Clay Co., KS AHGP-Portrait and Biographical Album of Washington, Clay and Riley Counties-Norven McFadden
Portrait and Biographical Album of Washington, Clay and Riley Counties Chapman Brothers, Chicago, 1890
NORVEN Z. McFADDEN owns and operates one of the best farms in Chapman
Township, Clay County. The home place
is watered by Chapman Creek, and is very favorably
located both for the raising of crops and stock.
It is supplied with groves, orchards, and a well as
sorted and well built collection of farm buildings.
All of the buildings and most of the other improvements
are the work of Mr. McFadden. He farms on
a large scale, owing four quarter sections of land,
and devoting considerable attention also to raising
horses, cattle and hogs.
Mr. McFadden was born in Jefferson County,
Ind., Nov. 12, 1847, and accompanied his
parents to this State in 1866, being then about nineteen
years of age. He was reared to farm life and
has always been engaged in the pursuit of agriculture.
He remained with his father until 1869,
when he was married and began life for himself. He
took up a homestead of 160 acres in Mulberry
Township, which land he improved and cultivated,
until able to prove up on it. Soon after securing
the claim, he traded for other land and stock, his
new farm lying on section 30, of Oakland Township,
and having been located by W. Baker. Mr.
McFadden subsequently traded that quarter section
and the stock upon it for the farm which he
now occupies, and to which he has added until his
landed possessions amount to 640 acres. Since
living on his present farm he has never failed to
raise some crops, though since 1885, they have
been very light until this year (1889), when the
yield was good from all grains sowed. Chinch bugs
and droughts have made wheat culture so unprofitable
that the farmers of this part of Kansas have
nearly abandoned the attempt to raise that grain.
This section was sparsely settled and life here attended
with many difficulties when Mr. McFadden
became a citizen of Kansas.
The wife of Mr. McFadden was in her maidenhood
Miss Mary Shumaker; she is a daughter of
Moses and Mary (Smith) Shumaker of Pennsylvania,
and came to Kansas with a cousin. She has
borne her husband six children, who bear the names
of Herbert II., John H., Carrie, Birdie, Z. B. O. and
Mell R.; Carrie and Z. B. O, are deceased.
William H. McFadden, the father of our subject,
is of Irish descent and was born in Kentucky. He
lived in Indiana for many years engaged in farming,
and in 1866, came to this State and settled near
Clay Center. There he filed a homestead claim,
and having improved and cultivated the estate and
proved up on it, sold out after having lived there
seven years. He married Miss Angeline Clark,
daughter of Hezekiah Clark, also an agriculturist.
The union resulted in the birth of seven children:
Norven Z., Trevanion, Sarah J., Dorinda, Philander
L.. and Willis A., and Romanus who is deceased.
Mr. McFadden belongs to the Masonic fraternity.
He is a Democrat and supported prohibition, though
he has now decided that the kind of prohibition that
is here does not prohibit and is not what is needed.
The success which he has met with, abundantly
proves his energy, industry and prudent management,
and the respect which is felt for him by his
fellow-citizens is a testimonial to the worth of his
character.