Samuel P. Gale, one of the prominent farmers and stockmen of Murdock township, is an early settler of that part of Butler county. He was born at Malden, N. Y., April 23, 1842, and his parents were Harvey and Ursula Gale. The father was born in Columbia county, New York, June 16, 1806, and is a descendant of Connecticut stock. He was married to Ursula Roberts, February 22, 1827, and two sons of this union are now living, Samuel P., the subject of this sketch, and Isaac J., who resides at Atlanta, Ill.

In 1872, Samuel P. Gale came to Butler county, settling in Murdock township, and homesteaded eighty acres of land, where he engaged in farming and stockraising. Since that time, he has bought another eighty acres, and now has one of the valuable farms of Murdock township, and has met with unusual success in his chosen vocation. However, like

most of the other early settlers, he encountered many difficulties and discouraging features before he was properly started on the high road to success. When he came here he had only one horse, but succeeded in buying a pony on credit and for the first few years crops were poor, money scarce and hard times prevailed generally. Drouths, grasshoppers, hail, cyclones, and hot winds kept most of the early settlers guessing, where they were going to get their next meal or sleep that night.

In 1874 Mr. Gale drove to Coffey county to get seed wheat and the following year had a good crop of wheat. This gave him a start, and fortified him for a few more failures. His first house in Butler county was a one-room affair, 12x14 feet, which was replaced in due time by a more pretentious and commodious residence and the Gale farm is now well equipped with farm buildings and the place is under a high state of cultivation, presenting an attractive appearance.

Mr. Gale was married November 16, 1881, to Miss Henrietta C. a daughter of Henry and Helen Bush of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Bush were the parents of the following children: Mrs. Marguerite J. Pracht, Burns, Kans.; Hiram, Wichita, Kans.; Henrietta, wife of Samuel P. Gale, the subject of this sketch; James, Gibson City, Ill.; William, Wichita; John, Whitewater, and Robert, Wichita. The Bush family came to Butler county in 1871, locating in Benton township, where they homesteaded 160 acres of land. Mrs. Gale recalls many of their experiences in the early days which were mostly made up of inconveniences and hardships. She says Rev. Isaac Mooney was their pioneer preacher, and the first time she went to church in Butler county, services were held in a hay barn. To Mr. and Mrs. Gale have been born two children: Henry, who resides at home, and Mrs. Ursula Chaney, Whitewater, Kans.

Mr. Gale has always taken an interest in township and county affairs, and served as justice of the peace for eight years; and during that time performed eight marriage ceremonies, and we have no record that any of his matrimonial knots were ever untied, which would indicate that the marriage ceremony was properly performed. He is a supporter of good schools and for a number of years served on the school board.

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