1905 History of Crawford County Kansas

James Carey, who is filling the position of police judge at Girard and was formerly identified with agricultural interests in Crawford county, is a native son of New England, his birth having occurred in Connecticut on the 5th of November, 1838. He is a son of Robert and Ellen (Gordon) Carey, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of Scotland. In the year 1836 the father came to the United States and took up his abode at Newburgh, New York. In 1850 he went to New Jersey, where he lived neighbor to General George B. McClellan. In the year 1864, however, he left the Atlantic coast and made his way to the Mississippi valley, taking up his abode in Iroquois county, Illinois. There he engaged in stock-raising and farming, making his home in that locality until his death, which occurred in 1867, when he was fifty-three years of age. His wife survived him for about eight years and died in 1875 at the age of fifty-eight years. One of their sons, Rev. Dr. Joseph Carey, has been pastor of the Episcopal church at Saratoga, New York, for thirty years. Another son, Thomas Carey, was a prominent attorney of New Jersey and a partner of Reuben Van Pelt, of New York, but is now deceased.

James Carey, whose name forms the caption of this review, pursued his education in the public schools of Connecticut and of New York, and at the age of twenty years he entered upon his business career as an express messenger in the employ of the Wescott & Dodd Express Company, of New York, and Savannah, Georgia, on board the Star of the South. He was thus engaged for two years, when the vessel was compelled to leave the south on account of the troublous times incident to the Civil war. Mr. Carey afterward secured a clerical position with George W. Veasy, who was proprietor of the Pulaski Hotel. Later going to New York, he took charge of the Twelfth Street House for one year and on the expiration of that period turned his attention to agricultural pursuits at Warwick, New York, his time being thus occupied for two years. He next went to Ramapo valley and assisted in organizing a company for service in the Civil war in connection with Colonel Frank Price, a son of ex-Governor Price, of New Jersey. Mr. Carey, however, did not go to the front because he was taken ill. He lay sick for fifteen months and was still in an invalid condition when he went with his parents to Iroquois county, Illinois, in 1864. There he engaged in farming. He and his father purchased sixteen hundred acres of land from W. W. Leland, and continued the operation of that property until 1875, when he went to California for his health. After a year he returned and was again engaged in farming until 1883, when once more his health failed him and he removed to Florida. In that part of the country he engaged in the raising of fruit and in the real estate business until 1888. In 1891 he sold his farm in Illinois on account of his health and came to Kansas. Here he purchased three hundred and sixty acres of land in Grant township, Crawford county, and began farming, operating his property until December, 1902, when he rented his land and took up his abode in Girard.

Mr. Carey is now living retired from agricultural pursuits, but derives a good income from his farming interests. In April, 1903, he was elected police judge of Girard and is now acceptably filling that position. His first presidential vote was cast for Stephen A. Douglas, and he afterward voted for Abraham Lincoln and has since been a staunch Republican. While living in Illinois he was appointed justice of the peace by Governor Oglesby, and upon his return from the south he was elected to that office, which he held until his removal to Kansas. He has been a prominent and influential factor in political circles in every community in which he has resided. He attended the Republican national convention held at Chicago when Benjamin Harrison was nominated, and he has also been a delegate to the state conventions of Kansas.

In December, 1860, Judge Carey was united in marriage to Miss Adeline Van Wert, a daughter of Stephen Van Wert, and they now have two children: Ella E., the wife of J. H. Slusher, of Paxton, Illinois; and James, who died at the age of ten years. Both children were born in Brooklyn, New York. Mrs. Carey is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, while Judge Carey is a communicant of the Episcopal church. Fraternally he is connected with the blue lodge of Masons and also with the chapter. Although handicapped by health, he has in an active and useful business career won a very creditable measure of success, and is now the possessor of a comfortable competence which is represented by his property interests in Kansas.