the sick and curing the halt and the lame can not be considered, and
when this service has been rendered far from the comforts of the city
and during the storms of many seasons in the open country from the
pioneer era in Kansas down to the present time, the value of such
service to humanity is inestimable. The unsung heroes of the medical
fraternity are the large class of country practitioners who go their way
year after year, uncomplainingly and satisfied with the good they are
doing for their fellow creatures. Great fortune is not theirs, but the
inevitable reward and the satisfaction of a task well and faithfully
done is theirs to have. Of this great class the biographer is pleased to
record the facts concerning the life and career of George W. Redmond,
the second oldest physician in Atchison county, and one of the oldest
medical men in Kansas. For nearly half a century Dr. Redmond has
practiced his profession among the tillers of the soil in the
neighborhood of Potter, and the southeastern part of Atchison county,
and in the northeast part of Leavenworth county, Kansas. During all this
time he has remained true to his calling, and resisted the call of the
towns and cities, where an easier life might be lived. He has likewise
progressed with the profession and endeavored to keep abreast of the
wonderful developments in the science of medicine, arriving at the point
in his career where he is a specialist in his profession.
Dr. George W. Redmond was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, October 19,
1849, a son of Oscar Redmond and Susan (Orr) Redmond, the former a
native of Bourbon county, and the latter a native of Nicholas county,
Kentucky. Both were born in the same year, 1820, and the mother of Dr.
Redmond was a daughter of William Orr, a captain in the American army in
the War of 1812. William migrated to Kentucky from Pennsylvania shortly
after peace was declared between England and the United States, and was
one of the pioneers of that State. Oscar F. Redmond, father of George
W., was a son of William Redmond, was also one of the pioneers in the
settlement of old Kentucky. Both the Orr and Redmond families were of
that sturdy Scotch Presbyterian stock, who were prominent in the early
history of Kentucky, and were noted as true pioneers in several of the
middle Western States. Oscar F. Redmond was a farmer in Kentucky, and
reared a family of twelve children, of whom George W. was the fourth
child. In 1856 the Redmond family removed to Cooper county, Missouri,
where they remained until 1858, and then settled in Platte county,
Missouri, where the father made a permanent home for many years,
afterwards ending his days in Muscotah, Atchison county, Kansas. The
mother of Dr. Redmond died in Kansas City in 1892.
When the Redmond family left Kentucky, George W. was five years of age.
He received his primary education in the district schools of Platte
county, Missouri, and graduated from the Gaylord Institute, after which
he began the study of medicine with his uncle, Dr. H. B. Redmond, in
Saline county, Missouri, with whom he studied one year. He then entered
the St. Louis Medical College, of St. Louis, Mo., completed the
prescribed two years course, and graduated therefrom in 1869. While
trying to decide upon a location, and almost having his mind set upon a
city location, he received a letter from his sister, Mrs. Samuel E.
King, in Atchison county, informing him that Dr. John Parsons, of Mt.
Pleasant, was in need of a young assistant and partner, and he could
have the place if he came to Kansas. This letter decided his course, and
he came at once to Atchison county and began his practice with Dr.
Parsons. At this period Mt. Pleasant was an important inland town, but
it has long since passed into the realm of “disappeared cities.” Dr.
Redmond remained in Mt. Pleasant a little over two years, and then
located in Oak Mills, where he owned a farm, and built up an enormous
medical practice in the village and surrounding countryside. He
practiced in Oak Mills for thirty years, although prevailed upon by his
many admirers in Atchison to remove to the larger city and open an
office. During the winter of 1903 and 1904 he pursued a post-graduate
course in the post-graduate school of Chicago, and upon his return to
Kansas, in the spring of 1904, he located in Potter, Atchison county. Of
late years Dr. Redmond has become a specialist in the diseases of women,
and it is in this branch of practice that he is achieving his greatest
successes. Obstetrics has long been his specialty, and he undoubtedly
holds the record in Kansas for the number of successful confinement
cases at which he has officiated, and it can be said of him, that in all
of his many years of practice he has never lost a confinement case,
although there have been times in his career when he has had three and
four cases of this character in one day.
Dr. Redmond has been twice married, his first marriage occurring in 1874
with Anna Douglass, a daughter of J. M. and Sarah Douglass, who were
among the earliest of the Atchison county pioneers. Four children
blessed this union: Ethel, of Leavenworth, Kan.; Edith, wife of Charles
Munger, of Atchison county, Kansas; Virginia, living in Leavenworth,
Kan.; Georgia Redmond, also residing in Leavenworth. Dr. Redmond’s
second marriage took place in 1906 with Carrie A. Sprong, a daughter of
D. H. Sprong, an early pioneer settler of Kansas, a sketch of whom
appears in this volume.
While Dr. Redmond is a Democrat in politics, he has never found the time
to take an active part in political affairs. For the past thirty-five
years he has been a contributor to various medical journals, among them
being the _Medical World_, of Philadelphia, one of the oldest and most
widely read medical publications in the United States. He is a member of
the Atchison County Medical Society, the Kansas State Medical Society,
and the American Medical Association, and was one of the organizers of
the county society in 1869, and is the only surviving original member of
the society. He is a member of Kickapoo Lodge, No. 4, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons.
FREDERICK W. LINCOLN.
From small beginnings larger things very often naturally grow. The candy
and soft drink manufactory of Frederick W. Lincoln on South Fifth
street, Atchison, had its inception in a very modest beginning. In fact,
Mr. Lincoln first began manufacturing his fine candies at his residence,
corner of Seventh and S streets, but the constant growth of the concern
soon required larger quarters, and his present factory, erected in 1893,
is the result of his enterprise, a building 20×60 feet in extent, with
the basement in use. He employs ten people the year round, and is his
own traveling salesman, his son, Edward, having charge of the business
during his father’s absence on the road. The products of the Lincoln
factory are in demand, and are noted for their excellency. In 1912 the
manufacture of soda and soft drinks was added to supply a demand in
Atchison and the surrounding territory. The manufactured goods of the
Lincoln factory are distributed to all points in Kansas and western
Missouri.
Frederick W. Lincoln was born in England January 29, 1852, a son of
Edmund B. and Jane (Barrell) Lincoln, the father being born in Norfolk,
Intwood county, England, and the mother being a native of County
Clingford, England. They were the parents of four children: Edward, a
veteran of the Civil war, and inmate of the National Soldiers’ Home at
Sandusky, Ohio; Mrs. Mary King, of Michigan; Mrs. Emily S. Moffit,
deceased; Frederick W., with whom this review is directly concerned, and
who was reared by an uncle, Mr. Barrell, who taught him the baker’s
trade. The Lincoln family immigrated to America in 1853, and settled in
Ohio, where Frederick was reared to manhood in the home of his uncle. He
worked at his trade of baker until 1875, when he came to Atchison, and
was employed in the hardware store of W. W. Marlborough for a few years,
after which he worked in a candy shop for W. B. Howe, who taught him the
candy maker’s trade. About 1880 he embarked in the manufacture of
candies with T. L. White, with whom he was associated for a short time,
and eventually engaged in business for himself, starting in his home,
making a very modest beginning. His first shop was near his residence,
but the business soon outgrew the demands made upon the little shop, and
larger quarters soon became necessary. The business is the direct
outcome of the persistence, integrity and industry of the proprietor,
and the future of this flourishing concern is bright with promise, as
the years see it extend its natural field, and it achieves a natural and
deserving growth.
Mr. Lincoln was married January 26, 1879, to Laura Averill, born July
20, at Cooper, Maine, a daughter of Joseph and Julia A. (Whitney)
Averill, natives of England and Scotland respectively. Mrs. Lincoln came
to Atchison with her mother and resided with her stepfather and mother
until her marriage with Mr. Lincoln. To Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln have been
born the following children: Mrs. Leona Andrews, of Atchison; Edward E.,
born May 11, 1883, educated in the public and high schools of Atchison
and brought up with his father in the business, married in 1903 to Freda
Spatz, who was born November 9, 1896, in Atchison, a daughter of Jacob
and Josephine (Latenser) Spatz, natives of Germany and St. Joseph, Mo.,
respectively; the third child being Frank, a machinist, employed at
Horton, Kan.
Mr. Lincoln is a Republican, and is fraternally allied with the Ancient
Order of United Workmen, the United Commercial Travelers, and the Modern
Woodmen of America. He and the members of his family belong to the
Christian church. Mr. Lincoln’s career is an exemplification of the
adage, “Success never comes to him who waits,” and his standing in the
commercial life of Atchison today is due to the fact that he made his
opportunity and is justly entitled to proper recognition as one of the
city’s leading factors.
JOHN C. VALENTINE.
John C. Valentine, owner and proprietor of the Northern Kansas Telephone
Company of Effingham, for more than forty years has been a resident of
Atchison county. The Northern Kansas Telephone Company, of which he is
the head, was organized in 1903 as a coöperative concern, but is now
owned and operated by Mr. Valentine and his son, A. G. Valentine. The
lines of the company cover a section of country within a radius of six
to ten miles of Effingham. Twenty-six lines are supplied with good
service, and the company has over 435 subscribers at the present time.
The plant is well equipped and is noted for the excellent service given
the patrons.
John C. Valentine is a native of Dearborn county, Indiana, and was born
in the Hoosier State July 28, 1845, a son of George and Sarah
(Cornforth) Valentine. His father was born in New Jersey, and
accompanied his parents to the Middle West, locating in Cincinnati when
George was a child. He was reared in Cincinnati, and later settled in
Indiana. His mother was the daughter of pioneer stock of English
descent, and was connected with the Eubanks family, which figured in the
early history of Indiana. Sarah Valentine died in 1863, and George
married again, after which he settled in Illinois, and died near Xenia,
that State. He was a soldier in the Civil war, and served in an Ohio
cavalry regiment throughout the conflict. John C. Valentine enlisted in
the 134th regiment, Indiana infantry, in the spring of 1864, and served
until his honorable discharge in the fall of the same year. His health
became poor while serving in Tennessee, and he was transferred to
Louisville, Ky., and sent home from that city. He was kept on the
reserve force while serving in Alabama, and was in the breastworks at
Decatur, Ala. At this place he was exposed to a hot fire, and recalls
that it was a very uncomfortable place in which to be. During the winter
of 1866 he taught school in Decatur county, Indiana. He remained at home
with an uncle, William Sawdon, at Aurora, Ind., after returning from the
war, until September, 1867, at which time he went to Ft. Madison, Iowa,
and there met some friends. He worked on farms in the neighborhood until
Christmas of that year, and then left for Kansas, arriving at
Leavenworth January 1, 1868.
During his first year in Kansas he broke prairie land for a living; the
next year he sold sewing machines, and made good at that avocation; the
second year, winter of 1868–69, he taught school in Leavenworth county,
and two years after coming to this State he was married. He and his
brother, Charles, broke prairie with their two teams in Jefferson
county, and for four years after his marriage, Mr. Valentine had great
success in farming in that county, raising immense crops of wheat. In
the year 1874 he came to Atchison county and settled on a farm four
miles northwest of Effingham on the south side of the Parallel road. He
at first bought a tract of eighty acres and erected a small house on his
land, erecting other buildings as he was able. Mr. Valentine has
prospered in the years following his first purchase of land in this
county, and he and his son now own a total of 200 acres of well improved
land. He resided on the farm until January of 1896, then turned over the
farm to the management of his son, and came to Effingham. For ten years
following he traveled as salesman, and in 1905 engaged in the telephone
business by the purchase of the coöperative company which formerly owned
the lines he is now operating.
Mr. Valentine was married April 7, 1870, to Miss Lena Smith, of Johnson
county, Kansas, who was born in 1855. The children born to this union
are: Albert G., on the home farm, married Alice Frame, and is the father
of one son and five daughters; Mrs. Mattie Stevenson, of near Beloit,
Kan.; Edward died at the age of twenty-two years, and Robert died at the
age of thirteen years.
Mr. Valentine is a Republican in politics, and has always remained loyal
and steadfast to the party of Abraham Lincoln. He has served as city
councilman and mayor of Effingham. He is an Odd Fellow, and a member of
the Grand Army Post, No. 176, Effingham.
GUSTAVE STUTZ.
Gustave Stutz, farmer and stockman, of Atchison county, Kan., was born
April 20, 1867, in Lancaster township, this county, and is the son of
Christian and Katherine (Schweitzer) Stutz. Seven children were born to
them, as follows: Caroline (Demel), of Central City, Neb.; Katherine
(Wilkins), Atchison, Kan.; Frederick, policeman, Atchison, Kan.;
Christopher W., Center township, Atchison county; Gustave, subject of
this sketch; John, Center township; and one child died in infancy. The
father of Gustave Stutz was born March 25, 1825, in Germany. He left
there in 1855, and settled in Jackson county, Missouri, and in 1859 came
to Atchison county, where he bought eighty acres of land in Lancaster
township. The land was timber and prairie country, and he employed a man
to break it up with oxen. Mr. Stutz made extensive improvements on his
farm, and added more land from time to time. When he died, December 28,
1898, he owned 380 acres of land. The mother of the subject of this
sketch was born in Germany, in February, 1829. She died in Lancaster
township in December, 1888. She is buried in Maple Grove cemetery.
Gustave Stutz was reared on his father’s farm and attended the public
schools of Lancaster. In 1893 he rented a farm from his father for a
year, and then bought 160 acres in Center township. Five years later he
sold that and bought eighty acres near the Madison school house. Having
made a number of improvements, he sold this farm and bought the present
one of 160 acres. When he took this land there were only a few
ramshackle buildings on it, but he has made it one of the most modern
farms in the State. He built a large seven-room house at a cost of
$4,500, which is fitted with all modern conveniences, including hot and
cold water, electric lights, bath, and a basement fitted up as a
laundry. The house is lighted by electricity, which is generated from a
private plant located on the farm. Mr. Stutz was the first to install
one in Atchison county. In 1912 he built a barn, 52×46 feet, for general
purposes. Mr. Stutz is a breeder of Shorthorn cattle and takes great
pride in his herd. He has a herd of thirty fine Shorthorn cattle,
including four pure breds, and has been gradually improving his herd for
the purpose of embarking in the business of breeding Shorthorns for the
trade. He is a stockholder in the Independent Harvester Company, of
Plano, Ill. He is a Democrat in politics, and was for a time road
supervisor of Lancaster township.
Mr. Stutz was married October 10, 1893, to Margaret Waltz, who was born
April 30, 1875, in Shannon township, Atchison county. She is a daughter
of Charles and Margaret (Diesback) Walz, both natives of Germany. The
father died February 4, 1890, at the age of sixty-two. He immigrated
from Germany in 1847. The mother is living in Atchison county. Mr. and
Mrs. Stutz are the parents of three children: Albert, born June 2, 1895;
Edward, born January 3, 1898, and Pearl, born June 24, 1899, all living
at home. Mr. Stutz attends the Presbyterian church, and is a member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
THOMAS O. PLUMMER.
There is some distinction in being a pioneer in the State of Kansas, and
there is certainly considerable distinction coming to the man who can
justly lay claim to being the first white child born of pioneer parents
in a component part of a great county like Atchison. Thomas O. Plummer,
prosperous farmer and stockman of Grasshopper township, Atchison county,
is the first white child born within the borders of his township, and
has lived all of his fifty-nine years within the borders of the
township.
[Illustration:
_T. O. Plummer and wife_
]
T. O. Plummer was born December 6, 1857, a son of Leven Vincent and
Matilda (Norman) Plummer, both of whom were born in Kentucky. Leven
Vincent was a son of Lewis Plummer, a native of Germany, who immigrated
to America when quite young and married a Miss Vincent in Kentucky. She
(his wife) was a daughter of English parents and was a large woman. The
fact that her descendants are all men of large physique is explanatory
of the inheritance of strength and size which predominates in the men of
the Plummer family. The mother of Thomas O. was a daughter of Lewis
Norman, a Kentucky pioneer and expert blacksmith, who was of French-
English descent. He (Lewis) was a maker of plows and farming implements
which he would manufacture in his shop, load on a river boat and sell in
the towns and villages on the banks of the Ohio river. On one of his
trading expeditions he was shot by the crew of a rival trading boat.
Leven Vincent Plummer was the father of eight children, as follows: Mary
Elizabeth Baker, Oklahoma; Dempsey died at the age of sixteen years;
Charles died in 1907; Thomas O. and Benjamin F., (twins), Arrington,
Kan.; Leonidas, Atchison; Commodore, Oklahoma; Harriet Ratley, Cowley
county, Kansas; Lucullus, on old home place.
In the year 1854 he left Kentucky and migrated to Platte county,
Missouri, where he resided until 1855 and then made a settlement in
Grasshopper township, Atchison county. He was the first white settler on
Brush creek in the Kickapoo Indian reservation lands. He did his trading
at old Kennekuk. It is recalled that the old Mormon trail passed by his
home and Mr. Plummer remembers the story of a large party of Mormon
immigrants being stricken with the cholera and over 100 of them died as
a result of the terrible attack of the dread disease. The dead bodies of
the victims were hurriedly buried in shallow graves, but, unfortunately
were rooted up by hogs owned by the Indians. Inasmuch as the white
settlers were afraid to bury the bodies again the hogs were permitted to
eat the bodies. Leven Plummer was on extremely good terms with the
Indians of the neighborhood and several of them worked for him at
different times. When the Indians disposed of their land holdings to the
Government and moved to a new reservation, he purchased of them 100 of
their “razorback” hogs and 10,000 fence rails at a cost of ten cents a
hundred rails. He hauled the rails to his place in immense wagon loads,
hauled by two yoke of oxen and a team of horses. He became fairly well
to do and was a large feeder of live stock, frequently feeding as high
as 100 head of cattle, four-year-old steers and 400 head of hogs. He
died in 1867, at the age of forty-seven years, leaving eight children to
the care of his widow. Leven Plummer was noted as one of the strongest
men of his day and was a man of large stature who could perform feats of
strength which would appall the average man.
Thomas O. Plummer attended the district school of his neighborhood and
when twenty-one years of age began for himself. His first employment
away from home was for six months with Martin W. Ham. He then worked for
a bachelor neighbor at ten dollars per month. In 1879 he began renting
land on his own account. From boyhood he has always had to hustle for
himself and has made good. He made his first purchase of land in 1893
and has accumulated a total of 241 acres of well improved farm lands in
Grasshopper township.
In 1884 Mr. Plummer was united in marriage with Mary Ratley, and the
union was blessed with one son, James Oliver Plummer, who is now the
efficient superintendent of highways in the township. Mary (Ratley)
Plummer was the daughter of John and Hannah Ratley, and departed this
life in September 15, 1887. In September of 1893, Mr. Plummer was again
married to Miss Mary E. Clark, who has borne him one child, Thomas
McKinley Plummer, who as a youth attended the agricultural college at
Manhattan, Kan., and is much interested in scientific farming. Mrs. Mary
(Clark) Plummer died March 13, 1908. She was a daughter of P. J. Clark,
a very early settler of Atchison county, and formerly a member of the
Atchison city police force. The third marriage of Thomas O. Plummer
occurred March 2, 1909, with Mrs. Bessie May De Bord (Floyd), widow of
James Floyd, a native of Kentucky, and to this union have been born two
children: Theodore Ole, and Calvin Vincent Plummer. By her first
marriage, Mrs. Plummer has one child, Ruby Jewell Floyd, born September
30, 1905.
Mr. Plummer is one of Atchison county’s best known and successful self-
made men and everything he owns has been earned by hard labor and
diligence, combined with good management. Besides his farming interests
he is a stockholder in the Farmers Grain Elevator and the Mutual
Telephone Company, at Muscotah. He is a Republican in politics, and is a
member of the Mystic Workers and the Modern Woodmen of America.
HOWARD E. NORTH.
Howard E. North, farmer, of Lancaster township, Atchison county, was
born January 25, 1867, in Walnut township, this county, and is a son of
Edwin T. and Elizabeth (McCully) North, natives of New Jersey. Of the
eight children born to them six are living, as follows: Walter M.,
Atchison, Kan.; Joseph H., of Kansas City, Mo.; Percy, of Ottawa, Kan.;
Claude, Lancaster, Kan., and Mrs. Sadie Dunkle, of Los Angeles, Cal.,
besides Howard E. North, subject of this sketch. The father was born
April 23, 1830, in Burlington county, New Jersey, of English descent.
Leaving there about 1865, he came west and settled in Atchison county,
Kansas, living one year in Walnut township, and then bought a farm in
Lancaster township. He made improvements, and later sold the farm to his
son, Howard E., and retired in 1896. In December, 1912, he died, after
having lived a long and useful life. The mother was born in New Jersey,
as was her husband, and was born in the same year, 1830, of Scotch
descent, and died in March, 1902.
Howard E. North was reared on his father’s farm, and attended the public
school at Lancaster, and also the Bell district school, No. 59. He was
born on the place which he now owns, and it has been his home since
boyhood. It consists of 180 acres, and is exceptionally well improved.
Extra attention has been given to stock raising facilities. Mr. North
takes a great deal of interest in fine cattle, hogs and horses, and has
some excellent Shorthorns and some valuable Poland China hogs. Mr. North
has a graded stock of horses, some of which are the best in this part of
the country. He is a stockholder in the German-American Bank at
Atchison, Kan. Politically, he is a Republican, and has always been a
loyal citizen, taking keen interest in the welfare of his community and
his county. He is a member of the school board of Bell district.
In 1896 Mr. North was married to Alice Guyer, who was born October 1,
1866, in Union county, Pennsylvania. Mrs. North was a daughter of Israel
and Catharine (Brown) Guyer, natives of Pennsylvania, and who lived and
died in the land of their nativity. Mrs. Alice North came to Kansas in
August of 1893, and joined her sister, Mrs. Annie Gemberling, who now
resides in a home on the Parallel road, near Lancaster, Kan. One child,
Emlin E., has been born to Mr. and Mrs. North. Mr. North is a member of
the Methodist church, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and
Modern Woodmen of America.
NICHOLAS BOOS.
Nicholas Boos, proprietor of one of the best improved farms in Shannon
township, has resided on the land which he now owns for over fifty
years, and is widely known as a progressive farmer who has applied his
accurate knowledge of the best farming methods to such good account that
he is now the owner of 250 acres of good land, upon which he erected in
1912 a handsome brick residence, modern throughout, at a cost of $4,500.
Mr. Boos installed his own light and water plant, and in the rear of his
handsome home he has built a large and commodious bank barn. His
residence faces the main highway running northward from Atchison, and
presents a substantial evidence of the enterprise of its owner.
Mr. Boos was born November 11, 1862, in Germany, a son of Nicholas and
Catharine Boos, who left their native land with their two children and
came to Atchison county, Kansas, in July of 1865. After one month’s stay
in the city they removed to a point in Shannon township, about three
miles north of Atchison, and settled upon eighty acres of land which the
elder Boos purchased. Nicholas Boos and his wife reared their children
here, and lived on the farm until death called them away. Nicholas Boos,
Sr., was born in 1833, and died in October of 1899. Catharine, his wife,
was born in 1833, and died in November of 1898. Their two children are:
Nicholas, with whom this narrative is directly concerned, and Catharine,
now known as Sister Hilda of the Order of St. Benedict’s, Mt. St.
Scholastica Academy, Atchison.
Upon the death of their parents, Nicholas Boos and his sister inherited
the eighty acre farm upon which they had been reared. Nicholas bought
his sister’s share of the estate, and by dint of hard, unremitting
labor, and the exercise of frugality and good financial judgment, has
added 170 acres to the original tract. There are 205 acres in the home
farm on the east side of the highway and forty-five acres on the west
side, some distance from his home.
Mr. Boos was married May 1, 1889, to Mary Wolters, born in Atchison
county, and daughter of Matthew and Catharine Wolters, both of whom were
natives of Germany, Matthew being now deceased and his widow residing in
Mr. Boos’ home. Ten children have been born to this estimable couple,
namely: William, aged twenty-five years; Albert, aged twenty-three,
employed by Dolan Mercantile Company; Nicholas, aged seventeen years;
Edward, twelve years of age; Harold, aged eight years; Hilda, twenty-
three years of age, and a dressmaker; Marie, aged twenty-one, second
bookkeeper for John J. Intfen, grocer; Frances, aged eighteen,
bookkeeper for Byrnes’ drug store; Bertha, aged fourteen, and Rosa, aged
ten years: William, an employee of the Symns Grocer Company, married
Marie McGraff. Mr. and Mrs. Boos have endeavored to give all of their
children good school and college educations, and have succeeded in
rearing a fine and worthy family, of which they have a good and just
right to be proud.
Mr. Boos is a member of St. Benedict’s Catholic Church and is a liberal
supporter of Catholic institutions. He is affiliated with the Modern
Woodmen lodge. While a Democrat in politics, he endeavors to exercise
the right of suffrage in a manner befitting his own ideas, and supports
such candidates for office as come the nearest to his ideal of a good
man and official regardless of political protestations.
JUNE E. MOORE.
June E. Moore, president of the Symns Grocer Company, of Atchison, Kan.,
is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and a son of Thomas H. and Lydia Ann
(Gordon) Moore, the former a native of Virginia, and the latter of New
Jersey. The Moore family came to Kansas in 1865, and the father engaged
in the mercantile business at Iowa Point, Doniphan county. He was
engaged in business there about ten years, or until 1876, when he sold
his business and removed to Kansas City, where he remained until his
death, in 1889. His wife died in 1886. June Moore, the subject of this
sketch, received a good common school education, and remained at home,
at Iowa Point, until 1873, when he came to Atchison and accepted a
position as bookkeeper in the grocery house of A. B. Symns. About three
months later he went on the road as traveling salesman for Mr. Symns,
and was the first man to represent Mr. Symns in that capacity. After
remaining in Mr. Symns’ employ for about three years, he went to Falls
City, Neb., and engaged in the mercantile business for himself, and
conducted a business there for seven years. He then returned to
Atchison, and in 1879 engaged in the grocery business for himself. Mr.
Moore continued in the grocery business in Atchison from 1879 to 1887,
when he again became connected with the Symns Grocer Company, which had
been reorganized in the meantime. Since that time Mr. Moore has been
connected with the Symns Grocer Company, which is one of the leading
institutions of the kind in the State. From 1889 until 1907 Mr. Moore
had charge of their Topeka branch. During the year of 1907, M. S.
Peterson, who had been the buyer of the company for a number of years,
died, and Mr. Moore was obliged to return to Atchison to assume the
responsibilities in connection with the purchasing department. He looked
after the purchasing department of the company for one year, when he
became president of the company, and has since capably filled that
responsible position. Mr. Moore is a stockholder in the company, and is
one of the men who have contributed many of the best days of their lives
to the upbuilding and development of this great commercial institution,
of which the people of Atchison are justly proud.
Mr. Moore was united in marriage July 27, 1871, to Miss Rebecca
Armstrong, a native of North Carolina. Mrs. Moore was a daughter of
Francis K. Armstrong, of Virginia, who moved to North Carolina, and
there married Jerusha Eliza Belt, and returned to Virginia, and in 1859
migrated to Missouri, remaining in St. Joseph until the fall of 1860,
and then settled on a farm in Doniphan county, Kansas, where he died in
November, 1861. Mr. Moore is a member of the Masonic lodge, and one of
the substantial business men of Atchison.
W. PERRY HAM.
The powers of leadership are inherent in some individuals, and there are
in every community such men who seem naturally gifted to lead their
fellows in political affairs. In reviewing the life career of W. Perry
Ham, the official head of the Republican party in Atchison county, the
fact is brought out that his natural gifts have tended to lead him to
activity in political affairs, and that he is gifted with ability of a
high order, which is universally recognized by the men of his party who
look to him for leadership. Mr. Ham is a thorough American, whose
ancestry goes back to the earliest days of the foundation of the
Republic.
W. Perry Ham was born October 11, 1861, at Flemingsburg, Fleming county,
Kentucky, a son of James P. and Eliza (Jones) Ham, both of whom were
born and reared in Kentucky, and were children of pioneer parents. James
P. was the son of William and Mary E. Ham, and the great-grandfather of
W. Perry was John Ham, better known as “Jackie,” a native of Greenbrier
county, Virginia, who married a Miss Woods, and migrated to Kentucky in
the days of the illustrious Daniel Boone, the famous hunter. These were
troublous times in Kentucky, and the Indians fiercely disputed the
advent of the white settlers into their favorite hunting grounds. The
mother and two sisters of “Jackie” Ham were captured by the Indians,
killed and scalped, and their bodies burned in the cabin fireplace by
blood-thirsty Indians. The Ham family is of Welsh extraction. James P.
Ham, although a southerner by birth and breeding, was a strong Union
man, who was opposed to the institution of slavery. While still residing
in Kentucky, in the year 1865, he received a telegram from his brother.
Joseph, calling him to Buchanan county, Missouri, where his life was in
danger from Union men. Joseph kept a general store at DeKalb, and was
forced to go in hiding to preserve his life, he being a southern
sympathizer. It was his desire that James P. come to Missouri and take
charge of his store until times were better, and it was safe for him to
appear. James made all haste to comply with his brother’s request, and
with his wife and family made a hasty trip to Buchanan county, only to
find on his arrival that his brother’s store at DeKalb had been burned
to the ground. The wife of James P. was overcome by the excitement, and
her strength overtaxed by the trials of the family, and she died in
1865. This left the father with three children to care for, and he
removed to Atchison in 1866. Here he engaged in market gardening, and
took more or less interest in political affairs until his demise,
November 2, 1894, at the age of sixty-six years, in Rural township,
Jefferson county, Kansas, where he removed a few years after coming to
Atchison.
W. Perry Ham was reared in Kansas, and attended the common and high
schools of Atchison county. From the time he was six years of age he
found it necessary to shift for himself, and secured his education
mainly through his own efforts. He did chores and worked for farmers in
return for his board and schooling, and generally had a hard time of it
trying to make his own way in the world. During the famous “grasshopper”
years the family lived in Jefferson county, and privation and suffering
were predominant among the settlers. Perry was sent twice each week a
distance of seven miles, astride his pony, to the nearest relief station
for food and clothing. His first position was in the old Grant bakery,
operated by Gerber & Hagen, and he was employed there for two years. He
afterwards bought the grocery business at Tenth and Laramie streets, and
was engaged in business for another period of years until he bought a
farm near Atchison and moved upon it. He farmed this land for two years,
and in 1895 returned to Atchison, and again entered the grocery
business, at Ninth and Parallel streets. In 1898 he disposed of his
business and accepted a traveling position in the interest of the Select
Knights of the Ancient Order of United Workmen as State manager and
organizer. He continued in this position until 1901, and then opened a
feed and poultry business, in which undertaking he was engaged until
1909, when he sold out. He served as chief of police of Atchison during
1908 and 1909 under Mayor S. S. King, and has been a member of the city
council for three terms during his residence in Atchison. Since 1909 Mr.
Ham has been general organizer of the Fraternal Aid Union, and has made
a great success of his work, which requires that he oversee the work of
organizing in the States of Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. His
reputation as an organizer in the interest of the Fraternal Aid Union is
unsurpassed, and it is in this capacity that his remarkable gifts have
received full play.
Mr. Ham was married in 1883 to Rosa Frommer, who has borne him children
as follows: Lloyd Perry, clerk in the Atchison postoffice; Mable Rose,
wife of Roy Castle, of Falls City, Neb.; James Harwi Ham, of Atchison;
Walter, of Atchison; Herbert, a jeweler, of Atchison; Myrtle, at home
with her parents; and Luther, in the city high school. The mother of
these children was born and reared in Germany, near the city of
Stuttgart, and was a daughter of John Frommer, who was a stone-cutter by
occupation. Mrs. Ham came to this country in 1879.
Mr. Ham is a member of the Odd Fellows, the M. B. A., the Knights and
Ladies of Security, the Mystic Workers, the Central Protective
Association, and the Fraternal Aid Union. In political matters, Mr. Ham
has been for years a prominent figure in Atchison county and Kansas, and
enjoys a wide and favorable acquaintance among the political leaders of
the Republican party in Kansas. He has been a member of the central
executive committee of his party for several years, and is at present
the county chairman and virtual leader of his party in Atchison county.
FRANK BEARD.
Frank Beard, furniture dealer, of Potter, Kan., was born on a farm near
Abingdon, Knox county, Illinois, a son of William M. and Sarah
(Hawthorne) Beard, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of
Maryland, both of Scotch Presbyterian ancestry. William M., the father,
was born in Wilson county, Tennessee, on a farm not far from Nashville.
The grandfather of Frank Beard was Rev. John Beard, born of Virginia
parents, who were among the earliest settlers of Tennessee. The Beards
are a family of pioneers, the pioneering of the family having begun over
100 years ago when the parents of Rev. John Beard crossed the mountains
and made a settlement in western Tennessee, where John Beard was born
December 25, 1800. The home of the family was not far from the
birthplace of Andrew Jackson, with whom John was personally acquainted.
The family later became pioneers in Illinois, and ever moved westward
until they came to Kansas, and were among the first of the sturdy
characters to build homes in the new State.
[Illustration:
_Thomas Highfill_
]
[Illustration:
_Frank Beard and Family_
]
Rev. John Beard was a minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian
denomination. He left Tennessee in 1848 and settled in Knox county,
Illinois, and in 1856 came to Kansas, and was one of the first men to
preach the Gospel in Atchison county. He was an ardent Free State man
who was emphatically opposed to the institution of slavery and
fearlessly attacked the pro-slavery party and its principles from the
pulpit. On one occasion he preached a sermon in Mt. Pleasant and laid a
huge revolver on the pulpit beside his Bible with the remark, “I hope
there will be peace during the services,” and there was peace. This
action was in keeping with the fearless character of the man himself.
Rev. John Beard died at the age of sixty-six years. No pictorial
likeness of this famous pioneer is available or his grandson, Frank,
would have it inserted in the history. His last sermon was preached at
Pleasant Grove church in South Atchison. During his career he served the
Round Prairie and High Prairie churches in Leavenworth county, the Wolf
Creek congregation in Brown county, and the Pleasant Grove church in
Atchison county. He was traveling at all times, to and fro, in northeast
Kansas while engaged in the Lord’s work. His son, William M., left
Illinois in 1862 and settled in Brown county, Kansas, and in 1865 came
to Atchison county. Border ruffians at one time raided the home of
William Beard in Brown county. Mattie Beard, a three months’ old babe,
was awakened by the noise made by the raiders and screamed loudly. One
of the ruffians walked to the cradle, drew his revolver and said: “I’ll
stop her noise.” The mother made frantic by this threat picked up a
chair, and with all her strength, augmented by her fright, rushed at the
raider and knocked him down. After this occurrence the Beards left
Kansas and returned to Illinois, where people were more of one mind on
the subject of slavery and life was much safer. They remained in
Illinois until the close of the war and then came again to Atchison
county, settling on a farm in Walnut township. This farm has been owned
by the Beard family for fifty years and is now in possession of John
Beard, a son of William. Rev. John Beard died in Atchison county in
August, 1866. William M. died in 1905, and his faithful wife followed
him to the great beyond two years later, in 1907. The father of Sarah
Hawthorne Beard was also a pioneer settler of Knox county, Illinois, and
planted the first apple orchard in that section of the State, and was
the first and only apple exhibitor at the first county fair ever held in
Knox county, Illinois.
Frank Beard was a boy of seven when his parents removed to Atchison
county and was reared on the farm in Walnut township, receiving his
schooling in district No. 60. He followed farming until 1909, when he
came to Potter and engaged in the general merchandise business in
partnership with Mr. Hodges. This partnership continued until 1911, when
he sold out his interest in the general store, and in July of that year
purchased the furniture and undertaking business which he is now
conducting successfully.
Mr. Beard was married in 1898 to Miss Bee Henson, a daughter of A. T.
and Amanda (Cox) Henson, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter
having been born in Missouri. The Hensons migrated to Kansas in 1854
before the organization of the State and settled in Jefferson county.
They were Free State advocates and took part in the struggle which made
Kansas a Free State. Mr. and Mrs. Beard have one child, Leona Beard,
born in 1903.
The Democratic party has always claimed the allegiance of Mr. Beard in
National affairs, but he is inclined to independence of voting in local,
county and State affairs. He is a member of Kickapoo Lodge, No. 4,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Modern Woodmen of America, the
Modern Brotherhood, and the Knights and Ladies of Security. Mr. Beard is
one of Potter’s best and well respected citizens, a successful and
prosperous business man who is ever willing to put his shoulder to the
wheel to advance the interests of his home community.
THOMAS HIGHFILL.
The late Thomas Highfill, of Easton township, Leavenworth county,
Kansas, was born April 9, 1844, on a farm near the city of Madison, in
southeastern Indiana. He was a son of William Highfill, who was born in
South Carolina of German parents, and was there reared to young manhood,
went to Kentucky from South Carolina, and there met and married
Elizabeth Bonnell, born in Kentucky of German ancestry. Shortly after
their marriage William Highfill and his wife crossed the Ohio river and
settled near Madison on the Flat Rock river. He had charge of the toll-
gate entrance of the bridge crossing the Flat Rock at that time. When
Thomas was four years of age, or in 1849, the father and his family
loaded their movable effects on wagons and started across the plains, en
route to California, consuming six months on the long trip, their wagons
being hauled by slow-moving oxen. The family remained in California for
four years, and William spent the time profitably in placer mining for
the yellow metal, after which they returned to the middle West, this
time making the return trip with horses instead of oxen. They settled in
Platte county, Missouri, and resided there until 1862, when William
Highfill made a final settlement in Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison
county. He died the same year in Atchison county. George Highfill, son
of Thomas, is now the owner of the original home place of the Highfill
family in Atchison county.
Thomas Highfill was eighteen years of age when his father came to
Atchison county. He assisted in the operation of the home farm until his
marriage, November 24, 1864, to Elvira Porter, who was born in Casey
county, Kentucky, February 7, 1847, a daughter of George and Sarah Ann
(Foster) Porter, both of whom were born in Kentucky, and resided in
their native State until November, 1850, when they removed to Buchanan
county, Missouri, and there farmed for two years on the McDonald farm,
near Wallace. The Porters came to Atchison county, Kansas, among the
earliest of the pioneers in the spring of 1855 and settled on a tract of
land just one-half mile west of the present town of Potter. George
Porter filed on 160 acres of land in the fall of 1854 which has never
changed ownership but once and has never been out of the family, being
now owned by George Highfill, the eldest grandson of George Porter. The
elder Porter, although born and bred in a slave State, abhorred the
institution of slavery, despite the fact that his father, Isaac Porter,
was a slave owner. He saw the evils of slavery when a youth and
determined never to support it, because it was utterly wrong. He came to
Kansas imbued with the determination to do his part in making the State
free. He suffered considerably from the forays of the border ruffians
and his homestead on the banks of the Big Stranger was raided frequently
by the pro-slavery element. At one time Mr. Porter had a fine saddle
horse stolen from him by border ruffians. As soon as he learned of the
theft he set out after the thieves armed only with a bowie knife stuck
in his boot top. He followed them to Atchison and lay hid in a clump of
jimson weeds, near the camp of the ruffians on the spot where the Santa
Fe railroad yards are now located. The marauders were drinking and
carousing in seeming safety and had no idea that they would be followed.
As a consequence of their neglect in not placing a sentry Mr. Porter was
enabled to secure his horse and return home in safety at 4 o’clock in
the morning. At the outbreak of the Civil war Mr. Porter enlisted in the
Thirteenth Kansas regiment and served throughout the war. While absent
in defense of the Union his wife and five children were left to shift
for themselves as best they could. George Porter was a stanch Republican
in his political affiliations and was a member of the Grand Army of the
Republic. He died February 19, 1887, the age of sixty-five years, having
been born January 21, 1822. His wife, Sarah Ann, died June 23, 1897.
They were the parents of eight children, of whom Mrs. Thomas Highfill
was the eldest. Mrs. Highfill was ten years old when the Porter family
located in Kansas, and during the days of the Civil war, when the
breadwinner of the family was absent fighting for the Union, this brave
woman ploughed with an ox team and did the hardest kind of farm labor.
To Thomas Highfill and wife were born the following children: George,
born September 8, 1865, and is the owner of the farm preëmpted by his
grandfather Porter; John, born December 12, 1866; Sarah Elizabeth, wife
of P. H. Fleer, of Potter, Kan., was born June 23, 1868, and died May
11, 1909; Thomas J., born April 8, 1870, residing in Potter; Mrs. Rose,
wife of Clarence Binkley, of Atchison, born December 23, 1878; Abigail,
wife of Ashton Hundley, of Atchison county, born October 19, 1879;
Martina, wife of Louis Linville, of Spring Lake, Texas, born November
14, 1880; and Benjamin F., born June 10, 1884. The mother of these
children resides on the Highfill place, west of Potter. Her son, George,
is a prosperous farmer and good business man, who is connected with the
Farmers State Bank of Potter.
Thomas Highfill departed this life March 7, 1899. He was a well
respected and industrious citizen who did well his part in the
development of Atchison county.
JOHN H. BEAN.
John H. Bean, having been a resident of Atchison county for a period of
nearly sixty years, is naturally considered as one of the pioneers of
the county. He has lived in the county since the year 1857, when his
father, Michael Bean, filed on a Government homestead in Mt. Pleasant
township, seven miles southwest of Atchison. John was born on a farm in
Illinois October 22, 1850. His parents were Michael, born in Winchester,
Ky., and son of William Bean, a native of Virginia, and Rebecca
Northcutt, wife of Michael, who was born and reared near Winchester,
Ill. Michael Bean came to Atchison February 5, 1853, filed on a claim,
as stated above, and developed it into a splendid farm. On account of
border troubles he returned to Independence, Mo., and remained for four
years, and then returned to his claim. Michael died December 9, 1893,
when a little over sixty-five years of age. He was a soldier in the
Union army, having enlisted in Company F of the Thirteenth Kansas
regiment in 1862 and served until the close of the war. He was mustered
out at Ft. Leavenworth, after taking an active part in military
operations in southeast Missouri, Ft. Smith and Little Rock, Ark. To
Michael and Rebecca Bean were born seven children, namely: John H.; Mrs.
Mary Barber, deceased; William, in Colorado; Paul, deceased; Mrs. Minnie
Ledger, of Kansas City; Mrs. Ida Mayfield, living on the old homestead
in Mt. Pleasant township; Alvin, farmer, living in Shannon township;
Barbara died in infancy; Mrs. Barbara Helen Hayes, of Lincoln, Neb. The
mother of these children died in 1903, at the age of seventy-five years.
When John H. Bean was twenty-three years of age he left home and went to
Colorado, where he spent the intervening years until 1893 in the gold
and silver mines of the State with intermittent fortunes attending his
efforts. After two years’ residence in St. Joseph, Mo., he spent four
years engaged in lumbering in the woods of northern Michigan. He then
returned to Atchison, and after two years on the Atchison police force,
and for four years, from 1909 to 1913, inclusive, he was cell-keeper in
the State reformatory at Hutchinson, Kan. He returned to Atchison and
was attached to the Atchison police department as one of its most
efficient and faithful members until October 1, 1915, when he became
gate-tender for the Atchison Bridge Company. He has been twice married,
his first wife being Florence Bridges, who bore him one child, Mrs.
Armina Bolen, of Leon, Kan. His second wife was Ella Mitchell, who died
in Michigan in 1898.
Mr. Bean has always been a Republican in politics, but has never been a
candidate for any political office. In this respect he follows in the
footsteps of his father, Michael, who was an active politician in his
day, although he never sought official preferment. Michael Bean was
considered as one of the really influential men of Atchison county in
political affairs and was a great and stanch friend of Senator John J.
Ingalls, besides having a wide and favorable acquaintance with the
people of the county. He counted among his friends many of the famous
men of Atchison and the State. For thirteen years he was in charge of
the county poor farm, and during that time he made a record since
unsurpassed for management of the farm. Michael was a large man,
physically, of the true pioneer type—one of those outspoken, honest
fellows, who said outright what he thought, and was a friend to all who
knew him and trusted him. It is said that no needy settler went to
Michael Bean for assistance when in dire need and came away empty-
handed. If a settler needed money to buy a cow or horse, it was
forthcoming without the usual security or note which accompanies latter-
day transactions of this character. Liberal in his views, he was liberal
with his means and was always ready and willing to help an acquaintance.
ANDREW SPEER.
Andrew Speer, county commissioner for the second district of Atchison
county, Kansas, was born in this county, February 20, 1863. He was a son
of Joseph and Mary (Fountain) Speer, both of whom were natives of
Lawrence county, Indiana. In 1859 Joseph and his wife left the old home
in Indiana, en route to Kansas, and stopped during the winter in Iowa,
where the oldest child of the family was born. Joseph came on to Kansas,
leaving his wife in Iowa among friends, and preëmpted a quarter section
of land in Grasshopper township, three miles northeast of Muscotah, now
owned by William Speer. In the spring of 1860, the year of the great
drought, the father of the family returned to Iowa and brought his wife
and son, William, to the new home which he had prepared for them on the
Kansas plains. While the drought of their first year in Kansas worked
considerable hardship upon the settlers, Joseph was better prepared to
withstand this hardship, because of the fact that he had brought
considerable means with him, which enabled him to successfully weather
the crop failure of that year. Joseph Speer was a man of more than
ordinary education and had been a school teacher in Indiana in his
younger days. All of his life, he was a student and was a fine
mathematician. While teaching in Indiana he had read law to some extent,
and became a justice of the peace in Grasshopper township, a position
which he held for many years. He also served several years as township
trustee. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Speer, of whom
Andrew is the third in order of birth. (See biography of D. Anna Speer,
county superintendent of schools, for further details regarding the
Speer family.)
Andrew Speer, with whom this review is directly concerned, was educated
in the district school of his neighborhood, and brought up on his
father’s farm. His marriage occurred after a trip to the western part of
Kansas in 1888, and he then rented a farm. He has continually been
engaged in farming and is now cultivating the Moore farm of 320 acres in
Grasshopper township. When the Cherokee strip was thrown open to
settlement in the Indian Territory by the Government in 1892 Mr. Speer,
with eleven other Kansans from his neighborhood, made the run for
homesteads on the opening day. Six thousand or more men were lined up
ready for the great race and all rushed forward when the cannon boomed
for the start. Andrew drove a wagon and was unfortunate in staking out
his claim which proved to be a quarter section of school land. Each of
the other eleven men who accompanied him secured a good claim.
Mr. Speer was married May 1, 1889, to Miss Alida Gilliland, who has
borne him five children, namely: Myrtle, wife of Fred Draper, a farmer
of Atchison county; Albert, at home; Joseph, a teacher at Prospect Hill,
Atchison county, and the first school teacher ever graduated from the
Muscotah schools and directly became a teacher; Stephen, a pupil of the
eighth grade of the Muscotah schools, and Nicholas, deceased. The mother
of these children was born in Illinois, October 22, 1863, a daughter of
Josiah and Delitha (Maxwell) Gilliland, who died when she was but a
child four years of age. She then went to the home of an aunt, Mrs.
Kline, living in Jackson county, Kansas, who reared her to young
womanhood. Josiah Gilliland lives in Nebraska, aged eighty-three years.
He was a veteran of the Civil war from Illinois, and served in the Union
army, and moved to Missouri directly after the war ended.
The Democratic party has always had the unswerving allegiance and
support of Mr. Speer, and he stands high in the councils of his party in
Atchison county. He was first elected to the office of township trustee
and served for four years. Two years after his term of office as trustee
expired he was elected to the office of county commissioner of the
second district. Mr. Speer has performed the duties of his official
position with great credit to himself and for the benefit of his
constituents. He is an honest and capable county official who has the
best interests of the entire county at heart. He is a member of the
Masonic lodge of Muscotah, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the
Central Protective Association. Mrs. Speer is a member of the Methodist
church, the Eastern Star lodge, the Royal Neighbors and the Mystic
Workers.
SAMUEL EDWARD FIECHTER.
Samuel Edward Fiechter, now living retired on his beautiful suburban
place near Atchison, which is located on the west side of Forest Park,
is a native of Missouri. He was born in Andrew county August 25, 1856,
and is a son of John George and Anna (Bright) Fiechter. The father was
born in Baden, Germany, January 27, 1815, and died in Brown county,
Kansas, December 20, 1893. Anna Bright, his wife, was born in Berne,
Switzerland, October 26, 1822, and died in Brown county, Kansas, August
8, 1900. George Fiechter immigrated to America with his parents about
1835. They located in Missouri, and George engaged in farming in Andrew
county, that State. In 1860 he traded his Missouri farm for a farm in
Brown county, Kansas, where he was successfully engaged in farming until
he retired. He accumulated considerable property, and at the time of his
death owned something over 400 acres. To John George and Anna (Bright)
Fiechter were born the following children: John resides in Brown county;
Fred, deceased; Louise, deceased; George, deceased; Susan married S. E.
Rush, and resides in South Dakota; Samuel E., the subject of this
sketch; Jacob, deceased; Tina married Oscar Dean, and resides in Chase
county, Kansas.
Samuel Edward Fiechter was reared on the farm, and received a good
common school education. At the age of twenty-one he engaged in farming
for himself, and later rented his father’s farm, and cared for his
parents during their lives. He followed farming in Brown county until
1902, when he removed to Atchison, and after residing in the city for
eight months purchased his present place. His farm is one of the best
improved places in Brown county, consisting of 360 acres of land, under
a high state of cultivation.
Mr. Fiechter was married November 20, 1884, to Miss Sarah Parker. She
was born in Andrew county, Missouri, July 17, 1863, and is a daughter of
William and Rachel (Esslinger) Parker, the former a native of Indiana,
born March 12, 1835, and the latter was born in Andrew county, Missouri,
September 20, 1842. William Parker came to Missouri with his parents,
Daniel and Sarah (Davis) Parker, when he was a child. The parents were
natives of Kentucky, and after coming to Missouri, spent the remainder
of their lives in that State. Mrs. Fiechter was the oldest of a family
of six children; the others in order of birth are as follows: Frank
resides in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Jennie resides with her parents;
Daniel, Boise, Idaho; Mrs. Mae Zimmerman, Boise, Idaho; and Stella Allen
died September 16, 1915, at Cosby, Mo. To Mr. and Mrs. Fiechter has been
born one child, Edna, who married Ray McGaughey, and resides on a farm
in Brown county. Mr. Fiechter is a member of the Modern Woodmen of
America, and is a Republican. The family are members of the Lutheran
church.
MRS. JENNIE CIRTWILL.
Mrs. Jennie Cirtwill, of Lancaster, Kan., is the widow of Richard N.
Cirtwill, one of the well known and substantial farmers of Atchison
county, who was among the early settlers of this county. Richard N.
Cirtwill was born in Jefferson county, New York, September 20, 1828. He
was reared to young manhood in New York, and at the outbreak of the
Civil war offered his services in defense of the Union. Mr. Cirtwill
enlisted August 24, 1864, in Company I, One Hundred and Eighty-sixth
regiment of New York infantry, and served until his honorable discharge,
June 2, 1865. He was color bearer of his regiment, and fought at the
battle of Petersburg and at the siege and capture of Richmond. Mr.
Cirtwill carried the regimental colors at Petersburg and during this
fierce engagement his clothing and flag were riddled with bullets, and
he received a slight wound in his side. His son, Albert D., was also a
member of the same company and regiment, as his father and was wounded
at the battle of Petersburg. Mr. Cirtwill was first married in New York
State to Susan Burns, who departed this life in 1885.
[Illustration:
_Jennie Cirtwill_
]
Mr. Cirtwill came to Kansas in 1871 and developed a fine farm and became
well-to-do.
In January, 1889, Mr. Cirtwill married Mrs. Jennie (McClain) Cameron,
whose first husband was James Cameron, a native of Carrickfergus,
Ireland, born in 1848. When a young man, James Cameron became a sailor,
and was first mate on a vessel sailing the Atlantic ocean. At the
outbreak of the Civil war, Mr. Cameron enlisted in the Union army at
Bangor, Me., and served until the close of the war. In 1869 he came to
Muscotah, Kan., and worked as a contractor and brick mason. Six children
were born of this marriage: Frank, deceased; William, a traveling
salesman, Kansas City, Mo.; John R., a railway operator, of Mountain
Home, Idaho; Rose died in infancy; Frank J., a railroad conductor, St.
Joseph, Mo., and Walter H., a traveling salesman, Kansas City, Mo. The
father of these children died in 1903.
Mrs. Jennie Cirtwill was born at the Bank Cottages, Scotland, May 1,
1849, a daughter of William and Rosanna (Saul) McClain, who emigrated
from their native heath in 1855, and first settled in Illinois, where
the father became a contractor and builder in the employ of the Illinois
Central Railroad Company. He, too, became a soldier, thus making a
remarkable coincident, wherein Mrs. Cirtwill was the daughter of a
soldier, and both of her former husbands were Union veterans. Mr.
McClain served with bravery in an Illinois regiment of volunteers. In
1870 he came to Atchison county and engaged in the lumber and building
business at Muscotah, Kan. He became the owner of several farms and was
well-to-do at the time of his death, February 13, 1907. The mother of
Mrs. Cirtwill died in 1915, at the ripe old age of ninety-three years.
Both parents are buried at Lancaster, Kan. A bright spot in the memories
of Mrs. Cirtwill is the fact that she was permitted to care for her aged
parents in their declining years and made a home and furnished every
comfort for them.
When residing in Muscotah, Mrs. Cirtwill, nee Cameron, was left almost
destitute with the care of her five children on her hands. She was
forced to do the hardest kind of work to keep them in comfort and send
them to school. She worked as a tailor and seamstress in order to do
this, and long and exacting hours of toil were necessary to hold the
little family together, but later, better days came and she has had the
extreme satisfaction of seeing her children, for whom she made
sacrifices in those earlier days, become substantial and well-to-do
citizens of their respective localities.
A brother of Mrs. Cirtwill, John McClain, was killed by a horse when
four years of age. William, the only brother reared to manhood, was a
banker at Huron, Kan., but sold his interests there and removed to Peru,
Kan., where he started a bank of his own. Three years later he went to
Coffeyville, Kan., and lived there for a short time. Very early he began
to see the future value of oil lands in Oklahoma, and invested heavily
in Oklahoma land which proved to be a very profitable investment.
Besides being a capitalist and builder he was a speaker and public man,
well known in Atchison county and Kansas. He died in Coffeyville, Kan.,
January 5, 1911, at the age of fifty years. He left a widow and one
daughter.
The mother of Mrs. Cirtwill, who was Mrs. Rosanna (Saul) McClain, was a
skilled seamstress, and had the honor of attending the coronation
ceremonies of Queen Victoria in England. Her father was Thomas Saul, a
poet of unusual ability, endowed with a wonderful memory and an ability
to quote poetry and the classics which his daughter inherited to a great
extent. Through her great-grandmother, Rosanna Saul McClain was of royal
lineage, having been born in a royal golden bed of honor, only
vouchsafed to those of kingly lineage. This great-grandmother became
very wealthy and left a large estate to her two daughters. Rosanna and
her sister were highly skilled in tailoring and needle work and
embroidery, and were highly rewarded by Queen Victoria for making and
embroidering a beautiful dress for the queen to wear on state occasions.
Mrs. Cirtwill is the owner of considerable property in Atchison county,
including 260 acres of fine land, a store building and a home in
Lancaster, Kan. She has two grandchildren: Cecil Mae, and Jeanette Rose
Cameron, children of Frank J. Cameron. Besides her Atchison county
property this well-to-do Atchison county woman has several vacant lots
and residence properties in St. Joseph, Mo., and is considered to be an
able business woman. She is a member of the Rebekah lodge, of Lancaster,
and is a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. For many
years she has taught a Sunday school class, of which she is very fond.
Mrs. Cirtwill usually spends the summer seasons in traveling and during
the summer and fall of 1915, she spent several weeks in the West,
principally in Denver and vicinity.
ASA BARNES.
The name of Barnes figures prominently in the early history of Kansas
and Atchison county, and the history of the family in Kansas dates from
the spring of 1858 when Capt. Asa Barnes came from the ancestral home of
the Barnes family in New Jersey, and settled in Mt. Pleasant township,
Atchison county, and immediately identified himself with the Free State
party.
Asa Barnes, the present representative of the family living on the old
Barnes homestead in Mt. Pleasant township, five miles northwest of
Potter, was born in January, 1854, in New Brunswick, N. J., a son of Asa
and Harriet (Cook) Barnes, the former a native of Connecticut and the
latter of New Jersey of English descent. Asa Barnes, the father of the
subject, was born in 1821, and became a papermaker in New Brunswick,
where several of his children were born. In 1858 he disposed of his
belongings and property in New Jersey and migrated to Kansas, settling
in Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison county. His wife and children
followed him in April, 1859. When he first came to Kansas he was a
Democrat in politics, but changed his political belief soon afterward
and espoused the cause of the Free State party. He took a prominent and
active part in political affairs and became well known throughout the
State as an able and influential champion of freedom. On two different
occasions he was elected to represent Atchison county in the State
legislature and served the people with distinction and ability. When the
Civil war broke out between the States he organized Company A of the
Twelfth Kansas cavalry and served as captain of the company; he also
helped to organize a company for the Thirteenth Kansas infantry. He was
further distinguished by his war service in a manner which reflected
credit upon himself and his home county. Captain Barnes died January 12,
1889. Asa Barnes was the father of ten sons and one daughter, as
follows: R. A., deceased; M. N., deceased; Enoch, deceased; Asa, Jr.,
Fillmore died in New Jersey; Frank, living in California; Laura
(Willis), Corning, Kan.; Louis, living at Binger, Okla.; Harry, Bisbee,
Ariz.; Orrin, of Nevada; Reuben C., deceased. The mother of these
children died February 12, 1909, at the age of eighty-two years.
Asa Barnes, the younger, was one of three sons of Capt. Asa Barnes, and
grew to manhood on his father’s farm in Atchison county. He remained at
home and assisted his father in the management of the home farm until he
attained his majority. After his marriage in 1874 he rented land on his
own account for six years and then bought the home farm of 207 acres
from his father and the heirs, part of which is now owned by his sons.
He has followed a plan of general farming and has prospered to a
considerable extent. Mr. Barnes was married November 5, 1874, to Miss
Kate Thompson, of Atchison county. This marriage has been blessed with
five children, as follows: Fannie, deceased; Herbert, at home with his
parents; Bertha, wife of A. J. Pease, of Atchison; Leola, wife of A. J.
Saggs, of Falls City, Nebraska; Ernest L., at home; Dora, wife of Ed
Lee, of Atchison county; Cora, deceased. The mother of these children
was born October 2, 1854, and is a daughter of Hon. George W. Thompson,
now living in Atchison, and who is probably the oldest living pioneer
settler of Atchison county, and concerning whose career an extended
review is given in this volume.
In political affairs Mr. Barnes, while favoring the Progressive party
principles, is inclined to be independent in his voting. He is a member
of the Christian church, and is well and favorably known throughout this
section of Atchison county, being rated as a substantial well-to-do
farmer, who is deserving of considerable credit for what he has
accomplished.
CHARLES ARTHUR CHANDLER.
Charles Arthur Chandler is one of the self-made men of Atchison. Some
men are successful because of a fortunate chain of circumstances
attending their efforts which we commonly refer to as “good luck”;
others by dint of steady employment, saving their surplus funds and
investing them wisely, are enabled to secure the necessary wherewithal
to embark in business and attain a substantial modicum of wealth. It is
to the latter class that Mr. Chandler properly belongs. While good
fortune has generally attended his industry and plans, his success is
due to the husbanding of his resources, and planning ahead with the
coöperation of a faithful wife, so that he could eventually be his own
employer and engage in mercantile pursuits for himself. Since January 1,
1910, he has been engaged in the lumber business in connection with the
Shulz-Fisk Lumber Company, one of the oldest concerns in the city. Four
men are employed to take care of the extensive business which comes to
the yards. Lumber, lime, cement, plaster and building material of all
kinds are sold in large quantities. The extensive yards, 100×250 feet,
are rated as among the best equipped and most modern in northeastern
Kansas, and the management is constantly improving the appearance and
facilities of the buildings.
Mr. Chandler was born November 22, 1860, in Fond du Lac, Wis., a son of
Charles and Maria (Moore) Chandler, natives of Munson, Mass., and
Montreal, Canada, respectively. The Chandler family is a very old one in
America, and an extensive genealogy of the family has been compiled.
William Chandler, progenitor of the family in this country, emigrated
from the ancestral home in England to Roxbury, Mass., in 1637, dying
there November 26, 1641. He had a son named John, born 1635, who married
Elizabeth Douglas, of Roxbury, Mass. Succeeding generations are as
follows, in a direct line to C. A. Chandler: Captain Joseph Chandler,
born June 4, 1683, wife, Susannah Perrin, of Roxbury, Mass.; David
Chandler, born May 28, 1712, wife, Mary Allen, of Pomfret, Conn.; Elijah
Chandler, born May 3, 1737, wife, Sarah Frizzel, of Woodstock, Conn.;
Charles Chandler, born June 23, 1779, wife, Margaret Edgerton, of
Munson, Mass.; Charles Chandler, born February 21, 1822, wife, Maria
Moore Shepard; C. A. Chandler, born November 22, 1860, wife, Effie Rook,
of Atchison, Kan.; Elijah Chandler was a soldier in the French and
Indian war. Charles Chandler, father of the subject of this review, was
a “Forty-Niner,” who made the long trip to California across the plains
in 1849. He mined gold in the placer fields of the Golden State for some
time, and then returned to the East, via the Nicaragua route, settling
down in Fond du Lac, Wis., where he engaged in the grain business with
fair success. He died at his home in Fond du Lac in 1896, at the age of
seventy-five years. He was the father of three children: Mrs. Charles E.
Rogers, Fond du Lac; Fred Shepard, also of Fond du Lac, and Charles A.,
with whom this review is directly concerned. The mother of these
children, Maria Moore Shepard, was born in 1826, and is a direct
descendant of Governor William Bradford, of Massachusetts. The
genealogical tree in a direct line from the colonial governor is as
follows: Gov. William Bradford; his son, Maj. William Bradford; Alice
Bradford married Maj. James Fitch, 1649–1727; Daniel Fitch, 1693–1752,
wife, Anna Cook; William Fitch, 1720—, wife, Mary Paine; Abigail Fitch,
1745–1785, married Joseph Moore, 1745–1823; Anna Moore, 1770–1854,
married Timothy Shepard, 1764–1817; Maria Moore Shepard, 1826, etc.
C. A. Chandler was educated in the public schools of his native city and
fitted himself for the profession of civil engineer by a considerable
amount of home study and practical experience. After getting launched in
his chosen profession, he entered the employ of the Missouri Pacific
railroad and remained in the employ of this railroad for a period of
twenty-five years. He first came to Atchison in May, 1885, and has since
been a resident here.
Mr. Chandler is the owner of the Graham farm of 310 acres near Cummings,
Atchison county, Kansas. Every dollar’s worth of property which he owns
has been accumulated by his own endeavors; not one dollar was ever
received by him through inheritance or gift, and he and his wife have
the great satisfaction of knowing that what they have and own is theirs
by right of industry and thrift. Mr. Chandler is a Republican, a member
of the Episcopal church, and is fraternally associated with the Masonic
order, a member of Active Lodge, No. 158, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He was married February
4, 1891, to Effie Rook, of Atchison. To this union have been born:
Horace F., born September 19, 1896, a graduate of the Atchison High
School, class of 1913, and now a sophomore in Kansas University,
Lawrence; Esther, born March 5, 1898, senior student in the Atchison
High School, class of 1916. The mother of these children is a daughter
of Judge Horace M. Jackson, a biography of whom is published in this
volume.
GRACE CROSBY POWER.
The city of Atchison is fortunate in having as the present
superintendent of the city hospital a lady of talent and ability, which,
combined with great personal charm, constitute a splendid equipment for
the important position which Miss Power holds. She is eminently
qualified by training and executive capacity to perform the exacting
duties required of a hospital superintendent, and she is fast becoming
deservedly popular among the people of Atchison, who support this justly
famous institution.
Grace Crosby Power is a native of Indiana, born October 23, 1880, in the
town of Milroy, Rush county, and is a daughter of William Strange and
Mary E. (Crosby) Power. Her father was also a native of Rush county,
Indiana, born in 1837, a son of an Indiana pioneer family. His parents
were John A. and Mary A. (Smisor) Power, both of whom were natives of
Germany and Scotland, respectively. They immigrated to America from
Germany in an early day, and cleared a farm from the dense wilderness of
Rush county by dint of hard labor and the exercise of fortitude. This
German-American couple had the satisfaction of gaining a substantial
competence from the soil and of bequeathing a good family of sons and
daughters to their adopted land. William Power was one of the first fine
live stock breeders of Rush county, and his farm became famous for the
Hambletonian horses which it produced. He died in 1906 in his home town,
Milroy. His wife, Mary, was born in Milroy, Ind., in 1837, a daughter of
Michael and Lucinda Crosby, natives of Ireland, and also early settlers
of Rush county, Indiana. The Powers were all members of the Methodist
Episcopal church, and have been prominent in the affairs of Rush county
for many years. William Power was one of the well-to-do men of the
county. To Mr. and Mrs. William Power were born four children: Cora
Estelle, wife of Prof. E. F. Engel, of Lawrence, Kan.; Kathrine, wife of
Rev. W. F. Smith, of the Methodist church, at Huntington, Ind.; Frank
A., Wichita, Kan., a director of the Power-Myers music house; Miss Grace
Crosby Power, with whom this review is directly concerned.
Miss Power received her elementary education in the public schools of
Milroy, Ind., and afterwards entered DePauw University, at Greencastle,
Ind., where she pursued a music course for two years. She then came to
Kansas and studied in the liberal arts department of Kansas University,
at Lawrence. While her original intention had been to perfect herself in
art and music, she became imbued with the idea of becoming a nurse,
feeling that a wider field was offered in the art of caring for the
sick, and that she could be of greater service to humanity. Accordingly,
Miss Power entered the University Medical Hospital of Kansas City, Mo.,
in 1905, and began the studies which were to prepare her for her life
work as a hospital nurse. She applied herself diligently to her medical
studies and was graduated from the Kansas City institution in 1908. She
was then offered the position of superintendent of the Galesburg, Ill.,
hospital, and accepted, remaining there until 1911. She was not yet
satisfied with her professional preparation, and resigning her position,
she spent one year in Europe, traveling and studying the methods in
vogue in the hospitals of the old world. Returning to Kansas City in
1912, she was employed by Drs. Jabez and Jackson, of that city, in a
professional capacity, until she was called to her present post,
September 29, 1915. Since taking charge of the Atchison City Hospital,
she has given every evidence of being eminently fitted for the duties of
her position and calling. Miss Power is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, and is affiliated with the A. X. U. sorority, of
DePauw University.
WILLIAM H. THOMPSON.
The late William H. Thompson, of Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison county,
was born on a Kentucky farm, near the city of Louisville, in 1838. His
parents were Benjamin and Nancy (Baxter) Thompson, and both were born
and reared in Kentucky, their old home being located on a small stream
called Dry Beauty. Nancy Baxter Thompson was the belle of the
neighborhood and was a famous beauty in her day. In 1848 the Thompsons
migrated from Kentucky to Platte county, Missouri, where they resided
until the spring of 1860, and then came to Atchison county and purchased
the farm where William H. lived until his death, in 1884. Benjamin, the
father, was born in Kentucky in 1799, and died on his Kansas farm in
1861, just after locating in this county. He was a man of fair
education, who was self-taught. He taught school in his native State,
and his father was a famous hunter in the early days of Kentucky
history. He disappeared while absent from home on a hunting expedition,
and it is supposed that he was killed or captured by Indians, leaving a
wife and three children. Times were hard and educational advantages were
either very poor or absent altogether. Benjamin educated himself by
night study and home reading, and became well versed in books and
knowledge.
[Illustration:
_Mrs. Matilda Thompson_
]
William H. Thompson was ten years of age when the family removed to
Missouri, and he was reared to young manhood on the pioneer farm in
Platte county. After his marriage in 1862, he and his wife lived with
his widowed mother after the death of his father, October 26, 1861. He
came into possession of the home place and cultivated the land until his
demise in 1884. He was married July 6, 1862, to Matilda Thompson, and
eight children were born to this marriage: Annie, wife of Frank
Williamson, of California; Ada, wife of Henry Knobloch, of Atchison
county; Robert Lee, at home with his mother; William H., a mining
expert, in Colorado; Gertrude, wife of Ed. Myer, of Atchison; Sirena
Ella, deceased wife of Patrick Burns; Benjamin Isaac, at home; Gladis,
deceased wife of Eugene Thornburg. The mother of these children was born
in 1842 in Buchanan county, Missouri, a daughter of Isaac Thompson, born
in New York State, on a farm near New York City, in 1804. The
grandfather and a great-uncle of Isaac came to America from England some
time before the American revolution, and became separated and never saw
each other again. They were of Scotch origin. The paternal grandmother
of Mrs. Thompson was a Miss Fiske of the New York family of Fiskes.
Isaac Thompson married Elizabeth Fiscus in Indiana. In the year 1808,
the parents of Isaac Thompson removed from New York to Ohio and twelve
years later migrated westward to Shelby county, Indiana, where the
parents died. After his marriage Isaac migrated to Buchanan county,
Missouri, in about 1839, and developed a fine farm in that county. In
about 1847 he sold his farm in Missouri and set out on the long overland
journey to Oregon. A large party were en route to this new country and
the outfit comprised twenty-one wagons and teams. An incident of this
journey is here worth recording. While the emigrants were encamped for
the night at a point hundreds of miles from any human habitation, an
Indian came to the camp and informed them that a band of hostile red men
intended to attack them and destroy the outfit. A band of emigrant
Mormons drove up and joined them and they at once formed a corral with
their wagons and prepared to defend themselves against the threatened
attack, but the attack did not take place because of the preparations
made. The Thompson family remained in Oregon for five years. Isaac went
to California in 1848 and engaged in gold mining. Mr. Thompson was
fortunate in his prospecting and accumulated a small fortune. During the
winter of ’49 he was shipwrecked while making a voyage from California
to his Oregon home, the vessel being driven far and out of its course by
terrific storms and he was forced to spend the winter on the Sandwich
Islands. After arriving home safely, he again went to California and
continued his gold mining. In 1851 the family returned to the Middle
West. They boarded a ship at Portland, Ore., journeyed to San Francisco,
where they took a ship for New Orleans. On the way down the coast the
party was landed on the west coast of the Isthmus of Panama and the
emigrants were packed across the Isthmus to the east side, where they
boarded a vessel which carried them to New York City, arriving there on
Christmas day of 1851. From New York they went to Philadelphia where Mr.
Thompson had his gold minted at the Government mint. From Philadelphia
they traveled to Pittsburgh, and here the children all contracted
measles and two of them died. From Pittsburgh they went down the Ohio
river by steamer and up the Mississippi to St. Louis where they boarded
a Missouri river steamer which took them to Camden, Mo. Here the wife
and mother died. At Camden Mr. Thompson purchased oxen and wagons and
took the family to Buchanan county, Missouri, arriving there in the
summer of 1852. They lived in Missouri until 1856 and then made a
permanent settlement in Kansas preëmpting land and locating on Walnut
creek in Mt. Pleasant township, about four miles southwest of the city
of Atchison, which is now the Herzog farm. After eight years’ residence
here they again moved, this time to Illinois, where they lived for three
years and came again to Kansas, this time settling in Nemaha county.
Isaac died in Nemaha county in 1871. His was certainly a rich and varied
experience and his life was filled with adventure and continual changes.
Mrs. Matilda Thompson, widow of William H., although having attained the
age of three score and thirteen years, is active, spry and in full
possession of her mental faculties. She is a wonderful woman for her age
and is fond of relating reminiscences of the old days when the family
crossed the plains and traveled half way around the world in quest of
riches and adventure.
JOHN HENRY NASS.
When the soul of the late John Henry Nass departed from its earthly
habitation to go to his Maker, the city of Atchison lost one of its
excellent citizens and merchants who had lived all of his life in the
city of his birth. The late J. H. Nass was born in Atchison, February
15, 1865, a son of Jacob and Johanna Nass, both of whom were born and
reared in Germany and emigrated from the Fatherland in 1856, to America.
They first settled at Weston, Mo., but a short time later came to
Atchison, Kan., where Jacob Nass became the first brick manufacturer of
the city. He erected the first brick plant and made brick for many of
the large brick buildings still standing in the city. Jacob Nass
continued actively in the brick business until 1875, when he retired and
the business was carried on by his four sons. During the course of his
business career he established the hardware store which was later owned
by his son, the subject of this review. He left at his demise, in 1899,
a considerable estate consisting of the brick plant, a hardware store,
and real estate. Jacob and Johanna Nass were the parents of six
children, namely: Werner, J. H., Theodore, Herman, all living in
Atchison; Gertrude, and Mary Nass, who is caring for her aged mother.
J. H., or Henry Nass, as he was better known by his friends and
associates, was reared in Atchison and attended the parochial schools
and St. Benedict’s College. At the age of sixteen years he entered his
father’s hardware store, and took complete charge of the business when
he attained the age of eighteen years. In 1886, with a partner named
Frank Hess, of Weston, Mo., he purchased the hardware store of his
father. Six years later he bought out his partner and became the sole
owner of the store, which he conducted until his demise, in 1903. He was
married September 27, 1893, to Bertha Fleming, who bore him children as
follows: Charles, born September 16, 1895, educated in St. Benedict’s
College, and is now in the employ of the Dolan Mercantile Company of
Atchison; Raymond, born July 31, 1898, a graduate of St. Benedict’s
College, and is now with the Harwi Hardware Company of Atchison; Rose,
born October 31, 1899, at home with her mother; Margarette, born June 2,
1901, student in St. Louis parochial school; William, born November 19,
1902, a student in a St. Louis school; Henry John, born December 7,
1903, and died at the age of eighteen months. Mrs. Nass is justly proud
of her children and has endeavored to rear them so that they will lead
upright lives and be a credit to her and the public. The Nass home is
located near St. Benedict’s College, and it is a happy one at all times.
When Mr. and Mrs. Nass were married in 1893 their honeymoon trip
included the World’s Fair at Chicago. She was born in Holland, a
daughter of Lambert and Rosa (Johnson) Fleming, both of whom were born
and reared in Holland and married there, after which they immigrated to
America with their family and settled in Atchison where Lambert made
wooden shoes for a time and later moved to a farm where he died June 15,
1880. Mrs. Fleming died in 1903.
J. H. Nass was moderately successful in his business pursuits, and left
his family comfortably provided for. He was a Democrat but did not take
a very active interest in political matters. He was a member of St.
Benedict’s Catholic Church. His life was a good and useful one and his
main interest was in the well being of his family, of whom he was very
thoughtful and treated kindly and justly.
FRANK M. WOODFORD.
Frank M. Woodford, the well known cashier of the Atchison Savings Bank,
was born at Niles, Mich., November 29, 1874. He is a son of James H. and
Emma (Bickell) Woodford, both natives of Niles, Mich., the former born
in 1851 and the latter in 1855. James H. Woodford is a son of Benjamin
Woodford, who was a native of New York, and an early settler in
Michigan. His wife, Emma Bickell, is a daughter of Thomas J. Bickell, a
Virginian. James H. Woodford came to Kansas with his family in 1887, and
located in Atchison, and was an employee of the Missouri Pacific
Railroad Company for a number of years, and later purchased a farm in
Atchison county, where he now resides. Frank M. Woodford is the only son
born to James H. and Emma (Bickell) Woodford. He attended the public
schools and graduated from the Atchison High School in the class of
1894. In 1896 he entered the employ of the Exchange National Bank of
Atchison, and worked in the collection department of that institution
for two and one-half years. He then entered the employ of the Missouri
Pacific Railroad Company as yard clerk and later served in the capacity
of inspector and bookkeeper. August 1, 1900, he became bookkeeper of the
Atchison Savings Bank, and in 1910 succeeded to the cashier-ship of that
bank, and has capably filled that position to the present time. Mr.
Woodford possesses the safe and conservative judgment of the successful
bank cashier and is recognized for his efficiency in that important
branch of the commercial world. Mr. Woodford was united in marriage
December 21, 1898, with Miss Mabel Santchfield, of Macon, Mo., and two
children have been born to this union: Millard, aged eleven, and
Maurice, aged eight. Mr. Woodford is a Royal Arch Mason, a member of the
Knights of Pythias, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Knights of the Maccabees,
Modern Woodmen of America, and Knights and Ladies of Security. He is a
Democrat and a member of the Baptist church.
HOLMES DYSINGER, D. D.
Holmes Dysinger, D. D., dean of the Western Theological Seminary of
Atchison, Kan., was born March 26, 1853, in the town of Mifflin, Juniata
county, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Joseph and Mary Amelia (Patterson)
Dysinger, both natives of Pennsylvania. The genealogical record of the
Dysinger family traces its beginning in America to the seventeenth
century, the ancestry on the paternal side being South German and on the
maternal side, of English origin. The members of the family for
succeeding generations were farmers and carpenters, Joseph Dysinger
being a carpenter and contracting builder in his younger days, and later
became a farmer. He died on his farm in Pennsylvania, near his
birthplace. There were six sons and a daughter in the family which
Joseph Dysinger reared, as follows: Holmes, with whom this review is
directly concerned; George Washington Dysinger, a practicing dentist at
Minneapolis, Minn.; Rev. William Stewart Dysinger, a minister of the
Lutheran church in Los Angeles, Cal.; Prof. James H. Dysinger, a teacher
at Los Angeles, Cal., and a daughter died at the age of six months.
Holmes Dysinger was reared on his father’s farm and received his
elementary education in the district school of his neighborhood. The
initial part of his higher education was obtained in the Airyview
Academy at Port Royal, Penn. The means at the disposal of the Dysinger
family did not permit of Holmes continuing his studies uninterrupted,
and he found it necessary to make his own way through the higher realms
of learning. Consequently, in order to make his way through college and
the university, he began teaching at the early age of seventeen years,
and has taught continuously since that time, with the exception of three
years in college and a few years in a pastorate. In 1878 he received the
degree of Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania College at Gettysburg, Pa.,
and taught in the academic department of that college for a period of
four years, while studying theology in the seminary at that place. His
next position was as professor of Latin and Greek in the North Carolina
College, Mt. Pleasant, N. C., from 1882 to 1883. From 1883 to 1888,
inclusive, he was professor of Latin and Greek at Newberry College, in
South Carolina, and from 1888 to 1895 he filled the position of
president of Carthage College, Carthage, Ill. From 1895 to 1900 he
filled the pastorate of the Lutheran church at Polo, Ill.; he was pastor
of the First Lutheran Church of Kansas City, Mo., from 1900 to 1902, and
had charge of the Lutheran church at Vandergrift, Pa., from 1902 to
1905. He became dean of the Western Theological Seminary at Atchison,
Kan., in November of 1905. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity
from Wittenberg College, at Springfield, Ohio, in 1889.
Dr. Dysinger was united in marriage with Ada Frances Ray, of
Blairsville, Pa., September 22, 1886, and to this union have been born
five children: Mary Ray Dysinger, librarian of Midland College,
Atchison; Cornelia, Helen Frances and Dorothy Homes, at home with their
parents, and Mrs. Dr. C. F. Malmberg, of Greenville, Pa.
CHARLES LANGE.
Charles Lange, farmer, Center township, Atchison county, was born in
Germany, January 11, 1865. He is a son of Karl and Marie (Poos) Lange,
who were the parents of three children, as follows: Charles, subject of
this sketch; Mrs. Mary Rathert, Center township, Atchison county, and
Minnie, married C. Kloepper, living in Jefferson county. Karl Lange, the
father, was born March 13, 1838, in Germany, and left his native land in
the fall of 1874, coming to Atchison county, where he rented for a short
time. He then bought the place where his son now lives, which contained
140 acres. The place was fenced with rails and a log cabin had been
built, and the barn was of straw. Taking this primitive farm in 1874,
Mr. Lange began improving it, and in 1883 he built a fine six-room house
and made a number of other improvements. In 1902 he retired and moved to
Nortonville, Kan., where he died in 1910. The mother of Charles Lange
was born in Germany, July 31, 1841. She is now living in Nortonville,
Kan.
Charles Lange attended school in Germany four years and also went to the
district school in Center township, Atchison county. He has always lived
on his present farm, and looked after his father’s affairs until the
latter’s death. He now owns the old home place, which includes 375
acres, sixty acres of which is in corn. He is a thorough farmer and
keeps high grade stock. In 1901 Mr. Lange was married to Martha Straub,
who was born January 17, 1881, in Baden, Germany. At the age of five
years she left Germany with her parents, Joseph and Salme (Hilderbrandt)
Straub, who came to America. In 1904 they settled in Mt. Pleasant
township, Atchison county, where the father followed farming. Mr. and
Mrs. Lange have six children, all of whom are living at home. They are:
Erna, Charles, Jr., Henry, Emma, Julius, and Ella. Mr. Lange is a
Republican, and attends the Lutheran church.
CHARLES L. ALKIRE.
Charles L. Alkire, proprietor and manager of the Troy laundry of
Atchison, was born December 1, 1876, in Saline county, Missouri, a son
of George A. and Ellen H. (Dickson) Alkire, who were the parents of two
children, as follows: George D., a farmer of Bronaugh, Mo., and Charles
L. George A. Alkire was born August 28, 1846, in Illinois, and was a son
of George Alkire, who had the distinction of founding the Texas town
which bears his name. In early life he was a merchant, and came to
Missouri when a young man, and established a general merchandise store
in Saline county. Later he engaged in banking and was cashier of the
bank at Blackburn, Mo. For six years he served as county collector of
Vernon county, Missouri. He is now living a retired life in Dallas, Tex.
His father, George Alkire, was an extensive fruit grower, after whom the
town of Alkire, Texas, was named and who died there. Ellen H. (Dickson)
Alkire, mother of Charles L., was born on a farm near Booneville, Tipton
county, Missouri, September 3, 1839, and is living in the family home at
Dallas, Texas.
Charles L. Alkire received his education in the schools of his native
county, and attended the State school at Nevada, Mo., graduating from
business college in Nevada. He served as deputy collector in Vernon
county under his father, and then went to Norman, Okla., where he
embarked in the newspaper business, running the Troy laundry in
connection with his publishing duties, from 1899 to 1902. He then
disposed of his holdings in Norman and located in Kansas City, Mo.,
where he had charge of the shoe department in G. B. Peck’s drygoods
store, until his removal to Atchison, Kan. He was first employed in the
freight department of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad, and was
then engaged in the inspection bureau of the Western Weighing
Association of Railroads. He served as traveling salesman for the A. J.
Harwi Hardware Company until he purchased the Troy laundry, in October
of 1915. He was a successful traveling salesman, and is making a marked
success in his latest business venture.
Mr. Alkire was married in 1899 to Elizabeth H. Clapham, and to this
union one child, Elizabeth, has been born. Mrs. Alkire was born March
12, 1878, in Fremont, Neb., and is a daughter of Edward and Anna
(Bradley) Clapham, natives of England, who came to Iowa from their
native land with their parents when both were infants. Mr. and Mrs.
Clapham have been dead for a number of years. Mrs. Alkire was educated
in the University of Oklahoma and graduated from that institution. Mr.
Alkire is an independent voter and is not allied with any particular
political party, being self-reliant in such matters as he has always
been in his business affairs. He is a member of the Baptist church and
his wife is a member of the Methodist church.
W. D. CHALFANT.
W. D. Chalfant, a prominent farmer of Shannon township, Atchison county,
is a native of Pennsylvania. He was born at Brownsville, Fayette county,
August 2, 1862, a son of Benjamin M. and Mary Amanda (Lynn) Chalfant,
both natives of Pennsylvania, the former born in 1838, and the latter in
1836. The Chalfant family is of English origin, and was founded in
America prior to the Revolutionary war. Benjamin M. Chalfant was a son
of James Chalfant, of Fayette county, Pennsylvania. Benjamin M. owned
the old Chalfant homestead in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and in 1882
he sold his Pennsylvania property and came to Kansas, locating in
Shannon township, Atchison county, where he purchased 320 acres of land,
and was successfully engaged in farming until his death, which occurred
June 3, 1914. He was accidentally killed at the railroad crossing at
Fourth street, Atchison, while walking across the track. In an effort to
avoid an approaching car, he did not notice an approaching Missouri
Pacific train, which struck him. His wife died January 18, 1905. They
were the parents of the following children: James M. resides in Graham
county, Kansas; Elsworth died in infancy: William D., the subject of
this sketch; Mary B. Bean lives in Kingman county, Kansas: Henry died at
the age of ten, Alice died at the age of ten, and Elvira P. resides in
Atchison.
William D. Chalfant was twenty years of age when he came to Atchison
county, and has resided in this county since 1882, with the exception of
two years, one of which he spent in California and the other in Nemaha
county, Kansas. He bought the home place in 1914, shortly after his
father’s death. He was united in marriage in 1891 to Miss Mary Mann, a
native of Monroe county, West Virginia, and a daughter of Austin and
Susan Mann. The father is deceased, and the mother resides in Arkansas.
To Mr. and Mrs. Chalfant have been born eight children, as follows:
Bonnie Miller resides in West Virginia, and has two children, Raymond
and George; Benjamin M. resides at home; Delilah, Jenette, Helen, Henry,
Marie, and Mildred. Jenette and Henry died in infancy. Mr. Chalfant is a
Republican, and his fraternal affiliations are with the Fraternal Order
of Eagles and the Central Protective Association.
JACOB BUTTRON.
He of whom this review is written is one of the enterprising and
successful farmers of Lancaster township, Atchison county, and is a son
of Henry Buttron, a pioneer settler of the county, and who at the time
of his death was one of the wealthiest and best known citizens of
Lancaster township. A biography of Henry Buttron appears in this
history.
Jacob Buttron was born in Lancaster township, April 16, 1872, and has
always lived in the vicinity of his early home. He was reared on his
father’s farm and attended the school in the Bell district, No. 59. He
remained on the farm and gave his best endeavors to assisting his father
in building up the family estate until 1904, at which time he started
out for himself on a rented farm. He first rented 160 acres of land from
his father. Later he bought an equal amount of the north quarter of the
Cloyes farm. He has through his father, at the present time, one of the
best improved and productive farms of Lancaster township and is on the
high road to prosperity. Mr. Buttron has his farm stocked with only the
best grades of live stock and has made an excellent record as a
stockman.
He was married December 14, 1904, to Miss Emma Flattre, and four
children have blessed this union, namely: Bertha, Emma, Alice and John.
Mrs. Buttron is a daughter of Thomas and Emma (Manson) Flattre. Mr.
Buttron is a Republican in politics, but has never sought political
preferment of any kind, and contents himself in doing his duty at the
polls at election time. While he professes no religious creed, he is a
church goer and is considered to be an upright and exemplary citizen who
has many friends in his neighborhood, who esteem him highly for his
industrious habits and honest demeanor.
GEORGE SCHRADER.
George Schrader, farmer and stockman, of Center township, Atchison
county, was born in Lancaster township, January 25, 1868, and is a son
of Nicholas and Kathrine Schrader. He was one of six children. The
parents were born in Germany, but each came to America when young. They
were married in the United States about 1856, and came directly to
Kansas, settling in Lancaster township, Atchison county. Later they
removed to Mount Pleasant township, and followed farming until the
father retired. The mother died in 1907, aged seventy-three years, and
the father lived with his children until his death, in 1914, at the age
of eighty-six. George Schrader grew to manhood on the home farm in
Atchison county, and at the age of nineteen began to work as a farm
hand. A year later he went to California and worked on a ranch. In 1890
he returned to Atchison county and rented his father’s farm for a year,
when he bought 180 acres, located on the Topeka State road, two and one-
half miles north, and one-half mile west of Cummings, Kan. The farm had
only scanty improvements, with a house in bad condition and a small
barn. He built a good two-story, modern, nine-room house, which is
situated in one of the finest building places in the county, commanding
an excellent view. He then erected a large barn, 36×50 feet, with a
cement basement. It is well equipped and built especially for a stock
barn. Mr. Schrader takes great pride in his stock, which includes fine
Hampshire hogs, Percheron and Coach horses. His farm consists of 200
acres, forty acres of which is timber land.
When a young man Mr. Schrader operated a threshing outfit, and continued
in that business for many years as a sideline. He is also a carpenter,
and built most of the buildings on his farm. In 1894 he married Carrie
Kuhn, who was born in Atchison county in 1874. She is a daughter of Fred
and Anna (Gruner) Kuhn. The father was a native of Germany, and the
mother of Illinois. Both parents are living. Mr. and Mrs. Schrader have
three children: Herbert, Lester, and Ida, all living at home. Mr.
Schrader is a Republican, and is treasurer of Center township. He is a
member of the German Evangelical church. He is a stockholder in the
Cummings State Bank. Mr. Schrader is a citizen active in the interest of
his community, and takes pride in his farm and in his community, and is
always in favor of any movement which will be for the good of the
community.
WILLIAM T. HUTSON.
William T. Hutson, an Atchison business man, who has extensive
industrial and commercial interests, and is a large land owner, is a
native of Missouri. He was born in Platte county August 1, 1874, and is
a son of E. P. and Johanna (Kelley) Hutson, the former a native of Clay
county, Missouri, and the latter of Dublin, Ireland. E. P. Hutson, the
father, had a very successful career, and at the time of his death,
which occurred in Platte county, Missouri, in 1892, he owned over 2,000
acres of valuable land. He and his brother, Isaac, went to California in
1850, shortly after the discovery of gold. They were interested in the
live stock business on the coast at that early day, buying cattle and
driving them to the mining camps, where they found a ready market at
very good prices. They were engaged in this business for twelve or
thirteen years, and were very successful in a financial way. Isaac’s
health failed while on the coast, and he returned to his Platte county
home, where he died in 1864. After returning to Missouri, E. P. Hutson
followed farming, and looked after his extensive interests until about
the time of his death.
William T. Hutson, whose name introduces this sketch, is one of a family
of six children, as follows: William T., the subject of this sketch; G.
E., farmer, Platte county, Missouri; Capitola married W. P. Page, Platte
county, Missouri; Pluma married Dr. Kirkfast, Austin, Neb.; Goldie
married Barney Nolan, Sioux City, Iowa, and Galena married Edward Back,
Atchison, Kan. William T. Hutson was reared on the home farm in Platte
county, Missouri, and received his education in the public schools, and
has made farming the chief occupation of his life. He and his brother,
G. E., now own and operate 1,000 acres of land in Platte county,
Missouri, where they are extensive growers of wheat and other grains.
They are also extensive hog raisers and are among the most extensive
farmers of Platte county.
Mr. Hutson came to Atchison in December, 1909, and since that time has
been closely identified with industrial Atchison. He is president of the
Atchison Paving Brick Company, and is a director in the First National
Bank of Atchison. He was united in marriage in June, 1909, to Miss
Esther Jackson, of Bigelow, Mo. She is a daughter of Richard and Varney
Jackson, members of old and highly respected Platte county families. Mr.
and Mrs. Hutson have one child, Virginia Lee, born June 23, 1912. Mr.
Hutson is a Democrat.
JOHN BEYER.
John Beyer, banker and stock buyer of Arrington, Atchison county,
Kansas, was born in Kapioma township, on October 9, 1871. His parents,
Asa and Susan Beyer, were both natives of Pennsylvania, the father
having been born there in 1835. They came to Kansas in 1868, and settled
in Kapioma township, Atchison county, where the father died in 1898, and
the mother is still living. John Beyer is one of eleven children, as
follows: Mrs. Mary Lewton, Benton township; Samuel, Kapioma township;
Mrs. Christen High, Texas; David, farmer, Kapioma township; Jane, living
on the home place; Clarissa, deceased; Martha Schiffbauer, Sumner
county, Kansas; John, the subject of this sketch; Albert, Caldwell,
Kansas, and Luctria Dodson, Kapioma township.
John Beyer attended the Cole Creek district school and at the age of
twenty-one started out in life for himself. He bought an eighty-acre
farm from his father, and worked this place five years and made a
success of it. In 1900 he moved to Arrington, Kapioma township, and
engaged in the livery business. He ran this until the following year
when he sold out and bought the elevator on the Union Pacific railroad
at Arrington. He bought and sold grain for six years, but owned the
elevator until 1912. The year previous he began to deal in live stock
and has continued in that business since. In 1904 the need of a bank was
felt, and John Beyer, together with other leading citizens of Arrington,
organized the present bank. For the past eight years he has been
assistant cashier of the institution. Mr. Beyer owns farm land in
Kapioma township.
In 1897 Mr. Beyer married Maud A. Coots, who was born in Holt county,
Missouri, January 13, 1875. She is a daughter of Presley W. and Sarah
(Campbell) Coots, both Missourians, whose parents were from Kentucky.
The father is now living in Muscotah, Kan. Mr. and Mrs. Beyer have one
child, Flossie A., who is living at home. Mr. Beyer is a Republican and
a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
JOSEPH H. WATOWA.
Joseph H. Watowa, a prosperous Atchison county farmer, is a native of
Missouri. He was born in Buchanan county, January 24, 1864, and is a son
of Joseph and Catharine (Fischer) Watowa, both natives of Austria. They
were married in their native land, and immigrated to America in 1855,
first settling in Wisconsin. Later, they located in Buchanan county,
Missouri, and in 1879 came to Kansas, locating in Shannon township,
Atchison county, on the place where Joseph H., the subject of this
sketch, now resides. They were the parents of six children, as follows:
Frank resides in Atchison county; Mary, deceased; Henry resides in
Atchison county; Amelia; Joseph H., the subject of this sketch; and
Paulina.
Joseph H. Watowa is one of the successful farmers of Atchison county,
and has one of the fine farms of that section in the State, consisting
of 160 acres of well improved land under a high state of cultivation.
His land is located in an ideal spot, and a fine tract of timber is
located on the place. He is an extensive alfalfa grower and an all
around practical modern farmer.
Mr. Watowa was married in 1892 to Miss Theresa, daughter of Joseph and
Johanna Zeit, natives of Austria and early settlers in Atchison county,
where they still reside. To Mr. and Mrs. Watowa have been born the
following children: Mary, age nineteen; Johanna, age eighteen;
Elizabeth, age seventeen; Helena, age sixteen; Joseph, age thirteen;
Bertha, age twelve, and Catherine, age four. Mr. Watowa has lived on his
present place for thirty-six years, and, although still a young man, he
counts himself among the old landmarks of Atchison county. He is a
Democrat, and has always supported the policies and principles of that
party. He has taken a commendable part in local politics, and has served
as town clerk for six years. He and his family are members of the St.
Benedict Catholic Church at Atchison.
NATHAN T. VEATCH.
Nathan T. Veatch, superintendent of the Atchison city schools, is a
native of Illinois. He was born near Astoria, Fulton county, and reared
on a farm. After receiving a common school education, he began his
career as a teacher in the district schools of Schuyler county,
Illinois. Later he attended the State Normal school of Illinois, and was
graduated from that institution with the class of 1881. He was principal
of the graded school at Butler, Ill., for two years, and later was
principal of an eighth grade ward school in Little Rock, Ark., for four
years. He served as superintendent and principal of the Rushville city
schools at Rushville, Ill., for fourteen years, and in 1901 was elected
superintendent of the Atchison city schools, and has held that position
to the present time.
Mr. Veatch was married in 1883 to Miss Lizzie Montgomery, of Rushville,
Ill. She was a successful teacher prior to her marriage. To Mr. and Mrs.
Veatch have been born two children, as follows: Nathan T., Jr., born at
Rushville, Ill., and is now a civil engineer, and a member of the firm
of Black & Veatch, consulting engineers, Kansas City, Mo., and Francis
M., born at Rushville, Ill., a sanitary engineer, in the employ of
Kansas University.
JAMES L. ARMSTRONG.
James L. Armstrong, farmer and breeder of prize winning Percheron
horses, was born in Winnebago county, Illinois, July 11, 1867. He comes
of sturdy Irish stock, his parents having been born on the Emerald Isle.
The father, James Armstrong, was born October 22, 1836, in County Sligo,
Ireland. He was a farmer there, and at the age of twenty-four sailed for
America and found his first job in Philadelphia. In a short time he came
west and followed farming in Illinois. Several years later, in 1867, to
be exact, he came to Atchison county, Kansas, and bought eighty acres of
land near Huron, Kan., in Lancaster township. He farmed this place until
his death in 1886. In addition to his farming he was an extensive
breeder and feeder of cattle. His wife was also born in Ireland, the
date of her birth being December 25, 1830. She died in 1902. They were
married in Ireland and three children were born to them there. After
coming to America five other children were born. Both parents were
members of the Methodist church.
James L., Jr., the subject of this sketch, grew up in Lancaster
township, and attended school in district No. 44. He remained at home
with his parents until they died. He then bought 320 acres in Kapioma
township and built an unusually fine residence at a cost of about
$4,000. The interior is finished in white oak, and a cement basement
underlies the house, and all modern conveniences have been installed,
including hot and cold running water. He keeps all of his buildings
painted and in repair so that everything around the place presents a
fresh and orderly appearance. Horses are Mr. Armstrong’s hobby, and
several times he has won prizes at the Effingham fair with his
Percherons, and now has four thoroughbred Percherons registered. He is a
shareholder in the Muscotah elevator. He is unmarried and has a man and
his wife, who care for the household. Mr. Armstrong is a member of the
Christian church and has affiliated himself with the Republican party.
He is a member of the Percheron Society of America. He has received as
high as $600 for Percheron horses bred on his place.
JOHN FERRIS.
A man’s usefulness in his community need not necessarily be confined to
working entirely for his own individual aggrandizement, and there are
frequently found conspicuous examples of good citizenship who are broad-
minded and enterprising enough to extend their activities outward, so as
to embrace the well-being of their fellowmen. John Ferris, banker and
prosperous farmer, of Center township, Atchison county, is a shining
example of broad and upright citizenship, with whom family, church and
social ties have been preëminent during his long residence in the
county. Successful as a farmer and stockman, his ambitions have led him
into banking pursuits with considerable success to his credit. His
deeply religious nature having endowed him with a love for church work,
many fruitful years of his life have been devoted to Sunday school and
church work, which have won him high esteem and infinite respect among
the people of his neighborhood.
The twenty-eight years of Mr. Ferris’ residence in Center township have
been productive of much material good on his part, and he is rated as
one of the really successful men of the county. This period marks his
rise from comparative poverty to a position of affluence and prestige,
attained by few citizens. Mr. Ferris saw opportunity and embraced it,
and has made good in more ways than one.
John Ferris is a man whose pluck and industry have brought him out of a
long struggle with high honors. Starting out in life as a poor boy, he
worked long and hard, until now he lives in comfort and security. Mr.
Ferris was born at Sharonville, Ohio, November 25, 1860, and is a son of
Peter and Hettie (Phares) Ferris, who were the parents of seven
children, as follows: John, the subject of this sketch; Joseph,
Winchester, Kan.; Alice, wife of W. T. Birt, Topeka, Kan.; Louvinca,
wife of F. L. Stephens, Topeka, Kan.; Thomas, Mt. Pleasant township,
Atchison county; Peter, farmer, on old Eastman place, Center township,
Atchison county, and Mrs. Della Coppinger, deceased. The father was born
August 8, 1839, in Sharonville, Hamilton county, Ohio. He was a son of
John and Rebecca (Myers) Ferris, natives of Pennsylvania, who came to
Ohio as early settlers, in 1804. The father of John Ferris, subject of
this sketch, was reared on the farm in Ohio. He came to Kansas in 1878,
and settled in Osborne county. Two years later, after being starved out
by the ravages of the grasshoppers and the hot winds, which burned up
his crops, he went to Rawlins county, Kansas, where he preëmpted 640
acres of land. He did not live there, but came to Nortonville, Kan., and
began work as a laborer and farmer.
In 1887 he came to Center township, where he rented for five years. He
then rented 640 acres south of Nortonville. In 1892 he and his son,
John, the subject of this sketch, bought 160 acres in Jefferson county.
Then, for a number of years, they bought and sold farms in Atchison and
Jefferson counties, until 1903, when they bought the farm of 215 acres,
which John and his father are working. This land is located in Center
township and includes the northwest quarter of section 3 and the
southwest quarter of section 34, and includes ten acres of natural
timber. He has thirty acres of alfalfa and fifty acres in corn each
year. Mr. Ferris also devotes considerable attention to his stock. He
keeps only graded animals on his farm, and makes a specialty of feeding
hogs and cattle for the market. He started out with little capital, and
had to begin as a laborer at day wages, but he saved his earnings and
invested them wisely, and, now, besides being a substantial farmer, he
is a shareholder and president of the State Bank of Cummings. Mr. Ferris
is unmarried. His mother was born in Little Rock, Ark., in 1840. She is
a daughter of Joseph and Matilda (Todd) Phares. The father came from New
Jersey, and the mother from Tennessee. In politics, Mr. Ferris has
identified himself with the Republican party. He is a member of the
Pardee Methodist Episcopal Church and takes an active part in its
organization. He is a steward, and for many years has been
superintendent of the Sunday school. He is a member of the Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellow lodges
of Cummings. Mr. Ferris is a conspicuous example of the self-made man.
His career proves the possibilities of a man, who, though handicapped by
lack of capital, is willing to work consistently and save judiciously.
MARCUS J. LAIRD.
The history of the Laird family in Kansas begins three score years ago,
in the old days when the first sturdy pioneers were coming from the
older states to find new homes in the unpeopled waste of Kansas, and to
break the way for others who have since followed in increasing numbers.
It is a long reach which witnesses the transformation of a wilderness of
prairie and woods to a beautiful, productive landscape of peace and
plenty, but Marcus J. Laird and his wife have been fortunate in growing
to maturity with Atchison county. Few families in this county can claim
an older lineage than the Lairds or Cummings families, and no family is
more respected than that of Marcus J. Laird. His father, J. B. Laird,
was one of the earliest pioneers of Atchison county, and on the other
hand the father of Mrs. Laird was another pioneer. William Cummings, who
founded the town of Cummings, thus leaving a monument which will
perpetuate his name for all time to come. Through the medium of these
historical annals of Atchison county these pioneers will be duly honored
and this volume is dedicated to their everlasting memory in order that
the story of Atchison county might be transmitted truthfully and
accurately to posterity.
Marcus J. Laird has been successively, farmer, merchant and postmaster,
and is proud of the fact that he is a native born citizen of Kansas, and
a son of one of the earliest pioneers of the State. Like a good many men
who have been reared to farm life, after a successful career as merchant
and public official, he has returned to the farm where living is sure
and certain and a competence is the inevitable reward of years of labor.
[Illustration:
_M J Laird._
]
[Illustration:
_Britamore Laird_
]
Marcus J. Laird was born August 26, 1860, in Center township, Atchison
county, and is a son of James B. and Marinda (Martin) Laird, who were
the parents of fourteen children as follows: Mary died in infancy;
Thomas died in infancy; James W., Jackson county, Kansas; Marcus, the
subject of this sketch; Abraham, Jefferson county, Kansas; Mrs. Emma
Leland, Atchison, Kan.; John, deceased; Ulysses, deceased; Rose, wife of
C. Barnes, Chase county, Kansas; Robert, Jackson county, Kansas; Paul, a
teacher, Durant, Okla.; Mrs. Amanda Hanson, Nortonville, Kan.; Mrs.
Mabel McDonald, Muscotah, Kan., and Frank, Seattle, Wash. James B.
Laird, the father, was born in Zanesville, Ohio, June 13, 1834, and was
a son of Thomas and Elton (Saffle) Laird, both natives of Pennsylvania.
The Lairds are of Scotch descent. James was brought up on his father’s
farm, and when he was thirteen years of age his parents removed to
Livingston, Mo., where he grew to manhood. He then went to Buchanan
county, Missouri, where he was married to Marinda Martin, the wedding
taking place at DeKalb, Mo., in 1854. Marinda (Martin) Laird was born
August 1, 1836, in Morgan county, Indiana. She is a daughter of Hanson
and Mary (Holman) Martin. Her father was a farmer in Kentucky before
coming to Atchison county, Kansas, in 1856, where he died in 1878, and
the mother died in 1840, at the age of thirty years.
James B. Laird and his bride came to Kansas in the fall of 1854 and
settled in Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison county, where they
homesteaded 160 acres of prairie and timber land. They drove from
Missouri in a covered wagon pulled by oxen. Atchison, Kan., had but one
house at that time; it had been moved there from Missouri. James Laird
built a sawmill on his farm the first year he was there and sawed 1,000
feet of lumber, but a flood swept it all down into Crooked creek. They
built a log cabin on the place, and the first child, Mary, was born
there. The fact that Mt. Pleasant, which was only three miles away,
provided a nearby market, helped the Lairds out considerably. They
farmed the homestead until 1860, when they sold it for $900 and moved
farther west and bought 276 acres in Center township. This property
became the old home place and the Lairds owned it for many years.
James B. Laird moved to Cummings and conducted a general merchandise
store for a few years preceding his death, in 1892. The widow returned
to the farm with the children, where she brought them up and educated
them. In 1909 she left the home place and has since lived with her
children, and at present she lives with Marcus, the subject of this
sketch. Marcus J. Laird grew up on the home place and attended school in
district No. 36, Center township, and at the age of sixteen he left home
and worked as a farm hand for about a year, and later rented land from
his father. In 1883, at the age of twenty, he bought sixty acres in
Center township and farmed it a year when he traded it for a stock of
merchandise at Cummings and was in partnership with Nelson Cox there for
five years. Selling his interest in the business he rented land and
farmed for a while. In 1892 he bought the place which he now owns and
has increased the original eighty acres to 104. He has always kept good
stock on his place and takes pride in keeping his animals up to
standard. In 1884 Mr. Laird married Britamore Cummings, who was born
August 20, 1866, in Center township, Atchison county. She is a daughter
of William and Sarah (Quiet) Cummings. Her father was a founder of
Cummings, Kan., and was a native of Pennsylvania. He came to Kansas in
1855 and engaged in farming. He died July 27, 1900, at the age of
eighty-six. The mother, Sarah, was born in Illinois and is now living in
Kansas City, Kan. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Laird, as
follows: James W., Kansas City, Mo.; Meda B., wife of L. Reynolds,
Center township, Atchison county, Kansas; Anna McKanna, living at home;
Edith Hammer, Effingham, Kan.; Blanche, a teacher, living at home. Mr.
Laird is a Republican. He was postmaster of Cummings for thirteen years.
He is a member of the Baptist church and of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and Ancient Order of United Workmen.
ALLEN T. BILDERBACK.
The history of the Bilderback and Johnson families in Kansas goes back
to the old freighting and pioneer days when the hardships of the first
settlers were many and conveniences were few. The father of Allen T.
Bilderback, whose name heads this review, was one of the early stage
coach drivers whose route took him on many journeys from Kansas to
Denver, and other Colorado points. Aaron Bilderback drove a stage coach
from Atchison to Denver and Central City, Colo., beginning in 1864, for
several years, until he finally settled on a farm in Center township,
Atchison county. Jesse R. Johnson, grandfather of Mrs. Bilderback, had
the honor of assisting in establishing the first Methodist church in
Kansas, and Methodism is said to have had its origin in the State from a
Sunday school which was started in his home at Oak Mills, nearly sixty
years ago. From this small beginning a great religious denomination had
its inception in the new State of Kansas.
Allen T. Bilderback, with whom this review is directly concerned, is a
native born Kansan, a man of good education, who has been useful as an
educator and farmer during his residence in his native county. He was
born in Center township July 21, 1878, and is a son of Aaron and Sarah
(Jones) Bilderback, who were the parents of two children: Allen, the
subject of this sketch, and Leslie, who lives in Atchison. The father
was born in Indiana September 17, 1843. When a young man he came to
Kansas in 1855, and freighted across the plains to Denver. The trail
extended from Atchison to Denver, and Aaron Bilderback drove a stage
coach and a prairie schooner. He later bought forty acres of land just
south of Cummings, Atchison county, where he remained a few years. In
August, 1881, he bought the farm which his son now owns. He improved it
and lived there until his death, January 4, 1890. Allen Bilderback’s
mother was born in Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison county, in 1855. She
was a daughter of Vincent Jones, an early settler in Kansas. She died in
1885, at the age of thirty years. Both parents died when Allen was very
young, and he was brought up by his uncle, Gabriel T. Bilderback. He
attended school in District No. 36, Center township, and later attended
the Atchison county high school at Effingham. At the age of twenty-one
he began teaching in District No. 19, Mt. Pleasant township. In 1902 he
went to Granada, Colo., where he started a livery business. Three years
later he returned to Atchison county and taught school again. After a
term of teaching, he took charge of the old home place and engaged in
farming. He now owns 149 acres and has graded stock.