[IMAGE]
Eli W. Campbell

Eli W. Campbell, now deceased, was a Kansas pioneer and Civil war veteran and one of the early settlers of Sycamore township. Eli W. Campbell was a native of Ohio, born October 7, 1843. He was reared amidst the rural surroundings of the early days in Ohio, and received a common school education. He enlisted in the early part of the Civil war and served until the close of that great conflict, being in the army about four years.

After the close of the war, Mr. Campbell went West, and in 1869 he was united in marriage in Wisconsin to Miss Sarah E. Soper. She was born in Brooking, N. Y., in 1850, a daughter of Platt and Mary Ann Soper. In 1871 Mr. and Mrs. Campbell came to Kansas and settled in Florence. They lived in Marion county for eleven years, and in 1882 came to Butler county and located at Sycamore Springs. Here he engaged in the huckster business and had customers all the way from El Dorado to Cottonwood Falls. While Mr. Campbell was out on the road with the wagon, serving customers, Mrs. Campbell attended to the store which they kept in Sycamore Springs. She was also postmistress at Sycamore Springs, which at that time was quite a settlement. While keeping store at Sycamore Springs, Mrs. Campbell sold supplies to hundreds of immigrants and others who passed over this California trail. Sycamore Springs was a favorite camping place for travelers on account of its far-famed good water. Indians also camped in this vicinity frequently, in the early days.

Mr. Campbell was in bad health for a number of years, and, in fact, he was never robust after coming out of the army, and eventually was

forced to retire many years before his death, which occurred March 11, 1913. Therefore, it will be seen that the chief burden of maintaining a home fell to Mrs. Campbell, even before her husband's death. She was equal to the occasion, however, and is one of the best business women in Butler county, and, through her own efforts, has accumulated considerable property. And while she has been successful in a business way, she has also been a potent factor in shaping the civic and social life of Sycamore township. She has a rich store of early day reminiscences which she relates in a most entertaining manner.

To Mr. and Mrs. Campbell were born the following children: Frank G., Wichita, Kans.; Mrs. May Cory, Sedan, Kans.; Mrs. Katie Diller, Cassoday, Kans.; Arthur P., Wichita, Kans., and Mrs. Edna Coffelt, Cassoday, Kans. The Campbell family is well known and highly respected.

Previous | Main Page | Biography Index | Next

Pages 736-737,