John S. Loy.—In the death of John S. Loy which occurred at Augusta in 1899, the grim reaper gathered in another worthy Butler county pioneer who will long be remembered as one of the men who performed his part nobly and well, in laying the foundation for the future greatness of Butler county, and Kansas. He was a native of Ohio, born in Darke county, in 1836, and reared and educated in his native county, and in 1857, was united in marriage at La Fayette, Ind., to Mrs. M. J. Oldbury, a native of Gibson county, Indiana, born in 1839, who still survives him and resides in her comfortable home at Augusta. She is a representative of that type of womanhood who seem to become fewer as the years come and go, but perhaps not; it may be that our estimation of humanity changes as we grow older, and our viewpoint changes. Be that as it may, Mrs. Loy is a grand old lady and a credit to the county in which she lives, and she is rich in the possession of the love and esteem of all who know her.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Loy lived in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, near the famous old Indian battle ground. In 1859, they came to Kansas and settled at Cottonwood Falls, which was then in Wise county, but now Chase. These were real pioneer times in that section of Kansas and that settlement was well on the border of the frontier. Here Mr. Loy conducted a general store until 1868, when they came to Butler county, where the frontier had not yet disappeared. They took a claim of 160 acres, a half mile south of where Augusta now stands.

When they came here the town of Augusta consisted of one log house, which was owned by C. N. James. He conducted a store, postoffice, school, Sunday school, and a residence in this log house, and it was also used as a polling place on election day.

Mr. Loy and a Mr. Palmer, who came with him, bought a saw-mill with which they sawed lumber for a house and erected a crude structure 16x23 feet. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Palmer and a man named Tibbetts, each built a room for himself, adjoining the Loy residence, and they all practically lived in the same house for a time, or, in other words, they pooled their rooms and made a house which possibly might have furnished the idea of later combinations of big business, which has given our law-makers so much trouble in recent years. Mr. Loy was interested in the operation of the saw-mill until about 1879, when he followed butchering for awhile and later was engaged in the quarry business, shipping stone to Wichita. During the last twelve years of his life, he was practically retired on account of poor health. He, at one time, owned the site of the first grist-mill on the Walnut river, which was at the point where the South bridge crosses the river.

To Mr. and Mrs. Loy were born nine children, as follows: Louisa Catherine, married Matt Brooks, now deceased and they had five children, Addie Bell, Mary Diana, Mabel, John Alvin and Lola; Clara, died at the age of eighteen months; John Edward, died at the age of eighteen months; Mrs. Georgiana Seaman, died at Augusta, and left the following children: Goldie; A. Z.; Mary; Lillie and Seth; Arthur T., lives at Fowler, Colo.; Minnie Ellen, died at the age of seven; Nellie Viola, died at the age of four; George, died in infancy; and Bessie Dickey, Cleveland, Texas. By a former marriage, Mr. Loy had one son, H. D. Loy, who now resides in Augusta, and who is to Mrs. Loy a real son. Mrs. Loy lives on the old home place where she and her husband settled in 1868, nearly a half century ago, and many fond recollections, of when her heart beat young, and she knew not the limitations imposed by time, cluster about her in these, the sunset days of her life.

Mr. Loy, two daughters and a son, are buried in a private burial ground near the residence where the faithful wife and mother sees that their graves are carefully looked after.

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