Sumner County Biographies
"Portrait and Biographical Album of Sumner County"
Chapman Bros., Chicago, 1890
CHARLES G. EPPERSON, traveling correspondent of Kansas City Daily Journal is a
resident of Wellington, having an attractive
home at No. 709, N. A. Street. He is the possessor of a bright intellect, being a forcible and
vigorous writer, and has made himself an enviable
reputation in the newspaper world. He was born
in Lebanon, Boone County, Ind., February 17,
1840, and is the son of Charles and Martha (Woolery) Epperson, who are natives respectively of
Virginia and Kentucky.
The Epperson family is of English extraction,
and the first representatives here settled in Virginia
prior to the Revolutionary War. Several members
of it served in this great struggle, and the paternal
great-grandfather of our subject, David Epperson,
had a number of sons in the war; one, Thompson,
was Major Charles Epperson, later, removed
from Virginia to Kentucky, about 1810, sojourning
there until probably 1839. We next find him in
Montgomery County, Ind., where he lived until
1842. That year he pushed on further westward
into Illinois, settling at Rio, in the northern part
of Knox County. He spent his last days in Oxford, Henry County, dying about 1849. His wife
survived him only three months. They had lived
together harmoniously for the long period of
over fifty years. They reared a family of seven
sons and four daughters, among them being Charles,
the father of our subject, who was born in Virginia, August 14, 1802.
The father of our subject removed with his parents to Kentucky in his youth and there made the
acquaintance of Miss Martha Woolery, to whom he
was married in Richmond, Madison County, and
they lived in the Blue Grass State until about
1827. Thence they emigrated to Putnam County,
Ind., and from there removed to Boone County,
that State, about 1838. We next find them on the
other side of the Mississippi, in Benton County,
Iowa, taking up their abode at Marysville in October, 1847. This was during the early settlement
of that region, and Charles Epperson improved a
large farm from the wilderness. He became well-to-do, but in 1863 sold out and improved another
farm in Harrison Township. He departed this life
October 14, 1864. He was first a Whig and then
a Republican, and a man warmly interested in the
success of his party. For many years he was a
member of the Christian Church. He was widely
and favorably known, and stood high in his community, his word being considered as good as
his bond. He left a valuable estate. The mother
of Mr. Epperson is still living, making her home
with her son, John, in Avon Township, this county,
and has arrived at the advanced age of eighty-two
years.
To the parents of our subject there was born a
family of thirteen children, nine of whom are still
living. John S., one of the Commissioners of this
county, is a farmer by occupation, and makes his
home in Avon Township; Hiram T. is farming
near Vinton, Iowa; Mary, Mrs. Steffy resides in
Boone, Iowa; Martha J. married J. P. Wood, and
lives in Pulaski, Ind.; Minerva A. is the wife of
E.G. Stowe, of McPherson County, this State;
Charles G., our subject, was the next in order of
birth; William W. is a commercial salesman, and
makes his home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Kittie E.
is the wife of P. D. Stout, of Jacksonville, Ill.; Albert G., a speculator, resides in Boone, Iowa.
The subject of this sketch was a lad of seven
years when the family settled in Iowa, and he resided there until a man of twenty-five. He first
attended school in Boone County, Ind., having for
his teacher William Carey, he being then a little
lad of five years. His teacher was little more than
a boy. After an absence of forty-two years, Mr.
Epperson visited his old home and found his former
preceptor owner of the old Epperson homestead
and worth $100,000. Pupil and teacher enjoyed a
very pleasant visit. At Marysville young Epperson completed his education, and
afterward assisted his father in carrying on the farm until his
marriage.
In 1862 Mr. Epperson offered his services to
the Government to aid in putting down the Rebellion, and was accepted and made a member of
Company A, Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry, and
was assigned to the Army of the Mississippi. Moon
after entering camp he was taken to the hospital
sick, where he remained a short time, and was discharged.
In October, 1864, Mr. Epperson was wedded to
Mrs. Mary C. (Van Cleef) Martin, whose husband
had yielded up his life on the battlefield of Shiloh
during the Civil War. Mrs. Epperson was a daughter of Richard N. and Susan Van Cleef, who were
natives of Indiana. The father is now living in
Guthrie, Iowa; the wife died in 1882. The young
couple spent their first year upon the homestead,
then removed to Cedar Rapids, and Mr. Epperson
embarked in the lumber business as manager of the
firm of J. S. Alexander & Co. On the 27th of
March, 1867, he met with a severe affliction in the
death of his wife, who passed away, leaving one
son, Judson Elmore, who was born June 10, 1866,
and who was a babe of nine months at the time of
his mother's death. He is still living and makes
his home with his father, being likewise a newspaper man.
After the death of his wife Mr. Epperson continued in business in Cedar Rapids until 1869, and
then removed to St. Joseph, Mo. There he associated himself in partnership with J. B. Johnson,
and engaged in the marble business. He began his
newspaper career in February, 1873, as correspondent for the Daily Herald, of St. Joseph, and in
May of that year accepted a position with the
Wilcox & Gibbs Sewing Machine Company, which
necessitated his removal to Louisville, Ky. In
January, 1874, he was transferred to the office at
St. Louis, Mo.
For a number of years Mr. Epperson had given
his attention to the study of medicine, and while
in St. Joseph took a course of lectures in the Eclectic Medical College, of St. Louis. In the fall of
1874 he repaired to Evansville, Ind., where he
commenced practice, and later, in order to receive
further instruction in the profession, returned to
St. Joseph, and while pursuing his studies in this
direction, accepted a position on the Herald in
order to earn money to meet his necessities. He
found that the newspaper business was more congenial to his tastes than the medical profession,
and, accordingly, abandoned the latter, giving to
the former his entire attention.
Mr. Epperson continued his connection with the
Herald until 1882, in the meantime traveling
through New Mexico, accompanied by his wife
and baby, Oscar, in 1880-81, and employing his
facile pen in writing up something of the early
history of the country as compared with its condition of to day, and treating of its antiquities. He
was accompanied on part of this trip by Capt.
Jack Crawford, the scout � a man who had a large
experience among the wild western regions. In
1882 Mr. Epperson resigned his position on the
Herald, and coming to this county, began the improvement of a farm which he had previously purchased. In the meantime, in 1876, while on a visit
to his brother in this county, he made the acquaintance of Mrs. Alice J. (Eggleston) Chamberlain,
which resulted in a mutual attachment, and on the
28th of April, 1878, they were united in marriage
at the home of the bride's parents, in Belle Plaine,
Sumner County, Judge Elijah Evans officiating.
Mrs. Epperson was born in Springfield, Ill., November 25, 1856, and is the only child of Henry
N. and Elizabeth (Artman) Eggleston, who are
row residents of Wellington. The family came to
this county in 1872, and Miss Alice officiated as
one of the first teachers within its limits, a profession which she followed for seven years, beginning
at the age of fifteen years. She was first married
in August, 1874, to William R. Chamberlain, who
died January 5, 1875. Mrs. Epperson attended
the funeral services of President Lincoln at Springfield, Ill., and frequently
saw the martyred President during his lifetime.
Residing on his farm from January 1, 1883, until
January 1, 1884, Mr. Epperson then bought an interest in the Wellingtonian, a weekly paper, the official
organ of this county, and then moved to Wellington.
He associated himself in partnership with the Rev.
Samuel L. Hamilton, a Presbyterian clergyman of
Wichita, and J. C. 0. Morse, the Sheriff of this
county, but in October following Mr. Epperson
retired from the firm and again became the traveling correspondent of the St. Joseph Herald. In
January, 1886, he again resigned this position to
accept a similar one with the Kansas City Daily
Journal, which he still holds.
Republican in politics, Mr. Epperson is a stanch
supporter of the principles of his party through
the columns of his paper, and is prominent in its
councils. While a resident of Sumner County he was
a member of the Central Committee representing
Palestine Township, where he and his wife own two
farms, the best in the State. Mr. and Mrs. Epperson are members of the Christian Church, and Mr.
Epperson belongs to the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and the Ancient Order of United
Workmen. Of the present marriage there have
been born two children � Oscar Eggleston, July 7,
1880, and Charles Henry, October 17, 1883. In
1884 Mr. Epperson was a delegate from Sumner
County to the State Republican Convention at
Topeka, which was called to select delegates to
the National Convention, which nominated James
G. Blaine for President. In 1879 he accompanied
the Hayes Presidential party on their trip through
Kansas and to Springfield, Ill. The Eppersons
have a very pleasant home in Wellington, and
move in its highest social circles.
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This website created Oct. 29, 2011 by Sheryl McClure.
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