Wyandotte County Biographies
"Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas--Historical and Biographical"
Goodspeed Publishing Co., Chicago, 1890
James K. Polk Barker, farmer, Kansas City, Kas. Mr. Barker
came to Wyandotte County, in 1865, directly from Boone County,
West Va. , and engaged in the carpenter' s trade, which he continued for
about two years, assisting in building two steamboats at Barker's
Tank, on the Missouri River. After this he bought a stock of goods,
general merchandise, sold goods for about two years, and then was
mate on the "Fanny Barker," plying between Lexington and Atchison, and then lying off for several months. He returned to Wyandotte County and was there married in 1873, to Miss Sarah Frances
Duncan, daughter of Thomas Duncan, a farmer of this township.
Five children have been born to this union � three sons and two daughters: Edgar E., Polk, Clara M., Neva P. and Knox. After his marriage Mr. Barker began farming on 55 acres that he had previously
bought, and soon afterward he added 55 acres more, then 60, afterward 50 more, and soon had 220 acres of excellent land. He lived on
this and improved it for a number of years, when, in 1882, he sold out.
He then bought 183 acres, but has sold some of this, and is at the present time engaged in fruit-growing instead of stock-raising, as formerly.
He and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
Mr. Barker was born on October 22, 1844, in Mercer County, W. Va.,
and is a son of James B. and Mary Barker. The father was born in
Franklin County, Va. , and was a farmer and carpenter by trade. He
died in 1854, being then but in the prime of life, and left his family
on their own resources. There were six children in the family - three
sons and three daughters - one son, Isaac, died in West Virginia,
about the year 1870 (he had been a Union soldier and served under
Gen. Grant); Samuel S. is living in this county, and was a Confederate soldier, serving through the entire war; Mary died in West Virginia about the year 1880; Sarah E. is the widow of Cumberland
Harliss, and resides in West Virginia; and Isabelle F., wife of John
Lawrence, resides in Kanawha Valley, W. Va. James K. P. Barker,
when but fourteen years of age, started out to fight life's battles for
himself, and engaged, as a day laborer, building flatboats. He continued at this business until the breaking out of the war, when he enlisted in Company B, Thirty-sixth Virginia Regiment, and served in all
the West Virginia campaigns. In 18G2 he was captured, contained at
Camp Chase from April until August, and then exchanged, joining his
command. He was under Early in the Valley of Virginia campaign,
and was at Fort Donelson. He was in the battles of Piedmont, Floyd
Mountain, Strawsburg, Winchester, Cedar Creek, and in March, 1865,
he was again captured, being confined in Fort Delaware, until June
25, of that year. He then went to work and succeeded in getting
sufficient money to bring him West, and since then what he has accumulated has been the result of industry and perseverance, together
with good management. He has secured a handsome competency, and
is prosperous and happy. He has in his home place forty-seven acres
in orchard and small fruit, 160 acres in Kaw bottom land, all under
cultivation, and besides is the owner of considerable property in Kansas City, Kas. He contributes liberally to the support of schools,
churches, etc.
Dr. B. M. Barnett, physician, Rosedale, Kas. Mr. Barnett, who
has acquired a flattering reputation as a physician, was born in Stark
County, Ohio, on December 12, 1854, and is the son of Jacob F. and
Hannah (Myers) Barnett. The father is a retired farmer, residing at
Canton, Ohio. Dr. Barnett received a good practical education in the
common schools, then took a select course at Hiram College, and there
remained until twenty-two years of age. He then began teaching,
his first school being in Stark County, and continued thus employed
for five years. The last two years of teaching he read medicine under
B. A. Whiteleather, and in the spring of 1880 he attended lectures
at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York City. During the winter of 1881-82 he attended lectures at Jefferson Medical College, of
Philadelphia, Penn. , where he subsequently graduated . He then practiced for one year at Waynesburg, Ohio, and in 1883 came to Argentine, Kas. He did not remain in the last-named place very long, but
came to Rosedale, where he has built up a very extensive and lucrative practice. The Doctor is cut out for his chosen profession, which
has been amply shown by his flattering success since residing in this
county. He was councilman one term, and in 1889 was elected mayor
of Rosedale, which position he filled in a very satisfactory manner.
He selected as his companion in life Miss Mollie Hellmreich, of Rosedale, and their nuptials were celebrated on February 24, 1886. They
have one child, a son, Harry W. Dr. Barnett is a member of the A.
F. & A. M., K. of P., A. O. U. W. and Foresters and the D. of H. of
the A. O. U. W. He is physician and medical examiner for the four
last-named organizations. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party.
Edward E. Beach, agent for the Missouri Pacific Railroad at Pomeroy, Kas. , is a native of Hartford, Conn. , born in 1838, and was the son
of Elnathan and Mary A. (Bullard) Beach, also natives of Connecticut. Of the five children born to this union Edward E. is fourth in
order of birth. They are named as follows: Elizabeth (wife of Chester Stelle, Milwaukee, Wis.), Henry B. (married and is a resident of
Pana, Ill.), Mary C. (widow of J. W. Gary, who, during his life was
general ticket agent of the Michigan Southern & Lake Shore Railroad; he died in 1886), Cornelia (became the wife of George Russell,
of Los Angeles, Cal.). Edward E. Beach left his native State at the
age of thirteen years, locating in New York City, and remained there
two years. After this he located in Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained about four years, and then the family located in Chelsea, Mich.,
where Mr. Beach enlisted in Company D, Fourth Michigan Volunteer Infantry. He served one year, and then, on account of disability,
was discharged. He took part in the first battle of Bull Run, Yorktown, and many skirmishes. During his service he contracted disease
of the heart, from which he has been a constant sufferer since. He
was married, in 1868, to Mrs. Julia A. Pincin, a daughter of Mr.
Dunn, who is a native of Augusta, Me. Mr. and Mrs. Beach located
in Wyandotte Coimty in 1871, opened a general store in Pomeroy,
and carried this on successfully for two years. He then engaged in
farming, and followed this until 1885, when he accepted his present
position. In politics he is a stanch Republican. He is a member of
Burnside Post No. 28, of Kansas City, Kas., and is also a member of
the Veterans' Union, of Kansas City, Kas.
Samuel Beattie, farmer, Quivera, Kas. In mentioning those of
foreign birth who have become closely associated with the farming interests of Wyandotte County, Kas., we should not fail to present an
outline of the career of Mr. Beattie, for it is one which has fully borne
out the reputation of that class of industrious, energetic men of Irish
nativity who have risen to prominence in different portions of this
country. He was born in Ireland, October 13, 1833, and was the
son of William Beattie, who was born in the Emerald Isle, and was of
Irish and Scotch descent. The father died in 1843, and the widow
with the family emigrated to America in 1849, and settled in Stephenson County, Ill. There the mother died in 1852. Samuel Beattie
attained his growth in Stephenson County, Ill., and in 1856 went to
New Orleans, where he remained two years. He then went to Kansas,
remained in Johnson County, and sold goods to the Indians at Shawnee, until the town was burned by Quantrel in 1862. In the fall of
1863 he went to Colorado, but only remained there long enough to
dispose of some goods, and then came to Kansas City, in June, 1864,
where he put up hay for the Government. In the spring of 1865 he
took a train of freight to Santa Fe, N. M., and in the fall he
and Capt. Keeler took the contract for opening Twelfth Street in
Kansas City, Mo., which operation took them a year. Mr. Beattie
purchased his present farm of 600 acres, but sold nearly 100 acres,
and has an excellent farm in good tillable shape. He was one of the
most extensive farmers in the county, but of late years he has rented
the most of his land. He finds that potato growing and gardening is
more profitable than general farming. He improved his land, built a
good comfortable house, and other buildings necessary for his stock,
and a glance over his place indicates to the beholder the quality of farmer
that he is. He was married in 1875, to Miss Florence C. Hoffman, a
native of Wyandotte County, Ohio, born in 1855, and the daughter of
Henry Hoffman. To this union five children were born, three now
living: Margaret D., William A. and Evaline. Those deceased were
named Mary Dell and Bertha May. Mr. Beattie is a Democrat
in politics, was elected county commissioner in 1871, and served four
years. Of late years he has been connected with the school board.
He is a member of Shawnee Lodge No. 54, A, F. & A. M. He
was brought up in the Presbyterian Church, and is a liberal contributor to all worthy movements. While filling the position of county
commissioner, the iron bridge in Kansas City, Kas., was completed
across the Kaw River.
George E. Bell is the proprietor of the Ryus House, one of the
best conducted and most complete establishments of the kind in Kansas City, Kas. He was born in Toronto in 1854, and although a
native Canadian, he has been a resident of the United States nearly
all his life, and is at present a faithful subject of "Uncle Sam." His
youth and early manhood were spent in the cities of Delaware and
Columbus, Ohio, and being an intelligent and wide-awake young man,
he was given the position of traveling salesman for a dry goods and
grocery establishment, a calling which continued to receive his attention for seventeen years. He became interested in the hotel business
while on the road, and the many experiences, thrilling and otherwise,
which he passed through, tended to make him thoroughly acquainted
with the wants of the traveling public, and no better man for his
present position could be found. He kept a first-class hotel in Lancaster and Columbus, Ohio, and Kansas City, Mo., for a number of
years, after which he took charge of the Ryus House, his connection
with the same commencing on May 15, 1889. By his cordiality,
accommodating spirit and undoubted efforts to please his guests he
has built up a large trade, and his patrons thoroughly appreciate his
efforts for their comfort. In addition to his management of his hotel
he is a most genial companion, and generous to a fault, nothing being
too good for his friends. In politics he supports the measures of the
Democratic party and socially belongs to the K. of P. of Delaware,
Ohio. He possesses a fine physique, is somewhat interested in sporting matters, and is one of the wide-awake business men of Kansas
City. He was married in Delaware, Ohio, to Miss Martha E. Waters,
by whom he has one child, named Grace. His parents, Robert and
Jane (Jackson) Bell, were born in England and are at present living
in Indianapolis, Ind.
Louis Benson. Among the best-known houses engaged in the
grocery business in Kansas City, Kas., is that belonging to Mr. Benson, who embarked in business in August. 1889, and has from the
commencement annually increased his trade. He was born near the
city of Falkenborg, Sweden, July 15, 1859, being a son of Ben Larson and Nellie Benson, who reared a family of six children, of whom
he was the fifth: Anna, Nels, Charles, Andrew, Louis and John.
Three of the sons came to America, as follows: Andrew, in 1879, and
is now employed as engineer on the Chicago & Alton Railroad, his
home being in Slater, Mo. ; Louis, came in 1880, and John in 1884,
the latter being now a resident of Kansas City, Mo., and is employed
in the shops of the Fort Scott & Gulf Railway. The other two sons,
together with Anna and their parents, still reside in their native land.
Ben Larson, the father, is a tiller of the soil, being the owner of a
good farm, and he and his wife are spending their declining years in
comfort and happiness. Louis Benson was reared to manhood in his
native land, and between the ages of eight and fourteen years he secured a fair education, and from the latter age until he was twenty-one
belabored upon his father's farm. In 1880 he bade adieu to home
and friends to seek his fortune in America, and embarked at Gothenburg for Hull, England, from which place he went to London by rail,
embarking at that city for the United States, and after a stormy voyage of fifteen days landed at the port of New York. Two days later
he went to Wilkesburg, Penn., where for eight months he worked in a
coal mine. He then came westward, and after a stay of two weeks
in Chicago, he went to Clayton, Wis. , where, for nearly a year he was
employed in a lumber yard. In the spring of 1882 he went to Helena, Montana Territory, in the vicinity of which place he remained
about two years, the first three months being engaged in killing buffaloes in the employ of a man named Johnson. The balance of the
time he was employed as a contractor upon the Northern Pacific Railway, then being built. In the fall of 1884 he came to Kansas City,
Mo., and during the winter which followed he was employed in the
shops of the Missouri Pacific Railway, but in the spring of 1885 he
went to San Francisco, Cal., and a week later to Portland, Oreg., going
the following week to Tacoma, Washington Ten, where, during
the summer he worked in a saw-mill. In the fall of 1885 he went to
Idaho Territory, and after spending two months in Moscow he re
turned to Helena, Mont., where he continued to make his home until
the following spring. He then returned to Kansas City, Mo., and
was employed in the shops of the Chicago & Alton Railway, and during
the spring and summer of 1889 he and his brother, Andrew Benson,
of Slater, Mo., erected a large and handsome two-story brick block at
No. 55 South Seventeenth Street, Kansas City, Kas. , which is 40x55
feet and comprises two good business rooms 20x55 feet, the cost of
the building being about $6,000. It is one of the best business blocks
in the south part of the city. In one of these rooms, in August, 1889,
Mr. Benson and Oscar Bidder opened a first-class grocery store, and
the firm under the name of Benson & Bidder has continued up to
the present time, and is one of the first-class establishments of the
place. Both are courteous and accommodating young men, and have
built up a good patronage. As their store is desirably located, and is
stocked with a fine lot of goods, they have built up a large patronage,
and are doing a thriving business. Mr. Benson is a young man of
good habits, and he possesses every qualification necessary to make
him a successful business man. He has a large circle of friends by
whom he is highly respected.
A. L. Berger, deputy county attorney of Wyandotte County,
Kas., owes his nativity to St. Clair County, Ill., his birth occurring in
1S65, and is a leading citizen of Kansas City, Kas., in its professional,
business and social life. He graduated in the classical course in McKendree College, Lebanon, Ill., in 18S2. and immediately after finishing entered the law department of the Washington University, St.
Louis, Mo. , where he graduated in law in the class of 1884. From there
he came direct to Kansas City, began practicing his profession, and this
has continued to follow. He is the present deputy county attorney,
and is a member of the law firm of Moore & Berger.
Henry J. Bigger. The name of Bigger is identified with the mercantile standing, the welfare and material and social happiness of
Wyandotte County, Kas. He was born in Belfast, North of Ireland,
February 17, 1851, to Joseph and Jane (Ardrie) Bigger, the former of
whom was a son of David Bigger, and the latter a daughter of William Ardrie. They were married in March, 1850, and became the parents of nine children: Henry J., Jane G., Samuel F., William C,
Frederick C, Caroline E., Edward C, Francis J. and Margaret, all
of whom are living: Henry J. and his brother, William C, are the
only ones of the family who came to America. Samuel F., another
brother, is a sergeant-major of the Sixteenth Bengal Artillery, stationed in the British Indies, having held that position in the British
army for the past thirteen years. William C. is engaged in the
milling business, in Lawrence, Kas. Frederick C. is in the internal
revenue service of the British Government. Edward C. is a physician
and surgeon of Belfast, Ireland, and Francis J. is a barrister of the
same city. The father of these children one time owned and operated
a large pork-packing establishment in Belfast, and as a business man
was very successful, acquiring a large amount of property. He afterward sold his business interests, and for thirty years prior to his death
he led a retired life, passing quietly away February 14, 1890, at the
age of sixty-four years. His widow still survives him, her home being
at the Ardrie villa, two miles from Belfast, where she has a large and
handsome residence, and is surrounded by everything necessary to
make life easy and pleasant. Henry J. Bigger remained in Ireland
until he attained manhood, and between the ages of seven and twelve
years he attended school. He then entered the employ of William
Crozier, a grocer of Liverpool, England, remaining with him for seven
years, then, in 1871, emigrated to the United States, and on reaching
this country, came direct to Kansas City, Kas., and here for four years
followed different occupations. In 1875 he went to Leavenworth
County, Kas., where he purchased a farm, on which he resided for
sis years, but in the fall of 1881 returned to Kansas City, and soon
after opened a grocery store, at the corner of James and Third Streets.
In 1883 he bought two lots, Nos. 207 and 209 James Street, and the
same year erected upon them a beautiful building, comprising two
store rooms, in one of which he began selling groceries, and in the
other flour and feed, conducting the two together very successfully
until June 5, 1887, when he sold the stock and fixtures to John Nelson,
for $3,350. In November, 1887, he engaged in the commission business, at No. 227 James Street, following this calling a year and a
half, during which time, June 5, 1888, his building at Nos. 207 and
209 James Street, which he had rented, caught fire, and burned to
the ground. A month later he began the erection of a new building,
48x80 feet, which was completed the following fall, at a cost of $1,100.
In one room of this building, in October, 1889, he opened a first-class grocery, which he is now conducting. He is an agreeable man
with whom to do business, and in all his business transactions is undeniably honest. His other store room is rented out, and is used as a
bakery. Besides his business property he owns a good residence at
No. 814 East Twenty-fourth Street, Kansas City, Mo., which he purchased in June, 1887, at a cost of $4,200. He was married October
15, 1875, to Miss Elvira Howe, a native of Illinois, and their marriage
has resulted in the birth of eight children: Edna, Joseph, Edward,
Jennie, Lillian and Alfred, who are living, and two daughters who
died in infancy. Mr. Bigger is a member of the Second Advent
Church, and is a worthy and honorable citizen. Since coming to
America he has made three visits to his old home in Ireland, the first
being made in 1875, the second in 1881, and the third in 1887.
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