Wyandotte County Biographies
"Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas--Historical and Biographical"
Goodspeed Publishing Co., Chicago, 1890
Swen Adolph Larson has been connected with the grocery interests
of Kansas City, Kas., since August, 1887. He is a native of Sweden,
born September 29, 1859, and is a son of Lars Hanson and Johanna
(Borgson) Larson, being the youngest of their eight children, of whom
notice is given in the sketch of Henry Larson. Swen Adolph spent
his boyhood on the old home farm, which lies only one mile from the
shore of the Cattegat Channel, and from his earliest boyhood had a
great desire to become a sailor, which was probably caused by the
scenes presented to him along the coast, for at times the waters, studded with vessels from many parts of the world, presented a fascinating
picture. He attended school until he was fourteen years of age, receiving a good knowledge of the ordinary branches of learning. At
the age of fifteen years, he started out in the world to do for himself and went directly from his home to Warburg, where he secured a seaman's permit, after which he at once secured a position on a sailing vessel called "Elizabeth," which was commanded
by Capt. C. G. Borgson, remaining with him on the Cattegat Channel
for three seasons, and during this time endured all the pleasures and
hardships incident to the life of a sailor. Tiring of the sea, he returned home, and, after a short visit with his parents, he embarked for
America, April 3, 1880, going by steamer from Warburg to Gothenburg,
thence upon another steamer to Hull, England, after which he went
by rail to Liverpool; from this place he sailed, April 12, for the United
States, in the steamer "Hellwitsea." He reached New York April
23, and on the following day left that city for Houtsdale, Penn., where
for three months he worked in a coal mine. He then went to Johnstown, Penn., in the vicinity of which place he helped to build a railroad, the time spent there being about four months, and in January,
1881, he came West, to Kansas City, Mo., and entered the employ of
his brothers, John B. and Henry, who had come thither some time before, and established a grocery store on the corner of Ninth and Wyoming Street. He remained with them as a clerk some six years, and
then, with the money he had saved out of his earnings, he engaged in
business for himself. In August, 1887, he and his brother Jacob bought
from their brother John B. a grocery, at No. 1 527 West Ninth Street, and
although it is now conducted by Jacob, Swen A. still owns an interest
in the same. July 6, 1889, he bought from his brother Henry the
grocery at No. 228 North James Street, and is now devoting his whole
attention to its management. It is located in a good two-story
brick building, 25x56 feet, and is one of the largest and best-stocked
establishments of the kind in Kansas City. Mr. Larson has conducted
it for about one year, and its sales for this time amount to nearly
$25,000. Mr. Larson possesses every essential necessary to make a
successful business man, is kind and agreeable in his manners, and
has a large number of friends. He was married. May 29, 1889, to
Miss Charlotte Linnarson, who was born in Sweden, June 11, 1865,
her parents being John and Mary Linnarson, who came to America
about 1872, and settled in Kansas City, Kas., where Mrs. Larson
grew to womanhood. She and her husband are members of the Lutheran Church of Kansas City, Mo., and are well known as honorable
and upright people.
The La Rue Hardware Company of Kansas City, Kas., was established in 1888, with J. H. and George A. La Rue as owners. They
are dealers in shelf and builder's hardware, tinware, granite iron ware,
gasoline, cooking and heating stoves, galvanized iron work, roofing and
spouting, etc. They do a fine business, and are prosperous, enterprising men. J. H. La Rue, the senior member of the firm, is a native of
Adams County, Penn., born on July 21, 1862. His parents, Solomon
and Sarah (Alicker) La Rue, are natives of the Keystone State, and
his paternal grandfather, Henry La Rue, was a native of France and
an early settler of Pennsylvania, where he died at the age of eighty-four years. He was a farmer by occupation. The maternal grand-father, Abraham Alicker. was born in Holland, and also died in Pennsylvania. These grandparents came over and purchased land from
William Penn. The parents of our subject are both yet living and are
residents of Adams County, Penn. The father has been a farmer most
all his life, and is now comparatively retired, although largely interested
in banking interests at Dillsburg. Penn. J. H. La Rue was educated
at Millersville Normal School of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1880. and he afterward taught school for five years. Being
dissatisfied with this occupation he decided to take Horace Greeley's
advice and go West. Accordingly in 1885 he started and never stopped
until he reached Kansas City, Mo. He made up his mind to do anything to get a start, and so entered the employ of Richard & Conover
Hardware Company, as a roustabout at $1.50 per day. Here he remained for three years. Inside of eighteen months he had worked himself up to the third highest position in the house. In 1888 he decided to
open up business for himself, and has since carried it on with his brother
George. Both gentlemen have a thorough practical knowledge of all
departments of their business, while their promptness and reliability must mark them as most desirable with whom to establish business relations in this line. J. H. La Rue is a member of the I. O. O. F.
J. H. Lasley is the present capable surveyor of Wyandotte County,
Kas., and although he has been a resident of this section of the country about eight years, he came from the Buckeye State, where he
was born in 1840. After attending the common schools and acquiring a good practical education, he took a course ia engineering and
surveying in Gallipolis, Ohio Academy, graduating from this institution with a thorough knowledge of the work before him. He entered
the Federal army in 1860 with a number of schoolmates, becoming
a member of Company H, Fifty-third Ohio Infantry, and entered regular service on October 26, 1861, and in the battle of Shiloh, in which
he took an active part, he was severely wounded. He was honorably
discharged, but was unable to walk for three years. On January 8,
1862, he was made second lieutenant, and served as such until he was
wounded and furloughed home. He laid on the battle-field for two
days, a part of the time exposed to the fire of the two armies. After
remaining in the hospital at Covington (Ky.) for some time, he was
discharged by order of Secretary Stanton. After the war he remained
in his native State, where he served one term as county surveyor of
his native county, then engaged in the dry-goods business until the fall
of 1866, when he came to Missouri and located in Cass County, where
he farmed for some twelve years, after which he moved to Kansas City,
Mo. At the end of three years he came to Rosedale, Kas., and here
was chosen to the position of county surveyor in the fall of 1883, a
position he has filled for six consecutive years, and was also engineer
of the city for one year after the consolidation of the three towns.
He has proved a very efficient officer, and is the thorough master of his
business. He was married in Missouri to Miss Rachel A. Custer, by
whom he has a family of six children : One boy, C. O. Lasley and five
daughters : Hallie, Katie, Myrtle, Pearl and Rachel. The son is now
eighteen years of age. Mr. Lasley is a Republican in his political views,
and socially is a member of the A. O. U. W., the K. of P., the G. A.
R. and the Union Veterans' Union. He is quite well fixed, financially,
and is the owner of property in Rosedale, Bonner and Kansas City,
Kas. His father was an Ohioan, but was of German descent, and was
a Whig in politics. His father was a native German and an Abolitionist in his views. The mother of the subject of this sketch was of
Irish descent on one side and Scotch on the other, being born in Pennsylvania.
P. K. Leland. Wyandotte County, Kas., has been long, well and
justly noted for the sterling honesty and superior capability of her public officials, and this enviable reputation has been fully sustained by Mr.
Leland, who is the efficient police judge of Kansas City. He first
saw the light of day at Grafton, Mass., June 1, 1828. He received a
liberal education, being an attendant of Leicester and Westfield
Academies, Amherst College and Brown University. He was of a
rather adventurous disposition, and visited various foreign countries
and rounded Cape Horn, being at sea nine months. He was taken
with the gold fever, became one of the famous forty-niners, and two
years were spent in the gold mines of California, where he passed
through a varied experience and met with many thrilling adventures.
At the end of this time he returned as far east as the State of Illinois and there resumed his law studies and was admitted to the bar
in 1853, and for a number of years practiced his profession at Ottawa,
Ill. He soon built up an enviable reputation as a legal practitioner,
and his ability was soon seen and recognized by the people by whom
he was elected to the position of judge of the county court of La
Salle County, Ill., the duties of which he discharged in a very efficient manner for eight years. He also held the office of deputy clerk
of the Supreme Court of Illinois for three years, but in 1S85 removed
from Illinois to Kansas City, Kas., and here was admitted to the bar
the following year. Here he was appointed to the position of police
judge of that city in April, 1887, being reappointed in April, 1889,
and so far he has proved the beau ideal of a public servant, being
efficient, punctual, industrious, honest and uniformly courteous to
all with whom he came in contact. His marriage, which took place
on March 26, 1856, to Miss Lizzie M. White, has resulted in the birth
of three children: Dr. K. W. Leland (of Utica, Ill.), Cora (wife of
C. E. Abraham), and Lillian (wife of Evan Browne, of Kansas City,
Kas.). Mr. Leland inherits English blood of his parents, Cyrus and
Betsey (Kimball) Leland, both of whom were born in Grafton, Mass.,
the former being a descendant of one of the Pilgrim Fathers. He is liberal in views, generous and the soulof honor. Although not aggressive,
he possesses a mind of his own with the courage to express his views
when necessary. He is a gentlemen by instinct and education, and
the many warm friends whom he possesses in Kansas City, testify to
his popularity.
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