Genealogical and Biographical Record of North-Eastern
Kansas
The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1900
C-F
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For forty-five years J. A. Cahoon has been a resident of Atchison county and is therefore numbered among its pioneer settlers. He was born in Ashe county, North Carolina, on the 9th of April, 1842, and with his father removed to Missouri in 1844. For eleven years he was a resident of that state and thence came to Kansas, locating in Atchison county, where he has since resided.
He arrived here when the greater part of the land was still in its primitive condition, when the work of improvement and progress was yet in the future. He has always taken an active interest in the material advancement of the county and in many ways has aided in its growth and upbuilding. He was married, August 19, 1864, to Mrs. Rachel Eskridge, but prior to that time he enlisted in the Union army, in 1861, at Fort Leavenworth, for three years. On the 22d of February, 1865, he re-enlisted as a member of Company D, Tenth Kansas Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered out September 15, 1865, at Montgomery, Alabama. He was in the militia for two years and was on the famous Price raid. In 1885 he was the postmaster of Effingham and filled that position until 1890. He makes his home in that city, where he is esteemed for his genuine worth.
W W CAHOON
Among the native sons of northeastern Kansas is W. W. Cahoon. who was born in
Atchison county on the 13th of April, 1869. His early childhood days were spent
upon a farm five miles north of Effingham, but in 1874 he accompanied his
parents on their removal to the city and in the public schools he obtained his
education. In 1889, when twenty years of age, he purchased the Effingham Times
and was its publisher and editor until 1891, when he sold that journal. The
following year he established the Oneida World, which he edited for nine months.
In. 1893 he began the publication of the Effingham World, but sold that three
months afterward, and in 1894 he began work as foreman on the Effingham New
Leaf, in which capacity he has since served. He also holds the position of
business manager in connection with that journal and the success which has
attended the enterprise is due in large measure to his enterprising efforts. He
thoroughly understands the newspaper business in all its departments and is very
competent and reliable in the conduct of the paper with which he is associated.
Mr. Cahoon was married, December 7, 1898, to Miss Clara C. Snyder, of Effingham.
They have a large circle of acquaintances in this city and enjoy the hospitality
of its best homes.
ALFRED D CAIN
Alfred Daniel Cain, the youngest son of John W. and Ann Mylchreest Cain, was
born May II, 1845, at Castletown, Isle of Man. There in the grim shadow of
ancient Castle Rushen, among the hills and dales of the beautiful island or on
the sea with the fishing smacks and luggers, his early boyhood and youth was
spent. He received the best of educational advantages -- a privilege of which he
has made full use, as those who know him can testify. His alma mater was King
William's, a celebrated institution of learning on the island.
After graduation, his first business - venture was in the drug trade. In the
year 1866 he emigrated to Kansas, where his father, John W., and brothers,
William S. and John M., preceded him some years. He settled with them in
Atchison county on a farm and followed agriculture five years. In connection
with his brother, John M. Cain, he established a grocery business in the city of
Atchison during 1872, which they continued till 1877, and then embarked in the
grain trade under the firm name of Cain Brothers. The business was very
successful and soon they built up one of the largest grain-handling firms in the
state. During 1883, in connection with his brother, John M. Cain, and R. H.
Hanthorn, they built the Model Flour Mill, the first complete roller flour-mill
west of the Mississippi river. The firm prospered and from then until his demise
he was actively connected with the milling business. In 1890 he acquired an
interest in the Central Mills, operated by the Cain Mill Company, of which
himself and John M. Cain were the owners. Later on he procured practically all
the stock and the plant is now being operated under the management of his sons,
Douglas M. and Victor A. Cain. The plant is a fine one of eight hundred barrels
capacity per day. The mills with which Mr. Cain was connected were the first to
commence the exportation of Kansas hard-wheat flour to Great Britain and Europe.
The trade was difficult to establish, but that it was a great boon to this state
is evidenced by the fact that millions of barrels are, now exported annually
where the raw product was formerly sent.
On the 16th day of April, 1868, Mr. Cain was united in marriage to Mary A.
Molyneux, of Douglas, Isle of Man, a daughter of Samuel and Mary Ann (Walters)
Molyneux. Ten children were born of their union, namely: Eleanor, the wife of
Dr. W. A. McKelvy, of Atchison; Emma M., Douglas M., Alfred E., deceased; Mona
Q., Victor A., Herbert S., Arthur S., Ruth C. and John W. The family occupy the
Cain homestead and are held in high esteem. In the midst of his prime, Mr. Cane
was stricken down and after a hard battle of many months was called to his final
rest January 27, 1898.
Mr. Cain was never an active factor in political affairs, although he was well
informed on the questions and issues of the day, and as a citizen he was loyal
in the support of what he believed would prove of public benefit. He was a man
of domestic tastes and sterling qualities; his reputation during his career was
unsullied and his history is the record of a useful life.
JOHN M CAIN
The gentleman here named figured conspicuously for many years in connection with
the material interests of Atchison that contributed to the up building and
prosperity of the city. He was a man of marked force of character, determined,
purposeful and energetic, and at all times his honorable dealings commanded the
respect and confidence of those with whom he came in contact. He came to the
west when a young man, and as opportunity offered he steadily enlarged his field
of labor until his name became known throughout the country in connection with
extensive milling interests in this city. His reputation in industrial circles
was above question, and to his family he left not only a comfortable competence
but also an untarnished name which is rather to be chosen than great riches.
Mr. Cain was born July 30, 1839, on the Isle of Man, his father being John W.
Cain, also a Manxman. The mother bore the maiden name of Ann Mylchreest and died
in the Isle of Man. In 1856 the father crossed the Atlantic to the New World,
and taking up his residence in Atchison, Kansas, spent his last days here and
his remains were interred in Mt. Vernon cemetery. At the time when public
feeling ran very high in Kansas on the question of the introduction of slavery,
Mr. Cain was a free-soil man and supported the principles in which he believed
regardless of the threats of violence made by the pro-slavery party. He was
extremely just in everything, and his fellow townsmen chose him for the office
of justice of the peace, in which capacity he served for a number of years, in a
most creditable way.
From his native isle John M. Cain, whose name introduces this review, spent his
boyhood days and to its school system he is indebted for the educational
privileges which he received. In November, 1856, he crossed the briny deep to
the new world, making his way at once to Kansas. In Mount Pleasant township he
pre-empted a tract of land and turned his attention to farming, but the city
seemed to offer him a wider field of labor, and in 1872 he removed to Atchison,
becoming connected with the grain trade in this place. In the meantime, however,
he had offered his services to the government and had defended the stars and
stripes upon the field of battle as a captain of Company G, Eighty-third United
States Colored Infantry. He was always found at his post of duty, laboring
earnestly to support the government of the Union, and when hostilities had
ceased and the flag of the Union had been planted in the capital of the southern
Confederacy, he received an honorable discharge and was mustered out at Fort
Leavenworth, in November, 1865. He took part in all the battles in which his
command engaged, and not only gave the orders to his men but led them in many a
gallant charge. His company originally numbered one hundred, of whom twenty ere
killed in action and forty were lost through disease and other casualties. In
1868 Mr. Cain again entered his country's service, and held the office of first
lieutenant of one of the companies of the Eighteenth Kansas Infantry, a regiment
raised for frontier service against the Indians.
After locating in Atchison Mr. Cain steadily worked his way upward to a position
in the foremost ranks of the business men of the city. He joined his brother, A.
D. Cain, in the grain business, and as a result of their capable management
their trade steadily increased in volume and importance. They erected large
mills and elevators, and were potent factors in making Atchison one of the
leading milling centers of the United States. As the business developed and
improvements were made in accordance with the progressive spirit of the times,
the Cain Brothers not only followed in the progressive movements but were
leaders therein. They were among the first to make a specialty of hard-wheat
milling, recognizing long ago the incoming tide of public favor for that cereal.
They devoted their time and attention exclusively to the best methods of
treating and reducing hard wheats and evolved a system quite unexcelled either
in this country or in Hungary, in which land hard-wheat milling is a very
important industry. Their processes were unique in some respects and were
certainly original, but above all they were practical and paying. The standard
of flour which they put upon the market commanded the highest prices, and
certain brands won reputation not only in this country but in Europe as well.
They secured a good market for their trade in London, and the Cain brands of
flour are now used extensively throughout the entire country. J. M. Cane became
the senior member of the firm of Cain Brothers, of Elevator B, of Atchison, and
under his management the immense and constantly growing business in grain and
flax seed was built up. Later, going out of the elevator business, he engaged
exclusively in milling, together with banking. In 1897 fire destroyed the mill
and bank at one and the same time, involving heavy losses, and the trouble had a
very depressing influence upon the health of Mr. Cain. He was a man of unfailing
energy, of strong purpose and unflagging resolution, and whatever he undertook
he carried forward to successful completion. His ambition was guided by sound
judgment and by most honorable business principles, and so worthy was his
success won that the most envious could not grudge him his prosperity.
On the 13th of May, 1878, occurred the marriage of Mr. Cain and Miss Lucy
Neerman, the eldest daughter of Frank and Isabel (Rust) Neerman. Their union was
blessed with four sons and two daughters, namely: Eva, Ralph, Florence, John
Milton, William Q. and Alfred A.; and the family is one of prominence in the
community, members of the household occupying leading positions in local
circles.
Mr. Cain took considerable interest in political affairs, kept well informed on
the issues of the day and gave a stanch and steadfast support to the principles
of the Republican party, yet was never an aspirant for office. He held
membership in the Grand Army Post of Atchison, and was a valued representative
of the order, through which he maintained pleasant relations with his old army
comrades of the "blue." He was, however, a man of domestic tastes, whose
greatest interests centered in his family, and be could not do too much to
promote their happiness and enhance their welfare. Death came to him on the 5th
of December, 1897, and the community thereby lost one of its most valued and
representative men. Mrs. Cain and her children still reside in Atchison, and
enjoy the warm friendship and regard of a large circle of acquaintances.
WILLIAM S CAIN
In this enlightened age when men of industry, energy and merit are rapidly
pushing their way to the front, those who by their individual efforts have won
favor and fortune, may properly claim recognition. Years ago, when the west was
entering upon this era of growth and development and Kansas was laying its
foundation for future prosperity, there came hither from all parts of the
country men poor but honest, and with spirited independence and a determination
to succeed that justly entitled them to representation in the history of the
great west. Among this class is numbered William S. Cain. He was born in
Castletown, Isle of Man, April 17, 1836, and is the eldest son of John W. Cain,
whose birth also occurred there, and who married Ann Mylchreest, of Ballamoda.
In 1856 John W. Cain came to America, taking up his residence in Atchison,
Kansas, where he died in 1888, his remains being interred in Mount Vernon
cemetery. John William Cain was originally a free-soil man and advocated that
doctrine when it was dangerous to do so, but was always firm and fearless in
support of his honest convictions and nothing could turn him from the course
which he believed to be right. He served for a number of years as justice of the
peace and discharged his duties with marked fairness and impartiality.
Mr. W. S. Cain spent the first sixteen years of his life in his native isle, and
during that time attended private schools. He then left home, going to
Melbourne, Australia, where he was a gold miner from September, 1852, until
December, 1854, when he returned to the Isle of Man. In July, he came to the
United States and went to Mineral Point, Wisconsin, where he purchased a tract
of land and engaged in farming. The following year his father and brother John,
who had just come to this country, joined him and they all moved to Atchison,
Kansas, where the family permanently located. Each of the sons entered one
hundred and sixty acres of land from the government and began the development
and improvement of the farm. W. S. Cain continued to farm until 1861, when he
responded to Mr. Lincoln's first call for troops to aid in suppressing the
rebellion in the south, and later joined Company C, Eighth Kansas Infantry,
under command of Captain James M. Graham and Colonel John A. Martin. For
meritorious service he was successively promoted to be sergeant, orderly
sergeant, and sergeant major, of the Eighth Kansas, and commissioned by the
governor of Kansas as second lieutenant. In August, 1863, after a rigid
examination before a board of generals, Mr. Cain was appointed first lieutenant
of Company H, in the Twelfth Regiment, United States Colored Infantry. On the
organization of that regiment he was appointed adjutant, and in 1864 he was
commissioned by order of President Lincoln as captain of Company C, Twelfth
United States Colored Infantry, with which rank he served until the close of the
war. He participated in many engagements, raids and skirmishes, and displayed
marked bravery on the field of battle, while at all times he was loyal to the
old flag and the cause it represented.
After receiving an honorable discharge Mr. Cain returned to Kansas where he
resumed farming, which he continued until 1875. In that year he removed to
Atchison, here he opened a general mercantile establishment which he has since
continued. He now has a large store and enjoys an extensive patronage. His
success in business is an indication of the honorable business methods which he
follows. He displays marked energy in the management of his commercial affairs;
his sound judgment and reliable business methods having secured him a large and
profitable trade.
In 1864 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Cain and Miss Ann Cowley, a daughter
of Charles Cowley, of Brown county, Kansas. She was born on the Isle of Man and
came to this state during her early girlhood, here remaining until her death in
1870. In 1871 Mr. Cain was again married, his second union being with Miss Susan
Adaline Crouch, eldest daughter of David Crouch, of Pierce Junction, Brown
county, Kansas. Four children have been born of this union, of whom three are
living, namely: Elizabeth M.; Cora J., who is teaching in the public schools of
Atchison; and John W., a grain dealer, of Lancaster, Kansas. The family is one
of prominence in the community, and to the members of the household is extended
the hospitality of many of the best homes of Atchison. Mr. Cain has long been an
active factor in political circles, and in 1865 was elected to represent the
eighth district of Kansas in the state legislature, where he served on the ways
and means, currency, printing and other important committees. In 1896 he was the
Fusion nominee for representative from the city of Atchison. He has served on
the Republican central committee, and his opinions always carry weight in the
councils of his party. Socially he is connected with the E. C. Johnson Post, No.
336, G. A. R., of which he is a past commander. Religiously he and all his
family are Protestant Episcopalians. In the discharge of all his duties of
citizenship he manifests the same loyalty which marked his course upon the
battlefields of the south. He is a broad-minded man, possessed of a wide field
of general information, and is not only practical but above all is progressive
in his methods.
B M CAWLEY, M D
Among the recent additions to the medical profession of Atchison county is the
gentleman whose name heads this article. Though he has been established in the
practice of his chosen profession only a short time, comparatively, he has
already won the favorable attention of his fellow citizens, and is laying the
foundation of his future career with exceeding care and wisdom.
Mr. Cawley is one of the native sons of this county, his birth having occurred
on the 28th of July, 1871. He is the fourth in order of birth of the six sons
born to John and Mary (Welsh) Cawley, and with his brothers received a liberal
public-school education and excellent home training. Having finished his
preliminary studies he pursued a course at Campbell University, of Holton,
Kansas, and subsequently was successfully engaged in teaching in the public
schools of this county for several terms. Having determined to enter the medical
profession, he commenced studying along that line under the guidance of P. S.
Michael, of Atchison, Kansas, and later went to St. Louis, where he entered the
local medical college. After thoroughly mastering the work outlined by that
institution, Dr. Cawley was granted a diploma and the degree of Doctor of
Medicine was conferred upon him. For years he has been a great student, eagerly
gathering knowledge wherever he might, and thoroughly posting himself in
everything pertaining to disease and its treatment. The result of his systematic
application is apparent in all of his undertakings, and since he opened an
office in Arrington, in 1898, his progress has been marked and truly gratifying.
As a patriotic citizen should, he takes much interest in the prosperity and
improvement of the town and county, using his influence in the direction of
progress along all lines of activity. Politically his preference is for the
Republican party. Personally he is courteous and genial in manner, readily
making friends, and is popular with the general public.
A D CIRTWELL
One of the representative citizens of Effingham, Atchison county, A. D. Cirtwell
is justly entitled to a place in the annals of this county, in which he has so
long made his home. In times of peace and of war he has been intensely
patriotic, doing everything within his power to uphold and strengthen his state
and country. He has the distinction of being one of the youngest, if, indeed,
not the youngest, soldier of the Civil war now living in Kansas, as he was only
fourteen years of age at the time of his enlistment.
The only son of his parents, R. N. and Susan (Burns) Cirtwell, our subject was
born in Jefferson county, New York, October 7, 1850. The mother, who was a most
estimable lady, and an earnest member of the Christian church. died in 1885. The
father departed this life in 1896. He was a sterling citizen, an able business
man, and was active in the ranks of the Republican party.
The education of A. D. Cirtwell was obtained in the public schools of his native
state, but his studies were interrupted materially by the great Civil war and
the grave issues at stake. Though he was but fourteen and a half years old when
the war closed, his father had much difficulty for some time in restraining the
youth from volunteering his services on behalf of the Union, and finally, in
1864, the young patriot enlisted in Company I, Eighty-sixth New York Infantry,
his commanding officer being Colonel Winslow. While in the service he was
wounded and was honorably discharged December 18, 1865.
When he was twenty years of age A. D. Cirtwell came to the west, following the
advice of Horace Greeley, of his own great state. Ever since that year, 1870, he
has made his home in Kansas, and has suffered, with her, the vicissitudes which
destiny has had in store during the past three decades. He has lived in
Effingham for eighteen years, and is engaged in the buying and selling of
horses, always keeping a number of high-bred roadsters and saddle animals on
hand. Integrity and justice mark all of his transactions and his word is
considered as good as his bond. Of a genial, friendly disposition he readily
wins the regard and genuine esteem of all with whom he comes in contact and few
of our citizens are more widely known or more popular.
The marriage of Mr. Cirtwell and Katherine Shorey was solemnized in New York, in
1871. She is a daughter of George Shorey and Katherine Shorey, both deceased.
Mrs. Cirtwell, who is a lady of excellent educational and social attainments,
has become the mother of three children: Susan Charlotte, wife of Arthur F.
Wallace, of Muscotah, Atchison county, Kansas; Charles Hubert, who married
Stella Stepp, a daughter of W. W. Stepp, and now resides in Effingham, Atchison
county, Kansas; and Fred, a graduate of the Topeka (Kansas) Business College,
and now private secretary to the principal in the Atchison county high school.
As might be expected Mr. Cirtwell has a warm place in his heart for the comrades
who fought for the stars and stripes, and has long been an honored member of
Effingham Post, No. 276, G. A. R. He also belongs to the Ancient Order of United
Workmen. Politically he is a stalwart Republican, taking an active interest in
its success. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Marshall J. Cloyes is a retired farmer living in Atchison. He has figured conspicuously in the public affairs of the city and state and his honor and loyalty to the general good is above question. Many years have passed since he came to the county and throughout the period he has labored earnestly and effectively to advance the welfare and promote the progress of his adopted county. His birth occurred in the Green Mountain state at Salisbury, where he first opened his eyes to the light of day on the 24th of October, 1826. His parents were Elijah and Maria (Beach) Cloyes and the ancestry on the paternal side can be traced back to two brothers who, leaving their home in England, braved the dangers incident to an ocean voyage at the time and became residents of the new world. The paternal grandfather of our subject was William Cloyes, who faithfully served his country in the war of 1812. The maternal grandfather was Philip Beach, who spent his entire life in Vermont. Elijah Cloyes, the father of him whose name heads this review, was born in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, in 1808, and there engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods.
Marshall J. Cloyes spent his boyhood days in Salisbury, Vermont, where he attended the city schools for a time, later pursuing his education in a select school. He then learned the trade of shoemaker, after which he went to Ripton, Vermont, and engaged in the lumber business, making his home in that town for twelve years. In 1859 he came to Kansas, locating in Atchison. He soon, however, purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land and turned his attention to farming and stock raising. As time passed he added to the property until he was the owner of an entire section of six hundred and forty acres. Many substantial improvements he placed upon the farm, making it one of the most desirable and valuable properties in this section of the state. He erected two good residences of eleven rooms each and built four fine barns, one 118 x 42 feet and the other 40 x 50 feet. There were also sheds for hogs and cattle and none of the accessories and improvements of a model farm were lacking. He always raised high grades of stock, believing that it was not a paying investment to deal in other kinds. For some time he bred draft horses and the high grade of animals which he raised won for him an enviable reputation as a stock dealer. He placed his land under cultivation and the well tilled fields indicate to the passerby his careful supervision. For almost twenty years he was recognized as one of the leading agriculturists of the community and continued to actively engage in farming until 1875, when he removed to Atchison, taking up his abode at No. 416 North Seventh street.
On the 5th of July, 1848, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Cloyes and Miss Betsey Hendrick, of Middebury, Vermont, a (daughter of Stillman and Abigail (Haven) Hendrick, natives of Addison county, Vermont. Mrs. Cloyes also was born in the Green Mountain state and died in 1893, leaving two children, Frank E., who is now deputy postmaster at Atchison, and Mark S., a successful agriculturist of Lancaster township, Atchison county. Both are married and have families.
Mr. Cloyes is a member of Washington Lodge, F. & A. M., and has long been accorded a leading place in political circles. He is a stanch advocate of Republican principles and in 1867 was elected on that ticket to represent his district in the state legislature, Where he served on several important committees, leaving the impress of his individuality upon the public measures which passed the house in the session of 1867-68. For eight years he has been a member of the city council of Atchison and is now representing the third ward on the board of aldermen. In the spring of 1891 he was elected the mayor and by re-election filled that position for four years. He handed the reins of municipal government with skill and ability and his administration was marked by progress and practical improvement. He is a man of sound judgment, of practical good sense, of marked loyalty and of unimpeachable integrity, and these qualities have made him a reliable officer who has won wide commendation by his public service. All who know him respect him for his sterling worth and his fidelity to the duties which have been intrusted to him.
W W COCHRANE MD
Dr. Cochrane, for many years a well-known and influential citizen of Atchison,
was born in Owen county, Kentucky, in 1820, and was of Scotch and English
parentage. His father was a physician and practiced from 1812 until 1850 in
Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky. Familiar with the science of medicine from
boyhood, it is not strange that W. W. Cochrane became interested in the subject
and determined to make it his life work. He prepared for his chosen calling in
the Louisville Medical College, in which he was graduated in 1848. He afterward
practiced in Louisville and in Mississippi until 1859, when he came to Atchison,
and for many years was a leading physician of this city. He spent his last years
in retirement, gradually putting aside his active cares on account of his
advanced age. He was one of the first members of the Kansas Medical Society,
joining that body in 1862, and from 1868 until 1872 he was its honored
president. From that date until 1890 he was annually elected treasurer, a fact
which indicates his high standing in the ranks of his profession. His skill and
ability as a medical practitioner was marked and gained him high prestige. He
had deep human sympathy, and would never refuse to make a call even though he
knew he would receive no compensation for his services.
In 1862 the Doctor wedded Miss Mary D. Stuart, at Palmyra, Missouri, and to them
were born three children, who are now living. The Doctor was a high-minded,
honorable gentleman of the old school; at all times courteous and affable, yet
firm and steadfast in his convictions. Those who knew him best loved him most
and understood and appreciated his splendid traits of character. No history of
the medical fraternity of this city would be complete without a record of his
life, for through long years he was one of its leading and most honored
representatives.
D W COLLINS, M D
The successful physician, it is always found, must possess not alone skill and
wisdom in the art of healing, but must have those qualities of mind and heart
which inspire confidence. Dr. Collins, one of the comparatively recent additions
to the medical profession of Atchison county, is frank and genial in manner, his
presence bringing cheer and brightness into the house of suffering and
affliction. He bids fair to win high rank in his beloved field of enterprise,
and his numerous friends, both in Arrington and elsewhere, predict for him a
brilliant future.
He is, to all intents and purposes, a Kansan, as his recollections, even in
early childhood, are of no other section of the country. However, he was born at
Fayette, Pennsylvania, on the 9th of March, 1874. His parents, J. C. and Phoebe
(Woodward) Collins, the former a native of Wellsville, Pennsylvania. They
settled in Kansas in 1877, and reared their son in upright principles. He
received an excellent education in the public and high schools of this state,
and later went to Illinois, where he pursued a course of study in Dixon College.
Having determined to enter the medical profession, he commenced studying with
Dr. Ewing, a prominent physician of this locality. Then entering the Kansas
Medical College, be remained in that celebrated institution until he was
graduated, as a member of the class of 1896. He then engaged in practice at
Baldwin, Kansas, for some time, and in 1897 came to Arrington, where he has
remained. He is a great student, taking the leading medical journals and keeping
posted in all new discoveries relating to disease, its causes and treatment.
Fraternally, he belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America, and is resident
physician for the Arrington Lodge of that order. He is popular with young and
old and has the rare gift of making friends readily and of always retaining
them.
CHARLES EDWIN COOK
None of the inhabitants of Benton township, Atchison county, are more highly
respected than is this worthy pioneer, who has spent his entire mature life in
Kansas, actively associated with her up building and development. He is a
sterling representative of one of the prominent old New England families and
exemplifies in his own life many of the notable characteristics of his sturdy
forefathers.
His great-grandfather, Joseph Cook, Sr., was born February 3, 1735; and was
married November 18, 1756, to Lucretia, a daughter of Benjamin Post. She was the
granddaughter of the poet, Wordsworth, and was related to the Longfellows, of
the United States. To the union of Joseph Cook and wife nine children were born,
of whom the eldest, Joseph Cook, Jr., was born in Connecticut, December 18,
1762. The death of Joseph Cook, Sr., occurred May 9, 1821. Upon arriving at
maturity, Joseph Cook, Jr., who had passed his youth in his native state, chose
for his wife Mercy Gillett, who was of English descent.
One of the children of this worthy couple was Norman, whose birth occurred
October 2, 1792. During the war of 1812 he fought as a trooper in the American
army. His wife, whose maiden name was Permelia Francis, was born in 1799. Five
children were born to them, namely: Mrs. Julia A. Harris, of Windsor, Vermont;
J. W., who died in 1870, at Wathena, Kansas; James Martin and George, deceased,
and Charles Edwin, of this sketch. The parents both died at their old home in
Harrington, Connecticut, the father on December 17, 1862, and the mother in
December, 1843. In his early life Norman Cook learned the trade of a blacksmith,
but his chief occupation was agriculture, in which he was very successful.
Charles Edwin Cook was born at Harrington, Connecticut, February 22, 1835, and
until he arrived at his majority he continued to dwell with or near his parents.
In the public schools of his native town he had acquired an excellent education
and early formed the desire to come to the great and promising west. In 1857 he
located in Wathena, Doniphan county, Kansas, where he resided until the spring
of 1878, when he came to Benton township, Atchison county. Here he purchased two
hundred and forty acres of fine land, to the improvement of which he has devoted
himself ever since. He now has the place under a high state of cultivation,
resides in a pleasant modern house and has erected large barns for the
accommodation of his crops and live stock. Not the least attractive feature of
his farm is the splendid groves of trees, in which he takes just pride.
In 1865 Mr. Cook married Miss Eliza Stevans, a native of Ohio and daughter of
Curtis and Sarah Stevans. Mrs. Cook died in the fall of 1874, leaving one son,
George W., now a civil engineer in New York city. On the 8th of June, 1876, the
marriage of Mr. Cook and Miss Rusha A. Very, a successful teacher, was
solemnized. She was born in Floyd county, Indiana, a daughter of Martin and
Eliza (Graham) Very, the former a native of Brattleboro, Vermont, and the latter
of Floyd county, Indiana. They were married near Albany, Floyd county, Indiana,
and became the parents of nine children, namely: John K., M. C., William Girard,
Martin Luther, Ruby E., Mary L., Rush A., Florence A. and Martha A. After the
death of his first wife Martin Very married again, Julia Graham, and had seven
children: Emily P., Charles F., Lida A., Nathaniel L., William Guest, Frank F.
and Edward N. By occupation the father was a miller and for many years carried
on a mill and farm in Floyd county. In his political faith he was a Republican.
At the time of his death, which event took place in 1870, he was in his
sixty-fourth year. To the union of Charles E. Cook and wife five children were
born. Their only daughter died in infancy and their sons, all of whom reside at
home, are named respectively: Edwin M., Norman W., James M. and Lewis G.
In his political affiliations Mr. Cook is a Republican, but has never been an
aspirant to public office. With the other members of his family he attends the
Methodist Episcopal church and is identified with the membership. He contributes
liberally to the cause of religion and education and is prominent in the local
affairs of his community.
LUTHER CORTELYOU
A resident of Muscotah, Kansas, Mr. Cortelyou is there successfully engaged in
dealing in grain, wood and coal. He is one of the later arrivals in the town,
but since coming to Muscotah, in 1889, he has justly won a place among its
leading business men. He was born December 23, 1851, in Somerset county, New
Jersey, and is a son of James G. and Cornelia (Polhemus) Cortelyou. The family
is of French Huguenot extraction, the original ancestor having fled from France
to Holland during the persecution there by the Catholics. Subsequently Jaques
Cortelyou came to America and a settlement was made on Long Island, and the old
home is to-day an old landmark on the island. Jaques Cortelyou was the
progenitor of the family in this country and the date of his settlement on Long
Island was 1632. He was a prominent character. His son, Peter, was a governor of
the borough in which is now located Brooklyn. James G. Cortelyou, the father of
our subject, married Cornelia, daughter of C. Polhemus, a representative of an
old Holland family, and they became the parents of three children: John G.,
Luther, of this review, and Peter J., of Corning, Nemaha county, Kansas.
The father died in Middlesex county, New Jersey. He as a supporter of the
Democracy and both he and his wife were members of the German Reformed church.
Luther Cortelyou was educated in the public schools of his native state, in
Rutger's College, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and in Eastman's Business College
in Poughkeepsie, New York. He purchased an old southern plantation in Maryland,
on which he resided for twelve years, selling that property on his removal to
Kansas. He was married, in New Jersey, in 1876, to Miss Gertrude Stelle, of
Middlesex county, New Jersey, a daughter of Peter and Sarah E. Stelle. Four
children grace their union, all sons: Luther, Jr., who was graduated in the
Atchison county high school and is now clerking in his father's office; Stelle
is a student at the Atchison county high school; Peter J. and Frank M., the last
two being at home.
Mr. Cortelyou exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and
measures of the Democratic party and was its candidate for county treasurer in
1896. He is a member of the board of trustees for the Muscotah schools and has
given active support to many measures for the public good. He was elected mayor
of Muscotah in April, 1900. He was an organizer of the Kansas Grain Dealers'
Association, organized in December, 1896, and has continuously been a member of
its board of directors, and for the last two years has held the position of
president of the association. Socially he is connected with the Masonic lodge
and is past master of Muscotah Lodge, A. F. & A. M. In the affairs of life he
has won creditable success by his well directed efforts. In manner he is modest
and unassuming, but his genial disposition and estimable qualities have gained
to him high regard.
In the history of the officials of Atchison county J. N. Cox well deserves mention, for he is now efficiently serving as district clerk of the county. He is a western man, possessed of the enterprising spirit which dominates this section of the country and has led to its wonderful development. His birth occurred in Platte cotanty, Missouri, in October, 1856, his parents being J. D. and Elizabeth (Martin) Cox. His paternal grandfather was John Cox, and his maternal grandfather was Henson Martin. Both were natives of Indiana, and at an early period in the development of Missouri purchased land in Platte county, and there spent their remaining days. In 1861 the father of our subject removed from Platte county to Atchison county, Kansas, taking up his abode in Mt. Pleasant township, where he engaged in general farming.
J. N. Cox spent his boyhood days on the family homestead, devoting his time to the duties and pleasures which usually occupy the youth of the present generation. He pursued his education in the district schools until his seventeenth year, after which he continued his studies in the Monroe Institute, of Atchison. Subsequently he engaged in clerking for a time and gained a practical knowledge of mercantile methods that well fitted him for the successful conduct of a business, when he determined to engage in merchandising on his own account. In 1884 he opened a general store in Cummings, Kansas, and conducted it until 1888, when he sold out. In that year he was elected trustee of his township. In 1892 he was elected clerk of the district court, and has since held the office by re-election, his present term continuing until January 4, 1900. His long service well indicates his fidelity to duty and the confidence reposed in him by his fellow townsmen.
In 1888 Mr. Cox was united in marriage to Miss Ella Kennish, of Center township, Atchison county, a daughter of R. Kennish. Three children have been born of this union -- George D., Edward K. and Robert J. The hospitality of their pleasant home is extended to their many friends, for they have a wide acquaintance in Atchison county.
WILLIAM HENRY CROUCH
The farmer is the dependence of the country. The politicians figure on the
farmer and the towns are built up and are supported by him. By the farm is meant
an aggregate of farmers and the word has come to stand for the composite
industry, honesty and patriotism of nearly the whole United States outside of
the towns. No class is better than the individuals who constitute it. Hence the
average farmer is a man to be respected and reckoned with. The Kansas farmer is
the peer of any of his brethren east or west. It is a relief to turn from
detailing the exploits of pioneers and the doings of politicians and leading men
to the consideration of people like the Crouches, a family of which William
Henry Crouch is a worthy representative.
William Henry Crouch, of Everest, Washington township, Brown county, Kansas, is
one of the younger generation of successful farmers, whose life has been one of
exemplary conduct, active industry and prosperous application to business. He
was born in Knox county, Illinois, May 9, 1859. His father, the late David
Crouch, who was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, in 1820, and died near Everest
in 1888, was twice married, the first time to Ann Ewing and the second time to
Elizabeth Patterson. By the first marriage the children were: Robert E., dead;
Susan A., who is Mrs. William S. Cain, of Atchison; Mitchell, of Atchison; and
Winfield S., who is dead. His second wife became the mother of William H.; Jane,
wife of Frank Perry, Canadian county, Oklahoma; John M., a prosperous young
farmer of Brown county; Thomas, who is dead; and Elmer D. Crouch, who is on the
homestead and who is not less prominent than his worthy brothers. The Crouches
of Brown county, Kansas, descended from Scotch ancestry. Their paternal
grandfather, Daniel Crouch, was born in the Queen's dominions and spoke the
Gaelic tongue. He settled in the United States and died in Jefferson county,
Ohio, after having reared a family of seven or eight children.
David Crouch brought his family to Brown county in 1874. He located on a section
joining Everest and became a well-known and prosperous farmer. He died there
after fourteen years' residence among the people of Washington township and was
mourned by a large circle of friends. He lived an upright life and instilled
into the lives of his children those excellent traits that characterize
honorable men and women.
William H. Crouch secured a district school education, chiefly in Illinois. He
learned the art of successful farming from his father, and when he undertook the
battle of life independently it was at this calling. He was not born with a
golden spoon in his mouth, nor was he left with such a legacy a a farm, clear
and ready for his hand. He rented land for a few years and some twenty years ago
felt himself able to undertake the purchase of a farm. He chose the tract which
is now his home, almost adjoining the village of Everest, and few men in that
part of the county have managed their affairs, purely agricultural, so as to
place themselves more at ease than has the subject of this sketch. Mr. Crouch is
one of the many faithful and trustworthy men of his township. Content to carve
out his own destiny in the field of agriculture, he has permitted others the
same privilege and has met conditions as they appeared without grumbling or
bickering. He has a certain belief in lines of public policy, but respects
others who hold views opposite to his own. For himself he has no interest in the
matter of public office. He is identified with the Knights of Pythias, being
chancellor of Everest Lodge. and is not married.
JOSEPH W CULVER
Prominent among the agriculturists of Benton township, Atchison county, is the
gentleman whose name heads this sketch. He is a descendant of one of three
brothers by the name of Culver, who, in 1740, left their home in Wales and came
to America, locating in Long Island, New York. Joseph Culver, grandfather of our
subject, was a soldier in the war for independence, and was with the heroic band
of patriots who spent that memorable winter at Valley Forge, under the command
of General Washington. His wife came from the old English family of Root and
five sons were born to the worthy couple. One of them, William, father of J. W.
Culver, was a native of Cayuga county, New York, where he wedded Susan Kirby, a
native of Massachusetts, and a direct descendant of the White family who, as is
well known, were among the passengers on the world-famous Mayflower. In 1840
William Culver, with his wife and children, removed to Ohio and ten years later
they located in Knox county, Illinois. The father died at the ripe age of eighty
years, at his home in Knoxville. He was a Republican, politically, and his wife
was a member of the Congregational church. Their eldest child, Caroline Ross,
resides in Farmington, Illinois, and Cynthia Jane Chapin makes her home in
Knoxville, Illinois. Mrs. Elizabeth Miller departed this life in August, 1899,
at Nortonville, Kansas. William E. Culver is a respected citizen of Wataga,
Illinois.
Joseph W. Culver was born in Erie county, New York, October 23, 1834. He was six
years old when his parents removed to the Buckeye state, where most of his
education was obtained in the common schools near Akron. Then, for several
years, he dwelt in Illinois, but returned to New York to wed the lady of his
choice, and for three years subsequent to his marriage lived in the "oil
regions" of Pennsylvania. In 1866 they came to Illinois, and at the close of
another period of three years settled in Kansas. Here Mr. Culver purchased three
hundred and twenty acres of land, all situated in Beuton township. Under his
judicious management the place has constantly increased in value until it is now
considered one of the most desirable homesteads in this section. For years Mr.
Culver has been one of the most extensive dealers in live stock in this township
and, in order to meet the requirements of that business, erected large barns and
made other improvements. A substantial modern house stands upon a pleasant site
and everything about the place bespeaks the constant care of the thrifty
proprietor.
In January, 1863, Mr. Culver married Rebecca Sherman, in Erie county, New York.
She was born in that county, a daughter of Jonathan and Mercy (Pickens) Sherman,
both of whom are deceased. Mrs. Culver, who was a lady of many lovable
qualities, died in August, 1880. She left three children to mourn her loss,
namely: George E., who is an enterprising young farmer of this township;
William, now twenty-three years of age and living at home; and Maud Babcock,
adopted by O. W. Babcock, of Nortonville, Kansas. In 1883 Mr. Culver married
Mrs. C. S. Burdick, of this county. She was born and reared to womanhood in
Potter county, Pennsylvania, and at the time of her marriage to our subject was
the widow of Elmer Burdick. Her maiden name was Reynolds.
Politically Mr. Culver is affiliated with the Republican party, and ever since
depositing his first presidential vote for Lincoln has been loyal to his party.
His influence and means are always confidently relied upon for the promotion of
enterprises which make for morality, justice and good government, and his
upright, manly course in life should be emulated by the rising generation.
WILLIAM H H CURTIS
Among the representatives of the bar at Severance is this well-known attorney,
whose position as one of the leading lawyers is due to indefatigable effort and
close application to his business. Advancement in no profession depends so
largely upon individual merit as it does in the law. Wealth or influential
friends avail not, for progress at the bar is made by earnest purpose, accurate
knowledge and the correct application of legal principles to the points in
litigation. Mr. Curtis is accorded an enviable position among the members of the
legal fraternity and is regarded as one of the leading citizens of his adopted
county.
Often the name of a man indicates the time of his birth, and such is the case
with our subject, who was born in 1840, at the time the old hero of Tippecanoe
was a presidential candidate, and thus he came by his name of William Henry
Harrison Curtis. He was born in Adams county, near Quincy, and came to Doniphan
county, in 1854. When the war broke out he was a law student in Atchison and
with patriotic ardor he responded to the call for troops, enlisting in Company
K, First Kansas Regiment, May 30, 1861. For three years he faithfully followed
the old flag and aided in the defense of the Union, until June, 1864, when he
received an honorable discharge.
On leaving the army Mr. Curtis could not at once resume his studies, for his
eyesight had been impaired by a wound he had received in the head. It was
necessary that he should provide for his own support and at once he engaged in
any honorable work which offered. His path was not then strewn with roses
exclusively: indeed the thorns were more numerous than the roses. A resolute
will, however, enabled him to overcome these, and by industry and economy he was
at length enabled to purchase an interest in a mill in Doniphan county. This was
later swept away by the washing out of the river bank. Subsequently Mr. Curtis
devoted his energies to various business interests, but is now engaged in the
practice of law in Severance and has a distinctively representative clientage.
He has been connected with much of the important litigation tried in the courts
of the district and has won some notable victories. He throws himself easily and
naturally into the argument and has an excellent reputation among lawyers for
his wide research and provident care with which he prepares his cases.
In October, 1872, Mr. Curtis was united in marriage to Miss Fanny Leonhard, of
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His political support is given to the Republican party
and he has taken quite an active interest in its work. He was a member of the
Republican convention in 1882 and opposed the nomination of St. John for a third
term. He has been twice elected the mayor of Severance and twice the treasurer
of Wolf River township, and his faithfulness to duty in those positions has won
him high commendation.
WILLIAM M DAILEY
William M. Dailey, head miller for the Blair Milling Company, Atchison, Kansas,
is -- to use a well worn but expressive phrase -- the right man in the right
place. A brief sketch of his life with reference to his ancestry is as follows:
William M. Dailey was born in Joliet. Illinois, June 5, 1858, a son of John and
Ellen (Griffin) Dailey, and the oldest of their family of seven children, --
four sons and three daughters, -- all of whom are living except one daughter.
The living daughters are married, Jennie being now the wife of John Walsh, of
Atchison, Kansas, and Mattie wife of William Sutton, of Michigan. The parents,
both natives of Ireland, were brought to the United States in childhood and were
reared in Illinois. John Dailey was for a number of years a locomotive engineer
on the Rock Island Railroad and later spent some years in freighting on the
plains. He and his wife are still living and he is now retired, their home being
in Atchison, Kansas, to which place they moved in 1859, when the subject of our
sketch was in his infancy.
At Atchison, William M. was reared and educated, in his youth attending the
common schools. Leaving school at the age of fourteen years, he entered the
employ of the Blair Milling Company, beginning work at the very bottom of the
ladder and working his way up, step by step, until he reached his present
position, that of head miller. He has been identified with this company ever
since with the exception of three years, 1890 to 1893, when he was in North
Dakota, Wisconsin and Colorado. It was in 1883 that he became the head miller,
and that he has held this position for so long a time in this, the largest,
milling establishment in Atchison, is ample evidence of his faithfulness and
efficiency.
Mr. Dailey was married, in 1891, to Miss Agnes Thomas, of Leavenworth, Kansas, a
daughter of Jacob Thomas. They have two sons, -- William F. and Walter Milton.
Mr. Dailey has always shown an interest in public affairs, especially those of a
local nature, and while he has never asked for official favors he was in 1896
elected a member of the Atchison city council to represent the first ward. This
position he filled until 1899. He is a member in good standing of Golden Cross
Lodge, No. 7, Knights of Pythias.
DENNIS P DELANEY
Dennis P. Delaney, the clerk of the district court of Doniphan county and the
general agent for the McCormick Manufacturing Company, was born on the 21st of
March, 1864, in the county which is still his home. He now maintains his
residence in Severance and is recognized as one of the leading business men and
representative citizens. His parents, John and Catharine (Redmond) Delaney, were
both natives of Queens county, Ireland, and at an early day took up their
residence in Doniphan county, Kansas, where they are now among the pioneer
settlers. The mother died in 1857, but the father long survived her and passed
away in 1891. Both were devout members of the Catholic church.
Dennis P. Delaney attended the district schools and later entered St. Benedict's
College, in Atchison, Kansas, in which he was graduated in 1885. Thus well
equipped for the practical and responsible duties of life he entered upon his
business career as a farmer and for two years engaged in tilling the soil and
then came to Severance, where he embarked in business as a member of the firm of
Severing & Delaney. That relation was maintained for one year, when the firm of
Delaney & Lyon was formed, his partner being Thomas Lyon until 1896. In that
year Mr. Delaney sold his interest and was soon after appointed clerk of the
district court to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of E. R. Westfall. At
the regular election he was chosen for that position and was re-elected in 1898,
so that he will be the incumbent until January, 1901. For some years he has been
the general agent for the McCormick Implement Company, attending to the
introduction and sale of their goods through the greater part of the state of
Kansas. His energy and keen discrimination in business affairs brought to him
success along that line, while his fidelity to duty in positions of public trust
has made him one of the most popular officers in Doniphan county.
On the 18th of June, 1881, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Delaney and Miss
Rosa Lyon, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Lyon. She was born in this county,
her parents being among the pioneer settlers. Three children grace their union,
-- Thomas, Vernon and Daniel. In his political views Mr. Delaney is a
Republican, takes a deep interest in the success and growth of the party and
exerts a wide influence among its followers. Both he and his wife have spent
their entire lives in Doniphan county, where they are well and favorably known,
few having filled public office in this locality as efficiently and acceptably
as has the subject of this review.
WILLIAM DENTON
There is not a more interesting family connected with the history of Doniphan
county, Kansas, than the Denton family, different members of which are referred
to somewhat at length in these pages. In a biographical sketch of George Denton,
the eldest son of William and Mary (Welbourn) Denton, which will be found
elsewhere in this work, the early history of the family is referred to. The
subject of this sketch is the fourth in order of nativity of the children of
William and Mary (Welbourn) Denton, and is the third William Denton in his
family in direct line of descent.
William Denton, who was a pioneer in Doniphan county, Kansas, is a prosperous
farmer and prominent representative of that worthy family in honor of whom the
village of Denton was named. He was born at Welton, Lincolnshire, England,
January 17, 1831, and obtained a fair education in the schools then common to
pupils of his station. At the youthful age of thirteen years he began the actual
struggle of life. His term of service was by the year, his labor was on a farm
and his compensation was two pounds. As he gained strength and experience, his
wages were increased accordingly, and when he entered his eighth year as a farm
laborer he was drawing twelve pounds a year and board. As he approached his
majority he permitted himself to think seriously of leaving the old world with
its plodding customs and poor opportunities for labor, for the new world and its
push and rush, where men are equal in civil rights and merit wins.
He sailed from Liverpool, in 1852, on the Kossuth, and landed in New York seven
weeks and four days after his embarkation. One incident of the journey is worthy
of mention as showing the streak of economy, with its attendant good results,
that had been made a part of him by years of work and self-denial. Many
passengers, having as they thought provisions of their own with them sufficient
for the voyage, fell into the custom of throwing away the food allotted to them
by the vessel commissary. This piece of criminal extravagance young Denton could
not endure, and he procured a gunny sack for the reception of this food that it
might serve some good purpose. When one would declare, I don't want these
crackers, or this or that," Mr. Denton would say, Throw it into the sack." The
vessel was becalmed, made no progress and was consequently delayed some weeks in
reaching New York. Some of the passengers ate all their own food and such full
rations as the ship could supply and finally had to rely upon the young
Englishman's gunny sack to dispel their hunger.
Mr. Denton, who was bound for Morrow county, Ohio, stopped at Caledonia two
years, worked at 0dd jobs, including livery stable and farm work, but believed
he was not yet far enough west. He longed for the gold fields of the Pacific and
in 1854 left New York harbor for San Francisco. He crossed the Isthmus of
Panama, partially by rail and partially on foot and when he reached the city of
the Golden Gate he had but two dollars and fifty cents remaining. Upon looking
about for work he found a scythe waiting his acceptance and with it he earned,
at hay harvest, forty-five dollars a month. At the end of a month he made a
demand on his employer, one Green, for his wages, and hurried away to the gold
diggings on the Yuba river. He hung around Barton's Bar a month before getting
work and was then employed to help flume the river and placed on the pay roll at
four dollars a day for the summer. The following winter he went into the timber
to the Union saw-mills and remained with the concern two or three years, cutting
logs and doing such other labor as is needed round a mill. Later for two years
he was employed at a mill near Coloma. He then went to farming in the Sacramento
valley at fifty dollars a month. The second year he rented one hundred acres
from his employer and sowed it to small grain. This proved to be one of his best
ventures. He sold his crop the following year and returned by the water route to
New York. He reached that city just after the draft riot had been quelled and
while cannon were still visible on street corners.
Going back to Ohio Mr. Denton bought a small farm and held it two years. He then
sold it and came to Kansas, reaching Doniphan county in June, 1865, after a long
trip by boat from Cincinnati to Atchison. His first investment was the purchase
of a forty-acre corn crop on Wolf river. He afterward bought a small farm on
that stream and lived on it until 1867, when he came to his present home near
the village of Denton, a part of which is included in the town site. To his
original purchase of a quarter-section, Mr. Denton has added another of the same
acreage and the whole farm is one of the most valuable in the county. He has
developed into one of the most successful grain raisers and general farmers in
Union township and has been reasonably successful at handing stock, though his
operations in that way have been comparatively small. Mr. Denton has for ten
years been township treasurer.
Mr. Denton was married, in 1864, to Margaret Chaney, a daughter of James Chaney
and a native of Bureau county, Illinois. James Chaney's parents lived in
Georgetown, District of Columbia, where he was born about 1787: both died when
he was four years old. He fell into the hands of a Virginian, a Mr. White, who
taught him the trade of cabinetmaker and with whom he remained until, in the
seventeenth year of his age, his master was intolerably abusive to him and he
ran away before he had completed the term for which he was bound, and went to
New Orleans. There he enlisted for service in the Mexican war and he did
soldier's duty until he was discharged. He then came up the Mississippi river
and on up the Missouri river to St. Joseph, then an outpost of civilization. He
drifted about the west for a time, but finally settled in Clark county, Ohio.
Later he moved to Bureau county, Illinois, and was engaged in farming there. He
was twice married, first to Sophia Layton, by whom there is no surviving issue,
and secondly to Clarissa Marple, who bore him ten children, of whom Mrs. Denton
was the second born. Her brothers are: Samuel Chaney, of Hastings, Nebraska;
James S. and George Chaney, a farmer and a merchant, respectively, of Denton,
Kansas, and prominent and successful business men, both of whom were Federal
soldiers in the civil war and did their duty well and fearlessly; John Chaney,
of Marysville, Kansas; David and Richard Chaney, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Her
sisters are: Ruth, the wife of William Heller, of Bedford, Iowa, and Clarissa,
the wife of Oliver Heator, of Denton, Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Denton have an
adopted daughter, Daisy, a young lady of much promise, born in Doniphan county,
eighteen years ago. The family affiliates with the United Brethren church.
LUTHER DICKINSON
Luther Dickinson, a retired farmer is one who through the power of memory may
again undergo the experiences of pioneer life. He watched the progress of events
which made Kansas the center of the bitter struggle between the north and the
south prior to the civil war, and witnessed the later development and continued
progress that has placed Atchison county upon a par with any of the counties of
the state. Years ago he came to this locality and is still living on the farm,
in Shannon township, where he located many decades ago.
Mr. Dickinson was born in Washington county, Ohio, September 12, 1825, and his
father, Joseph Dickinson, was a native of Virginia, and was by occupation a
farmer. The Dickinsons are of Irish lineage, although the family has always been
of the Protestant faith. William Dickinson, the grandfather of our subject, was
a resident of Fort Du Quesne, near Pittsburg. The mother of our subject bore the
maiden name of Sallie Daily, and she, too, was a native of the Old Dominion, in
which place the days of her girlhood were passed. After her marriage she
accompanied her husband to Ohio, where they took up their abode upon a farm.
Luther Dickinson early became familiar with all the duties and labors that fall
to the lot of the agriculturist. He pursued his education in a school in
Tippecanoe county, Indiana, to which place his parents had removed. His father
died there, and the mother afterward went with her family to Muscatine, Iowa,
where her death occurred in 1839. Luther Dickinson there remained with his
brothers and sisters until 1844, when he became a resident of Saline county,
Missouri, where he followed the carpenter's trade for nine years. In 1854, when
the northeastern tracts of Kansas were opened up to civilization, he came to
Atchison county and pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land, for which he
afterward paid the usual government price of a dollar and a quarter an acre. To
that he added until his farm comprises two hundred acres of rich land which he
placed under a high state of cultivation. He, however, turned the first furrow
in the fields and performed the arduous task of developing the new farm. In
addition to the cultivation of grain he engaged in stock-raising, for the
unclaimed tracts in Shannon township afforded fine pasturage. He erected upon
his place a substantial home, good barns and other necessary outbuildings, and
planted an excellent orchard. Gradually he gave more and more attention to fruit
growing, his home being in the midst of the fruit belt of Atchison county. He
made a specialty of peaches, raising some of the finest specimens ever seen in
the state. He kept upon his place a high grade of cattle, horses and hogs, and
at all times followed progressive methods. Now he has largely left the care of
the farm to others, yet still superintends it to some extent, and has the
satisfaction of knowing that his valuable and desirable place is the result of
his own well directed efforts and labors.
During the trying times which preceded the civil war, when party strife ran very
high, he often with difficulty saved his cattle from being driven off by those
who were politically opposed to him. He was, however, a stout, athletic man of
great courage and resolution, and he not only defended his property but also
freely expressed his political views, being a free-state man. His fellow
townsmen, having confidence in his trustworthiness, elected him to the office of
county commissioner, and he was serving in that capacity when, in 1858, he was
elected to the state legislature. That was a stormy period in the sessions of
the general assembly of Kansas, but neither fear nor favor could deter him from
supporting any measure which he believed to be right.
In 1845 Mr. Dickinson was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Vizer, of
Missouri, a daughter of David and Eliza (Aid) Vizer. She was born in Montgomery
county, Kentucky, and when she died she left the following children, namely:
Darius R., a resident of Atchison; Joseph B.; Mary; Simons; Aurelia and Arealia,
who are twins, the latter now the wife of John Wiggins, of Atchison; Luther;
John C., also a resident of this city; and Sally, wife of John Slack, of
Atchison. In 1898 Mr. Dickinson was again married, his second union being with
Mrs. Amarac Johnson.
Mr. Dickinson is a representative citizen who yet feels marked interest in all
the public affairs and withholds his support from no enterprise which he
believes would be of public benefit. He actively assisted in preparing plans for
the Pike's Peak Railway and for the Central Branch Railway, which is now a part
of the Missouri Pacific system. Through the long years of his residence here he
has ever commanded the respect and confidence of his fellow men. He has now
passed the seventy-fourth milestone on life's journey, yet is well preserved,
and it is the wish of his many friends that he may yet be spared for many years
to come. His identification with the pioneer settlement of Atchison county as
well as his upright life entitles him to representation in this volume, and with
pleasure we present to our readers the history of his career.
HENRY DIESBACH
Henry Diesbach, deceased, was for many years a prominent resident of Atchison,
Kansas, coming to the city at an early period in its development and took an
active part in the promotion of the business interests which have contributed to
its material growth and prosperity. A native of Germany, he was born in
Heidelberg, Baden, on the 11th of September, 1819, and in accordance with the
laws of his native land attended school between the ages of six and fourteen
years. Entering upon his business career, be became familiar with the methods
followed in mercantile establishments, but, believing that the new world offered
better opportunities to young men of ambition and resolute purpose, he bade
adieu to the fatherland and crossed the Atlantic to the new world in 1843,
landing in New Orleans. He made his way to Frankfort, Kentucky, and engaged in
the shoe business, being a shoemaker by trade. There, in 1853, he was
naturalized as a citizen of the United States.
But the west attracted him and in 1858 he came to the rapidly developing city of
Atchison, where he established a general store on a small scale. He applied
himself diligently to the building up of a good business and in order to gain
the results desired, he followed most commendable methods. In trade transactions
his honesty was above question and at times he was courteous and earnestly
desired to please his patrons. These qualities were the means of bringing to him
a constantly increasing patronage, in order to meet which he enlarged his
facilities from time to time. Prosperity attended his efforts and he became the
possessor of a handsome competence, leaving to his family a large estate. He
made judicious investments in realty, becoming the owner of three business
houses and eight dwellings, besides other property.
In 1859 Mr. Diesbach was united in marriage in Atchison to Miss Elizabeth L. Leu,
a native of Switzerland, and the second daughter of Jacob and Verana (Kessler)
Leu. Her parents had eight children. Mr. and Mrs. Diesbach had no children of
their own, but reared a daughter, Miss Bertha Studer. Mr. Diesbach became a
member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Frankfort, Kentucky, where he
was in the shoe business a few years before he came to Atchison, and affiliated
with the organization at Atchison after coming to the west. He was an
enterprising, industrious man, whose success in life was the result of his own
well-directed efforts. The obstacles in his path he overcame by determined
purpose and by resolute will, steadily working his way upward to a position
among the substantial citizens of his adopted state. All who knew him esteemed
him for his sterling worth and his death, which occurred on the 8th of April,
1893, was mourned by many friends. His remains were laid to rest in Mount Vernon
cemetery in Atchison, but his memory is enshrined in the hearts of many who knew
him. He was very just, true and upright, and in many respects his example was
well worthy of emulation.
Since her husband's death Mrs. Diesbach has made quite extensive investments in
real estate. She has built two dwelling houses in Atchison, which she rents,
together with other property left her by her husband, and in this way she has
not only provided a good income for herself but has been a benefit to the
community by furnishing employment to many men. She possesses excellent business
qualifications and is conducting her affairs in a most able manner. A member of
the Evangelical church of Atchison, all who know her esteem her for her sterling
worth and her kindly manner. In 1876 Mr. and Mrs. Diesbach visited Europe,
spending six months in Germany.
One of the most important lines of business which has sprung into existence within the present century is that of insurance, which provides against losses by fire and other accidents and also is a means of leaving to families a comfortable competence when death has deprived them of one whom they have depended upon for support. A well-known fire and life insurance agent of Atchison, Kansas, is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch and who has built up an excellent business by reason of his reliable dealing and indefatigable efforts. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, November 13, 1869, and is a son of R. B. and Ann M. (Selby) Drury. The father was born in Montgomery county, Missouri, June 14, 1844, and is a son of Charles J. and Sallie (Weisman) Drury. The latter was a daughter of James Weisman, one of the pioneers of Missouri, to which state he removed from Virginia, in 1808. The late R. B. Drury, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a prominent real-estate dealer of Atchison, and the family is one widely and favorably known.
Arthur S. Drury completed his literary education in the high school of Atchison and later pursued a commercial course in the Atchison Business College. From 1887 until 1895 he filled a position in the State Bank. In February, 1896 he bought out the firm of Rogers & Carr in the life and fire insurance business and is now representing several of the most reliable New England companies. His success has been quite marked and writing up many policies he has secured there from a liberal income.
In September, 1893, Mr. Drury was united in marriage to Miss Agnes N. Davis, of Atchison, a daughter of William M. Davis, one of the early settlers and leading merchant tailors of the city. They now have an interesting little daughter, Anna, who is the life and light of the parents home. Mr. and Mrs. Drury are widely known and their friends in the community are many.
EDWARD A EGE
Edward A. Ege owns and superintends a farm of one hundred and sixty-two acres in
Wayne township, Doniphan county, the place being pleasantly located about four
and a half miles from Brenner and nine miles from Atchison. Markets are thus of
easy access and it is therefore not difficult to obtain all the conveniences and
privileges of town life. The farm is one of the best properties in the locality,
its fields being under a high state of cultivation, while modern accessories and
improvements indicate the careful supervision and progressive spirit of the
owner, who is regarded as one of the successful farmers of his community.
Mr. Ege is a native of Carroll county, Maryland, where his birth occurred on the
5th of April, 1840. His father, Colonel Andrew G. Ege, was a soldier and officer
in the Mexican war, and the grandfather, Michael Ege, was also a soldier in the
service of his country. The Colonel was born and reared in Pennsylvania, and
married Miss Margaret Ann McKaleb, a lady of Scotch-Irish descent and a daughter
of Major McKaleb, of Maryland, an officer in the war of 1812. In 1854 Colonel
Ege brought his family to the west, journeying by steamboat and stage to St.
Joseph, Missouri, where he entered into partnership in the real estate business
with General Jefferson Thompson, of Confederate fame. He became very successful
in that line of business and was at one time the owner of over eight thousand
acres of land and other valuable property. When the war came on the land
depreciated greatly in value and taxes were very high and this led him to
dispose of much of his property. He was a genial and jovial gentleman of the old
school, interested in outdoor sports, and he always kept his riding horses and
hounds ready for the hunt. The circle of his friends was very extensive and his
home was celebrated for its hospitality. His death occurred in Highland,
Doniphan county, Kansas, when seventy-seven years of age and his wife passed
away when only thirty-eight years of age. In politics he was a supporter of the
Democracy and both he and his wife were consistent members of the Presbyterian
church. In their family were five children, three of whom are now living: John
M., a resident of Oklahoma Territory; Andrew G., who went to Fort Worth, Texas,
in 1858, as a printer, and is now residing on a ranch in the Lone Star state;
Ed, of this review; Mrs. Mary Jane Rodgers, who died in Maryland; and William,
who was killed by accident November 1, 1884, leaving a widow and three children.
E. A. Ege was a lad of fifteen years when his father came to the west. He
obtained a good education in the schools of Maryland and in St. Joseph,
Missouri, and during his youth assisted his father in business. In 1859 he went
west with an ox team. remaining from home two years. During the war he was in
the Confederate service, under General Price, for eight months, and was for some
time employed as the government teamster at Fort Bridger, on the North Platte
river. Since his marriage, however, he has devoted his time and energies to
farming and is to-day the owner of one of the most valuable tracts of land in
this locality.
In 1867 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Ege and Miss Mary A. Muldoon, who was
born and reared in New York, a daughter of E. Muldoon, of Atchison, an ex-county
commissioner. Mr. and Mrs. Ege became the parents of seven children, namely:
Charles A., of Chickasha, Indian Territory; Mary A., the wife of Charles
Swinford, of Doniphan county; Etta G., who is in Atchison; John J., at home; and
three children who died in infancy. After the death of his brother William, he
took his brother's two younger children -- Chloe and Thommy -- to raise and
educate and they are still in his family. Mrs. Ege was called to her final rest
on the 18th of September, 1889, at forty-one years of age. She was a member of
the Catholic church and a most estimable lady, whose many excellent qualities
gained her the regard of her friends. In business Mr. Ege is noted for his
industry and careful management, in social life for his genial and courteous
manner and as a citizen for his loyalty to and support of all measures which he
believes will prove a public benefit. He well deserves mention among the
representative men of Doniphan county, where he has resided for almost a
half-century.
G H ELLIS
A native of England, G. H. Ellis was born in Lincolnshire on the 13th of March,
1840, and is a son of Dr. Matthew J. Ellis, who was born in the same shire and
for over forty years was a successful practicing physician and surgeon. He
married Frances Groves, also a native of Lincolnshire. The Doctor was a typical
English gentleman of means, fond of out-door sports and always kept his horses
and hounds ready for the hunt. In 1853, however, he determined to seek a home in
America and with his family crossed the Atlantic, arriving in the new world
after a perilous voyage of six weeks on the vessel Golconda. Several severe
storms were encountered, the mast of the ship was lost and the vessel sprang a
leak which necessitated the working of the pumps night and day. The passengers
were thus pressed into service, but ultimately all danger was averted and they
reached the harbor of New Orleans in safety, being tugged in by two steamers,
one being on either side of the Golconda. Dr. Ellis went by boat up river as far
as Keokuk, Iowa, and then he and his family secured teams and an outfit to take
them on their westward journey across the plains, but before leaving the Hawkeye
state the mother died. The father and children, however, continued on their way
to Utah, where they remained for some time, after which they went to Idaho and
finally to California. There the father's death occurred, in 1861, when he had
arrived at the age of fifty-one years. In the family were eleven children, but
six daughters died in England during their early girlhood. William died in Salt
Lake City, Utah, at the age of nineteen years; Joseph died in Doniphan county,
Kansas, at the age of twenty-one years. He was very successful financially and
left to his widow and daughter, Miss Anna Ellis, a very comfortable competence.
G. H. Ellis, of this review, was only fourteen years of age when the family
crossed the briny deep to the new world. He acquired in the schools of England a
limited education. For some years he was located in Idaho, where he engaged in
trading. He spent five years on a cattle ranch in California and one year in
Utah, after which he started eastward across the plains, making the journey on
horseback and leading a pack horse. Subsequently he made two other trips across
the plains, once with a six-yoke ox team to Denver and later with a six-mule
team. In 1867 he took up his abode in Doniphan county, Kansas, locating on a
farm near Syracuse, now called Denton. There he remained for six years. At the
expiration of that period he purchased a farm in Lancaster township, near Huron.
For a number of years he devoted his time to the cultivation and development of
that property and in 1892 came to Effingham in order to secure better
educational advantages for his children. He there owns a valuable farm property,
however; his place near Huron contains one hundred and sixty acres of valuable
land under a high state of cultivation and improved with a substantial modern
residence and other excellent farm buildings. He also owns a farm of eighty
acres in Grasshopper township, near Muscotah, Atchison county.
On the 13th of March, 1870, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Ellis and Miss
Rosline M. Hopkins, a representative of a good family and a lady of culture and
education. She was born in Clinton township, Elkhart county, Indiana, about
eight miles from Goshen, and is a daughter of James M. and Sally (Chivington)
Hopkins. In their family were five children. of whom three are now living,
namely: Mrs. Rippey, of Severance, Kansas; A. H. who is living in Indiana, and
Mrs. Ellis, who for a number of years was a successful and proficient teacher of
music. The father died in Indiana in 1861. He was a stanch Republican in his
political views and a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln. During the election of
1860 it was greatly due to his efforts that his township gave a majority to
Lincoln, for he secured a spring wagon and traveled all day long, bringing
Lincoln voters to the polls. Both he and his wife were members of the Methodist
church and lived to be well along in years, she dying several years after him.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Ellis has been blest with eight children and the
two oldest are twins, namely: Charles Henry and James Madison, the former, who
is now a stockman of Effingham, married a daughter of Judge B. F. Snyder, of
that place, while the latter, who is in the employ of D. C. Newcomb at Atchison,
married Miss Eva Preston, a daughter of Dr. Preston, also of Effingham, and they
have two children, -- Lawrence Preston and Clarence; Carrie, the wife of James
Dare, of Severance, and they have two children; George W. is unmarried; Frances
is the wife of Charles Hettic, who resides on the old homestead in Lancaster
township, Atchison county, and has two children; Emma J. graduated in the class
of 1900 at the county high school, completing a general course and a course in
music; Cora is a student in the high school; and Sallie, who completes the
family, is pursuing her education in the common schools.
Mr. Ellis has made two trips to England and has therefore five times crossed the
ocean and he has also spent considerable time in Texas. He has thereby gained a
knowledge and experience which only travel can bring. He votes with the
Republican party and while residing in Doniphan county held a number of public
offices. He and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal and Christian
churches of Effingham, and for the latter Miss Emma J. Ellis is organist. They
are all earnest Christian people, taking an active part in the work of the
church, the Sunday school, the Christian Endeavor Society and the Epworth
League. Mr. Ellis led an active and useful life during his residence upon the
farm and his capable management accumulated a handsome competence which,
together with his income which he receives for his property, enables him to live
retired. He has watched with interest the development and up building of this
section of the state and has ever borne his part in the work of advancement, so
that he well deserves mention among the honored pioneers.
JAMES MONROE EYLAR
The American progenitor of the family of Eylars, of which James Monroe and Aaron
Randolph Eylar, of Eden, Doniphan county, Kansas, are worthy representatives,
was one of the name who, with his brother John, emigrated from Germany to
Maryland, where the grandfather of James M. and Aaron R. Eylar married a woman
of the Rosemiller family, of Revolutionary note. John Eylar and his wife he
buried side by side at Fincastle, Ohio. Their son, Joseph Eylar, father of the
two prominent residents of Doniphan county above mentioned, was born near
Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1786, and died in Adams county, Ohio, in 1851. He
served the United States in the army in the war of 1812, moved to Ohio in 1808,
established a tannery at Winchester and built up a large and profitable
business. He was a prominent Democrat and was elected to the office of associate
justice of the district in which he lived.
Joseph Eylar was twice married. His first wife was Elizabeth Fenton, a native of
Kentucky and granddaughter of Jerry Fenton, who was a pioneer in Ohio about the
time it became a state and died there soon afterward on his new farm. The
children of Joseph and Elizabeth (Fenton) Eylar were: Samuel, who lives near
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; James M., of Union township, Doniphan county, Kansas;
Elizabeth, wife of F. T. Liggett, of Ripley, Ohio; Emeline, who married Alburtus
McMeekin, of Columbus, Ohio; Aaron Randolph, of Union township, Doniphan county,
Kansas; and Charles, of Oklahoma. For his second wife Joseph Eylar married
Elizabeth Fenton, a relative of his first wife. Of their nine children not one
survives. Those who left families were: Ruth, who married Colonel J. R.
Cockrell; Mary, who married Richard Moore; and Mrs. Sallie Ann McNown.
James Monroe Eylar, born in Adams county, Ohio, June 3, 1838, spent his boyhood
and youth at Winchester, Ohio, and acquired a good English education in the
village schools. He went to Kansas in 1854 and settled on a claim near Doniphan
to secure it for his uncle, Mr. Fenton, who lived near Rushville, Missouri. He
made the journey from Cincinnati to St. Louis on the steamer Castle Garden and
from St. Louis to Atchison on the steamer Honduras. he disembarked at George
William's landing, on the Missouri river, opposite Atchison, in September of the
year mentioned, and corroborates the usual statement that at that time things
about there had a blank and forbidding appearance and that many of the men he
encountered there and elsewhere on the way from Ohio to Kansas were
characteristically "wild and woolly." He went to his destination on what is now
the Langdon farm and during the succeeding three years "played farmer" to some
practical purpose. Of his few neighbors in that early period only William
Lancaster remains to tell the story of the border days in that part of Doniphan
county.
In 1857 Mr. Eylar went back to his native county in Ohio and made his home there
during the. succeeding eight years, which comprised the period of the civil war.
He entered the service of the United States government, in 1863, as a teamster
in the quartermaster's department, and the command to which he was attached
traversed the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, and it was the fortune of Mr.
Eylar to be present at the siege of Knoxville. After two years service, which
ended with the cessation of hostilities, he was discharged, and he then located
in Buchanan county, Missouri, where he farmed successfully until 1880, where he
a second time went to Doniphan county, Kansas, this time to better his own
fortunes.
Immediately after his arrival in the county, in 1880, Mr. Eylar bought his
present farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which he has since improved greatly
in every way and brought to a high state of productiveness. It ranks with the
best stock farms in the county and Mr. Eylar is recognized as a progressive
farmer who knows how to produce good crops and dispose of them to advantage. He
devotes himself to general farming and has made a marked success of raising
hogs.
Politically Mr. Eylar is a Democrat. His forefathers were devoted to Democratic
principles and he has never seen reason why he should falter in his allegiance
to them. He is not an office seeker or an active politician but takes a
patriotic interest in all public questions. Mr. Eylar was married, near
Jacksonville, Ohio, March 5, 1862, to Louisa, daughter of Matthew and Elizabeth
(Guilford) Sample. Mr. and Mrs. Eylar's children are: Virginia, wife of
Christian Swartz, of Brown county, Kansas; James A., who married Etta McGregor
and is employed by the Smith-Premier Typewriter Company, at St. Louis, Missouri;
Matthew S., who married Alice Archer and is manager of the office of the Hatch
Book Typewriter Company in New York city; and Joseph, Edward and Fenton, all
members of their parents household.
DALLAS E FARNSWORTH
Dallas Elijah Farnsworth, city passenger and ticket agent for the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad at Atchison, Kansas, and the treasurer of the Home
Printing Company of this place, is a gentleman of well known business standing.
A native of the Keystone state, he was born in Bradford county, Pennsylvania,
April 13, 1844, a son of David and Philena A. (Haven) Farnsworth, both natives
of Vermont. David Farnsworth was for many years connected with the Pennsylvania
state militia and during the war of 1812 held a colonel's commission. In early
life the parents of our subject moved from the Green Mountain state to
Pennsylvania and settled in Bradford county, where they remained until 1869,
when they went to Monroe, Wisconsin. At the last named place the father died, in
1882. The mother is still living, at this writing, and is a resident of Denver,
Colorado. Their family consisted of two sons and three daughters and all are
married and settled in life except the youngest son, who died at the age of
twenty-one. One daughter, Mrs. Olive C. Reineck, is a resident of New Brunswick,
New Jersey; another, Mrs. William C. Burrows, lives in Leavenworth, Kansas; and
the third, Mrs. Ella F. Elliott, is in Denver, Colorado.
D. E. Farnsworth was reared and received his early education in his native
county. At the age of. eighteen he journeyed westward and found employment in
the woodenware factory at Menasha, Wisconsin. Afterward he entered Ripon College
and spent four years in that institution. In 1870 he came to Atchison, Kansas,
and secured the position of cashier in the store of D. C. Newcomb, with whom he
remained one year. At the end of this time he accepted a position as assistant
to E. S. Wills, then a ticket agent for the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad. In
1876 he was promoted to the position of ticket agent of that company and served
until 1880, when all of the city offices were abolished. He was next made the
assistant ticket agent for the Atchison Union Depot Company, which position he
filled until his resignation in March, 1893. Then he organized the Home Printing
Company, which bought out the Haskell Printing Company, and with this business
has since been associated as the treasurer. It has been conducted on a
profitable basis; valuable new machinery has been added to the plant, making the
equipment first-class in every respect, and a force of about twenty-five men and
women are employed. The business includes every variety of work, a specialty
being made of show printing, and the large business which the company has built
up is being maintained by courtesy, promptness and superiority of work.
Mr. Farnsworth was married, in 1882, to Miss Emma Richards, a native of
Lawrence, Massachusetts, and a daughter of J. M. Richards. They have two
children, -- David Freeling and Howard Richards. Mr. Farnsworth is a member of
the Atchison board of education, to which he was elected in 1898, and is a
member and clerk of the Congregational church.
JOHN K FISHER
This gentleman's history is one replete with interest, including as it does a
war record, life on the frontier and identity in various ways with a prosperous
western town, and were it written in detail would make a volume of interesting
reading. In this connection, however, only a succinct review can be presented.
John K. Fisher was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, near the city of
Harrisburg December 26, 1824, of German descent. His people for several
generations lived and died in the Keystone state. Henry Fisher, his father, was
born in Lancaster county, that state, August 12, 1793, son of George Fisher,
whose birth occurred there in 1752. The mother of our subject was before
marriage Miss Lydia Keller. Her birth occurred in Lancaster county October 1,
1800, and she was a daughter of Joel Keller. Both the Fishers and the Kellers
were well-to-do farmers.
John K. Fisher passed his boyhood days in his native county, receiving his early
education there. Later he attended school in Lancaster county and completed his
studies with a course in the Harrisburg Academy. After leaving the academy he
secured a position as clerk and subsequently engaged in mercantile business for
himself at a place called Uniontown, in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, where he
remained until 1864. In 1862 he recruited a company of cavalry, known as the
Sixteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, and on the organization of the same was
commissioned first lieutenant. When the regiment was organized he was elected
captain, under Colonel J. I. Gregg, who was the commander of the regiment. They
were ordered to Antietam, Maryland, where the regiment was held as a reserve.
Later it was ordered to different points in Virginia and finally to Gettysburg,
in which memorable battle it took part. It was also a participant in the action
at Fredericksburg and in other smaller engagements, some thirty in all. Twice he
was wounded, in the battle of Shepherdstown, Virginia. The first wound was
through the right hip. Twenty minutes later he was shot through the chest, the
bullet passing through his left lung, and he was then carried to the field
hospital. Later he was sent to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and as soon as he was
able to travel went home, having received an honorable discharge in December,
1863. At that time a major's commission awaited him, as a reward for valiant and
daring service, but he was not physically able to continue in the service longer
and accordingly returned to his home in Fayette county.
In 1864 Mr. Fisher came to Atchison county, Kansas, and took a claim to one
hundred and sixty acres of land in what was then called Grasshopper township
(now Delaware township), which he improved and where he resided for three years.
It was during that time that his political career began. In 1866 he was elected
to the state senate on the Republican ticket and served acceptably as a member
of that honored body. In 1867 he was appointed internal revenue inspector for
the state of Kansas and while acting in that capacity was occasionally sent to
Nebraska. From 1867 to 1873 he served as a United States assessor, under the
administrations of Johnson and Grant. In 1869 he moved from his farm above
referred to and took up his abode in Atchison, where he purchased a home and has
since resided. In 1870 he established an insurance agency, which he has
continued to the present. In addition to extensive operations in real estate and
insurance he also does a large amount of pension business, and he has for his
patrons in all his lines of business many of the leading people of the county.
From 1872 to 1874 he had as an associate C. F. Cochran, who is now a member of
congress, representing the fourth district of Missouri.
Mr. Fisher was married, August 25, 1846, to Miss Elizabeth A. Shepler, of
Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Jacob and Julia (McCausland)
Shepler. Mr. Shepler was of a Pennsylvania family and by trade a millwright. Mr.
and Mrs. Fisher have had seven children, namely: Harvey, deceased; Emma, the
wife of A. H. Decker, of Chicago; Lydia, the wife of Thomas M. Gray, of
Atchison, Kansas; Mary, the wife of John A. Rossi, of Atchison; Alice C., wife
of John B. Elwood, of New York city; John H., a conductor on the Santa Fe
Railroad; and Julia, the wife of Frank Rice and residing in New Orleans.
In his early life Mr. Fisher gave his political support to the Whig party and
since the organization of the Republican party he has affiliated with it. For
several years he was a member of the school board, a portion of the time serving
as its president, and two years was a member of the Atchison city council, of
which body also he served as president. He was one of the charter members of
John A. Martin Post, No. 93, G. A. R., of which he has the honor to be a past
commander, and he also maintains a membership in the Loyal Legion, a military
association of officers of the Civil war.
DAVID T FITZPATRICK
The family of which David T. Fitzpatrick, of Parnell, Atchison county, Kansas,
is a member has long been known for its patriotism and has been represented in
three American wars. Could this family history be given in detail it would be
most interesting, but space admits of a mere sketch only, but it will be
attempted to make that worthy its subject and his antecedents.
David T. Fitzpatrick is a son of Edward C. Fitzpatrick and a grandson of Colonel
David Fitzpatrick, who commanded a regiment under General Washington during the
struggle for American independence. Colonel Fitzpatrick was born in Ireland, but
early settled in Virginia and spent his remaining days in Culpeper and
Rappahannock counties. He left three children: Edward C., father of David T.
Fitzpatrick; John; and Mary, who married a Mr. Thompson and is buried in New
York city.
Edward C. Fitzpatrick was born in Rappahannock county, Virginia, and was captain
of a company which saw active service in our last war with England. Late in the
'30s he removed to Hart county, Kentucky, where he and his wife both died in
1847. He married Nancy Towles, a daughter of Robert Towles, of Culpeper county,
Virginia. Their children were as follows: Henry, who is dead; Mary, who married
Mr. Woodridge and died in Illinois; Julia, who became Mrs. E. F. Towles and died
in Mason county, Illinois; John, of Munfordville, Kentucky; Rebecca, who married
Peter Bass, of Green county, Kentucky; George, a railroad man living at El Paso,
Texas; and David T., the subject of this sketch.
David T. Fitzpatrick was born in an "old Kentucky home" on the bank of Green
river in Green county, that state, December 25, 1828, and it is safe to say that
he was more proudly welcomed and more solicitously cherished than any other
Christmas present in that immediate vicinity that year. At nine years of age he
was left an orphan by the almost simultaneous death of his father and mother and
he was cared for by a brother and sister until he reached an age at which he
could care for himself. He was educated in the common schools and was so
employed in his youth that he acquired a good practical knowledge of farming and
stock raising. He was between twenty-two and twenty-three years of age when the
civil war began and he had been studying the situation and fully decided to cast
his lot with the south.
When the southern Confederacy issued its first call for troops Mr. Fitzpatrick
went at once to St. Louis, Missouri, and enlisted in Colonel Hughes regiment of
Missouri troops. He was with his command in southwest Missouri during the first
months of the war, but was detached from his company for recruiting service in
northern Missouri and southern Iowa. He got together about four hundred men for
the army and on reporting for field duty again joined a regiment from Platte
county, Missouri. He was in a number of engagements, among them those at
Carthage, Springfield, Lexington and Pea Ridge and those fought in the invasion
by General Price. He was taken prisoner near Independence, Missouri, was paroled
through the medium of an old friend and went into northern Missouri. He located
in Buchanan county and was engaged for a time in buying horses and mules for the
government. This business equipped him financially and from the standpoint of
experience prepared him for a career in dealing in stock, which he continued
with moderate success until the enterprise of the entire country was paralyzed
by financial panic. His books show that he contributed more than his share to
the general shrinkage of that fateful year.
Mr. Fitzpatrick then turned his attention to farming and remained in Buchanan
county, Missouri, until 1875, when he removed to Washington county, Kansas,
where he resumed farming and gradually engaged in the cattle business. There he
soon gained a leading position as a farmer and cattle man. After fifteen years
residence in Washington county he left his farm of four hundred acres and came
to Atchison county to take charge of his wife's important land interests here.
In 1866 Mr. Fitzpatrick was married, in De Kalb county, Missouri, to Nannie
King, whose father was a pioneer and the first treasurer of Atchison county,
Kansas. He achieved a notable success as a merchant and man of affairs and at
his death left a modest fortune, consisting of Kansas and Missouri property. Mr.
and Mrs. Fitzpatrick's children are: William, who is a farmer on the Washington
county homestead and married Susie Deweese; Lucinda; Preston R.; Harry and
Nannie. Mr. Fitzpatrick is a modern Democrat. He has always shown a citizen's
interest in the result of political campaigns and is an enthusiastic advocate of
the doctrines enunciated in the platform of his party as announced in 1896.
FRANKLIN FORD
Among those loyal sons of the nation who at the country's call for troops joined
the "blue" and went to the south to aid in the defense of the Union, was
Franklin Ford, who to-day is a valued representative citizen of Mission
township, Brown county, as true and loyal to duty as when he followed the starry
banner upon southern battle fields. He was born in Perry county, Ohio, April 20,
1842, and is a son of Lory Ford. His father was a representative of one of the
old New England families that was established in Ohio in early pioneer days. His
birth occurred in Perry county, in 1811, and he is now living in Brown county,
Kansas, having almost attained the ninetieth mile-stone on life's journey. His
father, Chauncey Ford, was born in Connecticut, about 1775, and was one of three
brothers who went down the Ohio river in a canoe, establishing a home in Perry
county. It was necessary to cut their path through the wilderness a part of the
way, and in the midst of the. dense forest Chauncey Ford made a claim and built
a log cabin. He never received any deed to his land, for the claim, if not the
first, was one of the first,. made in the county. The right to the title,
however, has never been disputed and the old homestead is now owned by a son of
Chauncey Ford. Life amid those pioneer surroundings was often fraught with
dangers, and in fact the Ford family suffered from the treachery of the Indians.
One of the three brothers was decoyed into the woods by a turkey call made by
the members of the red race and was then killed by the Indians.
On the old family homestead in Ohio, Lory Ford was reared, and after arriving at
years of maturity he married Miss Hester Miller, who was born in Muskingum,
Ohio, and belonged to one of the earliest families of Perry county. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Ford ten children were born, five sons and five daughters, namely: Philarua
Smith, now residing in Ohio; Clarissa Elliott, who died in February, 1899, in
Mission township, Brown county; Minerva, Mrs. Ford; Mary E., Mrs. Johnson, who
is living in Tennessee; Franklin; Chauncey, who died in infancy; Jennie, who is
living in Ohio; Lory, also a resident of Ohio; John Sylvester, who died at the
age of twelve years, and Hiram J., a resident of Mission township, Brown county.
The parents resided in Perry county, Ohio, until 1849, when they removed to
Marysville, Ohio. The mother, who was a consistent and faithful member of the
Lutheran church, died in 1874, at the age of sixty-five years. The father came
to Kansas in 1888, and although now eighty-eight years of age his mental and
physical faculties are unimpaired. He gives his political support to the
Republican party, and for over fifty years has been an active and zealous Mason.
Franklin Ford was a lad of seven years when his parents removed from Perry
county, to Union county, Ohio, where he pursued his education in the public
schools through the winter months, while in the summer season he aided in the
labors of the field and meadow on his father's farm. At the age of eighteen
years, at President Lincoln's call for seventy-five thousand troops, he enlisted
for three years, as a member of Company F, Thirteenth Ohio Infantry, joining the
regiment at Maryville, under the command of Colonel Smith, Lieutenant-Colonel
Hawkins and Captain Slocum. He was first under fire at Pittsburg Landing, and
subsequently participated in the battles of Perryville, Kentucky, and Stone
River and Chickamauga. At Missionary Ridge he was with General Wood's command,
but later was with General Sherman in the campaign from Cleveland, Tennessee. He
took part in the battle of Burnt Hickory, or New Hope Church, where the Federal
forces went into battle eight thousand strong, and after two and a half hours
lost sixteen hundred and forty men. He was honorably discharged at Louisville,
Kentucky, after three years and one month of hard service in the enemy's
country. Always found at his post of duty, he made for himself a most creditable
military record, of which he may be justly proud.
After his discharge. Mr. Ford returned to Union county, Ohio, where, in 1864, he
was married to Miss Emily L. Mears, a lady of culture and innate refinement, who
for some years was a popular and capable teacher. She was born in Hartford,
Licking county, Ohio, a daughter of Timothy V. Mears, who was born in Chittenden
county, Vermont, and a granddaughter of Stephen Mears, who was a soldier in the
war of 1812. Her father married Miss Dorcas Carpenter, a daughter of Aaron
Carpenter, and a native of Vermont. She, too, was a capable educator, and by her
marriage she became the mother of four children, namely: Hiram B., who served as
a member of the Thirty-third Ohio Infantry during the Civil war, and now resides
in Bungo, Minnesota; Mrs. Hannah Hutchinson, who is now residing in Ohio. and is
a widow, her husband having been a soldier in the Civil War; Mrs. Ford; and
Lucian H., a resident of Joplin, Missouri. The parents are both deceased. The
father was a mechanic by trade and lived to the advanced age of eighty years.
His political support was given the Republican party. He and his wife were
consistent members of the Methodist church and earnest Christian people. She
died January 1, 1892, at the age of eighty-two years, he dying four days later,
January 5, 1892.
After his marriage Mr. Ford resided in Union county, Ohio, until 1868, when he
removed with his family to Madison county, Iowa, locating near Winterset. The
following year he came to Atchison county, Kansas, and in 1870 located on his
present farm in Mission township, Brown county. The land was new and the country
but sparsely settled, but he erected a cottonwood shanty, when there were no
houses within sight of his home. He was at that time the owner of sixty-seven
acres, to which he afterward added a tract of one hundred acres, so that he is
now the owner of one hundred and sixty-seven acres, all of which is under a high
state of cultivation. The farm, adjoining the corporation limits of the town of
Willis, is also well stocked with a high grade of horses, cattle and hogs, and
there is a large orchard on the place. The residence is a modern one, furnished
in good taste.
Mr. and Mrs. Ford now have four children: John Howard, who married Miss Anna
Shortridge and resides in Willis; Leona, the wife of R. M. Figley, of Mission
township, Brown county; Minnie S., the wife of J. F. McMillan, of Jackson
county; Jennie, who was a twin sister of Mrs. McMillan, and died at the age of
fourteen months; and Ethel, at home. There are also six grandchildren: Dulcie
Iola and Harry F. are the children of John Howard Ford, while Angeline and
Gertrude are daughters of Mrs. Figley, and Nellie and George Franklin are the
children of Mrs. McMillan.
Mr. Ford exercises his right of franchise in support of the Republican party and
keeps well informed on the questions of the day, although he has never sought or
desired political preferment. Both he and his wife attend the services of the
Methodist church and are well known people of the community, esteemed for their
sterling worth.
HON CASSIUS G FOSTER
Judge Foster was a conspicuous figure in the legal circles of Kansas, being for
twenty-five years United States judge for the district of Kansas. He was perhaps
the youngest man ever appointed to the federal bench, having attained only his
thirty-seventh year when he received his commission from President Grant.
Judge Foster was born in 1837, in Webster, Monroe county, New York, and in May,
1859, was admitted to the bar at Batavia, New York, whence he moved soon
afterward to Atchison, Kansas. There he was first associated with the firm of
Foster Glenn, but in a short time this partnership was dissolved and he started
out by himself. He built up a lucrative practice and by 1873 was recognized as
one of the leaders of the bar of Kansas. The people of Atchison appreciated his
ability and elected him a member of the state senate and afterward the mayor of
the city. In March, 1874, he was named for the Kansas federal judgeship by
President U. S. Grant, who was then serving his second term.
In 1878 he was married to Miss Angie V. Ludington, of Lawrence, Kansas, who was
born in Massachusetts. Of this union two daughters were born. In March, 1879,
the family removed to Topeka, where the death of Judge Foster took place June
21, 1899, after several years of failing health. Although almost continually an
invalid for some time previous to his death, he persisted in attending to his
official duties until a special act of congress was passed, in January, 1898,
retiring him on full pay. In February, of that year, he resigned and was
succeeded by Judge Hoch.
Judge Foster had an eventful career in Kansas, a prominent episode in which was
the contest between himself and Joseph K. Hudson, the editor of the Topeka
Capital, which covered a period of several years and involved many stanch
friends of both combatants. The cause of the trouble was the difference of views
on the liquor question, Judge Foster being an anti-Prohibitionist and Mr. Hudson
a champion of the liquor law. Both the men wielded pens that were masterly and
personalities and invectives were not spared. In political and legal lines the
controversy was carried on until after 1895, when it came to an end by Mr.
Hudson retiring from the control of the Capital and Judge Foster going abroad
for his health.
The independence of thought and action which was a striking characteristic of
Judge Foster was shown in an impressive manner when he stumped the state against
the Republican party in 1890-91. Although always affiliating with that party he
opposed the mixing of prohibition and politics, and when this question was made
a state issue by inserting it as a plank in the platform he took the stump
against the ticket.
Judge Foster was known as a fair and upright judge and a lawyer of rare
attainments. As the interpreter of the complex laws of this country involved in
the tedious litigations which appear in the federal court, he attained an
enviable reputation in the United States. His decisions were seldom reversed by
the United States courts superior to the one over which he presided. He was the
judge of the trial of some of the most famous cases in the history of American
jurisprudence and at all times was noted for his fairness and integrity. He was
conscientious and honorable and a sympathizer with the unfortunate. Of all
things he most despised the tricks of the profession and mercilessly scored the
lawyer who departed from the prescribed rules of practice and decorum. He was
firm in his convictions and undaunted in their defense. An ardent student and a
hard worker, he took the utmost pains in every case before him, to ransack the
authorities, to weigh the evidence and to rise above prejudices and environments
in his decisions. No man in his position ever was more respected and honored
than he.
Judge Foster left a fortune of a quarter of a million dollars to his wife and
daughters, who occupy a handsome home in Topeka.
JARED C FOX
That the plenitude of satiety is seldom attained in the affairs of life is to be
considered as a most grateful and beneficial deprivation, for where ambition is
satisfied and every ultimate aim realized -- if such is possible -- there must
follow individual apathy. Effort will cease, accomplishment be prostrate and
creative talent waste its energies in supine activity. The men who have pushed
forward the wheels of progress have been those to whom satiety lay ever in the
future, and they have labored continuously and have not failed to find in each
transition stage an incentive for further effort. As a result of ambition to
make the most of opportunities and gain a prominent place in business circles,
Jared C. Fox is steadily working his way upward, and is now a member of the firm
of McPike & Fox, wholesale druggists of Atchison, Kansas. They are at the head
of one of the leading stores in their line west of the Missouri river, and their
trade is steadily increasing.
Mr. Fox is a native of the Empire state, his birth having occurred in Monroe
county, New York, October 30, 1841; and his parents were Jared W. and Mary
(Copeland) Fox. The family is of English lineage, and the grandfather of our
subject was Jacob Fox. The maternal grandfather, Jonathan Copeland, was a
soldier in the war of 1812, and held a colonel's commission. Jared Fox, Sr., was
born in Connecticut, and devoted his life to the ministry. He died in Kansas in
1896 and his wife passed away several years previously.
In presenting to our readers the life record of him whose name heads this
sketch, we know that his history cannot fail to prove of interest, for it
demonstrates and illustrates the possibilities that he before young men of
energy and determination. He spent his boyhood days in New York, attending the
district schools near his home, and afterward continued his studies in Walworth
Academy, in Wayne county. In 1860 he determined to try his fortune in the West,
and came to Kansas. For a time he occupied a position as a clerk in Valley
Falls, at a salary of one hundred and fifty dollars a year. He remained there
until 1862, and in the spring of that year came to Atchison, where he accepted
the position of salesman in the dry-goods store of W. C. Smith & Son, where he
continued for several months. On the expiration of that period he moved to
Rolla, Missouri, where he acted as quartermaster's clerk under E. B. Grimes, who
was filling the position of quartermaster in the regular army.
In the fall of 1868 our subject became a member of the firm of McPike & Allen ,
wholesale druggists of Atchison, and when Mr. Allen retired the firm's name was
changed to McPike & Fox. They carry a very large line of goods, their house
being one of the most extensive of the kind west of the Missouri river. Their
patronage comes from many western cities and they are well represented on the
road by a large and efficient corps of traveling salesmen. The quality of goods
which they carry, together with their well-known reliability in trade circles,
insures to them a continuation of profitable business
In December, 1868, Mr. Fox was united in marriage to Miss Virginia A. Tortat, of
Atchison, and to them have been born five children, namely: Jared C., Jr., who
is the manager of the Frank Howard Manufacturing Company, of Atchison; Edith,
the wife of W. A. Jackson, a prominent attorney of Atchison; Henry Irving, who
is a traveling salesman for the firm of McPike & Fox, with headquarters at
Hutchinson, Kansas; William Tortat, also employed by McPike & Fox; and Florence,
at home. In his political views Mr. Fox is a gold Democrat and served for
several years as a member of the board of education, during which time the
school interests of the city were greatly advanced. He is also the president of
the Western Wholesale Druggists' Association, and the honor conferred upon him
by his election is well merited.
A prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, he belongs to Washington Lodge,
No. 1, F. & A. M.; to the chapter, to Atchison Commandery, K. T., and to the
Mystic Shrine. His attention has been given very closely to business, however,
and he has met with most creditable success. He is recognized as one of the most
able merchants of Atchison, and his diligence, indomitable energy and
perseverance have won him the prosperity that numbers him among the most
substantial citizens of his adopted state, nor has he advanced his individual
interests alone, for he has done much toward promoting the general welfare by
encouraging trade and commerce and by supporting all measures and movements
which are calculated to prove a public benefit. In manner he is cordial and
genial, and has won a host of warm friends in the state where he now makes his
home.
THOMAS FRABLE
One of the honored pioneers of Atchison county is Thomas Frable, whose history
has been closely associated with that of this portion of Kansas for the past
forty years. During this time he has been a witness of remarkable changes for
the better and has been an interested and active worker for the causes of
education, good government and progress along all lines.
The birth of Thomas Frable took place in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
March 22, 1832. His father, who was a shoemaker by trade, died when our subject
was a child of but four years. The mother survived him many years and married a
second time. Thomas Frable was one of two children, and his brother, Solomon, is
at present a resident of Sumner county, Kansas.
As his mother was left without much means, Thomas Frable became a member of the
family of James Quinn, who, on the whole, was kind to the lad, though he was not
"generous to a fault" and did not spoil the child with overmuch attention and
affection. However, he was allowed to attend school a few months each winter and
managed to obtain a fair education. Upon reaching his majority, according to
agreement. Mr. Frable was given a horse, saddle and bridle.
At the age of thirty years Thomas Frable married Rebecca Graham, a daughter of
Richard and Nancy Graham, who were natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Frable has two
brothers living, namely: Robert, who still makes his home in the Keystone state;
and William, a well-known citizen of this township. Five children were born to
our subject and wife, but four of the number have been summoned to the silent
land. Harry M., a thrifty young farmer of Benton township. owns a homestead of
one hundred and sixty acres, situated on section 10. Clara became the wife of
John Blankenship and died at the age of twenty-seven years. The other children
died in infancy.
Mr. Frable came to Atchison county, Kansas, in 1859, then a single man. Here he
met and married Rebecca Graham, who had came to the county in the same year with
her parents. For one year after his marriage he freighted across the great
plains and for the next two years broke prairie lands. Back in the east, as a
farm hand at ten dollars per month, he had saved enough money to buy a tract of
land and with this he purchased a tract, selecting what he deemed to be an
excellent piece of property. He located upon an eighty-acre tract in Benton
township and the house which he erected was one of the first built in the
township. As the years passed he made substantial improvements and gradually
added to his original farm. his present place comprising three hundred and
twenty acres. Besides the large barns, windmill, fences and other necessary
features of a modern, well equipped homestead, he built a beautiful residence in
1893, at a cost of over two thousand dollars. It is situated on an attractive
spot and is surrounded by a beautiful grove of trees, which are noted far and
near. Thus, as has been seen, Mr. Frable has literally been the architect of his
own fortunes, for, commencing with almost nothing in the way of capital, he has
perseveringly labored toward the goal of success and now, as the shadows of his
life lengthen, he is in possession of an assured competence. In his political
belief he is a Republican, but he has led a quiet life and has had no desire to
occupy public positions. The sincere respect and confidence of all with whom he
has been associated are bestowed upon him.
JAMES H FREELAND
One of the native-born sons of Kansas, James H. Freeland, of Benton township,
Atchison county, has always taken special interest and pride in the state which
was passing through such a fiery ordeal during his early years, and which, as
the years have rolled by, has steadily advanced in wealth and prosperity until
it now ranks with the leading trans-Mississippi states.
His birth took place on Christmas day, 1856, in Leavenworth county, Kansas. His
father, James Milton Freeland, was a native of Indiana. whence he removed to
Kansas at an early day, casting in his lot with the state which was destined to
become a battle ground for contending factions during the terrible years leading
up to the war of the Rebellion. His wife was Miss Sallie Henderson prior to
their marriage, her parents being Joseph and Hannah (McCoy) Henderson. Eight
children were born to James M. Freeland and wife, namely: William R., who lives
in Benton township: James H.. of this sketch; John F., also of this township;
Ida Marlatte, of Topeka; Joseph L., the circuit clerk of Platte county,
Missouri; Jesse L., of Atchison county; Anna, deceased, the wife of William A.
Landrum; and Mrs. Hannah Thomas, of Topeka. The father, who was a Democrat in
his political convictions, died when only fifty-two years of age. Both he and
his wife were members of the Christian church and possessed the love and
friendship of all who knew them. Mrs. Freeland is now making her home with her
daughter. Mrs. Thomas, of Topeka.
When he was ten years of age James H. Freeland came to this county with his
parents and in the public schools he obtained a liberal education. He early
learned agriculture and gradually has forged to the front until, at this
writing, he is the owner of a homestead comprising a quarter-section of
well-cultivated land, which is rendered especially valuable by reason of a small
creek which flows through it and because of the fine orchard on the place.
Substantial farm buildings stand upon a good site, the barn being 32x48 feet in
dimensions. The residence of the family is comfortable and furnished in a manner
plainly bespeaking the excellent tastes of the inmates. In all of his
undertakings Mr. Freeland has been upright and just and success has come to him
as the result of long continued, painstaking industry.
In 1880 the marriage of our subject and Mary Ettie Bonnel, a native of Missouri,
was celebrated. She is a daughter of Charles Bonnel, a prominent old settler of
this county, his homestead of eighty acres having been situated in the western
part of this township. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Freeland five children,
three sons and two daughters, were born, namely: James Frederick, William Henry,
Mary Ettie, Sidney Everett and Edna Pearl.
In political matters Mr. Freeland takes the interest which every American
citizen should and reserves to himself the right of voting as he deems best
without regard to party ties. Both he and his wife are members of the Christian
church. All worthy religious enterprises and benevolent organizations receive
his sympathy and financial support as far as he has the ability, and the respect
and high esteem of his neighbors and acquaintances are accorded him in an
enviable degree.