1878 History of Jewell County, Kansas
is the legitimate successor of White Rock township, all the first officers of the latter being now residents of the former. As before mentioned in this work, White Rock township was organized August 22, 1870.
elected April 3, 1871, were Jabe Winslow, Trustee; Frank Gilbert, treasurer; James McCormick, clerk; Thomas Moor and A.W. Mann, justices of the peace, and J.K. Moor and Zack Mormon, constables.
were A.W. Mann, A.J. Godfrey, D.H. Godfrey, Frank Gilbert, James Gilbert, George Beanblossom, Sr., Mike Hackenberg, John St. John, and Thomas Francis, who settled near the present town site of Burr Oak, August 28, 1870. A.W. Mann had been out in June previous and had taken his claim. Of the nine persons above named all remain, with the exception of Thomas Francis and John St. John, who have moved away, an Mike Hackenberg who was killed on his claim by the falling of a tree in the fall of 1874. Zack Mormon and Thomas P. Comstock came in September, 1870.
Thomas Moor and J.K. Moor, and Henry Sprague came in about the 1st of October, 1870, and took claims on Burr Oak creek, about five miles northwest of Burr Oak, where they still reside.
John E. Faidley and Allen Ives came out and took a look at the country in October, 1870, but did not take claims. They came back in January, 1871, to find the nice claims they had selected on their first visit taken by other parties.
The beautiful town site of Burr Oak was located and laid out by A.J. Godfrey, on the NW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 23, Township 2, south, Range 3, west, in May 1872. John E. Faidley built the first house and opened the first store in this lace in the same month, which was the beginning of the present town of Burr Oak, which now contains two good general stores, one drug store, one harness shop, one water saw and grist mill, one sewing and reaping machine establishment and too good hotels.
On the 22nd day of May, 1873, Mr. Faidley took Francis Gilbert into partnership with him and the firm was known as Faidley & Gilbert until March 18th, 1878 [?] when they went into partnership with A.W. Mann and the firm is now known as Mann, Faidley & Co.
Burr Oak township is one of the best in the county, and is thickly settled by as good a class of citizens as ever came west. Population 659.
There are six school districts in the township, all of which have good school houses and regular terms of school. There are three Sunday Schools. The religious denominations are quite numerous, and are represented as follows: Methodists, Friends, United Brethren, Dunkards, Saturday and Sunday Advents, Christians, Presbyterians and Spiritualists, all of whom have regular preaching.
The Present Township officers,
elected November 6, 1877, are J.W. Green, trustee; A.J. Godfrey, clerk; B.F. Royer, treasurer; James McCormick and J.M. Quigley, justices of the peace, and David H. Godfrey, and A. Morris, constables.
was originally a portion of Buffalo Township. It was organized August 10, 1872, and
took place at the house of Captain Pierce, August 28, 1872, at which C. Stinson was elected Trustee; W.G. Slaughter, Treasurer; A.P. Haling, Clerk; S. Briggs, Justice of the Peace, and A. Walker and J.L. Allen, Constables.
were J.M. Pantier, B.M. Gould, J.L. Allen, Seth Rogers and W.G. Slaughter, who settled on West Marsh creek the first of May, 1871. The first child born was to Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Allen, November 10, 1871.
The eastern portion of the Township contains some beautiful country, as fine as any in the county, but the western portion is rather broken and hilly, but all susceptible of successful cultivation. The Township is thickly settled by industrious, intelligent and successful farmers, and the society is excellent.
There are four school districts, in all of which there are regular terms of school. There are five church organizations -- Presbyterians, Methodists, Christians, United Brethren and Free Will Baptists, all of whom have regular preaching. J.M. Pantier is Pastor of the Presbyterian church, and J.L. Allen, class leader of the Methodists.
The Present Township Officers,
elected November 6, 1877, are W.G. Slaughter, Trustee; Jacob Jacobs, Clerk; J.L. Allen, Treasurer; J.M. Adams and Geo. E. Keyes, Justices of the Peace and L.R. Jordan and J. Jacobs, Constables.
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Transcribed from History of Jewell County, Kansas, with a Full Account of the Early Settlements and Indian Atrocities Committed Within Its Borders; Its final Settlement, Organization and Progress, Its Present Society, Churches and Schools, Its Towns, Streams; Topography; Soil and Products, Its Population; Township Organization and Officers, Its Industries; Business, Resources, Etc. by M. Winsor and James A. Scarbrough, Jewell City, Kansas, Diamond Printing Office, 1878. Transcribed by Carolyn Ward, 2001.
