Dickinson Co., KS AHGP-Portrait and
Biographical Record of Dickinson, Saline, McPherson and
Marion Counties-William R. Dunlap
Portrait and Biographical
Record of Dickinson, Saline, McPherson and Marion
Counties
Chapman Brothers, Chicago, 1893
WILLIAM R. DUNLAP is a practical and
progressive agriculturist of Dickinson
County, now residing on section 30, Newbern
Township. He owns and operates three hundred
and twenty acres of arable land, and the well tilled
fields yield to him a golden tribute. His
farm is one of the valuable country homes in this
part of the State. In the rear of his pleasant residence
are barns and other necessary outbuildings,
which are models of convenience, and many of
the improvements upon the place stand as monuments
to the enterprise of the owner.
As Mr. Dunlap is widely and favorably known
in this locality, a record of his life will undoubtedly
prove of interest to many of our readers.
He was born in Crawford County, Ohio,
March 18, 1840, and is a son of John and Mary
Dunlap, both of whom were natives of Lancaster
County, Pa. Emigrating Westward in an early
day, they became pioneer settlers of Crawford
County and there spent the remainder of their
lives. Under the parental roof, our subject was
reared to manhood, his time being spent in farm
work and in attendance at the district schools of
the neighborhood. When the war broke out, he
watched with interest the progress of events, and
after the fall of Antietam, when it was seen that
the struggle was to be no mere child's play but a
serious conflict between two aroused peoples, he
responded to the call for troops to crush out the
rebellion, and in September, 1861, became a member
of Company G, Third Ohio Cavalry. For
three years and one month he wore the blue as a
faithful defender of the Union and was ever found
at his post of duty. The Dunlap family may well
be proud of its record during the Civil War. Our
subject and four brothers all joined the Union
troops, served for three years, and all escaped uninjured.
After receiving his discharge, Mr. Dunlap returned
to his native county, where he engaged in
farming until the spring of 1869. That year
witnessed his arrival in Kansas. He located in
Ft. Scott, and from there he took a trip South
through Indian Territory. He afterward went
to Missouri, where he engaged in farming for
about two months, and later took up his residence
in Christian County, Ill., where he spent a few
months. He then returned to Kansas, reaching
Abilene in November, 1870, and on section 30,
Newbern Township, he located a homestead of one
hundred and sixty acres, on which he settled. He
then gave his attention to general farming until
1887, when he sold out and removed to Abilene.
Soon afterward he made a trip to England and
spent about four months in the Old World. He
continued to make his home in Abilene until
February, 1892, when he returned to his farm.
Mr. Dunlap was married, in this county, to Miss
Margaret Armstrong, a native of Newcastle, England.
She is a lady of many excellencies of character
and has a wide circle of friends and acquaintances
in this community, by whom she is held in
high regard. The home of our subject and his
wife has been blessed by the presence of one
daughter, Laura B.
In his political affiliations, Mr. Dunlap is a Republican
and keeps well informed on the issues of
the day. While residing in Abilene, he was elected
and served as Councilman, but he has never been an
office-seeker. Socially, he is a member of Abilene
Post No. 63, G. A. R. The cause of education has
found in him a warm friend, and the schools have
been benefited thereby. He served thirteen years
as School Treasurer, and as in all other cases of
public trust his duties were discharged with
promptness and fidelity. Mr. Dunlap is a public spirited
citizen, wide awake to the best interests
of the community, and his worth is recognized by
his fellow-townsmen.
(c) 2009 Sheryl McClure for
Dickinson County KS AHGP