BIOGRAPHICAL
RECORD
COWLEY COUNTY, KANSAS.
"Biography
is the only true history." Emerson.
Biographic Sketches of
Leading Citizens of Cowley County, Kansas.
BIOGRAPHICAL
PUBLISHING COMPANY.
GEORGE
RICHMOND, Pres.; S. HARMER NEFF, Sec'y; C. R. ARNOLD, Treas.
CHICAGO,
ILLINOIS,
1901.
[Bill: Kay had me concentrate on early
settlers (1869-1871) that had not already been covered in HERITAGE. I later
found some so interesting that I tacked them on at end. Arkansas City Public
Library had two copies of book...in the first one that I worked on, found there
were missing pages...looked like someone cut them out. Luck was in our favor
though as the second book had missing pages. MAW]
[1871]
PAGE 193.
GEORGE L. ABBOTT was a prominent fruit
grower residing in Walnut township, where he cultivated 40 acres, comprising
the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 19, township 32,
range 5 east. Twenty acres of this farm constituted one of the finest orchards
in Cowley County, while the remainder was devoted to berries.
Mr. Abbott was born October 12, 1841, on
government land in Cook County, Illinois, now included in the present site of
Chicago, which was then government land.
Mr. Abbott was the son of Samuel S. and
Jane (Boyd) Abbott.
His father, Samuel S. Abbott, was a
native of Massachusetts. The family genealogy runs well back in English
history. Samuel moved to Chicago in 1834, and being a carpenter by trade,
assisted in building the first store on Lake Street. He then took up a claim on
the site of the original city, and another, nine miles from the courthouse. He
furnished telegraph poles for the first line built in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and
assisted in driving the Blackhawk Indians from the vicinity of Chicago to
Wisconsin. He took much interest in the growth and welfare of that city, and
held various political positions. He was a Whig during his early life and
afterward a Republican. He served as constable, and as justice of the peace,
and was fifteen years assessor of his township in Cook County, where he died in
1874. His wife was born in Syracuse, New York; her father was a Scotchman, who
came to this country in 1812—he was pressed into the British army—but after
three desertions, he finally got safely into the American army.
Four children survived of the eight born
[1901]:
George L.; N. H., who located in Cowley
County during the early 1870s, living near Winfield; Ella J., who resided with
her brother, N. H.; and John S., who lived on North Church Street in Winfield,
and was a section foreman on the Southern Kansas Railway of Texas.
George L. Abbott remained at home until
1861, and when a call for soldiers was issued by Pres. Lincoln to put down the
Rebellion, Mr. Abbott enlisted in a cavalry company, which joined the 1st
Missouri Battalion, and which was consolidated and known as the 10th Reg., Mo.
Vol. Cav., in 1862. He served three years and participated in the battle of Pea
Ridge, as a part of Gen. Curtis' body guard. Returning to Chicago at the end of
his term, he remained on a farm in the vicinity six months, and after that
reenlisted in the 8th Reg., U. S. Vet. Vol.—called the 1st Hancock's Corps. To
be eligible to this regiment a man required at least two years of experience as
a soldier. Nine regiments of this class were formed to answer the call "On
to Richmond." Mr. Abbott was
mustered out of service April 1866. The following year was spent on the farm
near Chicago.
In 1871 Mr. Abbott, in a party of four,
including his brother, N. H., chartered a car at Chicago and went to Humboldt,
Kansas, whence they drove to Dexter, Cowley County.
George L. Abbott chose the northwest
quarter of section 24, township 32, range 7 east, which was about five miles
south of Cambridge. He lived there six months, when he took a deed of the
place, and returned to Chicago, to wait until the county became settled. In Chicago he conducted a
bakery, confectionery, and ice cream store, which, a few years later, he sold
and worked at the carpenter's trade until 1885. In that year he journeyed to
Winfield, and rented a farm in Walnut Township for two years, having sold his
preemption on account of its being too far from any city. He then moved to
Winfield, where he operated a feed store during 1888 and 1889. Disposing of
that business, he purchased the south half of the southwest quarter of section
19, township 32, range 5 east. He erected a small home and large barn, and
devoted his time to the raising of fruit, making berries his specialty. His
orchard of 20 acres included a large variety of trees, which yielded abundantly,
and no better fruit farm could be found in the vicinity of Winfield.
George L. Abbott was married in the fall
of 1867 to Mary C. Hubbard, a native of Massachusetts, who came west when a
child of eleven years. They had eight children, five still living in 1901: Cora
E., who married Scott Wolf (they moved to Oklahoma); Nellie, who married Henry
Schmidt of Winfield; Dillie May, who married Charles Simms (they moved to the
Cherokee strip); Mary; and George. Mrs. Abbott died in 1892.
Mr. Abbott formed a second union, wedding
Mrs. S. H. Waymouth; they had a son, William Waymouth.
Politically, Mr. Abbott was a Republican;
while living in Cook County, Illinois, he served as clerk of Jefferson
Township, and six years as justice of the peace. He served on the school board
of Walnut township for about ten years. He was a member of Siverd Post, No. 85,
G. A. R. Mr. Abbott favored the Congregational Church while his wife was a
member of the Baptist Church.
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[1870] PAGE 291.
G. W. ARNOLD, a well known farmer of Cowley
County, Kansas, resided on the southeast quarter of section 28, Fairview
Township. He was the son of G. G. and Rebecca (Weakly) Arnold.
G. G. Arnold, his father, was born in
Maryland, where he lived for a number of years. He afterward moved to Fairfield
County, Ohio, and remained there until 1843, when he moved to Shelby County,
Illinois. There he engaged in farming until October 29, 1870, when he moved
with the family to Walnut Township, Cowley County, Kansas. He bought 80 acres
of land which he cultivated for several years, and then moved to Oklahoma. He
died August 1898; his wife died February 1900. His union with Rebecca Weakly
resulted in the birth of six children still living in 1901: Susan, who married
Marshall Howard, of Wichita, Kansas; Maria, who married A. D. Pontius of Rich
Hill, Missouri; Fred, a farmer, of Walnut Township; G. W., the subject of this
sketch; Otho, a farmer living near Guthrie, Oklahoma; and Mary, who married N.
E. Newell, of Wichita, Kansas.
G. W. Arnold obtained his education in
the common schools of Illinois. He moved to Kansas with his parents in 1870 and
remained home until December 20, 1876, when he took up his claim [southeast
quarter of section 28], Fairview Township, Cowley County. After breaking 10
acres of ground, and digging a well, he built a house and several outbuildings.
Each year he made improvements. He was successful in raising wheat, corn, oats,
and also cattle and hogs.
In December 1876 Mr. Arnold married a
Miss Zimmerman, who died in 1878. They had two sons: Frank, a resident of
Blackwell, Oklahoma; and Walter.
Mr. Arnold then married March 1886
Capitolia Lynn, a native of Illinois, who became a Cowley County resident in
1885. They had two children: Beryl and Jessie.
Mr. Arnold served on the school board
several terms; he was a Republican. He and his wife attended the Christian
Church at Winfield. They belonged to the Fraternal Aid, of Winfield.
[NOTE: THERE WAS A PORTRAIT OF "MR.
AND MRS. G. W. ARNOLD AND DAUGHTER BERYL."]
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[1870-1871] PAGE 94
ISAAC BEACH was one of Cowley County's
pioneer settlers, having located on the northeast quarter of section 23,
township 33, range 3 east, during the winter of 1870-1871. He was born in
Ontario, Canada, February 8, 1822. His father was Abram Beach.
The Beach family in this country
originated in three brothers, who came to America in 1640. Abram Beach, the
father of our subject, was born in New Jersey, and died in Canada, where he had
followed farming and blacksmithing. He married Annie Clothier, born in Vermont;
her parents were of English descent, and came to this country with the Plymouth
colony.
Isaac Beach moved his family from Canada
to Ogle County, Illinois, in March 1975, locating near the city of Rockford,
where he lived about four years. He owned a quarter section of land, which he
sold. He moved to Cowley County, where he took up his farm, and was joined by
his wife and five children April 9, 1871. His family drove through from
Illinois to Emporia, Kansas, where he met them.
They brought two teams of horses and two cows, and these were kept for
many years in a barn, built of crotched poles, the top being thatched with
brush. The first house in which the Beach family lived was 15 by 24 feet in
dimensions, and was made of native lumber, walnut, sycamore, and
hackberry—obtained from the island just below Arkansas City—and the shingles
were bought by Mr. Beach at Emporia. The original house was enlarged. It
finally consisted of six rooms when the last addition was made in 1888.
The first summer was a hard one, as well
as a very busy one, for breaking the sod and planting sod-corn constituted by
no means an easy task. In 1872 Mr. Beach set out numerous shade trees and 100
apple trees. His orchard by 1901 covered about seven acres. In 1880 the farm
operation was turned over to Mr. Beach's son-in-law, John H. Berrie, who
devoted his time to raising grain and livestock.
Mr. Beach married Amanda Shaver, whose
parents were born in Canada. She died July 1880. In 1901 the following children
were alive: Catherine (born September 1851); William I., who lived in section
24, Beaver Township; S. A., who married, and lived on the north half of Mr.
Beach's preemption; and Lucy A., who married Mr. Nichols, and moved to
Oklahoma.
Politically, Mr. Beach was a
Populist—formerly a Republican. He belonged to the Methodist church, and the
society of that denomination in his community was organized in his house before
the church was built in 1883. Dr. Phillips was then the pastor, and Rev. Mr.
Ward occupied the pulpit in 1901.
Beach's son-in-law, John H. Berrie, came
to Cowley County in 1878, and first lived in Liberty Township, where he
improved a claim. Since 1880 he farmed the south 80 acres of Mr. Beach's
preemption. He married Catherine Beach. Mr. Berrie was born May 15, 1852, in Crawford
County, Pennsylvania, a son of George and Elizabeth (Hay) Berrie, both natives
of Scotland. He had three sisters and a brother: Isabel, married to David
Shafer, of Crawford County, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth, wife of W. P. Hart, of
that county; Samuel J., who lived on the old homestead in Pennsylvania; and
Jane, Mrs. Dr. Roberts. Mr. and Mrs. Berrie had five children: George I.; Lyman
H.; Lizzie B.; Donald B.; and James H.
Arkansas City Traveler, August 28, 1878.
“Mr. Isaac Beach has the neatest and most
convenient peach drier apparatus in this vicinity, a production of his own
inventive genius. He has perhaps the largest peach orchard in the county.”
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[SPRING
1871] PAGE 401
BENJAMIN BENNETT, a successful farmer of
Bolton Township, Cowley County, Kansas, located in the southwest quarter of
section 12, township 35, range 4 east, where he lived since the spring of 1871.
Mr. Bennett was born in Ross County,
Ohio, in 1843. His parents were Eleven and Martha (Hughes) Bennett. His father,
born in Pennsylvania, died when Benjamin was four years old. His mother, who
was of Irish descent, died when he was seven years of age. He was one of two
children, his sister, Fannie, being the wife of Joseph Stephenson, of Ohio.
Benjamin Bennett was thus thrown upon the
world without parental care, at an early age, and, as he did not have a
guardian, the property left him by his father and mother was eventually lost.
His education advantages were limited, as there were only subscription schools,
and he could not afford to attend them. He remained in Ohio until the spring of
1860, when, with a family named Harper, he located at Salina, Saline County,
Kansas. In 1863 he went to Leavenworth County, Kansas, where he worked out at
farming, making his home there until 1866. In 1864 he enlisted in Company B,
19th Reg., Kans. Vol. Cav., and was in Price's raid, serving also in Missouri
one year. The officers under whom he served were Gen. Grant, of Leavenworth,
Kansas; Maj. Smith, Capt. McCune, Lt. Hamby, and Sgt. Leehardt. Although
eligible, he never became a member of the G. A. R.
He returned to Ohio in 1866, and married
Margaret Pontius, who soon after-ward, died of quick consumption. He remained
in Ohio for three years. He then
returned to Leavenworth County, Kansas, in 1869. There he married Mary
E. Hanson, a native of Indiana. She died July 8, 1896. Only one daughter,
Mabel, survived.
In the spring of 1871 Mr. Bennett settled
in Cowley County, Kansas, and took up his claim in Bolton Township. Mr. Bennett
first built a log cabin, 12 by 14 feet, on the north side of the claim, in
which he resided for several years, and then replaced it with a frame house,
measuring 12 by 14 feet. This was later enlarged, and removed to the south side
of the farm, where it was made into an L-shaped house, 16 by 32 feet. The
dwelling was destroyed by a tornado June 19, 1891; other buildings, as well as
trees, were badly damaged. Mr. Bennett then constructed a house, 30 by 32 feet,
comfortable in size and conveniently arranged.
When he settled on his claim in 1871, Mr.
Bennett brought with him a span of mules, and by changing work with his
neighbors, got his prairie land broken and planted to grain. He later continued
to raise grain, but leased a part of his farm. He had two acres of orchard producing
apples, peaches, and all kinds of fruits. At first there was only a spring upon
the property; later, there was a creek running from the southwest corner to the
middle of the west side of the farm. There was some natural timber, consisting
of box-elder, walnut, and pecan, in addition to which Mr. Bennett set out a
grove of cottonwoods, from which he had enough lumber sawed to complete one
building. He had five acres of jack oaks on the northeast corner.
Bennett's daughter, Mabel, born October
13, 1874, in Cowley County, entered the Arkansas City High School, but due to
ill health did not graduate.
Mr. Bennett was a charter member of
Bolton Grange and a Republican. He was road overseer for ten years. He was a
member of the Christian church.
[PHOTO: MR. AND MRS. BENJAMIN BENNETT AND
DAUGHTER MABEL.]
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[FEBRUARY
1871] PAGE 184
JOHN BOWER, farmer, His home was located on the northeast quarter
of section 10, township 33, range 3 east. Mr. Bower was born in Mercer County,
Pennsylvania, in 1846, a son of Isaac and Lydia (Wise) Bower. His grandparents
all came from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
John Bower's father, Isaac, was born in
Union County, Pennsylvania, in 1812. He was a blacksmith by trade, which he
followed during his younger days; in his declining years, he was engaged in
farming. He died at the advanced age of eighty-three years. His wife was born
in Union County, Pennsylvania, and was of German parentage; she outlived her
husband by two years. Isaac Bower had seven children. All of them, except John,
remained in Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
John Bower obtained good schooling and
did not leave home until he attained his majority. He then went to Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, where he attended a commercial college, and upon leaving it began
teaching. Drifting west, he located in Allen County, Kansas, where he spent a
year. In February 1871 he preempted a claim one mile west of the Baden Mills,
in Winfield Township, now Vernon Township, which farm is now known as the
Keyhole quarter, and is owned by the First National Bank of Winfield. After
improving his farm and deeding his claim, John Bower went back to his home in
Pennsylvania.
About the year 1872, he located in St.
Clair County, Illinois, where he taught school five years; in 1877 he returned
to Cowley County. He traded his first claim for the northeast quarter of
section 10, in Beaver Township, which was preempted by Philo Kent, who had made
numerous improvements upon it. Mr. Bennett practiced diversified farming and
made more improvements on the farm. He had an orchard and timber lot of seven
acres, and in the yard surrounding his house were many shade trees. He
completed a modern home in 1898 that was a story and a half high; his
substantial barn was erected by Mr. Kent. Partial to Poland-China hogs, Mr.
Bower raised them in large numbers.
John Bower was married, in 1882, to Susan
B. Hatcher, a native of Canada (daughter of Henry Hatcher, who located in
Kansas about 1860). Mrs. Bower's parents were born in England. They had two
children: Noble, who was attending school in 1901 at Winfield, and Ruth, who
remained at home.
A Republican, John Bower at one time held
the office of justice of the peace. He was a member of the Patrons of
Husbandry.
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[SEPTEMBER
1870] PAGE 257
JOHN D. BOZWORTH resided for thirty years
on the northeast quarter of section 31, in Ninnescah Township [1901].
Mr. Bozworth was born in Cortland County,
New York, May 15, 1820. His parents were Benjamin and Electa (Clark) Bozworth.
Both of John's parents were natives of
Cortland County, New York, and both were deceased; Benjamin died at the age of
sixty years, having been engaged at farming and milling. They had three
children: Ansel; John D.; and Clark, who was a farmer and miller, residing at
Redhouse, New York.
John D. Bozworth attended school but
three months, for when he was a small boy he was compelled to work hard. He
lived with his parents until he became of age. He spent two years at Rushford,
New York, engaged in farming; then he went to Orson for five years, working in
a sawmill owned by his father. The mill burned down, and John commenced cutting
out timber with which to build another. After six months of illness, he went to
Farmersville, New York, where he worked at the cooper's trade, which he had
previously learned. After spending two years there, he went to work in a steam
sawmill located on the Allegheny River. He was there two years, when, in 1858,
he moved west to Keokuk, Iowa.
On May 12, 1861, Mr. Bozworth enlisted in
Company A, 2nd Reg., Ia. Vol. Inf., under Capt. Houston and Col. Curtis. He
participated in the battles of Ft. Donelson, Shiloh, Pulaski, Chattanooga, and
many others. In his first battle, he was hit in the right arm by grapeshot, but
his heavy overcoat saved him from injury. He had many narrow escapes, and his
clothing was grazed many times by bullets. He was honorably discharged June 27,
1864, and returned to Keokuk. There he followed coopering and farming until he
departed for Cowley County, Kansas, which he reached September 1870 with about
$15, which he had saved out of his earnings while at Keokuk.
Mr. Bozworth settled on the northeast
quarter of section 31, and first built a house, 12 by 16 feet. The logs were
obtained from the Arkansas River. He broke a few acres the first year, 18 of
which he put into corn, which yielded an average of 40 bushels to the acre. He
made numerous improvements through the years. His farm ranked as one of the
best in the county.
In 1897 John D. Bozworth bought 80 acres
in section 31, Ninnescah township, and devoted his attention to the raising of
grain and livestock.
Mr. Bozworth married Phidelia Record, of
New York State. She died in 1872, leaving two children, George and Lacy, both
deceased by 1901. He then married Mrs. Sarah Row, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
who had several children by her marriage with Jonathan Row.
Mr. Bozworth was a Populist, belonged to
the G. A. R. of Udall, and attended church at Oxford, Kansas. Mrs. Bozworth
joined the church while in Iowa.
[PHOTO: MR. AND MRS. JOHN D. BOZWORTH.]
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[JANUARY
31, 1870] PAGE 186
S. E. BURGER, resident of Cowley County
since 1870, has been closely identified with the early history and development
of this section.
Mr. Burger was born in Southeast
Missouri, December 2, 1843. He was the son of Jacob and Rebecca (Barnes)
Burger. Jacob was a blacksmith by occupation, and became a sergeant in Company
K, 32nd Reg., Iowa Vol. Inf.; and was appointed second lieutenant in the 63rd
Reg., U. S. Colored Infantry. He received an honorable discharge as such at the
conclusion of the Civil War. He spent his declining years among his children,
and died in Kansas March 1896. He was, successfully, a Whig, Abolitionist, and
Republican. Jacob Burger's wife was a daughter of George Barnes. She was born
in Smith County, Tennessee. Her mother, a Robinson, of Scotch-Irish parentage,
died October 26, 1895.
Jacob and Rebecca (Barnes) Burger had
eight children: George, a blacksmith, of Billings, Oklahoma; Mary, who died in
Iowa March 1866; S. E., Emeline (Burger) Coffelt, who resided in Fall Township,
Sumner County, Kansas; John C., who resided at Lansing, Kansas; Louisa A., who
lived with and kept house for her brother, S. E.; Josephus, who resided in
section 11, Walnut Township; and Pearl (Burger) Evans, who resided near
Hennessey, Oklahoma.
On the breaking out of the Civil War,
Jacob Burger and family, excepting S. E., moved to Iowa, locating in Story
County.
S. E. Burger enlisted in the 8th Reg.,
Mo. Vol. Cav., serving west of the Mississippi River, and was discharged August
19, 1865. He went to Iowa, remaining until 1869, when he moved to Kansas, spent
one year in Emporia, raising one crop. He then went to Cowley County, arriving
at Winfield January 26, 1870, and located upon the land on which he resided
thereafter [southeast quarter of section 17, township 32 south, range 4 east]
on January 31, 1870. The land at the time was not surveyed. He located his
claim by settling east of the claim of Judge T. B. Ross and north of the land
claimed by the widow Trusty. This land was surveyed January 31, 1871, during a
blinding storm of sleet and snow. Mr. Coffelt, a brother-in-law, took the
northeast quarter of section 17, but soon after abandoned the same. During his
absence, William Mentch located upon a part of the land claimed, afterwards a
part of section 16, and he had a contest before the Settlers' Protective
Association, which decided in favor of Mr. Burger.
The lumber for Mr. Burger's first house
was hauled from Augusta. The house, 10 by 12 feet, was built on a spot near the
center of the farm, but later he moved it to the east side, where stood the
substantial house erected in 1880. The last structure was a story and a half
high, containing six rooms. The porch was floored with flag stones six feet
square and seven inches thick. On the southwest corner of the quarter were
found some native plum trees, probably the site of an old Indian camp. An
Indian arrowhead of stone was plowed up and considered an interesting relic of
the Indians who formerly roamed there. The plum trees bore large yellow plums
of good quality, one of which Mr. Burger transplanted to his orchard. In the
spring of 1871, he purchased 18 apple trees and 2 pear trees, for which he paid
50 cents and $1.25 respectively. The trees were then three years old, and five
of them were still alive in 1901. He set out 10 acres in fruit, including a
vineyard planted in 1882.
In the early 1880s he and his brother,
Josephus, bought the quarter section in section 11, township 33 south, range 4
east, where the latter resided. Mr. Burger also owned 30 acres of Wheatland
Addition to Winfield. He extensively engaged in wheat raising for many years,
but later corn became the more staple product. He was also engaged in stock
raising, favoring Poland-China hogs and Red Durham cattle.
At first a Republican, he later acted
with the People’s Party.
His first official service was as clerk
of the election at the first election held in the county at its organization.
He was a justice of the peace; kept the county poor by contract for a period,
serving four years as commissioner of the poor; and was United States census
enumerator for Walnut Township in 1800.
Through Mr. Burger's influence and work
in getting up a petition, the first bridge was built across Timber Creek near
Island Park in 1874. It was a poor bridge at the best and was washed away, and
its successor fell down. By this time Winfield had attained sufficient size to
become a city of the second class, and was separated from the balance of
Winfield Township, the remaining district then being called Walnut Township.
After the separation there accumulated in
the county treasury $1,500 from a tax levy made prior to the separation. This
money could not be used by anyone without an act of the legislature. Mr. Burger
circulated a petition asking the legislature to appropriate the money for
construction of another bridge and personally took the petition to Topeka. He
succeeded in getting the money for the bridge, which was built at a cost of
$1,800, the remaining $300 being raised in Walnut Township. The bridge was
within the corporate limits of Winfield. Mr. Burger circulated a petition in
1901 to obtain free rural mail delivery past his house. In 1871 Mr. Burger
procured from H. B. Wamsley, county superintendent of public instruction, an
order organizing school district No. 37, known as Bethel district, a building
being erected in 1872, for which $800 bonds were voted in the fall of 1871. He
later transferred to district No. 127, Olive district, where his two sons were
attending school in 1901.
Mr. S. E. Burger was united in marriage
July 3, 1883, with Mrs. Sarah E. Litzler, nee Gottman, widow of John Litzler.
She was born in Gibson County, Indiana, where her father resided for fifty
years. She died January 8, 1888, leaving two sons, Jay P. and George W. Mr. Burger
and his sister, Louisa A. Burger, attended the Christian church. His parents
were Methodists.
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[1870] PAGE 264
JOHN T. CARTER, one of the pioneer
settlers of Cowley County, resided in Vernon Township. When he located on his
present tract, it was raw prairie, utterly lacking in improvements. He
transformed the land into fertile and highly cultivated fields.
Mr. Carter was born September 25, 1851,
in Clermont County, Ohio, near the village of Bethel. His father was Salathiel
Carter; his grandfather was John T. Carter.
His grandfather, John T. Carter, was born
in New Jersey September 30, 1787, and was married to Ann Ware, born in that
state in 1793. They moved to Clermont County, Ohio, where they were pioneer
settlers, and both resided in that community until the end of their lives. John
T. Carter died in 1852. His children were John, Pinkham, Joseph W., Salathiel,
Daniel, Mary, and Sarah A.
Mr. Carter's father, Salathiel, was born
July 20, 1827, in Clermont County, Ohio. During his early life he learned the
trade of a shoemaker, which he afterwards followed to a large extent, but
farming occupied the greater part of his time during his latter years. He was
joined in marriage with Caroline Empson, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in
1832, and they resided in Clermont County for many years. In 1852 they moved to
Pike County, Illinois, and in 1855 moved to Mason County, Illinois, where Mr.
Carter died in 1866. Mrs. Carter died in Winfield, Kansas, in 1884. Both
favored the Methodist church, while in politics Mr. Carter was a Democrat. The
following sons were the issue of their union: John T.; Joseph, who was born in
1853, and died in 1877; and Jeremiah, who was born in 1856, and died in 1864.
John T. Carter possessed a good common school education,
which he obtained in the schools of Mason County, Illinois. He remained on his
father's farm until 1870. In the fall of that year, he filed a claim to 160
acres of land in Vernon Township, Cowley County, Kansas. At that early date few
people lived in the county, for the district had been open for settlement but a
short time, but later settlers began to multiply and men like Mr. Carter, who
possessed willing hands and an unusual amount of energy, made rapid strides in
improving the land. At first Mr. Carter lived in a dug-out on the banks of the
Walnut River, but after harvesting several good crops, he was enabled to build
a small dwelling house. He also put up outbuildings, and from time to time
purchased more land. He owned 200 acres of highly cultivated land, all in
sections 11 and 14. Mr. Carter eventually had an elegant farm—one of the best
in the township—and was recognized as one of the leading and progressive
farmers of Cowley County.
Mr. Carter married in 1875 Hattie Kimble,
who died in 1889, leaving two children. C. Pearle Carter married Lee Marsh and
moved to Oklahoma. They had two children: Viava and Hattie. The other Carter
child was Berdelia.
Mr. Carter's second union was with
Valanda Hawkins, the nuptials occurring in 1891.
A Democrat, Mr. Carter was active but
never aspired to office. He loved sports and made several hunting trips through
the Rocky Mountains—mounting several trophies in his residence.
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[1870] PAGE 309.
[Book featured Mrs. Elizabeth L. Clover,
manager of the largest farms in county, widow of Benjamin H. Clover.] HER PHOTO WAS SHOWN IN BOOK.
MRS. ELIZABETH L. CLOVER, whose portrait
is shown herewith, has been a resident of Cowley County, Kansas, since 1871,
and is a capable business woman; since 1892 she has had the management of one
of the largest farms in the county, being ably assisted by her children. She is
the widow of Benjamin H. Clover, who served in Congress, representing the Third
Congressional District of Kansas. He located in Kansas in 1870, and became one
of the foremost men of the county.
BENJAMIN H. CLOVER was born in Franklin
County, Ohio, December 20, 1837, and died December 30, 1899. He was a son of
Henry Clover, who was born in Virginia, and followed the occupation of a
farmer. Henry Clover died in Ohio in 1863, at the age of sixty-three years. He
was one of the best men in Franklin County, strong religiously, and with great
political influence. He married Mary McHenry, who was born in Highland County,
Ohio, of English-German parents. They had three children: Rose (Johnson), who
died in Doniphan County, Kansas, in 1881; Benjamin H., deceased; and J. M., who
died in Morris County, Kansas.
Benjamin H. Clover attended the common
schools in Ohio, and was a pupil in the academy at Jefferson, after which he
taught school, remaining at home until he passed his twenty-first birthday. He
was then married, and after a time moved to Illinois. There he stayed until
1870, when his wife and family returned to her old home, and he drove, with
three of his teams, to Cowley County, Kansas, accompanied by a party of young
men. He took with him the sum of $3,000. Provisions at that early day were
exceedingly high, bacon being sold at 27 cents per pound, and potatoes at $2.50
per bushel. It was necessary to haul them from
Fall River. Mr. Clover located a claim in section 26, township 31, range
7 east, in Grouse Valley, which was later declared school land and appraised at
$3.00 per acre. He then took a claim in section 17, and later bought the rights
of Messrs. Dudley, Lee, Martin, and Thornbrew, whose claims adjoined him. Mrs.
Clover, with her six children, followed her husband to Cowley County, arriving
March 20, 1871.
Their first house was a frame house,
built with lumber hauled from Emporia, a distance of 100 miles; it possessed
but two rooms for a long time, and was then enlarged.
Mr. Clover set about cultivating the land
and was successful with his crops, especially in 1874, when his corn was fully
matured before the advent of the grasshoppers, and he sold it at $2.00 per
bushel.
Game was to be found in abundance. Mrs.
Clover, having brought a side-saddle with her, rode frequently. The nearest
railroad point, at first, was Chanute, and in 1880 the nearest was
Independence. Mr. Clover was very active in securing bonds for the Southern
Kansas Railway. At the old town of Lazette, he built a sawmill and grist mill,
but this, like many other buildings there, was at a later period removed to
Cambridge.
In 1892 Mrs. Clover and her family were
left in charge of the farm, which was then incumbered with an $18,000 mortgage,
and with more than $1,800, besides, an accrued interest on notes and renewals.
By good management and hard work, the incumbrance was lifted, and the family
freed from debt. They had one of the largest and most fertile farms of the
county, consisting of 1,600 acres, lying in Grouse Valley. They had large
orchards and made corn their principal crop. They raised hogs and
cattle—feeding on a large scale. The children resided on different parts of the
farm, and Mrs. Clover in 1901 moved to Cambridge, where she bought property.
Benjamin H. Clover was the first justice
of the peace in Windsor Township, and many trials and claim contests were held
at his residence, which, for years, was the largest in the valley. In politics,
he was a Populist. At a meeting held in his house, the name "People's
Party," was suggested by Mrs. Clover. Mr. Clover had served as county
commissioner in Illinois, and was a candidate for the state legislature in
Kansas, declining to run for governor. He was elected to Congress, in 1892,
from the third Congressional District, embracing the counties of Chautauqua,
Elk, Montgomery, Howard, Cowley, Crawford, and Labette. He served with credit
to himself and his constituency.
Mrs. Clover’s maiden name was Elizabeth Lilly
Cullumber. She was born in Madison
County, Ohio, March 28, 1840, a daughter of T. H. and Emily Susan (Lilly)
Cullumber. Her father was born in 1800, and on the same farm where her
existence began. He died in 1863, having served some time in the army. He was a
prominent farmer and stock raiser, and in politics, a strong Republican. His
wife was born in Virginia, about 1800, and was of English-Scotch descent. Mrs.
Elizabeth Lilly (Cullumber) Clover was the eldest of seven children: Elizabeth
L. (Clover); Mary (Goodson) of London, Ohio; Rebecca A. (McDonald) of Winfield,
Kansas; Maggie (Morris), who died in 1896, in Madison County, Ohio; William
Cullumber, who re-sided near Cambridge, Cowley County; Sarah (Stone) of
Winfield; and Thomas, who died at the age of twelve.
Mrs. Clover received a good academic
education in Ohio, and lived at home until her marriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin H. Clover had seven
children.
1. Julia Ella (Clover), who married her
third cousin, and resided in Stillwater, Oklahoma, had three children: Irma,
who taught school; Oliver Perry Clover, 20 years old and in college in 1901;
and Nina, then five years old.
2. Thomas H. Clover, residing on a part
of the home farm, married Martha Reed. They had four children: Thomas H., Jr.;
Lilly A., Ella, and Bryan.
3. William T. S. Clover, 35 years old in
1901, lived with his mother.
4. John P. Clover married Maude Sifford,
of Oklahoma, and had one son, Fred, born in 1899.
5. Charles Clover, who lived on the old
home place in Grouse Valley. He married Mary Foust of Atlanta, Kansas. They had
one daughter, Ruth.
6. Susie Clover (Dawsitt), who lived in
Cambridge. She had one son, Frank Clover, age eight in 1901.
7. Frank L. Clover was married to Mary
Dowson. They had three daughters: Lillian, Susie, and an infant.
In religious views the family were
Methodists, excepting Mrs. Clover, who was of the Christian Science belief.
She was offered as much as $60 per acre
for some of her land, but always refused to sell.
KAY: AFTER TYPING THIS UP, BECAME AWARE THAT
DIFFERENT FAMILY MEMBERS WERE PLAYED UP IN HERITAGE...STILL! YOU MAY WANT TO USE THIS!
-0-
[1869-1870] PAGE 265
J. R. COTTINGHAM, familiarly known as
"Jack," was one of the pioneer settlers and representative farmers of
Cowley County.
He came from Nicholas County, Kansas,
where he was born in 1851, and was the son of Littleton and Elizabeth
(Williams) Cottingham. Littleton Cottingham was born in Maryland, and his wife
was born in Virginia. The former died in Kansas, in March 1879, and the latter,
in Missouri, in 1861. They had four children: William, a farmer in Kentucky;
Isaac, deceased; Bettie (Barnett), of Kentucky; and J. R.
J. R. Cottingham journeyed to Kansas with
his father; they were one of the first settlers along Timber Creek. They left
Kentucky in 1869, making the voyage on a steamboat via the Ohio, Mississippi,
and Missouri Rivers, and landed at Kansas City, although they made some stops
in Missouri to visit relatives. They were destined for Emporia, Kansas, where
they intended to locate on what was known as the 20-mile strip. As they found
it already settled, they joined some people journeying toward the Osage
country, and stopped at Winfield, which was the principal trading post of the
section. They made a trip along Grouse and Walnut Creeks and, afterward, along
Timber Creek, and on account of the good supply of water, and the natural
forests—consisting of walnut, oak, and hackberry—decided to take up claims
there. Mr. Cottingham accordingly took up the northwest quarter of section 14, and
his father, Littleton, took up the northeast quarter of section 14, township
31, range 5 east. Each built a house on his claim. In the winter of 1869-1870
the preliminary line from Butler County was surveyed, but on the second survey
the line was found to be 60 rods too far east. Absundah, a sub-chief of the
Osages, made frequent demands upon the settlers for the payment of $5 that
would exempt them from Indian depredations. One day, when Mr. Cottingham was
asked to pay this sum, he succeeded in getting off by paying half the amount;
on the receipt for this money, the chief made his mark.
West of the Arkansas River there was
plenty of game—deer, antelope, wild turkey, and buffalo—and many a time Mr.
Cottingham enjoyed a good day's sport.
In the spring of 1870 he broke some land,
which he planted in corn and potatoes, and obtained a fine crop. He and his
father "batched" for nine years.
Several years after his marriage. he
built a frame house, which in 1891 consisted of seven rooms, the front part of
the house having been completed in 1878. He had a fine orchard, including 100
bearing apple trees. For winter purposes he had Missouri Pippins and Winesaps;
and for summer use, Early Harvest, Maiden Blush, and Rambo apples. He
eventually owned 320 acres, 40 of which formed a part of his father's
homestead. He carried on general farming success-fully and dealt extensively in
livestock, favoring Poland-China hogs, Shorthorn cattle, and standard bred
horses.
J. R. Cottingham was married in Cowley
County to Mollie Hart, a daughter of Michael Hart, of Kentucky. She was born in
Bath County, Kentucky, in 1854. She had a brother, who became a horse dealer at
Cedar Vale, Cowley County.
Mr. Cottingham was a staunch Republican
and served as township treasurer many years, and was for eleven years a member
of the school board of district No. 19, which was organized in 1873. He was a
member of the Christian church.
NOTICE, KAY, NO MENTION OF CHILDREN!
-0-
[1869] PAGE 216
HON. J. W. COTTINGHAM, who in 1901 was
serving his second term in the office of probate judge of Cowley County,
Kansas, was a gentleman of considerable prominence in the county, where he
resided since 1869.
Judge J. W. Cottingham was born in
Bourbon County, Kentucky, in 1842, and was a son of James and Nancy (Frakes)
Cottingham, and grandson of William Cottingham. William Cottingham was born in
Maryland, and was an early settler of Nicholas County, Kentucky, where he lived
the remainder of his life.
James Cottingham, father of J. W., was
born in Nicholas County, Kentucky, where he was reared and attended the public
schools. He spent most of his active career as a miller and farmer in Bourbon
County, Kentucky, but lived in Woodford County during the latter days of his
life. He died at the age of fifty years. His union with Nancy Frakes Cottingham
(78 years old in 1901 and residing in Winfield, Kansas) resulted in the
following offspring: J. W.; Thomas W.; Sarah E. (Hernden), deceased; James I.;
and Lulu (Dennis), deceased. Mr. Cottingham was an Old Line Whig, and afterward,
a Republican.
J. W. Cottingham was fifteen years of age
when he moved to Woodford County, Kentucky, where he resided until 1869. In
that year he journeyed west to Cowley County, Kansas, and located on a farm
which formed part of the Osage Trust land. Upon the organization of the county
in 1871, that section in which he was located became known as Richland
Township. A portion of it became a part of Fairview Township, where he still
owned his old home. He secured a deed to the property in 1872. He was always
active in county politics, and became a staunch Populist.
He served on the school board of his
township almost all the time since its organization. He was elected judge of
the probate court of Cowley County in the fall of 1896, and in the spring of
1897 became a resident of Winfield. He was reelected in the fall of 1898, and
was serving his second term in 1901.
Judge Cottingham married Elizabeth Hanna.
They had three children: James R., member of the firm of Asp & Cottingham,
of Guthrie, Oklahoma; Icy (Shaver), of Newkirk, Oklahoma; and Frank, a high
school student in 1901.
Judge Cottingham was a member of the
Modern Woodmen of America and of the Improved Order of Red Men. He and Mrs.
Cottingham belonged to the Christian Church of Winfield.
-0-
[1870] PAGE 105.
JESSE CRAVENS, farmer, located in the
fall of 1870. He was born in Wayne County, Ohio, January 31, 1846. His father
was William Cravens, also born in Ohio.
Jesse Cravens enlisted February 27, 1864,
in Company M, 9th Reg., Ohio Vol. Cav., under Capt. Henry V. Epley. He took
part in all the engagements and marches of that regiment, including Sherman's
march from Atlanta to the Sea. He received his discharge at Lexington, North
Carolina, July 20, 1865.
Jesse's father, William Cravens, learned
the trade of plasterer, although he devoted many years to agricultural
pursuits. In the spring of 1806 he moved to De Kalb County, Missouri, where he
purchased 160 acres of land and engaged in farming until 1883. Then he sold out
and moved to Cowley County, Kansas. He purchased 80 acres in section 17,
Ninnescah Township, which he cultivated until three years prior to his death in
October 1890—at which time he was seventy-eight years old. He died in Cameron,
Missouri, while visiting his daughter. His wife was Clarinda Lozier, also a
native of Ohio, who died in 1885, aged seventy-six years. They were the parents
of a large family of children: Elizabeth; David; Jesse; Martha; Mary; Jennie;
Sarah; Alice; Robert; John; William; and Serena.
Jesse Cravens, William's son, obtained a
common school education, and during his early youth learned his father's
trade—that of a plasterer—and followed it for four years at Cameron, Missouri.
He arrived in Cowley County in the fall of 1870, and took up his present farm
in March 1871. It consisted of the southwest quarter of section 17, in
Ninnescah Township. In the following year, he sold half of it and bought 80
acres south adjoining, in 1876. In 1890 he bought another tract of 80 acres,
comprising the south half of the southwest quarter of section 16, known as the
William Meese place. Of this last purchase, 60 acres had been broken, and a
small house had been built. Mr. Cravens' home was erected in 1896, and his barn
in 1880, and the other buildings were put up as needed. His principal crops
were wheat and corn, although he also raised many hogs and cattle.
Jesse Cravens was married at Osborn, De
Kalb County, Missouri, to Laura Bowers of that county, a daughter of William
Bowers.
Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Cravens had seven
children: Sarah Jane, wife of William Jones, an engineer residing at San
Francisco, California; Mary Ellen, who lived at San Francisco, California;
William Emery; Hila, who married Frank Chenoworth of Sumner County, Kansas;
Lewis; Everett; and Harry.
Jesse Cravens was raised a Democrat, but
of late years worked with the Populist party; he served as township trustee and
as school director. He belonged to the A. O. U. W., Lodge No. 144, of Udall,
and Udall Lodge, No. 508, I. O. O. F.
Mr. Cravens was a self-made man. When he
located in Cowley County, he had only a horse and $3 in money. His success in
life was largely due to his good management in farming, and to his industry.
[HAD PHOTO: JESSE CRAVENS.]
-0-
[1871...???] PAGE 141.
J. W. CURFMAN, farmer, resided in Fairview
Township, Cowley County, Kansas, a self-made man, having supported himself
since early manhood. He had a farm of 160 acres, consisting of the southwest
quarter of section 26, in Fairview Town-ship, where he lived the rest of his
life after his arrival in 1871.
Mr. Curfman was born December 13, 1838,
in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. His parents were Isaac and Mary (Horton)
Curfman.
Isaac Curfman was born in Huntingdon
County, Pennsylvania, where he lived for several years, and whence he moved to
Bedford County. His wife was also a native of Huntingdon County. She bore him
children, namely: McKendry, who died at the age of two years; Josiah H.; J. W.;
Oliver, a miner in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania; Catherine; Margaret;
Mahala, deceased; Susie; and Clarissa, the wife of Samuel David, a farmer
living in Rock Township, Cowley County.
J. W. Curfman lived at home until 1870,
when, in company with his brother, Josiah H. Curfman, he located in Chase
County, Kansas. They had raised but one crop when they decided to settle in
Cowley County, which they did one year later. J. W. Curfman located on his
present farm, where he raised mostly wheat, corn, and oats. His brother bought
160 acres of land, the northeast quarter of section 34, in Fairview Township.
J. W. Curfman's first dwelling on his
farm was one built by him. It was a house, 12 by 16 feet in size, and into it
he moved his family and began his farming in the West. He made many
improvements on the farm.
J. W. Curfman was united in marriage with
Elizabeth Park January 20, 1862. She was born in Huntingdon County,
Pennsylvania. Her father, Joseph Park, was a farmer.
Mr. and Mrs. Curfman had the following
children.
1. M. E. Curfman, a farmer and stock
raiser, Day County, Oklahoma.
2. Mary Bell, deceased, who was the wife
of Michael Mitchell.
3. Joseph Oscar Curfman, who married
Stella Knox, and in 1901 assisted his father in the management of the
homestead.
4. Myrtle Curfman, who married William H.
White, a farmer of Fairview Township.
5. Lulu Curfman,, residing at home.
Mr. Curfman was a member of the school
board for several years. He and his wife attended the Methodist church.
-0-
[MARCH
1871] PAGE 155.
JOSIAH H. CURFMAN (BROTHER OF J. W.
CURFMAN)...
THERE WAS A PHOTO: MR. AND MRS. JOSIAH H.
CURFMAN.
JOSIAH H. CURFMAN, a highly respected and
well known farmer of Fairview Town-ship, Cowley County, Kansas, and a man of
splendid business ability, high principle, and strict integrity, is one of the
most progressive citizens of the county. He resided on 160 acres of land,
consisting of the northeast quarter of section 34. At one time he also owned
160 acres in section 35. He was born February 11, 1837, near Cassville,
Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, a son of Isaac and Mary (Horton) Curfman.
His great-grandfather was born in
Germany, and came to this country prior to the Revolutionary War, settling in
the eastern part of Pennsylvania. There John Curfman, his grandfather, was
born. He moved to Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, when that county was first
being settled and located on a tract of wild land which was converted into
fertile farming fields. He was a very prosperous man, and accumulated
considerable property. He married a Miss Bornet, by whom he had two children,
Isaac and Christian. After the death of his first wife, he was married to
Elizabeth Taylor, by whom he had two children, Adam and Susan. He was a
consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Isaac Curfman, father of Josiah and J. W.
Curfman, was a native of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, and a farmer by
occupation. He married Mary Horton, whose parents were natives of Wales. When
they came to this country, they first landed in New York City. They later moved
to Virginia, and, still later, to Pennsylvania, where they became permanent
residents. Mr. and Mrs. Curfman were the parents of the following children:
Josiah H.; J. W.; Catherine, the wife of E. H. Heeter, living in Huntingdon
County, Pennsylvania; Margaret, wife of Miles Queery, a farmer of the same
county; Clarissa, who married Samuel David, a farmer of Rock Township, Cowley
County, Kansas; Oliver, of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania; Susie (Pheasant),
of the same county; and Mahala, deceased.
Josiah H. Curfman was mentally trained in
the common schools of his native town, and also attended Cassville Seminary. He
taught school for five years, after which he went, with his brother, J. W., to
Chase County, Kansas, where he lived for one year. In March 1871 he took up 160
acres of government land and bought
lumber which he hauled from Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, and with which he built a
rude house, 12 by 16 feet, in size. He also broke five acres of land which he
began to cultivate, and in October, of the same year, settled his family on the
farm. There were but few settlers in the county at that time, and the
surrounding country was poorly improved. Mr. Curfman was a hard worker, and it
was not long until his farm presented a neat and attractive appearance. He made
many improvements through the years. He bought 160 acres of section 35, Fairview
County, in 1874—known as the Neely place—but later disposed of it. He raised
wheat, corn, and oats. He also raised cattle and hogs. He also raised a few
horses for his own use.
Mr. Curfman was united in marriage
October 7, 1859, to Elizabeth Taylor, of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, a
daughter of Abraham and Hannah Taylor. They had the following living children
in 1901.
1. H. U. Curfman, who married Alberta
White, and was a miller in the Baden Mills at Winfield, Kansas.
2. Mary Curfman, wife of J. A. Savage, a
farmer and stock raiser, of Blackwell, Oklahoma.
3. Isaac Curfman, a farmer, Blackwell,
Oklahoma, who married Luelta Ridgeway.
4. Albert T. Curfman, who married Lucy
Stevenson, and managed his father's farm in 1901.
5. Frank Curfman, a farmer of Woodward
County, Oklahoma, who married Ada Watson.
Mr. Josiah H. Curfman served as a member
of the school board for twenty-five years; and held the office of township
treasurer for four years. Politically, he was a member of the People’s party.
He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
KAY...WHAT A DIFFERENCE IN STORIES BY THE
TWO BROTHERS...NO. 2 SEEMED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT BACKGROUND!
[FOUND ALL THIS A WEE BIT CONFUSING! COULD BE I AM DEAD WRONG AS TO WHAT YEAR DALE
TOOK UP OCCUPANCY IN COWLEY COUNTY.
YOU
MAY WANT TO SKIP THIS ONE.]
[1870] [PAGE 415]
MARTIN DALE, a prosperous and progressive
farmer of Cedar Township, Cowley County, Kansas, a resident of the state since
1858, experienced all the hardships of early pioneer life. Mr. Dale was born in
Fayette County, Indiana, in 1842, a son of G. W. and Martha W. (Ginn) Dale.
His father, G. W. Dale, was born in
Franklin County, Indiana, in 1819, and died at Cedar Vale, Chautauqua County,
Kansas, in 1891. He was a strong Democrat. He served one term as probate judge
and one term as postmaster at Cedar Vale, Kansas. He was county commissioner of
Miami County one term, under the territorial government. His wife was born in
Fayette County, Indiana, February 4, 1824, and was still living in Cedar Vale
in 1901.
Two of G. W. Dale's great-grandfathers,
one on each side of the house, served in the Revolutionary War, one being a
colonel of Maryland troops, and the other serving with the Virginia forces.
G. W. Dale and his wife were parents of
eight children, one of whom died. Those living in 1901:
1. Martin Dale, subject of biography.
2. J. G. Dale, a farmer near Cedar Vale.
3. C. A. Dale, a farmer in Rock Creek
Township, Chautauqua County.
4. G. R. Dale, president of the Cedar
Vale Mercantile Co.
5. India Dale, who married George Webb,
of Cowley Co.
6. Josie Dale, who married ______ Lemert,
who lived on a farm in Chautauqua County.
7. W. W. Dale, who was postmaster during
the last term of President Cleveland, and died November 13, 1896.
8. Mrs. H. M. Donaldson, assistant
cashier of the Cedar Vale National Bank. [First name not given of this
daughter.]
Martin Dale was reared and educated in
Indiana, and attended the common schools in that state. His first work was at
farming—grubbing and cutting bushes in Indiana. During his life he helped to
clear and improve four different farms. In 1856 he moved to the southwest part
of Iowa, where he remained for two years, after which (in 1858) he located in
Miami County, Kansas. During the Civil War, Martin Dale was a member of the
Kansas militia, holding the rank of 1st Lieutenant in Company E, 5th Kansas
Regiment. He fought bushwhackers throughout the war, and for half a day was in
Missouri on a scouting expedition, in front of Gen. Price's army. His
father-in-law, George W. Wise, served in the same regiment, and the latter's
two sons, John Henry and William Wise, were in Company E and Company H,
respectively, of the 9th Reg., Kans. Vol. Inf.
In 1869 Martin Dale moved to Neosho
County, Kansas, and two years later to Chautauqua County. His father and two of
his brothers preceded him a short time, and took up claims east of Cedar Vale,
Mr. Dale taking one adjoining the town. His father, with others, located the
town site. Frederick Kantz was president of the town company, which was
organized in 1870. From 1871 to 1880 Mr. Dale lived at Cedar Vale, and from
1881 to 1883 at Grenola, where he was associated with Hewins and Titus, then
the cattle kings of the section. In 1882 he bought in Cedar Township of H. C.
Fisher, who held a deed of the land, the southeast quarter of section 32,
township 34, range 8 east, which became his home farm in 1883. In addition to
the excellent orchard he set out, and other substantial improvements, he
erected in 1888 a two-story house of seven rooms, 24 by 26 feet. He settled
upon this section a poor man, but incessant industry brought success, both in
stock raising and farming. He owned 560 acres of land, and cultivated about 200
acres of it. He raised stock extensively, and preferred Shorthorn cattle. He
had an excellent water supply from two springs, a creek and a well.
Mr. Dale married in Miami County, Kansas,
Flora Wise, who was born in Vermillion County, Indiana, December 7, 1844, a
daughter of George W. and Mary A. (Dowdell) Wise. Her father moved to Miami
County in the fall of 1859, and died February 2, 1901, aged 78. Her mother died
February 23, 1899, aged 73.
Mrs. Dale was one of 13 children born to
Mr. and Mrs. George W. Wise: Flora; William H., who resided near Paola, Kansas;
Franklin, who lived in Kansas; Ellen (Sheridan) of Paola, Kansas; Josephine
(Russell) who died in January, 1901; Isaac, of Miami County, Kansas; Rosella,
deceased; Lilla (June), who lived near Louisburg, Kansas; Minnie, who died at
age 16; Mary E. (Wilson), who lived near Louisburg, Kansas; and Lulu, who was
single, living in Miami County, Kansas, in 1901.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin Dale had five
children.
1. George W. Dale, who married Bertha
Oliver; he resided in Cedar Vale.
2. Montrose Dale, unmarried, in the
harness business in Cedar Vale.
3. Albert Dale, who was living at home in
1901.
4. Luther Dale, living in the Indian
Territory for one year.
5. Arthur Dale, a twin of Luther, who was
living at home.
Martin Dale was a Democrat. He was
township treasurer and also served as clerk of the school district for many
years. Mr. Dale well recalled the time when, in 1866, he saw grasshoppers piled
upon the ground a foot deep. [1866...???]
Fraternally, he was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
since 1866, having joined at Paola, and belonged to the Cedar Vale lodge. Both
he and his wife were members of the Church of Christ, and attended worship at
Cedar Vale.
-0-
[1870] PAGE 121
JAMES T. DALE, of the firm of Dale &
Beebe (proprietors of the Udall Mills & Elevator), was a young man in
moderate circumstances, when he located in Cowley County on October 17, 1870,
and became one of the most prominent and influential businessmen within its
limits, having laid a good foundation for a fortune.
James T. Dale was born April 25, 1849, in
McDonough County, Illinois, a son of John H. Dale.
His father, John H. Dale, was born in
England, and during his early manhood learned the trade of a blacksmith, which
he continued to follow after coming to this country. He married Emma Payne, of
Indiana, who died in Cowley County in 1884. He went to California in 1853, and
died there in 1899. They were parents of the following living children: Esther
A., Adeline, William, Francis B., and James T.
James T. Dale remained under the parental
roof until after he attained his majority; he then located in Cowley County,
Kansas. He took up the northwest quarter of section 7, township 31, range 3
east, Ninnescah Township, upon which he made extensive improvements. During the
winter of 1870 and 1871 he underwent many hardships. Just before Christmas, he
started out along the river bottom, with an old shotgun, to procure meat for a
Christmas dinner. He fired at and wounded a deer which jumped out, and after
several attempts succeeded in getting the game, but not until the buck
attempted to drive him back. It is safe to say that the desired dinner was
obtained, and after a royal feast, the remainder of the venison was divided
among his neighbors. During the winter of 1871, he went on a buffalo hunt, with
the Osage Indians, along the Chikaskia River. During the trip the party
encountered a severe blizzard in which they nearly perished, and for eight days
they lived on nothing but buffalo meat, without a particle of salt. Mr. Dale
endured many privations in those primitive days, and later said he was amply
rewarded. He located in Cowley County with his brother-in-law, Geo. M. Pittman,
and built on his claim a cabin out of logs obtained from the Arkansas River. At
this time the county had not been surveyed. The cabin was 12 by 14 feet in
size, and after its completion, Mr. Dale went with his brother-in-law, Geo. M.
Pittman, to Burlington, Kansas, 110 miles distant, to get his family and needed
provisions. They lived mostly on buffalo, deer, and bacon. During the winter
following and early the next spring, a second trip to Burlington was made.
While there Mr. Dale bought a yoke of oxen, for $160, which were driven back,
with the horses as a lead team. On returning, he proceeded to break 40 acres,
of which he put 25 acres into corn, which yielded him 400 bushels per acre.
He then rented the farm until 1875, and
engaged as a salesman with P. G. Halburg, of Emporia, Kansas, in the nursery
business. He lived upon his farm about fifteen years, after which he bought the
southwest quarter of section 4, Ninnescah township. In the spring of 1898, he
sold his old farm to William Atkins.
Locating in Udall, in 1891, he occupied
the fine new residence which he had just completed. His first experience in the
general merchandise business was with Mr. Napier, in 1883, the firm name being
Napier & Dale. He then sold his interest, returned to farming, and also
began to speculate in grain. For the next two years he was a member of the firm
of Dale & Werden, and during that time built half of his store, and
embarked in the hardware and implement business. The same year in which the
store was erected, the firm had 43,000 bushels of corn in its cribs, purchased
for an Iowa firm. Mr. Dale then disposed of his share in the store to Mr. Werden,
and carried on the grain business alone. During this time he made good
improvements in Udall, where he lived for four years; he then moved back to the
farm. He was one of the organizers of the town company, of which he became
president. Buying 40 acres, the company platted the town of Udall. There was a
railroad running through the townsite, without a depot or stockyards, and the
railroad company was given the right-of-way for a siding and the grading of its
tracks, which cost $1,400. Mr. Dale then organized the Udall Milling Company,
of which he became president, with P. W. Smith as secretary and treasurer. The
mill was built in 1885, and had a daily capacity of 75 barrels. This company
existed two years, when Dale, Williams, and Nessly became proprietors. One year
later, Mr. Williams sold his interest to J. W. Beebe. Mr. Beebe continued in
the firm for two years, when he sold out to Gray Brothers, and the new firm
lasted three years. Gray Brothers having disposed of their interests, the mill
was operated by Dale & Nessly as proprietors. From 1891 to 1897 Mr. Dale
was president of the Dale & Nessly Milling Company, which was
incor-porated, and operated a store and mill at Udall, and the mill and
elevator at Mulvane. In 1898 Mr. Dale and Mr. Beebe bought the Udall Mills and
store, and the mill was operated under the firm name of Dale & Beebe. The
store was formerly operated under the name of J. W. Beebe & Company, but
the store interests were divided and the concern operated separately under the
names of J. T. Dale and J. W. Beebe. The mill was rebuilt in 1899, and enlarged
to a capacity of 125 barrels per day. Mr. Dale also dealt extensively in cattle
and hogs.
James T. Dale was married at Auburn,
Kansas, December 31, 1874, to Allie K. Spangler, a native of Indiana, who
accompanied her parents to Kansas in 1856. Their children were as follows.
1. Lillie E., wife of O. J. Mark, a
merchant of Belle Plaine, Kansas.
2. George W. Dale, manager of his
father's store.
3. Glenn Eugene Dale.
4. James Earl Dale.
5. Pearl E. Dale.
6. Frank L. Dale.
7. Neil Edwin Dale.
Mr. Dale was a prominent member of Lodge
No. 58, A. F. & A. M., of Win-field, Kansas; and charter member and past
master of Lodge No. 144, A. O. U. W., of Udall. He was a deacon and Sunday
school superintendent of the Congregational Church at Udall. He was active in
town affairs, serving as mayor several
times, and also as police judge and justice of the peace. He served on the
school board for many years.
Mr. Dale traveled quite extensively, and
visited most of the large cities in the United States, from California to New
York, and from the gulf to the Great Lakes. He also viewed the green hills of
the Emerald Isle and the scenery of France and England. His voyage across the
Atlantic was made in 1899. He was a Republican, having always voted that
ticket, and was in favor of Prohibition to the fullest extent.
-0-
[1871] PAGE 331.
STARTS WITH PICTURE OF "MR. AND
MRS.. THOMAS C. DANIELS"...AND I MUST SAY, I LIKE THIS PICTURE. NICE
LOOKING COUPLE.
THOMAS C. DANIELS, one of the most
extensive and prosperous farmers of Cowley County, Kansas, resided on section
2, Maple Township.
Nathan Daniels, his grandfather,
accompanied him to Cowley County in 1871 together with J. C. Daniels, his
father, and they engaged in farming in Maple Township.
Nathan Daniels was married to Nancy
Daugherty, who died at Lima, Ohio, in 1860, her husband surviving her until
1878, when he died on his farm in Maple Township.
J. C. Daniels was born and reared in
Allen County, Ohio. He was a farmer and stock raiser throughout the greater
part of his life, and died in Kansas January 1872. The wife of J. C. Daniels
was Harriet Morse, a native of New York State, who in 1901, aged 72, was living
on their homestead in Maple Township. She was a daughter of Isaac Morse, also a
native of New York, who located in Missouri in 1869 and lived there until about
1875. His wife was Lois Smedley, who died in Maple Township, Cowley County.
J. C. and Harriet Morse Daniels had nine
children.
1. Irene, wife of Henry Smith, who
resided on the old homestead.
2. Thomas C. Daniels, subject of bio.
3. Leone, who died at the age of four
years.
4. Jessie, who lived in Henry County,
Missouri, and was the wife of James Walker, of Oklahoma.
5. Clara, who lived in Colorado, and was
the wife of Hugo Schubert.
6. Ernest, a resident of St. Louis,
Missouri.
7. Hattie, who taught school at Winfield.
8. Frances, who married Frank Dougherty,
lived in Los Angeles, California.
9. James McPherson, who became a
druggist, and lived in Kansas City.
Thomas C. Daniels received a common
school education, as did his brothers and sisters, and lived at home until
November 8, 1878. He accompanied his parents to Cowley County in August 1871.
Thomas C. Daniels remained with his mother until near the close of 1878, when
he located on the southeast quarter of section 3, Maple Township, a tract which
had been owned by his grandfather, of whom he first purchased 80 acres, and
later on bought the remaining 80 acres. He cultivated this place until 1891,
when he moved to the northwest quarter of section 2, Maple Township. His farm
home was erected in 1899 at a cost of $1,600. The entire farm had many fine
improvements, especially in the line of buildings. He also owned the south half
of section 2; 80 acres in section 11; the east half of the northeast quarter of
section 11, known as the Athey place; and 95 acres in the northwest quarter of
section 3, known as the Adams place; all of which were in Maple Township. He
owned 80 acres in Butler County, comprising the north half of the southeast
quarter of section 34, Richland Township. In addition to the property above
described, Mr. Daniels purchased in 1901, in Rock and Richland Townships,
Cowley County, the following described property, consisting of about 720 acres:
lots 1 and 2 and the east half of the northwest quarter of section 7, township
30, range 5 east, containing 156.01 acres; the southeast quarter, and lots 8
and 9 and the east half of the southwest quarter of section 6, township 30,
range 5 east; and all of the southeast quarter and the north half of the
northeast quarter of section 12, township 30, range 4 east, of the 6th
Principal Meridian. He not only raised a large amount of small grain, but dealt
extensively in livestock, preferring Hereford cattle and Poland-China hogs. He
always kept about 50 horses, 190 head of cattle, and 200 hogs, and was a large
shipper.
Mr. Daniels married in 1878 Sarah E.
Atkinson, a daughter of William and Mary (Woods) Atkinson, natives of England.
Her father located in Cowley County, Kansas, and took up a claim in Maple
Township in 1872. In 1901 he was following his trade as a tailor, and resided
in Winfield. Her mother died in March 1899.
Thomas C. and Sarah E. Atkinson Daniels
had the following children.
1. Ida, who died April 14, 1890, aged ten
years and four months.
2. Jessie, born in February 1881.
3 and 4. Thomas and Maggie, twins, born
April 14, 1883.
5. Forrest, born May 16, 1888.
6. Dovie, who was born November 6, 1892,
and died January 9, 1898.
7. Hazel, born April 11, 1895.
Mr. Daniels was a Republican, and held
nearly all the offices of Maple Township. He belonged to the lodge of the
Modern Woodmen of America, at Douglas, Kansas, and to the lodge of the Ancient
Order of United Workmen, at Udall, Kansas. He favored the Methodist church.
[MARCH
1871] PAGE 83.
[PICTURE OF "MR. AND MRS.. A. P.
DOUTHITT AND SON" WAS IN BOOK.]
A. P. DOUTHITT, residing on the northwest
quarter of section 17, township 33, range 3 east, was one of the most
prosperous and progressive farmers of Cowley County, Kansas, where he lived
since March, 1871. He was born in 1848, in Marietta, Washington County,
Ohio—the oldest town in that state.
James Douthitt, father of A. P., was a
first-class mechanic, and throughout the greater part of his active years
worked in sawmills, as head sawyer.
During the Civil War he and his son, A.
P., enlisted in Company F, 92nd Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., and Mr. Douthitt served
as orderly sergeant until the close of the war. Both were with Gen. Sherman in
the Atlanta campaign.
[SOME CONFUSION HERE...READ ON]
A. P. Douthitt was a lad of fourteen
years when he ran away from home to enlist in the army. He became a private in
Company F, 92nd Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., and was captured at the battle of
Chickamauga, and held captive for seventeen months and ten days. During this
period he was in the noted Confederate prisons at Atlanta, Richmond, Danville,
Anderson-ville, and Florence. He was honorably discharged in Ohio, and after
the close of the war, accompanied his parents to Tennessee. In Tennessee James
Douthitt established a gristmill and sawmill enterprise, known as the Eureka
Mills, located opposite Fort Donelson. The family remained there until 1869,
when they moved to Metropolis, Illinois, where James Douthitt operated a mill
until his death in 1881, at the age of fifty-six years. His first wife’s maiden
name was Jimmison, and her people located in Ottawa, Kansas, when A. P. was
quite young, having formerly lived in Ohio. James Douthitt married Miss
Jimmison in Washington County, Ohio. They had two children: A. P., and
Margaret, who died in infancy. On his mother's death, in 1850, her brother was
appointed guardian for A. P., and our subject should have had an interest in
the family estate, near Ottawa, Kansas, but got nothing.
THIS PORTION COULD BE LEFT OUT:
James Douthitt's second wife was Mrs.
Julia Snodgrass, a widow, and they reared two children, John W. and Joseph A.
John W. accompanied A. P. Douthitt to Kansas, and carried the mail from Garnett
to Burlington under a contract held by a Mr. Stevens. He afterward went to
Harrisburg, Illinois, where he was married. In 1898 he purchased a gristmill at
Hutchinson, Kansas, which he operated for six months. In 1901 he was living in
Afton, in the Cherokee strip, where he was a partner in a general merchandise
store. One of his brothers-in-law, Mr. Beck, was a banker at Vinita, and
another was principal of the Vinita high school. Joseph A. was a farmer near
Harrisburg, Illinois.
AS YOU CAN SEE, ABOVE PERTAINS TO
CHILDREN OF SECOND WIFE.
A. P. Douthitt remained in Tennessee
until 1869, when he went to Metropolis, Illinois. He lived there until his
removal to Kansas. A. P. took up a claim near the mouth of Slate Creek. This
claim was jumped, one night, and he lost it. He then bought of Orval McKee,
through his brother, Polk McKee, who later became a physician of Caldwell,
Ohio, the northwest quarter of section 17, Beaver Township. This was a
fractional quarter, the deed conveying but 130 acres. When Mr. Douthitt became
its possessor, but four acres had been broken. He then had only a cow and a
mule team, but with a determined spirit he set about improving his place. He
first lived in a small box house 10 by 12 feet in size. This was afterward
replaced by one measuring 14 by 16 feet. In 1890 he built a fine eight-room
house, 22 by 16 feet, with an addition measuring 14 by 16 feet. He also built a
good barn, granary, and cowsheds. He had three pumps and a windmill, which was
put up in 1892, and he was able to obtain plenty of water at a depth of 10
feet. The second year he was on the place, he set out 20 apple trees, and an
orchard covering nearly eight acres. He owned the first cider-mill in the
locality, which he bought of S. H. Myton, and it was used by his neighbors. The farm was devoted to raising
grain and livestock, and Mr. Douthitt was quite partial to Poland-China hogs
and Hereford cattle, although he formerly raised Holstein cattle.
Mr. Douthitt married Hattie Crabtree, a
daughter of Shepard Crabtree, an early settler of Cowley County, who moved to
Wilber, Oklahoma. Two children were born: Royal H., 19 years old in 1901; and
Mary Reba, 12 years old, and attending school.
Mr. A. P. Douthitt was a Republican, and
served as constable and township trustee. He belonged to the I. O. O. F., which
he joined at Metropolis, Illinois, and to Siverd Post No. 85, G. A. R., of
Winfield.
-0-
[FALL
1870] PAGE 342.
J. A. ELLIOTT, familiarly known as
"Al" Elliott, was a well-known farmer of Dexter Township, arriving in
Cowley County, Kansas, in the fall of 1870. He spent some time in hunting
buffaloes in Sumner County, the hunt extending some 50 or 100 miles to the
southwest. There were 24 men in the hunting party, among them Joe Pratt, Joe
Pritchard from Fredonia, and Levi Bullington, William Clay, and William Weaver,
from Grouse Creek. In a hunt of three weeks, they secured over 100 fine
buffaloes, and vast quantities of other game. After the hunting expedition, Mr.
Elliott effected a location on his Cowley County property: the southeast quarter
of section 26, township 33, range 6 east.
Mr. Elliott came originally from Indiana,
and spent several years at Mount Pleasant, Kansas, with a freight wagon, having
all his earthly property packed in a small valise. He entered the state as a
poor young man, with a stout heart and sturdy physique as his only treasure.
After settling in Cowley County, Mr. Elliott saw very few Indians. He put up a
claim shanty in the center of his farm. This was of native timber, which was
sawed at Fin Graham's sawmill, then located near Dexter. Mr. Graham's shanty
was the hotel of the county at that time. It had two rooms, accommodating 30
boarders, and did a rushing business.
A single incident of his early career in
Cowley County shows the stuff of which these settlers were made. Mr. Elliott
saw a number of men passing in wagons and on horses, and in conversation found
they were going to move a "claim-jumper's" shanty from Mr. Haskett's
claim. Mr. Elliott promptly expressed his desire to join them, as all settlers
stood by each other in those times. He was selected to get up on the shanty,
and roll the logs down, while the others loaded them. Mr. Jenkins, the
"claim-jumper," appeared with a Henry rifle, and in response to his
threats, Mr. Elliott said to his companions: "Keep your eyes on that man
with the gun, while I roll down the logs." They hauled the logs off, and
Mr. Jenkins afterward secured another claim, quite as good, which he still
owned in 1901, although living in Wyoming.
A Mr. Million, who arrived in Cowley
County with Mr. Elliott, assisted him in building his house, after the summer's
work was ended, and subsequently took up the land owned as a farm by Mr.
Goodnight, about three miles southwest of Dexter. While they were working on
the house, they saw a Mr. Robinson coming, who disputed Mr. Elliott's claim,
and ordered him to cease work. Mr. Elliott, who was a large man of imposing
appearance, told Mr. Million to continue work, and he would attend to Mr.
Robinson. That gentleman, deeming discretion the better part of valor, promptly
withdrew, and Mr. Elliott had no more troubles.
Mr. Elliott lived in this claim house
several years, and it later formed the frame of the dining room of his
comfortable farm home.
Mr. Elliott took the first juryman to
Winfield, making his own road across the country. On his return he met James
McDermott, who was then keeping a store on Plum Creek, and in the course of
their conversation predicted that the country between Dexter and Winfield would
soon be settled, in which prophecy Mr. McDermott did not concur.
Mr. Elliott broke five yoke of wild oxen
and did a large amount of ground breaking for the early settlers; for a time he
worked in partnership with Adam Glass. In 1873 he moved his claim house to a
site on a hill overlooking his rich valley farm, and later exchanged a strip on
the east side of his farm for 45 acres in section 35, just south of his claim.
He also bought a quarter section of pasture land on the north. This gave him
305 acres on his farm. Sod corn was his first crop, and it was quite
satisfactory. In 1874, the grasshopper year, he had 750 bushels of wheat, and
moved his parents from Osage County, Kansas, to his farm, while he took the
position of "head farmer" at the Kaw Indian Agency. This he held a year
or more, Mahlon Stubbs, the agent, being a close friend and a distant relative.
In 1875 Mr. Elliott returned to his
Cowley County claim, and for the next ten years his parents continued to make
their home with him. In 1875 he made his house 24 feet square, and used it,
with those dimensions, for ten years.
Mr. Elliott raised wheat, corn, alfalfa,
cane, and other staples, holding to a rotation of crops, and gave much
attention to modern and progressive agriculture.
In 1898 he completed his last handsome
and commodious residence, the new part being two stories high. The dining room,
measuring 11 by 14 feet, was the old claim house fitted over. The old hay shed
was replaced, in 1898, by a frame barn, 28 by 38 feet in size, and was 12 feet
square. Mr. Elliott at that time had about 75 head of Shorthorn cattle, and
about 30 head of Poland-China hogs.
Crab Creek, which starts in the Flint
Hills, ran through Mr. Elliott's farm, furnishing an abundant supply of pure
water. It also afforded fine fishing. There were several ponds on the farm, and
a well about 40 feet deep. Natural timber was plentiful, and Mr. Elliott had a
six-acre orchard, in fine condition. The farm was fenced, and cross-fenced, and
about 140 acres were in cultivation. The rest was pasture and meadow.
Mr. Elliott was born in Grant County,
Indiana, September 19, 1851, and was a son of Willis and Rhoda (Brown) Elliott.
His father had settled on the Indian Reserve in that state, and later laid out
the site of the town of Xenia, now known as Converse. He was born in North
Carolina, and was of Irish ancestry. Willis' brother, Judge Elliott, who died
in 1898, had served twenty-four years on the bench. Willis Elliott helped to
run the underground railroad in the days before the Civil War, and took an
important part in the building of the railroad from Indianapolis to Logansport.
He was a butcher by trade, had a market at Marion, Indiana, and was a justice
of the peace for many years. In 1868 he moved his family into Osage County,
Kansas, while he worked at Topeka for Robert Pugh until 1874. Mrs. Willis
Elliott was born in Preble County, Ohio, in March 1828, and in 1901 was making
her home with Mr. Wells, a merchant of Dexter. Mr. and Mrs. Elliott were
married in Ohio, but soon moved upon the Indian Reserve in Indiana, into which
region a brother of Mr. Elliott had walked 100 miles, with his wife, to find a
home in which they might begin life with some hope of success.
To Mr. and Mrs. Willis Elliott were born
four girls and three boys: Willie, who died young; A. O., who lived near New
Salem, Cowley County; J. A.; Ret, the wife of Mr. Wells, a grocer, of Dexter;
Emma (Fay), living near Otto, Cowley County; and Maggie, who died in Kansas at
the age of 18. Willis Elliott died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Stephens.
[Not made clear who Mrs. Stephens was...????]
J. A. Elliott attended the public schools
in Indiana, and learned the tanner's trade, making his home with his parents
until he was about thirty years of age. It was not until he had located in
Cowley County that he met his matrimonial fate in the person of Lucy Nicholson,
a daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Barry) Nicholson. Mrs. Elliott was born in
Indiana in July 1853, and shared the migrations of her people into Illinois,
where she had her mental training in the public schools. Her brother, Samuel
Nicholson, was postmaster at Dexter.
To Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Elliott were born
three children: Frances R., Robbie M., and Gladys Rhoda. Frances R. was a young
lady of much more than usual gifts, and in 1901, at the age of twenty years,
attended Southwest Kansas College at Winfield. Robbie N., aged thirteen years,
was attending school near home, as was her sister, Gladys Rhoda, then nine
years old. The home school was located in district No. 54, which Mr. Elliott
was instrumental in organizing in 1873, when the first schoolhouse was built,
and a Mr. Ketcham was employed as teacher. William Culp had charge of the
school in 1901.
Mr. Elliott was a Republican, and served
many years on the school board and as a trustee of the township of Dexter. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Elliott were members of the Presbyterian church.
-0-
[1870] PAGE 365.
JAMES FAIR was a self-made man and a
practical farmer residing in Bolton Township, in the southwest quarter of
section 8, township 34, range 3 east. He was born in Huntington County,
Indiana, and was a son of Alexander M. and Elizabeth (Black) Fair.
Alexander M. Fair, his father, was born
near Baltimore, Maryland, and was of English descent. During his early life he
moved to Huntington County, Indiana, and when James was a babe of several
months, transferred his residence to Dayton, Ohio. While he was living there,
the Civil War broke out and he enlisted in an Ohio regiment, in which he served
three months. He then reenlisted and served throughout the war. He received
many wounds, particularly at the battle of Gettysburg, and two weeks after
returning home, died from his injuries. His wife, who was of Scotch-Irish
descent, died before the Civil War, when James was a mere boy. Five children
were in the Fair family: George M., of Dayton, Ohio, who was a lad of 14 when
he went off to the war, and afterward
became blind from the effects of a wound; Elizabeth, who also lived in
Dayton, and took care of her brother, George M.; James; Adeline (Hurlbert), who
lived in Chicago, where her husband was engineer in the ice plant of The
Consumers Company, Chicago; and Charles B., superintendent of The Consumers
Company's ice plant, who was married, having one child.
James Fair was obliged to hustle for
himself when thirteen years of age, and began to learn the machinist's trade,
first working for Pritz & Kuhns, and later, for Stillwell, Bearse &
Company. With the latter company he remained many years, and upon leaving them
in 1870, journeyed to Kansas. At Dayton, Ohio, a family named Pruden lived near
his home, the paternal head of which still lived there, in 1901, aged 86. With
the sons, James Fair was intimate. These boys and James traveled together to
Kansas, going by rail to Florence, where James took the stage to Arkansas City.
The Pruden boys bought two mules at Kansas City and drove through, and with
them James Fair exchanged work in order to have the Pruden boys do his plowing.
In the spring of 1870, Mr. Fair preempted
his claim, and upon it he at once built a 10 by 12 foot shanty, in which he
"batched" many years. The first year he broke land with an axe, and
planted some sod corn, and the next year he broke with a plow a considerable
area, which he planted in wheat, and from it reaped a large crop. In 1872 he sold
his claim to H. B. Pruden, and returning to Dayton, worked for Stillwell,
Bearse & Company until 1874. In that year he returned to Kansas, and began
working for Mr. Pruden. At a later period he bought his old farm back. Mr.
Pruden had built a small house, which later formed a part of Mr. Fair's
handsome eight-room house. He set out various kinds of trees, and an orchard
which covered 13 acres. One year his wife crated over 300 bushels of peaches
and 30 bushels of apricots. It required but nine peaches, cut in halves and
closely packed, to fill a quart jar. These peaches were not only large, but
were equally delicious. In the fall of 1897, Mr. Fair's barn, 35 by 40 feet,
was completed; and in the fall of 1900 his new granary, 26 by 32 feet, was
finished. He raised all kinds of crops, and much attention was devoted to the
breeding of Poland-China hogs and Norman horses. The building site on his farm
was high, and afforded a beautiful view to the south of Bolton Township.
Mr. Fair married Eleanor S. Robinson, a
daughter of J. W. and Lucretia (Hunt) Robinson. She was born in Tennessee, and
traveled extensively after attaining the age of seventeen. Her parents located
in Cowley County in 1881. Her mother died when she was three years of age.
There were five children in the Robinson family: William, a hotel keeper and
farmer at Blackwell, Oklahoma; Margaret E. (Long), deceased, who resided at
Hopkinsville, Kentucky; David, who died in infancy; Eleanor S., Mr. Fair's
wife; and L. S., who lived in the Indian Territory.
Mr. and Mrs. Fair had two sons: Henry P.
and Charles N.
Mr. Fair, a Republican, served as justice
of the peace. Religiously, Mrs. Fair was a Presbyterian.
-0-
[1871/1873] PAGE 188. [FRUITS/FRIER.]
D. M. FRUITS resided on the north half of
the northwest quarter of section 15, Ninnescah Township. He was born in
Montgomery County, Indiana, on October 17, 1836, a son of Sebastian and Matilda
(Ray) Fruits.
Sebastian Fruits, his father, was born in
Ohio, as was also his wife, and there he resided until he moved to Indiana. In
1845 he located in Page County, Iowa, where he took up 160 acres of land, which
he cultivated up to the time of his death. They were the parents of the
following children: D. M., Samuel, Sebastian, George William, Jane, Matilda A.,
Mary, Sarah, Martha C., and Julia. All of the children received a good
schooling, and D. M. Fruits lived at home until he was 22 years of age. He then
engaged in farming on his own account, and remained in Page County, Iowa, until
he settled in the Sunflower State.
On July 14, 1863, D. M. Fruits enlisted
as a private in Company A, 8th Reg., Ia. Vol. Cav., under Capt. G. W. Burns,
and Col. J. B. Door, whose regiment was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland.
Mr. Fruits served under General Sherman, and during two years and three days
spent in the army took part in many battles. He was honorably discharged July
17, 1865, at Clinton, Iowa.
Mr. D. M. Fruits bought his farm May 10,
1873, from William Frier, who took up the tract in the spring of 1871. A rude
house then stood on the place, and but slight improvements were made on the
property. Its owner raised grain and cattle to a considerable extent, and his
farm contained nothing but first class buildings.
Mr. Fruits was married May 8, 1849, in
Page County, Iowa, to Mary Ann Frier, who was born in Montgomery County,
Indiana, in 1837, a daughter of William and Mary (Ray) Frier. Her parents, also
natives of Montgomery County, Indiana, moved in 1855 to Page County, Iowa,
where they lived until the spring of 1871, when they preempted Mr. Fruits'
farm. Both were deceased by 1901. Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Frier,
of whom three were still living in 1901: Benjamin, a farmer in Ninnescah
Township; Isaac, a farmer in the southwestern part of Cowley County; and Mary
Ann, our subject's wife.
Mr. and Mrs. Fruits had seven children.
1. Josephine, who lived in Shawnee,
Oklahoma.
2 and 3. David and William H., who were
drowned August 5, 1885.
4. Maggie A., wife of Jake Tims, of
Oklahoma.
5. George, who was living at home in
1901.
6. Abbie, who was the wife of Baxter
Martin.
7. John Sebastian.
8. Delilah A., who died in infancy.
[NOTE: I COUNTED EIGHT CHILDREN; NOT
SEVEN.]
Mr. Fruits, a Republican, was not an
office seeker.
-0-
[SPRING
1871] PAGE 281.
GEORGE W. GARDENHIRE, one of the pioneers
of Cowley County, Kansas, lived with his family ever since the spring of 1871,
locating in the valley of Grouse Creek, in Windsor Township, in section 32,
Township 31, range 7 east. Mr. Gardenhire was born in Marion County, Tennessee,
18 miles south of Chattanooga, October 4, 1841, a son of Jacob and Martha
(Welsh) Gardenhire. He was of Scotch descent on his father's side. His
great-grandfather came from near Glasgow, Scotland.
Thompson Gardenhire, grandfather of
George W., with three brothers—William, Adam, and Jacob—came to America and
located in Virginia. His son, Jacob, was born and reared in Tennessee, and
became a river pilot. He moved to Lawrence County, Arkansas, in 1853, and died
there in 1859, aged 54. He married Martha Welsh, who was born in Arkansas. Her
father was a Welshman and her mother a lady of German nativity, who journeyed
to Arkansas with a French colony, and settled nine miles above the city of
Memphis. Mrs. Jacob Gardenhire died circa 1862, having given birth to seven
children: America; George W.; Pearlee (Hawkins); Benjamin; William Garret;
Susan; and Thompson.
George W. Gardenhire was reared in
Tennessee until he reached the age of twelve, when he went with his parents to
Lawrence County, Arkansas. He was brought up on the frontier, and became inured
to the hardships incident to that region. During the Civil War, he served in
the Confederate army for four years, in Company E, Arkansas Mounted Riflemen.
He was in the Department of Tennessee, under Generals Bragg, Hood, and Joseph
Johnston. Joseph Wheeler Park, of the Old Soldiers and Settlers Association of
Eastern Cowley County, comprising about 15 acres, was located upon his land.
George W. Gardenhire moved to Franklin
County, Kansas, near Ottawa, in 1869, and first passed through Cowley County in
that year, going to the mouth of the Chikaskia River, Indian Territory, where
he camped in wagons with seven others. After a month's trip, during which he
met Col. E. C. Manning and Judge T. B. Ross, at Winfield, he returned to Ottawa
about December 10, 1869. He remained in Franklin County until the spring of
1870, and in May and June of that year took his family, and 300 head of cattle,
to Cowley County, and located upon his farm in the valley of Grouse Creek. They
made the trip with ox teams, and drove the cattle. The party consisted of Mr.
and Mrs. George Gardenhire, their three children, and his uncle, Van
Gardenhire. Dr. Stanley had taken the claim which later became Cambridge, and
Mr. Gardenhire purchased of Mr. T. J. Raybell the northeast quarter of section
32, township 31, range 7 east. He later acquired 80 acres west of his
homestead, making his place one of the finest bottom farms in the valley. There
was a log claim house on the place when the party arrived, and into this Mr.
Gardenhire moved his family and they lived there for two years. He had all his
money invested in cattle, and for a time had bright prospects, but during the
first year 265 of the 300 cattle died of Texas fever. After two years, he
secured a team of mules, which he sold at Wichita for $200, using this money to
pay Mr. Drew to prove up on the 80 acres referred to above. Subsequently, with
the assistance of neighbors, he moved the old claim house from the center of
the farm to a different site with 15 yoke of oxen. His large nine-room house
was erected in 1885.
Mr. Gardenhire also owned a quarter
section of pasture land in sections 30 and 31, which had been deeded to Peter
Dorwin.
The first market was Ottawa; at a later
period, Wichita and Emporia became the markets.
At the outset, Mr. Gardenhire raised
wheat, corn, and some hogs. Later he raised wheat for winter pasturage. For
many years he produced corn and hogs extensively and fed large numbers of
native cattle, brought from a ranch in the territory. He preferred Shorthorn
cattle and Poland-China hogs, and, aside from the first disastrous year, was
successful in stock raising. He bred a large number of horses, including
Clydes, Normans, and Hambletonians, and owned some very superior animals. He
had one fine Hambletonian, which had gone a mile in better than three minutes,
and was tracked but once.
On April 22, 1889, Mr. Gardenhire went to
Oklahoma and made the run at the opening, getting a claim in Payne County,
which was deeded to him, and on which his son later resided. When in Oklahoma
he was made a national organizer of the People's party, having been state
organizer in Kansas, and was well qualified for that duty. He was elected to
the senate in Oklahoma and served as president of the council 120 days. A
feature of his service in that body was a speech made by him when accepting the
presidency.
He leased his Cowley County property
during his absence, although he had been offered $40 per acre therefor; he
returned to it in 1898. He cleared about 30 acres of timber along Grouse
Creek—one walnut tree measuring 65 feet to the first limbs. He assisted other
neighbors, with teams, in moving Mr. Gan's saw-mill from Cherry Vale; it was
the first sawmill in that section. Grouse Creek traversed the eastern portion
of his farm, and he had an excellent water supply, furnished by three springs
in the pasture. He also had an unusually fine orchard of three acres,
consisting of a large variety of fruit.
Mr. Gardenhire was united in marriage
with Rebecca Jones, a sister of Charley W. Jones, in Lawrence County, Arkansas,
in 1866. She was of German-Irish parentage, and was reared in Grantville, North
Carolina. She died June 23, 1889, aged 55, having raised seven children.
1. Laura A.
2. Jacob, Jr.
3. Clyde.
4. Charles A.
5. Albert Sidney.
6. Rosa Estelia.
7. James T.
Laura A. (McCaleb) lived for a time in
the Cherokee Nation, but died at the home of her father—leaving two children.
Jacob Jr. died in Oklahoma.
Clyde, who lived at Stillwater, Payne
County, Oklahoma, was married twice. His first wife was Miss Pickett, who died
leaving one son, Horace; he subsequently married Miss Lewis, by whom he had a
daughter, Julia Rebecca.
Charles A. was a railroad man, and lived
near the house of his father in Cowley County; he married Miss Bacon and they
had two children: Malcolm H. and Osa Ionia.
Albert Sidney, who was living at home in
1901, had been married for six years.
Rosa Estella, wife of J. T. McCaleb, had
three children—Versa, Adria, and Alwilda—and kept house for her father.
James T., who married Nina A. Woods,
resided in Windsor Township, and had two children: Gladys Fern and Gertrude R.
Mr. Gardenhire was a Democrat until he
helped in the organization of the Populist party in Cowley County. While in the
senate in Oklahoma, he procured for Payne County the agricultural college and
experimental stations.
He was a member of the lodge of the A. F.
& A. M., at Burden, having been demitted from the lodge at Stillwater,
Oklahoma. He belonged to the Shrine, at Oklahoma City, and also the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, at Burden. Religiously, he preferred the Baptist church,
but his family belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Mr.
Gardenhire never sued a man, nor was he ever sued.
Mrs. Gardenhire’s brother, Charlie W.
Jones (1849-1918) was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, where his early boyhood
was spent. He came to Kansas prior to the Civil War and was in Lawrence at the
time of the Quantrell raid in August 1863. He left the scene of attack on a
mule—riding bareback out of the terrorized town. Later he enlisted in Company
K, 15th Kansas Cavalry, serving as bugle boy inasmuch as he was too young to be
acceptable in the ranks. After his discharge from service he went to Arkansas,
remaining there until 1872 when he came to Cowley County. He was active in
locating the village of Burdenville on the farm of his brother-in-law, George
Gardenhire, where he conducted a general store.
In 1880 when Cambridge was established,
he moved his stock of merchandise to that place; but in a short time, went to
Burden. He was later identified with the town and continued in the mercantile
business. The firm “Jones and Snow” built a fine stone building on the
prominent corner of the business section and they were the leading merchants of
the town and active in the civic affairs of the community. Mr. Jones was a
member of the G. A. R. and also held membership in several other organizations.
During the organization of Cowley County,
Mr. Jones helped in the government survey; he later assisted in the survey of
Oklahoma. He was twice married. His first wife was Emma Craft, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Joseph Craft. They were the parents of Ed. Jones & Maud Jones
Musson. After the death of Mrs. Jones, he married her cousin, Belle Winters (1864-1936).
She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Isaiah Winters and was born in Kasson,
Minnesota. The family came from Missouri to Windsor Township in 1879. Mrs.
Jones entered the mercantile field in early life, and had an exceptionally
successful career extending over more than four decades. Charlie W. and Belle
Jones were the parents of four children: Ruth Jones Fitch, Sam, Paul, and
Harold Jones.
-0-
[1870] PAGE 227.
R. A. GILMER, a prominent real estate
dealer of Arkansas City, was one of the very first settlers of Cowley County,
where he located in 1870. He was born in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, March 1,
1845, and was a son of Joseph and Mary A. (Rose) Gilmer.
Mr. Gilmer—the name being originally
spelled Gilmore—traced his ancestry back to John and Janet Gilmore, who came
from the North of Ireland to America. John was the father of seven sons and two
daughters—Robert, James, Hugh, John, Joseph, Peggy, and Charity by his second
wife, Janet.
Robert Gilmore, next in the line of
descent, was united in marriage with Nancy Smith, who was born in Eastern
Pennsylvania, as was her mother, Molly Templeton. Her father, John Smith, came
from Ireland before the Revolutionary War and cast his lot with the colonists
in that great struggle. At its close, he married Molly Templeton, and they
moved west across the mountains to what is now Indiana County, Pennsylvania,
then included in Westmoreland County. He was hurt while felling a tree, and
died fourteen days later. His widow, with her three little girls, remained on
the farm, but had great fear of the Indians. At the time of St. Clair's defeat,
she was taken to the fort by a nephew, Samuel Calhoun, who came for her in the
middle of the night, and there she lived for three years, or until the close of
Wayne's campaign. She was married, a second time, to a widower named French,
and lived on her farm until death. Her eldest daughter, Betsey, married
Alexander Black; the youngest married Alexander White. The second daughter,
Nancy Smith, became the wife of Robert Gilmore, on May 1, 1804. Robert and
Nancy (Smith) Gilmore moved to Mercer County, Pennsylvania, where the former
died of a cancer in the face, on June 14, 1828. They were the parents of 10
children: Polly; Jane; Keziah; Sally; Robert; John; Eliza; Joseph; Mary; and
Elizabeth. Mrs. Gilmore moved to Lee County, Iowa, in September, 1846, and
there resided with her married daughters until her death in 1851.
Joseph Gilmer was born in Mercer County,
Pennsylvania, and became a well known oil operator and well constructor. He was
a Democrat, and quite a politician, serving for a time as deputy sheriff of
Mercer County. In the early "'fifties," he, with his wife and family,
moved to Niles, Ohio, where the wife died in 1857. After her death he went to
Crawford County, Pennsylvania, where he was afterward married to Adelia
Stackpole, and there resided until his death, in 1878, near Meadville.
Joseph Gilmer took part in the Civil War,
having organized Company A, 18th Reg., Pa. Vol. Cav., in 1862. He was made
senior major of the regiment, and served with it in Virginia, where he was for
some time in command at Fairfax Court House. By his first wife, Mary A. Rose,
whose family came from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, he had five children: R. A.
Gilmer being the only one living in 1901. Two daughters died when quite young;
a son, Chapman, died at Niles, Ohio; and another son died in Mercer County,
Pennsylvania, at the age of five years.
R. A. Gilmer attended the common schools
of Pennsylvania and was also a pupil of Greenville Academy. At the age of
sixteen years, he acted as engineer for his father, in boring wells on Oil
Creek, and doing other work in connection with the oil business.
R. A. Gilmer enlisted in 1862 in Company
G, 127th Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf., and was discharged nine months afterward, on
account of disability, caused by typhoid fever contracted while serving under
Burnside. In July 1863 he enlisted in Company G, 56th Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf., and
was mustered out six weeks afterward, and spent the winter of 1863 and 1864 at
school, in Titusville, Pennsylvania. In the spring of 1864, he reenlisted in
Company B, 12th Reg., Pa. Vol. Cav., and served until the close of the
War—being mustered out in July 1865 at Philadelphia. During his last service he
was in prison for two and a half months, at Richmond, Virginia. Returning home
in 1865 he was engaged in the coal business with his father, at Pioneer,
Pennsylvania, until 1867, when he came west, to Lee County, Iowa. He spent two
years in teaching school in Iowa and Missouri.
On April 14, 1869, Mr. R. A. Gilmer
married Nora E. Robb, a native of Lee County, Iowa, her family having resided
near that of Mr. Gilmer in Pennsylvania. Soon after, in the same year, Mr.
Gilmer moved to Butler County, Kansas, where he remained for one year. In 1870,
he located in Cowley County, where he was among the very earliest settlers. His
wife was the first white woman on the Arkansas River, between Arkansas City and
Derby, Sedgwick County, the place being then called El Paso. Mr. Gilmer settled
on a claim, the southeast quarter of section 9, township 34, range 3 east, in
Creswell Township; but after residing there for a time, he moved to Sumner
County.
After a period of ten years, he returned
to Cowley County, and first bought land in Bolton Township. A little later he
purchased a farm northwest of Arkansas City, in section 23, where he resided
until 1886. He then moved to Arkansas City, where he made his home, having
entered the real estate business in the spring of 1887. He first opened an
office on North Summit Street, but later relocated on the corner of Fifth
Avenue and First Street. The real estate firm of R. A. Gilmer & Company was
organized in 1887. [Mr. Gilmer noted that there had been a great change from
speculative to home investments, and stated that this promised well for the
future of the county in point of wealth and standard of citizenship.]
Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Gilmer had four
children: Joseph C.; Francis E.; Frank A.; and Clara M.
Joseph C. Gilmer was born in Butler
County, Kansas, January 8, 1870, and went into the hardware business at
Blackwell, Oklahoma. He was married April 17, 1895, to Lottie Jerome, a native
of Michigan, who accompanied her parents to Kansas in 1880. They had three
children: Carlyle J., Nora, and Florence A. Gilmer.
Francis E. and Frank A. Gilmer were
twins. Frank A. Gilmer died October 23, 1888, in Arkansas City, aged 15.
Clara M. Gilmer was a graduate of
Arkansas City High School and Southwest Kansas College of Winfield.
Mr. Gilmer was a Republican. He was the
first justice of the peace of Creswell Township, Cowley County.
Mr. Gilmer and a partner, John Askin,
located in what is now the Second Ward of Arkansas City, and built the first
log house, known as the Bousall House.
Mr. Gilmer was a member of Post No. 158,
G. A. R., and acted four years as its quartermaster. He was a member of Lodge
No. 89, A. O. U. W., of Arkansas City.
His family held membership with the
Methodist Episcopal Church.
[Kay: Interesting news about Bousall
House: first log house in Arkansas City.]
-0-
[JANUARY
7, 1870] PAGE 437.
EDWARD F. GREEN. Among the pioneer
settlers of Cowley County, Kansas, Ed. Green was conspicuously associated with
its development. He located in the county January 7, 1870, and in Creswell
Township took up his home, consisting of the southeast quarter of section 8,
township 34, range 4 east. He was born in La Salle County, Illinois, in July
1843, a son of Henry and Alma (Works) Green.
Henry Green, who was of English and Irish
descent, was born in the state of New Hampshire; upon leaving his native place,
he settled at Ottawa, Illinois, as a pioneer of that district. Mrs. Green was
born near Keene, New Hampshire; and as a result of her marriage with Mr. Green,
five children were born: Charles Henry, who died in 1885, and was engaged in
farming near Ottawa, Illinois; Mary P. (Blount), who was a widow residing at
Byron, Illinois, her husband having been a surgeon in the army; and Martha E.,
who kept house for Edward F. and William, who were together engaged in farming
in Creswell Township. Henry Green took up a tract of land in Illinois, which is
now included in that part of the city of Ottawa lying east of the Fox River.
Through life he was much given to original research and investigation, and
perfected one of the first mowers in use, and was one of the earliest inventors
to experiment on the idea of a self-raking harvester. His mower, which was
patented and known as Green's Grass Mower, was sold extensively in Illinois and
Missouri, and was contemporary with, if not prior to, the "Hussey"
and the "McCormick." A special
feature of this mowing machine was a serrated edge to the sections reaching
back of the sickle-bar, which kept the grass from clogging when the mower was in
operation. The Manny Machine Company purchased of him, for a consideration of
$17,000, the right to use this idea in their celebrated machine. A successful
machine for cutting corn in the row (two rows at a time) was invented and used
by him in the "fifties." He
also built bridges, after models of his own, which were considered among the
best in their day. P. H. Watson was his patent attorney. Mr. Green died in
1860, aged sixty, having lived to see many of his inventions in practical use.
Mr. Green possessed musical taste and acquirements, and was a member of the
militia, both in New England and in Illinois. Politically, he was a staunch
Republican, of the Free Soil type.
Edward F. Green was reared and educated
at Ottawa, Illinois; upon leaving the high school he went to Oberlin College,
where he spent two years. He then studied law under Judge E. S. Leland, of the
firm of Leland & Blanchard, and in 1864 was admitted to the bar, when a
young man of twenty-one years. In the spring of 1864, he went across the plains
to Virginia City, Montana, with a party of four prospectors, who drove a team
of four mules through to that point. He engaged in prospecting and mining
during the two and a half years he spent there, receiving at times as much as
$8 a day for his labor. He was at Helena, Montana, before a house had been built
at that place. Returning to Illinois, he remained but a short time in that
state, going from there to Nebraska, and also driving through Eastern Kansas to
Texas. He was in Texas during the Greeley campaign, and while there, taught an
independent colored school. At that time he had a sister acting as a missionary
in the Lone Star State.
Since January 7, 1870, Mr. Green had
resided almost continuously in Cowley County, Kansas, his home being on the
southeast quarter of section 8, township 34, range 4 east, Creswell Township.
His brother, William, owned the northeast quarter of that section, and the two
brothers owned the remainder of the section together. The southwest quarter of
section 8 was originally taken up by John Ryan, and the northwest quarter by J.
W. Woodyard.
Edward F. and William Green drove through
from Illinois in a light rig; after looking over a map of Kansas, they started
for Wichita, at that time a place of about 20 houses. Then they journeyed down
the Walnut River, looking over the land, and on account of the excellent
springs on section 8, they took up their farm. The average volume of water
issuing from the big spring was equivalent to the amount that would flow at low
pressure through a two-inch pipe; and there was a smaller one on the farm with
about a quarter of the force of the former. Both springs were used for
supplying water for the stock, and water from the larger one ran through pipes
to water troughs, ponds, milk boxes, etc. The spring flowed from a limestone
strata. A claim house was first erected, and later the present dwelling was
built, in which the two brothers kept bachelor's hall until their mother (who
died in 1890) and sister, Martha E., began to keep house for them. They carried
on general farming and raised horses, Durham cattle, Poland-China hogs, and
some sheep and goats. They expended much labor and money in improvements, and
made a first class stock farm of their place.
The subject of this sketch lent his
influence to such enterprises as he thought would promote the welfare of the
community, and assure its prosperity; on account of his many honorable traits
of character and his commendable public spirit, he commanded the respect of all
who knew him.
Politically, Mr. Green was formerly a
Republican, but when Horace Greeley ran for president, he supported the great
editor. About 1889 or 1890, Edward F. Green, with B. H. Clover and H. Vincent,
drew up and published a call for a county convention at Winfield, which
resulted in the formation of the People's Party. Since that time he supported
that political organization.
Mr. Green held a few township offices,
and was a candidate for senator or representative five times, having been
elected. He served as representative of his district in 1893-1894, and was
serving in that capacity again in 1901. He belonged to the Anti-Horse Thief
Association and Patrons of Husbandry, and was affiliated with the Alliance,
Knights of Labor, and other societies devoted to the promotion of the public
good.
-0-
[MARCH
12, 1871] PAGE 279.
[TWO PICTURES: MR. AND MRS. DAVID R.
GROSE.
ELIZA F., BENJAMIN, REED,
AND LIZZIE GROSE]
DAVID R. GROSE journeyed to Cowley in
1871, and effected a location on Silver Creek, in Liberty Township, on March 12
of that year.
Mr. Grose was born in the western part of
Virginia (now West Virginia), and had never left his native state until his
departure for Kansas. He and his companion went down the Ohio River on a
steamboat to Cincinnati, from which point they went by rail to Chanute, Kansas.
Mr. Grose was accompanied from West Virginia to Kansas by Newton Smith, and at
Chanute they fell in with D. B. McCollum, a sketch of whom may be found on
another page. The party entered Cowley County together, and Mr. Smith and Mr.
Grose at once took up claims on the prairie. Mr. Grose’s claim was located in
section 9, township 33, range 5 east, and was still in his possession in 1901.
Mr. Grose returned to West Virginia in
May, 1872, and spent about a year among his early haunts. In February 1873 he
returned to Cowley County, and in the following May, together with Mr. Smith,
he made a trip in a wagon, going through Kansas into Nebraska, crossing the
Missouri River into Iowa, traversing the western portion of Iowa to the
northwestern corner of the state, where they crossed the Big Sioux River into
Dakota; the journey took about four months, as they returned to Cowley County
September 1, 1873.
After his marriage, which took place in
Cowley County in 1874, Mr. Grose located on his home farm, located in section 23,
township 33, range 5 east. This place was preempted by Ellen Mark, and became
one of the choice farms of the county under Mr. Grose. He built a fine
residence on his first preemption, where the family lived for several years. In
1884 he returned to his present home, and became one of the leading farmers of
the county. He owned five quarter sections in sections 23 and 24, a quarter in
section 14, two quarters in section 9, and 80 acres in section 26. Altogether,
he owned 1,334 acres of good Kansas land.
The claim house on the home farm was
built across the creek from the fine eight-room house, which Mr. Grose built in
1885 as his family residence. From time to time improvements were made. The
farm with its numerous outbuildings presented the appearance of a small
village. Silver Creek, crossing two quarter sections, furnished an abundance of
water the year through for the stock on the place. Its banks were lined with
timber, from which much valuable lumber was produced in the old days at Rogers'
mill.
In 1901 Mr. Grose was cultivating about
250 acres of his farm, and the remainder of his large property was devoted to
stock raising. He kept from 100 to 200 head of cattle, Shorthorns
predominating. He dealt quite as largely in other stock, and in swine preferred
Berkshire, mixed with Poland-China, being an enthusiast as to his choice in
blood. Corn and wheat were the staple products of the farm, and cane, millet,
and Kaffir corn were raised to a considerable extent. The farm was thoroughly
fenced and had deep wells (20 to 30 feet), affording a fine quality of drinking
water. Mr. Grose raised from 50 to 60 bushels of corn to the acre, and a very
fine quality of wheat. He had an orchard, and planned to increase it.
The family and personal history of Mr.
Grose is as follows.
David R. Gross was born in Nicholas
County, in what is now West Virginia, then included as a part of Virginia,
March 6, 1848. His parents were S. B. and Eliza V. (Perkins) Grose.
His father, S. B. Grose, was born on
Thanksgiving day in 1824 in Nicholas County, West Virginia. His wife was born
in Missouri, but early in life moved into West Virginia, where her marriage
took place. To them were born 11 children, as follows: David R.; Octavia,
deceased; John, deceased; Rowland, who became a resident of Texas; James, a
clergyman, of the Methodist Episcopal church in West Virginia; Mary Ann
(Phillips) of West Virginia; Orval B., a miner in the Cripple Creek district;
Ben, of Kay County, Oklahoma; Maria (Summers) (Brown), who resided in West
Virginia; one, who died at the age of four years; and one, who died at the age
of eighteen months.
David Gross spent his boyhood and youth
in a state which, up to his 17th year, presented no educational advantages in
the form of free schools. He had the privilege, to a limited extent, of the
subscription school system. He was married to Anna A. Mark, who was born in
1848, in Washington County, Indiana, near Salem, a daughter of Samuel and Sarah
(Crowe) Mark, both natives of Virginia, and of Scotch-Irish descent. Members of
the Mark family were engaged in the Irish Rebellion, and the grandfather of
Mrs. Grose came to this country, and located in the western part of Virginia,
now included in the state of West Virginia. Samuel Mark located in Cowley
County, where he died in 1886, aged 76 years. His widow passed away the
following year, aged 67. They had seven children: John M., a sketch and
portrait of whom appear in this volume, the oldest member of the family; Ellen,
who was the first wife of Mr. Grose; Anna A., his present wife; Mary L. (Page),
who died in January 1900; David, who lived on one of Mr. Grose's farms; Robert,
who died in 1883, aged 22; and Hugh E. Grose, of Oklahoma.
[NOTE: ELLEN, 1ST WIFE, ANNA A., 2ND
WIFE. SORTA GATHER THAT THE SECOND WIFE IS COVERED IN FOLLOWING SKETCH.]
Mrs. Grose went with her people from
Indiana to Warren County, Illinois, where she taught school, after having
attended Abdingdon Seminary. She journeyed to Kansas in 1870 and taught the
first school kept in Cowley County, at Winfield. At a later period she taught
several terms in district No. 40. She was an amiable and intelligent lady, and
had many friends in the community.
Mr. Grose was a Republican, not active,
and never sought an office. Both he and his wife were members of United Brethren
church, and attended the Center Point church.
-0-
[AUGUST
1871] PAGE 163.
AMOS HAHN was the owner of 480 acres of
highly cultivated land in Ninnescah Township, Cowley County, Kansas, and his
home was situated on the northeast quarter of section 21. He was an
enterprising farmer and a self-made man, earning his livelihood ever since he
was ten years of age. He was born in Warren County, New Jersey, July 12, 1837,
and was a son of Henry and Sarah (West) Hahn, who were natives of Hunterdon
County, New Jersey.
After farming all his life, Henry Hahn
died in 1880. His first wife, Amos Hahn’s mother, died in 1842. She bore her
husband six children: Stacy, who lived at Flemington, New Jersey; Julia, who
lived in Hunterdon County, New Jersey; Amos; Elizabeth and Mary, deceased; and
Harriet. By his second marriage Henry Hahn had, also, six children.
Amos Hahn, with his sisters and brothers,
attended the public schools, although their opportunities were limited; at the
early age of ten years, Amos began to work out. Thus he continued for two
years, and the next three years he lived on his father's farm. He then went out
working for different employers until the age of twenty-two years, when, in
1870, he went to Jersey County, Illinois, where he farmed until 1871, when he
settled in Cowley County, Kansas. On August 17 of that year, he took up the
northeast quarter of section 21, Ninnescah Township, and improved it until
1872, when he returned to Jersey County, Illinois. There he engaged in farming
for five years, after which he again came to Kansas, where he thereafter
resided. In 1886, he bought the southwest quarter of section 15, known as the
Downing place, and in October 1900 he added 80 acres of section 22, known as
the Bennett place. He also owned the southeast quarter of section 16. He made
extensive improvements on his farm; besides raising cattle and hogs to a
considerable extent, he was a large grain producer.
Mr. Hahn was married August 8, 1878, to
Barbara Schoene, of Lee County, Iowa, a daughter of Martin and Catherine
Schoene, natives of Germany, who came to this country in 1837, and located in
Pennsylvania, where the father followed farming. He died in 1880, and his widow
in 1886. They had 11 children, of whom the following were still living in 1901:
Kate; Philip; Elizabeth; Sophia; Martin; Charles; and Barbara.
Four children blessed the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Hahn.
They were Charles Henry, George M.,
Spencer C., and Stacy E.
Mrs.
Hahn was a member of the Methodist church. In politics Mr. Hahn was independent.
-0-
[AUGUST
19, 1871.] PAGE 447.
[PORTRAIT SHOWN OF "ROBERT B.
HANNA."]
ROBERT B. HANNA came to Cowley County,
Kansas, August 19, 1871, and was one of the reliable citizens and substantial
farmers of Sheridan Township, living on section 28, township 32, range 6 east.
Mr. Hanna was born in Hancock County, Indiana, in June 1849, a son of Thomas J.
and Mary (Bolton) Hanna. He was distantly related to Marcus A. Hanna, senator
from Ohio.
Thomas J. Hanna, his father, was a farmer
and stock raiser all his life, and died in the summer of 1900, aged 74. He was
a Republican; and although often tendered office, he never served other than as
justice of the peace. Mrs. Mary Hanna was born and reared in Hamilton County,
Indiana, and died in 1859. They were the parents of five children: Robert B.;
J. A., a school teacher in the vicinity of Oklahoma City; Franklin L., who
lived on the old home farm in Indiana; Marietta (Newhouse), of Frankfort,
Indiana; and another, who died in infancy.
[COULD MARIETTA HANNA NEWHOUSE BE RELATED
TO THE MOHAWK INDIAN, NEWHOUSE...BELIEVE THAT WAS HIS NAME?]
Robert B. Hanna remained in Indiana until
he was 23 years of age. His first work was in a sawmill and stair factory. In
the spring of 1871 he came west and stopped for a time in Jackson County,
Missouri. He went to Humboldt, Kansas, to visit some friends, and there met a
man en route to Cowley County, Kansas, whom he accompanied. He was a single man
then, and took as a claim his future farm near Eatonville, in Sheridan township—the
west half of the northwest quarter of section 27, and the east half of the
northeast quarter of section 28, township 32, range 6 east. He first broke some
prairie land, which he planted, and then built a box house, 12 by 14 feet. He
kept house by himself for some time, then returned to Indiana to be married,
and took his wife back to Kansas with him. He immediately set about improving
his farm—building fences and setting out hedges—and in the spring of 1876 set
out an orchard of three acres, consisting of a variety of apples, peaches, and
other fruit. Mr. Hanna worked out by the month for two seasons, previous to
coming to Kansas, and laid by about $260, which he used in acquiring title to
his land. His principal crop was corn. He experienced but one failure in the
many years he resided on his farm. He raised hogs extensively, and also some
cattle.
Mr. Hanna married Samantha Hiday, who was also
reared in Hancock County, Indiana. They had four children.
1. Cora (Grove), of Cowley County, who
had two children, Roland and Robert.
2. Glendora Hanna.
3. T. J. Hanna.
4. Magdalene Hanna.
Mr. Hanna was a Prohibitionist in
principle, but supported the Republican party to some extent. He was a member
of the school board of district No. 47, which he helped to organize in the
early days. He was a member of the Farmer's Alliance for a short time.
Religiously, he was a member of the United Brethren denomination, and attended
the church at Eatonville, which was dedicated on December 23, 1900.
-0-
[1870] PAGE 319.
HENRY HARBAUGH was poor commissioner of
Cowley County, Kansas, and was one of the most prominent and enterprising
citizens of Winfield. He was born near Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, in
1837, a son of William Harbaugh.
His father, William Harbaugh, was born and
reared in Pennsylvania and went to Ohio at an early day. He was a carpenter and
joiner by trade, and during his younger years he followed contracting to a
large extent. He resided in Ohio until 1854, having located in Franklin County
when a young man, and in connection with contracting also manufactured linseed
oil. In 1854 he moved to Shelby County, Illinois, where he followed farming and
contracting, and died there at the age of fifty-two years. He was joined in
marriage with Leah Dietz, a native of Pennsylvania, who died at the age of
sixty-seven years. Their children were Henry; an infant girl; Julia A. (Kitch);
Susan (Waugh); an infant boy; and Mary E. (Forbes). He was a rigid Democrat in
politics, and was not an office seeker.
Henry Harbaugh received an elementary
education in the schools of Franklin County, Ohio, and during his early career
learned his father's trade of carpenter and joiner. He accompanied his parents
to Shelby County, Illinois, in 1854, and in March of that year journeyed to Kansas,
and finally returned to work on his father's farm until the breaking out of the
Civil War. He then enlisted in Company B, 14th Reg., Ill. Vol. Inf., as a
private, and served under Gen. John M. Palmer. His regiment was assigned to the
Army of the Tennessee, and at the close of the war he was mustered out as first
lieutenant.
He then engaged in contracting and
farming until the fall of 1868, when he journeyed west to Johnson County,
Kansas. In 1870 he located on a farm in Pleasant Valley Township, Cowley County,
before it was surveyed. He pursued he vocation of a farmer until 1886 when he
moved to the city of Winfield, where he embarked in the hardware business. This
he followed until 1889, and then engaged in clerical and other work. On January
1, 1895, he was appointed poor commissioner of Cowley County, and was
reappointed to that office four times. Mr. Harbaugh reduced the yearly expenses
of his department from $17,000 to $2,500 by systematizing the work, and
reducing the problem to a thorough business form.
Mr. Henry Harbaugh married Lydia M. Boys,
in Shelby County, Illinois, March 9, 1865. Four children were living in 1901.
1. Minnie M. (Kerr).
2. Alice V. (Baugh).
3. L. Estella Harbaugh.
4. Charles A. Harbaugh.
All were members of the Methodist Episcopal
church, excepting Mr. Harbaugh and Charles A. Politically, Mr. Harbaugh was a
Republican. He was an active member of Siverd Post, No. 85, G. A. R. In 1880,
1881, and 1882, he served as county commissioner of Cowley County.
-0-
[1871] PAGE 481.
PLAYED UP IN BIO...MRS.. HARRIET HOSMER,
WIDOW OF THE LATE GEORGE HOSMER.
GEORGE W. HOSMER lived on the northwest
quarter of section 32, township 33, range 8 east, Otter Township, Cowley
County, Kansas. He was born in the town of Jerusalem, Yates County, New York,
in April 1822. He was a son of J. P. and Lucy (Earle) Hosmer. J. P. Hosmer was
a farmer by occupation, and moved from New York to Huron County, Ohio, where G.
W. Hosmer was reared and educated.
George W. Hosmer remained at home until
1850 when he moved to Iroquois County, Illinois. He enlisted in Company D,
113th Reg., Ill. Vol. Inf., in August 1862, and served three years, first as a
private, and later as sergeant. He took part in several famous battles, but
received no wounds. His health was greatly impaired, however, and in 1865 he
was mustered out.
Mr. Hosmer died December 1894, aged 73.
He was one of 10 children: John T., who resided in Michigan; George W.; Mercy
Ann, deceased; Daniel, who lived in Ohio; Lucy (Boyd), a resident of Michigan;
Abigail (Hess), who also lived in Michigan; Nancy (Maine) (Rice), who resided
near Chicago, Illinois; Ellen (Barrett), of New London, Ohio; and Sidney, who
lived near the same place.
Mr. Hosmer was a Republican and held
various township offices. He was one of the first members of the township board
of Cowley County, and also served as treasurer. He was an honest, upright man;
and his death was much lamented throughout the county.
George W. Hosmer married Harriet Stocking
in 1850. She was born in 1827, in Madison County, New York, a daughter of
Roderick and Electra (Post) Stocking. Her father died in Ohio, in 1836, aged
45; her mother died in Illinois, aged 71. Roderick and Electra Stocking had
nine children: Julia, deceased; Lydia (Cottran), a widow who lived in Lincoln,
Nebraska; John and Arvine, deceased; Erastus, who lived in Michigan; Harriet;
Marshy, deceased; Melvina (Smith), who lived in Nebraska; and Jerod, a resident
of Chautauqua County, Kansas.
Harriet Stocking lived in Michigan for
some time, and then located with her husband, George W. Hosmer, and family in
Cowley County. Mr. Hosmer had been in Kansas in 1871, and, after deciding to
locate permanently, drove through from Michigan with his wife and four
children. He had his household goods shipped to Thayer, which was then the
nearest railroad station, and afterward hauled them by wagon to Otter Township.
He bought the northwest quarter of section 32, township 33, range 8 east, and
after building the humblest kind of a log cabin, began farming in the West.
After breaking a portion of the land, Mr. Hosmer planted some corn and
garden-truck and, a year later, some wheat, the crop being marketed at
Independence. At that time there was not a hog in the state and provisions
were very high. [???]
Slocum & Davis kept a general store
in Cedar Vale, and a Mr. Orr kept the first hotel in the place. There were very
few women in the state. Mr. Hosmer gradually improved the land, and in 1874
built a frame house. Since his death, Mrs. Hosmer rented the farm to her son-in-law,
J. H. Pulliam, and made her home there with him.
George and Harriet Hosmer had the
following children: Viola, Electa, John P., and George.
1. Viola, the wife of J. H. Pulliam, was
born in April 1852. Mr. Pulliam located in Chautauqua County, Kansas, in 1872,
where he made his home until he married Miss Hosmer. In 1878, he moved to
Cowley County, and lived near Winfield, where he owned some land. In 1900 Mr.
Pulliam rented the Hosmer farm, and his family remained there. J. H. and Viola
Pulliam had six children: W. C., who lived in Chautauqua County, Kansas; Hattie
E., who lived at home; Susie E. (Clingpeel), who lived in Idaho; Joseph F., who
attended school at home; and Lucy A. and Francis G., who were living at home in
1901.
2. Electa Hosmer (Hains) was born in
Michigan, and lived in Chautauqua County, Kansas.
3. John P. Hosmer, born in Illinois,
became editor of the Cedar Vale Democrat.
4. George Hosmer, a resident of Trinidad,
Colorado, went west in 1896, and became editor of the Monitor at
Trinidad.
-0-
[1869] PAGE 350.
EDWARD A. HOUSER was a self-made man, and
a highly respected citizen of Cowley County, Kansas, where he lived since
January 20, 1869. He was the owner of 449 acres, all in Rock Township, and his
home was situated in section 18. He was born in Washington County, Virginia,
February 22, 1841, a son of John J. Houser.
His father, John J. Houser, was born in
Washington County, Virginia, and in his youth learned the trade of a
blacksmith. He followed his trade many years, but at the time of his death, in
1888, he was engaged in agricultural pursuits in Sullivan County, Tennessee. He
was united in marriage with Latina Moree, a native of Washington County,
Virginia, who died in Sullivan County, Tennessee, in 1851. They had the
following children: Elizabeth, who died young; Edward A.; Josiah, a prominent
farmer of Maple Township; Arrena, the wife of John Tittsworth, of Rock
Township; Louise, the wife of Frank Greer, of Rock Township; Lusannah, who
lived in Rock Township, was the widow of J. F. Smith; three, who died in
infancy; and Elizabeth, Jeremiah, and George W., deceased. Each of the children
who grew up received a good training in the common schools.
When a young man, in 1861, Edward A.
Houser enlisted in the Confederate army, joining Company G, 63rd Reg., Tenn.
Inf., and he saw two years of hard fighting. He was mustered out in 1864, in
Mississippi.
After the war Edward A. Houser joined his
brother, Josiah, in Illinois and carried on farming a number of years. Thence
he went to Kansas, where he spent five years in the same pursuits. On January
19, 1869, he entered the borders of Cowley County, Kansas, and took up in Rock
Township the south half of the northwest quarter of section 18, township 30,
range 4 east, and the north half of the southwest quarter of the same section.
He built a small house, and the first year broke 55 acres, which he put into
corn. Subsequently, he set out 200 apple trees and half as many peach trees. He
also went to the timber and cut out posts, which he used in fencing his farm.
In 1878 he bought 80 acres of the John Cox farm, in section 7, which contained
some improvements. At a later period he bought 65 acres, of Joseph Bailey; 65
acres, from William Bailey; 16 acres, of John Bailey; 23 acres, of J. H.
Martindale; and 40 acres, of J. W. Haines—all in section 18, in Rock Township.
He rented a small portion of his farm and be-came an extensive grain producer,
and raised a considerable number of hogs and cattle.
Mr. Houser was married in December, 1874,
to Verona E. Dailey, of Sullivan County, Tennessee. They had five children:
Alice; Dailey; Ethel; Archimedes; and Forrest.
Mrs. Houser was a daughter of William
Dailey, of Sullivan County, Tennessee, a self-made man who educated himself and
became qualified for the business of a land surveyor, and afterward devoted his
attention to the work of an educator, which task he fulfilled with honor to
himself and his family, acting as professor in the academy nearly ten years.
Close study and hard work ruined his health, and he died, leaving a widow and
four children. The latter were reared to manhood and womanhood and were
respected by all who knew them.
In politics Mr. Houser always voted for
the candidate whom he considered the best man, while in religious views he
favored the Christian church.
-0-
[MAY
1870.] PAGE 152.
JOSIAH HOUSER was the owner of 400 acres
of good farming land, all of which was in Maple and Rock Townships, Cowley
County, Kansas. In 1901 he resided in his home, which comprised the northwest
quarter of section 13, taken up in May 1870. Mr. Houser was born January 22,
1843, in Washington County, Virginia, and was a son of John J. and Letitia
(Moree) Houser.
Josiah's father, John J. Houser, was a
native of Tennessee and a blacksmith by trade. He died in 1888, and his wife
passed away in 1849. They were the parents of the following children:
Elizabeth, deceased; E. A., a prosperous farmer of Rock Township; Josiah;
Arrena, wife of John Tittsworth, a farmer of Rock Township; Louisa, wife of
Frank Greer, who lived in Rock Township; Lusanna, widow of William Smith, a
resident of Rock Township; and Jerry.
Josiah Houser obtained a common school
education, and when twenty-four years of age, located in Logan County,
Illinois, where he successfully carried on farming for eighteen months. On May
1, 1870, he settled on the north half of the southwest quarter, and the south
half of the northwest quarter of section 13, as before mentioned. The land was
unbroken prairie, and Mr. Houser at once set about the task of cultivating the
soil and making improvements upon the farm. He put in sod corn the first year,
and the following year he built a log house, in which he lived many years. His
last home was built in the late 1800s and contained all the latest
conveniences. In 1882, he bought the north half of the northwest quarter of
section 13, Maple Township, which contained a few improvements. He also bought
the southwest quarter of section 17, Rock Township, known as the Bailey farm.
Mr. Houser was an extensive grain producer, but at the same time devoted much
attention to the raising of cattle and hogs.
Mr. Houser was married in Cowley County,
in 1880, to Mary Meador, of Lafayette County, Missouri, who was born in
September 1856, and was a daughter of J. W. and Rebecca (Booker) Meador, of
Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Meador was born in Kentucky, on the present site of
Louisville, December 10, 1834. During his early life, he moved to Missouri,
where he lived until 1863. He then moved to Cowley County, Kansas, where he
located in section 22, Rock Township. About eight years later, he moved to
Butler County, Kansas, where he spent six years in tilling the soil. At the end
of that period he moved to Oklahoma, where he took up 80 acres; after living
thereon for nine years, he moved to Oklahoma City. Mrs. Meador died there
September 11, 1898, and Mr. Meador then lived with Mr. Houser.
Mr. and Mrs. Josiah Houser had the
following children: Vienna Letitia, deceased; Wendell Phillips; John J.;
Anderson Furlong; Josiah Finley; Vernon, who died in 1883, aged two years and
nine months; Moree Odell, who was killed on the farm when six years old;
Ernest, who died in infancy; and Webster Everett.
Josiah Houser was independent in
politics, always supporting the candidate whom he considered the best man. He
was one of the organizers of Maple Township, and helped to choose a name for
it.
Mr. Houser was a soldier in the
Confederate army, being a member of Company I, 4th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry,
commanded by George R. McClellan. The
regiment was in Gen. "Joe" Wheeler's Division.
-0-
[1870] PAGE 49.
JONATHAN J. HUBBARD, a veteran of the
Civil War, was one of the prosperous farmers of Cowley County, Kansas, residing
on section 18, in Vernon Township. He was a native of Harrison County, Indiana,
and a son of James Hubbard. His grandfather was born on the other side of the
Blue Ridge Mountains, in Virginia, and both his grandfathers were in the battle
of Tippecanoe, in which his paternal grandfather was shot in the left arm,
necessitating amputation.
James Hubbard, father of Jonathan J.
Hubbard, was born in Virginia, but was taken to Harrison County, Indiana, in
1800, the year of his birth. From his father he learned farming, which was his
occupation throughout his entire active career. About the commencement of the
War of the Rebellion, he broke his thigh, and though he was unable to serve in
behalf of the Union, his sons, nevertheless, voiced his patriotism, as several
of them enlisted in the Union Army. Mr. Hubbard was united in marriage with
Rebecca Battman, who was also born in Harrison County, Indiana, and whose
parents were natives of England and Scotland. They had ten sons and two
daughters: Jeremia; John; Mary E. (Burnett); Francis Marion; Jonathan J.;
Christopher Columbus; Andrew Jackson; Benjamin Franklin; James K. Polk; Elvira
(Newkirk); Josiah; and George Washington. Mr. Hubbard passed to the other world
in 1890, after living four score and ten years. His widow died at the age of
sixty-eight years.
Jonathan J. Hubbard was reared in
Crawford County, Indiana, although in after years he returned to Harrison
County, and there lived until 1870, when, on October 22, he became a resident
of Cowley County, Kansas. He settled on his present claim in section 18, Vernon
Township.
When the Civil War broke out, Mr. Jonathan
J. Hubbard laid aside all plans for the future to take part in the contest for
the preservation of the Union. He became a private in Company C, 17th Reg. Ind.
Vol. Inf. He enlisted December 6, 1861, and served three years and nine months.
He was in the battle of Chickamauga, and in the engagement at Selma, Alabama,
where 18 of the 36 men in his company were killed. He saw two weeks of constant
fighting around Kennesaw Mountain, in Georgia, at which time his company was
under John T. Wilder. In many of the skirmishes he was so near the Confederates
that he could see their eyes. He took part in the Atlanta campaign, during
which he was at the front on skirmish duty. While under fire Mr. Hubbard was
always cool and deliberate, and although he displayed much valor, he was not a
man to expose himself needlessly to danger. Many a time he lay behind rocks
which the enemy's bullets scaled, and he concealed himself behind stumps, while
the leaden missiles pealed the bark from the other side. On one occasion a bullet
passed through his blouse, and he felt the wind from hundreds of bullets, but
fortunately he never received a single scratch from any of them.
Mr. Hubbard chose for his life companion
Mary H. Pennington, a native of Harrison County, Indiana, and their home was
blessed by the birth of seven children: Dennis; Elvira, deceased; Rebecca
(Porter); Floyd W.; Rosalind; Nicholas Smith; and Howard.
-0-
[MARCH
1870] PAGE 395.
TWO PHOTOGRAPHS. NO. 1 SHOWS "JOHN
W. IRONS, JOSEPH D., MRS.. JOHN W. IRONS, DAVID E., RUBY, JOHN W., JR.
SECOND PHOTOGRAPH: "RESIDENCE OF
JOHN W. IRONS." (SEVEN PEOPLE
STANDING IN FRONT OF STONE RESIDENCE.)
JOHN W. IRONS, one of the oldest and best
known citizens of Cowley County, Kansas, residing in Silver Dale Township, was
born in Allegany County, Maryland, March 22, 1846, a son of Joseph and Susan
(Harvey) Irons, who afterward moved to West Virginia. His father later lived
with him in Kansas, at the age of 84 years. Mr. Irons had a sister who lived in
Oklahoma, her name being Lizzie (Irons) Yager.
The Irons family moved back in 1861 from
West Virginia to Maryland, where John W. Irons was living when the war broke
out. He enlisted in Company B, 4th Reg., W. Va. Vol. Cav., and later in the
17th Reg., W. Va. Vol. Inf., and served three years as a private. After the war
he returned to Maryland, where his father owned a farm, and remained there
until his removal to the West, in 1869. He first took a claim in Chautauqua
County, Kansas, and there cut a set of house logs. This claim he soon sold, and
started for Cowley County, where he arrived in March, 1870, taking a claim in
Silver Dale Township, where Silver Dale post office was later located. He
stopped, at the outset, with Len Fetterman, having just $15 in his pocket,
which he spent in breaking three acres of prairie. On these three acres he
raised 120 bushels of corn, which he sold for $1.50 per bushel. He also planted
a bushel of potatoes, with an axe and a hoe, but these were stolen by the
Indians. On his arrival in the county, he worked for Mr. Fetterman (whose farm
he afterward bought, in 1874), being employed in splitting rails. He earned
about 50 cents per day, the wages paid being $1.00 per 100 rails. Provisions
were very high: bacon was 33-1/3 cents per pound, coffee, 50 cents per pound,
and flour, $7.50 per hundred pounds. He carried his provisions on foot from
Arkansas City, and in the fall of 1870 furnished himself with venison and
turkey meat. While on a trip from Cedar Vale, Kansas, to his own place, he
passed a night at the home of Mr. Ray, who gave him a few pumpkin seeds, which
he planted. He later divided quartered pumpkins among his neigh-bors, a quarter
of a pumpkin then being more of a gift than a wagon load was later. He also
bought a claim for $75, and the same week sold it for $75 and a mare. The mare
he traded for a black colt, which in turn was traded to C. M. Scott for 10 lots
in Arkansas City, the last two of which were sold for $1,000 in 1875.
His preemption, the northeast quarter of
section 5, township 35, range 5 east, he sold in 1872, for $1,600 cash. He had
broken 50 acres, set out a few peach trees, and built a cabin. He then engaged
in buying and selling stock and real estate, and in a few months was making $70
per month in interest. In 1875, he went west and engaged in the cattle business
on the plains, until 1879. He began work at $40 per month and in two weeks was
made manager and transferred to Texas, in the employ of W. H. Kingsbury and Mr.
Homesly, his salary being $1,200 per year. During that time he refused offers
of $1,500 per annum, to enter the employ of others. In 1879 he went to the
mines of California, where he made $40,000 the first year, but lost it all, and
more, during the next six months. He met with many thrilling experiences in the
West—once becoming lost in Red Mountain Pass in a heavy snow storm, and being
three days and nights without food or blankets.
In 1882 Mr. Irons returned to Cowley
County, Kansas, and was married to Emma Jane Harkleroad, whose father conducted
a store at Silver Dale. They settled on the Fetterman farm, where they remained
until the completion, in 1895, of their beautiful home. It was one of the
handsomest in the county—being 75 feet long and 40 feet wide, with solid stone
walls, 28 inches thick—and was designed by Mr. Irons. It was a model of
convenience, and handsomely furnished throughout, the woodwork being of hard
pine. There were two large cellars under the house, cellars being used
exclusively for canned and fresh fruits. There were two large and handsome front
parlors, each having a bay window, and off from the dining room was a large
porch. The view from the front of the house, which faced the West, was
picturesque and beautiful. Mr. Irons had 960 acres of land and had it planted
to corn and small grain. He was an extensive cattle feeder, very often having
several hundred head.
Politically, he was a Republican. His
father, who was of Dutch descent, was an old line Whig before the Republican
party came into existence. John W. Irons was elected county commissioner in
1898, and served in that capacity until January, 1901. He was the oldest
resident on Grouse Creek.
Mr. John W. and Emma Jane Irons had five
children: Joseph D.; David E.; John W., Jr.; Ruby; and one who was deceased.
Fraternally, he was a member of the G. A.
R. post at Arkansas City. Religiously, he and his family were Methodists.
In addition to the view of Mr. Irons'
house, the publishers of this work also present a picture of himself, wife and
children, executed from a photograph taken several years ago,—both pictures
being shown on foregoing pages.
-0-
[APRIL
20, 1870.] PAGE 377.
PICTURE OF "WILLIAM M.
JENKINS."
WILLIAM M. JENKINS, on April 20, 1870,
entered the borders of Cowley County, Kansas, where he remained as a resident.
He was known by his many acquaintances in the county as "Capt.
Jenkins." He lived on the northeast
quarter of section 26, township 30, range 6 east, and rented his farm in later
years to his son. Capt. Jenkins was born in Wells County, North Carolina,
February 10, 1835, a son of Solomon and Delaney (Ellis) Jenkins.
His father, Solomon Jenkins, was of
French descent, while his mother was of Scotch-Irish extraction. His parents
were married in North Carolina. When William M. Jenkins was 10, his parents
moved to Kentucky, where both subsequently died. He had 10 brothers and
sisters; and in 1901 was the only one of the Solomon Jenkins family still
alive.
William M. Jenkins left home at 15,
although he continued to live in Kentucky. On August 13, 1862, he enlisted in
Company K, 10th Reg., Ky. Vol. Cav., and for thirteen months served in the Army
of the Cumberland, in the 15th Army Corps, under Gen. A. J. Smith. He was then
discharged on account of being sun-struck. He had been left on the battlefield
as dead, and although he suffered intensely, was compelled to suffer even more
after he returned home, as he lived in a Southern community. He was given a
commission by the provost-marshal, and was detailed to catch spies.
Leaving Kentucky, he started on the cars
for Topeka. On arriving there, he walked to Cowley County, accompanied on the
entire journey by a Mr. Huff, who afterward helped him to build his house. Mr.
Jenkins located at once in Omnia Township, and obtained possession of his place
from a Mr. James, to whom he traded his horse for the land. He was joined by
his wife and children ten days later, and they lived in a small log house built
by Mr. Jenkins on the west side of Timber Creek. This house was built of native
lumber, and was a very humble dwelling. Mr. Jenkins had 40 acres of natural
timber and plenty of running water. He subsequently bought 120 acres more, of
which 40 were afterward sold. He also owned 320 acres in Silver Creek Township.
On the east side of the creek was his pasture; on the west side he raised cereals.
He lived in the log shanty about eight years, and then built a frame house
measuring 14 by 16 feet, on the east side of the creek, the material for it
being obtained at Wichita. In the spring of 1883, he built has last house,
getting the lumber from Burden.
[CONFUSING...HE WALKED...THEN SOMEHOW HE
GOT A HORSE THAT HE TRADED FOR THE LAND????]
As Mr. Jenkins had no team, he exchanged
work, and to one man he paid $40 to have 10 acres broken, and worked off the
debt at 20 cents per day. In 1871 he raised 800 bushels of corn; he also raised
considerable wheat in later years. He raised all kinds of hogs, favoring the
Berkshire strain. He had an orchard of two acres.
Mr. Jenkins rented his farm, with the
exception of 60 acres, to his son, Daniel.
William M. Jenkins married Martha F.
Clifton, who was born in Kentucky, and died in Cowley County, June 7, 1900,
aged 67. Eight children were born to them.
1. Delaney (Gilliard), of Oklahoma—who
had six children.
2. Daniel L., who married Mattie Kelso.
They had two children: George W. and Ruby May Jenkins.
3. James W., of Silver Creek Township,
who married Cassie Beasley. They had four children.
4. Ida (Brookyns), deceased, who left a
daughter, Frances May Brookyns, who lived with Mr. Jenkins.
5. Robert, of Silver Creek Township, who
married Emma Elkins. They had three children.
6. Mark, who died, aged 24 years.
7 and 8. Josephine and David, who died in
infancy.
Mr. Jenkins was a Republican. He was a
member of the G. A. R., belonging to Atlanta Post, No. 224. He was also a
member of the A. O. U. W. He was a communicant of the Methodist Church of Mount
Vernon.
Arkansas City Traveler, October 24, 1878.
“The wife of William Jenkins, who lives a
few miles below Oxford, in Cowley County, died very suddenly and mysteriously
on Tuesday afternoon of last week. Mrs. Jenkins had for a few days previous
been complaining of light chills, for which she had been taking some medicine,
but on Tuesday was apparently as well as usual—was doing her housework, had got
dinner for the men, and had herself eaten a hearty meal. About 4 o’clock in the
afternoon, one of the children went out to where Mr. Jenkins was at work and
told him, ‘Something is the matter with ma,’ whereupon Mr. Jenkins went
immediately to the house and found his wife dead, though still sitting in her
chair. Mrs. Jenkins was a lady highly respected by all who knew her. She leaves
a husband and three small children. Oxford Independent.”
-0-
[NOVEMBER
1871] PAGE 434.
NOAH W. KIMMEL arrived in Cowley County,
Kansas, in November 1871, and in February of the following year bought his
home, in Creswell Township, comprising the southeast quarter of section 27,
township 34, range 4 east. He also purchased 80 acres adjoining on the south,
and soon became an extensive and successful producer of grain.
Noah W. Kimmel was born in Carroll
County, Ohio, March 1, 1838, a son of Daniel and Lavina (Sweringer) Kimmel.
His father, Daniel Kimmel, was born in
Pennsylvania, and died in Ohio, in 1887, aged 72. When nine years of age,
Daniel Kimmel left Pennsylvania, and moved to Harmony district, Rose Township,
Carroll County, Ohio, which is but a short distance from President McKinley's
home. At a later period, he moved to Knox County, where he spent his last days.
He was a Jackson Democrat, and a man of considerable prominence in his
vicinity. His wife was born in Ohio, and died in Knox County, Ohio. They were
the parents of nine children: Katherine (Caster), who became a resident of
Arkansas City in 1880; John, who died in Nebraska; Matilda (Hayden), who lived
in Boulder, Colorado; Elizabeth Jane (Sibert), who resided in Illinois; Noah
W.; Thomas J., who died in 1898; Richard, who lived in Mansfield, Ohio;
William, a resident of Cleveland, Ohio; and Axey (McIntyre), who lived at
Fredericktown, near Mount Vernon, Ohio.
Noah W. Kimmel remained under the
parental roof until he was nineteen years of age, when he went to Hamilton
County, Iowa, where he was engaged in teaching and farming.
In 1862 Noah W. Kimmel enlisted in
Sawyer's brigade, and spent eleven months fighting the Sioux Indians, who were
making a raid in Minnesota. He was mustered out in August, 1863, and in
December of the same year reenlisted in the 2nd Reg., Iowa Vol. Cav., and
served until the close of the Civil War. He participated in all the engagements
in which his company took part, and was injured at Spring Hill. He had a fine
war record.
He returned to Iowa and purchased land,
remaining there until he journeyed to Cowley County, Kansas, and bought his
farm from William McGee. Seven acres had been broken, and a claim house was
standing on the farm. Mr. Kimmel "batched" until 1874. He then
erected a frame house, which was his home until 1892, when it was destroyed by
fire. He then rebuilt and occupied a comfortable home.
His old Kansas stable of poles and straw
was later supplanted by a large and substantial barn. He had plenty of water, a
windmill, and a stone tank, which he used as a milk cooler. He had pipes
extending throughout his barn, through which water was forced by the windmill—this
being but one of many like improvements. He set out a small orchard the first
year, and to it kept adding trees until it covered 25 acres. With good crops,
he was enabled to purchase 80 acres from C. A. Henshaw. He raised grain of all
kinds and livestock, favoring Poland-China hogs and Durham cattle.
From 1891 to the spring of 1900, Mr.
Kimmel resided in Arkansas City, where he owned a handsome house.
Mr. Kimmel was married in Iowa to Etta
Hall, of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, who died in 1897. Her parents settled
in Iowa when she was a girl of ten years. Three children were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Kimmel: Harry, who died in 1876; Eddie, who died in 1880; and Frances, who
in 1901 was attending school at Wichita. Mr. Kimmel was a Republican, and served
two years as treasurer of Creswell Township. He was formerly a member of the G.
A. R. Religiously, he was a Presbyterian.
-0-
[NOVEMBER
26, 1871.] PAGE 441.
PICTURE OF "WILL J. KIMMEL" IN
BOOK.
WILL J. KIMMEL, of the firm of Kimmel
& Moore, the popular and reliable grocers of Arkansas City, was born in
Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa, in 1869, and was a son of T. J. and Hannah
(Tucker) Kimmel.
T. J. Kimmel, his father, was born in
Carroll County, Ohio, and died suddenly in October, 1898, in Arkansas City,
aged 57. When a young man, T. J. Kimmel moved to Hamilton County, Iowa, taking
up a farm near Webster City. There he was subsequently married to Hannah
Tucker, by whom he had two sons and a daughter: Ernest, a resident of
Cleveland, Ohio, where he was engaged in the street railway business; Effie,
who became the wife of James Coffee, of Arkansas City, and had two boys—Ray and
Roy Coffee; and Will J.
On November 26, 1871, shortly after the
birth of Will J., Mr. T. J. Kimmel located in Cowley County, Kansas, and took
up a claim three miles east of Arkansas City, in Creswell Township. There he
resided until 1880, when with William Benedict he opened a grocery in Arkansas
City, the firm name being Benedict & Kimmel. During the three years they
continued in business together, they rented a building on the lot occupied
later by the Hustler Store, on Summit Street. W. E. Moore later succeeded Mr.
Benedict as Mr. Kimmel's partner, after which the firm name became Kimmel &
Moore, and they bought, of George Cunningham, the building in which Mr. Moore
conducted his store. This firm remained in existence from 1884 until the real
estate boom in 1886, when W. E. Moore sold his interest to G. B. Moore, and he
and Mr. Kimmel continued in business together until the latter sold his
interest to an attorney named Wilson. Mr. Kimmel retired temporarily from
business and, having previously sold his farm, returned to his old home in
Ohio, where he spent a part of the year 1889. He then returned to Arkansas
City, and reembarked in the grocery business with a Mr. Davenport, under the
firm name of Kimmel & Davenport. Until 1892, they conducted their store at
No. 316 South Summit Street. In that year Mr. Davenport assumed entire control
of the business, which he continued until 1894, when he secured the trade
privilege at the Kaw Agency, whither he removed his entire grocery stock. Mr.
Kimmel, with his son, reestablished himself in the store room formerly occupied
by him in Arkansas City, and they conducted a grocery under the firm name of T.
J. Kimmel & Son. In March 1898 T. J. Kimmel sold out to Joseph Bell, and
retired from business. The firm of Kimmel & Bell continued until March 1900
when A. H. Moore, a son of G. B. Moore, bought out Mr. Bell's interest. The
firm of Kimmel & Moore employed two clerks and conducted a first class
store in every respect. The building in which the store was located was owned
by the Kimmel estate, and was a two-story, stone structure with a large
basement, its dimensions being 85 by 25 feet. It was purchased in 1887 by T. J.
Kimmel, who also built a beautiful residence in the Second Ward, which in 1901
was occupied by his widow.
Will J. Kimmel, son of T. J. Kimmel,
received his early schooling in Arkansas City, where he graduated from the high
school. He also took a course in the business college at Ottawa, Kansas. In
religious views, he was a Unitarian, although he was reared in the orthodox
faith. He was a leading promoter of athletic sports. He was manager of the
famous "Tigers" football team, and was also manager of one of the
best known baseball teams in the West—"The Arkansas City Grays."
-0-
[1871] PAGE 353.
PICTURE OF "PHILO KENT."
PHILO KENT, whose portrait, executed from
a recent photograph, is shown herewith, was an early settler and a prosperous
farmer of Cowley County, Kansas, residing in Beaver Township, on the northwest
quarter of section 3, township 33, range 3 east. Besides his homestead, he
owned other property in Beaver Township. He was born April 25, 1837, in Union
County, Ohio, and was a son of Daniel Kent. His father died in 1865, and his
mother, whose maiden name was Allen, passed away February 6, 1877. Philo Kent
was one of a family of 12 children, with 5 half brothers. The following three
were living in 1901 besides Philo Kent: Elizabeth (Myers) of Sedgwick County,
Kansas; William, of Florence, Kansas; and Daniel, of the Cherokee strip.
Philo Kent was a young man of eighteen
years, when he left home, and spent several years in Illinois, Iowa, and
Minnesota. He was in the last named state when the Civil War broke out, and in
1862 enlisted in Company D, 9th Reg., Minn. Vol. Inf. During the first year he
was in the campaign against the Indians, but after that his regiment was sent
to Missouri, where for three years and seven days it formed a part of the 16th
Army Corps—being in the 2nd Brigade, under Gen. A. J. Smith. He was mustered
out in Minnesota, after which he returned to his native state, and while there
was married.
The first three years of his married life
were spent there in farming, in partnership with his brother, but in 1870 he
located on a farm in Miami County, Kansas. Remaining there but a short time, he
took up a claim in 1871, in Beaver Township, Cowley County, comprising the
northwest quarter of section 10, township 33, range 3 east. He made numerous
improvements upon this tract, but sold his preemption in 1878 on account of the
disadvantages encountered by his children in securing an education. He then
purchased land in the northwest quarter of section 3, which he made his home.
At the time of its purchase, it contained many improvements made by Mr. Keyser,
its original owner. Mr. Kent later purchased the southwest quarter of section
34, Vernon Township, which was preempted by Mr. Metcalf, and in 1892 added to
his possessions the northwest quarter of section 4, Beaver Township, where his
daughter and son-in-law resided in 1901. On Mr. Kent's farm were fine
outbuildings, a good house and barn, and a 10-acre orchard, which yielded an
abundance of fruit. Choice cattle and hogs were raised in large numbers, Mr.
Kent preferring Shorthorn cattle and Poland-China and Berkshire hogs.
Mr. Kent was a Democrat, in politics, and
for twelve years served on the school board. He was a member of the Christian
Church. He was formerly a member of the G. A. R.
Mr. Kent married Maggie Clark, a native
of England, who came to the United States when a girl of seven years, and to
the happy union five children were born.
1. Henry, who was married, and lived six
miles north of Winfield.
2. Effie (McClung), who lived three miles
south of her father's farm, in Beaver Township.
3. Allie (Luster), who lived in Beaver
Township.
4 and 5. Howard and William Kent, who
were living at home in 1901, assisting their father in cultivating the farm.
-0-
[DECEMBER
1869.] PAGE 21.
PICTURE OF "HENRY C. LOOMIS."
COL. HENRY C. LOOMIS was a citizen who
devoted the major portion of his time and talents to the welfare of others; and
the material development of the community in which most of his unselfish life
was spent merits the perpetuation of his superb record in the archives of the
state and county which comprised the field of his activities.
Henry C. Loomis was born in a log house
at Loomis Corners, in the town of Otto, Cattaraugus County, New York, March 16,
1834. He was a son of Bliss and Betsey Loomis. His paternal grandfather was an
officer in the Revolutionary War. Henry C. Loomis was reared upon the farm and
obtained a common school education. From boyhood he was interested in military
affairs, and prior to the Civil War was a member of the New York state militia
for seven years. At the breaking out of the war, he was first sergeant of
Company C, 64th Reg., New York state militia, which regiment entered the United
States service intact as a military organization, retaining its old number.
Henry C. Loomis was elected first lieutenant of Company C. At the battle of
Fair Oaks, the captain of Company C was absent on account of sickness, and
Lieut. Loomis commanded the company in that fierce conflict. While engaged in a
charge upon the Confederate lines, Lieut. Loomis was severely wounded in the
arm and leg. His regiment lost, in killed and wounded, 115 men. Gen. O. O.
Howard lost an arm in this engagement, having been in command of the brigade
which included the 64th New York Regiment. Lieut. Loomis' wounds gave him a
leave of absence for a time, and while nursing them at home he assisted in
raising the 154th Reg., New York Vol. Inf., and returned to the seat of war as
its lieutenant-colonel.
Age did not cool his military ardor.
Largely to his efforts are due the organization and maintenance, at Winfield,
of Company C, 2nd Reg. Kansas National Guards, for years prior to the Spanish
war. Company F of the 21st Kansas Volunteers during that war was mainly
composed of the Winfield company. Col. Loomis was an active member of Siverd
Post, No. 85, G. A. R., Department of Kansas, at Winfield, of which he was a
commander; he was also a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of
the United States, Kansas Commandery.
In the year 1869, Col. Loomis moved to
Kansas, and engaged in railroad bridge building. He heard of the prospective
opening of the Osage Indian Reservation to settlement, and was attracted to the
valley of the Walnut River. On the last day of December, 1869, he located a
squatter's claim adjoining what had been selected as a townsite, afterward
known as Winfield, and when the land was opened for settlement and purchase, he
obtained title to his property direct from the United States government. A part
of the city of Winfield occupies 100 acres of his 160 acre tract.
As a Mason, Col. Loomis' career was
exceptional. He became a Master Mason in Cattaraugus Lodge, No. 239, A. F.
& A. M., at Little Valley, New York, while on a leave of absence from the
army, in 1862. In the year 1872 he was a charter member of Winfield Lodge, No.
58, A. F. & A. M., and while Worshipful Master of that lodge raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason 54 candidates in one year. He was High Priest of
Winfield Chapter, No. 31, R. A. M., and Eminent Commander of Winfield
Commandery, No. 15, K. T., for six years; and was also a prominent member of
the Royal Order of Scotland; and a life member of Isis Temple, A. A. O. N. M.
S. He was a member of O. E. S. Queen City Chapter, No. 138, of which he became
Worthy Patron. He was made a Royal and Select Master, in 1895, in Wichita
Council, No. 12; and was made Knight Templar in Winfield Commandery, No. 15, of
Winfield. He was made Knight Kadash in 1890 in the Wichita Consistory; and was
made a Thirty-second Degree Mason, the same year, by Wichita Consistory, No. 2,
at Wichita, Kansas. He was coroneted Honorable Inspector General, in October,
1893, by Philip Crosby Tucker, at St. Louis, Missouri. He was appointed Grand
Junior Deacon of the Grand Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Kansas in 1895;
advanced to be Grand Junior Warden in 1896; Grand Senior Warden in 1897; Deputy Grand Master in 1898; and Grand Master
in 1899. During his stewardship as Grand Master, there was a net gain of 756 in
the membership of the Grand Lodge. The Colonel was instrumental in procuring
for Winfield Commandery, No. 15, K. T., the finest Knight Templar banner in the
United States, which attracted great attention at the National Conclave of
Knights Templar in Boston, Massachusetts, in August 1895. He was Grand Standard
Bearer of the Grand Commandery, Knights Templar, of the state of Kansas, and
also Grand Scribe in the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons. Col. Loomis was a
zealous member of Tohee Tribe, No. 8, Improved Order of Red Men, of Winfield,
Kansas; and also a member of Lodge No. 427, B. P. O. E., of Wichita. The
establishing of the elegant Masonic Home at Wichita, Kansas, was primarily due
to the efforts of Hon. David B. Fuller, of Eureka, Kansas, president of the
Home; James H. McCall, publisher of the Kansas Free Mason, at Wichita;
and Col. H. C. Loomis, of Winfield, all of them being Past Grand Masters and
Thirty-third Degree Masons. One of the finest rooms in the Masonic Home was the
parlor, which was richly furnished and ornamented by the Winfield brothers and
the Eastern Star Chapter, $500 having been donated by Brother Loomis. Its
equipment cost over $1,000, and it was known as the Winfield Room.
In civil life, Col. Loomis contributed,
to the extent of his means, toward the advancement of Winfield, in a most
liberal manner. He was the first county clerk of Cowley County. He helped to
survey the townsite of Winfield, and was one of the commissioners under the law
to apportion the town lots to their owners, schools, churches, etc. He was
vice-president of the Winfield Chautauqua Assembly and was industrious in
promoting its useful work. As mayor, from 1896 to 1899, his administration of
public affairs in Winfield was efficient and popular.
—Written
by E. C. M.
[GATHER E. C.
MANNING WROTE THIS ARTICLE.]
-0-
[DECEMBER
1870.] PAGE 18.
D. B. McCOLLUM was one of the most
extensive land owners of Cowley County, Kansas. He resided in Pleasant Valley
Township, on section 14, township 33, range 4 east. He was born February 9,
1834, in Ohio County, Indiana (which was absorbed by Dearborn County). He was a
son of John and Rebecca (Dixon) McCollum.
His father, John McCollum, was of Scotch
descent and was born in West Virginia, where he farmed for many years. At a
later period he moved to Indiana, where his death occurred in 1846. He located
in Ohio County in 1818. His wife was of English and Welsh extraction, and died
several years previous to the demise of her husband. Five children were born to
them, of whom three attained their majority, namely: Thomas D., who died in
Cowley County in 1879, and whose widow and sons then lived with D. B., who
never married; John W., who died in Indiana in 1855; and D. B. McCollum.
D. B. McCollum remained on his father's
farm until he became of age, and afterward carried on farming on his own
account, and operated a grist-mill, which he owned. During, and a short time
after, the Civil War, he was engaged in the lumber business. In 1869 he sold
out all his interests in Indiana, and moved west to Wilson County, Kansas.
There he took up a claim, but shortly afterwards sold it, and in December 1870
drove through to Cowley County, where he bought section 23, in Liberty
Township. He improved that piece of property and made it his home until 1876,
when he moved to Pleasant Valley Township, and bought the northeast quarter of
section 14, township 33, range 4 east. His substantial, nine-room, square house
was built in 1887, and stood on the northeast quarter, while the barn was on
the northwest quarter of the section. Mr. McCollum was successful from the very
start and invested his earnings in additional property. He owned 1,400 acres in
Pleasant Valley Township and 400 acres in Liberty Township. About 900 acres of
this extensive area was in pasture. Mr. McCollum raised many cattle and hogs.
The balance under cultivation was mostly wheat and corn; there was good
drainage due to the Walnut River. Considerable natural timber stood on the
property. In later years three men were employed constantly, and many more
hired during the busy season.
Mr. McCollum formerly belonged to the
Masonic order. Religiously, he was a Christian of the Campbellite persuasion.
-0-
[1870.] PAGE 53.
PHOTO: "CAPT. JAMES McDERMOTT."
CAPT. JAMES McDERMOTT was born in New
York City, June 6, 1841, a son of Hugh McDermott.
Hugh McDermott was born in Ireland, and
at an early age engaged in contracting. After removing to this country, he
continued in the same line. His work led him to various parts of the country, a
considerable time being spent in towns along the Mississippi River and through
portions of the South.
James McDermott, the subject of this
personal history, was a newsboy in New Orleans, during 1852 and 1853, and in
the fall of the latter year, located in Lewis County, Kentucky. There he
remained until the war broke out, when he enlisted in Company I, 4th Reg., Ky.
Vol. Inf., as a private. He served throughout the entire war, and was a first
lieutenant at the time of his discharge. During the last year of his service he
was acting captain, and the title of captain clung to him. He served in the
army of the Cumberland, in Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee, being
under Gen. Thomas all of this time. He saw much hard fighting—participating in
21 different engagements—and was wounded at Chickamauga. At the close of the
war he returned home and was engaged in farming in Lewis County for one year,
and in 1866 was elected assessor of the county for a term of four years. While
acting in that capacity he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1868. He
studied law there until 1870, when he moved to Cowley County, Kansas, locating
on the site of Dexter, of which town he was the founder. He took up a claim of
160 acres, 60 acres of which were later included in the town limits. There he
engaged in merchandising for a period of one year. In the fall of 1876, he was
elected county attorney of Cowley County, and immediately moved to Winfield,
where he resided. He was elected to represent his district in the state
legislature in 1873. He was associated in the practice of law with A. P.
Johnson since 1880, and the firm was well established in a large and lucrative
practice. Capt. McDermott's superior natural ability, his profound knowledge of
legal principles, and his wide experience placed him in the front rank among
the barristers of the county. He never missed a term of court since the county
was first organized.
Politically, Capt. McDermott was a
Republican. He was a member of the Baptist church. He was an active member of
Siverd Post, No. 85, G. A. R., Department of Kansas, at Winfield, and served as
its commander. He was also a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion
of the United States. He belonged to the Masonic order, in which he was a
Knight Templar.
NO MENTION OF FAMILY, CHILDREN!
-0-
[1870.] PAGE 371.
TWO PHOTOS. 1. "JOHN M. MARK."
2. "RESIDENCE OF JOHN M. MARK."
JOHN M. MARK, the oldest settler living
in Liberty Township, Cowley County, Kansas, left Illinois December 12, 1869, to
make his home in Bourbon County, Kansas. He remained in that county for a few
days, and then started, January 7, 1870, for Lyon County, Kansas, where he
visited two cousins, and was joined at El Dorado by his father and his father's
brother, James Mark, all of whom then set out for Dickinson County. In the
party were also Fin Graham, Joe Van Horn, and Henry Smith. They traveled in two
wagons, one of which belonged to John M. Mark. As Mr. Graham was destined for
Cowley County, they journeyed the same way, and camped on Timber Creek, north
of the present location of Burden, January 20, 1870. The next day, they drove
south to Silver Creek, and camped on section 36, township 32, range 6 east.
Breaking camp early the next morning, they drove south, and Mr. Graham took up
land, which was later included in the farm of Gilbert T. Thompson, in section
27, township 33, range 5 east. Mr. Mark's uncle, James, took the southwest
quarter of section 23, township 33, range 5 east, later owned by D. B.
McCollum, and Samuel Mark, father of John Mark, took the northwest quarter of
the same section. All but a fractional 26-acre piece of this land later
belonged to D. R. Grose. Henry Smith took the northeast quarter of section 14,
of the same township, and John M. Mark selected for his home the southeast quarter
of section 4, township 33, range 5 east.
Eight hundred Osage Indians, who were in
the neighborhood, watched him as he staked out his claim; and their chief,
Nepperalla, ate many meals at his house in after days. Mr. Mark broke two
acres, planted sod corn, and by June 1 had erected a shanty sufficing for
temporary shelter. As the Indians would not permit the cutting of much timber
until the signing of the formal treaty, the building of a log house was a
difficult undertaking. It was finally accom-plished, and made a much needed
home for its honest and hard-working occupants. The Indian chief, mentioned
above, before his final removal from the country, presented Mr. Mark with a
buffalo lariat, 60 feet long, as a mark of his appreciation. He always rode a
white pony and wore a white scarf. After the settlers came into undisturbed
possession of the country, they cut down much of the larger timber for lumber,
but Mr. Mark still had about 50 acres of bluff, and 60 acres of timber. The
remainder constituted a very fertile farm. His family had their home in his
hewed-log house until 1875, when it was sold to Mr. Bishop, and the logs were
still on the farm, owned by Mr. Winters.
The first frame house was erected in
1878, when Mr. Mark was married. Before his marriage, he had lived with his
father. This house was carried away by a tornado in 1892, and it was at once
replaced by a new and more commodious dwelling.
As a farmer Mr. Mark devoted his
attention to corn until 1876, when he directed his efforts more toward raising
wheat. In 1899 he finally returned to corn planting. Besides his own land he
cultivated a half section of leased land, on which he raised oats, millet, and
cane, and also handled hogs and cattle.
Previous to 1874 Liberty Township formed
a part of Dexter and Tisdale Townships. Mr. Mark circulated the petitions, and
was instrumental in effecting a division of the territory and organization of
Liberty Township, with J. A. Hill as its first trustee; James F. Conrad,
treasurer; and D. Terry, clerk.
John M. Mark was born in Washington
County, Indiana, July 17, 1842, a son of Samuel and Sarah E. (Crow) Mark. His
father was born in Powell's Valley, Lee County, Virginia, January 12, 1810, and
died in Cowley County, Kansas, January 24, 1885. In 1820 Mark accompanied his
father to Indiana, and then to Illinois in 1854, whence they started for
Kansas, in 1869. Sarah E. Crow Mark, his mother, was born in Washington County,
Indiana, in 1819, a daughter of Lewis and Elizabeth Crow, both natives of
Virginia. She died March 13, 1886, in Cowley County. Samuel Crow served in the
war of 1812. Samuel Mark and his wife were the parents of 10 children.
1. John M. Mark.
2. Eliza E., the first wife of David R.
Grose.
3. Anna A., the second wife of David R.
Grose.
4. Samuel L. Mark, who died in the army.
5. Mary L. (Mrs. Page), who died shortly
before 1901.
6. David E. Mark, who resided four miles
west of John M. Mark.
7. Robert Mark, who was accidentally
killed.
8. Hugh Mark.
9 and 10. Died in infancy.
John M. Mark was reared in Warren County,
Indiana, where he attended the public schools. August 16, 1861, when weighing
but 100 pounds, he enlisted in Company I ("the blind half hundred"),
50th Reg., Ill. Vol. Inf. The regiment was put under the command of Gen. Prentice,
and its first battle was at the taking of Fort Donelson. From that important
event the regiment fought its way to Shiloh, where it was attached to Baldwin's
brigade, McClernand's division. Later it became a part of the 16th Army Corps,
under the command of Gen. Davis, and still later it was part of the Second
Division of the left wing of the 16th Army Corps, under Gen. Dodge. After
Vicksburg it was a part of the 15th Army Corps, Fourth Division, under Gen.
Corse. This army corps was under the command of Gen. Logan, remembered as the
greatest volunteer officer of the Civil War. Mr. Mark was mustered out under
Gen. Corse. He took part in the battles of Fort Donelson, Fort McHenry,
Pittsburg Landing, and in the siege of Corinth, and was engaged in the last
fight at Corinth against Gen. Price. The bloodiest battle in which he
participated was at Allatoona Pass, where the 7th and 50th Illinois Regiments,
with the 39th Iowa Regiment (1,800 men in all) lost one-third of their number.
At the close of the war, Mr. Mark went back
to his Illinois home, where he lived until his removal to Kansas. He ran a
threshing machine, worked hard, and was known throughout the township as an
honorable and industrious man. On December 8, 1878, Mr. Mark married Decta
Seacat, born in Harrison County, Indiana,
one of ten children resulting from the union of Peter and Catherine
Seacat, the others being:
Charles, Hardin, and Penelope (Devore),
who died in Cowley County.
Thornton Seacat, deceased.
Porter Seacat, who lived in Clark County,
Kansas.
Fountain Seacat, who resided in Canadian
County, Oklahoma.
Blanche (Mosler), who lived in Cowley
County.
Florence (Vandevar), whose home was near
Medford, in the Cherokee strip.
Mr. Seacat settled in Cowley County in
1872, and bought land in Pleasant Valley Township. Both Mr. and Mrs. Seacat
were dead before 1901.
To Mr. and Mrs. John M. Mark were born
the following children, all but two of whom were living in 1901.
Cora (Beach), who married, lived in
Cowley County, and had one child—Edward R. Beach.
Edward R. Mark.
Florence Mark, who was living at home.
Prentice Mark, who was at school.
Logan Mark, deceased.
Blanche and John Mark, who attended
school.
Otis Mark, deceased.
Mary Mark, who was living at home.
Mr. Mark always worked with the
Republican party, and was a justice of the peace, and in former days was
successively treasurer of Tisdale and Liberty Townships. He took part in the
working of Siverd Post, No. 85, Grand Army of the Republic, and felt a pride in
his military record. It is a story of honorable and faithful service, and
bespeaks the hero and the patriot.
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[1869] PAGE
102.
M. N. MARTINDALE, an old and highly
respected pioneer of Cowley County, located within its borders in July 1869. He
possessed many sterling qualities, was honest and upright, and always strived
for the welfare of his adopted community. He was born in Wayne County, Indiana,
August 4, 1820. His father was Jesse Martindale. Moses Martindale, grandfather
of M. N., was born in South Carolina, where the family resided many years. In
1849, M. N. Martindale made his great-grandfather, William Martindale, a pair
of slippers.
Jesse Martindale was also born in South
Carolina, but the greater part of his years was spent in Indiana, where he
followed farming and stock raising. He married Barbara Chenoweth, a native of
Virginia. Several of their children died in infancy. Those living in 1901 were:
Benjamin G., William C., George B., and Hannah, all living in Indiana; Lucy;
and M. N., the only one who lived in Kansas.
M. N. Martindale remained at home until
he was 27 years of age, and his life was devoted to farming. He located in
Cowley County in July 1869, and took up 80 acres of the northwest quarter of
section 19, Rock Township, and 80 acres of the southwest quarter of section 18,
in the same township. There were but few white settlers in the county and Mr.
Martindale's nearest neighbor resided about four miles distant. Indians were
then very numerous, although not troublesome. Mr. Martindale spoke of many
interesting tales of early life in Kansas, and of the hardships endured by the
pioneers. On the farm taken up by him a cabin was needed, and this was ready
for occupancy about Christmas, 1869. His brothers-in-law, S. N. and J. D. Cady,
accompanied Mr. Martindale to Cowley County, and with them brought about 300
Texas cattle. In 1870 Mr. Martindale broke 15 acres, which he put into corn. He
made improvements upon the place, until it stood second to none in the county.
He was an extensive raiser of grain and livestock, but in later years rented
all but 80 acres of his farm to his son-in-law, and spent his time looking
after his small tract of land.
Mr. Martindale was married in October
1847 to Polly Cady, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who was born August 17, 1821, and died
April 16, 1899. They had six children: Catherine, deceased; C. H. and J. W.,
who were stock raisers, residing in the northwestern part of Texas; Clara B.,
who was the wife of G. W. Kimsey, of Maple Township; J. C., who went to the
Klondike in 1898; and Lydia M., who was the wife of Albert Brookshire, a young
farmer of Maple Township.
Mr. Martindale served with distinction in
the Confederate army, as captain of a company of infantry, under Gen.
McCullough. He was a member of the Christian Church of Rock, of which his wife
was also a member.
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[NOVEMBER
1870] PAGE 425.
PHOTOS: 1) JOHN D. MAURER.
2) ORIGINAL CLAIMS HOUSE OF JOHN D. MAURER.
3) PRESENT RESIDENCE OF JOHN D. MAURER.
JOHN D. MAURER, who journeyed to Kansas
in 1865, after leaving the army, was a prominent citizen of Cowley County. He
owned 520 acres of land in Dexter Township, a portion of which was fertile
bottom-land lying in the valley of Grouse Creek. He was often called upon to
serve in an official capacity, and, as often, discharged his duties in a
satisfactory and creditable manner.
Mr. Maurer was born in Miami County,
Ohio, in the town of Covington, July 1, 1843, a son of Jones and Frances
(Cable) Maurer.
Jonas Maurer was of German descent, and
was born in Pennsylvania in 1817. He was brought to Ohio by his parents in
1821, and lived there until 1864, when he moved to the vicinity of Emporia,
Kansas, where his wife and daughter died the same year. He then lived mainly
with his son, John D., and at intervals, with his other children during his
declining years. He died in 1882, at the home of a daughter, at Madison,
Greenwood County, Kansas. He was a Democrat until 1856, when he voted for John
C. Fremont, and afterward was a staunch supporter of the Republican party.
James Maurer married Frances Cable, who
was born in Miami County, Ohio, November 22, 1822, and died in June 1864. Her
father was an Englishman, and one of four brothers who came to America—two
locating in the South and the others remaining in the North. The well known writer,
of Louisiana, George W. Cable, was a descendant of one of the brothers who went
south.
John D. Maurer was the oldest of five
children, the others being: Sally A. (Martindale), of Emporia; Rowland C., who
was a farmer, living with his family near his brother, John D. Maurer; Anna
Belle, who died, near Emporia, at the age of twelve years; and Eunice, who
married Henry R. Branson, and died March 1, 1886.
John D. Maurer was reared in Ohio, where
he attended school until he reached the age of nineteen years. He spent two
years of the time in a select school, receiving especial preparation for
teaching. He taught one term in Ohio, and also one term after moving to Kansas.
At the age of nineteen years, he
enlisted, on August 7, 1862, in Company B, 94th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., and was
discharged June 14, 1865. He served in the 14th Army Corps under Gen. Thomas,
and was slightly wounded at Perryville, being incapacitated for service for six
weeks. He also accompanied Sherman's army, as a private, on its "March to the
Sea."
He journeyed to Kansas just after the
close of the war, and worked as a cowboy for three years about Emporia, Lyon
County, Kansas, and also engaged in farming.
A colony of his friends, 17 in number,
first visited Cowley County in the spring of 1870. He also made a trip over the
country, and finally located in Cowley County in November, 1870, bringing his
family a short time afterward. He preempted his present home, the northwest
quarter of section 20, township 32, range 7 east, as soon as the survey was
made, and built a cabin 12 by 14 feet,
of native lumber. He hauled his logs to the mill of Bert French, at
Dexter, giving half of the lumber as payment for the sawing. The lumber was of
hackberry, walnut, and oak. In the spring of 1871, he split 3,000 rails, and in
the winter of 1871-1872 he and his brother cut 300 tons of hay and took 350
head of cattle to feed. He set out two acres of orchard, and found that the
Pippin and Ben Davis apples were the best for this county.
He eventually owned 520 acres of land,
having bought part of it of the preemptors, G. C. Graham, Albert Graham, and
Will Coates, all of whom moved away. A part of this tract, 180 acres, was in
the fertile Grouse Valley, and was bottom-land, which he cultivated, the
remainder being in pasture. He fed cattle and hogs largely and was engaged in
general farming, always raising some wheat so as to rotate his crops, but
making corn the principal crop. He favored Poland-China hogs and Shorthorn
cattle. His crops failed twice, owing to the ravages of the elephant bug. He
ended up with a finely improved farm, which he would not part with for $15,000.
His original claim house was enlarged and in it he lived with his family for 25
years. His last modern residence of eight large rooms was 28 by 30 feet, two
stories high, built in 1899. A new barn, built in 1900, was 30 by 32 feet;
arranged for 12 horses, and had a granary and crib with a capacity of 600
bushels of corn, and a mow which held 20 tons of hay.
Mr. Maurer was married in 1868 to Alta M.
Garlinghouse, who was born in Delaware County, Ohio, November 28, 1848. Her
father was a native of Kentucky, and married Margaret Reed, by whom he had 13
children: Lewis, a soldier of the Civil War, in 1901 was in the Soldiers' Home
at Leavenworth; Mrs. Curtendahl, who lived in Emporia; Mrs. Sailor, who lived
in Topeka; William and Stephen—who went to Oregon before the war. Mr. and Mrs.
Garlinghouse lived with Mr. Maurer, at Winfield, while he was in office there;
the father of Mrs. Maurer died in June 1898, aged 89, and her mother passed
away in January 1899, aged 86.
[NOTE: 13 CHILDREN...BUT ONLY A FEW ARE
ACCOUNTED FOR.]
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Maurer had four
children.
1. Ralph J. Maurer. Born near Emporia,
Lyon County, Kansas, he was conducting a store at Cambridge, and was married to
Lena Hibbets, of Cowley County.
2. Willis R. Maurer. Lived on a farm one
mile from his father. He married Stella Hankins, and had one child in 1901.
3. Maude Maurer. Taking musical
instruction under Miss Gertrude Hale, at Winfield.
4. Rowland Blaine Maurer, 16 years old in
1901, attending school in district No. 7, which his father helped to organize.
Mr. Maurer served for 15 years on the
school board. He served as justice of the peace, and was elected county
commissioner in 1871, at the first regular election in the county. He was away
from home at the time and did not know of his election for several days. He
served two terms in the state legislature, having been elected in 1884, and
reelected in 1886. He was always a Republican. He was elected registrar of
deeds in Cowley County in 1895—serving four years—during which time he leased
his farm and resided with his family in Winfield. He was made a Mason, at
Dexter, and belonged to the blue lodge. He was made a Knight Templar, at
Winfield, and was also a member of the Fraternal Aid in that city. He was a
member of the Knights and Ladies of Security, at Dexter. He belonged to Siverd
Post, No. 85, G. A. R., of Winfield, of which he was quarter-master two terms.
He first joined at Dexter and was commander three times; but that post was
disbanded. He also belonged to the A. O. U. W., of Dexter. Both he and wife
were members of the Order of the Eastern Star. Mrs. Maurer was a member of the
Ladies of the G. A. R. at Winfield, and belonged to the Women's Relief Corps,
at Dexter, until it was disbanded. They were Methodists and attended church at
Dexter.
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[JANUARY/FEBRUARY,
1871; APRIL 9, 1871.] PAGE 489.
ALFRED A. MILLS, living in retirement in
1901 at Cedar Vale, Chautauqua County, Kansas, was for many years one of the
leading agriculturists of Otter Township, Cowley County, where he owned
considerable land.
Alfred A. Mills was born in Scott County,
Illinois, in September 1840, a son of A. A. and Beedy (Lowe) Mills.
His father, A. A. Mills, was of Irish
descent and was born in Vermont in 1801. At the age of 14 he went with his
father to Indiana, where the latter settled along the Wabash River, and
followed the trade of a millwright. In 1821 he moved to Scott County, Illinois,
where he died. A. A. Mills early engaged in farming and continued at that
occupation through life. He married Beedy Lowe, who was of Dutch descent, and
was born at Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1804. They lived together for 57 years,
the husband dying in 1890, and the wife, four years later. They had eight
children: Harriet, deceased; Laura (Straight), who re-sided in Northern
Missouri; James, deceased; Mary (Graves), a widow, who resided in Cedar Vale,
Kansas; Alfred A.; Sarah Edith (Haskell), of Illinois; Rhoda (Funk) of
Illinois; and Daniel W., who resided on the old home farm in Illinois, which
had never passed out of the hands of the Mills family.
Alfred A. Mills was reared in Illinois,
where he attended the common schools, which were partly subscription and partly
free in their nature. He remained at home until 1862, when he enlisted as a
private in Company I, 129th Reg., Ill. Vol. Inf. He was afterward corporal and
color bearer in the 20th Army Corps under Maj. Gen. Hooker, and Brig. Gen.
Benjamin Harrison. He served until the close of the war and took part in the
Atlanta campaign. He participated in many engagements, among them being Resaca,
Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, and Averysboro, North Carolina. He saw hard service
and experienced many narrow escapes from injury or death, but was never
seriously hurt. He was mustered out at Washington and received his discharge at
Chicago, Illinois.
Immediately thereafter, he rented land
which he cultivated, and also engaged in freighting in that state. In 1868, he
drove through to Linn County, Kansas, where he remained until 1871. In January
and February of 1871, he spent considerable time in looking over the land of
Cowley County, and on April 9, of that year, arrived at Humboldt with his
family. For nine months he lived at the head of the creek in Otter Township,
and then moved to a tract in sections 8 and 9, township 33, range 8 east,
trading with Mr. Hamilton, as the claims in the valley of Otter Creek were then
nearly all taken. Five acres of the land had been broken, but otherwise the
property was wholly unimproved, and the many fine improvements made were the
work of Mr. Mills. On two of the original five-acre tracts broken, he set out
an orchard in the spring of 1873, buying the trees from Mr. Hatch, agent of
Mound City nursery.
He began as a poor man, having only three
yoke of oxen, and $27 in money, but he used what he had, to the best advantage,
and was soon enabled to reap the results of his industry. He prospered, grew to
be a man of influence in the community, and owned 435 acres in sections 8 and
9. Corn was his first crop, and in 1873 he planted five acres of wheat. He had
excellent success with his wheat in 1875, the land yielding an average of 40
bushels to the acre, which was marketed at Independence, for 60 cents per
bushel.
He lived in the little claim house until
about 1882, when he built a house of comfortable size, constructed of lumber
shipped from Chicago to Grenola. He preferred this location for a farm, because
of the natural timber growing along the creek. Most of the old trees were cut
down, and sawed in the mill of Mr. Shawver, the lumber being used in 1879 in
the building of a barn.
He purchased 115 acres of pasture land of
Mr. Thompson, who in 1901 then lived near Dexter; also an 80-acre tract of D.
W. Jones; and another, of equal size, of Henry Weaver. He owned land in
sections 8, 9, 16, and 17, in township 33, range 8 east, and 160 acres in
section 4. His efforts were always directed toward general farming and stock
raising, preferring Shorthorn cattle and Poland-China hogs. He had an excellent
water supply on the farm, furnished by Otter Creek and three wells, 18 feet
deep. He made his home on the farm until March 12, 1893, when he retired and
moved to Cedar Vale, where he had a fine home in which he resided.
Mr. Mills was married in October 1865 to
Carrie Dugger, who was born near Rosita, Tennessee, January 25, 1843, a
daughter of Thomas and Nancy (Hassler) Dugger, both natives of Tennessee. Her
parents moved to Scott County, Illinois, when she was eight years old, and to
Kansas, in 1871. Her father and mother died in 1875, just eight weeks apart—the
former aged 62 and the latter aged 58. Mr. and Mrs. Dugger were the parents of
10 children, of whom 7 grew to maturity. They were: Marion A., who died shortly
before 1901, and was in the same regiment with Mr. Mills during the Civil War;
Melissa P. (Crawford), of Clay County, Kansas; Albert, who served in the 7th
Reg., Ill. Vol. Cav., was captured at Holly Springs, spent nine months in the
rebel prison at Milton, Georgia, and was living in Nebraska in 1901; Carrie,
wife of Mr. Mills; Thomas, who was killed in the Army, while serving, also in
the 129th Reg., Ill. Vol. Inf.; Michael, of Clay County, Kansas; and Lewis A.,
a minister of the Methodist church, who lived in Kansas.
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred A. Mills had three
children.
1. Orville Mills, born in 1866, spent
five years in Oklahoma, and then rented his father's farm. He also owned a
quarter section of land. He married Emma Hawkins, and had four children: Carl,
Ralph, Vernal, and Otis.
2. Vesta Mills, born in 1869, a clerk in
a store at Cedar Vale in 1901.
3. Myrta Mills, born in 1872, died at the
age of six years and six months.
Mr. Mills was a Republican; his father
was a Whig.
He was appointed justice of the peace,
and was elected to that office when the first township election was held,
succeeding 'Squire R. R. Turner. He joined Dexter Post, G. A. R., and later
belonged to Clover Dale Post, No. 345. He and his worthy wife were members of
the Society of Select Friends. In religious views, he was liberal, and his wife
was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
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[WINTER
1870] PAGE 77.
TWO PHOTOS: 1) SOLOMON NAWMAN.
2) RESIDENCE OF SOLOMON
NAWMAN...5 PEOPLE.
SOLOMON NAWMAN is the only resident of
his locality that still lived on the claim which he originally took up. He
located in the Sunflower State in the fall of 1869, but he did not settle
within the borders of Cowley County until the winter of 1870. Then he filed a
claim to his farm, comprising the southwest quarter of section 3, township 33,
range 4 east.
Solomon Nawman was born December 5, 1826,
in Clark County, Ohio, a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Camp) Nawman.
Jacob Nawman, father of Solomon, was a
native of Virginia, where his ancestors had lived many years. When he was a lad
of 17, he located in Clark County, Ohio, where he engaged in farming, and where
he died in 1880. His wife, Elizabeth Camp, whose people were early setters of
Maryland, was born at Hagerstown. Her parents afterward moved to Ohio, where
she met Mr. Nawman, whom she subsequently married.
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Nawman had eight
children.
1. John, deceased. He lived near Oklahoma
City.
2. Solomon Nawman.
3. Mary Ann, deceased.
4. Catherine, who resided in Ohio.
5. Thomas, who died in Indiana.
6. Benjamin, who died at Jefferson
Barracks, Missouri, from sickness contracted while in the army.
7. Elizabeth, who lived in Ohio.
8. Maude, who lived in Omaha, Nebraska.
Solomon Nawman spent his early youth
attending the public schools of his native district, and then learned the trade
of a carpenter, which he followed, together with contracting, for the twenty
years next preceding his removal to the West. He worked at Springfield, Ohio,
and in its vicinity. He was always his own mechanic, and built all the
buildings on his farm, including his nine-room house, which was 56 feet long.
This house, a two-story dwelling, was one of the largest in Cowley County. He
drove through from Ohio to Lyon County, Kansas, reached the latter place in the
fall of 1869, and taking up a claim, pursued the occupation of a farmer. He
built a house, in which he lived until the winter of 1870, and then brought his
family to Cowley County, where he ever since resided. His family then consisted
of a wife and three children; upon their arrival, December 26, 1870, he
purchased his present claim, which had been taken up by Bill Woorse. Mr. Nawman
had looked over the land in Cowley County a month prior to his occupation of
the claim. A small log cabin stood on the place, and in it the family lived
until Mr. Nawman completed a box house, 14 by 16 feet in size. This house was
still standing in 1901 and was still in use. The family lived in that house
thirteen years, when, in 1883, they moved into a new and commodious house.
With three horses, which he brought along
from Lyon County, Mr. Nawman began to break the sod, and the first year
succeeded in breaking 12 acres, which he planted with corn. His first crop was
very good, and the next year he put in more corn, and after five or six years
he had his farm pretty thoroughly under cultivation. Wheat raising mainly
occupied his attention in later years, and his first wheat and stock market was
at Wichita, about 50 miles north. Mr. Nawman made many a rough and hazardous
trip to that city. His farm contained a four-acre orchard, the first 25 trees
of which were set out in 1872, and on his place were many fine shade trees. In
section 10 adjoining his farm, he owned 11 acres of timber land.
Solomon Nawman married Lucy Miller in
Ohio. She was born and reared one mile from where Jacob Nawman lived.
Solomon and Lucy Nawman had four
children.
1. Rachael (McPherson), who lived in
Oklahoma, and had four children: Leland, Gladys, Paul, and Teddy McPherson.
2. Henry Nawman, who lived at home.
3. George Nawman, who resided in Montana.
4. Josephine Nawman, who was born in
Kansas, and died when a little girl.
Mr. Nawman was a Republican, and his
first vote was cast for Gen. Taylor for president. Mrs. Nawman favored the
Lutheran church. After her death, which occurred June 4, 1893, Miss Sheesley
kept house for Mr. Nawman.
-0-
[1871] PAGE 209.
JOHN L. PARSONS, one of the most
prosperous and influential farmers in Cowley County, Kansas, resided in section
23, Vernon Township, engaged in tilling the soil all his life. He was born in
Fleming County, Kentucky, September 25, 1846, and was a son of James Parsons.
James Parsons was also born in Kentucky,
in Fleming County, and there he still lived in 1901, pursuing the vocation of
an agriculturist, to which he was reared. He married Martha Hicks, who was born
in 1823, and passed from this life in 1891. Their children were: Isaiah,
deceased; John L.; George, who resided in Nicholas County, Kentucky; James, who
lived on the old homestead, in Kentucky; Edward, deceased; Nancy E. (Belknap),
who lived in Omnia Township, Cowley County; Lucy (Duffy), who lived in Fleming
County, Kentucky; Molly M. (Barton), deceased; and Mattie (Gillespie), who also
lived in Fleming County, Kentucky.
John L. Parsons obtained his early
schooling in his native town, and when a lad of sixteen years joined the Union
army, as a private in the 7th Reg., Ky. Vol. Cav., which formed part of the
Army of the Cumberland. His regiment accompanied General Sherman on the
memorable march from Atlanta to the Sea. He was honorably discharged in July,
1865, at which time he ranked as a corporal.
In 1871 Mr. Parsons came west to Omnia
Township, Cowley County, preempted a quarter section, and remained on it two
years. He then returned to his native state, and after his marriage in 1876,
returned to his farm in Cowley County. He resided upon the place many years,
during which time he made extensive improvements upon it. In 1893 he sold it
and purchased the old Clung farm, which consisted of 500 acres, lying in
sections 23 and 24. This farm became one of the best and most productive in the
whole county. He raised a large amount of grain, and also occupied much of his
time in breeding livestock. In 1900 he had 200 acres in wheat, which averaged
20 bushels to the acre.
Mr. Parsons married Elizabeth Cowan, a
native of Fleming County, Kentucky. They had one child: John Larkie Parsons.
The family favored the Christian church,
while in politics Mr. Parsons was a Republican. During the early days of his
residence in Vernon Township, he served as justice of the peace, and remained a
leader of the party in his section of the county.
-0-
[FEBRUARY
1871] PAGE 208.
DANIEL W. PIERCE was president of the
board of county commissioners of Cowley County. He was a resident of the county
since February, 1871, living in section 14, Ninnescah Township.
Daniel W. Pierce was born in St.
Johnsbury, Vermont, January 21, 1847, a son of Willard A. Pierce.
Willard A. Pierce was a lifelong farmer,
who in 1854 left Vermont and moved to Dodge County, Wisconsin, where he took up
a farm near the village of Waterloo. There he lived until his death, in 1868.
He married Mary J. Northrop, who died in 1898, while residing with a son in the
northern part of Kansas. They were the parents of seven children.
1. Alvira, who was the wife of T. W.
Carter, of Jefferson County, Wisconsin.
2. Charles, who was a merchant at Boise
City, Idaho.
3. Daniel W.
4. Ida, who was the wife of A. Thompson,
employed by the Fisher-Bowman Mining Company, of Boise City, Idaho.
5. Clara, who was the wife of A. A.
Fisher, manager of the same company—Fisher-Bowman Mining Company, Boise City,
Idaho.
6. Albert, who was a farmer in the
northern part of Kansas.
7. Abbie, who was the wife of A. Dewey, a
retired farmer of Dane County, Wisconsin.
Mr. Pierce attended school at Waterloo,
Wisconsin, and remained under the parental roof until he attained the age of
twenty-four years.
With William Sheldon, he drove through to
Iowa, thence to Nebraska, and finally to Kansas. In February, 1871, he took up
his present home, although he did not move upon it until 1873. In 1880 he
bought 160 acres in the section west of his home, and 80 acres in section 23,
which were taken up by a Mr. Wells. The last named place contained an orchard
and a small house, and 50 acres of it had been broken, while the other farm
contained no improvements whatever. Mr. Pierce set about improving his farm and
it became second to none. The buildings were good and substantial, and the
place had an appearance denoting a thrifty and enterprising owner. His present
home was completed in 1899, at a cost of $1700. He was a large producer of
grain and feed, and raised large numbers of hogs and cattle.
Mr. Pierce formed a matrimonial alliance
with Minerva Thompson, of Dane County, Wisconsin, a daughter of Harrison and
Adeline Thompson. This union resulted in the birth of the following children:
Cora, who was the wife of T. Stone, and died aged twenty-one years; Olive;
Oscar; Herbert; and Mary.
Mr. Pierce was a soldier in the Civil
War, enlisting at the age of seventeen in Company H, 1st Wisconsin Heavy
Artillery; he served one year, or until the end of the war.
Politically, Mr. Pierce was a Republican;
he was elected to various township offices. He served as township trustee; on
the school board; and since 1896 held the position as president of the board of
county commissioners.
He was an active member of Lodge No. 408,
I. O. O. F., of Udall, Kansas. Religiously, he favored the United Brethren
Church.
-0-
[1870] PAGE 140.
A. V. POLK, a retired dentist and farmer
of Cowley County, was one of the energetic and industrious men who settled in
this county at an early date. He located in section 32, Rock Township, where he
took up his claim August 12, 1870.
A. V. Polk was born in Northumberland
County, Pennsylvania, January 6, 1832, a son of Frederick and Mary E.
(Vallerschamp) Polk.
Frederick Polk, father of A. V. Polk, was
born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and was a lifelong farmer. He lived 20
years in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, and then moved to Columbia
County, in the same state, and, later, to Snyder County. He died in 1873. His
wife was Mary E. Vallerschamp, of Monroe County, Pennsylvania, who died in
1872. They were the parents of the following children: Simon V., a machinist,
married Eliza Owen; Martha Jane, wife of Isaac Hummel, of Kratzerville, PA;
Watson, who died, aged 11; Sarah Ann, who died, aged 32; Frederick, who died,
aged 21; Wesley, who died, aged 11; Nelson, who died in May, 1890; A. V.;
Andrew Jackson, who was educated for a dentist at Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania,
and who, although he practiced dentistry many years, was engaged in the
manufacture of gas fittings, at Millersburg, Pennsylvania; and Mary Elizabeth,
deceased.
A. V. Polk attended the public schools in
the vicinity of his birthplace for two winters, and also the select schools,
and then studied dentistry with his brother, Andrew J., and Dr. J.
Vallerschamp, at Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. He and his brother practiced together
eight years, and one year was spent in Snyder County, Pennsylvania.
A. V. Polk lived in the East until after
his marriage and then journeyed to Kansas, first locating near Topeka, where he
spent a summer. On February 12, 1870, he took 160 acres in section 30, Rock
Township, Cowley County, but exactly six months later, he took up his present
homestead: now comprising the southeast quarter of section 32, township 30,
range 4 east. For three years the family lived in a house 19 by 22 feet, in
dimensions. For five years Mr. Polk conducted a general store in this house,
and at the same time devoted his leisure to setting out trees, and otherwise
improving the place. He sold 80 acres of the original property to J. C. Page,
and then bought seven acres of James Wall. He eventually owned 87 acres, and
raised grain and livestock. His farm contained many good improvements.
Mr. Polk was the oldest dentist in the
county, having practiced throughout its extent; but in 1900 he retired from
that profession.
Mr. Polk was married September 16, 1868,
to Elizabeth Welfelt, of Monroe County, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Adam and
Ann (Van Way) Welfelt. They had a son, Adam, who died in 1874, and they then
had an adopted daughter, Myra.
Mr. Polk was a Republican, and served on
the school board. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and was a deacon
since 1874.
A. V. Polk enlisted in Company A, 1st
Reg., Pa. Vol. Cav., at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and acted as regimental
quartermaster-sergeant. On board the government boat, "Alby," he went
to Florida with supplies. After being mustered out, he returned to New York
City on the boat "Mary," on April 14, 1865.
When Mr. and Mrs. Polk settled in Cowley
County, there were but three log houses between Douglas and Winfield, and Mr.
Polk remembered that 150 horses were stolen in one winter between El Dorado and
Arkansas City.
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[1870] PAGE 203.
PHOTO: MR. AND MRS.. CHARLES A. RAMBO.
CHARLES A. RAMBO preempted his present
farm in the fall of 1870. It then comprised the northwest quarter of section
26, township 33, range 3 east; of this quarter he later owned but 80 acres. He
also owned 40 acres in the southwest quarter of section 23, and made fruit
growing his chief pursuit for many years.
Charles A. Rambo was born January 18, 1845,
in the village of Bonaparte, Van Buren County, Iowa, on the Des Moines River,
and was a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Tingler) Rambo.
The father of Charles A. Rambo was Jacob
Rambo, born in 1816, probably in Muskingum County, Ohio, and was of German descent.
He moved to Van Buren County, Iowa, in 1840; and in 1852, removed to Lee
County, where he carried on farming until his death, in 1888. He married
Elizabeth Tingler, who was born near Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1814, and who
was killed by the cars in 1898 in Idaho. They had 10 children: George, who died
in Idaho, in 1898; Isaac, who was a miner and rancher in Idaho; Henry C., who
lived in Barton County, Missouri; Hassell, who died in Corinth, Mississippi,
when he was a soldier in Company I, 15th Reg., Ia. Vol. Inf.; Mary E. (Marsh),
who died in Washington; Curtis, who lived at Republic, Kansas; Charles A., who
lived in Beaver Township, Cowley County; James, a miner in Idaho; Martha E.
(Rynearson), who resided in Boise City, Idaho, where her husband was a miner
and blacksmith; and Clara E. (Cassel), who lived in Keokuk, Iowa.
Charles A. Rambo remained at home until
he attained the age of eighteen years, when he drove five yoke of oxen through
to Portland, Oregon, together with a caravan of about 40 wagons, the trip
consuming six months. He remained there three years on this trip, and in
Washington taught school one term. On his return home, he drove a mule team
through part of Montana, and to Salt Lake City, and he did not find a railroad
until he reached Fort Kearney, Nebraska, which was then the terminus of the
Union Pacific Railroad. Reaching home, he taught school and assisted in
operating the farm.
After his marriage, in 1869, Charles A.
Rambo started for Kansas, and on the last day of September, 1870, arrived in
Cowley County. He drove through in company with his wife, bringing with them
what furniture they had, and he at once preempted his present farm. He lived in
his covered wagon until his house was built, and after he had laid four logs
for a foundation for his cabin, as the law required, he had but 75 cents in his
pockets. He then hauled the remainder of his logs from the Arkansas River, and
soon had his 12 by 14 foot cabin completed. They lived in that until their
present six-room house was built in 1884. The claim house was built a few rods
north of their present residence, near a large spring, which always supplied
the farm with plenty of pure water. A regular Kansas stable served as a barn
for some years, and was finally replaced by a frame one, which was destroyed by
fire during threshing time in 1888. All the buildings on the place were
substantial.
Some natural timber stood on this farm,
and in 1872 Mr. Rambo set out many cottonwood trees and some fruit trees. To
the latter he kept adding from time to time, until his orchard covered 20
acres. He also had a small vineyard. In his later years Mr. Rambo devoted his
attention more to gardening and the growing of small fruit, which he marketed
at Arkansas City. He also raised some hogs, favoring the Poland-China breed.
He sold the west half of his claim, and
subsequently bought 440 acres on the north, making his farm consist of 120
acres.
Mr. Charles A. Rambo married January 31,
1869, Emma E. Robb, at Charleston, Lee County, Iowa. She was born August 30,
1850, in Iowa, a daughter of H. D. and Emma (Rose) Robb. Her mother died in
1852, and her father placed his five children in good, respectable homes, and
went to California as a gold miner. The children were as follows: Lewis C.;
Mary E.; John A.; Nora E.; and Emma E.
Lewis C. Robb was a retired farmer,
living at Vincennes, Iowa, in 1901, and he was, at one time, a telegraph
operator on the Des Moines Valley Railroad; he married and had six children.
Mary E. (Peek) resided in Arkansas City;
she located in the state, in 1878, and became the mother of nine children.
John A. Robb had a family and lived in
California.
Nora E. (Gilmer), whose husband, R. A.
Gilmer, located in Kansas in 1869, was a resident of Arkansas City in 1901.
Emma E., Mr. Rambo's wife, lived at the
home of P. M. Lowden until after her marriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Rambo had six
children: James M.; Ira O.; Laura Belle; Lewis Hassell; Emma G., and Florence
V.
1. James M. Rambo, born February 25,
1871, married Minnie Steward, by whom he had one child, Helen Gertrude; he
lived in Arkansas City.
2. Ira O. Rambo, born December 12, 1874,
was a clerk of Beaver Township, and captain of the lodge of the M. W. of A. at
Hackney.
3. Laura Belle Rambo, born October 19,
1884, was attending school in 1901, and preparing herself to be a teacher.
4. Lewis Hassell Rambo, twin brother of
Laura Belle, died when three years of age.
5. Emma G. Rambo was born January 6,
1890.
6. Florence V. Rambo was born June 29,
1894.
Politically, Mr. Rambo was a Populist,
and served three terms as township trustee, and two terms as clerk.
Religiously, he was a member of the United Brethren denomination, and attended
the church near Hackney, Kansas.
During the early years of Mr. Rambo's
residence in Cowley County, he went on many hunting trips and the custom then
was to go in pairs or small parties, partly for mutual protection from the
Indians, in the case of hostile feeling arising. Buffaloes were then quite
plentiful, and the meat was used almost exclusively, as livestock was so scarce
that little was killed. Wichita was the only market place for wheat and hogs,
until 1878. After that year, the marketing was done at Winfield, which was
nearer, and the railroad into that city made it quite convenient for the
surrounding farmers. Indians were wont to camp near Mr. Rambo's house, and when
he was away Mrs. Rambo spent many a restless night. The red men, however, never
molested the place, and to Mr. Rambo's knowledge, nothing was ever stolen from
his premises by them, although they used to beg for food quite frequently.
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[FEBRUARY
1871] PAGE 244.
J. R. RICHARDS located in section 30,
Rock Township, Cowley County, Kansas, in February 1871. He was born in Mount
Pleasant, Jefferson County, Ohio, December 30, 1835, a son of J. W. Richards.
The father of J. R. Richards, J. W.
Richards, was born in Philadelphia, and his wife, formerly Mary C. Carmichael,
was born in Baltimore, Maryland. J. W. Richards grew up in his native state and
then moved to Jefferson County, Ohio, where he carried on farming, and followed
his trade as a cooper. He went to California in 1849, returned in 1858, and
died at J. R. Richards' home in January 1879. His wife died at Wyandotte,
Kansas, in 1872, aged 64 years. They were the parents of 16 children, of whom 3
were still living in 1901: Eliza, who was the wife of Joseph Pierce, of Kansas
City, Missouri; Otis C., a machinist; and J. R.
J. R. Richards received a public school
education, and lived at home until 1854. He then went to Shasta County, California,
and shortly afterward to Tuolumne County, California, where he was engaged in
mining. He left California in 1858, and journeyed to the Eastern States. In
1862 he was engaged in the cattle business, and in 1863, he went to Wheeling,
West Virginia. He then located at Cedron, Ohio, where he conducted a general
store from 1865 to 1867. The following year he spent in farming in Fayette
County, Indiana. In Jackson County, Indiana, he was engaged in store keeping
for one year, and in farming, two years, and then set out for Cowley County,
Kansas.
He located on his present 40 acres, in
section 30, Rock Township, which consisted of raw prairie land, in February
1871. He lived for a time in a little log cabin which stood on the place, but
later built a house 14 by 20 feet in size, which was in turn replaced by a
modern dwelling having dimensions of 16 by 30 feet, with a 20 by 20 foot
addition.
The first year, he broke 14 acres, which
he put into corn and potatoes; he lived there for two years, after which he rented
the farm. From 1876 to 1878, he mined and operated a ranch near Deadwood, South
Dakota. During 1897, 1898, and 1899, he was engaged in farming in Oklahoma,
where he went on account of his wife's health. He later resided on his original
homestead, which was in a fine state of cultivation. He raised grain and
livestock.
On September 23, 1866, Mr. Richards
married Euphrasia Hoover. She was born in Ohio, and was a daughter of John G.
and Eliza Hoover, the former a lifelong farmer. She died September 1, 1899.
They had the following children.
1. Otis Richards, a farmer and stock
raiser in Oklahoma.
2. Mary Louise Richards, who died, aged
fifteen years.
3. Thomas Richards, deceased.
4. John G. Richards, a farmer and stock
raiser in Day County, Oklahoma.
5. Addie I. Richards, who lived at home.
6. Libbie Richards, who became a teacher
in Day County, Oklahoma.
7. Fred S. Richards. [Nothing said as to
what he did.]
In politics Mr. Richards was independent.
He belonged to the I. O. O. F., Lodge No. 508, of Udall, Kansas.
-0-
[1871] PAGE 413.
CHARLES W. RIDGWAY, who owned 1,320 acres
of land in Cowley County, Kansas, was a resident of the county ever since he
was nine years of age, when he accompanied his father from Ohio. Mr. Ridgway
was born in Monroe County, Ohio, August 25, 1862, and was a son of Charles W.
Ridgway, Sr., who was also a native of Monroe County.
Our subject's grandfather came to this
country from the British Isles. Charles W. Ridgway, Sr., kept a store for 19
years along the Ohio River, and in 1871 moved west to Cowley County, Kansas. He
took, as a claim, the present home of Charles W. Ridgway, his son, the property
being described as lots 2 and 3, and the southeast quarter of the northwest
quarter, and the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 31,
township 33, range 7 east, in Dexter Township. He later bought an additional
480 acres, of a Mr. Vaughan. He conducted a general store, in Dexter, from 1883
until 1888, and was then engaged in the stock business until November, 1896. Thence
he went to Missouri, where he was residing in 1901, in Greenfield, Dade County.
He was united in marriage with Caroline Meredith, who was born in Ohio, and
both were still living in 1901 at the age of about seventy years. Four boys and
five girls blessed their union, as follows: Millie, wife of O. C. Brubaker;
Permelia (Hightower), who died in Texas; Zetta (Callison), of Liberty Township;
Norton, deceased; Charles W.; David, deceased; Frank, who died shortly before
1901; Caroline (Brown), of Grant Township; and Addie, who was born in Kansas,
and in 1901 was teaching school in Enid, Oklahoma.
Charles W. Ridgway, after arriving in
Cowley County, attended school in district No. 54, of which his father was
director many years, the other officers being R. Hite, Mr. Hamil, and Mr.
Brubaker. W. E. Meredith taught school at one time, and R. B. Overman was one
of the first teachers. Mr. Ridgway applied himself to agricultural pursuits,
and owned considerable land in addition to the original claim of his father, possessing
1,320 acres in all. His tract was a mile and a half square, with the exception
of 120 acres in the northeast corner. He cultivated about 360 acres, and the
remainder he fenced and pastured.
He completed shortly before 1901 a
commodious 10-room house; and a barn, 40
by 68 feet, was built in 1900. The buildings were large and well arranged, and
were surrounded by a stone fence. He dealt extensively in stock, buying native
calves and mules, and selling the former as yearlings. He favored southern cattle,
of which he had about two hundred head, and sold them to local dealers. He also
raised Poland-China hogs. Corn was his staple crop, and there was but one
failure of crops on this farm, which was in 1874—the grasshopper year. He
raised alfalfa and cane to feed to his mules. There was an orchard of three
acres, which was set out when he was a boy. At that period, he was accustomed
to hauling wheat for his father to Independence, El Dorado, and Wichita. He had
three fine wells on the farm, and an excellent supply of water was furnished by
Crab Creek, which seldom ran low, and never dry.
Mr. Ridgway married Allie Dunlap, who was
born in Lewis County, Missouri, in February, 1872, a daughter of G. W. and
Caroline (Primrose) Dunlap. She was one of seven children: Willie, deceased;
Arthur, who kept a hotel in Dexter, Kansas; Allie; Minnie (Patton), of the
Cherokee strip; Ira, also in the Cherokee strip; "Pinky" (Hanes), who
lived in the Indian Territory; and Ernest, who lived with his parents, 23 miles
south of Mr. Ridgway's place.
Mr. and Mrs. Ridgway had two children:
Ernest Wesley, aged eight years; and Ruby Caroline, born in May 1898.
Politically Mr. Ridgway was a Democrat.
He was contemplating in 1901 joining the Cowley County Cattlemen's Association.
He was a Methodist; his wife was a Baptist. Both attended the Baptist church in
their vicinity until its organization was dissolved.
-0-
[1870] PAGE 61.
D. RODOCKER was the oldest established
photographer in Cowley County, Kansas, and his headquarters was at Winfield,
where he was known as a good, honest businessman and a loyal and enterprising
citizen.
Mr. Rodocker was born in Ashland County,
Ohio, in 1840. He remained on his father's farm until he attained the age of
seventeen years, but the three seasons following were spent in working about a
sawmill near Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1863 he went to San Francisco, California.
In 1865 he returned to his native state and in August of that year went to
Champaign, Illinois, where he began to learn photography. He continued there
with good success until 1870, when he moved to Winfield, Kansas, and became one
of the earliest settlers in Cowley County, Kansas. The country, being new and
thinly settled, Mr. Rodocker did not pursue his regular vocation, but like many
other professional men, he accepted whatever work presented itself.
During the winter of 1870-71 he was
employed at Barlow's sawmill, and in the spring he took up a quarter section of
land, which he was obliged to abandon at a later period.
In 1874 he resumed the photography
business. In 1887 he sold out his business in Winfield and entered the
photographic department of the United States government for which he took
pictures until 1894. He then returned to Winfield, where he opened a gallery at
No. 814 Main Street. He also opened galleries at Dexter and Cedar Vale, Kansas.
Mr. Rodocker was a photographer of rare ability, having had the advantage of
many years of valuable experience, besides being well adapted to his
profession. He did nothing but first class work, and guaranteed satisfaction.
[FEBRUARY
1870] PAGE 487.
DANIEL H. RUSH was a resident of Cowley
County since the fall of 1870. He located in Cedar Vale, in section 16,
Township 35, range 8 east.
Mr. Rush was born in Monroe County,
Kentucky, October 8, 1849, a son of Hiram and Esther (Combs) Rush. The family
was of French-German ancestry.
Daniel M. Rush's father, Hiram Rush, was
born in Kentucky, and lived there all of his life, dying in 1864, aged 50
years. His wife was of Dutch descent, and died before she reached the age of
thirty years. She was the mother of three children: Ezekiel, who died in
Chautauqua County, Kansas, April 9, 1896; Mary (Carter), of Kentucky; and
Daniel H.
[THINK YOU CAN SKIP THIS PART OF
FAMILY...]
Hiram Rush contracted a second marriage
by wedding Ruth Pittcock, who still lived in Kentucky at the age of 72. This
union resulted in five children: James, of Kentucky; Isaac, of Tennessee;
Rebecca (Moore), deceased; and Rachel (Smyers), of Tennessee; and Martha,
twins, the latter now deceased.
Daniel H. Rush was reared in Kentucky and
lived at home with his step-mother until he reached his majority, when he began
to work for himself. He was married on the verge of his removal to Kansas,
where he arrived with just five cents in his pocket, which piece of money he
wore as a watch-charm. Accompanied by his father-in-law, Stephen Cable, he
drove through from Monroe County, Kentucky, with a team of oxen. Stephen Cable,
who had a brother, Hiram, in Anderson County, Kansas, located in Chautauqua
County. Upon arriving in the state, they camped in Lookout Valley, Cowley
County, and this place of encampment, in section 20, township 34, range 8 east,
continued to be Mr. Rush's home for a period of ten years. He first built a
cabin of logs hauled from the gulch, a few miles south of the farm in which he
later resided.
He secured a plow, broke up some land,
and planted it to corn, having a yield of 40 bushels to the acre. He sold his
claim, in 1880, to Thomas Richardson, of Arkansas City. He marketed his produce
at Cedar Vale, then consisting of two houses and some tents. Luke Phelps then
kept a two-room hotel for the accommodation of sawmill hands. The first store
was built by O. C. and S. T. Hill. This sawmill, operated by C. R. Pollard, was
built by Mr. Russell, and brought from Greenwood County to the valley of Otter
Creek, not far from Cedar Vale. Mr. Rush, who was an engineer in Kentucky,
secured a position as engineer of the 18 horse-power engine at the sawmill. He
worked at this for two or three years, and helped to saw lumber for many of the
first houses in the locality—the principal woods being sycamore, cottonwood,
oak, hackberry, and some walnut. In the early days there was plenty of game in
this region, and he killed several deer.
In 1880, Mr. Rush purchased, of Mr.
Rankins and 'Squire Lynch, his last farm
in Cedar Township, in section 16, township 35, range 8 east—a part of the
Cherokee Reservation. He added to this and eventually owned 346-2/3 acres,
altogether, in section 16. There were about eight acres broken, and a log cabin
had been built on the Rankins tract. Mr. Rush built a frame house, measuring 14
by 22 feet, in which he lived until his present stone house of one story and
with 18-inch walls, was completed, in 1892. He cultivated about half of the
farm, and raised stock, preferring Shorthorn cattle and Berkshire hogs. He also
fed largely for others. There was an excellent water supply on the farm,
furnished by the south fork of Rock Creek, or Wild Cat Branch, which had its source
in the Flint Hills. He also had a good well, 15 feet deep.
Mr. Rush married Sarah Elizabeth Cable,
who was born June 19, 1853, and was of Dutch-Irish descent. She was a daughter
of Stephen and Rachel (Speer) Cable. Her mother died in 1861, and her father
was living at Hewins, Kansas, aged 78, on April 2, 1901.
Stephen and Rachel Cable had four
children: Sarah Elizabeth (Rush); Bennett, of Chautauqua County, Kansas; Nancy
(Bennett) of Galesburg, Illinois; and Peyton P. Cable of the same place. Nancy
Combs became Mr. Cable's second wife. She died in Chautauqua County June 1892,
leaving three children: Mary (Moore), who lived on her father's farm; Willis, a
resident of Chautauqua County; and Sherman, of Golden, Missouri.
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel H. Rush became the
parents of 11 children, 2 of whom died in infancy.
1. Isaac S. Rush, who married Ora
Higgins, and was a farmer of Cowley County.
2. William Jefferson Rush, who was born
in 1873, and married Mary E. Gregory.
3. Mary E. (McBride), a teacher in the
Creek country, as was her husband.
4. Nancy Ellen (Meade), of Cowley County.
5. Daniel H. Rush, Jr., of Chautauqua
County.
6. Celestia Rachel (Beuoy), of Chautauqua
County.
7, 8, and 9. Rebecca, Charles H., and
Joshua Homer, who were attending school in 1901.
Mr. Rush and his family were Republicans.
He served on the township board, and was township treasurer and road overseer.
He assisted in the organization of school district No. 142, in 1885, and was a
member of its board in 1901. Religiously, he was a Baptist, and attended
Lookout Valley church.
-0-
[1871] PAGE 157.
W. E. SEAMAN, a prominent businessman, of
Udall, Kansas, conducted a successful hardware and implement enterprise, in
which he embarked in 1888, and was regarded as a shrewd, wide-awake businessman.
When he first located in Cowley County, he engaged in farming and owned
considerable farming land, which he later rented.
He was born in Albany, New York, March
16, 1834, a son of Charles and Elizabeth (Smith) Seaman, who were born in
England.
His father, Charles Seaman, was a teacher
and artist, who went to New York City, in 1830, and subsequently moved to
Albany. His next move was to Chambersburg, Penn-sylvania, and in 1846, he
located in Maysville, Kentucky. There he lived until his death in 1864. His
widow died there in 1868. They were parents of the following children: Martha,
wife of S. J. Straley, of Youngstown, Ohio; Jane, widow of William Morris (a
butcher by trade), and lived at Maysville, Kentucky; W. E.; and Alonzo, in the
bakery business, at Guthrie, Oklahoma. Alonzo Seaman belonged to a Kentucky
regiment in the Union army.
W. E. Seaman obtained but a limited
schooling, and when twenty years old went to Rock Island County, Illinois,
where he carried on farming until August 1862, at which time he enlisted in
Company F, 89th Reg., Ill. Vol. Inf., under Capt. Williams, who later became
Lieutenant Colonel Williams. His regiment was with the Army of the Cumberland;
besides participating in 20 important battles, he was engaged in many skirmishes.
He had many narrow escapes, but never sustained any serious injuries. He was
honorably discharged in June 1865.
At the home of his parents, in Maysville,
Kentucky, he was married in 1866, and with his bride went to Missouri, taking
up a farm near Salem, where he remained until he settled in Cowley County,
Kansas, five years later. He first took up 160 acres in Maple Township,
comprising the northwest quarter of section 20, township 30, range 3 east, onto
which he moved the first year. He built a 10 by 12 foot cabin, of sycamore
lumber, with walnut slab doors, and broke 40 acres, which he planted in corn.
He set out hedges and made other improvements, and was compelled to undergo
many hardships on account of the lack of farming facilities.
In the spring of 1873, he experienced a
terrible blizzard and had a very hard task to get along. Money then commanded
36 percent interest, but in spite of the many trying circumstances he made
numerous improvements upon his farm. In 1872 he built a house 14 by 24 feet in dimensions,
and a story and a half. At first he raised wheat, but later shifted to the
raising of cattle and hogs.
In 1886 Mr. Seaman bought out the
hardware and implement firm of Worden & Jewett, in Udall, and in 1888
traded it to D. D. Kellogg for his present stand. He did a fine business; his
large patronage was due to his honest and straight-forward business methods. He
also carried stocks of harness and coal.
In 1886 he rented his farm. He bought
additional lands, 80 acres in section 18, Maple Township, known as the Scott
place, and 80 acres in section 32, Maple Township, known as the Huff place. In
Udall he owned his store, home, and seven lots.
Mr. W. E. Seaman was married at
Maysville, Kentucky, to Sarah Wormald, a daughter of George and Margaret Wormald.
Her father was a contractor. They had five children.
1. George L., a farmer of Maple Township,
who married Ada Shull, and had three children: Sadie, George, and Willie.
2. Wallace M., who graduated from the
Kansas State Normal School. He was serving his third term as superintendent of
the public schools of Kinsley, Kansas, in 1901. He married Lulu Nelson, by whom
he had two children, Albert and Catherine.
3. Clarence W., a merchant at Oxford,
Kansas.
4. Oscar Guy, a farmer of Maple Township,
who married Isa Shull, by whom he had one child, Delna M.
5. Arthur E., who married Alma Anders,
and conducted a store at Udall.
In politics W. E. Seaman was a
Republican. He belonged to Siverd Post, No. 85, G. A. R., of Winfield. He was a
member of the United Brethren Church.
-0-
[MAY
1870] PAGE 78.
WILSON SHAW was one of the earliest
settlers who took up claims in Beaver Township, where he thereafter resided.
His home was situated on section 25, township 33, range 3 east, and in addition
to this he owned an adjoining 80 acres in Pleasant Valley Township.
Wilson Shaw was a native of Columbiana
County, Ohio, where he was born May 8, 1840. Of his parents, he had very little
recollection. His father died when he was very young, and his mother, whose
maiden name was Mary Ann Shaw, died a few years later than her husband.
Wilson Shaw was the only child born to
his parents, and remained in Ohio until he was fifteen years old. At that age,
he moved to Indiana, where he began shifting for himself, mainly as a farm
hand.
During the war Mr. Shaw enlisted as a
private in Company B, 68th Reg., Ind. Vol. Inf., and remained in the service
one year. Returning to Ripley County, Indiana, after the expiration of his
term, he sojourned at the home of his uncle; but at his uncle's advice, Wilson
Shaw and his cousin started west to Kansas. They arrived in Cowley County in
May 1870, and Mr. Shaw filed a claim to the northeast quarter of section 25, in
Beaver Township, and his cousin, D. Shaw, took up an adjoining claim. They
first built a log house on the claim owned by D. Shaw, and kept bachelor's
quarters in it three or four years. The logs for this house were obtained from
the Arkansas River. During this period, Wilson Shaw set out shade trees and an
orchard on his place, and also broke a number of acres of the virgin soil; the
lane leading to the house was made several years later. In 1874, on May 17, Mr.
Shaw married Nancy V. Woodruff, who journeyed to Wichita, Kansas, with his
cousin, and was met in that city by the bridegroom. Teamsters then charged $10
to make the trip to Arkansas City, and therefore Mr. Shaw took his big wagon to
meet his intended at Wichita, so that he could take home her baggage and some
furniture she purchased at Wichita. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw were married in the Holland
schoolhouse in Pleasant Valley Township, and they commenced housekeeping at
once in a little log house erected by the husband. Among the articles of
furniture brought from Wichita were half a dozen chairs, a notable incident in
those days, as most families had but two; with the new furniture, the house
proved entirely too small. Accordingly, Mr. Shaw hurriedly built a frame house
on his claim, into which they moved August 26, 1874. From time to time a room
was added, until its present size was attained in 1899. A granary was the next
improvement made in the line of buildings, after the construction of the frame
house, and this was put up three years later. The regular "Kansas"
stable was made to answer for all purposes until about 1880, when a substantial
structure, 34 by 40 feet, in size, took its place.
Mr. Shaw's farm was surrounded by a
beautiful and well kept hedge fence. He raised the first timothy hay in the
county, and also raised clover, but the latter suffered greatly from
grasshoppers. Mrs. Shaw had $41.50, which she invested in two cows and two
calves. From this start, in twelve years' time, they sold $1,000 worth of
stock, and had seven head still remaining. They were very successful in raising
livestock, and Mr. Shaw formerly raised Poland-China hogs, from which his
annual sales reached an amount between $800 and $1,000. Thirty acres of this
farm were devoted to pasturage, and the remainder, including the 80 acres in
Pleasant Valley Township, which he purchased at a later date, was cultivated
every year. Mr. Shaw's stock was well watered, as he had three first-class
wells, over one of which was a large windmill.
Mrs. Shaw was born November 17, 1840, a
daughter of George and Roxanna (Wells) Woodruff, and her native place was
Switzerland County, Indiana. She was one of a family of seven children: Nancy
V., who married Wilson Shaw; Thaddeus, a
carpenter living in Stark County, Illinois; Franklin P., a farmer living in
Gallatin County, Kentucky; Sarah F. (Denning), who lived in Cowley County, Kansas;
E. J., a blacksmith at Hackney, Cowley County; Belle C. (Holmes), married to a
farmer in Pleasant Valley Township; Virginia (Whitford), who lived fifteen
miles east of Mr. Shaw, in Cowley County. Mrs. Shaw's people were from the Isle
of Jersey, and her grandmother was born in Wales. On the mother's side of the
family, her ancestors were of French and Dutch origin. Though Mr. and Mrs. Shaw
had no children of their own, their home was shared with two adopted children.
One was Bessie Musselman, aged eighteen years; and the other was Hazel Beck,
aged four years, who was the child of a niece.
Politically, Mr. Shaw was a Republican,
and served on the school board. He was a member of the G. A. R., Siverd Post,
No. 85, of Winfield, to which he belonged since 1898. Both he and wife were
members of the Grange. The Shaws were Methodists. The brother of Mrs. Shaw's
grandmother was a bishop of the Methodist church, in Vermont, where the family
resided many years ago.
The first Thanksgiving dinner of the
neighborhood was given by Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, and Mr. Shaw had to make a special
trip on horseback to Winfield for a platter of sufficient size to hold the
large turkey, when taken from the oven. In attendance at the well remembered
feast were Mr. and Mrs. Lucius Walton, Mr. and Mrs. Mumaw; Mr. and Mrs. Beach;
Mrs. Timmerman; Mr. Hostetler; and Mr. and Mrs. Hunt, all of the oldest
settlers in the neighborhood.
Wichita was the only wheat market for the
county at that date, and from their home Mrs. Shaw often saw wagon trains many
miles long, as far as her sight could reach, either way. The trip occupied four
days, coming and going. Many times she remained alone while her husband went to
market, and in those days Indians were no uncommon sight, and were not always
friendly. Mr. Shaw was in company with three other men when they met a band of
500 Indians, who were on the way to sign the treaty involving the sale of this
land, and it is for Mr. Shaw to tell whether he was, or was not, nervous.
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[1870] PAGE 467.
JAMES P. SHORT was one of the pioneers of
Cowley County, Kansas, where he arrived in the early summer of 1870, when the
land was unsurveyed and still belonged to the Osage Indians, but was being
negotiated for by the government. A few squatters lived in log houses along the
streams, but there was not a house between the Walnut and Arkansas Rivers. The
most thickly settled and prosperous part of the county was then a vast sea of
prairie grass.
Mr. Short was born in Livingston County,
New York, in 1845. Philip Short, his grandfather, was a pioneer in that part of
the Genesee Valley, having moved there from Massachusetts, soon after the
Revolutionary War. His descendants, now in the fifth generation, still occupied
the old homestead which he and his sons literally hewed out of the virgin
forest. He was noted among the hardy pioneers for his enormous size and
strength, being nearly seven feet high and weighing over 300 pounds.
Among his sons was Col. Josiah Short, the
father of James P. He was an extensive land owner, and later in life engaged in
milling, getting out timber and lumber, and being interested in other business
enterprises. He was also a colonel of militia, in the old general muster and
training days, in the "forties." He died before the War of the
Rebellion. About this time, the mother of James P., who was born Mehitabel
Livermore, also a native of Massachusetts, for the purpose of educating her
children, moved to Lima, Livingston County, New York, the seat of Genesee
College, and Genesee Wesleyan Seminary.
In Livingston County James P. Short grew
to manhood, attended the seminary, and was preparing to enter college, when, at
18, he enlisted in the 8th N. Y. Heavy Artillery, which was raised in Western
New York, the home of the colonel, Peter A. Porter, being at Niagara Falls. The
regiment was first stationed at Forts McHenry and Federal Hill, Baltimore,
Maryland. In the spring of 1864, when Gen. Grant took command of the Army of
the Potomac, for the final struggle, the colonel asked for field service and the
regiment was assigned to Hancock's (2nd) Corps, and went through the campaign
from the Wilderness to Petersburg, and later on to Appomattox. In this campaign
of almost continuous fighting the regiment lost heavily. At Cold Harbor, about
12 miles out of Richmond, 650 men of the regiment were killed or wounded in
less than twenty minutes. In one of the numerous battles around Richmond, Mr.
Short was severely wounded, and spent most of the time thereafter at Lincoln
Hospital, in Washington, until mustered out at the close of the war, in 1865.
Returning home, he again entered school,
but found himself far behind the class on account of his two years' absence,
and soon decided to take Greeley's advice and go West. He started for
California, going by steamer from New York, then across the Isthmus of Panama,
and up the Pacific Coast to San Francisco, a three weeks' journey. In 1869, the
Union Pacific Railroad was completed to the coast, and Mr. Short, disposing of
his restaurant business, returned East on the eleventh through train to Omaha;
it was a nine days' trip in those days.
In the spring of 1870, with his mother
and sisters, Mr. Short arrived in Kansas, locating then at Topeka. The Santa Fe
Railway had started from there and was building westward toward Emporia.
Southern Kansas was attracting immigration, and he joined the Cook brothers, of
Topeka, who had, early in the spring, located claims on the Walnut River, and
had returned for supplies to Topeka. The trip was made by wagon. There were no
bridges over any of the streams in this drive of 200 miles, and in many places
the rough road was but a wagon track in the prairie grass. Mr. Short spent most
of the summer in a log cabin on the river bank, about nine miles south of
Winfield, on what is now part of the noted "Magnolia Farm," in
Pleasant Valley Township.
Winfield had been made the county seat,
and a stage route had been put in operation along the Walnut River, from
Emporia. Winfield greatly needed a hotel for the accommodation of people who
desired to locate, and Col. Manning, president of the Winfield Town Company,
induced Mr. Short to erect a hotel building by offering him two lots on the
northeast corner of Main Street and Ninth Avenue. The free offer was accepted,
and the building was erected. During the construction, Mr. Short lived in a
tent, thus partly renewing the old army life, without the attendant bullets and
graybacks. The Walnut Valley House was opened on the first of October, and was
the first building erected on the east side of Main Street, and the first
two-story frame structure on the townsite. At that time there were only six
other buildings, two of which were made of logs. The frame was sawed out of
trees from the river, and the pine lumber, doors, windows, etc., were hauled
from Emporia, 150 miles away. The old building was still standing in 1901, on
Ninth Avenue, and its original site was then occupied by the Cowley County
National Bank building. Mr. Short owned an interest in it. In 1871 he started a
lumber yard, getting stock from Emporia, which by now had become the end of the
Santa Fe Railway, as it built west.
In 1872 Mr. Short was married to Lissa M.
Phillips, a native of New York State, who had journeyed west, to visit her
brother, Edgar D. Phillips, one of the first settlers, and the first trustee of
Rock Township. To this union were born Philip P., Edna H., and Ethel F. In the
next few years, Mr. Short was engaged in various enterprises. As acting
treasurer, he collected the first tax levied in the county. He was deputy
county clerk; served several terms as city clerk and assessor; was a member of
the board of education; president of the Winfield Building and Loan
Association; and secretary of the county fair several years. He built several
business and dwelling houses, and was always prominent in every public
enterprise tending toward the development of the new country. He spent some
time and money furthering the various projects which assisted in making
Winfield one of the best towns in Southern Kansas.
In 1883 Mr. Short moved to his farm,
situated on the west half of the northeast quarter of section 34, township 32,
range 4 east, located just outside the city limits of Winfield. He erected
large and commodious buildings, and planted about 10 acres in fruit and
ornamental trees and shrubbery. The Black Crook Creek, which ran across the
corner of his place, was well timbered, and in location, quality of land, and
excellence of improvements, his farm was con-sidered one of the model farms of
Cowley County.
A Republican, Mr. Short cast his first
vote for U. S. Grant. He was a member of Siverd Post, No. 85, G. A. R., and,
universally, commanded the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens.
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[1869.] PAGE 378.
PATRICK H. SOMERS resided on the
northwest quarter of section 4, township 35, range 3 east, in Bolton Township.
When he settled in Cowley County, there were very few white settlers in it.
Patrick H. Somers was born in County
Wexford, Ireland, in 1840, a son of John and Julia Somers.
John and Julia Somers, his parents, were
born in Ireland. They came to the United States in 1847, locating in Harford
County, Maryland. There John Somers worked for a Mr. Lewis, who was an
extensive land owner. Mr. Somers went from there to Lancaster County,
Penn-sylvania, and in 1856 moved to Chateaugay County, Canada. They remained in
Canada until 1872, when their son, Patrick H., induced them to join him in
Cowley County, and make their home with him. They died at his residence: Mr.
John Somers on November 17, 1886, aged 88; Mrs. Julia Somers, in 1890, aged 78.
They had one son and one daughter, the latter being Elizabeth, deceased, who
was the wife of P. J. Gregory, a resident of Bolton Township, Cowley County,
and who had two children, Icel M., wife of Ross Scott, of Kay County, Oklahoma;
and William, of Tonkawa, Oklahoma. Mr. Gregory married a second time.
Patrick H. Somers left his home in Canada
when a lad of but sixteen years, only to return in 1857; but in April, 1858, he
went to Pennsylvania, where he worked out until the breaking out of the Civil
War. He then enlisted in Company K, 5th Reg., Pennsylvania Reserves, which went
into camp April 20, 1861. On May 15, next following, the company was sworn in
and was at once dispatched to the relief of Gen. Lew Wallace, in Western
Virginia. In the battle of Antietam, February 14, 1862, Mr. Somers received a
bullet wound, which made it impossible for him to further serve his country.
For two years after his return home, he could not endure to walk any distance.
He afterwards went to the mining districts of Michigan, and upon reading in the
New York papers of the opening of the territories bordering the
"Rockies,"—particularly Idaho,—he decided to try his fortunes in the
West. He accordingly made a trip to the "Rockies," and spent
considerable time in Idaho, but in 1869 left there and journeyed to Cowley
County, Kansas. He drove a mule-team as far as Council Grove, Kansas, and there
he began to travel on foot, carrying 56 pounds of baggage done up in a
gunny-sack, and walked via Cottonwood Falls, El Dorado, Augusta, and Douglass,
Kansas. At the mouth of Rock Creek, he camped with a man named Jones, and they
afterward continued on to Winfield, where they camped with the Trusty boys.
Cliff Wood owned the only log house there. Bill Johnson there met Mr. Somers,
having been driven back by the Indians from his claim at the mouth of Walnut
River. No settlers were then allowed by the Indians beyond Dutch Creek. Mr.
Somers and Mr. Johnson set out for the latter's claim, and Wood went to
Douglass for provisions. They were later joined by Ed. Chapin, George Harmon,
James Hughes, and Sam Williamson, and with the exception of Williamson, all
took up claims near Arkansas City.
Mr. Somers' claim was the southwest
quarter of section 19, township 34, range 4 east, near the mouth of the Walnut
River in Creswell Township, and this he improved until 1875, when he traded it
to Major Sleeth for 240 acres northwest of Arkansas City. On this farm he
remained until 1879, when he sold it and bought a farm in Bolton Township: the northwest
quarter of section 4, township 35, range 3 east. The purchase was made of T. H.
McLaughlin, and Thomas A. Wilkinson was the preemptor. The latter gentleman was
county superinten-dent of schools for four years. Mr. Somers made numerous
improvements on the farm, and in 1897 bought the southeast quarter of the same
section, the deed to which a Mr. Townsley held.
Mr. Prosser moved into the claim house in
1879, and remained there until he went to Oklahoma, where he spent four and a
half years, during which time he made $5,000. He returned to Cowley County in
April, 1898, and began making improvements on his farm. His barn, measuring 60
by 34 feet, was built in 1888. He had an orchard of seven acres, and besides
raising grain, produced some livestock, favoring Shorthorn cattle and
Poland-China hogs.
Mr. Somers was married, in 1872, to
Margaret Dwyer, by Rev. Mr. Swarts. She died in 1879, leaving two children,
John, deceased, and William.
Mr. Somers' second wife was Nellie Daly,
a daughter of Patrick Daly. Mrs. Somers was born in Liverpool, England, and
came to this country in 1885, with an uncle, Ed. Campbell, who lived in
Winfield. They had seven children: Robert E., Mary A., Hattie R., Charles A.,
Lizzie, Roscoe, and Mabel Frances.
Mr. Somers was a Republican. He served as
township clerk; while in Oklahoma, he served as treasurer of his township. In
1899, he served as a committee-man of Bolton Township, and in 1874 he belonged
to the state militia. Mr. Somers was a member of Hayes Post, No. 24, G. A. R., of
Kay County, Oklahoma.
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[1871] PAGE 456.
CAPT. LEWIS STEVENS, who bore an
honorable record for service in the Union Army during the Civil War, was for
many years one of the leading agriculturists of Richland Township, Cowley
County, where he was once the owner of 600 acres of land.
Mr. Stevens was born in Warren County,
Indiana, in May 1828, a son of David and Susan (Lucus) Stevens.
His father, David Stevens, was born in
Pennsylvania, of Welsh parentage, and died in Ohio, aged 77. His wife was a native
of Ohio, where they were married. They were parents of the following children,
three of whom were still living in 1901: Lewis; Elizabeth (Arms), aged 87, who
resided in Indiana; William, who resided in Mercer County, Illinois; John, who
died at the age of 63 in Fountain County, Indiana, and who was the father of R.
W. Stevens; Maria; Amelia; and Ann, who lived and died in Fountain County,
Indiana; Mary Ann, who died in Greencastle, Putnam County, Indiana; Andrew J.,
who died in Iroquois County, Illinois.
Lewis Stevens was reared and educated in
Indiana. He worked upon his father's farm until he reached his majority, after
which he attended college at Crawfordsville, Indiana, for one year. In 1862 he
enlisted in Company D, 86th Reg., Ind. Vol. Inf. He organized the company and
gallantly served as its captain during the war, with the exception of five
months, when he was incapacitated by a wound received at Stone River. He was
under Col. Dick and served in the 21st Army Corps, and later, in the 4th Army Corps,
participating in many of the famous battles. He was mustered out at Nashville,
Tennessee, June 6, 1865, and returned to Indiana, where he remained until his
removal to Kansas.
He spent the winter of 1870-1871 at
Eureka, Kansas, and then located in Cowley County, where he bought, from Henry
Sphar, a claim in section 12, township 31, range 5 east. He chose Kansas as a
home on account of his ailment, bronchitis, and his condition immediately
improved. He resided on and improved his claim in Richland Township for nine
years—raising stock and grain—and then sold out to his nephew, Reason W.
Stephens, who still owned it in 1901. Lewis Stevens also purchased a farm
southwest of his claim, which he leased. He then moved to Winfield, and engaged
in speculating to some extent.
In 1880 he left Winfield, and traded his
property for three 80-acre tracts in sections 18 and 19—his present location in
1901. It formed a part of the Barker property, and Mr. Barker had at one time
laid out a townsite, to the north of which was situated the village of Floral.
Since 1880, Capt. Stevens resided in a comfortable, seven-room house, which was
built on his farm just outside Floral; on this he also put up good
outbuildings. He produced mainly corn and wheat. He also raised a great deal of
stock, preferring Hereford and Shorthorn cattle. He acquired about 600 acres of
good bottom land, lying along Timber Creek, which was mainly in one body. He
set out fruit trees, and had an orchard of three acres. With the exception of
200 acres which he retained, the rest of his land was divided among his
children.
Capt. Stevens was instrumental in
securing church services and in building the Baptist church. A stone church, of
the Baptist denomination, was erected in 1885 with valuable assistance from
him.
In 1880 the village of Floral was platted
by Capt. Stevens, in connection with Mr. Cole and Mr. Caspers, representing a
stock company, of which Capt. Stevens was president. Floral had two stores, a
post office, a depot, and graded schools in 1901.
Capt. Stevens married Martha Brady, who
died in 1857, leaving one son, George, who married and lived near his father.
The Captain then married Sarah A. Sigler, a native of Indiana, in 1860. Their
marriage resulted in the following children: Marvin, deceased; Edwin, who died
in infancy; another who died in infancy, unnamed; Owen, deceased; Rollins, who
married and had two children, and lived near his parents; Thaddeus, who, with
his wife and one child, also lived near his parents; and Sylvia (Clabough), who
had one child.
Capt. Stevens cast his first vote for
Franklin Pierce, for president, but became a Republican after the Civil War. He
was a member of Floral Post, No. 213, G. A. R., and served several times as
commander, attending many reunions of veterans.
Religiously, he became a deacon for years
in the Baptist Church at Floral.
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[1870] PAGE 421.
R. J. STEVENSON, who arrived in Cowley
County, Kansas, in 1870, was one of the oldest and best known farmers in Bolton
Township, and lived in section 4, township 35, range 4 east.
Mr. Stevenson was born in Randolph
County, Illinois, June 13, 1844, a son of Robert and Margaret (Armour)
Stevenson.
Robert Stevenson, his father, was from
Glasgow, Scotland, and was a wagon-maker by trade, but spent many years in
merchandising, in which he was engaged at the time of his death, January 4,
1884, at Sparta, Illinois. He died, aged 80. His wife, Margaret Armour, was
also a native of Scotland, and died in 1874, aged 70. They were married in
Scotland, and lived together for 52 years. They became the parents of 12
children, three of whom died in Scotland, and three in this country. The six
still living in 1901 were: John, age 72, who spent many years at Salina,
Kansas, and was living in Illinois; Margaret, wife of R. T. Beattie, of Oregon
City, Oregon; Mrs. Jamieson; Jane (Adams), of Illinois; Elizabeth; and R. J.
R. J. Stevenson was reared in Randolph
County, Illinois, and obtained his education in the public schools. He learned
the trade of a blacksmith under his cousin and followed it until 1870. In 1866,
he made a visit of a few months in Johnson County, Kansas, and in 1868 moved
from Illinois to Ottawa, Kansas. After remaining there for two months, he moved
to Baxter Springs, Cherokee County, Kansas, where he followed his trade until
1870. He then set out for Cowley County with a horse and covered wagon, and
about $90 in money. While driving through the Flint Hills, east of the Arkansas
bottom, he received discouraging reports from the many who were returning, but
he persevered, and arrived at Arkansas City on August 1, 1870. He traded his
horse and wagon for a claim near Geuda Springs, which, after survey, was found
to be school land, and which he sold soon afterward. He was acquainted with Mr.
Denton, whose son, A. H. Denton, became president of the Farmers State Bank of
Arkansas City, and they camped together on what is now the Wallace farm. During
the winter of 1870, he located his claim in the northwest quarter of section 4,
township 35, range 4 east. The section was parceled off in lots of 40 acres,
and Mr. Stevenson got lots 3 and 4, and later got an additional 20 acres in
lots 5 and 6. In 1872 he filed on the 76 acres made fractional by the river, in
the northwest corner of the section. Indians frequently called upon him, and he
considered them good friends and neighbors.
During the first year, he broke 25 acres
with oxen, and also built a log house, 15 by 18 feet, in which he lived until
1885, when he built a frame house. He at first used the customary stable of the
times, constructed of poles, but in 1894 he built a new barn, of comfortable
size—measuring 24 by 34 feet—and also put up other outbuildings. He had very
rich corn land, which grain he planted almost entirely, and the average yield
since the early "seventies" was about 40 bushels to the acre. He also
raised hogs, and handled from 50 to 150 head per year. He produced some wheat,
and had a fine supply of timber along the river. He had a good, but small,
orchard, having got his first trees from Ohio.
In 1879 Mr. Stevenson married Ida Mary
Ireton, a daughter of P. A. and Caroline Ireton. She was born in Clermont
County, Ohio, in 1860. Her father was from New Jersey, and located at Geuda
Springs, Cowley County, in 1875. One year later, he moved to Bolton Township,
and then went to Oklahoma, where he died in May 1896. His wife resided in
Chandler, Oklahoma. They had eight children, as follows: Ida Mary; William C.;
Frank B., deceased; Katie E. (Yager), of Lincoln County, Oklahoma; Lizzie
(Myers); Myrtle (Carter); and Maude (Reed), of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma; and a
twin of Lizzie, deceased in infancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson had three
children: Maggie (Gray), who lived with her father and had one child, Walter H.
Gray; Robbie A., who lived at home; and Georgia L., who was in school in 1901.
Mr. Stevenson was a Populist; formerly a
Republican. He served eight years as treasurer, and was director in 1901 of
school district No. 141. He was a member of the Grange and Alliance; he was
also a member of the Anti-Horse Thief Association. He was a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.
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[1870] PAGE 172.
GEORGE AND JOSEPH STEWART.
GEORGE STEWART, a prominent and
influential farmer residing in section 11, Vernon Township, Cowley County,
Kansas, was a worthy descendant of one of the pioneer families of the Sunflower
State, and contributed his share of work toward making Kansas one of the banner
agricultural states of the Union. He was born in Des Moines County, Iowa, in
May 1845, a son of Joseph Stewart.
JOSEPH STEWART was born in Pennsylvania
July 6, 1817, and died in Winfield, Kansas, August 12, 1895. His father was
also born in this country and his ancestors were Scottish. In 1844, Joseph
Stewart located in Des Moines County, Iowa, which had but recently been opened to
civilization. In 1849 he moved with his family to Springfield, Missouri, and
thence went to Pineville, McDonald County, Missouri. There he built the
courthouse, and afterward served two years as county clerk. At the expiration
of his term, he built a hotel, which he conducted for many months. When the new
territory of Kansas was opened, in 1854, he again made his way westward and
located on the Big Blue River, a few miles from what is now the city of
Manhattan. He remained there until the spring of 1863, when he went further
west, to Blackhawk, Colorado, although he retained the homestead in Kansas.
While in Colorado, he lost three children: Martha Ellen; Amanda; and an infant.
For one a grave was hewn out of solid rock in a spur of the lofty "Rockies,"
and the other two were buried nearby. The spot was visited by Mrs. George
Stewart, in the summer of 1900, and she found lofty pines swaying over the
graves, like sentinels guarding the burial place of those who had been at rest
for nearly two score years. Two of Joseph Stewart's children were buried at
Manhattan, and those who attained years of maturity were as follows: George;
Jennie, who died in 1881; John; Belle (Wooley); Clay; and Carrie. All who were
still living in 1901 were married, and resided in Cowley County.
In 1870 Mr. Joseph Stewart located in
Cowley County, near the line of the Vernon and Ninnescah Townships. At one time
he was the owner of a very large tract of land. Mrs. Joseph Stewart was still
living in 1901, enjoying excellent health for one of her years. She was born in
Perry County, Pennsylvania, March 15, 1824, and her maiden name was Margaret
Nelson. Her parents were also natives of the Keystone State (Pennsylvania), but
her paternal grandfather was born in Ireland.
George Stewart, son of Joseph Stewart,
accompanied his parents to Manhattan, Kansas; but on May 24, 1870, he settled
in Vernon Township, Cowley County. In the following August, he returned to
Manhattan, where on the 25th day of the month he was united in marriage with
Nancy A. Purvis. With his bride he returned to Cowley County, in November, and
with the exception of the six months in 1875, which they spent in Colorado,
they resided in Cowley County ever since. The Stewart family, like their
neighbors, lived in accordance with the primitive customs of the early days,
and endured their share of privations and hardships.
George Stewart first located on section
2, Vernon Township, and a man named Ben Stansbury disputed his right to the
claim. One day while Mr. Stewart had gone to the Arkansas River for logs with
which to lay a foundation for his house, Stansbury, with 25 men, entered the
place and carried the former's wagon-bed and camping outfit to the top of a
high hill to the west side of his claim, and beyond its limits. Mr. Stewart
left the outfit where it had been placed by Stansbury and his men until it was
burned by prairie fires, but he went to Stansbury about sunset, and told him
that if he ever entered the claim after that sundown, he would have to be
carried off by his friends. Mr. Stansbury took the hint and never returned, and
in the course of time remuneration was made for the property carried away.
Mr. and Mrs. George Stewart had six
children: Joseph P., deceased; a baby, who died in infancy; Charles L., who
lived in Oklahoma; Walter F., deceased; Nettie M., who graduated from the
Winfield Business College in 1900, and was devoting her time to the study of
music; and Vernon E., who lived on his father's farm.
The darkest clouds that ever hovered over
this household resulted from the untimely death of their promising son, Walter
F. Stewart, who was called away at the age of thirteen years, on the threshold
of his boyhood.
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[1870] PAGE 138.
GEORGE STOUT, a prosperous farmer of
Silver Creek Township, Cowley County, first located in Kansas in 1866, and
became a permanent resident of the county in 1870. His farm was situated on the
southeast quarter of section 4, township 31, range 6 east, and its owner was
extensively engaged in general farming, making a specialty of corn raising.
Mr. Stout was born in Lewis County, West
Virginia, in 1840, a son of Benjamin and Cynthia (Middleton) Stout. His
grandparents were natives of New Jersey.
George Stout's father, Benjamin Stout,
was born in 1802. He was a farmer and stock raiser. He died in Virginia during
the Civil War. His wife was born in West Virginia, and died in 1850. They were
the parents of six sons and one daughter: Milton, deceased; George; Hezekiah,
who lived in West Virginia; John, who was formerly in partnership with George,
and still owned his farm in Silver Creek Township in 1901; Daniel, who resided
on the old homestead in West Virginia; Benjamin, who lived in Canadian County,
Oklahoma; and Sarah, who died at the age of twelve.
George Stout was reared and schooled in
West Virginia, and remained at home until the outbreak of the Civil War. He
then enlisted in Company K, 17th Reg., Va. Vol. Cav., and served four years as
a private in the Confederate army under Gen. Rosser. He returned home in June
1865 and remained there until April 1866, when he journeyed westward to Kansas.
He then spent three or four years in roaming through the western country,
including Colorado and New Mexico.
JOHN STOUT, George's brother, settled in
Cowley County, Kansas, in December 1869, and located two claims in the south
half of section 4, township 31, range 6 east, wither George followed him in
1870. John Stout retained the southwest quarter, and George located upon the
southeast quarter, neither being married in 1870. Between their claims and
Winfield there were as yet no settlements, and no survey had been made. Their
plan was to engage in cattle raising, there being an abundant range on either
side of them in the valley of Timber Creek, on which their tracts lay. Between
their farms and the junction of Timber and Dutch Creeks, there were but two
settlers, Mr. Carver and Mr. Hunt; above them, were only two more—Mr. Clark and
Mr. Barres. For about three years the two brothers raised cattle. At the end of
that time, so much land had been taken by settlers, that they abandoned
ranching and turned to farming. They raised wheat for some years and had good
crops, which they sold for $1.34 per bushel in the markets at Wichita and
Emporia—Douglass being then only a small trading post.
George Stout built a cabin on the banks
of Timber Creek, and had but one horse, a saddle pony. He encountered no
trouble with the Indians, but some white men, who stole horses and laid the
blame on the Indians, were found out and punished as they deserved to be. About
the year 1880 George Stout began making corn his principal product. He never
experienced a total failure of crops, the minimum yield being 10 bushels to the
acre, and the yield, sometimes, 60 and 75 bushels per acre. Mr. Stout always
raised a high grade of cattle, and Poland-China hogs, with which he was
exceedingly successful. In 1886 he obtained lumber from Atlanta, and erected a
comfortable frame house on the 40 acres which he owned in section 3; barns and
corn cribs were also built at a later date. His farm was well fenced and Timber
Creek furnished a fine supply of water for his stock.
George Stout married in Cowley County,
Kansas, Mary Korber, who died January 22, 1888. She was born in Wisconsin, and
reared in Leavenworth, Kansas. Her parents located on Timber Creek sometime
previous to her husband's arrival in that vicinity.
[NOTE: KORBER FAMILY ARRIVED BEFORE
GEORGE STOUT.]
Mary Korber Stout left one son, George,
Jr., who was attending school in district 76 in 1901. Mr. Stout was a Democrat.
He was a member of Lodge No. 233, A. F. & A. M.; and was formerly a member
of the Grange and Alliance.
-0-
[JUNE
19, 1870] PAGE 502.
CARROLL L. SWARTS, an influential citizen
of Arkansas City, gained considerable prominence throughout Cowley County as an
attorney-at-law, and was a worthy represen-tative of one of the pioneer
families of the county.
Carroll L. Swarts was born in 1852, in
Fulton County, Illinois, a son of Rev. Benjamin C. Swarts.
Rev. Benjamin C. Swarts was born in
Jefferson County, Illinois, near Walnut Hill, August 18, 1827, but his
educational training was obtained in the schools of Knox County, Illinois,
which he attended many years in his youth, his parents having moved to that
county in 1829. After leaving the public schools, he attended Cherry Grove
Seminary, pursuing advanced studies. On December 6, 1846, he commenced
preaching, his first charge being in Mercer County, Illinois; in the following
year, he joined the Rock River Conference. After many years spent in the
ministry in Illinois, he decided to locate in the West. Leaving Abingdon, he
went by rail to Burlington, Iowa, and thence drove through to El Dorado,
Kansas, which point he reached December 1, 1869. He remained at that place
until January 19, 1870, when he moved to Winfield, and on the following day
camped on what is now the park, at Arkansas City. On January 21, he staked out
a quarter section claim, half a mile northeast of the city, in what later
became Creswell Township, and there had his residence for many years. For the
first three months he lived in a tent; this was succeeded by a log house, 18 by
19 feet in ground dimensions, and a story and a half high, which he built of
cottonwood logs, obtained from the banks of the Walnut River. White settlers
were very scarce at that early day, and on each side of him camped the
Indians—250 being on the east, and 300 on the south of Mr. Swarts. On February
16, 1870, he plowed the first furrow in Creswell Township, sub-soiled a fourth
of an acre of land, and planted a garden, consisting of beans, peas, potatoes,
and other vegetables. He struck the first water in his community and helped to
build the first house in Arkansas City, Prof. H. B. Norton being the owner. He
was the first to conceive the idea of connecting the Walnut and Arkansas Rivers
by a canal, to secure water-power for manu-facturing purposes, a project which
was fulfilled many years after he became a resident of the community. During
all this period, he continued to devote much of his time toward preaching, and
shortly after arriving in Kansas became a member of the Kansas conference, and
also of the Southwest Kansas conference, that was organized later. He was the
first pastor of any denomination in Arkansas City, where he located eighteen
months before any other regular pastor entered the field. Although he
subsequently occupied the pulpits of various churches at different points, he
nevertheless held Arkansas City as his home. In 1889, he was transferred to the
Oklahoma conference, and until 1892 served as superintendent of church missions
of the Indian Territory. He then served as pastor of the First Methodist
Episcopal Church of Kay County, Oklahoma, which was established in 1893.
Rev. Benjamin C. Swarts was married
September 19, 1848, to Mrs. M. J. (Patrick) Allison, and they reared the
following children: Mary E. (Mitchell), deceased; Carroll L.; Charles M., of
Arkansas City; Eva; Helen, deceased; Benjamin F., of Red Rock, Oklahoma; Stella
and Samuel P., deceased; and Adaline, of Arkansas City.
Carroll L. Swarts obtained his early
schooling in Illinois, and later accompanied his parents to Cowley County. He
resided upon a farm in Creswell Township until 1887, and during the winter
months was engaged in teaching school. Having decided upon his present
profession, he entered the office of C. R. Mitchell to pursue his studies along
that line, and in 1881 gained his admittance to the bar. He began at once to
practice in Arkansas City, where he soon came into prominence as one of the
leading lawyers of Cowley County. He continued to reside in Arkansas City with
the exception of the period from 1887 to 1891, when he occupied for two terms
the position of county attorney, which made it necessary for him to live in
Winfield. In 1897 he was a candidate on the Republican ticket for district
judge, but was defeated by Judge McBride, in a strong Fusion district, by but a
small majority. He always adhered to the principles of the Republican party and
was one of its most active leaders in Cowley County.
Carroll L. Swarts married Susie L. Hunt,
and they had two children in 1901: Lena N. and Mildred A.
-0-
[FALL
1870] PAGE 495.
JOHN R. TAYLOR was a prosperous and
well-to-do farmer of Cowley County, Kansas, residing since the fall of 1870 on
the southwest quarter of section 26, township 32, range 3 east.
Mr. Taylor was born in 1836, in Ohio
County, Kentucky, a son of S. S. and Sarah (Whittaker) Taylor, who were born in
Kentucky, and lived there throughout their lives. They were the parents of six
children: Milton, Melvin, Warder, John R., Francis, and Tabitha.
John R. Taylor spent his early years
working on his father's farm, and at the outbreak of the Civil War, enlisted in
Company C, 11th Reg., Ky. Vol. Inf., and served throughout that fierce
conflict, first under Gen. Buell, and later under Gen. Sherman. He was mustered
out at Bowling Green, Kentucky, and shortly after his return home was married.
He then bought land in Kentucky and began tilling the soil, which he
successfully continued four years.
In the fall of 1870, with his family, consisting
of his wife and two children, he drove through to Cowley County, Kansas. His
cousin, J. S. Taylor, deceased by 1901, lived in the southern part of Cowley
County, and was largely instrumental in getting John R. Taylor to locate in
Cowley County.
After John R. Taylor looked over the
country, he decided to locate near the city of Winfield, for which he foresaw a
great future. He accordingly took up his claim, and during the first year
raised sod corn, although he broke many acres of the farm. His first shanty was
12 by 14 feet, built of native lumber sawed at Arkansas City. In it he lived
until 1878, when he built a new and modern home. In 1875, he set out a
cottonwood grove, some elm trees, and an orchard, the last named covering five
acres. As each succeeding crop seemed to be a great increase, he began to put
up good, substantial outbuildings, and in 1881 he built his handsome barn,
which was 50 feet square. His entire farm was fenced in, and was in an
excellent state of cultivation. Besides raising considerable grain, he devoted
much time to the raising of cattle and hogs, favoring Red Polled Angus cattle
and Poland-China hogs.
Mr. Taylor married Lila H. Martin, of
Kentucky, shortly after his return from the war; she died in 1898. They had
five sons and four daughters: Gertrude, deceased; Sallie (Ferguson), who lived
in Oklahoma, and had six children; William S., who lived four miles from his
father's place and had four children; Mollie, who was the wife of Charles
Staggers, of Vernon Township, and had one child; Francis, deceased; Arthur, who
lived in Colorado; Bessie and John, who lived at home; and Herbert, deceased.
In politics, Mr. Taylor favored the
People's party. He served on the town and school board. He was a Baptist.
-0-
[AUGUST
13, 1868] PAGE 231.
NEWTON J. THOMPSON drove into Cowley
County, Kansas, on August 13, 1868, over the old cattle trail from Ellsworth,
with three teams of mules and horses. A fit representative of the pioneer
settlers of the county, he enjoyed a large acquaintance and was highly esteemed
for his many excellent traits of character. He was a prosperous farmer and
stock raiser of Silver Creek Township, where he owned the west half of section
7, township 31, range 6 east, his home being situated on the northwest quarter
of the section.
Newton J. Thompson was born in Henry
County, Kentucky, May 14, 1834, a son of Amasa and Ruhema (Boone) Thompson.
His father, Amasa Thompson, was a farmer
and stock raiser of Kentucky, where he spent his entire life. Both he and his
wife were buried in the cemetery on their homestead. In 1851, Amasa Thompson
moved to Missouri, but remained there only a short time. Ten children were
born, of whom only five were still living in 1901: Mary M. (Artemesa) of Gate
Center, Kansas; E. Jane (Browning), of Butler County, Missouri; Newton J.; Kate
(Schmidt), of Henry County, Kentucky; and Ophelia Ann (Bobbett), of St. Louis,
Missouri. Amasa Thompson's wife, who was a first cousin of Daniel Boone, was
first married to a Mr. Sisk.
Newton J. Thompson was reared in Kentucky
and educated at the Masonic college, at La Grange, in that state. He
accompanied his parents to Missouri in 1851, but soon afterward returned to
Kentucky. During the Civil War he was in the service of the government, in
Kansas. In 1859 he left Saline County, Missouri, for Kansas, where he lived
afterward. For eight years he was a government freighter on the plains. He had
charge of a train consisting of 25 loads and a mess-wagon, and traveled to
various parts of Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico.
Mr. Douglass, after whom the town of
Douglass was named, persuaded Mr. Thompson to go into the cattle business, and
he accordingly located at the mouth of Rock and Muddy Creeks, where he had a
corral, of about 100 acres in extent, in a bend of the Walnut River. The cattle
ranged east from this corral, and it was while out hunting them, that he came
to the decision to locate where he thereafter lived. In the latter part of 1869
he preempted the northwest quarter of section 7, township 31, range 6 east, and
afterward bought the southwest quarter of the same section. He first lived in a
tent, and the Indians subsisted on his cattle for more than a year. About two
years later, he built a stone house, the walls of which were 18 inches thick,
and this later formed a part of his last residence, a six-room dwelling. At the
outset he used a stone shed for a barn, 40 by 46 feet. He was successful in the
cattle business for many years, but in later years leased the greater part of
his farm, and dealt extensively in standard bred horses. He had the fastest
four-year old mare in the county, and it was his intention in 1901 to attend
the stock sales in Chicago. He raised considerable wheat in former years, of
which he produced many a crop; corn raising also occupied much of his
attention.
Mr. Thompson was first married, in
Brownsville, Missouri, to Miss Berry, deceased, as were also their children. He
married again July 23, 1868, at Leavenworth, Kansas, Anna Yakel, born in
Germany in 1838, who settled in Wisconsin on her arrival to this country. She
enjoyed the distinction of being the first white woman in Cowley County.
[???] She received the premium at the
first fair held at Highland Park, Winfield, Kansas.
Mr. Thompson, formerly a Democrat, became
a Populist.
[NOTE: NO MENTION OF THEM HAVING
CHILDREN!]
-0-
[1870.] PAGE 465.
PHOTOS:
1) R. R. TURNER.
2)
RESIDENCE OF R. R. TURNER.
R. R. TURNER, commonly known as 'Squire
Turner, was one of the oldest and best known citizens of Cowley County, Kansas,
and resided east of the Flint Hills, in Otter Township.
Mr. Turner was born in Gibson County,
Indiana, in 1824, a son of Elijah and Margaret (Morrison) Turner.
His father, Elijah Turner, was born in
Georgia, and was twelve years old when he moved with his father to Western
Kentucky, where he was reared. He went, as a pioneer, to Indiana when it was
still a territory, and there lived the remainder of his life. He was a well
educated man, and a prominent member of the community. His wife was a native of
North Carolina, and was reared in Tennessee. She died at the age of ninety-two
years, at the home of her oldest daughter, at Olympia, Washington.
R. R. Turner was one of nine children,
and in 1901 had a sister living at Coffey County, Kansas, and a brother, at
Ashland, Boone County, Missouri.
R. R. Turner attended both the
subscription and public schools, which were then held in little log cabins,
where the pupils set on benches and wrote with goose-quill pens. He acquired a
superior education for those days, and in his early years was employed as a
clerk. His first employment was upon the farm, and he remained at home until he
was seventeen years of age, when he began working on flatboats and steamboats,
on the river. He returned to farming, and later, at various times, owned
several different farms in Iowa and Arkansas.
He lived in Arkansas when the Civil War
broke out, and was reported by a Confederate captain to the governor of that
state, and a reward of $500 was offered for his arrest. He raised a company of
Union men, but, although the majority of them were accepted, he was rejected on
account of his health, which was undermined by living in the brush.
He gathered his family together, and got
out of the state, with the help of the Free Masons—going to Eureka, Greenwood County,
Kansas. He remained there for a time, and engaged in the law and collection
business.
In the spring of 1870, he traveled to
what was supposed to be part of Howard County, but was afterward included
within the borders of Cowley County, where he located a claim on the northeast
quarter of section 18, township 34, range 8 east, to which he moved his family,
from Eureka, in August 1870. He built a claim cabin—a very good one for those
days—being provided with a fireplace, and there the family lived for six years.
He then moved to his last homesite and built a larger frame-house, which was
burned. It was constructed of logs and natural timber, and was 30 by 16 feet.
He was naturally hospitable, and entertained many travelers and early settlers
at his home. The Flint Hills were then considered the natural boundary line
between Cowley and Howard counties, and Mr. Turner was appointed the first
justice of the peace of the community by the governor of Kansas. After the
survey had placed the boundary line near the center of range 8 east, his acts
as a justice had to be legalized, as performed in Cowley County. He wrote to
Col. Manning, who was then in the legislature, and to others, relative to the
matter, and the proper measures were accordingly passed to make his official
acts valid. He was originally in Dexter Township, but his section of the county
was later included in Cedar Township. What then became of Cedar Township has
since been divided up into three or four townships, and the land on which he
lived became a part of Otter Township, and in 1901 he was acting as justice of
the peace.
In the course of time Mr. Turner bought
more land, until he had 500 acres of range, and fed over 100 head of cattle. In
the spring of 1871 he set out a nursery, and sold grafts to those wishing to
start orchards. His grafts were obtained from Lawrence, and many orchards were
grown from his stock. His own tract also contained a fine orchard of five
acres. He later disposed of his land to his son-in-law, Jerome J. Wilson, but still
resided on his old farm.
Mr. Turner married Winnie Embry in
Edwards County, Illinois, who died in the winter of 1892-1893, aged 70, leaving
five children: Maggie (Serviss), who lived near Dexter; Wiley W., Elijah, and
Ross R., of Oklahoma; Jane (Bowen), of Cowley County; and Judith, wife of
Jerome J. Wilson, president of the Cedar Vale National Bank, and one of the
largest cattle dealers and land owners of Cowley County.
In April 1896 Mr. Turner married his
second wife, Mrs. A. M. Gillespie (nee Ingraham), who was born in Wabash
County, Illinois, in 1832, and was reared in Edwards County, in that state. She
was a daughter of Daniel and Rebecca (Taylor) Ingraham. She was married in
Lawrence County, Illinois, to Mr. Gillespie, a minister of the Christian church.
She was a teacher in the public schools of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and
Kansas, where she taught in Cowley County. Her nephew, W. P. Ingraham, boarded
with Mr. Turner, and was attending school in 1901.
Mr. R. R. Turner was raised a Whig and an
Abolitionist, and helped to organize the Republican party in Wayne County,
Illinois.
He was in Arkansas at the time of the
Civil War, and there formed a company of his own and fought the Confederates
for one year.
[DOES THIS COMPUTE WITH EARLIER STATEMENTS???]
He was sheriff of Greenwood County,
Kansas, and also justice of the peace at Eureka. He became a Mason at
Jefferson, Illinois, and was a member of the lodge at Cedar Vale.
He was a member of the Christian Church.
-0-
[FALL
1871] PAGE 471.
PHOTO: JAMES G. UTT.
JAMES G. UTT arrived in Cowley County,
Kansas, in the fall of 1871; he was a prominent farmer of Cedar Township, and
lived in Lookout Valley, where he owned 320 acres of fine farming land. Mr. Utt
was born January 22, 1838, in Jersey County, then a part of Greene County,
Illinois, a son of Jacob and Mary (Swan) Utt.
His father, Jacob Utt, was of German
descent, and was born in Pennsylvania in 1809—the year of the birth of Abraham
Lincoln. He went from Ohio west, to Illinois, when that state was a territory,
and died at Parsons, Kansas, on Christmas morning, 1890, aged 87. The ancestors
of the family came from Germany, and became established in Pennsylvania. The
great-grandfather of James G. Utt, and two of his brothers, served in the Revolutionary
War, and his grandfather and one brother served in the War of 1812. He had
three uncles in the Mexican War. Four of his brothers went to California in
1849, and when the Civil War broke out, they enlisted in defense of the Union.
Jacob Utt was united in marriage to Mary
Swan, who was born in Tennessee about 1810, and was probably a relative of
ex-Governor Swan, of that state. She died in Parsons, Kansas, in 1878. Ten
children were born to bless their union, namely: James G.; a son, who died in
infancy; Kate Ann (Dodson), of Denver, Colorado; Reuben, who was in the army
during the Civil War, and resided at Pittsfield, Illinois; Mattie (Emerson), of
Illinois; Mary, of Parsons, Kansas; George, who was killed at the battle of
Kenesaw Mountain; Sophia (Shambaugh), wife of a Methodist minister in Nebraska;
Sarah (Drew), a widow whose husband died on Christmas Day, 1900, in Parsons,
Kansas; and Winfield Scott, who died at Parsons, Kansas.
James G. Utt attended the common schools
of Illinois, and began to work at the age of fourteen years. During the war he
remained at home and cared for the family, as all could not go to the front. He
afterward spent seven or eight years in the lead mines of Northern Illinois and
Wisconsin.
In 1871, with his wife and six children,
he drove through to Cowley County, Kansas, accompanied by another family, which
located in Chautauqua County. He camped on his home farm about October 6, 1871,
and encountered the heaviest rain-storm he ever witnessed. The land in Cedar
Township on which he located, in section 16, township 34, range 8 east, was
school land, and was appraised at $3 per acre. Owing to a very high hill
nearby, known as Lookout Mountain, the valley, for three miles to the southwest
and east, was known as Lookout Valley, and in this he located.
Mr. O. C. Sartin, who married Anna Cloyd,
was the first settler in this valley, and resided but a half mile distant; in
the early days he was a trapper and hunter. He later became a minister.
[Part of this information on Sartin taken
from HERITAGE.]
Mr. Utt took the south half of the south
half of section 16, and later purchased the north half of the south half of the
same section, from Amos Gent and Mr. Baton, making him the owner of the entire
south half of the section. He came to Cowley County a poor man, and his first
years here were marked by unceasing toil. He built the front part of his
present house of native lumber, which was sawed in a mill owned by Mr. Pollard,
who in 1901 was living in Cedar Vale. The house was 16 by 24 feet, which was
considered large in those days. Into this, the family moved before the roof was
put on. The shingles were made of native lumber, and were sawed by Mr. Phelps,
in Otter Township. They were made by hand, and Mr. Utt assisted in the work.
The house in time was greatly enlarged and well arranged.
Mr. Utt set out an orchard in 1872—the
first orchard in the valley—buying the trees for 50 cents apiece, at Oswego.
Although there was no timber on the place when he took it, a considerable
amount was grown and the cottonwood trees supplied fuel from 1891 to 1901. Mr.
Utt built a large amount of stone fence in 1873, 1874, and 1875, of stones
picked up on the farm. He also set out about three-fourths of a mile of hedge,
and the remainder of the farm was well fenced with wire. He began raising wheat
in the fall of 1872, sowing at that time 15 acres. He broke the land with oxen,
for which he traded his horses, using the oxen until 1874. He broke 40 acres,
of his own, the first year, and also considerable land for his neighbors. The
early settlers were very sociable and often made trips to town together,
returning with freight for country stores, etc. All the settlers were then
engaged in freighting, more or less, as it was about the only way in which to
make any money.
Mr. Utt later engaged in mixed farming,
raising corn, wheat, oats, alfalfa, and Kaffir corn, in rotation. He raised
cattle and hogs each year.
Mr. Utt married, before the war, Mary
Randle, who was born in Jersey County, Illinois, in June 1838. She was a
daughter of James G. and Jane (White) Randle. Her father was from North
Carolina, and died in 1879, aged 70. Her mother died in 1876, aged 71. Mr. and
Mrs. Randle had the following children: Joseph, who lived half a mile east of
James G. Utt's place, just across the county line; Mary; Susie, deceased; and
Henry N., who resided at Hillsboro, Illinois, and was county treasurer of
Montgomery County.
Mr. and Mrs. James G. Utt became parents
of 11 children: Delia Jane, deceased; William H., who lived north of Cedar
Vale; George, who lived at home in 1901; James, of Harvey County, Kansas;
Clara, who died at the age of four years; Bert, who lived in Harvey County,
Kansas; Walter J., who lived near his parents and was married, and had one son,
Adrian; Charles R., who lived at home; Jennie, who also was living at home;
India (Childers), who lived in Chautauqua County, Kansas, and had two children,
Guy and Mildred Childers; and John L., who was living at home.
Mr. Utt became an Odd Fellow in 1863, at
Elsah, Illinois, and in 1901 was a member of Lodge No. 151, at Cedar Vale. Mrs.
Utt was a member of the Rebekahs. Of their sons, Walter was a member of the I.
O. O. F.; Charles, of the Woodmen of the World; William H., of the Woodmen of
the World; and Bert, of the Fraternal Aid Society.
Politically, Mr. James G. Utt was always
a Republican, and had served as clerk of school district No. 83 for about 18
years. He took the United States census for the southeastern part of Cowley
County in 1880, 1890, and in 1900.
Religiously, Mrs. Utt favored the Baptist
church.
-0-
[JULY
9, 1871.] PAGE 497.
ANTHONY J. WALCK resided on his present
property in Maple Township, Cowley County, Kansas, comprising the east half of
the northwest quarter and the west half of the northeast quarter of section 22,
township 30, range 3 east, since July 9, 1871; he was one of the highly
respected farmers of the community.
His father, Andrew Walck, and his mother
were born in Bavaria, Germany, and in 1831 they came to the United States.
Andrew Walck first located in Stark County, Ohio, where he rented land and
carried on farming. He afterward moved to Allen County, Ohio, in 1838, where he
died. His widow died in 1864. They were the parents of the following children:
John, a retired farmer, resided at Winfield, Kansas, in 1901; Anna M., who died
in 1872, wife of Michael Busch, a farmer of Maple Township; Anthony J.; Adam,
who was a retired farmer and merchant living in Oklahoma; and Andrew, who died
in 1874.
Anthony J. Walck attended school until he
was 14 years of age, when he went to work on a canal boat; he next learned the
trade of a carpenter. In 1856 he located in Fayette County, Iowa, where he
worked at his trade until 1866.
The next four years were spent in Dent
County, Missouri, where he made shingles. He then took up a farm in Cowley
County, Kansas, and later purchased 10 acres in Rock Township, section 18,
township 30, range 4 east, and rented the farm to his son, Andrew J. Mr.
Anthony J. Walck was a hard and conscientious worker and consumed years in
getting his place into fine condition.
Mr. Anthony J. Walck married October 13,
1851, Mary A. Bever, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, who passed away November 3,
1873. They had the following children: John A., who married Sarah J. McMillen,
and became a farmer of Maple Township; Samuel, who moved to Oklahoma, where he
was a farmer; Anna M., who was the wife of Robert Winkley, of Marion County,
Kansas; Andrew J., who married Malvina Rader, and resided on his father's farm;
Malvina H., who lived in Denver, Colorado; and Lavina H., the wife of Henry L.
Moore, of Sedalia, Missouri. The two last named were twins.
Mr. Walck was a staunch Democrat. He held
the office of school director and township clerk.
ADDITION TO ABOVE FILE:
Arkansas City Traveler, February 28, 1877.
“Item from Maple Township
Correspondent. Gustavus Locker recently
sold his farm to John Walck, Auglaize County, Ohio, for $2,075. Mr. Walck
bought this farm for a homestead, and it is the fifth quarter section he has
bought in this township.”
-0-
[DECEMBER
1869.] PAGE 142.
J. B. WALL WAS LISTED IN HERITAGE ... BUT
THOUGHT YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK STORY OVER.
J. B. WALL resided on his present farm,
which was the northwest quarter of section 32, Rock Township, since December
1869.
He was born in Garrard County, Kentucky,
April 5, 1836, a son of William Wall.
William Wall was born in the city of
Cork, Ireland, and his wife, Tima Burnsides, was born in Garrard County,
Kentucky. He was a bookkeeper, and later followed farming. Both died in
Kentucky. They were the parents of the following children: Edwin, Edmond,
Margaret Ann, Mary Ann, Sallie, Nancy, Robert, William, and J. B. Of these,
four were still living in 1901,
The children all received a common school
education. J. B. lived at home until after he had attained the age of
twenty-four years. August 24, 1861, he enlisted in Company C, 1st Reg., Ky.
Vol. Cav., and during his three years and four months of service was in
Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee. After the close of the war, he returned
home, where he remained until he journeyed to Cowley County, Kansas. He took up
the northwest quarter of section 32, Rock Township, in December 1869, and was
joined by his family the same year. He built a log cabin and in 1870 put out
five acres of corn. He added improvements and ended up with one of the best
farms in the vicinity. His home was built in 1884, at a cost of $700, and his
barn and outbuildings were all in first class condition. He raised corn, oats,
wheat, cattle, hogs, and horses.
Mr. J. B. Wall was married October 7,
1866, to Tima Teter of Garrard County, Kentucky, a daughter of Stephen Teter.
Her father was a soldier in the Mexican War, and while returning to his home in
Kentucky, died in Texas of smallpox. Her mother subsequently married Alfred
Burton. From the first marriage three children were born: Alfred; Buena,
deceased; and Mr. Wall's wife.
[MAY WANT TO SKIP.]
Of the second union, seven children were
born: Robert, Rhoads, Alice, Florence, Dovie, Hauntley, and Perry.
Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Wall had the following
children.
1. Robert Wall, farmer, married Alice
Bonnerfield, by whom he had a son, Hilburt.
2. George Wall, who lived in Leadville,
Colorado.
3. Ira Wall, who was single in 1901, and
lived at home.
4. William Wall, also single, and lived
at home.
5. Leota Wall.
Mr. J. B. Wall was independent, in
politics, and served on the school board in his district. He favored the
Christian church; Mrs. Wall and daughter belonged to the Methodist Episcopal
church.
-0-
[1971/1972
???] PAGE 144.
GEORGE WALKER, deceased, was a prosperous
farmer of Rock Township, Cowley County, Kansas, and performed his share of the
work in making this county one of the leading agricultural counties in the
Sunflower State. At his death he owned about 500 acres, all in Rock Township,
and his home was situated in section 19. George Walker was born in Mercer
County, Pennsylvania, November 4, 1824, a son of Harvey Walker.
His father, Harvey Walker, was a native
of Pennsylvania, and moved in 1853 with his family to Knox County, Illinois. He
was a mechanic all his life. He married Mary Ann Carr, who was born in London,
England, and whose parents came to the United States when she was a girl of
twelve years. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Walker died in 1863. They were the parents of
the following children: James, Eliza, Harvey, Samuel, George, Caroline, Sarah,
William, and John.
The early life of George Walker was spent
in his native county and after his marriage he remained in Greenville,
Pennsylvania, two years. He was a blacksmith by trade and followed farming
during the major part of the time. He moved to Knoxville, Illinois, from
Pennsylvania, and later on moved to Page County, Iowa. In the fall of 1870, he
became a resident of Kansas, and first located near Topeka. In the following
spring, he located in Butler County, and from there he entered Cowley County.
He settled in the Walnut Valley, in section 6, Rock Township. He filed on 80
acres located by an old German settler, named Hamilton, who was the first to
take up land in that district. This man was very homesick and longed to return
to his native country. Accordingly Mr. Walker had no difficulty in securing the
tract. On the farm a 14-foot square cabin had been put up, and Mr. Walker lived
in it while residing on the place, having built a small addition to it. In
April, 1876, he bought 160 acres, which in 1901 comprised the old homestead,
and to this he added adjoining lands until he was the owner of over 500 acres.
He first lived in a small house, 16 by 18 feet, and a story and a half high,
and 12 acres had been broken on the homestead property. By hard and constant
toil, he succeeded in getting his place into a high state of cultivation and
became a large producer of grain, also of livestock.
Mr. Walker married July 3, 1851, Sarah
Meacham, of Erie County, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth
(Ball) Meacham. Her father was born in New Hampshire, and her mother in
Pennsylvania. They lived in Erie and Mercer counties many years and in 1851
moved to Knox County, Illinois, where Samuel Meacham spent ten years. His wife
died there in 1856, and he then located in Lyons County, Kansas. He moved to
Cowley County in 1877, and died in the county February 1881. He was a lifelong
farmer. Fifteen children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Meacham: William, who lived
in Illinois; Mary; Moses, who was a Baptist preacher in Nebraska; Edward, who
died in the Mexican War; Harriet, deceased; Sarah (Walker); James, who lived in
Topeka, Kansas; Cornelius, who lived in Idaho; Samuel, a minister, who lived in
Missouri; Phylinda, who was a resident of Michigan; Gerry, deceased; Perry,
deceased; Hannah, who died in December 1899; Elizabeth, who died aged ten
years; and Joel, who died in infancy.
George and Sarah Walker had the following
children: Isaphien, the eldest child, who died in infancy; Cecelia, who died in
infancy; Samuel H., who died aged 17; Sylvia Elizabeth, wife of David McKibben
of Oklahoma; George W., an implement dealer in Coyle, Oklahoma, who married
Lillie Daniels; Ida M., wife of James Atkinson of Coyle Oklahoma, also an
implement dealer; Minnie M., wife of J. C. Martindale; Mary L., wife of M. W.
Bentley, who farmed the old homestead.
Mr. Walker was a soldier in the Union
Army, being a corporal in Company H, 102nd Reg., Ill. Vol. Inf., in which he
served three years. When he was mustered out of service, his health was very
much impaired, and he never afterward regained a sound condition. He was a
member of the G. A. R. at Udall. He formerly belonged to the Methodist church
but later became a Spiritualist. Mr. Walker was a man greatly esteemed for his
many good qualities, and his death, which occurred December 9, 1897, was deeply
deplored by his numerous acquaintances, who knew him as having led an honorable
and virtuous life.
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[DECEMBER
1870.] PAGE 25.
WIDOW PLAYED UP AS SUBJECT...
Mrs. Julia L. Walton, who, with her two
accomplished daughters, resided in one of Winfield's beautiful houses, was the
widow of LUCIUS WALTON, who was one of the earliest settlers of Cowley County,
Kansas.
LUCIUS WALTON was born in Jefferson
County, Indiana, November 4, 1829, a son of Comfort Walton. His grandfather,
Abial Walton, came from England to New York City before the Revolutionary War.
During that struggle he lived in Canada; but when it was over he returned to
the United States and finally located at Rising Sun, Indiana, where he died at
a very advanced age, being nearly one hundred years old.
Comfort Walton, father of Lucius Walton,
was one of the earliest settlers of Jefferson County, Indiana, where he
preempted land. His wife's maiden name was Sprague and she came from the Rhode
Island family bearing that name. Comfort Walton died when Lucius, the youngest
child and only son, was two years of age. The latter, at the age of 14, was
placed with C. K. Laird, a merchant, who was an uncle of the lady he afterward
married, and there he became proficient as a salesman, making many friends by
his courteous manner and upright conduct. With this gentleman he made his home
until 1851, when he was married to Julia Laird.
In 1852 Mr. and Mrs. Lucius Walton went
to Jackson County, Indiana, where their eldest child, John, was born. They soon
moved to Shelby County, Indiana, where they resided for 18 years. Mr. Walton
was engaged in merchandising until the outbreak of the Civil War, when
unsettled finances of the country prompted him to make a change, and he
invested in farm property. He sold his farm of 120 acres in 1870, preparatory
to going to Kansas, receiving therefore $50 per acre. Owing to the discovery of
gas in the locality at a later period, the price of this land rose in value to
$100 per acre.
Mr. Walton located at Olathe, Johnson
County, Kansas, with his wife and four children, and found many others waiting
for the survey and opening for settlement of the Osage Indian Reservation
lands, which included what is now Cowley County. In December 1870 with his son,
John, he came to Cowley County to locate claims, camping near the Ross farm, to
the north of Winfield. They then set out on foot to find a claim, but it was
very difficult to find desirable spots, as the land was unsurveyed. As a
result, he bought the claim of Mr. Eskridge, brother of a former governor of
Kansas. It was the northeast quarter of section 36, township 33, range 3 east.
There was already upon it a log house, and there John remained, while his
father returned for the family and an outfit. On March 12, 1871, Lucius Walton
left Olathe with his family and arrived at their future home eleven days
afterward. They resided in the log house until 1874, when a comfortable frame
house was built on the northeast quarter of the same section, where the family
lived until 1889, and of which John Walton became the present occupant.
Lucius Walton engaged extensively in
grain and stock raising, and met with great success, but he was not merely a
farmer. He had large transactions in property, and acquired a handsome
competency by good investments and judicious management. His later life became
clouded by sickness, which resulted in his death in 1890, one year after his
removal to the city of Winfield. He was a man universally admired and
respected.
Mrs. Julia Laird Walton was born February
14, 1830, in Delaware County, New York, a daughter of H. N. and Hannah
(Stonemetz) Laird. Her great-grandfather Laird emigrated from Belfast, Ireland,
with his small family. Soon after his arrival in New York, he enlisted in the
American army under Washington, and was killed in the battle of Monmouth. The
grandmother of Mrs. Walton on her father's side was of the Hammond and Delano
families, of Massachusetts, and later, of Vermont. H. N. Laird, her father,
moved to Jefferson County, Indiana, when she was but two years of age. Her
mother, Hannah Stonemetz, was of German descent, her parents having emigrated
from the country bordering the Rhine, and having settled at Cherry Valley, New
York, at a very early day.
Mr. and Mrs. Lucius Walton became parents
of the following children.
1. John Walton, born in Jackson County,
Indiana, and came to Cowley County with his father, preempting a claim here. He
also worked with the surveyors when the county was surveyed. John owned 640
acres of land in 1901 and resided on the old home farm. He was married at
Bentonville, Benton County, Arkansas, to Georgia A. Nesbit, and they had three
children: Glenn, Errol, and Helen.
2, 3, 4, and 5. Clarence, Elvin,
Florence, and Marie were deceased in 1901.
6. Lillie, born in Shelby County,
Indiana, May 6, 1869, lived at home with her mother, and was the owner of 160
acres of farm land in her own right.
7. Clara, born in Beaver Township, Cowley
County, Kansas, October 26, 1873, was also the owner of a tract of 160 acres of
land.
Mrs. Walton well remembered her first
view of Winfield, and how little it was entitled to be called a town, as many
of the inhabitants were living in tents and wagons. The early days in Kansas
were attended with rough experiences and much trepidation on account of the
Indians. Upon one occasion, a neighbor of the Waltons, Mr. Holland, became
frightened at the noise made by a party of Indians who were passing his house
in the night, and took his wife and 12 children to shelter in some bushes not
far away. The night being cool, the anxious mother feared for the comfort of
her youngest child, a babe in arms, and requested her husband to return to the
house for a quilt. Upon seeing him run back with the quilt over his shoulders,
Mrs. Holland became frightened and screamed herself almost into hysteria. That
night they drove to Winfield for safety. This incident, laughable later, was
serious enough at that day.
Mr. and Mrs. Walton moved to Winfield in
1889, and both took great interest in the improvements there going on. In 1891
Mrs. Walton purchased a house at No. 1221 Seventh Avenue, where she resided
with her two surviving daughters.
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[DECEMBER
24, 1868.] PAGE 247.
PHOTO: MR. AND MRS. JOHN WATSON.
JOHN WATSON attained considerable success
as an agriculturist, and pursued that occupation in Cowley County, Kansas,
since December 24, 1868. He was one of the oldest residents of Fairview Township.
He took up 160 acres in section 30, to which he added 80 acres, making a total
of 240 acres. Mr. Watson endured the many hardships that befell the pioneer
settler.
John Watson was born in Brighton,
Kentucky, November 10, 1835, a son of 'Squire and Mary Jane (Bly) Watson.
His father, 'Squire Watson, was also born
in Kentucky, but moved to Fountain County, Indiana, six months after the birth
of his son, John, and resided there until his death, in 1844, aged 44. His
wife, a native of Maryland, died in 1880. They were the parents of nine
children: William, deceased, who went to California in 1862, and was engaged in
the freight business many years; Mary Jane, who was the wife of William
Thurman, and died in Oregon, in 1898; Lucy Ann, deceased; John; Frank, who died
in Indiana, in 1884; Isaac, who died in Indiana; Squire, who died in Georgia
during the Civil War; James, who was a railroad man, and resided at Covington,
Indiana; and Mina, who died at an early age.
John Watson spent very little time in attending
school, for, when ten years of age, he began to shift for himself, and for the
first six years worked at farming. He then spent twelve years with the Western
Stage Company and drove between Covington and Eugene, Indiana, and at a later
period on to Terre Haute, Indiana. In the spring of 1856, he drove to different
points, from Sugar Grove, Illinois. Four years were spent by him driving stage
between St. Joseph and Savannah, Missouri. In 1859, with a party of five, he
started to drive through with five yoke of oxen, to Pike's Peak, but before he
had gone far, he sold his interests, and entered the government employ, driving
a team from Fort Riley to Junction City, Kansas.
In 1860 he organized Company A, 2nd Reg.,
Kans. Vol. Cav., of which he became captain. The company was mustered into
service at Leavenworth, Kansas, and sent to Springfield, Missouri. At Wilson
Creek, it was nearly annihilated—but 13 out of 80 escaping death or injury.
John Watson was shot in the left side of the head, his right thigh was
fractured, and for six months he was laid up in the hospital. When he returned
to duty, he was assigned to the task of escorting foraging trains, and with
this he saw three years of service.
After the war he went to Chillicothe,
Missouri, where he operated a livery for eighteen months. Then he went to
Bloomington, Illinois, where he worked a year for a hedge fence company. Next
he spent a season in Butler County, Kansas, near Fort Scott, and moved on his
present farm the same year in which he took it up, and in 1869 built a log
house and broke 30 acres, besides a garden spot. In 1870 his corn crop yielded
80 bushels to the acre, which he sold for $1.25 per bushel and for his
pumpkins, he received $2.00 per load. Neighbors were then very scarce, and Mr.
Watson and his family were many times reported as killed by the Indians, but
the red men always proved to be very friendly to them. Mr. Watson was an
enterprising and progressive farmer.
Mr. John Watson was married, at
Brownsville, Missouri, September 25, 1869, to Mrs. Mary Ellen (Poland)
Zimmerman, of Maryland, a daughter of Thomas and Ellen (Duncan) Poland. Her
father was also born in Maryland, but moved thence to Uniontown, Pennsylvania,
and thence to Brownsville, Missouri. He was a carpenter in trade. Mrs. Watson
first married Wendell Zimmerman, a native of Germany, who died in 1864. They
were parents of the following children: Charles Foster Zimmerman, who resided
at Dodge City, Kansas; Luvenia, deceased, wife of G. W. Arnold, of Fairview
Township, Cowley County; Margaret, widow of Erick Southerland, and who resided
at Silverton, Colorado; and Cora, wife of George Shaddle, of Seguro, Colorado.
Mr. and Mrs. John Watson had the
following children.
1. Robert Watson, who died, aged eighteen
years.
2. John Watson, who died, aged nine
months.
3. An unnamed infant, who died.
4. Harry A. Watson, who married Mattie
Hill, and helped Mr. Watson in cultivating the farm.
Politically, John Watson was a Democrat;
he never sought any office.
-0-
[AUGUST
1870.] PAGE 320.
FRANK WEAKLY, residing in section 5,
Walnut Township, Cowley County, Kansas, was a member of one of the oldest and
most respected families of the county. He, his father, and three brothers,
settled in Cowley County August 1870, and took up claims in sections 5, 6, 7,
and 8, in Walnut Township. Frank Weakly's claim was the northeast quarter of
section 7, township 32, range 4 east. Frank Weakly was born in Shelby County,
Illinois, in 1846, a son of Robert and Elizabeth (Small) Weakly.
His father, Robert Weakly, was of
Scotch-Irish descent, and was a native of either Maryland or Virginia. He died
January 3, 1900. His wife was a native of Pennsylvania, and her death occurred
February 28, 1895. They were the parents of six children.
1. Rebecca Weakly died in Kansas.
2. John Weakly lived just north of
Frank's home. He was married twice. First wife, Mary Vinton, died, leaving one
child, William. Second wife, Mrs. Maggie Hamilton, who bore John two children:
she had one child by a former marriage.
3. Nancy Jane Weakly died in Illinois,
when a young child.
4. Henry Weakly lived near Akron, Cowley
County, and had a wife and three children: Charles, Ethel, and Inez.
5. Frank Weakly.
6. Israel Weakly was in partnership with
his brother, Frank.
Mr. Robert Weakly first attended the
Presbyterian Church, but later, with his wife, became a member of the German
Reformed Church. He was a Republican, and was elected to various offices in his
community.
During the early 1870s while the family
was journeying through to Kansas, the men worked for a time on a railroad.
After locating on different claims, they erected a cabin, in which they lived
until 1878. In 1879 they erected a large residence, 32 by 36 feet in
dimensions. Two years later the barn, 70 by 50 feet, was built as well as
numerous other buildings.
In working together, the Weakly family
made wonderful progress, and their farm was considered one of the best in
Cowley County.
Frank and Israel Weakly lived constantly
on the place, having bought out their brothers and father, and carried on
farming on a large scale. Most of their land was put into grain every year,
although a small amount was used for pasture, as they kept the requisite amount
of livestock on hand to run the farm.
Miss Bertha Shinn was the housekeeper for
this family since 1893. They had an adopted child, Callie. The Weakly family
were Republicans. Frank Weakly served in various township offices.
NOTE: IF I READ ALL THIS CORRECTLY, IT
APPEARS THAT FRANK AND BROTHER ISRAEL WEAKLY NEVER MARRIED...NOT SURE WHO WAS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADOPTION OF CALLIE...???
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[SEPTEMBER
1870.] PAGE 435.
GEORGE WHITNEY owned the northwest
quarter of section 32, township 34, range 4 east, in Creswell Township. He
entered the borders of Cowley County, Kansas, September 1870. Farming was the
occupation of his life.
George Whitney was born in Chautauqua
County, New York, March 16, 1843, a son of Streeter and Harriet (Ransom)
Whitney.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Streeter Whitney were
natives of New York State. The former, whose occupation was farming, died in
1887; the latter died five years later. They were the parents of the following
children.
1. Orwell Whitney: Born in 1840, died in
the Union army in 1862; he was first a member of the 112th Reg., N. Y. Vol.
Inf., and at the time of his death was in the 7th Massachusetts Battery.
2. Rachael Whitney; deceased.
3. Lurency (Cornish) resided in Sherman,
New York.
4. Nelson Whitney lived in the same
state, New York.
5. George Whitney.
George Whitney was next to the eldest
child born to Streeter and Harriet Whitney, and attended the common schools of
his district during his early youth. In 1861 he enlisted in the 9th Reg., N. Y.
Vol. Cav., and after serving eight months was discharged on account of
disability, being afflicted with weak lungs. Returning home, he was confined to
his bed for nearly two years.
In the spring of 1865, he went to
Buchanan County, Iowa, where he spent two years in farming. After his marriage
he returned home, and there remained for a period of three years.
In 1869 he entered the borders of Kansas,
and located at Emporia. This change was made on account of his weak lungs. From
Emporia he moved to Cowley County, and took up, in Creswell Township, his
farm—comprising the northwest quarter of section 32, township 34, range 4
east—which he still owned in 1901, with the exception of 17 acres. This farm
bordered the Walnut River, and in 1901 still contained 20 acres of natural
timber. Mr. Whitney erected his present buildings himself, the lumber for which
was obtained at Wichita. After many years of hard labor, he made his farm one
of the best in Creswell Township, raising considerable wheat, and some hogs and
cattle. In hogs, he favored a strain made up of three-fourths Poland-China, and
one-fourth Berkshire. During the real estate boom in Cowley County, he sold his
farm at $150 per acre, and in 1890 took it back. He later rented most of it,
retaining only the pasture land. In 1890 he purchased a lot and built a fine
home in Arkansas City, where he re-sided thereafter.
Mr. Whitney married Delia Connel, of
Illinois. They had two children: Lida and Edna, both living at home in 1901.
Mr. Whitney was a Republican, and served
as road overseer.
Added data for Whitney file:
Arkansas City Traveler, March 1, 1876.
M. R. Leonard and George Whitney returned
from Arkansas last Monday. They will remain with us awhile.
Arkansas City Traveler, July 11, 1877.
Mares for Mules. I have a good team of
good brood and work mares I will trade for a team of good mules. George
Whitney.
Arkansas City Traveler, August 6, 1879.
George Whitney is coming back from
Colorado.
Arkansas City Traveler, September 10, 1879.
Mr. George Whitney, who has been in
Colorado for some time, returned last Saturday evening, satisfied that in the
long run Kansas is a better state.
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[1871.] PAGE 133.
DAVID J. WILLIAMS was an enterprising and
prosperous farmer residing in section 12, Tisdale Township, Cowley County,
Kansas. He was born in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania, in the village of
Minersville, Schuylkill County, in September, 1844, a son of John and Martha
(Jenkins) Williams.
His father, John Williams, was born in
Wales about the year 1800. He was a mechanic by trade, although after coming to
this country, he worked in the coal mines in Pennsylvania, where he was killed
in 1850. He was married, in Wales, to Mrs. Jenkins, who died in Ohio, in 1882.
In the two families were reared ten children: Anna Jenkins (Jones), who died in
California; Eliza Jenkins (Edwards), who died in Ohio; William and Daniel,
deceased; Ambrose, who lived in Pennsylvania; John, deceased; Jacob, who lived
in Michigan, and was a well known employee of the Port Huron & Northwestern
Railroad Company; David J.; Mary Jane (Davis), who lived in Pennsylvania, and
whose husband was a machinist; and Benjamin, deceased.
The Williams family moved to Trumbull
County, Ohio, when David J. was a lad of nine years, and there he received his
schooling. When the war of secession broke out, he enlisted as a gunner in the
20th Ohio Battery, and served as gunner of the second piece until the close of
the conflict. He was in the service three years, lacking fifteen days. He was
in the Army of the Cumberland, and participated in the Atlanta campaign. He
took part in many engage-ments, and his last two battles were at Franklin and
Nashville, under General Thomas. In the former he was wounded by a spent shell.
In 1871 journeyed to Cowley County,
Kansas, in company with J. D. Hollinger, Robert Hilton, John Campbell, and
John H. Wilson. All came from Ohio, with the exception of the last named.
David J. Williams took up the southwest
quarter of section 12, township 32, range 5 east. From native lumber he built a
house 12 by 14 feet in dimensions, and besides breaking 25 acres the first
year, also set out a number of trees. The first year he planted 25 acres in
sod-corn, which yielded 25 bushels to the acre. During this time he served on
the first grand jury of Cowley County, under Judge Ross. Mr. Williams then
returned to Wayne County, Ohio, and shortly afterward moved to Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, where he worked on the P. & L. E. Railroad, and in connection
with the city water works.
In 1884, with his family, he moved back
on his farm, which had been cultivated by different occupants during his
absence, but he had always kept up the taxes.
The old house stood on the northeast
corner. Mr. Williams built a five-room house on the southeast corner. His new
barn, 28 by 48 feet, was completed in 1899 at a cost of about $600, which did
not include its owner's time. Besides having ample room for many horses and
cows, it contained grain bins, and the mow had a capacity of 34 tons of hay.
Corn, cattle, and hogs were the chief products of the farm, and of the latter,
he raised yearly about 35 of the Poland-China and Berkshire breeds. He also
raised horses of superior stock, and had a number of fine draft horses. Fifty
acres of his farm were in pasture, with a fair size orchard, and the remainder
was under cultivation. The farm contained many substantial buildings, and was
all enclosed and cross-fenced.
Mr. Williams married Sarah Harbaugh, in
1867, at Akron, Ohio; she died in 1897, leaving a son, Harry.
He married shortly before 1901 Mrs. Sarah
McEwen, who had a son, Guy.
Mr. Williams was a Populist. He served as
constable and road overseer several terms.
He joined the G. A. R. at Mineral Ridge,
Ohio, and later the Siverd Post, of Winfield. He was a member of Tisdale Lodge,
No. 514, I. O. O. F., of Tisdale, Kansas, and was Noble Grand of that lodge. He
was a Baptist.
-0-
[JULY
1870.] PAGE 206.
GEORGE H. WILLIAMS was a prominent
merchant of Rock, Kansas, and served as postmaster of the village for over
twenty-five years. He was a resident of the Sunflower State since 1855,
although he did not locate in Cowley County until July 1870.
George H. Williams was born August 22,
1846, on Grand Island, Lake Superior, a son of John W. and Amanda J. Williams.
His father, John W. Williams, was a
native of the state of New York, and his wife was born in Fulton County,
Illinois. They were married in Michigan, where they resided until October,
1850, when they moved to Fulton County, Illinois. In 1855, they located in
Kansas, where Mr. Williams engaged in farming. He was a blacksmith by trade and
followed that occupation many years. He died June 1, 1885, and his widow died
at Rock, in March 1898. They reared the following children: George H.; Stephen
D., who died in Douglass, Kansas, in 1894; Justus F., who was a stock raiser,
and resided in Wyoming; John F., who was a farmer and stock breeder, and
resided in Osage County, Kansas; Christopher V., who was a harness maker, and
lived in Osage County, Kansas; Ella J., deceased, who was the wife of Peter
Taylor; Ida E., who was the wife of T. Stephens, of Lawrence, Kansas; Abraham
L., who was a stone mason; Limon P., who resided near Rock, Kansas, and was a
gardener; Arthur W., who was a farmer in Kansas; and Lloyd E., who was a farmer
of Lyon County, Kansas.
Mr. George H. Williams attended the state
university at Lawrence, Kansas, and made his home with his parents until he
attained the age of twenty-two years. He then taught school two terms in
Douglass County, Kansas, and then taught private school in Cowley County.
On July 11, 1870, he took up the
northeast quarter of section 28, Rock Township. As it was all raw prairie, much
labor was required to get it under a good state of cultivation. Mr. Williams
built a house, 12 by 14 feet, and in April 1871 was joined by his family. That
year he broke five acres, which he put into corn, and the next year he planted
five more acres, and from 10 acres raised an average of 50 bushels of corn per
acre.
Mr. Williams lived on the place until
1874, when, in partnership with John Worthington, he engaged in the general
merchandising business. In 1878 he bought out Mr. Worthington by conveying his
farm for the latter's share in the business.
Since 1882, this farm was in the
possession of Albert Abbott.
Mr. Williams continued in business alone
and gained a large patronage. In 1875 he was appointed postmaster, and had
continuous charge of the Rock post office. He served as justice of the peace
from 1873 to 1875, was township trustee in 1873, and also acted as notary
public. He was a Republican, and in 1901 held the office of township treasurer.
Mr. Williams was married December 17, 1808,
to Sarah J. Coon, of Henry County, Indiana, a daughter of Eli and Margaret
(Morrison) Coon, and they had the following children.
1. Laura May, wife of W. H. Widener, a
farmer of Rock Township.
2. George C., a farmer in Rock Township,
who married Nora Hollingsworth.
3. Lola Inez, wife of H. C. Widener, of
Arkansas City.
4. Bird, wife of Charles Hornaday, of
Rock Township.
5. Eunice, who died in 1881.
Mr. Williams was a member of F. & A.
M.—Lodge No. 151, A. F. & A. M., of Douglass; Chapter No. 57, R. A. M., of
Douglass; and Commandery, No. 15, K. T., of Winfield. He was a director of the
Winfield National Bank, in which he had 10 shares; and vice-president of the
Exchange State Bank of Douglass, in which he held two shares.
-0-
[1870.] PAGE 454.
WILLIS WILSON, a pioneer citizen of
Cowley County, Kansas, was one of the foremost businessmen of Atlanta since the
town was first started. He was engaged in carrying on a general merchandise
store for some years, and then became the senior member of the firm of H. R.
Wilson & Company, conducting the only hardware store in Atlanta.
Mr. Wilson was born in Madison County,
Indiana, in 1835, and when eight years old, moved with his father to Daviess
County, in the same state. He was a son of Lemuel Wilson, who was born in North
Carolina, and moved, in 1869, to Coffey County, Kansas, where he resided one
year, and then moved to Cowley County. He followed his son Willis, to Cowley
County, and took up a farm near the latter's on Dutch Creek. He died in 1883,
at the ripe old age of eighty-eight years. His wife, whose maiden name was
Cory, died in Cowley County, in 1887, aged 84. Their union resulted in the
birth of four children.
1. Willis Wilson.
2. Abner Wilson, who died in 1878.
3. Lemuel Wilson, who lived six miles
southeast of Winfield.
4. Nancy J. (Miller), who lived in
Indiana.
Willis Wilson was reared in Indiana, and,
although later a man of intelligence and wide knowledge of worldly affairs, had
the advantage of but three months' schooling. He remained at home until he
reached the age of eighteen years, when he was united in marriage. He chose
farming as a means of acquiring a competency, and followed that occupation for
a period of fifty years.
On July 2, 1861, soon after the outbreak
of the Civil War, he enlisted in Company D, 24th Reg., Ind. Vol. Inf., 13th
Army Corps, 3rd Division, under Gen. Lew Wallace, and Division Commander E. P.
Hovey, who was later colonel of the 24th Regiment. Mr. Wilson served as a
private, and later as first sergeant, in 11 important engagements. He continued
in the service for three years, and received his discharge August 18, 1864.
He then returned to his Indiana home, and
there followed farming until 1870, when he sold his farm and went by rail to
Ottawa, Kansas, and thence by wagon to Cowley County, where he arrived before
the survey. He located on Dutch Creek, in Richland Township, on the northwest
quarter of section 24, township 30, range 5 east. Two of his brothers and his
father were in Woodson County, Kansas, at that time. He hauled lumber for the
building of his first house from Neosho Falls—a distance of 100 miles—and put
up a shanty, 12 by 24 feet, which was considered large in those days. This was
replaced, in 1880, by a new, seven-room house. He bought teams soon after locating
on the farm, and immediately set about breaking the ground and planting crops;
he raised wheat, largely, during the first years. The markets at that time were
Emporia and Burlington, and at a later period, Wichita. He subsequently made
corn his principal crop, and raised millet, extensively, for feeding purposes.
He engaged in stock raising on a large scale, preferring Poland-China hogs, of
which he sold $1,400 worth in one year. He became the owner of a half section
of land, and kept from 40 to 60 head of Shorthorn cattle. He sold the farm to
his son, Benjamin L., in 1886, about the time the railroad was being built
through Omnia Township, and retired from farming life.
He located at Atlanta, and was among the
first to build there, the store building of Mr. Day being completed a short
time prior to his. He established a hardware business, and followed it for one
year. Then he sold out both stock and building, and purchased Mr. Day’s building. In this he conducted a general
store with great success until 1893, building, in the meantime, an addition to
the store, which made it 80 feet in depth. He disposed of this store to Burns
& Grissom, and retired from business for a year.
In 1895, with his son, H. R. Wilson, he
opened the hardware store which since that time was conducted under the firm
name of H. R. Wilson & Company. They had a successful and growing business
in 1901, and three men were kept busily employed. They carried a complete line
of general hardware, implements, and vehicles, and had a well-equipped repair
shop in the rear of the store.
Mr. Wilson owned, and resided in, a fine
six-room, one-story house in the south part of Atlanta, and owned some land in
the vicinity.
Mr. Wilson was first united in marriage
with Louisa Shuram, who died in Indiana, leaving four children: Melinda
(Martin), who lived one and a half miles west of Atlanta, Cowley County; Mary
(Miller), who lived in Arkansas; Benjamin L., who resided on the old home farm,
in Richland Township; and G. A., who resided three miles from the town of
Atlanta.
Mr. Wilson formed a second union, in
Indiana—marrying Mary June Milton, who was born in that state, and died in
Cowley County in 1876, aged 31. Four children also resulted from his second
union: H. R., who married Miss Rash, and was a member of the hardware firm
bearing his name; James M., who married Miss Baston, and conducted a livery in
Atlanta; Louise (Klingsmith), who resided in Missouri; and Mrs. R. M. Torbett,
whose husband was identified with the hardware business in Atlanta, and who had
a son, Everett.
Willis Wilson was a Republican; he held
various township offices. He was a member of Atlanta Post, No. 324, G. A. R. He
was a Methodist, and attended the M. E. church which was dedicated on November
11, 1900. He formerly attended the services of the M. E. church, South, whose
place of worship was built soon after the town of Atlanta was established.
-0-
[MARCH
16, 1871.] PAGE 484.
SMITH WINCHEL was a prosperous and
well-to-do farmer residing in Silver Dale Township, Cowley County, Kansas, who
took up his farm March 16, 1871.
Smith Winchel was born in Perry County,
Indiana, February 20, 1842, a son of Richard and Rosella (Finch) Winchel. His
father was a native of New York State, and most of his days were spent in
Indiana, where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits.
When but a young man, Smith Winchel
enlisted, in 1861, in Company D, 1st Reg., Ind. Vol. Cav., under Conrad Baker,
ex-governor of that state, and rendered gallant service until he was mustered
out in September, 1864.
Young Smith Winchel remained at home,
helping his father cultivate the homestead, until 1868. Then he started west
and did farm work in the state of Missouri, until he settled in Cowley County.
He built a small log cabin on his farm, and in it resided until 1900, when his
present handsome home was completed. He made many improvements upon the place,
having put up a good barn and other outbuildings. His land was very fertile,
and especially adapted to the raising of corn, of which he cultivated about 50
acres every year. He made a specialty of hogs, favoring Poland-Chinas; he
carried on, however, general farming, raising a little of all kinds of grain.
Mr. Winchel was married twice, the first
union being with Mary Hawkins, a native of Missouri, whom he married January
24, 1869. Four children were born to them: John, Elmer, Wallace, and Frank, who
helped to care for the homestead. Their mother passed away January 1, 1878.
Mr. Winchel's second wife was Mrs.
Hathaway, who was married to Mr. Winchel October 1, 1880. Mrs. Winchel had four
children by her first husband: Jessie (Harvey); Rosa (Warren); Maude (Perrick);
and Albert Hathaway, who lived at home. Her last union resulted in the birth of
two more children: Clara Winchel and Alice Winchel—both living at home in 1901.
Mr. Winchel, as was his father, was a
Republican, while in religious views, he was inclined to be liberal.
Arkansas City Traveler, January 8, 1879.
“Dr. Shepard informs us that Mrs. Smith
Winchel, residing on Grouse Creek, was nearly burned to death one day last
week. Her recovery is very doubtful.”
-0-
[1869/1870] PAGE 55.
WARREN WOOD was one of Cowley County's
most enterprising and prominent farmers. He owned 560 acres in Beaver Township
of valuable farm land, although he tilled only 200 acres—the remainder being
leased out. Mr. Wood in 1901 was not living on the farm, having been for the
past year, or more, a resident of Winfield, where he removed in order that his
children might be able to obtain better schooling.
Warren Wood was born in the year 1837, in
Albany County, New York, and was a son of William Wood.
His father, William Wood, was born in New
York State, where the family had resided many years, and whence they moved, in
1837, to Illinois, where they lived in different counties, although mainly near
East St. Louis. There William Wood died in 1870. The wife of William Wood was
Margaret Baird, who was also a native of the Empire State, and who died near
East St. Louis, in 1844. They reared the following children: Herman, deceased;
David, who lived in the state of Washington; Warren; Walter and Morgan, who
also resided in the state of Washington; Catherine (Gammon), who, with her
husband, resided at Spokane Falls, Washington; Emma, twice married, first to a
Mr. King and later to a Mr. Trout (both deceased), and lived in Beaver
Township, Cowley County; and Henrietta, deceased.
Warren Wood attended school during his
younger days, and at fifteen years of age launched out for himself. He
accompanied some neighbors to the Indian Nation, where he gathered cattle to
take across the plains, and in so doing he gradually worked his way west, to
Marysville, California. After reaching that point, he worked in the mines until
1867. His subsequent occupation was as sawyer in a mill, for which he received
$5 a day. Continuing there but a short time, in 1867, he went to Washington,
and joined his brother, who had located in that state in 1865. There he
assisted his brother in farming and running a brick-kiln. In 1869, he located
in Johnson County, Kansas, where he first worked with a threshing outfit.
In May 1870 he moved to Cowley County,
but shortly afterward returned to Johnson County, and in the fall of the same
year located in Beaver Township, Cowley County, Kansas. He first preempted the
northwest quarter of section 15, township 33, range 3 east, and farmed that
quarter until about the year 1878, when he sold it for a good sum of money. He
then secured the northeast quarter of the same section, upon which he made
extensive improvements, and where he lived for a score of years. His house was
destroyed by fire and he at once erected a six-room, story-and-a-half house. He
built numerous outbuildings and a large, substantial barn, and being successful
in his operations, added to his possessions from time to time, until he became
the owner of 560 acres, all in Beaver Township. Stock raising and general
farming were his chief pursuits for thirty years. Later he made Winfield his
home, and there owned a two-and-a-half acre block in the eastern portion of the
city, where he had a handsome home and a good barn.
Mr. Wood married Jane Hatcher, a native
of Canada, whose parents were pioneer settlers of Kansas. They had four
children.
1. Edmund Wood, who was a teacher at
Newkirk, Oklahoma.
2. Lillie (Graham), who lived in Walnut
Township.
3. Morgan Wood.
4. Roy Wood.
Mr. Wood served three years in the United
States army, in campaigns against the Indians, and was a member of Company A,
1st. Reg., Oregon Cavalry. He was mustered out at Vancouver.
He was a Republican, and, religiously, he
favored the Christian church. He was a member of Arkansas Post, G. A. R.
-0-
NOT
PART OF THE 1869/1870/1871 GROUP....
TYPED THIS UP BECAUSE OF THE NAME
"WORTHLEY."
[1887] PAGE 219.
PHOTO: WILLIAM H. POTTLE.
HIS WIDOW, MRS. VIRGINIA S. POTTLE,
WAS BIO SKETCH SUBJECT.
MRS. VIRGINIA S. POTTLE, widow of the
late William H. Pottle, who was for many years the leading dry goods merchant
of Arkansas City, Kansas, was born in 1846 in Yates County, New York. She was a
daughter of George and Margaret A. (Woodruff) Kinney. George Kinney was
proprietor of a hotel at Penn Yan, New York, and died when Virginia was but two
and a half years old. Her mother lived until 1861, when the daughter, Virginia,
went to Manchester, Michigan, to visit a cousin. She was but fourteen years old
at the time, and continued to live in Manchester until her marriage with Mr.
Pottle. Being musically inclined, she was given every advantage in that
line—devoting several years to the study. She also taught music in Manchester
for ten years, which included some time after her marriage. It was in
Manchester she met the enterprising young dry goods merchant, William H.
Pottle, and they were united in marriage in 1871.
Mr. Pottle was born in Franklin County,
Maine, in October 1840, and died in Arkansas City, Kansas, November 7, 1899. He
was a son of Abel and Mahala (Ellsworth) Pottle, and was of English extraction.
Abel Pottle, who was a farmer residing
near Augusta, Maine, took an active interest in politics, and served as a member
of the state legislature, for several terms. His death occurred at his home in
Maine. His union with Mahala Ellsworth resulted in the birth of twelve
children, eight of whom reached maturity, as follows: Jerry; Mary (Worthley);
Abel, Jr.; William H.; Almira; James; Charles; and George. Jerry, who was a
successful farmer, died in 1893. Mary (Worthley) resided at Arlington Heights,
a suburb of Boston. Abel, Jr., was a Methodist minister, living in Maine.
Almira died soon after her marriage, leaving two children, who were living in
Maine in 1901. James had lived for the past ten years in California, where he
was a successful farmer, and had a large vineyard. Charles was a farmer, living
in South Dakota. George resided at Lewiston, Maine; he was mayor of that city
for several years, held the office of state assessor, and was prominent in
state politics. He had two children, one of whom died in infancy, and the
other, Philip, resided in Bowdoin Center, Maine.
William H. Pottle was educated at Kent’s
Hill, Farmington, Maine, where he also took a business course. He enlisted in
Company C, 8th Reg., Maine Vol. Inf., and served for two years and a half under
General Logan and General Grant. He was often detached to secure supplies;
while he took part in several battles, he never sustained any wounds. Upon his
return from the army, he went to Manchester, Michigan, where he engaged in the
dry goods business. He also took an active interest in politics, and acted as
chairman of committees, but never accepted office, as he wished to give his
attention to business.
In 1887 Mr. Pottle moved to Arkansas
City, Cowley County, Kansas, where he was engaged in business with A. A. Newman
for two years. He then conducted business under the firm name of W. H. Pottle
& Company, being connected with a company from Wichita, for two or three
years, after which he purchased their interest. His store was at No. 224 Summit
Street, and was considered one of the best in the city. He carried on a
successful business until his death, which occurred in 1899. He made many
friends, and was always ready to give a helping hand to young men, who were
just starting out in life. Highly respected by all, his death was greatly
deplored by all in the community.
Since her husband’s death, Mrs. Pottle
has carried on the business formerly conducted by her husband, and the name of
the concern is the Pottle Dry Goods Company. Mrs. Pottle is ably assisted by
her son-in-law, J. S. Mowatt, and her daughter, Margaret Pottle, who aided her
father for six years prior to his death. Gussie Pottle, a graduate of Arkansas
City schools, was employed as bookkeeper. Seven people were at work in the
store, and the patronage was large. Mrs. Pottle bought the best goods in the
market, and her patterns were always of the latest styles. She had three
daughters: Margaret; Mrs. Grace M. Mowatt; and Gussie.
The family were members of the
Congregational Church, and took an active interest in the church work. Mrs.
Pottle was a prominent member of a literary and a musical club, of Arkansas
City. She resigned shortly before 1901 as her time was fully occupied with
other duties.
Mr. Pottle was a member of the G. A. R.
and a Knight Templar.
-0-
THE
FOLLOWING PERSON WAS COVERED IN HERITAGE...
[OCTOBER
29, 1870] PAGE 291.
G. W. ARNOLD, a well known farmer of
Cowley County, Kansas, resided on the southeast quarter of section 28, Fairview
Township. He was a son of G. G. And Rebecca (Weakly) Arnold.
G. G. Arnold was born in Maryland, where
he lived for a number of years. He afterward moved to Fairfield County, Ohio,
and remained there until 1843, when he moved to Shelby County, Illinois. There
he was engaged in farming until 1870; on October 29, of that year, he moved
with his family to Walnut Township, Cowley County, Kansas. He bought 80 acres
of land which he cultivated for several years, and then moved to Oklahoma. His
death occurred in August, 1898, and his wife lived until February, 1900. His
union with Rebecca Weakly resulted in the birth of the following children:
Israel, deceased; Susan, wife of Marshall Howard, of Wichita, Kansas; Eliza,
deceased; Samuel, deceased; Maria, wife of A. D. Pontius, of Rich Hill,
Missouri; Fred, a farmer, of Walnut Township; G. W.; Otho, a farmer living near Guthrie, Oklahoma;
and Mary, wife of N. E. Newell, of Wichita, Kansas.
G. W. Arnold obtained his education in
the common schools of his native place. He moved to Kansas, with his parents,
in 1870, and remained at home until December 20, 1876, when he took up a claim
in the southeast quarter of section 28, in Fairview Township, Cowley County.
After breaking 10 acres of the ground, and digging a well, he built a house and
several outbuildings. Each year he made improvements and his farm was one of
the best in the county. He was successful in raising wheat, corn, oats, and
also cattle and hogs.
In December 1876 Mr. Arnold married Miss
Zimmerman, who died in 1878. There children were Frank, a resident of
Blackwell, Oklahoma; and Walter.
Mr. Arnold married in March 1886
Capitolia Lynn, a native of Illinois, who became a resident of Cowley County in
1885. They had two children: Beryl and Jessie.
Mr. Arnold was a member of the school
board several terms, and was a Republican. He and his wife were members of the
Christian Church at Winfield. They both belonged to the Fraternal Aid, of
Winfield.
-0-
STORY
APPEARED IN HERITAGE.
[APRIL
7, 1870.] PAGE 436.
WILLIAM AUMANN was an old and much
respected farmer, an excellent type of the sturdy German trace, who was a
resident of Cowley County, Kansas, since April 7, 1870. Upon his arrival in the
county, he preempted, in Creswell township, the southeast quarter of section 5,
township 34, range 3 east. He was an industrious and enterprising man, and
cultivated 400 acres, all of which he highly improved. He was born in Prussia,
Germany, June 22, 1848, a son of William Aumann, Sr., whose occupation was that
of a laborer.
William Aumann, Sr., always lived in
Germany, and died there a few years before 1901. He had five children: Henry,
deceased; Fred and Gottlieb, farmers in Illinois; William; and Ernest H., a
sketch of whom may also be found in this book.
William Aumann was reared and schooled in
Germany. In 1867 he came to this country and located in Madison County,
Illinois, where he spent three years working as a farm hand. With two other men
he journeyed to Kansas and took up his homestead. He built a small log house,
in which he lived from April until May, and then went back to Illinois, only to
return to Kansas two and a half months later. His old house was still standing in
1901, and was used as a barn; but his Kansas barn, constructed of poles and
straw, was long ago replaced by a large and substantial one. His nine-room
house was completed in 1888. He set out his cottonwood grove from slips
obtained from the river, and one very large tree grew from a log sleeper of a
dug-out, used as a cellar. In the early days many hardships were endured by the
determined and sturdy inhabitants of the new country, and Mr. Aumann was many
times frightened by the Indians, although never molested. Mr. Aumann went on
frequent buffalo hunts, that animal then being very plentiful. Independence was
his purchasing place, whereas in 1901 he bought most of his goods at Geuda
Springs. He owned 400 acres in 1901. He favored Poland-China hogs and Shorthorn
cattle.
Mr. Aumann was married to Ernestena
Harmanang, a native of Germany, who came to this country at the age of twenty
years, with an uncle. Her parents were neighbors of Mr. Aumann’s parents in
Germany. She resided with an aunt, in Illinois, until her marriage. They had
four children; three of whom were living in 1901: Esther Anna, 16; Dency Ella,
10; and Eva May, 8.
Mr. Aumann was a Democrat; a Lutheran;
and an Odd Fellow.
-0-
BELIEVE
BOTH AUMANN BROTHERS WERE COVERED IN HERITAGE...
BUT
I COULD BE WRONG!
HERE
IS BROTHER NO. 2.
[1873/1875] PAGE 149.
ERNEST H. AUMANN became a constant
resident in 1875, although he first visited the county in 1873, and purchased
80 acres in section 5, Creswell Township. He ended up owning 620 acres, of
which all but 80 acres was in Beaver
Township. His home was situated on the southeast quarter of section 32,
township 34, range 3 east. He was born in Prussia, December 9, 1850, a son of
William Aumann.
William Aumann was a farmer and
nurseryman, and was also born in Germany. He had five sons, four of whom came
to the United States. They were Henry, who died in Germany; Frederick, who came
to this country in 1864, and lived in Christian County, Illinois; Gotlieb, who
also lived in Illinois; William, a farmer of considerable prominence, residing
in Creswell Township, and a neighbor of his brother, Ernest H. Aumann.
Ernest H. Aumann came to this country in
the spring of 1868, and at first located in Madison County, Illinois, near East
St. Louis, where he worked out until his removal to Kansas. He was an
economical fellow, and succeeded in accumulating $1,000, and when he arrived in
Cowley County in 1873, he bought 80 acres in Creswell Township—consisting of
the north half of the northeast quarter of section 5, township 34, range 3
east. He then returned to Illinois, where he worked until 1875, when he moved
onto his purchase of 1873. He hauled lumber from Wichita, built a home, and
lived in it until the spring of 1899, when his present magnificent residence
was completed. This house contained 12 rooms, and was completed at a cost of
$6,000. The interior was finished in oak and hard pine, and the house contained
all the latest improvements and conveniences. It was heated by a furnace; on
the second floor was a bathroom; and throughout the residence was a water
system, equal to any similar convenience in the city. This system was kept in
operation by a 103-barrel reservoir of water, at a sufficient elevation to
supply the pressure throughout the house. Mr. Aumann’s house was undoubtedly
one of the finest in the county, and it was furnished throughout in an elegant
and tasteful manner.
In 1878 Mr. Aumann made his second
purchase, which consisted of the quarter section on which he lived in 1901, and
at various times he added to his possessions, until he acquired 620 acres. His
farm was all in first class condition, and he was one of the most extensive
wheat growers in this section of the state. He kept some livestock, and had a
fine, substantial barn, 44 by 56 feet, which had a basement eight feet high. An
abundant supply of water was obtainable on his place at a depth of only 20
feet. Mr. Aumann actively managed his farm, and under his methods of operation,
received enormous returns.
Mr. Aumann was married in his first log
house to Cora Haven, a native of Michigan, and a daughter of Albert and Martha
Haven, who established their residence in Cowley County in 1878, but afterwards
located in Oklahoma. Her mother died when Cora was a young girl, leaving three
children, two of whom were deceased by 1901. By Mr. Haven’s second marriage, he
had four children.
Mr. and Mrs. Aumann had two children
living in 1901: Clay, who was attending college at Manhattan, Kansas; and
Agnes, aged six years.
Mr. Aumann was a Democrat. He belonged to
the I. O. O. F. and the Grange of Arkansas City. He and his family were
Lutherans.
THEY HAD A PORTRAIT OF MR. AUMANN AND A
VIEW OF HIS RESIDENCE.
-0-
STORY
APPEARED IN HERITAGE.
[FEBRUARY
1871.] PAGE 67.
WILLIAM HENRY BERNARD was the owner of
fine farm in section 5, Vernon Township, Cowley County, Kansas, which he took
up in February 1871. He was born in Kirksville, Missouri, and could trace his
ancestral history back to St. Bernard; although his people were of French
descent, his parents and grandparents were born in this county.
His father, Andrew J. Bernard, was born
in Green County, Kentucky, and went thence to Missouri, and afterward to Texas,
where he spent a number of years in stock raising. He lived in the latter state
until 1884, when he came to Cowley County, Kansas, where he resided until his
death in 1892. The maiden name of Mr. Bernard’s mother was Meeks, and she was
born in Ohio. She first married Silas Beeman, who was a gunsmith, and who died
about the year 1846. By this union she had the following children: Martin; O.
H.; Noah; Newton; and Abe.
In 1848 Mrs. Beeman was joined in
marriage with Andrew J. Bernard, of Kirksville, Missouri, and to them two
children were born: William Henry and Minerva. Mrs. Bernard died in 1886, aged
84.
William H. Bernard came to Cowley County,
Kansas, in November 1870, and in the following February saw the government
survey of this county made. He at once preempted his farm. During his first few
winters in the county, he lived largely on buffalo meat, which was obtained
about 30 miles away. Buffaloes were very abundant during those days, and one
was killed within eight miles of Mr. Bernard’s home. During the winter of 1873,
while hunting on the plains, a heavy snow fell, which was followed by a
blizzard, and the lives of the party he was with were seriously threatened.
They put all their blankets and comforts on the horses to keep them from
freezing, but the whole party managed to come out alive. In the fall of 1898,
Mr. Bernard went to the vicinity of Yellowstone Park to hunt elk and bear and
brought home a number of handsome elk horns and a large bear skin. On this bear
he got a bead as it was running through the forest, and it took but one ounce
ball to bring it down, as he shot it just below the base of the brain. Mr.
Bernard had numerous pelts of mountain sheep as trophies of his hunting
expeditions.
He married January 29, 1874, Sarah J.
Pennington, a daughter of Samuel Pennington, and a native of Iowa. They had
five children: Leland A., Mary E. (Grant), Ethel, Bertha, and Ruth.
-0-
IN
HERITAGE...
[JUNE
1870.] PAGE 362.
DELMONT J. COBURN entered the borders of
Cowley County, Kansas, in June 1870, and like the other early settlers, he had
to undergo many hardships. Game in those days was very plentiful, and he and
his contemporaries subsisted largely on buffalo meat. One day about 40 wild
turkeys passed near his cabin-door. The Indians were then inclined to be
somewhat troublesome, and besides killing some of the white settlers, tried to
drive the rest away. On one occasion about 500 Osage Indians camped on the farm
adjoining that of Mr. Coburn, and until he discovered their intentions, he was
somewhat uneasy. He visited their camp, and was told by the chief that if the
Indians signed the treaty with the United States Government, he could stay;
otherwise, he would have to leave. The settlers then made their own laws, and
saw that they were strictly enforced. Four thieves who had stolen some horses
in Missouri were traced by a United States marshal and his companion to Grouse
Creek, which was near Mr. Coburn’s home, and the pursuers came upon the thieves
while they were sitting around a camp fire. The marshal remarked to them that
he was looking for some stolen horses, whereupon they opened fire with their
weapons, and the marshal was killed. His companion, who was badly frightened,
notified Mr. Coburn and his brother, who formed a posse and went in search of
the thieves. Eighteen men on horses followed them to the Arkansas River. The
depredators swam through the icy water, and, as the pursuers’ horses were quite
exhausted, the chase was abandoned, but not before one of the bandits was shot
and hanged to a tree. Many narratives of similar thrilling incidents and
adventures were told by Mr. Coburn.
Mr. D. J. Coburn was born in Lowell,
Massachusetts, in August 1840, a son of Amon and Nancy (Davis) Coburn. Amon
Coburn was a blacksmith by trade; shortly after the birth of his son, Delmont
J., he moved with his family to Wisconsin, where he remained until the boy was
six years of age. There the father was drowned, and Mrs. Coburn moved the
family back to Lowell, and thence to New Hampshire, where she was afterward
married to a Mr. Smith, and lived in Cheshire County. Mr. Coburn’s mother died
in Boston, Massachusetts, in August 1896. In the Coburn family were four sons
and two daughters: Edson, a bachelor who lived with his brother, W. S.; John
W., who lived near Salt Lake City, Utah, and had a family, becoming a guide for
tourists; W. S., who accompanied Delmont J. To Cowley County, where he resided
until 1879—he became a successful fruit grower in Hotchkiss, Delat County,
Colorado, where he had a fine orchard 65 acres in extent; Delmont J.; Sarah
(Tuttle), who lived in Boston, Massachusetts; and Josie (Ryan), deceased. Two children were born of
the second marriage: Calvin, who lived in Wichita, Kansas; and Melissa, who
resided in Boston.
Delmont J. Coburn remained in New
Hampshire until he attained the age of twenty years, after which he went to
Michigan. When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted in Company H, 28th Reg.,
Mich. Vol. Inf., in which he served throughout the war. During the last year
and nine months he was in the 23rd Army Corps under Gen. Schofield, and was
honorably discharged at Detroit, June 5, 1866. Shortly after he was mustered
out of service, he purchased a farm in Northern Indiana, and after receiving
his honorable discharge, moved upon his farm, which he tilled until 1870. Then,
with his brother, W. S., he journeyed to Cowley County, Kansas, and in June 1870
took up in Silver Dale Township the south half of the northwest quarter and the
north half of the southwest quarter of section 8, township 35, range 5 east.
His brother took up the southeast quarter of section 7.
Delmont J. Coburn and his brother drove from
Independence, Kansas, to Cowley County by way of Fort Scott. The two brothers
built a double log house, one part being 12 by 14 feet, and the other 12 by 16
feet, and in these they lived some time. On the claim was a considerable amount
of natural timber, from which Mr. Coburn cleared 20 acres of jack-oak, and some
oaks were still left along the creek. Mr. Coburn built his first frame house in
1871, into which he moved his family after the arrival of his wife from
Indiana. Their present home was completed in 1891 and was large and
comfortable. A three-acre orchard was started in 1880, and produced abundantly.
Delmont J. Coburn was married to Huldah
A. White, a native of Indiana, and a daughter of Dr. J. H. And Abbie (Closser)
White, who had the following seven children: D. A., who lived in La Porte,
Indiana; Viola J. (Van Horn), who lived in Chicago, Illinois; J. M., who lived
at Waterford, Indiana; A. P., who lived in Chicago; Huldah A. (Coburn); O. C.
(Bevington), of Waterford, Indiana; and G. C.
Dr. J. H. White moved to Frankford,
Illinois, when Hulda A. was five years of age, and subsequently returned to La
Porte.
Delmont J. And Huldah A. Coburn had two
children: Bessie M., who graduated from the Arkansas City Academy in the class
of 1897; and Edson P., who was a promising young man, attending Winfield
College, where his course was to be completed in June 1901.
Mr. Coburn was a Republican. He served
three years as township treasurer, and was elected a member of the school
board. He belonged to the G. A. R., and in religious views he was a Methodist.
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ANOTHER
ONE THAT WAS COVERED IN HERITAGE...
[FALL
1870.] PAGE 62
JETHRO COCHRAN resided on the northeast
quarter of section 17, township 33, range 4 east, where he was a resident of
Cowley County since the fall of 1870. He was born in Scott County, Indiana, May
30, 1848, a son of J. D. and Matilda (Christy) Cochran.
J. D. Cochran was born and reared in
Indiana, but came to this county with his son, Jethro, and at the time of his
death, in the fall of 1876, was acting as city marshal of Winfield. Mrs.
Cochran was born in Ohio and reared in Indiana, where her parents, who were
pioneer settlers of that state, had moved when she quite a young girl. They
were married in Indiana and had a family of 10 children: Jethro, named in honor
of his great-grandfather; W. J., a grocer and dry-goods merchant of Winfield;
Eliza Ann, who died in infancy; Roselia, who was the wife of John Roberts and
lived in Kansas; Thomas E., who had charge of the city hospital of Winfield;
Mary C. (Doane), who died in Winfield in 1891; Oscar, who was a grocer at
Marshall, Missouri; Clara, who died in infancy; Jay, who died at Topeka,
Kansas; and Frank, who lived with his mother in Winfield.
When a lad of eight years, Jethro Cochran
went to Mahaska County, Iowa, in the spring of 1856, and there he lived until
he was 22 years of age. In the fall of 1870, with the rest of the family, he
came to Cowley County, and preempted the northeast quarter of section 22,
township 32, range 5 east. A part of the farm was in the limits of the city of
Winfield, and on that part E. M. Reynolds had a fine home. Mr. Cochran improved
this claim with good buildings and set out a three-acre orchard and a two-acre
grove. He lived there until January 1883, when he moved to Winfield, and there
resided until the fall of 1884. He then purchased of Hopkins Shivers his farm
in Pleasant Valley township, which was originally preempted by Fritz Budd. The
farm contained many inferior buildings, which Mr. Cochran replaced with new
ones, and erected a fine L-shaped house in 1886. The house was set far back
from the road; his front yard was studded with
evergreen, pine, and ornamental trees, and a shaded driveway led to the
house. Mr. Cochran had an orchard covering 10 acres, for which the nursery
stock was mainly obtained from the York nurseries, near Fort Scott, Kansas,
although a small portion came from the Winfield nurseries. Wheat was his
principal crop, although his farming was somewhat diversified. He raised
considerable stock, his preference being Poland China hogs, Shorthorn cattle,
and medium draft and driving horses.
Mr. Cochran was married in Cowley County
to Frances A. Prate, a daughter of G. W. Prate. She was born in Van Buren
County, Michigan. Her parents moved to Cowley County in 1871, but resided later
in Pottawatomie County. They had four children: H. Maude (Curry), who lived in
Oklahoma; Mabel (Whitson), who also lived in Oklahoma near her older sister; J.
G., aged 18 years, who lived at home; and Mark J.
The family were Democrats until Mr.
Cochran affiliated with the People’s Party. He served as a school director a
number of years. The family were Baptists, and attended the church at Hackney.
Mr. Cochran belonged to the Knights and Ladies of Security.
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KAY...SKIPPED
BY ME...APPEARED IN HERITAGE:
1. GROOM, JOHN W.
2. HOYT, T. G.
3. JOHNSON, LEVI F.
4. MAURER, JOHN D.
5. MUMAW, DANIEL J.
6. RADCLIFF, JAMES W.
7. REYNOLDS, W. L.
8. ROSS, JOHN.
9. SCHNEE, GILBERT T. AND ANNA B.
10. YARBROUGH, A. J. [CHANGED MY MIND ON
THIS ONE! SEE BELOW.]
CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT
YARBROUGH...INTERESTING!
[FEBRUARY
1871.] PAGE 230.
A. J. YARBROUGH, an extensive landowner
in Cowley County, and a much respected farmer and citizen, was a resident of
the county since February, 1871, and lived on 40 acres near the village of
Floral, in Richland Township. He was born in 1845 in Dade County, Missouri, a
son of W. H. And Mary (Davis) Yarbrough.
W. H. Yarbrough and his wife were born
near Sparta, Tennessee, and the husband was of English descent. His trade was
that of a saddler, and he followed it at Mount Vernon, Missouri, for many
years, after which he went to Johnson County, Missouri, and engaged in farming.
Later he sold out and moved to Linn County, Kansas, where he spent two years,
and then moved to Cowley County, taking up land near Floral, where he passed
away, on his farm, in 1882.
A. J. Yarbrough had four brothers and
three sisters; C. D., who went to California in 1849 and died there; N. L., who
once lived in Cowley County; F. G., who resided on Grouse Creek, Cowley County;
George, who died in infancy; Melissa (Freeman), who lived in Labette County,
Kansas; Martha (Cornet), who died in Missouri; and Jennie (Claybough),
deceased, who lived near New Salem, Cowley County.
Mr. Yarbrough obtained but a common
school education, and at an early age enlisted from Johnson County as a private
in Company M, 12th Reg., Mo. Vol. Cav., under Col. Wells, and served three
years in the Department of the South. He was mustered out at Fort Leavenworth.
He was sent west on the famous Powder River expedition, and with the 16th Army
Corps was detailed to build pontoon bridges for Wilson’s cavalry. He was once
stunned by a bombshell, but was never wounded. Returning to Warrensburg,
Missouri, after the war, he applied himself to farming, but at a later period
entered Kansas, and worked to Salina with a railroad-construction gang, for
which he had contracted to furnish buffalo meat. Subsequently, he did
considerable freighting in different parts of Kansas, and spent one year in
farming in Bourbon County. In February 1871 he journeyed to Cowley County, and
after looking over the county located a claim: the east half of the west half
of section 7, township 31, range 5 east. He later owned the full half section.
On this farm he built a stone claim-house, which still stood in 1901, and to
which he kept adding, until he soon had a fine, large house. He lived there
until 1896, when he moved to his present small farm, which he purchased from a
Mr. Anderson, and which was preempted by a Mr. Turner. He enlarged the small
house until he had a six-room dwelling, with a good barn.
For many years he was engaged in the
sheep business but later carried on general farming. He was an extensive stock
raiser, having 160 acres in pasture. He raised from 50 to 100 Shorthand cattle
every year, and favored Poland-China and Chester White hogs, of which he raised
many. He had a fine orchard, which yielded abundantly, and which was well
drained by a tributary of Dutch Creek. On his farm was plenty of timber,
consisting of oak, walnut, and box-elder. He also owned 80 acres in Fairview
Township—making his landed possessions 440 acres, in all.
A. J. Yarbrough married in Cowley County
Emma Marquis, a daughter of W. S. Marquis, who was one of his first neighbors,
and who came from Jackson County, Missouri. They had ten children: Wade M., who
resided west of Mr. Yarbrough’s place, and who married Pearl Hart, by whom he
had one child in 1901; Ella (Hart), who
resided north of her father, and had three children; Dora, the wife of O. R.
Elliott, who lived on her father’s farm, and had two children; Opha; Stella;
Ira; Mamie; Russell; Lloyd; and Glenn.
Mr. Yarbrough was a Republican; a
Baptist; and belonged to the Grand Army of the Republic.
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SKIPPED
THE FOLLOWING...COVERED BY COURIER:
1. JOHN D. MAURER [COVERED IN HERITAGE
AND BIOS ALSO.]
2. SMITH, ADDISON F.; JAMES H.