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PORTRAIT AND
BIOG BAPHICAL
RECORD
LEAVEN WORTH
DOUGLAS AND


FRANK LIN COUNTIES

... P& A N S A. S...
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

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PRE, FACE
HE greatest of English historians, MACAULAY, and one of the most brilliant writers of the
present century, has said: “The history of a country is best told in a record of the lives of its
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 office 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
E
S
UNITED STAT

PRESIDENTS


）
|×
|×
§§
）
|-
§*********
ORGE WASHINGTON.
E.
G

GEORGE WASHINGTON.
HE Father of our Country was born in West-
moreland County, Va., February 22, 1732.
His parents were Augustine and Mary (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, and 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.
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
His spelling
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
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 Dinwiddie 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 Fry, and Maj.
Washington was commissioned Lieutenant-Colo-
nel. Active war was then begun against the
French and Indians, in which Washington took
2O
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
a most important part. In 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. January 17, 1759, he married Mrs. Martha
(Dandridge) 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 of 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 Io, 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 office 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 February, 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
I4th. On the 18th his body was borne with mili-
tary 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.
OHN ADAMS, the second President and the
first Vice-President of the United States, was
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 farmer of limited
means, also engaged in the business of shoe-
making. He gave his eldest son, John, a classical
education at Harvard 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
Blad 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
1ady 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-government. He was a
prominent member of the committee of five ap-
pointed June II 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 history of America. I am apt to believe it
will be celebrated by succeeding generations as
the great anniversary 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 | 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 with England was
signed, January 21, 1783. The re-action from the
excitement, toil and anxiety through which Mr.
Adams had passed threw him 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 government 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 country, 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. Serving
in this office four years, he was succeeded by 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
1eft upon the earth to hail its morning light.
And, as it is well known, on that day two of
these finished their earthly pilgrimage, a coinci-
dence so remarkable as to seem miraculous. For ,
a few days before Mr. Adams had been rapidly
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 his attend-
ants if he knew what day it was 2 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
day.” The last words he uttered were, “Jeffer.
son survives.” But he had, at one o'clock,
resigned his spirit into the hands of his God,
… -. . . . . . ……………--~~~~<<a-º-º-º-aur…se，
№.
№.
THOMAS JEFFERSON.

THOMAS JEFFERSON.
HOMAS JEFFERSON was born April 2,
1743, at Shadwell, Albemarle County, Va.
His parents were Peter and Jane (Ran-
dolph) Jefferson, the former a native of Wales,
and the latter born in London. 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 gay 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 lawyer. 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 1769 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 Secretary
of State in Washington’s cabinet. This position
he resigned January I, I 794. 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 unanimity, George Clin-
ton being elected Vice-President.
The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second ad-
ministration was disturbed by an event which
threatened the tranquillity and peace of the Union;
this was the conspiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated
in the late election to the Vice-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 generally 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-
ployed in offices of the greatest trust and respon-
sibility. Having thus devoted the best part of
his life to the service of his country, he now felt
desirous of that rest which his declining years 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 country home, which, next to Mt. Vernon,
was the most distinguished residence in the land.
The Fourth of July, 1826, being the fiftieth an-
niversary of the Declaration of American Inde-
pendence, great preparations were made in every
part of the Union for its celebration as the nation's
jubilee, and the citizens of Washington, to add to
the solemnity of the occasion, invited Mr. Jeffer-
son, as the framer and one of the few surviving
signers of the Declaration, to participate in their
festivities. But an illness, which had been of
several weeks’ duration and had been continually
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 recovery. From this time he was
perfectly sensible that his last hour was at hand.
On the next day, which was Monday, he asked
of those around him the day of the month, and
on being told it was the 3d of July, he ex-
pressed the earnest wish that he might be per-
mitted to breathe the air of the fiftieth anniver-
sary. 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 festivities 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-
trymen; for half a century they had labored to-
gether for the good of the country, and now hand
in hand they departed. In their lives they had
been united in the same great cause of liberty,
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 silvery, 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
hospitality was so unbounded that all found at
his house a ready welcome. In conversation he
was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic, and his
1anguage 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 style upon the best models of antiquity.
*** *
* & \s）.
JAMES MADISON.


JAMES MADISON.
AMES MADISON, “Father of the Consti-
tution,” and fourth President of the United
States, was born March 16, 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 republic 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 family were among the early emi-
grants to the New World, landing upon the shores
of the Chesapeake but fifteen years after the settle-
ment of Jamestown. The father of James Madison
was an opulent planter, residing upon a very 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 1771, 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 efficiency
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 treatthewhisky-lov-
ing voters, and consequently lost his election; but
those who had witnessed the talent, energy and
public spirit of the modest young man enlisted
themselves in his behalf, and he was appointed to
the Executive Council.
Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson 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 January,
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.
Five 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, 1787, to draft
a Constitution for the United States, to take the
place of the Confederate League. The delegates
met at the time appointed. Every State but
Rhode Island was represented. George Washing-
32 JAMES MADISON.
ton was chosen president of the convention, and the
present Constitution of the 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 Secretary 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 18th 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, 1813, was re-elected by a
large majority, 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, 1813, 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 officers 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 Présidential 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, 1815, the treaty of peace was
signed at Ghent. On the 4th of March, 1817, 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.
JAMES MON ROE.

JAMES MONROE.
AMES MONROE, the fifth President of the
United States, was born in Westmoreland
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 sufficiently 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 ménths 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 infantry, 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 Lord 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 much 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 line of distinction entire territory of Orleans and district of Loui-
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. re
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 office for three years. He was again
sent to France to co-operate with Chancellor Liv-
ingston in obtaining the vast territory 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
sº
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 our
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, 1817, 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.
|×
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JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.


JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.
t
OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the sixth President
of the United States, was born in the rural
home of his honored father, John Adams, in
Quincy, Mass., on the 11th 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 Leyden.
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 left 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
4O
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.
him immediately among the most prominent and
influential members of that body.
In 1809, 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 observa-
tions; while he kept up a familiar 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 day.
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, 1819, for the United
States. On the 18th of August, he again crossed
the threshold of his home in Quincy. During the
eight years 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 ninety-
nine; John Quincy Adams eighty-four; William
H. Crawford forty-one; and Henry 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 history of our country 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 country, 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. Calhoun 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 slavery,
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 21st of February, 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 conveyed 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.”
\，，
AN
IDR
EW
JACKS
ON


ANDREW
NDREW JACKSON, the seventh President.
of the United States, was born in Waxhaw
settlement, N. C., March 15, 1767, a few
days 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 1781, 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. “I am a prisoner of war, not your serv-
ant,” was the reply of the dauntless boy.
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 Salisbury, N. C. He,
howeyer, 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 1791, 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-
formed a second time, but the occurrence was
often used by his enemies to bring Mr. Jackson
into disfavor.
JACKSON.
In January, 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 Jefferson was his idol. He ad-
mired Bonaparte, loved 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 1812 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 Benton’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 life 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 office 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 BUREN.


MARTIN VAN BUREN.
ARTIN VAN BUREN, the eighth Presi-
dent of the United States, was born at Kin-
derhook, N. Y., December 5, 1782. He
died at the same place, July 24, 1862. His body
rests in the cemetery 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 decidedly 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-office 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 industry. After spending six years
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 Federal
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 1815, 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 suffrage” which admits
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 every 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 1821 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 singleness of his endeavors to
promote the interests of all 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
he went the same autumn. The Senate, however,
—w
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 Mf. 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,
1841, 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 Lindenwald, 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.
ILLIAM 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 Henry, of course, enjoyed 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-
tary 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 18oo 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 traffic.
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 Par,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 any 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 every 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 bayo-
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 difficult to place a man
in a situation demanding more energy, 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 1819, 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.
§.
§
ſae
JOHN TYLER.

JOHN TYLER.
OHN TYLER, the tenth President of the
United States, and was born in Charles
City County, Va., March 29, 1790. He was
the favored child of affluence 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 lawyers 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 party, 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 his career had been
very 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.
1n 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 office. 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-
iected a Whig cabinet. Should he retain them,
and thus surround himself with counselors whose
views were antagonistic to his own 2 or, on the
other hand, should he turn against the party
which had elected him, and select a cabinet in
narmony 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
SU1CCCSSOT.
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.
AMES K. POLK, the eleventh President of
the United States, was born in Mecklenburgh
County, 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 by most of the members of the
Polk family, 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 Maury County, they erected their log huts
and established their homes. In the hard toil of
a new farm in the wilderness, James K. Polk
spent the early years of his childhood and youth.
His father, adding the pursuit of a surveyor 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 early 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 industry, 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 sedentary 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 1815, 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 every 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 o
the United States. -
In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah
Childress, of Rutherford County, Tenn. His
bride was altogether worthy 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. POLK.
from the fact, that for fourteen successive years,
or until 1839, he was continued in that office. 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 office 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 was
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 Lower 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,OOO,OOO 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 was
then but fifty-four years of age. He had always
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
I5th of June, 1849, in the fifty-fourth year of his
age, greatly mourned by his countrymen.
ZACHARY TAYLOR.

ZACHARY TAYLOR.
ACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth President of
, the United States, was born on the 24th of
November, 1784, in Orange County, Va.
His father, Col. Taylor, was a Virginian of
note, and a distinguished patriot and soldier of
the Revolution. When Zachary 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 first 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 1812, the Indians,
stealthily, and in large nnmbers, moved upon the
fort. Their approach was first indicated by 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 came 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 his
post. Every 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.
sulted 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, 1838, 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
command, and was stationed over the Department
of the Southwest. This field embraced Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Establishing
his headquarters at Ft. Jessup, in Louisiana, 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 boundary 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 victóries 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 qualified 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 probably 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. g
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 affec-
tions of the people, and the Nation bitterly ia-
mented his death.
Zºº -
º
º
ºf
--~~
MILL ARD FILL MORE.

MILLARD FILLMORE.
ILLARD FILLMORE, thirteenth President
of the United States, was born at Summer
Hill, Cayuga County, N. Y., on the 7th of
January, 1800. 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,
Rind-hearted. The sacred iufluences of home
had taught him to revere the Bible, and had laid
the foundations of an upright character. When
fourteen years of age, his father sent him some
hundred miles from home to the then wilds of
Livingston 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 library. 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 pecuniary 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
* offered 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 every 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 opportunity for a sudden rise in
fortune or in fame. Here, in 1826, he married a
lady of great moral worth, and one capable of
68 MILLARD FILLMORE.
adorning any station she might be called to fill,—
Miss Abigail Powers. e
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. f
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 signally 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 PIER CE.


FRANKLIN PIERCE.
RANKLIN PIERCE, the fourteenth Presi-
dent of the United States, was born in Hills-
borough, N. H., November 23, 1804. 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 unvarying courtesy of his demeanor, his rank
as a scholar, and genial nature, rendered him a
universal favorite. 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
lawyers 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
grº
72 FRANKLIN PIERCE.
Mr. Pierce into the army. 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 Law,
which so shocked the religious sensibilities of the
North. He thus became distinguished as a
“Northern man with Southern principles.” The
strong partisans of slavery in the South conse-
quently regarded him as a man whom they could
safely trust in office to carry 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 slavery 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 every
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 affairs when Presi-
dent Pierce approached the close of his four-
years term of Office. The North had become
thoroughly alienated from him. The anti-slavery
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
fidelity 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-
bly serve 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 rapidly 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-slavery 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.
BUCH AN AN.


JAMES BUCHANAN.
AMES BUCHANAN, the fifteenth President
of the United States, was born in a small
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 save 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.
IIe 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. fe
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-
dency, 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 country, 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 State, and as
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
into 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 I,340,618 for Fremont,
I,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-slavery 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, 1860,
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 agony, 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 1, 1868. *
ABRAHAM LIN COLN.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
BRAHAM LINCOLN, the sixteenth Presi-
dent of the United States, was born in Hardin
County, Ky., February 12, 1809. About
the year 1780, a man by the name of Abraham
Lincoln 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 poverty 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 Lincoln
built a log cabin, and married Nancy Hanks, the
daughter of another family of poor Kentucky
emigrants, who had also come from Virginia.
Their second child was Abraham Lincoln, 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, Ill.
Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years
of age. With vigorous hands he aided his father
in rearing another log cabin, and worked quite
diligently at this until he saw the family 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 County,
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-office 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 1834 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 1839
he removed to Springfield and began the practice
of law. His success with the jury was so great
8O ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
that 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 Republican 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, form a most notable part of his history.
The issue was on the slavery 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 16th of June, 1860. 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.
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,
1861, 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
William H.
hour of the night. The train 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 last
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.
NDREW JOHNSON, seventeenth President
of the United States. The early life of An-
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
liſe, 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. Agen-
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 these 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 laboriously, 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.
fie 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, identifying himself 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 1841, 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. x |
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 1860,
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 established 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 everything possible to the ut-
most. In the beginning of 1868, on account of
—º
“High crimes and misdemeanors,” the principal
of which was the removal of Secretary Stanton in
violation of the Tenure of Office 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, notwithstanding the great
majority against him. The change of one vote
from the not guilty side would have sustained the
impeachment. * º
The President, for the remainder of his term,
was but little regarded. He continued, though
impotently, his conflict with Congress. His own
party did not think it expedient to renominate
bim 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.
--~~~~
3-º
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--~.
--
ULYSSES S. GRAN'T".


ULYSSES S. GRANT.
ſysSES 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
T 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
first 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 military posts on the
frontier. The discovery 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 farmer, and finding his toil not re-
munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering
into the leather business, with a younger brother
at Galena, Ill. This was in the year 1860. 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 office to assist in the volunteer organiza-
tion that was being formed in the State in behalf
of the Government. On the 15th of June, 1861,
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 army, 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
88 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 military district
of Tennessee was assigned to him.
Like 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. 3.
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 of
June, I872, 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 Army, and retired by Congress. The cancer
Soon finished its deadly work, and July 23, 1885,
the nation went in mourning over the death of
the illustrious General.
RUTHER FORD B. HAYES.


RUTHERFORD B. HAYES.
UTHERFORD B. HAYES, the nineteenth
President of the United States, was born in
Delaware, Ohio, October 4, 1822, almost
three months after the death of his father, Ruther-
ford Hayes. His ancestry 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 Hayes 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 1680, 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 Lee, 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 born.
He was married, in September, 1813, to Sophia
Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors
emigrated thither from Connecticut, they having
been among the wealthiest and best families of
Norwich. Her ancestry on the male side is
traced back to 1635, to John Birchard, one of the
principal founders of Norwich. Both of her grand-
fathers were soldiers in the Revolutionary 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
1812, 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 1817. 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. These 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;
92 TUTHERFORD 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 office 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 1845, 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 Literary Club brought
Mr. Hayes into constant association with young
men of high character and noble aims, and lured
bim to display the qualities so long hidden by his
loashfulness and modesty.
In 1856 he was nominated to the office 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. Sumter 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.
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（ſ.
JAME
S. A. GARFIELD
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JAMES A GARFIELD.
AMES A. GARFIELD, twentieth President
of the United States, was born November 19,
1831, in the woods of Orange, Cuyahoga
County, Ohio. His parents were Abram and
Eliza (Ballou) Garfield, both of New England
ancestry, 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,
early 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, Mary 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
Letcher, 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 11, 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 Io, 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 military history 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
years 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, 1881, 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 1st of July
he had completed all the initiatory and prelimi-
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 the 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 surpassingly great
in death. He passed serenely away September
19, 1883, at Elberon, N.J., Ón 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.
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CHESTER A. ARTHUR.


CHESTER A. ARTHUR.
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, Henry 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.
gress voted a gold medal to his widow in recog-
nition of the bravery 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
Con-
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 employed to
represent the people, and they won their case,
which then went to the Supreme Court of the
United States. Charles O'Conor here espoused
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 service was rendered by Gen.
Arthur in the same cause in 1856. 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
offices he rendered great service to the Govern-
IOO
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 office 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.
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2:
STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND.

STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND.
TEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND, the
twenty-second President of the United States,
was born in 1837, in the obscure town of
Caldwell, Essex County, 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 office 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
w
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 salary, 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
IO4
STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND.
put that into your head 2 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 library, 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 Mayor 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 II, 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.
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BENJAMIN HARRISON.





BENJAMIN
ENJAMIN HARRISON, the twenty-third
President, is the descendant of one of the
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 history 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
I774, 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
I812, 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,
HARRISON.
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 country 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 ºthere 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 186O, Mr. Harrison was nominated for the
position of Supreme Court Reporter, and then be-
gan his experience as a stump speaker. He can-
IOS BENJAMIN
HARRISON.
vassed the State thoroughly, and was elected by
a handsome majority.
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 lawyers 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 1888 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-
In 1862 he raised the
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 1892 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-slavery 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.
ILLIAM McKINLEY, who was inaugu-
rated President of the United States in 1897,
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 Io, 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,
I84O.
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-
*aces 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 1867 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
II 2
WILLIAM McKINLEY.
first connection with political affairs was in 1869,
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 legitimaterights
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 linesthan 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 majority, supported these 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.


*
INTRODUCTORY
IOGRAPHY 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 lineaments 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.

º

24. / 4 ſº.....

BIOGRAPHICAL
ON. 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, 1818, 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 1860), 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
°9′sumed much of her time, she gave careful
thought also to their mental training and im-
planted in their hearts principles of honor and
*3rity. 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. Tºa
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-

I 2.2
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
companied them as physician for a colony. They
arrived in Kansas City April Io, 1849, and on
the Ioth 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’ 7%ribune 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 1, 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 of ten. 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 way.
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 authority 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 1 I 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.
I 2 I
hundred pro-slavery men and there were only six
nundred men to defend it, he was chosen major-
general of the forces and assisted in 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 office 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, in 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-
nuous 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 may 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
I 2.2
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 fitness for
public office, his fellow-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
1<nowledge. 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. Henry
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 Warren, 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, 1851,
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
--"
I 23
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Exterior 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.
ELLINGTON Y. LEONARD, M. D., a
1eading physician of Lawrence and coro-
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-
Iowing 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-
1owing 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 Derrick, 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 county 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 Associa-
tion. In religion he is a member of the Baptist
Church, and is serving upon the board of trus-
tees of the same.
ON. 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
I 24
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 boyhood 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 by 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 by 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 finally
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 born 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 1812 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 1848 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, Mr. 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.
I 25
General Moore was a member of the original
town company of Leavenworth, 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
1861 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 offices.
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 been 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-
mals, papers, etc., together with his personal
recollections in writing, concerning those 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.
I 26
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
ON. 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 inseparably 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 $3.50
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. Carney 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, from participation in
business affairs.
The connection of Mr. Carney with affairs of
state dates from the fall of 1861, 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
I2, 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 money,
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.
127
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 $1
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 different 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 horse 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 official 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 Io, 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 affairs, nevertheless
found opportunity to identify himself with every
project for the public welfare and advancement.
His death, the result of apoplexy, occurred July
28, 1888, 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
I 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.
Y EN. 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-
chusetts, 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 officer. 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 presentreservation 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 academy 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.
I29
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 Io,
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 Hèart 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, Percy
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, Kans. The older daughter,
Mary R., was educated in Elmira College in New
York and became the wife of Arthur Peabody,
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 1861 he moved his family on the bluffs 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
I3O
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
and means committee. While a member he cast
the deciding vote in favor of Lawrence 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, he held 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 1864 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
I4, 1898, and his remains were interred in Mount
Muncie Cemetery at Leavenworth.
EN. 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 1ed 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.
I3 I
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 1aw. 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 1st
I 32
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 11th, 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-
ment 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. -
ON. 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.
6* º

*icº
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
I 35
Kansas in the United States congress. By 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.
ON. JOHN PALMER USHER. In pre-
senting to the readers of this volume the
biography of Judge Usher, we are perpetuat-
ing the life record of one who was once prominent
in the public affairs of our country 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.
Indian River at Sharp's Landing.
Judge Usher was born in New York, the son 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
He died in a
hospital at Philadelphia, April 13, 1889, 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.
2
136
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
the came within one vote of being elected to the
United States senate, and it is said that the vote
he 1acked 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.
EV. RICHARD CORDLEY, A. M., D. D.
To this gentleman, often alluded to as the
‘‘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.
I 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 1868, at the age of
eighty years, having spent his last days 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
17oo, 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
138
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 1885 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
1871 he was elected president of the college, but
declined, preferring to remain in 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.
EN. JOHN N. ROBERTS, a resident of
Lawrence for the past thirty years, was born
at Mecca, Trumbull County, Ohio, July 3,
I838, 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 machinery 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 Beverly
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 Company D, same regiment, and
in November, 1864, was commissioned major of
the regiment.
Upon the organization of the Cavalry Corps,
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
I39
Army of the Potomac, commanded first by Gen-
eral Stoneman, then by General Pleasanton, and
during the last eighteen months of the war, by
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 very severely wounded
while taking part in a cavalry 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 years 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. L. Armstrong, who re-
sides at Topeka, Kans.
Mr. Roberts was elected as the candidate of the
Republican party to the 1egislature 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.
ON. 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 difficult
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,
1883. 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 affairs. 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 and 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
I4O
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
responsible one. He was also chief of forage
parties whose duty 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. Later
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.
ELSON O. STEVENS. Among those who
have acted in the capacity of traveling audi-
tor of the southern Kansas division of the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad system,
few have filled the position so efficiently 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, Ill., May II, 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 Åansas, 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.
I4 I
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.
ON. 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 1861, 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 nursery west
of town. After two years 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, 50XII'7,
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. They 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. w
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-
pecially in curbing, have been made. In the fall
of 1866 he became a member of Lodge No. 4,
I. O. O. F., with which he is still connected, and
he is also a past officer 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.
ENRY JANSEN, a resident of Leavenworth
since 1866, is in charge of an insurance and
steamship agency at No. 2 Io 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
I42
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, was 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.
OL. 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. t-
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
I858. 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-
try. One incident, which shows his bravery in
battle, is as follows: When Price, with about
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-
1ess 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
1ost 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-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
crats were in the minority 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
by Case Broderick. He was offered the candida-
cy for governor in 1882 but refused, and George
Glick 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
Walſ.
OL. D. R. ANTHONY. From the time of
his settlement in Leavenworth, in June,
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 possessed in an unusual
degree. Of later years (since May, 1871,) he
I45
has been best known as the owner and editor of
the Leavenworth 77mes, 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 1646.
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., where Burgoyne 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 1ater 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 I854, 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,
1861, and which he filled for five years. In 1863
he was elected mayor by a large majority. His
I46
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.
L. M. Koehler, U. S. A., now stationed at Fort
Grant, Ariz. ; and Daniel R., Jr., postmaster at
Leavenworth, 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 Leavenworth
and make certain improvements on the levee.
From 1872 to 1874 he served as mayor of Leaven-
worth, and in the fall of 1873 was elected to the
legislature. April 3, 1874, President Grant
appointed him postmaster at Leavenworth, 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 Leavenworth
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 Lawrence, 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 Times. In January, 1876, he purchased
the Commercial, which he united with the Times,
thus acquiring complete control of all the morn-
ing papers of Leavenworth. 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-day
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.
ON. THOMAS J. STERNBERGH. The
life history of this citizen of Lawrence 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.
I47
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 rôde 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 1873 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 1882 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
I48
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.
ON. 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 18oo, 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 asso-
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.
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, afterward 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, diēd while serving as
county clerk of Livingston County, Ill. Thomas
W., who graduated with honors from Shurtleff
College, Upper Alton, Ill., in 1857, and from
Rochester Theological Seminary, held pastorates
in Baptist churches at Litchfield and Bunker
Hill, Ill.; Fort Scott and Junction City, Kans.;
and Denver, Colo. In 1876 he removed to Cali-
FHe
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
I49
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 Lecompton 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 Rollin’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
I857, 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
**.
man of his identity after a time.
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
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 1865 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 presbytery, 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. John, 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
I5O
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 elapsed 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, 1860, 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.
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 the purpose 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,
I5 I
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 Lawrence 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, Ill., 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, Ill., 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 1891 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.
ON. 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-
1and, 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 the 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
I52
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 1870 he bought several
hundred acres in Leavenworth County, but this
property 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 Ryan 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 family 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 affairs, 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 1eading 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 city, 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.
I55
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 1876, 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 years; 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.
ON, 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
Oile of the oldest and largest in the country,
ranking as the one hundred and eighty-second in
the list of national banks in the United States,
and as the first among those west of the Missouri
River. e
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 1, 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 commissary 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.
3
I56
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 military
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
1ine 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 1871 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 1888 the busi-
ness was gradually closed down, although the
company is still in existence, its affairs not hav-
ing been entirely settled.
During his 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 City
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.
OL. FRANKLIN EYRE HUNT. The life
which this narrative sketches began at
Hunt's Mills, N. J., January 1, 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.
I 57
States Military Academy at West Point from New
Jersey, he was a student in that school from July
1, 1824, to July 1, 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, I834, 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, 1838; 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 1864. 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
flis wife embraced the Catholic faith. He was
baptized in the archbishop's home, March 8, 1843,
by Rev. H. B. Coskery, 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 Cemetery. -
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,
1891. 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
officer 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.
Coppinger and 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.
IPLEY 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
nas 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-
1isted 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 1812. 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 Wesleyan 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 suc-
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
I59
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, OOO, with depos-
its aggregating more than $700,000.
In politics Mr. Sparr is a free-coinage Demo-
crat, believes in tariff for revenue only, is opposed
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.
ness in which he so long engaged required his
presence in different points and prevented him
from accepting local offices 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, Ill., January 25, I84O,
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.,
*Pril 11, 1793, and was a son of Richard Critch-
field, whose father was John Critchfield, of Berk-
shire, England. The only child born of Mr.
However, the nature of the busi-
Sparr's first marriage, C. W. Sparr, was born in
Lawrence August 5, 1864, and is employed in
the Lawrence National Bank; in 1886 he married
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) McIlhany. Her father was a
son of Maj. James McIlhany, 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 Io, 1839, and in
girlhood 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, 1eaving
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.
ASON POWERS RICHARDSON. The
life record of this pioneer of 1855 in Leaven-
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.
I635. Lots were assigned them in Malden in
I638, 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 1714. 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
I728. By his wife, Abigail, daughter of Israel
Reed, he had a son, Israel, who was born in
Woburn in 17 Io 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 18Oo.
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 (18oo).
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, Ellen, 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.OO. 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.
I6 I
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 by southern
sympathizers, his wife remained in Leavenworth,
in spite of threats, and took care of their
property.
After 1861 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.
TESSE 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.
I62
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 Wesley, and an Englishman
once remarked that ‘‘You cannot find a Pether-
bridge in England who is not a Methodist.”
John Petherbridge (1st) 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 bishops 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 family
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 1860 became a resi-
dent of Kansas. For some time he made his
home in Atchison County, but after a few years
moved to Leavenworth 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
2.8%22

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
I65
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 diligent 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. In the 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.
ON. 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
nature 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, Ill., 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
1860 he was elected county treasurer, assuming
the duties of the office 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, I11. 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-adjutant-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, Ill. 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 1875 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 1889, Captain
I66
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 mayor. He
is a member of the Kansas Commandery of Loyal
Legion and George H. Thomas Post No. 18,
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. 1 1,
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.
OL. JOHN GIDEON HASKELL. The
Haskell 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 youngest 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, offer 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.
167
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 postoffice 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
I68
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 Revolutionary 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 affairs and the
promoter of large business projects, his name is
entitled to remembrance in history.
ON. 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 1817,
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 18 II,
was a child of six years. In boyhood 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 offices 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. With 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 officer, 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.
I69
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 county. 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 in the progress of the city with whose
progress his own life has been inseparably con-
nected.
Mr. Harris is a charter member of George H.
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. II,
K. T. His marriage took place in Farmington,
I11., 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, Ill., 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. -*
ON. WILLIAM CYRUS HOWARD has
made his home upon a farm in Palmyra
Township, Douglas County, 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 1888 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, 1812,
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
17o
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 grandfather of our subject, Abner
Howard, was born at Briar Ridge, Va., and
migrated to Kentucky about 1800. During the
war of 1812 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
1atter was a brave soldier, and served in the war
of 1812; 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 him
fired with enthusiasm in behalf of the Union.
July 9, 1861, he enlisted in the Fourth Inde-
pendent Ohio Cavalry, and was with McPherson
as body guard for two years, 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 sheriff, 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.
OHN W. PARCELS, president of the Jewett
Milling Company of Eudora, Douglas Coun-
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 to Fairbury, Living-
ston County, Ill., 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,
171
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, of Topeka,
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, Ill., 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 indispensable 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
the 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.
EORGE 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, Ill., 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
I891 he opened a grocery business, which he has
172
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 1897 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. Io, F. of A., in
both of which lodges he has held offices.
ILLIAM HUGHES. During the entire
period since the earliest settlement of Kan-
sas, Mr. Hughes has been identified with
its history. 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 years 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 of the Quan-
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., L.L. D.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
175
August 28, 1858, Mr. Hughes married Ellen J.,
daughter of Alexander and Jane (McWilliams)
Robinson, of Sharpsburg, Pa. They 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.
RANCIS HUNTINGTON SNow, Ph. D., LL.D.,
chancellor of the University of Kansas,
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 1872,
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 1896 he was
made chancellor, which responsible position he
has since filled with the greatest efficiency. The
subsequent growth has been most gratifying. In
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
(1898–99) 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 arſd 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, OOO,
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 162o 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-
4. º
176
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 Rollstone 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 a son of 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 (3d), was a son of James (2d), the
son of James Boutelle (1st), 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-
1and, 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 (1st), was the first
town clerk of Norwich, Conn., and, with the ex-
ception of two terms, the office 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 (1st) 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
I691. 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 1862, 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.
177
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 1414
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
Q. Case, a professor in the Wisconsin state Nor-
mal at Milwaukee. The youngest children are
Rdith 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 1881 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. -
t?8
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.
OHN 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 1812, and
whose father served in the colonial army during
the Revolution. In the family of James H.
Johns there were eight children, but only 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
fle 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.
OSEPH. H. HARRISON, a retired farmer of
Wakarusa Township, Douglas County,
was born in Alabama, December 22, 1828.
He is descended from one of five brothers who
came to America prior to the Revolutionary war
and settled in different parts of the country, 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 way,
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 very recently. He has
witnessed the growth of the place from a hamlet
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
I79
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 finelocation.
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.
USTAV A. GRAEBER, member of the firm
of Graeber Brothers, of Lawrence, is a man
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
*mer, and diver he has no superior, and in
boating he is also an expert. On three after-
*ons 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 office 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 1812-15, taking part of the battles of Leip-
sic and Waterloo, and died in Germany May 5,
I866, 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-half
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 Ioth of
I8O
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
July. He proceeded via Chicago to LaSalle, Ill.,
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.
ROF. GEORGE. B. PENNY. There is no
department connected with the University of
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
/*
piano forte, 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. I.,
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-
lmead, L. I. In a very early day the Penny fami-
ly settled in Connecticut and later removed from
there to 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
1umber 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 18 II, 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.
I8 I
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 shortly 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.; Laura, 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 I890 he re-
signed this position in order to become a profes-
* 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 1899-1900,
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
Dixons there. Professor and Mrs. Penny have
two sons, Carl and Vernon.
APT. 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 city, 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,
I834, the subject of this sketch is a son of James
and Julia Ann (Graham) Johnson, natives of
Pennsylvania. When he was three years of age
I82
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, Ill.; 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 office of clerk of the
criminal court, also served as deputy clerk of
the district court for two years.
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
Recognizing his
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 Populists
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
state. It is doubtful if there are many citizens
who take a keener interest in publie 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 Company 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, Ill. Seven children
were born of their union, four of whom are living,
viz.: Paul B., proprietor of the Bell steam laundry

PortRAIt AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
I85
in 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.
ON. 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, Jefferson
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 1812 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.
William was born March 6, 1763, and graduated
with honors from Dickinson College at Carlisle,
Pa. In 1791 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 in 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 pastor 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 1, 1835. In 1851
I86
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., 1ater 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 1885 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, 1861, 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-
ited citizens whose sound judgment has
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:
1ongs 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.
187
connection with the planning and building of the
bridge immediately 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, OOO, 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 office building in Leavenworth, and is
as large as any in the city.
Through the efforts of Mr. Snyder the oft-
discussed 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 1, 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,
Ill., where he died. Mrs. Snyder was educated
I88
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
in the Evanston Female Seminary at Evanston,
Ill. She is a refined and cultured lady, 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. 1, 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 Pennsylvania. 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 mother
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, 1871, 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 1, 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.
189
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 1, 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, at 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, Illinois, 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 1, 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 1898; 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. D. 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 past
master, Adah Chapter No. 7, Eastern Star, in
I 90
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.
SAAC. L. HOOVER, a farmer and stock-
raiser of Marion Township, Douglas County,
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 is now officiating
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,
I9 I
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.: Ida L., 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.
MOS G. HONNOLD is one of the veterans
of the Civil war now residing in Lawrence.
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 County 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 2 5, I863, 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 Perryville
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.
I92
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
During his service he had many 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 hardly able to ride, much less per-
form the duties of the office tendered him.
After some years on a farm in Ohio Mr. Hon-
nold came to Kansas, in October, 1869, seeking a
suitable location. January 1, 1870, he located
in Lawrence, 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.
UDGE 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, Ill., and there
carried on 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, Ill., 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.
tº />

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
I95
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 effects 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, I11.; Edwin L., who is his
father’s successor in business; and Mrs. Margaret
Forsythe, of Kansas City, Mo.
*
ON. 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
dox Quaker society.
was a Republican in politics and a staneh 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
country, 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 forty-two
years containing such a population, such wealth,
such value of agricultural lands, such vast agri-
cultural products.”
The life herein sketched began at Mayfield,
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-
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
5
I96
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
character in later years. In Park Church, Syra-
cuse, N. Y., December 14, 1852, he married Miss
Rosa Lyon, 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 Bulletin 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. w
In December, 1867, Mr. Anthony was appointed
assistant assessor of internal revenue, and was
made collector of internal revenue July II, 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."
I 97
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 1881 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; member of council of Kansas Com-
mandery, 1887–88; and commander of Kansas
Commandery, 1893–94. In all 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.
ON. 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 affair, 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
I98
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 company 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 the First 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 Leavenworth 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 Mr. 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 1egislature, 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 1871. 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 1, 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 Milford, Mass., born March
I4, 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 Thayer, 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.
Clara (Metcalf) 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, 1813, and died April
11, 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.
EMUEL HERBERT MURLIN, D. D. To
assume the duties of president of a univer-
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
office, 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 (1898–1899) close with an attendance of
five hundred and sixty-eight, the largest in the
history of the school.
Dr. Murlin was born near N eptune, Mercer
I99
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 parents.
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
2OO
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
office or that his name was before the board for
consideration until he received by 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 scholarly and helpful as an in-
structor. However, it is perhaps his executive
ability that is his most noticeable trait of charac-
iter. When he began as president, in September,
1894, the university was struggling beneath an
indebtedness of $16, ooo. Efforts 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 library 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 member
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 1897 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.
OL. 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 1, 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 academy. In the spring of
PoRTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
2O I
1861 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,
Ky. 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 off 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, Ill., 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
I4, 1863; Tupelo, Miss., July 14, 1864; Oldtown
Creek, Miss., July 15, 1864; Hurricane Creek,
August 14, 1864; Nashville, Tenn., December
I5-16, 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
of Joliet, Ill. 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, 1898. 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
I879. Among her relatives were several who
2O2
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
Clough and was 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. & L.”
(Signed)
W. H. Fletcher,
F. P. Cochran,
} 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 Doniinion. 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, Ill.; Sarah, wife of J. H. Shawhan; and
Helen, widow of Joseph Johnson, of Indianapolis,
Ind. Major Jones was born in Athens County,
Ohio, January 5, 1838, and was reared near Paris,
Ill., where he studied in the public schools and
academy. He began to read medicine under a
PoRTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD."
2O3
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 Io, 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, Ill., 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 he 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, I11.
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.
OHN W. SPRATLEY. In reviewing the
history of any community there are always a
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 $11,000, and
is one of the substantial concerns of Kansas. The
recipient of the patronage of many of the busi-
ness men, as well as large numbers of private
citizens of Leavenworth, its deposits on the last
day of June, 1899, were $410, III.34, with a capi-
tal stock of $30,000, and undivided profits $10,-
OOO, surplus $11,500, while its loans and dis-
counts reached the gratifying figure of almost
$3OO,OOO. -
The life which this narrative sketches began
in Surry County, Va., January 23, 1834, upon
the plantation of Junius Nicholas Spratley, of
2O4
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 early 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. Spratley, 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.
ILLWYN 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 Io, 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 only 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.
2O5
of Chester County, later became recorder. In
1861 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 office 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 he 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 assistant 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. 1 17, G. A. R.
He has full charge of all financial matters in the
treasurer’s office at the Soldiers' Home and dis-
charges his responsible duties with accuracy and
fidelity. -
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 whose
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, Ill., and in 1861 promoted
to train dispatcher. In 1862 he was called to
2O6
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Jefferson Barracks, Mo., by Major Smith, and
placed in charge of the military telegraph service
during the remainder of the war. Two years
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 day.
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 only 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. Io, A. F. & A. M. In
1866 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 reeeived the degrees of
royal, select and super-excellent master in Leav-
enworth Council No. 1, 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 1881, 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.
2O7
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, Ill.
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.
EPP 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 early age he has been inter-
ested in the cattle business. Associated with his
older brother and their father, in 1876 he began
trailing cattlé 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 extensively 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,
they 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-
2O8
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
ware store in that place, where he built up an
extensive business and continued at the head of
the establishment until 1898, when he sold out.
In 1894 he was elected mayor of Miles City,
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.
APT. 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, Ill., 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."
2O9
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, 1eading 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, I11. *
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
I873 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.
ON. 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-
2 IO
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 Mary (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 different 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 small town,
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 early
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 Company
No. 1, 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-
|-ſae
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
2 I 3
ing which time he served as president of the
council. In spite of being frequently urged to
become a candidate for mayor, he has always
declined. In 1869 and 1870 he served as a mem-
ber 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 Glick was elected. Fraternally
he is connected with the Knights of Pythias, and
has served officially in the lodge and encampment
of Odd Fellows, besides being a member of the
grand lodge and the grand encampment.
*-*g, *-*.
ON. WILLIAM A. HARRIS. Whoever
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-
Z611.
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,
among their most prominent representatives of
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 by Louis XIV. of
Augustine, Edwin,
France, and during the religious persecutions of
Charles and James II. of England, large numbers
of Protestants sought refuge from persecution in
America. Among these was Henry Harris, a
Baptist 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 1716, 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, Élizabeth and Ann.
The oldest child, Walton, was born in Brunswick
County, Va., in 1739. He married Rebecca
Lanier, a granddaughter of Elizabeth Washing-
ton, a first cousin of Gen. George Washington.
Their children were: Buckner, Sampson, Joel,
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 houses 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
was given a classical education. He became a
prominent attorney and for ten years practiced
law in Page County, Va. Twice he was elected
to the state legislature of Virginia. In 1841 he
was made a presidential elector, At the same
6
2 I 4
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, 1841, 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 enployed 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 capacity 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
Luray, 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. Findley, 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.
HARLES 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
City, 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 years he was employed in the naval depart-
2 I 5
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 Westchester
County, N. Y. Late in 1855 he went to Rock
Island, Ill., 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, 1861, 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 division 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-
2 I 6
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
pointed chief engineer of the Osage Valley &
Southern Kansas Railroad; which position he
held from February 1, 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, Urbana, 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
brother-in-law, J. B. Gruman, with whom he
coatinued 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 body, 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 free range of 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 property 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 Platt 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, Ill., 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, Ill.; Moore,
on the old homestead; and Cretie, of Jersey ville.
Her father, Jacob K. Stelle, a native of Somerset
County, N. J., settled in Jersey County, Ill., 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.
Jacob K. Stelle was Eliza J. Compton, who was
born in Somerset County, N.J., daughter of Moore
Compton, a farmer there. She is still living and
makes her home in Jerseyville. In religion she
has long been a faithful adherent of the Baptist
Church.
ARSHALL M. JEWETT. A résumé 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 herds 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 many works upon that
subject. Eleazer, a brother of Charles, was born
in Jewett City, and became a pioneer manufactur-
er of cut nails, operating a large plant at Nor-
217
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 Ann (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 Henry
Spring, of Olney, Ill., 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 boyhood,
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, Ill., 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
2 I 8
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 City, 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 they
laid out and incorporated the town of Denver, Mr.
Jewett becoming the owner of a share in the com-
pany. 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 1860 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 Fe and 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 by Indians,
and was corraled for several hours, but finally
drove the red men away. All 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. º
In 1865. 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 1897, 1eaving 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 offered 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.
OHN ALBERT HERNING, proprietor of
the Lawrence canning factory, is at the head
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.
In the factory 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 huridred 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
party. He died on his farm March 20, 1873, 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 182 5
2 I 9
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
1miles 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, 1882, 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 militia
during the Price raid and now lives near Vinland;
Andrew, who enlisted in a Kansas regiment, was
22O
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
taken prisoner at Independence, Mo., finally 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 army, 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 ability, 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 factory. From January,
I895, to January, 1899, 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.
ILLIAM DURHAM MARTIN, M. D.
Few of the residents of Baldwin were more
closely identified with its early history
than was Dr. Martin, who 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
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}}

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
223
graduated in 1851. Opening an office in Nora,
Jo Daviess County, Ill., he remained there for
two years, 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, 1860, Dr. Martin married Miss Cor-
nelia J. Clayton, daughter of William and Alice
Clayton, who were pioneers of Kansas. Mrs.
Martin died August 1, 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.
ON. JOHN D. EDMOND, who was mayor
of the city of Leavenworth, 1897-99, was
born in Vergennes, Addison County, Vt.,
August 29, 1838, 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
sources and energy.
Vermont bar and was connected with Daniel Web-
ster in the management of several cases. To
great natural ability he added a broad education,
thorough knowledge of mankind, and tact, re-
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-
1ery 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 married
a daughter of Capt. William Whiting, a lineal
descendant of Rose Standish. He left only one
child, Harriet Lavergne Ducasse.
224
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Reared in Vermont, the father of our subject
was sixteen when he went south. He engaged
in the cotton brokerage business 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 thirty-eight years 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 wealthy
shipowner and merchant, who finally lost all of
his property and died in France, his family later
returning to the United States. While James
Vail was on a vacation trip to England the war
of 1812 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
Henry, 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-
1ey. About 1855 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 office effi-
ciently, giving his entire attention to the dis-
charge of official duties, but at the end of his term
of office 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 Company 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. 11, A. F. & A. M., of Washington, D. C.,
and joined by dimit King Solomon Lodge No.
Io, 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. 1, R. & S. M.; Leavenworth Commandery
No. 1, K. T.; Abdallah Temple, N. M. S.; and
for six terms served as a member of the Masonic
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
225
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.
ONATHAN AKERS, yardmaster at the
state penitentiary of Kansas, and a respected
citizen of Lawrence, was born in Putnam
County, Ind., August 16, 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 Bluffton, 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 1836, 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, Ill., 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, 1861, he enlisted in Company
D, Second Illinois Cavalry, 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. Lawrence, a
native of Madison County, Ill., 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 1885 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 1, 1897, he was appointed yardmaster
of the state penitentiary, in which capacity 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 1895 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, namely: 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.
ON. E. F. CALDWELL, A. B., L.L. 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 1818 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
extensively engaged in farming and stock-raising
until his death, in 1896, 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 1812 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. Possessing 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 CVniversity
Review, 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 Journal 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 1, 1894. Mean-
time he read law evenings and in 1890 entered
law school, from which he graduated in 1892,
with the degree of L.L. B., delivering the law
oration at the commencement exercises of the
university. º
On the Republican ticket, in June, 1894, Mr.
Caldwell was nominated for the legislature and
was elected by a good majority. 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, OOO 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.
227
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 McFarland, who was
born in Ohio and died in Lawrence in 1887,
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 Extension 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.
APT. RICHARD L. IGEL, who has made
his home in Leavenworth since 1872, and is
now druggist 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, was one of the highly respected
citizens of his native place. Accumulating a
handsome 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 duty 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, 1890, 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
lmember of the Kansas State Pharmaceutical As-
sociation. The Kansas Commandery of the Loyal
Legion and Custer Post No. 12O, 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 1516, 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
1863, and united him with Emma, daughter of
Charles F. Schuessler, M. D., surgeon of the
Sixth Indiana Infantry from Madison, Ind., 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.
DOLPH. C. GRIESA. There is no finer
land for nursery purposes than that which
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 nursery 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 Henry, 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 cin-
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 F., 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, Ill., 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,
Ontario County, N. Y., January 7, 1859, a
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 home town, but in the fall of 188o 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 busy 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. They 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 änd 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.
ILLIAM R. GREEN. In the eastern part
of Grant Township lies one of the valua-
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 Aumerica
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 his 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 East Hampton, Mass., for two years, aſter
23O
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
which he spent a year in Eastman’s Business Col-
lege at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. For eight years
after completing his education he engaged in
farming on the home place, but later sold the
property 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 IO, 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.
ICHOLAS S. CLARKE, proprietor of a liv-
ery and sales stable at Lawrence and a resi-
dent of this city since 1869, was born in
Rushville, Schuyler County, Ill., 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, Ill., 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, Ill., and organized the Republi-
can party. 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 1891, 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, Janies F., lives in Portland, Ore., while
Ancil H. is in Rushville, Ill.
The subject of this sketch was the seventh
among nine sons. He received his education in
public schools and Wesleyan University, at Bloom-
ington, Ill. 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, 50x1 17,
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

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 alleys. The Commercial
Club numbers him among its members. Fra-
ternally 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 Lucy J. Patterson, who was
born in Findlay, Ohio, and in 1855 accompanied
her father, William, to Lawrence, where Mr. Pat-
terson became one of the foremost attorneys of
the city; he was injured at the blowing up of
Hunt's Mills, and after lingering in poor health
for a year he died in 1858. His wife died in
Lawrence in 1890. 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.
ON. JAMES S. EMERY. The life of Judge
Emery, was so intimately connected with
the early 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, 1861, our subject was commissioned
7
234.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
a colonel in 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 Eskridge 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
endowment of $1o, OOO from Amos Lawrence, in
whose honor the city of Lawrence was named.
March 1, 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 Institute). 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 wishes 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 Emery were his by inheritance. He came
of an old Maine family, and was a son of Ira and
Sarah (Stanley) Emery, 11atives of York County,
that state. Through his mother he was a
descendant of English ancestors. As early as
18oo 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 1851, 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
interesting 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 large debt 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 his 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.
DWARD JAMESON. No man has done
more for the advancement of the real-estate
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 Hunsenworth, near
Blanchland, County Durham, England, April 21,
1849, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Clennell)
Jameson. 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 Glasgow. 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 1883 he came
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 citizell, and no
enterprise for the advancement of the city 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 111
the United States.
In Sunderland, Durham, England, Mr. Jame-
son married Miss Jane A. Stephenson, a member
of the family to which belonged George Stephen-
son, the inventor of locomotives. They are the
parents of three children: Arthur E., Frederick
W. and Louise. The elder son, a graduate of the
Art Students' League of New York City, has
since 1895 been an artist on the New York Szey-
236
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
day Journal. The younger son graduated from
high School in 1899, and was captain of the high
School cadet company.
AMUEL H. CARMEAN, who held the office
of sheriff of Douglas County for four terms
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 satisfactory 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 others 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 family 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 ſarming 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 Hannah 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 city 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.
OSIAH. S. FLETCHER was one of the
highly respected residents of Willow Springs
Township, Douglas County, where he owned
an improved farm of one hundred and sixty
acres. He was born in Bethel, Me., February 21,
I833, 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
°ourse of study, he nevertheless laid a solid
foundation upon which he built in later years by
Self-culture. In early manhood he went to
McLean County, Ill., where he secured employ-
ment on a farm, remaining there for two years.
At that time public attention was being drawn
toward Kansas, owing to the conflict between the
pro-slavery and free-state parties. In the spring
of 1857 he came west, 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, 1893, he married
Mrs. Eliza J. Cantrell, of Baldwin. From 1860
until his death Mr. Fletcher was a member of
the Presbyterian Church and for 1many 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
terms 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, 1899, was quite unexpected by his
family.
ATRICK CUMMINGS, one of the earliest
of the pioneers of Lecompton, was born in
County Tipperary, Ireland, August Io,
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 day of December
found him in New Orleans, a stranger, without
money. 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. Louis, 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, Ill., 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
1ater 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 I 5, township 12, range 18.
He built a house, made other improvements and
brought the one hundred and twenty acres under
excellent 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
Miss Bridget Anderson. They became the par-
ents of ten 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 cowboy on the range he later
worked in Wyoming and Dakota for four years.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD,
239
Returning finally 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. g
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. IO, A. F. & A. M., of Leavenworth, and has
attained the thirty-second degree of Scottish Rite.
EV. RUDOLPH. B. GROENER, pastor of
St. John the Evangelist Church of Law-
renee, was born in Zistersdorf, Lower Aus-
tria, a son of Frederick W. and Theresa (Schred1)
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, Ill., he began
gardening, and in that city he remained until his
death. His wife, who was a daughter of Frank
and Mary Schred1, 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 Io,
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 1881. He then came
to America and entered a college at Teutopolis,
Ill., where he remained until the completion of
his English course. Next he matriculated in St.
Meinrad (Ind.) Seminary, where he spent two
years in the study of philosophy and four years
in the study of theology, receiving the minor
orders in 1886, and in 1887 those of sub-deacon
and deacon. February 26, 1888, he was ordained
to the priesthood in Vincennes, Bishop Chatal d
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 1891, 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 1860 a building, 25x5O, 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 Quantrell
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
24O
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
the services are attended by the Catholic Indians
from Haskell Institute and by Catholic students
in the university. Under the supervision of the
rector every 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.
APT. A. JACKSON JENNINGS, one of
the first settlers on the Shawnee Indian
reservation in Douglas County, was born in
Washington County, Pa., December 8, 1829, a
son of De Gras 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 army
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 County, 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 Quantrell 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 efficiency in that body. He was at other
times a candidate for senator and sheriff. 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.
243
Eudora State Bank. Fraternally he is connected
with Eudora 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.
AMES A. LANE, M. D. There are few of
the physicians and surgeons of Leavenworth
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 affairs. 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-
1owed 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 1881, with the degree of M. D.
Soon aſter 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. For
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
City. Mrs. Lane graduated from the normal
school, and is a lady of splendid education and
culture, with literary tastes. She is prominent
in Society 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 I,eavenworth
schools.
OSES SHAW THOMAS, M. D. The an-
cestry of the Thomas family is traced to
Lewis Walker Thomas, a native of York-
shire, England, and an officer 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.
245
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 Frederick 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
beauty 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 1856 he came 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 1ong 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 which 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-
ZellS.
MIEGE THOMAS, M.D., of Leavenworth,
was born in this city March 22, 1870, the
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 Polyclinic, 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 city. 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 Society.
HEODORE C. THOMAS, who was one of
the soldiers of the Spanish-American war,
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
employ 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, formerly 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. w
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 steadily 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. Finally, 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, Ill., 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 Wesley Kitchin, of W ashing-
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, Ill. 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
the carpenter’s trade.
scarcity of rain determined him to return to Le-
compton. His death occurred March 22, 1889.
He was a regular contributor to and supporter of
the Christian Church, and aided in charitable
movements. For many 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.
UFUS 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
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 1871 and
have since lived in this county. e
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,
1841, 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, 1897.
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 Mooney, who was born in County
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
I888. -
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 city 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.
ANIEL 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
Kellerman, 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 1862 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
25O
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
business there and came to Kansas, settling at
Cherry Mound, Anderson County, 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 county. The wife and
mother died in July, 1897. She 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 he prefers to devote himself to
his private interests.
ERY REV. T. J. DOWNEY, pastor of the
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church of
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, 1851, 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-commissioned 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 defraying 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 Academy, 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.
HARLES 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, 1849.
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.
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
inercantile department, for some years he carried
a stock of drugs, but this is now discontinued.
esides 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 company. 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 1871 he received appointment as postmaster,
and continued to fill the office until 1885. Prior
to this, from 1865 to 1871, 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
8
254
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Commandery 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 Io,
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.
ON. 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 years, 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 he improved
a farm. After settling there he held numerous
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 I, 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;
Pliny, 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, Ill., 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-
ney 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.
255
trict judge. When Judge Ide was elected dis-
trict judge, in 1868, Justice Brewer was chosen
prosecuting attorney. In 1872 he was re-elected
district judge, serving until January, 1877.
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 continuously 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 (Ill.)
Female Seminary, 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 1812. 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 1886,
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.
APT. MILTON PETTIBONE, of Lawrence,
was born near Pembroke, Genesee County,
N. Y., January 15, 1822, a descendant
of a prominent English family 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 1858, when he came west to assist in
making a free state of Kansas. His brother
John had come in I856, 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
256
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
guerillas. While at Independence with only a
few men he was attacked at night by 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
Carney, 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 property, 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 many 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:
Almira 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 officer
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.
'fore.
Enterprises pertaining to the welfare of Law-
rence always receive the sympathy 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.
ON. 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 he was elected by
twice as large a majority as he had received be-
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 $400, OOO 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,-
oOo. 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
º
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Topeka, the new Fort Bliss at El Paso, Tex., a
detached ward in the Osawatomie insane asylum,
the Santa Fe hospital at Topeka, a large pump-
ing station in Topeka, several bridges across the
Kaw River, a number of buildings at the Haskell
Institute, the Bryding & Lansing Railroad,
some work at the University 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 sixty-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
I890 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
257
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 County, 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
physician 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.
ILLIAM R. CARTER came to Kansas in
March, 1870, and after a short time in
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
County, England, where successive generations
have lived as far back as the record can be traced.
Thomas Carter, who was a bricklayer 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 County,
Wis. His son, Richard, who was born in Eng-
land, was a clerk at Brighton, Sussex County,
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.
URDON GROVENOR, a resident of Law.
rence since 1857, 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 means “the great hunter.” After Ioë6
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 1812. 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 family to America, settling in Massa-
chusetts, but soon moving to Windsor, Conn.
His father, William, Sr., lived and died in
Tewksbury, and was a son of James Thelps, 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 clergymen 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 groGery 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,
Mass., 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.
SGOOD 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-
26O
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 years. In
1856 he sold the place and opened in Lawrence a
general store, which he carried on for one and
one-half years. 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 by 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. Wendelſ, 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 Jackson 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 company 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 whose 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. º
LBERT GRIFFIN. In the spring of 1878
Mr. Griffin rented a farm of one hundred
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 in the local ranks of the Democratic party.
In 1867 he removed from his native place to Polo,
Ogle County, Ill., 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
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
married William Newell; Sarah, Mrs. William
Lowery; 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, I11., 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 1878.
November 24, 1869, Mr. Griffin married Jean-
nette Lawson, of Polo, Ogle County, Ill. 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 lady 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 physical 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.
263
The history of the Ryan family appears in the
sketch of Matthew Ryan, 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.
Ryan 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 the
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. Ryan 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.
AMES GRAY, clerk of the first judicial dis-
trict of Kansas, is one of the most popular
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 Gray, were natives of Kilmarnock, a
town twelve miles from Ayr, in Ayrshire, Scot-
land, and both came to America, settling in Can-
ada.
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.
The former, a farmer by occupation, was
James Gray was two years of age when his
parents removed to Kansas, and he grew to man-
hood in Leavenworth County, 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 city 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 party. March
2, 1881, he married Miss Gretta Hazlewood, who
was born in St. Clairsville, Ohio, and died in
Leavenworth, November 5, 1897, leaving one
son, Malcolm Melville.
OSEPH B. CUNNINGHAM. A position
| among the leading farmers of Douglas Coun-
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
sº
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
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 County, Ohio, October 18,
1839, Mr. Cunningham early began to make his
way 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 Society, 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;
Mary E., wife of William Zellers, a farmer of
Wabaunsee County; and Katie V., who is at
home.
ON. 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., Angust 31, 1827.
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 west 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-
His father, Stew-
265
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 1860 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 1aw 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 free-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. 1, K. T.; and Abdallah Tem-
ple, N. M. S. October 7, 1858, he married Jo-
266
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
sephine E. S. Lewis, of Potosi, Wis. They had
ten children, three of whom died in infancy.
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.
UGUSTUS H. GRIESA, proprietor of the
Kansas home nursery, in Wakarusa Town-
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 Kansas, 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 1880 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 variety 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 injury, 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 1892 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
suffrage 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 were
educated.
At the silver wedding anniversary of Mr. and
Mrs. Griesa the following poem was read by
Rev. A. M. Richardson:
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 the 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
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 possessed.
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—
Find in your hearts a larger place,
May this, your silver wedding's date
Its golden glory celebrate.
LAwRENCE, July 29, 1894.
DWARD E. MURPHY, member of the
board of directors of the Modern Woodmen
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 fraternity. 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. 41 I 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. Murphy,
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 1881 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-
1ature, and was the author of the mechanics’ lien
1aw. During the war he was a commissary ser-
geant in the militia. His wife, Margaret (born
in Connecticut, and died in Leavenworth in
1879), was a daughter of Edward Costello, a na-
tive of Ireland, who settled in Connecticut and
1ater 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 there in 1890,
when twenty-six years of age; Maggie, Mrs. R.
Springer, of Leavenworth; Mrs. Molſie Williams,
of this city; Hampton, who died in infancy; and
John C., who is second lieutenant of Company C,
Twentieth Kansas Volunteers, 11ow in service at
Manila, Philippine Islands.
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
The eldest of the
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 postoffice. After holding the po-
sition for seven years he resigned and accepted a
situation as city circulator of the Leavenworth
Standard. In 1883 and 1884 he was weigh clerk
at the penitentiary 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 office 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 Emmett,
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.
ENRY WILLIAM WUL FE KU H. L. E. R.
From the time that he came to Leavenworth
(April, 1858), 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 Osnabrück, 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 Versmold,
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 States. He trav-
eled up the Mississippi to St. Louis, where he
clerked until 1858. On coming to Leavenworth
ine started in business on Cherokee street with
Mr. Rohlfing as Rohlfing & Wulfekuhler. In
1860 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 by 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.
ANIEL R. ANTHONY, J.R., 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 comple-
27o
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
tion of the regular course. In 1891 he graduated
from the State University of Michigan. Upon
his return home he became connected with the
Leavenworth 77mes, 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 McKinley 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
. cireles 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 Weaver &
Saunders. About 1880 he became a partner in
the firm of Weaver & Small. Three years later
the firm was changed to Small, Ramsay & 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
party. He is a member of the First Presby-
terian Church of Leavenworth. In conclusion it

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 8 ºund and careful judgment as a
business man and for a progressive spirit as a
citizen.
OL, 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, December 5, 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
2 I, I'72O, 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 Dorehester,
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 official.
On Christmas day of 1817 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
9
274
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
I I, 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” Eliot, the missionary
among the Indians.
Amaziah Keyes 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 Wesleyville, 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-
1and, 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 office
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 II, 1861. He was promoted to be
first lieutenant May 1, 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,
I865, 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 January,
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 Fifty-
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
flis 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.
of Douglas County, is engaged in cultivat-
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.
jº M. RAYMOND, a prosperous farmer
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 inches; 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 Io, when he rejoined
his regiment, to its close, including Jonesboro
and Lovejoy. From the Ioth 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 Infantry) 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 President 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 15 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 1881 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
vicinity. 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.
APT. 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
Walſ.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
277
A resident and business man of Lawrence, Cap-
tain Carpenter was born in Portage, Wyoming
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,
I855, 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 Troy, 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
1eader of his men and inspired them with much of
flis 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 II, 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. Gnefkow
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 Company,
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 was 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.
ON. 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 early
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 born
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 1848, 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
I868 and died in Franklin County in July, 1898.
The first thirty years 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
bad broadened by reading, and he kept posted
concerning the issues before the people. Not
everyone who had traveled the length and breadth
of our country was as familiar with its problems
as he, although he had never been out of New
England. He was always opposed to the institu-
tion of slavery, which he regarded as a menace to
the prosperity of a nation. In 1844, upon attain-
ing his majority, he began to identify himself with
public affairs, and cast one of the sixteen votes
for Abolition principles in the old town. From
that 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
fle 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 one time
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 1, 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 year 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 1891 he was elected to
the “alliance” house of representatives, and was
unanimously chosen to aet as speaker.
While identified closely with the history of the
state, Governor Elder (for by this title he is best
1<nown) 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, the Republican-Times was established. This
paper is owned by the Ottawa Publishing 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
Ottawa, was born in Jerseyville, Jersey
County, Ill., a son of A. A. and Elizabeth
(Close) Allen, natives respectively of New Jer-
sey and Jersey County, Ill. 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
Jerseyville, Ill., 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-
1y 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-
1ege, 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 County to Miss Hattie C. Martin,
who was born in Ogle County, Ill., 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.
RANK P. FITZ WILLIAM, a practicing at-
torney of Leavenworth, has spent his life in
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 1891 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 capacity, 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 ways has promoted Demo-
cratic principles. In religion he is a member of
the First Presbyterian Church.
ENJAMIN B. MOORE, deceased, was a
pioneer of 1854 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 1861, 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 every-
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 office, 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 Io, 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-
1y: 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.
HARLES 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. 1, 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.
ON. 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
FitzWilliam 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 office in Leavenworth,
where he continued to reside for twenty years,
or until his death, in 1877. In 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
of Leavenworth, but also as one of its pro-
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 forty-
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-
1162.SS.
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.
LFRED H. SLATER is one of the enter-
prising business men of Franklin County.
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
live stock, which he feeds and then ships, having
been engaged in the shipping business since
1883. He is a stockholder in the Ottawa Re-
publican and 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, Ill.,
thence removed to Grundy County, 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,
1eaving 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
1arge 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 1ocality, 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 office
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 Haley, by whom he has two children,
Walter Gay and Gertrude.
ILLIAM W. FRASER, a hero of the Civil
war, and since 1869 a resident of Ottawa,
was born in Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland,
March 7, 1844, a son of James and Jean (Doug-
las) Fraser, His grandfather, Simon Fraser,
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 Fraser brought his fam-
ily to America and settled in Alton, Ill., 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 in
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, Ill., 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 Vicksburg. 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. McClernand 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 19. 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 secretary 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 1, 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:
‘‘Sir: 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 officers, 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., Chief Record 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
1<not 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 TwPEDALE, 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,
Ill., 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
1odge 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
distant.
her father, John Rutledge, settling ifi Alton.
Mr. and Mrs. Fraser have two children: Mrs.
Ethel Woodlief, of Brookfield, Mo.; and Jean,
at home.
LAUDE. 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
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. R
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.
Cowdery, 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 daughter, 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 1874.
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.
EORGE C. RICHARDSON, one of Leaven-
worth’s influential business men, is a mem-
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. 515-52 I 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.
29O
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 $1.50 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.
EORGE 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
** "L
of .
acº

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 by 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. -
ON. 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
to Lawrence, arriving here in September.
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 1860 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
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 he embarked in the
IO
294
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
boot and shoe business and located in a frame
Yuilding, where he remained until 1860.
Before a charter had been secured for Lawrence
a city government was organized in 1856 and Mr.
Brooks was elected a member of the city 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 1860 until after the Quantrell 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-
1owing 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 probably 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 1881 he was
elected county treasurer on the Republican ticket
and was re-elected in 1883, being nominated by
both the Republicans and the Democrats, at the
same hour, on the same day. In October, 1886,
He retired from the treasurer’s office, 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
city 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
AUL E. HAVENS. The family represented
by this influential citizen of Leavenworth
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 Kennedy,
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 associated
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 1883 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 during the latter year he disposed
of his interest in the company. In 1890 he was
elected vice-president of the Leavenworth City
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, 1860, 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.
OHN NAVARRE MACOMB, of Lawrence,
is the oldest living representative, in the
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, 1811, 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, I832. His
whole life, from his appointment as a cadet in
September, 1828, 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 1 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, Ill.
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
Jurgensen watch.
On 7 March, 1838, Colonel Macomb married
Czarina Macomb, who was born at Fort Johnson,
Charleston Harbor, S. C., 21 October, 181o, 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.: Montgomery Meigs, of
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, 181o. 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 1812
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, nee Marshall, 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 MacCoombies 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., Io September, 1822. After-
ward General Macomb married in Georgetown,
26 May, 1826, Mrs. Harriet 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
298
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 1821 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 I75I 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
I796. & -
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,
IO February, 1734, he married Marie Lothman
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, 1ocated 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 XI. 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 1548 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 Malcom 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
office in 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 16oo 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 Livingston, embracing a portion
of the present counties of Dutchess and Columbia,
in New York, This tract is still known as the
3OO
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Livingston 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 history,
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
Coffeyville, 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 affiliations 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 officer of Milo Lodge, No.
Io8, F. & A. M.; of Penn Yan Chapter, No. Ioo,
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. 1, 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 County 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 188o
and 1883. Since coming to Kansas he has been
a vestryman of Trinity Church, Lawrence, and
has represented that and St. Paul’s Church,
Coffeyville, in the diocesan convention. e
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 May, 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.
3O3
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 January, 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 1898, 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.
ON. 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 7% ibune.
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 farm land 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
3O4.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Joseph McKee. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Me-
dill was a teacher in the schools of Leavenworth
County, 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 capacity she has given efficient
service. -
OHN LEANDER STRATTON, a promi-
nent stockman of Lincoln Township, Frank-
lin County, residing in the suburbs of Ot-
tawa, was born near Princeton, Bureau County;
Ill., 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, Ill., 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, Ill.
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, Ill., August 28, 1877. The Rec-
ord of Bureau County, Ill., speaks of him as fol-
1ows: “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 Buffalo, 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.
3O5
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 friends, for no man
ever lived in the county who was more widely
1<nown or sincerely loved. His name and his
memory are inseparably associated with the an-
nals of Bureau County. Standing at the head of
his newmade grave, Rev. T. J. Pomeroy, 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
1ife.”
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 most 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 (Ill.) 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
306
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, Ill., 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
1umber dealers; the first-named was for years one
of the 1argest 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.
HARLES FRANKLIN WOLF, In the
spring of 1887 Mr. Wolf came to Franklin
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 office 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 1, 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 county
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, 181o. 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.
3O7
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
flis 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
member of the board of trustees of Ottawa
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 188o, 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 1860, 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 greatly
enjoyed. At this writing he is Sunday-school
superintendent. He was a charter member of
the first-formed Y. M. C. A., and at one 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.
EV. ISAAC HETRICK was born in the
suburbs of Baltimore, Md., June 15, 18 IO,
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 1812 removed to Richland
County, Ohio, settling ten miles from Mansfield,
where he improved a farm and remained until
his death at eighty-six years. 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-
308
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
longed to the state senate. When thirty-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 ministry
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 of
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-
na1, 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
1ast years were spent in Ottawa, where he died in
1891, 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 (Paramore)
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 County, 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
1846. 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.
3O9
when eighty-five years of age. His wife, who,
at eighty-six years, is living 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, he came
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 Sunday-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.
DWIN M. SHELDON, who for some years
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
3IO
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
senator from this district; Royal E., a merchant
in Chautauqua County; and Fannie, who died in
Ottawa in 1871.
In 10cal 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.
AMES H. RANSOM, who has been a suc-
cessful business man, came to Kansas in
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,
I836; 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.
3I 3
ty and state central committees, and has been in-
fluential in the work of his party.
In Chautauqua County, 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, 1eaving 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.
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 1and 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,
I297, who lived in Lancashire, near Liverpool,
England. Joseph, of Dorchester, Mass., came
to this country in the Dorchester company in
I628, 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
II
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 1, 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, 18 II; Alvira, I813; 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 1, 1827;
Homer L., 1831; Oliver J., I837; and Carrie,
July 30, 1840. The eldest, Louisa, became the
wife of Mathew Patterson, who was born in 1812;
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 1819; 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
3I4.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
member of the family, Homer L., was born at
Alden, N. Y., in 1831, and died at Sweetland,
Iowa, in 1862. The youngest 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. e
When twenty-one years 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 assumed 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- e
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.
ON. 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,
dying 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.
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 188o,
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 $300,000 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 1898.
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,
3I5
1eaving three daughters, Mrs. Ann E. Spencer,
of Iola, 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-
1ief 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.
AFAYETTE. P. BALDWIN, who is one of
the well-known farmers and stock-raisers
of Douglas County, residing in Karuwaka
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 County, 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-
316
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: Laetta, Thomas, Earl and
Eugene (deceased). After our subject’s marriage
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 twenty 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
in the selection of an occupation. His forefathers
were Democrats, and he is equally stanch in his
allegiance to this party.
EVI RUSSELI, CRAWFORD, who settled
in Ottawa in 1867, was identified with the
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 captain 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 in 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 Duxbury, 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 1867 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."
3I?
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 prosecution 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-
ean (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 Lermond and
Sarah (Robinson) Kalloch. Her grandfather,
Benjamin Kalloch, who was born in 1785, served
in the war of 1812, 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 (Lermond) Libby, 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 1719 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 1719; he owned mills at Warren, where he died
in 1790. Lermond Kalloch was born in 18 IO
and died in 1893; his wife was born in 1816 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 Auburndale, 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
3.18
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
(Neb.) College for some time, but is now agent
for the Mutual Life Insurance Company 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.
ILLIAM H. WILLIAMS, who is the
owner of fourteen hundred acres, is recog-
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, a son of William and Ellen
(Cohn) Williams, natives respectively of Wales
and England. His father came to the United
States in 1844 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 1and,
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 until 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.
Third streets stands what is without doubt
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 effect 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 1, 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
sº REID. On the corner of. Elm and
director of the First National Bank of Mount
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
3I 9
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 County, Ohio, the daughter of a farmer
and pioneer of that county, 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 years
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 1, 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.
ON. WILLIAM H. WOODLIEF. The
b 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, he came 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.
32O
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 Lincoln.
The land lies on the old Santa Fe trail and of re-
cent years a postoffice 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 officers of Camp Dennison.
August 6, 1861, 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. º
A prominent Republican, Mr. Woodlief has
been township trustee and served one term in the
state 1egislature, 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
Côunty, Ohio. They have five children: Maude,
wife of James Brazier, residing on the home
farm; Benjamin, an engineer on the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy Railroad, living in Brook-
field, Mo.; William, who spends his time largely
in the buying and selling of stock and is now in
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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.
BEN BALDWIN. The success which has
attended the efforts of Mr. Baldwin since he
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 sixty 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
lead 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 type 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
five children: 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.
UDGE CHARLES L. ROBBINS. There
are very few of the residents of Franklin
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 affairs.
In April, 1856, he came to Kansas. His first 1o-
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, eame 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
County, Ill., 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, 1860,
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 first 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 1861 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 office 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.
MASA T. SHARPE. During the period of
his connection with the history of Ottawa,
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
1812, 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 Company on the
“City of St. Paul” and the “Phil Sheridan,”
which ran between St. Paul and Dubuque. From
1871 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.
party 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 twenty 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., a daughter 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.
LVIN H. WRIGHT, M. D., general sur-
geon in charge of the Atchison, Topeka &
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, Timothy 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 property 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 1891 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.
\
MBROSE BIGSBY. Of the farms on the
California road there is none that attracts
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
1898. 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 years 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 1868, 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 twenty 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
I2x12, 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.
pany B, First Wisconsin Infantry, 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.
EV. JOHN W. FOULKROD, who resides
in Wellsville, Franklin County, was born in
Pike County, Pa., February 18, 1855, 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 Kansas 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.
HARLES L. CONGER, who is a general
merchant of Hesper, Douglas County, was
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
sº
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
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.
ENRY 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
329
1849 he settled in Shelby County, Ill., 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 Ill-
33O
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
Greenwood Township, Franklin County; William
M., who lives in Piatt County, Ill.; 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.
AVID 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, he 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 1, 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,
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.
OL. JOHN J. BAKER. During the spring
of 1868 Colonel Baker came to Kansas and
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 Lancaster 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 extensively
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, after two 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 1868 and has since resided upon
I2
334
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
a farm in Sherman Township, Leavenworth
County. He takes an interest in public affairs
and always 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
1ast 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
1atter named in honor of his grandfather.
ICHARD 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, 1820.
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 1851 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.
‘SaS.
In the fall of 1857 Mr. Stephens came to Kan-
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 E1
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.
ALTER 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 Shaftsbury, where, during the
Revolution, General Stark defeated the British.
Arvin, son of Ezra, was born at Shaftsbury July
13, 1797, 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 1870 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, Ill., 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 1871 he arrived in Kansas. For some
years he attended school near Vinland, and
afterward studied in Butler County. His first
experience 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 years, 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 city 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-
1ege 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 1eg-
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
the 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
a farm in Hayes Township, Franklin County,
is now living in Ottawa, retired from active
labors. He was born in Lawrenceville, St. Law-
rence County, N. Y., in 1819, 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 1and. 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.
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, Ill.;
Anna E., widow of Francis Waid; D. C., a phy-
sician at Clifton, Washington County, Kans. ;
Rovelle P.; and Hattie, widow of Frank Ringer.
After
The youngest son, Rovelle P., who conducted
the home farm from 1887 to 1899, was born in
Roscoe, Winnebago County, Ill., in 1854, and
was reared to farm pursuits, which he has always
followed. In 1880 he accompanied his father to
Eansas. He settled in Lyon County, where he
cultivated two hundred acres that he still owns,
but now rents. In 1887 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 office
of township treasurer.
OHN W. SCOTT, a contractor and builder,
has his office at No. 407 South Main street,
Ottawa. Not only 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 those for the
First National Bank building, residence of 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, A. F. & A. M., of Ottawa.
HARLES 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 be 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-
1isted 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 Bay, 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. Oldroyd
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
was connected with the German Reformed Church.
He and his wife were the parents of ten 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
seeretary 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.
OBERT 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 1, 1828, a son 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 1865, 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
of ten 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 sixty-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, he
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 1860, 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 Io, 1856), a machinist in Wellsville,
Kans. ; George Arthur (March 22, 1859), who is
engaged in farming in Oklahoma; Ann Jane (Oc-
tober 4, 1860), 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.
DWARD B. MERRITT. Few residents of
Lansing have been more closely identified
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 industry, 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
§º; c. * *
§ #. r z:
** * *
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*
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
office 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: Della 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.
-**
ICHOLAS GENTRY, a farmer and stock-
raiser of Wakarusa Township, Douglas
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 Missouri 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 Township. 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 Io, 1865, Mr.
Gentry married Catherine Shafer, by whom he
has five children, viz.: Laura, wife of Eli Wilson,
of Grant Township, Douglas County; Lillie
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 Germany. Her
father came to America in early 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. Gentry prior to the fifteenth an-
niversary of her birth.
ALCOM 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 army,
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-
dentin 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, Ill., he enlisted, August
1, 1862, in the One Hundred and Thirteenth Illi-
nois Infantry, and was afterward made Sergeant-
major, September 7, 1863. January 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 Artillery,
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 on 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 1, 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., and in 1887
established his home in Ottawa, where he lived,
in retirement, until his death, February Io, 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.
veterans. For many 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 COmle.
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 office 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 to
Barrington, Cook County, Ill., 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 years, however, prevent him now from be-
ing active in public affairs. His wife was Lovisa
Mix, who was born in Vermont in 1814, 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
345
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, I11. 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 Winnifred 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 Ladies Circle G. A. R., and is also a member
of the Columbian Literary Club.
HARLES 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 Io feet in
dimensions, and afterward used an adjoining
room, 25x IIo, 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 in 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 Associa-
tion, and for two years served as treasurer and a
director, but then disposed of his shares and 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 of C. F.
Dennee, professor of pianoforte and composition
in 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 office. 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. II, K. T.
ON. 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 officiated as a local preacher in the
United Brethren Church, and has been very
prominent in its work in this locality.
*
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
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 1860.
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 1860, 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 1866 he was
elected to the state legislature and again, in 1885,
was returned to the lower house. For thirty years
he held office as city clerk of Lecompton. June
1, 1897, he was appointed postmaster of Lecomp-
347
ton, which office 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, Eva B., is the wife of Dr. A. J. May,
of Cambria, Kans., and the younger, Cora W.,
married Dr. S. J. Hampshire, of Overbrook,
Kans.
OUIS CASS STINE, of Ottawa, was born
in New Market, Highland County, Ohio,
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 many 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, Ill., 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,
Ill., 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, Ill. Subsequently he removed to Spring-
field, where he was engaged in business. He
was married in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1876, 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,
Kans., 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 he 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
quality 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 by 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,
Ill., in 1873, but he 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 1881, 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.
OBERT 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. By 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.;
Sidney S., 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.
DWIN S. WOOD, M.D., police surgeon and
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
office 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.
Io, A. F. & A. M.
LARK 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 Mary, of Ohio; Ira, of
Sherman Township; Ezra and Jessie, of Ohio.
The Wilber family was represented in New Eng-
1and 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 year. 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
--
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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, Ill; 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.
EN. WILLIAM HENRY SEARS, attor-
ney-at-law, of Lawrence, and private secre-
tary to United States Senator W. A. Harris,
was born in Iowa March 7, 1858. 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, New
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 office of
James Rivington, publisher of the Aoyal 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 effects, 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
I3
354
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
the canning business, and now owns the largest
factory of its kind in Ohio. In proof of this
statement, it may be said that in May, 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
Quantrell 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-
1ar army in all of its branches. Upon the break-
ing out of the war with Spain he offered 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 Llewelling, 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
party, 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, 1884, he
married Alice H. Peabody, daughter of Maj.
David G. Peabody, of Lawrence. They have a
son, Burton Winthrop Sears.
ON. 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, when 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 County, 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 attorney-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
1aw 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
I869 he was appointed by President Grant sur-
veyor-general for the state of Kansas, and in
I873 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
I899.
ILLIAM FRANKLIN SPENCER, who is
engaged in business in Leavenworth, was
born in Buchanan County, Mo., in 1843,
a son of Obadiah M. and Nancy (Williams)
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 seventy-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 year 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 landed 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 livery 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
year and has filled other offices of responsibility,
in all of which he has worked for the benefit of
1ocal 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 1899 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,
be has six children, Oliver Martin, Phoebe,
Alonzo, Nancy, Ella and William F., Jr.
ENRY 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 temporarily discontinned 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 Mr. 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 1895 and
1897 was re-elected to the office, serving as a
member of the committees on mines and mining,
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
357
rail roads and insurance. In 1884 and 1885 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. By a former marriage
he has a son, Henry, who is a railroad engineer.
Fraternally 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 Masonry.
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.
OHN 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 family, 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 1895, 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
1iving, 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 deceased
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 1878 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 1881, 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 also 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
soldier in the Civil war, and as a capable
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 Galion, 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-
1utionary 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 young 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, 1889, 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.; Henry, who was a ser-
geant in the Thirty-eighth Ohio Infantry, died
in Ohio from the effects of his army 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 Galion 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, 1861. 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
PORTRAIT 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,
1865, when he was honorably discharged at Lou-
isville, Ky.
Returning home Mr. Stinebaugh 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. Stinebaugh 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, Ill., 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,
Ill. 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. Mary A., who was
reared in Indiana, came to Kansas in 1867, and
September 13, 1868, became the wife of Mr.
Stinebaugh, 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, III.
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 II, 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
360
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, Ill., 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, Ill., 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 1, 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 possesses 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.
ELSON A. CHAMBERS, who is engaged
in farming and stock-raising in Franklin
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
&
******
► ►
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 family 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.
USTAVE JULIUS WOLFSPERGER, de-
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,
1860, a son of Mathias and Catherine Wolfsperger,
natives of Germany. 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 boybood. 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 in 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 Fay 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.
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, 1ater being similarly en-
gaged in Springfield and Bloomington, Ill. 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.
364
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 very
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 instantly. 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,
Ill., 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.
AROLD C. SHORT was born in Atchison,
Kans, , September 17, 1858. 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. Atwood, 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 10an 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
* *
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
the support of which Mr. Short contributes. He
is a member of the Fraternal Aid Association of
Leavenworth. In politics he is a stanch Repub-
lican.
DMUND LISTER, proprietor of the Lister
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 ability.
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
365
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, I11., 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
Ransas, 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, 1860,
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
and treasurer of the Leavenworth Coal
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 accommodating 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’Donnell, 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. Ryan have two children,
Katherine Sheedy and Thomas C., Jr.
IS H. SKOURUP, proprietor of the Ottawa
creamery, is a Dane by birth and descent.
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 Jörgen 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 Grundy 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 1888 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.
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
1894 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 thousand 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.
OHN A. PORTER, of Williamsburg, Frank-
lin County, was born in Mercer County, Pa.,
May 1, 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 1812, 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
367
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 Io,
1862; Pocotaligo, October 22, 1862, Morris Island,
Fort Wagoner, etc. In the spring of 1864 the
corps was consolidated with the army 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 1880, with the excep-
368
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. O.
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.
parents of eleven children, ten now living, name-
ly: Ebenezer F., William Henry Harrison, E1-
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. S11as 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 IO, 1894, at
Wellsville, Kans., was the champion catcher of
the national base ball league. George W., Al-
They were the \
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, of Topeka, Kans.
AMES R. THORNBURY, M. D., of Prince-
ton, Franklin County, was born in Jackson-
ville, Morgan County, Ill., July 20, 1842, a
son of Benjamin and Emily (Chrisman) Thorn-
bury. He was one of nine children, six of whom
are living, those 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 Murray, a
farmer of Dallas County; and Willis, also a farmer
of that county. The father, who was born in
Virginia in 1818, 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) Chrisman. The former was born June
6, 1791, in Kentucky, to which state his father,
John, Sr., had come from Germany in an early
day via North Carolina, 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 army. 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 Io, 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, Jonesboro, 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, Ill., in early life and for years was one of the
foremost farmers 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. 1 II, G. A. R., in which he
has officiated for three terms as commander.
NDREW T. KYLE, who is a retired busi-
ness man living in Lansing, Leavenworth
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 W., 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 in the
fall of 1848. In 1849 he married Miss Sarah A.
Keller, and the following year he made a trip
37O
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.
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. g
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
In 1873 the
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.
OHN M. HUND, who is engaged in farm-
ing and stock-raising in Kickapoo Town-
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 most noticeable of these improve-
ments being a handsome residence, neatly and
comfortably furnished.
The political affairs 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.
tº ſº.
* or .
\º cº

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
373
By his marriage, May 11, 1881, to Mary, daugh-
ter of John Aaron, of Leavenworth, he has six
children, viz.: Francis C., John A., Mary E.,
Grace R., Clara G. and Frances.
ENDLIN HUND. The character and
standing of a man are usually determined
by what he has accomplished. The life
work of Mr. Hund is illustrated by the amount
of property he has accumulated, the large busi-
ness he has built up, and the comforts by which
nis 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 Bernard. The family are Roman Catho-
lics in religious belief. Mr. Hund has been a
I4.
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 twenty-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.
RANK H. STANNARD. Among those
who have been active in promoting the ad-
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 1and 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, Ill., 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
son of Alvin Stannard, a farmer of New York,
was a machinist by trade, but devoted himself
1argely 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. *r
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, Ill., 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.
AMES LINGARD, a farmer and stock-
raiser in Homewood Township, Franklin
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,
Ill., 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 one thousand
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
375
acres in Franklin County, and makes a specialty
feeding Hereford and Durham cattle and Poland-
China hogs, handling more stock than any 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 1844 he married Miss Ann Lister, a native of
England, who died in Kansas May 28, 1899, at
the age of seventy-four years.
MOS L. LING ARD, the only son of James
and Ann (Lister) Lingard, was born in
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 1873
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 township 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.
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.
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,
integrity, 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 II, 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 (Rogers) 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,
settling 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 July 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.
Lucius Platte, who died in Lake Forest, Ill., in
April, 1898; Oliver; Horace, who died in Leaven-
worth in 1892; Harvey, 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.
UGUST KROLL, who is engaged in farm-
ing in Kickapoo Township, Leavenworth
County, is one of the prosperous agricultur-
ists of Salt Creek Valley, and since 1885 has
owned and occupied the John Hund farm of
eighty acres, where he is 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) Kroll. 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 Kroll, John by name, came to America
in 1862 and settled near Bloomington, Ill., 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. While he was in Baltimore
he worked for a butcher, receiving $4 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, 1871, occurred the marriage of Mr.
Kroll 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 Lillie E.
EV. 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 ministry. 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 class of 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 missionary
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 1eadership 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 1ess 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 they 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, OOO, and twelve
hundred and eighty were allowed to the trustees
to meet their liabilities. The balance of the
1ands, 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
I875 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 1812. 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
PORTRAf’ſ AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
379
Western Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and
James Northrup, who is administrator and man-
ager of the family estate. The younger son
graduated from Ottawa University in 1898, after
which he spent some months in the University 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,
the 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-
dent of Kansas since 1878, is engaged in the
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 1ecturer
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 Langworthy 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-
worthy, 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 1860 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-1aw built one of
the first grist mills in that section. He served in
the war of 1812 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 chemistry in the State
University of Kansas. The elder son of the
380
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL 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. Io, A. F. & A. M., of this city. 42,
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.
ENRY W. R.H.E.A 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-
munity. 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 County, Tenn.,
in 1839, a son of Andrew and Eleanor (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
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FRANCIS XAVIER JARDON.
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
383
cultivate a taste for public affairs that he might
have desired. He has never sought office and
has not identified himself with any political party,
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.
RANCIS XAVIER JARDON. Few among
the farmers of Douglas County have been
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 land 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. w
Near Pittsfield, Mass., our subject was born
April II, 1858. He is a brother of Augustus M.
Jardon, in whose 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, 1889. 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.
EV. 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
1eft, 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 city, 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, 1860, 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 years. His wife was a
daughter of Archibald Bell, a native of Paisley,
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 Dumont, S. Dak. ; Mary W., Mrs.
Beatty, lives in Sterling, I11.; Thomas C. is con-
nected with the Miners' supply house in Rhine-
1ander, 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 1882 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 University 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, 1ocated 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.
OL. 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 sons 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-
1utionary 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, Rév. 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 Quenemo, 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 County,
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
years 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
386
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.
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 Lincoln.
Rev. John Rankin was also active in the organi-
zation of the Free Presbyterian Church and the
founding of the college at Iberia.
May 1, 1859, our subject arrived in Lawrence,
joining his brother, who had come to Douglas
County in 1857. In the spring of 1860 he re-
turned to Iberia, where he graduated in 186O.
During his first sojourn in the west he was door-
keeper for the territorial council of 1859. On his
return to Lawrence in 1860 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 Infantry, 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 1861 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-
Both men and women were admitted.
tery, which was sent south to Corinth, but, there
being an oversupply of artillery in Rosecrans’
corps, the men were remounted as cavalry. 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 Perryville, 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,
Shelbyville 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 1871 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 sons. 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.
AMUEL R. DICKEY, proprietor of County
Line farm, in Delaware Township, Leaven-
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. Early 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 interests. 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 1860, 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, Ill. 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, 1869, Mr. Dickey married Miss Emily
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 Pharmacy, 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 1860 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.
ELSON MERCHANT. At the time of the
excitement concerning the free-state or slav-
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 pre-empted 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 Quantrell 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 II, I'776,
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 II, 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
(Platt) 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
farmer 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 Lodge No. 23, A. F. &
A. M., of Baldwin, in which he has officiated as
junior deacon and master.
! ſº LIN BELL is one of the successful business
men of Lawrence, where he has made his
home since 1885. 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 1884 and had
started in business as a piano tuner and repairer.
In 1886 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 1892 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 has 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 Plymouth 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 Dorothy.
ITCH REED, deceased, formerly one of the
prominent men of Douglas County, was
born in the town of Richmond, Ontario
County, N. Y., July 28, 1814, 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 years. 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
1atter part of his life, dying on the old homestead
January Io, 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 1, 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.
In 1831 he emigrated from England to America
&
6*/2
STEPHAN NAEHER.

*icº
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
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 family 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 1ater 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,
I879, he was employed by Rohlfing & Co., whole-
sale grocers. When Thomas Morgan opened a
store he was engaged as clerk with him. May 1,
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 90x 140 feet in dimensions, of
which ground the brick store occupies 24x60,
and the warehouse, for grain, hay and storage,
7ox 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.
ENJAMIN J. DONOVAN, who first came
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, Ill., 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.
I5
394
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD,
The marriage of Benjamin Donovan united him
with Catherine A. Herne, daughter of Philip
Herne, 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 years. 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
I873 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 put in an ice 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
his executive ability 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
I856 and was engaged in the harness business in
Leavenworth. Mrs. Agnes Donovan was born
in Buffalo, N. Y., and died in Leavenworth in
I891, leaving a son, Martin B., Jr., now a stu-
dent in St. Benedict's College at Atchison. A
daughter, Mary C., 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.
ON. 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 modern 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 Russell, 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 1860 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 make 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
396
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-
, 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 Io, 1895, 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,-
ooo. The plant has a capacity of fifteen hundred
pounds of butter a day, and a specialty is made
of the finest 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, 1860.
Thence he went to Golconda, Ill., 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 Mezvs.
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 dream-
ery. 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 interest 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 BIOGRAPHICAL 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 Lee County, Ill., 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.
ILLIAM L.AMBERT, secretary, treasurer
and manager of the Leavenworth Fruit
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 he
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.
ILLIAM BROMELSICK. At the time of
the Quantrell raid, August 21, 1863, Mr.
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 command 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 RECORD.
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 Müller, of
St. Joe, Mo.; and William, the youngest, who
was born near Hermann, Mo., April 18, 1852.
The father brought his family to America and
became a pioneer of Hermann, Mo., where he en-
gaged in farming. In 1860 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 Methodist 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, Ill., Mr. Bromelsick married Miss
Louisa Eisenmayer, who was born in Mascou-
tah, St. Clair County, Ill., 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, Ill. 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
was one of the highly esteemed citizens of
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 University, 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 dry-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 Kest-
ing, which continued for some years. But the
confinement was not congenial to one of his na-
ture, and, selling out, in 1885 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
tº 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. g
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.
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 worshiped with the Congregationalists.
He
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 Io, 1871, Mr. Ruediger married Bertha,
daughter of August Poehler, of Lawrence. They
llad 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 Germany. 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 18 54 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.
A FAYETTE MILLS, who came to Leaven-
worth in January, 1853, was from that time
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
4OO
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 18Oo. 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 son, David, the
grandfather of Catharine Mills, fought in the war
of 1812, 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 1812, 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, Ill.,
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 1, 1873. 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.
SAIAH N. BARLEY, who is a farmer in
Grant Township, Douglas County, was born
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."
4OI
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 1865.
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 1881 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.
EORGE. H. DAVIS, superintendent of the
Great Western Manufacturing Company, is
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, OOO.
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, Ill., 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
4O2
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 Forty-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
in Beverly. In 1851 he joined his father in
Alton, Ill., 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, 1860. In 1859 his mother
and the other children had returned east, and ill
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 1860 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 1861 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.
engaged at his trade in Litchfield, Ill., for the
Terre Haute Railroad. After three months he
returned to Alton, where he was superintendent
In the spring of 1862 he
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. 3
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 & 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. --
DWIN T. REES, grand scribe of the Grand
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. "
4O3
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 official 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 filled continu-
ously until 1891, when he was succeeded by 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, 18oo, and died in 1886,
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 1891. 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.
HARLES 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.
4O4.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Mr. Ridgway was born in Ripley, Brown
County, Ohio, August 17, 1865. His father, Alex-
ander McClain Ridgway, 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 first lieutenant of Company C, Thir-
teenth Regiment, under Colonel Lowe. 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 Io, 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 11ow 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
ne occupied the room which had been his father's
twenty-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 University. They are the parents of two
children, Wayne and Helen. Fraternally Mr.
Ridgway is past officer both in the lodge and en-
campment of Odd Fellows.
OSEPH 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
lie 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."
4O5
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 1881 he was elected to the state
legislature and in 1883 was re-elected.
OSEPH S. BOUGHTON, who has long been
numbered among the progressive citizens of
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. Boughton, 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-two years 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 1812. 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
1860 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 he came
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 Courier, a weekly Re-
publican paper, which he sold to John Speer,
editor of the 7%ribune. Afterward he traveled
for the Tribune, securing subscriptions and acting
as correspondent to the paper. In 1878 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 in
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-
2ine, the official organ of the fraternity.
APT. HENRY B. DICKS, of Leavenworth,
was born in St. Louis, Mo., April 4, 1843, a
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, of St. 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-
1ic schools in St. Louis. In April, 1861, 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.
4O7
he is connected with the Ancient Order of United
Workmen. While he is not engaged in busi-
ness, he finds sufficient to occupy his atten-
tion in the oversight of his moneyed 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.
ILLIAM W. BROWN, who has made his
home in Douglas County since boyhood,
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 1808,
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 1860. 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 Io, I891.
ILAS BENTLEY MEEKER. Franklin
County is the home of many men who were
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 been reared in wealth. Among this
number is Mr. Meeker, who has resided in Kan-
Sas since 1870, having settled in Ottawa during
408
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 sixty
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
1ater identified with the Democratic party, and
held various offices, such as member of the town-
ship committee, etc. In religion he was a Bap-
tist. His death occurred in Newark when 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 served
during the entire war. All were natives of New
Jersey. Our subject’s mother, Julia (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 office. 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.
ENRY ANTHONY, who owns one of the
good farms of Peoria Township, Franklin
County, was born May 12, 1860, 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.
4 II
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 1, 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.
ILLIAM S. FINLEY, president of the
Williamsburg State Bank, is one of the
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 years. In 1882 he sold the farm and
Game to Williamsburg, where he purchased the
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 1860 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
1898 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 County 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.
HARLES 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
I6
4I 2
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
century. 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:
1874. Dassler's Kansas Digest, 1 volume; publisher,
W. J. Gilbert.
Dassler's Kansas Statutes, 2 volumes; publisher,
W. J. Gilbert. *
Compiled Laws of Kansas, 1 volume (under act o
legislature); publisher, W. J. Gilbert.
Dassler's Kansas Digest, 1 volume; publishers,
Mills & Co.
Compiled Laws of Kansas, 1 volume; publishers,
Geo. W. Crane & Co.
Kansas Addendum, Green’s Pleading and Practice,
1 volume; publisher, W. J. Gilbert.
Reprint of McCahon's R. and 1 Kansas R., with
notes and additional cases, 1 volume; publishers,
F. P. Baker & Sons.
Reprint of Vols. 2 and 3, Kansas Reports, with
notes, 2 volumes; publishers, Mills & Co.
Reprint of Vol. 4, Kansas Reports, with notes, 1
volume; publishers, Mills & Co.
Leavenworth City Ordinances, 1 volume; pub-
lishers, Dassler & Shafer.
Reprint Vols. 5, 6 and 7, Kansas Reports, with
notes, 3 volumes; West Publishing Co.
Compiled Laws of Kansas, 1 volume; Geo. W.
Crane & Co.
Reprint Vols. 8, 9, 10 and 11, Kansas Reports,
with notes, 4 volumes; West Publishing Co.
Reprint Vols. 12, 13, 14, 15, 21 and 22, Kansas
Reports, with notes, 6 volumes; West Publishing
CO.
Kansas Addendum, Green’s Pleading and Prac-
tice (2d edition), 1 volume; Gilbert Book Co.
Reprint Vols. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29, Kansas
Reports, with notes, 7 volumes; West Publishing
Co.
Kansas Form Book, 1 volume; Crane & Co.
Kansas Digest (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 in
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
1876.
1879.
1880.
1881.
1881.
1881.
1882.
1883.
1883.
1884.
1885.
1885.
1886.
1886.
1887.
1893.
1894.
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 L.L. 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
Civil war until his death, Mr. Hines was
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 fifty 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 1892, 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.
4 I 3
years later the mother moved to Ohio, where her
death occurred. When fifteen years 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 by water and for three years he suc-
cessfully engaged in mining, but, unfortunately,
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 he 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 party. For three years he
held the office 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, 1849, 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.
OHN 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) Bunn, 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. Bunn 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 on
4. I4.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
the inclined plane railroad that was then oper-
ated with rope from Hollidaysburg 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 1855 he, 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 postoffice, 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 Lincoln
in 1860. 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 mall 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. Gradually
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.
4 I 5
Rush County. . 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 City 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.
AMUEL F. FEW, M. D., was born in
Woodstock, Va., May 26, 182O, a son of
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
416
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
the Old Dominion about 1860. She was a
daughter of Richard Pulliam, 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.
A.J. 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 the Mamalucts, 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, recently
captured by Napoleon.
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 I790 to 18OO, 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.
When Napoleon had
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.
issued 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.
4 I?
Mexico and the south. In 1868 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-
1113.11.
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. J.ENKINS, a veteran of the
Civil war and a farmer of Marion Township,
Douglas County, was born in Rappahan-
nock County, Va., January 15, 1833, a 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 1812, 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 different 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 mustered
out at Zanesville, Ohio, September 7, 1864.
In the fall of 1865 Mr. Jenkins removed to
Moultrie County, Ill., 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 1870
he has been a member of the Masonic blue lodge,
and he is also connected with Richland Post No.
370, G. A. R.
418
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) ELWELL, 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, Ill., 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, Ill., 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, Ill. 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 last 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 of operations 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 of the 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.
42 f
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
Jiminez, president of the new republic.
AMES LEIBEY, M. D., deceased, was born
in Hamburg, Germany, and in boyhood ac-
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 11orth 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 there until 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 1868, when he
was fifty-six years and ten months old.
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-
422
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’s life. She came
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-
a Walſe. -
In 1835 Israel Graham, Jr., and his wife moved,
by wagon, to western Pennsylvania, settling near
Pittsburgh. While they were erossing the Alle-
ganies, and were near Uniontown, 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 others are: 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
4-º
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.
OBERT 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 1858, 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-
p
423
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
fle 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, 1852, 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 consolidated 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 yard, 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 Quantrell 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 1812 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 County. 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,
I818.
The Reedy family trace their lineage to the
Webbers of Holland. In 161O 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, 1811, their son, Michael Reedy, was
united with Mary Magdalene Davis. In 1849
their son Conrad (our subject’s father), married
Caroline Delong, who was born in Berks County,
Pa., accompanied her parents to Ross County,
Ohio, at an early date, and died in 1893, at the
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 family. 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
fatmily became established in America. As
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. They 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 Kansas. 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.
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.
LARENCE 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 hospital 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. In March, 1898, the building burned
to the ground. He immediately began rebuild-
ing, and 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 Canan-
daigua on the canal. He was a successful busi-
ness man, and the proprietor of large mills and
packing houses. In 1856 he came west to Illinois
and opened a store at Abingdon, Knox County.
425
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 flow
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, Ill., and Leavenworth,
Kans., having made this city his home after
1860. 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.
1890 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 1891 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. 1, 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-
sas, in the fall of 1856, Mr. Herries has wit-
nessed the growth and development of this
part of the great west, and has himself been inti-
mately connected therewith. As a pioneer he was
well known among other early settlers, while as a
farmer he has been more than ordinarily 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,
I830, 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 year 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 1861; 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
º
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. They are the parents of two sons and
two daughters, namely: 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.
OHN DUFFIN, who is one of the oldest set-
tlers of Salt Creek Valley, was born in Bal-
lysullin, 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, 1852, 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 constantly 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 years 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
427
has also been fairly prosperous. He has been in-
terested in local matters and affiliates with the
Republican party. October 1, 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.
ILLIAM G. HESSE. One of the most
important business industries of Kansas is
conducted by the William G. Hesse & Son
Manufacturing Company, of Leavenworth, who
own the largest manufacturing establishment of
the kind in the state and makeshipments 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 seventy-seven
thousand and two hundred square feet, may 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 eompany, was born
in Saxony, Germany, July 5, 1838, a son of
Henry and Anna (Wartman) 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 there until 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
Langensalza, 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
1871. 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 ànd .
basement, 48x125 feet in 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; Otto H., 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.
43 I
duties are many and of great responsibilty. 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.
ULIUS 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. 1, 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, OOO, 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 efficiency of the
official corps.
In Bridgeton, N. J., the subject of this sketch
was born June 29, 1849. His father, Steen Ed-
wards (or, Edward Steen, as he was known in his
native land) was born December 24, 18 Io, in Co-
penhagen, Denmark, and was reared in the home
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 which
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 years 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, 1825, a daughter
\
17
4.32
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
of Eli and Zelika (Seely) Dare, and has always
lived on the homestead where she was born.
November 16, 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, 1861, 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, 1881, 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 Perryville, Md.,
May 6, 1820, and is now a dentist in Philadel-
phia; her mother, Lizzie Pierce Drew, was born
in Providence, R. I., May 1, 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.
HAUNCEY FLORA, who is a pioneer of
1857, is engaged in farming and stock-
raising on section Io, Delaware Township,
Leavenworth County. In 1894 he 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. (formerly 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 1812 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, 1eaving 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 1864 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 ninety-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 efficient officer, and captured
many well-known crooks. Several murders were
committed during his term of office, but only one
murderer escaped him, and 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
bim 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. Io, 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.
REDERICK W. HARTMAN. There are
few of the farmers of Douglas County who
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 1888 he rented his farm and moved
to Baldwin City, 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,
Ill., 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.
ACOB 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 family 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 years of age. In boyhood be became
familiar 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 Bremen haven 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 years. 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 I 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.
AMUEL DODSWORTH, deceased, formerly
mayor of Leavenworth, member of the city
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 in 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 1812-15. 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 1ast-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 office 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 Io, 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.
HARLES 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
I857, 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
December 5, 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 closely to the manage-
ment of his land, and does not mingle in political
affairs any further than to cast a Republican
vote at elections.
OHN F. FAUCETT. When the tide of
emigration began to turn toward Kansas,
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
I8, 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 Eva Fry, who was born in Virginia
and died in Indiana at eighty-six years. Both
were faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal
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 18, 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, wife 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. 4Io, at
Vinland.
MBROSE P. EGGLESTON. The pages of
this work would not be complete without
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
438
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 1and, 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 Lorinda M., wife of John F. Harding,
who lives near McLouth, Jefferson County.
II,LIAM FEVURLY owns seven hundred
and twenty acres in Leavenworth County
and is numbered among the most success-
ful farmers and stock-raisers of Alexandria Town-
ship. He was born in Baden, Germany, April
I, I835, 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 1860 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 1and, 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. Coffin, 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; Mollie, 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.
tº ſt
OF ~.

7. C.
PoRTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
44 I
ILLIAM PATTERSON, chief superin-
tendent of construction at the Kansas
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, he 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.
RNOLD FLINTJER, who is proprietor of an
insurance, loan and real-estate agency in
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. Flintjer, 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 1891. 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, Henry.
ILLIAM FREIENMUTH, head miller for
the Tonganoxie Milling Company, is also
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. At first
he was employed in Bowersock’s mill in Lâw-
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 office. In May,
1899, a 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 any 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.
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 Wayne 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
I832. 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 1855 he settled upon a tract of wild land
in Jo Daviess County, Ill., but in the spring of
I857 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 Coffeyville (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 Coffeyville.
Active in the Republican party, Major Rey-
nolds was in 1859 elected the first assessor of his
township. Since then he has frequently served
as trustee and assessor. For nineteen years he
served as a member of the school board. October
Io, I861, he enlisted as a private in Company B,
Ninth Kansas Cavalry, and served in the ranks
for eighteen months, being mustered out April 1,
I863. 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.
OSEPH H. DREISBACH. The position
| occupied by Mr. Dreisbach in Tonganoxie is
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 3ox Ioo 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 1898, 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 a corn 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
Allentown, 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 Ironton, 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 Allentown, 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 early 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 Della, 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.
ETER EVERHARDY, sheriff of Leaven-
worth County, and a resident of the city of
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 now 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
1873 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, occupying 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 County and was elected by a majority of
six hundred and six. He took the oath of office
January Io, 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. 1, C. M. B. A., of which
he is a trustee.
OHN FLINNER. One of the fine farms of
Leavenworth County lies in High Prairie
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 1881 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-
tion of buying and feeding cattle and raising
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 ocean and settled in
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
447
Kankakee, Ill., remaining there until the fall of
1855, when he came to Kansas and took up land
still owned by the family. 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 1ife 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 office. 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
County; 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,
OBERT 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 1877, 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 1895;
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
JPORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Princeton, Caldwell County, Ky., where for ten
years he engaged in merchandising. From that
state he came to Kansas in 1857 and 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 188o his son,
John R., was admitted as a partner, the title,
however, remaining unchanged. During the
spring of 188o 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.
EAZIN 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 1813, 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,
45 I
a contract with the state to erect the first wing of
the state penitentiary 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 188o.
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 office 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.,
1eaving three children: Chauncey, of Leavenworth;
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.
ELOS 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
genealogy 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
summer of 1857 in preliminary surveys for the
18
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 locality. 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
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
to Burlington, Iowa, from which point he had ºthe trying times prior to the war he did much
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
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 office 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 years,
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
office. Mr. Barnes suffered the loss of his wife,
who departed this life February II, 1893, 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.
ORENZO W. HINDMAN, the owner of a
valuable farm of one hundred and sixty acres
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 effort 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, Ill., 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 ad-
joining county of Brown he spent the remaining
years of his life, dying at the age of eighty-five.
• During the war of 1812 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 years, .
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.
D. STOKELY, who is engaged in farming
and stock-raising on section 8, Harrison
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, Ill., 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
grew to manhood.
the ocean years before the Revolutionary war and
settled in Maryland, where it is supposed that he
died. His son, Benjamin F. (father of 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-
1and and settled in Pennsylvania, where he died.
When our subject was eleven years of age he
accompanied his parents to Illinois, where he
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.
455
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. Stokely married Florence
N. Edwards, who was born in Clark County, Ill.,
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 Charleston, S. C.,
and practiced medicine for some years in Mar-
shall County, Kans., where he settled in 1860.
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.
UGH SHANNON, a retired farmer residing
in Lenape, Leavenworth County, was born
in eastern 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 18O1 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 office 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
twenty 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.
UGUST GATES, a pioneer of Leavenworth,
now deceased, was born in Darmstadt, Ger-
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 army 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 wholly 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.
HARLES 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 afforded. 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 Linwood Lodge No. 241, A.F. & A.M.,
and Linwood 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.
OHN C. HINDMAN. The southern part
of Leavenworth County, while it was settled
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.
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, Ill. 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-
In 1882 he
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, Ill., 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 County, 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 as an intelligent
citizen and a man thoroughly posted concerning
public affairs. No matter how engrossing he
finds his farm duties, he always 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 faithfully 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 Fay. 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.
UTHER P. KINDRED. During the year
1890 Mr. Kindred came to Leavenworth
County and purchased a farm on the Kaw
bottom in Sherman Township, 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 1812, and afterward
gave his attention to farming in Kentucky, hav-
ing in connection with his farm a large apiary.
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 County,
Mo., and Joshua, of Platte County, Mo.
When a young man, Fields Kindred left Ken-
tucky and moved to Clay County, Mo., but seven
years 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 Johnson County, 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
County, 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, 1887, 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-

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.
EV. LOUIS GUENTHER, pastor of St.
. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, at No.
306 North Broadway, Leavenworth, was
born in Hoerstein, Kreis Unterfranken, Bavaria,
July 1, 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, 1860, 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 philosophical 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, Coffey 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 months 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,
46O
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Leavenworth, 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 II, 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.
ATHER ALBERT HEIMANN, who came
to Kansas in 1846 and was one of the
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
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.
OHN HITZEMANN. Not a few of the best
citizens of Leavenworth County are of Ger-
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-
many. 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-
verly, where they died.
In the spring of 1860 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 Io, 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.
46 I
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 office of road overseer. In religion he is con-
nected with the Lutheran Church. His marriage
occurred in Leavenworth July 3, 1864, 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.
AVID 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 1812, 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
Fisher 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 Rolla, Mo. Henry, who was a private in the
Sixteenth Ohio Infantry, died after the war from
the results of 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 1859, 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 10ss
of his left hand. Afterward he was unable to do
any work for a year. 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 1876 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. Littel1, built by himself, is a
beautiful residence at No. 1617 New Hampshire
street. He was married in Leroy 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,
1871, 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.
AMUEL REYNOLDS, who came to Kansas,
in the spring of 1855, has for many years
been secretary of the Douglas County Hor-
ticultural Society, 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
lie was paid $1 per hundred. At the same time
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
463
he also had the mail contracts from Lecompton to
Osawatomie, and from Lawrence to Burlington.
In 1858 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 1860 Mr. Reynolds erected a two-story 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 the 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 1887 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 Whitney, who lives near Topeka;
and George, of Lawrence. The wife and mother
died in 1871, 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.
ILLIAM M. SHIRAS is a member of the
firm of Crane & Shiras, proprietors of the
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 vicinity to obtain classical advantages at a
minimum cost. While his life is a busy one
and necessarily is devoted closely to business
matters, he takes 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 youngest 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 1875 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
1881, 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
1ater 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-
1and. 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.
NDREW P. NELSON, who is engaged in
general farm pursuits in Sherman Township,
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 of 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 owner. 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 City; Hattie,
Andrew P., Jr., Otto and Walter. The family
attend the Methodist Episcopal Church, but Mr.
Nelson still clings to the Lutheran faith, in which
he was reared.
OHN W. ROBERTSON, proprietor of a fur-
niture and undertaking establishment in
Lawrence, was born in Doylesburg, Frank-
lin County, 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, Ill., 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 1889 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.
808–81o Massachusetts street, being vacant, he
removed here, where he has three floors, 5ox.1oo
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 Miss Tin-
nie I. Bowker, who was born near West Brook-
field, Mass. They have two sons, 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 DeMolay
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
ImOvementS.
A.J. 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
1eading 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 University 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 1812, and died in Massachusetts
at seventy-four years. He married Julia King,
who was born in Suffield, 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, Ill.
Those of the family 11ow living are: Charles L.;
Elizabeth, the wife of M. L. Gaylord, of East-
hampton, Mass.; Caroline, of Southampton; and
Eunice, who married 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 21st 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 1860 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 1860. 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 11, 1862; Marye Heights, 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 1–
12, 1864; Petersburg, June 18, 1864; Fort Stevens,
July 12, 1864; Charleston, August 21, 1864;
Opequan, September 19, 1864; 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 April 5, 1864, and major June 26, 1865,
and was mustered out July 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 1890 he started in the insurance business
and has since represented several old-line compa-
nies. He was married in Massachusetts in 1860
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 office 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.
ity. His industry was great and he was regarded
as one of the most active men of Reno Township,
where he resided.
Mr. Kahn was born in Osnabrück, 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 months. 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 1881,
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 dairy plant was equipped
With modern machinery. In the fall of 1898 he
J.9
47O
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.
RTHUR WILLIS. From an early period
in the history of Ottawa Mr. Willis has
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-
terests, he called the Ottawa University nursery.
His present nursery was started in the spring of
1877, with seventy-seven hundred apple grafts
and three bushels of hedge seeds. Afterward he
made larger plantings and constantly increased
the business. Competition increased with en-
suing years. In 1879 Brewer & Stannard began
on a small scale; in 1885 T. P. Way started a
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
apple grafts each year. In 1883 he sold his
university lease and started on land of his own,
again taking the name of the Willis Nursery
Company. His office and sale ground are at the
east end of Fifth street on Cherry street. He has
fifty acres in nursery, of which four and three-
quarters acres are in town. Besides his stock
here he has nursery stock growing in Vinland
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. a
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.
47 I
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, Ill., 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.
OUIS C. MEHL, who is engaged in con-
tracting and building in Leavenworth, was
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. 51 1 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 1891 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.
HARLES 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 II, 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
in Vermilion County, Ind. From there, late in
the fall of 1857, he 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 1and 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 theory. 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.
ARCELMUS 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 1817, of Scotch par-
entage, learned the carpenter's trade in youth.
He engaged in the mercantile business 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-
erty. 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 in 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.
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.
AMUEL A. STONEBRAKER owns eighty
acres comprising a valuable farm in Pal-
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
county 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 he 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 office 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
In the '70s
1818 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-
eth 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
forty cents. However, in spite of this small be-
PoRTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
475
ginning, he 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.
UGUSTUS M. JARDON, vice-president of
the State Bank of Baldwin, is one of the rep-
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 passed 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.
ILLIAM A. PARDEE, who is a well-
known farmer of Willow Springs Town-
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, 1850. 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 family 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,
I864, 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, I.O.O.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.
AVID HERRIES. Since coming to Kan-
sas Mr. Herries has been engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits in Leavenworth County.
Coming here a young 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; Mrs. Isabelle Eggleston, William G.,
Emma, James and Hiram.
AVID 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-
terning home, 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 $90. 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 mature years, 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 Io, 1853, he left
478
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Liverpool on the sailer “Kossuth,” Capt. J. J.
Bell, and landed in New York on the Ioth of June.
Going to Centerville, Allegany County, N. Y.,
He was engaged 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.
APT. 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. His father, 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
named for his daughter.
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 Mr. 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
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 affairs 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 Miss
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.
ORATIO 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 affairs. 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. 1 II,
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 1886. 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
48O
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
platform. In religion he was a Methodist. He
was born March Io, 1808, and died January 7,
1899. His father, Henry Tawney, 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 Pennsyl-
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 army. July 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 Galion,
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.
zen of Lecompton who has been more active
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 Nancy
(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
jº JOHN FERRIS. There is no citi-
$4s
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
trade in his native land, emigrated to America in
1831. After two years in New York City, 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 work.
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 County, Ohio. In
I857, 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
48 I
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 Lecompton, where he leased
land from Col. William M. Nace, residing there
for two years. He then removed to the home in
Lecompton 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 justice
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, namely: Mary E., wife of Dr. E. B. Packer,
of Osage City, Kans.; Ellen, who married Dr.
R. O. Loggan, of Philomath, Ore. ; William L.,
who is connected with the Santa Fe Railroad;
and Joseph H., who is engaged in railroading in
Colorado.
EORGE 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 effects 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 suffering,
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 Infantry, of which his fa-
ther was a commissioned officer. 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
sforms 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 officer, 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
half way 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
1zilled 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
1860; A. M.; George P.; Charles C., a contractor,
of Mount Pulaski, Ill.; 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.
483
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, Ill.,
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 1878
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, Ill., 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,-
Ooo; 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, Ill.,
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, 1870, at Niantic, Ill., Mr. Wash-
burn married Alice, daughter of C. A. Sponsler,
who removed from her native city, Springfield,
Ill., 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 Loyal Legion. In religion
be 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.
HARLES F. GREEVER, of Leavenworth,
city engineer, was born four miles north of
Savannah, Andrew County, Mo., August
IO, 1864, a son 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.
484
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
The boyhood days 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-
1ature, 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 1,
1897, when his resignation was accepted, but on
the Ist of January, 1898, he was again appointed
to the office. From 1893 to 1895 he served as
county surveyor, to which office 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.
Masonic lodge in Leavenworth. He was made a
Mason in Henry 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 1897.
ACOB H. ROTHENBERGER, proprietor
of the Pioneer Cooper Works, is one of the
oldest business men of Leavenworth. July
I, 1859, he opened a shop on the corner of Main
and Choctaw streets, where he remained for
eighteen 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 sheriff 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
487
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, 1833, 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 he came 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
2O
488
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Leavenworth; 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
Freie Presse. 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.
ILLIAM 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 1, 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,
Ill., 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-
vºy
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
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. 4Io, G. A. R.,
of Vinland.
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.
LBERT BALES. The character of the soil
of Leavenworth County is such that various
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-
489
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 Civil 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
in 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 Laura
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.
SAAC F. HUGHES, chairman of the board
of county commissioners and a successful
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 1, 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 afid 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 em-
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, 1891, 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,
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,
I900. 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.
E OR G E WASHINGTON SEYMOUR.
Throughout a long and active life, much
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. In 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
49 I
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.
OHN GILMORE first came to Kansas in
1855, traveling through the territory with
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 1860.
On dissolving the partnership he went to Colo-
rado, and from there in the fall of 1860 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 10cal affairs. 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, at the age of fifty-three, there were born
five children, three of whom survive, viz.: Thom-
as, of Livingston County, N. Y.; Sarah Mary,
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.
They 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
Mr. Dyer are mainly connected with the
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 there to 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 January 6,
1884, at the age of eighty-three years. He was
survived for some years by his wife, who passed
away October II, 1898, at eighty-nine years. Of
{
*
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
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 they died.
January 9, 1877, 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.
R. JOSEPH STAYMAN, the pioneer fruit
grower of Leavenworth County, has resided
on his present homestead, within the limits
of the city of Leavenworth, since 1860. 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 Lancaster and
493
Cumberland Counties, Pa., where they identified
themselves with the Mennonites. Joseph Stay-
man, Sr., a native of Cumberland County, moved
to Ohio in 1839 and 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
Pennsylvania, daughter of John Myers, 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. He was 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 youth 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 1851 he removed to
Abingdon, Ill., 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 different 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 secretary 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 fifty 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.
NTON GETKER, who came to Kansas in a
very early day and has since made his home
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 1860 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. Very 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
County 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.
495
him with Miss Rebecca Baker, of Chicago. They
have three children, namely: William, who is now
in Leavenworth; Albert and Alice, at home. The
family are identified with the Catholic Church.
LOYD DUFFEE, surveyor of Douglas
County, and a resident of Lawrence, was
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 country either from
England or Scotland. Lewis Duffee 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 wildland he evolved a finely
improved farm. At first he made his home in a
log cabin, IOx12 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 preparatory 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.
ILLIAM 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.
AVID H. ANDERSON, who is engaged in
stock-raising and farming on section 26,
Kanwaka Township, Douglas County, was
born in Sangamon County, Ill., August 16,
1845, 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. I
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.
STANLEY WILLIAMS, proprietor of
the Pacific elevator in Ottawa, is one of
the successful business men of this city.
In 1893 he bought the elevator and plant and has
since engaged in the buying 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. *A
**g
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
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, Linn County,
Kans., where he carried on a lumber business.
In 1880 he sold out and came to Ottawa, where
he 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 for S. A. Brown &
Co., owners of the Pacific elevator. He contin-
ued the management of the business until he pur-
chased it, since which time he has been sole pro-
prietor.
At No. 4II 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
497
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.
ILLIAM NEELY TODD. The family
represented by this enterprising business
man of Leavenworth is of southern lineage
and Scotch-Irish extraction. His father, Thomas
Todd, was born in West Virginia, whither the 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 County
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
186O 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 1, 1850. He arrived in Leavenworth
July 8, 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 1891 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. I 17-119
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 ability, 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. 1, 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 Shelbyville, 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.
OBERT 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.
He has also cut and sold several hundred cords
of wood. At this writing he not only owns his
farm, but also his city home on Ottawa street,
and a number of building lots in the city.
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.,
499
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 chargé of the old homestead.
EORGE 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
5OO
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.
E ROY TRACKWELL, one of the represen-
tative farmers and stock-raisers in Tonga-
noxie Township, Leavenworth County, was
born in Shelby County, Ind., March 18, 1845.
His father, William, 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, I,eavenworth County. She
was born in Vermilion County, Ill., 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.
50 I
McArdle. Fraternally Mr. Trackwell has 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.
ON. 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, 1881. 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 chairman. 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.
EATTY ARMSTRONG. During the year
1881 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
years 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 1, 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.
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-
In 1878 .
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.
ALVIN 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 1860
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 1860 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.

WINSLOW DAVIS.


PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
5O7
*
was thirty-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.
ILLIAM GARDNER, deceased, who was
one of the pioneers of Hesper, Douglas .
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 Island. 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, at the 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, unassuming,
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-
a 11CeS. *
INSLOW DAVIS. During the period of
his residence in Eudora Township, which
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 now Hesper, on an eighty-acre
2 I
508
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
of Beal & Godding, at No. 812 Vermont
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
home 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 years 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
*s
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
farming there and was a captain in the militia.
His 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
academy 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.
OHN ROBSON AITCHISON. Among the
early settlers of Kansas, who experienced
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
5O9
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 ruffians. He took up surveying and
assisted in surveying for railroads and towns,
helping to lay out the towns of Vinland, 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 1860; 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.
5 IO
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Under Mayors Ludington 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.
APT. 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 City. 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,
1861, he enlisted in Company B, Second Kansas
Infantry, which was mustered in at Wyandotte,
he being first sergeant. He was sent to Missouri
and joined General Lyon at Springfield. After a
number of skirmishes, his first experience of an
important battle was at Wilson’s Creek, August
IO, 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 1, 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. Immediately 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 Roxbury, 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 years clerked in stores. From his home
state he came west in 1857, and he has since
(except during his absence in the war) been
*g
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD,
identified with Kansas. From 1864 to 1866 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.
Stickney, member of an old family of that city.
OHN HASKELL GILLHAM, a veteran of
the Civil war, was born near Edwardsville,
Madison County, Ill., 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 afterward engaged in farming in
Madison County. His son, S. P., was born in
that county and served in 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
5 II
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, Ill., 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,
Ill., 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
5I 2
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 Logan County, Ill. They are the parents
of two sons, Harry N., who is in business in
Lawrence; and Arthur W., also a blacksmith by
trade.
OSEPH 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 II,
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 1860 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.
ALTER 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 months in the store of Horace J. Smith,
p
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
5I 3
with whom he formed a partnership in 1868 as
Smith & Swift. When the partnership was dis-
solved in 1871 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 Life 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. Later 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 postoffice 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.
1ives 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
years 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 maider:
name of Amanda P. Pickrell, was born in Spring
field, Ill., 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
I898 and was assigned to Troop G, Second
United States Cavalry, and remained in service
until the close of the war, when he was mustered
5 I4
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.
OHN M. DYER, who was the pioneer coal
operator in the vicinity of Pomona, Franklin
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 & Barnett 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 ready 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 1egislature. 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.
5I 5
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.
AMUEL A. HOUSTON. For ten years Mr.
Houston was connected with either the regu-
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. 43 I Locust street. He
was married in Green Valley, Ill., 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.
ILLIAM 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-
516
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 County,
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 1812 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 affairs to devote atten-
tion to public matters and has never cared for
official positions. zº
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 Limerick, 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. ; Ellen, wife of Michael Ryan, of St.
Louis, Mo.; Hanora; David, who lives in Spring-
field, Ill, ; 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, Ill. 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, 1889,
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 slavery. 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.
EUBEN 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 difficult 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 office, 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 they traveled con-
siderable, both being fond of studying customs
and habits, as well as viewing scenery 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 in
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 Van Vleet. 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 telegraphy. 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
nelp in the management of the home farm, of
which he now has entire control. Active in po-
1itical matters, he has been a delegate to many
conventions. In 1895 he was elected township
trustee and served for two terms, being the only
Democratelected to any office 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.
ENRY 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 city 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 1854 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.
5 IQ
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-
1ows’ Orders.
H. JACOBS, manager of the Kansas Water
and Light Company, of Lawrence, came to
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, “Constantine,” 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.
RTHUR J. ANDERSON, M. D., general
medical examiner for the Fraternal Aid
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 Pennsylvania, but later settled in Green-
field, Highland County, Ohio. Born in Pennsyl-
vania and reared in Ohio, S. B. Anderson 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
52O
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
1884 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.
ARRY 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 different
parts of Pennsylvania, making his headquarters
in Allentown.
After three years as a peddler he went to Chi-
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
52I
cago and from there to Kansas City 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 1895 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.
EORGE UMMETHUN, who was one of
the leading business men and well-known
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 in 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
I859 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 in
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 1878 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 affairs 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 his 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 1851 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 grocery 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 time 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 eighty-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.
OBERT M. FERGUSON, who is proprietor
of a mercantile store in Leloup, Franklin
County, was born in Plainfield, Ill., 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, Ill., 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 Leloup, 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
affairs, 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 office 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-
tleman and farmer of Kanwaka Township,
Douglas County, was born in this county
March 15, 1860, 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 possibility of large profits in
the cattle business he devoted considerable atten-
WILLIAM SERVATUS.


, PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
525
tion to this branch of agriculture. In the fall of
1891 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 Law-
rence Camp No. 798, Modern Woodmen of Amer-
ica. He is respected as one of the enterprising
farmers and honorable citizens of histownship.
RS. DELIA F. SERVATUS, who is a pio-
neer of Franklin County, has for more than
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 1812 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 1ater
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
22
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.
ICHAEL A. PRZYBYLOWICZ, city clerk
of Leavenworth, was born in this city June
I, 1865, 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 to others, 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 1egislature 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. Shortly afterward he
entered the First National Bank as a messenger
boy, and later was promoted, by 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, he 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.
AMES L. TURNER, of Ottawa, was born
in Marysville, Union County, Ohio, March
I4, 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 County. For many years
James Turner held office as probate judge in
Union County, where he died in 1859; five years
1ater 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, Taylor, 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
be 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, I11. Sired by Isidore, 8or 8, he by
Bayard II (5612), he by Picadore I (7330), he
by Bayard (94.95), 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 (1212O) 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-
1as and Franklin County fairs.
In politics Mr. Turner is a:Republican. 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.
HARLES 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 Emery, 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, 1892, when he removed to Kansas City.
From there he came 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-
528
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.
NDREW SCHWARTZ, who is a prosper-
ous German-American farmer of Alexandria
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
Katherine (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.
HARLES 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 the sailer “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 in 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, Ill. 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
188o, 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.
CASS RATHBONE. The family repre-
sented by this gentleman has been identified
with American history since the days of the
‘‘ Mayflower’’ and the settlement of Massachu-
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
53o
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 he 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.
EWIS SEUFERT is engaged in farming and
stock-raising in Leavenworth County and is
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.
53 I
on general farming alone. The place consists of
two hundred and fifty acres of valuable land,
upon which 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 years Mr. Seufert 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 office, 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. 9o, 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.
OHN WILLIAM ALDER, chief clerk of the
Haskell Institute at Lawrence, and a veteran
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 Cavalry, 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,
1879, 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 city. The only son of Mr. and Mrs.
Alder is Charles Eugene, a graduate of the high
school and the University 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.
EREMIAH. H. GLATHART, who was one
of the very first men to engage in business
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
1838 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 only 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 bakery goods and embarked in
business in this city.
In the spring of 1860 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 thereby. 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.
64o 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 County 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 1860 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
Sanitarium in Kickapoo Township, Leaven-
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
*~s
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 company 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, he came 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 1889 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
military 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. They are the parents of
eight children, namely: Thomas J., who is under-
sheriff 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.
LEXANDER. G. GLENN. Noticeable
among the fine farms of Douglas County is
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 18OO, 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 January, 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 sixty 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 affairs. His religious faith is that of the
Methodist denomination. He is a man of up-
right life, kind heart and great generosity, and
willingly gives to objects of an educational, reli-
gious or charitable nature.
The marriage of Mr. Glenn, in 1856, 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. Of these ten are living, namely: George
A., William B., John T., Cyrus and Grant, who
are farmers Óf Lecompton 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 McQuisten, of Big Springs; and
Alphareta, at home.
REDERICK WEELBORG was a resident
of Leavenworth County from the pioneer
days of 1857 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
nade 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
fle 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 1ocal 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.
ON. 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. His father, Joel, was a son of 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,
Ill., 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, he came 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 independentin 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 Malden, 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 Northfield and 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
homefarm; 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.
LFRED B. POWELL, deceased. This pio-
neer settler of Levenworth County was long
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 culivation to 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, 182O, 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, 1860, he'
came to Leavenworth County and rented farm
*
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
land. In 1863 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
offices. 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
her mother; 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.
REDERICK W. WULFEKUHLER, propri-
etor of the wholesale grocery house of
Rohlfing & Co., has been identified with
the business interests of Leavenworth since the
fall of 1861, 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 Osnabrück, 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
537
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.
ENRY BIEBUSCH, a pioneer of Lawrence,
now deceased, was born in Prussia, in April,
1821, 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, Ill., and there,
March 1, 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, Ioo 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 gloomy, but has a cheerful, pleasant
disposition that wins the friendship of her associ-
ates and acquaintances.
REDERICK DEICHMANN, who is living
retired at No. 812 Rhode Island street, Law-
rence, was born in Hesse-Cassel, Germany,
in 1831, 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 employed
for some years. In 1860 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 years.
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 year 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 affairs successfully.
OHN Q. ADAMS, who owns and operates a
farm in Grant Township, Douglas County,
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-
11et-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 served 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 pursuits, making a
54O
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
in June, 1857, is proprietor of one of the
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, 50x II 7 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 (McIver) 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, Ill. 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 1857, with all of
his family except his son Andrew (who in 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 Jefferson City and
steamer, while his son, our subject, drove over-
land, crossing 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 McIver, 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, died in 1892; and
Neill is in charge of the Kansas City business
owned by himself and brother.
In County 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.
CLARK TEFFT.

gº PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
543
LARK TEFFT, one of the pioneers of the
western country, now living in Appanoose
Township, Franklin County, 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
Tefft, 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 office, but he has always
refused political offices except in Douglas County,
standard of education in the district.
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
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 Cavalry, 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 Kansas. 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.
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 he secured employment as
23
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 employed
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, Ill., 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.
HARLES 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
I857, 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 efforts that a postoffice was 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
I853.
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
years 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 officer 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.
ILLIAM A. PORTER was born in Gra-
tiot, Licking County, Ohio, January 22,
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 party.
He is a Past Eminent Knight Templar and a mem-
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.
ARRY 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 stiff 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 becóme
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.
Hutson'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 County. In 1860
he settled in Boonville, Mo., where he remained
until his death, in 1877. He married Susannah
Lear, who was born in Frankfort, Germany, 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 1851 and in 186O 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.
OHN CRAMER. Notwithstanding his eighty
active years, Mr. Cramer is still a man of
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 was born 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 1859 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.
547
second marriage of Mr. Cramer united him 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, whose 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 2nd was born in Circleville, Ohio.
OHN W. KINDRED. The farm in the Kaw
Valley which is owned and operated by Mr.
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 raising of 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 Io,
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, 1881, 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.
UNIUS UNDERWOOD, member of the
wholesale produce firm of Kumler & Under-
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
himself 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 city 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 1891 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 Griffin 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 Welton, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Un-
derwood had six children: Alice, Addie, William,
Hattie, Fay and Prescott. Hattie died June 16,
I899.
HARLES W. E.WING, 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 1861 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 lady 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 188o, 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
there until July, 1892, when he removed to Wells-
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-
1ows 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.
RANK P. SMITH, A. B., A. M., is one of
the successful educators of Kansas. He
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
I893,
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.
Daisy 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.
OHN 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 1895, when he sold the one hundred and
sixty acre farm and bought a tract of ten acres
near Baldwin, his present home. w
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.
55 I
daughter of John and Lucy (Storrs) Goodell,
natives of the same county, 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, Ill.
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.
OBERT 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.
ON. 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 County,
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 midst of 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,
1810, 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, 1811, 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
of Fort 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.
HARLESJ. 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.
EV. JAMES MURRAY, a retired minister
residing in Baldwin, was born in Canan-
daigua, Ontario County, N. Y., on the 4th
of July, 1828. 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 1812 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 very earnest and faithful member. He died in
I855, 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, 1814. 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 I I, 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 1880, 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, in 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. 4o, 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.
OHN A. DAVENPORT, SR., was born in
Belmont County, Ohio, and was the member
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 1871 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
I3, 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
1116-11.
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 Pennsylvania. 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.
OHN A. DAVENPORT, J.R., clerk of Frank-
1in County and one of the successful busi-
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 1881 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
office 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. 32O Main street.
He has built up the largest business of its kind in
the city and is known as a reliable business man,
whose 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 office, 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, Ill., 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.
HILIP M. LEWIS, M. D., who is a success-
ful practicing physician of Lecompton, was
born in Delaware County, Ind., February
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 County, 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-
*º
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
ty and engaged in farming. In 1845 he re-
moved to Decatur County, where he made his
home for six years. Thence he went to Bartholo-
mew County. After another six years he estab-
lished 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 office 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. Smith. 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 year 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
557
Kansas State Poultry Association. Fraternally
lie 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.
LVIN V. SHARPE, B. S., L.L. B., attor-
ney-at-law and justice of the peace of Law-
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
Republie, 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 Deering 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 1st of April was elected
to the office.
June 7, 1893, 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.
YRUS 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 fifty 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 O., and Lola M. One
son, Claude, died of diphtheria when three years
and ten months old.
EORGE ADAM SEUFERT, who is a re-
tired farmer and stock-dealer of Stranger
Township, Leavenworth County, was born
in Baden, Germany, May 16, 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 Buffalo, poor
health caused him to retire from business to a
farm where he continued 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
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 only. 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 1899 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.
I AMES CONNOLLEY SIMMONS, former
representative of the fifteenth district in the
Kansas legislature, is a successful 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-
24
560
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 1871
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. Thé
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
in the house he served as member of the railroad,
judiciary, congressional and judicial apportion-
…”
bors.
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, 1881, he
married Kate E. Nutt, by whom he has six
children, namely: Mary Olive, John Francis,
William Ross, Mattie L., Ida L. and Ray E.
ILLIAM SPURGEON, who is an enter-
prising business man of Lawrence, is a
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-
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
FORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
56I
Lawrence, where his sister, Mrs. Hyatt, made
her home. He stayed 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 sixty 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.
82O 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.
LDAMAR P. ELDER, president of the Ot-
tawa Foundry Company and president and
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 by 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 years 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.
RED RUDER, a pioneer of 1857, is still en-
gaged in business in Leavenworth. In July,
1884, he started a harness shop at No. 731
Shawnee street, buying the property 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 only three months in the year. 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 1857 came to Kansas, arriving in Leav-
enworth April 15, Here he was employed as a
saddler in the government service. 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
1og cabin there, while he engaged in clearing up
the land. During some of his longer trips for the
government the family 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.
HARLES BOSWORTH. 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 August, 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 1812
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, furnishing 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 here in 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.
UDGE LEWIS S. STEELE, of Lawrence,
came to Kansas June 1, 1857, and located a
claim near Clinton, Douglas County. He
was born in Ross County, Ohio, September 15,
I833, 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 mem-
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 County, 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 Priee 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
Ransas Infantry in the Civil war, died in Ross
County, Ohio, February II, 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 1860 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 Snowy
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 Company 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 Newtonia. 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 army 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.,
1eft 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.
OHN 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 property, 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 Io,
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 Linwood.
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 offices. 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 July
24, 1854, and 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.
EV. JOHN M. SULLIVAN, a retired Meth-
Odist Episcopal minister residing in Bald-
win, Douglas County, was born in Fayet-
teville, Brown County, Ohio, December 5, 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-S
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, Ill., where he resided. A stanch
Democrat, he was elected on the party ticket to
various town and county offices, 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
years 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
1881 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 1881 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 affairs 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.
W. ELDRIDGE, M. D., city physician of
Lawrence, is a graduate of the Cincinnati
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 1881 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 office 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
ine commenced 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.
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
He is a member of the Douglas Coun-
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.
EORGE C. APPLETON, recorder of deeds
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 different line of business, he hās
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 day. 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 office
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD,
569
January 6, 1896, and continued in office 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. The 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.
HARLES 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
I7, 1822, 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 Ellicottville, 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
57O
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 man 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.
AMUEL W. ABERNATHY, who is one of
the most enterprising business men of Otta-
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.
ENRY 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.
57 I
furniture business. Soon afterward, he went to
St. Joe, Mo., where he secured employment 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.
UGUST L. SELIG, ex-mayor of Lawrence,
has been engaged in the insurance business in
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
Kansas 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
1861 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 soon 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 the close 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, Ill., 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 time 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 1eaving 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
at Topeka, 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. -
ELSON. M. CHANDLER, a pioneer of
Franklin County, has been identified with
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 office
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 Naomi S., 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
1813, 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 son of 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 I 2, 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 Sheffield
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, Ill.
EWIS M. THOMPSON. The family repre-
sented by this gentleman originated in Scot-
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
years 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 efforts. 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.
DWARD SHIVELY, a member of one of
Douglas County’s pioneer families, is a son
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
1860 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
Politically 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.
UGUST ZIESENIS, who follows farming
just outside the limits of Eudora, Douglas
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 serve, he ran away and came to the
United States without passport or papers of any
kind. After a voyage of thirty-five days he
.1anded 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 melee.
In 1862 he enlisted in Company E, Twelfth Kan-
as post commander.
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
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
Raw River.
ARTIN P. HAYS. During the twenty 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 time he became
the owner of land in township I5, 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
25
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.
Hays 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. January II, 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 1, 1837, a 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 years 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 years
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
on 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 18, 1879, he married Alice Gard,
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.
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 different 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, William and Florence, of Leavenworth.
ALEB 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
ments, the most important being Westport.
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 Vineland,
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.
NDREW S. BALDWIN. During the long
period that has elapsed since he came to
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-
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, Ill.; 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 II,
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 integrity 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, he married
Miss Mary Burr, daughter of Urial and Esther
(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 years and passed away June 29, 1882.
Upon the claim in Clinton Township, 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 born 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, 1860, 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
15, 1873, and died November 17, 1874. Mary G.,
who was born October 28, 1877, is with her
parents.
APT. 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-estate 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 close of the Rebellion. He was
connected with the army from April 21, 1861,
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 yard in the lat-
ter city, he 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-
tèrested. 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.
I2O, 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 afterward became promi-
ment 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 County 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 Jefferson
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.
ETER LAPTAD, who resides upon a valua-
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 18 Io 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.
58 I
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
of the war he 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.
2 I 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-
1162.SS. º
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.
HARLES 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 Delawarestreet, 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 1, 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 office. 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.
LBERT H. KING, superintendent of public
instruction for Douglas County, is descended
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.
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
Pennsylvanian 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
He is now ninety-four
Baldwin, Kans. He is a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic and in politics affiliates
with the Republicans. In Indiana he married
Nancy, daughter of Rev. Thomas Job, who was
born in North Carolina in 1812 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
family 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 office of
superintendent of public instruction. In 1898 he
was nominated for this office 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 office 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.
HARLES B. McCLELLAND, D. V. S., of
Lawrence, was born at Williamsville, San-
gamon County, Ill., 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, Ill., 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.
ETER H. WEEKS. Shortly after the close
of the Civil war, in which he had borne arms
for the government, 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 army 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 in Winterset, 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 1, 1875, at
sixty-five years of age. She was connected with
the Methodist Episcopal Church. Of her three
children, Mary is a widow and Lyman 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 Cavalry, 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. 4Io, 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. Frances 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.
ENRY 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 years 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 1871 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 years 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 11, 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
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, I11.
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.
ENRY 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 was born in Uniontown,
Fayette County, Pa., and graduated from Jeffer-
son College in Pennsylvania, after which he
practiced law in Uniontown almost forty years.
Possessing more than ordinary ability, he was
repeatedly called to offices 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 Emma Dobson, 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.
OHN G. McCLA NAHAN, one of the earli-
est of the Douglas County pioneers, was
born in Lexington, Ky., June 18, 1826, a
son of William S. and Elizabeth T. (Triplett)
McClanahan, 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 1833. He
then removed to Boone County, Mo., and en-
gaged in farming and teaching. In 1848 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 SeptemberI.
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 they 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.
ILLIAM M. LINDLEY, who was one of
the first machinists and engineers in Law-
rence, was born in New London, Howard
County, Ind., November II, 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 1812
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,
water works 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 affairs, 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.
ENRY 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 188o 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 process, but about 1883
changed to the roller system. For a time Mr.
Shaffer and W. M. Shiras were both connected
with Mr. Crane, but Mr. Shaffer 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 ninety-
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, Ill., 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 1855 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 1869. 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 office 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 wiping 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 by
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. II, 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.
ENRY C. BRANSON, secretary, treasurer
and manager of the Ottawa Foundry Com-
pany, vice-president of the Ottawa Hard-
ware Company, and chief of the Ottawa fire de-
partment, has made his home in the county-seat
of Franklin County since December 28, 1867. He
was born near Williamsville, Sangamon County,
Ill., December 2, 1842, 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, Ill., for years,
and thence removed to Jacksonville, the same
state, where he died at seventy-three years. His
wife, who was born near Mount Sterling, Ky.,
was a daughter of John Thompson, a soldier in
the war of 1812, who removed from Kentucky to
Illinois, settling near Mechanicsburg; she died in
Taylorville, Ill. 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
subsequently 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 1892 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 with the department dates from April,
1872, and it is due not a little to his efforts that
the service rendered by 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. I I, 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.
ILLIAM JACKSON, acting captain of the
guard at the United States penitentiary,
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.
59 I
*
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 1895 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.
ON. 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 Christianz 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-
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-
26
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 official 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 nobody 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 success, 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 made 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.
HARLES 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 anyone in his
1ocality. 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, 1897, 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, Leavenworth
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 Io,
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 effects 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.
OHN W. BAKER. The first passenger train
that came through to Olathe brought Mr.
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
yields fruits of the choicest varieties.
In Sangamon County, Ill., 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.
H. F. SCHNEIDER, who came to Law-
rence in 1868, was first employed as a pat-
tern maker in the shops of the Kansas
Pacific Railroad. Later 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 office 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
I883, 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
wº
the maintenance-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 officer 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
possessing 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.
EV. DEXTER TUCKER, who was or-
dained to the ministry of the Baptist Church
in 1866, has often been called to preach, not
only in his own neighborhood, but in different
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, 1834, 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
destroyed all of his property by fire.
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, he 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
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. gº
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 efficiency.
ESHACK SANDERS, who owns and oc-
cupies a farm at Twin Mound, Marion
Township, Douglas County, was born near
Shelbyville, Ky., December 9, 1840, a son of
Meshack and Lucy (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
rail 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.
UGENE BREWER, of Ottawa, is the sen-
ior member of the firm of Brewer & Stan-
nard, proprietors of the Ottawa Star nur-
series, and has made his home in this city since
1871. 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.
597
1865 settled in Dekalb County, Ill., 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 19, 1850, 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, Kans., 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.
HRISTIAN 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, Ill., 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
1898 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-
598
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
I2, 1888, just prior to his removal to Kansas, and
united him with Louisa, daughter of Charles
Dude, of Madison County, Ill. They are the
parents of five children, Albert, Otilie, Benjamin,
Clarence and Milton, who are being given the
best educational advantages the neighborhood
affords.
UGUST WULFKUHLE, of Lawrence, has
met with the success which his industry
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
1860, 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
1812 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 Böcker, but at the time of his
marriage to Marie Wulfkuhle, 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 Wulf kuhle. 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 1860, 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 1860 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, 1860, Mr. Wulf kuhle 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. Wulfkuhle 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. Wulf kuhle 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.
ON. C. N. BISHOFF, M. D., is one of the
leading men of Eudora Township, Douglas
County. In 1878 he purchased a farm of
one hundred 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-
isfactorily 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, Er.
Bishoff is a 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. Bishoff 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 any denomination.
He is a member in good standing of the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows and the Masonic fra-
ternity.
ANIEL FOGLE, president of the D. Fogle
Mercantile Company, is one of the leading
business men of Franklin County, 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 8, 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 he 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 latter 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 1867 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,
1898, 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 Mary (Williams) Clawson, and was born in
Punxsutawney. Her maternal great-grandfather
was a general in Washington’s army. They
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.
6OI
$ºy
For twenty years 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
gained success in their chosen fields of labor
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 affairs.
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
1eft three children, viz.: Laura Elizabeth, wife
of Samuel Allen; Myrtie May, who married Al-
bert Adams; and Charles J., who resides at
home.
EV. 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 Io, 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 1812, 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 years 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.
to Michigan and identified himself with the Con-
gregational Church. He held pastorates at Pot-
terville and Bronson, that state. In 1879 he came
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 supervision
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
In 1875 he went
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.;
Della, 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.
ARCISSE N. AVERILL, a pioneer of
Franklin Township, Franklin County, is
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 and settled in Kan-
kakee County, Ill., 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.:
Ulysses I., 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.
is one of the men who gave his services to
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-
( HOMAS N. BAKER, of Franklin County,
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, Ill., 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, Ill. 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. For
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.
LEXANDER SHAW, one of the prominent
business men of Lawrence, was born Octo-
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 Quantrell 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 office 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; her
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.
I2, 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.
OWARD 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 1812, 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 months, 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 land. He spent two and one-
half years in Carthage, Mo., following his trade.
In 1874 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
year 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. Henderson 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.
ON. McCOWN HUNT, of Leavenworth,
was born at Fort Polk, Point Isabelle,Tex.,
November II, 1849, and was brought by his
parents in the same year 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 years 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 Company, 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 years 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 only
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 served 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 1896 his 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 institutions 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 WO11. •
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,
1881; McCown Nicholas Devereux, August 18,
1883; Henry Gorman William, September 22,
I891; and Mary Ann Emily, August 7, 1894. In
religion Mr. Hunt is a Catholic. Fond of all
kinds of sports, he was one of the organizers of
the Leavenworth 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.
EAVENWORTH ANGLERS ASSOCIATION.
In May, 1896, a party of gentlemen met
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,
Henry 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 gentlemen 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 every
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.
OUIS BEURMANN, who owns and occupies
a farm in Wakarusa Township, Douglas
County, was born in the province of Hanover,
Germany, a son of Louis Beurmann, Sr. His
birth occurred January 7, 1837, and the followińg
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
'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 efforts
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
Mengelsdori, 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 meat house built by Mr. Beurmann,
who has also built a substantial barn and other
buildings as needed. He has taken some interest
in bee cliſtüre and has a number of hives, but
reserves the honey for home use, not caring to
27
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
business in Leavenworth since 1865, was
born in 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., served
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 McIlvaine,
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.
APT. 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 I I, 1827. His
boyhood years were spent on a farm near that city
and he was educated in country 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, Ill., 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, Ill.,
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
Palmyra 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,
Ill., 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 1860, was married in 1885 to David
Wetherby, of Iowa. Emma, born in 1866, is a
stenographer connected with the postoffice 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.
OHN W. WRIGHT, who is one of the prom-
inent contractors and builders of Leaven-
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 city. 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 I, OOO.
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.
OBERT 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 Dunmore, 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 188o 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.
6I I
In Washington Township, Richland County,
Ohio, Mr. McFarland married Miss Mary Ellen
Ford, daughter of John Ford, who was a farmer
there. She died in Ohio February 7, 1863, 1eav-
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 boy 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 served
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 Sixty-fifth 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
officer 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.
THAN B. KECK. Three miles northwest
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 efforts 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
6I 2
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
(Burns) Keck, natives of the same county. Dur-
ing 1840 his father removed to Kane County,
Ill., 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, Ill. 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.
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 em-
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.
LEXANDER LEWIS. The Lewis family
was founded in America by two brothers,
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
I754, and married Mary Phelps, born May 27,
1767. Of their thirteen children, all but one at-
tained maturity. In early manhood he settled in
Suffield, 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 1812, 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 they 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 Elmira,
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
2OOx1 17, 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.
RED W. KELLER, who is engaged in the
livery business in Leavenworth, was born
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
614
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL 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 Leavenworth, 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. 61 I 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-raiser 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 1868,
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.
6L5
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
office, 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 McLouth 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.
ICHARD 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) Kingsley, the latter of Irish parentage
and the former of English birth and descent. As
an officer 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 1851 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 secretary 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 officials, 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-
6I 6
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
gineer 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.
DOLPHUS G. OATMAN. In order to give
his children the advantages of a university
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, Ill., 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, Ill., 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 of the Indians
and recovered most of the property. Several of
his 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, Ill. 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, Ill., 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 1and 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 188o. 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 Kansas 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 by 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 Journal, of Lawrence. Mary Josephine,
the youngest of the family, is deceased.
TAMES P. LINDSEY, one of the successful
farmers and coal operators in Franklin Coun-
ty, 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
I869 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. Lindsey 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.
OSEPH NEWSOME is the proprietor of the
Leavenworth Steam Boiler Works, which
were established by himself 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 in his line in this city, including the work
for the United States prison and other large insti-
6I 8
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
tutions, and in every 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 Leeds, 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 by 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, 1855, 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 1857 found Mr. Newsome fore-
man in a foundry at Alton, Ill., 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 every 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,
ILLIAM DENHOLM, a farmer and stock-
grower of Stranger Township, Leaven-
worth County, was born in Scotland, July
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, wº
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 August, 1862, he enlisted in Company
H, Twenty-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.
6 IQ
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, Ill., but after a
short time bought a farm in Clinton County, Iowa.
From there, in 1864, he came to Leavenworth
County, Kans., and settled in Stranger Town-
ship, where his death occurred in 1876, 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.
YEORGE. A. DENHOLM was born in De-
witt, Clinton County, Iowa, July 12, 1860.
g 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 the office of trus-
tee of the congregation. January 4, 1895, he
was united in marriage with Miss Hattie E.
Davis, of Geneseo, Ill., and they have two sons,
William D. and Walter G.
|ON. 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 1ocal 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
62O
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-
1y 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 of the oldest members of the lodge and en-
campment of Odd Fellows. He is now secretary
of Lawrence Lodge No. 4, I. O. O. F.
DMUND H. COX. Adjoining the village
of Tonganoxie on the west lies one of the
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 years 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.
62 I
Knight and makes his home in Lawrence;William,
a farmer in Leavenworth County; 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.
OHN H. ATWOOD. During the period of
his residence in Leavenworth Mr. Atwood
has been particularly successful in a profes-
sional way 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 affairs 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 capacity 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, 1860. 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. I., 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 L.L. B. Shortly
after his graduation he was admitted to the Mid-
dlesex bar. About this time he married Miss Nellie
Wyman, who came from 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. They re-
side in a handsome home on Fourth avenue in
Leavenworth, Kans.
Mr. Atwood came to Leavenworth in January,
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 the appointment of Hon. Will-
iam C. Hook to the federal judgeship of Kansas,
and Senator Baker’s retirement from the practice
of 1aw, 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 many 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.
APT. 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,
Ill., 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
**IGH RIVEIHS HOQ ÑIQI SHIN V Í‘RIGH RIVEIHS （HOEIXIRIVAI ĢIJD NOEIRIAAVI

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, and while never desiring office for him-
self, has been actively connected with local af-
fairs. 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. *r -
AMES BRUCE SHEARER. In presenting
to the readers of this volume the biography
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, Ill., 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
foresight to discern the possibilities of this section
of the country. 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. McIntire.
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. McIntire he engaged in
business in Lawrence and Ottawa, carrying a full
line of dry-goods, clothing, etc. When the
partnership was dissolved, in 1888, Mr. Shearer
engaged in the dry-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, Kans., 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,
1898, 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
28
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 1812 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-
1ent nature also receive her support. George B.
Reineke, 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.
ASHINGTON D. KELLY, deceased, who
was one of the earliest settlers of Leaven-
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 1, 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 office
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. º
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.
YLIE 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, Wylie G., was
born, March 4, 1866, and there, eighteen months
1ater, 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 Cornella 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 1, 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, 1898, 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, Ill., and is the
daughter of Benjamin Bragdon.
ENRY 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 1860 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 be 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 satisfactorily. 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,
1860, 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. 4e
UDGE 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 McNaughton, our subject's great-great-
grandfather, was born 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, Finlay, 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 1812; 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,
1851, and was next to the youngest among eight
children. The eldest of the family, Elizabeth,
and the second-born, Annie (Mrs. Delcour S. 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
cultivated 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
63O
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 McNaughton 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 1898 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 years 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. McNaughton have
four children: Malcolm, who graduated from the
Tonganoxie high school and is now attending
the academy; Lucy, Alicia and Gertrude Mabel.
OSEPH YEWDALL. As a florist and land-
scape gardener Mr. Yewdall has few supe-
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 3OOx1 17
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 nursery.
The splendid condition of the yards attests the
success of his work. He also owns 150x II 7 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 (forty-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 army 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 1, 1847, our subject, with his mother and
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
63 I
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 1eaving 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-
moving to Hammonton, N.J., he bought abusiness,
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 II,
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-
tified 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.
ON. REUBEN W. LUDINGTON, who
came to Lawrence in March, 1857, 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 1, 1827, a son of Harry and
Villity (Winchell) Ludington. His grandfather,
Capt. Daniel Ludington, who was an officer 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
1812, 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 II, 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 Lawrénce,
June 13, 1881. 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 à 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-
office at Rock Valley and was the first postmaster.
After a time he bought the home formerly 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 Quan-
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 grocery house of A. D. Craigue & Co.,
on North Tejon street, Colorado Springs.
May Io, 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, Angie V., is the wife of Hon.
Cassius G. Foster, who was appointed United
States judge of Kansas by President Grant and
served until March 1, 1899, since which time he
lived retired in Topeka, until his death, June 21,
I899.
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.
I2, 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, Lawrence 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
losses 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.
ANIEL 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 days 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
responsible. Instances of this kind might be mul-
tiplied indefinitely.
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 house 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 1, 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.
LI WESTHEFFER, who resides upon a
farm one-half mile west of Eudora, Doug-
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; Eli; 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
I877 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.
OBERT. 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 years
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 Elizabeth (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
Leavenworth, 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,
I862, united him with Lucretia 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 affairs 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.
ORRIS M. GRIST, SR. Viewed in the
light of an honorable life and successful
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, Asaiah W. 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 he came 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. 4.
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 penitentiary. 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
1atter.
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
subject, 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 studying 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 his 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 rank 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, Mājor 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 efficient 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. William 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 by 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 he 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; offering 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.”
OHN C. ALEXANDER, a trustee of Ton-
ganoxie Township, is one of the well-known
men of his part of Leavenworth County.
He arrived in Kansas September 1, 1878, 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
64O
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 township 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 1871 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.
LLEN L. WILSON, of Lawrence, was born
in Bryan, Williams County, Ohio, July 14,
1869, a son of A.S. and Frances 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.
LEXANDER KIRK. Coming to Leaven-
worth in the spring of 1864, at the expira-
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
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, 1862, 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.
29
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.
ANIEL 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 1, 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-
1isted 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 supervisor of
Willow Springs Township and for seven years
he filled with efficiency the office of township
clerk.
ENJAMIN F. TRACKWELL is a member
of a prominent family of Leavenworth Coun-
ty and has, by his own energetic efforts,
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, being 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 1801, and in 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
1860, 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.
Twige 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 very 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
te
644
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Lakes, in Lake County. For two years or more
he remained with the company as superintend-
ent. Finally 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 (Rice) Kin-
kaid. Three children were born of their union,
namely: Miranda, deceased; Randel L. and Em-
ery Mason.
OHN A. HENDERSON is one of the well-
known business men of Lawrence. He came
to this city September 1, 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 he started in the manufacture of
house 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 I I, 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-
he still lives.
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 1881 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.
UGUST BERGER. Through his connec-
tion with its agricultural interests Mr. Ber-
ger is well known in Stranger Township,
Leavenworth County, where for years he was
actively engaged in general farming, and where
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.
RANCIS C. HERR, M. D., of Ottawa, is
descended from ancestors who were promi-
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 affairs. 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 subjeet of this sketch. He was born
in Lancaster County, Pa., December 1, 1852,
and received 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, he 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 office of the pen-
sion examiner. At one time he held the office
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 in 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 Seiler, ex-sheriff of
Dauphin County, and a sister of Prof. Jacob
Seiler, 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.
OHN FRITZEL, who is proprietor of the
Jersey dairy in Wakarusa Township, Doug-
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 Io,
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.
ACOB 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.
EONARD T. SMITH. Few men who have
lived in Leavenworth have won the un-
qualified esteem and warm friendship 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 family 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
Io, 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
assisted 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 the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe from Leavenworth to Holliday. In 1880,
648
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
upon the inauguration of the system 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 Gloversville, N. Y.
Mr. Smith died suddenly of heart failure at the
Iturbide hotel in the City of Mexico, April 15,
1891. 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 ‘Len,” 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.’”
R. W.M. 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, 1819, 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 February 18, 1848.
He was then sent to a select school in Harrison-
ville for one year. His education was now con-
tinued in private schools until the years 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. Disgusted 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 1860.
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, 1860, 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. L. Means called him into his office 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-
1y 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 effort 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, 1862, 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, I9 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 New 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 1, 1867. At the expiration
of his term of office 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. Louis, 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 society. 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.
BEL, HENSLEY. In point of years of busi-
ness activity Mr. Hensley is the oldest
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
tannery 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, Ill., 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 1868 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, by
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.
EORGE. 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 1897 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 Germany for a short time he
returned to America in 1896 and has since made
his home in his native city. The attention
which for years 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 Io, 1898, united him with Miss Alma Retter,
who was born in Montana.
TANCE L. MEYERS, who is under sheriff
of Leavenworth County, was born in the city
of Leavenworth July 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, and
Has since lived quietly, 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. Louis, 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, Ill.; Charles, who
resides with his parents; and Minnie, widow of
A. W. 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 Times, and this position
he held until 1887, after which he held a similar
place with the Leavenworth Evening Standard.
October 1, 1897, he resigned the latter position,
and January 1, 1898, Sheriff Everhardy appointed
him as his deputy, which position he has since
efficiently 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.
OHN Z. CLARK, proprietor of the Ottawa
steam laundry, secretary and manager of
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, Ill., 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 sons 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,
Ill.; 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. 1 13 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.
home upon his present farm Mr. Knapp has
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.
ing with success, and, having devoted his active
life to this occupation, is familiar with every 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
lsº F. KNAPP. Since establishing his
As a farmer he is meet-
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.
OHN W. LOAR. There are few of those
now living in Leavenworth whose advent in
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 1812. 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
1atter 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
1ife.
A.J. ROBERT C. CAMPBELL, a resident
of Ottawa and the owner of Riley Medium
No. 2150, record 2:10%, 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, serving
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, 1896. 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. 4oo, he sired by
Rysdyk’s Hambletonian No. Io, first dam,
Maud R., by Mambrino Patchen, by Mambrino
Chief. Riley Medium is the sire of Bob Riley
2: Io, Kate Medium 2:10%, 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.
OHN 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 crossed 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. McCormick came to Leav-
enworth. Soon he found employment at his
trade. For seven years 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, 1859, at 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 Jersey Infantry, 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 district
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.
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.
ENRY 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 1and. 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 Neste 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, Ill. 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: Anna F., wife of J. F. Schmeltzer,
of Manteno, Ill.; Charles E., a farmer and stock-
3O
658
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
man of Brewster, Neb.; Nellie, wife of E. J. Viall,
of Manteno, Ill.; and Henry G. The last-named
was born in Iroquois County, Ill., 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.
UBERT 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 by 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. T
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. w -
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 1, 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 in 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.
ON. ACHILLES B. WADE, deceased, came
to what is now Douglas County in March,
1854, 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. 191o Haskell street,
where he had fifteen acres of fruitland. 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, 1891. 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 Io, 1847,
Mr. Wade married Miss Nancy Davidson, who
was born March 13, 1828, 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
lier 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 property 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-
el1, who graduated from Lane University and is
now living in Rockford, Ill.; 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.
C. SCHULTE, a successful business man of
Leavenworth, has been at the head of a re-
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
inad established.
UDLEY H. WIGGIN, a retired dairyman
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.
661
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.
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 course 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. Af
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 property 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 house has
Owing to poor eyesight he
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, 1860,
and is engaged in the dairy business; Ida Belle,
who was born September 14, 1862, and is the wife
of J. R. Plasket, 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.
ON. CHARLES H. TUCKER, clerk of the
district court, is one of the leading Repub-
licans of Lawrence. For twenty 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
party, 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 accuracy and faithfulness,
thus winning for him the confidence of the peo-
ple. ---
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. L. 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.
ENJAMIN F. EDWARDS. The pioneers
of Leavenworth County will always be held
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 1850. His son, John, was born in Tennessee
in 18OO, 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 1812, 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 County, Kans. ;
Samuel A., of Carroll County, Mo., who was a
soldier in the Confederate army 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 army. 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 mustered 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. w
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 Company A, Seventeenth Kansas In-
fantry, and also acted as recruiting officer for the
Seventh and Fifteenth Kansas Cavalry. Among
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 member 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.
ANSING VAN VOORHIS, a farmer of
Douglas County, came to Kansas in 1880,
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
lıomestead. 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
member of the board of managers and later was
chosen president of the board, while for six
months he also acted as commandant 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; Leroy, 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 Army 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.
LBERT C. SHINN. The farm and stock
interests of Franklin County have an in-
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: I4.
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
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 1889 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.
ILLIAM 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, I11. 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, Ill., where he engaged in contracting
and building until his death, in 1865. 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, Ill., 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, Ill., 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, Ill., 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.
HARLES 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
‘‘ius.” 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 1818 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,
Benhard 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
business he continued until 1881. He then en-
gaged in the livery business at Ellsworth. In
March, 1884, he came to Ottawa, and entered
the employ 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
Franklin 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
lin 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 by 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.
October 3, 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.
ACOB RODENHAUS, who has been identi-
fied with the history of Kansas since 1856, was
born in Marburg, 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
1and 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-slavery 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 1860 he clerked in the
Leavenworth house on Cherokee street, after
which he conducted a billiard hall on Delaware
street for two years. When the war broke out
he bought for $175 a tract of eighty acres of land,
near Olathe, from Captain Kimball, who raised
a company of volunteers with the money 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 to Gus Schmeckel, 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 by 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 year sold out to his brother
and started in the cattle business in South Da-
Rota, 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
1aid 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
money to pay for their meals, so the robbers se-
cured nothing from them. However, the only
lady passenger in the party had $250 which she
was bringing with her from California and this
money 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 January, 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 Society, 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 orderly 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 Shawneetown. His
long and intimate connection 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.
LI J. WHERRY, a farmer of Eudora Town-
ship, Douglas County, residing at No. IO4O
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 affords. 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 1, 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 follows: 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.
ON. 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
1812. 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 subseription 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,
1eaving 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.
EORGE 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 land 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.
671
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 he enlisted 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. 1 16 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, Ill., 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 is also 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.
OHN M. CONARD, an enterprising stock-
man of Hayes Township, Franklin County,
was born in La Salle County, Ill., 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, which 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, Ill. 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 property 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
Civil war, came to Kansas in 1866 and pur-
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
office 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-
sellville, Putnam County. In 1866 he came to
Kansas and settled on the Ottawa Indian reser-
vation, purchasing land 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
offices, 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
county, 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
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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.
UDGE JAMES F. LEGATE, a pioneer of
Kansas, now living retired in Leavenworth,
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
bouse 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 1812 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. Against 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 Massachusetts.
In the family of William M. Legate there were
eleven children, eight of whom are living, the
eldest being eighty-five and the youngest sixty-
two. William M. is still living in the Massachu-
settstown 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, of Stratham, 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 assist 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.
3I
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 land 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.
APT. 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. tº
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. gº
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 meas-
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.
ERMAN SEIDEL, who has resided in
Leavenworth since boyhood, was born in
Nuremberg, Germany, November 10, 1864,
a son 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 Ioth 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. 8oo
South Seventh street, which is an excellent loca-
tion, and there he has since built up a large trade.
His business is exclusively 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. Io, 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.
EORGE W. HAMBLIN, deceased, formerly
one of Ottawa’s most enterprising citizens,
was born in Suffield, Conn., March 17, 1842,.
a son of Peter and Cornelia (Cole) Hamblin and
on both sides of the house traced his lineage to Hol-
1and. 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
1871 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 Valentigny, 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.
ILSON McELHENY, superintendent of
the Leavenworth Construction Company,
- of 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 Logansport, in Fulton
County, Ind., April 24, 1840, a 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 1854 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
I859 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 company,
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-
refloe.
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 Commandery No. 7,
K. T., in 1881; 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. Politically he votes the Demo-
cratic ticket.
UGUST L. KRIPP. One of the well-known
business houses of Leavenworth is situated
at the corner of Pennsylvania street and
Tenth avenue, and is owned and operated by Mr.
Kripp, who is a man of business ability, 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, Ill., Mr. Kripp
was born August 1, 1862. 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
Sauer, 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,
1881, 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.
DWIN D. F. PHILLIPS, M. D., a leading
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 City medical college, is a practicing phy-
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 study
of medicine. October 25, 1861, he enlisted in
Company H, Fifty-seventh Indiana Infantry.
Two months 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.
68 I
sionary 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 years 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 1869 he
went to Holden, Mo., and bought a drug store,
which he conducted until 1870. 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 different 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 associated 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 eldest, 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.
REDERICK HAWN was for years inti-
mately connected with the geological re-
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 city,
and proved to be the nucleus of what developed
into one of the most important industries in this
city.
In the midst of his busy 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, Ill. 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.
of Leavenworth County, was born in
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-
In 1872 he served on a geological survey
Going to Salt Lake
º jº LAURENS HAWN, probate judge
1162.SS.
of Leavenworth County.
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 judge. 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 past chancellor; and the lodge
and encampment of Odd Fellows, being past
noble grand of the lodge.
HITSED LAMING, JR., cashier of the
Tonganoxie State Bank, and one of the in-
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 Lineolnshire, 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 farm's
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
of England.
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
stage; 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.
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.
In 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 Tonganoxie, which is platted in town
lots. He is a member of the State Bankers' AS-
sociation. Fraternally he is past chancellor of
In the second story of the bank build-.
684
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
the Knights 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.
OHN CAULTON LAMING, assistant cash-
ier of the Tonganoxie State Bank, was born
at Lelant, St. Ives, England, January 12,
I870. 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.: AEtna, 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
Pythias 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-
worth County, came to Kansas in the fall
of 1857 and for some years worked at the carpen-
ter’s trade. In the spring of 1860 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 1870 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
I790, 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, he came 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, 1898, 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.
AMUEL. M. HASTINGS, a farmer of Leav-
enworth County, owns five hundred and
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, ooo. 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,
I876, he married Ora Buxton, who was born in
686
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD,
w
Leavenworth County, 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
Markley, also of this township; William and Jen-
nie, who are with their parents.
HOMAS H. KNAPP was born in Kickapoo
Township, Leavenworth County, in the
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 18,
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 County. 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 1oss 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.
NSON C. HARDING, attorney-at-law of
Leavenworth, is of southern parentage. His
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 1812, removed in 1815 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 Ripley, Brown
County, Ohio, January 23, 1844. He was reared
on the home farm, and received his primary 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 army 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 L.L. B.
Opening an office in Flora, Ill., 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, I887, 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, Ill.
OSEPH JACKSON HARTNETT, agent for
the Union Pacific Railroad, and traininaster
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 Association. 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 1, 1887, Mr. Hartnett 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 1married 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.
OHN BAUM started out in life for himself
without means or influence, but has worked
his way to a front rank in his special line of
business, 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 land, 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, 1861, 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 Iuka, 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,
I864.
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. 51 1 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 he 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
1898, 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, 1873, 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, 1883, 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.
ON. 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 office 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 of the Leavenworth and Kansas
State Rar 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
A
JAMES L. BYERS
tº ſº.
of
* - C.

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 18Oo, 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, 1807, 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
1a 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.
AMES 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
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, I11. 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
1857 he sold his grocery, after which he carried
on a real-estate business until 1860. 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 one
32
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.
ON. 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 1ocal affairs and
was a leader of the Democratic party. He served
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 1812. 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. º -
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 years, 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 1860 he made
four trips from the Missouri River to Denver,
hauling the goods purchased by the firm. In
December, 1860, 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, 1861,
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 1, 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, 1868, 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, OOO. 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, 1871, while at the
same time he also had a contract for furnishing
beef to the military post at Fort Leavenworth.
In 1872 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. Lowe 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 1868 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.
ILSON G. S. LOWE, who was for some
years engaged in the practice of law in
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-
cestry 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, 162o. 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 military 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 L.L. 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 position with the Michigan Military Academy
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 Holmyard, who was born in England and
came with her brother to the United States in
1889. One child blesses their union, Percy Stuart
Lowe.
APT. 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 governmentsur-
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 II, 1889, he
was commissioned second lieutenant of his com-
pany. His successive locations were Forts Hays
and Leavenworth, Kans., Clark and Bliss, Tex.,
Sherman, Idaho, and Sheridan, near Chicago,
Ill. In 1895 he 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
SCO11tS.
OHN AARON, a retired farmer and stock-
dealer residing in Leavenworth, was born
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 each held positions of trust
and responsibility 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 lifeguards.
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 Sabilla, 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, Ill., 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
Bollin, 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
offices.
ICHARD 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 in 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, wiſe 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.
NDREW J. PARNELL, SR., a retired
farmer, residing in Lawrence, was born in
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 1, 18OO, 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 1872. 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
Walſ.
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 1860 removed to Atchison County, Kans.,
where he spent his last years. September 1,
1862, our subject enlisted in Company F, Fif-
7OO
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.
NDREW JACKSON PARNELL, J.R., a
prosperous farmer of Clinton Township, is
one of the well-known men of Douglas
County. In 1ocal 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 office 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 Lecompton. 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 1, 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
1891 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.
OHN AUGUSTINE AARON, who is fa-
miliarly known as “Gus” Aaron, is one of
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.
701
Pa., February 18, 1861. He was reared in
Henry County, Ill., 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 office 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
Bollin took place May 19, 1885. They are the
parents of six children: Florence, Leo, Benedict,
Clarence, Frances and Augustine Michael.
OHN H. WHETSTONE, founder of the
town of Pomona, Franklin County, was born
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, Ill., 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, I11.
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
1874 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.
DGAR J. HUMPHREYS. The story of the
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, Ill., 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 he removed to Bloomington, Ill., and
there conducted a grocery for three years. Re-
turning to Leavenworth in 1860, he established a
drug store which was operated successfully under
the successive titles of E. J. Humphreys, Humph-
reys & Dillworth, and Humphreys & Davis.
This business he conducted until his death, which
occurred November 27, 1891. 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 1871, 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.
G. 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 (Föosborg)
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
7O4
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 years 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 in 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 partin 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.
OLOMON A. HESTER, a pioneer of 1857
in Kansas, and a soldier in the Civil war,
has made his home in Ottawa since 1885,
during which year he became interested in a hack
business here. In September, 1894, he 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 de Hoss 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
Kentucky, 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 County, Iowa, whence in 1853
he went to Tama County, the same state. In
September, 1858, he drove to Kansas, and the
next year 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.
7O5
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
W21”. - - - -
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 1860. 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’s raid, 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., Zoe and 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 Iola, 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.
ARRY 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, Ill., 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,
Ill., where he engaged in contracting and build-
ing and also had mercantile interests. His
death occurred in Cobden, 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 injured his health he
resigned, and afterward for two and one-half
years he engaged in the construction of telegraph
1ines. 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. Io, A. F. & A. M. In
Sedalia, Mo., he married Miss Ella Leiter, by
whom he has a daughter, Nina.
OHN B. GREEVER. Kansas has proved to
be so admirably adapted to the stock busi-
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, 1860, 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.
OHN PETER HUESGEN was born in
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,
I25x125 in dimensions. Leavenworth was then
nothing but woods, and the lots which he built
on had to be cleared of 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.
ENRY 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, 5ox Ioo
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 Mississippi Rivers. In 1866 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-
708
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
County, 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.
ERVEY 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 the trades 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-
1zingum 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.
7O9
to Kansas in 1876 and attended the high school
at Vinland until 1881, 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 different 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.
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
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 blacksmith’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, 2:14%, and Riley
Medium, 2:10%. 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 is at No. II 2 North Main street, and
his residence at No. IOI South Hickory street.
He was married in Pittsfield, Mass., June 1, 1886,
to Caroline M. Evans, a native of Wales. They
have four living children, William John, Michael
Francis, Caroline Elizabeth and Joseph Timothy.
33
7 Io
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,
I899.
AMES W. GAW. Upon a farm in Delaware
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 1860 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
lie 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; Emma B., 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.
AMAR H. NETTLETON, grand treasurer
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.
71 I
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 County, 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, Ill.; 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, Ill., 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.
ERY REV. CHARLES ROWLAND HILL,
B. D., Dean of Atchison, Rector of Grace
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 customs,
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 1888, 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 1891 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 1891 Bishop
Thomas ordained him deacon in the Church of
7I 2
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 officiated 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 AVezw York Churchman of New
York, the Church Standard of Philadelphia and
the Ziving 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.
ISSES 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 1812 and a
farmer at Brigham Hill, was the son of a Revolu-
tionary soldier, whose ancestors emigrated from
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD,
7 I 3
England in an early day 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.
UGUST JOHNSON, who is engaged in con-
tracting and building in Ottawa, was born
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. Pierson
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. Johnson 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.
Some Pierson, Mr. Johnson’s father-in-law and
business partner, was born in Sweden, where he
1earned 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.
ILLIAM S. YOHE, who has been identi-
fied with western history from early pio-
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
1812 and a grandson of General Woolley, an
officer 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 1836 Mr. Yohe went to Mississippi and for a
7 I4
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 Day’s company
(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, 1840. 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 Cavalry, 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 he 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 1umber
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
1881. 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 forty 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 effort 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 family, emigrated to Randolph County,
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 Lindsay,
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, 1860. She became the
wife of Mr. Yohe September 6, 1863. Like him,
she is a devoted member of the Christian Church.
LFRED F. YOHE, M. D., has been en-
gaged in the practice of the medical profes-
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 Harrison 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
close of 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 1888
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. 1, K. T., and Abdallah
Temple, N. M. S.
OHN B. HORNE, a stock-raiser and cattle-
feeder residing in Williamsburg Township,
Franklin County, was born in Wayne Coun-
ty, Ind., in 1855. His father, Josiah W. Horne,
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 also extensively engaged in farming. On
his arrival in Franklin County he purchased one
hundred and sixty acres of land near Williams-
716
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,
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, I11. His father, who was born near
Philadelphia in 1783, grew to manhood in his
native place, and from there accompanied his
parents to Union County. 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 years 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 Pennsylvania, where his
later years were spent.
At sixteen years of age our subject was ap-
prenticed to the trade of a stone mason, 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 disposed of his property in the east and
removed to Kansas, settling in the city 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.
UCY HOBBS TAYLOR, D. D. S. To the
women who have been pioneers in the pro-
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 teaching, 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, OOO.
The Iowa Dental Association was composed of
fairminded and liberal men. They sent her an
718
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
invitation to attend their convention. She did
so, and the by-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 1eave and
come to the west. She opened an Office in Law-
rence, December 1, 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-
Te11Ce. *†.
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 of ten
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 years,
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 effects 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, I.O.O.F.
AVID 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 125x12o
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-
ment 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.
7 IQ
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 mason for one year, after which he farmed
in Platte County, Mo. He died there in 1862, at
sixty-three years of age. His wife, whose par-
ents were Scotch and who was born in Scotland,
removed with the family to County Tyrone in
childhood. She died 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 until 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, Ill., 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, of To-
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.
APT. JOHN L. HUMMEL. At the time
of settling in Kansas, in 1883, 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 office 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 L.; 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 was born in Indiana, and
by whom he has a daughter, Clara.
RANK G. MARKART, manager of the firm
of A. J. Angell & Co., lumber merchants
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 maturity
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 1860 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.
ROF. ROBERT S. SAUNDERS, 1eader of
Saunders’ Mandolin Orchestra and member
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 II 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 1891, 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. Politically 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.
OHN F. TAYLOR. Among the farmers of
Leavenworth County Mr. Taylor occupies a
position of influence. When he came to
Kansas in 1860 he settled upon land in Kickapoo
Township, this county, 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
nas 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, Ill. In
1860 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 aeres, 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 hay and wood for the government at Fort
Leavenworth. He was a descendant of a pioneer
family, 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.
OSEPH 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 1898, 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
fle 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 1, 1865. On the
I Ith 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 Io, 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
Homewood, 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.
As a 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, Ill.,
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.
ICHOLAS VOLNEY HUDELSON, senior
member of the firm of Hudelson & Sons,
stockmen of Greenwood Township, Frank-
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 1818, 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 was
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 for 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-
tical 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 1eisure 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.
EORGE FRED KAISER, who is success-
fully engaged in the drug business in Otta-
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 the degree of 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 S. 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
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.
ETER KAISER, justice of the peace in Ot-
tawa, came to this city in July, 1869, and
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, Ill., 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 there in 1857. They were
the parents of four children. Peter was born in
St. Clair County, Ill., April II, 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 1, 1861, 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
34
726
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Vicksburg and Atlanta campaign. At the ex-
piration of his term he was mustered out in St.
Louis, and honorably discharged in December,
I864, after three years of service. He was once
wounded by 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, Germany. They have two
daughters and two sons: Mrs. Maggie Dietrich,
of Kansas City; George Frederick, of Ottawa;
Clara and John. !
EO HUND, who is one of the energetic and
capable farmers of Leavenworth County, re-
sides in Kickapoo Township, where, in 1896,
he purchased a tract of two hundred acres of fine
farming land. 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 politically 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.
REDERICK SAMS, M. D., of Lawrence, a
physician of the physio-medical school, was
born near Weldon, Iowa, in 1871, a son of
Daniel and Addie (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 1872. 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-
1oes. He began to clear and improve a farm in
that locality, but after a few years removed to
Rooks County, this state. From 1880 to 1890
he made his home in Hiawatha, but in the latter
year removed to Topeka; and there he has since
resided. He is a Republican and active in 10cal
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 1889 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,
1891, he was reported among the dead; he was
fortunate, however, in escaping, but was seriously
injured, and this caused him to renew his medi-
cal studies. In 1895 he entered the Independent
Medical College in Chicago, Ill., 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 office 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.
ILLIAM W. JORDAN, who has made his
home in Ottawa since April, 1870, was
born in Fredericktown, Washington Coun-
ty, Pa., June 8, 1825, a son of Jacob and Rebecca
(Arvecost) 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 early 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
1812, 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.
S. 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 (1st), 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 1860, and
was active in public affairs, serving several terms
in the state legislature. His death occurred when
he was seventy-nine years 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 Nevison & 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 City 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; Joseph 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 served 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. t
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.
IEUT. ALFRED C. ALFORD. An un-
usual combination of circumstances seems to
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 officer, 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 company, B, from the
date of 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 young 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 relaxation; 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 just where
it found me as far as business 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 officer 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 theyoung
commander did not flinch in the face of danger,
and his men followed him into battle with loyal
devotion and courage. º
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,
“Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.”
BSALOM LEEDS. During the period of
his residence in Franklin County Mr. Leeds
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.
73 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, Ill., 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 Kansas. 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. Leeds was Miriam Blake,
by whom he had eight children. Five of these
are still living, viz.: Gideon, a grain dealer in
Illiopolis, Ill.; 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, Ill. 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.
ON. 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 efforts 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 in Easton, where has since been living in
retirement, with no business cares except such as
are connected with his moneyed interests.
The Ashby 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 1866, 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 Kansas 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 office for two years. He
served for several terms as a member of the state
legislature, being elected in 1870 and 1871 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.
OHN 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
nundred 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 1812. 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,
Ill., March 6, 1856, he married 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.
R. 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 jewelry 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 factory.
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 which 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; Anna Maria,
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.
ARCLAY THOMAS. The long period of
his residence in Eudora Township, Douglas
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 of the 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 served
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
of his energetic nature and excellent judgment.
He was active in the organization of the Eudora
creamery, of which company he is now president.
Mr. Thomas was born in Wayne County, Ind.,
July 1, 1841, a son of Nathan and Caroline
(Diggs) Thomas, natives of Indiana. His pater-
734
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
mal 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 Coffin, 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 Lloyd, who are with their parents. The
family are members of the Friends' Church.
ILLIAM H. MOHERMAN established his
permanent home in Franklin County in
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,
I837, our 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 early 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 1and office in the state,
paying $1,255 for 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,
offered 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 and 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 January 8, 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.’
ON. 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, 18OO, 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 1858, 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 occasions 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 years 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 1ife he moved to Greeley, Anderson County,
Kans., and there he died January 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, 18Oo, 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 son, 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 County, and was admitted to the bar
at the court held September 5, 1855. 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 promptly 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 successin 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 1858 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 indignantly 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 Lawrence at 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
1860 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,
1871, Mr. Welsh married Mrs. Isadora (Johnson)
Crawford, who was born in Erie County, Pa., and
came to Kansas with her father, Benjamin John-
son, in 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 1, 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.
UGENE. E. H. BIART, a well-known vet-
erinary surgeon of Leavenworth, was born
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 Cureghem 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, Hortense, 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
offices. 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.
ENRY 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. He al-
so has omnibus lines in Winfield, Arkansas City,
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-
74O
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.
ETER BERRY. During the days of the
Civil war Mr. Berry was one of those who,
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 1861 he volunteered in the
First Wisconsin Light Artillery, 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. Berry 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.
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
He settled at what afterward became Port
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 Burrye 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. Berry in Kansas. He
had just been mustered out of the army, 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.
74 I
daughter of John and Susan (Calloway) 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
Calloways 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.
TEPHEN E. LEMON, who has resided in
Ottawa since the spring of 1867, was born in
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
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 officer
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 different bullets. He
succeeded in crawling off 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 Infantry. 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,
35
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 served 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
the leader.
band in the city. In 1897 the Commercial band
was organized and he was requested to become
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. -
ILLIAM E. KIBBE owns three hundred
and twenty acres of 1and 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, 1802, at Woodstock, Conn. In young
manhood he removed to Jefferson County, N.Y.,
where he purchased and improved farm land.
In 1851 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 Haskell, 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.
IRAM 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
ine 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 he came 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 County, 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.
TTO C. BEELER, city treasurer of Leaven-
worth, was first appointed to this office 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 1ocal 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 of the 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. 1,
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 1867 he was chosen grand recorder of
the grand council of the state of Kansas, an office
which he filled efficiently for four years. In 1866
he became connected with Leavenworth Com-
mandery No. 1, 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, a
son of Frederick and Maria Anna (Stolz) Beeler,
the latter of whom died in Kansas in 1881, 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, 1860, he was appointed
deputy city clerk, and the following year became
city clerk, to which office he was re-elected in 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 O.,
M. Garver and Kate May.
APT. GEORGE W. LAWRENCE, of Ot-
tawa, is a descendant 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 years. 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 a student in the junior class 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, he was ordered to New Madrid, Mo., and
took part in the battles of Island No. Io, Shiloh,
siege of Corinth, Holly Springs (where his horse
was shot from under him), Iuka (where he also
lost his horse), Coffeyville, 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 Orléans 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 Io, 1865, and
from there started overland for San Antonio
August 4. His company was continued in Texas
as an army of occupation until February, I866,
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. 18, 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.
OHN NELSON. The largest store in Frank-
lin County is situated at Nos. 119-123 West
Second street, Ottawa, and is owned and
conducted by Mr. Nelson. The building, which is
IOOx125 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 every 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 drays 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 efforts, 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, 1884,
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.
ENRY 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 Io 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 until
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.
OHN McFARLANE. Since 1866 Mr. Mc-
Farlane has been the proprietor of a brick-
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 & Soni
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 officer 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 Luther,” 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 employed 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.
Three 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 years.
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.
EORGE LEIS, president and general mana-
ger of the George Leis Drug Company,
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 18, 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 landing 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
offered 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 and 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, 1879, at the age of forty-two and one-half
years. Another son, William J., who was born
January II, I845, 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 townsmen, 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, 1856, 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 also with John
Brown on that memorable Sunday, September 14,
I856, 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 muskets,
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,
75O
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
1atter 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’s interestin the building,
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
1, 1871, his brother, William J., was admitted as
a partner, the firm becoming George Leis & Bro.
January 1, 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
llandsome 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 rapidly, 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 company, and February 4, 1880, 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, secretary 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, IOOx60. 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 passing 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 $1OO,OOO, with $90, Ooo 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 $1 OO,OOO, 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-
1ahoma; 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 Standard, 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-
1ows.
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
building 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
In 1880–81 he was active in the organiza- -
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 of the 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
office 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 ruffian war of 1855–56, the drought of
1860, the war of the Rebellion with its Quantrell
and Price raids, the three famines caused by
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.
SAAC 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
County. 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 early 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 Jeffersonian 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. Bowen 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.
ILLIAM NIGHTING ALE, who was one
of the first to take up his home among the
Indians in Kansas, was born in Preston,
Lancashire, England, March 7, 1828, a son of
John and Ellen Nightingale. About 1837 he
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 Demó-
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, Lucy, Mrs. John Davidson, of Quenemo.
REDERICK B. PONTIOUS, who is engaged
in farming in Kanwaka Township, Douglas
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
(18o3) 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 subjeet. 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
1871. 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,
I899.
OSEPH M. SHIVELY, a pioneer of Douglas
County, residing in Marion Township, was
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, Ind., 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 2 I, I4 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.
OHN BRANDON, senior member of the firm
of Brandon & Beal, of Leavenworth, was
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 1ocal 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. 2 Io 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 L., a capable young man, who is
a graduate of the Milwaukee Brewers' Academy
and the Chicago College of Pharmacy.
OHN LLOYD. Upon coming to Kansas in
1879 Mr. Lloyd took up his residence in
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 sub-
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
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 1848 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 family 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 1870 he began driving cattle
from Missouri into Illinois, where he disposed 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 Kitz-
miller, a native of East Tennessee. They have
had five children, Walter E., Albert M., James E.
36
758
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
and John Arthur, at home, and Elizabeth, de-
ceased. Mrs. Lloyd is a daughter of Martin V.
Kitzmiller, who was one of the earliest settlers of
Macoupin County, Ill., and was for years a
prominent Baptist minister, but is now living
retired.
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 and 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 Herald, which he edited and
published, monthly, in Leavenworth, for a num-
ber of years.
tributed to the progress of the science to which
his active years have been devoted.
The Brock family was founded in Virginia by
English ancestry. 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 1812 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-
lish 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 1atter was born at Flushing, Ohio, June 1,
1830, and in boyhood attended public schools,
later was a student in Granville College in Lick-
In many other ways he has con-
ing County, 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
1eft hand. As soon as able to rejoin the army he
1eft 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 army 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, and by
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
7.59
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
1urch 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.
LVA. E. B. WHITE, who resides upon a
valuable farm adjoining the village of Ton-
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 Io, 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 1866,
when he brought his family to Kansas and pur-
chased a farm near Tonganoxie. 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 offices. 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 Io, 1860. She was
married October Io, 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 Io, 1866, was married
March 4, 1892, to George Russell and they live
on a farm three miles northwest of Tonganoxie.
They 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 1873, 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, assisting his father in the
cultivation of the farm. Upon 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
homestead 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
76o
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
I2, 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 becomean
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,
1881. He was a charter member of the defunct
Valley Lodge No. 30, of which he was master in
1881, 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. z
The mother of Mrs. Mason bore the maiden
name of Jane Ann Mandell, and was born in
Barry, Mass., May 28, 1821, a daughter of Mason
and Luthera (Gorham) Mandell, and a grand-
daughter of Moses and Abigail (Mason) Mandell.
At the opening of the Revolutionary war, Moses
Mandell enlisted in the continental army 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 of Brandywine 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
Mandel1.
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 family. 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.
The eldest of these 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.
IUS H. BAUER, of Leavenworth, was born
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 Shawnee 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, 1899, the
Photographers’ Association of America awarded
him two medals, first prizes on two entries. His
work has stood the test of comparison, both with
the best of its kind in the state, and also 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.
most of 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.
OHN 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, Ill.,
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, Ill., 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 shanty 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, Ill., 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., at home; and Fannie E., wife of Willis
Rodgers, a farmer in the northwestern part of
Ottawa Township.
ENRY 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., being 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 afforded. In 1847 he settled in
Fulton County, Ill., where he engaged in car-
pentering and farming. From there, in 1852, he
removed to Marshall County, Ill., 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
in the Kaw Valley since 1864, Mr. McFar-
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 remained 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 1861,
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 trustee. 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 Lowman,
of Indiana County, Pa., the latter being a soldier
in the war of 1812, and by occupation a farmer
and also a tanner. She died at the old home-
stead in Leavenworth County in 1884, 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.
ON. T. G. V. BOLING, M. D., deceased,
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 Millersburg, 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.
OBERT 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 1, 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-
1ege, 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
Lodge No. Io, 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,
AMUEL COCHRAN. The life and charac-
ter of Mr. Cochran, for years inseparably
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, and 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 1, 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 City,
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 day 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 young 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 lady 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.
OHN 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 partin 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, and 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 office 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 year 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 well 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
tion
course of his long and varied career as a prac-
titioner, and all are highly prized by this eminent
pioneer physician and surgeon.
OHN BOLLIN. Having been born and
reared on the farm where he now lives, Mr.
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-
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
natives of Germany, who emigated to America
and settled in Weston, Mo., thence came to Kan-
sas in 1860. 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.
APT. 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, Ill., 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, Ill., in 1897.
They were the parents of ten 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 Fäward.
768
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
From the age of six years 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 and 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
money. He went to St. Louis on the steamer
“Silver Moori,” and from there proceeded home.
In September, 1861, he enlisted in Company D,
One Hundred and Fifth Illinois Infantry, 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 I 865 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
city 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. -
ON. JOHN C. CALHOUN. Though many
years have passed since the death 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 Valley 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, Ill., 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 1842 he was elected
circuit clerk and two years afterward served as
Democratic presidential elector. In 1846 he was
a candidate for governor of Illinois before the
Democratic state convention. From 1849 to 1851
he held the office 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, 1812. She was a daughter of Seth
Cutter, who at one time owned large tracts of
property in Cincinnati, some of which he leased
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 769
for one hundred years. In an early day he re-
moved to Sangamon County, Ill., 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 family 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 Io, 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 McClure’s Maga-
2ine 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 study 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-
in-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.’”
O. McINTIRE. During the early settle-
ment of America John McIntire, a Scotch-
man, crossed the ocean and settled upon a
farm in Lancaster, Pa., but later removed to
Wooster, Ohio. His son, Cornelius McIntire,
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 a daughter of 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. McIntire 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, until 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. McIntire and J. B.
Shearer opened a dry-goods and carpet store
at Ottawa, under the firm name of L. O. McIntire
& Co., where they remained from 1880 to 1886.
77o
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Meantime, in 1883, 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 selling
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, 5ox130. 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 interestin 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 different parts of Missouri.
The success which Mr. McIntire 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 $2O,OOO,
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 McIntire, Grubbs &
Anderson Dry Goods Company.
In Lawrence Mr. McIntire married Miss Clara
E. Shearer, who was born in Prairie City, Ill.,
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. McIntire 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.
ERMAN 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 youth our subject learned the butcher’s
trade. He volunteered in the army and served
in the war of 1866. During one battle in that
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
771
war he and sixty 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 and 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 officer 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 1886; 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.
ILLIAM CORLETT was a pioneer of '58
in Kansas. During the early years of his
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 quietly 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 he 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 thirty 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.
ILLIAM NADELHOFFER, a contractor
of Lawrence, was born in Chicago, Ill.,
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, Ill., 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 7th of March en-
listed in Company H, Seventeenth Illinois Cav-
alry, which was sent to Alton, Ill., 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, Ill., December 29, 1865.
Returning to Naperville, Mr. Nadelhoffer
1earned 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.
ORREST SAVAGE, one of the earliest set-
tlers of Lawrence, was born in Hartford, Vt.,
September 27, 1826, a son of William and
Polly (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 1812
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
A'epublican. 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 AVational 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, he 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 for the same 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 men
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 1855, 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-
37
774
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
rence, he and his brother and several other mem-
bers of the party organized a band, 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. -
DAM D. McCUNE, a pioneer of 1857 and
one of the framers of the constitution of
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 Io, 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 he 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, 1851, Mr. McCune married
Margaret A. Medill. Her father, Joseph Medill,
came to this country from Ireland in boyhood and
settled in Jefferson County, 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 forty acres, upon
a part of which a mortgage rested. The oldest
of her children was then only fourteen years 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.
ILLIAM O. McCUNE, who is engaged in
farming in High Prairie Township, Leav-
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.
DWARD E, COOMBS, general manager of
the Leavenworth electric railroad, was born
in 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
war of 1812. During the Civil war his father
served for three and one-half years in the Union
army, 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, he 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.
OHN H. MAGERS has spent his entire life
in Leavenworth, in which city he was born
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 1ocal 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 officer 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.
OHN A. BIF DERMAN, a well-known farm-
er of Salt Creek Valley, and deputy sheriff of
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 land
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 1879, when he came 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 township 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 identified with Hi-
ram Lodge No. 68, A. F. & A. M., in which he
has passed the chairs; Kickapoo Lodge No. 68,
K. P.; and Lowennont Camp, Modern Woodmen
of America. In 1893 he 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.
ENRY BRUCE CALLAHAN, M. D., was
born in Louisville, Ky., July 21, 1819, 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 in
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.
LFRED CALLAHAN. One of the well-
known business men of Leavenworth, who
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. 1 14 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-
1ahan 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.
OHN K. FAULKNER. When Mr. Fatulk-
ner first arrived in Kansas, June 20, 1849, it
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 absolutely
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 Io, 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 bought
twenty heavy wagons and started for Denver in
1861 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 any 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
*s-,
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. -
HARLES W. HIGGINS, manager of J. P.
Usher’s cattle ranch near Pomona, Frank-
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 1871.
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 industry, 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
ratſch 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.
ILLIAM 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 physically 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 Io, 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 I.ittle Pitts-
burgh Consolidated Company was organized with
a capital of $2O,OOO, OOO, 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 any 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 husband’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 Methodist 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
delivery clerk at the Lawrence postoffice 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.
OSEPH ALEXANDER CRANSTON, city
marshal of Leavenworth, and a resident of
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 difficult 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.
AMES A. HILL. In the character of its
farming population Fairmount Township
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 county, 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 purchase 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 Bollin, 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.; Mollie, 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.
IOHN B. HALLAUX, who is engaged in
gardening and fruit-raising in the suburbs
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 in Leavenworth, Mr. Hal-
1aux, 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. They are the
parents of two children, Herman and Emil, both
of whom reside in Leavenworth.
ACOB SCHWAGLER, a farmer of Delaware
Township, Leavenworth County, was born
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. Louis, and from
there went up the river to Galena, Ill., 1ater 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 communi-
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 Io 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 1860, 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.
DWIN L. CARNEY. The Carney family
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 1860, 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 1860. 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 office 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 prosperity, 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.
AMES H. BEDDOW, range rider and in-
spector of the military reservation at Fort
Leavenworth, is probably the oldest surviv-
ing settler of this part of Kansas, having come
lmere about 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 1812 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 enlisted 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 the Civil
war he went to Nebraska to 10ok 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
1ife 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 Army 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.
EORGE W. MAFFET, proprietor of the
Elkhorn fruitery at Lawrence, was born in
Wilkesbarre, Luzerne County, Pa., June Io,
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 Maffet, 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 1815 to 1821 as register and
recorder of Luzerne County, Pa., to which he
was appointed by Governors Snyder and Findlay.
February 8, 1821, 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 1, 1814, and captain May
22, 1818, 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, 1817,
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,
I890.
The mother of William R. Maffet was Caroline
Ann, daughter of Gen. William Ross. The lat-
ter was born in New London, Conn., March
29, 1761, 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 officer 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-
gaged.
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 prairies of 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 1890 he became the president and
secretary for the Anthony Salt Company 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 sixty-five varieties from nearly every 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, Allandorf 7462, was sold in the France
sale in 1893 for $10,000, and at the same 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.
ILLIAM KENNEDY FAULKNER, who
is engaged in farming and stock-raising in
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 1882
he married Margaret Sanders, of this county. Of
the four children born of their union, three are
living, Edward, Ralph and Arthur.
RTHUR C. PONTIUS, who is a leading and
progressive farmer of Douglas County, has
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 Io, 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:
Olla R., born April 30, 1888; Clayton R., Janu-
ary 4, 1890; Mabel Ina, October 28, 1891; Alma
C., January 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. -
T. CARR, who was one of the earliest set-
tlers 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 18OO 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 years
(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 many minor details that often
demand consideration.
In the spring of 1855 Mr. Carr went to St.
Paul, Minn. In September of the same year he
arrived in Fort Leavenworth, where he was em-
ployed in the erection of barracks and stables.
At that time the fort had only 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 he 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 1860 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
insane at Topeka. In addition to his private en-
terprises he was interested in public affairs, 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 city, 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 Ryan.
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. 1, 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.
ONATHAN FLANDERS MORGAN, de-
ceased, who was one of the very earliest
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 II, 1781, married September 22,
I8OO, 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, by 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-
38
790
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
ton. In July, 1854, he 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.
ested in contracting, and his death occurred
while he was filling a railroad contract in Texas,
October 19, 1873.
In Holliston, Mass., May 6, 1840, Mr. Morgan
married Miss Asenath P. Howe, who was born
in Framingham, Mass., February 17, 1818. 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, 181 I; 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.
After a time he became inter-
Morgan and the children fared badly. 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 and 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. 1 121 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.
ILLIAM I. R. BLACKMAN, deceased,
one of the prominent men of Douglas
County during the early days of Kansas,
was born in Miami County, Ohio, December 12,
I824, 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 fighting stóck. His grand-
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
79 I
father, Elisha Blackman, 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. Elisha 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 he 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 establishment 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 to Canada and freedom. 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,
I882.
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 1816 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 Amośs, 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 Lawrenee, 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 first 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 I I, 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.
educator, has been connected with Arkansas Col-
1ege 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.
ILLIAM EDWIN THOMAS, of Leaven-
worth, is president of the Southwestern
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 17oo, 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-
Mary I., a successful
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, Kans. In 1892 he 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.
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 house 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 1878 he came
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 Berlin 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 quite 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.
ERMAN 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 Knollman & 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 and inclines
toward that church.
ILLIAM D. HARDING came to Kansas
in the fall of 1867 and settled in Douglas
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 Kentucky, 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 affec-
tionately provided until the necessity 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 and
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 office 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 officer, and he
is also connected with Richland Post No. 170,
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
795
G. A. R. A hard-working man, he richly de-
serves his present prosperity. Not only had he
no means to aid in starting in life, but he was
handicapped in many 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-
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, Ill., 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 1881, 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, he mar-
ried Lillian, daughter of Capt. M. H. Insley, and
they have one child, Merritt Virginia. The fam-
ily attend the Methodist Church.
ILBERT 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 fifty-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 born in Ohio,
spent some years in Indiana, but in 1868 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 living. 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.
ORDAN 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,
Ill., July 18, 1824, a son of Jeremiah and Eliza-
beth Neal. His father, a native of North Caro-
lina, was married in Kentucky 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. - t
During the border troubles of 1855–56 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 1860 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 farm.
ENRY 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, 18oo, and for some years
followed the mercantile business in New York
City, but in 1834 removed to Columbus, Ohio.
In that city, 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,
1<nown 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 history 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 affairs 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 1871 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.
ILLIAM MORGAN ORSBOURN, who
owns a farm of two hundred and fifty acres
on the Marais des Cygnes, in Peoria Town-
ship, Franklin County, was born April II, 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 next year he 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
business.
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 Quan-
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 1860-61, when
for eighteen months no rain fell. His crop of corn
in 1859 furnished him seed for 1860, 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 California 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
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 16th 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. ; Lizzie
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,OOO 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 affairs. He and his
wife have three children: Ethel Gertrude, Laura
Myrl and Eveline Gladys.
W. 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 Linwood, 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
unions 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 frequently 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.
OBERT 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, wife of W. 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-
erument 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 years 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 I, died in Wood
County 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. and Libbie M.
are deceased. Those now living are Marshall A.,
Robert W., Maud M. and Barr S.
N
ARION A. WOHLFROM. Few among
the business men of Leavenworth are better
known than Mr. Wohlfrom, 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.
8OI
and fish. The success he has gained may be at-
tributed to his energy, 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. tº
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 he came 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. Louis. 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 II, 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.
OHN M. CORY. The stock business, when
under the supervision of a capable man, has
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 County, 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
8O2
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
1890 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 1eading
farmer and stockman of Lecompton Town-
ship, Douglas County, was born in this
county November 17, 1860, 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 1881 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. In 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.
OEL, 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 business 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 crossed 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 affairs 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.
©
URDINE EATON, who has engaged in farm-
ing in Leavenworth County since the fall of
1867, was born in Estill County, Ky., in
1840. His father, Albert Eaton, a native of the same
county, removed from Kentucky to Iowa 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 twenty 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
officiated 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 he came to Kansas and settled
in Lenape, Leavenworth County, where he re-
mained for two years. Afterward he engaged in
cultivating rented land. In 1874 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 office 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.
ILLIAM C. WILSON, who has been a
resident of Leavenworth County for a
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 eighty-
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 affiliated 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
sympathizers, he nevertheless sided with the
Union at the time of the Civil war. Against his
wishes he was pressed into the Confederate army,
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.
LFRED B. BARTHEL, for many years head
miller for the Rush Milling Company of
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, Ind. 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
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 Infantry. 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
39 *N
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. -
ERRIS K. TAYLOR, police judge of Leav-
enworth, was born in Goshen, Orange
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
1eader. 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 office in Lawrence and con-
tinuing in practice until his death, in 1887.
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 RECORD.
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 county 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 Leaven-
worth at twenty-three years of age; and Clinton
A., at home.
EV. 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
8O8
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
west as Cheyenne, Wyo., Akron, Colo., and
Oberlin, Kans. He organized and built churches
at McCook, Franklin and Bloomington, Neb.;
Long 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 1, 1890, Mr. Kimmel was recalled to bis
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, he came 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 1, 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 office work. In this way, during
the past four years, he has paid off $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.
OSEPH. B. INSLEY, who resides in Leaven-
worth and is extensively engaged in the
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 farming.
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, Wyo., 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 study. 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.
IOHN GEARY CASEBIER, who is en-
gaged in the manufacture of sorghum and in
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 industry 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 locality; 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.
INCENT A. KELLY, son of John V. and
Dora Kelly, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio,
January 6, 1854. At 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 years, 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 only 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. *
ILLIAM MAYER, a pioneer of Leaven-
worth, has made his home in this county
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 Germany, born in Baden
May 5, 1836, he was eleven years of age when,
in the spring of 1847, he 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. g 8 II
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, Ill.,
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, 1861, our subject enlisted in the Penn-
sylvania Reserves, but was soon transferred to
farm, which he operates personally,
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, 1865, 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
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
8I 2
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.
ON. 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 he 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, Ill., 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
man 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 day,
and twenty-nine the next, reaching the land after
dark. Four years after he had settled in Law-
rence a man offered 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.
813
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.
OHN B. LAMBER was one of those early
settlers who, through self-sacrifice, toil and
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. Indirectly, 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 to the
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 he 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. 3 II 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 Io, 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.
ATRICK McKEEVER, who is engaged in
farming at the head of Salt Creek Valley in
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 I6x16,
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
814
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-
1ey, 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 eoun-
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.
A.J. 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.
HARLES 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 Io, 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 1880. 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
staff. 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 boy-
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. O. 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 of ten 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.
ILLIAM G. FULLER, who is engaged in
contracting and building in Leavenworth,
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 built 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.
UGUST SCHANZE, who is one of the suc-
cessful business men of Leavenworth, was
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. 1n 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 1867, 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.
OBERT 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
8 I3
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 years 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.
Realizing 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: Agnes, Rose, Camelie
and Leonie.
EV. JAMES M. PAYNE, Protestant chap-
1ain at the National Military Home in Leav-
enworth, was born in Parke County, Ind.,
April 1, 1843, a son of Gustavus and Mary
(Nevins) Payne. When he was four years of age
his parents became pioneer settlers of Hancock
County, Ill., from which a short time before the
Mormons had been driven out. In the eommon
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 partin 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.
AMES H. WEIMER, a farmer and stock-
raiser of Marion Township, Douglas County,
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.
819
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 1879, 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 years 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.
N. O. CLOUGH. It is scarcely possible
for the present generation to gain an ade-
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
1798. 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 1816
he graduated from Harvard, after which he went
to Virginia and taught school. On his return to
82O
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 Io, 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 Io, 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 ceremony 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.
82 I
grand-daughter of General Wiser, who served in
the Revolutionary 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-
geant-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.
AMUEL P. MOORE, treasurer of Douglas
County, has been connected with his present
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 was opposed to 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
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-
1ey, seven miles from Glasgow, January 1, 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 1841 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 1, 1852. He then
sold and began steamboating. In 1853 he 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-
4O
822
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
Los 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 County, he is well known among the people,
whose confidence he has won by his integrity, in-
telligence and devotion to official 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 near Hesper, 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. IO25 Kentucky street, Lawrence.
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.
Rºº. S. EDMINSTER. Near the eastern
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 County, Ill., 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 land, 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 Griswell, 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.
823
steward and trustee, he has filled with efficiency,
and he has also been active in Sunday-school
work, and in early life served as superintendent.
AMES COURSEY, a retired farmer and busi-
ness man residing in Leavenworth, and one
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 1838 to
1841. From there he went to Stephenson Coun-
ty, and later to Jo Daviess County, Ill. 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
laundred 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.
RANCIS M. KELLER, who is engaged in
general farm pursuits in Leavenworth
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 office 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 L., Esther and Elizabeth.
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 official
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-
1ment,
'mained eleven years.
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 1871 Mr. Phenicie was united in marriage
with Miss Georgia Fraser, 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.
APT. 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
(Woodworth) 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 Maryland, a
Soldier in the war of 1812 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, Ill., where he re-
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 Company 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. Laban, 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
Lincoln. He was assigned to the Seventh army
Corps and ordered to the front in Missouri,
Arkansas and on the Red River. In February,
I864, he was commissioned by President Lincoln,
at Fort Smith, Ark., first lieutenant of Company
E, Eleventh United States Volunteers. April 8,
1865, 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 officers 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 postoffice 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 Railway 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 by
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. 1683 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 Coffeyville, 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 Coffeyville. 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 (Berry) 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, Della 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.
AMES KILGORE, who resided in Leaven-
worth from boyhood until his death and who
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 1812. His father, who was born
in Saco, Me., March 9, 1819, learned the cooper's
trade in youth, 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, he set-
tled in 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
by 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 business 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. 7 Io 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 Company; Susie, Alph-
eus, Nellie and Fred.
HARLES 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
frifluential men of Tonganoxie Township. He
was born near Winterset, Iowa, April 5, 1853, a
son of Samuel B. Casebier, and brother of John
Geary Casebier, 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 disbanded he continued
on his own account. His shipments are made
mostly 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.
OHN 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 1860 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,
2Ox60, 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 years 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 olderson, 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
to Wn.
OSEPH A. WOEBER. Among the earlier
residents of Leavenworth mention belongs
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 Io, 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
83o
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 son, of whom the three
eldest daughters are married.
and for many years a resident of Peoria
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
1813 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 1, 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
jº BLACK, deceased, was a pioneer
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,
I889, leaving the memory of an honorable life
filled with deeds of kindly helpfulness to those
less fortunate than himself.
of the fire department of Ottawa, is a well-
known business man of this city, where he
is engaged in contracting and building, with shop
and office 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 1, 1857, he
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
jº THOMAS BLACK, assistant chief
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 may 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
Enights 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.
EORGE. F. NEALLEY, M. D., of Lansing,
Leavenworth County, was born in Cook
County, Ill., 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 opposed 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 first 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 1847.
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 1ocal 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 his 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 Collyer, 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 1, 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 1, 1872, he 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. -
YLVESTER E. HUMPHREYS. One of
the leading and well-known business men of
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
the 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,
Ill., the subject of this sketch was born Feb-
ruary 1, 1850. 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 study. 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.
ORGAN JONES, deceased, who was an
early settler of Douglas County, was born
in Montgomeryshire, Wales, September 4,
1819, 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 efficient farmers of his
county.
May 14, 1847, Mr. Jones married Miss Eliza-
beth Griffith, who was born in Wales October 1,
.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.
REDERICK ODE. Not a few of the farm-
ers of Leavenworth County came to our
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 interested 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 County, Mo.,
during which time he saved $400. He then re-
turned to Germany and brought his parents back
with him. Afterward, for thirteen years 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 now occupies. His first wife,
whom he married in 1877, died the following
year. His second marriage took place in 1881
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.
ERDINANDO MILLER. Lying on the
north bank of the Marais des Cygnes, in
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 1860
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 boy our subject attended the schools
of Louisville, Ky. He served an apprenticeship
to the carpenter’s trade in Kentucky, 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 1860, 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 offices, 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 California; John;
and Frank, who manages the old homestead and
superintends its general farm and stock interests.
OHN F. WEAVER, the pioneer of that part
of the Kaw Valley known as the Weaver bot-
tom, and one of the leading men of Eudora
Township, Douglas County, resides in Baldwin.
He was born in Columbiana 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 are as 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, at eighty-one years of age. His
wife passed away in 1878 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 County
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), Lucile May and
Helen Winnifred. September 1, 1899, Mr.
Weaver removed to Baldwin for the purpose of
giving his children the advantages of education in
the high school and Baker University.
HERMAN W. RANDALI, owns three hun-
dred and twenty acres in Douglas County
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 1, 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 Della J., all
at home. -
AMES C. SINCLAIR. Starting in business
life as he did without means, Mr. Sinclair has
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 offices. 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.
ASPER S. RICE, who is best known as
“Jepp” Rice, has been identified with the
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 energy 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 184I 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
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
I856 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-
4 I
838
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
rector, in the Leavenworth 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 Elmira, 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.
HARLES 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 Quincy 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 of ten 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, Ill., 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.
OSEPH E. WALTER, who is living retired
in Leavenworth, was born in Pennsylvania,
May 14, 1828, a son of Andrew and Nancy
(Smith) Walter, the latter a daughter of a Revo-
1utionary soldier, the former a fifer in the war of
1812. 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 army. 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, 1, 1853, Mr. Walter married Miss Sarah
Tash, of Baltimore, who died January 16, 1892.
P. PHILLIPS, who is engaged in the real-
estate business in Lawrence and is also a
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 survivors.
His father, a native of Keene, N. H., born in
I793, 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 1803, 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, Mass. 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 Wesleyan Seminary
our subject acquired his education. Having de-
termined to cast in his fortunes with the west, in
1857 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
flis 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
84O
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
satisfaction of all. Among the energetic and re-
spected business man of Lawrence he holds a
prominent place.
HRISTIAN RODENBURG, deceased, was
born in Nassau, Germany, September Io,
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 sheps at Columbus,
Ohio. In 1854 he settled in Des Moines, 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, Ill. 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.
ENRY 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, Ill., 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. 51 I 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.
841
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.
ILLIAM W. WALTER, M. D., of Leav-
enworth, was born at Island City, Riley
County, Kans., in 1860, 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
staff of Cushing Hospital, and professor of obstet-
rics in Cushing Training School. Forten years he
served as a member of the board of health, for
six years was a member of the School board, and
work of shoer.
for some time acted in the capacity of first surgeon
at the Soldiers’ Home. His office 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 abroad professional knowledge that places
flim 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.
R. BOYD, who is living retired in Leav-
enworth, was born near Indianapolis, Ind.,
, 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
For five years he was employed
by the government in these various positions.
From 1851 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 years, in 1869 Mr. Boyd 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 early days. For many years
Mr. Adams owned a farm in High Prairie Town-
ship, which he operated, besides carrying on work
as a huckster.
TTO 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, 1860. His father, who was the
youngest son of a wealthy German of a noble fam-
ily, became a government official, 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 by 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
grocery, 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.
*
Aaron, John... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 697
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
Aſiderson, David H........496
Anderson, George A....... 522
Anderson, Mrs. Hanora... .516
Andrews, Capt. S. H....... 510
Anthony, Col. D. R. ....... 145
Anthony, D. R., Jr......... 269
Anthony, Hon. G. T.......195
Anthony, Henry. .......... 408
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
Babcock, Hon. C. W........ 354
Baker, Col. J. J........ . . . . .333
Baker, John W. ............ 593
Baker, Thomas N. . . . . . . . . 603
Baldwin, Andrew S. ....... 578
Baldwin, Eben. . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Baldwin, Lafayette P...... 315
Bales, Elbert............... 489
Barker, Hon. George J..... 314
Barley, Isaiah N. . . . . . . . . . . 400
Barnes, Delos N............451
Barthel, Alfred B...........805
Bass, Hon. W. B ..... ... . . .535
Bauer, P. H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 761
Baum, John........ . . . . . . . .688
INDEX
Beddow, James H..........784
Beeler, Otto C. ............. 744
Bell, John P................ 811
Bell, 'Olin.................. 389
Berger, August............. 644
Berger, Henry............. 747
Berry, Peter................ 740
Beurmann, Louis....... . . . . 607
Biart, E. E. H. ............. 738
Biebusch, Henry....... ....537
Biederman, John A........ 776
Bigsby, Ambrose........... 327
Birney, William L., M. D. .648
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
Bollin, John............... .767
Bonebrake, Hon. J. H...... 346
Bosworth, Charles. . . . . . . . .563
Boughton, Joseph S........405
Bowen, Isaac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 752
Bowersock, Hon. J. D. ..... 132
Boyd, A. R. ............... .841
Boyd, Charles H............ 838
Brandon, John...... . . . . . . 756
Branson, Henry C. . . . . . . . . . 589
Breese, Henry G. ..........762
Brewer, Hon. David J......591
Brewer, Eugene. . . . . . . . . . . . 596
Brock, J. W., M. D. .......758
Promelsick, William....... 397
Brooks, Hon. Paul R. . . . . . .293
Brown, Felix C. ............533
Brown, William W.........407
Bruce, Robert M. . . . . . . . . . . 423
Brune, S. Edward.......... 396
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
Byington, Mrs. Emily J. . . .206
Byrd, Mac C. .......... . . . . .685
C
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. O............ 819
Cochran, Samuel........... 765
Colman, 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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546
Crancer, John W. .......... 284
Crane, Charles D. . . . . . . . . .345
Crane, Henry D............588
Cranston, J. Alexander....781
Crawford, Levi Russell. . . .316
Cummings, Patrick........ 237
Cunningham, Joseph B. . . .264
Cutler, Charles C. ......... .544
D
Dassler, C. F. W. ... . . . . . . . 411
Davenport, J. A., Jr.. . . . . . .556
Davenport, J. A., Sr........ 555
Davis, George H. . . . . . . . . . . 401
Davis, Winslow...... . . . . . . 507
DeFord, H. S., M. D. . . . . . . . 585
Deichmann, Frederick. . . . . 538
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.... . . . . . . . 438
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
INDEX.
Fletcher, Josiah S......... .237
Flinner, John.............. 446
Flintjer, Arnold..... tº e º e s e e 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
G
Gardner, William..... ... .. 507
Garfield, James A. . . . . . . . . . 94
Garrett, Robert........... .447
Gates, August............ . .456
Gaw, James W. . . . . . . . . . . . 710
Gentry, Nicholas. . . . . . . . . . . 343
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...... 459
Gustafson, Joel............. 803
H
Hackbusch, H. C. F. . . . . . . .356
Hallaux, John B. . . . . . . . . . . . 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
Harrison, William Henry... 50
Hartman, Frederick W. . . .433
Hartnett, Joseph J......... 687
Harvey, Moses C. ..........238
Haskell, Hon. D.C......... 139
Haskell, Col. J. G. ......... 166
Hastings, Samuel M....... 685
Havens, Paul E............ 295
Hawn, Judge Laurens.... .682
Hawn, 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.............. 651
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. ....7.11
Hill, D. Mark............... 249
Hill, James A.............. 781
Hindman, John C. ......... 457
Hindman, Lorenzo W. ..... 453
Hines, Thomas J.......... .412
Hitzemann, John.......... 460
Honnold, Amos G.......... 191
Hoover, Isaac L....... . . . . 190
Horile, 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. I,........7.19
Humphreys, Edgar J. ..... 702
Humphreys, Sylvester E. . .832
Hund, John M.............. 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, Harry T........... 545
I
Ide, Judge Harvey W. ..., 254
Igel, Capt. Richard I,...... 227
Ingle, Charles W. .......... 472
Insley, Joseph B..... © tº gº tº s - 808
J
Jackson, Andrew.......... 42
Jackson, William....... ... 590
Jacobs, J. H................ 519
Jameson, Edward.......... 235
Jansen, Henry............. 141
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 I,.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, Ethan B............. 611
Keller, Francis M......... . 823
Keller, Fred W. . . . . . ....... 6.13
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. . . . . . . . . . .654
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
L
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-
sociation................ 606
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. ........ 74.1
Leonard, W. Y., M. D...... 123
Lewis, Alexander......... 613
Lewis, P. M., M. D. ........ 556
Linck, George H. . . . . . . . . . 652
Lincoln, Abraham......... 78
Lindley, William M. . . . . . . .587
Lindsey, James P.......... 617
Lingard, Amos L........... 375
Lingard, 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........ 709
McClanahan, John G...... 586
McClelland, C. B. .......... 583
McCormick, John. . . . . . . . .656
McCormick, J. M., M. D. . .766
MeCune, Adam D.......... 774
McCune, William O. . . . . . . .775
McCurry, John..............762
McDonald, James.......... 612
McElheny, Wilson......... 678
McFarland, Charles W. . . . .581
McFarland, Robert S....... 610
McFarland, Thomas.......763
McFarlane, John........... 747
McGill, George E.......... .670
McIntire, L. O....... ...... 769
McKee, Hon. John......... 265
McKeever, Patrick........ . 813
McKinley, William........ 110
McNary, 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.......22
Mason, Mrs. E. H. . . . . . . . . . 760
Mason, Maj. L. P.......... . 760
Mason, Zina A............. 684
Mayer, William............ 810
Medill, Hon. Sherman.... 303
Meeker, Silas;B............ 407
Mehl, Louis C. ....... e e º ºs e e 471
Merchant, Nelson.......... 388
Mero, Oliver. .......... .... 577
Merritt, Edward B... .....340
Metz, Henry...... ... ... . .628
Meyers, Stance I,........... 652
Miller, Ferdinando........ 834
Mills, LaFayette....... . . . .399
Mintier, Robert J.......... 634
Moherman, William H.....734
Monroe, James.............
Moonlight, Col. Thomas... 142
Moore, Benjamin B. . . . . . . . 283
Moore, Charles O. . . . . . . . . . . 283
Moore, Col. H. L. . . . . . . . . . .273
Moore, Hon. H. Miles...... 123
Moore, Samuel P. . . . . . . . . . . 821
Morgan, Gilbert H. . . . . . . . . 795
Morgan, Jonathan F..,...,789
INDEx. 845
Moys, William.............780 Ray, Marcelmus B. . . . . . . . . 473 Short, Harold C. ........... 364 U
Mundey, David E. . . . . . . . . . 330 Raymond, Joseph M. ..... 275 Short, Oliver F............. 363
Munk, Capt. Edward ..... 767 Reed, Fitch.... . . . . . . . . . . . . 390 Simmons, C. J., M. D....... 553 Unlimethun, G 521
Murlin, Lemuel H., D.D...199 Reedy, Michael............ 424 Simmons, James C. . . . . . . . -559 Underwood. eorge........
Murphy, Edward E. ....... 267 Rees, Edwin T............. 402 Simmons, Hon. N., M. D. .551 Usher. Hon. Junius........ 547
Murray, Rev. James....... 554 Reid, Lyman.... . . . . . . . .318 Sinclair, James C. ......... 836 sher, Hon. John P........ 135
Reynolds, Maj. Clarkson. .442 Singer, Samuel........... 608
N Reynolds, Samuel......... .462 Skourup, N. H. . . . . . . . . . . . . 366 V
Rhea, Henry W..... * * * g e º g 380 Slater, Alfred H............ 285
Nadelhoffer, William...... 772 Rice, Jasper S. . . . . . . . . . . . . 837 Small, William............ .270 Van Buren, Martin
Naeher, Stephan........... 393 Richardson, George C. . . . . . 289 Smith, Frank P............ 549 Van Neste º H. G. 46
Neal, Jordan... .......... 796 Richardson, Jason P....... 159 Smith, Hon. Horace J...... 165 Van voorhi S La ... . . . . . . . 657
Nealley, G. F., M. D....... 831 Ridgway, Charles H. ..... 403 Smith, Mrs. Lurenda B....345 y In Sing..... 663
Nelson, Andrew P..........464 Riggs, Hon. Samuel A..... 185 Smith, Leonard T. ... . . . . . .647
Nelson, John...... . . . . . . . . . 746 Roberts, Gen. J. N. . . . . . .138 Simith, Malcom F. . . . . . . . . .344 W
Nettleton, Lamar H. . . . .710 Robertson, John W. . . . . . . .465 Smith, Hon. Martin....... .209
Newsome, Joseph. . . . . . . . . . 617 Robbins, Judge C. L....... 324 Snow, Francis H., LL. D. . .175 Wade, Hon. A. B. . . . . . . 659
Nightingale, William..... 753 Robiuson, Hon. C., M. D..121 Snyder, Elmore W. ....... 186 Walter, Joseph E. . . . . . ...sºs
Noss, Hiram............... 743 Robinson. Mrs. Sara T. D..121 Snyder, George W........ .290 Walter, W. W., M. D....... 841
Rodenburg, Christian..... 840 Sparr, Ripley W. ... ...... 158 Warring, J. W., M. D. . . . . . 799
& O Rodenburg, Henry L....... 840 Spencer, Charles C. . . . . . . . . 456 Washburn, George P. . . . . .482
Oakes, Capt. Henry A. . . . . 622 Rodenhaus, Jacob. . . . . . . . . . 667 Spencer, William F. . . . . . . . 355 Washington, George....... 18
Oatman, Adolphus G. . . . . . 616 Rodgers, Henry H. ........ 329 Spratley, John w tº º ºs e º ºs e º gº º is 20% Watts, Hon. J. C. . . . . . . . . . . . 812
* y b H. . . .487 Spurgeon, William......... 560 We hn F.
Oatman, H. C., M. D. . . . . . . 150 Rothenberger, Jaco purg aver, John F. . . . . . . . . . .834
Ode, Fred. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 833 Ruder, Fred... ............ 562 Stannard, F. H............. 374 Weeks, P. H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583
Oldroyd, Charles W. .......338 Ruediger. Theodore H... 398 Stayman, Dr. Joseph. . . . . . 493 weeiborg, Frederick....... 535
Olds, Rev. Frank B. . . . . . . . 601 Russell, Mrs. Clarinda I,... .359 Steele, J udge L. S. . . . . . . . . . 564 Weimer, James H. . . . . . . . . 818
--, Russell, Gen. Edward...... 128 Stephens, Richard. . . . . . . . .334 Wells, Geor
, Olin, Walter H. ........ . . 334 y 8°. . . . . . . . ...... 499
son.o.o................ 703 Ryan, Jepp..... ..... . . . . .207 Sternbergh, Hon. T. J. .... 146 Welsh, Hon. H. P. . . . . . . . . . 735
Olson, O. G.; i tº & ſº Ryan, Matthew, Jr. . . . . . . .263 Stevens, Capt. J. T. ........ 208 Westheffer, Eli.......... . . .634
Orsbourn, william M. ..... Ryan, Hon. Matthew, Sr..151 Stevens, Nelson O. . . . . . . . . 140 Wherry, Eli J. ........... º 669
P Ryan, Thomas C. ...... . . . . 365 Stiggleman, Martin L. . . .614 Whetstone, John H........ 701
Stine, Louis C. ............. 347 White, Alva E. B. . . . . . . . . . 759
Parcels, John W. . . . . . . . . . .170 S stinebaugh, George D.3% Wiggin, Dudley H. . . . . . . . . 660
Pardee, William A.........476 Stokely, P. D......... . . . . 454 Wilber, Clark.............. 350
Parker, Dillwyn. ..........204 Stonebraker, Samuel A. . . .474 Wilke, Adam I,............ 793
Parnell, Andrew J., Jr.....700 St. John, Marcena. . . . . . . . .308 Stratton, John L. . . . . . . . . . . . 304 Williams, william H.......818
Parnell, Andrew J., Sr. . . .699 Sams, Frederick, M. D. .... 726 Strong, Charles B. ......... 592 williams, William R. . . . . . 665
Patterson, William...... 441 sanders, Meshack..... ... 596 Stump, John B::::::::----- 550 Williams, w. Stanley......496
Payne, Rev. J. M. . . . . . . . . . . 818 Saunders, Prof. R. S....... 721 Sullivan, Rev. John M. . . . . 566 willis, Arthur.............. 470
Peairs, Hervey B. .........708 Savage, Forrest............ 773 Swift, Walter F. . . . . . . . . . . . 512 wilson, Allen L............ 640'
Pearson, Robert H. ........ 339 Schaake, Christian... . . . . . . 597 Swisher, Robert. . . . . . . . . . .498 wilson, William C. . . . . . . . 804
Penny, Prof. George B. . . . . 180 Schanze, August. .... . . . . . 816 winkelman, Jacob......... 646
Petherbridge, J. C. . . . . . . . . 161 Schmeckel, Otto. . . . . . . . . . . 842 T Winter, Milton R. . . . . . . . . . 802
Pettibone, Capt. Milton... .255 Schnebly, J. G., M. D. . . . .404 Woeber, Joseph A. . . . . . . . . .829
Phenicie, James M. ........824 Schneider, E. H. F......... 594 Wohl from, Marion A. . . . . . . 800
Phillips, E. D. F., M.D....680 Schulte, F. C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 660 Tawney, Horatio. . . . . . . . . . . 479 Wolf, Charles F. ... . . . . . . . .306
Phillips, J. M., M. D. . . . . . .357 Schwager, Jacob. . . . . . . . . . 783 Taylor, Judge F. K......... 806 wolfsperger, G. J. . . . . . .... 363
Phillips, P. P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 839 Schwartz, Andrew. . . . . . . . .528 Taylor, John F............'.722 Wood, Edwin S., M. D. . .350
Pierce, Franklin... . . . . . 70 Scott, John W. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337 Taylor, Mrs L. H., D.D.S.717 Wood, Robert L., M. D... 349
Pilla, Charles... . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Sears, Gen. W. H. . . . . . . . . . . 353 Taylor, Thomas T. .........585 wood, Rev. W. R. . . . . . . . . . 383
Planz, Jacob. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434 Seidel, Herman....... ......677 Taylor, Zachary........ . . . . 62 Woodlief, Hon. W. H. . . . . . 319
Poitrey, Joseph. . . . . . . . . . . . 512 Selig, August L. . . . . . . . . . . . . 571 Tefft, Clark................ 543 Woodruff, W. G., M. D....626
Polk, James K............. 58 Servatus, Mrs. Delia F. .... 525 Thomas, Barclay........... 733 wosser, Richard J. ........ 698
Pontious, Frederick B. . . . . 754 Servatus, William... . . . . . . . 525 Thomas, F. M., M. D. . . . . . . 245 wright, A. H. M. D. . . . . . . 326
Pontius, Arthur C. .........788 Seufert, George Adam..... 559 Thomas, M. Shaw, M. D. . .244 wright, John W. ........... 609
Porter, John A. . . . . . . . . . . . 367 Seufert, Lewis. . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 Thomas, Theodore C. ...... 246 Wright, Mark S. .... .......543
Porter, William A. . . . . . . . . 545 Seymour, George W. . . . . . . 491 Thomas, W. Edwin.... . . . . 792 Wulfekuhler, F. W. . . . . . . . . 537
Powell, Alfred B. . . . . . . . . . . 536 Shannon, Hugh. . . . . . . . . . . .455 Thompson, L. M. . . . . . . . . . . 573 Wulfekuhler, H. W. . . . . . . .269
Prang, Henry C. . . . . . . . . . . . 518 Sharpe, Alvin V. ...... . . . .557 • Thornbury, J. R., M. D. .368 Wulf kuhle, August. . . . . . . 598
Przybylowicz, M. A.... . . . . 526 Sharpe, Amasa T. . . . . . . . . 325 Tisdale, Henry. . . . . . . . . . . . . 738
Shaw, Alexander.......... 604 Todd, William N. . . . . . . . . . 497 Y
Shearer, James Bruce. . . . . . 625 Trackwell, Benjamin F. . . .643
R Shearer, Lawrence P...... 625 Trackwell, LeRoy. . . . . . . . 500 Yewdall, Joseph............ 630
Sheldon, Edwin M......... 309 Tucker, Hon. C. H. . . . . . . . . 661 Yohe, A. F., M. D. . . . . . . . .715
Rabinovitz, Harry. . . . . . . . . 520 Shepherd, William... . . . . . . 495 Tucker, Rev. Dexter....... 595 Yohe, William S. ....... .... 713
Randall, Sherman W. . . . . . 836 Shinn, Albert C. . . . . . . . . . . 664 Tudhope, John.............565
Rankin, Col. John K. . . . . . 385 Shiras, William M. . . . . . . . . 463 Turner, James L........... 526 Z
Ransom, James H. . . . . . . . . 310 Shively, Edward..... . . . . .574 Tyler, Freeman... . . . . . . . . . 336
Rathbone, J. Cass. . . . . . . . . . 529 Shively, Joseph M. . . . . . . . . . 755 Tyler, John................ 54 Ziesenis, August.......... .575






















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