Butler County Genealogy Trails Kansas Susan B. Allen Bio

Butler County’s Eighty Years ~ 1855-1935

by Jessie Perry Stratford

A History of Butler County Biographical Sketches and Portraits with Foreword by Rolla A. Clymer

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~~Insert photo of George F. Fullinwider~~

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to Rosenburg, Oregon, where he owned and edited a newspaper and practiced law for a few years.

During Populistic days, the Populists of Butler County felt the need of an organ, and Olin Meacham, Walter O. Welch and others in Augusta, started The Industrial Advocate, with a large subscription list, consisting almost entirely of farmers and those representing farming interests.

After a time the plant was moved to El Dorado, where it passed into the hands of J. F. Todd and J. C. Riley. Later the plant was sold to W. P. Flenner, who sold it to Ex-State Treasurer W. H. Biddle. Mr. Biddle sold the plant to T. B. Haslam and T. H. Brundage, who operated under the firm name of Haslam and Brundage. On April 1, 1897, George F. Fullinwider bought Mr. Haslam’s interest and for a year the firm was Fillinwider and Brundage. Brundage then sold his half-interest to Artie Peffley and the firm name was changed to Fullinwider and Peffley. One year later, Fullinwider became sole owner of the paper and plant. After seventeen years’ ownership, Mr. Fullinwider sold the plant to T. B. Cowgill, of Mooreland, Oklahoma. Eventually the plant was moved to Augusta and in 1916 suspended publication.

AUGUSTA NEWSPAPERS

Perhaps the second oldest newspaper in the county was The Crescent, published in Augusta in 1870 by Putman and Perry. After a brief period the senior partner took over the venture and later sold it to J. B. Davis, who changed the name to The Republican. Soon after this the plant was moved from the county. On July 4, 1874, C. H. and J. A. Kurtz issued The Southern Kansas Gazette. This partnership continued until 1879 when C. H. Kurtz became sole owner. It was a strong Republican paper. The press and much of the type were of historic interest, having been owned by John Brown of Osawatomie. In an attack on Brown, his printing plant was raided, the type pied, the press thrown into the brush and broken. From Osawatomie the entire outfit was taken, first to Paola, then to Florence and finally to Augusta, where it performed good service. For the past thirty-two years, The Augusta Gazette has been published, first by Timothy Sexton, now deceased; then by W. R. Leatherock, who sold his interests to Burns Hegler, who disposed of it to The Augusta Gazette Publishing Company with Chester K. Shore, editor and manager, and his sister Miss Bertha Shore as assistant. The Augusta Republican was first issued June 9, 1879, by W. A. Albin, who was owner and editor. It was a weekly with a circulation of 675, and was printed in the basement of George W. Brown’s bank building. Later came The Augusta Journal, which for fifty years has been owned and edited by W. H. Cady.

LEON AND DOUGLASS

The first paper in Leon, the Indicator, was established in 1880, by C. R. Noe. In 1885 the Rev. Jephia Lewis Stratford founded the Leon Quill. He was a brother of Judge E. D. Stratford of El Dorado. Later O. W. Meacham consolidated the Quill and the Indicator. In 1894 John Bunyan Adams had charge of Leon’s newspaper destinies. When he moved his plant to Augusta, the town of Leon was without a paper. In 1895, C. R. Noe re-established The Indicator. Later editors were Lew L. Smucker, J. E. Hannon, and C. W. King. In 1911 the Leon News was founded by C. V. Cole. Later editors were J. W. Watkins, J. S. Martin, Lyle L. Larrick and V. L. Harlan. In 1920 William Atlee Sears, who had commenced his newspaper career in Liberty and Quincy, Ill., bought the paper. Recently Mr. Sears built a unique plant of hollow cement blocks for the News. He had experimented at intervals for twenty-years with the block making process.

For the past fifty-two years, Joseph M. Satterthwaite has published the Douglass Tribune, which was established when he moved the plant of the El Dorado Press to Dougass in 1883. Mr. Satterthwaite is the dean of newspaper editors and workers in Butler County. He is the oldest in point of continuous service. He has been identified with the interests of Southern Butler County more than half a century, and his faithful, able service has won for him a firm place in the hearts of his constituency. Another early day publication was The Douglass Index, first issued July 2, 1880, by H. H. Cole. On October 22, 1880, sold to M. R. Bowman. On March 4, 1881, the paper appeared under the ownership of Bowman and Hulse. On December 2, 1881, Rev. J. B. Ives assumed charge, continuing until January 1, 1882, when J. S. Soule became owner.

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TOWANDA-POTWIN-WHITEWATER-LATHAM

Edmund (Ted) Davis was a pioneer newspaper man in Towanda, buying the Towanda Herald from M. Potts. Mr. Davis published the paper until the tornado of March 31, 1892, which wrecked the town’s business and residence districts and killed eight persons. Mr. Davis then moved the remnant of his plant to Whitewater, and changed the name of the publication to the Whitewater Independent. Since the death of Mr. Davis, the plant is owned by the Davis estate and managed and edited by Edmund D. Davis. Since the removal of the Davis plant, Towanda has had several papers. For years, George W. Moore issued the Towanda Times. J. C. Stoddard now owns the plant and issues The Western Butler County Times.

In 1885, Joseph M. Worley issued the first number of The Potwin Herald. Since then many changes have taken place in Potwin newspaper field. Finally, J. D. Burton bought the plant and started the Potwin Ledger, which he sold shortly before his death, two years ago, to R. H. Parker of Wichita. G. D. Payne is manager. In the early eighties, A. M. Brumback owned and edited the Brainerd Sun. The Cassoday Mirage flourished from 1887 to 1889, according to old-timers. For a number of years, Al D. Krebs published The Cassoday Times. At this time the town has no newspaper. In 1916, John W. Millsap was publishing the Benton Bulletin. Benton has no paper now.

For several years, Fred Ferguson maintained a newspaper in Latham. Six years ago, Frank Ritchie launched the Latham Leader. It is a credit to its editor and the community.

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BUTLER COUNTY BANKS

According to the regular quarterly statements of the thirteen banks of Butler County, published in October 1934, the total combined resources of the banks at that time amounted to $6,474,153.99. The deposits of the thirteen banks at that time aggregated $5,573,363.08.

All thirteen banks are members of the Butler County Bankers’ Association, of which Don F. Burlin is president; J. H. Gibson is vice president and Vic Smiley, secretary-treasurer.

Officers, resources and deposits of each bank, in October 1934:

Andover State Bank, at Andover—Fred D. Wilson, president; Olive N. Wilson, vice president; Charles G. Bryant, cashier. Resources $127,832.92; deposits $107,832.92.

Prairie State Bank—Augusta; Roy A. Haines, president; F. G. Spencer and Hugh Leonard, vice presidents; J. T. Wilson, cashier; Ralph L. McCauley, assistant cashier. Resources: $1,460,865; deposits $1,346,508.36.

Benton State Bank—Benton: Clyde McGrew, president and cashier; L. L. Lane, vice president; Mrs. Thekla McCune Wait, assistant cashier. Resources: $198,766.68; deposits $156.447.57.

Exchange State Bank—Douglass: John Deatherage, president; M. M. Williams, vice president; A. G. Steinberg, cashier; L. A. Cronk and W. R. Cronk, assistant cashiers. Resources $248,286.43; deposits $201,683.37.

Citizens State Bank—El Dorado; N. F. Frazier, Jr., president; Giles R. Atherton and J. B. McKay,

vice presidents; R. H. Kilgore, cahier; Ed. Corman, assistant cashier. Resources $861,316.09; deposits $732,113.32

El Dorado National Bank—El Dorado: Robert H. Hazlett, president; R. H. Bradford, vice president; Don F. Burlin, cashier; R. A. Wright and Virgil K. Godding, assistant cashiers. Resources $1,839,058.12; deposits $1,633.018.24.

Farmers & Merchants National Bank—El Dorado: A. J. Holderman, president; Harry W. Wilson and R. B. Ralston, vice presidents; Ralph P. Tolle, cashier and Charles N. White, assistant cashier. Resources $332,862.81; deposits $240.671.69.

Walnut Valley State Bank, El Dorado—Frank H. Cron, president; K. M. Geddes, vice president; J. Earl Tanner, cashier; Vic Smiley, assistant cashier. Resources $429,370.50; deposits $376,870.50.

State Bank of Leon, at Leon—Morton W. Marshall, president; Mr. F. E. King and John Marshall, vice presidents; William S. Marshall, cashier. Resources $208,566.13. deposits $186,900.98.

Potwin State Bank at Potwin—John S. Joseph, president; E. L. Hinnen, vice president; J. H. Gibson, cashier; W. H. McNary, assistant cashier. Resources $214,878.19. Deposits $173,393.89.

Rose Hill State Bank, Rose Hill—L. M. Waitt, president; M. W. Jones, vice president; G. H. Waitt, cashier. Resources $109,615.78; deposits $96,045.45.

Towanda State Bank, Towanda—J. Earl Turner, president; J. E. Davis, vice president; D. H. Fisher, cashier; E. S. Stearns, assistant cashier. Resources $155,444.50. Deposits $130,444.50.

Bank of Whitewater, at Whitewater—J. D. Joseph, president and cashier; Jessie N. Bishop, vice president; A. J. Nigg, assistant cashier. Resources $287,290.84; deposits $202,432.29.

BANK AND BANKING—1870-1935

It was during the 1870’s and the early 1880’s that the first banks were founded in El Dorado. Even as far back as 1871, according to an article written by the late J. B. Adams in 1916, the first bank was privately owned and known as the Walnut Valley Bank. J. S. Danford, J. C. Fraker, W. P. Gossard and C. M. Foulks were the owners. The First National Bank of El Dorado was started in 1873, promoted by J. S. Danford and J. C. Fraker and absorbed the Walnut Valley Bank. This bank was sold to W. P. Gossard, and his son, Alvin Gossard, failed and its failure led directly to the city’s most historic tragedy, when the elder Gossard, in 1876, was shot to death. T. O. Shinn, a lawyer who had a small deposit in the bank, and felt aggrieved at its loss, was tried on the charge of murder but was acquitted. After the failure of the First National, S. L. Shotwell and Neil Wilkie established the Exchange Bank, which in the early 1880’s gave way to the Exchange National

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Under the presidency of A. L. Redden and the cashiership of H. H. Gardner. It was during the immediately succeeding period, 1881 to 1892, that the Ellets, the Fraziers, Robert H. Hazlett and the Shrivers entered the banking business in the community, then a city grown to 2,500, with railroad shops and a highly developed farming and stock-raising section as its chief assets. These men quickly placed the city among the most substantial in this part of Kansas. The Bank of El Dorado (fourth to be established in the city) was privately owned by N. F. Frazier, Sr., and Edward C. Ellet. It was founded in April 1881. They built it from $10,000 to $80,000 out of its own earnings. They sold, in 1888, to W. T. Clancy.

Following the sale of the Bank of El Dorado, the Merchants Bank was organized by N. F. Frazier, Sr., and Edward C. Ellet, with General Alfred W. Ellet as president and Mr. Frazier as cashier. Within a few years, it became the Merchants National. In 1892, Robert H. Hazlett, now president of the El Dorado National Bank, bought a large block of the Merchants National stock and its name was changed to the Farmers and Merchants National Bank.

The year 1899 marked important banking changes in the community and caused the city to enter the new century under most favorable banking conditions. N. F. Frazier, Sr., and his associates founded the Citizens State Bank, and Robert H. Hazlett, who had disposed of his interests in the Farmers & Merchants in 1908, purchased the controlling interest in the El Dorado National. For the next ten years, from 1899 to 1909, the city had three banks; The Citizens State Bank, the El Dorado National Bank and the Farmers & Merchants National Bank. In 1909, J. B. Adams founded the Butler County State Bank and until the oil year in 1915, these four banks served the community. During the oil years of 1915-1923, three additional banks were organized: The Kansas State, the Security State and, in 1923, the Walnut Valley State Bank. The Kansas State and the Security State were absorbed, or liquidated; the Butler County State failed.

The Walnut Valley State Bank, founded in 1923 by Frank H. Cron, as president, and J. Earl Tanner as cashier, absorbed the Security and liquidated the Kansas State Bank.

This detailed reference to the banks is made because banks are the most accurate index to the prosperity of a community. During the early periods, and up to 1900, the deposits even with the railroad shops here, ranged rather downward from $500,000. In 1914, the four banks’ aggregate deposits were $1,000,000. The population remained less than 3,000. In 1916, at the time J. B. Adams wrote and one year after oil had been discovered, the banks of El Dorado had $1,700,000 on deposit and those outside of El Dorado aggregated $1,600,000, making a total for the county of $3,300,000. The population of the city had increased to around 10,000, with its immediate environs adding another 5,000 people. The per capita wealth of the county was given at $150. Mr. Adams’ article, after giving the above totals, makes this unusual commentation: “Few counties in the United States can point to so large an aggregation of deposits in proportion to the population. It also must be remembered that only a small part of this aggregation is due to the oil field that is just now opening so wonderfully, since the total bank deposits of Butler County are only $200,000 greater than they were a year ago on this date (May 1, 1916) and a portion of this increase at the same time is due to the good crops of 1915 and the higher prices prevailing for agricultural products in consequence of the European (World) War. In fact, the oil field has created a drain upon deposits through the processes of development and investment to such an extent that it may be that the entire increase of deposits is due to agriculture and the great cattle industry of Butler County. Of course, it is certain that from the opening of the field enormous increase in banking deposits will ultimately result.”

It is interesting to observe the accuracy of Mr. Adams prophecy, relative to the oil fields. In 1919, three years afterwards, the aggregate bank capital was $300,000; total bank surplus, $196,000; total surplus and capital, $546,500; aggregate deposits $30,000,000; and average daily bank clearings, $150,000 daily or almost $4,000,000 a month. The railroads carried out-bound freight to the value of $1,768,000; in-bound, $1,108,000. The postoffice receipts were $50,000 for the year and money orders accumulated to $300,000. There are two jobbing houses and one concern dealing in luxuries (not jewelry) had a turnover of $15,000 during December of