Wyandotte County Biographies
"Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas--Historical and Biographical"
Goodspeed Publishing Co., Chicago, 1890
Louis F. Martin, beef inspector, Kansas City, Kas. Mr. Martin
was originally from Alton, Ill., his birth occurring on April 14, 1850,
and is a son of James K. and Hannah C. Martin, the father a native of
Wheeling Creek, Ohio, and the mother of Germany. James K. was
born in 1816, attained his growth in his native State, and was one of
the first engineers on the flatboats on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
During the Mexican War he enlisted in the Third United States Dragoons, and served until the close. He is at present residing in Chicago,
Ill. In politics he is a Republican. Louis F. Martin was reared to
manhood partially in Alton, and when seven years of age, moved with his
parents to Keokuk, Iowa, where they resided until 1864. He was
educated in the public schools of Keokuk and Chicago, learned the
trade of machinist at the Buckeye Foundry in Keokuk, and was in
the packing department for some time. After this he worked for Jef.
Godman in Keokuk, and has worked for all the principal houses in
Chicago. He came West in 1885, and took charge of the killing, cutting and casing department at Dods & Sons until 1889, when he was
appointed inspector for the city. This position he tills at the present
time. He was elected councilman at large in 1887, served two years,
and was chairman of the Committee on Bridges and Viaducts, Jails and
Police. He championed the cause of the constructing of the Seventh
Street viaduct, and it is largely due to perseverance that the structure
was completed. He visited Boston, made satisfactory arrangements,
and spent one year in getting the proposed arrangements to a finish.
He introduced the asphalt and vitrified brick pavements to this city,
and championed the cause of the people against the waterworks company. In the spring of 1889 he was candidate for mayor. Prior to
his coming to this city he was superintendent for the J. E. Boyd Packing House of Omaha. Mr. Martin was married to Miss Addie M. Hubbard, native of Quincy, Ill., and a direct descendant of William Penn,
and goes back to the Puritans on the Hubbard side. To Mr. and Mrs.
Martin have been born these children: Charles F., Louis Franklin,
Mabel Florence, Adelaide Esther, Alice Maud, Lorraine F. and an
infant. Mr. Martin affiliates with the Republican party in politics,
and was elected to his present position on that ticket. He is a member of Killwidding Lodge No. 311, A. F. & A. M., Chapter No. 127,
Chicago, and is past patron of Chicago Chapter O. E. S. of this order.
He was grand marshal of Illinois for three years, of Excelsior Lodge
No. 3, K. of P., and assisted in the organization of Fort Dearborn
Division No. 1, Uniform Rank of K. P. He is a charter member of
Chicago Division No. 7, and a member of Fireside Council of National
Union. Mr. Martin assists in enterprises of a public nature and all
that are worthy of his consideration.
W. W. Martin, proprietor of the Hans Dairy Farm, and one of the
prominent business men of the county, was originally from Brown
County, Ohio, his birth occurring on February 13, 1833, and is the
son of Zachariah and Rebecca (Southerland) Martin, natives, respectively, of Virginia and Ohio, and of Scotch and Irish descent. They are
both deceased, the father dying in Brown County, Ohio, in 1855, at
the age of fifty-six years, and the mother when forty-seven years of
age. He was an anti-slavery man, was a Whig in politics before the
war, and afterward was a Republican. He was the son of Alexander
Martin, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and who died in
Ohio soon after moving to that State, being then fifty years of age.
Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Martin - four sons and two
daughters - three now living. W. W. Martin, the fifth of the above-mentioned children, received his education in Brown County, Ohio, and
after the death of his father, went to Putnam County, Ill., making his
home in that and La Salle County. In 1864 he married Miss Emily
Robinson, a native of Southern Illinois, born in 1843, and the daughter of Edward W. Robinson. Four interesting children were born to
this union: May (wife of Angus Cameron, a stone-cutter of Kansas
City, Kas.), Edward W. (deputy postmaster of Kansas City, Kas.),
Nettie (at home), and Daisy. While living in La Salle County, Ill.,
Mr. Martin followed farming, and this carried on until 1875, when he
came to Kansas, and located in Johnson County. In 1879 he located
in Wyandotte County, and engaged in the dairy business in 1883, with
four head of cattle. Since then he has developed the extensive trade
which he now carries on. He has forty head of cows at the present
time, and gets 100 gallons of milk per day. His farm of seventy-five
acres is in the corporation, near the Rock Island roundhouse, and on
the Murphy Boulevard.
John R. Matney is a farmer and stock-raiser of Shawnee Township, Wyandotte County, Kas., and is one of the oldest and best known
settlers of this region, having purchased his present admirably kept
farm of 300 acres of Peggy Piebock, a Shawnee Indian. His birth
occurred in Tazewell County, W. Va., January 23, 1834, he being the
third of five children born to Charles and Abigail (Brown) Matney,
both of whom were born in that State, the former on November 24,
1803. He spent his youth and early manhood in the county of his
birth, following the occupation of farming, and here he remained
until 1844, the two subsequent years being spent in the occupation of
farming in Platte County, Mo. In the fall of 1846 he moved to Jack
son County, settling at Westport, where he purchased a good farm of
100 acres, which he continued to till until the spring of 1866. In the
fall of 1865 he lost his wife with small-pox, but he still survives her,
and is in the enjoyment of excellent health. In his early days he was
renowned for his skill as a hunter, and many are the interesting incidents which he relates which occurred on his hunting expeditions.
John R. Matney was reared to manhood in Westport, Mo., but in
1866 followed his father's footsteps, and came to Kansas, and as
above stated purchased his present farm. Since then he has greatly
improved his property, and besides clearing his land of stumps and
building fences, he has a commodious nine-roomed house, built upon
the southern plan, and excellent barns and sheds for the protection of
his stock. He has a large herd of Durham cattle, which he raises exclusively, besides a sufficient number of horses and mules for the successful conduct of his farm. His orchard comprises 1,000 apple trees,
and he has other fruit in like proportion, among which may be mentioned a large vineyard, the most of which is devoted to Concord
grapes. Mr. Matney is a Democrat in his political views, and on this
ticket was elected township treasurer, and was also clerk of the same
for a number of years. He was one of the first directors when the
school district was organized, is still such, and was one of the incorporate officers of the township. He was a delegate to the Democratic
State Convention for two years, and he is a member of Shawnee
Lodge No. 54, of the A. F. & A. M., of which he has been treasurer.
He is in favor of the Farmers' Alliance movement, and in fact, takes
deep interest in all worthy enterprises. He experienced many
hardships during the late war, being robbed and threatened by bush-whackers and deserters, but was fortunate enough to escape with only
the loss of money. On March 15, 1855, he was married to Miss Missouri Matney, a daughter of William and Sallie (Yokum) Matney, who
were born in West Virginia. Mrs. Matney was born in Westport,
Mo., in 1842, and her union with Mr. Matney has resulted in the birth
of nine children: Sarah (wife of Dave Havard), William (is a resident
of Colorado and is married to Tillie Burton), David, Ella (wife of
Charles Dotson), Henry, Albert, Alex, Minnie and Edith. Mr. Matney
is one of the county's best and most substantial citizens, and his life
has been filled with deeds of kindness, it being truly said of him that
he never violated a friendship nor forgot a kind action done him.
Such men as he make model American citizens, and fully deserve the
honor which they invariably receive. On his farm is a walnut tree
growing, which sprouted from an old walnut planted by James Quape,
a Shawnee Indian, thirty years ago, the diameter of the stump being
four feet.
Michael Mesh, gardener. Turner, Kas. The occupation which Mr.
Mesh now follows has received his attention for a number of years, and
it is but the truth to say that in it he is thoroughly posted and well informed. He is one of the early settlers of Wyandotte County, coming
here in September, 1866, from Ohio, and has been engaged in gardening
ever since. His father bought over twenty-two acres just north of Wyandotte, and there our subject now resides. His father was a native of
Baden Baden, Germany, born in 1812, and grew to manhood in his native
country, where he learned the butcher's trade. He came to the United
States in 1835, spent some time in seeing the country, and finally settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, before that city had hardly started. He
owned a great deal of property but it was destroyed by fire and water,
and he afterward, in 1866, came to Kansas, where he resided until
his death in 1876. His widow survived him but two years. They had six
children: Sophia (wife of Conrad Zwissler), John, George, Louisa
(wife of Lew Holly), and Kate (widow of John Farrell). Michael and
John bought the interests of the other heirs, and in 1886 they bought
twenty acres near Turner, which they began improving, and now
have it in first-class condition, and have it dedicated to gardening and
fruit raising. These two places they run in partnership, and have the
home place in fifty bearing apple trees, all varieties, ten plum trees,
thirty peach trees, seventy-five cherry trees, two acres in raspberries,
half an acre in blackberries, one acre of strawberries, and one acre in
Concord grapes. They have three-fourths of an acre in asparagus, one
acre in rhubarb and the balance in all kinds of gardening. At the
home of our subject he has 100 apple trees, eight different varieties, a few
plum, cherry, and pear trees, one and a half acres in raspberries, one-half acre in blackberries, one acre in strawberries, one acre in grapes,
one-fourth of an acre in asparagus, and one half acre in rhubarb.
They make a specialty of early and late vegetables, and are well supplied with all kinds of machinery, etc., necessary to carry on the business successfully. They have 8,000 feet of glass, thus enabling them
to raise all kinds of vegetables in the winter and spring, and late in the
fall. Michael Mesh was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 31,
1855, and there attained his growth. He was married in Wyandotte
County, Kas., in 1885, to Miss Rebecca Anna Morrow, the daughter
of Thomas and Emily Morrow, natives of Missouri and Ohio, respectively. She was born in Clay County, Mo., on February 14, 1868, and
two children are the result of their union: Emma Louisa and John.
Mr. Mesh is a Democrat in politics, and was reared in the Catholic
faith. He supports any enterprise that has for its object the welfare
of the county.
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