November 15, 1884, near Mayetta, Jackson county, Kansas. She also was a
teacher before her marriage, having taught for a number of years in
Jackson county, Kansas. She is a daughter of Samuel R. and Sarah J.
(Johnson) Jones. The father was born in Miami county, Ohio, and came to
Atchison county in 1856, settling near Oak Mills. For a time he farmed
there, at first using oxen, and lived in a log cabin. A number of years
later he moved to Jackson county, Kansas, where he died January 23,
1916. His wife was born in Virginia, a daughter of Jesse and Nancy
(Davis) Johnson. Her father was born in New York April 11, 1819, and
came to Kansas in 1834, settling near Oak Mills, and helped organize the
first Methodist church in Kansas. For some time a Bible class met at his
house, and when it grew to a membership of forty, a Methodist church was
organized by Rev. Bowen. That was the origin of Methodism in Kansas.
Jesse Johnson died in 1904. and his wife died in 1907, at the age of
eighty-three. Mr. and Mrs. Bilderback have three children, all living at
home, as follows: Allen, Jr., born March 18, 1907; Sarah Naomi, born
July 27, 1909, and Lucile Elizabeth, born June 8, 1913. Mr. Bilderback
is a member of the Methodist church, and now holds the office of
trustee. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America, and is president
of the farmers’ institute at Cummings.
WILLIAM M. NITZ.
America is proud of her citizens of German birth, and glories in their
accomplishments, their successes, and affluence, wherever they are
located. It is an undisputable fact that the farmers of German birth or
ancestry in Kansas today are rated as among the most prosperous of this
great commonwealth. Atchison county has its quota of successful German
agriculturists, and William M. Nitz, of Center township, is one who is
deserving of special mention. It is a noteworthy rise from a poor German
immigrant boy to become one of the large landed proprietors of the
county, but Mr. Nitz has accomplished all this. His 400 acres or more of
land in Center township were all obtained by hard labor, economy,
intelligence and good financial judgment. The rearing of his large
family of nine children, and their gift to the county and country as
sturdy and upright citizens, is alone a matter for praiseworthy mention.
William M. Nitz was born in Germany, March 26, 1864, and is a son of
Ludwig and Johanna Louisa (Linstad) Nitz, who were the parents of eleven
children, eight of whom are living. The father was born in Germany, in
August, 1836, and left his native land in 1883 with his wife and one
child, coming to America. He came west and worked a year as a laborer,
and then bought eighty acres of land in Doniphan county, Kansas, where
he farmed until 1911. He then removed to Kansas City, Mo., where he and
his wife now live. His wife, the mother of William Nitz, was also born
in Germany, in 1845. William N. Nitz immigrated to America when he was
fifteen years of age. He worked in Pennsylvania as a farm hand for a
year, then he came to Doniphan county, Kansas, where he also worked as a
farm hand. He then rented land in Lancaster township, Atchison county,
for two years, when he returned to Doniphan county, where he bought
eighty acres of land. In 1902 he sold out and bought 307 acres in Center
township. This farm was poorly improved, the house and barn being old
and dilapidated. Mr. Nitz proceeded to rebuild and improve the
buildings. He is now located in section 11, and owns 427 acres of land.
He is a fancier of good mules and keeps graded stock on his farm. Mr.
Nitz, together with several other farmers in his neighborhood, hold
stock in a thresher outfit which they operate jointly.
In 1890 Mr. Nitz married Miss Lena Lawson, a native of Kansas, born
February 27, 1873. Mr. and Mrs. Nitz are the parents of eleven children:
George, born January 12, 1893, farmer, Center township; Charles, born
November 11, 1891, on his father’s farm of 120 acres; Otto, born August
28, 1894, living at home; Johanna and Nava, deceased; Edward, born June
26, 1898, living at home; Oscar, born January 28, 1903; Irvin, born
October 22, 1906, and Ida, born March 5, 1913, living at home, and two
children died in infancy. Mr. Nitz is an independent in politics and he
and his wife are members of the Lutheran church, as are Charles and
George. Though Mr. Nitz could not read or write the English language
very well when a young man, he has always been a student of new
conditions, and was quick to learn the customs and language of his
adopted country and has proved himself to be a useful member of his
community. Of late years he has become very proficient in reading
English and keeps abreast of the times by reading the daily newspapers.
HENRY GLATTFELDER.
Henry Glattfelder, farmer, Center township, Atchison county, Kansas, was
born in the township where he now lives, September 16, 1871, and is a
son of Henry and Margaret (Kuntz) Glattfelder. They were the parents of
seven children: Elizabeth married J. Meyers, died in Atchison. Kan.;
Maggie married widower of her deceased sister, and he is a baker and
merchant, Atchison; Anna, wife of J. Kuhn, Atchison, Kan.; Fannie
married H. H. Severs, Manning, Iowa; Mary married M. L. Dilgert,
Atchison; Bertha married W. A. Dilgert, Mt. Pleasant township, and
Henry, the subject of this sketch. The father was born in Switzerland,
January, 1827. He came to America and settled in Atchison county, on a
rented farm in Mt. Pleasant township. He worked this from 1863 until his
death in 1871. The mother was also born in Switzerland, December 18,
1832, and died in Atchison, Kan., in 1904.
Henry Glattfelder, the subject of this sketch, attended the district
schools of Center township, and grew up on his mother’s farm and began
farming for himself when he was twenty-two years old. He bought 125
acres of land in Center township, and now owns 130 acres. He has made
many improvements on his place since taking possession of it, and keeps
graded stock. In 1894, the year in which he started out for himself, he
was united in marriage with Miss Anna Cline, a daughter of Peter J. and
Bersheba Cline. Mrs. Glattfelder was born March 21, 1877, in Mt.
Pleasant township, Atchison county, Kansas. Her father was a native of
Iowa, and her mother of Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Glattfelder have been
born six children: Leona, Ellsworth, Harold, Kennith, Lucile, all living
at home. One child, Henry, is deceased. Mr. Glattfelder is an
independent voter. He attends church but does not profess any creed. He
is a practical farmer and is a liberal giver to all movements for the
benefit of the community. Never has Mr. Glattfelder allowed his selfish
interests to stand in the way of the community’s progress and he has
proven himself a patriotic citizen of the commonwealth.
THOMAS W. TUCKER.
Thomas W. Tucker, live stock dealer, Effingham, Kan., is a native of
Atchison county, and has lived all of his life in Benton township. He
was born on a farm three and one-half miles northeast of Effingham,
November 27, 1872. His parents were J. Martin and Polly (Cummings)
Tucker, both of whom were born in Crawford county, Indiana. J. M. Tucker
was the son of Sloan Tucker, also a native of Indiana, who emigrated to
Kansas in 1860. When he attained young manhood the father of Thomas W.
rented land for a few years in Doniphan county, and then bought a farm
in Atchison county. He prospered and became the owner of two farms in
Benton township, aggregating 280 acres. When old age came he and Mrs.
Tucker retired to a home in Effingham, where they spent the remainder of
their days in peace and comfort. J. M. Tucker was born in 1831 and died
in 1896, and his wife was born in 1838 and died in October, 1910. Mr.
Tucker served in the Kansas State militia during the Civil war. The
following children survive J. Martin and Polly Tucker: John R., a farmer
living west of Effingham; Mrs. C. C. Anderson, of Atchison, Kan.; Thomas
W.; Albert, a resident of Atchison.
Thomas W. Tucker attended the Maple Grove school when a boy and lived on
the home farm, assisting in its operation, until he attained the age of
twenty-two years. In 1894 he engaged in the livery business in Effingham
and continued operating the same until 1898, when he sold out and spent
one year cultivating the home farm. After his marriage in 1898, he
removed to the Noffsinger farm, east of Effingham, and managed it for
six years, returning to Effingham in 1905. While on the farm he became
interested in the buying and selling of live stock, and since taking up
a permanent residence in Effingham, he has devoted his entire time and
attention to this business with signal success. His live stock dealings
embrace the purchase and shipment of over seventy-five carloads of stock
yearly, which is no inconsiderable item and involves transactions
requiring capital of several thousands of dollars. He is also interested
in real estate and farm lands and has made several profitable deals in
this line. Mr. Tucker owns one of the best residences in Effingham and
is the owner of some town lots.
He was married in 1898 to Miss Maude Noffsinger, who was born and reared
on a farm, four miles southeast of Effingham, a daughter of Peter and
Margaret Noffsinger, residing on their home place, east of Effingham.
Both Peter and Margaret Noffsinger are deceased, Mrs. Noffsinger dying
in September, 1915. Mr. and Mrs. T. W. Tucker are the parents of two
children: Ramona, aged fifteen years, and Maurice, aged eleven.
Mr. Tucker is a Republican in politics and is prominent in the affairs
of his party, at present being the central committeeman of the Effingham
precinct, being a part of the county organization. He and his family are
members of the Christian church. He is fraternally affiliated with the
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, the Modern Woodmen, and the Knights and Ladies of Security.
J. F. FLYNN.
J. F. Flynn, farmer, resides on the old Flynn homestead in Mt. Pleasant
township, Atchison county, of which he is the owner and upon which his
father settled in March. 1855. Mr. Flynn was born on this farm, October
8, 1855, and has lived all of his sixty years of life on the place.
During this time he has simply grown up with Atchison county, and his
earliest recollections were of the vast stretches of prairie in Atchison
county, which were awaiting the homesteaders and settlers who have since
transformed the unpeopled wilderness into a land of homes and plenty.
His father was Jeremiah Flynn, who was born in County Cork, Ireland, and
left his native land when a young man and immigrated to America,
locating after a time in Kentucky, where he met Julia Sullivan, who was
born in his own native county in Ireland. The acquaintance ripened into
love and culminated in their marriage at Frankfort, Ky., September 24,
1854. In March, 1855, they came to Kansas and settled on a tract of part
prairie and part timber in Mt. Pleasant township where both lived and
died.
J. F. Flynn was the first born of ten children of Jeremiah and Julia
Flynn. He received a common school education, supplemented with a course
in bookkeeping at St. Patrick’s common school, district No. 14, after
which he settled down to farming the home place, coming into possession
of the homestead by inheritance and purchase after his father’s demise.
For several years he was a successful fruit grower, but of late has
devoted all of his time and activities to general farming.
Mr. Flynn was married March 31, 1880, to Mary Desmond, of Missouri, and
to this union have been born five children: Kathrine, wife of John
Begley, of Kansas City, Kan.; John E., at home, assisting his father in
the farm work; Joseph J., in Kansas City, Mo.; Julia and Mary, at home
with their parents.
Mr. Flynn is a Democrat in national politics, but is inclined to be an
independent voter who votes for the best man who seems qualified for the
office regardless of his political affiliations. He and all of his
family are members of the Catholic church, which was the faith of his
parents.
ERNEST C. HAZEL.
Industry and effort are generally rewarded. The successful man is
usually found filling the niche for which he was designed. It affords
some satisfaction to chronicle the facts in the life of a self-made man
who has won an enviable place in the commercial and manufacturing life
in his home city. Ernest C. Hazel, vice-president and general manager of
the Lockwood-Hazel Printing and Stationery Company, of Atchison, has
achieved his position by industrious application of talents which have
enabled him to rise above the mediocre and general station of the
average man. Considerable credit is due him for having been a potent
factor in building up the extensive business which his firm enjoys.
[Illustration:
_Ernest C. Hazel_
]
The Lockwood-Hazel Printing and Stationery Company was established in
1912. It originated as the Trade Printing Company in 1903. This was a
small concern but grew constantly until the business reached its present
proportions. The business is housed in the handsome new Masonic Temple
on Fifth and Kansas avenues, and occupies the first floor and basement
of the building. The arrangements and equipment are the most modern
which can be obtained and are especially adapted for a high grade
quality of printing which this firm turns out. The greatest progress of
the firm has been made since its organization as the Lockwood-Hazel Co.,
in 1912. The firm is composed of C. A. Lockwood, president and
treasurer, and E. C. Hazel, secretary and general manager. The firm
manufactures blank books and does general printing of the highest grade.
The line of printing includes county and bank supplies, loose leaf
systems, and embossed stationery. They supply leading banks with their
outfits and deal extensively in wood and steel office furniture and
equipments, and also vault accessories. C. A. Rowe is manager of the
sales department which employs three traveling salesmen and the firm
conducts a large mail order business in eight states. So excellent is
the product turned out and so fair is the treatment accorded a patron
that a first order supplied by this enterprising establishment leads to
constant repetitions from the purchaser when in need of supplies of the
character furnished.
Ernest C. Hazel was born March 30, 1875 in Newman, Ill. His parents were
Thomas and Lydia (Kinney) Hazel, natives of Virginia and Ohio,
respectively. Thomas Hazel was born in Page county, Virginia, a son of
Richard and Elizabeth Hazel. He was a veteran of the Union army, and
served his country faithfully during the Civil war in Company E, of the
Twelfth regiment, Illinois infantry. He served for two years under
General Grant and was under General Sherman’s command for two years and
six months. His first engagements were at Ft. Henry and Ft. Donelson. He
fought in the battles of the Wilderness, Lookout Mountain, Mission
Ridge, Siege of Vicksburg, and was with Sherman on his victorious march
from Atlanta to the sea. He enlisted at Springfield, Ill., at the first
call for volunteers and served until the end of the war. To the end of
his days he was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. A brother,
John, also fought in the Union army and like many other southern
families it was a house divided against itself and three brothers,
Richard, Benjamin and William, fought on the side of the confederacy.
Lydia Hazel was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, and was the daughter of
Thomas C. and Levina Kinney.
In 1876 the family emigrated from Newman, Ill., and settled on a farm
near Pawnee Rock, Kan., which the father had homesteaded. After spending
some years in developing the farm Thomas Hazel removed to Missouri, from
where he came to Atchison in the year 1888. Here he lived a retired
life, dying November 19, 1904, at the age of sixty-seven years. Mrs.
Lydia Hazel resides with her daughter in Leavenworth, Kan. The Hazels
are descendants from a fine old Virginian family and their ancestry
traces back to the colonial days.
To Lydia and Thomas Hazel were born six children, as follows: Mrs.
Elnora Allen, of Atchison; Mrs. Ida Stucker, of Leavenworth; Marion
Hazel, of Leavenworth; Ernest C. Hazel, of Atchison. Two children died
in infancy.
Ernest C. Hazel was educated in the public schools of Atchison and
learned the trade of bookbinding with Mr. Caldwell, beginning at the age
of fourteen years. After serving an apprenticeship of three years, he
was employed by the Haskell Show Printing Company. This concern was
succeeded by the Home Printing Company, and he was employed by them
until 1901. For a period of two years he was a traveling salesman for
the Western Paper Company. In 1903 he entered the employ of the Trade
Printing Company, which was succeeded by the present firm in 1912. He
purchased an interest in the firm in 1908.
The married life of Mr. Hazel has been a happy one, and has been in
keeping with his success in the business world. He was married March 30,
1897, to Mary Elizabeth Semple, of Atchison, a daughter of Andrew and
Jennie Semple, both of whom were natives of Glasgow, Scotland. Andrew
Semple was one of the pioneer contractors of Atchison. His last contract
was the Atchison county court house. Mr. Semple is deceased and his
widow still resides in Atchison.
To Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Hazel have been born five children, namely:
Ernest C., Jr., seventeen years of age, and a student of Midland
College; Robert R., fourteen years of age, and also a student at Midland
College; Constance Marie, who died in infancy; Kenneth C., nine years of
age, a pupil in the public schools, and Neola Christine, aged five
years.
Mr. Hazel finds time in the midst of his busy life to give considerable
attention to civil and social affairs and is an active member of the
Christian church of Atchison, in which thriving religious institution he
and his wife are warmly appreciated for their good qualities. He is a
Republican in politics, and is fraternally affiliated with the Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the
Fraternal Aid Union, and also the United Commercial Travelers.
Pronounced ability, combined with an engaging personality, have won him
this high place in his home city.
ALEXANDER H. CALVERT.
Alexander H. Calvert, lumber and grain dealer, Muscotah, Kan., was born
on his father’s farm in Platte county, Missouri. He is a son of Warren
Calvert, a native of Kentucky, whose ancestors were among the earliest
settlers in America. It is a matter of tradition that he was a
descendant of the original Lord Baltimore, or Cecil Calvert, who founded
the State of Maryland, in the seventeenth century. The father of Warren
Calvert was a pioneer settler in Kentucky and was the owner of a large
plantation. Warren Calvert was born in 1815 and died in 1875. With his
wife, Lucy Calvert, he migrated from Kentucky, accompanied by his
retinue of slaves, to form a part of the Kentucky colony which settled
Platte county, Missouri, in 1835. He was one of the original settlers in
Platte county, and operated a large tract of land. He and his wife,
Lucy, reared a family of nine children, namely: Presley Hawkins, a
retired farmer of Muscotah; James Harvey, deceased banker of Muscotah,
who was a soldier in the Confederate army; Mrs. Anne May Buford,
deceased; John Hawkins, who died on his farm near Arrington in 1910;
Ambrose Owens, living in California, near Los Angeles; Mrs. Ella (Burt)
Jackson, died in 1903.
A. H. Calvert came to Kansas in the spring of 1878 and settled on a farm
south of Muscotah in Atchison county. Three brothers came at this time,
Presley H., James H. and himself. For a number of years Mr. Calvert
rented land in Kapioma township and then purchased the farm of 220
acres, which he owns. He rented land for over fifteen years and then
began to buy land. His first farm of 135 acres was purchased in 1903,
and he has continued to invest heavily in farm lands in the vicinity of
Muscotah until he is now the owner of 700 acres, besides a small tract
in Leavenworth county, Kansas.
Mr. Calvert resided on his farm until 1897 and then removed to Muscotah
where he engaged in the lumber business under the firm name of Calvert &
Sharp. This partnership continued until 1902 when he purchased his
partner’s interest in the business, which he has since operated. In
November of 1905 he formed a partnership with M. E. Bevin, of Muscotah,
and they purchased the grain elevator and engaged in the buying and
shipping of grain. This firm also does an extensive live stock business,
buying and shipping several carloads of live stock during each year. In
addition to his extensive business affairs, Mr. Calvert is a stockholder
in the Muscotah State Bank.
His first marriage was with Miss Nora Rice in 1881. Two children (twins)
were born of this union, namely: Ella, wife of Will Warren, of Muscotah,
who served for seventeen years as assistant cashier of the Muscotah
State Bank; Alma, a highly educated lady who studied in the Camden Point
Young Ladies’ Seminary, the Emporia Normal College, and received her
degree of Bachelor of Arts from Washburn College, at Topeka, now a
teacher of mathematics in the Atchison city high school. The mother of
these children was a daughter of D. Rice, a native of Illinois, and a
pioneer settler of Atchison county. She died in 1883, at the age of
twenty-six years. In 1889 Mr. Calvert was united in marriage with Miss
Hattie Burt, of Platte county, Missouri, a daughter of John Burt, who
came from Indiana to Platte county. Three children have been born to
this marriage: George, conducting a garage at Effingham, Kan.;
Marguerite, aged twenty-one years, a teacher, at present studying in
Washburn College; Charles Cecil, aged fifteen years, a student in the
Atchison County High School.
Mr. Calvert is an old-line Democrat and takes considerable interest in
local and county political matters. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen
and the Knights and Ladies of Security. A man of good education and
attainments, he has succeeded in making his own way in the world and has
risen from comparative poverty to become one of the substantial and best
known citizens of the county.
JOHN STODDARD.
John Stoddard, a late resident of Muscotah, was born in Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, in 1833, and departed this life February 18, 1901.
He was the son of Robert and Margaret (Jordan) Stoddard. On the Stoddard
side of the family the lineage is Scotch-Irish. John Stoddard grew to
young manhood on the Pennsylvania farm, and received a good common
school education in his youth. When twenty years of age, fired by the
stories of the riches being obtained in the gold fields of California,
he boarded a vessel in New York harbor. It carried him to Aspenwall, on
the east coast of the Isthmus, which he crossed on mule back. He then
boarded the vessel, “Golden Rule,” which carried him to San Francisco,
Cal., from which city he journeyed to Sacramento, where he equipped
himself with a prospecting outfit, and for ten years followed the trail
of the elusive metal. He spent this time in various mining campaigns and
prospecting for gold. He returned home by re-tracing the same route
which he had traveled on his way to California, and arrived in
Pennsylvania, not rich, but with considerable gold in his possession,
and the remembrances of a wonderful experience.
Soon after his return to his Pennsylvania home he removed to Iowa and
purchased a farm, and was married there in 1869, after which he lived
five years on his first farm in Iowa, and then moved to another farm, on
which he resided for seven years. In 1881 he came to Muscotah, Kan., and
invested in 320 acres of land near that city. Mr. Stoddard looked after
his farming interests and lived a retired life while in Muscotah, and
died there in 1901. Mr. Stoddard was married October 20, 1869, to Miss
Martha Piggott, a native of Harrison county, Ohio, and a daughter of
Israel and Liddie (Goodwin) Piggott, the former a native of Belmont
county, Ohio, and the latter a native of Westchester, Pa. The Piggott
family originally came from Virginia, where the founder of the family in
America settled in early colonial days. Israel P. was an early settler
in Iowa. To Mr. and Mrs. Stoddard were born four children: Grace, the
wife of Dr. J. O. Ward, Horton, Kan,; Guy, a railway mail clerk, Los
Angeles, Cal.; Alice V., the wife of J. C. Thurman, Los Angeles, Cal.;
Eva, wife of Carl Young, of Kansas City. Guy Stoddard, the son, who is
located at Los Angeles, Cal., is a bright young man of more than
ordinary ability. After completing the course of study in the public
schools of Muscotah, he graduated from the Atchison County High School
at Effingham. Later, he attended college for a while. After completing
his education he became the owner and editor of the _Muscotah Record_.
The newspaper gained a wide prestige and was prosperous. After his
marriage to Miss Pearl Knox, of Muscotah, he and his wife removed to Los
Angeles, where he became a member of the reportorial staff of the _Los
Angeles Times_. He later entered the United States railway mail service
at Los Angeles. John Stoddard, the subject of this review, was a
Democrat during the latter years of his life, and served two terms as
mayor of Muscotah. Mrs. Stoddard is a member of the Congregational
church of Muscotah, and spends a portion of her time each year in
California.
AARON B. EVANS.
Aaron B. Evans, pioneer auctioneer and livery proprietor, of Muscotah,
Atchison county, was born April 16, 1857, in Union county, Tennessee, He
was a son of George W. and Orlena (Wolfenbarger) Evans. His mother was a
native of Granger county, Tennessee, and was of German extraction.
George W. Evans, the father, was the owner of a large farm on the south
side of Clinch river, in Union county, Tennessee, just opposite the old
home of the Vansell family. A. B. Evans and M. C. Vansell, of
Grasshopper township, were boys and play-mates together in Tennessee,
and are first cousins. Like most boys living in the South, during that
period, and in the time of the Civil war, their early education was
sadly neglected. In fact, during the war the school system of Tennessee
was entirely destroyed. When Aaron B. Evans was twenty years of age he
left home and came direct to Kansas. He had no means wherewith to pay
his transportation, and borrowed sufficient money from a neighbor to pay
his railroad fare to Atchison. When he arrived at Atchison he had no
money with which to pay for a meal or hotel accommodation. He and M. C.
Vansell, who accompanied him on the trip, walked from Atchison to
Kennekuk, where they stopped at the home of their uncle, M. C. Willis,
for a few days.
Mr. Evans’ first employment in Kansas was on the farm of Dave Moore,
located three and one-half miles northeast of Kennekuk, in Atchison
county. He worked for various farmers in the county until he saved
sufficient money to buy his first farm. For two years previous to his
marriage, in 1881, he was in the employ of George Storch, who at that
time was engaged in the general mercantile business at Muscotah, Kan. In
1881 Mr. Evans moved to a farm three miles northeast of Kennekuk, where
he resided for three years, and was very successful in his farming
operations. He then bought ninety-six acres of land near Kennekuk, which
he cultivated for two years, when he sold it at a good profit. After
selling his first farm he moved to a rented farm west of Muscotah, which
he operated for one year, and invested in partnership with M. C.
Vansell, and divided the land in a quarter section of raw prairie land,
three miles northwest of Muscotah. He erected improvements on this farm
and resided upon it for eighteen years. He sold his farm in 1901, and in
May of the same year invested in a livery barn, and also entered upon
his career of auctioneer, which he has followed since that time with
considerable success. Mr. Evans also maintains a breeding stable, for
the equipment of which he went to Lexington, Ky., in 1906 and purchased
the best jack to be had in the Lexington market, and shipped him to
Muscotah. This animal is the first high class jack ever brought to this
section of Kansas. During this same year Mr. Evans also bought a pure
bred black Percheron stallion, which he lost during the first year of
his ownership. At the present time the Evans barn stands two high class
jacks and one pure bred grey Percheron stallion.
On January 27, 1881, Mr. Evans was united in marriage with Recy
Tannyhill, who was born in Marion county, Ohio, a daughter of William
and Nancy Tannyhill, both of whom were natives of the Buckeye State, and
emigrated to Kansas when Mrs. Evans was but eight years of age, and
settled on a farm in Grasshopper township, Atchison county. Mr. and Mrs.
Evans are the parents of seven children: Elizabeth, the wife of J. L.
Morgan, St. Joseph, Mo.; William George, a farmer, Grasshopper township;
Fred, who is associated with his father in the livery business; Orlena,
the wife of Bert Annis, Chicago, Ill.; Nannie, living in Des Moines,
Iowa; Nora, St. Joseph, Mo., and Frank, at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans are members of the Christian Advent church of
Muscotah. He is a stanch and true Republican of the uncompromising
variety, and has been one of the political leaders of his section of
Atchison county for many years, serving as delegate several times to the
Republican county conventions. He has always been an advocate of
educational advancement, and has offered his children every opportunity
to acquire a good common school education. He was one of the pioneers in
the auctioneering profession in Atchison county, and was the second man
to enter the business of crying sales.
RALPH A. ALLISON.
Ralph A. Allison, the capable, efficient and obliging cashier of the
Muscotah State Bank, was born and reared in the town where he resides.
He was born July 1, 1889, at Muscotah, Kan., a son of Webster C. and
Irene (Alexander) Allison, the former a native of Illinois, and the
latter of Wisconsin. Webster C. Allison was born in 1861 on his father’s
farm in Illinois, and was the son of John Allison, who was born and
reared in Pennsylvania, and immigrated to Illinois in the pioneer days
of that State. Webster C. Allison attended the district schools of his
native State, and assisted his father on the home farm until he was
eighteen years of age. He then came to Kansas, where his first
employment was on a farm west of Muscotah, owned and operated by A. B.
Harvey. He worked for Mr. Harvey for one year, and then went to Jackson
county, Kan., where he broke up and developed a tract of prairie land
which he purchased. He improved his farm and cultivated it with profit
until 1888, when he came to Muscotah and established a hardware store
which he conducted successfully for twenty-five years. In 1913 Mr.
Allison disposed of his interests in Muscotah, and removed to Horton,
Kan., where he is now conducting a hardware and implement business.
To Webster C. and Irene Allison were born the following children: Lola,
wife of Luther Cortelyou, assistant cashier of the First National Bank
of Parsons, Kan.; Minnie, wife of Charles Hail, an oil operator, LeRoy,
Kan.; Jennie, wife of William McClennon, Owasa, Iowa; Ralph A., with
whom this review is directly concerned. Ralph A. received his primary
education in the public schools of Muscotah, after which he completed a
course in the Atchison County High School at Effingham, from which
institution he graduated in 1907. For one year following his graduation
he served as stenographer for a wholesale fruit company, and then
entered his father’s hardware store in Muscotah, where he remained until
the stock was sold in 1913. In 1914 be became manager of the Farmers
Elevator Company of Muscotah. He became cashier of the Muscotah State
Bank July 1, 1914, and is filling this responsible position to the
satisfaction of the bank patrons, and in a manner which reflects credit
upon himself and the bank’s officials and stockholders. Mr. Allison was
married in April, 1912, to Miss Ella Ellson, who was born in Muscotah, a
daughter of Charles Ellson, proprietor of the local meat market. Mr. and
Mrs. R. A. Allison are the parents of one daughter, Priscilla, born
April 17, 1913.
Mr. Allison is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church. He is affiliated with the Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons and the Modern Woodmen of America.
FRED SUTTER.
Fred Sutter, president of the Farmers and Merchants State Bank of
Effingham, is a native son of Atchison county and prominently identified
with the affairs of his county. Mr. Sutter is rightly considered as one
of the real leaders of the county, and it can be said of him that he has
met with unusual success in anything which he has undertaken. To him and
his influence, more than any other individual, the farmers of the county
are indebted for the inauguration of a skilled county farm expert.
Kindred things of this character in behalf of the welfare of the county
have been Mr. Sutter’s hobby for several years past.
[Illustration:
_Fred Sutter_
]
[Illustration:
_Mrs. Fred Sutter_
]
[Illustration:
Fred Sutter’s Residence.
]
Fred Sutter was born July 20, 1869, on a pioneer farm in Walnut
township, and is a son of Fred Sutter, who was born in Bath, Germany, in
1827, and immigrated to America about 1844, and died in Atchison county
in September of 1887. Fred Sutter, Sr., landed at New York City and made
his way from there to St. Louis, Mo., where he married Fredericka
Miller, who was born at Bath, Germany, September 23, 1837. She died in
Atchison county September 10, 1914. The elder Sutter had learned the
trade of carpenter in his youth and he plied his trade in St. Louis
until 1857, when he came up the Missouri river by steamer to old Sumner,
then in the heyday of its brief glory and prosperity. He found plenty to
occupy his talents at Sumner and helped to build a great many of the
first houses there. It might be well to add here, however, that the
first home of the family in Kansas was at old Port William, where one or
two of the children were born. From Port William the family removed to
Sumner, and in the course of time Fred Sutter, Sr., made his home on a
farm in the northwestern part of Walnut township, near the Mt. Pleasant
and Walnut line. The family lived there until the spring of 1880, during
which time he worked at his trade. In 1880 he moved to Benton township,
and for the first seven years of his residence there he rented the A. G.
Otis farm, about two miles west of Effingham and then purchased the
farm. The next investment was made by his sons in the Osborn tract of
480 acres of school land. Two years after buying this an additional
quarter section was added, making 640 acres in all, which was owned by
this enterprising family. During all these years in which he was
accumulating valuable farm lands, the elder Sutter had the assistance of
his sons, and the greater part of the estate is still tilled and owned
by the children of this pioneer. Fred Sutter, Sr., came to this country
a poor man and worked in a planing mill and furniture factory at St.
Louis until he heard of the opening of the Kansas territory, when he
determined to be one of the first to settle in the new State. He was
farseeing, and by the practice of rigid economy and the better plan of
holding his family together, was able to leave a considerable estate at
his demise. He was an honored and respected member of the community and
was well known throughout the county. The children born to Frederick and
Fredericka Sutter were as follows: Kate, deceased wife of H. W. Barkow,
of the Kessler-Barkow Saddlery Company, of Atchison; Mrs. Augusta
McAdam, of Effingham; Fannie, housekeeper for her brother, William, who
resides on the old home place; Mrs. Anna Shannon, of Effingham; Carl F.,
of Kipp, Kan.; William and Fred, and Frank, on a farm one-half mile west
of Effingham.
Fred Sutter, with whom this review is directly concerned, received his
education in the district schools, and for three years after his
father’s death lived on the home place, or until 1890. He settled on
part of the family estate, consisting of 640 acres held jointly by the
Sutter sons, improving the property until his removal to Effingham,
where he resided for three years, and then purchased his present farm,
which is just at the edge of Effingham. He has 160 acres of fine land
within sight of the town upon which he has erected (in 1909) one of the
handsomest, modern ten-room farm houses in the county. He also built a
new barn, 40×40 feet, which is in keeping with the rest of his farm
property.
Mr. Sutter was married May 20, 1908, to Sarah, daughter of Robert
McPhilimy, and to this union have been born the following children:
Mabel, aged five years, and Geneva, aged three years. He has been
connected with the Farmers and Merchants State Bank since 1905 and was
elected president of this thriving financial institution in 1906. Mr.
Sutter is a Republican and is one of the wheel horses of the party in
Atchison county. He was appointed a member of the Atchison County High
School board in September of 1913, reëlected to the office in the fall
of 1914 and is now serving as treasurer of this board. He is a member
and trustee of the Presbyterian church of Effingham and is a liberal
contributor to the support of this religious denomination. He is
affiliated fraternally with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the
Benevolent and Protected Order of Elks of Atchison, and the Central
Protective Association, being one of the original members of Effingham
Lodge, No. 158, Central Protective Association, and has been its
treasurer for the past four years.
While Mr. Sutter is connected with the Presbyterian church of Effingham,
his ideal of a church for a small town is the community church which can
be used by the entire population of the town for public and social
purposes. To this end he was the prime mover in the erection of the
handsome Presbyterian church building in Effingham, at a cost of
$14,000, which was dedicated in June, 1913. This church building is used
for many public purposes and has been a decided benefit to Effingham in
many ways. Mr. Sutter started the movement for the building of this
church and headed the subscription list, never desisting in his work
until the church was erected and dedicated. Another monument to his
enterprise is the farmers’ institute, with which he was connected for
five years and assisted materially in organizing. His energy and
influence kept the institute going in fine shape for the five years with
which he was connected with the movement. Mr. Sutter has a likable
personality and is one of the forceful and influential men of Atchison
county.
EDMOND W. ALLEN.
Edmond W. Allen, merchant, of Muscotah, Kan., is a leading and
successful retailer of his city, and one of the hustling citizens of
Muscotah. The grocery and meat market of which Mr. Allen is proprietor
was first established by Jacob P. Sprang, with whom Mr. Allen became a
partner in 1902. He became the sole owner of the business in 1910.
Allen’s store is nicely located in one of the large business rooms,
80×25 feet in extent, on the main street of Muscotah, supplemented with
an ice house and a ware house for feed and flour. In addition to
conducting the grocery and meat market, Mr. Allen is a retailer of ice
and conducts a produce exchange, which enabled him to ship eggs and
poultry in considerable quantity to distant markets.
Edmond W. Allen was born January 29, 1868, on a farm adjoining the
present county farm on the northwest corner, consisting of eighty acres,
in Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison county. He was the son of M. L.
Dunlap and Amanda (Walker) Allen, natives of Kentucky. Amanda (Walker)
Allen was the daughter of Philip Walker, who immigrated to Kansas from
Kentucky, settled on the prairies of Atchison county, but later moved to
Missouri. M. L. Dunlap Allen moved from Kentucky to Missouri, and came
from that State to Atchison county, Kansas, in 1863. He purchased the
farm of 130 acres on which he erected a small house, built out of native
sawed lumber. In this house of two rooms several of his children were
born, and as the family increased in size, he added four rooms to the
residence. He was born in 1830, and died in March, 1886. He was the
father of eight children, as follows: Mrs. Francis J. Bucknum, of
Oklahoma City; Emily, deceased; William H., living at Saugatuck, Mich.;
Robert M., former traveling salesman, who died at Holdredge, Neb., in
1913; Edmond W., the subject of this review; Mrs. Etta M. Hubbard,
living in Michigan; Mrs. Addie Myrtle Latta, of Oklahoma City, and
Dudley M., deceased. The mother of these children died in 1881. The
senior Allen was again married in 1883 to Ruth Robinson, who now resides
in Wyandotte county, near the town of Piper. One child, Ethel, was born
of this marriage.
Edmond W. Allen was reared on the pioneer farm of his father’s, near
Atchison, Kan., and received his primary education in the district
schools of his neighborhood, and completed his schooling at Beloit, Kan.
When his father died, in 1886, William H. Allen, the oldest son, was
appointed administrator of the estate, and guardian of the minor
children. He removed all of them to his home at Beloit, where he was
engaged in the implement business. This was done in order that William
might properly care for the younger children and look after their
education. Edmond W., after finishing his schooling, was employed for
two years in his brother’s store at Beloit, following which he worked
for one year in a grocery store and meat market in Kansas City, Kan.,
owned by Robert Robinson. His brother, William H., in the meantime, sold
out his stock in Beloit and removed to Hoxie, Kan., and was employed in
a bank for a year and one-half. Financial disaster overtook the bank,
and he then spent one year in Kansas City, Kan., after which, in 1891,
he went to western Nebraska and entered the employ of Harris Bros., a
firm of grain dealers with headquarters in Lincoln, Neb. Mr. Allen was
located in the town of Stamford, Lebanon, and Republican City, Neb., in
the employ of Harris Bros. and was then transferred to the main office
of the firm of Lincoln, Neb., where he remained until 1893. From 1893 to
1895, he was in the employ of Hathaway & Williams, fire insurance
agents, of Lincoln, and when this firm sold out he traveled for a period
of six months in the interests of an Omaha fire insurance company. After
his marriage, in 1895, he resided in Michigan for one year, and in 1896
he again entered the employ of the Harris Bros. Grain Company, which
firm was later incorporated as the Central Granaries, a very rich
corporation. He remained with this concern until 1898, when he entered
the employ of the McCormick Harvester Company as bookkeeper, with
headquarters at Lincoln, Neb. He was in the employ of the McCormick
people until 1903. In the meantime he had formed a partnership with his
father-in-law, Jacob P. Sprang, in the grocery and meat market business
in Muscotah, where Mr. Allen has resided permanently since 1903.
Edmond W. Allen was married in 1895 to Miss Lucie Sprang, and their
children are as follows: Una L., born in 1896, and is a senior in the
fine arts and music department of Kansas University. Miss Una is a
teacher of piano and violin, and has a large class of pupils. Mrs. Allen
was born on a farm in Benton township, Atchison county, five miles south
of Effingham, and is a daughter of Jacob P. Sprang, who built up a fine
farm in Atchison county, and established the business which is now owned
by Mr. Allen. While Mr. Allen is a Republican, he votes independently on
local and county matters. He was formerly a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, but since coming to Muscotah has united with the
Congregational church of this place. He is a member of the Knights and
Ladies of Security.
LUTHER CORTELYOU.
For a citizen of a small Kansas city to achieve State-wide prominence,
and to become the official head of the body of mercantile men with whom
he became affiliated during a long and successful career, is somewhat
out of the ordinary, and is decided evidence that the recipient of such
honors has received them solely because of pronounced ability of a high
order. For several years, Luther Cortelyou, farmer, grain merchant, and
banker, of Muscotah, Kan., was the recognized leader among the grain men
of Kansas, attaining to his position by virtue of executive ability and
powers of leadership. He is one of the first and best known citizens of
Muscotah and Atchison county, who for more than twenty-seven years has
been active in civic affairs in the county.
Luther Cortelyou was born December 23, 1851, in Somerset county, New
Jersey, and is a son of James G. and Cornelia (Polhemus) Cortelyou.
James Garretson Cortelyou, the father, was the son of Abraham Cortelyou,
who was descended from French Hugenot colonists, who first settled on
Long Island in 1624. The original ancestor of the family fled from
France to a safe refuge in Holland during the persecution of the
Huguenots in France. Jaques Cortelyou was the founder of the family in
America and was prominent in the affairs of the colony on Long Island.
His son, Peter, was a governor of the borough in which is now located
Brooklyn. The descendants of Jaques Cortelyou figured in Revolutionary
history.
James G. was reared in New Jersey, and there married Cornelia, a
daughter of C. Polhemus, also of an old Holland family. He was the
father of three children: John Gardner, deceased; Luther, of this
review; and Peter J., now deceased, formerly a resident of Corning,
Nemaha county, Kansas. The father died in Middlesex county, New Jersey.
Luther Cortelyou was reared to young manhood on his father’s farm, and
received his primary education in the public schools of Somerset county,
New Jersey. He received his academic education in Rutgers College, a
Dutch Reformed college, at New Brunswick, N. J., and then attended
Eastman’s Business College, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. After his marriage he
removed to Maryland, where he lived on a farm which he purchased and
cultivated for twelve years. In 1889 Mr. Cortelyou sold his Maryland
property and came to Kansas and located in Muscotah, Atchison county. He
invested his capital in the M. J. Walsh grain elevator, and for eighteen
years was engaged in the buying and shipping of grain. He extended his
operations, and owned an elevator at Corning, Kan., which he sold in
1909. Mr. Cortelyou amassed a considerable competence during the many
years in which he was engaged in the grain business, and became
prominent in mercantile circles in the State of Kansas. For seven years
he served as president of the Kansas Grain Dealers’ Association, and
gained a wide acquaintance among grain dealers throughout the State and
Nation. He served for one year as second vice-president of the National
Grain Dealers’ Association, and also filled the post of first vice-
president of the national body for one year. He disposed of his elevator
in Muscotah in 1907, and has since retired from active business pursuits
other than his farming and banking interests. Mr. Cortelyou is the owner
of a fine farm of 250 acres in Grasshopper township, and was one of the
organizers of the Farmers State Bank of Muscotah, of which thriving
institution he is the president.
Mr. Cortelyou was first married in New Jersey in 1876 to Miss Gertrude
Stelle, of Middlesex county, New Jersey, and this union was blessed with
four children, namely: Luther, Jr., assistant cashier of the First
National Bank at Parsons, Kan., married Miss Lola Allison, a daughter of
Webb Allison, of Nortonville, Kan.; Stelle, formerly an engineer in the
United States Government service, died in Panama of yellow fever, in
1905, at the age of twenty-two, having been the last victim to die from
yellow fever on the Isthmus; Peter J., postmaster of Muscotah; Frank
Morgan, born in 1886, a talented engineer, who was graduated from Kansas
University engineering department, and is connected with the engineering
firm of Waddell & Harrington, of Kansas City, Mo., and is now located in
Vancouver, Wash., in charge of the construction of an immense bridge
across the Columbia river, costing $1,750,000; this bridge connects
Vancouver, Wash., and Portland, Ore., and is a link in the Pacific
highway. It has twenty-nine steel-spans, and is over 17,200 feet in
length. The largest dredges and pile-driving machinery in the world are
required in its construction. The permanent roadway of this great
structure is thirty-five feet wide with sidewalks five feet in width.
Frank M. married Miss Marney Burney, of Green Forest, Ark. The mother of
these children was born March 19, 1856, in New Jersey, a daughter of
Peter and Sarah J. Stelle, and she departed this life February 5, 1905.
Mr. Cortelyou was again married to Mrs. Alice T. Calvert, widow of J. H.
Calvert, deceased merchant and banker of Muscotah, February 19, 1907.
The Democratic party has always had the allegiance of Mr. Cortelyou, and
he has been prominently identified with the affairs of his party in
Atchison county, and was the candidate of his party for county treasurer
in 1896. He is a warm admirer of President Wilson and a supporter of the
President’s policies. He was elected mayor of Muscotah in April, 1900,
and served one term, and also has served as a member of the school board
of Muscotah. Mr. Cortelyou is a member of the Congregational church of
Muscotah, to which denomination he has been a liberal contributor: he
assisted in the building of the church edifice, and has served as
trustee of the church for several years. For the past thirty years or
more he has been a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and
he also is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen.
WILLIAM S. HUBBARD.
Living in comfortable retirement in Muscotah is one of the pioneer
settlers of Atchison county, who fought the good fight with grasshoppers
and hot winds in the old days of hardships on the prairies over forty
years ago. William S. Hubbard is one of the fine old gentlemen of
Muscotah who came to Kansas a poor man, has reared a fine family of
prosperous sons and daughters, and achieved a competence sufficient to
support him in comfort during his declining years.
W. S. Hubbard was born March 10, 1839, on a farm near Cloverdale, Putnam
county, Indiana, a son of Asa and Melinda (Holland) Hubbard, natives of
Kentucky, who founded a pioneer home in the forests of Putnam county,
Indiana. Asa Hubbard, the father, died when William S. was a child, and
his mother married W. Davis. In 1844 the family moved to Illinois, where
the mother and stepfather died in later years. The Davis farm was
located in Henry county, Illinois. Here W. S. was reared to young
manhood, and knew very few luxuries in those early days of privation and
struggle. After a two years’ residence on a farm near Burlington, Iowa,
he decided to come farther west to find a home and fortune where lands
were cheap and opportunities seemed to be much better than in Illinois.
In 1874 he set out with his wife and five children to find a home in
Atchison county, Kansas. All of his worldly possessions consisted of a
team of horses, a cow, and twelve dollars in cash. His first year on a
rented farm in Grasshopper township was a disastrous one, and the
“hoppers” got his crops, even to a fine crop of cabbage, which he
harvested and tried to cover up by piling hay upon the cabbages to keep
the greedy “hoppers” from eating them. Sad to relate, the grasshoppers
burrowed down through the hay and ate the cabbage. The following year
was much better, Mr. Hubbard raising a fine crop of corn. During his
first year he raised a good flax crop which he sold for one dollar and
forty cents per bushel. He was eventually able to invest in 220 acres of
rich bottom land, bordering the Delaware river, at a cost of fifteen
dollars an acre. Mr. Hubbard had saved $800 to make the initial payment
on this tract, and in nine years succeeded in lifting the debt. During
the period in which he was paying off the indebtedness on his land he
was also paying interest on the money at the rate of ten per cent,
annually. He sold his first farm some years after this and invested in
the fine tract of seventy-two acres which he now owns. On June 12, 1913,
he and Mrs. Hubbard decided that they had worked long enough, and left
the farm for a home in Muscotah.
Mr. Hubbard was married January 29, 1861, to Miss Mary Ann Pence, a
native of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania. Six children have been born to
this worthy couple, namely: William Elsworth, a farmer, of Kapioma
township, Atchison county, and the owner of 160 acres of well improved
farm land; he married Mattie Roth, and they have six children: Lewis
Henry Hubbard, a farmer of this county, owner of 160 acres of land: he
married Ann Hinxton, and they have two children: Lillie Jane, wife of
Malcolm Connor, residing on a homestead in South Dakota, and they have
three children: Cora May, wife of Simeon Routh, Atchison county; they
have six children. The other children are deceased. All of Mr. and Mrs.
Hubbard’s children are prosperous and highly respected citizens of their
respective communities, and are a credit and comfort to their aged
parents, who are proud of the family. Mrs. Hubbard was born December 27,
1839.
Few people in Atchison county can point to a better record than Mr. and
Mrs. Hubbard, or can look back with greater satisfaction over long years
well spent in achieving a livelihood and rearing a fine family to
maturity. They came to Atchison county at a time when Indians still
roamed the prairies, and very little of the prairie land was improved.
Mr. Hubbard is an old-line Democrat, and, while he has taken an active
interest in political affairs in his township and county, he has never
been an aspirant for office, preferring to play the game for the pure
love and fun of it rather than to become an aspirant for political
honors. He and Mrs. Hubbard are members of the Second-Day Adventist
church of Muscotah.
O. O. BARKER, M. D.
O. O. Barker, M. D., is one of the younger members of the medical
profession in Atchison county, located at Muscotah, Kan. During the nine
years which he has been located in Muscotah, he has built up an
excellent practice in his profession, and has demonstrated that he has
an accurate knowledge of the art and science of medicine. Dr. Barker was
born March 30, 1885, in the town of True, Sumner county, West Virginia.
He is a son of J. Lee and Anna (Milburn) Barker, the former having been
born in 1860, and the latter in 1862, in Virginia. Both parents still
reside at True, W. Va. J. Lee Barker was a son of M. Calloway Barker,
also a native of Virginia, and a descendant of an old Virginia family.
The history of the Barker family dates back to the birth of Chaplain
Barker, of Liverpool, England, who was born in 1750, and immigrated to
Virginia in 1785. David Barker, a son of Chaplain Barker, distiller, in
Richmond, Va. William Barker, the son of David, was a tanner by trade,
and had three sons: William A., Joseph, and Isaac. Of these sons, Joseph
was killed by Indians; Isaac lives at Liberty, Va., and reared the
following children: James M. Calloway, Mary E., A. L., Thomas J.,
Francis, and Joseph G. Thomas J. Barker immigrated to Kansas and became
a wealthy citizen of Kansas City, where he died. M. Calloway Barker
lived at True, W. Va., and reared a family of twelve children: William
A., who died in the Confederate service during the Civil war; Mary E.,
deceased; R. J., residing in Kansas City, Kan.; J. W., deceased; Thomas
B., living near Hinton, W. Va.; James L., deceased; Dr. Joseph L.; J.
Lee, father of Dr. Barker; David M., of Parsons, Kan.: Francis I.;
Ollie, living at True, W. Va., and Maria, deceased. J. Lee Barker has
always been a farmer, and has made a success of his life’s vocation. He
is one of the prominent and well known citizens of his section of West
Virginia, and for several years has served as president of the school
board of True, W. Va. He has reared three children: Orus O., with whom
this review is directly concerned; Mrs. Grace M. Skaggs, Topeka, Kan.,
and Mrs. Nellie B. Deeds, of Hinton, W. Va.
Dr. Barker received his primary education in the public schools of his
native town in West Virginia, and then decided to take up the study of
medicine. He studied for two years in the medical department in the
University of Maryland, and completed his medical education in the
University of Louisville, Ky., from which institution he received his
degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1906. After his graduation he came to
Kansas, visited for a few months with an uncle in Kansas City, Kan., and
after passing an examination given by the state board of medical
examiners of Topeka, he opened an office at Muscotah, Kan., October 1,
1906. Dr. Barker is a member of the Northeast Kansas Medical Society,
the Kansas State Medical Association, and the Country Doctors’ Business
and Social Club. He endeavors at all times to keep abreast of the latest
advancement in medical science, and has built up an excellent practice
in Muscotah and the surrounding country. He was married June 2, 1906, to
Miss Ethel M. Morton, a daughter of G. W. Morton, of Columbus, Ohio. Dr.
Barker is a fraternal member of the Knights and Ladies of Security,
Modern Woodmen of America, and Mystic Workers of the World.
DR. CHARLES M. LUKENS.
Charles M. Lukens, dentist, Muscotah, Kan., is a fine type of
professional man who is self-made, and has achieved success in his
profession, which is gratifying and worthy of mention in a favorable
manner. Dr. Lukens was born June 28, 1872, in Harrison county, Ohio, and
is a son of William Ellis and Margaret (McLaughlin) Lukens, both of whom
were born and reared in Ohio. William Ellis Lukens was born in 1849, and
was a son of Moses Lukens, born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, in
1812, and was an uncompromising abolitionist. He was an early settler of
Harrison county, Ohio, where he conducted a station on the famous
“Underground Railway.” He lived to a great age, and it is a fact that
longevity is a characteristic of both the Lukens and the McLaughlin
families. The Lukens family was of Quaker origin, and the founder of the
family in America was one of the original followers of William Penn.
Another characteristic of the Lukens family is the fact that a brother
of William Ellis Lukens was a dentist, and Dr. Lukens has five cousins
who are practicing dentistry.
William Ellis Lukens migrated to Holt county, Missouri, in 1882, where
he resided for four years, and in 1886 he settled in Nemaha county. He
was one of the early pioneers in Nemaha county, and first engaged in the
live stock business at Corning, Kan., where he conducted a grain
elevator, and bought and shipped live stock. He has become well-to-do,
and is the owner of two large farms in Nemaha and Jackson counties. Mr.
and Mrs. Lukens now make their home on a farm in Jackson county, Kansas,
south of Netawaka. Their children are: Dr. C. M. Lukens, of Muscotah;
Chester W., a farmer, living south of Netawaka, and Kinney E., a farmer,
living in the northwest corner of Jackson county, Kansas. The mother of
these children was born in 1850.
Charles M. Lukens received his primary education in the public schools
of Corning, Kan., and then decided to work his way through college. His
ambition was to become a dentist, and for a period of five years he did
all kinds of honest labor in order to pay for his tuition and expenses
while attaining his collegiate education. He not only earned his way
through college, but saved money in the meantime. He followed farming
and railroad bridge work during this time, and eventually graduated from
the Western Dental College of Kansas City, Mo., on May 6, 1905. He
located in Muscotah, June 29, 1905, and has made a signal success in the
practice of his profession. Dr. Lukens also maintains an office at
Whiting, Kan., and divides his time between the two towns, Whiting and
Muscotah.
Dr. Lukens was married April 10, 1901, at Corning, Kan., to Miss Hallie
A. Graham, a daughter of Dr. J. W. Graham, of Wetmore, Kan. They have
one child, Graham St. Clair Lukens, born June 21, 1902. The Republican
party claims the allegiance of Dr. Lukens, and he has always been active
in political affairs in Atchison county, being one of the leaders and
“wheel-horses” of the party in the county. He is affiliated with the
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Muscotah, and the Fraternal Order of
Eagles of Horton, Kan., and is a member of the Modern Woodmen. Dr.
Lukens is possessed of a likable and generous personality, which enables
him to make friends easily, and to retain them for all time. He is a
good provider for his family, and is fast accumulating a comfortable
competence. He is a member in good standing of the Northeast Kansas
Dental Association.
JAMES M. TRIMBLE.
J. M. Trimble, deceased, was born September 10, 1843, in Buchanan
county, Missouri, a son of Benjamin F. Trimble, a native of Kentucky and
early pioneer settler of De Kalb, Mo., where he conducted a blacksmith
and wagon shop for a number of years, until his removal to Texas. After
living in Texas for some years, he finally located in Atchison county,
Kansas. James M. Trimble purchased a farm in this county and cultivated
it until 1905 and then removed to Atchison and engaged in the livery
business, continuing the same until his demise in January of 1910. The
first wife of James M. Trimble was Margaret McCreary, a daughter of
Solomon McCreary, a pioneer settler of Atchison county. To this first
marriage were born the following children: J. P. Trimble; A. F. Trimble;
K. S. Trimble; Ed. Henry; Roy C., sheriff of Atchison county, and T. O.
Trimble.
Mr. Trimble was married the second time, to Mrs. Emma A. (Hayden)
Gallup, widow of Frank Gallup, January 21, 1892. She is a daughter of
Levi and Martha Hayden, natives of Kentucky, and pioneer settlers of
Coffey county, Kansas. The Hayden family were settlers in Coffey county,
Kansas, at a time when the county was largely populated by Indians. At
one time, while a resident of this county, Levi Hayden and a number of
other settlers were hunting buffalo and were surrounded by hostile red-
men, who robbed the hunting party of their provisions and horses and
left the hunters on the plains destitute. A terrible snow storm came up,
and several of the party perished from cold and starvation, Mr. Hayden
being among the number lost. After his death his widow reared the family
of seven children with the exception of two sons and a daughter, Emma,
who went to reside with an uncle, John Hayden, in Iowa. This uncle was a
very prominent resident of Taylor county, Iowa, and served as county
clerk and county surveyor. He ran a survey line from his farm in Taylor
county, Iowa, to a place later named Hayden Junction, near Council
Bluffs. He was a school teacher and a man of more than ordinary ability
and reared his adopted children to become good citizens. Emma lived at
her uncle’s home until January 1, 1874, and while attending high school
at Bedford, Iowa, she met Frank Gallup, whom she married. Mr. Gallup
died August 11, 1888. To this union were born children as follows:
Nellie M., wife of Gale Trimble, of Atchison county; Jennie B. married
Edwin E. Buchanan, now deceased, and she lives in Atchison; Clara Maude,
wife of Ed. Trimble, residing near Seattle, Wash.; Samuel D., of
Atchison; Agnes Gertrude, wife of Blake Balaock, of Memphis, Tenn.
At the time of the marriage of Mr. Trimble and Mrs. Gallup, Mr. Trimble
was serving as superintendent of the Atchison county poor farm. They had
charge of this institution for over six years and then moved to Mr.
Trimble’s farm, which is now owned by John M. Price, in Mt. Pleasant
township. They resided on the farm until their removal to Atchison in
1905. After another short period of residence on the farm they finally
purchased the property which is the family home at 1206 South Seventh
street, Atchison. Mr. Trimble conducted a livery and horse trading
business in Atchison until his demise. He dealt extensively in horses
and cattle, and frequently conducted farm and real estate deals to
advantage.
James M. Trimble was a life-long Republican and took an active and
influential part in the affairs of his party. He was well and favorably
known throughout Atchison county. He and Mrs. Trimble were affiliated
with the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Trimble belonged to the Grand Army
of the Republic by virtue of having enlisted for service in a Kansas
regiment during the Civil war, at the time of the Price invasion. It can
be said of him that he was an honest, upright citizen, who cared well
for those who depended upon him and he was, according to those who knew
him best, a good man.
JOHN EDWARD SULLIVAN.
For fifty-five years John Edward Sullivan has resided in Atchison
county, Kansas, and can be readily classed with the old-timers of the
county. His parents came from Iowa to Kansas when he was but one year
old, and his father, with the assistance of his sons, Roger P. and John
Edward, was enabled to rise from poverty to become the owner of half a
section of land in Grasshopper township. The account of this family is
similar to that of several other prosperous Irish families in Atchison
county.
John E. Sullivan was born May 15, 1859, in Keokuk, Iowa, a son of
Michael and Bridget (Tobin) Sullivan, both of whom were born in Ireland.
Michael Sullivan was born in 1826 in Ireland, and lived in his native
land until he was twelve years of age, and then made his way, alone and
unaided, to America. His travels for seeking fortune in the new country
took him ever onward, and he was married in Keokuk, Iowa, to Bridget
Tobin, who was his faithful helpmeet when he was rising from poverty to
affluence. Mr. Sullivan came to Atchison, Kan., in 1860, and for some
time was engaged in the railroad contract work, and assisted in the
grading of the Central Branch railroad. With the money saved in his
railroad contract work he became the owner of a home in Atchison, which
he exchanged for eighty acres of land in Grasshopper township, upon
which he settled and soon developed into a fine farm. Mr. Sullivan, in
the course of a few years, was enabled to buy an additional quarter
section, and with the help of his sturdy sons, he increased his holdings
to 320 acres of well improved farm land. When old age crept upon Michael
Sullivan and his wife they turned the farm over to their two sons, who
cared for them in their declining years, which were spent in peace and
comfort. Mr. Sullivan died at the home of his son, John Edward, December
24, 1904. He was the father of three children: John Edward, the subject
of this review; Roger Patrick, a prosperous farmer of Benton township,
Atchison county, and Mary, deceased.
John Edward Sullivan attended the public schools of Atchison until he
was fourteen years of age, and after his parents removed to the farm in
Grasshopper township he remained at home and assisted his father on the
home farm until he was thirty years old. He then purchased his present
farm of 160 acres, made improvements upon it, and has brought the land
up to a high state of cultivation. Mr. Sullivan has his farm stocked
with well graded horses and cattle, and has frequently exhibited his
fine draft colts and mules at the county fairs, held at Effingham, Kan.
Mr. Sullivan was married in 1890 to Anna Small, and to this union were
born eight children, namely: Mary E., deceased: Anna, John, Lauretta,
Leo, and Lucy, all at home with their parents; Grace, deceased; one
child died in infancy. Mrs. Sullivan was born October 29, 1864, in
Ireland, a daughter of Patrick and Elizabeth (McVay) Small, who
immigrated to America, settling in Pennsylvania, and came to Atchison,
Kan., in 1879; they were engaged in farming for some years, and are now
living at Effingham, Kan. Mrs. Sullivan died November 23, 1906. She was
a well educated woman, being an accomplished musician and a teacher of
music. Mr. Sullivan is a stockholder and director of the Farmers State
Bank of Muscotah. He is not allied with any political parties, and casts
his vote independently at election time for the candidates of his
choice, who seem best fitted to perform the duties of the office sought.
He is a member of the Catholic church, and is fraternally allied with
the Knights of Columbus of Atchison.
RIENZI M. DUNLAP.
Rienzi M. Dunlap, editor and publisher of the _Muscotah Record_,
Muscotah, Kan., was born in Illinois, February 25, 1850. He is the son
of John M. and Nancy (Fletcher) Dunlap, the former a native of Maine,
and the latter a native of Illinois. John M. Dunlap was a descendant
from Scotch-Irish ancestry, who immigrated from North of Ireland to
America. His wife was of English descent, and a daughter of Kentucky
parents, who emigrated from Kentucky to Illinois in the early days. John
M. received his education in his native State, and was engaged in
teaching school, a profession which he followed for twenty-five years.
He taught school in Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and also in the State
of Iowa. He finally located on a farm in northern Iowa, near Nashua,
which he developed into a fine productive plant. He became well known as
a skilled horticulturist, and originated several different kinds of
fruits. He died at his home near Nashua, Iowa, in 1909. His widow still
lives on the home place.
Rienzi M. Dunlap was educated in the schools of northeastern Iowa, and
entered college with the intention of completing a college course, but
his eyesight failing him, he was unable to complete his classical
studies. Later, he prepared himself for the teaching profession by self-
study, and received a teacher’s certificate. He taught school for
fifteen years at various places in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. The
last five years of his teaching was of a professional character, with
the backing of a professional certificate. During all this time he had
been preparing himself by hard study to enter the ministry, and on
September 1, 1893, went to Wisconsin and began preaching in an Advent
Christian church. He preached for four years in Wisconsin in the
interest of the Advent Christian denomination, and later engaged in the
market gardening business for the benefit of his health at Baraboo,
Wis., where he resided until 1909, in the meantime preaching in the
churches of the nearby towns. From 1909 until 1910 he had charge of a
church at Linn, Kan. Mr. Dunlap, while engaged in teaching, managed to
obtain considerable journalistic experience by working in various
newspaper offices, among them being that of his uncle. Consequently, it
is not surprising that in 1910 he came to Muscotah, Kan., and purchased
the _Muscotah Record_. He is operating an excellent newspaper, which is
noted for its clean, moral and fearless stand on all public questions.
Mr. Dunlap was married at Mendota, Ill., August 23, 1893, to Miss Retta
Morris, of Ohio, who was also a public school teacher, who taught school
fifteen terms previous to her marriage, several years of which were in
Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Dunlap are the parents of three children: Morris O.,
a student of journalism in the Advent Christian College, Aurora, Ill.,
which course is to be followed by two years in the university; Ella M.,
a pupil in the eighth grade in the Muscotah school; Mary, a pupil in the
sixth grade in the public school. Mr. Dunlap is an independent in
politics, who has not allied himself in any form of politics, and
believes that the best government results from the independent voting of
its citizens. His newspaper is also noted for its independence.
LEWIS P. Du BOIS.
Lewis P. Du Bois has the distinction of being the oldest living pioneer
settler of Atchison county residing in Shannon township. The story of
his life since coming to the great West in search of health reads like a
romance and is well worth recounting in the pages of this history of the
county which he has helped to create during the past fifty-seven years
or more. The last days of his eventful life are being peacefully spent
in the beautiful country home which he erected several years ago, which
sets far back in a park created by his own hands and shaded by great
trees planted in years gone by on the barren prairie which he broke and
brought to a high state of cultivation. Mr. Du Bois can look out over
the broad acres which he and his good and faithful wife have
accumulated, and be well content that providence has been kind to them
and theirs.
[Illustration:
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Du Bois—Golden Wedding Anniversary.
]
Lewis P. Du Bois is a descendant of an old American family. He was born
March 23, 1834, in Salem county, New Jersey, a son of Samuel and Mary
(Johnson) Du Bois, both of whom were natives of New Jersey. Louis Du
Bois, a Frenchman, who came to America in about 1660, and established
the French settlement of New Palz, was the original founder of the
family in this country. His children were as follows: Jacob, Abraham,
Sarah, Isaac, David, Solomon, Rebecca, Rachel and Matthew. Samuel Du
Bois was the son of Matthew, a great-grandson of the first Louis Du
Bois. Lewis Du Bois, direct ancestor of Lewis, and son of Mathias, was a
soldier in the Revolution and served for seven years under General
Washington, and was engaged in all of the battles in which Washington’s
army participated. Matthias’ children were: Sarah, Lewis, Anna, Rachel,
Cornelius, Matthew and Benjamin. Lewis Du Bois, the Revolutionary
patriot, married Rebekah Craig and was the father of the following
children: John, Matthew, Polly, Lewis, Rebekah, Benjamin, Elizabeth, and
Samuel, father of the subject of this review. Samuel Du Bois was born
September 26, 1800, and died in May, 1873. He married Mary Johnson, who
was born January 17, 1824, and died January 28, 1879.
To Samuel and Mary Du Bois were born children as follows: Rebecca, who
became the wife of Clarence Struper, and is now-deceased; Adaline, wife
of Jacob Kaeley, deceased; Mary Jane, wife of John Du Bois, of
Fairfield, Iowa; Lewis, with whom this review is directly concerned;
Emeline, wife of Daniel Hitchner, Nemaha county, Kansas; Eliza, wife of
A. Hitchner, deceased; Samuel Johnson, Salem county, New Jersey. Mr. Du
Bois has an old Bible over 150 years old and also has in his possession
genealogical works concerning the Du Bois, Patterson and the Ewing
families which can be consulted for further genealogical data if need
be. Samuel Du Bois was a farmer and his father, Lewis, was a paymaster
in the American army of defense during the War of 1812. Both lived and
died on the old ancestral farm which has been in the family for many
generations. Lewis donated one farm of 160 acres to the Daretown
Presbyterian church and practically endowed it. Samuel was a very
prominent citizen in his neighborhood and held several important offices
and was one of the twelve free holders of Salem county, New Jersey.
Lewis P. Du Bois was educated in the common schools of his native county
and when twenty years of age was employed as clerk in a store at
Bridgeton, Cumberland county, New Jersey, for three years, after which
he spent one year assisting his father farm the old homestead. His
health failing, he was told by the family doctor that he must go west or
he could live but a short time. Leaving the old home, his sweetheart and
all associations behind him, he set out and arrived in Atchison in
April, 1858, with only $50 in cash in his pockets. For the first year he
made his home with Dr. Challiss, on the doctor’s farm. Dr. Challiss
advised him to spend one year near the river and then go to the
mountains for an indefinite stay until he was cured. At the end of his
first year’s residence in the West he set out for the mountain country
as assistant to Eli Mason, the first sheriff of Atchison county, in the
conduct of a wagon train en route to Ft. Kearney. His first trip to the
West and the outdoor life proved beneficial and upon his return he
clerked in the store of P. R. King until November of 1859, and again
crossed the plains with Henry Macey, of Weston, Mo. This was a very hard
and long trip, taken in the winter time, but he gained rapidly in
strength and general health and accumulated weight until he tipped the
scales at 158 pounds. Upon his arrival in Denver, Colo., the mining
excitement was at its height and he was seized with the gold fever. He
took up a mining claim in the mountains, but left it and went further
into the mountainous country. He spent all of his money on developing
another claim, building a sluice and dam and turning the course of a
stream in order to get a sufficient flow of water for placer mining. All
of his efforts came to naught and his mining fixtures were washed away
by a disastrous flood and he was left in debt over $1,000. He and his
associates then went to Georgia gulch and bought another claim which
yielded sufficiently to enable him to pay off his debts and then the
gold gave out entirely. News came to the camp during his first winter in
the mountains that a number of men were snow bound over the divide and
were starving for food. The snow was from seven to ten feet deep on the
level and twenty feet deep on the ranges. Mr. Du Bois and another man
were the only men brave enough to volunteer to carry succor to the
destitute prospectors and had the distinction of being the first men to
cross the Rockies in the dead of winter. From Colorado he went to
Wyoming and then returned to Atchison in 1861, meeting the fast pony
express on his way and learning of Abraham Lincoln’s election to the
Presidency.
From Atchison he returned to the old home in New Jersey and there
married the sweetheart who had been waiting for him to come back,
restored to vigorous health and strength. He followed farming in New
Jersey for three years, suffering in the meantime from rheumatism and
sickness, brought on from too much exposure to the elements. In 1865 he
and his wife again returned to Atchison with a cash capital of $500 and
he took charge of a farm owned by his friend, Dr. Challiss, on the share
plan for a period of three years. His farming experience for those three
years was not at all profitable, and he was left at the end of the time
with practically no funds. Jayhawkers took practically all that he made,
and one time, after he had fattened a lot of hogs on corn which cost him
$1.10 per bushel, thieves stole the porkers and he was left without a
dollar. He then ventured to sell fruit trees to the settlers in Colorado
on the route to Denver and was very successful in taking many orders.
The delivery of this consignment consisting of two wagon loads cost over
$1,850 by overland freight train in the fall of the year. The Indians
were troublesome at the time and during one eventful night which
demonstrated that the biggest braggarts with the train were the greatest
cowards, the Indians tried to run off their mules but were finally
driven off. This venture resulted in replenishing his store of funds and
he bought his first farm with the proceeds, paying cash for it. Like
many others during those early days, Mr. Du Bois herded cattle on the
great free ranges but was unfortunate in having fifty head die of Texas
fever contracted from an infected herd of Texas cattle which were being
pastured over the range on the way to market. Many, indeed, were the
discouragements which beset his attempts to secure a livelihood, at one
time having purchased a horse from a Mr. Galbreath, it developed that
the beast was afflicted with glanders in a contagious form. This
necessitated the killing of all of his horses and the consequent
restocking of his farm. Prosperity eventually smiled upon him and his,
however, and better times came and he became the owner of 320 acres of
exceedingly fine land in Shannon township. He is a director of the Bank
of Vliets, Kan.
Mr. Du Bois was married November 3, 1863, to Sarah Jane Jones and to
this union have been born children as follows: Mrs. Carrie C. Buck, born
in 1865, and residing at Vliets, Kan.; Lewis P. died in infancy; Samuel
T., born July 7, 1876, operates the home farm, married Anna Katharine
Kistler, daughter of William D. Kistler, and has two children, Lewis P.,
Jr., and Kathryn Ellen. The mother of these children was born April 5,
1835, in Salem county, New Jersey, daughter of Joseph and Mary Ann (Van
Meter) Jones. The Jones family of which she is a descendant is a very
old one in America, and a history of the family is being now published.
The Van Meter family had its origin in this country as far back as 1660
and they were members of the new Palz settlement in New Jersey. Her
grandfather, Samuel Van Meter, married Lady Anna Bishop, a titled
English lady who was a member of a noble English family. Several of her
ancestors served in the war of independence.
On November 3, 1913, there was celebrated at the hospitable and
beautiful Du Bois home, the fiftieth or golden wedding anniversary of
this widely known and well loved pioneer couple. Guests to the number of
500 came to congratulate them from far and near, among them being the
notable men and women of Atchison county, who are proud of the
friendship of Mr. and Mrs. Du Bois. The tables groaned with good things
to eat and the day was spent happily in merrymaking, the wedding
ceremony of Lewis and Sarah being again duplicated for the edification
of the interested guests. No invitations were issued for the occasion,
but a general country-wide notice printed in the Atchison newspapers
caused a perfect hegira to the Du Bois home of old and new friends of
this worthy couple, who wished to be in line to grasp their hands and
wish them many more happy years of wedded life which have been unmarred
by a single serious discord. The fifty-three years of wedded life have
been replete with happiness and blessings for Mr. and Mrs. Du Bois, in
the main, while tinged with sorrows which are the inevitable lot of all
mankind.
Mr. Du Bois and the members of his family are affiliated with the
Presbyterian church. He is a member of the Masonic lodge, the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Central Protective Association,
having been one of the founders of the Good Intent lodge of the Central
Protective Association. He has been a life-long Democrat, and, while
never having sought political preferment and not having filled any
office but that of trustee of Shannon township, he has always taken in
other years a very active part in county, State and National politics.
He was a great personal friend of Governor Glick.
EDWIN S. WOODWORTH.
The name Woodworth is a noted one, not only in Kansas, but in American
history. A long line of distinguished men have descended from the
original founders of the family in America, and the men of each
successive generation have added additional luster to the family name by
deeds of valor and statesmanship which stand out prominently in the
annals of their respective abiding places. Edwin S. Woodworth, farmer
and live stock breeder, of Kapioma township, is a well and favorably
known member of the civic body of Atchison county, and a son of Maj.
Caleb A. Woodworth, who was one of the famous figures in the early
period of the making Kansas into a great State. His grandfather, Caleb
A. Woodworth, Sr., was one of the earliest of the Kansas pioneers.
Major Caleb A. Woodworth was born in Wilkesbarre, Pa., April 14, 1838,
and was a son of Caleb Woodworth, a native of Tyre, N. Y., whose father,
also named Caleb, was a captain of artillery under General Scott in the
War of 1812. Gresham Woodworth, the great-grandfather of Major
Woodworth, was a colonel in the Continental army during the American
Revolution, and fought at the battle of Saratoga. The Woodworth family
is of English origin, the progenitors of the family having emigrated
from the Isle of Man early in the seventeenth century. The father of
Major Woodworth was a farmer by occupation, and married Miss Ellen
Gordon, of Goshen, N. Y., a cousin of Gen. Gordon, of Goshen, and a
daughter of Cornelius Gordon, who was born in Ireland, of Scotch-Irish
parents, and settled in Virginia. The elder Woodworth died at the age of
seventy-four years, and the wife and mother died in December, 1898, at
the age of eighty-six years. Caleb, Sr., immigrated to Kansas in 1857,
and settled at Muscotah, Atchison county. Both Caleb Woodworth and his
wife were members of the Congregational church, and Caleb was an Odd
Fellow. He was well educated, and in his younger days was a school
teacher, becoming a farmer in later life. The line of Woodworths in
America tells of many men of letters and distinction, and many soldiers
who have shed luster on the family name in the successive generations.
There were five children born to Caleb, Sr., and wife, namely: Caleb A.,
father of Edwin S.; Gilbert M., who came to Kansas at an early day, and
served three years in a Kansas regiment during the Civil war, first as
corporal, then as sergeant, and later was captain of a company of the
Fourth Arkansas infantry, and was made lieutenant-colonel of the Twelfth
Kansas militia in 1864. He became prominent in political life, and
served as State senator in Colorado, and died while marching in the G.
A. R. reunion parade in Philadelphia, September 8, 1899; eighty veterans
succumbed to the heat. He left one son, Charles G., of Onanga, Okla.;
Ben F., a resident of Downs, Okla., served three years in the Union
army, part of the time as bugler of Company A, Fifth regiment, Kansas
infantry, and later as captain in the Fourth Kansas regiment; David G.,
a graduate of Monroe Institute, a teacher, and a Kansas militiaman.
David Woodworth assisted in the survey of Oklahoma, moved to the new
State in 1889, and settled at Downs. He was a successful farmer, but is
now postmaster at Kingfisher, Okla. The mother accompanied him to
Oklahoma, and died there; Sarah Elizabeth, deceased, was the wife of B.
A. Colville, and left one son, Dr. Frank Colville, who died in St.
Joseph, Mo.
Major Caleb A. Woodworth came to Kansas in 1857, from Virginia, and
engaged in farming near Muscotah until 1859, when he entered the
University of Chicago, and pursued his collegiate education until the
outbreak of the Civil war. He then returned to Kansas and offered his
services in defense of the Union. His first enlistment was for a period
of nine months in Company B, Fourth regiment, Kansas infantry. He then
assisted in organizing the Thirteenth Kansas regiment, and was a member
of Company F of that regiment, which he joined September 20, 1862. He
rose rapidly in rank, was commissioned major of his regiment, and served
for three years, or until the close of the war. He served directly under
Colonel Bowen, and under Generals Blount, Schofield, Steele, and
Reynolds. He participated in the battles around Springfield, Mo., and in
Arkansas. At the battle of Prairie Grove, in 1862, his horse was shot
from under him. Three times his mount was killed in battle, but he
seemed to bear a charmed life, and was never wounded. After the close of
the war he returned to Atchison, Kan., and engaged in freighting across
the plains, making three trips in all with a freighting outfit. He was
the first man to telegraph money from Denver, Colo., to Atchison. He
operated a livery barn where the union depot now stands in Atchison.
About 1868 he again turned his attention to farming, and settled in
Kapioma township, where his father had preëmpted half a section of land.
Major Woodworth farmed the home tract, and erected the house where Edwin
S. now lives. He became an extensive cattle feeder, and was very
successful in his farming operations.
Major Woodworth was married in June, 1867, to Miss Margaret Shaw, of
Valley Falls, Kan. Three children were born of this union, namely: Nora,
wife of E. M. Wilcox, Kamaloops, British Columbia; Edwin S.; Jennie,
living in Wood, S. D. The mother of these children was born in Akron,
Ohio, January 21, 1850, a daughter of William and Louise (Fletcher)
Shaw, natives of Ohio. She is now residing with her daughter at Wood, S.
D.
The civic and political career of Major Woodworth was a distinguished
one. He was elected State senator from Atchison county on the Republican
ticket in 1876, and served for four years. During his term as senator he
wrote the bill and presented the same to the State legislature,
organizing the Kansas State Historical Society. In 1892 he was chosen to
represent the third district in the lower house of the legislature, this
time being elected on the Democratic ticket. In 1895 he removed to
Effingham, Kan., and resided in that city until 1897, when he removed to
Atchison to take up his duties as superintendent of the State Soldiers’
Orphans’ Home. He filled the duties of this position until 1900, when he
resigned and retired to a home in Muscotah, Kan. Major Woodworth died
October 24, 1908. His demise marked the passing of one of the most noted
of the Kansas pioneers, a distinguished soldier and statesman. He left a
heritage of honorable and upright service to the people of the State, of
which his descendants can well be proud.
Edwin S. Woodworth was born April 20, 1874, on the farm where he now
resides. He was educated in the common schools of his native county, and
studied in Bolton University, after completing a course in the high
school at Effingham, Kan. After his marriage, in 1895, he began farming
the home place of the Woodworth family. He is the owner of 163 acres of
rich farm land, which is well improved. Mr. Woodworth is a well known
breeder of registered Shorthorn cattle, and ships the product of his
farm in this respect to all parts of the country. He is a member of the
American Shorthorn Breeders’ Association. During 1915 he had a herd of
fifty thoroughbred Shorthorns, but has sold to buyers at excellent
prices until he has depleted his herd.
Mr. Woodworth was married May 29, 1895, to Miss Sadie E. Speer, born
June 11, 1875, and reared on a farm three miles east of Muscotah. (See
biography of D. Anna Speer for details concerning the Speer family.)
Four children have been born to Edwin S. and Sadie E. Woodworth, namely:
Mrs. Marguerite Mulligan, of Benton township; Mabel, a student in the
county high school at Effingham; Isabelle and Mildred, at home.
Politically, Mr. Woodworth is allied with the Democratic party. He
attends the Methodist Episcopal church, and is affiliated with the
Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Central
Protective Association. There is no doubt in the minds of those who know
Mr. Woodworth and esteem him for his many excellent qualities, that he
will keep alive the traditions of the Woodworth family and endeavor to
follow in the footsteps of his illustrious ancestors as regards right
living and doing his duty to his county and State.
HAL C. LOW.
Hal C. Low, of the firm of Johnson-Low Clothing Company, of Atchison,
was born in 1879 in Doniphan county, Kansas. His parents were J. W. and
Mary (Collins) Low, natives of the Buckeye State, the father’s home
having been at West Milton, Ohio. The grandfather of Hal C. was Ansel
Low, who was one of the earliest pioneer settlers of Kansas, first
coming to Atchison in 1852, following which he located in Doniphan,
where he kept the first hotel, or tavern, and also operated a general
store. To the home of this pioneer came in the fall of 1860, Abraham
Lincoln, who was then touring the country in his first campaign for the
presidency. Lincoln’s visit and stay at the Low hostelry was an event
which awakened a great deal of pride with J. W. Low and he was fond of
relating the circumstance and describing in detail how Mrs. Low served
the simple wants of the greatest of all Americans. He was always a
stanch supporter of the martyred President and gave direct evidence of
his loyalty to the Union by his enlistment in Company I, Seventh
regiment, Kansas cavalry, serving under Generals Rosecrans and Grant
successively, and was in active service throughout the entire war.
Hal C. Low was educated in the common and high schools of Atchison, and
then entered his father’s dry goods store, where he spent several years
profitably, absorbing the details of the business and in becoming a
proficient salesman and buyer. This experience stood him in good stead,
and in 1905 he organized the Johnson-Low Clothing Company and has made
an unqualified success of the venture. The store is one of the most
complete in this section of the State, and carries high grade goods of
the best workmanship and design. The ever increasing trade, which flows
to this establishment, is the best evidence of its continued success.
Mr. Low was married in 1905 to Miss Jane Pollock, daughter of S. M.
Pollock, an early pioneer settler of Iowa, later a resident of Kansas,
and now residing in Atchison. Mr. Low is a Republican.
D. ANNA SPEER.
The public owes much to the teachers who have made a life work of their
chosen profession. While the teaching profession is used to some extent
as a stepping-stone to something supposedly higher and better, or as an
opportunity on the part of young people to earn some money in
preparation for embarking in some other vocation, there are in the ranks
of the profession a considerable number of efficient and painstaking
educators who through a deep and abiding love of the work of teaching
the youth of the land and a desire to advance themselves high in their
profession, have made themselves indispensable members of the community,
and have shown by application and actual practice that they are fitted
above the rank and file to hold executive positions. D. Anna Speer,
county superintendent of schools for Atchison county, is a capable and
successful educator whose marked ability has received due recognition
from the people of the community in which she was reared.
[Illustration:
_Miss D. Anna Speer._
]
She was born in Atchison county, a daughter of Joseph and Mary
(Fountain) Speer. Her father, Joseph Speer, was born March 4, 1834, in
Leesville, Ind., and was the son of Andrew and Dicie (Kirby) Speer, both
natives of Kentucky. Miss Speer’s mother was a daughter of Stephen
Fountain and Mary (Clark) Fountain, natives of North Carolina. The
ancestors on the side of each parent were pre-Revolutionary colonists of
Virginia and the Carolinas. The Speers were among the earliest settlers
of Kentucky and the great-great-grandfather of Miss Speer on the
maternal side was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Joseph
and Mary Speer were married in Indiana and came west in 1859, settling
on a farm near Muscotah in the spring of 1860. Mr. Speer invested in a
partly improved farm of 160 acres on which they lived until old age
required that they leave the farm for a town home in Muscotah. During
the Civil war Mr. Speer served in the Kansas State militia and took part
in the expedition against the Price invasion. Joseph Speer died March 5,
1900. His wife was born in September, 1833, and departed this life June
19, 1909. To them were born six sons and three daughters: William F.,
who resides on the home farm; Mrs. Mary J. Long, of Fowler, Kan.;
Andrew, present county commissioner and farmer residing near Muscotah;
James R., one of the pioneer settlers of Guthrie, Okla.; John W., a
farmer of Morrison, Okla.; George T., a resident of Guthrie, Okla., and
auditor of the Arkansas Lumber Company; D. Anna; Jesse A., engaged in
the livery business at Medford, Okla.; Sadie E., wife of E. S.
Woodworth, of Muscotah, a son of Major Woodworth. The Speers are a
family of pioneers and are found to be leading citizens of their
respective communities. Joseph and Mary Speer reared their large family
of children to become useful and influential members of society and God-
fearing men and women. Before death called them to the eternal rest they
had the satisfaction of seeing the county where their earliest and most
arduous labors had been accomplished grow to become a prosperous and
populous community.
D. Anna Speer was educated in the rural school of her home neighborhood
and the Muscotah public school. She completed a teachers’ course in
Campbell College and was graduated, receiving a life diploma from the
State Normal College at Emporia, Kan., in 1893. She then taught school
for a number of years. During the summer vacations she did post-graduate
work in the University of Chicago, Kansas University and Colorado
College, at Colorado Springs, Colo., and received the degree of Bachelor
of Arts in 1911.
She entered the University of California at Berkeley and received the
degree of Master of Arts in 1913. Miss Speer is self-educated, having
worked her way through college and university while teaching school to
earn money for tuition and expenses. She began her teaching career with
a few years’ service in the rural schools and in 1893 became a teacher
in the Effingham County High School, where she taught continuously for
seventeen years. She was then an instructor for two years in the State
Normal School at Emporia, Kan., after which she spent one year as a
student in the University of California. After receiving her degree from
the University of California she served as instructor in Grass Valley,
Cal., High School. This was a delightful experience in one of the most
beautiful spots on the globe, but she returned home, and on July 1,
1915, entered upon her new duties as county superintendent of public
instruction of her home county. That she will make a success of her work
is assured.
Miss Speer is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church, the
Eastern Star lodge and is a member of the County and State Teachers’
associations, and is a member of the National Educational Association.
She is a deep and capable student: a thorough and progressive educator,
who is familiar with the most advanced methods of teaching and is
destined to achieve marked success in her present important position.
JOSEPH C. GREENAWALT.
Joseph C. Greenawalt, retired lawyer, Muscotah, Kan., was born April 17,
1840, on a farm in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. He comes of old
Holland Dutch stock and the progenitors of the Greenawalt family
emigrated from Holland to America in 1665. He is a son of George and
Sarah (Conner) Greenawalt, natives of Pennsylvania. George Greenawalt
was a son of John, and his wife’s father was John Conner, a native of
England. Joseph C. was eighteen months old when his father died, leaving
a widow with six children to rear, namely: Mary Amanda, Sarah Ann and
Margaret, now deceased; Samuel C., deceased, who served as captain in a
company in the Seventy-third regiment, New York infantry, in the Union
army, and was a wanderer from choice, having gone to sea for several
years, his first service in the Union army being as a scout; Elmina C.,
deceased, and Joseph C., with whom this review is directly concerned,
and who was reared in eastern Ohio at the home of his aunt. He lived at
his aunt’s home until he attained the age of sixteen years, attended
school and learned the trade of carpenter and cabinet maker in a shop
operated by his uncle.
As a boy Joseph C. Greenawalt had been ambitious to acquire an education
and was not content with the idea of spending his days at the
carpenter’s bench. Accordingly, at the age of sixteen, we find that he
started out to make his own way in the world and to educate himself by
partly working his way through college. He entered Mt. Union College, at
Alliance, Ohio, and was one of the first students enrolled in this
college when it was advanced from a seminary to a regular college. He
worked during the summer seasons and was thus enabled to pay his way
through the college course. When he was eighteen years of age, he also
taught one term of school. He studied languages for one year in the
Hayesville Institute at Ashland, Ohio. After studying for three years at
Mt. Union, he matriculated at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor,
Mich., entering the junior class of this university in 1860. In 1862 he
received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, but did
not acquire his master’s degree until five years later, in 1867. In May
of 1862 Mr. Greenawalt enlisted in Company I, Eighty-sixth regiment,
Ohio infantry, and served for four months, when he was commissioned a
lieutenant of the Ohio Sharpshooters, but resigned his commission and
took charge of the Canton, Ohio, Union School for the ensuing six
months. He then served as deputy clerk of the circuit court, studied law
in the meantime and was admitted to the bar at Ravenna, Ohio. In the
spring of 1864 Mr. Greenawalt went to Colorado and engaged in mining
engineering in the mountains, forty miles west of Denver. After a stay
in the West he settled in Platte City, Mo., and practiced law there
until 1871, and after a trip to the Pacific coast, he located
permanently in the city of Atchison in August of 1871. He practiced law
successfully for twenty-five years in Atchison, and held the office of
city attorney in 1875.
Mr. Greenawalt has always been a great lover of horses, and more to
gratify his love of horse flesh than anything else he established in
1882, the famous Greenview Stock Farm, near Atchison, now owned by B. P.
Waggener. He erected the residence and several of the buildings now on
the farm and engaged in the breeding of fast trotting horses. For some
years he made his home on the farm and practiced his profession in the
city, going to and fro from his law office and giving the farm work his
personal supervision. The Greenview Stock Farm became famous for the
many fast horses bred there, one of the most noted of which was Samuel
G., record 2:29, and who made a trial record of 2:18¼ when a four-year-
old. He made a practice of breeding two-year-olds for speed and
succeeded, shipping horses to buyers in eastern and southern points
where racers were desired for the tracks. In 1900 Mr. Greenawalt removed
to Muscotah and continued his horse breeding until 1912, when he
practically retired from the pursuit of his favorite hobby. He is the
owner of a fine farm of 160 acres adjoining Muscotah on the east.
Mr. Greenawalt has been twice married, his first wife being Sophia E.
Bowers, of Cleveland, Ohio, and who died May 26, 1870, at the age of
twenty-seven years, leaving an infant daughter, Maude Mary, born
February 11, 1870, and died August 2, 1870. He married Mary C. Bowers,
of Stark county, Ohio, in September of 1882. This marriage was blessed
with one son, Samuel O., born November 6, 1885, and died March 1, 1902.
Mrs. Greenawalt was born December 15, 1845, in Stark county, Ohio, a
daughter of Elijah and Mary Bowers, natives of Pennsylvania. In
politics, Mr. Greenawalt is an independent. Mrs. Greenawalt is a member
of the Congregational church of Muscotah. For many years Mr. Greenawalt
has been a Mason and served as eminent commander of Washington
Commandery, No. 1, at Atchison for two years, and also served as
worshipful master of Active lodge of Masons, and is a member of the
Knights of Pythias.
HENRY NIEMANN.
Wherever members of the German race have settled in the agricultural
sections of the Middle West, we find that they have been uniformly
successful, and it is only natural to find that certain individuals
achieve greater success than others. Henry Niemann, of Center township,
Atchison county, is an American citizen of German birth, who came to
this country a poor emigrant lad, and has made a wonderful success since
he purchased his first eighty acre tract in this county, nearly forty
years ago. He is now one of the largest landed proprietors of the
county, and one of the best known stockmen of northeast Kansas.
Henry Niemann was born February 14, 1853, in Minden, Germany, a son of
Christian and Mary (Krouse) Niemann, who lived and died in the
Fatherland. They were the parents of seven children as follows: Crist,
deceased; Henry, whom this review directly concerns; Fred, a farmer of
Center township; Mrs. Christena Krouse, deceased; Charles, a farmer of
Atchison county; William, living in Germany, and Augustav, deceased.
Henry was educated in the schools of his native land and at the age of
eighteen years left the Fatherland and immigrated to America in search
of his fortune, which he was eventually to find in Kansas. He first
settled in Madison county, Illinois, and worked there as a farm hand for
five years. He saved his money carefully while working on the farms of
Illinois, and in 1876 came to Kansas and invested in a tract of eighty
acres of land in Center township. He erected a small two-room cabin on
his land and a barn to house his team of horses. He broke his land
gradually and at first was able to farm only a small portion of it. The
neighbors tried to discourage him by telling him that the strong winds
might wreck his home at any time and advised him to find a better and
safer location. He failed to find a place which suited him as well as
his first choice, and although he has lived for forty years on the farm
his buildings have never yet been blown away by the Kansas zephyrs. Mr.
Niemann has prospered as he deserved and by the exercise of economy,
hard work and good financial judgment, has become the owner of 615 acres
of land in several farms, all of which are well improved and highly
productive. Mr. Niemann is an extensive feeder of hogs and raises large
numbers annually for the market. He believes in feeding the grain
products of his farm to live stock on the place and thus reaps greater
benefits than the ordinary methods of farming would yield. He is a
stockholder in a prosperous mercantile concern at Nortonville, Kan.
Mr. Niemann was married in 1897 to Louise Frommer, and to this marriage
have been born ten children, namely: Mrs. Mary Dietrich, a widow, who
lives with her parents; Rosa, widow of George Moeck, also living with
her parents; Christena, deceased; Dena, deceased; William, a farmer
living in Center township; Mrs. Dora Dietrich, deceased; Harry, Henry
and Julius, living at home, and Mrs. Lillie Poos, Nortonville, Kan. The
mother of these children was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1858, a
daughter of John and Kathrine (Markley) Frommer, natives of Germany, who
were early settlers of Atchison county.
Mr. Niemann is an independent Republican voter, who refuses to wear the
collar of any one set of political bosses, and votes as his judgment
indicates. He and his family are members of the German Lutheran church.
Henry Niemann is a fine type of successful German-American farmer and is
a tiller of the soil first and last; he lays claim to no ambition beyond
tilling his broad acres and making his land yield the maximum of
sustenance for man and beast; his great success lays in the fact that he
has confined his energies to the soil and its cultivation and he has
managed to get a good slice of the best land obtainable.
FRED W. KAUFMAN.
Fred W. Kaufman, merchant, Cummings, Kan., was born in Nortonville,
Kan., February 18, 1879. He is a son of Frank and Louise (Baker)
Kaufman, who were the parents of thirteen children. Frank Kaufman was
born in Servia, Germany, in 1833. When a youth, in his native land he
learned the shoemaker’s trade which he followed there until eighteen
years of age, and he then emigrated from Germany to America in 1851. He
came to Atchison, Kan., and worked as a cobbler. When the town of
Pardee, Kan., was founded, Mr. Kaufman opened a shoe shop in that town
and conducted it for about four years, after which he located in
Nortonville and worked at his trade until his demise in 1911. The
children of Frank and Louise Kaufman were as follows: Charles, deceased,
merchant of Nortonville, born 1866, died 1908; Edward, a merchant,
Nortonville; Fred, a merchant of Cummings, Kan., the subject of this
review; Mrs. Anna Coon, of Rock Creek, Kan.; Mrs. Flora Hilderbrand,
Independence, Kan.; Walter, a farmer, living near Cleveland, Okla.;
Grace, residing at Nortonville. The mother of these children was born
near the city of Atchison, and is now living in Nortonville.
Fred Kaufman was reared in Nortonville and attended the public schools
of his native city after which he studied in the Atchison Business
College. At the age of fifteen years he was employed as clerk in a
general merchandise store in his home city. In 1900 he went to St.
Joseph, Mo., where he was employed in the wholesale department of the
Wheeler & Motter Mercantile Company for a period of nine years, and
served in the capacity of mail order clerk in this establishment. He was
then given a traveling position as salesman with his firm and for three
years sold goods in the surrounding territory with considerable success.
His ambitions led him to undertake things in his own behalf, however,
and in 1912 Mr. Kaufman located in Colorado, where he was engaged in
ranching for three years. Three years’ hard work enabled him to develop
his Colorado farm into a good piece of salable property and he then
disposed of his holdings and came to Cummings where he invested his cash
capital in a general merchandise store which he is conducting with
considerable success. His previous commercial experience has proven to
be invaluable to him since entering the mercantile field in his own
behalf, and he has developed a splendid business in Cummings. Besides
his large store in Cummings, Mr. Kaufman has invested in 210 acres of
land in Colorado and Oklahoma.
Mr. Kaufman was married September 6, 1905, to Carrie E. Hackney, and
this marriage has been blessed with two children: Fred, Jr., and Maxine
C., both of whom are at home with their parents. Mrs. Kaufman was born
October 27, 1884, at Agency, Buchanan county, Missouri, and is a
daughter of Alfred and Pauline (Slover) Hackney, natives of Wisconsin
and Missouri, respectively. Alfred Hackney was a son of Thomas and Mary
(Saxton) Hackney, the former a native of England. Thomas was an early
pioneer settler in Doniphan county, Kansas, coming there about 1852, and
also operated a drug store at Wathena, Doniphan county. Mrs. Thomas
Hackney is still living at the age of eighty-eight years, born August,
1827. Alfred is now living in retirement at St. Joseph, Mo., and has
attained the age of sixty-five years. Mrs. Kaufman’s mother died in
1904, at the age of forty years.
Mr. Kaufman is a Republican in politics and is affiliated with the
United Commercial Travelers’ lodge at Hastings, Neb. He and Mrs. Kaufman
attend religious worship at the Baptist church, of which Mrs. Kaufman is
a member. Mr. Kaufman is a splendid type of self-made man whose success
in the mercantile field is certain to continue in the years to come. His
business methods are such as to commend him favorably to the many
patrons of his store; he is likewise a good citizen who has the best
interest of his town and county at heart.
ARNOLD LANGE.
Lancaster township, Atchison county, is rightly considered as one of the
genuine garden spots of the State of Kansas, because of the fertility of
the soil, the well kept appearance of the fields, and the excellent
improvements on the farms, the owners of which seem to vie with each
other as to who can have the nicest looking and most productive farm.
This township has a large German population, or rather, American citizen
farmers, of German birth or descent, and it is a proverb in this land
that, wherever you see a community of thrifty farmers of German descent,
there you will find enterprise, thrift and progress. Arnold Lange, of
this township, is a successful farmer and breeder, of German birth who
has made good in his adopted country and holds a high place in the
citizenship of the county.
Arnold Lange was born in Westphalia, Prussia, German Empire, December
23, 1853, and is a son of Herman and Charlotte (Mittendorf) Lange, who
were born and reared in the Fatherland. Herman Lange was a farmer and
coal dealer, and also conducted a grocery store for a time. He was born
in 1824, lived all of his life in his native land and died in 1907. His
wife, Charlotte, died in 1899, at the age of seventy-six years. They
were the parents of twelve children, six of whom are living.
Arnold Lange received his schooling in Germany and worked as farmer and
teamster until his emigration from Germany to America in 1882. He
settled in Atchison county and invested his capital in eighty acres of
land north of Huron, which he cultivated for nine years with fair
success. He then sold the farm at an increase over the purchase price
and bought the farm which now constitutes his home place and which
contains 240 acres of good land. The improvements on the land when Mr.
Lange purchased the tract were indifferent and included a small house.
Naturally one of his thrift and pride could not remain long content with
poor accommodations and he has built a commodious farm residence and a
very fine barn and improved the looks of his place with shrubbery and
trees until it presents a handsome appearance. He has also set out an
orchard of six acres. Mr. Lange has specialized in his live stock
raising with considerable success and his efforts in breeding
thoroughbred Percheron horses have met with reward commensurate with his
efforts. He has bred and raised some very fine animals of this class and
in 1906 was awarded first prize on Percheron draft animals at the county
fair held in Effingham. His interest is given to breeding fine cattle
and his herd of shorthorns are as good as can be found in the county.
Mr. Lange was married in 1883 to Miss Minnie Kloepper, who has borne him
three children: Herman, of Huron, Kan.; William, a farmer, of
Grasshopper township, and Arnold, a graduate of the Huron schools and at
home assisting his father in the farm work. The mother of these children
was born December 14, 1865, in Illinois, and is a daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Christian Kloepper deceased. Mr. Lange is a Democrat, and is a
member of the German Lutheran church. He is fraternally connected with
the Modern Woodmen lodge.
WILLIAM H. GRANER.
“_The Graner Farm._”
According to competent authority there are in Atchison county a number
of pure bred live stock breeders, who, if they received the recognition
to which they are rightly entitled, would take high rank among the
leading live stock men of the country. Among these specialists are
William H. and Henry C. Graner, sons of one of the pioneer pure bred
live stock breeders of the county who are following in their father’s
footsteps and have made a name and fame for themselves which extend far
beyond the borders of this county and beyond the borders of the State of
Kansas. William H. Graner, proprietor of the “Graner Farm,” which is the
old homestead of the Graner family, is one of the most successful
agriculturists of the county and is deserving of special credit for his
progressiveness and decided ability as a breeder of fine live stock. The
“Graner Farm” is one of the best stocked and best equipped ranches in
the West and is noted for its fine Shorthorn cattle and standard bred
Percheron horses. Mr. Graner learned the breeding business from his
father and has made a success of the undertaking. His farm consists of
160 acres, which was formerly owned and developed by his father,
Gottlieb Graner. On this farm are some very fine animals of the pure
bred Shorthorn type which will compare most favorably in breeding and
appearance with anything of the kind in the country. His herd of
Percherons include twenty registered mares which have won many prizes at
county fairs and live stock exhibits in Kansas. Mr. Graner has owned and
used two grandsons of “Brilliant,” the sons of “Old Brilliant,” and sire
of these animals, the “Colored Gentleman,” was awarded first and
championship over all draft horses at the world’s exhibit of live stock
at the Chicago international exhibition in 1893. All of his mares’
ancestry is traced back to “Old Brilliant” and this strain predominates
in his drove of fine Percherons.
[Illustration:
_Gottlieb Graner_
]
[Illustration:
_Mrs. Martha (Hauck) Graner_
]
[Illustration:
The Old Graner Homestead, W. H. Graner, Owner.
]
[Illustration:
_W. H. Graner._
]
[Illustration:
_H. C. Graner._
]
[Illustration:
Crowd of prosperous Kansas farmers at H. C. Graner’s Annual Sale of
Large Type Poland China Sows, May 27, 1913. Pleasant Hill Stock
Farm, Lancaster, Kansas.
]
In the breeding of Shorthorn cattle he has used such sires as a son of
the imported cow, “Ballechin,” “Charming Maid,” V67–616, “Sire
Ceremonious Archer,” 171479. A number of the cows in Mr. Graner’s herd
are sired by “Victor Archer,” 223102, a pure Victoria, and one of the
finest strains of Shorthorn cattle known. Mr. Graner has not shown any
of his fine stock cattle outside of Atchison county. He has six large
cattle barns for the housing of his live stock and ships the product of
his farm to buyers and fanciers in all parts of the United States.
Gottlieb Graner, founder of the “Graner Farm,” and father of William H.
and Henry C. Graner, of Lancaster township, was born in Germany in 1835,
and immigrated from the Fatherland to America at the age of sixteen
years. He first settled in Illinois where he worked as a farm hand, and
a few years later came west to Kansas City, Mo. In this city he invested
his savings in a city lot which is now in the heart of the most valuable
business district of the southwest metropolis, but he eventually let the
lot go for taxes. From Kansas City he made his way to the city of
Atchison where he found employment in a brewery at a salary of $100 per
month. He saved his money and in 1868 purchased 160 acres of raw prairie
land in Lancaster township, for which he paid five dollars an acre. He
became a breeder of Shorthorn cattle and Percheron horses and succeeded
in this undertaking, being one of the pioneer breeders of the western
country. At the time of his demise, in 1894, he was the owner of 560
acres of well improved farm lands.
Gottlieb Graner married Martha Hauck, also a native of Germany, and who
died in 1905. To this well and favorably known pioneer couple were born
the following children: Mrs. Matilda Stansburger, a widow, residing in
California; William H., with whose career this review is directly
concerned; Henry C., a farmer and stockman, living near William H.;
Ferdinand, living in New York, and Adolph, residing in California. Mr.
and Mrs. Gottlieb Graner were Lutherans, and honest, industrious, God-
fearing people.
William H. Graner was born June 13, 1869, on the farm which he now owns
in Lancaster township. He was reared on his father’s farm and attended
the Bell district school and also studied in the Monroe Institute at
Atchison, after which he pursued a course in the Atchison business
college. His commercial course occupied a period of four years and has
proven to be invaluable to him in the management of his extensive
farming interests. After completing his commercial course Mr. Graner
went to work on the home farm with his father. After his father’s demise
in 1894 he took charge of the farm and managed it until all the children
became of age. The estate left by his father was then divided, and
William bought the interests of the other heirs in the home farm and
came into possession of the homestead place of 160 acres which he has
improved with several barns and modern farm buildings. He has prospered
and is now the owner of 560 acres of land, two farms, each of which is
well equipped with good buildings. One of these farms is tilled by a
tenant, and Mr. Graner had planted in 1915 140 acres of corn.
Mr. Graner was married in 1898 to Miss Clara Matthias, and to this union
have been born four children, namely: Martha, deceased; Louis,
Marguerite and Esther, at home with their parents. Mrs. Graner was born
February 6, 1871, in Lancaster township, a daughter of Fred and Agnes
(Bodendoerfer) Matthias, both of whom were natives of Germany and
immigrated from the Fatherland to America and became early pioneer
settlers in Atchison county. Mrs. Graner attended the Rock district
school in her youth and is an excellent helpmeet to her husband and a
kind mother to her children.
Mr. Graner is an independent in politics and prefers to vote for the
man, regardless of party affiliations. He is a member of the Lutheran
church, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Modern Woodmen of America.
He is a well educated and versatile citizen and a capable and successful
business man, as well as farmer and breeder. He has achieved a
considerable measure of prominence in the county and State because of
his decided ability. Besides his farming interests he is a stockholder
of the Independent Harvester Company of Plano, Ill., of which concern he
is the county agent, a large warehouse having keen erected on the
“Graner Farm” for the purpose of housing the implement stock sold to
farmers in the neighborhood. Mr. Graner is a member and stockholder of
the Percheron Society of America, the Importers and Breeders, and the
American Percheron Registry Association, and is a member of the American
Shorthorn Breeders’ Association. He is a director in the Brown County
Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of which prosperous concern he has been a
director for fifteen years.
HENRY C. GRANER.
“_Pleasant Hill Stock Farm._”
Situated on a hillside within sight of the old Graner homestead in
Lancaster township, Atchison county, is the “Pleasant Hill Stock Farm,”
owned and managed by Henry C. Graner, one of the most successful and
best known farmers and breeders of northeast Kansas. Mr. Graner is a son
of Gottlieb Graner, a pioneer in the pure bred live stock industry of
Atchison county, whose biography appears in the review of the life of
William H. Graner on the preceding pages of this history of their home
county. The “Pleasant Hill Stock Farm” is unquestionably one of the best
equipped modern breeding plants in the State of Kansas and is famed over
the West for the product of its fields and barns. This farm consists of
240 acres of well tilled and well improved land, situated two miles
north of the town of Lancaster and only a quarter of a mile from the
birthplace of Henry C. Graner. In addition to his home place, Mr. Graner
is the owner of 160 acres of land which he uses for pasturing his live
stock. The home farm is well equipped with two farm dwellings and five
well built barns and granaries with other conveniences to facilitate the
handling of live stock. The owner has given special attention to
equipping his farm for the breeding of fine cattle and hogs. He pays a
great deal of attention to his Poland China hogs and is a breeder of the
Big Type Poland China swine, which are among the best in the United
States. Mr. Graner ships the product of his breeding pens to all parts
of the country and has annual sales of thoroughbred hogs which are a
feature of the countryside. To show the prices obtained from his sales
in 1914, one small sow sold for $500. He handles the Big Type Poland
China breed exclusively and is a regular exhibitor at county fairs and
has frequently taken first prizes and many blue ribbons. His drove of
fine hogs exceeded 300 in 1915, all pure bred stock.
Mr. Graner’s herd of Shorthorn cattle is of the Scotch pure bred strain
and bred to “Choice Goods,” a famous strain known the world over for
quality. He has also shown his fine cattle at the county fairs and live
stock exhibits and carried off many first prizes. His herd of pure bred
Shorthorns numbers fifty head at the present time, all registered stock.
In addition to being a breeder of hogs and cattle Mr. Graner breeds
standard Percheron horses of the imported strain sired by “Brilliant,”
of which he has usually from twenty-five to thirty head of fine stock on
the place.
Henry C. Graner was born April 19, 1871, on the old Graner homestead in
Lancaster township, on which he was reared to young manhood. When a
small boy he attended school in the village of Lancaster, and after the
school house was erected in the neighborhood he went to the district
school. He was one of the first students to enter Midland College in
Atchison and there completed his education. He remained on the home farm
until 1901 and then bought the farm which he now owns, first consisting
of 160 acres, to which lie afterwards added an eighty. He later invested
in another quarter section which he uses for pasture.
He was married June 6, 1901, to Miss Mary K. Meck, who has borne him
five children, as follows: Lillian, born October 11, 1902; Matilda, born
April 21, 1904; Louise, born June 1, 1907; Henrietta, born March 11,
1910; and Frederick, born April 8, 1913. The mother of these children
was born in Center township August 31, 1874, a daughter of Fred Meck,
now living on a farm in Center township, Atchison county. Mrs. Graner is
a capable woman, a devoted wife and mother, and the Graner home is a
very happy one at all times.
Mr. Graner is a Democrat in politics, but has little time to devote to
the political game other than to vote for his favorite candidates at
election time. He and Mrs. Graner are members of the Lancaster
Presbyterian church, of which institution Mr. Graner is a trustee. He is
affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is also a
member of the Standard Bred Poland China Record Association, and the
Percheron Society of America. Mr. Graner’s success has been mainly due
to hard work, close application to his affairs and keen financial
judgment.