Sedgwick County KSGenWeb

Portrait And Biographical Album of Sedgwick County, Kan.

Chapman Brothers 1888

Pages 352- 354

WILLIAM G. HACKER is a name not unknown as being a capitalist of Wichita. October, 1870, marks the date the city extended its hospitality to him. In Eagle Township he pre-empted a quarter-section of land, and there made his home two years. Meantime he broke some fifty acres, built a house and barn, and did the other work of value to the place. Fruit trees were not neglected, as is too often the case. The unparalleled growth of the city attracted his special attention, and at the close of two years he moved there, located, and entered the hardware and implement trade with Bailey & Blake.

     In 1876 Mr. Hacker and Charles Fraker opened a like business on their own account on Main street. Fraker & Hacker was the style of the firm, and eighteen months numbered the duration of this venture. Keichman & Davis became their successors by purchase. A partnership with Mr. Jackson, under the firm name of Hacker & Jackson, followed, and they engaged in the coal, fuel and building material business. This enterprise covers an interval of nine years and more, with the member of that firm of whom we began writing. They employed from fifteen to twenty men, and are said to have been as large, if not the largest, dealers in their line in the city.

     In March, 1887, Mr. Hacker closed out his interest to his partner. Poor health was the occasion of that sale, as it has also been the cause of restricting his energies generally since, but to some extent he has been engaged in real estate. A business block, corner of Fourth and Douglas streets, called the Hacker & Jackson Block, attests his public spirit and faith in the city of his adoption. West Virginia claims his birthplace, and the western part of Lewis County in that State marks the locality. The 16th of February, 1841, fixes the time of his first advent to that time-honored country. His father's name was Thomas S., his mother's, Charlotte (Hess) Hacker, both of whom were natives of the State dubbed "The Mother of Presidents." Their foreparents were likewise of Anglo-Saxon origin. John and William Hacker, two brothers, were the first pair of that stock to import themselves into America. They landed at the famous Jamestown, Va., not a large place in fact, but when it comes to historical record, of no little fame. Those brothers landed there, but soon afterward betook themselves west of the Alleghany Mountains, and settled on what became known as Hacker's Creek, in Lewis County, W. Va., in 1609. All the Hackers in America are said to have descended from those two brothers. The Hacker families had much suffering at the hands of the red men of the forest, of whom there were many at the time we speak of. The tomahawk and scalping-knife were often reddened with the blood of those brothers' families and their descendants. The father of Thomas S. was named Alexander A., who was a native of Virginia. He was a son of the John spoken of as one of the two brothers first coming to this country. John's grandfather was Col. Francis, famed for having read the death warrant of Charles Stewart, King of England. Parenthetically, he would remark, had he read the death warrant to kingly office, instead of poor villain Charles, the race would have had more cause to spread his fame, while it blessed his name.

     A brief sketch of the mother of William we wish to give. She was Charlotte, the daughter of Hezekiah Hess. He was from good old Germany, and came over the deep blue sea just before the Revolutionary War, in which he was destined to play the part of a soldier. He received severe wounds at the hands of the invaders, but in spite of them lived to the age of ninety-two or ninety-three before he was gathered to his fathers. He too resided in Lewis County, Va. Thomas S. was a farmer residing at Letart Falls, Ohio, from 1875 to 1884, when our William brought him and his mother to Wichita, where, after one year, the good mother was gathered with kindred spirits to the land of eternal day. The father returned to Ohio, and followed her to the land of rest in 1885. They were subscribers to the creed of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was deputized to act as High Sheriff in Lewis County, Va., in 1847. These parents had a family of six children, five of whom are now living - Jane, William G., Virginia, Olive and Sarah. Jane married Mr. Harris, and they reside in Ohio; Virginia, Mrs. M. B. Tierny, resides in West Virginia; Olive married a Mr. Spencer, of Hocking, Ohio. Sarah is now Mrs. Spencer, of Letart Falls, Ohio.

     The William G. just spoken of was reared on a farm, staid there till fourteen years of age, and from there went to the burning springs of Virginia, and caught the oil fever so contagious at that time. He was so young, however, that it was of short duration. From there in 1861 he went to Beverly, in West Virginia. Here he struck more than he contracted for, being pressed into the Confederate service as teamster, and served until the fall of the year, when he got away from this unwilling service. He then secured employment with Trotter & Hopkins, proprietors of the line of stages running from Monterey to Stanton, W. Va. This he followed until 1862, when, as if to atone for unwilling service rendered the Confederates, he gave willing service for three months to the Federals, acting as teamster under Gen. Milroy. From that service he returned to Lewis County and helped to organize Company B, 15th West Virginia, and was regularly mustered into service on the 25th of August, 1862. He remained in the service until wounded at Hatches' Run, on the 2d of March, 1865. He was discharged at Fortress Monroe on the 14th of June following.

      After the war, Wood County, W. Va., became the scene of action for Mr. Hacker. There he followed freighting until 1866. Then he removed to Maroa, Ill., and engaged at farming two years. Tinware and implements after this became "his holt" until 1870, when he removed to Kansas. The 26th of January, 1862, he was married, Miss Mary A. Kellar forming the bride on that auspicious occasion. She was the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Argerbright) Keller, also natives of Virginia. They resided on a farm. Mr. Hacker, by his marriage with Miss Kellar, has had ten children. Mary E., Maud E., Gertie M. and William D. are the only ones living.

      The sketch taken under Mr. Hacker's supervision, from which this notice is written, says he is a Republican, a Mason, an Odd Fellow, a member of the G. A. R., a stockholder in the Kansas National Bank. His residence is at No. 1055 North Lawrence street, and we think, if all accounts are true, he is one of the solid, progressive, aggressive and public-spirited men of the city.

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