Biographies Index

BUTLER COUNTY, KANSAS

BIOGRAPHIES

BARKALOW, J. A.

J. A. Barkalow, M. D., a prominent Butler county physician and surgeon, located at Rose Hill, is a son of T. P. and Mary (Lloyd) Barkalow, who spent most of their lives in Montgomery and Warren counties, Ohio. Dr. Barkalow, the subject of this sketch, was born near Dayton, Ohio, in 1855. His father was a farmer and moved with his family to McLean county, Illinois, in 1864, where they made their home until 1885, when they went to Florida for their health and spent the remainder of their lives here. Dr. Barkalow received a good education, and entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, Iowa, where he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1881. He engaged in practice at Lawndale, Ill., until 1883, when he went to Elkhart, Ill.

In 1881, Dr. Barkalow was married to Miss Leonora H. Berry, of Towanda, Ill. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Berry, and family came to Butler county, and settled on a farm, one mile east of where Rose Hill now stands, in 1884. A year later Dr. Barkalow came with Mrs. Barkalow and established themselves here, Dr. Barkalow maintaining his office at the Berry farm house. At that time what was called Rose Hill consisted of two stores and a blacksmith shop. Walter J. Harris, father of W. X. Harris, the well known merchant of Rose Hill, conducted the blacksmith shop. H. C. Staley kept one of the small general stores and also the postoffice, and Ferdinand Meeker ran the other store and was postmaster when the administration at Washington changed. When the present Rose Hill was laid out in 1888, Dr. Barkalow established his office and residence there, where he has since been engaged in practice.

With the death of Dr. J. R. McCluggage and the election of Dr. J. D. Hamilton to the office of county treasurer, Dr. Barkalow observes, that only Dr. S. T. Shelly of Mulvane and himself are left, of the "Old Guard'' of country doctors who have answered the call of the ailing, at all times of day or night, and in all kinds of weather, during the past thirty years in southern Butler and eastern Sedgwick counties. During this time, Dr. Barkalow has been called upon to exert his skill in a wide range of practice. He has enjoyed much satisfaction through this practice and the associations with the wholesome farming community, yet he has not been entirely satisfied with his lot. He has ever striven to gain higher knowledge and skill, and endeavoring to better his condition by improving the social and material welfare of his community.

Dr. Barkalow is independent in politics. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge of Rose Hill, and the Masonic Lodge as Douglass. Dr. and Mrs. Barkalow have one daughter, Lulu, now the wife of E. H. Brettmann, of Wichita. In his professional work of considerably over a quarter of a century, Dr. Barkalow has not only built up a large practice, but has won a host of friends among his wide acquaintance.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 593-594)

CLINE, CHAS R.

Chas. R. Cline was a son of Samuel F. and Elizabeth (Hargett) Cline, who were natives of Fleming county, Kentucky. The elder Clines moved to Missouri, following the Civil war, and thence to Illinois. Later they came to Butler county, and the father farmed three years in Pleasant township, tie and his wife then moved to Independence, Kans., and later both died in Missouri. Charles R. Cline, the subject of this sketch, was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, January 29, 1843. He $pent his boyhood there and helped his father and nine brothers and sisters in the farm work, and attended the three-months subscription school terms during the winters. At the outbreak of the Civil war, Mr. Cline enlisted in Company D, Twenty-fourth Kentucky infantry, and served three and one-half years in the Second division of the Army of the Cumberland. He was wounded at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, being struck by a minnie ball which fractured his left arm, and incapacitated him for further service.

In 1866, Mr. Cline was united in marriage to Miss Aphely Filson of his native county. In 1872, the couple moved to McDonough county, Illinois, where they remained until they came to make their fortunes in Butler county, in 1876. They shipped to Wichita, and while there Mr. Cline was offered a strip of forty acres of splendid bottom land for an old grey mare, he had with him, but he made up his mind to locate in the vicinity of Douglass, where a brother-in-law, Samuel T. Filson, had already settled. He preempted a quarter section of land on the northwest section of Douglass township, and has added to this tract and made it his home ever since. He has been active in general farming and stock raising in which he has met with more than ordinary success.

In 1903, Mrs. Cline died, leaving eight children, four boys and four girls. In 1907, Mr. Cline attended a "home-coming" at his old home, in Fleming county, Kentucky, and at that time became acquainted with Miss Elizabeth Thompson, a cousin of Mrs. Cline, and they were married during his stay there. To them were born a girl and two boys. Mr. Cline died March 26, 1916.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 594-595)

NEIMAN, GEORGE D.

George D. Neiman of Whitewater, Kans., is one of Butler county's younger business men. Mr. Neiman is a native son of Butler county, and was born in Milton township, near the town of Brainerd, June 26, 1887. He is a son of J. S. and Agnes (Morland) Neiman, Butler county pioneers. George D. Neiman was educated in the district schools and the Whitewater High School. He then entered the Bank of Whitewater, and after remaining with the bank about four years, in 1907, he resigned to engage in business in partnership with his father, under the firm name of the Whitewater Lumber and Coal Company. They handled building material extensively, and were also engaged in the implement business. In 1906, they added a complete line of hardware, and to accommondate this branch of their business, they erected a substantial brick store building 50x150 feet, where they carried an extensive line. Within the last two years they have branched out in the tractor field. During the year 1915 they sold ten carloads of tractors, and were obliged to cancel orders for about two carloads on account of their inability to get the goods from the factory.

Mr. Neiman has great faith in the future of the tractor, and believes that within the next five years it will succeed the horse in a large measure on the farm.

Mr. Neiman was united in marriage, in 1908, to Miss Edna Bishop, daughter of M. M. and Hettie Bell (Schriver) Bishop. To Mr. and Mrs. Neiman has been born one child, Gilbert Howard, born November 24, 1912.

George D. Neiman is a typical, twentieth century, business man and belongs to that type of which our captains of industry are made. He can see possibilities and draw quick conclusions and possesses the many .attributes which tend to a successful business career.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 595)

HANSTINE, GEORGE B.

George B. Hanstine, cashier of the Peoples State Bank of Whitewater, is one of Butler county's successful financiers. He is a native of Indiana, born in Bartholomew county, November 7, 1864. He is a son of Adam and Margaret (Zollinger) Hanstine, the former a native of Germany, and the latter of Maryland. The parents were married in Pennsylvania, and for a number of years, resided in that State, and later moved to Indiana, where the father worked at his trade, which was that of a wagon maker. In 1876, the family came to Kansas, locating in Butler county, near Whitewater, and here George B. Hanstine was reared on a farm, educated in the public schools, and grew to manhood. In early life he followed farming and stock raising extensively, and the first twenty-eight years of his life were devoted to that business. He then removed to Whitewater, and engaged more extensively in cattle feeding, frequently feeding as many as five hundred head at one time. After being successfully engaged in that business about six years, he accepted the cashiership of the Peoples State Bank at Whitewater.

This bank is one of the substantial financial institutions of Butler county, and was organized July 16, 1908, with a paid up stock of $15,000. As cashier, Mr Hanstine is the executive head of the bank. Mr. Hanstine has not only been active in the commercial side of the life of Whitewater, but has taken a keen interest in its public and social affairs as well, and especially in its schools. He was a member of the Harvey county board of education for several years, and has served as clerk of the Whitewater school board. He was elected a member of the Whitewater board of education on the issue of erecting a new school building, and did most effective work in the campaign to secure the issuing of bonds for its erection. It was built at a cost of $25,000, and stands as a monument to the tireless efforts of those who saw its need and made it possible.

Mr. Hanstine was married May 8, 1890, to Miss Elizabeth Alice Hawks, a daughter of Emanuel H. Hawks of Whitewater. To Mr. and Mrs. Hanstine have been born two children: Pearl Evelyn, married Robert Norris, Vassar, Kans., and Paul, manager of the People's Lumber Company, Whitewater, Kans. Mr. Hanstine is a Democrat, and a member of the Lutheran church, and has been treasurer of the church at Whitewater, and for twenty-five years has been superintendent of the Sunday school. He is president of the Whitewater Commercial Club, and favors any movement for the betterment or upbuilding of the community. Mr. and Mrs. Hanstine take a prominent part in the educational and social life of Whitewater, and are numbered among its most valued and esteemed citizens.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 595-596)

HOMER, JOHN

John Homer, M. D., a prominent pioneer physician and surgeon of Butler county, although now in his eighty-second year, is still engaged in the practice of his profession, although he does not attempt as extensive a practice as he did in the years past. Dr. Horner was born in Rock-castle county, Kentucky, November 23, 1833, and is a son of George and Missinah (Welsh) Horner, natives of Virginia. When Dr. Horner was a boy, the family left their Kentucky home and removed to Decatur county, Indiana. From early boyhood, Dr. Horner was imbued with the ambition to become a physician, and in early life purchased a cyclopedia of medicine, from which he obtained an elementary knowledge of that great science in which he in after years received a more thorough and scientific training. In the early fifties, he left Indiana and went to St. Louis, and from there to La Salle, Ill. He remained there, however, but a short time when he went to Iowa. In i860, he went to Quincy, Ill., where he remained ten years, and in 1870 came to Butler county, Kansas, driving the entire distance and camping by the wayside at night. He and his party first stopped at Bird's branch, just east of El Dorado for a time but were not favorably impressed with the quality of soil in that section. They came on to Milton township in search of a more suitable location. When they reached that part of the county Dr. Horner says that the rank growth of blue stem greatly impressed him, and his deduction was that the soil which produced such an unusual growth must be correspondingly fertile, and when he first looked upon the present site of Whitewater, that it was one broad expanse of waving blue stem, and he remarked to his companions: "This is the place for me; surely it is the 'Garden of the Gods."

Shortly after coming here, Dr. Horner homesteaded eighty acres which now adjoins the town of Whitewater. Like most of the early settlers of that day, he was poor, and did most any kind of work that was to be done in order to make both ends meet. He worked at the mason's trade and also at carpentry, as well as early day farming. He helped build what was known as the old stone house in 1872, for Horace Wilcox, a prominent cattleman of the early days. He also built a store mill for Wilcox which is still standing, and he built the school house in district No. 84. When a young man he was a mechanical genius, and could readily turn his hand to almost any kind of mechanical work. He devised a corn dropper which was used in planting corn. During all those years of early day activity on the plains, he was also privately pursuing the study of medicine as well as receiving instruction under the preceptorship of Dr. Buck of Peabody. He borrowed a skeleton from a physician friend which he used in his studies, and soon obtained considerable knowledge of medicine. There was no regular practicing physician in his vicinity at that time, and he was frequently called upon to attend the sick. He met with considerable success in that line of endeavor and soon had quite an extensive practice. Dr. Grinell of Peabody, a very good friend of his, advised him that he could not follow farming and practice medicine successfully, and offered to loan him money to attend medical college. Dr. Horner accepted the proposition and entered the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was graduated with a degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1880. He then returned to Whitewater and engaged in the practice of medicine in earnest, and in an incredibly short time had built up an unusually large practice, and within six months had paid back to Dr. Grinell the loan which he had so generously made a short time before.

Dr. Horner still owns the place which he homesteaded in 1870. He was married in Iowa to Miss Charity Horner, a native of Virginia, who is now seventy-nine years of age, and to this union have been born three children, as follows: Lillian, married E. T. Neal, and they have two children; Menonia, married Hamilton Young, of California, and they have three children; and Hattie, a teacher in the University of Denver, Colo.

Dr. Horner is one of the honored pioneers of Butler county and has been a success as a citizen as well as a successful physician. His life's work has been worthwhile. He is a great reader and has been a close student all his life. While he has kept up to date in his professional studies, his research has by no means been confined to the professional sphere. He is a great student of the best authors of fiction, history and philosophy. He is also an accomplished musician and has composed a number of orchestra and band pieces. As a result of his extensive research and profound study, he has arrived at many fixed conclusions in civics, economics and various other important studies. He says the corner stone of society is good motherhood. Fraternally he has been affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, and politically he is a Republican, but inclined to be independent.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 596-598)

FAIR, R. H.

R. H. Fair, president of the Whitewater Milling & Elevator Company, has, perhaps, had more to do with the industrial development of Whitewater in recent years than any other man. He is the principal owner of this great commercial enterprise and is the sole owner of the Whitewater Electric Light & Ice Plant.
Mr. Farr is a native of New York and was born twelve miles from the shores of Lake Champlain in Clinton county in 1851. He is a son of James and Sarah (Marshall) Farr, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of Canada and of English descent. R. H. Farr was one of a family of twelve children and grew to manhood on the little New York farm. His early education was obtained in a little log school house where the three R's were taught, and the discipline of the rod prevailed for a period of twelve weeks, annually. Young Farr was ambitious to obtain a better education than the curriculum of the district school provided, and by hard work and the strictest economy he saved enough to attend a special school in that locality. Later he taught school for a time, after which he attended the State Normal School at Potsdam, New York.

In August, 1878, Mr. Farr was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. Colclough, a native of Canada who was reared and educated in New York. In October following their marriage, Mr. Farr and his bride came to Kansas locating in Harvey county. Here he bought eighty acres of land for $600, giving a mortgage for the entire purchase price. In later years, he sold that eighty for $8,700. His first years in Kansas were similar to the common lot of many of the pioneers of the plains. Money was scarce and with frequent crop failures and poor markets he often saw the time that he was not the possessor of a five-cent piece. He engaged in teaching school for a time in Harvey county, which afforded an immediate means of obtaining ready cash. After some years of adversity success and prosperity crowned his efforts and he accumulated 480 acres of land.

He took an active part in early day politics, always having been identified with the Republican party, and in 1888, he was elected county clerk of Harvey county. Two years later he was reelected to succeed himself. Nominations at that time were made by the old delegate convention system, and Mr Farr was nominated on the forty-second ballot, for the first term which would indicate a lively interest in Harvey county politics at that time. His election followed by a substantial majority of about fifteen hundred. During his incumbency of the office of county clerk, he resided at Newton, the county seat, and continued to reside there after the expiration of his term of office until 1899, during which time he was engaged in handling some farm land.

In 1899, he removed to Whitewater and erected a mill which was the beginning of his present great milling industry. The Company was organized in 1899 and capitalized at $40,000, which has been more than doubled since that time. Besides the Whitewater plant, this Company has a number of branch elevators, and they handle about two hundred thousand bushels of wheat, forty thousand bushels of corn and fifty thousand bushels of oats annually, the volume of which, of course, varies with the productiveness of each season. In the successful management and progressive development of this great grain enterprise, Mr. Farr has not only developed a great institution for himself but he has created and maintained a staple grain market for that section of the State. He has never turned away a load of grain. His policy has been square dealing at all times, and honest markets, since the organization of the company. The Electric Light & Ice Company of which Mr. Farr is the sole owner, was organized in 1913, and a plant build at a cost of $16,000. The ice plant has a capacity of twelve tons per day, and operates a refrigerator and cold storage plant in connection. The electric light plant furnishes an all night current, which is unusual for a town of the size of Whitewater.
Mr. Farr was one of the organizers of the Whitewater Commercial Club, and also took part in the organization of the Peoples State Bank of Whitewater. He has taken an active part in the civic betterment of the town as well as in its commercial and industrial activities. He was one of the leaders in the movement for the new high school, which met with great opposition, but finally succeeded and was built at an approximate cost of $25,000, and is now one of the institutions of which Whitewater is justly proud.

Mr. Farr is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Methodist Episcopal church. To Mr. and Mrs. Farr have been born four children, as follows: Grace, married to F. G. Cunningham, accountant and financial secretary of the Whitewater Milling Company; Edna, married H. N. Davidson, Oakland, Cal.; Edgar, residing in Whitewater, where he has charge of the electric light plant; and Mabel, who is married to J. E. Saunders, a civil engineer and graduate of the Armour Institute of Chicago, now holding a responsible position with the Union Switch and Signal Company, of Pittsburg, Pa.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 598-600)

NOSSAMAN, A. H.

A. H. Nossaman, M. D., a leading physician and surgeon of Whitewater, is a native of Harrison county, Missouri, and is a son of W. P. and Nancy (Rice) Nossaman. The Nossaman family came to Kansas in 1879, locating in McPherson county, and four years later, moved to Kingman county, and the parents now reside at Cunningham, Kansas. Dr. Nossaman was the second in order of birth, of a family of eight children.

After receiving a good common school education in the public schools of Kingman county, he taught school for two years, and in 1899 entered the Salina Normal University and was graduated from that institution in the class of 1901, with a degree of Bachelor of Science. He then entered the University Medical College of Kansas City, Mo., where he was graduated in 1904, with a degree of Doctor of Medicine.

Dr. Nossaman then engaged in the practice of his profession at Isabel, Barber county, where he remained for six years. He then removed to Wichita, where he was a successful practitioner for three years, and in 1912 came to Whitewater and succeeded to the practice of Dr. H. L. Wood and has built up an extensive practice in Whitewater and vicinity. He was married in 1903 to Lelia J. Duncan, a native of Indiana, and they have two children, Lawrence, born June 28, 1904, and Marian, born August 28, 1906.

Dr. Nossaman is a member of the American Medical Association and a member of the Medical Alumni Association. He holds membership in the Masonic lodge, A. F. and A. M., No. 303, Wichita, Kans. Dr. Nossaman is a close student of his profession and an untiring worker. He has a large income from his extensive practice, but the mere making of money is not his greatest concern. He loves his profession and his greatest reward is the appreciation of successful results in his chosen field of labor. He is one of Butler county's capable and most progressive physicians.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 600)

HERSHEY, P. J.

P. J. Hershey, a Kansas pioneer and Civil war veteran, was born in Fremont, Sandusky county, Ohio, February 11, 1842, and is a son of David and Susan (Miller) Hershey, natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. Hershey was reared on a farm in the rural districts of Ohio and attended the country schools. He remembers one of his early teachers, whom, he says, was a good looking girl, and received the princely salary of $1.50 per week and "boarded around/' If the teacher's talent was anything like the price that she received for it, the boy would be lucky if he absorbed very much knowledge from such a source. When a young man Mr. Hershey followed farming and worked at the carpenter's trade. On September 1, 1863, he enlisted in Company I, Twelfth Ohio cavalry. His company was sent to Camp Denison, Ohio, where they were drilled for a time and later transferred to Johnson Island, where they did guard duty. In February, 1864, they returned to Camp Denison and the following April went to Mt Sherling, Ky., and in May formed a part of an expedition of 5,000 cavalry sent on a campaign against Salisbury, N. C, for the purpose of destroying the salt works there. While on the march in the mountains of East Tennessee the plan of campaign was changed and they were sent in pursuit of General Morgan, who was marching on Lexington, Ky. The Union troops encountered Morgan's command at Camp Standard unexpectedly and an engagement ensued in which Mr. Hershey was severely wounded, a bullet passing through his body. His wound was considered fatal, but he recovered under the careful treatment of his uncle, who was a physician at Fremont, Ohio, and who came to the front to care for his soldier nephew. Mr. Hershey was wounded June 9, 1864, and in the following October joined his regiment at Richmond, Ky. Shortly after this the regiment, with other troops, again started on the campaign against Salisbury. In addition to the destruction of the salt works at Salisbury, they were sent on a campaign to destroy the Virginia & Tennessee railroad. After this campaign they marched through Virginia and were reinforced at Addington by a strong body of infantry and struck the Virginia & Tennessee railroad and destroyed many bridges and many miles of track, and at the same time had many skirmishes with Confederate forces. After this campaign they returned to Lexington, Ky., encountering the Confederate forces at several points at which skirmishes ensued. The regiment averaged thirty-three miles per day on its march, reaching Lexington the latter part of January, 1865. Later they went to Nashville and Louisville, and in March, 1865, they were sent on a campaign against Salisbury, which was their last service before the close of the war, and Mr. Hershey was mustered out and discharged in October, 1865, with a very commendable military record. When he returned to his regiment after being wounded he was made an orderly, and served in that capacity until his discharge.

At the close of the war, Mr. Hershey returned to Ohio, where he remained until 1867, and in the spring of that year came to Kansas, and after spending about two months in Atchison, Leavenworth and Topeka went to Burlingame. In the fall of that year he went to St. Joseph, Mo., and later to Wyoming Territory. He remained there until 1869, when he returned to Kansas and spent the winter in Johnson county. In the spring he bought a team, wagon and camping outfit and drove to Butler county. When he reached the vicinity of where Whitewater is now located, he was greatly impressed with the giant growth of the blue stem, which, he says, was over ten feet high in places. He filed on a claim four miles southeast of where the town is now located, and still owns the place.

Mr. Hershey was married at Eureka Springs, Ark., in 1888, to Miss Edith Bamber, a native of Linconshire, England, and a daughter of Urban W. and Ellen (Lenton) Bamber, natives of England, who came to America in 1872 and settled at Leavenworth, Kans., when Mrs. Hershey was ten years old. To Mr. and Mrs. Hershey have been born two children, as follows: H. E., born January 22, 1889, attended the Whitewater High School and graduated from the Kansas State Agricultural College at Manhattan in the class of 1910, where he was graduated in the electrical engineering course and for the past five years has been employed by the Chicago Automatic Telephone Company as an electrical engineer and now has charge of the publicity department in St. Paul and Minneapolis. He married Miss Florence Dickey, of Newton, Kans. Harry J., the younger son of Mr. and Mrs. Hershey, was born March 3, 1901, and is in his third year in the Whitewater High School. Mr. Hershey is a Republican and belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic. Mrs. Hershey is a member of the Whitewater board of education and is prominent in social and civic affairs, and is a very capable woman.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 600-602)