  Timothy, a  tailor  in  Ottawa; 
Michael;  James,  who  died  in  boyhood;  Mrs. 
Bridget  Sullivan,  of  Ireland;  and  Mathew,  who 
lives  in  Connecticut. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  years  and  ten  months 
our  subject  was  apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  black- 
smith and  horse-shoer  in  his  native  place.  After 
serving  for  three  years  he  went  to  Killarney, 
near  the  beautiful  lake  of  that  name,  where  he 
engaged  in  horseshoeing  for  two  years.  He  then 
started  in  journeyman  work  in  County  Cork. 
After  his  return  home  he  carried  on  a  black.smith's 
business  for  three  years.  In  1882  he  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Connecticut,  finding  em- 
ployment as  a  horse-shoer  at  New  Britain.  On 
account  of  the  ague  he  was  obliged  to  leave  that 
place.  Afterward  he  was  employed  at  East  Hart- 
ford and  Hartford,  and  for  a  time  was  under 
Professor  Huey,  a  celebrated  horse-shoer.  Later, 
in  Springfield,  Mass.,  he  shod  some  of  the  finest 
horses  in  that  section.  He  was  then  employed 
in  Pittsfield,   Mass. 

On  coming  west  Mr.  McCarthy  spent  nine 
months  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  From  there,  in  the 
spring  of  1892,  he  settled  in  Ottawa,  and  bought 
a  blacksmith's  shop  from  R.  A.  Thomas.  He  has 
become  well  known  as  an  expert  horse-shoer  and 
has  shod  the  finest  horses  in  this  county,  some 
being  shipped  into  Ottawa  from  twenty  and  thirty 
miles  away,  in  order  that  they  may  be  shod  by 
him.  He  has  shod  Lurline,  2:i4>4,  and  Riley 
Medium,  2:io}4.  He  has  made  a  calking  vise 
for  sharpening  heels  on  shoes,  and  also  devised  a 
hoof  filer,  with  one  side  sharp  and  the  other 
blunt,  which  is  the  first  of  that  kind  ever  made. 
His  shop  isat  No.  112  North  Main  street,  and 
his  residence  at  No.  loi  South  Hickory  street. 
He  was  married  in  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  June  i,  1S86, 
to  Caroline  M.  Evans,  a  native  of  Wales.  They 
have  four  living  children,  William  John,  Michael 
Francis,  Caroline  Elizabeth  and  Joseph  Timothy. 


7IO 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


In  national  politics  Mr.  McCarthy  is  a  Demo- 
crat. In  the  spring  of  1898  he  was  nominated, 
on  the  citizens'  ticket,  for  alderman  from  the  first 
ward, which  is  nominally  seventy-five  Republican, 
but  he  came  within  twenty-five  votes  of  being 
elected.  In  the  spring  of  1899  he  was  again  nom 
inated  and  this  time  was  elected  by  a  majority  of 
twelve,  being  the  only  candidate  on  the  citizens' 
ticket  that  was  elected.  April  20,  1899,  he  took 
his  seat  in  the  council.  He  has  since  been  a 
member  of  the  committees  on  police,  fire,  water 
and  light,  cemetery,  and  streets  and  alleys,  and  is 
also  chairman  of  the  committee  on  printing.  He 
is  'very  active  in  the  Franklin  County  Fair  Asso- 
ciation and  is  a  member  of  its  board  of  directors. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Ancient 
Order  of  Hibernians,  Modern  Woodmen,  and  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen.  In  the  latter 
lodge  he  has  been  an  officer  and  was  a  delegate  to 
the  grand  lodge  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  in  February, 
1899-  

(Tames  W.  GAW.  upon  a  farm  in  Delaware 
I  Township,  Leavenworth  County,  which  he 
\~)  had  purchased  in  1877,  Mr.  Gaw  settled  in 
1883,  and  here  he  has  since  engaged  in  stock- 
raising  and  general  farm  pursuits.  The  place 
comprises  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fertile 
land,  which,  under  his  supervision,  has  been  con- 
verted into  a  highly  improved  farm.  He  has 
made  a  specialty  of  raising  road  horses  and  Jersey 
cattle,  and  at  times  has  a  large  number  of  these 
on  his  farm.  He  takes  a  warm  interest  in  every- 
thing calculated  to  promote  the  stock  business 
and  has  himself  been  one  of  the  most  successful 
stockmen  in  his  county. 

A  son  of  Patrick  and  Isabella  (McMillen)  Gaw, 
our  subject  was  born  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Decem- 
ber 19,  1837.  His  mother  was  born  in  Belfast, 
Ireland,  and  died  in  Pittsburgh  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven.  His  father,  a  native  of  Belfast, 
Ireland,  came  to  the  United  States  at  an  early 
age  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  furniture 
in  Pennsylvania,  carrying  on  a  large  business. 
He  died  in  Pittsburgh  in  1848,  when  forty-eight 
years  of  age.  Of  his  ten  children  the  following 
are  living:  James  W.;  William;  Susan,   wife  of 


William  Patterson;  and  Helen,  who  married 
William  Neely.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  the 
Pittsburgh  schools.  At  seventeen  years  of  age 
he  went  to  Brownsville,  Pa.,  where  he  learned 
the  machinist's  trade.  In  1859  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas, where  he  was  connected  with  the  quarter- 
master's department  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  re- 
maining at  the  fort  for  twenty-five  years.  During 
a  portion  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  stationed  at  Fort 
Scott,  having  charge  of  the  taking  of  supplies 
from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  Fort  Scott;  but  with 
that  exception  he  continued  to  make  Fort  Leav- 
enworth his  headquarters.  In  i860  he  made  a 
trip  across  the  plains  to  Camp  Floyd,  Utah,  a  dis- 
tance of  twelve  hundred  miles,  and  at  other  times 
he  also  crossed  the  plains  to  different  parts  of  the 
west.  During  the  war  he  was  trainmaster  for  the 
Twelfth  Wisconsin  Regiment,  on  its  way  to  New 
Mexico.  After  the  war  he  was  trainmaster  at 
Fort  Leavenworth.  From  1873  to  1883  he  .served 
as  superintendent  of  transportation  and  inspector 
of  horses  and  mules.  In  1883  he  left  the  govern- 
ment employ  and  removed  to  the  farm  upon  which 
he  has  since  resided  and  to  the  cultivation  of 
which  his  entire  time  is  devoted. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Gaw,  in  1865,  united  him 
with  Jeannette  Jeffrey,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Jeffrey,  of  Ohio.  They  are  the  parents  of  four 
children,  viz.:  Hugh,  who  is  engaged  in  the  elec- 
trical business  in  Montana;  George  A.,  who  is  a 
bridge-builder  by  occupation;  EmmaB.,  a  teacher 
in  the  schools  at  Lansing;  and  Carrie.  Frater- 
nally Mr.  Gaw  is  connected  with  the  Leaven- 
worth Lodge  of  Masons  and  the  Knights  of  Honor. 
In  political  views  he  is  a  pronounced  believer  in 
the  principles  for  which  the  Republican  party 
stands. 


I  AMAR  H.  NETTLETON,  grand  treasurer 
I C  of  the  Grand  Legion  of  Kansas,  Select 
]^  Knights,  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Fergu- 
son &  Nettleton,  who  are  successfully  engaged  in 
the  marble  business  in  Ottawa.  Since  the  part- 
nership was  formed,  in  November,  1883,  the  firm 
has  had  almost  all  of  the  work  in  its  line  in  the 
city,  having  had  every  contract  of  $1,000  or 
more.     At  first  the  headquarters  of  the  firm  were 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


on  west  Second  street,  but  in  1896  they  were  re- 
moved to  the  present  location,  on  South  Main 
street.  Three  salesmen  travel  in  the  interests  of 
the  business  and  secure  contracts  from  various 
parts  of  the  state,  a  number  having  been  given 
from  Greenwood,  Anderson  and  Osage  Counties, 
as  well  as  all  in  Baldwin,  and  the  contract  for  the 
new  soldiers'  monument  at  Garnett,  also  the  gran- 
ite work  of  the  memorial  gate  at  Forest  park. 

The  Nettleton  family  is  descended  from  French 
ancestors  who  settled  in  New  England.  Jere- 
miah Nettleton,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire, 
moved  to  Delaware  Countj',  Ohio,  and  thence  to 
Illinois  in  1853,  settling  in  Casey,  Clark  County, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  took  an  active 
interest  in  local  matters.  In  religion  he  was  a 
Baptist.  He  married  Susan  Bockover,  who  was 
born  in  New  Jersey,  of  an  old  Jersey-Dutch 
family,  and  who  died  in  February,  1897.  Of 
their  children  three  are  living,  viz. :  Mrs.  Pauline 
Bancroft,  of  Casey,  111.;  Mrs.  Louise  Roberts, 
of  Topeka,  Kans.,  and  Lamar  H.  The  last- 
named  was  born  in  Delaware  County,  Ohio, 
April  25,  1850,  and  was  reared  principally  in  Illi- 
nois. For  two  years  he  attended  the  high  school 
at  South  Haven,  Mich.  At  the  age  of  nineteen 
he  was  apprenticed  to  the  marble-cutter's  trade 
at  Casey,  111.,  at  which  he  served  for  three  years, 
and  then  worked  as  a  journeyman  in  Terre 
Haute,  Ind.,  for  two  years,  and  at  different 
places  in  Illinois,  for  a  time  carrying  on  a  busi- 
ness of  his  own  in  Casey. 

Coming  to  Ottawa  in  1883,  Mr.  Nettleton  en- 
tered the  employ  of  George  W.  Dawson,  but  in 
November  of  the  same  year  bought  out  his  em- 
ployer and  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Fergu- 
son. Since  then  he  has  built  up  a  trade  whose 
constantly  increasing  importance  speaks  volumes 
for  his  own  and  his  partner's  ability.  Politically 
he  is  a  Democrat.  For  two  years  he  represented 
the  fourth  ward  in  the  city  council.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  and  has 
served  as  noble  grand  of  the  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows, 
which  he  represented  in  the  grand  lodge,  and  he 
has  also  been  an  officer  in   the  encampment.     In 


the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  he  is 
past  master  workman,  and  for  three  years  super- 
intended the  sixth  district  of  Kansas,  having 
thirteen  lodges  in  his  charge.  With  the  exception 
of  two  years  he  has  attended  every  session  of  the 
grand  lodge  of  United  Workmen  since  1887. 
He  is  also  connected  with  -the  Degree  of  Honor. 
However,  his  most  important  fraternal  position  is 
in  connection  with  the  Select  Knights.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  Franklin  Legion  No.  27,  and 
in  1893  was  honored  by  election  as  grand  treas- 
urer of  the  Grand  Legion  of  Kansas,  which  re- 
sponsible position  he  has  since  filled  with  the 
greatest  efficiency. 

QjERY  REV.  CHARLES  ROWLAND  HILL, 
W  B.  D.,  Dean  of  Atchison,  Rector  of  Grace 
Y  Episcopal  Church  at  Ottawa,  and  Honorary 
Canon  of  Grace  Cathedral  in  Topeka,  is  of  Eng- 
lish birth  and  lineage,  but  by  training  and  travel 
is  a  cosmopolitan.  He  was  born  near  Shrews- 
bury, April  24,  1864.  He  was  reared  in  Eng- 
land and  France  and  studied  under  private  tutors, 
gaining  a  broad  knowledge  of  classical  and  modern 
history,  of  which  he  was  a  student. 

Desiring  to  acquire,  by  travel,  a  more  intimate 
acquaintance  with  different  nations,  their  cu.stoms, 
etc..  Dean  Hill  came  to  America  in  1886  and 
traveled  through  Canada  and  the  United  States, 
spending  considerable  time  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
and  spending  the  summer  of  1887  in  Alaska  and 
finding  much  in  that  then  unknown  land  to 
awaken  his  interest.  The  summer  of  1888  he 
spent  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  where  he  studied 
the  government  of  the  nation,  the  customs  of  the 
people  and  inspected  with  admiration  the  beauti- 
ful scenery  of  various  islands  forming  the  group. 
Upon  the  opening  of  St.  John's  Military  School 
at  Salina,  Kans.,  in  the  fall  of  18S8,  he  accepted 
the  position  as  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Physics 
in  that  Institution.  At  the  same  time  he  became 
interested  in  ministerial  work  in  that  locality. 
Until  1 89 1  he  served  as  rector  of  the  Church  of 
the  Covenant  in  Junction  City,  and  from  that 
time  until  1893  he  was  rector  of  Grace  Church 
in  Hutchinson.  In  the  spring  of  1S91  Bishop 
Thomas  ordained  him  deacon  in  the  Church  of 


712 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


St.  John,  Abilene.  In  1893  he  was  appointed 
Chaplain  and  private  secretary  to  Bishop  Thomas, 
with  whom  he  made  his  home  in  Topeka.  On 
the  elevation  of  Bishop  Millspaugh  to  the  epis- 
copate he  was  made  Archdeacon  of  Eastern 
Kansas,  and  this  position  he  held  until  1898, 
when  he  resigned.  At  the  time  of  his  resignation 
as  Archdeacon  he  accepted  the  Rectorship  of 
Grace  Church  in  Ottawa,  and  the  appointment 
as  Dean  of  Atchison  and  Honorary  Canon  of 
Grace  Cathedral.  Upon  examination  by  the 
Kansas  Theological  Seminary  in  1892  the  de- 
gree of  B.  D.  was  conferred  upon  him.  For  three 
years  he  ofSciated  as  Assistant  Secretary  of  the 
Diocese,  and  for  four  years  was  Secretary  of  the 
Diocese  of  Kansas.  In  the  midst  of  his  other 
important  work  he  has  continued  to  hold  the 
professorship  in  Salina  and  is  the  oldest  in- 
structor in  the  school  in  point  of  years  of  service. 
His  profound  knowledge  of  science  fits  him  for 
the  chair  he  holds.  His  training  in  this  depart- 
ment was  most  thorough. 

Besides  his  other  responsible  work.  Dean  Hill 
is  the  official  correspondent  of  the  Diocese  of 
Kansas  to  the  Neiv  York  Churchman  of  New 
York,  the  Church  Standard  of  Philadelphia  and 
the  Livmg  Church  of  Chicago.  Since  1891  his 
position  in  the  Diocese  has  been  of  the  greatest 
importance  and  he  has  wielded  a  large  influence 
in  the  ecclesiastical  polity  of  his  Church. 


TSSES  H.  D.  and  M.  C.  KITTREDGE. 
Side  by  side  in  their  responsibility  for  the 
training  of  the  young  stand  the  home  and 
the  school.  It  is  being  universally  acknowledged 
that  the  moral  and  intellectual  status  of  men  and 
women  depends  upon  the  influences  thrown  around 
them  in  childhood.  Therefore  it  is  of  great  import- 
ance that  teachers  shall  be  men  and  women  of  large 
hearts  and  broad  minds.  When  we  say  that  the 
Misses  Kittredge  are  in  every  way  worthy  of  the 
occupation  they  have  chosen,  we  are  saying  no 
little  to  their  credit.  They  are  devoting  them- 
selves to  educational  work  and,  since  1886,  have 
conducted  a  private  school  in  Ottawa.  For  a  time 
they  had  advanced  pupils  in  the  morning   and 


children  in  the  afternoon,  but  in  1896  they  dis- 
continued advanced  work  and  turned  their  atten- 
tion wholly  to  children.  In  addition  to  the  man- 
agement of  this  school,  since  1896  Miss  M.  C. 
Kittredge  has  acted  as  assistant  in  English  in  the 
high  school  of  Ottawa. 

The  Kittredge  family  has  been  connected  with 
New  England  history  since  a  very  early  day, 
when  John  Kittredge  from  England  settled  in 
Salem  in  1635,  being  the  lineal  ancestor  of  this 
branch  of  the  family.  Solomon  Kittredge,  who 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  had  a  son, 
Josiah,  who  was  born  in  Massachusetts  and  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits.  He,  in  turn,  had  a 
son,  Rev.  Charles  Baker  Kittredge,  A.  M.,  who 
was  born  as  Mount  Vernon,  N.  H.,  graduated 
from  Dartmouth  College  in  1828  and  from  An- 
dover  Theological  Seminary  in  1832,  after  which 
he  was  ordained  to  the  Congregational  ministry. 
For  three  years  he  preached  at  Groton,  Mass. ,  but 
resigned  on  account  of  his  strong  anti-slavery  prin- 
ciples being  objectionable  to  some  of  his  congre- 
gation. His  next  pastorate,  at  Westboro,  Mass., 
covered  nine  years,  after  which  he  spent  eight 
years  at  Monson,  Mass.,  and  in  1853,  owing  to  a 
throat  trouble,  retired  from  regular  ministerial 
work.  Both  in  Westboro  and  Monson  he  was  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  and  he  also  served 
as  a  trustee  of  Monson  Academy.  No  one  was 
more  interested  than  he  in  the  education  of  the 
young.  He  believed  that,  with  a  good  education, 
a  young  man  or  woman  might  achieve  success  in 
the  world  and  gain  a  position  that  would  other- 
wise be  impossible.  Politically  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican. His  last  years  were  .spent  in  Westboro, 
where  he  died  in  1884,  at  seventy-eight  years  of 
age. 

The  wife  of  Rev.  Charles  Baker  Kittredge  was 
Sarah  Brigham,  who  was  born  at  Brigham  Hill, 
Grafton,  Mass.,  graduated  from  the  first  class  at 
Mount  Holyoke  Seminary  and  afterward  taught 
school  in  Massachusetts  prior  to  her  marriage. 
She  died  in  Westboro  in  1871,  when  fifty-five 
years  of  age.  Her  father,  Col.  Charles  Brigham, 
who  was  a  colonel  in  the  war  of  18 12  and  a 
farmer  at  Brigham  Hill,  was  the  son  of  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  whose  ancestors  emigrated  from 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


England  in  an  earlj'  da}-  and  settled  at  Brigham 
Hill.  The  sisters  are  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  and  possess  that  kind  of  charitable 
disposition  which  finds  an  outlet  in  deeds  of  help- 
fulness to  the  poor  and  needy.  Since  leaving 
college  they  have  continued  their  studies  and 
have  acquired  a  broad  and  liberal  culture  that  ad- 
mirably   qualifies    them   for   educational    work. 


61  UGUST  JOHNSON,  who  is  engaged  in  con- 
L\  tracting  and  building  in  Ottawa,  was  born 
I  I  in  Skaraborg  Lan,  Lidekoping,  Hjerpos, 
Sweden,  a  son  of  Jonas  and  Christine  (Pearson) 
Swanson.  For  generations  his  paternal  ancestors 
occupied  a  family  estate  known  as  Godegarden, 
and  there  his  father  and  mother  were  born 
respectively  in  1817  and  1825,  have  spent  their 
entire  lives,  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
religious  views  they  are  Lutherans.  They  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, two  remaining  in  Sweden,  while  three  are  in 
this  country.  Swante  is  a  farmer  in  Franklin 
County,  Kans.,  and  Helen,  Mrs.  P.  Peterson, 
makes  her  home  in  Kansas  City. 

On  the  old  homestead,  where  he  was  born  No- 
vember 3,  1851,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  passed 
the  years  of  youth,  meantime  attending  the  high 
school  of  his  native  town,  from  which  he  gradua- 
ted. Having  decided  to  seek  a  home  in  America, 
in  1874  he  came,  via  Liverpool,  to  New  York 
and  from  there  to  Franklin  County,  Kans.,  where 
he  became  interested  in  farming.  After  some 
years  in  that  occupation,  in  1882  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  stone-mason  under  Mr.  Pierson,  with 
whom  he  continued  as  an  employe  until  1895, 
when  they  formed  a  partnership  as  contractors 
and  builders.  Among  their  contracts  have  been 
those  for  the  Washington  school.  Field  school, 
the  Rohrbaugh,  the  foundations  for  the  court 
house  in  Ottawa  and  that  in  Paola,  Kans.,  the 
building  of  the  Santa  Fe  depot  and  numerous 
substantial  structures  in  Ottawa.  Mr.  Pier.son 
also  had  contracts  for  the  reform  school  in  Beloit, 
Kans. ,  and  some  of  the  finest  residences  in  Ottawa. 

November  16,  1882,  in  Ottawa,  Mr.  Johnson 
married  Tilda  Pierson,  who  was  born  in  Fjelkes- 


tad,  Sweden,  and  came  to  Franklin  County  in 
1869.  Two  children  were  born  of  their  union,  a 
daughter,  Nellie  N.,  and  a  son  that  died  in  in- 
fancy. Mr.  John.son  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Acacia  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Lawrence,  but 
has  allowed  his  membership  to  lapse.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  stewards  in  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Ottawa,  in  which 
he  has  also  served  as  a  trustee.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Prohibitionist. 

Sone  Pierson,  Mr.  Johnson's  father-in-law  and 
business  partner,  was  born  in  Sweden,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  millwright. 
In  1869  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  after  a 
brief  stop  in  Iowa  settled  in  Ottawa,  Kans., 
where  he  began  contracting  and  building.  From 
that  he  drifted  into  mason  work.  As  already 
stated,  he  has  had  contracts  for  many  important 
buildings.  The  excellence  of  his  work  has 
caused  a  steady  demand  for  his  services.  In  ad- 
dition to  other  contracts  he  has  had  a  number 
for  the  moving  of  houses,  of  which  work  he  has 
made  a  specialty.  In  his  native  country  he  mar- 
ried Permilla  Haroldson,  by  whom  he  has  eight 
children  now  living,  one  of  whom  is  an  instructor 
in  music  at  Jackson,  Miss. 


pCjlLLIAM  S.  YOHE,  who  has  been  identi- 
\A/  ^^'^  with  western  history  from  early  pio- 
V  V  neer  days  and  who  is  now  living,  retired, 
in  Leavenworth,  was  born,  of  German  descent, 
in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  February  21,  1819.  His 
parents,  Samuel  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Yohe,  were 
natives  respectively  of  Pennsylvania  and  New 
Jersey;  the  former  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
181 2  and  a  grandson  of  General  Woolley,  an 
ofiicer  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  while  Mrs. 
Yohe  was  a  daughter  of  a  sea-captain,  who  de- 
scended from  Scotch  ancestors.  He  is  the  only 
one  now  living  among  the  three  children  com- 
prising the  family.  His  mother  died  when  he 
was  a  child  and  afterward  his  father,  who  was  a 
carpenter,  was  accidentally  killed  by  a  fall  from 
a  building. 

After  having  learned  the   blacksmith's  trade, 
in  1S36  Mr.   Yohe  went  to    Mississippi  and  for  a 


714 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


year  worked  for  a  blacksmith  there,  but  was 
cheated  out  of  his  wages.  Returning  north,  in 
Pittsburgh  he  enlisted  in  Captain  Da3''s  compan}' 
(Company  H),  First  United  States  Infantry,  for 
service  in  the  Florida  war.  He  spent  three  years 
in  Florida  and  took  part  in  a  number  of  battles 
with  the  Indians,  the  most  desperate  of  these  en- 
gagements being  the  battle  of  Ockechobie,  where 
one-fourth  of  the  men  were  killed.  He  was 
mustered  out  as  sergeant  in  June,  1 840.  Through 
the  excessive  hardships  of  the  campaign  and  the 
exposure  in  the  swamps  he  had  contracted  the 
swamp  fever  and  had  been  given  up  to  die.  On 
consulting  a  physician  in  St.  Louis  he  was  told 
the  case  was  hopeless  and  was  advised  to  go  to 
the  mountains.  Notwithstanding  his  sickness  he 
was  permitted  to  enlist  in  Company  F,  First 
United  States  Cavalr}',  and  was  sent  to  Fort 
Leavenworth,  it  being  thought  that  he  might  be 
able  to  reform  the  company,  whose  reputation 
was  not  the  best.  In  1841  he  went  to  the  moun- 
tains, traveling  through  what  is  now  Colorado, 
New  Mexico,  Arizona,  etc.,  and  in  1843  he  made 
another  trip  to  the  west.  In  1844  he  crossed 
the  Snowy  range,  traveling  twenty-six  hundred 
miles  in  ninety-nine  days.  In  1845  ^^  was  hon- 
orably discharged  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  After- 
ward he  was  employed  by  the  government  as 
superintendent  of  public  works,  forage  master, 
and  superintendent  in  charge  of  the  government 
farm. 

In  1855  Mr.  Yohe  settled  on  a  farm  in  Platte 
County,  Mo.,  and  there  engaged  in  farming,  also 
erected  and  operated  a  steam  sawmill  for  the 
manufacture  of  lumber.  Much  of  the  lumber 
was  used  in  the  building  of  Leavenworth.  In 
1857  he  sold  his  mill  and  farm  and  came  to  Leav- 
enworth and  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  on 
Cherokee  street.  After  two  years,  his  wife's 
health  being  poor,  he  took  her  east,  but  soon  re- 
turned and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Lansing,  Leav- 
enworth County.  From  there,  in  1865,  he  re- 
moved to  a  farm  near  Stranger,  where  he  carried 
on  agricultural  pursuits  much  of  the  time  until 
1 88 1.  The  next  year  he  settled  in  Leavenworth, 
buying  the  place  at  No.  934  South  Broadway, 
which  he  still  owns.     He  also  owns  a  farm  of  one 


hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Delaware  Township, 
and  one  of  two  hundred  and  fort}^  acres  in 
Stranger  Township. 

There  is  no  one  now  in  Leavenworth  whose 
recollections  of  this  part  of  the  state  extend  to  a 
period  antedating  those  of  Mr.  Yohe.  When  he 
came  to  Fort  Leavenworth  for  the  first  time  the 
city  had  not  been  started,  and  he  found  nothing 
here  except  the  villages  of  the  Kickapoo  and 
Stockbridge  Indians.  Game  abounded,  and  much 
of  his  time  was  devoted  to  hunting.  While  out 
in  the  mountains  he  saw  thousands  of  buffalo, 
and  one  day  killed  fifty-four  without  making  a 
special  eflTort  to  find  and  shoot  them.  At  the 
time  he  settled  upon  the  government  farm  he  was 
one  of  the  very  first  who  attempted  to  till  the 
soil  here.  He  opened  and  improved  a  farm, 
which  he  fenced  and  cultivated,  and  was  so  suc- 
cessful in  the  work  that,  in  one  year,  he  made 
$9,400  for  the  government,  and  the  next  year 
$7,000.  When  he  retired  from  the  government 
employ  he  became  a  minister  in  the  Christian 
Church,  and,  as  an  ordained  preacher,  estab- 
lished the  first  Christian  Church  in  Leavenworth, 
also  started  a  church  at  Nine  Mile  and  another 
at  Stranger.  To  the  congregation  at  the  latter 
place  he  ministered  until  1897.  In  July,  1875, 
he  went  to  Denver,  and  after  a  few  months  there 
located  in  Boulder,  Colo.,  where  he  improved 
and  built  upon  some  property,  continuing  to  re- 
side there  until  1879. 

In  Platte  County,  Mo.,  Mr.  Yohe  married  Miss 
■Isabella  McLaren,  who  was  born  in  Ireland,  and 
accompanied  her  parents  to  Platte  County,  Mo., 
where  her  father  died.  She  passed  away  on  the 
home  farm  at  Nine- Mile.  Of  her  three  children, 
only  one  attained  maturity,  Mrs.  Mattie  B.  Smith, 
who  died  in  Denver,  Colo. ,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
six  years.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Yohe 
took  place  at  Big  Stranger  and  united  him  with 
Sarah  Charity  Wood,  who  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  and  in  1861  came  to  Kansas  with  a 
brother.  The  two  children  born  of  this  union 
are  Alfred  F.  Yohe,  M.  D.,  and  Lena  B.,  wife  of 
C.  H.  Lamkin,  of  Leavenworth. 

The  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Yohe  was  Reuben 
Wood,  who  was  born  in  England  and  from  there, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


715 


with  his  famil}',  emigrated  to  Randolph  Count}', 
N.  C. ,  where  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law. 
His  son,  James,  a  native  of  England,  studied  law 
and  for  a  time  was  clerk  of  the  court  of  Randolph 
County.  He  removed  from  there  to  Texas, 
where  he  died.  His  wife  was  Susanna  lyindsay, 
who  was  born  in  North  Carolina  and  died  at 
Deep  River,  that  state.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Robert  Lindsay,  a  native  of  Scotland,  but  for 
years  a  farmer  in  North  Carolina;  he  was  a  son  of 
John  Lindsay,  a  farmer,  who  brought  his  family 
to  the  United  States,  settling  in  North  Carolina. 
Mrs.  Yohe  had  four  brothers,  Edwin,  William  B. , 
R.  L-  and  L.  S.  Of  these,  Edwin,  who  came 
to  Kansas  is  early  life,  died  at  New  Market,  this 
state;  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  medical 
student.  William  B.  was  a  pioneer  of  St.  Joe, 
Mo.,  and  died  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  in  1883. 
R.  L.,  also  a  pioneer  of  St.  Joe,  later  practiced 
medicine  in  Leavenworth,  and  still  resides  in 
this  city.  The  other  brother  is  in  California. 
Mrs.  Yohe  was  born  in  Randolph  County,  but 
was  reared  in  Forsyth  County,  N.  C,  and  re- 
ceived a  good  education.  In  1859  she  came  west, 
first  settling  in  St.  Joe,  Mo.,  and  thence  coming 
to  Kansas,  March  26,  i860.  She  became  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Yohe  September  6,  1863.  Like  him, 
she  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 


GlLFRED  F.  YOHE,  M.  D.,  has  been  en- 
Ll  gaged  in  the  practice  of  the  medical  profes- 
/  I  sion  in  Leavenworth  since  1892,  and  has 
gained  a  reputation  for  skill  in  the  treatment  of 
diseases,  also  for  accuracy  of  his  diagnoses.  For 
four  terms  he  has  held  the  office  of  county  physi- 
cian, which  he  still  fills.  During  the  administra- 
tion of  President  Harri.son  he  received  appoint- 
ment as  member  of  the  board  of  United  States 
pension  examiners,  and  he  has  since  served  in 
this  capacity,  being  now  treasurer  of  the  board. 
He  holds  the  position  of  professor  of  anatomy  and 
physiology  in  the  Leavenworth  Training  School 
for  Nurses,  and  is  a  member  of  the  surgical  staff 
of  Cushing  Hospital;  also  local  surgeon  for  the 
Kansas  City,  St.  Joe  &  Council  Bluffs  Railroad, 


The  Eastern  District  Medical  Society  and  the 
Leavenworth  County  Medical  Society  number 
him  among  their  members. 

In  Delaware  Township,  Leavenworth  County, 
Dr.  Yohe  was  born  in  1865.  His  education  was 
obtained  principally  in  the  Leavenworth  grammar 
and  high  schools.  In  1883  he  entered  the  Kan- 
sas State  University,  where  he  remained  until  the 
closeof  the  junior  year,  and  then  left  in  order  to 
take  up  the  study  of  medicine.  In  1886  he  en- 
tered Rush  Medical  College  in  Chicago,  where 
he  took  the  regular  course,  graduating  in  18SS 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  Returning  to  the 
west  he  engaged  in  practice  in  Leavenworth  and 
in  Platte  County,  Mo.  Desirous  to  extend  his 
professional  knowledge,  in  1891  he  entered  the 
senior  class  in  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical 
College,  and  in  the  spring  of  1892  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  M.  D.  Since  then  he  has  given  his 
attention  to  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Leav- 
enworth. He  takes  an  interest  in  the  public 
schools  and  has  served  for  two  terms  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  education.  His  marriage,  in 
this  city,  united  him  with  Elizabeth  I.,  daugh- 
ter of  Enos  Hook,  and  a  native  of  Colorado. 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion  is 
connected  with  the  Christian  Church.  Frater- 
nally he  is  past  officer  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association; 
Leavenworth  Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.; 
Leavenworth  Chapter  No.  2,  R.  A.  M. ;  Leaven- 
worth Commandery  No.  i,  K.  T.,  and  Abdallah 
Temple,  N.  M.  S. 


^OHN  B.  HORNE,  a  stock-raiser  and  cattle- 
I  feeder  residing  in  Williamsburg  Township, 
Q)  Franklin  County,  was  born  in  Wayne  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  in  1855.  His  father,  Josiah  W.  Home, 
a  native  of  North  Carolina,  removed  north  to 
Indiana  in  1854  and  continued  to  reside  there 
until  1870,  when  he  came  to  Franklin  County, 
Kans.  During  the  period  of  his  residence  in 
Indiana  he  carried  on  a  large  milling  business 
and  has  al.so  extensively  engaged  in  fanning.  On 
his  arrival  in  Franklin  County  he  purchased  one 
hundred   and  sixty  acres  of  land  near  Williams- 


7i6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


burg,  besides  which  he  became  the  owner  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Greenwood  Town- 
ship. In  addition  to  the  management  of  his 
large  tracts  of  land  he  also  operated  the  Williams- 
burg mill  for  a  few  years.  Had  he  been  spared 
to  old  age,  undoubtedly  he  would  have  become 
one  of  the  most  successful  men  in  Franklin 
County,  but  he  was  called  from  earth  in  1875, 
after  only  five  years  in  the  west,  and  at  the  age 
of  fifty  years.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Michel  S.  Bogue,  died  in  1890,  when 
sixty  years  old.  All  of  their  ten  children  are 
still  living  and  all  but  one  reside  in  Kansas. 

When  fifteen  years  of  age  our  subject  accom- 
panied his  parents  from  Indiana  to  Kansas,  and 
here  he  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm.  For  nine 
years  he  taught  school  in  Osage,  Miami  and 
Franklin  Counties.  However,  during  all  of  that 
time  he  continued  to  be  interested  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  in  1893  he  bought  his  father's  old 
homestead  near  Williamsburg,  where  he  has 
since  engaged  in  stock-raising.  He  is  an  enter- 
prising farmer  and  has  met  with  success.  Al- 
most ever  since  he  attained  his  majority  he  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  In 
politics  a  Republican,  he  has  served  as  trustee  of 
the  township,  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  several 
other  offices.  In  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  he  is  past  master  workman.  In  1878  he 
married  Claudia  L,.  Russell,  of  Miami  County, 
by  whom  he  has  four  sons,  Carl  R,,  who  has 
considerable  inventive  ability;  William  A.,  Wil- 
bur V.  and  John  W. 


^OLOMON  ENGLE,  of  Lawrence,  a  veteran 
?\  of  the  Civil  war,  was  born  in  Union  County, 
\if  Pa.,  October  20,  1834,  a  son  of  John  M.  and 
Mary  (Beaver)  Engle.  He  is  third  among  the 
five  survivors  of  the  original  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, the  others  being  Amos,  a  farmer  of  Union 
County,  Pa. ;  Jacob,  who  resides  in  Reading,  Pa. ; 
Samuel,  a  farmer  of  Snyder  County,  Pa.;  and 
Hettie,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Dietrick,  of 
Galesburg,  111.  His  father,  who  was  born  near 
Philadelphia  in  1783,  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native   place,    and   from  there   accompanied  his 


parents  to  Union  Count}'.  Buying  a  tract  of  tim- 
bered land,  he  began  the  task  of  clearing  a  farm. 
Upon  that  place  the  after  years  of  his  life  were 
passed.  He  was  several  times  elected  county 
commissioner  and  to  other  local  offices.  For 
many  j'ears  before  his  death  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  His  father,  John  M. 
Engle,  Sr.,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution. 
Born  in  Germany,  he  first  settled  in  South  Caro- 
lina, but  worked  his  way  toward  the  north,  and 
finally  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  people  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Our  subject's  other  grandfather,  George 
Beaver,  was  also  a  native  of  Germany  and  came 
to  America  shortly  after  the  war  with  England, 
settling  upon  a  farm  in  Pennsjdvania,  where  his 
later  years  were  spent. 

At  sixteen  years  of  age  our  subject  was  ap- 
prenticed to  the  trade  of  a  stonemason,  and  upon 
completing  his  time  began  to  work  as  a  journey- 
man. In  1856  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Sarah  J.  Clemens,  of  New  Berlin,  Union 
County,  Pa.  After  his  marriage  he  removed  to 
Milton,  Pa.,  where  he  made  his  home  for  one 
year,  and  thence  went  to  Mifflinburg.  Shortly 
after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in 
the  Union  army.  September  17,  1861,  his  name 
was  enrolled  in  Company  E,  Fifty-first  Pennsyl- 
vania Infantry,  and  he  was  soon  afterward  sent 
with  the  Burnside  expedition  to  Roanoke  Island, 
thence  to  Newbern,  N.  C,  taking  part  in  the  en- 
gagements at  both  places.  Later  his  command 
was  called  to  Fredericksburg  to  reinforce  General 
Pope,  and  afterward  he  took  part  in  the  second 
battle  of  Bull  Run.  After  the  battle  of  Chantilly 
the  command  was  sent  to  Washington,  thence  to 
Antietam,  where  he  participated  in  that  historic 
battle,  as  well  as  two  skirmishes  on  South  Moun- 
tain while  on  the  way  there.  After  the  battle  of 
Antietam  he  was  taken  ill  and  in  December  fol- 
lowing was  honorably  discharged  on  account  of 
disability. 

After  leaving  the  army  Mr.  Engle  worked  at 
his  trade  in  Mifflinburg  for  five  years,  after  which 
he  rented  the  home  farm  in  Union  County  and 
for  two  seasons  cultivated  that  place.  In  April, 
1871,  he  di.sposed  of  his  property  in  the  east  and 
removed  to  Kansas,  settling  in  the  oity  of  Man- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


717 


hattan,  where  he  opened  a  boarding  house.  Five 
years  later  he  went  to  Ogden,  Riley  County,  and 
embarked  in  the  mercantile  business,  but  the  ven- 
ture did  not  prove  a  profitable  one.  In  1876  he 
settled  in  Lawrence,  where  during  the  inter- 
vening years  he  has  been  engaged  in  various  en- 
terprises. His  home  is  in  Wakarusa  Township, 
near  the  Haskell  Institute.  From  1894  to  1896 
he  was  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Lawrence, 
and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  The  Presby- 
terian Church  numbers  him  among  its  members. 
Like  all  army  veterans  he  takes  an  interest  in 
reminiscences  of  war  times,  and  enjoys  the  re- 
unions and  meetings  of  Washington  Post  No.  12, 
G.  A.  R. 

Of  the  seven  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Engle 
all  but  two  are  living.  Charles  E.,  the  oldest, 
operates  a  fruit  farm  in  Wakarusa  Township, 
Douglas  County.  Laura  E.  and  Mary  E.  are 
with  their  parents.  Ida  May  is  the  wife  of  Dr. 
S.  M.  McCreight,  of  Oskaloosa,  Kans.  John 
M. ,  at  the  opening  of  the  Spanish- American  war, 
enlisted  in  Company  L,  Second  Regiment  of  En- 
gineers, and  was  ordered  to  Honolulu,  where  he 
was  stationed  for  some  months. 


I  UCY  HOBBS  TAYLOR,  D.  D.  S.  To  the 
It  women  who  have  been  pioneers  in  the  pro- 
U  fessions,  other  women  owe  a  debt  of  lasting 
gratitude.  For  the  obstacles  they  surmounted, 
the  hardships  they  endured  and  the  criticism  they 
encountered,  others  have  reaped  the  benefit. 
They  were  as  pioneers  who  go  through  a  track- 
less forest  leaving  a  blazed  path  for  others  to  fol- 
low; or  as  sailors  who  venture  upon  an  unknown 
sea  and  find  a  channel  in  which  other  ships  may 
safely  follow.  To  Dr.  Taylor  belongs  the  honor  of 
having  been  the  first  woman  dentist  in  the  world. 
This  fact  tells  a  whole  history  in  itself;  it  speaks  of 
frowning  professors  and  cold  critics;  perseverance 
in  the  midst  of  anxiety  and  of  determination  in 
spite  of  discouragement. 

While  engaged  in  leaching,  a  young  girl  from 
the  east  was  induced  to  study  medicine  under  a 
physician  in  Brooklyn,  Mich.  She  became  at- 
tracted to  professional  work  and  after  learning  all 


that  her  preceptor  could  teach  her,  she  went  to 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  the  Eclectic  College  in  that  city 
being  the  only  medical  institution  that  admitted 
women.  However,  on  arriving  there  she  found 
they  had  just  ruled  against  the  admission  of 
women.  The  president  kindly  stated  that  he 
would  give  her  instruction  and  she  continued  un- 
der him  for  a  time.  On  one  occasion  he  asked  her 
why  she  did  not  take  up  dentistry.  At  that  time 
there  was  not  a  woman  dentist  in  the  world.  She 
thought  the  matter  over  and  the  next  day  decided 
to  study  dentistry.  Obtaining  a  place  with  Pro- 
fessor Taft,  dean  of  the  Cincinnati  Dental  College, 
she  remained  with  him  for  three  months,  but  not 
learning  much  from  him,  she  secured  a  place  with 
Dr.  Samuel  Wardell,  a  large-hearted  Christian 
gentleman,  and  one  of  the  finest  dentists  in  the 
city.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  prejudice  against 
women  entering  the  profession,  but  she  persisted. 
Having  very  little  money,  she  rented  a  little  attic 
room  and  there,  when  the  day's  work  in  the  office 
was  done,  she  toiled  with  her  needle  in  order  to  ob- 
tain needed  money.  After  she  had  been  with  her 
preceptor  for  three  months  she  made  every  part 
of  a  set  of  teeth,  which  received  the  first  prize  at 
the  Mechanics'  fair. 

In  March,  1861,  she  made  application  for  ad- 
mission to  the  Ohio  Dental  College,  but  was 
refused  on  account  of  her  sex.  Dr.  Wardell  then 
advised  her  to  begin  practice  without  a  diploma, 
which  was  the  custom  of  a  large  majority  of  the 
male  practitioners  in  those  days.  She  accepted 
his  advice,  and  on  the  14th  of  March,  1861,  opened 
an  office  in  a  small  room  on  Fourth  street,  Cin- 
cinnati. Unfortunately,  the  war  breaking  out  at 
that  time  rendered  it  impossible  for  her  to  get  a 
start.  All  was  excitement  and  confusion  and 
even  well-established  practitioners  could  not  meet 
their  expenses.  She  then  went  to  northern  Iowa, 
settling  at  Bellevue,  where  .she  worked  steadily  and 
slowly  gained  ground  as  a  dentist.  In  1862  .she 
moved  to  McGregor,  where  she  soon  acquired  a 
profitable  practice.  During  the  first  year  of  her 
residence  in  Iowa  she  scarcely  made  her  expenses, 
but  the  second  year  she  cleared  $3,000. 

The  Iowa  Dental  Association  was  composed  of 
fairminded  and  liberal  men.     They  sent  her  an 


7iS 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


invitation  to  attend  their  convention.  She  did 
so,  and  the  bj'-laws  of  the  association  were 
changed  to  suit  her  case  and  she  was  made  a 
member.  With  the  Iowa  delegation  she  attended 
the  American  Dentists'  convention  in  Chicago, 
and  there  the  Iowa  dentists  made  a  formal  demand 
for  her  admission  to  college,  threatening  to  with- 
draw the  influence  of  the  state  from  the  college 
that  refused.  The  Ohio  Dental  College  granted 
the  demand  and  Dr.  Taylor  entered  it  in  1865, 
being  the  first  woman  to  enter  any  dental  college 
in  the  world.  She  graduated  in  1866  with  the 
degree  of  D.  D.  S. ,  and  at  the  final  examination 
stood  the  highest  in  her  class.  The  professor  of 
chemistry  in  the  college  said  of  her  that  "She 
was  a  credit  to  the  profession  of  her  choice  and  an 
honor  to  her  alma  mater.  A  better  combination 
of  modesty,  perseverance  and  pluck  is  seldom, 
if  ever,  seen.' '  For  eight  years  she  was  the  only 
woman  dentist  in  the  world,  when  a  German 
woman,  Henrietta  Herschfield,  came  to  America 
to  gain  a  professional  education  impossible  to  se- 
cure in  her  own  land,  and  entered  the  Pennsyl- 
vania College  of  Dental  Surgeons,  from  which 
she  graduated  in  1869. 

Dr.  Taylor  practiced  for  a  time  in  Chicago,  but 
the  unhealthful  climate  induced  her  to  leave  and 
come  to  the  west.  She  opened  an  ofiice  in  Law- 
rence, December  i,  1867,  and  afterward  built  up 
the  largest  practice  of  any  dentist  in  the  city. 
She  has  become  the  owner  of  valuable  property 
here  and  has  succeeded  financially.  In  social  and 
fraternal  organizations  she  has  been  prominent. 
For  five  years  she  was  matron  of  the  Eastern 
Star  of  Lawrence,  also  held  the  office  of  treasurer 
in  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  and  was  the  first 
sister  to  become  noble  grand  of  the  Rebekahs  of 
Lawrence,  with  which  she  has  been  identified  for 
twenty-eight  years.  At  this  writing  she  is  pres- 
ident of  the  Ladies'  Republican  Club  of  Law- 
rence. 

The  parents  of  Dr.  Taylor,  Benjamin  and  Lucy 
(Beaman)  Hobbs,  were  natives  respectively  of 
Worcester,  Mass. ,  and  Burlington,  Vt.  Her  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  William  Hobbs,  a  native  of 
Massachusetts,  removed  from  there  to  Franklin 
County,  N.  Y.;  and  her  maternal  grandfather. 


Joshua  Beaman,  also  settled  in  that  state.  She 
was  born  in  Franklin  County,  and  was  one  often 
children  who  attained  mature  years.  She  had 
four  brothers:  Benjamin,  Joshua,  Edward  and 
Edgar,  who  enlisted  in  New  York  regiments  and 
served  in  the  Civil  war,  Benjamin  dying  while  at 
the  front.  Her  education  was  principally  ac- 
quired by  self-culture.  At  sixteen  years  of  age 
she  began  to  teach  school,  from  which  she  later 
entered  professional  work.  While  in  Chicago,  in 
April,  1867,  she  became  the  wife  of  James  M. 
Taylor,  who  was  born  in  Attica,  N.  Y.,  and  was 
an  artist  and  ornamental  painter  for  some  j-ears, 
but  afterward  studied  dentistry,  which  he  prac- 
ticed to  such  extent  as  his  health  permitted. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany I,  Eleventh  Illinois  Infantry,  and  never  re- 
covered from  the  efiects  of  his  army  life,  although 
he  survived  until  1886.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  quartermaster  of  Washington  Post 
No.  12,  G.  A.  R.  He  was  also  a  chapter  Mason 
and  a  member  of  Halcyon  Lodge  No.  18, 1.O.O.F. 


eAVID  ATCHISON,  who  arrived  in  Leaven- 
worth November  4,  1857,  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  business  men  of  this  city,  where 
he  has  built  up  a  large  trade  in  coal,  wood  and 
ice.  In  1873  he  bought  property  on  the  corner  of 
Fourth  and  Seneca  streets,  and  erected  the  build- 
ing in  which  he  has  since  conducted  business. 
He  has  built  up  the  largest  ice  houses  in  the 
state,  these  being  forty  feet  high,  and  125x120 
feet  in  dimensions.  The  four  houses  are  on  Sec- 
ond street  and  have  a  capacity  of  twenty  thous- 
and tons.  Two  steam  elevators  are  used,  in  which 
one  thousand  tons  can  be  put  up  in  ten  hours. 

Mr.  Atchison  was  born  in  County  Tyrone,, 
Ireland,  in  1842,  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Mc- 
Master)  Atchison.  His  grandfather,  John  At- 
chison, Sr. ,  was  a  farmer  and  dealer  in  stock  in 
County  Tyrone;  his  father  had  two  brothers  who 
emigrated  to  Virginia  in  early  days  and  from 
them  descended  the  Atchisons  afterward  promi- 
nent in  Missouri.  John  Atchison,  Jr.,  a  native 
of  County  Tyrone,  in  1846  brought  his  family  to 
America,  settling  in  Pawtucket,   R.  I.     He  had 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


719 


engaged  in  farming  and  the  stock  business  in 
the  old  country,  but  in  Rhode  Island  followed 
the  stone-mason's  trade.  In  the  spring  of  1857 
he  came  to  Leavenworth,  where  he  worked  as  a 
stone  ma.son  for  one  j'ear,  after  which  he  farmed 
in  Platte  County,  Mo.  He  died  there  in  1862,  at 
sixty-three  years  of  age.  His  wife,  whose  par- 
ents wete  Scotch  and  who  was  born  in  Scotland, 
removed  with  the  family  to  County  Tyrone  in 
childhood.  Shedied  at  Lonsdale,  R.  I.,  in  1855. 
Of  her  seven  sons  and  one  daughter,  four  of  the 
sons  are  deceased.  David  was  the  third  of  the 
family  and  is  the  only  one  living  in  Leavenworth. 
He  was  reared  in  Rhode  Island  uutil  fifteen  years 
of  age.  In  1857  he  came  with  his  father  to  Kan- 
sas, making  the  trip  by  rail  to  St.  Louis,  thence 
by  steamer  to  Leavenworth. 

For  a  time  Mr.  Atchison  worked  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm.  From  1859  he  was  on  the  plains, 
and,  with  his  father  and  brothers,  engaged  in 
freighting  with  oxen  from  Leavenworth  to  Den- 
ver. From  1862  to  1864  he  was  engaged  in 
hauling  goods  for  the  government  and  for  the 
settlers  from  Leavenworth  to  Forts  Gibson  and 
Smith  with  Blunt' s  army.  While  on  one  of  these 
expeditions,  in  June,  1863,  three  hundred  sol- 
diers were  attacked  by  six  hundred  Confederates, 
about  five  miles  from  Fort  Gibson,  and  a  number 
of  the  Confederate  troops  attacked  the  rear  of 
Mr.  Atchison's  train  east  of  Fort  Gibson.  They 
were  re-inforced  by  one  thousand  Cherokees  and 
won  out.  In  1865  he  began  freighting  with 
oxen,  having  ten  wagons  and  using  five  yoke  of 
oxen  for  each  wagon.  He  was  owner  and  cap- 
tain of  the  train,  which  freighted  to  Denver, 
Forts  Collins  and  Laramie,  continuing  for  three 
years  and  making  two  trips  a  year.  At  various 
places  he  had  fights  with  Indians.  He  was  at 
Fort  Laramie  while  the  peace  commissioners, 
Generals  Sherman,  Sheridan,  Bovay  and  San- 
born, were  there,  making  a  treaty  with  the  Sioux 
Indians.  As  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hook  & 
Atchison  he  engaged  in  the  hay  and  wood  con- 
tracting business.  In  the  spring  of  1867  he  went 
from  Denver  via  Julesburg  to  North  Platte  City 
and  en  route  was  attacked  by  Indians,  but 
escaped  in  safety.     Other  smaller  parties    were 


less  fortunate,  and  many  fell  victims  of  Indian 
hatred.  They  found  three  men  who  had  been 
killed  by  Indians  and  buried  them  at  Big  Springs, 
Neb.  On  the  return  trip  from  North  Platte  City 
the  Indians  attacked  them  again,  this  time  at  the 
old  California  Crossing  and  Bovay's  ranch,  and 
they  succeeded  in  taking  eight  head  of  cattle. 
Ten  men  pursued  them  and,  overtaking  them, 
forced  the  thirty  red  men  to  give  up  the  stock. 

Returning  to  Leavenworth  in  1869,  Mr.  Atchi- 
son began  in  the  coal,  wood  and  ice  business, 
and  has  since  built  up  a  large  trade.  During  the 
early  days  he  was  a  stanch  free-state  man,  and 
has  always  voted  the  Republican  ticket.  Under 
Governor  Humphrey  he  served  one  term  as  police 
commissioner.  Formerly  he  was  active  in  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  Knights  of  Honor,  but 
has  allowed  his  membership  in  these  organiza- 
tions to  lapse.  He  was  married  in  Leavenworth 
to  Miss  Annie  Ward,  who  was  born  in  Monroe 
County,  111.,  and  in  1855  came  to  Leavenworth 
with  her  father,  Hugh  Ward,  afterward  pro- 
prietor of  the  Illinois  house  here.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Atchison  reside  at  No.  223  Fifth  avenue.  They 
are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely:  Mrs. 
Clara  Mills,  of  Topeka;  Mrs.  Mary  Black,  ofTo- 
peka  (wife  of  the  general  passenger  agent  of  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad) ;  Annie  Veronica,  at  home; 
Gertrude, wife  of  Hiram  Wilson,  who  is  connected 
with  the  Great  Western  Stove  Company  of  Leav- 
enworth; Sadie;  David  W.,  who  is  connected 
with  a  mining  enterprise  in  Old  Mexico;  and 
Lottie  L. 


EAPT.  JOHN  L.  HUMMEL.  At  the  time 
of  settling  in  Kansas,  in  1S83,  Mr.  Hummel 
purchased  the  Shaw  farm  in  South  Centrop- 
olis  Township,  Franklin  County.  A  few  im- 
provements had  been  made,  but  much  yet  re- 
mained to  be  done.  He  set  himself  to  the  task 
with  a  vigor  and  determination  that  soon  pro- 
duced results.  At  this  writing  he  is  the  owner 
of  four  hundred  acres  of  fine  land,  especially 
adapted  to  the  stock  business,  in  which  he  has 
been  successfully  engaged.  As  a  farmer  he  is 
energetic  and  capable,  and  uses  .sound  judgment 
in  all  of  his  work.     Aside  from  voting  the  Repub- 


720 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lican  ticket  he  takes  no  part  in  politics.  He  is, 
however,  interested  in  school  work,  and  has  fre- 
quently been  selected  to  serve  as  a  school  director 
in  district  No.  76.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  at  Centropolis  and  contributes  of 
his  time  and  means  to  aid  in  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel. 

Born  in  Grant  County,  Ind.,  in  1839,  our  sub- 
ject is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Zenobia  (Lobdell) 
Hummel,  natives  of  Ohio.  As  early  as  1830  his 
father  removed  to  Grant  County,  Ind.,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  very  earliest  settlers.  Taking 
up  a  tract  of  raw  land  he  devoted  himself  to  its 
cultivation,  and  in  time  became  the  owner  of  val- 
uable property.  For  fifty  years  he  remained  on 
the  same  farm,  superintending  its  management, 
and  there  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years.  Though  he  never  sought  oflSce  for  him- 
self, he  aided  his  friends  who  were  candidates 
and  took  an  active  part  in  local  affairs.  For 
years  he  officiated  as  an  elder  in  the  Christian 
Church.  He  was  known  throughout  his  entire 
section  of  country  and  was  honored  as  an  upright, 
conscientious  man.  He  was  of  remote  German 
descent,  his  ancestors  having  come  from  that 
country  to  Pennsylvania  in  an  early  day.  Of 
his  seven  children,  four  are  now  living:  John  L.  ; 
Ellen  J.,  wife  J.  B.  Bruner;  Constantine  I,. ;  and 
Sylvester  C.  The  wife  and  mother  died  when 
sixty-five  years  of  age. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  when  the  Civil 
war  opened,  our  subject  enlisted  in  Company  H, 
Eighth  Indiana  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  four 
years  and  one  month.  He  had  responded  to  the 
first  call  for  volunteers  and  he  continued  in  the 
service  until  peace  was  established,  his  service 
being  with  the  western  division,  taking  part  in 
the  battles  of  Champion  Hills,  Vicksburg,  Port 
Gibson  and  many  others  of  great  importance.  At 
Savannah,  Ga.,  in  1865,  he  was  promoted  to  be 
captain  of  his  company,  and  as  such  was  honor- 
ably discharged. 

Returning  home  at  the  close  of  the  war  Cap- 
tain Hummel  remained  there  for  a  few  years.  In 
1868  he  settled  in  Illinois,  where  he  bought  a 
farm  and  remained  for  four  years.  Next,  going 
to  Nebraska,  he  spent  eight  years  as  a  farmer 


and  stock- raiser  in  Seward  County.  In  1881  he 
went  back  to  Indiana  and  spent  two  years  near 
the  old  homestead.  However,  having  once  had  a 
taste  of  western  life,  he  found  old  conditions  un- 
satisfactory, and  determined  to  again  seek  a 
home  beyond  the  Missouri.  Accordingly,  he 
came  to  Kansas  in  1883  and  has  since  made  his 
home  in  Franklin  County.  He  is  a  member  of 
J.  W.  Mackey  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Pomona,  and  is 
past  commander  of  the  same.  In  1867  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Annie  Sherwood,  a  native  of  Ohio. 
She  died  in  Nebraska  in  1881,  leaving  a  son, 
Arthur,  who  is  now  a  farmer  in  South  Centropo- 
lis-Township.  After  her  death  Captain  Hummel 
was  again  married,  his  wife  being  Martha  A. 
(Stone)  Munden,  who  jvas  born  in  Indiana,  and 
by  whom  he  has  a  daughter,  Clara. 


T~  RANK  G.  MARKART,  manager  of  the  firm 
r^  of  A.  J.  Angell  &  Co. ,  lumber  merchants 
I  of  Leavenworth,  has  resided  in  this  city 
since  October,  1878.  He  was  born  in  Probst- 
zella,  Saxe-Meiningen,  Germany,  December  6, 
1845,  a  son  of  Adam  and  Mary  Markart,  who 
spent  their  entire  lives  in  Germany,  the  father 
being  for  some  years  a  schoolteacher,  but  later 
a  merchant.  Of  the  twelve  children  comprising 
the  family  all  but  three  attained  years  of  maturitj^ 
and  four  are  now  living.  Frank  was  one  of  the 
youngest  of  the  children,  and  was  only  eight 
years  of  age  when  his  father  died  in  1854.  After- 
ward he  was  taken  into  the  home  of  one  of  his 
oldest  sisters,  Mrs.  Emily  Ritter,  now  living  in 
Arkansas.  He  was  the  first  of  the  family  to 
emigrate  to  America.  In  i860  he  took  passage 
on  a  steamer  at  Hamburg  and  after  a  voyage  of 
eighteen  days  arrived  in  New  York,  from  which 
city  he  proceeded  to  Muscatine  County,  Iowa, 
and  secured  employment  on  a  farm. 

In  August,  1862,  when  sixteen  years  of  age, 
Mr.  Markart  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Thirty-fifth 
Iowa  Infantry,  and  was  mustered  into  service  at 
Muscatine,  thence  ordered  to  Columbus,  Ky., 
where  he  spent  the  winter  in  camp.  He  took 
part  in  the  siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg,  and 
the  battles  of  Jackson,  Champion  Hill  and  Black 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


721 


River  Bridge.  After  the  second  battle  of  Jack- 
son he  was  taken  ill  as  the  result  of  exposure  and 
for  some  weeks  suffered  from  typhoid  fever. 
When  he  had  recovered  sufficiently  to  return 
home  he  was  discharged  from  the  hospital  and 
also  from  the  army,  being  unable  to  continue  in 
the  service  by  reason  of  impaired  health.  He 
went  from  Vicksburg  to  Iowa  in  October,  1863. 
As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  resume  work  he  became 
an  employe  in  a  lumber  business,  being  first  a 
shipping  clerk  and  later  placed  in  charge  of  the 
yards.  He  continued  in  the  same  business  until 
his  removal  to  Leavenworth. 

For  five  years  after  coming  here  he  was  clerk 
in  the  retail  lumber  yard  of  A.  J.  Angell.  In 
1883  he  was  admitted  into  partnership  and  the 
firm  of  A.  J.  Angell  &  Co.  was  organized.  Upon 
the  death  of  Mr.  Angell,  in  June,  1885,  his  widow 
succeeded  to  his  interest,  and  the  business  was 
continued  under  the  old  name.  This  yard  was 
started  by  Mr.  Angell  in  1870,  his  first  location 
being  about  one  block  north  of  the  present  site 
on  Cherokee  street.  Since  1883  the  location  has 
been  at  No.  603  Cherokee,  where  the  firm  owns 
good  buildings  and  one-half  block  of  ground.  In 
addition  to  this  business  Mr.  Markart  is  a  director 
in  the  Leavenworth  Mutual  Building,  Loan  & 
Savings  Association;  and  is  a  stockholder  in  other 
enterprises. 

While  in  Iowa  Mr.  Markart  was  married  to 
Miss  Margaret  A.  Haigh,  who  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  at  an  early  age  accompanied  her  par- 
ents to  Iowa.  Thirteen  children  were  born  of 
their  union,  and  nine  of  these  are  now  living, 
namely:  Mrs.  Mary  Maggard,  of  Salt  Lake  City; 
Louis  J.,  who  was  in  the  United  States  navy 
from  seventeen  to  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  is 
now  foreman  of  the  yards  of  A.  J.  Angell  & 
Co.;  Mrs.  Emma  Ackenhausen,  of  Leavenworth; 
Frank  C,  who  is  with  his  father  in  business; 
Agnes,  William,  Helen,  Margaret  and  Robert. 

A  stalwart  Republican,  Mr.  Markart  has  served 
on  city  and  county  committees  and  in  other  ways 
has  helped  his  party.  Under  Governor  Hum- 
phrey he  was  police  commissioner  for  one  term 
and  served  as  secretary  of  the  board.  He  has 
been    an    officer  in   Alemania  Lodge  No.    123, 


I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  its  representative  in  the  grand 
lodge.  He  is  also  a  past  officer  in  the  encamp- 
.  ment.  For  fifteen  years  he  has  been  receiver  of 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Iowa  Veterans'  Association. 
In  Custer  Post  No.  6,  G.  A.  R.,  he  served  as 
commander  for  four  years  and  was  an  aide  on 
General  Alger's  staff,  also  an  aide  on  the  depart- 
ment staff. 


QROF.  ROBERT  S.  SAUNDERS,  leader  of 
L/^  Saunders'  Mandolin  Orchestra  and  member 
Y^  of  Bell's  Band,  is  one  of  the  most  prominent 
musicians  in  Lawrence,  and  has  gained  a  large 
patronage  as  a  teacher  of  the  mandolin,  banjo, 
guitar,  violin  and  zither.  His  time  is  entirely 
taken  up  with  his  work  as  an  instructor  and  with 
the  composition  of  music  adapted  to  various  in- 
struments. Not  only  was  he  one  of  the  first  man- 
dolin players  in  the  city,  but  he  has  also  raised  the 
standard  of  his  line  of  music.  His  studio  is  at 
No.  839  Massachusetts  street.  He  is  the  author 
of  Saunders'  Modern  Guitar  Studies  and  has  also 
composed  some  sixty  compositions,  among  them 
the  Deliciosa  waltz.  Vera  May  Polka,  Malvolio 
waltz,  Bonebroke  .schottische.  Star  of  the  Night 
quadrille.  Return  quadrille  and  Bay  State  march, 
and  has  charge  of  the  arrangement  of  almost  all 
of  Mr.  Bell's  music  in  this  line. 

The  record  of  the  Saunders  family  can  be 
traced  back  to  11 70,  in  England.  They  were 
early  settlers  in  Massachusetts,  where  the  pro- 
fessor's father,  Capt.  H.  F.  Saunders,  was  born 
and  reared.  By  trade  a  carpenter,  he  devoted 
considerable  time,  however,  to  the  employment 
of  traveling  salesman.  Soon  afterward  he  came 
to  Kansas  with  the  original  Boston  party  and 
settled  as  a  farmer  at  Sibley  Station.  Subse- 
quently he  traveled  for  his  uncle's  boot  and  shoe 
house  in  Massachusetts.  During  the  Price  raid 
he  was  captain  of  a  company  of  Kansas  militia. 
He  now  makes  his  home  in  Wakarusa  Township, 
in  the  Kaw  Valley.  He  married  Martha  E. 
Morse,  who  was  born  in  Salem,  Mass.,  and  by 
whom  he  had  five  sons  and  three  daughters  now 
living. 

Our  subject  was  the  youngest  of  the  sons.     He 


722 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  born  in  Lawrence,  Kans. ,  August  25,  1866, 
and  attended  the  public  schools  of  this  city. 
From  childhood  he  showed  an  aptitude  for  music, 
having  a  special  fondness  for  stringed  instru- 
ments, and  he  studied  by  himself  for  some  time, 
but  later  was  privileged  to  carry  on  his  studies  in 
Chicago.  For  a  time  he  was  with  the  Lawrence 
Cornet  Band,  later  for  ten  years  was  with  the 
First  Regiment  Band  of  the  Kansas  National 
Guard,  from  which  he  holds  two  honorable  dis- 
charges. In  1 89 1,  1892  and  1893  he  was  teacher  of 
stringed  instruments  in  the  University  of  Kansas, 
and  had  charge  of  the  university  orchestra.  Since 
leaving  the  university  he  has  given  his  attention 
to  personal  instruction  in  the  city.  Politicallj-  he 
is  a  Republican,  but  has  never  been  active  in  pub- 
lic affairs,  his  tastes  not  lying  in  that  direction. 
He  was  married  in  this  city  to  Miss  Emma 
Gathers,  who  was  born  in  New  York  City. 


(T  OHN  F.  TAYLOR.  Among  the  farmers  of 
I  Leavenworth  County  Mr.  Taylor  occupies  a 
G)  position  of  influence.  When  he  came  to 
Kansas  in  i860  he  settled  upon  land  in  Kickapoo 
Township,  this  count}',  and  here  he  now  resides, 
superintending  his  property.  He  owns  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-six  acres  comprising  one  of  the 
most  fertile  farms  in  the  township  and  containing 
a  neat  residence  and  substantial  outbuildings 
such  as  are  necessary  for  the  shelter  of  stock  and 
the  storage  of  grain.  While  much  of  his  time 
has  been  spent  here  during  the  past  forty  years, 
he  has  also  been  identified  with  the  business  in- 
terests of  Kansas  City  and  did  much  to  develop 
the  stock  yards  there. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  County, 
N.  Y. ,  July  7,  1840,  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Drew)  Taylor,  natives  of  England,  but  for  years 
residents  of  St.  Lawrence  County.  The  father 
engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  in  1851,  at 
sixty  years  of  age;  the  mother  died  in  Chicago, 
in  1893,  aged  ninety-three.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living, 
namely:  David,  of  Wyandotte  County,  Kans.; 
John  F.;  Christopher,  who  makes  his  home  in 
Jackson   County,  this  state;  William,    who  is  a 


partner  of  his  brother,  John  F.,  in  the  live-stock 
business  in  Kansas  City;  and  Annie,  widow  of 
William  Lunn,  of  Chicago. 

When  fifteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Taylor  went 
from  New  York  to  Wisconsin  and  after  four  years 
proceeded  from  that  state  to  Chicago,  111.  In 
i860  he  established  his  home  in  Leavenworth 
County,  Kans.,  where  he  is  now  living.  He  con- 
tinued on  his  farm  until  1887,  when  he  rented 
the  place  and  went  to  Kansas  City,  entering  the 
firm  of  Taylor,  Taylor  &  Houston,  and  starting 
in  the  live-stock  business  which  he  has  since  con- 
ducted. At  the  same  time  he  also  carried  on  a 
general  commission  business.  Meantime  his 
family  divided  the  time  between  Kansas  City  and 
the  farm.  From  1881  to  1887  he  acted  as  super- 
intendent of  the  L.  T.  Smith  stock  farm  of  four 
thousand  acres,  in  Jackson  County.  As  a  Demo- 
crat he  has  been  active  in  politics  and  interested 
in  local  matters.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Kickapoo.  For 
some  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  official 
board  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South. 
His  success  in  life  proves  his  ability  and  wise 
judgment.  When  he  came  to  Kansas  he  had  no 
means  whatever,  but  during  the  years  that  have 
since  elapsed  he  has  accumulated  a  competency 
and  become  the  owner  of  valuable  business  and 
farm  interests.     Politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 

January  26,  1862,  Mr.  Taylor  married  Susan 
C. ,  daughter  of  Rev.  Joel  and  Lorinda  Grover, 
and  who,  like  himself,  is  identified  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  Her  father, 
Rev.  Joel  Grover,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  and 
went  to  Kentucky,  where  he  engaged  in  preach- 
ing for  several  years.  During  the  latter  part  of 
the  '30s  he  removed  to  Platte  County,  Mo., 
where  he  worked  as  a  missionary  'among  the 
Kickapoo  and  Pottawatomie  Indians,  continuing 
in  that  county  until  his  death,  in  1854,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-three  years.  During  his  long  life  on  the 
frontier  his  influence  did  much  to  elevate  the 
condition  of  the  people  around  him.  He  was  a 
conscientious  man,  an  earnest  worker,  and  never 
wearied  in  his  labors  for  the  church.  When  he 
went  to  Platte  County  he  took  up  a  tract  about 
three  miles  square.     In  addition   to  clearing  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


723 


tract  and  working  as  a  missionary  he  also  fur- 
nished ha)'  and  wood  for  the  government  at  Fort 
Leavenworth .  He  was  a  descendant  of  a  pioneer 
familj',  whose  history  in  Massachusetts  dates 
back  two  hundred  years,  and  whose  extraction  is 
English  and  Scotch.  Several  of  the  family  took 
part  in  the  French  and  Indian  and  the  Revolu- 
tionary wars.  Mount  Tom,  near  Holyoke,  Mass., 
was  named  in  honor  of  Thomas  Grover,  a  bache- 
lor, who  for  many  years  was  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  Holyoke.  The  Grover  family  have  al- 
ways been  noted  for  patriotism  and  devoted  loy- 
alty to  country  and  home.  In  war  they  have 
been  brave  and  fearless.  In  civic  affairs,  stirred 
by  the  same  principles  that  made  them  valiant  on 
the  battlefield,  they  have  risen  to  positions  of 
worth  and  gained  the  respect  of  all  associates. 


30SEPH  MARSH,  who  came  to  Ottawa 
shortly  after  the  town  was  started,  is  the 
proprietor  of  the  Marsh  hotel,  occupying  a 
convenient  location  across  from  the  Santa  Fe 
depot.  At  the  time  he  purchased  the  house,  in 
1889,  it  contained  only  fourteen  rooms,  but  he 
has  added  to  it  from  time  to  time,  and  now  has  a 
building  of  several  stories,  containing  forty  bed- 
rooms for  guests,  and  having  all  the  conveniences 
of  a  modern  hotel.  He  is  a  member  of  the  city 
council  from  the  fourth  ward,  having  been  elected 
in  the  spring  of  1S98,  and  has  rendered  excellent 
service  as  chairman  of  the  committees  on  license 
and  memorial  gate,  and  member  of  the  commit- 
tees on  health,  police  and  cemetery. 

Mr.  Marsh  was  born  in  Circleville,  Pickaway 
County,  Ohio,  August  15,  1836,  a  son  of  John 
and  Eliza  Marsh,  natives  respectively  of  Ohio 
and  Pennsylvania.  His  grandfather,  David 
Marsh,  a  native  of  England,  was  a  pioneer  farmer 
of  Clark  County,  Ohio,  and  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812.  For  several  years  John  Marsh  culti- 
vated a  farm  on  Deer  Creek,  near  Circleville, 
Ohio,  but  in  1840  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  set- 
tled in  DeWitt  County,  twelve  miles  east  of  Clin- 
ton. In  1882  he  sold  his  farm  there,  and  coming 
to  Kansas,  spent  his  last  days  near  Centropolis, 
where  he  died  at  seventy -five  years.     Fraternally 


he  was  a  Mason.  His  wife  died  in  Illinois. 
Their  ten  children  attained  years  of  maturity  and 
eight  are  still  living.  One  of  the  sons,  George, 
now  residing  in  Nebraska,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Twentieth  Illinois  Infantry  and  was  twice  wound- 
ed while  in  service. 

The  oldest  of  the  family,  Joseph,  was  reared 
on  the  frontier  of  Illinois  and  had  few  advantages. 
During  about  two  months  of  the  year  he  attended 
school  in  a  primitive  building,  with  crude  fur- 
nishings, but  the  remainder  of  the  time  he  was 
obliged  to  assist  in  the  clearing  of  the  farm.  With 
four  and  five  yoke  of  oxen  he  helped  to  break 
the  prairie  land.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age 
he  began  to  cultivate  a  farm  for  himself.  Au- 
gust 6,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  One 
Hundred  and  Seventh  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was 
mustered  in  at  Camp  Butler,  as  orderly  sergeant. 
His  regiment  pursued  Morgan  into  Indiana,  and 
then  went  south,  taking  part  in  the  siege  of 
Knoxville  and  the  Atlanta  campaign,  including 
the  battles  of  Resaca,  Ringgold,  Flat  Rock,  Lost 
Mountain  and  Lovejoy  Station.  Under  General 
Thomas  the  regiment  returned  to  Nashville  and 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Franklin,  where  his 
company,  on  the  30th  day  of  November,  1864, 
under  his  command,  won  glory  and  recognition, 
its  twenty  armed  men  being  in  the  thickest  of 
the  fight  and  carrying  the  colors  of  the  regiment. 
Of  nine  commissioned  officers  that  took  part  in 
this  conflict  six  were  killed.  Prior  to  this  our 
subject  had  been  offered  the  commission  as  first 
lieutenant  of  a  colored  company,  but  had  refused. 
Afterward  he  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant 
by  Governor  Yates.  His  regiment  followed 
Hood  to  Columbia,  Tenn.,  thence  went  to  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  and  next  by  rail  to  Washington, 
D.  C,  arriving  there  February  i,  1S65.  On  the 
nth  of  February  they  were  sent  to  Fort  Smith- 
land  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Sanders, 
which  was  the  last  time  Mr.  Marsh  was  under 
fire.  They  were  next  ordered  to  Wilmington, 
then  to  Kingston,  and  were  present  at  Johnston's 
surrender.  They  were  mustered  out  June  21, 
and  discharged  July  10,  1865. 

After  a  visit  of  four  weeks  at  home  Mr.  Marsh 
came  to  Kansas,  in  company  with  three  others. 


724 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


At  first  he  was  in  Linn  County,  but  not  liking  it 
went  to  Paola,  thence  came  to  Ottawa  and  was 
so  pleased  that  he  decided  to  seek  for  work.  He 
secured  employment  the  same  day  at  carpenter- 
ing, his  first  work  being  the  bridging  of  the 
joists  of  the  old  college  building.  In  the  fall  of 
1865  he  began  contracting,  his  first  job  being  in 
the  country.  He  continued  to  take  contracts 
until  the  grasshopper  siege  of  1874.  He  then 
began  the  improvement  of  his  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  seven  miles  northwest  of 
Ottawa.  After  five  years  he  sold  that  place  and 
bought  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near 
Home  wood,  where  he  remained  for  two  years. 
For  a  similar  period  he  conducted  a  hotel  in  Bur- 
lington and  the  Peters  house  in  Ottawa,  after 
which,  in  1889,  he  bought  the  place  he  has  since 
conducted.  In  Ottawa  he  married  Miss  Sarah  K. 
Woods,  who  was  born  in  Washtenaw  County, 
Mich.,  and  accompanied  her  father,  Moses 
Woods,  to  Burlington,  Kans.  Of  their  marriage 
nine  children  were  born. 

Asa  member  of  the  Republican  party  Mr.  Marsh 
has  been  active  in  local  affairs.  While  on  the 
farm  he  served  as  clerk  of  the  school  board  at  the 
time  of  the  building  of  the  schoolhouse.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Seventh  Illi- 
nois Veterans'  Association,  and  is  past  command- 
er of  George  H.  Thomas  Post  No.  18,  G.  A.  R. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Amon  Lodge  No.  261,  at  DeWitt,  111., 
and  is  now  identified  with  Ottawa  Lodge  No.  128, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  past  officer  of  Chapter 
No.  7,  R.  A.  M.  In  1874  and  1875  he  served  as 
an  officer  of  the  grand  lodge  of  Kansas. 


Nicholas  volney  hudelson,  senior 

I  /  member  of  the  firm  of  Hudelson  &  Sons, 
l/j  stockmen  of  Greenwood  Township,  PVank- 
lin  County,  was  born  in  Orange  County,  Ind., 
August  24,  1842,  and  is  the  son  of  William  H.  and 
Elizabeth  (Springer)  Hudelson.  The  latter  be- 
came the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  seven 
survive,  viz.:  David  M.;  Mrs.  Sarah  Bellinger; 
Henry  H.;  N.  V.;  Albert  T. ;  Emma  and  Mrs. 
Addie  Simpson.     All    live  in  Indiana  excepting 


the  subject  of  this  .sketch.  His  paternal  great- 
grandfather was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  while  in  battle  his  right  arm  was  shot 
off.  After  six  years  of  service  he  was  honorably 
discharged.owing  to  disability,  and  six  years  later 
he  settled  in  Kentucky,  where  he  died.  His  son, 
David,  was  born  and  reared  in  Kentucky,  and  mi- 
grated to  Indiana  in  18 18,  spending  the  remain- 
der of  his  life  upon  a  farm  in  that  state.  William 
H . ,  son  of  David  Hudelson ,  was  for  years  a  large 
stock-dealer  and  farmer  in  Indiana,  to  which 
state  he  had  removed  with  his  parents  from  Ken- 
tucky at  the  age  of  ten  years,  and  in  which  he 
continued  to  live  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
seventy -five. 

Reared  on  an  Indiana  farm  and  educated  in 
common  schools,  our  subject  was  about  nineteen 
years  of  age  when  the  Civil  war  broke  out.  He 
at  once  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Twenty-fourth 
Indiana  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  for  seven- 
teen months.  During  the  battle  of  Shiloh  he  w^as 
wounded  so  seriously  that  he  was  unable  to  con- 
tinue in  the  service,  and  consequently  was  hon- 
orably discharged.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  to 
engage  in  business  he  opened  a  general  store  at 
Paoli,  Orange  County,  Ind.,  where  he  remained 
for  six  years.  He  then  sold  out  the  business,  and 
after  acting  as  proprietor  of  the  Albert  hotel  at 
Paoli  tor  a  short  time,  in  1874  came  to  Kansas, 
first  stopping  in  Ottawa.  The  following  year  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Green- 
wood Township,  where  he  began  farming  and 
feeding  stock.  From  that  time  to  this  he  has 
conducted  an  increasing  business.  During  the 
winter  of  1898-99  he  fed  over  a  thousand  head 
of  cattle,  and  it  is  probable  that  he  has  handled 
more  stock  than  any  other  man  in  the  county. 
He  owns  eight  hundred  acres  of  fine  land,  which 
he  has  improved  from  the  raw  prairie,  and  which 
ranks  among  the  best  stock  farms  in  the  locality. 
Having  made  a  special  .study  of  the  stock  business, 
he  is  thoroughly  qualified  to  conduct  it  in  a  prac- 
ticr  1  and  successful  manner.  As  he  does  not  raise 
enough  feed  for  his  .stock  on  his  place,  he  fur- 
nishes a  market  for  the  farmers  of  the  township 
by  buying  their  corn  to  be  used  as  feed.  Con- 
nected with   him    in   the   stock   business  are  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


725 


only  children,  two  sons,  John  W.  and  James  A., 
who  are  managers  of  a  large  cattle  ranch,  con- 
taining over  two  thousand  acres,  situated  near 
Pomona. 

Always  a  Republican,  Mr.  Hudelson  has  kept 
well  posted  concerning  public  matters  and  is  a 
leader  in  his  township,  but  his  work  is  done  in 
the  interests  of  others,  for  he  has  never  sought 
political  office  for  himself.  In  fact,  his  attention 
is  necessarily  given  so  closely  to  his  large  private 
interests  that  he  has  not  had  the  leisure  to  fill 
positions  of  responsibility.  While  living  in  Paoli, 
Ind.,  September  5,  1865,  he  married  Miss  Mary 
Albert,  who  has  aided  him  in  the  accumulation 
of  his  property,  and  to  whose  counsel  and  co- 
operation not  a  little  of  his  success  is  due. 


PJEORGE  FRED  KAISER,  who  is  success- 
|_  fully  engaged  in  the  drug  business  in  Otta- 
VJ  wa,  of  which  city  he  is  a  progressive  and 
public-spirited  citizen,  was  born  here  Decem- 
ber 13,  1869,  a  son  of  Peter  and  Elizabeth  (Daab) 
Kaiser.  He  attended  the  high  school  of  Ottawa, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1885.  Afterward 
for  two  years  he  carried  on  a  course  of  study  in 
Ottawa  University.  In  1887  he  entered  the  de- 
partment of  pharmacy.  State  University  of  Kan- 
sas, where  he  took  a  complete  course,  graduating 
in  1889,  with  thedegreeof  Ph.G.  He  stood  high 
in  his  class  and  was  honored  by  being  made  vale- 
dictorian at  the  commencement  exercises.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Phi  Gamma  Delta  and  one  of 
its  leading  workers. 

In  1889  Mr.  Kaiser  became  registered  pharma- 
cist in  the  drug  store  of  8.  H.  Lucas,  with  whom 
he  continued  for  a  number  of  years,  gaining 
meantime  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business. 
In  1897  he  purchased  his  employer's  store,  at  No. 
232  South  Main  street,  and  established  Kaiser's 
pharmacy,  which  is  well  known  as  one  of  the 
reliable  establishments  of  its  kind  in  the  city. 
A  complete  assortment  of  drugs  is  carried,  as  well 
as  the  other  articles  usually  found  in  a  drug  store. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  blue  lodge 
and  chapter  of  Masonry  in  Ottawa,  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  regent  of  the 
34 


Royal  Arcanum.  At  the  organization  of  the  Otta- 
wa Camp  Sons  of  Veterans  he  became  one  of  its 
charter  members,  and  continued  with  it  until  its 
disbandment.  He  is  identified  with  the  State 
Pharmaceutical  Association  and  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Commercial  Club.  In  his  political 
views  he  is  in  sympathy  with  Republican  princi- 
ples and  has  become  actively  connected  with  the 
party  in  his  home  town.  At  this  writing  he  is  a 
member  of  the  city  committee  and  during  1896 
he  served  as  secretary  of  the  county  committee. 


QETER  KAISER,  justice  of  the  peace  in  Ot- 
L/'  tawa,  came  to  this  city  in  July,  1869,  and 
fS  started  in  the  harness  and  saddlery  business, 
which  he  has  since  conducted,  building  the  block 
which  he  now  occupies.  In  politics  he  has  al- 
ways been  allied  with  the  Republican  party. 
Both  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  the 
board  of  health  he  has  rendered  efficient  service 
in  behalf  of  local  interests.  He  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  George  H.  Thomas  Post  No.  18,  G.  A.  R., 
in  which  he  is  past  commander.  Fraternally  he 
is  connected  with  the  Select  Knights,  Knights  of 
Honor,  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor  and  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen. 

Christian  Kaiser,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
in  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  settled  in  St.  Clair 
County,  111.,  about  1838.  While  he  was  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  his  attention  was  given  princi- 
pally to  farming.  However,  after  he  went  to  St. 
Louis  he  worked  as  a  contractor.  He  died  in 
that  city  in  1849,  and  his  wife,  Margaret 
(Dahlem)  Kaiser,  died  therein  1857.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children.  Peter  was  born  in 
St.  Clair  County,  111.,  April  11,  1844.  At  four- 
teen years  of  age  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  har- 
ness-maker's trade,  and  he  was  serving  his  time 
when  the  Civil  war  opened.  June  i,  1 861,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  A,  Third  Missouri  Infantry, 
and  served  for  three  months,  taking  part  in  a 
number  of  engagements,  among  them  that  at 
Wilson's  Creek.  In  December,  1861,  he  again 
enlisted,  returning  to  the  same  regiment  and 
company.  He  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Look- 
out  Mountain,  Chattanooga,   Ringgold,  siege  of 


726 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Vicksburg  and  Atlanta  campaign.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  he  was  mustered  out  in  St. 
Louis,  and  honorablj'  discharged  in  December, 
1864,  after  three  years  of  service.  He  was  once 
wounded  bj'  a  piece  of  shell,  but  remained  with 
the  regiment  and  soon  recovered. 

After  the  war  he  followed  his  trade  in  St.  Louis, 
and  in  1867  opened  a  shop  at  Bridgeton,  Mo. 
From  there  he  came  to  Ottawa.  He  was  married  in 
St.  Louis  to  Elizabeth  Daab,  who  was  born 
in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germanj'.  They  have  two 
daughters  and  two  sons:  Mrs.  Maggie  Dietrich, 
of  Kansas  City;  George  Frederick,  of  Ottawa; 
Clara  and  John. 


I  EO  HUND,  who  is  one  of  the  energetic  and 
I  C  capable  farmers  of  Leavenworth  Count}-,  re- 
U  sides  in  Kickapoo  Township,  where,  in  1896, 
he  purchased  a  tract  of  two  hundred  acres  of  fine 
farming  laud.  Upon  this  place  he  has  since  re- 
sided, engaging  in  the  raising  of  cereals  and  also 
giving  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of 
Shorthorn  cattle  and  other  stock.  Besides  this 
property  he  is  the  owner  of  an  eighty -acre  tract 
in  High  Prairie  Township,  which  makes  his 
landed  possessions  aggregate  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres. 

Reference  to  the  history  of  the  Hund  family 
appears  in  the  sketch  of  our  subject's  uncle, 
Wendlin  Hund.  He  is  a  son  of  Michael  Hund,  a 
native  of  Germany,  who  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1836  and  settled  in  St.  Charles  County, 
Mo.  Later  he  removed  to  Blue  Earth  County, 
Minn.,  and  it  was  during  his  residence  there  that 
his  son,  Leo,  was  born  August  22,  1859.  In  1872 
he  came  to  Kansas  and  established  his  home  in 
Wabaunsee  County,  where  he  became  a  promi- 
nent farmer  and  representative  citizen.  His  death 
occurred  there  in  1898,  when  he  was  seventy- 
three  years  of  age.  Twice  married,  his  first 
wife  was  Miss  Burgmeyer,  a  native  of  Germany, 
who  died,  leaving  three  children,  namely:  Mau- 
rice, a  resident  of  Paxico,  Wabaunsee  County; 
Michael,  and  Mary,  Mrs.  Robert  Guth,  also  of  that 
county.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  he 
married  Otelia  Peters,  who  now  resides  at  the 
old  homestead  in  Wabaunsee  County.     To   this 


union  five  children  were  born:  Joseph,  of  Wabaun- 
see County;  Leo;  Frances,  wife  of  August  Mein- 
hardt;  Philip,  who  makes  his  home  in  Wabaun- 
see County:  and  Teresa,  Mrs.  William  Glotzback. 
At  the  time  the  family  removed  from  Minne- 
.sota  to  Kansas  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a 
lad  of  thirteen  years.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  a 
farm  in  Wabaunsee  County  and  there  he  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  until  his  removal  to 
Leavenworth  County.  In  1895  he  bought  a  farm 
in  High  Prairie  Township  and  the  next  year 
purchased  the  place  upon  which  he  has  since  en- 
gaged in  general  agricultural  pursuits.  In  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  county  he 
maintains  an  interest,  and  politicallj^  gives  his 
support  to  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  St.  Joseph's  Catholic  Church  in  Leaven- 
worth, to  the  work  of  which  he  contributes. 
While  living  in  Paxico  he  was  a  member  of  the 
church  committee  for  some  time  and  took  a  lead- 
ing part  in  church  work.  May  10,  1886,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Eva  Emge,  of  Wabaunsee  County,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  five  children :  Mary,  Alice, 
Christian,  Julia  and  Edward. 


r"REDERICK  SAMS,  M.  D.,  of  Lawrence,  a 
1^  phj'sician  of  the  phj'sio-medical  school,  was 
I  '  born  near  Weldon,  Iowa,  in  1871,  a  son  of 
Daniel  andAddie  (Weston)  Sams,  natives  of  Illi- 
nois. His  father,  who  served  in  an  Illinois  regi- 
ment during  the  Civil  war,  afterward  settled  in 
Iowa  and  there  made  his  home  until  1S72.  Dur- 
ing the  latter  year  he  came  to  Kansas  and  settled 
near  Stockton,  on  the  Solomon  River,  where  he 
had  no  neighbors  except  the  Indians  and  buffa- 
loes. He  began  to  clear  and  improve  a  farm  in 
that  localit}',  but  after  a  few  years  removed  to 
Rooks  County,  this  state.  From  1S80  to  1890 
he  made  his  home  in  Hiawatha,  but  in  the  latter 
year  removed  toTopeka;  and  there  he  has  since 
resided.  He  is  a  Republican  and  active  in  local 
politics.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  five 
sons  and  one  daughter,  all  living. 

Frederick,  who  was  third  in  order  of  birth, 
was  reared  in  Kansas,  and  his  earliest  years  were 
spent  upon  the  frontier,  amid  primitive  surround- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


727 


ings.  In  18S9  he  became  interested  in  evangelis- 
tic work  and  this  he  followed  for  some  years,  being 
in  1892  ordained  an  elder  in  the  Wesleyan  Method- 
ist Church.  He  held  pastorates  at  Grover,  Otta- 
wa County,  Laban,  Mitchell  County,  Girard, 
Milford  and  "Pittsburgh,  all  in  Kansas.  From 
boyhood  he  has  been  interested  in  medicine, 
which  he  studied  under  different  preceptors.  At 
the  time  of  the  Wellington  cyclone,  May  27, 
1 89 1,  he  was  reported  among  the  dead;  he  was 
fortunate,  however,  in  escaping,  but  was  seriously 
injured,  and  this  caused  Jiim  to  renew  his  medi- 
cal studies.  In  1895  he  entered  the  Independent 
Medical  College  in  Chicago,  111. ,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1897,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  On 
receiving  the  degree  he  retired  from  the  ministry 
and  April  9,  1898,  opened  an  ofl&ce  at  No.  157 
Bridge  street,  Lawrence,  where  he  has  since  car- 
ried on  a  general  practice  and  drug  business.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  National  Union  Medical  So- 
ciety of  Chicago  and  is  treasurer  and  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Kansas  State  Physio-Medical  Society. 
In  national  politics  he  votes  the  Republican  ticket. 
He  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  Fraternal  Aid.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Topeka,  Kans.,  in  May,  1894,  to  Miss 
Florence  Reeve,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  but 
has  resided  in  Kansas  from  early  girlhood. 


pQlLLIAM  W.  JORDAN,  who  has  made  his 
\  A/  home  in  Ottawa  since  April,  1870,  was 
Y  Y  born  in  Fredericktown,  Washington  Coun- 
ty, Pa.,  June  8,  1825,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Rebecca 
(Arv^ecost)  Jordan,  natives  respectively  of  Mary- 
land and  Washington  County,  Pa.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Jarman  Jordan,  who  was  of  English 
descent,  was  born  near  Winchester,  Va.,  and  at 
an  earl  J-  age  removed  to  Maryland,  but  about 
1790  settled  in  western  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  harness  and  saddlery  business. 
Jacob  Jordan,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
18 1 2,  followed  the  tinsmith's  trade  in  Frederick- 
town,  Pa.,  and  Centerburg,  Knox  County,  Ohio, 
in  which  latter  place  he  died  at  the  age  of  ninety 
years.  His  wife,  who  died  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1833,  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Arvecost,  a  na- 


tive of  Pennsylvania  and  a  farmer  there;  her 
grandfather,  John  Arvecost,  came  from  Holland 
and  settled  in  western  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
obtained  one  of  the  first  grants  to  land  lying  on 
the  Monongahela. 

Of  nine  children,  six  of  whom  attained  matur- 
ity, the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest 
son  and  is  now  the  sole  survivor.  He  learned 
the  tinsmith's  trade  in  Ohio,  and  in  1842  re- 
turned to  Pennsylvania  and  worked  for  a  brother 
at  Bellsville.  On  his  return  to  Ohio  he  started  a 
tinsmith's  shop  at  Woodsfield  and  continued  in 
business  there  until  1870,  the  shop  being  in 
charge  of  a  nephew  while  he  was  in  the  army. 
(In  June,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-fifth 
Ohio  Infantry,  with  which  he  served  for  two 
years  in  the  army  of  the  Potomac.)  Selling  out 
in  1870,  he  moved  from  Ohio  to  Kansas  and  set- 
tled in  Ottawa,  where,  with  a  son-in-law,  C.  C. 
Mechem,  he  carried  on  a  hardware  business  for 
four  years.  In  1874  he  sold  out  to  George  Ham- 
lin and  embarked  in  the  real-estate  business  with 
his  son-in-law,  since  which  time  he  has  built  up 
a  large  business  in  the  handling  of  real  estate, 
renting  of  houses,  sale  of  property,  etc.  In  1893 
they  began  a  real-estate  business  in  Mobile,  Ala. , 
of  which  Mr.  Mechem  is  now  in  charge. 

In  St.  Clairsville,  Ohio,  Mr.  Jordan  married 
Rachel  Waters,  who  was  born  in  Howard  Coun- 
ty, Md.,  and  died  in  Woodsfield,  Ohio.  Of  the 
three  children  born  to  this  union  the  only  one 
living  is  Mrs.  Ellen  Mechem,  of  Mobile,  Ala. 
The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Jordan  took  place  in 
Woodsfield,  Ohio,  and  united  him  with  Laura  A. 
Bloor,  who  was  born  in  St.  Clairsville.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  them.  The  son, 
George  B.,  who  resides  in  Spokane,  Wash.,  is  a 
traveling  salesman  with  M.  D.  Wells  &  Co.,  of 
Chicago.  The  daughter,  Laura  May,  is  at  home. 
The  family  is  connected  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  which  Mr.  Jordan  was  for  fif- 
teen years  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees  and 
is  still  a  member  of  the  same.  In  former  years 
he  voted  with  the  Republicans,  but  in  1896  he 
identified  himself  with  the  silver  forces  and  cast 
his  ballot  for  W.  J.  Bryan.  Since  coming  to 
Ottawa  he  served  one  term  as  school  director. 


728 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Woodsfield  in  1852, 
and  is  now  identified  with  Ottawa  Lodge 
No.  128,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Chapter  No.  7, 
R.  A.  M.  He  is  also  connected  with  the 
Knights  of  Honor. 


0S.  ALFORD.  The  family  represented  by 
Mr.  Alford  was  founded  in  America  in  1632 
,  by  Alexander  Alford,  who  emigrated  from 
Somersetshire,  England,  to  Windsor,  Conn.,  and 
later,  with  his  brother,  Benedict,  served  in  the 
Pequod  war.  After  him,  in  line  of  descent,  were 
Josiah,  Nathaniel  (ist),  Nathaniel  (2nd),  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionary  war;  Arba,  Alfred  and 
D.  S.  Alford.  Alfred  was  a  prominent  manufac- 
turer of  Riverton,  Conn.,  from  1845  to  i860,  and 
was  active  in  public  affairs,  serving  several  terms 
in  the  state  legislature.  His  death  occurred  when 
he  was  seventy-nine  j^ears  of  age.  His  wife, 
Sylvia,  was  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Stillman,  and  a 
granddaughter  of  Roger  Stillman,  who  served  in 
the  Revolution,  as  did  also  other  members  of  the 
family.  The  Stillmans  were  of  English  extrac- 
tion and  were  early  settlers  of  Connecticut.  Dan- 
iel Stillman  was  a  prominent  farmer  and  a  deacon 
in  the  Congregational  Church  at  Colebrook, 
Conn.  Alfred  and  Sylvia  Alford  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living. 

After  having  spent  his  boyhood  years  at  River- 
ton,  Conn.,  where  he  was  born  October  2,  1848, 
and  having  prepared  for  college  at  Wilbraham 
Academy,  D.  S.  Alford  entered  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity at  Middletown,  Conn.,  and  there  con- 
tinued until  his  graduation  in  1871,  with  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  Some  years  later  the  degree  of 
A.  M.  was  conferred  upon  him.  While  in  the 
university  he  was  a  member  of  the  Alpha  Delta 
Phi  fraternity  and  also  assisted  in  establishing 
and  conducting  the  College  Argus,  which  is  still 
published.  In  1871  he  began  the  study  of  law 
with  Judge  Hiram  Goodwin,  of  Riverton.  In 
October,  1872,  he  came  to  Lawrence,  where  he 
finished  his  studies  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Kansas  bar  in  1873.  The  year  following  he  be- 
came a  partner  of  his  former  preceptor.  Judge 
Nevison,  under  the  firm  name  of  Nevisou  &  Al- 


ford, which  title  was  afterward  changed  to  Nevi- 
son, Simpson  &  Alford,  and  later  returned  to  its 
former  name  for  six  years.  From  1894  to  1896 
he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Alford  &  Savage. 
In  1897  the  firm  name  became  Alford  &  Alford, 
his  son,  Alfred  Cecil,  being  admitted,  and  re- 
maining with  him  until  his  enlistment  in  the 
Spanish- American  war. 

Mr.  Alford  is  attorney  for  many  companies  and 
corporations.  Since  1889  he  has  acted  as  local  at- 
torney for  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad.  He  has  made 
a  specialty  of  corporation  law,  with  which  he  has 
a  thorough  familiarity  and  in  which  he  has  ac- 
quired a  broad  knowledge.  His  practice  in  the 
federal  courts  is  large  and  important.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  State  Bar  Association  of  Kansas. 
In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  By  virtue 
of  Revolutionary  descent  he  is  connected  with 
the  Kansas  Citj'  Chapter,  Sons  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  with  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion of  Kansas.  In  Plymouth  Congregational 
Church  he  was  for  years  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  and  a  deacon.  For  about  eight  years 
he  was  proprietor  of  the  Lawrence  Daily  and 
Weekly  Tribune. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Alford,  in  Lawrence, 
united  him  with  Miss  Susan  D.  Savage,  and  six 
children  were  born  of  their  union,  viz.:  Alfred 
C,  who  was  killed  in  a  battle  with  the  insurgents 
at  Manila,  February  7,  1899,  during  the  Spanish- 
American  war;  Anna  M.  and  Donald  S.,  students 
in  the  University  of  Kansas;  Jo.seph  S.,  member 
of  the  class  of  1900  in  the  high  school;  Theodore 
and  Sylvia.  Mrs.  Alford  was  born  in  Hartford, 
Vt.,  the  only  child  of  Joseph  and  Amanda  (Cran- 
dall)  Savage.  The  Savage  family  was  founded 
in  America  by  John  Savage,  who  crossed  the 
ocean  prior  to  1652  from  his  native  land,  England, 
and  settled  in  New  England.  Some  of  his  de- 
scendants served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His 
son,  Capt.  John  Savage,  settled  in  Middletown, 
Conn.  One  of  the  family,  Abijah  Savage,  ac- 
companied Arnold's  expedition  to  Quebec  and  in 
the  Revolution  served  as  captain  of  a  company; 
Thomas,  son  of  Seth  Savage,  also  seri'ed  in  the 
war  with  England,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
farming  in  Hartford.     His  son,  William,  who  was 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


729 


a  farmer,  when  advanced  in  years  joined  his 
sons,  Joseph  and  Forrest,  in  Lawrence,  Kans. 
These  two  sons  were  among  the  very  earliest 
settlers  of  Lawrence  and  were  among  the  founders 
of  Plymouth  Congregational  Church,  in  which 
William  served  as  a  deacon  until  he  died.  Four 
generations  of  the  Savage  family  have  made  Law- 
rence their  home,  and  all  of  the  name  have  proved 
themselves  to  be  honest  and  honorable,  capable 
business  men  and  progressive  citizens.  Some  of 
the  family  still  remain  in  the  east  and  one  of  the 
descendants  occupies  the  old  homestead  at  Hart- 
ford. 

Joseph  Savage,  father  of  Mrs.  Alford,  was 
reared  in  Vermont,  and  became  one  of  the  founders 
of  Lawrence,  where  he  was  a  prominent  citizen. 
In  addition  to  farm  pursuits  he  was  interested  in 
geology,  and  his  collection  of  geological  and  min- 
eralogical  specimens  was  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
state.  Fond  of  music,  he  frequently  entertained 
the  early  settlers  of  the  town  in  this  way.  His 
ability  brought  him  into  prominence  among  the 
pioneers  of  Kansas,  and,  had  his  tastes  been  in 
that  direction,  he  might  have  become  an  influen- 
tial factor  in  state  politics.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  United  States  geological  survey  of  Yellow- 
stone Park,  and  was  also  employed  by  Yale  Col- 
lege to  make  geological  collections  in  western 
Kansas  and  Wyoming.  His  wife,  who  was  a  de- 
scendant of  an  English  family  that  became  pio- 
neers of  Massachusetts  and  Vermont,  died  in  Law- 
rence when  she  was  in  middle  life.  Their  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Alford,  was  reared  on  the  then  frontier 
and  received  her  education  in  the  University  of 
Kansas.  She  was  in  Lawrence  at  the  time  of  the 
various  raids  during  the  Civil  war  (notably  the 
Quantrell  raid)  and  witnessed  many  of  the  stirr- 
ing scenes  of  those  days,  as  well  as  the  city's 
subsequent  commercial  development  and  .social 
progress. 


I  IKUT.  ALFRED  C.  ALFORD.  An  un- 
jlL  usual  combination  of  circumstances  seems  to 
U  mark  Lieut.  Alfred  C.  Alford  as  the  heroic 
figure  of  the  Twentieth  Kansas;  and  the  splendid 
fighting  spirit  of  this  regiment  was  doubtless  first 


aroused  by  the  tragic  death  of  this  oiScer,  so  be- 
loved and  so  young,  the  youngest,  indeed,  of  his 
rank  in  the  regiment,  and  the  first  to  fall  in  bat- 
tle. It  is  certain  that  his  companj',  B,  from  the 
date  ot  his  death,  was  second  to  none  in  dis- 
tinguished deeds  of  valor. 

Alfred  Cecil  Alford  was  by  birth  and  education 
an  ideal  young  Kansan.  His  grandfather  came 
out  from  New  England  in  the  first  party  that 
founded  Lawrence  to  make  Kansas  a  free  state;  and 
from  earliest  colonial  days  his  ancestors,  though 
a  peaceful,  God-fearing  race,  have  never  failed  to 
furnish  volunteers  for  every  war  in  which  the 
country  has  been  engaged.  An  uncle,  also  named 
Alfred  Cecil  Alford,  fell  in  the  battle  of  Win- 
chester during  the  Civil  war  of  a  similar  wound 
and  at  nearly  the  same  age. 

Lieutenant  Alford  was  born  in  Lawrence  in 
January,  1875,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  graduating  from  the  department  of  arts 
and  later  from  the  department  of  law  in  the  State 
University  at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  Chancellor 
Snow  of  the  University  said  at  the  funeral  exer- 
cises of  Lieutenant  Alford  that  "no  more  perfect 
specimen  of  j'oung  manhood  had  ever  gone  forth 
from  the  University. ' '  Although  a  lover  of  books 
and  of  music  he  was  also  possessed  of  excellent 
business  ability;  with  a  keen  sense  of  humor,  he 
was  profoundly  serious;  although  first  of  all  a 
student,  he  was  fond  of  athletic  sports  and  so- 
cial rela.xation;  with  deep  convictions  of  truth 
and  duty,  he  was  to  a  marked  degree  broad- 
minded  and  tolerant.  Indeed,  he  may  be  said  to 
have  been  an  all-round  man. 

Immediately  after  graduation  young  Alford  en- 
tered into  partnership  with  his  father  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law,  with  the  brightest  prospects  for  a  suc- 
cessful business  career,  but  before  the  first  year 
of  this  partnership  had  expired  war  was  declared 
with  Spain.  Holding  a  second  lieutenant's  com- 
mission in  the  National  Guards,  with  the  advant- 
age of  five  years'  drill  in  that  organization,  he 
felt  that  it  was  his  duty  to  go  to  the  front  with  his 
company.  "No  one  can  realize,"  he  wrote  to  a 
friend,  "how  hard  it  was  for  me  to  leave  just 
when  I  did,  for  this  war  will  leave  me  ju.st  where 
it  found  me  as  far   as  busine.ss  is  concerned.     I 


730 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


consider  it  only  a  temporary  matter,  an  inter- 
ruption of  my  natural  life." 

In  August,  following  his  enlistment.  Lieuten- 
ant Alford  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant  and 
transferred  to  Company  B,  in  which  company  he 
was  the  acting  captain,  and  the  only  commissioned 
officer  for  five  months  before  his  death,  the  cap- 
tain and  second  lieutenant  being  detailed  for 
other  duties. 

Colonel  Funston  wrote  of  him,  "He  was  one  of 
the  first  officers  in  the  regiment  to  receive  pro- 
motion on  my  recommendation,  on  account  of  his 
devotion  to  duty,  his  earnestness,  and  his  exem- 
plary conduct."  "As  for  myself,"  wrote  the 
young  ofScer  to  Miss  Vesta  McCurdy,  his 
fiancee,  "I  intend  to  give  my  country  no  half- 
hearted service;  until  the  war  is  over  she  has  the 
very  best  I  am  capable  of;  this  is  a  time  when 
every  effort  is  being  made  to  get  troops  into  shape, 
and  I  feel  that  I  owe  it  to  my  country  to  do  the 
best  I  can." 

He  took  up  his  new  duties  with  earnestness 
and  efficiency,  improving  the  diet  and  consequent 
health  of  his  men,  and  laboring  for  better  drill, 
discipline  and  moral  character  in  the  company. 
The  men  generously  responded  to  his  efforts  and 
their  superior  officers  testify  to  the  improved 
efficiency  of  Company  B  under  his  command. 
As  one  of  the  enlisted  men  wrote,  "Lieutenant 
Alford  endeared  himself  to  us  by  many  kind  acts. 
He  was  strict  in  discipline,  but  always  ready, 
whenever  possible,  to  show  brotherly  kindness  to 
his  men . ' '  When  the  supreme  test  came  the  young 
commander  did  not  flinch  in  the  face  of  danger, 
and  his  men  followed  him  into  battle,  with  loyal 
devotion  and  courage. 

Chaplain  Cressy,  of  the  Thirteenth  Minnesota 
Volunteers,  in  an  address  delivered  on  the  first 
Decoration  Day  observed  at  Manila,  said  among 
other  things,  "That  the  mortal  remains  of  these 
men  rest  here  is  one  evidence  of  their  bravery. 
They  went  where  duty  called  them.  This  bravery 
is  wonderfully  exemplified  in  Lieutenant  Alford, 
of  the  Twentieth  Kansas.  He  was  leading  his 
company  in  an  impetuous  charge,  and  just  after 
saying  to  his  men,  'move  along,  but  more  steady,' 


received  a  mortal  wound.  And  after  he  had  fal- 
len the  men  kept  moving  on  until  victory  came." 
Kansas  University  has  sent  many  students  to 
the  Spanish-American  war,  including  General 
Funston,  Colonel  Metcalf,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Lit- 
tle, several  captains  and  lieutenants,  non-commis- 
sioned officers  and  enlisted  men  of  the  Twentieth 
Kansas,  as  well  as  others  who  were  assigned  to 
duty  in  Cuba;  yet  of  all  this  number,  but  this 
one  has  fallen  from  wounds  or  disease,  and  a  tab- 
let will  be  placed  in  the  hall  of  the  university 
to  his  memory,  with  the  inscription  thereon, 
"Duke  et  decorum  est  pro  patria  mori. ' ' 


GIbSALOM  LEEDS.  During  the  period  of 
Ll  his  residence  in  Franklin  County  Mr.  Leeds 
I  I  has  been  especially  identified  with  the  inter- 
ests of  Princeton  and  vicinity.  Upon  settling  in 
the  state  in  1876  he  established  his  home  in  the 
town  of  Princeton.  After  two  years  in  the  vil- 
lage he  purchased  some  five  acre  lots  on  the  edge 
of  the  town,  and  there  he  built  the  house  which 
he  has  since  occupied.  About  1888  he  purchased 
one-half  section  of  land  in  the  southeastern  part 
of  Ohio  Township,  which  property  he  has  since 
rented,  being  himself  retired  from  active  farm 
labors. 

One  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  our  subject 
was  born  in  Burlington  (now  Atlantic)  County, 
N.  J.,  August  13,  1810,  a  son  of  Robert  and  Dor- 
cas (Chamberlain)  Leeds.  His  father,  who  was 
born,  reared  and  married  in  New  Jersey,  was  a 
very  well-informed  man,  and,  while  he  was  never 
admitted  to  the  bar,  he  practiced  law  quite  ex- 
tensively. He  was  also  a  practical  surveyor  and 
surveyed  much  of  the  land  in  his  locality.  How- 
ever, surveying  and  the  practice  of  law  were  both 
made  subservient  to  agricultural  pursuits,  in 
which  he  engaged  throughout  his  life  and  from 
which  he  acquired  a  competency. 

As  the  schools  of  his  day  and  locality  were 
poor  and  held  at  infrequent  intervals  our  subject 
had  no  advantages  when  he  was  a  boy,  but  being 
a  quick  observer  he  has  become  the  possessor  of 
a  broad  fund  of  valuable  information.     After  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


731 


I 


marriage  he  engaged  in  farming  and  teaming, 
and,  as  was  then  the  custom,  he  also  spent  much 
of  his  time  fishing  in  the  bay.  In  1835  he  emi- 
grated to  Morgan  County,  111.,  where  he  took  up 
land,  improved  a  farm  and  made  his  home  for 
some  years.  From  there  he  went  to  Macon 
County,  the  same  state,  where  he  remained  until 
his  removal  to  Kan.sas.  On  going  to  that  county 
he  bought  eighty  acres  at  eighty  cents  an  acre 
and  forty  acres  at  $1.25  an  acre,  all  of  which,  at 
the  time  he  .sold  out,  brought  him  $30  an  acre. 
The  first  wife  of  Mr.  L,eeds  was  Miriam  Blake, 
by  whom  he  had  eight  children.  Five  of  these 
are  still  living,  viz. :  Gideon,  a  grain  dealer  in 
Illiopolis,  111. ;  Louise;  Emma,  wife  of  James  R. 
Thornbury,  M.  D.,  of  Princeton,  Kans. ;  Mary, 
who  is  the  widow  of  Frank  Lanham,  and  resides 
in  Princeton;  and  Edward  S.,  a  farmer  of  Taze- 
well County,  111.  Mrs.  Miriam  Leeds  was  born 
in  New  Jersey,  where  her  father,  Edward  Blake, 
was  a  farmer.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Leeds 
united  him  with  Miss  Sarah  Sayer,  daughter  of 
Alexander  Sayer,  of  New  Jersey.  Three  chil- 
dren blessed  their  union,  but  all  are  now  de- 
ceased. In  spite  of  his  venerable  age  Mr.  Leeds 
retains  possession  of  his  mental  faculties  and  is 
also  robust  physically  for  one  of  his  years.  He 
takes  an  interest  in  public  affairs,  votes  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  and  has  served  for  several  terms 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  is  a  be- 
liever in  the  doctrines  of  the  Methodist  Church 
and  has  endeavored  to  exemplify  by  an  upright 
life  the  doctrines  of  which  he  has  been  a  lifelong 
supporter. 

HON.  WILLIAM  F.  ASHBY,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Kansas,  is  now  living  in  the 
village  of  Easton,  retired  from  farm  pursuits 
hat  engaged  his  attention  during  active  years. 
He  has  been  identified  with  the  history  of  this 
state  since  1854,  when  it  was  first  opened  for  set- 
tlement. During  that  year  he  crossed  over  from 
Missouri  and  took  up  a  claim,  which,  afterward 
proving  to  be  on  the  Delaware  reservation,  he 
was  obliged  to  abandon.  In  1855  he  brought 
his  family  to  Leavenworth  County  and  purchased 
a    claim    in    Alexandria    Township,    where   he 


made  his  home  for  ten  years.  In  1865  he  moved 
to  Easton  Township,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
As  a  farmer  he  was  successful  from  the  first. 
Being  energetic  and  persevering,  his  efiforts  were 
prospered,  and  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  became  one  of  the  best-improved  in  the 
township.  In  1892  he  rented  the  place  and  built 
a  house  inEa.ston,  where  has  .since  been  living  in 
retirement,  with  no  business  cares  except  such  as 
are  connected  with  his  moneyed  interests. 

The  A.shby  family  came  from  England  to  Vir- 
ginia in  an  early  day.  Later  generations  moved 
to  Kentucky.  They  were  represented  in  the 
Revolution  and  the  war  of  1812.  Our  subject 
was  born  in  Shelby  County,  Ky.,  December  19, 
1830,  a  son  of  Levi  Ashby,  also  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  was  a  dealer  in  horses  and 
mules.  The  grandparents  were  killed  by  Indians 
and  their  children  were  captured.  One  of  them, 
Thomas,  was  kept  in  captivity  by  the  red  men 
for  seven  years,  but  finally  made  his  escape.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  Levi  Ashby  was  sixty-seven 
years  of  age.  His  wife,  Mary,  daughter  of  Jacob 
Fry,  was  a  member  of  a  Kentucky  family  whose 
ancestors  came  from  Scotland  to  Virginia  in  an 
early  day.  She  died  in  1S66,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
ty-four. Of  her  children  James,  deceased,  served 
in  the  Mexican  war;  Mary  is  deceased;  and 
Washington  is  living  in  Oklahoma. 

When  the  last  call  was  made  for  volunteers  in 
the  Mexican  war  the  subject  of  this  sketch  en- 
listed in  1847  and  for  eleven  months  he  remained 
at  the  front.  In  1850  he  left  Kentucky  for  Mis- 
souri and  outfitted  for  California  in  Platte  Coun- 
ty, making  the  trip  across  the  plains  via  ox-team. 
For  eight  months  he  engaged  in  mining  in  the 
far  west,  but  the  results  were  not  sufficiently  flat- 
tering to  induce  him  to  remain,  and  in  1851  he 
returned  to  Missouri.  Settling  upon  a  farm  in 
Buchanan  County  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits for  three  years.  Then  he  removed  to  Leav- 
enworth County,  with  whose  interests  he  has 
since  been  identified.  In  addition  to  farming, 
for  five  years  he  carried  on  a  general  store  at 
Easton.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Kan-sas  state  militia  and  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Westport  and  Little  Blue. 


732 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Politically  Mr.  Ashby  has  always  been  a  Demo- 
crat. Upon  that  ticket  he  was  elected  county 
commissioner,  filling  the  ofEce  for  two  years.  He 
served  for  several  terms  as  a  member  of  the  gtate 
legislature,  being  elected  in  1870  and  187 1  and 
again  in  1885  and  during  the  latter  term  served 
for  two  sessions,  the  last  of  which  was  a  special  ses- 
sion. During  his  residence  in  Buchanan  County, 
Mo.,  in  October,  1853,  he  married  Melvina, daugh- 
ter of  Ludy  Martin,  formerly  of  Kentucky.  He 
and  his  wife  are  earnest  workers  in  the  Baptist 
Church  and  for  forty  years  or  more  he  has  officiated 
as  a  deacon  and  Sunday-school  superintendent. 
For  forty-six  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
church,  while  his  wife  has  been  a  member  for 
fifty  years.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
Easton  Lodge  No.  45,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which 
he  is  treasurer.  Among  the  people  of  his  com- 
munity he  stands  very  high  as  an  intelligent  citi- 
zen and  public-spirited  man. 


30HN  F.  LAMB.  Believing  that  Kansas 
presented  greater  opportunities  than  his  Illi- 
nois home,  Mr.  Lamb  came  to  this  state  in 
1871  and  settled  in  Peoria  Township,  Franklin 
County,  purchasing  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  on  sections  34  and  27.  The  land  was  raw 
prairie,  destitute  of  improvements,  and  almost  in 
the  primeval  condition  of  nature.  He  at  once  be- 
gan the  breaking  of  the  land  and  preparing  it  for 
cultivation.  At  first  he  engaged  principally  in 
raising  grain,  but  after  a  time  he  also  gave  con- 
siderable attention  to  buying  and  feeding  cattle 
and  hogs.  He  has  bought  and  sold  considerable 
land  in  this  neighborhood  and  now  owns  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  the  value  of  which  is  in- 
creased by  running  water  through  the  land. 

Mr.  Lamb  was  born  in  Williamsport,  Pa.,  July 
17,  1833,  the  oldest  of  the  ten  children  of  Benja- 
min F.  and  Julia  A.  (Moyer)  Lamb,  himself  and 
two  sisters  being  the  only  members  of  the  family 
in  Kansas.  His  grandfather,  John  Lamb,  fur- 
nished supplies  to  the  Perry  fleet  during  the  war 
of  18 1 2.  During  his  active  life  Benjamin  F. 
Lamb  engaged  in  contracting,  digging  canals  in 
Pennsylvania  and  Illinois,  and  he  also  held  ex- 


tensive farm  interests.  In  1833  he  settled  in 
Illinois,  where  he  died  in  1855.  Reared  in  Illi- 
nois, our  subject  for  a  time  engaged  in  farming, 
afterward  carried  on  a  grain  business  in  Ottawa 
for  three  years.  Subsequently  he  resumed  farm- 
ing. Since  then  he  has  lived  on  his  farm  in 
Franklin  County,  with  the  exception  of  a  year  in 
town,  and  he  is  still  actively  superintending  this 
property.  He  has  served  as  president  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Fair  Association  and  is  now  a  member 
of  the  board  of  directors. 

Active  in  local  affairs  of  the  Democratic  party, 
Mr.  Lamb  has  served  for  six  consecutive  years 
as  county  commissioner  and  during  a  part  of  this 
time  acted  as  chairman.  One  of  the  most  im- 
portant acts  of  the  administration  was  the  refund- 
ing of  county  bonds  at  a  lower  rate  of  interest.  In 
1892  he  was  elected  county  treasurer,  which  office 
he  filled  for  a  term.  For  forty-two  years  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  he  was 
a  charter  member  of  the  Knights  Templar  com- 
mandery  at  Ottawa.  A  deacon  in  the  Baptist 
Church,  he  donated  the  land  on  which  was 
erected  the  house  of  worship  owned  by  the  con- 
gregation. For  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  and  he  also  served  on  the  board 
of  trustees  for  the  Ottawa  university.  At  Ottawa, 
111.,  March  6,  1856,  hemarried  Mary  A.  Olmstead, 
and  they  have  three  children  living:  Florence  E., 
wife  of  George  Demorest,  of  Miami  County, 
Kans. ;  Mrs.  Julia  H.  Thayer;  and  Charles  F.,  a 
farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Peoria  Township. 


0R.  JACOB  KUSTER,  a  pioneer  of  Williams- 
burg, was  born  in  Nassau,  Germany,  Octo- 
ber 28,  1825,  a  son  of  Godfrey  and  Susannah 
Kuster.  He  attended  school  until  fourteen  years 
of  age,  then  attended  college  for  four  years;  after- 
ward he  began  the  study  of  dentistry,  at  which 
he  continued  for  four  years.  He  then  went  to 
Paris,  France,  where  he  was  engaged  in  profes- 
sional work  for  five  years.  At  the  breaking  out 
of  the  French  revolution,  in  1848,  he  left  France 
and  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  in  New 
York  and  going  from  there  to  Buffalo,  where  he 
worked  for  ten  months  at  his  trade  and  afterward 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


733 


for  several  years  engaged  in  the  jewelrj'  business 
and  also  carried  on  a  dental  office.  The  year 
1853  found  him  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  resumed 
the  business  in  which  he  had  previously  engaged 
in  the  east,  and  also  carried  on  a  vinegar  factorJ^ 

From  Wisconsin  in  1878  Dr.  Kuster  came  to 
Kansas  and  settled  in  Franklin  County,  purchas- 
ing over  sixteen  hundred  acres  of  prairie  land 
with  the  intention  of  embarking  in  the  stock 
business.  However,  after  the  expiration  of  a  year 
he  turned  his  attention  to  dentistry,  in  wliich  he 
engaged  in  Williamsburg.  He  also  purchased  a 
drug  business,  which  he  conducted  until  he  re- 
tired from  active  life,  during  the  early  '90s.  He 
is  the  owner  of  several  houses  in  Williamsburg, 
and  ranks  among  the  prosperous  retired  business 
men  of  the  place.  The  success  he  has  gained  rep- 
resents his  unaided  efforts.  He  had  no  one  to 
assist  him  in  starting  in  the  world  of  business. 
When  he  landed  in  New  York  he  had  little 
money  and  no  friends  among  the  people  of  Ameri- 
ca, but  during  the  long  period  of  his  residence  in 
the  United  States  he  has  gained  both  means  and 
friends. 

During  the  period  of  his  residence  in  Wiscon- 
sin Dr.  Kuster  was  prominent  in  politics  and 
active  in  local  affairs.  Interested  in  educational 
affairs,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  Sheboygan,  April  8,  1867,  and  for  a 
time  served  as  secretary,  later  became  president 
of  the  board.  In  the  same  town  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  city  council,  and,  while  filling 
the  position  (to  which  he  was  elected  April  3, 
1865),  was  chosen  by  the  council  as  a  member  of 
the  board  of  commissioners  having  in  charge  the 
building  of  a  plank  road  through  the  county. 
The  board  elected  him  their  president,  and  dur- 
ing his  service  in  that  position  he  had  the  entire 
responsibility  of  the  completion  of  the  road. 

Dr.  Kuster  was  married  in  1850  to  Anna 
Maria  Seibert  and  of  this  union  seven  children 
were  born,  of  whom  three  are  now  living.  They 
are:  Albert  J.,  a  jeweler  of  Chicago;  AnnaMaria, 
wife  of  Isaac  Springer,  retired,  of  Chicago;  Amelia 
Susanna,  wife  of  Charles  Silverson,  of  West  Bend, 
Wis.  Six  years  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife 
Dr.  Kuster  married  Anna  Stresser,  to  whom  two 


children  were  born:  Anna  S.  Hardaker,  now  of 
Kansas  City,  and  Edward  Jacob.  Five  years  af- 
ter Dr.  Kuster' s  second  wife  died  he  married 
Augusta  B.  Dehn,  to  whom  four  children  were 
born. 


n  ARCLAY  THOMAS.  The  long  period  of 
IC\  his  residence  in  Eudora  Township,  Douglas 
L^  County,  and  his  prominence  in  local  affairs, 
has  made  Mr.  Thomas  one  of  the  best-known 
men  of  his  vicinity.  In  1864  he  came  to  Kansas 
and  purchased  a  quarter-section  of  land  in  part- 
nership with  William  Stroud,  each  having  an 
eighty-acre  tract.  Upon  his  part  of  the  estate  he 
began  the  task  of  transforming  the  raw  land  into 
cultivated  fields.  The  land  was  one  of  the  most 
fertile  tracts  in  the  Shawnee  reservation,  and  the 
results  of  the  owner's  energy  are  apparent  in  the 
present  fine  farm,  comprising  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres.  In  addition  to  general  farming 
he  is  engaged  in  feeding  cattle  and  hogs. 

Though  inclining  toward  the  Republican  party 
Mr.  Thomas  is  of  a  nature  too  independent  to  ad- 
here strictly  to  the  tenets  of  any  political  organi- 
zation. At  one  time  he  was  the  Republican  can- 
didate for  representative.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
men  in  the  state  to  join  the  Grange  and  is  now 
identified  with  this  organization  in  Johnson 
County.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  Among  the 
members  ofthe  Society  of  Friends  he  is  a  leader. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  the  building  of  the 
Friends'  Academy  at  Hesper  and  has  been  treas- 
urer of  the  institution  since  its  establishment. 
Realizing  the  value  of  a  good  education,  he  has 
always  given  his  influence  toward  the  mainte- 
nance of  good  schools.  Since  1884  he  has  serv-ed 
as  treasurer  of  his  school  district.  He  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Friends' 
State  University,  but  declined  to  serve.  Local 
business  enterprises  have  received  the  impetus 
ofhis  energetic  nature  and  excellent  judgment. 
He  was  active  in  the  organization  ofthe  Eudora 
creamery,  of  which  company  he  is  now  president. 

Mr.  Thomas  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ind., 
July  I,  1 84 1,  a  son  of  Nathan  and  Caroline 
(Diggs)  Thomas,  natives  of  Indiana.     His  pater- 


734 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


iial  great-grandfather  emigrated  from  Wales  to 
North  Carolina  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war. 
The  grandfather,  Benjamin  Thomas,  was  born  in 
North  Carolina  and  became  one  of  the  very  first 
settlers  of  Wayne  County,  Ind.,  where  he  carried 
on  a  farm.  He  was  buried  on  the  same  day  with 
his  son,  Nathan.  The  last-named,  who  was  a 
farmer  and  merchant,  traveled  through  the  south 
buying  free-labor  cotton  for  Levi  CofEn,  and  was 
very  active  in  the  anti-slavery  movement.  He 
died  at  Newport  (now  Fountain  City),  Ind.,  at 
forty-eight  years  of  age,  and  his  wife  died  there 
in  1838.  Of  their  four  children,  Ahirah  is  de- 
ceased; William  died  in  Indiana  in  1863;  Lydia 
is  the  wife  of  Nathan  Hinshaw;  and  Barclay 
forms  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  educa- 
ted in  the  common  schools  of  Indiana  and  for  six 
years  followed  carpentering.  In  1864  he  settled 
on  a  portion  of  his  present  farm  in  Douglas 
County.  His  means  were  limited,  but  by  energy, 
economy  and  perseverance  he  has  become  pros- 
perous. Besides  the  management  of  his  own 
property  he  acts  as  agent  for  James  M.Davis, 
who  owns  one  thousand  acres  in  this  vicinity. 
January,  21,  1869,  he  married  Phoebe  Randall,  a 
native  of  Bolton,  Mass.,  and  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Mary  (Aldrich)  Randall,  natives  of  New 
Hampshire  and  Rhode  Island  respectively.  They 
have  four  children,  viz.:  Lucian  J.,  now  living 
in  Toronto,  Canada;  Ralph  W.,  in  Texas;  Mabel 
and  lyloyd,  who  are  with  their  parents.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Friends'  Church. 


pCJlLLIAM  H.  MOHERMAN  established  his 
I  A/  permanent  home  in  Franklin  County  in 
YY  1887.  Since  then  he  has  been  one  of  the 
most  enterprising  stockmen  of  Peoria  Township. 
During  the  first  year  of  his  settlement  here  he 
built  a  house  and  barn  on  section  28,  but  they 
were  destroyed  by  a  cyclone  soon  afterward,  and 
he  then  rebuilt  them  on  the  same  foundations. 
To  each  of  his  children  he  has  given  a  farm,  re- 
taining one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  for  his  own 
use,  and,  with  his  son,  is  interested  in  the  cattle 
business,  handling  black  and  red  Polled- Angus 
and   some  thoroughbred   stock.     He  was  one  of 


the  organizers  of  the  bank  at  Wellsville,  of  which 
he  holds  office  as  vice-president.  For  nine  years 
he  has  served  as  president  of  the  Agricultural 
Association. 

Born  in  Mahoning  County,  Ohio,  April  13, 
1837,  o^ir  subject  is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Anna 
(Rush)  Moherman,  of  whose  seven  children  three 
are  living,  two  in  Ohio  and  one  in  Kansas.  His 
father,  who  was  a  large  land  owner  and  extensive 
stock-raiser,  was  a  son  of  Frederick  Moherman, 
who  emigrated  from  Germany  in  the  earl}'  part  of 
the  nineteenth  century,  settling  in  Ohio,  where  he 
cultivated  a  farm  and  also  raised  stock.  When 
fourteen  years  of  age  our  subject  was  taken  into 
partnership  with  his  father  in  the  stock  business. 
In  1856  he  came  to  Kansas  and  bought  the  first 
land  that  was  sold  in  the  land  ofSce  in  the  state, 
paying  $1,255  ^^r  twenty  acres,  on  which  now 
stands  the  city  of  Leavenworth.  Three  days 
later  he  sold  the  land  at  a  profit  of  $500  and 
bought  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  Little 
Stranger  Creek,  which  he  fenced,  placed  under 
cultivation  and  improved  with  two  houses,  but 
did  not  make  his  home  there.  In  1887  he  came 
to  Franklin  County  and  began  to  make  purchases 
of  property. 

At  the  time  of  the  border  warfare  Mr.  Moher- 
man took  an  active  part  in  the  free-state  move- 
ment, working  with  "Jim"  Lane.  On  one  occa- 
sion he  was  driven  out  of  the  state  by  pro-slavery 
men,  but  returned  after  six  weeks  and  was  then 
left  unmolested.  His  father  was  anxious  that  he 
should  return  to  Ohio,  and  as  an  inducement, 
oifered  to  deed  him  a  farm,  provided  he  would 
settle  upon  it.  He  consented  and  returned  home. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  handled  army  horses, 
and  his  father  was  so  injured  by  one  that  he  re- 
mained an  invalid  from  that  time  until  his  death, 
in  1886.  Continuing  at  the  old  home  until  after 
his  father  and  mother  had  both  passed  away,  Mr. 
Moherman  then  determined  to  return  to  Kansas, 
and  accordingly  closed  out  his  interests  in  Ohio 
and  once  more  came  to  the  west. 

Both  in  Ohio  aud  Kansas  our  subject  has  been 
active  in  local  Republican  politics  and  has  at- 
tended county  conventions.  In  1890  he  was 
elected   commissioner   of  Franklin  County   and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


735 


served  for  six  years,  being  president  of  the  board 
during  four  years  of  the  time.  His  election  as 
commissioner  was  for  the  special  purpose  of  hav- 
ing a  court  house  erected  to  replace  the  unsightly 
structure  then  in  use.  By  a  great  amount  of 
hard  work  he  succeeded  in  securing  the  erection 
of  the  present  substantial  building,  which  many 
believe  to  be  the  finest  court  house  in  the  state. 
He  gave  a  great  deal  of  time  to  arranging  for  the 
building  and  borrowing  the  necessary  money, 
but  the  result  amply  repaid  him  for  his  efforts. 

While  in  Ohio  he  was  identified  with  the 
Christian  Church,  and  after  coming  west  united 
with  the  Congregational  Church  at  Wellsville. 
In  Ohio,  on  Januarys,  1858,  he  married  Eliza- 
beth Lynn,  by  whom  he  has  three  children: 
Calvin  A.,  who  is  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser  in 
Peoria  Township;  Scott  D.,  who  is  in  partner- 
ship with  his  father  in  the  stock  business;  and 
Lottie  B.,  who  married  Frank  Cayot,  a  merchant 
of  Wellsville. 

HON.  HARLAN  PYLE  WELSH.  To  those 
who  are  familiar  with  the  history  of  Frank- 
lin County  and  Ottawa,  the  name  of  Mr. 
Welsh  is  well  known.  Having  been  identified 
with  the  history  of  this  section  from  pioneer  days, 
a  record  of  his  life  will  possess  especial  interest 
for  our  readers.  He  was  born  in  Roscoe,  Coshoc- 
ton County,  Ohio,  July  26,  1834,  a  son  of  Rev. 
Joseph  and  Lydie  (Pyle)  Welsh,  natives  of  Wash- 
ington County,  Pa.  His  grandfather,  John 
Welsh,  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Washington  County,  Pa.,  but  moved  from 
there  to  Knox  County,  Ohio,  settling  on  a  farm 
near  Mount  Vernon.  Joseph  Welsh  was  born 
May  2,  1800,  and  for  some  years  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  in  Coshocton  County,  but 
later  turned  his  attention  to  farming.  About  1840 
he  settled  near  Charleston,  Lee  County,  Iowa, 
and  from  there  in  1857  came  to  Kansas,  locating 
on  and  improving  a  claim  west  of  Centropolis, 
Franklin  County.  On  the  resignation  of  his  son, 
our  subject,  as  clerk  of  the  district  court  of  Frank- 
lin County  in  i85S,he  was  appointed  to  the  position 
and  served  until  the  expiration  of  the  term. 
For  many  years  he  held  office  as  justice  of  the 


peace  at  the  old  town  of  Minneola.  During  war 
days  he  sold  his  farm  and  moved  to  Bates  Coun- 
ty, Mo.,  thinking  he  could  live  in  peace,  even  in 
the  midst  of  .southern  sympathizers;  but  he  was 
robbed  on  two  different  occa.sions  and  suffered  so 
much  from  depredations  that  he  sold  out  and  re- 
turned to  Kansas.  For  more  than  forty  years  he 
was  an  ordained  minister  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  did  considerable  work  in  the 
organization  '  of  churches  in  various  localities. 
For  more  than  fifty  3'ears  he  was  identified  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  in  which  he  attained  the 
Royal  Arch  degree.  He  was  a  man  of  far  more 
than  ordinary  ability.  Religion  formed  the  key- 
note of  his  life.  In  the  midst  of  business  inter- 
ests he  maintained  his  close  connection  with 
church  affairs,  and  his  life  was  ever  that  of  an 
earnest,  faithful  and  enthusiastic  Christian.  Late 
in  life  he  moved  to  Greeley,  Anderson  County, 
Kans.,  and  there  he  died  Januarj^  10,  1874,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three  years.  He  was  buried  in 
Mount  Hope  cemetery. 

Twice  married,  the  first  wife  of  Joseph  Welsh 
was  Lydia  Pyle,  and  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Sarah 
Jones,  of  Unionville,  Ohio.  His  first  wife  was 
born  December  5,  1800,  and  died  in  Knox  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  August  5,  1842.  Of  English  descent, 
she  represented  the  sixth  generation  from  the  first 
of  her  ancestors  in  Pennsylvania.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Job  Pyle  and  Amy  (Palmer)  Pyle, 
the  latter  of  the  fifth  generation  from  John  and 
Mary  Palmer,  who  came  from  England  and 
settled  in  what  is  now  Delaware  County,  Pa. 
The  genealogy  of  the  Palmers  is  traced  back  to 
the  crusaders  of  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  cen- 
turies. The  family  were  Friends  and  some  of  its 
members  were  distinguished.  One,  Samuel  Pal- 
mer, was  an  eminent  printer  of  London,  with 
whom  Benjamin  Franklin  was  for  some  time  em- 
ployed. A  record  is  given  of  a  deed  to  John 
Palmer,  dated  "Att  Philadelphia  ye  26th  day  of 
seventh  month,  fourth  yeare  of  ye  reign  of  James 
ye  second  over  England,  and  being  eight  of  ye 
proprietors  government  anno  .domini  1688." 
Signed  by  William  Markham,  by  virtue  of  a  com- 
mission granted  to  him  by  William  Penn. 

Four   daughters   and  two  sons  were  born   to 


736 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Joseph  and  Lydia  (Pyle)  Welsh.  Of  these  two 
daughters  and  one  son  are  living.  One  sou,  Dr. 
John  Welsh,  who  was  a  surgeon  in  a  Kansas 
regiment  during  the  Civil  war,  died  in  Dauphin 
County,  Kans.  The  two  living  daughters  reside 
in  Iowa.  The  second  marriage  of  Joseph  Welsh 
resulted  in  the  birth  of  a  son  and  daughter,  of 
whom  the  former,  Dr.  Lynn  Welsh,  a  practicing 
physician,  died  in  Anderson  County,  Kans.  When 
a  boy  our  subject  had  meagre  advantages,  for, 
being  the  only  son  at  home,  he  was  obliged  to  as- 
sist on  the  farm.  When  fifteen  years  of  age  he 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  right  leg  by  ery- 
sipelas of  the  bone.  As  soon  as  he  recovered  his 
father  apprenticed  him  to  the  tailor's  trade,  but 
it  was  uncongenial  and  he  determined  to  secure 
an  education.  He  studied  nights  and  at  the  end 
of  a  year  quit  tailoring  and  accepted  a  clerkship 
in  a  store.  In  this  way  he  secured  the  means 
necessary  to  pay  his  expenses  in  the  Friends' 
Seminary  at  Salem,  Iowa,  for  a  year.  Afterward 
he  returned  to  the  home  of  his  parents  in  Center- 
ville,  Appanoose  County,  Iowa.  In  the  fall  of 
1852  he  studied  in  the  public  school  and  in  the 
spring  taught  in  the  western  part  of  the  county, 
receiving  $15  a  month  and  "boarding  round." 
In  1853  he  began  to  study  law  with  Harvey  Tan- 
nehill,  boarding  at  his  father's  and  walking  two 
and  one-half  miles  into  town  each  morning.  The 
following  winter  his  preceptor  procured  for  him  the 
Centerville  school  and  he  was  the  first  teacher  in 
the  new  school  building,  where  he  taught  for  five 
months  at  $45  a  month,  having  an  average  at- 
tendance of  one  hundred  and  fifty  scholars.  At 
night  he  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  law.  For 
three  years  he  taught  in  the  winters  and  read  law 
in  the  summers. 

The  first  connection  of  Mr.  Welsh  with  public 
affairs  was  in  1854.  The  Democratic  party  had 
always  carried  Appanoose  County,  but  that  year 
the  Know-Nothings  formed  a  secret  political  or- 
ganization and  nominated  a  ticket,  on  which  Mr. 
Welsh  was  selected  for  county  attorney,  and 
there  was  no  opposition  lawyer  to  run  for  the 
office.  Mr.  Welsh  was  not  of  age,  but  would  be 
before  the  time  to  take  the  office.  The  main  dif- 
ficulty was  that  he  had  not  been  admitted  to  the 


bar.  Nevertheless  he  was  secretly  nominated  with- 
out his  knowledge,  and  when  the  votes  were  count- 
ed he  was  found  to  have  a  fine  majority.  The 
Democrats  determined  to  circumvent  him  by  de- 
feating his  admission  to  the  bar.  Finding  that  they 
had  succeeded  in  packing  a  committee  of  Demo- 
crats against  him,  he  quietly  drove  over  to  Bloom- 
field,  Davis  Countj',  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  the  court  held  Septembers,  1S55.  He  returned 
home,  keeping  his  own  counsel  as  to  the  admis- 
sion. When  court  was  held  in  his  county  and  the 
criminal  cases  were  called,  he  answered,  as  county 
attorney,  for  the  state.  A  Democratic  attorney  at 
once  arose  and  interposed  the  objection  that  Mr. 
Welsh  was  not  a  regular  practicing  attorney. 
The  court  promptly  demanded  of  Mr.  Welsh  his 
authority  and  he  as  promptl}'  produced  his 
certificate  of  admission  to  practice  in  all  the  courts 
of  Iowa.  There  was  a  general  laugh  in  the 
court  room  and  the  judge  remarked  "Mr.  Welsh 
will  proceed."  He  tried  from  ten  to  fifteen  cases  at 
that  court  with  success  in  each  case,  and  during  the 
two  years  of  his  official  term  he  lost  but  one  case. 
His  last  case  was  quite  celebrated  as  the  case  of 
the  State  of  Iowa  vs.  Hinkle,  for  the  murder  of  his 
wife,  which  was  brought  from  Davis  County  by 
change  of  venue,  and  resulted  in  the  conviction 
and  execution  of  the  murderer,  the  supreme  court 
confirming  the  decision  of  the  lower  court. 

In  185S  Mr.  Welsh  removed  to  Franklin  Coun- 
ty, Kans.,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  child, 
and  making  the  trip  with  a  wagon  and  three  yoke 
of  oxen.  After  a  journey  of  four  weeks  he  ar- 
rived at  Minneola,  but  learned  that  what  was 
afterward  known  as  the  Leavenworth  constitu- 
tional convention  had  indignantl3' adjourned  from 
Minneola  to  Leavenworth.  He  sold  a  yoke  of 
oxen  for  $80  and  drove  to  Lawrence,  where  he 
purchased  household  necessities.  There  being  no 
opening  for  a  lawyer  in  Lawrenceat  that  time,  he 
and  a  hired  man  began  to  cut  and  haul  logs  to  the 
sawmill  at  Centropolis,  giving  one-half  the  lumber 
for  the  sawing.  He  built  a  frame  house,  then 
went  to  Kansas  City  with  his  two  yoke  of  oxen, 
sold  one  yoke,  invested  the  money  in  doors  and 
windows  for  the  house,  and  returned  with  one 
yoke  of  oxen  and  the  finishings  for  his  home. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


737 


He  was  appointed  the  first  district  clerk  of  Frank- 
lin County,  but  soon  resigned.  At  the  first  ses- 
sion of  the  court  the  grand  jury  found  about 
thirty  indictments,  and  he  defended  nearly  all  of 
them,  realizing  therefrom  $600.  The  drought  of 
i860  destroyed  business  and  brought  him  misfor- 
tune. He  sold  his  home  and  moved  to  a  farm, 
where,  during  the  next  three  years,  he  made 
$3,000.  In  1863  he  went  to  Topeka  and  was 
unanimously  elected  journal  clerk  of  the  house  of 
representatives  and  in  1864  was  re-elected  without 
opposition.  In  1862  he  was  made  chairman  of 
the  board  of  commissioners  of  Franklin  County, 
of  which  he  had  been  a  member  for  two  terms. 
In  1865  he  was  elected  county  attorney  and  during 
his  two  years  of  office  tried  many  important  cases. 
In  1867  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  state  senate. 
The  next  year  he  was  elected,  without  opposition, 
to  the  house  of  representatives,  where  he  served 
on  the  judiciary  committee  and  the  committee  on 
ways  and  means.  In  1869  and  1870  he  served  as 
mayor  of  Ottawa.  In  1871  he  was  again  elected 
to  the  legislature,  where  he  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  elections  and  appropriations,  and  a 
member  of  the  judiciary  committee.  In  1894  he 
was  elected  county  attorney  and  served  for  one 
term.  Since  1865  he  has  made  his  home  in  Ot- 
tawa, of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  and 
a  member  of  the  first  and  second  boards  of  trustees. 
Under  his  supervision  the  city  ordinances  of 
Ottawa  were  compiled.  He  has  been  one  of  the 
influential  attorneys  and  citizens  of  Ottawa  and 
is  well  known  to  all  the  people  of  the  city. 

In  Iowa,  in  1855,  Mr.  Welsh  married  Miss 
Mary  Shaw,  who  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  died 
in  Ottawa,  Kans.,  May  25,  1870.  Five  children 
were  born  of  this  union:  Harlen,  a  merchant  in 
Hiawatha,  Kans.;  Laura,  wife  of  John  Plunket, 
of  Ottawa;  Mrs.  Minnie  Merritt,  who  died  in 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.;  Florence,  who  died  in  Ottawa; 
and  Rosa,  also  deceased.  In  Ottawa,  June  5, 
1 87 1,  Mr.  Welsh  married  Mrs.  Isadora  (Johnson) 
Crawford,  who  was  born  in  Erie  County,  Pa.,  and 
came  to  Kansas  with  her  father,  Benjamin  John- 
son, iu  1854.  Two  sons  were  born  of  Mr.  Welsh's 
second  marriage,  Roy  and  Earl.  The  latter  son 
died  at  two  years  of  age. 


Fraternally  Mr.  Welsh  is  identified  with  the 
Western  Knights,  Knights  of  Honor  and  the 
lodge  and  encampment  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  both 
of  which  he  has  held  office,  and  in  1874-76  was 
the  representative  to  the  grand  lodge.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Ottawa.  For  seven  years  he  was  chairman  of 
the  board  of  trustees,  and  during  that  time  the 
edifice  was  built  on  Fourth  and  Hickory  streets, 
which  is  one  of  the  finest  churches  in  the  state. 
His  wife  was  a  member  of  the  building  committee 
and  both  aided  largely  in  securing  the  completion 
of  the  well-appointed  and  equipped  house  of  wor- 
ship. 

ARTIN  M.  HUNTER,  who  is  the  owner 
of  a  fine  farm  in  Pomona  Township,  Frank- 
lin County,  was  born  in  Sandwich,  Onta- 
rio, Canada,  September  i,  1851.  His  father, 
Richard  Hunter,  was  known  as  "Old Honesty," 
a  title  significant  of  his  upright  life  and  irre- 
proachable character;  a  native  of  the  south,  he 
went  to  Ontario  prior  to  the  Canadian  rebellion,  ■ 
in  which  he  served  as  a  soldier  under  Colonel 
Prince.  By  trade  an  engineer,  he  not  only  fol- 
lowed that  occupation,  but  also  gave  some  atten- 
tion to  superintending  his  two  farms.  His  death 
occurred  in  Canada  when  he  was  sixty-five  years 
of  age. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  our  subject  left 
his  home  and  started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in 
the  world.  His  father  had  intended  to  remove  to 
the  west  and  had  traveled  through  the  States 
looking  for  a  suitable  location,  but  before  he  had 
closed  up  his  interests  in  Canada  preparatory  to 
removal, he  died.  The  plan  which  the  father  had 
been  prevented  from  carrying  into  effect  was 
taken  up  by  the  son,  who  came  to  Kansas  and 
purchased  a  farm  in  Michigan  Valley,  Osage 
County.  In  addition  to  bringing  the  land  under 
cultivation  he  also  followed  the  carpenter's  trade. 
During  the  grasshopper  siege  of  1874  he  bought 
his  present  farm  from  the  Indians.  For  some 
time  he  worked  at  carpentering  in  order  to  secure 
the  money  with  which  to  improve  his  land,  and 
as  time  passed  by  he  placed  the  property  under 
cultivation,  erected  needed  buildings,  built  fences 


738 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  made  other  important  improvements.  From 
time  to  time  he  added  to  his  farm,  which  now 
comprises  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  on 
which  he  raises  general  farm  products  and  some 
stock,  principally  Poland- China  hogs.  He  was 
engaged  extensively  in  contracting  and  building 
in  Topeka,  Kansas  City,  Ottawa  and  Lawrence, 
and  owns  property  in  Ottawa  and  Topeka.  In 
Canada,  when  fifteen  years  of  age,  he  united  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  has 
since  been  a  faithful  member.  May  29,  1882,  he 
married  Mary  A.  Buckner,  a  native  of  Canada, 
who  died  July  24,  1883.  Of  that  union  one  child, 
Eliza,  was  born.  April  26,  1888,  he  married 
Nannie  Rhodes. 


IT  UGENE  E.  H.  BIART,  a  well-known  vet- 
1^  erinary  surgeon  of  Leavenworth,  was  born 
I  in  Antwerp,  Belgium,  in  1852,  and  in  boy- 
hood days  was  a  pupil  in  the  schools  of  his  na- 
tive city.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  entered  the 
Belgian  army  as  an  assistant  veterinary  surgeon, 
for  which  work  his  study  in  a  famous  veterinary 
college  of  Belgium  had  fitted  him.  Just  before 
the  time  for  his  graduation,  in  1870,  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  this  position  in  the  army,  and  served 
through  the  Franco-Prussian  war.  He  was  grad- 
uated in  1872,  and  came  to  the  United  States,  pro- 
ceeding to  Kansas  and  joining  an  uncle,  Augus- 
tus Biart,  in  Leavenworth.  Not  being  familiar 
with  the  English  language,  he  was  deterred  from 
beginning  work  in  his  chosen  occupation.  For  a 
time  he  worked  in  a  jewelry  store,  and  studying 
our  language  closely,  he  soon  became  able  to  use 
it  with  ease  and  accuracy.  He  then  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  veterinary  surgery.  The  fact  that  he 
was  a  graduate  of  Cureghera  Veterinary  College 
meant  much  in  his  favor,  as  that  college  is  noted 
for  the  thoroughness  of  its  graduates  and  their 
fitness  for  successful  work.  In  1883  he  settled  in 
Delaware  Township,  but  later  moved  to  Lansing, 
where  he  made  his  home  for  seven  years.  When 
he  came  to  Leavenworth  to  practice  in  1894  he 
opened  an  office  at  Cranston's  stable,  but  in 
1897  he  moved  to  his  present  quarters  on  Shaw- 
nee street.  While  in  Delaware  Township,  in 
connection  with  his  practice  he  conducted  a  fruit 


farm,  but  gradually  the  demands  upon  his  time 
as  a  surgeon  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  en- 
gage in  any  other  occupation.  He  has  a  large 
stable  and  yards,  known  as  the  Broadway  stock 
yards,  where  he  has  a  veterinary  hospital.  He 
is  considered  one  of  the  most  efficient  veterinary 
surgeons  in  the  state  and  is  very  successful  in 
practice. 

In  1876  Dr.  Biart  married  Salina  Seichepine, 
the  daughter  of  French  parents,  who  resided  in 
St.  Louis.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, Adell,  Horten,se,  Frank,  Henry,  Mary, 
Charles,  Joseph  and  Eugene  E.  H.,  Jr.  The 
family  home  is  on  Kingman  street,  where  Dr. 
Biart  owns  property.  Since  1889  he  has  been 
identified  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
in  which  lodge  he  has  held  all  of  the  elective 
oflSces.  He  gives  his  attention  closely  to  veteri- 
nary work,  takes  no  part  in  politics,  is  indepen- 
dent in  his  vote,  yet  is  interested  in  matters  cal- 
culated to  benefit  the  city  and  county. 


HENRY  TISDALE,  who  dates  his  residence 
in  Lawrence  from  February,  1857,  was 
born  in  Norfolk,  St.  Lawrence  County, 
N.  Y.,  a  son  of  James  and  Luenna  (White)  Tis- 
dale,  natives  of  Georgia,  Vt.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  accidentally  drowned  when  in  middle 
age,  and  his  maternal  grandfather,  Sylvester 
White,  a  life-long  resident  of  Vermont,  died  at 
ninety  years  of  age.  After  the  war  of  1812,  in 
which  he  served,  James  Tisdale  learned  the 
moulder's  trade  and  conducted  this  business  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Canada  and  else- 
where. When  sixty-eight  years  of  age  he  re- 
moved to  St.  Albans,  Vt. ,  and  there  he  died  five 
years  later.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  a  man  of  upright  character.  His 
wife  died  when  fifty-six  years  of  age.  They 
were  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  one  daughter, 
of  whom  Henry  is  the  only  survivor.  He  was 
reared  in  Canada  and  Vermont  and  learned  the 
moulder's  trade  under  his  father,  for  whom  he 
worked  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
He  then  went  to  Malone,  N.  Y.,  and  worked  at 
his  trade  for  a  year.     Returning  home,  he  at- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


739 


tended  a  private  school  at  Bedford,  Canada,  for  a 
year  and  worked  for  his  father  about  two  years. 
In  the  summer  of  1856  he  went  to  Davenport, 
Iowa,  where  he  found  employment  as  a  moulder. 
In  company  with  two  young  Scotchmen  Mr. 
Tisdale  started  for  Kansas  early  in  1857,  going 
via  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers  to  Park- 
ville,  thence  by  wagon  to  Westport,  Leavenworth 
and  Lawrence.  He  took  up  a  claim  at  Osawato- 
mie  which  he  improved,  and  held  it  for  fifteen 
years,  when  he  sold  the  place.  After  he  had  filed 
the  claim  he  went  into  the  village  of  Osawatomie, 
where  he  found  a  friend  from  Canada  engaged  in 
driving  stage.  With  him  he  came  to  Lawrence. 
After  two  weeks  he  became  an  employe  of  Samuel 
Reynolds,  driving  stage  between  Lawrence  and 
Osawatomie,  continuing  until  February,  1858. 
On  account  of  his  brother's  illness  he  returned  to 
his  eastern  home  and  remained  there  until  the 
spring  of  1859,  when  he  again  came  to  Law- 
rence. For  a  few  months  he  acted  as  agent  for 
the  stage  business  owned  by  Colonel  Eldridge, 
and  when  the  line  was  bought  by  the  Kansas 
Stage  Company  he  continued  with  them  as  agent 
for  nine  years,  being  assistant  superintendent 
during  part  of  this  time.  About  1862  he  started 
a  stage  line  of  his  own  between  Lawrence  and 
Emporia.  In  1863  Quantrell  burned  some  of  his 
property,  but  fortunately  his  teams  were  all  on 
the  road,  so  escaped.  He  was  in  Leavenworth 
at  the  time  of  the  massacre,  but  hastened  back  to 
Lawrence  to  lend  his  aid  to  the  people  of  the 
stricken  city.  Resigning  his  position  with  the 
Kansas  Stage  Company  in  1868,  Mr.  Tisdale 
formed  a  partnership  with  J.W.  Parker,  as  Parker 
&  Tisdale,  and  continued  staging,  increasing  the 
business  until  they  had  over  one  thousand  head 
of  stock  on  the  road  and  were  interested  in  every 
stage  line  in  Kansas,  besides  many  in  Texas, 
Indian  Territory,  New  Mexico,  Colorado  and 
Wyoming.  They  pushed  their  lines  into  the 
frontier  and  did  much  pioneer  work,  some  of 
which  was  under  very  adverse  and  trying  circum- 
stances, in  constant  peril  from  Indians  and  ruf- 
fians. The  majority  of  the  railroads  of  to-day 
follow  the  old  stage  trails  which  they  established. 
They  had  a  line  from  Newton  to  Fort  Sill,  two 


hundred  miles.  Their  longest  run  was  from 
Leavenworth  to  Fort  Larned,  three  hundred 
miles.  Their  best  line,  both  in  the  quality  of  the 
rolling  stock  and  financial  returns,  was  the  one 
from  San  Antonio  to  Eagle  Pass,  Tex.,  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  In  all  of  their 
enterprises  they  met  with  encouraging  success. 
When  they  first  started  out  the  Kansas  Stage 
Company  returned  to  business  and  endeavored 
to  "freeze"  them  out,  but  they  retaliated  with  so 
much  energy  and  determination  that  the  company 
was  glad  to  sell  out  to  them. 

In  July,  1898,  Mr.  Tisdale  abandoned  his  last 
stage  line.  This  was  from  Wolcott,  on  the  Den- 
ver &  Rio  Grande  Railroad,  six  miles  west  of 
Leadville,  to  Steamboat  Springs,  and  on  the  ex- 
piration of  his  mail  contract  he  gave  up  the 
stage.  He  started  the  first  omnibus  line  in  Law- 
rence and  later  built  the  Lawrence  street  rail- 
ways, which  were  consolidated  under  the  Law- 
rence Transportation  Company,  and  of  this  he 
was  president  until  he  sold  his  stock.  He  started 
the  Topeka  omnibus  line,  which  was  sold  back 
and  forth  afterward,  but  in  October,  1891,  he 
bought  it  back  and  has  since  operated  it.  Heal- 
so  has  omnibus  lines  in  Winfield,  Arkansas  Cit}', 
Wellington,  Harper  and  Medicine  Lodge,  Kans., 
and  Alva,  Oklahoma.  He  has  always  been  in- 
terested in  matters  pertaining  to  the  advancement 
of  Lawrence  and  the  extension  of  its  business  in- 
terests. He  made  the  first  castings  in  the  foundry- 
owned  by  the  Kimballs',  which  was  the  first  built 
in  this  city.  A  moulder  had  been  brought  from 
Boston  to  take  charge  of  the  work,  but  he  did 
not  understand  the  melting  of  iron,  so  Mr.  Tis- 
dale's  services  were  solicited.  At  that  time  he 
was  in  the  employ  of  Colonel  Eldridge,  who  al- 
lowed him  to  have  one-half  of  each  day  in  order 
to  show  the  factory  operatives  the  mode  of  melt- 
ing iron.  He  made  three  casts  for  them  and 
started  the  business  successfully. 

In  Detroit,  Mich.,  May  13,  1862,  Mr.  Tisdale 
married  Miss  Betsey  A.  Bangs,  who  was  born  in 
Stanbridge,  Canada,  a  daughter  of  John  E. 
Bangs,  who  removed  to  Boston  and  later  to  Law- 
rence, where  he  died.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tisdale 
have  an  only  daughter,   Mary  Luenna,  a  gradu- 


740 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ate  of  the  University  of  Kansas,  with  the  degree 
of  A.  B.  During  the  days  of  slavery  agitation 
our  subject  always  gave  his  influence  toward  the 
free-state  movement,  and  when  the  Republican 
party  was  organized  he  became  one  of  its  ad- 
herents. He  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. 

QETER  BERRY.  During  the  days  of  the 
L/  Civil  war  Mr.  Berry  was  one  of  those  whoi 
yS  led  by  his  devotion  to  his  adopted  country 
and  loyalty  to  its  institutions,  enlisted  in  the  de- 
fense of  the  Union,  and  followed  the  stars  and 
stripes  through  hardships  and  exposure  to  vic- 
tory. In  the  fall  of  i85i  he  volunteered  in  the 
First  Wisconsin  Light  Artiller>',  Battery  No.  2, 
and  was  mustered  into  service  at  Racine,  from 
which  point  he  was  ordered  south  to  join  the 
army  of  the  Potomac.  Detailed  to  duty  at  For- 
tress Monroe  and  stationed  on  the  bar,  he  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  the  Merrimac  and  the  Moni- 
tor, when  the  battery,  having  no  breastworks  and 
being  in  deadly  peril  on  the  bar,  was  saved  by 
the  Monitor.  Later  he  was  ordered  to  Big  and 
Little  Bethel.  In  the  battle  of  Yorktown  he  was 
so  seriously  injured  that  he  was  obliged  to  re- 
main in  the  hospital  for  six  months.  On  his  re- 
covery he  joined  the  battery  at  Point  Lookout. 
After  three  years  of  service,  in  the  fall  of  1864, 
he  was  mustered  out  at  Washington. 

Mr.  Berrj'  was  born  at  Luxemburg,  Germany, 
September  23,  1832.  The  family  is  one  of  the 
oldest  in  that  duchy.  His  father,  Peter,  and 
grandfather,  John  Berry,  were  born  there,  and 
the  latter  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  army. 
The  father,  who  followed  the  trade  of  cabinet  fin- 
isher in  his  native  country,  brought  his  family  to 
America  in  1835,  sailing  from  Antwerp  on  the 
"Wolfe"  and  after  a  long  voyage  landing  in  New 
York.  From  there  he  went  to  Albany,  and  thence, 
via  the  Erie  canal  and  the  Lakes,  to  Milwaukee, 
Wis.  He  settled  at  what  afterward  became  Port 
Washington,  Ozaukee  County,  and  improved  a 
farm  which  he  sold  in  1855.  His  last  days  were 
spent  in  retirement  in  Port  Washington,  where  he 
died  at  seventy-six  years.  His  wife,  who  was 
Catherine  Schultz,  was  born  in  Luxemburg  and 


died  in  Wisconsin  in  1839.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  two  sons  and  three  daughters.  One  of 
the  sons,  Nicholas,  enlisted  as  a  corporal  in  the 
Fifth  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  and  was  seriously 
wounded  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  an  invalid.  He  is  now 
living  in  Milwaukee. 

The  family  name  was  originally  Bui;rye  and 
so  continued  until  the  brothers,  Nicholas  and 
Peter,  enlisted  in  the  army,  when  the  officers  put 
the  name  down  Berry,  and  as  such  it  was  given 
at  the  roll  calls.  From  that  time  the  name  has 
been  called  Berry. 

When  a  boy  the  subject  of  this  sketch  had  no 
school  advantages,  as  in  his  section  of  country 
public  schools  had  not  yet  been  introduced,  and 
when  they  were  finally  opened  he  was  almost  a 
man  and  too  busy  to  spare  the  time  for  study. 
However,  his  parents  taught  him  the  three 
"  R's"  and  afterward,  by  self-culture,  he  ac- 
quired a  fund  of  information  that  makes  him  a 
well  informed  man.  His  boyhood  days  were 
passed  in  Wisconsin.  At  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  engaged  in  teaming  and  afterward  became  a 
large  dealer  in  wood,  continuing  in  that  employ- 
ment until  he  entered  the  army  at  the  opening  of 
the  war. 

The  year  1864  found  Mr.  Berr}'  in  Kan.sas.  He 
had  just  been  mustered  out  of  the  arm}-,  and  leav- 
ing Washington  came  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  where 
he  was  employed  by  the  government  to  drive  the 
headquarters  ambulance.  He  continued  in  that 
capacity  until  1867,  when  he  entered  the  employ 
of  H.  W.  Gillett,  a  wholesale  whisky  dealer, 
with  whom  he  remained  until  July,  1878,  and 
then  embarked  in  a  wholesale  and  retail  busi- 
ness across  the  street  from  his  present  location. 
He  is  now  at  Nos.  214-216  Shawnee  street.  In 
addition  to  his  large  plant  he  owns  other  business 
property  and  has  also  built  and  improved  resi- 
dence property.  In  1886  he  erected  the  National 
hotel,  the  finest  hotel  property  in  Leavenworth. 
He  also  built  the  elegant  residence  which  he  oc- 
cupies, at  Seventh  and  Ottawa  streets. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Berry  took  place  in  Leav- 
enworth and  united  him  with  Miss  Coanza  Kee- 
gans,  who  was  born  in  Platte  County,   Mo.,  a 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


daughter  of  John  and  Susan  (Callowa)-)  Keegans. 
Her  father  moved  from  Kentucky  to  Missouri  and 
during  the  war  enlisted  in  a  Missouri  regiment, 
U.  S.  A.,  serving  in  numerous  battles  until  Cor- 
ith  was  taken.  He  died  of  Swamp  fever  in  Jef- 
ferson Barracks,  St.  Louis.  His  wife  was  a  mem- 
ber of  one  of  Kentucky's  very  oldest  families,  the 
Callowa3's  having  come  with  the  Boones  from 
Virginia  to  Kentucky.  Descended  from  Revolu- 
tionary ancestors,  and  from  noted  Indian  fighters, 
Mrs.  Keegans  was  also  a  second  cousin  of  Kit 
Carson,  the  noted  scout  and  frontiersman.  She 
died  in  Boonesboro,  Howard  County,  Mo.  Of 
her  four  children  Mrs.  Ellen  Wells  lives  in  How- 
ard County;  William  died  at  Tucson,  Ariz.; 
John  makes  his  home  in  St.  Louis.  The  five 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Berry  are  as  follows: 
Henry,  who  is  a  graduate  of  St.  Mary's  college 
and  is  now  engaged  in  the  paint  and  oil  business 
in  Leavenworth;  Robert,  who  was  educated  in 
Christian  Brothers  College  in  St.  Louis  and  is 
now  with  his  father  in  business;  Edward,  a  stu- 
dent in  St.  Mary's  College;  Frank  and  Esther. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Berry  is  a  member  of  Custer 
Post  No.  6,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Leavenworth,  which  he 
assisted  in  organizing.  He  is  a  Knight  Templar 
Mason  and  a  charter  member  of  Abdallah  Tem- 
ple, N.  M.  S.  From  the  time  of  coming  to  man's 
estate  he  has  been  a  firm  believer  in  Republican 
principles  and  has  never  wavered  in  his  allegiance 
to  this  party.  He  has  been  identified  with  most 
important  enterprises  in  Leavenworth  and  has 
fostered  plans  for  the  benefit  of  the  people,  aiding 
liberally  educational,  religious  and  commercial 
projects. 

CJTEPHEN  E.  LEMON,  who  has  resided  in 
2\  Ottawa  since  the  spring  of  1867,  was  born  in 
\Z/  Hillsboro,  Highland  County,  Ohio,  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1844,  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Amanda 
M.  (Stout)  Lemon.  His  grandfather,  Samuel 
Lemon,  some  years  after  his  marriage  removed 
from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio,  settling  in  Highland 
County,  where  he  died  at  eighty  years.  He  was 
of  German  descent,  and  the  family  name  was 
originally  Leamon.  John  M.  Lemon,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  carried  on  a  blacksmith  shop  in 
35 


Hillsboro,  where  he  was  a  member  of  the  town 
council  and  a  highly  respected  citizen.  He  was 
a  leading  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  was  identified,  fraternally,  with  the 
Odd  Fellows.  His  death  occurred  when  he  was 
sixty-one.  His  wife  was  born  near  West  Liberty, 
in  Mad  River  Valley,  and  died  at  Hillsboro. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  all  of 
whom  attained  maturity.  Samuel  J.,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Ohio  Battery,  died 
in  Ohio;  William  H.,  a  member  of  the  Fourth 
Ohio  Cavalry,  resides  in  Hillsboro;  James,  who 
enlisted  in  the  Eighty-ninth  Ohio  Infantry,  but 
was  soon  discharged  on  account  of  physical  dis- 
ability, died  at  West  Union,  Ohio;  Stephen  E. 
was  for  three  years  a  member  of  Company  I, 
Twenty-fourth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  later  an  ofiicer 
of  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Seventy-fifth 
Ohio.  The  three  youngest  sons,  Oscar  S.,  Mor- 
gan and  Joseph  A.,  all  residents  of  Hillsboro, 
were  too  young  at  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  to 
enlist  in  the  army,  but,  had  they  been  older, 
every  member  of  the  family  would  probably  have 
served  in  defense  of  the  Union. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  our  subject 
was  serving  an  apprenticeship  to  the  carriage- 
maker's  trade.  In  1861  he  enlisted  as  a  musician 
and  marched  to  the  front  with  his  regiment.  At 
Stone  River  he  was  shot  through  both  legs,  just 
above  the  knees,  by  two  difierent  bullets.  He 
succeeded  in  crawling  ofi"  the  field,  and  finding  a 
small  rail,  used  it  for  a  crutch,  by  the  aid  of 
which  he  walked  four  miles  to  the  field  hospital. 
As  soon  as  he  had  recovered  sufficiently  he  re- 
joined his  regiment.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
term  he  was  discharged  in  Indianapolis  in  1864. 
Soon  he  re-enlisted,  being  commissioned  second 
lieutenant  of  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and 
Seventy-fifth  Ohio  Infantr}'.  He  took  part  in 
the  battles  of  Columbia,  Spring  Hill,  Franklin 
and  Nashville.  After  Franklin,  on  the  battle- 
field he  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  in 
recognition  of  his  bravery.  He  remained  in  Ten- 
nessee until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was 
mustered  out  at  Nashville  in  1865  and  honorably 
discharged  at  Camp  Dennison,  Ohio. 

In   1865  Mr.   Lemon  settled  in  Kansas  City, 


742 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mo.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness. In  the  spring  of  1867  he  came  to  Ottawa, 
where  he  worked  as  a  carpenter  under  Joseph 
Marsh  for  a  year.  In  1868  he  was  elected  mar- 
shal of  Ottawa,  which  position  he  filled  for  five 
years,  and  during  two  of  these  years  he  was  also 
deputy  sheriff  under  C.  L.  Robbins.  The  posi- 
tion of  marshal  was  one  that  required  consider- 
able courage  and  a  large  stock  of  determination, 
for  the  town  was  new,  and  like  all  new  towns, 
had  attracted  to  it  a  number  of  desperadoes,  horse 
thieves,  etc.  After  the  expiration  of  his  term  as 
marshal  he  was  for  nine  years  a  clerk  for  C.  L. 
Robbins,  later  served  as  street  commissioner  for 
.  a  year,  and  then  for  two  years  was  a  member  of 
the  grocery  firm  of  S.  E.  Lemon  &  Co. ,  his  part- 
ner being  C.  H.  Penny.  During  this  time  he 
built  the  Lemon  block.  After  his  partnership 
was  dissolved  he  continued  in  the  same  location 
until  1885,  when  he  sold  out.  His  next  venture 
was  the  buying  of  the  stock  of  Smith  Brothers  & 
Sumner,  which  business  he  carried  on  for  three 
years.  Later  he  was  again  appointed  street  com- 
missioner, and  had  charge  of  the  macadamizing 
of  Main  street.  For  three  years  he  was  as- 
sociated with  Capt.  J.  H.  Ransom  in  the  coal,  ice 
and  freighting  business,  but  afterward  sold  out  to 
his  partner,  although  he  remains  with  him  as 
manager  and  collector. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Lemon  united  him  with 
Lola  J.,  daughter  of  E.  S.  Gott,  a  carpenter  and 
builder,  who  settled  in  Ottawa  in  1872,  but  now 
resides  in  Kansas  City.  A  stanch  Republican, 
Mr.  Lemon  has  ser^^ed  for  years  as  a  member  of 
the  county  committee,  and  has  also  been  on  the 
city  committee.  In  1899  he  was  elected  to  repre- 
sent the  fourth  ward  in  the  city  council,  in  which 
he  is  chairman  of  the  health  committee  and  the 
committee  on  streets  and  alleys,  also  a  member 
of  the  committees  on  sidewalks  and  ordinances. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  George  H.  Thomas 
Post  No.  18,  G.  A.  R.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  Ottawa  Lodge  No.  128,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.;  Chapter  No.  7,  R.  A.  M. ;  and  Tancred 
Commandery  No.  11,  K.  T.  He  organized  the 
Ottawa  silver  cornet  band,  of  which  he  was  for 
twelve  years  the  leader,  and  which  was  the  first 


band  in  the  city.  In  1897  the  Commercial  band 
was  organized  and  he  was  requested  to  become 
the  leader.  He  accepted,  donating  his  services 
as  instructor.  In  recognition  of  his  kindness,  in 
1898  the  band  surrendered  its  charter  and  took 
out  a  new  one  under  the  name  of  Lemon's  band. 
This  is  one  of  the  finest  bands  in  eastern  Kan- 
sas and  consists  of  twenty-two  pieces.  In  addi- 
tion to  acting  as  its  leader,  he  is  also  a  member 
of  Leonard's  orchestra. 


WILLIAM  E.  KIBBE  owns  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Ohio  Town- 
ship, Franklin  County,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  general  farm  pursuits.  He  is  a  man  of 
prominence  in  his  community  and  has  been 
selected  to  serve  in  positions  of  trust.  A  public- 
spirited  citizen,  he  proved  his  patriotism  during 
the  Civil  war  by  offering  his  services  to  his  coun- 
try as  a  defender  of  the  Union.  In  September, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Twelfth  Kansas 
Infantry,  and  for  a  year  was  principally  engaged 
in  settling  border  troubles,  after  which  he  was  at 
Little  Rock,  Fort  Smith  and  Camden,  Ark.,  re- 
maining in  the  army  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
Shortly  after  returning  home  he  was  elected  to 
the  legislature,  in  which  he  served  creditably  for 
one  term.  Later  his  name  was  mentioned  as  a 
strong  candidate  for  senator,  but,  owing  to  the 
circumstances  at  the  time,  some  one  else  was 
nominated.  For  years  he  affiliated  with  the  Re- 
publicans, but  since  1892  he  has  been  a  Populist 
in  politics. 

Levi  Kibbe,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
March  17,  1S02,  at  Woodstock,  Conn.  In  young 
manhood  he  removed  to  JeflTerson  County,  N.  Y., 
where  he  purchased  and  improved  farm  land. 
In  1 85 1  he  removed  from  there  to  Erie  County, 
Pa.,  and  became  interested  in  farm  pursuits 
there.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig  and  in  religion 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  He  died  in 
Erie  County  when  eighty-nine  years  of  age.  His 
father,  Levi  Kibbe,  Sr.,  also  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, was  a  lifelong  farmer  and  died  at  ninety 
years  of  age.  He  had  a  brother,  Amrish,  who 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.     The  marriage 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


743 


of  Levi  Kibbe,  Jr.,  united  him  with  Nancy 
Smith,  who  was  born  in  Woodstock,  Conn.,  and 
died  at  eighty  years  of  age.  Of  the  children  born 
to  their  union  five  attained  mature  years,  the 
eldest  being  William  E.,  who  was  born  in  Jeffer- 
son County,  N.  Y.,  October  17,  1833.  Of  the 
others,  George  H.  died  at  twenty-five  years; 
Lyman  S.  was  a  pioneer  of  Cowley  County, 
Kans. ,  where  he  is  still  living;  Warren  W.  re- 
sides on  the  old  homestead  in  Pennsylvania;  and 
Mary  E.  married  Judson  Ha.skell,  of  Bradford,  Pa. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  our  subject  left 
home  and  went  to  Kentucky,  where  he  taught  a 
district  school  in  Cassius  Clay's  neighborhood. 
He  had  received  a  good  education  in  the  academy 
at  Watertown,  N.  Y. ,  and  was  fitted  for  the 
responsibilities  of  life.  In  1857  he  settled  upon 
the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  Few  people  at  that 
time  had  settled  in  Franklin  County,  the  land 
was  wholly  unimproved,  towns  were  sparsely 
populated  and,  altogether,  there  was  little  to  in- 
dicate a  future  condition  of  prosperity.  He  built 
the  first  frame  house  in  the  county  and  made 
some  of  the  first  improvements  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  land.  His  first  wife,  who  was  Pamelia 
Weatherwax,  a  native  of  Indiana,  died  in  Frank- 
lin County  at  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  leaving 
four  children.  They  are:  Jennie  M.,  wife  of 
William  Service;  Fannie,  who  married  David 
Flaherty;  Mary,  Mrs.  Charles  Bledsoe;  and  Milo 
W.,  a  farmer  in  Franklin  County.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1874,  Mr.  Kibbe  married  Miss  Anna  M. 
Davis,  who  was  born  in  New  York  state,  but  has 
spent  much  of  her  life  in  Illinois.  One  son  was 
born  of  this  union,-  Levi  N.,  who  is  with  his 
parents. 

NIRAM  NOSS  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  acres  near  Wellsville,  besides  a 
neat  residence  and  twenty  lots  in  this  vil- 
lage and  also  a  small  grist  mill  which  he  operates 
personally. 

A  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Copeland)  Noss, 
our  subject  was  born  in  Huntingdon  County,  Pa., 
April  16,  1823.  His  father,  a  native  of  Lancas- 
ter, Pa.,  was  reared  at  Cox's  Ferry,  on  the  Sus- 
quehanna   river,     and    in    youth    learned  the 


weaver's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  in  early  life. 
After  his  marriage  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
Huntingdon  County  until  fifty  years  of  age, 
when  he  moved  to  Beaver  County,  Pa.,  in  1825, 
and  bought  a  raw  unimproved  tract  of  land. 
This  he  transformed  into  a  good  farm.  In  the 
war  of  1812  he  joined  a  company  and  was  on  the 
way  to  the  front  when  word  came  that  peace  had 
been  declared.  He  was  a  Henry  Clay  Whig  and 
an  admirer  of  that  statesman.  His  death  occurred 
on  his  homestead  in  1858,  when  he  was  ninety- 
eight  years  of  age.  He  was  a  son  of  Philip 
Jacob  Noss,  who  was  born  in  Germany  and  in 
young  manhood  settled  in  Lancaster,  Pa. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was 
born  in  England  and  married  a  German  lady  after 
he  settled  in  the  United  States.  His  home  was 
on  what  later  became  famous  as  the  battleground 
of  Antietam,  Md.,  and  there  he  engaged  in  mill- 
ing. He  was  also  a  wagoner  and  hauled  freight. 
From  Maryland  he  moved  to  New  York,  where 
he  built  and  operated  a  mill.  He  lived  to  be  one 
hundred  and  two  years  of  age.  His  daughter, 
Mrs.  Noss,  was  seventy  at  the  time  of  her  death, 
in  1859.  In  her  family  there  were  nine  sons 
and  two  daughters,  but  Hiram  and  one  sister 
alone  survive.  The  former  was  two  years,  of  age 
when  the  parents  removed  to  Beaver  County, 
Pa. ,  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood.  At  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  began  steamboating  on  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  rivers.  In  1858  became  to  Kansas 
in  charge  of  a  ferry  boat  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Iowa  Point,  he  being  an  engineer  and  thoroughly 
competent  to  take  entire  charge  of  a  boat.  With 
the  aid  of  his  brother  he  brought  the  boat  down 
the  Ohio  river  and  up  the  Mississippi  and  Mis- 
souri (although  wholly  unacquainted  with  the  lat- 
ter river),  and  placed  it  in  the  dock  at  Iowa 
Point,  where  its  owner  lived.  During  the  sum- 
mer of  1858  he  ran  this  boat  as  engineer  and 
collector.  On  his  return  to  the  east  he  resumed 
steamboating  on  the  Ohio.  Later  he  manufac- 
tured brick  in  the  east  until  1865,  when  he  came 
to  Kansas,  settling  in  Baldwin,  Douglas  County, 
where  he  manufactured  brick  during  the  summer 
of  1865  and  had  charge  of  a  saw  mill  for  two  years. 

Purchasing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 


744 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD, 


Ottawa  Township,  Franklin  Countj',  from  the 
Ottawa  Indians,  Mr.  Noss  settled  upon  the  land 
and  began  its  improvement.  He  remained  there 
for  eighteen  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  settled 
in  Wellsville.  Here  he  operated  the  first  steam 
grist  mill,  which  he  has  since  conducted.  In 
early  life  he  adhered  to  the  Greenback  party  and 
later  became  a  Democrat.  For  forty-five  years 
he  has  been  connected  with  the  Baptist  Church 
and  his  wife  has  been  a  member  of  the  same  de- 
nomination for  more  than  fifty  years,  both  being 
earnest  Christian  workers.  He  married  Sarah 
Bennett,  who  was  born  in  Beaver  County,  Pa., 
and  by  whom  he  has  three  children,  namely: 
Mary,  wife  of  Dawson  Thayer;  Albert,  a  farmer 
in  Ottawa  Township;  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Dr. 
Bennett,  of  Wellsville. 


0TTO  C.  BEEI.ER,  city  treasurer  of  Leaven- 
worth, was  first  appointed  to  this  ofiice  in 
June,  1888,  by  the  then  mayor,  S.  F.  Neely, 
and  held  the  office  for  one  year,  after  which  he 
engaged  with  A.  L,.  Salinger  in  the  boot  and  shoe 
business  for  about  eight  years.  In  the  spring  of 
1897  he  was  elected  city  treasurer  for  a  term  of 
two  years.  Besides  serving  as  treasurer  he  has 
also  been  clerk,  having  held  one  position  or  the 
other  for  nearly  ten  years.  As  a  Democrat  he 
is  active  in  local  affairs  and  takes  a  warm  interest 
in  all  matters  pertaining  to  his  party. 

Since  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  1863  Mr.  Beeler 
has  been  prominent  in  this  fraternity.  One  year 
after  becoming  a  member  of  Leavenworth  Lodge 
No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  he  was  chosen  secretary 
of  the  lodge;  the  next  year  (1865)  served  as  sen- 
ior warden,  in  1866  was  master  ofthe  lodge  and 
by  virtue  thereof  a  member  of  the  grand  lodge. 
In  1865  he  became  a  member  of  Leavenworth 
Chapter  No.  2,  R.  A.  M.,  in  which  he  served  as 
scribe  and  high  priest.  During  1866  he  identi- 
fied himself  with  Leavenworth  Council  No.  i, 
R.  S.  M.,  and  was  elected  the  first  recorder  of 
the  council,  serving  until  1882,  when  he  was 
chosen  illustrious  master  of  the  council.  In  the 
latter  position  he  continued  until  1889,  and  was 
then  re-elected   recorder,   which  position  he  still 


holds.  In  1 867  he  was  chosen  grand  recorder  of 
the  grand  council  ofthe  state  of  Kansas,  an  office 
which  he  filled  efficiently  for  four  years.  In  1866 
he  became  connected  with  Leavenworth  Com- 
mandery  No.  i,  K.  T.,  in  which  he  has  held  va- 
rious offices  up  to  that  of  eminent  commander. 
His  record  in  masonry  is  one  of  which  he  may 
well  be  proud. 

Mr.  Beeler  was  born  in  Germany  in  1837,  ^ 
son  of  Frederick  and  Maria  Anna  (Stolz)  Beeler, 
the  latter  of  whom  died  in  Kansas  in  1 881,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-one.  The  former,  who  came  to 
the  United  States  in  October,  1846,  settled  in 
Ripley  County,  Ind.,  and  there  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes.  He  was  a  suc- 
cessful business  man  and  continued  a  manufac- 
turer until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Ripley 
County  at  fifty-six  years  of  age.  He  had  five 
children,  viz.:  Frederick,  now  living  in  Madison 
County,  Iowa;  Otto  C;  Adolph,  of  Junction 
City,  Kans.;  Henry  and  Louisa,  who  died  re- 
spectively in  1853  and  1862. 

When  a  boy  Otto  C.  Beeler  learned  the  car- 
riage-maker's trade,  which  he  followed  until 
1856  in  his  native  county.  He  arrived  in  Leav- 
enworth July  18,  1855,  and  here  secured  employ- 
ment with  a  carriage  manufacturing  concern. 
Later  he  was  employed  as  clerk  in  a  wholesale 
grocery.  In  September,  i860,  he  was  appointed 
deputy  city  clerk,  and  the  following  year  became 
city  clerk, to  which  office  he  was  re-elected  iu  1862, 
serving  until  April,  1863.  In  September,  1863, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  cousin,  William 
Beeler,  and  opened  a  boot  and  shoe  store.  Dur- 
ing the  war  Governor  Carney  commissioned  him 
captain  of  Company  C,  Kansas  State  Militia,  and 
he  was  in  active  service  during  the  Price  raid, 
spending  one  night  upon  the  battlefield  of  Brush 
Creek. 

In  1869  William  Beeler  withdrew  from  the 
firm,  after  which  our  subject  carried  on  the  store 
alone,  but  sold  out  in  1877.  From  that  time  until 
1881  he  was  connected  with  various  shoe  firms. 
Under  William  M.  Fortescue,  mayor,  he  was  ap- 
pointed city  clerk  in  1881,  which  office  he  held 
until  June,  1883.  For  one  year  he  acted  as  trav- 
eling salesman  for  the  Standard  Shoe  Company, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


745 


of  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  after  which  he  was  with 
George  A.  Green,  a  shoe  merchant.  This  posi- 
tion he  resigned  in  June,  1888,  in  order  to  accept 
that  of  city  treasurer.  Both  as  business  man  and 
as  city  official  he  has  been  energetic,  judicious 
and  faithful  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him,  win- 
ning the  confidence  of  the  people  by  his  honora- 
ble dealings  with  all.  In  1875  he  married  Mrs. 
Rosetta  M.  Beeler,  widow  of  William  Beeler,  by 
whom  she  had  two  children:  William  T.  and 
Amelia  R.,  wife  of  Peter  F.  Bubb.  Our  subject 
and  his  wife  have  three  children,  Maude  0., 
M.  Garver  and  Kate  May. 


EAPT.  GEORGE  W.  LAWRENCE,  of  Ot- 
tawa, is  a  de.scendant  of  one  of  four  brothers 
who  came  from  England  early  in  the  seven- 
teenth century  and  settled  in  New  England. 
His  father  and  grandfather,  both  of  whom  bore 
the  name  of  Daniel,  were  born  in  Dutchess 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  were  farmers  by  occupation. 
About  1834  the  former  removed  to  Michigan,  be- 
coming a  pioneer  farmer  of  Kalamazoo  County, 
where  he  improved  a  tract  of  raw  land  and  con- 
tinued to  reside  until  his  death,  at  eighty-seven 
years.  Through  his  mother  he  was  of  French 
stock.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Amy  Eldred,  was  born  in  Oswego  County,  N.Y., 
her  father,  Caleb  Eldred,  having  removed  to  that 
county  from  Massachusetts,  and  later  settled  in 
Kalamazoo  County,  Mich.,  where  he  died  at 
ninety-five  j'ears.  Mrs.  Amy  Lawrence  died  in 
Michigan  when  eighty-four  years  old.  Of  her  six 
children  three  are  living.  One  of  the  sons, 
Blackman  E.,  who  is  deceased,  was  a  soldier  in 
an  Indiana  regiment  during  the  Civil  war. 

On  the  home  farm  near  Climax,  Kalamazoo 
County,  Mich.,  where  he  was  born  January  25, 
1839,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  passed  the  years  of 
youth.  His  education  was  begun  in  public  schools 
and  completed  in  Kalamazoo  College.  While  he 
was  astudent  in  the  juniorclass  at  college  the  war 
opened.  He  enlisted  August  22,  1861,  in  Com- 
pany F,  Third  Michigan  Cavalry,  and  was  mus- 
tered into  service  at  Grand  Rapids,  being  com- 
missioned sergeant  of  his  company.   He  remained 


in  camp  at  St.  Louis  during  the  winter.  In  April, 
1862,  hewas  ordered  to  New  Madrid,  Mo.,  and 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  Island  No.  10,  Shiloh, 
siege  of  Corinth,  Holly  Springs  (where  his  horse 
was  shot  from  under  him),  luka  (where  he  al.so 
lost  his  horse),  Coffey ville.  Water  Valley,  Poca- 
hontas, Rienzi,  Booneville  and  Oxford.  During 
this  time  he  was  promoted  to  be  first  sergeant  and 
later  second  lieutenant.  When  he  veteranized,  in 
the  spring  of  1863,  he  was  commissioned  first 
lieutenant  of  Company  G  by  Governor  Blair,  and 
later  was  commissioned  captain  of  the  same  com- 
pany. He  was  ordered  to  Duval's  Bluff,  Ark., 
and  took  part  in  the  guerilla  warfare,  aiding  in 
clearing  the  country  of  the  guerillas.  In  March, 
1865,  he  was  ordered  to  New  Orleans  and  re- 
mained there  until  after  Lee's  surrender.  At  the 
time  of  the  surrender  of  Dick  Taylor  he  was  in 
Mobile  and  served  as  escort  to  General  Canby. 
In  May  he  was  transferred  to  Baton  Rouge; 
thence  to  Shreveport,  La.,  July  10,  1S65,  and 
from  there  started  overland  for  San  Antonio 
August  4.  His  company  was  continued  in  Texas 
as  an  army  of  occupation  until  February,  1866, 
when  the  men  were  mustered  out,  and  in  March 
were  honorably  discharged  at  Jackson,  Mich. 

After  a  service  of  four  years  and  seven  months 
in  the  army.  Captain  Lawrence  resumed  the  pur- 
suits of  civic  life.  He  engaged  in  merchandising 
at  Brookston,  White  County,  Ind.,  until  1874, 
when  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  and 
for  four  years  he  discharged  the  duties  of  that 
office.  At  the  close  of  his  term  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  settled  four  miles  north  of  Ottawa,  buy- 
ing a  sheep  ranch,  which  he  operated  for  two 
years.  On  selling  out  he  came  to  Ottawa,  where 
he  has  since  carried  on  a  real-estate  and  loan 
business,  and  has  also  represented  the  Phoenix 
of  Hartford  and  the  Delaware  of  Philadelphia, 
having  built  up  a  large  fire  insurance  business. 
His  office  is  at  No.  206  South  Main  street  and  his 
residence  at  No.  604  Willow  street.  In  addition  to 
his  city  property  he  owns  a  farm  in  Peoria  Town- 
ship and  two  farms  in  Pomona  Township,  Frank- 
lin County,  the  management  of  all  of  which  he 
superintends.  In  politics  he  is  a  believer  in  free 
silver  and   has  allied   himself  with  that  wing  of 


746 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  member  of  George 
H.  Thomas  Post  No.  i8,  G.  A.  R.,  and  Ottawa 
Lodge  No.  128,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

While  clerk  of  White  County,  Ind.,  Captain 
Lawrence  had  the  pleasure  of  issuing  his  mar- 
riage license  at  Monticello.  He  was  there  married 
to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Brown,  who  was  born  in  Tip- 
pecanoe County,  Ind.,  a  daughter  of  Edward  A. 
Brown,  a  large  grain  and  stock  dealer  in  that 
county.  Captain  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  have  an  only 
daughter,  Eldred  Brown  Lawrence. 


(1 OHN  NELSON.  The  largest  store  in  Frank- 
I  lin  County  is  situated  at  Nos.  119-123  West 
Q)  Second  street,  Ottawa,  and  is  owned  and 
conducted  by  Mr.  Nelson.  The  building,  which  is 
100x125  feet  in  dimensions,  is  three  stories  in 
height,  and  is  equipped  with  modern  improve- 
ments, including  passenger  elevator  service.  In 
the  main  floor  may  be  seen  a  complete  assort- 
ment of  china,  glass  and  stone  ware,  cutlery  and 
silverware,  lamps,  bric-a-brac,  pictures,  sewing 
machines  and  musical  instruments  of  everj'  de- 
scription, trunks  and  traveling  bags  of  all  sizes. 
On  the  same  floor  in  an  adjoining  building  is  a 
display  of  ranges  and  stoves  of  every  kind,  also  a 
variety  of  bicycles  of  standard  makes.  The  sec- 
ond floor  is  stocked  with  bedroom  sets  and  furni- 
ture of  all  styles  and  prices,  also  a  display  of  car- 
pets, mattings,  oilcloths,  etc.  The  third  floor 
contains  tables  of  every  description,  from  the 
fancy  mahogany  of  a  lady's  drawing-room,  to  the 
solid  oak  extension  dining-room  tables;  also  baby 
carriages,  baby  chairs,  etc.  The  basement  con- 
tains the  mechanical  and  repairing  department 
of  the  store,  the  machinery  comprising  all  the 
appliances  found  in  a  first-class  machine  shop,  su- 
perintended by  skilled  mechanics.  The  power 
for  running  the  elevators  and  machinery  is  fur- 
nished by  a  stationary  gas  engine  of  four-horse 
power,  which  runs  sixteen  hours  out  of  every 
twenty-four.  In  addition  to  his  main  brick  build- 
ing he  occupies  an  adjoining  building,  25x125, 
of  two  stories,  in  which  he  carries  second-hand 
goods  of  every  variety,  including  all  articles  of 
household  furniture  in  common  use. 


Including  Mr.  Nelson,  who  is  always  to  be 
found  attending  to  details  of  business,  fifteen  men 
are  required  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  cus- 
tomers. Among  these  are  six  salesmen,  two 
machinists,  two  tinners,  two  cabinet-makers  and 
two  teamsters.-  Several  dra5's  and  horses  are 
utilized  in  the  delivery  of  goods  to  customers. 
As  may  be  imagined  the  management  of  this 
large  business  consumes  Mr.  Nelson's  entire  time 
and  attention.  He  is  a  man  of  great  energy  and, 
by  his  unaided  eSbrts,  has  built  up  a  large  and 
growing  trade  among  the  people  of  the  county. 
He  owns,  altogether,  one-half  block,  excepting 
four  lots,  the  dimensions  being  150x350,  on  which 
are  three  houses,  a  livery  barn  and  a  wagon  yard. 
In  addition  he  owns  his  residence  on  the  corner 
of  Locust  and  Second  streets. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  born  in  Jutland,  Denmark,  on 
the  Cattegat,  May  31,  1857,  a  son  of  Nils  and 
Maren  (Jensen)  Nelson,  natives  of  the  same  pen- 
insula, where  the  father  died  in  1898,  at  seventy- 
four  years,  and  the  mother  in  1897.  Both  were 
Lutherans  in  religion.  Of  their  ten  children  five 
are  living,  John  being  the  oldest  son  and  the  only 
one  in  Ottawa.  He  was  given  good  educational 
advantages  and  graduated  from  an  agricultural 
college  in  Falster  in  1880,  after  which  for  two 
years  he  was  superintendent  of  a  large  farm  and 
water  and  wind  mills.  In  1882  he  came  to 
America  and  sojourned  for  a  short  time  in  Grand 
Island,  Neb.,  but  in  October  of  the  same  year 
came  to  Kansas.  For  one  year  he  was  employed 
by  W.  H.  Pendleton  in  the  produce  business  at 
Lawrence.  Returning  to  Denmark  in  Novem- 
ber, 1883,  he  was  married  there,  in  March,  1S84, 
to  Miss  Koren  Sorenson.  With  his  bride  he  re- 
turned to  Lawrence.  There  he  continued  with 
Mr.  Pendleton  until  December,  1884,  when  he 
came  to  Ottawa,  looking  for  suitable  employment 
in  this  place.  In  January,  1885,  he  bought  a 
second-hand  store  for  $300,  occupying  a  small 
building  on  the  site  of  his  present  large  store. 
As  soon  as  possible  he  bought  a  stock  of  new 
goods  and  built  a  new  store,  with  residence  apart- 
ments above.  From  that  time  he  has  steadily 
prospered,  and  through  his  energy  and  determi- 
nation has  gained  a  success  which  not  every  man 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


747 


could  secure,  unaided  by  capital  or  friends.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  is  too  busy  to 
identify  himself  with  party  affairs.  In  the  Luth- 
eran Church  he  serves  as  elder  and  treasurer. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Security,  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association. 
He  and  his  wife  have  three  children:  Edward, 
Cecil  and  Mary. 

HENRY  BERGER,  whose  farm  in  Stranger 
Township  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany, 
May  25,  1835.  His  father  died  when  he  was 
small  and  so  early  in  life  he  was  obliged  to  de- 
pend upon  himself  for  a  livelihood.  At  sixteen 
years  of  age  he  came  to  America  on  the  sailing 
vessel  "Berta,"  which  spent  eight  weeks  on  the 
ocean.  After  looking  for  work  in  Baltimore  for 
a  few  days  he  went  to  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  and 
secured  employment  in  the  coal  mines,  remaining 
for  six  months.  Later  he  learned  the  baker's 
trade  in  Wheeling,  where  he  served  an  apprentice- 
ship of  two  years,  and  afterward  worked  at  the 
trade  there.  In  1856  he  went  to  Chicago,  where 
he  was  employed  for  six  months.  Thence  going 
to  St.  Louis,  he  worked  there  until  the  fall 
of  1857,  the  date  of  his  removal  to  Kansas.  Set- 
tling in  Leavenworth  he  worked  at  his  trade. 

In  May,  1861,  Mr.  Berger  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany I,  First  Kansas  Infantry,  as  a  private,  and 
served  until  August  10  of  the  same  year,  when 
he  was  wounded  through  the  back  by  a  gunshot 
in  the  battle  of  Wilson  Creek.  The  wound  dis- 
abled him  so  that  he  was  confined  to  a  hospital 
for  some  time.  On  finally  recovering  his  strength 
he  left  the  hospital  in  St.  Louis  and  returned  to 
Leavenworth,  where  he  resumed  work  at.  his 
trade.  In  1862,  crossing  the  plains  to  Colorado, 
he  started  a  bakery  at  Buckskin  Joe,  where  he 
remained  for  six  months.  On  his  return  to  Leav- 
enworth he  clerked  in  a  gunshop.  In  the  spring 
of  1863  he  again  became  employed  at  his  trade. 
In  September  of  that  year  he  started  overland  to 
Arizona,  with  a  company  that  was  looking  for 
gold.  With  him  he  had  the  first  printing  press 
ever  taken  to  that  territory.     After  an  absence  of 


one  year  and  twenty  days  he  arrived  in  Leaven- 
worth from  his  long  trip.  The  year  1864  found 
him  a  second  time  in  Colorado,  where  he  sold  a 
stock  of  rifles, revolvers,  knives,  etc.  Returning  to 
Leavenworth  in  the  fall  he  remained  there  uutil 
the  fall  of  1865,  when  he  went  back  to  Germany 
on  a  visit,  spending  a  year  in  his  native  land, 
among  his  childhood  friends. 

In  the  fall  of  1867  Mr.  Berger  settled  in  Stran- 
ger Township,  Leavenworth  County,  where  he 
bought  eighty  acres  and,  while  improving  this 
property,  also  carried  on  a  small  store.  After 
a  year  he  married,  sold  his  place  and  bought  the 
farm  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  was 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources  at  an  early  age 
and  had  to  make  his  way  unaided,  but  in  spite  of 
this  he  has  become  a  large  land  owner,  and  now 
has  four  hundred  acres,  besides  which  he  has 
aided  his  older  children  in  the  purchase  of  farms. 
In  national  politics  he  has  voted  with  the  Repub- 
licans. Reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith,  he  has  al- 
ways adhered  to  this  church.  By  his  marriage 
to  Minnie  Pappenhausen,  a  native  of  Germany, 
he  has  eight  children,  namely:  Dora,  wife  of 
George  Cochran;  Otto,  a  farmer  in  this  township; 
Bertha,  wife  of  John  Bernard;  Ida,  who  is  the 
widow  of  Edward  Seifert;  Lena,  Albert,  Millie, 
and  Minnie,  at  home. 


(TOHN  McFARLANE.  Since  1866  Mr.  Mc- 
I  Farlane  has  been  the  proprietor  of  a  brick- 
(2/  yard  in  Lawrence.  At  first  he  owned  a 
block  within  the  limits,  where  he  manufactured 
brick  by  hand.  After  a  time  he  bought  a  farm, 
twenty  acres  of  which  were  within  the  limits  and 
eighty  acres  immediately  adjoining.  Through 
his  perseverance  and  determination  he  built  up  a 
large  brick  plant,  in  which  for  some  years  past 
his  .son,  Benjamin  W.,  has  been  his  partner,  the 
firm  title  having  been  John  McFarlane  &  Son 
until  May,  1899,  when  the  McFarlane  Vitrified 
Brick  Company  was  organized,  with  Benjamin 
W.  McFarlane  as  manager.  The  plant  has  a 
capacity  of  twenty  thousand  brick  a  day,  and  is 
operated  by  a  boiler  of  fifty-horse  power  and  an 
engine  of  thirty-five   horse   power,    there   being 


748 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


three  stationary  kilns.  The  products  are  pressed 
and  building  brick,  vitrified  brick,  pressed  brick 
clay,  tile  clay  and  porous  tile.  Brick  and  tile 
are  shipped  by  the  carload  throughout  the  state 
and  to  Kansas  City.  After  tests  in  other  places, 
the  clay  bank  connected  with  their  yard  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  in  the  country.  Such  por- 
tion of  the  farm  as  is  not  utilized  for  the  brick 
plant  is  turned  into  a  garden,  in  which  potatoes 
chiefly, but  all  common  vegetables  also,  are  raised, 
and  a  number  of  Jersey  cattle  are  also  kept. 

The  history  of  the  McFarlane  family  can  be 
traced  back  to  the  year  400  in  the  lowlands  and 
highlands  of  Scotland.  Our  subject  was  born  in 
Edinburgh,  Scotland,  in  June,  1836,  a  son  of 
James  and  Margaret  (Bowman)  McFarlane.  His 
father,  who  was  born  near  Glasgow,  was  the  son 
of  an  oflScer  in  the  British  army,  who  accompa- 
nied his  command  to  America  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolutionary  war  and  at  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill  was  killed  while  trying  to  save  the  British 
colors  when  the  color  bearer  was  killed.  James 
McFarlane  was  a  bookkeeper  at  Port  [Bellar, 
and  there  he  died  when  almost  seventy  years  of 
age.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  Aberdeen,  the 
daughter  of  a  tea  merchant  of  that  city,  died  at 
the  same  place  as  her  husband,  and  their  oldest 
children,  Janet  and  James,  also  died  there,  leav- 
ing John  the  only  survivor  of  the  family. 

At  thirteen  years  of  age  our  subject  was  ap- 
prenticed to  the  fire  brick  and  terra  cotta  trade, 
and  in  due  time  was  made  foreman  and  superin- 
tendent of  outdoor  work.  In  1849  he  was 
employed  at  the  Cowen  terra  cotta  works,  in 
Newcastle,  England,  as  outdoor  superintendent, 
remaining  there  until  he  made  arrangements  to 
go  to  Calcutta.  In  1851  he  sailed  via  the  Med- 
iterranean and  Red  seas  and  the  bay  of  Bengal, 
crossing  seventy  miles  of  the  Arabian  desert  from 
Cairo  to  the  sea,  and  reaching  Calcutta  via  the 
Ganges  River.  He  at  once  began  to  manufac- 
ture brick  for  the  East  India  government  as  su- 
perintendent at  Monger,  later  was  superintendent 
at  Buglapore,  Colgon,  Canpore  and  other  places, 
remaining  with  the  company  for  six  years.  For 
one  year  he  was  ill  in  Calcutta  from  jungle  fever, 
and  unable  to  work.     On  his  recovery   he  sailed 


for  England  on  the  ship  "Harriet,"  three  thou- 
sand tons,  which  rounded  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
and  made  the  voyage  of  almost  eight  thousand 
miles  in  one  hundred  and  forty-three  days.  Dur- 
ing the  voyage  the  vessel  sprung  a  leak,  but  all 
manned  the  pumps  and  were  saved  from  ship- 
wreck. While  in  Hindoostan  he  learned  the  lan- 
guage of  that  country. 

After  a  short  visit  in  Scotland  Mr.  McFarlane 
again  started  on  an  ocean  voyage,  this  time  taking 
passage  on  the  ship  "Martin  Enther,"  April  6, 
1857,  from  Liverpool  to  Quebec.  Two  days 
after  starting  the  ship  was  wrecked  off  the  coast 
of  France  and  five  men  were  lost,  the  rest  being 
picked  up  and  taken  to  Plymouth.  The  vessel 
was  repaired  and  the  passengers  proceeded  in  it, 
arriving  in  Quebec  after  seven  weeks.  He  spent 
three  weeks  in  Toronto  and  then  went  to  the 
pine  regions  of  Hastings  County,  where  he  took 
up  five  hundred  acres  for  himself  and  father,  and 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business.  In  1863  he  sold 
out  and  came  to  the  United  States,  accompany- 
ing some  other  men  to  Lawrence,  Kans.  For 
three  months  he  was  employed  on  the  Union  Pa- 
cific, after  which  he  was  emploj^ed  as  foreman 
in  Mr.  Wilder's  brickyard  until  he  began  in  busi- 
ness for  himself  in  1866.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  fraternally  is  connected  with  Hal- 
cyon Lodge  No.  18,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  was  reared  in 
the  Presbyterian  faith,  but  the  family  attend  the 
Congregational  Church  in  Lawrence.  Through 
his  travels  he  has  gained  a  broad  knowledge  of 
the  world.  He  has  visited  many  points  of  inter- 
est in  the  old  and  new  world,  has  passed  through 
the  straits  of  Gibraltar,  been  in  Alexandria,  Malta, 
Cairo,  and  touched  anchor  at  San  Francisco,  Cal. 
Thfee  times  he  has  rounded  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  and  he  has  also  passed  the  island  of  St. 
Helena.  For  some  years,  however,  he  has  lived 
the  quiet,  though  active,  life  of  a  business  man, 
devoting  himself  closely  to  the  conduct  of  his 
business  affairs. 

In  Port  Bellar  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
McFarlane  to  Miss  Ellen  Yoman,  who  was  born 
in  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
and  Anne  (McLean)  Yoman.     They  became  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


749 


parents  of  thirteen  children,  eleven  of  whom  are 
deceased.  Two  sons  attained  mature  j^ears. 
Benjamin  W. ,  who  is  his  father's  partner,  is  serv- 
ing his  fourth  year  as  a  member  of  the  city  coun- 
cil, and  is  prominent  in  the  blue  lodge  of  Masonry. 
Albert  is  assistant  manager  of  the  brick  yard. 


/JJ  EORGE  LEIS,  president  and  general  mana- 
1^  ger  of  the  George  I^eis  Drug  Company, 
KJi  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Law- 
rence Investment  and  Loan  Company,  both  of 
Lawrence,  Kans.,  and  president  of  the  Nancy 
Helen  Gold  Mining  and  Milling  Company,  of 
Cripple  Creek,  Colo.,  was  born  in  New  York 
City,  February  i8,  1842.  When  ten  years  of  age 
he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Providence,  R.  I., 
and  in  1854,  with  them,  moved  to  Kansas,  join- 
ing the  second  emigrant  party  that  left  Boston 
and  settled  in  Lawrence.  The  trip  was  made  by 
rail  from  Providence  to  St.  Louis,  and  thence  by 
steamboat  to  Kansas  City.  The  latter  place  was 
then  a  mere  lauding  place,  with  a  few  shabby 
buildings  on  the  water  front.  From  there  he 
walked  to  Lawrence,  Kans.,  a  distance  of  forty- 
five  miles,  and  with  his  father,  mother  and  two 
brothers,  established  himself  in  a  tent.  The  vil- 
lage had  only  one  log  cabin,  the  most  of  the  peo- 
ple living  in  dugouts,  sod  shanties  and  tents. 

Beginning  life  in  a  new  country,  Mr.  Leis  was 
glad  to  work  at  any  honorable  occupation  that 
oflFered  itself,  such  as  sawing  wood  at  $1  a  cord, 
or  digging  cellars  and  hauling  water.  Not  long 
after  the  family  settled  here  his  father,  Henry 
Leis,  returned  to  St.  Louis,  and  there  he  died  in 
1856,  while  working  as  a  machinist  aud  boiler- 
maker.  Afterward  George  provided  for  his 
mother,  Catharine  (Ana)  Leis,  until  her  death, 
in  Lawrence,  July  21,  1870,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
seven  and  one-half  years.  One  of  the  sons  of  the 
family,  Henry  Leis,  Jr.,  a  printer  by  trade,  served 
with  distinction  in  the  Second  Colorado  Cavalry 
during  the  Civil  war,  and  died  in  Lawrence  July 
22,  1S79,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  and  one-half 
years.  Another  son,  William  J.,  who  was  born 
January  11,  1845,  is  engaged  in  the  life  insurance 
business  in  Chicago. 


In  1855-56  George  Leis  worked  in  the  Herald 
of  Freedom  printing  office,  under  Preston  B. 
Plumb,  who  served  as  major  during  the  Civil 
war  and  later  as  United  States  senator  from  Kan- 
sas for  a  term  of  years,  and  who  was  then  foreman 
of  the  office;  George  W.  Brown  was  proprietor  of 
the  paper,  which  was  generally  hated  by  the 
border  ruffians  of  Missouri.  George  went  through 
all  the  privations  of  frontier  life  and  the  border 
ruffian  war,  which  can  never  again  be  experienced 
in  the  history  of  our  country.  He  was  on  the 
ground  and  witnessed  the  sacking  and  destruction 
of  the  Free  State  hotel  and  the  two  printing 
offices,  on  Wednesday,  May  21,  1856,  by  United 
States  Marshal  J.  B.  Donaldson  and  Sheriff  Jones. 
The  type  and  material  were  emptied  into  the 
Kansas  River.  A  few  days  later,  George  with 
Captain  Bickerton  and  other  town.smen,  gathered 
up  all  the  type  metal  and  run  it  into  bullets  and 
cannon  balls  for  "Old  Sacramento"  and  waged 
war  against  the  border  ruffians  of  Missouri. 
August  16,  1S56,  he  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Fort  Titus  near  Lecompton,  then  the  capital  of 
the  territory,  which  fort  was  captured  and  the 
prisoners  taken  to  Lawrence  in  the  presence  of 
United  States  troops.  He  was  al.so  with  John 
Brown  on  that  memorable  Sunday,  September  14, 
1856,  advancing  toward  Franklin  against  twenty- 
seven  hundred  Missourians  who  were  well  armed 
and  equipped  with  several  pieces  of  cannon  and  who 
were  planning  to  destroy  Lawrence.  Only  three 
hundred  persons,  including  women,  were  in  the 
town,  and  their  weapons  of  defense  consisted  of 
hatchets,  pitch  forks,  a  few  Sharp's  rifles  and 
flintlock   mu.skets. 

In  1857  Mr.  Leis  became  connected  with  Messrs. 
Woodward  &  Finley,  then  the  leading  druggists 
of  Lawrence,  and  with  them  he  clerked  until  the 
fall  of  1862,  meantime  studying  medicine  and 
surgery  under  Drs.  Fuller  and  Miner,  eminent 
physicians,  with  a  class  of  two  other  students, 
Abraham  Wilder  and  George  W.  Smith,  both  of 
whom  graduated  in  medicine  and  reached  high 
positions  in  the  United  States  service.  On  Tues- 
day, January  29,  1861,  the  welcome  news  came 
that  Kansas  had  been  admitted  into  the  Union. 
Immediately  Mr.   Leis,  with  Captain  Bickerton, 


750 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


unearthed  the  old  Mexican  cannon  (Old  Sacra- 
mento) and  celebrated.  This  gun  has  a  singular 
history.  It  was  captured  by  the  American  army 
during  the  Mexican  war  and  held  by  the  state  of 
Missouri;  during  territorial  days  it  was  brought 
to  Lawrence  by  pro-slavery  men  and  used  to  bat- 
ter down  the  Free  State  hotel.  Later  it  was  cap- 
tured at  the  battle  of  Franklin,  four  miles  east  of 
Lawrence,  and  was  used  with  telling  effect  at  the 
capture  of  Fort  Titus  and  the  battle  of  Hickory 
Point.  Finally  the  cannon  which  had  been  used 
by  the  pro-slavery  party  under  Buchanan's  ad- 
ministration to  plant  slavery  in  Kansas  boomed  in 
exultation  over  the  admission  of  Kansas  as  a  free 
state. 

During  the  fall  of  1862  Mr.  Leis  served  in  the 
state  militia  as  private  in  Company  A,  of  which 
Holland  Wheeler  was  captain.  During  the  re- 
bellion and  Price  raid  in  the  early  part  of  1863  he 
assisted  in  recruiting  and  enlisting  the  colored 
volunteers  for  the  First  and  Second  Colored 
Regiments,  using  the  sabre  while  drilling  the 
boys  which  was  carried  by  Col.  E.  V.  Sumner, 
of  the  United  States  army,  through  all  the  Kan- 
sas troubles  of  1856  and  which  had  been  presented 
by  the  colonel  to  Maj.  G.  W.  Smith  and  by  the 
latter  to  Mr.  Leis  to  be  used  against  slavery. 
The  sabre  is  now  deposited  with  the  State  His- 
torical Society  as  a  Kansas  relic.  Through  Gen. 
James  H.  Lane,  then  United  States  senator,  Mr. 
Leis  received  an  appointment  as  assistant  surgeon, 
ranking  second  lieutenant  in  the  Second  Colored 
Regiment.  The  First  and  Second  Colored  Regi- 
ments were  the  first  colored  soldiers  ever  mustered 
into  the  service  of  the  United  States.  They 
served  with  distinction  in  Indian  Territory,  Ar- 
kansas and  Texas. 

In  December,  1863,  Mr.  Leis  left  the  army  and 
returned  to  Lawrence,  to  find  that  during  the 
Quantrell  raid,  August  21,  1863,  all  of  his  person- 
al effects  had  been  destroyed,  including  his  war 
relics  of  1856,  a  ball  and  chain  with  which  John 
Brown's  son  was  manacled  by  the  United  States 
troops  and  then  taken  to  Lecompton,  and  two  iron 
cannon  sent  by  the  Boston  Emigrant  Aid  Society 
for  freeing  Kansas.  These  guns  were  used  on 
many  occasions  to  celebrate  the  coming  of  steam- 


boats on  the  Kansas  River,  which  was  then  nav- 
igable as  far  as  Fort  Riley,  Kans.  One  of  these 
guns  has  been  donated  by  Mr.  Leis  to  the  Kansas 
State  Historical  Society. 

Having  saved  $75,  with  this  as  his  sole  capital, 
but  with  a  large  fund  of  determination  and  energy, 
Mr.  Leis  established  himself  in  the  wholesale  and 
retail  drug  and  manufacturing  business,  under 
the  firm  name  of  George  Leis  &  Co.  The  busi- 
ness was  conducted  in  a  two-story  building 
erected  by  him  on  the  north  half  of  lot  No.  42, 
east  side  of  Massachusetts  street,  the  money  for 
the  construction  of  building  being  furnished  by 
ex- Congressman  Marcus  J.  Parrott.  April  14, 
1870,  he  bought  his  partner's  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness and  later  Mr.  Parrott'sinterestinthebuilding, 
and  afterward  was  the  sole  owner  of  the  business, 
at  the  same  time  carrying  on  a  chemical  manufac- 
turing and  proprietary  medicine  business,  erecting 
a  laboratory  on  lot  No.  42,  New  Hampshire 
street,  in  the  rear  of  the  store  building.  January 
I,  1 87 1,  his  brother,  William  J.,  was  admitted  as 
a  partner,  the  firm  becoming  George  Leis  &  Bro. 
January  i,  1875,  William  J.  Leis  severed  his  con- 
nection with  the  firm  and  the  business  was  then 
conducted  under  the  name  of  George  Leis  again. 
The  object  of  the  separation  was  in  order  that 
William  J.  might  connect  himself  with  the  Leis 
Chemical  Manufacturing  Company,  about  to  be 
incorporated,  separating  the  manufacture  of  pat- 
ent medicines  and  chemicals  from  the  wholesale 
and  retail  drug  business,  which  had  reached  such 
a  magnitude  that  it  was  deemed  best  to  separate 
them.  May  6,  1878,  Mr.  Leis  purchased  the 
handsome  three-story  and  basement  brick  build- 
ing. No.  747,  at  the  corner  of  Massachusetts  and 
Henry  streets,  and  moved  his  entire  wholesale 
and  retail  drug  business  into  it,  fitting  it  up  hand- 
somely and  making  it  the  finest  drug  establishment 
in  the  state.  This  change  caused  the  business  to  in- 
crease rapidlj',  while  the  manufacturing  business 
at  the  old  quarters  on  New  Hampshire  street  also 
benefited  by  the  separation. 

Each  year  the  manufacturing  businessincreased 
enormously.  For  want  of  more  room,  larger 
quarters  and  increased  capital,  Mr.  Leis  was  en- 
couraged  by  many   citizens  to   incorporate  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


751 


manufacturing  department  of  his  business  into  a 
stock  compan)',  and  February  4,  1S80,  he  incor- 
porated under  the  Kansas  law  the  Leis  Chemical 
Manufacturing  Company,  with  a  capital  of  $50, 000 
with  Hon.  J.  P.  Usher,  ex-secretary  of  the  in- 
terior under  President  Lincoln,  as  its  president; 
George  Leis,  secretarj^  and  general  manager,  and 
Henry  E.  Benson,  treasurer.  The  business  was 
carried  on  successfully  in  the  old  quarters  on  the 
east  side  of  Massachusetts  street  until  the  year 
1882,  when  the  business  had  again  increased  to 
such  an  enormous  extent  that  the  two-story 
and  basement  brick  store  room,  with  the  addi- 
tional quarters  on  New  Hampshire  street,  was  not 
nearly  large  enough  to  accommodate  the  enlarged 
business.  The  company  purchased  the  lots  on 
the  corner  of  Massachusetts  and  Pinckney  streets, 
commanding  a  prominent  view  of  the  river  near 
the  bridge  and  constructed  a  four-story  brick 
building,  100x60.  A  service  was  held  at  the  lay- 
ing of  the  corner  stone  at  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  building,  and  a  tin  box  was  placed  in  the 
stone,  filled  with  a  history  of  the  business,  news- 
papers and  cards  of  business  men  of  the  city. 
While  under  construction  this  corner  was  struck 
by  lightning  and  considerable  damage  was  done, 
but  the  building  was  saved  from  destruction  by 
the  paiising  off  of  the  lightning  through  a  drain 
to  the  river.  The  walls  were  built  in  such  a  way 
as  to  permit  the  company,  as  business  increased, 
to  add  two  more  stories.  In  these  new  quarters 
the  manufacturing  business  increased  at  such  a 
rapid  rate  that  it  became  necessary,  within  two 
years,  to  increase  the  capital,  which  was  increased 
to  $100,000,  with  $90,000  cash  paid  into  the 
treasury.  It  became  the  leading  medical  and 
chemical  manufacturing  establishment  west  of  the 
Mississippi  and  was  known  far  and  wide,  selling 
its  goods  in  Missouri,  Nebraska,  Texas,  Colorado, 
Utah,  New  Mexico  and  California,  and  supplying 
the  United  States  army  as  well.  A  large  num- 
ber of  hands  were  employed.  Through  this 
enterprise  Lawrence  reaped  a  great  deal  of  free 
advertising.  The  newspapers  throughout  the 
state  were  well  patronized  and  Mr.  Leis  was  rec- 
ognized as  a  successful  advertiser  by  the  Kansas 
editors.     Leis  Dandelion  Tonic,  Leis  Concentra- 


ted Fruit  Flavoring  Extracts,  German  Baking 
Powder  and  handkerchief  extracts  were  some  of 
the  leading  articles  manufactured  by  the  company, 
aside  from  their  many  pharmaceutical  prepara- 
tions. December  16,  1884,  Mr.  Leis  resigned 
his  position  as  secretary  and  general  manager  of 
this  enormous  business  to  devote  his  personal  at- 
tention to  his  wholesale  and  retail  drug  business, 
and  soon  after  he  disposed  of  his  holdings  in  the 
Leis  Chemical  Manufacturing  Company,  dropping 
his  interest  therein  entirely,  after  which  its  man- 
agement passed  into  the  hands  of  Kansas  City, 
Mo. ,  parties. 

In  November,  1888,  Mr.  Leis  incorporated  the 
George  Leis  Drug  Company  under  Kansas  laws 
with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  with  himself  as  presi- 
dent. The  drug  business,  with  building,  was 
transferred  to  this  company,  which  was  carried 
on  successfully  under  that  name  until  December 
31,  1897.  He  was  one  of  six  who  were  delegated 
at  a  meeting  held  February  8,  1888,  by  the  Com- 
mercial Club  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  to  proceed  to 
Washington,  D.  C,  to  lobby  through  the  bill  for 
opening  to  settlement  the  Oklahoma  lands.  March 
8,  1889,  he  incorporated  under  Colorado  laws, 
the  Oklahoma  Homestead  and  Townsite  Com- 
pany, with  a  capital  of  $100,000,  with  ex-Gover- 
nor T.  T.  Crittendon,  ex-consul  to  Mexico,  as 
president;  George  Leis,  secretary;  Frank  N. 
Chick,  treasurer;  and  Hon.  Winfield  Freeman, 
attorney.  This  company  located  and  platted  the 
city  of  El  Reno  at  the  time  of  the  opening  of  Ok- 
lahoma; the  town  is  now  a  flourishing  city  of  over 
eight  thousand  inhabitants,  with  the  Rock  Island 
and  Choctaw  Railway  lines  running  through  it, 
and  is  destined  to  become  the  capital  when  the 
territory  is  admitted  into  the  union.  While  lay- 
ing out  this  town  Mr.  Leis  had  many  adventures. 
His  experience  in  early  Kansas  aided  him  great- 
ly in  handling  the  many  rough  characters  he  had 
to  deal  with.  Many  times  his  life  was  threatened, 
but  he  escaped  as  he  did  in  former  days. 

November  20,  1896,  Mr.  Leis  incorporated  the 
Lawrence  Investment  and  Loan  Company  under 
Colorado  laws,  with  a  capital  of  $150,000.  In 
March,  1896,  he  incorporated  also  under  Colorado 
laws,  the  Nancy  Helen  Gold  Mining  and  Milling 


752 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Company,  with  $2,000,000  capital  stock,  with 
himself  as  president  of  the  company.  He  is  one 
of  the  foremost  citizens  of  Lawrence,  and  active 
in  every  enterprise  to  build  up  the  city's  interests. 
He  has  seen  every  building  erected  and  has  been 
interested  in  securing  almost  every  enterprise  in 
the  manufacturing  line,  in  many  of  which  he  has 
invested  his  own  capital.  An  organizer  of  the 
Lawrence  Chamber  of  Commerce,  he  was  its 
treasurer  for  many  years;  this  organization  built 
up  many  industries  in  Lawrence.  September  18, 
1870,  he  assisted  his  brother,  Henry  Leis,  to  es- 
tablish in  Lawrence  the  Democratic  Standai-d,  for 
many  years  edited  by  ex-Senator  E.  G.  Ross. 

Mr.  Leis  is  a  charter  member,  with  all  degrees, 
of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. In  1880-81  he  was  active  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  National  Fair  Association  of  Kansas, 
of  which  he  was  a  director  and  officer  and  which 
had  charge  of  the  fairs  held  annually  at  Bismarck 
Grove  near  Lawrence.  He  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Kansas  State  Pharmaceutical  Associa- 
tion, member  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical 
Association  of  the  United  States  (of  which  he  has 
been  vice-president),  a  director  of  the  Kansas 
State  Historical  Society,  and  for  many  years 
treasurer  of  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society.  He 
was  a  heavy  contributor  to  the  first  University 
buildiTig  constructed  on  Mount  Oread  (now  known 
as  North  College)  of  the  Kansas  State  University. 
Through  the  state  legislature,  in  the  year  1887, 
he  secured  a  bill  establishing  a  chair  of  pharmacy 
at  the  state  university.  For  several  years  he  and 
Robert  J.  Brown  of  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  were  on 
the  examining  board  of  the  graduates  of  the 
school  of  pharmacy.  During  1886,  together 
with  Hon.  J.  S.  Emery,  he  secured  many  valua- 
ble appropriations  for  the  U.  S.  Indian  school, 
in  which  work  he  had  the  assistance  of  Hon.  E. 
H.  Funston  and  Hon.  P.  B.  Plumb.  Through 
President  Adams  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  Congressman  Funston, 
he  was  the  means  of  locating  and  constructing 
the  present  Union  Pacific  depot.  With  Kansas 
City  parties  he  established  the  addition  to  the  city 
of  Lawrence  known  as  University  Place,  south 


of  the  university,  at  an  expense  of  over  $22,000, 
all  of  which  is  beautifully  set  out  with  shade  trees 
(elms)  and  is  destined  to  be  the  elite  part  of  the 
city,  where  families  will  locate  for  the  education 
of  their  children. 

As  his  home  Mr.  Leis  purchased,  October  14, 
1890,  the  handsome  two-story  brick  residence  at 
the  corner  of  Quincy  and  Louisiana  streets,  on 
Mount  Oread.  This  property,  which  has  cost  up- 
wards of  $25,000,  is  known  as  Elm  Terrace  and 
commands  a  fine  view  ofthe  city  and  surrounding 
country.  In  Lawrence,  October  25,  1876,  he 
married  Miss  Lillian  Ross,  who  was  born  in 
Sandusky,  Ohio,  October  14,  1849,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Plymouth  Congregational  Church,  of 
Lawrence.  Her  father,  Maj.  E.  G.  Ross,  served 
with  distinction  through  the  Civil  war  and  later 
as  United  States  senator  and  governor  of  New 
Mexico.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leis  have  six  children: 
Kate,  Zoe,  George  Kay,  Edmond  Ross,  Tracy 
Flint  and  Sylvester  Frank. 

From  April  21,  1891,  to  March,  1898,  Mr.  Leis 
acted  as  up-town  city  ticket  agent  for  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  holding  the 
oSice  in  connection  with  his  business,  and  resign- 
ing as  agent  on  selling  out  his  retail  drug  interests 
in  January,  1898. 

Having  followed  Horace  Greeley's  advice,  "Go 
west,  young  man,"  and  thereby  enduring  all  the 
many  misfortunes  and  panics,  failures  and  mis- 
haps through  which  Lawrence  has  passed  during 
its  eventful  history,  besides  passing  through  the 
border  ruifian  war  of  1855-56,  the  drought  of 
i860,  the  war  ofthe  Rebellion  with  its  Ouantrell 
and  Price  raids,  the  three  famines  caused  b}'' 
drought  and  grasshoppers,  the  financial  panic  of 
1873,  and  the  financial  crisis  of  1893  to  1899,  it 
is  his  testimony  that  he  has  always  paid  and  is 
still  paying  one  hundred  cents  on  the  dollar. 


ISAAC  BOWEN.  While  the  cities  of  eastern 
Kansas  have  attracted  a  large  population,  the 
country  territory  has  at  the  same  time,  by 
reason  of  the  excellence  of  the  soil,  become  the 
home  of  many  energetic  and  capable  men,  and 
among  these  citizens  is  Mr.  Bowen,  an  enterpris- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


753 


ing  farmer  of  Reno  Township,  Leavenworth 
Count}'.  When  he  came  here,  in  1870,  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law,  S.  B.  Can- 
trell,  the  two  purchasing  and  cultivating  a  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  After  a  few 
years  the  partnership  was  dissolved,  and  since 
then  Mr.  Bowen  has  followed  farming  and  stock- 
raising  upon  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  which 
he  owns. 

Mr.  Bowen  was  born  in  Habersham  County, 
Ga.,  July  25,  1819,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Betsy 
(Hunt)  Bowen,  natives  of  South  Carolina.  His 
father  moved  to  Georgia  in  earl)-  manhood  and 
afterward  engaged  in  farming  there.  He  was  a 
man  of  fixed  convictions,  a  typical  southerner, 
firm  in  his  friendships,  hospitable  and  generous, 
and  on  his  plantation  had  a  number  of  slaves. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Jeflfersonian  Democrat  of  the 
old  school.  During  the  Civil  war  his  sympathies 
were  entirely  with  the  south.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  almost  one  hundred  years  of  age. 
His  wife  was  ninety-four  at  the  time  of  her  death. 
They  were  the  parents  of  fourteen  children,  six 
of  whom  are  living,  Isaac  being  the  only  one  in 
Kansas. 

Reared  upon  a  farm  in  Georgia,  our  subject 
adopted  agriculture  for  his  life  work,  and  this 
occupation  he  has  always  followed.  After  some 
years  on  the  old  homestead,  in  1865  he  came 
west  as  far  as  Missouri,  and  from  there,  in  1870, 
removed  to  Kansas.  During  the  Civil  war  he 
served  for  eighteen  months  as  a  cavalryman  in 
Tom  Cobb's  Dragoons,  and  at  the  same  time 
his  brothers,  Richard  and  Helan,  were  in  the  in- 
fantry: while  his  brother-in-law,  Alfred  Cantrell, 
served  throughout  the  entire  war.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  Mason.  During  his  residence  in  Georgia 
he  was  for  years  a  deacon  in  the  Baptist  Church, 
with  which  he  has  long  been  identified. 

In  1842  Mr.  Bowen  married  Mary  Ann,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Martha  A.  (Porter)  Cantrell, 
natives  of  South  Carolina,  but  for  years  residents 
of  Georgia,  where  they  died.  They  were  the 
parents  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  seven  are 
now  living,  Mrs.  Bowen  and  Harris  Cantrell 
being  the  only  members  of  the  family  in  Kansas. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boweu  have  six  children,  namely: 


Evaline,  wife  of  James  Downing,  of  Salida,  Colo.; 
William  Brannon,  of  Poplar  Springs,  Mo.; 
Emma,  wife  of  John  Dunham,  and  a  resident  of 
the  Indian  Territory;  Alfred,  of  Leavenworth 
County;  Starling,  who  is  with  his  parents;  and 
Isaac  Hampton,  of  Pueblo,  Colo. 


p  GJlLLIAM  NIGHTINGALE,  who  was  one 

I  A/  °^  '■^^  ^^^^  ^°  '■^^^  "P  ^'®  home  among  the 
V  V  Indians  in  Kansas,  was  born  in  Preston, 
Lancashire,  England,  March  7,  1828,  a  son  of 
John  and  Ellen  Nightingale.  About  1837  ^^ 
was  brought  to  America  by  his  parents,  who  set- 
tled in  Lee  County,  Iowa.  There  he  grew  to 
man's  estate,  meantime  becoming  familiar  with 
life  on  the  frontier.  At  the  time  of  the  agitation 
regarding  the  admission  of  Kansas  as  a  free  or 
slave  state  he  cast  in  his  fortunes  with  the  free- 
state  movement  in  the  then  territory.  In  the 
spring  of  1858  he  settled  in  what  is  now  Green- 
wood Township,  Franklin  County.  At  that 
time,  however,  the  county  had  not  been  organ- 
ized, but  was  a  portion  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  reser- 
vation, and  the  population  consisted  almost 
wholly  of  Indians.  For  .several  years  he  kept  the 
old  Greenwood  hotel  and  at  the  same  time  he  was 
postmaster  and  merchant,  his  place  being  also 
used  as  a  changing  post  for  the  old-time  stage 
coaches.  In  trading  with  the  Indians  he  built 
up  a  large  business,  making  weekly  trips  to  Law- 
rence for  goods  which  he  sold  at  his  store  and  to 
the  Indians.  In  those  early  days  white  settlers 
were  few  and  at  remote  distances  from  one  an- 
other, but,  as  the  Indians  were  peaceable,  the 
scarcity  of  whites  was  no  occasion  for  alarm.  As 
.settlers  began  to  come  in  the  country  was  rapidly 
developed  and  improvements  were  made.  While 
these  pioneers  were  obliged  to  work  very  hard, 
yet  they  were  not  without  their  amusements  and 
recreations,  and  many  a  merry  evening  was 
passed  dancing  to  the  music  of  Mr.  Nightingale's 
fiddle,  for  "Uncle  Billy"  was  a  "fiddler  of  ye 
olden  time. ' ' 

When  Mr.  Nightingale  drove  his  ox-team  from 
Iowa  to  Kansas  he  passed  through  Ottawa.  The 
white  men  had  not  as  yet  taken  possession  of 


754 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


what  is  now  the  business  center  of  Franklin 
County.  In  the  now  beautiful  and  prosperous 
city  there  was  then  only  one  house,  and  it  was 
occupied  by  an  Indian.  The  surrounding  coun- 
try, too,  was  in  the  primeval  condition  of  nature. 
In  the  soil  scarcely  a  furrow  had  been  turned, 
no  trees  had  been  planted,  and  the  prairie 
stretched,  in  unbroken  lengths,  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  sweep  in  its  vision.  He  has  lived  to  see 
the  wonderful  transformation  wrought  in  the  past 
forty  years  and  has  himself  contributed  his  quota 
to  the  development  of  material  resources.  In 
1869  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  Greenwood  Township  and  afterward  added 
more  land,  so  that  he  now  owns  two  hundred 
acres  altogether.  Here  he  has  since  resided,  en- 
gaged in  raising  stock  and  farm  produce.  In  his 
younger  years  every  election  day  found  him  at 
the  polls,  working  in  the  interests  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  winning  converts  to  the  old  Jef- 
fersonian  doctrines.  For  two  years  he  was  town- 
ship treasurer  and  for  several  years  served  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board.  Before  leaving 
Iowa,  in  April,  1852,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Bal- 
lance,  by  whom  he  has  a  son,  William  H-.,  and  a 
daughter,  l,ucy, Mrs.  John  Davidson, of  Quenemo. 


f"  REDERICK  B.  PONTIOUS,  who  is  engaged 
r^  in  farming  in  Kanwaka  Township,  Douglas 
I  County,  was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  be- 
tween Circleville  and  Chillicothe,  March  7,  1830. 
His  grandfather,  Frederick  Pontious,  who  re- 
moved from  Berks  County,  Pa.,  to  Ohio  in  an 
early  day,  built  from  native  timber  a  remarkably 
large  barn,  which  still  stands,  with  the  date 
(1808)  carved  by  himself  in  one  corner  of  the 
building.  The  land  was  in  its  primitive  condition 
and  he  "grubbed"  and  cleared  it,  then  brought 
it  under  cultivation.  To  each  of  his  six  children 
he  gave  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  after  which 
he  still  had  three  hundred  acres  left.  His  death 
occurred  in  Ross  County  some  time  during  the 
'50s.  Twice  married,  his  first  wife  left  two  chil- 
dren at  her  death.  By  his  second  wife,  Catherine 
Reedy,  he  had  six  children,  of  whom  Andrew 
was  the  father  of  our  subject.     A  daughter  by 


the  first  marriage  became  the  mother  of  J.  S. 
Rarey,  the  noted  horse-trainer,  and  our  subject 
remembers  having  seen  the  famous  horse,  "Crui- 
ser," which  no  one  but  Mr.  Rarey  was  ever  able 
to  handle. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania,  Andrew  Pontious  was 
eight  years  of  age  when  the  family  moved  to 
Ohio.  He  assisted  in  cutting  timber  and  clearing 
a  farm.  His  boyhood  years  were  passed  in  the 
large  double  log  house  which  his  father  had 
built.  Few  educational  advantages  were  possible 
to  him.  He  continued  to  reside  on  the  home 
farm  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  seventy- 
six  years.  Active  in  politics,  he  was  a  champion 
of  the  Democratic  party.  In  1842-43  he  erected 
a  handsome  brick  residence.  To  aid  in  the  work, 
he  hired  a  man  to  go  there  and  burn  two  hun- 
dred thousand  brick,  and  from  these  he  built  the 
house  and  the  United  Brethren  Church  (of  which 
he  was  a  member) .  By  his  marriage  to  Mary 
Ann  Betser  he  had  six  sons  and  six  daughters, 
of  whom  all  but  one  attained  maturity,  and  two, 
Frederick  B.  and  William  Allen,  reside  in  Kan- 
sas. The  third  of  the  children,  our  subject,  grew 
to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  early  learned 
to  be  helpful  around  the  house  and  in  the  field. 
At  twenty-seven  years  of  age  he  left  home  and 
rented  a  farm,  where  he  remained  for  six  years. 

In  1877  Mr.  Pontious  removed  to  Kansas  and 
bought  a  quarter  section  that  he  had  selected  in 
1 87 1.  At  once  he  began  the  task  of  placing  the 
land  in  shape  for  cultivation.  From  the  first  he 
met  with  success.  A  diligent  worker,  he  gave 
all  his  time  to  the  cultivation  of  the  land.  He 
employed  methods  that  were  the  marvel  of  his 
neighbors,  but  his  success  was  such  as  to  justify 
the  wisdom  of  his  methods.  In  1895  he  sold  his 
property  and  bought  one  hundred  acres,  mostly 
in  grass,  situated  on  section  29,  Kanwaka  Town- 
ship. To  the  improvement  of  this  land  he  gives 
his  personal  attention.  He  is  a  man  who  has  won 
the  confidence  of  the  people,  and  his  standing  is 
so  high  and  his  reputation  for  honesty  so  great 
that,  when  borrowing  money,  either  from  a  bank 
or  from  private  parties,  he  has  never  been  asked 
to  give  any  security  except  his  own  name. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  Pontious  was  once 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


755 


active  in  local  affairs.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
convention  at  Columbus  in  1863,  and  also  served 
as  delegate  to  many  county  conventions.  He 
has  held  office  as  township  trustee  and  clerk. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  was  made  captain  of  a 
company  organized  in  his  township  at  the  time  of 
the  Morgan  raid,  but  as  the  Confederates  re- 
treated before  the  men  were  fitted  out  with  arms, 
he  and  his  twenty  men  were  discharged.  For 
twenty-five  years  he  was  connected  with  the  Odd 
Fellows,  but  his  home  being  a  considerable  dis- 
tance from  town,  he  finally  withdrew  from  the 
lodge.-  His  interest  in  religious  work  has  ever 
been  a  noticeable  trait  of  his  character.  He 
secured  the  erection  of  the  United  Brethren 
house  of  worship  and  on  the  completion  of  the 
building  advanced  $525  to  avoid  the  necessity  of 
the  church  borrowing  from  outside  parties.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  interested  in  Sunday- 
school  work,  but  poor  health  of  late  years  has 
prevented  him  from  being  actively  connected  with 
the  school.  In  Ohio  he  married  Jane  C.  New- 
house,  daughter  of  Isaac  Newhouse,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Pickaway  County,  Ohio.  Of  their  six 
children  two  died  in  infancy.  Walter  D.  and 
Arthur  C.  are  farmers  in  Kanwaka  Township. 
Julia  C.  and  Ina  C.  were  married  on  the  same  day 
to  brothers,  the  former  becoming  the  wife  of 
Frederick  Richardson  and  the  latter  the  wife  of 
Herman  Richardson.     Ina    C.   died  August  23, 


(JOSEPH  M.  SHIVELY,  a  pioneer  of  Douglas 
I  County,  residing  in  Marion  Township,  was 
(2/  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  September  21, 
1836,  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Susannah  (Snyder) 
Shively.  His  paternal  grandparents,  Jacob  and 
Barbara  (Thomas)  Shively,  both  American-born, 
spent  the  most  of  their  lives  in  Pennsylvania,  but 
finally  removed  to  northeastern  Ohio,  settling  in 
the  midst  of  forests  filled  with  Indians  and  wild 
animals.  The  grandfather,  who  was  a  preacher, 
often  rode  to  the  place  of  meeting  carrying  a  shot 
pouch  and  gun  on  his  shoulder,  in  order  to  pro- 
tect himself  from  the  beasts  of  the  forests.  He 
wielded  great  influence  over  the  red  men  of  his 
locality,  which  fact  was  due  not  only  to  his  work 


as  a  preacher,  but  also  to  his  remarkable  size  and 
strength.  He  was  six  feet  and  eleven  inches  in 
height,  of  stalwart  proportions  and  unusual 
strength.  At  one  time,  when  putting  up  a  log 
building,  two  men  were  starting  to  fight  a  sham 
battle  in  order  to  keep  others  from  work.  Seeing 
them,  he  climbed  down  a  corner  of  the  building, 
made  his  way  through  the  large  crowd  to  where 
the  men  stood,  caught  them  by  the  back  of  their 
necks,  raised  them  both  up  and  slapped  their 
foreheads  together,  then  brought  them  down  to 
the  ground  again  with  a  command  to  get  to  work, 
which  order  the  men  probably  hastened  to  obey. 
During  the  whiskey  insurrection,  to  escape  mili- 
tary duty,  he  swam  across  the  Ohio  River,  with 
a  gun  and  overcoat  on  his  back.  Meeting  some 
Indians  on  the  other  side,  he  dried  his  clothes  by 
their  camp  fire;  however,  the  exposure  brought 
on  a  sickness,  from  which  he  never  recovered. 
In  his  family  there  were  eight  sons  (of  whom  all 
but  one  were  more  than  six  feet  tall)  and  eight 
daughters;  those  who  attained  mature  years  be- 
came large  women. 

The  maternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  were 
Joseph  and  Susannah  (Snyder)  Snyder,  both  of 
whom,  like  the  paternal  grandparents,  were  born 
in  America  and  possessed  great  physical  strength 
as  well  as  sterling  mental  endowments.  It  is 
said  that  Mr.  Snyder  could  shoulder  four  bushels 
of  wheat  and  stand  on  the  rim  of  a  half-bushel 
measure,  while  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Shively,  was 
seen  by  her  children  standing  inside  of  a  half- 
bushel  measure  shouldering  three  bushels  of 
wheat.  The  Snyders  were  members  of  the  Breth- 
ren (or  Dunkard)  Church. 

Isaac  Shively  was  born  and  reared  in  Bedford 
County,  Pa.,  and,  in  company  with  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  moved  to  Stark  County,  Ohio, 
before  that  region  was  settled  by  white  men.  In 
1842  he  removed  to  Elkhart  County,  Iiid.,  where 
he  died  (the  result  of  an  accident)  at  forty-six 
years  of  age.  While  farming  was  his  principal, 
it  was  not  his  only,  occupation,  as  he  also  followed 
the  blacksmith's  trade  and  carried  on  a  sawmill. 
Politically  he  was  a  Whig,  and  in  religion  a 
Dunkard.  His  wife  died  in  Indiana  when  fifty- 
six  years  of  age.     Of  their  ten  children  one  died 


756 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


young,  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Warntz  died  in  Au- 
gust, 1899.  Eight  are  living,  the  eldest  being 
seventy-four  and  the  youngest  fifty-seven.  They 
are  named  as  follows:  Jonas,  of  Goshen,  Ind.; 
Daniel,  also  of  that  place;  Mary  P.,  wife  of  Paul 
H.  Kurtz;  Barbara,  wife  of  George  W.  Cripe; 
Susannah  (twin  of  Barbara"),  wife  of  J.  J.  Baker; 
Joseph  M. ;  Lydia,  who  married  Elias  Harshmann; 
and  Easter,  wife  of  Benjamin  Ulrich,  of  Douglas 
County. 

Being  quick  to  learn,  our  subject  picked  up  a 
good  knowledge  of  carpentering  when  he  was  a 
boy.  In  April,  1857,  he  came  to  Kansas  and 
took  up  a  claim  in  Franklin  County,  but  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  found  him  in  Douglas  County, 
where  he  took  up  a  claim  on  sections  21,  14  and 
18,  in  Willow  Springs  Township.  After  Quan- 
trell's  raid  he  went  to  Lawrence  and  worked  at 
his  trade,  assisting  in  rebuilding  many  of  the 
business  blocks  destroyed  by  the  raiders.  In 
1867  he  purchased  his  present  farm  of  five  hun- 
dred acres,  where  he  has  since  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising,  at  the  same  time  do- 
ing considerable  work  as  a  builder.  In  1884  he 
erected  his  residence,  which  is  one  of  the  finest 
rural  homes  in  this  county.  He  has  also  put  up 
other  farm  buildings  and  made  valuable  improve- 
ments on  the  place.  For  twelve  seasons  he  ran  a 
threshing  machine. 

Mr.  Shively  has  invented  and  patented  a  corn- 
cutting  and  shocking  machine,  which  is  now  in 
process  of  manufacture  by  the  Deering  Harvester 
Company  of  Chicago.  The  machine  was  ex- 
hibited on  Mr.  Shively's  farm  during  the  season 
of  1899,  and  those  who  examined  it  were  unani- 
mous in  declaring  that  it  could  have  been  devised 
only  by  a  mechanical  genius.  Mr.  Shively  also 
manufactured  the  first  suction  pumps  ever  used 
in  Kansas,  by  boring  logs  and  fitting  them  with 
valves.  In  1884  he  retired  from  active  business, 
giving  the  supervision  of  the  farm  into  the  hands 
of  his  only  son,  Edward.  Since  then  he  has 
spent  considerable  time  in  travel  to  the  Pacific 
coast  and  other  parts  of  the  country,  and  being  a 
man  of  close  observation  he  has  gained  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  people  and  customs  in  different  parts 
of  the   land.      Notwithstanding   that   he   began 


without  means,  he  is  now  well-to-do,  in  a  position 
that  will  enable  him  to  pass  his  declining  years 
in  comfort.  He  is  a  supporter  of  the  Dunkard 
religion.  In  politics  he  votes  with  the  Repub- 
licans, and  during  his  several  years  of  service  on 
the  school  board  assisted  in  building  schools  and 
promoting  their  welfare. 

In  1862  Mr.  Shively  married  Miss  Mary  Ulrich, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Ulrich,  a  pioneer  of  Douglas 
County.  They  have  five  children  living  and  one 
dead:  Sarah,  the  widow  of  Abraham  L.  Hart- 
man;  Lutitia,  who  married  William  M.  Stuts- 
man; Edward,  who  married  Ella  Stutsman; 
Minnie,  wife  of  Elijah  A.  Stutsman;  Lydia,  who 
died  of  the  measles  May  20,  1887,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years  and  two  months;  and  Alice,  who 
married  Samuel  S.  Garst. 


(John  BRANDON,  senior  member  of  the  firm 
I  of  Brandon  &  Beal,  of  Leavenworth,  was 
G)  born  in  England,  August  27,  1831,  a  son  of 
William  Brandon,  who  followed  the  machinist's 
trade  and  civil  engineering  in  his  native  land. 
When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  joining  a  brother  in  Massachusetts,  but 
soon  proceeded  west  to  St.  Louis,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  running  a  steam  engine  in  that  city. 
Two  years  later  he  settled  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
where  he  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  black- 
smith's trade.  At  the  expiration  of  his  time  he 
returned  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  engaged  in 
horseshoeing  and  general  blacksmithing.  In 
1857  he  was  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  soda 
water. 

The  year  1858  found  Mr.  Brandon  in  Leaven- 
worth, Kans.,  where  he  began  a  soda  manufac- 
turing business.  The  town,  though  then  small, 
was  the  centre  of  a  large  amount  of  business, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  trains  outfitted  here  for  the 
west.  From  the  first  his  business  was  a  success. 
In  1862  he  commenced  brewing  as  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Block,  Brandon  &  Kirmeyer.  When 
Mr.  Block  entered  the  army  the  title  was 
changed  to  Brandon  &  Kirmeyer.  This  con- 
tinued until  1885,  when  the  prohibition  law 
closed  his  business,  and  his  building  was  burned. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


757 


causing  the  loss  of  all  he  had  accumulated  in 
twenty-five  years.  In  1893  the  firm  of  Brandon 
&  Beal  was  organized.  They  employ  twelve 
hands  and  have  built  up  a  large  business.  The 
factory  has  a  capacity  of  ten  thousand  barrels. 

In  national  politics  Mr.  Brandon  votes  with 
the  Democrats,  but  in  local  matters  he  is  inde- 
pendent, preferring  to  vote  for  candidates  best 
fitted  for  office  rather  than  adhere  strictly  to  par- 
ty lines.  He  has  served  in  the  city  council.  He 
has  done  considerable  building  in  the  city,  in- 
cluding his  residence  at  No.  210  Dakota  .street 
and  a  store  building  on  Pottawatomie  street. 
While  he  keeps  in  touch  with  the  firm's  business, 
the  active  superintendent  of  the  establishment  is 
his  son,  Henry  1,.,  a  capable  young  man,  who  is 
a  graduate  of  the  Milwaukee  Brewers'  Academ)' 
and  the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy. 


nOHN  LLOYD.  Upon  coming  to  Kansas  in 
I  1879  Mr.  Lloyd  took  up  his  residence  in 
Q)  Ohio  Township,  Franklin  County,  where 
he  bought  land  from  time  to  time  as  his  finances 
permitted.  While  he  followed  general  farming 
to  some  extent,  the  cattle  business  was  his  prin- 
cipal occupation.  During  the  '80s  he  was  par- 
ticularly successful,  and  investing  his  money  in 
land,  he  acquired  large  possessions.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  eleven  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land,  besides  which  he  leases  five  hundred  acres. 
The  land  is  used  principally  for  pasturage,  such 
grain  as  is  raised  being  only  for  feed  and  not  for 
sale.  As  a  cattle-feeder  he  has  the  largest  busi- 
ness of  any  man  in  Franklin  County,  and  his 
work  has  been  so  successful  that  he  is  one  of  the 
most  prosperous  men  for  miles  around.  The 
residence  which  he  owns  and  occupies  was  built 
in  the  fall  of  1888  and  is  one  of  the  largest  farm 
houses  in  Ohio  Township. 

Born  in  South  Wales,  April  5,  1840,  our  sul)- 
ject  is  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine  (Richards) 
Lloyd.  He  was  one  of  eight  children  and  the 
second  of  five  now  living,  the  others  being 
Thomas,  a  farmer  in  Mills  County,  Iowa;  Evan, 
a  stockman  in  that  county;  Caleb,  of  Wichita, 
Kans.;  and  Katie,  at  home.  The  father,  who 
36 


was  born,  reared  and  married  in  South  Wales, 
acquired  a  competency  through  farming,  but 
after  a  time  met  with  business  reverses  and  lost 
his  fortune.  In  1S48  he  came  to  America  and 
settled  in  Morgan  and  Macoupin  Counties,  succes- 
sively, but  in  1863  removed  to  Mills  County, 
Iowa,  where  he  died.  He  was  a  highly  educated 
man  and  a  graduate  of  Oxford  University.  His 
boyhood  days  were  spent  in  an  old  French  castle 
in  South  Wales,  where  his  ancestors  had  lived 
for  many  generations,  and  he  was  the  first  mem- 
ber of  the  family  who  had  been  buried  outside  of 
the  family  cemetery  for  three  hundred  years. 
After  coming  to  America  he  became  a  devoted, 
patriotic  citizen  of  his  adopted  country,  and  did 
much  to  advance  the  cause  of  Abolition.  In 
politics  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republi- 
can, and  kept  well  posted  concerning  all  political 
subjects.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  His  wife,  like  himself,  was 
a  member  of  an  old  farming  familj-  of  South 
Wales. 

Reared  in  the  country,  and  where  schools  were 
few  and  poor,  our  subject  did  not  receive  any 
educational  advantages,  but,  in  spite  of  disadvan- 
tages, he  has  gained  a  broad  knowledge  of  men 
and  things.  He  began  in  the  world  for  himself 
at  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  for  some  time 
worked  as  a  farm  hand.  After  a  few  years  he 
began  buying  and  selling  cattle.  In  1866  he 
made  his  first  trip  to  Kansas,  coming  out  to  buy 
cattle  for  his  employer  and  bringing  with  him  be- 
tween six  and  seven  thousand  dollars  of  his  em- 
ployer's money  to  be  used  in  the  purchases.  He 
discharged  his  responsible  task  satisfactorily  and 
returned  home.  In  1S70  he  began  driving  cattle 
from  Missouri  into  Illinois,  where  he  di.sposed  of 
them  as  feeders.  In  1879  he  settled  permanently 
in  Kansas,  where  he  has  since  devoted  his  atten- 
tion almost  exclusively  to  the  cattle  business. 
He  has  had  little  leisure  for  public  affairs  and 
has  never  identified  himself  with  politics,  but  is 
a  stanch  Republican  nevertheless.  In  religion  he 
is  a  Baptist. 

In  1872  Mr.  Lloyd  married  Miss  Martha  Kilz- 
miller,  a  native  of  East  Tennessee.  They  have 
had  five  children,  Walter  E. ,  Albert  M. ,  James  E. 


758 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  John  Arthur,  at  home,  and  Elizabeth,  de- 
ceased. Mrs.  Eloyd  is  a  daughter  of  Martin  V. 
Kitzmiller,  who  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of 
Macoupin  County,  111.,  and  was  for  years  a 
prominent  Baptist  minister,  but  is  now  living 
retired. 


3 ESSE  W.  BROCK,  M.  D.  Few  of  the  phy- 
sicians of  Leavenworth  have  been  so  con- 
tinuously and  honorably  identified  with  the 
history  of  the  city  as  has  Dr.  Brock,  who  from 
the  time  of  coming  here,  in  October,  1865,  has 
been  associated  with  many  of  the  movements  that 
have  contributed  to  the  progress  of  the  town. 
His  recognized  prominence  in  the  profession  led 
to  his  election  as  president  of  the  Leavenworth 
County  Medical  Society  aud  vice-president  of  the 
Kansas  State  Medical  Association,  both  of  which 
offices  he  filled  with  credit  to  himself.  His  con- 
tributions to  medical  literature  have  been  im- 
portant and  have  extended  over  a  long  period  of 
years.  Associated  with  Dr.  C.  A.  Logan,  he 
founded  the  Medical  Hej-ald,  which  he  edited  and 
published,  monthlj',  in  Leavenworth,  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  many  other  ways  he  has  con- 
tributed to  the  progress  of  the  science  to  which 
his  active  years  have  been  devoted. 

The  Brock  family  was  founded  in  Virginia  bj' 
English  ancestrj-.  George  S.  Brock,  son  of 
Thomas  Brock,  a  native  of  England,  was  born  in 
Culpeper  County,  W.  Va.,  and  from  there  re- 
moved to  Flushing,  Belmont  County,  Ohio,  where 
he  first  taught  school  and  later  cleared  a  farm. 
During  the  war  of  18 12  he  served  as  lieutenant 
of  a  company.  His  death  occurred  in  Ohio  when 
he  was  sixty  years  of  age.  He  married  Cather- 
ine Carpenter,  a  native  of  Loudoun  County,  Va., 
and  a  descendant  of  Revolutionary  stock,  of  Eng- 
li.sh  extraction.  She  was  married  in  Virginia, 
whence  she  accompanied  her  husband  to  Ohio, 
and  there  remained  until  death.  Of  her  eleven 
children,  all  but  one  attained  mature  years,  and 
two  are  now  living,  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Caroline 
Packer,  of  Iowa,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
The  latter  was  born  at  Flushing,  Ohio,  June  i, 
1830,  and  in  boyhood  attended  public  .schools, 
later  was  a  student  in  Granville  College  in  Lick- 


ing Count}',  Ohio,  until  the  completion  of  the 
sophomore  year.  It  was  from  childhood  his  de- 
sire to  study  medicine,  and  when  the  way  was 
opened  for  him  to  do  so  he  entered  the  office  of 
Dr.  Benjamin  Bethel.  Afterward  he  was  a  stu- 
dent in  the  Maryland  University  at  Baltimore, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1835,  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D. 

Opening  an  office  at  North  Lewisburg,  Cham- 
paign County,  Ohio,  in  1856,  Dr.  Brock  began 
the  practice  of  medicine.  He  remained  there 
until  the  Civil  war  began.  In  September,  1861, 
he  was  commissioned  surgeon  of  the  Sixty-sixth 
Ohio  Infantry  by  Governor  Todd  and  continued 
in  that  capacity  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being 
two  years  in  the  army  of  the  Potomac  and  a 
similar  period  in  the  army  of  the  Cumberland. 
He  was  present  at  many  important  engagements, 
among  them  those  of  Winchester,  Gettysburg 
and  Antietam,  also  in  the  battles  of  the  Atlanta 
campaign.  While  performing  a  surgical  opera- 
tion he  was  injured  in  such  a  way  that  blood- 
poisoning  resulted,  and  he  lost  a  finger  of  the 
left  hand.  As  soon  as  able  to  rejoin  the  army  he 
left  the  hospital  in  Cincinnati  and  returned  to  the 
front.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  took  part  in 
the  grand  review  at  Washington,  from  which 
city  he  was  sent  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  was 
mustered  out  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  July,  1865. 
He  returned  home,  with  the  rank  of  major  and 
a  most  creditable  record  as  an  armj'  surgeon.  In 
October  of  the  same  year  he  opened  an  office  in 
Leavenworth,  where  he  has  since  carried  on  a 
general  practice  in  medicine  and  surgery.  He  has 
been  called  upon  to  perform  many  difficult  opera- 
tions and  has  also  for  many  years  acted  as  local 
surgeon  for  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  Company. 
While  in  Ohio  he  was  made  a  Mason,  and  he  has 
identified  himself  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  Knights  of  Honor.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
members  of  the  Kansas  Commandery  of  the  Mili- 
tary Order  of  Loyal  Legion,  with  which  he  is  still 
identified. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Brock,  in  North  Lewis- 
burg, Ohio,  united  him  with  Miss  Eliza  Jane 
Gunn,  who  was  born  in  that  city.  She  was  a 
graduate  of  Delaware   (Ohio)  College,   aud  by 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


759 


study  and  travel  acquired  a  broad  knowledge  of 
the  world.  Hers  was  a  most  gifted  mind;  her 
tastes  were  refined,  her  disposition  amiable.  She 
possessed  unusual  ability  as  an  architect  and 
planned  her  residence  in  Leavenworth,  "Terrace 
des  Italiens,"  modeling  it  on  the  style  of  an 
Italian  castle.  Within  and  without  are  evidences 
of  refined  tastes  and  culture.  The  apartments 
are  finished  with  delicate  woodwork  and  are 
adorned  with  oil  paintings,  the  work  of  Mrs. 
Brock.  She  was  so  absorbed  in  this  fascinat- 
ing work  that  her  health  became  undermined, 
and,  hoping  a  trip  to  California  would  prove 
beneficial.  Dr.  Brock  started  with  her  for  the  west 
in  January,  1896.  While  en  route,  a  sudden 
lurch  of  the  train,  as  she  was  walking  down  the 
aisle,  caused  her  to  fall  and  break  her  left  thigh. 
She  was  taken  to  Albuquerque  and  given  the 
best  attention  which  ample  means  and  loving 
foresight  could  suggest.  From  Albuquerque  Dr. 
Brock  started  to  return  home  with  her,  but  she 
died  before  reaching  Leavenworth.  Her  sudden 
and  accidental  death  was  a  sad  blow  to  the  many 
who  loved  and  admired  her  for  her  beautiful  life 
and  gentle  character. 


GILVA  E.  B.  white,  who  resides  upon  a 
Ll  valuable  farm  adjoining  the  village  of  Ton- 
I  I  ganoxie,  Leavenworth  County,  was  born 
near  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  May  12,  1858,  a  son  of 
David  and  Malinda  (Hodson)  White,  natives  re- 
spectively of  North  Carolina  and  Indiana.  His 
paternal  grandparents  were  David  and  Ruth 
White,  and  his  maternal  grandmother  was  Delilah 
Hodson,  who  died  May  29,  1875,  aged  sixty 
years,  four  months  and  twenty-three  days.  Our 
subject's  father  was  born  May  10,  1832,  and  in 
childhood  accompanied  his  mother  to  Indiana, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm.  He  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits  in  Indiana  until  i856, 
when  he  brought  his  family  to  Kansas  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  near  Touganoxie.  From  that  time 
he  was  identified  with  farming  interests  of  this  lo- 
cality. He  was  a  believer  in  Republican  principles 
and  on  that  ticket  was  elected  to  numerous  town- 
ship ofiices.     In   1854  he  married  Miss  Hodson, 


who,  like  himself,  was  a  member  of  the  Quaker 
Church.  She  died  May  24,  1874,  and  he  passed 
away  June  24,  1898. 

The  oldest  daughter  of  David  and  Malinda 
White  is  Cynthia,  born  at  Plainfield,  Ind.,  Oc- 
tober 11,  1855.  She  was  about  eleven  years  of 
age  when  the  family  moved  from  there  to  Kansas. 
April  12,  1878,  she  was  married  to  Robert  L. 
White,  also  from  Indiana,  who  though  bearing 
the  same  family  name  was  not  related.  They 
have  lived  on  a  farm  almost  all  of  the  time  since 
their  marriage  and  now  reside  two  miles  south  of 
Tonganoxie.  They  have  four  sons  and  one 
daughter:  Truman,  nineteen  years  old;  Alonzo, 
seventeen;  Mae,  fourteen;  Ora,  twelve;  and 
Leonard,  five. 

The  second  daughter  of  David  White,  Del- 
phina,  was  born  August  10,  i860.  She  was 
married  October  10,  1883,  to  Rees  Cadwallader, 
of  Cadiz,  Ind.  They  now  reside  in  Tonganoxie, 
where  he"  is  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business. 
They  have  four  children,  namely:  Leta,  twelve 
years  of  age;  Izola,  nine;  Irena,  six;  and  David, 
two.  Eva  White  was  born  July  19,  1863.  Nora 
E.  White,  born  November  10,  1866,  was  married 
March  4,  1S92,  to  George  Russell  and  they  live 
on  a  farm  three  miles  northwest  of  Tonganoxie. 
Thej'  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz.: 
Ervin  T.,  born  January  30,  1893;  Rachel  V., 
August  9,  1894;  and  Neola,  August  25,  1898. 
Willie  L.  White  was  born  in  1869  and  died  on 
Christmas  day  of  1874.  Almina  White,  born  on 
Christmas  day  of  1S73,  became  the  wife  of  Fred 
Mark  June  12,  1896,  and  they  reside  on  a  farm 
five  miles  north  of  Tonganoxie.  They  have  two 
children,  Ray,  three  years  of  age,  and  Stella,  one 
year  old. 

At  the  time  the  family  came  to  Leavenworth 
County  our  subject  was  about  nine  years  of  age. 
He  continued  at  home,  a.ssisting  his  father  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  farm.  LTpoii  the  death  of  his 
father  he  was  made  administrator  of  the  estate, 
which  he  is  now  settling.  Being  the  only  living 
son,  he  has  succeeded  to  the  management  of  the 
home.stead  and  is  maintaining  it  at  the  high  stan- 
dard of  cultivation  to  which  it  was  brought  by 
his  father.     Besides  a   one-fifth  interest  in  this 


760 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


place  he  has  other  land,  owning  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  half  of  which  he  cultivates,  and 
the  other  half  rents.  He  is  a  capable  young  man, 
and  is  managing  the  estate  in  a  manner  satisfactory 
to  all  concerned.  Like  his  father  he  is  energetic 
and  possesses  keen  judgment  and  sound  common 
sense.  Like  him,  too,  he  is  of  a  quiet,  retiring 
disposition,  little  inclined  to  mingle  in  public 
affairs  or  seek  public  positions  of  prominence. 
In  this  locality,  where  almost  his  entire  life  has 
been  passed,  he  has  many  warm  friends,  and  oc- 
cupies a  high  position  socially. 


AJ.  LEVI  PEMBROKE  MASON,  de- 
ceased, was  born  in  Penfield,  N.  Y. ,  April 
12,  1833,  a  son  of  Jarvis  G.  and  Nancy 
(Pierce)  Mason,  who  lived  upon  a  farm  in  that 
state.  When  he  was  a  child  his  parents  moved  to 
Michigan,  settling  in  Romeo,  Macomb  County, 
and  there  he  was  a  pupil  in  the  common  schools. 
From  an  early  age  it  was  his  ambition  to  become  an 
attorney.  As  soon  as  possible  he  began  the  study 
of  law,  and  in  due  time  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
He  then  went  to  Missouri  an  opened  an  office  in 
Caledonia.  At  the  opening  of  the  war  he  enlisted 
in  Company  I,  Twelfth  Missouri  Cavalry,  which 
he  assisted  in  raising  in  August,  1861,  and  in 
which  he  served  for  six  months.  At  the  expir- 
ation of  his  time,  in  March,  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  H,  Twelfth  Missouri  Regiment,  in 
which  he  continued  for  two  and  one-half  years. 
In  October,  1864,  he  was  transferred  to  Company 
I,  Thirteenth  Missouri  Cavalry,  and  was  com- 
missioned second  lieutenant  at  Denver,  Colo.,  in 
December,  1865.  He  was  honorably  discharged 
at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kans.,  July  3,  1866. 

Coming  to  Lawrence  immediately  after  his 
discharge  from  the  army.  Major  Mason  continued 
to  make  this  place  his  home  until  he  died.  In 
Masonry  he  was  for  years  a  prominent  figure. 
He  was  a  charter  member  of  Valley  Lodge  No. 
30,  A.  F.  &A.  M.,  of  which  he  was  master  in 
1867,  1868  and  1869;  treasurer  in  1870,  1871, 
1872  and  1873;  senior  warden  in  1874,  and  master 
in  1875.  In  1875  he  became  a  member  of  Law- 
rence Lodge  No.  6,  of  which  he  was  master  in 


1879,  and  from  which  he  was  demitted  April  11, 
1 88 1.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  defunct 
Valley  Lodge  No.  30,  of  which  he  was  master  in 
18S1,  secretary  in  1882  and  tyler  in  1883.  He 
was  assistant  lecturer  in  1874,  1882  and  1883, 
and  custodian  from  1874  to  1881  inclusive.  He 
was  also  connected  with  the  chapter  and  Knights 
Templar.  In  the  organization  of  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  he  took  an  active  part, 
and  was  one  of  the  officials  of  the  lodge  in  Law- 
rence. In  politics  he  was  a  Republican.  He  was 
a  well-educated  man,  with  literary  tastes  and  high 
culture,  and  his  death,  January  6,  1885,  was 
mourned  by  his  many  friends  whose  respect  he 
had  won  by  his  upright  life  and  noble  principles. 


RS.  EMELIE  H.  MASON,  the  widow  of 
Maj.  L-  P.  Mason,  is  a  member  of  an  old 
and  well-known  eastern  family.  Her  father, 
Cyrus  Anson  Robinson,  who  was  a  son  of  Jona- 
than Robinson  and  a  brother  of  ex-Governor 
Robinson  of  Kansas,  was  born  in  Hardwick, 
Mass. ,  and  in  early  life  followed  the  occupations 
of  farmer  and  builder.  At  the  time  of  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California  he  and  his  brother 
started  for  the  west,  crossing  the  plains  to  the 
Pacific  coast.  Unfortunately  he  became  sepa- 
rated from  his  brother,  who  was  a  successful  phy- 
sician, and  falling  sick  with  the  cholera  he  had 
no  medical  attention,  and  died  November  12, 
1850,  in  Sacramento,  where  he  was  buried.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  thirty-four  years 
of  age.  Had  his  life  been  spared,  he  would  prob- 
ably have  attained  an  eminence  equal  to  that 
reached  by  his  brother,  for  he  was  a  man  of 
great  ability,  a  stanch  advocate  of  anti-slavery 
and  possessed  the  determination  and  force  of 
character  that  bring  success. 

The  mother  of  Mrs.  Mason  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Jane  Ann  Mandell,  and  was  born  in 
Barry,  Mass.,  May  28,  1S21,  a  daughter  of  Mason 
and  Luthera  (Gorhara)  Mandell,  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  Moses  and  Abigail  (Mason)  Mandell. 
At  the  opening  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  Moses 
Mandell  enlisted  in  the  continental  array  and  was 
made  aide-de-camp  to  his  brother-in-law.  Major- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


761 


General  Warner.  At  the  alarm  of  Lexington 
he  hastened  to  the  protection  of  that  town.  While 
he  was  serving  in  the  battle  ofBrandywine  he  found 
a  gun  unmounted  because  the  men  had  all  been 
shot  down.  He  at  once  dismounted  and  served 
alone  at  the  gun.  He  was  known  as  Major 
Mandell. 

In  November,  1867,  Mrs.  Robinson  came  to 
Lawrence,  Kans.,  accompanied  by  her  two  daugh- 
ters, Emelie  H.  and  Mary  Lawton.  She  con- 
tinued to  make  her  home  in  this  city  until  her 
death,  which  occurred  March  3,  1899.  Eight 
days  later  her  younger  daughter  passed  from 
earth,  leaving  Mrs.  Mason  the  only  representa- 
tive of  the  famil}'.  Her  sister  was  a  very  cul- 
tured woman,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
work  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Revolution,  also 
in  the  Republican  Club  of  Kansas.  The  educa- 
tional advantages  enjoyed  by  Mrs.  Mason  were 
such  as  to  qualify  her  for  successful  work  as  a 
teacher,  which  profession  she  followed  for  five 
years  in  Massachusetts  and  for  two  years  in  Law- 
rence. In  this  city,  May  29,  1870,  she  became 
the  wife  of  Major  Mason,  whose  faithful  help- 
mate she  remained  until  his  death  fifteen  years 
later,  and  since  that  time  she  has  devoted  herself 
to  the  education  and  training  of  her  three  sons. 
Theeldestofthe.se  sons,  Myron  Robinson  Mason, 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Kansas  in  1896 
with  the  degree  of  Ph.G.,  and  is  now  hospital 
steward  in  the  marine  hospital  at  Portland,  Me. 
The  second  son,  Ernest  Gladden  Mason,  is  agent 
for  the  Santa  Fe  road  at  Burden,  Kans.  The 
youngest,  Lynne  Emerson  Mason,  is  studying 
electrical  engineering  in  the  University  of  Kansas. 


r^IUS  H.  BAUER,  of  Leavenworth,  was  born 
L/  in  this  city  July  9,  1861,  a  son  of  Sebastian 
[^  and  Annie  (McHale)  Bauer.  His  father, 
who  was  a  native  of  Germany,  emigrated  to 
America  in  early  life  and  has  since  made  his  home 
in  Leavenworth.  During  his  residence  in  Ger- 
many he  followed  the  rope-maker's  trade,  but 
since  coming  to  Kansas  he  has  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits,  and  is  now  the  proprietor  of  a 
grocery  on  ShavVnee   .street.     Of   three  children, 


the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest.  He  was 
educated  in  private  schools  in  Leavenworth  and 
when  very  young  began  to  be  interested  in  pho- 
tography, with  which  business  he  has  since  been 
identified.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  began 
in  business  on  his  own  account,  since  which  time 
he  has  steadily  striven  to  learn  all  the  improve- 
ments made  in  the  science  and  keep  in  touch 
with  its  developments.  Beginning  on  a  small 
scale,  he  was  greatly  hampered  in  getting  a  start, 
but  worked  earnestly  and  with  determination,  and 
put  all  the  money  he  could  spare  into  the  latest 
appliances.  He  finally  overcame  all  the  obsta- 
cles with  which  he  had  to  contend  and  earned 
a  reputation  for  excellence  of  work.  By  artistic 
posing  of  subjects  and  by  the  fine  finish  of 
photographs,  he  won  the  admiration  of  his  cus- 
tomers. As  a  result  of  his  energy  and  persever- 
ance he  has  gained  a  reputation  as  an  artist  sec- 
ond to  none  in  the  city. 

In  1897  Mr.  Bauer  made  a  display  of  his  work 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Photographers'  Association 
of  America.  There,  in  competition  with  the  finest 
artists  in  his  line  from  all  parts  of  the  country, 
he  was  awarded  the  first  medal  in  the  class  in 
which  he  exhibited.  At  the  convention  of  1898 
of  the  same  association  (which  is  the  only  na- 
tional organization  of  photographers)  he  was 
awarded  the  medals  in  two  different  classes.  In 
competition,  in  1897  and  1898,  at  the  meeting  of 
the  Photographers'  Association  of  Kansas,  he 
was  also  awarded  medals.  In  July,  1S99,  the 
Photographers'  Association  of  America  awarded 
him  two  medals,  first  prizes  on  two  entries.  His 
work  has  stood  the  test  of  compari.son,  both  with 
the  best  of  its  kind  in  the  state,  and  al.so  with 
the  exhibits  at  the  national  meetings,  where  the 
judges  are  experts.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
genre  work,  in  series  of  character  pictures.  Be- 
sides his  exhibits  at  conventions,  he  has  also  had 
displays  at  various  fairs,  and  has  always  received 
premium  or  high  commendation. 

Interested  in  fraternal  organizations,  Mr.  Bauer 
has  joined  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men, 
Maccabees,  Foresters  of  America  (of  which  he 
•was  secretary  for  some  time),  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  National  Union,  and   has   held  the  chairs  in 


762 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


mostof  them.  In  1890  he  married  Miss  Virginia 
Cook,  of  Kickapoo,  Kans.  Of  their  three  chil- 
dren, two  are  living,  Virginia  and  Ruth.  Mr. 
Bauer  has  recently  purchased  a  home  at  No.  214 
North  Broadway,  where  he  now  resides. 


30HN  McCURRY,  who  is  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Franklin  County,  is  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising  on  section  13, Ottawa  Town- 
ship. He  was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  111., 
June  9,  1839,  a  few  months  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  John  McCurry,  Sr. ,  a  native  of  Indiana. 
He  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm  and  received  a 
common-school  education.  While  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  and  at 
the  first  call  for  volunteers  he  determined  to  en- 
list. April  19,  1861,  his  name  was  enrolled  in 
the  Union  army  and  he  was  ordered  to  Spring- 
field, 111.,  where,  however,  he  was  rejected. 
Later,  he  met  with  better  success.  August  12, 
1862,  he  was  assigned  to  Company  L,  Third  Illi- 
nois Cavalry.  With  his  regiment  he  took  part  in 
the  battles  of  Arkansas  Post,  and  those  around 
Vicksburg,  Champion  Hill  and  Black  River.  In 
a  cavalry  skirmish  in  Louisiana  he  was  shot 
through  the  ankle  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy,  but  was  recaptured  by  his  own  forces  the 
same  day.  His  wound  proved  to  be  a  serious 
one,  and  pieces  of  the  bone  were  taken  out  at 
various  times  during  the  following  year.  He 
was  honorably  discharged  May  23,  1865. 

In  August,  1865,  Mr.  McCurry  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  bought  eighty  acres  of  bare  prairie  land 
in  Ottawa  Township,  Franklin  County.  He  put 
up  the  first  shantj'  and  broke  the  first  land  in  his 
neighborhood.  With  another  man  he  "bached" 
for  some  time,  and  often,  for  weeks  at  a  time, 
they  were  without  even  a  glimpse  of  any  white 
men  but  themselves.  His  most  difficult  task  was 
the  securing  of  a  start,  but  at  last  he  found  him- 
self making  satisfactory  progress.  By  subsequent 
purchase  he  has  become  the  owner  of  two  hun- 
dred acres.  All  of  the  trees  on  the  farm  were 
set  out  by  him,  and  the  shade  trees  surrounding 
the  house  were  raised  from  the  seed.  At  one- 
time he  had  a  large  number  of  stock,  but  now  he 


has  only  about  twenty  head  of  cows,  and  sells  the 
milk  to  the  creamery.  Though  he  has  accumu- 
lated a  competency  that  would  enable  him  to  live 
comfortably  in  retirement,  he  prefers  to  be  busy, 
and  has  no  desire  to  give  up  the  activities  of  life. 
The  Republican  party  has  the  stanch  support 
of  Mr.  McCurry.  For  twenty  years  or  more  he 
has  served  as  clerk  of  the  school  board  and  he 
has  also  filled  the  offices  of  township  clerk  and 
trustee.  By  membership  in  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  he  keeps  in  touch  with  the  veterans 
of  the  Civil  war.  In  religion  he  is  connected 
with  the  Congregational  Church.  His  marriage, 
February  7,  1867,  united  him  with  Eunice  M. 
Seward,  who  was  born  in  Albany  County,  N.  Y., 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Harriett  (Painter) 
Seward.  Her  parents  moved  to  Montgom- 
ery County,  111.,  when  she  was  a  child,  but 
at  the  time  of  her  marriage  she  was  living  in 
Franklin  County,  Kans.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCurry 
have  three  children:  George  G.,  who  married 
Jennie  Diven  and  farms  a  part  of  the  homestead; 
Nettie  D.,  athome;  and  Fannie  E.,  wife  of  Willis 
Rodgers,  a  farmer  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
Ottawa  Township. 


HENRY  G.  BREESE  is  the  owner  of  a  large 
farm  in  Reno  Township.  In  1883  he  re- 
moved from  Illinois  to  Kansas  and  bought 
the  Burr  Oak  farm  in  Leavenworth  County. 
Upon  this  place,  which  consists  of  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres,  he  has  since  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising.  In  the  stock  business 
his  specialty  has  been  Poland-China  hogs,  but  he 
has  also  been  interested  in  feeding  cattle.  On 
his  farm  he  has  a  large  orchard,  planted  to  the 
various  varieties  of  fruit  trees,  and  he  has  found 
horticulture  a  valuable  adjunct  to  general  farming. 
The  Breese  family  came  from  Holland  to  New 
York  state  in  colonial  days.  Maj.  Henry  G. 
Breese,  our  subject's  father,  was  born  near  Hoo- 
sick,  N.  Y.,  and  during  the  war  of  1812  he 
served  in  the  American  army,  receiving  a  com- 
mission as  major  in  recognition  of  his  bravery. 
He  remained  a  resident  of  New  York  state  until 
1863,  when  he  moved  to  Greenville,  Mich.,  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


763 


there  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent.  His 
principal  occupation  was  that  of  mechanical  en- 
gineering, and  he  had  many  important  contracts 
from  states  and  counties  for  the  building  of 
bridges.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  He 
married  Lana  Martin,  who  died  in  New  York  at 
forty  years  of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of 
five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  two, 
Henry  G.  and  DeWitt  C,  beiug  residents  of 
Reno  Township. 

In  Washington  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was 
born  December  7,  1824,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
received  such  advantages  as  the  schools  of  his 
neighborhood  ailorded.  In  1847  he  settled  in 
Fulton  County,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in  car- 
pentering and  farming.  From  there,  in  1S52,  he 
removed  to  Marshall  County,  111.,  where  he 
owned  and  operated  a  farm  for  many  years.  He 
continued  to  reside  in  that  county  until  his  re- 
moval to  Kansas.  The  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  have  received  his  support  and  he  has 
been  actively  identified  with  local  politics. 
Through  his  service  upon  the  school  board  he  has 
been  instrumental  in  promoting  the  welfare  of 
the  local  schools.  He  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  German  Baptist  Church,  in  the  work  of 
which  he  has  been  warmly  interested.  March  31, 
1858, he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Phenicie, 
of  Leavenworth  County.  The  children  born  of 
their  union  are  named  as  follows:  Charles  E.; 
Joseph  P.;  John  H.;  Frank  S.;  Eva  A.,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Henry  W,  Benton;  Emma  J.,  who 
married  A.  W.  Scott;  and  Hattie  B. ,  who  is  with 
her  parents. 

^HOMAS  McFARLAND.  Having  resided 
I  C  in  the  Kaw  Valley  since  1864,  Mr.  McFar- 
\2/  land  is  familiar  with  its  progress  and  has 
contributed  his  quota  to  the  development  of  its 
resources.  On  settling  here  he  purchased  forty 
acres  of  Shawnee  land  in  Eudora  Township, 
Douglas  County,  and  has  since  added  to  it  until  he 
now  owns  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  Upon 
this  place  he  has  since  resided,  engaged  in  raising 
stock  (with  a  specialty  of  hogs)  and  also  in  rais- 
ing such  farm  products  as  best  suit  the  .soil.  He 
was   one   of  the   organizers    of   school    district 


No.  12,  of  which  he  has  since  served  as  a  direc- 
tor. In  politics  he  votes  with  the  Republicans. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  served  for  ninety  days 
as  a  member  of  the  home  guard,  which  helped  to 
drive  Price  out  of  Kansas.  Both  in  times  of 
peace  and  war  he  has  done  his  part  to  preserve 
the  honor  of  Kansas  and  enlarge  its  influence  in 
the  west. 

Robert  McFarland,  our  subject's  great-grand- 
father, came  from  Scotland  and  settled  in  eastern 
Pennsylvania,  but  later  moved  to  Indiana  Coun- 
ty, the  same  state.  Crossing  the  ocean  prior  to 
the  Revolutionary  war,  when  he  was  a  young 
man,  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  his  part  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  became  an  extensive  miller 
and  farmer,  owning  several  hundred  acres  of  land 
which  he  took  up  from  the  government.  His 
grandson,  Robert,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Indiana 
County,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  in  early 
and  middle  life.  The  year  1854  found  him  in 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  but  he  rernained  there  six 
months  only.  In  September  of  the  same  year  he 
came  to  Kansas  and  settled  near  old  Franklin, 
where  he  entered  and  improved  eighty  acres  of 
government  land.  Selling  the  property  in  186 1, 
he  moved  to  Tonganoxie  Township,  Leavenworth 
County,  where  he  purchased  three  hundred  acres 
and  engaged  in  farming  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  meeting  with  fair  success.  As  a  Repub- 
lican he  was  active  in  politics,  and  for  two  terms 
he  .served  as  township  tru.stee.  Before  Kansas 
was  admitted  to  the  union  he  served  in  the  terri- 
torial legislature  and,  with  the  other  members  of 
the  house,  was  arrested  at  the  time  of  the  Big 
Springs  constitutional  convention.  He  was  a 
stanch  advocate  of  the  abolition  of  slavery  and 
the  admission  of  Kansas  as  a  free  state,  and  never 
hesitated,  whatever  his  surroundings,  to  express 
his  opinions  boldly.  He  died  in  1886,  when  sev- 
enty-three years  of  age. 

The  marriage  of  Robert  McFarland,  Jr.,  united 
him  with  Rosanna,  daughter  of  Abram  Lowuian, 
of  Indiana  County,  Pa.,  the  latter  being  a  soldier 
in  the  war  of  18 1 2,  and  by  occupation  a  farmer 
and  also  a  tanner.  She  died  at  the  old  home- 
stead in  Leavenworth  County  in  1S84,  when 
.seventy  years  of  age.    Of  her  eleven  children  only 


764 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


two  are  now  living,  Thomas  and  Winfield  Scott, 
the  latter  living  in  Leavenworth  County.  The 
former,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  in  Indiana  County,  Pa.,  December  25,  1833, 
and  in  boyhood  attended  common  schools.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Kansas  and  settled  with  them  near  Franklin. 
In  1864  he  came  from  there  to  his  present  loca- 
tion in  the  Kaw  Valley.  June  16,  1863,  he  mar- 
ried Nancy  J.  Garven,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  Garven,  the  former  of  Scotch 
and  the  latter  of  Irish  descent.  Mrs.  McFarland 
was  born  in  Illinois,  and  has  two  sons:  William 
G.,  who  assists  in  the  cultivation  of  the  home 
farm;  and  Fred,  deceased.  William  G.  married 
Bertha  Van  Tries,  and  they  have  two  children 
living,  Bernice  and  Paul .  The  family  is  connected 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  con- 
tributes to  its  maintenance. 


HON.  T.  G.  V.  BOLING,  M.  D., 
was  born  in  Holmes  County,  Ohio,  the  son 
of  a  pioneer  farmer  of  that  section  of  the 
state.  His  education  was  thorough  and  prepared 
him  for  the  successful  practice  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession. After  having  graduated  from  the  Cleve- 
land Medical  College  he  opened  an  office  in 
Holmes  County  and  there  became  a  well-known 
physician  and  surgeon.  During  the  Civil  war  he 
acted  as  examining  surgeon  of  those  who  had 
been  drafted  into  the  service.  Coming  west,  in 
1865,  he  settled  in  Leavenworth,  but  soon  re- 
moved to  a  farm  in  High  Prairie  Township. 
When  the  Leavenworth,  Topeka  and  Southwest- 
ern Railroad  was  built  through  the  county,  a  sta- 
tion was  established  near  his  farm  and  was  named 
Boling,  in  his  honor.  In  connection  with  the 
management  of  his  property  he  continued  medical 
practice.  He  became  influential  in  public  affairs. 
The  high  standing  which  he  had  attained  among 
his  fellow-citizens  made  him  an  excellent  candi- 
date for  his  party  to  select  for  positions  of  trust. 
He  accepted  a  nomination  for  the  state  senate  in 
1884  and  was  elected  to  that  body.  In  the  re- 
sponsible position  to  which  he  was  called  he 
maintained  the  reputation  for  honesty  and  ability 


he  had  previously  established.  His  service  was 
such  as  to  reflect  credit  upon  himself  and  give  . 
satisfaction  to  his  constituents.  On  his  retire- 
ment from  office  he  resumed  professional  and  ag- 
ricultural duties,  and  in  these  he  continued  until 
his  death  in  June,  1893.  His  body  was  interred 
in  a  cemetery  near  his  home  in  High  Prairie 
Township. 

Dr.  Boling  married  Mary  F.  Long,  who  was 
born  in  Ohio  and  died  in  Kansas  in  1871.  Of 
their  three  children,  only  one  is  now  living, 
Robert  L.  Boling,  M.  D.  Mrs.  Boling  was  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Long,  a  native  of  Fayette 
County,  Pa.,  and  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  An 
early  settler  of  Ohio,  he  there  built  and  operated 
a  mill,  also  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business, 
and  later  became  the  head  of  the  Long  &  Brown 
Banking  Company,  at  Millersbiirg,  Ohio.  On 
withdrawing  from  that  concern  he  established 
the  Commercial  Bank  of  Millersburg,  of  which 
he  was  president  and  sole  proprietor,  and  which 
is  now  conducted  by  a  son-in-law  and  wife. 


ROBERT  L.  BOLING,  M.  D.,  of  Leaven- 
worth, one  of  the  rising  young  physicians  of 
this  city,  was  born  at  Boling  Station,  Leav- 
enworth County,  February  i,  1867,  and  is  the 
son  of  Hon.  T.  G.  V.  Boling,  M.  D.,  late  of  this 
county.  In  youth  he  was  given  good  educational 
advantages,  both  in  the  common  schools  and  the 
Lawrence  Business  College.  His  rudimentary 
knowledge  of  the  medical  profession  he  obtained 
under  the  preceptorship  of  his  father.  In  1894 
he  matriculated  in  the  University  Medical  Col- 
lege, of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1897,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  On  his 
return  to  Leavenworth  he  opened  an  office  for 
general  practice  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to 
professional  work.  He  holds  the  position  of 
treasurer  in  the  Leavenworth  Hospital  Associa- 
tion. 

In  fraternal  organizations  Dr.  Boling  is  promi- 
nent and  influential.  He  is  past  chancellor  of 
Ivanhoe  Lodge  No.  14,  K.  of  P.,  and  assistant 
surgeon  (with  the  rank  of  captain)  in  the  First 
Regiment  of  Kansas,  U.  R.     In   Masonry  he  is 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


765 


also  active,  being  a  member  of  King  Solomon 
Ivodge  No.  10,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Topeka  Con- 
sistory, Scottish  Rite.  While  he  has  never  taken 
a  prominent  part  in  politics,  yet  he  is  firm  in  his 
convictions  upon  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  na- 
tional progress  or  local  prosperity,  and  he  sup- 
ports Republican  principles. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Boling  took  place  in  High 
Prairie  Township  and  united  him  with  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Zina  A.  Mason,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  and  during  territorial  days  migrated  to 
Kansas,  settling  in  High  Prairie  Township, 
Leavenworth  County,  where  she  was  born.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  he  was  a  lieutenant  in  a  Kansas 
regiment,  which  took  a  very  active  part  in  driv- 
ing Price  out  of  the  state. 


(3  AMUEL  COCHRAN.  The  life  and  charac- 
^\  ter  of  Mr.  Cochran,  for  years  inseparably 
\Z/  associated  with  the  history  of  Leavenworth, 
left  an  impress  upon  the  business  interests  and 
the  religious  standing  of  his  city.  He  was  a  man 
whose  principles  of  honor  were  the  highest  and 
whose  reputation  remained  untarnished  through- 
out a  long,  active  and  successful  career.  Relig- 
ion formed  the  keynote  of  his  life.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  old  Covenanter  Presbyterian 
Church,  aud  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  various 
institutions  supported  by  his  denomination  at 
home  and  abroad.  In  common  with  the  mem- 
bership of  that  church  he  was  strict  in  the  ob- 
servance of  the  doctrines  and  forms  of  religion. 
Especially  was  he  careful  in  the  observance  of 
the  Sabbath  day  and  carried  out  in  his  life  the 
command,  "Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep 
it  holy."  No  stress  of  business  and  no  offered 
social  relaxation  ever  tempted  him  to  do  the 
least  thing  not  in  strictest  accord  with  the  tenets 
of  his  faith.  He  was  a  daily  reader  and  student 
of  the  Bible.  While  firm  in  his  doctrinal  belief, 
he  was  not  narrow,  but  admired  a  man  for  his 
own  merits,  even  if  differing  from  him  in  religious 
views. 

In  the  north  of  Ireland  Mr.  Cochran  was  born 
February  i,  1829.  He  came  to  America  in  boy- 
hood with  his  brother,  William,  following  their 


older  brother,  John,  who  had  come  to  the  United 
States  a  few  years  before.  He  apprenticed  him- 
self to  the  carpenter's  trade  in  New  York  Citj', 
where  he  remained  for  some  years.  His  brother, 
John,  had  established  a  business  at  Enterprise, 
Miss.,  and  in  1843  he  joined  him  and  was  inter- 
ested in  a  department  store  for  twelve  years. 
Later  he  engaged  in  the  grain  business  for  him- 
self in  St.  Louis.  From  there  he  came  to  the 
new  town  of  Leavenworth,  of  which  he  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers,  finding  the  place  a  small 
hamlet,  overgrown  with  brush  and  destitute  of 
sidewalks.  He  opened  a  grocery  on  the  corner 
of  Third  and  Shawnee  streets  in  a  building  that 
is  still  standing.  Here  he  built  up  a  profitable 
business.  After  a  few  years  he  decided  to  en- 
gage in  the  wholesale  grocery  business,  so  dis- 
posed of  the  retail  store,  and,  with  a  partner, 
started  under  the  firm  name  of  Cochran  &  Bitt- 
man.  Later  O.  B.  Taylor  was  taken  into  the 
firm.  This  partnership  was  continued  until  1878, 
when  Mr.  Cochran  sold  out  his  interest  and  or- 
ganized the  wholesale  grocery  firm  of  Cochran, 
Carroll  &  Beckham  at  Kansas  City.  After  sev- 
eral years  of  successful  business  there  he  retired 
from  that  line  of  business  and  invested  in  Kansas 
City  real  estate,  continuing  interested  in  property 
matters  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred November  24,  1889.  For  several  years 
he  was  president  of  the  German  Savings  Bank  in 
Leavenworth. 

His  summers  for  three  years  prior  to  his  death 
Mr.  Cochran  spent  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  where 
he  was  interested  in  property  and  had  planned  to 
establish  his  home.  His  last  daj'  on  earth  was 
spent  in  looking  after  and  settling  up  with  some 
workmen  who  had  been  repairing  a  bank  build- 
ing in  Kansas  City.  On  his  return  home  he  had 
a  six  o'clock  dinner  and  retired  in  his  usual 
health.  At  four  o'clock  the  next  morning  his 
spirit  took  its  flight.  Many  instances  of  his  char- 
ity are  known,  but  the  greater  part  of  his  kindly 
deeds  were  never  known  except  to  the  recipient, 
as  he  abhorred  any  show  or  ostentation,  and  what 
he  gave  was  never  alluded  to  by  himself.  He 
was  much  more  disposed  to  help  the  poor  per- 
sonally than  through   the  medium  of  organized 


766 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


charities,  believing  the  relief  would  be  more  effec- 
tive and  prompt.  Many  deserving  5'oung  men 
received  aid  from  him.  His  own  relatives,  too, 
were  the  recipients  of  his  bounty.  Upon  the 
death  of  his  brother,  William,  he  assisted  the  lat- 
ter's  children,  whom  he  helped  to  rear  and  edu- 
cate. One  of  them,  William,  is  now  in  New  York 
City,  John  K.  lives  in  Leavenworth,  and  Marga- 
ret is  a  teacher  in  the  Leavenworth  schools. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Cochran  united  him  with 
Miss  Nettie  Wilson,  who  was  born  in  Westfield 
(near  Buffalo),  N.  Y.,  where  she  was  reared  and 
educated.  She  is  a  cultured  ladj'  and  was  for 
some  years  a  member  of  the  Art  League,  the  Or- 
phan Asylum  board  and  connected  with  other 
charities;  but  upon  the  death  of  her  husband,  it 
required  so  much  of  her  time  to  attend  to  the 
settlement  of  the  estate  that  she  was  obliged  to 
relinquish  outside  matters.  She  is  a  member  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  and  a  liberal  con- 
tributor to  religious  and  charitable  work. 


30HN  M.  McCORMICK,  M.  D.,  who  for 
years  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  Leavenworth,  was 
born  on  a  farm  lying  on  the  banks  of  the  Susque- 
hanna River  in  Pennsylvania ,  near  the  city  of  Lock- 
haven.  His  father,  Robert,  a  native  of  the  same 
place,  spent  his  entire  life  on  the  home  farm,  and 
in  addition  to  the  management  of  the  estate  took 
an  active  part  in  local  affairs.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Whig  and  on  that  ticket  was  elected  county  com- 
missioner. His  religious  faith  was  in  sympathy 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  died  when 
sixty-five  years  of  age.  The  farm  where  he  lived 
had  been  entered  by  his  father,  John  McCormick, 
a  native  of  the  north  of  Ireland,  but  from  sixteen 
years  of  age  a  resident  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
took  up  land  from  the  government,  cleared  a 
farm,  aud  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

When  a  boy  Dr.  McCormick  attended  the  pub- 
lic school  and  an  academy  in  Lockhaven.  At 
twenty  years  of  age  he  began  to  read  medicine 
with  Dr.  A.  B.  Massey,  of  that  city,  under  whose 
supervision  he  gained  a  rudimentary  knowledge 
of  the  profession.     Afterward  for  three  years  he 


was  a  student  in  Jefferson  Medical  College  of 
Philadelphia,  from  which  he  graduated.  Begin- 
ning practice  in  Lycoming  County,  Pa.,  he,  how- 
ever, soon  returned  to  Lockhaven,  and  there 
practiced  for  several  years.  Next  he  went  to 
California,  stopping  for  a  short  time  in  Cuba 
while  en  route  to  the  west.  He  located  in  Ne- 
vada City,  opened  an  ofiice  there  and  engaged 
in  practice.  He  also  owned  mining  interests  in 
California.  In  both  mining  and  professional 
work  he  was  successful.  On  his  return  east 
he  practiced  for  a  time  in  partnership  with  Dr. 
Lichtenthaler,  of  Lockhaven,  but  in  1862,  when 
the  latter  resigned  his  commission  as  surgeon  in 
the  army.  Dr.  McCormick  determined  to  come  to 
Kansas.  During  that  j'ear  he  settled  in  Leaven- 
worth, where  he  has  since  been  in  continuous 
practice.  For  a  time  in  the  Civil  war  he  filled  a 
vacancy  as  surgeon  and  also  acted  as  surgeon  for 
the  volunteers  in  Leavenworth.  His  practice  is 
general  and  he  has  gained  an  enviable  reputation 
for  skill  in  his  profession.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  and  in  politics  casts  his  vote 
with  the  Republicans,  whose  party  principles  he 
upholds. 

In  1864  Dr.  McCormick  married  Miss  Anna 
P.  Massey,  of  Lockhaven,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  A.  B. 
Massey. 

Dr.  McCormick  has  had  the  benefit  of  travel 
through  many  parts  of  the  western  continent. 
Several  years  ago,  while  on  a  tour  through  the 
Spanish- American  countries,  including  the  West 
Indies,  he  visited  many  points  of  great  historic 
interest,  among  them  the  tomb  of  Christopher 
Columbus.  He  has  also  had  a  great  and  varied 
experience  as  a  surgeon,  in  which  he  has  met 
with  almost  unbounded  success,  frequently  saving 
members  of  the  human  body  in  cases  where  most 
surgeons  would  unhesitatingly  have  resorted  to 
amputation.  His  disposition  is  of  the  kindest, 
and  his  cheerful  presence  in  the  sick  room  has 
frequently  resulted  in  as  great  benefit  to  the 
sufferer  as  the  medicine  administered. 

In  the  possession  of  Dr.  McCormick  is  a  collec- 
tion of  curios  %vell  calculated  to  excite  the  interest 
of  all  who  are  privileged  to  view  them.  Many  of 
these  have  been  obtained  from  time  to  time  in  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


767 


course  of  his  long  and  varied  career  as  a  prac- 
titioner, and  all  are  highlj' prized  by  this  eminent 
pioneer  physician  and  surgeon. 


(TOHN  BOLLIN.  Having  been  born  and 
I  reared  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  Mr. 
(2/  Bollin  is  familiar  with  this  section  of  country 
and  has  witnessed  the  changes  made  here  during 
the  past  thirty  or  more  years.  Since  he  pur- 
chased the  old  homestead  from  the  other  heirs 
he  has  given  its  cultivation  and  improvement  the 
closest  attention,  and  by  industry  and  intelligence 
has  increased  its  value.  The  property  consists 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  situated  on  sec- 
tion 29,  Kickapoo  Township,  Leavenworth 
County.  Through  careful  selection  of  seed  to  be 
planted,  and  through  a  judicious  rotation  of  crops, 
the  best  results  have  been  secured  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  land.  All  of  the  cereals  are  raised, 
but  a  specialty  is  made  of  wheat  and  corn.  In 
addition  to  general  farming  he  engages  in  stock- 
raising,  and  owns  a  number  of  Poland-China 
hogs  and  jacks,  also  cattle  and  horses.  He  is  a 
progressive  farmer,  and  avails  himself  of  every 
opportunity  for  promoting  the  interests  of  his 
farm  and  increasing  the  returns  therefrom. 
At  the  same  time  he  does  not  neglect  his  duty 
as  a  citizen,  but  supports  measures  calculated 
to  benefit  the  people  of  his  community,  and 
has  been  especially  active  in  his  advocacy  of  a 
system  of  good  roads,  realizing  that  nothing  so 
enhances  the  prosperity  of  a  community  as  the 
excellent  condition  of  its  roads.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat  and  frequently  attends  the  conven- 
tions of  his  party. 

Born  December  29,  1862,  Mr.  Bollin  is  a  son 
of  Jerome  and  Jacobine  (Schultheis)  Bollin,  both 
nativ^es  of  Germany,  who  emigated  to  America 
and  settled  in  Weston,  Mo.,  thence  came  to  Kan- 
sas in  i860.  From  that  time  they  made  their 
home  on  a  farm  one-half  mile  west  of  Kickapoo, 
where  their  father  engaged  in  grain  and  stock 
farming.  A  leading  Democrat  of  his  vicinity,  he 
served  as  township  treasurer  and  in  other  local 
positions  of  trust.  In  religion  he  was  a  Roman 
Catholic.     His  death  occurred  in  1873,  when  he 


was  forty-five  years  of  age.  By  his  marriage  to 
Jacobine  Schultheis  he  had  six  children,  of  whom 
four  are  living:  Mrs.  Mary  Klasinski;  Josephine, 
wife  of  J.  A.  Aaron;  Lucy,  Mrs.  Michael  Molloy; 
and  John.  Mrs.  Bollin  is  .still  living  and  makes 
her  home  with  Mrs.  Molloy,  in  Kickapoo. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  took  place  Novem- 
ber 14,  1888,  and  united  him  with  Clara  Aaron, 
daughter  of  John  Aaron,  of  Leavenworth.  They 
have  five  children,  viz.:  John  J.,  Aloysius  R., 
Frank  J.,  Clara  H.  and  George  A.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Kickapoo  Catholic  Church, 
and  Mr.  Bollin  is  active  in  the  work  of  the  Cath- 
olic Mutual  Benefit  Association,  being  a  promi- 
nent worker  in  the  local  lodge,  in  which  he  has 
filled  the  offices  of  president  and  recording  secre- 
tary. Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America. 


EAPT.  EDWARD  MUNK,  proprietor  of  the 
Lawrence  Roofing  Company's  business  in 
Lawrence,  was  born  on  Kirkland  Flats,  near 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  1836,  a  son  of  Edward  and 
Sarah  (Baker)  Munk.  His  father,  who  was  born 
eighteen  miles  from  London,  England,  was  a 
teamster  for  a  large  land  owner  there.  After  his 
marriage  he  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
Ohio,  but  about  1842  removed  to  Illinois,  settling 
upon  an  unimproved  tract  in  DuPage  County, 
from  which  he  improved  a  fine  farm.  On  selling 
his  land  he  retired  from  business  cares  and  estab- 
lished his  home  in  Nunda,  111.,  where  he  died. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  a 
contributor  to  its  enterprises.  His  wife  was  born 
near  London  and  died  in  Batavia,  111.,  in  1897. 
They  were  the  parents  often  children,  who  grew 
to  manhood  and  womanhood,  of  whom  Edward 
was  the  oldest  son  and  third  child.  One  of  the 
sons,  Joseph,  who  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  Union 
army,  died  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.  Another  son, 
James  C,  was  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Illinois  Infantry  and  was  killed  at  Resaca. 
Six  of  the  family  are  now  living,  viz. :  Mrs.  Jen- 
nings, of  Lawrence;  Betsey  and  Sarah,  in  Illinois; 
Lewis  B.,  who  lives  in  Republic  County,  Kans. ; 
Susan,  of  Illinois;  and  Edward. 


768 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


From  the  age  of  six  3-ears  Captain  Munk  was 
reared  in  Illinois,  where  he  attended  public  school 
and  Warrenville  Seminary.  He  worked  on  a 
farm  until  nineteen  years  of  age,  after  which  he 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  later  followed  the 
millwright's  trade  in  Illinois,  Kentucky,  Ten- 
nessee aud  Mississippi.  When  the  war  broke 
out  he  was  working  in  the  south,  where  he  was 
building  a  house  under  contract.  He  attempted 
to  finish  the  job,  but  finding  it  impossible,  he 
left,  although  by  so  doing  he  lost  considerable 
mone}'.  He  went  to  St.  Louis  on  the  steamer 
"Silver  Moon,"  aud  from  there  proceeded  home. 
In  September,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  D, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois  Infantr}^,  and 
was  mustered  in  at  Dixon,  after  which  he  was  or- 
dered to  Gallatin,  Tenn.  He  held  the  commis- 
sion of  first  sergeant  for  a  time  and  in  1863  was 
commissioned  captain  in  the  Fourteenth  United 
States  Colored  Troops,  which  were  detailed  at 
Chattanooga.  After  the  battle  of  Resaca  he  took 
his  brother's  body  back  to  Illinois  for  burial. 
Later  he  was  at  Knoxville  and  Nashville,  where 
five  holes  were  shot  through  his  coat  and  where 
Hood's  army  was  demoralized.  He  followed 
Hood  and  assisted  in  driving  him  out  of  the 
country,  after  which  he  fought  guerillas.  In  the 
summer  of  1865  he  was  mustered  out  at  Nash- 
ville. 

On  returning  home  Captain  Munk  became 
master  mechanic  in  Holliday's  windmill  works 
at  Batavia.  In  1871  he  came  to  Kansas  and  for 
a  year  worked  as  a  carpenter  in  Lawrence,  after 
which  he  was  for  twenty-one  years  master  me- 
chanic and  millwright  in  the  Douglas  County 
flour  mill.  As  superintendent  he  had  charge  of 
the  building  of  the  dam  from  the  first  cribs,  a 
work  for  which  he  is  entitled  to  great  praise.  In 
March,  1896,  he  resigned  his  position  and  started 
the  Lawrence  Roofing  Company,  which  takes 
contracts  for  roofs,  and  also  does  some  building. 
The  shop  is  on  West  Henry  street.  He  was 
married  in  DuPage  County  to  Miss  Addie  Ger- 
maine,  who  was  born  in  Vermont,  but  at  an  early 
age  settled  on  a  farm  in  Illinois.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.     He  is  connected  with  Washington  Post 


No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  and  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Illinois  Veterans'  Association.  In  politics 
he  is  a  true-blue  Republican.  On  that  ticket 
he  was  elected  to  represent  the  first  ward  in  the 
citj-  council,  and  during  his  term  of  two  years 
served  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  streets, 
alleys  and  bridges.  During  his  residence  in 
Illinois  he  was  active  in  Masonry,  but  has  since 
been  demitted. 


HON.  JOHN  C.  CALHOUN.  Though  many 
years  have  passed  since  the  deatli  of  Mr. 
Calhoun  his  prominence  in  public  life  was 
such  that  he  still  lives  in  the  annals  of  our  coun- 
try. He  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  October  14, 
1806,  and  settled  in  the  Mohawk  Vallej-  in  New 
York  during  1821.  After  completing  his  studies 
at  the  Canajoharie  Academy  he  studied  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1830  he  established 
his  home  in  Springfield,  111.,  and  after  serving  in 
the  Black  Hawk  war  taught  school  for  a  time, 
then  took  up  engineering  and  surveying,  and  was 
appointed  surveyor  of  Sangamon  County.  His 
fitness  for  positions  of  trust  led  to  his  selection  for 
numerous  posts  within  the  gift  of  his  fellow-citi- 
zens. In  1838  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature 
on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  two  years  later  he 
was  clerk  of  the  house.  In  1S42  he  was  elected 
circuit  clerk  and  two  years  afterward  served  as 
Democratic  presidential  elector.  In  1S46  he  was 
a  candidate  for  governor  of  Illinois  before  the 
Democratic  state  convention.  From  1849  to  1851 
he  held  the  ofiice  of  mayor  of  Springfield.  In  1852 
he  was  a  candidate  for  congress  and  a  presidential 
elector.  Under  the  administration  of  President 
Pierce,  in  1854,  he  was  appointed  surveyor-gen- 
eral of  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  and  afterward  held 
a  conspicuous  position  in  western  politics,  being 
a  Democratic  leader.  He  was  president  of  the 
Lecompton  convention,  and  served  in  other  posi- 
tions where  executive  ability  and  sound  judg- 
ment were  necessary  qualifications. 

December  29,  1831,  Mr.  Calhoun  married  Miss 
Sarah  Cutter,  who  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
August  24,  18 1 2.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Seth 
Cutter,  who  at  one  time  owned  large  tracts  of 
propertj'  in  Cincinnati,  some  of  which  he  leased 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


769 


I 


for  one  hundred  j'ears.  In  an  early  daj-  he  re- 
moved to  Sangamon  Count)^  111.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  where  his  daughter,  Sarah, 
was  reared.  Nine  children  were  born  to  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calhoun,  of  whom  the 
following  survive:  Elizabeth,  Martha,  Mary 
Brayman,  James  and  Seth.  The  oldest  daughter 
married  Henry  H.  Jackson,  who  served  as  major 
of  the  Third  United  States  Cavalry  in  the  Spanish 
war  and  was  breveted  lieutenant-colonel  for  brav- 
ery on  the  field  of  battle  at  Santiago.  He  now 
has  command  of  Fort  Meyer,  opposite  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  The  daughters  were  educated  in  the 
Sacred  Heart  Convent  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  St. 
Mary's  Academy  at  Leavenworth,  Kans. ,  and  all 
are  cultured  ladies  and  earnest  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  While  the  familj'  were  living 
at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  Mr.  Calhoun  died  there  Octo- 
ber 25,  1859.  The  following  year  the  widow  and 
children  removed  to  Leavenworth,  where  Mrs. 
Calhoun  died  June  10,  1887. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  chapters  in  the  life 
of  Mr.  Calhoun  was  that  pertaining  to  his  con- 
nection with  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  knew  this 
famous  man  when  he  was  poor  and  unknown, 
and  recognized  in  him  those  magnificent  traits 
that  in  later  years  attracted  world-wide  attention. 
The  two  were  opposed  politically  and  often  met 
in  debates  and  campaigns,  where  each  main- 
tained his  position  with  tenacity  and  skill.  In 
spite  of  their  difference  in  politics  they  were 
stanch  friends,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  always  remem- 
bered with  gratitude  Mr.  Calhoun's  kindness  in 
instructing  him  in  surveying.  The  history  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  published  in  McC/ure's  3faga- 
zine  in  1896,  contains  a  portrait  of  Mr.  Calhoun 
and  a  notice  of  his  timely  assistance  given  Lin- 
coln, when  the  latter  was  without  means.  It 
publishes  a  letter  from  Frederick  Hawn,  who 
married  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Calhoun,  and  who  wrote, 
among  other  things,  the  following :  "It  has  been 
related  that  Calhoun  induced  Lincoln  to  studj-  in 
order  to  become  his  deputy.  Presuming  he  was 
ready  to  graduate  and  receive  his  commission,  he 
called  on  Calhoun,  then  living  with  his  father- 
iu-law,  Seth  R.  Cutter,  on  Upper  Lick  Creek. 
After  the  interview  was  concluded  Mr.  Lincoln, 


about  to  depart,  remarked:  '  Calhoun,  I  am  en- 
tirely unable  to  repay  you  for  your  generosity  at 
present.  All  I  have  you  see  on  me,  except  a 
quarter  of  a  dollar  in  my  pocket. '  This  is  a  family 
tradition.  However,  my  wife,  then  a  girl  of  six- 
teen, says  she  distinctly  remembers  this  inter- 
view. After  Lincoln  had  gone,  she  says  she  and 
her  sister,  Mrs.  Calhoun,  commenced  making 
jocular  remarks  about  his  uncanny  appearance 
in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Calhoun,  to  which,  in  sub- 
stance, he  made  this  rejoinder:  '  For  all  that,  he 
is  no  common  man.'  " 


I  O.  McINTlRE.  During  the  early  settle- 
I  C  ment  of  America  John  Mclntire,  a  Scotch- 
U  man,  crossed  the  ocean  and  settled  upon  a 
farm  in  Lancaster,  Pa.,  but  later  removed  to 
.  Wooster,  Ohio.  His  son,  Cornelius  Mclntire, 
who  was  born  in  Beaver  County,  Pa.,  and  settled 
in  Wooster,  Ohio,  engaged  in  farming  during  his 
entire  life  and  died  at  eighty-four  years.  Cor- 
nelius had  a  son,  R.  B.,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Wooster,  and  there  carried  on  a  grain  and  gro- 
cery business,  but  in  1876  removed  to  the  west, 
settling  in  Lyons,  Rice  County,  Kans.  Some 
years  later  he  came  to  Lawrence  and  now  makes 
his  home  at  No.  1321  Massachusetts  street.  He 
married  adaughterof  John  and  Tabitha  (Thomas) 
Culbertson,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  William 
Thomas,  who  built  on  his  farm  the  first  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio.  The  two 
sons  of  R.  B.  Mclntire  are  L.  O.  and  H.  R.,  the 
latter  a  dry -goods  merchant  of  Newton,  Kans. 

After  having  .spent  some  years  in  the  grammar 
and  high  schools  of  Wooster,  at  eighteen  years  of 
age  our  subject  secured  a  position  as  clerk  in  a 
store,  and  during  the  years  that  followed  he 
gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  dry-goods 
business.  He  remained  in  his  native  city,  Woos- 
ter, uutil  he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  He  then 
came  to  Kansas.  In  September,  1878,  he  ar- 
rived in  Lawrence,  where  he  clerked  in  George 
Innes'  dry-goods  store.  Mr.  Mclntire  and  J.  B. 
Shearer  opened  a  dry-goods  and  carpet  store 
at  Ottawa,  under  the  firm  name  of  L.  O.  Mclntire 
&  Co.,  where  they  remained  from  1880  to  1S86. 


770 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Meantime,  in  1SS3,  they  started  a  store  in  Law- 
rence under  the  same  firm  name,  opening  a  stock 
of  dry  goods,  carpets  and  house  furnishing  goods 
at  No.  919  Massachusetts  street.  After  selhng 
the  Ottawa  business  he  gave  his  entire  attention 
to  the  store  at  Lawrence,  remaining  its  manager 
until  he  sold  his  interest,  in  1893,  and  opened  a 
department  store  in  Springfield,  Mo. ,  occupying 
a  four-story  building,  50x130.  However,  the 
management  of  the  large  business  demanded  such 
intense  application  and  constant  thought  that  his 
health  broke  down  beneath  the  strain,  and  in  1896 
he  sold  his  interest  in  the  business.  Afterward, 
accompanied  by  his  wife,  he  made  a  tour  of  Europe, 
visiting  Great  Britain,  Germany,  France,  Swit- 
zerland, Austria,  and  Italy  as  far  south  as  Naples, 
returning  via  the  Netherlands  and  England  and 
thence  home.  The  trip  occupied  nine  months  of 
travel  and  was  not  only  delightful  intellectually 
but  beneficial  physically.  Since  his  return  home 
he  has  taken  a  number  of  shorter  trips,  and  has 
spent  much  of  his  time  in  visiting  points  of  his- 
torical interest  in  old  Mexico,  has  traveled  through 
the  south  and  into  California,  where  he  has  en- 
joyed the  benefits  of  a  perfect  climate  and  beautiful 
scenery.  While  he  is  no  longer  personally  en- 
gaged in  business  as  heretofore,  he  is  by  no 
means  retired.  He  is  interested  in  the  Cripple 
Creek  gold  district  in  Colorado,  owns  considerable 
property  in  Excelsior  Springs,  Mo.,  as  well  as 
large  real-estate  interests  in  Lawrence,  Kansas 
City  and  difierent  parts  of  Missouri. 

The  success  which  Mr.  Mclntire  has  attained 
is  remarkable  when  it  is  considered  that  he  started 
for  himself  in  Kansas  a  stranger,  with  but  limited 
means.  He  had  his  own  way  to  make  in  the 
world.  Possessing  a  faculty  for  business,  he  was 
so  sagacious  in  his  judgment  that  he  was  fortu- 
nate from  the  first.  When  he  began  in  Ottawa 
he  had  a  capital  of  only  $1 ,200,  but  within  three 
and  one-half  years  he  had  cleared  almost  $20,000, 
a  result  of  energy,  determination  and  wise  judg- 
ment. The  stores  that  he  conducted  in  that  city 
and  Lawrence  were  as  large  as  any  either  town 
possessed  and  were  conducted  with  a  keen  super- 
vision and  wise  oversight  characteristic  of  the 
owner.     In  Springfield  he  started  the  first  large 


department  store  in  the  city,  with  a  capital  of 
nearly  $125,000,  the  business  being  conducted 
under  the  firm  title  of  the  Mclntire,  Grubbs  & 
Anderson  Dry  Goods  Company. 

In  Lawrence  Mr.  Mclntire  married  Miss  Clara 
E.  Shearer,  who  was  born  in  Prairie  City,  111., 
and  reared  in  Lawrence,  receiving  an  excellent 
education  in  the  University  of  Kansas.  Her 
father,  Hon.  George  Shearer,  who  was  the  largest 
real-estate  owner  in  this  city  in  early  days,  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  here  and  con- 
tinued successfully  until  he  was  burned  out  at  the 
time  of  Quantrell's  raid.  Later  he  officiated  as 
president  of  the  Ottawa  State  Bank  until  his 
death.  He  was  one  of  the  original  stockholders 
in  the  Farmers'  State  Bank,  which  was  merged 
into  the  Merchants'  National,  and  he  was  also  a 
stockholder  in  the  Lawrence  National  Bank.  His 
death  occurred  in  this  city  January  4,  1890. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Mclntire  served  as  a  trus- 
tee in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  at  this 
writing  he  is  serving  as  deacon.  At  the  time  of 
the  building  of  a  new  house  of  worship  he  served 
as  chairman  of  the  building  committee  having 
charge  of  the  same,  and  he  laid  the  corner  stone 
of  the  new  church  July  12,  1899.  Politically  he 
has  always  been  an  adherent  of  Republican  prin- 
ciples, and  has  voted  that  ticket  at  every  presi- 
dential election  since  he  attained  his  majority. 


HERMAN  BLOCHBERGER,  deceased,  for- 
merly one  of  the  successful  business  men  of 
Leavenworth,  was  born  in  Saxe,  Germany, 
January  22,  1846,  a  son  of  Wilhelm  and  Wilhel- 
mina  (Wohlfrom)  Blochberger.  His  father,  who 
was  a  member  of  an  old  and  prominent  Lutheran 
family  of  Germany,  followed  the  occupation  of  a 
stock-dealer  and  also  served  in  the  army  at  two 
different  times,  taking  part  in  the  war  with 
France.  Of  his  eight  sons,  five  came  to  Amer- 
ica, two  of  whom,  Edward  and  Herman,  settled 
in  Leavenworth,  while  three  remained  in  the 
east. 

In  j'outli  our  subject  learned  the  butcher's 
trade.  He  volunteered  in  the  army  and  served 
in  the  war  of   1S66.     During  one  battle  in  that 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


771 


war  he  and  sixtj'  comrades  were  ordered  to  the 
front.  They  obeyed  the  order  and  went  into  the 
thickest  of  the  fight.  When  the  battle  was  ended 
only  he  and  one  comrade  were  left  out  of  the 
sixty.  He  received  a  sabre  wound  in  the  head, 
which  confined  him  in  a  hospital  for  a  time;  his 
comrade  also  was  wounded.  Of  all  of  the  sixty 
they  alone  lived  to  tell  the  story  of  that  battle. 
Upon  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. Afterward  he  came  to  America  and  for 
a  few  years  worked  in  Chicago.  In  the  spring  of 
1870  he  came  to  Leavenworth,  arriving  in  the 
city  with  only  $1  in  his  possession.  He  secured 
employment  at  his  trade,  and  worked  in  this  way 
for  two  years,  after  which  he  started  a  butcher 
shop  in  North  Leavenworth.  On  selling  out  that 
business  he  started  a  market  on  the  corner  of 
Fifth  and  Olive  streets.  For  $1,600  he  purchased 
two  lots  with  a  small  frame  building.  As  soon 
as  he  was  able  to  do  so  he  built  a  brick  store  of 
three  stories,  24x90,  at  a  cost  of  more  than 
$6,000.  In  this  place  he  carried  on  business  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  his  life.  To  assist  him  in 
his  business  he  bought  and  fed  cattle  and  also 
carried  on  a  packing  house.  Uniform  success 
rewarded  his  efforts.  He  became  well-to-do. 
The  lots  that  he  purchased  in  the  west  part  of 
the  city  increased  in  value,  thereby  benefiting 
him  materially.  He  bought  the  remainder  of  the 
half-block  between  Chestnut  and  Walnut  on  Fifth 
street,  and  built  a  double  brick  structure,  48x90, 
three  stories  in  height,  at  a  cost  of  $9,000.  He 
also  erected  a  number  of  frame  buildings.  Both 
in  the  meat  business  aud  the  real-estate  improve- 
ments he  was  unusually  successful.  He  did  not 
take  an  active  part  in  politics,  although  he  al- 
ways voted  the  Democratic  ticket.  Fraternally 
he  was  a  past  ofiRcer  in  Germania  Lodge  No.  9, 
I.  O.  O.  F.  His  death  occurred  at  his  home  in 
Leavenworth,  February  27,  1896. 

The  lady  who,  in  1872,  became  the  wife  of  our 
subject  was  Miss  Martha  Wendel,  a  native  of 
Rheinpfalz,  Germany,  the  daughter  of  Frederick, 
and  granddaughter  of  Frederick  Wendel,  Sr., 
both  of  whom  were  engaged  in  the  meat  business. 
Her  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Bar- 
bara Huhn,  was  born    in  Germany  and  died  in 


Leavenworth  in  i886;  she  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Huhn,  a  cabinet-maker.  Mrs.  Blochberger  was 
one  of  six  children,  viz.:  Katie,  who  lives  in 
Germany;  Frederick,  deceased;  Martha;  Mar- 
garet, Barbara  and  Jacob,  who  are  in  the  old 
country.  The  children  born  to  the  marriage  of 
our  subject  and  his  wife  are  named  as  follows: 
Herman  F. ,  who  has  charge  of  the  meat  business 
started  by  his  father;  Edward,  who  has  a  bakery 
in  Joplin,  Mo. ;  Henry,  who  is  assistant  foreman 
for  the  Armour  packing  house  in  Kansas  City; 
Carl,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Kansas  law 
department,  class  of  1899,  with  the  degree  of 
LL.  B. ;  Martha,  a  graduate  of  the  Lawrence 
Business  College  and  now  employed  as  a  stenog- 
rapher. The  family  are  connected  with  the 
German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  and  Mrs. 
Blochberger  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Woman's 
Society  of  that  congregation.  .  She  is  a  lady  of 
earnest  character,  whose  active  life  has  been 
given  to  the  rearing  of  her  children  and  the 
management  of  her  home. 


pCjlLLIAM  CORLETT  was  a  pioneer  of '58 
I  A/  in  Kansas.  During  the  early  years  of  his 
VY  residence  here  he  endured  all  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  incident  to  life  in  a  new 
country,  in  addition  to  the  dangers  connected 
with  border  warfare.  Nor  did  these  represent 
the  entire  aggregate  of  his  hardships;  for  he  also 
had  to  endure  three  sieges  of  grasshoppers,  in 
each  of  which  he  lost  all  he  had.  Sometimes  he 
grew  discouraged,  but  his  brave  wife  by  his  side 
worked  so  courageously  and  spoke  so  hopefully 
that  he  began  again  with  renewed  energy.  Now, 
in  the  twilight  of  his  life,  he  is  retired  from  ac- 
tive cares,  and  is  living  quietlj'  on  his  farm  in 
Tonganoxie  Township,  Leavenworth  County. 

A  native  of  the  Isle  of  Man,  born  in  1830,  Mr. 
Corlett  spent  his  boyhood  in  that  region  made  fa- 
mous by  the  noted  author.  Hall  Caine.  When 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  took  passage  on  a  sailing 
vessel,  which  after  a  voyage  of  more  than  five 
weeks  anchored  in  New  York  City.  From  there 
he  went  to  Illinois,  and  engaged  in  farming  and 
blacksmithing  at  Kankakee.   Afterward  he  spent 


772 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  short  time  in  Mississippi, Louisiana  and  Georgia. 
In  1854  lie  returned  to  the  Isle  of  Man,  where  he 
was  married,  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  to  Sophia 
Cowen.  Four  years  afterward  he  and  his  wife 
settled  in  Kansas.  For  two  years  he  worked  as 
a  blacksmith  in  Anderson  'County,  after  which 
he  came  to  Leavenworth  County  and  began  farm- 
ing and  gardening.  He  owned  a  market  garden 
near  Leavenworth,  and  raised  vegetables  which 
he  sold  in  town;  at  the  same  time  his  wife  made 
and  sold  butter.  In  1879  he  bought  one  hundred 
and  thirtj'  acres  on  section  13,  Tonganoxie  Town- 
ship, where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  On  his 
place  he  has  some  cattle  and  hogs,  but  not  enough 
to  demand  his  constant  attention,  and  he  there- 
fore has  leisure  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  comforts 
his  former  activity  renders  possible.  During  the 
war  he  served  for  three  years  in  the  army.  He 
has  never  been  identified  with  any  party  and 
always  refuses  official  positions;  at  one  time  he 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  but  refused  to 
serve.  Reared  in  the  Methodist  faith,  he  is  a  be- 
liever in  Christianity  and  has  aided  various  Prot- 
estant churches. 

Of  the  seven  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Corlett 
five  are  living,  namely:  John  W.;  Mary  J.,  wife 
of  D.  V.  Umholtz,  a  merchant  at  Neely;  Charles 
Wesley,  a  farmer  of  Tonganoxie  Township;  Mar- 
garet, wife  of  P.  Sanders;  and  Sophia,  who  mar- 
ried Edwin  Carr. 

pQlLLIAM  NADELHOFFER,  a  contractor 
\  A  /  of  Lawrence,  was  born  in  Chicago,  111., 
Y  Y  September  22,  1845,  a  son  of  William  and 
Mary  (Wolfersheim)  Nadelhoffer,  natives  of  Al- 
sace. His  father  came  to  America  in  1844  and 
settled  in  Chicago,  but  two  years  later  went  to 
Naperville,  111.,  where  he  was  an  undertaker  and 
was  also  interested  in  the  organization  of  the 
Northwestern  College,  being  one  of  its  officers  for 
a  time.  He  died  there  at  eighty  four  years,  and 
his  widow  is  still  living  in  the  same  town.  Of 
his  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  William,  the 
eldest,  was  reared  in  Naperville  and  completed 
his  education  in  the  academy  there.  At  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  anxious  to  en- 
list,  but   his   parents    refused.     In    1862  he  ran 


away  from  home  and  on  the  7tli  of  March  en- 
listed in  Company  H,  Seventeenth  Illinois  Cav- 
alry, which  was  sent  to  Alton,  111.,  to  guard  the 
old  state  prison.  In  August  they  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  army  of  the  west,  and  helped  to  drive 
Price  out  of  Missouri,  taking  part  in  the  battle  of 
Big  Blue.  Afterward  they  were  sent  against  the 
Indians  in  Kansas  and  Colorado,  going  as  far  west 
as  Salt  Lake  City.  While  bushwhacking  in  Mis- 
souri Mr.  Nadelhoffer  was  wounded  in  the  shoul- 
der and  knee,  and  for  two  months  was  confined 
in  a  hospital  at  Kansas  City.  He  was  mustered 
out  at  Leavenworth,  Kans. ,  and  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Springfield,  111.,  December  29,  1865. 

Returning  to  Naperville,  Mr.  Nadelhoffer 
learned  the  cabinet-maker's  trade,  under  his 
father.  In  the  spring  of  1867  he  came  to  Law- 
rence. He  had  visited  this  city  twice  before,  the 
first  time  being  in  the  fall  of  1862  and  the  second 
time  August  22,  1863,  when,  having  just  heard 
of  the  Quantrell  raid,  his  regiment  was  sent  from 
Missouri  to  assist  in  restoring  order  in  the  burned 
city.  On  settling  here  he  worked  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  and  in  1883  began  contracting.  He 
had  the  contract  for  the  Fowler  shops,  the  first 
buildings  of  the  Haskell  Institute,  the  office 
building  and  the  large  barn  there,  two  stores  for 
Barthlow,  Albach's  block,  the  rebuilding  of  the 
opera  house  after  the  first  fire,  the  building  of  the 
Johnson  block  and  Donnelly's  barn  in  Lawrence, 
the  Santa  Fe  depot  at  Kingsley,  Kans.,  the 
academy  in  Labette  County,  the  schoolhouse  and 
academy  at  Hesper,  a  fine  residence  for  Charles 
Pilla  at  Eudora  and  numerous  houses  and  busi- 
ness blocks  in  his  home  city.  He  was  married  in 
Lawrence  to  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  George  Mos- 
ser,  and  they  have  three  children,  Carrie,  Emma 
and  Minnie. 

Politically  Mr.  Nadelhoffer  is  a  Republican. 
From  1895  to  1899  he  represented  the  third  ward 
in  the  common  council,  where  he  was  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  streets,  alleys  and  bridges. 
He  has  the  credit  of  starting  the  curbing  of 
streets  and  condemning  wooden  sidewalks.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Commercial  Club.  In  the 
English  Lutheran  Church  he  is  clerk  of  the  board 
of    trustees   and   contributes  generously    to  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


773 


work.  He  is  past  officer  of  Lawrence  Lodge 
No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  a  member  of  the  Fra- 
ternal Aid  Association,  the  Modern  Woodmen 
and  Washington  Post  No.  12,  G.  A.  R. 


rjORREST  SAVAGE,  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
IQ  tiers  of  Lawrence,  was  born  in  Hartford,  Vt. , 
1*^  September  27,  1826,  a  son  of  William  and 
P0II3'  (Hazen)  Savage,  and  a  descendant  of 
Scotch-Irish  ancestry  represented  among  the  pio- 
neers of  New  England.  His  grandfather,  Seth 
Savage,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  was  one  of  the 
first  to  settle  at  Hartford,  Vt.,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming  until  he  died.  During  the  war  of  18 12 
he  served  in  the  American  army.  William  Sav- 
age, who  was  a  farmer  in  Vermont  and  a  select- 
man there,  first  came  to  Kansas  in  1855,  and 
three  years  later  settled  in  Lawrence,  where  he 
died  at  eighty-two  years.  His  wife  was  born  in 
Hartford,  Vt. ,  and  died  in  Lawrence  aged  eighty 
years.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Hezekiah  Hazen, 
who  was  born  in  Connecticut  and  served  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  of  four 
children.  The  eldest,  Mrs.  Maria  Hood,  now  of 
California,  formerly  lived  at  Springfield,  Mass., 
where  her  husband  was  associated  with  Dr.  J.  G. 
Holland  in  the  publication  of  the  Springfield 
Republican.  Joseph,  who  came  to  Kansas  with 
our  subject,  and  was  an  early  and  prominent 
mineralogist  here,  died  in  Lawrence.  Daphne 
died  at  ten  years  of  age.  Our  subject  was  educa- 
ted in  the  public  schools  of  Hartford.  When  he 
was  a  young  man  public  attention  was  being 
called  to  the  crisis  in  Kansas.  One  man,  S.  N. 
Wood,  through  his  articles  in  the  National  Era, 
aroused  a  widespread  interest  in  that  region  and 
induced  many  people  to  emigrate  to  the  west. 
Our  subject  and  his  brother  joined  a  party  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  that  started  from  Boston  in 
1854.  Just  before  starting  he  went  into  a  gun 
shop  and  was  shown  a  Sharp  gun,  one  of  the  first 
installment  brought  to  Boston.  Purchasing  one 
of  these,  lie  took  it  with  him,  and  as  it  was  differ- 
ent from  any  ever  seen  and  so  superior  to  all 
others,  it  caused  universal  admiration  and  aston- 


ishment, and  led  a  company  of  militia  to  send  in 
an  order  forthesame  make.  No  doubt  this  rifle 
saved  their  lives  many  a  time. 

The  party  of  emigrants  went  from  Boston  to 
Albany,  where  they  stopped  at  the  Delavan  house. 
They  proceeded  by  rail  to  Buffalo,  crossed  the 
lake  to  Detroit,  thence  went  by  rail  to  Chicago. 
The  Chicago  &  Alton  road  had  recently  been 
completed  to  Alton,  and  they  were  among  the 
first  to  travel  over  it,  finding  it  very  rough  and 
jolty,  presenting  a  marked  contrast  to  the  fine 
road  of  to-day.  From  Alton  by  boat  they  reached 
St.  Louis,  enjoying  a  ride  down  the  Mississippi 
on  one  of  those  early  river  steamboats  that  were 
unrivalled  for  comfort  and  elegance.  They  pro- 
ceeded by  boat  from  St.  Louis  to  Kansas  City, and 
there  bought  teams  and  wagons  with  which  to 
complete  the  journey  to  Lawrence.  It  was  for 
this  party  that  the  poet,  John  Greenleaf  Whittier, 
composed  the  poem,  "The  Kansas  Emigrants," 
from  which  we  give  a  brief  quotation: 

"We  cross  the  prairies  as  of  old 

The  Pilgrims  crossed  the  sea, 
To  make  the  west,  as  they  the  east, 

The  homestead  of  the  free. 

"We  go  to  rear  a  wall  of  meu 

On  Freedom's  southern  line. 
And  plant  beside  the  cotton-tree, 

The  rugged  northern  pine." 

Arriving  in  Douglas  County,  Mr.  Savage  and 
his  brother  took  up  claims,  but  soon  he  returned 
to  Vermont;  for,  not  knowing  of  his  trip  to  the 
west  until  the  morning  he  started,  he  had  not  left 
his  business  affairs  in  satisfactory  condition.  He 
remained  in  Vermont  until  the  fall  of  1S55,  when 
he  moved  his  family  west  and  took  up  a  claim 
four  miles  southwest  of  Lawrence,  proving  up  on 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  for  which  he  has  the 
government  deed  and  which  he  still  owns.  By 
subsequent  purchase  he  now  owns  three  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five  acres  of  improved  land.  In 
1895  he  left  this  place  and  moved  to  Lawrence, 
where  he  now  lives,  and  where  he  owns  a  home 
place  of  four  acres.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was 
mustered  into  the  Third  Kansas  Militia  for  serv- 
ice in  the  Price  raid,  and,  like  many  others,  never 
received  a  discharge.     When  he  came  to  Law- 


774 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


rence,  he  and  his  brother  and  several  other  mem- 
bers of  the  party  organized  a  baud,  which  was 
the  first  band  in  Kansas.  They  played  at  Topeka 
and  different  parts  of  the  state  and  were  well 
known;  during  part  of  the  time  he  was  leader. 
Of  those  who  were  original  members  of  the  band 
only  two  are  living,  himself  and  Leonard  Wor- 
cester, now  of  Leadville.  He  continued  a  mem- 
ber of  the  band  until  about  1879.  Politically  he 
was  a  Republican  until  the  Hayes  campaign, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  independent,  favor- 
ing free  trade  and  free  coinage  as  national  issues. 
He  is  a  member  of  Plymouth  Congregational 
Church.  Interested  in  educational  affairs  from 
an  early  day,  he  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board  when  an  old  log  house  was  used  for  a 
school  building  and  continued  until  after  a  frame, 
then  a  brick,  and  lastly  another  frame  building, 
had  been  erected. 

In  Hanover,  N.  H.,  March  8,  1849,  Mr.  Sav- 
age married  Miss  Lydia  Worth,  daughter  of  Na- 
thaniel and  Martha  (Chandler)Worth,  her  father 
being  a  miller  of  Hanover,  where  she  was  born. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children:  William, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  Law- 
rence; Emma;  Mary;  and  Frank,  a  graduate  of 
the  University  of  Kansas  and  an  attorney  in  this 
city.  On  the  8th  of  March,  1899,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Savage  celebrated  their  golden  wedding,  on 
which  occasion  they  were  the  recipients  of  the 
hearty  congratulations  of  their  friends  and  rela- 
tives. 


GlDAM  D.  McCUNE,  a  pioneer  of  1857  and 
Ll  one  of  the  framers  of  the  constitution  of 
/  1  Kansas,  is  remembered  by  the  surviving 
settlers  of  that  early  day  in  Leavenworth  County, 
but  was  known  only  by  reputation  to  later 
comers,  as  he  died  nine  years  after  locating  in  the 
west.  He  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Ohio, 
November  26,  1827,  a  descendant  of  Scotch  an- 
cestors, by  whom  the  name  was  spelled  McCuen. 
Of  the  Quaker  faith,  they  were  prominent  in  pub- 
lic affairs  in  Philadelphia,  but  were  expelled  from 
their  church  because  they  fought  for  independ- 
ence during  the  Revolution,  during  which  war 
Col.    Thomas    McCune    won    his    apaulets.     A 


brother  of  the  colonel,  Joseph,  had  a  son,  Thomas, 
who  was  born  May  30,  1799,  and  removed  to 
Ohio,  where  he  died  December  10,  1847.  He 
was  engaged  in  farming  in  that  state. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  acquired  in 
Ohio,  and  his  boyhood  years  were  spent  upon  a 
farm  there.  In  1857  ^^  came  to  Kansas,  making 
the  trip  by  water  and  spending  fifteen  days  en 
route.  On  his  arrival  in  Leavenworth  County 
he  purchased  five  hundred  and  forty  acres,  all  but 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  which  he  bought 
of  a  squatter,  receiving  a  deed  direct  from  the 
government.  The  land  was  entirely  unimproved 
and  not  even  fenced.  He  broke  some  of  the 
ground  and  cut  considerable  timber.  Turning 
his  attention  to  general  farm  pursuits,  he  engaged 
in  raising  wheat,  oats,  barley  and  millet,  and  also 
raised  stock.  He  was  a  strong  free-state  man. 
He  attended  the  meeting  of  the  legislature  at 
Wyandotte  which  framed  the  state  constitution. 
All  helpful  enterprises  received  his  support,  par- 
ticularly the  educational  interests  of  High  Prairie 
Township.  He  assisted  in  laying  out  the  roads 
in  his  township  and  was  an  enterprising  man  and 
good  citizen. 

In  Ohio,  October  2,  1S51,  Mr.  McCune  married 
Margaret  A.  Medill.  Her  father,  Joseph  Medill, 
came  to  this  country  from  Ireland  in  boyhood  and 
settled  in  Jefferson  Count}',  Ohio,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  was 
very  prosperous  and  accumulated  a  large  fortune. 
In  his  community  he  was  prominent  and  in- 
fluential, and  in  religion  was  actively  connected 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Mount  Pleasant, 
Ohio.  The  eight  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Cune were  named  as  follows:  Joseph  A.,  now  de- 
ceased; Harry  Russell,  a  contractor  in  Leaven- 
worth; Martha  M.,  wife  of  William  Smith,  and  a 
resident  of  California;  William  O.,  a  farmer  of 
High  Prairie  Township;  Ida  B.,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Charles  Van  Tuyl,  of  Leavenworth;  Nancy 
Evelyn,  who  married  William  M.  Larson,  and 
lives  in  Oakland,  Cal.;  Thomas  L.,  who  is  in 
Colorado;  and  Adam  D.,  who  conducts  the  home 
farm. 

Nine  years  after  he  came  to  Kansas  Mr.  Mc- 
Cune passed  away,  August  18,  1866.    His  widow 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


775 


was  left  with  five  hundred  and  fort}-  acres,  upon 
a  part  of  which  a  mortgage  rested.  The  oldest 
of  her  children  was  then  only  fourteen  j-ears  of 
age.  The  family  had  only  a  log  cabin  for  their 
home,  and  the  outlook  might  have  been  dis- 
couraging to  some,  but  not  .so  to  her.  With  in- 
domitable spirit,  and  assisted  by  her  children,  she 
conducted  the  farm,  superintended  the  planting 
and  harvesting  of  the  crops,  and  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  clearing  the  debt.  Since  then  she  has 
been  uniformly  prosperous.  She  has  given  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  raising  of  stock,  though 
not  neglecting  the  crops  of  grain.  In  religion 
she  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  As 
her  children  became  old  enough  to  assist  her  they 
relieved  her  of  many  responsibilities,  and  now 
she  is  enabled  to  pass  the  twilight  of  her  busy, 
active  life  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  comforts  she 
has  justly  earned. 


p  GJlLLIAM  O.  McCUNE,  who  is  engaged  in 

\  A  /  farming  in  High  Prairie  Township,  Leav- 
YV  enworth  County,  was  born  July  28,  1858, 
upon  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  At  an  early 
age  he  began  to  assist  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
land,  and  when  nineteen  he  started  out  for  him- 
self, renting  a  part  of  the  home  place.  Two 
years  later  he  became  the  owner  of  thirty-two 
acres,  his  share  of  the  estate,  and  with  this  small 
acreage  he  laid  the  foundation  of  his  present  suc- 
cessful agricultural  operations.  From  time  to 
time  he  added  to  his  property,  and  is  now  the 
owner  of  two  hundred  and  ten  acres,  besides 
which  he  cultivates  other  land,  his  total  holdings 
being  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  has 
given  special  attention  to  stock-raising,  and  in 
cereals  raises  wheat,  corn  and  oats.  The  land 
which  he  owns  is  improved  by  a  neat  residence, 
good  fences,  agricultural  implements  and  the 
other  equipments  of  a  modern  farm.  Running 
water  adds  to  the  value  of  the  place. 

In  matters  political  Mr.  McCune  is  independent, 
giving  his  vote  for  the  man  he  considers  best 
qualified  to  represent  the  people  in  offices  of  trust. 
In  no  sense  of  the  word  is  he  a  politician.  He  is 
especially  interested  in  educational  work  and  for 


nine  years  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  He  is  identified  with  the  Gospel  Taber- 
nacle of  High  Prairie.  His  marriage  took  place 
December  24,  1884,  and  united  him  with  Minnie 
Margaret  Murray,  of  Leavenworth  County.  They 
are  the  parents  of  five  children,  to  whom  they  are 
giving  the  best  advantages  possible;  and  who  are 
named  as  follows:  Blanche  Viola,  Forest  Earl, 
Malcolm  Lloyd,  William  Orval  and  Margaretta 
Ellen. 


ITdWARDE.  COOMBS,  general  manager  of 
re)  the  Leavenworth  electric  railroad,  was  born 
L_  i"  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  May  26,  1869,  a  son 
of  Charles  Thomas  and  Elvira  Jane  (Coombs) 
Coombs,  both  natives  of  Maine,  but,  so  far  as 
known,  members  of  entirely  different  families. 
His  paternal  ancestors  came  to  America  in  the 
"Mayflower"  and  were  of  Scotch  and  English 
extraction;  his  grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the 
warof  1812.  During  the  Civil  war  his  father 
served  for  three  and  one-half  years  in  the  Union 
array,  being  in  the  fourth  battery,  army  of  the 
Potomac.  Among  the  battles  in  which  he  took 
part  were  those  at  Gettysburg,  the  Wilderness, 
Richmond  and  Bull  Run.  At  one  time  he  swam 
across  the  Potomac  with  others  and  pushed  a 
craft  with  a  piece  of  artillery  on  it.  When  dis- 
charged, he  held  a  second  lieutenant's  commis- 
sion. His  principal  business  was  shipbuilding, 
but  after  coming  west  he  engaged  in  the  stock 
business  and  later  in  contracting.  He  is  now  liv- 
ing retired  in  St.  Louis.  His  four  .sons  are 
Charles  Franklin,  of  Chicago;  Edward  E. ;  A.  H., 
of  St.  Louis;  and  George  A. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  acquired  less 
in  schools  than  by  observation  and  experience. 
At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Fort  Scott  &  Memphis  Railroad  Company, 
in  the  road  and  general  freight  department;  later 
became  general  bookkeeper  for  the  receiver  of 
the  Kansas  City,  Wyandotte  &  North- Western 
Railroad.  Going  to  Chicago,  he  was  employed 
in  the  accounting  department  of  the  American 
Debenture  Company,  in  whose  interests  he  went 
to  Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  as  manager  of  the  water 
works  company.     His   next  enterprise  was  as  a 


776 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


real-estate  and  insurance  agent  in  St.  Louis.  He 
went  to  Oklahoma  during  the  opening  of  the 
Cherokee  strip,  remaining  about  eight  months. 

After  a  year  in  Kansas  City  Mr.  Coombs  came 
to  Leavenworth,  where  he  became  cashier  of  the 
Leavenworth  Electric  Railroad  Company.  In 
August,  1897,  lis  became  general  manager  of  the 
road,  which  he  has  since  superintended  with 
success.  In  his  politics  he  is  independent.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  order 
and  the  National  Union.  He  is  fond  of  athletic 
games  and  sports,  and  his  vacations  are  spent 
with  his  gun  and  his  fishing  tackle  in  the  woods 
or  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  November  2, 
1892,  he  married  Jessie  Irene  Peak,  daughter  of 
James  Peak,  of  Kansas  City.  They  have  two 
daughters,  Helen  E.  and  Olive  Elvira. 


(TOHN  H.  MAGERS  has  spent  his  entire  life 
I  in  Leavenworth,  in  which  city  he  was  born 
G)  May  30,  1861.  His  father,  Frederick  (bet- 
ter known  as  Fritz)  Magers,  was  a  native  of 
Hanover,  Germany,  and  at  thirteen  years  of  age 
came  to  America  in  company  with  his  parents, 
who  settled  on  a  farm  in  Platte  County,  Mo. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  secured  em- 
ployment in  a  bank  at  Weston,  that  county, 
where  for  several  years  he  was  bookkeeper  and 
clerk,  but  after  a  time  he  bought  an  interest  in 
the  business  and  became  a  partner  in  the  bank. 
The  company  owning  the  bank  started  a  store  at 
Hickory  Point,  Jefferson  County,  Kans.,  and 
Mr.  Magers  took  charge  of  the  same  for  a  few 
months.  Later,  coming  to  Leavenworth,  he 
bought  an  interest  in  a  grocery  business,  but  after 
a  few  years  he  embarked  in  the  fruit  and  com- 
mission business  and  continued  in  this  until  1872. 
His  next  venture  was  the  purchase  of  a  small 
fruit  farm  in  the  suburbs,  where  he  made  his 
home  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  As  a 
Democrat  he  was  active  in  local  affairs.  He 
was  a  believer  in  universal  education,  and  did  all 
within  his  power  to  promote  the  interests  of  local 
schools,  and  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  for  twenty  years.  Prominent  in  Masonry 
throughout  Kansas  and  Missouri,  he  was  identi- 


fied with  the  blue  lodge,  chapter,  commandery 
and  Scottish  Rite,  and  was  an  ofiicer  in  the  lodge 
at  Leavenworth  for  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
He  was  a  man  of  energy  and  resolute  force  of 
character,  and  actively  promoted  enterprises  for 
the  advancement  of  Leavenworth  in  important 
directions.  His  death  occurred  August  21,  1895, 
when  he  was  sixty-six  years  of  age.  He  left  four 
children,  Sophie,  William,  John  H.  and  Rosie, 
who  were  born  of  his  union  with  Sophia  Shorn- 
horst,  a  native  of  Hanover,  but  from  one  year  of 
age  a  resident  of  the  United  States.  In  religion 
he  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  German  Lu- 
theran Church. 

When  twenty-four  years  of  age  our  subject 
started  out  in  life  for  himself,  and  for  eleven  years 
he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  Leaven- 
worth. This,  however,  he  sold  in  1897  in  order 
to  give  his  entire  attention  to  the  duties  of  depu- 
ty sheriff.  After  a  year  in  the  latter  position  he 
resigned  and  became  interested  with  the  Stand- 
ard Publishing  Company  as  solicitor  and  col- 
lector, in  which  business  he  is  still  engaged.  He 
is  married  and  has  two  children,  John  and  Rosie. 

In  politics  Mr.  Magers  has  always  supported 
Democratic  principles.  In  the  spring  of  1897  he 
was  elected  alderman  of  the  fifth  ward,  receiving 
the  largest  majority  ever  given  any  candidate  in 
this  ward.  He  has  long  been  identified  with 
Leavenworth  Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
at  one  time  was  the  youngest  member  of  the  blue 
lodge  in  the  state.  He  is  also  connected  with  the 
Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  the  Foresters  and 
Ivanhoe  Lodge  No.  14,  K.  P. 


(John  a.  BIEDERMAN,  a  well-known  farm- 
I  er  of  Salt  Creek  Valley,  and  deputy  sheriff  of 
Q)  Leavenworth  County,  was  born  in  Germany 
November  5,  1858,  a  son  of  Moritz  and  Susan- 
nah Biederman,  the  former  a  miller  by  occupa- 
tion. He  was  educated  in  local  schools  and  for  a 
year  was  employed  as  traveling  salesman  for  a 
wholesale  milling  house.  In  order  to  avoid  serv- 
ice in  the  German  army  he  left  his  native  laud 
and  came  to  America,  landing  in  New  Orleans 
January  6,  1877,  when   eighteen   years  of  age. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


777 


The  trip  across  the  ocean  and  gulf  was  made  on 
the  steamer  "Elbe,"  and  occupied  thirty  days; 
some  years  afterward  his  vessel  was  lost  at  sea. 
At  the  time  he  boarded  the  vessel  at  Bremen 
a  ship  was  exploded  in  the  harbor  there  by  Mr. 
Thomas,  who  was  quite  prominent  on  account  of 
work  of  that  kind. 

After  spending  six  months  in  New  Orleans 
Mr.  Biederman  proceeded  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and 
there  remained  until  i879,whenhecame  to  Leav- 
enworth, Kans.  Near  this  city  he  secured  work 
on  a  farm.  In  1881  he  began  farming  for  himself 
in  Salt  Creek  Valley,  renting  land  owned  by  J.F. 
Taylor,  and  continuing  there  until  1889.  He 
then  moved  to  the  city  and  began  in  the  grocery 
business  at  No.  19  Kickapoo  street.  One  year 
later  he  bought  the  old  valley  water  house  on 
military  road  and  there  opened  a  general  store, 
besides  which  he  carried  on  general  farming.  In 
1895  he  opened  a  live-stock  yard  and  livery  sta- 
ble on  Shawnee  street  in  Leavenworth,  and  this 
he  conducted  for  three  years.  Since  1898  he  has 
given  his  attention  largely  to  his  duties  as  depu- 
ty sheriff;  but  in  addition  he  carries  on  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Kickapoo 
Township.  For  one  year  he  operated  a  thresh- 
ing machine  for  J.  F.  Taylor.  In  his  various  en- 
terprises he  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  man  of  en- 
ergy, industry  and  perseverance.  He  has  been 
especially  successful  in  the  stock  business,  and 
feeds  cattle  in  large  numbers,  afterward  shipping 
them  by  the  carload  to  the  market. 

Ever  since  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  Mr.  Biederman  has  voted  the  Democratic 
ticket.  He  has  been  active  in  local  politics.  For 
two  years  he  was  town.ship  trustee.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  school  board  of  district  No.  77, 
and  has  assisted  in  promoting  the  interests  of  the 
school  here.'  In  January,  1882,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Taylor)  Phile, 
and  they  have  a  pleasant  home  in  Kickapoo 
Township.  Fraternally  he  is  identiSed  with  Hi- 
ram Lodge  No.  68,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he 
has  passed  the  chairs;  Kickapoo  Lodge  No.  68, 
K.  P.;  and  Lowemont  Camp,  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America.  In  1893  ^^  returned  to  Germany  to 
visit  his  parents  and  friends, and  remained  abroad 


for  six  months  renewing  the  associations  of  boy- 
hood. His  parents  were  then  living,  but  they 
died  during  the  same  year,  shortly  after  his  re- 
turn to  the  United  States. 


HENRY  BRUCE  CALLAHAN,  M.  D.,  was 
born  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  July  21,  1S19,  and 
died  in  his  old  arm  chair  in  his  office  at 
Leavenworth  November  23,  1895,  after  an  honor- 
able and  useful  life  of  seventy-six  years.  He 
was  a  member  of  an  old  Kentucky  family  and 
was  the  only  child  of  his  parents.  When  he  was 
quite  small  his  father  died,  but  his  mother  was 
spared  to  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  After 
having  graduated  from  the  Ohio  Medical  College 
of  Cincinnati  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  about 
1842,  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Kansas  City,  and  he  also  engaged  in  the  sawmill 
business  there.  In  an  early  day  he  came  to 
Leavenworth,  where  he  built  one  of  the  first 
houses  in  the  town.  Afterward  for  many  years 
he  practiced  in  Platte  City,  Mo.,  and  was  in  that 
city  during  a  part  of  the  Civil  war,  but  went  from 
there  back  to  Ohio,  practicing  for  two  years  iu 
Cincinnati,  and  later  spent  a  year  in  Indiana. 
Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to 
Platte  City. 

In  1866  Dr.  Callahan  established  his  home  per- 
manently in  Leavenworth,  and  in  time  he  became 
one  of  the  foremost  citizens  and  most  successful 
physicians  of  the  city.  For  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  pension  board  here.  He  was  also 
actively  identified  with  the  State  and  Eastern 
District  Medical  Societies.  At  one  time  he  held 
the  office  of  police  commissioner.  For  fifty  years 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being 
connected  during  much  of  that  time  with  Leav- 
enworth Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  active  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Leavenworth  and  was  one  of  its 
deacons.  Recognizing  the  awful  ruin  wrought 
by  intoxicating  drinks,  he  cast  his  influence  with 
the  Prohibitionists  and  ever  afterward,  both  in 
precept  and  example,  gave  his  support  to  that 
movement.  The  Prohibition  party  received  his 
vote  and  his   allegiance,  and  he   was  one  of  its 


778 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


most  prominent  members  in  Kansas.  After  he 
had  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  for  fifty- 
two  years  he  was  given  a  reception  in  celebration 
of  his  long  and  honorable  connection  with  the 
medical  fraternity,  and  the  occasion  was  made 
even  more  memorable  by  the  presentation  of  an 
ebony  gold-headed  cane  to  him.  When  he  passed 
away  resolutions  were  passed  by  the  Masons  and 
the  physicians  of  Leavenworth,  testifying  to  the 
high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  and  to  the  loss 
sustained  in  his  death.  His  body  was  taken  to 
his  former  home  in  Platte  City  and  there  laid  to 
rest  beside  the  remains  of  his  wife,  Sarah  H. 
(Metcalf)  Callahan,  who  had  died  during  the 
war,  her  death  resulting  from  a  fright  received  on 
the  night  the  Platte  County  court  house  was 
burned. 

In  the  family  of  Dr.  Callahan  there  were  six 
children.  The  eldest,  Henry  Thomas,  was  a 
farmer  in  Platte  County  and  died  there.  Those 
now  living  are  Pickett  L-,  of  Rocky  Ford,  Colo.; 
Elizabeth  Jane,  of  Marceline,  Mo.;  Alfred;  Mrs. 
Mary  Early,  of  Marceline;  and  William  Paxton, 
also  of  Marceline. 


GlLFRED  CALLAHAN.  One  of  the  well- 
Ll  known  business  men  of  Leavenworth,  who 
/  I  during  business  activities  covering  a  con- 
siderable period  has  gained  prominence  in  his 
special  occupation,  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
the  proprietor  of  a  men's  furnishing  and  merchant 
tailoring  establishment  at  No.  114  South  Fifth 
street.  Since  he  bought  out  the  business  of  C.  H. 
Durfee,  in  1883,  he  has  built  up  an  extensive 
trade  and  established  a  reputation  for  efficiency 
in  his  work.  His  establishment  is  the  finest  of 
its  kind  in  the  city,  and  is  conducted  systematic- 
ally and  with  sound  business  judgment. 

Mr.  Callahan  was  born  in  Platte  City,  Mo., 
May  5,  1854,  a  son  of  Henry  Bruce  Callahan, 
M.  D.  He  was  a  boy  when  the  family  settled  in 
Leavenworth,  and  here  he  attended  the  public 
schools.  When  eighteen  he  began  to  clerk  for  a 
dry-goods  firm  in  this  city,  and  he  continued  as 
an  employe  of  various  establishments  until  he 
started  in  business  for  himself  in  1883.  His 
attention  is  given  quite  closely  to  the  management 


of  his  business  interests.  In  politics  he  has  not 
been  active,  although  always  interested  and  well 
posted.  Prior  to  1896  he  was  a  Democrat,  but 
now  votes  independently.  In  religion  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Baptist  Church. 

As  a  blue  lodge  and  chapter  Mason  Mr.  Cal- 
lahan is  actively  connected  with  that  order.  He 
is  past  chancellor  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
past  first  lieutenant  of  the  Uniform  Rank.  He  is 
also  connected  with  the  National  Union  and  the 
National  Reserve  Association,  of  which  latter  he 
is  the  secretary.  His  marriage  took  place  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y,,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Belle 
Leidy,  who  was  born  in  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  lived 
in  the  east  until  her  marriage. 


(John  K.  FAULKNER.  When  Mr.  Faulk- 
I  ner  first  arrived  in  Kansas,  June  20,  1849,  it 
(2/  was  one  of  the  unknown  regions  of  the 
United  States,  for  the  free-state  agitation  had  not 
yet  brought  it  into  national  prominence.  His 
early  life  on  the  plains  was  replete  with  excite- 
ment and  not  a  little  danger,  but  being  absolutel}' 
fearless,  he  remained  undaunted  in  the  midst  of 
perils,  and  looks  back  upon  that  period  of  his  life 
as  one  of  the  most  interesting.  After  an  exist- 
ence more  than  ordinarily  active  he  has  retired 
from  business  cares  and  is  spending  his  declining 
years  quietly  in  the  city  of  Leavenworth. 

Mr.  Faulker  was  born  in  Monongolia  County, 
W.  Va.,  October  10,  1826.  His  father,  Alexan- 
der Faulkner,  immigrated  to  America  at  an  early 
age  and  settled  in  Virginia,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  nails  and  other  articles. 
These  he  afterward  shipped  down  the  river  and 
sold  in  Pittsburgh.  Our  subject's  education  was 
obtained  in  subscription  schools.  When  eighteen 
he  began  to  teach  school,  in  which  occupation  he 
gradually  worked  his  way  west,  teaching  in  Ohio 
and  Missouri.  Having  clerked  in  a  store  for 
three  years  and  thus  gained  valuable  experience, 
he  started  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Farley, 
Platte  County,  Mo.,  where  he  continued  for  fif- 
teen years.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  settled 
his  accounts  in  the  best  way  possible,  transferring 
notes  into   cattle,  etc. ,  and  sending  them  to  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


779 


ranch  in  High  Prairie  Township.  He  then  bonght 
twenty  heavy  wagons  and  started  for  Denver  in 
1 86 1  with  a  load  of  merchandise  for  Kiscaden  & 
Co.,  of  Leavenworth.  While  crossing  the  plains 
he  had  considerable  trouble  with  the  Indians,  but 
finally  reached  his  destination  in  safety.  Later 
he  made  several  trips  with  ox- teams  from  Leav- 
worth  to  Salt  Lake  City.  The  return  trips  were 
usually  made  by  stage.  On  one  of  these  trips  he 
came  up  with  a  train  that  had  been  attacked  by 
Indians,  and  as  Governor  Gilpin  and  his  wife,  of 
Colorado,  were  on  the  stage  he  pulled  some  ar- 
rows out  of  the  cattle  and  gave  them  to  Mrs. 
Gilpin  for  mementoes. 

In  1864  Mr.  Faulkner  went  to  Texas  and 
started  in  the  cattle  business  with  one  thousand 
head.  He  sold  several  hundred  head  to  Chicago 
and  St.  Louis  parties  and  drove  others  to  his 
ranch  in  Leavenworth  County,  while  some  he 
shipped  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  Afterward  he  engaged 
in  cattle-raising  on  his  ranch,  which  he  trans- 
formed from  bare  prairie  land  to  a  fine  farm.  He 
also  bought  other  lands  until  finally  he  owned 
one  thousand  acres.  The  corn  and  hay  raised 
were  used  principally  for  feeding  to  his  stock 
during  the  winter.  There  being  no  market  in 
Kansas  City  then,  he  sold  in  St.  Louis  and  Chi- 
cago. In  the  spring  of  1895,  owing  to  trouble 
with  rheumatism,  he  gave  up  the  control  of  his 
farm  to  his  sons  and  went  to  Excelsior,  Mo. 
There  he  bought  the  Saratoga  house,  which  he 
rebuilt  and  furnished,  and  this  he  still  owns. 
After  two  years  he  returned  to  Leavenworth  and 
bought  a  home  on  the  corner  of  Spring  Garden 
and  Vilas  streets,  where  he  has  since  resided.  In 
the  care  of  his  garden  and  the  oversight  of  his 
property  he  finds  sufficient  to  engage  his  attention. 

While  not  a  politician  in  the  usual  accept- 
ance of  that  term,  Mr.  Faulkner  has  always 
been  interested  in  municipal  and  general  affairs. 
For  four  terms  he  was  a  member  of  the  state 
legislature,  once  by  appointment  and  three  times 
by  election.  Office  has  never  had  anj'  attraction 
for  him,  and  he  has  usually  refused  nominations. 
But  the  positions  which  he  accepted  and  to  which 
he  was  nominated  without  his  knowledge,  he 
consented    to  fill  only  after  considerable  urging 


and  when  he  was  told  that  his  acceptance  was 
necessary  for  his  party's  sake.  He  has  always 
voted  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  is  interested  in 
school  work  and  for  thirty  years  was  treasurer  of 
the  Faulkner  school  district,  which  was  named  in 
his  honor.  He  has  assisted  in  erecting  several 
school  buildings.  By  his  marriage,  April  4, 
1858,  to  Margaret  Stearnes,  of  Leavenworth 
County,  he  has  five  sons:  William  K.,  Charles, 
Reese,  Clarence  and  James,  all  in  Leavenworth 
County  except  Charles,  who  is  in  Oklahoma.  To 
each  of  his  sons  he  gave  a  farm  excepting  Charles, 
whom  he  assisted  in  other  ways. 


QHARLES  W.  HIGGINS,  manager  of  J.  P. 
1 1  Usher's  cattle  ranch  near  Pomona,  Frank- 
^J  lin  County,  was  born  in  Sedalia,  Mo.,  in 
1866,  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Julia  (Harvey)  Hig- 
gins,  and  a  nephew  of  Moses  Harvey,  of  Leaven- 
worth County.  He  was  one  of  three  children, 
the  others  being  James,  of  Brighton,  Colo.,  and 
Elizabeth  D.,  wife  of  J.  P.  Larkin.  His  father, 
who  was  a  native  of  Missouri,  devoted  his  entire 
active  life  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  was  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  extensive  and  enterpris- 
ing farmers  near  Sedalia.  In  the  latter  city  he 
died  in  187 1. 

When  our  subject  was  a  boy  of  fourteen  years 
his  mother  removed  to  Colorado  and  he  grew  to 
manhood  near  Denver,  receiving  his  education  in 
common  schools.  While  still  quite  young  he  be- 
came interested  in  the  stock  business,  and  for 
years  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  cattle  in  the 
vicinity  of  Denver.  Having  followed  the  cattle 
business  during  so  much  of  his  life,  and  being  a 
man  of  good  judgment,  he  is  well  versed  in  all 
the  details  of  this  industrj^  and  few  are  better 
judges  of  stock  than  he.  In  1897  he  came  to 
Kansas,  where  he  has  since  had  charge  of  the 
Usher  cattle  ranch  of  twenty-three  hundred  acres. 
The  land  is  used  principally  for  pasturage,  al- 
though some  four  hundred  acres  are  planted  in 
corn,  to  be  used  as  feed.  In  the  winter  of  1898- 
99  ten  hundred  and  twenty-eight  head  of  beef 
and  stock  cattle  were  fed  on  the  ranch,  in  addi- 
tion to  which    a   large   number  of  Poland-China 


78o 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hogs  are  raised.  The  place  is  the  largest  stock 
ranch  in  Franklin  County,  and  an  immense 
amount  of  responsibility  is  involved  in  its  man- 
agement, but  the  present  manager  has  used  dis- 
cretion and  sagacity  in  all  of  the  work,  and  as  a 
consequence  the  results  have  been  satisfactory  to 
the  owner. 

In  politics  Mr.  Higgins  is  independent.  While 
in  Colorado  he  was  actively  connected  with  Fi- 
delity Lodge  No.  20,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  was  mar- 
ried March  18,  1896,  to  Miss  Mary  Ficker,  who 
was  born  in  Germany,  and  by  whom  he  has  two 
children,  James  and  Julia. 


WILLIAM  MOYS,  deceased,  who  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  1857  in  Lawrence,  was  born 
in  Kent,  England,  in  1839,  and  at  six  years 
of  age  was  brought  to  America  by  his  parents, 
John  and  Elizabeth  Moys.  His  father,  who  was 
a  brickmason  and  contractor,  settled  in  Indiana, 
but  in  1857  brought  the  family  to  Kansas,  lo- 
cating on  a  farm  near  Americus,  but  later  moved 
to  Pullman,  Wash.,  and  at  an  advanced  age  dy- 
ing at  Colfax,  that  state.  His  wife  also  passed 
away  there.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  John  and  William  served  in 
the  same  regiment  during  the  Civil  war.  John 
was  a  corporal  and  was  wounded  in  the  service. 
William,  who  was  fourth  among  the  children, 
learned  the  brickmason's  trade  under  his  father, 
and  this  occupation  he  followed  until  the  opening 
of  the  war.  June  3,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany D,  First  Kansas  Infantry.  In  the  battle  of 
Wilson's  Creek,  that  year,  he  was  severely 
wounded  by  a  gunshot  that  passed  through  his 
left  side.  He  was  left  on  the  battlefield  for  dead, 
in  the  hands  of  the  Confederates,  but  was  finally 
picked  up  by  an  ambulance  and  brought  to  a 
hospital.  As  soon  as  able  he  returned  to  his  home 
for  recuperation,  and  in  time  rejoined  his  regi- 
ment in  Tennessee,  but  was  phy.sically  too  weak 
to  endure  the  strain  of  army  life.  For  this  rea- 
son he  was  honorably  discharged  September  17, 
1862.  The  injury  received  in  the  war  he  con- 
tinued to  suffer  from,  but,  being  ambitious  by 
nature,  he  worked  at   his    trade  and  engaged  in 


contracting.  Finally,  however,  he  became  too 
ill  to  work  any  longer,  and  on  the  5th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1870,  he  died,  a  martyr  to  the  cause  of  the 
Union.  He  was  a  man  of  energetic  disposition, 
kind  heart  and  great  perseverance,  and  had  he 
lived  would  undoubtedly  have  been  very  success- 
ful in  his  chosen  occupation.  In  religion  he  was 
identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Near  Lawrence,  June  5,  1859,  Mr.  Moys  mar- 
ried Miss  Emily  J.  Tabor,  who  was  born  at  Hol- 
land, Orleans  County,  Vt.,  a  daughter  of  Cor- 
nelius D.  and  Sarah  (Ferrin)  Tabor,  natives  of 
Vermont.  The  former,  who  was  the  son  of  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  settled  in  Kansas  in  1857 
with  his  son,  John,  and  afterward,  when  his  sons, 
John  and  Horace  A.  W.,  moved  to  Denver,  he 
joined  them  in  that  city,  where  he  died.  His 
body  was  brought  to  Lawrence  for  burial.  One 
of  his  sons,  Lemuel,  remains  in  Holland,  Vt.; 
another,  John  F. ,  died  in  Denver,  in  November, 
1898;  and  the  third,  Horace  A.  W.,  whose  name 
is  known  throughout  the  entire  country,  died  in 
'Denver,  April  10,  1899,  and  his  funeral,  held  a 
few  days  later,  was  the  largest  service  of  the 
kind  ever  held  in  Colorado.  The  history  of  this 
man  is  the  record  of  a  remarkable  life.  Born  in 
Vermont  in  1830,  he  came  to  Kansas  in  1855, 
and  soon  gained  prominence  in  the  free-soil  party. 
He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Topeka  legis- 
lature in  1857,  but  that  body  was  dispersed  by 
Federal  troops,  acting  on  the  orders  of  the  war 
department. 

At  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Colo- 
rado Mr.  Tabor  went  to  the  mountains,  where, 
until  1879,  he  met  with  only  ordinary  success. 
During  that  year  two  men  working  in  his  employ 
discovered  the  Little  Pittsburgh  mine,  which  was 
soon  producing  $8,000  a  week.  The  Little  Pitts- 
burgh Consolidated  Company  was  organized  with 
a  capital  of  $20,000,000,  and  afterward  Mr.  Tabor 
sold  his  interest  to  his  partners.  Senator  Chaffee 
and  David  Moffat,  for  $1,000,000.  He  had  also 
become  the  owner  of  other  valuable  interests. 
The  Matchless  alone  yielded  him  an  income  of 
$2,000  a  day.  For  a  time  he  was  the  wealthiest 
man  in  the  state;  everything  he  touched  seemed 
to  turn  to  gold.     In  1878  he  was  elected  lieuten- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


781 


ant-governor  of  Colorado.  Later  he  filled  an 
unexpired  term  as  United  States  senator.  He 
built  the  Tabor  block  in  Denver  and  an  opera 
house  that  was  at  the  time  unsurpassed  by  an}'  in 
the  country.  He  did  much  to  promote  the  wel- 
fare of  his  state,  and,  although  during  his  later 
years  unfortunate  investments  caused  the  loss  of 
almost  his  entire  property,  he  never  lost  the 
respect  of  the  people  to  whom  his  genial,  kindly 
ways  had  endeared  him. 

Mrs.  Moys  was  reared  in  Vermont  and  was  a 
young  lady  of  twenty  when  the  family  came  west. 
Since  her  hu.sband's  death  she  has  spent  con- 
siderable time  in  travel,  visiting  frequently  in 
Denver,  but  making  her  home  in  Lawrence,  where 
she  owns  valuable  property.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodi.st  Episcopal  Church  and  connected 
with  some  of  its  societies.  For  several  years  she 
served  as  president  of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps, 
and  was  several  times  its  representative  in  de- 
partment and  national  encampments.  She  is  also 
connected  with  the  Eastern  Star.  In  her  family 
there  are  four  children.  Her  older  son,  William 
H.,  has  for  some  years  been  the  popular  general 
deliver}'  clerk  at  the  Lawrence  postoflSce  and  is 
now  at  the  head  of  the  distributing  department. 
The  daughters  are  Mrs.  Mary  Simpson,  of  Gallup, 
N.  M.;  and  Mrs.  Blanche  Wiley,  of  Lawrence. 
The  younger  son,  Frederick  C,  is  president  and 
manager  of  the  Moys  Hardware  Company,  own- 
ers of  a  large  hardware  store  at  Cripple  Creek, 
Colo. 


QOSEPH  ALEXANDER  CRANSTON,  city 
I  marshal  of  Leavenworth,  and  a  resident  of 
G)  this  city  since  June  3,  1874,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Sandusky,  Ohio,  October  26,  1850,  a  son 
of  Alexander  and  Edith  (Johnson)  Cranston, 
natives  of  the  north  of  Ireland.  The  former, 
who  was  the  son  of  a  Scotchman,  was  a  contract- 
ing mason,  and  followed  that  occupation  in  San- 
dusky. During  the  '70s  he  had  a  contract  for 
building  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  between 
Kansas  City  and  Leavenworth,  and  he  also  had 
other  contracts  for  building  railroads  through  the 
west.  He  died  in  Leavenworth  and  was  buried 
in  Mount  Muncie  cemetery.     His  wife,  who  was 


a  sister  of  L.  B.  Johnson,  owner  of  Johnson's 
Island,  in  Lake  Erie,  died  at  the  home  of  her  son, 
our  subject,  in  1896.  Of  her  five  children  two 
are  living,  one  son,  William,  being  in  Chicago. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  obtained  in 
the  Sandusky  schools.  In  1880  he  started  in  the 
hack  and  livery  business,  and  has  since  built  up 
a  large  trade  in  this  line.  He  has  his  stables  at 
Nos.  320-322  Cherokee  street.  In  addition  to 
the  general  management  of  this  business  he  is 
serving  his  third  term  as  city  marshal,  a  position 
which,  since  the  abolishment  of  the  metropolitan 
police  service,  is  one  of  great  responsibility,  it 
being  a  difiicult  task  to  adequately  protect  the 
city.  He  is  stanch  in  his  adherence  to  Demo- 
cratic principles  and  always  gives  his  allegiance 
to  the  candidates  of  the  regular  party  ticket. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias. 

The  marriage  of  Captain  Cranston  took  place 
in  Leavenworth  and  united  him  with  Miss  Sadie 
Hollowkamp,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
accompanied  her  parents  to  Kansas.  She  is  an 
active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
The  three  children  comprising  the  family  of  Cap- 
tain and  Mrs.  Cranston  are  William  A.,  Edith 
and  Joseph  Albert. 


(Tames  a.  hill,  in  the  character  of  its 
I  farming  population  Fairmount  Township 
(2/  ranks  with  the  best  townships  in  Leaven- 
worth County,  and  none  of  its  farmers  is  more 
highly  respected  than  Mr.  Hill.  He  is  a  pioneer 
of  '59  in  this  count}',  where  for  a  few  years  he 
made  his  home  upon  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres 
in  High  Prairie  Township,  but  in  1864  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Fairmount 
Township,  which  property  has  since  been  in- 
creased by  purcha-se  to  two  hundred  acres.  Dur- 
ing the  years  he  has  made  his  home  here  he  has 
planted  trees  that  greatly  add  to  the  desirability 
of  the  farm,  and  has  also  built  a  neat  residence 
and  other  farm  buildings.  He  is  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising  and  has  met 
with  success  that  is  gratifying. 

Our   subject's   grandfather,   James    Hill,  was 


782 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


born  in  Ireland  and  when  a  small  boy  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents,  settling  in  Vir- 
ginia. At  the  opening  of  the  Revolutionary  war 
he  enlisted  under  George  Washington  and  took 
part  in  many  battles,  remaining  in  active  service 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  Samuel,  son  of  James 
Hill,  was  born  in  Virginia  and  from  there  moved 
to  Tennessee,  where  he  remained  for  a  few  years. 
During  his  residence  there  he  started  south  with 
General  Jackson,  but,  meeting  with  an  accident, 
was  obliged  to  return  home.  Shortly  afterward 
he  moved  to  Garrett  County,  Ky.,  and  from  there 
moved  to  Casey  County,  the  same  state.  His  last 
years  were  spent  in  Lincoln  County,  Ky.,  where 
he  owned  a  fine  farm.  He  died  in  1838,  at  fifty- 
six  years  of  age.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Rebecca  BoUin,  was  born  in  Virginia, 
where  her  ancestors  had  come  from  Ireland;  her 
father  was  a  soldier  under  Washington  during 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Mrs.  Rebecca  Hill  died 
in  Kentucky  at  ninety  years  of  age.  Of  her  ten 
children  Mrs.  Wood  and  James  A.  Hill  are  the 
only  survivors.  The  latter  was  born  in  Casey 
County,  Ky.,  August  5,  1825,  and  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  in  Lincoln  County,  where  he  received 
a  common-school  education.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  began  to  farm  on  the  old  homestead, 
but  in  1857  removed  to  Buchanan  County,  Mo., 
where  he  remained  for  eighteen  months.  From 
there  he  came  to  Kansas,  where  he  has  since 
built  up  a  reputation  as  one  of  Leavenworth 
County's  most  energetic  farmers. 

Politically  Mr.  Hill  is  a  Democrat,  interested 
in  party  success,  but  not  partisan  in  his  views. 
He  has  frequently  been  selected  to  serve  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  in  which  capacity 
he  has  worked  to  promote  the  interests  of  the 
school  in  his  district.  During  the  Civil  war  his 
sympathies  were  with  the  Union.  At  the  time  of 
Price's  raid  he  went  out  with  the  militia  to  fight 
the  southern  raider  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Westport,  where  he  was  taken  prisoner.  During 
the  eight  days  of  his  retention  by  the  Confeder- 
ates he  was  forced  to  take  part  in  a  hurried  march 
of  two  hundred  miles  toward  the  Arkansas  River 
and  was  paroled  in  southern  Missouri. 

February  10,  1848,  Mr.  Hill  married  Mary  A. 


Vostick,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  five  children,  namely:  John 
T.;  MoUie,  who  is  the  wife  of  Robert  Sopher; 
George  T,,  James  P.  and  Andrew  J.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hill  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  During  their  married  life  of  more 
than  fifty  years  they  have  made  many  friends  in 
the  various  localities  where  they  have  resided, 
and  by  their  nobility  of  character  have  always 
been  esteemed  by  their  acquaintances. 


(TOHN  B.  HALLAUX,  who  is  engaged  in 
I  gardening  and  fruit-raising  in  the  suburbs 
\Z/  of  Leavenworth,  was  born  in  1831  on  the 
line  of  Belgium  and  France,  being  a  son  of  John 
B.  and  Catherine  (Ferdinand)  Hallaux,  natives 
respectively  of  France  and  Belgium.  He  was 
one  of  three  children,  the  second  of  whom,  Jacob, 
is  a  gardener  in  Leavenworth,  while  the  only 
daughter,  Henrietta,  is  married  and  lives  in  Illi- 
nois. His  education,  owing  to  lack  of  opportu- 
nities, was  very  meagre,  but  he  has  traveled  ex- 
tensively and  by  observation  has  gained  a  large 
fund  of  information  of  a  varied  nature.  During 
boyhood  he  became  familiar  with  the  mason's 
trade  under  his  father.  He  served  in  the  Crimean 
war  as  a  corporal,  and  upon  being  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  army  came  to  America,  where 
for  two  years  he  was  employed  in  Wisconsin  and 
for  one  year  in  Illinois. 

A  pioneer  of  1857  ^^  Leavenworth,  Mr.  Hal- 
laux, soon  after  his  arrival,  purchased  the  six- 
teen acres  upon  which  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  The  land  was  then  covered  with  brush 
and  contained  no  improvements  whatever.  He 
has  transformed  it  into  a  fine  market  garden  and 
fruit  farm  and  has  engaged  in  raising  blackberries 
and  strawberries,  as  well  as  vegetables,  for  which 
he  finds  a  sale  in  the  city.  The  land  lies  partly 
in  the  city  limits  and  partly  in  Delaware  Town- 
ship, and  is  improved  with  a  two-story  stone 
house  built  by  Mr.  Hallaux.  When  a  company 
of  militia  was  formed  in  Leavenworth  he  joined 
the  same  and  was  made  a  lieutenant.  When  the 
company  was  sent  out  to  repulse  General  Price  he 
was  promoted  to  be  captain.     In  politics  he  votes 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


783 


with  the  Republican  party,  both  in  national  and 
local  elections.  His  marriage  took  place  in  1856 
and  united  him  with  Eugenia  Bero,  who  at  that 
time  was  living  in  Wisconsin.  The}'  are  the 
parents  of  two  children,  Herman  and  Emil,  both 
of  whom  reside  inEeavenworth. 


n  ACOB  SCHWAGEER,  a  farmer  of  Delaware 
I  Township,  Eeavenworth  County,  was  born 
(2/  in  the  kingdom  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany, 
in  1827,  being  the  son  of  George  Schwagler,  a 
wine-grower  there.  He  was  educated  in  Ger- 
many and  at  eighteen  years  of  age  came  to 
America  in  the  sailing-vessel  "Elizabeth," 
which  was  eighty -five  days  in  crossing  the  ocean. 
His  first  act  on  arriving  in  this  country  was  to 
enlist  on  a  United  States  man-of-war,  but  a  man 
to  whom  his  father  had  written  regarding  him 
secured  his  release  from  the  service,  as  he  was 
under  age.  He  then  hired  out  to  a  farmer  at 
New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  receiving  $5  a  month. 
After  a  year  he  went  on  the  canal  to  Pittsburgh, 
thence  worked  his  way  to  St.  Eouis,  and  from 
there  went  up  the  river  to  Galena,  111.,  later  to 
Fort  Snelling.  On  the  boat  "Senator"  he  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  Captain  Schmidt,  who  in- 
duced him  to  learn  the  pilot's  business  and  se- 
cured him  work  between  Galena  and  Fort  Snel- 
ling. For  twelve  years  he  was  employed  as  a 
Mississippi  River  pilot.  He  piloted  down  the 
river  a  raft  bearing  from  Houston  County,  Minn., 
the  timber  used  in  the  construction  of  the  first 
bridge  across  the  river  at  Rock  Island.  On 
resigning  as  pilot  he  went  to  Europe,  where  he 
spent  seven  months. 

The  year  1858  found  Mr.  Schwagler  in  Kansas. 
He  had  been  at  Fort  Leavenworth  in  1848,  as 
an  interpreter  for  the  government  in  its  comnmni- 
cations  with  the  Winnebago  Indians,  and  again, 
in  1854,  he  visited  the  state.  On  finally  coming 
here  as  a  permanent  settler  he  squatted  on  land 
north  of  Leavenworth,  but  was  driven  off".  In 
1862  he  bought  the  place  on  section  10  where  he 
now  lives,  and  added  to  his  property  in  1866  by 
the  purchase  of  forty-four  and  one-half  acres 
adjoining,  for  which  he  paid  $1.25  an  acre.  The 


land  was  covered  with  brush  and  he  made  all  of 
the  improvements.  For  some  time  he  had  a 
tavern,  but  it  burned  down  in  1898  and  he  then 
erected  his  present  residence.  In  1859  he  crossed 
the  plains  on  the  old  Smoky  Hill  route  with  ox- 
teams  and  mined  at  Central  City  and  Russell 
Gulch,  Colo.,  returning  home  in  the  fall.  Again, 
in  the  spring  of  i860,  he  crossed  the  plains  with 
team  and  mined  at  California  Gulch,  where  he 
was  successful. 

In  politics  Mr.  Schwagler  is  a  Democrat.  He 
served  as  road  overseer  for  twenty-eight  years. 
At  Brownsville,  Minn.,  he  married  Hannah  Cox, 
who  was  born  in  Harrison  County,  Va.  They 
became  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  but  only 
three  are  living.  The  oldest,  Mollie,  who  was  a 
high  school  teacher,  married  a  gentleman  who  is 
now  in  the  government  employ  in  Cuba.  The 
second  daughter,  Jennie,  resides  with  her  sister 
in  Arizona.  The  son,  Scott,  assists  his  father 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  home  farm. 


IT  D WIN  L.  CARNEY.  The  Carney  family 
ry  was  founded  in  America  by  four  brothers 
|_  from  Ireland,  who  first  settled  in  New  York 
and  afterwards  two  went  to  Pennsylvania  and  two 
to  Ohio.  From  the  Ohio  branch  descended  James 
Carney,  a  farmer,  and  a  lifelong  resident  of  the 
Buckeye  state.  His  oldest  son.  Dr.  Theodore 
Carney,  died  at  Boonville,  Mo.  The  second  and 
third  sons,  LeRoy  and  Thomas,  came  to  Kansas 
and  embarked  in  business  at  Leavenworth, where 
the  former  died  in  i860,  and  the  latter  afterward 
became  governor  of  the  state.  The  remaining 
son,  Craton,  first  settled  in  northwestern  Mis- 
souri, but  about  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  he 
removed  to  Leavenworth,  and  his  death  occurred 
in  High  Prairie  Township  in  1886. 

The  birth  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  occurred 
in  Kenton,  Ohio,  August  16,  1852,  his  parents 
being  Hon.  Thomas  and  Rebecca  Ann  (Canaday) 
Carney.  His  education  was  begun  in  Ohio,  but 
was  obtained  principally  in  the  schools  of  Leaven- 
worth, where  the  family  established  their  perma- 
nent home  in  i860.  He  was  the  first  graduate 
of  the  Leavenworth  high   school.     Afterward  he 


784 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


entered  the  literary  department  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  graduated,  after  a  four  years' 
course,  in  1875,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  Return- 
ing to  Leavenworth,  he  at  once  began  the  study 
of  law,  and  in  1877  was  admitted  to  practice  at 
the  bar  of  Kansas.  Since  then  he  has  given  his 
attention  closely  to  professional  work  and  has 
built  up  a  large  and  important  practice,  especially 
in  civil  law.  For  two  years  (1879-81)  he  held 
the  ofiBce  of  city  attorney,  and  during  the  latter 
part  of  his  term  took  a  very  active  part  in  the  re- 
vision of  the  city  charter. 

The  interest  which  Mr.  Carney  maintains  in 
public  affairs  is  that  of  a  loyal,  progressive  citizen, 
who  desires  to  see  his  home  town  advance  in  ma- 
terial pro.sperity,  and  who  also  has  at  heart  the 
welfare  of  his  state.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  has  never  deviated  from  his  allegiance 
to  his  party  and  his  support  of  its  men  and  meas- 
ures. He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  having  attained 
the  degree  of  Knight  Templar.  His  marriage  in 
Leavenworth  united  him  with  Mary,  daughter 
of  F.  P.  FitzWilliam,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
this  city. 

(Tames  H.  BEDDOW,  range  rider  and  in- 
I  spector  of  the  military  reservation  at  Fort 
C2/  Leavenworth,  is  probably  the  oldest  surviv- 
ing settler  of  this  part  of  Kansas,  having  come 
hereabout  1848.  His  has  been  a  very  eventful 
life,  filled  with  adventure,  hardships  and  frontier 
experiences,  and  now,  in  his  declining  years,  he 
enjoys  the  respect  and  good  will  of  all  with  whom 
he  has  been  associated.  He  was  born  at  Har- 
rodsburg,  Mercer  County,  Ky.,  January  4,  1826, 
a  son  of  James  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Cruse)  Beddow, 
natives  of  Lynchburg,  Va.  His  paternal  ances- 
tors came  from  France  and  were  early  settlers  of 
Virginia.  His  father,  who  fought  during  the 
war  of  18 1 2  as  midshipman  in  the  navy,  served  as 
county  clerk  and  probate  judge  of  Mercer  Coun- 
ty, Ky.  He  and  his  wife  died  in  Mercer  County 
and  were  buried  at  the  old  homestead  there.  Of 
their  four  children  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
the  only  one  known  to  be  living.  He  was  reared 
on  the  home  farm,  and  learned  the  tailor's  trade 
in  youth,  but  followed  it  for  a  short  time  only. 


At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  war  Mr. 
Beddow  enhsted  in  the  First  Dragoons,  U.  S.  A., 
Troop  K,  and  was  sent  to  the  practicing  school 
at  Carlisle  Barracks.  During  the  four  years  that 
he  remained  in  the  regular  army  he  had  consid- 
erable hard  service  on  the  plains  in  Kansas,  Colo- 
rado, Dakota  and  New  Mexico.  He  came  with 
his  company  to  Kansas  about  1848.  On  being 
discharged  from  the  army,  August  24,  1850,  he 
became  connected  with  the  quartermaster's  de- 
partment at  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  he  was 
under  civilian  law,  and  held  all  the  positions  to 
which  a  civilian  was  eligible.  In  1877  he  was 
appointed  to  his  present  position,  that  of  range 
rider  for  the  quartermaster's  department,  having 
charge  of  all  the  government  lands  under  orders 
from  the  commanding  officer  of  the  post.  His 
entire  time  is  spent  in  inspecting  the  range,  which 
consists  of  fifty-eight  hundred  acres  in  Kansas 
and  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  acres  across 
the  river  in  Missouri.  He  is  in  point  of  years  of 
service  the  oldest  employe  of  the  government  at 
Fort  Leavenworth,  and  is  probably  the  oldest 
surviving  resident  of  eastern  Kansas,  where  he 
first  arrived  on  Christmas  eve  of  1848. 

During  the  Kansas  war  of  1856  Mr.Beddow  was 
messenger  for  Major  Sedgwick  and  Col.  E.  V. 
Sumner;  also  for  Colonel  Johnson,  and  carried 
all  dispatches  from  the  fort  to  the  commanding 
officers  in  the  field.  From  the  United  States 
marshal  he  received  appointment  as  deputy  mar- 
shal at  the  fort,  which  position  he  held  for  twelve 
years.  During  the  opening  months  of  th^  Civil 
war  he  went  to  Nebraska  to  look  after  a  large 
tract  of  land  he  owned  there.  While  there  he 
was  attacked  by  highwaymen,  who  supposed  he 
had  with  him  money  to  pay  off  his  men.  He 
was  so  brutally  attacked  by  them  that  he  lost  his 
right  eye  and  lay  unconscious  for  eleven  days, 
after  which  for  ninety  days  he  hovered  between 
life  and  death.  It  was  months  before  he  regained 
his  strength  and  was  able  to  resume  work.  He 
had  given  considerable  attention  to  his  property 
in  Nebraska,  where  he  had  extensively  engaged 
in  raising  stock  and  in  general  farming,  but  after 
this  he  disposed  of  the  land.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  Democrat,  but  by  military  regula- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


785 


tions  is  not  allowed  to  vote;  however,  he  served 
as  judge  of  elections  for  Kickapoo  Township 
several  times  during  the  Civil  war.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Arm}'  and  Navy  Union  at  Fort  Leav- 
worth. 

In  1865  Mr.  Beddow  married  Mary  Ruder,  sis- 
ter of  Frederick  Ruder,  of  Leavenworth.  They 
have  four  children:  James  H.,  Jr.,  of  Kansas 
City;  William  A.,  who  went  to  Santiago  with  the 
Twentieth  Regulars  and  served  as  teamster  until 
the  troops  were  returned  to  the  United  States, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  employed  at  the 
fort;  Robert  J.  and  May,  both  of  whom  are  in 
Kansas  City.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beddow  reside  at 
the  fort,  but  expect  on  his  retirement  from  work 
to  settle  upon  their  farm  in  Wyandotte  County, 
which  they  now  rent  to  tenants. 

July  21,  1899,  Mr.  Beddow  celebrated  the  fifty- 
third  anniversary  of  his  connection  with  the  gov- 
ernment service.  During  this  long  time,  all  of 
which  has  been  spent  in  the  west,  he  has  wit- 
nessed the  settlement  and  progress  of  this  section 
of  country  and  has  labored  to  promote  its  inter- 
ests. Many  a  time  in  early  days  he  took  part 
in  fights  with  the  Pawnee  and  Cheyenne  In- 
dians. The  life  was  one  of  exposure  and  hard- 
ship. Many  a  night  he  slept  on  the  ground 
wrapped  in  a  blanket.  However,  his  robust  con- 
stitution was  not  injured,  and  through  all  of  his 
long  and  active  life  he  has  had  excellent  health. 


|q5  FORGE  W.  MAFFET,  proprietor  of  the 
I—  Elkhorn  fruitery  at  Lawrence,  was  born  in 
\^  Wilkesbarre,  Luzerne  County,  Pa.,  June  10, 
1856,  and  is  a  descendant  of  ancestors  who  bore 
a  patriotic  part  in  the  early  history  of  America. 
The  first  of  the  Maffet  family  in  this  country  was 
John  MaSet,  a  native  of  Duncannon,  County 
Tyrone,  north  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  America 
in  1774  and  settled  in  Lycoming  County,  Pa. 
His  son,  Samuel,  who  was  born  in  Linden,  that 
county,  served  from  18 15  to  1S21  as  register  and 
recorder  of  Luzerne  County,  Pa.,  to  which  he 
was  appointed  by  Governors  Snyder  and  Findlay. 
February  8,  182 1,  he  became  prothonotary,  which 
position,  together  with  those  of  clerk  of  the  court 


of  quarter  sessions,  oyer  and  terminer,  and  clerk 
of  the  orphans'  court,  he  held  until  1828.  He 
started  the  Susquehanna  Democrat,  which  was 
the  first  Democratic  paper  established  in  his 
town.  Active  in  military  affairs  he  was  commis- 
sioned ensign  August  i,  18 14,  and  captain  May 
22,  181S,  of  the  Eighth  Company,  Second  Penn- 
sylvania Militia,  each  commission  running  for 
seven  years. 

William  Ross  Maffet,  son  of  Samuel  Maffet, 
was  born  in  Wilkesbarre,  Pa.,  March  29,  18 17, 
and  became  a  civil  and  mining  engineer  and  coal 
operator,  developing  and  operating  two  mines  at 
Wilkesbarre,  and  owning  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  containing  large  beds  of  anthracite 
coal.  For  some  time  he  engaged  in  railroad  en- 
gineering, but  finally  his  coal  operations  con- 
sumed his  entire  time.  He  was  the  first  super- 
intendent of  the  Pennsylvania  canal,  and  planned 
and  built  a  switchback  at  Summit,  Pa.  Among 
the  citizens  of  his  town  he  held  a  high  position. 
From  Governor  Hartranft,  who  had  been  a  pupil 
under  him  in  boyhood,  he  received  a  commission 
to  revise  the  ordinances  of  the  various  cities  of 
the  state  and  to  prepare  a  universal  code  for  the 
same.  Fraternally,  like  his  father,  he  was  prom- 
inent in  Masonry.  His  death  occurred  June  14, 
1890. 

The  mother  of  William  R.  Mafiet  was  Caroline 
Ann,  daughter  of  Gen.  William  Ross.  The  lat- 
ter was  born  in  New  London,  Conn.,  March 
29,  1 76 1,  migrated  to  the  Wyoming  Valley  in 
1775,  arriving  there  the  day  before  the  massacre 
by  the  Indians.  Enlisting  at  the  opening  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  he  rose  from  major  to  brigad- 
ier-inspector and  then  general  of  militia,  and  in 
recognition  of  his  bravery  was  presented  by  the 
state  with  a  sword  and  a  brace  of  pistols,  July  4, 
1788,  the  letter  of  presentation  containing  these 
words:  ' '  The  supreme  executive  council  present 
this  mark  of  their  approbation  acquired  by  your 
firmness  in  support  of  the  laws  of  the  common- 
wealth." His  well-known  fitness  for  public 
office  led  to  his  election  as  state  senator,  in  which 
position  he  greatly  advanced  the  welfare  of  his 
constituents.  He  married  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Samuel   and  Elizabeth    (Perkins)    Sterling. 


786 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


One  of  their  sons,  Gen.  William  Sterling  Ross, 
served  as  judge  for  many  years,  held  a  prom- 
inent place  in  the  citizenship  of  his  state,  and 
died  respected  and  honored  by  all  who  knew 
him.  The  death  of  General  Ross  occurred  Au- 
gust 9,  1842,  when  he  was  eighty-two  years  of 
age.  He  had  two  brothers,  Lieut.  Perrin  Ross 
and  Jeremiah  Ross,  who  were  slain  in  the  Wy- 
oming massacre.  They  were  sons  of  Jeremiah 
Ross,  Sr.,  sons  of  James  and  Sarah  (Utley)  Ross. 
The  wife  of  William  Ross  Maffet  was  Martha 
Washington  Adelia  West,  who  was  born  at  the 
family  home  on  Christian  street,  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  September  7,  1825,  and  died  at  Summit  Hill, 
Pa.,  August  29,  1864.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
G.  G.  and  Martha  (Kessler)  West,  a  grand- 
daughter of  John  and  Martha  (Berrill)  Kessler, 
and  a  great-granddaughter  of  Leonard  and  Mary 
(Ritchover)  Kessler.  Mr.  West  was  a  success- 
ful business  man  and  banker  in  Philadelphia. 
John  Kessler  was  an  ofiicer  on  the  ship  that  car- 
ried La  Fayette  back  to  France,  and  spent  his  en- 
tire life  upon  the  high  seas,  where  he  was  more 
than  once  shipwrecked  and  also  suffered  injury 
during  various  battles   in   which  the  navy  en- 


In  the  family  of  William  Ross  and  M.  W. 
Adelia  (West)  Maffet  there  were  eight  children, 
namely:  Ann  Eliza,  wife  of  Capt.  T.  Connell,  of 
San  Diego,  Cal.;  Rosalie  West,  wife  of  Lathan 
W.Jones,  residing  near  Denver,  Colo.;  Martha 
Adelia,  who  lives  in  Wilkesbarre,  Pa.;  Ruth 
Ross,  wife  of  Horace  See,  a  prominent  naval 
designer  expert;  George  W.;  Adelaide  W.,  wife 
of  George  Romage,  who  is  connected  with  the 
Rand-McNally  Company  of  Chicago;  Sarah  C, 
wife  of  Capt.  Charles  Stevens,  U.  S.  A.,  who 
participated  in  the  Spanish-American  war;  and 
William  Ross,  Jr.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  at  Rooster  Rock,  Ore.  Through  the 
mother  the  genealogy  of  the  family  is  traced  back 
to  Lord  Baltimore,  Cecil  Calvert. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  acquired  in 
public  schools  and  Wyoming  Seminary.  His 
health  being  poor,  he  decided  to  come  west  for  a 
change  of  climate.  The  year  1876  found  him  in 
Wichita,  Kans.     Two  years  later  he  went  to  a 


"  boom  "  town  on  the  prairiesof  Harper  County. 
Of  this  town,  Anthony,  he  was  the  first  post- 
master, and  he  took  an  active  part  in  all  local 
affairs,  including  the  county-seat  struggle.  In 
1880  he  established  the  Anthony  Republican, 
which  under  his  able  editorship  gained  weight  in 
the  seventh  congressional  district,  and,  indeed, 
in  the  entire  state.  However,  his  close  attention 
to  business  seriously  impaired  his  health  and  it 
became  necessary  for  him  to  seek  an  occupation 
that  would  give  him  outdoor  exercise.  For  this 
reason  he  sold  the  paper  in  1893.  During  1881, 
leaving  the  paper  in  care  of  a  partner,  he  went 
into  Indian  Territory,  and  bought  the  Cheyenne 
Transporter  at  Darlington,  which  he  conducted 
in  the  interests  of  the  Indians  and  range  cattle- 
men. He  remained  among  the  Indians  until  De- 
cember, 1885,  when  he  returned  to  Anthony.  In 
the  spring  of  1S90  he  became  the  president  and 
secretary  for  the  Anthony  Salt  Companj'  and  re- 
mained at  the  head  of  this  business  until  he  re- 
moved from  the  town.  At  one  time  he  was 
elected  register  of  deeds  in  Harper  County,  but 
did  not  qualify. 

In  1894  Mr.  Maffet  came  to  Lawrence  and 
bought  thirty-two  acres,  which  he  planted  to 
fruits  of  various  kinds,  and  this  place  he  has 
since  conducted.  While  he  entered  horticulture 
more  from  a  desire  to  regain  his  health  than  from 
choice,  he  has  found  the  occupation  congenial 
and  has  proved  himself  well  adapted  to  it.  He 
has  made  a  specialty  of  strawberries,  apples  and 
cherries  for  commercial  purposes.  Upon  his 
place  is  an  experimental  strawberry  bed  contain- 
ing sixtj'-five  varieties  from  nearlj'  ever)'  state  in 
the  Union,  which  he  is  giving  an  actual  test  to 
learn  exactly  what  they  will  do  upon  his  soil. 
He  is  also  breeding  twenty-three  female  varieties 
of  strawberries  with  one  male  variety,  hoping  to 
originate  something  superior.  Five  acres  are 
planted  to  strawberries,  and  the  products  are 
shipped  to  various  points  in  Nebraska  and  Colo- 
rado. The  fruitery  is  an  attractive  homestead 
and  bears  evidence  of  close  oversight  and  super- 
vision. Over  the  gate  a  visitor  will  notice  a 
large  pair  of  elk  horns,  illustrating  the  name 
given  to  the  place. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


787 


In  addition  to  horticulture  Mr.  Maffet  is  inter- 
ested in  stock.  He  has  on  his  place  registered 
Jerseys,  registered  Poland-China  hogs  and  stan- 
dard-bred registered  trotting  horses,  including  a 
fine  pair  of  mares,  one  a  sister  to  Joe  Patchin, 
and  the  registered  Kentucky  trotting  stallion, 
Appamantus,  22,308,  bred  by  the  great  veterin- 
arian, Dr.  L.  Herr,  of  Lexington,  Ky.  (owner  of 
Mambrino  Patchen  58).  This  fine  stallion  is  fif- 
teen and  one-half  hands  high,  a  handsome  chest- 
nut, gentle  enough  for  a  lady  to  drive,  yet  has 
been  driven  a  mile  in  2:23  by  his  trainer.  His 
pedigree  can  be  traced  back  five  generations. 
His  sire,  AUandorf  7462,  was  sold  in  the  France 
sale  in  1893  for  $10,000,  and  at  thesame  time  his 
dam,  Frankie  Lyon,  was  sold  for  $610.  In  the 
pedigree  are  many  horses  that  have  been  promi- 
nent on  the  track  of  recent  years.  His  paternal 
grandmother.  Alma  Mater,  sold  in  her  prime  for 
$15,000,  and  her  twelve  foals  brought  their  breed- 
.  ers   $79,075.     Others  in  the  pedigree  have  also 

commanded  prices  equally  high.  On  his  place 
Mr.  Maffet  also  has  a  flock  of  fine  white  Plym- 
outh Rock  chickens.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Douglas  County  Horticultural  Society,  the  Law- 
rence Fruit  Growers  Union,  and  the  Kansas  State 
Horticultural  Society. 

The  political  views  of  Mr.  Maffet  have  always 
been  those  of  the  Republican  party.  In  1885  he 
held  appointment  as  United  States  commissioner 
for  the  district  of  Kansas  in  the  Indian  Territory, 
but  resigned  upon  leaving  Darlington.  He  is  con- 
nected with  Lawrence  Chapter,  Sons  of  the  Revo- 
lution; the  lodge  and  encampment  of  Odd  Fellows; 
and  the  Degree  of  Honor,  A.  O.  U.  W.  During  his 
residence  in  Darlington,  I.  T.,  June  26,  1884,  he 
married  Miss  Lizzie  Kable,  who  was  born  in  Ce- 
lina,  Ohio,  and  received  a  thorough  education, 
after  which  she  engaged  in  teaching.  For  five 
years  she  held  the  principalship  of  the  Cheyenne 
Indian  .schools  at  Darlington,  and  it  was  while  fill- 
ing this  position  that  she  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Mr.  Maffet.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  by 
two  children,  Maud  A.  and  Samuel  Ross.  Mrs. 
Maffet  is  identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Ladies 
Literary  League;  also,  with  her  husband,  holds 


membership  in  the  lodge  of  the  Rebekahs  and  the 
Degree  of  Honor.  She  was  one  of  five  children, 
and  has  two  sisters  now  living,  viz.:  Mrs.  Hulda 
Wells,  of  Ohio;  and  Mrs.  Amelia  Collins,  of 
Rapid  City,  S.  Dak.  Her  father,  Daniel  Kable, 
was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  and  set- 
tled in  Ohio,  where  he  followed  merchant  tailor- 
ing. He  died  in  1896.  Her  mother  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Margaret  Deitz,  and  was  born  in 
Carlisle,  Pa.  Left  an  orphan  in  early  childhood, 
she  was  reared  in  Indiana,  but  passed  her  life 
mainly  in  Celina,  Ohio,  where  she  still  resides. 


pCJlLLIAM  KENNEDY  FAULKNER,  who 
\  A  /  is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising  in 
YV  High  Prairie  Township,  Leavenworth 
County,  his  home  being  on  section  5,  was  born  in 
Platte  County,  Mo.,  January  23,  1859.  When  he 
was  two  years  of  age  he  was  brought  to  Kansas 
by  his  parents.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  the 
home  of  his  father,  John  K.  Faulkner.  During 
the  years  of  boyhood  he  spent  the  winter  months 
in  school  and  the  summers  in  working  upon  the 
home  farm,  where,  being  the  eldest  of  the  family, 
his  services  were  early  called  into  requisition . 
At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  started  out  for  him- 
self, and  has  since  cultivated  the  same  farm, 
comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  which 
are  raised  wheat,  corn  and  hay. 

In  conjunction  with  farming  Mr.  Faulkner  has 
become  interested  in  the  stock  business.  On  his 
place  are  about  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  and 
fifty  head  of  cattle.  The  products  of  the  farm 
are  used  mostly  for  feed  for  his  stock  in  winter. 
In  his  work  he  has  been  successful.  He  is  ener- 
getic and  judicious,  and  knows  how  to  manage  a 
farm  so  as  to  secure  the  best  results.  When  he 
bought  the  land,  in  1881,  it  was  raw  and  unim- 
proved, but  under  his  energetic  efforts  the  place 
has  been  improved  and  brought  to  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  During  the  first  year  of  his  occu- 
pancy he  raised  enough  on  the  place  to  pay  for 
the  land.  In  the  spring  of  1883  he  erected  a  neat 
house,  which  he  has  since  occupied.  At  other 
times,  as  needed,  he  has  built  barns  and  other 
buildings  for  the  shelter  of  stock  or  storage  of 
grain. 


788 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


As  a  Democrat  Mr.  Faulkner  has  taken  an  ac- 
tive part  in  local  politics,  and  has  attended  county 
and  state  conventions.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  of  which  he  has  served  as  treasurer 
for  some  years.  In  the  Christian  Church  he  of- 
ficiates as  an  elder.  Local  projects  receive  his 
support  and  assistance,  prominent  among  these 
being  the  building  of  the  schoolhouse  in  1886,  a 
work  in  which  he  took  a  warm  interest.  In  1S82 
he  married  Margaret  Sanders,  of  this  county.  Of 
the  four  children  born  of  their  union,  three  are 
living,  Edward,  Ralph  and  Arthur. 


(31  RTHUR  C.  PONTIUS,  who  is  a  leading  and 
LA  progressive  farmer  of  Douglas  County,  has 
/  I  made  agriculture  his  life  work.  After  his 
marriage  he  rented  a  farm  in  Kanwaka  Town- 
ship for  two  years  and  then  purchased  a  portion 
of  his  present  place,  situated  five  miles  due  west 
of  Lawrence.  Here  he  has  since  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising.  He  has  added 
to  his  property,  which  now  comprises  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  land  as  valuable  as  any  in 
Kanwaka  Township.  Although  he  is  still  a 
young  man,  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  farmers  of  his  locality. 

Mr.  Pontius  was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio, 
on  the  4th  of  July,  1863,  and  is  the  son  of  Fred- 
erick B.  Pontious,  to  whose  sketch  the  reader  is 
referred  for  the  family  history.  He  obtained  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  and  Lawrence 
Business  College.  May  10,  1887,  he  married 
Miss  Mabel  E.  Richardson,  who  was  born  in 
Wisconsin.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Asa  Richard- 
son, who  was  for  some  years  a  member  of  a  prom- 
inent firm  of  bridge  builders,  but  for  some  years 
prior  to  his  demise  was  living  retired  upon  a 
farm  in  Kanwaka  Township,  where  he  died  in 
1888.  He  was  the  owner  of  valuable  mining  in- 
terests in  Old  Mexico,  and  at  one  time  was  presi- 
dent of  a  bank  in  Monroe,  Wis. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Pontius  settled  upon  a 
farm  in  Kanwaka  Township,  and  he  has  since 
devoted  himself  to  stock-raising  and  general 
farming,  in  both  of  which  he  has  met  with  suc- 
cess.    He  has  been  fortunate  in  his  undertakings 


and  has  shown  good  judgment  in  all  of  his  deal- 
ings. In  his  character  he  combines  those  quali- 
ties of  mind  and  heart  that  render  him  deservedly 
popular.  He  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  always  votes  for  its  men  and 
measures.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  in  Lawrence.  He  and  his 
wife  ^are  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely: 
OUa  R.,  born  April  30,  1888;  Clayton  R.,  Janu- 
arj'  4,  1890;  Mabel  Ina,  October  28,  1S91;  Alma 
C,  Janiiary  16,  1896;  and  Carroll  H.,  January 
24,  1898.  The  family  are  connected  with  the 
Congregational  Church,  and  Mr.  Pontius  was 
one  of  the  liberal  contributors  toward  the  build- 
ing of  the  house  of  worship  occupied  by  this  de- 
nomination, as  well  as  the  United  Brethren 
Church  recently  constructed.  As  a  member  of 
the  school  board  of  this  district  Mrs.  Pontius  has 
rendered  excellent  service  in  the  interests  of  this 
neighborhood. 


rr  T.  CARR,  who  was  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
j^  tiers  of  Leavenworth,  is  descended  from 
|_ ,  Scotch  ancestors  who  early  settled  in  the 
north  of  Ireland  and  from  there  the  family  was 
transplanted  to  Rhode  Island  many  years  before 
the  Revolutionary  war.  His  father,  Almond 
Carr,  was  born  in  1800  and  was  a  cousin  of  Hon. 
Rufus  King,  the  distinguished  New  York  states- 
man. He  was  a  skilled  mechanic  and  builder 
and  an  industrious  workman.  When  advanced  in 
years  he  settled  on  a  farm  in  Onondaga  County, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  died  in  1880.  He  had  married 
Arethusa  Maria  Moore,  who  was  born  in  1803, 
of  Scotch  and  English  descent;  she  was  a  woman 
of  excellent  education  and  gentleness  of  charac- 
ter, and  in  religion  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  Her  home  is  still  on  the  old  farm  where 
for  so  many  years  she  has  resided. 

Of  twelve  children  who  attained  mature  j'ears 
(and  of  whom  nine  are  living)  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  the  oldest.  He  was  born  in 
Greenfield,  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  October  28, 
1825.  A  diligent  student,  and  a  close  observer 
of  men  and  things,  the  education  which  he  ac- 
quired was  thorough  and  broad.  The  early  dis- 
play of  mechanical  skill  caused    him  to  turn  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


789 


attention  to  architecture,  which  he  studied,  from 
the  best  text-books,  while  he  was  learning  the 
trades  of  bricklayer  and  stone-mason  under  his 
father.  He  also  became  familiar  with  the  car- 
penter's trade,  so  that,  in  his  work  as  an  archi- 
tect, he  has  had  the  advantage  of  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  nianj'  minor  details  that  often 
demand  consideration. 

In  the  spring  of  1855  Mr.  Carr  went  to  St. 
Paul,  Minn.  In  September  of  the  same  j'ear  he 
arrived  in  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  he  was  em- 
plojed  in  the  erection  of  barracks  and  stables. 
At  that  time  the  fort  had  onl}'  a  few  buildings, 
and  these  were  of  wood.  He  began  the  con- 
struction of  buildings  that  were  substantial,  ap- 
propriate and  sightly.  Maj.  E.  S.  Sibley  was 
quartermaster  and  showed  the  greatest  apprecia- 
tion of  Mr.  Carr's  services.  In  December,  1856, 
Mr.  Carr  returned  to  New  York  to  settle  up  some 
business  there.  In  the  spring  of  1857  ^^  returned 
to  Leavenworth,  where  he  engaged  in  building 
with  W.  H.  Russell  and  others.  In  the  third 
year  he  opened  an  office  as  builder  and  gradually 
his  attention  was  given  to  the  drawing  up  of 
plans.  In  the  fall  of  i860  he  began  the  erection 
of  the  arsenal  and  ordnance  depot  for  the  govern- 
ment, and  this  work  engaged  his  attention  until 
the  outbreak  of  the  war. 

When  the  commander  of  the  fort  was  ordered 
to  St.  Louis  for  duty  he  asked  Mr.  Carr,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  local  military  company,  to 
protect  the  post.  The  latter  consenting,  the  fort 
was  turned  over  to  him  and  he  and  his  comrades 
fortified  it  and  did  guard  duty.  Although  very 
anxious  to  go  to  the  front  in  the  war,  General 
Reno  needed  his  services  and  persuaded  him  to 
remain.  As  superintendent  of  the  ordnance  de- 
partment at  the  fort  he  had  charge  of  its  entire 
work,  and  continued  in  the  position  until  1871. 
Meantime  he  planned  the  Morris  school,  Leav- 
enworth courthouse,  and  many  of  the  other  sub- 
stantial buildings  of  the  city;  also  the  State  Nor- 
mal at  Emporia,  asylum  for  the  blind  at  Wyan- 
dotte, Agricultural  college  at  Manhattan,  and 
many  courthouses  in  Kansas.  He  drew  the  plans 
for  the  Kansas  state  penitentiary.  Soldiers'  Home, 
Leavenworth  high  school,  and  Kansas  asylum  for 
38 


insane  at  Topeka.  In  addition  to  his  private  en- 
terprises he  was  interested  in  public  afiFairs,  and 
for  one  term  was  a  member  of  the  city  council, 
also  served  on  the  school  board  for  many  years. 
From  1891  to  1893  he  engaged  in  the  profession 
of  architect  in  Denver,  after  which  he  removed 
to  Miles  City,  Mont.,  where,  besides  his  work  at 
his  chosen  occupation,  he  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business  with  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Ryan. 
Recently  he  returned  to  Leavenworth,  where  he 
expects  to  reside  permanently.  He  was  married 
in  this  cit}',  December  8,  1859,  to  Miss  Margaret 
Redfern  Cabbin,  who  was  born  in  England,  and 
in  childhood  accompanied  her  parents  to  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  thence  to  northwestern  Missouri,  and 
finally  to  Leavenworth.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carr  have 
one  daughter,  Addie  Belle,  wife  of  Jepp  R)'an. 

July  2,  1856,  in  Leavenworth,  Mr.  Carr  was 
made  a  Mason.  He  became  connected  with  the 
Royal  Arch  chapter  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  and  af- 
terward organized  a  chapter  in  Miles  City,  Mont., 
of  which  he  was  grand  high  priest.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  Commandery  No.  i,  K.T.  For  many 
years  he  was  secretary  of  the  grand  chapter  and 
recorder  of  the  grand  commandery;  also  for  ten 
years  grand  secretary  of  the  order.  He  was  the 
first  to  institute  the  Scottish  Rite  in  Kansas  and 
was  actively  interested  in  the  development  of 
this  order  in  the  state. 


(Jonathan  flanders  morgan,  de- 

I  ceased,  who  was  one  of  the  very  earliest 
G)  settlers  in  Lawrence  (being  a  member  of 
the  Branscombe  party),  was  born  in  New  Lon- 
don, N.  H.,  April  3,  1818,  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Dolly  (Harvey)  Morgan,  being  next  to  the 
youngest  of  their  nine  children.  His  mother  was 
born  October  11,  1781,  married  September  22, 
1800,  and  died  June  24,  1865.  His  father,  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  town  as  himself,  born  August 
24,  1774,  followed  farm  pursuits,  and  was  ac- 
cidentally killed,  April  3,  1820,  bj'  a  log  rolling 
on  him  while  he  was  engaged  in  logging.  Reared 
in  New  Hampshire,  our  subject  was  a  young 
man  when  he  removed  to  Massachusetts,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  shoes  in  Hollis- 


790 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ton.  In  July,  1854,  ^^  left  the  east  with  a  party 
from  Boston .  He  and  a  Mr.  Mallory  were  ahead 
of  the  others  and  arrived  in  Lawrence  a  day  be- 
fore them.  He  was  one  of  those  who  laid  out 
the  town  of  Lawrence.  He  entered  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land,  the  north  line  of  which 
runs  through  the  center  of  the  main  building  of 
the  University  of  Kansas.  During  the  winter  of 
1854-55  he  was  proprietor  of  the  old  Gillis  house, 
Kansas  City,  Mo.  On  selling  his  claim  he  bought 
in  Grant  Township  a  tract  adjoining  Governor 
Robinson's  farm  and  there  he  engaged  in  the 
stock  business.  After  a  time  he  became  inter- 
ested in  contracting,  and  his  death  occurred 
while  he  was  filling  a  railroad  contract  in  Texas, 
October  19,  1873. 

In  HoUiston,  Mass.,  May  6,  1840,  Mr.  Morgan 
married  Miss  Asenath  P.  Howe,  who  was  born 
in  Framingham,  Mass.,  February  17,  18 18.  Her 
ancestors  came  from  England  and  settled  in  Sud- 
bury, Mass.,  later  removing  to  Framingham. 
Perley  Howe,  a  farmer,  took  part  in  the  battles 
of  Lexington,  Concord  and  other  memorable  en- 
gagements of  the  Revolution.  His  son,  Elias, 
was  born  in  Framingham  August  16,  1780,  and 
was  a  shoe  manufacturer.  He  married  Hannah 
Perry,  who  was  born  August  15,  1791,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Abel  Perry,  who,  with  his  father,  Abel, 
Sr.,  took  part  in  the  first  war  with  England. 
The  Perrys  were  Puritans  and  early  settlers  of 
Massachusetts.  Elias  Howe  and  Hannah  Perry 
were  married  March  27,  1811;  he  died  September 
3,  1844,  but  she  survived  until  February  6,  1870. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  sons  and  four 
daughters,  but  of  this  family  only  three  are  liv- 
ing. One  of  the  three  survivors  is  Mrs.  Asenath 
P.  Morgan.  She  was  reared  in  Framingham  and 
remained  in  Massachusetts  until  the  fall  of  1854, 
when  she  brought  her  children  to  Kansas.  The 
first  winter  was  spent  in  Kansas  City,  and  in  the 
spring  she  joined  her  husband  in  Lawrence. 
During  the  summer  they  erected  the  stone  house, 
which  remained  their  home  until  destroyed  by 
Quantrell's  men. 

At  the  time  of  the  raid  Mr.  Morgan  was  at 
Fort  Scott  on  a  government  contract,  hence  he 
escaped  with  his  life.     At  home,  however,  Mrs. 


Morgan  and  the  children  fared  badl3^  A  party 
of  raiders  came  to  their  house  and  said  if  she 
would  give  them  all  the  money  she  had  they 
would  not  burn  the  house.  She  did  so,  and  they 
went  on.  Unfortunately,  a  second  party  came 
and  demanded  money.  She  had  none  left,  at 
which  they  became  so  indignant  that  they  pro- 
ceeded to  abuse  her  son,  Gilbert,  the  oldest  of 
the  family  at  home,  and  a  boy  of  eleven  years. 
They  choked  and  dragged  him,  held  a  revolver 
to  his  temple,  and  left  him  exhausted  and  almost 
lifeless.  They  then  set  fire  to  the  house  aud  it 
burned  down.  Deprived  of  even  the  necessities 
of  life,  the  family  found  shelter  in  a  small  frame 
house  that  had  been  occupied  by  a  colored  family. 
Soon  afterward,  however,  they  sold  the  property 
and  moved  across  the  river.  Mrs.  Morgan  is  now 
living  at  No.  1121  Pennsylvania  street,  Law- 
rence. She  is  the  mother  of  three  sons  and  one 
daughter  now  living.  Edward  W.,  of  Kansas 
City,  was  a  soldier  in  Company  M,  Eleventh 
Kansas  Cavalry,  during  the  Civil  war;  Gilbert 
H.,  the  second  son,  is  represented  on  another 
page;  John  F.  is  a  farmer  in  Grant  Township; 
and  Mrs.  Anna  Ward  resides  in  Lawrence. 


pGJiLLIAM  I.  R.  BLACKMAN,  deceased, 
\  A  /  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  Douglas 
Y  V  County  during  the  early  days  of  Kansas, 
was  born  in  Miami  County,  Ohio,  December  12, 
1824,  a  son  of  Hurlbert  and  Sarah  (Rollins) 
Blackman.  He  was  the  second  of  nine  children, 
all  of  whom  have  passed  from  earth.  He  grew 
to  manhood  in  his  native  county,  and  obtained 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  in  an 
academy  at  Troy,  Ohio.  When  only  seventeen 
years  of  age  he  secured  a  position  as  teacher  in 
the  public  schools  at  Troy.  After  he  had  taught 
for  two  years  the  Mexican  war  broke  out  and  he 
decided  to  enlist  in  the  service.  He  and  his  par- 
ents were  strong  anti-slavery  sympathizers,  but, 
notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  many  Aboli- 
tionists to  the  Mexican  war,  his  patriotism,  per- 
haps not  unmingled  with  a  love  of  adventure  and 
military  enthusiasm,  prompted  him  to  enlist. 
Indeed  he  came  of  old  fightingstock.    His  grand- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


791 


father,  Elislia  Blackmail,  Jr.,  when  a  youth  of 
eighteen  years,  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  his  great-grandfather,  Elisha 
Blackman,  Sr.,  was  second  in  command  in  a 
company  called  ' '  The  Refounadoes, ' '  which 
defended  the  fort  at  Wilkesbarre  during  the 
Wyoming  massacre.  Elislia  Blackman,  Jr.,  was 
the  last  survivor  of  this  terrible  slaughter.  He 
died  December  5,  1845,  aged  eighty-six.  These 
men  were  the  descendants  of  an  old  Connecticut 
family,  whose  first  representative  in  America, 
Rev.  Adam  Blackman,  a  Puritan  clergyman, 
came  to  this  country  in  1638. 

Although  Mr.  Blackman  was  a  mere  youth  at 
the  time  of  the  Mexican  war  he  did  not  dishonor 
his  ancestry,  but  distinguished  himself  by  his 
courage  in  battle  and  won  the  love  of  his  com- 
rades by  his  generous,  genial  nature.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  as  well  as 
in  the  battles  around  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  was 
finally  one  of  the  body  of  troops  that  entered  the 
city  after  its  conquest. 

Returning  home  at  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr. 
Blackman  assisted  his  father  in  the  furniture 
business.  Here  he  became  a  member  of  the  anti- 
slavery  party,  and  the  first  vote  he  ever  cast  was 
for  its  candidate.  In  1854  ^^  came  to  Lawrence, 
where  he  established  the  first  furniture  business 
in  this  city.  He  resided  here  during  all  the  early 
troubles  of  Kansas.  He  raised  the  first  company 
of  Sharp's  Rifles  in  Lawrence,  which  during  the 
fall  and  next  summer  gave  the  pro-slavery  party 
so  much  trouble;  and  used  every  effort  in  his 
power  to  prevent  the  establi.shment  of  slavery  and 
to  make  Kansas  a  free  state.  In  1856  he  went  to 
Ohio  on  a  visit  and  after  the  presidential  election 
attempted  to  return  to  his  home,  but  he  found 
the  Missouri  River  guarded  by  the  border  ruf- 
fians, and  was  obliged  to  go  around  through 
Iowa.  He  had  his  revenge,  however.  On  the 
15th  of  November  he  left  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa, 
and  traveled  the  entire  distance  to  Lawrence,  four 
hundred  miles,  on  foot,  establishing  at  conven- 
ient intervals  depots  for  the  Western  Under- 
ground Railroad;  and  keeping  his  headquarters 
at  Lawrence  he  forwarded  by  this  route  hundreds 
of  runaway  slaves  tQ  Canada  and  freedopi,    Many 


times  his  home  was  surrounded  by  negro  hunters 
and  more  than  once  searched  by  United  States 
troops,  but  no  slave  once  in  his  possession  was 
ever  recovered.  At  the  time  of  the  Quantrell 
raid  he  was  visiting  in  Ohio,  but  his  store  build- 
ing and  nearly  all  of  his  stock  of  furniture  were 
destroyed. 

An  active,  public-spirited  man  he  did  much 
toward  the  upbuilding  of  Lawrence  in  its  early 
days.  Two  years  before  his  marriage  he  bought 
railroad  land  in  Grant  Township,  four  and  one- 
half  miles  north  of  Lawrence,  and  settled  down 
to  farming.  Upon  this  place  he  continued  to  re- 
side until  his  death,  which  occurred  March  2, 
1882. 

The  lady  who  for  years  was  the  helpmate  and 
devoted  companion  of  Mr.  Blackman,  and  who 
has  made  her  home  in  Lawrence  since  1884,  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Thomas  Anna  Amoss,  and 
was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  September  11,  1846, 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Maulsby) 
Amoss,  being  the  only  survivor  of  two  children. 
Her  father,  who  was  born  near  Fallston,  Md., 
engaged  in  farming  there  for  some  years,  but 
later  removed  to  Baltimore  and  engaged  in  the 
dry-goods  business,  continuing  in  that  occupa- 
tion until  his  death,  in  1844.  His  wife  was  born 
in  1S16  near  Fallston,  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Morris 
Maulsby,  who  won  his  title  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  was  an  active  business  man,  and  con- 
ducted a  cooperage  establishment,  a  blacksmith's 
shop  and  a  pottery  on  his  farm  near  Fallston. 
The  other  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Blackman  was 
William  Amoss,  a  Quaker  preacher  and  a  member 
of  an  old  family  of  New  England. 

After  the  death  of  Thomas  Amoss  his  widow 
was  again  married,  becoming  the  wife  of  Jeffer- 
son B.  Conway,  a  carpenter  of  Baltimore,  and 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Lawrence,  Kans. , 
having  come  to  this  state  in  1854,  although  his 
family  remained  in  the  east  until  1858.  He  was 
an  active  participant  in  the  border  warfare  trou- 
bles and  was  captain  of  a  company  of  volunteers 
called  the  "Stubbs,"  that  enlisted  in  the  free- 
state  cause.  His  brother,  M.  F.  Conway,  was 
the  fir-st  representative  from  Kansas  Territory, 
and  at  different  times  in  early  days  held  high  of- 


792 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


fices.  He  was  the  only  free-state  man  elected  to 
the  council  of  the  First  Territorial  Legislature, 
was  chief  justice  of  the  state  and  was  president  of 
Leavenworth  Cons.  Convention,  besides  holding 
many  other  honorary  offices.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Conway  were  born  three  children,  namely:  Mari- 
ness  W.,  an  attorney  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  Oscar 
C,  a  farmer  of  Oklahoma;  and  Inez,  deceased. 
Mrs.  Conway  died  in  Kansas  in  1896. 

Miss  Amoss  was  educated  in  common  schools 
and  the  Lawrence  high  school.  In  Lawrence, 
June  II,  1864,  she  became  the  wife  of  William 
I.  R.  Blackman,  and  seven  children  were  born  to 
them,  five  of  whom  are  living.  Miriam  A.  mar- 
ried Valorous  Brown,  a  farmer  of  Thompson- 
ville,  Kans.,  since  deceased;  Rollin  E.,  a  Presby- 
terian minister,  has  a  pastorate  at  Orleans,  Neb. 
Cora  H.  is  the  wife  of  George  Eddy,  a  fruit 
grower  at  Escondido,  Cal.  Mary  I.,  a  successful 
educator,  has  been  connected  with  Arkansas  Col- 
lege in  Little  Rock.  Maulsby  W.  is  a  student  in 
the  University  of  Kansas.  The  family  is  ident- 
ified with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which  Mr. 
Blackman  was  a  liberal  contributor,  and  in  which 
he  maintained  a  warm  interest. 


pQlLLIAM  EDWIN  THOMAS,  of  Leaven- 

\  A  /  worth,  is  president  of  the  Southwestern 
VY  Fuel  Company,  with  headquarters  in  To- 
peka,  Kans.;  the  Kansas  City  Coal  and  Coke 
Company,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  and  the  Kansas 
and  Nebraska  Coal  Company,  of  Omaha,  Neb. 
The  family  of  which  Mr.  Thomas  is  a  member 
originated  in  England,  but  has  been  represented 
in  America  since  1700,  when  Lewis  Walker 
Thomas,  an  officer  in  the  army  of  William  of 
Nassau,  Prince  of  Orange,  settled  about  twenty 
miles  from  Philadelphia.  The  genealogy  of  the 
family  is  presented  in  the  sketch  of  M.  Shaw 
Thomas,  M.  D.,  deceased,  which  appears  else- 
where in  this  volume. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Daniel  Walker 
Thomas,  M.  D.,  was  born  near  Baltimore,  Md., 
and  in  youth  studied  medicine,  graduating  from 
the  medical  department  of  the  Maryland  Uni- 
versity.    For  a  short  time  he  practiced  at  Mar- 


tinsburg,  Va.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a 
surgeon  in  the  Confederate  army  stationed  at 
Richmond.  In  1866  he  came  to  Leavenworth, 
Kans. ,  and  here  he  built  up  a  valuable  practice, 
remaining  in  this  city  until  his  death,  May  11, 
1896,  at  seventy-one  years  of  age.  During  the 
years  of  his  residence  in  Leavenworth  he  proved 
himself  a  progressive  citizen,  and  aided  enter- 
prises for  the  benefit  of  the  people.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  interested  in  edu- 
cational matters,  and  for  several  years  served  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board.  In  religion  he 
was  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  He  and  his 
brother,  M.  Shaw  Thomas,  M.  D.,  were  among 
the  most  prominent  professional  men  of  eastern 
Kansas. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Daniel  W.  Thomas  united 
him  with  Miss  Meredith  M.  Piet,  who  was  born 
in  Virginia  in  1830,  and  is  still  living,  making 
her  home  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  in  New 
Mexico.  Eight  children  were  born  of  their  union, 
of  whom  the  oldest  son  died  in  infancy,  and  W. 
Edwin  is  the  oldest  now  living.  Mary  Ellis  mar- 
ried Harry  W.  Kelly,  of  Las  Vegas,  N.  M.;  Clara 
Virginia  is  the  wife  of  M.  D.  Kittell,  of  Pennsylva- 
nia; Anna  Louisa  (twin  of  Clara  Virginia)  is  the 
wife  of  J.  T.  Broughal,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.; 
Frank  J.  is  interested  with  our  subject  as  secre- 
tary of  the  various  fuel  companies,  and  is  also 
president  of  the  Thomas  Fuel  and  Ice  Company, 
of  Atchison,  Kans.;  Susan  C.  is  in  a  convent  at 
Wilmington,  Del.;  and  Bernard  is  associated  with 
our  subject  in  business  at  Omaha. 

Born  in  Richmond-,  Va.,  November  3,  1857, 
W.  Edwin  Thomas  was  nine  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  brought  him  to  Leavenworth,  and  his 
education  was  for  some  years  carried  on  in  the 
schools  of  this  city.  Later  he  was  a  student  in 
St.  Mary's  (Kans.)  College.  For  four  years  he 
was  employed  as  clerk  in  the  passenger  and 
freight  offices  of  the  Burlington  road  in  Leaven- 
worth, and  afterward  he  held  a  clerical  position 
with  the  Kansas  Central  Railroad.  He  was  act- 
ing in  the  capacity  of  auditor  of  the  latter  road 
when  it  was  absorbed  by  the  Union  Pacific  sys- 
tem. He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  coal 
business  and    handled   the  product  of  the  state 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


793 


mine  at  Lansing,  Kaus.  In  1892  lie  bought  out 
the  Southwestern  Fuel  Company  at  Topeka,  and 
a  short  time  afterward  established  the  other  com- 
panies of  which  he  is  president.  He  is  a  man  of 
genuine  business  ability  and  has  been  notably 
successful  in  his  undertakings.  He  is  not  active 
in  politics,  but  always  votes  and  works  with  the 
Democratic  party  (gold  wing)  in  national  affairs, 
while  in  local  matters  he  is  liberal.  In  religion 
he  is  identified  with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
He  married  Miss  Kate  Shire,  one  of  the  popular 
young  ladies  of  Leavenworth,  whose  father,  the 
late  Daniel  Shire,  was"  once  prominent  in  this 
city.  They  have  two  daughters,  S.  Ellis  and  C. 
Meredith. 


fi 


DAM  L.  WILKE,  principal  member  of  the 
firm  of  A.  L.  Wilke  &  Co.,  is  identified 
with  one  of  the  important  industries  of 
Leavenworth.  When  he  came  to  this  city  in 
1895  he  embarked  in  the  packing-house  busi- 
ness, as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Wilke,  Bosch 
&  Co.  After  a  time  he  bought  the  interests  of 
the  other  members  of  the  firm,  and  took  Herman 
Koch  into  partnership,  establishing  the  house  of 
Wilke  &  Co.  The  first  location  was  on  Seventh 
and  Kiowa  streets,  but  the  building  there  burned 
down,  and  afterward  he  built  at  No.  1517  South 
Second  street,  where  he  has  a  two-story  build- 
ing, 125x125.  Under  his  management,  as  super- 
intendent, a  large  business  has  been  established, 
particularly  in  the  packing  and  shipping  of  pork, 
and  the  reputation  of  the  hou.se  has  been  built  up 
in  the  south  and  west.  He  makes  a  .specialty  of 
the  Morning  Glory  and  Kansas  King  sugar-cured 
bacon,  both  of  which  varieties  have  gained  a 
wide  reputation  for  excellence. 

Mr.  Wilke  was  born  in  Berlin,  Germany,  Sep- 
tember 19,  1853.  His  father.  Dr.  Adolph  L. 
Wilke,  a  native  of  Ireland,  was  for  years  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Berlin,  where  he 
died  at  sixty-four  years  of  age.  His  wife  also 
died  in  that  city.  Their  five  children  are  still 
living,  our  subject  being  next  to  the  oldest  and 
the  only  one  in  Leavenworth.  The  first  eighteen 
years  of  his  life  he  spent  in  Berlin,  where  he  at- 
tended common  schools  and  a  gymnasium.  When 


fourteen  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  butcher's 
trade  in  Berlin.  In  1873  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  and  for  a  time  worked  at  his  trade  in 
Philadelphia  and  New  York.  In  iSyShecame 
west  as  far  as  Chicago,  where  he  was  employed 
by  the  Armour  packing  house,  and  was  also  with 
Fowler,  Booth,  Underwood  and  Wilson.  He 
became  interested  in  a  packing  house  in  Fort 
Wayne,  Ind.,  and  Sioux  City,  Iowa.  In  1885  he 
became  foreman  for  the  Dold  Packing  Company 
in  Kansas  City,  later  was  superintendent  of  the 
Charles  Wolfe  Packing  Company  in  Topeka, 
Kans.,  and  superintendent  of  the  Burlington  & 
Missouri  Packing  Company  in  Denver,  Colo. 
Since  1895  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  Leavenworth. 

In  spite  of  engrossing  business  cares,  Mr. 
Wilke  has  several  times  returned  to  Germany  to 
visit  his  old  home  and  the  friends  of  his  youth. 
He  has  crossed  the  ocean  seven  times,  each  trip 
being  a  pleasant  and  profitable  excursion  and  af- 
fording him  an  enjoyed  vacation  from  business 
duties.  He  has  traveled  in  England  and  France, 
and  has  gained  a  broad  knowledge  of  peoples 
and  business  methods  in  other  countries.  He 
was  married  in  Beriin  to  Miss  Ida  Kreider,  who 
was  born  near  that  city,  and  by  whom  he  has 
three  children,  Robert,  Ida  and  Theodore.  The 
family  reside  on  Grand  avenue.  The  only  fra- 
ternal association  with  which  he  is  identified  is 
the  Order  of  Sons  of  Herman.  His  attention  is 
given  quice  closely  to  his  business  interests. 
There  is  no  detail  of  the  pork-packing  business 
with  which  he  is  unfamiliar.  With  acute  dis- 
crimination and  quick  comprehension,  he  grasps 
every  department  of  the  work.  Coming  to  the 
United  States  wholly  without  means  he  deserves 
credit  for  the  business  he  has  established  and  the 
success  he  has  gained. 


HERMAN  KOCH  is  the  junior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Wilke  &  Co. ,  pork-packers  of 
Leavenworth,  and  is  one  of  the  successful 
young  business  men  of  the  city.  Born  in  Min- 
den,  Germany,  September  23,  1865,  he  received 
his  education  in  the  schools    of  that  city,   and 


794 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


early  in  life  began  to  be  self-supporting,  secur- 
ing employment  wherever  possible.  When  he 
came  to  Kansas  in  1881  he  was  given  work  in  a 
sugar  factory  and  afterward,  for  five  years,  he 
was  interested  in  the  milling  business.  He  then 
bought  out  a  grocery,  which  he  conducted  for  a 
time  alone  and  later  with  another  gentleman 
under  the  title  of  Koch  &  Co. ;  afterward  his 
brother-in-law  became  associated  with  him  in  the 
business,  which  is  now  operated  under  the  firm 
name  of  KnoUman  &  Co.  In  1896  a  butcher 
shop  was  opened  by  the  firm,  and  soon  a  large 
trade  was  established  in  this  line.  From  a  small 
business,  where  a  single  horse  and  wagon  about 
twice  a  week  served  for  all  the  needs  of  the 
trade,  there  has  grown  up  a  valuable  business  in 
which  four  teams  are  given  constant  use. 

In  1895  Mr.  Koch  started  in  the  packing  busi- 
ness with  Mr.  Wilke,  their  location  being  on 
North  Seventh  street.  In  the  spring  of  the  fol- 
lowing year  their  building  was  burned  and  they 
removed  to  their  present  location,  on  South  Sec- 
ond street,  where  they  have  all  conveniences  for 
the  proper  management  of  their  business.  They 
kill  on  an  average  thirty  hogs  a  day,  selling 
in  Leavenworth,  Atchison  (where  they  have  a 
branch  house)  and  Kansas  City.  His  business 
has  taken  his  entire  time  and  thought  and  hence 
he  has  never  mingled  in  public  affairs,  nor  has 
he  allied  himself  with  any  political  party,  but  has 
been  independent  in  his  vote.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Turn  Verein  in  Leavenworth. 
He  is  not  connected  with  any  denomination,  but 
was  reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith  aud  inclines 
toward  that  church. 


pCJlLLIAM  D.  HARDING  came  to  Kansas 
\A/  in  the  fall  of  1867  and  settled  in  Douglas 
V  V  County,  purchasing  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres  at  Twin  Mound,  Marion  Township. 
Upon  this  place  he  has  .since  resided,  having  in- 
creased its  size  by  purchase,  until  he  now  owns 
two  hundred  and  ninety-three  and  one-third 
acres.  Mr.  Harding  is  of  Virginian  descent.  He 
was  born  in  Shelby  County,  Ky.,  March  22, 
1824,  a  son  of  Mason  and  Margaret   (Shelton) 


Harding,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  a  Revolutionary 
soldier.  When  a  young  man.  Mason  Harding 
moved  from  Virginia  to  Kentuckj-,  where  he 
made  his  home  for  several  years.  About  1836  he 
settled  upon  raw  land  in  Parke  County,  Ind., 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  teaming.  He 
died  there  at  sixty-eight  years.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  1812  and  ever  displayed  the  spirit  of  a 
true  patriot.  His  wife  came  to  Kansas  after  his 
death  and  died  in  our  subject's  home,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-seven.  Three  of  the  family  are  now 
living,  namely:  Mason,  a  farmer  in  Iowa;  Will- 
iam D. ;  and  Pearlina,  widow  of  Clinton  Searing. 

When  twelve  years  of  age  our  subject  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Indiana,  where  he  assisted 
in  clearing  and  cultivating  a  farm.  His  older 
brother  leaving  home  he  became  the  main  sup- 
port of  his  mother  and  sister,  for  whom  he  afiec- 
tionately  provided  until  the  necessitj'  for  so  doing 
no  longer  existed.  In  the  fall  of  1867  he  brought 
them  to  Kansas  and  at  the  same  time  was  accom- 
panied to  this  state  by  his  wife  and  children. 
While  in  Indiana,  in  1850,  he  married  Mary  C. 
Searing.  Of  the  children  born  to  their  union  we 
note  the  following:  James  C.  resides  in  Topeka, 
Kans. ;  Thomas  P.  is  a  lumberman  in  Oklahoma; 
Mason  T.  cultivates  a  farm  in  Douglas  County; 
Elba  F.  is  the  wife  of  Benjamin  F.  Metsker; 
Mary  married  John  L.  Metsker  and  lives  in 
Washington  state;  William  Scott  is  in  Texas  aud 
Edward  S.  in  Washington  state;  Mattie  married 
James  Williams,  of  Oklahoma;  Elmer  is  a  farmer 
in  Marion  Township;  Charles  P.  and  Fern  are  at 
home.  All  of  the  children  were  given  excellent 
educations  and  the  married  daughters  have  taught 
school  and  are  also  natural  musicians. 

In  1863  Mr.  Harding  enlisted  in  the  Forty- 
second  Indiana  Infantry  and  served  for  nine 
months  without  losing  a  day  from  active  service. 
During  most  of  this  time  he  was  on  garrison  duty, 
under  General  Sherman,  in  the  western  division 
of  the  army.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and 
has  held  ofiBce  on  the  school  board.  While  in 
Indiana  he  was  identified  with  the  Baptist 
Church.  He  assisted  in  organizing  Clinton  Lodge 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  is  an  ofiicer,  and  he 
is  also  connected  with   Richland   Post  No.  170, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


795 


G.  A.  R.  A  hard-working  man,  he  richl}-  de- 
serves his  present  prosperit)-.  Not  only  had  he 
no  means  to  aid  in  starting  in  life,  but  he  was 
handicapped  in  manj'  ways  and  was  obliged  not 
only  to  care  for  his  own  large  family,  but  also  for 
many  relatives.  However,  the  '  'bread  cast  upon 
the  waters' '  returned  to  bless  the  liberal  giver, 
and  now,  in  the  twilight  of  his  life,  he  can  enjoy 
the  fruits  of  former  years  of  labor,  ministered  to 
by  his  children,  of  whom  he  is  justly  proud. 


ANFORD  H.  CARR.  A  list  of  the  busi- 
ness enterprises  which  are  contributing  to 
the  growth  of  Leavenworth  should  include 
the  name  of  the  Leavenworth  Paving  Brick  Com- 
pany, the  members  of  which  are  the  firm  of  Nesch 
&  Carr.  When  Mr.  Carr  came  to  this  city  in 
1895  he  associated  himself  with  Robert  Nesch  in 
the  establishment  of  the  company,  which  has 
since  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  all  varieties 
of  paving  and  building  brick.  During  the  sum- 
mer of  1895  the  firm  bought  the  government 
brick  plant  at  the  Soldiers'  Home,  and  there 
they  continued  for  two  years,  when  they  removed 
to  their  present  location,  Marion  and  Second 
streets,  within  and  near  the  city  limits.  They 
own  four  blocks  of  clay  land  for  brick  manufac- 
turing and  are  equipped  with  every  facility  for 
the  successful  prosecution  of  the  business. 

Mr.  Carr  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio, 
in    1855.     His   grandfather,    Michael  Carr,   mi- 
2  grated  from  Virginia  to  Ohio,  accompanied  by  his 

brother,  about  1815,  and  settled  upon  land  which 
he  had  been  given  by  the  government  in  return 
for  his  services  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  of  Fayette  County,  where  he 
became  a  large  farmer  and  where  the  family  name 
is  still  known.  The  youngest  of  his  thirteen 
children  was  Evan  H.  Carr,  who  for  years  was 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  in  Fayette  County,  but 
suffered  severely  in  finances  during  the  Civil  war. 
Of  the  large  family  to  which  he  belonged  only 
one  is  living,  William,  of  Yellow  Springs,  Ohio, 
formerly  the  proprietor  of  a  large  mill.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Sarah  Haymaker,  and  was  a  member  of  a  family 


that  removed  from  Virginia  to  Ohio.  She  is  now 
living  with  her  second  son,  William,  who  is  a 
member  of  the  large  wholesale  grocery  firm  of 
Green,  Carr  &  Co.,  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  Her  only 
daughter,  Amy,  is  the  wife  of  James  Littleton,  of 
Casey,  111.,  while  the  youngest  son,  Harry,  lives 
in  Bellefontaine,  Ohio. 

When  eighteen  years  of  age  our  subject  en- 
tered Antioch  College  at  Yellow  Springs,  Ohio, 
where  he  carried  on  his  studies  for  a  time.  Upon 
leaving  college  he  went  to  Cincinnati  and  studied 
law.  In  1 88 1,  upon  examination  before  the  su- 
preme court,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Ohio, 
and  afterward  he  practiced  law  in  that  state  for 
two  and  one-half  years.  In  October,  1883,  he 
came  to  Kansas,  accepting  the  position  of  state 
agent  for  the  Penn  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany, of  Philadelphia.  With  Atchison  as  his 
headquarters,  he  began  active  work  in  connection 
with  his  position.  At  the  same  time  he  built  up 
a  large  local  fire  insurance  business.  For  five 
years  he  was  adjuster  of  fire  insurance  losses  for 
the  Fireman's  Fund  Insurance  Company,  of  San 
Francisco,  Cal.,  meantime  traveling  over  the 
middle  west.  He  still  owns  property  in  Atchi- 
son, but  since  1895  has  made  his  home  in  Leav- 
enworth, where  he  devotes  his  attention  to  the 
manufacture  of  brick  and  to  the  supervision  of 
Captain  Insley's  property.  He  has  not  been  ac- 
tive in  politics,  taking  no  part  aside  from  voting 
the  Republican  ticket.  While  in  Atchison  he  be- 
came identified  with  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and 
commandery  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  he  is 
now  connected  with  Abdallah  Temple,  N.  M.  S., 
of  Leavenworth.  December  21,  1893,  ^^  mar- 
ried Lillian,  daughter  of  Capt.  M.  H.  Insley,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Merritt  Virginia.  The  fam- 
ily attend  the  Methodist  Church. 


gILBERT  H.  MORGAN  was  born  in  South 
Framington,  Mass.,  February  27,  1852.  In 
August,  1854,  he  accompanied  his  father, 
Jonathan  Flanders  Morgan,  as  far  as  Kansas  City, 
where  he  and  the  other  members  of  the  family 
spent  the  winter,  his  father  meantime  proceeding 
to  Lawrence  and   taking    up  a  claim  there.     In 


796 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


February  they  joined  him  and  settled  upon  a 
farm,  continuing  to  reside  there  until  1864,  when 
removal  was  made  to  Grant  Township.  He  at- 
tended local  schools  and  also  the  preparatory  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Kansas.  After- 
ward he  assisted  his  father  in  railroad  contracting 
for  two  years,  and  later  gave  his  attention  to 
farm  pursuits.  The  death  of  his  father  thrust  the 
responsibilities  of  life  upon  him  before  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age.  He  bought  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  fift3'-five  acres  lying  immediately 
east  of  Governor  Robinson's  place,  and  there  he 
engaged  extensively  in  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  He  made  a  specialty  of  feeding  stock, 
and  was  so  successful  in  it  that  he  has  continued 
it  to  the  present.  He  ships  stock  of  all  kinds  to 
various  markets,  and  has  built  up  a  large  and  im- 
portant business,  aggregating  a  large  amount  in 
cash  values  annually.  In  addition  to  the  land 
that  he  owns  he  leases  large  tracts,  farming  eight 
hundred  acres  altogether.  His  specialty  in  stock 
has  been  Shorthorn  cattle,  and  he  has  met  with 
noteworthy  success  in  this  strand.  During  1893 
he  removed  from  the  farm  into  Lawrence,  and 
now  makes  his  home  at  No.  516  Ohio  street. 
However,  his  removal  to  town  has  not  in  the  least 
affected  his  business,  which  is  continued  on  a 
large  scale,  demanding  his  entire  time  and  over- 
sight. 

In  Lawrence,  in  March,  1876,  Mr.  Morgan 
married  Rachael,  daughter  of  John  and  Olivia 
(Hill)  Simmons,  and  a  native  of  Randolph 
County,  Ind.  Her  father,  who  was  bom  in  Ohio, 
spent  some  years  in  Indiana,  but  in  186S  came  to 
Kansas  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Sarcoxie  Town- 
ship, Jefferson  County.  The  Simmons  family  is 
of  Swiss  descent,  the  first  of  the  name  in  this 
country  having  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  Her 
mother  was  born  in  Fletcher,  Miami  County, 
Ohio,  and  was  a  descendant  of  a  New  England 
family.  Mrs.  Simmons  died  in  Indiana  and  Mr. 
Simmons  is  now  making  his  home  in  Douglas 
County.  He  had  four  children  by  his  first  mar- 
riage, and  two  of  these  are  Hying.  Mrs.  Mor- 
gan, who  was  the  youngest  of  the  family,  was 
educated  mainly  in  Kansas.  By  her  marriage 
she  is  the  mother  of  three  children:  Milo  E- ,  a 


graduate  of  the  University  of  Kansas  in  1899, 
with  the  degree  of  LL.  B. ;  Gladys  F. ,  a  graduate 
of  the  Lawrence  high  school  and  now  a  student 
in  the  university;  and  Matie  B.,  a  member  of 
the  high  school  class  of  1901. 

In  national  politics  Mr.  Morgan  is  a  Democrat. 
While  living  in  the  country  he  took  an  active 
part  in  township  affairs  and  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace  for  several  years.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  and  in  re- 
ligion is  a  Universalist. 


30RDAN  NEAL,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 
of  Kansas,  is  engaged  in  stock-raising  and 
general  farming  in  Wakarusa  Township, 
Douglas  County,  where  he  has  made  his  home 
since  1854.  He  was  born  in  Franklin  County, 
111.,  July  18,  1824,  a  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Eliza- 
beth Neal.  His  father,  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina, was  married  in  Ken  tuck  j'  and  afterward 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Illinois.  In  politics  a  Demo- 
crat, he  was  elected  sheriff  on  that  ticket  and 
also  for  ten  years  served  as  county  commissioner. 
Of  his  twelve  children  the  third,  Jordan,  was 
reared  in  Franklin  County  amid  pioneer  sur- 
roundings. Schools  were  few  and  poor,  and  the 
nearest  to  his  home  was  three  miles  distant.  He 
engaged  in  farming  in  his  home  county  until  his 
removal  to  Kansas  in  1854,  when  he  took  up  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  sections  5  and  8, 
Wakarusa  Township,  Douglas  County.  Begin- 
ning with  this  tract  of  raw  land  he  made  the 
necessary  improvements,  broke  the  ground, 
placed  the  soil  under  cultivation,  erected  build- 
ings and  built  fences.  Within  eight  years  after 
his  settlement  on  the  land  he  had  it  under  culti- 
vation, but  he  now  has  the  greater  part  of  the 
property  in  pasturage,  as  he  has  of  recent  years 
given  special  attention  to  the  raising  of  stock. 
On  his  farm  he  has  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
head  of  Poland-China  hogs  and  a  herd  of  Jersey 
cattle.  For  twenty  years  or  more  he  has  given 
the  manual  work  into  the  hands  of  others,  while 
he  superintends  the  shipment  of  stock  and  pro- 
duce. 

During  the   border   troubles  of  1S55-56    Mr. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


797 


Neal  endured  all  the  hardships  and  anxieties 
incident  to  life  in  this  locality.  When  Quantrell 
made  his  famous  raid,  in  1863,  he  escaped  un- 
harmed; however,  he  had  been  less  fortunate  in 
previous  years,  for,  during  a  raid  by  a  party  of 
Missouri  pro-slavery  men,  in  1856,  all  of  his 
stock,  consisting  of  twenty  head  of  horses  and 
ninety  head  of  cattle,  were  stolen,  only  about 
ten  calves  escaping.  However,  a  number  of  the 
horses  were  lost  by  the  thieves  and  afterward  re- 
turned to  the  rightful  owner.  In  i860  Mr.  Neal 
drove  a  herd  of  cattle  from  Texas  to  Nebraska 
City.  From  1861  to  1865  he  was  engaged  in 
trading  with  the  Osage  Indians,  and  was  quite 
successful  in  this  work.  Until  recent  years  he 
took  a  very  active  part  in  Democratic  politics, 
but  his  work  was  not  for  himself,  but  for  the 
benefit  of  his  county  or  his  friends.  Among  the 
men  of  his  party  he  is  known  as  the  "old  wheel- 
horse  of  the  Democracy  in  Wakarusa." 

While  living  in  Illinois,  and  just  before  he 
was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  Mr.  Neal  married 
Miss  Emeline  Taylor,  by  whom  he  had  two  chil- 
dren. The  only  son,  John  Calvin  DeKalb,  died 
at  four  years  of  age.  The  daughter,  Louisa,  is 
the  wife  of  Charles  C.  Curtis,  who  is  now  con- 
ducting Mr.  Neal's  farifi. 


HENRY  SHELTON  BURR.  The  entire  life 
of  Mr.  Burr,  from  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  was  spent  in  Leavenworth,  among 
whose  citizens  he  had  a  high  standing  and  in 
whose  business  circles  he  held  a  position  of 
prominence.  He  was  a  member  of  an  eastern 
family  whose  first  representative  in  this  country 
emigrated  from  England  in  1630,  and,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Connecticut  colony,  settled  in  the 
vicinity  of  Bridgeport.  In  the  colonial  history 
of  Connecticut  John  Burr  figured  prominently, 
and  in  the  colonial  army  he  was  commissioned 
an  officer  in  1776.  His  son,  John  Burr,  who  was 
our  subject's  father,  was  born  in  Bridgeport, 
Conn.,  November  27,  1800,  and  for  some  years 
followed  the  mercantile  business  in  New  York 
City,  but  in  1S34  removed  to  Columbus,  Ohio. 
In  that  citj',  in   addition  to  his  mercantile  in- 


terests, he  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  horticul- 
ture. He  introduced  Burr's  seedling  and  Burr's 
new  pine  strawberries,  and  was  well  known 
throughout  his  entire  section  of  country  as  a  suc- 
cessful horticulturist.  Coming  to  Leavenworth 
in  1858,  he  here  continued  the  business  he  has  so 
successfully  established  in  the  east.  Among 
other  varieties  of  grapes  he  introduced  the  Early 
Victor  and  Standard,  which  have  since  been 
quite  popular.  In  politics  he  always  gave  his 
influence  to  the  Republican  party.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he 
served  for  some  time  as  a  warden.  He  died  in 
Leavenworth,  December  13,  1892. 

The  children  of  John  Burr  were  John  H., 
deceased;  Edmund,  of  Leavenworth;  Henry  S., 
deceased;  Elizabeth  and  Sarah,  also  deceased. 
His  wife  was  Eliza  Whitman  Hooker,  a  cousin  of 
General  Hooker.  She  died  December  30,  1891, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  The  family  of 
which  she  was  a  member  was  noted  for  longevity. 
She  was  a  direct  descendant  of  Thomas  Hooker, 
known  far  and  wide  as  the  great  preacher  of 
Connecticut  during  the  days  of  witchcraft.  Her 
mother  was  descended  from  Peter  Vanderwater 
Muellen,  who  emigrated  from  Rotterdam,  Hol- 
land, to  Windsor,  Conn.,  about  1640.  Afterward 
the  name  was  changed  to  Mills  and  the  family 
took  a  part  in  the  early  hi.story  of  Connecticut. 

Born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  1839,  Henry 
Shelton  Burr  received  his  early  business  training 
in  that  city.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  came  to 
Leavenworth,  and  from  that  time  until  the  Civil 
war  he  acted  as  chief  clerk  in  the  surveyor's 
office  under  Webster  Wieder.  About  1865  he 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  H.  W.  Gillett 
&  Co. ,  wholesale  liquor  dealers,  in  the  manage- 
ment of  whose  afiairs  he  bore  an  active  part  until 
1876.  He  then  sold  out  and  turned  his  attention 
to  the  manufacture  of  men's  shoes.  Under  the 
firm  name  of  H.  S.  Burr  &  Co.  he  carried  on  a 
large  business,  and  was  the  sole  representative  in 
Leavenworth  of  his  line  of  manufacturing.  He 
continued  actively  engaged  in  business  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  October,  1897.  He 
was  considered  one  of  the  best  business  men  of 
the  city  and  his  judgment  was  often  sought  by 


798 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


less  experienced  men.  Quiet  and  reserved,  he 
cared  nothing  for  public  life,  but  preferred  to 
spend  his  leisure  hours  in  his  home.  Politically 
he  supported  the  Republican  party,  but  never 
consented  to  hold  any  political  office.  The  only 
public  position  he  held  was  that  of  school  director, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  for  fifteen  years. 
He  made  friends  easily  and  was  respected  by  all 
with  whom  he  had  business  or  social  relations. 
In  187 1  Mr.  Burr  married  Eleanor  Hart  Couch, 
daughter  of  Capt.  Simon  Andrews  Couch,  who 
was  a  first  lieutenant  in  the  Thirteenth  Wisconsin 
Infantry  during  the  Civil  war  and  served  on  de- 
tached duty  under  General  Hooker.  After  the 
war  ended  he  was  commissioned  a  captain  in  the 
regular  army.  He  spent  his  last  days  in  Leaven- 
worth, where  he  died  in  1896.  Mr.  Burr  is  sur- 
vived by  his  widow  and  two  sons,  Shelton  C. 
and  Eugene  H.,  who  have  succeeded  their  father 
as  the  heads  of  the  firm  of  H.  S.  Burr  &  Co. 


pQlLLIAM  MORGAN  ORSBOURN,  who 
\ A/  "^^"^  ^  farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
V  V  on  the  Marais  des  Cygnes,  in  Peoria  Town- 
ship, Franklin  County,  was  born  April  11,  1866, 
in  a  house  that  stood  about  two  hundred  yards 
from  the  site  of  his  present  home.  His  father, 
Madison,  was  born  in  Henry  County,  Ky.,  Au- 
gust 13,  1827,  and  received  a  common-school  ed- 
ucation. Learning  the  saddler's  trade  he  followed 
it  in  Kentucky  until  1849,  when  he  settled  in 
western  Missouri.  After  two  years  there  he 
went  to  another  part  of  the  state.  In  1855  he 
came  to  Kansas  and  took  up  a  claim  in  Brown 
County,  but  owing  to  poor  health  he  sold  it  in 
1857.  The  nextyearhe  came  to  Franklin  County. 
At  the  land  sale  in  Paoli  in  1858  he  bought  four 
hundred  acres  situated  in  Peoria  Township.  Of 
this,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  were  in  timber 
land  on  the  Marais  des  Cygnes.  He  put  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  under  fence  and  later 
planted  a  hedge.  Fifteen  acres  he  set  out  in  an 
orchard,  which  became  the  finest  orchard  in  the 
county,  and  on  the  place  may  be  seen  now  some 
pear  trees  that  were  brought  from  Kansas  City 
(then  known  as  Westport  Landing)  and  planted 


here  forty  years  ago.  As  he  met  with  success 
he  added  to  his  holdings  until  he  had  at  one  time 
six  hundred  acres.  For  a  time  he  made  a  specialty 
of  breeding  Durham  stock.  Later  he  became  in- 
terested in  Shorthorn  cattle,  Poland- China  hogs, 
and  Clydesdale  and  Norman  horses.  Our  subject 
now  has  on  his  farm  a  horse  that  descends  from 
an  Indian  pony  bred  to  Norman  stock,  and  that 
weighs  fifteen  hundred  and  twenty  pounds.  It 
was  his  pride  to  improve  everything  he  handled, 
whether  potatoes  or  Norman  horses.  All  of  the 
shade  trees  on  the  homestead  were  set  out  by  him. 
During  the  war  Madison  Orsbourn  was  a  stanch 
Union  man  and  a  war  Democrat.  While  his  large 
business  interests  prevented  him  from  enlisting 
in  the  army,  he  became  a  member  of  the  state 
militia  and  assisted  in  driving  Price  out  of  Kan- 
sas. In  the  latter  part  of  the  war  he  began  to 
erect  the  present  residence,  but  was  not  able  to 
complete  it  until  1867,  At  the  time  of  Ouan- 
trell's  raid  the  Confederate  raiders  passed  over 
the  ridge  immediately  south  of  the  farm  house. 
In  common  with  all  settlers,  Mr.  Orsbourn  suf- 
fered from  the  heavy  drought  of  i860  61,  when 
for  eighteen  months  no  rain  fell.  His  crop  of  corn 
in  1859  furnished  him  seed  for  i860,  but  that 
season  the  corn  only  grew  knee-high,  and  the 
1859  crop  also  furnished  the  seed  for  1861. 
Grasshoppers  came  in  swarms  and  even  ate  the 
leaves  off  the  trees  in  the  orchards,  the  years  1869 
and  1874  being  the  worst  years  of  that  plague. 
The  present  barn  was  built  in  1873.  In  1881  he 
had  an  attack  of  pneumonia,  which,  combined 
with  neuralgia,  left  him  incapacitated  for  work. 
In  the  fall  of  1884  he  went  to  Cahfornia  for  his 
health  and  spent  the  winter  there,  returning  to 
Kansas  much  improved  by  the  trip.  He  had  been 
a  very  energetic  man  prior  to  his  illness,  with 
ambition  much  beyond  his  physical  powers,  but 
although  he  regained  his  health  to  some  extent, 
he  was  never  afterward  able  to  engage  in  active 
business.  In  1896  he  went  to  Colorado,  where 
he  remained  from  June  to  September,  and,  re- 
turning home  ill  with  mountain  fever,  he  died  on 
the  1 6th  of  the  latter  month.  He  was  an  upright, 
moral  man,  and  his  death  was  a  loss  to  the 
community. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


799 


In  Doniphan,  Brown  County,  Kans.,  in  1856, 
Mr.  Orsbourn  married  Elizabeth  Harden,  by 
whom  he  had  two  sons  and  five  daughters,  and 
who  died  March  8,  1886.  Their  children  are  as 
follows:  Mary  L. ,  who  is  with  our  subject;  Nancy 
Rebecca,  who  has  been  twice  married,  and  now 
the  wife  of  W.  M.  Langdon;  John  S.,  a  farmer 
and  stockman  in  Atchison  County,  Kans. ;  lyizzie  ' 
and  Sarah  (twins),  the  former  deceased  in  1882 
and  the  latter  in  1898;  William  Morgan;  and 
Effie  A.,  who  died  in  1883.  Our  subject  was 
educated  in  common  schools  and  Baker  University 
at  Baldwin.  He  taught  school  for  a  year,  then 
worked  for  a  year  in  the  asylum  at  Topeka,  spent 
a  similar  period  in  the  Little  Rock  asylum,  and 
later  was  employed  in  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  April  2, 
1891,  he  married  Nona  Gwyn,  of  that  city,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising 
in  Atchison  County,  Kans.,  for  five  years.  Upon 
the  death  of  his  father,  in  1896,  he  was  appointed 
administrator,  and  returned  to  Franklin  County 
to  superintend  the  home  place.  He  was  successful 
in  collecting  all  amounts  due  the  estate,  which 
consisted  of  $13,000 in  personal  property,  besides 
the  estate  of  six  hundred  acres.  Final  settlement 
was  made  in  August,  1899.  He  is  a  man  of  ex- 
cellent business  ability  and  is  superintending  his 
part  of  the  estate  successfully.  Though  urged 
by  his  Democratic  friends  to  accept  office  he  has 
always  refused  to  become  a  candidate,  preferring 
to  give  his  time  to  private  afifairs.  He  and  his 
wife  have  three  children:  Ethel  Gertrude,  Laura 
Myrl  and  Eveline  Gladys. 


3W.  WARRING,  M.  D.  During  the  long 
period  of  his  connection  with  the  medical 
profession  in  Leavenworth  County,  Dr. 
Warring  has  gained  a  reputation  for  professional 
skill  and  information.  His  home,  in  the  early 
years  of  his  residence  in  this  county,  was  upon  a 
farm  on  the  Delaware  trust  land,twelve  miles  north 
of  Lin  wood,  where  he  combined  the  supervision 
of  his  property  with  the  practice  of  medicine. 
Finding,  however,  that  his  increasing  practice  de- 
manded his  entire  time,  in  1884  he  sold  the  farm 
and  took  up  his  residence   in  Linwood,  where  he 


now  lives.  Besides  his  private  practice,  he  is 
assistant  surgeon  for  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
at  Linwood  and  examining  physician  for  the 
New  York  Life  Insurance  Company. 

The  Warring  family  came  from  Scotland  to 
Delaware  in  an  early  day,  and  from  that  state  the 
doctor's  father  migrated  to  Kentucky,  settling  in 
Scott  County,  of  which  he  was  later  the  judge. 
Dr.  W.  C.  Warring,  a  son  of  Judge  Warring, 
was  for  many  years  a  practicing  physician  in 
Owen  County,  Ky. ,  and  there  he  died,  in  1852, 
at  the  age  of  thirty-four.  He  married  Martha, 
daughter  of  Lewis  and  Mary  F.  (Gano)  Bryan, 
the  former  of  whom  was  a  captain  in  the  war  of 
1812.  Mrs.  Bryan  was  a  daughter  of  a  captain 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  a  niece  of  "fight- 
ing" Chaplain  Gano,  who  also  won  prominence 
during  the  struggle  for  independence.  She  is 
living  and  is  now  ninety-eight  years  of  age;  her 
home  is  near  Kokomo,  Ind.  She  is  one  of  six 
'  'daughters' '  of  the  Revolution  now  living.  Her 
husband  was  twice  married  and  by  his  first 
union  had  a  son,  George  Bryan,  who  was  the 
grandfather  of  William  Jennings  Bryan.  The 
mother  of  Dr.  Warring  died  in  Kentucky  while 
still  a  young  woman.  She  left  three  children,  of 
whom  Mary  F.  became  the  wife  of  Alfred  A. 
Cobb;  and  Louis  died  while  serving  in  the  Con- 
federate army. 

Dr.  Warring  was  born  in  Scott  County,  Ky., 
in  1847.  He  was  educated  in  public  schools  and 
the  Louisville  University.  Taking  up  the  study 
of  medicine,  he  graduated  from  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  .Surgeons  in  Kansas  City  in  1873. 
Prior  to  this  he  had  located  on  land  twelve  miles 
north  of  Linwood,  Kans.,  and  there  he  made  his 
home  for  about  fourteen  years,  but  in  1884  set- 
tled in  town,  where  he  has  since  engaged  in 
practice.  In  municipal  affairs  he  has  been  quite 
active.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  council  of 
Linwood,  served  for  one  term  as  township  trus- 
tee, and  for  several  years  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board  of  the  fifty-eighth  district.  He  still 
holds  membership  in  the  Alumni  Association  of 
the  medical  college  from  which  he  graduated. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  charter  member  of  Linwood 
Lodge,  A.  F.   &  A.    M.,  of  which  he  is  past- 


8oo 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


master,  and  which  he  has  frequentlj'  represented 
in  the  state  grand  lodge.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Fraternal  Aid  Association,  in  which  he  is  medi- 
cal examiner,  and  is  also  past  chancellor  of  Lin- 
wood  Lodge,  K.  P.  He  is  married  and  has  five 
children. 


ROBERT  W.  GORRILL,  who  is  a  prosperous 
and  prominent  citizen  of  Lecompton  Town- 
ship, Douglas  County,  and  the  owner  of  a 
valuable  farm  comprising  about  three  hundred 
acres,  was  born  in  Wood  County,  Ohio,  January 
24,  1842,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Eliza  (Barr) 
Gorrill.  He  was  one  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
three  survive,  viz.:  Martha,  wifeofW.  S.  Thurs- 
ton, of  Toledo,  Ohio;  Robert  W.;  and  Marshall, 
a  farmer  and  oil  producer  residing  in  Dowling, 
Ohio.  His  father,  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  Eng- 
land, born  in  1803,  came  to  America  at  the  age  of 
about  twenty  years,  and  for  two  years  was  em- 
ployed by  a  mercantile  firm  in  Boston.  He  then 
went  to  Wood  County, Ohio, where  he  bought  gov- 
ernment land  and  settled  down  to  a  farmer's  life. 
Notwithstanding  his  lack  of  education  (for  he 
never  attended  school  after  he  was  ten  years  old) , 
he  acquired  a  large  fund  of  general  information. 
His  ability  caused  him  to  rank  high  among  the 
people  of  Wood  County.  For  seventeen  years  he 
served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  for  four  suc- 
cessive terms  held  office  as  county  commissioner. 
While  he  never  connected  himself  with  any  de- 
nomination, he  was  for  j'ears  superintendent  of  a 
Sunday-school  and  contributed  liberally  to  all 
church  work.  His  death  occurred  in  Wood 
County  December  23,  1874.  His  wife,  who  was 
born  in  Wooster,  Ohio,  in  181 1,  died  in  Wood 
Comity  August  5,  1879.  She  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Church  and  a  woman  of  ex- 
emplary character. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  obtained  in 
the  Wood  County  schools.  November  23,  1865, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Helen  Bald- 
win, who  was  born  in  Sandusky  County,  Ohio,  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Caroline  (Kelsey)  Bald- 
win, natives  of  New  York  state.  Shortly  after 
his  marriage  he  began  to  cultivate  a  rented  farm. 
In  1867  he  came  to  Kansas  on  an  investigating 


tour  and  was  so  pleased  with  prospects  here  that 
he  decided  to  locate  in  this  state.  In  the  spring 
of  1868  he  removed  with  his  wife  to  Douglas 
County,  buying  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Kanwaka 
Township,  ten  miles  west  and  south  of  Law- 
rence. At  once  he  began  the  improvement  of 
his  property.  After  four  years  he  sold  the  place 
and  purchased  his  present  home  in  Lecompton 
Township,  where  he  removed  with  his  family  and 
has  since  resided.  His  farm  is  one  of  the  best  in 
the  county  and  he  is  numbered  among  the  most 
progressive  and  successful  farmers  of  his  town- 
ship. In  addition  to  farming  he  has  given  some 
attention  to  railroad  contracting,  in  which  he  has 
met  with  success.  Politically  he  votes  with  the 
Republicans,  adhering  to  the  principles  of  this 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  Lawrence  Lodge  No. 
4,  I.  O.  O.  F.  All  measures  for  the  benefit  of 
his  township  and  county  receive  his  co-operation. 
He  and  his  family  are  people  of  culture  and  re- 
finement, whom  it  is  a  pleasure  to  meet  and  asso- 
ciate with.  Of  the  seven  children  born  to  his 
marriage,  Thomas  E  ,  Libbie  B.  andLibbie  M. 
are  deceased.  Those  now  living  are  Marshall  A., 
Robert  W.,  Maud  M.  and  BarrS. 


\& 


ARION  A.  WOHLFROM.  Few  among 
the  business  men  of  Leavenworth  are  better 
known  than  Mr.  Wohlfroni,  who  enjoys 
the  distinction  of  being,  in  point  of  years  of  busi- 
ness activity,  the  oldest  merchant  in  the  city. 
He  came  here  in  September,  1858,  having  made 
the  voyage  from  St.  Louis,  on  the  steamer 
"Skylark,"  in  sixteen  days.  With  his  cousin, 
Anton  Wohlfrom,  he  at  once  began  in  the  gro- 
cery business  on  Fifth  street,  and  continued  with 
him  until  1861,  when  he  sold  out  to  his  cousin. 
He  then  bought  the  property  at  Nos.  404-406 
Shawnee  street,  and  in  the  frame  building  that 
stood  on  the  ground  he  opened  a  grocery.  In 
1867  that  building  burned  down  and  he  immedi- 
ately rebuilt  on  the  same  site,  erecting  a  two- 
story  and  basement  building,  48x125.  During 
the  thirty-two  years  that  have  since  elapsed  he 
has  continued  business  at  the  same  stand,  and 
has  built  up  a  large  retail  business  in  groceries 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  fish.  The  success  he  has  gained  may  be  at- 
tributed to  his  energ3',  perseverance  and  economy. 
Besides  the  prosperous  management  of  his  busi- 
ness he  has  made  several  fortunate  investments 
in  real  estate  and  has  built  a  number  of  residences 
in  his  home  town. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Wohlfrom  took  place  in  Al- 
sace, formerly  a  French  province,  but  now  a  part 
of  Germany.  His  father,  John  Pierre  Wohl- 
from, was  a  soldier  in  the  French  army  and 
served  in  Spain  under  Sully.  After  his  retire- 
ment from  the  service  he  retured  to  Alsace,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  bakery  business.  He  died 
there  at  eighty-four  years  of  age.  In  1877  he 
celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  marriage 
to  Mary  Cline,  member  of  an  old  Alsacian  family, 
and  who  died  at  eighty-one  years  of  age.  His 
paternal  ancestors  were  from  Sweden,  and  came 
to  France  at  the  time  the  Swedes  invaded  Alsace; 
remaining  there,  they  have  become  identified 
with  French  interests. 

The  family  of  which  our  subject  is  a  member 
consists  of  five  sons  and  two  daughters  now  liv- 
ing. The  eldest  son,  who  died  in  Alsace,  was 
for  seven  years  (1848-55)  in  the  French  army 
under  Napoleon.  When  a  boy  our  subject 
served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  carriage- maker's 
trade  in  Erkersheim.  In  1853  became  to  Amer- 
ica, taking  passage  on  a  sailing  vessel  that  made 
the  voyage  from  Havre  to  New  Orleans  in  sixty- 
four  days.  From  New  Orleans  he  proceeded  up 
the  Mississippi  on  the  steamer  which  after  a  week 
on  the  river  arrived  in  St.  lyouis.  There  he 
joined  his  brother,  Joseph,  who  had  settled  in 
that  city  in  1852.  He  secured  work  at  his  trade, 
which  he  followed  in  the  same  place  until  1854. 
He  then  went  to  Hickman,  Ky. ,  where  he  was 
similarly  engaged  for  three  years.  On  his  return 
to  St.  Louis  he  remained  there  for  a  year,  and 
then  came  to  Leavenworth,  of  which  he  was  a 
pioneer. 

Mr.  Wohlfrom  was  one  of  the  charter  members 
of  St.  Joseph's  Catholic  Church,  and  assisted  in 
building  the  frame  structure  in  which  the  congre- 
gation first  worshipped.  Later  he  assisted  in 
erecting  the  splendid  buildings  now  owned  by 
the  church.    He  is  a  worker  in  various  organiza- 


tions connected  with  the  church.  Through  his 
efforts  was  organized  the  St.  Joseph's  Benevolent 
Society,  which  was  started  in  1868  and  was  the 
first  organized  in  Kansas.  For  twelve  years  he 
served  as  the  president  of  that  association.  He 
is  now  connected  with  the  Catholic  Mutual  Be- 
nevolent Association.  In  politics  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 

In  Leavenworth,  February  11,  1866,  occurred 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Wohlfrom  to  Miss  Josephine 
Kroll,  who  was  born  in  Prussia,  and  came  to 
Leavenworth  at  nineteen  years  of  age.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Elizabeth  Kroll,  and 
came  to  America  in  1861,  spending  a  year  in 
Baltimore,  and  from  there  removing  to  Leaven- 
worth. The  five  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wohl- 
from, all  of  whom  are  at  home,  are  named  as 
follows:  Annie,  Alphonse  J.  and  Joseph  F.,  who 
assist  their  father  in  business;  Eugene  P.,  who  is 
connected  with  a  drug  business  in  Leavenworth; 
and  Mary. 

nOHN  M.  CORY.  The  stock  business,  when 
I  under  the  supervision  of  a  capable  man,  has 
(2/  proved  one  of  the  most  profitable  industries 
in  Kansas;  and,  as  Mr.  Cory  has  displayed  both 
energy  and  sound  judgment  in  the  management 
of  his  stock  interests,  he  has  found  the  business 
a  profitable  one.  He  is  the  owner  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  fine  grass  land  in  Easton 
Township,  Leavenworth  Countj',  and  here  he  is 
interested  in  the  cattle  business,  buying,  feeding 
and  selling  cattle,  which  are  shipped  to  the  east- 
ern markets.  Usually  he  has  from  two  to  three 
hundred  head  on  his  place,  and  so  large  a  num- 
ber necessarily  consume  much  of  his  time  in  giv- 
ing them  the  attention  they  need.  Farming  has 
been  a  secondary  occupation  with  him,  his  land 
being  mostly  used  for  pasturage  or  for  the  raising 
of  corn  for  feed. 

The  Cory  family  came  from  Scotland  to  Mary- 
land, thence  removed  to  Virginia,  and  were  rep- 
resented in  both  wars  with  England.  Jonathan 
D.  Cory  was  born  and  reared  in  Virginia.  He 
married  Clara  E.  Fisher,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
their  oldest  son,  John  M.,  was  born  in  Hancock 
County,  W.  Va.,  in  1861.     Their  other  children 


802 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


are:  Lydia,  wife  of  C.  P.  Rutherford ;  William  A., 
of  Leavenworth;  and  Bessie  C,  deceased,  for- 
merly the  wife  of  W.  S.  Weir.  In  1867  the 
family  left  their  eastern  home  and  settled  in  Kan- 
sas, buying  a  farm  in  Easton  Township.  Here 
the  father  died  in  1872,  when  forty-seven  years 
of  age,  and  his  wife,  in  1884,  when  the  same  age. 
He  was  a  man  of  upright  character,  a  hard 
worker,  and  painstaking  farmer.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  had  served  in  the  Union  army  for  a 
year. 

As  soon  as  old  enough  to  do  so,  our  subject 
took  charge  of  the  farm  which  his  father  had 
owned.  Here  he  has  since  remained,  but,  in- 
stead of  giving  his  attention  to  farming,  as  his 
father  did,  he  has  turned  his  attention  to  stock- 
raising,  and  is  also  interested  in  real  estate. 
As  a  Republican  he  is  active  in  local  politics. 
Twice  he  was  his  party's  candidate  for  the  legis- 
lature and  once  for  the  county  commissioners' 
board.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  county  central  committee  and  he 
has  also  acted  as  delegate  to  several  state  con- 
ventions of  his  party.  He  has  been  an  advocate 
of  measures  for  the  benefit  of  his  county.  Espe- 
cially has  he  been  active  in  endeavoring  to  secure 
good  country  roads  in  his  township,  for  he  real- 
izes that  these  are  indispensable  to  local  pros- 
perity. Fraternally  he  is  senior  warden  of  Easton 
Lodge  No.  45,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  a  member  of 
Topeka  Valley  of  Orient  Temple,  and  has  at- 
tained the  thirty-second  degree.  He  is  also  con- 
nected with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
In  religion  he  is  of  the  Presbyterian  faith.  In 
1S90  he  married  Nannie  E.,  daughter  of  Asa  E. 
Cleavinger,  and  they  have  two  children,  Homer 
D.  and  Luella  E. 

ILTON  R.  WINTER,  who  is  a  leading 
farmer  and  stockman  of  Lecompton  Town- 
ship, Douglas  County,  was  born  in  this 
county  November  17,  i860,  a  son  of  Mathias  S. 
and  Mary  E.  (Brooke)  Winter,  and  one  of  six 
survivors  in  a  family  often  children.  His  brothers 
and  sisters  are  as  follows:  George  S.,  a  farmer 
and  stockman  of  Wabaunsee  County,  Kans. ; 
Leora  L.,   wife  of  W.  D,   Pontius,   a  farmer  and 


stock-raiser  of  Douglas  County;  Thomas  K.,  a 
stock-dealer  of  Oklahoma;  William  H.,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  New  Mexico; 
and  Lizzie  B.,  wife  of  W.  V.  Ingham,  of  Platte 
County,  Mo.  His  father,  who  was  a  native  of 
Harrison  County,  W.  Va.,  born  in  1833,  grew 
to  manhood  upon  a  farm  there.  In  the  winter 
of  1854-55  he  came  to  Kansas  and  settled  in 
Douglas  County,  buying  land  in  Lecompton 
Township,  and  engaging  in  its  improvement  and 
cultivation.  In  time  he  became  one  of  the  most 
successful  men  of  his  township,  and  at  his  death 
he  left  to  his  family  a  finely  improved  farm  of 
eight  hundred  acres.  Twice  he  was  elected  com- 
missioner of  Douglas  County,  and  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1896,  while  he  was  serving  his  second 
term.  Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason  and  an  Odd- 
fellow. He  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church,  and  in  his  life  exemplified  the 
doctrines  which  he  professed.  He  was  one  of 
the  highly  esteemed  men  of  his  township.  His 
father,  Joseph  Winter,  was  of  Pennsylvania-Dutch 
stock,  and  prior  to  the  Civil  war  was  a  slaveholder 
in  West  Virginia. 

In  the  acquirement  of  an  education  our  subject 
was  limited  to  the  advantages  offered  by  common 
schools.  On  reaching  his  majority  he  rented  one 
of  the  farms  belonging  to  his  father.  When  a 
mere  boy  he  had  become  interested  in  the  cattle 
business  and  had  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  stock-raising,  which  he  has  made  his  specialty 
since  starting  out  for  himself.  His  success  has 
been  pronounced,  and  he  is  to-day  quoted  as  the 
leading  authority  in  the  cattle  business  in  this 
section.  In  1897  he  took  charge  of  the  home 
farm  of  eight  hundred  acres,  of  which  he  has 
since  had  the  management.  He  is  the  owner  of 
five  hundred  and  eighty-seven  acres  of  valuable 
land  in  Kanwaka  Township,  which  he  rents  to 
a  tenant.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial farmers  of  Lecompton  Township.  He  is 
interested  in  educational  matters  and  has  devoted 
considerable  time  to  the  same  since  his  election 
to  the  school  board. 

In  1 88 1  Mr.  Winter  married  Miss  Hattie  Lee 
Prim,  who  was  born  in  West  Virginia  and  died 
in  Arkansas  March  15,  1892.     Four  children  were 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


803 


born  of  this  union:  Bertie,  Cleveland  (deceased), 
Hazel  and  Robert  (deceased).  In  1894  Mr. 
Winter  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Louise 
Heise,  daughter  of  John  Heise,  who  was  a  pioneer 
of  1854  in  Kansas,  and  resided  in  Lecompton 
Township  until  his  death.  Three  daughters  were 
born  of  this  union,  Mary  (deceased),  Eugenia 
and  Leora.  lu  politics  Mr.  Winter  is  a  stanch 
Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  Lecompton  Lodge 
No.  413,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Lecompton  Council, 
Fraternal  Aid  Association.  As  a  citizen  he  stands 
high  and  deservedly  enjoys  the  esteem  of  those 
with  whom  he  has  been  associated  in  his  town- 
ship and  county. 

3 GEL  GUSTAFSON,  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful stone  contractors  of  Lawrence,  has  had 
the  contracts  for  many  of  the  best  buildings 
in  eastern  Kansas.  July  11,  1884,  he  began  work 
on  Snow  Hall,  University  of  Kansas,  which  was 
the  first  building  he  ever  figured  on  and  the  first 
contract  he  ever  filled.  -On  the  erection  of  the  Sol- 
diers' Home  buildings,  Leavenworth,  he  was  the 
first  stone  cutter  on  the  ground.  He  has  had  the 
contracts  for  the  stone-cutting  on  the  Watkins 
building,  Merchants  Bank,  opera  house,  high 
school  building,  Teasdale  building,  and  the  Fow- 
ler shops  at  the  University  of  Kansas;  built  the 
General  Roberts  building  and  the  Donnelly  liv- 
ery stable,  which  is  the  finest  in  the  state;  has 
superintended  the  stone  work  on  the  best  resi- 
dences of  Lawrence;  had  the  contract  for  the  first 
paving  and  most  of  the  curbing  in  this  city;  built 
a  bank  at  Hiawatha  and  the  high  school  build- 
ing at  Tonganoxie,  a  bank  at  Eudora  and  other 
public  or  bu.siness  blocks.  In  his  stone  yard  at 
the  foot  of  Walnut  street,  on  the  Santa  Fe  tracks 
may  be  found  all  kinds  of  stone  and  building  and 
paving  brick. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Sweden,  on  the  19th 
of  May,  1856,  a  son  of  Gustav  Magnuson.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  who  died  at  ninety-seven 
years,  was  the  owner  of  an  estate,  "Linneryd," 
to  which  his  son  Gustav  succeeded.  The  latter 
was  a  farmer  and  died  in  1883,  at  sixty-five  years 
of  age.  His  wife,  who  was  a  member  of  a  wealthy 
family,  resides  at  the  old   homestead  and  is  now 


seventy-nine  "years  of  age.  In  religion  she  has 
always  been  a  Lutheran  and  reared  her  eight 
children  in  that  faith. 

When  sixteen  our  subject  entered  the  employ 
of  a  railroad  contractor  and  assisted  in  building 
the  railroad  running  from  Sweden  into  Norway. 
From  twenty-one  to  twenty-three  years  he  served 
in  the  army.  In  1879  he  cro-ssed  the  ocean  via 
Hull  and  Glasgow  to  New  York,  making  the 
voyage  on  a  steamer  that  went  down  on  its  next 
trip  to  America.  He  had  learned  stone-cutting 
in  Sweden,  and  on  his  arrival  at  Lawrence  he  at 
once  secured  employment  at  that  trade,  which  he 
has  since  successfully  followed.  He  has  been 
prospered  and  is  now  the  owner  of  five  resi- 
dences in  Lawrence.  He  was  married  in  Ottawa 
to  Miss  Mathilda  Anderson,  daughter  of  Gustav 
Anderson,  who  was  formerly  a  railroad  contrac- 
tor, but  now  a  farmer  in  Sweden.  She  came  to 
America  in  1879  and  has  since  lived  in  Kansas. 
The  children  born  of  her  marriage  are,  Broer, 
Edna,  Luther  and  Albert.  The  family  are  con- 
nected with  the  English  Lutheran  Church. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Gustafson  is  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  the  lodge  and 
encampment  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Fraternal  Aid 
Association,  and  is  also  an  active  worker  in  the 
Commercial  Club  and  the  Merchants'  Athletic 
Club.  Besides  his  private  business  afiairs  he 
has  been  selected  to  act  as  administrator  in  nu- 
merous estates  and  as  guardian  for  orphans,  and  no 
one  has  a  more  honorable  record  in  the  probate 
judge's  office  than  he. 


BURDINE  EATON,  who  has  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Leavenworth  County  since  the  fall  of 
1867,  was  born  in  Estill  County,  Ky.,  in 
1 840.  His  father,  Albert  Eaton ,  a  nativeof  the  same 
county,removedfrom  Kentucky  tolowa  in  1844  and 
settled  in  Davis  County,  where  he  was  a  pioneer 
farmer.  In  1857  he  removed  to  Taylor  County, 
Iowa,  and  five  years  later  established  his  home  in 
Cass  County,  Neb.,  where  he  did  a  great  deal  of 
pioneer  work  as  a  farmer.  He  was  a  man  of  up- 
right character  and  many  striking  intellectual 
gifts.     Fond   of   pioneer  life,  its  hardships  did 


8o4 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


not  daunt,  nor  its  privations  discourage  him.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  first  colony  that  settled  in 
Iowa,  where  he  became  the  owner  of  five  hundred 
and  twent}'  acres  and  carried  on  farm  pursuits 
successfully.  When  that  region  became  settled, 
he  once  more  sought  the  frontier,  and  became  a 
pioneer  of  Nebraska.  In  both  states,  in  addition 
to  his  agricultural  operations,  he  was  a  worker 
in  the  Baptist  Church  and  organized  many  con- 
gregations of  that  denomination.  For  years  he 
oflSciated  as  a  preacher,  serving  gratuitously  con- 
gregations that  were  unable  to  employ  a  pastor. 
He  died  at  his  home  in  Nebraska  in  1873,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three  years. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Samuel  Eaton, 
was  born  in  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  went  to  Ken- 
tucky in  company  with  Daniel  Boone,  settling  at 
the  old  fort  of  Boonesboro,  where  he  died  at 
forty-seven  years  of  age.  He  was  a  son  of  Daniel 
Eaton,  who  emigrated  from  Ireland  to  America 
in  early  manhood  and  settled  upon  a  farm  on  the 
island  in  Charleston  Harbor,  S.  C,  where  he 
owned  two  hundred  acres.  He  also  owned  prop- 
erty where  the  city  of  Charleston  now  stands. 
Our  subject's  mother  was  Sarah  Barnett,  a  native 
of  Kentucky.  Of  her  nine  children,  six  are  now 
living,  namely:  John,  who  lives  in  Nebraska; 
Burdine;  Eli,  a  resident  of  Nebraska;  Sallie  Ann, 
wife  of  James  Edmisten;  George  Washington,  of 
Nebraska;  and  William  Henry  H. 

At  the  time  the  family  settled  in  the  then 
frontier  of  Iowa  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  four  years  of  age.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm,  in  a  section  of  country  where  school 
privileges  and  other  advantages  were  meager. 
However,  he  availed  himself  of  such  opportu- 
nities as  the  common  schools  afforded.  At  nine- 
teen years  of  age  he  began  to  farm  for  himself 
and  has  since  followed  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
1862  he  went  to  Nebraska,  and  for  some  years, 
while  superintending  a  farm,  also  engaged  in 
freighting  between  Nebraska  City  and  Colorado. 
In  the  fall  of  1867  became  to  Kansas  and  settled 
in  Lenape,  Leavenworth  County,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years.  Afterward  he  engaged  in 
cultivating  rented  land.  In  1S74  he  bought  his 
first  farm,    comprising   forty   acres,  in  Sherman 


Township.  Since  then  he  has  added  to  his  prop- 
erty until  he  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 
He  is  engaged  in  raising  cereals  and  stock,  and 
has  met  with  a  success  that  is  especially  com- 
mendable when  it  is  remembered  that  he  started 
without  capital. 

Politically  Mr.  Eaton  has  for  some  years  voted 
with  the  Populists.  He  is  active  in  supporting 
enterprises  for  the  benefit  of  the  people  and  the 
county.  For  two  years  he  held  the  ofiice  of 
township  treasurer.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  Linwood  Lodge,  K.  of  P.  He  has  been 
twice  married;  first,  in  1867,  to  Alcinda  J.  Booz, 
who  died  in  1873,  leaving  three  children:  Sarah, 
Melger  S.  and  Albert.  His  second  marriage 
took  place  in  1873  and  united  him  with  Miss  Mary 
Hickman,  by  whom  he  has  four  children,  Lulu 
O.,  Elizabeth  M.,  Charles  and  Edward. 


pGJiLLIAM  C.  WILSON,  who  has  been  a 
\  A  /  resident  of  Leavenworth  County  for  a 
V  V  quarter  of  a  century,  is  engaged  in  general 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Fairmount  Township, 
where  he  and  his  wife  own  three  hundred  acres 
of  fine  farming  land.  In  addition  to  this  prop- 
erty they  also  own  one-half  section  of  land  in 
Oklahoma.  Mr.  Wilson  was  born  in  Berkeley 
County,  W.  Va.,  July  14,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Rose  Ann  (Snyder)  Wilson,  natives 
of  the  same  county  as  himself.  His  grandfather, 
James  Wilson,  who  was  born  in  the  Old  Domin- 
ion, engaged  in  farming  and  died  when  eight}'- 
six  years  of  age.  He  was  the  son  of  an  Irish- 
man, who  emigrated  to  this  country  and  took 
part  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  James  Wilson, 
Jr.,  who  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  the  same  lo- 
cality, is  still  active,  at  eighty-two  years.  In 
politics  he  afiiliated  with  the  Democrats  until  the 
Civil  war,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a  Repub- 
lican. His  wife,  who  was  a  faithful  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  died  at  sixty- 
five  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren: William  C;  Eliza;  Idella  and  Isaiah,  de- 
ceased; and  Annie. 

When  a  boy  upon  his  father's  farm  our  subject 
became  familiar  with  agricultural  pursuits.     Liv- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


805 


ing  in  the  south  and  surrounded  by  southern 
sj'mpathizers,  he  nevertheless  sided  with  the 
Union  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war.  Against  his 
wishes  he  was  pressed  into  the  Confederate  armj^ 
but  served  only  a  short  time.  While  in  the 
guard  house  at  Winchester,  he  and  forty  others 
escaped,  and,  after  having  been  two  days  and 
nights  without  food,  reached  the  Federal  lines  in 
Maryland.  He  went  from  there  to  Ohio  and  for 
three  years  worked  by  the  month  on  a  farm. 
After  a  short  visit  at  his  old  home  he  came  west 
as  far  as  Des  Moines  County,  Iowa,  where  for 
eight  years  he  tilled  the  soil  of  a  rented  farm.  In 
1874  he  came  to  Kansas,  and  bought  the  farm 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 

By  the  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Wilson  six  chil- 
dren were  born,  viz.:  James,  William  E.,  Frank- 
lin, Rose  Ann  and  John,  all  of  whom  are  in 
Oklahoma;  and  Maude,  wife  of  Chet  Dunbar. 
The  present  wife  of  our  subject  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Alfrette  Hoskins,  and  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois. Both  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  and  stand  high  socially.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Wilson  is  a  liberal  Republican.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  is  inter- 
ested in  educational  matters. 


Gl  IvFRED  B.  BARTHEL,  for  many  years  head 
U  miller  for  the  Rush  Milling  Company  of 
I  I  Leavenworth,  was  born  in  the  kingdom  of 
Saxony,  Germany,  in  1840,  a  son  of  George  Bar- 
thel.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  sixteen  children, 
all  of  whom  reside  in  this  country.  In  1851  the 
father,  who  was  a  merchant  and  manufacturer  in 
Germany,  brought  his  family  to  America  and  set- 
tled upon  a  farm  near  Fort  Wayne,  lud.  There 
his  wife  died  when  forty-four  years  of  age.  He 
survived  her  for  many  years,  dying  when  seventy- 
six.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
the  home  farm  and  educated  in  common  schools. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  began  to  learn  the  miller's 
trade  in  his  home  county,  but  afterward  went  to 
St.  Louis,  where  he  remained  for  two  years.  In 
1864  he  took  charge  of  the  Standard  flour  mill  in 
St.  Louis,  but  the  following  year  the  mill  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  he  was  then  for  a  year  in 
39 


charge  of  the  mill  in  Illinois.  In  1866  he  bought 
a  mill  at  Big  Spring,  Mo.,  forty  miles  from  St. 
Louis,  and  this  he  conducted  for  two  years,  but 
was  obliged  to  sell  out  on  account  of  poor  health. 
After  spending  a  short  time  in  recuperating  his 
health  he  went  to  Kirksville,  Mo.,  in  1868,  and 
started  a  mill  in  that  town,  where  he  continued 
until  his  removal  to  Kansas  in  1870. 

Arriving  in  Leavenworth,  Mr.  Barthel  became 
head  miller  for  W.  H.  Plummer,  and  afterward 
was  with  H.  D.  Rush  and  the  Rush  Milling  Com- 
pany, being  with  the  last-named  for  twenty-six 
years.  He  has  always  been  faithful  at  his  post 
of  duty,  allowing  nothing  to  interfere  with  busi- 
ness affairs.  Having  made  a  study  of  all  branches 
of  milling,  including  the  roller  system  and  other 
modern  improvements,  he  is  admirably  qualified 
to  carry  on  a  mill,  to  the  financial  advantage  of 
its  owners.  At  the  St.  Louis  exposition  in  1872 
he  was  awarded  a  premium  for  the  excellent  qual- 
ity of  flour  exhibited.  He  takes  a  deep  interest 
in  his  work  and  always  aims  to  produce  the  best 
possible  results  from  the  mill.  Besides  his  other 
interests  he  owns  farming  land  in  the  western 
part  of  Kansas,  has  built  a  number  of  houses  in 
Leavenworth  and  owns  a  substantial  residence  on 
Ninth  avenue. 

During  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Barthel  was  captain  of 
Company  A,  Thirteenth  Regiment  of  Missouri 
Infantry,  and  served  until  the  expiration  of  his 
term,  ninety  days.  His  brother,  Charles,  was 
also  a  war  officer,  being  captain  of  a  company  in 
the  Seventh  Ohio  Cavalry;  another  brother  was  a 
surgeon  in  the  Seventh  Illinois  Infantrj'.  The 
three  brothers  had  excellent  war  records,  each 
being  conspicuous  for  fidelity  to  duty  and  for  effi- 
ciency. Another  brother,  Albert  G.  Barthel, 
has  been  a  teacher  in  a  Lutheran  school  in  St. 
Louis  since  1853.  The  family  for  several  genera- 
tions have  been  connected  with  the  Lutheran 
Church,  which  is  the  religious  faith  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America.  In  1866  he  married  Emelie  Helm- 
irg,  by  whom  he  has  six  children,  viz.:  Alfred 
George,  who  is  cultivating  his  father's  farm  in 


8o6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


western  Kansas;  Mrs.  Emma  Snyder;  Mildred, 
who  married  Harry  Bell  and  lives  in  San  Antonio, 
Tex.;  Arthur,  of  Galveston,  Tex.;  May  and 
Walter. 


r"ERRIS  K.  TAYLOR,  police  judge  of  Leav- 
JM  enworth,  was  born  in  Goshen,  Orange 
I*  County,  N.  Y.,  April  14,  1847,  and  was 
reared  near  Flint,  Mich.,  attending  the  grammar 
and  high  schools  of  that  city,  and  graduating 
from  the  latter.  In  January,  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  L,  Fourth  Michigan  Infantry,  and, 
being  a  recruit,  went  to  Nashville  to  join  his 
regiment.  Afterward  he  took  part  in  a  number 
of  engagements  from  Resaca  to  Atlanta,  and  after 
the  capture  of  Atlanta  he  served  under  Thomas 
in  the  battles  of  Nashville  and  Franklin,  where 
Hood's  army  was  utterly  routed.  Next  he  was 
ordered  to  Alabama.  When  Wilson  organized 
the  cavalry  corps  he  was  assigned  to  duty  in  it 
and  assisted  in  the  capture  of  Selma  and  Mont- 
gomery. In  the  spring  of  1865  news  was  re- 
ceived that  Jefferson  Davis  was  marching  in  that 
direction.  The  Fourth  was  instantly  on  the 
alert  and  he  was  with  that  regiment  when  it  had 
the  honor  of  capturing  the  famous  Confederate 
leader.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  mustered 
out  at  Nashville,  August  19,  1865,  and  immedi- 
ately returned  to  Flint. 

While  Mr.  Taylor  was  valiantly  defending  the 
old  flag  his  father  was,  in  another  part  of  the 
country,  also  fighting  for  the  stars  and  stripes. 
William  Lansing  Taylor  was  born  in  New  York 
state  and  in  his  youth  studied  both  law  and 
medicine.  He  married  Susan  Elliott,  who  was 
born  in  Goshen,  N.  Y.  She  died  in  Flint  in 
1889,  leaving  an  only  child,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Some  time  during  the  '50s  William 
Lansing  Taylor  settled  in  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  but 
later  moved  to  Missouri,  and  was  engaged  in 
business  in  that  state  at  the  time  of  the  opening 
of  the  war.  At  once  he  enlisted  in  the  Seventh 
Missouri  Infantry.  Soon  afterward  he  was  taken 
prisoner,  but  later  was  placed  on  parole.  He 
violated  his  parole  and  enlisted,  as  hospital 
steward,  in  the  Seventh  Kansas  Cavalry,  under 
the  assumed  name  of  James  William   Lansing, 


continuing  in  active  service  until  the  close  of  the 
Rebellion.  Afterward  he  settled  upon  a  farm 
near  Lawrence,  but  later,  for  many  years,  he 
was  hospital  steward  at  the  state  penitentiary. 
Upon  resigning  that  position  he  opened  a  general 
mercantile  store  in  what  is  now  the  village  of 
Lansing,  Leavenworth  County.  He  established 
the  first  postoffice  there  and  the  town  was  named 
in  his  honor,  Lansing.  He  became  owner  of  an 
interest  in  ninety  acres,  now  platted  in  town  lots. 
Politically  he  voted  the  Republican  ticket,  and 
fraternally  was  a  member  of  Nine  Mile  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.  When  he  died,  March  21,  1886, 
he  left  all  of  his  property  to  his  only  child.  He 
had  a  brother,  James  M.  Taylor,  who  served  in 
an  Illinois  regiment  in  the  Civil  war  and  who 
afterward  became  a  pioneer  of  Douglas  County, 
establishing  a  dental  ofiice  in  Lawrence  and  con- 
tinuing in  practice  until  his  death,  in  18S7. 
While  he  was  eccentric  in  many  respects,  William 
Lansing  Taylor  was  nevertheless  the  soul  of 
honor,  and  was  respected  by  those  who  knew 
him.  On  account  of  his  long  service  as  hospital 
steward  and  the  fact  of  his  having  a  drug  store 
in  connection  with  his  mercantile  business,  he 
was  usually  called  doctor. 

During  his  residence  in  Michigan  our  subject 
was  township  superintendent  of  instruction  for 
some  years.  In  1881  he  went  to  northern  Mich- 
igan and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber, 
having  a  mill  near  Frederick,  Crawford  County, 
with  which,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Babcock 
&  Taylor,  he  continued  until  1886.  Upon  re- 
ceiving word  that  his  father  was  dead  he  came 
immediately  to  Kansas  and  administered  the 
estate  at  Lansing.  It  was  his  intention  to  return 
to  Michigan,  but  becoming  interested  in  Leaven- 
worth County,  he  has  remained  here  since.  He 
built  the  Taylor  hotel  at  Lansing  and  a  number 
of  residences,  besides  which  he  owns  fourteen 
acres  there.  For  three  years  he  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace  in  Lansing.  He  was  a  member  of 
Grant  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  in  that  town,  an  organiza- 
tion since  disbanded.  In  1893  he  established  his 
home  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  police  department.  For  eight 
months  he  was  patrolman,  for  sixteen  months  a 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORD. 


807 


night  sergeant,  and  in  February,  1897,  was  ap- 
pointed judge  of  the  police  court  of  Leavenworth 
by  Governor  Leedy.  When  the  metropolitan 
police  law  was  affected  by  proclamation,  he  was 
reappointed  by  the  mayor  and  city  council,  in 
July,  1898.  This  office  he  has  filled  faithfully 
and  with  efficiency.  In  national  politics  he  is  a 
Populist,  and  he  has  been  chairman,  and  is  now 
secretary,  of  the  countj"-  central  committee.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
was  formerly  active  in  the  blue  lodge  of  Masonry, 
of  which  he  was  a  member  in  Linden,  Mich. 
During  his  residence  in  Michigan  he  married 
Miss  Jennie  Smith,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Fenton,  that  state,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  Two  children  were  born  of 
their  union:  Homer  W.,  who  died  in  Leav^en- 
worth  at  twenty-three  years  of  age;  and  Clinton 
A.,  at  home. 

REV.  J.  W.  KIMMEL,  pastor  of  the  First 
English  Lutheran  Church  of  Leavenworth, 
was  born  near  Magnolia,  Carroll  County, 
Ohio,  a  son  of  John  Joseph  and  Sarah  Ann 
(Alexander)  Kimmel,  natives  respectively  of 
Germany  and  Illinois.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Daniel  Kimmel,  brought  the  family  to  America  in 
1806  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  but  about  1824 
removed  to  Ohio,  where  he  died.  The  maternal 
grandfather,  John  Alexander,  was  a  farmer  in 
Illinois  and  was  of  Scotch  descent.  John  Joseph 
Kimmel  grew  to  manhood  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
after  removing  to  Ohio  he  worked  on  the  canal, 
later  improved  a  farm  from  a  tract  of  timber  land. 
When  a  young  man  he  made  a  trip  to  Illi- 
nois, but  returned  to  Ohio,  and  there  resided  un- 
til his  death,  in  1867.  His  wife  died  in  1878. 
They  were  the  parents  of  six  sons  and  six  daugh- 
ters who  attained  mature  years,  and  of  these 
three  sons  and  three  daughters  are  still  living. 

The  fourth  of  the  family,  Joseph  W. ,  was  born 
June  26,  1846.  When  a  boy  he  attended  school 
in  a  log  building,  with  slab  benches  and  punch- 
eon floor.  When  seventeen,  in  February,  1864,  he 
volunteered  in  Company  K,  Fifty-first  Ohio  In- 
fantry, and  was  mustered  in  at  Camp  Chase,  after 


which  he  was  ordered  to  Chattanooga.  He  took 
part  in  the  march  through  Georgia,  and  was 
present  at  the  battles  of  Resaca,  Dalton,  Dallas, 
Kingston,  Marietta,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Chicka- 
mauga.  Snake  Creek  Gap,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
siege  and  battle  of  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy 
Station,  Franklin,  Spring  Hill,  first  and  second 
battle  of  Nashville,  after  which  he  wintered  at 
Decatur,  Ala.  In  March,  1865,  he  took  part  in 
a  wild  march  into  Knoxville,  Tenn. ,  thence  re- 
turned to  Nashville  and  took  part  in  Hood's  re- 
view. In  July,  1865,  he  was  sent  to  Indianola, 
Tex.,  thence  to  Victoria,  where  he  remained  in 
camp  until  November  3,  1865,  and  then  started 
for  home.  He  was  honorably  discharged  at  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio,  November  25  of  that  year.  Dur- 
ing his  term  of  service  he  was  in  a  camp  hospi- 
tal for  four  weeks,  his  illness  being  caused  by  two 
strokes  of  paralysis.  When  mustered  out  he 
was  only  nineteen  years  of  age.  Afterward  he 
attended  college  and  also  taught  school.  After 
his  marriage,  in  1869,  he  farmed  in  Tuscarawas 
County.  In  1874  he  entered  Wittenberg  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Springfield,  Ohio,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1876.  He  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  in  Wooster  in  September  of  that  year, 
after  which,  from  1876  to  1879,  he  officiated  as 
pastor  at  Arcadia. 

Coming  west  in  1879,  Mr.  Kimmel  took  charge 
of  a  congregation  of  eleven  members  at  Teka- 
mah,  Burt  County,  Neb.,  where  he  built  a  church. 
He  also  organized  congregations  and  built  houses 
of  worship  at  Oakland  and  Grace.  In  1884  he 
was  called  to  take  up  missionary  work  in  Nemaha 
County,  which  at  that  time  did  not  have  any 
Lutheran  congregations.  He  organized  St.  Paul's 
Lutheran  Church  in  Auburn  and  built  a  church; 
also  Trinity  Lutheran  Church  at  Stella,  Richard- 
son County,  Neb.;  reorganized  the  congregation 
and  built  a  church  at  Morrill,  Brown  County, 
Kans;  and  in  1886  was  appointed  missionary  to 
the  Republican  Valley,  with  headquarters  at 
McCook,  Neb.,  and  ministering  to  congregations 
over  a  tract  of  land  three  hundred  miles  long 
and  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  wide.  For  four 
and  one-third  years  he  devoted  himself  to  his 
work  in  that  large  field,  going  meantime  as  far 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


west  as  Cheyenne,  Wyo.,  Akron,  Colo.,  and 
Oberlin,  Kans.  He  organized  and  built  churches 
at  McCook,  Franklin  and  Bloomington,  Neb.  ; 
lyong  Island,  Norcatur  and  Oberlin,  Kans.  ; 
Orleans  and  Stamford,  Neb.,  and  Akron,  Colo.; 
besides  which  he  preached  occasionally  at  Has- 
tings, Red  Cloud,  Holdrege,  Oxford,  Curtis  and 
Grant,  Neb.  This  immense  work  was  accom- 
plished in  little  more  than  four  years. 

June  I,  1890,  Mr.  Kimmel  was  recalled  to  his 
first  field  in  Nebraska,  where  the  church  had 
gone  down  during  his  absence.  He  placed  it  up- 
on a  substantial  basis  again,  and  when  he  left 
four  years  later  it  was  in  good  condition.  In 
May,  1894,  became  to  Leavenworth,  and  pub- 
lished the  Lutheran  Era,  which  he  had  started 
during  his  residence  in  Nebraska.  However,  in 
December,  1896,  he  discontinued  this  paper,  his 
other  work  having  grown  to  such  proportions  as 
to  necessitate  his  entire  attention.  It  was  the 
agreement,  when  he  came  to  Leavenworth,  that 
a  church  should  be  built  the  first  year.  The  first 
year  the  board  of  missions  paid  $500  on  the  pas- 
tor's salary  and  the  congregation  $200,  but  after- 
ward there  was  nothing  to  depend  upon  except 
the  small  contribution  from  the  congregation. 
The  church  had  no  property  except  a  lot  on  the 
corner  of  Spruce  and  Sixth  streets,  which  was 
worth  $500  and  had  an  encumbrance  of  $1,500. 
In  September  work  was  begun.  A  subscription 
of  $1,000  was  secured.  A  church  was  erected  at 
a  cost  of  $8,500,  but  left  an  indebtedness,  Janu- 
ary i,  1895,  of  $9,500.  In  March,  1895,  there 
was  a  division  in  the  congregation  on  the  subject 
of  the  debt,  some  wishing  to  sell  the  property 
and  settle  with  the  creditors  pro  rata,  paying 
them  about  forty  per  cent. ,  and  thus  saving  for  the 
congregation  about  $6,000.  This  plan  the  pastor 
did  not  favor,  it  being  his  desire  to  pay  the  entire 
indebtedness,  and  enough  were  of  his  opinion 
to  outvote  the  other  faction.  At  the  same  time 
(March,  1895)  the  pastor  began  to  sell  matches 
at  wholesale,  buying  in  carload  lots  and  selling 
through  Kansas,  Missouri,  Nebraska  and  Iowa. 
Meantime  the  creditors  had  agreed  to  extend  the 
time  of  payment  on  a  promise  of  receiving  one 
hundred  cents  on  the  dollar.     Since  then  he  has 


engaged  constantly  in  the  match  business,  travel- 
ing from  one  place  to  another,  while  his  wife  had 
charge  of  the  oflSce  work.  In  this  way,  during 
the  past  four  years,  he  has  paid  ofi"  $6,000,  in- 
cluding the  interest.  Meantime  the  congregation 
has  grown,  the  various  societies  have  taken  on 
new  life,  and  every  branch  of  the  work  is  in  a 
state  of  activity.  This  remarkable  record  speaks 
volumes  for  his  energy  and  good  judgment.  No 
matter  how  busy  his  week  may  have  been,  he 
always  returns  to  Leavenworth  to  preach  on 
Sunday,  and  keeps  a  constant  oversight  of  the 
work,  whose  success  is  due  to  his  self-sacrificing 
efforts. 

Politically  Mr.  Kimmel  is  a  Republican,  and 
has  always  voted  that  ticket  since  casting  his  first 
ballot  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  is  a  member  of 
Custer  Post  No.  6,  G.  A.  R.  His  first  marriage 
was  solemnized  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio, 
and  united  him  with  Miss  Martha  E.  Bailey,  who 
was  born  there  and  died  in  Arcadia,  that  state. 
The  five  children  born  of  this  union  were  named 
as  follows:  John,  now  living  in  Leavenworth; 
Alfred,  who  died  in  Ohio;  Harry,  in  Oklahoma; 
Olive,  who  is  in  Leavenworth;  and  Elizabeth, 
deceased.  The  present  wife  of  Mr.  Kimmel, 
whom  he  married  in  1878,  was  Miss  Jennie 
Moser,  of  Altoona,  Pa.,  and  to  this  union  five 
children  were  born,  viz.:  Katie,  Joseph  M.,  Mar- 
tin L.,  Althea  M.  and  Jennie  Grace. 


QOSEPH  B.  INSLEY,  who  resides  in  Leaven- 
I  worth  and  is  extensively  engaged  in  the 
C)  stock  business,  was  born  in  Tippecanoe  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  in  1842,  a  descendant  of  Scotch  ances- 
tors, by  whom  the  name  was  spelled  Ainsley. 
At  an  early  period  in  the  history  of  Ohio  they 
settled  there  and  became  interested  in  fanning. 
He  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Isabella  (Johnson) 
Insley,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ohio  and  in 
whose  family  were  nine  children,  five  now  living. 
His  father,  who  was  born  in  1805,  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising,  and  was  one  of  the 
prosperous  agriculturists  of  his  neighborhood. 
From  1827  until  his  death,  in  1863,  he  made  his 
home  in  Indiana,  where  he  was  a  leading  citizen 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


809 


of  Tippecanoe  County,  and,  during  war  times,  a 
stanch  Abolitionist.  His  wife  died  in  Kansas 
when  eighty-two  years  of  age. 

The  summer  of  1863  our  subject  spent  in  Kan- 
sas, being  with  his  brother,  Capt.  M.  H.  Insley, 
at  Fort  Scott.  On  his  return  to  Indiana  he  em- 
barked in  the  stock  business,  in  which  he  met 
with  fair  success.  In  1873  he  settled  permanent- 
ly in  Kansas,  establishing  his  home  in  Leaven- 
worth, where,  in  1876,  he  bought  a  residence  in 
the  suburbs  of  the  city,  but  within  the  limits. 
Here,  as  in  his  former  home,  he  engaged  in  the 
stock  business.  In  the  fall  of  1876  he  went  to 
Oregon,  where  he  devoted  the  winter  to  the  pur- 
chase of  cattle.  In  the  spring  he  took  two 
thousand  head  to  Cheyenne,  Wj'o.,  where  he  sold 
them.  In  the  fall  of  1878  he  made  another  trip 
to  the  coast,  and  from  there  shipped  five  hundred 
head  of  cattle  to  Kansas.  During  the  last  trip 
the  Indians  broke  out  against  the  white  men. 
Sixty  miles  east  of  Boise  City  his  party  en- 
countered the  savages  and  they  captured  an 
Indian  spy,  who  was  surveying  the  country. 
This  spy  they  turned  over  to  the  cavalry  troop 
from  Fort  Boise  and  the  commander  of  the  troops 
compelled  him  to  guide  them  to  the  hiding  place 
of  the  Indians.  About  that  time  the  Indians 
captured  the  stage  and  cut  the  cable  over  the 
Smoke  River. 

After  an  absence  of  seven  months  Mr.  Insley 
returned  to  Kansas,  where  he  followed  the  cattle 
business.  In  1882  he  went  to  Routt  County, 
Colo.,  and  homesteaded  one-quarter  section  of 
land.  The  following  year  his  family  took  up 
their  residence  on  the  ranch.  In  time  he  became 
one  of  the  heaviest  tax-payers  of  that  county.  He 
formed  a  stock  company  and  acted  as  general 
manager  of  the  Leavenworth  Cattle  Company, 
which  owned  from  ten  to  twelve  thousand  head  of 
cattle.  In  1890  he  returned  to  Kansas,  but  still 
retains  his  interests  in  Colorado,  where  he  owns 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  fine  grazing  land. 
His  principal  interests  are  in  Colorado,  but  he  also 
has  property  in  Kansas  and  is  extensively  engaged 
in  the  buying  and  selling  of  stock,  of  which  busi- 
ness he  has  made  a  life  studj'.  At  one  time  he 
served  as  county  commissioner  of  Routt  County, 


Colo.  Politically  he  votes  the  Republican  ticket. 
He  takes  a  warm  interest  and  an  active  part  in  the 
work  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination, 
to  which  he  belongs.  His  marriage,  in  1869, 
united  him  with  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Amasa  Johnson,  a  minister  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  Indiana.  The  two  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Insley  are  Anna,  in  Leaven- 
worth; and  Edwin,  who  resides  in  Routt  County, 
Colo. 


(TOHN  GEARY  CASEBIER,  who  is  en- 
I  gaged  in  the  manufacture  of  sorghum  and  in 
(2/  general  farm  pursuits  in  Tonganoxie  Town- 
ship, Leavenworth  County,  was  born  near  Clin- 
ton, Douglas  County,  Kans.,  November  14,  1856. 
He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  B.  Casebier,  to  whose  sketch 
the  reader  is  referred  for  the  family  history. 
His  education  was  obtained  principally  in  Jeffer- 
son, Leavenworth  County,  concluding  with  one 
term  in  the  state  university  at  Lawrence.  After 
having  been  with  his  father  for  two  years,  in  1879 
he  started  out  for  himself,  beginning  with  eighty 
acres  where  he  now  resides.  The  land  was 
fenced,  but  much  of  it  had  not  been  broken  and 
no  attempt  had  been  made  at  cultivation  or  im- 
provement. Desiring  that  the  place  might  be  at- 
tractive as  well  as  profitable,  he  set  out  the  grove 
of  maple  trees  that  now  add  so  much  to  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  homestead.  He  also  erected  a 
comfortable  residence  in  1884.  From  time  to 
time  he  added  to  the  size  of  the  farm,  which  now 
embraces  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 

After  having  engaged  in  raising  grain,  Mr. 
Casebier  decided  that  the  manufacture  of  sorghum 
would  be  more  profitable.  Accordingly  he  has 
since  given  his  attention  chiefly  to  the  raising  of 
cane  and  has  made  large  shipments  of  sorghum 
to  the  various  markets,  finding  this  industrj'  a 
profitable  one.  Besides  raising  cane  he  also 
manufactures  sorghum  on  shares.  He  manufac- 
tures from  one  hundred  and  twenty  to  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  barrels  of  sorghum  per  an- 
num, shipping  mostly  to  Kansas  City.  By  actual 
practical  experiments  he  has  found  that  cane  can 
be  raised  here,  even  when  a  .scarcity  of  rain  ruins 
other  crops,  and  there  is  also  the  additional  ad- 


8io 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


vantage  of  less  fluctuation  in  price.  He  owns  a 
threshing  machine  and  does  most  of  the  threshing 
in  his  locaUty ;  he  also  has  a  sorghum  crusher  run 
by  steam  power,  with  a  capacity  of  thirty  tons. 

Mr.  Casebier  has  represented  the  Democratic 
party  in  local  conventions  and  has  worked  on  its 
committees.  He  is  active  in  educational  affairs 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He 
is  connected  with  the  Masonic  blue  lodge  and  the 
Fraternal  Aid  Association  at  McLouth.  In  1880 
he  married  Oma  French,  daughter  of  a  minister 
in  Anderson  County.  They  have  had  three 
children,  two  now  living,  viz.:  Ernest,  who  as- 
sists his  father;  and  Charles. 


PJiNCENT  A.  KEIvLY,  son  of  John  V.  and 
\  /  Dora  Kelly,  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
Y  January  6,  1854.  -^t  the  age  of  three  years 
he  moved  with  his  parents  to  Leavenworth, 
Kans.,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He 
received  a  common-school  education,  with  the 
exception  of  two  years  spent  at  St.  Mary's  Col- 
lege, St.  Mary's,  Kans.  At  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  he  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  under 
his  father,  who  was  then  employed  by  the  gov- 
ernment at  Fort  Leavenworth. 

When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  made  a  trip  to 
England  and  Ireland,  where  he  visited  his  grand- 
parents and  other  relatives.  On  his  return  in 
1873  he  enlisted  in  the  regular  army  and  for  five 
years  served  in  the  Eighth  United  States  Cavalry, 
being  on  duty  principally  in  Texas  near  the  line 
of  Mexico,  where  he  was  engaged  in  patroling 
the  border  to  prevent  cattle  thieves  from  driving 
stock  over  into  Old  Mexico. 

On  his  retirement  from  service  he  worked  at 
his  trade  for  several  j'ears,  and  then  began  con- 
tracting, in  which  business  he  is  still  engaged. 
His  work  as  contractor  and  builder  has  not  been 
confined  to  the  immediate  locality  of  his  home. 
Most  of  his  contracts  have  been  for  the  govern- 
ment, not  onlj'  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  but  also  at 
Forts  Reno,  Riley  and  Supply. 

Among  the  most  important  buildings  erected 
by  Mr.  Kelly  at  Fort  Leavenworth  are  Drill 
Hall,  built  in   1889,  Bachelor  Officers'  Quarters 


in  1891,  Cavalry  stables  in  1892,  remodeling  of 
General  Merritt's  residence  in  1887  and  Cavalry 
School  in  1895;  at  Fort  Supply  in  1892  a  guard 
house;  at  Fort  Reno  in  1890-91  a  hospital,  cav- 
alry stables,  and  remodeled  the  residence  of 
Colonel  Wade,  the  commanding  officer  of  Fort 
Reno.  At  Fort  Riley  in  1896  and  1897  he  built 
stone  buildings,  two  double  sets  Officers'  Quar- 
ters, one  Artillery  Barracks  and  five  stable  guard 
buildings. 

Among  the  buildings  erected  by  Mr.  Kelly  in 
the  city  are  Cretor's  mill,  Kelly  &  Lysle's  mill, 
German  Catholic  school,  remodeled  Morris 
school,  McGlynn  building,  corner  Fifth  and 
Miami  streets,  Bradley's  (Fourth  and  Olive), 
Larimer's  (Fifth  and  Olive),  and  P.  J.  McDon- 
ald's (Second  and  Cherokee  streets);  St.  Vin- 
cent's Orphan  Asylum  in  1888,  priest's  residence 
at  Mt.  St.  Mary's  Academy  in  1898,  and  in  1899 
elevator  and  warehouse  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  at 
the  National  Military  Home  in  Leavenworth 
County  a  nurses'  cottage,  insane  ward,  and  at 
this  writing  has  contracts  for  the  erection  of  a 
barrack,  theatre  and  hotel  building. 

Mr.  Kelly  is  so  interested  in  business  matters 
that  he  has  never  identified  himself  with  political 
affairs,  having  little  taste  for  politics.  In  1882 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  D.  Casserly,  of 
Mineral  Point,  Wis. 


pGJiLLIAM  MAYER,  a  pioneer  of  Leaven- 
\  A  /  worth,  has  made  his  home  in  this  county 
YY  since  March  14,  1857,  and  has  witnessed 
its  steady  growth  in  population  and  importance, 
to  which  he  has  personally  contributed.  He  has 
been  an  industrious,  persevering  man,  and 
through  his  energy  has  accumulated  a  compe- 
tency. A  native  of  German}',  born  in  Baden 
May  5,  1836,  he  was  eleven  years  of  age  when, 
in  the  spring  of  1847,  ^^  came  to  America  with 
his  parents,  Dominick  and  Regina  (Sadler) 
Mayer,  natives  of  Baden.  The  family  settled  on 
a  farm  near  Burlington,  Iowa,  being  pioneers  of 
that  section  of  country,  where  the  father  cleared 
and  placed  under  cultivation  a  tract  of  raw  land. 
After  some  years  he  retired  and  settled  in  Bur- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lington,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years.  His  wife  was  forty-seven  at  the  time  of 
her  death.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, Barbara,  William,  Nicholas  and  Joseph. 

When  seventeen  years  of  age  our  subject  began 
to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  Burlington. 
He  had  served  about  eighteen  months  when  his 
employer  failed.  He  then  went  to  Quincy,  111., 
where  he  finished  learning  the  trade  and  later 
worked  there  about  two  years.  From  there  he 
returned  home  and  soon  afterward  came  to  Leav- 
enworth. His  first  work  in  Kansas  was  in  Kicka- 
poo,  where  he  ran  a  shop  for  three  years.  In  1861 
he  opened  a  shop  in  Leavenworth  and  here  for  some 
years  he  carried  on  general  blacksmithing,  but 
since  1879  he  has  limited  himself  to  horseshoeing. 
He  had  been  fairly  successful  and  could,  if  he  de- 
sired, retire  entirely  from  business,  but  being  of 
an  industrious  temperament,  he  is  happiest  when 
employed.  He  is  an  expert  at  his  trade,  which 
he  understands  thoroughly  and  in  which  he  has 
no  superiors  in  the  city. 

Politically  Mr.  Mayer  is  a  Democrat,  and  fra- 
ternally a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  Hoch,  of  Burlington,  Iowa. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  their  son 
being  William  F.,  who  is  with  his  father  in  the 
shop. 

[OHN  P.  BELL,  a  successful  farmer  of  Pal- 
myra Township,  Douglas  County,  was  born 
in  Indiana  County,  Pa.,  in  1842.  His  father, 
John,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  of  Scotch  descent, 
removed  to  Pennsylvania  with  his  parents  in 
childhood  and  there  learned  the  millwright's 
trade.  He  was  an  expert  machinist  and  also 
worked  at  bridge-building  for  some  years.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Republican,  and  in  religion  a 
Presbyterian.  In  disposition  quiet  and  retiring, 
he  never  cared  to  identify  himself  with  public 
affairs.  He  reared  a  large  family  to  fill  positions 
of  honor  and  usefulness,  and  was  successful  in 
gaining  the  esteem  of  associates,  but  never  accu- 
mulated much  property. 

May  30,  1 86 1,  our  subject  enlisted  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania  Reserves,  but  was  soon  transferred  to 


Company  E,  Eleventh  Pennsylvania  Regiment, 
in  which  he  served  as  a  private  until  May  30, 
1864.  During  the  seven  days'  fight  in  front  of 
Richmond  his  entire  regiment  was  captured  by 
the  Confederates  and  he  was  wounded  by  a  gun- 
shot, which  he  still  carries  in  his  left  leg.  For 
forty  days  he  was  confined  in  Libby  prison,  after 
which  he  was  paroled  and  taken  to  Harrison 
Landing,  thence  to  Newport  News,  and  six 
weeks  later  was  exchanged  and  returned  to  his 
regiment.  At  Fredericksburg  his  company  went 
in  with  thirty  men  and  came  out  with  only  nine, 
and  at  that  battle  he  himself  narrowly  escaped 
death.  Later  he  was  assigned  to  recruiting  near 
Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  also  did  guard  duty 
on  a  railroad.  He  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg,  after  which  he  pursued  the  Con- 
federates into  Virginia  and  engaged  in  the  battle 
of  the  Wilderness. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army  Mr.  Bell  re- 
turned home  and  secured  work  in  the  building  of 
a  telegraph  line  from  Pittsburgh  to  Altoona,  Pa. 
In  September,  1S65,  he  started  for  Kansas  and 
"squatted"  on  the  farm  he  now  owns.  With  him 
he  brought  $260,  which  enabled  him  to  get  a 
start  in  his  new  home.  He  bought  his  land  from 
the  government,  paying  $2.50  an  acre.  It  was 
wholly  destitute  of  improvements,  and  one  of  his 
first  tasks  was  the  building  of  a  frame  house. 
From  time  to  time  he  made  other  improvements 
that  added  to  the  value  of  the  place.  He  now 
owns  five  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  his  home 
farm,  which  he  operates  personally.  In  addition 
to  this  he  has  given  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
to  his  older  son  and  eighty  acres  to  each  of  his 
daughters,  thus  enabling  them  to  get  a  good 
start  in  life.  For  years  he  has  been  interested  in 
feeding  cattle,  a  branch  of  agriculture  in  which 
he  has  been  quite  successful. 

April  13,  1865,  Mr.  Bell  married  Miss  Millie  J. 
Waterman,  of  Westmoreland  County,  Pa.  They 
are  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely:  Frank, 
who  is  engaged  in  farming  near  the  old  home- 
stead; Jennie  R.,  wife  of  William  Fuhs;  Eva  D., 
who  married  Charles  Skinner;  and  John,  at  home. 
The  family  are  identified  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  to  the  maintenance  of  which  Mr.  Bell 


8l2 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


has  been  a  regular  contributor.  While  he  has 
always  refused  political  office  he  has  been  active 
in  the  interests  of  such  of  his  friends  as  are  can- 
didates, and  has  always  been  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican. 


NGN.  JOHN  CRIMP  WATTS,  who  has 
made  his  home  in  Kansas  since  the  fall  of 
1856,  was  born  near  Plymouth,  Devonshire, 
England,  September  3,  1835,  a  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Crimp)  Watts,  natives  of  the  same 
shire.  His  father,  who  was  the  son  of  a  stone 
mason,  learned  that  trade  at  an  early  age  and 
after  a  time  began  to  take  contracts.  While  en- 
gaged in  filling  a  contract  he  accidentally  fell  from 
the  belfry  of  a  church  and  was  so  injured  that  he 
died  six  months  later.  Besides  his  wife  (who 
came  to  Kansas  and  died  here  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
six  years)  he  left  four  children,  of  whom  John 
Crimp  is  the  oldest  and  the  only  survivor.  Isaac, 
the  second  son,  was  a  soldier  in  the  British 
army  and  served  in  India,  but  resigned,  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Kansas,  where  he  died. 
Thomas,  who  was  also  a  soldier  in  India,  came 
to  Kansas  in  the  early  days  and  remained  here 
until  1879,  when  he  went  east,  and  since  then  all 
trace  of  him  has  been  lost.  Mary,  the  only  daugh- 
ter, married  A.  Woods,  and  died  in  Lawrence. 

After  his  father's  death  our  subject  was  ap- 
prenticed to  his  partner,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  he  was  eighteen.  In  1853  ^^  came  to 
America  on  the  sailer  "Rose,"  and  landed  in 
Quebec  after  a  voyage  of  eight  weeks.  Going  to 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  he  worked  as  a  stone  mason 
and  bricklayer.  In  1854  he  went  to  Chicago  and 
Waukegan,  111.,  in  both  of  which  places  he  found 
employment  and  began  contracting.  In  the  fall 
of  1856  he  came  to  Kansas.  He  was  then  a  young 
luan  of  twenty-one  years.  With  all  the  enthusi- 
asm of  youth  he  began  life  in  a  new  country 
amid  hardships  and  difficulties.  Going  to  Potta- 
watomie County  he  took  up  the  first  claim  near 
Louisville,  and  there  he  built  a  house  and  made 
improvements,  retaining  the  place  for  four  years. 
As  he  passed  through  Lawrence  he  had  noticed 
some  stone  buildings,  and  thinking  it  might  be 
possible  for  him  to  secure  work,  he  returned  to 


this  city  in  February,  1857,  and  began  contract- 
ing and  building.  In  order  to  hold  his  claim  on 
Rock  Creek,  every  six  months  for  two  years  he 
made  a  trip  to  it,  starting  from  Lawrence  on  foot 
at  noon  and  walking  twenty-five  miles  that  daj', 
and  twenty-nine  the  next,  reaching  the  land  after 
dark.  Four  years  after  he  had  settled  in  Law- 
rence a  man  ojBfered  him  $1 ,000  for  it.  He  accepted 
the  offer,  deposited  the  money  in  a  bank  which 
failed  three  days  later,  entailing  a  total  loss  to 
him.  Undiscouraged,  however,  he  continued  his 
work  as  contractor,  and  in  time  became  success- 
ful, he  and  his  uncle,  Abraham  Watts,  being 
partners.  He  built  the  Miller  block,  G.  A.  R. 
building,  Poehler  block,  the  grocery  building 
owned  by  John  Jones,  and  many  residences  in 
this  city.  About  1890  he  practically  retired  from 
business,  although  since  then  he  has  consented 
to  take  a  few  important  contracts,  among  them 
that  of  the  library  building  in  the  University  of 
Kansas  (1894),  and  the  Fowler  shops  at  the  uni- 
versity (1898).  He  is  the  owner  of  considerable 
valuable  property  in  Lawrence,  and  has  dealt  ex- 
tensively in  real  estate.  During  the  antebellum 
days  he  experienced  all  the  terrors  of  border  war- 
fare, and  remembers  well  the  perils  of  the  Quan- 
trell  raid  that  brought  death  and  disaster  to  the 
people  of  Lawrence.  At  the  time  of  the  Price 
raid  he  was  mustered  into  Company  A,  Third 
Kansas  Militia,  under  Captain  Wheeler  as  cor- 
poral, and  went  with  his  regiment  down  to  the 
Blue. 

In  Lawrence  Mr.  Watts  married  Fannie, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Collier,  who  came  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Lawrence  in  1857.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  Mary 
died  at  fourteen  years,  and  the  others  are  at 
home.  Mr.  Watts  voted  the  Republican  ticket 
until  the  Tilden  campaign,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  a  Democrat.  He  is  serving  his  third 
term  as  chairman  of  the  Democratic  county  com- 
mittee. For  three  terms  he  represented  the  third 
and  fourth  wards  in  the  city  council,  where  he 
was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  streets,  alleys 
and  bridges.  For  two  years  he  held  the  office  of 
street  commissioner.  On  the  Republican  ticket, 
in  1874,  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature,  receiv- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


!I3 


ing  a  majority  of  six  hundred  over  Alexander 
Banks.  In  the  session  of  1875  he  secured  the 
passage  of  a  bill  assessing  property  and  stock  at 
the  place  of  their  location.  Not  wishing  to  be 
the  recipient  of  any  favors  from  the  railroads,  he 
sent  back  all  passes  presented  to  him.  For  two 
years  he  was  a  director  of  the  state  penitentiary 
under  Governor  Glick.  After  becoming  a  Demo- 
crat he  was  a  candidate  for  sheriff  and  treasurer 
of  Douglas  County,  but  his  party  being  in  the 
minority  he  failed  of  election.  However,  he  over- 
came a  majority  of  one  thousand  and  was  defeat- 
ed by  only  one  hundred  votes.  He  is  a  demitted 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  belongs  to  the 
Fraternal  Aid  Association,  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen  and  Washington  Post  No.  12, 
G.  A.  R. 


(lOHN  B.  LAMBER  was  one  of  those  early 
settlers  who,  through  self-sacrifice,  toil  and 


el 


hardship,  have  made  possible  the  degree 
of  culture  and  prosperity  the  present  generation 
enjoys.  Coming  to  Leavenworth  in  1857,  he 
identified  himself  with  the  history  of  the  then 
little  town  and  assisted  in  developing  its  re- 
sources, rendering  possible  its  high  standing 
among  the  cities  of  the  west.  Indirectl}^  too, 
he  aided  in  the  development  of  the  region  then 
known  as  "bleeding"  Kansas,  which  is  now  one 
of  the  most  prosperous  states  in  the  Union. 
While  he  was  quiet,  unpretentious  and  unassum- 
ing, he  was  nevertheless  alive  to  every  need  of 
his  home  town,  and  was  a  loyal,  public-spirited 
citizen.  When,  after  the  toil  and  battle  of  life, 
he  passed  away,  August  2,  1895,  he  was  followed 
to  the  grave  by  the  affectionate  remembrances  of 
the  pioneers  who  survived  him,  and  by  the  grati- 
tude of  the  younger  generation  that  had  grown 
up  around  him. 

Both  the  paternal  and  maternal  ancestors  of 
Mr.  Lamber  were  of  English  lineage.  His 
mother,  Elizabeth,  was  a  daughter  of  Sir  John 
Missing,  of  England.  He  was  born  in  New 
York  City  July  24,  1828,  and  was  two  years  of 
age  when  his  father  died.  He  passed  his  boy- 
hood years  in  his  native  city.  His  first  position 
was  that  of  a   messenger  on  the   New  York  & 


Erie  Railroad.  In  1850  the  Adams  Express 
Company  sent  him  to  Australia,  appointing  him 
their  agent  at  Melbourne.  The  trip  both  ways 
was  made  on  sailing  vessels  and,  going  out,  he 
spent  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  days  on  the 
ocean.  In  1855  he  returned  via  Europe  tothe 
United  States.  The  experiences  that  he  had 
abroad  were  most  helpful  to  him  and  gave  him  a 
profitable  cosmopolitan  knowledge  of  men  and 
countries.  After  two  more  years  in  New  York 
City,  in  1857  te  came  to  Leavenworth,  where  he 
remained  for  two  years  at  that  time,  and  then 
went  further  west. 

About  1863  Mr.  Lamber  returned  to  Leaven- 
worth and  in  1866  he  bought  an  interest  in  the 
Planter's  hotel,  which  was  carried  on  under  the 
firm  name  of  Rice,  Lamber  &  Pleas.  In  1875 
Mr.  Pleas  retired  from  the  firm  and  the  following 
year  Mr.  Rice  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Lamber, 
who  continued  to  be  the  sole  proprietor  of  the 
hotel  until  1888.  He  then  retired  from  business. 
During  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  he  lived 
quietly  at  his  home.  No.  311  North  Broadway, 
where,  in  the  enjoyment  of  every  comfort,  he 
could  fully  enter  into  domestic  and  social  pleas- 
ures. He  was  never  active  in  politics,  although 
a  stanch  Republican,  always  voting  that  ticket. 

In  Bethany,  N.  Y.,  January  10,  1866,  Mr. 
Lamber  married  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  Thomas  G. 
Smith,  and  a  sister  of  Leonard  T.  Smith  and  Mrs. 
Jasper  S.  Rice,  of  Leavenworth.  The  ancestry 
of  the  family  appears  in  the  sketch  of  Leonard 
T.  Smith.  The  only  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lam- 
ber is  John  B.  Lamber,  Jr. ,  of  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


QATRICK  McKEEVER,  who  is  engaged  in 
Ly  farming  at  the  head  of  Salt  Creek  Valley  iu 
1*5  Leavenworth  County,  has  resided  on  his 
homestead  since  1861.  During  that  year  he 
bought  a  squatters'  claim  to  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  on  which  he  began  the  work  of  im- 
provement and  cultivation.  He  built  what  was 
known  as  the  "Big"  house,  a  building  16x16, 
which  was  large  for  those  days,  and  was  the  first 
frame  house  erected  in  the  district.  While  he 
has  always  given  attention  to  the  general  lines  of 


8i4 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


farming,  at  one  time  he  made  a  specialty  of  stock- 
raising,  and  had  on  his  place  about  one  hundred 
head  of  cattle.  In  1897  he  erected  a  residence 
which  is  considered  one  of  the  finest  in  the  val- 
ley, and  here  he  has  a  pleasant  and  comfortable 
home. 

Born  in  Ireland  in  1833,  Mr.  McKeever  ran 
away  from  home  when  fifteen  years  of  age  and 
came  to  the  United  States,  landing  in  New  York 
and  thence  proceeding  to  Philadelphia.  For  two 
years  he  made  his  home  with  Dr.  Walker,  a 
Quaker  physician,  and  while  working  there  he 
also  attended  school.  In  1848  he  began  to  work 
for  the  Pennsylvania  Central  Railroad  Company. 
Two  years  later  he  went  to  Richmond,  Va.,  and 
from  there  proceeded  to  Baltimore,  Md.,  where 
he  bound  himself  to  the  machinist's  trade,  but 
after  twenty-one  months  the  shop  closed  down. 
He  then  secured  work  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Railroad.  In  1852  he  began  farming  in  Perry 
County,  Ohio,  and  at  the  same  time  he  resumed 
his  studies,  attending  St.  Joseph's  College  in 
Somerset,  where  he  received  a  good  academic 
education. 

In  1855  Mr.  McKeever  came  to  Leavenworth, 
Kans.,  and  secured  employment  in  the  quarter- 
master's department  at  the  fort.  In  1859  he  went 
to  California  Gulch,  Colo.,  where  he  spent  the 
summer,  returning  to  Leavenworth  in  the  fall, 
and  resuming  work  at  the  fort.  During  the  bor- 
der ruffian  wars  he  conducted  an  express  service 
between  different  forts  and  experienced  all  the 
dangers  of  those  days.  Since  then  he  has  de- 
voted himself  entirely  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
In  1863  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Sarah 
Ann  Walls,  who  died  in  1867,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Harry,  who  is  employed  on  a  railroad 
in  Mexico;  Robert  P.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  St. 
Benedict's  College  in  Atchison,  and  is  a  musician 
of  some  note,  being  the  author  of  the  song,  "A 
Broken  Promise,"  and  other  selections;  and 
Mary,  who  has  charge  of  the  home. 

Actively  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  com- 
munity, Mr.  McKeever  supports  the  Populist 
party  and  has  attended  its  conventions.  He  has 
held  office  as  treasurer  of  Kickapoo  Township. 
He  is  loyal  to  the  institutions  of  his  adopted  coun- 


try, and  is  proud  of  its  army  and  navy,  and  in 
the  splendid  record  it  has  made  in  the  recent  war 
with  Spain.  He  is  a  man  of  quiet  disposition, 
kind-hearted  and  generous,  and  is  respected  by 
all  who  know  him. 


AJ.  W.  B.  CARPENTER,  M.  D.,  for 
years  one  of  Leavenworth's  most  prominent 
citizens,  but  now  deceased,  was  born  in 
Delaware,  Ohio,  and  descended  in  direct  line 
from  William  Carpenter,  of  Rehobeth,  Mass.,  a 
native  of  Herfordshire,  England,  and  a  cousin  of 
William  Carpenter,  who  was  an  associate  of 
Roger  Williams.  He  came  to  America  in  the 
sailing  vessel  "Bevis,"  in  1638,  and  assisted  in 
the  founding  of  Providence,  in  Rhode  Island. 
Ira  Carpenter,  who  was  the  son  of  a  Revolution- 
ary soldier,  was  born  in  New  York  state  and  in 
early  days  acted  as  a  surveyor.  He  became  a 
pioneer  of  Delaware,  Ohio,  which  town  he  assist- 
ed in  laying  out.  He  met  with  an  accident  that 
caused  him  to  abandon  civil  engineering.  He 
then  turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of  medi- 
cine and  subsequently  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  that  profession,  dying  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three. 

Major  Carpenter,  who  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Ira 
Carpenter,  studied  medicine  under  Dr.  Scott, 
also  in  the  Columbus  Medical  College  and  the 
Cleveland  Medical  College,  graduating  as  an 
M.  D.,  in  1853.  Afterward  he  started  for  Cali- 
fornia, but,  changing  his  plans,  spent  one  winter 
in  Iowa,  and  in  the  summer  of  1857  settled  in 
Linn  County,  Kans.,  where  he  located  a  claim; 
built  a  house,  improved  the  land  and  also  carried 
on  a  general  practice.  At  the  opening  of  the 
Civil  war  he  volunteered  as  a  private  in  the  Sixth 
Kansas  Infantry,  but  was  soon  transferred  to  the 
Fifth  Kansas  Regiment,  of  which  he  was  com- 
missioned assistant  surgeon.  Later  he  was  made 
surgeon  with  the  rank  of  major,  and  as  such 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  On  being  mus- 
tered out  he  settled  in  Leavenworth,  where  he 
engaged  in  a  general  practice  until  1876.  After- 
ward, for  six  years,  he  was  attending  physician 
to  the  Kansas  state  penitentiary,  of  which  he  was 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


815 


later  the  first  resident  physician  for  eight  years. 
His  death  occurred  in  Leavenworth  in  December, 
1893,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  Fraternally 
he  was  identified  with  the  Masons. 

The  marriage  of  Major  Carpenter  united  him 
with  Miss  Harriet  E.  Woodward,  who  was  born 
near  Delaware,  Ohio,  and  is  now  living  in  Leav- 
enworth. Her  father,  Joel  Woodward,  was  born 
in  Maryland,  and  removed  from  there  to  Ohio, 
settling  in  Cleveland,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  paper.  The  family  of  Major  and 
Mrs.  Carpenter  consisted  of  four  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living. 

EHARLES  R.  CARPENTER,  M.  D.  Among 
the  physicians  of  Leavenworth  a  prominent 
place  is  held  by  the  subject  of  this  article, 
who  is  one  of  the  popular  professional  men  of  the 
city,  and  has  attained  recognition  through  his 
skill  in  the  treatment  of  intricate  forms  of  dis- 
ease. He  is  a  member  of  the  Leavenworth  City 
and  County  Medical  Society;  the  Kansas  Eastern 
District  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  served  as 
secretary  for  several  years;  the  Missouri  Valley, 
Kansas  State  and  American  Medical  Associa- 
tions, and  through  his  connection  with  these  so- 
cieties keeps  in  touch  with  the  progress  made  in 
the  science  of  medicine.  He  has  contributed 
articles  to  medical  journals  bearing  upon  subjects 
that  pertain  to  the  profession,  and  these  articles 
have  received  favorable  mention  on  the  part  of 
his  professional  contemporaries. 

Dr.  Carpenter  was  born  in  Hardin,  Iowa,  Feb- 
ruary ID,  1857,  a  son  of  Maj.  William  B.  Car- 
penter, M.  D.,  deceased,  late  of  Leavenworth. 
He  was  an  infant  when  his  parents  settled  in 
Linn  County,  Kans.,  where  he  remained  until 
the  war,  and  was  then  sent  to  school  at  Cleve- 
land, Ohio.  In  1863  the  family  joined  his  father 
at  Helena,  Ark. ,  and  afterward  followed  the  army 
in  its  movements  in  that  region.  In  1865  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  Leavenworth,  where  he 
was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools.  In 
1876  he  entered  Cornell  University,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1S80.  The  study  of  medicine  he 
began  under  his  father  and  afterward  carried  on 
in  Rush  Medical   College,  Chicago,  from  which 


he  graduated  in  1882,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
Returning  to  Leavenworth,  he  began  the  practice 
which  he  has  since  conducted,  his  location  being 
in  the  Manufacturers'  Bank  building.  For  seven 
years  he  was  secretary  of  the  board  of  health  of 
this  city.  He  assisted  in  organizing  the  Leaven- 
worth Hospital  Association,  which  is  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  state.  He  has  since  been  secretary 
of  the  association  and  a  member  of  the  hospital 
stafi".  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Leaven- 
worth Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Leaven- 
worth, and  is  also  connected  with  the  Sons  of 
Veterans.  In  politics  he  affiliates  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  is  an  elder  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Leavenworth.  His 
marriage  took  place  in  Princeton,  Ky.,  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Nina  Garrett,  who  was 
born  in  Kentucky.  They  have  one  child  now 
living,  Anna  Louise. 


ICHAEL  KIRMEYER,  who  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Leavenworth,  and  is 
still  living  in  this  city,  was  born  in  Munich, 
Bavaria,  February  23,  1826.  He  spent  his  bo}'- 
hood  years  upon  a  farm  owned  by  his  father,  who 
was  an  extensive  farmer  and  stockman,  and  made 
a  specialty  of  raising  race  horses.  When  thirteen 
years  of  age  he  began  to  learn  the  butcher's 
trade,  at  which  he  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
two  years,  and  later  followed  the  business  until, 
in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  his  country,  he 
entered  the  army.  His  entire  period  of  service 
in  the  army  covered  six  years. 

In  1857  Mr.  Kirmeyer  came  over  to  our  coun- 
try on  the  "Little  Conquerer"  with  his  brother 
Joseph,  and  the  two  proceeded  at  once  to  Leav- 
enworth, where  they  opened  a  butcher  shop. 
After  a  year  our  subject  purchased  his  brother's 
interest,  and  for  two  years  continued  alone,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  soda 
and  ginger  ale  for  eighteen  months  alone  and 
later  with  John  Brandon  as  a  partner.  From  that 
business  he  gradually  drifted  into  the  brewer's 
trade,  and  continued  in  the  latter  until  1888, 
when  the  prohibition  laws  caused  him  to  close 
out  and  retire  to  private  life.     He  is  a  member  of 


8i6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  Turner  society  and  a  charter  member  of  the 
Leavenworth  Lodge,  I..0.  O.  F.  During  war 
times  he  voted  with  the  Republicans,  being  in 
sympathy  with  their  policy  as  to  the  abolition  of 
slavery ;  but  of  more  recent  years  he  has  affiliated 
with  the  Democrats. 

November  24,  1858,  he  married  Miss  Nieder- 
weiser,  who  was  born  in  Ausburg,  Germany,  in 
1834.  They  became  the  parents  often  children, 
but  four  died  at  an  early  age.  The  others  are 
named  as  follows:  Agnes,  who  is  married  and 
lives  in  Leavenworth;  Michael,  Jr.,  a  traveling 
salesman;  John  H.,  deputy  district  clerk,  resid- 
ing in  this  city;  Joseph,  who  is  a  photographer 
by  occupation  and  is  now  in  Memphis,  Tenn.; 
Dolly  A.  and  Bertha  M.,  who  are  with  their 
parents. 

pCJiLLIAM  G.  FULLER,  who  is  engaged  in 
\A/  contracting  and  building  in  Leavenworth, 
Y  V  was  born  in  Taylor  County,  Iowa,  in  1858, 
a  son  of  Oak  P.  and  Elizabeth  (Hicks)  Fuller. 
His  father  was  a  member  of  a  pioneer  family  of 
Ohio  and  was  born  in  that  state,  where  his  father, 
Gabriel  Fuller,  was  killed  when  he  was  a  lad  of 
ten  years.  When  a  young  man,  in  1856,  he 
removed  to  Iowa  and  there  became  interested  in 
farming,  while  at  the  same  time  he  also  did  con- 
siderable business  as  a  carpenter  and  builder. 
For  seven  years  he  made  his  home  in  Bedford 
and  from  there  removed  to  Mahaska.  In  1881 
he  established  his  home  in  Ottawa  County,  Kans. , 
where  he  has  since  resided  upon  a  farm.  He  is 
a  Democrat  in  politics  and  actively  interested  in 
public  affairs.  To  his  marriage  thirteen  children 
were  born,  nine  of  whom  are  living. 

In  his  youth  the  subject  of  this  sketch  learned 
the  trade  of  miller  and  millwright,  which  he 
followed  for  a  short  time,  and  afterward,  for  sev- 
eral years,  engaged  in  railroad  work  in  Missouri. 
In  1880  he  went  to  western  Kansas  and  took  up 
a  claim  to  government  land  in  Pratt  County, 
where  he  began  farming.  After  two  years  he 
came  to  Leavenworth,  where  he  began  carpen- 
tering and  also  engaged  in  railroad  work.  While 
employed  on  railroads,  he  was  in  Missouri, 
Texas,    Indian    Territory     and    Kansas.       He 


assisted  in  erecting  a  large  depot  for  the  Missouri, 
Kansas  &  Texas  Railroad  in  Dallas,  Tex.  In 
other  places  he  also  built  depots  for  the  same 
road,  and  in  1893  tiuilt  the  Missouri  Pacific  depot 
in  Leavenworth. 

Besides  his  railroad  contracts,  Mr.  Fuller  has 
erected  buildings  for  the  government  at  Fort 
Leavenworth.  He  has  also  had  contracts  for 
some  of  the  finest  business  blocks,  churches  and 
private  residences  in  the  city.  The  nature  of  his 
work  is  such  that  it  invariably  proves  satisfactory. 
People  competent  to  judge  in  the  matter  believe 
him  to  be  one  of  the  most  expert  contractors  in 
the  city.  His  work  keeps  him  so  engrossed  that 
he  has  no  leisure  for  public  affairs  or  official 
positions,  and,  aside  from  voting  the  Democratic 
ticket  he  takes  no  part  in  politics.  He  is  inter- 
ested in  mining  in  Arizona  and  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Arizona  Gold  Mining  and  Milling  Com- 
pany. He  and  his  family  are  active  members  of 
the  Baptist  Church  and  he  is  one  of  the  deacons 
of  the  congregation.  His  marriage,  which  took 
place  in  1881,  united  him  with  Christina, 
daughter  of  James  W.  Bedwell,  who  came  from 
Missouri  to  Kansas  in  1866  and  is  still  living  in 
Leavenworth,  where  he  has  followed  the  black- 
smith's trade  for  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fuller  are 
the  parents  of  six  children. 


Gl  UGUST  SCH ANZE,  who  is  one  of  the  suc- 
LA  cessful  business  men  of  Leavenworth,  was 
/  1  born  in  Schwartzenberg  kies  Meltzing,  fif- 
teen miles  from  Cassel,  Kur-Hessen,  Germany, 
July  30^,  1840,  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Bach- 
man)  Schanze,  natives  of  the  same  place  as  him- 
self. He  was  the  youngest  of  four  children,  of 
whom  his  sister  died  in  Michigan;  one  brother, 
John,  lives  in  Kansas  City;  and  the  other,  Mar- 
tin, is  in  Texas.  When  fourteen  years  of  age  he 
was  apprenticed  to  the  wagon-maker's  trade  in 
his  native  village,  and  for  two  and  one-half  years 
served  as  an  apprentice.  In  1856  he  left  Bremen 
on  a  sailing-vessel  that  reached  New  York  after 
a  voyage  of  thirty-seven  days,  and  from  New 
York  he  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  secured  work 
at  his  trade.     In  the  spring  of  1858  he  came  to 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


817 


Kansas,  joining  his  brother,  John,  who  had  set- 
tled at  Sumner  the  preceding  year  and  had  been 
engaged  in  making  wagons  for  Russell,  the 
freighter.  In  the  fall  of  1858  he  voted  for  the 
admission  of  Kansas  into  the  Union  as  a  free 
state.  He  experienced  many  of  the  perils  and 
hardships  of  border  warfare,  when  the  whole 
country  was  in  a  state  of  excitement  and  none 
knew  what  a  day  might  bring  forth.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Turn  Verein,  a  society  of  forty 
members,  organized  into  a  company,  for  whom 
the  blowing  of  a  horn  was  a  signal  to  assemble. 

From  1859  to  1861  Mr.  Schanze  carried  on  a 
shop  in  Winthrop,  Mo.  At  the  opening  of  the 
war  he  came  to  Leavenworth  and  enlisted  in  the 
service  of  the  government.  He  was  assigned  to 
the  army  of  the  Potomac  and  was  sent  to  Hagers- 
town,  Md.,  thence  to  Frederick,  the  same  state, 
from  there  to  Washington,  D.  C,  and  Virginia, 
where  he  was  assigned  to  work  in  the  army  shop. 
He  was  connected  with  the  repair  department  of 
the  army  and  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Bull 
Run  (2d)  and  other  important  engagements. 
Still  in  the  government  employ  he  returned  to 
Leavenworth  in  1863,  and  was  later  ordered  to 
Helena,  Ark.,  as  a  mechanic.  On  account  of 
illness  he  did  not  remain  long  in  Helena.  In 
1865  he  was  sent  to  Denver,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  government  shop  for  fourteen 
months. 

On  his  return  to  Leavenworth  Mr.  Schanze 
started  a  shop  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Cher- 
okee streets,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture and  repair  of  wagons  and  carriages.  From 
1873  to  1883  he  was  in  the  government  employ 
at  Fort  Leavenworth,  but  during  the  latter  year 
he  resumed  business  for  himself  at  No.  608  Cher- 
okee street,  where  he  has  a  three-story  and  base- 
ment building,  48x125  feet  in  dimensions,  built 
of  brick,  and  stocked  with  a  full  line  of  hard- 
ware, agricultural  implements, wind  mills,  pumps, 
seeds,  etc.  He  is  still  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  wagons  and  buggies,  with  which  work 
his  long  years  of  successful  experience  have  made 
him  thoroughly  familiar.  Since  1889  he  has 
handled  farm  and  garden  seeds  of  all  kinds,  and 
has  also  made  a  specialty  of  builders'  hardware. 


Besides  his  business  block  he  is  the  owner  of  four 
residences  which  he  erected,  and  has  other  valua- 
ble property  in  the  city. 

In  Leavenworth,  in  1S67,  occurred  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  Schanze  to  Miss  Kate  Schaffer,  who 
was  born  in  Prussia,  and  at  one  year  of  age  was 
brought  to  America  by  her  parents,  who  settled 
in  Kansas  in  1854.  She  is  a  sister  of  Jacob 
Schaffer,  the  champion  billiard  player  of  the 
world.  The  two  sons  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schanze 
are  Jacob,  a  graduate  of  the  commercial  college, 
and  now  bookkeeper  for  his  father,  and  John,  who 
also  assists  in  the  store.  Mr.  Schanze  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Turn  Verein,  and  is  past  officer  of  the 
Odd  Fellows'  lodge,  which  he  has  represented  in 
the  grand  lodge,  also  is  past  officer  in  the  en- 
campment.    In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


ROBERT  ARMSTRONG.  There  are  no  citi- 
zens of  Leavenworth  who  have  taken  a 
deeper  interest  in  the  development  of  its 
resources  and  the  extension  of  its  influence  in 
commerce  and  agriculture  than  have  the  pioneers 
of  the  city.  Coming  here  in  the  early  days,  they 
have  been  potent  factors  in  all  worthy  enterprises. 
Not  only  have  they  striven  for  personal  success, 
but,  with  admirable  public  spirit,  they  have  en- 
deavored to  promote  all  beneficial  causes.  Among 
these  early  settlers  is  Mr.  Armstrong,  who  came 
to  Kansas  during  1857,  and,  identifying  himself 
with  the  free-state  movement,  gave  that  cause  his 
ardent  support  during  the  trying  days  previous 
to  and  during  the  Civil  war.  From  the  time  of 
his  settlement  to  the  present  he  has  supported 
measures  for  the  benefit  of  the  people.  During 
the  first  years  of  his  residence  here  he  assisted 
on  government  surveys,  in  which  way  he  gained 
a  practical  knowledge  of  the  state,  the  condition 
of  its  lands  and  their  prospective  value  to  the 
settlers. 

The  family  of  which  Mr.  Armstrong  is  a  mem- 
ber has  been  identified  with  Scotch  history  as  far 
back  as  the  genealogy  can  be  traced.  He  was 
born  in  Scotland,  October  23,  1832,  and  grew  to 
manhood  upon  the  farm  owned  by  his  father, 
Robert  Armstrong,  Sr.     With  a  desire  to  avail 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


himself  of  the  advantages  offered  by  the  new 
world,  he  determined  to  cross  the  ocean  to  Amer- 
ica. It  was  in  1853  that  he  emigrated  from  his 
native  land  and  cast  his  fortunes  in  with  the  peo- 
ple of  the  United  States.  Landing  in  New  York, 
he  proceeded  to  Illinois,  and  for  four  j'ears  he  en- 
gaged in  tilling  the  soil  there,  meantime  saving 
his  earnings  in  order  that  he  might  invest  in  farm 
property  for  himself.  From  Illinois  he  came  to 
Kansas  at  the  time  the  tide  of  emigration  was 
turning  toward  Kansas,  and  on  arriving  here  he 
entered  claims  in  Marshall  and  Nemaha  Counties. 
From  that  time  to  this  he  has  made  agriculture 
his  occupation,  and  has  made  a  specialty  of  stock- 
raising. 

ReaHzing  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  a 
good  education,  Mr.  Armstrong  has  always  been 
a  friend  of  the  public  school  system  and  has  done 
all  within  his  power  to  promote  the  standard  of 
scholarship.  Other  movements,  too,  that  are  for 
the  public  good  and  will  conserve  the  prosperity 
and  happiness  of  the  people  receive  his  co-opera- 
tion and  support.  He  has  been  so  fortunate  in 
his  undertakings  that  he  has  acquired  large  pos- 
sessions, including  a  stock  farm  of  seven  hundred 
and  seventy  acres  in  Marshall  County,  a  large 
tract  in  Ottawa  County,  also  his  residence  at  No. 
1806  Shawnee  street,  Leavenworth.  He  and  his 
wife  have  four  children:  Agues,  Rose,  Camelie 
and  Leonie. 


REV.  JAMES  M.  PAYNE,  Protestant  chap- 
lain at  the  National  Military  Home  in  Leav- 
enworth, was  born  in  Parke  County,  Ind., 
April  I,  1843,  a  son  of  Gustavus  and  Mary 
(Nevins)  Payne.  When  he  was  four  years  of  age 
his  parents  became  pioneer  settlers  of  Hancock 
County,  111.,  from  which  a  short  time  before  the 
Mormons  had  been  driven  out.  In  the  common 
schools  of  those  days  and  that  locality  his  educa- 
tion was  obtained.  When  he  was  eighteen  years 
of  age  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  and,  fired  with  a 
patriotic  zeal,  he  at  once  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army,  becoming  a  member  of  Company  G,  Second 
Illinois  Cavalry,  which  was  assigned  to  the  Thir- 
teenth Army  Corps  under  John  A.  McClellan. 
Among  the  battles  in  which  he  took  part  were 


those  at  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Champion  Hill, 
Miss.,  as  well  as  others  that  had  a  part  in  deciding 
the  fate  of  the  war.  His  entire  period  of  service 
was  four  years,  five  months  and  twelve  days,  and 
during  all  that  time  he  was  not  once  wounded, 
but  his  brothers,  William  and  Henry,  are  both 
buried  in  southern  soil,  having  fallen  as  martyrs 
to  the  Union  cause. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Payne  came  to 
Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Miami 
County.  Five  years  later  he  was  converted  and 
became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  At  once  he  became  actively  interested 
in  the  work  of  the  church  and  after  four  years  he 
dedicated  his  life  to  the  ministry.  His  first  pas- 
torate was  at  Osawatomie,  where  he  was  pastor 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Later  he 
had  a  charge  at  Galena,  Kans. ,  for  five  years;  and 
while  serving  his  fifth  year  as  pastor  of  the  Grace 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Fort  Scott,  he  was 
appointed,  June  28,  1898,  Protestant  chaplain  of 
the  National  Military  Home,  and  he  has  since 
given  his  attention  to  the  conscientious  and  effi- 
cient discharge  of  his  duties.  During  the  long 
period  of  his  connection  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal ministry  in  Kansas  he  has  done  much  to 
promote  the  success  of  this  denomination  and  has 
proven  himself  a  faithful  and  capable  worker  in 
this  part  of  the  Lord's  vineyard.  Through  his 
entire  life  his  acts  have  been  in  harmony  with  his 
professions.  In  his  long  and  honorable  career,  no 
word  of  reproach  has  ever  been  uttered  against 
him.  He  has  maintained  the  respect  of  his  ac- 
quaintances and  the  warm  regard  of  his  associates. 
By  his  marriage,  in  1864,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Cant- 
well,  of  Illinois,  he  has  one  son.  Dr.  E.  B.  Payne, 
of  Galena,  Kans. 


(lAMES  H.  WEIMER,  a  farmer  and  stock- 
I  raiser  of  Marion  Township,  Douglas  Countj% 
Q)  was  born  in  Preble  County,  Ohio,  in  1850. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  Joseph  Weimer,  a  native  of 
Germany,  who  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania,  set- 
tling near  Harrisburg.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Dunkard  Church  in  that  locality. 
At  the  great  age  of  one  hundred  and  eleven  years 
he  died  in  Darke  County,  Ohio.    His  son  Michael, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  took  up  land  in 
Randolph  County,  Ind.,  where  Union  City  now 
stands.  Afterward  he  made  his  home  in  Preble 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  carried  on  a  grist  mill 
and  engaged  successfully  in  farming  for  many 
years.  For  some  time  he  served  as  a  deacon  in 
the  Dunkard  Church,  in  which  organization  he 
was  active. 

Daniel,  son  of  Michael  Weimer,  and  father  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Darke  County,  Ohio, 
and  resided  there  until  1866,  when  he  moved  to 
Jackson  County,  Mo.  In  1871  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas, settling  in  Palmyra  Township,  Douglas  Coun- 
ty, where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  A 
skilled  mechanic,  he  followed  the  trades  of  car- 
penter and  painter,  which  he  had  learned  in  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  and  in  which  he  was  considered  an  ex- 
pert. Like  his  forefathers,  he  worshiped  with  the 
Dunkards  and  took  an  active  part  in  their 
labors.  He  died  in°i  879,  at|fifty-six  years  of  age. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Martha 
Alexander,  was  born  in  Ohio  and  died  in  Kansas 
in  1895,  at  sixty-three  years  of  age.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children:  James  H.;  Sarah  E., 
who  is  the  wife  of  E.  B.  Kincaid;  Noah  S.  and 
Maggie  A.,  both  of  whom  live  in  Palmyra  Town- 
ship. 

When  our  subject  was  a  little  less  than  sixteen 
years  of  age  he  went  with  his  parents  to  Missouri, 
and  in  1871,  when  they  came  to  Kansas,  he 
settled  in  northern  Missouri,  on  the  border  of 
Iowa.  However,  the  following  year  he  settled  on 
a  rented  farm  in  Palmyra  Township,  Douglas 
County,  and  this  place  he  operated  until,  by 
carefully  saving  his  earnings,  he  was  able  to  buy 
a  home  of  his  own.  In  1884  he  bought  the 
place  where  he  has  since  engaged  in  farming  and 
dealing  in  stock,  making  a  specialty  of  raising 
Hereford  cattle.  The  success  that  he  has  at- 
tained proves  him  to  be  a  man  of  energy  and  per- 
severance. Everything  connected  with  agricul- 
ture is  of  interest  to  him  and,  at  the  organization 
of  the  Grange,  he  became  identified  with  it.  He 
is  a  stockholder  in  a  grain  business  at  Overbrook, 
Kans. 

In  the  local  lodge  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  Mr.  Weimer  has  held  the  highest  of- 


fices. The  Democratic  party  always  receives  his 
support,  for  its  principles  represent  his  ideas  as  to 
national  government.  During  his  connection 
with  the  school  board  he  served  as  its  clerk.  For 
six  j'ears  he  was  a  constable  in  Marion  Township. 
November  20,  1879,  he  married  Clemmie,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Barbara  (Anderson)  Bailey. 
They  have  six  children:  Guy,  Lutie,  Ethel,  Jay, 
Earl  and  Mabel. 


IT  N.  O.  CLOUGH.  It  is  scarcely  possible 
1^  for  the  present  generation  to  gain  an  ade- 
Li  quate  conception  of  the  hardships  endured 
by  the  pioneers  of  Kansas.  Those  who  settled 
here  in  the  early  days  were  led  to  do  so,  less  in 
hope  of  worldly  advancement,  than  in  defense  of 
a  principle.  From  the  north  and  east  men  came 
to  assist  in  the  movement  looking  toward  the  ad- 
mission of  Kansas  into  the  Union  as  a  free  state. 
Among  those  who  took  an  active  part  in  the  bor- 
der warfare  and  who  assisted  in  the  organization 
of  the  Union  party  was  Mr.  Clough,  of  Leaven- 
worth. So  prominent  was  he  in  the  anti-slavery 
movement  that  it  is  said  of  him  that  he  was  the 
most  deeply  loved,  and  the  most  deeply  hated, 
man  in  the  entire  region.  He  was  opposed  to 
the  extension  of  slavery,  but  did  not  favor  inter- 
fering with  it  in  states  where  it  was  already  es- 
tablished; however,  when  the  crisis  came  he 
stood  stanchly  on  the  side  of  President  Lincoln, 
whom  he  knew  personally  and  admired  greatly, 
and  favored  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves. 

The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  John 
Clough,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1719,  was 
twice  married,  reared  a  large  family,  and  died  in 
179S.  His  son,  Ebenezer,  was  born  in  Boston, 
April  8,  1767,  and  in  that  city  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing wall  paper.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  eighty-one  years  of  age.  Of  the  thirteen 
children  born  to  his  marriage  with  Catherine 
Frothingham,  the  fourth  child  and  third  son  was 
William,  who  was  born  in  Boston,  June  23,  1797. 
While  a  mere  lad  he  served  in  the  war  of  1812, 
leaving  school  to  enter  the  army,  and  assisting  in 
building  the  forts  in  Boston  harbor.  About  18 16 
he  graduated  from  Harvard,  after  which  he  went 
to  Virginia  and  taught  school.     On  his  return  to 


820 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Boston  he  was  principal  of  the  Mayhew  public 
school,  also  a  Latin  school  in  the  city.  In  1833 
he  settled  in  St.  Charles  County,  Mo.,  where  he 
improved  and  operated  a  farm.  After  the  death 
of  his  wife  he  made  his  home  with  his  two  sons  at 
Parkville,  Platte  County,  Mo.  and  he  died  in 
Leavenworth,  Kans.,  August  10,  1866. 

During  his  residence  in  Virginia,  William 
Clough  married  Mary  Ann  Orrick,  who  was  born 
in  Berkeley  County  in  1797.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Nicholas  and  Mary  (Pendleton)  Orrick,  na- 
tives of  Virginia,  the  former  a  planter,  justice  of 
the  peace  and  sheriff  of  Berkeley  County.  The 
four  children  of  William  and  Mary  Ann  Clough 
were  E.  N.  O.,  William  McNeil,  Mary  Catherine 
and  James  S.  Of  these,  William  McNeil  Clough, 
who  was  born  in  Boston,  was  married  at  Park- 
ville, Mo.,  May  31,  1855,  to  Mrs.  Mary  Ann 
(Scott)  Embrey.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Missouri  and  practiced  law  in  Parkville  with  his 
older  brother,  whom,  in  1862,  he  joined  in  Leav- 
enworth. His  death  occurred  in  this  city  Janu- 
ary 26,  1883.  The  only  daughter  was  born  in 
St.  Charles  County,  Mo.,  in  December,  1835, 
and  died  there  in  July,  1845.  The  youngest 
child,  James  S.,  was  born  in  St.  Charles  County, 
January  14,  1841,  and  died  there  in  July,  1844. 

At  Aldrich,  near  Berryville,  Va.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  born  on  Saturday,  May  28, 
1825.  In  July  of  the  same  year  he  was  taken  to 
Boston  by  his  parents,  and,  while  en-route,  passed 
through  New  York  City  at  the  time  of  General  La- 
fayette's memorial  visit.  The  illustrious  French- 
man took  the  infant  in  his  lap  at  Bunker's  hotel, 
but  unfortunately  the  child  slept  through  all  the 
honors.  After  a  short  time  in  Boston,  the  family 
went  back  to  Virginia,  but  in  1828  returned  to 
Boston,  and  thence  in  1833  went  to  St.  Charles 
County,  Mo.,  where  the  boy  was  educated  in  his 
father's  boarding  school  at  Avondale.  From  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  assisted  his  father  in  teach- 
ing, and  at  twenty  he  was  employed  as  teacher  in 
the  fourth  ward  school  in  St.  Louis,  after  which 
he  taught  in  a  private  school  in  the  same  city. 
Meantime  he  studied  law.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  Boonville,  Mo.,  October  20,  1853;  at 
Wyandotte,  Kans.,  June  6,  1859;  to  the  supreme 


court  of  Kansas,  at  Topeka,  January  12,  1871; 
and  to  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States,  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  January  21,  1874. 

During  the  Mexican  war  Mr.  Clough  enlisted 
May  24,  1847,  in  Company  D,  Second  Missouri 
Volunteers,  of  which  he  served  as  orderly  ser- 
geant, continuing  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  mustered  out  at  Independence,  Mo.,  Octo- 
ber 10,  1848.  From  1853  to  1857  he  practiced 
law  in  Columbia,  Mo.  Afterward  he  located  at 
Parkville,  Mo.  From  1853  to  1861  he  rode  the 
circuit,  practicing  in  Kansas,  principally  in  Leav- 
enworth, Wyandotte  and  Topeka.  During  1861 
he  removed  his  office  to  Leavenworth,  where  he 
continued  the  practice  of  law.  While  in  Platte 
County  he  was  in  a  hotbed  of  secession  and  his 
sympathy  with  the  Union  made  him  unpopular, 
in  fact,  imperiled  his  life.  He  and  his  family 
were  obliged  to  go  armed.  At  a  meeting  in  Park- 
ville he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Union  party 
for  the  enforcement  of  all  laws.  No  one  would 
consent  to  open  the  meeting  for  the  purpose  of 
organization;  he  was  called  on  and  at  once  bold- 
ly expressed  his  opinions,  at  the  same  time  de- 
claring that  he  was  armed  and  it  would  be  best 
for  those  who  wished  to  attack  him  to  refrain 
from  doing  so,  if  they  valued  their  lives.  He  was 
listened  to  quietly  and  afterward  presented  the 
resolutions  framed  by  the  Union  party,  which 
were  later  published  throughout  the  entire  coun- 
try. 

When  Sumter  was  fired  on  Mr.  Clough  assisted 
in  raising  a  large  body  of  soldiers  for  the  Union. 
These  he  enlisted  on  the  regular  enlistment  pap- 
ers, but  afterward  received  orders  to  send  the 
men  to  Washington  to  be  placed  in  the  regular 
army,  and  this  he  did,  but  at  the  same  time  re- 
fused to  enlist,  as  ordered,  as  an  orderly  under 
General  Elliott.  He  found  too  much  politics  in 
the  army  and  would  not  muster  into  the  service, 
although  he  served  in  different  capacities  and 
was  recognized  by  the  rank  of  colonel.  His  serv- 
ice was  principally  in  Missouri  and  the  west.  In 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  November 9,  1848,  Bishop  Hawks 
performed  the  ceremonj-  which  united  in  mar- 
riage Mr.  Clough  and  Rebecca  M.  Seltzer,  who 
was  born  in  Lebanon  County,   Pa.,  and  was  a 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


821 


grand-daughter  of  General  Wiser,  who  served  in 
the  Revolutionar}'  war.  Seven  children  were 
born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clough.  The 
eldest,  Mary  Rebecca,  is  the  wife  of  Martin  L. 
Bulkley,  who  is  engaged  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness in  Leavenworth.  Emma  Frances  is  the 
wife  of  James  E.  Hall,  of  Leavenworth.  Marga- 
ret Alice  is  the  widow  of  M.  Montville,  Jr. ,  of 
Leavenworth.  William,  of  Kansas  City,  is  ser- 
geaut-at-arms  of  the  upper  house  of  the  city  gov- 
ernment. Minnie  Orrick  and  Ebenezer  died  in 
childhood.  Charles  Prescott  Allen  is  manager 
of  a  coal  and  coke  business  in  Kansas  City.  The 
golden  wedding  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clough,  No- 
vember 9,  1898,  was  appropriately  celebrated, 
and  brought  to  them  the  congratulations  and 
best  wishes  of  hosts  of  friends. 

In  the  organization  of  the  Mexican  War  Vet- 
erans' Association  Mr.  Clough  took  an  active 
part,  and  he  has  since  been  vice-president  for 
Kansas.  Politically  he  was  an  old-line  Whig 
during  the  existence  of  that  party  and  has  since 
been  a  Republican.  For  thirty  years  he  held 
the  office  of  United  States  commissioner,  and  for 
several  terms  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
During  the  existence  of  the  Union  League  he 
was  its  grand  secretary.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 


MAMUEL  P.  MOORE,  treasurer  of  Douglas 
/\  County,  has  been  connected  with  his  present 
\Z/  office,  either  as  treasurer,  deputy  or  clerk, 
for  twenty  out  of  the  past  twenty-two  years.  In 
1878  he  secured  a  clerkship  in  the  office  under 
Oliver  Barber,  and  under  Paul  R.  Brooks  served 
as  deputy.  The  next  treasurer  was  Colonel 
Moore,  who  wasopposedto  Mr.  Moore  in  politics; 
consequently  the  latter  resigned,  and,  going  to 
Kansas  City,  was  for  two  years  a  clerk  with  the 
Lombard  Investment  Company,  returning  once  to 
assist  Colonel  Moore  during  a  pressure  of  busi- 
ness. When  J.  C,  Walton  succeeded  Colonel 
Moore  our  subject  was  appointed  deputy  treas- 
urer in  October,  1888,  and  served  for  four  years 
under  him,  then  for  a  similar  period  under  A.  L. 
Cox.  In  the  fall  of  1895  he  was  the  Republican 
40 


nominee  for  the  office,  to  which  he  was  elected  by 
a  majority  of  almost  one  thousand.  In  1897  he 
was  re-elected  by  about  twelve  hundred  majority, 
his  term  to  expire  in  October,  1900. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Hugh  Moore,  was 
born  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  October  5,  1804,  the 
youngest  child  and  only  son  of  William  Moore 
the  twelfth.  He  served  an  apprenticeship  with 
Robert  Burns  in  Newton  Ords,  under  whom  he 
gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  hat  business. 
At  the  conclusion  of  his  time  he  went  to  Scot- 
land, secured  employment  and  induced  his  mother 
and  sisters  to  sell  the  property  in  Ireland  and 
join  him  in  Scotland.  He  was  married  at  Pais- 
ley, seven  miles  from  Glasgow,  January  i,  1827, 
to  Miss  Catherine  Moffet.  April  9,  1832,  he  left 
Glasgow  and  crossed  the  ocean  to  Montreal, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years.  In  February, 
1835,  he  moved  to  New  York,  via  Lake  Cham- 
plain  and  the  Hudson,  the  journey  being  made  in 
mid-winter  in  sleighs.  He  engaged  in  the  hat 
business  on  Hudson  street,  New  York  City.  His 
first  wife  died  March  20,  1838,  and  the  following 
year  he  married  Eleanor  Robinson,  who  was 
born  in  Switzerland,  settled  in  New  York  state  in 
girlhood,  and  is  now,  at  eighty-six  years,  living 
in  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

In  1 84 1  Hugh  Moore  settled  in  Cincinnati, 
where  he  was  first  foreman  in  a  hat  store,  but  in 
1843  built  a  factory  on  Pearl  street  and  continued 
manufacturing  there  until  July  i,  1852.  He  then 
sold  and  began  .steamboating.  In  1853  I'e  built 
the  steamer  "Union,"  a  side- wheeler,  at  a  cost  of 
$4,000,  and  was  employed  by  the  government  in 
carrying  blankets,  etc.,  to  the  Indians  and  sol- 
diers. After  seven  years  he  sold  the  vessel  for 
$13,000.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  government  on  the  steamer  "St. 
Charles"  in  carrying  military  stores  to  the  fron- 
tier. At  the  close  of  the  war  he  retired,  and  un- 
til 1870  made  his  home  on  Mount  Adams,  Cincin- 
nati, where  he  had  built  a  fine  residence  and  store 
in  1845.  In  1870  he  settled  in  Lawrence,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  Of  his 
family,  William  Moore  is  a  machinist  in  Cincin- 
nati; Robert  R.  is  connected  with  the  gas  and 
electric  light  company  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.;  Al- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


bert  died  August  13,  1887,  at  the  age  of  forty-one 
years;  Annie  is  the  wife  of  S.  G.  McConnell,  of 
L,os  Angeles;  and  Arabella  married  John  Barber, 
of  Lawrence.  Robert  and  Albert  served  in  an 
Ohio  regiment  during  the  Civil  war. 

Born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  January  13,  1858, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  twelve  years  of  age 
when  the  family  settled  in  Lawrence,  and  three 
years  later  he  began  to  work  as  a  clerk  in  this 
city.  Having  spent  so  much  of  his  life  in  Doug- 
las Count}',  he  is  well  known  among  the  people, 
whose  confidence  he  has  won  by  his  integrity,  in- 
telligence and  devotion  to  ofiScial  duties.  Active 
in  the  Republican  party,  he  has  been  a  delegate 
to  various  conventions  and  has  served  on  the 
county  committee.  He  belongs  to  Lawrence 
Lodge  No.  6,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Lawrence  Chapter 
No.  4,  R.  A.  M.;  De  Molay  Commandery  No.  4, 
K.  T.;  Modern  Woodmen  and  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Moore,  in  July,  1890, 
united  him  with  Gula  E.,  daughter  of  John  Hen- 
ley, a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  who 
came  from  Indiana  to  Kansas  and  engaged  in 
farming  nearHesper,  Douglas  County,  but  finally 
returned  to  Westfield,  Ind. ,  where  he  died.  Mrs. 
Moore  was  born  in  Indianapolis,  and  received 
her  education  in  the  University  of  Kansas,  re- 
maining in  Douglas  County  until  her  marriage. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  occupy  the  residence  which 
he  built  at  No.  1025  Kentucky  street,  Lawrence. 


REUBEN  S.  EDMINSTER.  Near  the  eastern 
boundary  of  Stranger  Township,  Leaven- 
worth County,  lies  the  farm  owned  and  oc- 
cupied by  Mr.  Edminster,  who  is  one  of  the  pros- 
perous farmers  of  his  neighborhood.  At  one  time 
he  owned  four  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  this 
county,  but  his  gift  of  land  to  his  sons  diminished 
his  personal  holdings  considerably,  although  he 
still  retains  enough  land  to  engage  his  attention 
and  remunerate  his  efforts.  All  that  he  ac- 
cumulated was  by  his  unaided  exertions.  He 
started  for  himself  without  means  and  assisted 
in  caring  for  his  younger  brothers  and  sisters 
until  they  were  able  to  become  self-supporting. 


He  also  gave  his  children  good  educational  ad- 
vantages and  fitted  them  for  positions  of  useful- 
ness and  honor. 

A  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Barnes)  Edminster, 
our  subject  was  born  in  Tompkins  County,  N.Y., 
July  8,  1822.  The  family  dates  back  in  this 
country  to  three  brothers  who  emigrated  from 
England.  His  grandfather,  Henry  Edminster, 
a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, died  in  New  York  state  when  eighty- 
two  years  of  age.  The  father  was  seventeen  years 
of  age  when  the  family  removed  from  Massa- 
chusetts, and  the  active  years  of  his  life  were 
spent  in  New  York,  where  he  died  at  fifty-seven 
years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig,  but  not  active. 
His  wife  was  about  sixty  at  the  time  of  her  death. 
Of  their  eleven  children  seven  are  still  living. 
Our  subject  was  early  obliged  to  gain  his  own 
livelihood.  His  first  employment  was  as  a  farm- 
hand. At  thirty-three  years  he  removed  west 
to  Bureau  Couutj^  111.,  where  he  bought  a  farm 
and  remained  until  1873.  He  then  sold  his  place 
and  came  to  Kansas,  buying  three  hundred  acres 
of  partly  improved  laud,  where  he  resided  for 
years.  Afterward  he  rented  the  farm  and  bought 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  comprising  his 
present  homestead. 

July  6,  1844,  Mr.  Edminster  married  Miss 
Adelia  M.  McCullough,  who  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut. Of  their  nine  children  two  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  following  are  living:  Mary  Jane, 
who  married  Owen  L-  Dunbar,  a  farmer  in 
Stranger  Township;  Howard,  a  farmer  in  Illinois; 
Austin,  a  farmer  in  Stranger  Township;  Mrs. 
John  Gri.swell,  of  Iowa;  Mandana,  who  married 
Professor  Ramsey,  a  teacher  in  a  Massachusetts 
high  school;  Herbert,  who  cultivates  a  farm  in 
Stranger  Township;  and  Charles,  who  owns  a 
part  of  his  father's  old  homestead. 

In  politics  a  stanch  Republican,  Mr.  Edminster 
has  been  active  in  township  and  county  affairs,  and 
has  held  various  local  offices.  For  fifty-six  years 
he  has  been  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  during  that  time  he  has 
aided  in  building  a  number  of  churches  and  as- 
sisted in  organizing  the  Glenwood  congregation. 
The  various  church  offices,  such  as  class-leader, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


steward  and  trustee,  he  has  filled  with  efficiencj^ 
and  he  has  also  been  active  in  Sunday-school 
work,  and  in  early  life  served  as  superintendent. 


(I  AMES  COURSEY,  a  retired  farmer  andbusi- 
I  ness  man  residing  in  Leavenworth,  and  one 
G/  of  the  pioneers  of  Kansas,  was  born  in  Ban- 
gor, Me.,  in  1828,  a  son  of  James  and  Hannah 
Coursey.  When  he  was  a  child  his  parents 
moved  to  New  Orleans,  La.,  and  he  attended 
school  in  that  city.  After  a  short  time  the  family 
went  to  Chicago,  and  there  lived  from  183S  to 
1 841.  From  there  he  went  to  Stephenson  Coun- 
ty, and  later  to  Jo  Daviess  County,  111.  The 
mining  excitement  in  California  led  him  to  go  to 
the  Pacific  coast  in  1850,  and  there  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  mining,  being  successful  in  both. 
Seven  years  were  spent  in  the  far  west.  On 
his  return  to  the  east  he  took  up  land  in  John- 
son County,  Kans.,  and  also  purchased  land 
in  Leavenworth  County.  Since  then  he  has 
added  to  his  property  until  he  now  has  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  in  one  tract  and  one 
hundred  and  sixty  in  the  other.  Improving  the 
property  in  Johnson  County,  he  made  his  home 
on  it  for  four  years,  and  then  sold  and  came  to 
Leavenworth  County. 

While  he  engaged  in  general  farming,  Mr. 
Coursey's  specialty  was  fruit-growing  and  dairy- 
ing. He  also  carried  on  a  live-stock  business, 
having  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  head. 
The  products  of  his  dairy  were  sold  mostly  in 
Leavenworth,  although  frequently  he  made  ship- 
ments to  Kansas  City.  The  business  was  con- 
ducted under  his  personal  supervision  and  proved 
the  source  of  a  fine  income.  In  October,  1897, 
he  sold  all  of  his  stock  and  has  since  rented 
his  farms.  He  started  the  Leavenworth  Dairy 
and  Creamery  Company  in  Leavenworth,  but  has 
turned  the  business  over  to  his  sons,  and  is  now 
living  retired,  enjoying,  in  the  twilight  of  his  life, 
the  fruits  of  his  early  labors. 

Politically  Mr.  Coursey  is  a  Democrat.  He 
was  a  warm  admirer  of  Horace  Greeley,  whom  he 
supported  for  the  presidency.  In  religion  he  is 
identified    with  the    Roman   Catholic    Church. 


Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  erected  a  couple  of  residences  in 
Leavenworth,  but  these  he  has  since"  sold.  In 
1857  he  married  Mary  Murphy,  of  Illinois.  They 
became  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  five 
are  living,  viz. :  Edward,  a  miner  in  Colorado; 
Mary,  wife  of  Charles  Barrett;  James,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  creamery  business;  Harry,  who  is 
assistant  superintendent  of  the  electric  railroad; 
and  Charles,  who  is  interested  in  the  creamery 
with  his  older  brother. 


f"  RANCIS  M.  KELLER,  who  is  engaged  in 
ry  general  farm  pursuits  in  Leavenworth 
I  County,  owns  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Ton- 
ganoxie  Township  and  devotes  himself  to  its  cul- 
tivation. He  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  near 
Brownstown,  Jackson  County,  March  4,  1833,  a 
son  of  George  and  Sarah  (Cox)  Keller,  natives 
respectively  of  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  and  Ken- 
tucky. His  paternal  grandfather  was  born  in 
Germany  and  shortly  after  coming  to  this  country 
served  in  the  American  army  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  When  George  Keller  was  ten 
years  of  age  he  settled  with  his  parents  in 
the  then  wilderness  of  Indiana.  He  was  reared 
on  a  farm  in  Harrison  County.  In  young  man- 
hood he  removed  to  Jackson  County,  Ind., 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  upon  a 
farm,  dying  at  the  age  of  sixty-six.  He  took  an 
interest  in  politics  and  identified  himself  with  the 
Democratic  party.  His  wife  was  seventy-three 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  She  was  a 
woman  of  sincere  Christian  belief,  of  noble  char- 
acter, and  a  faithful  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
Of  seven  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  alone 
survives.  His  boyhood  years  were  spent  in  Indi- 
ana, where  he  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion. In  October,  1870,  he  came  to  Leaven- 
worth County  and  bought  the  farm  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  Starting  out  with  nothing, 
he  has  always  worked  with  energy  and  persever- 
ance, and  has  become  the  owner  of  a  nicely  im- 
proved farm.  He  is  a  friend  of  the  public  school 
system  and  takes  a  warm  interest  in  the  promo- 
tion of  educational  interests  in  his  district.     For 


824 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


several  years  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  While  he  has  never  sought  ofiEce  nor 
cared  for  political  prominence,  he  has  been  active 
in  the  Democratic  party  and  one  of  its  local 
leaders.  By  his  marriage  to  Arminda  Berry,  of 
Indiana,  he  has  seven  children:  George  A.,  John 
A.,  Sarah,  Emma,  Ida  I,.,  Esther  and  Elizabeth. 


3 AMES  M.  PHENICIE.  A  resident  of  Kan- 
sas since  the  close  of  the  Civil  war,  Mr. 
Phenicie  has  been  successfully  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  through  the  energetic 
and  business-like  manner  in  which  he  has  con- 
ducted his  affairs  he  has  become  the  owner  of 
nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fine  land,  de- 
voted to  haying,  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  Through  industry  and  integrity  he  has 
gained  a  competence.  He  has  not  sought  oflScial 
positions,  preferring  the  part  of  a  private  citizen, 
whose  duties  he  has  at  all  times  striven  to  fill. 
However,  he  has  been  called  to  serve  in  local 
posts  of  trust  and  responsibility.  For  several 
years  he  held  office  as  township  trustee  and  from 
1884  to  1899  he  served  as  county  commissioner, 
during  which  time  he  was  for  a  number  of  years 
chairman  of  the  board. 

Mr.  Phenicie  was  born  in  Muskingum  County, 
Ohio,  in  1840,  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Mary  N. 
(Houck)  Phenicie,  and  a  descendant  of  pioneers 
of  Franklin  County,  Pa.  His  father,  who  was  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  engaged  in  farming  in 
Indiana  for  years,  but  in  1885  came  to  Kansas, 
where  he  died  at  eighty  years  of  age.  His  wife  was 
eighty-three  at  the  time  of  her  death.  Of  their 
twelve  children  all  but  two  are  living,  and  four  of 
the  family,  James  M.,  William  C,  George  W. 
and  Emma  J.,  reside  in  Leavenworth  County. 
Our  subject  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Indiana.  At 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in 
Company  A,  Twenty-ninth  Indiana  Infantry,  in 
which  he  served  until  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
He  and  his  brother,  William  C. ,  were  captured 
by  the  Confederates  there  and  were  confined  in 
prison  at  Danville  and  later  as  Andersonville. 
He  was  finally  exchanged  and  rejoined  his  regi- 
ment.     At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to 


Indiana.  In  the  fall  of  1865  he  removed  to  Kan- 
sas and  settled  in  Leavenworth  County.  Two 
years  later  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother,  William  C. ,  with  whom  he  remained  for 
five  years,  but  since  then  has  been  alone.  He  is 
a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Tonganoxie 
State  Bank.  As  a  Republican  he  is  interested  in 
local  and  general  elections.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  Lodge  No.  190,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
Tonganoxie  Lodge,  K.  of  P. 

In  1 87 1  Mr.  Phenicie  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Georgia  Eraser,  who  died  in  1896. 
The  children  born  of  their  union  are  as  follows: 
Jessie,  who  is  married;  Mary  K.,  who  is  a  school- 
teacher in  this  township;  Roscoe  A.,  Ruth  E.  and 
Grace  H. 


EAPT.  JAMES  W.  GILGES,  who  is  one  of 
the  honored  veterans  of  the  Civil  war,  was 
born  in  Rome,  Adams  County,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 8,  1842,  a  son  of  William  and  Ellen 
(Wood worth)  Gilges;  and  a  grandson,  on  his  fa- 
ther's side,  of  John  Gilges,  a  resident  of  Ohio 
and  later  of  Lexington,  Ky.;  also  a  grandson  of 
Richard  Woodworth,  a  native  of  Marjdand,  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  18 12  and  for  years  a  farmer 
in  Ohio.  William  Gilges  was  born  in  Brown 
County,  Ohio,  but  was  reared  in  Lexington,  Ky. 
In  early  manhood  he  settled  in  Adams  County, 
Ohio,  and  in  1847  established  his  home  in  Cedar- 
ville,  Stephenson  County,  111.,  where  he  re- 
mained eleven  years.  In  1858  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  settled  near  Lawrence,  in  Douglas  Coun- 
ty, where  he  bought  and  improved  a  fine  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  For  years  a  Whig, 
on  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  he 
entered  its  ranks  in  Illinois  and  always  afterward 
identified  himself  with  its  principles.  In  religion 
he  was  connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  His  death  occurred  in  1893,  when  he 
was  eighty-three  years  of  age,  and  two  months 
afterward  his  wife,  who  was  eighty-two,  also 
passed  away.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  seven  are  living,  James  W. 
being  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  Several  of  the 
sons  participated  in  the  Civil  war.  Wheeler, 
who  now  lives  in  Agricola,  Kans.,  was  a  member 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


825 


of  the  Second  Wisconsin  Cavalry.  John,  who 
served  throughout  the  entire  war  in  Companj'  E, 
Twelfth  Kansas  Infantry,  afterward  enlisted  in 
the  Eighteenth  Kansas  to  fight  the  Indians  on 
the  frontier,  and,  while  thus  serving,  died  of 
cholera  in  1867.  Eaban,  now  a  large  stock- 
raiser  and  land-owner  in  Osage  County,  Kans., 
was  a  member  of  Company  B,  Twelfth  Kansas 
Infantry. 

While  a  member  of  the  sophomore  class  of 
Baldwin  University,  in  1862,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Twelfth  Kansas 
Infantry,  and  was  mustered  into  service  at  Fort 
Eiucoln.  He  was  assigned  to  the  Seventh  army 
corps  and  ordered  to  the  front  in  Missouri, 
Arkansas  and  on  the  Red  River.  In  February, 
1864,  he  was  commissioned  by  President  Lincoln, 
at  Fort  Smith,  Ark.,  fir.st lieutenant  of  Company 
E,  Eleventh  United  States  Volunteers.  Aprils, 
1S65,  he  was  promoted  to  be  captain,  upon  the 
consolidation  of  the  Eleventh,  One  Hundred  and 
Twelfth  and  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  regi- 
ments into  one  regiment,  under  the  name  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  Veterans.  After  a 
competitive  examination  he  was  commissioned 
captain  of  Company  G  by  President  Lincoln.  He 
took  part  in  the  engagements  at  Prairie  de  Anne 
and  Saline  River,  Ark.,  and  a  desperate  en- 
counter with  the  enemy  ten  miles  west  of  Fort 
Smith,  where,  out  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
thirty  privates  and  two  ofiBcers  were  lost.  There 
was  another  hard  fight  at  Dardanelle,  Ark.  Dur- 
ing the  last  six  months  of  his  service  he  was 
judge-advocate  on  General  Shaler's  staff  at 
Duval's  Bluff,  Ark.  At  that  place  he  was  mus- 
tered out  April  9,  1866. 

After  his  retirement  from  the  army  Captain 
Gilges  gave  his  attention  to  railroad  contracting. 
While  connected  with  that  business  he  came  to 
Leavenworth  in  1871.  Five  years  later  he  en- 
tered the  railway  mail  service  as  mail  clerk  be- 
tween Kansas  City  and  Denver,  Colo.  After 
seven  years  in  that  position  he  became  mailing 
clerk  in  the  postoflSce  at  Leavenworth,  and  this 
position,  together  with  that  of  superintendent  of 
carriers,  he  has  since  held.  October  15,  1898, 
D.    R.   Anthony,    Jr.,   appointed  him   assistant 


postmaster,  a  position  for  which  his  long  connec- 
tion and  thorough  familiarity  with  the  office  ad- 
mirably qualifies  him. 

While  serving  in  the  army,  in  1865,  Captain 
Gilges  married  Miss  Leonora  Rhyne,  who  was 
born  at  Fort  Smith,  Ark. ,  a  daughter  of  Miles 
Rhyne,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Arkansas.  The 
four  children  born  of  the  union  are  as  follows: 
Carrie  E.,  wife  of  George  E.  De  Wolf,  of  Kansas 
City,  Kans.;  James  W.,  Jr.,  a  graduate  of  the 
Leavenworth  high  school,  and  now  postal  clerk 
on  the  Kansas  and  Wellington  route;  Robert,  who 
is  with  the  Leavenworth  Street  Raihvaj-  Com- 
pany; and  Roscoe  C. ,  a  student  in  the  high  school 
here.  In  politics  Captain  Gilges  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. Interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  the 
old  days  of  army  service  he  holds  membership 
in  Custer  Post  and  in  the  Kansas  Commandery  of 
the  Loyal  Legion;  was  also  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Twelfth  Kansas  Veterans'  Association,  of 
which  he  has  been  president  since  1895. 


AJ.  THOMAS  B.  ELDRIDGE.  During 
the  days  of  border  warfare  in  Kansas  Ma- 
jor Eldridge  was  one  of  the  conspicuous 
figures  in  the  free-state  party.  He  was  born  in 
Southampton,  Mass.,  August  7,  1826,  the  fifth 
among  the  eight  children  of  Lyman  and  Phoebe 
(Winchell)  Eldridge,  members  of  old  families  of 
Massachusetts.  When  sixteen  years  of  age  our 
subject  started  in  business  for  himself  at  Chico- 
pee,  Mass.,  and  later  carried  on  a  boot  and  shoe 
business  at  Greenfield,  then  at  Waterbury,  Mass. 
At  the  time  of  the  Kansas  free-state  excitement 
he  and  two  of  his  brothers  were  among  the  first 
to  respond  to  the  call  for  emigrants.  Coming  to 
Lawrence  they  kept  the  Free  State  hotel,  owned 
by  the  Emigrant  Aid  Society.  The  first  dinner 
in  the  hotel  was  ordered  by  Jones  and  his  gang, 
who,  when  through  eating,  bombarded  the 
house,  and  where  the  cannon  failed  in  its  effect, 
they  kindled  flames,  inflicting  a  total  loss.  On 
rebuilding  the  new  hotel  was  called  the  Eld- 
ridge house,  and  this  was  burned  down  b}' 
Quantrell  August  21,  1863.  At  that  time  Mr. 
Eldridge  had  gone  east  for  goods,  purchasing  his 


826 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


fall  stock  of  general  merchandise  and  clothing. 
The  gang,  entering  the  store,  exchanged  their 
old  garments  for  new  suits  and  killed  his  nephew, 
James  Eldridge,  and  a  clerk,  after  having  prom- 
ised them  freedom  and  life.  When  they  left  they 
fired  the  building,  but  citizens  saved  the  place 
from  destruction;  the  barn,  however,  was  burned 
and  the  horses  stolen. 

After  the  raid  Major  Eldridge  built  a  store  on 
the  corner  of  Massachusetts  and  Henry  streets, 
the  building  now  owned  by  Dick  Brothers.  He 
also  erected  at  No.  16S3  Tennessee]  street  a  resi- 
dence known  as  the  Thatcher  home,  which  was 
then  the  finest  mansion  in  the  city,  and  is  still 
beautiful  and  worthy  of  admiration.  During  the 
war  he  engaged  in  staff  duty  for  a  time  with  the 
rank  of  major,  and  raised  two  companies  for  serv- 
ice. Illness  caused  him  to  be  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service.  For  the  same  reason, 
in  1865,  he  sold  out  his  business  and  gave  his  at- 
tention to  the  recuperation  of  his  health.  He 
then  built  the  Broadway  hotel  in  Kansas  City, 
which  he  conducted  for  three  years,  and  after- 
ward sold  to  Mr.  Coates,  by  whom  its  name  was 
changed.  Going  to  Coffey ville,  Kans.,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  banking  business  from  1871  to  1877, 
and  also,  with  his  brother,  built  the  Eldridge 
house  there,  but  after  a  time  retired  from  busi- 
ness and  settled  upon  a  farm  near  Coffeyville. 
His  next  position  was  that  of  claim  agent  and  tax 
commissioner  for  the  old  Leavenworth,  Lawrence 
&  Galveston,  and  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  (now  Santa 
Fe)  roads,  in  which  capacity  he  was  engaged  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  December  3,  1882.  He 
died  at  his  home  in  Lawrence,  having  returned 
to  this  city  in  1881.  While  in  Coffeyville  he 
served  as  mayor  for  one  term.  In  1873  he  was 
elected  to  the  legislature,  where  he  rendered  able 
service,  and  in  1878  he  was  a  candidate  for  lieu- 
tenant-governor of  Kansas.  He  was  made  a  Ma- 
son at  Cofiej'ville.  In  religion  an  Episcopalian, 
he  was  for  years  vestryman  of  his  church  and  as- 
sisted in  building  houses  of  worship  in  Lawrence 
and  Coffeyville. 

At  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  January  27,  1857, 
Major  Eldridge  married  Miss  Lida  Wharton  Tif- 
fany, who  was  born  in  Fredericksburg,   Va.,  a 


daughter  of  Joseph  and  Amy  (Berrj-)  Wharton, 
natives  of  Virginia.  Her  father,  who  was  a 
planter  and  slave  owner,  was  a  strong  Confeder- 
ate and  in  thorough  sympathy  with  the  south 
during  the  war.  He  moved  west  to  Iowa,  from 
there  to  Missouri,  and  became  one  of  the  largest 
and  wealthiest  farmers  of  Platte  County.  Finally 
he  moved  to  Kansas,  and  died  in  Burlington,  this 
state,  in  1880.  His  wife  died  when  Mrs.  Eldridge 
was  less  than  one  year  of  age,  and  she  was  then 
taken  into  the  home  of  Palmer  C.  Tiffany,  who 
was  a  member  of  a  New  England  family  from 
Southbridge,  Mass.,  of  early  Puritan  stock.  Mr. 
Tiffany  was  an  early  settler  of  Iowa,  settling  in 
Mount  Pleasant  in  1839  and  engaging  as  a  hotel- 
keeper  there.  He  is  still  living,  in  the  enjoyment 
of  excellent  health  for  one  of  ninety  years.  His 
wife  died  in  1896.  They  having  no  children  of 
their  own,  cared  with  the  deepest  tenderness  for 
their  adopted  daughter,  whom  they  would  not 
consent  to  give  up,  nor  would  she  consent  to 
leave  them.  She  was  educated  in  Howe's  Semi- 
nary at  Mount  Pleasant  and  is  a  refined  and  cul- 
tured lady,  whose  friends  are  as  numerous  as  her 
acquaintances.  Since  her  husband's  death  she 
has  continued  to  reside  in  Lawrence,  and  gives 
her  attention  to  the  management  of  her  property 
in  this  city.  In  her  family  there  were  four  daugh- 
ters, but  one  of  them,  Delia  Morse,  died  in  Law- 
rence in  1893.  Jennie  B.  graduated  from  Beth- 
any College  at  Topeka,  Kans.,  and  is  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Scurr,  of  Coffeyville;  Hattie  G.  married 
William  T.  Sinclair,  of  Lawrence;  and  Victoria 
A.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school,  is  the 
wife  of  Logan  Dick,  of  Douglas  County. 


(Tames  KILGORE,  who  resided  in  Leaven- 
I  worth  from  boyhood  until  his  death  and  who 
O  was  for  years  an  active  business  man  of  this 
city,  was  born  in  Portland,  Me.,  April  8,  1846,  a 
son  of  Alpheus  and  Lucia  W.  (Swain)  Kilgore, 
and  a  grandson  of  Capt.  John  Swain,  an  officer 
in  the  war  of  18 1 2.  His  father,  who  was  born 
in  Saco,  Me.,  March  9,  18 19,  learned  the  cooper's 
trade  in  3'outh,  and  this  occupation  he  followed 
in  his  eastern  home.      From  there  he  removed  to 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


827 


Wisconsin,  but  a  few  years  later,  in  1857,  lie  set- 
tled ill  the  then  new  town  of  Leavenworth,  where 
he  engaged  in  contracting  and  the  house-moving 
business.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  Saco,  June 
27,  1821,  is  now  living  in  Kansas  City.  They 
were  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  James  was  third  in  order  of  birth. 

At  an  early  age  the  subject  of  this  sketch  en- 
gaged in  teaming  and  the  transfer  business  in 
Leavenworth.  He  did  all  the  teaming  and  haul- 
ing for  the  Great  Western  Stove  Company  and 
the  Great  Western  Manufacturing  Company,  and 
this  business  has,  since  his  death,  been  continued 
bj'  his  widow,  who  employs  a  foreman  and  five 
teams  to  do  the  transferring.  He  rebuilt  the 
house  at  No.  419  Linn  street,  where  his  family 
.still  live,  and  he  also  erected  four  houses  across 
the  street.  Twice  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Den- 
ver, being  employed  in  freighting.  He  was  a 
splendid  manager,  with  executive  ability  and 
great  energy,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  a  large 
and  prosperous  business.  Had  his  life  been 
spared,  he  would  undoubtedly  have  become 
wealthy;  as  it  was,  when  he  died,  December  9, 
1889,  he  left  his  affairs  in  good  shape,  so  that  his 
widow  could  continue  them  successfully.  He 
was  a  generous  and  liberal  man,  honest  and  kind, 
and  had  many  friends  in  his  home  town. 

On  New  Year's  day  of  1876,  in  Leavenworth, 
occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Kilgore  to  Miss 
Laura  A.  Prather,who  was  born  in  Davis  County, 
Iowa,  a  daughter  of  James  H.  and  Louisa  (Don- 
ovan) Prather,  natives  respectively  of  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee.  Her  father,  whose  parents  re- 
moved from  Virginia  to  Kentucky  in  an  early 
day,  was  reared  in  Kentucky  and  from  there  mi- 
grated to  Davis  County,  Iowa,  where  he  improved 
farm  land.  About  1858  he  settled  in  Leaven- 
worth, where  he  took  contracts  for  house-moving; 
he  also  engaged  in  freighting  to  different  forts. 
He  is  now  retired  from  active  business  cares,  and 
still  resides  in  Leavenworth.  Of  his  nine  chil- 
dren now  living,  Laura  A.  was  one  of  the  young- 
est; the  oldest  was  John  A.  Prather,  a  soldier  in 
a  Kentucky  regiment  during  the  Civil  war.  Mrs. 
Kilgore  received  a  good  education  and  was  care- 
fully trained  for  the  responsibilities  of  life.     In 


religion  she  is  connected  with  the  Christian 
Church,  whose  doctrines  she  supports  and  to 
whose  maintenance  she  is  a  liberal  contributor. 
Possessing  superior  bu.siness  ability,  she  has  con- 
tinued the  management  of  the  business  left  by 
her  husband,  and  besides  the  transfer  business, 
also  carries  on  a  store  at  No.  710  South  Fifth 
street,  where  she  keeps  a  stock  of  books,  station- 
ery, toys,  dishes,  etc.  The  property  left  by  her 
husband  has  been  improved  under  her  oversight; 
she  rebuilt  the  residence  she  occupies,  as  well  as 
two  others.  While  necessarily  giving  considera- 
ble attention  to  ^^business  matters,  she  has  never 
neglected  her  home,  but  has  given  to  her  family 
loving  care  and  the  most  careful  training.  Her 
seven  children  are  Mrs.  Angela  Mace,  of  Kansas 
City;  Isabella;  John  S.,  who  is  with  the  Great 
Western  Manufacturing  Companj-;  Susie,  Alph- 
eus,  Nellie  and  Fred. 


gHARLES  GREEN  CASEBIER.  In  the  list 
of  representative  business  men  of  Leaven- 
worth County  a  prominent  position  is  held 
by  the  subject  of  this  article,  who  is  one  of  the 
influential  men  of  Tonganoxie  Township.  He 
was  born  near  Winterset,  Iowa,  April  5,  1853,  a 
son  of  Samuel  B.  Casebier,  and  brother  of  John 
Geary  Casehier,  represented  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  When  he  was  three  years  of  age  his 
family  came  to  Kansas  and  his  education  was  ob- 
tained in  public  schools  here  and  in  the  Kansas 
State  University  at  Lawrence.  After  the  comple- 
tion of  his  studies  he  taught  school  in  Leaven- 
worth County  for  three  years.  He  then  began  the 
manufacture  of  sorghum,  of  which  he  is  the 
heaviest  shipper  in  this  section,  having  shipped, 
in  1898,  forty  car-loads,  which  is  about  three- 
fourths  of  the  entire  shipment  from  this  locality. 
On  his  farm  he  erected  a  factory,  in  which  he 
makes  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
barrels  of  sorghum  per  annum.  When  an  organi- 
zation was  formed  among  the  farmers  here  for  the 
purpose  of  mutual  assistance  he  was  the  buyer, 
but  when  the  association  di.sbanded  he  continued 
on  his  own  account.  His  shipments  are  made 
mostlj'  from  Neely.     The  mill  which  he  owns  was 


828 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD, 


erected  in  1893  and  is  operated  by  steam  power. 
It  has  a  capacity  of  about  seven  barrels  daily. 
The  products  of  the  mill  are  shipped  to  Kansas 
City,  St.  Joseph,  St.  Paul,  and  he  also  supplies 
the  wholesale  firms  of  Leavenworth. 

Besides  his  interest  in  the  sorghum  industry 
Mr.  Casebier  is  also  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  has  fine  pasture  lands  and 
generally  feeds  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred 
head  of  cattle  each  winter,  the  most  of  the  stock 
being  Shorthorn  cattle.  His  original  purchase  of 
eighty  acres  has  been  increased  to  one  hundred 
and  ten  acres  in  the  home  place  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  in  a  farm  northwest  of  town.  Of 
the  latter  place,  one  hundred  acres  were  not  even 
fenced  at  the  time  of  purchase,  and  all  of  the  im- 
provements have  been  made  under  his  personal 
oversight.  When  he  came  to  the  farm  where  he 
now  lives  he  built  a  house  of  two  rooms,  but  he 
now  owns  and  occupies  a  comfortable  ten-room 
residence. 

In  politics  Mr.  Casebier  was  formerly  a  Demo- 
crat, but  now  votes  with  the  Republican  party. 
He  is  a  believer  in  expansion  and  supports  the 
present  (McKinley)  administration  in  its  policy. 
He  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  but  does 
not  care  for  office,  preferring  to  devote  himself  to 
his  business  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Fraternal  Aid  Society.  May  20,  1879,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Sarah  Bell.  They  became  the  parents 
of  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  living,  namely: 
Samuel  O. ,  Charles  E.,  John  Arthur,  George  M. 
and  Allen  Lee. 


30HN  C.  FELLER.  The  history  of  every 
community  is  made  up,  so  far  as  its  most  in- 
teresting features  are  concerned,  of  events  in 
the  lives  of  its  prominent  citizens.  For  years  the 
life  of  Mr.  Feller  has  been  closely  identified  with 
the  business  interests  of  Leavenworth.  He  is 
one  of  the  city's  oldest  business  men.  When  he 
first  came  here,  in  1858,  the  town  was  small,  and 
its  resources  undeveloped.  He  has  lived  to  see 
the  present  large  and  important  city  become  a 
power  in  the  commerce  of  the  west,  and  his  own 
efforts  have  aided  in  securing  this  result. 

Mr.  Feller  was  born  in  Oberlaningen  oberaut 


Kirkheim,  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  July  2,  1832, 
a  son  of  Jacob  Feller,  a  paper  manufacturer.  In 
the  family  of  ten  children  six  attained  mature 
years  and  emigrated  to  America  and  three  are 
living,  one  sister  being  in  Philadelphia  and  an- 
other in  Leavenworth.  The  oldest  of  the  family, 
John  C,  was  reared  in  his  native  province,  and 
attended  the  local  schools  until  fourteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  glazier's 
trade.  After  serving  his  time  he  worked  as  a 
journeyman  in  Germany  and  Switzerland.  In 
1853  he  came  to  America,  desiring  to  escape  mili- 
tary oppression  and  hoping  to  better  his  fortunes. 
Leaving  Bremen  on  the  sailer  "Adonis,"  he  ar- 
rived in  New  York  after  a  voyage  of  fifty-six 
days.  He  was  accompanied  by  a  sister.  Pro- 
ceeding to  Philadelphia,  he  was  employed  at  the 
cabinet-maker's  trade  there  until  1858,  the  year 
of  his  removal  to  the  west.  For  a  year  he  was 
engaged  in  building  houses  in  Leavenworth, 
using  in  his  work  the  native  timber. 

During  the  gold  excitement  of  Pike's  Peak,  in 
1859,  Mr.  Feller  started  west  across  the  plains 
with  an  ox-team  and  followed  the  old  government 
route  west.  On  the  way  he  decided  to  change 
his  intended  destination  and,  with  the  others  of 
his  party,  traveled  along  the  road  laid  out  by 
John  C.  Fremont  to  Salt  Lake  City,  thence  via 
the  Truckee  route  to  California,  where  they  ar- 
rived in  September,  after  a  journey  of  six  months. 
In  Sacramento  Mr.  Feller  secured  employment 
on  a  farm,  but  in  the  spring  of  i860  he  returned 
as  far  as  Nevada,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm.  In 
the  fall  of  1864  he  cast  his  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln  for  president.  During  the  same  year  he 
returned  to  Philadelphia  via  San  Francisco  and 
Panama.  In  1865  he  was  married  in  Philadel- 
phia to  Miss  Louise  Schieber,  who  was  born  in 
Wurtemberg,  Germany,  and  came  to  America  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Feller  returned  to 
Leavenworth,  where  for  a  year  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  furniture.  His  next  venture  was 
the  starting  of  a  grocery  on  Shawnee  street.  In 
March,  1869,  he  located  on  the  site  where  he  now 
conducts  business.  No.  900  South  Broadway. 
Here   he   built   a   brick    block   of  three  stories. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


829 


50x75  feet  in  dimensions;  also  an  adjoining  store, 
20x60,  for  his  pork-packing  and  meat  business. 
He  also  owns  a  slaughter-house,  barns  and  ware- 
house, and  conducts  a  very  important  wholesale 
and  retail  business.  Besides  groceries  and  meats 
he  has  also  on  sale  feed  and  grain.  In  1890  his 
son,  Harry  C,  was  admitted  into  partnership, 
and  five  j^ears  later  the  second  son,  Louis  C,  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm,  the  title  of  which 
has  since  been  J.  C.  Feller  &  Sons.  In  addition 
to  the  Broadway  stores  he  owns  considerable  va- 
cant property  and  a  substantial  residence.  He  is 
interested  in  the  Merchants'  Oil  Tank  Company 
and  a  large  stockholder  in  the  Citizens'  Mutual 
Building  &  Loan  Association.  He  has  able  as- 
sistants in  his  sons,  Harry  C.  and  Louis  C,  both 
of  whom  are  graduates  of  the  commercial  college 
here  and  are  young  men  of  exceptionally  fine 
business  qualifications.  The  older  son,  Harry  C, 
is  married  and  has  two  sons,  John  and  Louis. 

The  political  affiliations  of  Mr.  Feller  are  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Delaware  Tribe  of  Red  Men  and  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  and  his  family  are  faithful  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  stand  high  in 
the  regard  of  their  acquaintances  in  their  home 
town. 


nOSEPH  A.  WOEBER.  Among  the  earlier 
I  residents  of  Leavenworth  mention  belongs 
Q)  to  Mr.  Woeber,  who  for  years  was  one  of  the 
influential  and  prosperous  business  men  of  the 
city.  It  was  in  1867  that  he  came  here  and 
bought  and  improved  property.  Starting  a  whole- 
sale grocery  business  on  Delaware  street  he 
gradually  built  up  a  valuable  trade,  which  ex- 
tended through  this  entire  section  of  country.  In 
the  brick  block  that  he  erected  he  carried  on  his 
business  for  years,  meantime  gaining  a  wide 
reputation  for  integrity  and  honesty.  It  was  the 
universal  testimony  of  those  who  had  dealings 
with  him  that  he  was  a  man  of  irreproachable 
honesty  and  integrity,  and  no  one  stood  higher 
than  he,  both  among  retailers  and  among  manu- 
facturers and  shippers.  He  continued  at  the 
head  of  his  wholesale  business  until  his  death, 
February  10,  1888,  after  which  he  was  succeeded 


by  a  son  of  his  sister,  Joseph  V.  Stoltz,  whom  he 
had  reared,  and  who  still  carries  on  the  business. 

Mr.  Woeber  was  born  at  Frankfort-on-the- 
Main,  Bavaria,  Germany,  May  23,  1820,  one  of 
three  children  (two  sons  and  one  daughter), 
whose  father,  Joseph  Woeber,  a  farmer,  brought 
the  family  to  America  and  settled  in  Alabama, 
thence  removed  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  he 
died.  When  a  boy  our  subject  gained  his  first 
idea  of  the  grocery  business  by  clerking  in  a  store 
in  Louisville,  and  after  a  time  he  became  a  part- 
ner of  his  former  employer,  the  two  carrying  on 
a  large  business  as  grocers  and  rectifiers.  His 
health  became  impaired  through  constant  atten- 
tion to  business  and  he  finally  sold  out  and  took 
a  trip  to  Europe,  where  he  spent  six  months.  The 
visit  to  his  old  home,  while  pleasant,  did  not 
benefit  his  health,  and  he  soon  after  his  return  to 
Louisville  started  for  California.  He  bought 
property  in  San  Francisco  and  remained  in  the 
west  for  eight  years.  He  engaged  in  business  at 
Nappa,  Cal. ,  where  the  Spaniards  and  Indians 
called  him  the  most  honest  man  they  had  ever 
met.  It  was  in  that  town  that  he  was  robbed 
one  night  of  $6,000,  a  very  heavy  loss  and  one 
that  he  could  ill  afford,  but  it  did  not  discourage 
him  in  the  least. 

From  California  Mr.  Woeber  returned  to  Louis- 
ville, where  he  engaged  in  business  for  a  time. 
The  climate,  however,  did  not  agree  with  him, 
and  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Leavenworth  in 
1867.  Afterward  he  was  identified  with  the 
growth  of  the  city,  where  he  bought  and  im- 
proved property  and  gained  a  high  place  as  an 
honorable  and  capable  business  man.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat.  He  assisted  in  the  building 
of  St.  Joseph's  Catholic  Church,  of  which  he  was 
an  earnest  member  and  to  which  his  wife  belongs. 

In  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  January,  1851,  Mr. 
Woeber  married  Miss  Anna  Muchman,  who  was 
born  in  Bavaria  March  23,  1823.  Her  father 
was  a  brewer,  distiller  and  baker,  also  owned  a 
farm,  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  and  was  a 
town  official.  As  a  citizen  he  stood  very  high  in 
his  home  town.  In  1840  he  brought  his  family 
to  America  and  settled  first  in  Indiana,  thence 
going  to  Louisville,   where  he  died  at  fifty-five 


830 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


years.  His  wife  died  in  1842.  They  were  the 
parents  of  three  sons  and  three  daughters;  of 
whom  Mrs.  Woeber  and  a  brother  are  living. 
The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woeber  consists  of 
five  daughters  and  one  sou,  of  whom  the  three 
eldest  daughters  are  married. 


(lOSEPH  BLACK,  deceased,  was  a  pioneer 
I  and  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Peoria 
G)  Township,  Franklin  County.  His  father, 
Frederick,  was  the  son  of  a  German  named 
Schwartz  who  emigrated  to  Virginia,  and  changed 
his  name  from  its  German  form  to  its  English 
meaning.  To  the  same  stock  belonged  Samuel 
Black,  the  great  jurist.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born  in  Botetourt  County,  Va.,  in 
1 8 13  and  in  1825  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Breckenridge  County,  Ky.,  where  he  married 
Mary  V.  Moorman  in  1835.  From  Kentucky  he 
removed  to  Missouri  in  1850,  settling  in  Cass 
County  and  remaining  there  for  seven  years. 
April  I,  1857,  he  arrived  in  Franklin  County  and 
settled  on  a  claim  five  miles  south  of  the  present 
site  of  Wellsville,  in  what  was  then  Franklin 
(now  Peoria)  Township,  entering  upon  a  farmer's 
life  amid  the  frontier  scenes  of  the  then  unsettled 
west.  He  endured  all  the  hardships  of  the  days 
when  Kansas  was  the  seat  of  constant  warfare 
between  the  pro-slavery  and  free-state  men,  and 
when  danger  lurked  constantly  in  the  air.  In 
the  midst  of  perils  he  remained  faithful  to  the 
Union  and  the  old  flag. 

In  1839  Joseph  Black  and  his  wife  became 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
with  that  denomination  they  were  afterward 
identified.  The  lady  whom  he  married  in  1835 
was  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  Moorman,  who  removed  from  Tennessee 
to  Kentucky  and,  dying,  left  a  large  estate,  in- 
cluding eleven  slaves  which  were  inherited  by 
Mrs.  Black.  Being  opposed  to  slavery,  she  at 
once  freed  the  slaves.  She  died  in  1872.  Of 
her  twelve  children  ten  attained  mature  years, 
namely:  Mrs.  Sarah  Kirkham,  who  died  in  Ot- 
tawa; Susan,  who  died  on  the  home  farm;  James 
W.,  who  served  in  the  Missouri  state  militia  dur- 


ing the  Civil  war,  and  died  in  Ottawa;  John  H., 
who  died  at  twenty-three  years;  Peter  F.,  a  large 
farmer  in  Woodson  County,  Kans.;  Mrs.  Mary 
A.  Adams,  in  Ottawa;  Joseph  Thomas;  Mrs. 
Laura  Evans,  on  the  home  farm;  Lucy  I.  and 
Lizzie,  who  died  in  girlhood. 

After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Joseph  Black 
married  Mrs.  May  Johnson,  who  is  still  living. 
He  passed  away  on  his  home  farm  January  9, 
1889,  leaving  the  memory  of  an  honorable  life 
filled  with  deeds  of  kindly  helpfulness  to  those 
less  fortunate  than  himself. 


(Joseph  THOMAS  black,  assistant  chief 
I  of  the  fire  department  of  Ottawa,  is  a  well- 
\Z)  known  business  man  of  this  city,  where  he 
is  engaged  in  contracting  and  building,  with  shop 
and  ofiice  at  No.  423  South  Walnut  street.  He 
was  born  in  Hardinsburg,  Ky.,  May  4,  1846, 
and  was  four  years  of  age  at  the  time  the  family 
settled  in  Cass  County,  Mo.  April  i,  1857,  ^^ 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Kansas,  and  the  sub- 
sequent days  of  his  boyhood  were  spent  on  his 
father's  claim,  which  he  assisted  in  improving. 
Schools  were  few  and  poor  and  the  work  at  home 
was  heavy,  for  which  reasons  he  had  few  advan- 
tages, but  of  such  as  he  had  he  availed  himself 
to  the  utmost.  He  was  a  member  of  Company 
E,  Kansas  state  militia,  under  Colonel  Pennock, 
and  was  called  to  the  front  at  the  time  of  Price's 
raid,  taking  part  in  the  battles  of  the  Blue  and 
Westport,  and  aiding  in  driving  Price  out  of  the 
state.  For  three  days  and  nights,  when  in  pur- 
suit of  the  Confederates,  he  and  other  men  in  the 
regiment  had  nothing  to  eat  except  such  corn  as 
they  could  find  in  the  fields  they  passed  through. 
In  the  advance  on  Westport  he  was  one  of  fifteen 
volunteers  from  his  company  (his  brother  James 
being  one  of  the  others)  who  acted  as  a  body 
guard  to  General  Lane  and  Colonel  Moonlight, 
and  in  the  advance  one  of  these  men  was  killed. 
Under  the  instruction  of  his  father,  who  was  a 
general  mechanic,  our  subject  early  became  fa- 
miliar with  carpentering.  In  1870  he  began  to 
take  contracts  for  buildings  in  Wellsville  and 
other  parts  of  Franklin  County.     Three  years 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


831 


later  he  settled  in  Ottawa,  and  here  he  has  since 
engaged  in  contracting  and  building,  having  oc- 
cupied his  present  location  since  1882.  Among 
the  contracts  he-has  had  maj'  be  mentioned  those 
for  the  residences  of  Lyman  Reed,  Judge  Benson, 
E.  M.  Sheldon,  Professor  Ball  and  H.  C.  Bran- 
son of  Ottawa.  He  has  been  connected  with  the 
erection  of  every  business  block  in  the  city,  not- 
able among  these  being  the  Bank  of  Ottawa, 
J.  D.  Chamberlain's  block,  the  Harrison  build- 
ing, etc.  He  was  the  architect  and  builder  of 
the  bank  building  and  Woodson  hotel  at  Yates 
Center,  a  large  double  store  at  Weir  and  numer- 
ous residences  in  various  parts  of  his  county  and 
adjacent  counties. 

Since  1882  Mr.  Black  has  been  connected  with 
the  fire  department.  For  fourteen  years  he  was 
foreman  of  the  hook  and  ladder  department,  and 
since  then  he  has  acted  as  assistant  chief.  In 
1896  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  state  Republican 
convention,  which  chose  a  delegate  to  the  na- 
tional convention  at  St.  Louis.  He  is  a  member 
of  Lodge  No.  18,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  past  officer  in 
the  Knights  of  Honor,  representative  to  the 
grand  lodge  and  assistant  grand  dictator  of  Kan- 
sas; past  officer  in  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of 
Security;  past  officer  in  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen  and  a  member  of  the  Western 
Knights  Protective  Association.  Since  1889  he 
has  served  as  a  trustee  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  whose  Sunday-school  he  has 
been  a  teacher  for  fifteen  years  and  has  also  held 
the  position  of  librarian.  He  and  his  wife  had 
no  children  of  their  own,  but  adopted  a  daughter, 
Mary,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  R.  C.  Stewart. 


jcjEORGE  F.  NEALLEY,  M.  D.,  of  Lansing, 
|_  Leavenworth  County,  was  born  in  Cook 
yji  County,  111.,  in  1842,  a  son  of  Ezra  R.  and 
Mary  (Butterfield)  Nealley.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Joseph  Nealley,  descended  from  ancestors 
who  settled  in  New  Hampshire  prior  to  1776  and 
took  part  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  was  a 
devoted  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  was 
religiously  oppo.sed  to  war,  but  when  he  was 
drafted  into   the  war  of  1812  went  to  the  front 


with  his  regiment;  however,  when  on  the  battle- 
field he  fired  his  gun  into  the  air,  feeling  that  to 
kill  another,  even  in  battle,  would  leave  upon 
his  soul  the  stain  of  murder. 

Lyman  Butterfield,  the  doctor's  maternal 
grandfather,  moved  from  New  York  to  Chicago 
in  1824  and  afterward  took  part  in  engagements 
with  the  Indians  on  the  frontier.  Being  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  country  he  acted  as  govern- 
ment scout  for  the  troops.  At  one  time  he  went 
to  Naperville  to  secure  relief  for  Fort  Dearborn. 
He  was  accompanied  by  two  men,  but  he  alone 
returned,  the  others  having  been  killed  by  sav- 
ages. After  the  war  was  over  he  took  up  land 
north  of  the  river  in  what  is  now  the  northern 
part  of  Chicago,  and  there  he  owned  eighty 
acres.  About  1830-32  he  was  proprietor  of  the 
Green  Tree  hotel,  one  of  the  fir.st  taverns  in 
Chicago.  Afterward  he  gave  his  attention  largely 
to  trapping  and  hunting  and  had  on  his  large 
farm  a  herd  of  deer.  His  death  occurred  on  his 
home  place  about  1S47. 

Born  in  Rockingham  County,  N.  H.,  in  1812, 
Ezra  R.  Nealley  moved  west  to  Chicago  in  1832, 
and  became  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  city. 
For  some  years  he  carried  on  a  cooper  shop 
there.  Later  he  moved  twelve  miles  north  and 
took  up  a  claim  to  government  land,  where  he 
began  raising  fruit  and  also  engaged  in  the  nur- 
sery business.  He  was  active  in  local  affairs  and 
served  as  commissioner  of  Cook  County.  A 
stanch  Abolitionist  in  principle,  he  was  often 
accused  of  running  an  underground  railroad.  He 
died  at  his  homestead  in  1887,  aged  seventy-four. 
His  widow  is  still  living  at  the  old  place,  twelve 
miles  north  of  Chicago.  They  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  viz.:  George  F.,  Albert  L. , 
Laura,  Mattie,  Jennie  and  Helena.  The  educa- 
tion of  our  subject  was  acquired  principally  in 
Northwestern  University,  of  which  he  was  one  of 
the  first  students.  He  was  very  fond  of  hunting 
and  often  hunted  deer  on  the  present  site  of  Fort 
Sheridan  and  Evanston.  For  a  few  years  he 
taught  school,  but  at  the  same  time  continued 
his  studies.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  enlisted  in 
Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  Illi- 
nois Infantry,  in  which  he  served  until  the  sur- 


832 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


render  of  Vicksburg,  and  was  then  discharged 
on  account  of  disability.  Returning  to  the  uni- 
versity he  assisted  in  raising  a  company  of  in- 
fantry, of  which  Professor  Lynn  became  captain 
and  he  was  sergeant,  continuing  in  that  company 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  Among  the  battles  in 
which  he  took  part  were  those  of  Vicksburg  and 
Arkansas  Post. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  the  uni- 
versity, from  which  he  graduated  in  1867.  He 
then  began  studying  medicine,  entering  the  Chi- 
cago Medical  College,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1870.  During  his  college  course  he  was  in- 
timately associated  with  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis,  presi- 
dent and  founder  of  the  college,  and  in  his  last 
year  there  he  was  appointed  house  surgeon  of 
Mercy  Hospital.  After  graduating  he  began  to 
practice  in  Chicago,  having  bis  office  at  No.  299 
West  Randolph  street,  and  remained  there  until 
the  great  fire  burned  him  out.  He  was  a  trustee 
in  the  Tabernacle  Church  and  on  the  night 
of  the  fire  opened  that  church  to  house  and  feed 
the  sufferers  of  the  fire.  For  a  week  he  continued 
in  this  work.  He  then  accepted  the  superin- 
tendency  of  the  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society, 
district  No.  2,  in  which  capacity  he  continued 
until  January  i,  1871.  At  that  time  he  was 
given  charge  of  the  medical  department  on  the 
north  side  and  located  at  his  old  office,  establish- 
ing a  dispensary,  which  received  an  endowment 
of  $15,000. 

On  account  of  failing  health  Dr.  Nealley  left 
Chicago  in  1878.  Going  to  western  Kansas  he 
founded  the  town  of  Colly er,  in  Trego  County, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  also 
carried  on  a  ranch  and  bought  and  sold  cattle 
and  sheep.  Through  his  influence  a  progressive 
village  was  built  up.  He  was  elected  the  first 
representative  from  the  county  to  the  state  legis- 
lature. While  there  he  also  acted  as  examining 
surgeons  for  pensions.  In  1883  he  was  ap- 
pointed surgeon  to  the  Kansas  penitentiary  at 
Lansing.  April  i  of  that  year  he  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  this  position,  and  for  ten  years  and 
one  month  he  continued  in  the  same  capacity,  re- 
tiring May  I,  1893.  For  one  year  he  conducted 
the  "Elnora,"  a  brick  hotel  which  he  had  built, 


and  afterward  he  established  a  drug  business,  in 
which,  in  connection  with  his  practice,  he  has 
since  engaged.  In  politics  a  Republican  he  has 
always  supported  the  principles  of  that  party. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen, 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Nine  Mile  Lodge 
No.  49,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ,  and  the  Grand  Army 
Post  at  Lansing,  of  which  he  was  commander  for 
some  time.  October  i,  1872,  \ip  married  Elizabeth 
Stickney,  of  Montgomery,  Ga.,by  whom  he  had 
two  children,  Jessie  (who  died  in  childhood)  and 
Lynn.  The  latter  assists  Dr.  Nealley  in  the  drug 
store. 


(3YLVESTER  E.  HUMPHREYS.  One  of 
^\  the  leading  and  well-known  business  men  of 
SzJ  Leavenworth  is  the  subject  of  this  article, 
who  is  proprietor  and  owner  of  the  E.  J.  Hum- 
phreys &  Sons'  drug  store,  on  the  corner  of  Third 
and  Delaware  streets.  The  business  was  estab- 
lished and  for  some  years  conducted  by  his  fa- 
ther, who  was  a  man  of  superior  ability  and 
easily  ranked  among  the  prominent  pioneers  of 
tlie  city.  Since  his  death  it  has  been  owned  and 
conducted  by  his  oldest  son,  who  has  maintained 
the  high  standard  established  by  his  father  and 
has  conducted  the  business  systematically  and 
successfully. 

During  the  residence  of  his  parents  in  Peoria, 
111.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 1 ,  1 850.  He  was  six  years  of  age  when  the 
family  first  came  to  Kansas.  His  education  was 
obtained  in  public  schools  and  was  supplemented 
by  private  reading  and  stud}-.  When  twenty 
years  of  age  he  began  to  clerk  in  his  father's  drug 
store,  where  he  became  familiar  with  all  the  de- 
tails of  the  business.  On  the  death  of  his  father 
the  store  fell  to  him  as  his  share  of  the  estate, 
and  he  has  since  given  his  attention  to  its  man- 
agement. Through  his  integrity  of  character  and 
the  reliable  manner  in  which  he  conducts  every 
business  enterprise  he  has  won  the  confidence  of 
the  business  men  of  Leavenworth.  He  has  an 
excellent  trade  and  retains  the  same  customers 
from  year  to  year. 

As  a  citizen   Mr.   Humphreys  takes  an  intel- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


833 


ligent  interest  in  affairs  pertaining  to  the  welfare 
of  his  city  and  county.  His  co-operation  and 
sympathy  are  given  to  movements  looking 
toward  the  development  of  his  city's  resources 
and  the  extension  of  the  commercial  interests  of 
the  place.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  identified  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  in  Leavenworth,  and  at  one  time  he  was 
prominent  in  the  state  work  of  this  order.  He 
is  married  and  has  three  children. 


I  ORGAN  JONES,  deceased,  who  was  an 
early  settler  of  Douglas  County,  was  born 
in  Montgomeryshire,  Wales,  September  4, 
18 19,  and  was  the  son  of  a  farmer  in  that  shire. 
Becoming  familiar  with  agricultural  pursuits  at 
an  early  age  he  made  farming  his  occupation  dur- 
ing many  of  the  later  years  of  his  life.  In  1846 
he  crossed  the  ocean,  landing  in  New  York  and 
proceeding  from  there  to  Cincinnati,  where  he 
learned  the  boiler-maker's  trade.  This  occupa- 
tion he  followed  in  that  city  and  in  Pomeroy, 
Ohio,  until  1858,  when  he  came  to  Kansas  and 
settled  in  Willow  Springs  Township,  Douglas 
County.  For  three  years  he  cultivated  a  rented 
farm.  Next  he  moved  to  Wakarusa  Township, 
where  he  spent  three  years  as  a  renter.  During 
this  time  he  purchased  eighty  acres,  now  a 
part  of  the  homestead  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres.  To  this  place  he  removed  in  1864  and 
here  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death.  An 
active,  public-spirited  man,  he  was  always  fore- 
most in  enterprises  for  the  upbuilding  of  this  sec- 
tion of  Kansas,  and  gained  a  position  among  the 
honorable  citizens  and  eflBcient  farmers  of  his 
county. 

May  14,  1847,  Mr.  Jones  married  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Griffith,  who  was  born  in  Wales  October  i, 
1826,  and  came  to  America  on  the  same  ship  that 
brought  Mr.  Jones  to  these  shores.  Eight  chil- 
dren were  born  to  their  union,  namely:  Joseph, 
deceased;  Robert  M.,  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Wakarusa  Township;  Jane  M.,  deceased;  John 
M.,who  in  connection  with  Thomas  C.  has  the 
management  of  the  home  farm;  Margaret,  de- 
ceased; ^'Elizabeth  A.,  wife  of  J.    W.   Dunn,  of 


Clinton  Township,  Douglas  County;  Thomas  C; 
and  Morgan  R. ,  deceased.  The  sons  who  have 
the  management  of  the  homestead  are  among  the 
most  progressive  young  farmers  of  the  county. 
Being  men  of  good  business  ability,  they  have 
not  only  maintained  the  excellent  condition  of 
the  farm  as  left  by  their  father,  but  have  even 
enhanced  its  value  by  their  improvements  made 
from  year  to  year. 

During  the  war  our  subject  was  connected 
with  the  state  militia,  and  served  in  Captain 
Dickinson's  company  at  the  time  of  the  Price 
raid.  For  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  in  which  position  he  did  much  to  promote 
the  welfare  of  educational  interests  in  his  dis- 
trict. In  religious  views  he  was  in  sympathy 
with  the  Congregational  Church,  and  for  years 
was  one  of  its  active  workers.  The  Republican 
party  represented  his  political  principles  and  its 
candidates  received  his  support.  For  his  in- 
tegrity and  upright  character  he  was  known 
and  esteemed  throughout  his  county,  and  his 
death  was  mourned  by  his  entire  circle  of  ac- 
quaintances. 

r"REDERICK  ODE.  Not  a  few  of  the  farm- 
jC)  ers  of  Leavenworth  County  came  to  our 
I  '  country  from  Germany,  hoping  to  gain 
greater  success  here  than  would  be  possible  in 
their  native  land.  To  this  class  belongs  Mr. 
Ode,  who,  on  settling  in  Easton  Township,  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  farm  land. 
Since  then  he  has  bought  an  eighty-acre  tract,  so 
that  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres. 
He  has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  Hereford  cat- 
tle and  Poland-China  hogs,  and  is  inferested  in 
the  breeding  of  high-grade  stock.  The  land  is 
mostly  in  corn  and  grass,  and  is  kept  in  excellent 
condition. 

Born  in  Germany  in  1849,  the  boyhood  years 
of  Mr.  Ode  were  passed  in  the  usual  manner  of 
German  youths.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  en- 
tered the  German  army  and  for  one  year  he  served 
as  hospital  steward  in  the  Franco-Prussian  war. 
Afterward  he  went  to  London,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  a  sugar  factory.  In  1873  he  crossed 
the  ocean  and  settled  in  America.    For  two  years 


834 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  Platte  Count}-,  Mo., 
during  which  time  he  saved  $400.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Germany  and  brought  his  parents  back 
with  him.  Afterward,  for  thirteen  j'ears  he 
rented  farm  land  in  Platte  County  and  was  so  suc- 
cessful that  he  saved  about  $5,000.  With  this 
money  he  came  to  Leavenworth  County  and  bought 
the  farm  which  he  no%v  occupies.  His  first  wife, 
whom  he  married  in  1S77,  died  the  following 
year.  His  second  marriage  took  place  in  188 1 
and  united  him  with  Lizzie  Bente,  a  sister  of 
Henry  Bente.  They  have  two  sons,  William  and 
Henry. 

A  Lutheran  in  religion,  Mr.  Ode  took  an  active 
part  in  the  building  of  the  church  of  this  denom- 
ination near  his  home,  being  chairman  of  the 
building  committee  and  the  largest  contributor  to 
the  building  fund.  In  politics  he  is  independent, 
voting  for  the  best  man.  He  is  prominent  among 
the  German-American  residents  of  Easton  Town- 
ship, and  has  many  friends  among  the  people  of 
his  locality. 

j~ERDINANDO  MILLER.  Lying  on  the 
r3  north  bank  of  the  Marais  des  Cygnes,  in 
I  ^  Greenwood  Township,  Franklin  County,  is 
the  farm  owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Miller,  who 
purchased  sixty  acres  of  the  property  in  1866  and 
afterward,  by  the  purchase  of  an  adjoining  tract, 
increased  the  size  of  his  farm  to  one  hundred  and 
thirty  acres.  He  has  been  energetically  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  and  at  the 
same  time  has  devoted  some  attention  to  the  car- 
penter's trade.  When  he  came  to  Kansas  in  1 860 
and  settled  down  on  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indian 
reservation,  he  took  a  contract  from  the  govern- 
ment for  the  building  of  houses  for  the  Indians, 
and  did  considerable  work  along  this  line  up  to 
the  time  of  the  treaty  with  the  Sac  and  Fox  In- 
dians. Under  contract  with  the  government  he 
erected  several  houses  in  Franklin  and  Osage 
Counties. 

Mr.  Miller  was  born  in  Hardin  County,  Ky., 
in  1834,  a  son  of  John  W.  and  Julia  Ann  Miller. 
His  father,  who  was  a  son  of  Robert  Miller  and  a 
descendant  of  a  pioneer  family  of  Kentucky,  was 
born  in  Hardin  County,  and  continued  to  reside 


there  until  1866,  when  he  removed  to  Indiana. 
His  active  life  was  devoted  to  the  carpenter's 
trade.  He  died  in  Indiana  when  seventy-four 
years  of  age.  His  wife,  who  was  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  died  in  Indiana  when  sixty-eight 
years  old.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, all  but  one  of  whom  are  still  living.  Ann 
is  the  wife  of  John  Cox,  of  White  County,  Ind.; 
William  makes  his  home  in. Michigan;  and 
Josephine  is  the  wife  of  Hans  Woodward. 

When  a  bo}-  our  subject  attended  the  schools 
of  Louisville,  Ky.  He  ser\'ed  an  apprenticeship 
to  the  carpenter's  trade  in  Kentuckj',  and  later 
was  employed  as  a  journeyman  in  that  state.  In 
1855  he  went  to  Marathon  County,  Wis.,  where 
he  secured  employment  at  carpentering.  From 
there,  in  i860,  he  came  to  Kansas  and  has  since 
made  his  home  in  Franklin  County.  During  war 
times  he  experienced  all  the  excitement  and 
danger  incident  to  life  in  a  state  that  was  the 
scene  of  bloodshed  and  strife.  At  the  time  of  the 
Quantrell  raid,  and  also  when  Price  invaded  Kan- 
sas, he  joined  with  others  in  pursuit  of  the  raid- 
ers, but  did  not  succeed  in  overtaking  them.  As 
a  Republican  he  has  been  warmly  interested  in 
national  progress  and  problems,  and,  while  he 
has  never  sought  local  oflSces,  his  interest  in 
education  has  led  him  to  take  an  active  part  in 
school  matters. 

In  1855  Mr.  Miller  married  Miss  Melinda  Lut- 
ton,  a  sister  of  R.  C.  Lutton,  of  Franklin  County. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely: 
Charles  and  T.  F.,  who  are  in  Cahfornia;  John; 
and  Frank,  who  manages  the  old  homestead  and 
superintends  its  general  farm  and  stock  interests. 


(lOHN  F.  WEAVER,  the  pioneer  of  that  part 
I  of  the  Kaw  Valley  known  as  the  Weaver  bot- 
(*)  tom,  and  one  of  the  leading  menof  Eudora 
Township,  Douglas  County,  resides  in  Baldwin. 
He  was  born  in  Columbiaua  County,  Ohio,  on  the 
last  day  of  1848,  a  descendant  of  remote  German 
ancestry  who  settled  in  Washington  County,  Pa., 
in  an  early  day.  He  is  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Nancy  (Hill)  Weaver,  natives  of  Washington 
County,  the  latter  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.     The 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


835 


family  of  which  he  was  the  youngest  consisted 
of  seven  children,  of  whom  those  beside  himself 
now  living  areas  follows:  Jonathan,  who  lives  in 
Kansas;  James,  of  Ohio;  Frank  L,.,  who  makes 
his  home  in  Salina,  Kans. ;  and  Frances  A.,  wife 
of  E.  J.  Wherry. 

About  1845  Henry  Weaver  removed  to  Ohio, 
where  he  took  up  land  and  resided  for  twenty 
years.  In  1865  he  came  to  Kansas,  becoming 
the  second  white  settler  in  the  Kaw  Valley,  where 
he  took  up  five  hundred  acres  of  Shawnee  Indian 
land.  From  time  to  time  he  added  to  his  pos- 
sessions, and  when  he  died  he  was  the  owner  of 
thirteen  hundred  acres.  The  entire  property  was 
heavily  timbered  at  the  time  of  purchase  and  re- 
quired considerable  clearing  before  it  was  in  a 
condition  for  cultivation.  Without  doubt  he  was 
the  most  extensive  farmer  in  the  county.  Besides 
general  farming  he  engaged  in  feeding  stock. 
During  the  existence  of  the  Whig  party  he  voted 
for  its  candidates  and  afterward  identified  himself 
with  the  Republicans.  Though  a  constant  worker 
for  his  party,  he  never  sought  office  for  himself. 
Educational  and  religious  movements  felt  the 
quickening  impulse  of  his  assistance.  He  was  a 
public-spirited  and  benevolent  man,  and  an 
earnest  worker  in  the  Christian  Church.  In  the 
organization  and  establishment  of  the  Christian 
College  in  Lincoln  County,  Kans.,  he  took  a 
prominent  part,  and  for  some  time  afterward  he 
served  as  a  director  of  the  same.  He  died  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1893,  ^t  eighty-one  years  of  age.  His 
wife  passed  away  in  187S  on  their  Kansas  home- 
stead. 

When  seventeen  years  of  age  our  subject  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  Kansas,  where  he  taught 
during  the  winter  months  from  1866  to  1869,  the 
intervening  summers  being  given  to  farm  work. 
From  1876  to  1878  he  made  his  home  in  Saline 
County,  Kans.,  where  he  engaged  in  breaking 
prairie  land.  On  his  return  to  Douglas  Countj- 
he  began  farming  for  himself.  His  first  purchase 
comprised  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  to  which 
he  has  since  added  until  he  is  now  the  owner  of 
six  hundred  acres  in  the  Kaw  Valley.  In  ad- 
dition to  raising  potatoes,  farm  produce  and 
stock,  for  years  he  has  operated  a  stone  crusher, 


which,  in  1898,  he  moved  to  Lecompton,  where 
stone  ballast  is  being  furnished  for  railroads  and 
bridges,  the  business  being  conducted  under  his 
name.  In  1892  he  obtained  from  the  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  the  location  of  a  station  on  his  farm  and 
this  was  named  in  his  honor.  During  the  same 
year  he  opened  a  general  store  near  his  residence, 
and  here  he  carried  a  full  line  of  general  mer- 
chandise until  he  disposed  of  the  stock  in  1899. 
He  was  also  station  agent  for  the  Santa  Fe  at 
Weaver  from  1891  to  1899  and  for  the  same  time 
held  the  office  of  postmaster,  serving  under  both 
Republican  and  Democratic  administrations. 

Not  the  least  of  Mr.  Weaver's  activities  has 
been  his  connection  with  the  potato  industry. 
He  was  the  first  promoter  of  potato  raising  in 
this  valley,  and  has  engaged  extensively  in  the 
industry.  A  charter  member  of  the  Potato 
Growers'  and  Co-operative  Dealers'  Association, 
he  has  been  a  director  in  the  same.  He  received 
a  patent  on  a  potato  sorter,  many  of  which  he 
sold  to  people  of  the  county,  thereby  doing  much 
to  reduce  the  manual  labor  of  the  growers.  It 
was  due  entirely  to  his  efforts  that  a  schoolhouse 
was  built  in  his  district,  and  he  has  been  very 
helpful  in  promoting  the  interests  of  the  schools. 
For  twenty-one  successive  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board,  in  which  he  served  as 
treasurer  until  1899.  Prior  to  1892  he  was  a 
worker  in  the  Republican  party,  but  he  then  be- 
came a  Populist.  In  the  fall  of  1898  he  was  a 
candidate  for  representative  and,  although  this 
district  is  largely  Republican,  he  was  defeated  by 
only  eight  votes,  reducing  the  usual  Republican 
majority  more  than  four  hundred  votes.  The 
temperance  movement  has  in  him  an  ardent  sup- 
porter and  he  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Tem- 
perance tabernacle.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  at 
Eudora  and  Halcyon  Lodge  No.  18,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
at  Lawrence.  He  is  one  of  the  trustees  and  act- 
ive members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
which  his  family  also  attend.  December  31,  1877, 
he  married  Australia  C,  daughter  of  William 
Speaks,  of  Salina,  Kans.  They  have  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  the  third,  Cornelius,  is  de- 
ceased.    Those  living  are  William  H.,  Jennie  V., 


836 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Homer  and  Hallie  (twins),  lyucile  May  and 
Helen  Winnifred.  September  i,  1899,  Mr. 
Weaver  removed  to  Baldvi'in  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  his  children  theadvantagesof  education  in 
the  high  school  and  Baker  University. 


(P  HERMAN  W.  RANDALE  owns  three  hun- 
2\  dred  and  twenty  acres  in  Douglas  County 
VjJ/  and  is  numbered  among  the  leading  farmers 
of  Palmyra  Township.  In  addition  to  the  rais- 
ing of  cereals  such  as  are  adapted  to  the  soil  he 
has  given  some  attention  to  the  stock  business 
and  has  also  successfully  engaged  in  dairying  and 
in  the  raising  of  large  and  small  fruits.  He  was 
born  in  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y. ,  August  6, 
1845,  a  son  of  William  S.  and  Polly  (Youngs) 
Randall,  natives  respectively  of  Trenton  Falls, 
N.  Y.,  and  Ohio.  His  father,  who  was  a  farmer 
and  also  a  wagon  manufacturer,  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  New  York,  although  for  a  time 
he  also  resided  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1879  he 
came  to  Kansas,  purchased  a  city  home  in  Law- 
rence and  a  farm  in  Willow  Springs  Township, 
Douglas  County.  He  died  in  Lawrence  in  March, 
1881,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years.  His  wife, 
who  is  now  seventy-seven  years  of  age,  is  still 
living  in  Lawrence.  His  father,  a  native  of 
France,  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1826,  and 
settled  at  Trenton  Falls,  N.  Y., where  he  followed 
the  millwright's  trade  and  built  the  works  at  that 
place;  he  married  Ruby  Sherman,  who  was  born 
on  the  Genesee  Indian  reservation  in  New  Eng- 
land. 

In  early  life  our  subject  worked  as  a  wagon- 
maker,  butcher  and  stonemason.  At  twenty-five 
years  of  age  he  began  to  sell  a  patent  glove  pat- 
tern, in  which  business  he  continued  for  five 
years,  traveling  in  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  Illi- 
nois and  Michigan.  In  1876,  through  a  trade, 
he  became  the  owner  of  his  present  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1878  he  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to  this  place, 
at  once  beginning  its  improvement.  He  has  de- 
voted himself  very  closely  to  his  work,  and  has 
never  identified  himself  with  politics,  although 
he  has  always  supported  Democratic  principles. 


December  29,  1880,  Mr.  Randall  married  Miss 
Sarah  L.  Walker,  who  was  born  in  Charleston, 
S.  C,  August  I,  1848,  a  daughter  of  Charles  M. 
and  Jeannette  (Miller)  Walker,  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  Robert'  H.  Miller,  who  belonged  to 
an  old  southern  family.  Her  father  died  in  1862 
and  her  mother  three  years  later  came  to  Kansas 
and  settled  near  Lawrence,  where  she  resided  until 
her  marriage.  The  three  children  born  of  their 
union  are  Maggie  J.,  Walker  S.  and  Delia  J.,  all 
at  home. 


(lAMES  C.  SINCLAIR.  Starting  in  business 
I  life  as  he  did  without  means,  Mr.  Sinclair  has 
(2/  by  his  force  of  character  and  perseverance 
risen  to  a  position  of  influence  among  the  people 
of  Wellsville,  Franklin  County.  He  deservedly 
ranks  as  one  of  the  best  citizens  of  his  town  and 
as  one  who,  by  his  strict  sense  of  honor,  has  won 
the  position  for  himself.  In  1882  he  erected  the 
store  building  in  which  he  has  since  carried  on  a 
large  hardware  business  and,  in  addition,  he  is 
treasurer  of  the  Wellsville  Grain  &  Lumber  Com- 
pany, in  the  organization  of  which  he  assisted. 
He  is  also  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Sedgwick  County.  All  of  his 
property  has  been  accumulated  by  his  own  efforts. 
Mr.  Sinclair  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Pa., 
February  25,  1840,  a  son  of  Presley  N.  and  Re- 
becca Sinclair.  He  traces  his  ancestry  to  Robert 
Sinclair,  who  came  from  Scotland  to  America  in 
an  early  day.  Samuel,  son  of  Robert,  was  born 
in  New  York  state,  and  his  son,  Robert,  was  a 
farmer  in  that  state.  The  latter's  son,  Presley 
N.,  was  born  in  McKeesport,  Allegheny  County, 
Pa.,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm.  When  thirty- 
five  years  of  age  he  removed  to  Fayette  County, 
Pa. ,  where  he  died  upon  a  farm  three  years  later. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  God  and  in 
politics  adhered  to  Whig  principles.  His  wife, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  same  denomination  as 
himself,  was  a  lady  of  gentle  character  and  ami- 
able disposition.  She  was  spared  to  advanced 
years,  dying  August  4,  1899,  when  eighty-five 
years  of  age. 

Of  six  children    the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
fourth  in  order  of  birth.     He  remained  at  home 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


837 


until  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war.  August  19, 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Thirty-seventh 
Illinois  Infantry,  and  served  as  a  private  for  four 
years,  re-enlisting  at  the  expiration  of  three  years 
and  continuing  in  the  army  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  Among  his  most  important  battles  were 
those  of  Pea,  Ridge,  Ark.,  Prairie  Grove,  Vicks- 
burg,  Brownsville,  Tex.,  and  Fort  Blakely,  be- 
sides which  he  was  in  many  skirmishes.  After 
peace  was  declared  he  was  retained  in  the  service 
for  a  time,  guarding  railroads  in  Texas,  and 
received  an  honorable  discharge  in  May,  1866. 
Returning  home  he  remained  there  until  March, 
1868,  when  he  came  to  Kansas  and  settled  in 
Franklin  County.  For  three  years  he  worked  as 
a  farm  hand,  after  which  he  began  buying  and 
shipping  cattle  and  hogs,  and  continued  in  the  , 
latter  business  until  he  opened  his  hardware  store 
in  Wellsville  in  1882.  He  is  a  charter  member 
of  Lookout  Post  No.  96,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Wellsville, 
in  which  he  has  held  all  of  the  ofifices.  He  is  also 
connected  with  Wellsville  Lodge  No.  135, 
in  which  he  has  filled  the  various  chairs.  He 
and  his  wife,  who  was  formerly  Agnes  Williamson 
of  this  county,  have  a  comfortable  home  in  Wells- 
ville and  are  honored  wherever  known. 


(lASPER  S.  RICE,  who  is  best  known  as 
I  "Jepp"  Rice,  has  been  identified  with  the 
Q)  history  of  Leavenworth  for  many  years. 
When  he  first  came  here,  in  1856,  Kansas  was  in 
the  throes  of  its  free-state  struggles.  People  had 
come  here  from  the  east  and  the  south,  and  already 
the  work  of  developing  a  great  commonwealth 
had  been  begun.  The  way  was  being  pioneered 
for  the  prosperity  of  an  oncoming  generation. 
In  the  growth  of  Leavenworth  and  the  prosperity 
of  Kansas  he  has  been  deeply  interested  and  has 
been  a  large  contributor,  his  business  energj'  and 
judgment  having  contributed  to  the  progress  of 
his  locality. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Rice  was  Col.  George  W. 
Rice,  a  native  of  Vermont,  who  in  1841  removed 
with  his  family  to  Michigan  and  settled  in  Kala- 
mazoo, where  he  engaged  in  farming.  For  several 
years  he  was  sheriff  of  Kalamazoo  County,  and  • 

41 


for  one  term  he  served  as  United  States  marshal. 
His  death  occurred  in  that  county  when  he  was 
sixty -six  years  of  age.  By  his  marriage  to  Beth- 
sheba  Spooner,  who  was  born  in  Vermont  and 
died  in  Michigan,  five  sons  and  one  daughter 
were  born  who  lived  to  maturity.  Of  these  Will- 
iam K.  is  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in  Texas; 
J.  B.,  who  was  a  railroad  man,  died  in  St.  Paul; 
Bushrod  F.,  who  was  an  attorney  in  New  York, 
died  in  that  city;  Charles  makes  his  home  in 
Kalamazoo.  The  oldest  of  the  surviving  sons  is 
Jasper  S.,  who  was  born  in  Woodstock,  Windsor 
County,  Vt.,  February  7,  1833,  and  was  reared 
in  Kalamazoo,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools.  On  starting  out  for  himself  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  clerk  in  his  home  town,  later  as  ex- 
press messenger  on  the  Kalamazoo  &  Grand 
Rapids  road  for  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.,  for  two 
years,  and  for  two  years  was  clerk  in  a  hotel.  In 
1856  he  made  a  trip  west  to  Omaha  and  Leaven- 
worth, and  the  next  year  settled  in  this  city, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  with 
several  others  buying  the  old  Planters'  hotel.  The 
hotel  was  carried  on  successfully  until  the  war 
came  on.  Mr.  Rice,  being  proprietor,  was  in 
touch  not  only  with  the  business  itself,  but  also 
with  affairs  in  general. 

The  hotel  became  so  popular,  and  the  number 
of  travelers  through  Leavenworth  increased  to 
such  an  extent  that  it  was  necessary  to  increase 
the  accommodations  of  the  building.  An  addition 
of  about  fifty  rooms  was  built,  which  gave  the 
hotel  one  hundred  and  forty  rooms.  From  1864 
to  1866  Mr.  Rice  was  not  connected  with  the 
business,  his  attention  being  given  to  freighting 
across  the  plains  to  Denver  and  the  frontier  posts. 
In  1866  he  again  became  a  partner  in  the  hotel, 
with  which  he  was  connected  until  1877.  He 
then  started  in  the  cattle  business  near  Wallace, 
on  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  and  was  also  en- 
gaged in  carrying  on  restaurants  along  the  line 
of  that  road,  being  a  partner  of  Fred  Harvey, 
under  the  name  of  Harvey  &  Rice.  The  firm 
had  eating  houses  at  Lawrence,  Wallace  and 
Hugo,  and  on  the  Santa  Fe  at  Topeka,  conduct- 
ing these  until  1882,  when  they  sold  out.  About 
that  time  Mr.  Rice  became  interested,  as  a  di- 


838 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


rector,  in  the  L,eavenworth  Cattle  Company, 
which  had  its  ranch  and  range  in  Routt  County, 
Colo.,  and  owned  about  fifteen  thousand  head  of 
cattle.  The  company  carried  on  a  large  and 
successful  business,  which,  however,  it  has  now 
about  closed  out. 

In  Linden,  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Rice 
married  Miss  Maria  C.  Smith,  daughter  of  Thomas 
G.  Smith  and  sister  of  L.  T.  Smith.  One  child 
was  born  of  their  union,  Helen,  who  graduated 
from  the  seminary  in  Blmira,  N.  Y.,  and  is  now 
the  wife  of  Frank  Phelps,  of  Leavenworth.  In 
politics  Mr.  Rice  has  never  allied  himself  with 
any  party,  and  he  has  never  held  any  office  ex- 
cept that  of  councilman  for  one  term.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Sons  of  Malta.  At  one  time  he 
served  as  paymaster  of  the  first  Kansas  Militia, 
with  the  rank  of  major. 


EHARLES  H.  BOYD,  a  general  contractor 
and  builder,  is  one  of  the  rising  young  busi- 
ness men  of  Leavenworth.  In  his  special 
line  of  contracting  he  has  built  up  a  large  busi- 
ness and  has  become  known  for  the  reliability  and 
honesty  displayed  in  every  transaction.  He  has 
had  contracts  for  the  erection  of  many  of  the  im- 
portant buildings  and  substantial  residences  of  his 
city.  He  had  charge  of  the  rebuilding  of  the  old 
Continental,  now  known  as  the  Imperial,  and  the 
building  of  the  City  hotel.  The  changing  of  the 
fronts  and  the  remodeling  of  Cherokee  street  were 
done  under  his  supervision.  Recently  he  com- 
pleted a  store  building  on  the  corner  of  Shoemaker 
avenue  and  Ouincy  street.  He  has  his  shop  at 
No.  422  South  Fifth  street,  at  the  north  end  of 
the  bridge.  The  residence  which  he  owns  and 
occupies,  at  No.  931  Spruce  street,  was  built  un- 
der his  supervision,  and  he  also  owns  a  residence 
on  Grand  avenue  and  Quincy  street. 

Mr.  Boyd  was  born  in  Leavenworth,  July  9, 
1862,  the  oldest  of  six  children  of  A.  R.  and 
Mattie  E.  (Adams)  Boyd,  of  this  city.  When 
fifteen  years  of  age  he  began  to  learn  the  miller's 
trade  in  Lisle's  mill,  but  after  two  years  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  on  account  of  his  health  being 
injured  by  the  dust.     He  then  served  an  appren- 


ticeship of  three  years  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  at 
which  he  afterward  continued,  being  employed  as 
foreman  for  three  contractors  in  Leavenworth  for 
a  period  often  years.  In  1886  he  began  to  take 
contracts  for  himself.  From  1887  to  1890  he  was 
engaged  in  contracting  in  Wichita,  as  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Case  &  Boyd.  On  his  return  to 
Leavenworth  he  resumed  contracting  and  build- 
ing here,  and  has  since  had  charge  of  about  one- 
half  of  the  city  contracting.  With  the  exception 
of  the  three  years  in  Wichita  and  eighteen  months 
in  New  Mexico  (when  he  was  hardwood  finisher 
at  the  Las  Vegas  Hot  Springs) ,  he  has  .spent  his 
entire  life  in  Leavenworth,  and  is  therefore  well 
acquainted  in  the  city,  having  many  friends 
among  its  business  men. 

In  Alton,  111.,  Mr.  Boyd  married  Miss  Annie 
Snyder,  who  was  born  in  Louisiana,  and  by  whom 
he  has  two  children  living,  Sadie  and  Laura.  In 
national  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  local  elec- 
tions votes  for  those  he  believes  best  qualified  to 
represent  the  people,  irrespective  of  political  ties. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Security,  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen  and  the  Degree  of  Honor. 


30SEPH  E.  WALTER,  who  is  Hving  retired 
in  Leavenworth,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
May  14,  182S,  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Nancy 
(Smith)  Walter,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  the  former  a  fifer  in  the  war  of 
1 8 12.  In  after  years  the  fife  which  he  had  used 
on  the  battlefield  and  by  the  camp  fire  was  one 
of  his  most  prized  relics  and  many  an  evening  he 
spent  playing  upon  it  the  old  war  tunes.  In  pol- 
itics he  was  a  Democrat. 

Owing  to  his  mother's  death  when  he  was  a 
small  child  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  early 
obliged  to  start  out  for  himself.  He  learned  the 
miller's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  in  various 
places.  With  the  money  thus  earned  he  paid  for 
text  books  and  carried  on  the  studies  of  the  com- 
mon schools.  During  the  war  with  Mexico  he 
enlisted  in  the  army  as  a  member  of  the  Second 
Regiment  Dragoons,  which  he  accompanied  to 
Texas.     From  the  ranks  he  was  promoted  to  be 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


839 


second  sergeant  soon  after  joining  the  arm}'.  After 
the  close  of  the  war  with  Mexico  he  continued  in 
service,  and  fought  a  number  of  battles  with  the 
Indians.  With  the  exception  of  a  year  spent  at 
home,  on  sick  furlough,  he  remained  in  the  army 
until  1853,  during  which  year  he  resigned  his 
commission  and  came  to  Kansas.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  re-entered  the  army,  and  was  em- 
ployed by  the  government  as  wagon-master  of  a 
train  going  to  Colorado,  New  Mexico  and  other 
western  territories. 

During  the  earlier  years  of  his  residence  in 
Kansas  Mr.  Walter  engaged  in  farming  at  Island 
City  and  owned  the  island  on  which  he  lived. 
In  1865  he  removed  to  Leavenworth  County  and 
settled  in  High  Prairie  Township,  where  he  oper- 
ated a  farm.  Later  he  also  had  charge  of  the 
government  farm  for  twelve  years.  For  two 
years  he  served  as  chief  of  police  in  Leaven- 
worth, after  which  he  traveled  for  some  years  in 
the  interests  of  Fred  Harvey's  railroad  restau- 
rants. He  is  now  living  in  retirement  from  busi- 
ness cares,  although  he  still  finds  sufficient  to  oc- 
cupy his  time  in  the  management  of  his  personal 
interests.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Order  and  the  Knights  of  Honor.  Sep- 
tember, I,  1853,  Mr.  Walter  married  Miss  Sarah 
Tash,  of  Baltimore,  who  died  January  16,  1892. 


r^  P.  PHILLIPS,  who  is  engaged  in  the  real- 
L/'  estate  business  in  Lawrence  and  is  also  a 
1^  justice  of  the  peace  in  this  city,  was  born  in 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  November  17,  1825,  a  son  of 
John  A.  and  Anna  (Williams)  Phillips.  He  was 
one  of  three  children,  of  whom  he  and  his  sister 
Delia  A.,  of  Leroy,  N.  Y. ,  are  the  sur\-ivors. 
His  father,  a  native  of  Keene,  N.  H.,  born  in 
1793.  was  four  years  of  age  when  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  there  he  grew 
to  manhood,  married  and  embarked  in  farming. 
During  his  entire  active  life  he  conducted  a  farm 
near  that  city,  where  he  died  in  1882.  His  wife 
was  born  in  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  in  1S03,  and  died  at 
Rochester  in  1874. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  John 


Phillips,  was  born  in  Keene,  N.  H. ,  and  was  a 
farmer.  He  descended  from  ancestors  who  came 
from  Wales  to  America  about  1720,  and  .settled 
at  Roxbury,  Ma.ss.  The  maternal  grandfather, 
Davenport  Williams,  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
to  which  state  his  ancestors  had  come  in  a  very 
early  day  from  England.  He  was  a  man  of  up- 
right character  and  a  strict  Presbyterian.  In  the 
common  schools  and  Genesee  Wesley  an  Seminary 
our  subject  acquired  his  education.  Having  de- 
termined to  cast  in  his  fortunes  with  the  west,  in 
1S57  he  joined  a  company  of  two  hundred  families 
known  as  the  Geneva  colony,  which  arrived  in 
Allen  County,  Kans.,  April  i  of  that  year,  and 
took  up  one  hundred  quarter  sections  of  land 
there.  He  remained  there  until  the  fall  of  1863, 
when  he  returned  east,  and  there,  on  the  19th  of 
October,  he  married  Helen  S.  Beebee,  a  native 
of  Lima,  N.  Y.  Immediately  after  his  marriage 
he  brought  his  wife  to  Kansas  and  began  house- 
keeping in  Allen  County. 

In  the  spring  of  1867  Mr.  Phillips  settled  in 
Lawrence,  and  directly  afterward  he  laid  out 
the  South  Park  farm  (now  the  center  of  the  city 
of  Lawrence).  This  farm  he  conducted  for  fifteen 
years  as  a  nursery  and  fruit  farm,  after  which  it 
was  turned  over  to  the  city.  Until  recent  years 
Mr.  Phillips  has  engaged  in  the  nursery-  business, 
and  has  also  been  interested  in  fruit-growing  and 
farming.  Now,  however,  he  gives  his  attention 
to  the  real-estate  business,  although  he  continues 
to  make  his  home  on  a  fruit  farm  just  outside  the 
city  limits.  He  and  his  wife  became  the  parents 
of  five  children,  namely:  John  L.,  deceased; 
Charles  W.,  who  manages  a  fruit  farm  owned  by 
his  father;  Eddie  E-  and  Randall,  deceased;  and 
Anna  M.,  who  since  the  death  of  her  mother, 
January  5,  1899,  has  kept  house  for  her  father. 
The  family  are  connected  with  the  Congregational 
Church,  in  all  the  good  works  of  which  Mrs. 
Phillips  took  a  warm  interest. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Phillips  is  a  member  of  Pacific 
Lodge  No.  28,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Humboldt, 
Kans.  In  politics  he  is  an  advocate  of  the  Pro- 
hibition party,  with  a  leaning  toward  Republican- 
ism. Since  1889  he  has  held  office  as  justice  of 
the  peace,   which  position  he  has  filled  to  the 


840 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


satisfaction  of  all.  Among  the  energetic  and  re- 
spected business  man  of  Lawrence  he  holds  a 
prominent  place. 

EHRISTIAN  RODENBURG,  deceased,  was 
born  in  Nassau,  Germany,  September  10, 
1832,  the  only  son  of  John- Rodenburg,  a 
farmer  of  Germany.  When  fifteen  years  of  age 
he  took  passage  at  Hamburg  for  the  United 
States  and  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks  on  a  sailing 
vessel  arrived  in  New  York,  whence  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Albany.  There  he  learned  the  trades 
of  machinist,  engineer,  sawyer  and  saw-filer. 
Afterward  he  was  employed  as  second  engineer 
on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  river  steamers,  from 
Louisville  to  New  Orleans.  His  next  position 
was  that  of  machinist  in  car  shops  at  Columbus, 
Ohio.  In  1854  he  settled  in  DesMoines,  Iowa. 
Two  years  later  he  came  to  Kansas,  becoming  a 
pioneer  farmer  of  Leavenworth  County  and 
buying  a  tract  of  land  in  Easton  Township. 
There  he  engaged  in  farm  pursuits  until  1869, 
when  he  sold  the  place  and  removed  to  a  farm 
near  Lansing,  Delaware  Township.  He  had  but 
begun  the  improvement  of  that  property  when  he 
died,  in  1870.  In  religion  he  was  connected 
with  the  Evangelical  Church,  and  in  politics  was 
a  Republican. 

While  in  Columbus  Mr.  Rodenburg  married 
Anna  Schmale,  who  was  born  in  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, October  18,  1832,  a  daughter  of  Christian 
Schmale.  Her  father,  who  was  a  member  of  an 
old  family  of  Hanover,  followed  the  shoemaker's 
trade  until  his  death,  at  fifty-three  years;  he 
had  married  Charlotte  Alborn,  a  native  of  Han- 
over, who  accompanied  her  children  to  America 
and  died  in  Leavenworth  County  when  eighty- 
one  years  of  age.  The  four  children  who  came 
to  the  United  States  are  still  living,  three  sisters 
being  in  Leavenworth,  while  a  brother,  Fred, 
lives  in  Rock  Island,  111.  In  1852  Miss  Schmale 
came  to  America,  crossing  the  ocean  in  a  sailing 
vessel  that  spent  thirty-two  days  on  the  waters 
between  Bremen  and  New  York.  After  about 
six  months  in  New  York  she  went  to  Columbus, 
Ohio,  where  she  met  and  married  Mr.  Rodenburg. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 


of  Leavenworth.  In  her  family  there  are  three 
children,  namely:  Christian,  a  farmer  in  Dela- 
ware Township;  Henry  L. ;  and  Mrs.  Hughes, 
of  Leavenworth. 

HENRY  L.  RODENBURG,  an  enterprising 
and  successful  business  man  of  Leavenworth , 
was  born  in  Easton  Township,  Leaven- 
worth County,  May  16,  1857,  a  son  of  Christian 
and  Anna  (Schmale)  Rodenburg.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  private  schools  in  Leavenworth,  which 
he  attended  for  two  years.  At  sixteen  years  of 
age  he  left  the  home  farm  and  went  to  Rock 
Island,  111.,  where  he  served  an  apprenticeship 
of  three  years  to  the  carriage- blacksmiths'  trade, 
and  afterward  continued  for  two  years  as  a  jour- 
neyman. Meantime  he  attended  a  night  school 
and  a  business  college,  thus  broadening  the  some- 
what limited  education  he  had  obtained  at  home. 
He  spent  a  short  time  at  work  in  Davenport  and 
Muscatine,  Iowa,  and  then  visited  in  Leaven- 
worth for  three  months,  after  which  he  worked 
at  his  trade  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  for  two  years, 
being  foreman  of  his  department.  From  that 
city  he  returned  to  Leavenworth,  where  for  nine 
months  he  was  foreman  for  the  Kansas  Wagon 
Manufacturing  Company,  of  which  Alexander 
Caldwell  was  president. 

In  1882  Mr.  Rodenburg  started  in  business  on 
the  corner  of  Spruce  street  and  Fifth  avenue, 
where  he  rented  a  small  frame  building  and 
opened  a  grocery.  Three  years  later  he  bought 
the  corner  and  erected  a  three- story  brick  block, 
with  a  frontage  of  forty  feet,  a  depth  of  seventy- 
four  feet,  and  a  rear  breadth  of  ninety  feet.  This 
entire  building  he  occupies  with  his  stock  of 
goods,  which  he  sells  both  at  wholesale  and 
retail.  His  residence  adjoins  his  store  at  No.  706 
Spruce  street,  and  besides  his  store  and  house  he 
owns  other  residence  properties  in  the  city.  In 
1897  he  started  in  the  wholesale  commission 
business  at  No.  511  Cherokee  street.  In  the  fall 
of  1898  the  Leavenworth  Fruit  and  Commission 
Company  was  incorporated,  with  himself  as 
president  and  principal  stockholder.  Prior  to 
this  he  had  engaged  in  packing  and  handling 
apples  in  connection  with  his  grocery  business. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


but  wishing  to  separate  the  two,  he  organized 
the  commission  company,  which  has  since 
shipped  about  thirty  thousand  barrels  of  apples 
annually,  besides  packing  a  variety  of  other  fruits. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Rodenburg  is  connected  with 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  and  the  Tent  of  the 
Maccabees,  and  formerly  was  identified  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  politics 
he  has  always  voted  the  Republican  ticket.  His 
marriage,  which  took  place  in  Leavenworth, 
united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Lambert,  who  was 
born  in  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Lambert,  now 
of  California.  The  two  children  born  of  this 
union  are  Walter  and  Hortense.  Mrs. "^Roden- 
burg is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  which 
the  family  also  attend. 


WILLIAM  W.  WALTER,  M.  D.,  of  Leav- 
enworth, was  born  at  Island  City,  Riley 
County,  Kans.,  in  i860,  and  was  the 
youngest  of  three  children  and  the  only  son  of 
Joseph  E.  and  Sarah  (Tash)  Walter.  His  edu- 
cation was  acquired  principally  in  Leavenworth 
County,  where  his  father  settled  at  the  close  of 
the  Civil  war.  In  1879  he  graduated  from  the 
Leavenworth  high  school,  and  afterward  turned 
his  attention  to  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he 
carried  on  for  a  year  under  private  preceptor- 
ship.  In  1880  he  entered  the  medical  department 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1883.  Returning  to  his  home 
town,  he  began  the  general  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, and  during  the  years  that  have  since 
elapsed  he  has  become  known  as  an  accurate  and 
skillful  physician,  who  justly  occupies  a  high 
place  among  his  professional  co-workers  and  in 
the  confidence  of  the  public  as  well.  Besides  his 
private  practice  he  holds  the  position  of  local 
surgeon  for  the  Union  Pacific,  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  and  Leavenworth,  Topeka  &  South- 
western Railroads;  also  a  member  of  the  medical 
staflfofCushing  Hospital,  and  professor  of  obstet- 
rics in  Cushing  Training  School.  For  ten  years  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  health,  for 
six  years  was  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and 


for  some  time  acted  in  the  capacity  of  first  surgeon 
at  the  Soldiers'  Home.  His  ofRce  is  in  the  Man- 
ufacturers National  Bank  building. 

Interested  in  everything  bearing  upon  his  pro- 
fession, directly  or  indirectly.  Dr.  Walter  keeps 
abreast  with  every  development  in  therapeutics, 
and  by  thoughtful  study  of  current  medical  liter- 
ature and  by  experience  and  observation  he  has 
gained  a  broad  professional  knowledge  that  places 
him  at  the  head  of  the  medical  fraternity  in  his 
city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Leavenworth 
County,  State  and  Eastern  District  Medical  So- 
cieties, in  the  work  of  each  of  which  he  takes  an 
interest.  Politically  he  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
crats. He  is  identified  with  the  Episcopal  Church, 
in  which  he  now  holds  the  office  of  junior  warden. 


(5\  R.  BOYD,  who  is  living  retired  in  Leav- 
U  enworth,  was  born  near  Indianapolis,  Ind., 
/  I,  the  son  of  J.  R.  Boyd,  a  Scotchman,  who 
settled  upon  a  farm  in  Indiana.  When  he  was  a 
boy  he  served  an  apprenticeship  of  seven  years 
as  engineer,  machinist  and  millwright.  Previous 
to  his  apprenticeship  he  ran  away  from  home, 
fired  with  a  boy's  desire  to  become  a  sailor,  and 
for  two  years  he  sailed  the  high  seas,  once  being 
shipwrecked  on  an  island,  where,  after  nearly 
starving,  he  was  picked  up  by  a  boat  and  brought 
back  to  the  United  States.  On  the  completion 
of  his  apprenticeship  he  became  an  engineer  on 
a  railroad.  In  1844  he  came  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth. For  three  years  he  was  employed  as  an 
engineer  on  the  boat  that  ran  between  the  fort 
and  Weston,  Mo.  Later  he  freighted  across  the 
plains  to  Salt  Lake  City,  being  for  a  year  em- 
ployed as  a  mule  driver,  next  becoming  wagon 
boss,  and  after  two  years  being  transfered  to  the 
work  of  shoer.  For  five  years  he  was  employed 
by  the  government  in  these  various  positions. 
From  1 85 1  to  1853  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
Leavenworth  County.  Next  he  went  to  Platte 
County,  Mo.,  where  he  was  overseer  for  Clinton 
Cockrell,  of  Platte  City.  At  the  opening  of  the 
war  he  was  commissioned  lieutenant  of  a  company 
in  the  First  Kansas  Infantry,  in  which  he 
served   for  a   time.     Afterward   he  engaged  in 


842 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


burning  lime  and  in  farming  in  High  Prairie 
Township.  During  1863  he  operated  a  saw  mill 
for  the  government  at  Manhattan. 

After  farming  in  Neosho  County,  Kans. ,  for 
several  j^ears,  in  1869  Mr.  Boj'd  returned  to 
Leavenworth  County  and  for  seven  years  he  car- 
ried on  a  farm  in  High  Prairie  Township.  He 
then  removed  to  the  city  of  Leavenworth,  where 
for  eleven  years  he  was  engineer  in  a  mill  owned 
by  Kelly  &  Lisle;  later  was  employed  in  an- 
other mill  for  three  years.  Of  recent  years  he 
has  lived  in  retirement  from  business  duties. 
His  wife,  who  is  also  living,  was  Mattie  E. 
Adams,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  whence  she  ac- 
companied her  father,  James  Adams,  to  Leaven- 
worth County,  in  earl}'  days.  For  many  years 
Mr.  Adams  owned  a  farm  in  High  Prairie  Town- 
ship, which  he  operated,  besides  carrying  on  work 
as  a  huckster. 


0TTO  SCHMECKEL  has  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  at  his  present  location  in 
Leavenworth  since  1877.  During  that  year 
he  opened  a  store  in  a  small  frame  building  at 
No.  514  Fifth  avenue,  and  embarked  in  business 
for  himself.  From  the  first  he  met  with  success. 
After  four  years  he  had  saved  enough  to  enable 
him  to  secure  more  adequate  accommodations  for 
his  enlarged  trade.  He  bought  two  corner  lots  and 
erected  a  two-story  brick  building,  24x140  feet  in 
dimensions,  where  he  has  since  carried  on  a  gen- 
eral grocery  business,  having  a  large  trade  among 
the  people  of  that  part  of  the  city.     He  is  the 


owner  of  a  rock  quarry,  comprising  forty -five 
acres  on  Ohio  street  beyond  Fourteenth,  where  he 
has  successfully  quarried  lime  building  stone,  the 
finest  of  its  kind  quarried  here. 

Mr.  Schmeckel  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany, 
February  12,  1S60.  His  father,  who  was  the 
youngest  son  of  a  wealthy  German  of  a  noble  fam- 
ily, became  a  government  ofiBcial,  holding  a  posi- 
tion similar  to  that  of  county  clerk  in  this  coun- 
try. At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  thirty-seven 
years  of  age.  His  wife,  accompanied  bj'  her 
youngest  son.  Otto,  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1871,  and  settled  in  Leavenworth,  where  she  died 
in  1893. 

When  a  boy  our  subject  attended  the  common 
schools  in  Colmar,  Germany.  With  his  mother 
he  came  via  steamer  to  America  in  1871,  and  at 
once  settled  in  Leavenworth,  where  for  a  year 
he  clerked  in  a  book  store.  Later  he  engaged  as 
a  clerk  for  his  brother,  Gustav,  in  the  latter's 
grocer}',  and  after  eighteen  months  there  became 
connected  with  another  grocer  in  this  city.  His 
next  position  was  with  Joseph  A.  Woeber,  the 
wholesale  grocer,  with  whom  he  remained  until 
he  resigned  to  engage  in  business  for  himself. 
He  has  given  his  attention  very  closely  to  busi- 
ness matters  and  has  not  taken  any  part,  aside 
from  voting  the  Democratic  ticket,  in  public  or 
political  affairs.  He  was  married,  in  Leaven- 
worth, to  Miss  Annie  Rodenhaus,  who  was  born 
in  this  city,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Roden- 
haus. They  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
Gertie,  Carrie  and  Otto,  Jr. 


^/^ 


^r^ 


INDEX 


A 

Aaron,  John fi97 

Aaron,  John  A 700 

Abdelal,  Maj.  A.  G.,  M.  D..416 

Abernathy,  S.  W 570 

Adams,  John 22 

Adams,  John  Q 38 

Adams,  John  Q 539 

Aitchison,  John  R 509 

Akers,  Jonathan 225 

Alder,  John  William 531 

Alexander,  John  C 639 

Alford,  Lieut.  A.  C 729 

Alford.D.  S 728 

Allen, Dr.  A.A 279 

Allendorph,  Charles  W....215 

Anderson,  A.  J.,  M.  D 519 

Anderson,  David  H 496 

Anderson.  George  A 522 

Anderson,  Mrs.  Hanora...  .516 

Andrews,  Capt.  S.  H 510 

Anthony,  Col.  D.  R 1-15 

Anthony,  D.  R.,  Jr 269 

Anthony,  Hon.  G.  T 195 

Anthony,  Henry -108 

Apitz,  Charles 528 

Appleton,  G.  C 568 

Armstrong,  Beatty 501 

Armstrong,  Robert 817 

Armstrong,  William  H 515 

Arthur,  Chester  A 98 

Ashby,  Charles  A 435 

Ashby,  Hon.  William  F....731 

Atchison,  David 718 

Atkinson,  Rev.  Robert 377 

Atwood,  John  H 621 

Avenarius,  Charles  F 666 

Averill,  Narcisse  N 602 

B 

Bahcock,  Hon.C.  W 351 

Baker,  Col.  J.  J 333 

Baker,  John  W 593 

Baker,  Thomas  N 603 

Baldwin,  Andrews .578 

Baldwin,  Eben 323 

Baldwin,  Lafayette  P 315 

Bales,  Elbert 489 

Barker,  Hon.  George  J 314 

Barley,  I.saiah  N 400 

Barnes,  Delos  N 451 

Barthel,  Alfred  B 805 

Bass,  Hon.  W.  B   ,535 

Bauer.  V.  H 761 

Baum,  John (i88 


Beddow,  James  H 784 

Beeler,  Otto  C 744 

Bell,  John  P 811 

Bell,  'Olin 389 

Berger,  Aiigust 644 

Berger,  Henry 747 

Berry,  Peter 740 

Beurraann,  Louis .607 

Biart,E.  E.H 738 

Biebusch,  Henry 537 

Biederman,  John  A 776 

Bigsby,  Ambrose 327 

Birney,  William  L.,  M.  D.  .618 
Bishoff,  Hon.  C.  N.,  M.  D..599 

Black,  Joseph 830 

Black.  Joseph  T 830 

Blackman.  W.  I.  R 790 

Blochberger,  Herman 770 

Boling,  R.  L.,  M.  D 764 

Boling,  Hon.  T.  G.  V 764 

BoUin,  John 767 

Bonebrake,  Hon.  J.  H 346 

Bosworth,  Charles 563 

Boughton ,  Joseph  S 4CB 

Bowen,  Isaac 752 

Bowersock,  Hon.  J.  D 132 

Boyd,  A.  R 811 

Boyd,  Charles  H 838 

Brandon,  John 7.56 

Branson,  Henry  C 589 

Breese,  Henry  G 762 

Brewer,  Hon .  Dartd  J 591 

Brewer,  Eugene 596 

Brock,  J.  W.,  M.  D 758 

Bromelsick,  William 397 

Brooks,  Hon.  Paul  R 293 

Brown,  Felix  C 533 

Brown,  William  W 407 

Bruce,  Robert  M 423 

Brune,  S.  Edward 390 

Buchanan,  James 74 

Bunn,  John  W 413 

Burr.Henry  S 797 

Bush,  Jacob .  601 

Butell,  Adolphus  D 446 

Byers,  James  L 693 

Byington,  Dwight 205 

Byingtou,  Mrs.Emily  J....206 
Byrd,  MacC 635 

c 

Caldwell,  Hon.  Alex 155 

Caldwell,  Hon.  E.  F 225 

Calhoun,  Hon.  J.  C 768 

Callahan,  Alfred 778 

Callahan,  H.  B.,  M.  D 777 


Campbell,  Maj.  R.  C 655 

Carmean,  Samuel  H 236 

Carney.  Edwin  L 783 

Carney,  Hon.  Thomas 126 

Carpenter,  C.  R.,  M.  D 815 

Carpenter,  Capt.  Robert. ..276 
Carpenter,  W.  B.,  M.  D....814 

Carr.E.  T 788 

Carr,  Manford  H 795 

Carter,  William  R 257 

Casebier,  Charles  G 827 

Casebier,  John  G 809 

Chambers,  Nelson  A  360 

Chandler,  Nelson  M 572 

Chapin,  Charles  H 569 

Charlton,  Judge  John 192 

Churchill,  Col.  S.  J 200 

Clark,  John  Z ^.653 

Clark,  Malcolm 246 

Clarke.  Nicholas  S 230 

Cleveland,  S.  Grover 102 

Clough,  E.  N.  0 819 

Cochran.  Samuel 765 

Colnian,  Osgood  A 259 

Conard,  John  M 671 

Conger,  Charles  L 328 

Conley,  Michael 576 

Coombs,  Edward  E 775 

Cordley,  Rev.Richard,D.D.136 

Corlett,  William 771 

Cory,  John  M 801 

Coursey,  James 823 

Cowdery,  C.  L.,  M.  D 288 

Cox,  Edmund  H 620 

Cox,  Hon.  Joseph  J 256 

Cradit,  Capt.  N.  C 608 

Cramer,  John .5-16 

Crancer,  John  W 281 

Crane,  Charles  D 345 

Crane,  Henry  D 5((8 

Cranston,  J.  Alexander 781 

Crawford,  Levi  Russell.  .  .316 

Cunimings,  Patrick 237 

Cunningham,  Joseph  B 2IH 

Cutler,  Charles  C &14 

D 

Dassler,  C.  K.  W 411 

Davenport,  J.  A.,  Jr 5,56 

Davenport,  J.  A.,  Sr 555 

Davis,  George  H 401 

Davis,  Winslow .507 

DeFord,  H.S.,  M.  D 585 

Deichmann,  Frederick .ViS 

Denholm,  George  A 619 

Denholm,  William 618 


Denton,  Oliver 375 

Dickey,  Samuel  R 387 

Dicks,  Capt.  Henry  B 406 

Diestelhorst,  Henry  T 570 

Dodsworth,  Samuel 435 

Dolphin,  Miss  Mary  E 428 

Donnelly,  James 540 

Donovan,  Benjamin  J 393 

Donovan,  Martin  B 394 

Doolittle,  Reuben  R 517 

Downey,  Very  Rev.  T.  J... 250 

Dreisbach,  Joseph  H 444 

Duffee,  Lloyd 495 

Duffin,  John 427 

Dyer,  John  M 514 

Dyer,  Thomas 492 

E 

Eaton,  Burdine 803 

Eaton,  Calvin  F 502 

Edminster,  Reuben  S 822 

Edmond,  Hon.  John  D 223 

Edmonds,  Hon.  M.  W 501 

Edwards,  Benjamin  F 662 

Edwards,  Maj.  C.  L 465 

Edwards,  Julius  S 431 

Eggleston,  A.  P 437 

Elder,  Aldamar  P 561 

Elder,  Hon.  P.  P 278 

Eldridge,  E.  W.,  M.  D 567 

Eldridge,  Maj.  T.  B 825 

Elwell,  Mrs.  Mary  G 418 

Emery,  Charles  C 527 

Emery,  Hon.  James  S 233 

Engle,  Solomon 716 

Evans,  David 477 

Everhardy ,  Peter 445 

Ewing,  Charles  W.,  M.  D.  .548 

F 

Farnsworth,  Oliver  J 313 

Faucett,  John  F 436 

Faulkner,  John  K 778 

Faulkner,  William  K 787 

Feller,  John  C 828 

Ferguson,  Robert  M 522 

Ferris,  Judge  John 480 

Fevurly .  William 4.S8 

Few,  Samuel  F.,  M.  D 415 

Fillmore,  Millard 66 

Finley,  William  S 411 

Fischer,  Capt.  Julius 478 

Fisher,  Hon.  George  A 394 

Fitzpatrick,  Michael  T 248 

FitzWilliam,  Hon.  F.  P  ...284 
FitzWilliam,  Frank  P 280 


844 


INDKX. 


Fletcher,  Josiah  S 237 

Flinner,  John 446 

Flintjer,  Arnold 441 

Flora,  Chauncey 432 

Flora,  Reazin  V 448 

Flory,  Cyrus  W 558 

Fogle,  Daniel 600 

Foulkrod,  Rev.  J.  W  328 

Fraser,  William  W 286 

Freienmuth,  William 442 

Fritzel.John 646 

Fuller,  William  G 816 


Gardner,  William 507 

Gar6eld,  James  A 94 

Garrett,  Robert 447 

Gates,  August 456 

Gaw,  James  W 710 

Gentry,  Nicholas 313 

Getchell,  Capt.  Thomas ....  676 

Getker,  Anton 494 

Gilges,  Capt.  J.  W 824 

Gill,  William  H 488 

Gillham,John  H 511 

Gilmore,  John 491 

Glathart,  Jeremiah  H 532 

Glenn,  Alexander  G .534 

Goddard,  C.  C,  M.  D 425 

Godding,  George  F 508 

Gorrill,  Robert  W  800 

Gould,  Hon.  G.  R 141 

Graeber,G.  A 179 

Grant,  Ulysses  S 86 

Gray,  James 264 

Grebe,  Maj.  M.  R.  W 637 

Green,  William  R 229 

Greene,  Hon.  H.  M 148 

Greenlee,  M.  D 188 

Greever,  Charles  F 483 

Greever,  John  B 706 

Griesa,  Adolph  C 228 

Griesa,  Augustus  H 266 

Griesa,  Theodore 229 

Griffin.  Albert 260 

Grist,  Norris  M 636 

Groener,  Rev.  R.  B 239 

Grovenor,  Gurdon 258 

Grover,  Hon.  Joel 197 

Guenther,  Rev.  Louis 4.59 

Gustafson,  Joel 803 

H 

Hackbusch,  H.  C.  F 356 

Hallaux,  JohnB 782 

Hamblin,  George  W 677 

Harding,  Anson  C 686 

Harding,  William  D 794 

Harris,  Hon.  J.  P 168 

Harris,  Hon.  William  A ....  213 

Harrison,  Benjamin 106 

Harrison,  Hon.  J.  H 669 

Harrison,  Joseph  H 178 

Harrison,  Thomas  W 672 

Harri.son,  William  Henry..  .50 
Hartman,  Frederick  W.  ...4,33 

Hartnelt,  Joseph  J . .  .6,87 

Harvey,  Moses  C 238 


Haskell,  Hon.  D.  C 139 

Haskell,  Col.  J.  G 166 

Hastings,  SamuelM 685 

Havens,  Paul  E 295 

Hawn,  Judge  Laurens 682 

Ha wn,  Frederick 681 

Hayes,  Rutherford  B 90 

Hays,  Martin  P 575 

Heaston,  Daniel  F 642 

Heimann,  Father  Albert.  ..460 

Henderson,  Howard  W 605 

Henderson ,  John  A 644 

Hensley,  Abel 661 

Herning,  John  Albert 218 

Herr,  Francis  C,  M.  D 645 

Herries,  David 476 

Herries,  John 426 

Hesse,  William  G 427 

Hester,  Solomon  A 704 

Hetrick,  Frank  O 307 

Hetrick,  Rev.  Isaac  307 

Higgins,  Charles  W 779 

Hill,  Rev.  C.Rowland 711 

Hill,  D.  Mark 249 

Hill,  James  A 781 

Hindman,  John  C 457 

Hindman,  Lorenzo  W 453 

nines,  Thomas  J 412 

Hitzemann,  John 460 

Honnold,  AmosG 191 

Hoover,  Isaac  L 190 

Home.  John  B 715 

Houston,  Samuel  A 515 

Howard,  Hon.  W.  C 169 

Hudelson,  N.  .V 724 

Huesgen.  J.  P 707 

Hughes,  Isaac  F 490 

Hughes,  William 172 

Hummel,  Capt.  J.  L 719 

Humphreys,  Edgar  J 702 

Humphreys,  Sylvester  E..  .832 

Hund.JohnM 370 

Hund,  Leo 726 

Hund,  Wendlin 373 

Hunt,  Col.  F.E 156 

Hunt,  Hon.  McCown 605 

Hunter,  Martin  M 737 

Hurd,  Hon.  T.  A 690 

Hutson,  Hari-y  T 545 

I 

Ide,  Judge  Harvey  W 254 

Igel,  Capt.  Richard  L 227 

Ingle,  Charles  W 472 

Insley,  Joseph  B 808 

J 

Jackson,  Andrew 42 

Jack.son,  William 590 

Jacobs,  J.  H 519 

Jameson,  Edward 235 

Jansen,  Henry m 

Jardon,  Augustus  M 475 

Jardon,  Francis  X 383 

Jefferson,  Thomas 26 

Jenkins,  Francis  M 417 

Jennings,  Capt.  A.  J 240 

Jewett,  M.  M 217 

Johns,  John  H 178 


Johnson,  Andrew 82 

Johnson,  August 713 

Johnson,  Capt.  Thomas  L.181 
Jones,  Maj.  D.  C,  M.  D....202 

Jones,  Morgan 833 

Jordan,  William  W 727 

K 

Kahn,  William 469 

Kaiser,  George  F 725 

Kaiser,  Peter 725 

Kaufmann,  George  W 171 

Keck,EthanB 611 

Keller,  Francis  M 823 

Keller,  Fred  W 613 

Kelly,  Vincent  A 810 

Kelly,  Washington  D 626 

Kibbe,  William  E 742 

Kier,  Robert  A 551 

Kilgore,  James 826 

Kimmel,  Rev.  J.  W 807 

Kindred,  John  W 547 

Kindred,  L.  P 458 

King,  Albert  H 582 

Kingsley,  Richard  H 615 

Kirk,  Alexander 641 

Kirmeyer,  Michael 815 

Kittredge,  Miss  H.  D 712 

Kittredge,  Miss  M.  C 712 

Klinkenberg,  Rufus 247 

Knapp,  Lewis  F 6.54 

Knapp,  Thomas  H 686 

Knipe,  Hubert 658 

Knollman,  Henry 707 

Koch,  Herman 793 

Koohler,  Harry  W 705 

Krezdorn,  Mrs.  Afra 689 

Kripp,  August  L 679 

Kroll,  August 376 

Kuster,  Jacob 732 

Kyle,  Andrew  T 369 

h 

Lahue,  Marshall  G 247 

Lamb,  John  F 732 

Lamber,  J.  B 813 

Lambert,  William 397 

Laming,  J.  Caulton 684 

Laming,  Whitsed,  Jr 682 

Lane,  Gen.  James  H 130 

Lane,  James  A.,  M.  D.. ..  243 
Langworthy,  S.  B.,  M.  D. .  .379 

Laptad,  Peter 580 

Lawrence,  Capt.  G.  W 745 

Leahy,  Daniel 633 

Leavenworth    Anglers  As- 

Leeds,  Absalom 730 

Legate,  Judge  J.  F 675 

Leibey,  Mrs.  Nancy  A.  G..421 

Leibey,  James,  M,  D 421 

Leis,  George 749 

Lemon,  Stephen  E 741 

Leonard,  W.  Y.,  M.  D 123 

Lewis,  Alexander 613 

Lewis,  P.  M.,  M.  D 5.56 

Linck,  George  H 652 

Lincoln,  Abraham 78 

Lindley ,  William  M 587 


Lindsey,  James  P 617 

Lingard,  Amos  L 375 

Liugard,  James 374 

Lister,  Edmund 365 

Littell,  David  W 461 

Lloyd,  John 757 

Loar,  John  W 654 

Love,  Hon.  Alexander 619 

Lowe,  Capt.  P.  G 697 

Lowe,  Hon.  P.  G 694 

Lowe,  Wilson  G.  S 696 

Ludington,  Hon.  R.  W 631 

Luther,  Caleb  M 577 

M 

McCarthy,  Michael 70!) 

McClanahan,  John  G .586 

McClelland,  C.  B 583 

McCormick,  John 656 

McCormick,  J.  M.,  M.  D. .  .766 

McCune,  Adam  D 774 

McCune,  William  0 775 

McCurry,  John 762 

McDonald,  James 612 

McElheuy,  Wilson 678 

McFarland,  Charles  W .581 

McFarland,  Robert  S filO 

McFarland,  Thomas 763 

McFarlane,  John 747 

McGill,  George  E 670 

Mclntire,  L.  O 769 

McKee,  Hon.  John 265 

McKeever,  Patrick 813 

McKinley,  William 110 

McNarj-,  Capt.  O.  C 579 

McNaughton,  Samuel  J ....  629 

Macomb,  John  N 296 

Madison,  James 30 

Maffet,  George  W 785 

Magers,  John  H 776 

Maier,  Gottlieb 703 

Manwaring,  Henry 584 

Markart,  Frank  G 720 

Marsh,  Joseph 723 

Martin,  W.  D.,  M.  D 220 

Mason,  Mrs.  E.  H 700 

Mason,  Maj.  L.  P 760 

Mason,  Zina  A 684 

Mayer,  William. „ 810 

Medill,  Hon.  Sherman....  303 

Meeker,  Silas  ;b 407 

Mehl,  Louis  C 471 

Merchant,  Nelson 388 

Mero,  Oliver 577 

Merritt,  Edward  B 340 

Metz,  Henry 628 

Meyers,  Stance  L 6.52 

Miller,  Ferdinando 834 

Mills,  LaFayette 399 

Mintier,  Robert  J 634 

Moherman,  William  H 734 

Monroe,  James 34 

Moonlight,  Col.  Thomas. .  .142 

Moore,  Beujamin  B 283 

Moore,  Charles  o 2.SS 

Moore,  Col.  H.  L 273 

Moore,  Hon.  H.  Miles 123 

Moore,  Samuel  P 821 

Morgan,  Gilbert  H 795 

Morgan, {Jonathan  F 789 


845 


Moys,  William 780 

Muiidey,  David  E 330 

Munk,  Capt.  Edward  767 

Murlin,  l^emuel  H.,  D.D...199 

Murphy ,  Edward  E 267 

Murray,  Rev.  James 554 

N 

Nadelhoffer,  William 772 

Naeher,  Stephan 393 

Neal, Jordan 796 

Nealley,  G.  P.,  M.  D 831 

Nelson,  Andrew  P -164 

Nelson,  John 746 

Nettleton,  Lamar  H 710 

Newsome,  Joseph 617 

Nightingale,  William 753 

Noss,  Hiram 743 

o 

Oakes.  Capt.  Henrv  A 622 

Oatraan.  Adolphus  G 616 

Oatmaii,  H.  C,  M.  D 150 

Ode.  Fred 833 

Oldroyd,  Charles  W SSS 

0:ds,  Rev.  Frank  B 601 

Olin,  WalterH 334 

Olson,  O.  G 703 

Orsbourn,  William  M 798 

P 

Parcels.  John  W 170 

Pardee.  William  A 476 

Parker,  Dillwyn 204 

Parnell,  Andrew  J.,  Jr 700 

Parnell,  Andrew  J.,  Sr.  .699 

Patterson.  William 441 

Payne,  Rev.  J.  M 818 

Peairs,  Hervey  B 708 

Pearson.  Robert  H 339 

Penny,  Prof.  George  B 180 

Petherbtidge,  J.  C 161 

Pettibone,  Capt.  .Milton.... 255 

Phenicif,  James  M 824 

Phillips,  E.  D.  F.,  M.  D....680 

Phillips,  J.  M.,  M.  D 357 

Phillips.  P.  P 839 

Pierce,  Franklin 70 

Pilla,  Charles 2.53 

Planz,  Jacob 434 

Poitrey,  Joseph 512 

Polk,  James  K 58 

Pontious,  Frederick  B 7.54 

Pontius,  Arthvir  C 788 

Porter,  John  A 387 

Porter,  William  A 545 

Powell,  Alfred  B 536 

Prang,  Henry  C 518 

Przybylowicz,  M.  A 526 


Rabinovitz,  Harry 

Randall,  Sherman  W. 
Rankin,  Col.  John  K. 

Ransom,  James  H 

Rathbone,  J.  Cass 


Ray,  Marcelmus  B 473 

Raymond,  Joseph  M 275 

Reed,  Fitch 390 

Reedy,  Michael 424 

Rees,  Edwin  T 402 

Reid,  Lyman 318 

Reynolds,  Maj.  Clarkson.  .442 

Reynolds.  Samuel 162 

Rhea,  Henry  W 380 

Rice,  Jaspers S37 

Richardson,  George  C 289 

Richardson,  Jason  P 1,59 

Ridgway,  Charles  H 403 

Riggs,  Hon.  Samuel  A 185 

Roberts,  Gen.  J.  N 138 

Robertson.  John  W 465 

Robbins,  JudgeC   L 324 

Robinson,  Hon.  C,  M.  D.  .121 
Robinson.  Mrs.  Sara  T.  D..121 

Rodenhurg,  Christian  840 

Rodenburg,  Henry  L S40 

Rodenhau'i,  Jacob 667 

Rodgers,  Henry  H 329 

Rothenberger,  Jacob  H 487 

Ruder.  Fred 562 

Ruediger,  Theodore  H...  398 
Russell.  Mrs.  Clarinda  L..  -359 

Russell,  Gen.  Edward 128 

Ryan.Jepp 207 

Ryan,  Matthew,  Jr 263 

Ryan,  Hon.  Matthew,  Sr..l51 


St.  John,  Marcena 308 

Sams,  Frederick,  M.  D 726 

Sanders,  Meshack 596 

Saunders,  Prof.  R.  S 721 

Savage,  Forrest 773 

Schaake,  Christian 597 

Schanze,  August 816 

Schmeckel,  Otto 842 

Schnebly,  J.  G.,  M.D 404 

Schneider,  E.  H.  F 594 

Schulte,  F.  C 660 

Schwager,  Jacob 783 

Schwartz,  Andrew 528 

Scott,  John  W 337 

Sears,  Gen.  W.  H 353 

Seidel,  Herman 677 

Selig,  August  L 571 

Servatus,  Mrs.  Delia  F ,525 

Servatus,  William... .525 

Seuf ert,  George  Adam 559 

Seufert,  Lewis .530 

Seymour,  George  W 491 

Shannon,  Hugh 455 

Sharpe,  Alvin   V 557 

Sharpe,  Amasa  T 325 

Shaw.  Alexander 604 

Shearer,  James  Bruce 625 

Shearer.  Lawrence  P 625 

Sheldon,  Edwin  M 309 

Shepherd,  William 495 

Shinn,  Albert  C 664 

Shiras,  William  M 463 

Shively,  Edward 574 

Shively,  Joseph  M 755 


Short,  Harold  C 364 

Short,  Oliver  F 363 

Simmons,  C.  J.,  M.  D 553 

Simmons,  James  C 559 

Simmons,  Hon.  N.,  M.  D.  .551 

Sinclair,  James  C 836 

Singer,  Samuel 608 

Skourup,  N.  H 366 

Slater,  Alfred  H 285 

Small,  William 270 

Smith,  Frank  P 549 

Smith,  Hon.  Horace  J 165 

Smith,  Mrs.  Lurenda  B....345 

Smith,  Leonard  T 647 

Smith,  Malcom  F 344 

Smith,  Hon.  Martin 209 

Snow,  Francis H.,  LL.  D...175 

Snyder,  Elmore  W 188 

Snyder,  George  W 290 

Sparr,  Ripley  W 158 

Spencer,  Charles  C 456 

Spencer,  William  F 355 

Spratley,  John  W 203 

Spurgeon,  William 560 

Stannard,  F.  H 374 

Stayman,  Dr.  Joseph 493 

Steele,  Judge  L.  S 564 

Stephens.  Richard 334 

Sternbergh,  Hon.  T.J 146 

Stevens,  Capt.  J.  T 208 

Stevens,  Nelson  O 140 

Stiggleman,  Martin  L.   ...614 

Stine,  Louise 347 

Stinebaugh,  George  D 358 

Stokely,  P.  D 4.M 

Ston«:braker,  Samuel  A . . .  .-474 

Stratton,  John  L 304 

Strong,  Charles  B 592 

Stump,  John  B .550 

Sullivan,  Rev.  John  M 566 

Swift,  Walter  F 512 

Swisher,  Robert 498 


Tawney,  Horatio 479 

Taylor,  Judge  F.  K 806 

Taylor,  John  F 722 

Taylor,  Mrs  L.  H.,  D.D.S..717 

Taylor,  Thomas  T 585 

Taylor,  Zachary 62 

Teffl,  Clark 543 

Thomas,  Barclay 733 

Thomas,  F  M.,  M.D 245 

Thomas,  M.  Shaw,  M.  D...244 

Thomas,  Theodore  C 246 

Thomas,  W.  Edwin 792 

Thompson,  L-  M 573 

Thornbury,  J.  R,  M.  D.     .368 

Tisdale,  Henry 7.38 

Todd.  William  N 497 

Trackwell.  Benjamin  F. . .  .643 

Trackwell,  LeRoy 600 

Tucker,  Hon.  C.  H 661 

Tucker,  Rev.  Dexter 595 

Tudhope,  John 565 

Turner,  James  L 526 

Tyler,  Freeman 336 

Tyler,  John .54 


U 

Ummethun,  George .521 

Underwood,  Junius 547 

Usher,  Hon.  John  P 135 

V 

Van  Buren,  Martin 46 

Van  Neste,  H.  G 657 

VanVoorhis,  Lansing 663 

W 

Wade,  Hon.  A.B 659 

Walter,  Joseph  E 838 

Walter,  W.  W.,  M.  D 841 

Warring,  J.  w.,  M.  D 799 

Washburn,  George  P 482 

Washington,  George 18 

Watts,  Hon.  J.  C 812 

Weaver,  John  F 834 

Weeks,  P.  H .'583 

Weelborg,  Frederick 535 

Weimer,JamesH 818 

Wells,  George 499 

Welsh,  Hon.  H.  p 735 

Westheffer,  Eli 634 

Wherry,Eli  J 669 

Whetstone,  John  H 701 

White,  AlvaE.  B 759 

Wiggin,  Dudley  H 660 

Wilber,  Clark 350 

Wilke,  Adam  L 793 

Williams,  William  H.....".'318 

Williams,  William  R 665 

Williams,  W.Stanley 496 

Willis,  Arthur 470 

Wilson,  Allen  L '.'.'.&10 

Wilson,  William  C 804 

Winkelman,  Jacob 646 

Winter,  Milton  R 802 

Woeber,  Joseph  A 829 

Wohl  from,  Marion  A 800 

Wolf,  Charles  F .306 

Wolfsperger,  G.J 3tB 

Wood,  Edwin  S.,  M.  D.     .  .350 
Wood,  Robert  L.,  M.  D...  349 

Wood,  Rev.  W.  R 383 

Woodlief,  Hon.  W.  H 319 

WoodruS,  W.  G.,  M.   D....626 

Wosser.  Richard  J 098 

Wright,  A.  H..  M.  D 326 

Wright,  John  W 609 

Wright,  Marks 543 

Wulfekuhler,  F.  W 537 

Wulfekuhler,  H.  W 269 

Wulfkuhle,  August 598 


Yewdall,  Joseph 630 

Yohe,  A.  F.,M.  D 715 

Yohe,  William  S 713 

z 

Ziesenis,  August 575 


I 


#704