BUTLER COUNTY,
KANSAS
BIOGRAPHIES
FREEMAN, BENJAMIN T.
Benjamin T. Freeman, a prominent farmer and stockman of Lincoln township, is a Kentuckian. He was born in Robertson county, Kentucky, May 9, 1859, a son of Benjamin and Miranda (Williams) Freeman, natives of Virginia, the former of English and the latter of Scotch descent. When Benjamin T., the subject of this sketch, was a baby, his parents removed from Kentucky to Illinois, settling about fifteen miles north of Springfield, where the father died in i860. The mother then returned to Kentucky with Benjamin T., who was her only child. She spent the remainder of her life in Kentucky and died at Bracken.
When he was seventeen years of age, Benjamin T. Freeman went to Missouri, locating at Kansas City, where he spent six years, most of which time he was employed by farmers in Jackson county, Missouri, in the vicinity of Kansas City. He had saved some of his earnings by economy and good management, and in 1883 came to Butler county. He came with W. H. Irwin, whose daughter he later married. They drove through from Kansas City to Butler county, and when they were passing through the Flint Hills, Mr. Freeman remarked that that was the poorest country he had ever seen, and when they reached the Walnut Valley, Mr. Irwin asked him how he liked that country, and he said that looked better. They came to El Dorado where they purchased some supplies, and then went to Mr. Irwin's place, which he, had purchased the previous year, on the West Branch of the Walnut. Mr. Freeman worked for Mr. Irwin for two years and in 1886, he was united in marriage with Miss Ida E. Irwin, daughter of W. H. and Catherine (Yost) Irwin, natives of Kentucky. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Freeman rented a farm, and lat-er bought a half section of land in section 23, Lincoln township, to which he has added another quarter, and now owns 480 acres which is one of the best farms in Lincoln township. Mr. Freeman has been offered $100 an acre for part of his land. He raises hogs, cattle, alfalfa, and grain, and has made it a rule never to sell any grain or feed from his place, as he finds it more profitable to feed cattle and hogs and rely solely upon that source of income, which he has found to be very satisfactory.
To Mr. and Mrs. Freeman have been born the following children: Miranda C, resides at home; Bonnie E., resides at home; Nellie N., married Irvin Harrison, Keokuk, Iowa; Annie L., married John Cherryholmes, of Butler county; Frances, attending school at Hutchinson; Edna, a Butler county teacher; Sarah, attending school at El Dorado; Grace, attending school at El Dorado; Lila, Albert and Alice, residing at home. Mr. Freeman is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at El Dorado, and is a Democrat. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 829-830)
Alex Hewitt, a prosperous farmer and stockman of Fairmount township, is a Civil war veteran and a Kansas pioneer, who first came to this State with his parents sixty-three years ago. Mr. Hewitt was born in Erie county, Pa., near the Ohio State line December 18, 1840, and is a son of Chauncey Commodor and Melissa (Herring) Hewitt, natives of Pennsylvania. Chauncey Commodor Hewitt was a son of Walter Hewitt, a native of New York, and of English and Scotch descent. In 1849, Chauncey Commodor Hewitt, with his family, migrated from Pennsylvania to St. Joseph, Mo. The father was a carpenter and millwright, and worked at his trade in that locality until 1853, when he removed to Jefferson county, Kansas, and filed on a claim of Government land. They were among the very first settlers of that section of the State. The father died in 1855, and the mother and children remained on the claim until they proved up and received the deed. In 1859 they removed to Doniphan county, Kansas, where the mother died in 1864.
Shortly after the family left Jefferson county, Alex went to Iowa, where he was engaged as a farm hand until August 12, 1862, when he enlisted in Company T, Fortieth regiment, Iowa infantry, at Springfield, Iowa. He joined his regiment at Davenport and immediately proceeded to Columbus, Ky. After remaining there four months, they went to Paducah, and on January 15, 1863, were ordered south under Grant, in the vicinity of Vicksburg, serving in General Steele's brigade. They were then sent to oppose Johnson and to the relief of General Pemberton, and after that, returned to Vicksburg. After the campaign against Johnson, Mr. Hewitt was one of a detail sent to take a number of his company, who had suffered sunstroke, to a Northern hospital. After that he rejoined his regiment at Little Rock, Ark., and participated in the Red River campaign under General Steele, where he took part in the battle of Jenkin's Ferry, which was a hard fought engagement, lasting from daylight until 3 p. m., when the Union army was victorious, and his regiment returned to Little Rock, Ark., which was the base of operations.
During his military service Mr. Hewitt had many narrow escapes incident to the life of a soldier. On one occasion while he was one of a detail of twenty men who were acting as guard on a transport, loaded with provisions on the Arkansas river, en route from Little Rock to Fort Gibson, the boat was attacked by a battery of Confederate artillery. They succeeded in landing their boat on the opposite shore of the river and then took to the tall timber and escaped. During this affair Mr. Hewitt's head was grazed by a bullet which singed the hair on the right side. After the close of the war he was mustered out of service at Ft. Gibson, August 2, 1865.
After receiving his discharge from the army, Mr. Hewitt returned to Doniphan county, Kansas, where he remained until 1866, when he went to Iowa and taught school during the winter of 1866 and 1867. He then engaged in railroad contracting and was meeting with financial success until he was injured in an accident, after which he was unable to superintend his work, which he was compelled to entrust to others. He met with considerable financial loss, losing about $3,000, which was quite an amount to him at that time. He then followed farming in Iowa until 1869, and in 1871, came to Butler county, Kansas, filing on a claim in section 32, Fairmount township, which he still owns. When he came here, his capital was limited. He had a team and wagon and about $75 in cash. He was very much impressed with the rich soil of Fairmount township as evinced by the luxurious growth of the tall bluestem, and he was not mistaken in his judgment. He built a small cabin, 10x12 feet, which was his first home in Butler county, and proceeded to improve his land. He prospered and bought more land, and now owns 240 acres of some of the best land in Butler county, and is a prosperous farmer and stock raiser, and one of the substantial business men of Butler county. He has three residence properties in Whitewater besides several city lots, having platted an addition to Whitewater in 1914. He is also a stockholder in the People's State Rank of Whitewater.
Mr. Hewitt was married June 1, 1871, to Miss Martha Merry field, a native of Ohio, and a daughter of Joseph Merryfield of that State. Mr. Hewitt is a Democrat and a member of the Masonic lodge, and the Grand Army of the Republic. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 830-831)
Charles A. Hufford is a Butler county pioneer and a prominent farmer and stockman of Union township. Mr. Hufford was born in Harrison county, Virginia, (now West Virginia) in July 1859, and is a son of Hiram and Mary Hufford, natives of Pennsylvania. He was one of a family of four children, as follows: Charles A., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Ella Ensley, Augusta, Kans.; Hugh, Grand Junction, Colo.; Mrs, Maude Burns, El Reno, Okla. The Hufford family came to Butler county, Kansas, in the fall of 1876, and settled on a claim in Clay township. Their first home there was a dugout, which was a common type of habitation on the claims in the early days. Augusta was their trading town and after coming here the father began farming in a small way, and after passing the first few years of adversity, became a well-to-do farmer and stockman. He died May 12, 1915, and his widow now resides in Oklahoma.
Charles A. Hufford is a successful farmer and stockman and has made Butler county his home since coming here with his parents in 1876. Mr. Hufford was married in 1881, to Miss Ada Shervinton, a daughter of William and Emma Shervinton, natives of Canada, and of English descent. Mrs. Hufford is one of the following children, born to her parents: Mrs. Anna Spring, Ventura, Cal.; Ada, wife of Charles A. Hufford, the subject of this sketch; Watson, resides in Oklahoma; Robert, Salina, Kans.; Mrs. Lena Bailey, resides in Oklahoma; Mrs. Cora Blankenbaker, Latham, Kans.; Felix, resides in Idaho; Mrs. Ella Mannering, Elkville, Ill.; and Nola, Atlanta, Kans.
The Shervinton family came to Butler county, Kansas, in 1876, and were among the early settlers of Clay township, Butler county, where the father homesteaded 160 acres of land. He was an industrious and thrifty man and made a good home for his family in the new country, and became a well-to-do farmer and stockman. He died in October, 1912, and his widow now resides on the old homestead. Mr. Shervinton was something of a successful hunter in the early days and killed a great many deer and antelope, and hundreds of prairie chickens and other small game. Mr. and Mrs. Hufford have seen a great many bands of Indians, who frequently strolled over the plains in early days.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hufford have been born the following children: Walter, Latham, Kans.; Harry, Latham, Kans.; Loren, Clearwater, Kans.; Grace, Glenn, and Roy, all residing at home. The Hufford family is well and favorably known and Mr. Hufford is one of the progressive and substantial citizens of Union township. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 831-832)
J. J. Griffith, a prominent farmer and stockman of Rosalia township, is a native of Pennsylvania. He was born in 1847, and is a son of Benjamin and Margaret (Haird) Griffith, natives of Pennsylvania. The Griffith family came to Kansas in 1874, and located on a farm in Rosalia township, where the parents both spent the remainder of their lives. J. J. Griffith has made farming and stock raising his life's occupation and has met with very satisfactory success and is one of the substantial men of Rosalia township.
Mr. Grifffth was united in marriage in 1868 to Miss Mary E. Gray, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Michael Gray. To Mr. and Mrs. Griffith have been born the following children: William J., El Dorado, Kans.; Samuel M., El Dorado, Kans.; Mrs. Bertha V. Boucher, £1 Dorado, Kans.; Mrs. Alice Hart, El Dorado, Kans.; Mrs. Maggie Reed, Whitewater, Kans.; Rev., B. F., Winfield, Kans.; Mrs. May Burris, Keighley, Kans.; Mrs. Eva Nace, Emporia, Kans.; Mrs. Jessie L. Cannon, Rosalia, Kans., and Glen, Emporia, Kans.
Mr. Griffith is a man who has a deep comprehension of justice and always aims to stand for the right. His influence over his fellow men has been of a helpful and inspiring kind. He has given expression to the best that was in him, and in his happy and jovial way, he has always helped to make others happy and showed them the bright side of life. In the early days when there was much suffering and many hardships to be endured, he always kept up the same cheerful mood and looked forward to better days, which finally came. Mrs. Griffith was one of the pioneer women who patiently and courageously bore her part in laying the foundation for the future of Butler county and the great West. She is an ideal mother, who sought to instill into the hearts of her children the principles of the Christian religion, and she has no doubt succeeded in a full measure. Her children have all grown up to be worthy Christian men and women. One son, B. F., is a Methodist minister, and Glen is preparing himself with a view of being a gospel singer. Mr. and Mrs. Griffith are justly proud of their large family of boys and girls. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 832-833)
Henry Sensenbaugh of Hickory township is a pioneer stockman of Butler county and a prominent factor in that line of industry. Mr. Sensenbaugh was born in Pennsylvania, July 23, 1849, and is a son of Paul and Sarah Sensenbaugh, natives of Pennsylvania, the former born in Bedford county, September 8, 1825, and the latter born June 21, 1825. The following children of this couple are still living: Mrs. Mary E. Campbell, Morrison, Okla.; Joseph, Reno, Nev.; and Henry, the subject of this sketch.
Henry Sensenbaugh's parents left their native State in 1850, when Henry was about one year old. They came down the Ohio river on a packet boat and ascended the Mississippi as far north as Rock Island, Ill., and located on a farm in Henry county, Illinois, about forty miles east of Rock Island. Here Henry was educated in the public schools and in early life "followed the river" and when he was twenty-two years of age, he became second mate on the "Lizzie Gardner," a well known Mississippi river boat in those days.
In 1873 Mr. Sensenbaugh came to Kansas and settled in Hickory township, Butler county. He located on 160 acres of land and after getting four ponies, one of which was a spotted one, he proceeded to break his prairie land. His outfit might have seemed more appropriate in a circus parade, but he succeeded in tilling the soil and raising a crop with them. He also used oxen in the early days and frequently drove to dances with his ox team outfit. They had to start early and the method of transportation was slow, but the party no doubt enjoyed themselves as well as if they had gone in an automobile and surely for a longer time in going the same distance. When Mr. Sensenbaugh came to this county prairie chickens, antelope, deer and wolves were plentiful. He was hunting deer one day with a Mr. Huston, and shot at a deer which he wounded, and afterwards found that it was a pet, belonging to Mr. Huston. On one occasion, Mr. Sensenbaugh hired a pony at Wichita to drive to Whitewater in the night, where his father lived, and the pony gave out on the way, and Mr. Sensenbaugh was carrying considerable money and did not wish to be delayed. He found a mule picketed along the trail. Taking the mule and leaving his pony and a note, saying that he would return the mule the next morning at eight o'clock, he proceeded on his journey. He lived up to his written promise, and returned the mule the next morning and all was well.
Shortly after settling in this county Mr. Sensenbaugh engaged in buying hogs which usually cost him about one dollar per head. He shipped about two thousand, and he and his pardner made about $17,000 on this project. He had always raised cattle and also dealt quite extensively in them and for some years has made a specialty of raising Aberdeens. He now owns 360 acres of land which is well watered and an ideal stock farm.
Mr. Sensenbaugh was married in 1888, to Miss Ester Rose Guy. She is a daughter of B. F. Guy who came from Missouri with his family to Butler county and homesteaded 160 acres of land. The father died in 1914 and the mother now resides in Leon, Kans. They were the parents of the following children: Melvin, Leon, Kans.; Mrs. Cora Harper, Newkirk, Okla.; Edward, Sacramento, Cal.; Ester Rose, wife of Henry Sensenbaugh, the subject of this sketch; John, Bartlesville, Okla.; Frank, Leon, Kans.; Mrs. Daisy Carter, Greely, Col., and Fred, Keighley, Kans.
The Guy family were early settlers in Butler county and Mrs. Sensenbaugh relates many interesting incidents of pioneer days. She tells of one time when one of the old fashioned prairie fires was sweeping over the plains and the barn caught fire. Her mother, who was home alone, endeavored to get the horses out of the barn, but she was unable to get them out of the door. However, she succeeded in leading them out of a hole which the animals had eaten in the side of the straw barn. It will readily be seen from this that the straw barns of the early days had their advantages, as well as other features. Mr. and Mrs. Sensenbaugh have three children, as follows: Mrs. Francis Shinn, Mrs. Elizabeth B. Montgomery and Frederick P., all of whom reside in Butler county in the vicinity of Latham. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 833-834)
Clarence Morgan is a native son of Butler county, born at Douglass in 1895, and is a son of A. V. and Jessie (Baum) Morgan. The Morgan and Baum families were very early settlers in Butler county. A. V. Morgan was born in Indiana and came to Butler county, Kansas, in the early seventies. Jessie Morgan, the mother, is also a native of Butler county. Her parents, Lucas and Sarah Baum, came to Butler county about 1870, and settled on 160 acres of land.
A. V. Morgan was one of a family of three children, as follows: W. J., Douglass, Kans.; Mrs. Belle Stickman, Douglass, Kans., and A. V.T the father of Clarence. Jessie Baum, the mother, is one of a family of five children, the others being as follows: W. F. Baum, Augusta, Kans.; Momford Baum, Douglass, Kans.; Mrs. Rose Berry, Winfield, Kans., and Mrs. Stella McGuire, Winfield, Kans.
Clarence Morgan, the subject of this sketch, is one of a family of five children, the others being as follows: Irwin, Ruby, Pearl and Warren. Clarence Morgan was reared on a farm in Bloomington township and was educated in the public schools, attending the Douglas High School. Mr. Morgan is an industrious young man, and every indication is that he has a brilliant future. He comes of pioneer Butler county stock which, among other favorable indications, would indicate that he possesses the courage and definiteness of purpose to make a success of his undertakings. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 834-835)
Francis M. McAnnally, a prominent pioneer of Kansas, now deceased, was born in Franklin county, Indiana, July 6, 1841, a son of William and Nancy (Poe) McAnnally. The mother was a native of Kentucky and a relative of Andrew and Adam Poe, known in the history of Kentucky as famous Indian fighters. They were brothers, and in a desperate encounter with a band of Wyandottes, killed chief Big Foot, of that tribe. William McAnnally was a native of Tennessee, and grew to manhood in his native State, when he went to Kentucky where he met and married Nancy Poe. Shortly after their marriage, they went to Franklin county, Indiana, where they bought land and resided there to Franklin county, Indiana, where they bought land and resided until his wife's health failed, when the moved to Hardingtown, where she died. After that, William McAnnally resided at Brookville, the county seat of Franklin county, and was prominent in that county, and at one time held the office of sheriff. He died at Brookville in 1888. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, of whom Francis M., the subject of this sketch, was the youngest.
Francis as about three years old when the mother died, and it devolved upon him in early life to make his own way in the world. As a boy he worked at almost anything which presented itself as a means of livelihood. His early opportunities to obtain an education were necessarily limited under the circumstances, and when he attained the age of sixteen years, he worked on a farm for his board and attended school. While a boy in his teens, he realized the importance of an education, and determined to attend school. In 1858, he went to Hamilton county, Ohio, to care for a sick brother and remained there about two years, during which time he attended school, and in that way obtained an average education.
In October, i860, Mr. McAnnally was married, to Miss Rachel Hannah Boyles, a native of Hamilton county, Ohio, born September 13, 1842. She was a daughter of Cyrus and Mary U. (Crail) Boyles, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Kentucky. Cyrus Boyles was born in 1801, a son of John Boyles, who was a native of Ireland, and who immigrated to this country when two years of age with his father, Michael Boyles, came to America with his family before the Revolutionary war. Michael Boyles served in the American army during the Revolutionary war. John Boyles' wife bore the name of Margaret Jane Clifford, and was a native of Pennsylvania. She was a daughter of Captain Clifford who held a commission as captain in the War of 1812. When Cyrus Boyles was sixteen years of age, he removed from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1817, and spent his life in that State. He died January 4, 1869.
Francis McAnnally and his wife lived in Ohio after their marriage until 1867, when they drove to Johnson county, Missouri, with a team and covered wagon. They remained in that locality two years, and in 1869, came to Butler county and homesteaded a quarter section of land in what is now Fairview township. After coming here, they camped on Harrison creek for four weeks while looking for a suitable location, and then after locating on their claim they lived until December of that year in a tent, when their little cabin was completed. Their first few years in Kansas were filled with trials and privations, but they were happy in the possession of good health, and confident in the future, and finally success came. The country, at that time, was one broad stretch of unbroken prairie, and the primitive animals of the plains were plentiful, and Mrs. McAnnally frequently went on short hunting expeditions with her husband, and has brought young fawns home which she raised as pets. Mr. McAnnally did some freighting in the early days between Florence and El Dorado.
Mr. McAnnally always took an interest in local public affairs and was prominent in the community. In 1881, he was elected trustee of Fairmount township, and also served as constable of his township. In 1882, he went to El Dorado and for two years was engaged in the grocery business, when he returned to his farm in Fairmount, where he died November 14, 1902. To Mr. and Mrs. McAnnally have been born four children, as follows: Thomas J., born July 4, 1861, in Ohio, and died October 3, 1893; A. J., born August 29, 1863, and died October 5, 1863; Lemuel Albert, born December 17, 1871, now resides in New Mexico; and Ira Francis, born October 26, 1874, lives in Oklahoma. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 835-836)
M. T. Tague, a well known farmer and stockman of Bloomington township, was born in Indiana in 1851, and is a son of Samuel and Annie Tague. They were the parents of the following children: Joseph, lives in Oregon; David, Vinton, Iowa; John M. Lawton, Oklahoma ; Mrs. Sarah Veyett, Kennesaw, Neb.; Mrs. Mary Jane Griss, lives in Colorado, and M. T., the subject of this sketch.
M. T. .Tague came to Butler county in 1882 and first located in Spring township where he followed farming and stock raising. In 1896, he bought 120 acres of land in Bloomington township, which are well improved, with a comfortable residence and other farm buildings. Mr. Tague is one of the men who came to Kansas with very little capital, and had a hard struggle to get a start, but, by economy and industry, he has accumulated a competence, and is one of the well-to-do men of Bloomington township. He bought two cows, which were his start in the cattle business. He raised and bought calves, which he fed for a year or two and then s6ld them at a good profit. While he went in debt for most of the purchase price of his farm, when his notes fell due, he was always there with the money. Although it required a great effort to meet his obligations at times, he always made the sacrifice, and kept his credit good.
Mr. Tague was married in 1875 to Miss Mary Whitham, a daughter of Josephus and Melvina Whitham. Mrs. Tague has a sister and half brother living. They are: Mrs. Eva Burton, Burns, Kans., and Oliver Whitham, Cassoday, Kans. Mrs. Tague has not only been a companion, but a business partner of her husband and she has contributed in every way to his success. To Mr. and Mrs. Tague have been born the following children: C. D., Leon, Kans.; Mrs. Flora A. Crowley, Leon, Kans.; J. S., Douglass, Kans.; Mrs. Daisy I. Kennedy, Augusta, Kans.; M. M., El Dorado, Kans., and Mrs. Mary M. Brittian, El Dorado, Kans. Mr. Tague is one of the progressive and enterprising agriculturists of Butler county, and is recognized for his worth and integrity by a large circle of acquaintances. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 836-837)
Robert Kinley of Bloomington township, is a Butler county pioneer who has witnessed all the stages of the settlement and development of this county from a vast unbroken waste to its present populous and prosperous state. He began farming in a small way, after the plan of the average pioneer, and has become one of the successful farmers and stock raisers of the county. Robert Kinley is a native of the Isle of Man and was born in 1843. He is a son of Edward and Isabella Kinley. Mr. Kinley immigrated to America in 1866, and settled in Ohio. After spending three years in that State, he came to Kansas in 1869, and located in Wilson county. Robert Kinley owned a farm in Wilson county which he sold and this deal proved to be an unfortunate one. He received a check for the purchase price of his farm but before he presented it the bank upon which it was drawn failed. He then went to Illinois, but in 1882 returned to Kansas where he owned eighty acres of land upon which he had proved up.
Mr. Kinley has followed general farming and stock raising and has been very successful. He now owns a well improved farm in Butler county which consists of 231 acres which is under a high state of cultivation. He is one of the men who is entitled to the degree of success which has come to him. He had many experiences in the rough and ready pioneer days. He was here when the so-called "bad men" held sway on the border and the lives and property of early settlers were in secure, and he well remembers when this reign of terror was brought to a sudden close by the wholesale hanging of a number of horse and cattle rustlers by the vigilance committee. Mr. Kinley recalls an incident which happened to him at Douglass that made a lasting impression on his mind. He was looking for a certain man and inquired from some men if they knew where he was and his informant pointed out a man to Mr. Kinley and told him to ask him where his man was. The man pointed out proved to be the chief of the vigilance committee and it developed that the man that Mr. Kinley was looking for was a notorious horse thief and the chief of the committee was very much offended at Mr. Kinley's question and threatened to kill him. This is merely one of the many incidents of his early life on the plains. He also had his experience with early day prairie fires and blizzards. On one occasion when he was hauling lumber from Florence to Walnut City he was caught in a blizzard with the thermometer ten degrees below zero and succeeded in keeping from freezing by continually walking.
Mr. Kinley was united in marriage in 1881 with Miss Mary Kaighin, a daughter of John Kaighin, and the following children were born to this union: Cora, Mary, Eva, Robert, Ruby and Florence, the last two being deceased. Mrs. Kinley died in 1893. Mr. Kinley lived in El Dorado for a number of years in order that his children might have the advantage of better schools and during that time worked at his trade of blacksmithing. In 1909 he returned to his farm and since that time has given it his undivided attention. He is one of the substantial citizens of Butler county and has made good. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 837-838)
W. A. Sherar, a successful Union township farmer and stockman, is a native of Kansas. He was born at Paola, Miami county, December 15, 1867, and is a son of George and Anna C. Sherar, being one of the following children born to them: M. D., Anthony, Kans.; W. A., Latham, Kans.; Mrs. Minnie Sipe, Denver, Colo.; Mrs. Dottie Hoskins, Lamar, Colo., and \Y. A., the subject of this sketch. After the death of the mother of these children, the father was married to Mary Prosser, and two children were born to that union: \V. B. Sherar and Mrs. Maude Kelsey, Winfield, Kans.
George Sherar, the father, served in the Union army, during the Civil war, and shortly after the close of that great conflict, like many of the other soldier boys, he came to Kansas, first locating in Miami county. In 1871 he came to Butler county and homesteaded a quarter section of land in Union township. This was an early day in the settlement of that section of the county. Upon coming here, Mr. Sherar proceeded to build a home, hauling the lumber for the same from Humboldt, and some from Wichita. The father was quite a hunter, and frequently went farther west on buffalo hunts. The family was well provided with buffalo meat and other wild game.
W. A. Sherar, as a boy, saw much of the early life of Butler county. He remembers when Milo Nance, then a young man, came from Douglass in haste, spreading the news of an Indian uprising, and all the settlers hid their supplies in the fields; the men proceeded to mold an extra supply of bullets, and the women and children hid in the fields, and they prepared to meet the attack, when it developed that it was a false alarm. This was one of the many incidents of the false report of a would-be Paul Revere of the plains. One of the greatest hardships of the early settlers was the long distance to medical aid and the time required to get a doctor. El Dorado was the nearest point where a physician could be found in the early days in Union township.
W. A. Sherar has always followed farming and stock raising. He got his start in life, when a young man, by breaking prairie for neighbors. He is of the thrifty and industrious type of men, who not only accumulate a competence for themselves, but build up communities. He owns 360 acres of land, about ninety acres of which are under cultivation, and the balance is used for grazing purposes. His place is well improved, with a modern residence, good barns and well fenced, and he has a never-failing spring, which is an asset of inestimable value, particularly to a stockman.
Mr. Sherar was married, in 1898, to Miss Mable Ellis, a daughter of S. C and Mary Ellis of Latham, Kans. Mr. Sherar is a progressive and public spirited citizen, and has an extensive acquaintance, and he and his wife have many friends. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 838-839)
G. H. French, a well-to-do farmer and stockman of Sycamore township, was born in Windsor, Vt., in 1856, and is a son of Charles H. and Laura French. Mr. French came to Kansas in 1884 and first settled near Abilene. After remaining there two years, he came to Butler county shortly after his marriage in 1886. He first rented land of S. S. Harsh and five years later bought eighty acres of that place. When he bought the place he had about $200 to pay down and he paid the balance in the next five years. He sold this place in 1896 and bought 160 acres where he now lives in Sycamore township. He has added to this and now has a fine farm of 320 acres which is under an excellent state of cultivation, well improved, fenced and stocked. Mr. French has been an extensive raiser of cattle and hogs and has been successful and is one of the prosperous landowners in Sycamore township.
Mr. French was married in 1886, to Miss Evora Holton, a daughter of Reuben and Lorena Holton, natives of Vermont, and of English descent. Mrs. French is one of the following children born to her parents: Mrs. Cornelia Smith, Red Wing, Minn.; Mrs. Rose Smith, Cassoday, Kans.; Wallace Holton, DeGraff, Kans.; Charles Holton, Abilene, Kans.; and Mrs. French. Mr. and Mrs. French have reared one adopted daughter, Mrs. Merle Pettyjohn, El Dorado, Kans.
When Mr. and Mrs. French located in Sycamore township, their home was near the old California trail, which passed between where their house and barn are now located. Traffic was very heavy over this trail in the early days and Mr. French has counted as many as eighty-five teams which passed here in one day. Sycamore Springs was a favorite camping place for travelers because of its excellent water. Indians also frequently passed and sometimes in large bands after Mr. French located here.
There were no churches in Sycamore township at that time but services were held in the school houses. Rev. Sears was one of their pioneer preachers. Prairie fires were one of the menaces to the early settlers' peace of mind, and Mr. French has fought prairie fires on many occasions. He is one of Butler county's pioneers who is well entitled to success for he and his noble wife endured the hardships and overcame the difficulties of pioneer life and are the type of people who courageously fought the good fight that, not only built up Butler county but laid the foundation for the great West. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 839-840)
S. J. Robison, a prominent farmer of Union township, is a native of Indiana. He was born in Valparaiso, that State, in 1843. He is a son of Thomas and Rebecca Robison, natives of Pennsylvania. The former is of German and the latter of Scotch descent. They were the parents of two children: S. J. Robison, the subject of this sketch, and Mrs. Abigail Hubbard, of Marceline, Mo.
The Robison family migrated from Indiana to Missouri and settled in Carroll county in 1868. Here the father bought 136 acres of land and engaged in general farming. He and his wife both died in Carroll county, Missouri. S. J. Robison bought the home farm in Missouri in 1891 and in 1895 came to Kansas, locating in Union township, Butler county, where he bought 320 acres of land. He has since been engaged in farming and stock raising there, and has met with unusual success and is one of the prosperous and substantial stockmen of that section of the county.
Mr. Robison was married in 1871, to Miss Mary E. Shannon, a daughter of James and Saphira Shannon. Her father was a Virginian of Irish descent. To James and Saphira Shannon were born the following children: Mrs. Rebecca Jeffers, Maronsville, Mo.; James, resides in Missouri; Ervin, California; Mrs. Virginia Older, Oklahoma; James, Oregon; Charles, California; William, California; and Mary E., wife of I. J. Robison, the subject of this sketch. Mr. and Mrs. Robison are the parents of the following children: Samuel, Lamar, Colo.; John, Latham, Kans., and James, Lamar, Colo.
Mr. Robison is one of the substantial citizens of Butler county, and while he may not be classed among the pioneer settlers, he certainly is entitled to mention as a potential factor in civil and commercial Butler county of today. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 840)
Mrs. William Hoy, a pioneer woman of Sycamore township, was born in Perry county, Ohio, in 1844. She bore the maiden name of Davison, and was a daughter of William D. and Amelia Davison, natives of New Jersey. There were two other children in the Davison family besides Mrs. Hoy, as follows: Mrs. Martha I. Jeroan, Vanata, Ohio, and Albert W. Davison, Utica, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Hoy were married in 1869, and the following children were born to this union, who are now living: Mrs. Etta Goodnight, Englewood, Kans.; Mrs. Daisy Roberson, Cassoday, Kans.; Frank E., Cassoday, and Mrs. Ethel Wright, Aroya, Colo.
After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Hoy resided in Ohio until they came to Butler county and bought eighty acres of land in Sycamore township. This place was slightly improved, and had a small three roomed house and a straw barn. During the first few years here, they met with discouragements, which were the common lot of the pioneers, and they had a great deal of sickness, but Mrs. Hoy says that although the neighbors were not numerous, they were always ready and willing to help each other, for it seems that the sordid and indifferent dispositions, fostered by the almighty dollar, had not, at that time, taken root on the wild and unbroken plains of Butler county. The Hoy home in Butler county was located on the old California trail, and a great many travelers topped at their, place for meals and lodging and always found ac-commodation, none ever being turned away. Indians frequently traveled back and forth over the trail, and, at one time, a band of 250 camped near the Hoy home for two days.
Mr. Hoy was a hard working man and a good citizen. He always looked on the bright side of life, and was naturally of a jovial disposition. He took a deep interest in the welfare of the community, and was particularly a friend of the public schools, and served on the local school board for a number of years. He died in July, 1912. He was a great sufferer for several months before his death, and bore the most excruciating pain with fortitude and resignation. He not only acre the distinction of being a good citizen, but in the dark days of the Civil war, he enlisted as a private and served until the surrender of Lee.
Mrs. Hoy has been deeply interested in Sunday school and church work throughout her life, and is a potent factor for good in her community. She helped organize the first Sunday school in Sycamore township, and is one of the noble, pioneer women of Butler county. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 840-841)
W. Oscar Moore, a prominent farmer and stockman of Murdock township, is a member of one of Butler county's old pioneer families. He was born in Kendall county, Illinois, in May, 1852. His parents were Reuben and Minerva (Paul) Moore, both natives of Illinois. In the early days the family went from Illinois to Iowa and from there to Texas, and thence to Missouri. In 1857 they settled in Douglass county in the Territory of Kansas. This was four years before Kansas was admitted to the Union. After remaining in Douglass county for ten years, the family removed to Butler county in 1867, settling in Murdock county, being among the very first settlers of that section, and here the father engaged in farming and stock raising and spent the remainder of his life. To Reuben and Minerva (Paul) Moore were born the following children: Edgar, Lawton, Okla.; J. Monroe, Elgin, Kans.; W. Oscar, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Melissa Taylor, Toronto, Kans., and Mrs. Etta Wiley, Altoona, Kans. W. Oscar Moore grew to manhood on his father's farm in Murdock township and started in life for himself by purchasing eighty acres of land from his father in 1876. He immediately began work on his new place, breaking out a little prairie during the summer of the first year and then he was compelled to sell his team in order to get money to build a little house and live during the winter. The next year he had a good crop of wheat, although he had but seven acres. This gave him a start and since that time he has met with unvarying success and is one of the substantial men of Murdock township.
Mr. Moore was married in April, 1872, to Miss Louisa Adams, a daughter of David and Sarah Adams. The Adams family consisted of the parents and three children, as follows: Mrs. Lavina Turner, of Wichita; Elmer, Duncan, Okla., and the wife of W. Oscar Moore, the subject of this sketch. To Mr. and Mrs. Moore have been born five children, as follows: Mrs. Effie Courter, Tahoma, Okla.; Arthur, South Haven, Kans.; Reuben, Whitewater, Kans.; Orin, Whitewater, Kans., and Ray, Benton, Kans. Hazel Newcomb, a granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Moore, makes her home with them and is attending school. The members of the Moore family are well known and highly respected and number among the leading citizens of the locality where they reside. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 841-842)
W. H. Bodecker, a Butler county pioneer, came to Butler county at a time when many early settlers were having a struggle for existence, but Mr. Bodecker was not of that type. He had the foresight to see great possibilities in the future of this section of Kansas and the courage to act according to his convictions. He invested heavily in lands, and, as a reward of his capability and industry, he has become one of the wealthy men of the county, and is now the largest land owner in Murdock township.
Mr. Bodecker was born in Adams county, Illinois, in 1853, and is a son of G. D. and Anna Bodecker, Illinois pioneers and of German descent. He came to Butler county in 1885 and bought 160 acres of land. Having some means when he came here, he was in a position to take advantage of opportunities when he saw them. He started in Butler county with a cash capital of $7,000 and bought land from time to time, not only in Butler, but Sedgwick and Comanche counties, until he became the owner of 3,371 acres. Some of this land has not only doubled, but more than tripled in value since he bought it. He went into the cattle business extensively, and became one of the successful cattle men of this part of the State. In 1907, he realized $21,000 from cattle alone, and that was just about an average year.
Mr. Bodecker was married, in 1878, to Miss Marguerite Schmitt of Illinois, and a daughter of Andreas Schmitt, a prosperous farmer of that State. To Mr. and Mrs. Bodecker have been born the following children: Louis, Benton, Kans.; Mrs. Emma Leeder, Benton, Kans.; Mrs. Rose Wilson, Augusta, Kans.; W. J., Benton, Kans.; Mrs. Christina Ohlson, Benton, Kans.; Frank, Benton; Nellie, Viola and Beatrice. all of Wichita. In 1912, Mr. Bodecker retired from active business life and built an $8,000 residence in Wichita, where he now resides. At the time that he retired, he gave each of his five children a quarter section of land, and they are all successful and well-to-do farmers and stockmen. The Bodecker family are well known in Butler county, and are prominent in the community where they reside. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 842-843)
B. Levring, a prominent farmer and stockman of Benton township, is a native of Ohio, He was born in Knox county in 1858, and is a son of Enoch and Amanda Levring, natives of Ohio. The Levring family consists of the following children: Riley, Levring, Ohio; Judson, Chesterville, Ohio; Charles R., Fredericktown, Ohio; Dr. C. A., Ashland, Ohio; Mrs. Ella Vernon, Fredericktown, Ohio; Mrs. Maggie Wright, Alexander, Ohio; and B., the subject of this sketch.
Mr. Levring came to Kansas and located in Benton township, Butler county, in 1885. He first bought eighty acres of land, to which he moved and began improving and later bought forty acres adjoining his original purchase, and he also owns eighty acres of land in Sedgwick county. He has devoted himself to general farming and stock raising, and is one of the successful agriculturalists of Butler county.
Mr. Levring was married in 1884, to Miss Emeline Malick, a daughter of Noah and Martha Malick, of Ohio. Four children were born to this union, as follows: Mrs. Gertrude Workman, San Diego, Cal.; Allen R., lives in Sedgwick county, Kans.; Mrs. Edith Bachelder, Wichita, Kans., and Clifford O., resides in Sedgwick county. The wife, and mother of these children, died in April, 1904, and Mr. Levring married Mrs. E. A. McGehe, of Illinois, in 1908.
Mr. Levring takes an active interest in local affairs and has always been a strong advocate of good schools and served on the school board of his district for eighteen years. He is one of the substantial and well known men of this section. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 843)
John Ellis, a prominent farmer and stock raiser of El Dorado, belongs to one of the real pioneer families of Butler county. The Ellis family was among the first who made a permanent settlement in this county. John Ellis was born in Waukegan, Lake county, Illinois, April 13, 1854, and is a son of Archibald and Ann (Tiernan) Ellis, both natives of Ireland, the former of Castlebar, County Mayo, and the latter of County Meade. They both came to America on the same sailing vessel and were married after reaching New York. They resided for a time in New Jersey and then came west, locating in Lake county, Illinois, and in 1859 came to Kansas. There were no railroads in Kansas at that time.
The Ellis family came from Illinois to Kansas by river route. Taking a boat at the Illinois river at LaSalle, Ill., they went down the Illinois and Mississippi rivers to the confluence of the Mississippi Missouri and then up the Missouri to Westport Landing, which is now Kansas City, Mo. They drove overland from there to Emporia and the father and the oldest son, George, started out from that point to look for a location, leaving the mother and the younger children at Emporia. After finding a suitable location in Chelsea township, Butler county, on the Walnut river, they started back to Emporia for the other members of the family, and while crossing the Cottonwood river their team was drowned and they narrowly escaped the same fate themselves. They soon returned to Butler county and the father preempted the land which he had decided upon and that same quarter section is still owned by a member of the family.
The father engaged in the cattle business and was considered quite an extensive cattleman for those early days. He was successful in his business ventures, and at the time of his death owned about 1,600 acres of land. When a young man he was a candle and soap maker by trade but never worked at that after coming west. He was a man of an adventurous spirit, with unlimited courage and enterprise. In 1847, while his family remained in Illinois, he went to California, going by way of New York and the Isthmus of Panama. He returned to Illinois within two years and in 1849 made another trip to California. This was during the excitement following the discovery of gold there, and he remained about seven years that time, engaged in gold mining and met with some degree of success. Shortly after returning from the coast the second time, he came to Kansas with his family, as above stated.
When the Ellis family came to Butler county there was no town or settlement of any kind in the county. Leavenworth, about 200 miles distant, was the nearest trading point of any account and the father usually made about two trips a year there for supplies. Their nearest post-office was Emporia, about eighty miles distant. Later Cottonwood Falls secured a postoffice, and finally one was established at Chelsea. For several years the nearest grist mill was at Emporia. Few of the early settlers now living in Butler county were here in time to see the buffalo roaming over the plains in this county, but Mr. Ellis, whose name introduces this sketch, has seen as many as 150 in a herd here, and deer were plentiful for several years after the buffalo disappeared.
Archibald Ellis, father of John Ellis, was not only successful in private life, but was prominent in the public affairs of the county during his life time. He was a Democrat and took an active part in politics. He served two terms as treasurer of Butler county and was a member of the board of county commissioners at the time of his death. He was a conspicuous figure in the early day county seat fight, as well as in other important matters of public interest. He died in 1879 and was survived by his wife for a number of years, who died in 1892. Archibald Ellis and wife were the parents of the following children: George, deceased; Mollie, married N. B. Coggshall, Chelsea township; Archie, deceased; John, the subject of this sketch; William, deceased; Lizzie, deceased; and Frank, deceased.
Although comparatively a young man, John Ellis remembers having seen almost the beginning of Butler county. When he came here with his parents, there were few signs of civilization, no improvements and scarcely any inhabitants. One would get the impression from that statement that Butler county was new. It is new, but the astounding part of it is, that such marvelous development could take place within less than half a century; within the memory of a young man ,who is still active in the business affairs of the life of the county.
John Ellis attended one of the first schools in Butler county. It was a little log affair, located on George T. Donaldson's place in Chelsea township. The school house did double duty; something on the Gary plan that we hear of nowadays. In the summer time it was used for a school house and in the winter time, it posed as a corn crib. Mr. Ellis' first teacher was Margaret Vaught. Indians were plentiful but peaceful, usually going through on hunting trips; Indian scares were frequent but generally unfounded.
John Ellis engaged in farming for himself at the age of nineteen and he has increased his business gradually until he has become one of the extensive farmers and stock raisers of .Butler county. His principal products are hay, cattle and horses. He operates about 1,750 acres of land in Chelsea and Sycamore townships, and for the last sixteen years has resided in El Dorado, where he has a modern home. He spends nearly every day on his farm, going to#and from in his automobile. Mr. Ellis is interested in various commercial and industrial enterprises, in addition to his vast farming interests. He is vice president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank of El Dorado and vice president of the Telephone company. He has taken an active interest in political affairs and has served two terms as county commissioner of Butler county.
Mr. Ellis was united in marriage in September, 1886, with Miss Mary Hull, a native of Sangamon county, Illinois, and a daughter of John and Eliza (Blalock) Hull, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Illinois. The Hull family came to Kansas in 1869, settling in Wilson county, where the parents spent the remainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis have two children, Gladys, the wife of Homer Marshall, Chelsea township, and they have one child, Mary L.: and G. J. Ellis, attending the public schools at El Dorado. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 843-845)
Worth W, Kemper, a successful farmer and stockman, of Plum Grove township, now residing in Whitewater, is a native of West Virginia. He was born in Lewis county, May 18, 1860. Among his earliest recollections are the closing days of the Civil war. The different sections of his native State were alternately in the hands of the Union and the Confederate troops, and in that section of the country, neighbors, and even brothers, differed on the great question involved in that conflict. Mr. Kemper recalls the existence of a cave in the mountain side near his home, where he and his little companions frequently played. This same cave was also used as a place of refuge of first one side and then the other, as the position of that section shifted from the control of one of the contending armies to the other.
Worth W. Kemper is a son of John Robert and Elizabeth (Simmons) Kemper. The father was a native of Virginia, and of German descent. The Kemper family dates back to Colonial days, in this country, and was founded in the colony of Virginia in 1749. John Robert Kemper was a farmer, blacksmith, and preacher, and spent his life in West Virginia. His wife, Elizabeth Simmons, was a daughter of David and Sallie (Grogg) Simmons, natives of Germany. John Robert Kemper and his wife were the parents of nine children, of whom Worth W., the subject of this sketch, was the fifth in order of birth.
Worth W. Kemper grew to manhood in Lewis county, West Virginia, and was brought up on a farm, and, in his youth, learned to use his father's blacksmith tools. After reaching his majority, he went to West Union, W. Va.t and worked at the blacksmith's trade about a year, when he went to Tyler county and worked at his trade for a time. Here he met Miss Tama B. Joseph, to whom he was married in March, 1882. She is a daughter of James and Nancy Joseph. After, their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Kemper lived in the little town of Camp, Tyler county, where Mr. Kemper worked at blacksmithing. Several members of the Joseph family had been in Kansas in the early days, and Mrs. Kemper's father had lived iif Butler county when she was a girl, but had returned to Virginia in 1874, and, as a girl, Mrs. Kemper had many pleasant as well as some disagreeable recollections of life on the plains of Butler county in the pioneer days.
In the spring of 1883, Mr. Kemper and his wife and their infant son, James Ott, set out for Kansas. They located in the old, historic town of Plum Grove, now extinct. Their capital was limited, Mr. Kemper having just $14 in cash, when they reached Butler county. He bought a small, two room house, which served as their home, and he also bought a set of blacksmith tools and a shop, for which he agreed to pay $300, when his note came due. As soon as he opened his blacksmith shop to the public, work came in abundance, and he had all that he could do in the thriving little town of Plum Grove. However, there came a day, when the Missouri Pacific railroad was built, which missed the town of Plum Grove, and it was then that the old town began to slip from the map. Shortly after the railroad was built, Mr. Kemper moved his shop to the new town of Brainerd, and had plenty to do in his line of work there.
Three years later he moved to Potwin, where he conducted a blacksmith shop about a year. Mr. and Mrs. Kemper then took up their home on the farm of her grandfather, Whitman Joseph, who was quite an old gentleman. Mr. Kemper operated the Joseph place, which was a very large farm, for seven years, until the death of Mr. Joseph in 1895. After the death of the old gentleman, Mr. Kemper bought a part of the farm, consisting of a quarter of section 8. Later he bought another quarter section from N. M. Joseph, which joins his first purchase, and he now owns a half section of rich bottom land on the Whitewater, which will compare favorably with any soil in the State of Kansas. He raises a great many cattle and also carries fcon general farming. He is one of the best cattlemen in the country. He is equally as good a judge of market conditions as he is of cattle, and in twenty years of experience as a feeder, he has never lost money on a bunch of cattle, and he has handled a great many.
Mr. and Mrs. Kemper are the parents of four children: James Ott, a successful farmer and stockman, Plum Grove township; Iva, deceased; Lula, wife of J. O. Wilson, Murdock township, and Waldo, at home. Mr. and Mrs. Kemper reside in a beautiful, modern residence in Whitewater, where they are well known and have many friends. Mr. Kemper is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 845-847)
August Hinz, a prosperous farmer and stockman of Fairmont township, is one of Butler county's extensive land owners. Mr. Hinz was born in Germany, January 28, 1850, and is a son of Ernest and Augusta Hinz, both natives of Germany. When August was eight years old, the Hinz family immigrated to Canada, and the father located in the forests of the Province of Ontario, about eighty miles from the Michigan line. The family was poor, and had a hard struggle to establish themselves in their little home in the wilds of Canada, but by industry and thrift, they finally succeeded. There were six children in the Hinz family, and August was the third in order of birth.
August Hinz grew to manhood on the farm in Ontario, and in 1872, was married to Rosina Miller, who was also a native of Germany. After his marriage, August Hinz worked in a saw mill in Canada, and walked two miles to and from his work and frequently through snow four or five feet deep, working for $1.25 per day. During the first year of his married life, he saved $50 from his earnings, besides paying for his household goods and buying a cow, and at the end of four years, he bought a farm and made a substantial payment on the same. He built a log hut on his place and a small stable and began farming and clearing his land. He improved his place and built a large barn. He bought more land and in the course of time soon had 100 acres of well improved land, and even under adverse conditions he made money and prospered.
In 1884, Mr. Hinz sold his farm in Canada, and came to Kansas, and bought the northwest quarter of section 18, Clifford township. This place was practically unimproved. There was a small house and a stable on the place, but neither were of any particular account, and Mr. Hinz proceeded to improve his newly acquired farm and soon had the place in fairly good condition, with good substantial buildings. Coming from a heavily timbered country, like western Canada, the Hinz family could not readily resign themselves to the broad, wind-swept plains of Butler county. The strong winds of the early days here, were particularly annoying, and in 1888, the family went in quest of a more agreeable abode. They rented their Butler county farm, and went to Oregon, where they remained about one year, when they returned to Butler county, and from that time on, Butler county has looked all right to the Hinz family. The more they saw of other parts of the country, the more they appreciated Butler county, and the Clifford township farm has been their home ever since, with no serious thoughts of a change.
Mr. Hinz has bought more land from time to time since returning from the coast, making his first purchase of an additional eighty in 1890. Two years later he bought another quarter section, until he has become the owner of 640 acres of land, one half of which is in Clifford township, and the balance in Fairmount township. He carries on general farming and stock raising extensively, and has been very successful in his undertakings, since returning to Butler county. He is one of the largest taxpayers in his township, and for many years has been considered one of the most substantial men, financially, in Fairmount township.
Mr. and Mrs. Hinz reared a family of seven children, all of whom are living and in comfortable circumstances. Mrs. Hinz died May 23, 1915. Mr. Hinz is a member of the Lutheran church, and he has always supported the Republican party, but is not active in political affairs. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 847-848)
Isaac Newland, of Bruno township,
is a veteran of the Civil war and an early settler in Butler county. He, came here in the spring of 1871, reaching
Butler county in April of that year, and pre-empted the northwest quarter of section 9, Bruno township, and began
life amidst the pioneer surroundings of that early day.
Mr. Newland was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, September 27, 1834, and his parents were Isaac and Elizabeth
(Ross) Newland, natives of Pennsylvania, and of Scotch descent. When Isaac Newland was about a year old, his parents
removed from Pennsylvania to Logan county where the father died in 1845, and the same year, the widowed mother
returned to Pennsylvania with her children. Five years later, or in 1850, the family migrated to Illinois, settling
in Hancock county.
In 1859, Isaac Newland was united
in marriage to Mirah Sullivan, a native of Pennsylvania, and of Irish descent. Seven children were born to this
union, three of whom are living, as follows: Ida, married Charles McDaniel, Harve, Mont; John A., Chaupique, La.,
and Etta, married Dr. A. O. Burton, Wichita, Kans. Mrs. Newland, the mother of these children, died in March, 1874,
and in 1883, Mr. Newland married Mrs. Mary Graham Hollaway, a daughter of John and Rowena (Pettijohn) Graham, and
widow of Floyd Hollaway, who died in 1875, by whom she had two children: Homer Hollaway, Seattle, Wash., and Henry
Hollaway, Wichita, Kans.
While a resident of Hancock county, Illinois, Mr. Newland enlisted in Company D, Seventy-eighth regiment, Illinois
infantry. This regiment was attached to the army of the Cumberland, and served under General Rosecrans, and later
under General Thomas. Mr. New-land participated in the battles of Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, and in a number
of other engagements. At the battle of Missionary Ridge, he received an injury to one of his eyes, after which
he was sent to a northern hospital and was discharged for disability, eight months later, and the injury left him
partially blind in one eye to this day.
After coming to Butler county in the spring of 1871, Mr. Newland built a little cabin, 12x14 feet, of native timber on his claim, and proceeded to improve his new home, where he has since resided, and been successful as a farmer and stockman. He is one of the substantial citizens of Bruno township, and is well and favorably known in Butler county.
Mr. Newland has been a life long Republican, casting his first vote for John C. Fremont, at the birth of the Republican party in 1856, and he has the satisfaction of having cast his vote for the great Lincoln in i8|j5o, and again in 1864. Mr. and Mrs. Newland are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Andover. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 848-849)
Thomas S. Newland, a Civil war veteran
and early settler of Butler county, is a native of Ohio. He was born in Logan county, January 18, 1842, a son of
Isaac and Elizabeth (Ross) Newland, natives of Pennsylvania, who were married in that State, and afterward removed
to Logan county, where the father died in 1845. The mother and children then returned to Pennsylvania, to her old
home in Washington county, and in 1850, the mother and her eight children embarked on an Ohio river boat at Wheeling,
W. Va., with Illinois as their destination. Mr. Newland was a boy about nine years old when the family made the
trip, and says he remembers that on the voyage up the river from Quincy, Ill., that the Mississippi was filled
with floating ice. After a short stay at Quincy, the family removed to Hancock county, Illinois.
When the Civil war broke out, or to be exact, September 1, 1862, Mr. Newland enlisted in Company B, Seventy-eighth
regiment, Illinois infantry. His regiment was at first attached to the army of the Cumberland, and later took part
in Sherman's march to the sea. Mr. New-land participated in many of the important and hard fought battles of that
great conflict. He was at the campaign of Atlanta, and after the fall of that place, he was on the expedition through
the Carolinas, when the war ended. He was in the Grand Review at Washington, and afterward was sent to Chicago,
Ill., where he was discharged and mustered out of service.
In 1871, he came to Butler county,
Kansas, and filed on a claim in Bruno township, where he remained until 1874, when the grasshoppers tame and destroyed
every green blade of vegetation. Mr. Newland made up his mind that from the general 'appearance of the country
after the devastation of these pests, that it was not a good place to live, and he sold his claim and went to California.
After working on a ranch there, for three years, he went to Skagit county, Washington, on the banks of the Skagit
river, where he pre-empted a claim, which he sold in 1885 he returned to Butler county, and has since made his
home in Bruno township.
Mr. Newland was married in 1874, to Miss Emma Rison, a native of Kansas, and to this marriage four children were
born: C. E., Cold Springs, Okla.; Alice, married David Gorman, Cowley county; W. H., Topeka, and Annie, married
Augy Riley, Newkirk, Okla. The mother of these children died in Washington, in the spring of 1885, and the family
returned to Kansas in the fallowing fall. In 1892, Mr. Newland married Mrs. Margaret Fitzgerald, a widow. She was
a daughter of George Snook, a pioneer of Bruno township.
Mr. Newland is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Methodist Episcopal church, and has always been a stanch Republican. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 849-850)
W. G. Scrivner, a prominent farmer
and stock raiser of Whitewater, Kans., is a native of Estill county, Kentucky. He was born January 4, 1854, and
is a son of Joseph and Mary (Benton) Scrivner, both natives of Kentucky and descendants of old American families.
The father was a prosperous farmer in Estill county, Kentucky, where he died in July, 1889. The mother departed
this life at the old home in Kentucky in 1909. W. G. Scrivner was one of a family of thirteen children. He received
his education in the subscription schools of his native State where he remained until 1875 when he came to Kansas,
locating in Atchison county. He remained there during the summer of that year and in October came to Butler county
with a brother, N. V. Scrivner, and located on land in Fairmount township.
The Scrivner boys had many experiences of an interesting character during their trip from Kentucky to Butler county.
They drove nearly the entire distance and rode mules. When they came to this county their capital was limited to
about $10, but they set to work at once and like the average pioneers of the time made the best of the situation.
They broke the raw prairie and planted about on hundred acres of wheat that fall. The first few years were filled
with discouraging conditions and repeated failures but they were not discouraged. They rented and operated more
land from time to time. In 1885, W. G. Scrivner leased 320 acres, which was well stocked, and during the next three
years his profits were $3,000. In 1889, he purchased a farm of 160 acres in Fairmount township and shortly afterward
leased considerable land in that vicinity and he now owns 400 acres of well improved land in Fairmount and Clifford
townships, and is one of the most substantial farmers and stockmen in northwestern Butler county.
Mr. Scrivner was united in marriage July 15, 1889, with Miss Mary J. Nolinger, a native of Butler county and a daughter of J. C. and Phoebe Ann Nolinger, natives of Indiana, born near Logansport. They were early settlers in Butler county, locating here in 1871. To Mr. and Mrs. Scriver have been born ten children, as follows: Claude B., Alfred S., G. P., Myrtle, Iva, Harvey, Henry, Benjamin, Dixie and one child who died in infancy.
In addition to his farming operations, Mr. Scrivner deals extensively in mules, and is perhaps the largest dealer of that character in Butler county. He also has various other local interests and is a stockholder in The Peoples State Bank of Whitewater. Mr. Scrivner's fraternal affiliations are with the Masonic Lodge, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Fraternal Citizens, and politically he is a Democrat. In 1913 the family left the farm and removed to Whitewater where they have superior educational facilities. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 850-851)
A. A. Rice, a Butler county pioneer and early day merchant, now deceased, was a native of Defiance county, Ohio, born in 1840. He was a son of Oney and Lydia (Bowers) Rice, natives of New York. Oney Rice and his wife came to Ohio, from New York City in the early thirties, and was the third family to settle in Defiance county, Ohio, permanently. Oney Rice was an early day physician, and practiced his profession as successfully as the average physician of his time. He died in Ohio, however, when he was practically a young man.
A. A. Rice was the youngest of a family of four children, and he was reared in the pioneer surroundings of Defiance county, Ohio. He married Miss Julia Alden, a native of Defiance county. Mr. Rice lived on a farm in Ohio for some time after his marriage, and in 1877, came to Kansas on account of his wife's failing health. They located in Harvey county, and after remaining there a year and a half, returned to Ohio. In 1882, Mr. Rice and his family came to Kansas again, this time locating in Augusta, where he leased land and engaged in sheep raising, and had about 1,500 head, but on account of the low prices of wool and mutton, he de-cided to abandon that industry, and in 1887, traded his sheep for a stock of merchandise at Potwin, and engaged in the mercantile business there, which he conducted for several years. He died in February, 1894. His wife had departed this life in 1880. To A. A. Rice and wife were born three children, of whom F. A. Rice was the youngest.
F. A. Rice received his education in the public schools of Butler county, and was practically brought up in the mercantile business, for during his boyhood days, he assisted his father in the store at Potwin much of the time. In 1894, at the time of the father's death, F. A. was about twenty-one years of age, and he and his sister took charge of the business. The stock at that time was valued at about $1,500, and Mr. Rice set out to develop and enlarge the business, and make of it a pro-fitable and up to date mercantile establishment, and he has* succeeded beyond any doubt. He now carries about $15,000 worth of stock and everything that is usually found in the department stores of the larger cities, is to be found here. He carries a full line of groceries, dry goods, clothing, hats, etc., and in addition to his regular mercantile line, Mr. Rice is an extensive dealer in automobiles, and is meeting with marked success in this new departure as well as in the regular mercantile lines. Mr. Rice has followed a system of square dealing, and has won the confidence of the public and built up a large business. He is one of the live merchants of Butler county.
Mr. Rice was married in 1899, to Miss Sarah R. Joseph, a daughter of James and Nancy Joseph, of Butler county. To Mr. and Mrs. Rice have been born the following children: Floyd, Meirl, Ronald and Ruth, deceased. Mr. Rice is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Potwin, and one of Butler county's leading citizens. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 851-852)
Joseph T. Hall, of Rock Creek township, was the second settler to locate in that part of Butler county which is now Rock Creek township. He came here in 1868, when Douglass consisted of two little log cabins, and the present site of Wichita, was occupied by only two log cabins also, or rather two cabins built of cottonwood poles. Wichita then was the headquarters of the Wichita tribe of Indians, and the chief lived in his tepee there.
Joseph T. Hall was born near Greenfield, Dade county, Missouri, May 4, 1845, a son of George Washington and Martha Jane Hall, the former a native of Illinois, and the latter of North Carolina. George W. Hall, the father, was left an orphan when he was seven years old, and was reared by relatives. He grew to manhood in Dade county. He served in the United States army during the Mexican war, and marched with his regiment from his home in Missouri to Mexico, and served under General Scott. His regiment marched through Butler county over the Santa Fe trail, and camped on the banks of the Walnut river, about four miles from El Dorado, where they celebrated the Fourth of July, and had buffalo meat for dinner.
At the close of the Mexican war, George W. Hall returned to his home in Dade county, Missouri, where he lived until the Civil war broke out, when he enlisted in the Confederate army and was killed at the battle of Wilson's Creek.
In 1866 Joseph T. Hall was united in marriage with Elender Bell, a native of Tennessee, born June 3, 1849. She was a daughter of Silas and Elizabeth Bell, members of prominent Tennessee families, and her father was a Mexican war veteran. About two years after their marriage, in the fall of 1868, Mr. Hall fitted up a prairie schooner, and he with his young wife, in company with five others, started west in search of future homes. Their outfit was hauled by two yoke of oxen, and the trip required about fifteen days. After looking the country over in the vicinity of where Wichita now stands, they decided that was too sandy, but after reaching the rich, broad bottom land of the Walnut valley, they decided to go no farther, and here they staked their claims in Rock Creek township. Mr. Hall erected a little log cabin, 12x14 feet, which was finished in the most primitive style, and proceeded to make his home on the plains of Butler county, and has never had occasion to regret the selection that he made at that time. He has been engaged in the cattle business on a moderate scale, and has met with very satisfactory re-sults. He has bought more land from time to time, and now owns 436 acres, part of which is located in Cowley county.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hall have been born the following children: Cordelia, married Wallace Parsons, a prosperous farmer of Cowley county; John T., a well-to-do farmer of Rock Creek township; Sarah Ann, married Clarence Littell, of Cowley county; Robert Lee, lives near his father's place in Rock Creek township, and works the home farm; James C, died in infancy.
Mr. Hall is a member of the Masonic lodge, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Anti Horse Thief Association, holding membership in all of the above orders at Douglass. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church, and Mr. Hall is a lifelong Democrat. Mr. Hall is one of the pioneers of Butler county, who has seen much of the development of this section of Kansas, and is entitled to no small amount of credit for the part he has taken in reclaiming the desert and building the s empire of the West, and, notwithstanding all the hard times of the early days, Mr. Hall says that they enjoyed themselves. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 852-853)
George Elder, a member of the board
of county commissioners of Butler county, is a well known farmer and stockman. Mr. Elder is a native of Kentucky,
born in Marion county, June 28, i860. He is a son of George and Mary Elder. George Elder came to Butler county
with his parents in 1873, when he was thirteen years old. His father bought one-half section of land in Bloomington
township. The senior Elder was an extensive cattle dealer in the early days, and for years, perhaps, bought and
sold more cattle and hogs than any other dealer in Butler county. He died in 1896, and his widow now resides on
the old homestead in Bloomington township.
George Elder, the subject of this sketch, is one of a family of seven children, born to his parents. His early
training was in the cattle business with his father, and he has been more or less interested in that industry all
his life. In 1881, he bought his first land, and since that time, has added to his original purchase, and now owns
over 700 acres in Bloomington, Douglass and Walnut townships.
In 1881, Mr. Elder was united in marriage with Miss Martha A. Dailey, a native of Kansas. She is a daughter of John and Mary Dailey, the former a native of Missouri, and the latter of Kentucky. The Dailey family settled in Butler county in 1872. To Mr. and Mrs. Elder have been born the following children: Mary, married D. F. Gunter of Douglass, Kans.; Orville, a successful cattle dealer and farmer of Butler county; Leonora, died in infancy, and George D., a successful veterinary surgeon, residing with his parents at Douglass.
Mr. Elder is a Democrat, and since his boyhood, has been more or less active in the local councils of the Democratic party, and has always taken a keen interest in the welfare of his party. In 1910 he became a candidate for the office of county commissioner for the first district of Butler county, and was elected by a majority of 137 in the district, and four years later, was re-elected to that office by a majority of about 350. These results evince something of the personal popularity of Mr. Elder, inasmuch as the normal Republican majority in this district is estimated about 200. Mr. Elder not only overcame this majority, but bears the distinction of being the first man elected to succeed himself to the office of county commissioner in the first district.
When the oil and gas boom struck
Butler county, Mr. Elder took a great many leases, and his speculations in that direction have proven very profitable.
Mr. Elder is a thirty-second degree Mason, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. (History
of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 853-854)
James T. Welch is a Kansas pioneer and an early settler in Milton township, Butler county. He came to BRutler countv in 1882, and after spending a short time there, he went to Newton, Kans., where he remained until T886. working at his trade, which is that of a carpenter. In 1886, he came to Brainerd, which was then a new town, that being the same year that the railroad was built through that section.
Mr. Welch was born in Fulton county, March 4, 1847. His mother died when he was five years old, and two years later his father passed away, and he, therefore, was left an orphan at an early age. His lot was that of an unfortunate orphan child. His guardian placed him in the hands of a family in the neighborhood, and the treatment, which he received as a boy, early developed within him a spirit of self preservation, and a confidence in his ability to shift for himself. He learned, one night, that he was to be whipped the next morning, for some minor fracture of the family rules, and after thinking the matter over, he decided in his boyish mind that he would not be present when the whipping took place, and accordingly during the night, he slid down a lightning rod, and that was the last seen of him in that neighborhood.
He was twelve years old at that time, and, for a few years, drifted around, from one place to another, working at whatever he could find to do, and finally got employment at Payson, Ill., where he got an opportunity to learn the carpenter trade. From there, he went to Stone Prairie and became a successful contractor and builder for a number of years. From there, he came to Kansas, in 1882, as above stated.
Mr. Welch was united in manage to Miss Lucy A. Strawmatt, a native of Pike county, Illinois, born May 29, 1869, and a daughter of William and Margaret (Chambers) Strawmatt. A more extended history of the Strawmatt family appears in the sketch of Mrs. Mary Sturdyvin, a sister of Mrs. Welch. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Welch resided for a short time at Newton, Kans., when they went to Guthrie, Okla., where they remained a short time, when they came to Butler county, and bought a farm near Whitewater, which they have improved, and which is the present family home. To Mr. and Mrs. Welch have been born the following children: James T., Jr., born August 24, 1891, a carpenter residing in Whitewater, and well known for the excellency of his workmanship; Cecil T., born April 1, 1896, graduated from in Whitewater High School in the class of 1914, and later took a course in a business college at Chillicothe, Mo., and is now teaching school; and Fannie R. Welch, the only girl, was born February 1, 1904. The Welch family is well known and highly respected in the community. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 854-855)
Joseph Weatherby, a Kansas pioneer and Civil war veteran, now living retired at Whitewater, Kans., was born in Logan county, Ohio, November 3, 1838. He is a son of Jesse and Eliza (Haines) Weatherby, and comes from old American stock. Jesse Weatherby, the father, was born in Mt. Holly, N. J., in 1812. His parents were Benjamin and Sarah (Matthis) Weatherby. During the War of 1812, Benjamin Weatherby served as major of a New Jersey regiment. He was at the battle of Lundy's Lane and other important engagements. He lived to the advanced age of ninety-five years. He was a son of Septomas Weatherby, a native of New Jersey, and of English descent. Eliza Haines, mother of Joseph Weatherby, was born near Petersburg, Va., a daughter of Joseph and Rachel (Ballinger) Haines, natives of Virginia. Joseph Haines was a son of Allen Haines, also a native of Virginia, and of Scotch-Irish descent. Some time shortly after 1820 the Haines and Ballinger families migrated from Virginia to Ohio, settling in Logan and Champaign counties, and many of their descendants now reside in that locality.
In 1816, when Jesse Weatherby, the father of our subject, was four years of age, his father, Benjamin Weatherby, migrated from New Jersey with a colony of immigrants, who drove across the Allegheny Mountains with a wagon train, which consisted of about forty wagons, and settled in the little frontier town of Columbus, Ohio, and here Benjamin Weatherby built the fifth house in that little village, which has since developed into the city of Columbus. About five years later Benjamin Weatherby moved with his family about fifty miles farther west. Indians were the principal inhabitants of that section then. Here Jesse Weatherby grew to manhood and was married to Eliza Haines, and the young couple began their married life on a tract of land which Jesse's father leased from Henry Clay, and Joseph Weatherby, the subject of this sketch, when a boy remembers having seen Henry Clay at times when he visited his grandfather, Benjamin Weatherby. Jesse Weatherby was a soldier in the Mexican war and served under General Scott. And one of the first incidents that made a lasting impression on the youthful mind of Joseph Weatherby was the Mexican war. After returning from the Mexican war, Jesse Weatherby remained in Ohio until T858, when he went to Illinois, settling in McLean county, near Bloomington, where he resided until about the close of the Civil war, when he went to Iowa. In T875, he came to Kansas and located in Barton county, and later went to Indian Territory and made his home with his son, Robert, until his death in 1896. When the Civil war broke out, Joseph Weatherby enlisted on August 12, 1862, in Company K, One Hundred and Seventh Illinois infantry, under Capt. Sol. Williams. This regiment was assigned to Burnside's army until after the siege of Knoxville, when Burnside was assigned to the East. The regiment was attached to the Twenty-third army corps under General Schofield, and with this corps was with Sherman on his campaign through Georgia and the Carolinas. Mr. Weatherby was mustered out at Raleigh, N. C, June 21, 1865, when he returned to Washington and later returned to his Illinois home.
Mr. Weatherby was united in marriage on October 5, 1865, to Miss Mary E. Simpson, a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Carlisle) Simpson Mrs. Weatherby was born in Ohio, and her parents were natives of Virginia, and of Scotch descent. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs, Weatherby began life on a farm in McLean county, Illinois. They remained there until 1876, when they came to Kansas and located in Barton county, where Mr. Weatherby homesteaded a claim, which at that time was on the real western frontier. He remained there until 1884, when he removed to Harvey county and settled three or four miles west of Whitewater, or rather where Whitewater is now located. He followed contracting and building for several years and erected a great many buildings in the new growing town of Whitewater. He built the first church in Whitewater, which was his first work in that town. After following contracting and building for a number of years, he accepted the position as foreman on Lord Harrison's ranch in Murdock township, and later returned to Whitewater, where he has since lived retired.
To Mr. and Mrs. Weatherby have been born the following children: William E., deceased; Cora E., now the wife of Samuel Motter, of Murdock township; Emma J., deceased, wife of Charles D. Miller, who is also deceased, and they left one son, C. J. Miller, who now lives with Mr. Weatherby; Alice M. married Andrew J. Ulmer, Harvey county, Kansas.
Mr. and Mrs. Weatherby are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and Mr. Weatherby is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Masons, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has been a life-long Republican and cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. He has taken an active interest in local politics, and has served in several local offices of trust and responsibility. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 865-866)
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