Cloud County
KSGenWeb
HONORABLE O. W. F. WILCOX.
O.W.F. Wilcox came to Kansas in 1879,
and farmed rented land south of Concordia. Three years later he bought
the Chris Mosburg homestead, six miles south of Jamestown on Whites
creek, where he lived two years, sold and located in Jamestown,
following the occupation of clerk. In 1896, he bought the H.H. Harris
stock of stationery, added other lines and converted it into a racket
store, including canned goods, tobacco, candies, fruits and summer
drinks.
Mr. Wilcox is a native of Branch county, Michigan, born
in 1840. When fourteen years of age he moved with his parents to Hardin
county, Iowa, and when he arrived to manhood enlisted in Company B,
Eleventh Iowa Infantry, the first year of the war. He served two
enlistments, remaining until the close. He was slightly wounded twice,
was in St. Louis hospital two months as the result of a wound he
received in the battle of Shiloh. He saw active service and was in the
battle of Corinth, Vicksburg, Atlanta, with Sherman on his march to the
sea, and in all the battles with the western department.
After
the war he returned to Iowa and was married in 1866, to Lavina Burghdef.
In his earlier life Mr. Wilcox had learned the shoe maker's trade which
he followed until coming to Kansas. To Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox have been
born eleven children, all of whom but one are living, and all but one
living in or near Jamestown.
The oldest son is William, who is
foreman in the shops of the American Windmill Manufacturing Company, and
has been in their employ about three years. Otto F., is proprietor of
one of the neatest little barber shops in the county. The shop is small
in dimensions, but elegant in point of fixture and equipment. He is
married to Ethel Andrews, of Jamestown. They are the parents of one
child, Lucile.
Rosa, wife of William Jenkins, a carpenter of
Jamestown. They are the parents of five children: Carl, Ray, Nellie,
George and Willie. The second daughter, Nellie, is a milliner by trade.
Centennial, is the wife of Bert Schell, a farmer near Jamestown. They
are the parents of two little daughters, Esther and Lila.
Kate,
wife of John Oyler, a carpenter of Jamestown. They have one child, a
little son, Max. Roy, in the shop with his brother Otto. Fred, a boy of
sixteen and the two younger children, Mary and Charlie.
Mr.
Wilcox votes the Republican ticket and takes an active interest in the
local affairs of his town. He served as mayor one term, police judge
several times, and for several years was a member of the council. He is
a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and has been post commander
at various times. He is a member of the Sons and Daughters of Justice.
The maternal ancestors of Mr. Wilcox were early New England settlers.
His mother was a close relative of Lorenzo and Neal Dow. His paternal
ancestors were of Irish and Dutch origin, and among the early New
England settlers. Mr. Wilcox owns a comfortable residence and the
building he occupies as a store.
GEORGE H. WILKES, SR.
One of the many pleasant surprises that greet the visitor of Clyde
is the comfortable hostelry which has been provided by George Wilkes,
Sr., the subject of this sketch. The Commercial Hotel was established in
1870, by Dan Lussadder. It was then a small frame building 16 by 24 feet
in dimensions and two stories high. Shortly afterward Mr. Lussadder was
convicted of murder and sentenced to six years' confinement in the
penitentiary. The hotel then fell into the hands of Henry Huff, who
served the traveling public until George H. Wilkes, Sr., assumed
proprietorship in 1878. Since that date it was under his management,
with the exception of one year, until the death of his wife three years
ago, when his son George H. Wilkes, Jr., assumed charge, keeping the
house up to its good standard. During Mr. Huff's reign, six rooms were
added, two on the first floor and four on the second. In 1884, Mr.
Wilkes built an addition of four rooms and made an entire change of the
interior. A year later he increased the capacity of the hotel by the
erection of a brick addition, including an office and four guest
chambers with basement under the entire structure, and the following
year put in steam heat. The hotel is situated on a block of ground 198
by 138 feet with a spacious lawn and fine shade trees, whose overhanging
boughs impart a cooling shade, and give an air of comfort on a sultry
summer day.
Cattauraugus county, New York, is the birthplace of
Mr. Wilkes. His paternal grandfather was one of the thirteen men who
came over with LaFayette during the Revolutionary war; he was a
musician. The Wilkes are of French origin and their advent into America
dates from that time. They settled in Connecticut. In 1853, Mr. Wilkes
began his career by going to New York City and working on the Crystal
Palace which was being erected for the Word's Fair, and had the
subordinate management of the arcade. In 1854, he came to Chicago where
he railroaded in various capacities; was conductor of a passenger train
for four years. During his residence in Chicago a company was formed
among the railroad men for duty in the Civil war, but Mr. Wilkes could
not pass muster. He subsequently accepted a position as traveling
salesman and considered Chicago his home until after the big "Chicago
Fire." Thinking the city would never rebuild, he turned his attention in
the direction of Kansas, establishing the first hotel of any consequence
in Belleville. From there he went to Washington, Kansas, and later to
Cuba, Kansas, where he engaged in the mercantile business, at the same
time owning a farm sixteen miles north of Clyde. He sold these interests
in 1878 and enacted a good deed for Clyde when he opened a hotel with
such excellent accommodations.
Mr. Wilkes was married in 1858, to
Susan Lyman, who died January 23, 1864, leaving one child, a son who
died one year later. In 1866, he was married to Eliza J. Faroll, a young
woman of Irish birth who came to America in her childhood. By this
marriage seven children were born, three of whom are living; George H.,
Jr., the present manager of the hotel (his family consists of a wife and
three sons, Earl and Walter, two handsome and remarkably bright little
fellows of ten and eight years, respectively, and Dick, aged one and
one-half years); Edward J., of Kansas City, and a daughter, Courtney
Grace. Mr. Wilkes is a Mason of twenty-eight years standing; a Knight
Templar, Blue Lodge, and a Shriner. He is a democrat politically, and a
member of the city council. He is a member of the Baptist church.
Mr. Wilkes has in his possession one of the rarest and most
extensive collections of United States and foreign coins owned by any
one individual in the state. The author is indebted to Mr. Wilkes for
the following description:
"In this country, where evervthing is
comparatively new, anything old or antique always attracts great
attention. Large sums are paid for old furniture, such as andirons,
candlesticks, spinning wheels, crockery, clocks, glassware, old arms,
books and paintings, and recently old coins have been added. The local
newspapers often publish long editorials about some curious coin. This
is of what I want to speak. There are but few people who are posted on
this subject and very few who know when the first coins were issued or
what denomination it was. The first authorized coin by congress, as near
as I can find out, was the Franklin cent, coined in 1787. This is a very
curious piece of work having on one side the rising sun and sun-dial
with the word "Fugio," meaning Franklin, and date; under the sun-dial
these words: "Mind Your Business." On the reverse side it has thirteen
links connected together, with this inscription: "We are one United
States," making a very neat and interesting study. About that time there
were quite a number of pennies of Washington, the most of which were
struck in England, but they had nothing to do with the United States,
although they were used as money and were called Washington coins and
tokens. Of these there was a great variety and it would take too much
space to attempt to describe all of them. There were a great number of
miscellaneous coins in circulation until congress authorized the coinage
of silver and copper coins, which was about 1792, when the act of April
2d authorized the coining of one-half pennies, weight one hundred and
thirty-two grains. Weight changed, act of January 14, 1793, to one
hundred and four grains, and act of March 3, 1795, to eighty-four
grains. Coinage commenced in 1793, and discontinued in 1857 of this
denomination; authorized act of July 6, 1787, caused to be coined for
the United States by James Jarvis, of New Haven, Connecticut, the so
called "Fugio" or Franklin cent; the regular large copper cents were
authorized act of April 2, 1792, coinage commenced in 1793 and
discontinued in 1857, there were none coined in 1815. Authorized act of
February 21, 1857, to coin nickle cents, seventy-two grains, regular
coinage commenced in 1857, a few were coined in 1856, coinage
discontinued in 1864. The bronze cent comes next authorized April 22,
1864, weight forty-eight grains. Two cent bronze, act of April 22, 1864,
weight ninety-six grains, discontinued in 1873. Three cent nickle, act
of March 3, 1863, weight thirty grains, discontinued 1873. Five cent
nickle, act of May 16, 1866, weight seventy-seven and sixteen hundredths
grains, coinage commenced in 1866. This is a short sketch of all the
coins except the silver and gold issues of the United States."
WILLIAM BAKER WILLIAMS.
William Baker Williams, better
known to Kansans as "Greenback Williams," is one of the characters of
Cloud county. When he came into the community in 1878 the currency
question was at its zenith and he was an ardent "Greenbacker." There
were four individuals in the vicinity of his home who bore the name of
Williams. They were about the same age and were christened with similar
initials. All these "Williams" received their mail through the Concordia
postoffice, and to designate him from the others of like cognomen, and
in accordance with his enthusiastic interest in the financial question,
he was given the sobriquet that made him famous. He is known far and
wide, his name often appearing in the eastern papers, giving
descriptions of him and his surroundings. A new York paper recently.
pictured him as an eccentricity living on an island in the Solomon
river, Since the currency question is a dead issue he votes the
Socialist ticket. He has always been on the side of reform and his
persistent views have been widely commented on. Though on the unpopular
side politically, Mr. Williams is highly esteemed by his neighbors and
is a good citizen.
He was born in Muhlenburg county, Kentucky,
February 13, 1834. He received a limited education in his native state,
but in his boyhood days the public school system was not what the bright
boys and girls of to-day are favored with. To learn to read, write and
spell, and perhaps "cipher" a little, was considered an accomplishment
for a country bred boy. His parents were William and Lydia (Studebaker)
Williams, of the same lineage as the noted wagon manufacturer. Our
subject's paternal grandfather, also William Williams, was an American
born and a soldier in the Revolutionary war. He was one of a family of
twelve sons and one daughter. They all arrived at maturity, but during
the Revolution became separated and lost to one another (although he was
the only patriot of the family) and many of them were never reunited.
"Blue Jeans" Williams, of Indiana, a noted politician and attorney, is
of the same ancestry. He was a bright man in his day, but eccentric. He
insisted on wearing blue jeans long after that particular weave was out
of date. This and other peculiarities won him the title that was never
dispelled.
Mr. Williams' father was a South Carolina planter and
a slaveholder. He disposed of his slaves in 1847, but some of the family
held them until the rebellion. The sentiments of his people were divided
and represented both sides. His paternal ancestors were of Welsh origin,
but as most American born people whose forefathers settled in this
country, he is a mixture of several nationalities - Welsh, English,
Scotch and German, the latter predominating, perhaps. When nineteen
years of age Mr. Williams located in Woodford county, Illinois, where he
worked on a farm until the winter of 1855, when he was married to Miss
Esther Arrowsmith on the 24th day of December. She was a young English
woman who came with her parents to America when she was twenty years of
age and settled in Illinois.
After the war Mr. Williams removed
to Buchanan county, Missouri, where he resided until 1870. In July of
that month he located in Jewell county, Kansas, and homesteaded land.
After a happy wedded life of thirty-six years Mrs. Williams died August
23, 1891. To their union thirteen children were born; seven lived to
maturity, two sons and five daughters, all of whom are married and have
families. The two sons and one daughter are in Cloud county, two
daughters in Nebraska and one in Iowa. A young German woman who was
orphaned when a child, lives in the family of Mr. Williams, who was
administrator of her father's estate. There were two sisters, Amelie and
Martha. They were bathing in the river when the latter got in the water
beyond her depth and was drowned. She was aged ten years.
Mr.
Williams was married May 10, 1892, to Mrs. Maggie Harrison, of Jewell
county, who is a most estimable woman. In 1877 Mr. Williams sold his
farm in Jewell county and bought the original homestead of W.C.
Williams, who contested the right to the claim, taken back in the
'sixties, He has placed all the improvements on the farm, which consists
of one hundred and twenty acres in Buffalo township, five miles west and
three and one-half miles north of Concordia. A commodious residence,
substantial barns, orchards, a well kept blue grass lawn and fine shade
trees; an ideal home, where Mr. and Mrs. Williams, who are praiseworthy
citizens and neighbors, can spend their declining years, surrounded by
many comforts.
ENOCH WILLIAMSON.
The subject of
this sketch is Enoch Williamson, of Solomon township. He is a native of
Indiana, born on a farm twelve miles distant from the city of
Indianapolis. He is a practical and thorough farmer of life-long
experience and has been successful. His father was James Williamson,
born in Ohio, on the Scioto river, and in the county that bears that
name. He was a farmer by occupation, and died in 1853. When quite a
young man he settied in Indiana, bought eighty acres of land and paid
for it by applying his wages, eight dollars per month, which he received
as a farm hand. He was killed while felling a tree. His son, the subject
of this sketch, was chopping near by when the accident occurred. He
found his father unconscious, remaining in that condition until he died
four hours later. Mr. Williamson's mother was Christina (Shafer)
Williamson. At the time of her husband's death she was left with nine
small children, the youngest a babe in her arms, four months old. They
lived in Indiana in the pioneer days of that state and when the woods
were infested with wild animals. Bear were numerous and the wolves
howled in their door yards. The homestead is still in possession of the
family and is now occupied by a niece.
Mr. Williamson, the second
eldest child, was one of his mother's chief supports and operated the
farm, hence he received a limited education. He is one of twelve
children, eight of that number living. Three died in infancy. Wesley
returned from the war broken down in health and died several years
later, leaving a wife and three children. The other children are: Peter,
a retired farmer and stockman of Bell county, Texas; Rosanna, widow of
Martin Phelps (they have two daughters and live near the old homestead
in Indiana); Barbara, wife of John Sharpe, a farmer of Champaign county,
Illinois; Asa is a retired farmer of Indiana (he was a soldier in the
Civil war); Frank, a farmer of Indiana; John, a farmer and stockman of
Collingsworth county, in the Panhandle country of Texas; his wife died
in August, 1900, leaving a daughter fifteen years of age. He was an
educator of considerable prominence and was principal of the Quaker high
school of Hamilton, Indiana, and taught in the schools of Terre Haute.
Margaret is the wife of Richard Power, and resides near the town of
Nora, Indiana.
Mr. Williamson's mother came from Germany when
twelve years old. Her parents were very poor and during their voyage to
America she with two of her sisters were sold to work out the price of
their passage across the water. They were left in Baltimore while the
other members of the family went on into Ohio. The consideration was
seven, five and three years labor, according to their capacity for work.
She being the youngest was given over for seven years. The two eldest
served their allotted time and sought their parents. His mother served
her time out and entered the home of an English-speaking family, where
she had a good home, but lost her native language entirely. During this
period her mother died and she remained with this family until she was
twenty-four years of age. She resented the act of her father having sold
her and did not return home. She visited her sisters in Ohio and found
two of them married to the Williamson brothers. She married a third
brother, Mr. Williamson's father, and the three families moved to
Indiana. She died on the old homestead, where they first settled, at the
age of ninety years. She was a widow for over forty years.
Mr.
Williamson removed from Indiana to northeastern Iowa in 1865 with an
invalid wife, who died of pulmonary disease, leaving four children,
three boys and one girl, but one of whom is living, - Frank B., an
employe in the treasury department in Washington, District of Columbia.
He made the best record in the civil service examination of any
applicant in the state. He has held his present position two years.
Prior to entering upon this work he was a traveling salesman. After his
wife's death Mr. Williamson returned to Indiana and resumed his farming
operations.
By a second marriage he was wedded to Mrs. Mary E.
(Garrett) Clark, a niece of his first wife. By a former husband she was
the mother of three children, viz: Clara, wife of Adam Studt, of Glasco;
W.L. Clark, a stockman of Wyoming, and William S. Clark, a farmer of
Solomon township. To Mr. and Mrs. Williamson five children have been
born: James R., superintendent of a department for the Swift Packing
Company in Chicago; he occupies one of the best positions in this
extensive concern, where he entered as an ordinary laborer. His industry
and integrity are responsible for this lucrative position. He has been
in their employ for about ten years. He visited his parents in 1901;
Arvilla, wife of William Davidson, (see sketch); Charles W. is
interested in farming with his father; he is married to Mary D. Abrams,
an orphan girl, who was reared by her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs, William
Doyle; Mary E., wife of William Benson, a farmer of Solomon township;
Mr. Benson is a successful young man, industrious and progressive, and
gives promise of becoming one of the leading farmers in the community;
Guy, a progressive young fellow is interested in a laundry in Colorado
Springs, Colorado.
When Mr. Williamson left Indiana he settled in
Moniteau county, Missouri, remaining ten years. In 1879 he came to
Kansas and farmed one year in Lincoln county, where he sunk considerable
money and then came to the beautiful Solomon valley. He bought a farm of
Dan Teasley, and in 1894 purchased the finely improved place where he
now lives. The first three years he rented land on the river bottom. His
farm, which is one of the very best in the Solomon valley, consists of
three hundred and twenty acres of land, a part of which is the original
homestead of Anderson Bagwell. Prior to its purchase by Mr. Williamson,
it was owned by the Bracken heirs. It is a well watered and well
timbered farm and produces wheat and corn. He has given considerable
time to horticulture and is rewarded by an abundance of excellent fruit.
Their commodious home is beautifully situated near a timber bordered
creek and the buildings indicate thrift and enterprise. A new barn just
completed at a cost of $800 adds to the attractiveness of the place. Mr.
Williamson belongs to the Populist party. He has been a member of the
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons since 1863, a period of thirty-nine
years. He was a charter member of both the Glasco and Simpson lodges. He
and his family are strong exponents of the Methodist faith and Mr.
Williamson has been a steward in the church for almost half a century.
Mr. and Mrs. Williamson are excellent people. She is a refined, gentle
woman and he is a Christian gentleman and an honest man whose word is as
good as his bond.
THOMAS WILLIAMSON.
The advent of
Thomas Williamson in Cloud county, in March, 1866, was exceedingly
opportune, for up to this time, with two or three exceptions perhaps,
there were none who made any pretentious of Christianity. In the Elk
creek settlement there was but one, Andrew W. Smith. On the second
Sabbath of Mr. Thompson's arrival he was the instigator of a prayer
meeting held at the house of Andrew Smith, and through him mainly these
meetings were kept up for some time. He was an incessant worker and
labored under the severest discouragements. He united with the Baptist
church (his persuasion) on Fancy creek, Riley county, which was forty
miles or more distant, and has been known to repeatedly drive that
distance to attend the church of his choice. Soon afterward, through his
efforts and the assistance of the Reverend Cloud, a church was
established on Elk creek, the first church building erected in the
county. It was a very weak concern and had it not been for his untiring
energies would have been a complete failure, the congregation often
consisting of Mr. Williamson and his wife. Had it not been for him the
church would probably have never been built.
Mr. Williamson was
born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1809. His field of
usefulness was mainly in the ecclesiastical or religious work and he had
a record in this capacity.
JOHN D. WILSON.
The
late J.D. Wilson, who died at his home in Concordia, October 10, 1885,
was among the most successful and prominent politicians of Cloud county,
and socially very popular with the people. As a man his kindness and
generous heart knew no bounds, hence his friends were legion.
He
was born in Harrison county, Ohio, in 1839. He was four times elected to
the office of sheriff of Cloud county. He was a brave soldier in the
Civil war and an earnest worker of the Grand Army of the Republic
organization. He was an honored member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. By his death was removed one of the best officers and one of
the most prominent men of Cloud county.
G. C. WILSON.
There are several first-class grocery houses in Concordia, and in
referring to the best of them the well-arranged store of G.C. Wilson
would be included as one in the foremost rank. His methods of doing
business entitle him to a place among the most progressive, as his
industry, perseverance and superior qualities have placed him in line
with men of good citizenship. Mr. Wilson succeeded C.A. Betournay in the
grocery business in the spring of 1900.
Mr. Wilson has been a
resident in the state since 1884. He accepted a clerkship at Kirwin,
Kansas, and six years later he entered the grocery department of H.C.
Annan, of Beloit, as manager, and the length of time he was retained by
Mr. Annan - seven years - is emphatic evidence of his reliability. But
our subject was not satisfied to continue as an employe and established
a business of his own. He purchased the J.J. Abercrombie stock, which he
sold back to its former owner six months later and became proprietor of
the Hugh Gants grocery. One and one-half years later he disposed of this
stock, removed to Kensington, Kansas, and engaged in general
merchandising. After locating at the last named place Mr. Wilson's
health became impaired and, selling his interests in that town, he
returned to Kirwin in 1889. Although it is said "every move is equal to
two fires," Mr. Wilson, owing to various circumstances, made several
changes, but it remained for him to find a greater field, such as
Concordia afforded, and where, from the very start, he proceeded to
establish a reputation for enterprise and fair dealing. He carries a
full line of staple and fancy groceries and conducts a first-class
bakery in connection which receives a large patronage. In this busy
store five men are employed. A brother, Theodore L., a practical baker,
is in charge of the bakery and has filled that position for one and
one-half years. James Edward, another brother, is learning the trade
with him.
Mr. Wilson's father, Peter Wilson, was of Scotch birth.
He emigrated to the state of New York when quite young and lived there
until his death in 1893. Mr. Wilson's mother was of German birth. She
died in 1873. There were seven sons and two daughters in his father's
family, all of whom lived to maturity. A sister died in 1894 and a
brother in the spring of the present year (1903).
Mr. Wilson's
family consists of his wife, one daughter and two sons: Bernice, Lynn
and Karl Marx. They occupy one of the pleasant and desirable cottage
homes on West Sixth street. Politically Mr. Wilson affiliates with the
Republican party and socially he is a Woodman, a Maccabee and a member
of the Sons and Daughters of Justice.
Mr. Wilson is entirely
self-made, he has worked hard, attended strictly to business affairs, is
kind, courteous and obliging, upright in all his dealings - qualities
that are always winners, and our subject is no exception to the rule.
ALVIN LEE WILMOTH.
It is a quarter of a century since
Alvin Lee Wilmoth, the subject of this sketch, became a resident of
Kansas. Since 1890 he has been a leading citizen of Concordia, one who
has been closely identified with the professional and business interests
of the city. The Wilmoths settled in Marshall county, where his father
continued to reside until about a year ago, when he removed to Wabaunsee
county. Nearly forty years ago Mr. Wilmoth's parents emigrated from
Ohio, their native state, to Jasper county, Iowa, where our subject was
born in 1857. Their residence in Iowa was brief, however, and they
returned to their former Ohio home and later to Kansas, the "Eldorado"
of the west. The literary education of Mr. Wilmoth was received in the
common schools and in the State Normal School of Warrensburg, Missouri.
Following this institution he entered the State University at Lawrence,
and after finishing a course in the law department located in Concordia,
where he formed an association with the late E.L. Ackley, who was a
classmate in the university. The combination was a prosperous one,
building up an extended clientage in a comparatively brief time. In 1897
Mr. W.W. Caldwell joined them and the firm became Caldwell, Ackley &
Wilmoth, continuing as such until the untimely death of Mr. Ackley in
August, 1901, when it became Caldwell & Wilmoth. Mr. Wilmoth is a firm
believer in Republican principles and was elected by his party to the
office of county attorney in 1894 and again in 1896. He carried Cloud
county at a time when the country was ruled by Populists and was the
only Republican elected on the ticket, with the exception of Mrs.
Brierley, of Glasco. who was elected superintendent of schools. That he
was an attorney of ability and integrity and considered so by the people
is evidenced by the overwhelmingly large vote he received. He ran ahead
of the McKinley electoral ticket in Cloud county in 1896 by over one
hundred votes.
Succeeding Mr. Ackley, Mr. Wilmoth served two
terms as regent of the State University. For ten years he has been
attorney for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. In educational matters he is
especially interested and has been a faithful member of the school board
for six years.
Mr. Wilmoth was married in 1892 to Miss Emma T.
Dunn, a daughter of Dr. D.M. Dunn, now a resident of Minneapolis,
Kansas. Dr. Dunn is a pioneer in the state and has been active in many
enterprises aside from a professional career. He was located at Colby
during the "boom" days of that town and established the well-known and
unique sheet, The Thomas County Cat, which was celebrated for its
originality. Mrs. Wilmoth is a graduate of the State University and
while a student there met her future husband. After her graduation she
became a teacher in the university and taught both before and after her
marriage to Mr. Wilmoth. To their union two bright little sons have been
born, William Alvin and John David, aged six and two years,
respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Wilmoth are consistent members of the
Methodist Episcopal church. Fraternally Mr. Wilmoth is a member of the
Knights of Pythias Lodge, is a past chancellor and a member of the grand
lodge. He is also identified with the Order of Elks.
Having been
self-sustaining since a youth and having earned his own way through the
university, Mr. Wilmoth adopted early in life the habits of industry and
perseverance, which brought their returns in after years, and his
influence for good is felt in the advancement of measures for the
progression of all worthy promotions. The comforts of a pleasant brick
cottage, at the foot of West Sixth street, is not the least of Mr.
Wilmoth's requitals.
CHARLES H. WINTER.
C.H.
Winter, an old soldier, one of the representative men and extensive
farmers of Arion township, was born in Pennsylvania in the year 1830.
When one year of age his parents removed to the state of New York and
seven years subsequently to Stark county, Illinois, where they settled
on a farm near Toulon.
His father was William Winter, a
Pennsylvania farmer and a soldier of the war of 1812. He died in Henry
county, Illinois, June 4, 1864. His grandfather John Winter was from
Scotland, and settled in Pennsylvania in the pioneer days of that state.
His mother before her marriage was Mary Jackson of French ancestry. She
was born in the state of New York and died in 1877.
When
twenty-one years of age, C.W. Winter married and immediately emigrated
to California, where he engaged in mining pursuits with considerable
success for five years, but not unlike many of the western miners, he
speculated and lost. He returned to Illinois in 1858, where he farmed
until 1862, and then responded to the call for volunteers by enlisting
in Company A, 124th regiment Illinois Volunteers, under Captain Tenney,
with Colonel Howe commanding, remaining until the close of the war.
He was a prisoner six months in Cahoka, Alabama. He was fortunate
enough to be under Captain Freeman instead of Captain Gatewood, who was
collecting prisoners and when he had gathered a dozen, would hang or
kill them. This was his established rule. He requested two of Captain
Freeman's men to make out his number in this instance, but was refused
and Mr. Winter escaped the fate which otherwise might have awaited him.
He was in the siege of Vicksburg and Atlanta. They were taken to Black
River from Vicksburg for exchange. When they arrived at their
destination, they were cold, hungry and wet. The night was dark, the
rebels refused to exchange on the grounds that they could not see. They
disbanded and set the woods on fire to keep warm. They suffered many
hardships. Finally they received the government supplies and some of the
men ate so ravenously that they died as a result. They were mustered out
at Springfield, Illinois, and from this point Mr. Winter returned to his
family.
In the spring of 1866, he emigrated to Washington county,
Kansas, then on the frontier, and took up the homestead where they lived
sixteen years. In 1872, they again moved on to the frontier in Rooks
county and filed on a timber claim. Mr. Winter assisted in platting the
town of Stockton. Three years later he went to Colorado for a brief time
and returned to Concordia where they kept a feed stable that their son
might have the advantages of good schools. Three years later they
returned to Washington county.
In 1831, they sold their farm and
bought the Simon L. Cook homestead in Arion township, which they have
added to from time to time until he now owns a whole section of land on
the divide between Wolf and Coal creeks, all under fence. It is mostly
wheat land and this year he has sowed four hundred acres. In the summer
of 1901 he had two hundred acres that yielded from twenty-five to
thirty-five bushels per acre. Mr. Winter has raised cattle and hogs, and
corn until the last few years, but is now practically retired.
He
was married in 1862, to Sarah E.A. Dray, of West Virginia, where her
maternal grandfather was a slave holder. She is a daughter of Peter
Dray, a blacksmith by occupation. When she was a small child, her
parents moved to Ohio and settled near Port Homer in Jefferson county.
Her father died August 17, 1855, in Stark county, Illinois where he had
moved a few years previously. Mrs. Winter's paternal grandfather was of
Irish birth. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. Her great-grandfather
was in the church uprisings of the old country, emigrated to America and
settled in Ohio in an early day.
Her mother was Martha Foster,
whose ancestors were from the Isle of Jersey. She died in 1894, at the
home of her son-in-law, the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Winter's
maternal grandmother was Elizabeth Wolverton. Of a family of twelve
children, Mrs. Winter and one sister survive; Mrs. Lasley, who lives on
a farm in Arion township.
To Mr. and Mrs. Winter have been born
two children, but one of whom is living. The daughter was Mary, deceased
wife of John McNulty. who died June 16, 1889, leaving three daughters.
Anna, Alice, and Julia. Anna is the wife of Harry Evans, of Stockton,
Kansas. Alice lives with Anna and attends school, Julia lives with her
grandparents. Their son is William P. (see sketch).
Mr. Winter is
non-partisan and votes for the best man. The Winter family have a large
and comfortable house of ten rooms. Mr. Winter has been financially
successful in Kansas and his farm is a fortune within itself. He is an
enterprising man and a good citizen.
WILLIAM P. WINTER.
William P. Winter is a son of Charles H. Winter and like his father
he is a successful and enterprising farmer and one of the leading young
men socially in Arion township. He is public spirited, taking an active
interest in political issues, municipal and educational affairs. He is
an ardent Populist politically, served one term as justice of the peace
in his township; was re-elected but refused to accept. In his community
the Alliance flourished and Mr. Winter was president of this
organization so long as it existed. They had a subordinate Alliance in
that district of one hundred members.
Mr. Winter was born on a
farm in Vernon county, Missouri, in 1860, where his parents lived for a
brief time, then moved to Stark county, Illinois. In 1866, he came to
Washington county, Kansas with his parents as related in his father's
career. He received the greater part of his education in the schools of
Concordia. In 1881, he was married to Eppie, a daughter of Samuel
Morehouse. Her father was born in New York but emigrated with his
parents to Missouri when he was a small boy and grew to manhood in Clark
county, where Mrs. Winter was born, October 8, 1863.
Mr.
Morehouse served a little more than one year during the latter part of
the Civil war, and gave his life for his country's cause. He lost his
health during this period from exposure and privations and from these
causes died one year later, leaving a wife and two daughters. The other
daughter is Sarah, the widow of J.A. Ryan, who is a farmer of Republic
county.
Mrs. Winter's mother was married again in 1872, to Malon
Hayworth. They are residents of Washington county, Kansas. To this union
two children have been born: Emma, wife of Frank Risinger, and a son,
John, both of Washington county, Kansas. Mrs. Winter's mother was born
in 1838.
Mr. and Mrs. Winter are the parents of three fine sons
who bid fair to make their mark in the world. Charles, a bright young
man of seventeen is a student on his second year in the Concordia high
school, prior to a course in the State University. William F., has made
a record well worthy of commendation in their home school, District No.
83. He has neither been absent nor tardy for five school years. Vernon,
aged nine years started to school in the fourth reader grade and has
mastered the first principles of arithmetic and has neither been absent
nor tardy.
Children with disinterested parents would scarcely
make these records and it undoubtedly would be a source of gratification
to teachers if there were more of their patrons who exercised such pains
- taking interest in their sons and daughters of the public schools.
Mrs. Winter is a valued correspondent of the Kansan, one of Cloud
county's leading papers. She has chronicled the news of the Graves
neighborhood for several years.
MORTIMER L. WOODWARD.
M.L. Woodward, an old resident of Cloud county, now living in
Glasco, is a native of Coshocton county, Ohio; born December 25, 1839.
His parents were Mahlon and Mary A. (Darby) Woodward, both natives of
Maryland, who emigrated to Ohio in an early day and on to Iowa in the
early settlement of that state. His father was a farmer and homesteaded
in Cloud county, near Glasco, in 1871, and where he died in 1891. The
Woodwards were of French origin. The Darbys were southern people. The
Darby ancestors were among the early settlers of Virginia, near
Alexandria, and were slaveholders. Mr. Woodward is one of ten children,
seven of whom are living. Mrs. George W. Bartow, of Lyon township, is a
sister, and Rezin D. Woodward, a farmer near Clyde, is a brother.
Mr. Woodward began his career as a farmer and came to Kansas in May,
1870. After a sojourn of a few months in Washington county, took up a
homestead, the farm where Michael Dillon now lives. He lived on this
homestead sixteen years and changed his residence to Glasco. Mr.
Woodward, with two of his brothers, enlisted in the army. Mr. Woodward
enlisted in the Forty-fourth Iowa Infantry, Company G, under Captain
Shaw and Colonel Henderson, the latter a brother of the speaker of the
house of representatives. He enlisted in March, 1864, and served one
year. Most of the time they were quartered in Mississippi and Tennessee,
doing guard duty. His brother, Rezin, of Company I, Fourteenth Iowa
Infantry, was wounded at Fort Donelson, disabled for service and
discharged. James was a member of the Third Iowa Infantry. He entered at
the first call and served until the last.
Mr. Woodward was
married December 6, 1871, to Sarah Lavinia Jordan. To Mr. and Mrs.
Woodward have been born seven children, six of whom are living, viz:
Allie L. has been a Cloud county teacher for about eight years. She is
now employed in the LaVeta (Colorado) public schools. She graduated from
the Glasco, graded school in 1894, and afterward took a teacher's course
in the Salina Normal. She has literary tastes, is poetically inclined
and finds inspiration in the mountains of Colorado. Nelie is a
successful Cloud county teacher now employed in District No. 6. She is a
graduate of the Glasco school and was a student of the Salina Normal in
1901. She is talented in music and has been organist of the Christian
church in Glasco for several years. Myrtella has been engaged in
teaching six years. She is now employed in District No. 93, near
Concordia. She is a graduate of the Glasco schools. Orpha is one of the
most successful teachers in the county. She is now employed at Superior,
District No. 100, one of the best schools in the county. The first month
her school made an attendance of 99.8; the enrollment is thirty. She is
a graduate of the Glasco high school of the class of 1899. in 1900 she
graduated from the Baker Academy and took part of a year in the freshman
course of Baker University. During her school course her work ranked
best for seven years and received four scholarships offered as premiums,
Bethany, Ottawa, Salina Wesleyan and Baker; she chose the latter. She
represented Solomon and Lyon townships in the county contest in
mathematics. This was in 1893 before she entered the high school. She
brought back the prize from the Glasco school. The Woodward daughters
are highly educated, intelligent young women of refined tastes. Hanson
S., their eldest son, aged seventeen years, is a student of the
Chillicothe (Missouri) Business College. Morris, a little son six years
of age, is the second boy and youngest child.
Mr. Woodward is a
Populist in politics but his daughters take issue against him
politically and are Republicans. He is a member of the Grand Army of the
Republic of Glasco and has held the chair of adjutant for ten years. The
family are members and regular attendants of the Christian church. The
Woodwards have a comfortable residence and pleasant home in Glasco, and
are among that city's most esteemed citizens.
GEORGE A. WRIGHT.
G.A. Wright located in Glasco in the spring of 1892.
Prior to establishing his present business he had charge of the tin and
pump works in the hardware house of Day & VanLandingham. He subsequently
bought and edited the Glasco Sun three years and three months, and sold
to Ferd Prince. Mr. Wright made a financial success of the newspaper
work in Glasco. He is a native of Chicago, born April 5, 1865. The
Wrights were among the early settlers and homesteaded one mile northeast
of Concordia, where they lived nearly twenty years. His father is W.H.
Wright, a farmer now living near the station of Rice.
Mr. Wright
began his career repairing sewing machines and organs. In 1885 he became
associated with his father in the Cloud County Critic, afterward known
as the Kansas Critic. This was their first newspaper experience, our
subject and sister doing the mechanical work while his father and mother
managed the editorial department. The paper was reform in sentiment and
took up the Union Labor and Alliance movements and the result brought
about in this part of the country was somewhat owing to their labors.
Three years later they discontinued the paper and our subject moved the
plant to Arkansas. Mr. Wright farmed that year and raised a big crop of
corn, but it only brought thirteen cents, and he became discouraged with
farming and resumed newspaper work at Fairmount, Arkansas. Nine months
later he moved to Hazen, where he edited the Hazen News and at the same
time published a paper at Duvalls Bluff, the Prairie Gem, and later
consolidated the two papers.
Mr. Wright was married to Inez
Burnett, a daughter of L.C. Burnett, of Glasco, in 1888. She came to
Glasco with her parents in 1885. Was a graduate of the Glasco school and
taught one year. They are the parents of four daughters and one son:
Edna, Leila, Beth, Elsie and Ralph. Mr. Wright is a reformer in
politics, not radical in his expressions, but lends his influence in
that direction. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of Glasco, the
Fraternal Aid and the Knights of Pythias, and Mrs. Wright is a member of
the Royal Neighbors and Fraternal Aid.
Addenda: Since writing the
above sketch Mr. Wright has again assumed control of the Glasco Sun. He
bought the interest and good will of Ferd Prince and is publishing one
of the best papers in Cloud county, devoted solely to the interests of
Glasco and the Solomon valley. Mr. Wright is a capable man and it is
surprising that one of his talents in that direction should have
suspended newspaper work. His career in that line has been one of
flattering success and. his paper is receiving a large patronage,
assuring him of good financial returns. Much of his success is due to
the energy and ability of Mrs. Wright, to whom he has taught the
mysteries of the art preservative, and who is capable of managing both
the news and job departments when the necessity presents itself. Being a
fond mother, however, she prefers the home life to that of the more
strenuous printing office.
JAMES I. WRIGHT.
J.I.
Wright, one of the substantial settlers of Arion township, came to
Kansas in 1870, and to Cloud county in 1871. He is one of the thrifty,
progressive men of his community. He was born in Ohio, but reared
principally on a farm in Ogle county, Illinois. His parents were Hiram
J. and Laura Jane (Frost) Wright. His father was a New Yorker and when a
boy moved with his parents to Ohio. At the age of twenty-three he
settled in Illinois and in 1872 emigrated to Kansas taking up a
homestead in Cloud county, Arion township. In 1899, he retired from the
farm and moved to Concordia where he now lives at the age of eighty-two
years. The Wrights are of English origin. Mr. Wright's mother died when
he was about ten years of age, leaving three children, one son and two
daughters. The eldest daughter, Minerva, died in 1892, leaving a husband
and three children. The other sister, Mary Maria, is the widow of Edmond
Loricky. Mr. Wright's father has been three times married. There were
two children by the second marriage and two by the last.
His
mother having died when he was very young, Mr. Wright was denied many
advantages, his education limited and what he has was acquired in a
practical way. When Mr. Wright was young, his home was broken up by his
mother's death, which actuated his desires for army life and he welcomed
the excitement and passion incident to war. At the youthful age of
seventeen he enlisted in the service of his country. Some of the
soldiers came home on a furlough and this inspired him with a desire to
join the army.
He started in with General Sherman at Chattanooga
and never saw a week's rest until the cessation of hostilities. His
captain was Peter Walker. They were under the command of Colonel
VanTassel. They participated in the battles of Buzzard's Roost, Peach
Tree Creek, and Kenasaw Mountain. During this latter engagement a bullet
passed in close proximity to Mr. Wright's chin, just grazing it - a
narrow escape. There was no breastwork and every available tree had a
man back of it. The one Mr. Wright had sought refuge behind was a very
diminutive one, a sapling in reality. It was cut in two and he was left
entirely without a hiding place, exposed to the enemy's fire, the
bullets falling like hail around him. A comrade fell wounded and Mr.
Wright succeeded this poor victim in his place behind a tree. They were
fighting on the way from Chattanooga to Atlanta and did not know the
condition of the enemy's breast works until within their midst; they had
built them that night. Many of their regiment were killed and wounded in
this attack. His company received a lot of new recruits just as the war
closed. At the close of the war Mr. Wright returned to his home in
Illinois and in 1866, was married to Nancy Sylvina Rice.
Her
father was David Rice of Green county, Kentucky. In his early life he
moved to Ohio where he was married to Mary Tilton and where Mrs. Wright
was born near Simons Run, Coshocton county. She with her parents moved
to Illinois where she met and married Mr. Wright. Her father was a
minister of the old Bible Christian persuasion. He died in 1888, at the
age of seventy-five years.
To Mr. and Mrs. Wright six children
have been born. Lottie Ann Thenia, wife of J.F. Graham, a farmer of Lyon
towniship. Their family of children are Edith Mabel, Emma Lucinda,
Jeniss Calvin and James Alvin, twins, and George William. Leander
Albert, a farmer of Arlon township. His family consists of a wife and
three children. Walter Andrew, Jesse Irwin and Clowie Leota. His wife
was Elizabeth E. Hogue, a daughter of A.J. Hogue who died in Iowa. She
came to Kansas with her mother who died in 1898. Mary Elizabeth, wife of
Frank Garst, a farmer of Arion township. They are the parents of four
children; James Wilbur, Samuel Perley, Charles Alfred, and Mark
Elsworth. Ernestine Adeline, wife of Walter Isaac Brooks, a farmer of
Lyon, township and a son of John Brooks (see sketch). William Alexander
is a stone mason by occupation. Harriet Luella, the youngest daughter
was recently married to Joseph C. Driscoll, a young farmer of Arion
township.
Mr. Wright came to Kansas with a team, two cows, a wife
and two children and nine dollars in money. He is entirely self made,
never having received a dollar from home. But upon the other hand, when
he returned from the army he found his father's family in need of help
and his bounty was given over to them. He bought his team on credit of
an uncle who gave him assistance by not collecting the note when due. It
was not paid till until about six years ago.
Mr. Wright learned
the trades of plasterer and stone mason in his earlier life and there is
not a house or chimney in the vicinity of his home but what he has
assisted in building. He worked at Lindsay and Minneapolis, Kansas, in
the early seventies, often walking to and fro. By degrees Mr. Wright has
prospered. From a shanty they erected a one and one-half story residence
and in 1886, built a one and one-half story addition, making a six room
residence, substantially built of stone. In 1900, built a stone barn 32
by 36 feet. Until five years ago Mr. Wright kept a large herd of sheep;
had at one time upwards of five hundred, besides their wool he fattened
and sold, making it a profitable industry. He raises cattle and hogs
quite extensively. His chief products of the farm are wheat, corn,
Kaffir corn and cane.
Mr. Wright is a Populist in politics, but
not an active politician. He is the justice of the peace of Arion
township. They are members of the Church of God. Mr. Wright is one of
the solid, self made men who has gained everything by his own exertions,
his industry and his integrity. Socially he and his family are among the
leading people of their community.
THOMAS WRONG.
Thomas Wrong was once one of the leading politicians of Cloud county and
one of the most able attorneys and parliamentary debaters in the city of
Concordia. He was a pleasing stump speaker and held an audience well. He
was a man of agreeable, pleasing address and suave manner. There is much
in his history to praise that is commendable and little to condemn. Mr.
Wrong for years had a particularly clean political record and the same
could be said of his business and social affairs. Drink was the cause of
his downfall. He lived in Concordia until the summer of 1901, when he
went to Oklahoma.
WILLIAM ZAHN.
The first settler
in Starr township was William Zahn, the subject of this sketch, who
settled on a homestead where he now resides in 1867. During his early
residence there his little sons would gain some high point of land from
where they could look over the surrounding country and inquire of their
father how much of the land within their vision he possessed. Mr. Zahn
would reply, with a wave of the hand, "Just as far as you can see," and
he indeed felt as if it were, for the idea that so wild a waste of
boundless prairie could ever be desired by settlers, was foreign to him.
They had no neighbors except an old trapper who lived in a dugout under
a bIack oak, on the bank of the creek, by the name of Tiffany.
Mr. Zahn is a native of Prussia, Germany, born in 1821 and emigrated to
America in 1850. He had served three years in the war cavalry of Germany
and after coming to America received a position in the military riding
school it Hoboken, New Jersey. Finding all the avenues of employment or
business closed by competition he decided to come west. He was married
in Germany and with his wife and three children emigrated to Kansas. At
Junction City, the terminus of the railroad, he bought two yoke of oxen
and not being accustomed to cattle, he secured the service of a driver.
They arrived in Starr township in a snow storm on April 10, 1867. Mr.
Zahn had preceded his family a few weeks prior, built a dugout and
returned for them. Their dugout was built on the bank of the creek. A
short time afterward a cloud burst occurred and the inmates were
compelled to make their escape through a window as the door opened out
to the flood. They waded in water waist deep to get to the upland, and
many of their goods were floated away. They then built on higher ground.
Early in the 'seventies they were again deluged by a flood, which did
much damage, carrying away their granary, The lowlands were a seething
flood for miles. They had built a stone house soon after their arrival
and a son was sleeping on a straw mattress in the basement. The first
apprisal he had of the overflow was the sensation of being carried
around the room on his bed of straw. The cattle were swimming in the
flood to places of safety, but none were lost.
In 1870 Mr. Zahn
erected a massive stone structure, 20x4O feet in the clear, with
basement and two floors above. During this period migration was rushing
in and this was headquarters for all manner of entertainment, dances,
theaters and Fourth of July picnics were all held there. The Zahn
settlement was designated as Zahnsville and was the center of amusement.
A home talent theatrical company known, as "Pipe Creek Theatrical
Troupe," gave some very interesting entertainments there. They had a
good band, known as the "Zahnsville String Band." After the theater the
improvised stage and seats would be removed and dancing would follow.
Everybody attended, "with his mother, and his sisters, and his cousins,
and his aunts." It was also the "halfway place" or inn, for the settlers
en route to Clay Center, or Junction City. For several years these were
their nearest trading places, often taking more than a week to go and
come to Junction City over the roadless prairies and bridgeless streams.
The country at that time abounded with elk, deer and antelope and an
occasional buffalo. Mr. Zahn trapped many beaver, otter and coyotes,
making it a profitable industry for several years. They had many Indian
scares. One day Charles and his sister remained at home with their
father, who was ill, while the other members of the family were away,
and about forty Indians put in an appearance. Three of their number came
inside and with their bowie knives began whittling the chairs. Mr. Zahn
bravely arose and secured his gun, which he drew on them. Charles and
his sister in the meantime had slipped out and notified the neighbors,
who hastily gathered together and drove them away. Many Indians camped
along the creeks, drying and curing their meats obtained on the hunt.
Mr. Zahn underwent many rare experiences and struggled with destiny for
several years. While on his return home from Junction City with a supply
of provisions he was caught in a deluging rain. While attempting to
cross a swollen stream the vehicle was upset and the one hundred
dollars' worth of groceries were swept away - a severe loss at that
time. One hundred dollars at the present time would almost purchase the
whole stock of many of the pioneer stores, but an ordinary wash tub held
all of Mr. Zahn's purchases upon this event.
Mr. Zahn was married
in Germany in 1848 to Henrietta Wenzel. Of their eight children but two
are now living, William and Charles. Four lived to maturity. The oldest
son is a farmer and lives just over the line in Ottawa county, where he
owns two hundred acres of land and raises stock extensively. Charles
lives on the homestead with his father since the death of their mother
in July, 1900, but owns one hundred and sixty acres of land which he
homesteaded, adjoining his father on the north. It is a well watered
farm with a variety of fruit trees which bear abundantly. In 1892 he was
married to Margaret Emiline Diller, the daughter of Martin Diller. The
Dillers were among the early settlers of Cloud county. He took a
homestead near Meredith and died shortly afterward. A sister, Anna Zahn
Stocks, died in the spring of 1882, leaving a husband and four children.
A son, Otto Zahn, died about seven years ago, leaving a wife and six
children. He ran away from home at the age of fifteen years, went into
the army and later joined a scouting party in Colorado. The Zahn
children were educated at home. The first school they attended was seven
miles distant and while en route they were in mortal terror of Indians
and the coyotes.
For several years the Zahns found wheat raising
most profitable, but finally went back to corn again, which they have
raised along with oats and barley. Several years their corn has yielded
sixty-five bushels to the acre on the uplands and far better on the
bottom land. In 1901, the poorest corn year that Cloud county has known
for many years, they raised eight thousand bushels of corn on one
hundred acres of ground. They have hauled corn to Clay Center, receiving
only ten cents per bushel. They keep a herd of about eighty head of
native cattle. It is natural to suppose Mr. Zahn, having had the choice
of homesteads, would select a good one, and such is the case. It is one
of the finest farms in Starr township, watered by Chapman creek, a never
failing stream. The historical big stone house stands as a monument on a
high prominence of ground and can he seen for many miles distant in
either direction - a reminder of the much good cheer it brought to the
early settlers. The Zahns are thrifty and honest German people. Mrs.
Zahn was missed in the community where she had lived so many years and
where many of the well-to-do people of the neighborhood have been
recipients of her kindness in the early days. Many of the settlers were
poor and her charity was never withheld. She gave with a bountiful hand.
ADONIRAM J. ZIMMERMAN.
One of the most prosperous,
well-to-do farmers and stockmen of Grant township is A.J. Zimmerman, the
subject of this sketch. His beautiful home, "Hillside Farm" embraces a
quarter section of land in Grant township, and the same amount in
Summit, lying respectively in the southeast and northeast corners of the
townships. The original home was school land, receiving a title from the
government.
Like the greater per cent of the Kansans, our subject
came to the state to build a home and retrieve his lost fortunes. A span
of horses, a wagon, and its contents; a stove and a few other articles,
with eighty dollars in cash, constituted his worldly goods and chattels.
Mr. Zimmerman was married in the state of Iowa, in 1877, and with his
bride and two thousand dollars in currency sought a home near Denver,
Colorado, where their little bank account seemed to disappear like snow
under a summer's sun; not through extravagant living, but he became
interested in an irrigation scheme seven miles east of Langmont and his
money vanished as it were, until he found himself stranded in the far
west. About the time Mr. Zimmerman went to Colorado, a friend emigrated
to Kansas. Feeling his position very keenly, he began casting about for
new fields and pastures green, as his personal pride would not admit of
his returning to the old home. Through correspondence, he learned of his
friends prosperity in Kansas and with regret that he had not likewise
invested his money wisely, gathered the fragments of his little fortune
together and in the autumn of 1878, located on his present farm, then a
tract of raw prairie, built a small house and for two years experienced
many hardships; often finding it a struggle to keep the wolf from the
door. To the kind-hearted generosity of the Layton brothers, Mr.
Zimmerman concedes much; in many instances they gave him employment when
they would have performed the labors themselves but for making it
possible for him to maintain his family. Through their assistance he was
tided over until better days came. Mr. Zimmerman relates an incident
that is amusing and an illustration of what many old settlers had to
undergo. He was without money, his pride would not permit of an appeal
to his home in Iowa, and he sought credit by asking Mr. Ansdell, the
pioneer merchant of Grant township, for some groceries. It took all the
courage our subject could summon up to confront the "store keeper" with
a request for credit, and as he stood before him seemed almost
speechless; but he nerved himself up to the emergency. There were
spectators present, among them Miss Ansdell. In a subdued tone of voice
asked, if he could credit him with some goods. Mr. Ansdell, who was hard
of hearing, replied in a loud tone - "What you say? Mr. Zimmerman stood
abashed, his pride seriously hurt, and as he repeated the question every
sound seemed suddenly to cease as the old gentleman thundered out -
"What's that you say? Credit? Why yes! of course you can." There was a
mixture of comedy and pathos in this experience, but Mr. Zimmerman says,
the event was far more of an ordeal than it would be now, to ask a man
for the loan of a hundred dollars; he could make the request gracefully
and not feel in the least disconcerted.
Mr. Zimmerman was born in
Clayton county, Iowa, in 1854. When eleven years of age moved with his
parents to Franklin county, where they improved a farm as the son did in
Kansas. Prior to this event, his father had been a merchant and proved
to be poor material for a farmer. When he entered upon farm life, he was
totally ignorant of the management of stock, implements and machinery.
He scarcely knew to which end of the plow the horse should be attached.
He was of Pennsylvania birth and knew Stephen Girard, the American
banker, and founder of Girard College, personally; our subject remembers
as a boy how his father entertained him with anecdotes and recitals of
that distinguished citizen. The Zimmerman ancestry were members of the
reform movement brought about by King Louis, and Loius Philippe of
France, and during this period emigrated to America and settled in New
York and later Pennsylvania. They belonged to the titled people of the
Netherlands and were very wealthy, but were forced to choose between
their religion or be banished from their country; they chose the latter,
and their property, which represented millions of dollars, was
confiscated. The heirs made an effort to recover the estate and it was
in litigation for many years, but owing to the system of government
there, they have never been able to recover it. Mr. Zimmerman is one of
ten children, five sons and five daughters. The sons are all living and
when he visited his boyhood home a year ago the five brothers were all
assembled there. They occupy various stations in life; the eldest
brother is of an inventive turn of mind. Three of the daughters are
living. The father died in 1886, but the mother still lives on the old
homestead and enjoys life at the age of seventy-four years. Mr.
Zimmerman's first wife, before her marriage, was Miss Hattie A.
Newhouse, a very estimable woman and member of a prominent Ohio family.
She died in the autumn of 1883. Her father was an old veteran and fell
at the battle of Stone river, giving his life to sustain the stars and
stripes of his country. To this union three children were born; Dr.
Vivian E. Zimmerman. (See sketch). The death of the second child, Effie
Maude, preceded her mother one year; she died on the farm near Jamestown
in 1882, at the age of two years. Minnie, a junior of the Emporia State
Normal, is a bright and promising young woman of literary tastes. So
marked are her tendencies in this direction that she is designated as
the poetess of the normal. She has written some very creditable verses
and is endowed with natural talent. Her mother was a woman of rare
strength of character and its impress has been left in the individuality
of the daughter. She was reared by her maternal grandparents of Abilene,
but educated by her father. After the death of his wife, Mr. Zimmerman
left the farm and returned to Iowa where he lived until 1889. When he
came back he found his farm a wreck; the house having been almost
demolished by the tenants. During this interim he was married to Miss
Hattie G. Logan, whose lineage was the same as the celebrated Logan
family. Her father was a first cousin of General Logan and Senator A.R.
Logan. On her mother's side she descended from the Gilruths, another
distinguished family of Scotch origin. By this union three children were
born: a son who died at eight years, and two daughters, Edith, aged
sixteen and Florence, aged ten. Mrs. Zimmerman was deceased in
September, 1896. In 1898, Mr. Zimmerman was married to his present wife.
Miss Zipporah Dailey, daughter of Pat Dailey. She is a niece of County
Commissioner Dailey, and also of Dr. Dailey, of Beloit; they being her
fathers brothers. Her parents who were residents of Grant township,
Cloud county, for about fourteen years, now reside in Jackson county,
Oregon. Her father served during the Civil war in an Iowa regiment of
cavalry. To Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman a little son was born to bless their
home, but was deceased at seven and one-half months.
"Hillside
Farm" is one of the best arranged and best equipped farms in the county;
a typical country home. The residence built in 1892, is a comfortable
one and as the name implies is located on a prominence of ground with
about one hundred and twenty-five feet of frontage. A windmill and tank
supplies irrigation for the fine lawn and shrubbery. The coming summer
Mr. Zimmerman intends to remodel and refurnish his home, and make it an
ideal residence, complete with modern improvements, extensive library,
etc. In 1897 he erected a handsome stone barn, one of the finest and
most substantial of its size in the country. The shelter afforded for
all the stock, the sheds for preserving machinery and implements, the
granaries of well stored grain, cattle yards, feeding racks, carriage
sheds, and well kept horses, all bespeak thrift and enterprise. His farm
is well stocked with a high grade of Shorthorn and Hereford bred cattle.
Mr. Zimmerman is one of the original gold Democrats, but the house
stands divided against itself, for Mrs. Zimmerman is a Republican. Our
subject is a thorough politician and has given thought and study to
political issues. In 1894, when the Populists controlled the state, Mr.
Zimmerman received the nomination as a Democrat for county commissioner,
but was beaten because he held out for sound money. He has been the
county's committeeman for years. Socially, he belongs to the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and is a member of several fraternal orders. He is
a Rebekah and one of the few men who have gone through the chairs of
that order. The family are attendants of the Jamestown Methodist
Episcopal church, of which Mrs. Zimmerman and the daughter are members.
JOSEPH ZIMMERMAN.
One of the old settlers of Summit
township who came to Kansas in 1874, is Joseph Zimmerman. He is a native
of Wittenburg, Germany, born in 1835. He came to America in 1853,
settled in Rutland, Vermont, and later to Galesburg, Illinois, where the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad was being built, then to St.
Joseph, Missouri, where he lived a few months when he moved to
Maysville, DeKalb county, Nlissouri.
Mr. Zimmerman had learned
stone masonry in Germany and worked at this in the earlier part of his
life. He now lives on his original homestead in Summit township. His
parents were Anthony and Catherine (Miller) Zimmerman, both of Germany.
His father was a farmer. He died in Germany in 1848. His mother died in
1866. Mr. Zimmerman is the youngest of four children and the only living
one.
He was married March 12, 1867, to Susan Slown, who was born
and reared in DeKalb county, Missouri. Her father was James Slown, a
farmer. The Slowns are of Irish origin. To Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman have
been born three children, James W., a farmer and stone mason, with
residence in Mitchell county. Jacob H., associated with his father on
the farm. Anna, wife of O.G. Yocum, a farmer of Summit township.
Mr. Zimmerman is a Republican and served his country during the Civil
War three years and mile months. Was with Major Albeit of St. Joseph,
six months, then enlisted in Alben's Battalion, January, 10, 1862, and
later joined Company H, First Missouri Cavalry, where he served until
discharged in March, 1865, and was mustered out at Warrensburg,
Missouri. Mr. Zimmerman was wounded in the shoulder at the battle of
Mine creek and still feels the effect of the wound. His regiment
operated principally in Missouri, Kansas, Indian Territory, and
Arkansas. They were mustered in with one hundred and twenty-three men,
and mustered out with forty.
Mr. Zimmerman has been treasurer of
Summit township for two years. He is a member of the Grand Army of the
Republic post at Scottsville. The family are members of the Catholic
church.
VIVIAN E. ZIMMERMAN, M. D.
Among the young
physicians of the county few have gained more prominence in the same
length of time than Dr. Vivian E. Zimmerman, the subject of this sketch.
Not far distant from the city of Denver, among the foothills of Weld
county, Colorado, he first opened his eyes to the light of day, in the
year 1877. He is a son of A.J. Zimmerman, of Grant township (see
sketch), and with his parents came to Kansas in 1878. He received his
rudimentary education in the district schools and by pursuing his
studies at home, for, as a boy, he was a student, and early in life had
dreams and aspirations tending toward a professional career. When a lad
about six years of age he sustained a serious loss in the death of his
mother, a woman of gentle and noble character. After her demise he was
taken into the home of his paternal grandparents. His boyhood days were
not all sunshine, but he worked his way through the common branches, and
his determination to gain a profession rendered the undertaking
possible. Not at the instigation of family or friends did he choose the
career of an M.D., but from youth adopted medicine as his choice and
never wavered from his purpose. Prior to studying medicine, however, he
entered upon a course of pharmacy at home, more as a means of gaining
the desired end, than from a taste for that calling. At the age of
seventeen years he secured a position as drug clerk and continued in
that capacity between three and four years. In the meantime he read
medicine with Dr. C.I. Tidd, of Geneva, Iowa, and later with Dr. G.L.
Goss, of Sheffield, Iowa, gaining a credit of one year in the medical
college of St. Joseph, Missouri. After two years in that institution,
his first experience in professional work was at Longford, Kansas, in
the autumn of 1900, under a preceptor. Desiring more complete medical
knowledge he subsequently entered the Nashville Medical College,
graduated from there in the spring of 1901 and returned to Longford. In
December of the same, year he located in Concordia, where he has since
been established. January 16, 1902, he received the appointment of
county physician and held that office one year in connection with his
private practice, which is steadily increasing. Cramping restrictions
incident to financial situations were experienced in Dr. Zimmerman's
struggle to gain a profession and he has encountered many obstacles
along his career, requiring much energy and courage to tide over these
years of anxiety. However, success came as it invariably must to the
energetic and faithful. It may safely be predicted that the future years
hold for Dr. Zimmerman professional honors. He is a close student,
devoted to his profession, and, like hundreds of western young men, is
self-educated and self-made, a demonstration which carries with it a
recommend.
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