FRED LORENZO BIGELOW
Fred Lorenzo Bigelow, president of the Farmers
& Merchants State Bank of Leonardville, was born at Winterset, Iowa, September 25, 1877 and came to Kansas
with his parents 54 years ago.
His father, Robert Lorenzo Bigelow, was born in
Harrisonville, Illinois, September 4, 1853, and is still living. Ophie Hart, his wife, was born at Akron, Ohio
and died at Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1910. She was a teacher and instructor in music.
Fred Lorenzo Bigelow was graduated from grade school at Havensville, in 1897, and thereafter enterd the Havensville
State Bank as bookkeeper. He was promoted to assistant cashier, and in 1915 to chasier. In 1916, he became cashier
of the Farmers and Merchants Bank, of which he was elected president in 1931. Mr. Bigelow is a Republican.
On October 11, 1900, he was married to Mamie Ganey
at Leavenworth. She was born in LaSalle, Illinois, April 19, 1877.
He is a Christian, a member of the Red Cross and a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason. Residence: Leonardville. (Illustriana
Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 105)
WILLIAM JARDINE
William Jardine was born at Paisley, Scotland,
in 1849, and came to this country when fifteen years of age. Rebecca Dudley was born at Willard City, Utah, in
1855, of Welsh parentage. William M. Jardine, their fourth child and eldest son, found it necessary at an early
age to assume unusual responsibilities which were destined to give him invaluable experience and an unexcelled
practical training. At that time Southern Idaho was an almost unbroken range covered with timber or sage brush.
From twelve years of age until he finished his college course, his range of activities included breaking colts,
driving horses long distances to market, cutting timber, stacking hay, milking cows, breaking sod covered with
sage brush, using horses for power, and performing any and all of the varied services required by ranch life in
a new country. The greater part of the three years preceding his first attendance at college was spent on a ranch
in Big Hole Basin, Montana, where the sole enterprise consisted in cattle raising with its attendant features of
broncho breaking and round-ups, and where, as a supplement, great quantities of prairie hay were yearly cut and
stacked for feed.
In mid-winter, the year he was nineteen years of
age, he entered the Utah Agricultural College as a sub-freshman. His previous schooling had consisted of a term
each winter of from two to three months in the country schools of Idaho. The close of college in the spring found
him with funds exhausted. He felt it hopeless to try to continue college work, but during his brief residence,
various members of the college faculty had become impressed with his native genius and potential possibilities,
and brought forces to bear which subsequently enabled him to return to college. Following friendly advice, he went
home, secured a country school with a six months ' term, and at its close, leased his father's ranch, giving his
parents opportunity for an extended vacation, and during the remainder of the year so applied modern and progressive
ideas in its management as to astonish his family and friends with its pecuniary returns. The next fall he re-entered
college and continued in attendance without further interruption until graduation in 1904 with the degree of Bachelor
of Science in Agriculture. The summer of 1906 he attended the Graduate School of Agriculture of the University
of Illinois. September 6, 1905, at Salt Lake City, Utah, he was married to Effie Nebeker of Logan, Utah.
Following the completion of his college course,
William M. Jardine, became interested in the possibilities of successfully farming western lands on a large scale
through the use of big machinery, such as the traction engine and the combined harvester. He became a charter member
of the Utah Arid Farming Company, a Utah corporation, the first organization in that state to test the practicability-
of so employing machinery. He was manager of the Utah Arid Farming Company during 1905. A few years later he became
a charter member of the Northern Pure Seed Company, a Montana corporation operating a tract of several thousand
acres of land near Forsyth, Montana, on the Yellowstone River, and was director of the Company from 1908 to 1915.
The Northern Pure Seed Company also made a specialty of using large machinery in its operations. In the course
of his agricultural work in the West, W. M. Jardine became one of the leaders in introducing and growing profitably
on a large scale, hard winter wheat in Montana.
Notwithstanding his great and continued interest
in practical farming, the chief activities of W. M. Jardine have been educational. In 1904, while a senior student
in the Utah Agricultural College, he became an assistant in the Department of Agronomy; the following year he was
made instructor and then professor of agronomy, in which position he continued until the close of 1906. He served
as Assistant United States Cerealist in charge of dry-land grain investigations from 1907 to 1910. During this
period his residence was in Washington, D. C., but the greater part of his time was spent in the field superintending
the work of substations and studying dry land agriculture in the different western states and in Canada. In 1910
he became agronomist at the Kansas State Agricultural College, and in 1913 was made Dean of the Division of Agriculture
and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station. He was lecturer in field crops at the Graduate School of Agriculture,
Michigan Agricultural College, 1912.
The reclamation of the dry lands of the West attracted
the interest and attention of W. M. Jardine from the beginning. While connected with the Utah Agricultural College
he helped to establish a series of substations for the State of Utah, at which stations the first comprehensive
investigations in dry- farming were conducted. Two years later, as expert in dry-land agriculture and Assistant
in Cereal Crops in the United States Department of Agriculture, he assisted in the establishment of similar stations
in other western states. These stations are now operated by the Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the
several states in which they are located.
The work of reclaiming the arid lands of the West
was made possible through the development of the system of farming known as dry-farming, whereby crops are produced
without irrigation in areas of limited rainfall. The fundamental principles of this system were developed through
studies made at the dry-land experiment stations first established by individual states and later by the federal
government.
W. M. Jardine has been closely identified with
the dry-farming movement from its inception and has become a recognized authority on the subject. He was one of
the founders of the International Dry- Farming Congress, has served on its Board of Governors almost continuously,
and was president of the organization during the year 1915-1916. W. M. Jardine has been author of numerous papers
on dry-farming and other subjects related to agriculture and of numerous bulletins published by the Utah Agricultural
College, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Kansas State Agricultural College. He was elected
president of the American Society of Agronomy at its ninth annual meeting, November 13-14, 1916. He is a member
of the honorary fraternities, Alpha Zeta and Phi Kappa Phi, and the social fraternity, Beta Theta Pi. He is a fellow
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the National Institute of Social Sciences,
the Masonic order, and the Grange. He is a member of the Cosmos Club, Washington, D. C., and the Commercial Club
of Manhattan, Kansas. W. M. Jardine is a comparatively young man whose untiring energy, indomitable courage and
initiative, combined with a winning personality, a student attitude, and a unique ability to apply science effectively
to the most practical farm problems, have amply merited his rapid promotion in positions of responsibility. (A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans, By William Elsey
Connelley, Submitted by Barbara Ziegenmeyer)
CARL SIGFRIED JOHNSON
Carl Sigfried Johnson, retail lumber dealer, was
born in Leonardville, Kansas, October 12, 1885, son of Carl Gustaf and Hilma Matilda (Swanstrom) Johnson. The father,
a railroad laborer and carpenter, ws born in Linnkoping, Sweden, December 24, 1856. He served in the army in Sweden
and afterwards in the coachman service for state officials. His wife, Hilma, was born in Linnkoping on July 4,
1866 and is still living. They came to America in the early eighties, settling in Riley County. They now reside
in Loenardville.
Carl Sigfried Johnson attended the public school
of district No. 59, and in 1902 was graduated. At the age of 15 he became employed the by Sikes Store Company,
remaining four years. For a period of three years he was employed by C. J Lind, general merchant and at the present
time is associated as part owner and manager of the Alexander Lumber Company of Effingham, Kansas.
A Republican Mr. Johnson served as mayor of Leonardville
four terms, and has held the offices of clerk and treasurer of the grade and high school board for 16 years.
His marriage to Grace Bell Kendall, was solemnized
at Clay Center, Kansas, March 7, 1907. Mrs. Johnson was born at Bodaville, Kansas, September 12, 1884, daughter
of Lewis L. and Rue Emma (Gumley) Kendall. They have two children, Glady's born at Parrell, Kansas, June 10, 1908
who is married to R. B. Schwartz of Manhattan; and Clara, born at Green, Kansas, December 4, 1910, who is married
to F. W Pfuetze of Manhattan. Mr. Schwartz is connected with the State Banking Department, while Mr. Pfuetze is
a member of the firm of the Brown Music Company of Manhattan.
Mr. Johnson is a member of the chamber of commerce
of Clay County, and maintains a yearly membership in the Red Cross and Salvation Army. He took an active part in
local and county loan and Red Cross drives during the World War. He is affiliated with the Evangelical church.
His favorite sport is golf, while his hobby is good homes. Residence: Leonardville. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara
Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 595)
ISAAC CLARK MOON
Isaac Clark Moon, editor and publisher of the Leonardville
Monitor, was born near Randolph, Kansas, September 16, 1860. He is the son of Elihu and Mary (Barr) Moon, the former
of whom was born in Clinton County, Ohio, July 6, 1826. A farmer and blacksmith by trade, Elihu Moon served as
a private in Company L, 11th Kansas Cavalry during the Civil War. He died at Randolph on November 3, 1905. His
ancestry was traced to the Moon family, which came from England with William Penn and was given a grant of land
in Pennsylvania.
Mary Barr Moon was born in Clinton County, May
8, 1819, and died at Green, Kansas, April 18, 1898.
Isaac Clark Moon attended public schools of Kasnas
from 1868 and 1878 and soon thereafter worked in a printing office Riley, Junction City, Seneca and Manhattan.
In 1890 he took charge of the Randolph Enterprise, which he published for 30 years. Since 1923 he has been editor
of the Monitor.
His marriage to Rachel Ann Atkinson was solemnized
at Field, Kansas, November 8, 1885. Mrs. Moon was born in Amboy, Indiana, April 12, 1862. To them the following
children were born; Edith, August 8, 1887 who is married to Elmer Naslund; Grace, May 9, 1890, who is married to
Homer Dugan; Percy, August 24, 1892, who married Lola clinger; Jerry Chalon, January 27, 1895 who is married to
Billie Arrowood; Mary October 27, 1896, who married Hans Hanson; Edna January 20, 1900, who married Elmer Anderson;
Thomas, September 23, 1902, who has been a printer on the flagship of the United States Navy for more than four
years.
Mr. Moon is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, the Kansas Press Association, and the Modern Woodmen of America. He has belonged to the latter organization
for 38 years, and for about 30 years of that time has served as clerk. Active in politics, Mr. Moon has served
as mayor of Leonardville for two years, and is now city clerk. Residence: Leonardville. (Illustriana Kansas, by
Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, pages 817 & 818)
PETER J. STAFFORD
Peter J. Stafford, retired merchant, was born at
Derbyshire, England, September 6, 1847, and since 1885 has resided in Kansas. His father, Robert Sidney Stafford,
was born in Nottinghamshier, England, and was a Congregational minister. He died at Leonardville, Kansas. His wife
was also born in Nottinghamshire. She died at Steel City, Nebraska.
Peter J. Stafford came to American with his parents
in 1856 and attended common school. On March 9, 1870, he ws married to Julia Ann Lee at Maysville, Missouri. Mrs.
Stafford was born in Lee County, Ohio and was a teacher before her marriage. She died at Kansas City, Kansas, in
1900. His second marriage was to Sadie M. Arnett and was solemnized at Mountain Grove, Missouri, August 24, 1902.
There are five children, Robert L.; Edith Nancy; Roscoe Day; John Leroy; and Dora.
A Republican, Mr. Stafford cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. He has served as justice of the peace of Leonardsville
for about 20 years. For 50 years he has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has served at various
times as a member of the school board, and has held membership for over 20 years in the Masonic Order (Knights
Templar and Shrine). Mrs. Stafford is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Order of Eastern
Star, and the Women's Relief Corps.
At the present time Mr. Stafford is nearly 85 years
of age and for the past five years has been totally blind. Residence: Leonardville. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara
Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 1108)
BRUCE STEINHOFF WILSON
Bruce Steinhoff Wilson, prominent farmer and agricultural
educator, was born in Labette County, Kansas, March 2, 1888, son of Henry Watts and Anna (Steinhoff) Wilson.
Henry Watts Wilson, a farmer, was born in Jefferson
County, Indiana, December 29, 1835, and died in Labette County, Kansas, May 15, 1902. He held the rank of first
lieutenant, Company E, 86th Illinois Volunteer Infantry from 1862 until 1865. His wife, Anna, was born in Norfolk
County, Ontario, Canada, February 23, 1857, and died in Riley County, Kansas, April 16, 1920. She was a teacher
in the public schools of Illinois in her youth. Of Dutch and German ancestry, one of her forebears was a Hessian
soldier.
Bruce Steinhoff Wilson attended Whittier School
in district No. 39 of Labette County, Kansas, graduating in May, 1902. In June 1908, he received the Bachelor of
Science degree from Kansas State College. From 1908 until 1920 he served as a member of the experiment station
staff of the Agricultural Experiment Station of the Kansas State College at Manhattan. For 20 years he has been
a member of the Kansas State Grange and for 12 years of the Kansas Farmers Union. He has been a member of the Riley
County Farm Bureau for six years. Active in all of these organizations, Mr. Wilson served as a member of the board
of directors, of the Kansas Crop Improvement Association for 12 years, as secretary and vice president of the Kansas
Crop Improvement Association and as president of the Riley County Farm Bureau for three consecutive terms. For
10 years he has been a member of the executive board of the Farmers Union.
Since 1921 Mr. Wilson has specialized in the production
of pure, improved varieties of corn, wheat, oats, and grain sorghum. He was awarded the Premier Seed Growers medal
by the Kansas Crop improvement Association in 1931.
On November 2, 1916, he was married to Venus Kimble
at Manhattan. Mrs. Wilson, who was born in Riley County, November 29, 1886, died at Manhattan on December 13, 1925.
There were four children of this marriage, Dorothy, born July 22, 1917; Byron, April 15, 1919; Elsie, January 11,
1923; Bonnie, born July 26, 1924; who died June 13, 1928.
Mr. Wilson's second marriage was to Pearl Elizabeth
Hughes at Keats on October 13, 1927. Mrs. Wilson who was a high school teacher before her marriage was born in
Linn County on October 13, 1891. They have one son, Leland, born July 18, 1931.
Mr. Wilson is a Republican. He is past division
commander of the Kansas Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the
Manhattan Rotary Club, and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. Since 1924 he has been a member of the rural high
school board, and for the past five years he has served as director.
In 1931 Mr. Wilson was made a Master Farmer by
the Copper Farm Press. He is a member of the board of trustees and is steward of the Keats Methodist Episcopal
Church and for several years was a Sunday School teacher. During the years 1905-12 he served two enlistments in
the Kansas National Guard. He is a member of the Red Cross and the Kansas Tuberculosis Association. Residence:
Near Keats. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, pages 1230 & 1231)
ABRAHAM BARRY
Abraham Barry came from Pennsylvania with Governor Reeder's party, and reached Pawnee (Fort Riley) March 28, 1855.
He was president of the town company that located Batcheler, now Milford. He was also a member of the territorial
legislature of 1859. He was an able lawyer and an upright man, a Democrat and a free-soiler. He was drowned in
Madison creek, May 4, 1873. (Transactions of the Kansas State Historical Society 1907-1908, Vol. X, edited by Geo.
W. Martin, Secretary, State Printing Office, Topeka, 1908, page 208)
