1905 History of Crawford County Kansas

Dr. James S. Patton, who has made Crawford county the center of his active life since he was sixteen years old, is prominent at Frontenac as a druggist, banker and in connection with other business interests, and for a number of years was a leading medical practitioner, although in recent years his business has made too great demands on his time for him to continue regular practice. The town of Frontenac owes much to him for its growth and progress, and his public-spirited endeavor has been freely accorded to all enterprises looking to the community's upbuilding and welfare.

Dr. Patton was born near Livonia, Washington county, Indiana, in 1863, a son of Granville and Clementine (Trabue) Patton. Both the Patton and Trabue families were among the earliest settlers of Washington county. Dr. Patton's paternal grandfather, B. F. Patton, with his brother Dave, settled in that part of Indiana in the early part of the last century, and from the wilderness cleared out a farm. About the same time George Trabue, the maternal grandfather of Dr. Patton, also arrived in Washington county, having come from Kentucky, and made himself a home from the undeveloped government land. Both families are of a longlived race. George Trabue attained the great age of ninety-eight, dying in 1903, and B. F. Patton also died within recent years when a very old man. Granville Patton was a Washington county farmer most of the years of his life, but a few years ago retired and came to Crawford county, Kansas, making his home now in Pittsburg. His wife died at the age of twenty-five years.

Dr. Patton lived on the Indiana farm during the first sixteen years of his life, receiving his education in the country schools. In 1879 he came to Kansas and entered a drug store in Cherokee, Crawford county, for the purpose of learning pharmacy. He later studied medicine at Mineral City, with his brother-in-law, Dr. R. S. Mahan, as preceptor. He was engaged in practice in Sherwin, Kansas, for two years, and in 1889 took up his residence in Frontenac, which has been his home town ever since. He had a drug store here and also carried on his practice as a physician. His mercantile and other business interests increased to such an extent that he has about discontinued his professional duties. Besides the large Patton drug store he has an adjoining building devoted to hardware, groceries, furniture and general merchandise lines; he also conducts a lumber yard at Frontenac and another at Englevale, and a livery stable at Frontenac. Recently he has gone into the banking business, having established the Frontenac State Bank and built a large two-story brick building as its home.

During the year 1904 Dr. Patton organized the Frontenac Coal Company, operating midway between Frontenac and Gerard,[sic] Kansas, located on the Santa Fe Railroad, and the company has a large tract of coal land purchased adjacent, and will successfully push the new mining industry to a successful end. Dr. Patton has also become interested in the commercial enterprises of the bustling and progressive city of Pittsburg, being half owner of "The Owl Drug Store," associated with Henry Kettler, and this firm is also known in the business circles of Pittsburg and community as "The Caloquine Medicine Company," and they have their own laboratory and compound and manufacture the following remedies: "The Caloquine Indian Herb Tea," "Caloquine Chill Tablets" and "Peach Blow Cream."

Dr. Patton's place as one of the foremost citizens of his town is shown by the fact that he was the first mayor of Frontenac, and has always been interested in the welfare of his town. He affiliates with the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Improved Order of Red Men, the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Dr. Patton was married in 1885 to Miss M. B. Adams, a native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. They have two children, Sherwin I. and Vivian Clementine Patton.