James M. Campbell Obituary
A Pioneer Passes On
James M. Campbell, Veteran Resident of Reno
County is Dead.
Came Here in the 70s
He Was Probably the Oldest Surviving Engineer of
the Baltimore & Ohio.
James M. Campbell, one of the Oldest ex-employee
of the Baltimore & Ohio railway system and probably one of the earliest
engineers of that road still surviving, died at his home in Hutchinson, at
426 Tenth west, this morning.
He was an engineer on the Baltimore & Ohio
division at Harpers Forry and Piedmont, Va., in the early 50s, and when the
B. & O. built a branch over the Alegheny mountains in that vicinity, his
train was the first to run over the branch.
The Funeral Thursday.
The funeral of Mr. Campbell will be held Thursday
at 10 oclock from the residence on Tenth west, Rev. Hinshaw, of Turon,
officiating.
The deceased is survived by four sons, J. W.
Campbell, of Nickerson, John H. Campbell of Hutchinson, J. C. Campbell, of
Arlington, and P. L. Campbell, of Hutchinson. His wife died several years
ago.
A Native of Virgina.
James M. Campbell was a native of Virginia,
having been born in Fayette county, in what is now West Virginia,, in
1829. His father, John Campbell, was also a native of that state, born in
1804, he and his father-in-law having been the first white men to settle in
Fayette county. His grandfather, John Campbell, came to this country from
Ireland.
Jas. Campbell spent his boyhood and youth on his
fathers farm, and became a hunter of great efficiency, for in those days the
country was full of big game, bears, panthers, and wildcats.
When 21 years old he located near Harpers Forry,
and he was married there in 1851. He engaged in railroad work there, when
the Baltimore & Ohio road was first built up the valley, starting in as
brakeman, and finally advancing to the position of engineer.
To Kansas in 1878.
In 1858 he quit railroading and moved to Lee
county, Illinois, where he engaged in farming. In 1878 he moved from
Illinois to Kansas, shipping three carloads of stock; and goods to
Hutchinson from Chicago.
He purchased a half section farm in Salt Creek
township, and at once put in 100 acres of wheat. The residence which he
built on his farm was said to be the second frame residence erected in Salt
Creek township.
Was Extensive Farmer.
Mr. Campbell engaged extensively in farming in
that township, and in 1879 he and his older boys harvested 1,360 acres of
wheat. He was one of the first farmers to try alfalfa in that part of the
county.
In 1898, Mr. Campbell bought property in
Hutchinson, and moved here and retired from active farm life. He sustained
a partial stroke of paralysis years ago, from which he never fully
recovered.
The Hutchinson News
Hutchinson, Reno County, Kansas
Tuesday, November 2, 1915
page 9 *** column 4
10/21/05
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