Clay Co., KS AHGP-Portrait and Biographical Album of Washington, Clay and Riley Counties-Henry Tolles
Portrait and Biographical Album of Washington, Clay and Riley Counties Chapman Brothers, Chicago, 1890
HENRY L. TOLLES has been identified with
the interests of Clay County for nearly
twenty years, and has marked its development from a thinly settled and almost uncultivated
region to its present state of productiveness
and civilization. He is a native of Barry
County, Mich., his natal day being Aug. 16, 1837.
His parents, Isaac and Clarissa (Pennock) Tolles,
were natives of Vermont and New York respectively,
and the paternal ancestry, was in all probability
Danish. He was the eldest son in the parental
family, and was reared on a farm, receiving
all the educational advantages which could be obtained
in the schools of his native county at that
period. The inhabitants of the farming districts
had not the school privileges now obtainable and our
subject is to a great extent self-educated, having
supplemented the excellent fundamental training he
received by his observation and reading.
Leaving a bride of a few months, Mr. Tolles enlisted
in the Union Army on Sept. 21 , 1861, becoming
a member of Company C. 66th Illinois Infantry,
which was part of the army of Tennessee. He
participated in the battles of Ft. Donelson, Shiloh,
both engagements at Corinth, Iuka, and all the contests
of the Atlanta campaign, marching to the
sea under Sherman's command. Bearing his part
as a brave soldier should, in the numerous smaller
engagements and skirmishes, in weary marches,
and the monotonous duties of camp life, he continued
in the service of his country until July,
1865, at which time he was honorably discharged.
He had been present at the surrender of Johnston's
army and also participated in the grand review at
Washington, D. C.
Returning to the duties of civil life, Mr. Tolles
spent a short time in his native State, and the year
after receiving his discharge from the army moved
to Macon County, Mo. About three years later
he returned to Michigan, where he continued to reside
until 1872, in the spring of which year he
came to this county and homesteaded 160 acres of
land lying on sections 25 and 26 Blaine Township.
He immediately settled thereon and began improving
and cultivating the estate, developing it from
a primitive condition into one of high cultivation
and productiveness. In 1884, he removed to Clay
Center, where he continued to reside until the
spring of 1889, when he again removed to a farm,
that which he now occupies and located on section
7, comprising 103 acres, fertile and well cultivated.
At the home of the bride in Barry County, Mich.,
on Feb. 24, 1861, Mr. Tolles was united in marriage
with Miss Emeline Piper, a native of the
county in which their wedding was celebrated.
Their union has resulted in the birth of three children,
William H., now living at Alma, Kan.; Frank
H., who resides in this township, and Leona, who is
still at home.
Mr. Tolles is a Republican. He has served for
four years as Trustee of Blaine Township, filling
the office with credit to himself and his constituents.
For two years he acted as Constable in Clay
Center. He is classed among the leading citizens
of Blaine Township, where he and his family have
a large circle of friends, being also well-known
throughout the county. His integrity in matters of
business is unquestioned, and his straightforward
and honest manner in dealing with his fellow-men
is well-known. Among the pioneers of the county,
none are more worthy of representation in this
volume than is the honored subject of this sketch.