Genealogical and Biographical Record of North-Eastern Kansas
The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1900

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COLONEL PETER T ABELL

As the founder of the city of Atchison, and the most faithful promoter of her interests, Colonel Abell will always be a conspicuous figure in the history of Kansas. He was born in Bardstown, Kentucky, July 29, 1813. His father died when he was an infant, leaving him to the care of his mother, who was a woman of fine character and vigorous intellect. He was early placed under the tutelage of Rev. Father Robert Abell, long and favorably known as a pioneer of the Catholic faith in Kentucky, and who at a ripe old age survives his former pupil.

When only twenty years old young Abell went to Missouri and engaged in merchandizing in the old town of Keytesville, Chariton county. His capital was limited, but he was industrious and full of energy and soon built up a good trade, which afforded him a comfortable income. In 1835 he was married to Miss E. M. Cabell, who, with six children, is still living and makes her home in Atchison.

In 1836 Colonel Abell united with the Methodist church South, and during the remainder of his life was a consistent and active member of that organization. About that time he began the study of law, and after a careful course of reading was admitted to the bar. He soon won distinction in the profession, and for many years ranked among the leading attorneys of Missouri, being employed on some of the most important cases ever tried in the courts of that state.

Colonel Abell was one of the party that selected the site of Atchison, in 1854, and shortly afterward removed to the little village, which has since grown into a beautiful and prosperous city. From the first he was at the head of all efforts for the promotion of the interests of the town, and his steadfast devotion to those movements was recognized by its inhabitants. He was a man of strong convictions, and his judgment was remarkably correct. His resources in the prosecution of any object he had in view were as fruitful as his energy was intense, and his efforts therefore were rarely unsuccessful. He won the hearty respect of all classes of the people, because they knew that his devotion to the city and his intelligent comprehension of the best means of promoting its development were alike to be depended on under all circumstances. His sincerity and honesty were never doubted, and the people trusted him as they did few other men, for their confidence was never abused. At home or abroad he was always at work for Atchison, and the services that he rendered were as valuable as they were constant. His fidelity to the town was something that neither position, money, nor anything else could affect. He would not even accept a lucrative position in the employment of Mr. Joy without stipulating that if ever the interest of that gentleman and Atchison conflicted he was to he counted for Atchison.

Colonel Abell was a strong and convincing speaker and a very pleasant converser. His fund of information was large and varied, and while his education was far from being a thorough one, his studious habits, close observation and clear, comprehensive mind made up for all deficiencies in his early instruction. He was a thoroughly western man in all his sympathies, and took a pride in assisting in the growth and development of this favored section of the Union.

Colonel Abell was the president of the original town company and of the first railroad company that extended a line to Atchison, and was also the president of several other large and important organizations. He died January 16, 1874, while still in the height of his usefulness, and was sincerely mourned by the community for whom he had done so much.

CHARLES M ALBERS

Charles M. Albers is one of the progressive and prominent young farmers of Wolf River township, Doniphan county, his home being near Bendena. He was born near Brenner station on the 9th of October, 1863, and is a son of John Albers, whose birth occurred in Oldenburg, Germany. When a youth of fifteen the father came to the United States and spent his minority in Virginia, where the grandfather of our subject died. In the Old Dominion John Albers was united in marriage to Caroline Ladwig and five children were born of their union,. Charles M. being the eldest. The mother died in 1873 and Mr. Albers afterward married Rosa Holzhey, by whom he had six children.

Charles M. Albers spent his boyhood on a farm near Bendena and secured his education in the country schools of the neighborhood. At the age of twenty-two he started out in life on his own account, renting the Archer farm, which he operated with a span of mules given him by his father and the farm implements absolutely necessary in tilling the land. For three years he rented land and then purchased two hundred and forty acres on section 36, Wolf River township. This was in 1888 and through the intervening years he successfully carried on agricultural pursuits, making of his place one of the most desirable and attractive country homes in the locality. Not only does he cultivate his land, but also gives much attention to improving and beautifying the place and he has erected thereon one of the finest residences in the township. His labors are so capably directed and so earnestly prosecuted that success in gratifying measures has come to him and he is now accounted one of the leading agriculturists of the community.

Mr. Albers was married, November 28, 1888, to Elizabeth Voelker, a daughter of Charles and Christine Voelker, of Atchison. Her father was twice married and by the first union had three children and by the last six sons and daughters. Two sons and two daughters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Albers, namely: Frank C., Arthur J., Dora A. and Gertrude E. In his political views Mr. Albers is a Republican, stanch and firm in the support of the principles of the party, yet the honors and emoluments of office have no attractions for him, as he prefers to devote his energies to his business interests.

HERMAN G ALBERS

Herman Gerhard Albers was born on the 18th of March, 1868, on the old family homestead that was located where the village of Bendena now stands. The original residence occupied by the family was removed to that place from Elwood, Kansas, nearly forty years ago, a fact which classes the representative named with the pioneer settlers of the community. The subject of this review spent his boyhood and early manhood under the parental roof, and having acquired a good common-school education, near his home, supplemented his preliminary knowledge by a course of study in Midland College, at Atchison. He assisted in the work of the home farm and gave to the family the benefit of his service until the fall of 1890, when he began the cultivation of the Archer place, then owned by his father.

In October, 1894, at his father's request, he went to the West and spent the winter in Montana. His uncle, Gerhard Albers, is a wealthy ranchman living near Dillon, Montana, and it was with him that he remained during his stay in the Rockies. This was a novel and interesting experience to Mr. Albers, for his life up to that time had been spent upon the plains and the mountain scenery was entirely new to him. Travel always enlarges one's experience, increases his information and renders him better equipped for every duty of life. Accordingly Mr. Albers returned well fitted to take up the duties of farming in Doniphan county. He reached his home in February, 1895, and the following season carried on agricultural pursuits in Effingham, Atchison county, but on the 1st of March, 1896, removed to his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres, comprising the north half of the southwest quarter and the south half of the northwest quarter of section 1, township 3, range 19, in Wolf River township. Here he extended the field of his labor by engaging in the cattle business, and both as a farmer and stock-raiser is meeting with prosperity.

On the 25th of November, 1896, Mr. Albers was united in marriage to Lulu, a daughter of Joseph Howard, who came to Doniphan county in 1880. She was born October 16, 1874, and with her brother Roy constitutes her father's family. Mr. and Mrs. Albers are well known in the community where they reside and have many warm friends. He is a Republican in politics and exercises the right of franchise in support of the men and measures that he believes will prove beneficial to the public, yet never seeks office for himself. He is a progressive and practical young farmer of Doniphan county, well worthy of mention among the leading citizens of his community.

WALLACE C ALEXANDER

The phenomenal development of Kansas in all lines of industry brought within its borders a class of shrewd and substantial business men who have well upheld its honor and advanced its material interests. Of this class the gentleman whose name is above is a prominent and favorably known representative. Wallace C. Alexander, of Everest, Washington township, Brown county, Kansas, has been more or less intimately identified with the counties of Atchison and Brown for the past twenty-nine years. For a dozen years or more he has been connected with the lumber trade of Brown and Doniphan counties and he has thus been brought into personal contact with the leaders in business and politics and public men generally.

Born at Waukesha, Wisconsin, August 30, 1851, Wallace C. Alexander secured the public-school training there and remained at his parental home until he was nineteen years old. He attended Carroll College two years, and upon leaving school came to Kansas. He stopped a short time at Topeka and Washington and finally located at Muscotah, and at all the places named he worked at the carpenter's trade. He later found employment in the express business as a messenger for the Adams Express Company in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico, and later was agent for the Pacific Express Company in Texas. Retiring from the express service he went to Scandia, Kansas, and entered the lumber trade as an employee of Howell Brothers and was later at Blue Hill, Nebraska, in the same business for Howell Brothers. From Blue Hill Mr. Alexander went to Everest, Kansas, reaching that place July 21, 1886. In 1888 he acquired an interest in the lumber yard at Everest with Mr. Noll, the firm of Alexander & Noll doing business until 1891, when Mr. Alexander became the sole proprietor. He has established branch yards at Leonardville and Purcell and his commercial influence extends over a large section of the "garden spot" of Kansas.

Mr. Alexander is a son of Charles Alexander, who was born in Ramburg, Wiltshire, England, November 4, 1824, and came to Waukesha, Wisconsin, in 1845. He came to the United States fully equipped to make a living as a saddler of the old school. He married Mary A. Harrison, whose father, Abram Harrison, came to the United States from Liverpool, England. Charles Alexander died in 1865. His children were Priscilla, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the wife of F. C. Maynard; Wallace C.; Melissa, who married Martin Winsor and is dead; Chalnissa, widow of Benjamin Bonnell, who resides in Frankfort, Kansas; Irene, Mrs. W. C. Allison, of Muscotah, Kansas; Luella, the wife of Orlo Olden, of Muscotah; Julia, who married the late Rev. L. N. Rogers and lives in Muscotah. The widow of Charles Alexander married H. B. Dana and is a second time a widow. A son, Giles C. Dana, of Frisco, New Mexico, was born of this union. Mrs. Dana lives at Muscotah, Kansas.

Wallace C. Alexander was married, in Everest, in 1888, to Mrs. Ellen L. Way. Mrs. Alexander's father was a Mr. Dewey, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whose ancestors were from Massachusetts. They are of the same stock and possess the same ancestral history as the family recently made famous by the achievements of the great admiral. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander are the parents of a son, George W. Alexander, born in 1890.

Since identifying himself with Everest Mr. Alexander has rendered himself one of its useful men. His whole make-up forbids his following in the wake of any movement of progress and he fights in the lead either for or against. He is a man of marked intelligence, good judgment and farsightedness and this combination has for a basis the strictest honesty. He has served five terms on the township board as treasurer, and though a partisan Republican in politics he is for the best interests of his town and his township, regardless of political consequences. He is a Christian gentleman, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and one of its strongest supporters and maintainers. His work as the superintendent of the Sabbath school is well known and is not less enthusiastic than his church work.
 

GEORGE W ALLAMAN, M D

Specialization is becoming very frequent in professional life. Gaining thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles of science, a man often devotes his efforts thereafter to attaining perfection along a certain line, and thus gains remarkable power in that department of the profession to which he gives his energies. Such has been the case with Dr. Allaman, who is president of the Dr. Allaman Hospital Company in Atchison, Kansas. He has few peers in the treatment of cancerous diseases in the entire country and his well earned fame has spread abroad throughout many sections of the Union, so that his patients come from far and near to benefit by his superior knowledge along this line.

The Doctor is a native of Iowa, his birth having occurred in the city of Cedar Rapids on the 21st of December, 1862, his parents being Rev. J. T. and A. B. (Bedell) Allaman. He spent his youth in Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri, pursuing his literary education in the schools of Toledo, Iowa, and Avalon, Missouri. Determined to make the practice of medicine his life work, he entered upon a course of study under the direction of Dr. Giger, of St. Joseph, Missouri, and subsequently entered Ensworth Medical College, of St. Joseph, Missouri, in which institution he was graduated in 1892. In order to further perfect himself in his chosen calling he took a post-graduate course in the New York Medical College, where he was graduated in 1892. He entered upon the practice of medicine in Carroll county, Missouri, and in 1895 came to Atchison, where he has since engaged in practice, making a specialty of the treatment of cancers. His patronage is very extensive, many of his patients coming from long distances to secure the benefit of his skill. He established the Dr. Allaman Hospital Company, of which he is now president, and has made the institution one of the leading enterprises of the kind in this section of the country. The Doctor has performed some very wonderful cures, and his remarkable skill has gained not only the gratitude of his patients, but the high commendation of his professional brethren.

In 1884 was celebrated the marriage of Dr. Allaman and Miss Ida McGill, a native of Missouri, and they have many warm friends in the community where they reside and enjoy the hospitality of the best homes in Atchison. The Doctor is a member of the State Medical Society of Missouri and also of the Grand River Medical Society. His knowledge of the science of medicine is very comprehensive and thorough, and he keeps abreast of the discoveries and theories which indicate the marked progress that is being made by the profession. A man of broad human sympathy, his genial manner and kindly disposition form an important element in his success when added to his thorough understanding of the department of medical practice which he makes his specialty.

Dr. Allaman is past deputy grand master of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and holds membership in Friendship Lodge, No. 5, of Atchison, and is a member of the grand lodge of the state of Kansas. He is also an active member of Golden Cross, No. 7, Knights of Pythias, and of several other fraternal societies. In politics the Doctor is an active worker in the Democratic party and has borne prominent parts in county, district and state conventions and campaigns.

ROLLIN T ANDREWS

Senator Rollin T. Andrews, of Pardee, Atchison county, Kansas, has achieved an enviable record during his brief legislative career. He did not seek the position; it was a clear case of the place seeking the man, and he has in every way proven himself the man for the place. In the legitimate sense of the term he is a self-made man. The statement that a man is self-made does not necessarily imply that he began his active career in life without education or social prestige. That was no doubt true of many men some generations ago, but conditions have changed, and the man of education who succeeds today has to win out against the competition of other men not less efficiently equipped for the fight.

Rollin T. Andrews was born near Wyanet, Bureau county, Illinois, March 11, 1860, a son of Thomas W. and Emeline (Smith) Andrews. His father, Thomas W. Andrews, a native of Mount Gilead, Ohio, was a student at Horace Mann's college in northern Ohio. Later he was a printer, but in course of time studied law and was admitted to the bar. He was in the volunteer service of the United States army during the war of the Rebellion, and died from disease contracted while in the discharge of his duties as a soldier, in May, 1866, at the age of twenty-six. His untimely removal terminated a life full of brilliant possibilities.

Thomas W. Andrews' father came directly to Ohio from Scotland, where the history of the Andrews family may be traced for many generations.

Mrs, Emeline (Smith) Andrews, widow of Thomas W. Andrews, lives in Galesburg, Illinois. Her children are Senator Rollin T. Andrews; Cornelia. wife of George W. Williams, of LeRoy, Ohio; and Arthur and Ernest Andrews, of Galesburg. Isaac Smith, whose daughter became the wife of Thomas W. Andrews and the mother of Senator Andrews, emigrated from Pennsylvania to Kane county, Illinois, in 1832, and later removed to Bureau county, that state.

Senator Andrews spent his boyhood at Abingdon, Illinois, where he gained his primary education and prepared for a collegiate course. He was for three years a student at Abingdon College, and for one year a student at Oskaloosa, Iowa. He finished his classical studies at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, which institution conferred upon him the degree of Ph. B. He taught school in Illinois three years during his college career, and for one year succeeding his graduation from Drake University he was employed in the same way in Iowa. He was married to Miss Emma Dunshee in 1886.

In 1888 Senator Andrews bought a farm in southwest Missouri, and became active and successful as a tiller of the soil. There he remained until 1891, when he went to Atchison county and assumed charge of the Dunshee homestead, near Pardee. This property had belonged to his father-in-law, Professor Norman Dunshee, one of the pioneer settlers of Kansas, who located near Pardee as early as 1858 and became conspicuous in Atchison cotinty.

Professor Dunshee was a native of the state of Ohio. He was educated at Western Reserve College, and was an associate teacher in Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio, with ex-President James A. Garfield, and left that institution to remove to Kansas, where he was a farmer until 1871, when he accepted the chair of mathematics in Oskaloosa College. at Oskaloosa, Iowa. In 1878 he accepted a similar position with the college at Abingdon, Illinois. In 1880 he took the chair of ancient languages at Drake University, at Des Moines, Iowa, and he held that professorship in that institution at his death in 1890. He was married at Hiram, Ohio, to Miss Calesta O. Carleton, who died at the home of Senator Andrews, in February, 1899. Their two children are Josie, wife of Dr. E. C. Scott, of Maxwell, Iowa, and Mrs. Senator Andrews, of Pardee, Atchison county, Kansas. Mrs. Andrews is a graduate of Oskaboosa College, Iowa, and for five years taught languages at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa.

Senator Andrews has not been by training a politician, and it may be truly said that, in the ordinary sense of the term, he is not a politician at all. He was recognized as a man of broad views and much patriotism, who would make a model representative of the people, and was urged to become a candidate for his present high office by prominent men of his party. A vacancy had occurred, occasioned by the death of Senator Walleck, of the second district, comprising the counties of Atchison and Jackson, and Mr. Andrews secured the nomination as candidate to fill the vacancy. The opposing candidate was ex-Governor George W. Glick, whom he defeated at the polls by more than six hundred votes.

Senator Andrews was one of the active Republican members of the upper house during the last session of the Kansas legislature. He was placed on the committees on fees and salaries, education, cities of the first class and military affairs, and was made chairman of the committee on revision of the journal. He was the author of many measures of local importance, notable of which were the act known as the bridge bills, which facilitated the collection of taxes from toll-bridge companies, and the act prohibiting a mayor or councilman from acting as attorney in cases adverse to the interests of the city they serve in their official capacities.

The family of Senator Andrews consists of himself, his wife and four adopted children, Julia, Marvel, Andrew and Arthur, whom they are rearing and educating with all the care and attention to detail that they would have bestowed on their own children, had their union been blessed with any. Senator Andrews is a whole-souled man, who loves mankind and counts no effort too great that promises to subserve the public interests. He is active and liberal in support of all such measures in a public way, and in private life has proven himself the true and helpful friend of more than one man whose needs made the ministration of a "friend indeed" particularly timely and grateful.

The same qualities of self-reliance and self-dependence which are the leading characteristics of successful pioneers in new countries are conspicuous in the intellectual constitution of the volunteer soldier. Hence, in our Civil war, many of our best soldiers were men who were then living or had in the past lived the hardy life of pioneers. The same ability that made many of these men leaders among their fellows in the organization of townships and counties, in the establishment of justice and in the planting of good and useful business enterprises, made them leaders of men on the battlefields of the south. To the army of our country Kansas contributed many such pioneer soldiers. Some of them were not only soldiers, but sons of soldiers. One of this class who rose to distinction was Major Tavner B. Pierce, who, since the war, has been in the foremost rank of those who have struggled to make Kansas the garden spot of America and the free home of men and women with brains and heart to recognize liberty and love it.

JAMES D ARMSTRONG

James Davis Armstrong, who is widely known throughout northeastern Kansas as one of its pioneers, is a sterling representative of an honored, southern family, prominently identified with the founding and maintenance of this government. His great-grandfather. James Armstrong, was one of three brothers who came to America from the northern part of Ireland, and, during the war of the Revolution valiantly fought for the rights of his adopted country. James Armstrong, Jr., took part in two of the early Indian wars, served under General Jackson at the battle of New Orleans, and was a personal friend of General Sam Houston. The wife of James Armstrong, Jr., was a Miss Lanier, of Virginia.

Their son, Joshua Davis, was the father of James Davis Armstrong. He was a native of Kentucky, and at an early day came to Missouri. In 1849, while on his way to California, he succumbed to an attack of cholera, dying when but thirty-five years of age. He left a widow. formerly Elizabeth Cogdill, and four children. Her grandfather, William Cogdill, Sr., was kidnaped by a body of British soldiers in 1755, and was forced to fight under the leadership of General Braddock. He was wounded in the heel, but managed to escape. James Davis Armstrong was the eldest of the five children born to Joshua and Elizabeth Armstrong. A brother, George Washington, the youngest, died at the age of fifteen months, and Robert was four years old at the time of his death. Mrs. Elizabeth Nichols resides at Fort Worth, Texas, and Mrs. Mary McKinney lives at Capay, California. The mother departed this life in 1855. She is a lovable, Christian woman, a devoted member of the Disciples' church, having been baptized by the Rev. Duke Young, of Andrew county, Missouri. The father was connected with the Presbyterian church, and in his political faith was a Jackson Democrat.

The birth of James Davis Armstrong occurred in Andrew county, Missouri, September 2, 1840. He was left an orphan at an early age, but managed to obtain a good education, and under the wise guidance of his devout mother laid the foundation of a life of future usefulness. Having learned the blacksmith's trade, he worked at that calling for some time in Atchison, being in the employ of Thomas Rhea, in 1859. In company with the Rev. Pardee Butler, a noted pioneer minister of the Christian church, he made one journey to Denver, and, at other times, was associated with celebrated frontier personages. In the centennial year he went to Fort Worth, Texas, where he was engaged in business for about three years, and accumulated some of the capital which he subsequently invested in land. It was in 1881 that he purchased his present homestead in Grasshopper township -- a portion of the farm formerly having been the property of Jacob Reece. The place comprises four hundred acres of valuable land, much of it being under cultivation, while fifty-five acres are included in the exceptionally fine orchard, in which the owner takes just pride. The pleasant farm house stands upon a good site and everything about the place shows the watchful care of the business-like proprietor.

The marriage of Mr. Armstrong and Laura McCubbin took place in the Baptist church at Atchison in 1872, the ceremony being performed by the Rev. Mr. Gunn. Mrs. Armstrong was born at Buchanan, Missouri, and is the daughter of R. S. McCubbin, one of the pioneer merchants of Atchison. He was a native of Kentucky, and to himself and wife, nee Anna Reece, five children were born, namely: Laura; Robert D., whose home is near Muscotah, Kansas; Nora Florence, of California; Belle Tryon, of Sacramento, California; and Eva Cline, deceased, and formerly of this county. The father is at present living at Guthrie, Oklahoma.

The eldest child of our subject and wife, Robert Francis, born in 1876, married Ethel Benjamin (daughter of Mrs. M. Benjamin, of Effingham), and has one son, Earl James. James Albert, second son of our subject, was born in 1880. Leota Pearl, born in 1883, and now a student at the Atchison county high school, is especially proficient in music. Bessie Laurene, living at home, is now in her fifteenth year. Anna, the first-born, died at the age of two years.

Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. Thirty-five years ago he became connected with the Masonic fraternity, joining the Atchison Lodge, No. 5, F. & A. M. In politics he is an uncompromising Democrat. In public and in domestic circles, his life has been characterized by unselfish devotion to the interests of others and everybody honors and respects him.

THOMAS ARMSTRONG

Thomas Armstrong, the enterprising proprietor of the Deer Valley stock farm, in Kapioma township, Atchison county, like many other of the prominent citizens of this section of Kansas, is a native of the Emerald Isle. A son of James and Margary (daston) Armstrong, he was born July 17, 1860, and when he was two years of age the parents brought him to the United States. They located near Rockford, Illinois, and two years later came to Kansas, taking up their abode upon a farm northwest of Huron, Atchison county. There the father lied, leaving a widow and six children. Of the latter, Ellen is the wife of S. L. Niblo, of Benton township; Eliza is the wife of Amos H. Raash, of this township; and Maria is Mrs. W. W. Franklyn, of Doniphan county, Kansas. James manages the old family homestead; John died when seventeen years old. The parents were regular in their attendance at the services of the Methodist church, and were honorable in all their dealings, winning the love and respect of all who knew them.

As Thomas Armstrong was but five years of age when he came to this state, his early associations are almost entirely connected with this locality, and he takes deep interest in whatever affects its prosperity. In his boyhood he attended the old Huron school, in district No. 44, and managed to secure a practical education. He early mastered farming in its various departments, and, briefly summing up the years during which he has arduously labored to acquire a competence, it may be said that he now is numbered among the wealthy and representative agriculturists of this region. His valuable farm which takes its name from the beautiful park in which roam a small herd of deer, is situated in the southwestern part of section 27, and in the southwestern part of section 28, Kapioma township. The place comprises three hundred acres of well cultivated land, well stocked and supplied with a windmill and all modern conveniences. A number of Angora goats, valued for their soft, long, silky wool, are a special pride of Mr. Armstrong, and have great interest for the visitor. The buildings on the place are of modern design and substantial construction, and are kept in excellent repair. Everything about the home-stead is neat and attractive, showing the constant attention bestowed upon even the smallest details by the enterprising owner.

In 1893 Mr. Armstrong married Carrie Senn, daughter of the late Fredrick Senn. She is a native of Arrington, and was educated in the public schools of that town. Two daughters and a son have been born to our subject and wife, namely, Rosa, Ellen and James.

Politically, Mr. Armstrong is a Republican, as was his father before him. He is a commissioner on the roads of his district, and, being active and aggressive in the cause of progress, is frequently called upon to use his means and influence for the benefit of the public.

SAMUEL ARTHUR

Samuel Arthur, an influential citizen of Center township, Atchison county, is a native of Blair county, Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred August 22, 1826. He comes of hardy stock, several of his ancestors having been noted for longevity. His paternal grandfather, Thomas Arthur, was a native of England, but was a mere child when he came to America. Enlisting with the colonial patriots, he fought for some time with the brave little army commanded by Washington, and during his service received wounds in the shoulder and thigh. He lived to the age of one hundred and four years, passing away in his sleep, without previous illness, and was buried in Bedford county, Pennsylvania.

The father of our subject was Joseph Arthur, a native of Bucks county, Pennsylvania. There he grew to maturity, when he married Elizabeth Zimmerman, daughter of Abraham Zimmerman, of Dutch ancestry. Eight children were born to Joseph Arthur and wife, namely: Abraham, who died at Bushnell, Illinois, in 1898; Samuel; Daniel, of this township; John, of Smith county, Kansas; Mrs. Elizabeth Lawrence, of Linn county, Kansas; George, of Champaign county, Illinois; Mrs. Barbara Snapp; and Elaah, deceased. The father learned the blacksmith's trade and was employed at that calling to some extent, but farming was his chief occupation in life. Politically he was a Democrat. Both he and his wife were members of the Lutheran church. The mother died in Illinois when seventy-five years of age and the father was nearly ninety at death, his exact age being eighty-nine years, eleven months and thirteen days.

Samuel Arthur received a public-school education in his native state and before reaching his majority he had served an apprenticeship to the blacksmith's trade of some five years and has been employed also in a woolen factory. Desiring to see something of the west, then opening to civilization, he went to Illinois, and in 1858 he made the hazardous journey across the plains by ox team to Pike's Peak. In 1871 he settled on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, located in this township, only five acres of which property was improved. To the cultivation of his new farm Mr. Arthur gave his earnest attention for years, with the result that to-day his homestead, comprising two hundred and forty acres, is considered one of the best in the county. Beautiful shade trees and a fine orchard, a windmill, substantial barns and other buildings make the farm a model one in every respect. A high grade of live stock is kept, the owner deriving a good income from this source alone.

The marriage of Mr. Arthur and Sarah Hageman was celebrated in Quay, Illinois, in 1851. Mrs. Arthur was born in Holmes county, Ohio, and reared and educated in Wayne county, that state. Her parents were Adam and Barbara Hageman, the former born in 1802 and died near Monrovia, Kansas, in 1887. All of the fourteen children of our subject and wife have reached their majority and possess, in addition to that priceless boon, good health and strong constitutions, excellent education and thorough preparation for the active duties of life. They are named as follows: Elizabeth Hostler; Mrs. Amanda Hollen, of Kansas City, Missouri; William A., of Center township; Mrs. Flora Isham, of Nemaha county, Kansas; Mrs. Ida Dochow, of Decatur county, Kansas; Chester, a blacksmith, of Pardee; Daniel, of Arrington; Mrs. Belle Elliott, of Atchison; Mrs. Cyntha Fletcher and Mrs. Susie Metz, also of Atchison; Walter and Joseph E., of Pardee; and Hattie and Herbert, who are at home. Our subject has thirty-seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, of whom he is naturally very proud. Though now in his seventy-fourth year he is strong and active, possessing good health of mind and body. With the other members of his family he attends and is a member of the Methodist church. Politically he uses his franchise in behalf of the Democratic party. To his posterity he will leave the heritage of a blameless record -- of a life replete with deeds of kindness and sympathy.

JOHN J ASHCRAFT

There is very particular satisfaction in referring to the life history of the gentleman whose name initiates this review, since his mind bears the impress of the historic annals of the state of Kansas from the early pioneer days, and from the fact that he has been a loyal son of the Republic and a representative citizen of Atchison county. He was born in Hodgensville, Kentucky, in 1838, and is a son of Gediah and Barbara (Miller) Ashcraft, both of whom were natives of Kentucky, where they spent their childhood days and were married. The father was of Scotch and Irish lineage, while the mother was descended from an old German family that was early founded in North Carolina. In 1852 the parents of our subject removed from Kentucky to Missouri, and in 1856 came to Kansas, locating upon a claim in Mt. Pleasant township, Atchison county, where the father pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land, purchasing the same at a dollar and a quarter per acre when it came into market. This property he improved, continuing to reside thereon until his death, which occurred in 1872, at the age of sixty-two years, his birth having occurred in 1810. His wife died in 1894; at the age of seventy-eight years, her birth having occurred in 1816. They had a family of twelve children, four of whom are living, three sons and a daughter. These are: Abram; Mary E., wife of Benjamin B. Curtis; James W., who is living in Joplin, Missouri; and John J.

Mr. Ashcraft, of this review, acquired his education in private schools in Kentucky and Kansas. He accompanied his parents on their various removals and resided with them on the old homestead in Atchison county until June, 1862, when he crossed the plains to Idaho and was engaged in placer mining near Idaho City until the summer of 1866, when he returned and engaged in farming with his brother, Abram, until 1881, when he purchased his present farm, comprising one hundred and sixty acres of rich land in Shannon township, Atchison county. He is one of the successful cattle-dealers of his neighborhood. He raises stock on an extensive scale. His farm is well improved with all modern accessories and conveniences, and he is regarded as one of the leading agriculturists of this locality. His business methods are systematic, his dealings straightforward and honorable and his labors are prosecuted with energy and perseverance. Such qualities always insure success and have brought to him a well deserved competence. 

LIEUTENANT DAVID BAKER

One of the men who have figured conspicuously in the development of the western country is Lieutenant David Baker. He is a native of Indiana, born in Tippecanoe county July 7, 1833, near the town of Dayton. He is the son of William and Hannah Baker, the former being of English extraction.

The first of the family to make their home in America was Thomas Baker, a colonel in the English army, who resigned that position to come to the colonies, settling on Long Island, while it was yet in the possession of the Dutch. William Baker was born in New Jersey and emigrated to Ohio, settling in Butler county in 1800; he was a soldier in the war of 1812. In 1827 he moved to Indiana, being among the pioneers of Tippecanoe county. There he opened a farm in the timber and endured the hardships and privations attaching to the settlement of a new country. He was a man closely associated with religion and a class-leader in the United Brethren church, and his house for a number of years was used to hold service in. His death occurred February 19, 1844.

He was married twice. By his first wife he had six children. One son Robert (deceased), lived in Dayton, Indiana, and the other, Thomas (also deceased), was the proprietor of the Grand Hotel in Indianapolis. Mary Ann was married to Moses Graft, a prosperous farmer who had a large family. Rachel married a well-known physician -- Dr. D. H. Crouse, of Dayton, and is now deceased. Two of her children are living, one of whom is Rev. M. V. Crouse, an able clergyman of the Presbyterian church, but now superintendent of the Childrens' Home at Cincinnati. The other two children of William Baker died when young.

His second marriage was to Hannah Moore, a native of this country, but of Irish parentage. William Moore, her father, was in the war of 1812 and in General Hull's surrender, was paroled, but in a short time returned to the army and fought until the close of the war. Hannah Moore Baker was the mother of six children, three of her sons being farmers -- Abner is near Rushville, Missouri, Josiah, in Chicago, Illinois, and Samuel, in Kansas. The youngest, George W., died in infancy. Her only daughter, Martha Jane, married Dr. J. A. Wood, who for a number of years was a resident of Atchison county, Kansas, but after the war located at Monticello, Indiana, at which place she died in 1878, leaving five children. After the death of her husband Mrs. Baker married Henry Goble and removed to Clinton county, Indiana. She was a pious woman and a faithful adherent of the United Brethren church. Her death occurred in 1851, in the full triumph of her faith, her last words being "Glory! Glory !" She opened her eyes once more to behold her son, David, for whom she had seemed to be waiting for hours just at the door of death, then she sank peacefully away.

The education of David Baker and his brothers was limited, owing to the poor school facilities in Indiana at that early day. His chief amusements while pursuing the routine of the farmer boy were those of hunting and fishing. When fourteen years of age he went to Dayton to learn the carpenter's trade of his brother, Robert, serving an apprenticeship of three years. He afterward followed the trade the same length of time in Lafayette, Indiana.

On the 4th of June, 1855, he married Margaret J. Alexander, who lived only until the following year, June 20, when she left an infant daughter, Alfaretta Jane, who died a few months later. She was a religious and educated lady, fond of literature and especially of poetry.

A few months after this Mr. Baker came to Kansas, arriving in Atchison county September 19, 1857. He purchased a share in the Summertown Company and pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land near Lancaster, ten miles west of Atchison. He left Kansas December 5, in company with thirteen others, in a skiff and rowed to Jefferson City, Missouri, where they took the cars, he returning to Indiana.

On March 9, 1858, Mr. Baker was married to Rebecca Foresman, a daughter of John Foresman, who was a pioneer of Indiana. Returning to Kansas with his wife, he arrived at Sumner April 29, and there worked at his trade two years. In 1858-9 he served as a township collector and treasurer and in 1859-60 was the marshal of the town of Sumner, an unenviable position at that day owing to the border element, and in many instances he had some of the most noted outlaws to deal with. Being a free-state man he took an active part in the affairs of the time and was a delegate to the first Republican county convention. His life is replete with incidents too numerous to mention. But A. D. Richardson, the author of "Beyond the Mississippi," who was a personal friend of his, has pictured the scenes of those times to perfection.

In 1861 Mr. Baker began to open his farm, but as the war of the Rebellion was fully under way he entered the military service, being mustered in as a volunteer private soldier in Company G, Eighth Kansas Infantry, November 11, 1861, and on the 14th was ordered to Lawrence, Kansas, to drill. While there, November 21, 1861, he was promoted to the rank of first sergeant of the company. From December 20, 1861, until January 16, 1862, the regiment was guarding the border. Three companies, A, D and G, were ordered to Fort Kearney, where they arrived on March 12 and remained until April 15, when Company G was detached and sent to Scott's Bluffs on the overland route to quell the Indian troubles. On May 28 the company was ordered to Fort Laramie, where they remained on garrison duty until January 15, 1863, when they were ordered to join the regiment at Nashville, Tennessee, marching from Fort Laramie to Fort Leavenworth and going thence by rail and water to Nashville.

In that city they assisted the regiment on provost duty in the city until June 7, 1863, when all the companies were ordered to Murfreesboro, that state, where the regiment was assigned to the Third Brigade of the First Division of the Twentieth Army Corps, and on June 24 marched under General Rosecrans to Tullahoma, then to Winchester and Stephenson, Alabama, and across the river to skirmish with the enemy. While at Winchester, July 25, 1863, Mr. Baker was commissioned second lieutenant of Company G, but as it was then below the minimum number he was not mustered on his commission. On September 9 he received a commission as first lieutenant, but was again not mustered, as the army was on the move, but acted as first lieutenant in his company. September 19, 1863, he was engaged in the battle of Chickamauga, where he was severely wounded in the left leg and taken prisoner, and he lay four days on the field without any attention. His leg was amputated by a surgeon of the United States army, who also was a prisoner. After twelve days he was paroled and sent through the lines and was taken to the officers' hospital at Chattanooga, where he remained until sent to Nashville, Tennessee, November 10, 1863.

November 30, 1863, he received a leave of absence for thirty days to visit his wife and friends at Lafayette, Indiana, after which he returned and made application to be mustered in on his commission, which was granted by the war department, and he was accordingly mustered November 21, 1864, to date from September 9, 1863. He was then ordered to report to Major A. W. Gazzona, commanding the Veteran Reserve Corps at Nashville. He was detailed for duty with a detachment of the One Hundred and Forty-eighth and One Hundred and Fifty-first Companies of the Second Battalion of the Veteran Reserve Corps at General Hospital No. 19, on the 12th of January, 1865. He was relieved and ordered to report to Captain J. H. Meyer at the Cumberland hospital January 18, 1865. He assumed command of the One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Company of the Second Battalion of the Veteran Reserve Corps and in addition had command of the One Hundred and Fifty-second Company of the same battalion. May 31, 1865, he was relieved from duty at the hospital and assigned to duty as acting assistant quartermaster and acting commissary of subsistence of the Veteran Reserve Corps. June 27, 1865, he also assumed the duties of acting assistant adjutant of the corps. He served on general court-martial duty for some time and continued in his duties for the Veteran Reserve Corps until the close of the war. December 12, 1865, he left Nashville and returned to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he was mustered out January 10, 1866. He is deserving of special mention and the commendation of all true patriots for the active part he took in quelling the rebellion, and Mrs. Baker also is to he complimented as a woman who shared the hardships of camp life with her husband. With two children she accompanied him to Fort Laramie. At this place was born their third child November 24. 1862, a son whom they named Robert Laramie, in honor of his birthplace. When her husband was sent to Nashville she accompanied him as far as St. Louis and from there went to her parents in Indiana, where she remained about one year. While there Robert Laramie died, his sickness beginning on the evening of his father's return on leave of absence after being wounded, and his death occurred six weeks later, February 12, 1864. Mrs. Baker then went south with her husband and was an eye witness of the battle of Nashville and remained with Mr. Baker to the close of the war.

Her two eldest children were born in Sumner, Kansas, -- Addie L., March 12, 1859, and Solon Byrd, September 8, 1860. The others were all born in Atchison: Mary Eldora, April 4, 1867; Edwin M.. February 5, 1869; Eva Hortense, January 24, 1870; David H., January 30, 1873; Estella, July 13, 1876; Ruth, March 30, 1878; and Blanche, January 28, 1881. Addie L. was married, December 15, 1880, to William Carlyle, one of Atchison's well-known business men.

At the close of the war Lieutenant Baker returned to Kansas, locating in Atchison and entering the drug business in company with Dr. Horn, but lost his whole stock by fire in 1868. At present he is living retired.

In religion Mr. Baker is a member of the Methodist church. Politically he is a strong Republican and in 1871 was elected by that party to the office of county treasurer, and he discharges the duties of that position with great credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. He was a prominent candidate for the following term, but was defeated by a small majority. In 1874 he was also a candidate for the office of state treasurer, but finally withdrew in favor of one of his opponents. Since that time he has been leading a quiet life, the surroundings of his home and happy family indicating comfort and prosperity.
 

CAPTAIN WILLIAM F BARROWS

Captain W. F. Barrows, the superintendent of the Atchison union depot, Atchison, Kansas, has been in railroad service probably longer than any other man in the state, and has a record for promptness and fidelity of which he has just reason to be proud.

W. F. Barrows is a native of Massachusetts. He was born in Freetown. in December, 1834, a son of Davis J. and Eliza (Strobridge) Barrows, both natives of that state. His grandfather was Thomas Barrows, a member of one of the early families of New England. The Strobridges also were among the early settlers there. In his native place W. F. Barrows passed his youthful days and attended the common schools. Later he was a student in the academy at Middlebury, Massachusetts. On leaving the academy he began his railroad career as an employee of the Cape Cod Railroad, with which he remained five years, until 1852. In March of that year he came west and was employed by the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, with which he was connected until after the completion of the road. Afterward he was on the Missouri river and the Omaha, and was clerk and captain on the railroad packet line. Next he was with the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs, with which he remained until after it became a part of the Burlington system. He had his headquarters at St. Joseph, Missouri, until 1881, when he came to Atchison, Kansas, and accepted the position which he has since filled, that of superintendent of the Atchison union depot.

Mr. Barrows is a man of a family, and his sons, following in his footsteps, are engaged in railroad business. He was married in March, 1845, to Miss Josephine Andros, of Massachusetts, born and reared in the same place Mr. Barrows was, they having been schoolmates from childhood. They have two sons and a daughter, namely: Benedict A., the paymaster on the Burlington route; William F., Jr.. a district ticket agent; and Margaret L., at home.

Captain Barrows has long been identified with the Masonic order, having been made a Mason in Cape Cod.
 

JOHN H BARRY

Twenty-six years have passed since John H. Barry came to Atchison, and through the greater part of that time he has been a leading representative of the business interests and is now well known in connection with the industrial affairs of the city. Channing has said, "Labor is discovered to be the great, the grand conqueror, enlarging and building up nations more surely than the proudest battles." The truth of this is verified by the fact that where commercial activity is most manifest, there is found the greatest progress and prosperity. By the conduct of his extensive business interests, Mr. Barry has become a type of the representative American citizen who contributes to the general success, while promoting individual prosperity.

A native of Boston, Massachusetts, he was born June 24, 1849, and is a son of Michael and Eliza (Roach) Barry. He was educated in the public schools of his native city, and in Leavenworth, Kansas, whither he accompanied his parents in early youth. In 1858 he became a driver of a freighting team across the plains, being in charge of the six-mule team used in transporting goods to Colorado and the Indian Territory. Later he engaged in freighting on his own account, and continued that business for ten years, after which he entered the employ of the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad Company, serving in various capacities until 1873. In that year he came to Atchison, where he served as general station agent of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company till 1879. Through the two consecutive years he was connected with public office, being city marshal. In 1886 he established a coal and wood yard, which he has since conducted and in that line has built up a good trade. His attention, however, is chiefly devoted to the manufacture of vitrified paving brick, in which he is now doing an extensive business. He established the industry in 1894 and for some time he was president of the Atchison Vitrified Paving Brick Company. He is now president of the Barry Brick Manufacturing Company, which manufactures a very superior paving brick and has a large sale of the product in Atchison and at other points in the state. The annual output is about six million brick, and employment is furnished to from sixty to seventy-five workmen. There is also a good market for the product in Kansas City and many other western cities.

In 1873 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Barry and Miss Kate Curtan, of Leavenworth, Kansas, a daughter of John Curtan. They have four children, three sons and a daughter, namely: John H., who is secretary of the Barry Brick Manufacturing Company at Atchison; Henry, who is in his father's office; Cornelius W., a brick setter; and Mary Frances, at home. Mr. Barry is a member of the American Order of United Workmen. The cause of education finds in him a warm friend, and from 1878 until 1891 he was a member of the school board of Atchison, and did effective service in promoting the interests of the schools of the city. His life has been one of activity in industrial circles, and, as a result of his honesty and perseverance in business, he has accumulated a handsome competence.

JOHN C BATSELL, M D

No one is more genuinely deserving of credit than is the pioneer physician, and none of the inhabitants of Atchison county more thoroughly know, from actual experience, what it meant to cast in one's fortunes with this section of Kansas two-score or more years ago. In ante bellum days, when Kansas was the great bone of contention between the north and south, this northeastern county was a favorite battle ground for the contending factions, and besides many outrages were committed by border ruffians in the name of the abolitionists or by the slavery element. Dr. Batsell, whose services were in demand far and near, risked his life upon many an occasion, but "fortune favors the brave" and he passed through those stormy years unharmed. Well do the pioneers remember the innumerable kindnesses and cordial hospitality which they enjoyed under the shelter of his roof, and all agree that the annals of Atchison county could not be accurately written if his history and connection with its development should be omitted.

The paternal grandfather of the Doctor, John Batsell, was a native of Nelson county, Kentucky, though the greater part of his life was spent in Virginia. He had a daughter and four sons, one of the latter being Thomas, the father of our subject. His birthplace was in the neighborhood of the famous Culpeper Court House, Virginia. For a wife he chose Keziah Noll. a lady of German extraction, and together they resided in Marion county, Kentucky, until death separated them. The father departed this life when he was sixty years of age and the mother reached three-score and ten years. They were highly respected citizens and devout members of the Baptist church. They were the parents of ten children, namely: Eliza, Nancy, Susan, Catherine, Keziah, Matilda, Felix, James, of Grayson county, Texas, Thomas, deceased, and John Cotton.

The birth of the last mentioned took place on the old homestead in Marion county, Kentucky, March 16, 1818. As a child he had but limited educational advantages, but he was naturally studious and many a night, after the hard work of the day was completed, he spent hours by the dim candle light endeavoring to fathom the mysteries of knowledge. Talent asserting itself he left home at fifteen years of age to make his own way in the world, and at last he reached the goal of his youthful ambition, -- an opportunity to study medicine. His preceptor was Dr. John L. Fleece, of Bradfordville, Kentucky, a physician of high standing and a graduate of Lexington College, Kentucky. In 1848 he went to Valeene, Indiana, where he practiced until the fall of 1855.

In 1855 Dr. Batsell set out for the west, where he believed that he might find his medical services in requisition. For a few months he remained in DeKalb, Missouri, whence, by crossing the river, he came to Atchison county and located a claim, on which he built a log house and made other improvements. The date of his settlement in Benton township is April, 1856, and for some time afterward his house was the only one in this township on the line of the old Atchison road. Years elapsed ere good roads were instituted and his long rides throughout this region, to the distant homes of suffering and in the most inclement weather, were borne with heroic patience. Not the least of his troubles, at intervals, was the difficulty in procuring the drugs and medicines which he required in his practice. The nearest point at which these supplies could be procured was St. Joseph, Missouri -- a long distance, over rough and sometimes almost impassable trails. He had many strange and unpleasant experiences with the border ruffians and outlaws during the several years immediately preceding and including the war and reconstruction, but his sincerity and the nobleness of his vocation made even the most degraded respect him The manly dignity which he always manifested and the real interest which he felt toward every one in sickness won for him the love and admiration of the entire community.

Leaving his home, family and practice Dr. Batsell enlisted to fight for the stars and stripes during the war and served as a member of Company D, Thirteenth Regiment of Kansas Volunteers. He was sworn in as first lieutenant of his company and four months later was relieved on account of bad health and was honorably discharged on account of physical disability. He is a charter member of Effingham Post, G. A. R., and always has been an active worker in that organization. Since the founding of the Republican party he has been one of its most enthusiastic advocates and in the winter of 1863-4 he had the honor of being a delegate of this district to the "war" legislature of the state. Thus, in numerous ways, the Doctor has come before the public and few residents of this county are more generally known or honored.

In his noble pioneer work and efforts to alleviate the sufferings of humanity the Doctor found an able and loving assistant in his wife, who cheered and inspired him. It was on the 22d of October, 1840, that the marriage of our subject and Ann Hazlewood was solemnized in Campbellsville, Kentucky. Her father, Reuben Hazlewood, was of English descent and was a soldier in the war of 1812. He wedded Miss Jane Ray, a native of Virginia, and of their six children five lived to maturity, namely: Gates and Lee, both now deceased; John R., a physician at Grayson, Texas; Mrs. Jeter and Mrs. Batsell.

Dr. and Mrs. Batsell have had nine children, four of the number surviving at the present time, and besides they are the proud grandparents of seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Missouri is the wife of T. C. Bennie, of Lancaster township, Atchison county; Josephine is the wife of William Taylor, who is engaged in the cattle business in Wyoming; Cora is Mrs. John Pratley, of Wyoming; Lee is employed by the wholesale house of Tootle, Wheeler & Matter, of St. Joseph, Missouri; Thomas; Ann, the wife of A. Meider, died in Butler county, Kansas; Mrs. Kate Taylor died in Wyoming; and three children died in infancy.

Great changes have taken place here within the recollection of Dr. Batsell and as he has transformed his tract of prairie into the fertile homestead of to-day, with its one hundred and eighty acres, so others have reclaimed the country, developing it even beyond their sanguine expectations. In January, 1900, the residence on his farm burned and since then he has resided in the town of Effingham.
 

THOMAS T BAXTER

One of the well known and prominent citizens of Brown county is Thomas T. Baxter, who located in Mission township in 1871 and has since made his home in this locality. He was born July 20, 1843, near Carrollton, Carroll county, Ohio, and was one of triplets born unto John and Ellen Baxter. The three children were given the names of Thomas, Sarah J. and Catherine and all are yet living, are married and have families of their own. This is a remarkable instance, as it is seldom that triplets live to grow up. Sarah J. is now the wife of Monroe Wood, of Kansas City, and Catherine is the wife of Wesley James, of Ohio. The Baxter family was founded in New England in early colonial days. John Baxter, the father of our subject, married Miss Ella Moore, a native of Ireland, who was brought by her parents to America when three years of age and was reared and educated in Ohio. Her father was Henry Moore, who was born in the Emerald Isle, but was of Scotch-Irish descent. John and Ellen Baxter became the parents of ten children, namely: Mary, deceased wife of W. J. Moore, who was at one time a prominent citizen of Mission township, Brown county, but now resides in Texas; Andrew, who is living in Atchison county; Henry, who entered the Union service as a soldier in the civil war and died at the age of forty years; Thomas T.; Sarah and Catherine, whose history is previously given; Mrs. Maggie Hackney, of Schuyler county, Illinois; Hattie, the wife of D. Dorset, of Sumner county, Kansas; Emma, the wife of J. W. Henderson, who resides in southeastern Kansas; and Belle, the wife of Rev. H. Mayo, a Methodist minister now in Colorado. In 1854 the family left their Ohio home and removed to Schuyler county, Illinois. The country was then wild, but during their residence of nearly twenty years there many changes occurred, the work of improvement being carried steadily forward. The land was carefully cultivated and towns dotted the prairies, while all the comforts and industries of civilization were introduced. Later John Baxter came to Kansas, locating on a farm now owned by our subject, but in 1892 sold that property and removed to Grasshopper township, Atchison county, where he is now living in the enjoyment of good health, although he has reached the age of eighty-three years. In politics he is a Republican and socially he is a Mason, who zealously upholds the principles of the order. His wife died in 1897, at the age of eighty-one years. Both were members of the Methodist church and people of the highest respectability.

Thomas Baxter was only nine years of age when his parents left the Buckeye state and removed to Schuyler county, Illinois. There he attended the public schools and was trained to habits of industry and economy, which have proved important factors in his later success. In 1871 he came to Kansas, locating on a farm of eighty acres, and later he purchased land of his father, so that he is now the owner of a valuable tract of one hundred and seventy-seven acres, which is pleasantly located about two miles from Willis, five and a half miles from Everest and twelve miles from Hiawatha. The first land which he purchased was in a primitive condition, but his indefatigable labor soon wrought a great change in its appearance, for it was transformed into highly cultivated fields. He hauled his first wheat to Atchison for market, but as the country became more thickly settled he had a nearer market for his products. Among the improvements upon his place is an excellent orchard, containing one hundred and fifty bearing trees.

Mr. Baxter was married, in this county, in 1872, to Miss Mary Sharp, a daughter of Joseph Sharp, now of Oklahoma. Her death occurred in 1880. Two children were left to mourn her loss: Myrtle, who is now the wife of Lewis Wright of Brown county and Earl, a young man of eighteen, who assists his father in the cultivation of the home farm. In December, 1885, Mr. Baxter wedded Miss Mary Graham, a successful and popular school teacher of Schuyler county, Illinois, a daughter of D. P. and Martha J. (McCreery) Graham, of Schuyler county. Three children have been born of their union, --Grace J., Ralph Graham and Glenn, but the last named died in infancy.

Mr. Baxter votes with the Republican party and believes firmly in its principles and policy. His wife is a member of the Methodist church and with her family attends its services. In manners he is frank, genial and affable. His business dealings are honorable and straightforward. Earnest labor has brought to him success and he is now numbered among the substantial residents of Mission township.

WILLIAM H BELL

Upon one of the desirable farms of Atchison county, pleasantly located in Grasshopper township, about four and a half miles from Effingham, resides William H. Bell, who is accounted one of the leading and influential farmers of his community. Almost every state of the Union has furnished its representatives to Kansas, and among those who have come from Maryland is the subject of this review. He was born in Allegany county, on the 30th of October, 1845, and is a son of James and Caroline (Hickrate) Bell, the former a native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the latter of Maryland. Both parents died in Maryland, the father at the age of seventy-seven, the mother when seventy-three years of age. They had a family of eight children, namely: William H., James, Lloyd, Emily, Tom, John, George, and a daughter who died in early childhood. The parents were earnest Christian people, holding membership in the Methodist church, and in politics the father was a Whig very early in life and a Republican after the organization of that party.

William H. Bell spent his early boyhood days in the state of his nativity and pursued his education in the public schools. He also worked for a time in the coal mines, receiving good compensation for his services. Going to Champaign county, Illinois, he there learned the butcher's trade, which he followed for a number of years, but after the inauguration of the civil war he could not content himself with performing the daily duties of business life, and, although only seventeen years of age, he enlisted in Company C, Seventh Illinois Cavalry, in June, 1862. He served with that command until the close of the war and participated in the battles of Franklin, Tennessee, Nashville, Stone River and other engagements. For some time the regiment was stationed at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, whence they traveled northward to Alabama, and afterward to Mississippi, but their further progress northward was cut off by the rebels, and they were forced to go east, where they joined the Army of the Cumberland, under the command of General Thomas. Mr. Bell was several times wounded, and as a consequence was forced to remain in the hospital for some time. The exposure and hardships of the war so undermined his constitution that he has never since enjoyed perfect health. At the close of the war, in November, 1865, he was honorably discharged at Camp Butler, Illinois, and returned to his home. His military record is one of which he may well be proud. Though but a boy when he entered the service, his valor and fidelity were not less marked than that of many a time-tried veteran and his service was an honor to the blue.

In April, 1867, in Champaign county, Illinois, Mr. Bell was united in marriage to Miss Ida Denton, daughter of John and Lucia (Johnson) Denton. Her father, who was a native of Pennsylvania, died some years ago in Illinois, but her mother still resides in Champaign county, that state. In the year of their marriage Mr. Bell and his young wife removed to Seward county, Nebraska, where they remained for five years, after which they returned to the Prairie state. Since 1879 they have been residents of Kansas. At the time of their arrival in this state they located in Jackson county, but for seventeen years they have resided upon their present farm in Grasshopper township, and the labors of Mr. Bell have made it a valuable and desirable property. It comprises one hundred and sixty acres of rich land, the greater part of which is under a high state of cultivation and yields to the owner a good return for the care and labor he bestowed upon it. His methods of farming are progressive and practical, and success has therefore attended his efforts.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bell have been born six children, namely: Charles W., who is married and lives in Horton, Kansas, where he is employed in the railroad shops; Walter, a mechanic in the railroad shops at Horton; Jessie, John, Harry and Raymond. Mr. Bell exercises his right of franchise in support of the Republican party, keeps well informed on the issues of the day and gives his earnest support to the principles in which he so firmly believes. He is a member of the Effingham Post G. A. R., and is one of the youngest representatives of the Union army in this locality. He has many admirable dualities which commend him to the confidence and friendship of his fellow men, and throughout his life he has been characterized by honesty and reliability.
 

MILLER J BENJAMIN

M. J. Benjamin, a popular business man of Effingham, Atchison county, may justly lay claim to being one of the pioneers of this section of Kansas. He is a native of Michigan, his birth occurring there in 1841. His father, James Benjamin, was born in Ohio, but, going to Michigan in early manhood, continued to make his home there until his death. During the great Civil war he offered his services to his country and served for three years in a regiment of Michigan infantry, participating in some of the hardest campaigns of that fierce strife, and in one engagement being wounded. He married Sarah Miller and they had six children. A son died when young, and the others are M. J., of this sketch; Seth L., who is engaged in the livery business in Atchison, Kansas; Emory, of Effingham; Daniel, also of this place; and Ida Tickner, of Atchison.

Coming to Effingham in 1881, after a residence of some thirteen years in this county, M. J. Benjamin engaged in the livery business. He has continued to devote his attention to this calling and enjoys a liberal share of the patronage of this locality. His place of business is on Howard avenue, where he owns a large barn 30x100 feet in dimensions. Ample accommodations are here found for the fine line of modern carriages and road-carts which he always keeps on hand, and, in addition to this, he runs a flourishing sale stable in connection. Integrity and a genuine desire to meet the wishes of the public have resulted in his own financial success and position of influence in the community. In his political views he is a Republican, and though he takes an active interest in the success of the party in whose policy he is a firm believer, he has no desire to occupy public positions of emolument or responsibility.

Prior to leaving his native state Mr. Benjamin married Miss Mary Burt, who has been a loyal helpmeet to him in the vicissitudes of their life in the West. They are the parents of three children, of whom the eldest, John, is engaged in business in Omaha, Nebraska. The eldest daughter; Mrs. Belle Ballsinger, a resident of Effingham, is a lady of genuine artistic ability. Nellie, the youngest daughter, married Albert Durest, who is a business partner of Mr. Benjamin. Religiously Mr. Benjamin is a Lutheran and Mrs. Benjamin is a Presbyterian. They contribute liberally to the maintenance of their churches and are among the respected citizens of Effingham.

JOSEPH H BERLIN

This gentleman stands at the head of one of the leading business industries of Atchison, for the Berlin Grocery & Milling Company is in control of an extensive enterprise, which contributes not only to the individual prosperity of the stockholders but also to the welfare of the community through the channel of commercial activity, whereon depends all material progress and advancement in city life. Mr. Berlin was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, December 17, 1840, and is a son of Samuel and Harriet (Savits) Berlin. His grandfather, Isaac Berlin, was one of the first settlers in that part of the country, and was of German descent. He married a Miss Henbach, a representative of one of the old families of Pennsylvania. Samuel Berlin was born in Northampton county, in the village of Berlinville, which was named in honor of the family. His wife was born in 1820, and was a daughter of James Swartz. Mr. and Mrs. Berlin became the parents of eleven children, six sons and five daughters, and with the exception of one daughter all grew to years of maturity, while nine of the family are still living. One sister resides in Pennsylvania, four of the members of the family are living in Kansas, and four are residents of Ohio.

Joseph H. Berlin spent his boyhood days in the county of his nativity, and was a student in the old Swartz Hill Academy until his fifteenth year. He then entered upon his business career in a general store in Morristown, Pennsylvania, where he spent eleven years. On the expiration of that period he began business for himself in Petersville, where he remained several years, after which he conducted a store in Cherryville for a few years. He was quite successful in his endeavors there until the failure of Jay Cooke & Company, in 1873, when he closed out his business. After settling up his affairs he came to the West, locating in Atchison, where he embarked in the wholesale grocery business, and at the same time handled tobacco on an extensive scale, but later he abandoned that branch of the trade. He has gradually extended the field of his operations until he now controls one of the leading enterprises in the northeastern section of the state. In 1885 he purchased the Kansas Spice Mill, which he converted into a grain mill. This is supplied with the roller system and has a capacity of two hundred and fifty bushels in twenty-four hours. At the present time he does an extensive business's in roasting and selling coffee. In 1894 he removed his wholesale grocery house to its present location, and in that line has a very liberal patronage, his goods being shipped to various points in Kansas and other western states. In 1897 the Berlin Grocery & Milling Company was organized and incorporated with J. H. Berlin as president.

In 1860 occurred the marriage of Mr. Berlin and Miss Sarah A. King, a native of Northampton county, Pennsylvania, and the fourth daughter of John and Sabina (Rudolf) King. They now have three children: Alvin C., Elmer U. and Adelaide R., all at home. The parents are members of the Evangelical Lutheran church, with which they united on its organization in July, 1875. Since that time Mr. Berlin has served as one of its trustees, is a most liberal contributor to its support and has acted as the superintendent and a teacher of the Sunday school. His Christian belief is exemplified in his business integrity and in his relations with his fellow men, and in social, business and church circles he ranks deservedly high.
 

JOSEPH LYMAN BLISS

It has been left to modern civilization to perpetuate by written record the lives of those who have been prominent factors in the up building of towns, cities and countries. Deeds of battle have been the theme of song and poetry from the earliest ages, but the man who quietly remained in the ranks of business, performing each day's duties as they came to him, promoting the general prosperity through his individual efforts was unnoticed by the singer, the poet and the historian. Yet the growth of the community is due to its representative, energetic business men. It was to this latter class that Mr. Bliss belonged and at his death, which occurred in Atchison April 4, 1895, the city lost one of its most valued residents.

Mr. Bliss was born in Royalston, Massachusetts, October 16, 1835, and was a son of Joseph and Sarah (Lyman) Bliss, who were natives of Massachusetts. Our subject spent the days of his youth in the old Bay state, where he acquired the greater part of his education, first attending the public schools and later pursuing his studies in Worcester, Massachusetts. The rapidly developing west, with its limitless opportunities, attracted him. Leaving the Atlantic coast he made his way to Wisconsin, where he learned the jewelry business. Upon the outbreak of the Civil war he tendered his service to the government and was enlisted in the Fourth Wisconsin Cavalry and remained in the service three years. For considerable time he was steward of the hospital at New Orleans, under General Butler. Upon the close of the war he returned to Massachusetts. In 1865 he came to Kansas, locating at Atchison, where he soon after formed a partnership with George Willis, under the firm name of Willis & Bliss, jewelers. From the beginning the enterprise prospered and their trade steadily increased. This partnership was maintained until 1872, when Mr. Bliss purchased the interest of Mr. Willis and continued in business alone up to the time of his death in 1895. He had a large, well-appointed store, stocked with everything found in a first-class jewelry store, and enjoyed the leading trade in this line in the city.

In 1873 Mr. Bliss and Miss Carrie Pierce, of Chesterfield, New Hampshire, in which state she was born, reared and educated, were joined in wedlock. One daughter graced their union, Caroline Gale, a student in Salem Academy, Massachusetts. Mr. Bliss was a man of domestic tastes and found his greatest pleasure at his own fireside. In politics he was a stanch Republican, a member of the Masonic lodge of Atchison, also of the subordinate lodge and encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and also the G. A. R. In his public and private life he was actuated by high principles, was ever faithful to the trusts reposed in him and with him friendship was inviolable. Since her husband's death Mrs. Bliss has conducted the store, employing efficient help to aid in the conduct of the business. She possesses excellent business qualifications, is a lady of culture and refinement, who presides with gracious hospitality in her home and occupies a very prominent position in social circles.
 

GEORGE M BLODGET

Atchison county, Kansas, has many prominent citizens who were pioneers there and many more who were soldiers in the civil war and comparatively few who were both pioneers and soldiers. Of this last mentioned class George M. Blodget, of Mount Pleasant township, is a conspicuous member, and it is thought fitting that an account of his busy and eventful career should have a place in this volume devoted to the lives and achievements of leading citizens of the district from which he went forth to do duty as a soldier and which by all the labors of his life since then he has helped to develop.

George M. Blodget, born in Livingston county, New York, October 6, 1834, is a son of George W. and Lucinda (Garfield) Blodget and a grandson of Thomas Blodget. Thomas Blodget, who was a soldier under General Washington and fought for the independence of the American colonies, lived in the Green Mountain state many years during his active manhood and was a blacksmith and a farm owner. He went to Michigan in 1856 and remained there to be near his son, George W., who had settled at Kalamazoo ten or eleven years earlier. Mr. Rowel, the father of Thomas Blodget's wife, was a Revolutionary soldier. The children of Thomas Blodget were named George W., Riley and Jared. Riley went to Rhode Island and became connected with shipping interests, navigating waters in the vicinity of Newport. Jared lives in Michigan. Of George W. more detailed information will be given further on. Thomas Blodget died at Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1859, aged ninety years.

George W. Blodget was born in Vermont in 1800 and died in 1880, aged eighty. His wife, Lucinda, nee Garfield, was a daughter of Solomon Garfield, of Ontario county, New York, who had two other daughters, that lived and died in Vermont, and two sons, -- Solomon and Ira Garfield. Lucinda (Garfield) Blodget died in 1849, leaving the following named children: Orinda, who married Thomas Sanders; George M.; Emma, who is Mrs. Nathan Allen, of Michigan; and John, who is dead.

The education of George M. Blodget was limited and he became used to hard work at an early age. He was for a time a hired man at different farms, then worked at logging in the pineries of Michigan. He left the parental home permanently at the age of twenty-one years and proceeded to Winnebago county, Illinois, to take possession of a quarter-section of land for which he had traded. All his life he had been in the timber and among the hills. The prairie land around Rockford appeared so cold and so barren that it discouraged him from settling there, for it seemed to him that he would surely freeze on that open prairie land with no sheltering trees and no elevations to ward off the winds and temper their fury. He took advantage of an opportunity to trade his holdings there for a small farm, now within the limits of the city of Moline, Illinois. There he located and remained four years, bartering in various commodities and dealing in stock, which he drove to Chicago to market and turned an honest and hard earned penny by running a threshing machine in season. He traded his Moline farm for one in Iowa and almost immediately sold that. Then, with such means as he possessed, he came to Kansas, arriving at Atchison April 5, 1855.

Kansas was then in turmoil, almost in a state of anarchy, and border ruffianism was rampant. Mr. Blodget knew not a soul in Kansas except a friend who went there with him, but who, faint-hearted, was soon frightened away by prevailing conditions. Left alone, Mr. Blodget took up a part of his present farm and bought a claim on some Delaware Indian lands. He settled down to stock raising and the production of grain, occupations in which he was not seriously interrupted until the outbreak of the civil war.

When volunteers were called for Mr. Blodget offered himself for the defense of his country's honor and was accepted as a member of Company F, Thirteenth Kansas Volunteer Infantry (Colonel Bowen's regiment), of the Seventh Army Corps, which was mustered into service at Leavenworth, Kansas, and was in the military department of the west. Mr. Blodget, who was duty sergeant of his company, participated in much of the fighting of every kind that took place in southern Missouri and eastern Arkansas and was once wounded by the bursting of a shell.

Mr. Blodget was married, in 1857, to Mary E. Cline, a daughter of Henry Cline, one of the early settlers of Atchison county. The children of this union are: Thomas L.; Frank F.; Frederick; Luther; Lavina, now Mrs. Levi Lawler; Jessie, the wife of Levi Ellerman; and Lulu.

Mr. Blodget is one of the stalwart Republicans of the county, has filled some of the public trusts of his township and in 1856 was deputy sheriff of the county. As a farmer and business man he is eminently successful. He has accumulated a body of more than five hundred acres of land, always keeps his farm well stocked and his success is regarded by his co-workers in the field as one of the examples of what energy and tenacity of purpose will do in Kansas.

THOMAS J BOHANNON

America, above all countries, is to be congratulated upon her aggressive, wide-awake business men, men who have made their way through all kinds of reverses and difficulties to positions of honor and influence, in the meantime being developed and strengthened by the very obstacles which they have had to overcome. Thus it has been in the case of Thomas J. Bohannon, one of the best known citizens of Atchison county, and his numerous friends will take pleasure in perusing the following record of his life.

He comes of good old southern stock, his father, John Bohannon, being a native of eastern Tennessee, in which state he married Telitha Foust. Subsequently to that event he removed to Indiana, where he remained four years, and then continued his journeying to Illinois, and finally reached Buchanan county, Missouri, where he resided until his death at the age of seventy-five years. Politically he was a Democrat, and religiously both he and his beloved wife were members of the Christian church. She was called to her reward when in her seventy-eighth year. Of their eleven children eight now survive, five of the number being residents of Kansas, one of Iowa, and one of Missouri.

Thomas J. Bohannon was born on the parental homestead in Buchanan county, Missouri, May 29, 1846. In his boyhood his educational advantages were limited to such as the district schools afforded, but in later years he increased his knowledge by reading and observation. In 1871 he came to this county and located upon a farm of eighty acres, situated in Benton township. He is yet living on that place, but, as the years have rolled away, he has invested in more land from time to time until he now owns four hundred and eighty-seven acres. His home place is a model one, being supplied with good buildings, a windmill, a grove, and other accessories of a desirable country home of the period.

In political matters Mr. Bohannon is independent, reserving to himself the right of absolute freedom from party ties, and voting as he deems best at any given election. He is a member of the local school board, and takes a commendable interest in the promotion of educational affairs. Both he and his estimable wife are members of the Christian church, being workers in the Sunday-school, and at present he is serving in the capacity of an elder. In personal appearance he is tall and commanding, being six feet in height and weighing two hundred and thirty-five pounds.

When he was twenty-four years of age, Mr. Bohannon married Alice E. Dittemore, a daughter of Michael and Grizzillar Dittemore. Six children blessed the union of our subject and wife, namely: Abbie Ivy, who died in her fifteenth year; Fannie, who married F. R. Schurman, of Lancaster township; Robert Gaines, who wedded Kate Mummert, and also resides in Lancaster township: Telitha Cuma; Anna Ethel; and Roy, who died at the age of fifteen months.

ELI F BOUTON

A detailed history of no resident of Nemaha county would probably give a more accurate record of the condition of affairs in this locality in pioneer days than that of Mr. Bouton, who is numbered among the early settlers. For many years he experienced difficulties and hardships in his attempt to establish a home in this section of the country, but determination, perseverance and unflagging industry enabled him to overcome these and today he is accounted one of the prosperous agriculturists of Berwick township. He was born in Virgil, Cortland county, New York, April 8, 1833. The ancestry of the family can be traced back to John Bouton, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1635, when twenty years of age, and became the progenitor of the family in America. Nathanael Bouton, the grandfather of our subject, was born at Power's Ridge, in 1778, and was wedded, on the 22d of May, 1801, to Rachel Stevens. After her death he married her sister, Lydia Stevens, and removed to Virgil, Cortland county, New York. By his first marriage he had four children: James, Nathan, Louis and William, the last two being twins. The children of the second marriage were Rachel, David, Millie, Joseph and Nathanael.

Nathan Bouton, the father of our subject, was born in Virgil, New York, July 27, 1802, and was a farmer and school teacher. A recognized leader in the community in which he made his home, he served as town supervisor and was also a member of the legislature in Albany, New York, in 1857. The cause of temperance found in him an ardent advocate and he believed most firmly in the instruction of young people in the bible. During twenty-five years he served as superintendent of .the Sunday school, and he was only twice absent in that quarter of a century. He possessed considerable literary ability and wrote the first article in favor of the construction of the New York & Erie Railroad, of which his father was the projector. For thirty-five years he served as a surveyor and in that manner became widely known throughout the county. He married Miss Mary Gee, a native of New York, her parents being early settlers of Virgil, that state. Her father was of English descent and her mother of German lineage. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bouton were born eight children: Louisa, born January 20, 1825, and died in Virgil March 11, 1846; James, born October 1, 1826; Samantha, born in Virgil November 28, 1828; Andrew, born April 10, 1831; Eli F., born April 8, 1833; William, born February 22, 1836; Lewis, born May 26, 1838; and Charles, born December 19, 1841. The mother died in Virgil March 7, 1842, and the father afterward married Emma Robinson, by whom he had two children. The elder, Emma M., born in Virgil August 24, 1843, is now the wife of Charles J. Drew, mayor of Topeka, Kansas. Edward B., the younger, was born in Virgil June 12, 1846, and was married, in 1888, to Julia Lacy. They now reside in Witchita (sic), Kansas. For his third wife Nathan Bouton married Emma Hubbard, about 1847.

Eli F. Bouton, of this review, was the fifth child and third son of his in his father's first marriage and was reared in his native county, attending the common schools through the winter months and working on the farm in the summer. He spent one term in the Courtlandville Academy and one term at Homer Academy, and when twenty years of age his father gave him his time, after which he began working as a farm hand for thirteen dollars per month. In the winter he taught school for fifteen dollars per month and in the year prior to his twenty-first birthday he saved a hundred dollars. His father then wrote for him to come home and he worked on the old homestead for twelve dollars per month, teaching school through the winter for sixteen dollars per month, the session continuing through a half-day on Saturday. Going to Steuben county, New York, he attended the Troupsburg Academy, and later taught for four months in Prattsburg, New York, receiving twenty dollars per month for his services. He also taught three other schools in that locality and further perfected his own education by study in the Prattsburg Academy. On the 7th of March, 1860, Mr. Bouton married Miss Fanny Waldo, and on the 8th of April, of that year, arrived in Nemaha county, Kansas. It was not until the following year that the state was admitted to the Union. He first rented a partially improved farm in what was then Rock Creek township, but is now Berwick township. .He operated this place on shares and, as it was the year of the big drouth, obtained only a small crop. Corn brought seventy-five cents a bushel and by close economy he was enabled to meet his expenses. In 1860 he purchased eighty acres of raw prairie land on section 30, Berwick township, but he built his first home in Albany in the spring of 1861. His father sent him twenty-five dollars which he invested in the lumber. Not having a team, he entered into partnership with Edgar Cone, who owned a team and was a carpenter. He hauled the lumber from White Cloud, a distance of thirty-five miles, and built a two-room house, 16x20, and for his pay owned and occupied one-half of the house. It was the third house in the village. There he lived until August, 1861. The little house was set up on blocks and was made of boards sixteen feet long, cut in two twice. The roof was also of boards. There were two doors and two windows and a partition divided the house into two apartments. The money sent to Mr. Bouton by his father covered the entire money cost of the house. He added to his income by digging a well, working for seventy-five cents per day and boarded himself. He also worked at Albany in the spring of 186o for seventy-five cents per day, digging a cellar, and willingly accepted any other employment that would yield him an honorable living. After a time he removed from Albany to a farm three miles southwest of Sabetha, remaining there only a short time. The house he built not being fit to winter in, he sold it in the fall of 1861 and Went to live with P. W. Seaman, and for his services received a bushel of wheat per day. In this way he earned about thirty bushels and thereby his larder was somewhat improved. He also had two cows and two calves and the milk supply of the family was a valued addition. He chopped wood in the forests for Mr. Seaman, having to go ten miles to his work, and in the midst of the forest cut saw-logs, which he hauled to the mill, four miles distant. In the spring of 1862 he began working on the farm on shares, his services to be rewarded with one-fourth of the crops.

Feeling that his duty was to his country, however, on the 3d of September, 1862, Mr. Bouton enlisted in Company G, Thirteenth Kansas Volunteer Infantry, as a private. His wife and family remained on the farm until spring. Later they returned to her home in Prattsburg, New York. Mr. Bouton was with the army on the frontier under General Blunt. The company was formed by several enlistments under command of W.. S. Blackburn, of Marshall county, Daniel Auld, of the same county, and Mr. Hensell, of Nemaha county. Mr. Bouton enlisted under the last named and he and his comrades reported at Atchison, where the regiment was organized. These three different detachments of men were then consolidated to form Company G, Mr. Blackburn being made captain, Mr. Hensell, first lieutenant, and Mr. Auld, second lieutenant. Our subject was made commissary sergeant and after remaining at Atchison until the 20th of September, was mustered in with his company and went to the front. By steamer they proceeded to Leavenworth, where they were furnished mules, wagons and other necessary supplies, with which they proceeded to Fort Scott, Kansas. Mr. Bouton remained with his regiment until July, 1864, when he was detached to serve as lieutenant of Company E, First Kansas Colored Regiment, with which command he continued until the close of the war, on the 3d of October, 1865. He was then mustered out and received an honorable discharge at Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He made his way homeward by boat, stopping at Memphis and St. Louis, and he was twenty-six days on the river. Six men died during the trip up the Mississippi and four were buried in the sands along the way.

Mr. Bouton went to New York for his family and with them again returned to Kansas. He located on eighty acres of land on section 35, Berwick township, and for a time engaged in the cultivation of his farm, but sold that property after building a house, at a cost of five hundred dollars. While on that farm, in 1867, he was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife. By their union were born three children: Rosa, the elder, is a native of Nemaha county and a graduate of the State Normal School of Nebraska. She has taught in the schools of Sabetha, Kansas, and, having made a specialty of the study of chemistry in the State University of Nebraska, she is now one of the professors in that institution. Henry W. was born in Nemaha county June 11, 1863, and is a graduate of the State Normal School of Nebraska and for a time engaged in teaching. He is now engaged in fruit raising at Webster, Texas. Lewis, the youngest child, died in infancy. Mr. Bouton was again married, March 18, 1868, his second union being with Mrs. Nancy J. (Slawsen) Graham, widow of John L. Graham, who was killed in the war in 1863.

By the second marriage there is one daughter, Mary L., who is still with her parents.

Mr. Bouton now devotes his time and energies to his business affairs and is the owner of one hundred and fifty-four acres of rich and arable land. He carries on general farming and his well-tilled fields indicate to the passers by his careful supervision. He is a stanch advocate of temperance principles, has always favored the prohibition of the liquor traffic and voted for the first prohibition amendment in New York in 1854. He cast his first vote in New York and has for many years been allied with the Republican party, exercising his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of that party. In 1869 and 1870 he was county commissioner of Nemaha county, has also been clerk of the school district and for four years was justice of the peace. In all of these offices he has discharged his duty with promptness and fidelity, winning high commendation. He is a member of Sabetha Post, No. 175, G. A. R., and has filled many of the offices. Holding membership in the Congregational church at Sabetha, he has labored earnestly for its success for many years. He has 'been deacon for twenty years and is also its treasurer. He contributed liberally to the building fund for the house of worship and at all times has done whatever he could for the welfare and advancement of the church. As a citizen he is public-spirited and withholds his advocacy from no measure which is calculated to secure advancement along educational, social, material and moral lines. In his business career he has met with obstacles and difficulties which would undoubtedly have discouraged many a man of less resolute spirit, but with determined purpose he has steadily pushed forward and to-day is one of the wealthy and influential citizens of his community.

N G BRENNER

There are some men in every community who appear to have been born to succeed, but their success is not a matter of chance. They are born with those qualities of mind and heart which naturally lead to success. Men who make vigorous and judicious use of these talents are the successful ones, and of this class Mr. Brenner is a representative. He is the president and general manager of the Jacob Brenner Wine Company, of Doniphan, and one of the enterprising citizens of the community.

Mr. Brenner was born forty-five years ago. His father, Jacob Brenner, now deceased, was a native of Bavaria. Germany, born January 12, 1816, and was a son of a winemaker. He secured a good education in the schools of his native land and at the age of twenty-five years was married to Miss Barbara Ranfert, also a native of Bavaria. They became the parents of seven children, of whom four are now living, namely: Mrs. Margaret B. Brandner, of Atchison; Adam, a resident of Doniphan; Mrs. Mary Mosbacher, of Council Bluffs, Iowa; and N. G., of this review. In 1860 the family came to Doniphan county and in 1863 the father planted a small vineyard and established a winery. By his first vintage he made a hundred gallons of wine, which brought him such returns that he was encouraged to enlarge his vineyard until it now produces thirty thousand gallons annually. The father died February 5, 1891, at the age of seventy-five years, and the business has since been carried on by his sons. In politics he was a Democrat and was a liberal contributor to the support of the church. His widow still survives him and is now living at the old home, at the age of eighty-five years.

Mr. Brenner, whose name introduces this review, was reared on the old family homestead, pursued his preliminary education in the public schools and completed a course in a commercial college in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a man of excellent business ability and has secured for the company a lucrative trade. The Brenner Wine Company was organized in 1893 and since that time our subject has been the manager and president. Their goods are shipped into nearly every state in the Union and their excellence has secured for them an enviable reputation. On the farm there is over thirty acres of small fruit and the winery has a capacity of one hundred thousand gallons, while the building is valued at six thousand dollars. As a business man Mr. Brenner is systematic and thorough and is a most capable salesman, his pleasant and accommodating manner winning him the friendship and support of many. His enterprise is unfailing and he is quick to adopt all methods that improve the quality of his wines, and therefore finds for them a ready sale on the market and the growth of the business is an indication of his marked industry and capability in that line.

 

JOHN P BROWN

'Tis an age of progress, when vast commercial transactions involving millions of dollars depend upon rapid transportation. The revolution in business that the past half a century, or even less, has witnessed, has been brought about by the means of the railroads, and one of the prominent representatives of railroad building in the west was John P. Brown. As a railroad contractor, Mr. Brown has gained a position among the most prominent business men of the west and to-day he is numbered among the retired capitalists of Atchison. His history has been so closely identified with the upbuilding of this section of the Union that no history of northeastern Kansas would be complete without the record of his life.

His native country is Ireland, being born in county Westmeath in 1829, a son of John and Mary (Daulton) Brown. He obtained but a meager education. but has improved his opportunities and made a success in whatever he has undertaken. At the age of eighteen years he came to the United States. After the death of his father, his mother emigrated to the United States, about 1890, and died in Troy, New York, in 1898. Mr. Brown spent a short time in New York, then went to New Orleans, where he remained a year or so, and from there removed north, to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. There he was employed by two civil engineers, W. W. Wright and C. P. B. Jeffries, who were engaged in surveying the line for the Pennsylvania Railroad between Philadelphia and Pittsburg, with headquarters at Greensburg. He continued in that work until1853, when he returned to Pittsburg and went into business for himself, taking contracts on the Connersville Railroad, and subsequently on the Baltimore & Ohio, with headquarters at West Newton.

In 1856 Mr. Brown went to St. Louis, Missouri, and took a contract on the Iron Mountain road, running from St. Louis to Pilot Knob. This work lasted until 1858, and the following year he came to Atchison, where he has since made his home. His first contract here was on the "central branch" of the Union Pacific, and subsequently he was engaged on the Missouri Pacific, from Atchison to Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Atchison & Nebraska road, from Atchison to the Nebraska state line, a distance of forty miles. On the completion of the last mentioned contract, Mr. Brown retired from the railroad business and has since devoted his time to looking after his property interests, he being the owner of a dozen or more fine farms, business houses and residences.

Mr. Brown is a public-spirited man and has done much toward the development of the city, where he has so long resided. He is interested in both the electric and gaslight plants, and, since the consolidation, is one of the stockholders in the Atchison Street Railway Company. He is liberal and always ready to contribute to any enterprise which is calculated to benefit the community.

In 1854 Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Wagner, who was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. Of this union seven children were born, as follows: Alexander M., deceased; John H., a pharmacist; Charles A., employed in the freight department of the Burlington & Missouri Railroad; Nellie, the wife of W. F. Donald, a prominent dry-goods merchant of Atchison; W. Frank, of St. Louis, Missouri; Sarah, the wife of Samuel F. Stoll, one of the leading druggists of Atchison; and Alice, who is still at home.

Politically, Mr. Brown is a stanch Republican and works in a quiet way for the success of his party, but has never sought office. His undoubted integrity, high sense of honor and his superior judgment and foresight have all contributed to the accumulation of a large fortune, and his career furnishes an excellent example to young men who, like him, must start at the bottom of the ladder and make their way step by step to the top round of success.

Although he has reached the age of seventy years, he is stalwart, vigorous, well preserved physically, mentally and morally. He has so deported himself that he not only has the good will but the respect and love of the entire community in which he dwells. He is an honorable man whose reputation is above reproach, and his word is as good as his bond. He is a progressive man who has always sought to enlighten and elevate the people among whom he has lived; he is a liberal arid generous man, to which fact the community at large will testify; he is a philosophic man, for he has succeeded in getting the best out of life that was in it. His contact with his fellow men has broadened his nature and his views, if such were possible; and hale, hearty, erect and vigorous at three-score years and ten, his faculties undimmed, his physique but little impaired by age, many years of usefulness yet seem before him. Such men are rare, and the world is not slow to appreciate them. It is safe to say that no man in Atchison has more or warmer friends than John P. Brown.

ROBERT BRUCE BUCK

The good blood of the south flows in the veins of some Kansans of the present day, and in Kansas, as elsewhere in the United States, the southern and northern elements of our progressive population unite in a common effort for the advancement of American prosperity. Veterans both southern and northern literally smoke with each other the pipe of peace and bushwhackers and jayhawkers are friends ready to help each other in time of need. Such old soldiers as Robert B. Buck, of Center township, Atchison county, possess much valuable unwritten war history and it is to be regretted that they d0 not, to the last man of them, provide some permanent record of their experiences and impressions during those fateful years 1860-65.

Robert Bruce Buck is a son of Isaiah and Catherine (Waugh) Buck and a grandson of Robert Buck, a descendant of old Scotch families of the clan Campbell, of which the Duke of Argyle was chief, but who was born in Ireland and came from county Antrim to America about the time of the beginning of the Revolutionary war. Isaiah Buck was born in Morgan county, Virginia (now west Virginia), in 1797, and died there in 1892, aged ninety-five years. He had a somewhat interesting career and was a man of prominence, influence and usefulness. In his youth he ran away from home and went to Ohio and while there he enlisted in the United States army for service against the mother country in 1812-14. He was a member of Captain Babb's historic company, which was recruited in Muskingum county, Ohio, with which he did good service.

After the war was over Mr. Buck took up farming and eventually returned to his old home in Virginia. There, as a Democrat, he took a leading part in public matters and was elected justice of the peace, clerk of the court, sheriff and member of the legislature, in which offices he acquitted himself with the greatest credit. He married Catherine Waugh, a descendant of some of the earliest English settlers in the old Dominion, who died in Virginia in 1873. Besides the subject of this sketch the children of Isaiah and Catherine (Waugh) Buck were as follows: William, who died leaving a daughter, Mrs. John Admire, of Carrollton, Illinois; Napoleon, who died leaving nine children, one of whom, a son, lives in Marshall county, Kansas; Singleton, John and George, all of whom died without issue; Josephine, the wife of L. B. Langston, of Shannon, Kansas; David and James H. Buck, of Atchison county, Kansas.

Robert Bruce Buck was born in Morgan county, Virginia (now West Virginia), June 24, 1837. His earliest recollections were of the farm and his training and education were of a rural character. In 1860 he enlisted in Company E, Eleventh Regiment, Virginia Cavalry. Colonel O. R. Funston was his regimental and General Turner Ashby his brigade commander. He was in active service continually until the fall of 1864, when the regiment disbanded, the members going to their homes and caring for themselves and their horses during the winter, with the understanding that they were to report for duty at a certain date the following spring. When the time for rendezvous drew nigh the chances of the Confederate States of America appeared so discouraging that Mr. Buck assumed the responsibility of discharging himself from the service and did not report for farther (sic) duty. His experiences were often exciting and interesting and some of the scenes in which he participated now possess much historical interest. His services were almost exclusively within the borders of his own state.

In 1869 Mr. Buck was married, in Virginia, to Miss Anne Casler, a daughter of William Casler, of sturdy Pennsylvania Dutch extraction, and a prominent farmer in his day and generation. Mr. Buck has made a substantial success of life and is one of the prominent farmers of Center township. His farm is ample for his needs and is given to the production of general crops. He also gives attention to stock-raising. His buildings are of adequate size and of modern construction and, all in all, he is admirably located and equipped for profitable farming. He is a man of public spirit, who may always be depended upon for hearty and generous co-operation in any movement tending to the public good, and he is an advocate of good public schools and a liberal supporter of religious interests in his vicinity. He is outspoken in his political opinions and is not without recognized political influence, but he is not a seeker after place and is not an active politician in the ordinary acceptation of the term. He gives his time and his ability almost exclusively to his business, for he is as industrious as he is farsighted and is a firm believer in the saying that "he that by the plow would thrive, himself must either hold or drive." Mr. and Mrs. Buck have children named Luella, John, Effie, William, Estella, Cleveland and Mildred.
 

CHARLES PARDEE BUTLER

Charles Pardee Butler, the proprietor of Cedar Hill farm, in Center township, Atchison county, is acknowledged by all to be one of the progressive agriculturists of this locality. His extensive business transactions have made his name a familiar one to people throughout this section of the west. Indeed the Butlers have borne a representative part in the history of Kansas and always have been noted for the active interest which they have taken in all movements for the uplifting of humanity.

The father of our subject, Rev. Pardee Butler, came here in pioneer days and, being a strong abolitionist, the influence which he exerted on behalf of the slave cannot justly be estimated. Suffice it to say that on that subject as in all others his opinions carried great weight with the public, and his noble, self-sacrificing Christian life commanded the respect of all who knew him, even of those who were bitterly opposed to him politically. For many years he carried on a farm in this county and there he reared three of his children to maturity, training them in upright principles and in loyalty toward God and their fellow men. Four of his children have been called to the better land and those who survive are: Charles P.; George C., a resident of Pardee, Atchison county; and Rosetta B., the wife of the Rev. Z. S. Hastings, of Effingham, Kansas.

The birth of Charles Pardee Butler occurred upon the parental homestead in this county April 10, 1858. His boyhood passed uneventfully, his time being occupied in the work and play and study common to country lads. After completing his district-school education he had the privilege of attending Drake University, where he pursued the higher branches of learning. Returning then to his old home he resumed the calling for which he has always had a special aptitude, farming and stock raising.

Cedar Hill farm, the fine property now owned by Mr. Butler, comprises four hundred and twenty-five acres of land, all in one body. A specialty is made of high grade coach horses and red polled cattle, a fine variety being kept for sale at all times. Large, well-built barns afford ample accommodation for the stock and crops and other improvements add to the value of the place.

The marriage of Charles P. Butler and Miss Mary M. Wright, daughter of the Rev. S. F. Wright, a minister of the Christian church, was solemnized in the village of Pardee, Kansas, on the 4th of January, 1893. Mrs. Butler, who possesses qualities which endear her to every one, was reared to womanhood in an ideal home, her parents, Rev. S. F. and Charlotte (Rule) Wright, natives of Illinois and Scotland, respectively, having been noble Christian people, whose lofty principles were inherited by their children.

In the prime of life Mr. Butler carries into all of his undertakings an enthusiasm and strength of purpose which rarely fails to bring success. Broad and liberal in his views and frank and genial in manner, he is one of the most popular citizens of his community. His ballot is deposited in favor of the men and measures of the Republican party and for three terms he acted in the capacity of township treasurer. The Christian church of Farmington has no more earnest worker and member and for years he has been specially interested in the Sunday school department, and his wife and family are communicants of the church. They have four children, viz.: Sumner F., Sybil, Maud and Oliver, and they have an adopted daughter, Matie.

 

HENRY BUTTRON

The German contingent of Lancaster township, Atchison county, Kansas, is something always to be reckoned on. Though it has no nominal head, its recognized leader is Henry Buttron, a prosperous and well-known farmer, who disclaims any supremacy among his fellow countrymen, and is in all ways a modest and unostentatious citizen. If he wields any power among his people that power is based on the popular respect for his cool judgment and patriotism, not on any claim to superiority put forth by himself, for he is a characteristically modest man who has no part in public affairs to which he is not invited by his fellow citizens.

Henry Buttron was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, October 12, 1831, one of the five sons of Jacob and Margaret (Zimmer) Buttron and one of only two of the family who came to the United States. His brother, Frederick, is a resident of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where Henry Buttron located upon coming to America, in 1852. In his native land Mr. Buttron had learned the trade of a blacksmith, in which he found employment in the new world. In 1854 he went west, and for two years afterward he worked at his trade at Elgin, Illinois. He made still another move toward the setting sun, and the year 1857 found him occupying a pre-emption claim on section 22, Lancaster township, Atchison county, Kansas. He brought a small amount of money with him, and thus he was enabled to construct a little box house, after which he began the monotonous task of improving a farm. The prospect was discouraging because there was such a failure of crops in 1860 and earlier years, and he found it next to impossible to sustain himself from the proceeds of his claim. He decided to resort to his first dependence, the hammer and anvil, for a livelihood until the sharp corners of nature should be smoothed somewhat by other settlements.

He removed to Atchison county and was employed at his trade by Toni Ray, of the firm of Ostertag & Carmichael and Anthony & Ostertag, consecutively, remaining in the city nine years. Then he returned to his claim, redeemed the unpaid taxes thereon and entered upon an era of progress and prosperity which continued from that date. His homestead is one of the best improved in the township, and his accumulations for the last thirty years have enabled him to add three more quarter-sections of land to his original holdings. In 1882 he erected his commodious residence, which is one of the most conspicuous farm homes in this part of Atchison county.

Mr. Buttron was a member of the Kansas militia during the civil war, and was in the engagement with Price's troops at Westport, near Kansas City, Missouri. Since the war he has watched events closely and has always exerted an influence for the public welfare. His interest in every political question, national or local, has been great and he has always studied the situation carefully and with more than ordinary intelligence. He has cast his vote conscientiously, and if he has acted as adviser to others it has always been in patriotic spirit that has been most creditable to him. His disinterestedness is proven by the fact that he has not sought nor accepted political office, or in any manner profited personally from any political strength which he may have been able to exert.

Mr. Buttron was married in Atchison, Kansas, in 1866, to Rosa Schau, whose father, Andrew Schau, came from Wurtemberg, Germany, and who bore him the following named children: Rosa, wife of Louis Gerhardt, of Atchison; Emma, wife of Charles Kemmer, of Lancaster township; Kate and Jacob, both single; Henry, who married Bertha Kemmer; and Fred, Anna, Carl, William, George and Louis, all of whom are still under the parental roof.