Biographies Index

BUTLER COUNTY, KANSAS

BIOGRAPHIES

LOOMIS, M. S.

M. S. Loomis, a representative citizen of Butler county, was born in Geauga county, Ohio, in 1881. He is a son of S. B. and Henrietta (Clapp) Loomis, natives of Ohio. They were the parents of two children, M. S., the subject of this sketch, and Grace. She was born in Butler county, Kansas, and educated in Augusta, and is, at present, taking a domestic science course at Pittsburg, Kans.

The Loomis family came to Kansas in the fall of 1892, locating at Augusta. The father bought a farm the following spring, one and one-half miles east of Gordon, in Walnut township, which he sold about 1901. In the spring of 1898, he moved one and one-half miles south of Towanda on the Dr. McLaughlin farm of 160 acres, where he remained one year. He also bought 160 acres one half mile east of the first farm, and both are still owned by his heirs. Mr. Loomis moved to Augusta in 1899, where he died in December, 1910. His widow lives at Augusta.

M. S. Loomis was educated in the common schools of Butler county, Kansas, and the Huntsburg High School, Geauga county, Ohio.

He is a successful farmer and stock raiser, and has made that industry his occupation.

Mr. Loomis was married in 1905 to Miss Myrtle Carter of Augusta, Kans. Her father, T. E. Carter, was a Butler county pioneer of 1866, who came to this county with his father in October of that year. He lives one half mile west of Augusta on the old homestead. Her mother bore the maiden name of Catherine Moore. Mrs. Loomis is one of two children born to her parents: Ernest, lives three miles west of Augusta, Kans.

Mr. and Mrs. Loomis are the parents of four children, as follows: Helen; Lyle; Lloyd, and Bernice. Mr. and Mrs. Loomis live one-half mile north and one mile west of Augusta, and are well known and highly respected.

Mr. Loomis recently leased eighty acres of his farm for oil and gas development, receiving a handsome bonus for the privilege given.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 584-585)

WALLACE, D. A.

D. A. Wallace, a Butler county pioneer, and a successful farmer and stockman, was born in Union county, Iowa, in 1856. His parents were Samuel and Margaret (Anderson) Wallace, the former a native of Dublin, Ireland, and the latter of Indiana. They were the parents of four children: Aaron, died in Walnut township in 1885; Samuel, unmarried and lives in Walnut township; Thomas, lives in Walnut township; and D. A., the subject of this sketch.

Samuel Wallace, the father, died in Iowa, and n 1873 the mother and her four sons came to Butler county and settled in Walnut township. When the family came here the mother had only about $25, and she rented a farm in Walnut township and her sons operated it and were successful from the start. She died in 1884 and was buried in and Cumberland cemetery. In 1886, D. A. Wallace bought 160 acres of land for $2,000. It was the northeast quarter of section 12, Walnut township. Since that time he has added two quarters, one of which adjoins his original purchase on the north, and the other is one mile west. The latter quarter has three good producing gas wells and all of Mr. Wallace's land is in the rich oil and gas belt in the vicinity of Augusta. Mr. Wallace is one of the extensive cattle raisers and feeders of the county. He has also raised a great many hogs. His land is well located, and is an ideal stock farm.

Mr. Wallace was married in 1884, to Miss Lillie Hamblet, of Augusta. Her father, Abner Hamblet, came to Butler county in 1879 with his family and settled in Walnut township, Butler county. They both died there and are buried in Cumberland cemetery. To Mr. and Mrs. Wallace have been born five children, as follows: Ruel L., married Florence Bottoms, and resides on the home place; Elmer, farmer, Walnut township, married Elma Nuffer; Minnie, married Frank Bergman, Emporia, Kans.; Byrdie, a student in the State Normal School at Emporia, and Winifred, a student in the Augusta High School.

In 1915 Mr. Wallace purchased a home in Augusta where the family now reside. Mr. Wallace is one of the Butler county pioneers who has been successful, and at the same time contributed his part to the upbuilding and development of his community and Butler county.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 585-586)

LEYDIG, BRUCE R.

Bruce R. Leydig, a prominent member of the Butler county bar and an able lawyer, is a native of Ohio. He was born in Muskingum county in 1861, and is a son of Joseph A. and Winnie A. (Shirer) Leydig, the former a native of Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and the latter of Ohio. Joseph A. Leydig, the father, was a member of Company E, Ninety-seventh regiment, Ohio infantry, and was killed at the battle of Franklin, Tenn. He left a widow and two children, James V., of Clifford township, a sketch of whom appears in this volume, and Bruce R., the subject of this sketch. Sometime after the death of the father, Mrs. Leydig married W. M. Leydig, a cousin of her former husband. One child was born to that union, Harry S. Leydig, who now resides in California.

The Leydig family came to Kansas in 1872, and settled in Clifford township, Butler county, where the stepfather bought a relinquishment on a homestead of a quarter section of land, and here spent the remainder of his life. He died in 1886, and the mother survived for a number of years, and passed away in 1907, in Clifford township.

Bruce R. Leydig attended the public schools in Muskingum county, Ohio, before the family removed to Kansas, where his education was continued in the public schools. In 1877 he returned to Ohio, and attended Spencer's Normal School, at Adamsville, Ohio, until 1881, when he returned to Butler county and followed teaching until 1884. He then read law in the office of Judge A. L. L. Hamilton, and was admitted to the bar. May 20, 1885. Shortly after Mr. Leydig was admitted to the bar, his stepfather -died, and he returned to the home place in Clifford township to assist in its management, and remained there until 1890. He then became associated with Judge Hamilton in the practice of his profession, under the firm name of Hamilton & Leydig, and this firm continued for twenty-six years. On March 1, 1916, Mr. Leydig became associated with Karl M. Geddes, under the firm name of Leydig & Geddes. They have well equipped and commodious offices on West Central avenue, opposite the court house, and the professional association of Messrs. Leydig and Geddes has resulted in a large clientage to the firm, both of these gentlemen being well known throughout Butler county and this vicinity of Kansas, as capable lawyers of broad experience.

Mr. Leydig was married in 1888 to Miss Lizzie Spier, of Fairmount township. She is a daughter of Robert Speir, a Butler county pioneer who bought his place in Fairmont township in 1873, and brought his family here three years later. To Mr. and Mrs. Leydig have been born three children, as follows: Marie, a graduate of the El Dorado High School, and afterwards taught in the El Dorado schools; Robert, a graduate of the El Dorado High School, and now a student at the State Agricultural College, Manhattan, Kans.; and Raymond, a student in the El Dorado schools.

Since casting his first vote, Mr. Leydig has always supported the policies and principles of the Republican party. In 1907, he was elected to the State legislature, and, during the following session, was a member of the judiciary committee, and was active in the furtherance of much important legislation that was enacted during that session. Mr. Leydig has taken a commendable interest in local affairs, and has served as a member of the school board, and has also been a member of the city council, and city attorney of El Dorado. Mr. Leydig is a close student of the law, and is recognized as one of the leading trial lawyers and counsellors of Butler county, and has the reputation of being able, fair, and fearless as a lawyer.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 586-587)

DAVIS, ALDEN J.

Alden J. Davis, chief engineer of the El Dorado waterworks, is a native of Butler county. He was born in El Dorado in 1881, and is a son of L. G. and Melissa A. (Aldridge) Davis, the former a native of New York State, and the latter of Canada. They were the parents of the following children: R. L., died in El Dorado at the age of forty; Glenn, deceased ; John, employed in D. W. Ow's grocery store; Artie, a farmer in Colorado; Alden J., the subject of this sketch; Frank L., a farmer in Colorado; and three daughters who died in infancy.

The Davis family came to Butler county in 1879, and settled in Chelsea township. About a year later, they came to El Dorado, where the father was engaged in the grocery and butcher business, then he ran a brick plant here and later was interested in truck gardening. He died at El Dorado in 1906, and his widow still survives.
Alden J. Davis received his education in the public schools of El Dorado, and in early life assisted his father in various ways, and for a number of years has been employed by the city of El Dorado at times, and in various capacities. On April 1, 1916, he was appointed chief engineer of the waterworks, and is now capably filling that position.

Mr. Davis was married in 1903, to Miss Evelyn Frank, of El Dorado, Kans. She was an orphan, and was reared in the family of George F. Hayman of El Dorado, and came to Butler county when she was ten years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have two children: Luther, aged ten years; and Ollis, aged one year. Mr. Davis is well known in El Dorado and vicinity, and has won a reputation for reliability and efficiency.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 587)

HARRIS, W. N.

W. N. Harris, a prominent hardware merchant and implement dealer of Rose Hill, Kans., is a Butler county pioneer. Mr. Harris was born in Joliet, Ill., April 11, 1865, and is a son of Walter James and Ann E. (Radcliff) Harris. The Harris family came to Kansas in 1877, and first settled at Topeka, where the father worked for two years at his trade, which was that of a blacksmith. In 1879 they came to Butler county and settled near Rose Hill where the father bought eighty acres of land and was successfully engaged in farming for a number of years. He died in August, 1915, and thus closed a useful life of one of the honored pioneers of Butler county. His widow now resides on the home place not far from Rose Hill. The following children of Walter James and Ann E. (Radcliff) Harris, survive: Mrs. Ida Berry, Mecca, Ind.; W. N., whose name introduces this sketch; Mrs. Anna Mc Williams, Pleasant township; Laura, resides on the home place with her mother; Mrs. Emma Vickers, Wichita, Kans.; Sarah, resides on the home place with her mother; and Mansfield, Chicago, Ill.

W. N. Harris received a good public school education and when a youth, he learned the blacksmith trade, which he followed for ten years, when he engaged in the hardware, implement and lumber business at Rose Hill. Since engaging in this business Mr. Harris has built up a large trade over an extensive scope of territory in the vicinity of Rose Hill. It can be truthfully said that he is a successful merchant and his business has perceptibly increased each succeeding year. In addition to carrying a full line of hardware and lumber, he aims to sell the most approved and satisfactory makes of agricultural implements, harness windmills, harvesting machinery, wagons and vehicles.

Mr. Harris was united in marriage in January, 1896, to Miss Enola Skinner, a daughter of M. J. Skinner, of Douglass, Kans., and two children have been born to this union: William J., and Enola, both residing at home. Mr. Harris is a supporter of the policies of the Democratic party in National affairs, but in voting for local officers, he permits himself to be governed in his choice of candidates, purely upon the personality of each individual candidate. By his policy of honesty and integrity, in dealing with the public, Mr. Harris has built up a reputation upon which his many customers can and do safely rely.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 588)

STALEY, H. C.

H. C. Staley, an early pioneer of Butler county is now living retired at Rose Hill, after an active and successful business career. Mr. Staley was born in Chatham county, North Carolina, June 3, 1845, and is a son of G. W. and Margaret (Hinshaw) Staley, both natives of North Carolina, and descendants of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestors. They spent their lives in North Carolina.

H. C. Staley was reared in his native State, educated in private schools and Guilford College, near Greensboro, N. C. He was conscripted during the Civil war and forced into the Confederate service, and served for a time as a sort of a cabin boy on a receiving ship at Wilmington, N. C. At the battle of Fort Fisher, young Staley rowed ashore with some officers and after landing, went on home, which ended his military career unceremoniously. He remained at his North Carolina home until 1870, when he went to Indiana, and after remaining there one summer, came to Emporia, Kans., which, at that time, was the end of the railroad. He remained there during the winter of 1870 and 1871, and in the spring, came to Butler county, driving from Emporia. He preempted a claim one mile east and two miles north of the present site of Rose Hill. Soon after coming here, he built a house which was blown away by a cyclone in 1879. He also built a store a mile east of where Rose Hill now stands, and conducted a general mercantile store there, and was postmaster for six years. He then engaged in buying and shipping grain and stock, and, for a number of years, did an extensive business in those commodities, and was the largest dealer in that section of Butler county, although, for the last few years, has been practically retired. He is now one of the large land owners in that section, owning three quarter sections, and his son owns eighty acres.

When Mr. Staley came to Butler county, he colonized a settlement of Quakers in 1871 near Rose Hill, Kans., who were among the substantial early settlers of the southwestern part of the county. When he came here there was not a house in sight, in the vicinity of where Rose Hill now stands. Nothing could be seen but the tall waving blue stem, and Mr. Staley was very much impressed with the luxurious growth of grass and the fertile appearance of the country. Wichita was just in the beginning, and it had a population of about 665, and Augusta boasted of a population of only a few, while the now thriving city of Winfield had one house, a log structure, and one day when Mr. Staley was there, a man was digging a trench, and Mr. Staley asked him what he was doing. He said he was building a hotel. Mr. Staley couldn't see any good reason for a hotel there, but he says he supposes the fellow went on and built it, as Winfield rapidly developed into quite a town shortly after that. When Mr. Staley came here, there was plenty of deer and antelopes and some buffalo, but the buffalo was rapidly disappearing about that time, but could be found farther west, and Mr. Staley went on one buffalo hunting expedition after coming here, but never aspired to be much of a hunter.

Mr. Staley was married September 29, 1869, to Miss Cox, a native of North Carolina, and a daughter of Isham and Lavina (Brower) Cox. Her father was the man who raised the money from all parts of the county to build Guilford College, which is located near Greensboro, N. C.

To Mr. and Mrs. Staley have been born three children, as follows: C. W., resides near Lane, Kans.; F. B., connected with the Union Stock Yards at Wichita, and Fred, a farmer and cattleman, Rose Hill, Kans.; Louie G., deceased.

Mr. Staley is a prominent factor in the business and civic affairs of Butler county and has always taken a commendable interest in public affairs since coming to Kansas. He has served as justice of the peace for twenty-eight years and as an illustration of the confidence in his integrity and judgment, of the many cases that have been tried in his court, not one appeal has been taken from his decision. In the early# days Mr. Staley was a Republican, later a Prohibitionist, and in the evolution of political events, he has finally become a staunch supporter of the policies and principles of the Democratic party.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 588-590)

McCLUGGAGE, JAMES

James McCluggage, a Butler county pioneer and prominent citizen of Richland township, is a son of Thomas and Eliza J. (Kerr) McCluggage, who were born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, but spent most of their lives in Holmes county, Ohio. The McCluggages were descended from Irish stock. In his earlier life in Pennsylvania, Thomas McCluggage freighted with a large six-horse wagon from Pittsburg to various frontier points. In their early married life Thomas McCluggage and his wife immigrated to Holmes county, Ohio, where ten children were born to them, of whom there are now living four boys and five girls. The parents and most of the children moved to Kansas in the early eighties, and the parents settled at Douglass, in this county, where their eldest son, Dr. J. R. McCluggage, was a practicing physician. They both died there.

James McCluggage, the subject of this sketch, was born in Holmes county, Ohio, in 1846. He spent his boyhood there, helping make a home in the frontier, and attending the short winter school terms. He learned from his father the main points of farming and stock raising, and in 1872, he set out from Mason City, 111., where he had spent four years, to make a home for himself in the Osage lands of Butler county. He preempted a quarter section, one mile south of the present site of Rose Hill in Richland township, and this has been his home ever since. His country home, one of the best in this section of the State, is on 200 acres of his land, which he retained after dividing up many acres, nearby, among his four sons. Mr. McCluggage is an example of the successful farmer, and like most other farmers in this section, his success has been brought about mainly by stock raising and breeding. The Galloway cattle of the McCluggage farm have been a marked feature In the annals of stock raising in this county for years.

In 1877 Miss Jennie McMillian, of this county, became the bride of James McCluggage. They are the parents of five children, four boys and one daughter: Miss Jennie C. McCluggage, who is the youngest of the children and is in college. She had the distinction of being the youngest to graduate in any Butler county high school in 1915. J. Ralph McCluggage, the eldest son, after attending Lewis Academy, Wichita,, settled on farming as his life work and resides a mile northeast of his father's home. Francis J. McCluggage, second son, is assistant cashier of the Rose Hill State Bank. He is married and lives at Rose Hill. The two younger sons, T. V. and R. T., were inclined toward the law. The former graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor in the class of 1910, and is a member of the law firm of Hawks & McCluggage, Wichita, Kans. R. T. McCluggage, the youngest son, finished the law course at Kansas University in the spring of 1915 and is now located at Augusta.

James McCluggage has always been prominent in furthering the things that benefited his community. He served several terms as township trustee and treasurer, but he never aspired in politics. In 1906, he was one of the organizers of the Rose Hill State Bank, and became president of that institution, which position he has since held.

Besides the late Dr. J. R. McCluggage, now deceased, a sketch of whom appears in this volume, James McCluggage has been cheered by the association of several brothers and sisters who have made their homes in this county. M. S. McCluggage, a bachelor brother, makes his home with him; Mrs. Robert Warrender, a sister, lives on a farm in Richland township; Mrs. George Warrender, another sister, lives at Augusta, Kans., and Mrs. Will Cutting, resides in Pleasant township. Morgan McCluggage formerly lived in this county, but now resides at Mason City, Ill. A sister, Mrs. Mart Thompson, lives at Minneapolis, Minn., and Mrs. Frank Beedy at Aitkin, Minn.

Mr. McCluggage has a wide acquaintance over Butler county, and is well known as one of the substantial men of this section of the State.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 590-591)

McCLUGGAGE, FRANCIS J.

Francis J. McCluggage, assistant cashier of the State Bank of Rose-hill, is the second son of Mr. and Mrs. James McCluggage, of Richland township. (See sketch of James McCluggage in this volume.) He was born March 28, 1881, and reared on the McCluggage homestead, one and one half miles south of Rose Hill. After completing the common school course at district No. 81, known as the McCluggage school, the school house being across the road from the McCluggage home, Francis J. McCluggage attended high school at Douglass, and after graduating there, he attended Lewis Academy at Wichita and finished a course in the commercial department of Wichita Business College. After leaving the latter institution in 1901, he secured a position with the State Bank at Douglass, and prior to the founding of the Rose Hill State Bank, he farmed for a number of years. He has shared with his cousin, J. Freer McCluggage, the active management of the Rose Hill State Bank for a number of years, and has had the pleasure of witnessing that institution grow, in a few years, and become one of the strong institutions of the county.

Francis J. McCluggage was married in 1912, to Miss Estella Mc-Cune, daughter of C. W. McCune, a successful farmer of Richland township. They have one son, Francis Melvin, born in 1913. They attend the Church of Christ of Rose Hill. Mr. McCluggage is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Rose Hill.
Mr. McCluggage is a courteous and capable gentleman, and well qualified in every respect for the responsible position which he holds.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 591)

WILFORD, EDWARD

Edward Wilford, son of John and Elizabeth (Hardy) Wilford, was born in South Croxton, Leicestershire, England, in 1838, and came to Sheboygan, Wis., in 1858. There was a gale at sea during the voyage, and three sailors drowned. He soon journeyed to Iowa, where he spent four years, when he returned to Wisconsin. He came to Butler county, Kansas, in 1874, and filed on a quarter section of land two and one-half miles northwest of Douglass, which has been his home ever since. He has added considerable land to the original quarter, and has engaged extensively in farming and stock raising.

In 1877, Mr. Wilford married Miss Mary Anderson at Wichita, Kans. Mrs. Wilford is a native of County Armagh, Ireland. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wilford are hale and hearty, despite advancing years, and their autumn of life is made cheerful by their four children, who grew to maturity. The Wilford home is on an elevation overlooking the winding Walnut valley for many miles in either direction of its course. Mrs. Wilford is pleased to call her home her castle, and says, that when they get her to leave it, they will have to carry her out. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wilford are fond of the progressive farm life which they have made there for so many years. They have no longing for town or city life. They take the best daily papers and periodicals, and keep thoroughly posted on the doings of the world.

The kitchen part of the Wilford home is one of the early landmarks in southern Butler county, it being the original dug-out on the south slope of "Mount Wilford," and in years past, as at present, has been the scene of marked hospitality. The old cellar has been modernized, and a spacious frame house has been built over it, but Mrs. Wilford spends much time in the original room, in which she cooked her first meal in Butler county.

Thos. E. Wilford, an only son, is married and occupies a model cottage close by the old homestead. He conducts the farm work. Other children are: Mrs. Arthur Vint, of Hutchinson; Mrs. Bert Shanks, of Douglass, and Mrs. Jesse Darter, of Douglass.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 592)

BOLAND, E. J.

E. J. Boland, the present mayor of Leon, is one of Butler county's progressive business men and belongs to that type of successful men who do things. Mr. Boland was born in Henry county, Missouri, in 1872, and is a son of J. A. and Emily (Beggerly) Boland. J. A. Boland was a native of Indiana, his father was a Scotchman, and his mother was an English woman. E. J. Boland's mother was a native of North Carolina. The Boland family came to Butler county, Kansas, in 1886, the father trading his farm in Missouri for 240 acres of land in Butler county, located about seven miles from Leon. He was successfully engaged in farming and stock raising here until his death, January 6, 1911, and his wife died two days later and both were buried in the same grave. They were the parents of five children, two of whom are living, E. J., the subject of this sketch, and B. F., who resides at Carthage, Mo.

Mr. Boland was reared on a farm, and was successfully engaged in farming and stock raising until 1913, when he left the farm and removed to Leon where he has since been engaged in the automobile business. While still on the farm, in 1911, he took the agency for the Ford automobile in Leon and vicinity, and his business in that connection developed so rapidly that in 1913, he gave up the farm and has since devoted himself to the automobile business. Upon coming to Leon, he opened a garage and in addition to his sales department; initiated a repair department. His business rapidly developed, and he rented an adjacent room to accommodate it, and it was not long until he found that his enlarged quarters were too small to accommodate his increasing business. In 1916 he built a garage, fifty by one hundred feet. The building is practically fire proof, being constructed of pressed brick with concrete floor, well lighted and is the best equipped garage in Butler county and one of the best in the State. It was completed and occupied about January 1, 1916. Mr. Boland has installed an electric dynamo in connection with his garage and his plan is to furnish electric light for the town, and there is no doubt but what this plan will soon be materialized, as Mr. Boland has a reputation for finishing almost everything that he has started up to the present writing.

Mr. Boland was united in marriage in 1894 to Miss Mina Bean, daughter of John and Hattie (Bridges) Bean, of Atchison, Kans., and to this union have been born four children, as follows: Earl, Lavon, Bertine and Kenneth, all attending the public schools of Leon, Earl being in the second year of high school.
As mayor of Leon, Mr. Boland is wide-awake to every idea that tends to the upbuilding and the betterment of the town. Being a man of pleasant manner and good personal address, he has many friends, and there is no doubt that the very best possible administration of the city's affairs will continue under his leadership.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 592-593)