Biographies Index

BUTLER COUNTY, KANSAS

BIOGRAPHIES

AIKMAN, C. A.

C. A. Aikman, of El Dorado, is probably the most extensive seed and grain dealer in Butler county. He is a native son of Butler county, born in Benton township, July 5, 1874, and belongs to one of the prominent pioneer families of this section. His parents, William Allison and Martha Angeline (Graves) Aikman were both natives of Kentucky. The father was born in Laurel county, and was a son of John Aikman, a native of Carlisle, Pa. John was a son of Alexander Aikman, a native of Scotland, who came to America with two of his brothers, before the Revolutionary war, and was killed at the battle of Brandywine while fighting for American independence. His son, John, grandfather of C. A. Aikman, located in Kentucky about 1795, where he spent the remainder of his life. He was a devout Christian and lived an exemplary life.

William Allison Aikman grew to manhood in Laurel county, Kentucky, where he resided when the Civil war broke out. He remained loyal to the Union and entered the employ of the Government in a responsible civil capacity at Camp Dick Robison in charge of the blacksmith work there, and had the supervision of several men. At the close of the war he engaged in the drug business in Kentucky, and in 1871 came to Kansas with his wife and three children, locating in Benton township, Butler county, where he took up government land, and followed farming and stock raising until 1883, when he removed to Towanda township, continuing in the same line of business until 1898, when he came to El Dorado, where he lived retired until his death, December 16, 1906. His wife, Martha Angeline Graves, was born in Madison county, Kentucky, and now resides in El Dorado, and is remarkably vigorous, both in mind and body, for a woman of her advanced age. Her father, William Graves, was a prominent Virginia planter before the Civil war, but like many other of that war-blighted district, saw his fortune vanish in that great conflict. Mrs. Aikman was the youngest of a family of nine children and is the only one now living.

C. A. Aikman is the youngest of four sons born to William Allison and Martha Angeline (Graves) Aikman. The others, all of whom were born in Kentucky, are as follows: G. P., attorney, El Dorado, Kans.; C. L., attorney, El Dorado, Kans., and J. S., a wholesale merchant at San Francisco, Cal. C. A. Aikman received a good common school education, which was supplemented by a business course in the Wichita Commercial College. He began life as a farmer, and in 1898 engaged in buying and shipping field seed and grain and at the same time continuing his farming operations. In 1903 his seed and grain business developed to such proportions that it required all of his attention. About that time he purchased the old Christian church on North Main street, El Dorado, and converted it into a warehouse and erected an office in connection, and added coal to his other business. His business continued to enlarge, and in 1910 he built an elevator on the line of the Missouri Pacific railroad in El Dorado.

Mr. Aikman was married September 20, 1905, to Miss Lucinda Green, a native of Sumner county, Kansas, and a daughter of D. M. Green, a Kentuckian, and early settler in Kansas, who now resides in El Dorado. To Mr. and Mrs. Aikman have been born two children: Conrad A., Jr., aged nine, and Daniel Robert John, aged four. Mr. Aikman is a Republican, but does not take an active part in political affairs. His genial manner and straightforward business methods have won him many friends in both the business and social sides of life. Mr. Aikman has a literary inclination and as a relaxation from the dull grind of everyday business life, he frequently writes verse for his own entertainment, and many of his short poems are real gems of literature. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 434-435)

JULIAN, R. H.

R. H. Julian, one of the pioneer merchants of Butler county, now engaged in the drug business at El Dorado, came to this county forty years ago. Mr. Julian was born at Hanover, in the northwestern part of Cook county, Illinois, in 1851. His parents, Richard and Eliza (Thompson) Julian, were natives of England and Canada, respectively. They located in Cook county in 1849 and lived in Chicago for a short time, and when the epidemic of cholera broke out in 1850 they left Chicago and located in Hanover township, Cook county. In 1852 they removed to Elgin, Ill., where the father worked at his trade, which was that of a stone mason, during the remainder of his life; his wife also died in Elgin.

R. H. Julian received his education in the public schools of Elgin and grew to manhood in that city. In 1876 he came to Kansas, locating at El Dorado, where he obtained a position with Dr. Gordon. About six months later, or in September, 1876, he went to work in Dr. Gordon's drug store, where he learned the drug business. In 1879 he went to Towanda to open and take charge of a branch store for Dr. Gordon, and remained there about six months. Mr. Julian says that brief period was the most pleasant part of his career, and he treasures many fond recollections of the pleasant days and long evenings spent with his newly found friends and acquaintances of Towanda, many of whom are still living in the county, whom he numbers among his stanchest friends.

After spending about six months at Towanda, he returned to El Dorado and in 1880 entered the employ of W. Y. Miller as a clerk in his drug store, remaining in that capacity until July 26, 1886. He then entered the employ of the firm of McKenzie & Evans, El Dorado druggists, until 1890, when he purchased their stock and has since conducted a drug store in El Dorado. When Mr. Julian purchased the business of McKenzie & Evans the store was located on West Central avenue, almost directly across the street from his present place of business in the Opera House block. He purchased the property where his store is now located in 1892, and moved his business into that store building in 1894, at No. 114 West Central avenue. The building is a substantial two-story brick structure with a basement, which he rents for a barber shop.

Mr. Julian was united in marriage to Miss Minnie L., daughter of Dr. J. P. and Martha (Rice) Gordon. Dr. Gordon was one of the very earliest physicians to locate in El Dorado. He came to Kansas from Mount Vernon, Iowa, where he had practiced his profession for a number of years, and upon coming to this State, practiced for a time in Topeka, Auburn and Emporia, and in 1868 located o here. He died in 1911, at the close of an active and successful professional career, and his widow now resides in El Dorado. Notwithstanding that she has reached the advanced age of eighty years, she is as keen in mind and as active physically as the average person of fifty or sixty.

Mr. Julian is a member of the Masonic Lodge, of which he is past master; he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having been identified with that organization for over forty years. He is also a member of the Woodmen of the World and the Anti-Horse Thief Association. He is a communicant of the Episcopal church, and for a number of years has been junior and senior warden and treasurer of his congregation.

Mr. Julian has various interests in some of the leading commercial enterprises of El Dorado. He is a stockholder in the El Dorado Electric & Refrigerator Company and also a director and stockholder in the Butler County Telephone Company. He may be well classified as one of the old landmarks among the merchants of Butler county. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 435-436)

LELAND, CYRUS AUSTIN

Cyrus Austin Leland, of El Dorado, a successful lawyer and one of Butler county's most prominent men of affairs, was born at Ottawa, La Salle county, Illinois, August n, 1843.

Mr. Leland was educated in the public schools of Ottawa, Ill., at Williston Seminary, East Hampton, Mass., and at Yale University, and graduated at the last named institution in the class of 1865, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He was prepared for law in his father's office, and was admitted to the bar at Ottawa, III, in 1867. From 1867 to 1877, he practiced law in Ottawa. In 1877 he came to El Dorado, Kansas, with his brother, Lorenzo Leland, Jr., and together established themselves in practice under the firm style of Leland & Leland. Lorenzo returned to Ottawa in 1879, and from that time until 1888, our subject practiced alone. In the latter year he was elected on the Democratic ticket to be District Judge of the Thirteenth judicial district and served in that capacity from 1888 to 1891, inclusive. He had previously served as city attorney and during Governor Glide's administration he was appointed a regent of the Kansas State Agricultural College. In 1892 he formed a partnership with Hon. C. L. Harris under the firm title, Leland & Harris. That partnership existed nearly eighteen years, or until dissolved in December, 1909. In January, 1910, he formed a partnership with K. M. Geddes under the firm name of Leland & Geddes, and later R. B. Ralston became the junior member of the firm,' which was known as Leland, Geddes & Ralston. This firm was dissolved on April 1, 1916, since which time Mr. Leland has been practicing alone.
Judge Leland is a charter member of the Kansas State Bar Association is a director of and attorney for the Farmers and Merchants National Bank at El Dorado.

Mr. Leland was married in December, 1870, to Nellie A. Thompson, his step-sister. To Mr. and Mrs. Leland have been born five children, of whom three survive. Two daughters, Flora and Cecil, are well-known in art circles and for a time maintained a water color studio in Kansas City, Mo. Cecil Leland, now the wife of Benjamin F. McKinnon, of Washington, D. C, was graduated in the literary department of Kansas University, and her sister concluded a five-year course at the Art Institute in Chicago, and was a member of the Chase Class at Florence, Italy. Cyrus A. Leland, Jr., graduated from the electrical engineering department of the University of Kansas with the class of 1910, and is now superintendent of the electrical department of the Atchison Railway, Light and Power Company, Atchison, Kans.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 437)

PERKINS, ANNA A.

Anna A. Perkins, M. D. El Dorado, Kans., is a prominent member of the medical profession of Butler county. Dr. Perkins was born near Amboy, Ill., in 1871, and when six years of age came to Kansas with her parents, Ansel A. and Orilla (Van Hausen) Perkins. The father was a native of Connecticut, and the mother was born near Montrose, Sus-quehanna county, Pennsylvania. After their marriage they removed to Illinois in the sixties, where they remained until 1877, when they came to Harvey county, Kansas, and located on a farm about nine miles northwest of Halstead. In 1881 they removed to Halstead and a short time'afterwards to Newton, where the mother died in 1887. Some years later the father removed to North Dakota, but returned to Illinois, where he died in 1910. They were the parents of the following children: Floyd, Coldwater, Kans.; Ford L., Newton, Kans.; Hattie married L. C. Helbie, Coldwater, Kans.; Lida married B. P. Philip, and Anna A., the subject of this sketch.

Dr. Perkins received a good common school education in the public schools of Harvey county, and began teaching when she was sixteen years of age, and after teaching five terms took a course in nursing in Axtell Hospital, Newton. She then entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Kansas City, Kans., where she was graduated with a degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1897, and immediately opened an office in El Dorado and began the practice of her profession. She has been uniformly successful in her professional work from the start, and for a number of years has ranked as one of the leading physicians of Butler county. Her practice is of a general nature and extends over a large area surrounding El Dorado as well as in the city of El Dorado. She is a close student of the science of her profession and aims to keep posted in the rapid strides that are constantly being made in that most important of all professions.

Since she began the practice, Dr. Perkins has taken post-graduate work in the Post-Graduate Medical College of Chicago, and in 1914 she was a member of a party of American physicians who made a clinical tour of Europe, visiting the leading hospitals of the principal cities of the Old World. Before embarking on their trip for Europe they visited the principal hospitals of Philadelphia and New York. While in Europe they visited Paris, Berne, Zurich,Munich, Vienna, Dresden, Leipsic, Berlin, Jena, Heidelberg, Frankfort on the Maine, Cologrfe, Brussels, Amsterdam, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool, and from there sailed for New York. While on this tour they saw some of the most eminent surgeons of the world operate. Notable among whom was the man who is now chief surgeon of the German army, and another is now chief surgeon of the Austrian army. This was an interesting and instructive trip and of inestimable value to those who were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take it.

Dr. Perkins is a member of the County, State and American Medical Association and at various times has held all the different offices of the county association. She is a member of the El Dorado school board. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 437-438)

WATKINS, J. W.

J. W. Watkins, a well known carpenter and contractor of Potwin, is a native of Virginia. He was born in Taylor county that State, March 4, 1863, and is a son of Samuel and Susan (Osborn) Watkins, natives of Pennsylvania, the former of Welsh and Scotch descent, and the latter of French and English ancestry. This branch of the Watkins family was founded in New England in Colonial times and later they settled in Pennsylvania. Samuel and Susan (Osborn)Watkins were the parents of thirteen children, of whom J. W. was the tenth in order of birth. A brother of J. William, enlisted at President Lincoln's first call for troops during the Civil war, and served in a West Virginia regiment. He served under Generals Hooker and McDowell, and was with Sherman on his march to the sea aNd also served in the Army of the Potomac for a time under Grant.

J. W. Watkins was reared on the home farm in Virginia, and in early life learned the carpenter trade with his older brother, Richard, who was an expert workman. The father died in 1874, when J. W. was about nine years of age, and in 1882 the mother with her five children came to Butler county, Kansas, and settled on a farm one and one-half miles east of Potwin. One son, William, had preceded the family to Butler county, coming here in 1870, and homesteaded a quarter section in the vicinity of Potwin after coming to Butler county with his mother, J. W. Watkins, worked with his brother Richard, who at that time was the leading contractor and builder in and around Potwin, and eventually J. W. became a contractor and builder on his own account and since that time has successfully followed that line of work. He has built some of the best residences in Butler county, as well as many high class residences in Wichita and other places.

Mr. Watkins was married in 1898 to Miss Zooa Ella Poe, a daughter of Cornelius and Sarah (Rogers) Poe, natives of West Virginia and very early settlers in Butler county. To Mr. and Mrs. Watkins have been born the following .children: Arthur Preston, Frederick Samuel Roger Williams, Elizabeth and Joseph Wade. Mr. Watkins is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and his political affiliations are with the Democratic party. During his career as a builder, he has won a reputation for honest and reliable work throughout this section of the State, which coupled with his high class workmanship places him in a class where much ordinary competition is eliminated. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 438-439)

ZIMMERMAN, I. A.

I. A, Zimmerman, a prominent farmer and stockman of Plum Grove township, is a native of Ohio. He was born near Urbana, Champaign county, October 19, 1848, and is a son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Miller) Zimmerman. The Zimmerman family is an old American family of German descent. Isaac Zimmerman, the father of I. A., was a son of George and Barbara (Norman) Zimmerman, the former a native of Germany, and the latter of Virginia. They were married in Rocking-ham county, Virginia, and shortly afterward, migrated to Ohio. They drove from Virginia to Ohio with ox teams, and settled in the wilderness of Ohio, which was then a new and undeveloped State. They built a little cabin on the banks of Owen creek, and shortly afterwards, removed to the Nettle creek bottom. Here George Zimmerman built his pioneer log cabin, and cleared away a little ground where he followed farming of the primitive, pioneer nature of that day. This was considerably over one hundred years ago, and that same place is still the home of one of George Zimmerman's descendants, being owned by Isaac Zimmerman, a brother of our subject, and here is where I. A., the subject of this sketch, was reared to manhood. He was one of a family of eight children.

Mr. Zimmerman came to Kansas in 1883, and the following year, settled in Butler county, and bought half a section of land in Fairmont township. He sold this later, and afterwards bought another half section in Plum Grove township, which is his present home. This is one of the best farms in Plum Grove township, and Mr. Zimmerman is recognized as one of the successful stockmen and general farmers of Butler county.

On April 28, 1872, Mr. Zimmerman was married to Miss Martha Comar, who died October 19, 1878, leaving two children: A. G., El Dorado, and Alice, wife of Joseph Sicklebower, El Dorado. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Zimmerman married Mary Barger, who died January 19, 1880. No children were born to this union. January 28, 1882, Mr. Zimmerman married M. M. Yates, a native of Miami county, Ohio, and to this union the following children have been born: Carrie, the wife of James Dooley, Newton, Kans.; Nettie, wife of W. M. Day, Kansas City, Mo.; Lutie, wife of Jason Markee, Butler county; John, resides at home with his father, and Lydia, wife of P. M. Puckette, farmer, Plum Grove township.

Mr. Zimmerman is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Peabody Lodge No. 113, and his wife is a member of the Rebekahs; and politically he is a Democrat. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 439-440)

MANNION, T. P.

T. P. Mannion, the capable and efficient postmaster of El Dorado, Kans., is a Butler county pioneer, coming here when he was a child, one year of age, with his parents. T. P. Mannion was born in Macon-City, Mo., March 2, 1866, and is a son of John and Margaret Mannion, natives of County Galway, Ireland. The father came to .America in 1848, and the mother in 1849. They were married at St. Louis, Mo., in 1856, and for a few years after their marriage made their home in St. Louis, and the father followed steamboating on the Mississippi river, between New Orleans and as far north as navigation extended, until 1861. He then engaged in farming, near Macon, Mo., until 1867, when he removed to Kansas, and located in Butler county, settling on 160 acres of land, nine miles southwest of El Dorado, in what is now Spring township. He was probably the first man to prove up on his homestead in that township, and an unusual thing about the Mannion homestead, is that it was never mortgaged, nor never on the delinquent tax list, which may be taken as an index to the thrift and industry of John Mannion and his family.

At the time that the Mannion family settled in Butler county, the country was in a wild and unbroken state, and the broad prairies of Butler county seemed to be in about the same condition that the hand of the Creator had left them. There were still many Indians in this vicinity, and the Mannion family had just cause to fear uprisings of hostile Indians, along the border' at that early day. The early day prairie fires, which, now and then, swept over the plains like the wind, was another source of great danger to the early pioneers who settled here about the same time.

The first home of the Mannion family was a pioneer log house, without a floor and with a straw roof, which was on the place when the father bought it. This makeshift of a home, however, was replaced by a more pretentious structure, built of hewed logs and well finished, a few months after the family settled here, and in the early days this residence was one of the best built in that section of the country at that time. About twelve years later a large frame residence was built, which is still standing. It was the scene of many early day social gatherings, such as dances, parties, etc., and some of the early church services were held here. Rev. Father Schurtz conducted services here at an early day. He was one of the pioneer priests of this section and is remembered as a splendid Christian gentleman
T. P. Mannion has a store of interesting early day reminiscences, which he relates in a most interesting and entertaining manner. He remembers of seeing the Indians roaming over the plains in bands of varying numbers, at different times, and he also recalls the time when hunting parties went just a little west of Butler county on buffalo hunting expeditions, and recalls buffalo having been killed in the vicinity of Wichita. His first trip to Wichita was in 1876, on an occasion when his father and his sister, Kate, and himself drove to Wichita with two loads of corn which they exchanged for seed wheat. Mr. Mannion's first schooling in Butler county was in a log building, without any floor, the school being taught by Rev. Timothy Grow.

When the Mannion family settled in Butler county, Emporia was the nearest trading point of any importance, and the father frequently made the trip there for supplies, and sometimes he would be gone three weeks at a time on one of these trips. On one of these trips, he broke a wagon axle and had to go for miles to get it repaired, which required three days, and a new axle cost him fifteen dollars. We, of the present generation, in view of all modern methods of economizing time and annihilating space, can scarcely conceive of a condition of this kind, yet this is a fact, and such were the conditions which confronted the resolute men and women who laid the foundation for Butler county and the great progress which followed. This is not only true in Butler county but in hundreds of other counties, all over the great West.

John Mannion deserves to be classed as one of the pioneers of Butler county, who did his part nobly and well. He became a successful farmer and stock raiser and during his long career in Butler county he built up a reputation for honesty and integrity that will remain for many years to become a monument to his memory. He believed in square dealing. He died July 30, 1908, honored and respected by all who knew him. His widow now resides near Augusta, and belongs to that type of noble pioneer women who adapted themselves to the early day pioneer conditions, and furnished the husbands and children with the inspiration, without which the hardships and vicissitudes of those early times would have been unendurable.

John and Margaret Mannion were the parents of the following children: Mrs. Kate Shea, Wichita, Kans.; Mrs. Mary Lipscomb, Spring township; Mrs. Maggie Cody, Spring township; Mrs. Lizzie Armstrong, Spring township; T. P., the subject of this sketch; J. J., Augusta, Kans.; W. H., Lawrence, Kans., and J. C, Spring township.
T. P. Mannion was reared to manhood on the home place in Spring township, and after receiving a very good common school education, took a course in the Southwestern Business College at Wichita, Kans. About the time he completed his course of study, he was employed as a grain buyer for the Peavey Grain Company, with headquarters at Greensburg, Kans., and for three years followed that line of work. In 1894, he returned to the home farm in Spring township, where he was engaged in farming until February 1, 1904, when he came to El Dorado and engaged in the grocery business. He sold this business shortly afterwards and was employed in the insurance business in El Dorado for a time when he engaged in the insurance, real estate and loan business for himself and was successfully engaged in that line of work, to which he devoted his entire time and attention, until April 6, 1915, when he was appointed postmaster by President Wilson.

However, Mr. Mannion still owns the insurance, loan and real estate agency which is conducted by his manager, Mr. Williams. Since receiving the appointment as postmaster, Mr. Mannion has been actively engaged in the duties of that office, the constant increasing patronage of which requires vigilent exercise of good business judgment and foresight, to meet the demands of the business. However, Mr. Mannion is equal to the occasion and is always on the job, and El Dorado has a postmaster who is a postmaster in fact, and the office is not a sinecure, like similiar positions are in many places. Mr. Mannion believes in the doctrine that public office is a public trust, and is fulfilling the letter of his belief.

Mr. Mannion was united in marriage February 5, 1896 with Miss Mary Harmon, a daughter of Richard and Mary Hannon, Butler county pioneers. To Mr. and Mrs. Mannion have been born the following children: May M., a graduate of the El Dorado High School and now stenographer in the law office of Kramer & Benson; William R.; Agnes Pauline, and T. P., Jr., all of whom are now attending school.

Mr. Mannion is a Democrat, and since reaching his majority ha-S supported the policies and principles of the Democratic party. He has been active in both State and local politics, and he deserves as much, or more credit, than any other man in Butler county in maintaining the organization of his party in Butler county during some of the gloomy
periods of the past. He is a member of the Catholic church and a member of the board of trustees of the local parish, and has also been a liberal contributor to his church and is entitled to no small amount of credit for the establishment and maintenance of the local Catholic church. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 440-443)

MOONEY, OSBORNE

Osborne Mooney was born in Miami county, Ohio, October n, 1827. At an early age, his father removed to Allen county, Indiana, locating near the village of Huntertown, about ten miles from Ft. Wayne. There Mr. Mooney lived until the fall of 1872, when he came with his family to Kansas, settling on a farm on the West Branch of the Whitewater, two and one-half miles west of Towanda. This farm is still owned by his family, and was occupied by them until 1897, when Mr. Mooney retired from active life, and moved to El Dorado, where he lived until his death, February 2, 1908.

On August 23, 1857, Mr. Mooney was married in Allen county, Indiana, to Adelaide Kikley, also of that place. To this union were born three daughters: Frances E., Mrs. Volney P. Mooney of El Dorado; Harriett E.; Mrs. William R. Green, of Towanda; and Nevada B., Mrs. William B. Gaskins, of Portland, Ore.

Mr. Mooney was pre-eminently a farmer, having followed that occupation all of the active years of his life. lie was especially successful in grafting fruit trees and producing budded fruit. This was his greatest interest. He was also a remarkable worker among bees. These, he went among fearlessly, holding conversation with them as he wrought. Had Mr. Mooney lived in a later day, he would probably have specialized in one of these professions with great profit.

Mr. Mooney enlisted in August, 1862, and with his two brothers and three brothers-in-law, served to the end of the war. His military life is epitomized in this: He enlisted in Allen county, Indiana, August 5, 1862, in Company C, Eighty-eighth regiment Indiana infantry. He participated in the battles of Perryville, Stone River, Hoover's Gap, Tullahoma, Hillsboro, and Elk River, Tennessee; Dug Gap and Chicka-maugua, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Grenville and Ringgold; marched with Sherman in the Atlanta campaign and was in engagements at Buzzard Roost, Resacca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta and Utoy Creek; was with Sherman in his famous march to the sea and was mustered out June 7, 1865. He was wounded at Perryville, Kentucky, by a gunshot wound in the mouth, breaking out his teeth and parts of his jaw bone. At Atlanta, he received a wound in the right shoulder, the ball passing through and lodging in his left breast, where it remained. He was bayoneted in the elbow at Kenesaw Mountain, causing a permanent injury, the arm being dislocated. He was of military stock. His grandfather, Freeman Mooney, was in the Revolutionary war under General Washington.

He was a Christian for over sixty years, and at the time of his death was a member of the Christian Church at Towanda. He was a member of W. H. L. Wallace Post 66, Grand and of Patmos Lodge No. 97, Masons. During his last illness his only desire seemed to be to have his wife, children and grandchildren at his bedside. All except one grandchild were present, one was unavoidably detained. His regret when called from this life was not the severing of the brittle thread of this existence, but was the cutting asunder of those ties of love and affection that bound him to those whose presence and companionship made life's labors a pleasure rather than a burden. In every relation of life Mr. Mooney was examplary, a thoroughly good man, a patriot, soldier, citizen, husband, father, friend and neighbor. He was honored widely as he was known. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 443-444)

SLUSS, W. H.

W. H. Sluss, of El Dorado township, is one of the pioneer cattle men of Butler county and since locating here in 1870 has seen Butler county developed from a primitive prairie to one of the greatest counties in the State of Kansas; and has done his part as a pioneer, a business man and a citizen in bringing about this wonderful transformation in the brief space of less than a lifetime. Mr. Sluss was born in Frederick county, Maryland, November 16, 1839, a son of John and Susan (Farney) Sluss, both natives of Frederick county, and descendents of Colonial ancestors. Michael Sluss, grandfather of W. H., was a captain in the United States army during the War of 1812. W. H. Sluss' parents spent their lives in Maryland, where the father who was a farmer died in 1891, and his wife died the same year. They were the parents of six children, two boys and four girls, all of whom are living except one son.

W. H. Sluss received a good common school education in his native State, and in 1863 went to St. Joseph, Mo. by rail, and later went down the river to Ft. Leavenworth, Kans. He was engaged in farming about a year in that section when he returned to his Maryland home, and after remaining there four or five months went to Iowa with a view of looking the country over. He remained in that State about six months and then went to Illinois and after spending a couple of months there came back to Leavenworth, Kans., but remained only three months when he returned to his old home in Maryland again. He worked on his father's farm for two years, but during all this time had Kansas on his mind and constantly kept thinking to himself "I want to go back to Kansas." He was right. When he was in Kansas he saw opportunities that the new State offered a young man, with ambition and a determination to win. In the spring of 1869, he went to Missouri and the following year came to Kansas, and preempted a quarter section of land, three miles south of El Dorado, where his present home is located. He built his first house about two rods north of where his present residence is located. The building is still standing and is built of native lumber which was sawed on Little Walnut Creek, with the exception of siding and shingles which were hauled from Emporia. Mr. Sluss "batched" for the first five years on his claim, which was not an unusual mode of living in those days. When he came here the country was in a crude and undeveloped state, and the blue stem grass was to be seen in every direction. Deer, .antelope and all kinds of small game were plentiful The prairie was almost alive with prairie chickens and wolves traveled in droves and their howls around the cabins at night kept the bachelors of the plains from getting lonesome. Mr. Sluss says in those early days that they had plenty of buffalo meat, and most everybody generally kept a good supply of it on hand. There were no buffalo in this immediate vicinity but there were plenty just a little farther west along the banks of the Arkansas. He says one peculiar thing about conditions of those days was that there were no flies, which would give rise to the suspicion that flies like politicians were a product of an older civilization.

Mr. Sluss had some capital when he came to Butler county and saw possibilities in cattle raising, and was one of the first to engage in that business here. He started in with the Texas long horns but soon raised the standard of his stock, making high grade Galloways his specialty. He has handled thousands of cattle, perhaps more than any other man in Butler county, frequently raising from eighty to one hundred a year. Mr. Sluss added more land to his original holdings from time to time, until he acquired about 1800 acres, but in recent years he has turned considerable land over to his children, giving each a half section, and his sons have assumed the active management of his broad acres while he is taking life easy, as he is justly entitled, after the many years of a strenuous and successful business career.

Mr. Sluss was united in marriage in 1875, to Miss Frances Norris, of Spring township, Butler county, a daughter of Ward Norris, who came to this county with his family in 1872 and settled in Spring township. Mrs. Sluss was born in Wallworth county, Illinois. To Mr. and Mrs. Sluss have been born eight children, six of whom are living, as follows: Lula, married Herman Holem, El Dorado, Kans.; William, farm* er and stock man, El Dorado township; Ollie, married Stanley Skaer and lives near Augusta; Harrison, a farmer and stock man, El Dorado township; Russell, also a farmer and stock man, El Dorado township, and George resides at home with hs parents.

The hundreds of acres contained in the Sluss farm present an unusually well kept appearance, and Mr. Sluss' home is one of the most substantial buildings to be found in the county. The first house that Mr. Sluss built on his place came very nearly being demolished by a cyclone in the early days. Mr. Sluss was in the house when the cyclone struck it and he says he was not quite sure that he was ever going to be able to find his claim, after he landed, but he and the house both escaped, not very much the worse for the experience. And when he built his present residence thirty-four years ago he made it a point to see that the entire structure was as substantial as expense and mechanical ingenuity could make it. The walls are of solid stone of unusual thickness and would seem to be immune from the average gentle zephyr.

Mr. Sluss has always been a Republican, but in recent years he is inclined to be independent in his political views and not bound to any particular creed. W. H. Sluss is one of the grand old pioneers of Butler county and a work of ths character can cite the present and future generations to no better example of American manhood for their guidance and inspiration. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 444-446)

PRICE, J. H.

J. H. Price, senior member of the firm J. H. Price & Company, one of the leading real estate, loan and insurance firms of El Dorado, is a native of Ohio. Mr. Price was born in Belmont county, August 1, 1839, and is a son of Samuel and Ruanna (Lady) Price, the former a native of Fayette county, Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio. They spent their lives in Ohio.

J. H. Price was reared and educated in his native State and had reached the age of manhood when the Civil war broke out, and in answer to the President's call for volunteers, he enlisted at Chillicothe, Ohio, August 30, 1861 in Company B, Second Battalion, Eighteenth United States infantry. Four brothers of J. H. Price enlisted in the Union army during the Civil war and two of them were killed in action and the other two were wounded. The father also offered his services but was rejected on account of being past the military age. His command was attached to the Army of the Cumberland, joining General Thomas at Mill Springs, Ky., from which point they made a forced march in time to be at the battle of Shiloh, and they also participated in the battle of Corinth and the battle of Perryville, and in a fight with Morgan at Lenan, Ky. It fell to Mr. Price's lot to do a great deal of detached duty in the way of scouting in Kentucky and he was in a number of skirmishes. He was at the battle of Stone River and Murfreesboro, where his regiment suffered very severe losses. In that engagement six of the color bearers had been shot down, and Mr. Price wad the seventh to pick up the fallen colors and fortunately escaped without injury. He was at the battles of Chickamaugua, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, and Resaca, and numerous other battles and skirmishes, and in the campaign against Atlanta. He was at the battles of Jonesboro and Nashville. Mr. Price was wounded three times during his service. He was struck on the neck with a fragment of a shell at the battle of Stone River and was struck on one of his fingers by a gun shot at Lebanon, Ky., and in an attack by guerillas between Nashville and Chattanooga he was struck in the neck by several small shot. Mr. Price was promoted, step by step, until he became first sergeant of his company, and at the battle of Stone River, both the captain and first lieutenant of his company were killed, and, by virtue of his rank as first sergeant, Mr. Price became first lieutenant during the remainder of that battle. At the close of a brilliant military career he was discharged near Jonesboro, Ga., August 30, 1864, by reason of the expiration of his term of service, although he remained with his regiment for some time after his discharge.

At the close of the war Mr. Price returned to Ohio where he was engaged in the marble business until 1873, when he went to Iowa and located in Taylor county, and for a number of years, was a minister in the United Brethren church. In 1880, he came to Kansas and for a time lived in Lincoln county, where he was engaged in the ministry for two or three years, and also preached in various other places in Kansas and Colorado. In 1904 he came to Butler county and engaged in farming, and in 1912 located in El Dorado, where he has since been engaged in the real estate, loan and insurance business. In 1916, his son, William S., became the junior member of the firm.

Mr. Price was first married February 19, 1866, to Miss Lizzie E. Davis, a native of Jackson county, Ohio, and two children were born to this union: William S., the junior member of J. H. Price & Company, and Hannah Ruan, now the wife of Edward C. Bent, Chicago, Ill. The mother of these children died July 16, 1870, in Lucas county, Ohio, and Mr. Price married Maranda Buchanan, of Pickering county, Ohio. The following children, who are now living, were born to this union: Rosada, lives in California; Archie, Cassoday, Kans.; James, Butler county, Kansas; and Sherrod S., Blue Mound, Kans. The wife and mother of these children is deceased, and the present Mrs. Price bore the maiden name of Sarah Bowman. Mr. Price is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Methodist Episcopal church, and is of pleasing personality and courteous manner, which has won for him many friends in the community. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 460-463)

BENSON, GEORGE J.

George J. Benson, of the firm of Kramer & Benson, one of the leading law firms of Butler county, located at El Dorado, is the second son of William F. and Margaret Benson, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. George J. Benson was born October 27, 1883, in Chelsea township, Butler county, Kansas. He attended country school until prepared for high school and then entered the El Dorado High School and was graduated in the class of 1903. He graduated from the law department of Kansas University with a degree of L. L. B. in 1906, and passed the State bar examination and was admitted to the bar in June, 1906. Mr. Benson began the practice of law in El Dorado July 1, 1906, associated with T. A. Kramer, and later became a partner under the firm name of Kramer & Benson.
Mr. Benson was married June 1, 1910, to Miss Mabel Sinclair, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hector Sinclair, of El Dorado, Kans, (a sketch of Mr. Sinclair appears in this volume). To Mr. and Mrs. Benson has been born one child, George Sinclair Benson, Jr., born December 2, 1911. Mr. Benson was elected county attorney of Butler county on the Democratic ticket in November, 1913, and served one term in a capable and satisfactory manner.

Mr. Benson is a member of the Masonic Lodge, Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the Phi Delta Phi. He is a Democrat and has taken a prominent part in promoting the welfare of his party in this county, and has been chairman and secretary of the Democratic county central committee. He is a capable lawyer and an untiring student of the intricacies of the law, and his courteous and genial manner has won many friends. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 463)

HAMILTON, GEORGE

George Hamilton, proprietor of the Fifth Avenue Hotel, Augusta, Kans., is one of the popular hotel men of southern Kansas. He was born in Durham, England, September 25, 1879, and is a son of Samuel H. and Anna (Pettigrew) Hamilton, the former a native of England, and the latter of New York. George Hamilton is the oldest of a family of four children, the others being as follows: John, was in San Francisco at the time of the earthquake in 1906, and has never been heard of since; Thomas, lives in San Diego, Cal.; and Maggie, whose present address is unknown.

George Hamilton came to Wichita with his parents in 1887, when he was about eight years old and three years later the family removed to Butler county, where he received the greater part of his education and learned plumbing and metal working, and followed that line of business until May, 1915, when he leased the Fifth Avenue Hotel, which is the principal hotel of Augusta, and in fact the most complete hotel in Butler county. It is a massive stone structure, two stories high and is practically new. Mr. Hamilton made a wise move in engaging in the hotel business at the time he did. Augusta was just in the dawn of its new era, the great industrial activity accompanying the oil and gas development in that section, and practically since Mr. Hamilton took the Fifth Avenue Hotel, the place has been crowded to its limit. The house is well furnished and is a modern hotel in every particular and is conducted on the European plan.

Mr. Hamilton was married at Wichita,. Kans., in 1915 to Miss Grace Lakin, of Lincoln, Neb., whose parents were pioneers of that city.

Mr. Hamilton's father died at Peterborough, Canada, in 1886, and the mother now resides at Rose Hill, Butler county, Kansas. Mr. Hamilton is a member of the Masonic lodge, having been made a Mason in 1906. Since engaging in the hotel business, he has proven to be a popular landlord and has made many friends among the patrons of his hotel. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 463-464)

SHELDEN, ALVAH

Alvah Shelden was born in Fond du Lac, Wis., January 15 1849. His mother, whose maiden name was Louisa Vaught, was of Dutch parentage, his father, Benjamin Shelden, of German descent. This ancestry accounted, in later life, for much of the thrift, economy, and steadfastness of purpose shown in his character. When Alvah Shelden was three years of age, his parents moved to Little Rock, Ark., and a year, or so later, to Helena, Karnes county, Texas, where his father was shot and killed in 1859 in his own dooryard by a rebel sympathizer or "copperhead," because of his fearless and out-spoken anti-slavery sentiments. Martin Vaught, a brother of Mrs. Shelden, then living in Jefferson county, Kansas, started at once for Texas to bring back his widowed sister and five children: Olive, Alvah, Marion, Mary and John. He went on horseback, starting early in October, 1859, making the trip in thirty-five days. He remained in Texas until May, i860, settling up affairs, when they started for Kansas in a covered wagon, drawn by five yokes of oxen. They also drove fifty head of cattle and eight horses through, making the trip in six weeks. The family had several adventures and miraculous escapes, coming through Texas and the Indian territory in that early period of their history, notably when crossing the Red River and the Cimarron, some Mexicans, who were assisting the stock to swim the rivers, were nearly drowned, and at other times, the Indians made several attempts to stampede the cattle. These incidents seem quite thrilling to relate in these days of high civilization in the Oklahoma State.

The Shelden family finally arrived at Chelsea, after their tempestuous trip, piloted by the ever faithful "Uncle Mart/' They remained until fall and then went to Paris, Ill., to live with Alvah's grandfather, John Vaught, a prominent and well-to-do farmer, where they remained until 1868. The "Call of Kansas" appealed to Alvah, now nineteen years of age, and as the head of the family, he, with them, turned westward, stopping in Chase county, Kansas, on the south fork of the Cottonwood river, and rented a farm. It was a bounteous crop year, and by dint of hard work and much saving, the family had a little money which they decided to put into a home. They came again to Chelsea township, and bought 240 acres of school-land on Cole creek. They built a native lumber house, much of it walnut, and Alvah, aided by his younger brothers and Uncle Martin Vaught, framed it finished it. Everyone who is at all familiar with early Kansas history, appreciates the hardships and privations incident to the development and the paying for a home at that time. Upon Alvah, the eldest of the three sons, the burden of it rested, but by his indomitable pluck and energy he accomplished it.

Always from a youth up, an inveterate reader, from the use of his grandfather's library, and from the country school, which he attended, he acquired his education. Aided by keen observation power, by an understanding of human nature and things, it was a liberal one. In 1872, he taught his first country school; in 1874, he was assistant cashier in the Farmers and Merchants Bank of El Dorado, and in 1876, he was elected county superintendent of public instruction of Butler county. He was married January 28, 1877, to Miss Mary M. Lamb of Douglass. She was a teacher in the Douglass schools, and their courtship dated from the first time they met, at the first teacher's institute in Augusta in April, 1872. Of this union there were six children born: Bertram Benjamin, June 29, 1878; Mary Myrtle, August 17, 1879; Chester Conkling, August 30, 1880; Lida Lou, September 3, 1882; Bernice Barbara, July 19, 1885; and Marjorie Jane, October 14, 1890. Bertram died February 21, 1882, and Bernice, August 22, 1902.

In 1878 Mr. Shelden was re-elected to the superintendency of the county schools. In 1879 he was appointed postmaster of El Dorado to succeed Mrs. M. J. Long. He held the office five years. In March, 1881, he bought the "Walnut Valley Times" of T. B* Murdock, which he owned and edited thirty years. March 1, 1911, he retired from active work, transferring his newspaper and business to his son, Chester C. Shelden, who now conducts it. It was in June of the same year that he was stricken with angina pectoris, a disease of the heart, from which * he never recovered, dying December 17, 1911. No more fitting summary of his biography could be written than this from his old time friend and newspaper associate, George F. Fullenwider: "As a writer, Mr. Shelden was apt and forceful, and as an editor, able and emphatic, with opinions all his own, expressed tersely and plain. As a business man he was conservative, prompt, firm and successful. He was one whose advice and opinions were sought by his fellows, and considered sound. As a citizen, he was honored and respected; as a friend, he was loyal and true. He was kind as a woman, big-hearted, generous to a fault, discriminating in his friendships and unyielding in his condemnation of wrong doing. He was always interested in the welfare of the community, and his efforts were in behalf of progress and enterprise. During his regime, the "Times" was a welcome visitor in more homes in Butler county, perhaps, than any other paper ever published here. He was always reaching out for the best in the newspaper world, nothing was too good for his paper and its readers. So well did he succeed that he ranked with the very best in the State, and he enjoyed a wide reputation as a writer and editor of ability. In proof of his enterprise, his special editions of which he issued more than any man in the State, namely the "Pink Edition," "Old Soldiers' Edition," "Farmers' and Stockmen's Edition, "Woman's Edition," have gone down in history, as some of the brightest and best newspaper work of that kind in Kansas. His public life and work is done, no more will he furnish "copy," or correct proof. The foreman has called "thirty" on his hook, and readers will look in vain for locals and editorials from his pen, but the fleeting years, in their onward march, cannot efface the memory of his good deeds, the influence he exerted, nor can time blot out the numberless pages he has written and left as a record for generations yet unborn." (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 464-466)

NOBLE, W. H.

W. H. Noble, proprietor of the J. M. Noble & Son furniture store of El Dorado, is one of the progressive young business men of Butler county, and the J. M. Noble & Son furniture store is one of the oldest and most extensive retail furniture stores in the county. This business was established in 1882 by J. M. McAnally, and later the firm became McAnally & Musselman, and in 1884 J. M. Noble bought Musselman's interest, and the firm became McAnally & Noble, and this firm continued to do business until February 10, 1913. Mr. McAnally died in 1910, but the estate retained his interest until the above mentioned date when Mr. Noble purchased the McAnally interest, and a strange coincidence in connection with this transaction was, that on the very day that the deal was closed, Mr. Noble died, suddenly, at Champaign, Ill., and since that time, his son, W. H. Noble, whose name introduces this sketch, has conducted the business.

Mr. Noble is thoroughly awake to the progress made in the various branches of the furniture business, and carries a much more complete and larger line than is usually found outside of the large cities. He aims to- carry the best line of goods to be found on the market, among which might be mentioned the Sealy mattress, Liggett-Platt springs, Globe-Wernicke book cases, the Springfield model kitchen cabinet and the twin pedestal tables.

W. H. Noble is a native of Butler county and was born in El Dorado, December 5, 1887. His parents, J. M. and Sarah A. (Dickson) Noble were natives of Pennsylvania and Ireland respectively. Mrs. Noble came to this country with her parents when she was a child, and has made three trips across the Atlantic. She now resides in Wichita. J. M. Noble removed from Pennsylvania to Champaign county, Illinois, at an early day and from there came to Butler county, Kansas, where he was engaged in farming and stock raising until 1884, when he engaged in a furniture business, which he followed until the time of his death. He was sixty-one years of age. To J. M. Noble and wife were born two children, as follows: Jennie L., married George Anderson and resides at Alva, Okla.; and W. H., the subject of this sketch.

W. H. Noble was reared in El Dorado and educated in the public schools and Brumbach Academy and the College of Emporia. He was. then employed about two and one-half years as clerk in the Missouri Pacific office in El Dorado, when he took over the management of the greenhouse and florist business which his mother had started some years previously. She is a great lover of flowers, and engaged in that work, first, for her own recreation and satisfaction, but by 1907 the constantly growing demand developed it into a commercial enterprise of considerable proportions, and at that time W. H. took charge of the business. He successfully conducted it until 1912, when he disposed of it, and after the death of his father's partner, Jie assisted in the furniture store until 1913, and since that time has devoted himself exclusively to the furniture business.

Mr. Noble was united in marriage September 15, 1907, with Mary Esther Tolle, a daughter of George W. Tolle, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. To Mr. and Mrs. Noble have been born three children: Billy, Jack and Mary Esther. Mr. Noble is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and is a Democrat, and takes a keen interest in the affairs of his party, and has served as secretary of the Democratic central committee of Butler county. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 466-467)

SANDIFER, WILLIAM H.

William H. Sandifer. - The Sandifer family is a pioneer family of Butler county, but they are more particularly a pioneer family in a broader and more comprehensive sense, dating back to Revolutionary times, and their members have been conspicuous as pioneers, soldiers and citizens of sterling worth, in connection with the history of this country for the past 150 years. The founder of the Sandifer family in America was William Sandifer who, before the days of the American Revolution, was engaged in the transfer business in his native city, London, England, and during the war with the Colonies, he was conscripted and forced into the English army. His sympathies, prior to that time, had been with the Colonies, and this act of conscription by the government did not change his views but strengthened his sympathy with the revolutionists. However, he served with the English army for a time, his command being located in South Carolina, and there is where the romance began that made the young Englishmen a full-fledged American. He met Sally Brockman, a typical American girl of colonial times, and their friendship ripened into love, and they became engaged. Soon afterwards, young Sandifer deserted from the English army and enlisted in Washington's army, and fought in its ranks for the American cause until the close of the war. He was wounded at the battle of Brandywine, receiving a saber cut on the scalp which never fully healed. After the war he returned to South Carolina to claim his bride, believing that he had become sufficiently Americanized to marry an American girl. They were married and a few years afterwards went to Kentucky. This was shortly after that section of the country had been explored by the renowned Daniel Boone. William Sandifer and his wife spent the remainder of their lives and reared a family on the frontier of the "dark and bloody ground" of Kentucky.

One of the children born to William Sandifer and Sally Brockman was Joseph Sandifer, who was born in South Carolina, and like his father, he was a soldier and frontiersman. He served in the American army during the war of 1812, and fought under General Harrison at the battle of the Thames, where the celebrated Shawnee Chief Tecumseh was killed, and Sandifer saw the chief fall, as he was shot, and a comrade of his, named Cornwall Edwards, secured the old chief's rifle, during the battle. Mr. Sandifer often related the incident and described the gun in detail. He said it was of English make with a slight nick in the barrel, and that he often fired it himself. In later life Joseph Sandifer removed from Kentucky to Missouri. He died at Palmyra, Mo. Joseph Sandifer was the grandfather of William H., whose name introduces this sketch.

George M. Sandifer was a son of Joseph Sandifer and was born on Hanging Fork creek, Ky., July 21, 1832. He spent his boyhood days in Kentucky, and in early life learned photography and for a time was located at Somerset, Ky., and later at Liberty and Lancaster, that State. About 1858, he went to Knoxville, Tenn., where he remained about two years. Then he went to Rome, Gat., and was conducting a photograph studio there when the Civil war broke out, and he enlisted in the Third regiment, Georgia cavalry, serving in General Wheeler's division, Hardee's Corps of Bragg,s army. In the early part of the war, he was promoted to quartermaster with rank of captain and much of the time was quartermaster of General Wheeler's division. At the close of the war, he returned to Rome, Ga., where he remained for a time, when he came back to his old Kentucky home, and after remaining for a time at Stanford, he went to Somerset, Ky., and conducted a steam mill until 1877, when he came to Kansas with his family. They drove through the entire distance from Kentucky to Butler county, and settled on a farm in Prospect township, three miles east of El Dorado. Here the father followed farming until 1891, when he again engaged in photography at El Dorado. He was an expert in his work, and had an extensive patronage. He disposed of his business in May, 1905, and died December 22, of that year, at the age of seventy-three. He was a member of the Christian church and was a Knights Templar Mason. His wife, to whom he was married at Somerset, Ky., bore the maiden name of Kazira Patterson Dutton. She was a native of Somerset and a daughter of J. S. and Martha (Ches-ney) Dutton, both of whom were natives of Kentucky, the former a son of David Dutton, a native of Germany, and an early settler in Kentucky.

J. S. Dutton came to Kansas and located at El Dorado in 1871, where he spent the balance of his life. He died in August, 1886, and his wife passed away about the same time.

George M. and Kazira Patterson (Dutton) Sandifer were the parents of the following children: William H., the subject of this sketch; Carrie, the wife of Judge G. P. Aikman, of El Dorado; Walter, died at, the age of twenty; James, El Dorado; John, died at the age of fourteen, and Henry G., of El Dorado.

William H. Sandifer was born at Liberty, Casey county, Kentucky, December 26, 1857, and received a good common school education in his native State. He came to Kansas with his parents in 1875, as did the other members of the family, and was engaged in farming and stock raising in Prospect township until 1903. He then went to California, and after spending a few months returned to Butler county, and for twelve years was superintendent of the Butler county poor farm and since 1915 has been in the employ of an El Dorado lumber company.

Mr. Sandifer was married February 20, 1890, to Miss Belle Friend, of Austin, Tex., a daughter of John S. Friend, who now resides at El Dorado, Kans. The Friend family were early settlers in Butler county, coming here in 1868, when Mrs. Sandifer was a baby. To Mr. and Mrs. Sandifer was born one child, Ruth, now the wife of F. R. Thompson, who conducts the leading book and jewelry store of El Dorado, KanS. Mr. Sandifer is a member of the Masonic Lodge, Modern Woodmen of America, the Anti-Horse Thief Association, and belongs to the Christian church. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 467-469)