Sedgwick County KSGenWeb

Portrait And Biographical Album of Sedgwick County, Kan.

Chapman Brothers 1888

Pages 200 - 201

 WILLIAM H. FLESHMAN, a representative farmer and stock-raiser of Salem Township, makes his residence on a farm embracing eighty acres on section 10.  He came to Kansas in 1869, and in the fall of 1873 settled in Sedgwick County, where he has lived ever since.  He is one of the public-spirited and liberal men of the township, and is never backward in supporting enterprises which will accrue to the benefit of the community, or elevate the tone of society.

      The subject of our sketch was born beneath the roof of his parents, James and Elizabeth (Wood) Fleshman, in Louisa County, Va., Oct. 24, 1827.  The father died aged about sixty-five years, and the mother seventy-eight years.  His parents were also natives of the Old Dominion, and had one other child besides our subject, whose name is James F., who is still a resident of the place of his nativity, and lives on the old home place.  William H. received such a rudimentary education as was afforded by the common schools of his native land at the time of his boyhood, and grew to man's estate employed at agricultural labor in Louisa County.  On Oct. 24, 1856, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary L. Gish, who was also a native of Virginia, born June 22, 1838.  Mrs. Fleshman is the daughter of William and Sarah A. (Bush) Gish, natives of Virginia, and both now deceased.  The father died aged seventy-two years, and the mother sixty-three years.  Her grandparents on her father's side were also Virginians, named George and Ruth (Howell) Gish.  On the mother's side they were of the same nativity, and named Peter and Alice (Revere) Bush.

      By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Fleshman there have been born seven children: Thomas W.; George F., of whom a sketch appears elsewhere in this Album; James R. was drowned in the Arkansas River while attempting to cross while it was at a high stage; Sallie B., Mrs. James W. Tyree, residing in Winfield, this State; and Alice K., Harry L. and Mary S.

      With a desire to improve his fortunes and to avail himself of the splendid resources of the growing State of Kansas, in 1869 Mr. Fleshman left the Old Dominion for the West.  On arrival in this State, he made his residence for about eighteen months in Woodson County, and for about the same length of time in Sumner County, but in the fall of 1873 he came to Sedgwick County, and  settled in Salem Township.  Three years later he removed to the farm where he now resides.  Mr. Fleshman has made all the improvements upon his farm himself, it being totally uncultivated at the time of settling upon it.  It is said that the soil of Kansas is so rich that all it is necesary to do is to scratch the land, and it will produce enormously, still, in spite of this, it requires considerable effort and a large amount of industry and energy to develop a farm from a state of primitive wildness to anything like a respectable state of tillage.

      Being endowed with a remarkable amount of energetic spirit and with good business tact, Mr. Fleshman has, since coming here, succeeded in achieving a very fair amount of success.  His place evinces, both in its culture and in the good and substantial buildings erected upon it, the diligence and thrift of the owner, and prosperity seems to wait upon his steps.  He is highly esteemed in the community as an honorable, upright and trustworthy man, and could, if he chose, take a very prominent part in the political life of the township.  He is at present serving as Director of the school district, and gives a large amount of his attention to educational matters.  He and his wife and family are all members of the Baptist church, at Derby, of which congregation he is at the present time Trustee.  They are extremely active in all religious matters, and give largely from their means and time to the furtherance of the spread of the Gospel.  In politics Mr. Fleshman is a Democrat, but in local matters is not entirely bound by party lines.  In the estimation of his fellow-citizens he is one of the representative men of Salem Township.

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