Other Early Settlers

 

James McKie was born in Fulton county, New York, February 14, 1819?; was a shoemaker by trade; worked at that business twenty-five years.  Came to Missouri in 1862; settled at Lathrop in Clinton county; came to Kansas in 1872; stopped one year in Republic county.  He settled on Buck creek in this county in the spring of 1874, on the Jerome Cox land, where his family now reside.  Mr. McKie was always a republican.  He was married to Martha Baird in 1837; they had two children, Edward and James; their eldest son Edward lives in Republic county, James lives on the old home farm.  He was born in 1862.  He owns 1200 acres of land and 200 head of horses and cattle.  James McKie Sr. died in February 1892 of consumption and is buried in the Densmore cemetery.
The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, F. M. Lockard, 1894, p. 102
 

Severe Evans, John Voss, W. B. Kelley, the Archer brothers, and Peter Donnelly all settled on the Solomon near Densmore before 1880 and all live there yet.

Mr. Manville came to Densmore soon after the town started and has continued in the mercantile business there ever since.
The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, F. M. Lockard, 1894, p. 280
 

Thomas Beaumont came here in the spring of 1873 and settled on the Solomon.  He was an old soldier and badly crippled. He taught school in this county for several years and served one term as county attorney.  He was afterward appointed to a clerkship in Washington, D.C., where he remained until 1890 where he died from the effects of his army wounds.  In 1869 he was a student in the Iowa Agricultural college where his sister Lillie, was teacher of French and German, his other sister being the wife of the president of the institution, Dr. Welch.  Young Thomas was too lively for the relatives, so they sent him west with a satchel of law books.
The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, F. M. Lockard, 1894, p. 284
 

William L. Porter was born in Wayne county, Illinois, March 21, 1855.  His education was received in the common schools of that county.  At the age of 19 he began teaching in the district schools of his home county after which he attended the Ladoga normal, the Danvil institue and the Valparaiso normal school.  After a course in the Valparaiso normal he took up the "Greeley cry" and came out west, locating at Logan, Phillips county.  His experience as a Kansas pedagogue has been in this county.  He has a very fine homestead in West Union township.  As a citizen and as a teacher he has been successful in every effort.
The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, F. M. Lockard, 1894, p. 284

Peter Hansen settled in this county early in 1862; he took an active part in the organization of the county and was for some years county commissioner.  He has lived since 1875 at Logan; he is now on a year's visit to his birth place in Sweden.  We can't write his full biography at this time for lack of data; but he will be referred to again.
The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, F. M. Lockard, 1894, p. 15

David Ezra Stevens was born of Yankee parents in Clymer, Chautauqua county, New York, May 26, 1836.  When six years of age he moved with his parents to Rock County, Wisconsin; received a common school education; taught school in winter and farmed in summer.  On September 16, 1861 he enlisted in the 13 Wisconsin Infantry, at Jamesville, Wisconsin.  His regiment was sent to Ft. Scott, Kansas, in the spring of '62; was stationed at Lawrence.  They were then ordered to New Mexico to quell an Indian outbreak.  When they arrived at Ft. Rilly they were ordered back; they were then on garrison duty at Columbus, Kentucky, and Ft. Henry, for nearly one year.   They went from there to Ft. Donelson where they arrived Feb. 13, 1863 but were too late for the fight. They were then garrisoned at Donelson and Stevenson for some time.  He was in several skirmishes but in none of the principal battles.  He was then placed on detached service in a convalescing office, was afterward sent home on recruiting service; in 1864 was for awhile in the office of the topographical engineer at Nashville where he remained until the expiration of his term, November 19, 1864.  He moved to Aplington, Butler county, Iowa, in 1865.  On March 17, 1867 he was married to Miss Sarah Aplington; to them were born four children, Grace, Ada, Edwin and Kate, all of them are now living in this county.

With four companions he arrived in Norton county December 9, 1872.  He stopped with his brother-in-law, L. A. Aplington of Elk Creek in the north east corned of the county.  They then went on a buffalo hunt, went as far as Decatur county.  They then returned to the head of Big Timber creek about 10 miles south east of Norton where he now resides.  Here they found four foundations laid for houses: one by Pete Hansen and one by Wm. McClelland; the names of the other two are now forgotten.  Their stakes showed that their claims had been located on June 15, so they discovered that in two days their six months would expire as this was December 13.  They spent these two days in looking for corners; the 15th came and no one came to claim the land so they threw aside their stakes and foundations and made settlement on the land but were unable to get the numbers of the land so they returned to Elk Creek and Alf. Aplington went down to within five miles of Republican City and borrowed a compass and chain of a Mr. Whitney and returned.  They found a starting point at Morris Atkins and chained south eight miles one bitter cold day and come to the N.W. corner of sec. 3, town 4, range 22, a part of which he subsequently entered.  This brought them to Christmas, and for Christmas dinner they had wild turkey roasted.  Again they returned to Elk Creek and wrote to the land office at Cawker and obtained a plat of said township - 4,22.  No lands being taken in this township, he started on his return to Iowa.  At Cawker on Jan. 15th he put a soldier's filing on the land upon which he now resides.  On July 13th of the same year he was here with his family, no settler nearer than Tom Atteberry's on Cactus Creek, six miles away.

In July 1875 he deeded this place, which makes him one of the oldest tax payers in Norton county.  His first tax receipt was given Sept. 10, 1876 by C.W. Posson as sheriff of Norton county.

His wife died September 1874 and was buried on the homestead; her remains were taken up and interred in the Norton cemetery in May 1893.

April 19, 1876 he was again married to Malissa Ann, widow of I. C. Butler an old soldier.  They have no children.

Stevens was the first actual settler in Sand Creek township; he established the post office at Hedgewood, gave it its name and was postmaster for many years.
The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, F. M. Lockard, 1894, p. 46-49

 

Henry Thomas Attebury was born in Kentucky, September 30, 1829.  He came to Norton county in September 1872.  His wife Margaret Neate? was born December 18, 1833: seven children were born to them, their eldest child James Lunzey, was born April 16, 1849.  He came to Norton county in May 1874, was married at Logan to Agnes Wamuck, November 21, 1875 , settled on Big Timber, one mile south of D. E. Stevens; bought a farm two miles northwest of Norton; moved on it in 1882, sold it in the fall of 1892 and bought a farm on Otter Creek, near Edmond where he now resides; he has five children.  Thomas Attebury's eldest daughter Nancy was born November 18, 1852 was married to James McKay at Logan, Nov 2, 1874; they now reside in Oklahoma and are engaged in the hotel and livery business.  His second daughter Francis, was born in 1859; was married to Jessie Griffin, they had two children; she died June 4, 1889.

Anna was born February 2, 1863 married to Jack Conarty, February 2, 1878.

Minnie was born May 10, 1865 and was married to W. A. Rose, February 8, 1887; they had three children only one of them is living.  They reside at Phillipsburg.  He is in the employ of the Rock Island railroad company.

Orin Benjamin born February 17, 1868; lives in Phillips county on Bow Creek, is a farmer.  Florence born April 11, 1860.  She married a man by the name of Charles Bass but they have since separated.   She now lives with her parents.

Thomas Attebury came to Kansas with his family in 1861; settled on Indian creek in Linn county, went to Lawrence in 1862 and from there to Carroll City, Iowa the same fall, where he lived until he came to Norton county.  Previous to this he lived in Macon county, Missouri for many years where he was married and where all his children were born.  His Family did not come to Norton county until 1874.  He in the mean time kept bachelor hall on  the land where Jack Conarty now lives on Cactus creek.....

In 1889 Tom sold his farm to Jack Conarty, moved to Bow Creek in Phillips county, where he now resides.
The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, F. M. Lockard, 1894, p. 90-91
 

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