ROY DELBERT BECK
Roy Delbert Beck, farmer and stockman was born
in Maroa, Illinois, April 25, 1876 and for 52 years has resided in Kansas. His father, Aaron N. Beck, was born
in Centerville, Ohio, June 1, 1836. His death occurred at Macksville, Kansas, on December 10, 1900. His progenitor,
Adolphus Beck, came to America in 1767, serving in the Revolutionary War.
Susan Louise Beck, wife of Aaron was born in Elmira,
New York, April 22, 1852, and died at St. John, Kansas, September 16, 1918.
Roy Delbert Beck attended public and high school
and while there played baseball, football and track.
On July 21, 1901, he was married to Lillian Hall, at Macksville, Kansas. She was born in Leistershire, England,
November 16, 1881. To Mr. and Mrs. Beck, the following children were born: Verna Pauline, July 21, 1902, who died
January 19, 925; Helen Claudine, April 19, 1905, who married Percy B. Foreman; Hazel Anna, February 4, 1908, who
married Forrest L. Jenkins, Arthur Norris, April 22, 1912; Ralph George, November 6, 1914; Merle Lillian, February
24, 1918; and Doris Louise, March 4, 1925.
A Republican, Mr. Beck served as a member of the
house of representatives the 1929 and 1931 sessions and the special session of 1930. He declined renomination for
that office.
Mr. Beck is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, the Farmers Union; the Farm Bureau; the Farmers Co-operative Elevator; the Odd Fellows; and the County
School Officers Association, of which he is president. He has been a member of the local school board for 30 years.
Residence: Byers. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 88)
OSCAR EZRA BONECUTTER
Oscar Ezra Bonecutter was born in Pleasantville,
Iowa, September 12, 1874, son of David and Nancy (Kennedy) Bonecuttter. David Bonecutter, a private in the Civil
War, was born in Shelby, Ohio, April 7, 1831, and died at Lebanon, Kansas, April 7, 1912. Nancy Kennedy was born
in Illinois, October 1,1834 and died at Lebanon, March 5, 1924. She was the mother of 13 children.
Oscar Ezra Bonecutter, learned telegraphy in his
youth, and first became a station agent in 1893. From 1898 until 1904 he was in the grain and livestock business
at Broughton and from that time until 1907 was an operator and clerk for the Rock Island Railroad in Topeka. He
engaged in the hardware business at Maplehill from 1909 until 1911, and since that time has been station agent
of the Rock Island at Holton, Morganville, Herrington and Pratt.
On April 7, 1897, Mr. Bonecutter was married to
Minnie Verner at Wichita. She was born at Broughton, August 14, 1873, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Verner.
There are two children, Gertrude, born October 7, 1898, who is a teacher of music and has her Master's degree from
Chicago University. He is now principal of the high school at Great Bend, Kansas.
Mr. Bonecutter is a Republican, and for 12 years
served as commissioner of finance of the city of Pratt. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce; the Rotary Club,
the Masons; Odd Fellows; the Modern Woodmen of America; and the Redmen. His religious affiliation is with the Methodist
Church. Residence: Pratt. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, pages
121 & 122)
JOHN R. CAMPBELL
John R. Campbell, physician, and surgeon since
1915, was born at Meade, Kansas, January 22, 1889 son of Robert Wilson and Clara Bell (Baxter) Campbell.
Robert Wilson Campbell, who was born in New Concord,
Ohio, October 28, 1856, is a retired rancher, whose family came from Scotland to his native state. His wife, who
was born in Hoopstown, Illinois, September 11, 1863, died at Meade, October 10,1931. Robert Wilson Campbell settled
in Harper County in 1884 and in 1885 homesteaded a half section in Meade. He retired in 1925.
Dr. Campbell attended public and high school at
Meade, and was graduated as valedictorian of his class in 1909. In 1913 he received the Bachelor of Arts, and in
1915, the degree of Doctor of Medicine from Kansas University where he was a member of Phi Beta Pi. In 1919 he
attended the University of Chicago.
His marriage to Laura Harkrader was solemnized
at Pratt September 4,1924, and to them one son was born, John Richard, January 16, 1932. Mrs. Campbell is a native
of Iuka, and the daughter of James V. and Louise (Eggleston) Harkrader. She is a graduate of the state university
and a member of Gamma Phi Beta.
Among Dr. Campbell's memberships are the First
Presbyterian church, the American, Kansas State, Pratt County (president 1932), and Seventh District Medical Societies,
the Crippled Children's Society, the Anti-Tuberculosis Society, the Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club (vice president
1930-31), the Park Hills Country Club and the American Legion. He held the rank of first lieutenant in the medical
corps during the World War.
He has written a number of papers for the medical
societies among them being The Importance of Symptoms of Non-penetrating wounds of the Abdomen, read before the
Kansas State Medical Society in 1928. Residence: Pratt. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert
Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 192
ALBERT E. DICKHUT
Albert E. Dickhut, owner and manager of the Pratt
Monument Company, was born in Quincy, Illinois, August 3,1876, son of Charles Wesley and Margaret Catherine (Stark)
Dickhut.
Charles Wesley Dickhut, a farmer, was born in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, March 2, 1833. He died at Nickerson, Kansas, October 7, 1907. His father came to America from Germany
in 1807, and his mother a little later.
Mary Catherine Stark was born in East St. Louis,
Illinois, November 17, 1837, and died at Turon, Kansas, June 16, 1919. Her parents were born in Germany, and were
married before migrating to America.
Educated in country school in the southwestern
part of Reno County, Albert E. Dickhut was graduated in 1895, and later attended Reno High School at Nickerson.
He also taught two terms of school in Pratt and Reno counties in 1897-98 and 1898-99.
In 1900 Mr. Dickhut entered business as a grain
buyer at Turon and in 1920 owned a small line of elevators located on the Rock Island Pacific Railways, with an
office in Cullison. In 1927 he sold one half of his interest to Roy L. Miller, who took over the management of
the business and still operates it. In 1930 Mr. Dickhut purchased his present business and equipment, which he
now manages.
A Republican, he has been elected to various civic
offices at Turon and Cullison and in 1932 was elected commissioner to finance of Pratt. He is a member of the First
Presbyterian Church, the Chamber of Commerce, the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and the Park Hills Country
Club. His favorite sport is golf.
On November 27, 1900, he was married to Minerva
S. Watson at Hutchinson. Mrs. Dickhut who is of Scotch ancestry, was born in Bosque County, Texas, October 20,
1875. She is the daughter of Aaron and Sarah (Howard) Waatson. Residence: Pratt. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin
Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 323)
JAMES LEWIS GRIEGER
James Lewis Grieger, manager and secretary of the
Pratt Retail Credit Association, was born at Goodland, Kansas, December 15, 1906, son of Ernest Ferdinand and Estella
Blanche (Manley) Grieger. The father was born near Berlin, Germany, December 6, 1861, and died at Goodland, December
23, 1913. The mother was born in Terre Haute, Missouri, January 1, 1875.
From 1926 until 1929, Mr. Grieger was collection
manager of the Arkansas Valley Credit Association. He is now secretary-treasurer of the Inland Exchange Company
and the Vice President of the Kansas Associated Credit Bureaus. He is a Republican, a member of the National Retail
Credit Association, the Red cross, the Kansas Association of Crippled Children, the Community Chest, the Chamber
of Commerce, the Lions Club (treasurer 1932), the Elks, and is a life member of De Molay (master councilor 1928).
He is a Christian.
On September 28, 1929, he was married to Fern Edith
Rhodenbaugh at Lamar, Colorado. She was born at Hazelton, Kansas, December 13, 1908. There is one daughter, Louise,
born January 19, 1931. Residence: Pratt. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin,
1933, pages 458 & 459)
MIKE CLEMENT JENKINS
Mike Clement Jenkins, physician and surgeon, was
born in Pratt County, Kansas, October 10, 1886, and was killed by a train near Pratt, November 13, 1931.
His father, Josephus C. Jenkins, a farmer and carpenter,
was born in Hillsdale County, Michigan, June 16, 1854, and died at Cunningham, July 28, 1929. He came to Kansas
in 1878, homesteading on the Ninnescah River. There with his wife and four small children, of whom Dr. Jenkins
was the youngest and the only son, he carried on through the hard years of drought and grasshoppers.
When Dr. Jenkins was ready for high school his
parents moved to Nickerson, where he attended school in preparation for his medical training. His father was happy
in his choice of a career as it has been his own early ambition, and one which he had had to renounce to care for
his widowed mother.
His mother, Florence Louise Howald, was born in
Hillsdale County, Michigan, and came to Kansas as a pioneer with her husband. Her family came from Switzerland.
Upon his graduation from high school in 1907, Dr.
Jenkins entered Kansas City Hahnemann Medical School from which he was graduated in 1911. In 1914 he took post-graduate
work in the Post Graduate Medical School and Hospital in Chicago and in 1921 attended H. G. Andrews' private course
in the eye, ear, nose and throat at Chicago. In 1921 and again in 1925 he took post-graduate work in the medical
department of the University of California, in 1923 at the University of Colorado and in 1928 at Harvard Medical
School.
From July 1, 1911 until January 1,1914, Dr. Jenkins
practiced at Manhattan. He then took six months graduate work in Chicago, after which located at Pratt, where he
limited his practice to eye, ear, nose and throat. From its inception in 1920 until its dissolution in 1929 he
was a member and treasurer of the Pratt Clinic. At that time he entered independent practice. Dr. Jenkins is a
Republican. He was appointed a member of the state board of medical examination and registration during Governor
Reed's administration, which position he was filling at the time of his death.
Among his professional and civic organizations
were the Pratt County, Kansas State and American Medical Association, the American Association of Railway Surgeons,
the Kansas City Society of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology
of which last he was a Fellow.
A charter member of the Lions Club, he served as
its third president, and in 1930 became instead a member of the Rotary Club, being at the time of his death chairman
of the boys' work committee. He was president of the local Parent Teachers Association in 1926, and at his death
was a member of the Pratt school board having served since 1927.
Dr. Jenkins assisted in the re-organization of
the Chamber of Commerce in 1914, was its secretary and treasurer until 1916 and was a member also of the Credit
Men's Association, the City Park Board, the advisory committee of the Hi-Y, and the Odd Fellows. He was a charter
member and stockholder in the Park Hills County Club, and was fond of all out of door sports. Particularly did
he enjoy tennis, swimming, basketball, and volleyball. A lover of camping, he found much pleasure in taking his
own and other boys for outings in his spare time.
It was his custom to make an anonymous gift of
tickets for the most important football game of the year to boys who could not otherwise have attended and this
is a striking example of his fineness an generosity. Although not a church member, he contributed to the support
of the Presbyterian Church and assisted liberally in the carrying out all church programs.
Dr. Jenkins' marriage to Linnie Gracelle Books
was solemnized at Kansas City, Kansas, August 5, 1911. Mrs. Jenkins was born in Johnson County, Missouri, July
21, 1887. There are four children, Ellen Louise, born August 22, 1915; Calvin McVeigh, September 12, 1917; Neal
Mike, November 30,1 919 and Ruth Elizabeth, August 7, 1921. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert
Morton Baldwin, 1933, pages 589 & 590)
ALICE NEAL PEDEN
Alice Neal Peden, librarian of the Pratt City Public
Library, was born in Pratt County, Kansas, March 27, 1885, daughter of Joseph Barney and Susan Ellen (Branaman)
Neal. Her father, who is a retired farmer, was born in Antioch, Ohio, December 30, 1852. He is descended from early
Irish and Pennsylvania Dutch settlers. He located at the head of the Medicine River in 1876, and in 1880 he moved
to Pratt County, where he homesteaded. Susan Ellen Branaman was born in Henry County, Illinois, August 17, 1859,
of Pennsylvania Dutch descent.
Upon her graduation from county school in Neal
district in 1901, Alice Neal attended Nickerson High School. On April 1, 1915 she entered the Pratt City Public
Library and has had charge of it for 17 years. This library was organized in 1909, and was the first library to
be organized in Kansas by contract with the county. She is the author of an article in the Kansas Library Bulletin
published in June 1932.
On November 28,1931, she was married to Penn B.
Peden at Pratt. He was born at Temple Hill, Kentucky, October 5, 1872, and is a retired farmer. His ancestry is
Irish.
Mrs. Peden's parents were married at Kingman on
September 29, 1882 and celebrated the 50th anniversary of their marriage on September 29, 1932.
Mrs. Peden is a member of the American Legion Auxiliary,
the Kansas Library Association, the American Library Association, and the Red Cross. Her hobbies are painting,
books, stamps and antiques. Her religious affiliation is with the Baptist Church. Residence: Pratt. (Illustriana
Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 906)
LAWRENCE PETER MILLSPAUGH
Lawrence Peter Millspaugh, editor and publisher
of The Preston News, was born in Matthews, Indiana, April 13, 1891, son of William Harvey and Mary Martha (Danford)
Millspaugh. The father, a carpenter and merchant, was born in Matthews, September 24, 1864, son of Peter Millspaugh,
who came of a substantial family of Indiana. He married Miss Essenior Reeder, first cousin of Bishop Milton Wright,
father of the renowned Wright brothers.
Mary Martha Danford, wife of William Harvey Millspaugh,
was born in Centralia, Kansas, July 21, 1870. She is the daughter of Joshua and Sara E. Danford of Sharon, Ohio,
who came to Kansas in 1868. The father, a prospector, died from exposure near Eufaula, Oklahoma, December 25, 1879.
Lawrence Peter Millspaugh was educated in the public
schools of Grant County, Indiana, and in 1907 was graduated from high school at Fowlerton, Indiana He established
the Ingersoll Review at Ingersoll, Oklahoma, in 1910, the Amorita Herald in that state in 1911 and in 1921 sold
out and moved to Kansas. In September, 1922 he purchased the Preston News from W. b. Ream.
On November 2, 1912, he was married to Edna Muryle
Barrett at Amorita, Oklahoma. She was born in Haven, Kansas, August 19, 1895, daughter of F. Lawson and Minnie
(Hankey) Barrett. Mr. and Mrs. Millspaugh have the following children, Albert Maurice, born at Amorita, Oklahoma,
on October 15, 1913; Dorotha Madaline, born there on December 1, 1914; Harvey Lawson, born there on July 17, 1916;
Lois Jean, born there on June 17, 1919; Orvil Wilbur, born at Turon, Kansas on January 28, 1921 and Robert Lowell
born in Preston, on October 15, 1923. Albert Maurice and Dorotha Madaline were graduated from Preston High School
on May 25, 1932, and Dorotha was valedictorian of her class. Both will attend college.
Mr. Millspaugh is a Republican, and has served
two years on the city council at Preston. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, and the Masons. Since 1927 he has been secretary of Robert Morris Lodge of the Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons at Preston. He is a member of the Kansas State Historical Society, the Preston Commercial Club
(secretary 1923-26), and the Preston Methodist Episcopal Church. During the World War he was one of the directors
of the county council of defense of Alfalfa County, Oklahoma. His hobby is scenic oil paintings. Mr. Millspaugh's
biography is in the Standard History of Oklahoma, published by the American Historical Society in 1916. Residence:
Preston. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 808)
GROVER CARMAN SHANHOLTZER
Grover Carman Shanholtzer, secretary of the Chamber
of Commerce of Pratt, was born in Bronnbaugh Missouri, July 20, 1885, son of Charles Taylor and Susan Elizabeth
(Stricklin) Shanholtzer. Charles Taylor Shanholtzer, a blacksmith by trade was born in Missouri July 25, 1851,
and died at Louisburg, Kansas, April 16, 1925. His paternal ancestors were German and his maternal ancestors Scotch.
Susan Elizabeth Stricklin was born in Missouri, July 14, 1865, of French ancestry and is still living.
Grover Carman Shanholtzer attended public and high
school at Harrisonville, Missouri, graduating from the latter in may 1905. He won letters in football in 1902,
1903 and 1904.
On June 16, 1909, he was married to Rosa James
Bricken at Harrisonville, her birthplace. She was born May 21, 1887, daughter of James W. and Eliza Catherine (Francis)
Bricken, and is a second cousin of D. R. Francis, former governor of Missouri.
Mr. Shanholtzer has followed the printing and publishing
business most of his life. He has been associated with the Cass County Leader of Harrisonville, the Appleton City
Journal (Missouri); the St. Clair Conty Democrat (Osceola); the Journal World (Lawrence); and the Johnson County
Democrat (Olathe). He has also served as secretary of the Chamber of Commerce of Olathe and sine 1929 has been
executive secretary of the Pratt Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Shanholtzer is a Democrat, and has held various
city and township offices. In 1928 he was unsuccessful candidate for the office of county clerk of St. Clair County,
Missouri.
Among his memberships are the Kansas Association
of Commercial Organization Secretaries (president 1933-34); the National Association of Commercial Organization
Secretaries, ; the Rotary Club; the Lions Club, the Masons, the Order of Eastern Star, and the Modern Woodmen of
America. He is a member of Park Hill Country Club, and of the First Methodist Church of Pratt.
From 1905 until 1908 Mr. Shanholtzer served with
Company L, Second Missouri Infantry with the rank of second lieutenant. During the World War he was food administrator
for St. Clair County and a speaker in Liberty loan and other drives. His favorite sport is golf. Residence: Pratt.
(Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 1040)
ELOUISE BURT SMITH
Elouise Burt Smith, teacher, was born in Oklahoma,
December 17, 1901, daughter of Jesse and Savannah Minnie (Stillwell) Burt. Her father, who is a carpenter, was
born in Hoyt, Kansas, January 18,1880. His father came to Kansas prior to 1876. His wife, Savannah Stillwell was
born in Boonville, Missouri, April 26, 1880, the daughter of George B. and Louise (Black) Stillweel. Her father
was born in Rome, Georgia, December 12, 1853, and her mother in Boonville, March 1, 1859.
Elouise Burt attended public and high school at
Pratt until June, 1920, and during her school years was active in debate. She has taught school for the past 12
years in four rural schools, two years at Cairo, three years at Richland, four years at Neal and three years at
Mount Pleasant. One of her eighth grade pupils received highest honors in Pratt County in 1932, making an average
of 97 6-11 per center in 11 subjects.
On August 15, 1920, she was married to Walter Smith
at Pratt. Mr. Smith, who is a lumberman, was born in Coffey County, November 11, 1897. They have a daughter, Alice
J., born November 14, 1933.
Mrs. Smith is a republican and has been active
in party politics. She is a member of the First Christian Church and for 12 years has taught in the Sunday School.
At the present time she has one of the largest classes in the church, the young married people's class. For several
years she has done much work in the vacation Bible school. She is a member of the Red Cross, the Degree of Honor,
and the Young Women's Christian Association. Residence: Pratt. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin &
Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 1077)
FRED FRANK SWINSON
Fred Frank Swinson, automobile dealer, was born
at Fowler, Indiana, August 23, 1880, son of Nelson and Jennie (Ledou) Swinson. His father, a native of Helsingborg,
Sweden, came to the United States in 1866. At the time of his death at Isabel, Kansas, February 25, 1911, he was
a retired farmer. He came to Pratt County, Kansas, in 1884, homesteading on a quarter section of land a short distance
north and west of what is now Isabel. All but 40 acres of this land is still owned in the family. His wife, Jennie,
who is a leader in church work, was born at Fowler, October 8, 1861.
Educated in rural schools, Fred Frank Swinson farmed
until 1912, since which time he has been in the automobile business at Pratt, making him the oldest automobile
dealer in point of service in southwestern Kansas. Since 1919 he has devoted a good deal of time and attention
to aviation. He is a Republican, a member of the Elks and the Odd Fellows, the Rotary Club (charter member) the
Chamber of Commerce, the Red Cross and the First Methodist Episcopal Church. His club is the Pratt Country Club
of which he is a charter member, and his favorite sports golf and trap shooting.
On September 3, 1902, he was married to Bertha
Minerva Davis at Sawyer. She was born there March 20, 1883 and died February 29, 1904. Mr. Swinson's second marriage
was to Laura E. Roots on April 4, 1906. She is an active church worker, being president of the Pro Ecclesia, the
Young Women's Christian Association and a member of the Delphian Society. She is the daughter of Sam P. and Phoebe
(Pearc) Roots and was born May 11, 1886 at McPherson County. There are three children, Earl Carlton, born August
20, 1907, who is in charge of the service department of his father's business, and who is married to Erma L. Davult;
Pearl Lorena, born February 3, 1911, who married Dwane Doud, and resides at Kansas City, Missouri; and Vernon,
February 11, 1913, who is employed in the parts department of his father's business. Residence: Pratt. (Illustriana
Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 1140)
CHARLES E. WETHERALL
Charles E. Wetherall was born in Piatt County,
Illinois, March 8, 1874, and was ten years of age when brought to Pratt County, Kansas. He grew up on the old homestead,
acquired an education in the rural schools, and remained at home assisting his father in farming operations until
he was twenty- five years of age. He then began farming for himself but in 1901 sought a larger field for his enterprise
at Cunningham. Here he bought the general merchandise store of Elder & Simonson. It was a comparatively small
business, and was acquired for $6,000. Today it is one of the leading department stores of Kingman County. They
occupy floor space of 5,000. square feet with basement of similar size. The store is on Main Street and is conducted
under the name of Wetherall Brothers. These brothers also own the electric light plant, which supplies Cunningham
with electricity for lighting and power. Mr. Wetherall built a modern home in Cunningham in 1907 and he also owns
the building in which the store is conducted. Politically he is an independent democrat. He has served as a member
of the city council and has held other town offices, and is past noble grand of Cunningham Lodge No. 431, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows. In 1899 at Pratt, Kansas, Mr. Wetherall married Miss Addie Jenkins, daughter of J. C. and
Louise (Howald) Jenkins. Her parents reside at Cunningham, her father being a retired farmer and an old resident
of this section of Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Wetherall have two children, Austin, born in 1901, and Roy, born in 1904.
[Source: "A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans", By William Elsey Connelley, Published by Lewis,
1918. Submitted by K. Torp]
BARNES, JAMES SHEPHERD
James Shepherd Barnes, was born near Summerfield,
Noble county, Ohio, April 18, 1859. His father, Abel Barnes, was born at Freeport, Ohio, in 1814. His paternal
grandfather, Peter Barnes, and his paternal grandmother, Margaret Burkett Barnes, were natives of Maryland. His
great-grandfather, Abel Barnes, was a native of England. Abel moved with his parents to Noble county, Ohio, in
1832. He was the eldest son of Peter and Margaret Burkett Barnes and had four brothers and six sisters. He married
Casoline Brown Dec. 24, 1839. They had ten chil-dren, three girls and seven boys. James was the youngest. Casoline
Brown was a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, and was born in 1815. Her father, George Brown, was of Scotch descent,
her mother, Rhoda Rhodes Brown, was of English descent and both were natives of Virginia. Abel Barnes died Feb.
9, 1897, and Casoline Brown Barnes died Sept. 7, 1900. Nine of their children survive them, one died an infant.
Margaret A. Davis, the eldest, now lives near Newark, Ind., and Rhoda. E. Gant, the second daughter, lives near
Whigville, Ohio. Nathaniel Burkett Barnes resides on a farm near Carlisle, Noble county, Ohio. He has served as
commissioner of Noble county and many years as justice of the peace. He enlisted in the Civil war in the Ninety-second
Ohio infantry and served with his regiment until it was mustered out. A. C. Barnes, the second son, now resides
in Mexico, Mo., where he located in 1867. He also served in the Civil war until he was honorably discharged. He
is engaged in the real estate and loan business. Peter F. Barnes is a farmer and lives near Solsberry, Ind. George
B. Barnes, A. Wilson Barnes and Allen W. Barnes are farmers and all live near Summerfield, Ohio. Abel Barnes was
a prosperous farmer, as were likewise most of his forbears. He took an active interest in the political events
of his day and was a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal church. James worked on a farm until he was eighteen
years of age, when he began teaching school and by this means worked his way through Muskingum College, graduating
in that institution with the class of 1883. The same year he was engaged as principal of the Summerfield High School,
which position he held until the spring of 1885, when he resigned, came to Kansas and located in Pratt. The same
year he was elected surveyor of Pratt. county, but soon resigned that office and engaged in the real estate and
loan business and has continued successfully therein to the present time. He returned to Ohio in December, 1886,
and on the 15th of that month married Katie Bircher and. returned to Pratt and moved into the three-room house
which he had already built on the site of his present residence. Katie Bircher Barnes was the daughter of George
H. and Jane McGurk Bircher and was born at Summerfield, Ohio, April 7, 1864. George Henry Bircher was the son of
William Bircher and was born in 1831 in Sussex county, Delaware. William Bircher was of English descent and his
wife, Mary Ann Turner, was of German descent. Jane McGurk Bircher was born in Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland,
in 1836, and came to the United States in 1853 with her uncle, John Brown, who afterward served with distinction
in the Civil war. She married George H. Bircher in 1854. To this union were born eight children, three of whom,
boys, died in early childhood. Emily, the eldest, married G. W. Hamilton and died in Prosser, Wash., Oct. 14, 1909.
Mary died July 22, 1902. John W. lives near Summerfield, Ohio, and Thomas H. lives near Pratt, Kan. Both are farmers.
Mrs. Bircher died at Summerfield, Ohio, Nov. 1, 1902. Her father, James McGurk, was a farmer and of Irish descent.
Her mother, Emily Brown, was of Scotch Presbyterian stock. George H. Bircher was a farmer and enlisted in the Civil
war in the One Hundred and Eighty-fifth Ohio infantry and contracted illness from which he died Jan. 9, 1870. In
the fall of 1904 J. S. Barnes was elected a member of the Kansas state legislature. He was the author of a number
of measures which were enacted into law, the most important of which is the "Barnes High School Law."
Under this measure all high schools are supported by a general county levy and tuition therein is free to pupils
of school age residing anywhere in the county. Second only to this was the railroad switch law, a very effective
measure which required the railroads to extend sidetrack privileges to farmers' elevators, which up to that time
they had refused to do. At this same session of the legislature the state game law was passed, which provided for
the establishment of the state fish hatchery in Pratt county.
Mr. Barnes has held various local offices, to which
he has given many years of public service without remuneration. To J. S. and Katie B. Barnes have been born four
daughters. Flavel, the eldest, will com-plete her college course at Northwestern University in June, 1912. Helen,
the second daughter, died of diphtheria at the age of six in 1900. Dorothy will enter the high school in 1912,
while Mildred, the youngest, is in her second year in the public schools. Mr. Barnes and his family are members
of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which denomination most of the Barnes family have adhered. He was a lay delegate
to the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, which met at Baltimore, in May, 1908. He is a member
of Kilwinning Lodge, No. 265, Free and Accepted Masons, at Pratt, Kan., and of the Wichita Consistory, No. 2. Mr.
Barnes was for several years interested in the banking business, but now devotes his time mainly to his personal
affairs and the handling of investment securities. His keenest public interest is shown along educational lines
and his chief recreation is traveling. (Kansas Biography, Vol. III, Part 2, Pages 1404-1406, Transcribed by: Millie
Mowry)
GEBHART, SAMUEL
P.
Samuel P. Gebhart, of Pratt, Kan., editor and owner
of the "Pratt Union," is a son of George W. and Mary A. (Shadwell) Gebhart, born at Graysville, Ohio,
March 27, 1853. George W. Gebhart was a native of Maryland, born in 1814, and was descended from German ancestors.
Accompanying his parents to Ohio at the age of ten, that state remained the scene of his business career, a very
successful one as a shoe manufacturer. He married Mary Shadwell in 1834 and of their union were born ten children,
five of whom survive: Sarah A. is Mrs. Joy, a widow residing at Kidwell, W. Va.; Mary L. is the wife of E. Hall,
a farmer at Brownsville, Ohio; Mariah L. is the widow of E. Hendershott and resides on a farm at Graysville, Ohio;
Samuel P. is the next in order of birth; and Rebecca A. is Mrs. M. L. Tippens, of Whiting, Iowa.
Samuel P. Gebhart acquired his education in the public schools of Ohio and at select schools, and became a teacher,
following that profession seventeen years in Ohio, West Virginia, Iowa and Kansas. He came to this state in 1885,
locating first in Rice county, where he taught two years. He then came to Pratt county and organized a mortgage
and loan company, of which he was president and general manager during the drought period, however, the company
passed out of existence, after having been in operation four years. In 1889 he was elected on the Democratic-Populist
ticket as superintendent of public instruction of Pratt county and was successively reelected to that office four
terms, a significant recognition of his exceptional ability as an educator and his general fitness for the position.
In 1896 he turned his attention to newspaper work, buying at that time the "Pratt Union," of which he
is still editor and owner. It is a weekly publication and a champion of progressive movements along all lines of
industry, morals and civic development. The printing plant is modern in all of its appointments and is located
in its own substantial stone building. A man of strength and ability, his adaptability to public duties soon became
known. He has served as mayor of Pratt one year and has served at different times on the city council. He has been
a member of the city school board three terms, its president one term, and has served three years as president
of the Pratt County Fair Association, being now a member of its executive committee. Mr. Gebhart began life modestly,
possessed of sound character, a clear head, and a worthy desire to succeed, and today Pratt numbers him among the
most active, capable and energetic men of the city. Kansas has made the most rapid strides in its development in
the last twenty-five years, and it has been through the efforts of such useful and wide-awake citizens as Mr. Gebhart
that its present splendid standing along all lines has been attained. He has recently completed and now occupies
one of the most modern residences in Pratt county. He also owns a number of improved farms in that county, where
he extensively engages in raising horses and mules. He is something of a horse fancier, owning several fancy blooded
racing horses of pedigree, bred and raised on his own farms. Aside from his farms and newspaper work, he is interested
in the local grain elevators, and is interested in the Pratt Marble & Granite Company. He affiliates fraternally
with the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Modern Woodmen of America.
On Sept. 30, 1871, Mr. Gebhart married Miss Mattie E. Fawcett, of Graysville, Ohio, a former schoolmate of her
husband and a daughter of Samuel and Sypa M. Fawcett, Ohio farmers. To Mr. and Mrs. Gebhart have been born two
sons and two daughters, concerning whom the following brief data are incorporated in this review. Rev. George A.
Gebhart was born July 15, 1872, was educated at Denver University, and is now pastor of Bethel Methodist Episcopal
Church at Grand Junction, Col. He married Miss Clara C. Collins of Denver, and to them have been born two children-Dortha
and Orthia. Lucretia Mabel, born at Graysville, Ohio, July 25, 1874, is the wife of Leonard McMains, a salesman
at Ashland, Kan. Austin A., born July 15, 1877, is foreman in his father's printing office. He was married Oct.
2, 1898, to Miss Ada, daughter of George W. Stewart, for several years clerk of the Pratt county district court.
They have one child, Esther Evandale, born Oct. 17, 1907. Beulah Evandale, born Sept. 6, 1890, was married May
5, 1908, to D. A. Fischer, a son of Dr. Lee T. Fischer of Pratt. They have one child, Alvin, born March 18, 1909.
(Kansas Biography, Part 2, Vol. III, 1912, Transcribed as written by Millie Mowry)
FISCHER, LEE T.
Lee T. Fischer, D. D., of Pratt, Kan., at the present
time probate judge of Pratt county, was born June 7, I84o, at Oxford, Ohio. He is a son of Jesse and Mary (George)
Fischer, the former born at Goshen, Ohio. Jesse Fischer was, in his earlier career, a woolen manufacturer, but
later entered railroad service, being at: one time yard master of the Pennsylvania railroad, at Indianapolis, Ind.
He was a son of German parents who were descendants of the German royal line. Mary George Fischer was born at Oxford,
Ohio, and died at Lamer, Mo., in 1880. She was a gifted woman and a worker of great ability and earnestness in
the Methodist Episcopal church. To these parents were born five children -one son and four daughters: Lee T. Fischer,
D. D., is the only son; Jennie is Mrs. John Shoeman, a resident of Irvington, a suburb of Indianapolis; Sarah is
deceased; Elizabeth is the widow of Pleasant Ayers and resides in Indianapolis; and Harriet is the wife of Newton
Liston, a stockman and merchant in Indiana.
Reverend Fischer acquired his education in the
public schools of Ohio and at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, which institution numbers two presidents of the United
States among its graduates. He took a two -years theological course at Oxford, New School Presbyterian. He subsequently
entered railroad service and was thus employed twelve years, five years of that time as a passenger conductor on
the Pennsylvania railroad. At the opening of the Civil war he enlisted as a private in Company. I, Eleventh Indiana
infantry. This regiment was organized at Indianapolis, in April, 1861, for three months' service, was mustered
in on April 25, and on May 8 was transferred to Evansville for blockade duty along the Ohio river. One of its colonels
was Lewis Wallace, the world-famed author of "Ben Hur." A somewhat dramatic incident occurred upon the
day the regiment left Indianapolis for the front. The patriotic women of that city presented it with a handsome
stand of colors, and when Colonel Wallace received it he turned to the men and said in his most impressive tone:
"Now, remember Buena Vista, boys, and on our knees let us swear to defend this flag with the last drop of
our blood." Every man in the regiment, including Wallace himself, dropped to his knees, and the Colonel repeated
the following oath "We pledge ourselves before God and these, our fellow-countrymen, to defend this flag with
our lives, and to die for it if necessary, God being our helper. Amen." A solemn "Amen" came in
one breath from the regiment, and the subsequent history of the gallant Eleventh shows how well the oath was kept.
The most of its service was in Virginia and West Virginia, along the Potomac. It was mustered out at Indianapolis
Aug. 2, 1861. Mr. Fischer reenlisted in February, 1865, in the One Hundred and Forty-eighth Indiana infantry, as
a sergeant in Company L. He served as first lieutenant eight months and as a recruiting officer until the close
of the war. After the war he resumed railroading, but after three years left that employment to enter the ministry
of the Baptist church. He served as an evangelist seventeen years in Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska and Michigan.
He was pastor of the Baptist church at Geneva, Neb., six years; at Trenton, Mo., one year; and at Columbia. City,
Ind., three years. In 1892 he removed to Oklahoma, where he was, pastor of the Baptist church at Kingfisher one
year, and at Alva three years. In 1906 he removed to Pratt, Kan., and was pastor of the Baptist church there until
1910, when he was elected on the Republican ticket as probate judge of Pratt county. He is a stanch Republican.
Casting his first ballot for Abraham Lincoln, at the time of the Emancipator's second election he has, from that
time to the present, voted for every Republican candidate for the presidency.
Reverend Fischer has been married twice. His first
marriage was to, Miss Martha A. Pogue of Indianapolis, whom he wedded Dec. 23, 1861. Her father was one of the
first settlers in Indianapolis and was killed by Indians at "Pogue's Run" in the early days of that city.
Reverend. Fischer and his first wife were the parents of three sons and two daughters: Ida died at the age of five;
Frank M. is a railroad conductor at Kansas City, Mo.; Hubert, an electrician, is stationed at Colorado Springs,
Col.; Ada O. is deceased; and Dennis A. resides at Pratt, Kan. The mother of these children died in 1885, at Kearney,
Mo. Reverend Fischer has as an heirloom an iron cooking kettle, now over 200 years old, brought to Indiana in an
early day by the Pogues.
At Richmond, in 1886, Reverend Fischer married
Miss Emma, a daughter of Ryland Shackleford, a Kentuckian by birth. She is a seminary graduate and was engaged
in the profession of teaching several years prior to her marriage. She is a cousin of Congressman. Shackleford
of Missouri. Reverend Fischer is a Royal Arch Mason. Though he has not long been a resident of Kansas, he has even
in a short time proved a citizen that any community would welcome. His active. career began over fifty years ago
and the interim has been filled with useful and noble deeds for the cause of humanity. (Kansas Biography, Part
2, Vol. III, 1912, Pages 984-985, Transcribed as written by Millie Mowry)
DAVID A. ANNIS, farmer, Lawrenceburgh Township, one of its most substantial
residents, was born in Dearborn County, in 1829. He is a son of Thomas Annis, and grew to maturity on his fathers
farm. He was educated in the common schools, and from his youth up has made farming his chief occupation. He married,
in 1862, Mary Pearson, a native of this county, and daughter of Joseph and Emiline (Ayres; Pearson, natives of
Hamilton County, Ohio. Her mother was born and reared in Cincinnati till grown, then moved to College Hill, nine
miles from the city, on a farm. Her parents resided in this county for a time, and then returned to Ohio. Mr. and
Mrs. Annis have had five children born to them: Ralph TV., Harry, Louie, Elvin, and Mary Belle. Two are deceased.
After his marriage Mr. Annis began business for himself on the old homestead, to which he has made some additions
by purchase. He has always devoted most of his attention to general agriculture, in which he has been quite successful,
now owning an excellent farm in this county, besides a large tract in Pratt County, Kas. He is regarded as one
of the best farmers of the township, and in every respect an exemplary citizen; and having resided in the county
of his birth all his life, is well worthy of taking a creditable position in its history. (Source: History of Dearborn
and Ohio Counties, Indiana : Chicago: F.E. Weakley & Co., 1885, submitted by Barbara Ziegenmeyer)
