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He says he was the seventh son and in honor of the event they named him Dr. Benjamin Franklin. 
Fred Smythe Hazelton was born in West Springfield. New Hampshire, October 17, 1856; moved with his parents to Delaware county, Iowa, in 1866, and the following year moved to Farmersburg, Clayton county, Iowa, where he attended the common schools.
In 1872 he came to Lancaster county, Nebraska where he worked on his father's farm in summer and attended school in winter.
He began teaching when he was 18 years of age, and at 20 learned telegraphing at Firth, Nebraska; he remained in the employ of the Atchison &; Nebraska railroad company as agent and operator until 1879 when the B. & M. assumed control of that road; he was then made agent at Milford, Nebraska, where he remained until 1883 when he resigned to become cashier of Blue Valley Bank at Millford.
He resigned the position cashier after eighteen months' service and came to Kansas, settling in Norton in October, 1885, where he engaged in the real estate, loan, and abstract business.
He has remained in that business continuously ever since; most of the time the business has been conducted under the firm name of Hazelton & Wilder.
He has always been a zealous republican and takes a prominent part in our local and state politics.
He was elected mayor of Norton in 1889 and re elected in I1890 but resigned to accept the appointment of quartermaster general of the National order of Sons of Veterans which was tendered him by Leland J. Webb during his administration as commander in chief.
He held this office one year beginning September 1890, with headquarters in Topeka but retained his business interest here.
He was elected cashier of the First National Bank of Norton in October 1893 and occupies that position at this time.
He is one of our most public spirited citizens, and is a member of the Masonic lodge and Sons of Veterans.
He was married to Ella M. Quible, January 29, 1880; they have one child, Edna M., born July 12, 1884. Mrs. Hazelton was born in Mill county, Illinois, May 10, 1859 after receiving a common school education she taught part of the time and attended the State normal school at Peru, Nebraska. Her parents moved from Illinois to Atloe [Otoe ?? ] county, when she was a child and have remained there ever since. Elijah T. Collins came here from Cloud county, Kansas, in 1872; he at once began the erection of a mill, but soon found himself out of money. The Newell brothers advanced him money and the work went on until the dam was completed, this was of but little benefit as it washed out early in 1873; in fact it was rebuilt and washed out no less than four times before he got a mill built. In the fall of 1873 he put in a sawmill and in the spring of 1874 he purchased a buhr for the purpose of grinding corn. The buhr was set up on the bank of the creek and had no covering. |
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